Monday, February 21, 2011

That was then – this is now! How to RECRUIT, RETAIN and BE RECRUITED in this NEW year…By Darren Saul

I want to thank all my clients and candidates VERY much for your support last year – yes it was a great year and I hope you (and I) have an even better one this year!

The world keeps changing. Industries keep evolving. And so do best practices. Including best practices governing how to recruit, how to retain and how to be recruited. What worked in the past won’t necessarily work in the future and those who are willing to keep an open mind and embrace new ideas will be those who ultimately will embrace the rewards as well!

I’m definitely no Nostradamus but I predict that recruitment activity will continue to steadily rise and good quality talent will be even harder to find AND keep!

So what do you do about it? Here are some of my thoughts…

Hiring managers –
  • Treat your people better than you treat your customers!
  • Delegate wherever possible and thus empower your employees to take ownership, build confidence and develop pride in what they do. RESULT: employee loyalty!
  • Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise (Dale Carnegie - How to win friends and influence people)
  • Conduct frequent two-way reviews to build the lines of communication and confirm expectations (including career path management) – once/twice a year is just not enough!
  • Create a friendly, approachable and fun atmosphere where people are happy (better: proud) to work – this will passively attract other quality people to you and your organisation. RESULT: reduced recruitment spend for you…and more bus. dev. for me…
  • Invest in staff training and development
  • Pay employees well!
  • Offer referral fees for talent
  • Really partner with your niche recruitment specialists – this means carefully prepared job descriptions, prompt feedback and time invested in order to build a trusting, consultative relationship
  • Always be willing to receive resumes/and or meet with valuable talent – ie. a more proactive recruitment approach
  • Be open to candidates that may not have all the technical skills but more than make up for it in attitude
  • Realise that speed (without compromising quality) is going to be ever more important when recruiting!
  • Embrace new technologies as useful tools when recruiting ie. Skype video conferencing and social media
  • Understand generational differences – Gen X vs. Gen Y
Candidates looking for opportunities -
  • Strive to become a quality professional and build a reputation as a first class individual! (First Class or Economy – the choice is yours!)
  • Remember that your current place of employment may just well be able to offer you what you are looking for if you prove yourself to be worthy of it!!
  • Volunteer to take on those responsibilities that no one else wants
  • Work smarter AND harder which may mean longer hours
  • Differentiate yourself as a valuable leader/mentor to your peers - not just a participant
  • Establish yourself as a positive, enthusiastic and “can do” team member than can always be counted on in times of pressure
  • Take personal and professional development more seriously – if your organisation can’t fund it right now, fund it yourself – it’s an investment in YOUR future! There are plenty of low-cost/no-cost resources available – books, cds, the web, my blog…
  • Strive to “thrive” and not just “exist”!
  • Be healthy! Exercise. Eat well. A healthy body breeds a healthy mind and a valuable employee.
  • Last but definitely not least - BE DIFFERENT when it comes to job hunting. For a FREE 17 page doc. entitled “Being Different” – A job seeker’s guide to success in the NEW world! http://www.box.net/shared/8j79mu4j4h



"Let the water boil..." By Darren Saul

OK I borrowed that phrase from Chin-Ning Chu who is another one of my favourite writers. Why? Because I love her very unique blend (or "balance") of busines savvy and spirituality.

Cost of living is rising, competition is more aggressive, patience is thinning (as is my hair) and it's real easy to lose sight of perspective in our lives. We come to work each day with more to achieve in less time and that can be a very dangerous carrot to chase - from a health, happiness and
results point of view.

Sometimes you just have to know when to ease your grip and "let the water boil". Sometimes the more you push forward the more your customers and results push back!

What are the consequences of pushing too hard?
  • You ruin the quality of relationships you have worked SO hard to build
  • You don't create that all important "buying environment" so important to selling anything in this new world
  • You don't recognise buying signals when they are hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer
  • You don't recognise NEW opportunities
  • You don't get the results you desire
  • You inhibit your ability to process what's going on around you and hence you don't LEARN anything
  • You suffocate all the enjoyment out of what you do!
So let's remember to take a step back every now and then, take a lesson out of Chin's philosophy and "let the water boil".

Here are some easy strategies for keeping you "in balance" -
  • Read a couple of pages from your favourite self-development author/mentor (don't have one? maybe it's time to find one...)
  • Take a break every now and then to put things back into perspective - coffee, lunch, take a walk/drive, laugh, sing, dance, meditate, did I already say eat?
  • Keep your desks, files and brains as lean as possible - the more order you have in your world the calmer you will feel and the more efficient you will be!
  • Try to really get to know your customers/colleagues - the rest will flow naturally from there
  • Work smarter - there is always an improvement to be be made/bad habit to replace
  • Systemise as much as you can to save you re-inventing the wheel and prevent things from falling through the cracks
  • Try and focus on one thing at a time and be in that moment
  • Listen with the intent to understand rather than be formulating what you want to say next
  • Direct your attention to another valuable task that might not be directly related to the specific outcome you are waiting for
  • Expressing creativity in any form that will bring forth inspiration is always advantageous!
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant" - Robert Louis Stevenson

Three things recruiters won't tell you - Part One

Three things recruiters won't tell you - Part Two

"Are you always like this or did you get lucky last night?"...By Darren Saul

People are always asking me that! Luck has nothing to do with it - it's all about attitude! And yes I'm referring to everyday business interaction - not the nocturnal kind...

