How Desperate is Your Desperate?

 

Well I am not sure if our society has hit its peak of thriving or shame, but every time I read the news the stories being released are growing more astonishing.  I am actually not sure why I am surprised, when in reality I should just be repeating over and over again in my head- typical.

 We all know the stigmas with dating websites- only the weirdo’s of society are on them or our parents.  But as 2014 starts to get rolling, people are increasingly starting to come out of the woodwork confessing they are using them.  So after reading a rather “astonishing” article today, it leads me to believe how dating websites perhaps are not that bad!  Well if you are looking for love then yes they are still bad, but if you are trying to advance your career then yes you should be hoping onto match.com.

 A staffing recruiter has confessed to using dating websites as his major source for finding top talent for placing candidates into new positions.  He expresses how you are able to find enough detailed personal information that you are able to “get savvy” enough to understand what people have been doing/want to do career wise.  As well he lists all of the quality attributes to the newest recruiting technique of 2014:

 “You do find out quite a bit about the person based on these interactions, which could make for better cultural hiring fits.”

“You can find out how crazy someone is, which also might help in finding out a bad hire—before you hire them.”

“Specialized dating sites like Black People Meet, etc. could offer a great pool for diversity hiring.”

So before you decide to throw away all of your techniques, research skills, and list of contacts in your network as a recruiter/head hunter and join a dating website, you should really reflect on how truly desperate you are within your love life.  Oh excuse me I meant professional life.  With the increases in social media costs to advertise and limitations on attending different networking events- this could be a cost efficient new tool for the staffing world to begin using.  Oh and may I add right before you decide to change your whole business development strategy, I thought I should mention that the recruiter that wrote the article and joined all these dating websites is married… 

A Global Epidemic: Brain Freeze

 

So you are drinking one of those frozen, artificially flavored blue concoctions from your friendly local gas station, and all of a sudden, brain freeze!  Those are the worst, and they don’t always come from slurping your Slurpee too fast.   Everyone has had that moment where their cranium ceases the firing of thoughts, and you are left with a lovely fish out of water look. Here is a list of actual labels that appear on consumer goods, that seem to recognize that brain freezes are becoming more common…or that everyone is just getting more daft.     

On a bar of Dial soap: Use like regular soap.

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: Product will be hot after heating.

On packaging got a Rowenta iron: Do not iron clothes on body.

On an American Airline packet of nuts: Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.

On a child’s superman costume: Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.

If only everything in life was spelled out so clearly, and on the comprehension level of a 3^rd grader.  Unfortunately, everyday life does not come with such blatant instructions, and we sometimes need help.  At Search Solution Group, one of our missions is to get people through those brain freeze moments that come with job hunting.  What to do, what to say, what to think; there are so many questions that we can provide friendly and helpful guidance for, so that you land the job.  Even though it is not always as easy as opening a packet of airline peanuts, our enthusiastic and dedicated staff will help get you through your job hunt with as few glitches as possible.  On the other hand, how fast you drink your brightly colored frozen treats is completely on you.  

How Not to Baba Booey an Interview

We know it. We have studied it. We dread it. The Interview. When you are actively searching for jobs many thoughts run through your mind: “This position looks like it fits me, I’m going to apply!” or “Awesome! They sent me a positive email/phone response to my application!” and “What do I wear? What time do I arrive? How do I act for… The Interview?!” Let’s face it interviews are terrifying! No matter how prepared you are, how well you are suited for the job or how nice the interviewer is, that “interview panic” stays with you before, during and for a little while after you knock their socks off…or don’t (but that’s why you are reading this!). So here are seven tips and tricks for how to make a positive impression:

1.    Make Your Resume Relevant

Over the course of our professional careers our resumes are going to be edited dramatically not only from the variety of positions we will hold, but also from altering each resume for each job application. You may have held 10 internship positions in your college career, from working at a magazine, graphic design, carpentry, etc., but that doesn’t mean that your potential future employer needs to know, nor cares about all of these positions. Make sure that what you list on your resume applies to the job you are hoping to get! Sure, add a few things to show that you are well rounded, but not too many. Make it relevant not ridiculous.

