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Happy First Friday! We are hosting a Swoon and NextGen homecoming tonight and wanted to make sure our Swoon Tunes took us back to our homecoming days. Enjoy these nostalgic hits and don’t miss your curfew!

By: Jessica Henry

There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling you’ve exhausted all of your options in a job search. You’re sure that you’ve turned over every stone and hunted down every potential lead. That doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up! Instead, try taking a new, unorthodox approach to your job search.

Target Your Ideal Position

Most people don’t dream of spending Monday through Friday from nine to five behind a desk. Chances are, this wasn’t the type of job you thought you would have when you were a kid. Instead of letting yourself get bogged down by what you “should” be doing, try taking a look at the types of jobs you’d really like to have and the type of company culture that you think would be a good fit for you. You might be surprised by how much easier it is to find your ideal job than it is to find one that’s just “good enough.”

Search for Companies not Jobs

As you think about your ideal job, don’t just consider the exact position that you think would be a great fit for you. Think about the type of company you’d love to work for. Is it a company with a social conscious mission? One with a fantastic company culture? Choose the type of company where you can see yourself staying long-term. Working your way up from within is often easier than starting out in that top position you have your eye on, and when you love your company, you’re more likely to enjoy going to work every day.

Apply for the Job You Want, Not the One That’s Open

A large percentage of the best available jobs are never posted. Instead, they’re filled through word of mouth, through recruitment agencies, or by quietly reaching out to people who are considered ideal for the position. If you’re looking at a company, imagining yourself there, and thinking that it would be the perfect fit for you, don’t let the lack of an open job posting stand in your way! Go ahead and send in your resume and a cover letter. Even if it doesn’t yield a job now, it might mean an open door down the road.

About Swoon

We are recruiters with an unorthodox method and a proven track record of temporary and direct hire placements. Through an approachable method to recruiting we get to know our clients and candidates then connect the best and the brightest with Fortune 1000 companies nationwide. Are you ready to be Swoon’d?

Every time you have an open position in your company, the struggle begins. You want to hire someone who is a great fit with your existing staff, who will understand your company culture, and who will stay with the company and fulfill their role for a long time. When you’re hiring, there are plenty of factors that go into every interview. Deciding which factors are the most important can help you make better decisions every time you select a new employee.

Training Matters

When you have an open position, you want a candidate who has all the skills necessary to fill it. That doesn’t mean, however, that you have to hire someone who already understands the exact techniques, software, or processes used by your company. In many cases, you expect to provide some degree of training before your new employee is ready to fully tackle the job that they’ve been hired to do. If a potential employee has the basic skills necessary to learn the more in-depth skills for the job, you can train them in the specific tools and processes they need to take the position.

Personality Can’t Be Taught

You can teach employees new skills. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work the same way with personality. A good personality fit can make all the difference in many office settings. When you have a team that meshes well together, you’ll have a happier, more productive office environment. In many cases, a great combination of personalities throughout your office will be the difference between employees who are eager to report to work and give their all and a negative office environment. When hiring new employees, therefore, it’s critical to choose personalities that will fit with your existing staff to ensure a better environment for all involved.

Remember, employees can be taught new skills, so don’t write them off if their resume doesn’t read exactly like the job description requirements. Their personality, however, is something you’ll have to get a sense for in interviews and other exchanges. If they don’t feel like a good fit, regardless of their skills, they might not be the candidate for you.

About Swoon

Okay, you’ve made great contacts at industry meet-ups, overhauled your Twitter and Facebook accounts to present a more professional image and given your LinkedIn profile a long overdue update to offer an excellent introduction to prospective employers. So, what is the next step?

Choosing the correct type of resume and tailoring it to each job you apply for is vital. Your resume plays an essential role in securing interviews during your job search. Here are three types of resumes that will increase interview opportunities.

Chronological Resume

Listing job history in chronological order starting with your most recent job and working backward is the most standard resume format. This format is useful for people employed in the same field for a long time who want to apply for jobs in the same or similar field. Also, they have few gaps in their employment history.

Functional Resume

A functional resume brings your skills and abilities to the forefront while minimizing your work history. People who choose this format usually have significant gaps in their employment history, have been out of the workforce for an extended period or have little to no work history.

Combination Resume

The combination layout captures attention by first highlighting relevant skills and capabilities like a functional resume and then supporting them with your chronological work history. People with limited work history support their skills with volunteer positions or education. If you are a new graduate, entry-level job seeker, older worker or ready to make a career change this format is an excellent choice.

When you have determined which resume type applies to your situation, enhance your chances of being selected for an interview by tailoring your resume to each job inquiry. Accomplish this by incorporating keywords from job descriptions directly into your resume. Also, add the URL for your Twitter handle and LinkedIn profile to your contact information on your resume to show prospective employers that you are proficient with social media platforms.

Use these guidelines to help you prepare a great resume and then contact a leading recruiting agency to help you land the perfect job.

