"Accountability breeds response-ability." – Stephen E. Covey
In this employers’ market, it is critical for those looking for positions to take responsibility for their actions. Being accountable for your submittal, your resume and the information in it is an immediate reflection of you, the potential employee.
Employers are receiving on average 400 – 700 resumes depending on the opening. Immediately discounted are those responses in which the candidate did not follow directions. Just an oversight on your part? Maybe, but that oversight may have cost you the position.
In talking with other recruiters, here are some of the most common ‘errors’ that may knock you out of the running:
1. Your cover letter, or introductory email, is addressed to the wrong person, wrong company and for the wrong position. Attention to detail is critical here. Some recruiters will even respond to you, letting you know you made the error. Acknowledging their response, and resubmitting the resume is a great idea. Doing nothing on your part is not the way to go.
2. Providing the information requested in the job posting. If the posting says to ‘respond with #28574 in the subject line’ then do so. Not putting that in may discount you immediately as you either did not read the posting clearly, or chose not to do it. Either way, it goes to ‘attention to detail’ and ‘ability to follow directions’.
3. Not providing salary requirements when asked to do so. While your salary requirements may or may not meet that of the available position, if you don’t provide them upon request, you will never know. There is another qualified candidate who did provide the information and may be moving on to the next level.
4. Cute or offensive email addresses. Create a new email address specifically for your job search if necessary. You are applying for a job here, not trying to hook up with someone. Some recruiters, or hiring managers, may bypass your resume based on this alone.
5. Submitting resumes with limited contact info. Omitting your name on a resume is a critical mistake on the part of the job seeker.
6. When returning a phone call and have to leave a message, make sure you speak slowly and clearly, including first and last name, as well as your phone number. If you just say, ‘this is Linda’, they could have called three other Linda’s that day and won’t be able to distinguish who you are. Don’t give them a reason not to call you back.
While the ultimate decision is up to the recruiter or hiring manager, you can help yourself make it through the initial phases by paying attention and following directions. By being responsible, you just may increase your ‘response-ability’.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
What is your style of dress?
Styles of dress can vary dramatically from one person to the next. Without realizing it we are sending a message to a prospective employer by our dress the second we walk into the office. Rule of thumb for an interview? Business Professional. The experts say there is NO exception to this rule if you want to work in the business world. But is your perception of "Business Professional" the same as those experts?
Below is a summary of some different styles of dress and whether or not they are appropriate for an interview. Please keep in mind the descriptions below are for interviews for office positions.
BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL - A business suit. NO exceptions. Either pants or skirt is acceptable as long as the jacket matches the other piece. For an interview, 'separates' are not considered business professional, no matter how good the outfit looks. Simple shoes, simple jewlery, simple makeup, simple hair are all the perfect compliment to the crisp, clean lines of a business suit. This type of dress should be mandatory for interviews. A dress, as opposed to a business suit, is NOT considered Business Professional and should never be worn to an office interview.
BUSINESS READY - One step below the Business Professional level. This would include the same hair, makeup, shoes (no open toes or sandals) and jewlery as the previous level, but it would allow for separates. This type of dress would be appropriate if the potential employer says 'we are business causual' or 'we don't dress up'. That is the only time dressing in anything less than a suit would be acceptable for an interview. This level, or Business Casual, is one in which wearing a dress with a jacket would be considered appropriate.
BUSINESS CASUAL - Dress shirt or sweater and slacks. No khakis or jeans in a business casual environment. This type of dress is NEVER acceptable for an interview.
CASUAL - Anything less than Business Casual is considered 'Casual'. This category would include whatever you would wear to the grocery store, running errands or on the weekends. This type of dress is NEVER acceptable for an interview.
WHAT NOT TO WEAR - Ripped jeans, anything that shows skin or undergarments, flip flops or other outdoor footwear, visible tattoos or piercings, sweat suits of any kinds, clothing with any sort of writing on it, incorrectly sized clothing, evening wear (bar or dressy) or clothing that your son/daughter would wear.
Your dress is a reflection of your work, at least in the minds of a prospective employer. How do you want to be perceived?
Below is a summary of some different styles of dress and whether or not they are appropriate for an interview. Please keep in mind the descriptions below are for interviews for office positions.
BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL - A business suit. NO exceptions. Either pants or skirt is acceptable as long as the jacket matches the other piece. For an interview, 'separates' are not considered business professional, no matter how good the outfit looks. Simple shoes, simple jewlery, simple makeup, simple hair are all the perfect compliment to the crisp, clean lines of a business suit. This type of dress should be mandatory for interviews. A dress, as opposed to a business suit, is NOT considered Business Professional and should never be worn to an office interview.
