[How to Get That Job] Insider Secrets to Candidate Selection

You see a job posting on Monster that looks like a good fit.  You apply to that job and submit your resume.  Then you wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Then rinse and repeat.

And it doesn’t work.  It is like buying that lottery ticket.  You won’t win the big prize.  But you’ll keep hoping.  And you’ll keep missing out.

So what are you missing in this process?

You don’t understand what is happening with the hiring process on the hiring manager’s side of the table.

So whether it is the wild and woolly world of wireless telecom jobs hiring, or in a more mundane industry, the concepts are the same.  Let’s take a look.

What are your options?

1. Internal Hire
2. External Direct Hire
3. External Temp to Perm
4. External Perm Placement

Internal Hire

Advantages:

• The internal hire is familiar with the company since they are already working there.
• They have company issued equipment (laptop, systems access, phones).
• Often quicker to get up to speed on company processes and procedures.
• Often able to fit within the salary structure.
• Builds internal morale since other team members see that hard work and company loyalty are rewarded
• Lowers hiring costs by not paying an additional fee.

Disadvantages:

• You lose out on new blood…new ideas that can feed the team.  This has the effect over time of “inbreeding” – where the group gets more homogenized and suspect of outsiders (new team members).  Can become resistant to change if you don’t manage that.
• You may compromise important skills or relationships that could be augmented with an external hire.
• You may have to transfer other work off their plate or they may have to do two jobs for an interim period which can result in lost focus.
• Prior work that is being left behind may be negatively impacted and may require massaging with the client and prior teams.

 

External Direct Hire

Advantages:

• Larger pool.  By expanding outside your existing team and company, you can find others with a better skill set.  Increased supply can result in a better quality hire.
• Known quantity.  Often an external direct hire comes from a referral.  People often won’t refer people who won’t do the job well.  So you get the benefit of a good pre-screened candidate.
• Beneficial relationship.  Often helping out a colleague with hiring someone they care about, will build that relationship further.  And sometimes that can convert into more business done between the two people in the future.

Disadvantages:

• Shoehorning a person into a role to avoid disappointing the referrer.  This can lead to problems down the road.
• May take longer than an internal hire to get them familiar with corporate policies and procedures and fully operational.
• Avoids paying additional recruiter fees for a possible lower cost hire.

 

External Temp to Perm

Advantages:

• Allows an easier try-before-you-buy approach to hiring an employee.  They start as a contractor and then convert to a perm position for a fee (or not if a certain number of contracted months passes first).
• Spreads the agency placement fee out over several months to avoid a lump sum hit to cash flow.

Disadvantages:

• You are paying a higher rate for the same performance.  In addition to salary and often minimal benefits, you are also paying for the profit of the staffing agency.  That is profit they are getting that you are not.
• You may have someone looking for a temp position who has no intention of becoming a permanent employee.  That can cost time and money that has to be re-spent on a replacement candidate.

 

External Perm Placement

Advantages:

• Hiring someone through an agency directly without a temp placement term puts extra focus on finding the right fit.  You don’t want to spend that kind of money up front, only to have to go in another direction after a bad hire.  Now that issue may be the same with the other options, but it is more pronounced in this method.

Disadvantages:

• Having a staffing agency find and place a candidate for a one-time fee is a significant risk.  Normally that risk is mitigated with guarantees of a happy result or alternate placement and waiving some fees.

So that is one way hiring managers view the placement options.  Often it is a balance between the competing objectives of time-money-skills.

Ultimately your first goal is to find someone who can do the job and do it well.  The next is to get them on board quickly.  Typically someone else is doing that job right now and probably isn’t excited to be doing two jobs.  And is therefore very motivated to make that hire. The third is to get them into the position as quickly as possible so you’re not having to cover for them.

Besides the various staffing models listed above, what are other things that are considered when making a hiring decision?

• Who does the boss like?  Or who has he/she worked with previously that would be recommended?
• How can existing staff be shuffled up to get the right combination of people in place?
• Who has the best alignment of their skills to our needs?
• How quickly can they come on board?  If they are unemployed or able to leave quicker than two weeks, what is that?  That may sway a decision between a couple options.
• What do others say about this potential hire?  Are they getting a positive reference?  Or luke warm?
• The interview.  Is there a personality match?  Any unexpected questions?

So what can you do to give yourself the best chance for success in being hired with this reality?

Best Practices

So you’re going to take on the hiring gauntlet.  Here’s what you can do to increase your chances of success.

• Network like crazy.  If your’e the extravert type, get out and attend the industry functions.  If you can be more visible to your management, vendors, and clients, do that.  You never know where that next job may come from.  Let those in your LinkedIn network know you’re looking and ask for suggestions.
• Be that go-to person.  At work, over-perform.  Be that person everyone wants to work with.  That will help you in your next role.  This is a great option for the introvert.
• Do anything and everything to get in the door at your desired company.  It is a lot easier to get that next job from the inside than to get the plumb job cold without any relationship built in advance.  Know more about the company you’re eyeing at. Check the salary base information, job description, the mission and vision, and the workplace culture so that you’ll know how impress them and get noticed in no time.
• Get your resume in front of recruiters and job placement agencies.  Often these agencies have pre-built relationships with companies and hiring managers you would never be able to access on your own.  Just make sure you apply directly with those you have relationships..  As I mentioned earlier, if the hiring manager has a choice of a direct hire versus one through a staffing agency, they’d almost always choose the direct route to save money.
• Get help.  Often you’re your worst critic.  Most people are not good at evaluating their own performance, strengths, and abilities.  Do hire a resume writer, have your resume critiqued.

For a free resume assessment, send me an email.  Then I’ll review it and provide my best suggestions for improvement.  If you want to  jump ahead and have your resume rewritten, just email me and we’ll discuss the pricing and results you can expect.

Why get in touch with me?

• You’re sick of sending out resumes and never hearing anything back.
• You don’t want to be chained to the same desk for the next 20-40 years.
• You played by the rules, got your education, and now are struggling to get a job even close to what your abilities and education support.
• You’re unemployed or underemployed and sick and tired of it.  You want a real job now.
• You want to be paid what you’re worth.
• You want to wake up excited to go into the office.
• You want the title, money, and respect that goes with that position you deserve.

If any of these sound like you, get a hold of me today.  Together we’ll figure out your best options to land that next job.  And when we do, we’ll dodge those landmines in the way of your successful job search.