Guess which (ahem!) ever-so-slightly successful entrepreneur is quoted here? None other than Microsoft founder Bill Gates.  I love to hear what the experts have to say about success – and this quote illustrates the importance Mr. Gates puts on building strong partnerships with the key players who contribute to your ongoing business growth.

Your staffing firm should be at or near the top of that list. The relationship between a company and its recruitment firm can be complex and even stressful at times. But above all else, it has to be a partnership, based on mutual cooperation, respect and – last but not least- trust.

Keep an Open Door and an Open Mind

The key to empowering your staffing firm to find the best candidates for you is to be honest and open with your recruiters. By freely dispersing information to them, you’ll enable them to do a better, more efficient and effective job of building your team.  By contrast, if you’re short with them, hold back key facts or treat them as anything less than a true partner, you’ll only be hurting your organization in the long run.

Build Your Staffing Partnership

True, your staffing firm is a vendor to whom you outsource work, versus an actual part of your corporate structure. And while outsourcing providers don’t have carte blanche access to whatever they may want to know about your organization, they do represent you. And it goes without saying that your staffing firm typically is the first point of contact between you and potential new employees. So approach this relationship thoughtfully and strategically.  Remember, when all is said and done, it’s about getting results. Like any important life relationship, take good care of the partnership you establish with your staffing firm. Remember:

• When working with the right staffing firm, you build productivity and efficiency. Industry-leading recruitment firms have broad networking bases, excellent subject matter experts, and the skills and contacts needed to make the perfect client/candidate match.
• To do the best possible job, your staffing firm needs in-depth knowledge and background about your company, your industry, your culture, and the positions they are charged to fill.
• Potential new hires don’t differentiate between your organization and your staffing firm. In their eyes, your recruiter is your company. This is the most important reason to nurture and continuously build that relationship.

A good recruiter takes ownership in your plans and your vision and is, in essence, your ambassador. Because what’s more important than representing you in the job candidate marketplace?  Contact Select Group today for more tips on selecting and working with a recruitment firm. Because your success really is based on partnerships – right from the start.

Now, put yourself in your employer’s shoes and consider this question. If he or she had to pick only the employees that were absolutely necessary to the company, would you be on that list? If not, how could you change your status to be among the really great ones?

Be a Value-Added Employee

The more you meet – and exceed – your employer’s needs, the more likely you are to secure your place on the company’s Really Great List. Your goal is to add value to your organization. In the words of business philosopher Jim Rohn, “you don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to that hour.”

Value-added employees:

• Look for more to do and ways to improve their job and their company. Consider how you can contribute to making your business more profitable, more efficient and more competitive.
• Continually seek learning opportunities. Learn more than what’s required to do your job. Read all you can, talk to experts, and master all the knowledge possible about your industry and innovations in your field. Stay current and become the most sought-after subject-matter expert in your area.
• Anticipate problems and solutions before they arise. Be ready with answers when the time comes, to avoid stressful situations and stand out as a team player and a leader.
• Support and care about others and give credit where due. While taking steps toward your own achievements and success, help others reach their goals as well.
• Volunteer for additional responsibilities. Chair or play an active role on task forces, committees and other initiatives to help your company improve.
• Be amiable and mature. Don’t let petty quarrels or personality differences get in the way of work.
• Be a good ambassador. Never talk poorly about your company, no matter how quirky things may seem or how rough a day you’ve had. Instead, channel that emotion into making a positive change.

Listen to Your Coach

A qualified career coach can help you take the steps you need to achieve career greatness. A career coach will be objective as he or she listens to you, assesses your situation, and offers expert advice, training and support. Whether you’re new to the job market or an experienced veteran, a Select Group career coach can help you build your career-transition strategy. Contact us today for a free consultation!

So, what’s a job seeker to do?

In today’s market, the competition is fierce and employers are looking for the ideal candidate, often from a very large pool of contenders. You need to draw a picture of that candidate – and then insert yourself into that picture.

Do You Really, Truly Want the Job?

If you really want to be the ideal candidate, it means you have sincere passion for the job. If you don’t, the interviewer will pick this up early on in your conversation. Hiring managers and recruiters are trained to gauge candidates’ interest levels. So the first step in becoming the ideal candidate is deciding whether or not you want to fill that role.

