recruiters power guide or how to get your recruiter out of business

How To Put Your Recruiter Final 1

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HAVENT EATEN

ANYTHING SINCE

KICKED OUT FROM

THE JOBPLEASE HELP

MV

HOW TO GET YOUR RECRUITER

OUT OF BUSINESS

Copyright 2010

How To Put Your Recruiter Final2

Introduction

If youve been trying to recruit quality personnel for your organization or your clients, you will be more than familiar with what a tricky business this can often be. Its not that good people are not available. Its knowing where to find them.

The traditional methods of finding and recruiting suitable employees are no longer the only means by which recruitment is happening these days. Of course, advertisements in newspapers and other print based material as well as online job boards are still assumed to be the primary and preferred means of seeking qualified personnel for your organization. But that assumption is losing ground as the internet becomes the most easily and quickly available means for information exchange and, yes, social networking.

THIS VIRTUAL RECRUTING THINGIS GETTINGOUT OF CONTROL.

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nGenera, a software company, for example, reportedly have done 70% of their recruitment through Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

With users of Twitter, Facebook,Linkedin and other social networkstotalling over 200 million in the US alone, for instance, the odds of your ideal recruit being one of them is stacked extremely high in your favour. What is more, your pool of likely candidates is not just confined to your country, it is indeed global!

If you havent already started taken advantage of online social networks for your recruitment needs, perhaps the following information might be of interest. There are clear signs that traditional recruitment methods and recruiters will soon be displaced by the more dynamic and low-cost hiring practices using social networks.

Its true that online social networks were once primarily the places that kids who were avoiding homework hung out at or forums used by bloggers wanting exposure or alternative social venues for people who were just tired, bored or wanting a bit of time out.

These days, however, the image and function of social networks have changed dramatically. No longer are they merely sites for socializing, they are dynamic hotbeds of information about both people seeking employment as well as employers.

Increasingly, social networks are being used as external forms of business cards and rsums combined. Companies such as

The Emerging Role of Online Social Network

RIGHT, SO YOURE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WITH MAGICCIRCLE EXPERIENCE IN M&A, LITIGATION AND FINANCE...

WITH A SET OF BLUECHIP CLIENTS AND THE FREEDOMTO WORK ANYWHERE...WOULD YOU LIKE THEM TO WALKON WATER AND TURN THE WATER INTO WINE AS WELL?

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The business of recruitment is a certain and recurring event in any organization. That being the case, you would expect that recruitment would be a board level, strategically planned and budgeted item especially when the cost of advertising, employee turnover, training and loss of organizational knowledge are taken into account.

Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case. According to a report by Chandler Macleod, most Australian companies regard recruitment as a distress purchase and not something that needs to be proactively factored into business planning. This kind of thinking (or lack of ) would be alarming were it not for the fact that it is so widespread.

Of the organizations surveyed by Chandler Macleod, 60% had no recruitment strategy. Among the 40% that did have one, only 28% had it linked to a business plan. In fact, less than 50% of all those surveyed did not consider recruitment as a strategic exercise, rating it less than 5 out of 10.

Chandler Macleod notes that the majority of Australian businesses are still embedded in traditional recruitment methods and practices and are not engaging in more

innovative solutions. In fact, only 29% had developed some kind of EVP Employment Value Proposition.

To make matters worse, 70% did not survey satisfaction levels of their hiring personnel following the hiring assignments nor those of the applicants who had been through the selection process.

What all this spells out for Australian businesses are two key things:

1. The lack of strategic planning aligned with business goals in relation to recruitment costs organizations time, money and resources

2. Organizations end up recruiting from the best available candidates rather than the best candidates

The Organizational Context for Recruitment

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As with any other facets of your business, recruitment is one that deserves your best effort in terms of strategic planning and practice. Whilst most organizations respect the need for strategic head-hunting when it comes to their executive and senior management positions, few see the value in proactive planning when it comes to recruitment for other levels of organization.

