The fact that we are living in a candidate driven\r\nmarket, in which candidates have high expectations from a future employer,\r\nmakes the hiring task a real challenge. There is no doubt that also candidates\r\nhave to perform and fulfill many requirements in order to get the job that also many\r\nother candidates are hoping for.
"},"body":{"body":"The fact that we are living in a candidate driven market, in which candidates have high expectations from a future employer, makes the hiring task a real challenge. There is no doubt that also candidates have to perform and fulfil many requirements in order to get the job that also many other candidates are hoping for.
There are many moments in which we interact with candidates throughout the hiring process. It is crucial to give them a positive candidate experience. Everyone wants to feel special and important and not just be treated as a number, one out of many others. No matter what religion, age, gender, background or social status they are coming from. Have a closer look at your interview process and see if there is anything that would need improvement.
Let me tell you how I would create a positive candidate experience that candidates would remember.
The job ad:
I would provide as much information as possible to inform a candidate on the job requirements, the skills, experience, personality traits etc. It does not necessarily all need to be mentioned in the job ad. I would provide additionally a link in which more details would be explained or offer a detailed CAREER section on the corporate website. Furthermore, I would definitely make sure that there would be an opportunity for the candidate to have an insight into the corporate culture (video would be most effective or pictures from office environment, team atmosphere, etc.). I consider this as a crucial aspect and last factor to make a candidate decide: to apply or not apply?
I remember that once I wanted to apply for a really interesting job at a start up company. After looking at their team pictures on Facebook I realised that my chances would be very low due to the young age of other team members. Even though I invested considerable time in writing my customized cover letter and CV, I decided not to apply because I felt “I will not fit in.”
Remember the more information you provide your candidates at the beginning the easier you make it for them to decide whether they would be a good fit or not. It would save your and their time.
The job application:
I would not burden candidates with a 10 step process in order to apply for a job position. Keeping it simple, short and mobile-friendly would be key. I would make sure that I have a mobile-friendly website which allows candidates to apply by using any kind of device (tablet, mobile phone, website, etc.). I would not want to miss out on great talent and make it as easy as possible to apply for everyone. I know that the more information I share with regard to the candidate’s interview preparation and the recruitment process, the better. It will make the candidate feel so much more confident because s/he knows exactly what to expect. Believe me, your company will be perceived as much more professional.
The invitation and job interview:
I would make sure that everyone involved in the recruitment process is aware about the importance of leaving a positive impression on a candidate. I would include other panel members who are true ambassadors for the company, have great interviewing skills and know exactly how to make candidates feel at ease. I never experienced this myself, but I would empower candidates to choose their own days and times to come for an interview so that their days don’t get disrupted too much. It might not always be possible to accommodate everyone’s wish but I would give it a try. The way you treat your job candidates in this stage will give them an idea on how they will be treated as employees. I would let candidates know when and from whom they can expect to hear more about the interview outcome.
The moment of rejection:
We know that only one person in the end will get the job. Many will be disappointed. However, the way we let candidates know that they were not chosen for a particular job is crucial and should never be underestimated. I would write a letter which would never attack the candidate’s competence and self-confidence.
The first day of work at the company:
Think back at all the jobs you had in the past. What effort did those companies make to give you a warm welcome on your first day of work? My most memorable experience for my first day of work was in 2001 at a Recruitment Agency. My boss surprised me with a big chocolate bar saying “SUCCESS”.
But how would I WOW my candidate on the first day? I would ask all staff members (no matter what the size of the company is!) to turn up 15 minutes earlier than usually and organise a little surprise party for the new hire. An opportunity to introduce other staff members, have a nice chat, and some nice snacks before getting down to business. Who would not feel happy about a little gesture like that? I could imagine the person at the end of the day sharing this experience with relatives and friends, maybe even on social media. Surely worth a try! Remember, it will make people spread the word and create a positive image. Think about other ways on how you can make the new team member feel at ease, comfortable and special.
If your company is able to create a positive experience in the candidates’ eyes (even after being rejected) you achieved your goal. Bear in mind that job applicants are also consumers and it would be a pity if you would lose both at the same time. Last but not least, never underestimate the power of social media. Online reputation plays already an important role in the way a company is being perceived and it’s not going to change in the near future. On the contrary, it’s significance will increase even more. It’s all about Employment Branding. Watch out! People DO talk and share in private and in public!
