5 ways to generate more enthusiasm for ‘older’ candidates

Posted December 10th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers

Though the recent recession obscured the problem somewhat, North America, the UK, and many parts of the EU are already facing talent shortages which will only get worse in the next few years: Lower birthrates mean that as baby-boomers retire out of the workforce, they aren’t being replaced by new workers entering it.

In some ways, this is good news for job-seekers, especially job-seekers in minority groups:  Employers who continue to discriminate against candidates based on race, religion, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation or anything else simply won’t be able to fill vacancies.  (The Conference Board of Canada, for example, predicts that by 2015, there will be 160,000 more jobs than workers to fill them in Alberta alone.  By 2020, the shortfall across Canada could be 800k+.  Similar studies in the US, the UK and the EU make similar predictions.)

However, while job-seekers from most minority groups are receiving a more enthusiastic welcome in the talent marketplace than they used to, one group continues to get a lukewarm  reception:  ’Older’ job-seekers.

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If you don’t know what job you want, you’re guaranteed not to find it.

Posted October 23rd, 2010 in For Job Seekers

Recruiters aren’t mind-readers. If you want them to connect you to your dream job, you have to be able to tell them what that dream job looks like.

In previous posts, we’ve talked about the basics of working with a recruiter (aka ‘headhunter’), and how to ensure they put you at the top of their callback list.

But this week I was reminded that before you start connecting with recruiters – before you even start writing your resume, in fact – you need to do one very important thing:  Figure out what job you want.

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Acing the interview starts with an hour on Google

Posted October 11th, 2010 in For Job Seekers

Last week I had lunch with an independent recruiter who had just received an angry phone call from a client who’d just interviewed a candidate the recruiter had sent over – and it hadn’t gone well.

She (the recruiter) had sent what she thought was a fantastic candidate for a finance-related IT position: With a strong resume, great communication skills, a polished appearance, he appeared to be ambitious and willing to go the extra mile to build his career. She figured he was a shoo-in for the position.

“But the interview was a disaster,” she told me after getting off the phone with her client. “He hadn’t done any research about the company. He kept talking about ‘going green’ was a nice thing to do, but that it should never take precedence over the bottom line, not realizing that one of their top mandates is to become Bullfrog Powered wihin the next 2 years, and lead their industry in environmentally-friendly business practices.  And it’s not like they’re keeping it a secret – it’s all over their corporate website!”

Why did this bug the client so much?  Because it’s hard to believe someone when they say “Oh yes, I’d really like to work at your company…” when it’s clear that they didn’t even bother to visit your homepage before they came to the interview.

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Looking for your first job in Canada? 5 tips to make it easier.

Posted September 26th, 2010 in For Job Seekers

If you’re a new Canadian, there’s never been a better time to look for your first job here in Canada: With many fields experiencing ongoing talent shortages, and more Canadian organizations establishing diversity hiring mandates, employers are increasingly interested in candidates from ‘diverse’ groups.

But job-hunting standards can vary from country to country. So if you’re currently undertaking your first job search in Canada, here are a few tips to make it easier.

1. Identify yourself as a diverse candidate
There is increasing pressure on organizations to demonstrate they have a ‘diverse’ workforce.  This means that even companies without diversity hiring mandates are on the lookout for candidates from diverse groups – identifying yourself as a diverse candidate can ensure that your resume/application gets a second look from recruiters.
Including a line or two in your covering email, referencing the fact that you’ve “recently moved to Canada from [your country]” or your education at “[your home country's] university” is a good way to let employers know that you’re a diverse candidate.

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How to hire great Online Media Salespeople

Posted September 22nd, 2010 in blog_news

by Melanie Benwell, Senior Recruiting Specialist here at Poly Placements.

When it comes to Online Media Salespeople, the difference between ‘pretty good’ and ‘really great’ comes down to asking 6 questions

In the past 10-15 years, we’ve seen the birth – and rapid growth – of a whole new sales specialization:  Online Media Sales.

