What are the Challenges of Being a New Recruiter

What are the Challenges of Being a New Recruiter I was watching the highlights of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge on Sky Sports which entailed 16 teams from around the world attempting to row 3,000 nautical miles from La Gomera to Antigua. It has been described as one of the toughest challenges on the planet. While I was watching, it occurred to me that many of the highs and lows the teams were facing  throughout the challenge can be attributed to other tests we face in everyday life. The emotional rollercoaster they were going through also reminded me of the trials and tribulations and ups and downs of being a young recruitment consultant. Here are my thoughts: Training: The initial training is tough and the learning curve is incredibly steep for new recruiters. Not only is there much to learn in terms of identifying candidates, interviewing, qualifying clients, writing job adverts, writing job and person specifications, canvassing new prospective clients and all other aspects of the recruitment process, you also have to learn how to communicate confidently with professionals many years your senior and learn to deal with rejection regularly. But like all aspects of life the more you practise, the easier it gets and, eventually, you will be able to achieve things that you would never have dreamed possible. As a young recruiter, with less than a  year?s experience, I recall the sharp intake of breath I took when a prospective client advised me they were seeking 3 Sales Directors (1 group, 2 divisional). The training kicked in: I qualified the requirements, timescales and decision making process. Having asked the right questions, I was well positioned to prescribe the right solution. Approximately 9 weeks later I concluded the successful placement of 3 Sales Directors resulting in considerable fee income and bonus, which ultimately allowed me to purchase my first property. This had come through considerable hard work and a huge amount of rejection beforehand, but would not have been possible without it. Neither would it have been possible without the training and coaching I received, particularly in the first 6 months of my recruitment career. Often during this period I doubted my ability, the process and the potential. When it gets hard and it feels like you are never going to make it keep going. The horizon may be the next call/ interview away! Preparation: How do you get the recruitment ball rolling with no network to speak of? How do you get people to trust you who have never had any contact with you before? Like with the Atlantic challenge, preparation is ultimately the key. All businesses are seeking to improve their business and if you can present them with the opportunity, through the introduction of an appropriate and excellent candidate, they will engage with you. Taking the time to thoroughly research the businesses you plan to target is time well spent and will ensure your credibility. It is also critical that you take the time to meet and understand the candidate (their skill set, their ambitions, their values etc?). In doing so, you will be confident that you can handle any questions that are thrown at you. You should know your candidate well and should not need time to reflect on their location, salary, why they are planning to leave their employer/why they have left. You should also have a detailed understanding of their role, goals and achievements and why they stand out as someone you have taken the time to work with. If you don?t have a thorough appreciation of your candidate, the market and the target client then don?t make the call. Devastation: Especially earlier on in your career, it is easy to get emotionally invested in a company or an individual when you have been working with them for a significant period of time. So it can be devastating when a storm sets in just as you think it is about to be plain sailing. A young recruiter described to me recently how he had taken a candidate to market, guided them right through the interview process, which included a meeting with the Sales Manager and then the Company Director, for the candidate to inform him that he had agreed to take a job with a ?mate? during a game of golf, just as the contract was about to be agreed. He said it felt like he had been punched in the face! Jubilation: During the first few weeks it can sometimes feel like you are fighting against the tide and there is no end in sight your first lead just isn?t going to happen, but then all of a sudden something unexpectedly appears over the horizon. A young recruiter recently told me his experience of a long process which eventually led to his first placement: he rang a Managing Director speculatively who initially showed very little interest in the candidate. Following the call, the MD asked for the CV. After the CV had been sent the H.R manager for the organisation called (almost immediately) to agree terms and conditions which seemed strange given the Director?s lack of interest, regardless terms were agreed. Due to challenging timescales and busy diaries of all concerned the process was challenging and seemed unlikely to be concluded. However his training had taught him to qualify, qualify and qualify again ? he did and eventually this resulted in the candidate being offered the job, accepting and starting the position. It was jubilation, celebrations and champagne all around when his first placement finally came to shore. Conclusion: Working in recruitment is a rollercoaster of emotions. It is exhilarating striving to surpass monthly targets, but there can be many disappointments along the way. It is exciting trying to find clients exactly what they are looking for or placing an exceptional candidate in an organisation where they didn?t think it would be possible. The sea can be extremely choppy for an experienced recruiter, never mind someone starting out, but if you are determined, resilient and can get through the initial few months without getting ship wrecked, then there can be many high points and the rewards can be great.

