Guess what I'm doing this week...Interviewing people for a job opening I have. It always amazes me how bad people are at every part of the job search process. I thought I'd share some things I've seen this week so you could share my pain in trying to fill my job opening.
I created this position last year and filled it for the first time about 14 months ago. It is an Administrative Specialist position so I get a lot of interest when I post the position. I learned my lesson last year when I left the posting up to long and had over 100 applications to review. This year I pulled it down after a couple of weeks and had 58 applications. As I reviewed the resumes and cover letters I was amazed how bad they were. Not in terms of the qualifications but rather the effort the people made to speak to the job. I understand people are applying for multiple jobs and this is particularly true on the Columbus State site but still. Several of the cover letters were referencing jobs that were not my job. Those were automatically eliminated. Most of the letters were generic and not customized. If you want to get my attention try to tie your qualifications to my needs. I did post the job description after all.
I narrowed the list to seven applicants. Again I learned from past mistakes where I interviewed 20 people. In these interviews here is a list of good things that got my attention?
- People who did some research. People that follow me on Twitter have an advantage.
- People that attempted to tie their experience to my needs.
- People that were direct and to the point with their responses. I have a low tolerance for bull shit
- People that asked smart questions tied to the position.
- Most importantly ~ people that wanted to be a part of something important not just looking for a check.
I haven't decided yet who will be offered the opportunity to be part of our team but I guarantee it will be someone that makes us better so we can help build a better environment for your small business. I'll keep you posted.
Now on to this weekend's business long run. Remember these are articles that I have come across this week that would be good to look at to improve your business. Given where I am in my fitness level this has been a good running week. I look to keep that trend rolling this weekend with a big four mile run (big and four mile don't usually go together but for right now that's it) and then reading these posts to improve my business:
Five Reasons Your Ideas Pitch Sucks at ThoughtLeaders ~ Even if your idea is great if your pitch sucks you are DOA. Here is how to fix this and hit a home run.
5 Elements That Make Brand Evangelism Work at NateRiggs.com ~ Learn from Nate Riggs how to successfully tie your persona to a company brand and increase awareness for the business in the market.
16 Tips to Boost Your YouTube Marketing Strategy at Daily Blog Tips ~ You should get your YouTube on. Here's how to do it right.
Four Things Customers Want When Making a Purchase Decision at Spin Sucks ~ Are you overwhelming your prospective customers? Gini Dietrich give you the four things that people want when using the web to buy products.
How to Run a Successful Campaign on Kickstarter on Shopify ~ I know you want to learn how to Crowdfund. Here are some examples of Kickstarter campaigns that worked.
To Hell with Your Good Intentions. Instead, Action! at the Sales Blog ~ Anthony Iannarino shows you the key to action.
26 Tips for Integrating Social Media Activities at Social Media Examiner ~ Integrate and connect your social media efforts to be more successful.
9 Social Media Hacks That Actually Work at Convince and Convert ~ Jay Baer's tips to better use your social media time.
Be sure to get out and put in your mileage this weekend so you are ready for your business marathon.
It still amazes me how few people actually get it, in terms of looking for a new job. This stuff is written about all the time and yet...
My favorite is when we interview someone and they'll be asked, "Why do you want to work with us?" If they say, "I really want to work with Gini," they don't get a second interview. It hurts the feelings of my the person who is interviewing them from my team and it shows they really have no idea what we do.
Come on, people! It's not that hard.
Posted by: Gini Dietrich | June 11, 2012 at 08:12 AM
I agree Gini. People need to put some effort into their job search and convince me they want the job. If they don't we don't want them.
Posted by: Michael Bowers | June 11, 2012 at 09:39 AM
Agreed Wit you!! Nowadays people are concerned into effortless jobs which can make them happy to work.
Posted by: Peoplesoft Users Lists | June 13, 2012 at 12:50 AM