Monday December 29th, 2008
Job Search Tips: The Top Five From 2008

Job Mob recently asked for our best job search tips of 2008. While most of our complaints about job seekers have fallen under the heading of "what not to do" I think we can reverse engineer some tips from the heartbreak.

1. Build your brand, know your message.

2. Know what you want and express it. Remember the guy who offered a $1000 reward to the person who could find him the perfect job? Too bad he didn't mention what he does or what kind of job he was looking for.  

3. Make sure you're actually qualified and communicate your qualifications properly. If you haven't been getting any calls for interviews for jobs you are qualified to do, then you aren't expressing your qualifications clearly enough. The easiest way to do this is ensure that the language used in the job post is used in your cover letter and C/V.

4. Follow the directions. If a web site says that the recruiter only wants to be contacted via their on-line application tool, respect their processes. Don't make a bizarre phone call that will only cause confusion and make you look bad.

5. Don't underestimate the power of excellent social skills. Always searching for new opportunities. Start when you are in school and make as many friends as possible from as broad a spectrum of interests, generations, ethnicities, etc.

If you're older and you've missed out on the social opportunities of school, get involved in your community through volunteering, evening classes or interest-based groups. While you're there, ensure that you're listening skills and manners are in perfect working order. For example, for every five minutes you spend in conversation with someone, you should learn three things about them.

And, this shouldn't have to be said, but try to self-edit inappropriate comments. No one wants to work with ageist, sexist or racist job searchers.

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Wednesday December 24th, 2008
Did You Get Grinched?

According to our poll, more than half of you were expecting it from your employers.

What I want to know is this: Did it really happen, or, did the holiday spirit save everything in the end?

Happy holidays.

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Tuesday December 23rd, 2008
You Aren't Just Running Out of Shopping Days

You've got two more doors to open on the advent calendar (including today). You've may still have to pick up our special gift to you (its an information product, you'll love it).

And hey, don't forget to participate in this month's poll before we shut it down. Right now, the results make it look like Scrooge and the Grinch are having an evil Christmas match for villain supremacy. I hope that doesn't prove to be the case.

image source

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Monday December 22nd, 2008
RECRUITING SALARY REPORT 2008: Great news for recruiters!

For the second year in a row, average salaries for corporate recruiting professionals were up significantly (by almost 6%), and by as much as 15% for senior roles and hot categories like IT and professionals services.

Geographically, recruitment salaries are strongest in Ontario and BC, while those in the Maritimes are below average. Most surprising was that the Alberta market wasn't as strong as it was in 2007 - this probably has something to do with a slightly cooler market: Alberta saw huge increases in 2006 and 2007 in comparison with the rest of the country, so it's now equalizing somewhat.

WANT A COPY OF THE FULL REPORT?

Highlights from the media release:

Recruiting salaries on the rise by as much as 15%

In a tough market, corporate recruiters are more important than ever, new report reveals

TORONTO, December 11, 2008 – Salaries of corporate recruiting professionals in Canada have risen by an average of 6% since 2007 – and as much as 15% for very senior recruiting professionals – according to a report released this week by Head2Head, Canada’s leading provider of corporate recruiters.

“In a difficult economy, recruiting must become even more strategic,” says Paul Dodd, President of Head2Head and one of Canada’s leading recruiting thinkers. “As a result, demand top recruiting practitioners – especially those at senior levels – continues to increase.”

Head2Head’s 2008 Recruiting Salary Report is based on data collected from more than 2000 recruiting professionals, hiring managers and recruiting experts, representing more than 250 organizations across Canada, and provides detailed salary data across 9 industry sectors, 5 geographical areas and 6 recruiting roles.

For Dodd, the significant salary increases are an indication of a fundamental shift in how companies think about the recruiting function within the organization. “Historically, companies have tended to think of recruiting as a transactional, applicant-processing function,” he says. “Rising salaries and more widespread use of performance-related compensation packages tells us that more businesses are realizing that in a tight market, finding the best people – and ensuring they’re the ones delivering the best value to the organization - requires proactive, strategic recruiting practices.”

