I have a friend, who helps his clients build online portfolio's, which include short video clips that they can send to potential employers. http://www.corporatewarriors.com/articles/careerbuilder/Portfolio.cfm
There are also websites devoted exclusively to the online resume: http://webzume.com/
I have spoken with some HR people, and generally they do not like the idea. They think that a video clip introduces too much bias, and potential exposure to law suits. They worry about EEO laws and the possibility that they may be accused of discrimination.
On the other hand, line managers seem to think this is a great idea. It gives them a third dimension that you just can't get with a resume. They argue that services like LinkedIn are making access to information much more available. This includes pictures of potential candidates, and maybe even personal information from sites like Facebook. Many believe that the value of receiving a video resume outweighs the concerns that HR may have.
I do not receive video resumes very often, but I seem to always watch the ones that I do get. Perhaps the novelty will wear off, but for now I think it is a clear differentiator. Even if I prefer a standard resume for reviewing a candidates background, I think it would be great to have that brief video, if I can get it.
How would you view a candidate that uses a video resume? Would you use one yourself?
Showing posts with label hiring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hiring. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
Should I let a recruiter negotiate my salary?
”The more you get paid, the more I get paid, so I am incented to help you get the highest possible package.”
I have had the good fortune of facilitating the hire of many outstanding candidates. Almost any recruiter will tell you that we love extending offers and helping companies negotiate salaries. As a hiring manager or as a candidate, you may be able to get a lot of value from your recruiter throughout the search process. During a negotiation, however, you have an opportunity to make a hire, or secure a new position on better terms by using a recruiter.
Many professionals, who regularly negotiate complex business deals, become shy when it comes to settling on a good compensation package. Even if you are confident in your ability, what can you get out of using a recruiter to help you?
As you probably know, recruiters generally base their fee on a percentage of a candidate’s first year income. When asked about this personal interest, most recruiters will offer you some form of the statement, “My fee is based on your compensation. We are in this together!”
This is absolutely true, and you can use this fact to your benefit.
Using a recruiter allows you to get the best possible deal, while avoiding the need to confront your new potential employer or employee. You can be much more demanding with a recruiter, and if they are good at their job, they will be able to help you without create unnecessary tension. The recruiter will help you test the limits and better understand whether you are getting the best possible deal.
What a recruiter will probably not tell you is, “I am most interested in getting this deal to happen regardless of compensation package.”
Ultimately, recruiters get paid to make placements. They may create a lot more value than that simple transaction, and retained search professionals may receive their fee whether or not they fill a position. Nevertheless, a recruiter loses money or jeopardizes their reputation every time an offer fails to produce a hire.
Once you recognize the recruiter’s is more interested in placing you than in increasing your income, does that mean you should just deal with the company directly? Absolutely not! In fact, you can use this self-interest to your advantage and get a lot more out of the negotiation than you could if you went directly to your new potential employer.
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, October 27, 2008
What Candidates Tell Me: Simple Hiring Errors and How to Correct Them, part two
You have invested a lot of time and money bringing the best candidates in to interview. Make a great impression by avoiding some common errors. *
Would you rather have them say, “They seem ready to make me an offer after only one interview day, but I am not sure I am ready to commit,” OR “They have offered to have me meet more people, but I don’t think I need to?”
TIP: Offer opportunities to speak with others. Hiring managers that exclude others from interviewing generally do so for two reasons: 1) Pressing business needs require a rapid decision. And to a lesser degree, 2) they want to maintain tight control over the hiring process. Making good hiring decisions and attracting senior candidates takes time. In order to wait for an outstanding candidate, you must have a strong interim business plan. This provides leverage and a greater sense of security. You will recruit better talent, and put yourself in a stronger negotiating position when you decide to make an offer.
Some managers have difficulty giving up control of their interview process. If you are conscious of this tendency, you have probably begun to address it already. Remember, if you are a competent leader, your people will represent you and your organization well. If you feel they create a poor impression, you have a bigger issue to solve before bringing new hires on board.
Would you rather have them say, “I think they are going to make me an offer, but I am not sure if I want the job.” OR “I am interviewing with a number of firms, but this is my first choice if they make the right offer?”
