With all the job hunts going on right now it looks like a lot of people would like insight and tips into the world of hiring. This thread is intended to be a resource with information from experienced HR/Recruiting professionals and IT hiring managers.
*****If you would like to be listed as a resource/expert in this thread please PM me with a short summary of your experience for me to add to the OP.*****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributors with Recruiting/HR Background:
AreaCode707:
Contributors with IT Hiring Manager Background:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
http://www.razume.com/ (recommended by Drakkon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Job Hunting FYI
1. Networking really IS the best way to get your foot in the door, and it's best done by connecting with people that you know well and have a reputation for doing good work. Networking with casual acquaintances can be useful too, but it's always better to have your name brought up by someone who will strongly endorse you.
2. Experience trumps education. A candidate with a comp sci degree going up against a high school grad with three years of experience will quite possibly be considered the lesser candidate. Get experience any way you can, by volunteering, working part time, helping your friends and family, doing some personal projects, interning, etc. That degree isn't worthless though; without it it can be VERY difficult to get that first job, and even harder to move up.
3. Experience isn't any good to you unless the recruiter/hiring manager can see it on your resume. If that means you need to get a little creative with the sections on your resume, go for it. Add a "volunteer work" or "personal projects" section but don't let it replace the standard sections on a resume that a professional would expect, like experience and education.
4. A strong resume is essential. If you can't think of what to say in your bullets, have a conversation with a friend where you tell them about your job, they ask you questions, and they take notes on what you do. Their notes will help you come up with additional details and accomplishments that you can turn into bullets.
5. Have a good resume format in .doc or .rtf - both for printing and submitting electronically. Larger companies and online job boards use applicant tracking systems that typically only accept plain text or HTML formatted resumes. Pasting a table from Word will turn your resume into disorganized gibberish. Keep a nicely-formatted copy of your resume for printing, attaching to emails, or uploading as an ADDITION (not replacement) to the copied and pasted plain text.
6. Most recruiters find resumes through keyword searches and then read through them to see how well the candidates would fit a job. This is why you always paste your resume into the ugly plain text box; if you skip that step then you won't pull up in their keyword searches and will be overlooked.
7. When you pull up in a keyword search the recruiter will glance at your resume and discard it if the keyword only appeared in a Skills section. Anything you list in Skills should show up in Experience as well. You used SQL? In what projects, in what capacity? Don't just claim a skill; show where you put it to work.
8. You want to put your resume in PDF. Okay, fine, go for it as long as you keep #4 in mind. Most recruiters don't care for PDFs. They don't always fit the systems recruiters have to use, image PDFs don't allow for easy copy and pasting of skill highlights into emails for hiring managers, and if you're great but your resume sucks the recruiter can't go in and help you out by tweaking it. Maybe that's the point of putting it into PDF, but if they're willing to give you a lift, why would you turn it down?
9. You should have a resume tailored for every job type you're applying for. Using the same resume for retail sales, help desk support and IT middle management is going to have all the hiring managers thinking WTF? Don't just change the objective; rewrite your resume a few times to bring the relevant skills into focus.
10. Don't apply for every job on the company website!!!!! All applicant tracking systems show a list of what you applied to. If you've applied to 30 unrelated jobs you look desperate, unfocused, and unprofessional. Target your applications to only jobs you are qualified or slightly under-qualified for.
11. Apply for jobs that match your experience level. The exception: if you're fresh out of school, you have the best shot at jobs that require 0-1 years experience. However, you still stand a chance for some of the jobs requiring 1-3 years experience. Read the job description and find out how much of the skill set you're missing and then, if it seems like a reasonable gap, apply with discretion.
12. Your college career counselor lied to you; recruiters and hiring managers don't care if your resume is longer than one page. 1-2 pages is fine, 3 pages is only appropriate if you've got 10+ years of experience. If you're brand new out of school and have no work experience, do keep it to one page, but know that it'll probably grow to two pages once you've got a position or three under your belt. Write the resume to the length it needs to be to cover your relevant experience in an appropriate level of detail.
13. If the application instructions request a cover letter, always include one. If they do not, it's up to you. Most applicant tracking systems do not have a separate place to store a cover letter, and while the hiring manager might care about it, the recruiters often do not. Make sure everything that's relevant in your cover letter can also be seen in your resume. Use the summary/objective for this if necessary.
