The Bagg Group Blog

Study shows some times to call are better than others, but The Bagg Group recruiters insist it’s what you say that counts more.

Every now and then, anyone who is selling anything has to do it.  They have to pick up the phone and make cold calls or, at the very least, they have to call contacts that have long gone cold.  

If you think as a job-seeker you aren’t selling, it’s time to think again.  Right now you are running your own business.  And what you’re selling are your services as a potential employee — whether you’re looking for a full-time job, contract work, or temporary employment   

Like any business, you have to market, as many ways as you can.  Cold calling everyone and anyone you can think of could be one of those ways.

At The Bagg Group, we are often asked when is a good time to call new contacts or revive long-lost ones.  Speaking with hiring managers in companies across the GTA, we know that it’s much more important to focus on your message, than on the day and time of the call. 

There’s no crystal ball that will let you know whether your call is perfectly timed or not.  Typically, people don’t answer if they are otherwise busy.  So if someone picks up, they may not have a lot of time to talk, but it’s safe to say they aren’t in the middle of a crucial meeting. 

Still, according to Dr. James Oldroyd of the Kellogg School of Management, some times and days may be better than others.  He analyzed more than a million cold calls, made by thousands of professionals, at 50 companies.  

Dr. Oldroyd’s study investigated traditional sales cold calls, but the findings can also be of interest to job-hunters.   According to his research …

Thursday is best day to call someone out of the blue, and get a conversation going. It’s 19% more effective than Friday.

Friday is the worst day of the week for cold calls..

The best times to call are first thing in the morning, between 8 am. and 9 am and end-of-day between 4 pm and 5 pm.

Still, for job-seekers, the expert recruiters at The Bagg Group can’t emphasize enough that it is always what you say, not when you call, that really counts. 

The best call depends not on the clock, but on your preparedness, and your friendly, professional tone of voice.  Have your message ready before you pick up the phone.  In our upcoming blogs, we’ll review the key points for a good message and how to follow-up with an email. 

Meanwhile, if you are going to set a day aside for cold-calling, experiment with Thursday. It can’t hurt to try. But of course, there are no guarantees, and some people have their own preferred day and times which work best for them.  Here’s the one thing you can be sure of: nothing will happen if you don’t make contact – on any day.

The art of writing a good resumé is taking on renewed importance as unemployment rates remain high and the number of candidates vying for the same job increase. Yet many job hunters are making mistakes that eliminate them from the short list, say recruiters.

“It is a very competitive landscape,” says Jackie Chua, general manager of the Full Time search arm with The Bagg Group in Toronto. “There are lots of resumés to be reviewed.” Spelling and grammar mistakes, fluffy or vague language and bad formatting are still prevalent when sifting through a stack of resumés, so many recruiters say there is a need to get back to the basics….

Many organizations use applicant tracking systems that will automatically search for certain keywords used in the job postings. If those words don’t appear in a job hunter’s resumé or cover letter, they could be weeded out, so make sure to read the posting carefully.

Tailor your resumé to each organization and align it and your cover letter with the needs of  the organization and the posting, demonstrating you have done your research. It all starts with the first document a recruiter will see.

Cover letters should be no longer than three concise, succinct paragraphs outlining your skills, education and experience in relation to the job posting. In the last paragraph, outline why you are interested in the job and the company by showing you have done your research on the firm.
Most recruiters advise against using a functional resumé that groups skills; instead, utilize a more effective chronological resumé that highlights jobs individually. Professional experience and education should be first and second on the resumé. Avoid using corporate job descriptions, since your job has likely evolved or expanded during the time you have worked there. Instead, use concise language to be as specific as possible about key roles and the achievements you have reached, such as milestones and performance targets.

In both cover letters and resumés, make use of white space to avoid clutter. Similarly, avoid long bullet lists and compress the points into smaller groups that are easier to read.

The standard format is Microsoft Word, but pay attention to the job posting. There has been a trend toward using Adobe Acrobat (.pdf ) documents, but Word is preferred unless an alternate format is requested in the posting.

Stick to the past 10 years, other than any very important previous experience, since you can elaborate on older experience if asked.