It is true that a number of organizations, particularly those in the mining, construction, professional and financial services have graduate recruitment programs in place. However, most organizations dont. This means that for most organizations, hiring is done to meet immediate and/or short term needs where little thought is given to the long-term value of a candidate and the costs to the organizations.

While it is also true that recruitment of personnel relates in very specific ways to the particular unit or department of an organization, the overall recruitment strategy needs to be one that is orchestrated through the multi-disciplinary expertise of HR, Management and PR and Marketing.

This kind of coordinated thinking and planning helps to make hiring less of an idiosyncratic event and more of a strategized endeavour where little is left to chance and whats available and more is geared to finding and hiring the people you really do want.

It also means that there is a greater sense of commitment to the process by those involved in planning and recruiting, something that will be picked up by prospective applicants or, better still, passive candidates i.e. people who are not actively seeking a position but who are actively sought out by an organization through one or more of the popular social networks.

The cost of recruiting to an organization is often unmonitoredmainly because recruitment is not tied in directly with business goals. Chandler Macleod reports that about 30% of organizations are not aware of their recruitment costs and of those who did know, a third said it was less than 2% of the budget.

When organizations lack commitment to strategized recruitment, it is unlikely that they are either going to attract or find the people that they actually want working with them. Increasingly, this is borne out by the fact that such organizations fail to capitalize on innovative recruitment strategies, one of which is the use of online social networks.

The Need for Strategic Recruitment

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MV

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The use of online social networks has been increasing at an unprecedented rate. A recent Nielson study has placed Australian users at the forefront of social networking, ahead of America, Britain and Japan.

In 2009, the use of social networking sites exploded by 82% worldwide with 9.9 million (from a population of 22 million) Australians contributing to this statistic. There is no question about it more people are spending more time than ever before on social networks and more information than ever before is now available for those who are interested.

Of course, not all information is necessary or even desirable. Details and images of birthday parties and holiday bashes are not necessarily the kind of information that employers need to have about potential employees although its likely that many would be curious.

To this end, it could be disadvantageous to job seekers and passive candidates to have a trail of private and not-so-private moments available for viewing by all and sundry. In fact, some countries such as Germany are even considering making it illegal for employers to view the pages of individuals on purely social networking sites such as Facebook. Should such legislation pass, other sites such as Linkedin and Ning, which are more suited for professional networking, however, will not have such restrictions.

The Local and Global Opportunities of Social Networking Sites

JOIN THE

ARMY

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The point is, as an employer or recruiter, you now have information about a much larger pool of both local and global candidates than has ever been available and all for the cost of next to nothing. To ignore this readily available database and continue to rely solely on traditional recruiting methods such as print advertisements and online job boards would be placing yourself and your organization at a serious disadvantage.

But the benefits dont stop here. Should your preferred candidate not be available or not have exactly what you are looking for, there is a strong chance you will get a quality referral from them. Once again, at no cost to you.

Should you, as a recruiter or employer, wish to get really serious about using social networking for your recruitment, you will find that sites such as Linkedin already have structures in place which provide zero to full access to information about individuals and their networks.

Access to this information is determined by subscription as well as the willingness of individuals to refer you to their networks. It is a system in which the playing field appears to be more level, giving passive candidates, active job seekers, recruiters and employers an equal opportunity to network.

Once you have found a candidate whom you think might be ideal for your company, it is merely a matter of contacting them through the non-intrusive messaging facility available at the sites.

The ease of this kind of direct and immediate contact means there are fewer delays, more focused interactions and the ability to make decisions without having incurred any advertising costs. A real save and a far more efficient way of handling recruitment!

Pipelines to Personnel

Someone important is bound to seemy resume now!

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But... your facebook profilesays youre a vegetarian!

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WHAT MADE THISGUY STAND OUT?

HE APPLIED

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MV

Besides a great smile do you have anyother qualifications we could consider?

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an increasing number of people with talent and experience are opting out of the workforce into self-employment, it is getting harder to source candidates with expertise and experience.

