Unlocking Recruiter Strategies: Gaining an Edge in Your Job Search

Understanding how recruiters and HR departments find candidates can give you a significant edge in your job search. Many job seekers are unaware of the methods recruiters use, such as ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), job boards, social media, and networking. By knowing these strategies, you can tailor your approach to increase your visibility and attractiveness as a candidate.

Recruiters often rely on ATS to filter resumes based on specific keywords and criteria. To beat the system, research the keywords relevant to your industry and incorporate them naturally into your resume and LinkedIn profile. Additionally, make sure your resume is formatted correctly for ATS, avoiding complex designs that might cause the system to misread your information. This ensures your resume makes it past the initial screening and into the hands of a recruiter.

Beyond ATS, recruiters also use platforms like LinkedIn to find candidates. Keep your LinkedIn profile updated with your latest skills, experiences, and a professional photo. Join relevant groups and engage with content in your industry to increase your visibility. Networking is another powerful tool; attend industry events and connect with professionals in your field. By understanding and leveraging these strategies, you can position yourself as a top candidate and gain an unfair advantage in your job search.

Speed wins: Respond to Recruiters ASAP

Listen up, tech wizards! We all know the IT contracting scene can be a goldmine for exciting projects and fat paychecks. But here's a harsh reality – most companies need someone to jump in ASAP, and those job postings often vanish faster than a free pizza at the office. That's right, recruiters are bombarded with applications, and many IT contract gigs get filled within a shocking 24-48 hours.

So, how do you avoid getting lost in the applicant abyss? Simple – ditch the snooze button and become a master of responsiveness. We're talking replying to emails within the hour, picking up recruiter calls the first ring, and having your resume polished and ready to fire off at a moment's notice. This might sound intense, but trust us, that extra effort can be the difference between landing your dream contract and watching it disappear into the digital ether. Remember, recruiters are looking for people who can hit the ground running, so show them you're the IT whiz who's ready to tackle the challenge head-on!

Think about it this way. Contracting is all about agility. Companies need someone who can adapt quickly and solve their tech problems yesterday. By being responsive, you're essentially proving you can wear that "adaptable problem-solver" hat. It shows you're on top of your game, organized, and take initiative – all qualities that scream "hire me!" Sure, you might have other applications in the pipeline, but acting fast on a promising contract opportunity shows recruiters you're serious about the position. They'll appreciate your enthusiasm and professionalism, making you a standout candidate compared to others who take their sweet time to respond.

Speedy Replies to Recruiters: Catch the Best Jobs!

In todays market, speed of response is VERY IMPORTANT

Here is a transaction from earlier this week..

  10:14am - Recruiter sends job request email
  11:18am - Candidate Responds
  11:21am - Recruiter responds with details
  11:23am - Candidate say good, lets go
  11:25am - Recruiter provides rate
  11:27am - Candidate asks a questions
  11:29am - Recruiter confirms question
  12:36pm - Candidate agrees
  12:53pm - Recruiter says too late, all submission spots are filled.

In the job hunt world, things move fast. The quicker you answer a recruiter, the better chance you have of landing a great role.

Imagine this: You get a message from a recruiter who likes your stuff. You want to write a perfect reply, so you take some time. You pick the best words to show you're excited and qualified. But by the time you hit send (like 90 minutes later!), it's too late! Another person who answered fast got submitted instead.

Recruiters get tons of messages, and they need to fill roles quickly. When they reach out, they're not just saying hi, they want someone to recommend to the client. If you take too long to answer, they might think you're not interested or not sure. That means you might not get the contract.

Here's how to be a reply champion:

Ready-made answers: Write some quick replies ahead of time. This way, you can answer fast without sacrificing quality. Like having an interview outfit already picked out, and ready!

Be on the lookout: Check your messages and emails often, especially from recruiters. Treat every message like it's important. Even if you can't chat right away, a quick "Thanks for reaching out!" shows you're interested.

Quick replies are key: In the job world, timing is super important. By answering fast, you show you're professional and serious. It also helps you stand out from the crowd!

Remember, don't wait! Respond quickly to recruiters. It shows you're eager and might just land you your next contract. After all, your perfect role could be just a reply away!

Thinking Like a Recruiter » Blog | Great Resumes Fast

People often ask me why anyone would seek professional help with writing his or her resume.  The great part about resume writing is that I often work with educated professionals who have years of great experience.  Unfortunately, they just don’t know how to get their resumes in front of people with the power to give them a job.  Generally, they’re too busy being a great nurse, project manager, executive, or whatever else to understand one important thing: how recruiters think.

1) They have very little time

While recruiters and hiring managers have many different philosophies and approaches, one thing is certain: they all review scores of resumes.  Rejection letters often inform candidates that more than 100 people had applied for the same position.  Faced with competition of that magnitude, it’s easy to see why your resume has to be outstanding in order for you to get any attention from an employer.  Most people reviewing your resume simply don’t have more than a minute or two to look it over.

