interviews | A-Plus Career and Resume, LLC

50 Shades of Privacy

September 20th, 2019

Let’s face it, we already knew our online public data was being used for targeted marketing purposes and for public search information (both paid and free). What about data analysis for your company’s use? Are you comfortable with that potential? What if that supposed “free data” was being used to determine if you were going to leave your current company? Well, the fact is, this is currently being done, and the courts are protecting it.

LinkedIn has recently been in a legal tiff with HiQ Labs, a San Francisco-based company that analyzes free data like public LinkedIn profiles to identify the potential of employees to leave a company. Here is what HiQ says about their Keeper technology:

“Keeper is the first HCM tool to offer predictive attrition insights about an organization’s employees based on publicly available data. The solution turns those attrition insights into consumable, easy-to-deploy action plans so HR and business leaders can retain their key talent.

By identifying risk early, addressing potential issues proactively, and deploying remedial actions quickly, Keeper drives immediate business impact across organizations – and provides a built-in feedback loop so you can communicate your retention win to management.”

Both organizations have great points in their arguments presented to the courts. LinkedIn discusses an expectation of privacy for their customers. Essentially, they are stating that their clients shouldn’t have their information harvested that they entrusted to LinkedIn.

I also, have zero doubt, HiQ’s intention with their Human Resources program is as stated above. It is a great idea to determine if valuable employees might be wanting to leave, and why, then take action to retain them in an organization. And their argument that they are using data in the public realm only is absolutely correct.

What is problematic is how Corporate America will really use this technology. Just as companies troll the online world for those using Monster or Indeed for a job search, or mentioning they are unhappy with their current company on Facebook, this is yet another tool to target those that might leave with downsizings, position elimination, and dismissals (often falsified to avoid paying unemployment). Is this the fault of HiQ? No. They are merely providing a service. It does however beg the question, when is enough, enough in protection of our personal data online, public or not?

There are other issues though that might not have been put forth in this legal tussle. First, how are rankings of employees made? Red, Yellow and Green are nice, but how accurate is the data; does it look at the age of the information or how long since it has been updated? What about inaccurate data online? While HiQ would not want to give away the algorithms that detect retention issues, it is scary to think you might be putting something on your LinkedIn profile or elsewhere online in the public realm that is problematic without knowing it. You could be a person that is in no way unhappy with your current job, but an algorithm could have you targeted for termination in some form. Please do not blame a company for coming up with technology to try to stop employee loss. HiQ does offer the ability to have your data eliminated from their database, which is comforting. Still, could having your info deleted from their system be an “alert” to HR that you might be looking?

So many questions, which now in the age of AI will be even more impactful regarding privacy. I suppose this article is merely a warning, to again be careful what you communicate online. To remember that nothing you put online is private, no matter what you are told. And now, to keep your information current and without opinion regarding anything job related, lest you become the focus of unwanted attention.

Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers, executives and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, executive/career management coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 20-50+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Business Coaching, Career Coaching, Career Exploration, Career Management, Career Transition, Careers, Human Resources, Interviews, Job Search, Opinion
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Know Your Value

July 8th, 2019

“We often don’t realize our true value until after we negotiate a salary and benefits package. Know your value, don’t just take that first offer. Show them you are multifaceted and provide cross functional experience that is worthy of a better offer. Most companies will give you more, you just need to ask.” – Karen Silins

Categories Career Coaching, Career Management, Career Transition, Careers, Interviews, Job Search
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Want Versus Need?

June 5th, 2018

Nearly every job applicant has seen them. Nearly every HR Manager has written them. What are they? “They” are the dreaded “wants” job posting. From a better economy to a paradigm shift to non-traditional candidates, we have constant changes to our workforce, but not to our hiring approach. We seem to struggle in writing ads that attract because they are either too general (the focus of a future post) or too specific.

Furthermore, we need to embrace career changers, the workforce subset of “Gig Economy” 1099 contractual or project-based workers, returning veterans, and those without a traditional four-year or two-year degree, or we will lose out on great employees. Business today struggles to find qualified workers, particularly in all manner of technical positions, so rethinking our search methods and hiring process will lead to a larger pool of capable candidates.

In this post I would like to touch on crafting job postings that have specificity, but not to the point of ridiculousness, and I use a real example found in recent months online to portray my point. Below is a partial posting located on a large, well-known job board as to technical requirements for a programming position titled Java Programmer.

