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Tag Archives | Careers
Stop Crashing Your Career By Doing THIS!
You are sitting at your computer, ready to apply for your dream job. You have been waiting for the perfect job to be posted or the certain person to reach out to you and so you start to ponder your cover letter. The butterflies are in your stomach and anticipation of getting the job is in your head. You are sitting there thinking “What should I write in my cover letter??” Well, be relieved that as much as you hate writing covering letters, hiring manager hate reading them.
It takes 7 seconds to review a resume and 1 second to scan your cover letter. So the truth is if we see another cover letter that expresses the “desire to learn” or how your education and experience matches that of the job, or how you managed 15 people which can clearly be seen in your resume please, don’t shoot us, just pull our eyes out! As there is no such thing as an “eye catching” cover letter. Don’t be fooled by posts with information that must be in the cover letter. For the love of anything do not have one…it’s old school!
In the new school of thought, there is no secret to writing a great cover letter, except for not having one and here’s why:
Cover Letters Have Proven To Be Your Window For Error: Countless people make so many errors in their cover letter. Aside for the fact people still make spelling and grammatical errors, people also forget to ensure their cover letter matches their resume and social media platforms.
The ATS- Applicant Tracking System Is Against You- All recruiting firms and most companies use an ATS to make their recruiting efforts more efficient so your cover letter isn’t even kept! It gets deleted as your resume put into the system.
Your Resume Tells Your Story: We know your cover letter is full of jargon about how you want the job but would you apply if you didn’t want the job or work at the company your writing about in detail??
It’s So Damn Long!! What the heck are you writing?? You make it as though we have all the time in the world to sit an read a novel during our work day. If you can’t write quickly, what will it be like meeting you??
The Cover Letter Profiles Your Monotony: Everything you have written in the cover letter is profiled in the resume..we get it. You worked at a, b c company for x years, managed so many people etc etc…again there’s no need to reiterate it in your cover letter.
Your resume, if strong enough, will highlight the elements of your resume that will ensure you are the right match for the job and company you are applying for. If it doesn’t then revamp your resume. Gone are the days when it had to be one page. If you have experience profile it, highlight it, embrace it but let the cover letter die in peace.
If you want to get noticed, don’t write a cover letter write an introductory email about the person you are writing to, as it’s not all about you.
Jessica Glazer is the Recruitment Director/Founder of www.MindHR.com-a head-hunting and resume writing agency. She can also be heard on Montreal’s NewsTalk Radio CJAD and seen on BTMontreal and Global television speaking about employment related issues.
How Picking An Intern Is Like Picking Your Stock Portfolio
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?
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
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.
12 Sure Ways To Not Get A Job
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”
Learn To Keep Your Employees!
You have employees, you are growing, you want to grow, that’s all great! Nerve wracking but great!! The only problem is, everyone is different and every company is different so as much as it’s fabulous to want to add employees you need to go about it the right way!
So what can you do to actually keep employees so people like me don’t take them out???
A steady job and paycheck is not enough to keep them happy.
Here are some not deep pocket examples that can help employees feel warm and fuzzy inside:
Relax on the dress code once a week or provide a free lunch of Fridays…offices love free!! Free coffee, free donuts, free time!!
Keep them motivated, keep them educated!
Lunch and learn sessions: The government of Quebec provides grants to companies that provide training. Take advantage of it!! It will save you money in the long run as well! If you need more information please do feel free to send jessica@mindhr.com an email. She will put you in touch with the right person.
Offer a flexible work schedule. I have a client that has a 7.5 hour work week. Everyone has to be in at 10am but they can come in anytime before and leave 7.5 hours later.
Don’t yell, it’s not good for you and it’s not good for the morale of the office. Keep calm and work on!
Dangle a carrot in front of the right people. Everyone has different motivations so work with what those differences. It’s not discrimination if everyone has something to look forward to. I worked with a sales woman who was motivated by time off. She didn’t care about the commissions, she wanted a half day off for every sale made. Not the end of the world.
Celebrate occasions and offer the option of It’s your Birthday take the day off. With smart phones we are always available, so a day off is never really a day off.
Participate in community events. Events bring up team spirit. You don’t have to make it mandatory but you can make it an option. Building a sense of community and family makes it harder for people to leave.
As a manager or an owner, bond with them and get to know them. You don’t have to be best buddies but you can get to know their favorite color.
If you can and have the space, offer gym memberships or provide the time for your employees to get out and exercise. Healthy body healthy mind
Work with your employees to show the progression of their work and the company, if that is something that interests them. Don’t worry, NOT everyone wants to the be chief and not everyone wants to be the soldier.