What is more, because people who are still in the workforce are increasingly inclined to job-hop, often expanding rather than deepening their skill-base, the kind of expertise that companies require is not always or easily available.

In other words, more businesses are scrambling for the same talent pool than ever before.Increasing and improving the appeal of your company to potential hires is therefore no longer an option but a necessity for most businesses.

As an employer or a recruiter acting on behalf of an employer, the value of an EVP in driving the process of attracting talent to your company has to be taken into serious consideration. Because the EVP is an employee-centred approach informed by existing employees as well as the expectations and employment conditions of external candidates, it is something that is easily integrated into workforce planning strategies.The kinds of deals that are struck when recruiting characterises the employer and can, if done well, make them stand out as an attractive and preferred employer. Needless to say, it is important that the employer branding delivers on what it promises.

The term Employee Value Proposition, EVP, refers to the balance that a company attempts to strike in relation to the benefits and rewards it can offer an employee and the value that the employee brings to the company in the form of skills, experience and connections. In simple terms, it refers to the characteristics and appeal an organization has for potential and existing employees.

The Employee Branding Proposition, EBP, is somewhat like the mirror image of the EVP in that it refers to the offers and deals underlying the employers brand marketing and management activities.

In a world where the availability of talent and experience is diminishing for a number of reasons, businesses are having to make themselves much more attractive to the fewer potential employees that are available.

As populations in many western countries have decreased and

EVP and EBP Employee Value Proposition and Employer Branding Proposition

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Your previous employer hintedthat you have a problem withchronic career self-sabotage.

Whats that all about?

Why dont youhire me, dummy,

and find outfor yourself?


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According to some studies, the EVP is said to reap benefits in a number of ways including improving the commitment of new employees, reducing the compensation premiums of new hires and increasing the willingness of employees to act as brand advocates.

But there are other reasons why employers would benefit from considering EVPs and linking them to HR strategies. In a global market where populations are falling in some parts of the world and increasing in others, the kinds of talent that a business needs may not be so readily available where it is required.

With recruitment strategies that provide rewards that are not necessarily linked to a job such as access and referrals to employees online social networks, employers gain the ability to source more deeply into talent that may not otherwise be visible.

A good EVP is one that is credible and that genuinely appeals to its targets, attracting, engaging and retaining them. It will have to be unique either by itself or in conjunction with other terms and conditions of employment and it will have to fit in with strategic plans.

As part of the organizations strategic plans, not all of an EVP will necessarily be currently available. Some parts of the EVP will be tied in with future directions and outcomes for the organization.

For it to be successful and credible, it is important that you test your EVP. Having an offer or deal that you, as an employer, might consider attractive to your potential hires is one thing. Whether your potential hires consider it attractive is quite another. For this reason, the ability to be flexible with your EVP is essential as any number of factors including geographical location and cultural preferences may be relevant.

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Below is a checklist of 15 questions for your recruitment, selection and appointment process:

CHECKLIST OF 15 QUESTIONS

1: Is there a vacancy to be filled and why has it arisen?

The line manager will be aware of a vacancy and the need for the vacancy to be filled.

2: What is the position and why is it necessary?

In conjunction with HR, it will be useful to use this opportunity to evaluate the actual position and job description. There are a number of factors to consider here such as the relationship of the position to other positions and whether it is ongoing or fixed term. This may need to be done in consultation with other managers and departments:

3: Has a recruitment strategy been designed to attract the most desirable candidates?

The line Manager, in collaboration with HR, will determine the best ways of attracting the most suitable candidates. This might include print based advertising, online job board postings as well as referrals, internal advertising and online social networking.

4: Has a Request to Recruit been prepared and does it have all the necessary documentation and authorisations consistent with HR guidelines and policies?

The line Manager, in collaboration with HR, will need to prepare a Request to Recruit form which will include such things as Position description, Selection Criteria, Draft advertisement or proposed communication with passive candidate (if using online social networks), Proposed Selection Panel and Recruitment Agent information.

