You're a recent college graduate, you're eager, you're hungry, but you're unemployed. Now what?
1.Make sure your resume is posted, or refreshed, on the to major job boards(Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs), school job boards, and association sites.
2. Make sure relevant key words, including courses are on your resume in the format that they would be searched. Employers use search tools to find candidates. If you don't have the keywords if the exact way they are searched your resume may not come up in the desired order.
3.Clean up your Facebook profile. There are tools like Xobni that allow employers to quickly view your Facebook profile. If you wouldn't like a perspective employer to see your spring break pictures or your Halloween costume, make those pictures private, or remove them completely.
4. Get on Facebook for adults: Linkedin.com. Create your professional profile and connect to as many friends and associates as possible.
5. Network, Network, Network. Getting your first job on your own is harder than ever. It's better to ask your parents and relatives for help finding a job, than to ask them for helping in paying your student loan.
6. Leverage. Use job board aggregators such as Indeed.com and create search agents on the job boards so you will be alerted immediately when a new job comes up.
7. Don't spend all day searching the internet, there is no end. Allocate a certain amount of time per week (8 hours max) to searching the internet. Spend time on to other tasks such as networking, job fairs and alumni events. Searching all day, everyday, wont create any new jobs for you.
8. Consider taking other courses or getting a higher degree. Filling in the gaps in your skill set will help make you more marketable.
9. Set reasonable expectations. Disappointment is a product of expectation, set reasonable expectations and expect that it will take longer than it has for graduates of previous years.
10. Be optimistic. Having a positive outlook not only relays well in an interview it keeps you energized and focused in your search.
Fred Dimyan is co-founder/CEO of YourLeap, Inc. Prior to YourLeap, Fred spent 17 years refining his skills and philosophy in technology staffing with several national companies. Fred has led staffing projects for several leading IT consulting firms, including Hall Kinion where he was Director of Recruiting. Fred also led recruiting projects at some of the most prominent employers in the nation, including Prudential Insurance, PepsiCo, and was a senior consultant at Gartner. Fred also served as a staffing advisor for Dice.com, the leading Information Technology job board.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Stock surge, higher than expected GDP, guess what's next?
The recent surge in the stock market has been a phenomenal opportunity to invest. Those that had the foresight and the fortitude to get in when the market seemed darkest have been well rewarded. The employment market is a lagging indicator, but at some point will turn. Companies that invest in acquiring talent early will also be the best rewarded. Many companies are already taking advantage to the best opportunity in a lifetime to get top talent in a less competitive environment.
Like a friend who lends a hand when you're down, candidates will likely show more loyalty to companies that hires them when the market is down, that one that hires when the market is more competitive. Not only do companies gain access to a deeper pool, but companies are also able to negotiate more competitive salaries when the market is cooler. This further compounds the advantage for those who act first.
The stock market has already surged, the economy grew at a faster than expected 3.5% in the most recent quarter, prompting the fed to declare the recession over. Employment, a lagging indicator, is soon to follow. Companies that act quickly have a window of opportunity to get ahead of this curve.
Like a friend who lends a hand when you're down, candidates will likely show more loyalty to companies that hires them when the market is down, that one that hires when the market is more competitive. Not only do companies gain access to a deeper pool, but companies are also able to negotiate more competitive salaries when the market is cooler. This further compounds the advantage for those who act first.
The stock market has already surged, the economy grew at a faster than expected 3.5% in the most recent quarter, prompting the fed to declare the recession over. Employment, a lagging indicator, is soon to follow. Companies that act quickly have a window of opportunity to get ahead of this curve.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Recruiting Opportunity Cost
"Measure with a Micrometer, Mark with Chalk, Cut with an Axe"
Your company has made the difficult and possible risky decision of hiring. If you hire poorly, you're in deep water. If you hire a top performer, you're golden. There are few things more valuable to a business than finding top performers. This market offers the best opportunity most companies have to recruit top talent, EVER. Most companies will forgo this opportunity because their recruiting budgets are under a micrometer. They have to carefully chalk around where they will allocate their recruiting budget. What happens when the candidate pool comes up short? The cost of axing a bad hire, according to a recent ADP survey, is over $50,000.
