Top Tips For Shortlisting Candidates

Top Tips For Shortlisting Candidates Shortlisting candidates is potentially the most important part of the recruitment process. With the majority of roles often having tens or even hundreds of applicants, ensuring that you’re selecting the most relevant candidates to go through to the next stage of the process is crucial to recruitment success.   Robert Scott, Managing Director at Aaron Wallis Marketing Recruitment said: Shortlisting candidates effectively is the first step to finding a new employee who can drive your business forward. Using a logical and structured shortlisting process is crucial to success, or you could end up missing out on the talent hidden within the pile of applications.” But so many businesses look at CVs and they make decisions based on a spelling mistake, the format of it, the picture of the person on the CV, or  other kinds of gut feels. Ive even known candidates being rejected because they dont support the right football team. How to do it effectively is as follows. Quite often, you will get a massive response of applicants to your roles and shortlisting is a really fundamental integral part of getting the recruitment process right. Many companies, when shortlisting, really dont go about it in the right way. They kind of go on the gut feel of that CV rather than having a structured, logical approach to shortlisting. Start with your person specification Before you start the shortlisting process, it’s important to define what your ideal candidate looks like. Ask yourself the qualifications and experience which will be needed to succeed in the position and the skills they’ll need to possess to hit the ground running. It can be useful to compare your person specification against a current top-performer if you have an employee in a parallel role. Mark-up  your person specification with M-E-P When you write your person spec, make a list of all of the skills, qualities, and attributes youre looking for your target candidate to have. Now mark them  M  for  mandatory,  E  for  Essential, and  P  preferred the icing on the cake, the nice to have. Score all of the attributes accordingly. Now,  M  is the  mandatory minimum requirement  to be chosen for or selected for an interview.  E  is  Essential, they will need to demonstrate at the interview to secure the role. And the  Ps are the  Preferred, the nice to haves. So when were going through the persons spec, mark them all out  M,  E, or  P. And when were shortlisting, go through the logical process of matching does the CV have the Ms? If they do, bring them in for that first interview. Conduct your shortlist in stages The quickest way to shortlist is to do it in stages. The first stage should be to run through all the CVs and simply exclude those who don’t meet the mandatory requirements you’ve defined earlier in the process. This should quickly make a long list of applications much more manageable. In stage 2 you should go through the remaining CVs, assigning the candidates scores against each item in your list of essential criteria, recording the scores on a spreadsheet or database.   This will give you an easy way to rank candidates and give you a top ten shortlist to work with. Use more than ‘Gut Feel’ Sticking to a structured and logical M-E-P system should help you shortlist candidates without superficial bias like judging a candidate from the design of their CV or what they’ve labeled under their interests and hobbies. If they have all of the mandatory requirements for the role, use the interview stage to judge candidates properly CVs will only tell you so much. About the author: Rob Scott has specialized in technical sales recruitment, particularly engineering and electronics sales recruitment, and has over 12-year operational and commercial management experience.   During his corporate life, Rob won the coveted best-performing manager award 2004 for profitability (out of 315 group managers) and won numerous other group Awards for both achievements and excellence.   Since setting up Aaron Wallis Rob has steered the company to enjoy double-digit growth year-on-year through turbulent economic times by maintaining clients and making a difference.

Classy Career Girl Speaks in Brazil - Classy Career Girl

Classy Career Girl Speaks in Brazil Last week I had the extreme honor to keynote at the Global Leadership Forum at  Estação Business School in Curitiba, Brazil. I knew this would be a trip of a lifetime so I did my best to document the trip as much as possible on my Facebook page.  Heres a recap! Such sweet well wishes from you all on Facebook! THANK YOU for the 28 comments and positive thoughts!! It meant the world to me! Such a thoughtful gift from our Brazilian hosts a photographer to capture the memories of our once in a lifetime trip. Awesome day in Brazil! Awesome group to speak to! Awesome translator! Could not have gone better! So worth all the hours and late nights preparing! #allexclamationpointsarenecessary Our beautiful view of Curitiba, Brazil during lunch. Multi-tasking in the hotel lobby. #breastfeedingworkinbabymama #brazilbaby A quick look at all the amazing women in Brazil that came to learn how to become leaders. This was also the moment I spotted my daughter in the first row and started to tear up on stage. What an honor and moment I will never forget. Great day of sightseeing in Curitiba, Brazil thanks to our fabulous driver and tour guide Carol! This is Giselle. We dont speak the same language but I would like to bring her home so she can do my hair and makeup every day. #brazilianhairdo #handgestures #brazilianbeautyparlor Spotted myself on the airport wall. #surreal #womenleaders #internationalkeynote #dontwakethebaby Goodbye Brazil! Thank you for reminding me to be more generous and to think bigger. #tripofalifetime We made it back from Brazil! The baby slept the whole way back and we had zero flight delays on our four connections. After a day of rest I am ready to get my normal routine back and to start working on some fun new projects for this fall! Thanks for sharing this journey with me!!

