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.
I’ve had a few conversations recently with a wide range of individuals about resumes and cover letters, and I was finding a common theme: whatever the career services people at their school taught them is not really in line with what businesses are looking for today.
To be clear, this is not a knock or insult to the university/college career services department. They have an enormous value to many students (the ones that actually take the time to seek their input and guidance, anyway). I am looking to provide further insight into and clarification about a few key issues.
Having said that, I think there are a few areas they miss, or do not stress enough. The resume and cover letter are about you, but are not just about you. They are about how you are the best candidate to help the company. It’s about making a match!
Cover Letter
Resume
As you can see, value is the critical thread for both the cover letter and the resume. However, value is most important to the company to which you are applying. Express your personal interest and why you are the right person for the job but always focus on how you will make the company better.
Image credit goes to MinorityJobs.net
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Keith McIlvaine manages the recruiting social media strategy for a Fortune 500 company and is an avid networker. He is a social media advisor, coach, speaker, blogger and an all around fanatic. Connect with Keith on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. (The statements posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer)
Your application and resume pleased the prospective employer and he has asked you to come in for an interview. You are confident that the interview will be a success except for one concern. What do you wear? You know from experience that first impressions are of the utmost importance. First impressions start with how a person looks. I have read somewhere that a first impression takes under thirty seconds to make.
What you wear to an interview is largely based on the position, the company’s preference, and your wardrobe. Dressing formally can give the impression of being rigid and uncomfortable if it is not what you are used to wearing. Dressing too casually can give the impression of laziness and that you really do not want the job.
Call or visit with an employee about the dress code and how strict the policy is. If it is not possible to get this information, then the best choice is business casual. Make sure the clothes are clean and ironed. Dress slacks and a button up shirt would be fine. Again, this would depend on the type of company it is. If you are applying at a lawyer’s office, you might consider wearing a suit and tie. Remember to use common sense. If you do not look good in green then do not wear green.
Always: – Be clean and tidy. Make sure your hair is appropriate for the position. – Many people are sensitive to scents so do not wear a perfume or cologne. Try to use unscented or lightly scented antiperspirant. People tend to sweat when they are nervous. – Cover as many tattoos as possible and remove facial piercings, including inside the mouth.
MEN: – Wear trousers with a button up shirt that has a collar. A sport jacket may also fit the bill. – Wear neutral colors such as tan, brown, or grey. – Even if you do not wear a sport jacket, you should wear a tie. – Black leather shoes are best. Cleaned and polished, of course. – Hands should be very clean with neatly trimmed nails. – Make sure your mouth is clean and breath is fresh.
WOMEN: – Wear a ladies business suit or a dress with a jacket. There is no need to show cleavage. – Wear neutral colors like tan, navy blue, grey, or burgundy. – Being stylish is okay but do not try to dress better than the position calls for. – Avoid tight revealing clothing, it shows disrespect for yourself and for those around you. – If painting your nails, stick to tasteful colors. If your kid sister likes the color then choose something else.
When choosing clothing, it is best to pick pieces that can be mixed and matched. This will give you more choices with fewer pieces. Once you have gotten the job you should gradually add appropriate clothing to your wardrobe. You would not want a promotion to pass you by because you did not look the part.
Searching for work is usually an overwhelming undertaking. With all the competition quantity usually needs to be coupled with quality to hit the goal. Take a look at Lowes employment for practical options as well as Lowes job application. Having sound information avoids wasting your time searching for what may work through having to look through what does not. Getting solid direction often will boost one’s chances of separating yourself from the competition.
The employment marketplace is always changing and the people who are able to change the quickest will be the people that get first pick in the greatest opportunities. Through the accessibility of information and the advancements in technology, searching for a job is not what it was.
By Timothy Mason. The rules have changed in a huge way and at the moment you have got to not only manage to deliver a total package of expertise and experience for the occupation but have got to also master supplementary expertise to even secure an job interview for the profession you want.
It would be safe to say that most of us value the connections we have in our personal networks. That’s why we make them in the first place, right? Some people have even attempted to put a monetary value on them. But take a minute to think about it. Do you appreciate the quality of your connections, or is it the quantity? Maybe you have thousands of connections and can send out a quick ping to the group and get many responses. That is one aspect of the power of social media! Or you could be focused in on a tiny niche, with less than a hundred contacts, but they are worth gold, each one of them.
Now imagine what you would do if that entire personal network that you took some serious time to build it up, just, disappeared? Sound like a scary scenario? It might be, depending on how you look at it. The value of a personal network can be hard to put a tag on.
I just did something that may surprise many of you. I just set my social online personal network back to zero (yes, 0), and did it on purpose!
Here are my reasons for doing what some would call a bad move:
For posterity:
Although I focused a large portion of the post on my experience, and why I did it, I’d like to focus it back on you, the reader. You may be thinking a few things right now, but if you can take away anything take this. The value of your personal network is what you can offer to it. I am confident that I will rebuild my personal network even stronger than before, meeting new contacts along the way. I know this, because I am focused on adding value to it through quality over quantity.
Question: What can you do, today, to add value to your personal network?
About the Author: Mark is content with chinking away on the process of re-building his online personal network. He enjoys conversing on Twitter and growing and adding value to his network on LinkedIn. Mark likes how links come across in his Facebook news feed.
