5 Tips for New Recruiters

5 Tips for New Recruiters The world of recruiting can be a lot of fun and make you very successful early on in your career. However it of course comes with its fair share of headaches. As a new recruiter you have to be prepared for the world you are about to enter because while it can be very fruitful it is also very demanding. 1. Take notes It goes without saying that taking notes on anything new you learn is essential. You may think you retain everything mentally, but you are fooling yourself. As a recruiter myself I am a bit biased to just how important note taking is. You will learn so much on what it takes to make it as a recruiter, it is imperative you write this information down to constantly refer back to. Also note taking helps you develop key skills in recruiting. Even when you are 10, 15, 20 years into your career you will still be taking notes. Whether it is taking notes while screening candidates or taking a requirement from a client, you will burn through plenty of notepads in your career. 2. Reach out to others There’s no one way to be successful in recruiting. The path to success in recruiting can come from thousands of different roads. You should soak in information from as many sources as possible. When I first started out in the industry I met with as many successful people in my office as I could and learned what made them a success. Don’t stop there, you should also look into getting a mentor. Some of the major recruiting companies have some sort of mentor program, but make sure to reach out to one on your own. Also, use social media to your advantage. Get on LinkedIn or Twitter (some areas of Facebook work too) and start connecting with successful people in the industry. The one good thing about recruiters is they are not shy about being active on social media so they won’t be hard to find. Also look into recruiting podcasts, there are plenty out there.  I would start with checking out Drive Thru HR and Recruiting Animal. 3. Have a strong work ethic The old way of thinking in recruiting when it came to work ethic was you had to be willing to work 7 am to 10 pm. Honestly this is a very outdated way of thinking. I have worked around some amazingly successful people that made a 9-5 schedule look like a joke. However that does not mean you shouldn’t have a strong work ethic. There will still be times you don’t leave the office until 8:00 at night regularly. Work ethic isn’t about the hours you put in as much as it is about the dedication you have. You must be able to dedicate yourself to your career. You need to have a “do whatever it takes” mentality. Whether that means working until dark, working on the weekends or not giving up until the job gets done. You need to have the mentality that you will do whatever is required of you to find success. 4. Work smarter, not harder This saying is pretty cliché but it applies here. When I first started recruiting I got a piece of advice that I’ll never forget: “cast a wide net”. What it means is that you need to be able to find the candidates you are looking for as soon as possible. You should be developing the contacts in your industry to get you in front of candidates immediately. Cold calling candidates to fill a requirement takes twice the time as it would if you are connected in the industry so well that the candidates are at least aware of who you are immediately. If you are going to focus on a specific industry you need to make sure your name is commonly known in that community. 5. Be ready to fail Recruiting is like hitting in baseball. A .300 average in baseball is considered somewhat successful. Which means in 10 bats a hitter will only make contact 3 times. Recruiting operates under similar conditions. We are dealing with an unstable product: people. People are going to make the decisions they want that won’t always be in your favor (i.e. accept a counter offer and not the position you are offering). You have to be ready to face this kind of rejection head on and continue to be successful. If you aren’t ready to hear the word “No” a long term career in recruiting may not be for you.

Writing a Resume on a Deadline

Writing a Resume on a DeadlineWriting a resume is one of the best ways to become employable. When you are filling in an application for a job, it is important that you make your resume stand out among other resumes. This article will highlight some of the things you should consider when you write a resume on a deadline.When creating a resume, the first thing you should do is to list all the relevant skills and qualifications you have. You should then focus on the different areas of your job experience and accomplishments. In order to be more professional, you can list them by job role. You should write your resume based on these areas.Next, you should focus on highlighting the relevant skills you have. You should start with a brief summary of the skills you have listed. This will give you an idea of what you need to emphasize in your resume.After you summarize your career, you should highlight your major accomplishments. A few examples of this would be if you were involved in the dev elopment of new software program. This would be an example of a major accomplishment. You should also emphasize the areas in which you are very proficient.The next step is to list all the jobs you have held over the years and this will give you an idea of what the present position is. You should then list the organizations you have been involved with. This will give you an idea of how you can contribute to the organization and how you can fulfill the different responsibilities involved.Organizations will vary greatly. The most important thing to remember when writing a resume is that each organization is different. You should list what the job you are currently working is in relation to the organization you are applying for. This will allow you to differentiate yourself from others who are applying for the same position.Your next step is to list any awards you may have received. It is important to include these awards as part of your resume so that they are included in the letter of recommendation that is provided to the hiring manager. It is even more important to make sure the letters are forwarded to the appropriate person.When writing a resume on a deadline, you need to plan ahead. It is a good idea to develop a rough draft of your resume. If you don't have a copy of your resume, there are many resume writers who are willing to write a resume based on the exact specifications you provide.

