I see this all the time in my line of business and have seen plenty of reasons why. That said; 99% of them are solved with a quick review of your interview process to make sure it represents you and your ethos towards employees.

Here are four basic tips to help you along your way:

1.       Have a plan and try to stick it.

Acting flustered and being lost for words is charming when you were sixteen and trying to survive your first date. Now that you’re a professional interviewing another professional for an integral business role, that type of behavior rings alarm bells and sends candidates running for the hills.

The solution: make a plan and stick to it. Know what you want before your interview. Articulate the position clearly. Describe your culture. Explain your expectations. Define the candidate’s future in your business.

2.        Round two.

The best hirers in Brisbane have more than one interview. The reasons are A) it offers a second chance to vet the candidate B) it allows them to re-sell their company and their role c) it communicates that they are planned and considered so the person hired feels all the more special for being selected.

3.       Keep it moving.

A slow recruitment process tells people one of two things: that you’re slow to do business, or the role is just not that important. So avoid these perceptions. Engage with potential employees and let them know you’re serious about the role. Keep your recruitment process moving.

4.       Remember the No’s

If unsuccessful candidates walk away from your process with their heads held high it can only be good for business. Because you may not have hired them today, but you met them for a reason and you never know what opportunities you’ll have tomorrow.

Good people work for good organisations. Treat your interview process seriously and you‘ll have you’re your pick when it comes to attracting the best people in the business!

Happy Recruiting

EC

1. Where’s your head at?

At its core a job interview is a meeting between two parties to see if there is potential for a working relationship – both technically and culturally.  Over time, our view of interviews has changed and it’s not uncommon for people looking for work to treat a job interview like a ‘dog and pony show’.  To confidently attack a job interview, remember both sides have to walk away confident that the they share common ground which will be the foundation of a working relationship.   You are interviewing the organisation as much as the organisation is interviewing you.

2. Research

Research is the most important facet of interview preparation.  How do you know if the company aligns with your views and the role is what you want to do if you don’t research?  By understanding the organisation and the role, you’ll understand what you are getting into and whether its a fit for you.  The Internet will help you get an idea of what the organisation’s customers think of them.  Additionally, sites such as Linkedin and Twitter will give you an insight of staff turnover, staff reviews, etc. (As a side note, I was recently told of a site where ex staff of a particular company shared their not so pleasant experiences – clearly a red flag).  If your interview has been organised by a recruiter, I’d suggest you do additional research to compliment what they’ve told you.  Whilst it’s in their best interests to have you as well prepared as possible, sometimes you can access more obscure information through other sources.

3. The Interview

Some of these are obvious, some aren’t.  Before the interview, have a check list and ensure it’s all ticked.

Know where you are going – Use Google Maps to know how to get to the interview, how long it will take to get there, and if you are using public transport what buses, trains, etc to catch. Try to get to the meeting 10 mins early and factor in any variables such as peak hour traffic, detours, etc.

Know who you are meeting – With LinkedIn and Google searches, there is no excuse to not know a bit of background about the company and the interviewer.  The interviewer may have gone to the same school as you; they may come from a similar part of the world, or have worked for an organisation you are familiar with.  You won’t know if you don’t research.

Dress to Impress – I always tell candidates it’s better to dress up for an interview and dress down on your first day than to dress down for an interview and not get a first day.  Dress professionally – suit or at very least business shirt and tie for men and professional attire for women – and be prepared with mints or handkerchief should you require them.  Also, turn your phone off or on silent (NOT VIBRATE as it will distract you) and ensure you finish any drinks or food before you get in the interview.

Ask Questions – You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.  If after your research and the interview you still have outstanding questions – ask them.  This shows the interviewer you are serious about the role and you’re doing your own due diligence.  It’s part of the process and is expected.

4. Follow Up

If you want the job and you feel you can add value to the company, don’t be afraid to say it.  Follow up by sending an email thanking the interviewer for their time and reinforcing why you are right for the role and how you can add value.  If your interview was organised by a recruitment agency, send you email either via the recruiter.

Following these tips will not only put you in good stead for the interview, but it will help you formulate in your own mind whether this role you have applied for is right for you.   If you have any other pointers or tips, please feel free to let know know.

Happy Job Hunting

EC

There is no doubt that our employment landscape has been a proverbial roller coaster ride since late 2009.  We’ve had times where it has seemed to improve, and other times where it hasn’t.  Here is Australia, the latest job figures have seen an decrease in unemployment, but locally has been a different story.  Moving forward, there is a good chance this uncertainty will continue and unfortunately we will continue to see redundancies occur.

