Candidate Screening Dashing Through the Maze

Candidate Screening Dashing Through the Maze Part One We’ve all been candidates at one stage. Its a rite of passage. If you are not one of the lucky few who have been offered a position through a family member or friend, you’ve probably submitted a CV online through a job board or applied through a company website. At this stage you’ve entered a labyrinth of twists and turns and sometimes a pit of despair, and so find yourself asking  Is my application being looked at? Do people care? Why did I never receive a call? Why is my self-worth so horribly damaged by all of this? The Desktop Screening Process From a corporate recruiters perspective, (whom average around 30-40 open positions at a time), the first sweep is a ruthless cull (Don’t worry, its not you; its what you’ve done and what you know). Recruiters will catch the first glance of your application in their inbox or more likely an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which may sound like a new terminator model, but it’s what we recruiters use to maintain control over what cannot be controlled; the hiring process. The ‘system’ even rates you; that’s right, in many large organizations the software makes the decision for recruiters and your CV is put through a funnel, reducing the number of applications from 100+ to often around 10 based on keywords and questions. That’s the start. Smart recruiters will double check the original list of applications on the off-chance a hidden gem is concealed amongst the masses; if not, you have probably already been sent an automated decline email which seems impersonal because it is. In an ideal world, a recruiter will talk you through the why’s and wherefore’s but with time pressures, it is often not possible. Again, practices differ but if your CV shows promise in other areas you are then added to what is called a ‘’pipeline’’ or ‘’talent pool’’ for future consideration. Ultimately, if you pass this stage you’ve done well when you consider the sheer volume of applications. If the recruiter called you instead â€" it’s because the role is confidential OR they simply have had no response from advertising. Take it as a compliment. Whether this part of the process remains as key as it is today shall likely be revealed over time and with automation and job aggregator capability in mind. Talent Acquisition leaders talk of ‘talent pools’ (a pool of talent: often a folder on a desktop or in rare circumstances a real-time database of validated and available talent) to bring down ‘cycle-time’ (how long it takes to hire someone), but in reality many teams still cannot get this right due to the time and resource investment.  Regardless, every new role is an opportunity to get the brand out there, generate interest and excite more people so for now, enjoy the ride. I’ve rarely seen candidates talk their way from a decline email into what is known as the long-list, but don’t be disheartened. It’s happened to the best of us.   The Phone Screen This call is almost certainly one of the most overlooked parts of your journey, predominantly because people are caught off-guard almost every time. Why? Because it is unexpected. An appointment has not been made, you have not had time to prepare and suddenly a hand shoots out of the maze wall and hands you a receiver. I’ve declined many applications at this point based on what may seem to candidates, to simply be a delightful exchange of words, and here’s why: If you’ve applied for a position with the company I represent but have no recollection of the event, that tells me all I need to know about your attention to detail, level of interest and personal administration skills. You don’t have to take the call because your phone is ringing… particularly not whilst answering the call of nature or consuming a meal that allows only a grunt in response. If you’ve made it to phone screen you will almost undoubtedly be called back, perhaps let this one go. If you simply cannot resist the urge, then answer and offer to call back in an hour from a more quiet location. Recruiters are phone ‘’experts’’.  We spend an inordinate amount of time interviewing, talking and listening.  You’d be surprised what a voice can give away. Not only are we listening to your words, but the inflections in your voice, your volume, your breathing, what’s happening around you etc. The point of this call which can easily fall within the bracket of a pseudo first interview is to clarify a few items with candidates.  We use it to double-check any gaps in work history and more often than not, discover salary expectations and availability. As with any step of the process, its make or break. You’re either going to stumble over your words and replay the conversation over in your head for an eternity or nail it and make the list of individuals being put in front of hiring managers. Its an important conversation so treat is as such. Part Two takes you deeper into the often murky depths of the process and the climactic interview, negotiation and hire… Author: The ‘Acquirer’ â€"  No small dose of healthy HR skepticism. A career in Talent Acquisition leadership in global companies from the heat of the Asia Pacific to the crisp air of Europe.   Pragmatic, strategic, and every now and again… serious.

My Internship Experience and How to Get One!