Why are people so blown away when they see someone with a positive, enthusiastic and infectious attitude? Is that such a rarity? Is smiling and having fun that difficult??
Hell no! You just have to remember to actually do it!

Most people get up, get ready and head straight for the nearest cappuccino machine before they can even grunt out the most basic of pleasantries. Instead why don't they head for the mirror, put on a smile and remember why they are still breathing?

ANSWER: they have either never been taught or they simply forget.

Pathetic attitude is everywhere - we've all seen it:
  • Restaurant wait staff - the only thing they are waiting on is the end of their shift
  • Front office people - maybe they're all at the front because no-one wants to be around them at the back. The irony is that they are meant to be "customer focused"...
  • Lethargy while on the phone
  • Lethargy while not on the phone. You catch my drift...
Positive Attitude is a choice you NEED to make every second of the day. It's a way of thinking. It's about self-awareness. It's not just one way. It's THE way!
Sure it's not always easy and in my culture when the going gets tough we eat! That usually puts a smile on my face right away...

Revealed: the top 5 benefits of being positive
  1. You might actually enjoy it
  2. Others might enjoy it too
  3. You will build rapport SUPER fast
  4. You will get RESULTS
  5. You will become an addict (of positive attitude)
Here are some tips GUARANTEED to help you get your PHD in Positive Attitude
  • Surround yourself with positive people
  • Surround yourself with positive things
  • Smile and show some teeth (if you have them)
  • Start each day with a positive message - a quote/a few pages from one of the greats - Earl Nightingale, Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Jeffrey Gitomer, Darren Saul
  • Before you respond to anything take a moment and then respond in the positive!
  • Take a walk and balance your thoughts
  • Do something you LOVE
  • Listen to your favourite tune
  • Watch a Seinfeld episode
  • Phone a friend/family member
  • Eat!
  • Crack a joke
  • Take a risk - if you want to make an omelette you gotta crack a few eggs!
  • Perform a random act of kindness (donate to your favourite IT recruiter...)
  • Look at material things as "replaceable" things
  • Give without expectation
  • Substitute fear for curiosity
  • Get another dog!
"YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ALL DAY LONG" - Earl Nightingale

"DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!" - Bobby McFerrin

You either sell the candidate on "yes" or the candidate sells you on "no"! By Darren Saul

Jeffrey Gitomer is my idol. He has taught more about the science of selling and positive attitude than anyone else. With regards to any sale Jeffrey always says "you either sell them on yes or they sell you on no''. Adapting this ever so slightly to the recruitment industry (and particularly relevant to the interview process) my version is "you either sell the candidate on yes or the candidate sells you on no".

After close to 2 years of repressed hiring something major has just happened - the market has made a dramatic shift in the opposite direction and it's my view that we are heading into a period of serious candidate shortage.

How do I know?

  • More jobs appearing on job boards everyday
  • Less quality responses from job boards everyday
  • Increased need for networking and referral activities to source quality talent
  • "Market rates" climbing
  • Increased number of recruitment companies head-hunting and hiring recruiters to keep up with demands

And the most important one (well to me anyway) -

  • More jobs being turned down by my top quality candidates for other roles (and yes my recruitment peers are all singing the same song)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MANAGERS AND RECRUITERS? It means we have to make sure that we sell our candidates on yes so they don't sell us on no!

BENEFITS: Shorter recruitment cycles, increased productivity and profit, more time for business as usual, more time for coffee and muffins...

HERE'S HOW -

  • Take time at the beginning of the interview to build strong rapport - always take the friendly approach, use humour and creativity, try to find common ground (you will definitely need it later on)
  • Ask insightful (prepared) questions that challenge and makes the candidate answer in terms of you, your organisation and the role - intelligent questioning is probably THE most valuable tool for creating rapport and credibility
  • Give them a very strong sense of the culture and management style of your organisation - offer details and examples (collaboration, regular two-way feedback, frisbee on Tuesdays, Karaoke in the parking lot on Fridays)
  • Paint an extensive picture of the role and daily responsibilities - they need to envision and "feel" what it would be like in the role day to day
  • Give them a clear outline of what you see as the progression path including any training and development - candidates love training nearly as much as they love $$!
  • Sell the BENEFITS (not features) of the culture, the organisation and the role
  • Outline the package/rates on offer in detail ie. base, super, car, parking, technology, training, bonus, gym, health insurance...(either to your recruiter or directly if all parties are comfortable with this)
  • Explain the "standard" working hours and how they will be compensated for overtime
  • Take them on a tour of the premises - do you have new plush offices with a great view? Show them! If not, the cappucino machine and candy dispenser will have to do...
  • Allow them to meet at least a few of the team members
  • Maintain a strong sense of positive MOMENTUM - give very prompt and detailed feedback. There is no bigger killer to the enthusiasm of a candidate than a long delay in the interview process - even no message sends a very clear message!
REMEMBER: A candidate's decision to "buy" (or in this case "accept") is formed in the heart first and then justified by the mind. It's an EMOTIONAL decision and we have to therefore push the right emotional buttons to ensure a positive outcome. The more buttons we push the less left for our competition!

