Random Thoughts - Failure is relative, success based on perspective.

You can not fail having given your best effort if you have the right perspective of success. Never judge your accomplishments by the achievements of others or their perceptions of success and never judge the accomplishments of others by your own. Consider the effort, ability and resources required and available to accomplish the goal and then either seek needed assistance, offer encouragement, lend a hand, applaud the effort, or be silent, but do not disparage; and remember that constructive criticism is still criticism and only constructive if it helps to build up and not tear down.

Please submit a comment or share your reactions before you leave and if you’re a jobseeker looking for help in finding a job or part of a business with jobs to fill please contact me: Phone 416-467-9961, Email nigel@thinkbdm.com, Windows Live nigelcorneal@hotmail.com, Skype nigel.corneal.

 

"Failure is relative, success based on perspective." was written by Nigel Corneal nigel@thinkbdm.com and may be reprinted without permission provided that the entire article is used unedited and that this paragraph is included unchanged at the end of the article and made clearly visible to the reader.

Why the recruiter or employment agency you signed on with can not help you to find a job but just might!

If you wonder why you rarely hear back from recruiters you submit your resume to, or get very few interviews through them, it is most often because your experience and qualifications simply do not ideally match the needs of their client; and their client is the employer who has either paid or will pay them for filling the position you applied to, not you. For the most part a recruiter is beneficial to you if you match the specific needs of a paying client.

When dealing with third party recruiters (those that work for agencies or search firms) you must understand the reality of how they operate and appreciate that their primary job, is not to assist you in finding a job.

To hire for a permanent position through a recruiter the company pays a fee, a fee which is normally based on the starting salary for the job. The higher the starting salary, the higher the fee. The percentage charged will depend on the fee schedule used by the agency the recruiter works for and can vary widely from one to another. For example, the fee for a job with a starting salary of only $25,000 per year can be anywhere from 10% to 25% or $2,500 to $6,250, and the fee for a job with a starting salary of $50,000 per year can range from 10% to 40% or $5,000 to $20,000.

In all cases, you see that it can be quite expensive for a company to use the services of a third party recruiter on a regular basis and it's for this reason that most companies actually do not use them, and that those that do only use them to fill a small portion of their jobs. When you look at the fees employers pay and add to this the fact that in most cases all or the majority of what a recruiter earns is based on filling the job, you can easily understand how selective an employer will be when they hire through a recruiter, and how careful the recruiter must be about who he or she sends, for fear of losing the employer or losing out to another recruiter.

What makes this even more challenging for recruiters, and thus for you as the candidate, is that there are hundreds of agencies and search firms and thousands of recruiters who work for them; and in many cases they are competing with other recruiters, sometimes even at their own firms, to fill the same jobs. You should now be able to understand why employment agencies focus on finding employers who are willing to pay, and why their recruiters focus on finding and referring multiple candidates in hopes of filling the jobs they get, and not specifically on trying to help Job Seekers.

As I stated before, a recruiter will be beneficial to you if you match the needs one of their paying clients. Your best strategy as a candidate is to register with many agencies that deal with your industry or discipline to ensure that you have a chance at being considered for the very small portion of the job market represented by the industry; regardless of what any one recruiter may tell you about their working on your behalf and promises to place you in a job.

Now I hope this does not appear to be an article against recruiters, or that they should not be a part of your job search strategy because they absolutely should. Recruiters have access to jobs you do not and after all it does not cost you anything except that time it takes to register or send you resume, which is something you are doing anyway. What I am saying is that you need to appreciate that the job of a recruiter is not to help you find a job, it is to help the employer; so you should never rely on recruiters as your only means or even your primary means of finding work.

If you want someone to work on your behalf and focus on finding you a job then you should consider finding an Outplacement Consultant or Job Developer. They are the opposite of recruiters in that they work with/for the candidate. The obvious major difference is that the fees for their services are paid by you (or the downsizing employer you are being let go from). The main advantage is that these professionals have a much more extensive network of contacts and greater access to job and career opportunities as there is no fee to the employer to work with them and hire through them.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that recruiters are paid to fill jobs and would love nothing more that for you to be the candidate their client needs when they review your resume. It is their skill, expertise and opinion the employer is paying for to help them fill the position. It is their livelihood at stake if they send the wrong candidate. A recruiter or employment agency might not be able to help you to find a job but if you sign on with them so they can find you when they have a job to fill they just might.


Please submit a comment or share your reactions before you leave and if you’re a Job Seeker looking for help in finding a job or part of a business with jobs to fill please contact me: Phone 416-628-5953 or 1-800-379-5629, Email nigel@thinkbdm.com, Skype nigel.corneal.

