WHAT IS THE MOST OVERLOOKED ASPECT OF THE JOB HUNT?

by GUEST: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/most-overlooked-aspect-job-hunt/

Take a moment to think about how your job search has been going. Do you have difficulty finding the right copy of your resume to attach to an application? Are you forgetting to follow up on an application? Did you send your thank you letter three days late? Or do you simply feel like you have no idea about the status of your applications? If you’re answering yes to these questions, then you should take steps to get your job search organized. Here’s why this is crucial to finding a new job.

Research is a breeze:

Job seekers often forget that researching companies is the most important starting point to their job search. Cultural fit is crucial to both sides of the equation, and poor fit can cost a lot of time and money. The easiest way to avoid making this mistake is to do your research before you hit apply. Finding blog posts, news articles, social media mentions, and reviews of companies is easier than ever, but the more research you do, the more vulnerable you are to getting disorganized.

Having an easily searchable, categorized system to easily store your notes, articles, and other info is key to keeping your research organized. It helps you determine which companies to apply to, what to say to them in a cover letter, and how to approach them in an interview. It also helps you develop a profile of the types of jobs and the types of companies that you’d be interested in working for, and will make the search for new openings easier and faster.

Know where you’ve applied:

When you forget where you’ve applied, what cover letter you used, or if you’ve applied to more than one job posting at one employer, you open yourself up to a ton of potential mistakes. You might refer to something you thought was in the cover letter you sent, or by applying to too many varying job postings, show a company that you lack focus. Avoiding these mistakes is easy if you take the time to keep track of your applications. When your application history is clear and easily available, you’ll find yourself making fewer of these silly mistakes that will continue to plague many other disorganized job seekers.

Know what to do next:

Keeping track of your applications also helps you know what’s next in the process. Hitting apply on a job listing should never be the last thing you do. By not following up diligently, you’re crippling your own chances at landing an interview. If you’re late to an interview or forget to send a thank you note on time, you may leave a bad impression with the company. Any of these mistakes can irreparably hurt your chances at getting hired. Taking the extra effort to stay organized allows for a proactive job search, where you can do more than sit back and put your fate in the hands of a recruiter or hiring manager to judge you in your moments of weakness.

Impress the interviewer:

An organized job seeker should have notes, articles, and contact information properly stored, easily searchable, and categorized by company. Easy access to this information makes interview preparation a breeze. Your notes should include the pain points of the team and hiring manager, so use those to your advantage and address how you will positively impact the company on day one. You should be able to reference certain ideas that the interviewer may find interesting, all found while researching them online and on social media. You should also have a clear image of the company’s culture, which will allow you to make a strong case for why you’re a strong match for each other.

The end result will impress you:

Properly organized, your job search will become a breeze. Tailoring your resume and cover letter will be faster and more effective, allowing you to send the most impressive applications. You’ll no longer be frustrated by missed deadlines and forgotten details. Interviewing will be a lot easier as you have better conversations with interviewers and show them you have honest motivation to get started and join their team.

Few can truly claim they are professional job seekers (career coaches, resume writers, etc…), but everyone can take a few simple steps to be the best job seeker they can be. Staying organized is the first step you can take towards this goal, and it only requires the amount of time and effort it takes to set up a process for yourself. And most importantly, it’s the first (and easiest!) thing you can do to stay a step ahead of the competition.

5 Steps to Make Your Job Descriptions Go Viral

Jeffery Giesener, Social & Mobile Recruiting CEO Helping Business Source Passive Candidates & Lower Recruiting

Jan 28, 2015

A Salesforce.com Community Manager job description recently got 57 tweets, 20 likes, and 3,979 views. How’d they do it?

First, let’s back up for a second. It’s no secret there are more online venues to search for jobs than ever before. According to recent research, job candidates today use an average of five resources in their job searches, most of them online.

However, recruiters haven’t yet adapted to all of these options and are only using one or two means of sharing a job. So, not only are jobs too cumbersome to apply for, but they aren’t being seen by the appropriate candidates.

