3 Reasons Why You Should Be Upfront With Your Recruiter

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Many job seekers fail to see the benefits in building a strong relationship with a recruiter. However, a recruiter can be an integral piece in the hiring process when it comes to the hiring manager’s final decision.

There are 3 reasons why you should be upfront with your recruiter throughout the interview process.

1. You will get free coaching.

Let’s face it, recruiters are experts when it comes to interviewing and hiring. If you’ve found a good recruiter, you will have access to a plethora of interviewing advice. Guidance on interview attire, behavior, as well as follow up advice are important tips that can help you land the job.

Knowing when it’s appropriate to ask certain questions throughout the interview process is something that many job seekers struggle with. Your recruiter should know and advise you on the appropriate questions to ask throughout the interview process.

In addition, if the hiring manager has a sweet spot when it comes to a certain skill-set, the recruiter will know and will be able to inform you of this prior to your interview.

Also, do not be hesitant to disclose previous problems in your work history. When you have a previous employment issue from your past, your recruiter will be able to help you properly position this with the client so there are no surprises down the road.

The ways in which a recruiter can help out throughout the interview process are numerous. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of free interview coaching from an expert in the field?

2. The recruiter often has access to the hidden job market.

Maybe your recruiter doesn’t have an immediate job that fits all your requirements right now. However, that doesn’t mean that you should push the recruiter off and not explain your key desires.

Recruiters quite often have access to job opportunities before they ever hit the job boards. Having a shot at a job that hasn’t even been posted yet is a huge benefit and can put you miles ahead of other talent in your field.

3. Your recruiter can influence the hiring decision.

When it comes down to it, the recruiter actually works for the hiring manager. However, don’t misunderstand what this means for you. If you are a good fit for the position, you definitely want the recruiter on your side.

Hiring managers partner with recruiters because they rely on the recruiter’s assessment when it comes to the right candidate. If your recruiter has your back, she can influence the hiring manager in making a final decision as well as an appropriate offer that can guarantee a signed agreement between you and the hiring manager.

By being upfront with your recruiter in the beginning, she will know how to position your interest and requirements to the hiring manager in order to provide a win-win situation for both you and the hiring manager.

 

Originally published at http://blog.sparkhire.com/2015/12/06/3-reasons-you-should-be-upfront-with-your-recruiter/

5 Silent Habits That Are Affecting Your Success

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If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

You’ve no doubt heard motivational messages like this one before, maybe from your manager; perhaps a parent. When you’re clearly in need of some kind of motivational boost and someone rattles off a line like this, it’s easy to shrug it off as a corny, slightly patronising gesture. Thanks, but no thanks!

The thing is, we do need to believe in ourselves if we want others to. We are our own harshest critics; the first to call ourselves stupid or beat ourselves up about missing an opportunity. We put immense pressure on ourselves to achieve the unachievable, and when we don’t; stress about how we could have done things better. These thought patterns are poisonous and slowly sabotage our chances at success. As much as we’d hate to admit it, often we are actually to blame for bringing ourselves down.

The good news is it’s never too late to pep ourselves back up. Sometimes all it takes is a little self-reflection and resistance. If you want to start achieving great things, these are the toxic habits you’ll need to break first:

1. Comparing yourself to others

If you look around your office or scroll through your Facebook news feed, it’s easy to convince yourself everyone’s more successful than you. When you start to feel like you’re lagging behind your peers, friends or family members, you need to stop right there. Everyone is leading totally unique lives, full of different challenges and successes. Nobody likes to broadcast their troubles; so you’re probably comparing your bloopers to their highlight reel anyway (as the saying goes). Stop focussing on everyone else, and start concentrating on reaching your own potential.

2. Taking too much on

Living life on the verge of a major panic attack from being overworked is incredibly unhealthy; both physically and mentally. Stop saying ‘yes’ to everything, and learn how to say ‘no’. Taking on an unrealistic workload and over-committing yourself will leave you feeling exhausted all the time, and will strip the enjoyment out of everything you do. You’ll start resenting everything that eats into your precious energy stores and things you used to enjoy will likely become burdens. Recognising your tendency to burn yourself out is the first step in breaking this habit. Stop letting guilt pressure you into spreading yourself thin.

3. Failing to switch off

Mastering the art of relaxing outside of work hours is difficult to do, but imperative to your success. If you want to start each day feeling refreshed and motivated, you need to learn how to switch off when you leave the office. Stop checking your work emails at 10:30pm before you go to bed; stop taking client calls at dinner time. Remember, you work to live; not the other way around. The sooner you prioritise ‘switching off’ when you’re not on duty, the sooner you’ll start to feel your energy levels and drive at work increase.

