Category Archives: Ask a Recruiter

Ask A Recruiter: Positioning Yourself for Management Roles

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Q: I’d like to move into a management role. How can I position myself and convince my boss or a new employer I’m ready?

A: It’s a bit of a Catch-22 that employers prefer to hire people with management experience for management roles, making it tough to break into that level of employment. When candidates with non-management experience move into these roles, it’s typically after working in the same company for awhile, i.e. employers also like to cultivate managers from within their organization.

However, it’s not impossible to move into a new management position. To do so, I recommend:

Demonstrate mastery of your current role. If you haven’t been in your current position long enough, it may be too soon to be considered for management. Go the extra mile to get recognized and demonstrate consistency over time. This will earn you the right to ask for the next step, or it will prompt your employer to come to you.

Let people know of your interest. If you’ve been there a long time, have you expressed interest? Find out what you need to do to qualify.

Make sure you’re in line with, and that you support and reflect, the corporate culture. Reinforcing corporate culture is part of the management role so employers look for management candidates who are good examples of their company values.

Act like a leader. Demonstrate that you’re capable of managing others and look for leadership opportunities, e.g. managing projects, leading presentations and people. Ask for new responsibilities and show initiative.

Split your role. If you have an in-demand skill set, it may be possible to create a player/coach situation where you continue to perform your work, but take on manager responsibilities and oversee or assist other group members.

About the Recruiter
frank-gentile-2Frank Gentile is a 20+ year veteran of the staffing industry and an experienced recruiter. As a Director at Professional Staffing Group (PSG) Frank oversees the permanent placement division. 

Ask A Recruiter: Resume Tips for New College Graduates

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Q: I’m graduating college this year and still working on my resume. Do you have any tips?

A: Congratulations on your graduation and welcome to the workforce!

We often help recent college graduates with their resumes. One of the most common mistakes new job seekers make is not providing detail on the jobs they held during school. For instance, a candidate who worked as a receptionist in the Dean’s office might list their duties as “answering phones,” overlooking and failing to mention other valuable office experience like: planning meetings, greeting important people and organizing events.

I recommend thinking about all the work experience you have from college – including part-time or unpaid jobs, internships, work study and extracurricular activities – and the responsibilities you were given in those roles. Then think about the special achievements you accomplished during each experience. Use bullet points to call out each item.

However, don’t succumb to the other common mistake new job seekers make of writing about every detail you can think of. Keep it relevant to the job you’re seeking or the kind of work you want to do. For example, if you worked as a lifeguard during school, it would be appropriate to include the details of that experience if you’re looking for new lifeguarding jobs. If you’re pursuing office work, you should think about the aspects of your lifeguarding experience that are relevant to office employers, such as record-keeping, managing schedules, etc.

Rather than providing detailed information about special events, trips or assignments, just list them and save the big story for the interview. If the employer is interested in your trip to China during your internship, they’ll ask you about it. Conversely, if they’re not interested, it doesn’t benefit you to include all the details on your resume.

Finally, I can’t stress enough how important it is to proof-read your resume. Print it out so that you can see what it looks like from the eyes of the recipient. Is it formatted correctly and is there enough ‘white space’? Employers aren’t likely to read every bullet, so you want to make sure your important information stands out. Ask a friend, family member or professor to proof-read it, too. They may catch a mistake that you’ve overlooked.

About the Recruiter
Katy-LeVeque-photoKaty Leveque is a Senior Group Manager at PSG.  Katy learned the recruiting business from the ground up. She joined PSG shortly after graduating college over five years ago and today Katy oversees the service teams that support some of PSG’s most valued clients.

Ask A Recruiter: Human Resources Jobs

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Q: Can you share advice for starting a career in Human Resources?

A: The good news for the human resources jobs market is that demand for HR workers is up and jobs that had been cut during the Recession are coming back.

Human Resources professionals contribute to business viability and success through the strategic management of human capital. Jobs in this field range from HR generalists to specialists in areas such as workforce planning and development, HR development, total rewards, employee and labor relations and risk management.

In the Human Resources industry, there are a few criteria that all employers look for:

Education – There are Human Resources professionals with a wide variety of educational backgrounds. However, many HR positions require candidates with a minimum of a four-year degree. Candidates with Bachelor’s degrees and a major in business, marketing and communications can be well-positioned for careers in Human Resources, especially if they’ve taken courses that cover topics such as management, recruitment, training and compensation. Internships during college or participating in co-op programs are a great way to break into the HR field, too. A master’s degree can be helpful, particularly one that specializes in a specific area of Human Resources or in a field that can be related to HR, e.g. an advanced degree in communications, marketing, sociology or education.

