Saturday, May 30, 2020

9 Ways Recruiters Screw Over Candidates

9 Ways Recruiters Screw Over Candidates We live in a hectic world, and recruiting candidates is a tough business, like most others.  A good company reputation matters now more than ever before and in our 24/7 instant world of communication, it’s essential to make every effort to invest in great customer service and care. A poor reputation impacts the bottom line. Everybody knows that! Sadly and bizarrely, however, some recruiters and even headhunters all of whom claim to offer a personal service and insist they respect both candidates and their clients fail at one or more basic steps in their communications with candidates. Some of their errors are so basic and egregious that they both mystify and offend candidates. The consequences vary, but none is good. The candidate rightly feels let down and even insulted by the bad treatment they receive and, worse, they are never likely to forget how they’ve been made to feel. More damaging to the recruiter is the fact that, out of frustration and anger, those abused individuals will be telling their peers, family and friends in detail about who you are, the name of your company and what you did. That’s a big fail for your PR, branding and all-round reputation of your recruitment firm and you which could have permanent repercussions. One candidate may not matter to your revenue stream, but add them all up, and the impact will be devastating. Some of those disappointed candidates may also one day go on to require the services of a recruiter for their own team, as people increasingly rely on word-of-mouth recommendations as the best form of advertising, and they may be asked to recommend one based on their own experience. They may even own the budget and have the decision-making authority over which recruitment firms they can hire. Take this  2013 Nielsen study, as one compelling proof of the significance of word-of-mouth: Not surprisingly, word-of-mouth formats such as recommendations from family and friends and consumer opinions posted online prompted the highest levels of self-reported action among 84 percent and 70 percent of respondents, respectively. If they’d been treated well by you, they could be ambassadors of your recruitment firm and even introduce you to a new client, meaning you’ve developed a stronger brand reputation as well as leading to more work and revenue. Instead, you may be one of those recruiters that’s struggling to figure out why your client list and revenue is dropping. By taking on board these nine ways  not  to treat your candidate, you can be sure of gaining their appreciation, good will and, most likely, they’ll happily and naturally end up your free ambassadors for life both of you as an individual and of your recruitment company. Who among us, after all, ever forgets great service and consideration? Here’s to you and your firm achieving a great reputation with your candidates as well as your clients! 1) Don’t send out generic recruiting emails: You think they save you time but it damages your reputation. It shows you are lazy and have no consideration for the candidate. Often, too, the job(s) you email have nothing whatsoever to do with the candidate’s background, skills or current experience. That’s irritating and alienating. Who wants to be treated as a widget on an assembly line or a number in Pi? 2) Don’t pretend to be writing a personal email by addressing the person using “Hi [First Name]”. It becomes obvious within a sentence or two that, in fact, you’re still failing by ignoring rule no. 1, above. Or no. 2 in this case, and all over the candidate, at that. Its as unpleasant as it sounds. 3) Unless you’ve communicated with the candidate in the past, address them formally by using their  full  name: Make a simple effort to say/write “Dear/Hi First Name  and  Second Name”. After all, you don’t know them, have never been introduced, so you may come across as too forward, pushy and inconsiderate. Friends, colleagues and family address each other respectively by first name because they know each other. You don’t. If you still insist on addressing this unknown-to-you candidate, do them the courtesy of writing “Dear/Hi First Name (if I may)”. It shows respect and thoughtfulness! 4) Don’t Auto-Direct Message with a confirmation of a candidate’s application  without  stating in that communication the conditions for your follow-up: If only successful candidates will be contacted thereafter, make that obvious. You’d be amazed how many fail to do one or the other. And never forget to give a date for how long it will take for a reply if you commit to one. Then make sure you honour that commitment. (Too many times, the candidate who doesn’t get through to the next stage is simply forgotten.) 5) Never approach a candidate for a job only to fail to update them in a follow-up: Let candidates know it may take several days to update them, but word-of-mouth evidence makes it clear so many times recruiters don’t bother to follow-up with everybody they’ve approached: they only update the ones whom the client has chosen for further consideration. This treatment reinforces the candidate’s impression that you’re playing a number’s game, and you have no real interest in the individual person you approached in the first place. Take responsibility for your actions and follow-through. If there’s a delay on the client side or for any other reason, be sure to inform your candidate. Don’t leave them dangling, wondering and even worrying. 6) Don’t communicate with a candidate until you have at least read through all of their CV: It’s amazing how many times a recruiter will approach someone, having noted only one particular company or point on their CV, but they’ve not taken the time to read or at least  skim   the entire CV. Some of the other information and jobs on the CV may end up benefiting the case to the client you wish to make on behalf of the candidate. Don’t overlook this simple step. (I once had a recruiter first contact me for a job with an ‘unnamed client’, he gave only the industry and job title, and I expressed an interest. He then called me and gave the name of the client, and it was one  already  on my CV as having consulted with for over a period of 16 months. The recruiter didn’t have a clue and expressed surprise. Imagine what I thought of him?) 7) Don’t put a candidate forward without then making an effort to give feedback: This may be impossible in some or even many cases because the client might offer none. But at least explain that you tried (we hope you  did), and be frank about why there is no feedback. READ MORE:  Why You Should Always Give Feedback After an Interview 8) Don’t invite a candidate to consider a specific job and then take days to to acknowledge their reply, or only respond after the candidate has chased you: It’s disrespectful and reinforces the impression that, again, you’re only playing a game of numbers and don’t care about them. If you anticipate not being able to respond in a reasonable amount of time (24 hours from the time of  their  reply back to you unless, fair enough, they write back on a  Friday, you have until Monday), then be sure to let them know this in your  first  communication with them. To advise is to keep your candidate informed and shows thoughtfulness on your part. It also avoids any feelings of frustration or doubt on the candidate’s part. 9) If the candidate gets the job for which you put them forward, follow up with them after a month in the job to ask how they’re doing: Make a note in your diary and set a reminder for yourself and be sure to do it. A month is enough time for the employee to get their bearings brief. An enquiry from you sent to their personal email address or a voicemail on their mobile shows consideration. It’s evidence that you do care for your candidates and you’re not solely interested in the fee you made from placing them. That way you build a long-term relationship, not just a one-off placement. By doing so, youre investing in their future interests and long-term career, as well as your own reputation as a recruiter by doing a great job and you contribute to the reputation of your recruiting company. Everybody benefits. Such an approach can make all the difference between a candidate not only being truly grateful for being put forward, but also being a delighted ambassador for you and your recruitment company for life. Author: Robert White is Founder of PRMatters.org.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Writing Resume Profile Examples