Redundancy is not the most pleasant thing to go through – for either the employee or employer alike.  Remember, it’s not the end of the world and it may be in fact be a blessing in disguise should you get a better role afterwards.  I think the most important thing is to not be too retrospective and look to the future.  Contact peers in the market, recruiters and others that can help you find your next career opportunity and move.  More importantly, keep your chin up and be positive.  Opportunity is always around the corner.

EC

See the world through the candidate’s eyes

With professional workloads and expectations being as high as they’ve ever been, employees are spending a lot more time keeping on top of their current positions rather than looking for new ones.  Admittedly there have been a lot of very good professionals in all industries that have been victims of the economic downturn, but there’s a common view that the market is candidate short and niche skills are still hard to find.  To better understand organisational requirements, build a profile of the candidate your business is looking to employ.  Think about the background you would like to see in the successful candidate, what their career progression looks like and where they would like to be in the future, their skillsets and how they would compliment your business, their personal style, their interests (both personal and professional) and their passion for what they do.  Building a profile of the ideal candidate will allow you to get a better understanding of what is required within your organisation as well as the type of person that will fit into your business both technically and culturally.

Too often, employers will concentrate on the technical aspects of the recruitment process and completely disregard the effect a culturally incompatible candidate has on the organisational ethos and working environment.  Humanising a position description will allow you to find the technical and cultural balance your organisation requires, and will help you better understand your business drivers and requirements.

Please note that the profile will serve as a guide only, and there is a high probability that the successful candidate will not look exactly like your profile.  The process will assist you to have a clearer understanding of your requirements and will assist in the formulation of your attraction strategy moving forward.

Have I got your attention?

Now that you have a clearer picture of the ideal candidate, it’s time to attract them to your organisation and position.  Having a value proposition that is attractive to the candidates’ needs both personally and professionally will be the key to attracting the right calibre professional to your business.  When choosing a new position, different people are attracted to different value propositions and different organisational structures.  Develop a suite of organisational ‘unique selling points’ (both professional and personal) that will appeal to the profiled candidate.  This may include professional working environments, competitive salaries, professional development, company sports teams, etc.

By building ‘unique selling points’ tailored to the profiled candidates, you will be equipping your business with the resources to be able to gain and ultimately keep the attention of the right candidate.

Be Different

Whilst a standard attraction strategy will always draw interest from the active job seeker, thinking outside the square and looking at different avenues to meet relevant candidates will ‘widen the net’.  With the boom of social media, channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook allow you to ‘bump into’ candidates that fit your profile.  Connecting and engaging in industry relevant groups on LinkedIn or using candidate relevant hashtags on Twitter will allow you to join conversations that profiled candidates might be involved in.

On a more personal level, attending industry relevant events and advertising positions in industry relevant publications or newsletters will assist in getting your organisation and vacant position in front of the right audience.  Additionally, you will able to meet first hand potential candidates and get a good understanding of their technical abilities as well as their personalities before engaging in discussions around employment and recruitment.

Engage

Talent acquisition is all about timing and fit.  The right time for you might not be the right time for your ideal candidate.  It’s important to engage with profiled candidates to allow them to have a positive experience with your organisation and continue to be a relevant prospect in the future.  Should you have identified them effectively and presented a strong value proposition, the candidate should be entertaining the prospect of joining your business.  If the timing is not right for the candidate, ensure you build a relationship with them, keeping them abreast of any good organisational news or results and how they can be a part of it in the future.   Using social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter effectively to connect to the candidate professionally makes this task a lot easier.  Ongoing positive engagement with relevant candidates builds a rolling recruitment database being consistently educated about your organisation and how they may be able to fit into it.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that finding the right talent for your business can be difficult.  As the market tightens, competition for good quality employees becomes fiercer.  If you are considering thinking outside the square to attract talent, profile what you are looking for, understand what will attract the right candidate to your organisation, find new ways to create a relationship with them and continue to engage.  Taking the time to do this, or outsourcing it to organisations like Brown & Chase, will ensure you have the best possible chance of finding, attracting and securing your next great employee.

