Thursday, May 28, 2020

Recruiting Software

How you are screened out with HR/Recruiting Software Good resume: check 30 Second pitch: check Organized and on top of things: check Online and offline networking: check Doing informational interviews: check You are all ready for your job search, to conquer the world, right? What if you are doing everything right, and then you go to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (or your blog) to vent about how stupid a hiring manager was in an interview, or the ridiculous thing a recruiter or HR person said when you called them to check on your resume or application? Ive seen people post stuff online, assuming the company wouldnt find out what they were saying.  It was shared just to their friends, they thought.  They needed a place to vent, they thought. What they were really doing was ending any chances they had of getting that job. You have to know that HR and recruiters can and do look online to learn more about you. Some use Google.  Some go straight to the social networks and do a search on your name. What will they find? Check out this 2 minute video: Social Media in Recruitment by Ciphr This video was put together by a firm that helps HR and recruiters screen you, in your own social network.  You can learn more about recruitment software with Computers in Personnel at the link. You NEED to know about this.  In this war on talent or war for talent, where it seems like its you against the hiring company, you must understand the tools and processes they use. If you understand the tools recruiters use, or Computers in Personnel offers, you will know how to better optimize your resume to get through their system.  Youll know that any breadcrumbs you leave online your status on any social network, or what you post on your Wall, or on someone elses Wall, or comments you leave on blogs, can be audited, and have an impact on your job search. Job seekers, you cant be too relaxed about this.  Its getting more sophisticated.  Are you up to the sophistication? How you are screened out with HR/Recruiting Software Good resume: check 30 Second pitch: check Organized and on top of things: check Online and offline networking: check Doing informational interviews: check You are all ready for your job search, to conquer the world, right? What if you are doing everything right, and then you go to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (or your blog) to vent about how stupid a hiring manager was in an interview, or the ridiculous thing a recruiter or HR person said when you called them to check on your resume or application? Ive seen people post stuff online, assuming the company wouldnt find out what they were saying.  It was shared just to their friends, they thought.  They needed a place to vent, they thought. What they were really doing was ending any chances they had of getting that job. You have to know that HR and recruiters can and do look online to learn more about you. Some use Google.  Some go straight to the social networks and do a search on your name. What will they find? Check out this 2 minute video: Social Media in Recruitment by Ciphr This video was put together by a firm that helps HR and recruiters screen you, in your own social network.  You can learn more about recruitment software with Computers in Personnel at the link. You NEED to know about this.  In this war on talent or war for talent, where it seems like its you against the hiring company, you must understand the tools and processes they use. If you understand the tools recruiters use, or Computers in Personnel offers, you will know how to better optimize your resume to get through their system.  Youll know that any breadcrumbs you leave online your status on any social network, or what you post on your Wall, or on someone elses Wall, or comments you leave on blogs, can be audited, and have an impact on your job search. Job seekers, you cant be too relaxed about this.  Its getting more sophisticated.  Are you up to the sophistication?