"},"publishedOn":"2015-09-08T19:35:26.483Z"}},{"node":{"url":"the-cv-that-will-really-get-you-a-job-interview","title":"The CV that will really get you a job interview!","description":{"description":"Remember that\r\nthe goal of a CV is to get you an interview, not the job straight away! Knowing\r\nthat recruiters spend on average just 9 seconds on a CV before deciding whether\r\nyou are worth being invited to an interview or not, makes the task even more\r\nchallenging. First impressions do matter! Having a great strategy in place how\r\nto approach the task can save you considerable time in your job hunt. Follow these steps and you will have\r\ninterviews lined up for you!
"},"body":{"body":"Remember that\r\nthe goal of a CV is to get you an interview, not the job straight away! Knowing\r\nthat recruiters spend on average just 9 seconds on a CV before deciding whether\r\nyou are worth being invited to an interview or not, makes the task even more\r\nchallenging. First impressions do matter! Having a great strategy in place how\r\nto approach the task can save you considerable time in your job hunt. Follow these steps and you will have\r\ninterviews lined up for you!
Can you actually\r\nreally motivate other people? I would say “Only to a certain extent.” I do\r\nbelieve that it’s not difficult to get results from highly self-motivated\r\npeople, because they feel passionate about what they are doing and need very\r\nlittle additional encouragement. They roll up their sleeves, get started and\r\nknow exactly how good they are. The real art consists in being able to motivate\r\na person who hates their job! But if you have someone like that in your team I\r\nwould seriously advise you to offer that person another challenge that s/he\r\nfeels more enthusiastic about (if there is any option). It is therefore crucial\r\nto hire people who are self-motivated from Day 1. Believe me, it will save you\r\ntime, money and mental energy.
"},"body":{"body":"Can you actually\r\nreally motivate other people? I would say “Only to a certain extent.” I do\r\nbelieve that it’s not difficult to get results from highly self-motivated\r\npeople, because they feel passionate about what they are doing and need very\r\nlittle additional encouragement. They roll up their sleeves, get started and\r\nknow exactly how good they are. The real art consists in being able to motivate\r\na person who hates their job! But if you have someone like that in your team I\r\nwould seriously advise you to offer that person another challenge that s/he\r\nfeels more enthusiastic about (if there is any option). It is therefore crucial\r\nto hire people who are self-motivated from Day 1. Believe me, it will save you\r\ntime, money and mental energy.
When I was a\r\nteam leader during my MBA course I remember that it was quite easy to achieve my\r\ngoal of coming up with a great business plan. I allocated the tasks according\r\nto my team mates’ skills, strengths, interests and passions. Providing them\r\nwith regular constructive feedback and genuinely appreciating their input have\r\nproved to be effective. I learnt that if you notice and acknowledge what great\r\nwork others are doing, they will again work very hard, if not even harder later\r\non! Dream teams can achieve dream results. \r\n
But now imagine this\r\nscenario: Your boss asked you to come up with an idea on how to solve a certain\r\ncorporate issue. You are convinced that you have a great solution to the\r\ncompany’s problem. After presenting it to your boss all you get to hear is\r\n“This is sh*t!” What is the first thing that crosses your mind? Or let me ask\r\nyou differently: What is more likely to be your reaction? “That was it, I’m not\r\ngoing to work any longer for this kind of person/company!” or “Sh*t??? Now I\r\nwill show you what I can really do!”
Believe it or\r\nnot, but in case of Steve Jobs, this statement apparently helped him to get the\r\nbest out of his employees and make them create innovative and highly\r\nsought-after products. What would have put most of the people off, inspired\r\nothers to look beyond their own capabilities and create unimaginable products. But\r\nwe need to bear in mind that this method will not work for everyone and most of\r\nthe people might feel offended by such a comment. Damaging criticism can stay\r\nwith people for weeks, months or even years. Let’s be honest, everyone wants to\r\nhear what a great job they are doing, or what an important part they play\r\nwithin a company, isn’t it? I was always a firm believer that praise is the\r\nmost effective way to motivate people. Some years ago I’ve written a book about\r\nthe power of praise (in German) in which I mentioned the 19 rules to follow\r\nwhen praising others verbally.
