3 Tips for Attracting Recent Graduates to Your Job Openings

3 Tips for Attracting Recent Graduates to Your Job Openings Did you know there are benefits to hiring recent college graduates? They’re cost-effective, impressionable, and eager to work. However, winning over attractive candidates that every other business is going after can be a challenge. Rudimentary recruiting strategies no longer work. Today’s most talented and qualified college graduates are getting offers from multiple companies before they even finish school. In order to get your name in the running for these individuals, you have to step up your game and become more strategic in how you approach and lure them into the fold. 1. Offer Perks Millennials view their jobs as a part of their life â€" not something that they do from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s not as much desire to separate work and personal life. Instead, today’s millennial employees would prefer that the two naturally merge and balance one another out. One way to attract recent college grads to your organization is to offer perks and benefits that make life easier on employees. For example, you might consider purchasing brand new smartphones for your new hires. To your organization, a cell phone and accompanying plan only costs a few hundred dollars per year. To a candidate, it could be an influential factor that encourages him to choose your company over a competing company. 2. Encourage Flexibility If you think today’s college graduates are only enticed by dollar signs, think again. Many are actually more interested in flexibility. According to a recent study of millennials, 37 percent of participants said they would take a 6 to 12 percent pay cut if an employer offered flexible hours. The awesome thing about flexible hours is that it’s a whole lot more practical now than it was a decade ago. With connected devices, cloud software, and other remote working technologies, employees can usually work from home just as easily as they can in the office. Are there ways you can encourage flexibility in your organization? 3. Sell the Culture When you think about what it would be like to work for a company like Google, what comes to mind? In all likelihood, you picture generous perks, a casual dress code, free meals, napping stations, and flexible scheduling. Why do all of these things come to mind? Because Google has made a commitment to selling its company culture to those in the job market. While you might not have the same brand recognition as Google, you should still make a commitment to selling your company culture. Word travels fast and people will notice what you’re doing. An investment in recruitment advertising may be worth looking into, but make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. “Note that the goal of recruitment advertising is not simply to attract candidates based on your companys advantages, but also to give candidates a realistic cultural preview,” explains Steven Hunt, Ph.D. “The purpose of recruiting is to sell the job to the kinds of people who will flourish in your company. The best recruitment advertising attracts good candidates while simultaneously discouraging applicants who would not fit in with the company culture.” Become a More Strategic Recruiter Most talented college graduates aren’t going to knock your door down and beg for a chance. In fact, they often expect employers to take on this role. As you look to enhance your organization’s talent, you need to adopt a more strategic approach. The tips outlined in this article should help you compete for the candidates that you want most. About the author:  Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship.

Writing a Resume For a Mature Worker

Writing a Resume For a Mature WorkerWriting a resume for a mature worker requires more effort, an effort that can be taken out of your job duties. Mature workers tend to have a shorter duration of employment and will often turn over the task of writing their resume on a daily basis. You may be able to take on this work if you are trained in resume writing, but if you are not it is recommended that you consider a professional writing company to handle the job.You should know that there are many different kinds of resumes. Most companies that require one will have their own specific requirements when it comes to age and education level. You can get started by finding a company that specializes in writing a resume for a mature worker and follow their advice.When considering the resume, it is helpful to find a writer's opinion on whether you should start with your education or your experience. If you write it yourself you can start with your education first. The reason for this is that i t will give you a more effective layout that will impress the employer and the interviewer. However, if you decide to use a resume writer to help you with the resume, they may suggest that you begin by including your experiences.When writing a resume for a mature worker you will need to think about the skills and qualifications that you possess. You may want to take notes on certain aspects of the job that are important to you. You can include details of specific skills and experience that would help the potential employer see why you are a good fit for the position. If you feel that you are too busy to put in the time to write a quality resume, consider using a professional writing service that can do it for you.There are several companies that offer resumes for mature workers and most have samples available online to help you make the decision. This is a great way to see how the resume is written and how it should look. The professional writing service will provide you with a samp le that you can follow in order to create the professional resume that will impress the company and the employer.While you may have considered the needs of the employer, it is still a good idea to consider your own needs when writing a resume. You can include the details of your experience and specific skills that you can bring to the job. In addition, you should list any awards or certifications that you have acquired along with your work history.You may have a resume that does not include all of the details that you would like to include. If this is the case, try to include these details as well. You should include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.You should try to include an extra information section at the end of the resume. This extra information will allow you to clarify your answers to any questions that the employer may have had. The extra information section should be filled with facts and personal details that will show that you are a hard worker who is interested in the job.

