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#JobSearch : What You Need To Know About Finding and Working With Recruiters. How has a Recruiter Helped You? Welcome your comments.

April 24, 2023/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Job hunters go through a cycle. Their initial instinct will be to go to LinkedIn and online job boards and submit their résumés to as many jobs as possible. The lack of responses will make them feel despondent. The job seeker asks their co-workers and friends if they have any leads on job opportunities. Once in a while, they do have a connection, but more often than not, the tip goes nowhere. Now is about the time when the job seeker will think about enlisting the help of a recruiter.

It could be daunting for those who have not utilized the services of a headhunter. They are unaware of how to find a recruiter and establish a relationship. You can’t just pick any recruiter. The key to finding a good one is to think of the search professional as a long-term relationship.

Most people get discouraged over using a headhunter, as the budding relationship quickly sours. This happens because the person doesn’t inquire if the recruiter specializes in their area of expertise and holds the right connections with human resources and managers at their target companies. Job seekers also need to be keenly aware of the differences in recruiters. Some executive recruiters solely focus on C-suite professionals, while other search professionals work on a contingency basis for middle to senior-level management roles and staffing, which includes part-time and contract assignments.

What To Know About Working With A Recruiter

Utilizing the services of a recruiter is similar to having an accountant, lawyer or stockbroker. They all offer specialized advice to help you reach your goals. A big difference is that you don’t pay the recruiter. The company compensates the headhunter when they make a successful placement, and the newly hired worker remains at the firm for a specified period.

They will inquire about your career goals, the type of role you are looking for, your desired compensation, your preferred work style, such as remote or hybrid models, and other factors you are considering in switching jobs.

The search executives offer exclusive entry into well-paying jobs in the hidden job market. Many corporate jobs are not posted online for a variety of reasons, including a manager is going to be let go and leadership doesn’t want this information leaking, or an internal employee thinks that they are up for a promotion, but the company is discreetly searching for someone from the outside.

Most of the top recruiters specialize in one or a few verticals. They do this to become experts in a particular space, such as technology, compliance, legal or accounting. By focusing only on a few sectors, the search agent cultivates fruitful relationships with human resources, management, internal corporate talent acquisition recruiters and hiring managers.

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We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity to serve & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

Article continued …

How To Get A Recruiter

If there is a person in your company or someone you know who secured a great job, be bold and ask them what recruiter they utilized. Delicately and without blowing up your spot, ask around the office who they’d recommend if you were to engage in a stealth job search. Make sure that the people you ask have similar work backgrounds. If you work on Wall Street and ask a person for a recruiter referral, they may give you the name of the best headhunter for investment bankers, but you are an accountant.

If you’re a white-collar worker, go on LinkedIn and look for highly active recruiters in your space. Check out job boards to see if you notice recruiters posting job advertisements similar to those you covet. Reach out to them by sending a note that states that you are in the job market and share what type of role you are looking for. Then, take it to the next level by asking for an in-person or video meeting to get further acquainted.

The Recruiter’s Edge

These tight-knit relationships give you a competitive edge. Recruiters are a lot like talent agents. They’ll be able to get your résumé to the right person’s desk. The headhunter knows about the corporate culture and can coach you on what to be aware of during the interview process, since they know what works and what doesn’t.

They can get the ear of the people directly involved in the hiring process and flesh out what their candidate needs to say to get to the next round. The recruiter will offer color to the people you are meeting with, obtain critical feedback and constructive criticisms and gently pressure the hiring managers to choose their client.

A big key is that they’ll be your advocate when it comes time to negotiate a compensation package. For most people, salary negotiations are an uncomfortable, awkward experience. The negotiations are unfair, as you’ll be negotiating against your future boss. Since job applicants don’t want to make a wrong impression and want to appear as a team player, they may soften their approach and not ask for the money that they really want.

The recruiter will adeptly work on getting you the best package. It is essential to know that since recruiters are paid a commission based on the offered salary, it’s in the search professional’s interest to get the highest level of compensation.

Misconception About Recruiters

There is a dangerous misconception about headhunters that hurts candidates. People believe they will be paid less because a recruiter was used, costing the company a placement fee of around 25% of the first-year base annual salary. The reality is that companies bake in the costs and utilize the services of recruiters for the hard-to-find professionals that their internal recruiters could not source.

Search professionals may not have a suitable job for you. If your recruiter doesn’t have the right roles, it doesn’t mean they are not interested in helping you. The reality is that, at times, a search agent may be flush with relevant opportunities. Other times, they may not, due to market forces.

Recruiters are not the ones who make the hiring decision. Therefore, it’s not their fault if you are not selected. The hiring decision is made after numerous interviews with the hiring manager, peers, subordinates, HR and an array of tangential people involved with the process. After due deliberation, a person will be selected.

Forbes.com Author: Jack Kelly – Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Forbes.com | April 24, 2024

#JobSearch : 3 Things Job Recruiters Wish You Knew. The Job Market is Still in your Favor for at Least the Next Few Months. A MUst REad for All!

December 6, 2022/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you feel like the job market is shifting again, you may be right. Though job seekers have had the “upper hand” for a couple of years, the power is slowly reversing as the labor market stabilizes. In other words, now may be the time to leap—but not without a plan.

As a job candidate, you need to develop a strategy that allows you to quickly pull in offers. The last thing you want is for your search to become so scattershot that you have little leverage. Negotiating with potential employers is far easier if you have a bevy of choices on the table, and a solid job search plan will help you get there.

Where should you start when it comes to a modern job-searching strategy? Check out what professional recruiters are saying in industry publications, trusted news sources, and LinkedIn blogs. They know what it takes to succeed in today’s job market. After all, they’re involved in the hiring process every day. Here are three fundamental recommendations from recruiters to guide you as you look for your next position:

1. It’s your job to identify your career goals.

It can be tempting to jump straight into job hunting, especially if you’re burned out in your current position. However, this could add tons more stress to your life if you don’t set goals first. Think of your next career move as a destination. If you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll end up aimlessly traveling around.

