Top 3 Tips for Working with Recruiters...from a Recruiter!

Top 3 Tips for Working with Recruiters...from a Recruiter! I have been recruitment consultant for the last 10 years and absolutely love my job. I’m aware that recruiters don’t always provoke happy thoughts in the minds of job seekers and clients alike and that is maybe a blog post for another time, but for now I want to give some tips for getting the most out of your recruiter relationships. 1. Keep a daybook After advertising on a job board, I can sometimes call up the successful candidates for interview only to hear them say they have no idea what job I am calling about. Sometimes I can hear the confusion and panic in their voice when they try to blag itbut I can tell. Sometimes they simply just tell me that they have applied for so many jobs that they are not sure which one I am calling to discuss. I don’t mind this at all and I never take offence or hold it against them. This is because I understand how confusing it can be for job seekers. It is totally understandable when recruiters advertise their vacancies without telling you who the actual employer is. There may be a few reasons why they have kept the job anonymous. Maybe they don’t want their competitors to know who they are working with or maybe the employer doesn’t want anyone to know they are hiring. Whatever the reason, this can make dealing with multiple agencies a little messy and confusing at times. I recommend keeping a daybook and making a note of all the agencies, job titles that you apply for and the dates. You can also keep a note of all the emails and phone calls that you make too. This way you can grab it and scan it quite quickly and remain prepared. It also saves you panicking and feeling under pressure and allows you to make a positive impression from the start. 2. Call time One of the biggest frustrations that I hear about recruiters is that they don’t return calls. It’s a tough one because the nature of their job is to network and track down possible opportunities, so they are always on the phone. Companies rarely just telephone recruiters to give them jobs to work on. Recruiters are often targeted on making a certain number of ‘prospect calls’ per day, especially during core business hours when their clients are in work. Most agencies work approximately 8am to 6pm so maybe try to call them before 9am or after 4.30pm when they are least likely to be on a ‘prospect call’. Not returning calls is really bad manners and I am not saying that this is excusable. I am saying that we cannot control the behaviours of others, only how we adapt to them. 3. Help them help you Sometimes our client wants to see you, sometimes they don’t and ultimately it is their decision not ours. On occasions we have to work that little bit harder to promote you and the value that you could add. I once felt so passionate about a candidate who I’d advised my client to meet, that I was distraught when he kept refusing. My candidate was over qualified, I realise, but I had spent enough time with him to know this wasn’t going to be an issue. So what did I do? I did a deal with my client. If he met my candidate for 20 minutes and felt that it was a waste of his time, he never had to use me for any recruitment again. I even told him he could create a Facebook page dedicated to my incompetence as a recruiter. Well, he did meet him and he did hire him (thankfully). I was willing to put my neck on the line and that’s what we do with our own reputations every day. You need to influence your recruiter and convince them of the benefits you bring and the value you can add to their clients. They need to really believe in you to really ‘sell’ you. You can do this by giving them a breakdown of your achievements. You can write them a list of companies that you would love to work for and give them the reasons why and you can hand over as many fantastic references as you can get. Your recruiter can and will use all of this information to help differentiate you from the other candidates and secure you that last interview slot. Your relationships with recruiters can be complex at times and I hope these tips help you get the most out of themand ultimately see you employed in a job you love! Related: 6 Reasons You Never Heard Back from the Recruiter.