My Internship Experience and How to Get One! I often get asked how to get an Internship. My answer is always: keep applying and keep trying!   I did a year in industry placement with  Scottish and Southern Energy, the second largest power generation business in the UK. Now, what worked for me when I got my placement? I applied to a total of 76 companies, and being a guy obsessed with data, I was crazy enough to keep a count of it. I got through to the next stage of 13, reached the final stage of interviews for five of them and finally, one placement. The whole process started in January 2009 and I got a placement offer in July 2009. I started applying for companies through the online application forms, and with time, I started to get in the groove. I realised I could answer a particular question differently the more I applied, the more the words started falling into place. With practice and rejections, I realised that mistakes are always made, but also how they could be avoided in further applications. During the final interview, the employer is interested in you and wants to know if you can carry yourself well in their environment and do the job well. Every time I was rejected, I asked for personal feedback and improved from it. With experience and feedback, in later interviews, I was calm and composed, smiling whilst answering, and talking and expressing positive energy. A good few months into the job, I asked why I got selected, and this was the response: I was flexible on moving for work, my answers showed that I had done my research well, I was a social person, I had other activities on my CV and used them to my advantage whilst showing soft skills. Extracurricular activities are very important; they make you a balanced person. My company searched my name online to check I hadn’t got anything ‘stupid’ online, so it is of paramount importance that a person’s online image is clean. With Facebook and Twitter, people should be careful with what they post. My internship experience helped me improve my business communication, made me more aware and appreciative of the selection process and made me understand the vacancy requirements clearly. Now, what about unpaid internships? Personally, I am against them. I realise the effort I put into my work, and as much as I respect the experience, we have to be realistic about the need to earn money. I have been lucky to be in a field where a paid internship is the norm. But I have to admit that in some industries, an unpaid internship is the way in. So, as a student, you must review the pros and cons, on a case by case basis. For instance, if the BBC offers an unpaid internship, then it’s worth looking into, as it is a good employer to have on your CV. Let me share an important hint for those looking for longer internships and placements. If there is an offer of 12 weeks and you are looking for six months or more, then my advice is, get the 12-week thing going, do your best, so much so that the company realises that you are an asset, and if you want to carry on, they might extend it somehow. I did it â€" I got in for 12 weeks and came out with 15 months of high quality experience. If you have a similar story to share, please do leave a comment and good luck to those of you looking for an internship. (The following posts was written by the author during the time he was contracted for writing for  UOL Careers Blog, where the post appears in original) (This article was also published in Careers 360, a popular careers related magazine for students in Mumbai, India) 1

Energize Your Personal Brand With Wordpress 2.5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Energize Your Personal Brand With Wordpress 2.5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I typically dont post more than once a day unless I feel I have no other option. WordPress 2.5 is officially out, which means people who are using WordPress.org and hosting it on their own domain must download the new version, while we WordPress.comers have it automatically switched, without losing information. The improvements in 2.5 are numerous, and it took the collective feedback of the entire WordPress community to built the new look and feel.   Matt Mullenweg, in my opinion, is not only one of the smartest people Ive ever spoken with, but his brand is righteous and honest. I interviewed him for the 3rd issue of Personal Branding Magazine, if you remember. There is still time to get the sample issue before it is replaced by issue 4, which debuts in 2 weeks.   I wanted to quickly discuss the new features, how WordPress is doing and my opinion on the update.   Have a great weekend everyone! Here is a list of new features: Appeal Cleaner, faster, less cluttered dashboard Dashboard widgets customize your widgets to display the news and stats that you want Multi-file upload with progress bar select many multimedia elements and watch the progress of the upload (with 3 GB of space) Search posts and pages Tag management add, rename, delete tags from inside WordPress Concurrent editing protection it now automatically locks a post that someone is editing Friendlier visual post editor the code works now Built-in galleries you can now embed photo galleries if you upload many photos at once Why WordPress is the best (March Stats) 298,194 blogs were created. 381,855 new users joined. 2,242,997 file uploads. 3,225,059 posts and 1,420,975 new pages. 5,622,696 comments. 4,418,407 logins. My opinion My favorite feature is that you can add any type of multimedia content to your post with ease. This includes images, video, and audio. For video, you can choose between Flash, Quicktime, Shockwave, Windows Media and Real Media. You can also set options for this embedded media, such as the quality, scale and alignment, which you certainly couldnt maneuver before. I think the new color scheme was a mistake though because its too bright and its hard to see everything. The Dashboard is somewhat cluttered now, but it was a tradeoff to have more options and customization. Im really excited that Matt and his team are putting this much effort into a free service, so everyone in the world can have their very own blog, at minimal cost and with almost no technical expertise. What do you think about the new WordPress?

