HOW TO BE A BETTER MENTOR
We all are mentors to someone, whether we realise it or not. Ensuring you keep your mentor skills honed is important so that you can give of your best to others. Whether it be your child, your employees, your colleagues, or a friend, you want to know that the way you mentor them brings on results. LISTEN Having two ears and one mouth may be just the way we were created for aesthetic appeal, but using them accordingly is also a good idea when it comes to mentoring. Listen to what your prodigy is saying, where the issues are, why they are needing your assistance, and then before giving them your insights, collate a proper detailed response. SET EXPECTATIONS Having a goal or goals to aspire to is helpful for you as the mentor and of course helpful to the mentee. Have the mentee write them down and constantly go back to them to gauge how far they are nearing them. CHECK IN – OFTEN While this may not be your full time job, as a mentor you want to be checking in with your student (as that is what they are) on a regular basis. See whether they are on the right path according to those goals. Send a quick message. Make a phone call. Or even pop them an email. Being available is also another way to help them. LEARN HOW TO BE EMOTIONALLY TUNED IN The art of empathy does not come naturally to most, so learning to understand others situations and feelings is a great tool to have. One mustn’t get too involved though, so stepping back and assessing the level of interaction can help the mentee. NEVER ASSUME Always ask. No matter what you think or have an opinion on, always ask your student first. Assuming something can be the undoing of months of mentoring. Once you have all the information, then you can devise a plan to moving forward. BE HUMAN No one expects you to be perfect, and in fact, its best that you are not. Showing that you have made mistakes and aren’t infallible, will put you in good light with your mentee. Open up and let them know that you can relate.
HOW TO REBOOT YOUR BAD DAY
We all have them – bad days – and they can take over so much so that we cannot focus on anything. A bad day can turn into a bad week and then a bad month – snowballing to the point that there seems like no return. Reboot your bad day now! Knowing how to reboot your day so that you can literally start over is a great trick to learn. Your bad day needn’t ruin your life. Here is how you can reboot your bad day and start afresh: 1. DELEGATE For some this is easy, but for others they feel that doing it themselves is far easier than outsourcing. But, in hindsight, which is where we generally realise we should have asked for help, seeking to share our tasks is the only way to go. Speak to colleagues who can help, look to outsourcing parts of our work, and free up your time. A nice start to reboot your bad day. 2. STOP DOING WHATEVER IT IS THAT STARTED THE BAD DAY Walk away from the issue, even if just for a moment. Go do anything else that brings you joy. Even a few minutes is good enough to right your mood, set your mind in a clearer mode, and help you to deal with the issue at hand. 3. DEAL WITH PERSONAL ISSUES QUICKLY Any personal problem can plague your mind to the point that you won’t be able to do a good job on anything else. Rather deal with it – although we understand that it may not be a quick fix, but addressing it, acknowledging it, and putting a pin in it, can help you to carry on with your day in a more positive light. 4. SPEAK TO SOMEONE Often just having a chat with a close friend or family member can help you to overcome a dull and troublesome day. Reach out to someone and see if they can help you get over the issues and reboot your bad day. 5. STICK TO YOURSELF Contrary perhaps, given our previous point, but most times all you need is to be alone with your thoughts. Take a minute or two to meditate, or even just sit in silence, and try to remove all the negative thoughts from your mind. Whatever the issue is, it will still be there afterwards, but with a clear mind you may be able to deal with it better.