First-time buyers 10 mistakes to avoid

First-time buyers 10 mistakes to avoid You’ve made the decision to buy your first property and you’ve saved the deposit. The expert team at Pump Sales Direct have rounded up some of the common first time buyers mistakes you should try to avoid. Not finding out how much you can borrow Do not make assumptions about how much you can borrow, without checking first. Remember that lenders will decide how much to lend you based on both your income AND your outgoings. Even if you have a high salary and a large deposit, you may still be offered less than you expected, if you are deemed to be living beyond your means. To avoid disappointment, get an idea of how much you can borrow before you start looking at properties. Not using an independent mortgage advisor Many estate agents have in-house financial advisers. You are not obliged to use these advisers. But many first time buyers are unaware of the other choices available to them. Or they believe that they stand a better chance of getting a mortgage approved with the estate agent’s advisers. In actual fact, you may be missing out on a wider choice of deals by not looking further afield. Failing to draw up a list of property priorities Draw up a list of property essentials, such as number of rooms, proximity to transport, schools, your place of work etc. Begin your property hunt online, on sites such as Rightmove, and get a feel for the type of property that works for you. After this, move on to more specific things such as outdoor space, construction era, period features and other “nice to haves”. Failing to think long term There is a good chance that in a few years, you will be thinking about selling up and buying something bigger or better. Think long term about how easy it will be to sell on. Avoid, for example, flats in high-rises or over commercial premises, and those with short leases or of non-standard construction. However tempting the price, properties like these are better for buy to let investors. Letting your heart rule your head You’ll want to find a property you love, but this is the one time you should let your head rule. If you aren’t sure that you can be totally objective, take a level-headed and eagle-eyed friend with you on the second viewing to help spot potential minefields. Not paying attention to detail during viewings It’s easy to get carried away during a house viewing. So take care not to get so distracted that you don’t notice potential red flags. Listen out for noisy roads, access issues, lots of clutter denoting lack of storage space, and even signs of problem neighbours. Rushing in with an asking price offer As a first time buyer with a pre-arranged mortgage, you are at the front of the queue of buyers. Your chain free position also gives you a negotiating edge. A bit of research to see how long the property has been on the market, and how quickly the sellers need to proceed, will also give you greater haggling power to possibly get the final purchase price down. Relying solely on a mortgage valuation Remember that your mortgage lender’s valuation is not a survey.  It does not offer you any protection should something turn out to be seriously wrong with the property. Neglecting to get a proper survey before exchanging contracts could cost you a lot more than the few hundred pounds you are trying to save Underestimating how long the process will take Having your offer accepted does not guarantee you’ll be skipping down to your estate agents to pick up your keys. Many purchases take 12 weeks or more. So if you are renting your current property, take care not to make yourself homeless by giving notice too early. Not getting buildings insurance after the exchange In the UK, once you have exchanged contracts on a property, you take legal responsibility for it. This means that you bear the risk should something happen to the property after exchange. Purchasing buildings insurance will cover your costs should the unexpected happen. Once you’ve finally got the keys to you brand new property, don’t forget to get a list of local suppliers for all those jobs that are needed to make your house your home. Image Source    Image Source    Image Source    Image Source

