3 Secrets Every Agency Recruiter Ought to Know

3 Secrets Every Agency Recruiter Ought to Know In 2013, after 8 great years of working in agency recruiting, I decided to change career paths slightly and switched to the Dark Side  (or Light Side depending on which side youre on!) I became an in-house recruiter at an international corporation with their global HQ in downtown Vancouver. Being on the Dark Side felt new and strange at first, but it didnt take me long to adjust to my new environment. Ive enjoyed the experience so much that I doubt Ill ever go back to the agency world (or what I now refer to as the Dark Side). Working in-house has allowed me to work with businesses at both the tactical and strategic level to design and execute successful recruitment campaigns for immediate and future need, which is a nice change from the transactional, ad-hoc based recruitment style of the agency world. It also didnt take long before the flood of cold calls from recruitment agencies wanting business from me started to fill up my voice mail, email and LinkedIn account. After 8 years of hammering the phones for new business at agencies, it was an interesting and enlightening experience to be on the other side of a cold call, and I immediately realised how repetitive and annoying they are to listen to. Almost every day Id have messages in my inbox or voice mail that sounded something along the lines of this: Hi Brian, Im calling from XYZ recruitment agency and I see that youre advertising for a ABC position. I specialise in the recruitment of ABCs and have a great candidate for your role. Please call me back at Sound familiar? It sure sounded familiar to me as I was guilty of leaving the same message on voicemails all over Vancouver for the past 5 years! Sure, it worked sometimes, but not very often, which is no surprise seeing as all of my competitors were probably leaving the same message. Now, the moment youve all been waiting for (Drum roll please!) What is the secret to building a solid client base for recruiters? After reflecting on this for a while, Ive concluded that if I were ever to return to agency recruiting, Id go about business development with an entirely different approach! Heres how: 1) The goal of the cold call should be to form a relationship with the HR representative or hiring manager as a CANDIDATE and not a CLIENT: Sound simple? Well it is! Youll find that people are a lot more willing to take time and talk to you if you are offering them something. Instead of asking for business from a hiring manager or HR representative, offer to help them with their own career. In fact, make it clear that you dont want their business and instead that you want to form a relationship so that you can confidentially notify them of career opportunities in the market. Dont ask for something, instead give them something. RELATED:  How the Hiring Manager Recruiter Relationship Can Impact the Recruitment Process 2) Dont expect to get business for at least 6 12 months: Go in with the expectation that youre not going to get the business for at least 6 12 months and be ok with this. Take this time to build a deep relationship with them as a candidate and dont be tempted to cross the line by offering to help them with their hiring. 3) Be genuine, keep it organic and dont force it: If youve done a good job of building a genuine candidate-based relationship with them, then you can be almost certain theyll ask for your help eventually: Hey, by the way, if youve got a great developer on your books then Id be interested in seeing a resume Also, if youve managed to place them in a new position during this time, the chances are that theyll be picking up the phone to call you next time they look to expand their new team. Conclusion: Separate yourself from your competitors by trying this approach. Even if they dont become a client in the end, at least youve gained a good candidate (and maybe even a friend!). If they do become a client, then theyll probably be one of the best and most loyal clients youll ever have. Author: Brian Thompson is a Talent Acquisition Expert at  www.talentandrecruitment.com.