Personal Branding Interview Peter Bregman - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Peter Bregman - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Peter Bregman, who is the author of Point B, a consultant and blogger at Harvard Business School Publishing.   In this interview, Peter talks to us about leadership in corporations, how people change everyday, not using your gut to make decisions, how to climb the corporate ladder and why failure is a success principle. How has the role of a leader inside a corporation changed in the past few years? How do you define true leadership? Leadership in corporations used to be easier when people simply did what leaders told them to do. If that ever really happened, It certainly doesnt anymore. Now, even though they are paid, employees are volunteers. They decide what work they want to do, where they want to work, and how they want to work. If theyre not happy, theyll leave. Or at least the good ones will. Corporations used to have a commitment to their people that inspired loyalty. People stayed at one company forever. Just ask your father. Or his father. But now, after decades of layoffs, no one expects a company to be loyal and no one has loyalty to his or her company. True leadership is when people want to follow you because they respect you. They believe in what youre trying to do in the world. They believe in how youre trying to do it. And they want to support the vision you set before them. True leaders influence those around them because those around them share ownership for the leaders vision. True leaders know how to garner that ownership. People used to say that leadership was all about character. Now thats really true. Why do employees resist change? What can companies do about it? I disagree with the premise of your question. Employees dont resist change. People change effortlessly every day. They change jobs, they get married, they have babies, they move. People make the changes they want to make. The dont resist change. They resist being changed. What can companies do about it? They can stop trying to make people change. Trying to get buy which is just another word for a sell job is a mistake. Dont tell people whats in it for them. Let them make that judgment themselves. Be honest, transparent, in your decisions. Let people know the challenges. And then give them choices. In my book, Point B: A Short Guide to Leading a Big Change, I discuss a number of strategies to let other people make choices while still moving them towards your goals. One of those strategies is Get it Half Right. Most leaders of change try to make their change perfect. They create beautiful binders, training programs, communication plans. But those things alienate people â€" making them feel like the change is being done to them. No one cant write him or herself into a perfected change. Theres no room left; its already perfect. People own things they create themselves. So by getting the change half right and then letting employees finish it â€" letting them make changes to the change â€" youll garner their ownership. If you encourage people implement their own ideas, why would anyone resist? One of your recent HBS blog posts is called To get what you want, dont go with your gut. Can you explain this? Our guts tells us to do all sorts of stupid things. Like yell back when someone yells at us. Or send a pissy email in response to one that seemed pissy to us. Or eat that huge ice cream sunday when were on a diet (thats literally your gut talking). We are emotional animals and often act in the heat of the moment. Thats a mistake we often regret once we cool down. Sometimes, your gut is a valuable tool, sending you insights you wouldnt otherwise notice. Other times it encourages you to react when you should respond more thoughtfully. Its important and useful to know the difference. How can an individual, whos trying to go through the ranks in a company get from point A to point B? Engage as many other people as possible in their work efforts. A mistake I often see people make is that they try to prove themselves. They try to get visibility, promote themselves and their work. But that behavior reads junior. Senior people? They try to get visibility for other people. They grow their employees and colleagues. Other people appreciate that. They notice it. When promotion time comes, who do you think other people want to promote â€" the self-promoter or the person who gives others the credit? Not only do credit-sharers improve other peoples work and the overall work product, they are also widely liked. No one can get to point B in a corporation alone. It helps more than you can imagine to be liked. Do people need to fail at some point in order to succeed? At many, many points. I dont believe that people can succeed without failing. Often.   Failure means youre operating at your edge. Sometimes you fall, other times you perform exceptionally. But you never know unless you push the boundaries. I would say that getting comfortable with failure, and learning from failure, is probably the best thing you can do if you want to succeed. High achieving people are most motivated when they are working on tasks in which they have a 50-70% chance of success. That means they fail 30-50% of the time. Thats a great rule of thumb. Peter Bregman speaks, writes, and consults about how to lead and how to live. He is the CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global management consulting firm, and advises CEOs and their leadership teams. You can sign up here to be notified when he writes a new article. He is the author of Point B: A Short Guide To Leading a Big Change, writes a weekly column called How We Work at Harvard Business.org and is a regular contributor at cnn.com. He can be reached at pbregman@bregmanpartners.com or though his website at PeterBregman.com.

