Are you Wasting Time with the Wrong Candidates?

When asked, hiring managers often will admit their biggest time waster is the wrong candidate.  With competition so fierce in the job market today, hiring managers often find themselves spending countless hours, chasing after candidates, only to discover they are wrong for the job.  Are you wasting time with the wrong candidate?

Most likely, you answered yes to that question, but what can you do about it.  Consider adopting these techniques in your hiring process:

• Learning to focus your attention on the high probability candidate is often the best way to save time in your hiring process.  People who are advancing within their current job, typically take too much time to “woo,” and those that are beating down your door, are typically underperformers.  When you can identify these candidates, you can then focus your attention on the perfect candidate.  The one who is reasonable, a great performer, and will consider another position when asked.  
• Prequalifying candidates can save valuable time.  There are many ways in which you can accomplish this – assessment tests, pre-interview questions, and social media and reference checks.  When you complete the prequalification every time, you will suddenly find yourself spending time with the candidates that will be a fit, instead of wasting valuable time with those that are no fit.
• Track your resources used to attract candidates.  This is important, as it will help you determine which resources are most productive and successful.  This will allow you to devote your time and budget to the most appropriate areas.
• Similar to tracking your resources, develop ways to measure your hires.  Measuring the quality of your hire, will help you again determine which methods you have used work best.  Performance appraisals are often useful in seeing which candidates are producing the best results.

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By following these techniques, you will find less time wasted with the wrong candidate.  This will leave you more time to devote to candidates that are right for the job and your company.

What is your Biggest Weakness?

You have probably heard this question many times during interviews, and it is probably one of those questions that you dislike.   What is your biggest weakness?  And, what is worse yet, you have most likely been answering it wrong every time.

The weakness question is a favorite among interviewers, which is why it has stayed for so many years, and why almost every interviewer asks the question.  As an interviewer, it helps to understand the candidate’s humility, self-awareness, and transparency.  Unfortunately, job candidates think they can outsmart the interviewer by giving the common answer – I am a perfectionist, I care too much, I work too hard.

We are taught at a young age not to show our weaknesses; this makes us vulnerable.  However, if you do not admit your weakness, how can you improve upon it?  Every person has some weakness, and while some may impact your work product more than others, most weaknesses are ones that can be overcome.

The fact is, your answer to the question is just a way for you to avoid speaking honestly about that weakness you do have.  When asked, some of the best leaders admit that their best hires were those that were honest about their weakness during the interview.  

Take the time to consider your biggest weakness.  Perhaps you have problems dealing with conflict, your organization skills are lacking, or you cannot speak in front of others.  These could be an issue if you are looking at a supervisory position.  

Truth be told – admitting your weakness will show the interviewer that you are self-aware and that you are working on the weakness.  They will look at your differently and most are willing to help you work through the weakness.  

You must understand that your traits – all of them – are important to who you are, even your weaknesses.  Be honest at your next interview when asked what is your biggest weakness.  Your interviewer will be happy you are being honest, and it will show you are aware and are willing to work on the issue at hand.

Unspoken Interview Questions

As a hiring manager or recruiter, there are certain unspoken interview questions that you want to ask your job candidates, but know that you cannot.  So, you look for other ways to get your answers to these questions.  The problem is, many candidates may not understand the true intention behind your questions and you do not get your true question answered.

Here are the most common unspoken interview questions you want to ask, but can’t, and how you can get the answers you are looking for:

• Can you do the job?  Since you cannot come right out and ask this question, there are other ways you can determine if the candidate can in fact do the job you are interviewing for.  The best question you can ask to get this information is, describe your prior work experience with this kind of work?  This question should prompt the candidate to discuss his/her skills required to perform the position.
• Do you have a positive attitude?  You want to make sure the candidate has a positive attitude towards the job itself, therefore when you ask the question, tell me about a time that you failed and what you did to get past it?  This question will give you the answers you are looking for regarding positivity.
• Did you research our company?  You will be able to find a candidate that is eager to work for you by knowing if they took the time to research your company before the interview.  Ask, why do you want to work for us?  Those that have done their research, will answer with specific information they found during their research.  Those that give a vague answer or an answer that is about themselves, most likely did no research.
• What kind of value will you bring to our company?  When you ask a candidate what their greatest strengths are, you should expect a response that will incorporate their skills with how they can be applied to the position.  