Set aside some downtime to write out professional goals that are a natural extension of your authentic personal brand, even if you plan to work with a recruiter rather than go through your search solo.

“Recruiters can only know your goals if you know them, so take some time to think about what your professional and career goals are,” says Marti Willett, president of Digital Marketing Recruiters, a leading digital staffing agency that aims to find high-quality candidates who will enhance a marketing agency’s culture and grow with them. “In other words, what is your dream job? What industry or niche is it in? What kind of company do you want to work for?Answering these kinds of questions will help you find the right recruiter that will be most beneficial to you.”

After taking this step, you should feel more invigorated and invested in your job hunt. You’ll also have a better idea of which jobs to apply for. Nothing’s more frustrating than discovering that you’ve been applying for positions that don’t align with your goals or abilities. Knowing what you want allows you to quickly identify which openings are meant for you.

2. Don’t be shy about connecting with recruiters and hiring professionals on LinkedIn.

It’s no shock that LinkedIn is the social site you can’t afford to ignore. According to the platform’s own statistics, 77% of recruiters use LinkedIn. Is it any wonder that eight people are hired off LinkedIn every minute? These mind-blowing facts indicate just how important it is for you to update and adjust your LinkedIn profile.

Is your profile really going to be viewed? According to a MyComputerCareer blog post, the answer is yes. “Every time a recruiter contacts you, you can be sure that they’ve looked at your profile,” the post explains. “Your LinkedIn profile will act as a validator in that you are a real person, and not someone whose cover letter or resume is too good to be true.”

To begin, polish your whole profile from top to bottom. Give it the spring cleaning it needs. When it’s brimming with the traits and achievements that distinguish you from the rest of the herd (see point #3 below), start following recruiters who work in the industry, market or position you’re targeting. Don’t feel bad if you connect and hear nothing in return. Recruiters may not reach out unless they have an opportunity ready to go. Remain active on the platform and have confidence that you’re on their radar. (And don’t forget to use this chance to update your other public social pages, too. Consistency is a key to effective personal branding.)

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know? First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

Article continued …

3. Self-awareness leads to self-fulfillment.

Do you know what the number-one leadership skill is? Self-awareness. When you are self-aware, you aren’t likely to start wavering. You know who you are, what your goals are, and how you plan to achieve them. When it comes to job searching, you know exactly what you bring to the table and how it can benefit employers.

Often, candidates fall into the trap of saying only what they think recruiters want to hear. They either don’t know or fail to bring up their individual attributes and abilities. Making this mistake can set you back. “Employers want to hire the crème-de-la-crème of the job market just like employees want to be the icing on the employer’s recruitment cake,” says Sophie Heatley, content writer for Perkbox.

So, think about what makes you unique, and ask for input from those who know you best. For instance, maybe you’re passionate about environmental issues and you started a podcast devoted to sustainability tips for families. Highlighting this would be great during an interview because it reveals your distinct passions and drive. Remember: It’s important to stand out, but not in disguise. You’ll undermine your path to success if you’re faking the traits that are getting you noticed.

The job market is still in your favor and will be for at least the next few months. If you’ve been hemming and hawing about testing the waters, put these three tips into practice to ensure smooth sailing.

Forbes.com Author: William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of the Personal Brand Power Audit – a complimentary quiz that helps you measure the strength of personal brand.

Forbes.com | December 6, 2022

#HRTeams : After Decades Of The Antiquated Job Advertisement, It’s Time For An Overhaul. Thoughts/Suggestions?

October 24, 2022/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The job description, the first important step in the hiring process, is an antiquated document that needs to be updated. The massive amount of bullet points in the advertisement demand what you need to bring to the table. There is virtually nothing about the financial situation of the company, your future boss or information that a job hunter would like to know before investing their time and energy. It is one-sided

More Than Just Salary Transparency

Many states have seen an employee-empowering movement to require salary disclosures on job descriptions. This is a decisive move forward to alert job hunters as to whether or not they are wasting their time pursuing the opportunity.

Without knowing the salary, a person embarks upon an interview process that could last from one to six months for white-collar professionals. They would spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for the interviews, sneaking out of the office for meetings, conducting clandestine video calls at home on their remote days and all the while worried about getting out by someone and potentially getting in trouble with the boss or even fired for being disloyal.

The salary disclosure is just the tip of the iceberg. You also want to know about bonuses, stock options, medical benefits, and future raises. In sectors, such as Wall Street and tech, bonuses and stock options play a large part in total compensation. It’s only fair and reasonable for companies to clearly spell out all the financial pieces of the total compensation so that candidates can make an informed decision before getting involved with a lengthy hiring process.

What Annoys Applicants About Job Advertisements

Companies should consider hiring professional writers to help with crafting job descriptions. Most job ads you read are filled with corporate jargon specific to the company and acronyms you’ve never heard of before. There is a lack of creativity and humanity. Job descriptions are nearly uniformly cold and dull.

There are 10 to more than 20 bullet points of what is required from applicants. It’s not reasonable for anyone to have all the experiences demanded by the ad. This turns off and discourages job seekers from applying. Ironically, the voluminous requirements do not stop people who don’t have much, if any, of the skills. Those folks will shoot their shot, hoping for a miracle. The results are that potentially good candidates opt-out and human resources must filter through dozens of inappropriate applicants.

Companies love to offer the range of years required for the role. This metric seems outdated. Saying that the candidate needs to possess three to 10 years of experience doesn’t make sense. The gap is far too broad.

Calling for a certain number of years doing a job doesn’t provide the intended results. How often have you noticed someone in your office who has been doing the same job for 10-plus years and isn’t that great at it? They’re mediocre at best. The odds are that they’ve become stale in their position and haven’t learned new skills and technologies.