2.    Practice, Practice, Practice

No matter how many interviews you have attempted, practice always makes perfect! Look up common interview questions and practice your responses to them. Make sure that your responses are short and relevant to the position. The more you practice the more confident and competent you will look!

 3.    10-15 Minutes

Arriving on time is arriving late. If your interview is at 9:00 a.m. be there at 8:45, 8:50 at the latest. Without saying anything, your timely, or not so timely, arrival shows how important this position is to you and what kind of worker you are. Arriving early is the easiest way to make a positive impression, so plan ahead and show them you are serious!

4.    Do Your Homework

One of the most common interview questions is: So tell me what you know about (company’s name)? If you can’t sum up the basics from what is on the company’s website or social media pages, you mine as well just apologize for being a moron/wasting their time, and leave. Like showing up early, knowing basic facts about the company’s history and goals is a must and shows how seriously you do and will take this position. Make them feel like you have been a part of the team for years from all that you know about the company!

5.    Dress The Part

Dressing the part goes hand-in-hand with doing your homework on the company. For example, showing up for an interview at a laid-back company that sells surfboards in a suit is not appropriate and quite frankly borders on embarrassing. The same goes for showing up at an interview with a law firm in jeans and a t-shirt. Like showing up early, this is a non-verbal cue that shows how much work you have put into your research on the company and what you know about the position you are hoping to fill.

6.    Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Some Q’s!

The best way to show that you are engaged in the interview is to ask questions throughout, and end it with a few closing q’s! Questions like: What are you looking for in the employee who fills this position? And, When are you hoping to fill this position by? Are great ways to look as though not only do you want the position, but you are willing to be whatever they need you to be and you are ready to start immediately. Obviously, do not ask these questions if they have already been discussed in the interview, so make sure you come up with a list of 5 or 6 ahead of time. 

7.    Follow Up!

Lastly, after your interview, when they smack themselves in the head wondering where you had been hiding all this time because of how perfect you are for this job, follow up. Send an email, or hand-write a thank you card (the latter is a great choice in an age where technology has overtaken personal mail), expressing your gratitude to them for taking the time to interview you and emphasize your continued interest in the position. Be prompt and professional! As I have repeated, show them that you are serious about their company and this position!

Motivational Mantras

It’s the beginning of January! New Years Day is still fresh in our minds! So what does that call for? Motivational quote time! Here at Search Solution Group we are all about being our best selves and loving our lives and what we chose to do with them! So, we have decided to share some of our favorite quotes with you to help you conquer that inner, or outer, battle you may be facing!

Ashley:

“ A year from now you will wish you had started today.”

-“I believe in going after your dreams and goals. Procrastination will not get you there.”

Eric:

 “The choice isn’t between success and failure: it’s between choosing risk and striving for greatness, or risking nothing and being certain of mediocrity.” –Keith Ferrazzi

-“I’ve always liked this quote because it serves as a reminder to push the envelope. Without risk, there is no reward.”

Candace:

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” –Thomas Edison

-“This means never giving up. Deciding what you’re made of and proving that you can accomplish your goals. Follow-through, Follow-up, never give up…”

Danielle:

 “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, your destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.” –Steve Jobs

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

-“I am a planner, overly so, and can easily feel overwhelmed with the uncertainty of the future. These two  [quotes] really help to push me out of my comfort zone which is usually when the most exciting things happen!”

Aaron:

 “Esse Quam Videri” = “To be, rather than to seem (to be)” –State Motto of NC

-“A.k.a. = don’t talk about it, be about it. Let your actions define your words.”

Angelique:

“Our whole philosophy is one of transparency.”

-“I think that self-awareness is the most necessary trait someone can possess. You can never enhance your character or stimulate personal and professional growth unless you truly understand your current state of strengths and weaknesses.”

Hannah:

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take you to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

– “There are so many things you want your life to turn out to be, things that you desire, hopes and dreams, but the only way to be able to look back on your life with minimal regrets is if you accept that, without your permission, the time will pass and it is your choice what to do with it.”

Dave:

“Be nicer than necessary to everyone you meet.  Everyone is fighting some kind of battle.”

-“I like this quote because I believe it is very true, and I like giving people the benefit of the doubt.”

