In a world of high youth unemployment, where the supply of skilled labor often fails to match employer demand, Germany believes help can be found in its Dual Vocational Training System (TVET)—a time-tested economic model now incorporated into the Federal Republic’s law. This program, many supporters believe, is [...]]]> By Michael Dolgow, Bloomberg Businessweek

In a world of high youth unemployment, where the supply of skilled labor often fails to match employer demand, Germany believes help can be found in its Dual Vocational Training System (TVET)—a time-tested economic model now incorporated into the Federal Republic’s law. This program, many supporters believe, is the reason why Germany has the lowest jobless rate among young people of any industrialized nation in the world—around 7 percent or 8 percent. With so many Americans struggling to find employment after graduating high school and college it might be worth asking: Can the German approach be brought to the U.S.?

The German concept is simple: After students complete their mandatory years of schooling, usually around age 18, they apply to a private company for a two or three year training contract. If accepted, the government supplements the trainee’s on-the-job learning with more broad-based education in his or her field of choice at a publicly funded vocational school. Usually, trainees spend three to four days at work and one to two in the classroom. At the end, the theory goes, they come out with both practical and technical skills to compete in a global market, along with a good overall perspective on the nature of their profession. They also receive a state certificate for passing company exams, designed and administred by industry groups—a credential that allows transfer to similarly oriented businesses should the training company not retain them beyond the initial contract.

The advantages are clear. TVET ensures there’s a job ready for every young person enrolled in vocational school, because no one is admitted unless an employer has already offered a training contract. No job offer, no admission. In this way, there is less risk of heartbreak when years of hard work in university go unrewarded by an unforgiving market. Students also know what they’re getting before the first day of class. This contrasts with the U.S., where many young individuals take on exorbitant amounts of debt to attend college and grad school, only to find no placement on the other end.

“We need to address the issue of skills, because now we’re more interested in degress than in credentials,” says Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor Jane Oates. “Since 2009 we have had a growing number of four-year college graduates unable to get sound wages in their areas of study.” Oates believes that vocational and technical training will lead to lower youth unemployment over the next 10 years, especially with emphasis on a new hybrid model based on cooperation with local community colleges, where an apprentice can earn credits toward his or her degree while earning money, and learning, on the job. Essentially, this work-school program is equivalent to the German model.

But the apprenticeship model faces significant obstacles in the U.S.

“Thus far, the U.S. corporate sector does not see technical and vocational training as one of its key responsibilities,” says Andreas Koenig, Head of Section, Vocational Training & Labour Markets at the Economic Development & Employment Department in Germany. “It is therefore not yet ready to invest in technical and vocational education and training that goes beyond a few weeks of induction or learning on the job.”

Indeed, a need to change the culture of the industrialized world is a point Koenig and his colleagues made repeatedly during a presentation of the TVET model at the German Mission to the U.N. in New York last week. To create an effective system, many advanced nations must lose the stigma attached to vocational and technical school as a fallback for those who have failed in higher education. Rather, the training system should be embraced because it works, as the German youth unemployment rate shows.

Also standing in the way of the dual system’s acceptance is the antiregulatory fervor shared by many American corporations. As Yorck Sievers from the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce points out, efforts of private industry must be harmonized to fund and make the system effective. Companies would have to accept state oversight of training, which generates overhead expenses.

But to proponents, the immediate cost pays for itself in the form of a more skilled economy. “German VET builds competence and real ability in blue and in white collar jobs,” writes Sievers, who says the trainees benefit from their acquired technical abilities in a globalized market economy. “They find jobs easier these days, get paid better, and work under much better conditions.”

Other countries are starting to notice. Germany, through its Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), has launched pilot programs all over the world, including in Madagascar. Each speaker at the U.N. TVET conference last week emphasized that the model must be tailored to meet the needs of individual nations, even while the general concept is maintained from place to place as a solution to the mismatch between the supply of students and the demand of employers.

In the U.S., Trumph, a German company specializing in laser technologies and machine tools, has initiated an apprenticeship program at its Farmington (Conn.) plant. And Siemens is also getting in on the act in the U.S. “For us [DIHK] promoting business worldwide and in the U.S. … is of special imporance,” says Sievers, who also notes that despite the current problems in the U.S. job market, there is actually an insufficient supply of workers with necessary technical skills to meet employer needs.

For Assistant Secretary Oates, what’s needed is a balanced approach. Once workers understand that their earnings power increases with technical skills, and once they come to realize that many vocational schools lead to sophisticated work rather than backbreaking labor, as was the case 30 years ago, she says the U.S. will see an influx of students into apprenticeship schools. But she stresses that it’s critical for the U. S. not to lose sight of what propelled it to the foreront of industry in the first place. “What makes America America is the commercialization of innovative ideas. We need people with technical skills, but also people who innovate to create jobs.”