Relevant experience – It’s a bit of a Catch-22 and it can make it difficult to break into the Human Resources sector, but employers prefer to hire HR staff with previous experience. If you’re trying to transition into an HR role, or switch from one type of HR position to another, consider these tips:

  • Take on additional tasks in your current job that take you in the HR direction, e.g. take on payroll duties
  • Talk to your boss or your recruiter and let them know you are interested in an HR role and ask what you need to do to be prepared when an HR opening occurs. If they don’t know, they can’t help you grow your career in HR.
  • Investigate opportunities to work part-time in an HR role and part-time in another role until you gain experience
  • Take a good look at your resume, or ask a professional for advice on making your previous experience applicable to HR roles. For instance, a background in accounting can be desirable for certain HR functions if you can show a way to bridge that experience.
  • Consider taking time out for an HR internship
  • Consider getting an HR or business graduate degree
  • Network with people who work in HR and join online networks of HR communities.

Above-average communications skills – Good communication skills are necessary for all types of Human Resources roles. Since HR professionals handle confidential information, and must be comfortable interacting with employees at all levels, companies often seek people who are mature and experienced professionals—especially for higher-level positions in HR.

Strong track record – Employers look for candidates who can show a successful career track record, which includes demonstrating longevity or loyalty to past positions and employers, as well as good career progression with regular promotions and growth in responsibilities over time.

About the Recruiter
Jess-Salerno-photo1Jessica Salerno Incerto has 10+ 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 career placement, client consultation and management and training. Jessica is also a member of NEHRA’s Diversity Committee.

Ask A Recruiter: Finding Work You’re Passionate About

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Q: Everyone says ‘follow your passion’, but how do I do that and earn money?

The advice to “find work you love and the money will follow” refers to the belief that if you are truly passionate about your job, you’ll give it your all and work hard to become the best you can be at doing it. It would naturally follow that you’ll be compensated for being the best. Whether or not this is realistic advice depends on your passion and what you hope to do with it, and also how important it is for you to earn money.

If you can afford not to have an income for a period of time, you may want to take a step back (from traditional work and paychecks), learn all you can and set yourself up to do work that you’re truly passionate about.

However, a lot of people come to us wanting to change careers, but not wanting to take a cut in pay. In these situations we try to find opportunities in organizations that correlate and connect to their passions. There are a couple of ways to do this.

Find work that you enjoy within an organization.
Some people are passionate about event planning and would like to pursue that as a career. However, without prior experience and references it can be hard to find steady work as an event planner. It may be more realistic to find work in an administrative role that often has event planning duties so that you can build your experience in this area and leverage it down the line.

Look for organizations in an industry you’re passionate about.
If you are an avid runner and passionate about the sport, you may find fulfilling work in an office culture that supports your passion at a company like Reebok in Canton, MA. We also work with a client that manufactures and sells equipment to the music recording industry and prefers to hire employees with music backgrounds. Although the jobs in these organizations might utilize traditional business skills, the organization’s values and support for outside activities you admire, as well as the ability to work alongside like-minded co-workers, may provide the stimulation you seek to stoke your passion.

About the Recruiter
frank-gentile-2Frank Gentile is a 20+ year veteran of the staffing industry and an experienced recruiter. As a Director at Professional Staffing Group (PSG) Frank oversees the permanent placement division. 

Ask A Recruiter: Finance Jobs

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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:

  • Experience – If you’re hoping to land a managerial position in finance, be prepared to demonstrate your budgeting, forecasting and financial modeling experience. We receive a lot of requests from clients who want financial analysts with experience creating financial models from scratch. Not only do they want to hire candidates who are power users with Excel and Microsoft Access, they are also looking for employees who are creative and independent thinkers when it comes to compiling and presenting data.
  • Industry knowledge – There’s a big difference between firms that sell investment funds and those that sell pharmaceuticals and their sales and accounting cycles will be very different, too. When filling analyst roles and other finance positions, hiring managers look for relevant industry experience. While a candidate may not need exact industry experience, it’s best if he/she can show an understanding of the business units and sales functions within the firm/industry they’re targeting.
  • Confidence – Finance positions are increasingly moving out of the back-office realm and becoming more forward-facing roles. A finance manager or analyst may need to work with the head of every business unit in the company to put together budgets and will need to have the confidence to deliver bad news when needed and to give formal presentations to board members on occasion. Some recruiters say they look for candidates with a “sales mentality and an accounting/finance body” to fill these positions.

 

About the Recruiter
greg-menzone-pic1Greg 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.

Ask A Recruiter: Protocol for Thank You Notes

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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:

  • Consider the note’s purpose. The thank you note should follow a simple structure and articulate several messages concisely: it should thank the interviewer for their time, reiterate your interest in the job and (very briefly) summarize how your skills and experience are a good fit for the position. While this isn’t the time to “re-interview” for the job, writing and sending a thank you note is an opportunity to distinguish yourself as a candidate.
  • Consider writing a first draft and giving it to a friend or your recruiter to review. I often have candidates send me a draft of their thank you note before they send it to the interviewer. It’s helpful to have another set of eyes review the note for grammar, punctuation and possible mistakes.
  • Make sure you know to whom and where to send it. Everyone you interview with should be thanked. I recommend collecting business cards of the people you meet with so you’ll have the correct spelling of their name and the right address. In lieu of this, you can always call the office’s main number, explain why you’re calling and ask the person you speak with to provide you with that information.
  • Don’t ask any questions. This is single-purpose communication, the purpose being to thank the interviewer and show your interest in the position.
  • Don’t delay. Thank you notes should be sent within a day or two of the interview.

