Defining Your Wish List for a Job Search

Corporate Job Search

When you are embarking on a corporate job search, it can be difficult to know exactly what you want. Most people start their search with the assumption that anything will work, only to realize later that they should have looked for a job with better benefits, a more open work environment, or some other aspect that their new job does not offer.

Where Do You Want Your Career to Go?

No matter what career you have chosen, you will always have several different directions that you can take that career in. When you realize that you are unfulfilled at your current job, take time to determine what you would like the next step in your career to be. This can be hard because most people are afraid of choosing the “wrong” path, but you must face the inevitability that you must progress in your career somehow. Pick what you think will work well for you, and go from there. Remember, even learning that something isn’t the right path for you is another step further towards the right one.

Corporate Culture

In our years as Atlanta recruiters, we have discovered something shocking: people are willing take jobs which pay less but promise a better corporate culture than jobs that pay more but offer a stifling environment. We encourage all of our candidates to think about the office environment where they would be happiest and at their most productive. Write down the kind of interactions you would want to be able to have with your coworkers and boss, the kind of environment that you work best in (An open office? A cubicle? Your own private office?), what kind of vacation time you hope to have, and whether or not you will want to have the option to telecommute.

Benefits

The benefits the company offers should be an item on your wish list. Health insurance is a given, but you can seek out companies that offer dental, vision, or maternity benefits. Will you want a retirement plan? Are you OK if your sick leave and vacation time are combined, or will you want separate sick leave? Prioritize the benefits you want based on whether they are essential or you are willing to give some leeway on them.

How to be a Good Interviewer

How to be a good interviewer.

Good interviews are the result of meeting with good candidates, but our job recruiters in Atlanta believe that having a good interviewer is also a crucial element. It is not solely the candidate’s responsibility to impress; you also want to be able to impress them so that the right candidate will want the job you offer.

Give the Recruiter (or Candidates) the Knowledge They Need

Interviews can take many twists that can make a candidate feel thrown off or uncomfortable, and none is worse than not being given the information they need to start on the right foot for the interview. The candidate will need to know details about your office which you may take for granted, like where to park, how to get to your floor, and whether they will need to be buzzed in. In addition to this, our Atlanta job recruiters remind you to offer a bit about the structure of the interview, who will be in the room, and what the expected dress code is.

Help Candidates Feel Comfortable

Even the most talented, skilled workers you will ever meet will often feel nervous when they first arrive at an interview. Our Atlanta recruiters encourage you to do your best to help the candidates to feel comfortable from the moment when they enter the room. Be friendly from the start, offer them something to drink, and tell them a little about yourself before you start asking about them. If you want to really improve their comfort level, arrange things so they are not sitting directly across the table from all of their interviewers.

Be Open

Do your best to be open and honest during the interview. This will help both you and the candidate to feel more at ease, and it will also help to ensure that you do not accidentally misrepresent yourself or the company. This is especially important when you are discussing the needs of the position, the company’s culture, and your perspective of being an employee (if asked).

Make the Interview a Conversation

While you may have a checklist of questions you need to ask the candidates, it’s important to avoid making the interview into an interrogation. Place your focus on interacting with the candidate instead. It’s likely that your natural flow of conversation will cover many of the questions on your checklist, and it may uncover information that would otherwise be left unsaid, good or bad.

2014 Trends in Corporate Recruiting

Mobile recruiting

2014 promises to be an exciting year for corporate recruiting solutions. After years of economic uncertainty, candidates and employers alike are starting to ramp up their efforts to find the best fit for employment. This means competition is particularly stiff for the best candidates, who know they can once again be picky. The following trends are some of the ways you can help your company to rise above the competition to lure the most talented job seekers.

Mobile Recruiting

With tablet computers and smart phones flooding the market, American job seekers are more mobile than ever—and so is their job search. Companies need to improve their prospects in the eyes of mobile job seekers by creating mobile websites which feature the ability to easily search through postings and contact relevant HR team members. Technology is also emerging which will allow candidates to instantly apply for jobs from their phones, and savvy businesses will jump on this opportunity to lure more qualified job seekers.

