Recruitment is a process!

Don’t relax too much in an interview!

Nothing kills an interview like…

CV tip of the day!

Signing an employment contract is just like…

If a Recruiter says that they can GUARANTEE you a job if you pay them!

You know that you have it wrong when…

Sending out bulk emails to Recruiters is like…

Telling your boss that you are going for an interview is like

Dress for the job and salary that you want!

Recruitment takes time!

Along with text language, acronyms have potential to really hurt your CV and job application!

Just because you know what BISGJ is, does not mean that a Recruiter does. Yes, the Line Manager for the position will know. However your job application may have to go through a computerised screening system or a Recruiter, before it gets to the Line Manager and if they don’t understand the acronym, then your CV may be lost in the pile.

Never assume that a Recruiter will know what it means or knows how to do your job, that’s why they need you. Besides if they knew how to do your job then they would just place themselves!

The only time acronyms are acceptable in a CV is if you see them the job advert! If you really want to use one then please put in the description as well as the acronym!

Don’t eat bubble gum during an interview!

Yes I know this sounds basic but unfortunately it still happens and as my Hiring Manager screamed

“I could not believe it! He looked like a cow, blowing and popping like he was in a Bubbaloo competition!”

Unfortunately the only thing this Hiring Manager could tell me about this Candidate was his ability to blow bubbles. She found it so detracting that she could not concentrate on a word that the Candidate was saying!

I refuse your refusal!

The following was emailed to me and even though I am pretty sure it will never work, I do give the writer 10/10 for his positive attitude!

Dear Sir / Madam

Thank you for your letter of 4 September. After careful consideration I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your company.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an usually large number of rejection letters, with such a varied and promising field for me to accept all refusals.

Despite your company’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time.

Therefore I will start to work with your company on Monday 18 September at 8:30 am. I look forward to seeing you then.

Kind regards

John

You know you have it wrong when the Recruiter says...

“What position are you currently in?”

And you say...

Is it an interview or a Gynaecologist?

Not only are you wasting company time and money by using your work email address to find a new job, you are also taking a risk that one day your Manager  may say to you; “Why did you say that you are going to see a Gynaecologist on Monday when you are actually going for an interview?” (True story)

Besides worst case scenario, you get to your new job and it is not as great as you thought it would be and now you have to start your whole job search from scratch, just because you do not have access to your old email address.

It is so easy to open up a Hotmail/Gmail/Yahoo account, however keep it professional no Ihaveasexybum@gmail.com or hotman@hotmail.com !

Don’t dance on your boss’s desk!

Congratulations you have signed and submitted your Offer of Employment and now you need to resign!

Before you go and dance on your boss’s desk and tell him “how horrid he was to work for” bear in mind that a bad boss today could be a bad reference tomorrow!

Human nature says that people will always remember the last thing that you did and years of hard work are quickly forgotten, if you leave on a bad note or burn bridges! Always resign gracefully as you never know when you will need them again!

When are Recruiters allowed to do references?

A Recruiter is only allowed to do a reference on you if you have given permission. But be warned if it’s on your CV then technically speaking permission has been given and they may phone before your interview and before your chance to explain your situation! Recruiters usually won’t want to speak to your current employer (and jeopardise your current employment in any way) but be warned they will phone the company and without saying who they are ask to speak to you, just to ensure that you are still employed there!

There are very few situations where a Recruiter will do a reference, with a family member, colleague or teacher especially if you have work experience. Ideally they will want two good references with your manager or above. Even if they phone your Referee on a cell phone a good Recruiter will always phone the company to confirm with a third party that your referee was in fact a manager at that company! (You would be surprised how many times I have caught candidates out with that one!)

When it comes to references you always have to ask yourself; has your referee agreed to vouch for you and can you guarantee that they will only say nice things about you? Keep in contact with them, send Christmas and birthday messages every year and if you think a Recruiter is about to phone, then give them a call to say hi and enquire if they will still vouch for you.  It is not a guarantee but there is less chance of them saying horrible things about you if you have just spoken to them. You have also just created an opportunity to remind  them how fantastic you were and what your achievements were when you worked with them!

I am convinced my Manager was a psychopath!

The reality of the situation is that in life you get good Recruiters and you get bad Recruiters! A bad Recruiter will accept your “I left my last job for greener pastures!” and move on with the rest of the interview. However it will only take a good Recruiter a few more questions around the subject before you say something like. “But I am convinced my Manager was a psychopath!” (oh no did I say that out loud?)

Don’t panic I also worked for that person and you would be surprised how many people leave managers and not companies! However calling your former boss a psychopath, does not necessarily inspire another manager to offer you a new job!

Good Recruiters know this and they are not as worried about the personality clash, as much did the manager give you hell, because you were not doing what you were being paid to do? Was the Manager the problem or were you the problem and now you are trying to blame them? Are you difficult to manage? Who was actually impossible to work with?

