Quick post this week...but a really important one for those of you looking to get a little more social in your job search. The topic, what’s Twitter chat? Well, a Twitter chat is basically when a group of people get together and use a hashtag to have a conversation via Twitter. Sound crazy? Well, it’s not....it’s probably the single best way to network with new, social people today.
Here’s what you do:
1) Get comfortable on Twitter - Don’t tweet much! Find people in your industry, follow them, and engage. No one cares if you are watching TV or doing something mindless.....find folks talking about something you find interesting. Trust me, they are out there. Search for #jobs or something like that #java, #coffee...whatever, and you’ll be surprised.
2) Watch a few chats happen - There are a bunch I’d recommend for job seekers, specifically #TChat, #InternPro and #JobHuntChat which are all HR related..lots of great people there, just follow the hashtag and watch the conversation.
3) Tweet!! - Ok, you knew this was coming right? After watching a chat or two....start participating. You don’t have to do much. Send a few RT’s? Answer a few questions? That’s it, start engaging in the community.
4) Network - Many of these chats (InternPro specifically) encourage networking at the end of the chat so people can take conversations offline and help each other off. So, enjoy the chat and then at the end make a few new connections.
5) Turn your Tweeps into real relationships - This is the key tip. These online relationships are great but converting them into real connections makes all the difference. At the end of the day, all these newfangled social tools are great...but the same old networking rules that I preach about constantly apply....
What are you waiting for? If you’re looking for a new social way to juice up your job search....find a few chats on Twitter and get going.
Hope to see you in a chat online soon!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Welcome to 2013...use your ATS system!
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog specifically targeted to recruiters but this one has been lingering on me for a bit. It’s about the importance of your applicant tracking system (ATS). Most recruiters I know HATE using an ATS and resist it as much as they can....here’s a news flash, if you are really a great recruiter you are using your ATS, using it well and driving your business from the data in your system.
Let me explain
1) Data rules - It’s 2013 people, data driven recruiting is the way of future. Your ATS is the way you can capture and report your activity...without needing to make manual reports. You need data to understand what works and what does not work with your strategy. If you aren’t tracking this, you’re shooting from the him....aka guessing. Don’t guess, track your work and analyze the data.
2) Setting expectations - Ever feel like recruiting is always being shot at by the business? No one in the organization “gets it”? Well, data will help you show them the way and set expectations properly. For example, does a manager need 15 onsites to make an offer? Well, news flash....that’s a problem and the only way to explain the situation is if you can present the data and recommend a solution.
3) Your lawyer will thank you - Um, how do I say this nicely? If you ever get audited or sued and you aren’t using your ATS.......you’re screwed. Imagine having to justify hiring or NOT hiring someone to a judge (and jury!) with a bunch of emails and random crap from your inbox or spreadsheets.....nightmare. Whereas, if you are using your ATS and can pull every applicant for a role with their disposition you’ll be in a much happier place.
So there you go recruiting friends.....I’m sure a bunch of you hate using an ATS....but trust me you should. And those of you saying “my system sucks”....well, make it better spend the time and even the money to make work for you and the show the business what you do.
More soon.....keep it real out this this week!
Let me explain
1) Data rules - It’s 2013 people, data driven recruiting is the way of future. Your ATS is the way you can capture and report your activity...without needing to make manual reports. You need data to understand what works and what does not work with your strategy. If you aren’t tracking this, you’re shooting from the him....aka guessing. Don’t guess, track your work and analyze the data.
2) Setting expectations - Ever feel like recruiting is always being shot at by the business? No one in the organization “gets it”? Well, data will help you show them the way and set expectations properly. For example, does a manager need 15 onsites to make an offer? Well, news flash....that’s a problem and the only way to explain the situation is if you can present the data and recommend a solution.
3) Your lawyer will thank you - Um, how do I say this nicely? If you ever get audited or sued and you aren’t using your ATS.......you’re screwed. Imagine having to justify hiring or NOT hiring someone to a judge (and jury!) with a bunch of emails and random crap from your inbox or spreadsheets.....nightmare. Whereas, if you are using your ATS and can pull every applicant for a role with their disposition you’ll be in a much happier place.
So there you go recruiting friends.....I’m sure a bunch of you hate using an ATS....but trust me you should. And those of you saying “my system sucks”....well, make it better spend the time and even the money to make work for you and the show the business what you do.
More soon.....keep it real out this this week!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The importance of a plan
This will not be a “New Yeast Resolution” blog.....quite the opposite as most resolutions fail. For your job search you need something more. The one critical thing I’ve learned, especially as I’ve gotten older is that it’s a lot easier to get things done if you focus on the individual tasks as opposed to the final goal. Understanding the goal is critical, but without a thorough understanding of what it takes to get there...you’ll fail. I say this stupid thing all the time “Rome wasn’t built in a day”....dumb phrase? Yep....but it helps me keep focused on the BIG goal while accomplishing something that gets me closer to where I want to be.
So, when you’re thinking about a new job if you sit around daydreaming about being the VP of Global Awesomeness.....you’ll never get there unless you have a plan. As such, here are a few thoughts on how to keep focused on the goal without losing sight of the day-to-day.
1) Write it down - Write down the big goal.....something like “I want to be the VP of Awesome” will work. Just enough info for you to visualize what you are looking to get done.
2) Work backwards to figure out the steps - Start outlining all the things you’ll need to do to accomplish this goal by working backwards....for example. In order to be the VP of Awesome you might want to be the Dir of Awesome or Manager of Awesome....or frankly you might want to be Awesome before you can be the VP of Awesome. Don’t stop until you get to where you are today.
3) Honestly assess where you are today - Be honest, where are you today? What have you done or can you do to get better? Get another degree? Step up at work? Stop staying up late playing video games? Every little bit helps, so be honest and start putting down as much as you can.
4) Launch the plan - By now, you’ve got a huge pile of random thoughts/information about what you want to do.......turn it into a plan and get it done. Honestly, this is the easy part as by the time you’ve mapped out what you need to do and where you are today you’ll be chomping at the bit to get started. So do it.
Good luck out there, the job market still sucks so if you are looking for a new job in 2013 you’re going to need to really work at it.........don’t leave anything to chance. Build a plan and get it done.
So, when you’re thinking about a new job if you sit around daydreaming about being the VP of Global Awesomeness.....you’ll never get there unless you have a plan. As such, here are a few thoughts on how to keep focused on the goal without losing sight of the day-to-day.
1) Write it down - Write down the big goal.....something like “I want to be the VP of Awesome” will work. Just enough info for you to visualize what you are looking to get done.
2) Work backwards to figure out the steps - Start outlining all the things you’ll need to do to accomplish this goal by working backwards....for example. In order to be the VP of Awesome you might want to be the Dir of Awesome or Manager of Awesome....or frankly you might want to be Awesome before you can be the VP of Awesome. Don’t stop until you get to where you are today.
3) Honestly assess where you are today - Be honest, where are you today? What have you done or can you do to get better? Get another degree? Step up at work? Stop staying up late playing video games? Every little bit helps, so be honest and start putting down as much as you can.
4) Launch the plan - By now, you’ve got a huge pile of random thoughts/information about what you want to do.......turn it into a plan and get it done. Honestly, this is the easy part as by the time you’ve mapped out what you need to do and where you are today you’ll be chomping at the bit to get started. So do it.
Good luck out there, the job market still sucks so if you are looking for a new job in 2013 you’re going to need to really work at it.........don’t leave anything to chance. Build a plan and get it done.
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