Recruiters 5 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd

Recruiters 5 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd Lets face it there are a lot of recruiters out there. I mean, a lot. You might think there a lot of possible sandwich combinations at Subway (over 2 million according to Subway themselves), but that is nothing compared to the number of recruiters there are. So, amongst all this noise, how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd? Recruitment is a strategic activity, and yet a recruiter is rarely treated as a strategic partner by their clients. Here are five tips to develop better relationships with your clients, and become a partner to your clients, rather than just a vendor: 1) Specialise: How many times have you seen an agency that claims they are experts in IT, Mechanical Engineering, Sales, Medical, Legal and Telecoms recruitment? Newsflash, folks a generalist is not an expert. To use a comparison, when you visit a Doctor, your GP is a generalist: they have a broad overview of a range of different areas. A GP is fine if you have a minor complaint, but for anything more complicated, you go to a specialist consultant because they have spent years studying one particular part of the body to become an expert in it. If you are working a PHP Developer role at 9am, a Paralegal role at 12pm, and an Anaesthetist role at at 3pm, the odds of you doing a good job on any of those roles is zero. Focus on a single industry, and learn everything you can about it, so when you talk to a Hiring Manager, you sound like an expert not a clueless generalist. 2) Find a Focus: This leads on from specialisation. Even focusing on a single industry, there is a huge amount of variation within it. Working in IT recruitment, I worked a range of roles for a number of companies, but over time I found a niche area to focus on. I was fascinated by digital agencies (companies that provide digital services, such as website and application development), and focused my business development heavily on that area. It meant that I got a really good feel for how digital agencies worked and what the culture was like, so I knew what type of person they looked for. I won a number of clients within The Drums registry of top 100 UK digital agencies, and I could then use this, and the reputation I was building with my existing clients, to find new clients and new candidates. I was often told how much more knowledgeable I was than other recruiters the agencies used. The upshot? Clients began to consult with me on their recruitment, rather than simply treat me as a vendor. 3) Be Exclusive: In a sales job, business development is king: you cant rely on your existing clients for all your work, and, for a healthy pipeline, you do need to bring new clients into the fold on a regular basis. However, where many recruiters go wrong is to focus simply on winning the business, rather than thinking about what type of client they want. As I have argued time and time again, you want clients you can build relationships with. The best clients I had would work with me on an exclusive, or near-exclusive, basis. This gave me the time to get to know them and their business, and work far more consultatively with them. One of the worst clients I ever had was one of the first I won; I didnt realise it (because I didnt ask newbie error!), but the client in question handed out the job spec to every single recruiter who called. Recruiting for them was a nightmare; every candidate I spoke to had been approached at least 30 times about the job (which pissed off the candidate), and it was impos sible to actually speak to the client in any meaningful way. We probably all have, or have had, clients like this. Be exclusive fire clients you dont want to work with. 4) Creative Sourcing: Most contingency recruiters operate in a pretty standard way: get a requirement in, post jobs on the job boards, search your database for matches, and hammer LinkedIn and job boards for candidates. But, recruitment is (and always has been) a job about making connections. Sure, you should be doing those things, but you should also be doing the things that your competitors arent: take candidates to lunch to get to know them better. Sponsor or set up a local conference in your area of speciality. Help set up a user-group, with regular meetings, for candidates with particular skills. Dont just be a recruiter at the end of the phone! Find a way to get face-to-face with people. It may be a cliché, but people do business with people: find ways to make face-to-face time happen and it will pay dividends. Ultimately a recruiter will be judged on how well they can deliver on providing great staff. The better your network is, the easier that will be. 5) Be Proactive: As a recruiter, your remit is pretty clear. Work with the client to help find them the best candidate for their vacancy. However, the best relationships arent business-only; this is why so many deals are brokered on golf-courses! Be proactive in your relationship with your clients. Whilst organising some corporate hospitality for your clients is a great way to do this, it can be expensive and time consuming. Even simple things help; as an example, I saw on one of my clients websites that they were planning a staff outing to York, where I live. I called the Hiring Manager, had a chat about their trip, and suggested a few places for them to check out, which he was grateful for. The next week I was the first person he called when he had a new role come in. Keep an eye out for opportunities to be proactive. For example, hiring legislation in the UK is constantly changing. When a new law comes in, why not call the client and offer to run them through the key details, and what you are doin g to comply? This is a great way to show your worth and act as a strategic HR partner, rather than just a vendor. Conclusions: One of the key pieces of advice I was given when I started was to treat your desk as your own business. That means taking responsibility for the way you operate. The best recruiters I know all do the things Ive detailed above, and more. They are highly successful, and feel pride in their relationships with their clients. If where you work doesnt let you operate the way you want to, then its time to find a new job or, better yet, start your own agency.