Monday, May 25, 2020

Why Company Culture Matters When Recruiting

Why Company Culture Matters When Recruiting A big part of successful recruiting and hiring in a high-growth environment is creating a culture people want to be a part of and want to contribute to. Lots of people talk about the importance of creating a great company culture, but the real challenge is enhancing a good culture as you add people and grow. A company’s culture is always in the background, either motivating or frustrating employees. Saying you have a great culture and having one might be two different things. And, in the context of recruiting, you can’t hide a bad culture for long. Eventually, people find out. “Culture” is about establishing a North Star and pointing everyone in that direction. At OnDeck, we’ve spent a lot of time identifying the behaviours we value and those traits that are taboo within the type of company we want to build. Our values inform everything we do and are the reason we are fuelled by the notion of continuous improvementâ€"from the products we bring to market to the recruitment programs we develop. Cultural fit is critical: When recruiting, we believe you should never compromise on cultural fit. Never. Even a potential rock star employee can be a bad hire if they don’t fit the culture. A negative attitude can infect everyone. Even if an individual has remarkable professional skills, hiring a bad cultural fit is a big mistake. Of course, we want to hire the best people and we’re always looking for them, but how they’ll fit into our culture and how they’ll embrace our values is just as important to us. I know everyone says that, but it’s important enough that we’ve introduced what we call the Culture Interview SWAT Team. The SWAT Team is a group of people interspersed throughout the organization that interviews potential hires to determine not just whether or not they’ll fit in, but whether or not they will be able to succeed at OnDeck through making lasting and important relationships. The relationships we create among our colleagues in turn have a positive influence on our ability to succeed and deliver business results. We believe everyone in our company has a responsibility to help each other find success. We spend a lot of energy and time training our leaders to help build a purposeful culture that keeps employees motivated and our company successful.  We are a very values-driven organization. How  to keep those values alive: Make employees a cornerstone of recruitment and onboarding. Include them in our performance acceleration process (also known as reviews). Account for how well everyone exhibits the values when they interact with each other and our customers. Make sure our employees see how our values impact the decisions our senior leaders make by enabling transparency throughout our company. There’s no shortcut to building a good company culture, but it’s worth the effort. It impacts the work we do, how we do it, and how our customers respond to us. If you’d like to contribute to and be part of our culture, can bring your A-Game to help us build a successful company, and feel passionate about leveraging technology to fuel Main Street businesses all over the countryâ€"and now in Canada and Australiaâ€"we’d love to talk to you. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Personal Brand Audit Whats Your Google Score - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brand Audit What’s Your Google Score - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This is part 3 in the Personal Brand Audit series. Feel free to start at the beginning with Part 1: LinkedIn Audit and Part 2: Facebook Audit. Google is todays instant reputation check Google is how we find out more about people: first dates, business partners, celebrities, clients. It’s fast, easy, and objective. That’s why controlling search engine results for your own name is an investment in your personal brand. Making your “home base” on the web easy to find in Google should be an important part of your personal branding strategy. The tactics below will make your website show up higher in Google when someone searches your name. The process is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By slightly modifying the content and formatting of your personal website, you can cause Googles page ranking algorithm to list your website higher in Google results for your name, especially if there isn’t much competition for your name. Use the following Search Engine Optimization tips to audit your “About Me” page on your blog, or the homepage of your website. Apply these tips to the single webpage (not every page on your website) that you want people to come to when they search for your name in Google. 1. Page URL The URL of your website or blog needs to include your name. Google’s algorithm thinks: if your domain name includes your real name, then your website is likely about you. Buy a domain name for ten bucks a year at a domain registrar like GoDaddy. 2. Title Tag The title tag is the text that shows up in the top of the browser for each page. Put your name in the title tag (if you use WordPress, install the All In One SEO Pack. Google’s algorithm thinks: if your name is in the page’s title, it is likely about you. 3. Introductory Text Put your name at the top of the main “body” content on your site. Lead with this then put other words after your name. Google’s algorithm thinks: if the page’s content begins with your name, it is likely about you. 4. Proximity Google looks at how deeply it has to look to find your name. If it’s reading a title, it counts how deep within the title it has to go to find the keyword, and assumes the most important words are at the beginning. Be sure to mention your name in the beginning, middle and end of your page. 5. Header 2 Tags It’s good to have your name in at least one “Header 2” tag. Header 2 is simply a larger, bolder font than the normal paragraph text. Use the style drop-down menu in WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, etc. to set text as Header 2. Google’s algorithm thinks: if your name is set as a larger header, the content is likely about you. 6. Bold words Google looks for words that have emphasis. Bold, italics, and underlines help Google know what the page is about. Make sure your name is in bold somewhere. Italics and underlines are generally looked down upon as less readable on computer monitors, but bold text makes it easy to break up your content logically. Bold your name at least once. 7. Keyword density If your name makes up more than 4% of the text on a page, Google might flag your page as spam. Google penalizes websites that “keyword stuff” (repeat a keyword too many times to try to cheat Google’s algorithm). Ideally on a 500-word page, you shouldn’t list your name more than 5 times. 8. Page Description The description tag is an important tag to use. At the bottom of the page in the All In One SEO Pack, include your name in the description. Lead with your name don’t use more than 160 characters. This is the text thats displayed under your website in Googles results 9. Inbound Links On related pages and posts on your site, link to your About Me page using your full name as the text of the link. It’s important that the text of all links to yourself reflect who they’re pointing to. Also link to your site from your LinkedIn, Facebook, Naymz, etc. profiles. These sites are highly established and reputable in the eyes of Google. A link from their site to yours tells Google that your site is credible enough to be linked to from very popular sites. Use every profile you have (professional networks, social networks, directories, etc.) link to your site. 10. Website Grade To tie it all together, enter your websites URL into WebsiteGrader. This excellent and free SEO tool analyzes the effectiveness of your site. Follow their specific suggestions to work toward a grade of at least 80%. It is one of the easiest and most powerful personal SEO tools on the web. Grade yourself now. Tally Up: What’s your Google audit score? Tally up your answers to determine your Google Search Engine Optimization score. If you scored 0-4, take a few minutes right now to improve your standing. If you scored 5-7, set some time aside this weekend to improve your score. If you scored 8-10, you’re on the ball â€" keep up the great work. Here are the audit points, to recap: Page URL Title Tag Introductory Text Proximity Header 2 Tags Bold words Keyword density Page Description Inbound Links Website Grade Good luck, have fun, and remember: a little personal branding effort now pays off dividends later. Author: Pete Kistler is a leading Online Reputation Management expert for Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30 Definitive Personal Branding Experts on Twitter, a widely read career development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal Brand Awards. Pete manages strategic vision for Brand-Yourself.com, the first online reputation management platform for job applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College Startups in the U.S.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Most Common Workplace Worries - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Most Common Workplace Worries - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career We spent most of our daily time at work so ideally we want to feel comfortable there. Unfortunately, many of us feel stressful at work and always keep some worries at the back of our minds. Below are the most common workplace worries and how we can overcome them. Getting fired: Anyone has the fear of getting fired at one point in their lives. Whether the economy is bad or your company has been acquired by a larger corporation, anyone can get called by HR and find themselves out. The best way to deal with this fear is talking to your manager about it. If you really trust your manager, then you can talk to him/her about your anxiety of getting fired or you can ask him/her how your performance is to get an idea about your position in the workplace. However, sometimes even if we are doing a great job, there may be mass layoffs in the company due to reorganization or downsizing. In this situation, unfortunately, there is nothing you can do. Being passed over for a promotion deserved: If you really think that you deserve a promotion and someone in the workplace has been trying to backstab you, then like Bob Marley says in his song, you should “Get up, stand up for your rights!” The best way to seek your right in this situation is building relationships with other people. If you have others aside you, then they can also support you standing up for your rights. Not being able to handle the workload: In some workplaces, there can be many days where you have to work overtime. For example; in auditing and accounting firms there is a busy season where everybody works until late nights or even work on weekends. If you cannot handle this workload, then first try to reorganize your tasks and activities to see if you can finish some of them quicker or at least try to finish the important ones first. Still if you are having trouble arranging your workload, maybe you can try to talk with your manager about it. Being disliked by your manager/boss: Unfortunately, we cannot always get along with everyone. If you feel that you have a bad relationship with your manager, try to reassess your relationship. Think why your manager feels this way and how you can change it. Maybe you cannot communicate well or maybe your work styles are different. Whatever the reason is, it is up to you to correct it.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Conquer The Job Search Process In 10 Easy Steps! CareerMetis.com

