+91-80-42023484 contact@sincera.in
What do Recruiters Want from a Job-Hunting Candidate ?

What do Recruiters Want from a Job-Hunting Candidate ?

by | Jan 20, 2017 | Job Offers, Recruitment, Resume, World of Work

What do recruiters want ? A recruiter starts work every morning with one objective – find the best candidate for his/her client and fill the open position ASAP. A candidate hunting for a job wakes up with this thought – may today be the day when I land my dream job. Notice the similarity between the two objectives – so why not work together with mutual respect  to achieve this common goal?

This post is from the view-point of a recruiter for the job-hunting candidate (let’s for the sake of convenience, assume the sex of the recruiter to be female). She wants you to succeed because your success would eventually ensure her’s. And she has a few expectations from you, the potential hire, so that the common goal of a win-win job hunt for both can be reached. So here is how you can help her help you:

What do Recruiters Want – Craft a complete resume

Your profile should be tailored for you – please skip the long sentences with all the nice-looking buzz words. A recruiter will spend a maximum of 30 seconds to determine if your profile is suitable. Be direct and prepare your resume in such a way that your qualifications, skills and achievements are searchable and stand out. Link to your work portfolios or online profiles (Social media links, LinkedIn is a must, About.me, etc.) or blogs so that there is an additional outside reference for your skills.

What do Recruiters Want – Be Visible

Update your profile (and also your LinkedIn profile) regularly. A resume should always be a work-in-progress document and have your latest details – your latest contact details (make sure your email id is a professional one.- crazylover777@xxx.com is a sure reject in the first 5 seconds of a resume review), your years of experience, your preferred job location/s, new skills all help the recruiter shortlist your candidature quickly.  Regular updates also help keep your profile on the top of search results in job boards. Create a separate folder in your mail box for achievements to store those appreciation mails and promotion letters. Refer to this folder every three months for additional updates to your resume.

What do Recruiters Want – Be Responsive and Responsible

The common courtesy rule: treat people the way you would want to be treated – applies with recruiters as well. Do respond to emails and calls – even if it is a “no, thank you”. If you are busy, a short email or text stating your availability (even when it is “please don’t contact me ever”) will save the recruiter time and not keep her hanging. If you do give a time slot, plan ahead and be available – being late for an interview is just not professional. If you can’t make it, make sure you inform in advance.

What do Recruiters Want – Be Honest

Know what you want. Think it through before committing yourself. If you are not clear about which career path to take, be upfront and discuss this with the recruiter. She will respect this and may be able to provide you with options or opportunities that work for you. Nothing is more frustrating to her than last-minute surprises – if you are not interested, just say so. If you are not ready for the interview – let her know, her information and insights can help you prepare for it. If you have another offer (a promotion, another job) – let her know, it may help you get a better offer. If you don’t want to join after accepting the offer, let her know – don’t wait for the day of joining and then not turn up. Nothing could be more unprofessional.

What do Recruiters Want – Engage

Network with recruiters. If you have had bad experiences with one recruiter, don’t lump the rest in the same bucket. Find the recruiters who work in your industry and who understand your career goals and reach out. Keep in touch. Build a relationship – this is one person you need in your corner when you are looking out for a career change. Keep track of the recruiter and through her, her clients, just like she is keeping track of you. Refer your friends. Find out about hiring trends and upcoming opportunities from her. Give value and get value back – this can definitely be a mutually beneficial relationship. Maybe you don’t need a job now, but she could open up a few doors for you when you do need one.

All of the above will help you in building relationships with the Best Recruiters and make you the favourite go-to candidate for recruiters. Recruiters can be the wind beneath your wings when you need to change jobs or need to hire for your team. (And don’t forget all the great side benefits of having a friend for life :))

Your Job Search Websites Checklist – Top Job Portals – Part II

Your Job Search Websites Checklist – Top Job Portals – Part II

by | Nov 23, 2016 | Job Offers, World of Work

Carrying on from where we left off [Part I], here is the second part to the top job hunt platforms in India. Here are some of the best job portals/platforms you should definitely check out when actively looking for a job. Not all jobs are posted on all sites. Companies and agencies have their own favourites. So, it definitely makes sense for you to have four or five platforms on your checklist for searching for the best jobs for you and for having your resume up there. Read on!