4 Excellent Reasons to Call a Dentist Today

4 Excellent Reasons to Call a Dentist Today When was the last time you saw a dentist? Are you living with some type of dental issue and haven’t got around to seeking help? Whatever the case, there are plenty of dentists, even in places like Mississuaga, who can resolve the problem a lot easier than you think. Here are some reasons to make that call today and get in the habit of seeing a dental professional regularly. Damaged Teeth You have a couple of teeth that sustained some damage recently. While there isnt much pain right now, they dont look that great. Keep in mind cracked or broken teeth will only get worse as time goes on. They may eventually need to be removed. By choosing to see a cosmetic dentist, you could undergo a simple procedure, repair the damage, and keep the tooth for the rest of your life. Pain That Comes and Goes Do you sometimes experience aching under a tooth or in a gum? Perhaps the pain is severe for a day or so and then fades away. You forget all about it until the pain returns. Now is the time to break the cycle and schedule an appointment with a dentist near you. The reason for the pain may be something that’s easy to treat. It could also be an early warning sign of something more serious. In any case, resolving the problem now will mean not dealing with pain that seems to come out of nowhere and disappear as mysteriously as it started. Whiter Teeth Would Be Nice Your teeth are not as bright as in years past. That’s no surprise, since most people have habits that cause the teeth to yellow. From drinking certain beverages to using tobacco products, the result is often teeth that look less than their best. What you may not know is that cosmetic dentists can administer whitening treatments that gradually restore your teeth to a more attractive hue. The results appear faster than using over the counter kits, and there’s a professional monitoring the condition of the teeth and gums while the treatment series is in progress. If you’re tired of yellowed teeth, a few dental appointments will make a huge difference. Time for a Checkup Be honest and admit that you can’t remember the last time you had a full dental examination. Ideally, you should have one annually, but it’s easy to let it slide when your teeth seem to be fine. The thing to remember is that most dental issues are virtually undetectable to the untrained eye when they are in the early stages. If it’s been a long time since your last checkup, today is the right time to call a local dentist and set up an appointment. There are quite a few things that family and cosmetic dentists can do to help keep your teeth healthy and looking their best. All it takes is getting into the habit of seeking dental care on a regular basis. Remember that dental health is about more than sporting a beautiful set of teeth. It’s also about doing everything you can to remain healthy.

Stay in Corporate or Start a Biz Heres How to Decide - Classy Career Girl

Stay in Corporate or Start a Biz Here’s How to Decide Do you want to be employed or do you want to be the employer? Starting a business is not the right path for everyone. Deciding whether to remain in a job or build a business should be done with less emotion and a lot of thinking. Giving up the security of a full-time job to start your own business is a very risky move. But whatever decision you make, you’ve got to do what you’re passionate about. Many women I speak with have dreams of building a business but just see no way it could happen because they have bills to pay and a family to support. I was in the same boat a few years back. I knew I had what it takes to build a business but didnt want to leave the comforts of my mediocre, well-paying job. But wheres the challenge and fun in that? To be honest though, I would never have thought after college I would end up starting my own business.  All through college and even in business school, starting my own business never even crossed my mind. But then I started realizing that my personal values and motivations fit being the boss, rather than being the employee.  In my corporate job, I had so many great ideas but they would always get squashed by my clients and managers. I knew that my systems and ideas could save lots of money and make my team so much more efficient, but my hands were tied. I couldnt convince anyone to make any changes and it was very frustrating. So I started dreaming of starting my own company where I could actually make my big ideas happen. You absolutely must investigate what the right career path is for you. So here are some steps to help you decide whether you should stay in a corporate or start your own business: Step #1: List The Reasons Why You Might Want to Build Your Own Business On a sheet of paper, list the reasons why you want to start a business. Write down what drives you, is it all about the money or do you see a strong need for the product/service that you want to offer? Is there a problem that you want to solve? Do you want to help people? What is your mission in life and how does it relate to the mission of the business you want to start? Some of the reasons that I started my business were because I wanted to help others find work they love. I also wanted autonomy and flexibility to work when and where I wanted to, not just from 9-5pm in a cubicle. I also wanted to do be in charge of my own professional future and not rely on a company to pay for my retirement. Step #2: Make a Pro vs. Con List   Make an extensive list of all the pros and cons. I listed a few pros and cons here. Working in Corporate Pros: If you stay in a company for a long time, you’ll be more likely to rise in seniority. And with this, you get the chance to lead others or mentor newcomers. Many organizations increase their employees’ salary if they stay for a certain number of years. Working in a large company provides access to resources and technologies. You will find smart and well-experienced colleagues and you can learn from them. Working in Corporate Cons: Even if you hate your boss, you have to deal with it. You have no security that your job will always be available. Working For Yourself Pros: You make a living doing what you love. You’re in control of your financial future. You have the freedom to choose what projects and which clients you want to work with. You have a chance to earn more. You may feel accomplished for building something that’s all your own. You hire who you want to work with. Working For Yourself Cons: Finances will be more complicated and you have to deal with uncertain income and cash flow. You have to do everything yourself or hire someone else to help you. Every day  you have to be motivated and work as a self-starter. You pay your own benefits. [RELATED: What No One Tells You About Starting a Business] Step #3: Decide if Entrepreneurship is Right for You Do you have what it takes to build and run your own business? As an entrepreneur, you need to be optimistic. Starting a business can be tough and stressful. You have to be prepared emotionally and financially and you have to be committed. You need to know for yourself if you’re really passionate about your product and/or services.  Test yourself! Building a successful business takes more than a great idea and the money to get it started. If you answer yes to some of the below questions, then it could mean that becoming an entrepreneur is the right choice for you: Is it important to you to accomplish something meaningful with your life? Do you typically set both short and long term goals for yourself? Do you usually achieve your goals? Do you enjoy working on your own? Are you self-disciplined? Can you afford to lose the money you invest in your business? When the need arises, are you willing to do a job that may not interest you? Do you usually stick with a project until it is completed?

