Six types of interviewers that you need to know

Six types of interviewers that you need to know by Michael Cheary As difficult as it can be to believe, interviewers are actually human… Even if your mental image of those across the table from you as powerful, competent and collected sometimes rings true â€" it’s often completely at odds with reality. All interviewers have different styles, and knowing how to play to each one will only increase your chances of getting the job.To help you get to grips with some of them, here are six common types of interviewers, courtesy of James Reed’s best-selling book, ‘Why You’:101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again’:  The unicorn hunterCharacteristics: The perfect candidate doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t deter the Unicorn Hunter from looking. And looking, and looking…Good/bad points: They know what kind of candidate they want. Unfortunately, it’s one who’s good at absolutely everything â€" making them especially prone to nit-picking.Your tactics: Get them to specifically state what skills they’re lo oking for, and show how you meet them. Using real life example to back up your skills and experiences will also help demonstrate the widest range of your good points.The delayed trainCharacteristics: Turns up about thirty minutes late, owing to three back-to-back interviews that morning. Not fully in control of their inbox, diary, desk, life… (Insert other applicable word here).Good/bad points: Hasn’t had time to notice the gaps in your CV, and is often more nervous and ill-prepared than you. However, they won’t always know who they’re talking to, and might be too busy to remember the little things in your application (and/or your name).Your tactics: Since they’re ‘winging it’, they will gladly let you do the talking so talk. Be engaging and expansive, and demonstrate good manners, patience and positivity. A little humour and understanding will help put both of you at ease, and keep things a little more informal.The method actorCharacteristics: Asks every candidate ex actly the same questions, in exactly the same order. Especially fond of competency questions. Commonly found in the public sector and large companies.Good/bad points: Is often a consummate professional, underneath it all. If they can tick a box, you’re in. The drawback is that they don’t give much encouragement, and usually do a bad job of selling the organisation to you.Your tactics: If they’re looking for you to tick all the boxes, work out what the boxes are beforehand. Use the job description to highlight the key things they’ll be looking for, and keep pointing them out in your interview.The RHINO (Really Here In Name Only)Characteristics: Generally pleasant and polite, but doesn’t seem to be completely attentive or engaged during the interview. It’s almost as if they’ve already given the job to someone else.Good/bad points: They never ask anything especially challenging, and make a fair amount of small talk. Unfortunately, it’s mainly because they really have gi ven the job to someone else.Your tactics: Even if you feel it’s hopeless, it’s always important to put on the best show you can. RHINOs often have a lot of influence within the company, and leaving the right impression might still help get you a job â€" even if it isn’t exactly the one you applied for in the first place.The entrepreneurCharacteristics: Founder and sole owner of the company. See themselves somewhere between Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg (although they may earn significantly less money).Good/bad points: Above-average energy and IQ, which is one of the reasons they’ve survived long enough to employ you. The problem is, their egos can sometimes cloud their judgement â€" and expectations. ‘You want how much?’ is often one of their favourite sayings.Your tactics: Play up your work ethic, your loyalty and your flexibility but only if that’s genuinely who you are as a person. They’re looking for people who can be just as passionate and proactive as th em. If that’s not you, you probably shouldn’t work for an entrepreneur.The poker playerCharacteristics: If they’re not the Managing Director or CEO, they probably will be at some point. A warm and genuine exterior doesn’t let on what they’re feeling underneath.Good/bad points: Expert interviewer and team builder. Effortlessly charming, and knows absolutely everyone. Instantly makes you want to work there. However, with their supreme poker face, you may never know if you said the wrong thing.Your tactics: Instead of concentrating on why the company would be a great match for your skills, just focus on showing what you can do for them. And even if you’re not sure what they’re really thinking, don’t be tempted to start doubting yourself. Ask not what your employer can do for you… (etc.)Need more examples?Although this is a light-hearted look at interviewer’s quirks, you might be surprised how many of them really do come up. And these six styles are from the only exa mples.If you’re looking for more, buy James Reed’s new book, ‘Why You: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again’ now.Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now. Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Job interview tips Preparing for an interview

