3 Ways HR Can Make A Positive Impression With All Job Seekers

Recruiters, here are a few tips to help you gain a favorable impression with potential job candidates.

The job search is changing for the employer and the employee.  Even though unemployment remains high, the market for qualified job seekers, particularly those with very technical skills, is extremely challenging.

Companies are looking at new ways to build relationships and gain the attention of the technical and qualified prospective employee.  For the last few years, the focus has been on recruiting the active vs. passive job seeker, but that is no more.

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3 Ways HR Can Make A Positive Impression With All Job Seekers

Dress the Part for Your Next Interview

In an interview, first impressions are everything. Even the most down to earth interviewer would admit that appearances matter quite a bit.

The outfit you choose sends a message about your professionalism and your ability to fit into office culture. It is an opportunity to sell yourself as a package to your hiring manager, so it’s important that you choose attire that will give you that extra edge you need to boost your confidence. Continue Reading

12 Ways to Create a Killer First Impression

In the business world, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Will others see you as meek, ill-mannered, and inexperienced or confident, courteous, and curious? It’s up to you.

Here are 12 ways not to blow that platinum opportunity.

1. Find your power color.

Everyone has a power color. Listen to your friends when they compliment you on a color you’re wearing. Chances are, you’ve accidentally stumbled on your power shade, the color that’s very flattering to you. Now go out and buy wardrobe pieces, jewelry, and accessories in that exact color. Continue Reading

Your Job Interview – How to Make the Right Impression From the Start

The big buzzword in interview techniques is “rapport”. Which basically means developing a connection between yourself and the interviewer. Essentially, rapport is what good sales people get with their customers. And of course your interview is really you selling yourself.

Given that most people are in fact terrible at sales, I’m going to qualify this statement immediately, by saying – yes, your interview is you selling yourself but that doesn’t mean you have to be some kind of pinstriped idiot spouting business platitudes like an extra from The Apprentice. Far from it. Really good sales people are friendly, engaging and authentic, because they believe in the product they are selling.

If you are selling yourself, surely you can believe in that product more than anything else. You wouldn’t, or you shouldn’t anyway, be applying for a job you have no interest in nor yet cannot do. So the interview situation, which comes after applying for the right jobs, is simply your way of proving what you already know: that you’re a great candidate for the position. Continue Reading

New Study Finds Recruiters Give Resumes Only 6 Seconds

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

A recent eye-tracking study of recruiter behavior when reviewing resumes revealed some rather surprising information. While we’ve known for some time that resumes aren’t given much initial consideration time, most experts thought that roughly 30 seconds were given to examination; some thought even less—maybe 10-15 seconds. In actuality, the study found an initial scan of the resume by recruiters was only 6 SECONDS. That’s it. Six seconds is all your resume gets to make an initial impression.

The implications of the study, of course, are far reaching and suggest that it’s even more critical to have an eye-catching resume and to make the most of the six seconds you are afforded. So where do you start and what do you focus on when you have only six seconds to make the right impression? Here are the six areas that recruiters spent more than 80% of their time focusing on: Continue Reading

Interview Success: Five Easy Tips for Making a Great First Impression

Cathy Eng, Certified Advanced Resume Writer

Some experts say more than 90% of communication is non-verbal, and in this ultra competitive job market you must pay attention to every silent detail in order to make an impression. Why? Because there are many other candidates out there who are equally qualified and dedicated, and who know how to make a great first impression.

But there are lots of ways to get the edge utilizing your professional appearance, communication, and attitude. You may think, ‘Surely employers aren’t so shallow that they will judge me based on my appearance.’ While a lot more goes into their impression of you, your appearance is certainly a big part.

By showing an employer that you know how to make a great first impression and you have attention to detail, you can communicate way more than you may think. Here are some basic and sometimes overlooked areas that make a big difference in an interview: Continue Reading

Job Interview First Impressions

Are first impressions really that important? The answer is… YES!

When the decision comes to hire a new employee, the candidates that are chosen almost always will share similar educational backgrounds, skills and experience. Because of this, it can be the small things that make the difference between getting the job or not. A lousy handshake or dirty shoes can be all it takes to lose out on getting the job.

Top tips to make sure that your first impression counts! Continue Reading