Write a CV recruiters and HR will love
You have a few seconds to make an impression. A Recruiter or HR Officer sometimes receive hundreds of CVs per day. If your CV is missing information, presented poorly or difficult to read, you are relegated immediately. So, write a CV they will sit up straight for. SUBJECT LINE Before we get on to writing a good CV, remember the subject line is also important. Make your subject the heading of the advert you are applying for, your name and surname and the date, this makes searching easier for us consultants. It also gets us to click on your CV COVER PAGE OR INTRO A cover page or intro in the body of the mail is important and this should include salary expectations, notice period and why you are suited to this vacancy. PERSONAL DETAILS Make sure your personal details at the top of the CV are correct. We often find a good candidate, but there are no or old contact details. CVs are stored in files or extracted from mails by systems, make sure your number is on the CV attachment, not just on the mail. ACHIEVEMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS When you write a cv list all academic achievements, courses, qualifications and computer packages you have worked on. USE KEYWORDS Recruiters often use search methods that use key words to search, if your CV exclude these key words, you are not found. INTERESTS, HOBBIES ETC. List interests, hobbies and sports CURRENT AND PAST EMPLOYMENT List each position you worked at, the company name, your title at the company, your starting and finishing date, a detailed job description (remember key words) and your reason for leaving. REFERENCES Include references when you write a cv. These references need to include your direct report. MISSING AREAS Do not omit jobs from your CV. Recruiters and HR officers do pick up these omitted jobs in our verification checks. We don’t mind gaps, so long as there’s a sufficient explanation. PICTURE Include a pic on your CV if you can, just a head shot. People remember a face easier than a name. No cat pics, no holding a beer, no wedding pics, just a ID style pic. ID NUMBER Include your ID number, passport number or work permit number CONTENT – Make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes – Use a simple and easy to read font, on a blank background – Also use a simple format, word or PDF. Fancy formats can be painful when you receive bulk CVs. Company applicant tracking systems peruse your resume for information and convert it to pure text as the most immediate viewing format – Avoid mixing up first and third person or present tense and past tense. – We see some real shocking email addresses and they give us an instant negative perception of a candidate. Try to stick to using your name with an email address. START AND FINISH DATES You must ensure that when you list your jobs that you have accurate start and finish dates, usually stipulating the month and year will be sufficient. A CV without this information will be rejected because the recruiter will simply think you are trying to hide something LEAVE OUT REAL PERSONAL DETAILS You’re not pitching for a date, so a recruiter does not need to know your age, height, weight, religious or political affiliations, marital status or sexual orientation ENSURE YOUR RECORDS ARE TRUE More and more businesses are now carrying out extensive background checks prior to taking somebody on board. Nearly everybody embellishes their achievements in jobs on their CV, but stretching the truth could land you in hot water. We have seen many candidates trip themselves up. KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter. They want a nice punchy CV that quickly gives them all the info they need. They don’t want to plough through long paragraphs, nor will they probably have the patience to do so. KEEP CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER Another classic faux pas is when candidates put their CV in the wrong chronological order. You should always list your most recent employment and latest achievements first within that position. NO QUOTES PLEASE We have even come across CVs where people kick off with a Winston Churchill or Shakespearian quote. A guaranteed way to quickly get your CV binned. CREATE THE HOOK A snappy introduction should mention which industries you have excelled in and what skills you would bring to your new role. Don’t waste this chance to impress by just rolling out some meaningless soundbites. And always take the time to make the introduction bespoke to the role that you are applying to.
HOW TO GIVE FEEDBACK TO YOUR BOSS
Whether it be about a project or something you are personally not happy with, it is important to give feedback to your boss. Otherwise, how else will they know what the issues are? We realise that its not an easy step to take, but, at the end of the day, we are all adults and talking about any problems we have should be easy. If your boss can give feedback to you, then you can reciprocate. Giving feedback should be valuable and insightful, to both your boss and yourself. You want to walk away feeling like you added value and that you have taken a step in the right direction. Feedback can build your relationship with your boss and even help you to help to grow your career. Here are the ways in which you can give feedback to your boss and ensure your feedback is constructive: 1. Have a Plan of Action Having a strategy on how you will give feedback to your boss is paramount. You simply cannot just waltz in there and blurb out a bunch of complaints, demands and accusations. List all that you need to talk about in a systematic fashion. Give examples as to how the issues or non-issues can either be resolved or improved. 2. Schedule the feedback session Do not just pop in, expecting your very busy boss or manager to just have a spare half an hour for you. Schedule the time in their diary and tell them what it is you are wanting the meeting for. 3. Think of your End Game Know why you are giving feedback and let the end to your session have a resolution, a way forward, an end game. You want to achieve something by giving feedback, no matter the topic. You want to get a result, so think about what you want following this meeting. 4. Have Solutions To present a bunch of problems is one thing, but to not have possible solutions or action plans to resolve them, is going to be your downfall. If the issues can be aided by fellow colleagues, then pull them into the meeting, explaining before hand what its about, and give them chance to come up with solutions. 5. Be respectful and polite Thinking things through beforehand should calm you somewhat, especially if the issues are emotive. Take time to get yourself to a calmness and then go in to discuss. No good things came from heated conversations. To give feedback to your boss is a necessary evil, but it can be handled in a professional and constructive manner.
