Please don't call us headhunters!

In case you were wondering...

2008-01-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

In case anyone was wondering where I've been for the last 3 months...

In December of 2007, I accepted a major promotion with my company. I am now our "Manager of Operations". Lots of new responsibilities and tons to learn! My head has been spinning for weeks but I feel like I'm finally getting a handle on things.

I hope to still be able to share the occasional fun story with anyone who can still be bothered to check out this blog once in a while!

So, why did you leave your last position?

2007-11-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've heard some great reasons for leaving a job in the past. But this one takes the cake.

Ian Holloway, former manager of the Plymouth Argyle Football Club, recently resigned his position to take on the leadership role at Leicester. His reason for leaving:

Life's about relationships. I had a fantastic one at Plymouth and I understand I will have broken some hearts but it was breaking my heart that I might not have the opportunity to spend all that money.

In his interview with BBC sport, it's clear that he's actually speaking about the larger budget at Leicester - at least I think so.

Oops!

2007-10-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

So one of my coworkers asked if I wrote this post on slate.com

I am much smarter than my co-workers. When one of them asks a dumb question (i.e., "What's so bad about Fox News?"), I try to be sensitive and explain without making them feel stupid. Sometimes, though, I get very frustrated, and it's difficult to hold my tongue... How does one handle working with people like this? I could keep my mouth shut and go with the flow, but it makes me feel dumb when I don't speak up—I feel that if I don't acknowledge their stupidity, then I'm not doing my duty as an informed young woman.

I think she was kidding - at least I hope she was. Maybe I need to bring the intellectual snobbery down a notch or two???

Yikes!

It's a jungle out there!

2007-10-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

I really love the ad campaign that Career Builder is running these days - beginning with the "Promotion Pit" ad during the superbowl.

It appears that the good folks at CareerBuilder have now teamed up with the coporate side of the Second City comedy team to produce:

"Cube Monkeys: A Handbook for Surviving the Office Jungle" (available on Amazon) which features top 10 lists, games and hilarious advice.

You can find an excerpt on MSN Careers (powered by CareerBuilder)

But here are my favorites from the: The Boss-to-English Translator

"Great job on the report!"
Translation: "I'm taking credit for your work."

"Let me give you some broadstroke ideas and you can fill in the rest."
Translation: "I still haven't learned how to create an Excel document."

"This office is a family and my door is always open if you ever need to powwow with Papa Bear."
Translation: "I am a tool."

"I'll be out of the office for a couple hours with senior management, but you can reach me on my mobile."
Translation: "I'm playing golf."

"I'll be off-site and unreachable for the rest of the afternoon."
Translation: "I'm playing golf and I expect to be very, very drunk."

"I think we should order in some lunch for the team."
Translation: "None of you are getting a raise. Enjoy your pizza."

"It's good to see you take such bold initiative!"
Translation: "You are a threat to me. You will be fired the next time we so much as run out of coffee."

"Did you finish those projections I asked you about on Friday?"
Translation: "I completely forgot to ask you about the projections on Friday, and I'm hoping your memory is even worse than mine."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news."
Translation: "Disappointing you is the only pleasure I have left in my dead-end, crappy job."

Job Advertising

2007-09-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

I don't think this is what anyone has in mind for "sizzle":

Experienced maintenance technician to work on any equipment problem in a wide variety of conditions: dark, dirty, greasy, foamy, steamy, windy, hot, cold, wet, dry, confined, open, indoors, outdoors, at heights, and under difficult equipment. Must have own tools and be willing to work odd and irregular hours, weekends and holidays, come in early and stay late. Need to have stamina to work through break times, meals and shift changes week after week with a positive attitude. The ability to make anything and everything out of nothing, and change priorities every 5 minutes or faster is required. Eagerness to work as a team-of-one without much support is essential.

On the up-side - at least it's accurate!

Interviewing is like dating

2007-09-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Ask a Manager recently outlined 7 Ways Interviewing is like Dating:

Desperation is not attractive.
Give the impression that you're choosy.
Make your interest personal, not generic.
Use flattery.
Remember to ask if you like them, not just if they like you.
Don't badmouth your exes.
Keep your ego in check.

I totally agree – there are a couple others I’d like to point out:

If you want to see them again – follow up. The value of a well written and prompt thank you note will go far in landing a second interview or an offer

If it isn’t going to work out – don’t leave them hanging. Honest and upfront feedback from the interviewer will save the candidate many a sleepless night waiting by the phone

Appearances do matter – look and act professional in your interview and ALWAYS be on time.

(and just because I love this story) Be wary of making “the first move” – remember hugging the HR Director is not a good idea. But in all seriousness, be aware of the culture you're interviewing in; are they conservative or laid back? Respond accordingly.

International "Talk Like a Pirate Day"

2007-09-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Who knew there was such a thing!

Here's what not to do in your interview today! http://www.chellar.com/ballog/?p=257

I wish I'd known this earlier today!

More Stupid Candidate Tricks

2007-09-19T14:36:00.001-05:00

I was out of the office last week attending a users conference for our applicant tracking software - of course being in a hotel (and yes, a bar or two) full of recruiters, there were a few more "Stupid Candidate Trick" stories to be heard.

What really surprised me is that I heard from more than one recruiter -

A candidate shows up for the interview - everything goes wonderfully and the client makes an offer, the candidate accepts the offer and agrees to start the next week. However, when the candidate shows up for work - the candidate is an entirely different person.

I know what you're thinking - people are always different in interviews - but NO, not just a different persona - but a completely different PERSON!

Can you even imagine? I'm not even sure what the purpose of that is... I mean - do they think someone isn't going to notice the difference?

Job Advertising

2007-09-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

Alright dedicated readers - if I have any - I need some help!

A large part of my job is writing our "job ads" for sites like CareerBuilder, The Ladders, our own website of course, and a niche boards like LatPro, the Society for Women Engineers, etc.

I feel like I'm in a rut.

All my ads feel the same to me -

Title - the actual job title not an ad title
Description of the hiring company and the main objective of the job
A basic overview of job responsbilities
An "ideal candidate" summary
Basic requirements
More about why you would want to work for this company or want this particular job (i.e. the sizzle.)

Sometimes there is a really great story to tell - and that makes it easier but other times...

So here's what I'd like to know from anyone that happens to stumble by:

What would catch your eye in a job ad
What are the best and worst job ads you've seen (I hope none of mine make the worst list!)
Where do you (or people you know) go to look for jobs in your field (it's helpful if you identify the field too!)
What are your biggest pet peeves about job ads
Are opening lines like "Do you want to be a creative force in a fortune 500 company?" effective or cheesy?

I'd also be interested to know from any fellow recruiter-types what you've found works best for you?

Oh - and if anyone knows how to make Iowa sound like the BEST EVER place to live that would be great to know too!

Y is for You're Kidding, right?

2007-08-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

We all know that one key hurdle in the job hunt is making your resume stand out from others. (See my post on “Representing Yourself in Writing” from Definitive Job Hunt)

BUT, you don’t want your resume ending up the laughing stock of the office that receives it either. (And yes, we Headhunters are brutal when we see a bad resume.) Unfortunately, that is exactly what one job seeker became today!

Here's how:
Instead of an objective, the resume in question had a list of adjectives that conveniently formed the acronym “TALENTED” (Uh-oh, just one line in and the cheesiness meter is already in the red…)

The second page however, broke the cheesiness meter entirely, as it consisted solely of a list of “reasons to hire” this candidate – 26 reasons exactly, A to Z.

I really wish I could share the entire list with all of you, but it’s actually marked “copyright 2007”. Here instead are a couple of the "most compelling" reasons:
B is for Brains
J is for Justifable
X is for X Marks the Spot

I just don't even know what to say other than (and this will come as no surprise to my regular readers) F is for FREAKSHOW!

Stupid Candidate Tricks

2007-08-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend of mine that does some hiring for his organization. We started talking about what I like to call “Stupid Candidate Tricks”. This is when an interviewee does something so completely out of left field that it leaves you almost speechless.

I say almost speechless because you can still usually manage to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t think this is going to work.”

Past Stupid Candidate Tricks Include:

Opening a meeting with the HR Director by giving her a BIG HUG! (lucky it wasn’t the Evil HR Lady!)

Dropping numerous “F-bombs” during the interview & plant tour

Wearing a large gold medallion (think Flava Flav and his big clock) and a light spring jacket throughout the interview

Having false teeth fall out during the first 20 minutes of an all day interview

But I’m pretty sure this recent one takes the cake… I like to call it "A Fish Called Freakshow"

A candidate was coming to Grand Rapids for an interview. It was about an hour long drive, and the interview was scheduled to take up most of the day was to be followed by dinner. This was apparently much too long for the candidate to leave her beloved pet alone, so she arrived at the interview carrying a small glass bowl containing her goldfish. The entire department was relieved when they were able to convince the candidate that the fish would be safe in the office while the group went to dinner. (I hope they didn't go for sushi!)

The Next Generation

2007-08-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, we have two interns working with us this fall, and I would like to preface this post with a disclaimer: Both of them have been doing a fantastic job, and that the following (at least so far!) does not apply to them. Okay, that being said...

This weekend I had a conversation with a friend of mine that is a professor at large public university here in west Michigan. We were discussing the things undergraduate students do to irk him. His primary complaints? A lack of responsibility or sense of accountability, general laziness and poor quality of work combined with an expectation of high grades in return! (The "A for Effort" mentality) Of course, dishonesty and cheating really top the list, but those are not as widespread, at least we hope not!

So today when I read Rowan's post on The Next Generation of Job Hunters discussing the issues he's seen with recent graduates and their general disregard for accuracy and quality. I thought I'd put my two cents in on the topic as well:

Rowan suggests adding this little disclaimer to job advertisements:

Please remember that this application is all we have to go on - if it is careless or sloppy, we can only presume that you are careless and sloppy. Here at XXXX, we pride ourselves on providing 100% accurate service to our clients. One misplaced word or comma in a contract could leave a client vulnerable to litigation. Therefore, spelling, punctuation, grammatical or formatting errors in your application will not be tolerated. One error and you are in the bin. Don't say we didn't warn you...

(It was my turn to spray hot caffeinated beverage from my nostrils on that one!)

And here is my advice to all you new grads and soon-to-be job seekers of this generation:

Before Graduation:

Start now by taking responsibility for your academic career (translation – it wasn’t the professors fault you failed economics if you didn’t bother to read the text or even show up to class!)
Make an effort to understand the business world before you try to join it; learn what “professional attire” is and embrace it

When seeking employment:

Write carefully worded, clear, concise resumes, cover letters, thank you notes, etc. with zero errors and remember, spellchecking doesn’t know the difference between their vs. there, hear vs. here and [my personal favorite] inconvenience vs. incontinence
Practice your verbal presentation skills – work hard to eliminate vocalized pauses (err, umm, ah, and the MOST irritating “like”)

When entering the workforce:

Apply those lessons about taking responsibility to your new job
Give your work the same attention to detail that you gave your well written, error free communications

So what am I saying? – In short, “Don’t be a slacker!”

(I really hope there are not any spelling errors here!)

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 6

2007-08-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

And now, my final installment in Rowan Manahan's “Definitive Guide to Clearing Job Hunt Hurdles”.

After much blathering on, we’ve finally reached the final step: Starting the New Job

So, here we go:

A few simple tips for Employees:

Make an effort to meet everyone and figure out what they do (this is critical especially if you aren’t sure what you’re doing there yet!)
Don’t be afraid to speak up if you aren’t getting the training you need
Don’t assume that things work they way the did at your last job or that the way you did things at XYZ is better
Don’t bad mouth your old job/boss to your new co-workers

A few simple tips for Employers: (Yes, you have a part to play here!)

Make sure the new hire has a desk, a computer, and all the tools they need
Develop a plan for training this person BEFORE they start; make sure you follow that plan!
If at all remotely possible, assign this person a mentor or at least a guide
Create opportunities for the new person to meet others (take the group to lunch, etc.)
Check in with the new person frequently to be sure they are getting what they need

In general, both parties need to communicate effectively throughout this ‘on-boarding’ phase. If you don’t - you’re building a dysfunctional relationship from the beginning.

That’s all I’ve got to say – Hope I’ve been a bit helpful.

Oh yeah - one last thing - don't forget to say "Thanks!" to your friendly neighborhood Headhunter!

