Should Recruiters Sleep with the Enemy

Should Recruiters Sleep with the Enemy It is often said you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Should the same be said in business? How would you feel about actually working in partnership with a direct competitor? Can you achieve your end goal with the same ethics, your dignity intact and do you publicise this to your clients? Such a contentious subject raises many questions. I have recently been asked whether this is something I advocate and I surprised the person by answering in the affirmative! In fact, I have had such partnerships in place since I started Qui Recruitment in 2005. Naïve or actually quite shrewd, I’ll explain and you can decide. You probably dont cover all locations Why and how? I hear you ask. Well, if you are very niche in your offering and/or geography as Qui have always been (until 2012 focussing totally on North West with recent extensions in 2012 to cover the Midlands and Yorkshire), it makes sense surely to find a business with the same ethics and credentials in the location you don’t cover? I have a reciprocal relationship with businesses in Australia and London, it’s sensible as neither of us have any plans to overlap in each other territories and strategically smart as essentially I have expanded my network with no risk or cost. Rather than fork out for an office down under or in London, I have someone I trust who can act as I would in their network. We have no expectation of each other. No targets to hit. If we can’t help them, we have someone who hopefully can. Of utmost importance we ALWAYS get the permission off the candidate! We have also gained a couple of new clients who are in our region so if you are open-minded enough it can strengthen your full 360 º vision. You probably dont cover all niches I also have a partnership with a very niche competitor in the North West who only focuses on one specific industry sector within R2R, so they pass me any valid candidate, with their permission of course, if they aren’t in their sector. It’s a “win win” for everyone involved. As my collaborative competitor said last week when I informed them we had just placed a person they had referred, that they would rather have a percentage of that something that the whole of nothing. This is the critical point, incremental additions to the bottom line. You make a conscious and considered business decision when you act on anything in recruitment; whether it is choosing a client to work with, or a candidate to represent. The same can be said for collaborations with competitors. Be selective, do your due diligence and if you can find an ethical partner who mirrors your service, then why not? Would you sleep with the enemy? This is my view and my approach to working selectively and collaboratively with competitors. I genuinely want to know what YOU think. Have you set up similar partnerships? If so, have they worked? What advice would you have for other recruiters considering this action as a means of expansion? Please do leave a comment below or tweet me your thoughts @Lyshaholmes. Related: Who Are You? You Recruiters Know Nothing!

Resume Writing Australia - The Perfect Way

Resume Writing Australia - The Perfect WayResume writing Australia may be difficult but it's not impossible if you know how to go about it. Your resume is your door into the future of your career, so it's imperative that you make it as impressive as possible.To do this, you have to write a certain section that will tell your future employer all about you. Don't worry, you don't have to write about your hobbies or interests here. It is best to focus on your qualifications, accomplishments and work experience.As mentioned earlier, your resume is your door to your future employer. They will want to see that you can do what you say you are capable of doing. Make your statement clear and precise by using bullets for the best effect. You should avoid long lists of accomplishments since this will tend to make your resume more confusing than useful.The next tip for resume writing Australia is to make sure that your cover letter is convincing. Just like your resume, it is also very important. After all, it is your way of introducing yourself to your future employer. And no one will be able to do this job better than you.So, use bullet points to connect your resume and your cover letter. It will help them remember you quicker and easier. Plus, it will keep your letter short, direct and to the point. It will also be easier for them to read and digest.Finally, make sure you give your resume or cover letter for a professional look. Don't just slather the resume with lots of fonts and colors. Instead, put in clean and bold fonts, and a font that suits your qualifications and experience.You will only make your cover letter look messy if you go about it the wrong way. So, take your time and do it right. And then show them how well you can spell.Your resume or cover letter can make or break you. So, get your job done properly and impress them right off the bat.

