HR Wildwood

Company to Candidate: It’s Not You, It’s Me

When it comes to jobs and people, it is most certainly a buyer’s market. The U.S. is hovering around 9% unemployment. Unemployed or simply seeking new opportunities, job candidates in every field with all types of credentials and educations are looking for a career change.

This environment makes it easy for hiring managers and companies to be particularly choosy.

The interview process can start with an application or with a recruiter’s phone call. Then comes the paperwork, the phone interview and perhaps a few rounds of in-person interviews before an official job offer is made. The process can end at any step, leaving the job candidate wondering, “what did I do wrong?”

Trust me…as someone who works for the hiring companies…it’s not you, it’s me!

I get to be, and have to be, uber selective about what type of background experience, education and personality I want on my team and in my company. A typical request: a purchasing agent with only 2-5 years of experience from a Tier 1 automotive company who has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Business who is also a local candidate and is willing to work for $40k tops. These specifications are important to the hiring manager/company. In this economy, employers typically  hire exactly what they ask for.

It is still possible to be an exceptional job candidate that does not fit the order! Particular things can shine out to a hiring manager or recruiter. It is entirely possible to get the interview and the job without meeting every qualification on the job description. HR teams and hiring managers are always looking for something bright and shiny and that something may not be clearly spelled out in a job description.

Although there are many things in the interview process that job candidates can control, sometimes it is completely out of their hands. I speak with a lot of folks who have been out of the work force for six months to two years. It is very difficult to keep a positive attitude with hundreds of job applications and dozens of interviews.

Try to remember that it isn’t all in the candidate’s control - sometimes it is simply a case of break up - it is truly not you, it is me.

Resumes: Give Me A Cupcake

I received the most glorious resume this morning. It was two paragraphs of information. More of a cover letter than a resume. In these two paragraphs, the candidate told me about his education and precisely how his skills are applicable to my job description. Short. Sweet. To the point. Amazing.

At first glance, this resume is a mess. He has no job history with dates. He doesn’t have a degree or institution listed. He doesn’t give me bullet point lists on why he is a great candidate for any position. There is no generic crap telling me why I should hire him for any job available.

He busted out two paragraphs of pure gold. That’s all I need to make a phone call and qualify him and get his resume to my hiring manager. He meets all of the qualifications in my job description and he took the time to craft a lovely cupcake of a resumes.

Don’t give me your generic sheet cake with mounds of flavorless frosting. A single gourmet cupcake will do just fine. Keep your resume short, sweet and applicable to the job!

One caveat:I would need to present a formal resume to my hiring manager…so keep that one on hand!

Marrying Your Job: For Love Or Money?

Today on Cynical Girl, Laurie suggests that the best way to get a real pay raise is to leave your current position for one in another company. I agree. After a certain amount of time, frustration, and discussion…you’re only digging yourself a shallow grave. You’re seen as the one who wants more. In this economy, the squeaky wheel is not getting any grease!

Before you leave your job you need to consider why you’re in it.

Did you marry that job for love or money? Are you in the position for the sole purpose of providing resources for you to live the way you want to? Is this job simply to support your family, side jobs, endeavors, hobbies, and volunteer positions? Or are you in this particular job because you love what you do, enjoy the people you work with, and really like getting up and coming to work every single day?

What motivates you to stay or go?

As April discussed on Women of HR, you need to take a hard look at your job and your employer and decide whether or not it is worth your energy to alter your current role. So you don’t agree with actions your company is taking or you don’t feel 100% fulfilled in your job…we do need to remember we’re getting a paycheck…and maybe that positive energy should be directed elsewhere. My dad spent 33 years at the same company. He didn’t love his job every day. That job provided support to his family and allowed him to do the things he loved in his free time.

If outside activities aren’t enough, change what you can. Focusing on one or two aspects of your job you can actively change and feel good about is one solution to this problem. Sometimes, we can’t have it all.

For most folks in my generation, it is important to be enjoy our job and get a solid pay check. The sticking point comes when the scales tip: not enough money for a crummy job? Maybe it would be time to take a long look at the situation and find the solution you can live with.

What do you think? Did you marry your job for love or money? Is it really possible to find a job that you love and that pays the bills and then some? (click “permalink” to comment!”

