How do you get a Recruiter to notice you???

Recruiters receive 100's of emailed requests and resumes every day. Not only are they working on current positions, they are also trying to form relationships for future endeavours.

Applying for a Current Position:
The most  important thing a recruiter needs is up to date information.  This is where the email becomes very important.  You want to grab them right away.  Keep your email short and sweet.  A one line introduction  with the following information:

• Availability.  If they are looking for a contractor to start immediately, then put that in the email.  
• two weeks notice
• immediately
• current contract ending mm/dd/yy
• Location:  If your home is in Markham and the position is in Mississauga, be sure to say:
• willing to commute
• willing to relocate (especially if the position is out of province)
• or put in a specific location, ie downtown Toronto
• Salary:  Give them a range.  Most positions advertised have a salary on them, if this is acceptable to you then put it in the email.  

The next thing you want to focus on are the keywords in the resume that relate to education and skills:

• Education:  Tell them you have a degree from Waterloo or you are a "Sun Certified Java Developer", etc
• Technical Skills:  5 years experience working with IBM WebSphere in a Windows environment
• Management Skills:  10 years leading teams developing ......using .....

Then again a 1 line closing sentence.  "I can be reached at .........  Thank you for your time"

So remember:

• 1 short introductory sentence
• 6 bullets briefly detailing the information that makes you qualified for a specific position
• 1 short closing sentence.

Future Possibilities

If you are sending your resume to a recruiter for future possibilities, then use the same format as above, but instead of your skills detailing specific keywords in the advertisement, put down your strongest qualifications and/or the skills you would like to be working on more.  Another key item the recruiter would like to know is if you are looking at permanent or contract positions or both.

Good luck Job Hunting

Businesses increasing their use of Remote Staff

Starting off my career in computer programming at Ontario Hydro, I watched the 80's bring in some of the first contract workers and consulting houses.  By 1985, I joined the contract team, but still had to go into the office to do my work.  The years progressed, laptops appeared.  We could now take our work home with us.  Then the internet arrived and home/virtual offices are becoming the norm.  The trend is growing as shown in the infographic below.  Are you ready to join the growing number of virtual offices?

Professional Profiles are they important????

You must admit resumes are pretty boring reading, especially when that is what you do all day.  Recruiters and HR employees read through 100's of resumes a day.  OK, read!!!  maybe more like scan.  That is if you are lucky enough to get past their ATS (Applicant Tracking System).  Now you have to grab their attention while they are doing their 10 second scan of your resume.  Sometimes I think Recruiters and HR employees can scan faster than their computer systems. The Professional Profile is the easiest way to entice them to actually read your resume.

The Professional Profile appears right under your name and contact information.  What makes a good professional profile:

• Keep it short:  one or two sentences giving a brief synopsis of your experience; followed by 3 or 4 small bullets of specific detail related to the actual job description if necessary
• Use key words from the job description.  If they are looking for a Java Developer, don't put in the profile that you started out as a Cobol Programmer
• Years of experience in your field
• If they are looking for a specific degree or certificate and you have it, put it in a bullet in your profile

Action words in your profile will give it a little more zing:

• boosted sales by 23%
• implemented an employee incentive program
• set up a new data centre
• maintained 200 desktops
• converted a 1000 desk data centre from windows to 
• increased production
• decreased customer service calls

Detail not to put in your profile include:

• personal information, ie hobbies, number of children, marital status - you get the point.  Truthfully this information doesn't even need to be on your resume
• opinions about anything, 
• that you can work independently, multi task, hard worker, always on time, etc.  These are taken for granted.
• the word "I"

Finally here is a sample professional profile for an IT position at a financial institution.

Java Developer offering a broad technical background working in the financial industry. This includes 7 years of WebSphere development, 3 years WebSphere portal development and 3 years of WebSphere/WebSphere portal administration experience.  

• Bachelors of Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario (if degree needed from job description)
• Certifications include:  (if specified from job description)
• 4 years experience in building mobile web applications.  (keyword from job description)
• In-depth experience in software full life cycle and design patter

A professional profile is just that, a profile, keep it short, to the point and targeting the specific job description you are applying for.  For some more examples check out this webpage http://jobsearch.about.com/od/profiles/a/resume-profile-examples.htm

Good Luck Job Hunting !!

How do you survive a Telephone Interview

Why are telephone interviews so difficult?  They should be so easy - right!!!  Wrong.  That's the first mistake everyone makes.  Now your first and only impression is your telephone manner.  If you treat this interview like it's a "no brainer" then chances are you will not get through to the F2F interview.

Telephone interviews are done to find the candidate that can actually do what the job description asks for and can also do the duties/achievements on his/her resume.   In this day of professional resume writing services companies want to make sure that you have actually done the activities on your resume.

