My Biggest Ever Recruitment Stuff-Up

My Biggest Ever Recruitment Stuff-Up It’s quite a few years since I worked a desk as a recruiter. But I did, for many years. And I was a pretty good recruiter too. Not great, mind you. Just good enough to have a lot of fun, and make a bit of money. Currently, as a consultant to the recruitment industry,   I am spending some time training and coaching. As a result I am telling a lot of stories from my time on the desk. And it reminded me that although I billed a fair bit in my youth, I also made some monumental stuff-ups. And I don’t mean the odd lapse of judgment. I mean gargantuan mistakes. Colossal gaffes that make me cringe to this very day. A while ago, I wrote a blog about my biggest blunders as a manager of recruiters.   But they are mostly forgivable errors, as managing people is such a nuanced endeavor. But today I hope to to exorcise my demons by sharing what is probably the worst of several almighty balls-ups I made as a recruiter. It was in London in the early 1980s, and the market was starting to boom after a severe recession. I was placing accountants from a pokey office behind Oxford Circus, and frankly the whole industry was a bit of a circus in those days. Don’t get me wrong. It was a real, thriving industry. But it was largely unregulated. It was tough. It was fast. It was brutal actually, but it was exhilarating too. I loved the cut and thrust of it. We interviewed people at our desks. We had job orders circulated from office to office by motorbike to get the information around the business faster. That’s right. No email and no fax. A good recruiter often placed three or four people a week. In those days, the process of recruitment was undefined, and certainly at the fast end of the market, you simply referred candidates to jobs you thought would suit them, based on the interview you had conducted with them. Looking back I am amazed that at the time it was routine to refer candidates to roles without their specific permission on that role or that client. It was all too fast. Yes, that was the standard practice in accounting recruitment, London circa 1982. As a result, we often placed people on the day they came in to see us. In fact that was our preferred modus operandi, as many clients would interview candidates based on our ‘telephone sell’ of their background. Often a resume was not needed at all! But, often, the only way to secure an interview for our candidates was to send the client ‘CVs’ as we called them at that time. And it was a bun-fight to get your candidates included on the ‘shortlist’. It was truly a case of the quick and the dead, because you were competing against many other recruitment firms of course, but you were also in earnest competition to get CVs to the client before other offices of your company, and also before colleagues in your own office! (Did I mention the environment was competitive?). But all this is no excuse for what I did. There is no easy way to say this, so here goes ….. I sent the resume of a qualified accountant, a delightful young woman, to her own employer! There it is. I did the unthinkable. I was moving so fast, that I quickly matched a job description with a candidate and put the two together. And it was a good match too. It was HER job! Did I realise my blunder? No. I found out by the client calling me. “Did you send me the resume of Mary Candidate? “ he said in a quiet monotone. “Oh yes sir, I certainly did” I gushed, still unaware of the horror about to unfold. “ Well this is just to inform you that I am her boss and until now I was unaware she was looking for a new job. Thank you for this information.” “Click” The horror. The shame. The guilt. I phoned her. Many times. She never took my calls. Never called back. In fact I have never spoken to her again. And to be honest I don’t know what happened to her or what the consequences for her were. Labour law was not nearly as supportive of the employee in those days, and she could easily have lost her job. At the very least, I put her in an awful position. But in the long run the whole diabolical episode did me a lot of good. For a start, it brought me down a peg or two. Made me realise that there was a major flaw in the way we were doing things. (I was only in my early 20s and we were being told, ‘This is how it’s done’.) It also taught me the importance of care and process, and it reminded me of our duty to candidates and how attention to detail counts. I never made a mistake like that again. How about you? What is your biggest recruiting stuff-up? Your darkest recruiting hour? Come on, please tell us. Tell us your tale in the comments section below. The secret you never wanted to share. You will feel so much better!

Writing a Resume For Business Owner

Writing a Resume For Business OwnerIf you're a business owner, you probably need to write a resume for a business owner. Here are some tips on what to include on your resume.First of all, in your online application form, you will have to tell the employer how many years you've been working for your company. This is important because it can tell the employer which job you're applying for and will help the employer to determine if they should hire you or not. You can find this information in your employment documents like your employment application form or at the Human Resources department.Second, there is a separate category that describes how you want to see your resume and if you want to have your own individual resume or you want to use the standard format. If you're a business owner who has more than one business or you have multiple jobs, you will have to go to the right place if you want to see your work history.You'll find the work history section in your document. You will be able to use this section to write about all the jobs you've had with your business. Write the dates of each job so that they can be included on your resume.Third, you can use your past achievements as a business owner as a way to show what you can do. In addition, this section also has some special sections, such as public speaking or participation in seminars. You will be able to include this in your document if you want to make it more interesting.Then, there is the section on education and experience, which is the most important section. You will have to include all the education you've gotten since you were young. After that, you can also include some experience you've acquired that relates to the work you have done.Fourth, the education section is very important. You should include all the schools you attended and any work experience you had in school. In your application, you can include your professional certificate and your diplomas.Finally, you should also include any work history or skills that you've learned over the years. These are all great sections to include in your resume.