Cultural Fit and Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Cultural Fit and Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career So what is cultural fit and how does it relate to personal branding? A recent article in Forbes, Employers Hire Potential Drinking Buddies Ahead of Top Candidates, got me thinking about this question. After all, your qualifications and credentials are the table stakes that will get your foot in the door, but your character is what more and more employers are evaluating to ensure the right fit. More and more organizations are willing to overlook a lack of certain skills. Skills can be taught. Teaching someone to able to fit into the culture is really hard to do. The Forbes article even mentioned what one hiring manager calls the stranded in the airport test when considering candidates Would I want to be stuck in an airport in a snowstorm with them? Here are 4 quick tips to prepare you for the cultural fit test. 1. Know Your VPs and Do Your Homework The foundation of your personal is often called your  VPs vision, purpose, values, and passions. Vision: Your image of  what  you see possible for the world â€" your desired future. Purpose: Your role in turning your vision into reality. Values: The ideals or operating principles that determine how you conduct your day-to-day activities. Your values are true to you and you do not compromise them. Passions: This is what motivates and energizes you. Your passions get you out of bed in the morning. Once you know your VPs do your homework to determine if you are even a good cultural fit for an organization. Dont waste your time interviewing at places that are not aligned with your VPs. 2. Turn the Tables Take the initiative to ask questions to the interviewer that would elicit details about their culture. Rather than simply being the evaluated, turn the tables and evaluate them! Decide if the culture of the organization matches you. 3. Dont Eliminate Interests   I have read many experts tell us that we need to eliminate our personal interests from our resumes. I have to totally disagree with this. Your interests may just be one of the deciding factors that give you the edge over someone else who has the same or similar credentials. Call it biased if you want, but if an interest in cycling helps you to stand out among 5 others vying for the same position, then work it and use it to your advantage! 4. Prepare for Odd-Ball Questions “What songs best describes your work ethic?”  â€œWhat do you think about when you are alone in your car?”  â€œPick two celebrities to be your parents.”  â€œWhat kitchen utensil would you be? Employment site Glassdoor.com released their list of top 25 oddball interview questions for 2013 and these are just 4 examples from the list. The point here is that job interviews are becoming more like first dates and off-topic interview questions are fast becoming one of the key ways to test for cultural fit. In the end you still need to promote your credentials. After all, you have worked hard to acquire your specialized skills and expertise so flaunt them. However, be more proactive about communicating the real you  your story because as Michael Margolis of getstoried.com says, You have to get others to believe and identify with your story. When you can do that â€" the need to persuade, convince, or sell disappears.” Author: Peter  Sterlacci  is known as “Japan’s personal branding pioneer” and is one of only 15 Master level Certified Personal Branding Strategists in the world. He is introducing a leading global personal branding methodology to companies and careerists in Japan and adapting it for the Japanese culture. In a culture where fitting-in is the norm, his mission is to pioneer a ‘cultural shift’ by helping Japanese to stand out in a global environment. His background spans over 21 years in intercultural consulting, international outreach, and global communication coaching.

Do You Have to Attend Interviews? Try a Top Resume Writing Job

Do You Have to Attend Interviews? Try a Top Resume Writing JobThere are a number of job applicants who get discouraged when they find out that they have to undergo an interview where they will have to prepare for and submit their resume. But if you can manage it, then do not fret, you can still come up with a good resume even when you do not have to go through a full day of interviews.A top resume for the job of a project manager is one that shows your ability to organize your work effectively and create a clear and concise presentation to your interviewer. All this can be done easily if you have first prepared a well-written, to-the-point resume for your next job. If you want to be sure to get your application noticed, here are some tips on how to write a resume that will impress your prospective employer.The first and most important factor to consider is the type of position you are applying for. It can be anything ranging from contract analyst to project manager. An important fact or in your resume is the skills you have, particularly in your area of specialization. Once you have your specialty and the skills you will be applying for, look at the areas of specialization.When preparing a resume for a project manager, make sure you list all the duties, tools and materials you will be using during the project and how you plan to use them. Consider how your skills will help your employer develop better working procedures, giving the workers a more efficient way of doing their work.In addition, a top resume for project managers should always have some projects under your belt. This will demonstrate how your management style can translate to more projects and better results and will serve as a source of motivation and drive to continue with your work.A top resume for a data entry worker is quite different than a top resume for a project manager. A data entry worker does not necessarily know any numbers, but they do know their way around a computer. You can even wri te your top resume by creating a complete check list in your head of all the tasks you need to perform for a project and how you will do them.For your top resume, also consider your extracurricular activities, past job duties and professional references. By putting all of these together, you can create a well-rounded resume that will show your ability to organize and focus on your job.Top resume writing can be done even when you do not have to attend an interview because you already have a working knowledge of the position. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your resume:

A Job Applicants Guide to Using a Resume Personal Summary

A Job Applicant's Guide to Using a Resume Personal SummaryIf you are having trouble creating a resume that is effective, you can always use a resume personal summary. This article will talk about what this form of resume can do for you and how it can help you succeed in your career.When you are looking for a job you might feel like you have been applying to the same jobs over again without success. In order to break through and get a foot in the door you need to start a new resume. A lot of times people wait until they get a new job before they start a new one. Instead, you should always be changing your resume to make sure that you are always improving your skills.A resume personal summary is an easy way to make sure that you keep your skills up to date. Instead of sending out dozens of letters and applications you can simply use a form of resume to describe what you can do for a job. Your resume will focus on your qualifications while you describe what you have already done. This k eeps your skills fresh and will help you get noticed when it comes time to apply for a new job.A resume summary should not be used by itself. Instead, you should use this form of resume to compliment other types of resumes that you send out. This makes it so that you can reach out to more people than just your potential future employers. You can send out a summary to your previous employer or anyone else who you think might be interested in your resume. It can also be helpful if you want to send your resume to a school or an agency that might be hiring you.There are many reasons why you would want to use a summary. It can save you a lot of time, it is more personal and it is easy to get rid of and edit later. In addition, it can get you a better offer if you are in the right position.For example, if you are applying for a job as a secretary you might want to find yourself a short letter explaining why you want to work for this company. Instead of sending out dozens of letters, you c an simply email this to your current employer with a resume personal summary attached. This means that you can add the details of your experience to any job that you are applying for because it will show that you are more than qualified.When you are using a resume personal summary, you should include your education and experience at the top of the page. Then you can add a paragraph on the right hand side where you can discuss the skills that you have that will be relevant to the job. Make sure that you use the key words that will be used to search for you in the job search engines.Remember that a resume personal summary is a way to get started on building a resume that is relevant to the job that you are trying to find. It should never be the only thing that you have sent out. If you want to stay ahead of the competition you need to look for other ways to get your information out there.

