Only the Employed Need Apply

According to the Wall Street Journal, many employers in this economy think that the best candidates are those who are still employed and are “bypassing the jobless to target those still working, reasoning that these survivors are the top performers.” See it for yourself.

Bobby Fitzgerald, the restaurant owner quoted in this article, seems to think that restaurant servers and managers are only worthy of being hired if they have a current job. Even though he claims ‘two dozen or more unsolicited résumés come in each day’, he’d rather fly a candidate from Alabama to Phoenix to interview for a job based on the candidate’s current employment status - employed.  He’s also proud to flaunt his guerrilla recruiting tactics by sending his managers to poach talent from his local competition because he thinks that an employed worker brings more value to his restaurants.

Perhaps it’s Mr. Fitzgerald’s proud photo along with the negativity and his comments in the article that bother me so much. Millions of professionals are unemployed in the market due to the economic crisis, many at no fault of their own. We’re so far past the point of equating the unemployed with damaged. This kind of short-sightedness in this marketplace makes my blood boil.

While it is common, especially during good economic times, to give preference to an employed candidate or to question the reasons behind a layoff, there are many other factors to consider before running off to the WSJ to tell the world about your company’s silly hiring policies. Some of these story sources didn’t even bother to think about how their comments may affect their reputation. Ticking off the community of unemployed readers and their friends and family members isn’t the smartest way to drive business to your company or enhance your employer brand.

Companies don’t always make cuts based on performance issues. Entire departments are being eliminated and other companies are going through three of four rounds of layoffs. Sometimes the business just can’t sustain even the best performers. And even if the layoff had something to do with the person, such as a cultural or personality clash, it doesn’t mean that the candidate couldn’t be a top performer in the right environment.

Let’s make it clear though. I’m not advocating that preference should be given to an unemployed candidate because he or she is out of a job. I just hope most employers can set aside their preconceived notions about unemployed applicants and evaluate potential prospects based on their relevant experience first, not their 2009 employment status.

Photo credit: Cycrolu

How To Deal with Multiple Recruiters Who Work with the Same Company

Q:

Recruiter A put me in for Position 1 at Company X. I met with Recruiter B to discuss a potential Position 2 at Company X (although I didn’t realize it until our meeting that the job was for Company X). I explained to Recruiter B that Recruiter A had already put me in for Position 1 at Company X, so we decided I should try to confirm with Recruiter A that Position 2 was NOT the same job as Position 1.

Before I could call Recruiter A, I received a voicemail from her telling me that she knew of another potential position at Company X (it was Position 2).

So, the “original” recruiter ended up asking me if I wanted to also be put in for Position 2, AFTER I’d already met with Recruiter B to discuss it. Recruiter B has not yet sent my information to the client.

What do I do? Recruiter A has already been talking to Company X about me for Position 1, so I am already in the running there. Recruiter B hasn’t even gotten to that point yet and the two positions are very similar.

A:

This is a tricky and uncomfortable situation for all involved, but the best way to avoid any problems is to be honest with Recruiter B and tell her you have already been submitted to the company by Recruiter A. When companies utilize the services of search firms, the service agreements usually state that once a recruiter submits a candidate for a position, the recruiter is entitled to receive credit for the introduction, no matter which position the candidate is hired for a period of six months to one year.

In this situation, Recruiter A clearly discussed opportunities at the company with you first and deserves credit (he’s likely to be compensated anyways for the placement). Do not allow Recruiter B to submit your information to the company. Just kindly let her know that you clarified the situation and you have already been presented to the company.  Keep the door open to hear about opportunities with her other clients. She should be understanding to the situation. It’s part of being in the recruiting business.

Problems arise when the same candidate is presented by two different search firms to the same company. Some candidates believe it is to their advantage to hide previous applications, past interviews, or discussions about the company with another third-party recruiter, so they deliberately omit this pertinent information. I imagine it’s because many candidates are not well-versed on how the recruiter/company relationships works and they probably think the more people who put them in front of the company, the better.

This is not the case when working with recruiters.

The consequences of being introduced by more than one recruiter for a position will never result in a happy ending. It damages the relationship between the candidate and the recruiters. Most hiring companies will do whatever necessary to not be involved in a battle between two recruiting firms claiming credit for the candidate. The company will question the candidate’s integrity or possibly decide that hiring the candidate will cause issues it prefers to avoid.

These situations can be easily avoided by keeping a few things in mind:

• Keep detailed notes of the companies and positions for which you have applied, including conversations with recruiters and the positions/companies they have presented. Include position and dates of initial introduction and follow through interviews.
• Be honest with a recruiter if you have sent your information directly to a company or if you have been presented an opportunity at the company by another recruiter. We don’t like surprises.
• Not all recruiters adhere to the same standards of confidentiality. Make it clear to the recruiters you choose to work with that your information should not be sent to any company without your permission.

