A friend of mine recently told me about a “temp” they’d brought in for a week (which was part of the problem.)
This employee was brought in for a temporary position that was going to last at least 5 months, due to someone’s impending leave. While there were no guarantees about anything longer, it was a 5 month stint with a paycheck – with a chance to positively impress a lot of people.
And impress people this person truly did. He took 10-20 minute breaks almost every hour, texted regularly at his desk, visited Facebook regularly, and showed minimal interest in learning about what the job entailed. Instead of asking how he could help his team, he’d just sit at his desk and text or surf the net. The entire department made their concerns known to a manager: by the end of the first week, it had also become this person’s last week.
The person who told me about this is someone I’ve known quite a long time, so I knew this was a true tale of “Opportunity Lost.”
Some of us may choose to work with staffing firms in our search. I have done that.
And a “temp” gig may come up that has some “life” in it – it doesn’t pay badly and it lasts more than a day or two. Sometimes, it’s months.
If you step into this arena, please be aware that you are auditioning. You are like an actor trying to land a role in a major motion picture. There are multiple opportunities to showcase your “stardom” by demonstrating your professionalism, dedication and initiative. Even if the employer has no “full time” opportunities, you have the chance to make a positive impression. You may get new references out of the experience and possibly leads to jobs in other places. At minimum, you’ve done a good job.
Some folks may not want temporary work: that’s ok. It’s not a fit for everyone.
But, if you are willing and able, be aware that it’s an opportunity. Not just to bring in some money, but also to make an impression.
If you get that chance, make your impression a good one.
Opportunities can be found, too.
You Are Visitor #:
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tales from the Resume Reef: 9 “Killer Shark” resume errors to avoid.
Doing your own resume? Please pay attention to detail!
In today’s economy, employers can be even more fussy about the resumes they want to look at. So, it is more crucial than ever to avoid what I would call “killer shark” resume errors. These are ones who will most likely get your resume ignored, lost or not taken as seriously as you deserve.
These are the kinds of things I’ve fixed for other people in over a dozen years of working with resumes. Repairs of the “killer shark” problems didn’t guarantee results; the repairs did, though, remove obstacles to getting a resume read and for a candidate to be taken seriously for opportunities.
If you do your own resume, avoid the following “killer shark” errors.
1. Old contact information or contact information missing: This is a “killer” simply because it’s hard to reach you if you don’t provide the correct information. Make certain your contact information includes an email address you use regularly. If you put in your phone number, make certain you include any number you’d be ok with an employer calling. For most of us, it’s a cell phone.
2. Spelling Errors: This is a “killer.” Spell check exists in pretty much all word processing programs and most email clients as well. If you don’t spell check your resume, you are sending the message that you aren’t detail oriented. Not a good thing for an employer to see.
3. Handwritten Corrections: I’ve seen this more than I ever thought possible. There is NOTHING professional about using handwriting to update ANY information on a printed resume. If it means going to a friend’s house to type a resume from “scratch,” that’s better than someone seeing scrawled “corrections” on your resume. From experience, I can tell you that resumes with handwritten edits very quickly go to the bottom of the pile, if they are kept at all.
4. Additional Pages Without Contact Info: Here’s another “killer.” In today’s so called “paperless” world, we print out more than ever before. If you have a multipage resume, but your contact information is only on the first page, how does someone know that the other pages are part of the same resume? That becomes a kind of puzzle that hiring folks don’t have time for. Just put the same contact info (including your name) that you have on page 1 in the upper right corner of EVERY additional resume page.
5. Tiny Font Sizes: Ever seen something in print that was so small, you feel like you’d need a microscope to read it? I’ve seen resumes where 4,6 or 8 point fonts were used. Most hiring folks don’t keep a microscope around to read resumes. Use a font between 10-12 points: most folks are comfortable reading documents that are sized such. Anything smaller is potentially an eye test. And if it means your resume is a little longer, isn’t it better that it’s one that someone can read easily?
6. Space Killers: Not talking about “Alien” here. Don’t use a large font (over 12 points) throughout your resume to make it look “longer.” No one thinks it’s a better resume: just that you are eating up space. If you are filling out your resume that way, you NEED to shorten it. Switch to a 10-12 point font. If it means a “short resume,” change your default margins to 1” all around and increase the font size for your first page contact info to 14 or 16. Remember when you answered essay questions for tests? It wasn’t the length of the answer that the instructor was looking at: he or she was looking at the content of the writing. Same thing is true of a resume!
