BranchOut is the biggest professional networking platform on Facebook and is staying true to its name, recently expanding to more than double its Facebook user base over two months, surpassing 25 million users. This application enables users to present their resumes (current job tittle, career history, summary, specialties and endorsements) and form connections with Facebook users.  At least 3 new people sign up for BranchOut every second!

Could BranchOut be the new LinkedIn?

To date, LinkedIn has been used solely as a network for business professionals with just over 1,575,850 users in South Africa.Facebook has now reached just over 901 million users worldwide with approximately 4,745,920 users in South Africa as of April and continues to grow, giving BranchOut a massive advantage when it comes to numbers. BranchOut is a late bloomer but is often considered a major threat to LinkedIn. People spend more time on Facebook, its the second most visited site in the world just after google.com, its a gold mine that has Branchout cleverly seated right up top, utilizing the site’s extensive user base. Genius!

BranchOut Founder and Chief Executive Officer Rick Maini said:

“We power the professional profile for the Facebook generation. Online networking is not just for managers and executives. New college graduates, retail workers, nurses, software engineers and military veterans re-entering the workforce can all benefit substantially from having strong professional profiles on Facebook. We’re making it easier for our users to find jobs through their established and authentic Facebook relationships.”

The interview really actually begins right from the moment you speak to the recruiter over the phone. If the impressive CV doesn’t match the personality that comes across over the phone we’re less likely to want to invite that person for an interview. Make sure you are in a quiet and open environment where you can talk freely; we want to hear that you can communicate well, you’re articulate and you speak with self-assurance and composure.  Once you’ve got that right you’ll be sure to receive the invitation. Ask questions about what position and industry you are being interviewed for so that you’re able to prepare for the interview. From there its all about doing your homework and being prepared.

Here’s your homework:

• Make a note of the place and time of the interview.
• What is the name and title of the interviewer?
• What is the companies name and what is the position title?
• Do research on the internet
  • Try search for the job duties and requirements that fall under the job title. If you can, get the exact job description you’re applying for. Use this information as a way to sell yourself in the interview.
  • Have a look at the company’s website and know who they are and what they do, it’s the best way to see the company as it wants to be seen.
  • One other great way to get a feel for the company and its culture is to follow their social networks and groups on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterst etc. Join the conversation and be social.
  • Lastly Google yourself to see how the employer see’s you.
• Ask yourself:
  • What skills do I have that are a good fit?
  • Is there anything negative that the interviewer might ask me about? How will you address it?
  • What questions do I want to ask?
  • Are there any accomplishments that I would like to highlight in the course of the interview?
  • Prepare yourself with a little Q & A. Recruiters usually use stock questions like “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “Out of all the applicants I’ve seen tell me why I should hire you?”

First impressions are so imperative. Recruiters can usually tell if you’re right for the position within the first 5 to 10 minutes of the interview. The first point of face to face introduction must be striking. Dress appropriately, present in a professional and sophisticated style, stand up when the interviewer approaches you, shake his/her hand and remember that no one likes a sloppy handshake, smile, speak up and just relax.

Heroes are not just characters in movies and comic books, heroes are everyday people who go after what they want in life, they have strength, courage and endurance. Are you a hero? Do you want to be the hero in your life story?

On average most of us spend about 1896 hours a year of our time at work, that’s about 22 % of your year spent working 8 to 5, Monday to Friday. So you might as well start enjoying your job and become GOOD AT IT because you’re going to be doing it for a very long time!

To begin, ask yourself what are the characteristics of a hero? What are the traits successful, self-assured, ambitious people hold?

5 Characteristics of a Hero:

1. Bravery.

“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.” – Omar N. Bradley

Be brave enough to stand up for yourself, go after your dreams, know your worth and demand what’s due to you. Remember that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Heroes have the fear of losing but they also have the courage to drive away that fear. Dream big and have the courage to go after it.

Be different. A memorable personality can take you a long way in your career. Let the fun and exciting side of you shine and show through, have the courage to be totally different.

1. Determination.

“The difference between the impossible and possible lies in a man’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda

If you want to live your dream and reach your goals, if you want it bad enough then you’ll find that determination and willpower will come naturally. Even the weakest of people will win with a little determination and passion. Just make sure you set the right goals and keep focussed.