5: Has the recruitment procedure been outlined and has it

commenced?

According to HR procedures and guidelines, the recruitment process, including the placement of any advertisements and/or the opening of communication with passive candidates on online social networking sites, should proceed.

6: Has the Selection Panel been chosen and has the selection process been established?

The line Manager, usually in conjunction with HR, will determine the composition of the Selection Panel. All members will have to be aware of selection procedures, their role in the panel and details of the position.

7: Have applications been collated?

All applications will be collated and placed in a file in which information such as Position description, List of applicants, Selection Panel guidelines and Recruitment process and procedures is also included.

Recruitment, Selection and Appointment in 15 Simple Steps

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Hes not in today. You can send an email, leave a commenton his blog, tweet him, leave a voice mail message or contact

him on Facebook. I cant take a message.Thats above my pay scale.


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8: Have the applications been reviewed and a shortlist created?

The Selection Panel will review the applications and create a shortlist of the most desirable candidates and rank them. If there are several good candidates, it may be necessary to conduct some pre-selection interviews to weed out the least favourable among them. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

9: Have the short listed candidates been assessed?

Short listed candidates will be assessed through a variety of methods including interviews and skills and psychological testing, their references checked and their favourability ranked.

10: Have recommendations been made for the preferred candidate?

All documentation relating to the selection process will be filed and all details of remuneration, position description and terms of employment relating to the preferred candidate will be outlined.

11: Have recommendations for the preferred candidate been checked against HR procedures and guidelines?

This is to ensure compliance with company and legislative requirements.

12: Has the preferred candidate been made a verbal offer?

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This provides an opportunity to discuss all aspects of the position with the preferred candidate, including terms and conditions, as well as negotiate where appropriate.

13: Has the candidate been made a written offer?

HR will be responsible for drafting the letter of offer and sending it to the candidate.

14: Have unsuccessful candidates been notified?

It is important that unsuccessful candidates are notified and wherever possible, feedback obtained about the selection process.

15: Has the appointment been confirmed and the induction process begun?

Ensure that the new employee is thoroughly inducted, that all necessary documentation has been signed and filed in accordance with HR procedures.

Do we have to get a job before we can collectUnemployment compensation?

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When 77% of Fortune 500 companies are using social media networks, it is useful to ask why. The fact is more people are spending more time on these networks than on personal email.

It is true that most use is of a purely social nature keeping in touch with friends and family but increasingly, they are being seen as ideal forums for hosting and exchanging professional information.

Twitter, for example, is described as a micro-blog where messages not exceeding 140 characters can be posted to followers people who have connected with you through direct acquaintance but more often than not, through mutual followers. It is not uncommon to find users with several thousand followers people who are within instant reach.

These networks are enormous, spinning their webs across all geographical, political, social and professional divides so that both individual entrepreneurs as well as multi-national companies use them for the promotion of their products and services.

Increasingly, however, Twitter and other social media networks like Linkedin and Ning are being used as professional networks where information is exchanged for professional purposes, including recruitment.

Lead Generation for Recruitment using Social Media

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This company believes in sustainabledevelopment. We dont think yours is.

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Simply put, the opportunities provided by social media networks are enormous if you know how to take advantage of them. In fact, these days, youre just as likely (if not more likely) to be asked if youre on Facebook or Twitter or Myspace than you are to be asked for your email address! Such is the growth of the popularity and use of social media networks.

Most businesses, whether run by individuals or companies, are likely to suggest you connect with them on one or other of the social networks. They may do this for any number of reasons to promote their products and services to you, to give you information or sources to information as a means of keeping you interested in them, or as a potential recruitment resource.

Most employers and recruiters regard recruitment as a necessary business activity but not necessarily as a marketingactivity. Yet, when you think about it, recruitment could be one of your most useful forms of marketing. Lets look at how this is so.

Yes, I can see youre Bound. I supposemy question is are you committed?