7. Personal Information: Leave your SSN, DL, date of birth, names of kids, name of spouse, date of wedding, etc. behind. I have seen these on a number of resumes, particularly those with a lot of work experience. These information bits are “killers” because you are giving away private information others can use for potentially bad purposes. Plus, employers DO NOT want to see info on marital or child status on the resume. They don’t want it, can’t ask for it and you don’t have to give it to them!
8. The Nefarious Bad Copy Killer: If your resume prints out oddly, or you have some poor copies made, don’t use them! I’ve had resumes faxed to me that were clearly not in good shape to begin with, considering I couldn’t read the fax. Make certain you are sending a “clean copy” no matter how you send it. Again, it relates to perceptions of professionalism. Hiring folks tend to think “If this person sent me this bad a copy of a resume, how detail-oriented is he/she?”
9. The Dark Fancy Paper Killer: Most of us print resumes in a dark font, and black is a good color to use for text. However, don’t let ANYONE talk you into putting that resume onto dark red, dark blue or any other dark paper color. Simply, it’s just very hard to read. Fax that, and it’s even more difficult for someone else to read. Plain white paper is just fine: if you want to use fancier paper for mailed resumes, stick to something like ivory or crème colors.
It’s easy to avoid “Killer Sharks” in the resume world. Keep things simple, professional and easy for someone else to read.
If you have more questions on resume writing, you will find tips at http://jobsearchdolphin.blogspot.com/
In today’s economy, employers can be even more fussy about the resumes they want to look at. So, it is more crucial than ever to avoid what I would call “killer shark” resume errors. These are ones who will most likely get your resume ignored, lost or not taken as seriously as you deserve.
These are the kinds of things I’ve fixed for other people in over a dozen years of working with resumes. Repairs of the “killer shark” problems didn’t guarantee results; the repairs did, though, remove obstacles to getting a resume read and for a candidate to be taken seriously for opportunities.
If you do your own resume, avoid the following “killer shark” errors.
1. Old contact information or contact information missing: This is a “killer” simply because it’s hard to reach you if you don’t provide the correct information. Make certain your contact information includes an email address you use regularly. If you put in your phone number, make certain you include any number you’d be ok with an employer calling. For most of us, it’s a cell phone.
2. Spelling Errors: This is a “killer.” Spell check exists in pretty much all word processing programs and most email clients as well. If you don’t spell check your resume, you are sending the message that you aren’t detail oriented. Not a good thing for an employer to see.
3. Handwritten Corrections: I’ve seen this more than I ever thought possible. There is NOTHING professional about using handwriting to update ANY information on a printed resume. If it means going to a friend’s house to type a resume from “scratch,” that’s better than someone seeing scrawled “corrections” on your resume. From experience, I can tell you that resumes with handwritten edits very quickly go to the bottom of the pile, if they are kept at all.
4. Additional Pages Without Contact Info: Here’s another “killer.” In today’s so called “paperless” world, we print out more than ever before. If you have a multipage resume, but your contact information is only on the first page, how does someone know that the other pages are part of the same resume? That becomes a kind of puzzle that hiring folks don’t have time for. Just put the same contact info (including your name) that you have on page 1 in the upper right corner of EVERY additional resume page.
5. Tiny Font Sizes: Ever seen something in print that was so small, you feel like you’d need a microscope to read it? I’ve seen resumes where 4,6 or 8 point fonts were used. Most hiring folks don’t keep a microscope around to read resumes. Use a font between 10-12 points: most folks are comfortable reading documents that are sized such. Anything smaller is potentially an eye test. And if it means your resume is a little longer, isn’t it better that it’s one that someone can read easily?
6. Space Killers: Not talking about “Alien” here. Don’t use a large font (over 12 points) throughout your resume to make it look “longer.” No one thinks it’s a better resume: just that you are eating up space. If you are filling out your resume that way, you NEED to shorten it. Switch to a 10-12 point font. If it means a “short resume,” change your default margins to 1” all around and increase the font size for your first page contact info to 14 or 16. Remember when you answered essay questions for tests? It wasn’t the length of the answer that the instructor was looking at: he or she was looking at the content of the writing. Same thing is true of a resume!
7. Personal Information: Leave your SSN, DL, date of birth, names of kids, name of spouse, date of wedding, etc. behind. I have seen these on a number of resumes, particularly those with a lot of work experience. These information bits are “killers” because you are giving away private information others can use for potentially bad purposes. Plus, employers DO NOT want to see info on marital or child status on the resume. They don’t want it, can’t ask for it and you don’t have to give it to them!
