The Golden Rule of "Candidate Experience"

Ever meet someone over 100 times and they never, ever remember meeting you? Introductions are redone and you all agree that it is, in fact, nice to meet each other. This kept happening to me in high school with my best friend's neighbor. Did he not notice the giant girl always with his neighbor or remember my witty jokes and the four pack of wine coolers we all shared? Honestly!

This type of self centered behavior has always intrigued me. It has no benefit to the narcissist and is rather confusing to the forgotten one. Really though, what were in his wine coolers?


My point is that there is no reason to make other people feel irrelevant or useless to you. It's rude and more importantly for those who care about their business, it just doesn't benefit anyone. Ah, yes, the candidate experience!

I don't think it's all too difficult to give candidates a decent experience while interviewing with your company. The "wow" experience might be a little more time intensive but a good experience is pretty simple, you need to:

1. Acknowledge the application - in today's world there is no excuse not to at least have an auto-message letting the candidate know their resume was received and will be reviewed. It would be excellent if we could contact everyone who applied but that isn't always feasible.
2. Schedule interviews in a timely manner - hiring managers might not realize it's been a week since the candidate last talked to them but the candidate sure knows. You risk losing them.
3. Send a rejection - I personally prefer rejection letters. I have called people to reject them and have sent letters. They both have their place.
4. Just be nice- don't act like they are lucky you are interviewing them. You're representing your company and no one likes a jerk.

I know there are a lot of other ways to make the candidate's experience even better but it's surprising how many companies don't follow those four basic rules.  It all comes down to the golden rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. No one wants to be interviewed by a jerk who doesn't let them know they didn't get the job after they've been interviewing for a month. 

Find Your Target, Then Settle in for the Hunt.

Targeting Your Job Search is part of the puzzle to launching a successful job hunt. Recruiters and hiring managers love to have many candidates to choose from; however, being too available can also backfire.

Here are a few Do's and Don’ts on job hunting:

• DO look up the job openings at a company before contacting their HR department
• DON’T say "I need a job, what do you have open, I'll do anything". (even if it's true!)
• DO highlight what your skills are and if you're not sure, learn what they are...we all have strengths.
• DON’T get too down on yourself if you don’t get the job. You might be a great fit but three other great people might also be a great fit, companies can’t hire all the people they want. (sad but true)
• DO Google yourself. Do you have an online presence that looks professional or is your personal brand littered with spelling errors, online rants and inappropriate pictures? (if you answers yes, time to do damage control!!)
• DO keep your options open. Your dream job might be at XYZ company you should still keep applying to other companies because when looking for a job, you need options!

Good Luck! While the job market might be picking up, it’s still tough out there and most recruiters (both agency and corporate) want you to find that perfect job!!

Why can't you see how great I am?

You are a great employee. 

You know it, your boss knows it and your coworkers know it. Why can't anyone else see it? What's the deal? 

There could be a whole slew of reasons. You might have a crappy resume, poor interviewing skills or sweat like a wild boar. Though, hopefully you're aware of a massive sweating issue. Then there are those lucky cherds who get a job without even really trying. They are those self-confident and charming people who you wish would just crawl into a hole. On the other hand, that would make you sad because they're just so damn charming. Those charmers know how to impress their audience and interviewing comes naturally to them. Thankfully for the rest of us interviewing is a skill and like most skills it can be learned.


Before an interview write down your accomplishments, practice talking about them to a trusted friend and ask your friend for an honest critique. It might take a little practice but a good salary is worth it. Be sincere, the worst type of interview for me is when I feel like someone is trying to sell me a used car. No thanks, I take the subway.


Way too often people don't research the company. Even charming people are guilty of this but they're better at 'winging it'. Please don't try 'winging it', you'll fail. Save the laziness for after you get the job. Another common tip that every interviewing article will tell you is to make eye contact. This is an oldie but goody. If you don't make eye contact then it's shifty, people don't trust shifty. On the other hand, don't stare at your interviewer either. That will just guarantee they lock their door after you leave. While locking ones door is a safe practice it shouldn't be the result of your interview.