JAVA PROGRAMMER WANTED

DB2 or Oracle

SQL

SVN

R

Junit

Eclipse

Java

J2EE

JSON

JSP

JSTL

UMB

Data Modeling

Spring Web MVC

Model Integration

Spring Tags

Squint

IBM AS400

SAP

Workday

Microsoft Office

Can we say unrealistic, oh, and not just a Java Programmer position. Furthermore, the job required at least five years of programming experience, a preferred Masters in a computer-related field, preferred OCPJP or SCJP certification, and preferred experience with Tomcat or tcServer, all in a 24/7 on-call environment, and with a multitude of additional supposed needs, like multitasking. I GUARANTEE the company does not have all the technology listed above or need it. Strangely, this ad is eerily similar to three other job postings on the same job board page for other non-related organizations. I also did a search for Kansas City, Missouri (my hometown) and found several similar ads. Two cities, multiple ads, and nearly identical in many ways, except job titles. Clearly we need a better approach.

Many of these companies appear to “want” a person that may not exist, or as many IT professionals call it, a Unicorn, and are literally scaring away a good portion of qualified jobseekers. Undaunted by a lack of qualified applicants, these job postings occur frequently within the tech industry. My tech resume clients regularly tell of applying for these positions and finding out during an interview the company doesn’t need most items they listed.

Companies must to determine WANTS versus NEEDS in both job postings and hiring, and realistically assess what they do and don’t have technology-wise to avoid creating laundry lists. The use of formulaic templates and copying and pasting from competitor ads needs to stop. Write from scratch and create a posting describing the true requirements of your job. You can use a quasi-template for how you write a job ad, and still be quite distinct from all others. Collaborate with the hiring manager and if possible, another person within that department in a similar capacity to the job being posted. What applications and systems do you actually have, and which of those will the applicant work with precisely. Only include the necessities.

Lastly, as I have pointed out in prior articles, many of your applicants don’t have a degree but do have experience or training from legitimate educational organizations in the very areas you require. Let’s not discriminate against nearly three quarters of the population because of “shiny object syndrome” and instead pursue qualified candidates regardless of their possessing a four year degree. Ask for proof of ability in the interview process, inclusive of applicant demonstration of skills and career portfolios of work, to increase your quality of hire. By developing accurate postings, and treating your candidates with respect through ongoing communication, you will cultivate a valuable group of applicants who no longer shy away from your job postings and become an advocate for your company.

Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 30-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Career Management, Careers, Human Resources, Interviews, Job Search
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What is a Waste of Space, Unprofessional or Inappropriate on Your Resume?

November 29th, 2017

I found the above picture yesterday in a search for graphics, and it immediately struck me as perfect for my article. While everyone writing their resume is doing so in earnest and with the best information they have, often the person writing it may have received bad resume advice from friends and family, used poorly written sample resumes or just be winging it to get their resume done for a potential job. There are several items that jobseekers put on their resumes that are unnecessary, take up excess space, and look unprofessional. Here are a few I see on a regular basis:

–An Objective: Instead of putting a tiresome, repetitive objective about how you want to work for a company that loves you and hugs you and will take care of you forever, how about the job title for the specific job you are applying for, and for which the resume is tailored. There will be no doubt by the reader what you are applying for, and the job title is most likely a keyword in their system. Then add a list of job/industry related keywords, or three bullet points highlighting great accomplishments, or a one sentence statement of purpose. Make sure anything you use at the top of the document with your job title is also communicated in the body of the resume.

–References Available Upon Request: The interviewers already know this, just bring your reference listing to the interview.

–Your Picture: A picture on LinkedIn is great, but not on your resume. Not only is there a potential for discrimination but the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) don’t work well with pictures.

–Fancy Graphics: Similar to above; this is great for handing your resume to someone, but not for the ATS. Chances are the ATS won’t be able to read the document, or it will place a multitude of unrecognizable symbols in your resume.

–Personal Information: I have actually seen the following on resumes: person is in “good health,” has 10 children, height and weight numbers, hobbies that are a little too personal and don’t relate to the job or create interest, and spousal details. Again, there is discrimination potential, and these items are not appropriate for the document.

–Obvious Skills: Microsoft Office; it is always better to give the specific programs – like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. You can also do the following: Microsoft Office: Word, Access, Excel and PowerPoint, and then you have all the potential keywords. Phrases like detail oriented, email usage, and problem solver can go away too, they are blaringly general.

