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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Breaking Down the Recruiter Bill of Rights

“We believe that once communication lines are open, the entire search process becomes more productive for everyone involved. We’re committed to making communication between hiring managers, recruiters, and candidates easier than it ever has been, allowing for faster and more effective placements.”

Gautam Ghosh: The boss relationship

“Whether remote or co-located, great bosses do some things better than not-so-great bosses.

1. Their focus is always on your needs. A great boss understands that a great employee has needs that have to be fulfilled, and that it sometimes has to come before the client or customer needs for long term success. Once a boss establishes a trust that your need is paramount to him/her, then you trust that boss with all your heart.”

Secrets of the Job Hunt: Podcast: Interview with a Recruiter, Maureen Mackey

“Learn some job hunting tips and tricks from a veteran of the recruiting industry. Maureen Mackey is the Principal and co-founder of Mackey & Guasco Staffing Associates.”

News Job Cafe: Why Did Recruiter Lose Interest?

“Many behind-the-scenes circumstances can cool off what had appeared to be a hot opening.
A hiring freeze, for example, can chill things off.
The application of a seemingly better candidate can, too.
Sometimes we see an internal candidate, applying late, snatch away the opening.
And there can be a botched handoff where one person starts the process and then hands it to another who is not so attentive.”

Creative & Editorial Freelancing: Industry Blog on the Business of Freelancing: Job Interview by Phone? What NOT to Say

“When you’re job hunting, it’s extremely important at all times to answer your phone professionally. And, more importantly, have those who may be answering your phone follow this rule as well.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard obscene music, obscene messages and been subjagated to dealing with a rude person who answers the phone.”

College Recruiter: Interview Brainteasers

”’How many golfballs does it take to fill a 747?’[…]
It’s how you answer, not what you answer
It’s not a matter of answering the question ‘correctly’ – in many cases there is no correct answer. The company wants to know how you think.”

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Applying for a Job? Highlight Your Achievements

“In the job search, your achievements can be your best assets. Make hiring managers aware of your abilities from the moment they read your resume. Remember, you want to show them how you can come in and make an impact right off the bat.”

Chicago Business Online: Ten Tips to Successful Interviewing: A Last Minute Reminder

“Have three succinct, well developed, dart to the bull’s-eye bullet point answers for each of these major questions:

a. Why this industry?
b. Why our firm?
c. Why you?

These three questions will make or break you, as simple as that. If you sound iffy about any of them, see ya!”

Jim Stroud: And now, a rant from Recruiter X

“I would like to clear up a misconception of what a researcher does to all you recruiters out there. This does not just apply to the brand-newest recruiter either; this will also apply to the gristled old veteran recruiter. My job, as a researcher, is to provide my recruiters with names and contact information. Your job, as a recruiter, is to qualify them. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?”

Guerrilla Job Hunting: Interview questions: How do you define success?

“Relate your answers to your career accomplishments. Be prepared to define success and where you believe you are in relation to your career plan. Map your successes to their requirements for the job.”

Job Search Made Easy: Does The Day of The Week Really Matter?

“In a word .. absolutely! Really!! Again, absolutely! Okay so let me ask you this. What kind of frame of mind are you in on any given Monday morning? Unless you’re the workaholic who’s been waiting for Monday since Friday .. you’re like most of us, the Monday blues is kind of the norm. You will simply not be sharp on Monday and neither will the interviewer.”

The Composed Gentleman: 25 Most Difficult Job Interview Questions

“Being prepared is half the battle. Always prepare for your job interview since it is considered to be the most critical aspect of every expedition that brings you face-to- face with the future boss. Here’s a list of job interview questions that you’d most likely to encounter.

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What do you know about our organization?
3. Why do you want to work for us?”

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We’ve all had those moments when we stare at our resumes, digging into every word on the page in order to make it look as good as we possibly can. However, we often get caught up in the minutiae and forget to look at the bigger picture. The point is, you can make everything on your resume look and sound great, but if you don’t have the right information on the page to begin with, it won’t make any difference. Over at The Brazen Careerist, they’ve put together 10 tips for improving your job search, and number 5 on their list illustrates this issue perfectly:

”5. Write about achievements, not job duties.
I say this 10 times a year, and still, everyone thinks they’re the exception to this rule. You aren’t the exception—you shouldn’t list your job duties on your resume. No one cares. You should list your achievements. People want to hire people who do things well, not people who just show up. List what you did well, and quantify it.”