Become a Twitter Power User to Enhance Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Become a Twitter Power User to Enhance Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career With the many benefits of Twitter, it’s no wonder so many people are using it as part of their personal branding strategy. Not only can you market yourself and your expertise, but also you can connect with others you may have never had an opportunity to meet to in real life. Although you probably already have an account (if you don’t, sign up for one at www.twitter.com), are you considered a “power user?” And, how do you do this? Share relevant information You should already have a good grasp on your personal brand before you try to become a power user on Twitter. This means your complete bio and profile information should be filled out with your full name, website and experience/interests/expertise in your bio. When it comes to tweeting, the best advice to grow your following is to give, give, give to your followers. Share articles, advice, and information of value to your audience and you will reap the benefits from helping others. Be yourself Twitter is great for business and professional purposes â€" but it’s also known for being a relaxed, social atmosphere. Share some personal aspects of your life. Engage in conversation with others about your interests. Ask questions you may have that others can help you with. Talk about a funny thing that happened to you during your day â€" overall, come off as a real person! Grow your network Use sites such as TweepML.org to find lists of people who you’d like to get to know or follow. Check out who your followers suggest on Follow Fridays (#ff). Look at your friend’s lists of users to find new people to connect with. Search for keywords related to your expertise or interests. Find Twitter chats that you can engage in and share your expertise with those people. Participate Contribute to the community of Twitter by participating in Twitter chats, answering questions and taking polls, and creating your own content. Retweet other’s links and advice that are relevant to your followers. Start a hashtag or a Twitter chat if you have something that’s not being covered currently. Use Twitter to promote others blogs or content just as much (if not more) than your own. Check out different Twitter resources, applications, and sites to enhance your presence: Stats: TweetStats Location: TwitterLocal Organization: TweetDeck Pictures: Twitpic For more advice on becoming a power user, read 47 Twitter Power Users Secrets here. What other advice would you add? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @heatherhuhman.

How to Start Your Career as a Business Analyst - CareerMetis.com

How to Start Your Career as a Business Analyst Source : Pexels.comThere are many avenues available for becoming a Business Analyst. With so many career options available today it can be hard to know how to break into the field.This blog is like a handy guide to understanding every aspect of this profession as a Business Analyst, such as, what skills are required, salary expectations, the career progression available and much more.What Exactly Do Business Analysts do?evalWell, they assess a business model and its relation with the technology, considering issues, company’s target and thus providing Solutions. In other words, they bring Business together with IT resources.evalTheir main functionality includes, support the integration of new technology and develop a strategy of market and sales that satisfy the company’s goals accordingly. Let’s dive into today’s topic, i.e.Let us discuss the steps involved in becoming a business analyst in detail:Start Your Career as a Business AnalystLearn end-to-end information about Busin ess Analyst Profile:The first step involves becoming more knowledgeable about the critical roles of the Business analyst. Analyze it properly.We have seen many BA’s aspiring professionals in getting over investing to discover only that this career choice is not appropriate for them. That is the reason we recommend going through the learning skills first to decide whether this career approach is right for you or not.Skills required for becoming a Business Analyst:These are the following skills that one must tick off to become a Business analyst. Have a look:Excellent communicationProblem- solving skillsCritical thinkingAnalytical skillsVisual modeling and necessary IT skills, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.Apart