2) Know your audience

Given the volume of resumes employers receive for each position, lower-level hiring staff are frequently used to “shortlist” candidates for each opening.  This means that a less experienced HR professional is reviewing dozens of resumes in order to weed out 6-10 strong candidates.  With this in mind, it’s important to write your resume in simple terms that someone who doesn’t have your background can grasp.  As you develop the highlights from each of your previous positions, ask yourself if a stranger at a cocktail party would understand what you’ve just written.

3) Experience doesn’t always matter

Let’s imagine for a moment that you’re looking for a pet sitter while your family is away for a week’s vacation.  In looking for a pet sitter, you would generally want to know about the person’s experience with pets, whether her availability met your needs, and whether your pet liked her during an in-person introduction.  The pet sitter candidate would be wasting your time if she told you all about her experience roofing houses or preparing people’s income taxes.  It’s fabulous that she has those abilities, but all you need to know is whether she can walk and feed your dog.

The same principle is true for resumes.  Because the average worker holds more than 10 jobs during his or her career, chances are good that some of your accomplishments may not be relevant to the job you’re currently trying to get.  Use your resume space for the experiences that matter, and don’t overwhelm reviewers with information that they don’t need.

For a free resume analysis submit your resume via e-mail to info@greatresumesfast.com. Or view professionally-written resume samples at http://www.greatresumesfast.com.

via greatresumesfast.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

HR Secrets You Don’t Know About - Excelle

Human Resources. A real department of mysteries. Are they your advocate? How do they really decide if you’re right for the job? And why can’t you ever get a straight answer out of them?

A lot goes on behind the closed cubicles of HR. Curious? Take a peek at a few insider secrets about how HR really functions to better understand what you’re dealing with.

Why You Aren’t Getting the Job

What do you do with too many job seekers and too few jobs? Hiring managers have a wide variety of applicants to choose from, but more often than not, they find themselves reading resumes from candidates who don’t even meet the job requirements. Read the job description! If you aren’t hitting everything, you’re wasting your time and the interviewer’s. With a wealth of applicants to choose from, hiring managers are only going to select the best of the best. Meeting the requirements is just the bare minimum. Trust us.

I Spy…

Forget your Facebook profile, that’s so 2009. These days, identity theft is so common that heightened security measures and meticulous processes are a basic standard. There’s a reason why HR runs a background check, asks (and follows up on) multiple references, does drug tests, credit reports, and (of course) Googles you. They really do want to know as much about you as they can. It’s their job!

Watch Your Back

Because HR won’t, even if they want to. HR has the company’s back first, yours second. They’ll be your advocate as far as they can be, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to tough it out on your own. Thinking about reporting your boss or complaining to HR? Make sure it’s worth it. Despite policies and company jargon, tattle tales always look weak and the employer will probably get the benefit from the doubt. Plus, you’re inevitably burning a bridge as far as corporate culture goes. (Sexual harassment is a different story.)

HR Doesn’t Know it All…

They used to. Human Resource departments used to be the backbone of the company, handling everything from firing, hiring, training, and everything in between. And then came the Great Recession. Company downsizing equals outsourcing HR. That means all those HR functions are now the responsibility of third parties, reducing many HR departments to a handful of staff pushing papers and other administrative duties. You think HR has all the power? Think again.

…Because We’re Human After All

Not aliens from Mars, or creatures from another universe. The HR department is made up of plain ol’ humans just like you. Prick them, and they bleed; abuse us, and they’ll go cry in the corporate bathroom – or make your life miserable because they can. Contrary to popular belief, HR isn’t made up of evil masterminds plotting your demise. Like any other department, they’re just doing what they’re being paid to do, and sometimes that might mean making your job harder. Respect the limits of HR and acknowledge that they do what they can. Honey trumps vinegar at the workplace, every time.

via excelle.monster.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Back to the Future | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

Just as sure as springtime is a new beginning and April showers bring May flowers, a creative, well crafted resume and a job search strategy that is focused on the prize and monitored on a regular basis will go a long way towards getting a stagnant career to blossom once again.

Recently a HR client of mine referred a good friend of his to me, a world-renowned Organization Development consultant who needed help revising his $699 ‘The Ladders’ resume that was barely getting traction in his job search.

In getting to know one another I asked him to describe what an OD does in one sentence. Without flinching he told me, "I help companies, teams and individuals to change their present state into a desired future state."

When I heard this it struck a chord in me that what he does for his clients as an OD is what I do for my clients as a resume writer and job transition coach.

And how does an OD get results. By conducting a case study talking to the parties involved from the CEO on down, and asking them to take off their rose-colored glasses for a few minutes and take an unbiased look at their goals, their strategy to meet these goals, and the tools they are using to reach them. The key to their success is in knowing how to ask the hard question - do you feel you will reach your goal doing what you’re doing, or is it time for a change? Once they establish a rapport and obtain the information they need, they collaborate to make the necessary changes to either reach or reassess the desired end results.

