How to Improve Your Hiring Process by Simplifying and Centralizing

How to Improve Your Hiring Process by Simplifying and Centralizing Process improvement within recruiting and talent acquisition needs more emphasis.  One reason this is critical is that the quality of the hiring process directly impacts the success of it by way of the customer experience (applicants, candidates, hiring managers). Secondly, the success of a hiring process directly ties into the very vitality of an organization through maintaining adequate staffing levels. Most of the advice on improving hiring processes focus on the day-to-day functions of recruiting and talent acquisition. Many articles can be found on posting jobs and interviewing styles.    A systematic approach focused on operations can bring more significant results than the ever-changing popular opinion of talent identification methods. To better serve customers and improve quality, one of the best structures for an organization’s hiring process involves a dedicated, centralized hiring team that handles the process from sourcing to onboarding in one department. Until a new hire’s start date only the candidate, hiring manager, and recruiting team should have interacted. The centralization of recruiting goes further than the idea of full-cycle recruiting. It’s more than order fulfillment of getting a requisition request and the subsequent steps to closing an offer. A pure, central team involves one group being involved in developing targeted sourcing strategies, identifying talent, coordinating and tracking the interview process, and bringing onboard new hires from a logistical and orientation standpoint. How can organizations structure their recruiting departments to improve the hiring process? There are two ideal ways for a department to be staffed to accomplish this: Option 1: A team of recruiting professionals to handle hiring from sourcing to orientation and all interactions with candidates from source to start date. A team of behind-the-scenes administrators who process the interactions (event schedule, background, and drug screen submission, entering data into HRIS and payroll systems) and ensure business continuity. The recruiting professional and administrator are partnered together and assigned to either a business unit or geographical area. Option 2: A team of well-rounded professionals who can handle everything involved from sourcing to onboarding along with the accompanying transactional tasks assigned to either a business unit or geographical area. Both options can be useful for simplifying and centralizing your hiring process: Option 1 works best for transitioning your current recruiting team into centralized operations. This allows an opportunity for both those with a stronger recruiting passion and a role for those who would rather handle the transactional tasks of the hiring process. Option 2 is where an organization can take the hiring process of an organization to the next level with even simpler operations. What type of professional is needed for a centralized recruiting team? There can be much animosity between human resources professionals and their recruiting counterparts. Some professionals can alternate between human resources and recruiting activities effortlessly and desire to do so. Others pursue a more specialized practice of these fields and choose one over the other. To centralize a hiring process, you need a professional with a blend of human resources and recruiting expertise with an eye for talent management. It is important to find individuals that can write a job description, develop a hiring strategy, interview applicants, hold an orientation, analyze compensation models, and utilize an HRIS, ERP, or payroll system all within the same day and with a smile. With the right individuals on a simplified and centralized recruiting team, a department can go beyond a transactional focus and become part of an organization’s talent management efforts. What are the benefits of simplifying and centralizing a hiring process? Better service: The customer (applicants, candidates, and hiring managers) interacts with one person through the process who is empowered since they don’t have to rely much on others. The recruiting professional becomes a subject matter expert who can answer questions ranging from the hiring process, benefits, compensation, payroll and company policy. Candidates establish a relationship at the beginning of the employee-employer relationship. If the hiring process is housed in the Human Resources department, this is an advantage for future employee relations and organizational development initiatives. Continuous process improvement: Centralized operations provide each team member with the perspective of observing each angle of the hiring process. By observing all components of the hiring process, it is easier to see how variables affect the hiring process from applicant traffic to quality of hire to time-to-fill. It allows flexibility and autonomy to the individual members of the recruiting team empowering them to identify and remove ineffective processes producing lean operations quickly. Centralized operations also provide an environment to test modifications by implementing with isolated parts of the recruiting team and observing the effects then quickly executing with the rest of the team if necessary. A clear and centralized recruiting team bridges the gap between talent acquisition and talent management. A duly organized and equipped group can expand beyond finding talent and dropping a body off with the company but stick around to train new hires. A centralized team is vested in the success of employees, and this leads to countless benefits for any organization. The members of the hiring team also become cultural ambassadors to all they come in contact with, aware of the effort and resources that go into each new hire. Structural changes to an organization’s recruiting, and talent acquisition team can go a long way towards improving the hiring process for all parties involved. Author: Charles Newton is a Human Resources and Recruitment strategist for themiddlegroundhr.com  who aims to make sure tasks are strategic and strategy can be converted to functions. In this regard, his mission is to motivate, innovate and achieve in Talent Management.