You’ve all seen young and brilliant people who have outstanding accomplishments under their belt. It’s self-defeating for a business to discriminate against someone because of their age. Instead of requiring a certain number of years, leadership should think outside the box and open up the rigid requirements to include brilliant, fast-track people who can do the job, even though they don’t have the requisite years of experience.

On the flip side, older workers are overlooked. When was the last time you looked at a job ad that stated that an applicant needs 30 years of experience? It rarely ever happens. Asking for three to 10 years of experience kicks out anyone in their late 30s and older. If a photo accompanies the online advertisement, the odds are high that it shows a multicultural group of fresh-faced Gen-Zs and younger Millennials. There may be one token gray-haired person in the picture to ward off claims of ageism.

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Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know? First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

What About The Manager?

Since the interviewers, human resources, internal corporate recruiters and hiring managers grill the applicant about their background and experiences, shouldn’t the company share information about its people? A glaring omission from the job advertisement is that there is no insight into the boss or executive management team, who will be your co-workers.

Who hasn’t read job descriptions, becoming enthralled with the position, only to feel later betrayed when they met with their prospective manager and co-workers? It feels like bait and switch when the ad sounds wonderful, but when you’re interviewed, you realize that the managers are rude, dismissive and abusive.

To level the playing field, the company should disclose any shortcomings of the people you will work with. Since this has never happened before, you may think this is a crazy idea. However, all that people want is to know the truth. Some people may elect to accept a job with a not-so-great boss because they love the company, its mission and feel that the specific role could be a career-accelerating move.

Tell Us About Working Conditions

As a traditional go-to question, the interviewer will ask, “Please tell me about yourself.” The same should hold for the business, its culture and its people. Job seekers want to know if the company has a toxic culture or advocates employee empowerment. Disclosures should be made if the business has been the subject of discriminatory complaints. You want to know if the bosses are micromanagers, implant spy software on your computers, verbally abuse people and allow managers to bully, harass and intimidate workers.

It would be helpful to know if they have plans to lay off people, rescind job offers or allow attrition without aggressively trying to replace the people who quit. Although the ad says the role is remote or hybrid, there should be a disclosure if management is considering changing the work style to going into the office five days a week.

An applicant bases their life and family’s lives on the work model offered by the company. If there was a shift from remote to the office, it would create turmoil for families, as it relates to child and eldercare. Their quality of life would substantially decline as a long commute would be required. They will miss out on all the school plays, ballet recitals and special events you can never get back.

Why Don’t We Know Anything About The Firm’s Financial Situation?

After accepting a job offer, the company usually requires an in-depth background check. They want to know nearly everything about you, ranging from college grades to late payments on credit cards. Wouldn’t it be fair for the job description to offer complete openness and cite the organization’s financial situation, as well as any potential problems on the horizon that could negatively impact the company?

Do the CEO and other C-suite executives hold other jobs, such as heading up another company, sitting on a number of board of director seats, investing in startups or running an entrepreneurial endeavor on the side?

What do you know about the CEO and the top executives? Have they run their prior companies into the ground, or were they highly successful? In full transparency, disclosing the compensation of the top executives would offer a glimpse into how fair the business runs. Earning larger multiples of money than the average worker signals that employees are not valued, as the upper echelon is lavishly paid.

Forbes.com | October 24, 2022 | Jack Kelly

#JobSearch : In A Hot Job Market, Here’s How To Respond To A Cold Reach Out From A Recruiter. Companies are Engaging in a War for Talent.

October 18, 2021/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Companies are engaging in a war for talent. Millions of Americans have quit their jobs in the Great Resignation trend, seeking better pay and new opportunities. The job market, in many sectors, is blazing hot. Two of the most in-demand jobs are recruiters and human resources professionals.

It’s highly likely that you will be contacted by one of them. This could be both flattering and awkward, if not handled deftly. If a recruiter calls you on the phone or reaches out through a LinkedIn message or unsolicited email or text, you may initially feel that it’s intrusive. You wonder how they got ahold of your personal data.

Before the pandemic, a call on your smartphone and the ensuing whispering and darting into a conference room was a dead giveaway that you are speaking with a recruiter. Now that most people are remote, the concern over a co-worker or boss finding out has eased.

As a Gen-Xer, we grew up using the rotary phone to speak with friends, as emails and text messages didn’t exist at that time. This generation primarily used the phone as the preferred method of communication. I’m comfortable with making and taking calls, as that’s what recruiters have mostly done—up until recently. I recognize that Millenials and Gen-Z workers feel differently about unsolicited contacts.

Don’t let that thought bother you. They aren’t purposefully being rude. It’s part of the dance. Recruiters, since they get paid based upon placing people, are highly motivated to find people who are appropriate for the role they’re searching for, on behalf of their corporate clients, and have their ways to get in touch with you.

What You Should Do When A Recruiter Contacts You

Unless it’s one of those clearly, obviously suspect types of solicitations, you should at least respond to a message from a recruiter. Even if you’re not searching for a new job, it’s a great way to inquire about the job market in your field and the compensation ranges for your particular role. If, however, you are open to looking for a new opportunity, it’s a fortuitous contact at the right time.

If you are free to talk or engage, take advantage of the situation. It’s fine to ask the recruiter how they found you and inquire about who they are and the types of roles the person specializes in. The goal is to feel out the recruiter to see if they are a good person to work with. Just be yourself. There’s no need to play games, like playing “hard to get.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

If you are interested in the opportunity that is being shared with you, let them know. If not, be direct and honest. Respectfully decline it and ask for you to be kept on their radar for future opportunities. If you feel guilty turning down the offer, recruiters love referrals. You can point them to someone you know that has a similar background to you and is interested in seeking out a new opportunity. As we’ve seen in 2020, as the pandemic raged and millions of Americans lost their jobs, you never know when having a relationship with a recruiter will come in handy.