BUSINESS READY - One step below the Business Professional level. This would include the same hair, makeup, shoes (no open toes or sandals) and jewlery as the previous level, but it would allow for separates. This type of dress would be appropriate if the potential employer says 'we are business causual' or 'we don't dress up'. That is the only time dressing in anything less than a suit would be acceptable for an interview. This level, or Business Casual, is one in which wearing a dress with a jacket would be considered appropriate.
BUSINESS CASUAL - Dress shirt or sweater and slacks. No khakis or jeans in a business casual environment. This type of dress is NEVER acceptable for an interview.
CASUAL - Anything less than Business Casual is considered 'Casual'. This category would include whatever you would wear to the grocery store, running errands or on the weekends. This type of dress is NEVER acceptable for an interview.
WHAT NOT TO WEAR - Ripped jeans, anything that shows skin or undergarments, flip flops or other outdoor footwear, visible tattoos or piercings, sweat suits of any kinds, clothing with any sort of writing on it, incorrectly sized clothing, evening wear (bar or dressy) or clothing that your son/daughter would wear.
Your dress is a reflection of your work, at least in the minds of a prospective employer. How do you want to be perceived?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Why Small Business Owners Make Bad Hiring Decisions
Why Small Business Owners Make Bad Hiring Decisions
By Minesh Baxi
If you are a small business owner, quite often you are the only person who is making the hiring decisions. It is up to you to define job descriptions, collect resumes, interview and then decide who will be the best fit for the positions you need filled.
Obviously, all of this is over and above the daily requirements that you face to gain clients, manage the resources and make sure you are profitable. Doesn't it sound like a daunting task?
You have to be superhuman!
Quite often hiring comes across as an activity that does not need as much attention as possibly, courting a new client. With the never-ending list of things to be done, it is understandable as well.
Here are 5 reasons why small business owners fail to make good hiring decisions:
Lack of time: The business owner is swamped as discussed above and is unable to take the time to make sure that he is making the best hiring decision.
Needs a body right now: Typically a small business owner does not have enough back-up staff to handles tasks within the organization if an employee leaves. This creates a crisis and the employer is forced to make decisions too quickly. As you know - haste makes waste.
Too emotionally close to the decision: Due to lack of enough people to help make a hiring decision, the employer is the key decision maker and maybe, the only decision maker. Unfortunately this puts the employer too close to the candidate and the process of hiring. Hence the employer may make decisions which are more based on emotion than information.
No formal training in hiring: Hiring seems to be almost like an additional, unwanted and unimportant task which befalls a manager. So very few employers go through enough training to understand the intricacies of hiring.
Lack of funds: The employer is usually working with a limited budget and sacrifices getting hiring support from a consultant, background checks, use of assessments and proper legal counsel and ends up hiring a candidate that may have shown up as a problem employee if a more detailed investigation had taken place.
About the Author: Minesh Baxi is the co-author of "Stop Hiring Losers" and you can download free one hour audio overview of the book at http://www.StopHiringLosers.com
By Minesh Baxi
If you are a small business owner, quite often you are the only person who is making the hiring decisions. It is up to you to define job descriptions, collect resumes, interview and then decide who will be the best fit for the positions you need filled.
Obviously, all of this is over and above the daily requirements that you face to gain clients, manage the resources and make sure you are profitable. Doesn't it sound like a daunting task?
You have to be superhuman!
Quite often hiring comes across as an activity that does not need as much attention as possibly, courting a new client. With the never-ending list of things to be done, it is understandable as well.
Here are 5 reasons why small business owners fail to make good hiring decisions:
Lack of time: The business owner is swamped as discussed above and is unable to take the time to make sure that he is making the best hiring decision.
Needs a body right now: Typically a small business owner does not have enough back-up staff to handles tasks within the organization if an employee leaves. This creates a crisis and the employer is forced to make decisions too quickly. As you know - haste makes waste.
Too emotionally close to the decision: Due to lack of enough people to help make a hiring decision, the employer is the key decision maker and maybe, the only decision maker. Unfortunately this puts the employer too close to the candidate and the process of hiring. Hence the employer may make decisions which are more based on emotion than information.
No formal training in hiring: Hiring seems to be almost like an additional, unwanted and unimportant task which befalls a manager. So very few employers go through enough training to understand the intricacies of hiring.
Lack of funds: The employer is usually working with a limited budget and sacrifices getting hiring support from a consultant, background checks, use of assessments and proper legal counsel and ends up hiring a candidate that may have shown up as a problem employee if a more detailed investigation had taken place.
About the Author: Minesh Baxi is the co-author of "Stop Hiring Losers" and you can download free one hour audio overview of the book at http://www.StopHiringLosers.com
Thursday, January 15, 2009
According to the Dalai Lama . . .