• Will you like the job? Do you like the company and the industry?  Doing the most thorough research possible will help you make this key decision.
• Describe the ideal candidate to yourself. Don’t force yourself into this role, but use it as a reference point to help you understand the qualities needed to capture the recruiter’s attention and ultimately land the job.

Be Prepared

Once you’ve made the decision to go ahead, structure your own experience, characteristics and skills to fit the needs of the employer. These tips will help:

• Research the job and the company. Potential employers consider this a reflection of your interest, intelligence and commitment.
• Get some related experience. Include this on your resume and in your conversation with recruiters. Remember, this is not limited to paid job experience.  It can also include internships, volunteer work and personal experience.
• Prepare your talking points. Think about what you want to convey to a recruiter, and write it down in the form of bullet points. Highlight three or four of your top accomplishments or other credentials for the job. Interviewing can be nerve wracking, so it’s helpful to be able to come back to your prepared talking points.
• Role play. Practice makes perfect. Anticipate the questions a recruiter may ask and rehearse your responses.
• Prepare your own list of thoughtful, well-researched questions. In addition to providing you with valuable information, this shows you’ve done your homework and have a genuine interest in the job.
• Dress and act professionally.
• Smile! Be courteous and confident. Skills can be learned on the job, but your personality is yours alone, and it can be a deal breaker. Make it work for you!

Last but not least, make sure your online presence backs you up and be sure that your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date. And contact Select Group today so we can help you become the ideal job candidate!

Yikes! What Next?

If it’s not too late, take advantage of on-campus interviews. When corporations travel to colleges and universities to seek out talent, they mean business. I can say from first-hand experience that connecting with a campus recruiter is a great first step on your career pathway. That’s how I landed my first job after graduation.

On the Web

There are a number of helpful websites and resources you can turn to as you enter the job market. These include:

• CollegeGrad.com. This site offers a variety of internship and entry-level job search resources. You can browse by industry or location. Another nice feature is a financial help center. I recently went to the site and clicked on the job “PR manager.” I was given a list of typical job responsibilities, as well as a “day-in-the-life-of” list that gave me a better feel for what it might be like to have that job. You also get lists of educational requirements, a look at the overall hiring outlook for various industries and positions, and salary ranges. The site also offers tips for those who have gotten job offers and need to seal the deal.
• One Day One Job.com. You can search for positions by location or field, and a career overview guide includes such lists as the best geographic areas to find a job in your chosen field. Other features include the pros and cons of a particular position (for instance, “as a PR manager, you’re always on call.”) One Day One Job also offers lists of resources including books, blogs and web sites to assist you. And, you can find career opportunities related to the position you’re seeking, which otherwise may not have crossed your mind. (For “PR manager,” I found “writing, marketing, social media, editing, blogging” and “communications.”)
• CollegeRecruiter.com. On this site, you’ll find informational articles and employer spotlights. In addition to searching for positions by keywords such as company name and location, you’ll find information on scholarships, loans, military careers and even health insurance.
• CoolWorks.com. As its catchy name implies, CoolWorks.com specializes in seasonal jobs, but also includes year-round opportunities at national parks, ski resorts, camps, ranches, theme parks and the like. The site’s job map lets you search globally for the perfect fit for you.

Get a Jump on the Competition  

In this difficult job market, don’t rule out taking a contracting position.  A successful six-month stint at a top tier firm in your geographic region (even if the pay is lower than you expected) gains you tremendous status.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  You will demonstrate that you can show up for work, perform assigned tasks and work well with your manager and peers.  Ask for a letter of recommendation when the project is finished.   Suddenly you are no longer in the “no work experience” category and all the associated risks an employer takes without a proven track record are vanquished.  Finally, many of these positions can turn into full time positions when the economy turns around.

Generally, when a company hires a staffing firm, the target is candidates with at least two years’ experience. But you can get a head start by sending your resume to the Select Group now. Then you’ll be in our candidate bank and we can touch base as your plans move forward. I look forward to the opportunity to help you find your first position out of college. Contact us today so we can help jump start your career!