Posting on one job board alone is often sufficient to get a pool of candidates. Sufficient does not cut it in this market. Companies can save money and further their business by maximizing their reach to candidates and hiring the very best person they can. To expand their reach, they need access to all the the major job boards, and have the time to filter through the massive amount of resumes they will receive. Fortunately there is a better solution, YourLeap.com gives its clients a cost and time effective way to access to all major job boards as well as over 300 niche job boards and give you access to over 150 million candidates.
YourLeap.com give you a cost effective option to take advantage of this rare, and possibly fleeting, opportunity to reach out to the most expansive candidate pool in recent history.
Your company has made the difficult and possible risky decision of hiring. If you hire poorly, you're in deep water. If you hire a top performer, you're golden. There are few things more valuable to a business than finding top performers. This market offers the best opportunity most companies have to recruit top talent, EVER. Most companies will forgo this opportunity because their recruiting budgets are under a micrometer. They have to carefully chalk around where they will allocate their recruiting budget. What happens when the candidate pool comes up short? The cost of axing a bad hire, according to a recent ADP survey, is over $50,000.
Posting on one job board alone is often sufficient to get a pool of candidates. Sufficient does not cut it in this market. Companies can save money and further their business by maximizing their reach to candidates and hiring the very best person they can. To expand their reach, they need access to all the the major job boards, and have the time to filter through the massive amount of resumes they will receive. Fortunately there is a better solution, YourLeap.com gives its clients a cost and time effective way to access to all major job boards as well as over 300 niche job boards and give you access to over 150 million candidates.
YourLeap.com give you a cost effective option to take advantage of this rare, and possibly fleeting, opportunity to reach out to the most expansive candidate pool in recent history.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Candidate Spam
The cost of sending a resume used to be the cost paper, an envelope and a stamp. Then it went down to paper and a fax. The cost of sending a resume is now nearly free. Less qualified candidates are now able to quickly and cheaply spam their resumes - getting in the way of more qualified candidates who are trying to catch the attention of hiring managers.
Making it costly to send a resume dramatically cuts down on resume spam. Testing is one of many solutions YourLeap had implemented to help companies find the best possible talent available. They have partnered with Kenexa to use of 300 assessments to test candidates. Testing helps two fold: it assess a candidates skills while helping to filter candidates.
Those who have posted an ad on a major job board can attest to fact that the vast majority of responses to being completely unqualified. Candidates frequently send their resumes to jobs they are completely unqualified for, but since their is no cost to applying, why not play candidate lotto, the tickets are free.
By filtering out candidates that aren't serious enough to commit time to test, as well as those that test poorly, YourLeap can spend more time further qualifying those candidates that can do the job. YourLeap clients not only get maximum exposure to the best talent pool in decades, but they can now spend more time with the best qualified candidates.
Making it costly to send a resume dramatically cuts down on resume spam. Testing is one of many solutions YourLeap had implemented to help companies find the best possible talent available. They have partnered with Kenexa to use of 300 assessments to test candidates. Testing helps two fold: it assess a candidates skills while helping to filter candidates.
Those who have posted an ad on a major job board can attest to fact that the vast majority of responses to being completely unqualified. Candidates frequently send their resumes to jobs they are completely unqualified for, but since their is no cost to applying, why not play candidate lotto, the tickets are free.
By filtering out candidates that aren't serious enough to commit time to test, as well as those that test poorly, YourLeap can spend more time further qualifying those candidates that can do the job. YourLeap clients not only get maximum exposure to the best talent pool in decades, but they can now spend more time with the best qualified candidates.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
3 Tips Before You Make an Offer
Rule 1: Get excited about your position.
Before you sell a candidate on a position, sell yourself on it. A candidate will never be more enthusiastic about the position than you are. Spend some time finding out what the positives are in the position and the type of candidate that would match best for it.