The recruiter should not ask for any money, since it is standard procedure for corporations to pay a placement fee to the executive search firm. If the role presented seems intriguing, let the recruiter know that you’d like to pursue the opportunity. To ensure that you are both on the same page, be direct. Share a brief summary of your background, responsibilities, prior employment history, compensation requirements and the specific roles and target companies you desire.

Since the communication wasn’t planned, you may have a legitimate commitment and can’t engage right now. Be honest with the person. Let them know that you have a meeting, but would like to continue the conversation (via email, text, Zoom video or phone call).

A Little About Recruiters

The majority of recruiters work on a contingency basis. This means that a company shares a job listing with them, but also gives it out to other recruiting firms, posts it on job boards and lists it on the corporation’s own career section of its site. It’s then a race to see who will find the right candidate for the role that will ultimately get hired.

Recruiters only get paid if they place the winning candidate. It’s a harsh “eat what you kill” profession. If your candidate is a runner-up, the recruiter doesn’t receive a commission and all the hard work and long hours were for nothing.

With this in mind, they are highly motivated to find you a job. If you aren’t a great fit, they’ll quickly move onto other applicants. That’s why you feel the brush-off from them.

What A Recruiter Should Do

A good recruiter should introduce themselves and tell you about the role. This includes the company’s name, title of the job, salary range, corporate title, responsibilities and other pieces of relevant information, so you can make an intelligent decision to pursue this further.

You want to make sure that the recruiter really understands what you do in your current job, so there is no miscommunication. A good recruiter will have a solid grasp and knowledge of the job they are pitching you. They’ll possess an in-depth knowledge of the company, its culture, the reporting structure and the compensation package.

A good recruiter is empathetic and a good active listener. A successful recruiter asks questions designed to understand your needs and goals. They won’t push you into a position that you don’t want.

The recruiter is an advocate for you. They should provide you with feedback, prepare you for all interviews, keep you posted on the process and help with salary negotiations. You want to feel that they believe in you and will always treat you with courtesy, respect and dignity.

Most often, the first pitch won’t be the perfect job. If you feel that although the job isn’t the right fit, but you like the recruiter, stay in touch with them. Recruiting isn’t a science. It could be months before an on-target, suitable and appropriate role opens up. If you maintain a relationship, you’ll be on their radar, and they’ll happily contact you about the new opportunity.

Author:

Jack Kelly Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Forbes.com – October 18, 2021

#BestofFSCBlog : How Often Should I Be Posting (job boards) Resumes for My Job Search?

February 19, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

When searching for a new career position, the job seeker has two options – as an active search or passive candidate. A passive candidate will update their resume, ensure their LinkedIn profile is robust and complete, and post their resume online to the big resume databases (e.g., Monster, Indeed), but then sit back and wait for folks to find them.

An active candidate will update their resume constantly (especially if still employed) and consistently post to open positions. They will also upload resumes into company resume databases, regardless of whether the business has an open requisition that matches their skills. The purpose of loading resumes into company databases is to help recruiters ‘harvest’ skills of qualified candidates from their ‘resume farm’ when that new job requisition is posted.

An active job seeker should be seriously networking with friends, peers, co-workers, clients, and industry group members. Statistics seem to support networking will result in hires for about 65% of the time. It’s also productive to be a part of a trade group or industry organization. For instance, MeetUp.com has trade groups from computer geeks and coding programmers to quilters and writers and website designers and marketers. Members in these network groups join to learn something new or interact with like-minded folks. Recruiters may pop in to scope potentially qualified candidates for future positions. The human resources organization, SHRM, has job opening posted on their website, as well as monthly meetings for continuing education credits, where sometimes as many as a few hundred HR-related members will show up, including recruiters.

Sales reps should track top clients’ point of contact – not just to respond to work-related communications, but to develop friendships beyond work. If the job seeker is an amazing salesperson or customer service rep, that customer will remember you and maybe a great source for industry job openings – as well as being able to provide work referrals.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of the article:

One overlooked source is state employment agencies. The Virginia Employment Commission is an example. Job seekers can visit the website, create a profile, upload a resume, and post to positions online or wait until an employer reaches out. Some companies post open jobs to this resource to save recruiting costs (its free to Virginia-based companies). Other companies use this option to ensure Affirmative Action Plan goals by postings jobs to reach the minority, disabled, and veteran job seekers.

There is nothing wrong with driving around a geographic area and looking at businesses located within the desired commute. Alternatively, use Google maps to search. For instance, a Computer Scientist with a desired commute of no more than an hour from Gloucester uses the search term ‘Software Development.’ They may find a few software or IT companies in Gloucester, as well as a dozen potential employers in Richmond, Williamsburg, and Newport News.

So, the answer to the question, “how often should I be posting my resume into databases?” is varied. If you are unemployed, and a serious job seeker, then your full-time job is ‘looking for work.’ You should be posting resumes to job announcements and uploading the resume into company resume databases (ATS) for between 10-20 resume uploads and applications daily. Your goal is to get your resume into as many company databases as physically possible to increase the potential for ‘being seen’ by recruiters.

If you are a passive job seeker, then post your resume to the big databases once and ensure your LinkedIn Profile is ‘open for inquiries from recruiters.’ Both active and passive job seekers should revisit resume databases every 30 days to update (just add a line or space) by reloading the ‘updated’ resume to ‘trick’ the system into thinking it’s an entirely new resume. (Most job board or resumes systems push resumes down in the results queue as they age.)

How long should a job seeker expect to search for a position? If you have a well-written resume and are posting to the perfectly matched job descriptions and getting phone calls from employers for interviews (and you interview well), there is a loose standard for time expectations.

Before the 2009 market crash, during the economic boom, the expectations were an average of one month of job searching for every $10K in salary expectations over $40K annually. The present economic environment is similar, so if the job seeker is looking for a minimum of $60K annually, then about two months would be the average search. To reduce that time factor, it’s vital to post hard, post fast, and apply for the maximum daily time allowance daily. It usually takes about a week for valid job inquiries to come back from most recruiters who are actively searching for keywords and phrases in the resume.

