Small Fish, Big Pond or Big Fish, Small Pond

My daughter has been in a great school district since kindergarten through her 8^th grade year. This school district is ranked at the top in our state. Needless to say we have been very pleased with the quality of education she has received. It has, however, been growing rapidly. In fact, if I’m not mistaken it is the fastest growing school district in our state. Because she has always been a kid that tends to feel more comfortable in a smaller environment we decided to explore options for her for this upcoming school year. We toured some different schools and found one that seemed like a good fit. The school Administrator asked her, “Do you like to be a big fish in a small pond or do you like to be a small fish in a big pond?”

Small schools offer certain advantages, as do big schools. The bottom line, each individual must weigh out all these things and make the decision based on what is best for them.

This whole process reminds me of a question I often ask a candidate that I've met for the first time. That is, "Do you prefer a smaller company environment or a larger company environment? Or do you even have a preference?"  To be best positioned to assist someone on their search, understanding their interest only helps us better help them.

It is strictly a personal preference but there are, no doubt, things to be considered.

In a small environment you can often have more opportunities. More opportunities to take on responsibilities that perhaps in a larger organization you would not. In a smaller environment you are often challenged to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Not exclusive to a small environment, but often more frequent. In smaller environments often you can move more nimbly. More opportunity to put your thumbprint on something.

In a larger organization, on the other hand, sometimes you have access to more resources. You can have opportunities for more advancement simply because there are more positions in the organization and often more layers. You can have opportunities to steer your career in different paths that may not be available in a smaller company.

I could certainly take both of these lists much further. And many people certainly will have their own thoughts on how those lists should look. The thing to think about from all this is that this is simply another piece to the search equation that should be addressed. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Should a Recruiter “Sell” an Opportunity to a Candidate

Should a recruiter “sell” an opportunity to a candidate? The other day a candidate criticized me for not “selling” an opportunity to them. I've never favored “selling” a candidate. I've always believed that a recruiter’s job is to provide accurate information and be a resource for discussion. But a recruiter should not “sell” a candidate on a job. In this situation I had contacted the individual whom I've known for a number of years. This person had told me at various times over the years that they wanted to stay in a certain region of the country. When I called with the opportunity they again said that while it sounded like an excellent opportunity and something they would otherwise be interested in, they wanted to stay in the region where they were at and their family would not be interested in moving to that area. I followed up a few weeks later only to find out that they had interviewed for the position. I contacted the candidate and they told me that I had not done a good job selling them.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “sell” as: 

to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something

As a recruiter am I to persuade or influence the candidate into interviewing? Okay perhaps it is a fine line, but I still like to think of my job as providing information about an opportunity. Provide information as to why the opportunity could be something that would be a logical career move based on their interests and expectations. If I have to convince someone to explore an opportunity that to me is selling them. And if you have to sell someone on a job, my belief is that the odds are it won’t work out. More importantly perhaps, if you have to sell the candidate and their family on moving to an area of the country they have never been interested in previously, my experience is that in the long run it typically does not work out.

Now a discussion about the benefits of exploring an opportunity based on fact seems perfectly fine. But, if I have to influence someone, that in my opinion is selling them on the job or a location.

What are your thoughts?

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search Group

 

Times Have Changed...Not Getting Any Feedback After an Interview?

Times have changed. How many times have we heard that? We have all heard this in reference to all sorts of scenarios and at different times throughout our lives. For example, when I was a kid my parents would tell me, “times have changed.” I don’t even recall why at the time that was said, but I say the same thing to my kids now. Mostly due to social media concerns. Also in regards to how dangerous it is for kids to even ride their bikes a block from home. The list goes on. Because frankly, times have most definitely changed.

When speaking with candidates I also often find myself saying to them “times have changed.” Times have changed because the process has changed from what it once was a few years ago. There was a time when we worked directly with the decision maker. Not so much any longer. Most of the contact goes through a talent acquisition department. There was a time when a resume was sent directly to the decision maker or even a Human Resources recruiter. We still present directly to these individuals today, but to a lesser extent than we once did. Instead today there are a also a host of portals that many referrals are required to be submitted through.

When it comes to feedback after an interview, or after the selection process is completed, again - times have changed.  We very infrequently get any type of feedback these days. Ever wonder why? Most candidates want feedback. As part of my job I like to be able to provide them feedback. It could be helpful to them in preparing for anther interview. Perhaps they could do something different. But just as with anything if we can’t get feedback, how are we supposed to improve? Think about students progressing through school with no feedback on how they were doing. How ineffective would that be?

So why have times changes in regards to gaining feedback after an interview or selection process?  Here is an excellent article from WSJ.com that speaks to this very topic.

The Wall Street Journal's http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324423904578523683173841190.html  by Lauren Weber

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search Group

Careerbuilder Survey Suggests Social Media Might NOT Be Getting You the Job

Right or wrong. Good or bad. Social media has changed our lives in many ways. It has become a headache and challenge for parents. It has created more opportunity for kids to make mistakes. And unfortunately these mistakes are not like the mistakes people my age made that were largely simply forgotten and never seen again. The mistakes made within the internet & social media world live on forever, only to potentially come back and haunt our kids later in life. The challenge: getting them to understand this.