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Online Social Networking Opportunities


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Marketing essentially involves:

Targeting your market

Informing the market about what you can offer them

Getting the market to take action

Recruiting does pretty much the same things. When you recruit, you are targeting a certain kind of individual or individuals. You are letting them know what you can offer them and you are keen for them to take action.

Through the use of social media networks, your marketing through recruitment becomes much more targeted and personal. The personal aspect of getting in touch withpotential candidates for your company is a crucial factor to the success of your recruitment efforts.

Facebook has over 400 million users worldwide with each spending, on average, 55 minutes a day. Facebook is also the second most accessed site on the web, providing a place for friends, family and business associates to connect. Businesses which have a presence on Facebook have plenty of opportunity to be either a passive presence or to engage actively with other users.

Use these networks to build your online presence. After all, you must know that a significant percentage of potential employees are already using these social media networks. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this direct means of

Recruitment as a Marketing Strategy

The key to landing a good job is patience,persistence and timing. And networking.

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connecting with them!

Provide news and stories about your business or your company. Try to relate these to topical events that are happening both locally and globally. Post links to your careers page or a specific job opening.

As with any kind of marketing, providing the personal touch to your recruitment efforts can reap great rewards. Having your own page or wall where active job seekers as well as passive candidates can ask and or respond to your news about job postings or other company related news is a great way of meeting potential employees on a more personal level. Read and respond to these either publicly or though private messages.

If your company conducts career fairs, publicise these so that job seekers can register for them while leaving useful information about themselves (on an optional basis).

Use the media to acknowledge achievements within your company. Such public valuing of services does wonders for internal morale as well as build a very positive image of your company among the general public.

Make your employees, followers, fans or friends your brand advocates by responding to any endorsements or compliments they may make of your company or your products and services. In the case of Twitter, for instance, these can simply be re-tweeted.

All of these activities will help generate leads for you and thus extend your network of potential recruits.

ONE OF THE FAILED CANDIDATESFOR THE COPYRIGHTER JOB WANTSTO KNOW WAT WAS RONG WITH

HIS APPLICASHUN?SIGH!

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One of the social networks that is rapidly rising in status as a professional networking site is Linkedin. Currently, it has something like 53 million members in over 200 countries. It offers a free service where users can post their rsum and recommendations from professional and personal sources.

By networking with other industry personnel and groups, users are able to exchange key information about their professional interests, skills and experience. Recruiters and employers can tap into this valuable source of information either directly or through introduction by mutual contacts.

Finally, the most popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are not necessarily the only ones where you can source candidates for positions in your company. There are several smaller, niche sites that can also be useful sources. They tend to be a bit more specialized. They include: Plaxo, Ning, Bebo, Myspace, Flickr and Zoom (photo-sharing sites) and Socializr, Acteva and Zvents (event posting sites)

Recruiting by non-traditional methods does require thinking differently. Static campaigns that are suited to print based media clearly will not work on online social networks. More dynamic campaigns that can encourage a good response rate from a targeted audience are what you really want to aim for.

The spinoffs of recruitment through online social networking include more traffic and targeted interest in your website. And if you havent already got one going, you really should think of adding a blog to your online presence.

Once again, a blog is seen as a more dynamic and current way of staying in touch with your market and informing readers about vacancies in your company. Someone who is a regular reader of your blog is likely to have more interest in your company than someone who isnt and may well prove to be the kind of candidate youre after!

Lets take a closer look now at two of the most popular social media networks that are increasingly being used for professional recruitment Twitter and Linkedin.


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Popular Social Networks

Excellent resume. We need someone who can light a fire around here.

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In Australia, the social media network, Twitter, also known as a micro-blog, had an astronomical growth of 1067% in the first quarter of 2009! Its popularity can be attributed to a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that it is used by a variety of mega personalities including our own Hugh Jackman and Kevin Rudd as well as international super celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher.

