Frequently Asked Questions

And Some Answers Based on 20 plus Years of Experience

• What can I do to find a job?
• What can we expect in the next quarter?
• Is this a good time to be looking for career advancement opportunity?
• Working with a recruiter-What do I need to know?
• Do I need a resume?
• A word about Drug Testing and Background Checks.
• Video Interviewing-Meeting the Challenge of Long Distance Face to Face Interviewing
• I submitted my resume but the recruiter has not called. Why?

What Can I do to find a job ?

If you review the jobs listed in this web site, you will note that each position requires a very specific set of skills, experience, and education. Companies are fighting stiff competition and the need to carefully control costs is clearly reflected in the reluctance of employers to be more flexible in the selection of personnel. The keys to successfully finding employment or making that all important career move are: 

• Clearly understanding what it is that you want to do.  Where is your real passion?
• Development of a long range plan and acquiring the education and experience you need to meet your career goals.
• Being open to geographic relocation as a necessary part of your career progression. OR
• Developing a broad range of skills applicable to more than one industry if you cannot or will not consider relocation. (Teachers, Lawyers, Doctors, etc. can often be successful without moving)
• Taking action-few jobs will come to you.  You must take charge of your career and be aggressive in your search for employment.
• Getting help from professionals.  Contact several recruitment specialists in your industry, listen to their advice, and work with them in your search.

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What can we expect in the next quarter?

We believe that the economy will continue to improve and that hiring will slowly increase at a steady pace through 2011. Our firm is optimistic about the future.  The retirement of millions of Baby Boomers, increasing demand for medical products, growing dissatisfaction with offshore production, and the resilience of the consumer are just a few of the reasons to be optimistic.

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Is this a good time to be looking for career advancement opportunity?

Yes! The economy may not be booming but we have faced more serious economic issues in the past and we know that when things turn around, there is a flood of job opportunities.  In a difficult economy, companies hire fewer people and are much more selective and careful in the process. But they do hire and many take advantage of a slow economy to target candidates with top notch skills. Individuals with strong academic, interpersonal, and technical skills will fare well.  Being prepared and open to opportunity are the keys to meeting your long term Career Plan goals.

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Working with a Recruiter-What do I need to know?

If you are looking for a new job or a new career, chances are that you will utilize the services of one or more recruiters.  Keep the following in mind and you will improve your odds of success. 

1. Recruiters are paid by employers to provide a variety of services including locating, interviewing, evaluating, referencing, and recommending candidates for hire.  The recruiter assists in arranging interviews, making travel plans, and is often the liaison between candidate and employer in negotiating salary, relocation and other details. 
2. Services provided, at no charge, to the candidate include contacting and discussing the company; clarification of job details such as duties, reporting relationships, expected salary range, performance expectations, and advancement potential; advice and counsel on interview techniques, interview scheduling and assistance in making travel plans or assisting when travel plans are unexpectedly altered.
3. When an offer is made, the Recruiter’s real value becomes clear.  It is the recruiter’s function to negotiate between the candidate and the employer-working out issues regarding salary, relocation payments, title, bonus, and start date. In addition, the recruiter often provides invaluable assistance in working through the home sale, finding new housing, dealing with movers and relocation agents, and in locating employment opportunities for a spouse.

To insure the best possible outcome do these things when working with a recruiter: 

