Recruiting-Locally

Online Recruiting. Online Applications, its all things jobs online

8 Killer Interview Questions – Candidates to Ask the Interviewer

If you are facing a job interview, you may not think about asking questions yourself when in fact, you can and should. There are many great reasons you should ask questions in a job interview. For one, you want to make sure you are really the right person for the job. You also want to be sure the position you are interviewing for is what you understand it to be.

The job interview process is not just about you trying out for a position but it’s about a mutual understanding of a possible work agreement. This is why these eight killer interview questions can help you determine if this is the job for you and also show the potential employer that you’re right for the job.

On your next job interview, ask these questions:

  1. Why is this position open? Are there any key changes since the last person held the role? – This will give you information about the position, the company and anything that might have taken place upon the absence of the previous employee. It gives you a feel for what role you would be possibly stepping into.
     
  2. Why did the last person move on? (wait for answer) Is this a trend over the recent few years? – This puts the ball in your court, shows you are confident and gives you important information about the position you are considering stepping into.
     
  3. If I were the person to take this role, how would you like me to perform in the role as compared to the previous person?
     
  4. What are the main objectives of this role?
     
  5. Of those objectives, what is most pressing? What would you like to have done in the next 3 months?
     
  6. How would you describe your management style? (If you are feeling really confident ask: How would your colleagues describe your style of management?)

 

  1. Of the people that you’ve seen join the company at my level, can you name a few reasons why they failed?

 

  1. Do you think the culture here is similar to X (name rival company)? What are the strengths of this culture?

When you ask these questions, it shows the interviewer that you are alert to the challenges of the role and confident. It also gives you the opportunity to learn more about the position you are interviewing for and whether or not it is the right position for you and your needs. You take the focus and pressure off of you completely and put some of it back on the interviewer and the company to prove to you why you should take their job.

Of course, you can phase these interview questions in language that sits comfortably with you, don’t fire them out one after the other, try to pace your questions throughout the interview process at opportune moments. 

Best of luck with your next interview!

No Comments by Ian on March 31, 2010
filed in Interview tips
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Free your recruitment team and drive efficiency

Self Managed Recruitment teams free up management time, drive up efficiency and lead to happier more content recruiters.

 A self managed recruitment team is one where consultants/recruiters work in an autonomous group to achieve some or all of their recruitment goals.  By definition the key difference from standard ways of working is that the participants are self-leading and therefore have much less input and guidance from a hands-on manager.

The team operate with an all-for-one  and one-for-all mindset (they probably wont be carrying swords and wearing funny hats) moving towards well understood recruitment goals.

In all likelihood the group or team will have a sponsor that in some respects provides a supervisory overview of their efforts, but actually is probably best used to guide and steer the group, be a sounding board and ensure they have the resources available (and co-operation) from within the organisation

If you are thinking of starting or joining a self managed recruitment team you should consider these factors about your self and likewise relate them to your organisation and colleague

  • Responsibility.  Are you ready to take responsibility for your recruitment goals and those of your group?
  • Independence.  Do you enjoy and respond well to being given autonomy in your recruitment goals or do you actually prefer being given definitive tasks with regular feedback to your manager?
  • Co-operation.  Are you, your bosses and colleagues ready to work in a flat structure and support each other towards end recruitment goals?

These are just a few initial basic points that are worth considering as you embark on setting up a self managed recruitment team.  In later articles I will look at the benefits of self managed recruitment teams for the individual and the organisation.  Plus some of the challenges.

If you want to read in more detail about self managed teams I would recommend Self-Managing Teams  by Robert F Hicks and Diane Bone.

No Comments by Ian on March 29, 2010
filed in Local Recruiting, MBA Recruiting, Online Recruiting

Why Career Choices are Also Lifestyle Choices

Why choosing your career should also be about choosing your lifestyle

Most of our waking hours are spent at work.  For some careers those hours at work are extended by peer pressure, extensive travel, deal or special project peaks.  But how predictable were those pressures?

Certain careers have a tendency to command longer hours from its incumbents; this release looks at some of the most popular career choices and poses a few questions for those considering their next career move. It may also ask a few awkward questions of those currently marching up the corporate ladder.

How much do you see your family and friends?

Have you met your life partner?

Do you get up in the dark and get home in the dark…..even in the summer?

How fit are?  Do you eat well?

These are some of the key questions we can all ask ourselves.  But do we?  How many of us would have put any negative answer down to the lack of time due to work commitments?