WHY THE BOOLEAN SEARCH IS THE BOMB
What is Boolean Search? No, its not a weird, indie-style of searching the internet. Its, in fact, a brilliant and quite simple way of searching for possible candidates. By using a combination of a few main words (more on this later) and keywords, you can be assured of accurate results. What are these main words? · AND · OR · NOT Add to that these elements: · () · “” And, you have a powerful search method. So, in practice, you choose the keywords, such as receptionist, DTP Operator, Car Salesman, and add in one or more of these main words and symbols, and there you go. One can use these as often as you like and in various combos. This will save you a ton of time by literally filtering the results for you. Why AND? Say we take these two groups – RECRUITMENT / HR. We want to find people that have both of these words in their profile, and so using the Boolean string we type in: RECRUITMENT AND HR The system will now search for people who include the word “recruitment” and the word “HR” in their profile. This means we want to find candidates who are in the Venn diagram cross over, i.e. candidates who have both those keywords in their profile. By using the word AND in our search along with other keywords, we narrow our search, so we effectively will elimanite options that don’t suit our search criteria. Why OR? Sometimes a potential candidate may use words that are similar, such as RECRUITMENT / RECRUITING. Very similar but now by creating the Boolean string: RECRUITMENT OR RECRUITING the system will search for all people who have either of these words in their profile or even if they have used the words in a row in their profile. We are still looking for candidates who fall into the Venn Diagram cross over section, but with a different angle. By using OR we are now broadening our search, in stead of narrowing it. Why NOT? In order to eliminate a keyword, we would type in the Boolean string: RECRUITMENT NOT HR This way, the system will not look for HR. In effective, a candidate may have both words in their profile, but by using NOT in the search phrase, we eliminate that candidate, as we only want those with just RECRUITMENT in their profile. These are candidates who fall into the right wing side of the Venn Diagram. We are removing non-essential results and thereby narrow our search again. Why () Brackets? Computers are smart but we have to give them the correct instructions or the results will be warped and inaccurate. By using parentheses, we are then telling the computer what problem we want solved. Brackets play a big role here. Brackets give priority to a certain word or phrase. Example: We are to search for candidates that have the following words in their profile – TALENT – HR – RECRUITMENT But, I want to narrow it down further to or the computer will not know which of those words is the important one. We would type our search out like this: (talent OR hr) AND recruitment or talent OR (hr AND recruitment) thereby putting the emphasis on the words in brackets. Why “” Quotation Marks? Say you are searching for a particular vocation, but it consists of two words, example: Recruitment Specialist. Typing just: RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST will render a search that will have separateed the words, wasting your time. But, by putting the two words like this: “RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST” you have narrowed your search down, and now the system will search for those two words always together. Other examples would be: “INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY” or “ESTATE AGENT”. MORE EXAMPLES “HR Director” and (health or hospital) “Graphic Designer” and (DTP or cartoonist) Give the Boolean Search a try – it truly does work!
What to do when you and your partner are struggling with your careers
It would be so much easier if you both weren’t in the same boat. Partners often tag off each other. When the going is good with one, often it isn’t so good with each the other. But, then you can rely on your partner, whether its financial, stress-related, or personal. But, if you are both struggling with your careers, what can you do? TEAMWORK You may have different jobs completely, but working together, looking out for the other, can be very beneficial. Remember, it’s in both your best interests that you both succeed. When you out there looking for work, keep an eye out for something that would suit them too. If you have a great idea to solve a problem, share it. RESPECT THAT YOU HAVE DIFFERENT METHODS We all do things differently, and if you think you can paint their world with your brush, no matter how right you think you are, respect that they do it differently. From the way they word an email to the way they approach a problem, hear them out, listen, watch, and maybe you will learn something new. ASK FOR HELP While you are individuals, if you find that your way isn’t working, or your career issues are affecting your relationship, ask or help. It may be from a good friend, or it may be from a professional, like a life coach or psychiatrist. LISTEN Simple enough, but we often want to give advice. Some of us just want a willing ear. Find out what your partner wants and do that. If they just want to vent, sit there, show interest, and listen. You don’t need to solve everything. If they do ask for your advice or help, then give your opinion. If you cannot help, then tell them so. They may need a professional. When you are both struggling with your careers, just take a moment out to understand the others predicament and that it is totally separate from yours.
