Modern technologies will change the way you apply for jobs...

Accessibility of internet enabled technology and mobile devices has, and will continue to change the way we look at recruitment and how job seekers will apply for roles... SOON 

Many of you have seen this photo of St Peter's Square - which went viral a month or two ago.  Great depiction of how epodemic change is, and how we interact with the world around us changes as a result.

Mobile Recruiting

This is a hot topic among the corporate recruiters and agency recruiters out there these days.  Companies are trying to stay ahead of the curve, and be able to cater to a more savvy candidate base, meeting applicants' needs for convenience / time / desire to apply which have now become an issue.  

As an internal corporate recruiter, I know that it's painful to apply for roles, especially when you are putting your information into multiple Applicant Tracking Systems, and having to re-enter the same info over and over again. 

My team is looking at how we can reduce the pain in the application process, while still getting the information we need from candidates, in order to reduce our efforts too. 

Some businesses have optimized their web application processes to enable Mobile Applications - which would give you a quicker, simpler, easier-to-view experience on your mobile device.  This increases the applicant pool for us, by eliminating some of the tedious work on the part of the applicant, and making job postings available to individuals who may be on their phone or tablet, not at a desktop computer. 

A lot has changed in applying for a job over the years!!

Great graphic I found online.

Not all businesses have made the decision on their strategy around Mobile, and Social Media recruitment, so you have to be patient.  This is unchartered territory, and very little data exists to show the value it will add to a business long term.  Don't judge a company, for not having the coolest website, or the best Social Media presence.  It may mean that they are a little more conservative, or dont have a strategy in place... YET.  They may want to see how things play out in the industry before commiting valuable resources to this emerging technology.

This means, being patient, and working with the systems that were created 5-10 years ago, if you want to work for some leading companies. 

It may be painful, but it will get better. 

Guest Blog: Value Added Skills

I got a POKE the other day from a contact of mine on LinkedIn - chastising me for not having updated my blog since last summer.  :)

Nice to know people are actually wanting more, or care to hear what I have to say!

I threw it back at him to write me a guest blog - or at least give me some ideas - and he took the challenge! 

Les Iharosy, is a very well rounded professional in the Transportation industry... who loves to solve challenging and complex Transportation and Logistics issues.  Check out his LinkedIn profile for a full understanding of his background. 

He penned the following from the candidate perspective; feel free to post any comments or rate the value of these types of blog entries for us below.  - Thanks!

Value Added Skills

There may come a time when it becomes necessary to make changes in your professional career path and you are faced with searching for new or alternate employment. 

As you search through the various job banks looking for your next position, take a little time and reflect upon what you may have already accomplished in your work life.  Particularly, if you have been fortunate and accumulated extended periods of tenure, you no doubt have also gained significant experiences and perhaps unique skills along the way.  Now would be a good time to look back in retrospect and identify those experiences and skills.   This can be an excellent opportunity to enhance your marketability to prospective employers.  You may have taken numerous courses over the years, been part of significant projects, or been tasked with implementing cost reduction initiatives.  You may have more skills than you first thought.

Your unique skills and tapestry of experiences may set you apart from the many other candidates vying for the same roles that you are interested in.  This may be enough of an edge to position your own candidacy to make the short list, something we all want when career change is contemplated.

In my own experience, twice now I have been able to significantly leverage added skills to roles and expand positions with positive results. 

Present your skills and talents to the best of your ability, the results will always be worth the effort.

“ …do better if possible, and that is always possible…”

 

cuppa java please!!!

Wake yourself up with a cuppa delicious brew - then get down to business.

As I am sure many of you do, I use my BlackBerry as my alarm clock... which is awesome, but also very dangerous.  I tend to hit the "disarm" button, (ok... maybe the snooze button a few times first!) and then look at the little red star, symbolizing my neverending stream of emails. 

