Albuquerque Jobing Community Blogs

Each month, Albuquerque Job Service Employer Connection (JSEC) comes together to discuss timely issues in the workplace.  This month, the topic at hand is the big "R" word....Recruiting.  How do we find top talent in a tight labor market?  What sources provide the highest ROI?  They say technology is changing the recruiting landscape, but how do I embrace it in my business?  

Join JSEC for this discussion!  Here are the details...

Job Service Employer Connection Monthly Meeting
Thursday June 12th
8:00AM
Marriott Pyramid
5151 San Francisco NE
 

Why is it that when looking for employment we search by job title and not by what we really want?  Wouldn’t it be neat if we could search for a job by typing in a tag that included words like “challenges”, “opportunities”, “professional development”, “a chance to make a difference”, or even the big one … “passion”?  

When it comes down to it the job title really doesn’t matter.  What really matters is how we feel about the work we do.  At PB&J (that’s right, Peanut Butter and Jelly) we offer what really matters.  We offer challenges, opportunities, and a place for passion.  As a non-profit we may not offer the highest salary but we are able to offer those benefits that really matter and allow someone to know that at the end of the day, they made a difference.    

But, since we are limited, for now, to job titles … PB&J is seeking a Registered Nurse who is passionate about working with children and families.  We really are an amazing place to work for many many reasons. 

Attention New Mexico HR Professionals:

You count on the Four Corners HR Association to be the voice of the profession in their community, and once again their delivering great programming to their members and quests.  Please join them on Wedensday May 21st at the Best Western Riverwalk in Farmington.  

Learn to better identify, and retain top talent for your organization by joining your FCHRA! 

RSVP Today

A job interview is like a first date.  Although the conversation can be awkward, folks are generally on their best behavior.  A successful first date means that both parties find the other interesting and attractive on some level.  The kicker here is that the attraction must be mutual and the follow through must be well thought-out.  Botch the follow-up on a date or a job interview and all sorts of mayhem may ensue.  So, before you end up as the antagonist in some recruiter's horror story, let's discuss some rules of the road.  

Let's start with what not to do.

1.  Don't blow up the recruiter's phone!  Persistence is admirable.  Stalking is creepy. 

2.  Don't call multiple times without leaving a message.  Recruiters have caller ID these day, you know.  I've heard stories of candidates calling and hanging up 50 times a day.  Don't be that guy!

3.  Don't get impatient.  Recruiters are multi-taksing gurus, but it can take a while for them to return calls and emails.  This is not because they're 
mean-spirited and rude.  It's because they're dealing with hundreds of other candidates just like you at any given time.  Never let your frustration show to the recruiter.  Don't shoot yourself in the foot, Barney Fife, by leaving a rude message.  

Here's a better plan.

1.  Leave one great phone message.  Tell the recruiter that you enjoyed the interview and that you're excited to learn more about the opportunity.  Ask about the next step, and affirm your willingness to answer any follow-up questions the company might have later.    

2.  Change your method of communication.  Don't beat your head against the wall.  If you can't get them on the the phone, send them an email or write a note instead.  

3.  Keep it cheery.  Recruiters want to know how you'll treat their customers, and they make assumptions about this based on how you behave during the interview process.  Stay cool under pressure and kill 'em with kindness.  Politeness and professionalism is the way to a recruiter's heart.  

Happy Hunting,

Doug

 

 

There are a ton of resources for online job searches – here are a five tips on getting the most out of them!

1.  Use email job notification agents – many job boards will give you the option of conducting a search on a regular basis and having the results of those agents emailed to you (on Jobing.com we call them a Jobs-by-Email Agent).  These emails are a great way to stay on top of what is available whether you are actively looking or if you just want to stay aware of your options. 