6 Tips to Building an Active Candidate Sourcing Strategy

6 Tips to Building an Active Candidate Sourcing Strategy When it comes to candidate sourcing, the conversation of passive vs active candidates feels like it’s been done to death. As Greg Savage pointed out in his blog post “There’s no such thing as a passive candidate”, there are no passive or active candidates…there are just candidates.   Most people, if offered a great job would be open to listening to what you have to say. The question should really be; does your business have a passive or an active sourcing strategy? Don Charlton, the CEO and Founder of  The Resumator, outlined some great tips and tricks in a recent webinar about building active sourcing strategies. How do you know if your sourcing strategy is passive?  Well ask yourself some of these question: Do you post jobs as standard on job boards or LinkedIn and just wait for candidates to apply? Are you or your recruiters spending their days trawling through hundreds of average CV’s with no time to actively source candidates and/or build talent pipelines and communities? Do you tweet a job once and then if there’s no response, decide that it  doesnt  really work? Do the candidates in your recruitment database just sit there whilst more and more are added? If you answered yes to most of these questions, then yes you have a passive sourcing strategy! Being a passive organisation when it comes to sourcing great talent, is never going to provide you with the best outcome or hit the mark at hiring the best in the business.   You’ll always be hiring the best candidates out the talent that saw your ad but not the best talent in the market. Here are 6 ways to ensure that your sourcing strategy is ACTIVE and that people… namely candidates, are talking about you, your business and your jobs! 1)  Sell yourself! A company that is proactive understands that it’s about promoting the organisation. Show what you’re about and get candidates that approach you, either passive or active to really want to work there because it’s the right place for them to be. They can see why you do what you do (thanks Simon Sinek), they think that it’s the right environment for them through whichever multimedia  youve  shared and now they want to find a way to get into your company! I call these candidates ‘the identifiers’ â€" they identify with your goals, environment, culture and vision and now they want a piece of the action. 2)  People don’t work for jobs they work for companies If this is true, then why do we just promote the job 95% of the time? Promote what’s great about the company, the manager, the opportunity. When I was a recruiter, one of the first things I learnt was ‘tell them what’s in it for them in the first line’.   It’s very rare to click into any job board or website ad today (trust me I just looked!) and see the any unique candidate benefits outlined. It’s still full of bullet pointed must have skills and that’s about it. 3)  Make your employees fanatical referrers of your jobs within their networks. I’ve written before about empowering your employees to be brand advocates for you here and here. Find out about what they think of your business; is it somewhere they would recommend to their friends? If it’s not, then why not, and if it is, then how can you sell those opportunities more internally in order to tap into those vast networks and communities? Always remember…top talent, know other top talent, it’s an oldie but a goodie. 4)  Be social Entertain and educate your talent pools and communities. Give them a reason to come back to your website, blog, and social platforms so that you can not only communicate on topics of interest, but you can tell them about your business and the roles that you have available.     If you’re not interesting then how will you attract the best people? 5)  Be creative Companies that are using infographics, jobgrams, social sites, photography, video, gamification, etc, they’re the ones being proactive with their sourcing strategies and making an effort to stand out from the crowd. Give something new a try. I loved the line in a recent article about Starbucks that stated: If you wait for innovation to be perfect you’ll never try. 6)  Socialize Social networking is nothing without socializing. You can be on every platform out there, but if you’re not engaging, meeting, talking to, questioning and answering people then your sourcing strategy will have little impact in meeting your hiring needs. A community manager once told me: everything you post online should have a link.   My immediate thought was, if everything I post online has a link (i.e. I’m sharing something) then when do I just talk to people, respond to their questions or be part of their conversation? Remember that it’s not all about you! These are just a few tips on how to build an active, creative and attractive sourcing strategy.   Don’t just be complaisant in communicating with those who are external to your business.  Build a sourcing strategy with energy, creativity, passion and purpose and who knows, you may attract people with similar qualities!