Preparing For Interviews - How to give the perfect answer to every interview question you’ll ever be asked.

  There are right and wrong answers to most technical interview questions so giving the perfect answer usually just means getting it right. With many interview questions however there are only desired answers; and the problem most interviewees face is that the desired answer can differ from interviewer to interviewer and from company to company. The same question, asked by the same interviewer, at the same company, can even have a different desired answer for different positions, but that’s a topic for another time. What I do know is that every perfect answer I’ve ever heard to an interview question had one common element; and because it was ‘perfect’ could work to the benefit of the interviewee, even when it was not the desired answer.

  What is that common element you ask? It’s good old honesty and truth of course, just like we were taught as kids. In preparing for an interview it’s important to prepare to be honest and true to you. Don’t prepare what you think is the expected or desired answer if it’s not the truth, the whole truth… well you know the oath. You expect the interviewer to be honest and truthful about your prospective employer and the job don’t you? So why is it that so many jobseekers and some of those helping them to prepare for interviews think that deception, distortion of facts, and lies of omission are acceptable in order to secure a job?

  For those who disagree or try to justify this type of behavior with the old adages “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” or “a girl’s gotta eat”, you’ll most often find careers full of short term jobs that although they started off as permanent positions, end up being listed as ‘temporary’ or ‘contract’, or where the individual is frequently ‘laid off’, usually for no fault of their own of course; and conveniently there are always a variety of very good reasons why there is no way to get references from anyone but a colleague or manager and one who is no longer with the company and whose own employment can not be verified.

  When you prepare for interviews it is good practice to prepare ‘your’ answers to common interview questions and anticipated technical, industry and discipline specific questions. Prepare by practicing what to say and how to say it in advance, that’s smart. Prepare a variety of ways to express the same thing to be ready for different:

• Circumstances - Have a short version ready for interviews where time is limited and a more complete version for interviews where you are expected to be more thorough -- also keep in mind that the same answer or explanation can come across very different when read than when heard, and different again in ‘live’ conversation where body language and facial expressions are taken into account;
• Personalities - Remember that humor has it’s place, learn when to take control and when to cede control, and realize that waxing philosophical is not necessarily the same as actually answering a question;
• Levels of expertise or even intelligence - As smart as we interviewers think we are, sometimes you will need to dumb it down for us :)
• Position or level of authority - I believe that it’s acceptable and in no way dishonest to answer based on a sort term goal as opposed to a longer term or ultimate goal when asked questions such as those about your reason for applying to the job, depending on the who you’re interviewing with. It would be unfair for example to expect you to tell someone whose position is below the level you aspire to, who unbeknownst to you might be looking for advancement to the same role, that you ultimately want the job above them.

  In all of your preparation remember that an experienced interviewer has probably heard it all before and will see right through any ruse; and while he or she will likely be too professional to call you on it, the attempt will result in you not getting called back for a second interview, or considered for more suitable opportunities as they arise with the company or through the agency you interviewed with. You may be the most qualified, personally likeable and the chemistry between yourself and the interviewer may seem great, but if during the interview, or upon reflection it feels like you can not be trusted because your answers appear disingenuous, you will not get the job, it’s that simple.

  Of course if you do employ subterfuge and get the job, it’s likely to be short-lived and leave both parties feeling resentful and unsatisfied in the end, much like the bad relationships encountered while dating where the desired behavior shown and numerous omissions that occur in the beginning lead to regret and anger later on as you realize that she was never really… but I digress and am probably over-sharing :). My point is that it will not work out and you’ll either have to leave the position off of your resume creating a gap in your work history, or include it as temporary or contract and come up with some yarn about why it is not possible to get a reference if one is requested.

  There are no prefect answers, and you can’t expect to be the right fit or the best qualified for every job you interview for; and in some cases you may not land the job simply because the interviewer likes another candidate better or, as wonderful as your family and friends think you are, simply does not like you - a fair reason if the person would have to work with you and see you every day don’t you think?

  What I am certain of however is that if you are honest and true to you, you will find that your network of contacts will grow, you’ll see more second and third interviews, and find that some recruiters, managers, executives and owners will go out of their way to find a place for you in their company. Even those who may not take an immediate liking to you will put their personal feelings aside and refer you on to another department, division or company (I know because I have and know others who have also). In the end you’ll receive more offers and ultimately land in a position that is right for both you and the employer. So be prepared and be honest and true to you and you’ll find that you give the perfect answer to every interview question you’ll ever be asked.