Definitive Job Hunt - Part 5

2007-08-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job Hunt Hurdles”.

After a brief reprieve from my rants, I’m back with -

Step 5: Getting the offer you can’t (or at least won’t) refuse

Talking about salary obviously ignites some debate in the blogosphere (as evidenced by this post from the Evil HR Lady), but here’s my take on the “offer stage”.

There is a story that goes something like this:

Reaching the end of a job interview, the human resources person asked a young applicant fresh out of business school, "And what starting salary are you looking for?"

The applicant said, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks' vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50 percent of your salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?"

The applicant sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
The interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."

This moral of this story – know what you are worth & be realistic. If you’re expecting a salary that’s ridiculously far out of the range – you’ll certainly be disappointed in any offer that comes your way.

As with all parts of the job hunt, going into salary negotiations armed with information is the key.

First, evaluate what you are making now and understand the monetary value of your full compensation package. (For example, base salary, bonuses, what are you paying for benefits, what is the value of the benefits, do you have a car allowance, how much did your employer contribute to your 401k last year?) This is why we ask potential candidates, “What is your base salary?” and “What did your w-2 show?”

Second, research the “going rate” for someone in your field. (I like salary.com for this part.)

Now, don’t expect too much – you’re extremely likely to get a bump in salary when you change jobs, but it’s unlikely that you’ll double your salary overnight.

What you will most likely see is a significant but reasonable raise – depending on your industry, career, experience, and how close to that “going rate” your current salary is.

Finally, establish your “yes” and “no” points. To do this, we will ask a candidate “So if the offer comes in at $XX, with relocation and a car allowance, can I accept on your behalf? In short, know your bottom line.

The reality is, this is kind of a difficult topic for me. Since as recruiters we usually know what the company is prepared to offer and what the candidate is prepared to take; a level of knowledge makes all of this much easier! (One reason it's good to work with a recruiter!)

Oops!

2007-08-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Oops - I've let two weeks pass without updating my blog! Bad Bad Karen!

So sorry - I've been personally swamped with car maintenance and making the Michigan county fair circuit with Figure 8 (who is currently running 3rd in points for the year by the way!)

I've also been been busy celebrating our firm's achievement of our yearly revenue goal a full 3.5 months early! (And that's a celebration that takes a little recovering from!)

I've also been busy getting two interns started with the firm, which is a first for us, and something I'm sure will produce at least one blog-worthy incident.

With that said - I'm ready to continue on the topic of "The Definitive Job Hunt".

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 4

2007-08-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job Hunt Hurdles”. Today's installment:

Step 4: Pre- Employment Testing (it's more than just fill this specimen jar these days!)

First, I want to say that although there is much more to pre-employment testing than just the standard drug screen; clearly you should avoid failing your drug screen.

When it comes to drug screens, also avoid:

Asking, "It’s just a urinalysis, right?" (uhm – are you saying you’d fail another type?)
Trying to “fool” the drug screen in any number of creative, yet disgusting, ways. You're going to get caught - no really, you are! (unless you're interviewing with Major League Baseball, then maybe not!)

But enough on that. There are many other types of pre-employment testing, psychological evaluations, sales testing, personality assessments, etc.

If you allow the test to make you nervous you’ll probably do worse than you would normally.

It’s good to know the test is coming, and you may want to find out as much as possible able the testing involved, but as a rule, you can’t “fool” these tests.

Keep in mind that there is a reason the company is asking you to take or endure whatever test, they believe it works; if the test says you won’t be a personality fit in the organization, do you really want to work there anyway?

For example, I once (in a moment of utter insanity) applied for a job at a financial services firm. I did not know it when I scheduled the interview, but this was a sales (read as “telemarketing”) job. I was asked to take a computerized “assessment test” that asked me all sorts of questions about my willingness to bend the rules, and whether I thought ethics were “flexible”. I’m pretty sure I failed the test, because I didn’t even talk to anyone before being told “we don’t think this is the right fit for you”. I thought, if my answers to those questions were not the ones they wanted, I don’t think this is a fit either!

These tests are becoming more and more commonplace in the job hunt market – I guess we just have to live with it.

Definitive Job Hunt - Part 3 (Addendum)

2007-08-03T08:16:00.000-05:00

Ask a Manager commented on my last post "I was interested that you wrote that the best interviews are the ones where the interviewer does most of the talking. I've rarely heard that said and I wondered if you'd elaborate on it more?"

And of course, I'd be happy to do so!

While doing most of the talking, hopefully the hiring manager is sharing with you the real meat of the job, and giving you insight into the problems that the successful candidate will be expected to solve. (This is critical to being able to "close the deal" at the end of the interview.)

But probably the biggest reason is that when the hiring manager starts doing most of the talking, that usually means they've taken over the "selling" role in the interview process. This role reversal is usually a sign that the interview is going well!

I also make a point to tell candidates that "the best interviews are when the hiring manager does most of the talking" because when a candidate is actively thinking about letting the interviewer do most of the talking, they are less likely to ramble (the big pitfall for most candidates.)

Hope that clears things up a bit.

But now I must "Ask a Manager": How do you know when the interview is going well, from the hiring side?

The Definitive Job Hunt - Part 3

2007-08-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job Hunt Hurdles”.

Step 3: Blowing them away in the interview (even without weapons of mass destruction!)

Much like "writing a better resume" there are tons of resources on effective interviewing. A shameless plug here for my firm's website and it's rather handy section: FAQ's for effective interviewing. (Can you tell I did our content development?)

In my time with a third party recruiting firm, I've heard lots of feedback from perspective employers. From that, here are my big no-nos:

Rambling, babbling and in general talking too much:
This is by far the most common bit of negative feedback we hear. How do you avoid it? Well, especially for those "nervous talkers", prepare in advance.
Most everyone knows the basic questions you're going to be asked in a interview, "Tell me about yourself" "Describe your experience with ..." etc. So, take some time to think about what your answers to those questions will be. Now, trim those answers down to NO MORE than 60 seconds, and you'll do much less inane babbling. Don't forget you can always ask if the interviewer needs more information.

Not knowing why you are there
Companies expect those seeking employment in their organization to know something about them. Know why you are interested in working for XYZ company, or what challenges attracted you to this position.

Acting like a Know-it-all, arrogant or conceited
Yes, you should "sell" yourself in the interview, but you wouldn't be there unless they already thought you could do the job. Stick to quantifiable examples of your achievements and discuss your role as part of a team (if that's the case.) Again, it's best to have the examples prepared in advance, so that you can articulate them clearly and evaluate your statements in advance for "bragging".

Not asking any questions
The best interviews are those where the interviewer does most of the talking. Ask relevant questions about the job, the management style, growth opportunities, company culture etc. Again, think about these questions in advance. (Sensing a trend here.)

Not "Closing the Sale"
This is a tough one, throughout the interview you should have learned what the company or department is "missing" as the job goes unfilled. At the conclusion of the interview summarize your understand of their needs and how you can bridge the gap. This is one you'll have to be working on throughout the interview. Brush up on your active listening skills and take notes if you need to (especially useful on phone screens!)

Overall, well prepared candidates are much more successful in interviews! Investing the time up front to prepare answers, research the company and position, and think about the questions you will have, pays off in the end.

Next Step: The dreaded pre-employment testing (it's more than just fill this specimen jar these days!)

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 2

2007-08-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job Hunt Hurdles”.

Step 2: Representing Yourself in Writing

There are tons of resources on how to write a better resume. My firm has accumulated a pretty extensive advice section on our website on How to Format A Resume and Writing A Better Resume.

And I’ve done my far share of ranting about resume writing before, so to avoid beating a dead horse, I’ll keep this short.

Here are my 3 things to keep in mind:

1. Follow these simple rules to all written communication with your potential new employer:

Check, Check, Recheck and then check again for spelling and grammar errors
Keep the tone professional
Don’t ramble (don’t do this in the interview either!)

2. When communicating by email – be sure your email address is sending the right message. (Hint if your moniker contains "hot1", ends in “4u”, or makes any reference to your anatomy go to gmail or yahoo and set up an address you can use just for professional correspondence) Yep, I've ranted on this before too!

3. Check your image - keep in mind that your potential employer isn’t going to just look at the information that you willingly provide – have you Googled yourself lately? I recently interviewed a potential intern, and after viewing her MySpace page, I found it difficult to take her seriously. What’s on your MySpace page? (or your Blog for that matter!)

Next Step: Blowing them away in the interview (even without weapons of mass destruction!)

On a personal note

2007-07-31T09:23:00.000-05:00

Just on a personal note, aside from the work of work, part of my lack of blogging lately is because Figure 8 is keeping me so busy with race season. We've been having some luck this year!

And if I could just get him to quit breaking the cars, I might have time to blog!

Check out the highlights at Figure 8's Blog and Unique Motor Sports.

The Definitive Job Hunt - Part 1

2007-07-31T08:54:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job-Hunt Hurdles”.

I am supposed to provide the “Headhunter” perspective on the job hunt, and I must tell you, it’s not a pretty picture. We are the job hunt professionals, and everyday I see job seekers that are clearly job hunt amateurs; failing about in a see of classified ads and online job boards, without direction or strategy.

Rowan has outlined 5 hurdles in the process - I’ve decided I can address at least four of them, beginning with:

Step 1: Pick your target and research, research, research!

When you enter into a job search, it’s for a reason. You are likely unhappy in your current role, or you aren’t working. Either way, you should approach your search methodically.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, send your resume around willy-nilly in response to every position that even remotely relates to your experience. We don't take these applicants seriously, on a very rare occasion we might have a "hey she'd be good for that other position" moment. But corporate recruiters are often so focused on their functional areas, that this kind of sharing just doesn't happen.

Besides, nothing bothers me more than wading through hundreds of resumes from people who clearly did not read the qualifications of a job posting. Yes, there is often wiggle room in requirements, but if your life’s work to this point has been picking blueberries your unlikely to be qualified for my Director of Engineering position. Don't waste my time.

Picking a Target:
Establish the criteria that make up your ideal new job; doing so will help you test your own commitment to making a job change. You have some serious decisions to make here:

What do you want out of a new job?
Are you really willing to relocate for a new job? (Is your family??)
Would you consider taking a step back in salary for a job that offered more growth opportunity?

Identify where these opportunities exist. STOP!! I did not say go to Monster or CareerBuilder and start applying for jobs! Take a few minutes to think about your skills, and in which companies or industries are these skills most valuable. Develop an understanding of the market for people with your skill set and level of experience.

Research:
Identify potential employers within your target industry and research each company thoroughly. Learn about their history, their products, their track record and their plans for the future.

Learn about the typically salary ranges you can expect in these types of positions.

Act:
ALWAYS evaluate any opportunity against that set of criteria your first developed. Then aggressively market yourself to the companies and positions in which you have an interest. This does not mean just sending your resume by email in response to an online job ad. This means make an effort to introduce yourself to the hiring authority within your functional area and address how your skills can benefit the organization. (Hint: Many job postings will give you the position title to which the job reports – if you can contact that individual you are two steps ahead already!)

My Professional Plug:
Working with a professional search firm can help give you an inside track on much of this information. And a good recruiter can market you to your target employers.

Next Step: Representing yourself in writing.

Still alive and kicking (somewhere under all these resumes!!)

2007-07-17T15:40:00.000-05:00

I did not drop off the face of the earth… instead I have been completely overwhelmed with work and (imagine that!) haven’t found time for my diversionary blogging!

Fortunately, the amount of work we’ve been doing is paying off and we are having a banner year! We’ve achieved 84% of our yearly revenue goal and surpassed last year’s total revenue, and we’re just over half-way through the year!

What’s making for such a good year? Obviously we have a great team, and we’ve all been working hard. But I think in addition, we’ve put together some interesting, unusual and fun incentives for the team.

Now, we can’t always control when a deal will close, so the incentives here (I think) have more to do with keeping the team focused on the goal, and making sure that we’ve got enough “in the works” to make our goals.

Here are some of the incentives we’ve had this year:

Cash bonuses in the $100-250 range
Dinner out for the entire company and their significant others
Extra “casual days” for the team (including a “Casual Month”!)
A “tubing” trip for the company (including a Friday out of the office!)