This post is part of an on-going series featuring readers job search and hiring questions. If you have a question you would like answered in this blog, please send it to me here. Your information will be kept confidential.

Photo credit: JPhilipson

Annoying English Phrases Not To Use During an Interview (Or Ever)

Last year Oxford University researchers published a list of the Top Ten Most Irritating Phrases. Thanks to Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace for the reminder in his recent blog post. It’s a good review, especially for those of you actively interviewing.

The top ten most irritating phrases:

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn’t of (it is “shouldn’t have”)
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science

I’d add “thinking out of the box” or any other variation of this overused expression. What would you add to the list?

Photo credit: Shtikl

One Simple Way to Increase Your Chances of Finding a Job on Twitter

Hubspot just released their State of the Twittersphere report. Over the past several months, they analyzed the use of over 4.5 million accounts through Twitter Grader.

Here are the findings:

• 79.79% failed to provide a homepage URL
• 75.86% of users have not entered a bio in their profile
• 68.68% have not specified a location
• 55.50% are not following anyone
• 54.88% have never tweeted
• 52.71% have no followers

You can find the entire report here: http://bit.ly/sotwitter

I’m surprised that 75% of users haven’t entered a bio and almost 70% haven’t entered their location.

If you plan to use Twitter for a job search, completing a bio and putting a location helps those using Twitter for recruiting find you. An easy, one stop resource to find everyone on Twitter doesn’t seem to exist. We’re relying on Twitter profile sites that index profiles based on the words found in user’s bios, Twitter keyword searches, or Google search strings to find and connect with people with similar interests and backgrounds.

Simple suggestion: Let people know who you are, what you do, and where you are located. Once you do that, you’ve significantly increased your chances of hearing about opportunities from Twitter-savvy companies and recruiters.

Photo credit: Matt Hamm

Interesting links I’ve neglected to post for far too long

I try to post some of my favorite links once a month. Somehow this post has escaped me for two months!

Twitter and Social Media

Public Relations Examiner: Quest for a social media education
Is Twitter the new business card? | Social Business - ZDNet.com
30 Ways to Lose a Job on Twitter - ResumeBear Blog
Ten Tips for Using Twitter to Fuel Your Job Search - Media Bistro (subscription required)
What Is the Internet To You? - Video comments from over 200 pedestrians in Buenos Aires from Social Snack (in Spanish)
The Executive Update: How One Recruiter Has Mastered Twitter
Interview with Lindsay Olson: How do you use Twitter in your recruiting efforts? - Radiant Veracity

Interviewing and other career advice

45 Proven Job Interview Techniques for Landing Your Next Job - Education-Portal.com
75 Reason You Didn’t Get the Job - Radiant Veracity
Ten Reasons to Take Up Biking During Your Job Search - Jeff Lipschultz
Tough - Seth Godin
On the job: Women in the Workplace - USA Today
How Not to Get a Job in PR - Newman PR
How to Sabatoge Your Recruiting Efforts in 6 Easy Step - Brendan Wright

Gen Y Healthcare Expectations

How important is employer-sponsored health insurance to you?

In January 2009, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that employers planned to hire 22% fewer college grads this year. Bad news for eager and optimistic college grads. That news prompted EHealthInsurance to conduct their recent survey of college students about their job expectations after graduation and to see if they know how and where to get it if they find their employment options more limited than expected. You can see the results of the study here.

The poll found that a majority of the students would prefer to shop for their own health insurance to take with them no matter where they work than participate in an employer-sponsored health plan. While I’m still a bit unclear on whether these students expectation is that their employer gives them a stipend to buy their own insurance or if they would just prefer other perks or higher salary, I found it very interesting.

According to the study:

• 63% of students prefer health insurance portability. These new grads would prefer to find a health insurance plan on their own and keep it regardless of where they work.
• 37% would prefer to change health insurance plans every time they change jobs.

When I entered the workforce as an employee, I never thought about buying my own health insurance plan. If I were to work full-time for a company and an insurance plan were offered, I would have participatee in the employer plan. It wasn’t until I became self-employed did I really start considering my health insurance options.

At the same time, 85% of these college students are counting on their future employers to provide them with health insurance, but 68% of them would rather take a job they liked without healthcare benefits than  accept a position they didn’t like with a great healthcare package.

What do you see employer’s doing now to accommodate the expectations of the future workforce?

Links:

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/collegesurvey

Recruiter Pet Peeves

This month, Tom Musbach, asked the group of staffing professionals who participate in the Yahoo! HotJobs monthly feature, Recruiter Roundtable, about their biggest pet peeve about job seekers today.

The answers revolve around the same theme - lack of preparedness and a poorly targeted job search.

Here’s what the recruiters have to say.

