For those who don’t know, I was a recent job seeker. Through hard work and perseverance, I found a great position with an innovative company called SmashFly Technologies. Through this recruiting journey, I learned a lot about both sides of the recruiting spectrum. By experiencing the ins and outs of the job search grind on a daily basis and more importantly actively seeking advice from job seekers and recruiters, I was able to garner some key takeaways on how the recruiting process can be better.
In addition, as I talked to both sides, I came to realize the great value that came from these two sides sharing thoughts with one another. To foster this sharing of wisdom, I would like to share my observations from my job seeking process and the many conversations I had with job seekers and recruiters. I hope this article helps you both.
FOR JOB SEEKERS
I’ll start with job seekers. Here are 4 tried and true tips that worked for me in finding the great job I have today:
One Page Resume: Recruiters and HR professionals don’t have the time to read through every line of every candidate’s resume, so make it easy for them. A one page resume forces you to prioritize what experiences are the most important for a crisp, clean submittal. (This may change for candidates with more than 10 years experience.)
Knock Their Socks Off with Your Cover Letter – Your cover letter is a great chance to get noticed by a recruiter (and have them look at your resume). So how do you write one? Ignore the basic cover letter templates you see out there and be yourself. Be enthusiastic and let them know why you’re interested and more importantly qualified for the job. Most importantly, don’t worry about being informal (disrespectful is another issue), as the more your cover letter is different the more you’ll get noticed. (One great cover letter that I wrote provided me with over 6 interviews in less than a month.)
Leverage Your Online Networks – From Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn, there is a wealth of people that you are connected to, that are more than happy to go out of their way to help you. Identify what you want to do and companies that you’d love to work for and see who in your network has connections in these disciplines or companies. Email them and set up some time to talk and learn about how you can get into the company and ask for other people to talk to. (And who knows they may receive a referral hiring bonus from their company which provides even more incentive.)
Do Your Research – Make sure you do your research for every position you are excited about. Know what the company does, follow them on Twitter and Facebook for company news and look up your interviewers on LinkedIn. There is such a wealth of information out there today, that not doing research for a job is just plain lazy which is not a trait you want to show a recruiter in an interview.
FOR RECRUITERS
As you go through the recruiting process, you notice a lot of things that companies do extremely well from a recruiting perspective. When you notice the good, it becomes eerily evident when a company doesn’t provide these benefits. Here are my 3 biggest pet peeves when it comes to employers:
Provide Opt-In Opportunities - One of the most frustrating parts of job seeking for me was coming across a job I was qualified for but was posted 30 days ago. I finally realized that I could create alerts in Indeed that would allow me to follow new jobs at companies that I wanted to work for. But why make it that hard? A simple opt-in form during the application process would give the applicant the opportunity to get updates on new jobs quickly through email and provide recruiters with a great pool of interested candidates to post new jobs to. It’s a win-win, but something not every company does.
Leverage Your Online Presence – For every job that I applied to, I always made sure to join the social network pages to learn more about the company. What surprised me was that more companies didn’t provide me with a good way to follow them through the application process. Not only would a few links make it easier for candidates to research these companies but it’s a free and easy way for companies to promote their employer brand to a group that is definitely interested in listening.
Repetition for the sake of Repetition – Some companies just seem to go out of their way to make their application process difficult. I understand this helps weed out less motivated candidates but sometimes it can just alienate qualified ones. The one that annoyed me the most was having to type in everything I had on my resume again into their form (seemed pointless). To make it easier for candidates, invest in some parsing technology that pulls info from their resume or use a technology that can give the candidates an option to use their LinkedIn profile in their application. Simple things like this will sky-rocket your application completion rates. Trust me.
Overall, I had some great experiences and some not so good ones. Job seekers and Recruiters alike can find great value in speaking to one another and taking a quick look from the each other’s point of view to make the recruiting process better. So I encourage you to get feedback from the other side and use it to improve your recruiting results!
Source: SmashFly Technologies Blog at blog.smashfly.com
Showing posts with label recruiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recruiting. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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.
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
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.
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
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