Hiring ‘failures’ can result in a win-win situation

Published on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009

Sandeep’s skill set matches your job description to a ’T’. He is well qualified with impressive work experience to match. Everything spells eligible! Yet, as a hiring manager you refuse to touch him with a barge pole.

Well, there are certain taboo categories of job applicants that almost every recruiter shies away from. Even the hint of having been fired, laid-off, job hopping, having gaps in employment history, being out of the job market for a while or some other wrinkle in a job record puts the candidate out of the reckoning.

Whenever such a resume crosses an employer’s desk, it arouses suspicion, is labelled a ‘failure’ and discarded without a second thought.

But, hold that for a minute. With the deepening recession, employee recruitment is actually becoming more difficult than earlier. There may be numerous jobseekers in the market, but the real high-performers that you need and will fit your job opening prefer to be safely ensconced in their existing jobs rather than taking the risk of changing jobs.

Then again, the alleged ‘failed’ candidate may have been a top performer earlier only to suddenly find himself thrown into the job market for no fault of his own.

So, is it not worth taking at least a shot at this pool of mainly ‘failed’ candidates instead of dismissing them blindly? Not only will they form a new and welcome source of eligible candidates, but you may also find your next perfect candidate in this lot itself!

Hard look: It pays to keep an open mind, be proactive and take a long, hard look at the so-called taboo candidates before making a decision either way.

You have to carefully review the candidate resume, whether he will fit your job profile and the possibilities of success, before beginning the screening process.

Then, dig around a bit to determine whether any extenuating circumstances were playing behind the scenes that led to the candidate being tagged as a ‘loser’.

For instance, a job-hopper may actually just be guilty of bad judgment or fact may be that he just took up a series of ‘unfit’ jobs in a desperate bid to earn money and support his family. So, try to decipher whether the candidate truly has trouble holding on to a job.

Then again, an otherwise good employee may have been fired because of a clash with the company culture/manager or may have borne the brunt of a change in top management.

And, we very well know that a rocky job history marred by a gaping hole or two may be due to various reasons like time off for higher studies, personal ill-health, caring for a sick relative or simply needing a change of pace. To interpret such ‘non-working’ gaps as a lack of stability or reliability may not be good judgement.

Coming to the huge market of laid-off candidates, most are obviously corporate victims of cost cuts and downsizing. With employees being laid-off in droves, we cannot really blame them for appearing as ‘failures’.

The trick is to find the true circumstances behind the lay-off – was a high-performing, talented employee let go because of business reasons or was it the case of an average employee facing the axe in the first round of cost cuts.

What’s more, with the changing conditions, many progressive companies are actually turning back to the candidates who had actually failed in their own previous recruitment interviews. As GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. claims, “We see far more ‘failed candidates’ than successful ones.”

What you have to do is try to understand the circumstances under which such a candidate can be successful and whether you can offer the same. This calls for careful questioning and screening.

Pay-off: Recruiting from taboo categories may appear like a challenge, but it also presents great opportunities!

It is worth taking a chance with a ‘failed’ candidate as it may very well turn out to your absolute advantage.

You will gain the benefit of earnest employees who have reached the end of their rope and with no way out of the family responsibilities, have no choice but to win at the job. This will bring sincerity, determination, dedication, perfection and hard work into your fold.

As a top recruiter observes, “The best thing you can possibly do for a person who has been laid off is give him a job. They’ve been to the bottom and like a super ball they will bounce back.”

Not only are such candidates fast learners who can hit the ground running, but also bring new skills as they may have spent the free time updating their qualifications. And what’s more, they are also willing to settle for lesser pay than earlier!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Perseverance pays in cold-calling in job hunt

Published on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009

Cold-calling is one of the time-tested techniques of job hunting. Traditionally, jobseekers have always tried to cold call various companies for possible job openings. Not only does this work as an effective networking tool and widen your contacts, but can also generate successful employment opportunities. What’s more, if you are persuasive enough, you can even get a job custom-created specifically to your skills and experience!

To begin with: You need to list out the companies you want to work for. Make a nice, long list as the more you ask, the more are your chances of getting lucky.

Then, use your contacts or directly call the company to get the name of the hiring manger or executive in your targeted department who can get you a job. You have to doggedly seek information on the decision-makers and not get sidelined by HR who does not possess real hiring powers.

Next gauntlet: As intimidating as it may seem, you have to overcome your fear of calling and try to get in touch with the decision-maker.

Here, you can either choose to send an introductory cover letter/email or directly get on the phone and contact the decision-maker. Experts advise that you should not send a resume beforehand or request an interview/job; your goal is to simply arrange a ‘meeting’.

Get the ball rolling: Once you have initiated the contact, always address the contact by name and introduce yourself. Be well prepared to make ensuing conversation as it does not make sense to ask for a job outright.

The hiring manager will instantly dismiss you as a desperate jobseeker and most probably bang down the phone. A smooth entry is the operative word.

So, do your homework so that you can knowledgeably speak about the organisation’s history, needs, challenges, goals or future plans. Illustrate a well-planned value proposition to prove the benefits that you offer like helping solve a current problem, assisting in specific goal achievement or even being a recognised expert in the field. Explain your background and experience before requesting to meet him in person.

Else, you can warm up the cold call by mentioning the name of a contact that knows the manager or even begin enthusiastically with some good news about the company.

