I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! I've been super busy preparing for the next training class, and things are off to a grand start! Last week I traveled to our offices in Raleigh, NC and Atlanta, GA, and attended my very first career fair at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Needless to say I'm knee deep in voicemails and emails so I better get back to work.
For those of you that missed Vol. 1: "I swear if I have to create one more profile I'm going to set my eyelashes on fire...". Thanks Chris for revealing yet another of your secrets that has possibly saved me from public humiliation and shame.
I've applied for membership with MyLifeBrand so hopefully I'll get accepted. I'm not sure what the criteria is, but I had to write a little essay explaining why I should be granted access to their secret society of organized social networking. I imagine a group of graders sitting in a quiet, sterilized room, wearing anti-contamination suits, working under the guise of Big Brother.
My essay went something like "OMG This site rocks! I have a billion different profiles and this would be the best thing ever!".
I hope they don't do their research and discover that I'm quite possibly a genius simply posing as a mere commoner to gain access to their yummy pot of gold! (Cue Megalomaniacal Laughter. Starts off as a low rumbling, in the back of the throat, slowly ascending to a loud cackle.)
Mwahaha, muhuhaha, muwhahaha!
But what if they find out??? Is my fate to be tied to Excel spreadsheets to manage all of my online profiles? Will I be banned from online social networking all together? Will my Life remain Brandless....FOREVER???
Aaaaaand scene...
A Candidate's Blog
I'm coming across more and more of these everyday! This is one of the better one's that I've seen.
I recruit recruiters. During the interview process, one of the most important things that I look for is what drives them to be great, to be better than the day before, to graduate from college, to look for a new job, to enjoy their friends, to workout, to do a cross-word puzzle, to simply wake up in the morning. It's not a question that I ask during the interview, because then I'd get some cookie-cutter answer shoved down my throat and they'd figure out how to weave the word "motivated" into every single response from then on, and I wouldn't get even a glimpse of their true self.
Wikipedia defines motivation as having "the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated person can be reaching for a long-term goal such as becoming a professional writer or a more short-term goal like learning how to spell a particular word".
So what motivates a good recruiter?
I would say that the best recruiters are motivated by the challenges of recruiting itself, money, the high of actually making the perfect placement...the unparallel sense of accomplishment. I received my degree in Anthropology, so the tree huggin hippie inside of me is satisfied by knowing that at the end of the day I've helped someone. I'm in the unique position of being a college recruiter, and knowing that I've given someone their first opportunity to enter the corporate world the right way (training, a good team, great pay, etc) is worth more than my paycheck.
So tell me...what motivates you?
I've been phone interviewing like crazy, and the second round of interviews are starting pretty soon. I was thinking that if I were being interviewed today, and the recruiter asked me to name one of my weaknesses, I would say that I tend to build a rapport with my candidates too quickly. By the time I qualify them for the position, set up and confirm the phone interview, and call them for their scheduled time, they already feel like my BFF. Those candidates that get too comfortable tend to crash and burn in a Blaze of Glory.
Always remember that a phone interview is still an interview!! Never let yourself relax too much that you blow your chances for moving on to the next round.
Helpful hints to remember before you answer the call:
1) Don't chew gum or eat dinner or be drinking anything.
2) Use your professional phone voice! You know the one your mother used that drove you crazy.
3) Be alone so that you don't need to Shhhh... people as they pass through the room.
4) Putting me on hold is highly discouraged and frowned upon. I just may spontaneously combust the next time it happens.
5) Have your list of questions Googled already or written down. Don't wing it.
6) Have the website pulled up too. This is certainly an advantage when doing a phone interview.
7) Smile. Trust me, we can tell!! Have the same energy as you would in a face to face interview.
Good luck!
I'm all about social networking, but will someone please create a website where I can sign into all of my profiles at once?!?! I had to create a spreadsheet just to keep up with them all. I came across Ning and the RecruitingBlogs.com social network today, and I can't believe I was so out of the loop on this one! I'm loving the idea, but I swear if I have to create one more profile I'm going to set my eyelashes on fire...
The End.
I think this officially qualifies as a Short Post.
Check out this job posting that was created just for you. And recruiters and salespeople.