Writing Resume Tense Tips

Writing Resume Tense TipsHow many times have you read an article or heard a conversation about using resume tense? If you are a college graduate seeking employment, you may have heard other students ask if they should be using 'honest'honestly.' But what does this mean? How should you employ it in your resume?Using resume tense describes the attitude, style and tone of the author. It is an attempt to relate to the reader in a relaxed manner. Resume writers try to portray a calm, unruffled manner in order to capture the reader's attention and create an interest in learning more about the applicant.The purpose of resume writing is to communicate with an employer about yourself. A resume will need to stand out from the rest of the applications that are being submitted to hundreds of employers. You need to have a job you can really stand behind. The words you use to present yourself to the reader will definitely determine how successful you will be at gaining employment.There are certain situations in which using resume tense is a wise choice. For example, applying for a part-time job can mean using one of several resume styles: individually, in-house, or through an agency. The first style is intended to capture an individual reader. The second type is intended to reach an audience that is part of a larger organization. The third is intended to include the applicant as a representative of the company.Resume writers who work within an organization are always well-aware of the different elements to consider when preparing a resume. Therefore, they often use resume writing software to create professionally written resumes. This reduces the risk of mistakes while still creating a resume that showcases an applicant's qualities.If you use resume writing software to create your resume, then you do not have to worry about remembering words or keywords. Instead, you will be able to search through templates and examples of resumes in order to find the right resume for you. I f you prefer to work from scratch, then you can always include your own ideas, however you may need to make sure they do not conflict with other information already on the resume.It is important to remember that you do not have to include resume words that are too formal or overused. The perfect resume does not need to be perfect. It is actually the resume that needs to be written well to attract the employer's attention. Your resume will be effective if it is free of any grammatical or spelling errors.If you are thinking about writing a resume for the first time, you should always begin by taking a look at the words that are already on your resume. There are plenty of examples of resumes online. Take a look at them and get rid of the ones that are not working for you. After you have selected a few resumes, you can then go back and see if you can improve on them.

Start Your Brand Now; Iterate Later - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Start Your Brand Now; Iterate Later - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I have seen countless startups fail because they take too long to launch. Likewise, I have met many professionals or would be bloggers that are paralyzed because they cant decide on a URL name or their brand positioning. Yes, its important to think hard about a blog name as it will potentially be your blog name for many years to come; however, the name is not everything.  Similarly, a blog may start off in one direction and then veer off to a tangent depending on how your audience reacts to your content. Personal brands dont succeed because of the right positioning from the beginning; personal brands succeed because of the hard work that an individual puts into it and the ability to listen to the audience and iterate fast. Inception: Long-term and Short-term goals When first creating your blog, and thus your brand online, decide on your short-term and long-term goals. For example, Ill run you through my friends strategy before he started his blog. Long-term goals: My friend wants to position his brand as a career consultant. To be specific, he wants to carve out a niche in international student career consulting. His goal is to build a curriculum online that allows his students to study and learn without 1-on-1 or personal sessions.  This will allow him to maximize his student base and revenue while staying away from the hourly business model. Short-term goals: He wants 30 paying international students by October 1st, 2012. Naming your blog/site purchasing the URL Here are some principles to live by when choosing a URL: Choose URLs that are 4 syllables or less Choose a .com Stay away from prefixes such as the Stay away from  hyphens Purchase a domain name that is available dont spend time pursuing a domain name that is already owned by someone else The above are of course just principles; there will be times when it makes sense to use your own judgement and purchase a .net or pursue an already owned domain. Important: Its important to choose a domain name that youre completely happy with, but once you make the decision, stick with it. The grass is always greener on the other side; I promise you there will come a time shortly after you purchase your domain that you think of an even better domain name! Refuse the urge to purchase this new domain name and transfer all of your content to the new domain name. Stick with your decision and move forward with execution. Content and consistency Youll notice that I prioritize content over the design of your blog. Just like choosing a domain, Ive seen professionals spend weeks on  designing  their blog. These weeks could have been used building content and creating the initial steps to thought-leadership. Content and consistency must come first. Make it a goal to write 1 new blog post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Publish these posts at 9am EST and stay consistent! Dont worry too much about what youre writing about in the beginning. The early stages is all about getting content on the site and finding your voice.  Later youll spend time on refining your content, your voice, and your message. Feedback and iterate Ask your audience via your blog, Facebook Page, and Twitter profile for their feedback. Ask them what type of posts they find most helpful and what type of posts they want to see on your blog. Analyze your Google Analytics and find the posts with the most pageviews and the most time on site.  Time on site is important because the posts with the most time on site are most likely your most engaging posts and the posts that your audience is most interested in. Once you have a better understanding of the type of content your audience wants, iterate and focus on writing that type of content. To succeed, start now and ask questions later.  Everyone has great ideas, but only very few have the motivation and dedication to execute properly and succeed. Author: Jun Loayza is the founder of Tour Woo, the easiest way to book a tour online.  In his startup career, Jun has sold 2 startups, raised over $1,000,000 in angel funding, and lead social technology campaigns for LG, Sephora, and Whole Foods Market.

