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The New Candidate Profiles and Their Impact on Your Job Search or Business

November 24th, 2020

How many times have you heard the statement to be careful what you post online? Well, it turns out that companies are exploiting information they can access in the public domain about job candidates, including those posts you wish you had never made. Whether full-time, part-time, contract or temporary worker, a company may wish to know just as much about an entrepreneur contracting with them for a month, as they do about a full-time employee. While there’s a bevy of software available to scan resumes for keywords, more-and-more, organizations are seeking to create a full-fledged profile on their candidates. Is it creepy and Big Brother-esque? Yes, but an unfortunate reality the Internet has facilitated.

What information are they targeting? Old and new resumes, blogs, and social media profiles, including those posts you so often believe are private (they aren’t), certifications, licensing, professional development, academic histories and degrees, military service, awards, presentations, and papers, just to name a few.

While this offers a broader perspective on a potential new hire, the profile they develop on you can be polar opposite of what you are attempting to convey on your resume and in the interview. Hence, why what you post matters, and why those old YouTube videos of you, particularly the live videos that tend to be less than flattering, need to go. From throwing your computer out the window during a temper tantrum, doing live makeup applications with friends in high school and college, and nearly crippling yourself doing wild skateboard jumps, to smoking pot on camera, all can eliminate you from consideration for a job. Any job! Not to mention get you featured on the show Ridiculousness. Certainly, you may have been intending to garner this attention at the time – but let it go for the sake of your career!

Ask yourself: should the company believe your resume and interview, or the comprehensive profile they developed containing contradictory information? Make them ask that question and we can guess what will happen. Ultimately, I see this technology impacting any aspect of a career, from job search to promotion, entrepreneurs, and for college admissions.

So, what can we do to stop past poor decisions from haunting us? My advice to clients is to go through their social media and to Google themselves to see what else comes up that they have forgotten about over time. First up – scrape all social media, videos, and blogs and get rid of nasty comments (particularly you fighting with others online, and political and religious insults and articles). Be sure to go back to the beginning and clean up your posts. This isn’t about stating you love a particular political candidate or God, but the negative comments and articles that cause issue. Why should a company hire someone they believe will come and start political arguments or push religion or non-religion on others? Trust me, they won’t!

Next, get rid of excessive cussing in posts, videos, and blogs, look through your pictures and delete most of those with you drinking alcohol (a little bit is okay, but some people are way too “thirsty” in all their pictures) and definitely all of them where you are doing drugs – I shouldn’t have to say why. The fights you get into on social media with others need to go to, and so do all those personal posts on health issues and family problems. Then find the “friends and family” that continually do the same and unfriend them. But Karen, you say, I can’t unfriend my Mom, best friend, or anyone to whom I am connected. Actually, you can, and my clients regularly do so with just a small explanation about how it can hurt their job search. If these people truly care about you, they will understand. Find the old profiles that you haven’t deleted, old resumes posted on Monster, CareerBuilder, etc., and delete, delete, delete.

Blessedly, once something is deleted, it will be increasingly harder to find. My clients have seen a job search or career revitalized after ridding their social media of questionable content, negative political and religious opinions, and old profiles they forgot existed. The impact of having a positive overall profile cannot be underestimated with so many companies doing a “deep dive” on candidates.

I realize the temptation that exists to share this information, but do so privately with friends and family in conversation to avoid having it online where it can come back and hurt you. Lastly, always take 24-hours before responding to an email (those can also get shared out on the Internet), post, video, etc., to ensure you have a calmer viewpoint with more context, which often will make you hit the delete button. Purge the negative from your overall “public” profile, and watch your career grow and your job search reinvigorated!

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 Management, Human Resources, Interviews, Job Search, Life Coaching, Personal Branding
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Getting Constant Rejections in Your Job Search?

October 24th, 2020

Assumptions that individuals make during a job search, particularly when it comes to rejections, are rarely true. We second guess ourselves because of perceived failure. Below, I offer a more accurate assessment of what is often occurring, and a few tips to overcome it when the issue is one you can rectify.

1) The organization interviews candidates but doesn’t hire anyone because they are too cheap to pay the going rate. Magically, days later, they re-advertise the same job with a new title at a lesser pay rate.

2) They already knew who they wanted. Job ad and interviews were for show and to meet Federal hiring requirements.

3) They are looking for a unicorn. Remember, unicorns (also called Purple Squirrels) don’t exist, and they couldn’t afford the salary if they found one.

4) The job never existed (trying to look good to the competition or testing the talent pool), or the requisition was pulled during interviews due to budgetary concerns (so it no longer exists).