Remote Work

The ubiquitous nature of technology in the workforce means that more and more candidates are looking to work remotely. More traditional managers have bucked against this trend, as Yahoo did for a short period with its “no telecommuting” policy, but many are starting to welcome the possibility because job seekers see the ability to work remotely as a desirable benefit. Our Atlanta headhunting experts note that employers also benefit, as offering full time, off-site work opportunities allows them to expand their talent pool to candidates outside of their physical location.

Improvements in Employer Branding

Our Atlanta recruiting specialists believe is more important than ever before for your company to focus on its branding as an employer, especially if you want to improve your long-term recruiting prospects. Social media makes it incredibly easy for your current and former employees to share their experiences about your work environment. Providing a poor experience to any candidate can damage your brand as an employer, so we encourage you to focus on improving your existing work environment and encouraging happy employees to leave reviews on places like Glassdoor and LinkedIn.

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Tips for Crafting a Great Elevator Speech

A well-crafted elevator speech is one of the most useful tools a job candidate or a business can have. This 30 to 60 second “pitch” helps you to explain to your audience who you are, what you do, and why people should want to work with you or purchase your products. You will have to work hard to craft a great elevator speech, but the rewards will be well worth the effort.

Determine Your Audience

The best elevator speeches have a very specific target audience, and they cater specifically to that audience. The people listening to your speech want to know what you can do for them, so you need to focus on that goal. For example, a job candidate should include details about why they would be a beneficial employee, or a business would explain how their product solves a problem the audience has. If you have several different audiences with different goals, consider crafting different speeches.

Brainstorm on Paper

Once you’ve determined your audience, start brainstorming what you would like to say on paper. Write down every single thing your audience would want to know about you or your product, then write down anything additional that you would want them to know. Once you’ve brainstormed and gotten a basic idea of what you want to say, start to pick out which points are the most important and eliminate less important points.

Structure It

As you pick out your important points, begin to actually craft your speech. Start with the most important information, e.g. who you are, what your product is, et cetera. Then expand to include three key benefits you or your product can offer your audience. The rest of your speech should support these main benefits with statistics or examples.

Edit, Edit, Edit

You will need to refine the speech over and over again until you have a concise message. Consider whether or not there are better ways to say what you want to communicate. Ask friends and family to help you edit your final drafts to further consolidate. Once you think you finally have something, practice reading it out loud a few times to be sure that it flows well. Go back to editing if it is difficult to say or flows poorly.

When you are editing, remember that most people would rather listen to someone who uses clear, easy-to-understand language instead of fancy vocabulary or industry-specific jargon—even if they work in the industry.

Start Practicing

Once you’ve finalized your speech or speeches, it’s time to start practicing. The true greatness of your speech crafting will ultimately hinge on your delivery, so get it right! Practice until you have the speech memorized and can recite it in a confident and natural way.

Tips for Using LinkedIn to Find a New Career

When you need to find a new career, LinkedIn is an excellent tool to have on your side. However, a tool is only as successful as the person who wields it. In order to be successful on LinkedIn, you must understand how to optimize your profile and the content the service offers.

Include a Professional Headshot

Recruiters and potential employers want to feel like they know you before they ever invite you to an interview. One of the best ways to encourage this sentiment is to include a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile. Please note the word “professional” here: you do not want to include a picture of you partying it up or relaxing on the beach. You want a picture of your head and shoulders in business attire. If you can, arrange to have a solid-colored background to create a clean shot. Use a real camera; cell phone “selfies” don’t convey your professionalism.

