The approach of ‘Mass Mails’ (i.e. a mail that is sent to just about everyone under the sun) to dig/extract/flush-out/mine resumes from the remotest places, seems to have a great deal of effect on the recipient!
How?
Picture this: a HR person on one fine day gets a mail asking for an updated resume for the post of a (Hold your breath!!!) – A “Neurosurgeon”!!! Well, you can quite guess the recipient of this mail. No?
This kind of mail got me thinking on the objective of sending out such unsolicited mails to people? Trust me; the only logic that I could arrive was very simple:
Get your message across to as many many many people as possible with the hope that at least 5% of them reply with either their updated resume or at least send their query! Pretty simple, right?
It’s a 5-Step easy process
Here’s how you can do it:
Situation:
You want to hire a couple of Java Technology Architects (with about 10 yrs work experience) within the next 45 days. Hmmmm…you tell yourself, “OMG! It’s not possible. What can I do?”
Eureka! You have found a way to achieve your targets.
Solution:
Step 1: Get hold of job-portals, search networking sites, enroll on all possible technology-groups on the internet – download as many email ID’s as possible!
Step 2: Compose a mail filled with loads of data – client/company, role, location, compensation........
Step 3: Send it out to the email ID’s which were garnered from various sources! Voila! Your message has just reached over a 100,000 people!
Step 4: Sit back & sift through the replies (remember 5% was expected to reply?)
Step 5: You achieve your target! The positions got filled, you get your incentives, everyone (almost everyone…read on) is happy!
Now, lets see who got the mails: HR (off course), entry level candidates, surgeons, teachers, gym instructors, graphic designers, furniture makers, actors, singers, doctors, trainers, etc. Mostly it has reached about 99.9% of people who ever not even close to a Java Technology Architect role or don’t know what that even means!!
What happens to your mail? – I guarantee that less that 3 seconds were spent reading your mails and more importantly your mails get identified as a SPAM! Someone is right now contemplating of suing you for one reason or another; another person is writing you a mail saying how much they hate receiving your mails, right? If you haven’t received any, you can push your luck a little harder!
The question that really matters is: Do you need to send mass mails at all?
My answer to that is NO! By sending them you are hurting your chances of identifying potential candidates even more!
You have just irritated a 100,000 people by sending them mails they don’t care about!
The 100,000 people spread the message to another 100k people, thus, hurting your client’s/company’s reputation (that’s a cost you cannot calculate!)
Chances of someone suing you (maybe for fun!) is very high
Time spent researching and downloading email ID’s was a waste of critical hiring-time
Finally - Guess what! You get spammed in return by folks who don’t mind sending their resumes hoping they’ll get a reply!!!
Get off the habit of mass-mails as quickly as possible! Since it’s like sprinkling seeds all over the planet hoping to reap a rich harvest! You are better off spending QUALITY TIME identifying a particular source which you can dive deep into and get the required results.
Think about it, as a recruiter, would you respond to a mail asking you send your resume for the post of a “Arboriculturist”!!!! Chances are, you might not even have heard about such a profession!
On second thoughts, actually, you might apply! That is, if you don’t like recruitment, in which case you should not be sending out those mass mails!
- The HR Store
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Employee Value Proposition
In turbulent times such as the current situation, it’s just as hard to let-go of people while trying to NOT create panic among folks the Company wants to retain!
So what can be done to communicate effectively the company’s stand in a turbulent situation? How to let employees know of where the company is going? A good ‘Realistic’ vision holds the key to success and surely the company wants its best people to be with them, while trying to achieve the targets. A down market can be turned around to work in a positive way if a good plan is laid out.
It’s time to get the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) ready for circulation! Yes, you heard it right . EVP’s were mainly designed to be used during recruitment to attract potential candidates, but the times have changed and so will strategies…
What is an EVP? – It’s a simple plan to let candidates/employees know what they’ll get in return for their performance.
What does it contain?
- EVP’s are like a fact-file of information about the company. It contains info about the company’s history, area of work, vision, investors, revenue, work culture, clients, work ethics, etc.,
- Mostly importantly, the EVP will focus on the TOP 5 Reasons to work for the company! (PS: Everyone love TOP 5/10 reasons, it makes things a lot clear)
- It highlights - ‘What-You-Get’ for ‘What-You-Give’! Simple and to the point.
How does this work in the current situation? –Stretch the plan to accommodate the re-jig in the organization due to lay-off’s…means that the individual performances will now have to double, the employees will need to stretch, but the company will respond with rewards.
Why the EVP?
- It’s always better to communicate openly and pro-actively, than let employees know of the company’s plans through non-confirmed rumors at corridor-meetings, near the water-cooler, sometimes at the stairway too!
- The EVP will ensure that the employees know what they are getting into! The ‘No-Surprises’ approach will work for the best
- The message is clear; the company is going a bad-phase & needs the support of its employees to tide over the rough patch!
- EVP’s will also ensure that the company’s vision is clear to the employees! It will act like a ‘Compass’ giving the necessary directions while at sea! Its turbulent after all and you don’t want your ship to be swayed to no-man’s-land!
- This will also lead to losing more employees (mainly to your competitor). Mostly lost will be the weaker lot - folks who believe that the situation will not affect the competitor! It’s good to let-go of them, since eventually they do more harm than good for your plans
- Highlight the reason’s why you feel the EVP will work, such as, good cash reserves, leader in the particular market-space, strength in performance, committed clients, etc.,!
Everyone is facing the heat, the better equipped ones will survive…the rest.....will be history!