Though the best candidate for the job may be either internal or external, chances are that your talent pool is a good place to start the recruitment process. Research published by the American Management Association has shown that 25 percent of middle-management positions filled by external hires have double the turnover rate of those filled internally.

Hire for the Future

Recruiting is an ongoing process, not a one-shot panacea. With that in mind, it’s critical that you build your talent pipeline with an eye on the future. Be proactive about building your bench strength and keep these premises in mind:

• Have a clear picture of the skills your associates need, and hire for both the short and long term with this in mind.
• Make sure your talent pool supports your business strategy and mirrors your organizational needs.
• As your business changes, so will your talent requirements, so plan to reassess your pool on a regular basis.
• Make talent management part of your business culture. Educate managers of others to “think talent” as they nurture and develop their teams. (As an added benefit, this also helps your managers with their self-development goals.)
• Develop and promote high-potential talent. These are the associates who take initiative, welcome new responsibilities and are consistently engaged. They’re the associates who want to be leaders.

Staffing Efficiency

What it all comes down to is building the best team, including your starting lineup of current associates and those on deck – skilled, confident and ready to step up to the plate when needed. Your recruiter is your partner as you make this happen, while keeping overall costs per hire to an efficient and effective low. Make sure communication with your recruiter is ongoing and open, in order to keep your staffing plan consistent with your business plan and budget.

Select Group can be that partner. We’ll connect you to the right talent – for today and for tomorrow. We make it our mission to know your business and your talent needs, and to match you with candidates who will support your success for the long term. Contact us today to learn more!

Career Matchmaking

When applying for a position, you may be inclined to turn to company websites. Not a bad idea, but to help ensure that you take the right first steps to cementing the best possible match, be aware of the pros and cons involved.

• When you send your resume via a company’s career portal, it could be swallowed up in a “black hole” where it may not be seen for a long time, if at all. It’s not unusual for employers to receive several hundred resumes in response to a single job opening.  And although your resume may be the best of the best, you still run the risk of it getting “lost in space.”
• Most HR departments are overwhelmed and understaffed, making it even less likely that your web-based application will be reviewed as soon as you’d like it to be (which was yesterday, right?). And more often than not, the first reviewer will likely be a junior staffer who is new to the industry.  Wouldn’t you rather have an experienced talent specialist be the first to see that resume that you worked how many hours on?
• When searching for open positions, use the feature “see other positions similar to this one” (most job boards provide this search aid to job seekers).  If you see the same job, or a similar sounding job and it is being advertised by a third party agency, contact them first.  Interview the agent; see what they know about the position.  How many recommendations do they have on Linkedin?  What are other candidates saying about them?
• Once a position has been given to an agency, the employer has already decided that they don’t have the time or resources to fill it themselves.  They are under pressure to “fill the position” as they’ve been assigned new openings that they must recruit for without agencies.  They depend on their vendors to provide a steady supply of high-quality, fully vetted candidates.

It Takes a Team

Company websites can be an excellent media for learning about potential employers. But along with resources provided by companies and organizations, you can benefit from a professional staffing firm with a proven track record.  The benefits of having a pro staffing team behind you include:

• A better understanding of any hidden requirements for a position.
• A working relationship with companies’ hiring managers and cultures.
• Real-time knowledge of the job market and changing business trends.
• The expertise to guide you when it comes to your resume, getting your foot in the door, interviewing, and negotiating the best wage and benefits package.
• Constructive feedback on how to make your job search more productive, effective and successful.

Working with an established staffing firm gives you access to their extensive network of contacts and provides the reliable source you need to learn about prospective employers and whether or not they’re right for you – before you make direct contact with them.

Your staffing team can match your unique skill set with the right employer, acting as your liaison to a whole new team of your own.  Learn more by contacting the recruiting experts at Select Group today!

With more than 8.5 million professionals in 130 industries – including all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies – represented, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for making contacts, networking and developing business relationships for the long term. Your profile works like an online resume, with the added benefit of connections to your blog, website, videos and other resources.

From a professional standpoint, it’s a good idea to be LinkedIn, but it needs to be done right and it needs to be just that – professional.

