"15 minutes can save you 15%"

I had to share this.

We had a resume sent to us.  It's unfortunate that he sent us his auto-insurance quote instead.  The good news?  He got the safe-driver's discount.  If that doesn't have "hire me!" written all over it, I don't know what does!

#resumeFAIL

Does this make me look fat?

Congratulations!

You have been invited for an onsite interview at the company you've had your sights on for months.  Aside from being prepared for the interview (e.g.: reading up on the company, knowing about the person/people you will be interviewing with, having a list of questions you want to ask them about the company and the position), deciding what to wear is just as important.

I tend to go by the rule, "You can never be overdressed."  This is true in almost any scenario.  This is especially true in interviews.  Whether you're interviewing at a chic start-up company in Silicon Valley (y'know, the ones that wear flip flops and baseball hats to work), or a prestigious Fortune 500 company, I suggest the following guidelines.


Men

• Dark suit.  This means black, brown, navy.  Solid color or pinstripes.  Please, no obnoxious plaid or polka dots.
• White shirt.  Go with the crisp, white, button down shirt.  Leave the print and colored shirts for the holiday parties.
• Tie.  I feel this is optional.  But, should you choose to wear a tie, go with a power color - blue or red.  Make it your "statement" piece.
• Dress socks.  You laugh, but I'm serious.  Please wear tall dress socks.  I have had candidates come in wearing white tube socks.  
• Nice shoes.  Polish them.  Make sure the laces are not tattered.  Shoes say a lot about a man. 

Women

• Dark suit.  Again, this means black, brown, navy.  Solid or pinstripe.  Skirts are ok, but keep them conservative - no more than a couple inches above the knees.  Although, I do feel like women have a little more flexibility in this option.  I don't feel a jacket is always necessary, as a sweater (in a neutral, solid color) should do just fine.
• Simple jewelry.  Don't wear anything that will distract you, distract the interviewer from you, or that will make a lot of noise when you move (think: bangles).
• Pull your hair off your face.  Yes, bangs are pretty.  But no one wants to see you fumble with that piece that gets in your eye one too many times.
• Same rule applies.  Wear nice shoes.  Flats or a shoe with a 1-2" heel should work just fine.

As shallow as it may sound, first impressions are everything.  You will be judged by what you are wearing, how you present yourself, your handshake, your eye contact, and your confidence levels.

Someone I know once told me, "Look good, feel good, play good" [SIC].  Couldn't be further from the truth.

If in doubt, keep this in mind:

GOOD LUCK!

Captain Amazing

Just came across this profile today.  His name?

I'm glad you're amazing.  I sure wish your profile was too. . .

Why Corporate Recruiting?

How / Why did you get into recruiting?

That's a question I got when I was interviewing.  It's also a question I frequently get when talking to friends.

My journey to the Corporate Recruiting world started in 2004.  I was finishing school, interning for a private money management company in their sales department.  They brought me on full time once I finished school, and I went into a sales role.  Cold calling.  Appointment setting.  Tracking the money I was bringing into the firm.  I was better at sales than I ever thought I could be, especially in an industry I honestly knew nothing about.  I made a lot of money.  But I wasn't happy.

What was missing?

In sales, it's very much about "how can you help ME?"  When, in turn, I really wanted to help THEM.  I wanted to provide them with their best options - whether or not it was truly with our firm.  I started thinking about a way to combine something I was good at (sales) with something that would make me feel good about what I was doing for a living.

In 2008, I was approached for an internal position as a Corporate Recruiter, and I jumped at the opportunity.  What better way to fill that void I felt!  I landed in a position where I would "sell" the managers on candidates that I was presenting to them, where I would "sell" the candidate on what makes our company great to work at, where I fulfilled my own desire to be helpful.  I was helping a company fill its organization with great talent, while helping someone looking for a great "home" to display their expertise.

Selfishly, I made the move for myself.

And in the end, that decision to move out of sales, away from the big money income, the glorious "President's Club" trips, and the pretentiousness of being the best has left me feeling extremely fulfilled in my career.

I have considered moving to the agency side of recruiting, but I want to feel like I am helping to grow ONE organization.  I want to live, breathe, and BE the culture I am promoting and supporting.

I love what I do.  I love the feedback I get from managers when I find their perfect candidate.  I love the emails I get from candidates saying they had the best candidate experience and "THANK YOU for helping me."

I am a matchmaker.  I am the one who walks away with a sly smile knowing that all is right in the world for *this* exact moment.

Now... let me ask you... why do you do what you do?

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Interviewer:  Is there anything I can answer for you?
Candidate:  No, I think I know everything I need to know.

Let's face it.  Do you really know EVERYTHING you need to know about the company you're interviewing at?  

You should assume that every interviewer will allow you an opportunity to ask questions of them.  I urge you to ask them!  Engaging the interviewer shows them that you are a part of the conversation, and that you are interviewing them as well.  After all, you will have to be working with them.  On top of looking like you are genuinely interested in the company and the team, it shows you came prepared.  