Any thoughts?
- The HR Store
So what can be done to communicate effectively the company’s stand in a turbulent situation? How to let employees know of where the company is going? A good ‘Realistic’ vision holds the key to success and surely the company wants its best people to be with them, while trying to achieve the targets. A down market can be turned around to work in a positive way if a good plan is laid out.
It’s time to get the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) ready for circulation! Yes, you heard it right . EVP’s were mainly designed to be used during recruitment to attract potential candidates, but the times have changed and so will strategies…
What is an EVP? – It’s a simple plan to let candidates/employees know what they’ll get in return for their performance.
What does it contain?
- EVP’s are like a fact-file of information about the company. It contains info about the company’s history, area of work, vision, investors, revenue, work culture, clients, work ethics, etc.,
- Mostly importantly, the EVP will focus on the TOP 5 Reasons to work for the company! (PS: Everyone love TOP 5/10 reasons, it makes things a lot clear)
- It highlights - ‘What-You-Get’ for ‘What-You-Give’! Simple and to the point.
How does this work in the current situation? –Stretch the plan to accommodate the re-jig in the organization due to lay-off’s…means that the individual performances will now have to double, the employees will need to stretch, but the company will respond with rewards.
Why the EVP?
- It’s always better to communicate openly and pro-actively, than let employees know of the company’s plans through non-confirmed rumors at corridor-meetings, near the water-cooler, sometimes at the stairway too!
- The EVP will ensure that the employees know what they are getting into! The ‘No-Surprises’ approach will work for the best
- The message is clear; the company is going a bad-phase & needs the support of its employees to tide over the rough patch!
- EVP’s will also ensure that the company’s vision is clear to the employees! It will act like a ‘Compass’ giving the necessary directions while at sea! Its turbulent after all and you don’t want your ship to be swayed to no-man’s-land!
- This will also lead to losing more employees (mainly to your competitor). Mostly lost will be the weaker lot - folks who believe that the situation will not affect the competitor! It’s good to let-go of them, since eventually they do more harm than good for your plans
- Highlight the reason’s why you feel the EVP will work, such as, good cash reserves, leader in the particular market-space, strength in performance, committed clients, etc.,!
Everyone is facing the heat, the better equipped ones will survive…the rest.....will be history!
Any thoughts?
- The HR Store
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Salary Negotiation
Salary negotiations anyone? Ask recruiters and they’ll say; NO!
Salary discussions somehow seem to be the biggest hurdle in the hiring-process. But why? Easy to predict the usual suspects, profile mismatch (found after the interviews!), company’s internal parity/team fitment, compensation structure mismatch, not able to match candidate’s expectations, candidate received a counter-offer from another company! Candidate got retained by the same employer with a hike! Loads of other issues. The situation looks grim and looks like it cannot be eradicated completely. After all, it’s called a negotiation NOT a verdict!
So what can be done to reduce the chances of having to deal with a messy salary negotiation? You give some and receive some, both for candidates and employers.
Quality wins hands-down in a negotiation, like sales people will tell you, quality is what is remembered long after the customer has paid a hefty price! The price was just a negotiating tool…
From a candidate point of view
1. Start with finding out the role and responsibilities of the job. If it’s a fit, undergo the interview process. You might NOT want to put an amount on your resume if you don’t know what you are getting into. Chances are you may need to do more than you had expected and quite naturally you need to be compensated for the same.
2. Set expectations right from the start – both of you should know what each one is getting into! It’s a build up to your negotiation phase.
3. When you enter the stage for salary negotiations – please be REALISTIC! Ask for a 500% hike, ONLY if you can substantiate with realistic reasons. No one in their right mind wants to low-ball you; barring a few, its people after all !
4. Do a quick check on the availability of your skills in the industry. Is it niche? You have a strong point to talk about.
5. Ask questions whenever given the chance about the company, work culture, peers, engagement model of the managers, company communication, etc., a strong indicator about the company’s fair-play attitude!
6. Compensation structure plays a BIG role! Start by understanding their compensation structure and later try mapping it your current salary structure. Both will surely have their positives. Be practical when you do this, since it could back-fire! A benefit here could be missing in the other and vice-versa.
Mostly Importantly
The Company doesn’t want to hear reasons like:
- I’m really smart, hard-working, with high integrity, etc. so I need to get paid more! What the heck, if you already are not, they would not even be talking to you. Get real!
- My friend with another company doing the same job is getting more than me! Hmmm…why don’t you wait and interview with that company then? Your friend is not your ticket to the salary negotiation table…
- You started out asking for 8% hike, but now realize you need more (10%)! Stick your commitment of asking for 8% (you were the person who gave them that number!) Don’t change that overnight, it’s a red-flag.
- An interview is a window to gauge you. You could been a STAR in your previous company. No one will ever know, if you cannot communicate that across with good presentation. So just because you cannot tell them your worth, don’t expect them to read your mind!
The company wants to hear you say things like:
- The company’s revenue returns will be higher because of your work! (Directly or indirectly) Time is money! Outline the reasons, such as newer, cost effective and process oriented approach to their latest problems (off course you may have to know about it during the interviews!) You are already up 1- 0…
- You are at the table negotiating for a salary based on your value, and they need to know that from you! Like you are capable of handling more responsibilities (give examples, not just talk) than what your current job lets you do.
- They’ll like to believe that your offer to do more sounds exciting since they get to fill a higher position with a lesser budget and a worthy candidate! Win-win situation. Score 2- 0
- Talk about instances where you have gone beyond your line of duty to complete tasks. After all, rewards are for people who have done more than what they are asked or even paid to do!
