Another reason to ignore social media in the hiring process

Most of us have social networking profiles these days, and though survey results differ on the exact percentage, a whole lot of hiring managers and recruiters can’t resist taking a peek at them. And of course, the temptation to check out a candidate’s Facebook page is even stronger with a remote team, where you may have limited or no face-to-face contact with the person you’re considering hiring.

But do people get an accurate picture of others’ personalities from their social networking profiles? Is the practice of trawling through online profiles particularly subject to our biases and prejudices? Two psychologists from Auburn University have published a paper looking into the issue.

The study by Victoria Brown and E. Daly Vaughn in Journal of Business and Psychologywas written up recently on the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest blog and suggests that while a quick look at a candidate’s profile may feel harmless, there are actually pitfalls to the practice.

Previous research has found, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that when it comes to our level of extroversion and openness, social networking profiles actually give visitors a fairly accurate portrait of our personalities (though we hide our neuroticism). But that accuracy depends on seeing a fairly long slice of our activity history, and Vaughn and Brown warn that with quick looks “we can also fall prey to drawing conclusions on the bases of a small sample of ‘recent activity’.”

Even more troubling is the likelihood that getting a look at the person you’re considering hiring may bring out your unconscious biases, according to the BPS blog.The authors also worry that SNS [social networking site] screening may be very prone to biases, given that SNS data gives ready indication of race, age, disability and other factors that shouldn’t be considerations in screening decisions.

The final conclusion? Though it might be tempting to take a look at a potential hire online, the authors argue that you should probably resist, recommending companies forbid “opportunistic online reviewing of some candidates but not others, and listing appropriate criteria,” such as viewing work samples on a graphic designer’s profile. They conclude “it may be better for organizations to ban the practice entirely.”

Is sneaking a peek at a candidate’s social networking profile helpful, or invasive and prone to bias?

By Jessica Stillman

How to recruit the best interns

(Editor’s note: Nathan Parcells is co-founder of InternMatch.com. He submitted this story to VentureBeat.)

It’s that time of year again. The time when companies descend on Stanford, Berkeley and other college campuses across the country to try and recruit top students as summer interns.

Most startup founders recognize that interns can be a critical resource for making new hires and getting part-time help at a discount.  Startups, with their small bankroll and even smaller brand recognition, have to compete for the best talent with the likes of Google and Facebook who offer large hourly salaries, a great name on a resume, and access all summer to free beer and a sushi bar.

It’s easy to see why many entrepreneurs say it’s just not worth the time

At InternMatch we have hired over 15 interns in the past year – and every one has exceeded the investment we put in to pay and train them.  As just a few examples: we have had design interns create professional grade marketing collateral including business cards.  We have had campus marketing interns sign up thousands of other students to use our site.  We even had an intern pretend to be an InternMatch founder at a pitch competition and go on to win the event by a landslide (beating a number of actual founders no less).

Throughout this year of hiring, we have gained a lot of insight into what strategies help attract the best students.  Here are 5 things startups can do to out maneuver even the most well-known companies:

Be proactive. Companies like Google and Microsoft get thousands of applicants for a single role.  At a startup you need to focus on quality not quantity.

Go directly to schools, pitching at entrepreneurship classes, clubs and networking events to grab the attention of students.  Once you’ve got that attention, use this team of campus evangelists to refer peers and classmates to positions.

Co-opt your investors’ brand. Has your company gotten and investment from a high profile super angel?  Or have you been written about in a top tech blog?  By highlighting these points at the top of a position description, candidates can quickly separate your company from other startups that may not be as high profile.

Sell, sell, sell! This is closely tied to the point above.  Don’t be afraid to hype the benefits of working at your company – from the culture to the team to the advisors and investors involved.  Hiring guru and CEO of JobScore.com Dan Arkind stresses the importance of selling a new hire on the first interview – the same is true for interns.

It is worth noting that in a 2008 Intern Bridge survey; money was not among the top three reasons students gave for picking an internship.  Professional experience, opportunities to network and company culture led the list.