Are you in a dead-end job?
Do you need some motivation to get out of that dead-end job? Look no further, we have some right here for you … motivation that is … Staying in a job you hate can be bad for your health Stats show that those that keep on plodding day to day in a job that they don’t like, often get sick more often, have long-term health issues, and sometimes end up depressed. Now, that is enough to help you get your butt off that seat and move on! Waiting can make it just much harder to find a job It’s an obvious one, but the longer you hold out, the harder it will be to find a job. Employers want to know why you stayed there for so long in that dead-end job – while it’s not good to job hop, staying in a job that leads you nowhere, doesn’t look good on a CV. There are many avenues to help you find that right job Today, there are a vast array of platforms that you can take to applying for jobs. Online websites, apps, LinkedIn is a great one, and you don’t even have to get up for any of this … until the interview that is. Procrastination is not a value The world wants go-getters and the only person holding you back is YOU! Starting the process just takes one click, one phone call, one movement in the right direction. Once you start that ball rolling, the rest will follow. Don’t be that guy or gal that moans constantly about their dead-end job but does nothing about it. Your location, your travel arrangements, your expenses, your partner, your age, etc. etc. They all don’t mean a thing – there are ways to work it out. But, you have to take that first step. Speak to a friend who seems with it and a mover and shaker. Get advice from columns. Apply with a recruitment agency. Take an hour out of each day to surf the net for jobs that would suit your experience, your qualifications and culture.
Contract vs. Probation
I often get asked to place a permanent employee with a company then receive a three-month contract as an offer of employment. I fully understand this, it minimises risk and makes it easier to get rid of the candidate after the would-be probation period. But, isn’t as risk free as people may think. Today, we discuss contract vs. probation, and which is the better way to go dependent on your circumstances. Here are the guidelines pertaining to the law: Section 83 A of the BCEA goes further in the definition of “employee.” It states that – A person who works for, or renders services to, another person, is presumed, until the contrary is proved, to be an employee, regardless of the form of the contract, if any one or more of the following factors is present: The way the person works is subject to the control or direction of another person; The person’s hours of work are subject to the control or direction of another person; In the case of a person who works for an organisation, the person is a part of that organisation; The person has worked for that other person for an average of at least 40 hours per month over the last three months; The person is economically dependent on the other person for whom that person works or renders services; The person is provided with tools of trade or work equipment by the other person; Or the person only works for or renders services to one person. There is not only the legal side to consider, but you also need to understand that the risk is high. A candidate could except a permanent position for security reasons, even if only on contract. This is “OK” if they are not a good match, but what if they are the perfect match and you lose them? While under contract candidates are also not entitled or eligible for membership of the company pension scheme or medical aid scheme, this also is risky for a contractor, and could sway them if offered a permanent job. So, what is better – contract vs. probation? My first question, when presented with a contract to test the candidate prior to permanent employment contract is, “Is this a contract because it is project or contract driven, or is it a contract because you are looking for a risk free option?” If the answer is risk related, then I advise the client to go the probation option. Use a Limited Duration Contract for a contractor and a Permanent Employment Contract, with a probation clause, for a permanent employee. When offering permanent employment with probation, please make sure there are performance appraisals recorded. Any issues that arise need to be recorded in these appraisals. The candidate needs to be informed of what they are doing wrong and guided on how to complete the task correctly. You can basically address all disciplinary issues in these appraisals. Should you not want to extend permanent employment after the trial period, you are within the rights of your administration. If you are not sure, you could consider extending the trial period. You cannot use this as a roll over strategy, but you can do it to give a candidate the benefit of the doubt to prove themselves. The main difference between employee and Independent Contractor is the nature of the contract itself. It must be determined what the intention was of the parties to the contract. Was the intention that it was supposed to be a contract of employment, or was the intention that it be an Independent Contractor relationship?