Writing Resume Profile ExamplesWriting resume profile examples is one of the first steps in the search for a job. It allows you to understand what the career objectives of the employer is, and where you stand in your own mind. Also it helps you understand how your abilities and skills are relevant to the current situation. There are many reasons for including resumes, but some people find that they need a little help when composing them.There are many types of resume examples available on the Internet. You can look at them to get a general idea of how they are used, but you will also find them useful when looking for the perfect candidate. Even if you cannot find exactly what you are looking for, you can be sure that you will find it somewhere.This type of resume example is just one part of the equation when writing the resume. The other things you need to focus on are the skills, experiences, education, and interests. As you learn more about the needs of the employer, you can then f ind the ones that best fit your capabilities. You will also find that when you do have a skill set that works for that specific position, you do not necessarily have to repeat the skills in your resume example. You can add in some work experience or even volunteer experiences.Your resume has to be unique to take advantage of all the different ways the world is changing. In the past, employers had to rely solely on the name and the face to identify a potential employee. Then there were the credentials and the level of education. There was no one to focus on when writing the resume.Job seekers today have an even better option, though. They can find a resume example that is custom written to reflect their needs. This saves them time and is much more relevant than using a generic one. You will get a well-writtenresume example that focuses on the strengths and talents that make the applicant the right person for the job.Recruiters have the same option, and they prefer it because it saves them time. The writer of the resume has to spend a lot of time creating it, but once it is finished, they have the solution to more questions. Instead of trying to remember the way a resume looked on paper, the writer will now focus on what really matters. The recruiter can move on to the next job candidate quickly.Resume examples do not have to be too complicated. Many of them do not require any special training to read, so even someone who has never picked up a paper before can get the information that is needed. This makes it easier for recruiters and employers to find the best candidate.Writing resume examples can help the candidate to write a resume in the correct format, but it does not have to be overly complicated. If it can help the candidate with a specific area, it should be given the attention it deserves.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Management Practices That Make Employees Quit