A sort-of-but-not-really review of job hunting software

A sort-of-but-not-really review of job hunting software I write a lot about how effective job hunters hunt all the time, and how its important to integrate this project into our life with their other personal and professional projects. And I write a lot about how networking is the new job hunt. So I got excited that theres a new category of job hunting software that emphasizes relationships and project management. I decided to write a review of this software and suggest which one you should use. But then I realized that reviewing software is a difficult and very detail-oriented job, and I am pretty bad with details. So I asked my friend, technology journalist Dylan Tweney, to review the three products that looked best to me: Isabont, JibberJobber, and Worksolver. In case you think youre about to read a software review, youre not. Heres my summary of his summary: Ignore all this job hunt software. Instead stick with tools you already use for your life, or tools that could actually integrate your job hunt with the rest of your life, which is how things should be. Dylan has a lot of ideas about this: For instance, you could learn how to use Microsoft Project or Access to track your job-hunting process. Or you could become an Outlook whiz and learn how to customize this program through software add-ins, like the Getting Things Done add-in, that will make you more productive and organized. Or you could use new, Web 2.0 project management applications like Basecamp or Backpack to organize your job search project. I liked this advice because Dylan has a more holistic view of managing the projects of our life, and job hunting is just one of them. I immediately checked out the stuff he mentions. But heres the rub: Many of the same people who are not getting jobs have no idea how to use Dylans favorite software to manage any project, let alone job hunt. This is what I have referred to as the second tier of job hunters, and what people on the second tier are missing is new-millennium job hunting philosophies that job hunt software can teach. JibberJobber, for example, does a good job of helping you to understand how to make your network the backbone of a job hunt, and walking you through the steps. (Me summarizing Dylan again. And believe me, he was way more technical and elegant.) And Worksolver does a good job of helping you to find new ways to think through the inherently messy interconnectedness of job hunting in order to sustain strong relationships. Dylan says JibberJobber is for anal retentives and Worksolver is for creative types. In what has, at this point, become a really haphazard reporting of Dylans review, I will now summarize Isabont: Better looking than JibberJobber but not as thorough. So if you look at JibberJobber and the interface looks too complicated, try Isabont. But heres the bottom line. (From me, not Dylan.) You need to make a serious, software-based decision about how to keep track of your jobs and your hunts and your contacts over a long period of time. Or you will drown in post-it-notes and orphaned documents on your desktop. You can use your current email folder system, to-do list system, and contact management system to achieve this task. If you do not have systems for this stuff, or the idea of it scares you, get your feet wet with job hunting software. If you are comfortable with using standard productivity and networking software, then make sure you are establishing an expandable system for managing your job hunts and contacts. Merlin Mann, who blogs at 43 Folders, once told me that what sets people apart at work today is their ability to manage information. So even if you do nothing after reading this post, just learning a bit more about software options for organizing your information is a big step toward making yourself stand out in the work you do.