So, here’s to my co-workers for the great year so far… and remember keep it up! Congratulations! Your hard work is appreciated by all of those around you! (Especially since if we meet that yearly goal before December 1, we'll all be taking the week between Christmas and New Year off!)

I'll never call it Bland Rapids again!

2007-06-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

JoAnn Fitzpatrick, former editorial editor of the Patriot Ledger in Boston, apparently visited my home town recently and penned this piece on “Why can’t we be more like Grand Rapids?”

Although my company works nationwide, with clients in locations that can be notoriously hard sells (think Iowa, Nebraska and a “quaint little town in western New York state") we have run into the “Grand Rapids… really?” response when talking with candidates about our local clients.

Our local clients are major multi-billion dollar companies and industry leaders with great reputations, but that often can't overcome the "but it's in a flyover state" roadblock.

This "ugh" response to the location is really difficult for me to understand, because... well I like it here!

So, it was nice to hear the positive impression Grand Rapids left on a visitor from the coast. Her comments include:

…A place that truly seems to represent good old-fashioned American values
The streets of Grand Rapids are as gleaming as the refurbished buildings throughout the downtown
Midwestern friendliness and helpfulness were everywhere
Downtown Grand Rapids, a city of about 200,000, is a laboratory of urban renewal.

But I had to laugh when I read: “There you can buy a five-bedroom house in the historic district for $400,000. Yup, $400,000”

I found myself thinking, do you really think $400k is a great deal? Our neighbor’s house (4000+ sq ft, 4 bedrooms, and an in-ground pool, all on a beautiful 1 acre wooded lot) is less than $300,000! Granted it isn't "downtown" but there is hardly such a thing as a "difficult commute" in Grand Rapids!

Is the Midwestern cost of living is the best kept secret in America?

Think about these numbers:

Compared to Boston, the Grand Rapids cost of living is 34% lower.
Compared to San Francisco, the Grand Rapids cost of living is 53.5% lower
Compared to New York City, the Grand Rapids cost of living is 56% lower

Salary.com will tell you that, yes, employees make a bit less in Grand Rapids… but not that much less. For example, if you’re making $100,000 in Boston, and you moved here, you would need $71,000 to maintain your currently lifestyle, and would be likely make at least $90,000 or so - and besides, it's not likely that you'll be asked to take a drastic pay cut when you move here!

Don’t get me wrong, Grand Rapids has its fair share of problem neighborhoods and not-so-great areas, but for a city of 200,000 it’s a pretty nice place.

I promise to never call it "Bland Rapids" again.

Bad Recruiters

2007-06-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

Yes - there are many many many bad recruiters out there!

Evil HR Lady has a great example in her post Bad, Bad Recruiters! (by the way, sorry for the marathon comment, Evil.)

I wish all the recruiters, search consultants, and headhunters would do things the right way. That is to say: Respect your candidates, respect your clients, and take an interest in the long term success of the match between the two.

Unfortunately many recruiters just don't.

Common Interview Questions

2007-06-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan at Fortify Your Oasis is running an commentary on the Common Interview Questions. Although my posts tend to spend more time talking about Odd Interview Questions, I have some opinions on the more conventional questions as well.

Common Question #1: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

My Advice: They are going to ask you this, I almost guarantee it! So prepare a response in advance. Use a REAL example, when discussing your weaknesses, then talk about how you overcame the issue and kept it from adversely affecting your performance or how you are currently working to improve.

Do not try to “spin” something like… “Well I suppose I care just too much about my job.” That just makes you look like an idiot, at least if I were interviewing you.

When discussing strengths, do so in a way that highlights your skills and relates them to the position for which you are interviewing. Provide examples (and quantify your results if possible.

Stop short of sounding arrogant. “I can do just about anything I put my mind to!” is just blather.

See Rowan’s advice here

Common Question #2: Tell me about yourself.

My Advice: If you think this response begins with “Well, I was born in a small town in Iowa…” STOP. I don’t need to know your life story, I want to know how you chose your line of work and what brings you to this interview today. Speak briefly about your career history, how you moved from position to position, what attracted you to the company, and why you feel you’re a good fit for the job.

If you have something JOB RELEVANT to add from your personal life, for example you design engine cooling components for a living and in your spare time you build race car engines, that’s job relevant. However, my experience building off-road demo-derby race cars with Figure 8 isn’t relevant to my job. (Well, it did come up in an interview once: when I asked to “Share something about you that would surprise us.”)

See Rowan’s advice here

Of course I've always got plenty to say on this topic. Since teaching candidates to interview effectively is a major part of our jobs. See all I've got to say about interviewing here.

Cell Phone Etiquette

2007-06-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of tips that came up this week:

Do not have a silly greeting message on your voicemail. “Yo, Adddriann! Yo! Leave a message!”, doesn’t display professionalism to someone calling you about a job.
Do not answer your cell phone in the middle of an interview – if you do so, do not do either of the following: a) Tell the recruiter that’s calling – "I’m sorry I’ll have to call you back I’m in the middle of an interview right now" b) Tell your recruiter – “Yep, I made it here just fine. In fact, I’m being ‘grilled’ by three people right now!”

Just a few tips from your friendly neighborhood headhunter!

My funny co-workers

2007-06-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

Today marks the launch of the new website for one of our divisions, Partners in Medical Search. As we were preparing to launch the site, I asked for some any testimonials that may be available for Partners in Medical Search (or PiMS). Here's what my co-worker sent over:

“Partners in Medical Search is the finest executive search firm on the planet. When I needed someone to raise the dead, I called PiMS.”
God

“When it was time for a career change, I called PiMS!”
Jonas Salk

“Using another Medical Executive Search firm can be fatal to your career.”
The Surgeon General

“I’m I the job market and I won’t work with anyone but PiMS!”
Dr. Jack “Death” Kervorkian

“Where do you think I found Consuelo????”
Dr. Marcus Welby

“PiMS? Well, they don’t suck.”
Dr. Gregorie House, M.D.

Murder Cover-up at Eastern Michigan University

2007-06-09T06:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is off my normal topic, but I'm outraged and I must rant. As an EMU alumni, I'm really quite upset, and I'd like to think that people without ties to the university would be angry as well. As I'm sure this story hasn't made it much beyond my home state of Michigan, I'll give you the brief recap:

In December, a EMU student was found dead in her dorm room. The university insisted that there were no indications of fool play. Eastern Michigan University stuck to this version of events for sometime, however it was eventually revealed that the student was a murder victim, killed by another EMU student.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the university administration not only insisted that EMU should maintain it's "No fool play story" but actively concealed information about the murder by shredding documents which reported the details of the murder. My understanding is that this is a violation of the "Clery Act".

More for my local news station >

Let me say here that I had nothing but a positive experience at Eastern Michigan University, I cannot stress enough that I felt safe and protected on campus, I believe the campus is still safe. The University Police were always serious about the responsibility they had for protecting us as students, and I believe they still are. Obviously the investigation continued, and an arrest was made.

My question is this, to the administrators of EMU, including two individuals for whom I once had tremendous respect, Why? What did you hope accomplish by covering this up? Surely an administration that decieves its student body and lies to the public is more of a deterrent to enrollment than one act of violence on your campus.

Some things are more important that your job, or your organization's reputation. Namely the truth.

Emus don't bury their heads in the sand, ostriches do.

Idiots among us...

2007-06-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I’ve had my fair share of moments of stupidity (like the mismatched shoe incident) but I’d like to think I don’t approach the level of idiocy demonstrated in the following antedotes I recently received from a friend...

I walked into a Arby's with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a sandwich. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said "buy one-get one free". "They're already buy-one-get-one-free", she said, "so I guess they're both free". She handed me my free sandwiches and I walked out the door.

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific."

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?"

I thought this all felt familiar...

2007-06-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Another astute observation from Jessica Hagy at Indexed:

Performance Evaluations

2007-06-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Someone sent me a "Job Evaluation Dictionary" the other day... These are "translations" of all those things you see in Performance Evaluations... I thought I'd share some of my favorites:

ACTIVE SOCIALLY: Drinks heavily.
CHARACTER ABOVE REPROACH: Still one step ahead of the law.
QUICK THINKING: Offers plausible excuses for errors.
APPROACHES DIFFICULT PROBLEMS WITH LOGIC: Finds someone else to do the job.
A KEEN ANALYST: Thoroughly confused.
SPENDS EXTRA HOURS ON THE JOB: Miserable home life.
CONSCIENTIOUS AND CAREFUL: Scared.
METICULOUS IN ATTENTION TO DETAIL: A nitpicker.
DEMONSTRATES QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP: Has a loud voice.
KEEN SENSE OF HUMOR: Knows lots of dirty jokes.
ALERT TO COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS: An office gossip.
ENJOYS JOB: Needs more to do.
HAPPY: Paid too much.
CONSULTS WITH SUPERVISOR OFTEN: Annoying.
WILL GO FAR: Relative of management.
SHOULD GO FAR: Please.
VERY CREATIVE: Finds 22 reasons to do anything except original work.
USES RESOURSES WELL: Delegates everything.

Resume Advice from Me!

2007-05-30T17:51:00.001-05:00

As an adendum to my previous post, please see the following on "Resume Design Tips" and "Writing a Better Resume"

Resume Advice from the Experts

2007-05-30T13:24:00.000-05:00

A co-worker forwarded this article to me, probably because she knows how I feel about resumes. (Or perhaps she’d noticed I hadn’t blogged in a while!)

Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com, recounts the following Biggest Resume Mistakes, as collected in a recent Careerbuilder.com survey.

These included:

Applicant attached a letter from her mother.
Applicant specified that his availability was limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday was "drinking time."
Applicant explained that he works well nude.
Applicant explained an arrest by stating, "We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig."
Applicant drew a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and said it was the hiring manager's gift.
Applicant explained a gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for three months.

I have to agree with Ms. Haefner in her conclusion that there are the keys to writing a memorable and successful resume.

Keep your personal life personal (see my previous post on “Too Much Information”. We also don't need to see photos of you in your cheerleading uniform.)
Present yourself professionally (For example: Using pale blue paper with teddy bears around the border isn't going to strike anyone as anything but weird.)
Be Relevant (Emphasize achievements and experience specific to the job you're applying for and provide quantifiable results)
Check, Check, Check & Recheck: (After you proofread your résumé a few times, ask someone else to review it)

New Daily Haunt

2007-05-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

I officially added Jessica Hagy's Indexed Blog to my Daily Haunts list today.

As a recovering Ohioian, I had chuckle at:
http://indexed.blogspot.com/2007/04/see-were-optimists-here.html

Which oddly enough applies to us Michiganders as well.

BEST Interview Questions??

2007-05-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

And just when I’d promised myself I was done discussing “Odd Interview Questions” this article from Ronald Katz on ERE. “Results-Focused Interviews: Are these interview questions the best you've got?”

The purpose of Ron’s article is to illustrate how inane questions like “What would your best friend say about you? Your worst enemy?" have no bearing on whether the candidate can do the job and to provide his readers with an understanding of what is critical to understand about a potential employees: “What were the results?”.

The article was inspired, by Ron's finding a discussion forum that asked interviewers to submit the "Best questions they use in interviews"... let me say that again "Best Questions"...

“Is honesty always the best policy” – That depends on your definition of the word ‘is”

"If a spaceship were to land outside this office and you were asked to get in, would you? Why?" –Yes, because then this interview would be over.

“Am I a good interviewer? Why or why not?" - Let me guess, this goes back to that “Is honesty always the best policy?” question?

"If you were a part of a car, which part would you be and why?" – If I say the accelerator, will this be over more quickly?

"If you had the opportunity to participate in a circus performance, which role would be yours?" - Anyone but the clowns, no clowns, never clowns, clowns are bad. BAD CLOWNS!

"What are ur strengths and weeknesses?" - Wait, Wait can I guess yours instead?

"If u had ur life to live over again…what would u do differently?" - Not be here right now.

Okay, I know someone is going to try to illustrate the value of questions like these. I want to see their problem solving skills, their ability to the think on their feet, etc.

My response to that is: Doesn't understanding the results of their previous work illustrate their problem solving skills and ability to think on their feet in a more relevant (and wholly less silly) way?

I'm baaccck!

2007-05-11T09:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, I've certainly been away for a while! I have no good reason for this, although I did take a few days vacation. The significant other and I visited Las Vegas, NV and the Grand Canyon some of his family visiting from the UK.