TIP: I believe that no offer should be made without a commitment to accept it. I realize this cannot be the case in every circumstance, but it should be the standard that we try to achieve. You should try to understand your candidate’s true interest level. You want to avoid extending an offer, sitting back and waiting for an acceptance, then getting rejected. Checking your candidate’s interest will help you close the deal, and, if not, will at least give you useful feedback that you can use in subsequent interviews.
Would you rather have them say, “She thought I was interviewing for a manager job, when I am a director already,” OR “They have not told me the level yet, but I am willing to make an investment in the company, if the compensation and responsibilities are appropriate?”
TIP: Get the level right, or don’t commit. Many candidates fall on the line between two levels. You may also find yourself interviewing someone without having fully prepared for a meeting. In either case, do not discuss the title, and keep an open mind. Presenting the wrong level will surely turn off good candidates.You should also discuss the appropriate title with your recruiter. Generally, we are good at discussing information and impressions about a prospective employer. When it comes to talking with a candidate that does not fit neatly, we need strong, clear guidance from clients to avoid miscommunication.
Part three of this article next week……
Contact Jason Sanders
Would you rather have them say, “They seem ready to make me an offer after only one interview day, but I am not sure I am ready to commit,” OR “They have offered to have me meet more people, but I don’t think I need to?”
TIP: Offer opportunities to speak with others. Hiring managers that exclude others from interviewing generally do so for two reasons: 1) Pressing business needs require a rapid decision. And to a lesser degree, 2) they want to maintain tight control over the hiring process. Making good hiring decisions and attracting senior candidates takes time. In order to wait for an outstanding candidate, you must have a strong interim business plan. This provides leverage and a greater sense of security. You will recruit better talent, and put yourself in a stronger negotiating position when you decide to make an offer.
Some managers have difficulty giving up control of their interview process. If you are conscious of this tendency, you have probably begun to address it already. Remember, if you are a competent leader, your people will represent you and your organization well. If you feel they create a poor impression, you have a bigger issue to solve before bringing new hires on board.
Would you rather have them say, “I think they are going to make me an offer, but I am not sure if I want the job.” OR “I am interviewing with a number of firms, but this is my first choice if they make the right offer?”
TIP: I believe that no offer should be made without a commitment to accept it. I realize this cannot be the case in every circumstance, but it should be the standard that we try to achieve. You should try to understand your candidate’s true interest level. You want to avoid extending an offer, sitting back and waiting for an acceptance, then getting rejected. Checking your candidate’s interest will help you close the deal, and, if not, will at least give you useful feedback that you can use in subsequent interviews.
Would you rather have them say, “She thought I was interviewing for a manager job, when I am a director already,” OR “They have not told me the level yet, but I am willing to make an investment in the company, if the compensation and responsibilities are appropriate?”
TIP: Get the level right, or don’t commit. Many candidates fall on the line between two levels. You may also find yourself interviewing someone without having fully prepared for a meeting. In either case, do not discuss the title, and keep an open mind. Presenting the wrong level will surely turn off good candidates.You should also discuss the appropriate title with your recruiter. Generally, we are good at discussing information and impressions about a prospective employer. When it comes to talking with a candidate that does not fit neatly, we need strong, clear guidance from clients to avoid miscommunication.
Part three of this article next week……
Contact Jason Sanders
*This article contains actual statements made during post-interview debriefings
Monday, October 20, 2008
Each time one of my candidates goes on an interview, I receive feedback about a client organization, their job opening, and the personal impression they create. I generally hear good things about my clients, but I am sometimes surprised to hear that they make a few very basic errors.
Most hiring managers think of interviewing as a chance to gather information about a new potential hire. They also recognize that they represent their organizations, and want to create a great impression with candidates. If you avoid some obvious pitfalls and follow some basic steps, you will maximize your potential to outdo your competition, and hire the best candidates.
When a recruiter debriefs people that you have interviewed, would you rather have them say, “They didn’t even have my resume and had to scramble to find a copy.” OR “The interviewer asked a lot of direct questions about my background?”
If you have read this far, you are unlikely to make the basic mistake of failing to prepare for an interview. If you simply take five minutes, or even three, you will put yourself in the right frame of mind. Make sure you have a resume, if you have received one. Take a look at it. It’s that simple.