We often talk about the need to “sell” yourself to hiring managers and recruiters. Delving into your achievements as opposed to your duties allows you to do that. A company might be interested to know that you’ve handled many of the responsibilities required for the position they’re offering, but they’re more interested in seeing what you were able to accomplish in your last job. They want to know what you specifically brought to the table, not necessarily what the job required you to do on a daily basis.

There are a number of ways you can express your achievements to your potential employer on a resume, but they key is getting them to see what you accomplished and why you were able to accomplish it:

”Even if you include all the basic information needed in a formal resume, there are bound to be other good applicants competing for the employer’s attention. Writing one or two ‘case studies’ of projects or achievements you’ve been a part of can help you demonstrate the qualities and skills that you bring to the workplace. It will also enable the reader to become more familiar with the person behind the formal data, and give them something to remember you by.” (From Job Interviewing Skills)

In the job search, your achievements can be your best assets. Make hiring managers aware of your abilities from the moment they read your resume. Remember, you want to show them how you can come in and make an impact right off the bat.

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: The Adventures of Job Boy

“That night, Peter sat at home too angry to watch his old television. He ate dinner with the family, and then went to the computer. He felt something changing. He knew that he was meant for more. He knew that there was something else out there for him. He knew that he could no longer tolerate ‘it could be worse.’ He knew he needed a Plan B. He knew he must become…Job Boy!”

Jobster Blog: get ready for the candidates

“my friends over at itzbig have a great new post today on the coming onslaught of candidates:
…as the first month of 2007 draws to a close, recruiters need to prepare themselves for the onslaught of candidates who are ready to take the necessary steps to find the right position. We’re now in the midst of what is generally the busiest season for recruiters”

Chinwag: A warning to all job hunters

“Today I wanted to post about something that happened this week that should serve as a reminder to us all to think about how we look for jobs, and protect our details whilst doing so.

“I received an email from a recruitment consultancy in my personal email account. It was attaching a CV of a candidate, with all his details and his full name. I have never been in contact with this recruitment agency – either as a candidate or from a previous life, when I was a recruiter. I was gob smacked! How many others had received this email? Why was I receiving it when I have never asked to and clearly have a personal email account (it’s a Yahoo! one).”

Creative & Editorial Freelancing: Industry Blog on the Business of Freelancing How to Use Your Personality to Find a Job

“Many times, job seekers leave their personality at the door. After all, this is business, right? And, savings are running low, there are bills to be paid and you’ve borrowed from every friend you have.

“So, time to put on the “game” face when you go to the interview. Many times, this is what the recruiter and/or employer sees – your worries, not the real you. Your personality can be your biggest asset when looking for a job.“

BusinessWeek: Mentoring Can Be Messy

“Mentoring is supposed to be one of those rare activities that benefits everyone involved. But these relationships can be as intense, messy, and disappointing as any other. They can go awry in any number of ways, small and large, leaving behind disenchantment, unease, and, at worst, bitterness.”

LinkSnoop: Preparing For Your Job Interview – How Your Interview Skills Can Be Improved

“Then there are three other things which you must prepare.
1. Your Career Overview which in most cases is the answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question.
2. A Key Strengths statement which highlights your strongest skills to match yourself to what they need.
3. An Exit Statement or leaving statement helps to protect you from the emotions of a difficult job loss. Some thoughtless interviewers try to put pressure on by asking questions like:
‘Why did they get rid of you?’
‘Why did they make you redundant?’”

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Job Search in Overdrive

“It’s not just depression that leads quiet and active candidates to move their searches into high gear at this time of year. Bonus structures, vacation time, and advancement opportunities are often determined by where you are and how you’re doing in the early months of the year. So, as things pick up, it’s important for recruiters to communicate with candidates and hiring managers in order to make the right match. It’s also important to realize that you might be inundated with even more resumes than usual, which means you’ll need to spend a little extra time responding to candidates.”