About Swoon

It’s not easy to pull talent away from big established companies. It’s easy to lose the battles of money and health benefits, but you can lose those battles and still win the war. Here’s how: Appeal to a sense of excitement, adventure, their desire to be a part of something great and the possibility of big-time bucks in the future. Saying you were employee #12 of a successful company is really cool. Be honest, but frame the potentials and play to the positive aspects of being a startup.

Opportunity

Wearing multiple hats is something that excites people. Having direct contact with the client is another opportunity many people desire. Talented people aren’t trying to avoid work; they’re trying to funnel their talents into something that isn’t boring. They want to be challenged and feel the excitement of future opportunities. Tap into those instincts.

Be Transparent

In every way possible, be open and honest. Map out your plan to the prospective employee. Show them how you will need them to succeed, and be honest about the challenges. Startups are small with office cultures that can grow cliquey if knowledge isn’t shared broadly. Avoid this by being as open with everything as you can. Think about running your operation with an open book, so nothing is opaque.

Brand Ambassadors

Everyone at your startup should know that they need to evangelize its awesomeness. Obviously you can’t force people to do this, but you can sit everyone down and explain that it’s going to be a challenge to recruit new talent and that you need their help. Employees at startups should get that it’s an all-hands-on-deck operation for everything, including acquiring talent. It doesn’t hurt to remind them though.

Talented people are willing to take risks with their careers, and there is nothing more risky than never taking a risk. The best thing you can do to attract these people to your startup is to work from the sense of excitement and intelligent risk-taking framed with a commitment to transparency. This is what people are looking for.

About Swoon

Most of the mistakes people make when job hunting stem from a lack of self-awareness and rigid thinking. The people who get jobs are the people who understand what employers are looking for and present themselves best in that light.

1. Use your online time wisely.

The internet pushes so many things at you that it can lull you into a state of pure reaction. You click, you read, you respond to an email, you like a few things, you send a message. All of these things can have some meaning when it comes to finding a job, but it’s easy to get carried away and pushed into distraction.

2. Your Resume isn’t a list, it’s a communication tool meant to position you as the ideal candidate.

Too many people fail to think about how their achievements will be received. They don’t make it easy for people who are hiring to see that they would be a great candidate. They present the person they want to hire with more work to do, as opposed to providing a solution — which is what they want! Duh.

3. Talk about how you overachieved.

Maybe you can get a job by showing how you do only what’s expected of you, but most employers don’t want to have to keep working to find you work. They want to see that you took an active role and forwarded the company’s strategies and objectives on your own steam.

4. If no one’s returning calls, re-examine your approach.

Maybe you’re telling your friends you really need a job because your boss is such a jerk. Well that’s probably not going to strike a positive cord. Maybe you need to express positive curiosity and don’t make people feel like they have to solve all your problems. Ask if they can introduce you to so-and-so or have lunch with you to discuss the type of work they do.

5. Back to the online thing: Ok you need an online identity.

Liking an exquisite picture of a corn beef sandwich on Facebook doesn’t really bolster your online identity. However, you should have some sort of footprint online for people to learn more about your skills and talent especially if you’re angling for a higher position.

6. Be as specific as possible when talking about your success.

Any good storyteller will tell you that it’s the details that seal the deal. It’s what people remember. It’s what makes everything real. So it’s important to have backstories and context to all the challenges you met head on.

You may not think of any of this as fun, but given how dynamic our economy has become and how the path to real career growth is laid out, these are skills you are going to need to build on. You can’t do it all overnight. Work at these things and hone them. This is what gives you power over your own destiny, yeah, it’s really that important, but don’t worry. You can do it.

About Swoon

LinkedIn recently pulled together data from its surveys to paint a picture that may or may not surprise you around the current hiring landscape. I’m sure you’ll find something that’s surprising and makes you rethink things. There’s a lot of talent out there just ready for you tap into.

70% of the US workforce is not actively seeking a new job (passive candidates)

87% of the US workforce (active and passive candidates) say they are open to new opportunities

#1 Reason why people change jobs: “Opportunity”

How they look for jobs:
1. Job Boards
2. Professional networks
3. Word of mouth

What makes them say yes to a new job:
1. Compensation
2. Professional development
3. Work-Life balance

How they hear about a job: Referral

Companies can expand their talent pool 10x through their employees’ networks

Employee referrals are a top source of quality hires

Top Talent Branding Tools:
1. Company website
2. Professional networks
3. Social Media

94% of candidates would like feedback on their interviews

89% of candidates say being contacted by their recruiter can make them accept an offer

We feel the most important takeaway from all of this is probably the size of the passive pool of talent: workers who are not actively seeking jobs, but are very open to seeing what’s out there and how they can grow. The quality hires are out there and while many come through employee referral, there are many more out there that a good recruiter can give you access to. If your rockstar employees are getting overworked, maybe it’s time to come up with a plan.