Please submit a comment or share your reactions before you leave and if you’re a jobseeker looking for help with interviewing or part of a business interested in assistance with screening and interviewing candidates or to improve your own skills and techniques for conducting interviews please contact me: Phone 416-467-9961, Email nigel@thinkbdm.com, Windows Live nigelcorneal@hotmail.com, Skype nigel.corneal.

Random Thoughts - Why I’ve grown to love my own face and yours, or beauty is in the mind of the beholder.

  I think we, our lovers and loved ones get better looking with age not because we actually do but because a friendly, recognizable face is more pleasant and easier on the eyes and brain than the new ones which require so much valuable time and patience to process and add to already overcrowded memory banks.

  It is a blessing from God that the stored images and fond memories of those we love stay connected to the visual we see today and allow us to see past outward appearances to the only true lasting beauty, the inner being for which wisdom and compassion gained from shared trials and tribulations borne and overcome makes age the ultimate beauty potion and allows us to appear as gods and goddesses to ourselves and those who truly love us.


The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old
The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living
Live in a Better Way: Reflections on Truth, Love, and Happiness

Is it fair to disqualify a jobseeker who fails to follow instructions when applying?

Many Jobseekers fail to read and follow instructions when applying to jobs. Is it due to inability, incomprehension or indifference? Is it important? Does it affect their consideration?

After 20+ years I've found that the failure of most jobseekers to read and follow instructions is most often due to indifference. As such, I admittedly place a great deal of importance on it, but sometimes wonder if I'm being unfair. This, along with my empathy for and true desire to be helpful to jobseekers, is why I'm seeking to get and share the opinions of others on the subject, be they recruiters or hiring managers.

As much as I would like to believe in my own professionalism and my ability to rise above what many might say shouldn't be a big deal, I have to admit that unless the individual is a stellar candidate, not reading and properly following instructions will normally result in his or her candidacy being terminated, even where I sometimes [used to] commit the sin of going through the motions anyway.

These days, now that I’m wiser and much too lazy to go through the motions anyway, and maybe in an effort to be helpful, I will, where the opportunity exists, notify individuals of their errors and that they are not being considered as a result, all the while knowing that either by email or verbally, instead of the thanks and showering of praise and gifts I think I so rightly deserve for the lesson learned, I'll often be treated to some very colourful (it’s not spelled wrong, I’m Canadian) language and helpful advice on where I can stick or shove a variety of objects including my own head; something I find to be quite amusing as I’ve never been part of Cirque du Soleil and am not a contortionist. Fortunately I’m not one to hold a grudge, which is good since over the years I’ve found that I come across many of these same people and am often impressed by how well they follow instructions ;)

So tell me, am I being unfair in disqualifying candidates when they fail to read and follow instructions? In your own experience is it due to inability, incomprehension or indifference? Is it important? Does it affect their consideration?

Resumes & Cover Letters. How some employers & recruiters view them.

When employers & recruiters get both which do they read first and why? Are they more likely to read or scan?

This is a discussion I started on LinkedIn to provide some advice and guidance to the many jobseekers who ask about resumes and cover letters from the people that actually review them. I received some truly great responses and thought I would share them here beginning with my own personal opinion which was used to begin the discussion. Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules by repeating the comments.

Me IMVHO: Having easily reviewed over one hundred thousand resumes and cover letters over my 21+ years in helping to connect jobseekers and employers, I’ve found that the majority of jobseekers apply to jobs they want and “think” they can do. They seem to look at the job title, job description, location and, if advertised, compensation (and often only one or two of these). Little regard is given to the stated experience and qualification requirements.

It’s due to this approach to the job search that I’ve found the vast majority of cover letters to be useless. In many cases they are actually a detriment to the jobseekers application because they: simply repeat information on the resume; are clearly generic versions taken from source with no attempt to personalize, with the exception of maybe inserting a job title; are addressed/refer to the wrong individual, company or job title; contain a myriad of spelling and grammatical errors; make boastful claims that when challenged can not be proven; are far too long (in some cases longer than the resume itself); and the list goes on. This being said I choose not to disqualify a candidate based on a poor cover letter or no cover letter, and in many cases even a poorly written resume, for as one jobseeker aptly put it, much to my agreement, “I’m an expert in my field; I don’t want to become an expert in job search”.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not letting lazy jobseekers off the hook but in many cases I don’t see that the ability to write a good cover letter and resume, or the ability to pay to have one written, determines whether or not someone is good at their job, particularly those who have the qualifications for the jobs they are applying to and have proven themselves through experience.