One remedy is to make your job description viral. A viral job has similar qualities to the other content (videos, websites, and photos) that you regularly share with your own social network. It’s socially connectable, visually appealing and transparent. Here are five easy tips to help you get there:

Be Transparent About Your Hiring Team

Top candidates are most interested in three things:

• Who will I work for?
• Who will I work with?
• What is the environment like?

If you are trying to communicate this through a three-paragraph, written job description, good luck. Top candidates will not take the time to read your description, never mind a passive candidate.

Want a good attention-getter? Put the hiring manager or member of the hiring team up front. You can do this by posting their name and some means of contacting — or better yet, connecting with — them within your job description. Suddenly, your job is better and more attractive than 99% of jobs on the Internet.

You want to avoid making job prospects feel like they are sending their applications into a black hole. This quality itself will make the job description more appealing.

Integrate Pictures and Video

Studies have shown that employers using recruiting videos received a 34% greater application rate.

So, an even better thought is to post a video directly from your hiring manager. The average job seeker spends less than 30 seconds reviewing a posting. Sites with more compelling and content-rich job descriptions can reach upwards of four minutes on a posting — that is due in large part to the pictures and video employers put up there.

Whether candidates give you 30 seconds or four minutes, here are some easy ideas for video and pictures to consider:

• Show team members.
• Show the office space, inside and outside. (Surprisingly few employers do this!)
• Show events you attended or hosted (including company parties).
• Have a little fun and go unscripted.

Enable Social Connectability To Your Team

We have had A-player candidates tell us a job “hooked” them primarily due to the fact that they learned they knew someone who worked at the employer. So, enable candidates to easily see how they’re connected to you and your team through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and mobile.

Give Your Employees A Good Reason To Share The Job

Just like any other shareable content on the Internet, if there’s a “Share” link that allows postings to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s already more likely to be shared. This will not only increase referral rates, but also create a better job applicant pool.

But you can’t stop there.

You must arm your employees with awesome content to share. Awesome content that is based around people and emotion is more likely to be shared.

What makes for awesome content?

It begins with tips 1 – 3 above — if you can do those, your content is already more awesome. But the most important advice for providing awesome content is to be authentic and just tell the story of the job opportunity through the best tools you can find.

Always remember this headline when creating content: Your employees are your best social recruiters. Get them involved early and often in the process. They will feel ownership in the process and share more frequently

Real-Time Interactivity

Finally, businesses should add commenting to their descriptions that allows candidates to “follow” jobs, ask questions online, and receive updates about the application process.

Candidates should be able to interact anonymously — or identify themselves if they choose. Real-time interactivity brings the job to life, and candidate can evaluate the opportunity over time versus in a 30-second browsing of the written job description.

Close the loop with all applicants and interested candidates when the position is filled by simply letting candidates know that it is filled and that you are holding their resume for the next suitable position. Everyone is notified, and you created a positive candidate experience instead of the application “black hole.”

Applicants will feel more connected to — and impassioned about — a job description that provides them with job status updates straight from the hiring manager or, in some cases, the recruiting team.

Would you like to find out how SourceMob can help you improve your recruiting excellence, lead capture, candidate engagement, nurture candidates using over 35 integrated recruiting solutions? Simply send me an email at Jeff@sourcemob.com or call 952-807-8364 to provide you with a virtual presentation to mutually learn.

ABOUT SOURCEMOB: SourceMob links Internet, social, talent community and mobile recruiting solutions to help talent acquisition professionals recruit the very best candidates for tough-to-fill positions. SourceMob software distributes job content and conversations providing a job posting springboard to over 3.5 million candidate profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and all of the major search engines. Our solutions also enable Mobile Quick Apply and candidate application management services to create efficiencies and lower recruiting costs.
Looking forward to hearing from you!