As you ask these questions, it is essential to remember that the answers you get may or may not give you the exact information you are looking for.  However, they will help you gain knowledge related to your true question, therefore, giving you a better glimpse into the candidate and their fit for the position.

What Obstacles Do you Face?

Searching for the perfect job can be stressful and time consuming.  It takes lots of thought, self-reflection, and work to land the job of your dreams.  And, if you are like every other job seeker, you face an array of obstacles on your journey to finding that job.  What obstacles do you face during your job search?

Every person who has searched for the perfect job has faced some sort of an obstacle.  Some say that is part of life, others embrace it and overcome the obstacle.  Your success in finding a job that is a good fit for you can be determined by how you handle the obstacles that are thrown in front of you.  Here are a few tips on how you can get past those obstacles and keep the end goal in sight:

• The way you perceive an obstacle will determine how it will affect you.  If you look at it for what it is – a mere detour – you will find a way to move past the detour and get back on track.  You must always believe that the end goal is possible – in this case, landing your dream job.  When you can look past the detour and still see the end goal, these minor obstacles will not distract you.
• Make sure that you set clear, achievable, and realistic goals.  Hope, is NOT a clear goal.  Hoping that everything will work out and that things will fall into place is not a clear goal.  Your goals must be simple and measurable.  When you can measure your progress, then you can celebrate your accomplishments and motivate yourself to stay on track.
• Focus on your skills and strengths.  Do not focus on what you cannot do, instead find a creative way to work past missing skills.  This may mean taking a class to obtain a new skill, or furthering your current skills.  
• While it is impossible to control everything that will happen around you regarding searching for the perfect job, you can control your attitude about that search.  You must believe in yourself and your abilities to overcome the obstacle.  The power of positivity is a great thing and one that you can use to your advantage.

There will be obstacles during your job search, but do not fear them or feel defeated when you come up against them.  Instead remember the tips above to find that determination to push past the detour and continue your path to finding a great career.

How Technology is Helping the Hiring Process

As hiring trends continue to change, many hiring managers and recruiters are turning to technology and artificial intelligence to help augment their hiring duties.  Those responsible for hiring and acquiring talent are seeing more pressure to fill option positions, and due to the number of job candidates, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sift through so many candidates in the timeframes given.

Experts believe that the role of the hiring manager and recruiter will continue to change, and although technology will play an important role, it cannot replace all aspects of the hiring process.  Here are a few ways in which technology can help you in your hiring process:

• One of the biggest time consumers in a hiring manager or recruiter’s role is manually reviewing resumes.  As more and more job applicants apply for open positions, it will continue to become increasing difficult to continue this task manually.  Every day, new technology and applications are released to help offset this time-consuming task.  This software will allow a hiring manager or recruiter to automatically sift through thousands of resumes, looking for keywords, or specific phrases.  On average, one hire takes more than 23 hours of resume viewing – imagine if that was cut to 2 hours.
• Candidates today live in an electronic world and are looking for instant feedback.  You can enhance your candidates experience by implementing chat features in your hiring process.  Technology is being released that will allow a recruiter to chat with potential candidates from the beginning stage of the hiring process, all the way to the actual hire.  The cool feature of this technology is you can automate some repetitive answers, thereby leaving you free to work on other tasks that need your hands-on approach.