8. The Nefarious Bad Copy Killer: If your resume prints out oddly, or you have some poor copies made, don’t use them! I’ve had resumes faxed to me that were clearly not in good shape to begin with, considering I couldn’t read the fax. Make certain you are sending a “clean copy” no matter how you send it. Again, it relates to perceptions of professionalism. Hiring folks tend to think “If this person sent me this bad a copy of a resume, how detail-oriented is he/she?”
9. The Dark Fancy Paper Killer: Most of us print resumes in a dark font, and black is a good color to use for text. However, don’t let ANYONE talk you into putting that resume onto dark red, dark blue or any other dark paper color. Simply, it’s just very hard to read. Fax that, and it’s even more difficult for someone else to read. Plain white paper is just fine: if you want to use fancier paper for mailed resumes, stick to something like ivory or crème colors.
It’s easy to avoid “Killer Sharks” in the resume world. Keep things simple, professional and easy for someone else to read.
If you have more questions on resume writing, you will find tips at http://jobsearchdolphin.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Working with Staffing/Search Firms: An Insider's Guide, Part I
How do Staffing or Search Firms really work? That’s not an uncommon question.
As someone who spent nearly a decade in the business, I hope to provide some answers. The intent is not to encourage or discourage your use of a staffing or search firm as part of your job search (IMHO – they can be helpful and have gotten me my most recent position – which took place during this recession.)
The more you know, the easier it is for you to understand what’s going on. I’ve worked with some very established, professional and ethical firms over the years: however, no matter how much we explained to a candidate or a client, there were still questions.
So, I’ve divided up this into 3 separate articles:
1. Background/Intro
2. How Staffing Firms/Search Firms Work with Candidates
3. How Staffing Firms/Search Firms Work with Employers
Each section will also handle and hopefully clarify some common misconceptions.
Some background and an introduction re: my experiences:
From 1997 to 2008, I worked at several staffing firms as well as a couple of search firms. Starting originally with some basic sales calls and recruiting, I became involved in finding candidates, finding clients, setting up interviews, briefing and debriefing of candidates, and closing deals and bill clients. At one time or another I set bill rates or placement fees, got a signed contract, found candidates, got them interviewed and got them placed.
I generally worked what the industry calls a “full desk” – meaning that I was responsible for finding clients AND candidates. Somehow, I always felt better knowing I was part of the whole process and could know more completely what was going on. However, some firms split recruiting and sales and do just fine that way.
A “full desk” person is usually called a “Recruiter” even though he or she is also doing sales. Very often, I was making over 100 outbound calls on a daily basis: it’s an inside sales position whether you are dealing with companies who may have jobs or interviewing local candidates who come into the office or you deal with remotely. And a lot of voicemails left.
During my experience, I had to create my own potential client list as well as candidate pool. Potential clients were just that: people who might work with me at some point, but had not done so as of yet. Sometimes, it took years of phone calls and discussions to get to that point where a potential client became a real one. If you have been in sales, you know how that can be. On the candidate side, I ran ads online, in the papers (back in the 90s,) attended job fairs and also called directly into companies to “head hunt” candidates. You may have heard the term “Headhunter.” It was also the name of a job board in the late 90s was absorbed into Careerbuilder.com in 2001.
In my time in the placement world, I placed people in temporary, temp to hire and direct hire opportunities. Direct Hire at one time was called “Permanent Placement,” but the recession of 2001 gradually pushed that term into past tense usage. It’s hard to think of any job as “permanent” anymore. As the times changed, so have people’s approaches toward their careers. In many situations, people are at their current jobs only until something better opens up elsewhere, whether in another department in their firm or another firm altogether.
I’ve strictly done inside sales, and many firms operate strictly that way. Others mix in outside sales and inside sales or rely strictly on outside sales. I admire outside sales professionals because I could never do what they do – visit people all day to try and sell business services/products.
I had no degree in HR nor sales experience when I started working in staffing/search. That’s not uncommon. In my first position, I got truly wonderful training through the Sandler Sales method. My firm paid for me to go to an external trainer who presented and trained in the Sandler method. I used those techniques for years. Plus, I got interview training from the former HR Manager who ran my firm. Thus, I was given good tools to start to work with.
