Preparation... The difference between Yes, No & Maybe!

I was asked yesterday, by the parent of a recent school leaver, what I believed were the best tips for helping their son to get a job in today’s market.

My answer… Preparation!

You have to make sure you are organised and prepared, before you even send out your first job application.  Not only do you need to ensure that your CV is up-to-date, easy to read, and well formatted, but you also want to set up a well presented cover letter template, which you can then use to adapt to each particular job you are applying for.

In addition, the one thing that I cannot stress enough, is that you need to take the time to make sure that your contact details and any social media accounts are professional and appropriate.  What do I mean by this?  Check out my three tips below.

1. Make sure your answer phone messages are friendly but professional.  Calling someone and getting their answer phone if the message sounds rude or unprofessional is a real turn-off and could be the difference between me leaving a message or hanging up the phone and moving on to the next applicant.  If you need to, record a new message and remember to smile as you are doing it.  You’ll be amazed at how friendly it can make you sound.  Extra tip:  Make sure your contact numbers are written correctly in your cover letter & CV – you’ll be shocked at the number of people I’ve failed to get hold of, because I couldn’t get through to them using the contact details they had provided.

2. Keep your email address simple & professional.  There are plenty of free email accounts out there, such as Gmail (www.gmail.com).  There is no excuse for an unprofessional email address that is going to turn a potential employer off straight away.  We are all different, so something you might find is really funny, might be considered inappropriate by someone else.  Keep it simple and try and use your name where possible.

3. Social Media:  It’s a known fact these days, that many employers will check out social media profiles when reviewing a candidate’s job application.  I’ve done it many times as it can help to give an insight into what a person is like.  So be sensible – my advice is ensure your security settings are set to private, because even the most innocent of photos can give people an opportunity to judge you – whether it’s fair or not!  If it is not set to private, be careful about the photos and comments you post, as well as photos that other people may link to you.

It is important that these basics are taken care of before you start putting yourself out there in the job market.  I hope these tips help, and if you have any questions on this, or any other topics, feel free to contact me.

Cheers

Shannon :)

Creative Job Applications

A family friend recently asked me what I thought of using a QR Code as a way of presenting their CV for a job they were applying for. Not being very technically savvy, I had to ask what a QR Code was! In layman's terms, a QR Code is the funny barcode looking thing you often see in advertising material, that with the help of a Smart Phone app, will take you directly to a website where you can find out more information about whatever is being advertised.

So their idea was to send in a QR code, that linked to their personal website and included their CV and portfolio.

For the right industry and company, I think this can be a very innovative and creative way to send in your application. But I would suggest that you think carefully about the type of company you are sending your application to and whether you think it is appropriate. For example, if that QR Code is sent to a company that isn't really into technology, you run the risk that they may not even know what to do with it and therefore you've missed your chance to be considered for the role.

I've seen some very cool visual applications and video clips put together as job applications that are really appealing if you are wanting to get into creative industries such as marketing or advertising.

Think about your chosen field or industry and what you could do to impress your potential new employer. If you are in Accounting, could you do something impressive with a spreadsheet? Software Programmers - how about turning your CV into a cool app? Marketers - create your own advertising campaign... The ideas are endless!

I definitely encourage you to think outside the box and do what you can to stand out in your chosen industry. Just tread carefully, and as a safeguard, also provide a standard copy of your application as well.

Good luck!

Shannon  

An Interview with a Kelly Recruitment Consultant

Kelly Services NZ Ltd is part of a global recruitment company with branches all over the world. Originally started in America in the 1940s, Kelly has been in New Zealand for over 2 decades recruiting staff for businesses of all types, from accounting to IT to manufacturing and more.

Last week I had the opportunity to chat with Callie Ewin, a Recruitment Consultant in the Kelly Executive division, specialising in IT. Callie, originally from the UK, has been working for the Wellington branch of Kelly for the past 2 years, and recruits temporary, permanent and contract staff for her clients mainly in the Wellington area. During our chat, I asked Callie about her recruitment process and what's important to her when it comes to reviewing job applications and interviewing candidates. Callie provided some great tips & advice for me to share with you all.

What was the last position you recruited for?
A 2 year fixed term IT Help desk position.

How many applications did you receive?
125.

From that 125, how many people did you end up interviewing?

I interviewed 5 people for the role.

Wow, that's a lot of applicants to review! So it goes to show you need to make sure your job application stands out don't you?
It is! Particularly for entry level positions such as Junior IT roles where I often have a lot of students who have completed their degrees or diplomas applying for the same positions. It is very competitive.