Use positive language and make sure all dates are accurate, since recruiters often verify this information. If you fudge a date, it could come back to haunt you if you get the job…. it’s more important than ever to keep in mind most resumés are not just submitted electronically, but also viewed in that format. Too many people leave the spelling, grammar and formatting functions turned on when submitting a document, only highlighting and magnifying mistakes and generally cluttering the document.

Job hunters can set themselves up for success long before they even start looking for a job if they keep their resumé current. It’s easy to forget key information as time passes, so keeping a document updated on a regular basis will help ensure it stands out and includes all relevant information.

Finally, check with references that they are OK with you using them, but don’t list their names and contact information on your resumé. Just note that references are available upon request, and tell your references what you are applying for so they can have some thoughts prepared if contacted.

Throughout the process, keep in mind the person reading the document. And remember the document’s purpose.”A resumé isn’t to get you a job, it’s to get you an interview,” Ms. Chua says.

excerpts from the National Post, FP Careers, Wednesday November 16, 2009

Whether you want temporary work, a full-time job opportunity or contract work,  twittering can work for you. But if you twitter inappropriately, it can work against you.

Never write a tweet that would embarrass you if it fell into the wrong hands. There are already too many stories about people who have interviewed for jobs in the GTA and afterward made what they thought were funny comments about the experience on Twitter.  Sure enough, those tweets were spotted by people within the organizations who were not amused. 

The Globe and Mail recently reported on a story that stands as a warning to all job seekers.  A candidate sent a tweet about being offered a job at Cisco, the high-tech giant in California, that read in part: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh…a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”

In less than hour, this twitterer received a message back from Cisco and lost her job offer.

For tips on how to twitter properly, check out the article 50 Terrific Twitter Tips for Job Seekers.

 Meanwhile, the recruiters at The Bagg Group have put together this list of short tweets for you that are words to twitter by:

• Create an easy-to-remember Twitter name. Make sure it’s not silly and won’t make potential employers wonder about you.  
• Put your professional Web site or even your personal LinkedIn url on your Twitter profile.
• Don’t get too casual. Twitter is an informal way to spread information but you want to project a professional image.  Use correct grammar and spelling to help your image.
• Don’t post anything inappropriate.  When it doubt, leave it out.  You don’t want potential employers to question your judgment or good taste.
• Follow and connect with people with similar interests to network.
• Follow up off of Twitter. Don’t rely on Twitter to make all the connections for you. Network off Twitter or follow up with an e-mail when it’s appropriate.

There’s a myth that there is no point looking for a job during the holiday season.  Companies and recruitment firms work all summer long, so there’s no reason to believe all business comes to a complete standstill. At The Bagg Group, we advise that you don’t stop looking for a job until you find one, regardless of the season. 

There are some advantages to looking for jobs in the GTA during vacation times.  The pace at many businesses may be slower so it can be an ideal time to network over a coffee or to seek informational interviews.  As well, there can be less competition since many job-hunters do take the summer off.

Of course, we’d all rather be sailing.  That’s why at The Bagg Group we offer these tips for how to keep job-hunting and still enjoy the summer. 

Adopt summer hours.  Offices do it, and looking for a job is no different than any other work.  Get an extra early start to your workday and give yourself the promise that you’ll complete your job-hunting activities before the afternoon is out.

Use a daybook.  List two or three job hunting activities for the day.  These are tasks that are within your control to complete, such as researching job-boards, applying for a job, touching base with your references, rewriting your resume.   Estimate how long each task will take and schedule it like you would a meeting with yourself.  In this way, you can enjoy the rest of your day, guilt-free.

Consider volunteer work.  Many volunteer organizations need help in the summer when regular volunteers go off on vacations. This is a great time to help out and it’s good for your resume.  As well, volunteering is another way to network, and acquire references if necessary.

Temporary work opportunities.  Whether you are looking for a full-time job, a temporary job, or a contract job, the summer may offer up unexpected opportunities to serve as fill-in while regular staff is on holiday.  Any such opportunities are worth your while.

Finally, it’s important to stay-up-to-date in your field, year-round.  But there’s nothing that says you have to do your reading indoors.  Make a patio your office away from your home office.

Often hiring authorities ask our advice about counter-offers.  At The Bagg Group, we’re not in favour of them and our position is founded on research and experience.

