Great Opportunity?

Great opportunity in……

Why? Why is this a great opportunity?

Every morning I start my day by going through email. Within these emails are LinkedIn Group notifications. I scan the notifications for interesting discussions, and pause and chuckle to myself every time I see a job posted as “Great Opportunity”. Seems like a very subjective word, “great”.

Michael Jordan was a great basketball player. Joe Montana was a great football player. Mohammad Ali was a great boxer. Describing these sports legends as great seems very legit. Each of these individuals was assigned the prestigious title of “great” based on a defined set of criteria generally agreed upon by sports analysts, other sports legends, and fans alike.

To the best of my knowledge the insurance industry has not created a defined set of criteria to establish what is a great opportunity. Therefore, the term is subjective and simply becomes an overused and meaningless word.

Truth is that this will be a great opportunity for someone. But that’s not why the recruiter posts as such. They are attempting to draw attention. But can every job opportunity be a great opportunity? Can you honestly tell me you have a great opportunity for me without knowing what my interests & expectations are? Perhaps a better way to tell the story is by briefly describing what makes this a desirable opportunity. Maybe it is with an A+ AM Best rated carrier. Maybe the company is experience significant growth. Maybe it is a newly created position. These are no guarantees that the opportunity is great, but at least the term “great” is not being overused.

Recruiters are using marketing 101 when they use terms such as “great” by trying to catch attention. But if you answer one of these, ask them what makes this a great opportunity. Because the reality is, if they don’t know about your interests and what’s important to you, then “great” is just an overused word. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Is Your Relationship with your Recruiter/Recruiting Firm a True Business Partnership?

Interesting experience the other day... There is a company I've done business with for years. This has been the true definition of a business partnership. When they had a key hiring need they’d call me and invite me to come out on site, and then meet with those involved in the hiring decision. I would sit down at a table and we’d go over the particulars of the search. We’d discuss target companies, we’d even discuss specific people they would be interested in. Again, this is how I define a true partnership in a recruiting assignment. I was successful in helping identify and secure their hires for each of those searches.

When I work with a company I really work with them. I will continue all necessary activities, including assisting in coordinating interviews, follow-ups, whatever it takes even when I’m on vacation with my family, etc. I enjoy what I do and I figure that is just part of the job. I have no problem in dedicating whatever it takes to help a client fill their critical needs. I will stay with a search until it is filled as well. I am quite persistent when it comes to that. In one search with this same client I stayed on the search for well over a year, dedicating an enormous amount of time and effort seeing it to successful conclusion. All in a contingency arrangement. Most recruiters would have lost interest a few months into the search.

A couple years or so ago I was informed that this client’s parent company was going to use a different process. I won’t get into specifics, but basically they had a vendor company become somewhat of a go-between, if you could call it that. The local HR staff that I had once so very closely partnered with dove into the new initiative breaking ties with me. These are folks I had worked with so closely before. Meeting face to face on each search. Devoting family time to see that each search kept moving forward. Yes, it was very disappointing.

With the new system/process/procedure several recruiters are put on one search. This company operates in a small niche segment of the industry. So you have nine recruiters, for example, contacting a very small pool of potential candidates. Everyone stumbling over each other. Though the real concern to me is what message is being sent into the industry about this company’s recruiting strategy? I believe it sends the wrong message, personally. And how do you control the message being delivered to the market? Many of the recruiters have no experience even recruiting within this company’s niche, let alone insurance. Again, I ask what is the message being delivered to the community? If your recruiting partners don’t know your business, don’t understand your business, don’t know your product, how can they represent you?

If this system really works for this company and others like them, great. I personally see a lot of holes in it. But I’m not criticizing, only illustrating a point. If you are really wanting a sincere business relationship with a recruiter who is only trying to assist you, let them help you by you helping them. A recruiter should be viewed as a business partner. An extension of your own recruiting department. Their success means your success in making a hire. Withholding information or being non-communicative does not aid towards the successful conclusion of a search.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Super Bowl XLVII - A Little Something for Everyone In It

I have to say that I was actually looking forward to this year’s Super Bowl, and I can’t say that about many of the bowl match-ups. Typically I’ll watch but can easily be distracted by other things. So I arranged my day so I could watch the game. I can say I was mostly neutral about the outcome, but if pressed I’d admit that I favored the 49ers. I think largely because I grew up during their dynasty days. And I always felt as though Joe & Steve did a nice job of presenting themselves as role models.