Even conducting interviews electronically are becoming more popular, again freeing up valuable time for both hiring manager and candidate.  Many involved in the hiring process have expressed concern for some of the technology, saying the hiring process must have a human touch.  However, think of this emerging technology as a way to augment your duties, not replace them.  This technology will help you become better at your job. 

Break Out of the Job Search Rut

Do you feel like you are in a job search rut?  Frustrated with your results?  Whether you feel like you have applied for too many jobs, or you are not getting past the first interview (or no interview at all), there are ways in which you can break free of that slump you have been in. 

Often times job seekers get comfortable with using the same “old” methods to find employment, and find themselves months later still with no employment.  The thought of moving forward gets frustrating, and many times you end up settling for a position that is not ideal.  If you have somehow fallen into the job search rut, you might wish to consider some of the following tips to break out for good: 

• What is your end goal?  The number one mistake often made by job seekers is not identifying the end goal to be achieved.  You must set attainable goals and determine what type of position you want.  When you do this, it will make looking for that position much easier.   
• Walk away from the computer.  This may seem silly, since the majority of positions are posted online today.  However, you must get out and meet new people, hear new concepts and ideas, learn new skills, etc.  Do not sit in front of the computer nonstop, as this will typically make you complacent.   
• When you are searching for a new position, you must network.  Networking is key!  It is not just about meeting new people.  It is about meeting people, conversing with those people, creating connections, and having a group of like professionals referring you to open positions. 
• Stay active in your profession.  When you stay active, it will show potential employers that you passionate about your industry.  You can volunteer to teach or speak at a school, take a class and learn a new skill, or even write articles or answer questions posted online. 
• Remain confident in your skills.  The most difficult task for someone in a job search rut is to stay confident in their skills.  You must remain confident in what you have to offer.  When you lose that confidence, potential employers see that.  When you lack confidence in yourself, they will not have confidence in you. 

Take a step back from your job search to determine the underlying cause.  Are you following the tips listed above?  Sometimes, taking a break or even taking a step back to analyze and review the situation will bring into focus what you need to change.  Settling for a position you will not love versus waiting for your dream job can be life changing.  Break out of the job search rut by following these tips.

Recruiting on Twitter

Many businesses have heard of Twitter, but few use it to recruit job candidates.  Even fewer still, utilize this social media platform to search out tech job candidates.  Why?  Tech professionals utilize many areas of social media.  In fact, a recent survey showed that tech savvy professionals are extremely active on Twitter. 

So it stands to reason, that if you are actively looking for tech savvy professionals, you should use Twitter to reach out to them.  Here are a few quick tips you can use when recruiting on Twitter: 

• Content – to attract top tech talent, you must show your company’s mission.  You can do this on Twitter by posting relevant content often.  Your posts should be more relevant content than promotional content.  The key is to provide information that resonates with potential recruits. 
• Culture – potential employees want to know about your company’s culture.  Posting photos and real time stories about your company culture is another great way to entice tech job candidates. 
• Hashtags – hashtags have become king on Twitter.  Whenever you are posting, be sure to use the power of a hashtag to get the most retweets and shares. 
• Photos – share photos!  Photos not only show your company culture, but they are viewed more on Twitter and are shared more.  You should post at least one photo post per week.  Again, make sure that it is relevant to your company.  Show culture, a new project that is in the works, or even customer appreciation.  Make it meaningful. 
• Conversation – Twitter is a conversation tool.  Remember this!  Do not just put posts out there and never have a conversation.  You must engage with others who are active on your feed, and engage with potential candidates. 
• Employees – make sure that your current employees are following the company on Twitter.  The more workplace tweets posted, the better your chances of attracting top talent.   
• Analytics – analytics of your posts will help you monitor and perfect your process.  Use the tools at your disposal and adjust your Twitter posts accordingly.   

Twitter can be a very useful tool when looking to recruit tech professionals.  When you learn to use this social media platform properly, you can have extremely good results.  Review the quick tips above and see how Twitter can work for your recruiting needs.