Careers in Communication Move Your Career Into Radio Broadcasting

Careers in Communication Move Your Career Into Radio Broadcasting The world is full of creative people who want to be involved in the communication revolution. Most people’s first thought is that today’s communication careers are online, but don’t neglect the possibility of carving out a future in broadcast radio. Yesterday’s World? The basic principle of radio broadcasting has been around for a century, but it would be a big mistake to think that it is being superseded by new media. When surveyed, the vast majority of people spend some time each week listening to the radio. It is still by far the preferred option for drivers and people getting going in the morning. Think about it:  The radio takes decisions for you about what to listen to when your attention needs to be elsewhere. You don’t want to be choosing a new song every five minutes, and you don’t necessarily want to listen to a playlist you compiled before.  On the radio, you are developing a relationship with the broadcaster. When you find someone whose style and taste you enjoy, you can let them be a fellow traveler. You can listen to interviews and opinions. If a broadcaster you trust introduces something new, you are willing to give it a try.  Much radio is fairly local, so includes news, presented in an accessible way, that you may not catch on other media. That said, radio has certainly changed as a result of the challenges of online communication. It is not a matter of a new format replacing an old, but rather of an old life form evolving into a symbiotic relationship with a new.  Who Do You Know? In common with many creative industries, getting into a career in radio is largely a matter of getting known. Personal contacts are everything, and the energy with which you are prepared to make those contacts will be a measure of your passion for the world of radio. Demonstrating passion counts for a lot when executives are looking to fill a position on a project. You can gain experience and show dedication by becoming involved in small-scale voluntary stations such as hospital or college radio projects. A starting point could be to attend a college course in radio and broadcast media, but a more practical alternative may be a recording school where you are placed with a mentor in a real life recording environment. By this method, you gain on-the-job understanding of an aspect of radio work that you choose while getting hands-on practical experience and, crucially, making contacts with professionals working in the medium.  Internship A more traditional route into the industry would be through an internship. The fact that so much radio is locally based works to your advantage.   Its easier to make contact with decision makers, there are likely to be roles available closer to the creative action, and you will be able to work within easy traveling distance of your home. Larger broadcasting businesses do take on interns, but often the openings to get practical experience in the areas which appeal to you will be limited by the nature of the internship program.  Where Do You Want to Go? Whichever sort of internship you aim for, it is good to know where you want to end up. Broadly speaking, there are two streams that you could choose between. You could work up through the practical line, as a promotions assistant. You have to be willing to work long hours, to be a jack-of-all-trades, and to be adept at juggling different tasks. One moment you could be answering the phone, the next setting up recording equipment, and the next planning a promotional event. An alternative route is through the commercial angle as a sales assistant. Sales are now more than ever a vital element of keeping a radio station on the road. To be successful in the industry, sales staff need to be dedicated, quick-thinking, and able to see to the heart of what customers want. If you adore radio but do not see yourself as having a future on the creative side, this could well suit you.  Radioâ€"A Great Future Far from falling by the wayside in the era of online communication, radio is blossoming through the adaptation of old principles to new technologies. As a career, radio has the added advantage that it evokes a passionate enthusiasm amongst a huge range of people. It is still a hard profession to enter, but once inside the rewards can be immense. About RRFC: RRFCs origins date back to the 1980s.   The founder and CEO James Petulla (then a working DJ at a radio station) was teaching classes at a broadcasting trade school. Seeing a clear disconnect between how the school taught its students and the students ability to actually break into radio, he believed there had to be a better way to help students get jobs in radio once they graduated. Knowing the radio business, he realized that the people most likely to get hired were the people who had already gotten in the door of the radio stations, not the ones simply flashing their trade school diplomas. He came up with the idea of the mentor-apprentice approach.   Students could bypass the internship stage and simply be trained on-the-job by working DJs. Thus, the Radio Connection was born. The concept worked so well.  And so quickly that James began looking for other industries in which the mentor-apprentice approach could help students break in. Not long after, the school expanded to include the Recording Connection; a few years later, the Film Connection; and more recently, the RRF Culinary Arts School. . Image credits. Main.     Radio Today.     Broadcasting.  