How pumped are you about life right now?! Are you ready to go and be the best you can be? Here at SSG we are all about doing what we love and loving what we do. If you are not there yet, give us a call, we can help you figure it out! I decided to close this post with our final and most moving motivational quote of all from none other than our SSG President:

Jeremy:

 “We need people to suck at their jobs, it makes us look better. Thank you for sucking at life and your job.” 

–“SSG is successful for a number of reasons, but mainly because other recruiters have failed to do the bare minimum to make their candidates and clients happy. We at SSG have to continue doing the little things to succeed.”

Sharknado, Miley, Paris, & Search Solution Group Celebrate Halloween

As the week winds up towards Halloween, Search Solution Group is getting ready to compete in an epic costume contest! Last weekend was a crazy weekend in Uptown Charlotte with some insanely creative costumes abounding. One brilliant costume was Sharknado, a made for TV SyFy movie about a water tornado that lifts sharks out of the water and deposits them on the unsuspecting inhabitants of LA.  Inhabitants like Paris Hilton who was dressed up this year like Miley Cyrus.

 

Possibly Paris?

It’s hard to tell, but we’re pretty sure that Paris Hilton really dressed up like Sharknado this year in NoDa, Charlotte. Pretty sure.

Search Solution Group works so hard that we feel as equally obligated to play just as hard. We love having fun and Halloween is the perfect excuse to do just that! We love celebrating and some could say that we go all out. This year, Search Solution Group‘s theme is “TV Show Characters from the past decade. It’s a tough one, and there are sure to be some of the most creative costumes this year. You can help pick a winner this year by going to our Facebook page on Thursday and voting for whoever you think should win!

As an executive recruiting firm full of young and talented recruiters, Search Solution Group finds itself relating to a lot of what is going on around the world. With North Carolina still high up in the percentages of unemployment ( as of september 20th, it was at 8.7% of the labor force being unemployed), our recruiters are working hard to get you back to work. A lot of finding the right candidates is by searching through resumes and applicants, but most often, the most successful placements are through making a personal connection to the job poster or the employer.

Connect with Search Solution Group on LinkedIn to have an insider’s advantage to the job application process. Join networking groups in your local communities and find yourself at as many of their events as you can handle. Being proactive and politely aggressive during your job search is going to worlds of wonder for you.

Now be sure to connect with us on LinkedIn, Check out our photos on Facebook on Thursday, and give us a shout! We are the most approachable recruiters out there and we would love to hear from you!

 

 

 

 

Be PREPARED

I recently heard a good story and it is a TRUE story, which happens to be my favorite kind of story.

So this guy wants to purchase a new house and despite all the warnings out there he proceeds to use a “not too sharp” realtor. Not to digress too much but I am pretty proud of myself for not insulting the realtor during the beginning of this story. As things proceed he finds a nice home that he would love to purchase and settle into. Sounds like the American dream coming true…..

For time sake lets fast forward to day two of the negotiating between the two parties. In the blue corner we have the buyer and his realtor and in the red corner standing by himself is the seller’s realtor. Like any good negotiation you go into it prepared having done research on every angle possible and then you prepare mentally for the conversation. What is your angle? What will they counter with? How will handle that? What will be my close? What will my tone be and how will I win?

All of this is basic. It is the same stuff that I do for my candidates or clients when we are negotiating salaries, vacations and total offer packages. HECK it is the same stuff we do here at Search Solution Group sometimes to convince a client to interview a candidate. It is all about being prepared and knowing your industry and client. This is the bottom of the barrel type of skills it takes to be employed….it really is!!

Guess what happens? Come on GUESS!!!!!!! This is great…the realtor for the buyer starts shooting her mouth off about the school districts and how they are not as good and blah blah blah. This is where it really gets GREAT for a sarcastic ahole like me, if I was in the room. The opposing realtor as described to me in vivid and great details from the buyer just starts to slowly smile and sit up in his chair a little higher. He arches his back and extends his spine. You know the feeling when you are playing poker with your friends and you know you have them beat because you have the final ACE!! He just slowly and confidently with all the swagger of a classic John Wayne movie says that you have the wrong zip codes and that this is the best school district…..BAMMMMM

The buyer said that his gut sank and he felt like throwing up!! His last chance to save some money on his dream home was just LOST due to an incompetent, poorly prepared realtor!!! OUCH!!