More tips for interviewing:

• Know the difference between confidence and arrogance.
• Feel free to crack a joke or two but stay appropriate.
• Communication is mostly nonverbal so don't fidget.
• Stay positive, no matter how much you hated your last boss.
• Be prepared to talk about your career highlights.
• Be yourself, but be the best of yourself. Pretend you're on a first date.

No matter what, getting a job can take time. Don't get discouraged. As a recruiter I often meet several candidates who would be great for the one job we have open. It sucks but take every interview as a chance to perfect your skill!

Social Media in Job Search

The millennials are here. Every year more and more people enter the workforce who grew up not knowing a world without an "online".
A couple of years ago my friend decided that he need to look for a new job. I told him to start developing his network on LinkedIn. His response was “I need a new job, not a new hobby”. This retort was no shock to me considering he still owned a rotary phone. However, he did make me think. Was his a common attitude, is it still?
It's 2012 now and there is no denying that social media is taking over the world. Every company with a will to survive has some sort of social media strategy. It's easy to see its value with advertising and brand enhancement. What is less visible is the value in recruiting and job hunt'en. I was interviewing for jobs not too long ago and more than one HR Director seemed to hold the idea that social media was a waste of time. Still? I guess we have a longer road than I thought.
Since I use social media for recruiting and employer branding I read a lot about the subject. I am connected to other big advocates and they saturate my life, my online life. Sometimes it is easy to forget that while a ton of people are invested in social media there are a ton who only dabble in it. Everyone isn't 'there' yet. Some people still buy a newspaper. OK, maybe I went a bit far with that one but some people still haven't embraced the new world.
The first of the big media sites is LinkedIn. This is the most professional and transparent on why you need to get on there to job hunt. The whole idea of LinkedIn is to create professional relationships and a public resume. It is just part of the deal. Your boss won't freak out if you're on LinkedIn. Your boss will probably just ask to join your network. The whole concept is great, as you can see from #4 in this article but I know too many easily marketable people who don’t take advantage of it.
LinkedIn is a place to post your resume and accomplishments even when you’re not looking for a job. You know what, recruiters love passive candidates. One day you could get lucky. Your dream job could fall into your lap because someone saw your LinkedIn profile. With new features constantly being added such as  the follow company button, job hunt'en only gets better here. Recruiters have a whole  slew of great LinkedIn toys making it easier to find you. This site has been around for a while and it keeps getting better. I won't be shocked if it takes over all things recruiting and job hunt'en (talking to you job boards). If you're not on LinkedIn, get on there.
Facebook is a little different because it is more social but I do think it has great value. For example, you can re-connect with an old college buddy. This buddy could be working at your dream company. Send a little facebook message saying “Hey, I noticed you’re at XYZ Company, do you know of any job opportunities there?” It can't hurt. Facebook is also a great place to follow career pages and brands. It keeps you in the loop. You do want to be careful because, as I mentioned earlier, facebook is predominantly social. When you're searching for a new job keep your profile clear of ridiculousness. That's right, keep your 'Trip to Amsterdam' pictures hidden for the moment. It won't kill you to use discretion but it could kill your chances at a company.
Twitter, ah twitter….I love it! I find it to be ever so useful and informative. I follow various people and brands. I stick to following those who post valuable information. To me, twitter has the most educational value of all the social networking tools. I follow tweeters who post links and/or comments that have helped me grow both professionally and in my knowledge of American Idol ;). I actually don’t follow celebrities because I find their tweets to be less interesting than a good old-fashioned snarky column or blog. I do follow experts and industry leaders who provide useful insights. Not everyone uses twitter the right way, but those who do are gems of knowledge.
Pinterest is the latest of social media trends and I am loving its potential. It is an online bulletin board and I will dedicate another day to this fireball of social media. There is a new kid in town and this kid has power!!

To end my “pro social networking” monologue my advice is to hop on monster, careerbuilder or any job search site but don’t stop there. Start looking in places you play and if you're not playing on these three big then start.