FSC Guest Author: Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, and editing/publishing/print-on-demand consulting in the Hampton Roads and Richmond metropolitan areas. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

FSC LinkedIn Network | February 19, 2020

Number of words, including title and POC info: ~829

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Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., has been an entrepreneur and business owner 20+ years, with her own consulting firm (CEO) in Hampton Roads and Richmond, VA. Her background experience is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 822+ books on the topics of business, human resources research, career search practice, women and gender study, genealogy and family lineages, quotes for motivation and self-improvement, and Adult Coloring Books. Her books can be found on Amazon.com under Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

#BestofFSCBlog : #JobSearch -Confessions Of A Former Corporate #Recruiter . A #MustRead for All!

August 23, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Let me start here. It’s not you. It’s me.

In a past life, I was a corporate recruiter for a few different global organizations. My team was housed under Human Resources, and I recruited for a variety of roles from administrative to senior line professionals in multiple functions. Like most corporate recruiters, I was assigned more job requisitions to fill than was humanly possible, wasn’t well-versed in what to look for in potential candidates other than key words, and relied on an applicant tracking system (ATS) to do the heavy lifting of feeding me the most “qualified” applicants.

Hiring managers were usually too busy to meet with me, even when stellar applicants were waiting to hear back and we risked losing them. Candidate inquiries went unanswered, and they accepted jobs with competitors, while I was criticized for not doing better.

My team was measured on the number of interviews and roles filled (not the quality of hires or length of tenure), so we weren’t incentivized to consider the bigger picture. Like many companies, we carried on about long-term strategy, but made decisions based on short-term targets. Why wouldn’t we when this was what our bonuses were based on?

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I used outdated job descriptions that didn’t align to performance measures and often was encouraged to inflate the attractiveness of a posting to entice quality candidates, but then was rewarded for making compensation offers below market value. This was justified because of our company’s brand name, and unfortunately, many stellar performers simply accepted it.

Even after asking you to take an afternoon (or three) to interview with us, I’d still end up sending an uninspired form email to say you didn’t make the cut. Then, I promised to keep your resume on file in case there was a future match. There never was, because I never looked in the database of past applicants when posting a new opening. Not once.

I remember one candidate who shared that she’d changed clothes in the car because she was afraid her boss would suspect she was looking for a new job. Another confessed he told his current manager he had a funeral to attend because that was the only excuse he could muster about why he was dressed in a suit. But because I interviewed up to 10 applicants each day, it was easy to dismiss these sacrifices. Did either get hired? I have no idea.

It’s not you, it’s us.

We offered a stellar vacation package (four weeks starting on day one!), but knew that you’d never be able to take off that much time and still meet your billable hours goals. I’d ask your current salary, knowing we’d use this information later to offer you a compensation package that was just enough to persuade you accept the offer, but much lower than what we could afford to pay.

We didn’t train line managers to interview, so you likely had to answer questions like, “If you were an animal, which would you be?” or “How many tennis balls can fit into a school bus?” even if there was zero validity to how your response correlated to being qualified. These questions were more about the ego of the person who might become your future boss (be warned).

If you’re a job seeker reading this and finding yourself appalled and offended, you should be. But at least you finally understand that you’re not crazy, just subject to a system that’s content treating applicants like commodities.

It’s not you, it’s the hiring process. It’s broken. Companies proudly boast that people are their greatest asset, and then force applicants to jump through multiple time-consuming hoops without any guarantee they’ll even have the chance to speak to a live person about their qualifications.

It’s maddening, I get it. I was once an under-resourced, overworked recruiter without enough time or direction to do my job well. Rejection form letters enabled me to avoid the discomfort of delivering tough messages to hopeful applicants, or worse, being asked to explain why they weren’t hired. Fortunately, we weren’t permitted to share feedback with candidates due to liability reasons. This was an especially useful policy when the reason you were rejected was because we had a pre-identified candidate all along and only put you through the ringer to satisfy the legal requirements. Irony, to say the least.

So, fellow job seekers, it’s not you. Really, it isn’t. It’s misdirected resources, lack of a talent strategy, bias, ignorance, misinformation and a short-term focus. Are these real? Yes. And are they poor excuses? Absolutely.

We can do better. We can tie job descriptions to performance reviews to ensure you know how you’ll be measured as an employee. We can put our money where our mouth is, and treat people as our greatest asset, even if they’re in the applicant stage and it costs a little more (the cost of a bad hire is even greater). We can equip recruiters with the resources to treat candidates with respect, even if they aren’t ultimately hired (it’s a small world and our paths will cross again). We can make hiring a measurable part of a manager’s role, so they’re more invested.

As for job seekers, the best defense is to stop chasing fairness. The hiring process is anything but, so put your precious time and energy into proactively beating them at their own game by cultivating your network, building a visible brand and being creative to get past the broken systems.

Yes, it takes more effort, but beats sitting by the phone waiting for a message that never comes or one from a bot that diplomatically tells you they hired someone else after you’ve risked your current job (and possibly life) to change into a suit in your car.

You don’t have to accept this treatment. You’ve worked hard and deserve better. Do your homework, invest in others and believe in your ability. Sidestep the crowded online job boards, demand mutual respect during the hiring process, and find a company who values people as their greatest asset not just in words, but in actions.

Because it’s not you.

Happy hunting!

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Author: Dawn Graham

I started my corporate career as a recruiter, and over the past two decades have been helping job seekers attain great roles from the “other side of the desk” as a caree…

Forbes.com | August 22, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch -Eight Ways Job Seekers Can Beat The Bot And Make It To The Second Round Of Interviews. Great REad!

June 28, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Applicants intending to get past an ATS and past the initial culling of unsuitable résumés need first to understand what an ATS looks for. Additionally, being confident in one’s presentation, job experience and professionalism is an excellent mindset to keep when submitting to a company that utilizes an ATS.