Whether this dual model can ever, or should ever, rival university education is impossible to know at this stage. But the difficult job market for American high school and college grads, and the success of TVET in Germany, has made some consider what was previously unthinkable. ”In Germany, but even more in this country, there is still a strong preference for an academic education because of its better image and the prospect of a higher salary and steeper career path,” DIHK Sievers writes in an e-mail. ”Prospect, not guarantee! But remember, not everybody is suited for an academic education. Skilled workers are needed, though.”

If your career trajectory contains a few speed bumps (such as a gap in work history or job hopping), you have plenty of company.

Given the state of economic affairs over the past few years, most job seekers don’t fit the classic picture of a [...]]]>

By Laura SmithProulx

If your career trajectory contains a few speed bumps (such as a gap in work history or job hopping), you have plenty of company.

Given the state of economic affairs over the past few years, most job seekers don’t fit the classic picture of a “stable” work history at a single employer the way they once did.

As shown by my contributions to What To Do When Your Resume Looks Like Bad News on Forbes.com by Jacquelyn Smith, job situations that were once problematic can be overcome – with a few key changes to your resume.

Here’s how to address common problems that can trip up even the most well-qualified job seeker:

Job Gaps

Given that a period of unemployment is no longer an automatic red flag to employers, you’ll want to be as up front and concise as possible when dealing with a gap.

If you can give a “name” to a period that stretched in between jobs, then provide a descriptive term, such as Volunteer Work, Family Care, or College Studies.

However, if you were merely job hunting during the gap, you’ll want to consider leaving this off your resume.

Job Hopping

Frequent job changes have, in recent years, become much more common than the long tenures (and 30-year gold watches) that used to be standard for most American careers.

If you’ve had jobs that lasted just a few months, consider adding them (without dates) at the end of your resume work history section in an area entitled “Additional Experience.” That way, you can talk about the role and include it on a formal application, but it won’t take up space in your career chronology.

If your last several positions ended in employer layoffs or downsizing from an acquisition, you can mention this fact (wrapped into the job description for that role), with a note such as “pursued sales opportunities until company went through acquisition” or “assisted to transition staff, while personally undergoing RIF.”

These quick explanations of circumstances beyond your control can help prospective employers understand your situation (and avoid making the assumption that you left under different circumstances).

No Degree

Many professionals lack a degree–a fact that always seems to catch people by surprise, as they mistakenly believe they’re alone in this dilemma. Yet, most people in this situation also fail to realize how easily it can be handled on a resume.

If you’ve decided to start or go back to school during unemployment, list your degree program as “Studies for Bachelor’s Degree,” along with the school name.

This method also works well if you attended college, but did not graduate (as shown in this example of a Sales resume). No matter the situation, showing the program on your resume will assure employers that you have some college experience, which can suffice for many positions.

If you didn’t attend college, consider whether you really need the education section of your resume. While you can list professional training, seminars, and other specialized education in this section, it’s best to leave the entire category off if your training and academic experience is light.

In summary, remember that what seems insurmountable in your job search might be more the norm than you think.

Rather than dwelling on credentials or experience you don’t possess, you’ll get better results by framing your experience in a way that highlights your value proposition to employers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_SmithProulx

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7490956

The candidate is happy. They get a call from a recruiter. Why should they be open minded enough to have a conversation? Well, there are many advantages to discussing an opportunity even when they’re content where they are. Hopefully, this [...]]]> by Jerry Land, CPC  |  ere.net

The candidate is happy. They get a call from a recruiter. Why should they be open minded enough to have a conversation? Well, there are many advantages to discussing an opportunity even when they’re content where they are. Hopefully, this article gives you some insight on why it makes good career sense for the prospective candidate to be a little more open-minded when they get a recruiting call.

Yes, it’s information you already know. I wrote it so you can forward it to the prospect!

First of all, there is no better time for someone to evaluate an opportunity and company with a clear mind without any negative, outside influences or external pressures. The worst time to go to the grocery store is when you’re hungry. You’re more likely to buy food that you know is not in your best long-term interests.

It’s no different when it comes to only talking to recruiters when they’re actively looking for a new job. Opportunities will appear to be more appealing than they really are when you’re currently unsatisfied in your position or company. When an individual looks into an opportunity when they’re happy, they can vividly see how the opportunity would positively or negatively impact their career since they’re not trying to fill a void. An employee is more likely to settle for a lesser position when they’re unhappy than they would have if they were content.

