Tools and Tactics of Networking

You have heard it a million times before – networking is critical to your job search.  In fact, recent studies indicate that more than 85% of all jobs are acquired through networking.  Just this statistic alone is enough to show you the importance of networking and why you must have the proper tools and tactics. 

Here are some of the most important tools and tactics you need for networking during your job search: 

• You must have business cards when you network.  Yes, that means you too!  You need to have something to hand out to people when you meet them, and a business card will provide them with your contact information. 
• Want to take it a step further than business cards?  Consider creating a one-page handbill.  This is a great document to have at a networking event.  It does not replace your resume, but instead is just a quick glance type of document that will summarize your skills and experience, and has all of your contact information.  It can also refer people to your website or social media profiles.  A great way to “wet the appetite” of a potential employer. 
• It is important that you send thank you notes to everyone you meet while networking.  Immediately after a networking event, take out the business cards you collected and make notes about your conversations for each.  Then you can personalize your thank you cards. 
• Remember that your connections from networking should be quality connections – it is not about the quantity.  Quality connections will help you! 
• One of the most important things you can do while networking is listen.  The information you collect at a networking event can help your career more than talking with everyone there.  Make sure you listen carefully, take mental notes, and contribute to the conversation when appropriate. 

There are many valuable tools and tactics when networking, however, these will help you during your job search, as well as help you grow your career. 

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Ways to Keep Your New Hires

The hiring process has become drawn out and costly for many companies today, therefore, it is important that you find ways to keep your new hires happy so they will stick around for a long time.  Happy employees are typically great for your hiring process, which helps with not only retention, but with your overall hiring costs. 

Here are a few ways you can keep your new hires happy and increase your retention rates: 

• Most employees today are looking for challenges, and a feeling of belonging.  They want to feel like they make a difference, therefore, it is important that you understand why you need each employee.  Each employee brings something different and each has a unique reason why they are important.  Take the time to know what that reason is for each employee, and then communicate to them your understanding of their importance. 
• Make sure that you “roll out the red carpet” at the appropriate times.  Show your employees, especially the new hires, just how much you care about them and their success.  It is important that you take the time to converse with your employees, and personally introduce new hires to others. 
• Communication is the number one reason why employees and new hires often leave positions.  It is critical to a happy workforce that the communication throughout your company be the number one priority.  Make sure that communication is clear, open, and available for everyone! 
• Culture has become extremely important in the workplace today.  It is important that you embrace and support the culture you are trying to portray.  Foster relationships, support company outings, and communicate your culture for others to see. 
• Micromanaging is a touchy subject with many companies, however, those companies that have learned to not micromanage, have the happiest employees.  It is one thing to supervisor and manage, but quite another to micromanage.  Make sure you know the difference! 

Learn how to keep your new hires happy and you will see your retention rates skyrocket.  It all starts with you and understanding what your employees and job candidates want from you!

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What Eye Contact Can Tell You

It is unavoidable, you must have eye contact at some point during your job search, whether it is while you are networking, at the interview, or on your first day.  Eye contact is an important part of life in general, but especially important in determining how you are doing during your job search. 

When you are able to understand the common eye contact signs, you can adjust how you handle certain situations.  Consider these eye contact specifics: 

• If you experience a hiring manager or networking contact close their eyes longer than a normal blink, while you are talking, most likely there is something they disapprove of.  It is important that you are aware of this, as when you notice this eye behavior, you can offer more information to try and persuade them from their original feelings of disapproval, or simply ask them how they feel about your last statement. 
• Next time you are at a networking event, look for those that seems to gaze around the room while talking.  While these gazers are typically not good to network with, they can help you find the top networkers if you follow their gazing. 
• If you notice someone you are speaking with that is constantly looking up while speaking, they are usually trying to recall information.  While this may seem distracting, more importantly, if they do this constantly, they may have problems retaining information.  Be careful you do not have this as a habit when you are interviewing. 
• Just the opposite of someone always looking up to recall information, if you encounter someone that is constantly looking down, it usually means one of two things – they are processing what they just heard, or they are intimidated.  Again, this is something that you need to be careful you do not do. 

Understanding eye contact can be important to your job search success.  It is important that you understand these eye contact specifics, not only so you know how to handle the situations should they arise, but to make sure you do not do any of them.

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Finding Better Candidates

As a hiring manager, do you sit and scratch your head often, wondering why you cannot find better candidates?  You are not alone.  With so many job applicants searching for jobs today, many hiring managers simply are not getting the quality candidates they are looking for. 