What makes a blog successful

What makes a blog successful I have always thought that blogging is a way to reach your career goals. Its hard to write a blog if you dont have a goal. You need to know what blogging success looks like to you, so you know what youre aiming for. Like most goals in life, my definition of blogging success has shifted as the circumstances of my life have shifted. 1. Post regularly without messing anything up. My first goal was simply to understand how to get my writing onto the Internet. All the buzzwords overwhelmed me: feeds, trackbacks, SEO. I understood none of it, and it took weeks to get up the nerve to blog before I actually started. My first goal was to post regularly and avoid basic publishing mistakes like posting a draft before it was ready. (Reality check: There are much easier ways to start a blog than the method I chose.) 2. Create traffic. I started measuring my success by traffic. But after a few months, I was totally overwhelmed and had to rethink what I was doing. Suddenly I couldnt answer all the comments, I couldnt even answer all my email at the beginningit started coming in faster than I ever imagined. (Reality check: Traffic metrics are addictive.) 3. Grow conversations. I started getting a handle on my email and the comments and the general influx of blog-related information from all the readers. And in the process, I realized that what I really cared about was the conversation. I wanted to meet new people and learn new things about topics Im interested in. So I wanted the conversation to be good. I started measuring my success by the number of comments, and then, in turn, by how much I was learning from the comments. (Note: Heres a lovely post from Problogger about encouraging comments.) 4. Make money. I realized that I loved blogging more than any other writing I had ever done. I knew I wanted this to be my job, so I needed to be able to support my family doing it. I started measuring my success by how much income I could generate. I hit my target of $100,000 a year pretty easily (thanks to Yahoo) so I realized that I could aim higher. (Reality check: Money is not a good blog goal for most people.) 5. Build a company. So I decided to sell equity in my blog and spin off a company. I gauged my success on how quickly I could get the company launched and funded. And, once I did that, I gauged my success on how well I could leverage my blog to drive traffic to my company, Brazen Careerist. You might be sick of hearing about my company here, but, you might also be happy to know that Ive accomplished that goal, too. (Reality check: I nearly died from the stress of doing this.) 6. Regain my sanity. So, here I am, asking myself, what is my goal with the blog now? Right now, what I want for myself is to be calm and peaceful. I have had a really wild ride in the last five years. I have gone from being nearly broke in NYC, moving to Wisconsin, starting a company, getting a divorce, traveling every week, while Im trying to raise kids. Life has been chaotic and erratic and Im sick of that. I want a break. I want to feel grounded, stable and I want routine. Part of that, of course, is why Im with a farmer. Its the farmer stereotype: grounded, stable, waking up every day to do chores. But I need to find that stuff from inside myself, as well. On days when I post, I feel grounded and stable and connected. On days I dont post, I dont feel that. Which is why I should be posting every day. I see people who have very busy lives who are able to post every day. So this will be a test for me. For now, my definition of successful blogging is using my blog to give myself a sense of stability and connectedness. Each blogger starts for some reason. A good test for whether a goal is really meaningful to you is, do you keep at it? Do you keep striving to meet the goal? Sometimes I wonder, do I really want stability and a sense of being grounded, or do I just talk about it? The only way to find out is this: committing to it here, in a very public way, and seeing if it sticks.