Life is better as recruited candidate opposed to a job applicant. Why? Because they have the leverage when they’re being recruited and referred by a recruiter. When someone “applies” for a position, the company is screening and qualifying them since they’re the one looking for a job. When that same person is “recruited,” they are investigating and qualifying the company and opportunity to determine whether or not it will help them grow professionally. The tables are turned. Since they’re happy where they are, if the opportunity doesn’t provide career growth, they have the leverage of staying where they are. When they’re unhappy or looking, they’re running away from their current situation and more desperate to make a change so the company they are applying to has the leverage.

Even if the opportunity doesn’t entice them enough to move forward, in today’s corporate world, the only job security they have is the security they give themselves. If they don’t look out for their own career, no one else is going to do it for them. Dig the well before you’re thirsty. Having a connection with a recruiter who knows them, their background, and career aspirations is one way to do that.

If they’re happy, then they’re probably performing well in their role and hopefully their company is taking good care of them. There is no other time in their career when they’re more marketable. This is the best time in their career to take their successes and accomplishments to test what they’re worth to another organization, whether that means a more challenging role, a faster-growing company, or exposure to a new industry.

The best time for professionals to keep their options open is when they’re satisfied in their current role and company. They don’t have to consider the recruiter’s opportunity unless it meets the criteria that they set, not the other way around. There is no other way to learn as much about an opportunity without officially interviewing with a company itself other than learning about it from a recruiter on an exploratory and confidential basis. Actively looking for a job can be a full-time job itself. It can also be also be very stressful. People who get ahead don’t wait until there is something that they don’t like in their current role to have an open mind.  They are proactive and keep their options open.

http://www.ere.net/2012/08/01/forward-to-your-recruits-why-a-passive-candidate-should-take-a-recruiter%E2%80%99s-call/

If you think an apostrophe was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, you will never work for me. If you think a semicolon is a regular colon with an identity crisis, I will not hire you. If you scatter commas into a sentence [...]]]> by Kyle Wiens  |  HBR Blog Network

If you think an apostrophe was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, you will never work for me. If you think a semicolon is a regular colon with an identity crisis, I will not hire you. If you scatter commas into a sentence with all the discrimination of a shotgun, you might make it to the foyer before we politely escort you from the building.

Some might call my approach to grammar extreme, but I prefer Lynne Truss’s more cuddly phraseology: I am a grammar “stickler.” And, like Truss — author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves — I have a “zero tolerance approach” to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.

Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have “zero tolerance.” She thinks that people who mix up their itses “deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave,” while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job — even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.

Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a mandatory grammar test. Extenuating circumstances aside (dyslexia, English language learners, etc.), if job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too,” their applications go into the bin.

Of course, we write for a living. iFixit.com is the world’s largest online repair manual, and Dozuki helps companies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we’ve made a preemptive strike against groan-worthy grammar errors.

But grammar is relevant for all companies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet. In blog posts, on Facebook statuses, in e-mails, and on company websites, your words are all you have. They are a projection of you in your physical absence. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re.

Good grammar makes good business sense — and not just when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers.

On the face of it, my zero tolerance approach to grammar errors might seem a little unfair. After all, grammar has nothing to do with job performance, or creativity, or intelligence, right?

Wrong. If it takes someone more than 20 years to notice how to properly use “it’s,” then that’s not a learning curve I’m comfortable with. So, even in this hyper-competitive market, I will pass on a great programmer who cannot write.

Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing — like stocking shelves or labeling parts.

In the same vein, programmers who pay attention to how they construct written language also tend to pay a lot more attention to how they code. You see, at its core, code is prose. Great programmers are more than just code monkeys; according to Stanford programming legend Donald Knuth they are ”essayists who work with traditional aesthetic and literary forms.” The point: programming should be easily understood by real human beings — not just computers.

And just like good writing and good grammar, when it comes to programming, the devil’s in the details. In fact, when it comes to my whole business, details are everything.

I hire people who care about those details. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other (important) things also aren’t important. And I guarantee that even if other companies aren’t issuing grammar tests, they pay attention to sloppy mistakes on résumés. After all, sloppy is as sloppy does.

That’s why I grammar test people who walk in the door looking for a job. Grammar is my litmus test. All applicants say they’re detail-oriented; I just make my employees prove it.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/i_wont_hire_people_who_use_poo.html

As you can imagine, here at Response we have seen thousands upon thousands of CVs over the years.  On the whole, most CVs are well laid out and give us enough information to decide whether that [...]]]> Nathan Lloyd, Group Marketing Manager — Response Web Recruitment

As you can imagine, here at Response we have seen thousands upon thousands of CVs over the years.  On the whole, most CVs are well laid out and give us enough information to decide whether that person is suitable for a role or not.

