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It is easy to get discouraged during the job search process. Perhaps you have applied for dozens of jobs, and never heard back — and you have no idea why. If your job applications keep disappearing into cyberspace, there may be a reason for it. We recommend you consider these small changes, which will increase the odds of hearing back from a recruiting manager.

Ask yourself: Who will read this?

When applying for a job, remember that the first step will be a screening. The person who reads your job application will not necessarily be the manager in charge or even someone with a strong understanding of the position’s responsibilities. There is also a good chance that your resume will land in an applicant tracking system before it ever gets to a human. That’s right: the first person you need to impress might be a robot. Because of this, do neither send a generic, detailed CV, nor character references or such like. References are required much later in the hiring process. Highlight what is strictly relevant to this position as clearly as possible. Remember : your goal is to get your foot in the door, that first in-person interview. Identify the key requirements in the job description and match these with your experiences. Keep your job application focused and to the point.

Stand out with your cover letter

Cover letters can be boring, but a great one will help you stand out from the crowd. Write concisely, giving a clear story to your motivation, drawing attention to how your skills and experience are a perfect match for the job requirements, and again use similar words to the job brief itself.

It is just too easy to press the send button, not include a cover letter or having a “one-size-fits-all” template that is not really relevant to the particular position (I do not know which is worse). This will neither help you get noticed nor demonstrate a genuine interest. Take this opportunity and reveal your sincere motivation.

Do not apply blindly on job boards

If you are applying only to jobs online but doing nothing else, there is a whole lot of untapped potential within your network. For example: Think through your family, friends and contacts of who understands your business and may have good contacts. This will  enlarge your feelers on upcoming opportunities. Contact former co-workers and invite them for a coffee. Have a shortlist of companies and follow them, collect articles, connect with the employees on LinkedIn etc, get involved and demonstrate your motivation.  One last piece of advice, keep control of your CV. Create a recap on all your outreach and applications; who, when, and what.

PVR 5.12.2018

 

 

• Create a story: Where are you coming from and going to? Why? Is this story consistent throughout all materials and verbal explanations? Be crisp.
• Build a strategy: Approach the process like you would a strategic initiative. What are your goals, strategies, tactics, and measures? How will you position yourself to best achieve your goals?
• Treat every recruiter interaction as an opportunity to continue building a relationship: It’s really a bad idea to not cultivate these relationships. Think in terms of long (very long) timeframes (years, not months). Return calls / emails; make recommendations for potential candidates; and, make an effort to stay in touch as you change jobs and your career progresses.
• Focus on networking through people you know versus calling people blindly. Recruiters are inundated with requests for help. They prioritize those people with whom they’ve had a prior, positive relationship and referrals from their network.
• Sell then buy: Once you have decided to interview with the client – and they want you to interview – balance questions you have regarding whether the company is right for you with providing information about yourself. Sell yourself, show your value before asking about benefits. Prepare questions to demonstrate a clear interest in the company and position. Questions about the trajectory of the company, the firm’s leadership, expectations of the role you would be filling, the culture of the firm, etc. Demonstrate that you’ve done your homework, you are inquisitive, you have thoughtful and insightful questions, and overall, you are clearly interested. You can’t get the job if the client doesn’t believe you want it.

More experience in an advancing career (i.e. getting older) does have a significant effect on your CV. Whether you are looking to move up inside the company you are with or seeking a new job somewhere else, many people make numerous errors on creating their CV.

Most CVs of people over 40 are downright terrible. This stems from that most people simply “update” it keeping lengthy job descriptions from 20 years ago. No employer wants a 5-page resume. Professionals and managers agree, “Today, two pages are the maximum. I won’t glance at anything longer than that and neither will other recruiters. It’s counterproductive and so wasteful when printing!”

The problem is that many people just « dust off » an old CV and do not put in the hours necessary to create an effective CV that advertises their accomplishments. You have only 15 -20 seconds to capture an employer’s interest when they look at your CV. It must be impressive or you’ll get passed by. Here are some key tips to for your to consider:

Be targeted 

Your CV must be targeted for the job you are applying for. Start off with an OBJECTIVE that must be in line with the job title. This should immediately catch their attention. If you choose to be broad and generic in your approach, you simply won’t get noticed.