I have made a rule for myself - not to lay in bed and browse through them, as I can not commit to remembering everything I have looked at and hence had a tendency to forget what was already read, and what I needed to atend to. 
For the job seeker - especially the not-working job seeker - the temptation of laying in bed, surfing the web and "phonemailng", can be extremely tough to say no to... but try the alternative:

•   Get up and put some real pants on!    LuluLemon just announced that their famous Luon Pants are being recalled, as they are nearly sheer!  (this is no attire to be conducting a job search in!)
•   Get to your stations!   Set up an area in your house that is seperate from the TV, bed, and any other loungy area in your home.  It doesn't have to be a hard wooden chair, but somewhere you feel like you can focus.
•   Plan / Organize the day!    This is a key step - you can quickly get distracted in this land of social media!  With the number of different ways to communicate with people, and the variety of distractions, block off time for the important things;
• check emails and flag which ones you need to respond to
• checking job boards
• setting up email alerts
• connecting with key folks on LinkedIn
• thank you emails - to those folks helping you in your searc
• phone calls - plan who you want to try to reach out to that day, and set time aside for it to prepare for the calls
•   HYDRATE!   This can be coffee, tea, or whatever you fancy; never underestimate the power of a great coffee shop to kick-start your energy levels, and motivate you to try harder to find that dream job!

Selling Yourself: The Likability Factor

So I know it's been a while, when my FATHER asks if I can update my Blog. :)  I told him to write something inspirational and of course he obliged!

 

Guest Blog - Selling Yourself: The Likeability Factor
 - Lawson Bell

Lawson Bell spent many years in Sales, and was a District Manager and International Business Development Consultant in his last role prior to retirement.  A philosopher at heart, and coach to those who are receptive and worthy, he has been a great inspiration to me when I need motivation, as well as an objective ear when I need to bounce ideas off someone unbiased to keep me balanced. 

 

 

Have you ever exited an interview with a "good feeling" about how things went?  A sense of excitement about your prospects of success?  I submit that you got that feeling because you either connected on a human level with the interviewer or sensed that they connected with you.

 

There's an old sales adage: PEOPLE BUY FROM THOSE THEY LIKE, all other things being equal.  Similarly, when in an interview setting, if all other hiring requisites are met and two people are deemed equal, the "human factor" can play a significant role in getting hired. 

 

So how does one become liked in an interview?

People "like you", not for your degrees or job experience, but rather for your human qualities. For example, one of the most endearing qualities one can portray is self awareness and how effectively you use it.  Other examples of human traits that draw others to liking you are:

• honesty, confidence, candor, empathy, curiosity, humour, politeness, manners, humility, competitiveness, work ethic, and lateral thinking.

All come with the caveat of being appropriate to the situation. 

 

The first step in sales is to: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT - in this case, that's you! 

The first step is to have a frank discussion with an objective person that knows you well; take an inventory of those positive human traits that distinguish you from others. As Zig Ziglar would say: "Give yourself a check-up from the neck-up".

• Determine how these qualities have worked for and against you.
• Which do you over use?
• Under use?
• What will you do to improve yourself?

Obviously, if you don't possess certain attributes you can't portray them, but you can commit to improving yourself - which when coupled with concrete action steps can turn a negative into a positive.  Being self aware is a highly sought after trait!

The second step is to: KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER, in this case the interviewer.

This is often a dynamic process, and, as you typically don't get to know much about the interviewer prior to meeting them, you must pick up and react to receptivity signals as they come up. I find that in addition to info on job and company, if I make one of my objectives during the interview, to understand the motives and objectives of the interviewer, that areas of common respect and appreciation will inevitably present themselves.  This will lead to some of my personal qualities comming through. Obviously, any prior pertinent  information such as motivation, interests, personality type etc. can provide some insight as to areas of commonality and in turn, those personal attributes which may appeal to the person. 

How readily you perceive and adapt to the interviewers motives and objectives, can demonstrate without ever saying it,  a lot about your empathetic and interpretative skills which in turn can contribute to that desired " good feeling".

 

In the final analysis:

You want the interviewer to have that "good feeling" about you, during and after the interview. By knowing yourself and role playing ways in which you can subtly showcase your "personal best" human traits, you will go a long way to realizing this goal, and improve your success in selling yourself.