What makes a blog successful

What makes a blog successful I have always thought that blogging is a way to reach your career goals. Its hard to write a blog if you dont have a goal. You need to know what blogging success looks like to you, so you know what youre aiming for. Like most goals in life, my definition of blogging success has shifted as the circumstances of my life have shifted. 1. Post regularly without messing anything up. My first goal was simply to understand how to get my writing onto the Internet. All the buzzwords overwhelmed me: feeds, trackbacks, SEO. I understood none of it, and it took weeks to get up the nerve to blog before I actually started. My first goal was to post regularly and avoid basic publishing mistakes like posting a draft before it was ready. (Reality check: There are much easier ways to start a blog than the method I chose.) 2. Create traffic. I started measuring my success by traffic. But after a few months, I was totally overwhelmed and had to rethink what I was doing. Suddenly I couldnt answer all the comments, I couldnt even answer all my email at the beginningit started coming in faster than I ever imagined. (Reality check: Traffic metrics are addictive.) 3. Grow conversations. I started getting a handle on my email and the comments and the general influx of blog-related information from all the readers. And in the process, I realized that what I really cared about was the conversation. I wanted to meet new people and learn new things about topics Im interested in. So I wanted the conversation to be good. I started measuring my success by the number of comments, and then, in turn, by how much I was learning from the comments. (Note: Heres a lovely post from Problogger about encouraging comments.) 4. Make money. I realized that I loved blogging more than any other writing I had ever done. I knew I wanted this to be my job, so I needed to be able to support my family doing it. I started measuring my success by how much income I could generate. I hit my target of $100,000 a year pretty easily (thanks to Yahoo) so I realized that I could aim higher. (Reality check: Money is not a good blog goal for most people.) 5. Build a company. So I decided to sell equity in my blog and spin off a company. I gauged my success on how quickly I could get the company launched and funded. And, once I did that, I gauged my success on how well I could leverage my blog to drive traffic to my company, Brazen Careerist. You might be sick of hearing about my company here, but, you might also be happy to know that Ive accomplished that goal, too. (Reality check: I nearly died from the stress of doing this.) 6. Regain my sanity. So, here I am, asking myself, what is my goal with the blog now? Right now, what I want for myself is to be calm and peaceful. I have had a really wild ride in the last five years. I have gone from being nearly broke in NYC, moving to Wisconsin, starting a company, getting a divorce, traveling every week, while Im trying to raise kids. Life has been chaotic and erratic and Im sick of that. I want a break. I want to feel grounded, stable and I want routine. Part of that, of course, is why Im with a farmer. Its the farmer stereotype: grounded, stable, waking up every day to do chores. But I need to find that stuff from inside myself, as well. On days when I post, I feel grounded and stable and connected. On days I dont post, I dont feel that. Which is why I should be posting every day. I see people who have very busy lives who are able to post every day. So this will be a test for me. For now, my definition of successful blogging is using my blog to give myself a sense of stability and connectedness. Each blogger starts for some reason. A good test for whether a goal is really meaningful to you is, do you keep at it? Do you keep striving to meet the goal? Sometimes I wonder, do I really want stability and a sense of being grounded, or do I just talk about it? The only way to find out is this: committing to it here, in a very public way, and seeing if it sticks.