For those of you who can not afford a coach or have yet to see the value of an unbiased outsider’s professional opinion I suggest you honestly reassess your resume and search strategy and ask yourself the hard question – “Am I getting the results I want?” If you are not, here are 10 suggestions to help change your less than sought-after present into the bright future you eagerly desire.

1: Stop wasting precious time on job boards and start networking for 25 hours or more each week. The bottom line is unless you’re in the Top 15% of the available talent in your field, or supply & demand in your line of work lies in your favor you are likely to be lost in cyberspace; especially if your resume shows you to be much less talented than you are.

2: Stop sending emails, texting and reaching out to people electronically. To truly communicate with people and showcase your skills and your passion you must use the phone or Skype and start a verbal dialogue. There is a place for email, texting, blogging, twittering and making new friends on Linked-in, Facebook and other social media sites. Nothing replaces a 1-on-1 conversion for making a lasting impact and getting others to advocate on your behalf.

3: Look objectively at your current resume and see if it is the resume you truly desire, or is it just the best that you could write. If you find it lacking reach out to trusted colleagues in your field and get in contact with professional resume writers, HR people and business decision makers you may know and ask them for their opinions and suggestions.

4: Color code job postings of jobs you are interested in before you submit a resume. This will help you customize the resume for that job and double your chances of being called for an interview. If you don't know how to do this you can email me at Perry@perrynewman.com for a PPT presentation on this topic.

5: Whatever you do in your job search, give it your all. Don’t depend on others to do the hard work for you. My mother told me, and I sure she was not alone in giving this piece of advice, “If you want something done how you want it and when you want it – Do-It-Yourself.”

6: Throughout your job search you must honestly assess your motives, goals and efforts, and decide whether you need professional help or if can go it alone. For some job searches are like a common cold that will cure itself in a week or in 7 days with some aspirin or OTC medication that is easily accessible. For most people today it is like a torn ACL or severely pulled hamstring that needs to be diagnosed and treated by a physician or physical therapist, and if left untreated it will only get worse and take up to 10 times as long to properly heal, if it heals properly at all.

7: If you don't feel it is worth making an investment in yourself, how can you justify thinking an unknown employer should make an investment in you?

8. If you are seeking job in a profession that appreciates creativity and your resume is not performing up to expectations, I suggest you look into what I call a Bio-Rez format. You can view a few sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com

9: Stay positive and realize that your being out of work has more to do with the state of economy than your abilities

10: If you want a free coaching session you can contact me. Offer is good until May 31, 2010.

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Author:

Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE telephone resume critique.

via careerrocketeer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Is Outplacement dead? - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

www.laurentbrouat.com

Outplacement is the service which consists in helping people to achieve a career transition (looking for a job or changing of job).

I must say that this title is obviously provocative...but at the same time, the industry is facing new challenges that really question its foundations.

Is Outplacement working for career changers?

Outplacement has been questioned for a long time about its efficiency in helping true career changers.

Herminia Ibarra explains in "Working Identity" that career changers change in a lengthy process where they meet with people on their target market, where they re craft their personal story...And it is not by doing a career assessment that you achieve a proper career change. It is more a trial and error process where you constantly try out your ideas.

The outplacement system is not really suited for career changers!

Traditional model:

Assessment (skills, personality...) → Career Plan → Implementation

Herminia Ibarra Model:

Test (networking, meetings, outside work...) → correction → Test

In a career change, you don't know what is going to come up, you test all the time, and the model (assessment→Plan→Implementation) is not useful.

In other words, you learn by doing and then thinking not the other way around.

Outplacement does not seem to be that effective for true career changers, and time and experience seem to prove it.

An outplacement can last 6 month till 1 year, and a career change takes a minimum of 1 to 3 years...

What about people who look for a (normal) job?

In outplacement, these are the easiest cases. The person who is a marketing manager in the pharmaceutical industry looks for a job of marketing manager in the pharmaceutical industry.

Same job working for the competitor, the case that recruiters prefer.

In that case, outplacement helps you to reduce your search time by enhancing your efficiency...your CV is reviewed, you are coached properly. But even that is questioned today as companies paying for outplacement are paying less and less for that service.

In France and UK the prices for outplacement services have suffered, now in the UK, I have heard people offering outplacement service with a do-it-all 1 day workshop (which does nothing probably). So you review your CV in 1 day with other candidates who probably have more problems than you do have.

So even the case of the "easy" outplacement is put in danger...with the level of service provided.

So what does that mean for outplacement firms? Is it the end of the road?

I would suggest first to change the name...outplacement is a name which is totally unknown, it does not say anything.

But the obvious move is to go up in the chain of value and work with companies on their talent management issues instead of delivering pure outplacement services. All the big outplacement firms have done this move but their lack of reputation and insufficient track record in comparison to big consultancies (Accenture, Cap Gemini, PwC, and so on) are holding them back.

