Check 3, if you are a Startup Talent!!

Startup journey is full of ups and down but depends if are you the roller coaster type, you would simple enjoy the fun. Ask any entrepreneur more than he wonders about VC funding hiring the Talent can be nightmarish. As obvious as it might sound but until one has the right people at the right time any good business plan will go for a toss and probably that’s why Startups never freeze hiring like the bigger counterparts.

 

What adds to the dynamics here is the genre of Talent which are required or fit to survive in this kind of environment. Today you would find many applicants trying to seek an opportunity to work for startup and equally similar number turning down startup offers for a well established organization. So let us get into the finer aspect for knowing whom to hire.

It’s not a 9 to 5 role: If you come with a mindset to managing work life balance with ‘log in’ and ‘log out’ time then you surely would find yourself in midst of strangers. Primarily if one asks you repetitive questions around holidays/ office time etc, might be coming from similar mindset by virtue of his/her past experiences. However for any organization these are important but probably a new organization which still has long way to break-even it becomes difficult to call it a day before milestones are won over. Surprisingly the one who love working for startups enjoys more without a clock monitoring them; they feel more relaxed with deadlines than swipe cards.

Don’t ask for a JD: Now being an HR professional it’s almost like murdering my conscious before writing that. But that’s the fact, you might share a JD at the start which would keep changing as time progresses and by the time you are due for a performance review you might wonder about the relevance of that JD. Working in a startup for sure makes you ‘Jack of All’ an exposure which is nearly impossible in larger organizations simply because of the size and the structure of the latter. A leaner organization allows you to see though all level and have a wider perspective. It’s like a mentoring program and no wonder lot many entrepreneurs shoot out of such enterprises. However this might seem overwhelming for the ones who love sticking for their majors and want to go deep down in one subject. Here boardrooms are full of strategist cum executioners and you got to be Hands on!!

Risk is part and parcel: Startups are intolerant!! Yes and that’s the beauty if you are top performer they would push you to be the best or else you might just give up. When every individual plays multiple role and together the organization is in hurry to achieve the goals mediocre has definitely not place. No wonder a startup always needs to hire ‘A’ performers. Ones who are confident and don’t need much handholding instead they can kick start from day one. Self motivated, eager to learn, explore and contribute to the success of the organization are the ones who can live up to this journey.

Apart from this there are many more traits required to win over an entrepreneur’s heart but these could be the top three which if you are ready then go ahead onboard the adventurous journey where your talent gets the upper hand always!!

Make your resume, Lucky Seven!!

 

Six Seconds!!

Yes that’s all I have for your resume. So are you ready to impress me, well I am sure in you absence you have tamed your resume enough for the job. NO, well then how do you expect to crack that dream job .

 

Sadly it’s not just you but many more who still miss on some very important aspects required for a resume which can go through six second stress test. Resume is the first interface between recruiter and you , so letting your two pager down will simply make your success rate zero. No matter how competent you have been all throughout but this one milestone is of prime importance, after which it mostly depends on your personal caliber to pull it through up-till the offer.

So here sharing some quick tips which would make you resume and job search more effective and less frustrating:
Think and choose the format and not just copy one which your friend used for his last job search. Resume is your own identity, will you let your friend go for the interview on your behalf than why his resume should represent yours. It’s a great turn off when candidates simply copy paste the content. Your originality should reflect from your resume. Choosing the fonts, where to go bold and the flow of contents play an important role on visuals of recruiter. 

As you move on content, make sure to prioritize it as per the relevancy and the profile which you are aiming at. Most of times the contents are repetitive and unnecessary which consume space and let’s not forget that two pages are more than enough for six seconds. Loading too much information will only divert recruiter’s interest and you would lose the battle to someone else’s resume.  

Reading the Job description before applying can give some pointers to customize the resume. For sure it’s a cumbersome exercise but if it’s for your dream job, why would you just let it go for some time investment. Have a generic resume with role based customized ones will surely help your seek better opportunities. You two pager is your way to market yourself and push your candidature to recruitment process. Job is to make the recruiter feel that you are the one who fits the job best.

Make sure your objective is meaningful and so it leaves an impact and with that the contact details should be latest and do not miss on alternate or permanent numbers where reaching out for you is not cumbersome. While you are hunting jobs, please take care of calling back to all missed call and even regularly checking your emails. Who knows the last call might have been for the one you have been waiting all this while.

