Creating a Relationship During an Interview

Creating a relationship during an interview is not something that most job candidates focus on but should.  While ultimately the goal is to get the job offer, the truth is that you may have to do several interviews before you find the perfect job or even get an offer. 



Creating a relationship during the interview, will help keep you in the forefront of the interviewer’s mind, and may help you in getting the job offer you want.  Here are a few ways you can foster a relationship during your next interviews:

• It is no secret that you need to ask questions during your interview, but are you asking the right questions that will help foster an ongoing relationship with the interviewer?  Probably not.  Questions such as what do you expect me to accomplish during my first 30-90 days of employment, what are the biggest challenges in the position or project I will be working on, and who are and what are the best attributes of my team members, are all questions that show your dedication to the company and the team. 
• Based on the answers you receive to the questions above, you can then offer how you can help, any ideas or insights you might have, and how you would identify any problems or issues.  This will show initiative and give the interview concrete information on how you would perform on the job, specifically related to the conversation you just had.  This will leave no doubt in the interviewer’s mind on whether you can handle the position.
• As your relationship develops during the interview, make sure you are clear about your intentions in wanting to work with the company.  Convey your clear goals and purpose, so the interviewer will clearly understand where you stand. 

When you follow these simple steps during your interview, you will find you have created a relationship with the interviewer.  You will give them clear information about you and they will be able to see clearly how you will fit.

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Separated Employees Helping Attract New Candidates

You may not be aware of the connection between your separated employees and attracting job candidates, but the connection is real and could hurt your recruiting efforts.  It is for this reason that you must support your separated employees, here is why:

• When an employee leaves your employment, they often are very vocal about not only the company, but how they were treated, how the separation was handled, and if they would work there again.  While the reasons for the separation may be different with each employee that leaves, their comments will cause the same effect on future hires.  Your separation process must keep all of this in mind and make sure that every employee that leaves is given all the proper support.
• If a former employee does post comments on social media about their separation, make sure that you respond in a positive way.  Do not ignore or allow a former employee to go on a rant, as that will hurt the company when prospective candidates do a search on the company.  Instead, remain positive in your comments. 
• Offer support after the separation.  The separation is hard enough on an employee but jumping back into a job search can be tough for many.  Offering suggestions and contacts for resume writing, continuing education, and other self-help suggestions can go a long way into creating goodwill with the separated employee.
• Water cooler gossip typically runs rampant when an employee is separated.  Again, this can shed a bad light on the company and the employee if not handled properly.  Make sure you communicate effectively to the remaining managers and employees.  Managers should be visible and available to answer questions.  This will stop the negative hearsay talking and prevent rumors from spreading.

When a separation is handled properly, separated employees will help attract new candidates.  Consider these tips the next time you separate an employee.

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Creating a Clear Resume

Are you constantly being passed over for jobs that you know you would be perfect for?  The reason you are being passed over may be related to your resume and the clarity of it.  Creating a clear resume where hiring managers and recruiters will quickly see you and your talents is key to getting the job you want.



You have heard the statistics and have read many articles that tell you all you need to know about building your resume, however, if you make your resume too confusing for the hiring manager, that 6 second glance will go quick and put you in the pass pile.  Here are a few tips of making sure your resume is clear and concise:

• Your resume should focus on the industry and job you are applying for.  Too many candidates list absolutely everything on their resume, which can make it difficult for the hiring manager to determine what you really want.  Make it clear what you are looking for immediately!
• If you have had many different job titles, it might be best to leave these off the resume.  When your title fluctuates too much, it is difficult for the hiring manager to connect the dots.  Instead, consider listing your skills, responsibilities, and talents used at each position.  These will relate to the position you applied and allow the hiring manager to see quickly that you have the necessary skill set for the position, putting you in the interview pile.
• Is your resume format or layout confusing?  The answer is often yes.  If the traditional resume format does not work for you, then use a format that does.  The important thing is to make sure that your resume flows easily and allows the hiring manager to see you and your skills quickly.

Creating a clear resume should be your number one priority when applying for positions.  As you customize your resume for each job you apply, you will quickly see you start getting further along in the process and get the offer you have been waiting for.

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Knowing Your Niche

When it comes to hiring for your industry or niche, how well do you know what job candidates want?  Most hiring managers will say they understand their industry very well, and know exactly what their perfect job candidate wants.  However, the truth is many fall short in truly understanding, which is why they struggle to fill positions.