Starting off the topic with a lie is always a risk (as you never know which Recruiter you will get).  When I go for an interview I am always upfront and explain my situation. Without becoming personal or insulting, I explain how after exploring every single opportunity to sort it out, I was eventually left with no option but to leave, without throwing my toys! Sometimes it’s not what you say vs. how you say it!

If it was you, how would you say it?

The Receptionist or Gate Keeper

Although they won’t actually be interviewing you or have the right qualifications to assess you, the Receptionist / Gate Keeper who assisted at the beginning of an interview, will have an opinion on if you should be hired.

They are generally not shy to tell a Recruiter about any and all behavior in a reception area. So don’t overlook or underestimate the power that they have when they announce that you have arrived.

One sarcastic “OMG! Wait until you see what has arrived for you!” or “I told him that my pot plant was not the right place to go to the toilet!” (true story) or “He is demanding to see you immediately!” can quiet easily set the tone to a very bad interview which is very hard to recover from!

  

Job Description - PARENT

I don’t know where this comes from but I found it very amusing, so I had to share! If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any one would have done it!!!!

POSITION TITLE:

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:

·       Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment.

·       Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

·       Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities!

·       Travel expenses not reimbursed.       

·       Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

·         The rest of your life.

·         Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs R50.00.

·         Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

·        Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

·       Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

·       Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

·       Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

·       Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute, and a total embarrassment the next.

·       Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.

·       Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

·       Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

·       Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

·         None.

(Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you)

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

·         None required unfortunately.

·         On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this!   You pay them!

·         Offering frequent raises and bonuses.

·        A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

·         When you die, you give them whatever is left.

·        The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

 BENEFITS :

·       While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

RETIREMENT:

·         "THERE IS NO RETIREMENT  --  EVER!!

Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, letting them know they are appreciated for the fabulous job they do... or forward with love to anyone thinking of applying for the job.

“Who is the Federation of African Professional Staffing Organisations?”

A candidate has just asked me: “Who is the Federation of African Professional Staffing Organisations?”

It's APSO!

Although they are keeping the APSO Acronym they have changed their name and have a fantastic new logo!

But at the end of the day they are still the same hardworking people who regulate the Labour Recruitment industry in South Africa. Amongst other things they provide training and development to Recruitment Agencies, keep us informed of all new developments and in a nut shell they try to ensure that we (Recruitment Agencies, Employers and Candidates) all play fair in the game of Recruitment!

http://www.apso.co.za

The reasons why Recruiters don’t phone you back!

All you have to do is have a look at Hello Peter to see how extremely angry candidates get when Recruiters don’t go back to them. I understand their frustration as they took time out of their busy day to apply for the job, spent money to go for that interview, only to be abandoned and left hanging without any feedback on the final outcome of the recruitment process. I agree it is rude and unprofessional!

In my defence I have always tried to go back to candidates and I even received thank you letters where candidates have thanked me for taking the time to regret them, as a lot of Recruiters just don’t do it. However as much as I have tried to go back to every one there have been a number of situations where I was unfortunately unable to correspond with them.

Spending time holding your hand or finding you a job?

One Monday afternoon I received 10 new IT job specs. I quickly qualified the jobs and placed the adverts on a number of different websites, so that I could start the recruitment ball rolling while I attended a conference on the Tuesday. On Wednesday morning I broke out into a cold sweat and had heart palpitations as my computer slowly download over 700 job applications!  

The reality of the situation is that I could have spent all my time contacting all 700 candidates and held their hands during the recruitment process (which quite frankly is an impossible task) but I chose to only deal with the candidates who met the minimum requirements and place 7 out of the 10 jobs. Which then left me time to go out to find more jobs where I placed another 2 candidates out of that specific advert response. I am sure if you are honest with yourself you would rather me spend my time trying to find you a job versus contacting you to tell to hang tight or to tell you that you were not suitable???

Sorry but it was out of my control!

I remember sitting in a police station thinking, how ironic it was that one of the reasons why we have such a high crime rate in South Africa, is because we have such a high unemployment rate. But due to a break in there would now be a number of candidates who would miss out on job opportunities. Yes someone broken in and stole my computer and candidate database!  Granted in the end I only lost two weeks’ worth of un-backed up work and some of the candidates did come back to me, but I do know that I lost 100’s of job applications and that once again I had disappointed  candidates who had pinned their hopes on me finding them a job.

Just hang in there!

Recruitment takes time! Yes I know that we live in an instant society, where you can What’sApp your friend in London and get an answer right away, but unfortunately recruitment does not work like that! The larger the organisation the longer it takes to make a decision. Granted I have had some jobs that were filled very quickly however most times this is not the case.  The owner of a recruitment agency once told me that his longest recruitment process was eight months from client interview to offer.  