From a Company’s point of view
1. If you thought the candidate was already paid more than could have afforded – please don’t waste the candidate’s or Company time!
2. It’s unfair to low-ball a candidate, be fair and realistic. The Company has limits too. Candidates understand that!
3. Ask your HR interviewer to add more value to interview feedback, not just act as facilitators!
4. Candidates always expect more, stay firm and decide where to draw the line! You can’t keep stretching till the talks break…if you think the Company’s offer is good, stick to it!
5. Learn to say NO to more-than-necessary demands! If you set a precedent, others will follow! You do know candidates talk to others in the industry, right?
- The HR Store
Salary discussions somehow seem to be the biggest hurdle in the hiring-process. But why? Easy to predict the usual suspects, profile mismatch (found after the interviews!), company’s internal parity/team fitment, compensation structure mismatch, not able to match candidate’s expectations, candidate received a counter-offer from another company! Candidate got retained by the same employer with a hike! Loads of other issues. The situation looks grim and looks like it cannot be eradicated completely. After all, it’s called a negotiation NOT a verdict!
So what can be done to reduce the chances of having to deal with a messy salary negotiation? You give some and receive some, both for candidates and employers.
Quality wins hands-down in a negotiation, like sales people will tell you, quality is what is remembered long after the customer has paid a hefty price! The price was just a negotiating tool…
From a candidate point of view
1. Start with finding out the role and responsibilities of the job. If it’s a fit, undergo the interview process. You might NOT want to put an amount on your resume if you don’t know what you are getting into. Chances are you may need to do more than you had expected and quite naturally you need to be compensated for the same.
2. Set expectations right from the start – both of you should know what each one is getting into! It’s a build up to your negotiation phase.
3. When you enter the stage for salary negotiations – please be REALISTIC! Ask for a 500% hike, ONLY if you can substantiate with realistic reasons. No one in their right mind wants to low-ball you; barring a few, its people after all !
4. Do a quick check on the availability of your skills in the industry. Is it niche? You have a strong point to talk about.
5. Ask questions whenever given the chance about the company, work culture, peers, engagement model of the managers, company communication, etc., a strong indicator about the company’s fair-play attitude!
6. Compensation structure plays a BIG role! Start by understanding their compensation structure and later try mapping it your current salary structure. Both will surely have their positives. Be practical when you do this, since it could back-fire! A benefit here could be missing in the other and vice-versa.
Mostly Importantly
The Company doesn’t want to hear reasons like:
- I’m really smart, hard-working, with high integrity, etc. so I need to get paid more! What the heck, if you already are not, they would not even be talking to you. Get real!
- My friend with another company doing the same job is getting more than me! Hmmm…why don’t you wait and interview with that company then? Your friend is not your ticket to the salary negotiation table…
- You started out asking for 8% hike, but now realize you need more (10%)! Stick your commitment of asking for 8% (you were the person who gave them that number!) Don’t change that overnight, it’s a red-flag.
- An interview is a window to gauge you. You could been a STAR in your previous company. No one will ever know, if you cannot communicate that across with good presentation. So just because you cannot tell them your worth, don’t expect them to read your mind!
The company wants to hear you say things like:
- The company’s revenue returns will be higher because of your work! (Directly or indirectly) Time is money! Outline the reasons, such as newer, cost effective and process oriented approach to their latest problems (off course you may have to know about it during the interviews!) You are already up 1- 0…
- You are at the table negotiating for a salary based on your value, and they need to know that from you! Like you are capable of handling more responsibilities (give examples, not just talk) than what your current job lets you do.
- They’ll like to believe that your offer to do more sounds exciting since they get to fill a higher position with a lesser budget and a worthy candidate! Win-win situation. Score 2- 0
- Talk about instances where you have gone beyond your line of duty to complete tasks. After all, rewards are for people who have done more than what they are asked or even paid to do!
From a Company’s point of view
1. If you thought the candidate was already paid more than could have afforded – please don’t waste the candidate’s or Company time!
2. It’s unfair to low-ball a candidate, be fair and realistic. The Company has limits too. Candidates understand that!
3. Ask your HR interviewer to add more value to interview feedback, not just act as facilitators!
4. Candidates always expect more, stay firm and decide where to draw the line! You can’t keep stretching till the talks break…if you think the Company’s offer is good, stick to it!
5. Learn to say NO to more-than-necessary demands! If you set a precedent, others will follow! You do know candidates talk to others in the industry, right?
- The HR Store
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
"What's Right NOT Who's Right?"
It’s getting ever so fierce at workplaces that decision making is getting blurred. You must have noticed that most times, suggestions are incorporated keeping in mind the person who gave it, since it happens to be a ‘manager’ or ‘someone-higher-up-the-ladder’!
Really, all you wanted to do was get up and shout that the idea sucks (off course, only if it really does), but held yourself back fearing being reprimanded in an open-forum! This has happened so frequently that you are feeling so very frustrated.
So what do you do next? Fight or Flight?
Flight Plan:
This is a no-brainer!
The perceived easier of the option is to take ‘Flight’ to the next best company, with the hope that the grass is always greener on the other side. Good for you if it works for your advantage and the next company is among the ‘Great Place to Work’ category. You might get the visibility, praise, appreciation, etc. If not, you are back at ‘Square-One’!
I feel the tougher of the options is to stay put and ‘Fight’ it out. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a face-face confrontation, but, it’s a good chance to learn management tact/skill in handling such cases.