–Be Detailed: Never use general information and vague keywords when you can be precise or explain something in a reasonably short bullet point. However, let’s not use too short of a bullet point. For instance, I see the following constantly on resumes: “Answer Phones.” That isn’t a bullet point, it is a very short statement. Here is a bullet that describes answering phones. Answer five-line phone system, including distribution of calls to appropriate parties, and fielding of general inquiries. A five-line phone system is a whole different animal, and tells a potential employer that the company you worked for was probably very busy, and you had a lot phone calls to manage. The other merely says you know how to answer a phone. In this case, more is better. Avoid one and two word bullet points, they tell the reader nothing.

–Use of Responsibilities or Duties include: Okay, I will come find you and tear up your resume if you use these phrases to begin a bullet point. HR hates them, recruiters hate them, resume writers hate them. Why, because they are overused! Enough said, find a thesaurus for better action verbs.

–Unprofessional Email: I actually saw this email address on a resume at a career fair – CMYNPPLRNG, yes, it says “see my nipple ring” in vanity plate parlance. Also avoid your name and the year you were born – let’s not just give things away. How about using your name and the last four digits of your phone number or the numbers in your home address?

–Professional development or civic and professional memberships: Want to provide meaning to your professional development, and professional and civic involvement, put a year, or year-to-year with it. The date offers context to the reader as to how relevant and recent it is in your career.

–Outdated professional development: Do you really remember that 1995 Project Management course – probably not. So, instead go with the last 10 years, and only list the best of the best. You can always take an addendum to the interview with a comprehensive listing of professional development, if in the last 10 years there are copious amounts.

Space is precious on a resume, whether you have a one-page or three-page document, you want everything on the document to be useful to the reader. Remember, if your resume makes it past the ATS, and the initial 10-15 second screening, it will be read – make it all count!

Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 30-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Careers, Job Search, Personal Branding, Resume Writing
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11 Interview Tips Experts Say Will Make You Stand Out

October 26th, 2017

I was honored to recently participate in a colleague’s article interviewing 11 experts on how to “stand out from the crowd” while in an interview. Below is my tip for jobseekers, and a link to the full article.

“Craft answers to Behavioral Interview questions prior to the interview. I take every one of my clients through an exercise to develop these before walking in an interviewer’s door. Go through performance reviews, your own resume examples of success, think about projects you have worked on, documentation you have created, how you contributed to cost savings or profit and revenue development, and how you increased customer service. Write these in a format of Challenge, Action and (successful) Result and take them with you in a career portfolio to the interview. Now you will have an arsenal of perhaps 20 or more examples to refer to if necessary. You can write them in a brief synopsis (three sentences will be sufficient) but can share and expand on during your interview session.

Since nearly every interview has Behavioral Interview questions, this exercise will pay huge dividends in your success. Don’t be stuck trying to think of an answer for every interview question that comes your way, prepare ahead and reduce your stress while you impress.”

To see the full article, please go to the following link: https://www.offtheclockresumes.com/blog/11-interview-tips-experts-say-will-make-you-stand-out

Categories Career Management, Interviews, Job Search, Personal Branding
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Get Your Job Search Up To Speed

January 30th, 2017

Let’s face it, being in a job search is difficult. However, not doing necessary tasks or leaving portions of your job search unfinished that can help you get a new job is even worse. You could literally be losing out on new job prospects, contacts who will recommend you personally, and wasting a great deal of time doing personal “stuff” instead of actually job searching. So, what’s left unfinished or undone in your job search preparation?

–Have you completed your LinkedIn profile?

–Do you have a quality LinkedIn picture?

–Do you mind your manners and what you post on Facebook, Twitter and other social media?

–How about your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc., are they minding their manners, and staying away from inappropriate pictures, political postings, constant complaining, or other overly opinionated sharing? Have you checked?

–Do you plan your job search out daily or weekly?

–Are you spending five to eight hours a day on your job search, or instead doing “honey-do” and “around the house” projects and errands?

–Are you tailoring your resume and cover letter to the jobs for which you apply?

–Are you writing personalized thank you letters for all in-person interviews and any lengthy phone interviews with decision-makers?

–Are you searching your local business journal for companies hiring currently or in the near future, information on companies for interviews, networking opportunities, and new companies to target?

–Do you go to networking events in your area and cultivate contacts in person?

–Do you attend local job fairs?

–Have you volunteered to help a local organization to both get out and meet new people (network) and to add new information to your resume?

