Blog
Debra Wheatman, President of Careers Done Write, provides expert insight to the job search process that puts your career in gear with tips for interviewing, networking, job search strategies and how to create a winning resume and cover letter.
Testing, Testing: Does This Help You Hire?
You may have noticed that aptitude and personality tests are becoming more commonplace in recruiting. While I don’t have a problem with personality tests (Predictive Index is pretty good), I find the aptitude tests to be a complete waste of everyone’s time….
Prospective Employers: Information on a Need-to-Know Basis
The Great Resignation and the ensuing candidates’ market have exposed how broken the hiring process is. Employers opine on why they can’t find any qualified candidates while candidates wade through systems and processes that can best be described as Kafkaesque. And, despite there being far more open positions than there are candidates, employers continue to approach hiring as if it is an unequal relationship in which they call all the shots. Nothing could be further from the truth….
Dear Hiring Companies, It’s You
Back in June, I wrote you a breakup letter. I told you that it wasn’t you, that it was me. It’s almost a year later, and I think I need to revisit that. Because you see, it really is you, not me. This last year has shown me that you don’t hold all the cards. I’m a key player in this game, and guess what? You need me more than I need you. I figured out that without employees, you hiring companies can’t get anything done. If this last year has taught me anything, it’s that we have more power than we realized….
Recruiting in a candidate-controlled market
Last week, I wrote about the impending “great resignation,” in which upwards of 40% of American workers are projected to leave their current positions. This will pose a daunting challenge to recruiters at companies of all sizes and in all industries. A year ago, it was an employer’s market. The power dynamic has done a complete 180; we are now in a situation in which there are more open roles than candidates. Employers should consider this a preview of what is to come….
Talent – where have all the good people gone?
The most pressing challenge for any organization that wishes to remain competitive is access to the right talent with skills and experiences critical to achieving aggressive goals. The cost of a poor hiring decision can be significant—sometimes even exceeding the compensation for the role. This is part of why companies have become increasingly cautious (and bureaucratic and byzantine) in their hiring decisions. I speak with hundreds of people who sit on both sides of the hiring desk in my work. What I can say without hesitation is that there is an enormous disconnect between candidate and hiring company expectations. One of the most frequent complaints from candidates is that the hiring process is broken. Simultaneously, the most frequent complaint of hiring managers is the “skills gap”—a fundamental mismatch between the skills that employers rely upon in their employees and the skills that job seekers possess….
Performance art in hiring
Hiring is an inherently imperfect process. Employers want to make sure that they make hiring decisions based on skill, competency, and the elusive cultural fit. One of the tactics commonly used by hiring companies to assess the quality and ability of a candidate is to ask candidates to do sample work. This came into vogue about 20 years ago, and from what I hear from my clients, it’s increasing in popularity….