Setting yourself up for success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Setting yourself up for success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You just received a project due in 5 days. How will you accomplish this goal in a timely manner and deliver? Its all about setting yourself up for success, so that you deliver the best possible content in a 5 day span, and actually finish it before its due. This way, it will allow leway between edits and completion. The strategy for accomplishing this is to establish a project plan that spans 5 days. The plan should include all the work that needs to get done, in order to finish the project on time, as well as periods where certain portions of the project need to be complete. Once you have established this plan, you need to follow it for the 5 days. If this is a collaboration effort, you must include the other stakeholders in your plan, and mark the days in which they need to take part in this initiative. If they have to sign off on pieces of the project or the entire project, mark these gates on your plan. If it is a long-term plan, you may included phases or draft cycles. The important thing to consider is how complex the project is and the audience it is being provided to. After you know those pieces, you can construct the project plan to meet the needs and requirements of the audience. Make sure you communicate this plan with the stakeholders of the project, so that everyone is on the same page. To properly set yourself up for success, you should bring the due date of the project to at least 1 day before it is due. This will provide pressure at first, but you will have less stress closer to the deadline. A good tool to use to create plans, such as the one described above is Microsoft Project, which is project management software designed to track the progress of a project and attach resources and deadlines.

Part Time Careers Service Applications Advisers University of Manchester Careers Blog

Part Time Careers Service Applications Advisers University of Manchester Careers Blog The University of Manchester Careers Service is looking to recruit a number of Applications Advisers, working as part of the busy careers team to provide 1-1 advice to students and graduates on their job application techniques. See www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/services/applicationsadvice/ We employ a pool of applications advisers to provide services at busy times of year. Joining the pool does not guarantee hours every week but offers you the flexibility to work when you are available. The role includes: • Delivering 15 minute individual face to face appointments to students and recent graduates. • Giving feedback covering the content and format of their CV, cover letters, application forms, LinkedIn profiles and personal statements for further study. • At peak times Oct Nov we would expect individual advisers work 2-6 sessions per week. • Hours will vary according to levels of demand from students. • You do not need to work the same hours each or every week. This role is part-time, with most hours being in semester time. Applications Advisers work half days or full days: • Half day: 1 session = 9.15-12.45 or 1-4.30 = 3.5 hours. • Full day: 2 sessions = 9.15-4.30 (6.45 hours with half hour lunch break). Hourly rate: £9.75 per hour Full training will be given. This role would suit someone looking to go into advice / guidance work / HR or recruitment. As these roles are for the next academic year, they are not suitable for someone currently in their final year (eg masters due to complete by Christmas), but we particularly welcome PhDs who are looking for flexible part-time work throughout the next academic year. Skills: • Experience of delivering 1-1 advice. • Experience of delivering feedback. • The ability to manage your time and client expectations. • A clear understanding of, and the ability to identify with, the undergraduate job search experience. • A strong commitment to excellent customer service. • High standard of written and spoken communication skills; including listening skills, the ability to relate to the student and show understanding, persuasion and good written presentation. • The ability to deal effectively with people, requiring tact, courtesy, empathy and patience. • An excellent command of the English language. How to apply: Please email your CV with a covering letter explaining why you would like to be considered for the post and the experience and skills that will make you a good candidate. Important: Please use the CV Cover letter guides on our website, part of the assessment for this role will be your ability to follow our guidelines www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews Please state in your cover letter your availability to work, days of the week am or pm. Preference will be given to applicants who are flexible and available for full days or multiple half days. Return to Natalie Walsh via email: Natalie.Walsh@manchester.ac.uk For further details/informal enquiries contact Natalie Walsh via email: Natalie.Walsh@manchester.ac.uk Closing date for applications: Friday 17 May 5pm (note: we may be able to consider applications received by Monday 20th May). Interviews: will be held on 30/31 May and 3rd June Training Dates: 18 and 19 June. 2 DAYS COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE. Plus additional flexible dates in June, July and August. All Postgraduate