Fight Plan:
- Listen to the suggestion at face-value, maybe they have a point. Give them the benefit of the doubt, considering their experience and expertise in the field
- Next, you can build your own list of ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ to the suggested solution
- Make your point, with its advantages and disadvantages. Highlighting on the practicality, economical feasibility and ease to implement, this will only strengthen your cause.
- Be ready to receive feedback! It may work or may not; at least it’s worth a shot.
The step that could be a little dicey is in approaching the ‘managers’ or ‘someone-higher-up-the-ladder’ with your suggestion. Hmmm…after all there is way out.
If your manager is not receptive to suggestions in an open forum, take it offline.
- Implement the idea that’s already suggested. Hold on! You are not going to surrender as yet…- - Next, complete it the way you feel it would work. Your Way!
- Make it appear that although the manager’s solution was good, there is a better way to do it
- Present it at a relevant time and a good presentation will only add value
Unless, it’s a mathematical problem there is a high possibility of having multiple solutions! It’s good thing to inculcate as you go to higher roles involving decision making.
My vote for: “What’s Right NOT Who’s Right?”
- The HR Store
Really, all you wanted to do was get up and shout that the idea sucks (off course, only if it really does), but held yourself back fearing being reprimanded in an open-forum! This has happened so frequently that you are feeling so very frustrated.
So what do you do next? Fight or Flight?
Flight Plan:
This is a no-brainer!
The perceived easier of the option is to take ‘Flight’ to the next best company, with the hope that the grass is always greener on the other side. Good for you if it works for your advantage and the next company is among the ‘Great Place to Work’ category. You might get the visibility, praise, appreciation, etc. If not, you are back at ‘Square-One’!
I feel the tougher of the options is to stay put and ‘Fight’ it out. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a face-face confrontation, but, it’s a good chance to learn management tact/skill in handling such cases.
Fight Plan:
- Listen to the suggestion at face-value, maybe they have a point. Give them the benefit of the doubt, considering their experience and expertise in the field
- Next, you can build your own list of ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ to the suggested solution
- Make your point, with its advantages and disadvantages. Highlighting on the practicality, economical feasibility and ease to implement, this will only strengthen your cause.
- Be ready to receive feedback! It may work or may not; at least it’s worth a shot.
The step that could be a little dicey is in approaching the ‘managers’ or ‘someone-higher-up-the-ladder’ with your suggestion. Hmmm…after all there is way out.
If your manager is not receptive to suggestions in an open forum, take it offline.
- Implement the idea that’s already suggested. Hold on! You are not going to surrender as yet…- - Next, complete it the way you feel it would work. Your Way!
- Make it appear that although the manager’s solution was good, there is a better way to do it
- Present it at a relevant time and a good presentation will only add value
Unless, it’s a mathematical problem there is a high possibility of having multiple solutions! It’s good thing to inculcate as you go to higher roles involving decision making.
My vote for: “What’s Right NOT Who’s Right?”
- The HR Store
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Change is Strange!!
Change is weird, strange, un-necessary, pathetic etc or Change can be cool, exciting, wonderful, fantastic etc.. What do you think?
First School of Thought:
Change could only be a constant! I personally would love to work that way - new ideas, new people, new everything! This set of people 'Thrive-In-Chaos', it's amazing that they are adaptable to newer surroundings, get up tomorrow morning and start their tasks with a change in their routine (Irony! Irony! Change & routine...). They are constantly thinking about the next big thing that can change their lives, daily routines tweaked for optimum results where 20% efforts translate to 100% results.
The need for change is their necessity. The only hitch to going down this path is that, it might take tons of effort to stay focused on one thing for long enough to complete it! The mind works furiously to find ways to make things interesting, easier, less complicated and YES! process goes out of the window! That's because change can happen anytime, anywhere...The hidden 'Entrepreneur' in them surfaces ever so frequently.
Tomorrow is a new day - for new things - to be done in new ways!
Second School of Thought:
Change is unnecessary! People on this side of the fence feel routine is best. It gives them a sense of normalcy in their lives, the security of knowing exactly what's going to happen next! People who love stability, to stay predictable and maybe even stay as a big-fish-in-a-small-pond!
Change is a crazy thing...it just throws things out of gear! Who the heck wants to do start doing the same thing differently...the results are predictable, getting the tasks accomplished is all about following process, stability is in knowing things will remain the same way since they left it the last time....
Tomorrow will start & end the same way - just like yesterday!
Where do you belong?
First School of Thought:
Change could only be a constant! I personally would love to work that way - new ideas, new people, new everything! This set of people 'Thrive-In-Chaos', it's amazing that they are adaptable to newer surroundings, get up tomorrow morning and start their tasks with a change in their routine (Irony! Irony! Change & routine...). They are constantly thinking about the next big thing that can change their lives, daily routines tweaked for optimum results where 20% efforts translate to 100% results.
The need for change is their necessity. The only hitch to going down this path is that, it might take tons of effort to stay focused on one thing for long enough to complete it! The mind works furiously to find ways to make things interesting, easier, less complicated and YES! process goes out of the window! That's because change can happen anytime, anywhere...The hidden 'Entrepreneur' in them surfaces ever so frequently.
Tomorrow is a new day - for new things - to be done in new ways!
Second School of Thought:
Change is unnecessary! People on this side of the fence feel routine is best. It gives them a sense of normalcy in their lives, the security of knowing exactly what's going to happen next! People who love stability, to stay predictable and maybe even stay as a big-fish-in-a-small-pond!
