Manpower Survey Offers Promise For Hiring

Amid a period of sobering unemployment and a tough job market, any positive report on future prospects for earning a paycheck comes as a welcome change of pace.

Manpower Inc., one of the nation’s largest employment agencies, has provided that change of pace, if only for the first part of next year.

Manpower’s most recent quarterly job outlook, for the nation and the area, indicates employers are more willing to hire workers from January through March compared to the same period at the start of 2009. Employers for the United States as a whole and in the Greensboro-High Point metropolitan area anticipate a moderate increase in their hiring plans for first quarter, Manpower reports.

Of the more than 28,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 12 percent anticipate an increase in staff levels in the first quarter.

It’s the first positive outlook after three consecutive quarterly surveys where more U.S. employers planned to cut rather than bolster staff, said Mary Ann Laskey, spokeswoman for Milwaukee-based Manpower.

In the Greensboro-High Point area, 14 percent of companies surveyed intend to hire more employees, while 9 percent expect to reduce payrolls, Manpower reports. The remaining local employers either aren’t certain or plan to maintain current staff levels.

“(Local) employers are significantly more optimistic about hiring activity as compared to one year ago, when 10 percent of companies surveyed planned to increase staff levels and 17 percent expected to cut payrolls,” Manpower reports.

The possibly gradual shift in the local job market is reflected in activity at the High Point office of the N.C. Employment Security Commission. The office on Wednesday hosted an employment agency, Around The Clock Staffing, that was seeking applicants for industrial maintenance, assembly and production positions.

Job orders are up from this time last year, while the number of people seeking unemployment assistance through the High Point ESC has lessened somewhat, said Assistant Manager Charles Diggs.

“It’s definitely better. We’re posting new job orders every day. At this time a year ago, we’d go a whole week and post one or two job orders,” Diggs said. “This morning (Wednesday), we got three or four new job orders in. It’s starting to move in the right direction.”

Source: Paul Johnson, High Point Enterprise - Thurs Dec. 10, 09 at msnbc.msn.com

10 Behavioral-Based Interview Questions

That Must Be Answered

Opinion-based interviewing questions have been fading away since behavioral-based interview questions burst on the scene back in 1996. Even though some old school questions are important to be aware of, they have been replaced by behavioral-based questioning strategies. Here are a few of the most popular opinion-based questions:

“What are your strengths?”
“What are your weaknesses?”
“Why should I hire you?”
“How will you benefit our company?”
“What would your former manager say about you?”
“Tell me about yourself.”

Today, most organizations have implemented some type of behavioral-based questions to better understand the candidate’s capabilities and past performance. Two primary reasons that behavioral-based interviewing techniques have become the accepted practice are past behaviors are an accurate indicator of future behaviors, and all answers can be verified through a reference check. You must prepare your answers well in advance of the on-site interview, and even the initial telephone interview, in order to stand out from your competition. Your answers will take more time than the questions above, however, simply use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format, and practice each response so you are well-prepared when the interview arrives.

Here are ten behavioral-based questions. Have an answer for each prior to your next interview:

1. “Describe for me your greatest accomplishment up to this point in your career. When was it? What did you do? What was the outcome?”

2.“Tell me about a time when you didn’t accomplish the original objective. When was it? What was your role? What was the result?”

3. “Describe the most prominent mistake you have made during your career. What did you do? What were the results? What did you learn from it? Have you ever repeated that same mistake?”

4. “Walk me through the last time you worked in a team and didn’t get along with one of its members. When did this take place? What did you do? What could you have done differently? What was the outcome?”

5. “Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make in the past three months. What made this decision so tough? What information did you consider when deciding? How did you reach your decision? How did it turn out?”

6. “Take me back to the last project that you were involved with that required extra effort on your part. When was it? What adjustments did you have to make to meet these demands? What was the outcome?”

7. “Describe the last important task you delegated. What instructions did you give? How did you check on the progress of the assignment? Was the outcome satisfactory? Why or why not?”

8. “Describe a recent situation that best illustrates your style in leading others to accomplish a task. When did this occur? What was the situation? How did you motivate the team? Who was the hardest team member to get on your side? How did you do it?”

9. “Tell me about the most recent goal that you achieved. When was it? What was the goal? How did you set up an action plan to achieve that goal? What was the result?”

10. “Tell me about a recent customer complaint that you handled. When did this take place? What was the complaint? How did you learn about it? What did you do? How did it turn out?”

By mastering behavioral-based interview questions, you position yourself at the top of the selection pool. Remember, the more recent your examples, the more weight they carry in the mind of the Hiring Manager. Also, answering a behavioral-based question is much more time consuming than other types of questions so the more preparation time you put in, the better you will be able to handle the behavioral-based questions without lengthy delays or uncomfortable pauses.

