WHAT THE EMPLOYERS EXPECT?

Following is a summary of what the employers expect when they interview candidates.

·         First and foremost, it is your appearance. This includes your dress and grooming, your handshake, your eye contact, how you express yourself, your body language, your consideration for others and your overall manners. If the initial reaction is negative, the candidate is not likely to be hired.

·         Second, the impression you create about your reliability. It includes showing up for the interview on time. When hiring a new employee, the employer wants to add someone who will be an asset and get things done. They want you to be a part of the solution to their problems. Many of the interview questions are intended to establish reliability. If a candidate comes across as unmotivated or disorganized, it is likely that someone with lesser experience will get the job.

·         The third and ultimate expectation of the employer is that you possess the skills and experiences to effectively handle the job responsibilities. You are invited for the interview because the employer believes you have the needed skills and experiences. Now it is up to you to prove that you possess the needed skills and experience in greater measure than all other candidates. This requires preparation and a clear understanding of your own capabilities as well as the job requirements. Many candidates have the needed skills, but they are not able to communicate that in the interview process.

Many career opportunities are lost because of simple mistakes such as not being on time, bad breath, limp handshake, avoiding eye contact, not using their names during interviewing, poor choice of clothes, bad manners, lack of consideration for others, failure to thank, and leaving the interview without an understanding of the next step . 

HOW EMPLOYERS FILL JOBS

Human capital is the most important resource for any company’s growth.

Take a careful look at how a company handles human resources, and you will know how successful that company will be in the long run. When a company has done a good job of finding employees, and they are motivated towards building the company, the sky is the limit for its growth. If the company has a haphazard hiring process or the employees are not happy, the company will eventually fall apart.

The most desirable way for an employer to fill a position is to do so from within the organization. Employers like to hire persons whose work they have seen. If you really want to work for a company, and you cannot get hired in the job you want, try working for them part-time or as an independent contractor or consultant. That is one way to build a career with the company you really want to work for.

There are two ways employers use to find new employees. They do the recruiting on their own, or use outside resources for recruiting such as executive search firms and employment agencies.

1. Direct recruiting by employers: Employers may post jobs on one or more job boards on the Internet, place employment ads in newspapers and trade journals, and post the job on company website and bulletin boards. As a result, they receive hundreds of resumes for each job posting. Their approach is to first screen out candidates to come up with a manageable number for interviews. Each resume gets a few seconds glance, and if it does not stand out as a good match with job requirements, it gets discarded. The candidates who pass this initial test may be invited for a short screening interview by a representative of the Human Resources Department, or receive a phone call to establish their interest and suitability. A few candidates who make it through the screening process are invited for face-to-face interviews. Two or three of these candidates will get invited for follow-up interviews, and one of them may receive a job offer to work for the company. The selected candidate will be offered an employment package consisting of salary, bonus, benefits, and relocation assistance when needed.
2. Recruiting through outside sources: Employers also use outside sources such as, executive search firms and employment agencies to attract suitable talent. The outside sources charge fees from employers for finding employees. I founded and managed an executive search firm for ten years, and worked with many employers. I charged a fee equal to 25% of the first year’s salary of a placed employee; most recruiters charge a fee in the range of 20% to one-third of the first year’s salary. The employers were willing to pay substantial executive search fees in order to find exceptional employees. To attract candidates for my search assignments, I made extensive use of my network of contacts in the industry to identify suitable candidates. I would share the details of my search assignments with my network and seek their recommendations regarding exceptional candidates. In addition, I would place job postings on my own website as well as on major job boards, and place ads in trade journals. I would conduct extensive interviews with candidates and talk to some of their references. I would generally select two to three candidates for consideration by the client organization. The hiring decision was up to the employer. When the employer decided to offer the job to a candidate I submitted, I would play the role of an intermediary to come up with an employment package acceptable to the candidate. This often involved coordination of negotiations between the employer and the candidate regarding the base salary, bonus arrangements, and relocation assistance.

To find the job you deserve, you have to target the employers of special interest to you, focus on your network, and use other job search methods available to you. It is most important to remember that you should not limit yourself to just one method of job search. When you focus on just one source for jobs, you are limiting your chances of a successful job search. The candidates who use just one method of job search are likely to get frustrated, and some of them will abandon their job search. It is a good idea to use three to four available sources to locate suitable job openings.

HEADHUNTERS CAN BE VERY HELPFUL

Executive recruiters or headhunters as they are more commonly known, work from outside the hiring company to attract management talent.

Headhunters advertise jobs, interview candidates, and present suitable candidates for final decision to be made by the employer. They have access to senior management jobs around the world. They often determine which candidates are to be introduced to client organizations. The employers hire search firms to find special talent which is in short supply. Executive recruiters look for candidates who are currently employed, have a good growth record, and are making good compensation.

