Employers' Big Frustration – “We can’t find the right people to fill our openings”
Friday, August 19, 2011
Did you ever hear one of your single friends say something like, “There are no good men/women out there”? You hear that and feel like you need to respond with, “But, there are lots of good men/women out there that would be great for you…you’re just looking in the wrong places”.
That is how more and more employers are beginning to feel.
On the surface, that statement seems ridiculous yet, maybe not so much…Last evening I heard one story on a national news broadcast about there being nearly 14 million Americans still out of work (with video showing thousands of people lined up for a job fair in Atlanta), followed by a story that Siemens, a huge multi-national company with over 400,000 employees in 190 countries (with 62,000 employed in the U.S. throughout all 50 states), has nearly 4,000 open positions and “can’t fill them”. A Siemens’ VP who was interviewed stated, “If we cannot fill these positions, it is going to limit our ability for growth.”
WHAT…?!
Not wishing to be one of those people who believes everything that they see & hear on TV, I did some poking around the Siemens website.
For just their U.S. locations, the Siemens’ Career page showed the following openings:
- Entry Level: 218 openings
- Mid-Level: 1,092 openings
- Senior Level: 590 openings
OK…I guess they could have nearly 4,000 openings world-wide. So, are they “looking in the wrong places” for good candidates?
Not likely.
They are probably experiencing the same issues that I continue to hear about from my large network of hiring managers and recruiters:
- “The vast majority of resumes that we see are mediocre to very poor. We aren’t interested in hiring ‘mediocre or poor’ candidates.”
- “A number of our openings are posted two or three times, because we cannot find the right fit for these opportunities.”
- “My frustration is that there are probably some great candidates in that pile of 400 – 500 resumes, but I cannot tell that from reading them…and, I don’t have the time to interview 400 – 500 people to try and figure out who is really a much better performer in regard to the skill set I am seeking, than what their resume represents them to be.”
I’ve not ever believed the statement, made all too often by folks in transition over the last three years, that “there are no good jobs out there”.
Yes…it is a “buyer’s market" out there in regard to the job market. Same applies to the current housing market…but, houses continue to be put up for sale and sold…just like “good” jobs continue to be posted and candidates hired to fill those open positions.
The other night I spoke to a group of out-of-work alumni from my alma mater. Most of those in attendance were more than a bit surprised to learn that their resumes and job search strategies might put them more in the middle of the “bell curve” of candidates, rather than at the leading edge of that same curve – where hiring managers feel they can find the pool of perceived “ideal” candidates.
My fellow alumni, like many other candidates, need to stop listening to the “talking heads” who preach, “there are no good jobs out there”…and, invest the time, effort and energy to put themselves in that small group of people at the leading edge of the bell curve of talent. Are there 14 million jobs open out there? No. But, there are apparently many thousands of job openings that continue to go unfilled.
Prove the “doomsayers” wrong - maybe start with a visit to the Career page on the Siemens website.
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Candidates May Need Some “Tough Love” to Succeed
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Over the last week, I’ve met or spoken over phone with a couple dozen or so people in transition to do some resume/job search coaching. Often, I find that a good deal of what is discussed and recommended during such conversations is difficult to hear for the person being coached. After one such session with a former Human Resources executive, whose resume needed quite a bit of work (it did little to reflect her supposed HR expertise), the individual looked at me and remarked, “Wow, that was really tough love, wasn’t it?”
Yes…and the frustrating part for today’s hiring managers and recruiters is that this type of discussion needs to occur with way too many candidates.
During this same time period, I met with an executive coach, a Global Recruiter for a large, multi-national company and spoke at length with a career coach/recruiter at a large corporate outplacement firm. Below are some of the main points they shared with me when asked about strengths and weaknesses of the resumes they read and candidates with whom they speak:
Strengths
- Mindset – Candidates with the “that job is mine”/"I can and will make a significant difference at your company when you hire me” approach…and, come fully prepared to back up that confidence with examples of their exceptional successes and accomplishments.
- Preparation – Proving that they really are interested in the position by demonstrating much research has been completed regarding the target company and respective industry and reflecting such in their cover letter, resume and interview discussions.