Great - they have accepted - you have them!

Now you just need to keep them...

(Oh yes - and thank you Jeffrey!)

Professional or Friendly? (or both?)... By Darren Saul

To get started let me reference a few definitions from the “Dictionary of Darren”:

Professional = stiff, polished, guarded, unapproachable, without soul.

Friendly = at ease, authentic, fun, engaging, relationship building.

Which would you like to be when you are in your next customer/prospect meeting? (or any interaction for that matter)

Walking into a client meeting in your swimmers may get you an initial laugh but you may be perceived as being without credibility. On the other hand, a 3-piece Armani suit, brief case and monotonic drone about YOU and YOUR SERVICES might also put your audience to sleep. The answer lies somewhere in the middle – a brief case packed with Minties maybe…

This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about as I have always loved to challenge convention (just for fun) and have always admired the success of those who lead their fields doing things THEIR WAY regardless of the critics. The majority may criticize but one cannot dispute their success. And the FUN they are having along the way!

But I digress – back to the point.

Too many of us get caught up in the “herd” mentality of doing “what should be done”, doing “the right thing” or simply doing “what most people do?” instead of acting from a place of authenticity and being who you want to be. Of course you always need to strike the correct balance between coming across as a clown or a hypnotist but you will judge each situation according to your audience.

The whole purpose is to allow you to break down barriers and build fantastic relationships, not the exact opposite.

SOME TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:

  • Smile and show some teeth (only if you have some)
  • Raise your blood pressure a little (be positive, energetic and excited to be there)
  • Shake hands like you mean business!
  • Have fun!
  • Bring a little humour and creativity to the meeting
  • Ask millions of questions about them and their experiences BEFORE droning on about you and what you can do
  • Mirror their body language when necessary
  • Speak to them as if they were your closest friend and not the tax department (unless they were giving you a refund)
  • Use the volume and tone of your voice to engage your audience – that’s what it’s there for
  • Keep it interactive for them if possible
  • Always speak with honesty
  • Never be aggressive - let them have fun and they will come to you sooner or later
  • Remember and use their name (it’s one of the sweetest sounds to them)
  • Only provide info. when asked for it
  • Give value and awesome service wherever you can – where nothing is ever too much trouble
  • Don’t be scared to push boundaries a little – safety is mediocrity!
  • Believe in yourself and your service!
  • Be natural – be yourself!!

Professional or Friendly?

The answer is both!


FIRST CLASS or ECONOMY? What’s your reputation like?...By Darren Saul

Whether you are selling, buying, motivating, influencing, coaching, liaising, servicing, promoting, marketing, managing, leading, teaching, supporting or simply just making friends (phew – glad that’s over!) there is one VERY important factor – in fact it’s THE MOST IMPORTANT factor. It is your Personal Brand or Reputation. It’s probably also the most neglected factor these days…

Regardless of the interaction, the other person buys YOU first and then whatever it is you are doing for them. Let me rephrase – if they LIKE you the rest will come almost automatically! You might not even need to ask for it.

“WOW” now there’s a concept to turn everything on its head!

You can ease up on all those old-school, antiquated and aggressive sales techniques and just conduct yourself in a way that makes it easy to become friends with you. Everything else will naturally follow. Of course this is so very obvious but until someone actually awakens you it’s easy to overlook. I can thank Jeffrey Gitomer for my awakening. He just puts it beautifully when he says “If you make a sale, you can earn a commission. If you make a friend, you can earn a fortune!” This of course doesn’t only refer to dollars and cents.

And here you are for the most part concentrating on everything else instead of what matters most – how you are perceived! And one other golden insight: Personal and Business – it’s all the same reputation!

“So what - give us something we can actually use Darren!” you demand.

OK then - I will.

Everything you say and do (in both the real and virtual internet worlds) affects your PERSONAL BRAND. Make sure it counts.