You Can’t Teach Drive

Employee skills. What is the most important skill to have? Is it proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite? Perhaps experience with project management? Is it a buzz-concept like innovation, creativity, or the ability to think outside-the-box?

No, the most important job skill is inner drive and initiative.

You can teach MS Office Suite. You can teach someone to manage a project and collaborate with employees and clients from all levels in all types of industries. You can even train someone to think in a more creative way and find unique solutions to problems. But I would argue that you cannot teach drive.

You can’t teach someone to want to do their best at each and every task they take on in their regular work day. It isn’t possible to teach an inner fire burning brightly beneath each idea, plan, and project. Drive is cultivated before your employee started their job. Drive occurs in how we finish our household projects, prepare our dinners, and find time for our hobbies. Drive can be encouraged…it can be discussed. Drive is something an individual must seek to develop. No amount of prodding will create authentic drive. This type if motivation is a key skill for every employee in the American workforce.

It is clear when someone is lacking drive, but how do you select for it? Drive. Passion. Intrinsic motivation. How do you identify and hire this skill?

What do you think? Can you teach drive?

HR Wildwood and Love and Cinnamon

My world exists in a combination of all of these great realms: HR, Social Media, Yoga, Family and Friends, Cooking, and Volunteering. I’m blessed with an overabundance of time and energy. Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., you can find me at HRU, Technical Resources in Lansing, MI. I’m a technical recruiter working to find my clients the best talent I can for their job orders whether they be contract or direct hire opportunities. Between the hours and after I do much more.

I grew up in Sanford, Michigan (with one champion of a sister and great parents) in an imagination filled 50 acres of woodlands, streams, swamps, bogs, wild blackberries, squirrels and deer. I attended Saginaw Valley State University for my undergraduate degree in Psychology. I wanted to get a PhD in Social Psychology and do something incredible in the world. I was rejected from every PhD program I applied to - I lacked focus. Thankfully, the University of Chicago offered me a consolation prize; a Master’s degree.

I spent one blissful year in the great city of Chicago attending the University of Chicago for my Master’s in Social Science (focusing on non-profit management). I was on my own in a one bedroom apartment in Hyde Park with my trusty companion - my blue point Siamese cat, Loki. I started experimenting with cooking and healthy baking. My first attempts at healthy blueberry muffins and health crazy oatmeal cranberry cookies were admittedly not too tasty. I kept up the experimenting when my husband and I moved to Massachusetts so that he could attend the University of Massachusetts for graduate school. I love cooking. I love baking. I love sharing my creations. Food is love.

During my time in Massachusetts, I worked for the HR team at The Yankee Candle Company and recruited teachers for Pearson Education.

In August 2010 I moved from Massachusetts to Lansing, Michigan. I started a Twitter account: @emilywhitemi My name is Emily White and MI stands for Michigan, the strong willed and friendly state I call home. I started getting involved in my community and came back to yoga as a time buster while seeking employment.

I was lucky and strategic in my job search. My resume was fine tuned and out there on CareerBuilder and Monster. I sought jobs on company websites, newspapers, LinkedIn, Idealist, and Craigslist. I’m a recruiter…jobs are what I do! I landed this position at the end of August.

I started networking and attending local events. If you can’t find something to do in Lansing, Michigan you’re just not trying! I found out about a wonderful young professionals networking group. I sent an email to the team and was invited to became part of the communications team for the Grand River Connection.

Throughout my life I have always been involved in Habitat for Humanity. It started with the Tri-cities Habitat team when I was in 7th grade, moved to the Saginaw Habitat team through my job at the Dow Chemical Company, and I decided to pick up the figurative hammer again in Lansing. I’m part of the community relations committee at Habitat Lansing. I manage their twitter account @habitatlansing.

Through classes at Hilltop Yoga, I connected with an outstanding yogi and incredible soul. I started going to yoga at both Hilltop and Just B Yoga. I became the volunteer promotions manager for Just B Yoga in January 2011.

I met wonderful people at both yoga studios and became further entrenched in Lansing by joining the Lansing Jaycees this month! I’m fairly certain I can consider my plate full…but I’m always available and willing to help when I can. I review resumes and cover letters and offer job search advice on a regular basis. You can connect with me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywhitemi.

This blog, HR Wildwood, will be dedicated to HR, Social Media, and career oriented topics.

My cooking blog will morph into a personal journey blog and you can read that at Love and Cinnamon.

Welcome!