Source: Mark Krajnik, Vice President, RCS Corporation on his blog at www.recruiterearth.com

Building a STRONG Client Relationship

I’ve often heard recruiters comment that their main responsibility is to provide a service by sourcing and hiring candidates. I find that although sourcing and hiring is certainly at the heart of what I do, I believe that the keystone of my role as a recruiter is to continually build and refine my client relationships.

In doing so, the sourcing and hiring comes secondary and without fail.

Additionally, I prefer using the term “providing a solution” vs. “providing a service.” We are ambassadors of our respective companies, who in turn provide a solution to our clients.

The solution is quality talent through a quality recruitment process. Below are several core objectives I use in building and maintaining my client relationships. I’m hopeful that in some way they can assist you as you strive to build strong, cohesive, thriving, and lasting client relations.

Know Your Product

What is your product? Your client is your product!

Far too often recruiters are ill-prepared when it comes to understanding their client.

What is their culture like? What services do they provide? What is their benefits package? What separates them from their competitors? What is the actual job description and requirements of the role? Where do they stand in the market? What makes them successful? It’s imperative to your success to know your client’s landscape inside and out.

Listen to Your Client

One vital key in building any relationship is knowing how to be a good listener. As a provider of solutions (talent solutions), we are considered subject matter experts (SMEs) in our field.

If we’re not careful, we have the probability to come across with a know-it-all mentality. What our clients need is the SME coupled with outstanding listening skills. We may think we know what our client wants, but if we’re closed off to truly listening to their needs and advising appropriately, we’re destined to fail at every step. We also short-change ourselves in being closed-off to a new idea and/or way of doing business. The old adage “less talking and more listening” is certainly apropos here.

Pick Up the Phone

Email is a wonderful tool. However, whenever possible, pick up the phone and speak one-on-one with your client.

Most clients welcome hearing a human voice on the other end, especially when you’re working on their behalf toward a hiring goal. Having a continuous dialogue in email can sometimes take the personal touch out of building a strong, lasting relationship with your client. Additionally, by speaking one-on-one with your client, you can avoid the back-and-forth of marathon emails as well as gauge your clients’ mood, reaction, and receive timely feedback, and if you’re really fortunate…a little well-earned praise!

Offer Timely Feedback and Updates

Provide timely updates on candidate status and projected time-frames. Based on your client’s preference hold weekly or bi-weekly status meetings. Provide immediate feedback on candidates when their status changes. Keep everyone involved in the process and in the loop, and always thank them for their time and support.

Build Credibility By Delivering Quality Results

Let’s face it; our clients want the biggest bang for their buck. Who doesn’t? Our objective is to provide top-notch candidates via a world class recruitment process. If we provide anything less, we don’t deserve to the opportunity to work for them. Stay focused on your objectives and don’t just work hard, work smart.

Don’t Promise Things You Can’t Deliver

I’ve seen former bosses, out of eagerness to land the deal, promise a service they couldn’t deliver only to have it drastically backfire when they couldn’t. Promising a service you truly can’t deliver, only to initially impress the client, will only diminish your credibility in the long run. Be honest about what you can deliver and when. You’ll be surprised at how far genuine honestly will get you.

Remember Whose House You’re In

Always remember you’re a guest in your client’s environment. When you’re a guest at someone’s home, you’re mindful of the rules, gracious, and respectful of your hosts. The same applies in your client environment. Be on time, if not early. Don’t rush out the door at 5:00. Show the client you care and are available by staying after hours from time to time. Let them know they can reach you after hours via cell phone (and remember to keep it on). Follow the dress code and dress one step above if you can. Maintain a tidy, proficient workspace. Always uphold yourself to a high degree of professionalism, dignity, and integrity. Even when you don’t agree with your client, always be mindful that you’re in their house and it’s their hard-earned monies that actually pay your mortgage.

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude

I’ve seen some of the best recruiters walked out the door due to bad attitudes. When we walk through the doors of clients’ offices, we leave our personal lives outside and put our game face on. Again, we are here to provide a solution, not be the problem. Stay positive and professional at all times.

In the event you feel you just can’t take it, step outside for a breather. Call your boss for a pep talk. I can’t tell you how beneficial this has been to me. I’ve done this a few times myself with my leadership and advisors. By doing so, I’ve remained professional, kept the integrity of my company, and myself, intact. Then I can get back to work and stay focused, even if I was gritting my teeth underneath a fake smile.Always take it outside the walls of the client, even if they’ve truly wronged you. Our leadership team is first-rate, fair, and will aide you in whatever way necessary to rectify the situation. A positive attitude will always yield a positive outcome.