Be creative. If you have a student you really want on board, invite them to the office to meet the team.  Or if they are of age, invite them to bar for a beer.  If you can’t offer them as much money as Google, offer other tangible benefits, like having their picture on your site in the About Us section.  Creative non-monetary benefits can win an intern over at little cost.

Be persistent. Students, especially top students have a lot of options, and therefore don’t focus as much attention on the internship search.  By sending short, friendly emails to students you have interviewed and want to bring on board, your chances of winning out in the recruiting battle are dramatically increased.

But don’t be annoying, if someone clearly doesn’t have the time or interest to intern, ask them if they have a friend who may be a better fit, or if they can send the position out to a club or class listserv. Better to get a quality referral from the one that got away than to have to restart from scratch.

Great video from “Howdini – get yourself a gru”

Website that provides a variety of information.

This video is by  Carolyn Bigda, Money Magazine check it out – How to prepare for a job interview

• Dress appropriately and conservatively. Suits are safe.

• Shake hands firmly.

• Make eye contact.

• Develop a sales pitch about yourself. Use specific examples of your work and mention key points that will appeal to your interviewer.

• Practice this sales pitch until it’s routine and easy to deliver calmly and with sincerity.

• If you were fired from your last job, be honest, but positive. No negative remarks about the former employer.

• Say you’re looking for the next opportunity, the place to take the next step in your career, or that you’re looking to apply your skills in a different way.

Hospitality Industry Leader Keeps People In Jobs Despite Economic Downturn

Downers Grove, IL – “We’ve placed thousands  of people in top management jobs in the last two years. There’s no recession at Gecko Hospitality.” Robert Krzak, president of North America’s premier hospitality industry recruiter, is proud of Gecko’s track record in getting people into work. While millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the two year economic downturn, Gecko Hospitality has bucked the trend. “We’ve worked extra hard to make sure that our candidates are paired with top class restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs and casinos who have been eager to hire them,” says Robert. “It’s a huge achievement, especially with unemployment figures rising in every industry.”

Based in Downers Grove, Illinois, Gecko Hospitality offers the largest selection of hospitality, restaurant, hotel, resort and club management jobs online. “We work with more than 400 of the top employers in the industry,” says Robert, “and more than ever, during the recession, they have relied on us to find them the best, most honest candidates with the highest integrity to join their management teams.”

Finding the right candidate isn’t a problem, thanks to Gecko’s ten year track record in the business, extensive candidate database and team of top class recruiters. “Our candidates know that our contacts with hospitality industry decision makers will put their resumes in front of the right people,” says Robert. “Even better, most of our recruiters began their careers in the hospitality industry, which means we understand and care about what our customers want. Everyone’s happy.”

Robert attributes the company’s success to its unique attitude to the people it works with. “We’re not just another service provider or vendor,” he says. “We have a real passion for the hospitality industry. We partner with industry leading restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs and casinos to provide them with the management staff they can’t get on their own. We handpick the best, most honest candidates with the highest integrity. We’ve been doing this for ten years, with great results – just ask our clients and candidates!”

To mark its tenth anniversary, Gecko Hospitality is relaunching its recruitment website in February 2010. The new site will feature an improved interface to help match candidates and clients even more successfully.

“With our new site, it will be easier than ever for us to connect hospitality industry leaders with the premium candidates they need,” said Robert Krzak, who founded Gecko Hospitality after running successful restaurant recruiting franchises. “We want to start the next ten years the same way we ended the last – by getting more people into hospitality industry jobs. That’s the reason why we are the largest and most respected hospitality recruiting firm in the US. ”

About Gecko Hospitality

Gecko Hospitality is the largest hospitality recruiter in the US. The firm partners with top restaurants, hotels and casinos to help them identify the best salaried management personnel for their properties. Gecko has 37 regional offices and a team of more than 60 hospitality recruiters covering all 50 states and Canada. For more information, please visit www.geckohospitality.com

In difficult times the employment market is extremely competitive; especially when you are trying to catch the attention of an executive recruiter. These tips will help you get the interview you are looking for regardless if you have been downsized;

• Relevant Experience – if your experience has varied but you have great exposure to what a specific job is looking for HIGHLIGHT that experience or more importantly move it to the first few bullets on your resume.

