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How Picking An Intern Is Like Picking Your Stock Portfolio

By on August 4, 2015 in Career Advise

Gone are the days when interns were a burden to your company.

Gone are the days when having an intern meant you had someone to get you coffee and clean your office and gone should be the days, when they become a burden to your time and your company.

Interns can be an integral part of your organization. In this day and age they are probably more technically savvy than the directors in your organization. They know how to research, type, network, code and decode better than any generation before them. They love technology and more so, they love the idea of success, fame and fortune, as it’s all over their social media world.

Do they have a short attention span? Most of them.

Can they be driven to succeed? Absolutely.

They need to be given the right tools so you don’t just have them for a few months but rather a few years. If you play your cards right, you won’t be wasting your time just to see them run out the door when their internship is over. So make the most out of your interns so you see a return in your investment.

Pick Wisely: Before even having an intern, know what the role of the person will be. Just like your stock portfolio you wouldn’t just go with the seat of your pants, you would look at industry, the company, the potential. Don’t just have an intern because of the free or almost free labour. What is their potential in your company? How do you want them to grow with the company? How do you want to see them succeed? What type of person best fits your organization from the get go? Don’t pick anyone, pick with purpose.

Proper Onboarding: They are human and they are just like any other new employee in your organization. They need a proper onboarding process which means, an email prior to arrival, indicating the information they need to succeed the first day, an introduction to the team, the company, a computer and even a cell phone, if that’s normal protocol for your organization. Ensure they have an email address as well. Treat them with the same respect you would any other new employee. Just like a stock if it’s doing poorly, you have two choices, stick with it and hope it/they pick up or get rid of them!

Remain Calm: They are interns, which means they are learning, which also means you have to allow them to try things and make mistakes. The biggest mistake you can make with an intern is being extremely overbearing and watching their every move. Watch your stocks from a distance. Watching them every second won’t make your life easier, just more stressful so when it comes to an intern, let them learn, they will stay.

Let Them Speak: They are new, they have questions, they have ideas. Some ideas might be outlandish but some might actually work for your organization. Don’t discount them just because they are young. They see things differently then you and that’s not a bad thing. Their creative juices can allow you to think differently as well and create something incredible.

Give A Pat On The Back: It won’t kill you to say “Good job” “Thank You” “Love That!”. Don’t flood their head with compliments that they think they can feel they can run the company today but give them a sense of value by providing positive feedback every now and again so they can see themselves a huge part of the company in the future.

Remember It’s Not About The Money: Your intern is there because he/she wants to learn the ropes of your company and/or your job. They aren’t there for the money as much as you might be. Some interns aren’t even paid and that you need to be well aware of and remember! They are there because they genuinely want to be. Perhaps taking that into consideration and paying for their lunch or a movie or a show can be a nice way to reward them. The $10 lunch can save you hundreds and thousands of dollars in the long run as they grow your company, with you. Appreciation goes a long way.

When you are hiring an intern, you are hiring someone to help you build your team, your company and your dreams. They come in with zero experience so you must groom them properly, and invest in them wisely so all your efforts aren’t wasted and they essentially leave to help build someone portfolio. If that happens, you have no one to blame but your own market value.

Jessica Glazer is the Recruitment Director/Founder of www.MindHR.com-a head-hunting and resume writing agency. She writes for Huffington Post, can be heard on Montreal’s NewsTalk Radio CJAD and seen on BTMontreal and Global television speaking about employment related issues.

Over 1M Recruiters, Who Is The Right One?

By on October 15, 2014 in Uncategorized

Every job has it’s perks and down falls and the biggest downfall in recruitment is the quality of talent that comes through staffing firms directly so here are the qualities needed for top performing recruiters you should know about if you are going to be working with them:

Emotional Intelligence: Being smart is one thing but a great recruiter needs to be able to read people and situations. They need to know what to say when and how, and WITHOUT LYING! Lying gets you nowhere but trouble

Diligent To The Point of Obsession: It’s one thing to be a perfectionist however top performing recruiters are people of the now with the vision of the long term as everything has to happen instantly for their candidates and their clients but building the solid relationship is always #1.

Multi-Task Masters: There is no way a top performing recruiter will take on one job at a time or talk to one candidate for one search. The don’t NEED a retained search as they know that they will find the top candidate and there’s no way they are working with one company so why make a company work with only them? Due to their busy desk, they need to know how to manage a different projects at different stages, hand while being observant enough to know what priorities are. As I was once told it’s “Magic hands”.