Would you rather have them say, “He barely asked me any questions; he seemed to just want to talk about his organization,” OR “I feel like they have enough information to evaluate whether I am a cultural fit?”
TIP: Ask at least a few well-thought out questions. The biggest mistake candidates make is to over talk an interview. Make sure you do not make this mistake as an interviewer. Prepare some specific questions beforehand, or just have your boilerplate ready. When you interview politely, but incisively, you will leave your candidates with the impression that you are competent and thorough.
Would you rather have them say, “It sounded really great, but I need to check with my friends to see what their reputation is in the marketplace,” OR “They definitely told me about some challenges they are facing, and I think I can help?”
TIP: Provide realistic information, including drawbacks at your company. Certainly don’t dwell on the negative, but tell your candidates that you understand and are dealing with issues that your organization faces. Every company has warts. Painting too rosy a picture will diminish your credibility, and send your candidates away looking for answers. On the other hand, framed properly, obstacles may present interesting challenges for your best candidates to tackle.
Part two of this article next week……
Contact Jason Sanders
*This article contains actual statements made during post-interview debriefings
Monday, October 6, 2008
Beyond the Best Interview Question Ever
I was asked whether a group of interviewers should all use “the best interview question,” if they were interviewing the same candidate on the same day.
I would recommend against such a course of action. This specific line of questioning is an excellent tool. Using it multiple times with the same candidate, however, will not get your all the information you want, and may create a poor impression with the candidate.
If you have the time and capability, I would suggest a coordinated approach to an interview day, directing each executive to pursue a different line of questioning. This will give you more information and create the impression that you have a team that communicates and executes effectively.
Some suggestions for topics:
1. A case study. This does not need to be formalized like you might expect of a recent MBA grad, but it may be theoretical. You could take one of your own client problems, for example, to test critical thinking in a real life setting.
2. Allow the candidate to ask you questions. The types of questions he asks will tell you about his values.
3. A casual conversation, or fit interview. A discussion of topics outside of work will give you information you can use to attract the candidate, and you will begin to get a feeling for how he interacts on a more personal level.
4. Standard career progression. This is very basic but I use it very often as an orienting interview. I simply start from a candidate's degree and work forward. I look for the person's career trajectory and extrapolate what his next step might be. I find this very useful as a recruiter, since it provides me a lot of information that my clients will ask about.
Contact Jason Sanders
I would recommend against such a course of action. This specific line of questioning is an excellent tool. Using it multiple times with the same candidate, however, will not get your all the information you want, and may create a poor impression with the candidate.
If you have the time and capability, I would suggest a coordinated approach to an interview day, directing each executive to pursue a different line of questioning. This will give you more information and create the impression that you have a team that communicates and executes effectively.
Some suggestions for topics:
1. A case study. This does not need to be formalized like you might expect of a recent MBA grad, but it may be theoretical. You could take one of your own client problems, for example, to test critical thinking in a real life setting.
2. Allow the candidate to ask you questions. The types of questions he asks will tell you about his values.
3. A casual conversation, or fit interview. A discussion of topics outside of work will give you information you can use to attract the candidate, and you will begin to get a feeling for how he interacts on a more personal level.
4. Standard career progression. This is very basic but I use it very often as an orienting interview. I simply start from a candidate's degree and work forward. I look for the person's career trajectory and extrapolate what his next step might be. I find this very useful as a recruiter, since it provides me a lot of information that my clients will ask about.
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wachovia and what to do with all those excess candidates.
Most hiring companies make the fundamental mistake of managing their pipeline poorly. The inability to reject candidates, and to provide a reason leads to many problems with the recruiting process. One solution is to appoint a person specifically tasked to handle this problem. I suggested one solution in the my article, “The Candidate Advocate.”
Poor candidate management creates a negative impression of your company in the marketplace. If you handle someone’s candidacy poorly, they are less likely to apply to your company again, or buy its products or services. A job applicant requires as good, or better customer service than you would provide a valued client. Any contact you have with a potential customer should be turned to your advantage whenever possible.
Wachovia Bank posts 600 to 800 jobs per week, and averages 10,000 job applicants, declining almost 90% of those.1 This puts Wachovia in the precarious situation of potentially creating 9,000 bad impressions.