After the first half and the opening of the second I was less than hopeful for a 49ers win. The power outage provided an opportunity to help my daughter with studying for a test, and then when I returned to the game much to my surprise the 49ers were right back in the game!  They almost pulled out the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, but instead it is being called by some as a controversial ending and a win by the Ravens.

This Super Bowl definitely provided an “on the edge of your seat” comeback bid. Record setting performances.  A half-time performance largely free of controversy. Some pretty entertaining commercials. This bowl match-up also brought us an opportunity to extract real world lessons that can be applied to everyday work life. These lessons are nicely outlined in the article below.  A good read as there is a little something for everyone in it.

http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/monday-morning-leadership-lessons-from-super-bowl-xlvii

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Email Addresses and Phone Greetings...Why Take Chances

While I may not be the most creative writer and my blogs may not pose thought provoking questions on relevant hotly debated events, from time to time I appear to hit on useful tidbits that people find beneficial. And, ultimately, that is my true goal; simply providing tidbits of information that others may find helpful. Recently a contributor to OnlineMBA.com contacted me about a couple of my previous blogs regarding Business Casual Attire and Interview Attire. She had composed a more expansive piece which I felt was very well put together. It can be found here: Building a Business Wardrobe From the Bottom Up.

With all the focus on social media these days and advice on how to be certain your Facebook page is “potential employer” friendly. Or the dozens of plus pieces regarding how to build a LinkedIn profile for job seekers. Often overlooked are the old school items that once were part of our standard “advice” talk we gave to job seekers. I was reminded of this subject just the other day as I listened to my daughter recording an incoming greeting message on her new cell phone. Now she is not in the job market so her message was fine, but it caused me to reflect on when I used to counsel job seekers on both their email addresses as well as phone greetings. Of course back then before the days of “Saved by the Bell” and  Zack with his huge mobile phone people used home answering machines.

So here’s my daughter all giggly over her newly created greeting where she is, as she put it, tricking people into thinking they actually reached her live when instead she is just a recorded voice. And how many of us have heard similar tricky messages or the greeting with music jamming and so on? My advice to anyone who is currently in a job hunt mode, re-record your greeting to make it very straight forward and leaves no question regarding if you are or are not someone that should be considered for a hiring manager’s open position. Keep it simple. Keep it neutral.

Now the email address. If your email address is:

lucky-with-the-ladies@aol.com

coorsfan@yahoo.com

latesleeper@gmail.com

Or something along those lines and you are in a job hunt, change it, or better yet, simply get another account used solely for business reasons. 

Can’t get any more straightforward and any simpler. Like it or not, why take the chance of alienating one possible potential employer. And it really is not as simple as, “well I wouldn't want to work for someone so stuffy anyway.” You just never know what will catch someone wrong. That someone could be the most open minded person you’d met but they could be turned off by something that seems so innocent to someone else. Why take the chance? I’d be interested in your thoughts on this. Or your stories about phone greetings or email addresses.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group

Handling Holiday Small Talk

The economy and job market have seen little change in 2012, and little change from the last few years. The holidays can be a particularly stressful time for people who have not yet secured a position and find themselves still out of work. Ah yes, then there are the holiday gatherings. And what is the first thing you hear...“How’s it going?”  So this time of year it is particularly important to consider better ways to conduct a conversation at these gatherings. While preparing to rattle off a series of paragraphs discussing this topic, I stumbled across this well thought out and well written article in the Wall Street Journal. It's a must read and I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to read it over.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324478304578173113703812842.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_careerjournal

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group

Contract Employment - Pros and Cons?

Contract Employees have traditionally been used as a way for companies to fill needs during peak production periods or special projects. During an economic downturn companies have also used Contract Employees as an option to help them in the transition period from recession to recovery. We've seen this to be true the last few years and as we look at the economic outlook going into 2013 it would appear that Contract Employees will continue to be a solution for hiring managers. Because in these economic times companies don’t quite have the confidence to hire permanent employees. Contract workers allow a company to address their current needs without making long-term personnel decisions.

An interesting change has taken place of recent as well. A transition that seems to have changed the overall composition of the employee make-up. And appears to be a change that is here to stay. Companies are integrating their traditional employee talent with contract workers. They are using contract workers for positions that were traditionally viewed as permanent employee roles previously.