5 Ways to Reduce Stress While Job Searching - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

5 Ways to Reduce Stress While Job Searching Anyone who has been between jobs will know that it can be an extremely stressful time. Having to eat into your savings to tide you over, worrying finding a job you will like, feeling nervous about your first day at a new company or generally feeling at a loose end while you are in between positions are all factors that make hunting for and starting a new job one of the most stressful events in your life. Since we all need a job to pay the bills it’s well worth looking to cut the stress. Here’s our guide on how to do that… Friends and family One of the first things to consider is getting external help, especially if looking for work makes you feel stressed. This can be as simple asking friends, family and other business contacts if they know of any roles going in the company you work for or if they can put a good word in for you. After all, a 2012 report from ABC News showed that 80% of jobs are landed through networking. You might be surprised, too, as to what tips and tricks your friends and family might have picked up over the years. Recruitment company However, if you’ve not got a network of relevant contacts to fall back on, then you can still call on external help by utilising the services of a recruitment company. These companies act to fill the void, giving you professional advice and networking opportunities that can ease the burden. Specialist companies are especially handy for giving you an insight into your chosen industry. So, if you’re in teaching you’ll want to enlist the services of someone like EduStaff, for example, who will have the knowledge you need to match your abilities, experiences and expectations to a post. Specialist organisations should also have close relationships with individual employers, getting you the ear of the right people. Upload CV Job hunters can also do themselves the power of good by making it easy for recruiters to find them. Internet jobs boards, such as those run by the Guardian, Indeed and CV Library, allow you to upload your CV so that companies can see your credentials. It gives you a decent chance of catching the eye of someone without even needing to trawl through listings looking for the right post for you. Don’t expect a response from every application It might be tough but when you’re sending off applications every day you should not worry if you don’t hear back from the majority of employers. Employers will not answer all applications or they may only answer with a stock rejection email but this is to be expected, don’t sit around expecting a lengthy response. With so many applicants, there will not be time to read every application and they may already have filled the job or created a shortlist by the time you have applied. So do not get discouraged if you don’t get the responses you want and don’t wait to hear from one job before you move on to looking at another, that will slow you down and lead to disappointment. Keep to a regular routine One of the most stressful things about job hunting while unemployed is the sense of being at a loss for what to do. With no regular job and routine it can get you down. You need to replace the work routine with a new routine of your own. There is no need to work 8 hours a day sending off CVs but if you wake up as you would for work and have allotted slots for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as recreational activities you will find your mood improves. Perhaps work in some relaxation techniques or physical activity into your daily routine and you will find the stressful feelings are kept at bay and you will be able to sleep better. For more information, read this article about exercising to relieve stress and relaxation techniques. Author bio: Debbie Fletcher is an enthusiastic, experienced writer who has written for a range of different magazines and news publications over the years. Graduating from City University London specialising in English Literature, Debbies passion for writing has since grown. She loves anything and everything technology, and exploring different cultures across the world. Shes currently looking towards starting her Masters in Comparative Literature in the next few years.

Where My Clients Are Coming From (The Mind-Blowing Edition)