It was great trip. However, upon returning to work, I have been absolutely swamped and blogging has been pushed off the planner every day until now!

Having finally caught up, I did a little searching around my favorite haunts to see what I'd missed:

Great Quitters Never Win (A phrase I often envoke to justify my continued bad habits, but with a much more interesting subject matter.) And a link to what will probably become newest daily haunt Jessica Hagy’s Indexed Blog. Indexed is a great collection of commentary on careers (and life in general) all organized on 3x5 cards.

Here's one of my favorites:

Overall I’m glad to be back. I hope to be back to my pseudo-regular blogging schedule in the next week.

Journalism

2007-04-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

Many Bloggers are considered Journalists. I’ve never thought of myself as a journalist, or what I’m doing here on “Please don’t call us headhunters!” as anything approaching the valuable pursuit that true journalism is… I firmly believe that the true value of any journalistic endeavor is to present the facts of a story and allow readers, viewers or listeners to draw their own conclusions.

I encourage anyone that understands the value of journalism to visit the BBC’s Online Petition for Alan Johnston and add your name to those that are asking for his prompt release.

Update on our Detainee

2007-04-19T10:15:00.000-05:00

Good news for our candidate who was detained by security while trying to reach his interview last week.

The candidate was extended an offer today and accepted his new position.

We've suggested the for the relocation, he might want to drive. Just in case!

The Importance of a Good Selection Process

2007-04-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

Allison Boyce’s recent article “10 Things Candidates Hate; 10 Things They Love” provides a great list of do’s and don’ts when interviewing candidates.

I think many of our client’s could do with a reminder… and sometimes I think our office could use a gentle nudge in this direction as well.

A couple of my favorite examples of the things candidates hate and the things they love:

What they Hate: The number-one pet peeve of all candidates is talking to misinformed, condescending, and unoriginal HR generalists or entry-level recruiters who answer all questions with, "Because that's the way we do it here and we cannot do it differently." Or who answer every question with "I don't know."

What they Love: Getting a courtesy telephone call to the effect of, "What we have is no for now, not forever. We value your time and are sorry about the outcome."

What the article boils down to is:

What they Hate: When your company's process, makes it seem as if you couldn’t organize a piss-up in a brewery, you’re going to annoy candidates. When even the most interested candidates encounter a laborious and disorganized process, they are likely to run for the hills.

What they Love: When you treat your candidates with respect, keep them informed, provide timely feedback and appreciate the time they’ve invested in the interview process, you leave even unsuccessful candidates with a better impression of your organization.

Pre-Interview Interrogation Anyone?

2007-04-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

We’ve had candidates miss interviews, we’ve had clients miss interviews, and we’ve had a few recruiters muck up the process…But until now, I don’t think we’ve ever had Homeland Security interfere with a candidate’s interview.

Here’s the story… The candidate is making his way across the country for an interview and arrives in Chicago just in time to find his connecting flight has already departed.

The airline is kind enough to book him on to a flight the next morning (today), which still gets him to his destination in time for the interview.

The next morning he arrives at the gate for boarding and is informed that he is “Already on the plane”.

"No, No, really, I'm not on the plane" he must have insisted, "I'm standing here". At the same time the flight attendant must have been equally insistent that he really was already on board.

After some debate on his location, our candidate is whisked away by security and detained. A passenger from on board the plane is removed and also questioned.

The apparent cause of the issue? The airline had booked two guys with the same name on the same ticket! Security had to assume that one of the men was trying to get on the plane without a ticket, or worse, trying to assume another identity for some nefarious purpose.

Finally, after being detained for 3 hours, the candidate is released, and calls his recruiter... 45 minutes after his interview was scheduled to begin.

As of now, the candidate is finally on his way to his interview, which after an interrogation, should be a piece of cake.

Job Satisfaction

2007-04-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

Evil HR Lady posted this fun "blogthing" so I had to try it out...

Your Job Satisfaction Level: 84%

Your job is nearly perfect - you've totally lucked out!
You like what you do, who you work for, and the people you work with.
And it seems like the job you have will eventually get you the job you want.
So enjoy what you've got. You've landed the ideal job!

Apparently, I'm pretty happy with my job.

Should You Get a New Job?

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

2007-04-12T14:43:00.000-05:00

The passing of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. saddens me greatly.

I am an avid reader of all sorts of literature and Vonnegut is one of my favorites. I always enjoyed the way he brought humor to subjects I was uncomfortable laughing at... (out loud anyway.)

As Donald Farber, Vonnegut's friend, lawyer, agent and manager said in today's Washington Post, "Every time he spoke with me no matter what the circumstances in the world, he had a funny angle on it even if it wasn't a funny thing."

Some of my favorite Vonnegut Quotes:

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

There is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre

The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal.

Good Interview Questions

2007-04-12T14:16:00.000-05:00

So I’ve talked pretty extensively about the odd questions interviewers sometimes ask. (For example: How do pineapples make you feel?) Which I find totally useless. But I haven’t talked much about the effective interviewing techniques.

In my opinion the most effective method of interviewing is to drawing out the candidate’s strengths and weakness in direct relation to the skills required to perform the job. The key here is to ask questions that are designed to elicit specific information while being broad enough to apply to all candidates that may be qualified for the position. In fact, these are often not questions at all, but requests for examples.

Interviewers - This type of interviewing works equally well for evaluating both “hard” and “soft” skills. Here are some examples of the “Requirements” for a job, translated into what I feel are effective interviewing questions:

Requirement: Quality engineering experience
Standard Question: What were your responsibilities for quality engineering in your last job?
More Effective: Please describe the types of quality systems you’ve implemented, how you monitored quality and improved the system as required.

Requirement: Ability to handle multiple projects at one
Standard Question: How you handle multiple priorities?
More Effective: Describe a time when you had multiple projects each demanding your time. How did you management the situation and what were the results.

Candidates - You should be prepared to answer questions like these with a very simple formula of “Situation, Process, Outcome”.

Briefly outline the situation: “We were having problems with the paint quality on the widgets…”

Describe the Process: “I conducted a root cause analysis and found that the problem was caused by improper pre-finishing, we developed a quality check process to be sure that out-of-spec product was stopped here and corrected before processes X Y and Z made it impossible to fix.”

State the Outcome: "By identifying those parts earlier in the process, we could rework those parts instead of having to scrap them. This resulted in a 5% reduction the amount of scrap, saving approximately $100,000 per year.

Please note: I cannot over-emphasize the concept of BRIEFLY here… nothing is worse than a rambling candidate keep your answers precise and concise. Give examples with results in terms of dollars or numbers wherever possible, but don't get bogged down in the tiniest of details. Remember, you can always ask if the interviewer needs more information.

Rowan Manahan writes an excellent piece on Competency-Based or Behavioral Interviewing which of course, is what I’m really getting at.

My favorite piece of advice from Rowan's article:
If you can't think of a relevant example from your past - either in your preparation or if you are hit with a question from left-field during an interview - then move quickly to a hypothetical approach. "Well, I've never actually had to decapitate anyone as a result of a conflictual situation at work. But if I did have to do it, I'd make sure I had identified the right person to behead, I'd make sure that I had a really sharp axe, I'd warm up my muscles, wear a big rubber apron with galoshes and..."

Coworker Difficulties

2007-04-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve talked before about some Seriously Weird Coworkers, but a recent post on the Job Lounge discussed a more common situation, coworkers that are just difficult. In this case, a real jerk of a boss who was insulting his subordinates.

In addition the advice provided by one of her experts, The Job Lounge’s Susan Ireland directs readers to a Review of Bob Sutton’s Book The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.

The book is a guide to identifying assholes, how to avoid being one, and how to survive in their presence. In his review Guy Kawasaki includes:

Suttons’s dirty-dozen list of everyday asshole actions:
Personal insults
Invading one’s personal territory
Uninvited personal contact
Threats and intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
Sarcastic jokes and teasing used as insult delivery systems
Withering email flames
Status slaps intended to humiliate their victims
Public shaming or status degradation rituals
Rude interruptions
Two-faced attacks
Dirty looks
Treating people as if they are invisible
And the Starbuck’s test:
If you hear someone at Starbucks order a “decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet,” you’re in the presence of an asshole. It’s unlikely that this petty combination is necessary—the person ordering is trying to flex her power because she’s an asshole.

I decided to check out the book on Amazon, and I found these simple and useful guidelines:

Test One: After talking to the alleged asshole, does the “target” feel oppressed, humiliated, de-energized or belittled by the person? In particular, does the target feel worse about himself or herself?

Test Two: Does the alleged asshole aim his or her venom at people who are less powerful rather than those people who are more powerful?

I think I might have to buy this book - not that I work with any assholes of course and most of the time I am not one myself.

And I apologize for those moments when I have been one... most often because there was no coffee. That's regular coffee, not the Starbucks decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet... I could never drink decaf.

Agency Recruiting is not just a sales job.

2007-04-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

Normally, I have nothing but praise for the articles that come from my ERE daily newsletter. However, on Friday I received an article entitled “Losing your Professionalism” in which the author has some not so pleasant antidotes about the world of agency recruiting. Clearly she had a bad experience… statements like:

"You're only as good as your last deal" was a common phrase during my agency days. I didn't just view it as a deal; this was a person's livelihood by placing a candidate in a new opportunity. But when "deals" are associated with your income, people are commodities.”
“During my agency experience, I had a manager who told me to inform a candidate that the candidate should accept an offer because it would "make my numbers" for the month. How embarrassing! Why would this candidate care about my numbers?

Apparently this lead the author to conclude the following:

The agencies will always focus on metrics… Agencies tend to hire salespeople from all walks of life, and it is a commissioned-based environment.
Occasionally, there are agency recruiters who believe in the customer-service aspects of recruiting and want to "cross over" to corporate recruiting to take a different approach to recruiting that better addresses their values and interests.

I can only say that the Author must have had a very bad agency experience. Firms like mine, stress the importance of working with a candidate as their advocate and advisor, and we have often coached candidates to accept offers that we aren’t representing or even talked candidates out of interviewing for opportunities because we didn’t think it would meet their long-term needs.

A commission based recruiter gains nothing by trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. If the candidate doesn’t work out, or decides to leave the role, we have to do all the work of replacing that candidate for no additional “production”.

Yes, there are bad recruiting firms out there, but not all Third Party Recruiters are the used car salesmen and “hard sell” artists. I feel bad that this person left our industry with a bad taste in her mouth, but there are agencies that hold themselves to high standards of customer service, operate with ethics and integrity, and are focused on the needs of both candidates and clients.

These sort of over-arching generalizations about my chosen line of work bother me… not all recruiters are ruthless headhunters, just the bad ones.

To me Successful Recruiters:

Are successful salespeople - Recruiting is the art of connecting the right people with the right companies and selling is the art of accurately identifying needs and providing effective solutions. Successful recruiters have the drive, tenacity, and focus of great sales people, combined with the desire to be a powerful positive force in both the lives of candidates and the success of our clients.
Are self-motivated and goal-oriented to develop and maintain momentum on a search, to develop effective strategies and plans that keep them working smart and progressing toward goals.
Use all available resources to identify and recruit top talent in the industry. This includes building a network of professionals, prospecting candidates by phone, using the Internet and working closely with industry organizations to develop strong and fruitful relationships.
Understand how to measure experience, not just skills, and make connections between candidates and companies based on more than keywords. Great recruiters also know how to truly qualify candidates and how to evaluate the “fit” between candidate and client.
Represent the best interests of his/her candidates and clients, facilitating effective interview processes, offer presentations and employment transitions.
Remain focused and demonstrate tenacity, energy and enthusiasm for each new assignment. They welcome new challenges and strive to succeed.
Act with honesty and integrity at all times, without exception. They treat candidates and clients with sincerity and honesty and never present false or misleading information.

Thanks for Reading!

2007-04-06T08:10:00.000-05:00

Rowan Manahan stumbled across my humble blog the other day and was kind enough to leave some well thought out comments on a previous post. I thought it was only fitting that I return the favor and so went poking around on his Fortify Services Blog.