1. Endurance.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” – William Barclay

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When they get going nothing can stop them from achieving their goals, be that person because we can only ever learn from failure. Turn your negative experiences into something positive and valuable.

1. Perseverance

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Even if it takes you years to reach your destination, keep going. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Don’t give up too easily; persistence pays off in the end.

“The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.” – Aristotle

1. Humbleness

”Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale.

Be down to earth. It’s all about building positive relationships with everyone around you at work. That includes even the people like the cleaners and tea ladies who are most often taken for granted. Employers appreciate friendliness as well as respectful and courteous behaviour.

Every company has those employees that always do a good job, they’re always on time, they get everything done and when they’re done they go home quietly returning the next day to repeat the same task all over again. You can be better than that, better than good, you can be great. Go out of your way and make the extra effort.

Be extraordinary!

Whether you realise it or not there is some underlying driving force which has prompted you to look at other positions and other companies in most cases these reasons are:

• salary (feeling underpaid),
• bad management,
• no growth,
• company stability
• and travelling distance etc… but what it really boils down to is not feeling appreciated/acknowledged & unsatisfied.

Now the counter offer presents a problem on a few fronts being:

• If you accept the counter offer the new company aint gonna be too pleased and it will most likely leave a bad taste in their mouth! So you are burning bridges (a big no no). Not to say this happens all the time and probably if you are that good they might forgive you in let’s say 2 years.
• The basic reasons behind you even been open to leaving your company will most likely still be there in 3 months or 3 years.  Statistics show that most candidates that accept counter offers end up leaving within 6 – 18 months.
• Now you have raised alarm bells with your current employers, you have been seen as a traitor and an “unhappy” staff member, not always a position you want to find yourself in.

Now the benefits of accepting a counter offer

• You just earned yourself a raise.
• You might have even eared a promotion
• You get to stay in a job you know with a company you are familiar with. (change is scary)

Nothing wrong with that except you look like an opportunist with no regard to a commitment. Ask yourself this this: If your own company didn’t know your worth to start off with then why would you want to stay with them?? Be transparent, truthful and honest, these are all qualities that everyone respects and expects, if you don’t value those then it’s a blessing in disguise for the new company. BUT sometimes your current employer just needs a wakeup call. I get it!

Our advice, before you start looking for a new job is to see if you can’t sort out your “issues” with your manager. Be totally upfront and tell them look I am thinking of moving on because of (salary, travel, no growth etc) and see if they value you enough to help retain you.

All in all no one can tell you what is right or wrong for you, not your recruiter, not your current employer or future employer. Only you know what is best for you!

The first few steps to ‘the top’ of your ladder:

• Perfect your present job. Give it your best even if you’re not concerned with turning it into your life’s work. Magnify your productivity and efficiency. Be willing to take on extra work and go the extra mile.

• Make yourself available. It is important to make it clear that you are fully capable of doing better, moving to the next level and adapt easily. Learn to talk, to dress, and to possess the skillset required for the next level.

• Train a replacement. If you’re the only person who can perform your job, you’ll be stuck doing it forever. Once you become too comfortable in your current position and your employers feel you are irreplaceable, your chances of moving anywhere fade.

• Get ahead by anticipating structural needs and changes.  Be a problem solver and sell yourself and the answer. Be someone that takes initiative, volunteer for strategic projects so that you get the exposure you need to show your worth. Remember that people who are not known don’t get promoted.

• Develop a network of good relationships, especially with your superiors. As you move up the ladder, there is one trait that is more important than anything else, and that single word is LOYALTY. Display honest communication, demonstrating your trust worthiness and reliability. Be careful of office politics, don’t fall prey to others wars for achievement and success.

• Keep in contact with staff in the HR department. Become friendly with people in personnel and keep track of upcoming openings as well as ask about training opportunities. Display your loyalty to the company and let them know of your long-term goals. If career development decisions are being made and opportunities arise, you want to be on the HR short list.

• Take up courses and additional training. Even though you might have an extensive educational history and an impressive degree behind your name, there’s always more you could learn. Look into night courses, seminars and workshops. Read business magazines, newspapers and books. Sign up for informational newsletters and stay informed on your industry as a whole, not just your profession.