Fashion Accessories for a Classy Working Girl

Fashion Accessories for a Classy Working Girl Love accessorizing?  I do!  Today, Sierra Greenman is going to help us career girls find fashion accessories that are professional and classy.  Sierra is a freelancer and specializes in writing, social media and graphic design.  She loves to write about fashion and style and is a featured fashion blogger at  JoeShopping.com. You can also find Sierra at her personal blog Ocean Dreams and follow her on Twitter @oceandreams4u. No matter where you work, you want to look your absolute best. When it comes to accessories, its sometimes hard to know what is appropriate at work and what is not. Of course you want to make a lasting impression but you dont want to come across as too flashy or unprofessional. In fact, many new employees often get started on the wrong foot simply because they come to their new corporate job with a nose ring or pink stripes in their hair. Depending on the type of job that you just got hired for, you always want to over dress and look your best rather than under dress. It is all about making a long lasting impression and you want your impression at your place of work to always be positive. For the most part, depending on the company, you will want to stick to a style that is timeless, elegant, and classy. Wearing conservative jewelry that is minimalist will help you achieve the look that you are seeking. Shoes should be closed toe flats or a conservative heel. In regards to a purse, you will want to go with a style that is also conservative, and perhaps stick with a basic color such as beige, brown, or black. If your budget is a concern, all of the business appropriate selections below are  hot deals and bargains. This is a simple, yet elegant and beautiful bracelet. This sterling silver blue topaz bangle braceletwould look lovely with a pencil skirt and blue blouse. Wear it to add an additional sparkle to your outfit. A heart bracelet that is both sterling silver and has links is always a timeless look. This bracelet appears to be like a bracelet from Juicy Couture or Tiffanys but it is budget friendly. Youll be receiving questions from your new co-workers inquiring where exactly you found this lovely bracelet. These black  flats are basic, yet stylish with gorgeous ruffles. Even if you are a fan of pumps, flats will keep you comfortable if you have to stand for long periods of time at your job. During Summer, youll probably want a pop of color implemented into your work wardrobe. If you have a white or black blouse but are missing some color, a floral scarf is the perfect addition. Florals are very trendy right now and also beautiful. Now that you have an idea on what accessories to invest in for your job, not only will you feel confident, youll look fashionable too! Remember as you look for accessories to add to your outfit that you arent only making a statement to your company, you are also representing your company. Dressing appropriately will let your boss know that you mean business.  It will show your co-workers that you want to help your  company succeed and at the same time allow your career to flourish. Classy Career Girls What accessories do you love to wear to work?

