How to avoid dumping cold water on your search

We have all seen pictures or videos about the Ice Bucket Challenge. Our group conducted our own office challenge a couple weeks back.  The boys raised more money than the girls and had the privilege of dumping giant Rubbermaid containers filled to the brim with ice cold water on them.  Talk about team building.......

I have countless stories of candidates and employers who have dumped the proverbial bucket of ice water on themselves to completely kill the momentum in an interview process or general job search.  Follow these simple tips to avoid doing it in your own search:

1)  Talking poorly about a former colleague or employer.  Most people think this isn't a big deal, especially if the hiring manager brings something up first.  But it is never, ever a good idea to jump on that train and go for a ride.  Sometimes it can even be a trap.  If an astute interviewer knows something about a former employer they may ask a leading question to see what comes up.  Or throw out a jab themselves.  It is far better to take the high road 100 times out of 100.

2)  Sharing inappropriate stories from the past.  If the hiring manager begins talking about last year's tailgate parties for your football team, it is best to just listen and not over-share on your end.  It is fine to root for common teams and that can actually prove to be a good tipping point in some conversations.  But it crosses the line when you start mentioning things that could be deemed inappropriate for the workplace.  Especially if you are in a group interview setting.  It is quite possible others in the group don't want to hear about your pre-game shenanigans.  It could very likely reflect poorly on you.

3)  Talking too much.  I just had this happen last week with an interview.  On paper the candidate was perfect for the job.  It was the final stage in the process and the candidate had already impressed several people on the team.  The sales leader was the final say in the hire, and the candidate simply said too much.  Never asked a single question about the sales leader's background, the company, their process, or anything related to the job.  Simply spoke and spoke and spoke and spoke about them self.  Game over.

4)  Being unprepared.  Unfortunately I had a candidate show up to an interview (that we had prepped them for) only to say she had no idea what job she was interviewing for.  As you can imagine that did not get the conversation off on the right foot.  And we heard about it from the employer.  The interview lasted about fifteen minutes and the candidate couldn't believe that she wasn't invited back for another conversation.

Have you ever dumped cold water on an interview?  Or seen it happen from the other side of the table as an employer/hiring manager?  I would love to hear your stories!

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Managing Virtual Teams

Yahoo and Best Buy recently put an end to their remote work programs; however, these moves are the exception. The trend toward virtual, or remote, “employees” continues to grow. Various surveys suggest that about 30 to 46 percent of all companies have at least some contractors, freelancers, or remote workers who rarely, if ever, come into the office.

This places a greater need for human resources departments to handle the challenge of managing a remote workforce. Automation and a different set of expectations will be part of the solution. This will include producing more results-driven performance analysis.

Managing remote isn’t a skill you can pick up on as you go. The trend toward remote workers is a growing challenge to managers who are not effective in managing people at a distance.

Companies need to develop their current managers as well as look to hire managers that know how to effectively manage remote employees. Knowing what criteria to use in selecting a manager for a virtual team is critical. In your selection process you should consider whether the candidate has a proven track record and demonstrates the following:

1.       Good communication skills — using digital services and the phone — are a must.

2.       A strong teamwork ethos.

3.       Reliability. When the manager says they will do something, they do. This builds trust based on performance reliability, and trust has been described as the single-most-important component of virtual team management

4.       Motivation and reward is even more important for virtual managers to ensure workers don’t feel overlooked or marginalized.

5.       Previous remote work experience. If they’ve ever been a remote worker themselves they’ll have an appreciation of the advantages as well as the downside to telework. That perspective can help them connect with their virtual team.

Here is an interesting article that speaks to this in more detail: 6 Specifics to Look for When Hiring Managers for Virtual Teams. I highly suggest looking it over, good information.

Scot Dickerson, CPC

Capstone Search

To Include or Not To Include, The Burning Question

Recently I was involved in a discussion with my peers regarding the Education section on a resume. The question posed lead to some interesting points presented by those involved. However the discussion never lead to a firm conclusion or if there was even a firm conclusion to be made. Curious to see if there was some sort of rule of thumb or general consensus to be had I wanted to explore this further. I didn't however expect that there was necessarily a wrong or right to the question. I felt that researching this further could provide some useful advice and/or direction to candidates as they look at their own Education section of their resume. Of course this certainly does not apply to everyone but I’m certain pretty much everyone knows someone who is does apply to and you never know when you might even be asked this question as a friend or co-worker seeks your advice.

So I contacted 20 accomplished Human Resources professionals that I know and asked them the question:

“If a person attended one or two colleges before attending at the one from which they obtained their undergraduate degree, do they include those colleges on their resume? Or do they only include the one in which they actually obtained their undergraduate degree from?”

The responses first confirmed that indeed there is no wrong or right. In addition there seems to be no real rule of thumb or general consensus. The responses varied and really seem to be a matter of opinion over anything else. Overall there looks to be a slight edge to only listing the final school in which the person obtained their undergraduate degree. However it can also depend and here are some interesting thoughts that should be considered when an individual creates this section of their resume.