Rule 2: Make sure you have a good match.
If you're working too hard to close a candidate then take a step back and ask if this is a good match.
If you feel it's not a good match, spend your time working to find a better one.
If you feel it is a good match, work to express this to the candidate.
If you're not sure if it's a good match, you haven't qualified the candidate or position well enough, work to re-qualify.
Rule 3: Pre-Close a candidate. There should be open, direct communication before an offer is presented. You should have a clear idea of what the candidate is willing to accept. Example: According to our previous conversations, if we were able to get you an offer at the responsibilities, title and compensation we discussed are you ready to accept?
If yes, you've done your job.
If no, get things nailed down before you go any further. Candidates should have a paper offer letter after they verbally accept and before they give notice to their current employer, they may also want to clarify terms of employment/benefits. There are 2 other reasons candidates may ask for written offer letters:
1)They ask for the offer letter to buy time while shopping around for other offers.
2)They are using the offer letter as leverage to get a raise from their current employer.
If you feel a candidate is asking for one of the less savory reasons, then you should hold off until the candidate is ready. A job offer is active, and can not be made to another candidate, until a candidate accepts, declines, or it expires. Putting an offer out with little or no guarantee of acceptance can severely impact your time to fill the vacancy.
Fred Dimyan
Fred@YourLeap.com
Before you sell a candidate on a position, sell yourself on it. A candidate will never be more enthusiastic about the position than you are. Spend some time finding out what the positives are in the position and the type of candidate that would match best for it.
Rule 2: Make sure you have a good match.
If you're working too hard to close a candidate then take a step back and ask if this is a good match.
If you feel it's not a good match, spend your time working to find a better one.
If you feel it is a good match, work to express this to the candidate.
If you're not sure if it's a good match, you haven't qualified the candidate or position well enough, work to re-qualify.
Rule 3: Pre-Close a candidate. There should be open, direct communication before an offer is presented. You should have a clear idea of what the candidate is willing to accept. Example: According to our previous conversations, if we were able to get you an offer at the responsibilities, title and compensation we discussed are you ready to accept?
If yes, you've done your job.
If no, get things nailed down before you go any further. Candidates should have a paper offer letter after they verbally accept and before they give notice to their current employer, they may also want to clarify terms of employment/benefits. There are 2 other reasons candidates may ask for written offer letters:
1)They ask for the offer letter to buy time while shopping around for other offers.
2)They are using the offer letter as leverage to get a raise from their current employer.
If you feel a candidate is asking for one of the less savory reasons, then you should hold off until the candidate is ready. A job offer is active, and can not be made to another candidate, until a candidate accepts, declines, or it expires. Putting an offer out with little or no guarantee of acceptance can severely impact your time to fill the vacancy.
Fred Dimyan
Fred@YourLeap.com
Thursday, August 7, 2008
RPO: Recruitment Puzzle Outsourcing?
Hype: When it comes to sourcing candidates, RPO's often tell you how complicated and puzzling it is to find the right candidates, and then they tell you how they can offer you the best solution. They over complicate a simple problem, and then they help you solve it. RPO's promise you the best tools and usually claim they are proprietary to just them.
Reality: The most powerful sourcing tool is universally accessible. The Internet is the most powerful, transforming tool recruiting has ever experienced. There are over 100 million resumes on the Internet and that doesn't factor the even larger amount of candidates who use the Internet for their job search but don't post their resumes. Most companies don't realize the true power of the Internet because there are simply too many resources and too many choices. Companies have to balance the job boards with the time they have to navigate through them. Ideally a company should load both sides of the scale, but those with limited recruiting budgets are constrained.
Organizations who don't have all the pieces or enough time to put the pieces together, look to outsource to companies who already have the resources in place. Access to resumes and postings on the Internet is a commodity. Companies should look for maximize exposure to this commodity, while minimizing their cost. Selecting and managing an RPO, with all the cost and risk involved, often turns out to be a more expensive, more layered way to access that commodity. RPO clients are recognizing this, in fact two of the largest RPO's, Hudson and Spherion have reported decreased revenues in their most recent earnings and acknowledged that some of their clients are taking recruiting back in house.