Highlights of the report include:

• Base salaries are 6% higher than they were a year ago
• The greatest increases – as much as 15% - are in senior recruiting roles such as Senior Recruiting Manager and Recruiting Director
• Increased use of performance bonuses based on time-to-hire and quality-of-hire
• Greatest salary increases in Energy/Utilities, Healthcare, and IT/Telco recruiting
• Ontario and BC salaries are 5% above the national average, while Atlantic Canada is almost 10% below

This is the second year in a row Head2Head has conducted a comprehensive salary review. “We’ve known for some time that recruiters were earning more than they used to,” says Dodd, “but we were happy to have confirmation that the trend has continued for a second year running.”

For more information, please call:
Sarah Welstead, Director of User Experience
Head2Head Canada
416.440.2043
sarah@head2head.ca

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Thursday December 18th, 2008
Flaming Recruiters

Earlier this month, Toronto recruiters were in the spotlight of the finance crisis. I've been trying to process what to say about the article ever since it appeared.

Obviously, the industry needs some flame. We need some viral marketing that will take the edge off the "throw them to the lions" perception and let us be people again.

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Tuesday December 16th, 2008
Why the heck haven't you started building your personal brand yet?

So with all this knowledge (especially the part about how a personal brand translates into MORE MONEY) why on earth haven't you started building your own personal brand yet?

When I ask other people this question, I generally receive one of two answers:

"Yeah, I know I should create a personal brand - but I don't know where to start. I mean, I don't have ideas like you do, Sarah."

OR

"Yeah, but I don't have good writing skills. I could never write an article, let alone two or three blog posts per week.

Both of these answers indicate a fundamental misconception: that building a personal brand requires lots of 'content creation' using 'original ideas'.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Building a personal brand is just about being able to tell a cohesive 'story' about you and your career, so that people 'get' what you do and why you are unique, important, and valuable to know (or hire!).

Sure, getting that message out can involve writing articles or blogs, but it doesn't have to - word of mouth is the single most powerful form of marketing, and if you have a good 'story' to tell, you'll find your reputation precedes you.

Recently, a large international financial services company asked me to lead a workshop on Personal Branding for their employees. But you don't need a 2-hour workshop to get a handle on creating your own personal brand - you just need to follow these 5 steps:

1. TAKE INVENTORY

• Look at your skills, education and experience
• Take a look at any performance reviews you've received in the past 10 years. Is there a pattern?
• Do your skills, education, experience and performance reviews tell a story? Is it the story you want to tell?
• Ask friends, family and colleagues for feedback. What do they think are your biggest strengths, weaknesses and traits? (And tell them to be honest!)
• Don't forget to examine your soft skills (are you a good time manager? conscientious administrator? a creative problem-solver?)

2. MAP OUT YOUR GOALS

• Where do you want to be in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years? (And don't give yourself the edited 'interview' response.)
• WRITE IT DOWN!
• Look at your goals both for your career life and your personal life

3. CREATE A STORY (AKA 'BRAND')

• So you've got a degree in entomology and 7 years in fashion design - what's the connection and why is it important/valuable/unique?
• Develop what salespeople call the 'elevator speech': a one or two-sentence blurb about yourself that you can use to sell someone on you during the time it takes to ride to the 10th floor
• You must believe in your story!

  
  4. ONGOING LEARNING
  

  • If your 'story' is that you want to be the world's leading designer of adventure gear (i.e. your degree in entomology means you know how to design clothes which repel insects, perfect for people who are, say, trekking through the Amazon), you've got to keep up-to-date with new developments in adventure gear
  • There is no such thing as the 'end' of learning
  • Remember: the more you know, the more valuable you are
  • Brands evolve over time - so will your story

  
  5. BUILDING PROFILE
  

  • You are your own 'salesperson', so your goal is to get out there and ensure that people know about you
  • Remember that 9 times out of 10 - especially as you move into more senior roles - people are going to Google you, perhaps even before you've ever met them. Which is why it's important to ensure that online things like your LinkedIn profile are up-to-date
  • Look for opportunities to get your name out there - speaking engagements, articles, even well thought-out comments on other people's blogs can make a difference

  
  

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  Monday December 15th, 2008
  Protecting the Future in Difficult Times

  
  

   

  image source 

  Ok. Perhaps it's been said a little too often. We Are the World get's a lot of air time over Christmas and people who are dealing with problematic lives get tired of hearing: "The children are our future."