SimplyHired

This awesome job portal makes the excruciating process of hunting for and landing the dream job a breeze. It searches thousands of job sites and companies as per your listed preferences to give you relevant results. Additionally, it also connects your online social networks with your job search with its “Who do I Know” feature which helps you find friends and personal connections at each company apart from your job search results.

The interface does a broad search across the Web, including job boards, company career sites, newspapers, non-profit organizations, and even government sites to give you the a thorough results. Creating an account allows you to name, save, and manage searches; manage email alerts; revisit jobs you’ve already viewed; rate and save notes about jobs you’ve viewed; and block specific companies or sites from showing up in your searches. Also, Simply Hired has a blog which offers excellent advice for job seekers. Have a look here – http://www.simplyhired.com/blog/

Indeed.com

Indeed works as an aggregator of job listings. In this it tries to emulate Google, at least in look and feel. It allows you to put location and keywords related to the kind of job you are looking for. It then shows a list of results like a Google search result page, and clicking on a link takes you to the actual job listing, where you can apply for the job. Based on your searches, it also starts recommending jobs for you. You can also post your CV on this website so that recruiters can find you. This site is definitely worth a try to get an idea of relevant job listings without having to scour various job-hunt websites manually. A definite must-have on your list of job platforms to get an overview of what the market has to offer.

Quora

We are pretty sure many of you are already familiar with this platform and are wondering why is it listed here, in a post for job search platforms. While it may not be your conventional job hunt portal, Quora is an excellent informal environment to seek answers to anything regarding the company you are applying to, ask how referrals work, about your to-be boss, colleagues, even the lunch hours… Just about anything!

The best part is, you don’t have to worry about disclosing your identity since you can ask the questions anonymously. Oh wait, that is not the best part, the best part actually is all these answers are given by actual professionals who are in the game. Multiple answers often find their way into interesting (sometimes unpleasant) conversations.  Go by the number of up-votes vs downvotes for the answer you are referring to and you shall have a fair idea.

Hirist.com

Hirist has a neat, no-frills, minimalist website with no advertisements on their homepage, which goes a long way in gaining the user’s trust because it gives the professional feel. The categorization of jobs is well thought out. In agreement with the overall minimalist theme, the job listings offer the most essential information like location, designation, etc., and one can view details by clicking on the links. One interesting feature is that you can tick multiple job listings that you are interested in and apply to all of them at once. Although not as big as some of its competitors, Hirist is neat and easy to use, and hence is worth a try.

Shine.com

In addition to job-listings, Shine provides the Shine CareerPlus service that aggregates various online and offline courses and certifications available to enhance your skills. These are meticulously categorized and hence it is easy to find what you are looking for. You can also find useful compilations of LinkedIn articles and blogs related to career advice, interview preparation tips, resume formats, resume review services, etc. to boost your chances of getting the job you are looking for.

Glassdoor

A free jobs and careers community, Glassdoor gives you a sneak peak into jobs and companies. The information on the site is employee generated which makes it genuine and dependable, well mostly. You get access to anonymous salaries, interview questions, work culture and ethics, reviews and more. This search engine might be comparatively new, but is surely worth giving a try – especially when all this useful information is available completely free!

Real-time Networking

All said and done, you should never fall out of touch with this one! Believe me, this is the foundation of all the wonderful platforms that have come up. If people did actually meet and talk and brainstorm and network, we really wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of building complex virtual systems of networking to make it easy for people to meet and interact. Make sure to make an effort to meet interesting people you connect with, once in a while. Who knows they might bring along someone really interesting you wouldn’t have otherwise met. Do not underestimate the power of virtual connectivity, and surely do not overestimate it, some very interesting and powerful people are still yet to be bitten by the virtual bug!

New job portals are coming almost every month. We and our readers need Your help to keep this post relevant and current. What have we missed? What other job portals or sites have you used that you think should be included in this checklist ? We would love to hear back from you.

Your Job Search Websites Checklist – Top Job Portals – Part I

by | Nov 22, 2016 | Job Offers, Resignation, World of Work

The title of the post says it all, so let’s dive right into learning about some of the best job portals you should definitely check out when actively looking for a job.

Monster 

Monster is how it all began. This site is the one of the oldest  job portals in the world and has very successfully managed to sustain itself still as one of the most efficient search engines. The site not only lists full time jobs, it also lists part time and hourly jobs in every career field that there is. Monster (monster.com/monster.co.in) goes beyond simply listing jobs, it also publishes tons of relevant career related articles and advice.