Here are some steps in the right direction:

  • "WOW" people! Everything you do has the potential to be “WOW” if you want it badly enough. “WOW” people are liked, remembered, respected, trusted and sought after.
  • Be different! What are you doing to stand out and be counted?
  • Always be that smiling, friendly, enthusiastic, passionate and approachable person where nothing is ever too much trouble (even at 2am on Sunday morning…)
  • Look presentable – look the part.
  • Act the part! As they say: “Perception is reality”.
  • Try to return phone calls and emails within 24 hrs. (Yes I did say “try”- this has the potential to really “WOW” people because so few actually do it)
  • ALWAYS follow through on what you have promised. Even if promised on a whim – this also has the potential to really “WOW” people because so few actually do this as well.
  • Position yourself as a person of value that can help other people.
  • Be known as a “doer” rather than a “this is what I want to doer”.
  • Don’t be afraid to be different from everybody else – in fact be proud of it – embrace it!
  • Be that trusted and trustworthy advisor to others in your circle of influence.
  • Be a leader, a participant - not a wall-flower.
  • Be someone who can listen instead of always talking! It’s amazing what you can discover…
  • Always be prepared - preparation is half the battle already won.
  • Be confident!
  • Have a great sense of timing - the correct action at the wrong time is close to useless.

You catch my drift…

Build a strong Personal Brand and you won't need to look for opportunities - OPPORTUNITIES WILL COME LOOKING FOR YOU!!

Do you make FRIENDS or simply CONTACTS? And what might you be missing out on?...By Darren Saul

Regardless of what line of business you’re in this is definitely a question worth asking yourself. Over the years the term “contacts” has been widely used ie. “networking for business contacts” however I have realised that this is an extremely shallow, superficial and very limiting philosophy. Making “friends” on the other hand is a whole other ball game!

Let me explain what I’m babbling about:

One of my greatest mentors, Jeffrey Gitomer, puts it beautifully “When you earn a sale you make a commission, when you earn a friend you make a fortune”. How true Jeffrey! If you really take a moment to ponder this, it may so happen that it will force you to change your entire BUSINESS and LIFE strategy, for this statement holds the answers to so many questions. Once you recognise that business and life are finely interwoven you will look at every interaction differently, act very differently and will get SO much more out of them.

Like what?
  • You will earn trust and benefit from a much stronger relationship - LOADS more business
  • You will create an indestructible Personal Brand
  • You will discover how much you have in common – and will have more fun
  • You will LEARN so much from a business and life perspective – which will further help you in both!
  • You will earn the role of Trusted Advisor instead of just supplier – and what a difference that will make!
  • You will earn more testimonials and referrals – more business, more friends and more fun…
  • You will make create memories that you will treasure for a lifetime…in fact these moments are your life!
“Sounds too good to be true Darren – where do I sign-up, where do I begin?” you ask.

You can start here:
  • Increase your awareness levels – there are opportunities to make friends everywhere – be in the moment!
  • Look for areas of common ground
  • Blab less, listen more
  • Aim to give value with no expectations (real value!)
  • Prepare more, “wing-it” less
  • Don’t push – instead create a FRIENDLY environment where they will want to buy (ie. keep top of mind by providing value and let them come to you when they are ready)
  • Be interesting
  • Be different – a breath of fresh air!
  • Be friendly – less “professional”
  • Smile, laugh, joke
  • And for heaven’s sake - HAVE FUN – life’s too short!

Try it and see what happens...

7 SIMPLE STEPS TO JOB SEEKING SUCCESS!!...By Darren Saul

If you are a JOB SEEKER today then I'll bet you are probably doing what everyone else is doing and it's NOT WORKING!!

It's NOT ENOUGH to just "put a resume together", send it to a job-board and wait for the response that never comes.

It’s a NEW WORLD with NEW RULES and it requires a NEW APPROACH - a HOLISTIC
approach!

HERE'S HOW:

STEP 1: Take an HONEST look at your motivation. Do you get up every morning with a burning desire to go out into the world and excel in what you do? Or do you hit the snooze button repeatedly and finally drag yourself out of bed? If the latter rings true then maybe it's time for a change! We all know that when we are passionate about something time seems to fly, the task consumes us and we don’t feel like we have spent even one minute “working”. We enjoy every moment of what we are doing and very little can distract us from achieving our goal. Now you might argue that just being passionate about something doesn’t always mean that you are any good at it. This may be true, however I have generally noticed that people that "live and breath" what they love to do are usually very good at it!

STEP 2: Make certain that your personal brand (ie. reputation) is 100% first class. That applies to how you act towards others and how you are perceived by others – both in the real physical world and in the virtual world – social media sites, internet etc. Remember that when you walk through a door your reputation has already preceded you!

STEP 3
: Make sure you have a resume that sells you properly (in terms of what you want to achieve) and that you know how to use it. It’s not enough to just email it around and wait. You have to be proactive, you have to open the doors for yourself just like a salesperson opens doors for his product. This time the product is YOU.

STEP 4
: Network like crazy for opportunities. Ask EVERYONE you know (both in the real and virtual world) if they know of any suitable opportunities.

STEP 5
: Prepare EXTENSIVELY for any interviews – enough said.

STEP 6
: Be conscious of what engages people and what puts them to sleep! What you say, how you say it and how your body language reflects it - language, humour, creativity, verbal tone, body talk.