Yahoo Finance: Ten Ways to Improve Your Job Hunt

“Stop the delusions about online job boards…
[C]raigslist is great if you want to clean houses while naked. But if you’re a generalist, don’t think a generalist job board will help. Fewer than 10 percent of all jobs are filled via those big boards.“

Gautam Ghosh: International recruiting a challenge for US recruiters

“So competing for knowledge workers is getting a little tougher for US firms. However, most of the cutting edge R&D and Innovation still happens in the USA. Knowledge workers who really want to work on cutting edge stuff I guess will be prepared to wait for the US entry.”

Slashdot: Dealing w/ Relocation Package Bait and Switch?

“I got a R&D job offer with a large company in Philadelphia area last week. It includes a relocation package that they told me was standard for my position. After I accepted the offer and made plans to terminate my current job, the recruiter handed me off to their relocation department, where I was told that my relocation package is significantly less than what I was promised. The relocation manager tells me that whenever there is conflict between their relocation policy and the offer, their internal relocation policy supersedes. Is this type of switch-and-bait common practice in corporate America? If you have gone through this nightmare before, any advice on how to respond to it?”

Job Interview Questions: Work From Home Jobs

“Be careful when looking for a work from home job, there are quite a few scams out there. They are not always what they seem. Make sure you do your research before taking that dream work from home job.”

The Job Lounge: Too Little Salary, Too Late for More?

“During the interview, the subject of salary was brought up and I requested x amount of salary. The employer did not say anything and I feel that he is ok with the amount I quoted.
But after some thinking after the interview I feel that the amount is quite low and I would like a much higher salary. I am not sure whether it is advisable to request a higher salary as I am afraid he might not be happy with me for breaking my word. Please give some advice as to what is the proper way to put it across. And should I wait for the second interview before I raise this question or should I send him an email before the second interview?”

Gautam Ghosh: Confidence or over[confidence] in an interview

“Confidence is always nice to see and experience. In an interview it tells an interviewer that the person knows what he/she is talking about, is honest and trustworthy. Confidence cannot be an act or be put-on. You can’t fake it in front of an experienced person.
Over-confidence however is a different kettle of fish altogether. It makes one come across as a boor, or a person who might end up rubbing people the wrong way.”

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Global Recruiting

“In order to keep up with the changing business landscape, recruiters must be willing to adapt and they must be willing to seek out talent on all shores. While many of the skills that the best recruiters possess will help them recruit globally, there are other steps that must be taken to effectively find top international talent. You must understand the country and the culture you’re recruiting in.”

Further Up and Further In: ‘I’ve Got A Job I Think You’d Be Interested In…’

“So I take the time on the career sites to list that I’m not interested in relocating, and what does that get me? Only 3-4 e-mails a week from people who are offering contract work (all under a year in length) in cities I couldn’t commute to if I had a private jet. These people never get a response from me because they’re illiterate or lazy, and I’m not really interested in working with them.”

Social Funds: In the War for Talent, Good Companies Finish First

“In the war for talent, good companies finish first – that is the primary finding of a 2007 survey conducted by The Good Search, a retained search practice that specializes in recruiting for companies that attempt to do a better job treating their employees, their investors, their communities, and their planet well. Moreover, the survey findings indicate that companies can acquire a competitive advantage by embracing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).”

Business Week: Recruiting Pains

“I mentally replay the entire office visit—every meal, every phrase, every interaction with everybody from the receptionist to the car driver—in an attempt to retrace potential missteps in the process. Was I too specific on preferred location? Did I mispronounce someone’s name? Would only a moron ask the questions that I had for them?”

Workplace Visions: Making Job Search More Efficient

“I have been searching for another full-time job using primarily online sources. These methods have proven ineffective. I use my professional associations’ websites and my alma mater to no avail. I have determined that there is inefficiency in the current system of HR.”

Careers: Jobs, Careers, Education: Top 10 Tips for Job Interview Success

“Present yourself well – preparing yourself is essential for success in your interview, always give yourself plenty of time to shower, groom and dress appropriately for your interview. Choose your outfit wisely and dress appropriately for the type of job you are applying for.”

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