How do you source your applicants?
I will generally place an ad online on various job websites, after I have run an internal database check to see if we have any suitable candidates that are available and already on our books. Once I have established which candidates may be suitable, I will do a telephone screen, which is basically a mini interview over the phone. One reason I do this is to assess an applicants communication skills and their telephone manner etc which is really important for help desk and support type positions. I also use social media as a tool to see if there are any passive candidate opportunities.

Do you believe cover letters are important?
For the roles I'm recruiting for, I don't spend a lot of time on them – I need to hire people who can hit the ground running so I'm more interested in going straight to their CV so I can see their qualifications and experience. However, I did chat to some of my colleagues prior to our interview and many of them do put emphasis on the cover letter, particularly for permanent roles. One thing I will say is if you are going to include a cover letter in your application, please make sure it is addressed properly and that it refers to the correct position that was advertised. You would be amazed at the number of cover letters that I receive that state they are applying for a role completely different than what I'm recruiting for. This shows a real lack in attention to detail.

What are the three most important things you look for in a CV?
More and more, my clients are looking for applicants with specific qualifications, so I like to be able to clearly see the qualifications the applicant has achieved and any training courses they have attended.

Work history and experience is also really important. When it comes to work experience, this needs to be clearly defined. I like the information to be set out well, e.g. Job title, organisation/ company name, dates of employment (including the months) and responsibilities. With the responsibilities section, I'm also looking for more than just a couple of brief bullet points, so it should outline the main responsibilities and tasks of each role so I can get a good understanding of what they involved.

We also receive a lot of applicants from overseas which is great, so I like to see the applicant's eligibility for employment clearly stated at the top of the CV.

From your experience, are there any "no-no's" when it comes to submitting job applications?
I'm surprised at the number of people who put their mobile number down as their means of contact and then never answer their phone. I can understand that people may be working and can't always take the phone call, but in that case, they must ensure they have a clear and professional answer phone message and then make sure they call back as soon as they can. Unprofessional answer phone messages are a big no no. I've heard answer messages that are jokes, or even one that had screaming in the background and it's not a good look at all.

Email addresses should also be professional. I've seen many rude and quirky email addresses attached to applications, so I'd really advise that people keep them simple and appropriate.

I also personally advise people not to put their date of birth on their CV as this is irrelevant to the employment process. It's skills and experiences that count.

Lastly, I see photos on CV's from time to time, and to be honest I think it is best to leave photos off.

Have you got any tips you can share on how you believe people can enhance their job applications?
Keep the format of your CV clean and easy to read and avoid duplicating information e.g. you don't need to write your name on every page.

List information in chronological order, placing the most recent job history first.

Really focus on spelling and grammar. One mistake in an application might be ok, but when there are multiple mistakes throughout, it shows their could be a problem in this area.

Lastly, I like when people put their address down, so I know where they are based.

How many pages do you think a CV should have?
I generally expect 4-5 pages, I know we were taught 3 pages is the norm, but it is frustrating to see someone list a job where they might have been for 10 years and then only have 2 bullets points to cover what they were doing in that time. You need to include the key responsibilities, outcomes of what you actually achieved and what you were doing on a day to day basis, and for IT roles, the technologies you were using and what versions etc.

Have you got any tips on how people can impress during a job interview?
It's important that you arrive on time, but not too early. 5 minutes early is fine, but avoid arriving 20 minutes early. If you can, go to the interview location the day before and work out where you need to be, how long it will take you to get there and things like parking.

I also encourage people to arrive prepared. Bringing a notepad with you shows that you are interested. It also means if you are nervous (which is natural) you can write down any questions you would like to ask and you wont forget them.

Dress smart! I expect smart business attire e.g. dress trousers (or pants as you seem to call them in New Zealand) or skirt, dress shirt & appropriate shoes. I don't expect a tie but always remember, first impressions last!

Also, you need to try and come across as confident (but not over confident). We understand that people get nervous, and I'll sometimes ring my client and let them know if an applicant is really nervous. Make good eye contact, relax and be personable.

Thanks Callie! If there are any applicants out there who are looking for IT roles, where can they look for your vacancies?
The main portals I use are our own Kelly website and the Seek and TradeMe Jobs websites. Vacancies are listed on our website: www.kellyservices.co.nz

To register with Kelly you can call them on:
0800 4 KELLY (0800 453 559)

My Top 5 Job Application Tips

I've been asked what I consider to be my top 5 job application tips... So I've compiled my top 5 list!

1)  Spelling and grammar is so important!  Proof read your cover letter and CV and then ask someone else to proof read it for you too.  There should be no mistakes in your application documents and a second pair of eyes can often pick up small mistakes you may have missed.