Here are a few things you can ask to find better candidates:

• Value – this is an attribute that is often forgotten today, however, one that is critical in finding quality applicants.  As the hiring manager, you must determine what value sets each candidate apart from the other.  When you determine their value, you can then evaluate their assets and quickly see which is better for the position.
• Why – every single candidate has a reason why they applied for your position.  They all have a reason why they chose this career path.  It is your job to really understand their why.  Only then will you understand what drives them, their passion, and whether they will be a good fit for your company and the position.
• Response – it can be difficult to respond to every single applicant, however, that is what you must do.  Whether you feel they are a good fit or not, it is important to reach out to them.  A response will go a long way in the applicant’s eyes, and even if you do not go any further with them, they will have a good experience, and may refer a quality candidate to you.
• Process – have you gone through your hiring process?  Seriously, go through it as if you were a candidate?  If your answer is no, then you should.  You may be losing quality candidates simply because your hiring process is way off track.
• Video – if you really want to spice things up, incorporate into your hiring process a video recording element.  For those that you are interested in, send them five questions and ask them to video record themselves answering the questions.  This often will weed out those that are not serious and give you some great information to use at the interview.

Every hiring manager is looking for quality candidates, yet many feel they are running out of options to find them.  Consider these few suggestions and find better candidates today!

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Making Sure You Get Past the ATS

Have you applied for dozens of jobs, but not received any calls for an interview?  You may have thought that you simply did not have the necessary skills for the position, however, it may be something completely different causing you not to be chosen and not get past the ATS.

An ATS is an applicant tracking system, which many hiring managers use today to help “weed” out candidates that do not fit.  You may not be getting called for that interview, because you are not making it past the ATS – here are a few things you can do to make sure you make it through:

• As you guessed, an ATS is an electronic program that is programmed on what to accept and what not to accept.  So, it stands to reason that your resume must include the right keywords and information to be allowed through.  It is best that you create your resume based on the job ad itself.  Take key phrases and key words directly from the ad and make sure they are placed throughout your resume.
• When completing online applications, many of these are tied to an ATS.  While the technology has gotten better, many still cause issues for candidates who are not organized and prepared.  Since many of these programs have time limits and do not allow you to go back and fix any mistakes or add anything missing, it is imperative that you have everything together before you begin.  Make sure you are thorough and review everything before you move on to the next step.
• Do your research.  This may seem like a broken record to you – you know you need to do research, but having the research done on the company before you apply is a great idea.  Many hiring managers have added questions to their ATS regarding their company culture, the job ad itself, and even their hiring process.  If you do not know and understand these questions, you will be rejected by the ATS.

Even with following all of these tips on getting past the ATS, it is still a good idea to call the company within a day or two of submitting your resume to make sure they received it and it was not rejected by the ATS.


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Tips on Using Twitter for Recruiting

While most hiring managers tend to use LinkedIn and Facebook for their recruiting efforts, many are quickly seeing the benefits of using Twitter.  It has become a powerful recruiting tool for many hiring managers, so here are a few tips on using Twitter for your hiring:

• Different from the other social media platforms used for hiring, Twitter is driven by followers.  It is important that you spend time growing your followers.  You can do this by making sure you post daily and include valuable information about your company.  In addition, make sure that you follow others and retweet often.  This helps make you visible to many followers, increasing your audience quickly.
• Just as with all the other social media platforms, you must have a complete profile on Twitter.  Make sure that you have good images, a complete description of your company, and show your company culture.  This will draw followers to you, and the more you engage with them, the better.
• As mentioned, engaging with your followers and audience is critical to using this social media platform to your advantage.  You must be present daily!  This includes posting often, answering messages, retweeting, and more.  Do not expect followers to come to you – you must engage to attract them.
• Hashtags are your best friend on Twitter, as long as you use the right ones.  Do not use too many, as this will look awkward and will be considered spam in most cases.  Hashtags can help you get noticed by more people looking for those particular keywords, so choose wisely.

Like all of the other social media platforms, Twitter is just one tool in your arsenal to finding the best candidates.  If you follow these tips, you will find that adding this tool will help you attract and find great job candidates for your open positions.

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Avoiding a Bad Interview

 

Bad interviews happen, but when they continue to happen it might be time to look at what you are doing to cause one bad interview after another.  There are many reasons for interviews that go wrong, and it is important to your career path, that you understand why they went wrong. 

Here are a few things you can do to avoid a bad interview and determine what you may need to change:

• The number one reason job candidates have a bad interview is they did not prepare.  While there are hundreds of articles that tell you to prepare, there are many reasons why candidates do not.  It is imperative that you prepare for the interview properly.  This may include research on the company, practicing your interview skills, and preparing proper questions to ask.  To avoid an interview going wrong, always prepare!
• You got a phone call about the job you “really” want, and the hiring manager states they are impressed with your resume and skills, what do you do?  Many candidates in these situations suddenly becoming cocky and feel they have the “job in the bag.”  Do not be cocky or arrogant during your interview.  Just as quickly as the hiring manager thought you might be perfect, they can change their mind.  Remember, you still need to impress them at the interview!
• Believe it or not, many candidates do not dress appropriately when they go to an interview.  Whether they have the skills or not, immediately, the hiring manager will be turned off due to the lack of respect for the process.  Yes, many hiring managers feel that improper dress is a lack of respect for the seriousness of the interview.  Make sure that you dress appropriately.

While there are many things that can go wrong in an interview, make sure that you are not the cause of the things that go wrong.  Avoid a bad interview by being prepared, being sincere, and dressing appropriately. 
 

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