Money Makeover Series Looking Forward to the Possibilities

Money Makeover Series Looking Forward to the Possibilities Last time we checked in with Krystle, she was dealing with the loss of her job and therefore a whole new budget. However, she blew me away with her positivity and determination to turn the situation into something better than ever. And after our latest recap, it’s clear that she’s still on that upward trajectory! Read on to find out what Krystle’s been up to. Diversifying the Possibilities Krystle and I were previously focusing on redoing her budget while she looks for work and then deciding what she wanted in her career. Her last job taught her that what she really wants is to work in a college environment and help students reach their dreams. Now, it could be very easy to say that Krystle’s next step would be to apply at every university job possible, but that’s not what she did. Krystle instinctively understood that she would need to diversify in order to succeed. In other words, she didn’t put all of her eggs into one basket. And now Krystle has some very exciting potential opportunities in front of her! Adaptability for the Win So what baskets has Krystle been putting her eggs in? Well, she found a temp agency to work with which focuses solely on her field of study social work. She’s also been accepted into her alma mater’s master’s program in Adult and Higher Education with an Emphasis on Student Affairs. However, she doesn’t want to take out any more student loans so she applied to be a graduate assistant, which would require her to work for 20 hours a week and cover her tuition. She has interviews for the temp agency and the graduate assistant program this week! That’s not all that Krystle has in the works. She found out about a program run by Americorps that helps high school students get into college and struggling college students stay. This program has several openings and Krystle listed event planning and workshops for high school students as her number one choice. This position would grant Krystle a small bit of living expenses as well as $5,000 to go to her current student loans. She’s already applied and plans to follow up with them this week. What’s the lesson to learn from all this? Adaptability. At the end of the day, the more opportunities you seek out, the better chance something will work out. Krystle knew one important thing during this process: that she wanted to work in a high energy environment and help young adults achieve success. Then she looked for as many avenues to achieve that as possible. I’d say Krystle has a pretty exciting future ahead of her, no matter what opportunity works out whether it be one of these or something we may not even know about yet! Balancing Determination with Patience Now that Krystle is preparing for her interviews, she has learned that she needs to do one more thing: balance determination with patience. Krystle has incredible passion, drive, and a no holds barred attitude. The only downfall is that this can also come with a healthy dose of impatience. (Something that I’m constantly battling in my own life.) Impatience can cause us to push too hard or choose too quickly, not letting nature play its course. Things take time to develop and sometimes we have to try more than once to succeed, which is why patience is so important. As anxious as Krystle is to make a decision and move forward, there’s no telling what the best path for her may be just yet. The only thing she has control over is her ability to keep looking for and applying for great opportunities and then giving it her all in the interview process every time. Rushing a decision or allowing impatience to throw her off her game will only get in the way. That’s why she’s decided that right now her main focus has to be on patience, focus, and balancing her drive to succeed. What We Could All Learn I’ve learned some valuable lessons from working with Krystle over the past few months even though it was supposed to be the other way around. She wasn’t in an easy situation from day one and things only seemed to get more difficult as the months went by. But now Krystle’s future looks more exciting and brighter than ever! So many of us could have been in a similar situation and felt downtrodden or defeated. It’s tough to move forward when you’re just starting out and facing obstacles. But Krystle blew through every obstacle with a positive attitude, determination that can’t be beat, and true resilience. Not only that, she’s shown adaptability and creativity as she seeks out what’s next in her life. These are traits that everyone could use a dose of. At the end of the day, we can plan a perfect budget and plot a five year life plan but sometimes life calls the shots and then even the best of intentions won’t help. All we can do is pick ourselves up, brush it off, and look forward, thinking about what we can learn from the past and how can we take those lessons into a brighter future. Our journeys should always evolve so a closed door is simply another step. Remember, the ONLY thing we can ever control in life is the way we choose to handle what life throws at us. So why not spend a little bit of time deciding who we’d want to be in that moment and live it every single day?

7 Ways a Book Club Boosts Your Life

7 Ways a Book Club Boosts Your Life By  some estimates, 5 Americans gather together to discuss books every few weeks.  Are you in a book club? Could you join or start one? 1. Something To Look Forward To Each Month Research shows that the positive anticipation of an upcoming event can be just as exciting as  the actual event itself. Scheduling a monthly gathering will ensure your calendar has something fun planned every 30 days. 2. Book Club Girls Are TOTAL Babes Reading instills expanded vocabulary and equips you with new information. This will make you more intelligent. And being smart is sexy. 3. Ace Your Next Interview I once had an interviewer ask me what book I was currently reading. It was a completely left-field question for the client service opportunity at our ad-agency, however, since I am an avid reader I excitedly told her all about it   whew â€" and asked her the same question! Interviewers ask you this question to see if you are an avid reader, which translates to your eagerness to learn and improve as a person. So if you are on a job hunt,  pick up your favorite book or find a new one to dive into! 4. Free Hugs And Baby Snuggles Another thing that is rewarding for your mind and body? HUGS! A lot of book club members are moms who use their down time to enrich their minds by reading a book. Book clubs are  low key  and intellectual, which makes for a baby friendly, multitasking suitable environment. So, if your book club friends have babies and bring them to book club, you get to hold them and enjoy baby cuddles. Thats a great bonus there! 5. Go Ahead, Channel Your Julia That new Julia Child recipe you wanted to try? Time for Aunt Kell’s famous guacamole to make its book club debut? Go for it! Whether your book club is potluck or you take turns hosting, this is a perfect occasion to try something new or whip up an old favorite. 6. Emotion Abounds Not only will you reap emotional benefits from reading and discussing new books each month (laugh, cry, read WILD and feel inspired to go for a hike), it is cathartic and enlightening to  also  share some  of your  work/marriage/baby/dating/family happenings. 7.   Social Butterflying = Healthy for Your Soul Curious examiners studied the lives of centenarians (or people who make it to age 100) in the Blue Zones to determine what was it about their lifestyle that led to their longevity. One of the findings? Spending time with family and friends that support healthy behaviors is good for you and isolation is not. Now its your turn. Are you in a book club? Could you join or start one with some friends? In what ways does it enrich your life? LMK  in the comments section or @Kellymc247 Columnist Archive Image

LinkedIn Branding for Todays Savvy Job Seeker - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