Sometimes listing all colleges attended can catch the eye of a fellow alumni of a particular school and create interest. (Within my company we actually see this quite frequently. There seems to be a stronger bias in certain areas of the country such as the deep south. Hiring managers specifically look for alumni from their alma mater.)

If it could benefit you by listing the other college(s) then by all means list it.

If the candidate took courses at one college that are directly related to the position they are applying for then they should include it.

Another reason for listing all the colleges is that one college may be more prestige and the candidate would like a future employer to know that they attended that college for a period of time.

It was pointed out by all however that all colleges attended must be included on the application. Background checks typically only include graduation date, major and degree obtained.

In summary, look at your resume as a strategic marketing tool. With that in mind, if it will benefit you to include all schools attended, then include them. If it does not benefit and could perhaps even place you in an unfavorable light by creating questions, then do not include.

Some other pieces of advice that came out of my research regarding the Education section of your resume….

Typically put Advanced Degrees first:

Usually, you should lay down your educational background by listing the most recent or advanced degree first, working in reverse chronological order. But there are exceptions. If you earned a degree in agriculture, but are now working in the field of  marketing. If you more recently completed coursework specific to social media or digital marketing, list that first to catch the reviewer’s attention.

Attended but did not complete Degree? Mention it anyway:

It is completely acceptable to list completed coursework  List it something like this:

Master of Business Administration degree candidate

Anticipated completion June 2015

Drake University, Des Moines, IA

OR;

20 credits earned at Drake University towards undergraduate degree

List Honors, Not GPA:

If you graduated from college with high honors, make note of it. While you don’t need to list your GPA (especially if it’s under 3.0 or if you’ve been out of school for more than three years), show the summa cum laude status or the fact that you were in the honors college at your university.

Position it strategically:

Most people list educational background at the end of the resume, which is perfectly fine. However, if you have a degree from a prestigious university or one that may serve as an advantage for the types of positions you’re pursuing, consider listing your education at the beginning of your resume instead.

Scot Dickerson, CPC Capstone Search

Title: How to achieve an "A for effort" in an interview

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "You get an A for effort"?  I know I usually think of something that was a good attempt but did not yield the desired result.  Which probably makes you wonder why I would blog about that as something to try for in an interview situation.

This one is pretty simple, however, if you really break it down.  It is the principle of the matter.  Why in the world would you go and interview for a job if you were only going to give a 50-60% effort?  Or as an employer why would you interview a candidate and only be slightly engaged?  Yet I see it all the time.  When de-briefing with candidates and companies alike I hear story after story of an interview that just didn't really seem to go anywhere.  To make it worse we even hear about people who give up on an interview mid-way through.  It is evident to all parties and just leaves a bad taste in the mouth of everyone involved.

Here are three additional reasons why it is a good idea to always give the best effort possible:

1)  Anyone in the room could be your boss some day.  While this could seem like stretch, it really isn't.  Just imagine with me for a second that you don't like the company culture, but you really like the hiring authority.  You don't get that particular job, but six months later that hiring authority changes employers and goes to work for a company you have always wanted to work for.  I guarantee you that hiring authority held onto your information if you left a good impression.  Or even crazier, think if someone in the room that you thought would simply be a prospective colleague gets a promotion three months after you accept a job with that company.  Again, if you gave the best effort during the interviews this person may now be an immediate advocate to your career progression.

2)  You may get another job that wasn't even available at the initial interview.  In other words you come in to interview for a particular job, it gets filled internally, but you nailed the interview.  Another position pops up down the road, and you are the first person they think of because they loved you the first time but timing simply didn't work out.  This actually happened to a friend of mine right after both of us got out of college.  I went to work for a company in a role that my buddy interviewed for and didn't take.  On my second day of work something occurred where another opening was created.  They called my friend after not talking to him for six months, offered him a job on the spot, and he literally started the next day.

3)  You may be meeting with someone that has great influence on the process.  This one is a little more complicated, so stick with me as I unpack the idea.  You get an agenda to meet with five different people at a prospective employer - one hiring manager, one HR person, and three people on the team.  Conventional wisdom may tell you to focus on the person with the most influence.  Commonly thought to be the hiring manager.  But what if one of the team members is the daughter-in-law of the president of the company and her opinion matters a lot when it comes to final hiring decisions?  Even if this seems a bit far-fetched, why not go into the interview with the concept of impressing everyone equally because you just never know.

There is no reason why you shouldn't go into an interview with the sole purpose of being memorable.  You may not always get the job.  You may not always impress the interview panel.  The employer may not always knock the socks off of the candidate considering employment with the organization.  But if the absolute worst case scenario is everyone can agree you gave maximum effort, that seems like a very solid target to shoot for every single time.

Chris Winterboer 

Capstone Search

Posting your resume online?