Headhunters can be very helpful to you at some time in your career. It is wise to cultivate relationships with some of them in your field. When you meet a search firm’s criteria, you get immediate attention. On the other hand, remember that search firms work for employers and get paid by them. When you do not get a response from a search firm, it means that you do not meet their criteria for positions they are trying to fill.

There are two types of executive search firms – retained search firms and contingency search firms. Retained search firms generally have an exclusive assignment to fill a specific position, and they get their fee even if they are not able to fill the position. Contingency search firms are paid a fee only when they fill a position.

The starting point for your approach to executive search firms is to realize that they are not under any obligation to talk to you. Their fees and expenses are paid by hiring companies, and their primary obligation is to the employers. However, they need suitable candidates to meet their obligation to client organizations. A recruiter from a search firm would be interested in talking to you only when you are a good match for a current search assignment, a possible match for a future assignment, or when you are referred by a good source known to the search firm.

The search firms receive hundreds of resumes for each job posting. They go through a quick screening to find possible candidates. As a recruiter, I was able to find only one or two candidates for phone interviews, out of every 100 resumes I received. The other applicants did not fit my area of recruiting specialization, lacked the required qualifications, or just did not generate any interest for further investigation.

Whenever sending your resume to a search firm, remember to include a cover note pointing out how you fit the job requirements for an advertised position or the search firm’s area of specialization.

When you are contacted by an executive search firm, you should expect to answer questions about your background, experience, and current compensation. The recruiter is trying to determine whether to consider you for referral to the client organization. Any attempt to withhold information or provide a vague answer is likely to disqualify you from further consideration.

When the headhunter thinks you are a possible match with the job requirements, you will probably have a phone interview to be followed by face-to-face interviews. And if the recruiter decides to refer you to the hiring company, you will be invited for interviews with the employer. Since the executive search firms are paid by hiring companies, they always try to satisfy the employer’s interest. The employers have to pay substantial search fees for recruiting candidates through executive search firms, and therefore, they use this resource mostly for senior management positions or those positions that are hard to fill. Reliance upon executive search firms is more useful for candidates for senior level positions and less effective for junior level jobs. 

NETWORKING FOR JOB SEARCH

This approach involves contacting the people you know to put you in touch with potential employers and to introduce you to additional contacts who might be able to provide similar help.

The starting point in networking is to develop a comprehensive list of your contacts including friends, former employers, clients and vendors at previous employers, business associates, family members, former teachers, neighbors, members of professional associations you belong to, and people from your religious groups and community groups. Your network should consist of these people as well as of the people they know. Your goal should be to select contacts with some knowledge about the type of work you desire, and those who are likely to know others who could help you in your job search.

Your contacts have to believe that you are a good candidate with the skills, knowledge and experience required for the type of job in which you are interested. Unless your contacts like you and believe in your credentials, they will be reluctant to refer you to others for possible opportunities. The quality of approach you make to your contacts is very important. You have to come across as someone highly accomplished, and at the same time, you do not want to appear pushy at any time. You should prepare an outline of what you want to say before you make a phone call. The essential question you need to ask your contacts is this: Do you know of any job openings suitable for me at your place of work or somewhere else? If the answer is no, you should ask a follow-up question: Do you know someone who could help me in my job search? If you can do that successfully, you will get good leads for job openings, and also gain additional contacts who could lead you to the job you desire.

Many people feel shy about making use of their contacts to do job hunting, and therefore, networking is not used as widely as it should be. This is a highly effective way of finding unadvertised positions, particularly for senior level positions. You should dedicate a substantial part of your job search effort to networking. You simply have to start telling the people you know that you are looking for a job, and the type of job you are looking for. These people might be able to introduce you to other people, who may be able to help you find a job. When you have created your target list of companies, let your network know about it, and ask them if they know any contacts in those companies or they could refer you to others for possible contacts in those companies.

Networking is one of the most effective ways to find a job, and you are very well positioned whenever you are being referred by an employee within the company.

Most people you contact will not be able to help you immediately. But some will know of job openings in your field, or know of someone who works in your field who could help you. Networking means contacting people you know, and also reaching out to people you do not know. This involves cultivating relationships, and making those relationships useful for the persons in your network. Develop a habit of building your contact information, and use your network to develop additional contacts. The earlier you do that in life, the larger your network file will spread. The information you collect about your network contacts should include the name, phone number, employer’s name, position, educational background, special interests and any other information that will be helpful in cultivating relationships.

The Internet has opened up new possibilities for networking. Social networks have become an important resource for job-hunters. LinkedIn is a popular social network with a relationship-powered job network that connects job applicants with the hiring managers, or recruiters representing the jobs listed on LinkedIn. In addition to finding job listings on LinkedIn, candidates get background information on the job posters that can help them to prepare targeted cover letters. LinkedIn also helps candidates to identify which of their existing contacts can refer them to the hiring manager or to someone who knows the hiring manager. Additional information is available on the website www.linkedin.com. Also remember that expanding your network need not be limited to in-person events. Authoring a highly regarded blog can be a great way to build your personal brand, expand your network of business contacts, and demonstrate your knowledge and skills to employers.  