Change is a crazy thing...it just throws things out of gear! Who the heck wants to do start doing the same thing differently...the results are predictable, getting the tasks accomplished is all about following process, stability is in knowing things will remain the same way since they left it the last time....
Tomorrow will start & end the same way - just like yesterday!
Where do you belong?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Resume Writing
If you recorded interviews you might get to hear something like this:
Interviewer: Your Resume speaks of a lot of activities in the project. What’s your part in it?
Candidate: We (team) have shared equal responsibilities around development, testing, bug fixing, etc.
Interviewer: I understand, but, what was your role in it?
Candidate: We (again the team!) played equal roles in the progress of the project
Interviewer: Hmm…so help me understand your individual involvement in the project?
Candidate: We (for the last time!)…..continues talking about collective approach towards accomplishing goals!
Interviewer: Thank you for your time! We’ll get back to you… (Never!)
Candidate (Extremely satisfied): look forward to hear from you… (I’ve got the job!)
If you are an interviewer, the answers might sound very familiar. If you are a candidate, your answers have just ruined your chances of making it to the next round.
Maybe, the resume contents were indicative of the thought process of the candidate. A resume is a great start point to tell someone about your achievements. You definitely don't want to mess that up. Here's a quick glance from a recruiter's point of view at a standard template of a resume which might be useful. Off course, use your creativity and intelligence to better it for your own good.
1. If there is anything at all that a resume should speak about – it must be you!
Interviewer: Your Resume speaks of a lot of activities in the project. What’s your part in it?
Candidate: We (team) have shared equal responsibilities around development, testing, bug fixing, etc.
Interviewer: I understand, but, what was your role in it?
Candidate: We (again the team!) played equal roles in the progress of the project
Interviewer: Hmm…so help me understand your individual involvement in the project?
Candidate: We (for the last time!)…..continues talking about collective approach towards accomplishing goals!
Interviewer: Thank you for your time! We’ll get back to you… (Never!)
Candidate (Extremely satisfied): look forward to hear from you… (I’ve got the job!)
If you are an interviewer, the answers might sound very familiar. If you are a candidate, your answers have just ruined your chances of making it to the next round.
Maybe, the resume contents were indicative of the thought process of the candidate. A resume is a great start point to tell someone about your achievements. You definitely don't want to mess that up. Here's a quick glance from a recruiter's point of view at a standard template of a resume which might be useful. Off course, use your creativity and intelligence to better it for your own good.
1. If there is anything at all that a resume should speak about – it must be you!
- It’s great that you accomplished the task as a team, but if you cannot clearly explain your role, then you might as well send your team for the interview!
- Listen to the interviewer, your resume is almost writing itself during your discussion. Get back & make those changes.
2. The resume should have a certain flow or method in it:
- Start with a Summary/Objective: What is it that you want from your next job? Link it to your short-term and long term goals.- Mention your strengths: Both technical & non-technical. Keep it in line with the job requirement.
- Followed by a table with your skill sets, preferably with self-rating againt each.
- Start by mentioning your work experience in reverse chronological order along with timelines in each company
· Brief about the project
· Technology used in the project
· Mention your role in the project. Be specific. Telling more about your role and responsibility will help the recuiter and interviewer understand your contributions a lot better.
· Achievements in the project (if any)
- Education Details: Most companies want to know only your highest achieved degree. Stick to mentioning just that, unless asked for previous degrees.
- Mention about certifications/awards/patents/presentations/articles/Whitepaper etc.
- Any significant achievement in your line of business? Ensure that your work has positively impacted a sizable number of people.
- References
3. The resume should be ‘to-the-point’ and should best capture your work in the least number of words possible.
4. Ensure there are ZERO spelling errors, else it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
5. Please read through your resume a hundred times & get to know it like the back of your hand! You'll be suprised at the number of candidates who forget what's on their own resume.
6. Finally, if you think your resume needs professional help, ask for it! Get yourself a resume-writing professional. It won’t hurt to spend a little to put your best foot forward in an interview!
All the best!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Candidate Management
What is Candidate Management?
“It is a skill which is needed to treat candidates like human beings, by being polite, courteous, honest and candid with them during your interactions. It is about under-promising and over-delivering.”
What is the need for Candidate Management?
· Streamline our efforts in the recruitment process; in terms of increasing the capability to manager profiles with efficiency & effectiveness
“It is a skill which is needed to treat candidates like human beings, by being polite, courteous, honest and candid with them during your interactions. It is about under-promising and over-delivering.”
What is the need for Candidate Management?
· Streamline our efforts in the recruitment process; in terms of increasing the capability to manager profiles with efficiency & effectiveness
· Derive statistics from the accumulated data; such as, strength to address open requisitions based on technology, domain, company, location/geography, levels of experience, etc.,
· Monetary benefits for & from the business
Candidate Journey
Effects of poor Candidate Management
Every bad action has always had repercussions! So does Candidate Management. Think about the last time YOU interviewed for a job and I’m quite sure you did at least one of the following action(s).
· Candidates tend to change their channel-selection based on interactions with the company
Every bad action has always had repercussions! So does Candidate Management. Think about the last time YOU interviewed for a job and I’m quite sure you did at least one of the following action(s).
· Candidates tend to change their channel-selection based on interactions with the company
· Reduced interest in future vacancies with the company
· Big impact on the company’s brand through bad publicity. [blogs, word of mouth, employee referrals, etc.,]This will only hurt your future references! Watch you word…
· Wasted efforts in terms of time & money [Interviewer’s time, Company time, Interview No shows, Interview Reschedules, Offer Declines, Candidate’s travel costs, etc,]
What can be improved?