Three top tips to nail your law firm applications.

Three top tips to nail your law firm applications. It’s that time of year again. The window for making training contract applications for a 2017 start date is open now until around the end of July. Exams are over and you need to get on with it. But what is the magic formula for making successful applications? I’ve been down to London again to visit some more law firms in pursuit of the answer. Here are my three  top tips. 1.   Know what you are applying for. Sounds simple doesn’t it? What sort of work do you want to do and are you applying for a firm which does that sort of work? I’ve visited four very different firms over the last couple of days, Charles Russell Speechlys, Harbottle Lewis, Watson Farley Williams and White Case. So what do they have in common? They are all top firms in specific fields of work, all are prestigious, all handle complex and sometimes ground breaking transactions, all offer training contracts and are looking for top quality applicants. Perhaps that’s largely where the similarity ends! A generic law application sent to each of these firms is doomed to failure; they are all special in different ways. Charles Russell Speechlys is pretty unique in having top quality expertise in both commercial and private client work. Harbottle Lewis has a specialism in media work although it is a full service law firm and also has a thriving and growing private client practice, Watson Farley Williams are particularly renowned for their project and shipping finance work and White Case have a rounded top quality commercial practice but no longer regard themselves as a US firm as their practice outside the US is about to become larger than their practice within. Each of the firms looks for you to show in your application that you understand the sort of work they do and have a genuine desire to be part of that. Caroline West of Harbottle Lewis explained: “I ask students what they are looking for in a training contract and expect their answer to align with what we offer. I also ask which other firms they have applied to and am very wary when they detail other firms doing work completely different to that in our practice.” 2.   Put in an accurate application. I know that I sound a bit like a broken record when I reiterate the need for accuracy in your spelling and grammar. Perhaps Lucie Rees of Watson Farley Williams puts it better: “You must demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail throughout our selection process. Proof read your written work and pay close attention to the precise instructions we give you at our assessment centres. We expect you to do what we ask, we are assessing for particular competencies and design our tests accordingly. Don’t just decide to do your own thing!” Lawyers have to be able to get things right, inaccuracy and lack of attention to detail can cost many millions in negligence cases. I haven’t yet found a firm prepared to take a laid back attitude to inaccuracy. If you don’t enjoy making sure you have got things right then maybe a career in the law just isn’t for you? 3.   Demonstrate some relevant experience. None of the firms is expecting you to have a stack of legal experience. You need to be able to show that you have learnt some “commerciality”, that you are a “mover and shaker” and that you understand what working in the firm will be “about”. It’s good to have done a “proper job” like shop work or bar work. It shows your work ethic and ensures you will have learnt skills like teamwork and negotiation but this isn’t enough! I talk about firms looking for someone who has left their university different in some way from how it was when they joined. Christina Churchman of White Case put it succinctly: “I’m looking for someone to show that they’ve got involved in lots of things at University and done something interesting. They can talk about that experience to show that they really “get” what life as a solicitor with us would be like in terms of the demands, pace and expectations.” So don’t just tell firms what you’ve done, reflect on it in your applications to show how what you have learnt is relevant to their businesses. And finally? Be true to yourself, make sure you apply to the firm which does the work which really interests you, not the one all your friends are applying to or the one you thing might be most prestigious. All the firms told me that they are looking for people who relax during interviews and show who they are and all talked about the need to get the fit right. If you want to find out more follow the Warwick Law Careers blog.