Besides being one of the fastest growing social networking sites, along with Facebook and Linkedin, Twitter is also one of the most popular sites for recruiters and employers to seek out potential candidates for their clients or businesses.

Although many Twitter users micro-blog i.e. use a maximum of 140 characters per post about trivial and inane matters such as what theyre eating, watching or listening to, many are using Twitter to provide strategic information about themselves as professionals and their activities. They are prompted to do this by the question that Twitter asks: What are you doing now?

Giving status updates about a project youre working on or sharing the information about a hot professional contact that youve just made or a sales target that youve just reached gives potential recruiters and employers useful information about what youre capable of.

Twitter also gives employees, recruiters and job-seekers the ability to provide links to information and or contacts and all this in real time.

VENTRILOQUIST.

YOUR PREVIOUSEMPLOYMENT?

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Twitter for Recruitment

Twitter provides you with a homepage that allows you to provide links to your own website. If you are a recruiter or employer, use this page to provide links to your careers page. If youre a job-seeker, make sure you have a link to your Rsum. Use the features on your homepage to provide clues about yourself or your company by uploading a meaningful avatar, logo or even a personal photograph.

To be a really effective tool for recruitment or job-seeking, you will need to update regularly. With practice, you should be able to write updates that are interesting and informative whether these are about you personally or your company.

Remember, you only have 140 characters to work with so you will need to learn how to make the most of them! Using humour can be one way of doing this but make sure that it is always in good taste and that it is balanced with relevant information about your work, company or job opportunities. In other words, respect the time that people give you if you want them to read your tweets.

As a recruiter or employer, if your company happens to already have a reputation or a significant online presence, your presence will provide that personal connection that most people are drawn to. Think of yourself as a member of a community in which your business has a useful product or service to offer.

If there are career opportunities in your organization, post links to the career pages at your website. Twitter, which is often described as a micro-blog, allows only 140 characters per micro-post. You might, therefore, find that your links are too long for a post. There are, however, sites such as Tiny Url that offer free url shortening services.

The 140 character limit is an attractive feature for most users who are eager for information but not keen to spend oodles of time having to read it. These quick, real-time micro-posts or tweets can be viewed by your target users in real-time or whenever they logon.

As with other social networking sites, Twitter gives you the opportunity to post links to relevant news items about your business as well as stories and press releases about exciting company news.

There are many features that Twitter offers users to make their online presence as entertaining and interactive as possible. These include such things as a Tweetdeck which allows you to update other social media networks like Facebook from your Twitter account and Twitter for Blackberry which allows you to send scheduled updates.

Not only is Twitter used to search out talent for positions immediately available, it is also used to create pipelines of potential candidates for future recruitment. In this way,

recruiters and employers get to know potential candidates over a longer period of time in a non-intrusive and non-threatening way.

As with any social media site, your online presence as a recruiter or employer begins with an introduction to yourself. It is important that you understand and respect the fact that Twitter is a social media network. As such, it will serve you well to observe the rules and protocols of social networking.

Do not use it as a platform to shout out your offerings or your abilities, whether as a recruiter, employer or job-seeker. Use it, in the first instance, to get to know others and to help them get to know you. Use your tweets to show an interest in other users who have become one of your followers and to share interesting and useful information with them before ever thinking of making broadcasts about your abilities or what you want from other users.


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MV

There are several ways in which you can leverage the power of Linkedin. As a recruiter or employer, you really want to be ahead of the game in terms of having a ready, familiar and reliable source of potential candidates for positions in your company, whether these positions already exist or are likely to be created in the future. Linkedin provides one of the easiest ways of helping you build a pipeline of such candidates.

When you come across someone whom you think would be a prime candidate for your company, get them to connect with you on LinkedIn. Through them, you get connected to their networks and to other potential candidates.

If you should find someone in this network that you would like to hire, get your initial contact to introduce or refer you to them. Its a lot like face-to-face networking, just done online!