Achieved Your Goal Reach for More - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Achieved Your Goal Reach for More - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There are certain truths about successful people. The first is that they’re always learning. The second is that they’re always reaching for more. Not in a greedy way, but in a desire to reach their potential and live a fulfilled life. They understand that the attainment of a goal isn’t the end of the road. There is always more to see, do and be. Here are a few tips to stretching yourself to go beyond what you thought was possible. 1) Identify areas that you’re in a rut or feel restless and discontent. Reaching a goal is a great feat, but sustaining it can result in feeling settled and unchallenged. 2) Set the next goal above and beyond. Maybe you don’t feel settled at reaching your goal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t push further. Having reached your goal, identify the next level to strive for. For example, can you move up further in your career or set higher sales goals in your business? 3) Determine the tasks required to move you beyond your rut to reach the next goal. Do you need to continue what you did before or do something else? 4) Fit your new goal and tasks into your daily schedule. If you’ve already achieved some goals, you know that they don’t come to fruition on their own. It takes action to make them a reality. 5) Watch yourself grow and achieve more than you initially thought. There is a saying that success in life is a journey not a destination, and it’s true. You should feel proud at achieving your goals, but you should never stop and rest on your laurels. Always be learning and reaching to do and be more.

Resume Writing Workshops - Learn New Techniques in Writing Resumes

Resume Writing Workshops - Learn New Techniques in Writing ResumesIn the resume writing workshops, you can learn how to do everything from writing an effective cover letter to the more complex topics on how to build a perfect resume. You will also be provided with a business card template that helps you in not only the organization of your cards but also in organizing and using them properly. The workshop provides an opportunity for you to get all the information and samples that you need to make your job easier.Resume writing workshops are being held by some companies to help their employees obtain better and faster employment. The workshops are a good way to learn and gain new ideas and techniques of doing things in the professional world. Besides this, you can also use the workshop to learn about the process and other methods used by successful professionals in building resumes. After attending the workshop, you would definitely see a difference in your work.You can actually learn a new and innovative way of approaching everything that is happening around you. You may not have seen this process before and it might be exciting to learn this. By participating in these workshops, you will be exposed to all the various methods of doing things in the field of resume writing. You can also come up with new ideas and techniques to improve your writing skills. One of the essential things that you will learn is how to effectively organize your cards so that you do not waste time.The first step is to choose a business card template that is most appropriate for your type of work and the industry that you are targeting. You can choose from many templates available in the market today and then tailor it according to your requirements.Next step is to customize the template so that it will suit one's personality and style. There are many steps involved in making the template, which include the setting of colors, the placement of your logo, the typeface and many more. All th ese are important things that need proper attention so that the template can meet your needs.The next step is to start putting in your personal information, whether it is your date of birth, address, phone number, work history and so on. The purpose of creating such card template is to make it easier for the person reading it. It should be written in a way that can encourage people to read it.After this, you can start using the sample cards to learn more about the process of applying for jobs and also how to create a CV. There are many guides and samples available online that can guide you in making your own resume. You can also make the resume look more professional and interesting, as well as useful for the company or employer.Resume writing workshops are a great place for the aspiring professionals to learn about the various methods of building resumes. You can also learn how to make a resume to get a job, as well as how to develop a CV. With these methods, you can improve your w ork so that you can earn a higher salary and quality of life.

