Monday, June 17, 2013

10 tips to be successful in your job interview - Part2

5- We want to be your coach
We are spending hours in a day at screening Cv. If you are interviewing means that your on paper you are qualified for the job. But it is your personality that will make the difference.

If you successfully convince us to be worth the effort, we will invest effort and time to accompany you at best. In fact, you represent us: you are our image.

6- Why this in-person interview then?
The main purpose of my interviews is to instigate the basis of a trustful relationship. That is why I like to stick to my in-person interviews, rather than a (cold) call.
It takes time at the first place; but on the long run I think I save time. 

Because I know my candidates and they know me. With trust and respect you can establish a real collaboration. That increases loyalty during the process.
Since I have (truly) helped the candidate, most of the time I get something in return. Sometimes a great referral!

6- We represent our clients
I know there are recruiters who just send out Cvs, sometimes without even having contracted with the company. This is (also) part of the game.
But good recruiters are successful because they manage to do recurring placements with the same company. Thereby, we partner with the business and we become like an extended HR.

7- We are not mail boxes: use us!
We want you to be successful just as much as you do. Therefore you should pay attention to our advise and even ask for them! by asking questions such as:

"What does your client expect to hear about? What should I focus on?"
"I really want this job at this company. How can I better my odds?"
"Is there anything special I should know about the current situation/projects at the company?"
"Can you tell me more about the personality of the interviewer?"

8- Company does not hire people
It is people that hire people.

I have examples of candidate with not the best Cv doing really good at blue ship companies  ..and vice/versa.
The interview is mainly to mesure your culture fit, get a piece of your personality and for the hiring manager have a glimpse at what it would be working with you.

9- We can be more than what ones think
We spend our full time week building relationships and spreading networks within niche markets. If we do not have the right opportunity at this period of time when you are seeking, chances are we could be representing you for your next move!

We do the mapping of your market and keep abreast of the coming hiring projects. That is something you could benefit of, isn't it?

10- Let us work for you
By building relationship with clients, I mean we first have to deliver. An important aspect of our job is to provide a (recruitment) solution to the business.

When the decision maker realises that working with us means having the right people at the right position and thereby an accountable and dedicated team, which enhances the business..   we are valued as much more than "recruiters". Building trust means that we can influence decision makers.

Some of my candidates would never have been able to step in the door of important clients  if it was not with my referral.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet

Monday, June 3, 2013

10 tips to be successful in your job interviews - Part1

1- You have already stepped in
As agency recruiters, we are working under enough pressure from KPIs not to have time to waste.

Same goes for internal recruiters. By networking with talent acquisition specialists, internal/on-site recruiters,  internal recruitment consultants (agency recruiters working as contractors at end users like "implant" or a delegated resource from an RPO).

If you made it to the interview room, you have already come a long way. You’ve ticked most of the boxes. So what could make you fail?

2- Your attitude
Those of us who are used to interviewing have often developed an acute ability to read people. This sense comes with our strong business acumen. You can understand that we are seeking to recognise the potential for success in the candidate we chose to represent.

We are screening your:
- Gestures
- Coherence between your story and what is written on your resume
- Vision for your career
- Self-confidence
- Ability to reveal your potential and “true colours”

3- (Good) recruiters are more about sales than NLP
Our job is to connect a talent with a great career opportunity and recognise the potential of a great fit. This is all about business.

The more talented recruiters I know are great business people, some of whom are even launching their own business.

4- Our job interview questions are to get you lost
Let me give a real-life example: the airport. If you were a terrorist, would you truthfully answer the question, "Are you convicted of terrorism acts?"

Same with our questions.

Sometimes, we weird questions on purpose (turning you back to an experience you have already discussed, trying to make you look stupid by reasserting your lies)…  just to get you lost. In that manner, we can take down your prepared pitch or your defences and gain access to the real person.

I will follow with 6 more tips in my next post, next week

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet


Monday, May 27, 2013

10 tips for a recruiter friendly resume


1- Social media presence
List the complete LinkedIn, website and blog URLs. Even if your CV will probably be read on a screen, the hyperlink doesn’t always work.


Recruiters, both internal and agency, are relying a lot more on social media. Being part of the pool of candidates who understand the importance of having a web presence is good.


2- Summary section
Sum up your experience in one sentence that includes:
- Total years of experience and the ones in your specialization
- The importance of the companies you worked for
- Your area of specialisation



3- Your objective
Explain in one sentence the goal you are pursuing, mentioning:
- The job you are seeking
- The career vision you are pursuing

4- Your value statement
A headline that captures your personal brand in five to seven words, revealing your:
- Beliefs
- Reasons you like your job
- Objectives (what you want to achieve through your job)

5- Look smart
Sharing your analysis of the market and the solution you bring to business will catch the hiring manager’s attention and is a good induction to more questions.

6- No picture
Even if I like a picture on a CV, a recent survey of recruiters showed that they reject CVs with photos 88% of the time.