How to Describe Writing Administrative Rules on Resume

How to Describe Writing Administrative Rules on ResumeCreating an effective resume will be a good strategy for how to describe writing administrative rules on resume. It is a must to keep all the aspects of a job description as brief as possible. If you write it in such a way that can not see all the important details, chances are that potential employers will not even read your resume. Thus, all the information in your resume must be emphasized and must be easily seen so that it is easy for the reader to take his/her time reading your resume.One of the most effective ways on how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to look at the job you are applying for. How is the job description written in such a way that it can be understood easily? This is the question that you should ask yourself.The first part of how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to look at the job you are applying for. This part of the writing is to give the readers all the informatio n that they need about the job that you are applying for. This part of the resume is the most important one. If the job description is not written in an easy way, chances are that it will be difficult for the readers to take the information from your resume.This part of the writing of how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to look at the job you are applying for. There are some job descriptions that having a job title followed by a series of words like, Assistant, Copywriter, Associate, etc. These types of job descriptions are very complex and it will be difficult for the readers to read through this list of words.Another part of how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to look at the duties and responsibilities. Every job description has a description of what the job is, what duties and responsibilities it entails and some specifications on what the job entails. Therefore, the readers must know what the job entails and how you can do it effective ly.Another part of how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to look at the job responsibilities. Every job description is not always clear and it is difficult for the readers to understand what the responsibilities are in the job. Therefore, a good way to describe the responsibilities is to look at the job description or you can make the responsibilities as examples like: if a copywriter has to write three hundred pages of a book in a week, then it means that he/she must be very punctual, disciplined and organized.Finally, how to describe writing administrative rules on resume is to make sure that the job description includes details that are easy to understand by the readers. This is where skills and experience are very important. You should be able to show your skills and experience in your resume.In conclusion, writing administrative rules on resume is just a guideline on how to describe writing administrative rules on resume. Make sure that you know how to write a good job description so that you can get your job interview.

5 Types of Interviewees You Dont Want To Be

5 Types of Interviewees You Dont Want To Be 5 Bad Types of Interviewees Contrary to popular belief, you probably arent innately good at  interviewing, believe me! Avoid job interview mistakes and missteps and dont be one of these five types of interviewees.   5 Bad Types of Interviewees Your interview is a make-or-break opportunity. All the time and effort you spend applying for jobs, tweaking your résumé, crafting the perfect cover letter and networking are all to land an interview, so you dont want to blow it. Talented actors take on the persona of their character through hours of practice and so should you. Just dont take on these personas. 1. Rambling Ralph Ralph is a confident interviewer. So confident, in fact, that he doesnt feel the need to plan how he will answer the question. He believes he naturally knows how to wow the interviewer â€" except he rambles. His answers are long and jump around without focus. If Ralph recalls an important detail at the end of his answer, he circles back and includes it. When he is finished talking, both the interviewer and Ralph have forgotten what the question was. The Fix: Ralph may naturally feel comfortable interviewing and building rapport, however, he would benefit from outlining his answers ahead of time. His answers should have a beginning, middle and end. When asked a behavioral question, such as Tell me about a time when… Ralphs answers would be more concise and focused if he used STAR stories, emphasizing a Situation, Task, Action and Result. Presenting answers in this format will keep him on track and help the interviewer follow the story. 2. Detailed Diana A close cousin to Ralph is Diana. When asked by the interviewer to Tell me about yourself, Diana begins by talking about her days in college, 20 years ago, and detail by detail, walks the interviewer through every job up to present. Diana also includes personal details about her family life. Diana believes in being honest, so when asked why she left her last job, she chronicles the entire saga, including how she left the building in tears. The Fix: The interview is not a therapy session, nor does the interviewer really want to know every life detail. Diana needs to filter out irrelevant information. She should practice answering commonly asked questions and enlist the help from people who will provide honest and objective feedback. While it is alright to include some personal information, Diana needs to learn to filter her answers more carefully. 3. Nervous Neil While waiting in the lobby for his interview, Neils heart begins to race. He is thinking about how he needs this job desperately. He feels like his whole future is riding on this one interview. By the time the interview begins, Neil is sweating and tongue-tied. He answers questions as quickly as possible, often with one-word answers, and just wishes the interview to be over. The Fix: Neil would benefit from reframing how he views the interview. It is a mutual exchange of information and Neils mission is to determine whether or not he wants the job. He has put undue pressure on himself and this is sabotaging his interview. Some simple deep-breathing exercises can also go a long way to ease his nerves. 4. Oblivious Octavia Octavia shows up at the interview talking on her cell phone. When the receptionist asks her how she can help, Octavia holds up her hand to silence the receptionist. Five minutes later, when Octavia is done with her call, she announces she is ready to be interviewed. She cant recall the name of the person with whom she is supposed to meet, but she knows it is scheduled for 10:00 am. By the way, it is 10:05. The Fix: Octavia has under-estimated the importance of a good first impression. The proper approach would have been for Octavia to arrive 15 minutes early, know the name of the person with whom she is meeting and to turn off her cell phone before arriving. 5. Sam the Salesman Sam has been told that he needs to sell himself during the interview, so hes been practicing assertive, borderline aggressive, language. He is ready to go. The interviewer asks why he is interested in the job and without pause, Sam lists all his qualifications. His answer does not include anything about the job requirements, nor does he include any knowledge about the companys recent growth. His answers are so rehearsed, they sound slick. Mid-interview, Sam attempts to close the deal prematurely by asking When do I start? The Fix: The interview is an opportunity for Sam to sell his skills, but he should pay more attention to the employers needs and wants. Todays sales people are problem solvers and take a consultative approach. If Sam included how his skills and experience matched up with the job description, he would appear more interested. There is a fine line between being too pushy and confident. Rote answers come across as disingenuous. The best way for Sam to assert himself is by researching the company thoroughly and asking well-thought-out questions. If Sam was interviewing for a sales job, he should know to ask for the job at the very end of the interview. Preparation As the motto goes, be prepared! It helps if you have previous experience interviewing so you can anticipate some of the typical interviewing questions and scenarios. Here are some of the trends in job interviews. Practice Rehearse your interview answers OUT LOUD! Role play with anyone. The more your practice, the more you will own your answers. Perform With the confidence of a great actor, perform your best during your next job interview. You have gotten into character so you can be the best possible version of yourself! How To Prepare For An Interview is a comprehensive post detailing all the most important aspects of preparing for your interview (with links to sample questions and answers and more!) Part of this post originally appeared on  US News World Report