Think about your treatment to guests invite at home,
- Would you make them wait for long hours?
- Not give them food when you called them during lunch/dinner time?
- Talk to them like you are not interested?
The same situation applies to candidates! You called them 9 out of 10 times to check on their interest! So why not treat them with respect and care?
· First impression counts, whether it is via phone calls, meetings, emails, text messages
o Sound professional when you talk, send mails, etc.,
o Talk like you are selling a role in your company, with a lot of conviction.
o If you wont buy what you are selling, then don’t expect the candidate to buy it either!!!
o Be assertive and confident in whatever you say.
o Be assertive and confident in whatever you say.
o There are things you CAN and CANNOT do, communicate without fear
· Make honest commitments; about the position, role & responsibilities, info regarding interview timelines, stick to timely communication & YES! Never forget to give feedback on time
Signs of good Candidate Management
• Candidate remembers your name & the minute details of your previous discussions! 1st sign of recall value
• They are careful, meticulous and trusting while explaining their current standing. Shares more info than they would have preferred. You are on the right track!
• You know exactly why they would select your company versus your competitor’s
• Readily gives you references you can solicit for other open positions
• Responds to all forms of communications; ON-TIME!!
What are the developments in the area of Candidate Management?
Companies hiring Candidate Management teams…building automation tools…implementing Six Sigma methodologies…and more
• Large companies are hiring exclusive teams for candidate management. The small ones are training their limited staff on Candidate Management.
• Companies are building automation tools to help monitor candidate management. A large number of Candidate Management Systems (CMS) are available
Your role as a Career Consultant/Recruiter/Candidate Management Expert (CME)
• Understand the business space, their requirements and the need for getting the requirements
• Sit with the hiring manager and list down a few key-points that will help them find the right candidate, Vis-à-vis ‘Selling Points’, role description, internal team fitment, compensation, etc.,
• Put more effort into understanding the hiring process & ways to optimize it. Agreed that 9 – 10 rounds of discussion are needed, but you shouldn’t let that affect the candidate’s psyche
• If possible talk your way to participate in one or two interviews for every position. This will help you to understand and put down the requirements crisply
• Learn how to sell the position. Eventually you are going to do that to the candidate. Never over-sell or under-sell. You can even try a couple of contacts that you can circulate across to the candidate for referral
All the best with your hiring!
Regards,
The HR Store
Monday, October 13, 2008
Starting With 'A' Differentiator
It’s every hiring agency's dream to have that ‘Special-Something-Extra’ that gets them more clients and loads of money through the door. More importantly, they are always on the look-out for a differentiator that would give them the much needed head-start, compared to their competitors. The search for the differentiators more often than not takes away some basic functionalities that is driving the business.
The question I asked was: “If you were to start new, what would be the big differentiator?”
Here’s my take on it: There are 2 parts to the solving this issue, i.e. Internally & Externally.
Internally:
This is driven more within the organization. Among internal teams catering to clients, in various recruitment related activities.
I would like to take an analogy of the game of football. The playing field, rules, parameters & all else is the same, the main ‘differentiator’ is the team’s core strength in:
1. Identifying the right players, vis-à-vis right person to work with
2. Hiring a good coach, who can strategize, has a short-term & long-term realistic vision, recognize talent, and promote talent. Replace Coach with the Manager & the Talent with the Candidate.
3. Cash in the bank to try out new experiments. My reasoning here with this point is because it takes time & effort to hire the ‘right’ people to work for you! You need to be able to get the best returns for your investment
4. The ability to have a star-player supported by the rest of the team, too many stars will only hurt the team in the long run
Externally:
The client definitely expects positive results, that what they are paying for in first place!
1. From a company’s stand-point, they are trying to identify a ‘Business Partner’ in the literal sense, rather than working with just another recruitment agency. The partner should be able to take the same risks & also enjoy all perks in-tune with the company. The company wants the agency to become more accountable.
2. They want to be working with agencies which treat them as their ‘No.1’ client and not use their name with the agencies other 10 clients! So stand-apart from the crowd & your risk will be either worth it or not, based on your selection of the client & their performances.
3. A big differentiator that a new agency can have is the ability to say ‘NO’ to business that one cannot support. The effect of starting new & getting initially cash-strapped, missing deadlines & lot of other factors forces us to take on more than we can service.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
The HR Store
Friday, October 10, 2008
Do we need a ‘Role Model’?
Did you like being:
- Compared to another kid in school, because he/she got better grades?
- Compared to another student in college, because he/she made it to the college-team, played a musical instrument, topped the university?
- Compared to a friend who made it big before you?
If we run this question as a survey, most of us would answer ‘NO’. It’s simple to justify the answer, why would we want to be like another person? They have their own strengths & areas of improvement, so do we.
Now let’s ask the same question about 5-10 yrs after we complete our education & head towards to work-life. Surprisingly, we do a complete volte-face on our answer! We are always in the search for reasons to compare ourselves to someone or the other all the time…so what has changed this time around? Not much. This time around we are in control of our actions and we term our searches for ‘That’ better person as a Role-Model (RM).
It’s great to have a RM if what we need from them are their principles or ideologies – which unfortunately are not the actual reason! As much as we would like to debate, we need a role-model to compare ourselves on our own progress. Up to a point where we sometimes become self-critical! Not a good sign at all.
So what’s the big-deal of having RM’s?
