Job Search Tips2getajob

Every week I conduct interviews with Recruiters and HR professionals on Tips2GetaJob radio. The show takes place every Thursday at 6:30m Est. on blog talk radio. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Recruiter Jessica Mainor. To listen to the entire interview click here.

How can job seekers find jobs?
We post job internally on our internal website first then we post jobs on Indeed, Career Builder, Monster and Simply Hired.

What types of jobs are in demand?
I recruit for the Healthcare field; we post jobs like Medical Assistant, Nursing and Radiology a wide variety of medical positions. Currently, we have over 70 positions.

Would you say there’s a shift in the job market?
Yes, we are seeing a lot of new grads in the health care field. A lot of High School students are interning and applying for scholarships at the hospital.

What’s the best way for job seekers to transition into the medical industry?
Internship is a good way to transition because you can experience the day and a life feel of the work you’re considering going into. Volunteer in a hospital, doctor’s office, and or medical clinic is another way to gain firsthand experience. This allows you to get a better understand of what the environment is like and co-workers. Internship and volunteer work can cultivate good relationship.

Why is networking important?
Networking is super important because you never know who can help you, give you insight on the company. That person can connect you with the decision maker; let you know who is hiring. You can form some great relationships with individuals and expand on that in the future.

What are the benefits of employee referral programs?
We encourage our employees to refer qualified candidates and if the individual works with our hospital for at least a minimal of 90 days then we do pay out that referral bonus. We believe good people know good people. I’m a big fan of referring people that are a good fit. We have been very successful, our hospital have hired some exceptionally skilled individuals because of the employee referral program.

How can social medical help job seekers find jobs?
I found my job using social networks like LinkedIn and Bullhorn. Face Book has a nice professional resource. I am a big fan of social networking because it can help you to connect with hiring managers in the company where you would like to work. The key is to keep the relationships strong and stay in touch with people. You never know when I position maybe available. It is a win-win for both parties, you can help them and they can help you.

What challenges are recruiters facing and how can they overcome this experience?
Recruiting and HR is a very competitive, it is important to know how to tap into the latest resources in finding the best qualified applicants, not just through the job boards and job fairs. Recruiters need to be really resourceful, making ourselves assessable because a lot of qualified applicants are over looked. Bridge the, disconnect between recruiters, passive and active candidates by being smart in our relationship building. Continue to find the qualified applicants and candidates that are currently employed or actively looking for employment.

What needs to be on a resume for a job seeker to standout?
A detailed, organized resume is very important and the format is key. If a job seeker has been with a company for a long time, stability is a plus and should be highlighted on a resume. Remove objective on a resume, it is more beneficial to get right into the experience. Make sure the requirements for the position is indicated on your resume. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters narrow their search. Job seekers need to add keywords so their resume comes up in search results.
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Jessica Mainor is a Recruiter from the North West suburbs of Chicago with 5 years of recruiting experience in the areas of Administrative, Light Industrial/ Warehouse, IT, Temp/Direct Hire and Permanent Placement. She has recently left Temp Staffing and is now a Corporate Recruiter for Memorial Hospital in the HR/Talent Acquisition Department. Jessica, will be completing her CIR this fall, and is enrolled in a Human Resources Mgmt Masters Program. She enjoys her career and Jessica feels that helping others is incredible it makes her happy to help and share any information, knowledge and resources as best as she can! Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.

Recruiters and HR professionals share the best way job seekers can contact recruiters and hiring managers.

Todd Rogers, Talent Acquisition Specialist – There are too many variables to this to give you a good answer. A mailed resume that arrives on or about the same day as an emailed resume, so the recipient possibly gets them in close proximity of one another. Really though, there isn’t a best way. Perhaps that person should find several companies and pursue all of them. A case of “one-itis” is an expressway to disappointment. Follow @TriMedxjobs

Edwin Trevino, Recruiter - Well, if your mind is made up and you know what you want, then the best way to contact is the RIGHT way.