Where Do the Best Candidates Hang Out Online [INFOGRAPHIC]

Where Do the Best Candidates Hang Out Online [INFOGRAPHIC] Desired positions usually have fierce competition in the job sector. A recent Talent Board survey of 95,000 candidates found that nearly half of all positions in 2014 each had 200+ job applications. This is an increase of 40% since 2011. It has become more important than ever to attract the right candidate for the right job.  Heres The Talent Boards 2014 survey  on what candidates want and where to locate them. Takeaways: To the candidate, the job description is the most important element of a job vacancy. Dont overload job openings with too much information. Simplicity is better. Less than 20% of candidates found FAQs useful. When was the last time you referred to an FAQ?! Its vital when saying no to candidates that you delicately and professionally inform those rejected, as 34% job candidates shared bad experiences on social media. LinkedIn is  popular for candidates searching for vacancies, along with Indeed, CareerBuilder and simply using search engines like Google. RELATED:  5 Tips for Writing an Effective Job Advertisement.

The Psychology of Finding a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Psychology of Finding a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career To start with, I must make an important disclaimer. I am not a psychologist but a career coach. I don’t find it surprising that there is much in common between the two professions, and I have lots of stories to prove it. If you happen to be in transition, you may want to understand the psychology of the decision makers. It would be useful ammo you could deploy in order to promote yourself in landing a job. Barnes Noble has shelves and shelves of books on the subject of finding a job. I’m going to spare you from having to read several of those books. I want to focus on your need to start accepting change. It’s a known fact that our comfort zone lies within what we know. People exhibit various degrees of resistance to change. But when you’re in transition, you’d better embrace change, because if you resist, the world will go by and you’ll get left behind. First, accept the fact that your old résumé that you just updated needs much, much more work. It needs to be revamped for today’s contemporary look and for projection of your accomplishmentsâ€"not a listing of activities that someone in your position was expected to perform. I read résumés every single day, and the reluctance I see on the part of people who stick to the old style and content is a shame. Hiring managers and human resources people are interested in your accomplishments and what you excelled at and not what kept you busy. Recruiters are even more interested, since they have to sell you to hiring managers. The next area of resistance I see is among those who stick to their own old ways and don’t jump in with both feet by using social media. They simply underestimate to what extent social media is being used by hiring managers, human resources staffers, and outside recruiters. Those hirers consult those social media for several reasons. The most important one is probably that it’s free versus their having to pay significant amounts of money to Monster, CareerBuilder, and others. In addition, social media enable them to cross-check information about you. People spend an inordinate amount of time and effort to make their résumé just right. But not so with information on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Please understand that when companies hire a job candidate, they’re making a big investment. And so, they must do their due diligence, which is similar to what you do when you’re considering a big investment or a decision. A part of that due diligence involves finding out more information about you than what you intended to provide via your résumé. My advice to people seeking employment is to become knowledgeable about and active with social media and at the same time to be careful of what they post in cyberspace. Whatever it is, make sure you’re consistent. A significant discrepancy between your résumé and your cyber persona could be very detrimental. Author: Alex Freund  is a career and interviewing coach known as the “landing expert” for publishing his 80 page list of job-search networking groups via his web site  http://www.landingexpert.com/. He is prominent in a number of job-search networking groups; makes frequent public presentations, he does workshops on resumes and LinkedIn, teaches a career development seminar and publishes his blog focused on job seekers. Alex worked at Fortune 100 companies headquarters managing many and large departments. He has extensive experience at interviewing people for jobs and is considered an expert in preparing people for interviews. Alex    is a Cornell University grad, lived on three continents and speaks five languages.