3. Develop a Case Study demonstrating your ability to do the role.
It’s one thing to tell a potential employer what you are able to do; it is another thing to be able to demonstrate these abilities through examples of work. Much like actors and artists who have a portfolio of work that they are able to show to demonstrate their skills and abilities, so should you. By building one or two case studies that demonstrate your relevant skills and fit into the organisation’s working environment, you are giving the hiring organisation a view of your compatibility to the role with real work situations and in turn providing them more confidence that you are the right candidate. As an added bonus, you are giving the hiring manager a topic to discuss in interviews, which means you may be setting the parameters for any behavioural based questions.

To build an effective case study, understand the organisation and the role that is recruiting, know the criteria that the hiring manager will be looking for (which should be listed in the job ad) and ensure that the case studies you give demonstrate your ability to successfully fill the above mentioned requirements.

4. Follow Up
Following up is as important as submitting your CV. Call the hiring manager / recruiter to ensure that they have received your details. Additionally, use this opportunity to outline your compatibility to the position. By following up, you are demonstrating an enthusiasm for the role, a drive to achieve your goals and a focus to win this particular position. As a recruiter, I have found more times than not that candidates who follow up with a call (as well as following through social media), are eager to advance their careers and have a genuine interest in working for the organisation recruiting.

Be friendly in your follow up and always ask if there is any additional information you can provide to support your candidacy for the role.

There is no doubt that in today’s employment market, competition is fierce. The difference between being one of a pile of applicants and being the successful job seekers can be defined by the extra effort you put into your application. Remember, an employer will equate what you do during the application process to what you will do in the role if you are the successful applicant. Give them all the evidence they need to feel comfortable in hiring you to join their organisation.

Good luck and happy job hunting!

1. Understand the role you are applying for and the organisation you are applying to.

A recent article published by New Limited (http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/five-in-race-for-every-job-vacancy/story-fn7kjcme-1226244136389) stated that the ‘number of jobseekers in the hunt for employment has climbed with national figures showing 3.2 jobseekers are chasing each job vacancy, compare to 3.0 in 2010’.  As competition becomes fiercer, jobseekers must become smarter and more refined in their approach to finding the right next step in their careers.  This starts with collecting relevant information about the role & organisation to get an accurate understanding of the type of employee required.

Start this process by undertaking research to find out the history of the hiring organisation, their company ethos / values / culture and what they are looking to achieve in the future.  Additionally and maybe more importantly, finding out what is really required in the vacant position, why it is vacant, and what they are looking for in the successful applicant.  With today’s technology, information is easy to come by and the opportunity to connect with former and current employers of the organisation to enquire information about the company’s values and culture are at your fingertips.  This information will also allow you to form a more educated opinion of your suitability to the role and organisation.

2. Build a CV and cover letter that reflects your skills, attributes and cultural fit in relation to the role and organisation, and answers any questions they may have.

In today’s market, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to CV building and submission.  Many articles have been written about the power of a relevant CV and cover letter (http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/03/07/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-your-cover-letter), and for good reason.  By tailoring your cover letter and CV to suit the individual job within an individual company, you are demonstrating several different traits that always impress employers:

• An ability to research – by researching the organisation and position, you are demonstrating a trait that is transferrable to any workplace – the ability to find information and use it to solve problems.
• Interest – You have taken the time to research the company, clearly demonstrating that you are not just applying to any role with any organisation, but you are interested in THEIR position with THEIR organisation.
• Compatibility – by demonstrating knowledge of the organisation & role in more detail than given on a job ad or website, you are demonstrating to a potential employer that you know their business and you feel your skill set and style will be a good fit.  It goes without mention that you will articulate this point clearly in your cover letter.

In addition to tailoring your cover letter and CV to reflect your knowledge of the role and organisation, ensure you answer all the required skills and attributes outlined in the job ad you are applying to.  This can be done throughout the CV, in bullet point form in your cover letter and in a case study that is outlined below.  Make sure that your responses are clear, concise and easy to read.  In relation to your suitability to the role and organisation, leave no stone unturned and no question unanswered in the employers mind.

Whilst some of the arguments are US centric, I believe others are as relevant here in Australia as anywhere in the world.  As organisations look to bounce back from the tough times experienced over the past three years, it’s important to be aware of the ramifications recent decisions made by Government will have on local businesses.  Additionally, we need to be cognizant of the effects the globalised economy will have on our local job market.

