Monday, April 23, 2012

Where Should Recruiters Look For Candidates?

         Social media has come of age, and it is no more limited to just being a platform for estranged friends and family members to come together and stay connected. Today, social media is used for a wide variety of reasons including promoting business, products, services and also looking for the right employees for your company.
       Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have already become favorite places for business owners to promote their brand and raise the visibility of their business to attract more potential customers.
       The social networking sites are also used by recruiters to look for the right candidates for vacant positions in the company. A recent survey has revealed that more than 90 percent of the recruiters use the social media sites to identify fresh talent. This figure has increased form the last year's stats. Earlier it was only LinkedIn were people looked for prospective employers and employees.
LinkedIn is still a good platform to stay connected with older employees, look for references and ask friends to recommend you. However, LinkedIn has now been joined with other similar sites such as Facebook which has now started actively participating in the job search area.
      Hence, the recent trends show that the recruiters should actually be concentrating at the social networking sites to find the right candidates for the jobs. There are several reasons that make this a wonderful idea. The traditional hiring method used by the recruiters usually includes posting job vacancies in the Internet or print media.
       After that, the HR department receives hundreds of applications from aspiring candidates. An HR analyst performs the short listing of candidates based on a few criteria and after that other tests and rounds of interviews are held.
          Thus, the traditional method usually takes a lot of time, effort and money. With the advancement of the Internet and the popularity of the social media sites, posting job vacancies online and getting resumes and recommendations in response to the requirement has become extremely easy.
       The social networking is fast replacing the traditional methods of finding a suitable job, and many recruiters have already started realizing the potential of this medium. What makes them so special? Thousands of Facebook and LinkedIn users log on to their accounts almost daily without fail to check on the updates and stay connected, hence it is an effective way to reach out to the prospective employees within less time.
         In the social networking sites, recruiters can quickly scan the profile and portfolio of the candidates even before he sends the formal resume. It is also easier for the recruiters to check the likes, dislikes, friend circle and other details about the candidates which may be essential for the nature of the job. It is also a great place to seek recommendations for a candidate and also verify whether the details regarding the past work experience of the individual are true.

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Future of Social Networking Job Performance Review Collusion



        There is a reason we have managers in corporations that do employee performance reviews. It's a good way to get rid of someone who thinks they have too much tenure and can get away doing less than expected, or coast along well under their abilities. In a Corporation you hire someone and expect their best efforts. If you allow other employees to chime in on how the individual is doing, it's been said by psychologists and research tests that they are much harder on the individual than a manager might be, peers usually are, but what if we took that to a different level, and used an online social networking job performance strategy?

        The reason I ask is there was a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal in August 1, 2010 in the careers section. The article was by Rachel Ema Silverman and Leslie Kwoh and was titled; "Performance Reviews, Facebook Style Employers Try to Flatten Management and Encourage Teamwork with Worker Evaluations by Peers," and it had a picture of an individual and their performance review with comments, and star ratings by each of their working peers in their division or on their team. Well, let's talk about what's likely to happen here.

          First, I have to hand it to the company they came up with this idea Hearsay Social Incorporated out of San Francisco, the idea is interesting, you have to give them that. Nevertheless, it would appear to me that this will cause something similar to grade inflation that we find in our schools. Each individual being judged by their peers will also have their peers appear on their page as to what rating they gave them. They will have to give them a high rating rather than a low rating, or the bottom rating, or they might find a revengeful reciprocation in a low star rating for themselves when it comes their turn to be judged.

         Whereas, it could cause people to perform better at work due to peer pressure, it could also turn into a cat fight causing problems, or it could cause something that the social networking specialist working on this hope to and that is it will get people to work closer together as a strong team unit. Still, if this is to be coupled to the bonuses of individuals it will become very similar to hijacked corporate boards where they keep voting themselves higher salaries, stock options, and bonuses. Or, if an employee gets laid off due to their review when budget cuts come, it could lead to all sorts of problems, ever watch the Survivor reality show?

        We know how teenagers get when they badmouth each other online, imagine what adults might do who have resources to buy personal protection devices after they get fired because they didn't have good job approval ratings, did not appear to be working well with a team, or office politics got in the way of common decency. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.


Monday, April 16, 2012

Senior Job Portals: Smarter Way to Job Search for Senior Professionals



       It's time for 'smart' be it smart phones, televisions, home appliances or even job search. For the new generation, job portals are the smarter way to find a dream job, sparing one the pain of looking through the clogged newspaper employment pages or of waiting for a recruiter to give you a call for the right role.

      With job portals, it's easy. Just log in, update your information and upload your resume to enter into a world of informed decision-making.

       As the popularity of the job portals is growing every day, specialization has set-in in this domain too. A job search for senior professionals is now more advanced. Specialized job portals now offer an exclusive focus on mid management and senior professionals, including customized subscription plans for senior professionals that empower them with the ability to make smart career choices.

        Apart from one's profile being available to a large number of employers and recruiters, one can browse through the recent openings in their vertical or functional area. Besides getting information about job openings, one can get a better understanding on the skill sets and professional expertise that employers are looking for.

