I recently had the opportunity to attend an event with a panel of three recruiters from three very different industries. The first organisation has over 30,000 employees, and is New Zealand’s largest retail grocery company. The second is one of the world’s largest hotel tourism groups, and the third is a leading global super premium wine company. The information that these Talent and Recruitment Experts shared is worthy of listening to!
Although each organisation conducts their recruitment quite differently, here are some gems worth sharing:
Technology is having a massive impact on recruitment.
Chatbox – (also known as a talkbot, chatterbot, Bot, IM bot, interactive agent, or Artificial Conversational Entity) a computer program which conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods, is becoming smarter, and builds up a profile of potential candidates. So if you end up in a ‘text conversation’, don’t be tempted to ‘text speak” to a chat box when you are answering queries – treat it like you are speaking to a real person.
Video interviews are becoming more and more common, and now have the capacity to work out facial expressions, track your pitch and tone, and assess whether this is in line with what you are actually saying! Practice in front of the mirror to see how your expressions look, and put a toy, picture or something that you can talk to above your camera, so that you can feel that you are actually talking to someone.
Snapchat – new ways of interviewing are being invented all the time, and so it should be no surprise that Snapchat is already being used by McDonalds, and is likely to be more commonly used as a recruitment tool in the future.
LinkedIn is used extensively by recruiters who proactively search for candidates. So word to the wise – make sure that your LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date. Make sure that your job titles cover all options that may be searched for, and be discerning on who you connect and follow.
Social Media searches on potential candidates are the norm. What is looked for, more than what you did in the weekend, is your attitude to work. So if you hate your job, make sure that you don’t talk about it on social media platforms!
Curriculum Vitae
Although still used as the main tool for recruitment in some industries, such as hospitality, there may be a time that online tools such as LinkedIn make the CV redundant. In the mean time, one of the most important aspects of your CV, according to these recruiters, is to inject energy and enthusiasm into the CV. Show your personality and what makes you unique.
Recruiters want to see your journey, with no gaps of time. A CV of 2-3 pages is the norm. Recruiters also do search the backend of SEEK, so as part of your job search strategy, make sure you upload a CV so that you can be found.
Interviews
If you are invited into the interview, you have most likely met the technical requirements of the job, or if not, it has been decided that they can be taught to you. The trend is for the whole team to interview potential candidates, to see if they are a good ‘fit; for the team and culture. Make sure that you have done your research – on the company, it’s values, and that your values and the organisation values are in alignment.
Transparency
It is important to be up front about any ‘issues’ in your past. It is far better for you to bring up a potential issue, rather than the interviewer to find out about it another way. It gives you the opportunity to explain and put context around whatever is raised.
Networking
Some recruiters tap into their networks to see who is in the market for potential positions. This includes through industry associations and other groups. So make sure that you include this as a key part of your job search. It is not always about you connecting, but an employer reaching out to you as a potential candidate – so they need to know that you are there!
To be the best prepared you can be for the role that you are interested in, you may need help in your job search strategy, preparing your CV and LinkedIn profile, or coaching for the interview. Contact me today for help in getting the job that you want!
