Thursday, July 16, 2015
10 easy steps to creating your LinkedIn profile (from a Recruiters POV)
1. Take it in bite sized steps follow the steps 1-10 over the next month to get to 100% completion on LinkedIn
2. Get a professional looking picture where you are in a suit, at a wedding or in some type of collar. Does not need to be professionally created picture just professional attire (not sexy).
3. Put your experience from your resume on your job areas- it should read a bit like a marketing for sales opportunities with potential clients and a bit like a resume highlighting your job duties.
4. ADD GROUPS! Find people that do what you do and join the groups they are in. I have like 15+ groups- which is stupid but I need it for recruiting the people inside that group. Adding 3-5 is great. All recruiters join groups and search talent from the groups so that is the key to getting noticed.
5. Make a goal of adding 10+ people a week- sounds hard at first but it starts to snow ball. Look up class mates, clients, vendors, coworkers and all the people in the groups that you will be joining. You can say that you know someone from that group (even though you don't) and they will accept you. You can even join the group "Top Linked" which is an open networking group and people will come out of the wood works to add you.
6. Strategically add recruiters that have posted positions that seem in line with your career aspirations. Jobs are located inside the groups.
7. Post or respond to thought provoking questions in the groups maybe once every 3 months- don’t reach nerd level by doing it too much but you need to start establishing your "expert" level advice, this will help you get noticed.
8. Ask for 5+ endorsements/ recommendations. This is VITAL to your credibility.
9. Find a way to put your email and/or cell # on the LinkedIn profile to make it easy to reach you.
10. Don't get stagnant, keep growing and commenting so you pop up on the radar
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Kindness will take you far in life.....I am in this job because I LOVE people. I really do. It is the best feeling in the world to help someone find their dream job and the impact it has one them and their family. I love when my candidates bring their kids up to the office and they give me a hug to thank me for helping Mommy or Daddy. It is a true blessing to be a part of their success.
I made a commitment years ago that I would never work with people that were not kind and deserving. That decision changed my life. It brought me back to the core of why I love my job and the reflection of how I had fallen off course. My job at that time had become transactional and not impactful. I was dreading each day of work and bringing that frustration home. It took hitting a low to realize that I was no longer in it for the right reasons. Do you ever feel like you have lost your way? Ever feel like you are trying to please people that are not grateful?
I had a candidate today that was a GREAT technical match for a job opening. Boy they looked great on paper! But in the interview he was condescending and demanding. Just a straight up JERK! I thought- WOW... how to rude people get far in life? I like my client too much to send them someone like that! I wanted to end that call so fast- but I stayed kind. I will not allow their nastiness to steal my helping spirit. You see as Mother Theresa says...be kind... anyway.
"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway."
SO with a forces smile I ended the interview and that candidate did not get presented on the position :-) Instead... I am fortunate to have found a new wonderful candidate that is now going in for his 3rd client interview. We have our prayer candles lit and our fingers crossed in hopes that he gets the job offer. Over the course of working with him I have learned about how he helps out his family in another country and is the medical caregiver for his partner. He will have the opportunity to advance his education if he gets this position and should offer a nice pay increase. Best of all... he is passionate about the positive work he will do if he gets this job. He..like me, will make a positive impact in the world.
We are in control of our emotions and happiness. So... I simply move along to find the right candidate... in search of one that is kind and worthy. I believe that they are the majority.
Protect your happiness, be kind to yourself by only surrounding yourself with people that are kind. You will ONLY be able to make a positive impact in the world.. when YOU are positive.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
As a recruiter I have heard every excuse you can imagine. I guess you could say I am a scorned women when it comes to reasons for leaving jobs, reasons for being unemployed too long and reasons for criminal backgrounds. I am a highly sympathetic person by nature but have been burned a few too many times. Most of the excuses start with "well, you see what happened was...".... let's just say about 99% of BS comes out after that line.
