 One of the best ways to position yourself to land a great job is to make sure that you’re in the right place at the right time—and that includes making sure that your resume is in the right place at the right time.
Those people who hire and find jobs for workers—including company officials and staffing agencies—routinely use applicant tracking systems (or ATS) to source candidates in their database for open positions. When they conduct a search for candidates in that system, they typically give priority to those candidates that come up first in the search results. As you might guess, you want to be in those search results. Below are 10 ways that you can “beat” the applicant tracking system with your resume. #1—Use generic headings, such as “Work Experience.” Using headings like “Career Achievements” or “Professional Experience” may cause the system to skip over your work experience completely. #2—Don’t limit the length of your resume. The ATS does not put a limit on how long your resume can be. If you lengthen your resume to include more work experience and credentials, there’s a better chance that the system will rank you higher. #3—Do not start your work experience section with dates. The ATS does not look for dates; it looks for the names of the employers first. Make sure to put the name of your employer first, followed by the date. #4—Do not use tables and/or graphics. The system can’t read tables and graphics, so be sure to omit them from your resume before submitting it. #5—Use relevant keywords and phrases. The system is designed to look for keywords and phrases associated with the job, so include those that might be found in the job listing. #6—Do not try to “mimic” the applicant tracking system. Keywords are important, but don’t repeat those phrases throughout your entire resume. This can make your resume look and sound clunky, and companies are not in the habit of hiring clunky employees. #7—Make your resume easy and quick to read. The system scans for keywords, but it’s still advisable that your paragraphs are clean and legible. Put plenty of spaces in between paragraphs and don’t jumble them together. #8—Research the company’s corporate culture. Researching the company’s culture gives you more of an idea of what the company is seeking. Incorporate some keywords and phrases associated with the culture into your resume. #9—Use bullet points. This helps to ensure that your resume is easy to read, since it eliminates long sentences and paragraphs. However, keep in mind that applicant tracking systems prefer asterisks. #10—Add a cover letter. Adding a cover letter is a great way to further show that you fit into the company’s culture. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! Effective hiring is an intensive process. It requires a certain amount of time, energy, and effort. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so difficult to do.
After all, many hiring authorities and hiring managers have other responsibilities and duties. They often don’t have the time to devote fully to the acquisition of new employees. As a result, things can “fall through the cracks,” so to speak. And when you’re trying to hire the best job candidates and workers, you can’t afford for that to happen. Below are six important questions to ask about the next person that your company hires: #1—How has the job description changed since the last time we hired for this position? There’s a good chance that the last person in the role altered the job description while they were in it. Without identifying the ways in which they altered it, you run the risk of making a mis-hire. That’s because you’ll hire a candidate who matches the old job description, as opposed to the new and updated one. Consult everyone associated with the position to ascertain how the description should be changed prior to advertising it. #2—What does the ideal job candidate look like in terms of personality and soft skills? Hard skills and experience are just one side of the equation. Personality and soft skills are the other side of it. That’s because more than likely, the candidate will have to interact with other people. This includes co-workers and possibly customers. How well they interact with both groups will help determine their success. #3—What are the specific steps of your hiring process? If you haven’t identified these steps, then you increase the chances that you’ll miss a step or that there will be miscommunication between the people involved. Not only that, but it will also be more difficult to let candidates know where they stand in the process if you don’t know exactly what the steps are. Knowing the process inside and out is mandatory for generating optimal results. #6—Which members of the organization will be part of the hiring process? Knowledge of the people involved in the process is just as important as knowledge of the process itself. Not only should you know who is involved, but you should also know why each person is involved and what their individual roles are. This serves to increase the effectiveness of the communication between team members, which will lead to better decision making regarding which candidate or candidates you ultimately decide to hire. If you’re pressed for time, a staffing agency can help. An experienced staffing firm with a track record of success can help you identify and hire the workers that your organization needs to excel! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! Few things determine whether or not you’ll receive an offer of employment as much as the face-to-face interview. This is where the “rubber meets the road,” so to speak, and if you fall short during the interview, it won’t matter what skills you possess or how much you experience you have.
