Switching Teams?

Picture this…

You are Michael Phelps

Canada has an opening on their Olympic Swim Team, and for some reason, you want to switch teams and win Gold Medals for Canada instead.  (Assume for the sake of argument that there are no limitations as to citizenship etc.)

Although Canada is very interested in winning Gold Medals, when the initial shock and awe of Michael Phelps walking into their Aquatic Centre wears off, they are probably going to wonder about your motivations.  WHY does Michael Phelps really want to join OUR team???? 

Our Team is a proud bunch, and we want to win our Medals with people who truly want to be sporting a Maple Leaf, and drinking Maple Syrup from the jug.  So Michael, you have some convincing to do...

When pushed, you come out with a more realistic answer:

“I love swimming for the US, but I am marrying a Canadian, and we are moving to Toronto, so I can’t swim for the US anymore…”

Even though this is a logical answer, and any team would be empathetic to your situation (heck! A man’s gotta swim!), Canada will struggle to feel good about the reason, as you haven’t really said why you WANT to join Team Canada. 

(and if you're still wearing your "stars and stripes" to the meeting, they'll never see you as a Team Canada athlete!)

Yes… this is a ludicrous example, because obviously this blog is about finding a job.  The illustration is important though.  If you are currently interviewing for a new job, you have to convince the new Team that you want to work for them, no matter how logical the reasons are for you needing to.  They want to feel that you are buying into their company, that you like the products / services /culture, etc. and believe that this company is the best one for you.  Still being respectful of your current company, you need to sell them on why you PREFER their team to your current one.  (bragging about your previous company's "stars and stripes" in the interview is probably going to dissuade a new Team to pick you up... not encourage them to. )

The team is going to want to know that you are interested in them, and are passionate about their business.  THIS is what get’s you hired.  NOT just the coincidence that you happen to live in the town they operate in.

Switch teams for the right reasons, and make sure that the new team feels the love!



GO Canada! Your Olympic Resume

As we're all tuning in to the Olympic games this month, and cheering for our respective countries, we celebrate the diversity of all the athletes, but also the common goal - to win on an even playing field.


This made me think of how different the cultural customs are in various countries, in searching for a job.  I don't know A LOT about getting a job in another country, but I do know there are some things that just don't fly when you make the move to Canada, so you need to GO CANADA! when searching for a role here.

There are a lot of laws and policies to support fairness and equity to all citizens in Canada, especially when it comes to employment.  Consider this our even playing field... and your job search is like qualifying for the Olympics - you have to play by the rules, or you may disqualify yourself.


With your resume, you can either positively differentiate yourself, or you can disqualify yourself before you even get off the starting blocks.

In Canada... the following things on a resume are not acceptable:

• marital status
• your age / your date of birth
• your kids names
• the year you were married
• who your parents are 
• your religion
• your birth place

In some countries putting information like this on your resume is the common practice.  I have heard stories about people in other countries hiring based on who someone's parents are, or if they are married etc. ... this may still happen in Canada, but it's not an open practice, and certainly not looked favourably upon by the general public.  It also puts employers in a difficult position, as HR professionals are not supposed to store personal information about candidates such as their age, race, religion etc.  

By putting this kind of information on  your resume, it actually shows hiring managers and recruiters that you aren't yet familiar with the Canadian culture, and the political correctness  we try to exude.


What is going to get you the job, is your experience, your transferable skill set, and your accomplishments; not where you're from, or how many kids you have.  Diversity is valued in Canada, that's one of the reasons we all LOVE living here!  Cheer hard this month, and get inspired about your own competition...

Train, work hard, and push yourself to greatness in your job search!

Honesty is the best policy

I know that sounds cliche, but I do truly believe that candidates who fib about details of their last job ending, or try to finesse the dates on their resume, either get caught, or have more trouble keeping the details straight without getting caught.  You will find that people are more empathetic than you think, and have the capability of understanding gaps on your resume (as long as you are prepared to explain them), as well as reasons for leaving roles.  If you were downsized, I know of no one who is going to think poorly of you; some things are out of your control.


Typical Un-Truths:

• A candidate leaves Company A, goes to Company B, only to find out it's not a fit at all after 2 months, and then joins Company C.  Now they're looking for a new job... they choose to omit Company B all together on their resume.  You may think that this makes a lot of sense... who wants to show a small blip like 2 months on their resume??  Isn't that harder to explain than a gap? Or perhaps just squeezing the dates in Company A and Company C to avoid having a gap at all???   I strongly disagree with this mentality, and have seen instances where the candidate in question interviews with a new business, only to encounter someone who knows precisely what happened in this person's 2 month stint at Company B.  Now what??  If the candidate just told the truth, people could empathize with him/her, as we know that not all jobs / companies are the perfect fit for everyone.  If the candidate had the bravery to just explain it, then I as a recruiter would respect that person more for that quality, and would be less likely to hold it against them.  Not to mention that dates which are untrue can be found out quite quickly through background checks.

