So, over the weekend, my dog got loose while at my Mom’s on Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, this happens fairly often but she’s typically only gone for a few hours until she’s worn herself out. This time, on the other hand, she was gone for two days. TWO DAYS! Persistence brought her back to me.

All day Sunday my Mom and I sat out on the front porch to look for her. When she would dart into the neighbor’s yard, we would jump up and run after her until, eventually, we lost sight of her again. This happened for a few hours and finally, night fell and we gave up until the next day. My parents kept looking for her the next day with no sign of her.

After 36 hours of being gone, I was starting to get quite worried. I leveraged social media outlets to spread the word to those who lived in the area so they would keep an eye out. Today, on the 2^nd day, I called the local pound to see if they had picked her up and they had! Words cannot describe how excited I was to get my baby back! By being persistent, I had gotten my dog back.

You may be curious how this relates to the recruiting industry. Persistence is a key part of recruiting. I often follow up with candidates I called or emailed who have not gotten back to me and often am able to work with them.

Morton’s Recruitment Lead, Megan Johnson, had a specific scenario that particularly fit this topic.

“As a Recruiter, one of the key factors in being successful is remembering to follow up with candidates periodically so you can build a solid book of business. After all, this business is about relationship building! When I talk to someone that I feel is sharp and would represent Morton Consulting well, I make sure to add them to my “pipeline” list so they are readily available when I have an opportunity open up. In addition to this, I make calendar reminders in Outlook to reach out to these A+ candidates from time to time so they don’t forget who I am and the conversation that we had.

Recently, I was reminded of how valuable it is to keep up with these pipeline candidates. I spoke to a SharePoint Consultant about 2 years ago who was located in Kentucky and was thinking about making the move to Virginia with his family. He had a solid IT background in an area that we specialize in, and possessed excellent communication skills. We continued to stay in touch for quite some time, and even though I wasn’t sure if he would ever make it down to Richmond, I thought he was a valuable contact to stay in touch with. Fast forward 2 years and he is now working for us at a couple of different clients in the Richmond area and we look to continue growing this relationship. Oh, the power of pipelining!”

See, it really does payoff to be persistent! Consider going back through that list of calls you made the past few days or a few weeks ago and see how it helps you succeed in this industry. Persistence never fails.

One of the most important aspects of your job search is research. No, I’m not saying you need to do a 25 page research paper. However, you should thoroughly research the company you’re interviewing with so you’re knowledgeable on the business and their industry.  This will help you respond seamlessly to questions about the company during your interview and give you a leg up over other candidates.

After researching the company, develop a few questions to ask during your interview. Having questions prepared will make you seem interested and engaged and employers are looking at candidates that have done that extra work. It would also be helpful to thoroughly look through the position description and ask any necessary questions about the job requirements. That way, both you and the employer are clear on what will be required of you and you gain a better understanding to the full scope of the position. Bring the description with you with questions already written down on certain things highlighted to remind you.

Now, you may be thinking, “I can’t just walk in with papers flopping around.” You’re right, you shouldn’t. Invest in a nice, leather padfolio to store your notes in as well as resumes and any business cards you’re given during the interview. Also, most padfolio’s come with a legal pad inside so you will be able to jot down notes or additional details about the position.

While you probably thought you were done doing research when you finished school, this really is a crucial part of the interview process. If you want to ace your interview, following these steps will help you achieve that.  Like your Mom always said, doing your homework always pay offs.

As a candidate, we all know about receiving a job offer. You apply for a job, go through the interview process and hope that in the end, they find you to be the best candidate resulting in an offer. But what about when your current employer provides you with a counter offer? What do you do then?

Some companies won’t make a counter offer when you give your notice but you need to be prepared on how to handle it if they do. You may be thinking, “Well, what can I expect?” Expect them to offer you more money, possibly a promotion, title change – the options are endless. But you have to be able to see past what they’re offering you to stay and keep in mind what really caused you to look for new employment in the first place.

If there have been environmental changes in your current workplace, odds are those won’t change just because they gave you a counter offer. Also, there is the possibility that they could make promises that they cannot keep and things go back to the way they were a month or two down the road and then you’re right back where you started. Will your current employer automatically realize your value internally once another company shows interest? Maybe temporarily but odds are those initial factors that pushed you to start looking for new employment will still be an issue. Statistics show that most candidates that accept a counter offer aren’t there six months later.

In the event that you do, after much thought, decide to accept a counter offer, it is of the utmost importance that you get written confirmation that your employer will uphold their end of the bargain. Additionally, there is the possibility that you will lose some credibility within the company as you have shown you are willing to leave. Keep in mind that most reputable companies won’t use the counter offer coercion ploy. They don’t need to as they can retain employees based on their existing policies.

With this week being Administrative Professionals Week, what better time than now to start our Morton Team Spotlight on Barb Goodwin.  Barb has been a breath of fresh air since her start here with us this past December.  She has a way of making you feel right at home and always prepared to make you laugh.  Her title may be Administrative Assistant but that role includes many hats that she is able to juggle with a smile.