I found some really great posts, my favorites include:

Most Valuable Asset: A great tie in of the definition of insantity and how many companies structure their HR and Talent Acquisition departments

PowerPoint Again: Personally I think that done well, PowerPoint can be a useful tool, however it can also ruin a perfectly good message, examples include the Gettysburg Powerpoint and a morbid bit from The Onion, where a Project Manager constructs his final goodbye in PowerPoint.

See the whole article at: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30903

Thanks for reading Rowan! I hope you’ll drop by again… I know I’ll be adding you to my daily reads.

Another Odd Interview Question

2007-04-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

Granted, this isn't strictly on the "odd job interview question" topic, but it is a question that has been posed in interviews:

"IF YOU COULD HAVE A SUPER POWER, WHAT WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?"

Personally, my choice would be teleportation, but I liked this honest answer from Plymouth Argyle Football Club manager Ian Holloway:

...I would like to be able to see into the future. What would I like to find out? The lottery numbers so I could win the thing. I would go and retire and that would be great. I would win it every week and do a load of good with the money...

See the rest of the Holloway Column.

This man has a great sense of humor. Just one of the reasons I have links to PAFC on my google homepage. (I won't go into the others now).

Great Expectations - Not just a boring novel.

2007-04-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

Yes it's likely that moving into a new job will produce a raise in salary and it's realistic to assume that a company will assist you in relocating to a new area.

Here is one example of a candidate with unrealistic expectations:

Recruiter: So where are you for salary right now, and what would you be looking for?

Candidate: I'm making $60,000 right now, and would be looking for $90,000 to make a move

Recruiter: Oookay... and what would you be looking for in a relocation package?

Candidate: Well I would expect the company to buy my current home, and make the downpayment and closing costs on my new home. (The candidate later admitted he'd bought more house than he could afford...)

A $30K jump in salary? Is that seriously your expectation? That would be a small miracle and things like this very, very rarely happen. (except of course those rare cases where your stock options make up the difference, but who gets away with that anymore!)

And Relocation? Yes, there are a few companies out there that will still buy your house but usually this is something reserved for executive level packages.

In short, a realistic idea of what is available to you in your market is a valuable tool in evaluating the opportunities that come your way. If this candidate is holding every opportunity to this standard, he is going to be looking for a very very long time.

Job Interviews and American Idol?

2007-04-03T13:28:00.000-05:00

I spotted this article from Yahoo! HotJobs today: 'American Idol' and Your Job Interview

Personally, I find American Idol (and most reality TV shows) offensive. This is because I firmly believe the objective of these shows is not to grant a recording contract to the most talented, or a million dollars to the one who outlasts and outwits others in silly games on an island, but instead to entertain the masses by humiliating the untalented and making fun of those that fail. But enough of my soap box...

I do have to agree with the following piece of advice from the HotJobs article:

...you don't have to be the best singer, just the most remembered decent singer. Same for the job interview. You don't always have to be the best candidate with the top skills. You do have to find a way to be the most remembered, hirable candidate.

So maybe it is possible that shows like 'Idol' can teach us important and valuable lessons about life and I should lighten up? ... Nahh...It is still rubbish.

On the Job Experience

2007-03-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

We received an application for a Production Scheduler position the other day. The candidate was clearly entry level with experience working in a pizzeria, a deli and a retail store.

Obviously it’s difficult for an entry level candidate, even a college graduate like this one, to convince a recruiter or HR representative that they are qualified for the position. So, the candidate noted the following in his cover letter:

"I feel I've been training for jobs like these for years as my favorite computer games have always been ones where you have to economize tightly on resources. "

Nice try, but the virtual world isn’t exactly on-the-job experience!

Seven Deadly Sins Revisited

2007-03-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

Ever since running across the “Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing” Article (see my 3/26 Post), I’ve been trying to think of examples of our candidates committing them… After much consideration, here are a few examples:

Pride: An excessive love of self

The candidate that to hear him tell it, was an expert in all things, because he had managed the contractors and outside sources that actually did the work!

Sloth: Laziness, idleness and wastefulness

The candidate who didn’t bother to shower, change or even touch up here make-up for a morning interview after a night on the town.

Greed: An excessive quest for money and power

The candidate who suddenly decided he wanted $40,000 more a year than he’d originally stated.

Gluttony: The desire to consume more than you need

The candidate who ate with her fingers during a lunch interview

Wrath: Feelings of hatred, revenge or denial

The candidate that was very demanding, and angry that one of our recruiters would not drive to her house in order to take care of her dog while she traveled out of state for an interview.

Lust: The desire to do what you want, not do what you should

The candidate who upon arriving for his first Face-to-Face interview walked straight to the HR manager and gave her a great big hug.

Envy: The desire for what you don't have now

The best example I can come up with here is the candidates (and yes, there are several of them) that so desire that Bachelor’s degree, that they just decide to make one up!
Of course, there was also the candidate that decided he could claim to be a Manager at company he left 6 years ago, where he worked in an entirely different role.

Business & Dead Horses

2007-03-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

Another chuckle today, from the Evil HR Lady.

Her recent post "Business Decisions" begins with the following bit of wisdom:

..."When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."

A selection of alternative modern business strategies follows. My favorites are:
Buying a stronger whip.
Making the horse work late shifts and weekends.
Appointing a committee to study the horse.
Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

I encourage you to read the full post... it's good for a laugh!

Seven Deadly Sins

2007-03-26T10:01:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I've been waiting for something really interesting to cross my desk, and it finally did, an article from The Ladders, The Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing.

Following are the sins and a selection of the many examples the Ladders cites. Please check out the full article, there are lots of good laughs there.

Pride: An excessive love of self
You have years of experience, you've earned respect and accolades in your field, but any arrogrance will come back to bite you. Treat each person at the company with respect and kindness, or they might find a way to sabotage your interview.
Years before I completed two degrees, I had worked my way up the ranks within a large, successful technical firm. As we conducted our annual college hire recruiting activities, one candidate from a modest background with less than stellar grades, but a newly acquired degree raved on about how no one without a degree should ever be in a management role, that anyone without a degree just wasn't qualified to be a leader. Needless to say, the candidate did not make it to the "short list" of hires.

Sloth: Laziness, idleness and wastefulness
Don't wing it! Make sure to prepare informed questions. Be able to show knowledge of your potential employer, awareness of the industry, and the company's business strategy. The level of detail in your questions should match your experience.

I had been asked by a co-worker to consider a close relative for an open position. In the interview, I asked him about the many gaps in his resume. His answer? "For a long time, I didn't get this whole 'work' thing." Since he was in the midst of another six-month gap after only a few months at his previous employer, I was forced to conclude that he was still having trouble with the concept. Needless to say, he did not get the position.

Greed: An excessive quest for money and power
Remember, first you have to get the offer. Then, you can negotiate the terms. Never ask about salary and perks in the initial interview. Set aside those questions for later... much later.
We interviewed a candidate once (and we emphasize the once!) who, within moments of sitting down in our conference room, shared her long list of compensation requirements. She also asked to see in which office she'd reside and then told us that the desk would need to be moved because she couldn't "possibly sit facing in that direction." The interview was so derailed by her list of demands, we showed her the door!

Gluttony: The desire to consume more than you need
The interviewer is trying to learn about your skills, talents, experiences, and your ability to succeed in the job - not your whole life story
When asked what she does for fun, the response I got was this: “Drink. I like to go to the bar. My husband tells me I would live there if I could.” She then went on to say that she likes chatting with her girlfriends about other men. Did you not just tell me you were married?

Wrath: Feelings of hatred, revenge or denial
The person sitting across from you – who may be your next boss – identifies more with your past bosses than she does with you. Badmouthing old colleagues will leave a terrible taste in your potential employer's mouth.

Have you ever been fired from a job? Yeah but it wasn't my fault. See I was dating this woman at work and she made me mad. I broke her arm and the company said I couldn't do that at work. I would never do that here though, I'm still dating her and she doesn't want to work here.

Lust: The desire to do what you want, not do what you should
Don't dress for your comfort, dress for the situation. Always wear a suit to an interview, even if the dress code is business casual. You might stick out like a sore thumb while you're in the lobby, but you'll never lose points for being dressed professionally (or acting appropriately!)
I interviewed a number of candidates to be a personal assistant to me. At the outset of the interview one woman told me she knew exactly what I was looking for, a "job wife". Unfamiliar with the term, but suspecting the response I would get, I asked her to further describe. In great detail she went into EXACTLY what benefits would be mine if hired. No, she didn't get the position, but I'm confident she found one (or more) to her liking
Envy: The desire for what you don't have now
Your "dream job" should the one you're interviewing for right now. If it's clear you really want to do something else, it's tough for an interviewer to believe that you'll bring all your capabilities and focus to the demands of this job.

We interviewed a recent MBA grad from a top tier business school for a marketing manager position. Not only did the candidate not research our company before hand but she also showed up for the interview wearing a tank top, torn jeans and flip-flops. After 10 min. in the interview, she managed to say that her dream job would be to open one day a little retail shop in Virginia. We sent her home in record time.

I wish we had such fun examples here... perhaps I'll ask a few of my coworkers what they can come up with?

Too Much Information (on your resume)

2007-03-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

Too much information (on your resume)…

A very simple rule: Hobbies, personal interests and personal information should only be included on your resume if you can relate them to the position for which you are a applying.

A good example: A mechanical engineer applying for a position designing automotive safety components who builds race car roll cages in his spare time.

A bad example: A mechanical engineer applying for a position designing automotive safety components who spends his spare time cooking and painting.

A short overview of the “Personal” section of one resume:
I Married my childhood sweetheart in 1976. In 1978 the one and only spawn of my loins was born. I started trying to water ski in 1984 and by 2000 I bought a real ski boat and start trying to barefoot. I like movies and art and enjoy making people laugh. Eventually I will master the deepwater barefoot start.

Well, I got a laugh out of this, at least he accomplished that goal. But in general, I'd avoid talking about your "loins" (fruitful or otherwise) on your resume.

Office Recycling Program

2007-02-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

We use an obscene amount of paper in our office and so we've been looking into a recycling program. One of my co-workers sent this suggestion.

I thought it was brilliant.

Targeted Advertising

2007-02-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

So, here was my good laugh for the day.

I was looking at the careers section of the Network and Systems Professionals Association (NaSPA) website today, when I noticed a banner ad on the site... for a StarTrek convention.

It made me giggle.

Odd Interview Questions...

2007-02-15T17:21:00.001-05:00

Today's odd interview question:

Considering a fast paced environment, which of these 3 options would you think is the most related to a fast paced environment? A baby turtle crawling from its nest to the ocean, a bird building a nest or a dog jumping up to catch a Frisbee?

Video Resumes

2007-02-14T14:48:00.000-05:00

Interesting article from ERE recently: “Time to Hit Pause on Video Resumes” talks about the pitfalls of "video resumes".

personally think that video resumes are a ridiculous idea. What could you possibly do on video that you can’t tell me about on paper? (The few things I can think of, I don’t really want to see!)

The author comes to a similar conclusion:

Frankly, [video resumes] exist because the technology allows them to be created easily, not because they represent some great innovation or add anything to improve recruiting. Recruiting processes are designed to include highly structured elements to ensure consistency. Video resumes are, for now, at odds with the requirements of structured processes.

To illustrate my point:While not really a “video resume” the following is an example of a woman that I think has some great information to share about preparing for interviews. I say “I think”, because I can’t manage to watch more than 23 seconds of her!

Think about it this way, if you were to read your resume aloud, would it be captivating or entertaining? No, it would probably be about as interesting as the Interview Prep woman.

But that doesn’t make it invalid; it just means it is better delivered in its written format (much like the interview prep information is better delivered in writing or on the phone).

Seriously Weird Coworkers

2007-02-13T14:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit it. I’ve occasionally wondered if a coworker is experiencing temporary mental retardation, or has perhaps been possessed by a demon hell-bent on wasting my time, but I’ve never quite taken it this far:

Evelyne Micky Shatkin worked at University of Texas at Arlington, where she had had a series of disputes with a co-worker, which after mediation, resulted an ultimatum from Human Resources: further problems could get you fired. Not satisfied, Shatkin held an after-work "prayer session", where, with another employee, Linda Shifflett, "anointed" the absent co-worker's cubicle with olive oil, purportedly because of fears that the co-worker was demonically oppressed, chanting "You vicious evil dogs. Get the hell out of here in the name of Jesus. ... I command you to leave." A third male co-worker, who had agreed to participate in the prayer, became uncomfortable with the use of monounsaturated fats, and reported the matter… (Eva-Marie Ayala"Women said peer was 'demonically oppressed'", (From the Fort Worth Star-Telegam, 12/23; AP, 12/23).