The one that still haunts me was interviewing a 20 year old young man that was FAR too intelligent to be willing to accept a $8+/h pay for a role that typically pays double that. That scorned woman light bulb lit up and had me probing to find out more. He checked "no" on the criminal history box of the application but my gut said otherwise. I had him complete the background authorization and I reminded him that if something comes up and he did not disclose it, he would be banned from employment. Well... my gut was right and I found out he is a registered sex offender that raped a 3 year old!!! He is simply waiting to get a job with an employer that will not do their due diligence. I was SICK I tell ya! Now think about the time and costs an employer and candidate endures if a candidate gets to a second interview only to find out end that they are not able to be employed.
So this rant is in response to some new legislation (below).
New House Bill Would Ban Employers from Asking about Criminal Background in Initial Application
Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Mich. has introduced a bill preventing employers from asking about criminal background until making a conditional job offer. The “Ban the Box” Act is a reference to the check box on an application form indicating whether the applicant has been convicted of a crime. The bill does include a provision for certain jobs to which “the granting of employment may involve an unreasonable risk to the safety of specific individuals.” The bill, Clarke said, is a reaction to the need to address people who have conviction records who have a difficult time finding jobs, which leads to hopelessness and results in more crime and poverty. Clarke said similar legislation has been passed in the states of Massachusetts and Minnesota.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Slow hiring
By JOE LIGHT
Hiring has yet to hit a rapid clip, but it's not for lack of job openings.
Since December, the economy has added about 130,000 jobs a month, barely more than what is needed to keep up with population growth, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Meanwhile, the number of job openings advertised online has grown by more than 400,000, to 4.2 million, according to the Conference Board, a research organization. That increase continued a trend that began in the spring of 2009.
View Full Image
Getty Images
Hundreds of people waited to fill out job applications at a San Francisco Mollie Stone's Market last month.
.Recruiters say they are having trouble finding candidates for many skilled positions, and once candidates are found, hiring managers are taking longer to pull the trigger.
Positions that typically took two months to fill before the recession are sometimes taking four times longer, recruiters say, as hiring managers are holding out for better candidates.
Managers invited between five and six candidates on average for second-round interviews last year, twice as many as in 2007, according to a survey of 1,500 recruiters at large companies by the Corporate Executive Board, a research organization.
"Nowadays, if managers speak to a really great candidate, instead of hiring him, they take it as an indication that there must be 10 even better people out there," says Todd Safferstone, director of CLC Recruiting, a unit of the Corporate Executive Board.
PepsiCo Inc. aims to make offers to job candidates within two months of posting an opening, but since the recession began, some positions have taken up to 90 days to fill, says Paul Marchand, head of talent acquisition for the Purchase, N.Y., food-and-beverage company.
.Certain candidates, such as scientists and some kinds of marketing professionals, are in short supply in the labor market or, if they are available, are unwilling to relocate to fill the position, he says. But even when qualified candidates are found, hiring managers sometimes want recruiters to find more candidates, thinking better matches must be possible, Mr. Marchand says.
"People think that with all the available talent, time-to-fill would go down, but it's just the opposite. When you're still trying to find quality candidates, it's actually taken longer," he says. Less-skilled positions, as in sales and customer service, take less time to fill, he says.
Eight months ago, Catholic Health Initiatives, a Denver-based nonprofit that runs hospitals and other health-care facilities, began looking for 50 highly skilled project and program managers. Eighteen of those positions still aren't filled, says Director of Recruitment Tracie Grant. Before the recession, it typically took the company 60 days to fill positions.
"Hiring managers hear the news and see the high unemployment rate and tell us that they want to continue looking for better candidates," she says. "They want the perfect candidate, when the reality is, there is no perfect candidate."
Zions Bancorp has about 430 openings in such areas as compliance, credit, auditing and risk, says Chief Human Resources Officer Connie Linardakis. After a six-month search, the company recently hired six senior vice presidents to help manage its credit department, she says. A few years ago, it might have only taken three months, she says.
The company, which is based in Salt Lake City, is trying to find a manager for its compliance department in San Diego but is competing with 15 other banks for the same kind of manager, she says. That will probably mean the opening will take months to fill, she says.
At videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc., there is a gap between the skill requirements the company posts and the experience of the people who apply, Gabrielle Toledano, executive vice president of human resources, says by email. That means the Redwood City, Calif., company's recruiters have to woo candidates who work at other companies, which can extend the time it takes to fill a position and push up compensation, she says.