STEP 7
: Put on a positive attitude every day. It’s just like make up – it requires effort and takes practice!

AND HAVE FUN!

SAUL RECRUITMENT - SUPPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALISTS!!

“MARKET WATCH” – What’s happening in your IT world?...By Darren Saul

While there are definite signs of improvement IT Recruitment spending still seems to be a little suppressed. To quote a good friend of mine management is holding on to the "more from less and faster" mentality and only spending on recruitment where it’s absolutely necessary. As a consequence quality individuals are more hesitant to move on (for now). Being a positive person that always looks to find the treasure within I can see many opportunities (for organisations, employees and recruiters) to implement strategies NOW that will ensure their position at the head of the food chain when things change in the near future…

“Don’t keep us in the dark any longer Darren, please go on” you say.

OK OK – I will.

Organisations can strive to ensure that they retain their most productive employees:

  • Treat your people better than you treat your customers
  • Delegate wherever possible and thus empower your employees to take ownership, build confidence and develop pride
  • Acknowledge them as much as possible without being fake (too much of anything can ruin your appetite)
  • Implement a staff mentoring/buddy system to train new staff with experienced members
  • Conduct frequent two-way reviews to build the lines of communication and confirm expectations (including career path management)
  • Create a friendly, approachable and fun atmosphere where people are happy (even better: proud) to work
  • Invest in training and development
  • Seek help with employee recruitment – recruiters are the specialists!
  • Pay employees well!
Employees can invest more time and effort now to be rewarded in the future:
  • Establish your reputation as a first class individual
  • Volunteer to take on those responsibilities that no one else wants
  • Work smarter and harder which may mean longer hours
  • Differentiate yourself as a valuable leader/mentor to your peers, not just a participant
  • Establish yourself as a positive, enthusiastic and “can do” team member than can always be counted on in times of pressure
  • Being that trusted and trustworthy advisor to others in your circle of influence
  • Take personal and professional development more seriously – if your organisation can’t fund it right now, fund it yourself – it’s an investment in YOUR future! There are plenty of low-cost and no-cost resources available – books, cds, the web…
  • Strive to “thrive” and not just “exist”!
Recruiters can concentrate on developing quality relationships based on value and trust rather than only looking to collect that “next fee”:
  • Take the time to slowly develop mature relationships with your clients and candidates. The days of the “traditional” cold call to hunt for current vacancies is WAY OVER!
  • Aim to provide your clients and candidates with VALUE (which can take many forms) during every interaction – phone, email, face to face
  • Always put yourself in the shoes of your clients and candidates
  • Position yourself in front of more quality individuals that you can work with in the future and do it on a regular basis
  • Specialise in a niche rather than be a generalist
  • More quality, less quantity!
  • Talk less, listen more!
  • Return ALL phone calls
  • Strive to give the BEST service FASTER and ALWAYS be available
  • REMEMBER: Slow and steady wins the race!

What are you doing in your IT world?...


RELEVANCE, RELEVANCE, RELEVANCE and your teeny, tiny window of opportunity!!...By Darren Saul

Lately, more so than ever before, something has struck me. I receive hundreds of phone calls a week mainly from candidates applying to my roles (if they were from clients I would be writing this article from my yacht on Lake Como) and there seems to be a very common pattern which I feel is in URGENT need of addressing.

Let’s take a step back for just a second.

I am writing this article from the perspective of the Job Seeker/Recruiter phone interaction however one could definitely adapt it to just about any situation that requires 2 or more people to communicate for a particular reason ie. everyday work or life.

Nowadays we are all (recruiters as well) extremely message-rich and time-poor. We have more than our share of information (both requested and unsolicited) and thus if there is anything that we must think about during an interaction of any sort it would have to be RELEVANCE ie. please get straight to the point and stop rambling or you’ll lose me forever!

And that might be a terrible waste for both of us because you probably are a person of value - you just haven’t ENGAGED me enough initially for me to realise it and the window of opportunity has shut…probably for good because I have now perceived you inaccurately and have thus neatly placed you in the same box as all the others labeled “put off to a later date and maybe even after that!”

Now of course I am probably being a little harsh here but I do so to make a point.

SO WHAT IS THE POINT?

When candidates have a recruiter’s ear on the other end of the phone they MUST keep it simple and relevant to the role at hand (“KISS”).

I speak to dozens of candidates every day and I ask most of them to please give me a quick and relevant snapshot of their background – I usually receive the exact opposite!

MAJOR REASON: Lack of preparation ie. lack of forethought about what they actually want to achieve as a result of the call.

CONSEQUENCE: Rambling and a poor chance of progressing to the next stage!

RESULT: Frustrated candidate and frustrated recruiter.

