Today’s job market is extremely competitive and hiring talent is very important, however, hiring the right talent is perhaps the most important thing an organisation can do. It is simply not enough that candidates have the skills necessary to do the job, they must have a work ethic that adds value to the team.
Job seekers should present their attributes articulately, in a way that makes the most powerful statement.
When you finally make the decision to dip your toe in the job market, you ask yourself the initial basic questions:
Where am I willing to move?
What is my unique value?
What type of culture do I want to work in?
What type of role am I looking for?
What can I be flexible about?
Am I prepared to start searching?
A lot of the time, this is the easy bit. Once you’ve come down firmly on company and job, now comes the hard part. These days, it’s not only about you being drawn to a company; it’s also about a company being drawn to you.
The job spec will give good information on the technical requirements, but can be fuzzy on the precise nature of the role and, the type of person they are seeking. However, these typical must-haves are not always true indicators of future performance. They can also be very generic, particularly in the “Requirements” section. How often have we seen the following on a job spec, regardless of the role; Good communication and influencing skills – Team player – Ability to work cross-functionally?
Personally, I have rarely met anyone who doesn’t consider themselves a good communicator and a team player!
You’ve landed a face-to-face interview with the hiring manager; how do you prepare yourself? Well a job interview is like dating — you want to seem interested but not overly interested to the point where you seem desperate — available but in demand, agreeable but with limits.
Careful preparation will dramatically increase the odds you’ll perform well and leave the hiring manager with a positive impression.
When it comes to understanding the company the first stop should be the company website. It will give you an idea of the company’s values, leader behaviours, vision or credo. That will give you some sense of the company culture, and thus, the nature of the people they like.
This being said, this is where working with a recruitment consultancy can bear dividends for a candidate.
By working with a company over a period of time, the recruiter will know the culture, the organisational structure, the Hiring Managers and indeed the precise requirements for the role that are not always readily apparent from the job spec.
They can give candidates a heads up on specific characteristics of Hiring Managers and the unique elements of the role in question.
Liz Ryan of the Human Workplace lists 12 characteristics that employers look for when they’re hiring:
Article by Brian Flynn (Executive Search)
My advice would be don’t get caught out. Working with a trusted recruitment consultant can alleviate some of the mystery and uncertainty. You must remember that your consultant wants YOU to get the job. They will give you interview tips and insider information on the company that you may not have access to yourself.
Joe Robbins is co-founder of CareerWise Recruitment. A graduate of the University of Limerick (Degree in Business Studies, 1985), Joe worked in the UK for five years where he specialised in materials management, production management and plant management for a number of companies.
He returned to Ireland in 1992 to become Operations Manager for a Cork-based start-up, FMC Automotive Division which was subsequently taken over by Snap-on Equipment. Joe managed the business re-location of this company to Shannon in 1997 before setting up CareerWise Recruitment in 1999.
He is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Mid-West region, and a former Director and Vice President of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce. Joe is former Chairperson of the Sixmilebridge Camogie Club and current Chairperson of the Clare County Camogie Board.
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CareerWise Recruitment. EastGate Village, EastGate, Little Island, Cork.
Phone: +353 (0) 21 206 1900
Email: info@careerwise.ie
