Guy Kawasaki's 1/2/3 Rule of Resumes

In Reality Check Guy Kawasaki urges people to "think of your resume as pitch for you, the product". Here's Kawasaki's 1-2-3 rule of resumes with my comments:

1 page long. When some job candidates read this, they will think, "Guy is referring to the hoi polloi and unwashed masses, not me. I have ten years of experience at four different companies covering five different positions. My resume needs to be two--maybe even three--pages to adequately explain the totality of my wonderfulness. And the more I mention, the more the company might see things that they like." As a rule of thumb, if you can't pitch your company or yourself in one page, your idea is stupid and you suck respectively.

When you apply to a job your resume is usually uploaded into an applicant tracking system. Most create a short list of candidates based on keywords. Ensure that your resume has the right keywords by including keywords from the job description. Keep your resume short but it's fine to have more than one page. Just make sure the first pages of your resume is "eyeball" friendly in case an human being actually looks it.

2 key points. Your resume (and interview) should communicate only two perhaps three key points. Key points include pertinent work experience, applicable education, or a love for what the company does. One key point is too few, and three is on the edge of too much.

Employers also want to know about your accomplishments and results with previous employers. Include 3 to 4 bullets points of your results for each position.

3 sections. "Two key points" means that your resume should have only three sections: contact information, work experience, and educational background. This specifically excludes "objectives" (do you really think that a company cares what you want to be when you grow up?), "references upon request" (duh, of course you'll have to give references if you're asked), and "outside interests" (that Lamaze class training will come in really handy when he company stops delivering software by C-section, but not right now).

If you include an "objective" on your resume make sure it is the job you are applying for. Outside interests are valuable if it's volunteer work or if you were a semi-pro baseball player and the company has a softball team. Your outside interests are conversation starters and may provide a common ground between you and the interviewer and differeniate you from a candidate with similar qualifications.

Tim Collins
Stafflink.ca
timc@stafflink.ca
www.twitter.com/stafflinks
www.linkedin.com/in/timrcollins

What a Cab Driver Taught Me about Navigating the Job Market

I just read Harvey Mackay's story about a cab driver who doubles his income by investing in exceptional service. As I read the story I realized that the cabbie's strategy can be applied to any service business, especially recruiting.

In a nutshell, the cab driver designed a superior experience for his fares. He wore freshly pressed slacks and shiny shoes. He kept his taxi immaculately clean. He offered newspapers, coffee and soft drinks, pedicures and manicures....Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But the point is that the cab driver constantly surprised people with extra consideration for their comfort. Now he doesn't have to line up to wait for fares. His customers call him to reserve a ride and his income has doubled. A few small considerations can go a long way.

The taxi driver's lesson: Exceed expectations. How does that apply to the recruiting business?

The job market like the taxi business is characterized by fierce competition. Either we have a large pool of candidates fighting for a few jobs or we're competing for a rare candidate to fill a highly a specialized job. As I communicate with clients and candidates all day I see every conversation as an opportunity. My goal is to create goodwill, to discover and exceed expectations. Is the commute to a new job placement manageable? Are the salary expectations reasonable? Is this job the right fit? Can I negotiate better work arrangements?

Every interview, telephone call and email reminds me of the taxi driver's message: Meeting expectations isn't good enough. You have to exceed people's expectations to succeed. But I draw the line at pedicures.

The Business Case for Hiring Persons with Disabilities

One of the biggest groups overlooked in the typical recruitment process are persons with disabilities. About 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability. That's one in seven people. So what is the business case for hiring persons with disabilities?

1. The market is relatively untapped. Under utilized talent sources will be at an advantage in the future race for talent.
   
2. With the sheer size of the population people with disabilities represent a large consumer group with significant spending power. Enabling this group to earn and spend is good for the overall economy.
   
3. With an ageing workforce, the number of young people and immigrant candidates will be insufficient to meet demand.
   
4. Hiring more diverse workforce increases employee morale. Workplaces that are sensitive to their employees are better, more energizing places to work and more profitable in the long run.


5. Creates a brand as an employer of choice. In a competitive employment market employee loyalty is like gold. And turnover is expensive.


6. Having a company or product that is open to persons with disabilities will also attract their friends and families – a huge share of the overall market.


7. Uniqueness breeds unique ideas. Having people of diverse backgrounds at the table brings more creativity and broader range of thought.


8. According to John Izzo (Values Shift: The New Work Ethic) making your workforce diverse can result in a 8% increase in shareholder value.


9. People who want to work should be given the opportunity to work regardless of disabilities.


10. Beyond the benefits to business, employers have a legal requirement to ensure that workplaces are accessible and free of discrimination. Complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission can be both expensive and can earn your company a bad reputation.

Bottom Line: Creating a diverse workforce is good for business. Welcoming persons with disabilities onto your workforce will increase your profitability and create a better working environment for all.

Hiring Outside the Box: How to Diversify Your Talent Pool

As consultants committed to inclusive search processes, we’ve noted over the years some of the challenges organizations face when attempting to diversify their talent pool. One of the easiest is to identify what we call “right fit” decision making.

At the beginning of many searches and during the interview process, we often hear this refrain from clients—“I’ll know it when I see it.” This feel-right approach poses a challenge to an inclusive hiring process. Why? For two reasons: first, knowing it when you see it assumes you’ve seen it before and second, many “diverse” candidates who offer an organization new perspectives are just that—new.

