Lying on your resume – have you ever done or would you ever do it???

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Yahoo Inc CEO Scott Thompson recently handing in his resignation over a lie on his resume, highlights the problem with fabricating or “beefing up” your resume to look better for a position that you are applying for. Taking from the story, the worst part about his case is that he wasn’t hired for the Science Degree that appeared on his resume, it was stated that he was hired based on his experience as an executive, which begs to ask the question – why even do it?

Working in the recruitment industry on behalf of our clients, our task is to find the most suitable candidate. It is our screening processes that are the buffer between letting that person through the gates and stopping them before they move to the next stage.

We all know what a lie is but what is considered as lying on your resume?

Basically lying about qualifications, actual workplaces, dates of employment and job titles that you’ve held are the major things that stick out. Good, strong screening processes should catch people out in that regard.

…but what about the other side of the coin, “beefing up” or “padding up” your resume?

This is the more common thing that occurs on a resume and the question is – is it a lie or is a person just trying to get ahead of other applicants by over-selling their skills? You get told more and more these days with a competitive job market to sell, sell, sell so that you get noticed but, can it also harm your chances? We asked some clients regarding this and their opinion was as follows:

“In our experience we have seen some resumes that are just fantastic, have called the applicant in to meet us and have been disappointed with their performance at interview… they just didn’t reflect what they had written in their resume”.

Another stated:

“We have changed our recruitment process now to doing phone interviews first after receiving applications. We ask a few set technical questions to understand their experience as most of the people in our industry state that they can do everything. By asking those questions we usually find that only a few actually have any real experience.”

Looking at these responses as well as interviews that we conduct ourselves, the main questions that you should ask yourself when stating your experience are:

  • What have you actually done throughout your career?
  • What have you got the ability to do?
These are some of the main things that we focus on when interviewing and screening applicants and you will often see them in selection criteria for Government based roles under the words “demonstrated” and “ability to”. Basically, when we speak with candidates a lot of people tell us “I can do this” and “I can do that” however our response is “have you actually done it and where did you do it?” In stating that you “can do” a task, is still of interest to us as you may be able to give examples of similar programs or tasks that you may have learned and your capacity to learn a new task.
Coming back to your resume – look at what you have written on your resume and ask yourself whether it reflects who you are and what you do, your work experience and your qualifications. If it doesn’t, you should make a few changes as someone, somewhere, sometime, may find out – just ask ex-CEO of Yahoo Inc Scott Thompson.

If I looked at your Facebook profile what would I find out about you?

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Just over a week ago I posted a story that I found about recruiters and potential employers using Facebook and other social media sites to screen applicants out. Yes, we actually use social media as a tool in the process of finding out more about you. Remember at interview when we would ask about your hobbies or what you do in your free time? Well, most of that is now said in what you write and post on Facebook in your public profile!

I came across a graphic from a recent post by a company called Reppler (http://blog.reppler.com) that I would like to share with you. It was from research that they conducted on 300 hiring companies in the US and gives you a clear indication of what those companies do during the hiring process when social media is concerned.

Reppler (http://blog.reppler.com/) recently conducted a survey of 300 professionals who are involved in the hiring process at their company to understand the use of social networks for screening job applicants. The results of this survey are shown in this infographic.

To be really clear, this has become part of the screening process and why not? It gives us an impression of who you may be. At the end of the day the perception of who you are is in the eye of the beholder and you need to take that into consideration if you have a public profile for all to see. We have seen some crazy stuff on Facebook that I just can’t print here and clearly states “Do not hire me!!!” You may be a fantastic and professional worker that hits target after target, but you also like to work hard and play hard at the same time – just keep in mind that what you post can reflect on your chances of being called for an interview.

Just think for a moment… if you are looking for a new job and posted “I can’t stand my boss” or “taking a sickie today he-he” which we have actually seen posted, how does that look to a potential employer or recruiter if they are doing a simple check on Facebook?

What does your Facebook profile say about you? 

Thank you. New Point Recruitment turns 3 this week!

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Hello past and present clients, candidates and my network. I really want to say – THANK YOU!

Your trust in us to deliver quality candidates, the referrals that we have received for new business and your engagement in the recruiting space has made the last three years as New Point Recruitment an enjoyable one.