Sell your assets 

Focus on results and achievements. Hiring Managers want to know all about your accomplishments. Your CV is a stepping-stone to an interview and those that get interviews clearly demonstrate this one important message:

Actions = Results.  

Employers look for progressive success – and delivery of results. Accomplishments and results should be stressed. In today’s competitive marketplace, noting results that highlight your past actions and the results you’ve achieved on the job are the essential to get noticed.

What employers LOVE  

Following your objective tag line add a summary of your qualification matching the job criteria. This is a high-impact section. It is one of the very first areas employers read and catches their attention and they slow down and give your application more careful consideration.  Think of it a highly influential summation of the specifics you bring to the job. This section usually consists of a few sentences that present an overview of your experience, accomplishments, talents, work habits and skills. It can also be effective as bullet points.

Avoid 

No text boxes, photographs, no colour ink, no designs or lines across or around the page and no tables. Most of employment software cannot read these things leaving them as blank space. And, employers HATE typos and spelling mistakes!

Sending off a bad CV is worse than not sending it at all. At least by not sending it, you may have another chance.  A bad CV as it goes straight into the “decline bin”. If you are lucky, you will get an automatic response. So what is a “bad” CV? There are many ways to write your CV and it should always remain personal so take you time to think it through. Here are some classic rules that hopefully are useful:

  Don’t:

• Use a non professional photograph (I think no photo is better).
• Copy any part of a resume sample posted online word-for-word.
• Worry too much about the old one-page resume rule, especially if you have a lot of experience or are using more of a CV format.
• But make sure that the first page can stand alone if the pages get separated.
• Repeat the same action word over and over again. Find different ways to say the same thing.
• List your job duties rather focus on accomplishments.
• List accomplishments over and over again for similar jobs.
• Go into detail on how you achieved results at each job. Save that for the interview.
• Use a lot of acronyms or jargon, especially if you’re changing fields.
• Don’t abbreviate words that aren’t normally abbreviated, even to save space.
• Emphasize experience more than 15 years old.
• Bother to list high school or secondary school if you have university experience.
• List a funny or crude email address; get a new one for business use if necessary.
• List references on your resume; have them on a separate document, and only provide them when requested.
• Include hobbies or skills that have nothing to do with the position.
• Sacrifice clarity or readability for creativity when it comes to format.
• Print on colored paper.
• Use graphics.

Do:

• Review professionally written resume samples to familiarize yourself with what a strong resume looks like and contains.
• Make your resume is as easy to read as possible, using bullets, a font size that’s comfortable to read, and so on.
• Customize your resume based on the position for which you are applying.
• Include a career objective that is focused on what you can do for the employer — not what you hope to gain from the position.
• List your past positions in reverse chronological order.
• Include for each job: title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment.
• Include measurable results you achieved at each job rather than listing job duties.
• Lead with action words instead of passive words. Avoid the word “work.”
• Include publications, patents, presentations, honors, relevant volunteer experiences, and professional licenses or certifications, especially if they pertain to the position.
• Emphasize transferable skills, especially when changing industries.
• Provide relevant contact information including one phone number, email address, website, and town.
• Proofread meticulously.
• Consider including a “summary of qualifications” or “profile” at the top of your resume to provide a clear focus.
• Test how your resume will look when emailed or submitted online, as well as printed.

If you have additional points to add, please send them through.
Good luck and if you wish to send me your CV for a proof read, feel free to do so. Peter@VR-People.com

 

Recruiting a new member of staff can be a time consuming task and hiring decisions shouldn’t be taken lightly. You need to think realistically whether your team have the time an expertise to find the best individual to join your business.

If the answer is no, then you may want to consider outsourcing your recruitment. After all, it is a recruiters job to find the best candidate available, so they will be equipped with the experience and resources to fill the position quickly and efficiently. If you’re not sure about whether you should outsource your recruitment or not, here are a few reasons it could benefit you.

1) Focus on core business

Taking time out to focus on recruiting new employees can result in neglecting your usual job, that could be important to the running of the company. By outsourcing your recruitment, you can leave the job to the recruiter while you attend to your usual business.