TARGETING COMPANIES FOR JOB SEARCH

Targeting companies of special interest to you is the most effective strategy for job search. This is particularly true when you are looking for a senior level position.

This strategy begins with research into your target industry, and leads to the identification of companies that interest you based on size, growth potential, location and other factors important to you.

You will need to regularly update your target list based on research and your contacts with these companies. This process will also yield information about the names and titles of persons you need to approach in each company. You can find the list of companies by going to the yellow pages of the local phone directories, business directories available in public libraries, as well as online directories. Once you have a list of potential employers, you can research them by going to the employer websites, reading employer’s annual reports, and searching for outside profiles of employers such as those available at www.hoovers.com. Some of the online business directories also include links to company websites. Another element in this research is to go to a search engine such as www.google.com  and find additional information about the company’s products, customers, and senior officers, which will enable you to network your way into those companies, or make direct contact with hiring managers. This approach requires a clear understanding of your skills and interests, and the ability to conduct extensive research of possible employers. It requires deciding what kind of companies to research, what to look for, and how to prioritize the companies you have picked.

When you have researched your target companies, you will know their operations, and the type of opportunities available with them that match your skills and experiences. You should send a personalized letter to the hiring manager at each company explaining how your background and experiences match the company’s requirements, and attach a copy of your resume. You should state in your letter when you will call the hiring manager to set up an appointment for interview. In addition to approaching target companies by mail, you could call the hiring manager on the phone, briefly describe your qualifications and job interest, and try to get an appointment for a face-to-face interview. Remember to prepare a written outline of what you are going to say before you make that phone call. You should be able to set up some job interviews using this approach. Another possible approach is to go to the employer location, and try to meet with the hiring manager without an appointment. If you are not able to see the hiring manager, try to get a date and time when you could come back for an interview. If you are told there are no job openings, express your interest in future vacancies, and still try to get an interview. A personal visit to the job location can help you to establish contacts. Also, this is an opportunity to pick up some literature about the employer that could help you when you come back for an interview.

While large companies remain excellent places to work, many small to medium size companies are offering wonderful career opportunities.

Small companies give you the opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond. You can have broader responsibility and more impact on the company’s operation in a short time. When preparing a list of your target companies, do not limit yourself to just large corporations. There is often big opportunity in small companies. If you are planning to target small companies, you can often find opportunities by contacting venture capital firms, private equity firms, small business services, and corporate attorneys who maintain a roster of small to medium sized clients. By going to people who work closely with smaller companies, you can often get a warm introduction into several companies at once. Many firms that work with small and medium businesses are happy to make introductions to senior management at their client companies because it demonstrates additional value that they provide to the small and medium business owner.

Targeting companies of special interest is the most effective job search method. But it does not always lead to a successful job search for all candidates who rely upon it exclusively. You must plan to use three to four different job search methods for successful completion of your job search.

RESUME BUILDING BLOCKS

Here are some building blocks for your resume.

·         Personal Information: Full name, address, phone number and e-mail address should appear as header on the resume.

·         Career Summary: A statement of career summary should follow the personal information. This is just one or two sentences that state what you can do and how you can help your employer. You should write your career summary before you prepare the rest of your resume. This will help you to decide what should be highlighted on your resume. Do not use general statements such as “seeking a challenging opportunity with a growing company”. Such general statements are red flags that may cause recruiters to discard your resume. Your career summary should be related to the job for which you are submitting your resume. This is the first information on your resume following your name and address, and you need to make it highly effective.

·         Accomplishments: A good description of your achievements will make your resume stand out in the big stack of resumes recruiters review every day. You should translate your achievements in monetary terms whenever possible. For example, if you are in sales, you should state how much revenue you were able to bring to your company. If you are in operations, you can state how much money you were able to save for your employer. By stating several achievements that helped your previous employers to make or save money, you increase your chances of being invited for employment interviews.

·         Unique Strengths: You should think about your unique strengths and personal qualities, and develop a one sentence statement that describes the benefits you offer to prospective employers. This statement should be highlighted in your resume and cover letters.

·         Keywords:  Many companies now use keyword software to electronically scan resumes. That means you should make your resume scanner friendly by incorporating relevant keywords in your resume. To find the relevant keywords, you should study job postings for the positions of your interest. It is probable that the keywords in these postings are what the prospective employers will search for. Use those keywords that apply to the skills you possess. Sometimes, good candidates are overlooked because keywords in the job posting were not included in the resume. Job postings are often a great place to identify the keywords that are important to a particular employer. Before sending your resume and cover letter for a particular job, compare them against posting for that job to make sure the keywords in the job posting are used in your application materials.