2)  Customise your cover letter for each job you are applying for.  Make sure you link your skills to what is listed in the job advertisement and ensure you explain why you would like to work for the company.  If you are tweaking a cover letter you've previously used, proof read very carefully to make sure you've updated all of the relevant information and you haven't left in any information that relates to a previous job application.

3)  Address your cover letter "To Whom it May Concern" or if the job advertisement provides a contact name, address it to that person e.g. "Dear Sally".  Never assume the recruiter is a male - I find "Dear Sir" offensive!

4)  Keep your language friendly but professional.  Imagine your cover letter as a written introduction to who you are and why you should be hired.  First impressions last!

5)  Keep the formatting of your CV simple and easy to read and make sure it's not too long. Ideally 2-3 pages, 4 pages maximum.

Hope this helps,
Shannon :)

Filling in application forms

I've had a number of people ask me why some employers insist on getting them to fill in an employment application form when they've already provided their CV which contains all of the relevant information.

"Is the employer just too lazy to read my CV?" is one specific question I was asked.

Each employer is different and will have their own reasons for wanting the application form filled in.  It may also be requested at different stages of the recruitment process depending on the employer.  Some may do it just because that's their process, but others may use it as an additional shortlisting test.  You may not know either way, but here are some reasons why employers have application forms:

• Applicants format their CV's in many different ways.  Some employers like the application form filled in so that they can view all of the relevant information for each applicant in the same format that suits their recruitment process

• There is often a lot of information that needs to be gathered about an applicant, including eligibility status for employment and other such criteria.  The application form can be a way to have all of the relevant information about the applicant collected on one form

• When an application form says please do not write "refer to CV", this can be away to test who will actually take the time to follow the instructions and fill it in clearly and fully as requested.  (I've had many instances where the candidate has still written "refer to CV attached".  What does this say about their ability to follow even basic instructions?)

• For some employers, if they have asked for it to be hand written, it is an opportunity to see how legible the applicants hand writing is (particularly important in roles such as in hospitality where written information has be read and understood by another person e.g. from waiter to chef)

I realise it can be an extra time consuming step in the process and may seem annoying, but it shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes, so my advice is to just fill it in as neatly and clearly as possible and always double check that you haven't missed any fields (including signing and dating it if required) before you hand it back to the employer.

Hope this helps

Shannon :)

Saving your application documents

PDF:

If you have the ability to turn your documents into PDF files before you send them, I highly recommend it.

Often documents can loose their formatting when being opened by the recipient.  Whilst they may have looked great when you sent them, you cannot guarantee they will look the same at the other end.  Also, if you've chosen to override any automatic spelling or grammatical suggestions, they may show up with the red underline alerts when reopened.

When I receive a PDF document, I believe it adds that extra feeling of professionalism and it is a much nicer way to open and read documents.

N.B.  If you are applying for any type of design based role, then I believe PDF's are a must!

Naming your documents:

Another tip is to ensure you name your documents well.  With the email system I use during recruitment, it is much easier for me to save each document received into a folder set up on my desktop.  If I want to refer back to a particular CV or cover letter, I like to use the search function within that folder.

The easiest way for me to do this is to search your name, so if you've saved your document using your name in the title, it makes it much easier.   Often I can have 20-30 variations of documents saved as "CV.doc" which makes finding your CV a time consuming process.

I'd suggest naming your documents something like:  JoeBlogsCV and JoeBlogsCoverLetter.

Again, it adds a level of professionalism to the look and feel of your overall application.

Hope this helps,
Shannon :)

A foot in the door...

A number of people have asked me how they can enhance their chances of getting work in particular industries where experience is a prerequisite they don't yet have.

I personally think it is still worth putting your application forward even if you don't match the exact criteria.  Provide a great cover letter which acknowledges that you don't quite meet the criteria, but provides a convincing overview of what skills you can offer.  It may not work, but you never know your luck.

My other suggestion (and I realise it may not be possible for everyone), is why not approach some employers in your desired industry to see if you could undertake some unpaid work experience?  This could be a great opportunity to get a relevant entry on your CV, a reference, and an opportunity to put your skills into practice and/or learn some new ones.  You never know what could come of it.  It could be the foot in the door you've been looking for.  Even if it doesn't lead to a job offer, what have you got to lose? Not all companies will be in a position to take on work experience applications but some may jump at the chance.

Also, if you are worried about a current gap in your CV, why not try doing some community or volunteer work.  It shows initiative to be doing something while you are seeking employment, will give you another referee option and a way to give back to the community at the same time.

These suggestions may not work for everyone, but it's something to think about.

Hope this helps!
Shannon :)