"We're seeing a problem of companies unable to find the right skills in the right places," says David Arkless, president of corporate and government affairs for Milwaukee-based staffing firm Manpower Inc. For a position that would have needed two or three candidates a couple years ago, now companies want five or more, he says. "Companies want to make the hire count."
Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com
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Hiring has yet to hit a rapid clip, but it's not for lack of job openings.
Since December, the economy has added about 130,000 jobs a month, barely more than what is needed to keep up with population growth, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Meanwhile, the number of job openings advertised online has grown by more than 400,000, to 4.2 million, according to the Conference Board, a research organization. That increase continued a trend that began in the spring of 2009.
View Full Image
Getty Images
Hundreds of people waited to fill out job applications at a San Francisco Mollie Stone's Market last month.
.Recruiters say they are having trouble finding candidates for many skilled positions, and once candidates are found, hiring managers are taking longer to pull the trigger.
Positions that typically took two months to fill before the recession are sometimes taking four times longer, recruiters say, as hiring managers are holding out for better candidates.
Managers invited between five and six candidates on average for second-round interviews last year, twice as many as in 2007, according to a survey of 1,500 recruiters at large companies by the Corporate Executive Board, a research organization.
"Nowadays, if managers speak to a really great candidate, instead of hiring him, they take it as an indication that there must be 10 even better people out there," says Todd Safferstone, director of CLC Recruiting, a unit of the Corporate Executive Board.
PepsiCo Inc. aims to make offers to job candidates within two months of posting an opening, but since the recession began, some positions have taken up to 90 days to fill, says Paul Marchand, head of talent acquisition for the Purchase, N.Y., food-and-beverage company.
.Certain candidates, such as scientists and some kinds of marketing professionals, are in short supply in the labor market or, if they are available, are unwilling to relocate to fill the position, he says. But even when qualified candidates are found, hiring managers sometimes want recruiters to find more candidates, thinking better matches must be possible, Mr. Marchand says.
"People think that with all the available talent, time-to-fill would go down, but it's just the opposite. When you're still trying to find quality candidates, it's actually taken longer," he says. Less-skilled positions, as in sales and customer service, take less time to fill, he says.
Eight months ago, Catholic Health Initiatives, a Denver-based nonprofit that runs hospitals and other health-care facilities, began looking for 50 highly skilled project and program managers. Eighteen of those positions still aren't filled, says Director of Recruitment Tracie Grant. Before the recession, it typically took the company 60 days to fill positions.
"Hiring managers hear the news and see the high unemployment rate and tell us that they want to continue looking for better candidates," she says. "They want the perfect candidate, when the reality is, there is no perfect candidate."
Zions Bancorp has about 430 openings in such areas as compliance, credit, auditing and risk, says Chief Human Resources Officer Connie Linardakis. After a six-month search, the company recently hired six senior vice presidents to help manage its credit department, she says. A few years ago, it might have only taken three months, she says.
The company, which is based in Salt Lake City, is trying to find a manager for its compliance department in San Diego but is competing with 15 other banks for the same kind of manager, she says. That will probably mean the opening will take months to fill, she says.
At videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc., there is a gap between the skill requirements the company posts and the experience of the people who apply, Gabrielle Toledano, executive vice president of human resources, says by email. That means the Redwood City, Calif., company's recruiters have to woo candidates who work at other companies, which can extend the time it takes to fill a position and push up compensation, she says.
"We're seeing a problem of companies unable to find the right skills in the right places," says David Arkless, president of corporate and government affairs for Milwaukee-based staffing firm Manpower Inc. For a position that would have needed two or three candidates a couple years ago, now companies want five or more, he says. "Companies want to make the hire count."
Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com
More In Management Join the discussion 50 Comments, add yours More In Management »
EmailPrinter FriendlyOrder ReprintsShare: facebook
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Companies refusing to hire the unemployed
This contraversal article might make you angry but it is often a quiet practice of many companies. Some companies even have a check list of hidden qualifications such as currently employed, was given a promotion at some point of their career and job tenure of 2+ years per job. With many talented people unemployed in this market, do you think this practice is a "best practice"?