Career Lessons I learnt from watching MAD MEN CareerMetis.com

Career Lessons I learnt from watching MAD MEN I am sure you have heard about or watched the AMC show Mad Men. The show is set in the 1960s â€" it is about the lives of executives of a fictional Ad Agency called Sterling Cooper. The show has won numerous accolades for the cast and also depciting historical accuracies. For many who were not in the US during the 60s â€" this show is a great refresher. Don Draper is definitely a genius Ad-man, and that is evident from his Lucky Strike Pitch from the very first episode. There are numerous pitches in the show where Don Draper just wows everybody with his expertise â€" 1. The Lucky Strike Pitch 2. The Carousel Pitch 3. The Lipstick PitchAbsolute genius!! You would think.But Don Draper did not start that way. Throughout the show, they show us Don’s history about his upbringing, his life in the military, his experience selling cars, and then selling fur coats â€" all the way to how he got his job at Sterling Cooper. He definitely did not start out as an expert or genius.Pete Campbell is another great example from the show. In the first episode, I am sure you got the feeling that he was a self-absorbed prick who wasn’t as good as he projected himself to be. But fast-forward 7 seasons Too many times, we look at someone else’s success and we become envious. Worse we doubt ourselves ” I don’t think I can reach that position” “How can I become as good as that guy?” ” I am not sure if I have the stuff to be an executive”.Every Master was once a disaster. Everyone started out as a beginner. Everyone started out at the bottom. There is no such thing as a born-leader or a born-salesman. Everyone is born a baby!! And we learn things as we progress through our careers and life.Just give yourself time, with the effort with the proper attitude you too can become a Master.2. Never be Afraid to be a Beginner againevalIn the show, there are many events where Don Draper is forced to start all over again â€" a new job, a new company, new marriage, new city,etc. And every time he would do just that, and eventually come out on top.My favourite episode from Mad Men is Episode 13, Season 3 “Shut the Door and Have a Seat”. Everyone including Don is faced with a choice â€" either get purchased by a huge company In Season 5, Don Roger approach Dow Chemical 4. Your Reputation MattersIn Season 4, the newly formed Ad agency SCDP is a startup surviving in a hyper-competitive advertising world, and they are in serious trouble. One of their key account Lucky Strike calls it quits â€" they no longer want to do business with them. S*** hits the fan, and everything is in chaos- soon they are losing more clients, losing revenue and have to eventually downsize. The future of the company is at stake.Social Proof, Star Power, Subject Matter Expertise, Personal Branding â€" you can call it different names â€" it all boils down to this â€" Your Reputation Matters.And in this modern hyper-connected world â€" it matters even more than before. People can qui ckly assess your knowledge, your expertise and how good you really are within minutes (without even meeting you). And the better your reputation (in what you do) the more sought out you will be.Whether you are company or an individual, your reputation matters. And word always gets around. So guard your reputation like a sacred thing. If you are a good marketer strive to be a great one; If you are great salesperson strive to be a master. The more valuable your become â€" the better job offers you will receive, the better opportunities start knocking on your door and of-course more money you will make.Eventually in Season 4, SCDP does get good news. They have weathered the storm and eventually win a key car account Jaguar. And there fortunes also change with that win. We watch in the following seasons that they become a respected agency â€" winning more business, more reputation, etc. And the career(s) of Don Draper, Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell also soars.5. Become IndispensableLetâ €™s face the truth â€" we know that most of us are Expendable or Replaceable. If there is something I have learnt from the recent recession â€" nobody is immune to being sacked or being downsized. It happens to everyone from a store clerk to the CEO. But can you insure against that? Can you make yourself Employable for Life?Ofcourse!!In season 3, Sterling Cooper has been acquired. One of my favourite scenes is where the new owners of the company are suggesting a change in the Leadership and Company Culture. The previous owners Bert,Roger and especially Don are not happy with the change.Don makes a stand. He makes it clear that he does not want to be part of such changes. And he makes his point. As a result, you notice that the new owners do not completely move ahead with their proposed changes.Again in Season 7 when Don Draper is on the verge of being fired from his own company â€" Roger defends him by saying that Don can easily walk down the street and with his skills and reputatio n â€" work with another agency and win all their clients. Even though Don’s position was weak- he still carried more power because of his skills,expertise,client relationships,etc.No matter what you do make yourself Indispensable. The more indispensable you are â€" the more options you have within your job, of-course the more money you make, the better negotiation power you have.You don’t need to play mind-tricks or manipulate others- If all you do is just become the best you can be, the more harder it will be to replace you. Become irreplaceable, become indispensable and you will have a more secure stronger career.What are some of the lessons your learnt from MAD MEN?

Summary Sunday Beyond Basics Job Search Tips

Summary Sunday Beyond Basics Job Search Tips You probably need help, beyond the basics, with your job search. Thats why I am sharing these job search tips. Im always  looking for articles  that answer the un-asked job seeker questions. As I talk with people about their searches, I notice there are often gaps in knowledge. Its because you dont look for a job often enough to learn the subtle nuances. You may generally understand some things, but there are scenarios or situations that you havent experienced. Face it, you dont know what you dont know. Every Summary Sunday is a round-up of my favorite posts others have written. Ive shared them on Twitter and I want to call your attention to them here! Put Google to Work for Your Job Search  on Aol Jobs by Susan P. Joyce In order to get the right results from your Google searches, it helps to know a bit about how to ask the question the right way. Susan shows you how to search for a specific term (or job title), how to search using multiple terms, how to search by site and more! Breaking Into StartUps on Medium by Rubén A. Harris Even if you dont want to work for a startup,  Rubéns story applies. He chronicles every step he took to move from investment banking into the tech scene. His change was  not only an industry move  but geographically too,  from NYC to the West Coast. If you really want to know what it takes to make it happen, please read his post. Im pretty sure you wont. But for those who do, I think youll pick up some great ideas. And thanks to Steve Levy for sharing this  on Twitter. Have You Found These 10 Hidden LinkedIn Features? on Power Formula by  Wayne Breitbarth LinkedIn changes a lot. If you dont use it regularly, then you may have missed some of these 10 features. Interviewing Your Next Boss on Absolutely Abby by Abby Kohut The interview is a 2-way street. The company is asking you questions, but you MUST ask your own set of questions. This collection by Abby is spot on! Follow her advice and youll be much better informed about your potential new job and manager. My First 90 Days: Slow Down and Take the Time to Learn on LinkedIn by Josh Bersin of Bersin by Deloitte. Your first 90 days on the job are critical. They can make or break you. It is such an important topic, one not to be taken for granted, that LinkedIn featured it as a topic for Influencers to write about. You can see all the posts and gain pearls of wisdom on how to start your job off on the right foot. Heres a link to a list of all the posts written on this topic.