The privacy feature on Monster works as a boon if you do not want a company to come across your resume, and especially if that company is currently where you are working at! Speaking of sustainability (and scalability) of a business model for over 2 decades in the most fiercely competitive market – the internet, Monster has probably been able to thrive and grow by constantly innovating. It is the father of the BeKnown application for Facebook, which allows you to take your job search to the biggest social network in the world.

Naukri.com

is another job-hunting behemoth of India that has been around since 1997. Naukri has a well organized website, advertising jobs by sector, location, designation, skills and company. It also provides career services by the name of Naukri FastForward, which include resume writing help, resume reviews as well as getting connected with recruiters in your domain. Having survived tough competition for decades, the quality of these services can be trusted.

LinkedIn

It shall come as a surprise to none that LinkedIn is the world’s largest network of professionals, approximately 225 million! LinkedIn has surely become the go-to site for job hunters and for employers alike. The user interface is fairly simple, your profile on LinkedIn is your resume which lists all your work experience and skills and connects you with other professionals. The site also directly lists jobs by employers.

A unique feature of LinkedIn is its inbuilt referral system, if one of your LinkedIn connections is LinkedIn with a professional at a company you are applying or wish to apply to, you can ask them to connect you. A lot of companies require you to just apply through your LinkedIn profile, which is increasingly becoming a trend. It is surely worthwhile to spend some time every once in a while updating your profile and connecting through LinkedIn just for the sake of networking, even if you may not be actively looking for a job at the moment.

Sheroes.com

Sheroes is a Careers community for women in India. Sheroes has a group of mentors to coach women and help them find the perfect job. Much more than a job-listing search engine, Sheroes organizes events in major cities across India frequently and has succeeded in forming a community of over 5000 ‘Sheroes’ – women who have benefited from this website. Along with job listings including flex-work opportunities relevant to women, this website also provides the opportunity to connect with a lot of people who have been through the job-hunting process.

Craigslist

Craigslist is what you might call your old school classifieds gone tech savvy. Starting from jobs, to housing, goods and services and even romance and advice, it has it all! The good thing about Craigslist is employers directly post their requirements and it is not moderated, also, it specializes in finding jobs in your vicinity. On the flipside however, the listings are way too broad and you may have to spend some time trying to narrow down on your searches, also, it does not have a feature where you could post your resume or sign up for emails.

Facebook

Though one wouldn’t say Facebook is competition for all the other platforms listed here, one wouldn’t be wrong in saying that it is more than just social networking, it is more than just check-ins, pictures and posts. Employers and job seekers alike are increasingly taking to Facebook to look for jobs and also for reviewing their prospective employees or employers. The free Facebook page facility has been a blessing for especially the startup scene, in trying to draw attention to the work they are doing and also post their requirements for employees/entrepreneurs. The highly successful Delhi and Bangalore Startups pages are only two examples of the same. Also, while you are on Facebook looking for a job, do spend some time cleaning up and organizing your profile, it really means more than you can fathom!

Read on in our next post for all the other top job portals /channels/platforms that you need to check out when searching for a job.

Happy Hunting!

ERROR #404: File Not Found! – Importance of Organizing your Documents

ERROR #404: File Not Found! – Importance of Organizing your Documents

by | Oct 8, 2016 | Career, Interview, Job Offers, Managing Yourself, Productivity, World of Work

Organizing your documents could seem tedious at first. Until you realize the benefits it has. What is the one common thing about everything that our modern day lives revolve around; be it seeking rental accommodation, admissions into university, or applying for jobs? It is the several documents that form the proof of our legal and social existence. While they are important for almost everything else, they are especially important during your recruitment process. The process of recruitment is inevitably slowed down because of the time prospective employees usually take to produce the required documents. This time can be very easily conserved, and hence help speed up the process of recruitment, and also the efficiency of the same. What are the documents that you need to keep handy? And what are the ways which will help you access them whenever you need to, no matter where you are? Here are three simple and comprehensive steps to help you get this right.