Firstly, it’s NOT a ‘Necessity’. The reason to not have a RM is because it gives a sense of putting a barricade or a ceiling that you feel as the goal that would get you to the top. Provided you followed in the same path of the RM.
Are you sure you cannot go beyond that limit? If the answer is yes, its time to start re-evaluating your idea of having a RM in the first place!
The very reason to not emulate someone is so that you have an independent vision of what you want to achieve, your own ‘Individuality’. That’s something that everyone carries, but unfortunately, it gets lost in the ‘Fight For Comparison’ with the RM. You decide your own goals.
Agree?
We often get mixed up with not being able to differentiate between “Role-Model” & “Mentor”…maybe its time to give it some thought! That’s another post for another day.
Have a nice weekend!
The HR Store
- Compared to another kid in school, because he/she got better grades?
- Compared to another student in college, because he/she made it to the college-team, played a musical instrument, topped the university?
- Compared to a friend who made it big before you?
If we run this question as a survey, most of us would answer ‘NO’. It’s simple to justify the answer, why would we want to be like another person? They have their own strengths & areas of improvement, so do we.
Now let’s ask the same question about 5-10 yrs after we complete our education & head towards to work-life. Surprisingly, we do a complete volte-face on our answer! We are always in the search for reasons to compare ourselves to someone or the other all the time…so what has changed this time around? Not much. This time around we are in control of our actions and we term our searches for ‘That’ better person as a Role-Model (RM).
It’s great to have a RM if what we need from them are their principles or ideologies – which unfortunately are not the actual reason! As much as we would like to debate, we need a role-model to compare ourselves on our own progress. Up to a point where we sometimes become self-critical! Not a good sign at all.
So what’s the big-deal of having RM’s?
Firstly, it’s NOT a ‘Necessity’. The reason to not have a RM is because it gives a sense of putting a barricade or a ceiling that you feel as the goal that would get you to the top. Provided you followed in the same path of the RM.
Are you sure you cannot go beyond that limit? If the answer is yes, its time to start re-evaluating your idea of having a RM in the first place!
The very reason to not emulate someone is so that you have an independent vision of what you want to achieve, your own ‘Individuality’. That’s something that everyone carries, but unfortunately, it gets lost in the ‘Fight For Comparison’ with the RM. You decide your own goals.
Agree?
We often get mixed up with not being able to differentiate between “Role-Model” & “Mentor”…maybe its time to give it some thought! That’s another post for another day.
Have a nice weekend!
The HR Store
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The 'Right Time' is NOW...
I’m sure we've all heard others & even ourselves talk about the ‘Right-Time’ to do the ‘Right-Thing'? Agreed, if you are sure of the outcome of a task, then it makes sense to wait, but, in the first place how the heck did you even find out the outcome? It may be because sometime back you happened to do the wrong-thing at the wrong-time! The point to focus is the ‘Optimistic’ mindset you had then versus the 'Pessimistic' thinking now…it’s foolish to repeat mistakes but then you need be bold enough to step-up and take charge.
The perspective of the ‘Right-Time’ is often viewed as an insecure and doubtful frame of mind. Come to think of it, if you start your favorite project today, wouldn’t you give it all? Off course you would. Sometimes, the 'Right-Time' is decided more from a necessity to achieve goals – quite confidently you don’t even ponder over ‘time’ to decide whether it is ok to proceed or not!
I keep wondering if the ONLY reason to not do something & wait for the ‘Right-Time’ is because we don’t like doing it! Think about it for a second, most of the tasks that you may have completed in the last week were something that you liked doing or thought it was the best thing to do…and the ones you may have avoided were most often than not the ones you obviously didn’t like! It’s get harder in a business situation where other people depend on YOUR work & time to get tasks accomplished.
So the next time around ask yourself – "What if the tech support agent doesn’t want to answer your call?" - While you are on tenterhooks to fix the machine to send out your RFP to a waiting client! The agent will be fired – but more importantly you’ll lose a customer because someone else thought it was not the right-time!! What goes round comes around…
Come to think of it, if there is something that you love to do, have the passion to do or basically needs to be done/completed – then waiting for the ‘Right-Time’ is only going to increase the agony! The ride will be rough when you dive in, but I’m sure you’ll dig deep into your resolve to reach your goals. After all, your future is dependant on your action.
The clock’s ticking - the ‘RIGHT-TIME’ was the minute that just passed by……
Regards,
The HR Store
The perspective of the ‘Right-Time’ is often viewed as an insecure and doubtful frame of mind. Come to think of it, if you start your favorite project today, wouldn’t you give it all? Off course you would. Sometimes, the 'Right-Time' is decided more from a necessity to achieve goals – quite confidently you don’t even ponder over ‘time’ to decide whether it is ok to proceed or not!
I keep wondering if the ONLY reason to not do something & wait for the ‘Right-Time’ is because we don’t like doing it! Think about it for a second, most of the tasks that you may have completed in the last week were something that you liked doing or thought it was the best thing to do…and the ones you may have avoided were most often than not the ones you obviously didn’t like! It’s get harder in a business situation where other people depend on YOUR work & time to get tasks accomplished.
So the next time around ask yourself – "What if the tech support agent doesn’t want to answer your call?" - While you are on tenterhooks to fix the machine to send out your RFP to a waiting client! The agent will be fired – but more importantly you’ll lose a customer because someone else thought it was not the right-time!! What goes round comes around…
Come to think of it, if there is something that you love to do, have the passion to do or basically needs to be done/completed – then waiting for the ‘Right-Time’ is only going to increase the agony! The ride will be rough when you dive in, but I’m sure you’ll dig deep into your resolve to reach your goals. After all, your future is dependant on your action.