Here’s what you can do to avoid this:

  1. Think about the desired outcome of the call before you make it
  2. Ask for permission to have a brief chat – VERY POWERFUL!!
  3. Prepare a 30 sec. personal commercial that gives the recruiter a snapshot of who you are, what your specialty is and thus demonstrate how well you fit the role
  4. Practice executing it! – keep in mind your voice tone and body language (which can be detected on the phone eg. a smile)
  5. Use intelligent questioning to engage the recruiter and qualify the opportunity rather than rambling…(prepare the q’s)
  6. When the opportunity arises (and it will) then elaborate and SELL!
  7. Remember to “KISS” and you will achieve much more

NOTE: Always do the above BEFORE sending in your resume!!

And you wonder why recruiters never answer or call back...


JOB INTERVIEWS – The holy grail of CONDUCTING them and ACING them!…By Darren Saul

Whether you are the interviewer or the interviewee the job interview is by far the most important spoke in the wheel we know as the recruitment process. YET, even though it has been around for decades, there are STILL so many interviewers not conducting them to yield the maximum benefit and so manyinterviewees not having the slightest idea how to perform during them.

REASON: It takes lots of work!

For both parties the objective of any interview is simple and the same: to facilitate the identification of the right candidate for the role. Realising that objective, however, is not as straight forward. Now interviews can be formal or casual. They can beprofessional or they can be friendly. They can be conducted in an office environment or at the cafe’ down the road (I do a mixture of both depending on my mood and need for caffeine). All these styles are absolutely fine and there are no rules, however there are a few fundamentals that must not be overlooked:

  • PREPARE
  • ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE
  • CREATE RAPPORT
  • QUESTION
  • SELL!

AND these apply equally to both the interviewer and interviewee.

“So how do we do this Darren?” you ask.

Easy, just apply these simple strategies and your interviews will be fun, exciting and effective. Who knows, they might even earn you a standing ovation!

PREPARE

  • Interviewers: Read through the candidate’s resume properly before you enter the room.
  • Interviewers: Identify which qualities (technical or non-technical) you are looking for prior to commencing.
  • Candidates: RESEARCH as much as possible. Studying the job add, job description and company website. Do a Google (and now Bing) search for any relevant information. Speak to people who might know of the organisation or even work there.
  • Candidates: Chelate and practice articulating behavioral based scenarios (ROLE PLAY) so that you can perform more confidently and give the interviewer as much useful insight as possible into your ethics, style, philosophy, attitude, skills and experience.

WARNING: The ease at which information can be accessed nowadays (especially on the web) makes it even more important to maintain a favourable personal, company AND web reputation – Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Bing…

ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

We all know what it’s like to be in a conversation with someone (or should I say be listening to someone) while being 100 miles away in our thoughts. Maybe we’re thinking about lunch, about the weekend or even how we are going to strategically escape from the conversation.

The same goes for an interview. If either party is not engaging their audience it’s a monologue NOT an effective interview!

SOLUTION:

  • Be funny and friendly (but still professional).
  • Be interesting.
  • Speak with your hands.
  • Articulate with passion.
  • Be creative.
  • Use the volume and tone of your voice to engage the audience.
  • Use your eyes (very powerful tool).
  • Sit or stand in different ways to keep the audience entertained.
  • Mirror the body language tone of your audience but you don’t have to mirror their exact posture.
  • Be enthusiastic.
  • Be natural.
  • Enjoy yourself.
CREATE RAPPORT

Spend a couple of minutes at the beginning of the interview creating rapport. It relaxes both parties and allows them to find their groove – allowing for a more insightful interview.

There are many ways to this and a little can go a long way:

  • Question to discover common ground – sports, family, food, coffee, culture, language, film, travel. Try and stay away from the weather and “Did you find the place OK?” Waste of a question! Always leave politics and religion to the professionals!
  • A little humour.
  • A friendly smile.
  • A gentle tone of voice.
  • Body language that RELAXES the other party, NOT INTIMIDATES them.

No need to be 100% professional – it’s not a court case!

QUESTION

Questioning is EVERYTHING. If your questions aren’t effective at drawing out what you need, how can you (interviewer or interviewee) gather insight and make an informed decision?

The key is preparing and practicing your questions in advance!

Fundamental topics to cover for the interviewer are:

  • Skills.
  • Past experiences/situations relevant to the role (the theory behind “behavioural interviewing” is that the best predictor of future performance is past performance).
  • What where the reasons for leaving previous job/s?
  • What motivates the candidate?
  • How do they like to be managed?
  • What expectations do they have around remuneration?
  • Candidate’s general life philosophy.

Fundamental topics to cover for the interviewee are:

  • Is it a newly created role or a replacement and why?
  • Career progression path.
  • Training.
  • Company stability.
  • Management style.
  • Company culture.
  • How long has the manager been with the company and in the role?
SELL!

REMEMBER: The interview is just as much about the hiring manager selling themselves and their company as it is about the candidate selling themselves and their skills.