Yes, we have made it past the terrible two’s, ok it wasn’t that terrible, we had some great support along the way! The event also marks my ninth consecutive year recruiting on the Gold Coast and in that time we have met some really interesting businesses that are moving forward in their industry and some candidates with great aspirations and interesting backgrounds.

Reflecting on the last three years and where we, as Gold Coast businesses are now, some interesting points really stand out:

  • Innovation has been the key – Those that struggled in 2009 when the effects of the GFC really started to take hold, chose to review their business, planned new ways of doing what they do, and implemented changes are now finally starting to reap the rewards for their efforts
  • Calculated risks – Some businesses that I have worked with recently went against some of the trends, took a risk and started new arms of their business when others were pulling out. As outsiders they could see what others weren’t doing well and saw an opportunity to offer something more… and it’s worked for them
  • Networking – Whilst this has always been happening, we have noticed a larger group of people networking at selected events. Yes, some events aren’t for everyone, but the consistency of being seen has increased their profile and business dramatically – it beats cold calling by a long shot. We highly recommend networking events that have an educational element to them.
  • Online presence – those that have embraced social media (and have done it well), made their website engaging, introduced shopping carts for products and introduced data capturing on their websites have seen a high increase in leads generated and also an increase in ‘sleeper products’ being sold without them having to do anything
  • Recruitment has changed – With the number of business closures in the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions and tightening of budgets, quite a number of recruiters (and businesses) left the market – up to 60% left the industry! Personally we have also seen a change in the type of businesses using recruiters due to the innovative process that we took in creating a range of packages to suit varying budgets. When we introduced our screening service and mid range “Deluxe” service, we saw an influx of smaller businesses using us to recruit for them. Whilst they had always wanted to use a recruitment agency, they had previously been ‘locked out’ of the market due to the large fees historically demanded in the industry. We found that our range of services opened an opportunity for you, as a smaller business to benefit from using an external recruiter
  • Candidates – With business closures, redundancies and tightening of budgets, we saw a large increase in candidate numbers. The most important issue that we found was that even with the increase in job seekers, it did not necessarily mean that the market was flooded with exceptionally skilled candidates. Yes, there were definitely some great ones out there that we placed and the good ones were, and still are, getting snapped up fast.
Once again, thank you. we hope that you have enjoyed working with us, our insights and our weekly blog created for you. We look forward to working with you again in the future.
Best regards,
David Ford
Director
New Point Recruitment

Exit interviews – why are your employees leaving you?

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Have you ever stopped to think how much staff turnover you have had in the last two years or even in the last year? If the answer is ‘Yes, we have lost a few people’, do you actually know why, and whether it was avoidable?

Losing a staff member doesn’t just end with them walking out the door and a farewell cake or drinks – what else are they taking with them – knowledge about your business, customers that they have built rapport with, and knowledge of systems and processes. Think about a time when you had been an employee and resigned from a role – what knowledge did you bring to the next role or to your own business? Although it is generally unintentional to use this information in a harmful way against your business, you can’t undo the training that the now ex-employee has gained on how your business operates. If moving on to a competitor, it is this knowledge and training that has made them valuable – that’s why they employed them – right?

At the end of the day, staff will inevitably leave you at some time. However, getting a better insight into why staff leave will help in minimising this and could possibly lead to having skilled people knocking on your door to join you as an employer of choice! Who wouldn’t love that?

Working with some great local clients and through our own research, has shown us some effective tips and processes that would actually capture this information – some organisations are really doing a great job of this, others just aren’t doing it at all. We have all heard of exit interviews or exit surveys but do you do them, or more importantly, do you conduct them 100% of the time?  An effective exit interview will show you a number of things about your business, your staff, internal communications, the role that they performed in, and the perception of the business among other things. Generally an employee leaves “for a new opportunity” but did that just disguise the fact that they really weren’t happy with a number of things and wanted to leave on good terms?

Wouldn’t you love to know the following?