And for Career changers or people in career transition...

Yes outplacement can help you but you need to adapt your expectations to the market situation.

Outplacement professionals are not going to find you a job and due to the market conditions and the fees they receive, it is less and less likely.

In that case, Networking (and social networking as a tool) is everything...efficient outplacement consultancies should only focus on developing networking skills for their clients...all the personality tests can be useful but at the end of the day, we learn much more about ourselves by doing.

A last word

Outplacement services need to evolve towards providing career services during the whole career cycle not only when people lose their job, so companies must understand that happy employees are employees who are highly employable.

So they should not only create processes to manage their talent but they should create in-placement structures to help people move across departments or even companies.

Now is In-placement is going to replace Out-placement? Not sure about that, but developing Personal Branding and Networking for employees will be more and more important as competition is getting tougher.

And outplacement consultancies should ride the wave...

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Why Recruitment consultants minimize social networks - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

www.laurentbrouat.com

The other day I came across an article in the Sunday Times talking about social networking and recruitment.

And what amazed me is the fact that recruiters were all saying that Social networks are really useful but it is not that great.

” Linkedin is a great networking tool and research tool. However it is not a panacea.” Toby Fowlston, Robert Walters

“Linkedin isn’t the phone book and even if it was, who would want to look through the entire phone book to find the right candidate?” Eamon Collins Michael Page

Why do you think they do that?

They do that to minimize the impact of social networks on recruitment…because they are afraid of losing more clients using Linkedin in an increasingly part of their recruitment process.

SAB Miller (brewer) used Linkedin to recruit 120 managers around the world and saved 1.2 million £.

John Campagnigno, head of Recruitment at Accenture, said that he plans to make as many as 40% of his hires in the next few years through social media. It is cheaper and faster.

Social networks are a clear threat to the number of assignments that rec agencies/consultancies can get, so their aim is to say “yes it is a good networking tool but it is not enough”.

What they are missing is that the sourcing part of recruitment is a huge part…and if companies can get candidates faster and cheaper with not so many resources, what do you think they are going to do?

Why more and more companies will use linkedin or other social networks to recruit:

1. It is cheaper, it almost costs nothing and internal recruiters can leverage their own connections
2. It is faster, you can get in touch with people quickly and can carry out a reference check online. You can search using keywords, location, and many different criteria
3. CVs online are more accurate than written CVs (like I explained here) as people show their profile to everybody
4. Even when you post a job, the level of the candidate is better than using other job boards: you have less candidate applying but the average level is better
5. Candidates update their own profile so the accuracy of the information is much better
6. It is good for an employer brand to show that the company is up-to-date and a leading example in her industry in terms of recruitment processes

Agreed that you still need to meet people face to face, and that recruitment is a time consuming activity…but these tools are changing the landscape and even if recruitment consultancies are not happy with that, companies will use it more and more.

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

5 Tips When Working With Recruiters | EmploymentDigest.net

As you probably already know recruiters usually have the best jobs in the market, the ones that are not posted. The ones only the recruiter can get because of his or her relationship with the client.

A good recruiter can be worth more than GOLD to a client company. Most CEO’s will tell you they are only as good as their people. Ever get frustrated with recruiters not calling you back or following up after you have submitted your resume? Want to get noticed?

The facts are that recruiters are commission driven and they work on what they think can close fast. It’s just the nature of the business; if recruiters don’t get people hired then they don’t eat. Sure some companies pay base salary’s but that is for rent not food.

If you want to get the attention and get noticed then you haft to be willing to help the process along.

1. Tailor your resume to fit the jobs you are applying for, make sure not to embellish your skills or experience but do highlight those things that are relevant to the job you are seeking.

2. Be a squeaky wheel but not annoying. Supply reference and recommendation letters without being asked.

3. Create a capabilities statement (sell yourself).

4. Give the recruiter a list of companies that you would like to work for or at least the type of companies that have the job you seek.

Recruiters are well connected and you might trigger a past contact by mentioning the company. The more information you supply the better, the recruiters may have the client contacts but you have the knowledge and skill set.

5. Bottom line: make the recruiters want to represent you. Recruiters want someone who can get the job and will not waste their time on candidates that don’t have their act together; most of them will tell you if they don’t have anything that fits your background.

These are just 5 tips you can use when working with recruiters. If you would like to speak with one of our recruiters please contact us.

Avery Partners provides affordable knowledge and expertise in the IT, Finance / Accounting, and Healthcare sectors. Services include: Project Management, Human Capital Outsourcing, Management Consulting, and Staff Augmentation. The company has national capabilities and currently operates in over 20 states. We can reduce costs, eliminate hassles, increase service levels, and add value to each function we touch. We have a proven process of best practices for consulting and outsourcing opportunities. Avery Partners provides a unique business model that delivers your company and project the specific industry veterans at a lower cost – representing a much higher value.

via employmentdigest.net

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Want To Attract The Attention Of Recruiters?