However, there\r\nis something we can learn from Steve Jobs: Never be satisfied with your very\r\nfirst idea. If someone tells you that what you suggested is not as great as you\r\nthought, you should not see it as critique but as an opportunity to stretch\r\nyour imagination even further and then really come up with something outstanding!\r\nChallenge yourself and think of many other ways that can help you to solve the\r\nissue. There is no harm in asking also others for their thoughts, it might\r\nreally help you to come up with something impressive. In hindsight, you might\r\neven be grateful for it because you will realise one more time how brilliant\r\nyou really are!
As a parent you\r\nwill learn that every child is different. Well, in the corporate world it is not\r\nvery different. Every employee is different in its own way and is motivated by\r\ndifferent things. One person might be hungry for money, another person might\r\nappreciate more the verbal applause. Others again might welcome the idea of\r\nreceiving additional learning and career opportunities within the company.\r\nThere are many incentives you can offer your employees, such as: more holidays,\r\ntrips abroad, personal development options, company’s shares, meal vouchers, personalised\r\ngifts, movie tickets, salary increase, premium bonuses, etc.
For most of the\r\npeople money is the main motivator. However, I do believe that the best\r\napproach to motivate your staff in an impressive way would be to personalize\r\neach individual’s needs, regardless of your company’s size. This can be done by\r\nconducting a survey among current employees and during the final interview\r\nstage for new hires. Asking an employee what motivates them the most would be\r\nan effective way of giving employees exactly that what they appreciate the\r\nmost. Remember the benefits: you will have happier, more satisfied, more\r\nproductive and creative staff which last but not least, will stay longer in\r\nyour company.
"},"publishedOn":"2015-08-24T20:21:48.817Z"}},{"node":{"url":"what-makes-a-great-recruiter","title":"What makes a great Recruiter?","description":{"description":"Working as a Recruiter can be a\r\nchallenging job for the person who has great interpersonal skills and is target\r\ndriven. But if you prefer to just hide yourself behind a computer then I can\r\ntell you “It’s not for you!” You need to deal with people and that on a daily\r\nbasis. Now if tomorrow I would go to a job interview for the position of a\r\nRecruiter and they would ask me “What makes a great Recruiter in your opinion?”\r\nI would answer like this.
"},"body":{"body":"Working as a Recruiter can be a\r\nchallenging job for the person who has great interpersonal skills and is target\r\ndriven. But if you prefer to just hide yourself behind a computer then I can\r\ntell you “It’s not for you!” You need to deal with people and that on a daily\r\nbasis. Now if tomorrow I would go to a job interview for the position of a\r\nRecruiter and they would ask me “What makes a great Recruiter in your opinion?”\r\nI would answer like this:
A great recruiter is someone who knows\r\nhow to connect with people quickly, easily and with impact, no matter what\r\ntheir background is. He would do it by showing genuine interest in them, caring\r\nabout what is going on in their lives without being intrusive, by adding value\r\nif they need some advice, by remembering their birthday and interests, by being\r\nkind and honest.
I would expect the person to look,\r\nsound and act with great confidence at all times. Someone who doesn’t really stop\r\nengaging with people once they have matched an employer with a candidate (in\r\ncase we are talking about an Agency Recruiter) but who keeps up the\r\nrelationship also afterwards. This Recruiter would know exactly that if both of\r\nthem are again on a job or candidate hunt, they would turn to him for help due\r\nto his great relationship.
The perfect recruiter is someone who does\r\nnot just try to fill a position by meeting a corporate target in order to earn a\r\ncommission, but who wants to make sure that the candidate is absolutely happy\r\nwith the new job role.
Being able to influence people in a\r\ngenuine way is another highly important skill a recruiter must have. I do\r\nbelieve it’s an art because very few would be able to persuade a highly\r\nsatisfied employee to change job.
Someone who keeps his eyes and ears\r\nopen at all times and knows how to network effectively with others at the right\r\ntime is surely doing a good job. Having a creative mind and being able to spot opportunities\r\nwhich others don’t recognize, is something that would give him an edge.
Another important trait that a great Recruiter\r\nshould be able to master is his time management, organisational and\r\nmultitasking skills. Keeping many details in mind and setting the right\r\npriorities is essential. Nowadays being quick is particularly important in this\r\nindustry since clients as well as candidates are exposed to many other options\r\ntoo.