  • Were they happy with their direct supervisor? (4 staff leaving in 9 months may tell you a different story)
  • Did they feel that they received sufficient training in their role(s)
  • What did they enjoy?
  • What didn’t they enjoy?
  • Have they heard good or poor feedback about the company?
  • Do they believe in your product or service?
  • Did they feel adequately paid in their role? (this is actually not the main decider for a person to leave – there is always something else that tips them)
  • Were there any internal conflicts (a covert workplace bully can often be identified over a short time – we have seen it happen!)
  • If anything had changed, would that have kept them on board?

There are so many questions that could be asked and answered however, you want to keep it relevant to your workplace. Always keep the aim of the interview firmly in your mind when designing the survey and include open ended questions to get appropriate feedback to action. If you would like to know more about exit interviews and the questions that can help your business retain valuable staff, please call David on 0414862979 to discuss this further.

Wouldn’t it be great to know why an employee has left you? It could make a huge difference to the way you manage your business… and in this economy… every little bit helps!

Photos on resumes and what really counts to get that job!

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All this “controversy” about a recent study on having your photo on your resume and whether it can hurt or work for you has really got me thinking. The short answer is yes either way however, there is no really defined answer. If you have the skills and right attitude and are going to be screened out by a person judging you from a “professional” photo attached, do you actually think that you would want to work alongside that person? They have really done you a favour, not a disservice. What can appear as a great job or career could turn into the worst workplace you have been to based on having to work with that person and their circle of influence.

I mentioned the word “professional” when writing about your photo. I have seen so many people take care with their resume, format it nicely, check spelling and then… attach a really inappropriate picture of themselves. Some memorable photos attached to resumes have included:

  • The old “cropped from a group night club shot” – she is drunk isn’t she? We get quite a few of these!
  • The “pixelated” photo from a 1/2 Megapixel camera  – I didn’t know that a Lego man was applying for our role?
  • The “Guy with the fully sick Nissan Skyline”  – we will hear him coming for interview
  • The “Yes it’s cold and I’m in a swimsuit” girl – yes I really received this for a reception position. No, we did not meet!

I assist candidates with creating resumes to give them the best opportunity when applying for a new role. I often get asked whether to add a photo and I give my opinion at the time as it depends on the type of position and whether the person has an appropriate photo. Working on the client side, I actually like receiving applications with photos as it gives a personal feel and helps me picture how that person could work for the company.

Let’s really put things into perspective though, our role as a recruiter is to select the right person for the role. We are seeking the right skills and training, the right experience, right presentation appropriate for the role and the right attitude to fit with and work alongside our client and their employees. I take photos on resumes with a grain of salt, I want to know who you are, what you bring to the role and what your intentions are for the role.

This is what really counts!

So… you’re about to start recruiting a new person…

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It’s Wednesday morning and your personal assistant has just resigned… she saw a “new opportunity” and just really needed to take it. She knows everything about how you run your day and all the ins and outs of your business. So… where to from here?

You have two weeks notice up your sleeve, do you:

(a) grab out the old trusty bottle of scotch and have a drink (why is this at work???)

(b) jump onto SEEK and write a quick job advertisement to attract a new employee

(c) get to work on capturing what she does to build a great job description and job advertisement so that you can employ another strong (or stronger) skilled employee?

If you chose (a) we will forgive you for that, we all need to calm the nerves in these situations. Seriously though, (c) is going to be your best bet! Quite often in the workplace when we look at recruiting for roles we are programmed to replace what we had. We are addicted to Job Titles and Position Descriptions (even though 95% of PD’s include the phrase “any additional duties as required”, which often means anything and everything). We are so used to them that you would probably rewrite an old advertisement and readvertise the role again, but… has your business changed? We need to look harder at the business and ask ourselves “what do we need now?”

Coming back to our person that has given notice to leave you… it would be a great idea to sit down with them and find out what they specifically do in their day / week / month. Have they coped with the workload, what did they like / didn’t like about the role, what new technologies do they deal with now? Now ask yourself the question: “Has their job description significantly changed?”. We bet it has!