A Professional Snapshot of You

When creating your profile, keep in mind that nearly half of LinkedIn members are decision makers at their companies. They’re people you want to impress. And the old saying really does hold true: First impressions matter! As you paint your own LinkedIn self-portrait, keep these tips in mind:

• Members will use the LinkedIn search feature to find the people they’re looking for. So use key phrases, starting with the one or two words that you want to be known by, for instance, “business analysis expert” or “experienced risk manager.”
• Use short, catchy sentences and paragraphs. Make sure they are well written and typo free. Throughout your profile, your goal is to keep the reader engaged.
• Don’t include any information that you wouldn’t want made public. There’s no such thing as “off the record” when it comes to LinkedIn.
• When writing your title and summary or describing your experience, education and additional information, include only what’s pertinent to your current career goal. A steady job history is a plus, but prospective employers probably don’t need to know what an awesome job you did working that summer job when you were 15. (Unless you’re 16, of course!)
• A photo helps solidify your profile, so make it a good one. Model your photo after those in established business periodicals and magazines. Dress professionally and avoid looking dated, fatigued or frumpy. And please, save those beach vacation shots and close-ups with the family pets for Facebook.

Make It Work for You

Clearly, LinkedIn can be a critical component in your career tool kit. Forbes recently called LinkedIn “the most advantageous social networking tool available to job seekers and business professionals today.” Building the best, most effective tools – including LinkedIn – may seem daunting, but it’s well worth the return on investment. To learn more, contact Select Group and let our recruiting experts be your guide!

Match the Job to Your Current Lifestyle

You’re going to find out over the length of your career that what you want in life and work changes according to your priorities. So while you might start out wanting a career opportunity that allows you to travel the world, maintain odd work hours, and move to new locales, eventually you may want to buy a home, start a family, and set down roots.

As you consider each job offer, don’t forget to consider where you are in your lifecycle as well as how the demands of your career affect the choices you make.

Consider What the Company Has to Offer

It’s important to be a bit selfish when you look at a job. Factors such as culture, compensation, and growth opportunities can influence whether a position is right for you.

One of the critical elements of making a good job match is the work environment. This includes:

• Company culture. Think of this as the personality of the organization. Is it creative, conservative, family-oriented, or something else? Consider how this matches with your current needs and the type of environment that you work best in.
• Workdays and hours. If you don’t want to be wired 24/7, ask what days and hours you are required to work as well as what days and hours employees actually work.
• Physical location. Not only should you consider your commuting distance, look at your surroundings. Will you be working in a cold, impersonal building that’s 45 minutes away or right down the hall in your cozy home office?
• Co-workers. If you don’t enjoy working with your colleagues – this includes your supervisor – it will be tough facing them each day and working together on team projects.

Additionally, while salary is important, it’s not the only factor. Consider the benefits package as well as other perks, like a signing bonus and the opportunity either to grow within the organization or to learn a new skill you can take with you when you leave.

Ask Yourself What You Can Contribute

Finally, the right job offer provides you with an opportunity to utilize your skills and stretch yourself. It needs to challenge, stimulate, and motivate you. If you don’t feel needed, that you are fully utilizing your knowledge and skills, and that there is something more for you to learn, you’ll quickly become bored and unhappy.

The right job offer should offer more than money. It needs to be a complete opportunity. We can help you define what you want and match that to a great new position. To find out more, give the experts at SelectGroup a call today!

These are exactly the types of experiences that potential employers are hoping to unearth. After all, their purpose for interviewing candidates is to determine who brings the right type of work experience, skills, and abilities to the job. Asking situational interview questions can help employers find out how you’ve performed in the past and, therefore, are likely to perform in the future.

Understanding the Role of Situational Interview Questions

Situational interview questions offer interviewers insight into how you respond in specific work situations – those you have already encountered and those you may face in the new job.

They enable you to draw from your previous work experience to show how you adapt to real-life, on-the-job situations. This allows an employer to gain a better understanding of how you handle pressure, use your problem-solving skills, prioritize your responsibilities, work with teammates, and demonstrate other behaviors important to successful job performance.

Ultimately, by asking situational interview questions, an employer gains a better understanding of whether or not your work style fits with the company’s corporate culture and work environment.