However, you can always hear a chuckle when a consultant opens a CV which contains something out of the ordinary.  From an amusing email address to ridiculous hobbies, we have compiled a list of our favourite 100 things from CVs that have made us chuckle over the past 10 years.

We have detailed the section of the CV and what people have written below.   As these are real life examples we have hidden the names to protect the innocent and the spelling mistakes have all been left in, so don’t blame us!  Part 1 and the first 50 are below, part 2 will be with you next week.

1. ACHIEVEMENTS  – “I came first in the school long distance race”
2. HOBBIES – “Horse rideing,like going pub when havent got my kids.looking after kids and doing stuff with them when they anit at school.”
3. EMAIL ADDRESS – Lazysod@……
4. ACHIEVEMENTS – “Being sober”
5. ABOUT ME – “My favourite colour is Toupe, cos it rhymes with Dope”
6. REASON FOR LEAVING – “It was hard work”
7. PERSONAL PROFILE – “I be no stranger to double-entry. I loves numbers, and my wife and I loves journals and ledgers! Can also do tricky sums when I puts my mind to it. Computor litrate.”
8. COVERING LETTER – “This is my CV I am intrested in any job opening use have avaiable if u could please send a vercation that you reciceved the email”
9. PERSONAL PROFILE – “I do have convictions (drug offences) which are spent some 30 years ago for when I was 16-18 and have a caution for 4 years ago for criminal damage”
10. HOBBIES – “Marital Arts” (Possibly meant martial arts?)
11. KEY SKILLS – “Perfectionist with a keen I for details.”
12. HOBBIES – “Space Travel”
13. EMAIL ADDRESS – Batfacedgirl@………..
14. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY -  “Whilst working in this role, I had intercourse with a variety of people”
15. HOBBIES – “i like playing sport, which i fined gives me a winning appitite for life’”
16. KEY SKILLS: “I would like to assure you that I am a hardly working person.”
17. HOBBIES –  “enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians”
18. JOB HISTORY – “Career break in 1999 to renovate my horse”
19. SKILLS – “Fantastic ability in multi-tasting.”
20. SIZE OF EMPLOYER: “Very tall, probably over 6’5″.”
21. SKILLS – “Speak English and Spinach.”
22. STRENGTHS – “Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer.”
23. SKILLS – “I have technical skills that will simply take your breath away.”
24. MARITAL STATUS:- “Celibate”
25. SKILLS – From an IT Engineer, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
26. EMAIL ADDRESS – hotsexyluv@…….
27. KEYS SKILLS – keeping family home clean, tidy and hygienaic undertaking basic DIY.operating domestic taskslike cleaning,washing,cooking.dealing with emerengencies smoothly.dealing with health issues,superivsing,supporting,guiding and organising children.
28. CV GAP – Candidate explained his gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for 3 months!
29. KEY SKILLS – “But wait…there’s more. You get all this business knowledge plus a grasp of marketing that is second nature.”
30. PRINTED CV – Candidate sent over their CV printed on the back of their current employees headed company paper
31. SKILLS – “I can type without looking at thekeyboard.”
32. JOB HISTORY - “Left last four jobs only because the managers were completely unreasonable”
33. SKILLS – “I am a rabid typist”
34. HOBBIES – “My interests include cooking dogs and interesting people”
35. COVERING LETTER – “I am extremely loyal to my current employer….Feel free to ring my office if you are interested in my CV”
36. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS – “Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.”
37. EDUCATION – “I am about to enrol on a Business and Finance Degree with the Open University. I feel that this qualification will prove detrimental to me for future success.”
38. HOBBIES: “donating blood – 12 litres so far.”
39. KEY SKILLS: “Assisted with filing, billing, printing and coping”
40. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS – “Oversight of entire department.”
41. EDUCATION -  “University: August 1890 to May 1993″
42. WORK EXPERIENCE –“ I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer”
43. EMAIL ADDRESS – homeboy@……
44. KEY SKILLS - “I have extensive experience with foreign accents.”
45. QUALIFICATIONS – “Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.”
46. COVER LETTER – “Please disregard the attached CV; it’s totally outdated”
47. REASON FOR LEAVING – “After receiving advice from several different angels, I have decided to pursue a new line of work.”
48. KEY SKILLS – “Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details.”
49. WORK EXPERIENCE – “Night stalker in Tesco”
50. HOBBIES – “painting my toenails in varying colours”

Thanks for reading; I hope you found some of these examples entertaining.  If you require any help with your CV, you can download our guide to supercharging your CV here.   We will releasing the 2nd part of the 100 funniest things we’ve ever read in a CV next week.