The clock’s ticking - the ‘RIGHT-TIME’ was the minute that just passed by……
Regards,
The HR Store
Friday, October 3, 2008
X-Factor: "Recruiter Sales"
“Selling is an art” – a known truth for over a million years.
Question: Does recruitment have anything to do with selling?
Answer: YES
What is ‘Recruiter Sales’? The simple Q&A style of answering it would be, “The in-depth selling of a hiring opportunity by a recruiter, to a potential candidate.” Now, it’s definitely not as easy as that definition, since it involves finer nuances of selling & recruitment. As a Recruiter, the minute you begin prospecting a potential candidate, the very first line you speak has everything in it to qualify as a ‘SALES PITCH’. One can’t help it – because it runs in the recruiter’s DNA & if it doesn’t someone should be worried about it!
I’ve noticed that good ‘recruiter-salesperson’ has some common selling traits:
- High levels of confidence
- Ability to identify the very-thin-line between being Assertive or Pushy
- Build a strong relationship with candidates through excellent communication, good follow-up
- They can take ‘NO’ for an answer, when they see a dead end
- An attitude that screams “Whatever it takes (legally off course!)…to get the candidate across the line”
- They never never never stop Selling!
There are very high chances of the candidate talking to a recruiter first than anyone else in the company - they need to know about the company, job, peers, work culture, benefit; the whole-nine-yards! The point I’m trying to make is that the recruiter can only sell as much as he/she knows. Eventually, the best salesperson wins!
Dose of Truth: Every candidate that has ever interviewed with your company & rejected your offer to join elsewhere, indicates that – someone in the same field has done better than you! That’s not a very good feeling!
There could be a hundred other reasons why the candidate rejected your job offer – the other company provided higher compensation, work from home facility, better employee benefits, open work culture, whatever! If your company has been able to employ a 1000 people without these very reasons; then you too have your positives! Unless the recruiter incorporates the positives in the sales-pitch at the discussion table, the offer-rejects will continue to happen!
From experience I can vouch for the fact that Selling would work best if it is done in 3-Parts:-
Part 1: Have a list of selling points about the company.
- The pitch would have the Big-Picture from 30,000 feet!
- Mostly would involve discussions revolving around company history, revenue, investors, customers, technology, peers, work culture, benefits, etc.,
Part 2: Selling points of the business that the candidate would be involved in.
- Discussion would involve details about the business group that a candidate would be joining
- The business groups latest successes – more from a motivating stand point
Part 3: The reasons you believe the candidate makes the perfect fit for a particular role
- Involves matching candidate’s strength’s to the business needs
- The reasons that the company & candidate will both have a mutually rewarding partnership
I’m confident that if a recruiter can stick to the basics of selling – the rest as they say – would MAKE history!
X-Factor: Sell, Sell, Sell!
Regards,
The HR Store
Question: Does recruitment have anything to do with selling?
Answer: YES
What is ‘Recruiter Sales’? The simple Q&A style of answering it would be, “The in-depth selling of a hiring opportunity by a recruiter, to a potential candidate.” Now, it’s definitely not as easy as that definition, since it involves finer nuances of selling & recruitment. As a Recruiter, the minute you begin prospecting a potential candidate, the very first line you speak has everything in it to qualify as a ‘SALES PITCH’. One can’t help it – because it runs in the recruiter’s DNA & if it doesn’t someone should be worried about it!
I’ve noticed that good ‘recruiter-salesperson’ has some common selling traits:
- High levels of confidence
- Ability to identify the very-thin-line between being Assertive or Pushy
- Build a strong relationship with candidates through excellent communication, good follow-up
- They can take ‘NO’ for an answer, when they see a dead end
- An attitude that screams “Whatever it takes (legally off course!)…to get the candidate across the line”
- They never never never stop Selling!
There are very high chances of the candidate talking to a recruiter first than anyone else in the company - they need to know about the company, job, peers, work culture, benefit; the whole-nine-yards! The point I’m trying to make is that the recruiter can only sell as much as he/she knows. Eventually, the best salesperson wins!
Dose of Truth: Every candidate that has ever interviewed with your company & rejected your offer to join elsewhere, indicates that – someone in the same field has done better than you! That’s not a very good feeling!
There could be a hundred other reasons why the candidate rejected your job offer – the other company provided higher compensation, work from home facility, better employee benefits, open work culture, whatever! If your company has been able to employ a 1000 people without these very reasons; then you too have your positives! Unless the recruiter incorporates the positives in the sales-pitch at the discussion table, the offer-rejects will continue to happen!
From experience I can vouch for the fact that Selling would work best if it is done in 3-Parts:-
Part 1: Have a list of selling points about the company.
- The pitch would have the Big-Picture from 30,000 feet!
- Mostly would involve discussions revolving around company history, revenue, investors, customers, technology, peers, work culture, benefits, etc.,
Part 2: Selling points of the business that the candidate would be involved in.
- Discussion would involve details about the business group that a candidate would be joining
- The business groups latest successes – more from a motivating stand point
Part 3: The reasons you believe the candidate makes the perfect fit for a particular role
- Involves matching candidate’s strength’s to the business needs
- The reasons that the company & candidate will both have a mutually rewarding partnership
I’m confident that if a recruiter can stick to the basics of selling – the rest as they say – would MAKE history!
X-Factor: Sell, Sell, Sell!
Regards,
The HR Store
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)