To help, eight members of Forbes Human Resources Council explore various ways for candidates to get their applications through the automated system and into the second round of the application process—in front of a real human being. Here’s what they recommend:

1. Emphasize Your Experience

Spell out acronyms and use the industry terms relayed in the job description to emphasize how your experience aligns with the role you are applying for. Ensure that your skills and experience are communicated on your resume in a way that resonates with how the organization describes the work. – Alina Shaffer, LivingHR, Inc.

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2. Customize Your Resume To The Job

Applicants should modify each resume they submit to tailor it to the specific job description or posting. Using the job description as a guide for customization ensures that candidates are peppering the resume with the same keywords used for the role they are applying for, which the ATS is likely trying to screen for. Make your resume speak the same language as the company you’re applying to. – Gwyn Purdue, Wafra Inc.

Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?

3. Take Your Resume For A Test Run

A technique I’ve found success with is converting your resume into a plain text file to compare the results with the original document. If significant differences exist between the two, then you’ll know which areas require editing. You can leverage free online ATS review technology for ATS compatibility and to rank your resume against job postings to get a better idea of how your resume will fare. – Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, Cantata Health & Meta Healthcare IT Solutions

4. Very Important: Use Company Keywords

Do your homework and research the job description/posting and the company’s website and make sure that your resume includes keywords that are clearly important to them and that they use frequently. So for example, on a job posting, if you notice that leadership skills are mentioned five times, you might want to make sure that you emphasize your leadership skills on your resume. –Lotus Buckner, NCH

5. Fill Out The Entire Application

Most importantly, follow the process and fill out the entire application. The resume is not sufficient. If potential candidates fail to follow the instructions for submitting an application, they may miss an opportunity entirely. The pre-screening questions are important—answer them. These questions help recruiters to determine whether or not the applicant is even qualified for the position. – Frank Molinario, Security First Insurance Company Inc

6. Consider Your Application Timing

For the applicant, fully read the job description, follow the directions perfectly and use keywords. People usually don’t speak about “timing,” but we should. If a position is open for a long time, it may mean the selection criteria are faulty and HR will audit the applications. Submit your application during the business hours, as it is more likely to be questioned by an actual person. Good luck! – Patricia Sharkey, Sharkey HR Advisors

7. Keep It Clean

Applicants should always submit their resumes in a plain text format. People don’t realize that the ATS cannot read certain formats, and it doesn’t take much for it to reject an application. At this point in your job search, you’re just trying to get an interview. Make sure the ATS resume is a clean, plain text document. You can always give the interviewer a formatted file later on in the process. –Cameron Bishop, SkillPath

8. Eliminate Colors And Graphics

The quickest way to have a resume rejected by an ATS is to include colors, tables and graphics. Those who prefer flashy, eye-catching resumes should save them for face-to-face interviews, and initially submit a standard resume in a Word or PDF format that an ATS can scan. Also, an ATS will rank resumes by matching keywords, so candidates should customize resumes for each role to which they apply. – John Feldmann, Insperity

Forbes Human Resources Council CommunityVoice

Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization for senior-level human resources executives across all industries. Find out if you qualify a…

Forbes.com | June 28, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch -Dream Job Or Scam? How To Know If A #JobPosting Is Legitimate.

June 18, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It feels almost too good to be true. You just stumbled across a job posting online that looks beyond perfect…You can’t pass up this opportunity and you decide to apply. The process is going quickly and they begin to ask for more personal information in order to bring you on for the next interview phase.

Suddenly it dawns on you, is this too good to be true? Could this be a scam?

Flexjobs revealed that for every one legitimate job posting online there are 60-70 job scams posted. With the odds of legitimacy not in your favor, you must be aware of the signs that something is a fake.

Here are five signs a job posting is a scam, and what to do when you come across them:

1. The job listing is vague and contains typos.

The job duties and the description seem vague; even the company name and mission is unclear when you read the job listing. On top of that, there are typos, grammar errors and a slew of incomplete sentences. If this is the case, this job posting was either computer generated or put together by a poorly educated person hoping to scam. Scam or not, these writing flaws and unclear motives are a reflection of the job and companies flaws.

Make the decision to speak directly with a hiring person to gain a more transparent understanding of the job and the company. If they are not able to explicitly outline what support the role would provide, then you should politely move on to other opportunities.

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2. The salary is crazy.

When something seems too good to be true in the job market, it likely is. When you see a salary that makes your mouth drop, proceed with caution. You want to be hired and compensated based on your skills and merit.

Aside from an astonishingly high salary, be on the lookout for keywords such as “salary potential” or “earn cash quick” as these statements scream “Scam!” They may also request that you work for free or below minimum wage for a period of time. Do not agree to this, the U.S. Department of Labor requires by law that employees be paid minimum wage.

When you go on the job hunt, do some research to better understand the specific jobs typical salary range. Have a salary goal in mind and if it is far above, or below, request to understand how the salary is set.

3. They ask you to share personal information early on.

Be immediately aware of potential scamming if the recruiter requests credit card, bank information, address or a social security number before you sign any IRS employment paperwork.

They may tell you these fees are needed for software, training platforms etc., but the company should be supporting these costs, or at the least, patiently waiting for you to purchase them after being hired.

If this happens, seriously investigate the job further and if it still seems legitimate, tell them you will wait to share this information until hired. This is a major red flag of being scammed and you need to be very cautious.

4. The means of communication is unprofessional.

Similar to poorly written content, the method of communication is not professional. If they ask you to call a premium rate phone number to have an interview, or you start receiving text messages about the job and company, these are signs of being scammed.

On top of this, they may start calling you during off-business hours. If you are being called before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., this is not only unprofessional but also not how legitimate companies operate.

When this starts to happen if you choose to continue exploring the opportunity, let them know your prefered method of communicate is via phone and you find great value in setting up specific times in advance to talk. This may seem controlling, but you want to set clear boundaries and not let recruiters blow up your phone all hours of the day and night.