According to the US National Business Employment weekly, 80% of those who accept counter-offers leave or are terminated within six to 12 months. 

 That statistic holds true for the GTA where recruiters have observed that four out of five people who accept inducements to stay nonetheless leave within a year.  Half of those who take the buy-back start a new job search within 90 days.  

The trend now among top employers in the GTA is to avoid counter-offers. These companies say that they treat employees fairly and recognize that there may be those who wish to pursue a job opportunity that better suits their needs.   There are no hurt feelings, recriminations, and certainly no negotiations.

For an employee, to quit or not to quit is almost always a gut-wrenching decision.  We counsel candidates to imagine that they are unemployed and then consider which of the two options -as they are — hold the greatest potential for them, and allows for more engaging, interesting days.   We urge them to go for the job that is right for them.

We understand all the reasons why hiring authorities may be tempted to dangle carrots to retain valued full-time employees.   Managers may be concerned that the employee’s leaving could reflect poorly on them, the timing could be bad, or it may appear easier to keep an employee than replace one.

But the pay-off for the company just isn’t there.   Inevitably, the issues that prompted an employee to look elsewhere will resurface in time.  And when an employee leaves after receiving concessions to stay, there’s a sting of rejection that is not good for managers or their team. 

As well, as soon as an employee states his or her intention to leave, trust is compromised.  At the Bagg Group, we have seen the negative ripple effect when what appears as a show of disloyalty is rewarded with inducements.

If the timing of an employee’s departure is unfortunate, ask yourself whether the timing will ever be right?  

And here’s the number one solution practiced by top employers in the GTA who need a particular project completed:  Contract workers. 

At The Bagg Group, we often parachute in highly-skilled, knowledgeable contract workers to temporarily fill a vacated position, and get the  job done under pressure and on deadline.   

There is always a staffing solution that is preferable to the counteroffer.   The bottom line: counter-offers never help an employee’s career and they never help an employer.  

 The counter-offer is simply a bad offer.  They are a form of arm-twisting on both sides.  And that’s no basis for a long-term productive employer-employee relationship.

We have seen candidates hired who have one poor reference but two to three great ones. So one bad reference doesn’t mean it’s all over for you.

What do recruiters want to learn from your references? At The Bagg Group, we focus on your strengths and areas for improvement.

Nobody expects that your reference will describe you as a perfect employee, since none of us are perfect. In any case, you can be assured that recruiters are extremely skilled at interviewing references, and at listening not just to answers but to tone of voice.

In other words, we know very well how to tell the difference between what is personal opinion and what is an objective assessment of a candidate’s skills.

Whether you are looking for a full-time job, contract work, or temporary work, you will need references. So make a point of staying in touch with your reference provider as you seek job opportunities in the GTA so that they are ready and willing to talk about you.

We put together this reference tip sheet to help you, and us, work with references.

Provide titles and contact information for each of your references. We only call the contacts you provide. If your reference is traveling or out of town, don’t worry. We will contact them by email. And by the way, recruiters prefer not to call references on cell phones. If we must, we have to call the reference provider’s company to verify their position.

Whenever possible, get a letter of reference. This is very helpful if, during the time of your job search, you are unable to locate your reference provider.

Tell your reference what type of role you’re going for. Let your reference provider know the type of job you’re applying for, and the skills it demands. This way, they’ll be able to respond more appropriately to questions.

Test the waters. Make a point of asking, “What type of reference will you provide me?” This way, you’ll know whether you want this person as your reference or not.

Be upfront with your recruiter. If you believe your reference may have areas of concern, tell your recruiter about it. We understand, and honesty is always the best policy.

Recruiters prefer to call three references. And you can list contacts at your volunteer work if you don’t have many references.

References almost always want to help you get a job, not stop you. Give your reference and your recruiter the accurate information they need, and let your expert recruiter handle the rest.

At The Bagg Group, the first thing we would tell you is, “Please, don’t take it personally.”

Of course, we know that’s easier said than done. But here’s why we say it.

There are many, many factors that go into every recruitment decision. If we don’t call you for an interview this time, it’s likely for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with you.

Recruiters understand that you are eager to work, whether you’re seeking full-time job opportunities in the GTA, or temporary employment or contract work.

