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posted by Razlan @ 10:39 AM
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The Career Key™ (www.careerkey.org/english/) website is a free, public service website created to help people make good career decisions. It was first started in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. It has been translated into Chinese, Korean, Urdu, Romanian, and Spanish.
There are two core parts to the Career Key website. The first is the career assessment, The Career Key™, which measures an individual's resemblance to Holland's six personality types, helps to identify occupations that match their personality, and links those identified with information in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The second part of the website includes self help modules that cover identifying job skills, job search strategies, career counseling, career decisions, college majors, career exploration, networking, graduate school and study abroad, as well as information interviewing.
Read more here
posted by Razlan @ 9:28 AM
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If you know what you're looking for when you negotiate your salary, you'll be that much more effective in getting what you want.
Many people see negotiation as a process of each party trying to get the most for what they have to give. And that's a reasonable way to look at it when you're buying or selling a car, a computer or a carpet. It's tempting to look at job negotiations in the same way -- but not advisable.
Shoot for fair. When you're negotiating an employment contract, you're negotiating the basis for a relationship and you want to live happily together. This doesn't mean that you have to arrive at a compromise, but that you should come to an agreement that both parties feel is fair.
There are at least four factors that can increase your perceived worth. All of them fit into the context of networking and interviewing, and all of them can be turned to your advantage without alienating potential employers.
Read more here
posted by Razlan @ 9:18 AM
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Sometimes a little goes a long way. With a few minor adjustments, your resume can be improved to the point where it ends up in the callback pile as opposed to the trash bin. There are common mistakes many people make when writing their own resumes, but there are ways to fix or avoid resume blunders and ensure your resume will be read.
Revamp the format
Resume templates are a killer—the worst thing ever to be invented. Since just about every jobseeker uses a MS Word template, the result is that too many resumes have the same look and feel, making it difficult for the reader to differentiate between candidates. When searching for a job, the last thing you want to be is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill applicant.
A distinctive resume format will not only make you stand out from the competition, but make you look more qualified and organized. In truth, how your resume looks is as important as how it reads.
Stick to what is relevant
Since hiring managers don’t put much weight on outdated accomplishments, your resume should focus on your last 10–15 years of employment. In addition, there is no need to flesh out jobs that aren’t relevant. Eliminating old and irrelevant jobs will provide you with the opportunity to focus on your career objective, making the resume easier to read and less confusing.
Be original
Are you copying resume text from resume books, websites, or even your friend’s resume? Though you can use those resources as a guide, simply copying the information isn’t a smart move. Chances are you won’t be the only one replicating the work of others and once again, you won’t stand out from the crowd.
Mix it up a bit
If you find that your resume is written either in paragraph style or in bulleted style only, consider mixing it up a bit. Use a combination of the two. Spell out your responsibilities in a paragraph and mark your achievements in bulleted statements. This formula allows the reader to quickly scan your resume and pick up relevant information quickly. Below is an example:
posted by Razlan @ 7:01 PM
2 comments
From one of the many case studies from Marketing Sherpa:
"The Web's kind of ironic. It's used as a mass medium, but it should be more personal. It's a fairly intimate medium."
Couldn't be more true. It made me ponder how many friends (and enemies) I made over the months since I started blogging.
posted by Razlan @ 9:06 AM
0 comments
By Amit Prakash Bloomberg News
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
More graduates in 4th quarter run into a slowing economy
Unemployment in Singapore rose in the fourth quarter of last year as graduates joined the work force and students sought vacation jobs, the government said Monday.
The nation's jobless rate rose to 3.7 percent in the final quarter from a revised 3.6 percent in the third quarter, the Ministry of Manpower said. The economy added 27,500 jobs in the three months that ended in December, the biggest gain in four years, with service industries accounting for more than four-fifths of the increase, it said.
Singapore's economy expanded at a 2.4 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter after shrinking an annual 3 percent in the third quarter. The government expects economic growth to slow to between 3 percent and 5 percent this year from an estimated 8.1 percent in 2004.
"With the economy expected to slow, we should see fewer jobs created this year and the unemployment rate is unlikely to fall significantly," said Nizam Idris, an economist at IDEAglobal. "The fourth quarter is typically when the number of entrants into the job market is the most."