Of course, I saw this because now someone is suing!

I guess my coworkers aren’t that bad after all!

Wait, why does my cubical smell like the Olive Garden today?.

Preparing (too much?) for an Interview

2007-02-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

I received an interesting article from ERE today: Trying To Put Lipstick on A Pig?

In it, Jerry Land offers some great advice to recruiters about effectively preparing candidates for interviews and how over-preparing a candidate might actually be detrimental to the interview process and ultimately the candidate’s career.

One entertaining example:

I once had a client who asked each of the candidates I recruited the same question, "How can you get exactly four gallons of water using only a five-gallon jug and a three-gallon jug to measure?"

I don't believe the interviewer was expecting an answer; instead, he wanted to see the response to this difficult question. If the candidates were prepared, the interviewer would not have been able to evaluate the candidates for who they really are.

(More of my thoughts on Odd Interview Questions)

I think the author makes some valid points about providing an unfair advantage by sharing too much in the interview prep, and I agree with him that providing general advice is the best way to go.

Here is some of what we tell candidates when preparing for an interview:
The purpose of any interview, from the candidate’s perspective, should be to determine what is missing while the position is unfilled or what problems the company is looking to solve by filling this position. Throughout the interview, candidates should pay close attention to clues what’s missing and then address how he or she can provide the solutions.

There are common themes in all interviews, and it is wise to think in advance about how to answer these basic interview questions:

Why are you interested in the job?

What can you tell me about yourself?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Describe major accomplishments and discuss responsibilities in previous jobs.

What questions do you have?

When spellcheck fails you...

2007-02-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

So today it was my turn to make silly mistakes. (I think the cold weather is freezing some of my brain cells)

We are currently working on an Energy Engineer position for a company in Pennsylvania. Energy Engineers are a big part of the “Green” movement in industry evaluating and improving energy usage in manufacturing facilities. I thought this sounded like a fascinating job, and set about writing a job description and job posting for this position.

I thought I'd done rather well and presented it to the account manager to be proofread. Lucky for me, he discovered the following:

“The Senior Energy Engineer will work at the corporate level overseeing, leading and implementing energy conversation and management systems for manufacturing plants around the country.”

Oops! All talk and no action? Glad someone is watching my back.

Job Lounge's Name That Doodle

2007-02-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

One of my colleagues occasionally contributes career advice to the Job Lounge blog. A recent post there asks readers to Name This Doodle:

My Thought: Effective Decision Making (Rock, Paper, Scissors)

Snow Day

2007-02-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

I can’t say much more than these pictures. We had one heck of a weekend storm here, complete with Blizzard Warnings, Wind Chill Advisories and one big chunk of snow.

Lucky for me, our leadership team decided that we should stay home this morning and maybe try to come in at noon.

From the stories I’ve heard from people who made the commute in to their offices this morning, I think it was the right call.

Amusing Interview Stories

2007-02-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

I spotted an article on Monster recently about some entertaining interviewing and hiring stories including the following:

I was hiring for a collector position and received a resume with the following as the candidate's Goals and Objectives:

"I want to be successful as everyone does, but I want to kick it up a knotch (his misspell) and be VERY successful and become #1 in everything when it comes to professional, family, and personal way of life."

You want to be VERY successful? Why didn't you tell me before? What a novel goal in life. Does Emeril know you are using his phrase? Thanks for your time -- next!

I know my coworkers have a number of stories like this and they are the highlights of our days.

More Bad Resume Quotes

2007-02-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

I’ve seen this collection in a number of places online, most often quote from Fortune Magazine. Hope you find them entertaining.

I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience.
Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.
Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.
Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.
Its best for employers that I not work with people.
Lets meet, so you can ooh and aah over my experience.
Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details
I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse.
As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments.
Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.
Marital status: often. Children: various.
References: None. I've left a path of destruction behind me.

My worst job ever...

2007-02-01T11:57:00.001-05:00

Over the years, I’ve had some pretty miserable jobs. I did in fact, flip burgers for 2 years in high school, and was happy to move on to a more “professional” role when I started college.

I obtained a position working for the Admissions on Campus Programs office at Eastern Michigan University, which managed a number of admissions related programs including some that featured a self-guided tour of the University. On these self-guided tours, a representative of the university would be stationed at points of interest to answer questions and provide information.

On one such occasion, I was assigned to the Ypsilanti Water Tower. As you can see from the picture, the water tower is an interesting building and 16 & 17 year old kids find some rather embarrassing questions to ask the poor tour guide who is trying to remain serious and professional.

My day went something like this:

Prospective Student “So, why does it look like a…”
Me (interrupting): “The exterior was designed in the popular Queen Anne style of the period.”
Prospective Student: “But don’t you think it looks slightly…”
Me (interrupting again): “I really don’t know what you mean”

And then, as the group stepped out onto the walkway which encircles the water tower near the top, someone would ask about the “Legend of the Water Tower” (something about a virgin graduating from EMU and the tower crumbling), and I would be forced to deny I’d ever heard anything like that… And so on… for 6 hours.

So yes, I think that may have been the worst job I’ve ever had.

Brainstorming

2007-01-31T11:25:00.000-05:00

I love brainstorming sessions, they are a great way to generate ideas and build on concepts.

Today we were brainstorming a new company tagline, and while there were many good ideas, there were also a few that illustrate my coworker’s sense of humor, or were just funny in hindsight:

It’s five o’clock somewhere! (fitting for our group sometimes)
Partners with clients (it’s really hard to have a business without clients)
Antennas to the aliens (yes, our logo is a pyramid)
Consultative flesh peddling (let’s not go there)

On a more serious note, there were several excellent suggestions and I appreciate the input from all my coworkers! Thanks guys!

No Laughing matter... well maybe

2007-01-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

As you may know, the jobs outlook in Michigan is not so good. When Pfizer announced the departure of its Michigan operations, the outlook got even worse. It's just not funny anymore...

That is unless you're Brendon Lemon, Staff Writer for the Eastern Echo (the Eastern Michigan University paper), in a great satirical article: Pfizer finally frees nearly 2,500 servants

The article features "interviews" at local watering holes including:

"I got this cool hat today," said Randal Mondroff while holding up a large mass of aluminum foil, he is a clinical researcher with a Ph.D. from Columbia, "now that I don't have to work, this keeps the CIA from reading my brain."

Thanks for the laughs Brendon!

Job Requirements

2007-01-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

I’m always slightly annoyed by candidates that reply to our job postings even though they are not even remotely qualified.

Even if my job posting explicitly states the position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) and experience designing manufacturing process equipment for the automotive industry.

I will invariably receive responses from candidates that did not complete high school, whose most recent experience was picking blueberries. I’m sorry. I’m not going to call you. Yes, I’m realize that your blueberry picking skills may be unmatched and that you also have a valid hi-lo license, but you are not what I am looking for. Why are you wasting my time?!?!

Why do people like this waste our time? Can’t they read the requirements? Yes, of course, they can read the requirements, but they often just ignore them. After all, requirements are really more like guidelines most of the time, and sometimes downright silly. Consider the following:

Regular Attendance at Work (No, really?)
Regular contact with children (Fine, except this was on a daycare provider posting!)
Good English Language Skills (Just good though, we don’t want to set the bar too high.)

Check out this article about more Outrageous Job Requirements.

Reality TV

2007-01-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

I know that I’m not the first to have the idea, but I think a Recruiter Reality TV Show would be great!

Our industry is similar to many of the big reality shows already…

It’s kind of like Survivor… Trying to find great candidates and match them up with opportunities that fit their needs is kind of like digging in the sand for a bag of puzzle pieces and then having to put it all together before the other tribe can…

It’s kind of like American Idol… Sifting through vast crowds of semi-talented (and hugely deluded) candidates to find those few that really have what it takes. We even have our own Paulas (the recruiters that like everyone) and Simons (the ones that are really picky). And although I’ve never actually called anyone a Bush Baby, but I’ve been known to use “Freak show” as a proper noun.

It’s kind of like Bachelor… We provide our client (our Bachelor) with a pool of talent to choose from, and they pick the one they like best

And of course it’s part definitely part Apprentice… Our candidates have to be able to do the job… although we don’t usually make them live in tents if they fail, but that could be fun!

So what could we call this show? Maybe… Headhunter Idol?

When you are not just a resume...

2007-01-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

I’ve written quite a bit about bad resumes lately. But there is more to getting a job than having a good resume.

Most people understand that checking your educational credentials or even conducting a criminal background check and credit check are pretty standard steps in the interview process. But did you know that a growing number of employees are researching candidates online.

For example, I operate this blog; I share personal and professional information here, and it wouldn't be that difficult for someone to find it. But I doubt my current employer will have a problem with anything I've written here, and a perspective employer might double check my footwear in my interview; but other than that I’m pretty safe.

But consider the following:

Curious about the candidate, [The Recruiter] went to her page on Facebook. She found explicit photographs and commentary about the student's sexual escapades, drinking and pot smoking, including testimonials from friends. Among the pictures were shots of the young woman passed out after drinking.

… A recruiter had … rejected an applicant after searching the name of the student, a chemical engineering major, on Google. Among the things the recruiter found, she said, was this remark: "I like to blow things up."

...The executive found the candidate's Web page with this description of his interests: "smokin' blunts", shooting people and obsessive sex, all described in vivid slang.

See the New York Times' full article.

What may be surprising is that even though “shooting people” and “blowing things up” are very likely to be hyperbole, posturing (or maybe just really bad word choice??), it doesn’t matter to hiring managers. It is seen as immature and unprofessional. Obviously, talking about doing drugs and who-knows-what-else is pretty much guaranteed to lose you a job.

In short, if you don't want your Parents, Grandparents, or Boss to see it, it doesn't belong online!

Not very interesting...

2007-01-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

Groucho Marx once said "Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough."

Well, today is the day, I’m officially 30. So far it’s not that bad really. Except that several of my coworkers decided that dressing in all black to mourn my 20’s would be funny.

But thinking back was there really much about my 20’s worth mourning? Sure, college was fun, (what I actually remember of it) but I was constantly strapped for cash. Then there were the dead end jobs I had before joining Partners, which left me constantly strapped for cash. (Hmmm... sensing a theme here...) Sure, I made some great friends and had some fun... but all in all, I think most of my 20's pretty much sucked.

I think my 30’s will be much better!

Do you know where your resume was last night?

2007-01-18T15:58:00.000-05:00

Reaction time is a crucial part of the recruiter’s game. Currently, we are seeing a shortage of great candidates, and the competition among headhunters is growing. If your resume is online on Monster, Careerbuilder or a similar site, I’ll bet a recruiter has called you.

As a candidate, you need to be in control of your Job Search. It is vitally important that you, the job seeker, control where your resume is sent and by whom.

A GOOD RECRUITER will never present your information to a client company without first informing you fully about the potential opportunity and deciding with you if it is a career move you would like to pursue.

A BAD RECRUITER may pull your resume from Monster and send it off to without ever speaking to you about the opportunity. Suddenly you’ll get a call that consists of a “hard sell” on the job, and an attempt to set up an interview with the employing company. This recruiter may also promise to “send your information to as many jobs as I can."

Even if you are an active job seeker, think of all the jobs you see that don't interest you! If your job search isn't that active, imagine what happens when a recruiter starts sending your resume all over creation?

This is not representing your best interests! This is throwing you against the wall to see if you stick! People should not be treated like half-boiled spaghetti!

Recruiters as Social Workers?

2007-01-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

Wow! It’s been busy around here lately! I’m back at last...

I found inspiration for today’s post in a training session given by one of the industry gurus. She says she likes to think of recruiters as “Social Workers who like money”.

I like to think that my coworkers love what they do because we help people. It may sound arrogant but we change people’s lives: that’s the Social Worker part.

Of course, recruiting can be a very lucrative business, and a successful recruiter can make a very comfortable living: Hence the money.

But not all recruiters have the social worker gene, there are some that only want the money, and those are not the people you want representing you… So over the next few days, I’m going to discuss how a good recruiter will treat you and how you in turn should treat a good recruiter...