1. See if they have an application process, i.e. online, paper, whatever system they have to hire new employees. If it is not obvious, make a phone call, check out their career website, or visit in person to find out.
2. If it is a paper application or online process, do your due diligence, and follow the process “to the tee”.
3. Once you are done, follow up with an email or phone call, just verifying that they have received your information, either the day of or day after you finished the application.
4. Always ask when they will be conducting interviews.
5. Be polite, and proper, but don’t be imposing. Respect their time, and keep in mind – they don’t HAVE to hire anyone.
6. If you had a chance to speak with them or have some type of email communication, always thank them for their time, as in “Yes sir or ma’am, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to check for me, I really appreciate it”….that goes a long way.
7. If you don’t hear from them within a week, send a very polite follow-up, but absolutely don’t be a “stalker!”
8. Remember that rejection is an absolute normal part of the job hunting process, so don’t think it is the end of the world if you don’t hear from someone. You never know if you are going to get that email or phone call. The last thing you need is to sound like “you don’t have it together” because your bummed about not hearing from your dream job.
9. Even if you don’t hear from them, send them something via old reliable….i.e. US mail. A little thank you for consideration just might turn the tide for you and really show someone that you could be that one certain employee they are looking for.

Brijendra Chaudhary, HR Professional – Keep looking on job portals and only apply where you fit best. Follow @BrizHR

Michael Shao, SPHR, Sr. HR Manager – Concurrently follow any formal application process (online, application form, building a profile on the company website’s career section, etc.) while seeing if someone in your network can give you intel on the company and/or also send in your resume. Prepare for phone screens to face-to-face interviews. Give it your best shot, and if it doesn’t work out now, don’t be afraid to try again later if similar openings pop up – by then you’ll have a lot more info on the company and its processes.

Jerry Miller, Talent Acquisition and Management - If the company has an opportunity of interest to the job seeker then they should follow the company’s designated application procedure. Then use LinkedIn or other sources and try to network into the organization to supplement their application. If the company has no relevant openings then the job seeker should again use LinkedIn to identify possible contacts at the firm, or other sources like Hoover’s, Zoom Info or the company website to identify key players in the job seeker’s field. Then email them your resume directly with a sharp and succinct cover email describing how the job seeker could be of value to the company. Follow @JerryMiller and @ExecCareerSvcs

John Kalusa, HR & Talent Acquisition Director – I’d recommend contacting the recruiter directly if the name is known, indicating that while they are not seeking information about a particular position, they’d like to arrange a brief 5-10 minute conversation to learn about the ____ department.

If they know or can discern from LI who the hiring manager is, I’d recommend looking for a connection through their network, again not to apply for a job or ask for a job but to do some “NetLearning” and learn more about the company, industry, department etc….. Follow @JKalusa 

Job Coach Jacqui, conducts an interview with Recruiters or HR Professionals on Tips2GetaJob Series. This is excerpts from my recent interview with Chrystal Moore, PHR, Senior Recruiter for Philips.

What do you like most about working there?
I love being able to have the tools and resources to perform my job and am also fortunate to work with an amazing team and group of customers (hiring managers and HR managers).
How did you get your job?
I wasn’t looking at the time and someone that I was networking with reached out to me to let me know that a position was going to be opened at Philips. Since I was recruiting for similar types of healthcare candidates at my previous company, my peer thought it would be a good match. Six years later…I’m still here!

What industry, specialty or function are you in now?
Philips has three divisions: Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle, and Lighting. I started off in Philips Healthcare however have touched on every area of the business including Campus Recruiting. My primary focus now is Philips Healthcare and I mainly recruit for the Customer Service portion of the business. The functions that I mainly recruit for are service engineers that repair medical equipment such as MRIs, X-Rays, Patient Monitoring equipment, and more. I recruit for both the engineers that repair the equipment hands-on as well as the team that supports our customers over the telephone.

Do you have a degree &/or certification; If so, what kind and from where?
I have my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from NC State University (GO PACK!). I have my MBA from Valdosta State University. I have my Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification since 2002 and have recertified every three years. I also have the AIRS Advanced Certified Internet Recruiter (ACIR) certification.