Be aware that when a passive candidate starts thinking about looking for a new job, they are likely to start their search using their primary networks. If you happen to be in their primary networks or have access to them, you have the advantage of getting to your candidate first.

Searches done on Google for particular candidates are another way of finding access to profiles of potential candidates whom you may not have connected with directly.

Many candidates have their profiles made public and a Google search can uncover these.

Encourage those people you have placed as well as other employees to build networks of their associates using Linkedin. When you require someone from this pool of networks, request a referral or introduction to them from your employees.

Should the connection then prove productive i.e. resulting in a hire, make sure the employee who provided the network and referral is duly rewarded. Not only is this a great way of building productive networks, it is a great way of encouraging and involving your own people in the hiring process - something they will surely appreciate.

One of the great features of Linkedin is that it allows you to export your contacts into an excel file. Using this, you can send personalized emails to your contacts or warm leads informing them of company related news as well as job openings.

Even if those on your contact list are not ready for a new job, they are likely to forward your information to their networks, once again widening the search base while keeping it close to your target requirements.

As a recruiter, you should make sure that you can be found! Use Linkedin to develop your public profile and find as many direct connections as you can to get started. Your connections will be on both sides of the job hiring spectrum job seekers (active and passive) as well as employers.

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Leveraging the Power of Linkedin

Its a little chilly in here. Throw anotherbatch of resumes we have on file in the

fire.

MV

Your resume is excellent, but your Facebook pagelacks the imagination we want in a new employee.

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The Top 20 Job Search Strategies

Have a strong Rsum 1.

Customize your Rsum for each job2.

Prepare well for interviews3.

Build networks online using social media networks as well 4. as off-line

Target companies you wish to work for and join their5. networks

Join your college alumni and network through them6.

Join professional associations7.

Have a solid set of references8.

Always be honest, speak positively and dont be afraid to 9. say

I dont know but I intend to find out10.

Always thank the interviewer or panel for the opportunity 11. and pleasure of having been interviewed

Research the company, the relevant department and the 12. key people involved

Have a list of questions that you can ask at the end of the 13. interview to show your interest in the company, the

department and the position

Dont take a failure personally but do whatever you can to 14. improve on every job application and interview

Approach the interview not so much with an attitude of 15. What can I get from you? but What can I offer you?

Consider your interviewer as someone on your side most 16. actually do want you to do well

Have a clear sense of what your career goals and 17. aspirations are and how you can contribute to a company as you move towards your goals

Present yourself well18.

Make good eye contact and use open body language19.

Be enthusiastic, interested and passionate this is your 20. chance to show some of your best qualities!

Keep up-skilling and in touch with your market21.


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Top 20 Job Search Strategies and Top 10 Common Mistakes That Job Seekers Make

We only hire people who are willing totake on more than they can handle.

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Your resume states that youve worked with2 Presidents, won the Nobel Prize and climbedMt. Everest. Thats all fine and dandy, but how

are you at telemarketing?

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If you are a job seeker, you need to know that, over the years, most things havent changed when it comes to creating a good impression. And creating a good impression has to be your number one priority. Without it, you will not get far into the selection process. For that matter, you may never enter it!

Be sure you do not make any of the following mistakes

1. Not creating a good impression starting with your Rsum and cover letter

Your good impression begins with your Rsum as this is what will determine whether you are invited to an interview or not. Make sure it is written well and highlights all your strengths especially as they relate to the position youre applying for. Also make sure you have solid References.

In addition to your Rsum, your cover letter will also be important. Most people assume that the cover letter is merely a formality and fail to use it as an opportunity to highlight the most important reasons why you believe you are perfectly suited for the job and why you deserve an interview.

2. Not preparing well

Good preparation means gaining a good understanding of the job that you are applying for and knowing how your skills and experience match the requirements for the job.

3. Expressing poor body language

A good interviewer will be able to tell almost immediately whether you are really keen to get the job and what kind of attitude you have through your body language. While you will be excused for showing a little bit of nerves, being laid back, not maintaining eye contact and not sitting up straight can be read unfavourably.

