Engaging head hunters for recruitment

There are advantages of engaging headhunters to help you find the right candidate. For example, they help screen through the candidates for you. But there are also the downside part too.

You should not assume headhunters know and understand the job requirements and the qualities you are seeking for in the candidate. It would help if you list down in details the job requirements, qualifications and the type of candidates you are looking for. A consultant from the headhunting firm will contact you and provide you a list of potential candidates with their resumes. It is common that you receive multiple resumes for the same candidate from the different head hunting firms. As as side note, it is from here interestingly you see how each company "re-package" the candidate to make them look marketable.

To save, I would normally look through the resumes and ask the consultant questions about the candidate rather than during the interview. While I would normally discount some of the sales pitch provided by the consultants, I would be extra careful if questions asked are avoided or not answered directly for fear that this would make the applicant less marketable. This brings the credibility of the consultant to be quesitoned. In any case, in a small labour market like Singapore, for an executive/managerial/professional position it is really not difficult to find out about the working background of a person.

Red flags to look out for in resume

Shortlisting a candidate based on resume alone can be challenging as it may not fully reflect the person's real capability or intent. Its hard to find a resume that is 100% truthful, and that is expected. With good and creative writing skills, it is not difficult to make an average or below average job applicant look good on paper. Assuming on paper the potential candidate has the relevant work experience and qualification one potential red flag I would look out for in a resume is

Continuity of Job History

This is an indicator of how long the potential applicant is likely to stay with your company. I have known people who have made it a point to move every 3 years. I have also known people who cannot stay long on jobs. All these shows up in the career history. As rule of thumb, I normally would not shortlist anyone with average of 2 years with each company. To me training is expensive and it may take up to half year to train up a person. Also for an average person who wishes to move up to the next level, he/she needs at least 2 years on average - half year training, 1 year to show he/she is good at what he/she is doing and half year to prove that he/she is ready for the next level.

However, there are valid reasons why people do not stay long on their job, for example contract ended, incompetent bosses, demanding working hours, lack of guidance/direction, lack of advancement opportunities, etc. This is something that is difficult to tell from the resume. However, I would have my apprehension about hiring someone who could not stay more than a year (on average) in his/her last 5 jobs if the person I is for a permanent position.

Use of Email

One of the most commonly used communication tool in the workplace is the email. As an efficient and low cost communication tool the email has to a large extent replaced internal memos and formal communication to external parties. Most organisations today cannot operate efficiently with the failure of the email communication system. Linked together with the world wide electronic network whether through cable or wireless means, like the cell phone, anyone can almost be reached anytime and anywhere even in the most remotest part of the world.

Such power and has inevitably changed the nature of the job. In the office, it has also added a new dimension in office politics which like a double edged sword can be used to your advantage or disadvantage. The office email on the positive side if used effectively can help on get promoted and also get demoted or to a more extreme case, dismissed. In the social front, it helps you network, make new friends and also lose them if used carelessly.

In any case, email has become a part of life. As can be seen if you were to asked to fill in your personal particulars, chances are you would be required to provide an email address you can be contacted.

Why am I doing this?

In my years of working, I have noticed there are cases where job applicants do not get the job they want, not because of lack of qualification or aptitude but because of reasons such as being unprepared, careless or projecting wrong image or attitude in the job application process.

I have gone though bad and good times, written and attended countless numbers of application letters and interviews. As an interviewer, I also had the opportunities to ask the very same questions posed to me as an interviewee. As I looked back, I realised how I could have improved my chances of getting the job, had I paid attention to basic principles. In good time, some of these principles are overlooked when employers do not have much choice in a tight labour market. However, the tides of times have since changed and in the current shrinking job market, paying attention to these very same principles can make the difference to job application success.

I am sharing what I have learned and hopefully these would benefit first time job seekers or those who are seeking alternative employment. For anyone who need further help or advice, feel free to drop me a mail at zephure99@hotmail.com. Alternatively, if you would like to have your say, equally feel free to comment. However, do note that whatever that is written here by me is solely my personal view only for the purpose of sharing, exchanging ideas and discussion.

Happy reading and good luck!

Changing Job Market

The landscape of the job market has changed dramatically over the last few decades. And I believe one of the main drivers for this is the rapid progress made in IT and the advent of the internet age. PC literacy has become almost a pre-requisite in of most jobs. Never before has information has become so freely available. Emails have replaced internal memos. Meeting can be conducted online. The list goes on and on and indirectly this changes the nature of each job.