Don’t forget to congratulate successes not everything has to be about money, a simple well done, is really enough sometimes.
The employers who treat their employees the best will not only keep their current staff but also find the best employees flocking to them.
Happy flying!
Protect Your Ass..ets
You have been with your arse more than you have been with any employer or any company so protect you ass…ets.
We just had a candidate tell us the most horrific story I think I have ever heard in the business, and I have heard a lot!
Recruiters change lives. People want to change jobs like they want to change houses, so working with a recruiter you trust is important. You don’t need to work with one agency but you need to know who you are working with.
So the story:
A candidate we met today indicated a recruiter in the Montreal area placed him at a company and did not tell him the salary he was going to be earning before he started. On the 2nd day of work, the candidate went in to sign papers as the candidate was signing he noticed it was 10k less than his original asking price and 15k then the recruiter presented him at. When the candidate called the said recruiter the recruiter apparently replied “Well….you were offered less because you did not have the technical skills required”.
Starting a career without a signed contract I understand, it happens, especially with smaller companies…btw this was with a large organization but how the candidate went to work without knowing his salary is inexcusable.
When accepting a career be sure if nothing else a recruiter or the company about to hire you sends you an email to confirm you salary and your start date this way you know what you are getting into. Protect yourself as at the end of the day, it’s your day that matters most.
Contract VS Permanent Careers-HuffPost Article
Michel Kelly-Gagnon President, Institut économique de Montréal
There are still some people, including government officials, who look at any job which is not full-time and permanent as a non-standard or undesirable job. But these people should know that “non-standard jobs” are actually more numerous in Canada than the standard ones.
This change has happened mostly because it is a desired phenomenon. Indeed, many people yearn for such jobs because they want to balance work with family obligations, with the pursuit of their studies or with gradual retirement. In fact, three quarters of people in such “non-standard” jobs are choosing this course.
When they answer people’s needs, there is no way that we can characterize these changes as “undesirable”. On the contrary, the flexibility now offered by the labour market is a good thing.
Rigid regulations cause unemployment
Adapting and evolving are central aspects of the concept of flexibility. More flexibility does have the effect of increasing uncertainty for both employers and employees. But rigid labour market rules and regulations are not a solution since they generate structural unemployment . In Europe, where the regulation of labour market is very heavy, we see that unemployment rates have been higher than in United States or Canada. The scale of unemployment among the youth and immigrants is alarming in several countries.
The reason for this can be grasped very easily from the point of view of an employer: if hiring someone ties your hands for the future, it creates a risk for your business, and the decision to hire won’t be easy of frequent. Hiring and laying off employees are two intimately connected decisions and both are necessary to adjust to an ever-evolving economy. So regulations should preserve flexibility.
Staffing services on the rise
Change in the labour market goes hand in hand with the continuous rise of staffing services. In Canada, this industry’s operating revenues have gone up considerably in the last dozen years, reaching $10.6 billion. So have salaries, wages and benefits paid by staffing services.
This raises a tough but legitimate question: are businesses using staffing services to subcontract jobs and pay lower wages? When asked about their motivations , American businesses cite these various reasons: to deal with unexpected business growth (52 per cent); to fill long-term absences (47 per cent); while waiting for permanent replacement (47 per cent); for special projects (36 per cent). Also, 21 per cent use staffing services in order to pre-select candidates for regular positions. No mention of lowering wages here.
A German study went a bit further by examining the behavior of companies making extensive use of staffing services, meaning that they find more than 20% of their labor force that way. The conclusion of the authors is that they do so only temporarily, making it unlikely to be part of a low labour cost strategy.
A springboard for the unemployed
One of the least-known facts about staffing services, that we see confirmed in various studies, is the “springboard effect” for the unemployed.
In the U.S., the overall impact of staffing services was quite impressive after the last recession. Even though they account for only 2 per cent of total employment, the industry was responsible for 12 per cent of net job creation over the past three years.
In Canada, 60 per cent of previously unemployed people who found a job were hired for “non-standard” work. Compared to staying unemployed, working for an agency increases the probability of finding a job, and also the prospective salary, as shown in a Dutch study. This positive causal effect was also raised in an Italian study.
In other words, some people chose to work part-time or temporary contracts. But even for those looking for a full-time and permanent job, staffing services offer a leg up.
It is especially true for immigrants, the reason being that when they graduated or were trained abroad, they have a harder time convincing future employers of their skills. Staffing services provide an opportunity to be evaluated on the job.
All in all, there are no real downsides about having a more flexible labour market. It gives everyone the opportunity to achieve what they want. And the possibilities abound.