Where My Clients Are Coming From (The Mind-Blowing Edition) life is simpler when you plow around the stumps by thingspeoplesay At the start of each month, I take some time to figure out my finances while looking at my current client load (thats what she said) my client projections for the next 2 or 3 months. Thanks to the work Ive been doing with Thekla Richter, I recently decided to block an entire day yes, one whole workday (weekends dont count!) for a Business Building Day. This is the day I get to do, well, whatever Ive been wanting to do around my business, whether its finance stuff or blogging stuff or scanning stuff or anything else I freakin want. Ive blocked it out on the first workday of each month so I can make sure theres always room to do my finances from the month before. Well, Dec 1 was my first Business Building Day! I (finally!) rolled over my 401(k) into a SEP-IRA with Fidelity (they have their own small business department! and they walked me through the rollover process without laughing at my dumb questions! and they helped me figure out which IRA to get!), got up-to-date with my finances and my client load (hehe), and then I stared down the question Ive been pondering for a while: Where the heck are my clients consultation calls coming from? Now, Im not a total dummy (just a semi-dummy). Ive asked this question to every client consultation call-er for a long time now, and I always pay attention to the response and say, Ah! or Interesting! or Sweet! or How nice! I even check my Google Analytics for my site to see where my traffic is coming from and how well my blog ads have been working. But have I been tracking the responses? Not so much. Well, not until the first monthly Business Building Day, that is! Ive literally just spent the last 2 hours pulling lots of data, from the number of consultation calls I need to conduct in order to get 1 sign-up to the average price Im getting per session from all the clients I have in my system. Everything was looking good or at least sensical when I decided to put together my Consultation Call Client Referrer Info spreadsheet, which is where the mind-blowing part of this title comes in. Im gonna draw out the suspense and break it down for ya with the highlights: 41 of my clients (44% of my clients) didnt have a consultation call. I think this had a lot to do with my scholarship program, since I communicated with all of em via e-mail and videos. There have been a handful that did sign-up just via the PayPal buttons on my Services page without having spoken to me before, and those came from a few different sources: blog mentions, guest posts, or meeting me somewhere directly. The bottom line is that they felt they knew what they were getting themselves into by what I put out there online and in person. In other words, I tricked em real good. The #1 source that a client put down as a referral washeres the mind-blowing part.Twitter. Yes, Twitter! I know, I know they probably didnt come directly from Twitter, they probably got pointed to me somehow a bit more directly, but the main part is: They remember meeting me on Twitter. So if anyone talks badly about my boyfriend (aka Twitter) again (that means you, Luke!), I will cut them. The #2 client referral was.are you still sitting down?.the Blogging Your Way e-course. Its hilarious because I had no marketing tactics when I first took that e-course in 2009, but when I got there I soon realized I was 1 life/career coach in a sea of creatives. It was a goldmine not only in making my own blog better, but in finding out where those ideal clients hang out (and yes, if youre my client you came to me from Blogging Your Way, youre totally ideal!). I think this is also interesting since it was personally driven by me putting myself out there, doing the work, interacting, yada yada y ada. Sound familiar to the way my boyfriend works? Thought youd like to see the breakdown here, which I did by categories to make life easier for all of us. Oh, and I kept in the no-show column, since I wanted to see if there was a correlation between where peeps come from if that plays a part in standing me up (thankfully, I have a low number of stand-ups, unless you count my husband, whos always trying out one joke or another (ba dum bum!)). I sorted it from the most client referrals to the least, and youll notice another interesting piece once the categories came into play blogs were my #1 referrer all around!: So basically, its a 1-2-3 punch of hitting The Blogosphere, SocialMediaLand and the PersonalRecommendationsUniverse. Youll notice that the Personal/Blog category, in which I knew the person that referred me but not the method, might boost up the Personal category to #2 or bring the #1 blog category even further up. But the bottom line is this: Marketing works best when youre not there to market yourself. Only about a quarter of me is on Twitter to market myself, while the other 3/4 of me is there to meet like-minded people, provide resources, build relationships, connect. I took Blogging Your Way because I wanted to make my blog better, and found more of the same (like-minded people, resources, building relationships, connecting). I get my personal referrals from a mix of clients, friends (both real online), and strangers who saw my stuff somewhere pass it along to their peeps, but when Im talking with, say, the Spring gals Im not doing so to sell myself Im there to (say it with me) meet like-minded people, provide resources, build relationships, connect. Im even here, now, on my blog to do well, I wont say it again. And while Ill still continue to run ads on blogs that I feel come from a similar heartspace (did I just say heartspace?! Hippy-dippy alert!), Im certainly not ordering another batch of postcards or sweating about Google Ads (which I ran for a short period of time th ey were so freakin worthless). I always say that Im nothing if not a relationship-builder, and this mind-blowing chart just confirms that what wakes me up in the morning is bringing the right peeps (seriously, my clients are the bomb!) to my door / phone/ email. Which makes me really wanna ask you, despite the fact that this isnt Tough (Question) Tuesday: What are you good at? What comes naturally to you? Why are you here? Then get thee to the places that let you be that and forget about the slimy sales piece. As my chart tells ya, sliminess isnt what sells. Being you does.