When I worked in Career Services at a college, I would run classes in Career Development. One of my early questions to students was “What qualifications does someone need to be an interviewer?”
The truth surprised them. There are no qualifications.
Years ago, I was interviewed for a direct hire recruiter position at a Tampa Bay recruiting firm. Only it was more of a lecture than an interview. My interviewer spoke for about 45 minutes straight, asked me a couple of short questions, and then said “I think you can do this job.” How he knew that was anybody’s guess!
Key point here is that some of the worst interviews you will have aren’t your doing. You were interviewed poorly.
And the more you know about the way staffing/search firms work, the more likely you have a chance to have more positive experiences with them. As well as an understanding of why things may happen the way they do.
The Job Search Dolphin
As someone who spent nearly a decade in the business, I hope to provide some answers. The intent is not to encourage or discourage your use of a staffing or search firm as part of your job search (IMHO – they can be helpful and have gotten me my most recent position – which took place during this recession.)
The more you know, the easier it is for you to understand what’s going on. I’ve worked with some very established, professional and ethical firms over the years: however, no matter how much we explained to a candidate or a client, there were still questions.
So, I’ve divided up this into 3 separate articles:
1. Background/Intro
2. How Staffing Firms/Search Firms Work with Candidates
3. How Staffing Firms/Search Firms Work with Employers
Each section will also handle and hopefully clarify some common misconceptions.
Some background and an introduction re: my experiences:
From 1997 to 2008, I worked at several staffing firms as well as a couple of search firms. Starting originally with some basic sales calls and recruiting, I became involved in finding candidates, finding clients, setting up interviews, briefing and debriefing of candidates, and closing deals and bill clients. At one time or another I set bill rates or placement fees, got a signed contract, found candidates, got them interviewed and got them placed.
I generally worked what the industry calls a “full desk” – meaning that I was responsible for finding clients AND candidates. Somehow, I always felt better knowing I was part of the whole process and could know more completely what was going on. However, some firms split recruiting and sales and do just fine that way.
A “full desk” person is usually called a “Recruiter” even though he or she is also doing sales. Very often, I was making over 100 outbound calls on a daily basis: it’s an inside sales position whether you are dealing with companies who may have jobs or interviewing local candidates who come into the office or you deal with remotely. And a lot of voicemails left.
During my experience, I had to create my own potential client list as well as candidate pool. Potential clients were just that: people who might work with me at some point, but had not done so as of yet. Sometimes, it took years of phone calls and discussions to get to that point where a potential client became a real one. If you have been in sales, you know how that can be. On the candidate side, I ran ads online, in the papers (back in the 90s,) attended job fairs and also called directly into companies to “head hunt” candidates. You may have heard the term “Headhunter.” It was also the name of a job board in the late 90s was absorbed into Careerbuilder.com in 2001.
In my time in the placement world, I placed people in temporary, temp to hire and direct hire opportunities. Direct Hire at one time was called “Permanent Placement,” but the recession of 2001 gradually pushed that term into past tense usage. It’s hard to think of any job as “permanent” anymore. As the times changed, so have people’s approaches toward their careers. In many situations, people are at their current jobs only until something better opens up elsewhere, whether in another department in their firm or another firm altogether.
I’ve strictly done inside sales, and many firms operate strictly that way. Others mix in outside sales and inside sales or rely strictly on outside sales. I admire outside sales professionals because I could never do what they do – visit people all day to try and sell business services/products.
I had no degree in HR nor sales experience when I started working in staffing/search. That’s not uncommon. In my first position, I got truly wonderful training through the Sandler Sales method. My firm paid for me to go to an external trainer who presented and trained in the Sandler method. I used those techniques for years. Plus, I got interview training from the former HR Manager who ran my firm. Thus, I was given good tools to start to work with.
When I worked in Career Services at a college, I would run classes in Career Development. One of my early questions to students was “What qualifications does someone need to be an interviewer?”
The truth surprised them. There are no qualifications.
Years ago, I was interviewed for a direct hire recruiter position at a Tampa Bay recruiting firm. Only it was more of a lecture than an interview. My interviewer spoke for about 45 minutes straight, asked me a couple of short questions, and then said “I think you can do this job.” How he knew that was anybody’s guess!
Key point here is that some of the worst interviews you will have aren’t your doing. You were interviewed poorly.
And the more you know about the way staffing/search firms work, the more likely you have a chance to have more positive experiences with them. As well as an understanding of why things may happen the way they do.
The Job Search Dolphin
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