Nathan Lloyd

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Nathan Lloyd is the Group Marketing Manager of Response Web Recruitment.

Response are a flat-fee online recruitment company, which utilises a multi-channelled web-based approach to source talent for companies. Accessing job boards, social media and online recruitment CV databases, their mission is to drive down the cost-per-hire for their clients and save them a considerable amount of time and money on their recruitment processes.

Before we experienced the 2008 economic disaster, the phrase “war for talent” seemed to be overused by every corporate and agency recruiter I came in contact with. It seemed to go away until the first or second quarter of 2011 and now seems to be back on every executive and recruiter’s mind. Recruiters [...]]]>

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1499

by Stephen Lowisz, ere.net

Before we experienced the 2008 economic disaster, the phrase “war for talent” seemed to be overused by every corporate and agency recruiter I came in contact with. It seemed to go away until the first or second quarter of 2011 and now seems to be back on every executive and recruiter’s mind. Recruiters across the country have shared with me the excitement they have about recruiting again — about building talent pipelines, implementing social media, bolstering up their LinkedIn connections, and creating new and compelling candidate value propositions.

Let me start by giving one word of advice: stop!

If you are serious about recruiting the best talent, take this as an opportunity to build a recruiting culture throughout the entire organization — up to and including the CEO. Don’t make the mistake of throwing all of your time and money into new-fangled technologies, building talent communities, or costly social media campaigns unless you have the basic principles of recruiting drilled into both your recruiting staff and your hiring executives.

Let me ask a few questions:

1. What is your organization’s candidate value proposition? Does everyone involved in the recruiting process understand these points? How is this information communicated to candidates?
2. Are you really using your social networks/connections? Are you continuously broadcasting your open positions to your networks? Are you growing your LinkedIn connections?
3. Are you building talent pipelines? How do you create a talent pipeline? How do you communicate to and track those in your pipeline?
4. Are you interviewing consistently and effectively? What questions is the recruiter asking? What questions is the recruiting committee asking?

Most of those reading this can probably provide a detailed answer as to what they are doing in each of these areas. For example, every time I ask the question “Why would someone want to join your organization” I get a very lengthy answer. Whether I ask the CEO or the recruiter, both can rattle off 10-15 bullet points of why any particular candidate should pack up their current offices, quit their jobs, and walk across the street to a new, fantastic, opportunity.

In the same way, everyone talks about growing their social networks, particularly LinkedIn, and the value this brings to their recruiting effectiveness.

On the surface both of these issues seem like great news — but are they really?

As the competition for finding, engaging, and attracting the right candidate heats up, every organization needs to reassess their understanding of, and strategy for, implementing each of these focus areas.

Let’s go through the four questions I asked earlier.

What Is Your Organization’s Candidate Value Proposition?

Although we need to understand the perceived selling points of our opportunities, relying on canned pitches identified by your marketing organization or some third-party branding organization does not really provide you with the edge you might think.

The best answer to this question is not that you have “bring your dog to work day,” or that lunch is free each day. The best answer is in fact a question: how many of us ask potential candidates what is important to them before we tell them why they should work for us? Few recruiters or hiring executives can tell me with certainty what the hot buttons are for any candidate they are potentially courting, with the exception of very few superficial issues.

Although it is always important to understand the selling points of the organization we are recruiting for (value proposition), the key differentiator as competition increases is being able to deliver a more compelling value proposition based on information gathered from the potential candidate.

Learning what to ask candidates, when to ask candidates, and how to ask candidates about their motivation is the key to unlocking the door to their minds. Understanding what makes they tick and crafting an appropriate value proposition is much more effective than a mass-marketed value proposition.

Are You Really Using Your Social Networks/Connections?

It seems that in recent years the badge of honor that recruiters wear proudly on their chests is the number of first-level connections that they have on LinkedIn, the number of friends on Facebook, or the number of followers on Twitter that they have. Unfortunately when you look at many of the statistics on source of hire, these same tools still lag behind other more traditional recruitment tools.

Expanding your network for the sake of claiming that you are the most connected is a bit like saying you have the most friends, but when it’s time to move, no one shows up to help, leaving you to fend for yourself. Sheer numbers do not guarantee success as many organizations have discovered since social media hit the scene.