5. The company has a slew of openings posted.

As you are searching online jobs, the company with the job posting has listed many other job openings: manager, director, graphic designer, executive, etc. The company is either a sham or they have a very high turnover rate. In either instance, this is a sign that the job is not for you. The company is likely using keywords to target certain job seekers across a wider audience range in hopes of scamming more people.

Tackle this by doing research on the company. Pull up their website and search the websites job offerings. If the company is a startup or on a hiring spree it might make sense as to why there are so many jobs posted. But chances are, if the company site looks vague or doesn’t list the job offerings, you should not apply.

Bottom line, follow your gut instinct if the immediate reaction is “Wow I can’t believe this,” you shouldn’t. Proceed with caution and do some quick google searching to save you from wasting time and potentially making a big mistake.

Don’t be that person that gets scammed!

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Author: Ashley Stahl

Contributor

I’m a career coach who helps job seekers via online programs and one-on-one coaching in finding their purpose, landing more job offers and launching their dream business…

Forbes.com | June 18, 2019

#Leadership : Why You Should #Recruit #OlderWorkers …Many Older Workers are Just as Tech-Savvy and Eager to Learn New Skills as their Younger Peers.

March 29, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

As labor markets tighten, finding qualified workers is becoming more of a challenge for many companies. And recruitment missteps may be making it harder to reach older workers.

Carl Dorvil, CEO and president of GEX Management, Inc., a management and professional services company based in Dallas, says there’s good reason to invest in “mentor capitalists” who invest their time and expertise in companies. When he started his company from his dorm room in college, he initially relied on his buddies to fill key roles. Then one of his own mentors reminded him that you can’t fit 50 years of experience into 20.

Since then, Dorvil has made diversity recruitment, including hiring older workers, a priority, both in his company and in the message he spreads to his clients. And now that he’s currently looking at expansion through acquisition, “We want to partner with people who have more experience and are a little bit more mature in their field. They have the relationships and networks that we think can grow our business faster,” he says.

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OLDER WORKERS ARE IN DEMAND

Workers in age groups 65 to 74 and 75 and older are expected to grow faster than any other age segments through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But finding those older workers isn’t always as easy as it sounds. For those hanging on to the premise that older workers are sitting around waiting for opportunities in a buyer’s market, the latest BLS data busts that myth: The unemployment rate for adults age 55-plus was 3.2% in February 2018—nearly a full point lower than the overall 4.1% unemployment rate.

Many corporate diversity programs don’t specifically target mature talent and fall into bad habits that actually make it harder to find and attract mature workers, says Peter Gudmundsson, who last year founded Dallas-based Hire Maturity, which produces job fairs and runs a job board for “mature talent”—a term he prefers to “older workers.” One of the company’s taglines is, “Are you ready to hire a grownup?” If you are, there are a few important fixes many companies need to make, he says.

LET GO OF THE STEREOTYPES

If you’re hanging on to the tired notions that workers age 60-plus aren’t tech-savvy or energetic, your bias is showing, says Heather Tinsley-Fix, senior adviser, financial resilience programming at AARP‘s Washington, D.C., headquarters. Steve Jobs would be well into his 60s now, while internet pioneer Vinton Cerf is 74.

A 2013 study from North Carolina State University looked at the reputation scores of programmers in an online forum called Stack Overflow, which has more than 1.6 million members. Researchers found that, on average, programmer reputation scores increased relative to age well into the 50s and that they exhibited expertise in more areas than did younger users.

AARP’s research shows that more than 80% of workers ages 45 to 64 say that the opportunity to learn something new is an essential element of their ideal job. In 2010, a major international study called the Cogito Study compared 101 young adults (20–31) and 103 older adults (65–80) on 12 different tasks over 100 days. Against their expectations, they found that 65– to 80-year-old workers’ performance was more stable and less variable from day to day than that of the younger group. In addition, their motivation was higher than the younger workers’, and they were less erratic. So ditch the outdated thinking about older workers, she says.

A number of job ads on several high-profile digital and social media platforms were age-restricted, eliminating them from the view of many older workers. In addition to ensuring that your job ads are reaching the greatest possible age range on every platform, expand the job boards and advertising platforms you’re using, says Jeff Zinser, principal and founder of Right Recruiting, an executive recruiting firm in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Workers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s may have become comfortable using boards like Monster and CareerBuilder earlier in their careers and may default to searching there first. Boards like AARP’s job board and HireMaturity are also good places to check.

When you’re writing your job ads, beware of using inadvertently ageist phrases like “seeking digital natives” or “join our young, dynamic team,” Tinsley-Fix says. Read over your job ads to be sure they’re as inclusive as possible and describe the job specifically. And don’t forget to train your recruiters and hiring managers to look beyond age when recruiting and evaluating candidates.

And beef up your in-person efforts, Gudmundsson says. In addition to recruiting on college campuses, find opportunities like job fairs targeted toward older workers. These environments can help you find the workers you’re seeking and get a better sense of the person and their strengths and abilities.

AVOID THE “CULTURE TRAP”

Many company leaders emphasize the importance of “culture fit”when hiring. Tinsley-Fix says that can be a mistake. Instead, look for “culture add,” she says. “As we know, cultural fit tends to diminish diversity because you’re just hiring people who are like yourself.”

Instead of thinking of cultural fit as age-related, look for people who are motivated to work with your company, dedicated to lifelong learning, and show a history of being creative and adaptable. Those attributes are going to be better indicators that the person will work well with your team than an arbitrary age, she says.

DON’T ASSUME YOU CAN’T AFFORD THEM

Some companies shy away from older workers because they’re afraid that all of that experience comes at a steep cost. And Gudmundsson warns that age should not be a deciding factor in what you pay your employees. While many workers in their late 50s, 60s, and 70s are interested in full-time work and a career track, some are moving to more part-time work or flexible schedules. And workers age 65-plus may choose to opt in to Medicare, reducing health insurance costs.