- Resume That “Wow’s” – Having to dig through what is normally hundreds of resumes per position posting, hiring managers and recruiters consider only those documents that tell a great story about exceptional accomplishments at previous employers when selecting a pool of candidates for interviews.
- Powerful Interviews – All of these folks told me that they will develop a strong “sense” about a candidate during the first few minutes of speaking with them – whether that discussion is over the phone or in person. The candidates who are moved along in the process are those who do the best job of engaging the interviewer during the interview conversations and can create a sense of excitement about the possibility of having them become part of the team.
- Global Thinkers – Candidates who demonstrate that they “get it”…that they have a great feel and understanding of the company’s challenges and the direction of the respective industry. This is the difference between someone with a holistic view of the work environment/organization/industry vs. a person with “tunnel vision”.
- Culture Fit – Candidates who demonstrate that they can and have flourished in a work environment similar to that which exists at the prospective employer. Candidates that are perceived to have the ability to perpetuate and strengthen the company’s brand/image.
Weaknesses
- Wrong Mindset – Candidates who act as though they “deserve” a job just because they claim to have the required skills and that they have “worked for 20 or 30 years” doing something of a similar nature. They may arrive late for interviews, dress in attire which is too casual or engage in phone screens/interviews at home with the dog barking and the children running around the house screaming and fighting with each other (during which the candidate often stops the interview discussion to yell at the dog or the children to “be quiet”). This occurs more often than you would think. Last week I was doing a resume review over the phone and had to stop what I was saying because the person who called me started washing dishes! I’m not kidding.
- Lack of Preparation – Candidates whose resumes or answers to interview questions clearly demonstrate that little to no research and preparation was done regarding the target company and the respective industry. One of these folks told me, “How does someone expect to sell something (themselves as a great candidate...a great fit for the organization) if they know nothing about the buyer?” Resumes and cover letters that lack customization for the specific job being offered reflect little to no extra effort by the candidate…and this is not a message that will impress recruiters and hiring managers who are seeking to refer or hire “the one” from a pool of hundreds of applicants.
- Resume That Fails to “Wow” – Candidates whose resumes read like a job description, contain no quantifiable results or accomplishments, are poorly formatted or written (spelling and/or grammatical errors). These poorly constructed resumes are perceived to be an example of the quality of the candidate’s written communication skills. One of the recruiters told me that he would be embarrassed to show to his boss many of the resumes received, because they contained such a large number of errors. Another told me, “Why should I recommend a candidate if they are unable to differentiate themselves with ‘wow me’ results and accomplishments? Who I refer is a direct reflection on my ability to judge talent.”
- Interviews That Lack "Punch" – Candidates that have “nothing” of substance about which to speak or who are unable to back up their claims of expertise and success with some sort of quantification (metrics, recognition, awards…etc.) Candidates who show no passion during the discussion and/or struggle coming up with substantive answers to the interviewer’s questions are not going to do enough to warrant being moved along in the selection process towards being a finalist. One of the recruiters remarked that they find it amusing when a candidate looks at the ceiling when answering a question. “The answers are not written up there”, he stated while smiling and shaking his head.
- Lack of Big Picture Thinking – No demonstration of thinking “outside of the box”, being innovative or understanding how one’s actions can impact other areas of the company. These are qualities that are basically no longer an option for a candidate to have…they are expected to be "part of the package".
- Culture Mismatch – Recruiters are paid to find the person with the “right stuff”…the candidate whose brand/culture “fits like a glove” with that of the prospective employer. Hiring managers are judged by the level of talent they find to bring into the organization and how well that talent works in harmony within the existing culture. Candidates that are perceived not to be a good fit are often “put back on the shelf”. Too much is at stake for the hiring manager to consider doing otherwise.
So…where do you stack up? Would you be considered a strong candidate or one that should not be moved along in the selection process?
First, you need to listen with an open mind to those providing you, the candidate, with feedback/advice/coaching…the “tough love” regarding your job search strategy and tactics.
That does not mean all advice is great advice that will work well for you. Advice consists of opinions based upon facts or years of actual experience, but can also consist of nothing more than “just my opinion as your friend, family member or former co-worker” (who may know/understand very little about the hiring process). Ultimately, you must make the decision regarding what strategies are followed and which tactics are executed – and with how much effort!