Career Pivot Questions Marc Has Answers! [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Career Pivot Questions Marc Has Answers! [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 5 â€"Career Pivot Questions? Marc Has Answers! In this episode, Marc answers employment pivot questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen in for ideas to go forward! Key Takeaways: [1:07] Elizabeth introduces herself and her background, including a career pivot she is executing. Elizabeth presents questions for Marc. [2:14] Q1: A 68-year-old facing forced retirement has skill in journalism, IT, and pharmacy tech, and also has health and mobility problems, but wants to keep working part-time from home. Any ideas, Marc? [3:21] A1: Focus on health first. Then look into freelance writing. Build a portfolio by pitching to write guest blogs on blogs and sites that interest you. Download Link| iTunes | Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast| Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast [5:25] Once you have a portfolio of work, ask a website to hire you at low cost, to get some street cred. When people see you have done work with good ratings, you can look at Upwork.com for freelance opportunities. [6:13] A second opportunity is at Flexjobs.com.They have a variety of flexible and remote opportunities, for a small monthly subscription fee. [7:53] Q2: I was fired with cause by a previous employer. I have since worked at a campus Starbucks, which is seasonally closed. What should I do now? [8:21] A2: When fired with cause, immediately register with a temp agency, and get an assignment. When that assignment comes to a close, you are eligible for unemployment benefits based on the last nine months, so don’t wait too long. [10:11] Also apply for food stamps while you are unemployed. Listen to the most recent episode [13:00] Q3: A company with an online employment application had required fields for date of high school graduation, current salary, and disabilities (including diabetes). Are those questions legal to ask? How should I respond? [14:17] A: Those are all illegal questions, which are now commonly asked. You can report them to the EEOC, and not get that job, or you can overlook them and apply. [16:58] To submit your question, go to CareerPivot.com, click Contact Me, and type it in. Marc will award you a $25 Amazon gift card if he uses your question on the podcast! [17:35] (Elizabeth starts working on her question!) Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com www.Upwork.com www.Flexjobs.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me Take a moment â€" go to iTunes. Give this podcast a review! Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Sorry, Clark The Art of Crafting a Super Career Persona (Part 2)

“Sorry, Clark” The Art of Crafting a “Super” Career Persona (Part 2) 7 Flares 7 Flares Veronica Park is an author, journalist and world-traveler of many different past and future vocations. Keep an eye out for her first published novel, which will hopefully be announced soon. In the meantime, you can read about her exploits in the Caribbean and find out her opinion on pretty much everything by following her on Twitter (@VeroniKaboom) and checking out her  website. In my last article, titled “Be the Batman,” I talked about how important it is to bring swaggerâ€"and a little bit of superhero brandingâ€"to your prospective employee / career “persona.” Now, I’m going to tell you something you really, really don’t want to hear. Are you ready? There’s no way Clark Kent would have gotten a real job. Let’s forget for a second that he’s a fictional character, working at a fictional publication in a fictional city called Metropolis. (Side note: the day I found out it wasn’t a real place, I will admit that I cried pretty hard.) Shattered childhood dreams aside, if we are to believe, as we’ve been led to, that The Daily Planet is the Metropolis equivalent of The New York Times, then Clark would’ve needed previous job experience, and references to get even so much as an interview. Let alone a staff reporter job. And not just any references would do for such a sought-after position in a highly-competitive field, but glowing references. References he probably wouldn’t have been able to get. Because, let’s get real here for a second. Clark was a terrible journalist. For starters, he was never actually around when the news was happening. Time and time again, he disappeared in mid-job, leaving Lois and Jimmy to pick up the slack. When censured, he always had a great excuse. Usually something along the lines of, “Gee, I’m sorry Lois.” Which brings me to the point of this article: Professional References. Glowing ones. From people you’ve actually worked withâ€"or, better yetâ€"directly reported to. Every good resume needs at least three, with names, phone numbers and email addresses at the very least. How do you obtain these magical, glowing references, you ask? The answer is painfully simple, yet practiced by so few. Be a great employee. (Not just an okay employee, or a good employee, but a great one. I’ll go into this more thoroughly in a moment.) Treat every job like it’s a potential stepping stone to a future job that will make you more money and leave you feeling more fulfilled as a human being. Treat every coworker, no matter how much lower on the totem pole they reside, with courtesy and respect. (Seriously, in today’s job market, even the company janitor can endorse you on LinkedIn… or not, if you were rude.) In my experience, #1 on this list is where most people fail, when it comes to crafting their resume. Even if Clark hadn’t been a crap reporter, even if he’d been just an ‘okay’ one, it still wouldn’t have made him a super job candidate. (Not unless he wore his cape to the interview, that is.) And his resume would’ve read a little something like this:  Showed up to work on time, and always turned in most assignments, eventually  Never had a sick day  Resisted at great emotional cost to self somewhat blatant advances of super hot female coworker, thus complying with company policy which discouraged fraternization among employees  Saved my super hot co-worker from drowning during an assignment, kind of The truth is, doing your job to the letter isn’t enough to make you stand out. Putting on a resume that you successfully met all the expectations of your last position isn’t going to cut it. Being Clark Kent, likeable farm boy, is not going to give you the best possible interview-to-offer ratio you can have. Here’s what will give you the highest possible interview-to-job offer ratio: Seeking out opportunities to excel in the job you currently have. (For current job-seekers, it might be a little late for you on this one. But nonetheless, keep this in mind for the future. The best reference is one that wishes you were still working for them, hands down.) Go above and beyond what is expected. Take ownership of the projects you’re given, and actively seek out assignments that fit your specialties. Never stop growing and learning new things. If your boss sees that you’re not only capable, but willing to do more, they’ll remark on it when that potential employer calls. When it comes to your resume, don’t bother listing the obvious. Punctuality is expected. Showing up to work is expected. Focus on the things you accomplished that you didn’t necessarily have to. Did you ever take charge of anything? Write that down, making sure to use words like “managed,” and “spearheaded” to show that this was something you personally took initiative to do. It doesn’t matter how small the project was. I’ve seen resumes that made reorganizing the filing cabinet sound like an epic, heroic quest of some kind. Don’t be afraid to exaggerate, slightly. But DON’T lie. (Ex: It’s okay to use terms like “authored professional correspondence” instead of “sent emails.” It’s NOT okay to lie about your job title, or pretend to have done things you didn’t do.) Be prepared to TALK.  Talk  about 3-5 situations or examples of when you took the initiative and went above your mild-mannered Clark Kent job description to achieve something SUPER. At the end of the day, the only real difference between Superman and Clark Kent was a pair of glasses and some spandex. (Though, technically, one could argue that Clark was usually wearing the spandex all the time, just under his regular clothes. So really, it was just the glasses. Is this analogy nerdy enough for you yet?) In the job-seeker world, confidence is your spandex. References are your cape. Humility and self-deprecation when it comes to your job performance is like wearing fake glassesâ€"they’re just going to get in the way of letting prospective employers see how super you really are.

