Tag: job search

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Outlining Successful Step-By-Step Interview Tips For New Hiring Managers

Interview tips for new hiring managers.

How First-Time Hiring Managers Can Prepare To Maximize Results

As a first-time hiring manager, the interview process can be daunting. Although it may get easier over time, you need a blueprint to be certain you’re diligently accomplishing your goals. Whether you need to improve existing methods or it’s your first time hiring, there are key components that will help eliminate bumps in the road. It begins by identifying what success looks like to your team and aligning your goals with your recruiting team and department manager. You must know the duties as well as the hard and soft skills necessary to fulfill the expectations of the role. Also, establishing a targeted deadline for filling the position will provide you with necessary benchmarks to meet along the way.   

First-time hiring managers can begin by reviewing resumes. This allows hiring managers to study the applicant before the interview even begins. Here are three specific things to watch out for:

  • Is the resume accurate and up to date? Look for formatting and any inconsistencies with grammar, spacing, font and color. 
  • Does the resume contain any red flags? Inconsistencies with gaps in employment or discrepancies with social media profiles will provide more insight. 

Step-By-Step Blueprint For First-Time Hiring Managers 

First-time hiring managers need to be aware of questions that are off limits. Avoid topics that involve race, religion, age, family and in many states, salary history. Of course, having structured questions and a scoring method is foundational to the process, but it’s also vital that hiring managers actively listen and go beyond the standard format. It’s okay for hiring managers to be improvisational, as this can often be a defining moment in the interview process. If you have a general gut feeling, it’s best to dig deeper and prepare to ask more clarifying questions. Even if a candidate may say something that seems odd, don’t write them off entirely; ask a follow-up question and give them a chance to explain further. 

First time and seasoned hiring managers need to lay the groundwork for success. Here are a few simple steps to keep you on track. 

  1. For virtual interviews, as a first-time hiring manager you should test your technology to assure that you don’t experience any glitches. Confirm that your audio is functioning properly, lighting is optimal and background scenery is appropriate. 
  1. As the hiring manager, you should give your candidate a warm welcome and be sure they feel comfortable. If the interview is in person, you can offer them water.
  1. Seasoned hiring managers avoid ineffective or open-ended questions like, “So, tell me a little about yourself.” Remember you want to ask questions that yield answers of relevance and real substance, cutting through any extraneous information. 
  1. Both first time and experienced hiring managers need to be prepared to answer questions about the company: mission statement, company culture, perks for the job and any options to grow within the organization. 
  1. Now, the first-time hiring manager will have a much clearer picture of the candidates: their personality, motivations, long- and short-term goals and specialized skills. Ideally, hiring managers can now envision the candidates you potentially see thriving within your company. 
  1. The first-time hiring manager’s next step is to schedule a time to discuss candidates and examine interview notes with the direct supervisor for the open position and your hiring team. 

First-Time Hiring Managers Can Achieve Successful Outcomes

Laying the groundwork with these effective steps can allow first-time hiring managers to embark on this process with confidence. It’s not always about finding someone with perfect credentials and work experience, it’s also being an organization they can see themselves working for and want to invest in. Ultimately, you’re building a team that adds value and represents your organization in the best way possible. Hopefully these tips eliminate a few of the challenges of being a first-time hiring manager. 

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Effective Ways To Successfully Market Yourself For Potential Job Opportunities

market yourself, job opportunities

Knowing How To Create Your Individual Brand

Knowing how to market your brand seems like something that’s only necessary when you’re an entrepreneur or business owner, however this practice is becoming more common as of late. Spurred on by the advancement of technology, people want a competitive edge and know it’s essential to stand out in order to achieve this. Knowing how to accomplish this strategy is key. Here are some helpful tools to get you on your way.

Begin with setting achievable goals and keep reasonable expectations in mind. It could be something as simple as increasing your social media presence or creating awareness for your small business. What are you trying to accomplish? Is it to become more attractive to potential employers? Be sure to brainstorm all of your thoughts and narrow them down to no more than three goals. This will provide you with a helpful framework for your personal brand and keep you from getting sidetracked.

