According to a recent Microsoft survey, nearly 80 percent of employers research job applicants on the Internet, and 70 percent have rejected candidates because of their online profile.
The Boston Globe recently featured a story on college seniors’ efforts to clean up their online profiles in order to improve their job prospects. The article also mentions tactics and services to help job seekers clean up their online reputation. See the full article here.
PSG is proud to be recognized for exceptional client service with its fourth consecutive Best of Staffing™ award from Inavero and CareerBuilder.
Best of Staffing is the nation’s only award that recognizes staffing agencies that receive remarkable reviews from their clients and job seekers. Fewer than 1% of all staffing agencies in North America earned the 2013 Best of Staffing award for providing remarkable service quality to their clients. With average satisfaction ratings quadruple the industry average, the Best of Staffing Client winners truly stand out for exceeding client expectations. The average Best of Staffing Client winners received a score of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 74% of their clients.
Learn more about the Best of Staffing here.
PSG President Aaron Green addressed the biggest mistakes that job candidates make at interview time in this Boston.com article.
Q: What advice do you have for someone looking for a finance job today?
A: Boston has always been a strong job market for finance professionals. The city has is known as a hub for financial services and insurance businesses, and other industries with a strong Boston presence – such as healthcare and technology – have a growing need for finance talent as well. Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of demand for analytical positions, such as financial analysts.
What does it take to land one of these jobs in finance?
First, a strong education background is important. Boston employers are often looking at candidates from top business schools in the area, including Babson, Bentley, Bryant, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and UMass to name a few. Some employers go so far as to specify a particular school that they want to hire from.
After checking to see whether you graduated from a ‘pedigree’ school, the hiring manager will next check out your degree and whether you have an advanced degree. Hiring managers will take notice of your grade point average and these days are looking for candidates with a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Master’s degrees, such as an M.B.A., master’s in finance or C.F.A. (chartered financial advisor), are increasingly important and sometimes a prerequisite for finance jobs. For candidates who are thinking about getting a master’s, consider that if you complete the degree right after college, you may be eligible for jobs that your peers aren’t as qualified for and you may be able to launch your finance career sooner.
When it comes to prior work experience, employers who are hiring finance professionals, and especially analysts, are looking for these things:
About the Recruiter
Greg Menzone is a 10-year veteran of the staffing industry who has made hundreds of successful placements. Greg and the team he manages specialize in direct hire placement of accounting and finance professionals.
According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Massachusetts unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.7 percent for the month of December. The jobless rate has slowly risen since May of 2012 when it was at 6 percent. The state’s current unemployment rate is down compared with the rate one year ago when it was 6.9 percent in December 2011. It also remains lower than the highest rate of the Recession, which was 8.7 percent, in October 2009. The national unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in December.
Q: Are thank you notes obsolete? What’s the protocol for thanking someone after an interview?
Thank you notes are not obsolete. It’s as important as ever to thank someone after a job interview. In fact, for jobs where attention to detail and good follow-through skills are important, the thank you note is a chance to demonstrate your ability.
However, technology and how different people prefer to use it has muddied the waters a bit and has perhaps made the idea of a handwritten thank you note seem old-fashioned. People still write and receive handwritten thank you notes, but email thank you’s have become more and more accepted. It’s a matter of personal preference and sometimes timing, e.g. how quickly you want to follow up after the interview.
Here are some thank you protocols that I recommend following:
About the Recruiter
Kristen Coppins has 9+ years of experience in the staffing and recruiting industry. As a Director and member of the management team at Professional Staffing Group (PSG), she oversees the new hire training and development program. Kristen is also a member of ASA’s Continued Education Committee.
While hiring for full-time jobs is relatively slow right now, which many say is due to uncertainty in Washington, economists predict the pace of hiring among Boston employers will pick up steam later in 2013. In particular, certain industries will see more demand than others, including construction, professional technology services, IT, and hospitality industries.
In contrast, the temporary staffing market is experiencing record growth. An annual survey and forecast from Staffing Industry Analysts predicts that the use of temporary staffing will hit record numbers in 2013. This year, temporary hires across all industries are expected to reach 106 percent of their historical high and some sectors, such as locum tenens physicians and nurses and IT and engineering/design professionals, will far exceed the average.
PSG President Aaron Green offers perspective on the top HR-related challenges facing Boston employers in 2013 in this article on Boston.com.
According to Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.6 percent in November. It had increased during each of the previous four months. While the local economy lost 1,100 jobs last month, there are 46,600 more jobs in Massachusetts now than there were one year ago.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Labor reported that the nation’s unemployment rate for November was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in October.
Q: I just found out my interview will be over Skype. Do you have any suggestions to help me prepare?
A: In many ways, interviews conducted over Skype, or other video technology, are just like regular job interviews. My colleague provides some good advice for general interview preparation in this earlier blog post.
But, of course, using video technology introduces some new considerations, such as:
Interacting with video – If you’re not a TV or movie actor it may not feel natural to look into a camera for an entire interview and it can be very tempting to look at the interviewer’s image onscreen (or the small one of yourself to check your appearance). However, it’s important to remember to look at the camera – and not your screen – during the interview.
The camera and microphone are on – With a video interview the camera will likely be focused on your upper body and face and, therefore, so will the interviewer. He/she won’t have the context of a whole room to look at, as they would if you were meeting together in an office. Any non-verbal cues, expressions or movements will be exacerbated because of this. Also, any nearby noises – such as shuffling papers or nervous tapping – will also sound louder because the microphone is focused on you.
Your surroundings will also be captured on film – Just as you would prepare for a phone interview, I recommend finding a private, quiet spot for the video interview. Consider your background too: a plain background is best.
Dress for success – While some interview candidates might be tempted to take advantage of the camera’s limited range and wear casual pants for a video interview, I recommend dressing as you would for a regular interview. You’ll feel more pulled together and ready to deliver your “A-Game” if you’re dressed for the part.
Check the equipment before the interview – We all have experienced technical problems and know that they happen when we least appreciate them. To improve your chances of having a smooth interview, set up the camera and do a practice video conference call with a friend or family member. Check the volume, the lighting and other settings. I recommend using a cable or hard wire connection (not a wireless one if you can help it) to get the strongest Internet connection.
Make sure your image is professional – Sometimes the little things make a big difference. If you’re using an email address, screen name or Skype profile name that you created years ago, consider whether it will hurt your professional image, e.g. a profile name like “Sk8tR GRL” could give an employer the wrong impression. Creating professional accounts are free and easy to do.
About the Recruiter
Lauren O’Brien is a five year veteran of the staffing industry. Lauren is the Group Manager of a team that services one of PSG’s largest and most valued clients. Lauren and her team specialize in direct hire and temporary placement of financial services and administrative professionals.
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