Listen: In sales it’s always important to listen but recruiters aren’t just sales people selling a glass. Their class walks, talks, speaks to other glasses and if they fall of the shelf, the recruiter can’t just find the exact same glass. So it’s so important they listen to the needs of their clients.

Caring: In all jobs the bottom line is important but someone who is in recruitment for the money is in it for the wrong reasons. The career placement industry isn’t a numbers game, it’s about changing lives.

Friendly: If the recruiter you are working with can not take the time to talk to you with a smile and caring voice, you have a problem

Sense of Sportsmanship:Recruiting is the People Person Sport. It’s impossible to be a successful recruiter without a team. It takes a village to make the right higher. They need the right tools and guidance from their clients and their candidates so if they aren’t working with you, they aren’t going to be able to help you

Energized: If a recruiter sounds like Eeyor you have a problem, they shouldn’t be like Tiger either. You need them to be a healthy balance of professional, fun and educated regarding your needs.

Self-Motivated: A recruiters lively hood depends on the clients they manage and the jobs they fill. If they are happy with just being at the level they are at, they will not strive to fill your jobs as they have no drive. A top preforming recruiter has drive faster then a formula 1 racer.

Ridiculous Researcher: A top recruiter won’t just research a company to know what they do, they will know the company and the match of what they are looking for better then an adult tooth moving into a mouth. They love to research, to the point of almost stalking. It;s their passion to research, learn and talk to others. It’s just in their blood.

Laugh At Themselves: If they can’t laugh at themselves they will die as some things said and done along the way can kill them…literally.

14 Small Business, Big Hiring Mistakes

By on October 10, 2014 in Employer Guidelines

Expanding a small company is never easy. Everyone has a role and in a small office a bad hire has a greater impact. Below are 14 of the biggest hiring mistakes small business make:

Hiring A Friend Not A Fit: Your friend is great but unless you already have an established company keep them out of the office. There are studies that less work is completed when hiring a friend plus there is a reason you don’t mix business with pleasure…not everyone can separate the two.

Not Knowing What You Need:You know you need someone but do you know where or how. Write a list regarding where you feel your company is lacking strength from there you can decide where you need to hire but once you decide to commit to hire, hire.

Hiring Someone With Limited Skills: Don’t pin one person into a specific category. When hiring, think of their growth potential as you intend on growing.

Hiring Someone Do To A Bit Of Everything:You don’t want a jack of all trades with skills in none. You want someone who can fill a specific void or strengthen a weakness.

Hiring Someone Who Is Cheap: When push comes to shove if you hire the cheapest option you will get the least results. There are times you need to pay more to get more or at least know the market value of what you are looking for. Pay less and you risk losing that person which will cost you a lot more in the long run.

Hiring Someone To Help Them: You need someone, and yes many people need work but even a non-profit has to be selective and you are not a charity. You became an entrepreneur to run your own business, make your own hours and see success where there were clear issues in the systems out there. Remember that when hiring.

Making People Partners Too Soon:If you can’t afford someone, don’t hire them. Making someone a partner too soon means you will not have control over your own company, is that what you want so soon?? Hire those with potential but don’t make them partners off the bat.

Take Too Long To Take A Decision: Great talent who is interested in your company will get off the market quickly if they decide to interview at other places so don’t take too long to hire your ideal candidate. If you like them, put a ring on it!

Nitpicking: Being overly picky will hinder your chances of hiring the right person. There is no such thing as perfect. You have to make compromises

Over Hiring: Do not hire so many people that you don’t know what to do with them or that you have to train everyone at once. Know what your needs are then hire accordingly. Everyone will have their place but there’s no point in hiring 10 people if there’s only enough work for 4.

Over Interviewing: You need to know the person you are going to bring on is the right person for you. You can interview them, have them interview team members, give them a test and have a trial but after all that, you really need to make a hiring decision.

Not Prepared To Conduct An Interview: When someone arrives at your office, have your questions in hand. Know what you want to know from the person. Respect their time and ask questions about them while giving information about your company. This is not a you show. You do not need to prove why you are worth working for. Let them figure that out through their own answers.

Do Not Do Background Checks: You love the person, they have everything you need and want. They are 11 on 10 but don’t jump the gun just yet. Make sure you or someone you know checks their references or does a background check on them. Just because they appear great, know they might just be great interviewers…be weary.