Top Social Media Tools For Turning Your eBrand Into a Powerhouse - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Top Social Media Tools For Turning Your eBrand Into a Powerhouse - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In this podcast, I narrow down the top social media tools for building your personal brand into a POWERHOUSE. At the end of the podcast, I will conclude by telling you what I feel the #1 tool is and explain why, while eliminating the others along the way. You will notice that my brand is represented in all of the following. If I endorse a social network, it means you can trust my judgement and that it will have a positive impact on your personal brand. The reason for this is simply because reserving your brand name on over 2,000 social networks doesnt make sense. Its not manageable and will hurt you, instead of provide value or ROR (return-on-relationship). Join the ones that help solve your professional or personal problems, that are popular, credible and relevant to your current situation. [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=pc_kl0Agh0E] Subscribe to receive my podcast series The Top Social Media Tools Facebook: With 63 million active users from around the world and now more professionals than college students, joining Facebook is a requirement. If you go to a party, a barmitzvah, a sports game or have a job, you realize quickly how much people count on Facebook to run their lives and keep in touch. Aside from creating a group or event (marketing strategy), there are social ads for your business, you have a news feed from your network, so you can follow them, without asking them. Facebook is a great central resource for your brand and ranks extremely high in Google (helps you establish great e-presence). The downside is that, as your network flourishes, it becomes a wasteland of clutter (think of all the apps). LinkedIn: A lot of people dont leverage LinkedIn properly and as a result, they barely use its true power. Im a victim of this as well and to me it has become a moving repository of contacts that remains lifeless, as I bridge new relationships using Facebook, Twitter and email communication. The value in this tool stems from your ability to ask and answer questions to your network, export contacts, develop a virtual resume and finally, by using a unique link (you better create one with your name linkedin.com/in/danschawbel for example) to your profile, you can have that on your blog or website. Twitter: Everyone is so passionate and crazed about Twitter for a few legitimate reasons. For one, you can connect with people that you wouldnt have access to before, such as Jason Calacanis and Kevin Rose. Also, you can force personal brand recognition by using the @theirname in your Tweet (message), so upon response, the receiver will get to know your name (Hat Tip: Jim Kukral). Twitter is an amazing marketing tool (just ask Guy Kawasaki) because it allows you to push messages quickly to your followers (audience) and either direct them to the location of your choice or provide another resource. In terms of PR, the TwitPitch makes absolute sense in how you can type out a 140 character pitch on your brand, that reporters would typically get in their email (Hat Tip: Stowe Boyd). The downfall of Twitter is its inability to scale, decentralize and the amount of times its not working. Blogs: Im at the point, where I cannot talk about personal branding without mentioning blogs. Frankly, its impossible to avoid blogging because its a continuous rendition of your life, knowledge, passion and the material actually helps people. Blogs are amazing because of the Theory of eBrand Attraction, the delivery of value, the monetization, the acceptance by our society (and mainstream media) and the ability to form a community to connect to others in a fraction of the time you could have done it before. If you dont have a blog, you might want to study Bryan Persons, Rohit Bhargavas, Scott Montys, Jeremiah Owyangs, Valeria Maltonis, and Drew McLellans for excellent examples (good personal branding). Wikis: I think this tool is completely underestimated. Aside from the obvious example of Wikipedia, a wiki allows you to collaborate with one or more individuals and the best way to network is by creating projects and working on them with people. Think about it; dont you build stronger rapport with people you accomplish something with? There is an obvious business application, but personally, your perceived as more tech savvy when you use them and you can create lists of people, things to do, or start your own personal projects. Ning: A lot of people underestimate Ning, even with over 180,000 social networks. The fact that anyone can build their own social