2.  Apply to jobs that you are truly qualified or interested in.  It might be easy to submit your resume to many jobs that aren’t a very good fit.  Resist the temptation.  Recruiters are very busy people, and who knows – that same recruiter may have another position posted that is actually right for you – tomorrow!  Applying to jobs indiscriminately sends a poor message about the focus of your search and the quality of your candidacy. 

3.  Research the companies you apply to and tailor your resumes/cover letters to fit them and the position you are applying to.  There is no better way to impress a recruiter than to help them easily understand why you fit their culture and the job you are applying to.  So read the job description carefully, visit the company website, read the company profile, watch their employment video – research pays off.

4.  Use a variety of resources at first and find out what is working for you the best.  After a while you will be able to tell which is the best resource for you in your location and field of interest – then you can budget your job search time accordingly. 

5.  Keep updating your resume.  When searching for a job, I bet you notice how recently the position was posted – you might even filter your results to only view the freshest jobs around.  Similarly, employers search through resume databases looking for candidates that have recently updated their information.  Keeping your information current tells employers: 

a.  You are actively looking for new employment – now.

b.  Your information:  address, phone number, salary rate, and employment history are current and accurate.

c.  You are ready to interview, and perhaps even start your new job on a reasonable timetable. 

Whatever resources you use or advice you receive, remember there is no magic-bullet, no one single answer to finding the job you love.  Your job search is a process that requires your passion, diligence and the flexibility to continue to improve.

Then Verizon Wireless may be the place for you!  An opening in our Human Resources department recently became available.  This is a an exceptional opportunity to join an industry leading company in this exciting capacity.  This position supports the external staffing process, with primary emphasis on interviewing external candidates for the Albuquerque Call Center and promoting Verizon Wireless as the Employer of Choice.  If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.vzwcareers.com, and enter keyword: 214612.

The Value Begins with You.
Own Your Career!

Attention HR professionals:

As you all know, we now have four generations in the workplace, and they all have different wants, needs, and goals.  This presents unique recruiting challenges and our friends at the New Mexico Healthcare Human Resources Association are here to help you navigate this shifting recruitng landscape at their next event.  Registrations fill up fast, so go ahead and RSVP already! 

NMHHRA Healthcare Recruiting WorkshopFriday May 2, 2008 
11:30am to 1:00pm
MCM Elegante Hotel  (Menaul & University)
Presented by Wendy Shannon
RSVP Here

Martha I. Finney helps companies improve their performance by attracting, keeping and inspiring high-passion, high-performing talent. This posting is based on the principles from her new book, The Truth About Getting the Best From People . For the full collection of her extended blogs, including, "Why I Love HR,” visit www.hrjourneys.blogspot.com . Contact her at martha@marthafinney.com 

Okay, I’ve got a very cool story to tell, but forewarning: It’s going to sound like I’m bragging. I swear I’m not. It’s just this is an amazing story and I just happen to be a player in it. Okay? Okay, here goes:

About a month ago, a brand new client of mine was flying me to their Connecticut HQ from Albuquerque.  This part is noteworthy only in the sense that it was a rare opportunity for me to fly First Class (I didn’t ask for it, they just gave it to me). Only problem: It was stand-by First Class. So you can imagine what happened next: On the ABQ to DFW leg, I’m trudging down the aisle along with everyone else, trying to not shoot envious big-eyed orphan glances at those comfortably settled in the big leather seats up front, already happily grasping their drinks on their broad armrests. (What’s the deal with that anyway? How come First Classers get to sip before takeoff? Is it that First Class people are naturally more coordinated and less likely to spill their Chivas upon take-off? But woe betide the hapless flight attendant who must dodge flying plastic cups from the clumsy oafs to the aft of the drawn curtain as the plane points its nose into the sky? Oopsie, I digress.)

As I’m consoling myself down the aisle, the little voice inside my head says, “Something really good is going to come out of this.” (I may be codependent but that’s nothing compared to the codependency of the little voice inside my head.)