The economy added 66,200 jobs in 2004, more than recovering the 35,900 jobs lost in the previous three years, the ministry said. The number of unemployed in the fourth quarter was 71,800 on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The jobless rate may fall to 3 percent by the end of 2005 because most industries are hiring, the Business Times reported Jan. 15, citing Lim Boon Heng, who heads the nation's biggest union. Sustained economic growth will lead to more jobs being created in the city sate, Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament in November.
Idris at IDEAglobal said the economy would need to grow more than 4.5 percent this year to bring the jobless rate down to 3 percent. He predicts economic growth of 4.2 percent in 2005 and expects the jobless rate to fall as low as 3.5 percent this year.
Fewer employers plan to hire additional workers in the first quarter of this year, said Gary Lazarroto, chief executive for Asia at Hudson, which provides recruitment services.
"In areas like the banking industry we've seen a slight easing but they are looking for employees this quarter in areas like risk management, particularly in sales, wealth management and consumer banking," Lazarroto said.
Services companies added 23,300 workers in the fourth quarter and manufacturing added 5,700, the report said. Construction jobs shrank by 1,000. A total of 2,900 jobs were cut in the fourth quarter, compared with 1,967 jobs in the previous three months.
More than 2.2 million people had jobs in December, a record, the report said. The government said it had revised the third-quarter jobless figure up from 3.4 percent because it modified the way it seasonally adjusts figures.
posted by Razlan @ 3:15 PM
2 comments
Think: Will your career be better anywhere else?
People dislike their jobs for many reasons. At the top of the list is a bullying, inconsiderate boss who is lazy and irresponsible. Lousy pay, poor working conditions, office politics, boredom, lack of prospects, scary business standards, horrid workmates, second-rate products or services. The list is almost endless.
Before you settle on a few of these as your reasons for quitting, consider carefully:
• Will it be any better anywhere else? All the things I've listed above happen in most workplaces — but not in all. Like marriages: 10 per cent are brilliant, 10 per cent are rotten and about 80 per cent are, well, OK but not especially exciting.
• The devil I know is something I can probably handle; the one I don't may be impossible to deal with. How well do I handle the present devil?
• Moving house, changing partners or spouses, losing parents, waving goodbye to kids when they are grown up are all difficult episodes in life. Changing jobs is as difficult as any of them. Do I have the guts and energy to make a positive and forceful change?
• Prisoners being sent back into the world after serving their sentences often try to return to an institution, even to prison, because they miss the routine, the predictability, the security. If I move, I will feel some of this. Am I emotionally prepared for such an upheaval?
• All jobs have their boring aspects. Travel becomes a good deal less attractive if you have to fly 20 hours a week for 20 years, believe me. Am I just going through a boring patch in my job? Could I perhaps get out of my boredom if I set about making changes?
The medical profession says that a cure for many diseases depends on a positive attitude of mind. It is equally true for the disease of "job fatigue". You have built a bank of goodwill in your present outfit which you can't take that with you. To make such an important change requires you to be even more positive than when you started a relationship with someone else. And there's a difference — you don't fall in love with organisations.
No, I'm not trying to stop you from moving your job or changing your career. After all, helping people to achieve these things is what I do best. But I do want you to be clear before you set out on the thorny path that you really want to, that you really intend to, and that you are going to settle for nothing less than success.
Having warned you about making precipitate and ill-considered changes, let me tell you that of the more than 500 people I have put through the Career and Job Package, the vast majority started by underestimating their ability both to do more senior jobs and to get them. Sometimes this stems from a lack of ambition but mostly it stems from a lack of certainty about who they are. In other words, they are insecure. It's not a crime but it is debilitating. It accounts for a lot of people not achieving their full potential.
Pause for a moment. You have assessed yourself, your present position, your company. You have done a little homework on the competitors to your business. You have resolved the issue of whether or not to move. You have weighed your value. You know where you are starting from. You are ready to straighten out your career and get a better job.
John Bittleston is a business mentor and career coach. Your personality accounts for how you view the world to a significant extent. For a trial run at the PRELIMINARY PERSONALITY REVIEW, ask me at Bittleston@btinternet.com
posted by Razlan @ 9:32 AM
0 comments
Treat the job hunt as a business problem and engineer short-term successes to keep your morale up
SEARCHING for a job is being at a transition in your life. Learn to keep it in perspective. Despite the worries, being in transition can have its plus side. Believe in yourself. Even if you’ve just been turned down for three jobs, remind yourself that you had three interviews and you can get three more.