2) Improve the quality of hires

You may find that you have trouble finding and recruiting qualified candidates by yourself. This isn’t necessarily a reflection of your capabilities or the salary being offered, rather an indication that you aren’t searching in the right place. Recruiters are experts at seeking out the best candidates on the market. They know where to look, what qualities to look for in an individual and how best to approach people about a job; making them qualified to speed up the process and improve the quality of hires.

3) Reduce costs

It is easy to say consultants are expensive. Bad hiring can be much more expensive, in terms of poor revenues and lost market share. Inhouse recuiting cost too, from labour, to posting ads on job boards and pre-screening, screening, organizing interviews etc. By using a professional the cost is all rolled into one, but more importantly you are getting a service and approach, the bredth and depth required to really scann the market for the best talent. Outsourcing can also give you a guarantee that inhouse cannot. We are not avocating to outsource all recuritments, basic hiring can be done in-house.

4) Keep up with demand

Fast growing companies may find it hard to keep up with the recruitment needs and demands that they are facing, as they don’t have the time and resources to manage it in house. Recruitment consultants will be better geared for handling a high volume of roles at one time, as well as having the advantage of being able to dedicate all of their time to it, rather than juggling it alongside other duties.

5) Reduce turnover rate

A poorly run recruitment process could be to blame for a high turnover rate which can have financial implications for a business, as well a disruptions to productivity and ongoing projects. A high turnover may not necessarily be a reflection on your company in general, as it may just indicate that candidates just aren’t a very good fit for the company, would could come as a result of a poor recruitment process. Good recruiters are well practiced in assessing what kind of people will be suitable for a certain role, conduct reference checks and overall, follow a rigourous process. Hiring should not be left to a good « gut feeling ».

 

I just had an email back today from a candidate saying: « The most important first to know the salary level …. ». Interesting approach, though not one I would recommend when starting a constructive discussion. Do you wonder why?

While you are evaluating a new position (or negotiating with anybody for that matter), do not make the mistake and think only about your potential gain, but carefully think through why the company should hire you and how the will asses you and your abilities. What value do you bring them? If you can communicate these and assure them in their jargon and their mind set that you can get the job done, you will most lightly succeed.

Below a few thoughts and questions to reflect on.

Why will they hire company you?
Bringing along direct value through clients
Professional experience, done before
Similar background to managers (culture, education, languages, previous employee)
Personality & network – already know some of the team
You interview well, humble, precise answers with examples and numbers to back up
Budget range, they feel your input is worth your salary.

Why may they not hire you?
They have been burnt by similar profile as yours before
You over estimate you abilities ask for too much vs your input
Appear arrogant while name-dropping and trying to please too much
You interviewed badly, body language, rambling on about irrelevant things, not answering questions; inappropriate examples and inaccurate numbers
Unfortunate timing, third party involvement (anything can happen).

Questions you need to ask yourself about the role and your fit
What is my motivation for this job?
Am I going to be sufficiently challenged?
Is the work I am going to be working on interesting to me?
Are my ideas going to be respected and valued?
Is this kind of work environment good for me to excel?
Does this role provide the opportunity to develop my career?
Is the job content in line with what I want to be doing?
Make sure you understand what you will be working on and your role.
Is the work I am going to be doing marketable?
Will the work/life balance be in line with what my lifestyle demands?

After the interviews, evaluate
Did the people I interviewed with seem happy in their roles?
Did you get a sense of passion for the work from the people you interviewed with?
Were they excited about what they were working on?
Did you pick up on any negative attitudes?
Can I feel comfortable questioning why they do things they way they do?
Do they encourage new ideas?
When I decide to change jobs again, is the work I am doing and the company I am working for respected in the job market?
Are the company’s values and corporate philosophy in line with mine?

How many times have I seen people wanting to fit into “ Cinderella’s shoe”. It is much better to be face the honest facts and realistically evaluate your abilities to the requirements. If you are not matching at least 80%, (lacking more than one out of five key requisite), there will be many others who will, so it’s really not worth your while to pursue. When the right job comes up, you will know, and then put your heart into it. Appreciate your comments.

What some call moving on, or even moving up, others negatively call “job hopping.” The decision to switch jobs relatively often is controversial. Will a company be willing to hire someone if their resume demonstrates a history of frequent job changes? There could be some downsides to switching jobs fairly often, but there are definitely some significant benefits as well. Let’s take a closer look at the potential upsides.