My longest wait was four months and like a good recruiter, I kept phoning my Candidate to keep him updated, that he eventually shouted at me that “Clearly I did not know how to do my job, because after 3 months, if they were interested in him they would have made him an offer!” He also made it perfectly clear that I was also to stop bugging him about this as I was waiting his time! You can imagine his surprise and the apology when I sent him the offer of employment in the fourth month.  So yes there are times when a Recruiter has not come back to you because they just don’t have an answer yet. Not because they did not like you or because they want to string you a long!

Sometimes the reasons have nothing to do with you!

I once took over a desk of a Recruiter who had been unceremoniously fired and escorted off the premises! By the time I had taken over and come to grips with what needed to be done, there was one position where the CV’s had not been sent and the employer had sourced a candidate from another Recruitment Agency. I had no idea who the Recruiter had spoken to or promised to assist with this position but I am confident that there were a number of candidates out there who had beaten themselves up because they were not successful.  The reality of the situation is that because this Recruiter had been dismissed the candidates had no chance of ever getting the job.

Don’t take it personally!

I once worked with a Recruiter who was proud and passionate about her job and really went out of her way to assist candidates. I remember her being absolutely devastated after regretting a Candidate who did not take the bad news very well. Although she understood that he was desperate for work and was under a lot of pressure to feed his family, it was not her fault that he was unsuccessful, as she worked hard on his application and had gone out of her way for him. She felt that no matter how much it hurt to be regretted it did not give him the right to talk to her like that or call her a cockroach!  I have come across a number of Recruiters who give an involuntary shiver when it comes to regretting applicants, as some candidates are over the top and rude when they don’t get the job. So maybe some Recruiters are too scared to break your heart and give you the bad news.

My advice to candidates who are looking for a job is;

Don’t expect the Recruiter to come back to you!

That way you are not disappointed when they don’t come back to you and it is an unexpected added bonus when they do. Trust me, the frustration and pain that candidates go through over this is really not worth it, rather turn that negative energy into finding a job or saving the Rhino! (Far more rewarding!)

At the end of the interview always ask the Recruiter when they think that they will have an answer for you. If they say that will they will phone you on a specific date get them to agree that you can phone them to get feedback. That way you have permission to phone them and you are not left sitting by the phone getting discouraged by every phone call that is not for you. (You will remember to phone them far quicker than they will remember to phone you!)

Always ask them how often you should keep in contact and if they would prefer email or telephonic correspondence. Each recruiter is different and you don’t want to land up stalking them into regretting your application (Stalker candidates…a whole new blog on its own!)

As much as it hurts to be regretted, be grateful that they did come back to you and chalk it up to additional interview experience! You also don’t want to burn bridges with a Recruiter because if you do Murphy’s Law says that you will be a perfect fit for the next position that they get in, and then they will definitely not phone you back!

I would like to end this by saying, I am so sorry to all the candidates that I did not go back to and I apologise profusely if I left you feeling like a teenager waiting at the phone after a hot date. I can assure you that it was unintentional and it definitely was not because I thought you are a bad evil candidate who is unemployable!  But whatever you do don’t let this make you despondent, negative or turn you off working with Recruitment Agencies nor let it stop you going out there to find your next job opportunity!

The Candidate with the best interview skills will get the job!

One of the hardest things and employer has to do is retrench staff!

A candidate asked me why I thought it would be a good idea to have all of his jobs on his CV???

And I answered with the following 5 reasons:

  

• You never know what a Recruiter is looking for. You may not have been successful for the current job, but now that they have seen all your experience, you may just match the next job that comes in.

• Some recruiters will need all of this information to complete their recruitment process, and with the stress of an interview you may not remember all the exact details. (This uncertainty generally does not inspire confidence in your job application)

• So that your dates of employment add up! Recruiters are trained to look for gaps in employment (when I was trained on how to interview I was told to wonder if you were in jail during that period?)

• Recruiters have a vetting check that tells them where you have worked. If it comes up with different jobs, a recruiter will question what went wrong at that company, that made you decided to leave them off your CV. (HHHMMM were you fired?)

• If you don’t recognize the experience then why should they? I can’t begin to tell you the amount of times I have regretted candidates, because they don’t have the required experience and then they say “Oh! Actually I do have that experience but it is not on my CV!” (Seriously are you telling me the truth do you really have that experience?)

Yes I know this sounds extremely cynical; but you have to remember that so many candidates lie on their CV’s and in the interview process, so that the Recruiters are always looking out for that little white lie in your job application.

And yes; your reasons for not putting them on may be valid, but beware if it comes out at a later stage, it will put doubt on you application.

These additional jobs don’t have to take up your whole CV, but put in a one liner to say you worked there and expand and highlight on the jobs that you want to sell to the Recruiter.