Dont Let Money Slow Down Your Productivity CareerMetis.com

Don't Let Money Slow Down Your Productivity â€" CareerMetis.com Photo Credit -PixabayMoney is a big part of our personal lives and our business lives. We are constantly striving to make more of it, spend less of it, and control it to the best of our ability. Often times this day-in-day-out skirmish with money builds up stress. We can’t be at our most creative, productive or energetic when our body is constantly thinking about the stress of finances.Learn to manage a few of the worst culprits and you will be able to move through your day and your life with less money induced roadblocks.1. Be open about your financial fearsevalThis may mean talking to a financial advisor Getting caught up in a pattern of negative thinking about any subject is detrimental. But this is especially influential when it comes to money. Money influences our sense of stability and security, and if our financial mentality is on shaky grounds, so is our ability to keep positive about the rest of our life. Focusing on the good does not mean ignoring the bad. Give yourself t he strength to handle any situation by believing that you can.3. Know what you can controlYou may still be working on the consistent growth of your business through marketing, branding and advertising, but there are everyday factors that you can control and make work for you. Money that is coming into your business needs to be organized and accounted for everyday. Know where your money is being spent, and exactly how much is coming in. For brick-and-mortar business owners handling currency, a money counter machine, can save the time consuming and potentially error prone task of counting your days total.4. Don’t be so hard on yourselfYou have taken on a challenge which few have the confidence and will to start. Every day you are learning, becoming more productive, handling the pitfalls with perseverance and turning the triumphs into forward momentum. Give yourself the recognition and positive feedback you deserve.5. Find your stress relieverevalIf stress doesn’t come from money i t will come from something else, there will always be stressors in our life slowing us down. Find what helps you handle any stress whether it is exercise, meditation, reading, art, or talking to a friend. As you work to minimize the influence of stress your ability to create a better flowing more productive day will be maximized.Being a productive individual sometimes means tackling our biggest fears and greatest hurdles first. Reducing the stress that comes with financial management frees up our mind and energy to become a more focused and productive person in both our business and personal life.

Workplace happiness is taking the world by storm. Heres why. - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Workplace happiness is taking the world by storm. Heres why. - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog embed = new SlidesLiveEmbed('presentation-embed-38912096', { presentationId: '38912096', autoPlay: false // change to true to autoplay the embedded presentation }); Workplaces all over the world focus more and more on happiness. In this short video from my opening talk at?the Happiness@Work conference in Prague I talk about why. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Create a Writing Resume Online Free

Create a Writing Resume Online FreeIf you've been looking for a way to create a writing resume online free, then it's time to do something about it. Online writing resumes can be difficult and even frustrating at times when trying to get them right. However, there are some things that you can do that will make it easier to write your resume and also give you more control over the content.The first thing you need to do is go to a writing resume website to look at samples of other writers' resumes. It's amazing how many people have a cover letter for their actual job that looks nothing like their actual resume. So, when you find sample resumes that are written by people who have been in the same position as you, take some time to look at those and see if it can help you develop yours.Try and write your resume in a formal format that includes all of the information you are going to need in the job. Remember that if your employer needs an email address or a telephone number on your resum e, they'll know where to look for them when they need them. So, make sure you have all of the details that you need right there in the beginning of your resume.Also, consider including some unique information on your resume so that it stands out from the rest. One good way to do this is to list any special skills or qualifications that you may have that are not commonly used. You never know when you'll run into someone who will be in a particular position in your company or a specific position at another company that requires the expertise you have listed on your resume.Another tip for creating a writing resume online free is to try and avoid using acronyms and abbreviations. Many people these days will usually just leave them off, but many people have also learned how to spell them with a 'x' so that they don't really stand out. Also, try to avoid using words that have certain meanings that could be associated with you as a person in particular.If you want to create a writing resum e online free that doesn't have to be very difficult, you could include a section in it that shows what the position will involve. If you have had some experience with computers in the past, then you could include a listing of how you'll be doing the job. Or, if you haven't been very comfortable writing in certain ways in the past, then you could do this type of section on how to write in a more formal style.It's important to remember that when you're creating a writing resume online free, there is no 'right'wrong' way to do it. Your resume should only be as professional as you want it to be. You want to have as much information on your resume as possible, but it shouldn't be all over the place so that it takes away from your resume and doesn't really show that you're the best person for the job.Remember that if you want to create a writing resume online free, you need to take the time to understand all of the things that you need to include on your resume. This will not only help y ou with the writing process, but it will also help you when it comes to getting your resume read. That means that you'll be less likely to forget anything that you wrote and that you'll actually use your resume.