Being freed from the nine-to-five daily routine means you have time to take stock. Many people find that they have been charging so intensely for so many years that they haven’t noticed they’ve veered off-course.
Some of the questions to consider as you reflect and test the job market are:
» What matters to me most?
» What do I want to do differently?
» What hasn’t worked for me?
» What was my role (if any) in my job loss?
» What can I do better the next time?
Serious deliberation of these questions can be liberating and energising. Make protecting your morale a daily obsession.
Associate with positive people
Circumstances differ but job loss can mean you’re far more fragile and vulnerable than you realise. So it’s especially important to manipulate your environment in your favour. Avoid pessimistic and cynical people. Some job hunters have told me they shun some friends who are too negative. Associate with people who tend to see the glass as half full. Stop going to a support group if there is too much venting and negativity. Going to the movies is a great idea, but don’t watch depressing movies. Now is not the time to get a full dose of reality about the dark side of human nature.
Accept your ups and downs
You will have lousy days. Just don’t fall into the trap of believing that the bad days are the norm. Your perseverance will hand you the good days as well, and you should do your part to make them happen. Remember that you had good days and bad days too when you had a job! Bear in mind that persistence pays off. Make more phone calls. That’s part of the process. Your morale can get a big boost when your phone calls put you in touch with people who are eager to help, welcome you to a networking event, refer you to other people, or simply take a few minutes to give you pointers and suggestions.
Tackle unemployment
When you had bad days at work in the past, you analysed the problem, gathered your resources and people, and came up with solutions. In the wake of job loss, your emotions may be blocking this kind of response. But think of getting hired again as a business problem. Obviously you may need to master some new skills, especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve looked for a job. Once you acquire the tools, a job hunt can be treated as a business problem: Track down the people who are in a position to hire you, position yourself appropriately, offer proposals to meet their needs, turn interviews into offers.
Engineer short-term successes
Break this “business problem” down into manageable components. Set a realistic agenda for the day. For example, you could write five targeted letters, identify 10 companies to contact, make 10 follow-up phone calls, or get one or two networking meetings set up. Some of the activities will pay off. You may land a meeting or get suggestions on suitable companies and people to contact. These are short-term successes which feed your morale.
Stay on top of your game
Use some of your time now to catch up on reading journals and attending seminars by professional associations. You may feel a little awkward showing up initially, but rubbing shoulders with people in your field will help you feel that you’re still part of the scene. And of course, you’re there to network, too. This would be a good time to volunteer for one of the association committees. This allows people to see that you’re still in the thick of things. The experience can go onto your résumé as well.
Stay current
This might also be the time to take a course to upgrade your skills since you could never find the time when you were employed. This could be a great selling point in your next few interviews. Or you could teach a course, which obviously makes you look more valuable. Contracting or consulting is also a way to stay current. It brings in cash, keeps you focused and calm, and can add more heft to your résumé.
Keep fit
Bad habits usually have a bad payoff. Watch your diet and drinking habits as people tend to abuse them when life is disrupted. So try to maintain the good habits you’re used to. If your routine includes going to the gym, keep it up.
Or if you’re on a budget, find some other way to make physical exercise part of your daily regime. It is a fact that regular physical exercise helps to reduce tension and stress, and a half-hour walk daily does just the trick too.
Article contributed by Roland Ang, a career coach with CrossRoads Career Consulting. Email: rolandang@xroadscareer.com
This article first appeared in ST Recruit on February 13, 2005.
posted by Razlan @ 11:03 AM
0 comments
By Linda Matias
It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your friends assure you that everybody does it and that employers rarely check resume facts. Going on blind faith and convinced the truth hasn’t been helpful so far, you seriously consider fabricating information on your resume. You adapt the school of thought that a little white lie never hurt anyone and lying on a resume is just that, a little white lie.
Cheating on a resume can be tempting, especially when one has been searching for a job for months or even years. However, we all know that fibbing is never a good idea, and the likelihood that you’ll be caught is extremely high. Even if your “creativity” slips through the cracks, karma has a way of catching up with you. So either way, lying gets messy.
That said, many job seekers have major hiccups in their professional life—employment gaps, lack of education and/or experience—and it is becoming increasingly difficult for most to write their own resumes without exaggerating or flat-out lying. Since resume fraud is on the rise, employers are taking much more care in verifying information, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to mislead them. The good news, however, is that lying isn’t necessary if the resume is well-written and strategically organized.
