Check Yourself Are Your Recruitment Expectations Totally Unrealistic

Check Yourself Are Your Recruitment Expectations Totally Unrealistic Everyone wants to recruit the best and brightest for their business, but you need to be realistic about how attractive your business is to potential recruits.  If you think youre Apple, but youre actually Argos then youre going to find it very difficult to hire and retain the talent youre hoping for. We worked with a client who was looking to add a senior leader to their team.  They interviewed some really strong candidates who ticked every box of the brief and would have been perfect for the role, but quickly rejected them on the grounds that they weren’t cool enough.  This would have been completely understandable if the company itself was cool, but they really werent.  They were an excellent business with a strong knowledgeable board but nothing about their people, culture or branding was, or would appeal to someone who was cool.  They were completely unrealistic as to what sort of candidate they could attract. We sat down with them and had a very awkward but frank conversation about their image of themselves vs their external image.    We experienced the grieving process; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.  Once the truth had been accepted, we could put a plan in place to get them to where they wanted to be*.  In their instance it was how to have a trendier image, but one could easily substitute this to wanting to hire more experienced candidates, higher performers, increase your grad intake, retain more of your staff etc. These are some of the questions and points that we challenged the client on: If you interviewed your existing workforce, how many would you take on?  Depending on this answer you may have to make some changes internally so that the business is more aligned to the hires you want to make. What are your future plans (be honest); if it is high growth then you will appeal to ambitious, hungry candidates.  If you are going to stay the same then that profile will very quickly leave the business.  Are you better hiring ‘steady eddies’ (and vice versa)? What does your current basic salary and package attract?  Do you need to increase it?  What budget do you have for this?  Can you afford a recruitment fee on top, or use that fee to add to the base directly?  Would this be a false economy if it takes you away from fee generating? Do you only take on graduates?  Why? Have you considered ex industry professionals? Have you considered allowing people to work from home or part time?  You can attract candidates that may not have considered your company before, or may normally be above your budget, but would be flexible if you offered this. Is there someone internally that is stopping you getting your ideal profile?  If so, how can you manage this? Do you need to change the person that conducts first round interviews?  Is there someone that will sell the business better, or someone that will connect with your desired profile better?  Could the current 1st round interviewer put your desired profile off (too aggressive, too generic, not engaging, not enough gravitas etc) Do you split new business and delivery?  Will this open up a new pool of candidates? Are you based in the right location to attract the people you want? What management/leadership team is in place and is this adequate? Do you need to change it? What training and or/expectations are in place for trainees, consultants, managers, and Directors?  There is no point taking on a junior if there is no one to train them and expect them to bill £400K in first year.  Similarly, do you have unrealistic expectations for a Director hire, and do you offer training for them to plug their skills gap? Understand where the glass ceiling is and plan around this (or move it).  I.e. there no point hiring a principal if there is nowhere for them to go in the business.  They will leave within a couple of years.  Either recruit at a more junior level to enable them to progress, or structure the business differently to enable the principal to progress. If you have a business that is perfectly aligned to the kind of hire you want to make then that’s fantastic, but in my experience even those firms consistently take a frank look at, and reinvent themselves throughout their evolution.    The ideal profile in your first year of growth is likely to be very different to the one you need now (and the type of person your business appeals to would have changed dramatically) and so it’s vital that you recognize this and adapt. *In the case of the company we were working with they moved their office from a basement in the city to one with windows in a vibrant part of the west end, they introduced flexible working and removed one of the leadership team who was holding the business back from becoming who they wanted to be.  The culture didnt change overnight, but they had showed enough intent through these actions that they secured a Sales Director who was cool enough and could see the journey that they were on, and the opportunity this presented.  The Sales Director had an excellent senior level network and has become the main rainmaker for the company which has meant that they can be more open to hiring candidates that focus on delivery if they fit the new company culture, which has increased their potential hire base. About the author: Michael Bowden is Partner at Bowden Mayes â€" a specialist recruitment company focussed on helping recruitment businesses attract senior management and next generation talent. Image credit: Shutterstock