How To Find The Perfect Resume Education Format

How To Find The Perfect Resume Education FormatResume education format has been an essential part of resume preparation for a very long time. Although it is no longer optional, many companies do not use the standard resume education format. The most common format for resumes that are used by many companies is the bullet style resume.This type of resume was created by the marketing industry as a means to make a simple resume easier to read. Some of the letters that are placed within the resume are also referred to as bullets.In order to tell them apart from the typical applicant's resume, all but one of the letters should be short and to the point. If they are too long, it could throw off the reader, because a resume letter should be an introduction and also a conclusion. Too many filler words can be considered as filler, and it does nothing for the reader.There are many different types of professional resume letters. A professional resume letter will contain one of these types of let ters: a personal letter, an objective letter, and a letter of reference. The person writing the letter will make sure to state how much they value the position that the person for hire is applying for, and how they are going to get the job done.The resume education format is not just for resumes. The two other parts of the resume are what is called the letters of reference. These letters should be formal and very concise. When someone has already done a job search, they are not going to want to send in a letter that is going to take more than an hour to read.The last part of the resume education is a 'to do' list of recent career development experiences. This is also a type of letter where the writer should list the information on how they can help the company with their skills. For example, the person who writes this type of letter may want to mention that they have been an emergency room nurse for twelve years, or they might want to mention that they have been certified in health administration for six years.The resume education format should always be followed by a well-written cover letter. This should be no longer than one page and should be addressed to the person who is about to interview you. A cover letter should be brief and easy to read. It is the only way for the hiring manager to get to know the applicant better, so they can determine if they like them or not.Now that you have an idea of what the basic resume education format is, and the actual requirements for the letters that are placed within the resume, you should be able to follow it all without much trouble. The next step is to practice what you have learned, and try not to use this format in your own job search.

Politicians and morals - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Politicians and morals - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Thor Pedersen, the danish minister of finance, is accused of owning a farm without living on it, even though danish law requires him to. He is being attacked relentlessly by both the opposition and the media. Hes admitted to breaking the law, and promised not to do it anymore. Thor Pedersens guilt or innocence aside, theres one question you have to ask yourself. I know that we consistently require a higher moral standard from our politicians than we do from the general populace, but why should this be so? The argument, of course, goes that since politicians are our leaders, they need to set a good example, and be above reproach. The best example is of course Bill Clinton and the whole Lewinsky debacle; millions of people have done what he did (and lots worse), but because he was the president, it was somehow worse when he did it. In Denmark, just remember how much flack Pia Gjellerup caught for driving her bicycle without lights on it, when she was minister of justice. I would like to challenge this assumption, that a higher standard of morals applies to our politicians. To me, the idea that since they are role models, they should behave, suggests a shifting of responsibility from us to them. But my behaviour is (and always will be) my own responsibility. Politicians are not our role models; I certainly dont model my behaviour on any politician. Being a politician should be a job like any other, and I dont think that anyone would suggest e.g. firing a person from their (non-political) job over trespasses on the order of those described here. Ask yourself this: What good is achieved by imposing a higher moral standard on politicians than on anybody else? I honestly dont think we NEED them to be better than us. We need them to be exactly as law-abiding and honest as we are. 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

Smiles Everyone!

Smiles Everyone! Unseasonably balmy weather predicted for the weekend reminds me of all the wonderful summer memories and new summer opportunities! When the sky is blue and the weather is warm (not hot), it is hard not to smile, especially in Upstate New York. Wouldnt it be nice if we could keep the first days of summer smile all yearwe can, but it requires some work. Usually (or always) it is our beliefs that take the smile away or keep the smile on our face. Ivy Hoffman will be presenting a workshop on personal beliefs at RochesterWorks mid-week and I am sure Ill have greater insight after I hear her. What I do know now is that there is a ton of stress, anxiety, fear, despair, indifference and host of other negative emotions associated with job loss and job search. We have 2 choices, let the emotions take our smile away or change our beliefs/mindset and keep the smile. Sounds flowery, I know. But emotions cast the shadow of how we are perceived. So having a flowery disposition can greatly enhance our chances of success. I came across a post on this topic How to use questions to create a positive perspective comes from The M.A.P. Maker a blog by Curt Rosengren. Really, this was the inspiration for this post. Where ever you are, enjoy and smile!