10 Ways HR Tech Has Changed Recruiting Forever

10 Ways HR Tech Has Changed Recruiting Forever Finding the right candidate for the right job has always been the Holy Grail of recruiting, but thanks to social recruiting technology it’s easier than ever to succeed in that elusive quest. Sifting through a sea of resumes can be discouraging, especially if none of those resumes hint at the perfect match for the position you need to fill. Social recruiting makes it easier to find the proverbial needle in the haystack because it better equips you to attract and engage the interest of the right candidates. Here are 10 ways social recruiting technology has changed the recruiting game and three things to look forward to. 1) Short job postings are in: Twitter is the new model for job postings. Along with smartphones and up-to-the-minute newsfeeds have come shorter attention spans. People reading online want their information â€" including job openings â€" in bite-sized pieces. If it’s difficult to tell your job postings from full-blown job descriptions, you’re probably missing out on great candidates because you’re not grabbing their attention. Apply Twitter’s 140-character rule to your job postings and see an increase in interest from the type of candidates you’re seeking. 2) Mobile is a must: People are no longer waiting for the Sunday paper to browse the help wanted section for jobs. Smartphones and tablets have made it possible for job seekers to look for new openings no matter where they are â€" whether they are waiting in line at the DMV or on their lunch break. If you don’t have a mobile option for candidates, you’re missing out. 3) Response time is faster: Social recruiting technology has made it possible to interact with candidates the moment they complete their application. Eighty-two percent of candidates expect to hear back from a company after applying, but 29 percent never even get acknowledgment that their application was received. Not only does this hurt a company’s reputation, but it can turn people off from doing any kind of business with an organization. Cutting down the time from submission to review and contact saves time, money, and sanity (for you and your candidates). Enable email, text, and instant messaging alerts to make your recruiting process quick and painless. 4) Access to candidates is better: Professional networking sites like LinkedIn and social media platforms like Facebook help you reach qualified candidates across the country and the world. Social recruiting also helps you capitalize on referrals from current and former employees: thanks to the Internet, you can now work your way through a trusted source’s network in a matter of minutes. And the viral nature of social media helps you get the word out to the right people at the speed of a mouse click. 5) There is more to go on than a resume: That one-page summary of a person’s talents, accomplishments, and experience is still a valuable recruiting tool, but you can find out so much more about a candidate through social recruiting. Job seekers with profiles on professional social networks or online job boards are able to post virtual portfolios that highlight their real-world skills, share examples of their work, and establish a more well-rounded presentation of who they are as a professional. Using social networks also helps you get an idea of how candidates would fit in with your current team and company culture. This saves you time by weeding out the ones who don’t really have the right body of work (or temperament) for your needs â€" and you can do it all without having to call them in for an interview. 6) References are just a click away: Gone are the days of chasing down references for every candidate. Most online profiles include a place for candidates to include recommendations and reviews of their work. Being able to access that information up front helps you identify the best candidates more efficiently. That’s not to say it’s time to throw the traditional method of reference checks out the window, but this gives you greater insight during the initial recruitment phase. Published recommendations can assist you in identifying the candidates most worth calling in for an interview. 7) Reviews work both ways: Companies are under as much scrutiny as candidates these days. Job seekers are more savvy than ever, and they’re taking the time to research companies before applying â€"  so it’s important to pay attention to your organization’s online presence. Include more than just the current opening when posting jobs and creating your company’s profile. Paint a picture of the whole company, why employees love working there, and what makes you a great organization to join. 8) Making the perfect match is easier: Just as online dating sites use algorithms to bring compatible people together, social recruiting technology can match your organization with the best candidates. This goes beyond checking off qualifications and credentials and helps you find people who match your company culture. You can add culture-related questions to your online application process to sort out those who are most likely to fit in. 9) More data means better recruiting practices: Identifying the recruiting practices that bring you the best results has always been a challenge. Recruiting technology gathers data that you can use to optimize your recruiting strategy. BountyJobs, for example, partners with employment agencies to establish benchmark data that organizations can use to see how their recruiting practices compare to industry standards. Real-time data lets you know where to expend your energy, whether it’s streamlining job descriptions, changing up the interview process, or adjusting your compensation and benefits packages. Make sure you’re utilizing the data and analysis capabilities of any recruitment technology you use, from internal websites to mobile applications and social recruiting sites. 10) The compliance process is improved: The hiring and recruitment process is rife with rules and regulations, and noncompliance is a human resource department’s worst nightmare. Social recruiting tools with features like application-tracking systems can help you stay in compliance and build a documented record of that compliance. Automated forms and digital acknowledgment of certain policies and procedures is another way to make sure no compliance items fall through the cracks. Recruiting Technology Trends There will be over two billion mobile Internet users worldwide. If those users are looking for work, they’ll likely use their mobile device to do so. Technology has to be a cornerstone of your recruitment strategy. To make sure your organization nabs the top candidates, here are the social recruiting trends to pay attention to this year. Employer branding:  Your company’s image is the best recruitment tool you have. As candidates become more informed, they also become more picky about where they want to work. Be sure to monitor, mold, and modify your employer brand to represent what you have to offer and why candidates should join your team. Beef up security: More mobile users means more personal data at risk. Every time a big company hack hits the headlines, users become more wary of sharing their personal information. Review your data security protocols and make sure candidate and employee data is protected. Gamification and machine  learning:  More employee training and recruiting is being done through machine learning and gamification. This technology learns user habits and preferences to streamline the user experience and transform rote training into an engaging experience that tracks skill level, progress, and mastery. Two new human resources tools to look for next year are Phenom People, a customizable mobile job application service, and Simppler, a data-driven employee referral tool. Putting together the right team is a science and an art. Recruiting technology helps you blend the two, making the search for the perfect candidate a lot easier. Upgrade your social recruiting strategy by utilizing the practices outlined above and brainstorming with other industry experts to identify the best approach for your 2016 social recruiting plan.