4. Holding onto your mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect. Holding onto past slip-ups and misfortunes will only prevent you from moving forward. If you keep referencing your failures and obsessing over how and why you let it happen, you’ll only feel lower about yourself and hold yourself back form accepting new challenges, for fear of failing.

5. Making self-deprecating comments

This one’s not really a silent habit, as it involves talking, but the quiet mental fallout that occurs after you’ve brought yourself down is where the real damage manifests. Stop selling yourself short and making jokes at your own expense. A cheap laugh like this will cut into your confidence. The moment you start taking yourself seriously and supporting your own goals is the moment others will follow suit.

 

Originally published here: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/silent-habits-sabotaging-success/

5 Must Ask Job Interview Questions

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When you’re sitting in a job interview, you’re going to be fielding a lot of questions from a hiring manager. However, many applicants forget that the interview is the ideal time for them to ask some questions of their own. While the hiring manager wants to ensure that you’re a good fit for their organization, you also want to get a sense of what this company is all about too. To do that, make sure to ask the following questions:

What’s the biggest issue facing the company and how might I be able to help?

This gives you some insight into how you can be most useful should you get hired. It also gives you a look into where the company’s main areas of focus might be. For example, if they’re telling you that they’re in desperate need of a new website, you can then speak to your familiarity with working on this type of project as you go about the rest of the interview.

How does your company define success?

This will let you know whether the organization is a good fit for you. It also allows you to get a sense of how to get ahead should you get hired. Whether success is measured in numbers, an attitude, ideas, or all of the above, having this information in advance is valuable.

Do you offer opportunities for further training or professional development for your employees?

You want to work for a company that invests in its employees, and this is one way to tell if this is the case.  As an added bonus, it shows that you’re interested in continuing to improve yourself and learn more.

Do you have plans for new products or services?

Make sure to research ahead of time so you know that there’s nothing in the news that you should know about before you ask this question. If it’s clear there’s not, ask away, as it can give you some insight as to how your time with the company may be spent if you get the job. This is also another question that lets you tailor your answers so that you can show off your skills and illustrate how you’d be an essential part of that new product they’re hoping to launch.

What is the next step in the process?

It’s okay to ask the hiring manager to demystify their process for you a little bit. Depending on the person, you may get a lot of clarity—they tell you they’re interviewing three other people and will get back to you in a few weeks, for example—or they may be more vague. Either way, you’ll leave with a better sense of what to expect.

 

Originally published at: http://blog.sparkhire.com/2015/07/18/the-questions-you-absolutely-must-ask-during-a-job-interview/

3 Ways To Find A Job That You Love

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Finding a job that suits your personality and long-term career desires can be exceptionally difficult, especially right after college graduation. But getting hired by an organization that you actually care about with a work environment you enjoy is the key to a happy work life. After all, the average American will spend 8.9 hours per day at work or doing work-related things such as commuting.

Perhaps the best way in which to determine the type of career you need to be happy is to take the time to assess yourself and what motivates you to do well. How much time sitting in an office are you willing to tolerate? Do you need alone time to be productive or a more collaborative work environment? Finally, think about management; do you need freedom or direction to be your best at work?

Is Office Life Your Style?
Office life is often defined by one thing: amount of time spent in front of a computer screen. And with new technologies emerging every day that need someone qualified to use them, it seems like these are the types of jobs most likely to be hiring. For example, with the implementation of big data, more and more companies are hiring data analysts to help them understand their customer base, save time and money, and to make more informed company decisions. Over 75 percent of business owners want their companies to be more analytics driven, which has led to a boom in that job market.

In the age where nearly every job has some computer component, it is essential to ask yourself how much screen time you can handle. If you are the type that gets antsy after only an hour of computer work, that is definitely something to consider during a job search because you are unlikely to find happiness sitting for eight or more hours at a time. If you do go that route remember, adapting to a sedentary working lifestyle can be incredibly difficult, especially if you are used to a college schedule, so take the time to make sure you can find ways to stay active in the office.

Are You a Social Butterfly?
Some people are able to spend their entire day talking with coworkers, yet still manage to be some of the most productive people in the office. These are the people that thrive in conditions that promote communication and collaboration such as open floor plans. These employees work best by interacting with their peers and brainstorming ideas together.