• A candidate is approached by an Agency Recruiter, who is presenting them with a fantastic opportunity with Company X.  The candidate neglects to mention that they just recently (or within the last year), applied to a posting / submitted their resume online to Company X.  The Recruiter invests time, and puts energy into submitting this candidate to their client, only to find out that the candidate has already contacted Company X directly.  Why is this wrong? If the Company hasn't contacted you in response to submitting your resume, why shouldn't you try another avenue of approach?  External Recruiters get paid to find talent which a company hasn't already got.  If you have previously submitted your resume, why would a company pay an Agency a fee to turn you up? 

• If you were let go because you had a conflict with your boss, you should probably find a different way of presenting that information, but be as honest as you can.   It is actually OK to have differing opinions and working styles, and you may have been outed to make room for a new boss's "dream team" employee.  Some things are explainable, but don't lie; it will catch up with you.

• The other one that usually gets caught out is when you say you've been downsized, as your job was eliminated, along with a number of other people in the company... then the recruiter (who is sometimes pretty smart), goes online, and sees your job posted on their corporate website.  If you were fired, you may as well fess up to it. 

Keep it real - make your mind up that you will be as honest as you need to be, and don't outright lie when asked... it will eventually catch up with you - and people are more understanding than you would imagine.

the email confirmation....

DON'T rely on the email alone

In this age of endless emails and easy information sharing, the potential for info to slip through the cracks and people to forget to send all the emails they have promised to by the end of the day, is getting higher and higher.  (let's not even talk about junk mail)

YES.... this means that I've had a few incidents recently where I have confirmed meetings, or rather, half confirmed interviews with candidates, but have forgotten to send the promised email as a means of a final confirmation.  AND... as I'm sitting around waiting for my candidate to show up a few days later, it hits me; They're not going to show... 'cause I forgot to send the damn email. 


Then I have to go explain this to my client, and eat some serious humble pie.

My lesson?

That I ought not promise to send out this magical email to people, if I am overloaded on the day of.  I always end up talking candidates through the interview info over the phone when I am booking it anyway... but the minute I say "I'll send you all of this info in an email to ensure you have it", they stop writing this stuff down.  Bugger.   

Can't blame someone for not showing up to a meeting they don't have the info for.  I guess......

Your lesson?

Don't stop writing down every word that comes out of your favourite Recruiter's mouth.  They are human too, and you don't want to miss out on an opportunity to meet with a future employer, no matter the reason.  

Also, if you are promised an email, and you don't see one come through, please make the call and follow up with the Recruiter, to ensure they didn't forget to send it, that things have changed, and my personal favourite.... that you're confirming things are still on.  You will win brownie points for being organized and proactive. 

- Your sometimes over-committing and under-delivering Recruiter.

the kind of feedback you don't want to give...

Take it from me... it is HARD giving someone feedback, and I've had to give quite a bit in my 7+ years in the business.
I'm not naming names, but everyone has something to learn from the bits below, and my mom tells me that giving feedback is character building....

•    Smoking right before you come into an interview.... don't do it.  I know that Interviews are stressful, and you may need a nic fix before you sit through an hour of torture, but please give your interviewer about a 10 minute grace period - and some major gum time before you enter the interview.
•    Same goes for smoking & coffee... nothing beats a Timmy's (or Starbucks) first thing in the morning... but please don't forget to brush or chew some serious gum before the interview.
•     SMILE! (nuff said)
•    Deodorant - wear it. Can't stress this enough.  If you are scent sensitive, there's an app for that.
•    Perfume / Cologne - please wear responsibly
• Eye Contact....... I can't say enough about this.... look at me when I'm speaking, and please don't look at the table when you are speaking.  It's not nice to stare, but several seconds of straight eye to eye combat is not creepy. 

I think that the reason these topics are generally more sensitive to approach than others like "you have something in your teeth"  or "your tie is crooked", because they have to do with that person's personal routine.  Just remember, that how you take feedback (Constructively vs. Personally), can impact your ability to get a job..... And if someone has worked up the courage to give you this feedback, it's usually to help you, not pick on you.



Are you a Foodie???

Have you ever felt like the cat that swallowed the canary?  That's how I feel about working for a company that is passionate about food! 