6 Links to Networking for Job Search - Its Not Who You Know, Its Who Knows You - CareerAlley

6 Links to Networking for Job Search - Its Not Who You Know, Its Who Knows You - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. It aint what you dont know that gets you into trouble. Its what you know for sure that just aint so. Mark Twain One of my friends has been spending a lot of time building his LinkedIn contacts. Hes been working for over 25 years and is in the 500+ club on LinkedIn. He is in the process of looking for a job and, like all good job searchers should, hes tried to leverage his[easyazon_link asin=1118380983 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=no]network[/easyazon_link] big time. Whenever he applies for a position he checks his contacts for direct connections at that company and lets his contacts know. Similarly, if he gets an interview, he will try to leverage his contacts as well, going to 2 level (connected through someone you know) or even 3 level (connected through someone you know that knows someone and no, Im not kidding). For all of his work, this tactic does not really seem to help that much. What he has found very effective is leads from people who know his background and the work hes done. Now Im not suggesting that you ignore your contacts when interviewing or applying, but your greatest resource are those that know first hand what you are best at (so dont expect too much help from your grandmothers friend who happens to work at a company where youve applied). So where am I going with this? Read on. Categorize Your Network This may sound crazy at first, but think about it. Your network is most likely made up of friends, former coworkers, relatives, maybe an old girlfriend and who know who else. How many of your connections truly know the work youve done and your strengths? Whatever the number, these are your #1 network contacts and the group that is best positioned to help you land a new job. There are probably 10 different ways to categorize your networks, but I would suggest that the next tier in your categorization are those people who have worked with you, but not close enough to know your specific strengths. How do you categorize the rest? CATEGORIZING YOUR NETWORK FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT 36 Sources of Networking Contacts Know How To Use Your Network A few years ago, a guy I used to work with tried to leverage me in his quest to find a new job. I gave him a few leads and kept an eye open for opportunities. But this guy almost became a stalker. He would call me several times a week and send emails on a regular basis. It got to the point where he became too needy and he fell off of my let me try to help list. Leveraging your network is not as easy as letting everyone know you are looking for a job and then bugging them on a regular basis. Your #1 contacts (from the list youve just created after you read the paragraph above) are not only the most likely people to help you find a job, they are your most valuable resource and should be treated as such. Use them but dont abuse them. Networking etiquette: respecting your professional contacts Top Ten Linked-In Dos and Donts The Art of Networking Like all forms of art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Networking is no different. But art is art and there are some tried and true methods of networking that will help you get the best results. 5 Tricks from a LinkedIn Jedi Job Search and Career Networking Tips We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by