ERE Daily: Refuse the Unemployed?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinion
Refusing Applications from the Unemployed: Best Practice or Madness?
by Dr. John Sullivan February 28th, 2011
Is it a good idea for firms hiring to purposely exclude the unemployed from consideration?
If you missed the news last summer (June 2010) about the growth of this practice, then you might be scratching your head and thinking to yourself, ‘that’s crazy.’ However, for those that follow trends and deal with job postings daily, it’s clear that postings increasingly contain some variation of the phrase “you must be currently employed in order to be considered.” For example, a posting made last week to CareerBuilder by an Alabama restaurant chain made the requirements crystal clear by putting the word “currently” in all caps.
“Must be CURRENTLY employed as a restaurant manager”
ERE Daily: Refuse the Unemployed?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinion
Refusing Applications from the Unemployed: Best Practice or Madness?
by Dr. John Sullivan February 28th, 2011
Is it a good idea for firms hiring to purposely exclude the unemployed from consideration?
If you missed the news last summer (June 2010) about the growth of this practice, then you might be scratching your head and thinking to yourself, ‘that’s crazy.’ However, for those that follow trends and deal with job postings daily, it’s clear that postings increasingly contain some variation of the phrase “you must be currently employed in order to be considered.” For example, a posting made last week to CareerBuilder by an Alabama restaurant chain made the requirements crystal clear by putting the word “currently” in all caps.
“Must be CURRENTLY employed as a restaurant manager”
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Houston Economy
So how is the Houston economy? When you are in job search mode or in fear of job loss, suddenly the economic health of our nation and community becomes VERY important. September 2010 unemployment numbers were reported at 9.6% national average and Houston is fairing better at 8.8%. We are doing better than the national average but these numbers do not include the NASA cutbacks taking place now. The verdict is still out on the volume of job loss (reports have ranged from 2000 to 6000 in Houston).
But it is not all gloom and doom in Rocket city. Houston came in No. 1, with 129,800 private-sector jobs created between June 2005 and June 2010. Dallas came in second, gaining 71,300 private-sector jobs. Austin ranked third, with 56,100 new private-sector jobs; San Antonio ranked No. 4, with a gain of 32,600 private-sector jobs. We would like to point out that the highly popular Chi irons and Biosilk hair care line by Farouk increased the Houston private sector job market by adding 4,000 jobs in Houston by pulling all manufacturing outsourcing from Asia. Houston is teaching the world how to deal with frizzy hair and economic stability. Houston has had the fortune of a steadier job market due to the diversity of our industries. We are a city of diverse strengths including numerous space and science research firms; home of top medical research and hospitals, electronics plants; high-tech and computer-technology industries; and all things oil and gas. In Houston, we value our scientific technology and set our goals higher than the moon.
But it is not all gloom and doom in Rocket city. Houston came in No. 1, with 129,800 private-sector jobs created between June 2005 and June 2010. Dallas came in second, gaining 71,300 private-sector jobs. Austin ranked third, with 56,100 new private-sector jobs; San Antonio ranked No. 4, with a gain of 32,600 private-sector jobs. We would like to point out that the highly popular Chi irons and Biosilk hair care line by Farouk increased the Houston private sector job market by adding 4,000 jobs in Houston by pulling all manufacturing outsourcing from Asia. Houston is teaching the world how to deal with frizzy hair and economic stability. Houston has had the fortune of a steadier job market due to the diversity of our industries. We are a city of diverse strengths including numerous space and science research firms; home of top medical research and hospitals, electronics plants; high-tech and computer-technology industries; and all things oil and gas. In Houston, we value our scientific technology and set our goals higher than the moon.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Real Job Searching Tips
Real Job Searching Tips
See a good job, send a copy of your resume, and get an interview then a job offer…. just that easy right? We all know it never goes that easy and there are many processes behind the scenes. I like to think of the job process as a funnel. You start in a large group and the select few make it through to the end.
So let’s start with the very first step….the resume. You need to think of your resume as your personal marketing piece.