Resume Writing Companies Near Chapel Hill NC

Resume Writing Companies Near Chapel Hill NCIf you are a graduate or professional looking for an NC job and you would like to find some employment opportunities in the area, you may want to consider getting your resume written by resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC. With the unemployment rate continuing to rise and less time available for job searching, it is important to be prepared when applying for a job.By knowing where you can find the information on available jobs, you will be better prepared to apply for a job. Also, it will help you find the best one for you based on your qualifications and resume. You will also be able to compare resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC so that you know what companies are truly qualified to do the job.Resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC have a staff of qualified and experienced resume writers who are all familiar with the area and its requirements. Some of the things they will cover include those things you do not like to hear, such as pay rates, vacation schedules, training and education required, etc. So when you submit your resume to these companies, you will be sure to get the most desirable result.Some of the resume writing companies may offer additional services, such as customized resumes and cover letters, employee background checks, and interview preparation. Most of these companies have a specific area of specialty, which means they specialize in one area of hiring. For example, they may only hire very young applicants or persons who work alone or with other groups. This may sound like a waste of money, but it is a competitive industry and more companies are realizing they need to do this now more than ever.Another benefit to using resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC is they offer excellent customer service. If you have any questions, they will most likely be happy to answer them and to get back to you as soon as possible. No matter how small the job may be, it could be the star t of a new career or simply a good time to make friends in a tight economic situation.By having your resume professionally written by a resume writing company near Chapel Hill NC, you will be prepared for any interview or meeting that could lead to a new job. This will help to increase your confidence and give you more motivation to apply for a job. The more confident you feel, the more you will enjoy the experience and the more successful you will be.Resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC will do whatever it takes to help you get the best job possible for your skills and experience. This includes speaking with potential employers, interviewing, and submitting your resume for consideration. If you are satisfied with the results, then you can sign up for an appointment to meet with the head of the company to discuss the project further.Resume writing companies near Chapel Hill NC have the resources and ability to assist you to the best of their abilities. They will help you in making yourself stand out from the crowd of other applicants. If you think that getting a new job may be the next step, consider using these services and improve your chances of finding employment.