The Price of ‘Perfection’

My biggest pet peeve is perfect candidates. They only had successes, are perfect and can’t see any improvement to make on themselves — except maybe to “work a little less.” People who are too insecure to admit their shortcomings or even their mistakes make me feel that they lack good emotional intelligence. In all the reference checks we reviewed at Checkster, none were 100% positive, so be realistic. If not, you will be seen as either not daring enough to perform difficult things, or stuck in a myopic belief that you are perfect.
– Yves Lermusi, CEO, Checkster

Clueless Candidates

As a recruiter, there have been countless times when job seekers have asked, “What position is this for?” Job seekers shouldn’t just apply to any job. They need to spend their time effectively finding jobs that are a match for their skills and interest.
– Nga Nguyen, Technology & Operations Group Recruiter at Wells Fargo

Short-Cut Introductions

With more people looking for work in today’s economy, I’ve been seeing an increase in what I call “lazy introductions” come across my desk. It goes something like this: “I’m writing you to introduce myself. I live in New York and I’m looking for a job,” and in the signature is a link to a LinkedIn profile or possibly a resume. A brief introduction should come with a background, highlights, and reason for connecting. A job search is a job in itself and requires some personalization and effort for each and every introduction.
– Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing

Can’t Connect the Dots?

My biggest pet peeve is receiving resumes or applications that describe background and work experience wholly unrelated to the position being applied for. Also there is either no supporting material or a generic cover letter that fails to connect the dots between what’s on the application and what’s in the posted job listing.
– Noah Apodaca, lead recruiter for staff at the University of California, Irvine

Don’t Go Generic

Job seekers hurt their own cause when they don’t focus on specific ways they can help potential employers and instead simply mass distribute their resume. Individuals need to show hiring managers what they can do for the organization, not the reverse. Thoroughly research companies where you want to apply, customize your resume and cover letter for each opportunity, and in your communications with employers highlight your accomplishments and skills that demonstrate how you can positively impact the firm’s bottom line.
– DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International

Photo credit: Zarprey

Third Career Carnival Blogging event

Today, Stephanie Lloyd is hosting the third career blogging carnival on her blog, Radiant Veracity. She has featured posts from career bloggers such as Ben Eubanks, G.L. Hoffman, Jennifer McClure, Craig Fisher, Heather Huhman, J.T. O’Donnell, Miriam Salpeter, myself, and many more.

Visit her blog for details and enjoy!

Common Courtesy and Bathroom Breaks…

About once a month, I check out the Google Analytics statistics for this blog. It’s always a mixture of entertainment and enlightenment. As I was combing through the keywords section, I noticed a strange pattern. Several people who landed here searched “no bathroom break” or “bathroom break during an interview.”

I don’t know the actual story behind these visitors attempts to find information about bathroom breaks and interviews, but I assume these hits came from job seekers who have fallen victim to the etiquette oblivious interviewer. Sadly, it happens more often than it should as this blog reader described in a recent experience.

Hiring Managers: I’m concerned. Let’s treat candidates the same way we would if we were to invite them to our homes. If you keep a candidate sitting in a conference room for a marathon interview, offer a restroom break. It’s common courtesy and a small, but important detail that determines how a candidate perceives your company and your overall employer brand.

I see how this can happen. Each interviewer has 30 minutes to an hour with the candidate and when the interviewer’s time is up, he’s back to work and on to other priorities. The next person comes in and starts with their business. And so on…

My suggestion: Assign one person on the team the responsibility of taking care of the candidate. This person is the first and the last person the candidate will see on interview day. This one person walk the candidate through the process, making sure that everything runs smoothly, the interviews start on time, and proper attention and courtesy is extended to the candidate.

Photo credit: Mass Distraction

8 Ways to Network Effectively Online

The June 2009 from my “From the Recruiter’s Desk” column is up on PRNewser. Here’s an excerpt.

The value of networking online will never replace face-to-face networking. Some things are better in-person and networking is definitely one of them. That said, online networking has its purpose and is a powerful tool that should be integrated into your overall strategy when it comes to expanding and nurturing your professional network.

Considering geographical boundaries, time constraints, and personal obligations, online networking tools can help you quickly build a network that may have taken you years to build, if ever, any other way.

When we network in person, non-verbal cues help us interact with the other individual. We rely on all of our senses to engage in conversation and form opinions about moving the conversation to further stages. In the online world, we simply don’t have as many sensory cues to rely on and, as a result, the game changes.

I do my fair share of online networking: LinkedIN, Twitter, Facebook, and blog commenting are my main tools. I also participate in a number of online groups and forums.

Here are a few personal tips I’ve found work well for me when it comes to networking effectively online….

For the 8 tips, read the full post on PRNewser - 8 Ways to Network Effectively Online.

Photo credit: Berlinpirate.de