YOU GOT 10 SECONDS TO SELL
When a company posts a job they get literally hundreds of resumes in response. Yikes… I totally hear ya! The first step of the Recruiter/ HR is to weed out all of the non-matching candidates from the pile. Here is a crazy fact: most recruiters read a resume in 10-20 seconds or less (crazy right?). The first point is to screen OUT resumes that do not match. So, to make it IN the second pile we need to answer the job criteria and QUICK.
On the top half of page 1 of your resume, your reader should quickly determine: your expertise or job function, your location, industry expertise, career level (manager, lead, hands on worker), recent experience, education, turnover/ stability, and overall format, grammar and spelling. Not saying that your resume needs to be short or that you need to put ALL of that info in the first ½ of the first page, but get the best part in there. That is prime real estate!
In the first part of the process, 80%-100% of the applicants are eliminated! Those that are left are read in detail or the long resume version is reviewed.
FIND YOUR INNER ADVERTISING GURU
Think about your marketing tone, if your resume currently reads “here is what I did in the past” rather than “here is what I can do for you today” then you need revisions.
Take a tip from Hollywood! Let’s say you have worked with Fortune 500 leading companies then make sure speak to that in the experience: i.e. worked for Fortune 500industry leaders including Shell, Continental Airlines, MD Anderson- name dropping like totally works in like building credibility on your resume.
Find your “Sizzle” story, share details of when you improved a process, saved or earned money for a company, or were given public recognition. Often the most stressful times in our career have given us the most personal growth.
Make a tag line. Create a resume title under your name so the reader mentally associates your name with your expertise (i.e. John Smith, Senior Mechanical Engineer).
SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND
Best advice right now in your job search- make sure you have a Linkedin.com profile, add groups, apply for jobs and get public recommendations.
Stay on the look out for future advice!
www.agency8recruiting.com
YOUR PARTNER FOR TOP TALENT
See a good job, send a copy of your resume, and get an interview then a job offer…. just that easy right? We all know it never goes that easy and there are many processes behind the scenes. I like to think of the job process as a funnel. You start in a large group and the select few make it through to the end.
So let’s start with the very first step….the resume. You need to think of your resume as your personal marketing piece.
YOU GOT 10 SECONDS TO SELL
When a company posts a job they get literally hundreds of resumes in response. Yikes… I totally hear ya! The first step of the Recruiter/ HR is to weed out all of the non-matching candidates from the pile. Here is a crazy fact: most recruiters read a resume in 10-20 seconds or less (crazy right?). The first point is to screen OUT resumes that do not match. So, to make it IN the second pile we need to answer the job criteria and QUICK.
On the top half of page 1 of your resume, your reader should quickly determine: your expertise or job function, your location, industry expertise, career level (manager, lead, hands on worker), recent experience, education, turnover/ stability, and overall format, grammar and spelling. Not saying that your resume needs to be short or that you need to put ALL of that info in the first ½ of the first page, but get the best part in there. That is prime real estate!
In the first part of the process, 80%-100% of the applicants are eliminated! Those that are left are read in detail or the long resume version is reviewed.
FIND YOUR INNER ADVERTISING GURU
Think about your marketing tone, if your resume currently reads “here is what I did in the past” rather than “here is what I can do for you today” then you need revisions.
Take a tip from Hollywood! Let’s say you have worked with Fortune 500 leading companies then make sure speak to that in the experience: i.e. worked for Fortune 500industry leaders including Shell, Continental Airlines, MD Anderson- name dropping like totally works in like building credibility on your resume.
Find your “Sizzle” story, share details of when you improved a process, saved or earned money for a company, or were given public recognition. Often the most stressful times in our career have given us the most personal growth.
Make a tag line. Create a resume title under your name so the reader mentally associates your name with your expertise (i.e. John Smith, Senior Mechanical Engineer).
SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND
Best advice right now in your job search- make sure you have a Linkedin.com profile, add groups, apply for jobs and get public recommendations.
Stay on the look out for future advice!
www.agency8recruiting.com
YOUR PARTNER FOR TOP TALENT
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