Resume Cover Page Examples - How To Create a Killer Cover Letter

Resume Cover Page Examples - How To Create a Killer Cover LetterYour resume cover page.examples really isn't that difficult to do. Most applicants make it look so easy, but the truth is, you're going to have to put in some serious work to get your resume reviewed. This article will give you some basic tips on how to create a killer resume cover page.One of the greatest benefits of hiring professional resume examples is that they'll make sure your cover letter follows their specific guidelines. They don't like the letter that looks like the applicant wrote it themselves because it doesn't sound professional, so they hire professionals to do this for them.The great thing about these professional examples is that you'll be able to use them without breaking the law or paying a fortune to do it yourself. As long as you have a computer with Internet access, you can create your resume cover page.examples in no time at all.Now for the fundamentals of resume cover letters, it's always a good idea to have a strong back and main resume in place. If you have a great resume that the employer is impressed with, it is important to have a strong back to make it a little easier to read. A common mistake is when an applicant has the same font style in their resume cover page.examples as the front of the front cover letter.The last thing you need to have in place is the resume cover page. examples. You may have a couple copies you can use and then write a different cover letter to add to each of them, but don't forget to keep all your cover letters in one file so they all fit together.These are your resume cover page. examples, which you've created prior to submitting your resume and cover letter. The letter needs to be professional and up to date with any changes that might be needed by the employer to do their due diligence.A very important part of creating a good resume example is to make sure you clearly spell out your qualifications for the position. If there are gaps in you r resume cover page. examples, it is important to address them as a head on or it will show you don't have any knowledge of the job.When using professional resume examples, you should know that you shouldn't expect to use them without first speaking to a professional. Just because they're free doesn't mean they can't be greatly improved upon to provide the absolute best example for your particular situation.

Twentysomething The Paradox of Choice, gen-Y style

Twentysomething The Paradox of Choice, gen-Y style By Ryan Healy Go to college, graduate with a technical degree and become a professional, preferably a doctor, lawyer or accountant. Join the workforce for a few years, then get married and have a kid or two. According to my father this was the typical advice given to young baby boomer boys growing up. Their parents expected them to follow the same straight and narrow path as them. They had a few choices; follow the advice or rebel and make it on their own. Be whatever you want to be. Find something you love and pursue that passion. With enough desire and enough hard work you can do anything you set your mind to. This was the advice I received growing up. Flash forward to today and Im still trying to figure out what it is that I love. There are too many choices! Should I join the Peace Corps and rebuild houses in Mongolia? Should I work for a presidential campaign for a year? Should I go to Wall Street and become a money making machine with no time for a social life? Not only can I choose any career, but I can choose any city, state or country. My family lives all over the United States and my friends live all over the world. I can communicate and keep relationships with them through the internet no matter where I move. I feel no pressure to get married or start a family any time soon. I can do all of these things when I am ready. The choices go way beyond career and family. I can choose from hundreds of TV channels, and if I dont like the graphics I can choose to watch them in HD. The Internet, where I spend too much time, is a big black hole of decisions about information. Even the cereal aisle at the grocery store can turn into a painful decision process. Life in the 21st century is a constant choice. If you dont have youre head on straight it is much easier today to become paralyzed into inaction because you dont know what the perfect choice is. Many of my peers will probably never specialize in anything because we will never be satisfied. How can we be? There is so much more to do and so much more to explore. And its just a click or two away! Having an unlimited amount of possibilities is one reason so many of my friends move back home after college. They just dont know what the right choice is. I can see why some people think this is a problem. Living at home until age twenty-five was not the norm in the old days, but neither was working eight different jobs by the time you are thirty. As long as you are working towards an end goal or figuring out what line of work will be best for you, living at home for a few years is a great option. One of the most difficult realizations I have made is that there is no such thing as the perfect decision. Whether you are picking out what type of cereal to buy, what TV show to watch, or what career path to venture down, you can only make a decision based on what you know at that particular time. This is why it is so cool to be joining the workforce today. If you make a bad decision and enter a new career that doesnt align with your strengths, wants, or desires, then you can simply pick up and make another career change with very little consequence. Making the wrong career choice is not nearly as life altering as it was thirty years ago. Its a different world today. Its a beautiful world filled with endless possibilities, and maybe too many. But you know what? I would never trade a life filled with unlimited possibility for a pre-written script. Luckily, thats one choice I dont have to make. Ryan Healys blogs is Employee Evolution.