I remember when Greg Savage, an\r\nAustralian recruitment expert, once referred to the recruitment industry as\r\n“The Business of Rejections”. A savvy Recruiter knows how to deal with\r\nrejections effectively from the clients’ as well as job candidates’ side. He\r\nneeds to be someone who does not get discouraged easily, does not take comments\r\npersonally and is fully aware that persevering and being resilient plays a big\r\npart in this challenge. In this particular job many unpredictable situations\r\ncan happen, such as: people not turning up to interviews, people changing their\r\nminds in the last moment, finding other opportunities from other sources, starting\r\nthe new job but leaving soon afterwards, etc.) – let’s be honest not everyone\r\ncan take it!
A great Recruiter is also reliable,\r\npunctual and sticks to what he promises when dealing with others. This attitude\r\nwill help him to be perceived as a smart, trustworthy and credible professional.\r\n
He knows how to communicate well in\r\nvarious situations by being always articulate, polite and knowing how to give\r\nconstructive feedback. Reading peoples’ body language in order to know what others\r\nfeel or think can be very beneficial and allow him to turn a situation around. Having\r\na big network of people which he can rely on when it matters is certainly something\r\nthat would benefit him.
The perfect Recruiter in today’s\r\nmodern world also knows how to use sophisticated HR Software and social media\r\nchannels in order to attract and hire the best candidates in a quick and\r\ncost-efficient way.
Since one of the main task of a\r\nRecruiter is to conduct job interviews he needs to know what the most relevant\r\nquestions are that need to be asked and how to interpret them correctly (being\r\nable to read between the lines). He acts like a great ambassador for the\r\ncompany and knows how to sell “benefits” rather than features to candidates and\r\nclients.
One more time, what makes a great\r\nrecruiter? Basically, someone who breathes, lives and dreams about recruitment.\r\nNo matter how much HR Professionals rely on technology in order to satisfy\r\ntheir hiring needs, we must not forget about the HUMAN factor.
"},"publishedOn":"2015-08-17T05:56:26.820Z"}},{"node":{"url":"great-habits-of-effective-recruiters","title":"Great Habits of Effective Recruiters","description":{"description":"If you\r\nare able to find great candidates for your company CONGRATULATIONS! But how\r\nwould you feel if 50 % of them quit within the first month or are being fired\r\nbefore their probationary period is over? Imagine … the whole process would\r\nhave to start all over again, investing more time and more money. You and\r\nothers might even start questioning your real hiring skills. Have you ever\r\nasked yourself what habits would allow you to work more effectively and\r\nefficiently as a recruiter? Keep reading.
"},"body":{"body":"If you\r\nare able to find great candidates for your company CONGRATULATIONS! But how\r\nwould you feel if 50 % of them quit within the first month or are being fired\r\nbefore their probationary period is over? Imagine … the whole process would\r\nhave to start all over again, investing more time and more money. You and\r\nothers might even start questioning your real hiring skills. Have you ever\r\nasked yourself what habits would allow you to work more effectively and\r\nefficiently as a recruiter? Keep reading.
Effective\r\nrecruiters are always trying to improve their own performance by reviewing\r\ntheir approaches and strategies when dealing with current and new clients as\r\nwell as candidates. Asking yourself on a daily basis: “What can I do\r\ndifferently, better, quicker or more efficiently in the future?” will help you\r\nto achieve that goal more effectively.
"},"publishedOn":"2015-07-28T07:18:34.130Z"}},{"node":{"url":"how-to-prepare-a-professional-assessment-centre","title":"How to prepare a professional Assessment Centre","description":{"description":"There\r\nis no doubt about it: putting candidates through an assessment centre\r\nexperience will reveal more about them than meeting them in your office face to\r\nface. Fact is that often organisations choose this approach mostly for\r\nmanagerial jobs and graduates and not for every single vacancy that they need\r\nto fill.