8 Quick Tips to Get Hired Fast

8 Quick Tips to Get Hired Fast Searching for a new job is no longer just about applying and waiting for a call. The job market is saturated  â€" more than ever   with high-calibre candidates. This means you have to think smarter about your job seeking strategies. When you use a variety of strategies, you become an active participant in the process. The market is extremely competitive and these quick tips will help you beat your competition and get a job fast. Read up, and learn how you can level up your job-getting game. 1. Treat your job search like full time job Job postings are easy to access and it can be tempting to flip through sites while watching TV or waiting at an appointment. If you do it mindlessly, chances are you will miss a great opportunity. Keep yourself in work mode and set aside some time each day to focus on your search. When you find an opportunity you’re interested in, dig deep into the posting and check out the company culture. Check LinkedIn to discover if you have any connections to the company and reach out to ask questions. Invest in your future success by putting in the legwork necessary to ensure you apply for the right position, the first time. 2. Know what you’re looking for Before you start looking, make a list of the opportunities you want from a new position. Equally important is a list of the things you don’t want. You are interviewing a potential company as much as they are interviewing you. Whether it’s opportunities for growth and promotion or the ability to work from home, knowing what you want from a position will help you identify the positions that are right for you. 3. Keep applying for jobs You’ve been searching through job postings and you’ve finally found the perfect job  â€" at least it sounds that way. By all means, apply, but don’t call off the search just because you feel excited about this one opportunity. Don’t stop applying until you’ve accepted a new position. This keeps your options open and you on the hunt until you accept a position. 4. Have your resume reviewed If you’ve been out of the job search market for a while or even if you’re relatively experienced  â€" consider having your resume professionally written. You hire professionals in other areas of your life; if you’re committed to growing your career, it makes sense to do it in the context of your career. This is your chance to have a stand-out resume which showcases your career achievements and communicates what makes you different to other candidates. 5. Never use a generic cover letter Your cover letter is your first introduction to the company and you want to make a good impression. Using their job posting, tailor your cover letter to highlight your qualifications. Remember to do your research so you know why you’re a good fit for the company culture, and include this in your cover letter. 6. Update your LinkedIn profile If you haven’t visited your profile for while, this is the perfect time to take a look. Update your page to include career achievements, volunteer work and to strengthen your personal brand.  It’s a platform to showcase yourself as an expert in your industry. Publish some articles relevant to challenges and changes in your industry and also share articles written by other leaders. When a potential employer views your profile, they will find an active and updated page that showcases your expertise and unique point of value. 7. Catch up with your network Your network may turn out to be the most valuable tool in your job search arsenal. These are the people you’ve collaborated with, mentored and maybe competed with in your industry. In addition to applying for jobs, it’s important to let these key people know you are actively searching for new opportunities. They may have knowledge of open or upcoming opportunities or useful advice for your search. It’s important to constantly keep up with your network so that you’re able to tap into it when you really need it. 8.   Brush up on your interview skills An actor would never take the stage without rehearsing their lines and neither should you. Once you’ve scheduled the interview, find a colleague or hire a professional interview coach to run an interview rehearsal with you. Many interviews include standard candidate questions, so it’s important to know how to answer them in a way that impresses recruiters and hiring managers. Go back to your research of the company and be prepared to talk about the synergy between you and the company and how you see yourself helping them achieve new business goals. Bonus tip send a thank you note! The “Thank You” note is a lost art, but can make all the difference in securing the job. Before the interview, ask who you will be meeting with and be prepared to write the note immediately after the meeting. Ideally, you want to have them in the mail as soon as possible. Be sure to inject some personal notes about the interview. Did you connect on a particular issue? Do they have a big launch coming up? Make the note personal while thanking them for their time and the opportunity to meet.