What companies really need is a time and cost effective way to maximize their access to all the resumes on the Internet without giving up control of the process or adding risk. Given the proper pieces and the proper time, most recruiting departments can put the puzzle together themselves.
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT has a unique approach to RPO. YourLeap gives you whats most valuable to you without all the fluff. They don't claim to be more valuable than the job boards, they feel that if boards were used effectively, many companies wouldn't need to outsource any of the recruiting process. YourLeap industry experts post your position and search daily on all the major boards and hundreds of niche boards. The results are easy to access by logging in to YourLeap.com and viewing the pre-sorted responses from all the major job boards, as well as the hundreds of niche boards they post to. YourLeap provides this to you in an easily scalable and cost effective way.
Reality: The most powerful sourcing tool is universally accessible. The Internet is the most powerful, transforming tool recruiting has ever experienced. There are over 100 million resumes on the Internet and that doesn't factor the even larger amount of candidates who use the Internet for their job search but don't post their resumes. Most companies don't realize the true power of the Internet because there are simply too many resources and too many choices. Companies have to balance the job boards with the time they have to navigate through them. Ideally a company should load both sides of the scale, but those with limited recruiting budgets are constrained.
Organizations who don't have all the pieces or enough time to put the pieces together, look to outsource to companies who already have the resources in place. Access to resumes and postings on the Internet is a commodity. Companies should look for maximize exposure to this commodity, while minimizing their cost. Selecting and managing an RPO, with all the cost and risk involved, often turns out to be a more expensive, more layered way to access that commodity. RPO clients are recognizing this, in fact two of the largest RPO's, Hudson and Spherion have reported decreased revenues in their most recent earnings and acknowledged that some of their clients are taking recruiting back in house.
What companies really need is a time and cost effective way to maximize their access to all the resumes on the Internet without giving up control of the process or adding risk. Given the proper pieces and the proper time, most recruiting departments can put the puzzle together themselves.
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT has a unique approach to RPO. YourLeap gives you whats most valuable to you without all the fluff. They don't claim to be more valuable than the job boards, they feel that if boards were used effectively, many companies wouldn't need to outsource any of the recruiting process. YourLeap industry experts post your position and search daily on all the major boards and hundreds of niche boards. The results are easy to access by logging in to YourLeap.com and viewing the pre-sorted responses from all the major job boards, as well as the hundreds of niche boards they post to. YourLeap provides this to you in an easily scalable and cost effective way.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Passive Candidates, an Oxymoron?
We all know what active candidates are, they have their resume prepared, they are on the major job boards and they are actively applying to jobs. What is a passive candidate? The common definition is that passive candidates are not actively looking and they have to be pursued.
Are candidates open to job inquiries on Linkedin.com, and other networking sites active or passive? The transition from passive to active is a click, literally.
Once a candidate prepares their resume, dusts off an old one, or reactivates it on a job board, they are now officially considered active. The second a candidate becomes active, he or she is a couple clicks away from accessing millions of opportunities on the Internet.
There is a perception that passive candidates are of higher value than active candidates. Doesn't that directly conflict with the belief that top candidates get multiple offers and choose among them? How could a candidate get multiple offers without sending their resume out multiple times? The reality is that both passive and active candidates are valuable. Instead, there should be two categories: Active and Ultra-Active. Ultra- Active candidates are on every job board and apply to many jobs they are not qualified for and they remain on job boards for a longer length of time.
Candidates that are too passive may also raise a flag. Being passive is not a good trait as an employee, why should it be a good trait as a candidate? After all, marketing yourself and maximizing your worth is a trait of motivated individuals. Companies should focus instead on casting a wider net, rather than narrowing the net to a specific set of candidates.
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT helps companies cast the widest net possible to maximize their chances of attracting the best candidates, passive or not.