My page-a-day calendar, "Insight from the Dalai Lama", offers really good advice for last Tuesday:
Follow the three R's:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Responsibility for all your actions.
I think that says it all . . .
Follow the three R's:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Responsibility for all your actions.
I think that says it all . . .
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hope and Faith
I had an interesting conversation this morning with a young man who used to work for us. He thanked me, initially, for believing in him; in placing him in a position, we gave him hope. He said that our finding him a position made him look at things a little differently; for the first time in a long time, he saw that people do care about others, and that he now had a way he could start to take care of his family again.
Then, he told me that he was downsized from his position last Friday and I couldn’t help but feel the devastation in his voice. He had spent the better part of the past year paying off bills, saving a little money, taking care of some personal issues, and preparing for his family’s future; and now this, effective immediately. Get your things and you’re done; leave now. What a terrible way to end something that you thought was so good? I understand the ‘safety and security’ reasoning behind it, don’t get me wrong, but where is the humanity in treating your employees like that?!?
I had no words of wisdom to offer; I don’t think he was looking for that. All I did for him was listen to his story and let him know I would do what I could to help him out. I tried to offer hope, but ‘hope’ won’t pay his bills right now. It could, however, help make things a little easier.
I’ve been working on (and off) this entry all day and have not come up with a good story or anecdote on how to lessen his pain, nor do I have a solution or resolution for him. I’ll still try to find him another position; I gave him my word I would do what I could for him. But, if I don’t find a position for him, I do hope he finds solid ground to land on. I know he will do well. He’s motivated, honest and hardworking. He knows who he is; he’ll continue to be true to himself. Maybe at the end of the day, that is what it is all about.
Then, he told me that he was downsized from his position last Friday and I couldn’t help but feel the devastation in his voice. He had spent the better part of the past year paying off bills, saving a little money, taking care of some personal issues, and preparing for his family’s future; and now this, effective immediately. Get your things and you’re done; leave now. What a terrible way to end something that you thought was so good? I understand the ‘safety and security’ reasoning behind it, don’t get me wrong, but where is the humanity in treating your employees like that?!?
I had no words of wisdom to offer; I don’t think he was looking for that. All I did for him was listen to his story and let him know I would do what I could to help him out. I tried to offer hope, but ‘hope’ won’t pay his bills right now. It could, however, help make things a little easier.
I’ve been working on (and off) this entry all day and have not come up with a good story or anecdote on how to lessen his pain, nor do I have a solution or resolution for him. I’ll still try to find him another position; I gave him my word I would do what I could for him. But, if I don’t find a position for him, I do hope he finds solid ground to land on. I know he will do well. He’s motivated, honest and hardworking. He knows who he is; he’ll continue to be true to himself. Maybe at the end of the day, that is what it is all about.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
'Dear Abby' on dress code
An interesting letter to 'Dear Abby', I hope she doesn't mind me posting it here!
Dear Abby,
I work for a large multinational company, and I am often shocked at the way people dress. Although there are clear business/casual guidelines, these lines are crossed by men and women alike. Talks behind closed doors have no effect. Sending out the corporate dress code to the staff has yielded no change in behavior.
I finally consulted the HR department and came up with an approved solution. The dress code was again sent out to all employees in my department, with the warning that the next violation would mean being sent home and deducting the time as a vacation day.
Sure enough, "Disco Dolly" showed up in a sheer, low-cut, sleeveless blouse with a micro-mini skirt and strappy sandals. When I sent her home, she complained that she was saving her vacation days. I told her she had violated the company's dress code -- again.
I also pointed out that her chances of promotion were now compromised thanks to the demonstration she had given that following simple instructions was beyond her capabilities. If you want to be regarded as a serious professional, dress like one! Some "suggestions":
1. DRESS FOR SUCCESS, not sex. Women should not dress like streetwalkers. Leave the sexy, short, filmy dresses, cleavage-baring blouses and spaghetti straps for your personal life. This is an office, not a cocktail party.
2. COVER UP. No sandals or designer flip-flops. We don't want to see your pedicure, your toe rings, the crust on your heels, or smell your feet.
3. MAKE IT FIT. Anything that hugs the body too tightly is not right for the office. We have a woman working here who looks like a sausage stuffed in a floral polyester casing. It's hard to take her seriously. The same goes for a man whose pants are so tight that you can tell his religion. Ditto for pants that are so loose and low-slung you can see his underwear or her thong.
4. DON'T POLLUTE. By this I mean go easy on the fragrance. Some people have breathing problems and allergies. Do not pollute the office with a scent that arrives 10 minutes before you do and lingers hours after you've gone. This applies to men as well as women.