You still won’t get the job. Your resume helps you “get your foot in the door,” but the interview is what allows you to walk through it. Below are 10 ways that you can sharpen your face-to-face interviewing skills and increase the chances that you’ll receive an invitation to walk through that figurative (and literal) door. #1—Be engaging. If you take the initiative and introduce yourself first, you will come off as confident and outgoing to your potential employer. #2—Keep it professional at all times. Focus only on your professional experience, even if you can respond to a question regarding your personal life. #3—“Commit” to the company. What does this mean? Act as if the job for which you’re interviewing is your dream job. (After all, maybe it is.) Be enthusiastic and focused. #4—Be thoroughly attentive. Make sure that you pay attention to every question the interviewer asks, because every response matters, no matter how trivial you might think it is. #5—Be positive. Do not answer any question in a negative fashion, even if the answer itself is not a positive one. Companies want employees with a positive attitude. #6—Never discuss salary or benefits. It’s always a good idea to make sure you have the job first before talking about your wages. Don’t bring up the subject of money or other compensation. #7—Maintain good body language. Do not slouch; sit upright and look attentive. Make sure you look interested in what the interviewer has to say. #8—Keep jokes to a minimum (and keep them appropriate). You do not know your interviewer’s particular sense of humor, so you might offend him or her if you try to lighten the mood with a joke. If you do crack a joke, be 100% sure of its appropriateness. #9—Think first before you answer a question. It’s okay to take a few seconds to make an educated statement before responding. This is your interview, so don’t feel rushed when making your statements. #10—Weave your achievements into your answers. When answering questions, mention specific achievements if they pertain to the question asked. Use examples and real-life scenarios in which you went above and beyond the call of duty. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! Hiring the right people is always a big concern for companies and organizations. After all, making a mis-hire can be extremely costly in terms of time, energy, resources, and money.
Hiring is an investment, and you want to earn a return on that investment. The best way to do that is to hire solid job candidates who offer a lot of value, make numerous contributions to the organization, and ultimately boosts its bottom line is a big way. That’s why the size and the depth of the talent pool from which you draw your candidates is perhaps the single biggest factor affecting the quality of your hires. As you might imagine, if you want to hire the best job candidate possible for an open position, you must make sure of the following two things:
What’s the difference between the two? In terms of a wide talent pool, that means drawing quality talent from as many different places as you can. This can refer to geographical regions or to sourcing methods. In terms of a deep talent pool, that reflects how many quality candidates you’re able to identify. In other words, you want both a diverse talent pool of quality candidates and you want a high volume of quality candidates. That’s the best possible outcome. Some might call it an unrealistic outcome, but it’s what employers should strive for. It should be their ultimate hiring objective. However, do you believe that every single person who starts to fill out an online job application actually finishes the application? Of course not. That’s unrealistic. Many online applications are not easy. They’re cumbersome and time-consuming. They can even be confusing. When that’s the case, candidates are likely to simply close their Internet browser and look elsewhere for possible employment opportunities. When you factor this into the equation, it shrinks the size of your talent pool even more. Now your talent pool consists of only candidates who are actively looking for a new job and who successfully made it to the end of your online application. Does that sound like a talent pool that is both wide and deep? Sadly, it does not. This is why using an experienced staffing agency with a track record of success helps to “cover all the bases” when it comes to hiring. A trusted organization like Time Staffing has not just the experience necessary, but we also have the connections. So contact us to today to find out how we can help your company hire the best workers and employees! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers!  Congratulations, you’ve landed a face-to-face interview!
This is an excellent opportunity to show off your skills and achievements and move one step closer to receiving an offer of employment from this company. You might be a little nervous, but you should also be confident. You wouldn’t have an interview if the company didn’t see potential in your candidacy. However, to fully prepare and ultimately boost your interview success, you should answer the following two questions: #1—How is the interviewer assessing me during the interview? The interviewer will assess your qualifications on two fronts:
The personal aspect is very important. Not only is the employer looking for someone to get the job done, but they’re also looking for someone who gets along with everyone else, is a responsible and respectable representative of the company, and can be a team player to advance company goals. The interviewer will then assess your professional qualifications, and below are two steps for making a great impression in that regard:
As a bonus, having extensive knowledge of your resume (and the company) and having the ability to communicate that knowledge will greatly boost your confidence. #2—What must I do for proper interview etiquette? In addition to what’s described above, there are many things to remember on the day of the interview, including the following:
After the interview, assess your performance and make note of any adjustments. Also, send a thank-you email to the interviewer, one that re-states your interest, emphasizes relevant information you may have forgotten, and highlights your candidacy. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! |