A great example is social media. Just over a year ago, most administrative/personal assistant Job Descriptions would not have referred to the updating of social media sites as part of an employee’s role, however the person leaving has set up a great Facebook page that attracts a growing network of potential clients. Without asking what the person does, new and important tasks can be missed when advertising and hiring a new employee. What happens when you advertise omitting this crucial part of the “new” role, employ a person based on the old skill set and find that they have no social media skills or interest in that space? The referral rate tumbles as potential customers leave your site and we don’t want that to happen.

We have a strategy in place to capture that information and you can too:

  • Sit down and talk to the person and capture what they do in their role, break it down to daily/weekly/monthly
  • Ask what technologies they use. You know that a new program was rolled out late last year but do they actually use it?
  • What did they like / didn’t they like about the role? (is this the real reason that they are leaving? Were they overloaded with work?)
  • With this new information, pull out the old job description and cross reference the information to update where necessary. Also look at tasks that could be directed elsewhere, are all tasks necessary for this role and has it shifted from the original direction?

Whilst you will miss your trusty employee, turn this around and think of it as an opportunity to now employ exactly what you and your business needs to move forward. Time to write a brilliant advertisement that attracts a great range of skilled candidates… good luck!

Interviews from the darkside…

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Toast crumbs across his cheek and around his lips said to me… this is not the guy for our role. I didn’t feel comfortable looking at him and was really just trying to conduct an interview. He should have had breakfast before meeting me, not at the actual interview!

The resume and his experience were fantastic but his presentation oozed the questions; “Did he wear that stuff to bed and come straight to meet me and why is he having breakfast now at 11:30am?”. I enjoy meeting a candidate over a coffee – it offers a more relaxed setting away from an office and at least 99.5% of the time the candidate just has a coffee, tea or cold drink however on this occasion, there was an order of raisin toast to go with the coffee. Who orders breakfast at an interview???

How often have you had an interview and wished you had a portal to see how a candidate was going to present so that you could just save everyone’s time? You have gone through the trouble of sorting the many applications, carefully pre-screening your short-list over the phone and then… one of them turns up for interview and it’s not what you expected.

 Have you ever experienced:

  • the nervous candidate that smells like they just had to have that last minute cigarette before interview
  • the candidate that decided thongs were great business shoes (and met OH&S requirements)
  • the swearer (enough said)
  • the girl in the nightclub outfit
  • the guy that forgot to put deodorant on – do you remember smelling yourself after they left the room just in case you thought it was you?

What I love about what I do as a recruiter is that I save my clients from these disasters by meeting candidates first to experience how they will represent your organisation. OK, I had one fail – the cigarette guy just couldn’t help himself and had to have one puff literally outside my client’s front door. Ultimately I want you, my client, to have a positive experience, seeing only the best for your interview, let us deal with the wayward ones. Rest assured, we can have a good laugh about those once we have selected your new employee.

For those of you who feel comfortable recruiting a new employee by yourself and don’t mind the roller-coaster of emotions that can happen during a recruit, try something new to see what works best for your business. If you generally meet candidates at your office for interview, meet them for a coffee instead on neutral ground. You have already selected the candidate based on their skills, experience and a good phone pre-screen, now you will see them in a more relaxed setting where they may reveal a lot more of their personality. It gives you a better indication of their communication skills, how they interact with those around them (do they get annoyed or distracted easily by other people in the coffee shop or are they focused on you?) and even more importantly, you will get a less rehearsed interviewee.

However, if they just happen to order breakfast whilst you are standing in line to be served… you know what to do!!!

Job applications – Do you make it easy for the employer?

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Do you want to stand out from the crowd and be the one selected for interview? Of course you do, you wouldn’t apply for a role otherwise.

I am in the final stages of an administration recruit and have received over 300 applications. I don’t use computer applications to look for keywords, I do it the old fashioned way to give everyone a fighting chance, which means… 300 applications later… I am ready for the next stage of the process! The latest systems match you on keywords and can miss a really good candidate that hasn’t got a stand-out resume geared towards them. I know some great candidates that have had really poor resumes and as such, have helped them by creating a new one that sells them so much better, leading towards selection for interview.

As recruiters we are the eyes and ears of our client (the employer). When I see your resume come through my email and it has a well set out cover letter meeting what we are looking for, as well as a clean and clear resume, you are going straight into my “Next” folder to talk further. The one after you with no cover letter and a resume that I can’t understand or isn’t clear on their previous roles and training is going straight to the “No” folder.