LinkedIn Branding for Today’s Savvy Job Seeker - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Did you ever play duck, duck goose as a kid? This popular game makes its rounds in nearly every kindergarten playground in the country, teaching children as young as 5 that being different (i.e. the goose) is good. Duck or goose With 80% of all companies using social media tools to recruit and 95% of them using Linked In, your headline tells them who you are and what you do. LinkedIn naturally defaults your headline to your current position. To stand out and be seen different in today’s overcrowded market with 30 Million job seekers, avoid being the same as every other duck in the pond and go for a custom headline. Savvy job seekers turn this headline into a personal branding statement to capture the attention of prospective employers and recruiters. 4 steps to a new headline How do you edit this headline area and capture attention? It’s easier than you think. Log in to your LinkedIn Profile Click Edit Profile Select Edit next to your name Enter your attention-grabbing headline Captivating branding If you’re actively job hunting, or one of the 84% of professionals that’s decided to start looking for a new opportunity in 2011, your headline is the one line that tells the 85 Million+ LinkedIn members who you are and what you do. How important is this one line? Let’s take a look at two headlines (a.k.a. personal branding statements): “Entertainment Industry Professional” “Visionary Results-Driven Senior Sales Executive” Which one inspires you to find out more? It’s certainly possible that both of these professionals are in the entertainment industry. If I’m sourcing for a visionary executive, a senior executive or a sales producer, there’s a good chance one of these profiles is going to see action. LinkedIn profiles are search engine optimized showing your headline on Google results. If you’re job searching, or simply using LinkedIn for a professional networking resource, your profile â€" from the headline to summary, specialties and recommendations â€" is part of your personal brand. Are you standing out as a Goose among the millions of job seeking ducks on LinkedIn? Given the 80% of companies on social media and 95% of those on Linked In, now is the time to make your personally branded headline stand out! Author: Adriana Llames is a veteran career coach and acclaimed author of Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game, released with top book seller Amazon.com. She is creator of   “HR In-A-Box,” a Human Resources software product helping small businesses across America and a professional keynote speaker motivating and inspiring audiences with her focused programs on “9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game”, “Confessions of a Career Coach” and “Nice Girls End Up on Welfare.” For more information, visit www.adrianallames.com

How Science Predicts a Bad or Good First Impression in an Executive Job Interview - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

How Science Predicts a Bad or Good First Impression in an Executive Job Interview How to Ace Your First Impression in Executive Job Interviews

Hillary Clintons Resume Reveals How Little We Know About Her - CareerEnlightenment.com

But then there are also the juicy nuggets. They were left off of our ultimate shorter version of her resume but Clinton traveled to Alaska after graduating from Wellesley College and worked as a dishwasher and a salmon processor.Even better, she got the fish cannery shut down due to health violations and was fired because of it (this is the only case of her being fired I’ve managed to find).Looking at this 1-page Clinton resume, what comes out are her passions. It’s clear that this is a person who cares a lot about issues related to children, families, and women’s rights. It’s easy for all of that to get lost in the campaign, but when you peel back all the media biases, it’s right there.What a Difference a Great Resume MakesWhat does this all add up to? To reiterate, job interviews just don’t work very well. That holds true for hiring people in business just as much for presidential candidates. If looking at Clinton’s resume here changed how you see her as much as it di d for me, that comes down to the fact that a great resume makes all the difference.If you’re interested in crafting a resume that tells your story to earn you your next great job, check out our resume building tool at Enhancv.

Resume Writing For Those Without Experience - How To Get Noticed

Resume Writing For Those Without Experience - How To Get NoticedIf you are in the search for a job or wanting to change careers, there is a great deal of information you can learn about resume writing. No matter how great a choice of jobs may be, the best way to get one is to write a convincing resume that will get you noticed. And many times, being ignored can be just as harmful as being passed over for the perfect job.Job seekers must know that resume writing takes time and effort. Most of the time, it requires hours upon hours of looking at job listings and applying for many different positions. And though it may seem that they only get a short time frame to find a job, it takes all of this time and effort to actually find a job.In today's job market, you are only as good as your resume. Because not all employers like to hire people with those who have been out of school for years, those who were unemployed and those who have never worked for themselves before. And unfortunately, these are not always true!Resume writing for those with no experience should definitely include some sort of sample of their work. There are many places on the internet where resume writing samples can be found. Another resource could be the general section of public service employment for those who are doing volunteer work.These are fantastic places to look if you are still having problems finding a job that will pay well. You should do your research prior to actually applying for any job because it is a very common problem for many job seekers to have no experience in the job field.In resume writing for those who are still in school, a resume should also include a formal statement of interests. A prospective employer can tell right away whether or not you will be a good employee or not based on what you are interested in.This can help highlight specific needs that you may have with your skills. There are plenty of volunteer work opportunities for people in every profession. You ca n even consider helping at your local soup kitchen or foster care program.If you are looking for ways to change careers or want to start a new job as a volunteer, taking the time to write a resume for yourself is a great start. And if you already have a job that you would like to change, resume writing for those without experience can be a great way to get more notice for your abilities.