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Management Practices That Make Employees Quit Lets say youre watching an episode of Dr. Phil where someone is describing a person in his or her life that yells, is rude, blames everyone else for mistakes and expects others to jump 24/7 whenever it is demanded. Well, you need to tell this person that that dog wont hunt, Dr. Phil might suggest. You agree with Dr.Phil, calling out your own advice to the television. Leave the jerk! you yell at the screen. But what if that person being described is.you? And the person complaining about the treatment is one of your employees? Things may suddenly seem much different. Behavior we would never begin to tolerate in our personal lives is often something we demonstrate at work because we dont recognize how destructive it can be to morale or we feel it gets results. Employees may not complain to you directly because theyfear losing their jobs. But its estimated by the Hay Group that average employee turnover rates will increase from 20.6% to 23.4% in the next five years. That means that top performers may quickly make an exit from bosses who make the workplace miserable or even slightly unpleasant. People leave managers A Gallup poll of more than 1 million employed U.S. workers found that the top reason employees quit their jobs is because of abad bossor immediate supervisor. People leave managers, not companies. In the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue, Gallup reports. What many managers may not realize is that what they consider tough management techniques they believe necessary to get results are actually poor strategies thatlead to turnoverand poorer performance. Specifically, Gallup finds that poorly managed work groups are on average 50% less productive and 44% less profitable than well-managed groups. If employees are taking off from your department faster than others, you can bet your performance will be called into question by the higher-ups, and your job could be threatened. So its time to break the bad habits that are making youa terrible manager. Here are 10 things that youre doing to drive employees out the door: You make them work terrible hours.Its not enough to put in eight or 10 hours at the office. You make them answer emails or phone calls at night and on weekends. You dont think they need a day off after theyve returned exhausted from business travel across different time zones. In a survey by NPA, 41.5% of workers say they were motivated to change employers because of issues like job travel and hours. You make them scapegoats.You cant have the big boss (read more here)

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

So You Need A Template In A Hurry Heres Your Answer

So You Need A Template In A Hurry Heres Your Answer Sometimes, you run across something so good, so just plain useful that you might doubt its for real.  Heres one I found that is worth sharing, because its something we all frequently find ourselves scrambling for.  Templates.  Youre in a rush and need a template, but just dont have time to do endless searching for something that will work.  Heres your answer. Free Templates You read that right.  Free.  As in, really free.  No charge, and they dont even want your email address.  The folks at www.hloom.com have put together a huge variety of templates and you are pretty sure to find the one that fits your needs. They offer the option of installing a browser extension, but you dont have to agree.    Its actually an ad enticing you  to click and can be confused for the real download link. You can get the item you select free by clicking the link as highlighted in the image below, not the start download now. Whats Free? Their website is awesome.  You can choose from the following categories of templates: Invoice.  125 examples in Word and Excel. Flyer.  Fully customizable with lots of tools. Resume.  413 examples and a free resume builder tool, too. Invitation.  Formal, informal, or private, theyre all here. Cover Page.  Whatever youve created, theyve got a cover for it. Fax Cover.  Yes, some people still use these.   If thats you, you can freshen up your look. Certificate.  Over 100 do-it-yourself certificates. Better Than Free.  It Saves You Time. Free is good, we all agree.  But the bigger issue is time, the thing none of us have enough of.  Weve all had those times when we could feel the stress levels raising as we searched for a good template that was also downloadable AND in a format we could actually use.  As the clock kept ticking off the minutes we desperately needed.   Having a single go-to source for templates solves that.  Give them a try, Im pretty sure youll be adding them as a favorite to your bookmarks.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Writing a Cover Letter Resume Example