Hire someone to write your resume

Hire someone to write your resume Look, you have to hire someone to help you with your resume. This should not even be a conversation any more. Would you cut your own bangs? If you were in sixth grade, yes, because the only thing you know about bangs in sixth grade is that they hang on your forehead. Once you learn that bangs need to be even, you go to someone who cuts even bangs. When you get older, and you really understand the intricacies of hair, you realize that great bangs are uneven in a highly skilled way, and you dont even have the right scissors. Thats when you pay a lot of money for someone to do your bangs. If you think you can write your own resume, youre in sixth grade. A resume is a complicated sales document and also a piece of direct mail. You know who runs to the resume writers the fastest? The people who write direct mail, becuase they understand the intricacies of resumes, just like a fashionista understands the intricacies of bangs enough to know they cant do it themselves. Other big customers of resume writers are career coaches because they see so many terrible resumes from otherwise very impressive people and the coaches dont want to fall into that category themselves. Please stop telling me that resume writers are too expensive. Sometimes I hear prices from resume writers and I think, who would trust their resume in the hands of someone who is so cheap? You should be looking for an expensive resume writer. Your resume, more than most things you buy, can earn its costs back ten times over. Think of it this way: An effective resume doesnt just get you a job. It gets you the job you want. A good resume writer can help you reposition yourself to shift careers, or make you look more high level than you have been in the past. Many good resume writers can also help you to talk about your resume in a way that will allow you to turn an interview into a job. How can you deny this to yourself? And, by the way, dont use your haircut money to pay for the resume. You need both.

Tips on Writing a Resume - What You Need to Know to Make a Good One

Tips on Writing a Resume - What You Need to Know to Make a Good OneThe following tips on writing a resume will help you create the most effective one possible. The trick is to write a resume that appeals to employers. Here are some things to consider when writing one.Write the CV the same way you would talk. Don't try to sound smart by including facts about yourself. They will not be read as well if you write them that way. It's better to make them sound natural.Your resume should have several sections. The first section will include your contact information. In this section, include your name, your address, and other contact information. Contact information will help you reach people and it also helps to get your resume in front of more people.Remember to keep your resume to one page. It may seem to be fine to go into great detail about yourself, but your reader does not want to see a long dissertation. They only want to know what they need to know about you. So, be concise and give them all the information they need.The next section should be a short list of achievements from your past. The reason for this is to establish yourself as an employee who has had the experience that they need. Be sure to use a name that shows that you are comfortable with this information. That's important.The next section should be short and sweet. This section will include a summary of what you can do for the employer. There should be a picture included here and it should be relevant to the job. This can be a career change that demonstrates that you have experience.The final section should be your objective for the employer. It should show what you can do for them, and how your skills will help them in their business. This should be very short and to the point. Just add a little bit here and there to make it interesting.The CV is an essential part of your resume. With the tips on writing a resume out there, now is the time to get started. When you write the CV, make sure you writ e them properly and follow the tips on writing a resume.

The 2 things you need to be happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The 2 things you need to be happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog What does it take to be happy at work? Is it about salary, bonuses, perks and promotions? No. All of those are nice, but they can never make you happy at work. Happiness at work comes from two other simple factors. Watch this 4-minute video to learn more. This is the second video in a series of five that we did for Danish enzyme producer Novozymes. They are already a great workplace, and as part of a campaign called Its Great to be a Zymer wanted a simple, fun way to communicate the basic concepts of happiness at work to their employees in Denmark, China, USA and Brazil. So they hired us to do these videos, which their employees can access on the intranet. They have very kindly allowed us to share the videos with a wider audience. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Thank You Goes A Long Way

Thank You Goes A Long Way Should you bother sending a thank you message after a job interview? A job seeker asked if he should send a thank you message after his first interview, even though he had a second interview lined up.   Does anyone want to guess what my answer was? ALWAYS send a thank you. Most hiring managers or recruiters will tell you that they receive very few letters of thanks.   Some say fewer than 5% of job seekers send thank yous.   It is an easy way to set yourself apart and sell your interest in the position. Email or Regular Mail? Should you email your message or send it snail mail?   That depends on the time frame for the next steps and who you are sending it to. If you have less than a week, then emailing your message is the way to go. However, there is nothing wrong with sending a brief email and then following it up with a hard copy, more detailed message, in the mail. Handwritten or Typed? Honestly, I dont think it really matters. What does make a difference is that you take the time to thank the person or people who interviewed you. Turned Down After An Interview? Even if you get a rejection, send a thank you! It goes a long way and sends the message that you are interested in the company. Your message could be the reason you are remembered and open the door for future opportunities or you could be considered if the person hired doesnt work out. Remember, managing your career is about managing relationships. And sending a thank you helps you develop a relationship with the hiring manager for future consideration. Letter/Message Outline Three simple paragraphs are all you need: Opening The opening can be where you initially say thanks.   Try and grab them by saying something complimentary about the person you met, the company or the people you met.   Flattery, when sincere, is a good thing. Relevant Points This paragraph can be used to connect the dots for the employer about why you are a great fit for the job, be specific.   Use the information you gathered from the interview. If you fumbled a question or you think you could give a better answer, this should be where you tackle it. Closing Your closing paragraph will thank them again and make reference to the next steps. Sample Thank You Letters To learn more and see a sample thank you letter, check this out: Crafting the Perfect Thank You Letter