Your CV – 5 Things You’re Not Being Told

Hugh Keir, Director of Security | Military Adviser at Selected Security

There are many different opinions of what the perfect CV consists of and how it should be structured. For those new to CV writing (such as soldiers leaving the Forces or those fresh out of education), it is a daunting prospect. Will you get it right first time? What should be included? How should it be written? If you are someone who is concerned about your CV or simply striving for perfection with it’s latest incarnation, then you would do well to realise these 5 simple points that are rarely ever mentioned:

1. Your CV will NEVER be perfect.

No matter how much time you spend on it, you will never see it as perfect – you will always have concerns. This is natural and you should remember that the CV is a work-in-progress and will be for your entire career. Your circumstances will change: your qualifications and experience will progress; your own perception of what makes a good CV and what does not, will change. To that end, you should review your CV at the following times: at least monthly and / or prior to applying for a new job; upon the gaining of new qualifications or experience; as much as you can!

2. Above all else, spelling and grammar are paramount.

Now some people may disagree with this statement, countering that experience and qualifications matter more. But at first glance a recruiter is going to get a negative perception of your abilities if it is poorly written – even before they are able to absorb what it is you are trying to convey in the content. Make the first impression a good one and don’t fall at the first hurdle – make sure it is written in a manner that implies good understanding of the written word and never write in the first person (I am, I directed, I managed). Lastly – don’t trust automatic spelling and grammar checks in software such as Microsoft Word…. see point 3.

3. Never be satisfied with a new or revised CV until someone else has proofread it.

You cannot proof read your own work – you may spot some errors but your brain will miss many of those mistakes it made in the first place. As mentioned in Point 2, automatic spelling and grammar checks do not cut the mustard either. Choose one or two friends / colleagues that you know have good command of the written word, regardless of whether you consider yourself to be competent or not. They will spot mistakes you have missed. They also have their own experience in CV writing and may suggest amendments that you haven’t considered. Definitely don’t be afraid to show your CV to people – everyone has been in the same boat and most will be happy to help.

4. The layout really isn’t that important.

Unless the job you are applying for has specified a layout for applicants’ CVs, do not be overly concerned about it. Should your qualifications be placed above your experience? Should you place your contact details on the footer of every page, just on the front page or just on the last page? Should you divide the CV into columns, or keep it as separate rolling sections? It really isn’t that relevant, go with what you think is best but make sure each section is labeled clearly. For paragraphs, try and use font sizes between 10 and 12 points. If you are applying for a job that you have all the qualifications for, but maybe lacking a little in experience, then you might consider placing your Qualifications section above your Experience section, in order to make a good first impression at the first glance of the recruiter – this is of course assuming that the recruiter reads your CV from the top down, through every section, which they may not. Again the point is not to get bogged down about the layout, just make sure it isn’t cluttered, there is enough space between paragraphs and sections and none of the content falls outside of a printer’s boundaries.

5. Personal information can be a minefield on a CV.

Unless the job description says otherwise, try and stay away from placing your photo, date of birth and address on the CV. There is generally no requirement for the above, but to include any or all of these details opens you up to potential discrimination. A case in point from personal experience was the receipt of a CV at my company from someone who was very well qualified and experienced. However, he had a photo on his CV that immediately put me off (he looked very old and we were looking for someone younger). However, as we hadn’t specified a maximum age limit in the requirements, we brought him onto an assessment and interview – he looked much younger in the flesh and I learned a lesson. Recruiters and current legislation may place emphasis on equal opportunities and discrimination but in reality they cannot control the subconscious positive or negative impression they get from certain information, so why give them the opportunity.

—

These points have come from my own experience with my CV and others. They are for your general consideration when writing your CV but by no means hard and fast rules as there are none – but my advice is to at least consider them along with advice from others.

A great CV is just around the corner – good luck!

This article was first posted on the website for my book: Close Protection Tactical Aide-Memoire: For Bodyguards on the Move

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Resume

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Skip Freeman HERE

What is the typical comment made by someone who is currently employed and decides it may be time to investigate other career opportunities? It usually goes something like this, doesn’t it?

“I am going to dust off my résumé, shoot it out to a few ‘headhunters,’ send it to some online postings and see what happens.”

If seeking out a new position in 2015 is one of your career goals, and you intend to take this rather lackadaisical—and largely ineffective—approach to your new job search and résumé, then you need to seriously re-think your approach.

