Personal Branding - Interview Awareness

Personal Branding and How to Improve Your Chances for an Offer…not just an Interview.

Your personal brand goes well beyond a resume, a LinkedIn profile, a Twitter page, or Personal Blog.  From a first impression to a lasting impression, the interview process is what separates the “boys from the men” so to speak and says a lot about your personal brand.

The way you dress:  Right or wrong, politically correct or not, you will be judged by how your dress.  Ensure you know your audience, the workplace, and culture prior to the interview.  Believe it or not but wearing “joggers” or “chino’s”, or Lulu “yoga” pants with flip flops is not recommended nor a great way to express yourself at any stage of an interview.  In more corporate settings, the decision to not wear a tie or a more conservative outfit in your initial meeting is also something to consider.   Although I can’t believe I’m actually including this, any “ink” or inappropriate “rings” of any kind should not be able to be viewed by your interviewer.

The way you prepare:  The single most important piece of feedback we receive from clients on who receives and offer vs who doesn’t, comes down to who is the most prepared.  If you think you can simply “show up” for an interview…..you’ve wasted your time, the client, and ours.   Keep in mind that when we present a final group of between 3-5 qualified candidates for an opportunity, their level of experience, qualifications, cultural fit with the organization, remuneration expectations, etc. are likely to be virtually identical or very complimentary to each other.    If you want the role, you need to separate yourself from the rest of the group.  Simply reading a company web site and job description will not get you the role.   You may want to consider reading press releases, industry news, finding out who their competitors are, research who you are interviewing with, come prepared with qualified questions, etc.  As an example, if you are applying to a Digital and Social Media Manager based opportunity, be prepared to discuss what potential changes you can recommend based on their current digital and social media footprint.

The way you finish.  Simply put…if you don’t’ ask for another interview, clarify any areas the client may want you to further explain, or do a “soft close” so to speak, be prepared to walk out the door and never return.   We fully support that part of the interview process is to “interview the client” per se, however nothing will change the fact that they want to see a commitment from you.  To compliment your commitment, it’s imperative to make a follow up call and debrief with your recruiter on your interest level and how the interview went.  If you are not interviewing through a search firm, you need to take the initiative and either phone, email, or send a follow up “thank you” card (yes people still do this and it’s very well received), in order to further show your interest level.   Even if you decide the role isn’t for you, politely decline and leave things on good terms.

Following these three recommendations really relates to simply being prepared….as you should be with most things in life :)

Allan Welyk

President & Director

ELEVATE Search Group

6th Floor - 777 Hornby Street

Vancouver, BC  V6Z 2H7

Phone:(604) 678 5627 

Email: allan@elevatesearchgroup.com

Web:   www.elevatesearchgroup.com

Follow Elevate: www.twitter.com/ElevateSearch

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

Elevate Search Group collaborates and partners with companies to identify, recruit, and retain top-tiered professionals within all levels of leadership and non-leadership careers within business development, sales, marketing, operations, human resource, and supply chain management. Our client profiles range from local, regional, national, and global organizations.

600-777 Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7

604.678.5627

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

www.elevatesearchgroup.com

The Search Business is Dead...or is it?

The Search Business is Dead….or is it?

Regardless of the industry you're in, there will be technology based advancements to streamline business or improve on inefficiencies.  For close to 20 years I’ve heard a common theme in the search business……”The Search Business is Dead”.  The comment is less than intelligent.... I've seen first-hand how technology can compliment the industry for internal recruiters and external search partners.  To compliment the negative sentiment from the uneducated, I've heard similar arguments and have read countless articles about how the end is near for the industry.   Most of the pessimism and negativity comes from underperformers in the industry, those who bounce from search firm to search firm, HR professionals who are really more administrators vs “people and culture strategists”, or those who are simply not understanding of the value a professional search firm can provide. 

For those who are passionate about the industry, adapt to some of the technology and philosophical changes, and continue to invest resources into the qualifying and research side of the business, and continue to nurture and build your client base, the industry will continue to flourish.  As many of you have noted, the human component within the qualifying of candidates is essential for most organizations and many organizations simply don't have the internal resources to allocate in order to eliminate external search firms.

Do you really expect that plugging in search parameters into a solutions platform will produce you the “ideal” candidate?  At best it will provide you with the names of individuals who potentially fit the criteria, however the most important part of the process relates to the qualifying, vetting, and overall validation of those individuals.  Are they even interested in the position and/or company, are they a cultural fit, are their remuneration expectations aligned, do they reside in the region, and can they actually support and back up the career which is posted on-line or on their resume?  This is just scratching the surface…..

The search industry was apparently "dead" when more companies invested in "internal recruiters", only to find that in many of these scenarios, leadership teams realized they were able to still identify more qualified and better quality candidates through external search partners.

The industry was also apparently "dead" when portals such as Monster, Workopolis, Indeed, and CareerBuilder entered the scene, only to find out that although they can play a part in the process, the quality of the candidates was sub-par and either unemployed for legitimate reasons or simply not employable.  If fact our firm has only seen between 4-8% of our placements from any form of portal since the introduction of these options.  LinkedIn has been a great tool to utilize in order to source potential candidates, but that is quite different than qualifying candidates based on other search criteria which you simply can't confirm with any search parameters, or technology advancements.  Bring on the algorithms,  technology, and any other advancements......each company is unique, industries differ, cultures change, and the human component to identify those softer skills, and actually see what a person is like in person vs on "paper" will continue to keep the search business alive and well.