Recently a job seeker reached out to us seeking advice on their search. It was the first time they had proactively searched for a job, and they were baffled by what they had experienced thus far. This person posted their resume on line and was immediately bombarded with calls and emails about 100% commission sales jobs. He had no experience in sales nor did he have any interest in sales.

My first piece of advice: if you post your resume online, expect to get these types of calls regarding sales roles. Firms looking for sales people typically have individuals on their staffs that peruse the resume databases looking for job seekers and reach out to anyone and everyone in hopes of getting a bite.

1.   One way to manage this is to create a separate email account for your job search. At least your email inbox won’t be flooded with this kind of contact.

2.   Don’t include your phone number on your online resume/profile unless you are prepared for these types of calls.

3.   Specifically and clearly state in the profile that you create that you are not interested in commission based sales opportunities. It won’t stop all of these inquires, but if they are respectful it will at least cut them in half.

Some other tips:

1.     Create an internet friendly resume written with keywords that directly pertain to your background and experience because it will be read by a company ATS (applicant tracking system).

2.     Utilize the online job boards’ job email alerts and RSS feeds. 

3.     Write a cover letter speaking to the job you are applying for. 

4.     Keep your job search organized. Most online job boards allow you to save your searches in your account, so be sure to take advantage of this. Also, keep a log of the positions and organizations to which you’ve applied.

5.     Only apply to openings you are qualified for. Applying to numerous jobs that you are not qualified for is never a good idea. Another position may become available later that you are perfect for, but because you applied to a job earlier that you weren’t qualified for your credibility with the organization will be ruined.

6.     Keep your information up to date. Your resume must have current dates and contact information. Your employment and salary history must be exact.

7.     Double, triple, quadruple check your resume and online profile information for misspelled words and proper grammar.

8.     Your resume title/subject line/objective statement in your online profile is important. Be certain it is accurate and professional. 

Scot Dickerson, Capstone Search

Choosing your Professional References

While recently working with candidate in preparing their client presentation, I asked for professional references. Standard procedure. This experience reminded me however as to the importance of carefully selecting whom you provide as your references. There are numerous writings on the internet regarding this topic, and I don’t want to reproduce what is already readily available, but instead just take a moment to stress the importance of this part of your job search. This candidate provided high profile co-workers from a previous employer; not only peers but supervisory types of references. The candidate provided references that were in a position to be able to accurately speak to their work product and provide a positive reflection upon the person’s abilities and work they had done at this past employer. Well, they could have anyway. The problem with these references was that the company had a policy against providing opinion, aka: references, regarding former employees. So all these references were basically under a gag order by their employer. So bottom line, none could help. All positioned well to be excellent references if only they could have spoken to me. Instead I only got title and employment dates. That was not so useful.

So I asked the candidate to consider other individuals they worked with at this employer that have since left. That is one possible solution anyway. So we are still working through that but it certainly reminds me of the importance of considering whom you use as references. And in this case, know the company’s policy of providing references. Be certain to talk to each reference to see if they are in a position to be able to provide useful information.

In the spirit of this topic I have included a link to an article on TheLadders.com that adds some additional useful information regarding references. It’s a quick read. Straight and to the point.

http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-to-choose-job-references

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Company Recruiting and Staffing Plans for Remainder of 2014

I just returned from an industry conference that I attended last week. I always get a little anxious about being away from my business while attending these events but once I’m there, I’m always reminded of the value in being part of the conference. There are so many things the attendees take away from these conferences, and similar events, such as this one; the renewed connections with people that you can gain value from. Very much like the value of the job seeker networking that I've talked about in past blogs. 

Simply reconnecting with people adds great value. It also re-energizes me about how I go about my business and always creates a desire for me to re-exam how I approach what I do. In the spirit of this reawakening about taking a look at my own business, I thought it lends to a great segue into my clients taking a look at their recruiting and staffing game plan for the remainder of 2014.

Staffing is about more than just filling open positions. A company must look at current and future staff with future business goals. If a company is expanding into new states, seeing an increase in net written premium, and/or developing new products, they will need a larger and more diverse workforce. So a proactive approach is required.

1.     Create a Plan

·         Do changes require more staff?

·         Is remote an option to fill upcoming needs?

·         Create a plan for your future staffing requirements.

2.     Develop a Recruitment Strategy

With your staffing plan in place, you have a defined picture of the types of employees you need to recruit. The next step is finding them. If you need more entry level employees, develop relationships with local colleges to funnel recent graduates into your business. If you need more senior employees, work with a staffing firm to help you identify the right candidates.

3.     Give proper attention to Retention

Keeping your productive employees is just as important as recruiting new ones. If an employee leaves, it can create a huge hole in your workforce. Make employee retention a priority, and find meaningful ways to incentivize employee loyalty.

4.     Rely on Contract Employees as Necessary
A staffing plan is not exclusively about adding full-time employees. In order to meet the demands of specific projects or especially busy periods, it may be more cost-effective to bring in contract employees for temporary fill-in.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search