 

About the Recruiter
K-CoppinsKristen 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. 

Ask A Recruiter: Tips for Video Interviews

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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_OBrienLauren 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. 

Ask A Recruiter: Culture Fit

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Q: What do people mean when they talk about culture fit? Why is it important?

A: Culture fit refers to the compatibility between employees and their workplace and it is a measurement of how well a worker will do in a certain environment. To understand the culture of a workplace and whether it fits the employee’s work style, you can look at the work environment, management style, collaboration among all staff, communication norms, and employee motivations, recognition and reward factors.

At PSG, we talk about culture fit all the time. We often meet with job seekers who are looking for a new job that is exactly the same as their last job, but in a different environment, because the culture fit was ‘off’ in their previous job. We also see people take a temporary job that may not have been their first choice and then, based on the culture at that organization, find that the job is a great fit and they end up electing to stay there. Temping and interning are great ways to try out an environment.

To understand if you are culturally a good fit with an organization, I recommend these tips:

  • Evaluate the culture fit just as much, if not more, as you would other criteria when deciding on a new job.
  • Decide which cultural factors are most important to you, and develop a list of questions to ask during the interview that will help you determine whether the workplace is right for you.
  • Ask for a tour. If the interview consists of being shown into an office and then walking straight out, ask for an impromptu tour that can give you a glimpse of how people interact.
  • Use your personal network and social media connections to link up with people you know who have inside knowledge of an organization to get their input on its culture.
  • Go with your gut.

About the Recruiter
Katy-LeVeque-photoKaty Leveque is a Senior Group Manager at PSG.  Katy learned the recruiting business from the ground up.  She joined PSG shortly after graduating college over five years ago and today Katy oversees the service teams that support some of PSG’s most valued clients.

Ask A Recruiter: Is Getting an MBA Worth It?

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Q:  I’m thinking about getting my MBA and am trying to decide if it’s worth it. What are your thoughts?

A:  Determining whether an advanced degree will help your career or not depends on several things:

First, think about why you are considering going back to school. Do you lack certain skills that would help you advance in your profession? Would you like to switch career paths? Do you see an advanced degree leading to a bump in salary? These are all reasons for pursuing a new degree. Knowing what is driving your desire will help you determine if getting the degree will be “worth it.” For example, if you feel that an advanced degree will elevate your pay grade it may be helpful to determine if this is true by talking to your HR department and then comparing the cost of getting the degree with the anticipated pay raise.

It’s also important to consider the industry you work in and your role within that industry. Advanced degrees can be essential to some jobs, such as highly technical roles like engineers, or to management positions that require well-rounded critical thinking. Other jobs – such as sales positions – rely more heavily on experience.

If you feel that an MBA or other advanced degree will help your chances of moving into a management position, I suggest running this scenario by your boss. Doing so will not only let you know if your boss views you as management material, but will also give you a sense of whether your employer values advanced degrees and whether they may pay for all or some of your education.

Of course it would be tough to overlook the current economic climate and that’s certainly another factor to consider. Recently, much attention has been paid to the high costs of college education and it’s important to consider whether you can handle the expense and, of course, the time commitment that going back to school would require.

About the Recruiter
Laurie-F-photoLaurie Fiumara has 10+ 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 PSG’s major client relationships.

Ask A Recruiter – Researching a Company Before an Interview

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Q: How do I go about researching a company before I interview with them?

A: As a recruiter, I’m glad you’re asking this question! It shows initiative, which employers will appreciate too.

First, let me point out all the reasons why conducting research before an interview is so important:

  • It will help you understand what the company does and what their place is in their market.
  • It will help you form questions to ask during the interview. (For more information on preparing smart questions to ask during an interview, see my colleague’s recent post on the topic.)
  • It will also help you form answers to the questions you will be asked during the interview. After researching the company and its products and/or services, you’ll be able to respond to questions with a better sense of what the interviewer is looking for and can use the language and terms the company is familiar with.
  • You will learn the company address and can use that to practice getting to the location on time for the interview.
  • You will learn about the company culture, its core values and mission. Often these corporate objectives are stated on the company web site. If the company has a blog, you can read the entries to get a sense of how its employees relate to their employer.
  • You can find out more about the people who work at the company, especially the management team, including their background, previous work connections and experiences.
  • If the company is publicly traded, you can search by its ticker symbol to find out about the financial health of the company, its major stakeholders and what people are saying about its future prospects.
  • You can see whether anyone in your network works at the company or is connected to its employees.
  • You can research competitors, which will enable you to participate in a higher-level dialogue and sound confident while adding to the conversation.

I recommend spending an hour to an hour and a half researching online. Start with the company website, where you typically will find an ‘About Us’ section and other pages with detail on the company’s products and services. You can also Google the company to find recent news articles. LinkedIn is a good source for seeing whether anyone you know works at the firm or is connected to its employees. Be wary of information or comments on complaint boards or web sites that promise “inside information” as they might be tainted by their source, i.e. a disgruntled individual.

About the Recruiter 
ImageKristen Coppins has 8+ 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.