Allan Welyk

President & Director

ELEVATE Search Group

6th Floor - 777 Hornby Street

Vancouver, BC  V6Z 2H7

Phone:(604) 678 5627 

Email: allan@elevatesearchgroup.com

Web:   www.elevatesearchgroup.com

Follow Elevate: www.twitter.com/ElevateSearch

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

Elevate Search Group collaborates and partners with companies to identify, recruit, and retain top-tiered professionals within all levels of leadership and non-leadership careers within business development, sales, marketing, operations, human resource, and supply chain management. Our client profiles range from local, regional, national, and global organizations.

600-777 Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7

604.678.5627

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

www.elevatesearchgroup.com

Q3 Sees a Sharp Market Increase of Senior Level Professional Career Opportunities

The British Columbia career market, and Western Canada as a whole, has seen a welcomed “spike” in activity and all indicators are that it will continue.  Some of this activity is a direct result of confidence in the market and companies are starting to re-invest in attraction & retention programs in order to ensure they have access to top-tiered professionals relative to their scope of business. 

What’s Trending:

Expansion has been seen in most areas of technology, business to business, industrial automation, manufacturing, luxury retail, real estate/property management & construction, and the Non Profit sector. 

This includes a diverse selection of leadership and non-leadership careers within sales, marketing, operations, supply chain, technology, and human resource based disciplines.

It’s Competitive:

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a market such as this where it’s pretty much a guarantee that every offer being presented is being met with a competing offer from another employer or a counter offer from an existing employer.     

• Companies need to streamline their recruitment strategy and process.  Consider an “activity” a week in order to ensure that you hold the candidates’ interest level.
• Tell a story.  Candidates don’t need to be ‘sold’ per se, but they do want to see how passionate you are about the company and why your company should be their preferred choice.
•  Thoroughly understand the key motivators of the candidates’ interest and intention to consider your company.
•  Identify whether your selection group of candidates have other opportunities in play and where they are in process relative to yours.
•  Utilize your search firms expertise and knowledge of the market, and candidate,  in order to ensure a positive outcome and acceptance of your offer.

It’s a myth and misconception that top-level leaders and business professionals are always looking over their shoulder for the next opportunity.  Most of these individuals are definitely open to having a discussion, however in order for them to seriously consider making a move; it needs to trigger their motivators.  What motivates one individual, isn’t necessarily the same motivator for another.    Mitigating factors are:  cultural fit, brand of the company, future growth & development opportunities, remuneration, travel, and the unknown as it pertains to their family/personal situation.

Moving Forward:

Up until a couple of months ago, 2015 has been anything but stable in the West.  The current markets are much more stable and strong, and all indications are that this trend will continue.  We are seeing clients describe their projections for 2016 as cautiously optimistic and that the outlook for continued growth appears to be positive.

Discover What We Have To Offer….

Allan Welyk

President 

@fusiontweets

www.fusion-recruitment.com

Economic Downturn A Positive Outlook for Recruiters

How many times have you logged onto your favorite new blog or social media platform, picked up your local paper, dialed into your local news radio program, or caught the news headlines on your most watched TV station only to be barraged with economic doom and gloom?

Quite simply put, you have two options:  You can buy into the negative propaganda being forecasted in the media or you can take some initiative to make a difference in your organization.  This starts with your overall recruitment strategy and employee retention programs.

In 2008/ 2009, and recently at the beginning of 2015, a number of perspective clients had  indicated that due to the number of candidates on the market, they are going to recruit on their own as opposed to having a specialized recruitment firm manage the process and identify candidates on their behalf.  They are right about one fact;  there were more candidates available in the market.  That was clearly evident by scanning any of the on-line recruitment job boards.

What is actually happening in the market is that the majority of the candidates available through on line job boards are individuals you may not necessarily want on your team.  There is always that “diamond in the rough”, however these candidates tend to be the first wave that have been released from their employers due to the changes in the market, and they are also the same candidates having the most difficulty with finding a rewarding new career.  Companies tend to not release their top tiered employees at the first signs of economic challenge.  Whether these employees are in human resources, sales, marketing,  or operations,  top tiered employees are part of the longer term strategic plan and retention program for the company.

If you still decide to take a run at the on-line job boards, be prepared  for an ineffective use of your time as you start to review the plethora of real estate agents, mortgage brokers, investment advisors, insurance agents, and software sales reps…..all of whom are looking for a short term fix until the markets turn around again.

Partnering with a reputable recruitment firm that specializes in the area of your current recruitment needs will enable you to have access to top tiered candidates who are passively seeking a new career, enable you to have access to potential candidates from direct competitors, and be able to attract candidates with transferable skill sets if you are looking for an individual outside of your industry or sector.

An economic downturn is an ideal time for change.  The market is seeing more leadership positions becoming available simply due to companies realizing that they may have a better opportunity to attract direct or indirect competitors to their company.  Another benefit to the market is the opportunity to upgrade your sales and marketing teams, or to look at initiating new relationships with affiliated businesses and suppliers.

There is no hiding the fact that a number of industries and companies are being affected in today’s market.  How your company evolves through this challenge will in part be decided by being proactive with your recruitment strategies and ensuring that you have access to the most qualified and successful candidates on the market, as opposed to being able to attract the best of the unemployed.

Allan Welyk

President & Managing Partner

Fusion Recruitment Group