Stay Abreast of Industry Trends and Speak Their Language

By staying in tune with industry trends, both from a recruitment perspective and your client’s, you add tremendous value to your process, can provide valuable insight, and establish that you’re truly dialed in. It also provides you the aptitude to speak your client’s language and will garner you more credibility.

At the end of the day, our clients ask themselves one question: How successful were we in growing our business today?

I challenge each of you to ask yourselves that question as well: How successful was I in helping my client grow their businesses today?

When we grow our clients’ business, we in turn grow our own businesses.

When you daily challenge yourself with this question, I guarantee that you’ll be a superstar at building client relationships.


Source: LoriAnn Bayer at www.fordyceletter.com

Treat your job search as a full-time job!

When you find yourself becoming discouraged, remember that when you are depressed and down on yourself it shows and it could impact your interview. Think of your job search for what it is… you are marketing your skills and yourself as a product for prospective employers to lease. That’s right, an employer leases your time and talent! Make yourself as marketable as possible, showcasing your talents. An employer must feel that if they do not hire you they will be losing out.

If you fear rejection think about it this way.. In sales it can take 10 “no’s” to get a “yes”. You might get the yes the first or tenth time you ask for the sale, you can’t predict. Each “no” you get brings you closer to the “yes”! To be effective, you need to be steadfast and approach each potential customer with the same confidence and presentation - because that could be your sale. If you waiver, become doubtful, skip a step or lack thoroughness you could jeopardize the sale.

A job search is no different!

The key to a successful job search is to remain steadfast and remain consistent in your approach.

♦Treat each opportunity as if it will be a a “yes” and know that each “no” will only bring you closer to your new employment.

♦Present yourself to each employment opportunity as if it were the only opportunity. It will keep you sharp and make you work hard to win it.

♦Prepare for each opportunity by researching each company you apply to then target your resume for that particular job. It’s time consuming but it will stand out from the mass template submissions employers receive. Invest the same time and energy in your resume as you would if you were on the job and being paid to create an important presentation or report.

♦If you have anything less than a professional sounding email address create a new account such as firstname.lastname@host.com. Whimsical, cutesy, goth, TMI, sexual in nature, etc., type email addresses are simply inappropriate. After all, at least in my inbox the first thing I see, my first impression of a candidate, is their email address.

The key is to maintain a consistent professional image from A to Z

♦Keep a spreadsheet for (or jot in a notebook) the positions you have applied to. Include the company, contact, phone number, email address and date submitted.

♦Follow up with a call or email a few days later to ask if you are being considered a candidate. If the answer is no, ask for feedback on why. Don’t be afraid to ask - It will help you understand employer and industry needs and help you refine and target your search to match your skills. Thank the Recruiter for taking the time to provide you with valuable feedback and ask to be considered in the future for positions that match your qualifications. If a Recruiter has been particularly helpful it can’t hurt to follow up with a brief thank you email or note.

♦Start answering your phone in a professional way. “Hello, this is Sam” is a good greeting. Answering with “Yeah, who is this?” is less than impressive to a potential employer.

♦When a potential employer calls understand that is the first step in the interview process. That call is a phone screen. Put a mental “suit” on and conduct yourself professionally as if you were in a face-to-face interview.

♦If you are invited to interview in person ensure you arrive 10 minutes early. If you are not familiar with the location do a dry run. The day of the interview is not the day to get lost. Use that 10 minutes to psych yourself up for the interview and envision the job offer.

♦Dress, speak and act like the position you aspire to. One step up from the position you are interviewing for is a good guideline. Put on your best clothing and grammar (without gum in your mouth, of course), hold your head high and pretend you are the leading role in a movie. Be self-conscious of your posture and body language. Try really hard to have good eye contact.

♦Listen carefully to the interviewer’s instructions and questions. Focus and answer appropriately. Don’t deviate from the questions and do not offer up personal information. Remember it is a job interview and keep your comments to your skills, abilities and talents in regard to the position you are interviewing for. Arrive prepared to discuss examples of your performance, teamwork and people skills at prior places of employment.

♦Let the interviewer know you have done your research. Ask questions to show you are interested and engaged. If you don’t know what to ask some possibilities are about the number of employees and/or locations, what is a typical day like for a person in the position, examples of employee recognition, etc.

♦Thank the interviewer and offer a handshake. If you are still interested in the company at the end of the interview tell the interviewer. Something like, “I am very interested in this position, more so now after the interview and meeting you”. Ask for a business card and send a follow-up thank you email as soon as possible.

Source: karlaporter.com