When I ask everyone in the office here to describe Barb in one word, most asked just one??? Here are the answers received: amazing, thoughtful, genuine, mother-goose, accommodating, smiles, hysterical, cheerful, positive, bubbly, sunny as she makes me think of sunshine and last but not least, Norm.  Norm, I am sure you are wondering, what does that mean? Well Norm was the character name from Cheers that every time he walked into Cheers everyone would greet him. Barb just has that kind of personality where everyone that knows her is proud to call her a friend.

Well now onto the best of part of this blog post… Question and Answer session! Yes, this where we get to ask Barb any kind of crazy questions.

Q1.  If you had to pick an actress to star as yourself in a movie, who would you choose?

Julia Roberts because she is so bubbly, bright and has a great laugh!

Q2.  Favorite holiday and season?

Christmas is my favorite holiday and summer is definitely my favorite season.

Q3.  What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?  Lipgloss

Q4.  If you could have anyone (dead or alive) over to your house for drinks, who would you invite?   Ellen DeGeneres

Q5.  What is your favorite Wiggles song? Yes, we heard you know them all…..

Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy and Hot Potato coming in a close second.

(Honestly those are the only two Wiggles songs she knows.)

In your job search, you may have thought of working with a staffing firm, temp agency or even a head hunter. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I explain and then often get the response, “Oh, so you’re a head hunter.” Well, no, actually I’m not. When polling around our office, all of our recruiters agree that our job is very different from that of a head hunter. Still, there are benefits to working with both in your job search but there are distinct differences. Check out this site for additional information.

Head Hunters are solely working for you. Typically, the opportunities they have are strictly direct hire and rarely contracts. They may know of jobs/openings that are not posted on job boards which will give you a leg up in your job search. However, since they’re not also working for the customer, they are less interested in finding “the right fit.” Part of this may be based on the fact that, typically, they are on a retainer and get paid commission regardless making them less inclined to go that extra mile to find your next employment opportunity.

Recruiters, on the other hand, are working for both the candidate and the customer. We tend to have inside relationships with customers/hiring managers which can give us an edge against competitors. We are able to get the “inside scoop” from managers. This allows us to make sure the opportunities we’re presenting to candidates are exactly what they’re looking for. Also, we’re in the business of making relationships . If we place you somewhere and your contract ends or it’s not the right fit, we are right there with you to find the next opportunity. It’s commonplace to have candidates following up saying, “Hey, we’ve worked together in the past and I’m in the market again. What jobs do you have available?” That is music to our ears. We love repeat customers. It means we’re doing our job and doing it well.

Candidate accessibility is one of the biggest factors of how recruiters choose who they work with. If a recruiter has 10 Business Analyst’s in their pipeline but only four of them call/email consistently, those candidates will be the first people they reach out to when a new position is released.

In order to keep yourself on recruiter’s radar, make sure you’re calling them back promptly. I dream of the candidates that pick up the phone every time you call or call back immediately once they’ve gone to a more private place to talk. If you are serious about wanting to make a move, step out at lunch time to check your email and voicemail and to return phone calls. If I know when you’re able to talk, that’s when I’ll reach out to you and we’ll both be able to better manager expectations.

In addition to answering phone calls, you have to make yourself available for interviews. The days of being hired off of your resume alone are long gone. If you submit your resume somewhere, be prepared to make arrangements for a phone and/or face to face interview. You also need to be reasonable with your requests of when you are available. Customers are not typically willing to meet with you during non-business hours so ask for something at lunch or first thing in the morning to limit time away from your current position.

With the summer months quickly approaching, you should still stay accessible while on vacation. The same rules/tips apply here. Read this article for a little more information. It hones in on the same topics but focusing it more on how to handle it while on vacation.

Working within these guidelines are sure to make your career search a much smoother process. If you are easily accessible and highly responsive, recruiters are sure to keep you at the top of their list.

Morton Consulting has been a sponsor of The Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, and has been supporting them in many different ways. They are a great organization that offers foster care, alternative schooling and residential services to children in need. VHBG provides a home with a live-in married couple so that children are living in a traditional family setting.

Since we’re always looking for new and fun ways to help VHBG out, we are very excited about next week’s 18^th Annual Skeet Shoot. Since Mark is an avid gunman, this event is right up his alley. David is following closely in his footsteps and they will both be out there representing the Morton name. You better believe they’ll both be sporting their Morton (or is it Blaze?) Orange!

The event is taking place at Conservation Park of Virginia in Charles City, VA and will begin at 1:00 following practice rounds and lunch. Each competitor will get 50 targets for the skeet shoot or 50 targets for the trap shoot. I wonder how many targets the Morton boys will take down.

For more information on how you can get involved, please call: Amanda Bazzi

804-270-6566 ext. 145 or abazzi@boysandgirlshome.org. For additional event information, click here.

In last week’s post I mentioned how important resume formatting is in your job search. But, fewer than 100 words on the topic doesn’t even come close to being able to fully elaborate on what to do and what not to do. Follow these simple tips to getting your resume to the top of the stack.

