Job Application Archives - Job Hunt Solutions

How Job Hunting is Like Dating

July 17 2016 nfougere Job Search 0 comments Tags: Bag the Job, Job Application, Job Hunting

For many years recruiters have said that recruiting is like dating. Although this is a lighthearted approach, there is some truth to this claim. If recruiting is like dating, then so too is job hunting.

Although this may be a simplistic analogy, it may help to put some perspective around your job search journey. Job hunting is a daunting task, but by looking at it through a more humorous frame, it may help to alleviate some of the stress. I get it, some of you might be saying “but dating is a daunting task as well.” Though this may be true for some, I hope you find that dating is at least a little bit more enjoyable than job hunting.

6 Ways Job Hunting is Like Dating

Know what you’re looking for. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, if you don’t know what it is you’re looking for, how will you know that you’ve found it? As an example, in the dating world, you may be looking for a long-term relationship or a short-term, casual relationship. This is similar to your job search. It would be the difference between a permanent and a contract position.
The medium you use. Using online sources is quintessential to both job searching and dating. That said, another critical medium is your own network. You can almost think of this like being set up on a blind date.
Looks good on paper. Once you’ve read through numerous job ads, you will decide to which roles you wish to apply. Similarly, as recruiters sift through countless resumes, they too will decide which applicants they wish to speak with. This will all be based on each parties’ criteria for pre-selecting a potential match. Once a potential match is identified, then an initial screen is scheduled. In the dating world, this could be a coffee meeting. In the job search world, this could be a telephone interview.
Interview. You can think of this as the courtship phase. Courting in dating may take a much longer time than the interview stage in your job search. That said, you still want to make sure that you are presenting the best version of yourself. Making sure that you look your best and that you say the right things are just as important as being honest and authentic. Keep in mind, this courtship phase is a two-way street. You should be interviewing the potential employer as much as they are interviewing you.
Probationary Period. Similar to the “dating exclusively” phase of your courtship, your probationary period begins when you start with the new organization. It typically will last about three months from the time you start the new role. During this time you are “feeling each other out” to ensure that what was presented during the Interview stage (or courtship stage) is true to life. It is for this reason that it is critical that you are authentic and truthful during the interview stage.
Full-Time, Permanent Employment. Once you have passed the probationary period, you would be considered a permanent employee. Keep in mind, while in the probationary period, you too should be confirming that the employer is the right fit for you as well. At this point, you are officially “going steady.” As a point of note, although this stage may not be relevant for contract opportunities, it is still critical to be authentic during the interview stage and during the contract term. The role may lead to a permanent opportunity or even future contracts.

Final Thoughts

Much like in dating, it is important that you broaden your horizons in terms of the types of organizations to which you wish to apply. There are a number of organizations that are very popular and “sexy.” As a result, there will be a lot of competition for roles within such organizations. By keeping an open mind and looking for potential in different organizations, you will be broadening the playing field. As such, you may even find an opportunity outside of the popular organizations which may be a better fit for you.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy hunting!

For personalized advice, check out the services section here.

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Recruitment Life Cycle: What to Expect While you Wait

June 30 2016 nfougere Job Search 0 comments Tags: Job Application, Job Hunting

I have received a number of questions from (somewhat frustrated) job seekers regarding how long they should wait during each stage of the recruitment process. The main source of frustration comes from the long periods of time that can pass without any feedback. So to understand why this might be the case, let’s take a look at the recruitment life cycle.

Recruitment Life Cycle

There are 5 key components in the recruitment life cycle (from the organization’s point of view):

Need Identification – here the organization identifies a need, obtains approvals, and prepares their marketing material (i.e. job description). This is the behind the scenes stage of the recruitment life cycle.
Sourcing – the point at which the organization posts the role online and receives applicants. In many cases, recruiters will actively search for candidates in their network as well.
Screening – during this phase, recruiters will review resumes, conduct telephone screens, and schedule interviews. In addition, interviews will be conducted by the hiring team.
Selection – as the name suggests, this is the point at which a successful job seeker is selected. An offer letter is extended and background checks are conducted during this stage.
Onboarding – once the successful job seeker becomes a new hire, they will enter this final stage of the recruitment life cycle.