• Always keep moving forward. If you find yourself stuck in a ‘dead-end-job’ or behind a ‘dead-end-boss’ then it’s time for change. If you haven’t moved position or division in 2-3 years it’s time to get moving. Go where the growth is, allow for your company of choice to further you in your career.

“A rising tide lifts all ships” – Renzulli.

Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own careers. However, it is important to know and appreciate the influence of perceptions and recognise that companies expect different skills at different points in one’s career. Remember to be focused on your professional goals and objectives. Uphold your integrity, poise and your determination. You’ll get that promotion for sure!

In the working world things, are moving faster and people are changing jobs more frequently, therefore hiring decisions need to be made more often and more quickly. So why do these recruitment processes seem to be getting longer and more complicated?  The simple answer is the costs of bad hiring decisions. The reason I use the plural costs, is that it is not as straight forward as the direct expenses involved in having to re-recruit for candidates who leave after a short period of time. The costs of a bad hiring decision start right from when an inappropriate candidate is hired because of a poorly constructed job description, through to a candidate who adds bad politics to the working environment thereby reducing overall productivity. When measured, although this is seldom done, these costs are often far higher than an agency placement fee or the time and money spent on trying to make a really good hiring decision.

So what steps are used as part of the hiring process and what are companies looking to assess during each of these steps:

Recruitment Agency Interviews – These interviews assess first level fit to company, competence screening and verification of claimed experience and qualifications: Clients outsource to agencies mainly for one reason, and that is dedicated time and along with this comes expertise. Most in-company HR practitioners are not devoted to recruitment full time, so keeping up with the huge base of candidates in the market in any one particular field is very difficult. Sometimes this lack of full-time focus on recruitment can allow a bad candidate to slip through. This is where agencies play, and therefore the function of the agency is to get to a few highly suitable candidates from which the company can chose its best match. Therefore to agencies, the quality of candidates they put forward is very important, so they will focus on ensuring your claimed track record and skills are legitimate and suit their client’s specifications.

HR Interviews – HR assesses candidate fit to company, and when agencies are not used the same functions as agencies as above: HR practitioners are internal and therefore they have a much better understanding of the culture of the team that the hired candidate would need to work with. With this in mind, once legitimacy of your track record has been established, HR will focus on a match to the team and the line manager. So you need to show HR your personality, however don’t make the mistake of being overbearing or over sharing.

Line Manager Interviews – Line Managers focus on candidate fit to team and fit to the job role: Line managers typically understand the required skills intimately, and therefore they do an in-depth assessment of whether the candidate has the specific skills needed. Line managers would also be the one working with the hired candidate and therefore it is important for you to connect with the line manager in the interview.

Panel Interviews – An in-depth assessment of candidate cultural fit to company and fit to job: Having more than one person from the company in the room during an interview, allows one party at a time to engage in questioning the candidate, while the other people in the room observe. This is a very good mechanism for understanding the candidate’s personality and thus fit to the company. The very worst thing to do in this format of interview is to “wing it”; if you do and it’s exposed this is a sure way not to get the job. The people from the company involved in the interview will deliberate afterwards, and any causes for concern turn quickly into reasons not to hire.

Personality Profiling Tests – These are assessment of the personality traits needed for the job and an overall cultural fit to the company: The major thing to remember here is to be as honest as possible in your answers. These tests are designed by professionals and dishonesty often manifests in the test results as inconsistency. From my experience this is hardly ever a good thing. Different personalities work well in different jobs, and trying to buck the test because of a personality trait that is not a strength of yours, but you know is important to the job, may get you the job but just set you up for failure later on.

Competency and Skills Tests – These test technical competence: This speaks for itself. It seems the results of these tests are given huge weight when it comes to ticking the skills box, so it’s important to do well here. But, even if parts of the test seem to be “not your area of expertise”, just do the best you can. Sometimes the company will not be interested in the area of the test you don’t do well at; however they need an accurate reflection of your skill levels.

Companies may use any one or usually more than one of these steps while hiring and I’ve seen them used effectively in many different sequences. These steps can also be moved out of their traditional settings, for example technical assessments can be performed in the work place in the form of a work trial, and interviews can be moved to an informal situation such as a coffee shop or even a company function. Whatever the setting or sequence used, remember it is important as a candidate to represent yourself correctly. Therefore it is probably worth asking what process will be used, so you can understand how best to represent yourself in each step in the process.