14. Summary/Objective on a resume should be BRIEF. Don't be witty and try to avoid being too generic. Useful information can include your top two skills, the type/level of position you would be suited for, and the work environment you'd best fit into. This helps recruiters ID if the job is too low level for you, you'd hate the surroundings, etc. Believe it or not, they want you to be happy in the job nearly as much as you want to be happy. They sometimes get bonused on turnover.
15. Experience should be above Education on your resume unless you a completely fresh out of school.
16. Always account for gaps in work history, even if you use generic office language like "personal leave of absence" to do so. Be prepared to expand on these in an interview.
17. NEVER LIE. Large companies have policies about background checks. If you lie about employment dates and fail the verification, you'll be screwed. (Most companies allow anywhere between 30 and 90 days discrepancy before they consider it a lie rather than mis-remembering.) If you have a criminal record that will fall under their policy (usually 5 years back, sometimes 3 or 7) disclose it. They can work with you if you're honest; they can't if you lie. Educational background too. They usually only verify highest level of education that you list, but if they fail to verify then you're in the doghouse.
18. If you applied online, don't call. Companies that use applicant tracking systems put them in place because the level of candidate input is so large. Yeah, you'll get noticed if you call, but you'll be remembered as the person who doesn't "get it" in a professional environment. Especially don't call repeatedly. Especially not if you're going to beg.
19. Expect responses from interviews, not applications. You may or may not hear back on the applications you send out. It's bad candidate-relations, but it's a fact. Don't wait for a response before you continue applying elsewhere. However, if you interview, phone or in person, they do owe you a response. If you don't get one you can call and politely request a status update.
20. If you're entry-level check out temp agencies. Many companies advertise temp or temp to perm jobs and then wind up hiring their temps. It's a great way to get your foot in the door, show how well you can do in a job, and make yourself invaluable to the company.
21. If you're applying for a low or mid-level job that doesn't specify relocation and your resume shows you're not in the area, you likely will not get callbacks. Eliminate the address, even though that's not very standard, and leave your email and phone number. With the number of out of area cell phones now recruiters are used to calling unusual area codes and still getting local candidates, so the phone isn't a giveaway. Be ready to show up, at your expense, for an interview if they want you.
22. Be early for interviews and dress nicely. Even if the company is casual, overdress. You have plenty of time to wear your jeans later; dressing up is simply to demonstrate that you recognize the social expectation that an interview is typically the chance to make your best impression. Be 10-15 minutes early for the same reason (and because traffic and building addresses can be tricky.)
23. Practice interviewing beforehand. It's bad form to ask all the standard "interview-y" questions, but you'll probably still hear them anyway. Practice your answers, and be willing to be honest. What's your worst quality? Pick one that's true but doesn't relate to the job (I'm a terrible sales person.)
24. Know your interview rights. They are not allowed to ask you even in small talk about religion, marital status, kids, race, nationality, age (including high school graduation year), vehicle ownership unless it's job-relevant (they can ask you if you have reliable transportation to work) etc. If you are asked, smile and say, "Sorry, I don't feel comfortable asking that question, and I think it actually might not be allowable in an interview." If you're going in to a very small company, there may be some exceptions to this. Don't ask the interviewer anything they're not allowed to ask you.
25. Be prepared with questions for the interviewer. Always go read the company's About Us before interviewing. Ask why they chose to work there and what they like about it. Ask about the job, even if you already know some of the answers. Be engaged in the process.
26. Bring a printed copy of your resume for each interviewer you meet, plus one extra. If you can bring a short portfolio of relevant work you've done, do! Almost nobody does this and it's always a huge win. I've had candidates bring laptops with fully-functional programs. However, if you bring a portfolio, make sure there is NO confidential or proprietary information from former employers. If you treat former employer info like that, you'll treat the potential company's info like that.
27. Don't complain about your last job or boss or coworkers in the interview. Instant red flag.
28. When asked why you want the job, give reasons relating to the job. Convenience to your house, pay rate, anything that personally benefits only you is not a good answer to this question, even if it is honest.
29. Take time to breathe and think during an interview. A few pauses while you consider your answer to the interviewers question makes you seem natural and helps you compose the answer well. Time your answers; don't ramble on and on. Gauge the interviewer's interest and cut yourself off if you seem to have lost it.
30. Thank you notes or emails are pretty cool. You don't have to do this but it really does add a nice touch and leaves the interviewers with a positive impression.