Below, I list some of the types of questions you can consider asking your potential-future-employer:

• Future of the industry (ie: cloud technology, solar, potato powered cars)
• Growth of the company over the past few years
• Planned future growth of the company
• Company culture
• Team structure / hierarchy 
• Opportunity for growth
• The interviewer's career path

Things you should avoid asking:

• Salary (unless the interviewer brings it up)
• Benefits (unless the interviewer brings it up)
• Soft benefits
• Paid Time Off / PTO
• Sabbaticals
• "Bring your dog to work" day

At the end of the day, remember that an interview is just a conversation.  It should never be question-answer-question-answer.  Make it interactive; make it a give-and-take.  Don't be afraid to ask questions mid-interview.  Don't be afraid to interject if you are confused about the job duties.

Just as much as the company is interviewing you, you are interviewing them.

Resume Tips

“Human being with human interaction skills.”

“Good at staring at a computer screen for hours.”

“Good at phone sales. Native language: American Sign Language.”

“Impeccable atenshion to detail,.”

I always wonder what goes on inside one’s head as they put together a resume.  As a recruiter, I have seen some pretty fantastic, arguably decent, and horridly terrifying resumes.  While I have to admit, the “bad” resumes are highly entertaining, an applicant must realize that they get an estimated 15-20 seconds of a recruiter’s time once they submit their resume.  And while that may not seem like sufficient time, to a recruiter, it is just enough.

That said, here are some of the best ways to improve your resume.

• Font:  Do not use a font size smaller than a 10.   Jamming your resume to fit into one page makes it hard to read.  Two pages is better than one sometimes.
• Header:  Your name should be a couple of font sizes bigger than the rest of your text.  Also, include your full contact information.  This includes address, phone number(s), and email address. 
• While we are on the subject, create a professional email address through one of the many free email domains available.  iWant2Party@hellokitty.com* does not bode well.
• Objective:  Avoid the “obvious”.  Statements like “I’m looking for a job” are assumed if you are submitted a resume.  Instead, customize your objective for each position you apply for. 
• Body:   List positions in reverse chronological order.  Make dates, companies, and titles easily findable.  In addition to listing responsibilities, also include your accomplishments (ie: “Made 135% of quota for 2011. President’s Club 2011. Highest new net business rate of 50 reps.”).  Keep in mind that your accomplishments will stand out more to the recruiter than your responsibilities.
• Explain gaps in employment.  This eliminates the guessing-game.  (ie: 2009-2011 Took a leave to care for an ill family member)
• If you are more than five (5) years out of college, you can omit the jobs you had while in school.  Unless they were relevant to where your career is headed, those positions are better left in the memory bank.
• Customize each resume you send to an employer.  Be sure to include relevant information, key words, and highlights that will showcase your skills.
• Spell check. 
• Spell check.  Again.

*Email address is fictional and is not a functioning email address.

** This blog appeared here on the SuccessFactors Blog

Your Resume: The Basics

Ok.

So you've finally decided to get off your butt and look for your dream job.  Whether you are a "freshie" (coming right out of school) or just someone who has been off the job market for 5, 6, 7, 15 years, the following rules will always apply.

• Make it readable.  6 point font is not okay!  After reading thousands and thousands of resumes, our eyes just aren't what they used to be.  If it is too difficult to read what you've accomplished, we will not read what you've accomplished!  If you are trying to squeeze your resume onto one page, throw that rule out the window; old habits die hard.  

• Tell me where you live and how to contact you.  Does that sound creepy?  It's not meant to.  A lot of positions will require a certain geographic territory.  Whether the office is based in San Francisco and needs an onsite employee, or the sales territory is in Chicago and needs a sales rep who already resides in the area and has a network.  You aren't fooling anyone if you don't put your location on your resume.  Address is not necessary, but City/State are appreciated.  Also, please make sure your email and phone number (the one we can reach you on most reliably) are on there.  And make sure they are correct.

• Make it chronological.  I've seen resumes where applicants list their experience by "relevance", which really confuses the heck out of me.  How did your resume jump from 1999 to 2013, back to 2002, to 2012, back to 2001?  I don't get it.  Again, if it's too difficult to read, we aren't going to read it.  Harsh, but it is the truth.

• Organize.  If you have more than 5 years of work experience after college, your Education section no longer belongs at the top.  Experience is worth more than your degree.  

• Quantify.  This is especially true for anyone in sales.  Quantify, quantify, quantify.  Tell me how much over-quota you did in 2013 Q1, Q2, Q3.  Tell me how much you make your fellow sales reps look like they're lazy!  If you saved your department $100k in licensing fees, tell me that.  If you oversaw 21 customers, tell me that too. 

• List skills.  Fluent in Spanish?  PowerPoint pro?  Excel guru?  While the position you are applying for may not require them, recruiters/managers are always looking for someone that can enhance their team.  What can you do for us?

This is just a short-list of "must haves" for a resume that will get a glance.  Do this, and you are well on your way to dream-job-success!

PS - Don't forget to spell check!