• Recent Successes – employers want high impact players that make a difference and your success needs to be clearly written on your resume. Briefly describe what you have accomplished and the impact it had on the business.

• Reasons for Changes – Often we see resumes with multiple jobs in a few years or some job seekers that have not been employed for a few months. This has become more common in this market. The assumption is always negative so take that out of the equation by letting potential employers know about those situations on your resume.

• Tailor your Career Highlights or Summary – If you have a Highlights or Summary section on your resume tailor it for the job you are applying for. I have seen people apply to a job and their highlights have little to do with the job that they applied for. This will not open many doors.

• Format – make sure that your resume is easy to read or easy to scan. The odds of your resume being read in its entirety are slim. When resumes are received they are visually scanned and people look for key words, titles and previous employers. People need to see a clear professional document. Resumes with bullet points are much easier to read that those written in paragraphs. Always make sure your font style and size is the consistent throughout.

• Spelling and Grammar – This is obvious but so important. Make sure you spell check your resume and always have someone else proofread your resume.

Remember the purpose of your resume is to get you in front of an executive recruiter and eventually an employer. Your resume does not (and should not) tell everything about you but it needs to tell them why you will be an asset. It should be a clear representation of who you are and what you bring to the table. It will open doors to executive recruiters and then it is up to you to sell yourself

When you receive a gift that was unintentional is it more special than if you expected it? I’ve always believed that answer to be true however as a businessman, when you receive a gift from a client that also pays your salary, how special is that?

They say that your employees are a true measure of the integrity of your organization and I’m a true believer that those core qualities start from the top on down. I’ll stop babbling right now and get to the heart of the story. For the past 7 years, Gecko Hospitality holds it’s franchise meetings in different cities throughout the United States every 6 months. In January, 2010, our meeting was held in Orlando, Florida. Right as the flight attendants were ready to signal to everyone to turn off your cell phones for takeoff, I just so happen see my light blinking that I’ve received a new e-mail.

As I disregard the flight attendants request, I opened the message and saw that it’s from the Director Of Recruiting from one of our clients. Susan (our client) got word that our meeting was  being held in Orlando and was inquiring who was taking care of our food and beverage needs for all of the attendees while our meeting was taking place. As I read further, the words “I INSIST” shot out of the email that I should call Susan immediately.

Miller’s Ale House has been a client for the longest time and regardless, it’s very unusual for a client to display such a gesture of generosity. However, I will soon learn that Miller’s Ale House would be different. As I contacted Susan after landing in Orlando, Susan in her energetic but girlish voice tells me that a call has already been made to the restaurant closest to your hotel and you just tell me how many people. I tell her in a very stand offish voice, “Susan, we have over 25 people and are you sure you want us taking those seats?” After all it was the BCS Championship Game that night!! Without hesitation, Susan says “consider it done and one of my managers will be there to take care of you.” I was truly blown away.

Needless to say, our entire group was blown away that a client would extent this much generosity on what would be a great revenue day for a restaurant with the BCS Championship Game on that night. Not only was the food, drink and service top notch, but a member of the executive team drove in to meet and greet us to make sure everything was okay. All I could think is if a company such as Miller’s Ale House treats its vendors this way then being an employee has to be incredible. After speaking to not just to the management team at the restaurant as well as several of the  hourly employees, they confirmed my notion that Miller’s Ale House is a class act and they treat everyone like they are part of the family!

I want to send out a big thank you to the staff of the Miller’s Ale House in Orlando Florida and especially Susan and Kim who oversee the management recruiting selection process for this growing organization. You are true ambassadors of your organization and to the word “HOSPITALITY”

Any candidate looking to join a company that treats their people like gold, do not hesitate because this company practices what it preaches.

At some point in your life you will be out of work.  When this happens and you find yourself interviewing for a job, be honest as to why you are out of work, especially if you were let go for cause.   With today’s technology, companies can easily find out why you were let go.   While HR won’t talk, chances are the host who answers the phone in your old restaurant will.  Be honest, take responsibility for your actions,  tell the interviewer what you learned from your experience and sound remorseful.  Finally, Make sure that you let the interviewer know that you learned your lesson the hard way and it will never happen again.   At this point move on.