But here are the top two reasons why staffing agencies may not call you for an interview, even when you feel you meet all the job requirements.

As an example, a GTA employer could specify that the first round of people they want to interview are those who have worked within a particular industry, or even a specific company, for a minimum period of time.

Or they may give preference to candidates who, in addition to meeting essential criteria, also have expertise in a complementary area.

And finally, it’s not uncommon for employers to change their criteria as the job search progresses.

Even as we continue our search, we present solid applicants to our clients.

It could be that the employers are happy with the initial candidates we put forth and don’t wish to interview more.

It can also happen that the employers decide not to fill a position, or to put their search on hold.

But here’s a tip, particularly for those seeking temporary work opportunities: It may help your chances if you send your resume very late at night or very first thing in the morning so that it is at the top of the recruiters’ inbox when they get in to work the next day.

Revisit your resume if, over time, it has never generated interest. Make sure it’s a well-crafted resume that highlights you achievements in your field, and is free of typos, bad grammar, confusing descriptions, etc.

Avoid the temptation to call us…please. Put your time and effort into a new search instead.

To recap: If we haven’t called you for an interview, it’s either because the position is on hold or no longer available, the client is not interviewing any more candidates, or your resume doesn’t match the employer’s very detailed requirements.

Recruiters receive as many as 200 resumes every single day, and we do screen them. But as you can imagine, there aren’t enough minutes in the day for us to field calls from applicants wondering why they haven’t been asked for a meeting.

Remember, as recruiters, we use several avenues for networking and so should you. Consider social and peer networking, volunteer work, meeting former colleagues for coffee.

Visit this blog often for job-hunting tips.

Keep looking, there will be other opportunities.

Finally, and most importantly, don’t get discouraged and don’t take it personally!!

The other day I stumbled on the blog of an IT specialist in the UK that got my attention. Phil Bennett is a job-seeker with an all-too common gripe.

He writes that after being sent out on interviews, his recruiter failed to return his calls or emails to let him know how he’d fared. Phil adds, “Perhaps the company left valuable feedback for me that I’m not receiving and could further my chances next time.”

I sympathize with Phil. Firstly, it’s unprofessional for recruiters to not communicate with candidates post-interview. And just as importantly, it’s unkind to leave someone on pins and needles, waiting and worrying by the phone.

At The Bagg Group, debriefing isn’t an option, it’s essential. What’s more, we need to know the impression of the candidate, and the client, to ensure a good fit for both.

But job-seekers like Phil might be shocked, and disappointed, to learn that it’s not uncommon for hiring authorities to neglect to give recruiters feedback on interviewees.

And that’s a missed opportunity, not only for candidates but also for companies. Every bit of feedback from a client helps us refine our search.

I can’t emphasize enough how honesty truly is the best policy. In speaking with your recruiter, you have the freedom to be blunt about your impression of a candidate without worrying about impact. It’s our job to ensure we pass on useful notes to job-seekers in a constructive, respectful way.

To get the best staffing solution, information that is extremely helpful to know includes:

• What did you like about this candidate?
• Did the person have the right skill set for you?
• Did you feel they had the right personality for the job?
• Did you feel they had the right attitude to fit in with your team?
• What didn’t work for you? 
• What mannerisms irked you about this candidate?

I remember that in 2006 when Starbucks was in a hiring frenzy, the New York Times ran an article on the company’s “candidate bill of rights.” As a show of respect for applicants, hiring managers were encouraged to respond quickly to candidates with personalized notes or phone calls rather than form letters. Plus, as a gesture of goodwill, all interviewees were to receive Starbucks gift cards, in nominal amounts, regardless of whether they were hired.

I was impressed that Starbucks recognized that today’s candidate is tomorrow’s customer. That holds true for all of us, recruiters and clients alike. And is there any better way to respect the customer than by giving them information that can help them succeed?

Great question. Many people approach their meeting with a recruiter as a casual get-together. In fact, it’s better to think of it as a dress rehearsal.

Your recruiter is the stand-in for the employer. When they meet with you, they have to consider: How would this candidate come off in front a hiring authority?

At The Bagg Group, we’ve been working with GTA employers for so long that we know what they expect, and what works for them and what doesn’t.