Technology and changing demographics both play a part in this change in the make-up of the workforce at companies. In addition, many insurance professionals are by choice changing their status from permanent employee to free agent. Some Contract workers feel contract work provides them with a better work/life balance; others want to create or design their own careers by choosing the kind of work or projects that create a unique set of skills, making them more desirable prospective employees. Contract work assignments can provide individuals a broad variety of challenges, demanding constant learning and new skills, which can make work more interesting.

Some reasons why companies use 

Contract Employees:

• Outsource recruiting efforts
• Benefits administration is reduced
• Contract employees are a variable cost
• Employee payroll tax issues are outsourced
• Labor accounting is reduced
• Permanent hiring process is too long 
• Overall cost of hiring is reduced
• Bring back a retiree

While the Contract Employee may choose Contract work as a permanent alternative to the traditional employment status because of the flexibility and work life balance it can provide. And an opportunity to gain valuable and interesting experiences not always available in a traditional employment arrangement. Naturally the downside of Contract Employment for a long term career is the lack of any benefits and the instability of not knowing when you next assignment will come along as you end the current assignment you may be on.

From a worker standpoint there are definitely pros and cons. From an employer standpoint it appears to be a pros and largely no drawbacks arrangement. In the current economy for some workers contract employment provides that badly needed bridge between permanent positions.

This discussion is well suited for participation from both the employer and the contract employee. I’d be interested in your input on your experiences on this subject. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group

Active Listening in an Interview

My son likes to argue. He calls it debating. However, we have explained to him over and over that debating is a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal. He on the other hand does not discuss, he argues. It’s his way or no way. Our bet is that he will either be a politician or a lawyer. We were even looking at a DVD from when he was two years old. He and his sister were pulling laundry out of a hamper and tossing it into the laundry room. While recording the event I told him that he missed a couple pieces in the bottom of the hamper. At two years old he looked at me straight in the eye and rattled off some jabbering which was clearly him arguing even then! So it’s always been that way. As he’s gotten older he pulls out what he considers facts & figures to back up his position yet no source to back up this information he pulls out of thin air. At times it is actually quite comical.

Besides the arguing he also has a habit of talking over people. Mostly us but on occasion others as well. We have tried over and over to explain that he cannot listen while he is talking. So instead of listening to someone he instead is formulating what he wants to say and then will start talking over the person before they have finished what they were saying. Because he is in a Communications class at school this semester it seems like a prime opportunity for him to hear from someone else besides us that he simply cannot listen while talking. So I told him to ask his Communications teacher. He said he would, however when I followed up with him last week he still had not done so. His response, “I don’t need to because I know I’m right.” I told him to do some research on his own then to find the answer to whether it is physically possible to listen while you are talking. No response.

While this rages on with no clear conclusion in sight it does bring up some very important points when you are engaged in an interview. From time to time when following up with a client after interviewing a candidate the feedback is:

1. The candidate tried to control the conversation.
2. The candidate talked over me.
3. The candidate wouldn't let me finish my questions.
4. The candidate went on too long with their answers.
5. The candidate seemed preoccupied and not listening.

Sounds like my son was interviewing. These are very real pieces of feedback I've received. And every time the candidate was not chosen for further conversation. So active listening skills are indeed critical in an interview. Thoughtful and to the point responses are critical to it being successful. Knowing your role in an interview is also a critical key to a successful interview. And being prepared with questions is another key piece.

Now taking each item one by one.

Active listening: The way to become a better listener is to practice "active listening." This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent.

Thoughtful and to the point responses: Be thorough in your responses but be to the point. Don’t go on and on. You may need to ask a question to better understand exactly what the interviewer wants to know by asking the question you are responding to. This allows you to relay the relevant information they seek.

Knowing your role: You are the one being interviewed. Absolutely you should have questions prepared. That is expected. However present your questions as appropriate. Never try to control the interview. Granted there are interviewers that would rather not be interviewing but would rather be attending to their work. And in these situations you may need to “guide” the interview to an extent. But typically the interviewer will be guiding the interview.

Be prepared with questions: While I touched on this already I can’t stress this enough. Do your homework. Being prepared makes a statement that you are interested. In addition your questions should allow you to extract information from the interviewer that will allow you to provide pointed and informational answers. Your questions will allow you to be in a better position to interact beyond just the interview questions. Will allow you to learn what is critical to them. What do they want to see in a person’s background. What has allowed people to be successful in this role.

While my son doesn’t think I know what I’m talking about….rest assured this information will indeed help you in an interview.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group