The list of items you can accomplish that can positively impact your job search can seem endless, but many are actually very simple. You need to, as the Nike ads say “just do it.” Put together all the pieces of your job search puzzle and get back in the game!

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Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 30-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Job Search, Networking
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The Value of References

March 24th, 2016

Job seekers often send their resume with “References available upon request” included in the document. However, this information is unnecessary, as it is expected that you will be able to supply references, whether you have said so or not. A reference listing (a separate page from your resume listing each reference and their contact information) should only be included with your resume if the job ad specifically asks for the listing.

Prior to any job interview, you should prepare a separate list of references you can leave with the interviewer. This list should have the same heading design and font as your resume, and include each individual’s name, current title, company name, business address (optional), email address, telephone number, and a short sentence on how this person knows you (Former supervisor at ABC Company).

Your references can and should include former supervisors, co-workers, employees, professors, vendors, and clients, as employers are not interested in talking to friends or family members, who typically know little about your work habits and abilities. Before preparing your listing, always obtain permission from the reference directly, and let them know when you have provided their information to a potential employer. Knowing about the specific job you have applied for will give them an opportunity to prepare for any questions the potential employer may ask them.

Once you have prepared your listing, make numerous copies to take with you to job interviews, so you can leave a copy with the interviewer(s). Keep in mind that a letter of reference, no matter how glowing, does not have the same impact with employers as the ability to speak with your employment references and ask them specific questions about your performance and work ethic.

This article was co-written by Karen Silins and Janet Barclay, and their information is included below:

Karen Silins is a multi-certified resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Janet Barclay is a former employment counselor who helps career practitioners and other solopreneurs to maximize their online presence by creating websites and blogs as well as providing blog promotion, proofreading and editing, content management, and WordPress technical support services. She can be reached through her website OrganizedAssistant.com.

Categories Job Search
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MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION IN DIGITAL AND WEBCAM INTERVIEWS

August 11th, 2015

There are numerous companies currently offering the ability to interview digitally or via online web cam, including HireVue, TruHire and Skype. Especially for long distance job opportunities, these technologies have saved companies and jobseekers a great deal of time and money. Don’t be surprised though if a local company you have applied to wants to interview you via a webcam or your digital device. The following are the 12 most important tips I offer to my clients for this type of interview:

Test your phone and Internet/webcam connection! Make sure both the technology and place where you have decided to speak with the potential employer don’t have call quality or drop off issues, and know how loud your voice sounds over the phone. Use an external microphone where possible to avoid echoes and feedback in the interviewer’s ear (and yours). Call several friends and test your phone, internet or headset quality in multiple situations.
Avoid loud spaces – like the outdoors, coffee shops, restaurants, malls, etc., as the background noise will be too distracting for you and the interviewer(s). Also, when interviewing at home or in a car, please turn OFF the television or radio, make sure the dogs aren’t barking, children talking loudly, or any other distractions. Try to interview away from people and pets in a room with a closed door.
Ensure the lighting is appropriate so the interviewers can see you clearly but the light isn’t too bright on your face, and adjust the angle of the webcam or phone to give you the most complimentary look. Be sure to straighten up the area that displays in the background for a good presentation.
Make certain you have all necessary documents in front of you, including your resume, cover letter, job description, questions for the interviewer(s), research on the company/organization, references and reference letters, and even a calendar in anticipation of another interview.
Dress just like you would for an in-person interview: professionally. Remember, they can see you!
Be ready early, know the exact time of the interview, and note any time zone differences.
Do not watch yourself in the monitor. Look directly at the camera numerous times during the interview and give the interviewer(s) the feeling you are looking directly at them.
NO checking email, watching your Facebook or Twitter feed, texting, playing games, or surfing the net. You must give your full attention to the interview and interviewer.
Take your notes by hand, not on a keyboard, to avoid distracting noise in the background.
Pay close attention to the volume of your voice throughout the interview, and avoid too many nervous gestures (biting nails, playing with hair, licking your lips repeatedly, tapping or clicking pens, twirling your chair, bouncing a leg or moving your feet nervously, jingle jangle jewelry, nodding your head or saying uh-huh to everything the interviewer says, etc.). People often think of phone interviews as more casual, but the facial expressions, dress, demeanor, and use of too many ums, likes, and you knows are just as problematic here as in person.
Have a glass of water with you, as you will get nervous and your mouth dry.
SMILE!!! Interviewers want to hire happy, confident people, not grumps!

Hoping these tips help you to feel more comfortable with webcam and digital interviews!