OK.  I can’t stand it any longer.  I have this song that will not stop playing in my head.  Does this ever happen to you?  I’m not talking about the song that someone hums in the AM and lives with you for a few hours.  I’m talking about a song that has been lingering upstairs for nearly four weeks now.

It is a Beatles song which is unusual.  Because although I like a lot of the Beatles music, I feel like it is dramatically overplayed on the radio.

And the only way I can think to remove it from my consciousness is to write about it.  There must be some reason that it has not left me.  Kind of like that TV show called “Medium” where Alison gets haunted in her sleep by people who need their help.  I hope this isn’t the case with me because I really like my sleep!

Well, I feel pretty confident that Ringo Starr is not in need of my advice, so the song’s presence must have another purpose.

The song is Octopus’s Garden and you can read the lyrics here.  Maybe there’s a secret message for job seekers there.  Let me know if anything hits you.

The song was written by Ringo for the 1969 album, Abbey Road.  He was inspired, it seems, by a trip on a boat where he was told that the octopus likes shiny objects and goes around the sea bed collecting them to build a small garden around their “front porch”.  Perhaps to attract a mate?

Well, you may know that I love music and that I see music as a powerful influencer to help manage your psychology during job search.  So maybe that’s it.

But I don’t think so.

I think it has more to do with this idea of “shiny objects”.  You see, during job search one of the hardest parts is determining how to attract others to your candidacy.  Getting the attention of recruiters, hiring managers and the staff of an HR group.

We try a lot of different ideas, don’t we?  A few interesting examples I’ve heard of:

1. Interviewing with a restaurant company?  Walk in the door wearing a chef’s hat.
2. Send your resume inside a really big box sent via fed ex to the hiring manager.
3. Use shiny or colorful resume paper.  Maybe they won’t file it if the paper is really pretty.
4. Write a cover letter that overuses formatting to highlight every third sentence.
5. Put your face on the cover of Time magazine using PhotoShop and add the headline “The Greatest Salesman on the Planet”

The reality though is that while the initial attraction may work, grabbing long term interest and engagement is what you really need.  If you simply walk outside with a small mirror and shine it in the eyes of a recruiter, you will attract attention.  But what will you use to keep that attention once their vision comes back?

I guess my point here is that shiny objects generally don’t work.  The job search community is not like the animal kingdom.   Not like an Octopus’s Garden and certainly not like the mating dance of an exotic Bird of Paradise.  You really need to click on getting attention for your resume.  Does this look like you or anyone else you know in their job search or networking effort?

So what DOES work?

Well, I hate to make it sound so simple, but it is.  You have to create compelling marketing materials that are less shiny.  Materials that clearly and confidently identify your unique skills and experiences.  Ones that can help someone imagine you doing all those great things you describe.  In their company.

So, have a SoloSheet.  And a FlashCard.  Build a compelling resume.  If you need help to pull your greatness out of your career history, go get it.

And to Ringo Starr, I hope that’s what you were looking for.  When you first decided to haunt me with that song of yours.  Now, can I get some sleep?

via timsstrategy.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

5 Tips When Working With Recruiters | EmploymentDigest.net

As you probably already know recruiters usually have the best jobs in the market, the ones that are not posted. The ones only the recruiter can get because of his or her relationship with the client.

A good recruiter can be worth more than GOLD to a client company. Most CEO’s will tell you they are only as good as their people. Ever get frustrated with recruiters not calling you back or following up after you have submitted your resume? Want to get noticed?

The facts are that recruiters are commission driven and they work on what they think can close fast. It’s just the nature of the business; if recruiters don’t get people hired then they don’t eat. Sure some companies pay base salary’s but that is for rent not food.

If you want to get the attention and get noticed then you haft to be willing to help the process along.

1. Tailor your resume to fit the jobs you are applying for, make sure not to embellish your skills or experience but do highlight those things that are relevant to the job you are seeking.

2. Be a squeaky wheel but not annoying. Supply reference and recommendation letters without being asked.

3. Create a capabilities statement (sell yourself).

4. Give the recruiter a list of companies that you would like to work for or at least the type of companies that have the job you seek.

Recruiters are well connected and you might trigger a past contact by mentioning the company. The more information you supply the better, the recruiters may have the client contacts but you have the knowledge and skill set.

5. Bottom line: make the recruiters want to represent you. Recruiters want someone who can get the job and will not waste their time on candidates that don’t have their act together; most of them will tell you if they don’t have anything that fits your background.

These are just 5 tips you can use when working with recruiters. If you would like to speak with one of our recruiters please contact us.