Do:

• Tailor your resume to each position. It will only make you seem more qualified if you have added additional information to your resume regarding the skills/technologies that the customer is looking for.
• Be consistent with your format. I have less faith in candidates whose resumes don’t follow the same format throughout their entire resume. Make sure you have the date written the same way. If you put a period at the end of one bullet, make sure there is a period after every bullet, etc.
• Make your resume visually appealing. If I see a resume that looks like one big blog of text, I’m immediately turned off. Split up each position so that it gives the readers eyes a break. Use bullet points, bold your position title and company name and add breaks between positions and additional information so that it flows well.

Don’t:

• Have a 10+ page resume. The one page resume is becoming a thing of the past. Your resume length should reflect your years of experience but every single detail of your job is not necessary. Most employers are merely skimming your resume as it is but resumes that are too long will lose their attention that much faster.
• Refer to yourself in 1^st or 3^rd person. It’s your name at the top of that resume, not anyone else’s. There is no need to continue referring to yourself throughout your resume as “I” or “Mr. Smith”.
• Use a template. Follow a simple resume format that doesn’t have any crazy graphics, lines or indents. Most recruiting firms will add their own header or reformat a bit so that their resumes always look consistent. Getting your resume out of its current format shouldn’t be rocket science so keep it simple.

Having been a recruiter for almost 2 years now, I have developed a laundry list of pet peeves while working with candidates. Some of the most important things I think candidates should keep in mind while working with a recruiter and/or pursuing new employment are:

1. Resume formatting – No templates! Nothing irritates me more than fighting a resume for an hour because I can’t get it out of the original template/formatting. Along with templates would be the lines that are inserted in resumes. They’re not necessary and just make things more difficult. Also, don’t refer to yourself in first or 3rd person. We all know who you are so don’t say, “Mr. Smith performed blah blah blah” or “I was promoted to XYZ position.” Utilize bullet points where you can simply state your tasks and responsibilities. Check out this website to get some before and after shots. But remember, no crazy lines or templates!
2. Be accessible – This may sound like the simplest task but for some it seems to be quite difficult. You are the one looking for a new job so you need to be checking your email often and be able to take phone calls periodically throughout the day. Obviously, you need to be respectful of your current employer but if you’re not responding to recruiters, you’re not on their radar as a viable candidate. In addition to communication, you have to be available for interviews. No one is going to interview you at 7:00 pm so make time during business hours.
3. Compensation – We all know none of us are working for free. We’re here to make money. But, if you’re making $20/hr, it’s not reasonable for you to ask for an increase of $15/hr just for making a move. Be sensible about your negotiations. If you make too high of demands you can price yourself out of consideration. Salary.com should give you a good idea of what is reasonable in your area.
4. Passive lookers – I love making calls on resumes and getting the dreaded response of, “Well, I’m always interested in new opportunities” or “I always keep my resume out on Monster.” If you’re not seriously looking, please don’t waste my time or the customers being submitted just to back out.

While these are only a few of the things that drive me bananas when working with candidates, try to keep them in mind. For other ideas, check out Work Strategies or check out Lindsay Olsen’s blog for a few additional tips.

Say you’re a full-time employee in an established position in your IT department or business. You provide specialized and critical services for your company, yet your full-time status is not enabling your productivity. You know that were you to be utilized as a consultant, you could provide the same benefits to your company – at a lower overall investment no less – while opening up a range of new professional options for yourself. How will you and your employer handle this transition?

This was essentially the scenario faced by a TechRepublic member when he emailed Chip Camden for perspective and advice. In his case, his company agreed to an initial short-term retainer for him as a consultant – though he had offered and suggested a long-term one. Moreover, the company had advertised his former position on job boards. This understandably had him questioning the commitment of his company to utilize him as a consultant in the manner he had proposed.

Chip responds to the emailer with a very balanced and reasonable discussion on what the employer’s intensions might have been and should have been. His conclusion was essentially that the company was just covering all the bases to ensure his position didn’t go unfilled and that there was nothing unethical about their actions.

I agree with this, but I think it is also a great example of where a business has an opportunity to be exceptional. I don’t think the emailer’s company did anything wrong – as Chip says they were likely concerned about losing the emailer altogether, and wanted to ensure productivity wouldn’t falter. Nothing wrong with that.

But if you ask me, what makes a company exceptional in this case is the willingness and effort to communicate on an individual level. Bring this guy in to talk with his management and really discuss concerns. If you’re going to bring someone in to bridge the gap between his former position and his new consultant status, let him be a part of that process. Get his input on what sort of person would best fill this role. If you’re planning on utilizing his consulting services only on the short-term, explain to him the business rationale for that.

What you don’t want is to have a skilled and valuable employee make the transition to consultant only to feel like he’s been abandoned for taking that step. He was up front with you about his intentions, and went to length not only to explain he could maintain his productivity for you, but could do it at a lower cost. If he’s worth your investment as a full-time employee, he will be worth it as an invested long-term consultant.