While there may have been a time—long, long ago, it now seems!—when jobs were so plentiful that even a sloppy résumé wouldn’t necessarily eliminate a candidate from further consideration, be advised that those times definitely are over. If you’ve been in your current position for any length of time, you may be surprised to learn that many, many things have changed in the job market, including how to properly prepare a résumé that can get you a shot at an interview for a new job.

Overall ‘Look and Feel’

Your résumé could literally be chock full of spectacular career accomplishments designed to capture the attention of virtually any hiring manager, but if it’s notvisually appealing and inviting, it simply won’t be read. Why? Because, on a typical business day, most hiring professionals receive far too many résumés and have far too little time to evaluate them to waste time with résumés that feature a confused (and confusing) design . (For example, our executive recruiting firm, The HTW (“Hire to Win”) Group, receives from 300 to 500 résumés each and every business day!)

Here are just a few key considerations to keep in mind about the overall graphic design of your résumé:*

• Make good, effective use of “white space” to guide the reader’s focus to key elements.
• Use appropriate and variable type sizes, e.g., 10- to 11- point for body copy, 12- to 14-point for major headings, etc., but stick to the same typefacethroughout, e.g., Arial, Times New Roman. Also, it’s all right to use a variety offonts, e.g., Italics, bold, small capitals, but use them sparingly.
• Use “bullets” or other appropriate typographical symbols to highlight key career accomplishments, duties, etc., as well as to break up large bodies of text.

Today’s feature-packed word processing programs make it relatively easy for just about anyone with at least some graphic design sense and skill to create a visually appealing, professional-looking résumé. Still, just because you have a vast array of graphic design features at your fingertips that doesn’t mean that you should actually incorporate all (or most) of them in your résumé! For example, avoid using color on typefaces or swatches of color for highlighting. Best advice? Keep it simple and resist the temptation to include “pyrotechnics.”

Remember: Content is Still King!

Assuming your résumé is indeed visually appealing and professional looking enough to get the hiring manager’s attention, i.e., it gives a hiring manager “cause for pause,” you’re at least half way to where you want to be! The next order of business is to “deliver the goods” the hiring manager will undoubtedly be looking for, in order to actually move you into serious contention for the position you are seeking.

What do these “goods” consist of? Detailed information that provides . . .

• Specific evidence that you have continued to grow with your current employer, by heading up (or being intricately involved in) key projects/programs, etc.
• Specific evidence that you have made an ongoing, substantive,measurablecontribution to your current employer. This evidence should be expressed in dollars(saved and/or earned) and/or percentages (of sales increases, cost decreases, etc.) In other words, you need to show how you have either made your current employer money or saved the company money. Ideally, you would be able to show how you have accomplished both of these goals.

If you don’t already have such information readily available, then you should start putting together quantitative evidence of how you have contributed—and are continuing to contribute—to your current employer and incorporate it into your résumé. Make a list of your significant achievements and accomplishments . . .

“Led a manufacturing initiative that resulted in first-year cost savings of 15%, or $2 million; was an integral member of an ad hoc team that successfully introduced a chemical manufacturing process that netted the company $10 million in new annual revenue,” etc.

Why do hiring managers look for such things in a résumé? Why do they even care what you’ve done or are now doing for your current employer? Simple. They want to have at leastsome comfort level that you can also be expected to do these same kinds of things for theircompany, if you turn out to be the candidate of choice.

Principal Goal of Résumé: To Get an Interview!

Will a résumé that adheres to the criteria briefly outlined in this post actually get you a new job? No, it won’t. The principal goal of a résumé is to get you that all-important first interview with a hiring manager! After all, if you don’t accomplish that goal, you’ll never be in contention for any position you seek.

Your initial, primary focus when exploring new career opportunities should be laser-focused on creating a résumé that will accomplish at least TWO things:

• Get and keep the hiring manager’s attention; and
• Make him or her want to learn more about you and what you may be able to offer his or her company.

So, if seeking a new career opportunity is one of your goals for the upcoming new year, go ahead and “dust off” your résumé, but just make sure that, after you’ve “dusted it off,” it then becomes a résumé that can effectively get you where you want to go.