If this doesn’t describe you, don’t worry. Another important trait to understand about yourself to aid in your job search is how much time you need alone to still be productive. A lot of people are in need of a balance between social and isolated work environments throughout the day. After understanding what you need to be both happy and productive it is important to ask interviewers how their office layout compares.

Can You Find Management That Works for You?
In addition to understanding how much time you want to spend collaborating with coworkers, make sure to have an idea of how much oversight you want from a manager. Some of the most successful managers are able to gauge how much interaction you need with them and adjust their management strategies to correlate. However, not all are like that.

Identifying if you work best with a set of tasks and guidance or rather general goals and creative space is key in determining if you will work well with a certain manager. Bad managers, or differing work styles between managers and employees, are frequently cited as the number one reason that a person leaves a job willingly. For that reason, it can save a lot of hassle to ask about management oversight during an interview and decide if it would be right for you.

Having an understanding about your basic requirements for workplace happiness can open a number of surprising doors for careers that you may have never thought of yourself in. Furthermore, it can eliminate a number of jobs that sounds like a fit on the surface. Evaluating your willingness to spend time with computers, desired level of coworker collaboration, and necessary manager involvement can be a huge step towards finding the career that YOU love.

 

Originally published at:http://blog.sparkhire.com/2016/01/24/how-to-find-a-job-you-love/

10 Mistakes To Avoid When Job Seeking

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Applying for jobs is often a difficult and demoralising process, but it’s important to stay positive and learn from your mistakes. Here are ten common mistakes you should try to avoid:

1. Passing on responsibility for your job hunt

It’s important that you don’t try and blame others for your job hunting difficulties. Focus on positive action rather than negative thoughts. Brush pessimism to one side and look to the future. What’s happened has happened, but by taking control of the current situation and letting your personality shine through, you will overcome this.

2. Make your job search your sole focus in life

Enjoy family time, eat well and exercise. Leave the house each day, volunteer, learn new skills, meet people and maintain a balance in your life. We all need interaction and variety: often the harder you chase something, the more it eludes you.

3. Take rejection personally

Unfortunately it’s rare to be offered the first job you apply for — it’s just not that easy. So, accept rejection as part of the process and always ask for, and even more importantly learn from, feedback. The job you don’t get helps you next time so always push for feedback and act on it.

4. Search in the same place as others

Surfing the online job boards is an important first port of call in finding a job, but there are also lots of other places you can explore. For example, you could look at recommendations, referrals and professional networks as this market can be less competitive.

5. Fail to deliver a clear message

Employers are interested in where you have added value, not everything you’ve ever done. Make sure they can see the wood from the trees. Think of yourself as a movie trailer and not the whole film – what is it about you that generates enough excitement and interest for an employer to buy a ticket to the main feature?

6. Hide it from the people in your life

Although searching for your next job is a personal experience, don’t try and do it all alone. Share the experience with your loved ones and you’ll be far stronger and more effective in your quest.

7. Apply for every job you come across

This makes you look desperate and you’ll lose focus. Try to take more time on fewer applications and don’t adopt the scatter gun approach. Throwing more mud at the wall won’t lead to more success, just more mess. Nothing puts an employer off more than you not knowing anything about their business or what the role entails and, if you have multiple applications out in the field, keeping track of them all becomes an impossible task.

8. Be afraid to push yourself forward

This is no time to lurk in the shadows. Don’t be afraid to shine, blow your own trumpet and tell people how good you are and what value you can bring to their business. Confidence, not arrogance, is the key here – don’t let your skills and experience be the best kept secret.

9. Forget that times change

If you’ve not been in the job market for a few years, you might have expectations that are unrealistic. It’s easy to think that it’s exactly the same as when you last looked for a position, but times have changed. Take a more enlightened approach and try to gain more understanding of the modern job market and how best to place yourself in it.

10. Take your eye off the competition

Make sure you differentiate yourself from other jobseekers. Instantly falling in line with what the competition is doing will put you at a distinct disadvantage.

Think not only about your skills and experience but also your key achievements. These should be things where you have made a difference and done something out of the ordinary. Your competition is likely to have similar responsibilities but achievements are unique to you. Think about a particular situation, what you did and quantify the outcome or result where possible. This way of thinking and presentation on your CV falls in line with the competency-based interview style of questioning and will help you make an even better impression once you get to interview. Knowledge is power and the more you know about yourself and what makes you different, the better placed you are to attack the job market and find your next position.

Originally published at https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/10-mistakes-to-avoid-when-job-hunting/