Why does social-media-based recruitment often fail? Let’s look at a few of the reasons:

Disregarding the branding aspects of social media

In today’s age of technologically savvy consumers and candidates, social media is a tool often used to uncover more about an organization then often known by its recruiters and hiring managers. It used to be joked that a consumer who had a negative experience with an organization’s service or product would tell seven people, while only telling one or two about a positive experience. With social media, one negative hiring experience can now be tweeted to thousands of others in seconds. Other sites like glassdoor.com provide a dedicated medium for potential candidates to learn about the darkest secrets of your hiring process, management staff, and other company-related dirt.

So what do you do?

• Use your current employee population at all levels to create a balanced social media picture of your organization. People love to use Facebook, Twitter, and the like to convey their dissatisfaction with their previous or current employer. Encourage employees at all levels to post honest, positive, and encouraging information regarding their experience. An employee praising their internal mentor; an executive thanking an employee for their contribution; the CEO openly tweeting the success of their organization and thanking all team members.
• Encourage staff to join and contribute to user groups on sites such as LinkedIn and others. Get your team involved with others in their specific function or discipline. Relationships can be made with future candidates while at the same time placing your company name front and center in each group.

Primary focus on taking without willing to give back

We have all seen this happen. Recruiter A joins LinkedIn, connects with as many people in a given industry user group, has six to nine months of success identifying candidates, and then complains that the well has dried up.

Social networks are all about relationships that include give and take. Always being the friend who asks for help but never offers to help others eventually leads to the lone-mover syndrome I mentioned above. In a similar way, joining user groups solely as a way of recruiting candidates without providing some benefit to the group is the same way. Join user groups where you actually have something to contribute in the form of information, statistics, trends, etc. This could include hiring statistics for a specific related position, or compensation trends based on recent recruitment data. Be seen as a valued member of the group who is not just sucking information from the group.

Primary focus on building contacts and not relationships.

Quantity over quality of relationships is an ongoing battle in recruiting candidates. Whether a recruiter, hiring manager, or company executive, this is often the No. 1 cause for failed recruitment initiatives. Social media increases the issue since it seems to favor numbers of connections over quality of relationships. The intent of social media was to foster relationships, yet its poor application usually detracts from its success.

Building real relationships that foster an exchange of ideas and a willingness to refer others should be one of the primary goals of tools like LinkedIn. Qualified candidates are being InMailed on a daily basis from multiple recruiters and hiring managers regarding the “great opportunities” that they have. How does a potential candidate decide which unsolicited request they will respond to?

Potential candidates have an overwhelming propensity to respond more often to a request that is based on developing a relationship then on selling a “great opportunity.”

In simple terms, there are basically two ways to approach a consumer or candidate when approaching them regarding a potential opportunity:

• Selling what we have
• Selling what the buyer needs

The problem is that most recruiters and hiring managers make assumptions about why candidates should be interested, rarely uncovering the real needs of a candidate. The right value proposition in recruiting must be tailored to the unique needs of each individual, especially when they are being courted by multiple organizations — namely your competitors.

Most recruiting processes look like this:

1. Fill the need (Pitch the value proposition — “Great Opportunity”)
2. Ask pre-closing questions (Does the proposition fill the need?)
3. Close the sale

Effective recruiting looks like this:

1. Build a relationship — It’s tough to find out what motivates or demotivates someone if we don’t have some type of common ground.
2. Identify the need — what does the potential candidate like about their current role/organization and what could be improved? (This is how to create a real value proposition)
3. Overcome objections — If the candidate is happy and we just pitch a canned story about our great opportunity, how to we uncover their real motivation?
4. Fill the need — now it’s time to deliver a tailored value proposition based on specific candidate desires.
5. Advance the sale — if done correctly, your value proposition sets up the candidate in a way where it becomes very difficult to say no.

Are You Building Talent Pipelines?

First we need to define what an effective talent pipeline is versus the traditional understanding of pipelines. More than 95% of the time I ask the question “What is a talent pipelining?”, I get a similar answer: “Talent pipelining is having a stable of candidates who are qualified for our positions and open to a call from us when a position becomes available.”

Although I don’t necessarily disagree with this statement, there are obvious issues putting this type of philosophy in place:

• With the demand on recruiters to fill open positions, do they really have the time necessary to initiate, cultivate, and maintain these types of relationships?
• What is the shelf life of a pipeline candidate? If the recruiter has successfully performed their job in developing a relationship and understanding the motivation of a candidate, they have also helped educate the candidate that better opportunities exist. At some point those developed as pipeline candidates will make the shift from somewhat passive to active and will proactively seek opportunities, quickly adding an expiration date to their shelf life.