10 KILLER INTERVIEW TACTICS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Job interviews can be a mystery. But you can find success if you follow the right job interview strategies. The following 10 tips are the best job interview strategies to follow if you want to ace your next interview.

1. Study the company

One of the best job interview strategies that most candidates ignore is to study the current events of the company. Knowing what the current events of the company is important so that you can ask pertinent questions. Doing so will show the interviewer that you have done your homework, and also have a genuine interest in the company. This strategy will definitely help your job interview.

2. Know your resume

As a candidate, you should be very familiar with your resume. In any job interview, anything on your resume is at the interviewer’s disposal. Implementing this job interview strategy will help build credibility with your interviewer. It is your responsibility to convince the interviewer that you can come in and do the job. Speaking intelligently about each of your previous positions will help do this, and is one of the best job interview strategies to follow.

3. Prepare an interview emergency kit

Many candidates don’t properly prepare for a job interview. Getting together a “job interview kit” is a great job interview strategy to follow. Suggested items for the kit include extra copies of your resume, directions to the office, a bottle of water, eye drops, pens, and notepad. But you should only bring the extra copies of your resume into the office with you, preferably in a portfolio.

4. Study the job description

After landing an interview, you need to study the job description to truly understand what the interviewer is looking for. If the description calls for attentiveness to detail, you will want to tailor the discussion accordingly. Knowing this, you can navigate the interview and discuss examples from previous jobs that will exemplify this trait. Do this for all significant traits or qualities that you identify in the job description. This is one of the best job interview strategies I have used, and know that it can bring you success.

5. Build rapport

You know the saying, “There’s never a second chance to make a first impression?” That holds very true in the case of job interviews. That is why building rapport is such an important job interview strategy. Shake hands, make eye contact, and smile. Put those three together when you first meet your interviewer and it will set a positive tone for the rest of the interview.

6. Make eye contact

Making positive eye contact is one of the best job interview strategies to follow. Eye contact is one of the strongest forms of nonverbal communication. A person’s qualities and personality can be detected simply based on eye contact. Making direct eye contact communicates confidence and high self-esteem, two key qualities employers look for in candidates.

Thus, it is very important that you make eye contact when you first meet interviewer and shake hands. And during the interview, it is important to make eye contact, not only when you talk, but also as you listen. Simply doing this job interview strategy will greatly help your chances of success in an interview.

7. Body language

Just as eye contact speaks volumes about you, so does your body language. Proper body language conveys confidence and high self-esteem. During the interview, things like sitting up straight with your chest out and keeping a pleasant demeanor on your face will project confidence. The interviewer will be aware of this, and it will help you stand out in his/her mind.

Related: How to Prepare for Your Interview with Body, Heart and Mind

8. Display your skills with concrete examples

When it comes to discussing their skills, many candidates make the mistake of “telling” instead of “showing.” One of the best job interview strategies is to use concrete examples to demonstrate their skills to the interviewer. For example, if one of your skills is successfully handling multiple tasks at once, providing an example of how you do that will help paint a picture for the interviewer. It also gives the interviewer something to “hold on to” once the interview is over, and helps him/her remember you when it comes to decision time.

9. Be yourself

10. Follow up quickly. A common mistake that many candidates make is not being themselves. Some feel that they need to fit a certain mold and act accordingly. This will only end up hurting both parties in the end when your “true” personality comes out. You will be surprised how easy it is to detect insincerity during an interview. Thus, it is important to be professional, but also maintain your true essence. When you do this, your sincerity and genuineness will be picked up by the interviewer. This is one of the best job interview strategies to implement, and will go a long way in determining your success.

After the job interview, send a thank you note to the interview. These days, an email is fine, but traditionally a handwritten card is sent. Whatever method you choose, do it promptly after the interview. The correspondence should be sent the next day after the interview. Many hiring decisions are made quickly these days, so timeliness is very important.

You now have 10 of the best job interview tactics to follow. There are many aspects of a successful job interview, but if you implement these 10 best job interview tactics listed above, your chances of success will skyrocket!

See the full, original article HERE!