from these, some transferable skills come from non-BA role using business analyst techniques.Other factors can include:Industry domain experience.Excellence in a broad collection of organizations and a comprehensive set of functional areas.Application Expertise.Well ex perienced in a specific process area, such as finance or HR.evalAfter going through and realizing your leverage point as well as these transferable skills, it’s high time to update your business analyst resume to showcase your experience qualification and abilities within or close to a business analyst.Analyze how to get started as a Business Analyst?Well, it’s unlikely to be a Business Analyst degree whether most business analysts have a university degree of some sort. The most known degrees of the business analyst are computer science or economics and business administration.Most of the business analysts start their careers in IT, Engineering or programming once they have gained necessary qualifications, be it a degree or simply work experience.evalThere are variously recognized examining bodies for Business Analysts. Additionally, there are many levels available you can qualify, such as business analysis foundation, business change, requirements engineering, and data analysis .You can even get certified from some recognized institute. These qualifications will also enhance your skills and thus opportunity in your industry.Get Tangible Feedback by Putting out Feelers:Once you have learned about the fundamental methods and now are enough confidence in your business analytic skills and your career choice, it’s time to get some real feedback.Try to circulate your resume to some companies to know exactly how your career goals are perceived by those that work with you or are in a position to hire you. Ask your manager for more opportunities to practice BA techniques, thus sharing your career goals.You will be surprised at the perceived feedback as a specific skill is exceptionally marketable to get you into a business analyst job role, or you might get some helpful guidelines or be strengthening your positioning for further steps.evalHow Much a Business Analyst Earns?There are various factors involved deciding the salaries of a business analyst like Experien ce industry and location, whether you’re a permanent staff member or contracted, adaptability, efficiency in fulfilling job roles, etc.Average Salary of a Business AnalystThe salary range varies according to the skills of business analysts across the industry, but an average salary for a business analyst is $ 94,576.If you are an experienced business analyst, then you can even go for the best offerings in the industry. It is a popular choice of employment as many requirements can be project-related.evalYou can develop your analyst skills by gaining excellent experience across different sectors and environments as a business analyst contractor.Job Responsibilities of Business AnalystsBusiness Analysts play a crucial role in bringing the business together with all possible IT resources. The decision-making process becomes entirely natural throughout the industry because they support the latest technology integration, develop marketing tactics, and take steps to increase sales to a g reat extent.They are impeccable with business models, their integration with the latest technology for benefiting the business. In this way they work efficiently towards achieving organizational targets with ease, addressing all issues effectively and suggest solutions for these issues using their excellent analytical skills.We can also say that Business Analyst never leaves a single chance to evolve the business using the latest trending methods.If a firm has an expert Business Analyst in their team, then reaching the target becomes easy and this process becomes faster than others.evalThere are many factors on which the workload of yours as a business analyst depends on factors like Company capacity, the industry you are working in, etc.Your Day to Day Responsibilities Includes Various Tasks Such As:Analyzing company dataMeasuring ways to enhance the company’s operationCommunicate the methods to your colleagues, boss or clients.Support different teams to make these changesEvaluat ionIn SummationThese are some of the steps that are involved in achieving your dream of becoming a business analyst. Enhance your knowledge, get to know the things better, work on your skills and get ready to fly high!