5) Expectations on length of job search may be unrealistic. An average job search prior to COVID lasted approximately 23 weeks, and even now, despite increased hiring, is still 21 weeks. Those numbers are direct from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) A-12 Table. Additionally, current Total Unemployment according to BLS U6 Table is at 12.3% for September 2020 (that is the genuine number looking for work and unemployed, and not just those on unemployment benefits).

Many a client or potential client comes to me expecting a one-month job search, and as you can see, that isn’t typical. Putting an irrational “target date” on your job search is a guaranteed recipe for disappointment and creates undue stress.

6) Applying for any and every job that looks good, instead of a focused job search on one to three job types/careers. Determine the one to three careers you truly want and have the skills to pursue. Create a tailored resume and cover letter for each career (tweaking for every application). Stick to them for success.

7) Not dressing appropriately for the interview. Nice blouse, or shirt and tie, and please, put on real pants for video! We haven’t moved to a “casual everything environment” and jobseekers are still expected to dress appropriately, whether a video or in-person interview.

8) Poor camera and sound quality or utilizing a questionable background for video interviews. Test your sound and camera quality with a friend prior to that first interview. Also, it should go without saying that pictures of pot leaves, pot plants, political figures or slogans, smarmy or inappropriate sayings, liquor and beer bottles littering the area, too many religious items, Star Wars (sorry collectors) and Barbie items, etc., will ensure you won’t be invited back. Keep it simple, keep it professional, and see a good result. Don’t forget to look at the camera during the interview, not the screen!

9) Have a nervous “tick or tell” that happens when you are interviewed? Do a mock interview with a friend in HR or use an interview coach. Either party should offer constructive feedback that includes tips to mitigate the issue(s).

10) Offering negative answers to questions, especially when it comes to current or past employers/bosses. Try running your answer by friends who are hiring managers or in HR, to ensure you aren’t torpedoing yourself without realizing it.

11) You played the one-page game. Most resumes are actually two, sometimes three pages, depending on the experience. Tell a story with your bullet points, education, adjunct information, etc., of success in your career. Employ the necessary keywords and key phrases throughout your experience and supplemental detail.

12) Your social media is a hot mess. All that info to get rid of in a video background on my #8 applies to your social media. It isn’t private, they are checking, and it will cost you the job.

Things you can do to help yourself:

–Remember that your length of job search in no way reflects the value you have or will provide to an organization.

–While your job search may be taking longer than expected, it doesn’t mean that you are unemployable. Understanding that it takes several months for most people to get a new job, should give you comfort in knowing you are not alone.

–Stay away from negative friends, family and acquaintances who are judging your job search. The irony of their judgment frequently becomes clear during their next job search. If you can’t fully avoid the person, limit your exposure. (See my article “Give Jobseekers Your Support, Not Your Judgment” on LinkedIn.

–You can, when necessary, take a less than desirable job to have income. Do not allow that situation to end your job search. You have merely taken a Stop-Gap Job to meet financial needs, and this does not have to be a permanent relationship. Keep on searching!

Sometimes a job search takes longer than we anticipate or want. Never allow expectations to get in the way of your search, as they create frustrations and impede your progress. New jobs are advertised daily, so don’t permit current disappointment to keep you from applying and networking your way to your next job. Never give up, never surrender!

Categories Career Coaching, Interviews, Job Search, Networking, Personal Branding, Resume Writing
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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 Ghost is not in the Machine, it’s in the Hiring Process!

August 29th, 2016

The term Ghosting has become quite popular, and a common term now utilized throughout the dating world. Even The Business Insider defines it as “the act of cutting off all contact with someone you’re romantically involved with, without offering an explanation.” Unfortunately, this term is now bandied about in describing the behavior of a company or recruitment firm that interviews a candidate and then never contacts them back about the outcome.

The job of hiring is difficult and takes a great deal of time and energy by those involved, but so does the job search. Imagine being out of a job for several months, applying to potentially hundreds of jobs, and getting few interviews. However, you are excited about those interviews you do receive, that is, until there is no follow up, no call, no letter, and ultimately no response of any kind. How would you feel?

There is never, never, an excuse for ignoring candidates and just leaving them hanging, refusing to call them back. There is also no excuse for the following: “if we decide to interview you, we will call you.” What has happened to civility in the job hunt? Recruiters, headhunters, HR, hiring managers, or whoever it is doing the hiring or contacting of candidates has a lot of explaining to do. You simply won’t, or are too lazy, to get back with those you have interviewed. We aren’t talking about the Applicant Tracking System and the lack of response there (don’t even get me started on that subject), but we are talking about the common courtesy you should show candidates YOU called for phone interviews, or better yet, interviewed in person.