There are some companies, such as Darden, that will end the interview right there.  Many, however, will appreciate not only your honesty but your ability to learn.

One of the most important tools in a job seeker’s arsenal — and possibly the one that is treated most casually by the job seeker — is the resume. How well could a carpenter perform with a broken hammer, or a surgeon with a faulty instrument? Likewise, landing the job that’s right for you will be far more difficult without a powerful, accurately targeted marketing tool.

Crafting an effective resume requires stepping back, making objective assessments of oneself, being organized, and writing well.

Where to Start

Before sitting down to write your resume, it is best to have a clear plan. As a result, it will be helpful to consider the following:

Find your direction

As you would for any journey, decide where you want to go. The more specific you can make this decision, the better. If you have been a widget-maker all your life and you wish to continue in this field, the decision is simple; if you want to switch to making thingamajigs, you will need to dig a little deeper and possibly do some in-depth personal assessments.

Once you have decided upon a goal, you have a resume target. This will guide you in selecting the details that match (as closely as possible) the requirements of the type of position you seek.

Uncover your qualifications and accomplishments

Identify the information you will be using including work history, education and/or training, certifications, accomplishments, strengths, etc. Keep in mind that your accomplishments and strengths help ensure you stand out from other candidates with similar skills; therefore, it is essential to draw out those most relevant to the position you are targeting so that you may showcase them in your summary and work history.

Many people, surprisingly enough, have difficulty recognizing their strengths and completely overlook some of the best accomplishments they have to offer. The trick to uncovering these key points involves looking at what you do (and/or have done) from the employer’s point of view: How have your actions benefited the organization?

Everyone has accomplishments, yet often we are unaware of them. If you are particularly proud of something you have done, it is probably an accomplishment. Also, it can help to think in terms of challenge / action / result: What challenge existed? What action did you take? What was the result? If you can quantify the results — by using percentages, dollar amounts, or time frames, for instance — you will give your resume more authority and “punch” when an employer reviews it.

Consider the visual elements

Determine the design of your resume. If you generally submit a resume utilizing 8-point font and quarter-inch margins on all sides (a mistake often made by those who believe in the one-page myth), objectively assess the entire document. Will it stand out in a stack of resumes? Will your skills, strengths, and goals be quickly and easily identified?

White space can be used to your advantage. In fact, if you are at a mid-career level, a two-page resume is most common; and executives or those at highly experienced levels may find a two- or three-page resume is appropriate (depending upon your history and goals).

The idea is that you need not be concerned about keeping your resume to one page. It is more important that you present your most relevant qualifications and strengths in a clear and concise manner that maximizes the impact.

As You Craft…

Now that you have a plan, the next step involves crafting the resume; it is important to keep these fundamental strategies in mind:

The 15-second review

Employers are likely to spend only about 10-20 seconds on the initial pass. Your objective is to capture his/her attention while encouraging a more in-depth reading. This can be a valuable guide when deciding what to include in the summary and what to eliminate: Will it have enough impact to pass this rule?

The basic elements of an effective resume will include:

• A clean, visually appealing appearance that invites tired eyes to read.
• A dynamic and powerful summary of qualifications that targets the position requirements.
• Accomplishments emphasized in the initial summary and/or work history.
• Keywords and phrases appropriately placed throughout the document.
• A strong, well-written work history that highlights the last 10-15 years; earlier positions may be included in condensed fashion unless the skills are particularly relevant to your current goals.
• A section highlighting education, professional development (workshops, seminars, or other training that relates to your job goal), and other relevant certifications, publications, etc.
• Depending on your level, field, and goals, a table or list of specific technical skills may prove beneficial.

Summary of qualifications

Think of this as the “headline” to the “advertisement” that will “sell” you to the employer. Select your top skills, abilities, and strengths while ensuring they pertain directly to the type of job you are pursuing.