     Specialised job search portals offer other advantages as well, when it comes to senior careers. Candidates have a strong focus on confidentiality when it comes to personal and classified information. Many such portals offer strong confidentiality features enabling discretion and privacy.

      Another key challenge is to ensure that right candidate for senior jobs get visibility over irrelevant profiles. Some portals focus exclusively on senior candidates and ensure that junior and entry level profiles are filtered out. This problem is also curtailed with the help of subscription based sites because they sift serious candidates from casual ones. In this, one needs to pay a nominal amount and the member's resume is highlighted to the recruiter.

       Though, senior job portals have made the difficult task of a job search easier, we must still remember that it's not a magic solution. Some responsibility lies with the user too. One has to log in, research and keep searching for the right opportunities. It is also important to keep information including contact details updated.

      Technology and the internet have made life easier but the result is always determined by our judgment. Therefore, do use job portals effectively for your senior level job search, but always trust a brand that has a proven track record. Portals that are exclusively focused on senior jobs and cater to mid-management & senior professionals provide for a smarter job search that senior professionals can use to land the right job.


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Perfect Food and Drink for Courier Work



         For those embarked on courier work, the job can lead to some pretty full on days. Often there are long journeys involved with only a short space of time in which to drop-off or pick up deliveries. It can often seem difficult to grab food in the course of the day, but this is incredibly important, especially when your eyelids start to droop in between service stations on the M1. Because of this, drivers involved in the delivery industry often opt for less healthy options, such as a full English breakfast first thing in the morning, or a burger and chips at lunch.

          However, those involved in courier work should know that a healthier diet can work wonders for their alertness and enjoyment for the job; here are some foodstuffs to chew over:

Water

           Cold water consumption is one of the best ways to keep yourself awake in the course of your courier work. Dehydration has a much greater effect on our brain functioning than most of us are aware of. When you're driving you should make sure that you always have a bottle of water or two at your side. You might notice that you have mild headaches throughout the day. If you haven't been drinking much you'll be amazed at how quickly some gulps of water can chase the headache away.

Caffeine

          If you're really lagging then it certainly doesn't hurt to pull over and have a coffee (unless you happen to be sensitive to caffeine of course!), but you should always remember that tea, coffee and cola drinks can give a temporary boost before causing a later drop in energy. This effect can be especially pronounced if you over do it.

Whole Grains

          It might not seem as obvious as glugging down an espresso but by upping your consumption of whole grains you will notice a rise in your energy levels as you go about your courier work. Whole grains take longer to digest within the body and this means their energy is released more slowly rather than giving you a boost that soon fizzles out. Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat pasta and other foods that contain wheat, oats, maize or barley.

Apples

         The humble apple is actually a great way to satisfy your energy need, allowing you to get some much needed vitamins and nutrition while helping you to stay alert. Apples will give your blood sugar a boost that you might find has a more beneficial effect than a cup of coffee.

            Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Aviation Mechanic



           Many people have ambitions to have high paying technical jobs and they have all the opportunities to have this, with the right attitude and the discipline. Being an aviation mechanic is a "dirty" technical job, although with high pays. When you are in this profession you will expect to have your hands filled with grease most of the time, and you will not be wearing the kinds of clothes that the office workers have. This is a job sought after by many big airline companies though, especially if you are a very well known aircraft technician. However, before you can become one, you need to have the special trainings and years of experiences before you can ever be one.

The Nature of the Job as Aviation Mechanic

          When you are an aviation mechanic, the airplane is practically in "your hands", especially if you are the head aircraft technician. The airplane's maintenance program will be in your hands and before the plane can fly, your "go" signal will be probably needed. You will be the one doing the reports on the airplane's functions, especially if repairs on damages are done. Your basic functions may be on the maintenance and repairs of the aircraft in your airline company. Aircraft technicians are not the ordinary workers that companies hire but they are the college degree holders in aviation technology or they are the aircraft engineers that many aircraft companies want to have.

The Skills and Competency Requirements Needed To Become an Aviation Mechanic

          An aviation mechanic is not only the bachelor's degree holder required of him, but he has also to be one equipped with technical trainings, attended seminars on aircraft technology, or any related aircraft functions. These will be added boosts to his competency ratings and he will be one sought after by many big airline companies, especially if he has the years of experiences behind him related to the airline industry. There can be plenty of work opportunities for a skilled aviation technician and he will not be out of job for too long because many airline companies will strive hard to acquire his services.

The Responsibilities of Aircraft Mechanics

           If you think that the responsibilities of an aviation mechanic are simple, these are simply huge. Just like the responsibility of an airplane pilot is huge because the lives of the passengers will be in his hands, the responsibilities of the airplane technician will also be big because the capabilities of the airplane to land safely in its destination will depend on how the repairs and maintenance of the airplane are done. A well maintained airplane will fly safely to its destination.

         Pays and salaries of an aviation mechanic are high compared to ordinary technicians in many production companies. This is because their skills and trainings are also at higher levels, and they will not be dealing with ordinary motor vehicles. Special skills are needed in these kinds of people, and they deserve special treatments for this. They may not be the clean cut office worker or executive in an office, but they may be receiving pays like the superiors of these office workers receive.