LinkedIn.com

If you are one of the millions of people utilizing the social media professional networking giant we all know as LinkedIn.com, please make sure you are putting the time and effort into creating a full and accurate profile. There is no sense in creating a profile that is incomplete or inaccurate! It would be like handing a resume to a hiring manager or recruiter with errors and only partially completed. What is the point? Your profile is an opportunity for you to have an up-to-date resume working for you 24/7 without having to worry about HR finding it on the printer or on a job board. Take advantage of the publicity, but make sure you are positioning yourself correctly. If you think hiring authorities are not utilizing social media sites, think again...

In Person Interview... Know Where You Are Going!

I got a call from a candidate on Friday about 10 minutes before her in person interview. She was unable to locate the building where the interview would be held. I told her the address again and sent her on her way. Five minutes later, she called me back and could not find the suite... Really?

This was a very simple mishap that could have been avoided with a little planning. There are so many tools out there now that would have been helpful for the candidate to utilize: Mapquest, Google Maps or even taking a dry run a day or two prior to the interview. Take the initiative to know where you are going and how long it will take you to get there.

Phone Interview... Be prepared

This morning I conducted a phone screen with a candidate that was completely unprepared for the interview and the call in general. I asked the candidate why he applied for the position, he responded by saying, "it looked like an interesting position." When I asked him specifically about what was interesting to him, he couldn't answer the question. Later in the conversation he asked me to explain the job to him... Really?

Before a phone interview, take a few minutes to review the job description again and make sure you are in a quiet, distraction free place. Know what you are interviewing for, have questions and be able to have a conversation about the position and your experiences. And finally, the last thing an interviewer wants to hear is excess background noise. It can make it hard to hear the candidate and it comes off as unprofessional. If you can not escape the noise, make sure your address the noise at the beginning of your call; doing so may be the thing that tips the scale in your favor and helps you advance in the interview process.

Job Description... Read It.

I can't tell you how many times I have completed a phone screen with a candidate and the candidate failed to read the job description. Really? If you can't take the time to review what you are interviewing for, why should a company hire you? Save yourself some time and the recruiter some time and review the job description. Make certain it is a job you are truly interested in performing. If you get the job and hate it, you will be interviewing again in no time. And let's face it, no one likes to go through an interview process.

Leaving a voice mail

The biggest issues I have when a candidate leaves me a voice message is being able to understand the phone number. Don't be in too big of a hurry to get out your message and hang up. The most important thing after your name is the number where you can be reached. Take your time, speak clearly and leave a good phone number. Leaving it twice will ensure the person getting the message will get the number correct. No sense in losing out on an opportunity because the person couldn't return your call.

Resume Title... It Does Matter

Over the years we have reviewed thousands of resumes; some of them have been excellent and some have needed a little more TLC. However, a simple way to hurt an excellent resume is by using a poor title. A safe and simple way to title your resume is: "first name" "last name" "- Resume." This is a simple way for the recruiter or hiring manager to locate your information and not have to search through resumes to find yours. It is a simple way to help you stand out from the competition...