Online Media Sales is one of the most challenging sales specialties:  The technology is always changing, the market fluctuates dramatically and swiftly in response to changing economic conditions, results-tracking is rigorous and real-time, and a large part of the role involves educating and ‘evangelizing’ (car salesmen, for example, don’t have to explain to potential customers what a car is or why cars in general are a good idea).

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What’s in a name? 33% fewer interviews.

Posted September 12th, 2010 in blog_news, For Employers

Last week we discussed diversity in the workplace and how important it is to be pro-active, both within the recruiting department and across the rest of the organization.

That’s great, but before you can have a diverse workforce, you have to hire diverse candidates.  the problem is that discrimination often begins long before the interview process.

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How to double the chances a recruiter will call you

Posted August 26th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the basics of working with ‘headhunters’ (aka ‘recruiters’) to help you find a new job.

However, if you’ve been in the workforce for a few years, and are actively looking for a new job, the #1 question on your mind right now is probably much more simple:  “I’m tired of chasing recruiters.  How can I get recruiters to call me?  How can I get them to call me back?”

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Never worked with a ‘headhunter’ before? Here’s what you need to know.

Posted August 13th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers

Confused about how ‘headhunters’ work?  Don’t worry – you’re not alone!

If you’re new to the job market, or haven’t worked with a ‘headhunter’ before, you probably have some questions about how the process works.  So here are answers to some of the most common questions we hear from job-seekers.  And don’t worry – you’re not the only one who doesn’t know this stuff!

What’s the difference between a ‘recruiter’ and a ‘headhunter’?

Not much.  ’Headhunters’ tend to refer to recruiters who work in recruiting agencies.  However, you’ll almost never hear a recruiter refer to themselves as a ‘headhunter’ (sort of how you’ll never hear a ‘real estate salesperson’ refer to themselves as a ‘real estate agent’) – it’s considered a little derogatory.

How do recruiting agencies work?

There are some variations to the following process, but generally speaking this is how it works.

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Cut your job-seeking time in half: 6 ways to stay positive

Posted August 12th, 2010 in blog_news, For Job Seekers

Job hunting may not make the list of life’s top 10 most stressful events (though being fired does), but it should.

Anyone who’s ever had to look for a new job knows that there is nothing more guaranteed to sap your self-confidence and induce panic than job hunting, and its the effects are cumulative and exponential:  Weeks 1-4 of a job hunt are tolerable, but by Week 8, even the most confident, optimistic and employable of us can find ourselves filling out applications for part-time minimum-wage positions at local fast-food restaurants, or leaving “Please, I’m desperate, I’ll take anything!  Call me!  Please!” voicemails for recruiters.

Neither of which is likely to further your career goals.

Desperation is a buzzkill

Remember in high school, when the ‘cool, popular’ kids were the ones who didn’t seem to care whether anyone liked them or not, while the ‘losers’ were the ones who seemed needy and too eager to make friends?

The job market is like that:  The more desperate you seem, the less attractive you are to potential employers, because it makes them wonder why you haven’t been able to get a job (“This candidate seems desperate, which tells me she’s been looking for a job for a while now.  If she hasn’t been hired by now, there must be something really wrong with her.  I think I’ll just take a pass on this one.”).

In other words, the longer you can keep your (very natural) feelings of panic and desperation out of your interactions with recruiters and potential employers, the more successful your job hunt will be.

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6 Ways to Use Facebook to Get a Job

Posted August 2nd, 2010 in blog_news

I Love Facebook

If you’re like most people, you’ve made 2 erroneous assumptions about Facebook:

  1. It’s only for kids – real grownups aren’t on there
  2. It’s only for personal stuff, not work-related stuff

In fact, the 30+ crowd is the fastest-growing group on Facebook, and seems to be losing the teenagers – who, now that Facebook is so ‘mainstream’ even their parents are using it, are quite naturally looking for other online places to hang out.

And while Facebook is definitely a social media tool for managing personal (i.e. friends and family) relationships, consider this:  90% of referrals and job leads come from personal relationships (friends, family, current and former co-workers who have also become friends).

We all know that ‘networking’ is crucial to a successful job hunt.  Don’t discount Facebook’s ability to cut your job-seeking time in half.

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