Fill Out Your Profile Completely

One of the cardinal sins of using LinkedIn is operating without a completed profile. To encourage recruiters and potential employers to see your profile seriously, you need to have given it thought and filled it out as best you can. Remember to include a summary which details your skills and career goals. For your experience section, consider adding details to your existing resume to fully flesh out the duties and skills you performed and acquired with each position. Remember that every aspect of your profile is customizable, including your title. If you are looking for something particular, consider sharing that information in your title space.

Update and Interact

Like most other social media applications, LinkedIn has a way for you to share status updates with your connections. Most professionals choose to use this medium for updates about their fields or personal projects. It is best to keep your updates professional or related to your field, but you may also choose to announce your desire for a career change through this medium.

You can also interact with your connections when they post statuses by commenting on their posts. The most important thing to remember when commenting and when posting your own statuses is that you want to create quality content more than you want to create a lot of content. Update and interact regularly, but be sure your interactions are worth your connections’ time.

Look at Job Postings

More and more employers are using LinkedIn to find candidates, and you must not ignore this when you are looking to change careers. Peruse the job posting section frequently to stay up-to-date, and act quickly when you see a posting that interests you. Have your resume ready to send before you look, and have the time to write a thoughtful cover letter to accompany it.

Basics of Job Interviewing

Preparing for the Interview:

Once the interview has been arranged, begin your in-depth research. You should arrive at an interview knowing about the company. Internet or web location research is a great place to start.

Interview Attire:

Have one good interview suit. It should be clean and conservative. Top personal grooming is as important as finding appropriate clothes for a job interview. This is not the time to make a statement…. take out the extra earrings and avoid any garish hair colors. Women should not wear excessive makeup, and both men and women should refrain from wearing any perfume or cologne. Women should wear a businesslike suit. Professionalism still dictates a suit with a skirt, rather than slacks. Remember to wear hose, even in the summertime. Be sure your hair is neat, clean, well cut and out of your eyes. If hair is real long, pull it up for the interview. Have your nails well-groomed. Don’t wear gaudy or excessive jewelry. Don’t chew gum during your interview. Avoid low-cut necklines or skirts with unusually high cut slits or mini skirts. A good rule of thumb for an interview is to wear a professional, conservative business skirt suit (preferably in a dark color), closed-toe pumps, and small earrings.

What to Bring:

A watch, a pen, and a notepad. A leather-bound folder with several copies of your resume is a nice professional touch. Avoid carrying purses and bulky items. Sometimes the interviewer will be running late. Don’t be upset; be sympathetic. Keep yourself occupied and relaxed.

The Interview:

Most employers make up their minds in the first 30 seconds, so you must make a good first impression to go any further. Smile when you meet. Establish eye contact. Shake hands firmly. Often the interviewer will begin telling you about the company, the division, the department and the position. Remain attentive. As the interview progresses, the interviewer will probably mention some of the most important responsibilities of the position. Draw parallels between your experience; emphasize results and achievements and not merely describing activities. Don’t exaggerate. Be on the level about your abilities. Do not ask about salary range or benefits in the first interview. Try not to be negative about anything during the interview (particularly any past employer or any previous job). Be cheerful. Keep your interview questions to the point; don’t make overly long statements.

Always send a thank-you note immediately after your interview to each person you interviewed with. Watch your spelling and punctuation. Many offers have been withdrawn because of a poorly written thank-you note.

Dos and Don’ts:

Do arrive on time or a few minutes early. Do fill out any application forms neatly and completely. Do greet the interviewer by his/her surname if you are sure of the pronunciation. Give the appearance of energy as you walk. Smile! Do wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright in your chair. Look alert and interested at all times. Don’t relax and rely on your resume to do your selling for you. Most interviewers will want you to speak for yourself and explain various things in your resume. Answer questions in about a minute or less; if they want more information, they’ll ask for it. Don’t drink coffee or any other beverage if offered.