"},"body":{"body":"\r\n\r\n\tThere is no doubt about it: putting candidates\r\nthrough an assessment centre experience will reveal more about them than meeting\r\nthem in your office face to face. Fact is that often organisations choose this\r\napproach mostly for managerial jobs and graduates and not for every single\r\nvacancy that they need to fill. According to research\r\nby Employment Review, more than 9 out of 10 employers believe that using\r\nassessment centres are a very (47 %) or fairly (48 %) effective method of\r\nhiring staff. A survey conducted by Equal Opportunities Review among 91 private\r\ncompanies and public sector institutions found that 53 % believe the costs\r\ninvolved for the assessment are justified (running between 100 and 500 GBP per\r\nperson depending on the position).\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tIf in your company the question arises “Should we\r\nrun an Assessment Centre for the xyz job?” you as a recruiter need to make\r\nyourself aware of the advantages and disadvantages.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tThe benefits are as follows:\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tHowever, the disadvantages should not be ignored:\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tIf you are seriously thinking to run a smooth Assessment\r\nCentre pay attention to these points:\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tThe better you plan\r\nand execute this assessment process the higher your chances are to hire high-quality\r\ntalent in the long term. If you take a rushed decision and think assessment\r\ncentres are a waste of time you might end up with a bad hire. Now imagine if\r\nthis would really be the case … in the end you would still have to spend more\r\ntime and money. You want to make sure that the same mistake doesn’t repeat\r\nitself. So, was it then really\r\nworthwhile?\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you need an efficient platform to run the assessments, Skillmeter is here for you. It is super easy to set it up (no IT required) and will help you save time, money and nerves. Click here to learn more about what Skillmeter is and how you can use it. \r\n
\r\n"},"publishedOn":"2015-07-25T17:28:36.237Z"}},{"node":{"url":"soft-skills-the-secret-to-hiring-more-successfully","title":"Soft Skills: The secret to hiring more successfully?","description":{"description":"Imagine … you are conducting an\r\ninterview and you come across Bob, 24, Graduate from a well-established university.\r\nYou invite him to participate in a technical test in order to find out the\r\nlevel of expertise he has on several programming languages. You notice that he works\r\nquickly, pays attention to detail and according to the test result has highly\r\nadvanced technical skills. You think “This is the one I really need in my\r\nteam!” The interview process continues and then you meet your last candidate.\r\nHer name is Monique, 27, a passionate self-taught web designer who comes across\r\nas a very likeable person with good soft skills. Her technical test result was\r\nnot outstanding, nevertheless it was good. You decide to choose between these\r\ntwo candidates. You invite both to an in-house “Experience Day” hoping that\r\nafter spending some more time with them you will be able to make up your mind\r\nwho to hire.
"},"body":{"body":"Imagine … you are conducting an\r\ninterview and you come across Bob, 24, Graduate from a well-established university.\r\nYou invite him to participate in a technical test in order to find out the\r\nlevel of expertise he has on several programming languages. You notice that he works\r\nquickly, pays attention to detail and according to the test result has highly\r\nadvanced technical skills. You think “This is the one I really need in my\r\nteam!” The interview process continues and then you meet your last candidate.\r\nHer name is Monique, 27, a passionate self-taught web designer who comes across\r\nas a very likeable person with good soft skills. Her technical test result was\r\nnot outstanding, nevertheless it was good. You decide to choose between these\r\ntwo candidates. You invite both to an in-house “Experience Day” hoping that\r\nafter spending some more time with them you will be able to make up your mind\r\nwho to hire.
You ask Bob and Monique to work on\r\nthree little projects with other team mates. At the end of the day you challenge\r\nyour colleagues by asking the crucial question: “Who should we hire?” The whole\r\nteam – without exception - told you that Monique would be a dream to work with.\r\nWhy? They were impressed with her for several reasons. Let me tell you more\r\nabout it.
Are you wondering what happened to\r\nBob? His technical superiority was certainly clear but he felt so intimidated\r\nby Monique’s attitude and people skills that his self-confidence completely\r\nvanished. He did not connect well with other team members, was perceived as\r\nhighly arrogant and thus didn’t seem to be a great fit for that company.
So, what can we learn from this\r\nexperience? In today’s workplace you need soft skills (so called people skills/interpersonal\r\nskills/emotional intelligence) as well as hard skills (known as technical\r\nknowledge). What do you think is more important? Many research studies show\r\nthat hard skills are important but it is the soft skills that will make a\r\ncompany more successful in the long run. An employee with great soft skills is\r\nin higher demand than one that is a technical genius but doesn’t get along with\r\nothers. Employers nowadays want to hire people who already have great soft\r\nskills from Day 1. Many companies nowadays are prepared to offer further\r\ntraining if a person’s technical skill or knowledge in a certain area is\r\nlimited. That is something that can be learnt quickly but the right attitude is\r\nsomething you either have or you don’t have.