Candidate Experience How to Get it Right

Candidate Experience How to Get it Right With the first ever CandEs UK Awards Ceremony having just been celebrated recently in February, the issue of candidate experience continues to be a hot topic of discussion across the industry. The awards recognise companies that set high standards for how they treat candidates and is open to organisations that recruit in the British employment markets. Organisations were judged on their understanding of the realm of recruiting and the way in which candidates find and apply for jobs. Three companies walked away with distinctions: Avanade, GE Capital and RMS. Here are some interesting stats (from Recruitment Buzz) that also came to light from the awards: 50% of candidates surveyed said they had a neutral overall experience that was neither negative nor positive. 39% said they had a positive experience. 49% of candidates claimed some relationship with the company they applied to including nearly 1 in 5 being an existing customer and 12% had family and friends working there. 73% of candidates surveyed would definitely tell their inner circle about a positive experience (62% would share a negative experience) and 28% would share a positive experience on Social Media (17% would share if it was negative.) A number of candidates were frustrated by the “black hole”, with 30% citing receiving a “do not reply” automated response and 31% receiving no response at all. For me, determining whether you are offering a good candidate experience or not comes down to understanding exactly what candidates expect. You need to be empathetic in these situations, think about it from a more human perspective and think about how you would like to be treated if you were the job seeker. Too often I see daunting job application processes appear on job sites. It’s surprising to see that in 2013 we still aren’t collectively recognising that this is a far less than ideal first impression we are leaving on our poor candidates.  This is not even mentioning the possibility of  the damaging effects it could have on the website, recruiter or company reputation. Our perfect candidates are constantly being deterred and put off by bad experiences with recruiters and line managers. Sure, not every candidate is right for the roles they apply for, but that’s not to say that they won’t be the perfect candidate for another role down the track leave a bad impression on them, and you won’t see them coming back to your pool of talent any time soon. With all that said, here are few basic fundamentals I believe will help increase your candidate experience: Communication is Key Feedback from candidates who have had negative experiences on various job boards show that one of the main issues is communication. Often candidates will feel that they are being ignored and will even question whether a job role actually exists, or if the recruiter is just posting a phony role to find talent. We all know how busy recruiters are, and our job requires a lot of prioritising, but finding the time to keep each of your candidates updated and informed is only going to benefit you in the long run. Yes this will mean that you have to be honest in your approach as well. Candidates will often tend to think that they are right for a role that you already know they aren’t. Approaching this discussion gracefully is key to ensuring they go away with nothing but a positive impression. Always Give Feedback The hiring manager has told you that a  candidate didn’t get the job, so that’s the end of that, right? Wrong. Your candidate is part of your pool and if you thought they were going to be good for this role, then of course they are going to be good for roles you may have in the future. Make sure you tell them why they didn’t get the job, what their weaknesses were and what that can do better or work towards for next time. Again, this comes under the communication realm, thus only working in your favour. Always Get Feedback on Candidates Experience This is where two-way communication comes into play. You can learn just as much from your candidate as they can learn from you. Make sure you ask them how they felt about the experience, from start to finish, whether they got the job or not. Sometimes you will have candidates become bitter about not getting the role, of course this is one of the worst things they can do from your perspective. But if you’re able to take a step back, accept that to some people, this is a natural reaction, then all you need to do is be completely upfront with them â€" tell them how this is reflecting on your impression of them. An open and honest relationship with your candidates is the only way that you will ever know what type of candidate or person they really are. Addressing the situation will also allow you to see if they hold the key attribute of being able to learn from mistakes. Analyse Your Feedback Using Tools So you are now doing everything you can to ensure that your candidates are getting the best experience possible. How do you actually know for sure that they are? Consider using a research and analysis tool like Mystery Applicant. It’s “an innovative candidate research tool that analyses applicant feedback throughout the recruitment process”. It works like many digital analytical tools out there today, taking large volumes of complicated data and turning it into meaningful and accessible information. Using a tool like this will help you take that information and turn it into a strategic action plan. Churning and burning candidates is an unsustainable, short-term strategy. You must always treat your candidates with the same level of respect that you would treat your clients. For me, it’s not just business; it’s human decency, respect and pure common sense.