You may be surprised to learn that there are a few casual behaviors and habits that a lot of us do without thinking which are frowned upon by hiring authorities. As always, it’s the little things in life that can lift you up or bring you down.

Here’s a list from our experts for What Not To Do when meeting with an employer or a recruiter, whether you’re meeting to talk about temporary work, contract work or full-time employment:

Don’t wear sunglasses on your head. Sunglasses dangling from shirts or on top of the head suggest a flippant attitude.

Don’t bring your own coffee into the meeting. Many people don’t think twice about picking up a latte to take into a meeting. But staffing experts urge you to think again. The protocol is that unless you’ve called ahead and asked the recruiter if they’d like a coffee, save the java for after the meeting.

Don’t remove your shoes. Believe it or not, recruiters and hiring authorities at top employers in the GTA have many stories of people casually slipping out of their shoes during meetings. And these are not stories with happy endings. Often people wear uncomfortable dress-up shoes to attend a job interview, but no matter how much the shoe pinches, try to grin and bear it.

Don’t shower in perfume. Too much of a good thing can give someone who is sensitive to fragrance a serious headache. You don’t want the interviewer to pick up any odors, of any kind. If your after-shave or perfume overwhelms them, they’ll be thinking more about getting away from you than hiring you.

Don’t smell of cigarettes. If the interviewer is a non-smoker, you face the same problem as above. If you smoke heavily, you may not notice the smell of tobacco on your clothes, but in a closed office, an interviewer, who is not a smoker, may find the smell overpowering. Try to wear smoke-free clothes to any interview.

Avoid the soft-chair slump. A good interviewer makes you feel comfortable. But you can’t afford to get too comfortable in your chair, according to the experts on body-language. Here’s why:

• If you slouch, it may appear that you’re not taking the interview seriously. And you risk coming off as a slacker. 
• If you put your hands behind your head while talking, you project arrogance.
• If you sit with your legs placed wide, you are perceived as acting over-familiar.
• If you lean too far forward, you may off as aggressive.
• If you lean far back, you come off as overly casual.

The experts say there’s only one way to sit in an interview—with a straight and upright body. This way, how you sit doesn’t distract the interviewer from what you’re saying.

You want to be yourself in any interview and keep the focus on what you have to say. You are the star of the interview. So you don’t want the little things, like too much perfume or a sore foot, to upstage you.

Trivia question of the day… Who coined the phrase, “Honesty is the best policy”?

(And no, it’s not a Bagg Group recruiter, although we live by those words)

The answer: Miguel de Cervantes, the 17th Century Spanish novelist who wrote Don Quixote. I quote his words whenever hiring authorities ask me how to get the most out of their recruiting agency.

If you were a fly on the wall at a meeting between a hiring authority and a recruiter from The Bagg Group, you might be surprised by the breadth and depth of the conversation.

Asking questions on a range of issues is how recruiters help you build your best team. So, for example, when a staffing expert inquires about the pet peeves of the position’s direct manager it’s not to judge or critique. It’s because they know that little things can make the difference between success and failure on the job.

Here are just a few questions that you can expect from recruiters who are experienced in providing top-notch staffing solutions for you:

• Tell me about people in your firm that have worked out the best, and why?
• What are the direct manager’s pet peeves?
• How would you describe your company’s customers?
• What are their expectations and issues?
• Who are the internal clients that new employees must serve?
• What are their characteristics?
• What are their challenges?

I recommend that clients meet staffing experts face-to-face and take them on a walk about. A tour helps recruiters get a feel for the people and the energy of your organization. Again, this is contributes to finding the best fit.

And here’s an important tip: make sure you are having a two-way conversation with your recruiter.

The best employers use recruiters as their staffing coaches. Experienced recruiters have a wealth of knowledge to share about hiring and retaining employees. And our clients are right to make the most of it.

The guidance and tips they receive from our staffing experts are based on facts, figures and thousands of discussions with managers and candidates over the years.

(For a good article on retaining employees through engagement, check out Gerard Seijts and Dan Crim’s article in the Ivey Business Journal, The Ten C’s of Employee Engagement. )

So – to help your recruiter be the best solution provider possible, sit down with him and her and tell it like it is. I can’t tell you who originated that turn of phrase, but I can assure you that it’s one well worth remembering the next time your recruiter calls.