Karen Silins is a multi-certified resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps her pulse on the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Interviews
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Keeping It Positive

March 12th, 2015

Interview Calendar Date

Common Question Asked by Jobseekers: Do you see any red flags that would prevent me from being the perfect candidate for this position?

I advise those I train in interviewing skills NOT to ask the above question. Why you might ask? Because after having what is most likely a great interview, the last thing you want to do is ask the interviewer to find something negative about you. All the positive you have just accrued in the interview goes out the door, as people will typically remember a negative aspect much longer than a positive. If the interviewer wants to know more about your skills, abilities and overall qualifications they will ask.

Categories Interviews
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Background Checks: What is really necessary?

February 26th, 2015

Employment Background Checks

While background checks of potential employees are certainly necessary, some aspects that are being used today are inappropriate. I am all for the criminal history check, verification of past employers, and when necessary a person’s driving record. However, a credit check – your FICO score and overall credit history are no business of a potential employer. From the numerous studies that have been done showing credit history has no meaning to the ability or trustworthiness of an employee, to the less than stellar economy, and privacy issues (a credit check actually borders on infringement of a person’s right to privacy and is not a business’ concern), there are a multitude of reasons your credit history is meaningless.

With one in 10 losing out on a job due to their credit score (and these are the candidate’s that were actually informed of this issue), there is a real problem. To quote a 2010 New York Times article and Jerry K. Palmer, a psychology professor at Eastern Kentucky University, “At this point we don’t have any research to show any statistical correlation between what’s in somebody’s credit report and their job performance or their likelihood to commit fraud.” The article goes on to state “Bernie Madoff had a pretty good credit score” and I am pretty sure no company would want to hire him for any position. Dr. Palmer continues to comment in the article that “he was not aware of any studies that showed a correlation between poor credit and employee fraud or violence.”

It wouldn’t be fair however if I didn’t also quote TransUnion and other credit organizations in this article as well who say “credit checks are an important security measure for companies.” Keep in mind though that credit organizations also make a lot of money from all the credit checks. These same organizations also point to the fact that many jobseekers lie on their resume – but this has nothing to do with their credit score. Candidate’s lie about whether they have a college degree, their dates of employment, and their job tasks. But, many a candidate who has lied on their resume has an excellent credit score. The resume lies and criminal history (that the candidate doesn’t disclose) should be what an organization targets, not a FICO score.

So, let’s look at the various things that could have happened to impact a candidate’s credit history (particularly in light of the economic troubles of the last eight years) and are used against jobseekers:

–Unemployment

–Underemployment

–Unexpected medical expenses

–A fail business

–Inaccurate credit information

–Cosigning for an adult child’s loan (and the child doesn’t pay it back)

–Getting behind on a mortgage (sometimes due to predatory lending)

–Divorce

–Death of a spouse

–Long term illness (you, spouse, child, parent)

–Long term care expense for an aging parent

–Lowered income and increased expenses necessitating paying bills late

–Replacing an automobile

–Large automobile repairs

–Large home repairs not covered by insurance

–College expenses

…and those are just off the top of my head.

To be judged as somehow unworthy for a position due to any of the above is ridiculous and shameful. It is also embarrassing to a candidate to have them explain credit history issues in an interview situation when in all honesty a company or individual is merely being nosy. I have had so many clients experience this over the past seven years I can’t even begin to relate the number of horror stories I have been told. Clients have been called and told they weren’t hired due to credit history, asked embarrassing questions in interviews, felt the need to pre-explain the embarrassing situation prior to being asked the questions, and been treated as some sort of second rate citizen because they had a financial issue. It is all undeserved if only in light of the recent economic climate.

I typically believe the federal government should stay out of such matters, but this is one case where a law should be passed to stop the credit checks from even happening for employment. And, don’t give me the excuse it is due to money handling – I just recently had a high level bank manager as a client. This bank manager spoke of helping a new employee become bonded who had only two-month’s prior claimed bankruptcy. As she told me, she was hardly going to judge someone based on a score and a financial issue, as the employee and her husband had both experienced nearly a year of unemployment each. The employee has turned out to be stellar and is on their way to a promotion.

Let’s reserve the background check for what it was meant to do, detect lies about criminal history and employment history, thus protecting the company and giving insight into the veracity of a candidate’s information. Spend more time interviewing people and more time talking to references, as getting a true picture of a person doesn’t come from a FICO score.

Karen Silins is a multi-certified resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps her pulse on the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Human Resources
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