People Lie in Interviews
People lie in interviews. Fact! You’ve been looking to fill an important position in your business for months now, and after hundreds of resumes and dozens of interviews, you think you’ve finally found the perfect candidate. Their skills and experience are exactly what you’re looking for. He has got a great attitude and your team loves him. But are they maybe really too good to be true? People aren’t always the most truthful in interviews. When you really want to land the job, it can be easy to exaggerate, or stretch the truth a little bit. You’re in the hot seat and the pressure is on. People lie in interviews and say that they are very hardworking and never fail to always give exceptional work. This is so that they give the impression that they are perfectionists and never disappoint those who expect so much of them. Its estimated 38 percent of people have embellished their job responsibilities on a resume. So, rather contact prior employers (not just references) and get as many details as you can about the candidate’s job duties and descriptions. If employers won’t or can’t provide these, try tapping into LinkedIn to see if the candidate’s description of his or her past roles matches what’s on the resume. Candidates mislead you with current salary and salary expectations. Ask them for their last 3 pay slips and then decide on a reasonable increase. If the expectation is more than a 20% increase on current package, start asking questions like “what extra value are you bringing or offering to justify the increase been above market rate?”. Those who have leadership skills are always willing to try and salvage a problematic situation or they do their best to take control when things go wrong. That is why a big lie, which many people tell is that they say that they have exceptional leadership skills, even when they do not. People lie in interviews about their reasons for leaving. It is important you ask referees why they resigned. Its estimated 12 percent of candidates lie about dates of employment to cover gaps. You can contact previous employers to confirm dates. We also use the credit check to confirm dates. The credit checks we do list employment and employment dates. If someone omits a previous employer we also pick it up here. Companies believe that working in groups yields the best result and that is why so many people feel compelled to tell this big lie. At the extreme, candidates may purchase diplomas from online or falsify documentation by adding their names to a friend’s qualifications or even claim certification from people with the same name and surname as them. We check qualifications through a service provider, using the ID number matched to the qualification code to make sure it is the correct person. Candidates often say they are prepared to travel or relocate under pressure, but change their mind the next day. Relocation and commuting is a big issue and the candidate should have time to think and consider if the travel is manageable and realistic. Nowadays all employees are expected to be people-friendly, simply because they interact with a lot of clients. Keeping clients happy is one of the major task of employees and if employees are not approachable, they sooner than later will prove to be a real liability to the company. This is another big lie which many candidates tell during the interview, because they know that this is an ability which is truly sought after. Besides that people lie in interviews, there are many people who have the habit of gossiping. Such individuals just wait for an opportunity to talk ill of others and to spread vile rumors. Indulging in such gossip is very immature and childish, however sadly it is something which almost all of us take part in. This is certainly one of the biggest lies which people state in the course of the interview just so that the concerned recruiter gets the impression that the individual is someone who is mature and not interested in petty things such as gossip. On my social media history, you won’t find any racist, inflammatory, sexist or controversial remarks. Yeah, right! Millennials are quickly realizing that those offensive tweets they sent a couple of years ago or that rant they posted on Facebook about their ex-boss just last week, are coming to bite them in the butt. Check their social media profiles, the FB, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms. Everyone should conduct at least a five-minute research on the company to get a rudimentary grasp of the business, history, mission statement and so on. The interviewer will likely ask a follow-up question to ensure you actually did find out more about the firm. If you want to get away with the lie the best thing to do is to ask generic questions or say “I couldn’t find any information on (fill in the blank). Could you explain more?
Our Professional Connections
Our professional connections are very important to us. Take a look at who we are affiliated with. Every consultant has been a business manager/owner and comes with a wealth of industry knowledge and connections. As recruitment specialists we form part of The Linx Personnel group – an active network of reputable recruitment associates. We abide by the APSO Code of Ethical and Professional Practice. We are part of West Coast Network – Services you can rely on.