The education and experience sections of a resume are the ones most job seekers are fixed on fabricating. They are under the impression that if they lack the educational requirements or the experience described in the job description they won’t be considered a serious candidate. That, however, is a myth.
Education doesn’t top an employer’s list
Many people incorrectly believe hiring decisions are made based on the candidate’s education, and they feel compelled to stretch the truth in order to compete with their degreed counterparts. The reality is that education, though important, isn’t the driving force behind hiring decisions unless, of course, your profession requires a degree (e.g. doctors, lawyers, CPAs, etc.).
When a candidate lacks a college degree but has a solid work history, education quickly falls down the ladder of necessary requirements. Let’s take a look at this point from an employer’s perspective.
The situation: The job description reads, “Seeking an accounts payable specialist with comprehensive experience in processing expense reports, reconciling vendor accounts, and performing bank reconciliations. Successful candidate holds an associate’s degree in accounting.”
Candidate #1: Jose has worked in accounts payable for the last five years. During his career, he has set up new policies, cross-referenced purchase orders with invoices, and interacted with vendors to resolve invoice discrepancies. His experience comes from the school of hard knocks and he doesn’t have a college education.
Candidate #2: Maria recently received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. While earning her degree she worked as a front desk clerk for a Fortune 500 company where she was in charge of filing and answering a multi-line phone system.
Who would you rather hire, Jose or Maria? Chances are that you named Jose as the clear winner because his experience supercedes Maria’s education. Jose will be able to jump into the position with little or no training because he has hands-on knowledge of best accounting practices. Maria, on the other hand, is green. The hiring organization would have to spend time, money, and resources to train her, which they most likely won’t have an interest in doing.
Show ’em what you’ve got
Employers spend most of their time scrutinizing the experience section of the resume, and unfortunately, the homespun resume rarely tells the whole story. Most resume do-it-yourselfers fear their accomplishments won’t fare well against the competition and they decide to embellish facts in an effort to attract an employer’s attention.
Again, fabricating information isn’t necessary. Most likely the experience you have garnered throughout your work history is impressive. The challenge, however, is expressing your accomplishments in a way that entices the hiring organization to give you a call.
When dealing with hiring organizations you have to connect all the dots. For each position that you are applying for, there is an average of 500 applicants so you have to make it very easy for the reader to distinguish between you and every other qualified candidate. The only way to achieve that is by writing strong resume copy.
As a job seeker you are intimately involved in your own search, so much so that it is hard to take a step back and write a resume that is marketable. You are probably your own worst critic. If you have attempted to write your own resume you know how difficult it is to write about yourself objectively.
To make the resume-writing process easier, answer the following:
1. What skill set do you bring to the table?
2. What are your competitive strengths?
3. For each position you held, list three to five achievements.
4. How is your company better off since you joined their team?
5. Have you been involved in designing and/or implementing new initiatives?
The point here is to start thinking about your career as a portrait of who you are professionally, and not just as a job. When you make that mind shift, it will be easier to put words to paper. Lying isn’t a necessary evil. The trick to obtaining the job you desire is making the most of what you have to offer.
posted by Razlan @ 10:58 AM
1 comments
The notion that employers are only interested in where you have been and where you are heading is pure nonsense. Experienced hiring managers take into account both your experience and your character. After all, in the end, they are hiring a human being, not a robot. Still, many believe that personal attributes just take up space and make the resume “fluffy.”
After reading countless job descriptions that make it a point to mention personal characteristics and speaking directly with hiring managers on this specific topic, I’ve come to realize that it’s not the inclusion of personal attributes that make resumes superficial. It’s how the characteristics are presented that is the cause of concern. In this article, I will focus on the top three characteristics employers seek (good communication skills, honesty, and a strong work ethic) and discuss how you can seamlessly integrate them into your resume. Now let’s get started.
Print out your resume and take a look at it. If you find that you carelessly threw some of the characteristics mentioned above in your resume without making supporting statements to back them up, then the reader will question the sincerity of your claims.
Here’s an example of a superficial sentence: “Possess a strong work ethic and recognized for the ability to deliver results.” Although the sentence covers attributes employers seek, the sentence needs to be spiced up.
For example, a more compelling sentence is: “Demonstrated record of consistent performance and ability to establish strong presence within global markets (e.g. China, Italy, Sweden), generating 6- and 7-figure revenue gains.”