You must be your own toughest critic and fully committed to push yourself to take the steps necessary to be one of the candidates considered by recruiters and hiring managers as strong and potentially “ideal” for the position they are seeking to fill.
What Type of First Impression are You Making?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Many people say that you can tell a lot about someone in just the first few minutes of meeting them. I agree. Body language, tone of voice, attire, level of self-confidence, ability to convey a sense of believability and trust are just some of the snapshots we give or receive that go a long way to creating that critical first impression.
Job seekers often do not realize that basically everything they do, say or write is considered when a hiring manager looks holistically at candidates for an open position. Below are some real life examples of impressions made:
A soon-to-graduate senior at a large university is asked to go to the headquarters of a large, international company on a Thursday for a round of additional interviews that would take place the next day on Friday. He travels across the country and is picked up at the airport by a representative of the company. That evening he, along with about 50 other candidates, is asked to attend a “mixer” at the hotel in which the company has put up all of these students from colleges around the U.S. Several of the company’s managers are at the “mixer” event…at which alcohol is available. A number of those in attendance think this is terrific and treat it like a frat party. Guess which students did not go much farther in the interview process?
Prior to this individual leaving on the trip, I asked him when he thought the interview process would begin. His response, “Like I told you, Mike, my first interview is on Friday @ 8:30 am”.
Wrong..!
His interview started when he was picked up at the airport…and ended when he was dropped off on Friday afternoon by the company’s representative.
This individual did not have any alcohol at the “mixer” that Thursday evening and made it a point to introduce himself to each of the company’s representatives who attended the event. By the way, he’s been with the company now just over three years, had three (above average) pay raises and a promotion.
A job seeker with whom I did some resume coaching had a bullet point in their resume that read, “I sold $50,000 worth of product X each month”. When I asked her to provide me with some perspective of that accomplishment by ranking that level of production against the other 5 sales people in her former company, I was told, “I was fourth”. A bit surprised I remarked, “Fourth out of six sales people…that means your sales volume was below average!” Her reaction to my comment was simply, “Wow, I hadn’t thought about that.”
If you were a sales manager, a good chunk of whose overall compensation might come as a result of the level of sales revenue generated by your sales team…would you give any serious consideration to this candidate..?
A job seeker includes in his resume’s “Career Summary” that he is a “results-oriented team leader”. Yet, there is no mention anywhere else within the content of the two-page document of ANY results for any accomplishment or anything about leading a team. No quantifications of his “claims” to be results-oriented or having expertise as a team leader. This is not a good strategy for making a hiring manager believe that you are his/her “ideal” candidate.
An English teacher sends me their resume to review. I find that it is filled with multiple spelling and grammatical errors. I advise the former educator that it would be difficult for me, as a school system Superintendent, to take the resume seriously. When I review the revised resume a couple of weeks later, there were only about half as many spelling and grammatical errors. I told this gentleman that if my children attended the school in which he taught English…I would make certain that they did not have him as their teacher.
In response to a position I posted for an Administrative Assistant, I received a few hundred responses…one of which came with a cover letter that was addressed as follows:
Mike Perry
President
Szarka Financial
29691 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Dear Lois,
Dear LOIS…!!! Apparently this candidate did not understand that when I saw the cover letter I had a disturbing vision about letters typed by her, going out with similar errors to my company’s best prospects and clients.
No thanks..! I never bothered to read her resume.
Why do people attend job seekers’ group meetings dressed like they just came from a cookout? This is a business meeting. The presenters are most often employed executives and/or hiring managers. Do these folks ever look around the room and wonder, “If that speaker (potential hiring manager or someone with connections to other hiring managers) looks at all of the attendees, observes that some/most come dressed in professional attire and then sees me in jeans or shorts and a t-shirt…what type of first impression will they have?”
I have a lot more of these “horror” stories, but you get the point.
Be your own toughest critic. Put yourself in the shoes of the potential hiring manager or HR recruiter who will be formulating quick impressions from a review of your resume, a phone screen, a search of the Internet (Google search for your name, Facebook, LinkedIn…etc).
Would you be impressed with you?