5. BATHE. There seems to be a new "natural" cult popping up whose adherents believe that washing removes vital oils from the skin and should be avoided. This phenomenon is more often, but not always, a male habit. Anyone in close contact with others should bathe or shower DAILY. -- TRYING TO RUN A BUSINESS IN FLORIDA
DEAR TRYING: I'm willing to wager that your letter will be posted on millions of bulletin boards in the business world. Your "suggestions" make good sense. While many companies allow employees to dress down on "casual Fridays," any business that wants the people it hires to be taken seriously should impress upon them that they must present themselves in a professional manner. Some companies do this in the form of an employee manual that lays it out in black and white. Because your directive was ignored, you were right to let "Disco Dolly" know there would be a penalty for noncompliance.
Dear Abby,
I work for a large multinational company, and I am often shocked at the way people dress. Although there are clear business/casual guidelines, these lines are crossed by men and women alike. Talks behind closed doors have no effect. Sending out the corporate dress code to the staff has yielded no change in behavior.
I finally consulted the HR department and came up with an approved solution. The dress code was again sent out to all employees in my department, with the warning that the next violation would mean being sent home and deducting the time as a vacation day.
Sure enough, "Disco Dolly" showed up in a sheer, low-cut, sleeveless blouse with a micro-mini skirt and strappy sandals. When I sent her home, she complained that she was saving her vacation days. I told her she had violated the company's dress code -- again.
I also pointed out that her chances of promotion were now compromised thanks to the demonstration she had given that following simple instructions was beyond her capabilities. If you want to be regarded as a serious professional, dress like one! Some "suggestions":
1. DRESS FOR SUCCESS, not sex. Women should not dress like streetwalkers. Leave the sexy, short, filmy dresses, cleavage-baring blouses and spaghetti straps for your personal life. This is an office, not a cocktail party.
2. COVER UP. No sandals or designer flip-flops. We don't want to see your pedicure, your toe rings, the crust on your heels, or smell your feet.
3. MAKE IT FIT. Anything that hugs the body too tightly is not right for the office. We have a woman working here who looks like a sausage stuffed in a floral polyester casing. It's hard to take her seriously. The same goes for a man whose pants are so tight that you can tell his religion. Ditto for pants that are so loose and low-slung you can see his underwear or her thong.
4. DON'T POLLUTE. By this I mean go easy on the fragrance. Some people have breathing problems and allergies. Do not pollute the office with a scent that arrives 10 minutes before you do and lingers hours after you've gone. This applies to men as well as women.
5. BATHE. There seems to be a new "natural" cult popping up whose adherents believe that washing removes vital oils from the skin and should be avoided. This phenomenon is more often, but not always, a male habit. Anyone in close contact with others should bathe or shower DAILY. -- TRYING TO RUN A BUSINESS IN FLORIDA
DEAR TRYING: I'm willing to wager that your letter will be posted on millions of bulletin boards in the business world. Your "suggestions" make good sense. While many companies allow employees to dress down on "casual Fridays," any business that wants the people it hires to be taken seriously should impress upon them that they must present themselves in a professional manner. Some companies do this in the form of an employee manual that lays it out in black and white. Because your directive was ignored, you were right to let "Disco Dolly" know there would be a penalty for noncompliance.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
It's not what you know or who you know, it's who knows you
It used to be such a common saying; "It's not what you know, but who you know". In today's ever-changing marketplace, we have to add "it's who knows you' to make that statement legitimate.
True, most say you get your next job through referrals. To a point, anyway. Just because you know, or are thinking about someone, doesn't mean they are thinking about you.
When looking for a new position, it is important that YOU come to mind first for the person who will be hiring. When working with a staffing company, or several of them, it's important to stay in touch ON A REGULAR BASIS with your recruiter. Just because you met once doesn't mean you are guaranteed a job. It may take some time and the more you stay in touch with your recruiter; the more your recruiter gets to know you, the more likely they will be able to find a position for you. The better your recruiter knows you, the easier it will be to place you. That is the key in developing a successful relationship with a staffing company.
Discuss with your recruiter(s) how often to make contact. And then stick to the plan! Make sure you come to mind first with your recruiters; it could make all the difference!
True, most say you get your next job through referrals. To a point, anyway. Just because you know, or are thinking about someone, doesn't mean they are thinking about you.
When looking for a new position, it is important that YOU come to mind first for the person who will be hiring. When working with a staffing company, or several of them, it's important to stay in touch ON A REGULAR BASIS with your recruiter. Just because you met once doesn't mean you are guaranteed a job. It may take some time and the more you stay in touch with your recruiter; the more your recruiter gets to know you, the more likely they will be able to find a position for you. The better your recruiter knows you, the easier it will be to place you. That is the key in developing a successful relationship with a staffing company.
Discuss with your recruiter(s) how often to make contact. And then stick to the plan! Make sure you come to mind first with your recruiters; it could make all the difference!
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