network gives it a personal edge and allows one to take a leadership role within their own community, on the topic of their choice. One of the main issues with Ning, just like many other social networks, is that it is far too cluttered and its not as customizable as it should be. If you start a network on Ning without a clear objective, just like all the rest, then it will be abandoned at some point. YouTube: In January 2008 alone, nearly 79 million users watched over 3 billion videos on YouTube. The con is that your podcast is one of 3 billion, but the pro is that there are 79 million possible users that may watch your podcast. The bigger pro is that you can take a podcast from YouTube and stick it on your blog or personal website (and others can do the same). Video is extremely hot right now (as Paris Hilton would say) and I truly believe its the closest thing you can get to meeting someone without ever speaking to them. Some posts have too much passion and emotion behind them, so traditional posts wont be able to express how youre feeling about a particular subject. FriendFeed: You need to be careful with this one. Depending on how open you are to the online world, you will want to turn on or off your privacy. FriendFeed does what many of us social media fiends wanted for a long time; seamless integration, consolidation and syndication of our social media. All the social networks listed here can be syndicated through FriendFeed, which allows those with access to view every time you add a video to YouTube (or favorite one), as well as add to del.icio.us or Flickr, etc. When someone gains access, they can comment on each blog post, tweet, and more that runs through your FriendFeed. There is also an option now for FriendFeed rooms, where you can take a selection of people interested in a common theme and put them in a single room to have the conversation. You bet Twitter will do this at some point. Flickr: People like Brian Solis have used this tool for tagging and distributing photos of people they meet, just like in Facebook. Flickr is a powerful tool because you are showing other people what you look like and that you care about them by posting their photo and remembering their name by tagging. Yes, this works just like on Facebook. There are Flickr apps for Facebook as well, so dont think you wont get enough use out of your pictures. My favorite part of this tool is that it makes it easier to view photos and as the size of your photo album increases, tagging will keep it organized for you. Upcoming: I havent even used upcoming, much like Scoble and others in the tech world have. I do believe it was a steal by Yahoo! because you get access to information about where communities form and meet. If you want a social life or just want to learn or meet professional contacts, Upcoming is a great database for you. If you are a speaker or want to hold your own event, this social tool will position you as tech savvy, as well as give your audience directions and the ability for you to follow up with them. Also, you can run your event feed through a widget on your blog or website (see danschawbel.com). Del.icio.us: Aside from making you hungry, this tool is incredible. Google tries to organize the worlds information as a whole, but think of del.icio.us as a tasty way to organize your personal world. Upon visiting a blog or traditional website, you can bookmark the page and tag it for future reference. Its a great way to organize all the sites that you find everyday, so that you dont forget about them and you dont have to add them to your Firefox/IE bookmarks (which is annoying). By sharing your bookmarks you can give value, while learning. StumbleUpon: There are millions of people on this network. Basically, it lets do you what you can do on del.icio.us, but file a recommendation for a website you find. They both have browser toolbars that you can use to submit. Upon submission, your reviewed site goes to your network and the category of interest. I remember when StumbleUpon was in infancy and now its a top-of-mind social network. MyBlogLog: Clearly this is one of my favorites, as noted by Mike Sansone. This tool is on all the top blogs because it shows the avatars of your visitors. The problem with many of these sites is that people dont know how to use them to there full capacity. For MyBlogLog, its obvious to add the widget to your site to build community, but there is much more. Adding friends is a must and promoting your other networks is really important. If you join someone elses community, they will join yours, thus there is reciprocal networking going on there. What do you think is the most powerful and significant social media tool? You can view my answer to this in my podcast above!