4. Avoiding answering a question

You may be tempted to avoid answering certain questions if you believe that a truthful answer will reflect badly against you. You are far better off answering the question as truthfully as you can AND using the opportunity to say what you have learned from that experience. Prepare yourself for the tough or sensitive questions rather than hope they will not be asked. Everyone makes mistakes. But those who learn from them are

the ones who will go far.

5. Presenting yourself poorly

There is an assumption that because many work environments tend to have a more casual approach to work wear, interviewees too can be casual in their appearance. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are expected to look sharp and professional at an interview. It gives the impression that you have a serious interest in getting the job and are respectful of the company youre seeking to be employed by.

6. Not having an enthusiastic and passionate attitude

You are unlikely to hire someone who shows little enthusiasm and passion for a job you might want them to do for you. You can certainly expect that a potential employer will have the same reaction to you if you lack that spark and a sincere desire to be a part of their organizations workforce.

7. Speaking poorly of anyone including past employers, colleagues, clients and yourself

Watch out for the tendency to blame or criticize others or even yourself. It speaks of a poor attitude on your part no matter how justified you think you are. The point is, it is simply bad practise to carry negative comments from one place to another. No interviewer really wants to hear from a potential employee how bad or incompetent a possible peer or organization is, morbidly entertaining as that may be.

IT STILL NEEDS A LITTLE WORK!

MV

NEED A LITTLE HELP WITH YOURCAREER PLANING?

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The Top 10 Common Mistakes that Job Seekers Make

8. Lacking a clear sense and direction of what you want professionally

The simple truth here is that having some sense of what you want is better than having none at all. This does not mean that your aspirations are set in concrete and that you are inflexible about them. It does mean that you have given considerable thought to it and that your interest in the position youre applying for is a deliberate and not accidental step in pursuing your career goals.No employer wants to feel that he or she is merely a convenient resting spot while you figure out what you really want.

9. Not researching the company

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to have next to no knowledge about the company youre planning to work for or having only a superficial knowledge. This is especially true today since information is so readily and easily available thanks to the internet. Demonstrating to an interviewer that youve done your research is one of the most impressive things you can do at an interview.

10. Not asking thoughtful questions

You know that almost every interview ends with the interviewer asking interviewees if they have any questions. Many people waste this opportunity by either not asking any questions or by asking questions that are purely self-serving, such as questions about remuneration.

There will be plenty of time for questions about money. However, at an interview, especially a first interview, it would be wise to ask questions that reflect your interest in the company, the specific department you might be working in or the job itself.


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I KNOW THAT IN THESE BAD TIMES NOBODY ISHIRING AND WORKERS ARE STILL BEING LAID OFF,

BUT WHAT WILL BE YOUR EXCUSE WHEN THEECONOMY RECOVERS?

MV

Wed like to pay you what youre worth,too, Jack. Unfortunately, we must

conform to the minimum wage law.

MV

Recruitment in Australia has well and truly entered a new phase. Traditional methods of recruitment are giving way to more innovative, real-time strategies that are increasingly harnessing the power and influence of social media networks.

In an age that is increasingly sensitive to global changes in demographics and the availability of people with both talent and in-depth experience, these real-time strategies are forcing employers, recruiters and job-seekers to review the way they recruit or search for jobs.

Importantly, the ability to use the networking capabilities of your own personal and professional contacts as well as those of your employees through networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin make the business of recruitment and job seeking a much more dynamic, multi-dimensional and speedy process than has ever been the case.

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MV

IM SORRY, MR SMITH BUT WE CHECKED WITH YOUR SCHOOLAND YOU ONLY GRADUATED FIRST IN YOUR CLASS ALPHABETICALLY.

In conclusion

RESTROOM

Your first interview, Mr Jason?

MV

MV

This is so sudden. I never had a chance to checkyou out on Facebook, Google, and My Space.


Copyright 2010