I sit next a guy who is flipping through the pictures in his digital camera, and being a chatty kinda gal who also happens to live in one of the nation’s top vacation destinations, I ask him, “Going home after a vacation to Santa Fe?” Nope. Wrongo. Come to find out his wife and children live in Albuquerque but he works in Tennessee. “Oh? Doing what?”   He gives me one of those highly technical, exotic foreign answers that would make anyone say blankly, “ohhhhh, how nice for you…say where is that beverage cart anyway?”

Turns out, it wasn’t so nice for him. Every time he went home for a visit, it meant that he would have to wrench himself away from his family, and his heart would be going crack, crack, crack, all the way back to his dismal bachelor life back in Tennessee.  He was leaving Albuquerque this time freshly determined to find a job within a pillow’s throw of his cherished wife and two adoring sons.  And so he told me all about it.

Now remember: His expertise is highly specialized, highly technical, and to make matters worse, highly manufacturing. The kind of job that would make elicit the response, “Well, good luck with that.” But not me. Oh no. I said, “Send me your resume and I’ll see what I can do.”  Not like I know anything or anyone in manufacturing. But, hey, you never know, right?

Long to short: He starts his new job in Albuquerque tomorrow.  And now his two sons quite rightly think: “Dad has the coolest job in town.” And he really does. And it’s in town!

Here’s a quick summary of what happened between then and tomorrow: That night I got to my hotel room in Stamford. And there was his resume emailed to me. I was a) tired; b) on major chocolate withdrawal and c) thinking, “what are the chances of anything coming this? What’s on tv?” But that darn inner voice chimed in, “Larry King  can wait.  You promised, now get cracking.” Yeah, but I promised then. This is now. I’m tired. And besides what are the odds that anything could come of this?

Now there were only two companies that came to mind as possible employers for this guy. But really, what could possibly be the chances that they would have an opening that would exactly fit his skills? I looked up the first company, and discovered that they are hiring out of San Carlos, CA, and looking for a svp/hr. So I figured they probably wouldn’t be hiring someone like this guy right now. I totally didn’t even bother with them.

Then I looked at the other company, found the svp/hr, figured out what her email address would probably be, and sent her an email saying, “You don’t know me but there’s this guy I met on the plane today who….” I attached his resume, detaching myself from any residual interest in the outcome. And then went about scaring up some chocolate and finding CNN on the tube. I spent the next several days working with this new client and thinking about myself.

Back in New Mexico, this lovely svp/hr took the time to open an email from a stranger, opened the attachment, and discovered a possible match for a position long open and needing attention pretty darn quick.  (I just love email, don’t you?)

Next thing I hear: The guy comes back to Albuquerque upon their invitation, surprises his sons by picking them up unexpectedly at school, goes to a series of interviews at this company the next day, is offered the job of his dreams before he even gets home. (I just love cell phones, don’t you?)

From my perspective – and from the perspective of anyone even remotely involved in HR – life is full of happenstance matches that make for happy career stories.  So for me, it’s a nifty story that makes me smile.

But can you imagine what it must have been like for this guy? Of all the flights between ABQ and DFW, and of all the seats on the plane, he has to sit next to this chatty woman. And then guess what? She’s the opening conduit to a dream come true.

It is actually his doing that makes this a story with a happy ending.  He was willing to talk to a stranger.  So there’s a tip for you: Talk to strangers; tell anyone who will listen who you are and what you want.

It will improve the odds.

A special note from Martha:   If you’re a manager, your company is counting on you to be an engaging leader. But what exactly does that mean? And how do you do engagement? Just because you’re brilliant at your technical skills, that doesn’t mean that you’re a natural at people skills. New managers need a book that can help them figure it out in simple, straightforward ideas.

That’s why I wrote The Truth About Getting the Best From People. It’s a book made up of 49 short, simple truths designed to help new managers understand how their beliefs and behaviors directly impact their employees’ passion factor on the job.

Click on the title and check it out! I hope you’ll enjoy it!