Get a Modern Day Career Path Dream Catcher

Get a Modern Day Career Path Dream Catcher Not sure what your calling is? You are not alone. The twenty-something years of many of our favorite and most respected entrepreneurs did not start in a glamorous corner office at that investment bank in NYC. Many started out feeling exactly how you do right now: unsure of their career path. The people who are running the world now were college drop outs, retail store workers, athletes, teachers or nerds who followed their heart and passions to success. If you don’t believe me, I highly recommend that you go get yourself a copy of the book “Road Trip Nation” for inspiration. If you can relate to any thing I’ve blogged about so far, please go to a local Target today and get yourself a cute small notebook. This is your new friend. Carry it in that fake Fendi Spy Bag you bring to your underpaying office job every day. When you think of a great idea, write it down. When you are inspired by a client, a thought, or someone you meet on the El, write it down. See a cool news story or blog article while you were killing time Friday afternoon? Print it out and store it in your notebook. Goal! If you are considering getting on anti-depressants solely to make it through the work week, start setting some goals girlfriend. Use your notebook to plan your next career path move, write down what you want, and do research on new career paths. You’d be shocked to see how helpful this career path notebook will come to be as the random thoughts, ideas, passions and career paths fill up the pages. Your notebook allows you to see things on paper as an outsider, instead of being all in your head. Therefore you can more clearly define patterns of good and bad in order to move into the next chapter of your life. Finding your passion may be right in front of you, but that doesnt mean you are going to see it right away. Dont be discouraged, keep on dreaming.

How to Manage Your Finances When Youre In-Between Jobs - CareerMetis.com

How to Manage Your Finances When You're In-Between Jobs Changing careers goes hand-in-hand with a degree of financial uncertainty.The idea of managing your finances when you’re between jobs might be scary, but with a few smart moves, you will be able to significantly minimize the stress when taking some time off working to figure out your next move.evalNaturally, between leaving your old job and launching your new source of regular income, you’re going to be in a financial gap. Since you know that already, it’s smart to plan and find out ways to fill that gap.Here are 7 smart tips to help you manage your finances when you’re changing careers and don’t have a stable source of income in-between jobs.1. Create a budgetevalThe idea behind creating a budget is learning how much money you need each month to cover your basic needs. Sometimes the exercise might be a bit terrifying, but it will always bring you plenty of valuable insight.Review the last month of transactions on your bank account and credit card. You can make an Excel spr eadsheet to categorize your outgoing expenses. Or you simply resort to one of the free budgeting online tools or apps available on the market.If you do it well, budgeting will bring you plenty of valuable knowledge and turn out to be quite satisfying. More importantly, the right budget will also free you from any financial anxiety. Learn more about your financial needs and calculate the risk of leaving your current job in search of a new career.2. Start your job hunt as soon as you canIt doesn’t matter whether you quit, the project you worked on finished, or you were fired â€" even if you want some time off to do just nothing, remember that it’s not the best for you and your career.It’s smart to start looking for a job as soon as you know what type of position you’re looking for. Remember that prolonged unemployment raises a red flag with hiring managers. If your former workplace offered you career coaching to help you through the transition, don’t hesitate and take it.eva lThen revamp your online presence, update your resume and identify the type of jobs or companies that you want to work at. Don’t let too much time go by before you land your next job.And if you have some gaps in your resume, fill them with activities hiring managers appreciate like local volunteering, taking a class, or building your website.3. Create a schedule and stick to itDuring your time off, you might be tempted by many different things â€" leisurely checking social media newsfeed, sleeping in, and watching your daily schedule slowly disappears into the abyss.Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of binge-watching TV series and having breakfast when you should be having lunch. The Internet can be very distracting and getting sucked into the vortex will prevent from getting the new job you want.evalThat’s why you should create a schedule and stick to it at all cost. It’s easy to feel as if you’re in the vacation mode without the regular 9 to 5 work schedule to keep y ou in check. So develop a daily list of tasks that will help you stay on top of your things. Set weekly and monthly goals and stick to them.For example, you can decide to apply for a given number of jobs every week, work out three times a week, and develop a new habit of meditation for 15 minutes every day. Make sure to wake up and go to bed at regular times, spend a lot of time applying for jobs, networking and reaching out to your contacts.Filling your time with that type of activities will help you to make the most of it all the while you take tiny steps toward a new career. Compartmentalize your days and create a schedule to launch your new job as quickly as possible.4. Take a second look at your savingsLet’s imagine that you want to take a course or take off some time between jobs. Would your savings cover your costs of living? If you’re toying with the idea of a career break, you need to measure the number of months your savings will sustain you realistically while you pre pare your next move.If you check that and see that your funds fall short of the required amount of time, measure how long you will need to stay employed to make enough money for making that leap comfortable. Calculating that and having a precise figure and time frame in your mind will keep you focused on your plan and optimistic about the future.5. Don’t just apply for every available jobevalWhen in between jobs, it’s easy to become desperate and start applying for every job you see online. Remember that sending a generic resume to as many employers as possible won’t help you land the job you want. Don’t just apply for every job that is available.Decide what type of position you want to be in, what kind of responsibility you want to have and what sort of company want to work for. When you figure that out, you will know how to match your expertise with a role and company you have in mind.Tailor your resume and cover letter to the job description every time you apply. By deliv ering an application that matches the expectations of hiring managers, you will only boost your chances of getting invited for an interview.6. Simplify your spendingBe brutally honest with yourself for a second to see where you can cut back on things that aren’t essential to your survival. You might feel gratification when buying new stuff, but what does that mean when you are about to make a meaningful career change?evalSwitching to a minimalistic lifestyle that is less driven by stuff and more by experiences is liberating. Discover your basic needs and preferences and stick to them. They will save you when you make that step towards a career change.It’s smart to get a payday debit card connected to a separate savings account set up for the career transition. The amount of the card isn’t that important â€" it’s the idea that you have limited spending that counts.7. Do your best to stay productiveAlways look for new things to do during your transition. The world is full of n ew opportunities, but you can only be able to benefit from that if you stay healthy in both physical and mental sense.Since you’re in between roles, you need to keep yourself productive and look for opportunities that will help you learn something. Attended meetups, check free online courses, and create groups of people wanting to learn more about a topic.Take the time to research the company or industry want to work at. Follow the companies you admire â€" they might organize online sessions with leaders who share their knowledge and help everyone learn how specific roles or industries work like.evalUse these 7 tips to make sure that you make the most of the time you spend in between jobs without falling into the trap of money-induced stress.