Keywords are lifelines for recruiters, make sure your have used them enough to add relevance to your portfolio. Being aware of commonly used keywords for the job your are applying will add lots of value too. Keeping a track and mention of all important data on the resume, e.g.: work tenure and year of passing out will give clarity to your profile and would avoid rejection due to unavailable data.

Resume writing is art and definitely needs personal creativity but as always when looking for a job you should not leave any stoned unturned so let’s start with your  new resume this time…

Evaluate your #job change in five

Are you ready for a job change?

Surprised!!  Why did I not ask the question which frequently bothers as every year passes by in your current organization?

 

Job change is a career transition and should be handled with great care. Many people ignore this very important aspect of how every job change can give a different turn to ones career road map. Mostly I get call from friends who need advise on job hunt and then I ask them my favorite question, which mostly helps them explore the unrealized.

Trust me I will be the last person against a job change, after all I owe my job to this. But what’s important are you convinced for one. Many times encountered people who start a hunt and then back out in mid way leaving many questions unanswered. Taking some decisions in haste can let go great opportunities in future.

Feeling of job being mundane is nothing unusual and they might be haunting you every now and then. However what one need to decide whether the next opportunity guarantees you a relief for next five year. Could be possible that it’s a right time to expand your arms to some new responsibilities internally.

So do you think about a job change after every appraisal as your expectations were not met monetarily?  Well a new opportunity might give you hike but who know if you are back to square one again during next appraisal cycle. Better focus on the feedback and see if you hit the best paid band without changing a job.

Make sure to clarify the real meaning behind ‘better prospects’. It’s such a vague term to use however if this means about a level escalation have you really given your best shot for an internal promotion. If not then why not? A job change might give you a designation boost up but will take you more time to settle rather it would have done internally.

You boss is not less that ‘HARI SADU’ but who knows the next one might not be a ‘Dream Manager’ too. Talk out for an internal project transfer first before your decide to move out.

Honestly many of these reasons knock the HR department only during exit interviews and some lucky ones have it during retention talks. We might blame the HR department for not being proactive but if it’s about you then should you not take that extra effort for evaluating your decision before concluding for a job hunt route.

Think before you leap the next time!!

What’s your resume’s social quotient?

 

If you are reading this post then I am sure you are not new to Social Media. Power of social media is immense and widespread. Not only it has turned an introvert to extrovert but also has redefined human connect. Today we don’t need a newspaper to share our story, we are self sufficient and are proud owner of our own brand. Yes, being social today has new way of personal image management.

When talking about our own brand, a resume is a close relative. Resume ideally helps us to establish a perspective in the interviewer’s mind even before our interaction starts. It has been a prevalent practice for ages to make an effective and impactful resume in order to qualify for that dream job. But now it’s time to accessories your two pager through social resume.

Social resume is nothing but all information related to you - widely available online. So it’s a wide terms which covers lot under one umbrella. Considering the social media usage and popularity most of the recruiters have started using the same as a talent acquisition tool. As it goes Internet has no delete button and it can help trace back all your social media activity, hence here are couple of tips which you should focus on lest you miss out on your golden goose.

1. Mostly social networking is a long term association or activity and unlike a job interview we can’t hide our true feelings here. But it’s very important not to leave any digital footprints which can be considered against you or can tarnish your social personality.
2. ‘It’s all in the Name’. Having a profile which can help recruiter relate to you instantly is a mandate or else no matter what you do socially it can’t be considered you ‘social resume’ for sure.
3. Blogging has changed the writer’s world. Gone are the days when publishing an article took months of follow up, but now spreading your thoughts is just a click away. And if you write what a recruiter considers relevant and is close to your expertise, then your dream job is just a call away.
4. ‘A Man is known by the company he keeps’. Your online network speaks a lot about you, so make sure whom you are adding to your friend list. Richer your network more valued is the profile.

Social media itself is a wide subject and has both pros and cons but using it for your own benefits it just in your hands. So for your next job hunt don’t forget SOCIAL!!

 

 

Six ways to nail that coveted job!!

It was usual day at work when I logged in my Linkedin account to find a message from an old classmate. He was looking for a of job change and wanted some advise around the same.I called him and discussed his concerns trying to suggest the best possible route I could think of. Being in Talent Acquisition for so many years now , I have done this of many friends and for some it worked while others were smart enough to make it happen their way.

 

I generally encounter questions regarding channels and turnaround time. My answer to this has always been ‘when patience pays, so what’s the hurry?”Honestly on personal levels most of my job changes were either through referrals or social media except of one case where I had applied on a job portal. But this is again very specific to my industry and might not work everywhere. However this has made me great advocate of Social Media which invariably is part of my job hunting strategies these days. Moreover it a best way to cut down lot of applicant traffic too.