1. You’ll learn more

One of the pitfalls of staying with the same job, or even the same company, for too long is that it can start to feel as though you’re not growing. When you try something new, you experience and learn different skills that could propel your career. It’s good to continue to grow and learn, and changing jobs helps us get us there. This principle is especially true for those working in industries that move quickly, such as technology, trading and consulting.

2. Being excited in what you do

Being excited in what you do can be difficult to achieve when you stay in one place for a long time. This enthusiasm in what you do is is especially true for millennials who want to be excited by their jobs. They make up a huge percentage of the workforce and have gained a reputation for looking for more than just compensation when weighing job offers.

3. Help you increase your salary

It’s important, essential even, to negotiate your salary. You should be an active part of the process, not merely a passive recipient of the deal. When people change jobs, they’re often looking for better compensation as a part of the switch. When done right, job hopping could help you earn more money. Just remember to also factor in other aspects of the work, like vacation time, benefits, and flexibility.

The bottom line is that if you’re willing to job hop for more money, you’ll probably find the opportunity to do just that. Another article in Forbes recently noted that the average employee can expect a raise of about 3 percent when staying with the same company, but they might receive a 10 percent or even 20 percent increase when leaving and starting a new job.

Perhaps our old ideas about job hopping are out-of-date. Today’s workers expect more and are willing to go after what they need and want. This could lead to some very positive financial and professional outcomes.

based on article by Gina Belli,

 

Whether you manage four people or 400, chances are, you consider that part of your job the most challenging. Supporting, training, and motivating others while holding them accountable is tough, even if you work with a dream team. But, when someone difficult enters the mix, it can feel downright impossible.

There are many types of difficult people in the world, but they all have a few things in common. So, here are some quick tips to help you manage some of your most challenging team members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Don’t let them drag you down.

A bad attitude can be contagious. In our efforts to empathize, we sometimes find ourselves mirroring back the negativity that others are dishing out. But, don’t get dragged down into the muck by your negative co-worker. Be positive and loving instead, and try not to reward the behavior with too much attention. Maybe you’ll start to rub off on them instead of the other way around.

2. Encourage suggestions.

It’s good to be open to suggestions, and suggestions are very different than criticisms. Too often folks are quick to point out what isn’t working without offering any practical ideas for how to fix things. Explicitly encourage input. If people know their concerns will reliably be met with, “how do you suggest we move forward?” they’ll be less likely to criticize without also offering a plan for improvement. This should change the tone (and probably the frequency) of negative contributions.

3. Invest time in building bridges to negative people.

Somehow, you have to try to connect with everyone that you manage. In order to build trust, increase the positive interactions you have with the difficult person. Find every excuse to provide positive recognition for jobs well done, and collaborate when possible. The more you treat this person with respect and positivity, the harder it gets for them to go the other way.

4. Consider putting them in charge.

It might seem a little crazy, but putting a difficult person in charge of the very thing they’re being difficult about could be the answer. If they feel such passion for the issue, go ahead and try making them the point person. It could help them understand the difficulties a little more, and it will let everyone know that you encourage leadership in problem solving. Folks might be less likely to complain, unless they’re willing to head up the operation, and that could be a very good thing.

5. Be proactive not just reactive.

Difficult people can get us really stirred up, but you have to be the bigger person here. If your interactions become mostly reactions, then you’ve lost too much control. Instead, control your reactions. Stop, take a few deep breaths, and proceed forward once you’re able to do so with compassion and calm.

Next, find a way to proactively handle the situation rather than simply reacting to the complaint. Even if it takes you a few days, resist the urge to jump in with a reaction. Instead, say you need some time to think about this and come back once you’re ready to move things forward in a positive way

 

 

 

 

(Credit: Bridget Jones’s Diary, Miramax)

 

Surviving the worst at work

You’ve suffered the ultimate humiliation at work and resigning seems to be the next logical step.

You didn’t mean to press “reply all,” you thought your phone was on mute, you should never have worn that outfit. What were you thinking?

But do you really need to pack a bag and leave the country, or can you recover your dignity just enough after an embarrassing moment?

Quora has some insights on this topic and it should to make us feel better: Here are a few extracts; what is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at work?