Preparing such a sales pitch beforehand will arouse interest and make the person more receptive to listen to you.

Smooth talk: Cold calling calls for good communication and people skills. Being shy or timid will not do. You have to be aggressive and persistent in your approach, but without appearing rude or pushy. Be friendly, polite and warm so as to establish a good rapport.

Rejections: The contact is obviously not expecting your call and may refuse you saying there are no immediate openings or try to sidestep you by directing to HR. You have to be resourceful and say that you only want to speak for a while.

Try to tenaciously angle for a meeting, yet be prepared to receive umpteen rejections.

You have to maintain a positive attitude and not let the rejection get to you. Believe in yourself and your abilities and persevere in the cold calling, as your goal is to contact as many employers as possible. And remember that all it may take is one positive response to strike gold.

Further contacts: Even if the call reaches a dead end, you can either seek an informational interview to gain more knowledge/advice of the field as well as source job leads and referrals to other departments/companies that may have job openings available. Also, continue to network with the initial contact as a future resource.

To sum up, cold calling is not fun; the hard work can be tiring and frustrating. You will be discouraged more often than not. But, such unsolicited job prospecting should form an essential part of your overall job hunt strategy as it helps you to bypass HR and get a foot in the door of organisations on your way to your dream job.

Not only will it get you face-to-face with decision-makers but if you are lucky you may even reach them just before they make a public hiring announcement!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Tap power of emails in job hunt

Published on Wednesday, Jul 15, 2009

In your quest for a new job, email can be a valuable tool that helps you better manage the job search. In fact, phones and snail mails are mostly on the way out, as email is fast becoming the primary medium of employee contact.

Emails come in handy at various junctures, be it networking with your contacts, finding a mentor and meeting new people or sourcing job leads and getting in touch with recruiters or contacting previous employers/co-workers for references.

But the prime utility comes into play when you are contacting potential employers right from the first contact to regular correspondence to thanking and follow-up, sometimes even to the extent of negotiating compensation packages.

Employers are making good use of emails and so should you! But you also have to be careful and use them appropriately to harness the full power of emails. Take them casually and you will only end up messing an otherwise great opportunity!

In general, while email serves as an effective medium, you have to take your cues from the employer and follow his preference for contact - be it telephone, post mails or emails.

Point of first contact – Many jobseekers routinely send out unsolicited emails to different employers/recruiters in the quest for job opportunities. But, when responding to a particular job opening, it is advisable to first send a hard copy of your resume and cover letter unless the employer specifies email contact in the job advertisement, website or a private conversation.

Follow up - Thereafter, if the employer continues to use email, you can respond likewise. This will also serve as a useful written record of interview date, job offer and acceptance etc. thus eliminating any confusion or misunderstanding.But when following up on an interview or job offer with a thank-you, it is always better to send a physical note or letter. Also, salary and benefits negotiations should be done in person, but you can always email the employer saying that you have questions or would like to speak to him.

What goes in – Your email should always be brief and focussed so as to grab attention. Think of it as a letter and not a face-to-face conversation. So, never start with a casual ‘Hi’ or ‘How you doing’.

Instead, preface the email with information about yourself like ‘I am a resourceful software professional interested in the position of…’ or ‘my experience includes… and I am seeking…’ Then show what you have to offer and what’s in it for the employer so as to make him sit up and take notice. Yet, avoid making too many ‘I’ statements.

The key is to quickly and powerfully communicate your value while demonstrating that you amply suit the job requirements. This will also ensure that your email does not appear like a form letter that is blindly forwarded to numerous companies.

Follow instructions – When sending across your resume, strictly abide by the preferred format like ASCII file, Word document, pdf file or simply text embedded in the email itself. In addition, name the attachment appropriately and provide a short description of the attachment in your email.

When replying, read the employer’s email carefully to understand the instructions like to whom you should reply and how. Also, never change the subject line or delete earlier emails so as to maintain both continuity and ease of checking previous correspondence.

While you should always use a professional email username for work purposes, it becomes all the more crucial during a job search. Also avoid using your work email and opt for a dedicated job search email account preferably with your full name.

The subject line is what will induce the employer to open/discard the email right away. So, steer clear of flimsy phrases like ‘Please see’, ‘Important information’ or ‘Your dream employee’. Instead, concisely summarise your purpose/objective as a compelling reason to read the email. Like, ‘Financial Analyst applying for…’ or ‘Follow-up to…’ Never ever leave the subject line blank as it can easily get marked as spam! Apart from this, regular professional email rules still apply:

• Try to address the employer by name with an appropriate salutation

• Adopt a business-like writing style that is clear, concise and professional. Never ramble with pointless banter

• Provide accurate information of your abilities and experience, as the email will form a written record that can be forwarded endlessly

• Carefully proofread the email for spelling, grammar, punctuation or other typing errors

• Avoid fancy fonts, emoticons and flowery words. In fact, KPMG recently stated that one in every ten emails received from jobseekers contain smiley faces that are very irritating!

• Include a professional signature block at the end of your email stating your full name, contact information, email address and phone numbers. If needed, you can also include your job title or important certifications, but do avoid fancy graphics, quotes or opinions

To sum up, always remember that a well-written e-mail can quickly impress an employer. But the opposite is very well true!

PAYAL CHANANIA