After gathering the information needed both parties must sell their agendas to the max! Think in terms of what THEY want! Good roles are hard to find AND quality candidates are scarce. It’s not good enough to go through the motions without ENERGY, PREPARATION, ENTHUSIASM, PASSION AND CONFIDENCE. The hiring manager and the candidates must paint the absolute best picture possible to ensure that they DIFFERENTIATE themselves from the rest!


Are you really ENGAGING your team or JUST MANAGING them? TAKE THIS TEST AND FIND OUT!…By Darren Saul

They turn up to work, they do what they are asked/told, they might even do a little work after hours. BUT ARE THEY INSPIRED? Better still: DO YOU INSPIRE THEM?

Inspiration needs no introduction nor excuse. An inspired person will hit you like a freight train with equal intensity at 8am or 6pm, work day or weekend, in the office or at the counter waiting impatiently for an espresso before racing back to his/her desk.

BIGGEST CLUE: The eyes!

The passion and energy just jumps right out at you through that committed gaze and it’s as contagious as hell. There is no stronger force to push someone through their comfort zone and get results.

SIGNS OF AN INSPIRED EMPLOYEE:
  • Confidence
  • Passion
  • Energy
  • Enthusiasm
  • Willingness to learn
  • Honesty
  • Team spirit
  • Pride
  • Uncompromising work ethic
  • Self-motivation

“How do you inspire your people?” You ask.

ANSWER: Good question! Read on.

One of the greatest gifts known to man is the ability to inspire and engage. It’s the difference between being GOOD or GREAT. The rewards are infinite. You will earn respect, trust and loyalty. You will benefit from increased productivity, profits and stronger team morale. You will evoke leadership and creativity!

TRY THESE:

  1. Treat your people better than you treat your customers
  2. Delegate wherever possible and thus empower your employees to take ownership, build confidence and develop pride
  3. Consult your staff on issues
  4. Acknowledge them as much as possible without being fake (too much of anything can ruin your appetite)
  5. Implement a staff mentoring/buddy system to train new staff with experienced members
  6. Conduct frequent two-way reviews to build the lines of communication and confirm expectations (including career path management)
  7. Create a friendly/approachable/fun atmosphere where people are happy (even better: proud) to work
  8. Invest in training and development
  9. Seek help with employee recruitment – recruiters are specialists in the recognition of inspired individuals
  10. Pay them well!!

Yes, easier said than done, however if you’re not doing it and your competition is you risk losing your greatest asset!

“TO INSPIRE OR NOT TO INSPIRE” THAT IS THE QUESTION…


What has been the REAL impact of the economic downturn on IT Managers and their teams? How can we (recruiters) help? Sydney IT Managers explain...

Yes, we have seen it all over the past months – redundancies, recruitment freezes and frustration. HOWEVER it is not all doom and gloom! We can learn a great deal from times like these. In fact I would dare say that they are fundamental to our growth, both from a personal and a professional level. Before we can begin to seriously make positive changes in the name of development, though, we do need to understand the subtleties of the situation. How has the behaviour of IT Managers changed? What changes have their team members undergone? What would they like to see from Sydney’s finest (us recruiters of course)?

We asked and this is what we discovered...

There has been a definite swing towards contract hires when our managers have needed extra hands on deck. There has also been a strong tendency to recruit in-house (either directly or by outsourcing to their internal HR teams). Open communication with their teams has proven a fundamental ingredient to limiting any potential collateral damage brought about by uncertainty. In some cases redundancies have caused a period of decreased moral and disruption of daily activities, however frequent and open communication has paved the way to a rapid recovery. One very positive impact of the downturn has been the ability for managers to “catch-up” and “clean-up” and thus move into the realm of proactive management rather than purely reactive management.

Recruitment practices have definitely changed with an increase in “cowboy” tactics driven by desperation. But it doesn’t have to be so. Managers are looking to partner with their recruiters and thus we should be constantly striving to become those sought after
TRUSTED ADVISORS to our clients providing them with invaluable insights into realistic salary/contract rate expectations, quality and availability of candidates, and realistic time-frames. I would say that niche specialisation is even more important than before! Managers are interested in flexible payment models that are better tailored to their needs. They want information on hiring trends in other sectors and they thirst for the provision of education and training for their teams.

Now is the time for re-innovation and renaissance! The beautiful thing about a downturn is the fact that it is always followed by an upturn. Let’s get ready!

SAUL RECRUITMENT - SUPPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALISTS!!

The TRUTH about IT Professionals! What do they REALLY want from their colleagues and managers?...By Darren Saul

They say “you’ll never know until you ask” so that’s exactly what we did! We surveyed over 50 IT professionals of different technical flavours to find out once and for all what actually makes them tick – what are the key factors that contribute to their work satisfaction. What do they REALLY want from their managers and colleagues? No speculation, no second hand information!

Our IT professionals were asked to grade (1-5, 5 being very important) a number of different parameters and of course add any that we may have overlooked. As it turned out the most important ones were -Location, Management Style, Remuneration, Training, Career Progression, Work/Life Balance, Team Fit, Sense of Accomplishment, Acknowledgment from Managers/Colleagues and Other Benefits (eg. mobile phones, laptops, air conditioning, gym membership, access to corporate loans and financial planning advice).