·         Education and Training: You should state in reverse chronological order the names of educational institutions, dates attended, major subjects, and degrees received. Include any special training.

·         Academic Awards and Honors: Any awards, scholarships, honors, and special recognition you received as a student should be included here. Include any offices you held as a student and your contributions to sports, student publications, and other extra-curricular activities. This section is important for entry level positions.

·         Work Experience: Start with your current or most recent position and include prior work experience and accomplishments. Work experience should focus on the most recent jobs and describe the older jobs in lesser detail. You should include your position title, employer’s name, location, and the employment dates. The order in which you want to present the job titles or company names depends on whether you want to emphasize the names of companies you worked for, or the positions you held. In addition to full time positions, you should feel free to include part-time jobs and voluntary work. Focus on the skills you developed and your achievements in each assignment.

·         Skills: This section may contain information such as computer knowledge and languages spoken. Familiarity with computer systems and programs is essential for most jobs today. You should plan to acquire these skills and remember to include them in your resume. Knowledge of foreign languages is very important in today’s global economy. State the degree of your proficiency in reading, writing and speaking of any foreign language.

·         Country Specific Information: While it is a common practice in some countries to include date of birth and marital status, such information should not be included on a resume in the United States. It is illegal in the U.S. to discriminate in an employment decision based upon an applicant’s age, sex, race, national origin, ethnic group, religion, or a physical disability. It is important to research local customs if you are applying for a job in another country.

·         Awards and Commendations: If you have received awards or commendations from senior management of previous employers, be sure to include that information on your resume.

·         References: You should not include names of your references on the resume. You may include a general statement saying “References available upon request”

Resume should not be longer than two pages. A one page resume is quite appropriate for recent college graduates and to apply for entry level positions. On the other hand, persons with experience usually go to two pages. You should not staple a two-page resume. That makes it harder for the recipient to scan the resume or make photocopies. Remember to include your name and Page 2 on top of the second page of your resume.

HOW TO PREPARE RESUMES THAT GET RESULTS

Your resume is a statement of what you have achieved in the past and your capability for future accomplishments.

Your resume should include a career summary and a description of your education, work experience, accomplishments, special skills, and interests.

A resume is a marketing tool for a candidate seeking a new position. Your resume and cover letter will be competing with hundreds of other applicants for a recruiter’s attention to grant an interview. To get that interview, it must be an exceptional document both in terms of content and presentation. Any short cuts in writing a resume could disqualify a candidate from getting on a short list for initial interviews.

RESUME OBJECTIVE

The purpose of a resume is to get job interviews.  It is a statement of your skills and abilities to do the job for which you are applying. It tells the employer the benefits you offer, and how you will be successful in the position. The resume should have an appealing appearance so that the recruiter will be tempted to pick it up and read it. That means it should be formatted properly, should have ample margins, and a formal type face. Remember, the purpose of a resume is to stimulate the recruiter’s interest so that you get called for an interview. Your resume is a business advertisement, and should appear professional. It should not only be attractive, but also have relevant and valuable content. It should be short, simple, and easy to read.

Keep the objective of getting invited for job interviews uppermost in your mind as you write your resume. It is a marketing document which demonstrates what you have accomplished in the past, and how it will help your prospective employers. Write your resume with great enthusiasm to create a document that you can be proud of. Everything you state on your resume must be true. Your resume is the bridge to reach your dream job. Although, most of the content of a resume is based on your current and previous jobs, it is not just a history of the jobs you have held. Your resume is an advertisement of your experience and accomplishments which has the sole purpose of getting you invited for job interviews.

Carefully checking your resume is a good first step, but it is essential to have one or two people proof-read your resume before you send it to prospective employers. There must be no typing, spelling or grammatical errors in your resume.

Every job posting and newspaper ad results in hundreds of resumes. Recruiters usually glance over a resume in a few seconds. The top half of the first page of the resume often determines whether the candidate gets any further consideration.  

Remember, what you have done in the past is a good guide as to what you will do in the future.

 It is important to show in your resume how you created value for your past employers, or how you saved money for them by improving products or services. Your resume should be a proposal of what you can do in the future, rather than just a statement of what you have done in the past. Every resume is unique. It is a marketing communication designed to win an interview.

Your experience level and the type of job you are seeking determine the type of resume you need. Someone who is just entering the workforce should focus more on educational background, as compared to another candidate with substantial work experience who should focus on job accomplishments.

The most effective way to get interviews is to use an accomplishment based resume and then target it to specific job postings. Recruiters want to know what you accomplished in your previous positions, not just where you were employed. You need to demonstrate how you created value or saved money for your previous employers, and provide specific instances of how you actually accomplished that. Whenever possible, try to attach a monetary value to what you accomplished.