1. Be honest.  Information you provide the recruiter must be accurate and complete if he/she is to going to effectively represent you.    
2. Recruiters must be efficient in their use of time, respect that time and return calls/emails promptly. 
3. Keep your recruiter informed of any changes you may experience that will impact any aspect of the employment process.  For example-you determine that you are not interested in a particular job or company or you cannot make a scheduled interview appointment. 
4. Ask questions!!  By asking your recruiter questions about a new job, location, company, or anything else that is a concern-you stimulate communication that leads to better understanding the positive and negative aspects of the opportunity.  The more you know, the better your ability to (1) decide if the job is of interest, (2) decide if the company is of interest, (3) decide if the location is of interest, and (4) if the timing of this decision is right for you.  No matter why you may want to find new employment, this is a life changing decision and needs to be made with as many facts as you can acquire.
5. Keep all information regarding the company and the job strictly confidential.  Do not discuss or divulge any aspect of your knowledge of or contact with the employer to anyone-particularly other recruiters but also your friends and acquaintances.  Recruiting is a competitive business and if you advertise the fact that a company is looking for people, you can bet on the word getting out quickly and other recruiters will soon be submitting as many other candidates as possible-lowering your odds of being selected and costing your recruiter valuable time and potential income. 
6. When the process is complete-it’s always nice to say “Thanks” by providing your recruiter with names and numbers of others who might benefit from professional employment counsel and representation.

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Do I need a resume?

Yes! A resume is a necessity if you want to effectively compete for a professional job opportunity. The importance of preparing a well written resume and presenting that document in an attractive format cannot be overstated. See "How to Write a Resume for guidance.

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A word about Drug Testing and Background Checks

We have discussed the fact that employers are hiring only for positions that truly must be filled and that employers are being more selective in their selection process.  We have also noted an increase in requests from clients to either include in depth background checks as part of our services or inform candidates we refer that the company will perform these checks themselves.

Nearly all of our clients are now checking the following items prior to offer or subsequent to offer with the understanding that poor references or revelation of serious legal issues will result in the offer being withdrawn:

• Companies hire professional background checking firms to check an individuals Arrest and Felony Conviction records going back at least 7 and often 10 years.  In the majority of cases, information on felony convictions dating to periods even further back surface in the process. 
• Arrests for DUI will be uncovered in the majority of routine background checks and it is common for employers to cancel a offer of employment despite the fact that an arrest is not a conviction.
• Domestic abuse records are sometimes uncovered in routine background checks and, depending on the number and disposition of cases, could lead to an offer either not being made or recended.
• Credit history and serious debt issues may be considered in the hiring decisions regarding management personnel from supervisor to CEO, and in particular for finance or accounting personnel with access to company funds.
• The majority of employers require a drug test prior to employment and many perform random drug testing once a person is employed.  If you are using illegal drugs, quit using and seek professional assistance before attempting to find work. 

    If you have reason to be concerned about your past employment, financial or legal history, we suggest that

    you make every effort to bring these issues to light before signing the documentation necessary for

    employers to make these inquiries. Hiding or attempting to hide damaging information will result in a

    poor outcome.  Taking the time to present your side of the story may or may not make a difference, but it

    most certainly improves your odds of landing the job.

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Video Interviewing - Meeting the Challenge

Video Interviewing-Meeting the Challenge of Long Distance, Face to Face Interviewing

It is no secret that technology has changed the what and how of almost everything we do.   The internet and computers made it possible to learn about jobs and submit a resume in just a few minutes where just a few years ago it took days to produce a resume and snail-mail that document to the potential employer. Until recently, however, the interview part of the process generally involved a telephone interview followed by a face to face interview.

That’s changing and it’s changing quickly.  The explosion of You Tube Videos, I-phone Face Time, teleconferencing and Skype technologies has created the newest thing in interviewing-live interviews via computer.   Given the increased costs associated with interviewing a candidate in person and the simple convenience of teleconferencing, the technologies will continue to improve and this type interview will soon become a standard procedure.

Video interviewing is here and we need to rethink how we present ourselves using this “new” technology.

I have made hundreds of presentations to large and small groups, conducted thousands of interviews-both in-person and via telephone, and have had just enough experience in front of a video camera to know that being myself and presenting material in an effective manner on camera is more difficult than either a phone interview or a personal interview.