Don’t Consider Head-Hunters: Small companies work on tight budgets. Shop around as some agencies aren’t as expensive as you think they are and can work with you to ensure you make the right hire. As stated earlier a bad hire can cost you a lot more then a little recruiting fee and a great recruiter will help you through the entire process.

Resume & Cover Letter Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make But Others Have!!

By on October 10, 2014 in Career Advise

Sometimes you just have to stop and laugh at what the universe sends you but we can actually learn from these humerous errors as well.

Below are just a few laugh out loud errors that have been sent my way. Happy Laughing. Happy Learning.

In Cover Letter: Benefits currently include…”Ham at Christmas” That was conversation I will never forget. I had to call him confirm it was real…it was!! “Ham can be expensive at Christmas, you know?” Was his response…for the record this was a 90k figure guy!

Email address: missyshakes@*******.com Your email address should be professional…Missshakes might agree…and it does exist!!

A gap in employment because…..”Dog Was Sick” I understand people love their pets but not everyone is a pet person this smells like a person with serious issues

“Perfectly Bilingual Written/ Spoken English, French Spoken, Some Italian” Umm..Perfectly bilingual in itself doesn’t make sense but then to break it down to not being bilingual at all???

Sent out a resume on the back side of a draft cover letter to another firm with the words “Pays attention to detail in the cover letter” Just Pay Attention!!

Wrong Name And Company In The Message. Hi, I’m Jessica, Not Jennifer, Not Jasmine, Not Stacey, Nor Susan or Marissa or Nancy…although nice names, they are not mine. My name is Jessica and my company name is MindHR, pretty simple 🙂

Send Cover Letter On Current Company Letterhead! I get you are working but can you at least have the decency to NOT use your current company’s property…it makes me very uneasy

Including Naked Pictures/Half Naked Pictures- If you think you are hot save the gogglers for the beach…I am not Candy-Dating. I am trying to get the best of the best for my clients not the egocentric, narcissistic ones.

Bachelors In Arts 1990 to present…Ummm so when are you going to be finishing that???

Reason for leaving for 4 careers in a row Layoffs but all companies are still in working order and there are no references RED FLAG!!

“Turnaround Consultant- Turned X Y Z companies around” And let me guess you are also a well educated, articulate person with many words!!

15 Page Resume!! I didn’t think it was ever going to end!! DO NOT DO IT!! Send a 2-3 page MAX!

Gardenview Elementary School I really never need to know when you went to elementary school…I’m trying to think of a time I need it, but nope…never…I don’t even need to know when you went to high school…keep to college and above and should we know people in common let’s figure it out when we speak.

Write THIS Resume To Land Your Dream Job!

By on August 28, 2014 in Career Advise

The time will come when you want to leave your snug job and when that time comes you have to ask yourself: “Is my resume parallel to the career I am looking for?” That resume you put together in college landed you your first office job but as you try to scurry up the food chain that resume sink right into the interweb trash can. So as you grow up, so should your resume.

1) Write about your achievements. You had x job and did a, b, c. But NO you didn’t just do a,b,c you accomplished x, y, z!! You save the company money, you opened multinationals, you led a team of all sorts of trades, you negotiated off the ying and the yang to reach the end of the earth for the company you worked for and THIS IS HOW!! Explain what you did and how you did it! Your new hiring manager wants to see numbers and names. Throw them!

2) You didn’t just reach targets you went above and beyond because you did THIS!

3) Add color and spice and everything nice. You need to stand out on paper. Your resume is you selling yourself on paper. Cap where caps go, italic where italics go, use small and large fonts, use graphs and diagrams BUT ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT!!

4) You are one person with many talents who may have a few jobs that are of interest to you. You may want to be a GM, a Director of Operations or a VP. Whatever the case may be do know it’s okay to have more than one resume for more than one job.

5) Say goodbye to your objectives on the top of the page. Your applying for a job, we get it you are motivated, highly educated, and a thought provoking team leader. Instead brand yourself, add information we can’t find anywhere else on your resume, add things you did but be sure you actually did them.

6) NEVER LIE!! I don’t care how great this all reads to you, don’t you dare lie. Liers get caught in one way or another….Karma baby karma!

7) Date your work. If you are senior go about 15-20 years but not more! DO NOT add high school but add dates to all other places and if you worked at one place for many years, break it down to what you did when. And don’t tell me you have to think…we all have to think!