5.75 big questions - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

5.75 big questions - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I found this great web animation called 5.75 Big Questions. It presents some very fundamental questions that apply to all of life but which could very well be applied to your work life. Approaching work consciously, rather than just working because thats what everybody else does, is fundamental to be happy at work. So go watch the movie (its only 5 minutes) and ask yourself those 5.75 questions about your career and work life. My favorite quote from it: Comfort is just boredom with good P.R. I think I want that on a T-shirt :o) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Best Resume Writing Services in Philadelphia

Best Resume Writing Services in PhiladelphiaThere are many different kinds of resumes, and there are also a number of companies which make use of the best resume writing services in Philadelphia. In this case, one must keep in mind that the job seeker must have a grasp of the kind of work the resume would contain, the level of qualifications of the person possesses, and the specifications of the company. Moreover, the person must be adept at composing resume.Firstly, it is important that he must have a brief idea of what these vital details are. The first thing to note is that there is no such thing as a perfect resume. This is because this is an important document and hence must not be focused on the content alone. Secondly, one should choose a professional resume writer, because he/she has the necessary skill to write the resume for the perfect candidate.If there is a large gap between the candidate's business skills and his/her academic qualifications, it is advised that one shoul d look for a professional who has the latter. This means that the person should have earned a master's degree or higher and should have worked in a business environment. There are various other factors to consider too, but it is possible to narrow down the field by examining whether the candidate has worked in a business.When it comes to academic qualifications, it is significant to note that this category is only important if the person has worked in a business for some time. It is therefore important to see if the person has had the opportunity to obtain degrees, and/or go for training courses related to their line of work.Lastly, if the person has worked in the public relations sector, there is a higher chance that they would have relevant experience. This means that the person should have written articles or done reporting which dealt with the subject matter of the job.Job seekers can submit their resumes without any knowledge regarding what the requirements are. All they need t o do is to sit down and put together the information. If the candidate already knows what the companies require, then the job seeker must ensure that the resume has sufficient information about the company.The job seeker must ensure that the resume is grammatically correct and can contain complete information about the job. Moreover, it is important to note that the candidate must make sure that the resume has a brief description of the skills, capabilities, and experience acquired in order to hire the person.The best resume writing services in Philadelphia can be availed by checking out different types of websites that specialize in this. One can also visit the official websites of the service providers and their affiliated companies. There are various other aspects that one needs to ensure before hiring a professional.