by K B , updated on October 25, 2023
Photo by Shalone Cason on Unsplash
Even though I have been (somewhat ;-)) of a professional in the recruitment sector, sometimes I find myself wondering about what advice I should be giving to people when I hear about what goes on behind the scenes when people recruit.
I think people think there’s more science to the recruitment process than is actually true.
Take this little example I heard that got me thinking about the way we make hiring decisions, especially when there are huge volumes of applicants to churn through.
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by K B , updated on March 17, 2020
Image by Rita Morais on Unsplash
I often get really precious about the words I use.
Saying this does not embarrass me.
It’s part of my job to be a bit precious.
To help someone find a job it’s not actually about me finding the most flowery description of what someone does to put on their resume or LinkedIn profile.
It’s not about me inflating someone’s achievements.
And it’s emphatically not about me using loads of impenetrable but kind of “impressive” sounding HR weasel words. (Although, after reading what’s on this weasel word site, I’ll confess to being guilty of using a few).
The right words are about accurately reflecting someone’s value and their values.
This is important because getting these words right on your resume help you attract the right job.
I love finding the right words. But despite doing this professionally, it’s never as simple as I know many people think. [click to continue…]
by K B , updated on March 17, 2020
Image by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
If you want to maximise your chances to secure your next role, then the first step is to fully understand the role and to make contact and speak with the advertiser.
Now before you shoot me down, I do know this is not always possible.
Recruiters, while they leave contact numbers on the advertisement, can often be hard to pin down. You may also find that the person listed as contact is a simply a centralized person, and far removed from having any involvement in hiring for the actual role itself.
But there are three very good reasons for having a conversation. [click to continue…]
by K B , updated on March 17, 2020
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
Did you know if you approach employers directly you can significantly increase your chances of securing a meeting, and getting hired for a role?
In fact, research shows that if you are referred to an employer you are 10 times more likely to be successful in applying for a role compared to applying online.
That’s what this big data research by global software providers says here. Their analysis found that applying online for a role is almost the least effective method of applying for a job.
One reason for the success of a referral this is you don’t need to compete with the masses who simply submit their resume online on a job board or company’s career site. Employers do give you some brownie points for trying.
However it can be challenging to know what to include in an approach, if you do decide to make an overture to an employee directly.
And you do need to make it a decent approach. Not just a generic begging type letter.
So here are the key points I include in an approach to help an employer say yes.
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by K B , updated on March 17, 2020
Photo by Chris-Barbalis on Unsplash
One of the things I have reflected on lately is listening and how much of a gift to the other person, is your complete and utter undivided attention.
And how the lack of this severely limits the connection and understanding we all crave.
I am prompted to write this post as the other day I had a wine with an old friend, and I thought sharing my experience could help others (OK me 😉 )
We’ve been friends for years but to be honest I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
That’s because I knew exactly how this event would start and end.
We actually hadn’t seen each other face to face for about 3 years. When I sat down he asked me how I was and as soon as I started to answer he started to twitch. He then turned his back on me and looked around for the waiter.
So I stopped talking. [click to continue…]
by K B , updated on October 26, 2020
Photo by Bryce Koch on Unsplash
Have you ever wondered why some people get headhunted from LinkedIn and you do not?
If this is you, I suggest you read on.
From the many years I have spent helping clients construct their LinkedIn profiles I know how much people want the pain taken away from their job search.
They want their LinkedIn profile to attract opportunities for them. However they do not know what to actually put in their profiles so they simply leave big chunks of their LinkedIn profile blank.
They also let the reader second guess what they’ve done by only listing their job titles.
There’s a big problem with this. [click to continue…]