Don’t misunderstand my point here. I’m in favor of developing pipelines. In fact my definition of pipelining is: “All activities that result in developing relationships with contacts in a given function, company, or field that can be sustained, and result in future candidate development or referral attainment.”  Pipelining can include all of the activities referenced above: social media, user groups, etc.

Always initiating, developing, and maintaining relationships with those who you can return to at a later time to assist in a search directly or indirectly is a more consistent and successful strategy when candidate pipelining.

Are You Interviewing Consistently and Effectively?

Whether a recruiting executive or hiring executive, have you ever interviewed a candidate who the other had met with, only to come up with a completely different view of the same candidate? Why does this occur?

Inconsistency in the interview process is often the main factor in mis-hires.

Interviewing inconsistencies generally stem from one or more of following areas:

Not understanding the required skills/competencies of the position. After conducting hundreds of post interview briefings, it is painfully obvious that many recruiters, hiring managers, and interview committee members are not looking for the same skills in each candidate. The recruiter can be looking for skills A, B, and C while the hiring manager is looking for skills D, E, and F and so on. Much of the disconnect actually finds its roots in the position-intake session between the hiring committee and the recruiter — if the meeting ever happened! The goal of the intake meeting is to:

• Define the short term and long term objectives of the role.
• Define realistic skill requirements of the candidate — ranked in order of preference.
• Define the realistic preferred skill requirements of the candidate — ranked in order of preference.
• Define the realistic competency requirements of the candidates — ranked in order of preference.
• Define the realistic preferred competency requirement of the candidates — ranked in order of preference.

If the intake meeting does not result in agreed upon candidate requirements, what do the members of the interview committee base their interview questions on? What do they compare the candidate against (More on this one to follow)?

Improper candidate comparisons. Comparing candidates to each other is a recipe for failure, unless the candidates are compared to the agreed-upon skills and competencies first. The natural tendency of interview committee members is to only compare candidates against each other and not the actual agreed upon candidate requirements — a mistake that often leads to choosing the “best of the group,” and not the “best of the best.” Example: Let’s say that you interview three candidates and decide to hire/recruit the best of the three as compared to each other. Six months later the new employee is failing — he/she just does not seem have what it takes to do the job. The employee is unfortunately terminated and a post-termination review of the employee is made in comparison to the required skills and competencies. Although the candidate may have been the best of the three, he/she did not meet with the required skills and competencies. This is a common issue at all levels; however, it seems to be even more prevalent as senior leadership levels.

Interview committee interviewing for different criteria. This is much different than not understanding the requirements or improper candidate comparison. Although the interview committee may understand the position requirements, there is not formalized comparison and discussion of their opinion of each required criteria. A best practice is to have each interviewer rate each candidate on each individual skill and competency required — such as a 1 to 5 rating with 1 being the highest. Upon completion of the interview, results from each interviewer are lined up side by side for comparison. In an event that the ratings are more than two points apart (one indicated a 1 rating while the other indicated a 3 rating on the same individual competency or skill) it becomes obvious that one interviewer saw something the others possibly did not. This difference spurs on discussion and healthy debate if handled appropriately. If there is only a single interviewer and the recruiter, the same comparison should be done only after each has an opportunity to interview the candidate.

It seems the war for talent is slowly returning to a pre-recession fervor. How we position our brand, engage candidates, and select only the best will determine the success of each and every organization that has employees. Happy hunting!

http://www.ere.net/2012/04/25/4-strategies-to-address-the-coming-war-for-talent/

By Chase Crawford

Seeking for employment will surely require a lot of your time energy and resources. Moreover it could be very overwhelming physically emotionally and psychologically. Thus job hunting tips are really important to those who are in serious need for employment. Following are [...]]]>

By Chase Crawford

Seeking for employment will surely require a lot of your time energy and resources. Moreover it could be very overwhelming physically emotionally and psychologically. Thus job hunting tips are really important to those who are in serious need for employment. Following are some of the top strategies employment seekers could try.

Know Yourself – Begin with an honest analysis of what your real strengths are. Then know which of your skills are transferable. This means you need to be definite about what you can offer the marketplace and how you are going to carry it out.

Determine What You Want – You cannot go anywhere with your employment search if you don’t know exactly what you want. Believe it or not, most people have already spent some years working for a company before they ask themselves if they have the right career fit.

Herewith, take time to list your key skills, experience level and relevant qualifications. Also identify the salary and benefits you wish to have and the career development opportunities you might be looking forward too. On the opposite side of your list include the name of companies you wish to work for, the actual opportunities available at the moment and the future trends for these opportunities.