Writing a Cover Letter Resume ExampleWriting a cover letter, resume example is one of the most critical parts of applying for a job. In fact, this is one of the most time consuming tasks that you will need to do to make it through all the paper works and other paperwork that needs to be done. As you might be aware, the first thing that is asked when a company is hiring an employee is to find out what the candidate has to offer.Once they get your resume example, it is up to them to decide whether or not to interview you. This means that it will be up to you to prepare yourself to meet the company and its members. When you are getting ready to write a cover letter resume example, you will be well advised to make sure that the information contained in it is correct.There are some applications that require you to attach all the application materials before you can submit your application. For example, if you are doing a temporary work assignment, you will need to send in the resume along with the resume and all the application materials. This is one way that companies will verify the applicant's identity and to confirm his details.In order to prepare yourself to write a cover letter resume example, you will need to take a look at some important tips that you will find in the manual of the company. The manual of the company can help you understand the purpose of the sample letter that you will be submitting. This is to help you ensure that the information that you will be putting on the letter is accurate. It is important that you make sure that you have the facts right before you start.When you are preparing a cover letter resume example, you will be able to see how to format the letter properly. If you are not sure about the rules of grammar, you will find some examples in the manual of the company that will be helpful. The manual will also give you some sample sentences and words that you will need to put on the letter. This is so that you can see how you will be able to write an effective letter.One of the most common mistakes that you might want to avoid is misusing the pronouns 'I'me'. Make sure that you use these two terms properly. There are many other things that you will need to look out for. When you are learning how to write a cover letter resume example, you will be well advised to keep this information in mind.One of the most common mistakes that people might want to avoid when they are looking for a job is putting in filler. You might have seen it in the resume examples that the applicant is putting some filler words on the letter. That is not good. It will only cause them to be disqualified from the job.When you are writing a cover letter resume example, it is important that you are patient. It might take a few hours before you are able to get your letter to look as good as it can. The more patience that you show, the better.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

What Will You Do with Your Extra Hour Today

What Will You Do with Your Extra Hour Today I hope you remembered to set you clocks back. If you didnt, well, lucky for you. Weve got an extra hour today, how will you use it? An hour might not seem like much, but it is worth figuring out how youll invest it. Clean House (Physically and Mentally) Recycle or donate old magazines/catalogs/newspapers De-clutter closets of old clothes you no longer wear (put them in a bag and donate them) Organize your office Shred old bills/invoices/statements Delete old emails Create new folders to organize emails and documents Create your weekly to-do list or set weekly goals (it might become a new habit) Treat Yourself Use it as me time, indulge in something special for yourself Enjoy a walk outdoors to admire the remaining fall foliage Catch up on your reading Read the Sunday paper cover to cover Reach Out to Others Pick up the phone and call someone you havent spoken to in awhile Visit a friend or family member, just pop-in-surprise them Deliver a gift to a needy neighbor, friend or relative Rake someone elses leaves for them Having an extra hour is a once-a-year gift. Enjoy and use it wisely.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Summary Sunday Job Search and Career Skill Development

Summary Sunday Job Search and Career Skill Development You should invest time thinking and taking action on your job search and career skill development. Why? Because, managing your career requires a new set of skills and a different way of looking at things. Each week I share articles about modern job search and career management trends. Stay up to date this week with these top-performing fast, fun, fresh articles! Job Search and Career Skill Development JOB SEARCH How To Be Mentally Tough In The  Job Search by David Schindler  | Learning To Leap Theres no doubt, job search is hard work. Your mental outlook will help you perform better! Schindler highlights four mind-shifts to help you persevere and succeed! Rejected? 10 Reasons You Didnt Get the Job by Susan P. Joyce | LinkedIn post Joyce expertly details the five reasons outside your control and five more reasons you can control and how to fix them! INTERVIEWS The Biggest Body Language Mistakes You Can Make In a Job Interview by Patrick Allan | LifeHacker CareerBuilder ran the study and found these were the top 10 mistakes. Read the article to learn more! 1. Failing to make eye contact: 67% 2. Failing to smile: 39% 3. Playing with something on the table: 33% 4. Having bad posture: 30% 5. Fidgeting too much in their seats: 30% 6. Crossing their arms over their chests: 29% 7. Playing with their hair or touching their faces: 27% 8. Having a weak handshake: 21% 9. Using too many hand gestures: 11% 10. Having a handshake that was too strong: 7% Did you see my conversation with Alan Carniol about  body language? PERSONAL BRANDING A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Presentation  | Visme Imagine creating a presentation that showcases YOU! If you follow this step by step process, youll certainly improve your slide deck by creating a better story with better slides! Once youve created this presentation, share it on SlideShare and upload it into your LinkedIn summary as embedded media! Last but not least, share a link to your presentation on social media as a status update. LINKEDIN 5 Deadly LinkedIn Mistakes by Meg Guiseppi | LinkedIn post Guiseppi outlines the top mistakes she sees job seekers make on LinkedIn. Dont make these mistakes! NETWORKING How to Immediately Connect With Anyone by Travis Bradberry | Entrepreneur Dr. Bradberry outlines nine tips to use the next time you meet someone new to convert superficial conversation into a real connection. CAREER The Future of Jobs Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution WEF Net Employment by job family 2016