31. Some interviewers don't know how to interview. Sad fact but true. If you sense the interview going south because they're asking poor questions or don't seem to know what to do, subtly step in and start offering relevant information about yourself, your experience, your skills. You can actually fare better with a poor interviewer than a good once since few candidates know how to handle this and the interviewer will leave with a more positive impression of you than others.
32. When finding jobs to apply for, realize that the online job boards can be very expensive. Look for employers in your area without considering the job type. Then go to the employer's website, even if they didn't have a good job fit posted for you, and see if they list anything there that matches your skills. It may be on their site but not be on the public sites.
33. Best job boards: Monster provided triple the hires to us than CareerBuilder or HotJobs. Those two came in second on different coasts: HotJobs is better on the west coast, CareerBuilder on the east. CB is owned by the major east coast newspaper peeps and offers deals to the advertisers in their papers. Dice is great for technology jobs, craigslist is great for local stuff and some larger companies. LinkedIn is gaining speed, and Jobster is lagging but still holding on. Local job sites can be good too (jobdango in Seattle, for example.) If you get a job or interview offer that has nothing to do with your skill set, delete it; there are plenty of scams or cold call jobs that will take anyone breathing.
34. Most employers aren't going to check your Facebook or MySpace but don't be an idiot anyway; if your content there is unprofessional, adjust your privacy settings.
35. If you get an offer that's lower than your expected range, it's fine to give a noncommital answer like, "That's a bit lower than I was originally looking for; what else do you think you could do for me?" Expect that they'll have to go back and discuss it internally. Leave your option open for accepting the original if they won't budge.
36. If you can get an existing employee to refer you into the company, that's far and away the best method to apply. Aside from the fact that your referrer may get a bonus, employee referrals are typically given preferential treatment, may have response metrics attached so the recruiter has to review and respond faster, and are overall flagged as higher priority. DON'T apply yourself online before the employee can refer you; often that disqualifies you as a referral.
37. ??? What would be helpful for you to know? I'm happy to look at resumes posted in the thread and offer suggestions, though most of my commentary will be in the evenings.
*****If you would like to be listed as a resource/expert in this thread please PM me with a short summary of your experience for me to add to the OP.*****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributors with Recruiting/HR Background:
AreaCode707:
Yrs of Exp: ~7 years in recruiting and HR in various capacities, both business and systems (not currently in HR/recruiting)
Previous Employers: One small outside headhunting firm and two large Fortune 500 tech companies (20k employees and 40k employees)
Areas of Expertise: Resume re-writing, candidate sourcing from online, internal, employee referral and other programs, applicant tracking systems, phone and in-person interviews, offer letters and negotiation, and internal programs such as performance management, bonus, employee satisfaction
Contributors with IT Hiring Manager Background:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
http://www.razume.com/ (recommended by Drakkon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Job Hunting FYI
1. Networking really IS the best way to get your foot in the door, and it's best done by connecting with people that you know well and have a reputation for doing good work. Networking with casual acquaintances can be useful too, but it's always better to have your name brought up by someone who will strongly endorse you.
2. Experience trumps education. A candidate with a comp sci degree going up against a high school grad with three years of experience will quite possibly be considered the lesser candidate. Get experience any way you can, by volunteering, working part time, helping your friends and family, doing some personal projects, interning, etc. That degree isn't worthless though; without it it can be VERY difficult to get that first job, and even harder to move up.
3. Experience isn't any good to you unless the recruiter/hiring manager can see it on your resume. If that means you need to get a little creative with the sections on your resume, go for it. Add a "volunteer work" or "personal projects" section but don't let it replace the standard sections on a resume that a professional would expect, like experience and education.
4. A strong resume is essential. If you can't think of what to say in your bullets, have a conversation with a friend where you tell them about your job, they ask you questions, and they take notes on what you do. Their notes will help you come up with additional details and accomplishments that you can turn into bullets.
5. Have a good resume format in .doc or .rtf - both for printing and submitting electronically. Larger companies and online job boards use applicant tracking systems that typically only accept plain text or HTML formatted resumes. Pasting a table from Word will turn your resume into disorganized gibberish. Keep a nicely-formatted copy of your resume for printing, attaching to emails, or uploading as an ADDITION (not replacement) to the copied and pasted plain text.
6. Most recruiters find resumes through keyword searches and then read through them to see how well the candidates would fit a job. This is why you always paste your resume into the ugly plain text box; if you skip that step then you won't pull up in their keyword searches and will be overlooked.