Notice the difference? In the original sentence, the declaration didn’t carry much weight. Simply stating you have certain characteristics doesn’t make it so. The reader will be scratching his or her head and thinking, “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
The revised sentence takes a different approach. Instead of stating personal characteristics outright, the sentence demonstrates results; therefore the reader can deduce that the candidate has all the right characteristics. This will leave the reader thinking, “Interesting stuff. I’ll put this candidate in the must-call pile.”
Presentation is Everything
The way the resume is structured, organized, and written also alludes to your personal characteristics. Using actual client stories and the top three characteristics employers seek, I’ll discuss common mistakes jobseekers make in the presentation of their resumes.
Poor Communication Skills Are a Real Killer: Bryan was extremely qualified for all the positions he applied for, but he was receiving no bites. After careful review of his resume, I noticed that although he claimed to be an excellent communicator, he failed to communicate his value. It was obvious the resume was homespun and lacked the finesse needed to garner the attention of hiring managers. He was under the impression that once he received an interview, he would be able to communicate exactly why he was qualified for the position. Unfortunately, he never received that chance.
Lesson learned: Simply writing “strong communication skills” isn’t going to be enough to convince a decision maker that you can successfully interact with others. A hiring manager is going to look to your resume as verification of your claims; and if you aren’t able to effectively put two sentences together, they are going to question not only your communication skills but also your ability to do the job.
A Question of Integrity: During a client-intake session with Amanda, a recent college graduate, she told me her current job title was “Director of External Public Relations.” I couldn’t help but think that was an impressive title for a 22-year-old. After prodding a little, I discovered the real story. It just so happens that this particular client worked for her aunt in a two-person office and there were occasions when she wrote press releases and spoke to reporters regarding the latest company happenings.
Though she did participate in public relation activities, the title of Director of External Public Relations was a bit of a stretch. An employer would have had the same reaction I did. He or she would have doubted her claims and as a result, wouldn’t have bothered calling her in for an interview.
Lesson Learned: Your resume has to be believable. If an employer has any inkling you are being deceitful, your resume will go in the trash. And even if you are able to get through the resume review and interview process with half-truths, be warned: once hired, you will be expected to deliver.
When a Strong Work Ethic Doesn’t Work: Even though he had five different jobs within three years, Patrick insisted on including that he had a strong work ethic in his resume. He claimed that his job-hopper image was unjust since he left each job because it wasn’t the right job for him. He insisted that when he found the right job, he would definitely be committed.
After careful review of his personal characteristics, we agreed that there were other personal characteristics he could use that would make him just as employable as the phrase “strong work ethic;” phrases that wouldn’t leave the reader with the feeling that he was trying to pull one over on them.
Lesson Learned: In a resume, leverage what you have to offer and don’t try to sell yourself as something you are not. Your resume should answer questions for hiring managers, not leave lingering doubts.
Final Thought
Integrating personal characteristics in your resume will make the resume reader-friendly and allow the reader to visualize you in the position.
posted by Razlan @ 10:55 AM
0 comments
If you've been reading this space for a while you know of my love affair with the Right Mouse button. See (Do the Right Thing from December 22, 2004) I have become a master of the right click, happily cutting, pasting and performing all kinds of other computer tasks. My theory is, if you're looking at a screen and wondering how to do something, you are often just a right click away from your answer.
But it's been an interesting week around here. I've been working on a project that requires the use of a program that was originally created for the Macintosh and I'm being taught to use it by a Mac user. Suddenly my right clicking habit is the object of scorn and derision. What, you don't know the shortcut key?
So, I've been relearning the Windows Shortcut keys I originally learned as a Mac user years ago and here's what I have to report; I'm not about to untether myself from my mouse, but there are a few tasks that, for a variety of reasons, work better with Shortcut Keys.
The most obvious shortcut scenario is that of the mobile user. I do all my work on a laptop and mostly have a mouse plugged in. But sometimes, if I'm traveling, the mouse is too much trouble and I have to resort to…gasp, the keyboard touch cursor and mouse buttons. Instantly, the command keys come back into play. I'd rather type a document standing on my head than have to use the laptops right click button while trying to use the touch cursor to highlight something.
There is also the occasional scenario when the mouse will freeze up but the computer still functions. Here, particularly if you're trying to save your work in a document, the (Ctrl +S) Save key can make all the difference between glumly restarting your computer and backtracking over hours worth of work, or calmly saving and restarting. I like it so much I just saved this file that way!