I remember often telling jobseekers\r\n“It’s the hard skills that will get you the interview, but it’s your soft\r\nskills which will finally get you the job!” or how did John Rockefeller say it?\r\n“I will pay more for the ability to deal with people than any other skill.”
"},"publishedOn":"2015-07-13T09:39:28.690Z"}},{"node":{"url":"top-10-job-interview-questions ","title":"The Top 10 Most Revealing Job Interview Questions you must ask","description":{"description":"Imagine… you have 6 candidates to interview for one\r\njob. For each applicant you have only 40 minutes at your disposal and there are\r\nhundreds of interview questions you need to choose from. What are the right\r\nquestions that will help you to determine who the most suitable candidate is? Here\r\nare my favourite Top 10 Questions.
"},"body":{"body":"Imagine… you have 6 candidates to interview for one\r\njob. For each applicant you have only 40 minutes at your disposal and there are\r\nhundreds of interview questions you need to choose from. What are the right\r\nquestions that will help you to determine who the most suitable candidate is? Here\r\nare my favourite Top 10 Questions.
# 1 - “Tell\r\nme about yourself.” The answer to this question will tell you to what\r\nextent the candidate is able to promote themselves in an impressive way right\r\nfrom the beginning. I would say that for sales-related positions this is an\r\nabsolute must question. Here you will see how well prepared the candidate is\r\nand if s/he knows what relevant information needs to be highlighted in order to\r\nbe seriously considered.
# 2 - “What\r\nare your strengths and weaknesses”. The answer to this question will reveal\r\nhow well a candidate knows themselves. Ask yourself: Do these strengths add\r\nvalue to the job position and the company or are they irrelevant for this\r\nparticular job? If the person is not able to mention any weaknesses – and we\r\nall know that nobody is perfect! – you need to question the honesty of the\r\ncandidate. If a certain weakness was mentioned you need to ask yourself: Is it something that the company can easily\r\naccept or might it have a serious impact on the company’s bottom line?
# 3 –\r\n“What’s your reason for changing job?” Find out if the person has a\r\nclear understanding of what the new job involves and what the person’s reason\r\nfor dissatisfaction is. And last but not least, is your company able to fill\r\nthe gap?
# 4 –\r\n“What’s your ideal work environment?” Here you will need to find out to\r\nwhat extent the applicant’s preferences are compatible with the ones that your\r\ncompany is offering.
# 5 - “Describe\r\nme the perfect boss”. This answer will provide you with information about\r\nwhat a candidate values and appreciates in his future boss. Does the potential\r\nhire describe similar character traits that you? Does the answer make you think\r\n“I would love to work with this candidate” or “Oh my god, I would never get\r\nalong with this person.”?
# 6 - “What\r\ndid you enjoy and not enjoy in your previous jobs?” Let’s say you are\r\nlooking for a Recruitment Consultant whose job consists 70 % of talking to\r\npeople on the phone. The candidate mentions that talking to people on the phone\r\nin his current customer service job made him/her always feel uncomfortable. How\r\neffective do you think would this person be if hired? Thus, make sure that the new\r\njob responsibilities are similar to those that the future hire enjoyed doing in\r\nthe past too. Since the person intends to change job you should ask yourself\r\n“Can my company give this person job responsibilities that the candidate would\r\nlove to do but have not been offered by his current employer?”
# 7 - “Why\r\ndid you apply for this particular job?” This answer will tell you if the\r\ncandidate is fully aware of what the person is expected to do. It will also\r\ngive you some real insights into the candidate’s level of motivation. How\r\nexcited does the person sound? If the candidate tells you that his/her skills,\r\nexperiences and motivation are the best fit for the job (and you can see and\r\nfeel it!) you have found a potential great hire which you should seriously\r\nconsider.
# 8 – “What\r\nare your hobbies and personal interests?” – This answer will tell you what\r\nthe person is like outside of work. Does the candidate mention hobbies which\r\nhelp to improve their skills, do some charity work or play any groups sports\r\nthat would make him a better team player or does the person prefer more passive\r\nactivities such as watching TV, sleeping or playing computer games?
# 9 - Competency based interview questions are the\r\nones that are crucial in order to test a candidate’s several abilities. Which\r\nones you ask depends obviously on the job position and its competencies. However,\r\nan example would be “What do you do when\r\na customer is upset? Please give me a specific example.” Is the person able\r\nto handle the situation calmly by solving the complainer’s problem quickly and\r\neffectively or does the person feel irritate and act rudely?