For the job seeker, the recruitment journey starts at the Sourcing stage, and ends at the Onboarding stage. As such, the focus of this post will be on the Sourcing, Screening, and Selection stages.

On the inside, the overall timeline for these three steps is 6 weeks, broken down as follows: 2 weeks to source, 2 weeks to interview, and 2 weeks’ notice. So to break this down even further, let’s look at each of these stages separately.

Sourcing

Typically, when a recruiter receives a new, approved role, they will post the role for two weeks. That said, there are a number of factors that can impact this timeline, such as:

Organization is Unionized: the role may be posted for varying durations, depending on what is in the collective bargaining agreement.
Recruitment System Set-Up: depending on how the recruitment system is set up, the role may be automatically taken offline at a specified time. Alternately, the role may remain online until it is filled.
Recruiter Preference: similar to the automated recruitment system set up, a recruiter may wish to organize her/his desk and workload by either having roles remain online or go off line after a specified period of time.

Given that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to job postings, it is usually better to apply to roles sooner rather than later.

Screening

As mentioned, a role may remain online until it is filled. Hence, this stage can begin in tandem with the sourcing stage. In other words, as the organization conducts their interviews, they may also continue to receive resumes from job seekers. As a result, the screening process may be extended to accommodate last minute applicants.

Additionally, depending on the level of the role or organizational policies, there may be several rounds of interviews. The greater the number of rounds of interviews, the longer the timeline for the screening phase. Coupled with this, the timeframe is highly dependent on the availability of both the interviewers and interviewees. Coordinating interviews with multiple parties can be challenge to accomplish in a timely manner.

Although most organizations would like to have this phase wrapped up within two weeks, it can take four weeks or longer.

Selection

This stage typically begins when an offer letter is extended to the successful candidate. There are a number of factors that can impact the duration of this phase, such as:

Job Seeker’s Notice Period – in North America, an employee is typically required to provide two-week’s notice when they leave their current position. This can vary, however.
Background Checks – depending on the background checks required for the role or organization, this process can take several weeks to complete.
Counter Offer or Competing Offer – if the successful candidate receives more than one offer, they will take time to consider their options, thereby delaying this phase.
Offer Rescinded or Rejected – the organization may rescind the offer of employment if a potential new hire does not pass this final stage. Alternately, the prospective new hire may reject the offer of employment in favour of another offer. In either case, the organization may need to start their search from scratch, thereby extending the overall recruitment life cycle.

In many cases, an organization will wait to reject the unsuccessful job applicants until this phase has been completed and a new hire has been confirmed. As such, it could take weeks and even months before a job seeker receives any feedback on their candidacy.

Final Thoughts

In addition to all of the factors mentioned throughout this post, seasonality can be a final factor that can impact the recruitment life cycle. For example, during the summer months the overall recruitment process can be drawn out due to accommodating interviewer/interviewee vacation schedules.

Remember, it may take several weeks from the time you apply to a role until you hear from the organization. Being aware of what you can expect at each stage of the recruitment life cycle should help to minimize any frustrations you may feel along your job search journey.
I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you. Also, for personalized advice, check out the services section here.

Until next time, happy hunting!

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Should you Apply for a Job if you are not Qualified?

June 05 2016 nfougere Job Screening 0 comments Tags: Job Application, When to Apply to a JOb

While out with a dear friend and fellow recruiter, Rebecca, our conversation turned to recruiting – as it usually does. While talking shop, we brainstormed vlog ideas and she suggested I address the issue of when to apply for a job. Rebecca spoke of the study which underscored the fact that women only apply for roles in which they satisfy 100% of the requirements, whereas men will apply to roles for which they satisfy only 60% of the requirements. So which is the best approach? My recommendation is to stick to the 80-20 rule: if you satisfy 80% or more of the requirements, it would be appropriate to apply for the role.

It is important that you understand the job description. Job ads will have the role description, list of job duties, and the list of requirements. In some cases, the requirements will be split out by mandatory requirements and nice to have requirements. In other cases, the must have and nice to have requirements may not be clearly stated. The most critical duties and requirements for the role are typically found in the top ⅔rds of the job ad.