Avery Partners provides affordable knowledge and expertise in the IT, Finance / Accounting, and Healthcare sectors. Services include: Project Management, Human Capital Outsourcing, Management Consulting, and Staff Augmentation. The company has national capabilities and currently operates in over 20 states. We can reduce costs, eliminate hassles, increase service levels, and add value to each function we touch. We have a proven process of best practices for consulting and outsourcing opportunities. Avery Partners provides a unique business model that delivers your company and project the specific industry veterans at a lower cost – representing a much higher value.

via employmentdigest.net

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

What Sites Future Employers Are Checking When Looking at You - Surveys - Lifehacker

As part of a Data Privacy Day report, Microsoft commissioned a study of over 1,200 hiring and recruitment managers. In one segment, they asked what kinds of sites they considered in researching applicants online. The short answer: almost everything.

As PC World put it—and as Jason detailed in his online identity primer—having a decent-looking personal web site, with blog-like material showing your grasp of topics and general up-to-date skills, is the best defense against anything and everything else a potential employer or contractor might find about you online.

Then again, take a look at how many online realms hiring managers peek into when peeking at you. It's reassuring, if you've put time into cleaning up your online image, and perhaps a wake-up call if you've still got LOLcats littering your photo service pages.

Have you hired someone, or turned someone down, based on their online presence? Been on the receiving end of that kind of judgement? Gripe or brag, as the case may be, in the comments.

Online Reputation Research [Microsoft via PC World]

via lifehacker.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Advice from a Recruiter: Don't Find Me, Let Me Find You | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

Earlier this week a friend forwarded me an article containing some job search advice for professionals and executives from Les Berglass of Berglass & Associates that I think is worthwhile passing along to you.

His advice is easier said than done in many cases, but it should be incorporated into your job search repertoire.

1: First and foremost his advice is not to send true executive recruiters an unsolicited resume. It doesn't help. “Understand that we work for the corporation, not the candidate. In my 27 years as a recruiter, I can count on one hand the number of unsolicited résumés that have ended up as candidates.”

2: If you want to meet top level recruiters try going to an industry conference in your field. It costs a little bit of money, but it shows you're serious.

3: Call in IOU’s from people you know and trust and ask them about the recruiters they have a personal relationship with. If they are in your field ask them to set up a conference call introduction, or have them send a detailed email that they have recommended you to them and that you will be calling to follow up. Have them send one copy to the contact and a CC: to you

4: The best way to get on top recruiters radar is through a recommendation. Talk with people more senior than you who have recently been recruited. If you're out of work, ask about consulting gigs to keep your name in the game.

5: Spend more time doing things that will get you found than time spent finding people. Get online, get quoted. Start you own blog, write for other people’s blogs, send out PR releases, look for guest speaking engagements, arrange seminars, write an e-book; all good ways to get quoted.

6: Cultivate Press contacts and submit articles to major trade magazines. Every recruiter reads his industry's trade publications. Getting quoted is a great way to get your name out there and gain credibility.

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Author:

Perry Newman, CPC is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach and social media strategist renowned for his ability to produce marketing documents and job search strategies that get results. You can view sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com/ and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.

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Online Personal Brand « Career Brander

In December 2009 Microsoft commissioned market research firm Cross-tab to conduct a survey on the growing impact and related social trends of Online Identity Management.  Cross-tabs surveyed several hundred recruiters and Human Resource (HR) professionals as well as several hundred consumers in Europe as well as the United States.

The results of this survey further support the increasing role of online identity in hiring decisions.

Here are some sample takeaways from the study:

• Companies are making online screening a formal requirement in the hiring process.
• 85% of recruiters and HR professionals say positive online reputation influences their hiring decision.
• Approximately 70% of recruiters and HR professionals say they rejected candidates based on what they found online.
• Recruiters and HR professionals in the United States are almost twice as likely to perform an online screening then their European counterparts.

To further emphasize the strength of online screening in the United States, 98% of the recruiters and HR professionals surveyed said they used at least one of the following sites to gain further applicant information during the hiring process.

According to the survey, here are the percent of recruiters and HR professionals who use these types of sites when researching applicants.
Search engines	78%
Social networking sites	63%
Photo and video sharing sites	59%
Professional and business networking sites	57%
Personal Web sites	48%
Blogs	46%
News sharing sites (e.g. Twitter)	41%
Online forums and communities	34%
Virtual world sites	32%
Web sites that aggregate personal information	32%
Online gaming sites	27%
Professional background checking services	27%
Classifieds and auction sites	25%
None of these	2%

The study goes on to say the most common methods consumers are using to better manage personal and professional identities online are:

• Update and create multiple profiles on-line with an emphasis on separating personal from professional profiles.
• Keep profiles anonymous by correctly employing privacy settings.
• Use restrictive access tools similar to Career Brander’s Site in 60 website content padlocks.

Despite the growing trend and role of online identity management, an amazing 1/3 of all consumers have taken no measures whatsoever to enhance, protect or manage their online persona.