Step 1 of Organizing Your Documents: The Must Haves

The documents that you would absolutely need to keep handy are:
1. Your birth certificate
2. Your Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card (India) and Tax Returns
3. Your Voters ID/Aadhar Card (India)
4. Your Bank details (Passbook/Cheque book/Account Statements)
5. Your current Identity card (student/employee)
6. Your 10th, 12th, and College/Degree mark sheets AND pass certificates
7. Your Passport
8. Proof of Residence – Electricity bill/ rental agreement.
9. Certificates or letters to support anything you may have mentioned on your recent resume (internships, previous work experience, volunteering experiences, competitions/contests)
10. A bunch of passport and stamp sized photographs

Step 2 of Organizing Your Documents: Print and Scan

It is not advisable to keep originals of most of these documents with you. It is much safer to have them kept at your permanent residence, or any other place of safety. As a viable alternative, scans and copies of these documents are widely accepted. Scan each of these documents to always have a soft copy with you. Apart from scanning them, make photocopies (preferably color where required) of the same to keep ready when required.

Step 3 of Organizing Your Documents: Access

The most important part of doing this exercise to make you have access to any or all of the above documents whenever and wherever you may need them. Keep the hard copies in a separate folder after labeling it appropriately. Apart from ensuring you have access to the tangible copies, make sure soft copies of all these documents are accessible to you virtually. The best way to go about it is to store it in multiple places. Make a folder on desktop, copy them onto your pen drive and your hard drive, upload them on to your Google drive and also email them to yourself. That way, you have access to them in every possible scenario.

You might think, you don’t even need to go through the effort of organizing your documents right away. Even if you cannot foresee a situation which will require you to access these documents in the near future, it is advisable to do this exercise nonetheless. In fact, the best time to do it is when there is no pressure. This helps you organize in an even better way. We’ve tried our best to make this list as comprehensive as possible. What is something you would add to this list, to make it even more comprehensive? Comment below!
Did this post help you? Help others too, by passing it on!

Applying for your first job? 5 Must-Dos to Triumph

Applying for your first job? 5 Must-Dos to Triumph

by | Apr 14, 2016 | Career, First Job, Job Offers, Managing Yourself, World of Work

Applying for your first job is exciting, scary, intimidating, and stressful – all at the same time. You feel like ‘it’s now or never’ and that you need to secure a job at any cost! A first job will always be special, and one never forgets the entire process one goes through, prior to it. At any rate, it is important to start off with the right foot, and here are the 5 must-dos we think will ensure that you start right and help you triumph during this phase ! Once you’ve started right, half your work is done!

1. Applying for your first job : Prepare –

It’s mandatory to repeat the cliché about how there is no shortcut to success, here, because it’s actually true. Be thorough in your preparation– starting from your resume to your outfit for the interviews. Make a detailed list of all the organizations you want to apply to. State your reasons alongside the name of the organization, this gives the process a sense of purpose. Be methodical and arrange all the contact information. Find out if references will be required, it is always wise to keep one or two handy anyway. Set up a LinkedIn profile (and here’s why you must).

2. Applying for your first job :  Reach out to People you Trust –

Talk to people who have been in your situation before, and whose experience and knowledge you respect. Share your doubts and your concerns which you will most certainly experience this phase. Keep your eyes, ears and your mind open, listen to everything that comes your way. At the same time, sift the information so that you don’t end up getting confused and start panicking.

3. Applying for your first job : Choose Wisely –

Ask yourself what motivates you. Remember that ultimately, it is you who has to get up and go for work in the morning. Being stuck in an unhappy profession, more so, beginning with an unhappy profession is something that could really pull you down. So, like we said before, listen to everyone but choose only what you know is guided by your passion.

4. Applying for your first job : Know your own Worth –

It may be true that you are an entry level professional, however, that shouldn’t leave you with a lack of bargaining power. Assess your skills and any past experience you may have gathered which will be relevant for the job you are applying to. Remember that we all invest in our careers, and many times are guided by the logic of doing things that will ‘give us an edge over others’. This is the time when you should take stock of everything and value yourself accordingly.

5. Applying for your first job : Be Professional –

Adhere to timelines and any other specifications the organizations may have issued. Once you have completed an application, be patient and allow enough time before following up. If you’ve received an offer and have made up your mind to not go ahead, do let them know instead of keeping them waiting unnecessarily. After every round, sending in a polite thank you email, is a good way to go. Respect the organization’s time and also the fact that there could be other people who want the job, accept an offer only if you are sure to hold good on it!

Lastly, keep calm and keep reminding yourself that after all, it is only a job. Remember to eat and drink healthy and get plenty of fresh air. We understand how applying for your first job can be especially stressful, but do remember that it’s a phase where you need to get your best game to the table. What will truly make a difference is how calmly you are able to handle this. Again, we know it’s easier said than done, but we also know it’s not impossible and keeping all the above must-dos in mind will definitely help!