Digital marketer, Calum Hall, once worked for a well-known car dealership in the UK.  Just three days into his new job he collected a vintage Bentley from a customer to drive to the firm’s garage but panicked when he couldn’t start the engine. The owner told him to turn the key, and then press the button next to it.

“Nothing was happening,” Hall wrote. “I could hear a distant clicking, and I thought it must have started, but no, my efforts were in vain. I turned the key yet again, and pressed the button, and now I was a little frantic and starting to blush.”

Hall turned to see the owner doubled up with laughter on the other side of the road.

“The button I had been pressing was the boot (trunk) release, so he had been watching me open and close the boot with more and more vigour and increasing frustration,” wrote Hall. “He said ‘My dear boy, you have been opening and closing the boot for the last five minutes, and even though I could stand here all day watching you do that, I really must get back to the office!’. He kindly came over and pointed to the correct button.”

Jeff Kesselmen, a computer game programmer said: “My first few weeks as a street magician probably qualify as the most awkward thing I’ve ever done.” The humiliation paid off, however, and he “was soon pulling in decent money.”

We’ve all had public wardrobe malfunctions.  Frank Ferriss  revealed a little too much of himself in his new workplace tearing his pants “from bending down while working in a crowded supermarket. Fun times.”

Technology malfunctions, too, can lead to some sticky situations. One anonymous Quora user once took a call from a colleague at a company at which all meetings were conducted online using laptops with headsets. The user said: “(I) proceeded to tell him in detail about another colleague that was underperforming and her dramatic reaction to us removing some of her responsibilities (a demotion of sorts). We were both laughing, neither of us really liked her so I was enjoying sharing this story.

“Well… I thought that I was muted on the web meeting. I get an instant message from someone on the web meeting that is like “We can hear everything you’re saying”. My stomach sank… I still feel terrible about it to this day.”

Adapted from article by Angela Henshall

 

E-mail; love it or loathe it, it’s not going away — especially in the workplace. Business email traffic accounted for 55% of all emails sent worldwide per day in 2014 — that’s an average of 121 emails sent and received per day by each one of us.

With all those electronic messages flying around, it’s no wonder we get it wrong so often. From mystifying subject lines to inappropriate use of emoji, most workers have a long way to go before they perfect the art of the professional email.

Harvard Business Review has taken the email frustration we all feel and created a guide to making emails better for you — and everyone else.

Stick to the subject

Subject lines should be concise and descriptive, highlighting the action needed, HBR says. If subject lines are important in capturing your reader’s attention, then font is essential in keeping it. Use clean, easy-to-read fonts such as Arial, Helvetica and Verdana in a dark colour — HBR suggests using no more than three types of font in one message.

Getting cute

Emoji are acceptable in a professional email only when the person you’re emailing also uses them. And typos are not always the end of the world. HBR writes that for high-level managers a strategic typo may be a smart idea, to convey authenticity and not make it seem like you are always meticulously drafting messages. However, the line between being emotionally authentic and being unprofessional is thin — so think twice before making an intentional typo.

Grammar nerds

When you’re sending out email number 27 of the morning, it’s easy to skip over punctuation or not capitalise ‘I’s. Don’t do it. Take a bit of time to polish even the little things. It means less work for the person reading and you won’t have to spend additional time clarifying what you meant to say.

To avoid those sighs of exasperation, keep your email short and neat. Some experts suggest staying within a single screen of reading. Even in a short email, do not send big blocks of text. Highlight the key takeaways and use paragraph breaks liberally. Most importantly, be clear and direct to save everyone’s time.

Think twice and thrice

Before clicking ‘send’, check again to make sure anyone you plan to send the email to really needs to receive it. Copy others in when you need to, but don’t blind copy unless you know for sure that it is necessary, or “it could get you a bad reputation as being indiscreet,” wrote HBR.

While email is often the go-to means of communication, remember that sometimes speaking in person or picking up the phone for a quick call is best. If there is conflict or bad news, written messages can be interpreted differently than intended, depending on the reader’s emotional state. In these cases, meeting in person or speaking on the phone or over Skype often helps to dissipate the tension.

After all, people tend to be more civil and empathetic when dealing directly with another human being rather than pixelated letters on a computer screen.

Article from the BBC Capital