So to begin with make sure that two pager brief introduction which is mostly referred as ‘Resume’ or should be updated enough to speak for your caliber and aptitude. It’s strange but I have come across many senior executives’ profiles who either have poorly written resumes or not at all. You might be leading 100 odd people but trust me that job posting would not even consider your application because the recruiter who might be filtering the profile didn’t find the right set of key words in place. Remember a job hunt is surviving the elimination and the first step is very crucial.

Media comes next after you are all set with that killer application. Well, after all you intend to kill other applications to reach the destination. Choice is yours if you want to start with job portal and try your luck. Mostly for junior to mid level and vanilla skills portals do the job well. Challenge is if you have been working in a niche field or have moved to roles which are not advertised very frequently and fewer in number.

Sometimes connecting with Head Hunters and Executive Search firms can be a good idea too. They have the specific industry understanding and would know the right opportunity for you. Also the mutual benefit drives them to make sure that it happens. LinkedIn has been a blessing in such scenarios. Not just you can find good jobs being posted from direct corporate HR’s but even connecting with head hunting firms has never been so easy. It’s a great market place when you are shopping for a job!!

You know yourself the best, more that any portal or consultant would do. Self research on the best possible opportunities by pursuing your target organizations either through internal employee referrals or direct applications might work as well. However as already discussed it’s a long drawn process in many cases and for some it just happens in record time. Job hunt is like cricket you might have to wait like Tendulkar to win the world cup or can be lucky to crack it in the first go itself.

Last but not least, when looking for job you should be ready to get the call anytime of the day and nobody will give you time to prepare for that first discussion. Try not to miss that and even if you do make sure you complete it later. Sometimes unknowingly we let go the best only to realize it very late. Also remember not to take a hasty decision for you never know what it would cost you later. 

Hope this helps you when next time you plan for a job change and till then enjoy your current assignment for it’s the work you do today which will fetch you job tomorrow.

 

Changing Face of Recruitment...

 

Recruitment might look simple to many but in real it’s never been a cake walk and the requirement urgency with talent deficiency makes it worse. This overall make the job of recruiter tough who anyways is dependent on somebody else’s talent and mind set. Over a decade as the face of HR has changed from a support function to a more business oriented one, so has the job changed on various dimensions. Observed below are certain trends in the hiring which are worth mentioning.

Growing economy has made hiring healthier and thus increased employment avenues. The continuous external competition only made sure that no stones were left unturned while head hunting for those demanding skill sets. The Hiring managers utilize all possible tool and techniques to attract and recruit talent. Retaining although is a different challenge altogether. Policies and procedures too have been evolved and made more employee centric thus engaging the employee.

Gradually Talent Acquisition has turned into subject matter expertise with a focus on recruitment methodology , tools and techniques. Organizations have dedicated recruitment teams to handle the mass hiring process on continuous basis. In past recruitment was more of an entry point to HR function leading to generalist but with due course it has evolved both in terms of maturity and scope. Many organizations are now hiring certified recruiters for the job, skilled enough to understand the dynamics of the profile.

Difference in projected hiring numbers and actual hiring number has compelled the hiring experts to maintain a passive talent pipeline through various sources. Ongoing recruitment drives for vanilla skills and maintaining a talent pool has become part of the strategy. Organizations have started acquiring talent hence in a way treating it as an important intellectual asset which further contributes in the growth.

And the buck didn’t stop here even the employees were encouraged and incentivized through lucrative employee referral schemes. For what can be better than age old tried and tested ‘word of the mouth’ technique. This not only helped hiring teams and motivated employees but also contributed towards employer branding!!!

With time, various metrics evolved around the specialized function like cost per hire, TAT, recruitment ratios etc which further defined the analytics of the subject.

Social media too has contributed towards this new avatar. Networking platforms like facebook, LinkedIn and other such forums and blogs have provided new avenues for finding the right fit and thus decreasing the dependency on job portals. In fact they are more fondly referred as ‘talent network’ and is an ideal place to exchange views and ideas too.

Technology has increases the accessibility for both candidates and recruiters.eg: a smart phone as much allows a candidate to apply a job in a much shorter span it also helps a recruiter to connect faster. Now a prospective candidate might really be just a click away.

Recruitment is ever changing and every day brings new trends so it’s important not to miss the right bus for you never know in which one the right candidate is travelling!!