Stay tuned!

Gentlemen (and Ladies) start your engines!

2007-01-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

It feels like summer already, and not just because of the abnormally warm winter El Nino is providing.

I do have a life outside the office that includes hobbies like playing “Mechanic” for my boyfriend’s Figure 8 and Demo Scramble Cars (check out his blog here). And last night, as we were working to free a very sad Chevy Corsica from a farmer’s field in, it reminded me of our summer evenings spent breaking glass, sledge hammering fenders and fashioning door armor.

That's him, #42, with the excellent gold paint job! This Buick was the 3rd of 6 cars we managed to destroy last year.

The season begins soon! Check out the race promoter, Unique Motor Sports, for show dates, race photos, and other info.

Customer Service (or lack thereof)

2007-01-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

So enough on the topic of bad resumes, let’s talk a bit about what happens when you get the wrong people for the job.

Yesterday, ERE's Daily Newsletter featured this article from Dr. Wendall Williams on the disappointing product and disheartening customer service he received from two guys called Harry and David, whose definition of "Premium Mixed Nuts" clearly differs from that of the author:

I was preparing to physically count the number of almonds and pecans in the package, but without thinking, I ate both of them. So, I decided to check out their customer service claim about having the STRONGEST GUARANTEE IN THE BUSINESS.

I particularly like his recounting of his exchange with the customer service department:

Me: "Supervisor?" (waiting again)
Supervisor: "May I help you?"
Me: (Repeating my complaint about their definition of "premium" and invoking the words "STRONGEST GUARANTEE IN THE BUSINESS".)
Supervisor: "I'm sorry. We have 4,000 reps. I don't even know where this call came from. Do you want some jelly? Our jelly is really good."
Me: "I really wanted premium mixed nuts, but I guess jelly is okay."
Supervisor: "I'm sorry, we're out of jelly. Would you like some truffles?"
Me: "Ok."
Supervisor: "I'm sorry you had a problem."
Me: "Me too."

Dr. Williams tells the story with great humor and provides insights on how companies with the best customer service people select and train them.

Another tidbit gave me something to keep in mind the next time I’m frustrated with the customer service rep that just sent me to muzak hell (a.k.a. put me on hold) for the 4th time.

Customer service is a tough way to make a living. Low-paid people sit for long stretches listening to a never-ceasing queue of complaints. As soon as they hang up one call, an inbound router sends another. Their managers make things worse by expecting reps to deliver quality but punish them for taking too much time to solve problems.
It is any wonder that customer-service reps turn over?

Our very own “Dundies”…

2007-01-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

I think my boss has been watching too much of The Office ...

Our 2007 Kickoff Meeting finally happened today (I was beginning to think Tony Romo was coordinating the effort) and our fearless leader opened the meeting with a special round of awards.

I was lucky enough to be named “Most likely to make you laugh” somehow managed to avoid “Most likely to die of a coffee overdose”. Of course, the boss got the “Most likely to reschedule a meeting”. Others received the “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” and “Most likely to bring something awesome to the potluck” awards… Have I mentioned I love this place?

Overall I came away from this meeting excited about our plans for the next year, and I’m sure that their will be much success and much humor to come!

Talkin' 'bout my education...

2007-01-10T08:44:00.000-05:00

Today's resume advice: Education

This one is simple: Don’t lie. If you don’t have a degree, you don’t have one. Eventually someone will catch you, and it will not be good for your career.

The argument goes something like “College wouldn’t teach me anything I haven’t learned in X years on the job”.

Maybe that’s true, but the value of a college education is much more than what you learn in class.

I’ve decided the most valuable things I learned in college were:

Responsibility and accountability (you can only skip so many classes before you learn this)
How to problem solve and manage time
How to get along with diverse groups of people
How to find answers, even if sometimes you don’t know the question
Openness to new ideas and the value in other points of view

Of course, I majored in Political Science, so it’s not like my coursework really applies to anything.

As for your educational history as part of your resume:
Always provide the name of the school, the degree received, and the program of study (yes, even if it’s Political Science). The year of graduation and GPA are optional. However, if you’re graduated with Honors, definitely add that, if your GPA was below 3.0 probably leave that off.

What not to share about your education:

While I've never quite gotten a degree, I am quite close to several.
Completed 11 years of high school
College, August 1880-May 1984
Beer pong champion
Finished eighth in my high school graduating class of ten
Suspected to graduate early next year
GPA: 1.2/4.0

Is it live or is it Memorex?

2007-01-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

Yet another example of the need to proofread:

Looking for a more simulating environment

I want to gain a life changing experience in my first job after my college career. I would like to explore all the options that are available to me and really see what it is like out here in the real world.

Hmmm, I would think a “simulating environment” and “the real world” would be mutually exclusive... but that’s just me.

Disqualified!

2007-01-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the next exciting installment of resume advice… What qualifies as a qualification?

These days, most Human Resources professionals and hiring managers understand that Behavioral Interviewing which focuses more on experience than checklists of qualifications, is the key to finding candidates that can truly succeed in the position.

However, I think qualifications have their place in fields like Information Technology, Engineering, Nursing, etc., where either you have the skill or you don’t. In these cases qualifications might include certifications and licenses, software competencies, or familiarity with industry specific codes and standards.

Examples of Qualifications:

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
Registered Nurse (RN)
American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)
Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Access, PowerPoint and Excel
Advanced skills in Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Skilled in using schematic capture systems

Note: If you are posting your resume online, it’s a good idea to list the full name of your certification and the common abbreviation

Examples of Dis-Qualifications:

I'm a lean, mean, marketing machine.
I have a current passport.
Excellant at people oriented positi9ons and organizational problem solving.
Minor allergies to house cats and Mongolian sheep (just the Mongolian ones?)
I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0, computor and spreadsheat progroms.
I am creative, dependable, and housebroken.
Eight arms and eight legs with excellent interpersonal skills (trying to qualify for the sideshow?)
I'm a rabid typist.
Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory.
Loyal to my employer at all costs. (Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voicemail/email)

I gotta get out of this place…

2007-01-08T14:44:00.000-05:00

In this installment of resume advice, I will deal with the dreaded question, “Why did you leave your last position?”

Again, this isn’t something I suggest including on your resume, but it is something that will come up in interviews, so we should address the topic anyway.

For Example: You’ve been downsized. We all know that “Downsized” can be code for “Fired”. So it’s a good idea to include how many others were caught up in the downsizing “I was part of a 10% reduction in workforce” and/or what precipitated the downsizing “ABC Company opted to eliminate all regional sales representatives and manage sales through territory managers based at corporate headquarters” is better than a simple “Downsized”.

Try to avoid statements like “In their infinite wisdom, the company decided that they weren’t selling enough products to actually afford to market them, so they got rid of all their marketing people." *

On a similar note: Work History
There are few good reasons to jump from job to job, and it tends to be more acceptable in some industries or positions than others. If you have been contracting, it’s best to make that clear on your resume. If you have a shaky work history, recruiters will avoid you like the plague. In this case, including your reasons for leaving each job may be a good idea.

As long as they aren’t reasons like:

Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job.
Responsibility makes me nervous.
Being in trouble with the law, I moved quite frequently.
In my last position, got nowhere as part of a 60-person herd.
I did not give the company my full effort and received no chance of advancement in return.
My last employer insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. I couldn't work under those conditions.
Was met with a string of broken promises and lies, as well as cockroaches
The company made me a scapegoat - just like my three previous employers.

*The important part is I’m not bitter and I got over it quickly! ;-)

By the way, thanks go to Funny2.com for many of the bad examples for this series.

Job Titles

2007-01-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

My coworkers are fun! Many of them share my sense of humor, and are kind enough to share the unusual or funny resume titles, job titles, etc they find… Today it was a Professional Certification: Gas Free Engineer

Some research revealed that a Shipboard Gas Free Engineer is designated by the Commanding Officer to work in or on confined spaces that may have hazardous environments.

I find this reassuring; if I’m ever trapped in a confined space with an engineer, I would prefer he be Gas Free.

I believe this might take over for my previous Favorite: Paprika Technician.

A bad experience...

2007-01-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Dr. Seuss once said “I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells…” and I find this a perfect introduction to my next installment of resume advice: Experience.

I suggest you use a chronological format for your resume and provide information about what the companies you have worked for actually do. (For example “Manufacturers of food process equipment” or “A multi-billion dollar manufacturer and marketer of consumer packaged goods”) one line here is enough, and it’s extremely helpful.

Good resumes will have concise, accurate, bulleted responsibility/experience statements that begin with verbs and illustrate your accomplishments and skills.

The Good:
(Remember, numbers are your friend!)

Initiated design changes and search engine optimization practices resulting in 25% increase in natural search referrals and a reduction in home page abandonment by over 200%.
Increased productivity and efficiencies by 30%, which improved the bottom line $240,000 annually
Reduced rework, achieved $100,000 in cost avoidance

The Bad: (What you did, but not how well you did it)

Demonstrated excellent materials management skills
Purchased equipment
Demonstrated project management skills

The Ugly:
(Please, please, please, proofread! And did I mention concise?)

Maintained files and reports, did data processing, cashed employees' paychecks.
Overlooked all areas to ensure an overwhelming success
Develop and recommend an annual operating expense fudget.
While I am open to the initial nature of an assignment, I am decidedly disposed that it be so oriented as to at least partially incorporate the experience enjoyed heretofore and that it be configured so as to ultimately lead to the application of more rarefied facets of financial management as the major sphere of responsibility.

In all seriousness, this is the real “meat” of your resume, do this part well, and you will go much further.

Where is the box anyway?

2007-01-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

Today, a quote: (discovered on my Starbucks cup)

In my career I’ve found that “thinking outside the box” works better if I know what’s “inside the box.” In music (as in life) we need to understand our pertinent history… and moving on is so much easier once we know where we’ve been.
– Dave Grusin, Award-winning composer and jazz musician.

I found this particularly fitting, as my monday morning will be spent in a “Kick Off” meeting for the office… I wonder if I should take a few Buzzword Bingo cards along…

I Object...

2007-01-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

Following yesterday’s post on resume titles, you may have gathered that nothing irritates me more than a bad resume. Therefore, I intend to offer my very humble *snicker* opinion resume structure, beginning with the Objective.

I’m not a big fan of using an objective on a resume. If you must have some form of introductory paragraph, I suggest a summary of your skills and experience concluding with what your background offers a perspective employer. But as it seems that career counselors and resume templates are obsessed with objectives, I will start my analysis of the resume there.

Good objectives outline your skills, long term goals, and what you bring to the company.

To obtain a position within your company where my creativity, organizational skills and high level of motivation will benefit the team
To obtain a sales position with a market leader that will utilize my diverse experience and make a substantial contribution to the company’s success.

Bad objectives are too narrowly focused, too vague, or make no sense.

A management position in the Memphis area utilizing my skills and experience
Company goals achieved- friendly employee leadership- strong importance of customer, reliability, quality work, & family. Flexiable full time schedule.
I would like a position that may or will be available soon on a full-time basis only.

Really bad objectives crack me up.

To acquire a creative development position within the entertainment industry that would utilize my vast (2 years) technical experience.
To find a gig.
My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I have no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage.

In conclusion, if you must use an objective, at least try to make sense.

Resume Titles

2007-01-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

It’s time yet again, for one of Karen’s Pet Peeves.

When recruiters are doing a search of monster, careerbuilder or any major job board, we are presented with a page of search results and this is where we all see what you’ve chosen as your “Resume Title”.

Examples of Good Resume Titles:
Sales Manager with demonstrated business development skills
BSME with Pro/E Expertise
Experienced Lean Manufacturing Engineer

Examples of Bad Resume Titles:
Resume
Your Name
Looking for a job
Unemployed
Anything containing the word “Guru”

Some Examples of Hysterical Resume Titles:
Wannabe teacher
Don't look no frther
This whold be my first job.. But i am a hard worker and ready to work.
LOOKIN FO A CHALLENGE
Handsome and Available
Looks great in chaps!

Just something else to keep in mind!

Overheard in the Bullpen

2007-01-04T16:19:00.000-05:00

Bullpen (noun) an open work area, not divided into offices, typically associated with people making sales calls.