Conquer The Job Search Process In 10 Easy Steps! â€" CareerMetis.com Photo Credit â€" Flickr.comThere is no denying that many people trying to get a job these days will have a tough time. The turbulent economy in some countries/regions has meant some employers aren’t hiring many people. That means more people are applying for the smaller pool of jobs available on the market!The sad truth about job searching is that some people give up at the first hurdle. They feel they could never have a chance of getting their dream job due to candidates being better than them.Others may take a military-style approach to job hunting and apply for hundreds of jobs per day!evalWhat many folks don’t realize is that getting a job these days isn’t as hard as they think. Why is that, you might be wondering?Well, it all comes down to one’s approach to job searching and applications. In a nutshell, if you’re doing it wrong, you won’t be very successful. Change your approach and think outside the box, and the results will surprise and astound you!So, what is the magic formula to having a more positive job search experience?Well, by following these 10 practical strategies, you’ll soon be getting plenty of interviews!Here’s what you need to do:1) Make a list of your Top SkillsBefore you do anything, you need to think about how best to sell yourself to potential employers. To start that process, get a piece of paper and a pen. Next, write down a list of your best skills.Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comEmployers only want to hire the best people for the roles they advertise. You need to make sure your skills are a good match for what they’re looking for. Otherwise, it’s all a waste of time!2) Think about the types of roles best suited to your skillsevalBelieve it or not, you don’t need to apply for jobs that are identical to your previous roles. It’s common for people to side-step into different careers using their same skill sets.Not sure what roles are a good match for your skills?There are a plethora of online career aptitude tests t hat you can take. All you need to do is dedicate a few minutes of your time to answering some simple questions. You can then find out what jobs are a good match for your skills!3) Decide who should be your Next BossSo far, you’ve listed your skills, strengths, and determined what jobs are right for you. The next thing you need to do is think about the type of employer you’d like to market yourself to.evalFor example, some people may prefer to work in high-flying corporate environments. Others may wish to land non-profit job positions for charities and other organizations. Where can you see yourself working?Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comIt’s an important question to answer for several reasons.First of all, you don’t want to end up working for an employer you hate. Second, you want to work somewhere that will value your skills and input.And, third, it’s crucial to match your personality to the right working environment.4) Check your Social Media ProfilesDid you know that some e mployers snoop on a candidate’s social media profiles online?You might think that’s a gross invasion of your privacy, but there’s a good reason why they do that.Employers want to make sure the people they hire are loyal, trustworthy, and reliable. A person’s social media profile can tell an employer a lot about a candidate. If you’ve got anything public you’d rather a company didn’t see, delete it right now!5) Create a LinkedIn ProfileevalSticking with the subject of social media for a moment, you should create a LinkedIn profile. As you know, the social network is targeted to professionals. When potential employers do background checks on you, they’ll see if you’re on LinkedIn.You can use your profile to showcase your skills and offer case studies of your past achievements. There is also another advantage of having a LinkedIn profile: connections! It’s an opportunity to find out if professionals you know can put you in touch with hiring employers. LinkedIn is on e of the most popular ways to find a job these days!6) Tailor your resume to each potential jobA classic mistake many of us make is to send the same carbon copy resume out to employers. They are generic, uninteresting and usually end up in the trash I’m afraid.Photo Credit â€" Flickr.comWhat you should do is have a bank of resumes on your computer that you can use for particular types of roles. Doing so will help you increase your chances of getting an interview.7) Keep your resume short and sweetevalPut yourself in the place of an employer. You’ve received over 100 resumes for just ONE job that you are advertising! You’re a busy person and don’t have the time to read them all. What you’re likely to do is skim through each resume for just a few seconds.As a candidate, it’s your job to grab the attention of the person reading your resume. Like with newspapers, headlines and bullet points are surefire ways to captivate your audience. Make that text relevant, and you will s tand out from the crowd.The last thing an employer wants to do is read about your life story. If they want to find out more about you, they can invite you for an interview.8) Beef up your Cover Letter writing skillsSending a brief “Hi, here’s my resume, thanks bye” type of cover letter won’t get you very far.You need to use the letter as an opportunity to explain three things:evalWho you are;What relevant skills you have to the job you want to get; andWhy you think you’ll be a good fit.If you’re not any good at writing cover letters, there are numerous examples online you can check out. Doing so will give you the inspiration you need to create a kick-ass cover letter!9) Invited for an Interview? Do some research before you go!If you’ve followed the above tips, you will start getting interview requests. Congratulations! Before you go for your interviews, you need to wear your research hat.Find out everything there is to know about each company. I guarantee one of the qu estions they will ask you is “what do you know about us?”! Impressing the interviewer with your knowledge will show you are keen.10) Give yourself a mini-makeover before the InterviewI’m afraid that appearance is everything when you go for an interview. Most interviewers will form a judgment of you before you’ve even sat down in their office!Start off by sorting out your personal grooming. Next, dress to impress by wearing appropriate attire. If you have an interview at Google, for instance, don’t assume you can rock up in shorts and a T-shirt!