Once in a while out on the Web, I will try to right click and highlight a word to copy it only to find that when I try to paste it in somewhere else it hasn't come along for the ride. But the good old copy (Ctrl +C) and paste (Ctrl +V) keyboard shortcuts work like a charm.
Other favorites? Cut (Ctrl +X) is commonly used when dealing with a small space that makes the combination of using the right and left click buttons simultaneously difficult.. The Delete button is pretty self explanatory, but did you know that the Shift-Delete combination sends an item into the ether instantly without having to send it to the recycle bin first? (Ctrl +A -for all), will select all the text on any given page at once, while the Alt-Tab combination will switch between open programs. I use this one when a program I am using takes up the whole screen and thus blocks the task bar. Alt-Escape works similarly except that it cycles through your program in the order in which they were opened.
Oh and one last thing, a VERY handy key when using a new program, the life-saving Undo command. (Ctrl +Z) This one gets you out of all kinds of pickles and, for Microsoft Word users, also undoes the auto format suggestions that the program constantly foists upon us. So by all means, keep up the right clicking. But every now and then don't forget to limber up your fingers and take Ctrl.
posted by Razlan @ 10:17 AM
0 comments
By Frank Risalvato
One corporate account I’ve been doing business with for 17 years every now and then goes into “slow motion” modes. These periods create a situation where even an entry level finance or business analyst earning $50k require eight weeks or more to get from first interview to offer stage.
Eight Weeks!!
Another “Fortune 100” company frequently requires twelve weeks for what should be routine “low six-figure level” positions. And yet another, often has most of its open jobs requisitions in finance and marketing open for periods of six to nine months failing to ever find a candidate that is ever “Good Enough” for their high standards.
I figure if I stopped shaving the day I first submitted a candidate’s resume to the hiring managers of these firms, I would easily have a beard as long as ZZ Top band members by the time the offer was actually made!
The dilemma is some of these “slow accounts” is good for at least three hires annually … and I hate to kiss them goodbye altogether as there are candidates out there actually willing to wait in line to work for them! They also pay the standard industry 30% fee and never complain about it.
Determined to do something about the ever-increasing “submission to hire” time frame I decided to hit the books and the internet and conduct some online research a few years ago. I also had my assistant Deb print out an array of financial reports and stats on our own placements going back ten years.
I found very little information anywhere outlining the steps in selecting a good Client Company. While there’s plenty of information available on selecting a “Good Job Order” the company itself … and the subsequent speed at which they’re likely to hire and pay you your fee … was frequently ignored in other recruiter training material I encountered.
So here is a magic formula I developed for myself in 2002 to pull us out of a steep slump we were confronted by in large part to due to the perpetual interview process. My formula works. I should know as I personally used it.
Good economy or bad … my formula will always result in finding accounts that will:
1. Pay your fee quickly (ten days or less)
2. Immediately reply to candidate resume submissions (within 24 hours).
3. Hire quickly (less than 2-3 weeks from first interview to offer).
4. Sign YOUR FEE AGREEMENT, under your terms!
5. Appreciate what you have done so much they will a) Refer you to other managers or b) send you a wonderful “thank You” letter
Did I get your attention?!
I hope so!
The account acquisition strategy that results in the above requires you follow these five rules:
1. Company Size of less than 100 employees – If you’re looking for quick “send out to placement ratios” … stick with SMALL companies with under 100 employees. These companies rarely have an HR department (if they do it is weak and ineffective and generally report to the beck and call of whomever your already dealing with).
2. Company revenues of $200 million or less – This can be public, closely held, or private organizations. There are exceptions to the rule … but overall whenever I have serviced and recruited for companies in the $200 million in revenue and under zone the placement has always taken place in much shorter time frames than larger companies.
3. Use Your Fee agreement – By sticking with small companies within a targeted revenue range, you usually find yourself dealing with a flatter organizational structure. This means NO CORPORATE LEGAL department to create twelve page fee contracts. As a bonus of sticking to items 1 & 2 above, you usually get to use your own fee agreement under more favorable terms. Tired of signing 12 page legal agreements? Switch company size and the problem vanishes! * Poof * just like magic!
4. Stick to profit centers – If you have a choice of working with the home office, or a branch sales center … the branch sales center (a.k.a. “Profit Center”) will usually pull the trigger faster. Sales Managers, Regional Branch Managers working the front lines of the revenue generation stream are usually given much more autonomy to hire quickly without requiring Home office approval than the corporate controller heading the internal accounting function which is viewed as a nasty but needed expense.