Are candidates open to job inquiries on Linkedin.com, and other networking sites active or passive? The transition from passive to active is a click, literally.
Once a candidate prepares their resume, dusts off an old one, or reactivates it on a job board, they are now officially considered active. The second a candidate becomes active, he or she is a couple clicks away from accessing millions of opportunities on the Internet.
There is a perception that passive candidates are of higher value than active candidates. Doesn't that directly conflict with the belief that top candidates get multiple offers and choose among them? How could a candidate get multiple offers without sending their resume out multiple times? The reality is that both passive and active candidates are valuable. Instead, there should be two categories: Active and Ultra-Active. Ultra- Active candidates are on every job board and apply to many jobs they are not qualified for and they remain on job boards for a longer length of time.
Candidates that are too passive may also raise a flag. Being passive is not a good trait as an employee, why should it be a good trait as a candidate? After all, marketing yourself and maximizing your worth is a trait of motivated individuals. Companies should focus instead on casting a wider net, rather than narrowing the net to a specific set of candidates.
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT helps companies cast the widest net possible to maximize their chances of attracting the best candidates, passive or not.
Metrics, Statistics and Marketing
Monster claims they have over 25 million resumes, but Monster allows you to post different versions of your resume. So how many are unique and how old are they? CareerBuilder claims they have more page views than any other job board. Is that because more results are returned since they default at a 20 mile radius search vs. Monster's 15 mile default?
Recruitment Process Outsourcers claim they decrease your cost and time to hire. I have heard statistics as absurd as reducing average time to hire to 8 days. Can any RPO free up hiring manager schedules, remove vacations, and get all the decision makers together to decide? All while getting top talent, that is usually employed and busy, free to quickly interview and then decide within days?
Even more absurd: the notion that a RPO's proprietary database produces better results than all the major job boards. Just one major board, Monster.com had revenue of $1.4 billion last year. According to Gartner, the entire RPO industry, including all it's players are only a $1.3 billion market. If any single RPO's had a database more valuable than Monster alone, they would be better served getting in to the job board business.
There is a lot that companies have to filter through when deciding on RPO. Companies ask what resources can a RPO give you that they can't get themselves at some price? And is that price worth the risk?
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT has a unique approach to RPO. YourLeap gives you whats most valuable to you without all the fluff. They don't claim to be more valuable than the job boards, they feel that if boards were used effectively, many companies wouldn't need to outsource any of the recruiting process. YourLeap industry experts post your position and search daily on all the major boards and hundreds of niche boards. The results are easy to access by logging in to YourLeap.com and viewing the pre-sorted responses from all the major job boards, as well as the hundreds of niche boards they post to. YourLeap provides this to you in an easily scalable and cost effective way.
Recruitment Process Outsourcers claim they decrease your cost and time to hire. I have heard statistics as absurd as reducing average time to hire to 8 days. Can any RPO free up hiring manager schedules, remove vacations, and get all the decision makers together to decide? All while getting top talent, that is usually employed and busy, free to quickly interview and then decide within days?
Even more absurd: the notion that a RPO's proprietary database produces better results than all the major job boards. Just one major board, Monster.com had revenue of $1.4 billion last year. According to Gartner, the entire RPO industry, including all it's players are only a $1.3 billion market. If any single RPO's had a database more valuable than Monster alone, they would be better served getting in to the job board business.
There is a lot that companies have to filter through when deciding on RPO. Companies ask what resources can a RPO give you that they can't get themselves at some price? And is that price worth the risk?
YourLeap, based in Stamford, CT has a unique approach to RPO. YourLeap gives you whats most valuable to you without all the fluff. They don't claim to be more valuable than the job boards, they feel that if boards were used effectively, many companies wouldn't need to outsource any of the recruiting process. YourLeap industry experts post your position and search daily on all the major boards and hundreds of niche boards. The results are easy to access by logging in to YourLeap.com and viewing the pre-sorted responses from all the major job boards, as well as the hundreds of niche boards they post to. YourLeap provides this to you in an easily scalable and cost effective way.
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