I am thrilled that I get to share recipe ideas around the water cooler, and it's even highly acceptable to darken the doorway of the VP's with tales of last night's dinner party... I'm pretty much in Heaven.  Between the freshly baked scones, to the gourmet Olive Oils and Aged Balsamic Vinegars, to the Panetone, to the BBQ Sauces, to the Ice Creams, to the Freshly Cooked Turkeys right out of the oven.... I can't wait to come into work to see what delights are around the corner each day :) 

(Not to mention "Confectionary Corner", where all the vendor samples go to die!)

WHY am I writing about this???

Well.... I guess it's because even the most basic food lover still needs nourishment... they need to put food in their mouths, and we make choices every day on what that mix will be.  SO WHY.... when I ask in an interview... "what is your favorite food??"  IS IT SOOOOO HARD TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION? 

Let's play a little pre-interview game. 

Finish the following sentances with the most common answer:

• I work at Style at Home Magazine because I'm passionate about __________________.
• I work at Wrigleys and I love ____________________.
• I work at Louis Vuitton and I carry my money around in a ___________________.
• I work at Apple, and I phone people on my ________________________.
• I work at Tim Hortons and I drink ____________________.

When going on an interview with these companies or any others.....

• If you are going to an interview at Apple, you best not bring out your Blackberry in the middle of the interview.
• If you don't know the first thing about DIY, and don't care about what the "in" colours are this season.... you best not expect to NAIL the Style at Home Magazine interview... even if you are in Finance. 
• If you go to an interview at Tim Hortons, please GOD don't stroll in with your half finished Starbucks drink!?!?
• If you go to an interview at Louis Vuitton... save your money for the employee discount ;)  but obviously... if you have a real Louis Vuitton bag... bring it out of the vault!
• If you are going to an interview at Wrigleys ......... spit your gum out before the interview... but you get my point!

LESSON?
Come prepared to talk about what the folks in that business are generally known to be passionate about.  You may be interviewing for a role which doesn't require you to be a FOODIE, or whatever the company's IT topic is, but you may be sitting across the table from someone who is.  This may be the icing on the cake (sorry - couldn't resist another food reference) when you are being compared to similar skilled candidates.  It's another form of being prepared for your interview. 

(as I now work at Sobeys),  I always suggest that candidates spend some time walking the stores so they can get a sense of the current business model, products, and try some of the private label food (or at least familiarize themselves with it). 

Whether it's a retail store, or a google search... spend some time getting to know your future employer, so you can relate to the employees you meet on topics that matter to them.

When in Rome......

...try the pizza!

The other side of the desk - A Recruiter's tale

I have now been at Sobeys for almost one year - wow that's hard to believe! - and I am thoroughly enjoying things on the other side of the desk.


Often, I get asked what it's like to make the transition from Agency recruitment to Internal recruitment... primarily by curious Agency Recruiters, who are craving a new challenge, or seeking a different pace.   So, I thought I'd write a little bit from my new perspective, for those considering a change.

Biggest Change:

- Being able to go up to the VP's desk and collaborate any time you want.  NOW... I don't suggest that these folks aren't busy, but being in the same building and having access to them is a bonus.  I may have been lucky in the past with some of my clients (external), as I didn't have too many situations where I couldn't pick up the phone and speak to someone, but it's a lot different being internal HR.  There is also a huge sense of trust and collaboration, which wasn't always forthcoming from the agency desk.

The Boss's Perspective:

I'd say it's pretty important, to ensure that you and your boss are on the same page when it comes to recruitment methodology...  I really lucked out when I joined Sobeys... My boss was extremely receptive to the approach I have...  (I guess he wouldn't have hired me if he wasn't?!?)   ha ha ha.

Resources at your fingertips!

- Biggest difference in the "research" side of things, is that I am not doing as much internet research as I am networking and picking employees brains.  This is a refreshing change... much more interactive, and engaging!  I have discovered that some of the most departments stereotypically known to be dull and lifeless are the most fun!  (naming Legal and Audit in this mix!)  You know who you are!

Time Management:

I've found that having been on the sales side of things (External), I am finding that things in HR are much more measured and accounted for... SO...for my inner ADD Sales Goddess, this has been an eye opening experience. I am thoroughly enjoying it though, and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Hours of Operation:

NOT less crazy and hectic a pace as External Recruitment.  If anything, I have put MORE hours into this role than any of my other jobs.  The same candidate challenges exist... people just can't come see you at 2 in the afternoon on a work day..... oh... and they give you a laptop... so you can work from home too!!! Goody goody gumdrops.

Satisfied Customers....

You see them all the time, and you get to visit the candidates you have successfully placed into your company.  Sometimes, if you're lucky, the leaders come visit to thank you for the efforts you've made.  This is much more gratifying on the internal recruitment desk.... but only marginally :)


I am sure there are hundreds more anecdotes I could share, and if you want to know anything - don't hesitate to ask!  :)


Happy job hunting!
E.