Staffing Services (7) Page 7

In today’s market, we obviously see the rise in difficulty of finding qualified talent. However, what might not appear obvious, but in-essence becomes more important than finding qualified employees, is keeping qualified employees and specifically those acquired through staffing groups. The main reason for this is that clients have spent money and time to fill a role. The opening is sent to staffing groups because the client is either in a crunch to fill a position to keep up with production or because they do not have the resources available to qualify or find good talent for future growth. In today’s job market, candidates have plenty of options, you must put practices in place to entice employees to stay, communicate their biggest concerns and make sure your investment through staffing will pay off.

There is a problem in the world of salespeople, and that problem is that they are often talking too much. If a salesperson asked a question every time they opened their mouth, more sales would be closed. Let’s take a step back for a second and think of a stereotypical used car salesman with their, “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do for you.” That is just a bad sales presentation, and everyone knows it. This salesman’s mouth is constantly moving, trying to force a sale. We all want a professional salesman, someone who lets the client or prospect do the talking by "reversing" to keep the conversation flowing in the direction of a closed deal.

Years and years ago, people tried to get the attention of a recruiter by making their paper resume/CV “stand out.” They’d try fancier paper, special fonts, columns, formatting, bold headlines and putting their picture on their CV. I personally like the fellow who mailed one new shoe to an employer with his resume and a note stating, “I’d like to get my other foot in the door.”

As a recruiter, I often hear candidates complain about not receiving responses to their job applications. The first question I always ask is, "Have you checked your resume to make sure your contact information is correct?" Most will say, "Yes" or "I’m pretty sure it’s correct," and that’s when I walk them through their resume. 

I’m a big believer in tailoring your resume for the job opportunity you want. As you look at a job description, you see the skill and technologies requirements for the job. Why would you not add some of those keywords if you have that experience in your background?

The job search and interview process can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. You filled out the application, underwent a personality test, took a phone interview, went through a multi-person panel interview and had lunch with the President. You now find yourself with a job offer in hand and you want to make sure you're making the right decision.

What’s being conveyed to potential hiring prospects, clients or business partners during the first three seconds of your encounter? Whether you are a CAD engineer, mechanical designer, or another industry professional, some studies show that it only takes three seconds for an opinion to be formed about you. Here's why appearance in the workplace does matter.

Congratulations! You’ve been working with a recruiter and they’ve helped to secure a phone interview for you for a great job. Now what? Many times, the first step in the interview process is a telephone interview or “phone screen.” This typically is a brief 20-30 minute meeting conducted via telephone. Phone screens are a convenient way to break the ice between candidate and hiring manager in a low-pressure setting. You can get a feel for the role and company and the hiring manager can get an overview of your skills to see if it makes sense to move on to the next step in the hiring process.

You find yourself in the job market and in need of a resume update. Your resume is your biography, inclusive of your employment history, skills, education, certifications and accomplishments. It is your first impression to a prospective employer, your 30 second commercial about yourself.