Hire Power

Guest Blogger:

Jill Knittel, COO

ER Associates

Our non-profit spotlight of the month shines on Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, NY. Families are stronger when they are together, and their presence helps a sick child heal faster and cope better. While they cannot make medicine taste better or take away painful treatments, they can help lessen the burden and ensure families have the stability and resources to keep their child healthy and happy.

The facts are clear. More women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined.  Unfortunately, the killer isn’t as easy to see. Heart disease is often silent, hidden and misunderstood. 

The truth is: our lives are in our hands. We can stop our No. 1 killer together by sharing the truth. We can be the difference between life and death. Uncover the truth about heart disease and make ending it a reality.

It is very important that in a midst of a job search that all aspects of applying for a job are met.  Only sending out a resume for example, is just one aspect in a job search and is not always enough to be effectively recognized in a search for that right position. The following "tips" may help to assist you with your search and help to make sure that all the proper steps are taken to keep you on the right track.

1-   First Impressions:  Look, act and speak professional.  Even  if you are not face-to-face and it may be just on the phone.

2-   Follow Up: In addition to sending a resume, call periodically (once a month) to touch base and re-introduce yourself.

3-   Interviewing:  Always try a dry run to be sure you know where your interview is located, and you should always be at least 10 minutes early.

4-   Job Fairs:  Attend events that keep you updated on opportunities, and how you fit in to the job market.

5-   Keep Track : Keep a log of some sort, or a spreadsheet and enter any information from any job sites your see and all efforts you make in your job search.

6-   Meaningful Work: Examine yourself, your passions and interests to create a meaningful career for yourself.

7-   Say Thank You:  Always, always, always send a handwritten note or email conveying your appreciation and interest in your interview.

8-   Stay On Top Of The News:  Read and be aware of the latest business news and what is happening in your community.  Review the business section of the newspaper and look for contact information you could use.

9-   Your Resume:  Proofread, share your resume with someone and let them give you some feedback.

10- Don't Give Up:  Be persistent and stay confident in your talents.

Following these 10 "tips" will help you to stay focused and enable you to meet all the objectives professionally and personally.  These tips will ensure you have covered all your bases, and soon enough the right position will come along. Stay focused and stay positive!

One word for you…Linkedin. 

Are you on it?  You need to be. 

If you are on it, are you getting the most of your account that you do have?  You should be.

In this day and age, social media is huge!  And just because you may not be actively searching for a job at the moment doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be constantly networking.  Many times it isn’t until you actually need to find a new job that you realize you should have been networking all along.  It is simple to do and I promise will be beneficial to you in the future. 

On the other hand, if you need to find a job now, but haven’t been networking it’s never too late!  It is still worth setting up that profile.  Get out there and start connecting to people!

As a recruiter, we use Linkedin constantly to help us search out qualified candidates for the positions we have available.  If you aren’t on there, or you are not taking full advantage on your account you could be missing out on your next great opportunity.  It is free, simple to set up, and I promise it is WELL worth the effort! 

The following article gives a great synopsis on setting up an account and getting the most out of it.  You won’t regret taking the time to do it!

www.avangate.com/articles/using-Linkedin-125.htm

When applying for a new position or starting the interview process, most experts would advise to not discuss salary until the hiring company brings up the issue.  Generally you will want to avoid quoting your salary requirements until you learn more about the company, the position,  the responsibilities, the growth opportunities, etc.  You don't want to leave money on the table by indicating a figure that is below what the company was prepared to offer and on the other hand, you may not want to overprice yourself for a lower paying position that is otherwise attractive to you.  In a typical negotiation scenario, you want the hiring company to give you their range first and the hiring company wants to get your salary requirements first.  Some say the first to blink (to name a figure) loses, but that doesn't  have to be the case.  You may have to  establish a salary range as a basis for understanding to keep the interview process moving forward, but don't try to negotiate until a firm offer is in hand.

So let’s say you get to the interview and the interviewer asks, "So what are your minimum salary requirements?", or "What will it take to get you to join us?"

A response might be, "Too be perfectly honest, I have not set any fixed, firm salary requirement.  I'm looking for the right job, a good challenging opportunity that fits my background and interests.  And while salary is important to me it is secondary to finding a good match for my skills and interests."

Or you might say something like, "I'm fairly open on salary and will consider competitive offers.  What is the range for this position?”

But the interviewer presses on and says, "Well you must have some idea, some number which you won’t go below."

And you reply, “No, as I said I am open and flexible on salary"

Does this scenario sound all too familiar?  The job market is flat.  You’ve applied to dozens of jobs online with no response.  You think you’re a perfect fit for each job you apply to.  You engage a Recruiter who gets you an interview.  The interview goes off ‘flawlessly’ in your opinion.  The feedback from the Recruiter was “they went with someone else who was a closer fit for the job.”

It happens ALL the time and has happened at least once, to everyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being in a job search.  Why does this happen?  What can you do about it?

Unfortunately, there is no magic solution to landing that job.  Hiring managers are HUMAN, they have good days and bad.  They use unknown criteria in selecting their next hire.  They play favorites.  They make decision based on who will make their jobs easier.  They sometimes don’t know what they are doing, and are in their roles because someone higher up from them is too lazy to make the hire themselves.   If these factors come in to play when interviewing – HOW can you increase the chances of landing that job?

There is hope, but you will need to do your homework and do some preparation before your interview.  Believe it or not, you can be a PERFECT fit for the job on paper and say 1 thing wrong in the interview and you can go from leading candidate to “thanks but we have someone who is a better fit” in just a few seconds.

Using a Recruiter will give you an advantage over someone who isn’t using one.  It’s our job to understand the requirements.  It’s our job to understand WHO the hiring manager is and how they hire.  We always get some cultural information about that manager and about their job and personality.  It’s our job to prepare you as best as possible for the position you’re interviewing for, because that’s how we make a living.  YOU are our product, and the hardest product to sell to a buyer/client, because we have to make sure both parties say yes before we get paid. 

 So you are sitting in the interview, looking professional in your suit and answering all the basic questions with ease. Judging by the interviewer’s body language and responses to your answers you know it’s going well. Just as you are about to relax a bit, your potential new boss asks that dreaded question,

 As a recruiter, we get asked many questions from candidates seeking employment. The most frequently asked is “Are there jobs out there in Rochester?” or “Are you seeing anything going on out there?”

It is certainly hard to believe that this time of year has come up on us again….spring, college career fairs and graduation! Without a doubt, a time of the year filled with hope, anticipation and in some cases, fear. 

 Ok…so you’re ready for the next step in your career. It’s time to make the big move. What now?

The article recently written by Kathy Kowalenko entitled “Beware: Recruiters are Screening You On Your Social Network Profiles” (See below) caused me to hesitate a little bit, and then compelled me to give you my two cents on how social networking has ‘hit the scene’ in our recruiting efforts to find top talent.

Over and over I am hearing from candidates how different the job market of today is compared to the job market of yesterday. Finding employment as we come out of this recession is much more challenging. To move your job search along at a nice healthy pace it has become necessary to almost think of yourself as a juggler in the circus. Imagine each aspect of your job search as being one of the objects that you must keep up in the air. Keeping the rhythm, keeping them moving (in the air) is the object right????

Be ready to explain your motives and your unique value to a boss.

Not finding your job search moving along at the pace you would like? Are you having a hard time finding that next direct hire position? Consider working on a contract or a Temp-to-Hire basis. 

We are all project managers. If you are a recruiter, a sales rep, an administrative assistant, or a purchasing agent, all of our productivity relies on our being expert time and project managers.