Palins children should take priority over being Vice President

Palins children should take priority over being Vice President Okay. Look. I wasnt going to tell you what I think of Sarah Palin, but so many people are asking, so fine. Here it is. She is nuts. And the Republicans are nuts for putting her on a ticket. She has a five-month-old kid with Downs Syndrome. Why is no one writing about this? I have a special needs kid. I have two. Heres what happens when you have a special needs kid. You are in shock. You love the kid. I loved my first one so much that even though there was something like an 80% chance of having another kid with autism, I had a second kid. And guess what? The second kid had a different disability than the first. Amazing. Statistically phenomenal, really. But my point here is that Im very qualified to tell you what its like to be a breadwinner mom of a five-month-old special needs kid. And, its not just from my perspective. I am a magnet for breadwinner moms. They constantly write to me. And when I write about this topicbeing the breadwinner and having a special needs kidwomen come out of the woodwork. They all say exactly what Im telling you now: its insane. Its insanely hard. Heres whats insanely hard. You go through a mourning period. Dont tell me about love and how everyone is different. Because everyone is the same about their kids: They love their kids no matter what, and they didnt plan on having a special needs kid, no matter what. So you need adjusting time. And heres more I know from both statistics and first-hand experience: Its nearly impossible to keep a marriage together with a special needs kid. And its nearly impossible to keep a marriage together when the husband quits his job to take care of the kids (which Palins husband just did). And Sarah needs her marriage to stay together pretty badly right now. And who will take care of the newest member of the family? Certainly not the 17-year-old daughter who is pregnant with the newest kid. So the dad now has three teens at home and soon two kids under one year old at home and one has special needs. This is not a reasonable job. For anyone. I know that Im going to be reminded me that I have a nanny, a house manager, and a cleaning woman (who actually shows up every day). But I also have a job that allows me to leave at 2:30. Its a compromise for me. Because every parent in the world has had to compromise, and its fair to judge public figures on the choices they make. Its really hard to know where to compromise. Heres what I was doing when my kid was five months old: I was at home. Hating it. Telling myself that I was not cut out to be at home. I was sort of a columnist and sort of a mom and sort of a psychopath. Because having a five-month-old with special needs is very very hard. Not just learning to take care of the baby, but mentally coping. Why is no one talking about this? The Republicans should dump Palin. Shes got too much responsibility at home. Dont tell me that this is not fair to women. Because you know what? People should have railed against John Edwards running for President when he had two young kids at home and a wife fighting cancer. Fine if she wants him to run for office while she fights the cancer. I get it. But I dont get how the President of the United States was going to have time to console two school age kids about their moms death while leading the country. Its irresponsible. I know its not cool to tell people how to parent. I know its not cool because every day someone asks me how I run my company when I have two young kids and what they are really saying is you suck as a parent. Its hard to hear every day, so I have empathy for the idea that everyone should shut up about how other people parent. But its absurd how extreme these presidential-wanna-be cases are. I dont want someone in the White House who has kids at home who desperately need them. I dont want to watch that scenario unfold on national TV. So at some point, it must be okay to speak up. At some point we have to say that we have standards for parenting and we want the community to uphold them.

How to Use Resume Samples to Help You in Your Job Search

How to Use Resume Samples to Help You in Your Job SearchIt is common knowledge that good resume samples are available. However, there are still many who are not aware of the existence of resume samples and how they can be used. The most important thing to remember is that these are indeed designed to suit different job requirements, and you can use them to achieve your desired results.The main idea behind using good resume examples is to come up with a certain type of cover letter which may need to be followed as per the requirements of the job you are applying for. There are many different types of cover letters, but the one which is most commonly used is the one which has an introduction which is specially prepared by the writer. The reason behind this is that this type of introduction gives a real feeling as to the writer's understanding about the job you are applying for.Good resume examples have been tailored to suit each job entry. Therefore, you can expect that the sample woul d be suited according to the job listing that you are applying for. Most often, it will include information such as skills, achievements, education and experience, along with certifications and diplomas. You can also expect that it will include cover letters, which has been specially written and provided for the company.To make it simple, good resume examples have been designed in such a way that it appears more professional and it has all the needed information which is required for you to successfully start a new career. Therefore, the writing of resumes has not been a dull affair. Instead, it has gained the popularity of being a passion for many. This is the reason why resume samples have become such a vital part of the business world.Now, there are a number of companies which provide good resume samples for you to use. However, it is necessary to note that you will require proper assistance from the company in order to use their samples for the first time. If you want to make su re that you are getting good quality samples then it is best to consult with a resume expert or with someone who is into this field. This will ensure that you are using samples which are more appropriate to your needs and requirements.The next thing you need to do is that you should spend some time selecting the samples that you would like to use. Once you have chosen the samples you wish to use, you should decide on the format that you would like to use. Generally, there are two formats that can be used and one of them is a standard cover letter which has been prepared specifically for you.On the other hand, the standard format consists of a standard template which is suitable for people who are looking for information about jobs in their area. However, it is not always advisable to use the standard format. Instead, you should look for more creative ways to construct the contents of the samples.Thus, it can be seen that you can go in for whatever format you require depending on the specific requirement that you have. A sample can be very helpful and is something which should be used for making the decisions of the best candidates. However, there are still many who are unaware of the existence of resume samples and so they are unable to make the right decision for themselves.