Identify Target Markets

Next, it’s important to identify your unique sales proposition (USP); what do you have to offer? Combining your niche market with your passion will provide more focus while you’re developing your individual brand. If you stray too far from your personal niche, you risk diluting your efforts and slowing the process. However, once your individual brand is established, then you can begin to dip your toe in more unfamiliar territory. But don’t stray too far from your target market.

Who would benefit from seeing your content? What are the demographics and interests of your target market? For instance, if your personal niche is web design and SEO, then you’re likely going to target people who are interested in marketing and web design. Find out where they’re networking and whether they are attending business conferences or symposiums. Make it a point to attend the same conference and start networking. Identifying your target market is worth the effort and should be done methodically and thoughtfully.

Use A Website To Tell Your Brand’s Story

Another way to put your brand out there is to create a personal website. Featuring an online portfolio helps potential employers see the quality of your work. A website can offer more granular detail, allowing the employer to uncover more information about you than a resume. It’s also a unique opportunity to reveal your brand’s personality. Having an industry-specific blog on your website also showcases a breadth of knowledge and experience.

Attracting Your Target Audience

Always strive to write engaging and useful information that people are interested in and want to interact with. This will carry a lot of momentum for attracting your target audience and gaining their trust. Be sure to include a detailed biography in the “about” section of your website. Write a summary of your bio and include it on each one of your social channels. Your biography can include your history, goals, accomplishments, professional affiliations and hobbies.

Create your social media presence and curate content for each social channel. Posting on Facebook or Instagram is more casual and can amplify your brand expression. Whereas, posting on LinkedIn demands a more professional tone and more serious content.

Networking Is Important To Showcase Your Brand

Attend business conferences to develop relationships with other people in your industry. Networking is a key component for expanding your contacts and a great way to build your reputation. It also gets you in front of people looking for the type of content and insights you provide. If business conferences aren’t an option, social media is the perfect place to showcase your brand, build rapport with industry leaders, collaborate and become a part of that online community.

Using A Content Calendar For Your Brand

Now that you’ve established a core strategy for marketing your individual brand or business, it’s vital that you stay active with the process. Posting content to your website and social media is necessary to remain top of mind with your existing audience and will serve to attract new followers to your brand.

Create a schedule of your actions with specific and measurable goals. Using a content calendar can be a tremendous help when it comes to consistency. They should be flexible and be updated as you evaluate your results. Highlighting posts or blogs that received favorable responses can help you determine the type of content to expand on as you move forward.

We’ve covered a lot of effective methods to help with your brand expression. Remember to be authentic when curating content for your website and social media. Your personal brand will have a lot more influence when you’re able to showcase your personality, values and mission.

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How Informational Interviews Help You Learn About Possible Career Paths

A young woman learns about different career paths through informational interviews

There’s been a big shake-up in the workplace in the past two years, and you might be asking yourself how you may be able to transfer relevant skills and experience to a different industry. Perhaps you’re looking to work in the same general field, but are curious about possible career paths in different organizations. Or, maybe you’re seeking career progression for the sake of better pay, greater responsibility or both. 

Wherever you find yourself in your career path, it’s always beneficial to have more information before you make any professional changes. Informational interviewing can help you learn more about any possible career paths you may be considering.

What Is Informational Interviewing?

In an informational interview, you ask a knowledgeable professional for information about their career. That’s right – you become the interviewer. These discussions tend to be informal in nature and should not be seen as an opportunity to ask for a job. Most likely, the professionals you ask to share their career path story will not work in HR and will not be looking to dole out any favors to someone they just met. 

The person you speak with will, however, be excited to explain their professional journey, daily tasks they are responsible for and any advice they deem applicable to your particular career goals. 

While this counsel is useful, if it doesn’t directly result in landing a job then why should you spend time setting up these informational interviews?

What Are The Benefits Of Informational Interviews?

The knowledge you gain from informational interviews will be invaluable as you begin mapping out possible career paths. The interviewee will be able to share the realities of the workplace not only through their personal experiences but possibly even through their own network connections. 