Which one do you want to be? “Next” or “No“. What helps you get there?

Firstly, a clean resume that states your work history, any training, licences and qualifications, your contact details (yes I have had some with no contact details!!!) and a summary of your skills. It is always nice to have referees listed, community involvement or other things that will support your application.

Second to that, a good cover letter. I would say that every job we advertise I ask for a cover letter outlining your skills and experience. I usually get one around 60% of the time and only 50% of those are actually good. I see a cover letter equally as important as the resume. A letter can state your intent and let the employer know why you want the role, what skills, training and qualifications you have to bring to them and what you would like from the role and company.

For your resume and letter focus on these things; be truthful, use the same font and size for all of the normal text, use your spell checker (if the word is underlined in red, please check it just in case it’s wrong), if you use a ‘Career Objective’ in your resume make sure it is for the right type of job that you are applying for (I have seen on quite a few admin applications, the career objective being a Childcare Assistant), and last but not least, get a friend or family member to read your application – would they hire you based on what you’ve presented? Make it easy for the employer or recruiter reading your application to say YES to moving you to the next stage.

I look forward to a great discussion about this. Shoot me an email or a comment either here, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn on your experiences as an employer or as a job seeker.

Best regards,

David Ford.

The Perfect Candidate

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Happy Wednesday!

Think about this for a moment… you sit down, work out the type of person that you want for your new administrative assistant role, advertise it and the applications start streaming through. About a day and a half later (and over 200 applications) an application stands out from the pack that is just fantastic and a true breath of fresh air from the ordinary applications that had come through. What do you do? Of course you call them! You have now closed off advertising,  selected three applicants to meet with you for interview and you know your favourite is among them. Your favourite blitzes the interview and impresses your colleague, you make an offer on the Friday and… never hear from them… what happened? Where did they go?

If this or a similar situation has happened to you, please take comfort that it has happened to quite a few of us. I had a really wise client say to me once “I get excited but I don’t fall in love anymore”. I understand what she meant by that… it can really break your heart when you picture that person in the role, knowing that you have a great new employee on board and.. all of a sudden… that picture no longer exists. I recall having a great candidate that was two weeks out (of a four week notice period) from starting in a new role. A great salary package was on offer and it was a fantastic client – a perfect match… until… I received that call… “Look, I’m really sorry to tell you this but I must withdraw my acceptance”. You know that sinking feeling that you get? I certainly had it! It turns out that his former company offered an extra $50,000 and a new local office to stay with them – understandably very hard to pass up! 

You enjoy and even love your business, making the recruitment process very personal. In sitting down and speaking to an experienced and balanced recruiter that listens to what you need, you can alleviate a lot of the unnecessary concerns, creating a much more positive process for you to undertake. Let us deal with the heart breaking stuff! Even when it comes to the crunch and you think everything has gone pear-shaped (like our real examples), a good recruiter can turn that around and deliver what turns out to be the perfect candidate. 

Best regards,

David Ford.

Recruitment… not just taking a job order!

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We hope you are having a great day.

Last week I was asked what we did as a recruitment agency and what the difference is between service levels of recruitment companies. You can scour a myriad of recruitment websites to see what we all do as recruiters but the difference is in how and why we do it. Look at the job you are in now, you weren’t a master of what you currently do overnight. It took good training, mentoring from those that knew how to do it and a desire to actually do it.

This brings me back to my point – Recruitment Services and going beyond someone that is just taking a job order. You will experience a difference in service level and candidate quality when engaging the expertise of a recruiter that understands the importance of their role in securing the right staff for you. Is your recruiter trained in HR, experienced in recruitment and focused on how a new employee fits in your business or are they primarily taking a job order and matching skills to obtain a sale? What accountability does your recruiter have – is it their own business where everything rests on their service or are they part of a larger organisation that can absorb a wayward deal? It’s a tough but realistic question for you to consider and the answer will be in what you experience. There are some really great recruiters out there working for large and small recruitment companies that give excellent service (this is where I mention New Point Recruitment), love what they do and are trained in recruiting effectively.

Best regards,

David Ford.