Here are a couple of tips to help ensure that you are positioned to make a great first impression with a hiring manager:
- Check, double-check and then have a couple of other people (who you trust to be excellent proof readers) check and edit your resume and cover letter.
- Do a thorough review of your “digital life”. Ensure that the “story” being told about you on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is consistent with the story being told by your resume, during networking conversations and interview discussions.
- Have you proven everything that you claim you can do in your resume? Ensure that all descriptions listed for each of your former positions held coincide with the skills and experience being sought for the job you are seeking, and that each of your “Key Achievement”/accomplishment bullet points contains specific examples of how you applied those skills to produce exceptional results (results that are quantified with metrics).
- Understand that everything that you do, say and write is considered part of the interview and selection process. Are you taking advantage of everything that you say, do and write as multiple opportunities to “wow” the hiring manager and anyone else involved with the candidate selection process?
- Be willing to do something that other candidates cannot or are unwilling to do (like showing up two days early at the employer’s facility and introducing yourself to the Receptionist – the “gatekeeper”). I’ve mentioned this tip in at least one of my previous posts and I suggest it whenever I speak to groups of job seekers. Do you know how many candidates actually bother to do something like this…practically none. Impressing the gatekeeper can do a lot to begin setting you apart from the other candidates.
Be aware, be consistent, be impressive.
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Putting Great Distance Between Yourself & the Other Candidates
Friday, June 10, 2011
Just the other day I met with a job seeker to do some resume coaching. What occurred prior to his arriving for our scheduled breakfast meeting was a great example of what today’s job seekers can do to really distance themselves from other candidates.
Since the morning restaurant patrons had not yet begun to arrive, I had the opportunity to chat a bit with our server. I have been to this establishment on many occasions and noticed that this particular individual seems to be a customer favorite.
She inquired regarding the party who was to meet with me and asked if I was going to do an interview (I had the job seeker’s resume out on the table and was making on it some additional notes for myself). When I responded that we were meeting to do some resume & job search coaching, the server said she had a unique story about landing the job with the restaurant.
During her interview with the restaurant owner, the server provided to him a sheet of paper containing a list of names for about a dozen couples. Upon presenting this document to her interviewer, the server stated, “By the way, this is a list of my best clients from my previous server’s job. They are all coming here for dinner tomorrow night and expect to have me waiting on their tables. These are very loyal clients…you would not want to disappoint them, would you?”
Result – she got the position and was there to greet her loyal clients the next evening.
Now…that is a “wow”..! How many of the other candidates for this server’s position do you think did anything even close to that..? You’re correct – NONE.
Whether you are trying to sell your house, a car or just about anything else, the challenge to the seller is always to make what they are selling the best choice for the buyer, so that their house, car or whatever is the “the one” selected.
Job seekers have the same challenge. They are competing against what is normally many hundreds of other candidates…all basically “selling” the same set of skills, talents and experiences to the “buyer” (hiring manager). In this sea of talent, how can someone significantly differentiate themselves?<
I’ve written previously that the keys to creating a lot of distance between you and the other candidates are as follows:
- Customization of the resume/interview discussion to each job opportunity being sought
- “Key Achievement” bullet points on your resume that clearly demonstrate how you have applied each of the skills being sought by the hiring manager – within the context of the duties and responsibilities of positions held with former employers – to create exceptional, “wow me” results
- Providing specific examples of exceptional successes to the interviewer(s), delivered with a high degree of self-confidence, poise and professionalism
Easy – No…if it were, then everyone would be considered an “ideal” candidate.
Doable – Absolutely..!!
Here is another example of someone who was able to put a Grand Canyon sized gap between himself and all of the other candidates.
“Dan” was a Tool & Die Maker, whose employer advised his workers that the company might not be able to stay in business for the balance of the year. Rather than wait for the inevitable, Dan did some networking, got introduced to me and asked if I would help him with his resume.