Pretty extensive list – wouldn’t you agree?

Well as one could imagine there was some degree of variation (after all we are dealing with human beings who are also IT people) however there were a select few factors most important to our technical knights in shining armor that came through LOUD and CLEAR!Remuneration, Management Style, Acknowledgment and Career Progression all rated 4-5 by every individual surveyed. Funny enough and contradictory to what I had always believed, Training averaged 2-3!

There you have it! If you want to keep your most valuable assets happy make sure that they are being remunerated at least according to market rates, make sure that you develop the best way to manage and engage each individual daily (and they will be different), acknowledge their strengths, value and accomplishments, and wherever possible co-develop a defined career progression path for them.

The one very INTERESTING thing that came out of this exercise is that not one of our IT Professionals sounded even the slightest murmur about the need to work with up to date/latest and greatest technology! I’ll leave that one to you…

Good old-fashioned conversation! A fundamental ingredient too often overlooked when searching for opportunity. Antennas up!...By Darren Saul

Facebook, Skype, SMS, Twitter, Blogging, email - look how far we’ve come and isn’t technology fantastic! Absolutely, I am the first to embrace it, HOWEVER, look how much we have left behind!

Particularly in this economic climate most of us are finding ourselves in the position of needing to identify opportunities. Whether we are looking for a job, more business or simply more contacts, we are all hunting for something. With so many mediums out there with which to interact nowadays it’s so easy to be swept up in the technology tide and forget that fundamentally we are still human beings - and what were human beings actually built to do? Interact with other humans, not technology.

Now, coming from an IT Recruiter this may sound a little strange, however I assure you that I do speak from personal experience. Over the past few months the need to develop new business relationships has forced me to sharpen my prospecting skills and I have been constantly astounded by the opportunities that have presented themselves while immersed in good old-fashion conversation (preferably face to face). This has not necessarily occurred during a planned business meeting but also through GENUINE conversations with neighbours, patrons at the regular watering hole (caffe’ across the road), car park attendants, and even the caretaker of my building.

With regard to Job Seeking, I have heard a range of statistics however it is well-known that approximately 70% of job opportunities are never even advertised. They are obtained through 1st, 2nd or even 3rd generation referrals and why do you think that is? Exactly. Every conversation is a potential job interview and thus it is crucial to leave a favourable impression. Master the art of “active” conversation and you’ll never be short of opportunities.

Now of course there is a place for Facebook, Skype, SMS, Twitter, Blogging and email, but remember that only real genuine conversation has the power to unleash unlimited potential.

Antennas up!

SAUL RECRUITMENT - SUPPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALISTS!!

Enjoy the journey more than the destination!!...By Darren Saul

As I continue to observe the world around me, I can’t help but notice the increasing sense of urgency and pace evident in everything we do. The world is at war, traffic is getting worse, drivers are displaying less patience for pedestrians, everyone’s life is so “hectic” and the simple act of waiting in a queue for an extra few seconds seems an arduous task. We seem to be caught in a strong current dragging us NOWHERE fast!

It’s time to take a step back and blend the old with the new. By the “old” I of course mean “ancient wisdom”. Pause, take a breath, and LIVE the moment. The journey is far more rewarding than the destination – let’s not miss it!

Now you might be wondering what this ever has to do with recruitment or career development. The answer – EVERYTHING. In fact, this simple philosophy can be applied to just about everything we do on a daily basis. Not only can it render your daily living experience more meaningful, it can also assist you dramatically in the achievement of any goal you might be working towards. Training yourself to be constantly aware of the moment will limit your tendency to focus too much on the small stuff. One moment is always followed by another, and brings with it a totally new set of circumstances. Dwelling on them too much will only distract you from focusing on the big picture. Now this might seem to be a contradictory statement – how can we focus on our long term goals if we are constantly thinking in terms of the present? Well living in the moment doesn’t necessarily have to always mean thinking in terms of the present. There will be plenty of moments of pure reflection and analysis. We can buy into negative and unproductive thought or we can think in a positive, useful and enjoyable way, while keeping our sights firmly on the ultimate finished line. Awareness is the key!

I was watching the latest Chris Rock comedy special the other night and Chris did a “bit” about the difference in mindset when thinking of what we do as a “career” or “just a job”. This relationship really stuck in my mind and is a perfect example of how enjoying the journey can be applied to the workplace. When we think of what we do as a career, we tend not to focus on the small disappointments and we strive forward with ease to achieve our long term goals. I’m sure you can fill in the rest…

I leave you with a couple of relevant quotations:

“Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success” Napoleon Hill

“The happiest people are not necessarily those who have the best of everything, but those who make the best of what they have. Life is not a question of how to survive in a storm, but how to dance in the rain!” Unknown.