Why Recruiters May Want Active Candidates More Than Passive Candidates

Are you an active job seeker or a passive job seeker?  If you are the latter, then you probably are not the most attractive candidate to an employer.  Learn why in the following post.

In professional recruiting circles, a lot of attention is paid to so-called passive candidates. In theory, these are people who only get jobs when recruiters reach out and ask them. Happily employed and fully engaged in their current job, they are supposedly prized precisely because they aren’t looking.

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Why Recruiters May Want Active Candidates More Than Passive Candidates

Is Testing More Important Than Interviewing?

Leah O’Flynn, Executive IT Recruiter at Redfish Technology

Many companies believe testing is more important than interviewing. Testing has long been a part of many evaluation processes from personality testing, character testing and skill set testing. Human Resources often look upon these tests as a requisite part of their screening process. Hiring managers may rely too much on tests.

Ironically, a lot of capable and qualified people do poorly on standardized tests. Some people freeze up or let outside circumstance affect their performance. Sometimes candidates with a different cultural background may articulate the answer in a way the test does not anticipate. Testing remains only one part of the story and it may not always tell its part in an informative way. Continue Reading

Bridging the Military to Civilian Hiring Gap

There are ways that both military job seekers and employers can appeal to one another when it comes to hiring.  The following post offers advice for each side to make a favorable impression on the other.

Bridging the Military to Civilian Hiring Gap

Maximizing Selection for Culture Fit: Part II

Dr. Marisa Seeds, Senior Consultant at Shaker Consulting Group

In my previous entry on Maximizing Selection for Culture Fit (Part I), I shared three tips that focused on using pre-employment testing to maximize your learning about candidates’ culture fit early in the hiring process. The remaining two tips shared below focus on using culture fit data to attract and engage candidates – that is, beyond measuring candidates’ fit and learning about where they stand, how can we use this information to further engage them in the hiring process and beyond? Continue Reading

Maximizing Selection for Culture Fit: Part I

Dr. Marisa Seeds, Senior Consultant at Shaker Consulting Group

Cover Letters Still Valuable in Hiring Process

Think cover letters are passe when applying for a position? Think again, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. More than nine in 10 (91 percent) executives polled said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates. In addition, nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) respondents indicated it’s common to receive cover letters even when applicants submit resumes electronically. The results mirror those from a similar survey conducted in 2008.

Managers were asked, “When evaluating prospective job candidates, how valuable is the cover letter that accompanies the resume?” Their responses: Continue Reading

C x 5= PL–What Every Employer Assesses for When They Hire Someone

What does a company want to find out about you when they interview you? What are they trying to find out when they evaluate and assess you?

In most cases, hiring staff or temporary workers starts out with a job description. Someone sat down and consciously thought of what skills and experience they needed on their staff. As such, most firms hopefully start off by assessing for competence (I say “hopefully” because so many people report that they work with incompetent colleagues). Hopefully an employer has developed a series of questions that help them evaluate and assess skills competency for the skills that are needed. Continue Reading