At Partners we don’t really use the term “bullpen” and our recruiters are in cubicles; but makes for a fun and simple name for what I hope is a recurring segment…

Overheard in the Bullpen (Thanks to Overheard in New York for the idea)

Recruiter to Candidate: The hiring manager is from Italy, so his English isn’t very well.

Recruiter to Candidate: So, you’re unemployed? Okay Great!

Interview Questions

2007-01-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

I’ve written before about some odd questions candidates have asked… but of course, it is sometimes the interviewer that comes up with the off-the-wall question.

Odd interview questions I’ve been asked include:
If you were fruit (or an animal, a tree, a color, etc), what would you be, and why?
If you could have dinner with any one person, living or dead, who would it be?
If you could be granted superpowers, what superpower would you like to receive?

Most of these I answered without too much of a problem. The one question that that really tripped me up was “What is your favorite word?”

Here’s what went through my head in the next 1.2 seconds:

A favorite word? Are you serious? I mean ask me about my favorite movie (The Shawshank Redemption), my favorite book (Strange Universe) my favorite song (I am a Rock), or my favorite color (clear)! But a favorite word? Geez, can’t we go back to that question about what dead person I’d want to chat with over fettuccini? I mean really, a favorite word? There are lots of great words! Tintinnabulation (it’s just fun to say), thixotropicity (because no one knows what it means), gibbous (again, just fun to say), and multifunctional words like “stuff” and “smurf”. (And a more few you can't say in polite company!) Is this really relevant to job? Oh no, what am I going to say? I’m taking way too long! Wait! Wait! I’ve got it! I’ll give them something career related, something business savvy, something… something… something like...

In the end, I babbled something semi-coherent about “synergy” or some other meaningless buzzword. Needless to say, I was not offered that job.

Why on earth would someone ask this? This was a copywriting job, and so I can see a vague relevance, but it still rattled me. It wasn’t until later I learned that these odd questions are designed to do just that.

One of the most popular odd-ball interview questions is “Why is a manhole cover round?” Rumor has it this is a standard at Microsoft. A hiring manager I know often asked this question as a way to find candidates that could problem solve and think on their feet. He admits the best response to this question was “I don’t know, but you’ll have the answer in your e-mail by the end of the day”.

The answer, by the way, is that a circle is the only geometric shape that cannot fit through itself and therefore the cover cannot fall down the hole.

Have I mentioned I love trivia?

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

2006 was a great year for me, I settled into my role here are Partners In Technology, and I am thoroughly enjoying my work and even though I will be turning 30 (or 20-10 as I’ve decided to call it) this year, I am looking forward to 2007!

Of course, the New Year is a time for Resolutions. Personally, I seem to always end up doing the opposite of whatever I’ve resolved to do. So, in a nod to George from Seinfeld this year my resolutions are to spend too much money and gain at least 20 pounds.

But on to my usual topic…

Monster.com recently listed the “Ten Job Resolutions" in their Work/Life Balance section. Of course, Monster is kind enough to include some real advice in each area; which worth reading.

Here are my favorites:

Find New Ways to Greet Coworkers
I'm tired of the nod-and-smile and the hushed "morning." I find myself overusing the noncommittal hello. I'm going to start implementing the heel-click-and-salute, the friendly kick-in-the-shin and the increasingly popular Siberian headlock.

Refurbish My Cube
I want something different, like a Polynesian aristocracy motif or something resembling a caribou herder's hut. Perhaps some well-placed throw rugs would spruce up the place. Maybe a weaving loom or a wax bust of Oprah.

Drink Less Coffee
Ha ha ha! Just kidding. No freakin' chance.

Manage My Time More Effectively
I will limit my productive time in the office by refusing to accept any new assignments. I will attend one out of every three meetings. I will shorten my commute to six minutes by buying a Camaro. I will spend less time writing lists.

Deal with Coworker Disputes in a Civil Fashion
Enough voodoo dolls and gypsy curses. From here on out, I will deal with people in a mature and respectable fashion by completely ignoring them or spreading heinous rumors about them.

Emails...

2006-12-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

Okay – Pet Peeve time:

The “Are you serious with that?” moments I’ve had with candidates’ emails, voicemails, etc.

CareerBuilder’s “When Bad Job Searches Happen to Good Candidates” article suggests:
Rehearse the voice mail message you plan to leave. Consider a more serious e-mail address. Does your home voice mail play strange music or have a silly outgoing message? Is your résumé printed on purple paper? All of these things factor into a headhunter's first, and indelible, impression.
I couldn’t agree more! I mean really, do you think anyone is going to take you seriously as a professional when your dog greets callers on your answering machine? I mean 10 out of 10 for cute but minus several hundred on the professional index!

However, I can almost excuse the answering machine faux pas, but what I can’t get past are the email addresses…Here’s just a sampling of some we’ve seen on resumes (altered slightly to protect their identity):

mydog (wonder if this answering machine barks too!)
sham (what a great salesperson)
toolman (not even if you’re a tool & die specialist!)
cowboy (in various forms, all of them wrong)
kaboom (hope he’s not a chemical engineer)
star-trek anything (bet this is an engineer!)
babykelly (Barbie fan???)
mafia (in various forms, funny enough all in the construction trades)
adream4u, girl4u, etc (pretty sure we aren’t a dating service; therefore anything ending in 4u is out!)
bone4life (not touching that one)

I’m just asking that you put some thought into what image your email address projects; take 5 minutes, jump on gmail or yahoo and find a simple, clean, professional email address.

That’s my soapbox for today… Thanks!

Euphemisms...

2006-12-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

It’s been observed before that we live in a world where language is often “softened” by euphemisms. George Carlin once said that that people were no longer fired, instead “management wanted to curtail redundancies in the human resources area, so many people are no longer viable members of the workforce.”

The Recruiters Network has played on this idea these “Job descriptions revealed”:

Competitive Salary = We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
Must be deadline-oriented = You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.
Must have an eye for detail = Because we have no quality control.
Problem-solving skills a must = Welcome to perpetual chaos.
Requires leadership skills = All the responsibilities of a manager, without all that pesky pay and respect.

I write the majority of job descriptions and online job postings for my company and so I find the above particularly entertaining. While I don’t commit the kind of “cover-ups” above; I will admit to a bit of “translating”. For example:

Ability to gain buy-in from others is key = because no one actually reports to you.
Extensive travel to be expected = See, the location doesn't matter, you're never there!
Picturesque location! Just two hours from Chicago! = Iowa

My Nightmare Interview...

2006-12-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!

After yesterday’s post, I thought I might take a moment today to share one of the worst interview stories I know. Of course the reason it’s one of the worst: it happened to me!

Shortly after graduating from Eastern Michigan University, I had the opportunity to interview for an Admissions Representative position here in Grand Rapids. I breezed through the phone screen, met with a couple of people in a face to face interview, and finally was asked to prepare a short presentation which I would present to the entire admissions staff for my final interview. I spent a day or so madly editing and rehearsing the presentation I’d made to hundreds of students while recruiting for EMU. Finally I felt I had the presentation down (I was no longer saying “Eastern” throughout it anyway…)

I managed to have a good night’s sleep before the interview, and was reciting my pitch in the shower and as I dressed for the interview. I chose a chocolate brown suit over a black blouse, (very professional looking I thought) and after a moment of deliberation over which shoes to wear, I was off.

I walked into a conference room full of potential colleagues, answered a few brief questions about my background, and then stood and paced around the table while telling them all about “The 5 P’s of Choosing a College” (Programs, Preparation, People, Place, and Price).

I nailed it! I was great; they were interested and attentive, nodding and smiling. I was awesome!

We closed the interview, and I was feeling euphoric; they told me they’d be in touch by the end of the day. Still on cloud nine, I headed for my car, tripped and nearly fell face first onto the ground. I thought, “Wow, this parking lot is awfully uneven” and looked down at what I thought would be cracked pavement.

Instead I discovered my inability to walk was the result of wearing two shoes not even REMOTELY similar; one black 1½” heel, and one brown 2” heel,

I was horrified, embarrassed, and feeling totally stupid. Flashbacks to the conference room…were they smiling at my presentation or laughing at my shoes? Oh god, what have I done!

I went home, all my excitement and positive energy gone, and waited for the phone to ring. I started to rationalize, like… maybe they hadn’t noticed, maybe they thought I always walked with a slight limp, maybe they thought I was color blind, maybe they thought I knew and just didn’t let it phase me…

To my surprise, I was offered the job! I guess you really can recover from anything!

Nightmare interviews...

2006-12-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Because my firm works nationally, we don’t always have the luxury of meeting every candidate, we’ve had some surprises as result… few as good as this selection of “strange questions candidates have asked in interviews”

From the “That’s odd ” category:
"What is the company motto?"
"Will the company move my rock collection from California to Maryland?"
"Will the company pay to relocate my horse?"
"Does your health insurance cover pets?"

To the “Why are you here again?” category:
"What is it that you people do at this company?"
"Why aren't you in a more interesting business?"
"Why do you want references?"

To the “I think we’re done here” category:
"Would it be a problem if I'm angry most of the time?"
"Does your company have a policy regarding concealed weapons?"

And finally… the “Did you forget your medication” category:
"What are the zodiac signs of all the board members?"
"Do I have to dress for the next interview?"
"I know this is off the subject, but will you marry me?"

Find these and more great stuff (including useful information) at the Recruiter’s Network.

Welcome to my world...

2006-12-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

By my world, I mean my cubicle, which is right in the center of a recruiting office. You see, I do marketing and research for a team of search consultants based in Grand Rapids,MI. I love my job. My co-workers are great and it is very different from anything I’ve done before.

Most people don’t understand what recruiters do. For example, a coworker of mine was asked what he did for a living, when he responded “I’m a headhunter”, he was surprised by the “Wow, isn’t that dangerous?” response, and found himself explaining the difference between a headhunter and a bounty hunter.

I would like to share a bit about what the world of recruiting is all about, and why I’ve found a home in this industry.

When I’m asked what I like about my job, the answer is simple: Entertainment Value! From the unbelievable things that happen during interviews and the strange things I overhear from the “bullpen”, to the resumes with bizarre job titles and job descriptions, I can always find some comic relief. I hope you will too…

Please don't call us headhunters!

In case you were wondering...

So, why did you leave your last position?

Oops!

It's a jungle out there!

Job Advertising

Interviewing is like dating

International "Talk Like a Pirate Day"

More Stupid Candidate Tricks

Job Advertising

Y is for You're Kidding, right?

Stupid Candidate Tricks

The Next Generation

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 6

Definitive Job Hunt - Part 5

Oops!

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 4

Definitive Job Hunt - Part 3 (Addendum)

The Definitive Job Hunt - Part 3

The Definitive Job Hunt – Part 2

On a personal note

The Definitive Job Hunt - Part 1

Still alive and kicking (somewhere under all these resumes!!)

I'll never call it Bland Rapids again!

Bad Recruiters

Common Interview Questions

Cell Phone Etiquette

My funny co-workers

Murder Cover-up at Eastern Michigan University

Idiots among us...

I thought this all felt familiar...

Performance Evaluations

Resume Advice from Me!

Resume Advice from the Experts

New Daily Haunt

BEST Interview Questions??

I'm baaccck!

Journalism

Update on our Detainee

The Importance of a Good Selection Process

Pre-Interview Interrogation Anyone?

Job Satisfaction

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Good Interview Questions

Coworker Difficulties

Agency Recruiting is not just a sales job.

Thanks for Reading!

Another Odd Interview Question

Great Expectations - Not just a boring novel.

Job Interviews and American Idol?

On the Job Experience

Seven Deadly Sins Revisited

More odd interview questions.

Business & Dead Horses

Seven Deadly Sins

Too Much Information (on your resume)

Office Recycling Program

Targeted Advertising

Odd Interview Questions...

Video Resumes

Seriously Weird Coworkers

Preparing (too much?) for an Interview

When spellcheck fails you...

Job Lounge's Name That Doodle

Snow Day

Amusing Interview Stories

More Bad Resume Quotes

My worst job ever...

Brainstorming

No Laughing matter... well maybe

Job Requirements

Reality TV

When you are not just a resume...

Not very interesting...

Do you know where your resume was last night?

Recruiters as Social Workers?

Gentlemen (and Ladies) start your engines!

Customer Service (or lack thereof)

Our very own “Dundies”…

Talkin' 'bout my education...