While it is critical to align your qualifications with the type of positions you are pursuing, quality of the writing is important, too. Write concisely, and write well. Keep in mind that while the language should be strong, sentence fragments are standard practice for resumes; however, cover letters need to be complete sentences (i.e., in first-person narrative form).

Work history

If you have a resume that details every job you have held beginning in high school, it will be a relief to know you may be able to eliminate them and free up a great deal of space for important information. You want to include information that demonstrates your strengths and illustrates your track record utilizing skills relevant to your job target. Positions you have held during the last 10-15 years are considered the most important unless you are a Senior Executive and you need to show a more complete career track. Sometimes earlier positions can be included in a block of additional experience.

It is important to be concise and pointed. Back up the statements made in the summary of qualifications with information that demonstrates how you used your skills and how they benefited your previous employers. Here, too, it is vital to remember your target, choosing and arranging information so that it will highlight your most relevant abilities and background.

Education and Training

An overview of your education is typically reserved for the end of the document; however, if it directly relates to your job target, you may place it early in the resume following the opening skill summary. This can be especially helpful if, for instance, you have a degree in widget making even though your work history has been largely in thingamajigs.

Give brief information that includes the level (e.g., associates, bachelors, etc.), kind (e.g., arts, science, etc.), and area (i.e. major and/or concentration) of degree(s) that you possess as well as the awarding institution and location.

If you have attended seminars include these. If you have obtained certifications in your chosen field, or ones that show you could easily secure any required certifications, list them either before or after the continuing-education portion of this block. The relative importance of the certifications will determine their position; for instance, a technical certification will be more important for a job involving information technology than one involving hospitality services.

Finally — A Resume that Gets Noticed!

You are just about done, and you should have a much stronger resume document. Just a few additional points to consider:

• Personal information — age, marital status, health, religion, and ethnicity should not be listed when seeking positions within the US. (When pursuing jobs in other countries — particularly with non-US employers — various personal data is often included, depending upon the country.)
• References are rarely included because they are submitted at a later stage in the process when mutual interest has been established between you and the employer.
• Often, particularly for a job you really want or need, there is no substitute for having a resume professionally prepared. Just knowing that writing specialists — who are highly trained and keep up with industry and job trends, and innovations in resume preparation — are preparing a powerful document for you can be a big boost of confidence, which allows you to wow interviewers. And you can’t put a price on that.

Either way you do it, think positive and be confident as you enter your job search!

Resume Strategies for New Graduates

Emphasize skills gained through experience and studies to fully develop a powerful, qualitative resume.

An effective resume captures an employer’s interest within the first 15 seconds. Typically, a new graduate’s most relevant skills are gained through academic study. However, unless a candidate’s education is in a highly sought after area, competing with more experienced candidates may prove challenging—especially if one does not have related work experience. Thus, a well-designed resume with a qualitative (versus quantitative) focus will immediately pique interest and maximize the marketing potential of your recent education, practicum, internships, etc.

Rarely will the title of a program or degree fully convey the full breadth of one’s skill set. A carefully designed resume—through strategic presentation of key program elements and your personal areas of focus—will quickly demonstrate to an employer the skills you bring to the table; this in turn allows you to stand out from other candidates. An Academic Skill Conversion™ resume leverages your hands-on classroom, project, lab, and internship activities as they pertain to your current career goals. And if you have related work and volunteer experience, it can be used to add further value to your overall presentation.

Also, it is not uncommon for new graduates to underestimate the strength of transferable skills gained through work that is unrelated to the degree. For example, you may have held service-oriented positions in the retail or hospitality industries. In these instances, it can be advantageous to show professional strengths that demonstrate aptitude in customer service, administration, or general operations. This is achieved by developing a well-targeted qualifications profile.

In addition to an effective qualifications profile, you can present specific details of projects in the experience section that follows your profile and education. If you have work, volunteer or internship experience, it would be listed here, in reverse chronological order. Ultimately, the key to a successful job search will be largely determined by the power of your presentation. You’ve worked hard to earn your degree, and now it is time to have your degree work for you.