One of the most universal principles in human psychology is the positive relationship between similarity and attraction. We are most attracted to those who are similar to us and diversity is by definition different. If decision makers rely too heavily on gut feelings to guide what feels right, they can develop unintended biases towards ‘familiar’ candidates. Doing so will slow the progress an organization can make toward diversifying its talent pool.

Find Your Voice in Web 2.0

The business advantages of embracing social media are clear. But so are the challenges. Now that everyone has jumped on the Web 2.0 bandwagon is it too late to jump in the game? Is it still possible to find a voice above all the noise?

The social networking landscape is changing. Last year I heard statements like:

“Twitter is for teenagers.”
“Facebook is for posting drunken pictures.”
“I don’t have time for LinkedIn.”

Now these same colleagues sing a different tune. Why?

• The marketing potential of social media is too large to ignore. Where else can you reach a mass audience with a single post? Do traditional marketing methods like advertising still work?
• The cost of entry for social media is low. So far the cost of using social media is exponentially lower than traditional methods with comparable benefits. Job boards can cost a firm 50k per year. We still have our job board accounts but now we find about 30% of our candidates on LinkedIn.
• The potential for finding solutions through social media is huge. When developing our new website we found a wealth of code examples and design tips on Twitter.

Remember when an attractive brochure-style website was all the corporate web presence your business needed. Now you need a dynamic website that engages your community with more than advertising. You need to interact with your customers through blogging, tweeting, groups on LinkedIn or Facebook...the options are limitless.

I think it is still possible to make your voice heard in this new reality. Web 2.0 has drastically changed the marketing landscape but it hasn’t changed the basic building blocks of business: focus, value and quality.

Your social media presence is a reflection of you business. The best way to find your voice is to focus on what’s important to your customers. Share relevant information. Make sure that everything you put out reflects the quality that you offer in your products and services.

Only a fraction of your posts should be self promotional. Don’t blast your followers with marketing or they’ll feel the same about you as they do about telemarketers. We try for a 1 to 10 ratio, with only one in 10 posts focussed on marketing.

Networking through social media is your opportunity to offer value that is above and beyond the products you sell.

Tim Collins
Stafflink.ca
timc@stafflink.ca
www.twitter.com/stafflinks
www.linkedin.com/in/timrcollins

Technical Interviews: A Survival Guide for Recruiters

It’s a typical scenario. You’re recruiting for a technical role but you don’t happen to be an expert in the technology. How do you get the candidate to take you seriously?

Prepare. Plan an agenda for the interview. Compile a list of questions. Sample technical interview questions and responses can easily be obtained online.

Practice. Make sure you are confident and ready to carry out the interview. Try a mock interview. The first impression a candidate has of your or company is based on your first few interview questions and your confidence.

Take charge. Set the goals of the interview. Make sure the candidate knows what to expect during the interview.

Establish credibility. Mention the types of technology placements you and your company have made and some of the organizations you work with.

Get on the same page. Determine that the level, salary and responsibilities of the position match what the candidate is looking for.

Qualify the candidate. Explore the candidate’s background and accomplishments. Ask open ended questions. What were they most proud of in a position, their largest accomplishments, challenges they overcame.

Dive into technology. How did they use the technology? What percentage of their time was spent with the technology? For example, what was their role when working with a programming language?

Don’t bluff. If the candidate describes something you don’t understand ask for clarity. You will lose all credibility if you try to look like an expert when you’re not.

Work vs. academic experience. If their profile lists a technical skill that’s not on their resume find out if it’s an academic skill or if they used it in a work environment.

Get acquainted. How might this person fit into your organization. Use the interview as an opportunity to create a positive experience for the candidate and to build your company's reputation.

Network. A technical interview might lead to more than a successful placement. The candidate might refer you to other qualified candidates and opportunities.

Tim Collins
Stafflink.ca
timc@stafflink.ca
www.twitter.com/stafflinks
www.linkedin.com/in/timrcollins

Google Goggles: Mobile Phones with Eyes

Google's latest innovation in search technology is big. They've developed a visual search application called Google Goggles.

Essentially you take a photograph with your Android phone and then use the photo to initiate a Google search and learn more about what's in the picture.

Why is this big? This visual search app will change the way searching is done on mobile phones. It gives your mobile phone vision. An Android phone with Google Goggles can process visual information. It potentially gives you immediate access to everything the Internet knows about the image.

For the past few years a fleet of Googlemobiles have been continuously snapping photos for Google Street View. Now they are busy collecting even more images to expand the reach of visual search.

Apparently Google Goggles works well with stores, business cards, restaurants and books. It's useful for business people. You can photograph a business card and quickly enter it into your contacts and click on the number to call them.

Imagine taking a picture of restaurant and linking to reviews, the menu and information about other restaurants in the area. Google has an extensive list of books as well. You can take a picture of a book while browsing at the book store and get reviews and price comparisons.

It looks like Android with Google Goggles is going to compete with the iPhone market. Google is saying that there will soon be over 1000 Android apps available.

Check out video clip about Google Goggles at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhgfz0zPmH4

Tim Collins
Stafflink.ca
timc@stafflink.ca
www.twitter.com/stafflinks
www.linkedin.com/in/timrcollins