Wachovia, however, has introduced a system to deliver rapid feedback to applicants, along with a suggestion that may be helpful in their job search. In her article, “Too Many Candidates?” Leslie Stevens argues that the bank uses this system to create a good impression of their recruiters.
I would go one step further and say that they create a good impression of the bank, overall. This puts Wachovia in the enviable position of making lemons from lemonade. They use rejected job applicants as a way to access new clients for their bank.
Contact Jason Sanders
1 Leslie Stevens, “Too Many Candidates?” ERE.net, September 1, 2008.
Poor candidate management creates a negative impression of your company in the marketplace. If you handle someone’s candidacy poorly, they are less likely to apply to your company again, or buy its products or services. A job applicant requires as good, or better customer service than you would provide a valued client. Any contact you have with a potential customer should be turned to your advantage whenever possible.
Wachovia Bank posts 600 to 800 jobs per week, and averages 10,000 job applicants, declining almost 90% of those.1 This puts Wachovia in the precarious situation of potentially creating 9,000 bad impressions.
Wachovia, however, has introduced a system to deliver rapid feedback to applicants, along with a suggestion that may be helpful in their job search. In her article, “Too Many Candidates?” Leslie Stevens argues that the bank uses this system to create a good impression of their recruiters.
I would go one step further and say that they create a good impression of the bank, overall. This puts Wachovia in the enviable position of making lemons from lemonade. They use rejected job applicants as a way to access new clients for their bank.
Contact Jason Sanders
1 Leslie Stevens, “Too Many Candidates?” ERE.net, September 1, 2008.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Best Interview Question Ever, part two
If you choose this question as a starting point, you create a theme for an entire interview. If there is time, you should dig more deeply by asking questions that qualify your candidates’ response. In the case of a consulting project, some of these questions might be:
What were the dimensions of the project? How was it sold? How long did it last?
What was the makeup of the delivery team?
What was your role in the assignment?
What was the overall business impact of the assignment? This is a critical question to assess your candidates’ understanding of the connection between their work and the goals of their clients.
Why were you chosen for this assignment?
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Which elements of the project did you enjoy, and which didn’t you enjoy?
How did you grow as a person during the course of the assignment?
What did you learn from your client, and what did you teach your client?
When you begin with a strong open-ended question, you lead with a very powerful analytical tool. You can gather a lot of information in a short period of time. You also create an anchor, around which to base a longer interview.
This question makes it easy to structure your interview by introducing a theme for the meeting. Preparing interview questions is always a good idea, but even without an organized approach, you now have something to refer back to. If your candidate begins to wander away from the topic, you will be able to steer the conversation, and learn about the candidate’s ability to stay focused at the same time.
The questions you ask are less important than how you listen to the answers. You may find, for example, that a person needs a lot of prompting. This may mean that they have not accomplished much, or it may mean that they are introverted, or maybe they have not interviewed in years and are a bit rusty. Your evaluation must be flexible according to the circumstances, and other bits of information you gather.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, you may find that your interviewee cannot stop talking about their work. Most hiring managers respond poorly to people who talk excessively, and with good reason. While overtalking may make a person sound prideful, the opposite is usually the case. It also shows an inability to rapidly synthesize information, and in the worst cases, may be rude to the interviewer.
This question provides you with a firm grounding to begin, and to guide an interview. You should challenge a person, but also make them comfortable enough to reveal themselves. Your questions, and your style give candidates an impression of what it will be like to work for you. Take advantage of every opportunity to leave a good impression.
Using this question puts you in position to gather information and to ask smart follow up questions. It serves as a kind of interviewing cheat sheet, which helps you get around some of the preparatory work, like reading a resume. Don’t misunderstand me; reading a candidate’s resume is extremely important. If you are caught off guard, however, you can refer back to this question without tipping your hand.
In order to make a good hire, you need to check many different aspects of a candidate’s background, skills, personality, cultural fit and drive. You will need to use different approaches to get all the information that you want. Somewhere in the process, though, you ought to ask this question. You may get more than you expected.
Contact Jason Sanders
What were the dimensions of the project? How was it sold? How long did it last?
What was the makeup of the delivery team?
What was your role in the assignment?