Aging Parents - The Truth You Need To Know

Aging Parents - The Truth You Need To Know None of us likes the idea of getting older.   But getting older, and eventually facing death, is part of the human experience.   And its happening to each and every one of us, including our parents.   If youre approaching age 40, or older, that means you have aging parents who will soon be facing a variety of physical and financial needs they may not have considered. Every day, I see at least a couple of well-intended articles that address the topic of retirement.   While its a good idea to be conscious of and planning for your retirement, the focus is too often on just the accumulation of money.   But theres much more to it than that.   Heres a summary of what you should be chatting with your parents about.   And maybe thinking about for yourself, too! Income Needs Nobody, even the rich and famous, can end up with zero bills to pay after retirement.   Even if their home is paid for and they have no debt, theres still food,   various taxes, health expenses, gas . . . and much more.   While each situation is different, taking a detailed look at what retirement might actually look like will give a much more realistic set of expectations.   And, make it easier to plan. Some pointers that I see often overlooked: Spending, generally, is LESS after retirement.   23% less, according to Forbes. Retirement is not a forever unchanging state of being.   Needs at age 65 are usually quite different than needs at age 85. Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, most people do not die quietly and peacefully in their sleep. (See Long Term Care below) Choosing to take social security early, at normal retirement age, or later depends on the personal situation.   Even choosing when to decide can depend on how predictable you believe your future is. Life Insurance Life insurance, like most insurance, is one of those things we love to hate.   Thats almost always because its not understood.   Insurance in general is designed to protect against large losses that would be detrimental or even catastrophic.   It provides money to compensate for those losses if or when they happen.   With auto insurance, its an if.   With life insurance, its a when, because youre mortal and you are going to eventually die. Purchased when youre young, insurance is relatively inexpensive, and has multiple ways of returning value to you.   But the older you get, the more expensive life insurance becomes because your life expectancy is shorter.   So what if your aging parents have neglected to get any life insurance?   Is there a plan for funeral and end of life expenses?   Yes, even at that point there are options for final expense insurance. Long Term Care Youve seen the emotional movie scenes.   The loved one is laying in bed, probably at home, facing their last days.   Everyone is expressing their love, and the scene is generally peaceful.   The ailing person says good bye, and gently closes their eyes.   Or, they drift off into the hereafter in their sleep. For most of us, thats not how it happens in real life. Only about 12.5% of us die in our sleep.   Compare that to the 33% of seniors that, at some point, will be living in a nursing home.   So the odds are three times as great that you or your aging parents will at some point need long term care. Be forewarned:   Long term care is painfully expensive, and is not covered by most insurance and is not covered by social security.   You must have a means to pay for long term care, or have a separate long term insurance policy in place prior to the need.   Just as if your house burned down, you cannot buy the insurance after the need presents itself. Planning is Key! Ill be first to say that even the best laid plans can prove ineffective.   But planning, with all the facts before you, can eliminate, or at least minimize, a great deal of the stress that comes with having to deal with the challenges of getting older.   So whether its your aging parents, or yourself, start making appropriate plans now.

Resume Writing in 77379

Resume Writing in 77379Resume writing in 77379 includes a lot of software which can be used to make resumes. You will find that most job seekers are not aware of these kinds of programs. You must learn about them before you try to use them. In this article I will give you a short overview of some software programs that can help you with your resume writing.The first software that you should consider is called Quick Exam. This is a word processing program that is very easy to use. You simply download the software and start doing your research. It will take you less than an hour to prepare a sample resume.The second software that you should consider is called Adecco. This is a system that will let you make a list of requirements for the company you are applying for. Once you have the list, you can start to do your research on the requirements.The third software that you should consider is called S.M.A.R.T. Software. This is a format that will make the job interview process easier. The software will also help you organize the different information that you will need in order to ace the interview.The fourth software that you should consider is called JAM, or Job Action Management. The JAM will make the job search easy.The fifth software that you should consider is called Survey Software. You can use this to make surveys online. These surveys will allow you to market yourself and your skills to companies that you would like to work for.The sixth software that you should consider is called Resume Builder. This software will allow you to make as many as 10 resumes a day. It will also give you the tools that you need to complete a great job.The seventh software that you should consider is called Self-Creation. This is a powerful program that will allow you to automate most of the job searching tasks that you will need to do when you are looking for a job. You can go back and forth between many of the different resumes that you have created and use this program to go ba ck and forth quickly and easily.