 To an onlooker the draw of Management Consultancy is great – strategic projects, be that in Change, Operations or pure Strategy is extremely challenging and rewarding.  If you’ve never done it – the glamour around staying in hotels and travelling to numerous cities during the course of a year to visit your clients can be extremely appealing.  But there are down sides.  That tennis game you used to play on a Wednesday, the private meal you promised your husband on a Monday, catching up with your house chores etc etc.  It all gets crammed in to the weekend. 

Investment Banking is well known for its vast bonuses and swish lunches, but it’s also extremely well known for the incredibly long hours some of the bankers work.  At your desk by 7am in many cases.  Some of the banks are more extreme then others, be sure you know the culture of the place you are joining.

In large corporates, if you want to progress up the corporate ladder then can be sometimes be a well understood route to get their.  At General Electric for example if you have worked in the Corporate Audit department you have a green light to a very bright future.  You have also spent many days on the road and worked well into the night for numerous presentations.

 I have had numerous conversations with candidates, experienced professionals that have taken a look at the last few years, and come to the realisation they dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to their career. In most cases they have been well rewarded for it and learnt a lot, but they missed the formative years of their children, perhaps sacrificed a relationship, found no time for the hobbies they used to love.  They may have gained a few extra pounds (on the waist) during that time as the healthy eating went by the way side with all the client and hotel meals.

There is no doubt that the three examples of career choices listed above can be incredibly rewarding.  Not just financially, but intellectually stimulating, meeting your personal career goals. 

Are some of life’s other questions  thought about enough in order to make a fully evaluated decision?

 Consider these  key questions you can consider for your next career move or perhaps to assess where you are now;

  •  What are the hours associated with this profession?
  • Within the profession I am in/considering which companies are notorious for the hours required to progress.  (In all three of the career choices above – this differs substantially from company to company).
  • How much travelling will I have to do?  Therefore how many nights a week will I be I staying away? 
  • What impact will the hours I work have on my life – family time, relaxation time etc?
  • What are my priorities – to earn more, to spend more time with family and friends, to become as senior as I can be?

 

Not easy choices, but choices that must be made.  Each person will have different priorities the main thing is that you take the time to set them and aim for the work/life balance you want and not the one you found yourself with.

No Comments by Ian on March 15, 2010
filed in MBA Recruiting, Online Recruiting
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mistakes-of-online-job-applicants

Online advertising for jobs has now over taken, in terms of expenditure, job advertising offline.  But are candidates responding appropriately to an online job advert?

Her are  6 tips to ensure you have the best chance of successfully applying for a job on line

  1. Don’t read the job title only.  Project Manager/Accountant/Lawyer/IT Consultant – one of these titles may apply to you but the body of the job may not.  Read the job details carefully and only apply for those roles you feel you qualify for – or at least might qualify for.
  2. Don’t attach a CV with spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.  Our own conversations with recruitment departments have demonstrated that if they see your CV and you haven’t been able to phrase your own experience with correct grammar or there are spelling mistakes contained within your CV it leaves them with limited confidence that you can operate at the level they need.  This is especially true if a part of your role is writing reports of some description.  This point may seem obvious but it is more then just a spell check.  Have you used the word “incite” instead of “insight” or other similar sounding words.  Take the time to get it write….(right!)
  3. Don’t apply to the same recruiter for a variety of different jobs requiring diverse skills.  Are you really an expert in Supply Chain, Transaction Services and Merger Integration?  What are the requirements of the roles you are applying for?  If they clearly state you need to be a proven expert in a given area – show your focus and apply for the role that you can realistically perform well in.  As a recruiter, receiving several applications from the same candidate, for several distinctly different roles (that required a specific expertise) immediately leaves an impression that you are not focussed in any area. 
  4. Don’t ignore the recruiter.  Even if you have a great CV and you are applying for the right role, add a courteous cover letter referring to your application. Ideally refer to a key element of the job requirements and how your skills and experience relate.
  5. Don’t ignore the requirements.  Expanding on the previous point, if you read and liked the role, you read the requirements too but were short on one or two aspects – the cover letter is a good opportunity to highlight why your application is still relevant.  If you ignore the requirements and the recruiter has lots of applications the chances are s/he will not consider that you may have compensating skills and experience.
  6. Don’t forget where you applied.  It’s easy to do; keep a track of what jobs you applied for and when.  If the recruiter calls you and you have no clue about the job and when or how you applied –it doesn’t leave the best first impression.

 

Most of the above is common sense, certainly for the seasoned professional.  However if I had £5 for every job application I have read – applying for relatively senior consulting roles or similar – that didn’t apply the basics as described above I would own a small private island right next to Richard Branson’s!”  Take a few extra minutes when applying online and ensure you give yourself the best chance of getting the job you want.

No Comments by Ian on March 12, 2010
filed in Online Recruiting