Employers are not looking for brightest and best
That’s a generalization but let me explain what I mean. For some of you I’m guessing the title of this post seems obvious, for others it’s counter-intuitive. but the more I observe the marketing game and everyday employment, the more I believe this is true.
The world seems to hold up the successes, the superstars. In my own little way I see the attractiveness of that and try to make the candidates I work with as appealing to employers as possible.
But what is appealing? It’s not about being the brightest and best, it’s about being the best fit. Seasoned employers, and those who have to manage the ‘personalities’ have learnt this, sometimes the hard way. In at least one case loosing a superstar made my team more successful in the following 3 months after they left than the 6 months before. Others who may not have been as brilliant but could see the vision, were there because they liked the work or had a passion for the area, those who could work in the team, etc. were indespensible.
So what makes a good fit? Well PADMAN of course (see here for more), but for today lets ask a few questions to consider our practice in working with job seekers:
- Do I not only create a brilliant resume/CV but did I also teach the candidate how to tailor it?
- Do I ensure my candidates research the company before an interview?
- Can my candidates name their 3 favorite things about the industry they are entering?
- If my candidate was asked by their friends what sort of job they wanted am I sure they wouldn’t say “Whatever I can get!”
- Do I equip my candidates with a job search or equip them for job searching?
It never hurts to check.
Links of Interest
Onto the weekly wrap up of the sites I liked best this week:
How You Can Increase YourJob Search Odds – Great article by Louise Fletcher who shares so freely from her experience as an HR Manager.
The Dirty Dozen Online Job Search Mistakes -OK, so I don’t agree with all of them, especially #5 in certain cases, but worth a look.
What is your recruiting strategy? – If you know the employer’s strategy, you can design a good response for your candidates.
Email and Job Search – Article about the importance of email in a modern job search
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