A similar challenge exists in today's job market with job seekers. We talk about it frequently. At our recruiting firm it has become standard procedure to discuss no different than discussing proper interview attire, non-verbal communication during the interviewing, being prepared, etc, etc. Social media has crept into the hiring decision making process everywhere. According to a recent Careerbuilder survey more than two in five (43 percent) hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate, up 9 percentage points from last year. Given the recent release of this survey it seems a good time to again hit this point home. You simply have to be careful about what you put out into social media because it will be seen. Oh yes, it will be seen. Which could prevent you from landing your dream job. Or any job. This cannot be stressed enough. Adults and kids alike. Think, think, think before you post for the world to see.

Here is the article regarding the Careerbuilder survey: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100844354

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

What Is the One Thing You Should Do in Every Job Interview?

An online article by Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likeable Local and NY Times Best-Selling Author, was brought to my attention the other day. The article is titled, “1 Thing You Must Do in Every Job Interview,” and I found it to be  interesting and definitely worth reading for anyone in a job hunt. Here is a link to the full article:

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130606153931-15077789-the-1-thing-you-must-do-in-every-job-interview?trk=tod-home-art-large_0

In a nutshell, this article discusses the importance of having questions prepared for the interviewer. As stated in the article, well thought out questions demonstrate the person’s interest in the job and company. I completely agree that a candidate that is prepared with well thought out questions will come across more interested in the position they are interviewing for verse someone that simply states that they have no questions when asked. When preparing a candidate for an interview I always talk to them about this very topic.

What I found even more interesting than the article was the comments from readers. For example:

Comment: Why would I wait until after the interview to ask "who is the ideal candidate for this position?" Good point. I believe this is something the candidate needs to work into the beginning of the interview. Hence allowing them to highlight their experiences that are obviously most important to the interviewer.

Comment: I disagree with this article. The one thing you must do in a job interview is sell yourself and convince the interviewers that you are the best person for the job. Period. True, however I often hear from interviewers about a candidate not showing passion and enthusiasm.  Asking well thought out questions is just one more way to demonstrate this interest. A great candidate will take the interview past their applicable skills and why they are the best candidate, they will also show the company that they are ready to do the job.

Overall, there are some very good comments that are just as useful as the article itself. There are some negative comments as well, and some are valid. Others are just people being negative. Right or wrong, interviewers are often looking for ways to determine a candidate's passion for what they do and about the job they have available. And whether you agree or disagree with the author’s decision not to hire the candidate, being prepared is always a good idea. And for me, that is the bottom line.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Career advice from radio personalities?

As I was headed from the gym this morning I was listening to a local radio station. Every weekday morning they have what they call the Morning Mind Messer. This morning’s question was, "What is the number one thing people lie about on resume?"  The answer….Salary.

I actually found that surprising as I don’t know of anyone that actually puts their salary on their resume. That went away along with the days of putting your DoB, hobbies, pets and favorite flavor of ice cream. Perhaps it was actually regarding an employment application. So my first recommendation is to never include salary on a resume. Okay the next thing that struck me was that the radio personalities suggested lying to be a good idea. Their justification for actually padding the numbers was to try and get a better offer. No, no, no, no. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Many times employers require salary verification. How would it look getting caught in a lie. You can rest assured any thought of giving you an offer is gone.

Bottom line, any company you’d want to work for should be giving you a fair and equitable offer based on your experience and skills right? And if a company is going to low ball you and pay you below market for what you bring to the table, do you really want to go to work for them anyway? Things rarely work out if you enter into a new relationship on the wrong foot. Feeling you were low balled breeds feelings of distrust and certainly doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.

There is no competitive disadvantage to putting down your current salary. The real key is your salary expectations anyway. You can dream big numbers but your expectations need to be realistic, too.

So what do you take away from all this?  Don't take career advice from a radio personality.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone

Lunch interviews and spaghetti.

My kids took my wife out for Mother’s Day for supper. They traditionally do the Mother’s Day brunch but due to an out of state basketball tournament my daughter competed in, we broke tradition and went out for supper instead. Naturally I tagged along to play chauffeur and pay the bill. My daughter orders spaghetti and my son gets pizza. In the middle of eating a roaming magician stops by our table (on Sunday night this particular restaurant has a magician). So here is my daughter and son trying to eat and interact with the magician. It wasn't before too long that my daughter was wearing spaghetti sauce on her sweatshirt and my son was wearing pizza sauce on his face & shirt.

This reminded me of a conversation I would typically have with candidates that were scheduled to participate in a lunch interview or a dinner the night before a day of interviews with a company representative. This is what I’d tell them, and please keep the visual in your head of my kids.  If you are scheduled for a dinner or a lunch interview be certain to order a food item off the menu that can be eaten in small bites so that you may comfortably converse. Also, order a food item that has no sauce. And without a doubt, absolutely never ever order spaghetti.

So let’s say you do have a dinner scheduled with a company representative prior to your actual day of interviews. Let’s say you accidently get a food stain on your nice, white shirt. Now what? Do you go to the interviews the next day with a stained shirt? Of course not, you plan ahead. You bring an extra shirt because it is always best to be prepared for the unexpected. Nothing kills an interview like a food stain on your shirt or tie from dinner meeting the night before. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search