Career Brander feels, this “head in the sand” mentality is a flawed approach for anyone in career transition. We strongly recommend any individual in career transition look to the chart above and consider using it as a roadmap for their online identity campaign management.   Minimally, individuals should look at the top 5 research sites from the chart above and take the time to enable, control and optimize the personal data on these destinations. To repeat in order they are:

1) Search Engines (Consider establishing profiles with them as well as creating a Vizibility button for Google)

2) Social Networking Sites (Facebook  and MySpace are probably the two critical sites)

3) Photo & Video Sharing (This is probably more about controlling content than proactively adding content.)

4) Professional/Business Networking Sites (LinkedIn is key here and given its networking power probably the most important site to job seekers.)

5) Personal Websites (Site in 60 allows for incredibly easy creation of a personal website and advanced crawls by all the search engines.)

In 2010, reputation management is central to personal branding.  An online identity audit and a proactive strategy are critical elements of effective career marketing.  Embrace the Internet as a job search tool and you will have a hiring advantage.  Ignore it, and you are positioning yourself for potential failure.    The job search process is getting more complex and individuals need to be extremely thorough and thoughtful in every aspect if they hope to find work faster.

via careerbrander.wordpress.com

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Social Networking sites a blessing for Recruitments!! - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

Social Networking Sites… You might have heard about it day in and day out. Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn (There is a lot of debate going on about it being a professionals networking or Social Networking
site). The reason for getting into this topic was to understand from
the end users about its impact on the Recruitment process. (Today’s)

The question that I always wanted to know from the Recruitment Guru’s out there was “Impact of Social Networking Sites in today’s Recruitment process!

There was an encouraging response from the professionals; they too were keen to know about the actual impact of these sites. In my previous blog there was a special mention about Job Portals going social!!
Naukri.com has come up with an option to post jobs directly on my
social / professional networking sites. This was a huge step forward
(in the right direction), as this will help the recruiters to tap the
resources having presence in the Social networking world out there.

Following data was collected from an online poll on LinkedIn, 350 respondents were part of this poll (HR professionals).

Here are the results:

LinkedIn Poll

59% say Plays an important role

28% say at an early stage

11% say not much of an Impact

Well, what does this mean? Can we conclude that it’s a win win situation for the recruiters / hiring managers? Or can we still say that it’s got a huge potential, but it still needs to be tested. Most
of the Hiring managers would like to have an ROI for these sites. Is
that possible?

Social Networking sites have created a place in the Recruiting world. It will be interesting to see the real share in the hiring process.

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

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Why head hunter is important for your job search – GeekMBA360 Blog

I recently saw a job ad on Craigslist. I applied immediately because it looked really interesting and challenging to me. I didn’t hear anything back from the company.

A few days later, I saw a job ad by a head hunter on Craigslist. It was the same job description, but the employer name was hidden.

I emailed, and within 2 hours I heard back from the head hunter. He didn’t think I had all of the required experience and background, but he wanted to at least chat with me.

One thing led to another. I eventually interviewed with this company and got an offer.

The head hunter had been working with this particular employer for many years. When he passed a resume to the employer, they would at least take a look. The head hunter has an established relationship with the employer, and he was able to get my resume to the right person.

This is extremely valuable. If I ended up taking this job, my pay would be lower because the employer had to pay the head hunter a commission. However, I would not have gotten the job at first place if I didn’t get help from the head hunter.

You probably have heard that “we’re in the internet age and recruiting are done online” — I wholeheartedly disagree with such statement — it’s not true that head hunter is no longer valued.

Fundamentally, recruiting is a people-based process.  Relationship matters a lot. When you get a call from a recruiter next time, be nice to him or her. A good recruiter is like your personal salesperson, who will work tirelessly on your behalf, promote your brand, and help you get to the next level.

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Jump Start Your Search By Becoming Your Own Executive Recruiter

I am not the first nor will I be the last person to tell you that a resume and cover letter that successfully melds what you have achieved in the past along with your potential to succeed in the future are critical tools for conducting a successful job search. However too many job seekers with these tools in hand make as much noise as the proverbial tree that falls in the forest that no one hears because they use a shotgun approach and fail to get these documents into the proper hands.

When I started my career as a professional recruiter, my boss who happened to be one of the top billers in NYC ingrained in me that to be a successful recruiter I needed to be one step ahead of the curve, and he taught me how to penetrate the “hidden job market.” This is how I learned the value of research, focus and networking in the job search process; and I’ve been sharing this information with all of the recruiters I hired and trained and the clients I work with in my coaching practice ever since.

Now if you are a $75,000 to $250,000 level candidate this should come as no surprise. With hundreds of thousands of postings on job boards and an additional 5% of jobs advertised using conventional media, statistics show that 70% of the jobs available in America today are unadvertised; and this number grows incrementally the higher up the corporate ladder you are. On top of this since 2007 fewer jobs have been listed with search firms each successive year.

So what should these figures tell you? What they tell me and what I tell my clients is that if 7 out of every 10 jobs you want to land are part of the unadvertised hidden job market, you need to start spending 70% of your time and effort acting like a recruiter and not a job seeker. I won’t lie and say you will find the perfect job this week or maybe even this month. But I can tell you this method will reduce your job search time and increase the odds of selecting a job you want instead of settling for one you don’t.