If you chose a mid- or senior-level professional to interview, you might learn how they climbed to the top and some practical tips on how to land your first position in this journey. Additionally, the professional might be inclined to share how they  might have done things differently if they could restart their own career path. 

Ultimately, you may realize the industry or organization does not belong on your own career path; one or two interviews can save you potentially years of learning the hard way! At the very least, you now have a new business connection who can point you in another direction or set up an interview with someone in their network.

Informational interviews provide indispensable knowledge when researching possible career paths and bring you one step closer to landing a new job.

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Laid Off? Here’s How To Get A Job Now

Upset businesswoman feel unmotivated trying to apply for jobs

Life over the past year and a half has taken plenty of twists and turns. This fact definitely applies to the job market. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, many people have been laid off due to less work and closing businesses.

It can be hard to get back on your feet and find your next opportunity after being laid off. As such, Josephine’s Professional Staffing has come up with a few tips to help you land that next job after being laid off.

1).  Allocate Time To Your Job Search

According to this article from Indeed, you should, “treat your job search like a job.” This is one of the best tips for finding a new position after you’ve been laid off. The more time you spend on refreshing your resume, editing your cover letter and reaching out to potential employers, the more likely you are to find that next opportunity. It might seem obvious, but spend that time you would’ve spent at your previous job looking for your next one. 

2).  Update Your LinkedIn Profile

This tip is a crucial one for finding a job once you’ve been laid off. Along with refreshing your resume and cover letter template, don’t forget to update your LinkedIn profile, or make one if you haven’t already. If you were at your previous job for a while, then there’s a good chance your profile has remained untouched. A large number of employers are turning to platforms like LinkedIn exclusively when hiring, so it’s very important that everything looks put together on your profile. 

This article from The Muse suggests that you should do things like add keywords to your profile in order to show up in recruiter searches, ask for LinkedIn recommendations and try making “thought leadership” posts to your newsfeed to draw attention to your profile.  

3).  Try Something New

Finding inspiration after being laid off can be challenging. However, this could be a perfect time to try a career in a different industry. This might not always be possible due to finances or job requirements, but if you end up spotting an opportunity that you’ve always wanted, don’t be afraid to take the jump – even if it’s not what you’re used to. 

Being laid off can help you reassess your goals and priorities. Have you always wanted to switch things up? This could be your chance. Additionally, you may find that other industries have more job openings, making it easier for you to find a job after being laid off. 

You might feel defeated after being laid off but there’s no reason to! There are plenty of jobs out there waiting for you to apply. Let us help you find that next opportunity!
Want to learn more job search tips and industry news to help you grow your career? Visit the Josephine’s Professional Staffing blog for a variety of posts on the topic.

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How-To Networking Guide: 3 Helpful Tips for Job Seekers

Active job seekers know the value of networking. It is a great way to meet other professionals in your industry and make connections that last for years to come. As important as networking is for job seekers, making these types of connections can often times be intimidating.

Whether you have a couple of connections already, or are just starting out, here are our top three networking tips to help you get exposure in the job market. 

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How to Craft an Effective Cover Letter

Girl working on a laptop.

A cover letter is just as important as a resume for a job application; it gives job seekers a format to showcase to potential employers the reasons they are the best candidate for the job.

Writing a cover letter is challenging, and before you begin you’ll want to understand the dynamics of the company, the challenges and trends they might be facing, and how your knowledge and skills as an employee will bring value and enthusiasm to the position.

To get you started, let’s go through the entire document and review the beginning, middle and end of an effective cover letter.

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The Benefit of Non-Traditional Interview Questions

nontraditional interview questions

If you’re someone who is regularly put in charge of interviewing potential candidates for a position – no matter the industry – the applicants can start to blend together after a while. And if you’re an individual who has been through the interview process frequently, chances are you’re honing in on the key words and phrases that will get you through the first round.

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How to Write a Professional Email

How to write a professional email

For many industries and companies, email is one of the most common forms of communication, whether it’s used for a quick response or a longer detailed message.

Since this method of communication is used often, there is a lot of room for error, which can negatively impact yourself and your business.

Here are a few tips to remember when writing and sending emails that could save you a lot of grief.

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