# 10 – “Where\r\ndo you see yourself in five years’ time?” The answer to this question will\r\nreveal whether the candidate wants just any job or the job you have to offer.\r\nDo you notice that the person already thought thoroughly about what it would be\r\nlike to be working there and reflects that in the way s/he communicates? Furthermore,\r\nit will also tell you if the candidate has a real sense of what your company\r\ncan offer.
Remember that effective interviewing means asking\r\nquestions which will give a recruiter a clue to what extent the candidate’s and\r\nthe company’s values and expectations are matching each other. One might be a\r\ngreat candidate with superb skills but whose work ethic, values and\r\nexpectations might be very different from the company’s standards. Asking the\r\nright questions is therefore of paramount importance and will reveal some very\r\nuseful information which the candidate might not always be able to realise instantly\r\nwhen being asked.
"},"publishedOn":"2015-07-06T08:44:25.470Z"}},{"node":{"url":"how-recruiters-can-effectively-improve-their-communication-skills","title":"How recruiters can effectively improve their Communication Skills","description":{"description":"We all know it - communication skills are the\r\nmost important skill in today’s corporate world regardless in what industry someone\r\nis working in. Recruiters expect jobseekers to have great communication skills\r\nbut how good are recruiters in communicating with their great talents,\r\ncolleagues, clients and team members?
"},"body":{"body":"We\nall know it - communication skills are the most important skill in today’s\ncorporate world regardless in what industry someone is working in. Recruiters expect jobseekers to have great communication skills but how good are recruiters in communicating with their great talents, colleagues, clients and team members? Do they set a good example themselves? A Recruiter needs communication skills on a daily basis by talking to people on the phone, meeting people face to face, communicating via email, writing job ads/job descriptions/job offers, holding presentations or speeches, posting on social media websites and promoting the company on several occasions.
Let’s have a look at how you as a Recruiter can communicate more effectively in your job.
Communication\nface to face:
No matter how technologically advanced we are, personal communication and meeting face to face will still play an important role. During a job interview or while participating in a career fair you will have the chance to show your excellent communication skills. Some tips:
Communication on the phone:
The only thing that a jobseeker experiences at this stage is the recruiter’s voice. The benefit of using body language to undermine certain points is in this case unfortunately not possible. It is therefore crucial that your voice sounds positive and enthusiastic in order to establish a good relationship right from the beginning. You also need to be focused on getting the answers to relevant questions. Good preparation is therefore key.
Communication via email:
If you want to approach passive candidates follow the following steps: no spelling or grammar mistakes, personalise your message so that it sounds unique to the\nreader, keep it to the point and talk about the benefits that the candidate\nwill gain. If you need to write rejection letters to candidates try still to\npresent your message in a positive and encouraging way. Avoid words such as\n“unfortunately”, “unsuccessful”, etc.
Written communication:
When offering a job to a great applicant it should be done impressively. It’s a special moment for a jobseeker, so try to make it in a memorable and creative way. Make sure you include all the relevant details in the letter sent via post and/or email.
Writing job ads is another important task of a recruiter. If you are able to create visually eye-catching job ads with attractive content it should not be difficult to attract great talent. Having great copywriting skills can be very useful for this particular task. Getting it wrong at this stage will put you already to a disadvantage because all you might get are B and C Players rather than A Players. Look at how other companies are formulating their job ads. What grabs your attention? See if you can apply a similar approach for your own company.
Communication online:
When you are communicating online on websites or social media networks it is paramount\nto keep your language always professional, effective, error-free and positive. Promote your company in a positive way that makes other people feel proud to be working within the same company and also helps to attract potential great talent in the future. Use your social media skills to find easily and quickly the right people. If you are interviewing candidates by using video software make sure you speak clearly and not too fast. Having great lighting, a good audio quality and a non-distracting background would make it look more professional.
Communication to an audience:
If you are planning to give a speech at an event be aware as to how you can attract\nyour audience’s attention right from the beginning. Research your audience in advance, share lots of personal stories. Remember that sharing these episodes and engaging a lot with the audience is the key to a successful and memorable speech, something I can personalise confirm!