While I understand it can be awkward to tell jobseekers they weren’t selected for a position, you still owe them a call. They care greatly, and deserve to be notified of the outcome. However, you choose to leave them hanging, not returning calls, and are, should I say it, rude, if they do happen to catch up to you via phone. You started this journey – you advertised the job, they spent an hour or more on your system applying for it, you phoned them, you interviewed them, it is your job to get back with them and give them closure!

How about we come up with an easy way to give people the unpleasant news? This doesn’t mean they are going to like being told no, but the candidate will surely appreciate the gesture of a call. Here is just one example that can leave a very positive impression:

“We really enjoyed getting to know you, and wanted to get back with you as soon as possible. We had a candidate with more of the particular experience we needed, and while you weren’t selected for this position, you should definitely apply in the future for other positions with our organization. Thank you so much for your interest in our company.”

Short, sweet, tells them someone else has been hired, encourages them to keep applying. This person will now go and say nice things about your company, and your follow up skills.

Ghost them instead, and they will most likely no longer apply for any job at your company, and will gladly spread the word about how you treated them. This is the case with three of my clients within the last month who were promised a call back about the next steps within days (not weeks). Every one of them had the experience of being called, being brought in for an interview or extensively interviewed over the phone recently, and then nothing, just silence. Each followed up, and each received no response. This didn’t happen over a two day period, this is over the last month.

I then hear a lot of my recruitment and HR colleagues saying they don’t understand why jobseekers say bad things about their company online. However, you are making it more difficult for you and your company when the candidates are treated as if they aren’t important enough for a short phone call.

Yes, sometimes the candidate wants to hear why they didn’t get hired in more detail. Just tell them the other person had more experience and don’t get into the subject of what they can do better unless you are a retained or contingency recruiter advising them for a future, potential position. Let the jobseeker know again that you are encouraging them to continue to apply for jobs of interest, and wish them great success.

Leaving people hanging is just impolite. Help a candidate out and give them a call to tell them yes or no, or keep them updated on the process when it takes longer than expected – it will make you feel better, and help them to move on.

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 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, Job Search
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The New Hiring Paradigm

May 20th, 2016

Karen Silins for Udacity

05/20/16

Hiring hasn’t changed as much as we would like think in the last decade. Yes, we now have Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and LinkedIn, but the thought process behind HOW we hire needs some reassessment. The recipe was simple for such a long period of time; graduate from high school and go to college, university, technical school, or get a job and work your way up. Human Resources and Hiring Managers would evaluate you on aspects of traditional education, work experience and perceived skill-set.

However, traditional education has become cost prohibitive, companies often cut training and development budgets or eliminate that option altogether, and people change jobs frequently sometimes leading to a jack-of-all trades and master of none skill-set. Even with online degree options, four-month certificate programs and a great deal of free online training available, quality remains an issue and organizations are hesitant to hire without “proof” of ability.

Udacity is filling the void and ensuring verification of student proficiency in the most in-demand tech skills, which means companies must rethink how they hire. From curriculum’s designed by industry leaders such as Facebook and Google to rigorously reviewed projects, students are vetted for mastery of the skills they will need to excel in tech roles. The new frontier of education is satisfying a demand for affordability, shorter timelines, and meaningful instruction. Hiring professionals must reconsider the need for individuals with specific four-year degrees who often lack internships or real-experience, and recognize that candidates are different today.

The non-traditional candidate is now the traditional candidate. Career changes are the norm, and the days of pursuing a given career path and staying there for 45 years has gone the way of the Dodo. Most candidates will have more than one career (three to nine typically), various training, and may or may not have a degree (70% of the population lacks a four-year degree according to Census Bureau). The last point, the degree, should not keep someone from getting a job in the majority of career choices, if they can prove they have the requisite experience.

So, what is a hiring professional to do? Start assessing real ability through demonstration of skills and demanding portfolios of work (proof of ability) when warranted. Look at the whole picture, the total career, not just their last job or if they have a four-year degree. Spend time with interviewees, fully research them ahead of the interview, and ask questions that demand evidence of experience, not just the questions the ATS gives you. Look for the number one thing you want – a problem solver. Each employee solves a problem, whether it is better customer service, technical prowess, selling a product, educating others, or improving processes. Do your due diligence, consider out-of-box candidates, like those from Udacity who are non-traditional, go after problem solvers, and ask great questions, then watch your talent pool flourish.

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, blogging, 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, Job Search
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