4 Interview Mistakes That Can Decrease Your Chances of Getting the Job

4 Interview Mistakes That Can Decrease Your Chances of Getting the Job You just got the call you’ve been waiting for and managed to score an interview for the job you’ve been dreaming about. As you run to the closet to pick out your best outfit, you play an interview scenario in your head coming up with possible questions and answers that you think the employer might ask.You’ve got a 60-second speech prepared for the hiring manager if they ask you “Tell me about yourself?” and have a short-list of weaknesses that are actually relevant to the job.evalYou’re calm, confident, and ready to nail this job interview in hopes of getting a job offer the very next day. Easy peasy, right?Not so fast.Even if yourresume is attention-grabbingand has everything the employer’s asking for, there’s still a chance you can blow the interview just by saying the wrong thing, despite looking the part and playing out scenarios in your head.In fact, the most skilled job seekers can sometimes make mistakes that can cost them the job offer.Knowing what these inter view mistakes are ahead of time â€" and coming up with ways to avoid them â€" can keep you on the employer’s list of potential candidates.So be sure to keep these tips in mind when going into an interview. That way, you can avoid kicking yourself later on, wondering “Why did I give that answer?” when heading out the building.1. Being Rude to the Support StaffWhen you go in for a job interview, make sure you’re nice to everyone and present yourself in a respectful manner. Although you might think the person interviewing you determines whether or not you get the job, the truth is, you never know who makes that decision.evalAccording to Jobvite, perhaps the worst thing an interviewee can do is be rude to the person working at the front desk. As a matter of fact, 86 percent of hiring managers agreed that being rude to the receptionist and other supporting staff members is a deal breaker.If being rude is the best attitude you have to offer to the receptionist, then the company ca n be in some serious trouble if they decide to hire you and put you under stress with work demands.Remember, when you’re searching for a job,all of your interactions are subject to evaluation, from the time you applied for the job to when you walk in the door for an interview. In the end, it’s just not worth the hassle.2. Complaining Making DemandsA job interview isn’t a place to vent and go on a rant about your previous employer and co-workers.evalIf you left a job because you were fired ordisagreed with a company’s policy, for example, there are logical ways to explain your departure without sabotaging the interview and trash talking the employer.On the other hand, if you walk into an interview just to simply make a laundry list of unnecessary demands, expect to get the same results.A hiring manager’s job isn’t just filling a position, it’s to see if the applicant will match the company’s requirements for a particular position. So making demands before even being offered the opening position will only raise red flags for what’s to come later on if they hire you.The best thing to do in this case is to just let your employer know about any other outside obligations that might conflict with your schedule â€" whether it’s the kids, the commute to work, or school.That way, if they hire you, they’ll know ahead of time that your time is split between work and other commitments. Whatever you do, don’t make your demands the focal point of the discussion.3. Interrupting the InterviewerInterrupting someone in the middle of a sentence is rude, to begin with, but doing it during an interview could cost you the job. Although this might seem like a minor offense, the employer might find it distracting.That’s because normally when people consistently cut others off during a conversation it’s a sign that they’re not a good listener and that they value their opinion over others. Some of your potential co-workers might find it difficult to work w ith you on specific tasks or projects and you don’t want that.Communication and patience are the secret ingredients here.4. Unable to Recall Lessons from Past ProjectsBelieve it or not, depending on the job position, potential employers want to know about the times you accomplishments and failures. In most cases, they want you to tell them how you failed, why you failed, and what was done differently moving forward. Don’t worry, this isn’t the employer’s way of being noisy.evalInstead, it’s a tactic managers use to help them determine whether or not you’re fitfor their company’s cultural values. It also helps them determine your mindset: are you someone who gives up easily and blames everyone else for your mistakes, or someone who buckles down and takes on the challenge?What type of job wants to know these things?One job, in particular, that relies on this method a lot are coaching jobs. If you’ve ever been interviewed for a coaching position â€" or interviewed someo ne else â€" for instance, then you’d know that the number one thing employers focus on is the candidate’s conflict and resolution abilities.Again, they want to hear about those challenging moments you’ve had to overcome with a player and the steps you took towards defusing the situation. This is how employers decide if you’rean ideal candidate for a coaching positionin the world of sports.Job interviews are without a doubt stressful, but they’re a necessary part of life. So be sure to keep these points in mind, and do your best to make a good impression. Then you can tell your future co-workers about some of the interesting jobs you’ve worked in the past.evalThanks for the read! Did I miss anything super important? What are some other things candidates should avoid during an interview when trying to land their dream job?Feel free to leave a comment.