What was the overall business impact of the assignment? This is a critical question to assess your candidates’ understanding of the connection between their work and the goals of their clients.
Why were you chosen for this assignment?
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Which elements of the project did you enjoy, and which didn’t you enjoy?
How did you grow as a person during the course of the assignment?
What did you learn from your client, and what did you teach your client?
When you begin with a strong open-ended question, you lead with a very powerful analytical tool. You can gather a lot of information in a short period of time. You also create an anchor, around which to base a longer interview.
This question makes it easy to structure your interview by introducing a theme for the meeting. Preparing interview questions is always a good idea, but even without an organized approach, you now have something to refer back to. If your candidate begins to wander away from the topic, you will be able to steer the conversation, and learn about the candidate’s ability to stay focused at the same time.
The questions you ask are less important than how you listen to the answers. You may find, for example, that a person needs a lot of prompting. This may mean that they have not accomplished much, or it may mean that they are introverted, or maybe they have not interviewed in years and are a bit rusty. Your evaluation must be flexible according to the circumstances, and other bits of information you gather.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, you may find that your interviewee cannot stop talking about their work. Most hiring managers respond poorly to people who talk excessively, and with good reason. While overtalking may make a person sound prideful, the opposite is usually the case. It also shows an inability to rapidly synthesize information, and in the worst cases, may be rude to the interviewer.
This question provides you with a firm grounding to begin, and to guide an interview. You should challenge a person, but also make them comfortable enough to reveal themselves. Your questions, and your style give candidates an impression of what it will be like to work for you. Take advantage of every opportunity to leave a good impression.
Using this question puts you in position to gather information and to ask smart follow up questions. It serves as a kind of interviewing cheat sheet, which helps you get around some of the preparatory work, like reading a resume. Don’t misunderstand me; reading a candidate’s resume is extremely important. If you are caught off guard, however, you can refer back to this question without tipping your hand.
In order to make a good hire, you need to check many different aspects of a candidate’s background, skills, personality, cultural fit and drive. You will need to use different approaches to get all the information that you want. Somewhere in the process, though, you ought to ask this question. You may get more than you expected.
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Best Interview Question Ever, part one
I spend a lot of my time interviewing high quality candidates, as you might imagine. Candidates talk with me about their career progression, skills, and experiences. Usually, I am most interested in understanding what motivates a person. That discussion generally provides the most relevant information to screen, and to attract excellent candidates. When you interview a candidate, you will need to balance both objectives in order to make a good hiring decision.
Normally, I spend about two hours total interviewing a candidate. Ideally, these conversations are broken down into an initial phone screen and a face-to-face interview. We cover many topics, including personal ones, and a general career history. But what if you don’t have two hours to spend evaluating a candidate? What if you only have twenty minutes, or maybe only five? How do you get the most information in the least amount of time? In short, what is the best interview question you can possibly ask?
You must accomplish a number of things to make smart hiring decisions. You need to find out about the candidates’ primary skills, their general experience, their ability to synthesize information, their ability to present well and think on their feet, their people skills, and their fit into your organization. In truth, you will never fully evaluate a person until you work together. You can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, though, using this question:
What is your most significant professional accomplishment?
This question has the advantage of leading to a very short answer, or a very long one. It may put your candidates at ease, or make them sweat. You may learn about your candidates’ values, their self-esteem and their cultural fit. You will certainly learn about their ability to communicate, and think on their feet, or prepare well for interviews. If you listen well, you may be able to sort out sincerity from pretense. You may be able to tell how they view themselves in relation to a team. You may also be able to learn about the person’s overall drive.
You can use this interview question for any level candidate, and use it according to your own style. If you prefer, you may remain silent after asking the question, or you may use it as a basis for many follow up questions.
Next time: How to use this question as the basis for a longer interview
Contact Jason Sanders
Normally, I spend about two hours total interviewing a candidate. Ideally, these conversations are broken down into an initial phone screen and a face-to-face interview. We cover many topics, including personal ones, and a general career history. But what if you don’t have two hours to spend evaluating a candidate? What if you only have twenty minutes, or maybe only five? How do you get the most information in the least amount of time? In short, what is the best interview question you can possibly ask?