How important is LinkedIn for your job hunt -

How important is LinkedIn for your job hunt - Do you have to be on LinkedIn? What do you need to know about this network? These were some questions a reporter asked me, so I thought Id share the answers with you. 1) So the main thing is the LinkedIn myth. Everyone is on it; everyone says you HAVE to be on it. But why? Should you view LI as a visibility tool? A networking tool? A place to find jobs? All of the above? Or does it depend on your status? Lets put it in perspective. If you are serious about your professional, digital footprint (what people will find out about you when they Google your name), you should have a LinkedIn profile. Creating an optimized profile (completely filled in and focused on describing exactly what you offer) will help people find you when they search online because LinkedIn is optimized for search.LinkedIn is all of the aboveStatistic show that over 90% of recruiters are using it to source hires. LinkedIn users post jobs, and when you view the descriptions, you can see who posted it and how you are connected to that person or organization via LinkedIn. You can also see how many people have applied for the job via LinkedIn. These tools make it useful as a job search/applying for jobs tool. Many companies will allow you to apply for jobs using a one-click option where you use you LinkedIn profile instead of filling out an application. For these reasons, its a good idea to have a profile for job search.LinkedIn is a networking to ol for everyone even if they are not looking for jobs. Its a place to connect with and keep track of people you meet and people you worked with in the past. Many people find its a good idea to build their online network before they need it, because when they may want to rely on their contacts for advice or information, its easy to turn to a well-developed network on LinkedIn.Ive often written that LinkedIn is important for visibility. The issue of it being optimized for search (meaning LinkedIn delivers information directly to Google) is one reason to use it. Some people have no other professional information about themselves online. That said, its important to also consider building a more robust online profile and not to rely ONLY on LinkedIn.People should consider having their own, professional website (a social resume) and also use other online tools to help build a robust digital footprint (such as Twitter, Google+ and Facebook).Finally, people can use LinkedIn to demonstrate their expertise. For example, in Groups, people can connect and share their expertise, as well as via updates. When you update your status, you let your network know what youre thinking about and you can share news and useful information. 2) Obviously, joining any social network isnt enough. Then you have to know the system, the ins and outs that will give you the professional visibility you want. What are three smart things most people may not realize about how to leverage LI for their goals. Dont just set it and forget it. Update your status and search other peoples status via LinkedIns Signal (under the news tab). You can find a lot of interesting information when you look to see what people are posting and sharing and people can find what you share, too. Be sure to include keywords in your profile and in your titles. Think about what words people will use to search for someone like you and add those to your titles, your headline and your descriptions. A network isnt useful unless you use it. Join a few strong, useful groups. (Evaluate groups by scrolling down and looking at the insightful statistics on this group link.) Choose active groups comprised of the demographics you want to know. Keep track of how many people are viewing your profile and ask people who do view your profile to connect or otherwise follow up. For example, I noticed you visited my LinkedIn profile. I hope you agree we have a lot of professional interests in common, and I was wondering if youd be willing to connect online, and possibly set up a quick introductory phone call to see if there are ways we may be able to help each other. 3. With everyone trying to Link to you, whom should you accept? Only people in your field? Or maybe it doesnt mattersince the more connections you have, the more synchronicity there is? This is a matter of opinion. Some believe you should connect with everyone. Others say only people you know in person. Others go with only if there is a reason. There are reasons to have a large network, as it puts you in contact with more people and you will access more information as a result of that larger network. Personally, if someone asks for a connection and tells me why we should connect, I generally accept. For example, I read your blog and enjoy your books. Can we connect? I dont personally accept every random invitation, especially the ones that seem to be spam.