The initial resume Dan presented looked like the position description from his then current job (it was boring to read and underwhelming at best). When I advised him that he needed to incorporate the S.T.A.R. methodology (See “Telling Your Story Effectively During an Interview”) when writing his bullet points, Dan informed me that he “did not have any of that ‘STAR’ stuff…I just do my job and make machine parts”. I asked Dan to remember at least one accomplishment during his working career about which he was very proud, and he told me the following story:
Near quitting time on a Friday evening, the owner of Dan’s company walked into the shop with their best customer (let’s call him, “Mike”). The owner announced that Mike’s company needed some very specialized gears/parts made to get one of their big machines back on-line…and thus, needed the work completed ASAP. The owner asked who would be willing to stay and work on this job for Mike. Dan said a number of the workers quickly made excuses regarding why they could not stay to do the work…then he raised his hand and offered to make the parts.
Dan spent the next twenty-three hours producing the highly specialized parts (Mike stayed at the shop w/Dan during this entire period and ran out every now and then to get him something to eat).
A couple weeks later, the company owner asked Dan to come into his office and advised him that Mike had called and was extremely happy as a result of the effort put forth to complete his rush job. Dan was also informed by the owner that the next time Mike was in town, Dan was going to be given the company credit card so that he could take him out to dinner. The owner told Dan that Mike was so impressed w/Dan’s willingness to stay and work so many extra hours to complete the special project that he was going to refer more business to them.
At this point, I was sitting back in my chair thinking, “How many Tool & Die guys would do something like this?” and asked, “Dan, why is that story not included in your resume?” Dan replied, “Because I didn’t think it was important”.
Believe it or not…I run into this same, “I don’t have any of those ‘STAR’ stories to put in my resume” pushback from many of job seekers with whom I meet. And yet, when prompted, they ALL wind up telling me “Dan” stories of their own.
Do you want to put a large distance between yourself and the other candidates for the jobs you seek? Use the resume and dialog during the interview to “wow” the hiring manager, interviewer or HR screener with unique success stories about your accomplishments…and why your accomplishments differentiate you from other candidates being considered. Or, like the server I met, make such a strong, positive, “no other candidate has ever thought to do this” type of impression that the hiring manager has no choice but to offer you the position.
By the way…During the first interview after revising his resume, Dan was offered the new job he was seeking. The hiring manager (the company’s owner) asked him, “Did you really do all of this stuff?” When Dan answered, “Yes” and then followed up with two more “Dan" stories, the owner stated, “I’ve never met a Tool & Die Maker who had a resume like yours or that has accomplished what you have done…I’m not letting you out of my office until you agree to work for me.” Dan has been at the new company for almost two years now…making more money that he’s ever made before in his 25-year career.
What are your “Dan” stories..?
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Top 10 Traits Hiring Managers are Seeking from Candidates
Thursday, May 5, 2011
In the first two days of this week, I heard from three of the people with whom I’ve had the opportunity to do some resume and job search coaching. All three just landed new jobs. What a terrific way to start a week..! They all had much in common in regard to the manner in which their job searches were approached…and I firmly believe that it significantly contributed to their individual successes (each of them wound up with a better job than the one from which they had been outplaced).
They all did a terrific job of networking, putting together customized resumes that focused on specific examples of accomplishments and truly separated themselves from other candidates during the interview process.
In addition to doing the right things during a job search…candidates in today’s very competitive job market must have the “right stuff”. OK…so what is that?
From conversations with dozens of recruiters and hiring managers, I have compiled a list of the top ten competencies/attributes/traits that “ideal candidates” are expected to have:
Excellent communication skills (written & verbal) – Let’s face it…if you cannot deliver your message or share your thoughts in a clear, concise and intelligent manner, how are you going to “work well with others” within the organization or develop strong relationships with clients? Whether you manage, lead or follow, you must be able to communicate very well and by any means (verbally, letter/memo, e-mail, social media…etc). In my conversations with other hiring managers, the ability to communicate is most often mentioned as ultimately the most important core competency.
Self-confidence – Ask any sales person how important they feel having a high degree of self-confidence is to their overall success. Remember, folks, we all sell…every day, regardless of our function/title at work. We pitch our ideas to co-workers, supervisors and/or clients. If we don’t have confidence in ourselves, our message, our suggestions, our work product…why should anyone else? Displaying self-confidence is one of the keys to having a great interview.