7- Presentation
Integrate no more than 2 colours in the category/company headers and job title.

8- Images
To call attention to certifications, company logos, etc. or make it more visual, you may consider inserting images. But nowadays, resumes are scanned by ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) such as Taleo, Brass, Ring, PageUp, and graphics cannot be garbled.

9- Fonts
These are visually friendly: Calibri, Gautomi, and Verdana.

10- The physical address
Unless you are in the countryside or very specific about the time spent in transport, mention only the borough.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet

Monday, May 20, 2013

5 ways to generate interviews - Part2


3- You are in the loop
Meeting with your informational contact is like putting a first step in the door. You have to consider it as seriously as you would do for a job interview. It is actually part of the recruitment process.

4- Turn informational into promotional
Even if the overall purpose is to gather information, bear in mind that this person is your key for the entry door: show your brightest side, sell yourself!
At the end of your interview your informer should be convinced that you are a valuable people worth to be introduced. Give him the elements: 3 major assets of your profile.

5- Always ask the way to return the favor
If that person has accepted to meet with you, there must be a reason. You have to ask what, how, when you could help him.
This will leave the door open and make it easier for that person to remember you by classifying you in his networks.


Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet

Monday, May 13, 2013

5 ways to generate interviews

The networks you have built with the people you met are your bigger lever. You do not need to look any further: concentrate in taking the most out of those newly built relationships.
Do not under estimate the potential those targeted persons have in taking you further.

You should investigate in how you could take advantage of this great asset.

1- Look in their networks
Some people still have open networks. At least, you have access to the shared contacts. You can then sharpen your network mapping and have a comprehensive overview of who is connected to whom.

If by chance, your now 1st degree connection has an open network it is a great opportunity to identify the next people to have a coffee with!
In fact, chances are (and pretty high^^ in fact) that person has counterparts in other companies. You could have an easy referral for an informal interview. Better than turning back to cold calling, isn't it?

2- Join groups
We all start with searching relevant groups on LinkedIn. But I discovered that surprisingly not all of them appear in the results.
Moreover, if you are concentrating on a specific market (for example, I only concentrate in the Talent Acquisiton local market in Sydney). Niche groups are only accessible through your connection's groups.

-To be continued-
In the next post I will demonstrate the rest of the next step I am taking with my job search.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet

Monday, May 6, 2013

Do not listen to Eminem

Do NOT lose yourself!

One thing I found hard was to cope with the massive amount of "information" you deal with when opening up for opportunities.

Since I did not know where to start, I attempted several strategies, such as:
- direct application
- attend networking events; even some really generalist
- open a blog
- learn different plateforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ etc)
- personal branding (SEO, community management etc)

and so forth. I could have tried even harder as I still have many other GOOD ideas to put in practice, such as:
- video resume (in progress)
- consistent and designed portfolio
- turn this blog into a broader WordPress!


All these really interesting and each single one playing an important role in the wider strategy.
But in the meantime, distracting me fromy core target and above all, effort and time consuming!


Leverage on the gold you already have at hands

Now that you have mapped your marketmapped your networks and started to engage informational contacts, do not turn back on Internet!

You have met some people within your targeted industry who can help you with:
- introducing you to their networks
- answering specific insightful questions
- advising or even counselling you on your career
- vouching for you!

This is a little step further in the process, but a really important one to get you to your goal: you have broken in !

You are not anymore a random, unknown applicant. Trusted people in the industry are now keen to help you.


You should build upon that.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet

Monday, April 29, 2013

Networking strategy - Part18


10 tips for a compilling "ice-breaker" message on LinkedIn - Part2

9- Prefer an in-person interview
What you actually look for has more to do with personal interaction. Having a chance to introduce yourself, share your business card, extend a nice meeting over the limited time and turn it into a nice chat ... will take you much further than just gathering 'information'.

However, please consider not to push (too much) for it. Sometimes, people can just be shy at meeting an almost stranger.

10- Thank in advance
You are approaching on an informal way. Your tone of communication has to be atuned with. Find something less formal and conventional than the typical "Regards"

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Example:

Hi X,

Congratulations for growing your networks over 500 as a LION.

I am also in the process of growing my networks in the HR industry as I would like to pursue my career as a Talent acquisition specialist.

It would be helpful to me to find out about your experience at xXx and xXx.

With 8 years international experience in Recruitment/Contract/Interim with the major players (Hays/Randstad), I am in the process of making a career transition to "social media recruiting".
With xXx I was on a fixed term contract to implement a social media recruitment strategy and help with the launch of a new desk.

I am not expecting to discuss a particular job opening, but would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informal basis.

I promise not to take more than 15 minutes of your time, ideally over a cup of coffee.
What is the best way to reach you this week? I have Thursday 9 am and Friday 5 pm onwards.

Thank you in advance an kind regards,

Kevin
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Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Author - Kevin Simonnet