Stay Sharp During Your Job Search - Sterling Career Concepts

Stay Sharp During Your Job Search Stay Sharp During Your Job Search There are currently 7.9 million unemployed people in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Of those, 665,000 are considered to be discouraged workers, or people who are unemployed and so discouraged that they are not currently seeking employment. While that may or may not be your case, it is easy to understand why so many people feel discouraged about their job search options. However, searching for a job doesnt have to be a stressful endeavor. Rather, the time between jobs can be great for personal growth that helps you improve your resume and get a better job. Here area few ways you can keep sharp and move forward as you transition: Exercise Regularly Regular exercise strengthens you physically and mentally. The benefits can be especially important when youre looking for a job and need an extra boost. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that adults get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. This includes brisk walking, dancing, and biking, and it can be broken down into 10-minute intervals and completed throughout the week instead of all at once. Take Professional Development Courses One of the most important things you can do to land a job is stay relevant and up-to-date in your career field. This can be achieved by taking professional development courses as you are applying for jobs. Just make sure to update your resume once you finish a course. The Muse has a list of 50 professional development classes to help get you started in the right direction. Another way to show you are a lifelong learner with an entrepreneurial mind is to get involved with companies like Amway that teach you new, marketable skills. These companies help hone your business, marketing, and sales skills while enabling you to bring in a few extra (and much needed) bucks at the same time. Volunteer in Your Community Although you are going to be busy with your exercise regime and professional development courses, dont neglect volunteer work. If giving back to your community isnt reason enough to volunteer, consider how many people you will meet in your community and how you can add a few extra lines to your resume. Employers love to see volunteer work on resumes and it shows that you are not lazy and self-centered. Control Your Online Image What do potential employers see when they Google your name? Do you know? If not, you should. In this hyper digital, ultra-connected world, employers are going to seek your online information. Theyre going to try to look at your social media accounts. So, make sure they find what you want them to find. Control your personal brand by scrubbing anything that could dissuade an employer from hiring you or leaving them with the impression that you are a not suitable for whatever job youre applying for. Companies like Reputation.com help you control or create your online image so employers only see the best you.

Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Lawyer - CareerAlley

Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Lawyer - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Not everyone can do every job there is, which is why when you look around society, you might notice that engineers are great at thinking in 3D, accountants like numbers and patterns and writers tend to be a bit more dreamy and creative. What qualities, then, do you need to have to become a lawyer? Becoming an attorney is an exciting and noble goal. Depending on what area of law you decide to practice, the profession generally pays well and you get to put that cool esquire after your name as well. Beyond that, youll know at the end of every days work that youve helped someone, often profoundly. thebalance.com You need good communication skills You need to be able to speak confidently and fluently, as well as to write well. You also need to be a good listener, too, because its not all about the barnstorming closing argument thats why you have one mouth and two ears! Photo by Wendy Scofield on Unsplash You can develop your existing skills by joining a debate club and chances are if youre doing an undergraduate degree then youll have plenty of opportunities to learn how to write well and to present arguments. You need good judgment You must be able to come to logical and reasonable conclusions from the information you have, be it plentiful or sparse. This skill is essential, as is the ability to step outside of yourself and look at your conclusions critically so you can defend them or cover any weak spots in your argument.