A point made in both the McKinsey report and the BNET blog written by Alain Sherter is that the increase of automation and offshoring will result in a paradigm shift towards part time and contract roles over full time employment.  This is a point that rings as true in Australia as it does in the rest of the world.  With new legislation passed by Fair Work Australia in recent days cutting the minimum shift lengths to one and a half hours, coupled with an increase in the automation in retail such as self checkouts, there is a definite shift which will see less opportunities for full time employees within trades such as retail and more emphasis on cost cutting to maximise profits.  This issue is obviously two sided and the advantages of lowering the minimum shift length are both short and long term – the opportunity for young people to gain valuable work experience will have positive ramifications for their generation both now and in the future – but we need to be mindful of the repercussions on the present job market and how it effects unemployment rates.

On top of this, the rise of online purchasing and the growth of the global marketplace have seen more jobs move overseas and less opportunities in Australia within industries such as telecommunications, retail and IT.  Whilst our economy is still very good, in large part due to the resources sector in Australia, it is still important to be mindful of the decline in available roles within these sectors and how we can accommodate professionals with career experience in these markets.

All in all, it seems the Australian market is in a lot better shape than the US.  That being said, it is essential for the benefit of our long term economy that the creation of jobs and/or training programs to accommodate our growing population, and in turn assist in the continual growth of our economy, be an absolute priority.

Who’s who in Social Networking

So which social networking sites target the personal market and which are associated with the professional space? Sites such as Facebook and Bebo cater for the personal social networks, allowing users to post personal information as well as interacting on a more intimate level with others in their network. In comparison, sites such as LinkedIn and Xing are catering to the professional market, allowing users to promote their professional experience and develop business relationships. Twitter operates as both a personal and professional social networking site allowing users to broadcast their thoughts and opinions in 140 characters or less. Using a combination of social networks will allow you to not only demonstrate your professional experience, but will also allow potential employers to get a glimpse of your personality and unique attributes.

Tips for using Social Networking

Make yourself visible
Making your profile public will allow organisations and recruiters find your information and approach you about relevant roles. Make sure that you keep the information on sites such as LinkedIn current by outlining your work experience, work achievements and academic qualifications. This information creates the first impression that potential employers and recruiters will have of you.

Keep it professional
Regardless of whether you have private or public profile settings, be aware that potential employers and recruiters may still be able to access information such as your profile, pictures, and information such as name, title and organisation. It is recommended you keep this information professional regardless of your account settings.

Keep updating your status
The best way to promote yourself is to update your status regularly. Your status will allow employers and recruiters to get an understanding of your experience and personality as well as giving you the opportunity to build rapport with people on your network. Additionally it will keep you front of mind with recruiters or hiring managers connected into your network. Don’t be afraid to begin conversation or interact with people you are connected to, whether you know them or not. Remember that they are probably on the site to expand their networks as well.

Connect with like minded professionals
The purpose of social networking sites is to allow users to develop relationships with like minded people, be they personal or professional. With over 38% of Australians on Facebook and over 640,000 on LinkedIn, you should be able to search and connect with people you know in your business circles. These connections will make your profile accessible to a wider range of business contacts. Additionally, you can connect with recruiters you know and trust who will be able to assist you in your search.

Recommend good people
Employers and recruiters are increasingly using the “Recommendation” feature on LinkedIn to assist in referencing candidates and organisations. Request recommendations from trusted business contacts and recommend past colleagues or business associates you respect.

Be accessible
Should someone want to connect with you or approach you about business opportunities or career prospects, make sure you are contactable outside the social network. Using technologies such as Skype will allow you to communicate with others face to face, regardless of geography.

It is important to know that what you put in is what you will get out with social networking. Social networking sites are primarily designed to allow users to develop and maintain personal and professional networks and relationships, not as job or transaction sites. Therefore, using these sites to not only promote your professional experience but also exchange personal thoughts and ideas will make your commentary appealing to people in your demographic. Whether you are an active or passive job seeker, using social networking sites can compliment traditional job searching techniques and make you more visible to perspective employers.

Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Efren Chaux.  I am in the business of assisting organisations find staff that will fit their needs both technically and culturally.  Additionally, I assist people to find their next career role as well as assisting them in finding what motivates and drives them in the workplace.

I have started this blog to assist the process of finding either staff or a job easier and more accurate for employers and job seekers alike.  It is also a medium for me to impart what I’ve learnt during my time in the industry and give examples of what I think works and what I think doesn’t.

I hope you the reader can gain some information and insights about the process of recruitment, and enjoy some of the stories along the way.

EC