Making the Break from Brick and Mortar to E Commerce

Making the Break from Brick and Mortar to E Commerce In the past, when you decided to set up a “business”, commercial property was bound to be involved. You’d have to establish some sort of store or office space in order to provide customers with a space in which they could engage with your brand, purchase your products, or book your services. While this type of business model does still exist today (after all, the majority of us do still carry out a portion of our shopping on the high street), increasing numbers of small business owners are making the move from brick and mortar to E Commerce stores. Either that, or they are maintaining their brick and mortar business and operating online at the same time. The reasons for switching to E Commerce are varied. It tends to be cheaper to run an online business. You can operate around the clock. You can also easily reach out to a national or even international audience. But if you are considering making the break from brick and mortar to online retail, you’re going to have to do your research. People tend to shop in a different manner when they shop online. You need to familiarise yourself with these trends in order to maximise your sales and profits! The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to fork out a fortune on market research in order to achieve this. There’s existing, published research out there that will help you to better get to grips with consumer habits in various areas of the market. Just take a look at the infographic by Trade Vitality below! Infographic Design By Trade Vitality

The Best Resume Writing Services in DC NJ

The Best Resume Writing Services in DC NJMany individuals across the country use resume writing services to help create a workable resume that can be used by the person applying for a position at their current or new company. While this is definitely a great option, there are many who wonder if they should look into these services.The answer to this question is yes, you can hire a professional resume writer to do the job for you. However, it is important to understand that not all individuals that use resume writing services to create a potential new position candidate's resume are actually as qualified or experienced as those who use the services of an individual professional. In fact, some who use resume writing services may not be as well qualified as others who do it themselves.It is certainly true that when an individual has been assigned the task of creating a potential resume, they should always be prepared to use their creativity and their judgment to ensure that they create a quality product that meets the needs of the job that they are seeking. However, a lot of companies and candidates are not aware of how much experience and skill is required to produce a quality resume that is as complete and as professional as it can be. Those who are inexperienced often do not know what they should be looking for in a resume, which can often lead to producing a resume that is not that effective or professional in nature.One major mistake that a candidate can make with regards to their resume is the inclusion of irrelevant information. Some candidates are so familiar with the job description for a particular job that they will include information that they have personally gathered about the job in their resume. In other cases, they will include information that has been gleaned from other companies that they may have worked with or in the past that might not necessarily be accurate or valuable to the employers that have hired them. If the resume is not specific en ough, it will be hard for an employer to make a positive decision about the candidate after reviewing it, especially when they find themselves being charged a high price for their services.Resume writing services should include specific information about the client when they are completing the work. The main point of contact that a company provides to an individual seeking a job opportunity is the writer. The writer should also be allowed to provide feedback about how they may have handled a particular situation or problem with another applicant. The most experienced professionals who work on resumes always keep the expectations of the clients clear.If a candidate requires assistance to create a resume, they should understand that this service is only one of many different factors that they need to consider. When using resume writing services, they should always keep in mind that it will take some time for the writer to get all of the necessary information on the work completed. Whi le it is possible to create a resume in a matter of minutes, this will only happen if the person knows exactly what they want, what information they need, and how they should be included in the work.If a potential candidate is unsure about whether or not the services of resume writing services would be beneficial to them, they should always do their research first before hiring anyone. The best way to ensure that the services of resume writing services will not be an effective option for them is to try contacting several different people for advice before making any final decisions. Remember, the best way to find out if a person is the right fit for a certain resume is to spend some time talking to the person, rather than choosing based on any previous experience with the individual.Resume writing services can be a very helpful tool when used properly. However, anyone that uses the services of these professionals should always make sure that they are working with someone who is expe rienced and qualified to handle the job. Even a novice who uses resume writing services to create a resume needs to ensure that their information is accurate and as useful as possible.