More often then not, the first interview has become a telephone interview. Human Resources is getting so many resumes for every open job that they can’t possibly interview every candidate that applies, so they have gone to a 15 minute phone interview or phone screen to screen out the candidates that aren’t qualified and move forward with those that are. Some people think phone interviews are easier than in-person ones. Often, those people are wrong.
In person, it’s easy to tell if an interviewer is tuning you out if you notice them staring off into space or sending text messages on their phone. On the phone, you and the interviewer are missing out on important visual cues. You can’t read the interviewer’s body language.
So, how can a job seeker really tell if the interviewer is bored, distracted or under whelmed?
Find a quiet space
In the absence of sight, hearing becomes sharper. And interviewers can easily hear distraction over the phone.
Once you’ve scheduled a phone interview, locate a calm, quiet place where you can focus. Make sure you’re not near a computer, TV or anything that will draw your attention away from the interview. Tell anyone who has access to the space that you are not to be disturbed under any circumstances.
Next, have a pen and paper handy to take notes during your interview. You should also have a copy of your resume so that when the interviewer refers to your experience, you can both be on the same page.
Speak Easy
As soon as you answer the phone, you’re on!
You want to start your phone interview off right. And, because the interviewer can’t see you, she’s listening even more carefully.
Make a conscious effort to sound upbeat and enthusiastic.
Smile. Interviewers can hear you smile — and smiling can put you in a better state of mind.
Stand up and walk back and forth. Standing can make your voice sound more powerful.
And always remember to breathe. It will help you stay calm and sound more relaxed.
Listen
A phone interview isn’t just about speaking. It’s about listening.
To listen carefully, try closing your eyes when the interviewer is speaking so you can focus on what is being said.
This technique can also help you read the interviewer’s mood. Is he interested and enthusiastic, or bored and distracted? Is the interview conversational? Are questions and answers flowing easily?
Listen hard after your responses. Did your response prompt additional questions or make the interviewer hesitate?
If the interviewer seems distracted, use one of the powerful questions you were saving for the “Do you have any questions?” section of the interview. A well-chosen question can re-engage him/her and put the interview back on track.

Back in March of 2009 there was no question the U.S economy was in the tank. Many displaced restaurant managers asked the big question; where are all the jobs? With the hospitality and retail sector taking big financial hits, restaurateurs have been faced with downsizing their workforce in order to survive. For those managers who were spared the dreaded pink slip, they have had to endure pay cuts, lost bonuses, longer hours and a reduction of hourly staff. One could argue who received the better deal!

Within the past sixty days, those of us in the recruiting field have already seen the shift in hiring. Companies are beginning to hire in what has traditionally been the busiest time of the year and this summer serves to be no different. Or is it? Those managers who have been dealt the blow of sacrificing more hours at the workplace, along with a decrease in pay, are determining that now is the time to begin looking for a company who will not subject them to the hell they currently live in. One would not imagine looking for a new position three months ago while the uncertainty of the economy kept everyone at bay. What was once thought of being grateful for being employed will now turn into a mass exodus of epic proportion.

As company recruiters are vulnerable to widespread layoffs, those left behind have double the workload and two serious problems on their hands. The first will be to try and fill those needs as a result of attrition, but most importantly will be to fill those needs left by managers who feel that it is now safe to look elsewhere and find greener pasture.

In one month, the number of active resumes in hospitality has increased by 19% as reported by the major job boards. The levels of exhaustion amongst managers are at an all time high and they will be seeking better opportunities. As a company recruiter, my main focus would be retention and get those managers out there some help! Take my word, as one new manager is brought into training, three will be turning in their notice. As recruiting departments shrink, company recruiters must begin to put hiring plans in place today. Think about it, the average time to recruit, interview and hire a new manager is on average twenty one days. Take into account a two week notice, and you’re pushing almost thirty days.

The time is NOW to fill your pipeline of quality managers….and don’t procrastinate! The candidate you interview today was interviewed by a competitor of yours a week ago. A “recruiters market” is all but complete. The dawn of a “candidates market” is just right around the corner and when it begins and if history is any indicator, this will be a company recruiter’s worst nightmare for the next eighteen months.

Time is the biggest deal breaker…