If you have had an experience during a hiring process that you feel doesn’t fit into the steps mentioned, or at any point you were confused about what was being asked of you, post about it here and perhaps we can help with some insight. Also, maybe other readers will have had similar experience and can offer their own thoughts.

]]> http://zaprogress.co.za/why-companies-put-candidates-through-so-many-tests-and-interviews-when-hiring/feed/ 4 http://zaprogress.co.za/its-all-about-networking/ http://zaprogress.co.za/its-all-about-networking/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:08:22 +0000 admin http://zaprogress.co.za/?p=425 Networking is one of the most important components of job searching. Creating and expanding your Professional Network is something that should be at the top of your ‘to do list’ when starting with your job hunt. Top networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great tools to further enhance your searching as well as a way for you to advertise yourself to the recruiters or employers who are most likely looking for someone with your skills!

Facebook

Yes that’s right, not only can you use Facebook for socialising and sharing photos and videos, sites, articles etc. but you can use it as a way to advertise yourself as a professional. If you’re using Facebook, and more people are every day, here are tips on the best ways to use Facebook when you’re job searching:

• Take a close look at your Profile and decide what you want business contacts or potential employers to see.
• Recruiters and employers alike most probably have a Facebook account and are starting to use Social Networking more and more as a means to find the right candidates. This gives you an exceptional opportunity to network yourself to whoever is hiring at the moment.
• Edit your profile details and include things like:
  • Current Location and Hometown
  • Languages
  • ‘About Me’
  • Employer
  • Tertiary and Secondary Education
  • Activities and Interests as well as any other information about you as an individual that you would like others to see.
• Post content related to your career.
• Search and join Facebook groups that interest you. Start conversations and engage with other professionals like you.
• If you are ready to spend money on your search, you can post an ad telling the world where you would like to work. Click on ‘Advertise’ and create an ad with a link to a more broad profile like LinkedIn . The more specific you can make it the better, you only want the right people clicking through as you pay per click.

Follow our company page and apply for jobs directly from the ‘Careers’ tab on the right hand side.

Twitter

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service applying instant messaging, SMS or a web interface. Twitter is open ended and people and companies use it in a variety of ways, including to job search. Ways to make your Twitter profile more attractive:

• Open an account and include something about your profession in your username. Since users can search tweets by topic, that’s one way of making your feed more visible.
• Include your career and skills in your bio.
• Follow industry leaders’ tweets and even build informal relationships by following one another.
• Follow people or companies that tweet about jobs and career opportunities like recruitment consultants and agencies.
• Use hashtags to join in conversations with others who are talking about the same topic.
• Use hashtags like #Jobs followed by the area you would like to work in, eg. #Johannesburg or #CapeTown.

Most importantly, constantly tweet! Keep your name out there and make sure you’re not missing out!

LinkedIn

Over 120 million professionals use LinkedIn to create a free online profile, connect with colleagues, and discover breaking news and professional insights. Whether you’re keenly seeking a job, or just keeping track on where your industry is heading, LinkedIn impacts your professional relationships to help you realize your career goals. Below are a few tips to help you get started and expand your network:

• Build your online CV and start by including as much information as possible like your full name, schooling and qualifications, career history, recommendations, etc.
• Add a photo of yourself, so people can actually see who they are interacting with.
• Upload your address book from Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook or any other database where your contacts’ email addresses are stored and LinkedIn will tell you immediately who of these are already LinkedIn members.
• Grow your network by searching for people you already know, co-workers from past and present companies and classmates from present and past schools.
• Search for profiles of people within the same industry or field as you.
• Join groups that interest you and then invite members of those groups.
• Follow companies that you have worked at before or hope to work for in the future.
• You can use up to three websites as a reference to you, places where people can find out more about you.
• Keep your profile up-to-date. Every time you add something new to your profile, connections can see it.
• Use a tagline under your name, this is what members see first.

LinkedIn is a great tool specially designed to connect you to professionals, if you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile… get one!

YouTube

One site not normally known as a social site has emerged as just that and is rapidly placing itself as a respected social network. Your profile will be quite similar to all the other profiles you’ve created on the internet. You need a username, profile picture, short bio/description and just start browsing!