However, even with this changes certain things in the job place still remain the same, at least in substance if not form. For example, you still need to submit your job applications and attend interviews. But, instead of sending hard copy letters, now application can be done via email or on-line registration. Interviews with prospective candidates can be done instead of face-to-face but via video conferencing.

The principles on improving your chance of getting the job largely remains unchanged for the simple reason that behind all these advancements in technology, human judgement still makes the final call on who should get the jobs.

The Job Application Process

The job application process typical starts when the applicant writes to the company in the form of a cover letter and resume. If the prospective employer feels that the applicant is suitable, they will contact the applicant and invite the for an interview and sometimes an aptitude and/or personality test.

The First Contact

One of the most common way of applying for job is by responding to an advertisement by submitting the application letter and resume. This is normally the first point of formal contact you have with your prospective employer. It is thus important that you create a favourable impression of yourself. Like a double-edged sword, it can either work to your advantage or disadvantage. So great care must be taken in preparation of these 2 documents.

DOs

• Make sure they are free of spelling error and grammatically correct. Do run through your documents using the spell and grammar checker.
  
• Be concise and straight-to-the-point
• Use simple sentence structure and easy-to-understand words.
• As rule-of-thumb, the application or cover letter should just be 1 page and the resume no longer than 3 pages.
• Use quality, plain white, A-4 letter paper, type-written and printed on quality printer.
• Use standard font type and size (e.g. Font type Arial or Times Roman with font size no smaller than 10 points)

What you do not want to do is to give your prospective employer the impression that you are careless, long-winded and incomprehensible. Also a neatly presented document that is easy to read and understand is to your advantage.

DON'Ts

• Use coloured paper, unless you are applying for a job in the creative industry.
• If you can help it, do not fold your application letter and resume.
  

First impression does matter! The effort you put in to come up with good cover letter and resume reflects a lot about you. If you have the benefit getting help from a head hunter or job search company, they would advise you on how to improve on presentation. But not everyone has this privilege. Still you should be able to find samples of good cover letter and resumes in the library or just by searching the internet.

The Cover Letter

The cover letter should indicate why you are applying for the position and a brief description of your personal background and current job and how you can be an asset to the company. The content of your cover letter should be structured in such as way to persuade the prospective employer to find out more about you in your resume. It is important that it should be concise and straight to the point, if you know that your application is just one of the many hundreds that that is applying for the same job. It should be no longer than 1 page. If you are not able to contain all in one page, chances are, you have included too much detail which should be covered in the resume.

Something I overheard a long time ago on a good cover letter. It should be likened to a lady's skirt -- long enough to cover the subject but also short enough to arouse interest.

The Resume

Not all job application require a cover letter. One good example is when you were recommended for the job by job search company or friend. The person who recommended you would have already provided your background to the prospective employer and probably put in a good word or two for you.

Besides the cover letter, the next important document is the resume. When drafting your resume, you should not have a one-fit-all resume for the reason that not all jobs are alike. You should however keep a standard template and modifying each template to suit the job you are applying.

As rule-of-thumb, the standard template is one with your static personal data and educational background while you should vary your emphasis on your experiences depending on the job you are applying for. These general rules should apply.

DOs

• Sequence your work experience in chronological order showing current job first.
• Put additional emphasis on work experiences that is relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Highlight your achievement with concrete examples.
  
• Put it down in easy to read and point form format.
  
• Provide a referee who can vouch for you. Please let your referee know if you are using his/her name.
• Include a recently taken good quality photograph.
  

DONT's

• Leave gaps in your resume. Interviewers and HR specialists are trained to pick up gaps. If you do have gaps, be prepared to explain.
  

Preparing For Interview

The success of every interview depends on how much preparation you have made. Preparation can be in these forms :

Find out about the company. Try to find out as much as possible either through friends, newspapers or internet

Find out the person(s) who will interview you. This will give you some idea what kind of questions they are likely to ask. Also if you have a friend in that company you can find out through him/her more about the interviewer(s).

Rehearsing how you respond to questions. Draft out the list of likely questions that will be asked and prepare the answers for them. If you have not been for interviews for ages, it may help if you do some practice in front of mirror and if possible with a friend.

Keep abreast of current affairs. Some interviewers expect you to be more than academically or technically competent. They expect you to keep abreast of current events.