“All of these groups have very different needs and different requirements. That’s a good opportunity for enlightened employers to show a little flexibility.” And with that flexibility might come the experience, knowledge, and contacts you need at a compensation level that fits your company’s budget.

FastCompany.com | March 29, 2018 | BY GWEN MORAN 5 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : Do These Things To #ReduceTurnover Among Your #BestHires …It takes Work to #Retain #StarEmployees . Here are the Steps you Can take to Stop Losing them to “Better Offers.”

February 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If there’s anyone more hopeful than a new employee showing up to her first day on the job, it’s the hiring manager who offered it to her.

Call us hopeless romantics, but we think there’s something really special about a candidate and a company coming to an agreement and choosing to embark on a relationship together–albeit a business one.

But what happens when the relationship goes south and the employee decides to move on? There may not be actual tears, but it can still feel like heartbreak to the recruiter, hiring manager, and leadership team that had high hopes for the future.

So, what can you do when you’re tired of losing employees to “better offers”? Here’s what five recruiting and hiring pros would do to reduce churn and improve employee engagement and retention:

1. BE HONEST ABOUT THE DOWNSIDES OF A POSITION

It makes sense to try to put your best foot forward in the first stages of the interview process. After all, that’s what job candidates are doing, too. But Chuck Solomon, cofounder and COO of LineHire, says that it’s in the best interest of long-term employee retention to be upfront about what a job is really like without candy coating the truth or trying to ignore potential challenges within a job.

“It may sound quaint, but I believe authenticity is key to reducing churn and increasing employee retention,” says Solomon. “Recruiters should be honest and accurate in describing both the pros and cons of the job–after all, once on board, the candidate is going to learn firsthand themselves. I’m not suggesting you should ‘air the company’s dirty laundry,’ but there are ways to tell a candidate that this is a challenging position. That way you’re only bringing in staff members that are up for the challenges.”

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2. CLOSE THE LOOP ON NEW HIRE DATA

Find the best person, hire them, and move on. Sound familiar? If that’s your approach to most of the positions you fill and you want to reduce churn, Mikaela Kiner, CEO and Founder of uniquelyHR, wants you to think about following up and tracking how your candidates work out in the role.

“Recruiters always believe we’ve found the absolute best candidate for the job, says Kiner. “After all, that’s why we hired them! But too often, we don’t know what happens once that person joins the company. Did that person become a superstar, did they plateau, or were they eventually let go for poor performance? If recruiters can work with HR and hiring managers to get data on the quality of the people they’ve hired, they can spot trends and then use that data to improve the screening and recruiting process.”

“For example, what skills and qualities are common to the most successful hires?” continues Kiner. “Failures are also a good source of learning, because if you make a note of red flags during interviews of people who don’t succeed, you can be on the lookout for similar candidate qualities in the future.”

3. LISTEN TO AND REWARD EMPLOYEES BEFORE THERE’S A PROBLEM

Brianna Rooney, founder of software engineer recruiting company Techees, works in a high turnover industry placing software engineers at tech-focused companies in the Bay Area. In her line of work, it’s common for people to leave every year, and if someone has been with their company for three years, it’s a downright miracle. Why? Because most companies say they don’t have time to deal with employee retention or simply don’t want to know the bad things about their company.

“I can’t tell you how many times a company will try to give a raise or actually listen to an employee when it’s way too late,” says Rooney. “Everyone wants to save money. It’s hard to keep giving raises. Yet, think about how hard it is to find good people. People you trust to work hard, honestly, and efficiently.”

“If you don’t have the budget for a salary increase, make sure they understand that,” Rooney continues. “Talk to employees, make them know how important they are. Don’t just wait for quarterly or yearly meetings. You need to care before you ‘have to,’ and it has to come naturally.”

4. RECRUIT QUALITIES THAT MAKE FOR GOOD OFFICE POLITICS

Are office politics always a bad thing? No, says CEO and The Compass Alliance author Tim Cole. They can be good or bad for an organization depending on how they are directed. But if you’re in a position where you need to reduce churn, your politics are likely unproductive. It’s critical that you start screening candidates for qualities that are conducive to healthy office politics.

“Bad office politics implies backstabbing and conspiring for personal gain,” says Cole. “An organization that tolerates that type of behavior faces the long-term effects that always follow, like low engagement, loss of productivity, and attrition.”

Cole adds: “Companies that recruit for collaboration skills and capacity for problem solving can often direct office politics in a more positive direction and use them to streamline workflow with behind-the-scenes discussions and gain consensus on critical job decisions away from the boardroom.”

5. RALLY YOUR TEAM AROUND A COMMON “WHY”

Low employee retention and low engagement go hand in hand, so if you’re struggling with a need to reduce churn, you are likely struggling with employee engagement, too. Zach Hendrix, cofounder of the lawn service app GreenPal, grew one business from 1 to 100 using a simple but profound engagement strategy: rally employees around the central “why” of their jobs and the business as a whole.

In his first business, much of Hendrix’s operating core was comprised of Guatemalan immigrants who would come to the United States for several consecutive lawn mowing seasons and save as much money as they could to improve the lives of their families back home by building homes, ranches, and setting up farms stocked with cattle.

To fuel his team through the tough times, including the economic recession of 2009, he rallied them around their “why.” At weekly meetings, they would give progress reports on how projects back home were coming along and display picture collages of homes, farms, and businesses in Guatemala in the office and shop.

There’s nothing more frustrating than waving farewell to an employee you had hoped would stick around long-term. And while there are many reasons you’ll need to say goodbye to employees over the years–relocations, promotions, and career changes among them–there’s a lot you can do to make sure that your company isn’t the reason employees leave. Consider how you can apply these tips to your recruiting and hiring process to reduce churn to help your candidates stick around.

FastCompany.com | February 26, 2018 | BY SARAH GREESONBACH—GLASSDOOR 5 MINUTE READ