Team building – Today, more than ever before, we work in collaborative environments that officially or unofficially are team-based. For the most part, we cannot find ongoing success without the input, support and participation of co-workers. Thus, candidates who can demonstrate that they are able to either lead a team or make a team better as a result of their participation in such, are more desirable than those who are unable to do so.
Innovation & resourcefulness – We live in a society with a work culture that has forced employees to do more with less. The old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention”, personifies why there is such a thirst by hiring managers for employees who live and breathe “working smarter not harder”. For example, in our small company I hold a debriefing session after every client and prospect event. No matter how well the event turned out, our team always seems to find new ideas for making the next one even better. I’ve got the right people “on the bus” and their passion for innovation and ability to be resourceful are two of the main reasons why that is so.
Time management/planning & organization – You don’t have to be a Project Manager to be expected to have excellent time management and organizational skills. No hiring manager wishes to have on their team an employee who is not well organized in regard to their approach to completing assignments.
Please don’t put “multi-tasking” on your resume as an area of expertise! In today’s work environment, it is assumed/expected that ALL employees can multi-task…they have to do so because there are less people doing the same amount of work than there was a week ago, a month ago or a year ago. The work did not walk out the front door along with the outplaced employees who used to spend 40 hrs (or more) a week doing it. That work was just re-allocated to the “survivors”. And those survivors are expected to get it all completed…in basically the same amount of time.
Decision-making & judgment – You don’t have to be the boss to be expected to make good decisions and judgments. Every employee is expected to do so - every day.
For example - at one of my former employers a person in the Marketing group ran with a particular project, based upon their own assumptions of what would “look good” (they decided it was not necessary to obtain input from the end-user). The end product was to be given to clients who opened up a new account. Thankfully, someone saw the give-away prior to its delivery to the branch offices and it was determined that the graphic used on the piece would be deemed by clients to be very offensive. The company wound up throwing away hundreds of thousands of the give-away pieces, costing them nearly a million dollars.
Every employee…every day.
Embraces diversity & uses such to create synergies – Hiring managers love candidates who can demonstrate the ability to see the value and unique talents that each individual can “bring to the table” and use the power of such diversity to create strong synergies and great outcomes. This is the kind of person who sees diversity as a strength or competitive advantage, not a weakness.
Leadership – Again…you don’t have to be the boss to lead. Everyone has the opportunity – each day – to lead by example. Managing is not leading. Managers are expected to do things right, leaders are expected to do the right things. So, whether you are going to be the CEO or the Receptionist…the hiring manager wants proof of your ability to lead.
Global thinker/visionary/thought leader – Can you see the “big picture”? Do you understand the potential consequence/impact to the company’s growth, success and overall bottom line of a decision made or action taken by a particular group, division or department? Do you understand how all of the different organizational pieces fit together? Are you perceived as being visionary in your thinking? As part of your “brand”, are you perceived as being a thought leader in your area of expertise (are you the “go-to” person for information & advice)?
Accountability – I don’t desire to bring someone into my team who will be quick to point the finger of blame at others rather than accepting responsibility for his/her own actions. Hiring managers are seeking employees who will do what they say they are going to do, unselfishly recognize others for their accomplishments and are willing to step forward and accept responsibility. Employers would like to believe that having these qualities should be a “given”…sadly, that is often not the case.
Remember that just telling the prospective hiring manager that you have such qualities is not enough to convince them…you must prove your claims using specific examples in the resume and during interview discussions that clearly demonstrate your ability to apply these skills/traits in such a way that it has in the past and will, when they hire you, produce exceptional results.
Convince me that you have the “right stuff”.
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Social Networking – Avoiding the Pitfalls and Leveraging the Tools
Friday, March 11, 2011
So you have a Twitter account, Facebook page and a LinkedIn profile. That’s a good start. Now…are you actually using them as tools to help you to get re-employed? Or is your online presence creating the wrong personal brand/image and taking you out of contention for being seriously considered as a candidate?
Twitter and Facebook are still perceived by employers to be “personal” while they look at a LinkedIn profile as being a good barometer of a person’s professional experience, interests and expertise.