No, I don’t put much stock in cover letters; I view them as an afterthought. First I scan the resume; but not for keywords as I feel keyword scanning is as lazy of recruiters and hiring managers as jobseekers are often accused of being, and I know for certain that it results in many otherwise well qualified candidates being overlooked; I scan the resume for information to see if the applicant possesses the minimum and mandatory qualifications and requirements for the position. Once it’s determined that he or she does, I then read the resume throughout. After reading the resume and determining that the applicant is a good prospect for the position, I then will, if one exists, look at the cover letter to see if there is anything it adds that can be useful.



Comments (13)

Lucy Cripps
Looking, searching, hunting employment in Biarritz area Freelance writer and proofreader at English Pro

It's interesting you say that cover letters are useless, when I know how the pains to which candidates will go in tailoring theirs to the nth degree.

I'm a nosey so-and-so when it comes to CVs and cover letters and thoroughly enjoy reading them. It's fascinating to see what candidates select to tell future employers about themselves: what they consider to be their life successes and their greatest achievements.

Your approach to selecting candidates for interview sounds absolutely logical. Seeing as many as you must it makes no sense to read a long, wordy letter (however well- or badly- crafted) if the highlights you need are in the CV.

Have you ever seen a cover letter that you *wanted* to read despite the candidate not being suitable?

Lucy
http://www.english-pro.eu


Lawrence Laier SPHR
Human Resources Executive

Like Nigel, I only look at cover letters after reviewing the resume and after deciding that the essential qualifications in the resume might fit my needs. In reviewing the cover letter, I look for clues as to how a candidate thinks (as opposed to a listing of skills). At the margins, a cover letter that is not a product of outplacement instruction might matter.


Roza Leon
Esthetics Educator/Mentor

Nigel, I agree with you on selecting the candidates. I also look for keywords first, the first impression of the resume (how balanced it looks) and if the qualifications are there then I read their cover letter. To me, the resume is What You Are (professional you) and the cover letter is Who You Are(personal you). A cover letter is a chance to tell a short story about yourself, as a hiring manager you get a vibe of that candidate's personality from a cover letter. And a resume is a list of qualifications. So both are very important to me in choosing prospects.


Rashmi Vimalnathan
Practice Lead at IME Consultancy

Nigel, too true! I always read the resume first, starting with job titles and company names. If I feel this is the candidate I'm looking for, then only do I go onto the Cover Letter. I always add on a bit of the cover letter material to the CV as a "Brief Candidate Summary".


Madeleine Price
BD at Verify, Human Resource Due Diligence

I am the same - I review the resume first then the cover letter if there is one.
Cover letters can be great if a candidate is applying for a position that seems slightly outside the square of what they have been doing previously, as an explanation of their motivation may allow them to be short listed even if they do not meet every requirement of the role advertised.

However unless the cover letter is succinct, relevant and really adds value, a candidate would be better off not sending one at all. I have seen so many cover letters that have obviously been written for a role at a different company - a few times even where the candidate has forgotten to change the company name from another place they applied to!


Raj K
Owner, Logic Networks

I do agree with you. However, the cover letter certainly provides some important additional inputs about the individual. One can analyse a lot out of the cover letter as how well a prospective candidate is equipped to represent himself, his skills and experience listed in his profile. Its an important window through which one can surely ascertain as how a candidate views himself ( even if the cover letter is generic in nature or meant for an advertised position or role). In the worst scenario, a cover letter gives an opportunity to the reader to know more about the candidate. My question is " How does everyone of us react when it is well organised and complements the profile) It is a known fact internationally that the interviewer (employer) makes up his/her mind within the first 2-3 minutes of the interview whether to pick up the candidate or not !! There are so many unsaid and undefined factors besides the job requirements which lead to selection or rejection ( My view is that - the cover letter gets our best of attention and we become instantly very interested to take it very positively when it is wonderfully written). In an unfavourable case, we outrightly discard or trash it !)Then is it not the procedure we prefer to suit our own choice, preconceived or perceived approach, comfort level and likeness ?

In short, employers' job specifications/requirements must be matched or met ( from the consulting firms perspectives). But, lets be more fair and open to our choice of selection and rejection. It does take a few extra minutes but one cud be more thorough in your job while viewing and analysing profiles. At the end, it is a personal choice to consider the cover letter as a part of the profile in totality or not.


Puneet Sehgal
Engineer - Configuration Management at Ericsson

Thank you all for providing the inputs and information that might b very very helpful for many of the professionals looking for jobs :)


Nigel Corneal
Senior Solutions Specialist for BDM (bdmss, CFM, ThinkBDM.com)

Thank you to all who have commented so far. I hope the jobseekers who read this discussion take them to heart and put the advice into practice. And for those of us on the other side it can’t hurt to help them improve their techniques; after all we benefit in that we get good candidates we might otherwise miss out on because they don’t know how to be effective in applying to jobs; and let’s face it, it’s better to help people solve these challenges than complain about them after the fact.

