Did I miss my calling?

I started playing around with some images today because I'm tired of boring recruitment ads and wanted something eye catching. Here's what I put together...





So, what do you think? Did I miss my calling? I am thinking maybe I could have been an ad designer, but I love my job... so I think I'll stick to what I know... HR rocks! :-)

Tip for Job Seekers - The Tailored Resume

One of the first tips I always give to job seekers applies no matter what position you seek... TAYLOR YOUR RESUME AND DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF!

For example, if you want a job in sales, the sales manager will not care about the job you had as a medical transcriptionist or your degree in music, but he will care about your top salesperson award for highest gross profit margin in your school's fundraiser or your sales experience in retail or car sales or whatever other experience you've had that is relevant to the position he or she is trying to fill. So that is what you focus on in the resume you send in for the sales job.

Don't limit yourself though. Especially in this economy, you need to be open minded. Take that experience in medical transcription for example and focus on your words per minute skills your 10-key skills and your administrative experience in another resume and use that resume to send out for any administrative positions you might be interested in.

Now, if you have no experience in the field that you want to enter, what do you do? Good question. That is when you have to get creative and write a letter of interest to send with your resume that makes those connections for the recruiter between the experiences you've had and how it could correlate to what you need to be successful in the job that you are applying for. This will take some research on your part to make sure you understand the position that you are applying for and the requirements of the job as well as the company that you are applying with. For example, take your music degree (to stay consistent with the examples used above), it has nothing to do with technical support but let’s say that is the job you are seeking. Also, the sales experience in retail we discussed above, again it is not tech support, but let's make some connections for the recruiter so they know you are serious about making the career move you are considering. First, you would want to point out the drive to succeed that pushed you to complete your 4-year degree and that although your major is not in technical support you took many classes that gave you great exposure to current technology and are familiar with programs such as the Microsoft Suite of products and point out that you have an Apple Mac at home and have learned a great deal about conversion from Windows to Mac and have become a self-taught technician of your personal laptop to avoid hour long hold times with tech support. Then point out how your experience in retail has helped you learn to relate to the customers and to be empathetic to their needs which is key when dealing with a frustrated customer whose computer is not working and allows you to be patient and understanding over the phone while working on their technical problem. Pointing out these key strengths will help the recruiter understand that you are serious about making a career transition and have put the thought into it which gives you an advantage.

Now, one last thing to remember, when you put your resume together REMEMBER TO USE SPELL CHECK! That is a common mistake that is a big pet peeve of many recruiters; if you can't properly spell the job title that you are applying for, you will not get the job. So get started... the resume is a tool to spark a recruiter's interest and to get you that all important interview. Stay tuned for interview tips coming up in my next blog.

Life Moves Quickly

A lot has happened since my last blog! Life moves so quickly its almost hard to keep up sometimes. So, since last time... I left my job at Sprint for an exciting new opportunity at Companion Health Services. Now, instead of hiring tech gurus, I'm hiring nursing gurus. I currently have job openings for the following positions: RN, LPN, Charge Nurse, CNA, HHA, MSW & housekeeping.
The biggest challenge for me as I transition into my new position is keeping up with all of the acronyms! Believe me, the heath care industry is FULL of acronyms, and people who have been in the business for a while speak in acronyms like it is a normal part of the English language. Right now, Google is my best friend. :-)

Watch my tweets for upcoming job openings and career events @The_LG or email me your resume if you are interested in applying for a position in the nursing home, assisted living, home health or hospice fields. We do offer paid training for the right candidate.

What NOT to say in an interview...

I am constantly amazed at what people will say in an interview. First, I consider a person to be a skilled interviewer when they maintain professional but still make the applicant feel as though they are speaking to a friend and can say anything. That is precisely how an interviewer wants an applicant to feel (comfortable not nervous), because then they tell you the truth (even when they should know better in some circumstances.)

I have had applicants tell me way more then I would ever want to know about their personal lives to the point I have had to redirect and get them back on the path of what I was asking for, but in the midst of their discussion I have learned about their adversity to change (meaning their lack of fit for a fast-paced ever-changing work environment), and their inability to deal with certain personalities (also not a good fit with a large employer with several hundred employees all with very different personalities) and many other key traits. Today I actually had someone tell me about how she was unable to help a customer with a technical problem and basically told the customer they were "S.O.L."! That conversation led to this blog.

There are some very obvious things that should not be said in interviews, and although I appreciate that this person used the acronym for what she was trying to convey... the message was still inappropriate. Speaking in acronyms is never a good idea in an interview. Although saying LOL may be appropriate in a text with a friend, do not say it in an interview. CSM may be an appropriate term to use if you are speaking to someone in your same company that understands the meaning of the acronym, but if you are in an interview for another company... say "Customer Solutions Manager" or "Client Services Monitor" or whatever else it may stand for. Never assume (because what they say about assuming is true.) Remember, an interview is (as a friend of mine once said) your 15 second elevator pitch. You probably will get a lot more than a 15 second interview, but if in the first 15 seconds you have already lost the interviewer's interest, the rest of the interview may not go as well as if you were more prepared, polished, and professional. 3Ps you don't want to forget when you go to your next job interview.

Rantings of a frustrated manager

For all of you managers or trainers out there, help me out. When someone says they learn best when they see something in writing and you start writing things down or emailing them so they understand the detailed instructions... but they still don't get it... what do you do next? I have worked with a lot of different personalities and understand well that everyone learns differently. However, on a couple of occassions I have been completely perplexed and at my witts end.


When explaining a task or expectation to an employee, I like to use varying techniques for those that learn differently... some are visual learners, some auditory, and some are hands-on. So, if I explain something to someone verbally, follow that up with having them take notes and explain it back to me, and then have them watch me do a task and then allow them to do the task while I watch, and follow that up with an email with detailed directions... HOW ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH CAN THEY NOT UNDERSTAND IT AFTER ALL OF THAT??!!?!?!



Any suggestions?

I miss 8 hour work days

In the world we live in where layoffs trickle down more and more work to less and less employees, 8 hour work days are just a luxury many of us don't ever get to enjoy. I routinely have 20 hours worth of work that I need to get done in an 8 hour day, and it just doesn't work. My lunch hours are a distant memory, breaks... what are those? In fact, it's nearly 10pm and I am just taking a brief break to vent here while a file downloads so that I can get a bit more work done before I get to bed and wake up to start all over again starting around 7am. 7am to 10pm... not your average work day, but it is just a day in the life for me.

New Tweeter

Hello All! So... once upon a time I was hesitant to try MySpace but because everyone bugged me about it... I finally set up a profile. Then it was on to Facebook to find my other friends and co-workers that felt Facebook was better. Now tweeting is all the rage, and I must say... I've become a social network addict... so why not tweet?!

So... just a high level overview about me... I am an HR (Human Resource) professional with nearly 10 years experience. 6 years of dedicated recruiting experience with high volume hiring needs in call centers and 1 year dedicated to employee benefits, and all of my career has been focused on employee relations and the employee experience.

I love to help people find a career that they can both enjoy and be successful at, and in this economy it is nice to be working with a company that is actually still offering jobs... OKAY... I have to do it... here is my little plug for work... (If you know anyone or know anyone that knows anyone that has lost a job and is tech savvy... send them my way! I hire for tech support positions for Sprint, and the website to apply is www.sprint.com/callcenterjobs)

Well, that is all for now...

... until next time....

Cya!

LG