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Smile and have ideas - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Smile and have ideas - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Harvard has an interview with Teresa M. Amabile on creativity and the power of ordinary practices. Heres a gem from the interview: If people are in a good mood on a given day, theyre more likely to have creative ideas that day, as well as the next day, even if we take into account their mood that next day. There seems to be a cognitive process that gets set up when people are feeling good that leads to more flexible, fluent, and original thinking, and theres actually a carryover, an incubation effect, to the next day. So happy people really are more creative. I knew it! Via businesspundit. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Friday, May 8, 2020

Top Paying Resume Writing Careers

Top Paying Resume Writing CareersIf you're looking for top paying resume writing careers, you may be surprised to learn that you could be working as a writer on a newspaper, online magazine or even as a writer for a major entertainment company. Working in a top-paying field is something that many people wish they could do, and the options are endless. Even in the midst of economic turmoil, we've seen an increase in people deciding to work as freelance writers to make money and keep their homes.The top paying jobs have become the ones people look for when they want to increase their job's success. A job in this field can pay very well, but there are several things you should consider before beginning.Writing is a skill that has been practiced for many years. It's one of the more sought after jobs available, and there are many degrees and certifications to earn before becoming a full time writer. For someone interested in becoming a full time writer, it's important to ensure that they have plenty of hands on experience in their craft. There are many types of writers and it's important to learn all the ins and outs.Some of the top paying jobs are based in print, but online is growing quickly in popularity for very successful businesses and individuals who are currently looking for a different way to market themselves. In some cases, a degree or certification is required to start, but working from home and setting up your own business is the most popular way to make money at the moment.In today's economy, school graduation is often delayed to the early part of the next year or even the following year. People are now discovering that the opportunities for money online, at the convenience of their home is much greater than they ever imagined.Many industries are suffering due to the current recession, so the demand for jobs in the public sector is up. This means that there is a much bigger market for people who want to work from home on top paying writing jobs. As wit h any job in life, education is key.Once you've found a decent list of possibilities, it's time to find those places where you can apply. Be prepared to put a lot of effort into the process as each place will take a different amount of time to review your resume and give you an interview.There is no shortage of opportunities to choose from if you know where to look. You don't have to take a back seat in your career as a writer because you want to find the right one for you.