Lucy Cripps thanks for being the first to join the discussion. I think if more candidates really did tailor their cover letters they would be more useful but I haven’t found that to be the case. And actually yes, I have often been prompted to read a cover letter despite the candidate not being suitable. Usually when I’m impressed by the resume and want to know more about the individual to consider him or her for other positions.

I should also have mentioned in my original submission that since most of the resumes I receive are via email, I am more likely to read or at least scan through the cover letter if it’s in the body of the email or, if not, it precedes the resume in the same document as opposed to it being a separate document/attachment.

I hope jobseekers also take note of the trend in the comments from Lawrence Laier SPHR and Roza Leon in that a cover letter is more valuable where it provides insight about the person, or as Roza put it “Who You Are (personal you)”. I love this. Its invaluable advice and in hindsight I realize that these are the cover letters that really stand out and can make a difference when I do read them.

On the other side is the comment from Madeleine Price for situations where a cover letter can serve to put an otherwise curious application into context where the fit and reason for applying to the job may not be obvious.

As for the comment from Raj K, he makes a good point. In my own case however, and in the case of most recruiters I know, it’s not a matter of personal choice or comfort level, nor is it a lack of thoroughness in doing our jobs, it is a matter of volume, time and efficiency. Jobseekers should keep in mind that no recruiter or hiring manager, at least not any I know, approach your submission hoping that you are not the candidate they are looking for. That obviously would not make sense. It's that when you multiply that extra minute or three to read a cover letter, by dozens if not hundreds of applicants, and add in the generic nature and trend of most cover letters to simply restate some of the skills and experience from in the resume, it’s simply more practical to put the resume first. But again this is only my opinion and you should consider all of the comments in this discussion.

Please keep the comments coming as while not scientific, it would be nice to be able to provide some sort of stats and clear trends/tendencies to help jobseekers in this area.


Vijaya KC
Personal Hospitality Consultant at

In my opinion, Cover Letter are the prime source of interest and willingness of any individual or candidates for a specific work or a position. We will not know what candidates like or which position he/she is interested.

A jobseeker should mention what position he would like to work for and some of his skills and also the reason why the company hire him/her. Basically it should contain Introduction, the main subject and closure. An appropriate format is required to show your ability to write and create a first impression.

What happens next when you apply to Human Resource?? Probably they will screen you first by your Cover Letter, if they find it interesting then they will go through your CV or they might not bother to read your CV. Hence you loose the opportunity.

I think Cover Letter is like an appetizer, so that you can't wait for your main course. Sometimes the way of screening CV and the Cover Letter depends upon different people and their Standard Operating Procedure and it might vary from different types of Interview (Screening, Panel Interview, Stress Interview etc).

However, the different system and approach to screen the CV and the Cover letter, the basic is always the same and that is: Your CV and the Cover Letter should be always Creative, Truthful, and Interesting to read.


Susan Bell
Manager Consulting Services, Düsseldorf at Caliper Europe

Given much of the work we do here requires our consultants to provide our clients with well written, informative, succinct and accurate communications, I expect all of those things to be reflected in the cover letter. Additionally, so many candidates seem to apply for any job without really understanding whether or not they are qualified - I like to read that they have taken this time to match their own skill set with the job requirements, i.e. they actually have a genuine interest in the position. A well structured cover letter should also guide my reading of their CV. So yes, I place a very high value on the cover letter, I do read it first, and it is an important component of the initial application screening.


Ashish Bhatia
PGDM-HR ; Exp-Iyr ; Varied Exposure in different HR domains

I would like to thank everyone here for the wonderful inputs & specially Nigel for starting this discussion. Truly a learning...


Pat Bellace
Vice President, Human Resources at Health Design Plus

I always read cover letters and I am always amazed at candidates who do not bother sending one. In the cover letter, I am specifically looking at communication skills -- the actual writing as well as the ability of the individual to understand how to tailor his/her thoughts to the focus of the position posting. For higher level positions, I consider cover letters "mandatory."


Mimi Fuger
Volunteer - Coach at Career Transitions Center West Michigan

I expect the cover letter to address the candidates competencies for the position. I usually read the cover letter first to grab functional, technical, and behavioral ksa's that have been determined as "Level 1" for the position I am recruiting for - if I am not picking up the key words or phrases as I scan - I move on to the next application.

Conclusion: Cover letters are key as they provide the first impression to the hiring team. The voice of the candidate is heard in the cover letter and not the resume.