You must accomplish a number of things to make smart hiring decisions. You need to find out about the candidates’ primary skills, their general experience, their ability to synthesize information, their ability to present well and think on their feet, their people skills, and their fit into your organization. In truth, you will never fully evaluate a person until you work together. You can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, though, using this question:
What is your most significant professional accomplishment?
This question has the advantage of leading to a very short answer, or a very long one. It may put your candidates at ease, or make them sweat. You may learn about your candidates’ values, their self-esteem and their cultural fit. You will certainly learn about their ability to communicate, and think on their feet, or prepare well for interviews. If you listen well, you may be able to sort out sincerity from pretense. You may be able to tell how they view themselves in relation to a team. You may also be able to learn about the person’s overall drive.
You can use this interview question for any level candidate, and use it according to your own style. If you prefer, you may remain silent after asking the question, or you may use it as a basis for many follow up questions.
Next time: How to use this question as the basis for a longer interview
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, July 28, 2008
Hiring Manager! Use your recruiter wisely.
If you are like most hiring managers, you view your recruiter as a source of resumes and interviews. If you want to maximize your recruiter’s effectiveness, you need to help her manage her talent pipeline, and take advantage of her market insights and knowledge of candidates.
The most important thing you can do to help your recruiter bring you great talent is to make clear decisions, communicate them, and take action. Unwillingness to say no to good, but not great, a candidate is the primary mistake that hiring managers make. If you put candidates on hold, you block your pipeline and your recruiter becomes frustrated that you aren’t pulling the trigger on anyone. Or else, he becomes complacent, figuring that you will hire someone, while he moves on to more urgent projects.
As a hiring manager you are very bus, and sometimes focus on your own projects, sometimes to the detriment of your recruiting efforts. In order to help manage the process during a prolonged hiring initiative, you should consider appointing a person specifically to this task. I devoted an article to the discussion of this new position, “The Candidate Advocate.”
Once you have your pipeline under control, you are free to gather the knowledge and insights that your recruiter has to offer.
Next Entry: How a candidate should use a recruiter
Contact Jason Sanders
The most important thing you can do to help your recruiter bring you great talent is to make clear decisions, communicate them, and take action. Unwillingness to say no to good, but not great, a candidate is the primary mistake that hiring managers make. If you put candidates on hold, you block your pipeline and your recruiter becomes frustrated that you aren’t pulling the trigger on anyone. Or else, he becomes complacent, figuring that you will hire someone, while he moves on to more urgent projects.
As a hiring manager you are very bus, and sometimes focus on your own projects, sometimes to the detriment of your recruiting efforts. In order to help manage the process during a prolonged hiring initiative, you should consider appointing a person specifically to this task. I devoted an article to the discussion of this new position, “The Candidate Advocate.”
Once you have your pipeline under control, you are free to gather the knowledge and insights that your recruiter has to offer.
Next Entry: How a candidate should use a recruiter
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, July 7, 2008
Hiring Friends
The best way to begin to ensure cultural fit is for someone at the hiring company to know the candidate. This provides an instant reference and provides a high comfort level. Most hires are made through this kind of internal referral.
There are pitfalls though.
The comfort level created can prevent companies and candidates from going through the necessary due diligence. The candidate may not meet as many interviewers, interviewers may have a positive bias toward the candidates, and references may not be checked. This can lead to the dual problems of losing a new hire, and damaging existing relationships.
Have you ever experienced the hire of a professional colleague that didn’t work out?
Contact Jason Sanders
There are pitfalls though.
The comfort level created can prevent companies and candidates from going through the necessary due diligence. The candidate may not meet as many interviewers, interviewers may have a positive bias toward the candidates, and references may not be checked. This can lead to the dual problems of losing a new hire, and damaging existing relationships.
Have you ever experienced the hire of a professional colleague that didn’t work out?
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, June 9, 2008
Habitual Job Hopping
Job hoppers are great for recruiters. Every time they make a change there is a fee to be made. But is job hopping good for you?
Surprisingly, it may be. But there are qualifiers.
If you are a programmer or an architect and you want to build your skills, job hop.
If you are a sales person trying to stay ahead of new technologies, job hop.
If you are an aspiring CIO, job hop, but do it smartly.