And what is it that recruiters do? They spend the bulk of their IPT (income productive time) finding out who the players are in the companies they want to work with at their competitors. So should you! Start by finding out the title of decision makers you would be reporting to at each company and who they report to. Then find the decision maker one level up, because this is the person you will be targeting.

If you don’t know why you are starting so high up the ladder let me tell you. First off this person sees the bigger picture and may actually be considering making some personnel changes but does not have the time or inclination to do so at this time. Your call and availability can get the ball rolling. This is how I made over 25% of my deals as a recruiter. Second, the odds are the person you would be directly reporting to will find you more of a threat and hide your availability from his or her superiors, who more than likely in this job market would share this view.

Here is who you should target. If the company has less than 250 employees target the president, owner, or a vice president in the group you want to work in, and if the company has 250-1000 employees target the VP of your department. If they have 1,000+ employees find a senior director or divisional VP.

If you find the title of the hiring authority but not their name what should you do? Once again do what recruiters do.
a: Call the company and ask for the department. Then ask whoever answers the phone for the name of the person you want; very often you may need to devise a creative ruse to get them to talk.
b: Visit the company Web site and see if the person is listed there.
c. Look up the company on Linked-in and other social media sites and see if the person is listed there. If not, look for a contact in the company you are directly linked to or have a 2nd or 3rd level relationship with and see if they can give you the person’s name.
d: Google the company under News and these 3 terms: Company name, title, department name, and use Google Alerts

Now that you know who you want to approach, the final step is reaching out to this person with a customized resume and cover letter printed on quality paper and sending it to them via the US Post Office. You read that right, not in an email or a fax, but by snail mail. The message you want to get across in the resume and cover letter is one that is simple and direct.
a: I know your business inside out and I know the problems you face.
b: I have a history of solving similar problems and can produce the results you seek.
c: Site examples of the problems and solutions and offer testimonials.
d: Depending on geography suggest meeting for lunch or coffee or spending 10-15 minutes on the phone.

Finally, if you don’t have a great resume and cover letter, find someone to write them for you. If you don’t there is a very real chance that all your hard work will be for naught because you failed to make a winning first impression.

Author:

Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com/ and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE telephone resume critique.

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Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Mirror, mirror on the wall, am I the best candidate of all? - RecruitingBlogs.com

• Posted by Kevin Womack on April 12, 2010 at 10:30am
• View Kevin Womack's blog

Most recruiters know when they have found the perfect candidate for a position. We typically have a checklist or there are requirements that the candidate meets in helping us determine their quality. While it may be clear to the recruiter or employer that a candidate is a fit, sometimes it’s not clear to the job seeker themselves. Here is a checklist for determining if you are in fact a fit for a position.

Your resume “reflects” the job description – You know you’re a fit for the position when your resume reflects the job and skills required with minimum modification to your resume. You recent position is the same and you have recently utilized the skills necessary and used them often. You will know if you are a fit for the position if your resume sounds like a repeat of the job description and, if you want the position, it should do just that.

Your compensation is in line with the position – This holds true for either contract or direct hire. Now I know that there are some candidates that have all of the requirements that are needed in the position but are more expensive than the client is willing to pay. I will admit there are exceptions to the rule; however, most hiring managers have a budget to follow and, if you are within the compensation range and have the skills, you are going to get the position more than not.

Your availability is in line with the hiring managers start date – You could fit both of the criteria above but if the need is mission critical to start and you have to give a 3 to 4 week notice, it’s probably not going to work out. Make sure that the timing is in line before pursuing the opportunity.

Location, Location, Location – This is not just important in Real Estate. It is VERY important to hiring managers. Now I understand that some candidates are open to relocation or that driving 45 minutes one way may not be a big deal, but most hiring mangers that I deal with are interested in the location of a candidate and the closer, the better.

Career or skill progression – Let’s say that you are trying to get a position as a Developer and you have been a developer for 9 years but you have been a manager for the last 2 to 3 years. Most hiring managers are going to pass on you because you have not been a developer recently or your career progression appears to be going away from development. It is important to remember that your work history tells a story to the client and can give them an impression, wrong or right, of your background and capabilities.

I hope that the information above helps some of you Job Seekers. I know that it is basic and there may not be a magic bullet but….remember to review your resume, put together a checklist, look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you meet all of the criteria above.

via recruitingblogs.com

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KPI's are bad for recruitment... - RecruitingBlogs.com

Thinking about that the other day made me realise that actually, KPI's, far from sorting out and highlighting the good recruiters from the bad, actually muddies the waters and can throw up a smokescreen behind which people who are not cut out for recruitment can hide. KPI's, just like Government statistics, seem so easily corruptible and therefore, are actually counter-productive.

via recruitingblogs.com

From the mind of a recruiter...

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