The idea of having an account on YouTube can be a little daunting but the good news is you don’t have to post your own videos to have an active social profile. Here are a few things you can do on YouTube:

• Commenting on videos or channels.
• Share videos on other social networks.
• Creating playlists of your favourite YouTube videos.
• Rate videos (1-5 stars).
• Embed video in your website and blog.
• Meet people with similar interests and likes.
• Engage in discussions and get involved with video reviews.
• Search for companies you’re interested in and view posts by that company or other people who have posted about that company.
• View interesting videos posted by recruiters or professionals who give great career advice.

The possibilities are endless and social networking can be used for almost anything and in many different ways, especially when it comes to business and marketing. So get out there and market yourself! Healthy career networking comprises of both online and offline contacts. Regardless of where you meet or what you discuss, networking with industry peers is central to building a fruitful career.

There is no perfect template, and each industry may involve a different emphasis on different features of the content, such as career history or skills and qualifications. However there are some basic guidelines on how a CV should be written and what sort of information should be included.

Overall, a CV should be well-ordered and typed if possible. It should also be short and contain your achievements and strengths, and make a good impression in a clear and positive way.

The basic format for a CV includes:

• Personal details, including name, phone number, email address, date of birth, nationality, equity status, availability
• A personal profile which sells you and your qualities, personalised towards the job you are applying for
• Career synopsis and history, starting with your most recent job first. Include dates and temporary or voluntary jobs if appropriate
• Achievements from previous jobs that are relevant
• Secondary and Tertiary qualifications and training with the most recent first
• A list of your skills and systems experience
• Interests, if they are relevant and especially if the skills or teamwork concerned are relevant for the job
• Any extra information, such as reasons for a career change or reasons for gaps in career history, such as caring duties
• References, ideally two or more and including a recent employer
• Corinne Mills is managing director of Personal Career Management, which offers careers coaching. She says that a straightforward font and formatting is required – and the spelling must be checked and checked again.

Tips to remember:

• Triple check your spelling errors, poor spelling is the quickest way of getting rejected!
• Search for the jobs you would like to apply for and use the requirements to mould your CV
• Understand what employers are looking for and know exactly how to present your CV
• Lastly… Keep it short and simple.

These simple job hunting guidelines will prepare you with the essential skills to align yourself with companies in the industry of your dream position.

1. Know what you are looking for in a job.

Self-examination is a good way to map out a career plan based on your detailed needs and wants. With a clear picture of the perfect job in mind, your job searches are refined and you can be sure not to settling for just any job offer.

2. Which companies interest you?

To some job seekers the company brand and the market’s view of the brand is a vital aspect. Not only is the brand of the company important but also the company type in pointing you in the accurate career direction.

3. Prepare your CV

Pay attention to the details of your CV and keep in mind; your CV is a catalogue advertising you and your skills and so make sure that it presents in a orderly, professional and exceptional manner. Try to emphasise the most significant information drawn from the job ad. Limit the length of your CV recruiters and employers prefer shorter CV’s to drawn-out pages of unrelated work history.

4. Where to search for the jobs you’re looking for.

Online job advertising, print ads and recruitment sections of newspapers are very useful means to finding the job you’re looking for. Register your CV with recruitment agencies who will look to match your skills to a job vacancy. Research companies to see if they have posts advertised on their own websites.
Online job sites provide you with useful tools to make job hunting easier and more effective directing you to your preferred job types with the right salary, area etc. Pnet and Career Junction are two of the most popular sites used by both recruiters and job seekers in South Africa.

5. Network your way into your new job.

‘It’s not what you know, but who you know’! Social networking websites may provide you with the perfect way for like-minded people to link and to network. This way you’re able to meet professionals in your industry and to exhibit and your talents.

6. Understanding job adverts.

Read job ads properly and carefully and only once you have understood it and know that your experience is a fit to the requirements, only then should you apply. Even though the ad markets to your desired industry doesn’t always mean you are best suited to the position.

7. Follow up on all new job applications.

Always follow up with the recruiter or company you have applied with, ask for feedback and thank them for their time. Be careful not to harass a recruiter, rather approach follow ups with caution and respect.

8. Stay positive!

Our last but most important tip…. don’t underrate the influence of positive thought. Trust that you will succeed in finding the job you want and the job you want will find you.