In many industries today, it is a struggle for hiring managers to find job candidates that not only fit the bill but accept the position and stay for any length of time.  Knowing your niche can help you find the right candidates for your positions.  Here is how:

• When you understand your niche, you will understand where your candidates are looking for positions.  Every niche and industry vary slightly but understanding where your candidates are looking for job listings, information, and reviews, will give you an advantage.  Focus on placing your job listings and information about your company and culture, right where your perfect candidate will be looking. 
• The majority of today’s candidates are concerned about company culture more than traditional benefits.  They want to see how current employees are treated, and how they will fit in.  Make sure that you give them what they want – post pictures, encourage employees to post reviews, and be transparent about your culture on social media.
• Many companies have eliminated many traditional benefits; however, it is important that you have a wide variety of benefits to offer to job candidates.  Most are looking for a work life balance, and by offering a wide array of benefits to choose from, you will have a better time of attracting, hiring, and retaining your employees.

Knowing your niche in today’s hiring world, will give you back the edge you need to attract, hire, and retain top talent.  Take the time to understand these simple tips.



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Managing Time Appropriately

Human resource professionals, specifically hiring managers, have trouble managing their time appropriately.  The fact is that too many hiring managers are still performing manual tasks, instead of using the available technology offered.  This can cause undue stress and present challenges daily on getting “things done.”



Do you perform a large amount of repetitive tasks in your hiring process?  Here are a few things you might wish to review and automate to save time:

• Are you still doing all paperwork manually?  It might be time to consider online applications that collect job candidate information easily and allow you to review quickly via search capabilities.  There are many available systems today that will allow you to automate many processes, freeing you up to do more important things.
• One of the most time-consuming activities for a hiring manager is routing communications to different areas of the company, it is extremely inefficient.  Communication is important during the hiring process; however, you can automate many parts of the communication.  Each department will know where the hiring process is at currently, when they are expected to be needed during the process, and more.
• New hire onboarding is typically another area that takes too much time from the hiring manager.  It is important to look at the complete onboarding process and determine what the hiring manager really needs to do.  Are there other departments or employees that can handle the task? 

As a hiring manager, it can be difficult to manage time appropriately, however, with the use of some automated technology and utilizing other departments and employees, you can manage your time more wisely, and get more done!  Maybe it is time you evaluate your daily activities and see what can be changed, updated, or automated.  Your time is worth taking a look!

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Start a New Career Path

Do you find yourself second guessing your career path?  Maybe you are feeling burnt out from your career choice, or you just want to explore different possibilities.  No matter what reason you have for wanting to start a new career path, it is possible.  Here are a few things to keep in mind as you explore and possibly start a new career path:

• Before you begin your journey of looking for a new career, it is important to understand you.  What are you looking for?  Why are you looking for a change?  Where do you want to work?  Who do you want to work with?  It is important that you ask the questions and know the answers before leaping into any change.  When you sit and ask the questions and truthfully answer them, you might be surprised by what you find and what you truly are looking for.
• Jumping into a different career can be scary for most, however, what if you tried it on for size before making the change?  Find ways you can “try” the new career path before you make any decisions.  You can volunteer in the field you want to move to, you can shadow someone that works in the position you want, or you can speak with a mentor that is in that field.  Do your research before making the change and make sure that it is truly what you think.
• Once you have gathered all the information on the career change and have tried it out, it is time to evaluate all the information.  You might discover that it is absolutely the best move for you, or you may still be undecided.  Either way, make sure you way all the pros and cons.

Starting a new career path is not something that you should take lightly.  In fact, many people will consider making a change for years before finally switching careers.  The important thing to remember is to take your time and consider these tips.

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Importance of Communication

Hiring managers and recruiters need to understand that job candidates today are looking for clear and concise communication.  Today’s candidates are thirsty for information and want it immediately.  The fact is, the importance of communication with today’s job candidates is critical to keeping them interested in your position.

You must be forward thinking and align your communication practices with technology, and your hiring process.  You can improve the candidate experience by following these tips:

• It is imperative that you keep the lines of communication open with your candidates.  Too often, hiring managers are vague with job candidates about how to communicate, the time involved in their hiring process, and more.  To keep a candidate interested, you must be clear and concise about the entire process, how they can reach you, and the timeframe of when they should expect a response.
• As job candidates move along the hiring process, it is important to keep them informed.  Clearly communicate each step, the time involved, what they should expect, etc.  When a candidate does not know what to expect, they often get frustrated and will start searching elsewhere.
• Feedback and post-interview surveys are two very important ways to keep the communication lines open.  Whether you are providing actionable feedback to candidates or are asking for feedback via a post-interview survey, it is important to get as much information as possible to improve the process.
• The number one complaint among job candidates today is the length of the hiring process.  Too many companies have made it unnecessarily long and tedious.  If you have already evaluated your process and cannot streamline it any further, you must be very clear at the beginning about the time commitment.

If you are looking to attract, hire, and retain top talent, you must look at the importance of communication within your hiring process.  Do you need to make any changes?

 

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