What can you do to make it through the telephone interview:

• First of all treat the telephone interview as seriously as you would a F2F.  This means:
• Get out of your pyjamas.  Dressing for a telephone interview will perk you up and make you feel more professional
• Find a room to take your call in that is quiet and has no distractions (no radio, tv, children, pets)
• If you are going to sit down, then make sure it has a comfortable chair that doesn't allow you to slouch.  
• Try standing and walking around.  Your voice projects better when you are sitting straight or standing.  Talking with your hands will help add personality and animation to your voice as well.  
• The next important thing is to "Be Prepared".  Again treat it like a F2F:
• Study your resume - be able to expand on points in your resume when asked about specifics. 
• Study the job description.
• Think of questions that the interviewer may ask re your resume or job description and practice them. 
• Research the company and make a list of questions, if you don't have time to ask them all during this interview, you will have them ready for your F2F.  
• Use a cheat sheet.  No one can see you, this has it's advantages.  You can have your resume right in front of you.  Write down questions they might ask with the answers beside it.  
• Script your "hello, good morning, thank you for taking the time to interview me".  But remember it's not a play so ad lib as well.
• If possible try and find out who will be interviewing you and their position in the company.  
• Listen to the questions, if you aren't sure then ask them to repeat it.  Pausing to collect your thoughts is ok.  
• Don't get flustered if there are silences, the interviewer will be making notes.  Answer the question and then ask them if they would like more detail.
• Use a headset.  This will allow your hands to be free to take notes and your the reception is usually clearer for both you and the interviewer
• Do a practice phone interview.  Make a list of questions and get a friend or family member to call you and practice, practice, practice.  
• Little things can make a difference:
• Don't multi-task.  If your computer is open, have it open only to your resume or your cheat sheet.  Don't be checking out your email or your baseball scores or the newest sale at Guess.
• Turn off call-waiting on your phone and needless to say if you forgot don't answer it or even look to see who it was.
• Don't eat or smoke while on the phone.  Sips of water are fine if you find it necessary.
• Ask the interviewer for their email address so you can send a thank you note after the interview

Remember be enthusiastic, you applied for this position and you want this job.  You have to get those impressions through with your voice, the person can't see your face.  So smile, laugh and tell them you are looking forward to the F2F.

Good luck job hunting 

What is an Information Interview

Boring, you can't bear another day going into your job.  You thought you were a salesman but hate cold calls.  Graduation day is approaching and you don't know what to do.  Now is the time to set up some Information Interviews.

An Information Interview is just what its name implies.  It is a way for you to find out information about different types of jobs and companies.

Your first step is to:

• Make a list of companies and jobs you think you might like.  
• Research these companies and job types, both through their webpages and through job search engines like Workopolis and Monster.
• Make a list of questions about the companies and the different positions they have

Networking is your next step:

• Ask people you know who work for these companies if they could recommend someone you could go and talk to about the company and types of jobs
• Look around your community.  If you are thinking about banking then the bank manager is a great person to talk to or he/she may be able to recommend someone in head office that would be helpful
• Sports teams and gyms are great places to network.  Right away you have something in common so ask them who they work for and how they got started.
• Coffee Shops, if there is a specific company you are interested in, yes go and hang around the closest coffee shop to their office.  Strike up a conversation
• LinkedIn is a great place to find people who work for specific companies. Ask to connect with them and then follow their updates.  LinkedIn Groups are also a great way to find out about different things that are going on in your field and to connect with people with the same interests.

It is important to remember that this is an Information Interview not a Job Interview.  So you are the one asking the questions, you are in control.  Break your interview into 4 parts:

• A brief introduction of yourself:  your education, your achievements and your interests.  This gives the person you are interviewing an idea of your skills and how they will relate to different positions in their company.  Explain to them you are trying to get into a new field or have just graduated.  Tell him "I really don't like doing cold calls", "I love working with numbers", "I have a real interest in people", etc
• Next would come questions about the company:  trends, challenges, organization, etc.  
• Specifics about particular jobs will be the most detailed part of the interview:
• what training is required
• what type of things would be done in a typical day
• what do you enjoy most/least about your job
• Finally a thank you for your time and can they recommend/refer anyone that may be able to help you in your job search/analysis

This person is doing you a favour so remember:

• Be punctual
• Be prepared
• Be polite
• Bring a resume but DO NOT give it to them unless they ask you for one.
• Dress professionally
• Don't waste their time

Finally like with anything in life, this person has done you a service and set aside some of their time to help you so remember to send a Thank You Note as soon as possible after the interview.  And don't forget to add them to your network on your social media sites.

Good luck Job Hunting