To break this down even further, there are 5 key areas that we can look at when determining if a job would be the right fit:

Job Type – This refers to the job itself. As an example, if you are a finance professional applying to a finance role, this is a great first step. On the other hand, if you are a finance professional applying for a marketing role, this is likely going to be a no-go. There are applicants who will apply to any role they find within their target organization. I would strongly recommend refraining from this practice as it makes the recruiter feel as though they are being spammed. In addition, the recruiter(s) may question your judgment (and not in a good way).
Industry – Using our example, finance is a relatively industry agnostic profession. That said, there are some industries which have specific requirements, and as such, industry experience would be a mandatory requirement. Pay close attention to the job ad – if industry experience is mandatory, it should be mentioned.
Years of Experience – typically job ads will make note of the years of experience required for the role. For example, if a role requires 5 years of experience and you have 3-4 years, then it is likely a good match. If, however, you are a new graduate with no working experience, this will likely be a no-go because it would not be a new grad opportunity. On the other hand, if you have 20+ years of experience, you may want to carefully consider if this role would be appropriate. After all, years of experience is an indicator of level as is salary. If you are used to earning a particular salary level due to your years of experience, then it is important to keep in mind that you may need to take a significant decrease in salary for a role requiring significantly fewer years of experience than you have.
Education – education can typically have a must have and a nice to have requirement. The nice to have requirement will likely be a particular designation. Even if you don’t have the particular designation or if you are working towards that designation, you may still qualify for the position. It will be important that you have relevant experience to balance the lack of designation, however.
Miscellaneous – there can be any number of additional requirements for a role. As an example, in Canada, we are used to sometimes seeing bilingual language requirements. As with education, if the requirement is mandatory and you do not have this particular skill, it may not be an appropriate role for you. On the other hand, if it is a nice to have requirement, you may still qualify for the role.

The bottom line is to remember the 80-20 rule. If you are confident that you satisfy the must-have requirements for the role and most of the nice to have requirements, this is a great indication that the role is a good fit for your background. Keep in mind, there may be other candidates who fulfill 100% of the requirements, but there will be others who only fulfill 60% (or less) of the requirements. As such, there is still a great chance that your unique background would be the ideal match for the role and organization.

Until next time, happy hunting!

If you would like personalized advice, please check out the services section here, or if you have any questions, you can leave a comment below.

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When and How to Write a Cover Letter

May 08 2016 nfougere Job Screening, Job Search 0 comments Tags: Cover Letter, Employment Application, Job Application

There is a lot of literature out there suggesting that cover letters are out-dated and are rarely read by recruiters, Human Resources managers, and hiring managers. For the most part, I would agree with this. Personally, I rarely (if ever) read cover letters.

That said, there are times when a cover letter is a necessary part of your job application package. Specifically, if a job posting clearly states that you must apply with both a resume and cover letter, you must ensure that you include a cover letter with your application. Sometimes a cover letter is sought for roles where written communication is a key skill set for the role, and is used as a way to assess a job applicant’s written communication skills.

For those times where a cover letter is necessary, I have a free template available, which you can access here.

Elements of a Cover Letter

Salutation – if possible, address your cover letter to a specific person. If you do not have the hiring manager’s name, try to look them up on LinkedIn. If you’re still having a difficult time finding the specific person, you can use “to whom it may concern.”

Paragraph 1 – this is your introduction paragraph where you would mention your generic job title, the job title of the role to which you are applying, and name your top 1-2 strengths as it relates to the role.

Paragraph 2 – here is where you should highlight your interpersonal skills and accomplishments. You can use the top 2-3 accomplishments from your resume and add in a bit more context – things like the people who may have been involved or company decisions that were made as a result of your accomplishment.

Paragraph 3 – as mentioned in previous posts, research is a critical part of your job search strategy. In this paragraph, make mention of a notable research finding that would impact the organization in the short-term (i.e. recent acquisition, or company merger, etc.). Then mention how your skills will help the organization through their transition period.

Paragraph 4 – close your letter with your key strengths and a call to action, such as inviting the employer to contact you directly to discuss your background further.

Although a cover letter isn’t always a necessary part of your job application, there are times where it is essential. Specifically, if a job advertisement asks for both a resume and cover letter, be sure to tailor your cover letter to the role and company.

If you have any other suggestions on what to include in the cover letter, please feel free to add your suggestions in the comment section. For personalized advice, please feel free to contact me directly!

Happy Hunting!