Last but not least, remember that the recruitment sector is fast-paced. SPEED is particularly in this industry a competitive advantage. Thus, be quick in\nreplying to people and in taking sound hiring decisions!
"},"publishedOn":"2015-06-18T11:19:55.140Z"}},{"node":{"url":"are-hr-managers-the-new-brand-managers","title":"Are HR Managers the new Brand Managers?","description":{"description":"Don’t\r\never think that marketing a company is limited to the Marketing Manager only.\r\nWhether you realise it or not: every single employee is to some extent a\r\nmarketer for their company. However, an HR Manager has not just the task of\r\ninterviewing and hiring people but to make sure that the image of a company is at\r\nall times positive. There are many ways on how recruiters can harm their own\r\ncompany’s reputation.
"},"body":{"body":"Don’t ever think that marketing a company is\r\nlimited to the Marketing Manager only. Whether you realise it or not: every\r\nsingle employee is to some extent a marketer for their company. However, an HR\r\nManager has not just the task of interviewing and hiring people but to make\r\nsure that the image of a company is at all times positive. There are many ways on\r\nhow recruiters can harm their own company’s reputation. For example, by not\r\npreparing effectively for the interview, by letting candidates wait for days or\r\neven weeks to reply for first time or follow-up interviews, by making\r\nlast-minute modifications during the interview process regarding job roles and\r\nduties, by not being honest to candidates or by treating them disrespectfully.
Word-of-mouth is still the most effective and\r\ncheapest way of promoting a business. Thus, companies need to realise that\r\nnowadays there are specific websites in which candidates can easily voice their\r\nopinion or share their experiences with people from all around the world. Here\r\nwe are talking about two groups: the ones who tell others how their job\r\ninterview experience was and the others who share their personal experience on\r\nhow positive and negative it was to work at certain companies. Let’s not forget\r\nsocial media websites which make it very easy to spread negative comments –\r\ninstantly and for free! So, do you still think that it doesn’t matter and that\r\nit doesn’t have any impact on your company’s image and success?
Let’s bear in mind that every time a job applicant,\r\na current or prospective client, a supplier or any other stakeholder is\r\ninteracting with a company it leaves a certain impression about a company. The\r\nquestion is: is it a good one or a bad one? Imagine you got invited for a job\r\ninterview… you think this is a great company but after reading several personal\r\nexperiences from previous employees you get a completely different view and\r\ninsight into this company. To be honest, who would not read up in advance what\r\nother people have to say about what it feels like working for company xyz\r\nbefore heading to an interview?
The responsibility of an HR Manager is therefore to\r\nmake sure that candidates during the recruitment process are having a positive\r\nexperience. Now, that will be a real challenge considering the fact that only\r\none person will land the job while others will need to be rejected\r\ndiplomatically. How can a company still manage to provide them with a positive\r\nexperience? Here are some steps you can take to not upset your candidates:
Companies are busy in their daily tasks and\r\nproviding everyone with timely and reasonable feedback is not easy. However, think\r\nof potential negative consequences: great talent can be lost, the number of\r\nclients might decrease and your reputation (corporate and personal) can suffer.\r\nOnce I approached a newspaper company for a freelance job as occasional\r\ncolumnist. The fact that this media company did not make any effort at all to\r\nreply to my proposal led to the cancellation of my annual subscription.\r\nRemember that a poor candidate experience can have an impact not only on your\r\ncompany’s sales figures but also your corporate image. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE\r\nPOWER OF TODAY’S LITTLE NOBODIES IN THE ONLINE WORLD! The bigger your company\r\nis the more cautious you should be. Seriously!
The marketing and HR department within a company\r\nhave to work together very closely in order to attract great talent in a quick,\r\nprofessional and effective way in the future. An HR Manager might have great\r\ninterviewing and specific technical skills but it doesn’t make the person\r\nautomatically a good corporate brand manager. In this case, offering specific training\r\non “How to be an enthusiastic corporate ambassador” would be a wise investment.\r\nThe participation of all other employees would be highly beneficial and should\r\nbe encouraged too.
"},"publishedOn":"2015-06-16T16:50:15.213Z"}}]}},"pageContext":{"skip":160,"limit":10,"pageNumber":17,"hasPrevPage":true,"prevPageLink":"/blog/16","hasNextPage":true,"nextPageLink":"/blog/18"}}, "staticQueryHashes": []}