8) Just because you are out of school doesn’t mean education isn’t important. Add all relevant degrees, affiliates and certifications. And do know if you are applying to certain careers a scuba certificate can be interesting BUT for others and most…keep it out! (Point 8.5, Know your audience. Do your research about what works and doesn’t work with the company, figure out if and where they volunteer, perhaps not only are your interests are the same but you have both been to the same event at the same time.)

9) References upon request is old school. Of course you will give references if requested. If not what’s the matter with you?? And with that though don’t add your actual references here, wait until asked or bring your glowing letters to an interview. It’s manners 🙂

10) Your information on the top of the page can be limited to your name, your phone number, your email address, your twitter, linkedin link but after that no need to add more. You can leave your actual mailing address out, it won’t be used until you are hired.

11) If you are too lazy to do this all yourself. There are resume writing agencies that can help….including ours but do know no resume will guarantee you a job. It will hopefully get you an interview but after that it’s all you.

Do know, the bigger the job, the more humanistic the process will be. You will have multiple interviews with multiple people. It may all be for nothing but you don’t know what you can or will have until you try. So fix your resume and get on out there!

12 Sure Ways To Not Get A Job

By on August 14, 2014 in Career Advise

1) You are are applying to jobs you want to work for but have zero experience in the field or industry

2) You are pushy. If you are pushy in the interview process how will you be in the office?

3) You are late. You don’t call. If you want a job and you are late you call, if you are lost you call, it’s that simple.

4) You know everything so act like you do. This is sure to be a winning personality trait.

5) Ask about money and benefits. You don’t want a job you want a vacation your first day!

6) Talk terribly about your previous employer and coworkers. People love gossip chatter box away!

7) Ignore recruiters. Ignore their emails and their calls. What do recruiters know anyway? There’s no way they know what they are doing, just because they have a job, doesn’t mean they are good at it!

8) Don’t analyse the company, the team or the people you will be working with. The less you know the better. Who doesn’t love surprises anyway??

9) You job hop like a pub crawl.

10) You don’t sell yourself. You don’t care about the job and you don’t care about you. You wonder why they are even interviewing you in the first place. You were only picked out of probably 50 profiles!

11) Your biggest weakness when asked you answer “organizational skills and prioritizing” (yes, we have heard this)

12) Your resume hasn’t been modified so it’s not only outdated but you actually didn’t change the template, not even the words “place information here”

The Mental Plan To Stop Getting Fat At Work

By on August 7, 2014 in Others

I am not going to preach to an empty chapel. There’s nothing wrong with fat or sugar or carbs or protein, paleo or Atkins or Mediterranean or or or. There is something wrong however if you are no longer comfortable in not only your clothes but your own skin.Gaining weight changes you, not just your outside but your inside too. You not only become more sluggish but more irritable and less desirable for no one else but yourself.

So you have to change something. You don’t need a walking office treadmill, or a medicine ball to sit on, nor the the newest miracle pill. What you need is the internal motivation and drive to care about yourself more then you care about the food you are about to consume.

No one can watch you 24/7, even prisons have trouble with that, so what you need to do is watch yourself. Know what you are doing wrong to want to change it.

Don’t just go for the apple instead of the chips as you know you will want those chips later on, have a few from someone else and move on. My father used to tell me the greatest way to lose weight is to walk away from the table but we no longer only eat at tables. We eat in closets, at desks, outside, in restaurants..which is a table but no one removes a plate until it’s finished so that doesn’t help.

You need to think as you take a bite of something…do I want this? Am I worth the results I want to see in myself. You will think “I am not, there’s no point” But there is a point. You are the point because you want to feel good about you.

Your goals have to be realistic. If you work on the 31st floor, saying I will take the stairs is just not realistic but how about actually packing a healthy lunch, save money and truly not snacking at night time? That’s doable.

Recognize when you are stress eating. Often we eat not because we are hungry but because we are bored or stressed. Not only that but when we are stressed we don’t metabolize food as we should, so our body stores the fat…isn’t that wonderful..storing when we want it the least!I recently found myfitnesspal app a wonderful tool to track what I take in and don’t starve yourself. It is important to eat. You can slip up but that’s ok because you didn’t slip up, it’s lifestyle changes, as long as you realise it’s ok.