BE PREPARED. Some common interview questions:

Tell me about yourself (start with where you’re from, jump to school, then jobs, what you did, why you left – answers should always be a minute or less).
Why did you leave your last job? (Nothing negative can be said)
What excites you in your current job?
Where would you like to be in five years? (Focus on the company itself, rather than the position)
How much overtime are you willing to work? (Be flexible for what the job requires)
What would your previous/present employer tell me about you?
Tell me about a difficult situation that you faced at your previous/present job.
What are your greatest strengths?
What are your greatest weaknesses? (Turn weaknesses into strengths whenever possible.)
Describe a work situation where you took initiative and went beyond your normal responsibilities.
Why do you wish to work for this firm?
Why should we hire you? (Don’t be flippant. Be serious – describe again your qualifications and that you have a lot to offer a company and are willing to learn anything you need to do a good job)
How much are you looking for in salary? (Explain the range that you’re in, but add that you’re open to a reasonable offer)
When the interview is coming to a close, ask what the next step would be. Stress your interest in the position and the company. Interviewers like enthusiastic candidates.

GOOD LUCK. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CALL YOUR RECRUITER IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW.

Three Ways to Succeed at Your New Job

Well, here’s an instant cliché about creating value on the job: to succeed, you need to work, work, work. But there’s more to success than 80-hour workweeks. You have to do the right things in the right amount to get ahead, according to employment expert Ramon Greenwood. He’s a former Senior Vice President at American Express and author of the book How to Land Your First Job and Make a Success of It.

Greenwood’s insights, while especially relevant for new graduates entering the workforce, will help anyone of any age who has to earn a paycheck. Here are three of his most valuable tips for success on the job:

Work Hard at the Right Things:

“First, understand what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it, so you can figure out how to do it better,” says Greenwood. In other words, make sure you know why you’re on the payroll. What exactly are you getting paid to do? Make money? Save money? Both? Ask your boss to spell out which job duties will determine your success. Then focus on doing those critical few things well.

Once you know what to do, a great way to get more of it done is to arrive early and stay late. “Get to work 30 minutes before the starting time. You can get routine chores out of the way and organize your day’s work before the interruptions start. Often, you will find your boss is in early, too, so this is a great time to get better acquainted with him or her. At the end of the day, stay at least 15 to 30 minutes after hours. Clean up your work place and make a list of actions to take the next day,” advises Greenwood.

This one thing — starting 30 minutes early and staying 30 minutes late — will give you an extra 20 hours of productivity every month. That’s equal to six full working weeks every year. Now, do you think you might get noticed by the boss if you worked six weeks more than everyone else?

Seek out Responsibility:

Most people instinctively run from responsibility, like cats from a hose. It’s just human nature. But this opens the door for anyone willing to take on new, more challenging tasks. “When it comes to responsibility, you can dodge it, accept it when you have no other choice, or seek it out and take it on,” says Greenwood.

Prove this for yourself. Look around your office. You’ll find the most successful people at work are those who seek out new responsibilities. (If not, you’re likely at a company where the top employees all refer to the boss as “Mom” or “Dad”).

“From my own 20+ years of experience, I can verify that anyone who volunteers for the tasks and responsibilities that nobody else wants will make himself indispensable. You can literally become ‘fireproof’ this way and create real job security for yourself.” Greenwood notes.

Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help:

We all know men hate to ask for directions. That’s why man put GPS navigation systems in cars. But work is different. Man or woman, you’ll never become an all-star employee if you never seek assistance.

“It takes courage to ask for help, but you’ll be better off when you do, and, ultimately, you’ll be better respected,” says Greenwood.

After all, you can’t be expected to know everything. Asking for help is a sign of strength. It shows to others that you are confident and focused on producing results. So, find a mentor who will take you under their wing and share their experience. Good news: this is easy to do, since roughly 100% of folks are flattered and willing to help when asked for advice. Just be sure not to abuse the privilege and dump every minor problem in your mentor’s lap.

These real-world tips from a former executive won’t guarantee you a promotion in 30 days, but they will increase your odds for success on your current job and throughout your career.