7. When you pull up in a keyword search the recruiter will glance at your resume and discard it if the keyword only appeared in a Skills section. Anything you list in Skills should show up in Experience as well. You used SQL? In what projects, in what capacity? Don't just claim a skill; show where you put it to work.
8. You want to put your resume in PDF. Okay, fine, go for it as long as you keep #4 in mind. Most recruiters don't care for PDFs. They don't always fit the systems recruiters have to use, image PDFs don't allow for easy copy and pasting of skill highlights into emails for hiring managers, and if you're great but your resume sucks the recruiter can't go in and help you out by tweaking it. Maybe that's the point of putting it into PDF, but if they're willing to give you a lift, why would you turn it down?
9. You should have a resume tailored for every job type you're applying for. Using the same resume for retail sales, help desk support and IT middle management is going to have all the hiring managers thinking WTF? Don't just change the objective; rewrite your resume a few times to bring the relevant skills into focus.
10. Don't apply for every job on the company website!!!!! All applicant tracking systems show a list of what you applied to. If you've applied to 30 unrelated jobs you look desperate, unfocused, and unprofessional. Target your applications to only jobs you are qualified or slightly under-qualified for.
11. Apply for jobs that match your experience level. The exception: if you're fresh out of school, you have the best shot at jobs that require 0-1 years experience. However, you still stand a chance for some of the jobs requiring 1-3 years experience. Read the job description and find out how much of the skill set you're missing and then, if it seems like a reasonable gap, apply with discretion.
12. Your college career counselor lied to you; recruiters and hiring managers don't care if your resume is longer than one page. 1-2 pages is fine, 3 pages is only appropriate if you've got 10+ years of experience. If you're brand new out of school and have no work experience, do keep it to one page, but know that it'll probably grow to two pages once you've got a position or three under your belt. Write the resume to the length it needs to be to cover your relevant experience in an appropriate level of detail.
13. If the application instructions request a cover letter, always include one. If they do not, it's up to you. Most applicant tracking systems do not have a separate place to store a cover letter, and while the hiring manager might care about it, the recruiters often do not. Make sure everything that's relevant in your cover letter can also be seen in your resume. Use the summary/objective for this if necessary.
14. Summary/Objective on a resume should be BRIEF. Don't be witty and try to avoid being too generic. Useful information can include your top two skills, the type/level of position you would be suited for, and the work environment you'd best fit into. This helps recruiters ID if the job is too low level for you, you'd hate the surroundings, etc. Believe it or not, they want you to be happy in the job nearly as much as you want to be happy. They sometimes get bonused on turnover.
15. Experience should be above Education on your resume unless you a completely fresh out of school.
16. Always account for gaps in work history, even if you use generic office language like "personal leave of absence" to do so. Be prepared to expand on these in an interview.
17. NEVER LIE. Large companies have policies about background checks. If you lie about employment dates and fail the verification, you'll be screwed. (Most companies allow anywhere between 30 and 90 days discrepancy before they consider it a lie rather than mis-remembering.) If you have a criminal record that will fall under their policy (usually 5 years back, sometimes 3 or 7) disclose it. They can work with you if you're honest; they can't if you lie. Educational background too. They usually only verify highest level of education that you list, but if they fail to verify then you're in the doghouse.
18. If you applied online, don't call. Companies that use applicant tracking systems put them in place because the level of candidate input is so large. Yeah, you'll get noticed if you call, but you'll be remembered as the person who doesn't "get it" in a professional environment. Especially don't call repeatedly. Especially not if you're going to beg.
19. Expect responses from interviews, not applications. You may or may not hear back on the applications you send out. It's bad candidate-relations, but it's a fact. Don't wait for a response before you continue applying elsewhere. However, if you interview, phone or in person, they do owe you a response. If you don't get one you can call and politely request a status update.
20. If you're entry-level check out temp agencies. Many companies advertise temp or temp to perm jobs and then wind up hiring their temps. It's a great way to get your foot in the door, show how well you can do in a job, and make yourself invaluable to the company.
21. If you're applying for a low or mid-level job that doesn't specify relocation and your resume shows you're not in the area, you likely will not get callbacks. Eliminate the address, even though that's not very standard, and leave your email and phone number. With the number of out of area cell phones now recruiters are used to calling unusual area codes and still getting local candidates, so the phone isn't a giveaway. Be ready to show up, at your expense, for an interview if they want you.