Get Some Career Counseling – Although this is one of the job hunting tips famed among college graduates, it could also be helpful to those who have been employed but seeking for a new job. Each college has a career services department that can help fresh graduates and alumni get a hold of relevant employment listings. In fact interview preparation assistance, resume writing and career advice may be provided too. Local cities and counties provide career placement services as well. They can connect you with relevant hiring for free or minimal payment. If these are not enough get a professional career advisor who can help you figure out exactly what you want to do and guide you on maximizing your resources and qualifications.

Review And Update Your Resume – The main purpose of your resume is to market you to prospect employers as you find a new job. And so it must highlight your qualifications, achievements and compatibility with the job that you are applying for. If your resume only includes a summary of your accomplishments up to the date of its creation, ensure to include a short explanation of how each of them was achieved. While you can always compose resume it is still best to do it under the guidance of a professional.

Approach Companies – If there are companies that you really want to work for contact them directly. Employers usually prefer job seekers who apply this way. Search for their respective career websites and register there your interest for specific employment opportunities they might have.

Prepare For Interviews – This may be the last but definitely not the least in importance among the job hunting tips. Doing this can help you feel calm and focused come the interview day. As you have already practiced with a coach or a friend, you are able to think in advance great answers to commonly asked questions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6934418

No one will argue that being unemployed isn’t a traumatic experience, especially me. I was on the receiving end approximately nine years ago and I meet jobseekers daily. Being unemployed isn’t what I’d wish on anyone.

This said, if jobseekers aren’t mindful of the attitude they project, it [...]]]> By Bob McIntosh, RecruitingBlogs.com 

No one will argue that being unemployed isn’t a traumatic experience, especially me. I was on the receiving end approximately nine years ago and I meet jobseekers daily. Being unemployed isn’t what I’d wish on anyone.

This said, if jobseekers aren’t mindful of the attitude they project, it can hurt their chances of finding their next job. This is perhaps the most difficult thing jobseekers can accomplishment, keeping their attitude in check.

One’s negative attitude shows itself in many of one’s mannerisms. Demonstrations of your mannerisms precedes any opportunity to appear before an employer. Failing to control your mannerisms can prevent you from getting to the interview. Below are some signs of a negative attitude. These are things you should keep in mind when going out in public.

1. Arrogance impresses no one. You may have been outstanding at what you did, and you may be outstanding in the future, but keep in mind that diplomacy is your best card at this time. You will be relying on many people to help you in your job search, and most people don’t appreciate being looked down upon.
2. Apparel is one aspect of your attitude. During the summer it’s hot out there, but please refrain from wearing gym shorts and tee-shirts with Budweiser advertisements. At all times make sure you are well-groomed and presentable–you never know when a potential employer might be just around the corner.
3. Your countenance is more noticeable than you think. I’ve witnessed people who walk into the career center looking as if they’d like to strike anyone in their path. Their mouth looks like it was chiseled into a constant frown. There seems to be hatred in their eyes. This can be intimidating, let alone off-putting.
4. Be outgoing…or at least fake it. For you introverts (I can relate), try to use every opportunity to network. Your most vital job search technique must include networking. It’s not as hard as it appears. You don’t have to see networking as only going to arranged events. It’s a daily thing and that’s why you have to be on your game every day. One jobseeker I know told me he was meeting someone for lunch, and he was dreading it. Nonetheless, he met the person for lunch. He faked it.
5. Mind your manners. “Thank you,” “it was great seeing you,” “hope your day is wonderful,” etc., go a long way. These are things we learned in Kindergarten, yet not all of us practice the niceties as much as we should. I am often thanked by customers after a workshop or in an e-mail. They’re the ones who do the hard work, and their hard work will result in a job.
6. Don’t appear desperate and despondent. Most people want to help you, but if you seem like you are giving up the battle, your peers, career advisors, and people employed in your industry, will doubt your ability to succeed at your next job. “Don’t let ‘em see you sweat.”

Why does this matter?

Simply put, your job search is ongoing. You are being judged wherever you go. The man or woman who has the authority to hire you, may be standing behind you in the checkout line. Those who try to help you take into account the aforementioned aspects of your overall attitude. If given the choice to recommend someone for a position, anyone is likely to back the person who has their attitude in check.

As I’ve said, maintaining a pleasant demeanor and appearing positive is difficult under an extremely stressful situation like being unemployed; but I’ll guarantee you that a negative approach to conquering unemployment will not lead to quick employment. Be mindful at all times how you appear to others.