5. Minimum Revenue of $8 million or greater – While a company can be “too big” … there is also such a thing as “too small”. If a company does not have revenue of at least $8 million and ten employees I find they rarely can afford a personnel recruiting service or can justify our fee. This has been the “magic threshold” point below which recruiters are unaffordable … and above which they are indispensable!
So there you have it … the Magic Formula to dream client accounts!
But there’s more:
By sticking to the above formula you will also avoid a lot of the “air traffic” and “near collisions” involving bumping into other recruiters.
Think about it:
Every recruiter I’ve ever encountered always goes after the “easy targets”. This means the same large boring Fortune 500 or 1,000 corporations the other thousand or so recruiters in your state are targeting. If I try to make an accounting placement with ADP or IBM … I may pit IRES up against six other personnel firms.
My strategy permits you to fly undetected under the radar screen. You get to “hit” your targeted client with your introduction, sign the fee agreement, and leave with your placement in position before the competition ever gets wind of what even happened.
About Author
Frank Risalvato founded IRES, Inc. in 1991 and has been in the executive search industry since 1987 . The firm has expanded continuously since introducing multiple areas of specialization in numerous industries and currently has offices in three states. Frank provides recruiter training and coaching on a customized one-to-one basis throughout the U.S. His training style emphasizes substance as opposed to showmanship. His popular 132 page “Recruiting Training Manual” he authored has been used by individual recruiters and national chains in the U.S. and abroad. Contact Frank Risalvato at frankr@iresinc.com or (973) 300-1010.
posted by Razlan @ 10:02 AM
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Increase of 50,935 from January 2004 shows swing to more jobs filled by external versus internal resources
London, 10th February 2005 – Taleo, a pure-play Software Service Provider of on-demand talent management solutions, today announced January projections for its Taleo Talent Index, established in December 2004. This index of Fortune 500 talent movement provides an indication of major talent trends within Fortune 500 companies, such as job stability, talent mobility and worker confidence. As a SSP, Taleo hosts on its applications and within its data centers the talent management initiatives of what the company believes is an industry-leading market share of Fortune 500 companies, providing it with the data to measure and project talent movement among Fortune 500 companies.
For January 2005, the Taleo Talent Index projects that there were 278,236 positions filled among Fortune 500 companies; 187,121 positions were filled with external hires, as compared to 91,115 positions filled through internal hires.
Read more here
posted by Razlan @ 9:48 AM
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An amazing number of people describe themselves as perfectionists. But a few, like Clare, insist, "No way! Time slips away from me, but I don’t believe I have to be perfect. In fact, I tend to let things go."
Does your life feel chaotic? Are you constantly playing catch-up? Losing sleep? Your space has probably has been invaded by one of the Three Perfection Demons.
Pure Perfectionism
Crossing invisible t’s. Company’s coming so you dust under the bed (even though there’s no reason for them to be in the bedroom or on the bed, let alone under it). You get writer’s block because you can’t bring yourself to create a bad piece of work (even as a first draft).
Anti-perfectionism
Letting errors slip through – and racing to fix them. You dash through your work – a few misspelled words shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. Your house looks lived in…well, that’s what you say. A mess in the corner? Blame the dog. You’re always playing catch-up to fix the problems that weren’t supposed to happen and nobody was supposed to notice anyway.
Hidden perfectionism
Last-minute corrections and course changes. You’re all set to give your talk…and then you realize if you just had three more overheads, you could make your point even better. So you dash around and end up arriving late and flustered. You’re all ready to call on your friend – and then you decide to bring her the CD you just finished, which she’ll really like…if you could only find it.
These demons seem different, but all have one goal: to keep you from taking charge of your time. And all can be driven way with this five-step plan.
(1) Let go of judgments – your own and everybody else’s.
(2) Become aware of your choices in real time. Will you end up with more freedom – or a bigger mess to fix later?
(3) Set a cut-off time and stop working and worrying.
(4) Research what’s realistic so you won't aim too high or too low.
(5) Write leisure activities into your calendar. When you’re looking forward to a break, it’s easier to be efficient and clean up loose ends. A balanced life tends to drive the Perfection Demons into a distant corner.
We’ll discuss Perfectionism during the Time Makeover teleclass. And I offer consultations to confront your own Perfectionism Demon.
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/coaching.html
posted by Razlan @ 2:16 PM
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