My point of this story is BE PREPARED! I do not care if it is a first interview or a cup of coffee for an informal get together or if you are going to purchase a new TV. All of the successful people I know in my life are always prepared. They get it right the first time because they are committed to being successful.

Job History & the secrets that they tell

I have been in the recruiting business for over twelve years and have owned this firm for almost a full ten years, the anniversary date is fast approaching. We have worked with clients from California to Maine and across the ocean in Europe. We have filled all sorts of interesting positions for our clients, some have been easy others much more challenging. But there seems to be one common job qualification that our clients have almost unanimously asked for or asked about……JOB HISTORY. They want to hire candidates with a good JOB HISTORY. I get it and I want to explain it to you.

 I am sure not everyone is going to agree with me and those who don’t will probably be those who have poor job history for either being fired(most likely numerous times), being stupid and quitting a job without another job or starting a business and not being smart enough to have it last more than a few months.  When I am trying to coach candidates and my employees on how to handle certain situations in this business I often use dating analogies because interviewing is so similar to dating. You need to make a really good first impression and leave the interviewer wanting more and excited to want to see you again. Heck after a good first date we all go and tell our buddies or girlfriends, that is what we want the interviewer to go and do. We want that person to tell their co-workers, make a special trip to see the VP or CEO and tell them how good this candidate is that we just interviewed.  However seldom if ever is someone running down the hall telling everyone how great the interview was and saying it is ok ” they have been laid off from the last 6 jobs in the last 3 years, but none if it was their fault”. That is such crap!!  We were just doing our morning meeting when one of our favorite clients called, she and most of her team have all been with the same company for over 20 years!! That is incredible and the majority of them live and work in a borderline economically depressed area of the country, so I don’t want to hear the excuses. They don’t quite get people who leave job after job and for that matter job history is an important part of the resume and interview process for this client and many more we work with.

Now this leads me to one of those moments when I finally saw the light. As a lot of you know I consider myself more of a behaviorist than a recruiter or business owner. Just like a really good poker player can read and find tells in their opponents I can read and hear what people are going to do most of the time when it comes to interviewing, selling and how they will react to certain situations. How do I do this?  If I told everyone than those of you smart enough to read might actually be half as successful as I am, so for now it’s my secret(s). But back to the light, I was attempting to get back together with my girlfriend for the 3rd time when she asked me to help her with her resume. That is when it finally made sense to me, she had a span of 3 years when she had 6 jobs. Just leaving for any old reason (my boss was mean to me that day, this other company offered me 1.00 dollar more) running from one problem to the next without trying to make her current situation better or for that matter herself better.

Again, dating is so much like interviewing if you ever get the chance to see your significant others resume and they have  bad job history, put on your NIKES and run like Forest Gump did !!!

You are so Perfect – What Kind of Candidate do you think you are?

Here I go again, bursting your bubble and telling you stuff you don’t want to hear. However, open your eyes and ears because I am speaking the truth! I know it hurts , but it’s the reality of the world we live in. I made this mistake when I was 18 or maybe even 23 years old. But really, if you graduated from college and have been working for a few years, you should not be making this crucial mistake. It’s to the point when I hear it or see it in an email I cringe!! It’s as bad as running your ugly gross nails across a chalkboard.

STOP I repeat STOP telling me and anyone else you are perfect for a job! Because you are not Perfect and nobody is. You might be good or the best candidate for the job today, or a solid fit. Sadly, you might just be good enough for what we need now and we will deal with it later fit. You might even be a good temporary fit or in most cases not a good fit at all. BUT you are never a perfect fit, it just doesn’t happen.

So, tell me your point of contact or your potential new boss that your skills match up well and the culture seems to fit you very well. Say you are excited to be interviewing for this position because you love the industry or the location is close to your home or favorite restaurant.  Say anything, but PERFECT. It’s the biggest turn off to see a seasoned professional, especially an HR professional send me an email and say how he/she is a perfect fit for “said job”. If you have to tell me you are a perfect fit and I cannot not tell that you are qualified for the job by looking at your CV then guess what, you are trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. It just won’t work.

I am telling this to you to help you. If you disagree, let me hear it……..