How do you stay current in your industry?
I stay current by keeping abreast of what my peers in other industries are doing. I also like to keep track of what our competitors are doing so that we can continue to stay competitive in the marketplace. I’m constantly reading news articles and information online to keep my recruiting skills up to date.

Name two ways you’re networking now?

Professionally, I would say that I used LinkedIn extensively and like connecting with people that I’ve worked with over the years as well as candidates that I’ve spoken to. Over the last year, I’ve started using Twitter as well and have made some great networking contacts through this resource. I have my personal recruiting account which is @RecruitMoore and I also tweet occasionally from our Philips North America Recruiting account which is @PhilipsJobsNA. Twitter has also allowed me to stay current in my industry due to the large amount of resources that are shared by other industry professionals.  It has also allowed me to network with candidates that have expressed interest in working with Philips and some have connected back with me to say they’ve been hired!

What are your top 2 blogs and why?
I don’t subscribe to blogs since I tend to follow quite a few people through Twitter that post their blog posts through that medium.

What are your top 2 recruiting sources and why?
From a sourcing perspective, I would have to say LinkedIn is one of my widely used recruiting sources. Another source that I use frequently is our Applicant Tracking System as well as my previous notes of candidates that I’ve spoken to over the years. Most recruiters tend to forget to check their current ATS for candidates.

What do you like most about being a Recruiter?
My Bachelor’s degree was in Marketing and although I’m not a big-time Advertising executive like I thought I would be while I was in college, I love that I get to use my marketing skills every day. I’m constantly marketing and advertising to potential candidates about the benefits of our company and I’m marketing to my hiring managers why I think a particular candidate would be a great fit. Another reason why I love recruiting is that I feel it’s the “happy part” of HR. I love the satisfaction of extending an offer to someone that truly wanted to position and the opportunity to work with Philips.

What do you look for in a job candidate?
First and foremost, I have to look to see if the candidate has the necessary skills to do the position. Many of my positions require specific, tangible skills such as experience repairing a CAT scan. Once I’ve determined if they have the necessary skills, I then see if they have the behaviors and attributes that are tied to our Philips behaviors. Sometimes if a candidate isn’t the right fit for this one particular job, I’ve considered them in the future for another position that was a fit. I often tell candidates that you have to be tenacious because that right opportunity may not be right in front of you right now but will be right around the corner.

What are the top 2 job search strategies, job seekers should do?
One…continue to build your network! If a candidate doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile…create one and build your network through this channel. Employee referrals are one of the top sources of candidates and you never know who in your network may be aware of that next great opportunity for you. Another strategy is if there is a particular company or industry that you are interested in, see if that company has a LinkedIn company page, Twitter page, Facebook page or any other social media page and then follow them. This will allow a candidate to get more insight into a company and learn more about their culture as well as potential job opportunities that may not be advertised in other channels.

When, why and how should a job seeker contact a recruiter/hiring manger?
This can be a thin line to cross and I think it would depend on the situation. If there is a position that a candidate is qualified for and the candidate has the recruiter’s contact information, it should be okay to reach out to inform that recruiter of his/her interest. I would recommend that the candidate first apply to the position online before reaching out to the recruiter. Regarding reaching out to a hiring manager, I would recommend only doing so after the candidate has had the opportunity to interview with the hiring manager. A nice Thank You letter to show the candidate’s interest in the position would be great since Thank You letters are rare. Just make sure that the Thank You letter is specific to the position as well as highlight some of the points that were mentioned during the interview.

Share your funniest recruiting experience?
I sat and thought about this for a while and I don’t think I’ve had those “rolling on the floor laughing” recruiting moments. Now, I’ve had quite a few “shaking my head” moments but that’s probably for another day and time!
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Chrystal Moore, PHR has more than 10 years recruiting experience and has been with Philips for over six years. She is very active on Social Media and actively engages with candidates through LinkedIn and Twitter. She received her Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University (Go Pack!) and her MBA from Valdosta State University. You can network with Chrystal on Twitter at @RecruitMoore or on LinkedIn 

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