22. Be early for interviews and dress nicely. Even if the company is casual, overdress. You have plenty of time to wear your jeans later; dressing up is simply to demonstrate that you recognize the social expectation that an interview is typically the chance to make your best impression. Be 10-15 minutes early for the same reason (and because traffic and building addresses can be tricky.)
23. Practice interviewing beforehand. It's bad form to ask all the standard "interview-y" questions, but you'll probably still hear them anyway. Practice your answers, and be willing to be honest. What's your worst quality? Pick one that's true but doesn't relate to the job (I'm a terrible sales person.)
24. Know your interview rights. They are not allowed to ask you even in small talk about religion, marital status, kids, race, nationality, age (including high school graduation year), vehicle ownership unless it's job-relevant (they can ask you if you have reliable transportation to work) etc. If you are asked, smile and say, "Sorry, I don't feel comfortable asking that question, and I think it actually might not be allowable in an interview." If you're going in to a very small company, there may be some exceptions to this. Don't ask the interviewer anything they're not allowed to ask you.
25. Be prepared with questions for the interviewer. Always go read the company's About Us before interviewing. Ask why they chose to work there and what they like about it. Ask about the job, even if you already know some of the answers. Be engaged in the process.
26. Bring a printed copy of your resume for each interviewer you meet, plus one extra. If you can bring a short portfolio of relevant work you've done, do! Almost nobody does this and it's always a huge win. I've had candidates bring laptops with fully-functional programs. However, if you bring a portfolio, make sure there is NO confidential or proprietary information from former employers. If you treat former employer info like that, you'll treat the potential company's info like that.
27. Don't complain about your last job or boss or coworkers in the interview. Instant red flag.
28. When asked why you want the job, give reasons relating to the job. Convenience to your house, pay rate, anything that personally benefits only you is not a good answer to this question, even if it is honest.
29. Take time to breathe and think during an interview. A few pauses while you consider your answer to the interviewers question makes you seem natural and helps you compose the answer well. Time your answers; don't ramble on and on. Gauge the interviewer's interest and cut yourself off if you seem to have lost it.
30. Thank you notes or emails are pretty cool. You don't have to do this but it really does add a nice touch and leaves the interviewers with a positive impression.
31. Some interviewers don't know how to interview. Sad fact but true. If you sense the interview going south because they're asking poor questions or don't seem to know what to do, subtly step in and start offering relevant information about yourself, your experience, your skills. You can actually fare better with a poor interviewer than a good once since few candidates know how to handle this and the interviewer will leave with a more positive impression of you than others.
32. When finding jobs to apply for, realize that the online job boards can be very expensive. Look for employers in your area without considering the job type. Then go to the employer's website, even if they didn't have a good job fit posted for you, and see if they list anything there that matches your skills. It may be on their site but not be on the public sites.
33. Best job boards: Monster provided triple the hires to us than CareerBuilder or HotJobs. Those two came in second on different coasts: HotJobs is better on the west coast, CareerBuilder on the east. CB is owned by the major east coast newspaper peeps and offers deals to the advertisers in their papers. Dice is great for technology jobs, craigslist is great for local stuff and some larger companies. LinkedIn is gaining speed, and Jobster is lagging but still holding on. Local job sites can be good too (jobdango in Seattle, for example.) If you get a job or interview offer that has nothing to do with your skill set, delete it; there are plenty of scams or cold call jobs that will take anyone breathing.
34. Most employers aren't going to check your Facebook or MySpace but don't be an idiot anyway; if your content there is unprofessional, adjust your privacy settings.
35. If you get an offer that's lower than your expected range, it's fine to give a noncommital answer like, "That's a bit lower than I was originally looking for; what else do you think you could do for me?" Expect that they'll have to go back and discuss it internally. Leave your option open for accepting the original if they won't budge.
36. If you can get an existing employee to refer you into the company, that's far and away the best method to apply. Aside from the fact that your referrer may get a bonus, employee referrals are typically given preferential treatment, may have response metrics attached so the recruiter has to review and respond faster, and are overall flagged as higher priority. DON'T apply yourself online before the employee can refer you; often that disqualifies you as a referral.
37. ??? What would be helpful for you to know? I'm happy to look at resumes posted in the thread and offer suggestions, though most of my commentary will be in the evenings.
To clarify, there is a difference between part-time and temporary. Part-time refers to less than 40 hours a week. Temporary means a job that intentionally lasts only for a specified period of time. This could have been full-time and still temporary.
Facebook
Twitter