I’m hoping at this point pretty much everyone realizes that prospective employers will almost always do a good job of scanning the Internet as part of their overall due diligence regarding candidates in whom they have some interest. This means “Googling” your name to find “what’s out there” about you along with taking a good, long look at what people are posting on your “wall”, what you are “tweeting” and learning about past work experiences on LinkedIn (have you noticed over the last year or so how many professional athletes are getting themselves into serious trouble via their “Tweets”).
Yes…all of this really does matter.
Remember, from my frame of reference – if I can find and read all of this information about you, so can my boss and my company’s best client. So, I must be very cognizant of the image you have chosen to portray online. If what can easily be seen or read about you online might embarrass my company…why on earth would I consider hiring you? Remember, much of a hiring manager’s reputation comes as a result of the perceived value of the employees they have brought into the organization.
So…how can you avoid a personal online disaster and use the digital universe to your advantage? Here are a few tips that might wind up being tie-breakers or game changers for you:
- First and foremost, take an “inventory” of your social media accounts. Look at each as though YOU were the hiring manager looking at “you”, the candidate. What would be your first (and lasting) impression of this “candidate”?
- Don’t just add people to your LinkedIn profile to pump up the number of connections. Hiring mangers will look at your connections to see who is in your network. Are you “surrounding” yourself with strong business/professional contacts or “just anyone”? Quality vs. quantity here, folks. What’s the old axiom, “You are best known by the company you keep”…?
- Join industry-related groups on LinkedIn. Comment regularly on discussion topics of interest that can provide you an opportunity to be viewed/perceived as an industry expert and thought leader. This type of activity is great for helping to build your personal brand.
- Search for good industry related blogs and get to know the authors. Add them to your LinkedIn connections. You never know who these folks may have in their networks that might be able to help you get your foot in the door of a targeted employer. Blogs, like LinkedIn discussion groups, provide terrific opportunities for your name to become familiar/recognizable to others within your industry. How about writing your own blog? They are relatively easy to set up and most are free to use. I started writing this blog last July and now there are thousands of people reading it in over 22 countries around the world.
- If you regularly attend meetings for local job seekers’ groups, join their LinkedIn group and post job opportunities
which might benefit other members. You help others to succeed in their job search and they often will turn around and do whatever they can to help you. This is a “win-win” if there ever was one. PAY IT FORWARD!
- It’s OK to ask people to recommend you on LinkedIn. Be smart about this…ask the people who are willing to recommend you to focus their comments on a particular accomplishment, which demonstrates a high proficiency with a specific skill set. Then, over time, these recommendations from former co-workers, supervisors and clients will tell a pretty complete story about how you are able to apply multiple skills to produce exceptional results. Five recommendations that speak to five different skills trumps ten recommendations that all describe only one of your many skills.
- Use the “Advanced Search” option in LinkedIn to look for employees of your target companies who have a profile. Find those people who are connected to your connections, then pick up the phone and ask the person in your network to arrange for an introduction. This might be one of the most powerful, yet most under-utilized tools on LinkedIn. Time spent on this type of activity is exponentially more valuable than staring for hours at online job postings.
- Although this again is something that I would like to assume everyone knows, it is still worth mentioning – Nothing ever really gets deleted from the Internet. Pictures, videos, emails….these things “live” forever in the digital world. Think at least twice before you hit “Send” or “Post”. Tweets, postings on Facebook “walls”, YouTube videos…what are you telling “me” about “you”?
Clearly the bottom line in all of this is to use these tools, and use them effectively. The only required investment is your time. To become a proficient user of Social Media is relatively easy. And, such proficiency goes a long way to getting your name on the short list of finalists for job opportunities.
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Are You a “Fit” for My Company’s Culture?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Over the last few weeks, I’ve brought three new people into our firm, two veteran financial planners and a person to provide market research and analysis for our growing team of advisors.
What has this got to do with tips for job seekers? Everything, because to get to these three I had to “say no” to dozens of quality candidates who were not going to be a “fit” for our company’s unique culture.
Our firm, like so many others, works very diligently to ensure that it maintains its “mojo” – that “thing” – the “energy” - which does so much to make one company different from all of its competitors.
And that “mojo” cannot exist without the synergies that are created by combining the wide variety of individual talents into a cohesive team that is focused on exceeding the expectations of our clients. Every person on our team understands that they all “own” every client, every prospect and every person who comes in to see us – including the UPS guy.