Technology to Build Teams

Technology to Build Teams 2018: The Year of the Team While the Chinese zodiac named 2018 as the Year of the Dog, we’ve named it the Year of the Team. We all know how important teamwork is to the success of any business. Business leaders and managers talk about it and want to do a good job of it, but the truth is, despite all the conversation around the importance of teamwork, most companies are using outdated methodologies that just don’t work. I recently interviewed Karen Gordon, CEO of 5 Dynamics, a leading company in the collaboration space, and she discussed the results of their most recent survey around teamwork and collaboration. -1- Your survey found that the majority of people work in teams, and a third of them have been frustrated enough by the experience to consider leaving their jobs. Were you surprised by this statistic? What can leaders do to overcome the frustration experienced by working in teams? No, we weren’t surprised at all. Companies have perfected the art of optimizing processes. They have taken the noise out of systems and streamlined production, but optimizing people is a much more daunting task. The intrinsic value of companies is locked up not only in its patents, but also in the intellectual capital of its employees. We all know this to be true, but historically, companies have not invested enough in optimizing relationships. Relationships can be difficult to navigate, for some more so than others, and until now, there was no easy way for people to decode those relationships. So, frustration ensues. Company leaders can address the teamwork challenge by making collaboration efforts an ongoing priority. Instead of once-a-year retreats or annual assessments, companies should be implementing collaboration tools and processes that employees apply on a daily basis. -2- Why do you think companies have historically shied away from investing in the optimization of their employees and valuable relationships? How can they start to build those smart investments? Companies like metrics. Measuring the cost of poor relationships is a difficult thing to do, but one indicator is employee turnover. By the time this metric is visible, though, it’s too late â€" you have already lost a good employee. Another metric companies are beginning to look at is engagement, but again, it is somewhat challenging to effectively measure something that is subjective. However, a good executive knows that the best strategies require high performing teams whose members are aligned around a single goal, able to trust one another, have healthy debate, and move forward in a unified way. We know that teams with diverse members outperform homogenous teams. Executives benefit from being intentional in selecting team members with diverse perspectives and skill sets, then creating conditions for that team to build trust. Trust comes from the knowledge that the team succeeds or fails together â€" psychological safety is the number one predictor of productive teams. When failure is seen as too risky, individuals will take steps to protect themselves, even when it comes at the expense of the team’s effort. Executives need to invest in promoting a company culture that supports trust among teams whose members are highly diverse. Team collaboration tools that employees can apply on an ongoing basis are a great foundation for that culture. -3- I see that the survey also pointed out that new leadership, company expansion, and motivating others all cause stress in employees. That seems natural, but what can managers and executives do to address and move past that stress? I think the best thing executives can do is spend time thinking purposefully about how their team operates, including what makes them tick personally and professionally. How can you motivate others if you do not know what inspires them? What work do they truly enjoy doing? How do they like to contribute? What is the best way to orient them to a new project or team? These are all questions any leader should be able to answer about her team, and the team should be able to answer about their leader. If a team member is able to contribute from her strengths, she will be more successful, engaged, and satisfied, even in the face of challenges or change. If she feels valued by an organization for the unique gifts that she brings to the table, and supported in any situation she faces, change is much easier to accept. Change causes stress, absolutely. Leaders can mitigate that stress by leveraging best practices in change management, communicating clearly and openly about what’s happening and why, and ensuring that employees have productive avenues for voicing their concerns and being heard. Uncertainty drives a lot of the anxiety and stress that employees experience. When leaders provide sufficient insight into company plans and priorities, employees can let go of the stress that comes with uncertainty and move forward with their work in a more productive mindset. -4- According to the survey, companies are implementing collaboration tools, but employees aren’t applying them. Why do you think this is, and how can managers and leaders support adoption that unlocks those associated benefits? I believe that most systems are too difficult to master. They require an intermediary to interpret the dataan internal HR, Leadership Organization Development (LOD) professional, or an outside coach for the lucky few who can afford one. Our philosophy is that everyone should have a simple system for decoding human relationships, so that’s what we have developed. It’s about removing the vagaries of personal relationships by giving stakeholders a very clear and explicit roadmap to bring out the best in others and themselves. Keeping things simple, strengths-based, and easy to follow is imperative for adoption and understanding. If people get it, they’re more inclined to like it; therefore, they apply it. That is what sets effective collaboration and teamwork resources apart in this space. Optimizing relationships is the new frontier in workforce management. Soft skills are increasingly outpacing technical skill and business acumen as must-haves for employees. Companies expect to be constantly teaching and training their workforce to improve technical and business skills, but it is far less common for people skills. Executives who invest in the necessary resources to improve team collaboration will see the increased productivity and lower turnover reflected in the bottom line. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class now and get the most comprehensive job search system available!

Make Sure That Your Resume Is Correct and Effective

Make Sure That Your Resume Is Correct and EffectiveIf you have ever thought about writing a resume, then you probably know that there are a lot of mistakes you can make that will get your application thrown into the trash. A great number of the mistakes have to do with grammar and spelling. However, another area where people make mistakes is in the outline of their resume.You need to outline all the information that you will be covering on your resume. The outline should include all the important things that the reader will want to know about you. It is up to you to make sure that you have enough information so that they will not just throw your resume away.To begin, you must begin the outline with your name and the city and state where you live. The next paragraph should also include your job history. This section should include all the jobs that you have held and the details that go along with them. In addition, it should also include the dates that you worked there.Next, you must list down the dates of your children's birth and deaths. You can also list down any other special achievements that you may have had as well. However, it is much better to have your accomplishments listed first because that is what the reader is looking for.In your resume writing services, NC, you need to have several bullet points that you can use to help make the important points very clear. These points will include all the dates of your employment. Also, you must list down your location if possible and the names of any institutions where you attended college.Then, you must list down all the information that you would like to include. This includes the names of the people you are going to contact and the names of the people that you are going to interview. You need to have an idea of the type of person that you are looking for.In addition, you must also explain why you would be the best choice for the position that you are applying for. All of the information that you include sho uld be relevant and should match the specific job description that you are seeking. You must make sure that it matches the person that you are speaking to as well.When the resume has been properly written, you must provide the headings that were given to you by the recruiter. You can go ahead and begin writing your cover letter. Finally, the rest of the details that you would like to include should be filled out by hand and included in the last three sections of the resume. Do not forget to include all of the dates of employment, the name of the employer, the job title, and the salary level.