Getting to the Heart of the Situation

Preparing for situational interview questions is no easy task. Unlike skills, experience, and accomplishments that you can easily list on a resume, responding to questions that require you to describe your performance when confronted with specific situations requires more effort.

Situational interview questions are challenging because of the number of circumstances that might occur. However, you can make it easier on yourself by:

• Having a solid knowledge of your own work history and career accomplishments
• Requesting a copy of the job description in advance and jotting down specific examples of how your experience and skills apply
• Practicing a three-step approach to your response: explain a situation, the outcome, and the measurable results

Formulating an intelligent and articulate response takes practice. Give yourself time and think it through before you answer.

Favorite Situational Interview Questions

It is likely, you’ve heard a wide variety of interview questions throughout your career. Hiring managers and recruiters who interview on a regular basis generally develop a list of favorites. Here are a few situational interview questions that you might encounter.

What has been your toughest career challenge and how did you work through it? Choose something that reflects positively on you such as completing your college education, working out a relationship with a difficult co-worker, or completing a project on a shoestring budget.

What was the outcome of the last new idea or concept you introduced? Here’s your chance to shine and to display your innovative side by describing how the company implemented one of your suggestions or recommendations.

What would you do about changes midway through a project? Demonstrate your flexibility and adaptability by drawing upon an experience you’ve had dealing with unexpected change, such as a shortened deadline, change of venue, or reduced budget.

Responding to situational interview questions doesn’t have to be a mind-numbing ordeal. Not if you have the guidance of a professional. Let Select Group steer you through the pitfalls of job interviewing!

Career coaches do the same thing for job seekers. They show them how to fine-tune their professional image, become better interviewees, and unlock their true career potential, so they can climb to the top of the career ladder.

How You Can Benefit from Having a Career Coach

Right now, you may be wondering what a career coach can offer you. You might not see that having a career coach has benefits.

Imagine having someone listen to your dreams, your aspirations, and your frustrations, but then take that information and through a series of exercises and powerful clarifying questions, support you in:

• Creating a vision for your career; typically this is a long-term, twelve-month vision
• Creating a series of short-term goals that support your longer-term vision that are specific, realistic and measurable – a blueprint or roadmap
• Identifying the obstacles/habits/excuses for why you haven’t achieved those goals before
• Holding you accountable for your results and carefully supporting you to understand what habit or behaviors need to be modified if you get off track
• Claiming your unique gifts; too often we minimize our natural traits rather than seeking opportunities where they naturally flourish
• Celebrating your accomplishments – it is so hard for many of us to take a moment to boast about our successes, yet some part of ourselves is seeking this vital, self-nourishment

These answers, insights and much more are all already inside of you and are bursting to come out, be examined, discussed, thought through and put on paper.  In our busy lives, we just don’t take the time to really examine ourselves and understand our true purpose in our professional lives.  The support of a career coach will provide that clarity and structure.

A trained career coach is an objective observer and a dedicated listener who will challenge you to work hard, even when it’s tough. Together you will develop your career plan and select the tools you need for career success.

With the right career coach, you can:

• Clarify your current job situation as well as your future career goals
• Develop new perspectives along with an improved outlook
• Increase your sense of well-being by conquering any fear, anxiety, or uncertainty
• Learn how to leverage your strengths and overcome obstacles to gain a competitive advantage
• Improve work performance and obtain better work results through positive thinking
• Fine-tune your job-related skills

Choosing to use a career coach means you realize that you’re stuck and you need someone to help pull you out – of a slow-moving job, a non-existent career path, or a professional rut.

Finding the Best Career Coach for Your Situation

Coaching is about maximizing your performance and helping you to learn how to succeed on your own. The right career coach – that someone who will have a major impact on you – is the person that fits comfortably into your life.

One of my most important experiences was training and becoming an Integrative Coach. It was the perfect form of coaching for my clients and me. Your goal needs to be to find what method and what coach works best for you.   Most Career coaches have books they have authored, blogs they have written or have been trained by a specific author.  A career coach might follow a certain recognized model or standardized coaching method.  Read their published works, research their approaches, and if the information resonates with you, that is a good sign that the career coach is right for you.

Whether you ask a friend or colleague for a referral, find someone through a professional career coach directory or the International Coach Federation, or give me a call, there is a career coach out there for you.