Carrie-d Away

In a slightly different direction than usual posts, Carried Away is now featuring a blog post series titled, How Do You Hire?

The blog series seeks to understand career placement and recruitment from the professionals who do it everyday. Job seekers are always looking for a way to stand out and get employers’ attention, to get the job they want.

So why, then, does it sometimes seem that your resume doesn’t even make it past round 1? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong? Are you even looking in the right place? The How Do You Hire series seeks to answer those questions – to help all new graduates and new job seekers get the edge and get the job!

Our first guest is Tina Kashlak Nicolai, President & Founder of Resume Writers’ Ink, LLC®

1. Let’s get to know you a bit better. What is your name, your position and your company affiliation? What is your favorite part of your current position?
   

Tina Kashlak Nicolai, President & Founder of Resume Writers’ Ink, LLC®

I most enjoy working with helping my clients gain laser focused perspective in their strengths so that they can market themselves during their interviews. The resume development is the added bonus for my clients.

2. What is the number one mistake you see on job applicant’s resume? What is your number one tip for a successful resume?

The #1 mistake I see is that resumes are often cluttered, disorganized, with information focusing on responsibilities vs. results.  This sends a message that the person is lazy and not evolving with the times—and makes for a boring document.

My #1 success tip = use a combination of metric based content AND magazine style format.

3. What are the top 5 things you look to find in qualified job applicants?

Behavioral based competencies need to be in alignment with the position opening.

Culture and leadership fit.

Courageous and innovative decision making ability.

Healthy ego/confidence in contributions.

Adaptable, desire to work in a fluid or changing environment.

4. How much do you rely on the Internet for job applicant recruits?

75%

5. What social media site, would you say, is the most effective communication tool for reaching qualified job applicants?

Linkedin.com

6. What is the most unbelievable thing you have ever seen on a potential applicant’s social media page that caused them to be passed over for the job?  Bad-mouthing current or former employer.

7. It has been said by marketing professionals that the social media platform, Linkedin is a far superior source of recruiting talent than even some job search sites like Monster.com. What are your thoughts on this statement? What are your candid thoughts on Linkedin as a resource for job seekers?

Monster.com, Career Builder and various other giant databases are no longer effective in identifying right fit talent.  These tools have replaced the want ads that were prevalent in the 1980’s. 

Linkedin.com and Twitter.com are both effective methods to pre-screen potential top talent.  A recruiter or hiring leader can gain perspective on how current an individual is, what his/her thought process is and so on.  Having an online presence is a must in today’s competitive workforce. 

8. What are companies looking for in regard to experience? In regard to education?

Experience, I believe will always be necessary. I prefer to list ACCOMPLISHMENTS in lieu of experience.  Education as a requirement will depend on the company, position and demands of the position.  In general, having a formal education, I believe is a baseline expectation for most professional positions.  Again, it comes down to ‘situational’ hiring.

9. What are your candid thoughts on the phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”? 

There is a great deal of merit in this phrase.  Networking is by far the most critical component of landing employment in 2011 and 2012.  While it is important to “network to know” someone in the field or company of interest, it is then extremely important to have the achievements and credentials to back-up and reinforce that candidates credibility. 

10. If you could give one piece of advice for current and potential job seekers, what would it be? 

Have a Plan B and C even if you are gainfully employed.  Get into SOCIAL MEDIA and be active in expanding your network.  We are living in a societal culture where job security is fleeting. If a person does not stay current or ahead of the curve, he/she will quickly fall behind.