Bottom line – that is our firm’s culture. It defines us. To be a part of our team, you need to be a fit for that culture…not a good fit, but a GREAT fit.
Sound like something you might have read recently in some business book? Maybe, but I consider this to be just plain common sense.
When I interview candidates, I’m thinking, “Would the owner of the company be proud to have this person as part of his firm, or embarrassed?” and “If our best client walked in the front door of our company and this candidate was the first person with whom they had contact, what would be their impression?”
OK, so you need to be a great fit for a company’s culture – how do you go about figuring out what that is exactly and then convey it credibly to the screener, recruiter and hiring manager? Here are a few tips to consider (by the way, there is a very strong correlation between your perceived personal brand and what you convey that will position you as being a fit for the employer’s culture):
Research, Research, Research
…Yes, one of my favorite points to harp on. Candidates literally have the world at their fingertips and can use the Internet to find out virtually everything there is to know about a company’s culture, vision, mission, etc (“the good, the bad and the ugly”, as the saying goes). From the company's own website and press releases to online employee forums and financial analysts’ reports, figuring out what an organization stands for should be relatively easy. By the way…30+ years of hiring experience and a multitude of discussions with other hiring managers, HR Managers and professional recruiters have proven the sad reality that the vast majority of candidates spend little to no time doing any meaningful research on a targeted employer.
Networking
– This continues to be one of the best resources for candidates to learn about what makes a prospective employer “tick”. Use LinkedIn to do an Advanced People Search to find people who work for a targeted company. Use your connections to put you together with some of the folks you will inevitably find on this list who are 2nd level connections to you on LinkedIn. So, get to work and ask for some introductions to these people. If anyone can tell you about the culture of a prospective employer…the employees can! Again – not only do most candidates “hate” networking and, thus do very little of it, but only a small percentage are doing an effective job of this type of in-depth connecting to uncover valuable resources within the target organization.
Visit the Targeted Employer
to get a “lay of the land”. Whether you have an interview scheduled or not…go to the company’s main location and observe what is going on. What do their clients/visitors “look like”, is the lobby filled with pictures of the founder/owners or are there news clippings and photos regarding employees who are volunteering in local community organizations? Introduce yourself to the Receptionist (aka, the gatekeeper) and let them know that you are considering applying for a position at the company and stopped by to get a feel for the atmosphere/surroundings. Ask the Receptionist to tell you three reasons why they like working for the company. Most likely, “news” of your visit will be shared by the Receptionist with HR or the hiring manager, which will be the first step in differentiating you from other candidates (since most candidates don’t invest any time in making this type of pre-application/pre-interview visitation).
Selling the Brand
– Personal Brand…one of the most frequently used buzzwords of the last few years, and one of the least understood. What is your personal brand? You may say/feel strongly that it is “X”, which means very little if clients, colleagues, co-workers and supervisors perceive your brand to be “Y”. Below are some questions to ask yourself, which should help you to begin clarifying what others see as your brand:
- What is your particular expertise?
- What value do you bring to the table?
- When people think of you, with what characteristics are you associated?
- Why were/are you asked to be on teams, committees or task forces? Why aren’t you?
- Why did your clients chose to work with you?
- When did/do others in the company come to seek your assistance?
Your personal brand must fit within the group/team/division and ultimately the company’s culture. If it does, you need to sell that critical point to the interviewer(s).
Skills and your ability to apply them within the defined job function to create exceptional results gets you on the short list of finalists, the candidate with the best perceived cultural fit will usually get the offer.
Consider this…
- When we begin to have serious relationships and seek out a soul mate, our parents tell us, “there are many fish in the sea”. True, and we are seeking to catch the one with whom we have the right "chemistry”.
- There are many good quarterbacks who play professional football, but coaches and general managers will tell the media that they chose a certain player because, “he was the best fit for our system”.
- How many times have you told one co-worker about another, “he/she is perfect for that job”. What was there about that person that prompted you to make such a statement?
Convince me, the hiring manager, that you will not only help to maintain the “mojo” which helps define my organization, but also bring to the table the skills, talents, experience and personal dynamic (“fit”) that will make it stronger.
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