Mistakes Job Seekers Make on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Mistake 2: Not Stating Your Intentions Up FrontA few weeks ago, I received the following LinkedIn In-MailHi Joshua, I obtained your name through the Boston University MBA LinkedIn Group. I graduated from the School of Management last year and I am in the process of making a career transition.  It would be helpful for me to ask you questions about your experiences as an Sales Account Manager for Cisco.  I am not expecting to discuss a particular employment position but I would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informational basis. I thank you in advance. Regards,This is the perfect email format. Lets look at the key elementsShe told me how she found me, the BU Group.She gave me just enough background info about herself so I can know why she chose to reach out to me, her graduation date and her career transition.She told me the topic that she wanted to discuss with me.She made sure I knew she wasnt trying to solicit me for a job, and she didnt sound desperate.The email was short and to the point, clearly respecting my time.I got back to her right away and made sure to answer all of her questions. I suggest your requests for info interviews keep to a similar format.LinkedIn Mistake 3: Letting a Robot Speak with Your VoiceLinkedIn does a fabulous job telling you who you might know. When I log into my account, I can see old colleagues whom I havent spoken with since 2006 or earlier. I can see some jerks I used to work with who took pleasure in kicking puppies. But I dont see people whom Id like to connect with in order to grow my business.The direction of your network is in your hands. You need to make sure that you steer it in a direction that is strategic to your job search. Make sure to connect with people who are in industries that interest you, in companies you might like to learn more about or even in geographies that you would like to move to.On a similar note, when connecting with folks, NEVER use the built in message:Id like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.You are not a robot. Dont talk like one! Use your voice and personalize your request to connect. Not doing this is the fastest way to banality. To stand apart from other job seekers, you need to be different in ALL of your communications. Use every chance you get to demonstrate your personality and motivation.Where those tips useful for you? Do you have more tips to share? LinkedIn pet-peeves? Please comment below to share with me and the other readers.

Find a Job in 2011 (Even If You Havent Worked in 2010)

Find a Job in 2011 (Even If You Havent Worked in 2010) Long-term unemployment can be a detriment to getting a job. According to a recent Economist article, almost half of unemployed workers have been off the job for more than six months. Employers can perceive a candidates skills are out-of-date or worse that if he was a worthwhile employee hed still be employed.Long-term unemployment is a perception problem for the job seeker too.Many who Ive spoken with have lost confidence in their employability, dropping resumes wherever and whenever they can, saying, Ill take anything. Unfortunately, employers wont take any employee so its a self-fulfilling prophecy when the candidate doesnt land a job.Because of the damaged goods stigma that unemployment can carry, the long-term unemployed also stop networking with employed friends. Preferring instead people in similar circumstances, this type of networking creates further challenges, as employed colleagues are the ones more apt to be in a position to offer a job than those unemployed.So what can y ou do to land a job in 2011 even if you havent worked in 2010?Make it clear if you were part of a mass-layoff This lets a potential employer know that you lost your job through no fault of your own and that your layoff wasnt due to poor performance. Having solid references from your last job will reinforce that you are not damaged goods.Maintain or improve your skills experience between jobs Contact your previous employer and those in your network regarding freelance projects. This way you can keep current and bring in some extra money. For those on unemployment benefits, try volunteering for a non-profit organization using your skills. Garnering additional references from these experiences will demonstrate your skills are far from rusty.To really raise the bar and get noticedBe in it for more than the paycheck Employers can sense desperation. If a job is just a means to a paycheck, that can turn off to a hiring manager. Instead, take an authentic interest in the organization(s) youre interviewing with by researching online, learning about the company history and goals, and talking to people who work there. Show that this is more than just a job to you and youll show youre more than just another candidate.Start something A project, a business, a nonprofit/charitable project start something close to your heart that has the opportunity for real impact. Recently I was inspired to hear how one woman used her free time after a layoff to join the board of her homeowners association. She took on a leadership role (a new responsibility for her) and has since doubled the associations reserve of funds despite a difficult economy. Shes realized her natural talent for turning around mismanaged properties and is now applying for paid positions in her new field (at the same pay she was used to making in her prior career.) Show that you can create opportunity despite adversity and your ingenuity will impress employers who sorely need that trait in all employees these days.Manage your resume Dont forget to track your experience-building activities between jobs (paid and unpaid) whether freelance work, pro-bono projects, coursework, travel sabbaticals or even your own start-up. It will demonstrate a valued employable trait using time wisely.Oprah put it well, Turn your wounds into wisdom.Rather than seeing your unemployment as a steady decline in your employability, turn the tables and see it as a chance to use your time and talents for positive change. More than just pure optimism, taking smart actions like these will improve your confidence and the confidence employers have in hiring you in the New Year!(Photo courtesy of Mjcrodez.)