But, with a little knowledge and practice, mastering the art of presenting yourself in a video interview is an achievable goal.  Here’s how: 

1. Stay Calm.  Skype and other telecommunications systems are not yet perfected and tend to be a bit slow.  Big gestures that convey personal energy in person are jarring and distracting on camera.  Stay centered, speak slowly, and avoid rapid movement.
2. Stay back from the camera.  Aim for a view that includes the upper half of your body.  Getting too close to the camera distorts facial features and can be distracting.
3. Dress as if you were being interviewed in person.  I know I sound old fashioned, but the reasons why the suit and tie look has value in a personal interview are exactly the same in a video interview.
4. Speak UP-raise the volume.  Don’t get carried away but most microphones and the nature of current technology tend to muffle voices.   
5. Don’t stare into the camera. Act as though the interview is a conversation and everyone is in the same room.  Maintain eye contact and strive to project a sense of excitement, involvement, and interest.  Ask questions, interact with those you are speaking with and convey via your demeanor that you are comfortable and interested in their company and opportunity.
6. Take a cue from professional speakers.  Pause before answering questions-you can compose your response AND the pause creates the image of a calm and confident person.
7. Smile. Nothing you can do will have more impact that simply smiling.  Who wants to interview a grouch.

The rest of the rules of interviewing apply (See Interviewing Skills on my web site). Don't talk compensation or benefits at this point in the process.  Do ask questions, cite specific examples of your success, admit to failures, brag (a little) about success, and ask for a live interview before ending the call.

I have dreaded the web cam and teleconferencing becoming part of the interview process.  I have enjoyed the anonymity of the old fashioned phone call and will never be completely comfortable in front of the camera.

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I submitted my resume but my recruiter has not called.  Why?

You submitted your resume to a recruiter for a job that you believe is a fit for your skills and interests, but the recruiter has not called or contacted you and you want to know why. 

This is probably the most common question asked by candidates.  There are many possible reasons why the recruiter has not called and I will discuss some of those reasons in this post. 

Let’s first make an important point.  Recruiters want to place candidates and will do all that they can to make that happen because that’s their business.  You are important to the recruiter and if, for whatever reason, your resume is not a fit for one position there is a good chance that it may fit another position that may become available at any time.

A second point to keep in mind is that the recruiter is acting as a broker, working for both the client company and the candidate.  It is the client company that produces the job description, determines what they require from candidates, and makes decisions about which candidate resumes meet those requirements.  The recruiter is responsible for carefully and professionally evaluating potential candidates, selecting those resumes meeting the customer’s requirements, and making candidate presentations based on the recruiter’s best judgment. 

So why have you not heard from your recruiter?  Here are a few reasons…

Companies often contact recruiters and ask for help in recruiting, provide all the necessary data, sign search contracts, and start reviewing resumes only to suddenly decide to put the job on hold because of a management change, a sudden sales decline, or for any of dozens of other reasons.  Few people enjoy being involved in on again, off again situations like these and it’s frustrating for everyone-often including the hiring managers. 

Often, during the course of an active search, customers change their minds as to what it is that they seek in a candidate.  Sometimes that’s because hiring officials experience an epiphany about how to structure their open position and what the requirements should be based on what they learn from resumes of prospective candidates.  Other times, events within the company lead to changes in the requirements or the job description.  One day they want a Master’s Degree and the next they decide that a Bachelor’s is fine.  Titles, Salary Ranges, and even Locations can change.  There is no science in the job description and there is nothing in the job description that is not subject to a wide range of influences over the course of the search.  

Sometimes the job description is so specific and the selection process so rigid that candidates with anything less than 100% of the skills, education, experience, and other factors required are rejected. 

There are times when, for no apparent reason, hiring managers and others involved in a search can be incredibly slow or simply stop responding to calls and emails from the recruiter.   When this happens, there is no other option than to wait for the client to respond.  If we don’t have a response, we can’t give you one.

Bottom line, there are lots of reasons why recruiters don’t respond to candidates.  We regret these events and want you to know how much we really want to help you.  There are many things we cannot control but finding and placing people that can solve problems for our clients is the way our business prospers. 

We sincerely thank you for your understanding and continued cooperation.

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