If you’re talking in more than nine second soundbites, you’re wasting your words, losing the attention of buyers, and positioning yourself as just another long-winded person trying to make your case. From soundbites on broadcast news to politicians delivering provocative statements to posts on Twitter, we’ve become a society that consumes information in smaller and smaller chunks. According to research at the University of California, the incredible shrinking soundbite has gone from 43…

We have all been there:

You have spent too long trying to fill a key position. At long last, someone emerges who appears to be an ideal fit. You are certain that she meets all of the technical qualifications. She has spent her career with an industry leader in your space where she gained ideal experience. She presents as very intelligent, capable and even has a sense of humour. She seems genuinely excited about all aspects of the business and is very happy with how you describe the…

This post originally appeared on the SkillStorm blog: www.skillstorm.com/blog

The longer you are out-of-work or are looking for a new position the more desperate you become. The more desperate you feel the more willing you are to do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do: things like work for lower pay, take a position that you know you are…

Hiring managers in many companies do not understand the value of an effective job description.  One client said, “Just find me C++ programmers.”  When I asked if he was mostly interested in application programmers or software engineers, he simply looked at me.  If we found the right people, we would not waste his time reviewing resumes.  After taking the time up front, he was happy with our results.

The job description is the foundation of an effective recruitment process. …

We can see what the resume says. But who is this person really? Is he or she a dog or cat person? Are they more like their German Shephard or their Tabby?

Don’t scoff. For all you extremely talented recruiters out their schooled in the latest behavioral role playing or SWOT-style interviewing techniques, are you really delving into this candidate’s hidden psyche from a fresh angle?

According to…

Answer:  Don’t Waste Their Time!

You can stop reading now since I already gave the answer. If you read on, I will talk about best practices for interviewing candidates whose time is limited, since someone in their infinite wisdom has already given this person a job.

Recruiters and hiring managers all want to hire the person who is currently working, yes? Why then do we waste so much of their time, and treat them like our company is God’s gift to their career?…

I cannot tell you how many times I have received calls or emails from great potential candidates about the terrible experiences they have had during an interview. Managers endlessly…

Stumbled across this BNET article about what What Hiring Managers Really Look For.   Sure, there are lots of points made in the article I agree with, a few things I could probably argue against, but overall a decent read.  The author writes from his personal experience, and I have no doubt…

So you have been looking for a new gig for a while and finally you find one that is worth checking out.  You get on LinkedIn and see if you know anyone in your network working there now or even in the past.  You find out the company is indeed a place you could see yourself in the future and continue to take the next steps.     You ask your colleague to make an introduction for you with the hiring…

I’ll say up front that the subject matter of this post is a bit unreal. Great interviewing can’t be boiled down to a list of questions. It’s a combination of helping a candidate feel at ease, listening, observing, talking and, yes, asking the right questions. And what a recruiter or potential employer does (or asks) in any given interview depends,…

Next week I throw myself back into recruiting (this time, corporate – something new!).  I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’m going to handle the candidate experience.  Surely some things are out of my control – I will be working with a recruiting coordinator, flexing to the needs and schedules of my hiring managers, and of course the whims of the candidates themselves.  (Of course I want to work for your company.  Unless this other offer comes through.  I can interview anytime.  Except…

Last week I had a very interesting debate with Hung Lee of Wise_Man_Say regarding the relevance of face-to-face interviews as a credible assessment tool in the selection processes of today.

One of Hung’s arguments is that, for…

On my team's blog Insights from the Riviera, we have been featuring a series called "Weird Interviewing Experiences". Normally, we feature quick 1-2 minute interviews from Human Resources, Recruiting, and Staffing professionals on their weird, strange, and bizarre interviewing experiences from their own career. Today, we thought it would be fun to go back in time,…

Not too long ago I got a call from a recruiter who found my profile on LinkedIn and wanted to know if I’d be open to other opportunities. Being a recruiter myself, I generally like to hear from other recruiters. It is a way to survey, see what other people are doing and do a little market research at the same time, and of course, who knows, they might have an interesting opportunity.



This particular recruiter was pretty good, wasn’t speaking 100 miles an hour with their…

Unfortunately, passion and drive are sometimes overlooked qualities of a job candidateduring the search and interview process.

Generally, when people are being interviewed, the hiring manager uses a task-and-experience job description to find candidates. Then they focus on a resume, whichhighlights skills acquired through school and job experience. While skills and experienceare important attributes that should always be considered, talent and passion are equally--if not more--vital…

“So. Please tell me about a time when you…”  No interview type is perfect but as a recruiter I’m a huge fan of competency-based.  Done correctly they really allow the interviewer to get under the skin of what you’ve actually done / achieved in your career.  If you’re lucky enough your interviewer won’t be too clued up and will ask you the old favourites such as: What would…