Most executives resumes that I review have between five and ten different employers, depending on age. This is a good thing. You build skills and open new opportunities when you change jobs.
If you want to advance in your career, you will probably want to change jobs every three to seven years. Leave a number of positions sooner than three years and you will show lack of commitment. At seven years, you may find it difficult to leave, and many recruiters shy away from recruiting candidates with more than ten years at one company; especially larger companies. We used to call these people, “company men.” Their skill sets may be too specific to that company, and their work style may be difficult to change.
What do you think, job hoppers? What do you think company men and women?
Contact Jason Sanders
Surprisingly, it may be. But there are qualifiers.
If you are a programmer or an architect and you want to build your skills, job hop.
If you are a sales person trying to stay ahead of new technologies, job hop.
If you are an aspiring CIO, job hop, but do it smartly.
Most executives resumes that I review have between five and ten different employers, depending on age. This is a good thing. You build skills and open new opportunities when you change jobs.
If you want to advance in your career, you will probably want to change jobs every three to seven years. Leave a number of positions sooner than three years and you will show lack of commitment. At seven years, you may find it difficult to leave, and many recruiters shy away from recruiting candidates with more than ten years at one company; especially larger companies. We used to call these people, “company men.” Their skill sets may be too specific to that company, and their work style may be difficult to change.
What do you think, job hoppers? What do you think company men and women?
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, May 26, 2008
Your Fired! Now What?
Most people I know have faced layoffs at some point in their career. Many have faced more than one.
The number of people that I know, who have been fired, I can count on one hand! How can that be? Have we become a country that supports incompetence and crushes individual competition?
I don't think so. I think we are a country that allows people a second chance. We do this by making each other feel like a dismissal is not a firing.
As a recruiter this is a great thing! How far would we get placing people, who have been fired? Companies, candidates and recruiters alike don't really want to admit to this necessary part of capitalist competition. It makes us all look bad.
So, if you have been fired, lick your wounds and get back out there. Work on your resume and start networking. You will find that most people are willing to accept a reasonable explanation for a recent departure without digging very deeply. Make sure you have good references though. Due diligence is important, even if it doesn’t uncover that one career blemish.
And when you interview, keep in mind that the people you meet probably have all been fired at some point in their career.
Have you ever known anyone who has made a great comeback after being fired?
Contact Jason Sanders
The number of people that I know, who have been fired, I can count on one hand! How can that be? Have we become a country that supports incompetence and crushes individual competition?
I don't think so. I think we are a country that allows people a second chance. We do this by making each other feel like a dismissal is not a firing.
As a recruiter this is a great thing! How far would we get placing people, who have been fired? Companies, candidates and recruiters alike don't really want to admit to this necessary part of capitalist competition. It makes us all look bad.
So, if you have been fired, lick your wounds and get back out there. Work on your resume and start networking. You will find that most people are willing to accept a reasonable explanation for a recent departure without digging very deeply. Make sure you have good references though. Due diligence is important, even if it doesn’t uncover that one career blemish.
And when you interview, keep in mind that the people you meet probably have all been fired at some point in their career.
Have you ever known anyone who has made a great comeback after being fired?
Contact Jason Sanders
Monday, May 19, 2008
Welcome to Executive Search Insider
Check in here for information about all topics related to hiring and finding a new job.
The first topic for discussion is hiring for cultural fit.
I find that the sooner interviews begin to address issues of cultural fit, the more likely a company is to make good hiring choices. Cultural fit often determines whether a new hire will succeed or fail because noone can thrive in a hostile environment. On the other hand, a supportive environment will foster success even from a less experienced executive.
Here is an article I wrote on the topic: How to Screen for Cultural Fit
What have your experiences been as a hiring manager, or trying to fit into a new organization?
Contact Jason Sanders
The first topic for discussion is hiring for cultural fit.
I find that the sooner interviews begin to address issues of cultural fit, the more likely a company is to make good hiring choices. Cultural fit often determines whether a new hire will succeed or fail because noone can thrive in a hostile environment. On the other hand, a supportive environment will foster success even from a less experienced executive.
Here is an article I wrote on the topic: How to Screen for Cultural Fit
What have your experiences been as a hiring manager, or trying to fit into a new organization?
Contact Jason Sanders
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)