This isn’t I’m going to lose 5lbs it’s I’m going to make chicken and salad for lunch and “if I go out for lunch, I will plan ahead”. Look online what the menu is and think what is best for your body and mind. Feel free to leave over some of it…it’s okay. I love big portions but the reality is… they often are too big. As well, don’t eat at night, supper is supper and then you are done. Small goals each day make it easier and more realistic to make your bigger goals.

Remember as well, free is free for a reason, because it isn’t worth anything. When the free food is left in the office, or the muffins and donuts served in a meeting… Don’t touch it!! It’s free. If you are a germaphobe think “who the heck has been touching it??” If your not, become one. The same goes for networking events. You know you will never get full off of the horderves so don’t eat them. Plan your meal after or before but don’t eat during…unless it’s a sit down event, then just literally watch what you eat and ask the waiter in advance what is being server. Think before you put what’s in your mouth.

Believe in yourself and know you are worth it and you can do it, if you really want to. You don’t NEED to be at the gym to lose weight and feel great, you just need to change your frame of mind.

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“Tell Me About Yourself” What Do They REALLY Want To Know

By on August 7, 2014 in Career Advise

You are sitting in your dream company, across from your potential new employer all decked out. You have your freshly printed resume in their hands, they look through it briefly and say: “So….tell me about yourself”

And your brain goes like wildfire. You have done so much. You have so much to say but where do you start?

What they are really asking in the politest of ways is “who are you and why are you here?”

So your answer needs to be along the lines of “what have you done that will help their team and company succeed?”.

They don’t care about anything personal. This is your time to show how you fit in the company. They need to learn you know how to give long answers in a short period of time.

So you must:

Be precise.

Be consistent.

AND

Don’t ramble

Don’t worry about what they want to hear. Worry about the message you want to get across.

Think of it as you elevator pitch with more substance to get you to that higher level.

Remember every good story has a beginning, middle and an end a summary as this question gets you talking but don’t talk too much.

Here is how it’s broken down:

I am a ….

“I have done…with numbers and dollars and accomplishments and I’m looking for x, y, z which is what brings me to you today.

How does that work for you?”

Write down all your key points so it will help you not have to think once you are in your interview.

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Why Can’t I Offer More Money When They Want To Leave?

By on May 12, 2014 in Employer Guidelines

There are so many reasons why it’s not in your favour to offer someone who wants to leave your company more money.

Here are some of them:

The person wasn’t happy and it wasn’t just about the money.
Money is great, we all need it, most of us want more if it BUT when someone is making a move to another company, money was never the only issues and if twas the only issue why all of the sudden, now that they are about to go, you are able to throw more at them??

If you were able to throw the dollars at them now why didn’t you do it before??
This makes sense of course if you didn’t know it was an issue however if there are unhappy employees, it is your responsibility as a manager and/or an owner to know your people are unhappy. To say “You were too busy to notice” Or you have “too many people to know everything” is just an excuse that doesn’t work. Unhappy employees are less productive employees, they are the one missing work to go out, leaving early, on the phone more and taking lunch more often then before. You can’t know everything but you should be able to catch on and work accordingly.

If someone is about to take an offer now, in three to six months they will take another offer again as chances are it wasn’t about the money, they will still be unhappy but the idea of staying was much easier then the idea of leaving.

We see it all the time, managers/HR/CEO’s saying “we will give you more responsibilities, we will raise your salary” but the chances of this actually happening is truly nil to none…as again, why didn’t they just do it before??

Moving from job to job is never ideal however sometimes people need to leave a company and what that time comes it’s is best to just let them go. It’s hard, as breakups are never easy but once you are down, pick yourself up again and come back/hire stronger!

May Madness

By on May 12, 2014 in Employer Guidelines

They say “Love is in the air” when it’s spring but it’s not just love, it’s leg-working.
May is the time when we get out of hibernation and into the swing of things.
It’s after the holidays and before summer vacation.
It’s the time the ladies kick on their heels and the men relieve themselves of their ties because May is the beginning of Events.
From networking events to neighbourhood bbq’s, to parties and charity events.
May kicks off the two month spree of a social calendar.
You may love it, you may hate it but it if you are human and working, you must go to at least one of them!
It’s your time to show people who you are, what you do and what you can accomplish.
It’s your time to get your face known and your name out there.
Even if you hide near the food the entire evening you will meet at least one good contact…the other person who is also hanging out by the food.
So go enjoy yourself, and the weather, as if you are in Canada it’s only going to last for so long!!

And know that networking tips will follow!

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