  I certainly have a lot to contribute to "the future" over the next 40 to 50 years that I hope to live. I pay taxes to support schools and social services. All the parents I know work like fiends just to put food on the table and keep a roof over their children's heads. It's getting harder and harder to support a family. What about those of us who are working now? What about all the insecurities all of us have and what, oh what, about now?

  It's true. Now is a terrible time. We're dealing with disappointment, with loss and with even less security.

  But to get to this point in our lives, we had to be pretty confident. Think, for a moment, of the people you went to school with who got pushed down too early. Maybe they had an abusive or an addicted parent. Maybe they never got a word of encouragement in terms of how they performed at school. Maybe they never got that first chance to gain a foothold on the way to a career.

  And then, there are the kind who say; "$40,000 in student loans and I am still working a McJob."

  Think of the people you know who gave up long before the financial crisis hit.

  If you're reading this, it's because you didn't give up. You believed in yourself, and if that is true, then there is someone else on this planet who believed in you too. And, chances are, if you had that in the past, you've got the emotional resources and the resilience to survive this recession too.

  I think, when times are bad, it's even more important to teach children that there is value in learning, in following the rules, in doing what we are supposed to do. That means, if you are a good boy or a good girl, you get Christmas presents even if the adults in your life have had bad luck.

  Introducing disappointment, a total lack of pay off, a sense of unfairness in childhood does not encourage ambition. It does not give children a sense of the meritocracy we all want to believe in. It does not reward hard work.

  Will these become features of the future workforce we want to deal with for the next forty or fifty years?

  Not if I have anything to say about it. Not if other recruiters agree with me.

  All over Canada, World Vision will ensure that children are warmly dressed for winter weather. The Salvation Army will deliver toys to 130 000 children. In Toronto, the Star Santa Claus Fund has distributed boxes to children in need for more than a century.

  Every gift tells a child that someone believes in them. It's called hope and it prepares children from all backgrounds to become productive, thoughful and optimistic adults. The kind of people we like to work with.

  And the hope works both ways. How are you giving/getting yours this Christmas?

   

  
  

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  Thursday December 11th, 2008
  Head2Head featured in Backbone Magazine

  
  

  The Head2Head 2008 Recruiting Salary report was featured in an article in Backbone Magazine. See the full article at Recruiting salaries on the rise by as much as 15%

  
  

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  Wednesday December 10th, 2008
  The Recruiter's 12 Days of Christmas

  
  

  

  On the first day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, one more atypical worker. 

  On the second day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, two candidate parents!

  On the third day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, three extra kilos.

  On the fourth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, a rank of number four.  

  On the fifth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, five generations working happily.

  On the sixth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, six more holidays. 

  On the seventh day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, seven different polls.

  On the eighth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, eight text messages from Gen Y. 

  On the ninth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, nine social networking sites.

  On the tenth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, ten hour work days.

  On the eleventh day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, eleven older workers.  

  On the twelfth day of Christmas, the labour market gave to me, twelve ideal, not egregious, candidates.

  ** 

  Link to Advent Calendar Christmas Decoration image source.  

  
  

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  Sunday December 7th, 2008
  The Best Blogging of the Year

  
  

  

  This Simply the Best Blogging Challenge has asked the blogsphere to define their best post of 2008 (so far). Our "wearing flip-flops to interviews" controversy inspired the best conversations.  

  Image source.

  
  

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  Wednesday December 3rd, 2008
  Quote of the Day: Exit Interviews

  
  

  Can I get an Amen! from those of you who read this in Donna Flagg's blog?

  "Exit interviews are important, but a tool often overlooked that can be hugely informative in managing human resources, effecting change and stimulating organizational growth. They are, and should be, intended to help inform better decisions for a company and its future."

  
  

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  Monday December 1st, 2008
  Naughty or Nice or No Matter? A Poll

  
  

  With times being what they are, one wonders how employers will be reacting to the economy as expressed through employee gifts this holiday season. What do you think will happen in your office?

   

  
  

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About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

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