About Swoon

Hiring managers can be swayed by the small things. Obviously you have to check the big boxes, but we always hear hiring managers saying things like “and you know I loved that he showed up ten minutes early — early enough to seem prepared but not so early that I had to figure out where to put him.” Maybe it wasn’t the reason they got the job, but it was a nice final touch that sealed the deal.

Showing up on time.

Ok, so we already talked about this. Try to show up ten minutes early. It makes a good impression. You don’t want to be too early but you want to show enough precaution over being late.

Being First Up to Bat

If you can score an early morning interview and are the first one of the day, your chances go up. You’re getting your interviewers at their freshest state. If you can influence times, try to be the first up to bat.

Honesty

If there’s something on your resume that stretches your achievements and the interviewers get a sense of that then you’ve just raised a red flag. Most hiring managers report that people stretch the truth about competencies that wouldn’t even have been a factor in them getting the job, so they took really pointless risks.

Research!

Know the clients of the prospective company, and know things like where the clients’ offices are. On social media try to get a sense of who the thought leaders are. If you can demonstrate a good understanding of their business, you will have a leg up on the competition.

Follow Directions

It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and not read the instructions or follow the protocols during the interview process (e.g., if they tell you in an email to ask for Allison when you arrive, be sure you do that). It’s easy to forget the simple instructions, it’s also more costly than you’d think.

Talking About Your Experiences Positively

You might be asked during an interview why you want to leave your current position. This is not a license to talk bad about your current company. In fact you’ll look a lot better if you say nice things about the company but point to how your goals have shifted and you want to grow in new ways.

It’s important to get the small stuff just right. If you don’t then they’ll think about that bad small stuff when they think of you rather than the good big stuff.

About Swoon

First of all congratulations. Deciding to go to what could be a lame or awkward event is likely going to pay off in some way. It’s better than just going home and getting absorbed by your couch. Since you’ve decided to go, here are seven quick tips to help you make the most out of it.

1. The bar is usually the place to be.

Not to slam drinks but to ease into natural interactions. As soon as someone turns from the bar, you can strike up a conversation on the sidelines of the “playing field”.

2. Set some goals.

Maybe you won’t achieve them because other opportunities presented themself. But when you set goals it keeps you focused on your objectives. You can change the gameplan, just be sure to have one.

3. Don’t be overly aggressive.

Avoid being rude when inserting yourself into conversations. No one wants to be around that person.

4. Share.

Be willing to share your contacts and information with people even if it seems like there may be no reciprocation. Call it good karma if that helps.

5. Make your story compelling.

When you talk about what you do you can lead with your title, but show some spark when you talk about things that really interest you. Be human.

6. Graceful exit.

Politely excuse yourself from conversations. No running! And leave while the place is still at least half full.

7. Thank the organizer.

The writer Malcolm Gladwell uses the term Maven for someone who is really good at connecting different people. Your organizer is likely to be one, and could be a pivotal person to know. And it’s just good form to thank them.

About Swoon

It’s really difficult when a skilled and smart person simply doesn’t fit in at your office. It’s something that’s easy to sense by everyone, yet so difficult and awkward to express and even more difficult to fix. So how can you get a sense of this at an interview when everyone is acting a little more perfect and shiny than their usual self?

This is the key objective of the interview. You should already know if the person has the skills and experience you need, now’s the time to see what sort of person they are and how they might work out. Here are some questions to help you find out.

 1. What’s your ideal job?

You’ll likely get a vague answer, but hopefully not too vague. While not really a gotcha or trick question, it does a good job at getting people off their scripted answers. Adaptability is key, and hopefully the answer demonstrates both adaptability and curiosity. You want your next employee to be able to feel very rewarded at their job, and the answer should demonstrate an ability for that.
 

2. What do you do when a teammate you’re working with gets frustrated and becomes difficult?

This is a pretty common question, so it shouldn’t startle. Still it’s not easy. You want to see some tenacity here in getting the teammate revitalized and on track, but it might also be important that everyone is aware of a stall in work and why, and this is obviously a tricky thing for anyone to manage (staying loyal to the teammate while avoiding leaving your manager with an unexpected delay). The question usually reveals some good insight.
 

 3. What do you do when someone gives you something to do that’s not in your job description?

OK, they can’t blow this one. This is where you can get a sense of their curiosity. Hopefully the answer shows some cleverness and independence, you probably want someone eager to expand their skillset and make themselves more valuable.
  

4. What do you do for fun?

Sometimes eyes light up at this and other times you get more of the scripted response. If the eyes light then you’ve likely landed on something they’re passionate about. The what is not as important as the why and the way they describe it. Pay attention to how they talk about it, does it seem like a person who can’t put passion behind the objectives you have in store?

About Swoon

We are technology and professional recruiters with an unorthodox method and a proven track record of temporary and direct hire placements. Through an approachable method to recruiting we get to know our clients and candidates then connect the best and the brightest with Fortune 1000 companies nationwide. Are you ready to be Swoon’d?