Jobnet India Jobs and Career Information Jobs and Careers

The net savvy Jobseekers in India need to reevaluate the platforms on the internet available for job hunting.

Lima Sehgal

Ever since the PC became an integral part of the job hunting process, a certain element of sloppiness has crept in.

Look at the care we take to camouflage our resume in the brief-case. In contrast, it is with such a devil may care attitude that we flaunt it on the www worldwide. How indignantly we demand the headhunter’s client list before giving him our resume, but not care two hoots about hosting it on every available job website. And oops! The trail blaze of cc’s (carbon copies for the uninitiated) that some of us do…

There is an urgent need to define the actual utility value of the internet in the job hunting process to make it truly useful.

Perhaps addressing needs is a better beginning than trial and error. The job websites are waiting for a cue. Are they supposed to be an information base for jobs available, or an advertising platform for resumes, or an electronic placement service? Today, it is a rudimentary service trying to survive by the strength of its hit counter, knowing, that the day the hit counter becomes an obsolete measurement of utility, it would be a beginning to leading somewhere.

The net savvy job seeker must use the same spit and polish that goes to shining shoes. Just because the PC offers the option of job hunting (only) in your underwear, that is no reason to discard the outerwear. The only dilemma being whether to keep (the) Windows open or shut (pun intended).

But watch out – the virtual world is getting real.

Copyright © 2011, Jobnet magazine, issue 84

Republication or dissemination of the contents of this article are expressly prohibited without the written consent of the publishers of Jobnet magazine

Posted under Articles by Lima Sehgal

WHEN DOES THIS CITY WORK ?

Or A Year In The Life Of Mr. Findout, Recruitment Consultant

Or Reminiscences of a retired placement consultant of the pre-email era.

By Arun.

Mr. Findout is just your ordinary man on the road. (these days every second man on the road is a recruitment consultant). Mr. Findout (hereinafter referred to as just Mr. F ), is a very busy recruitment consultant.

What is he busy about, we wondered? We decided to find out. We asked him.

Mr. F is a very meticulous man. He has a record of all his activities duly entered in various files and registers. (Mr. F still does not have an Electronic diary. We wondered why. After going through his records, we stopped wondering why).

Anyway, Mr. F. allowed us to go through his records. Here is an extract-

MAY – JUNE

1.ABC Company. Two candidates under consideration. Total value Rs.1,00,000/-. Could not get final interview dates, since telephone lines were down. (MCD had dug up the road, and thieves had come and stolen the cables, and the phones were expected to be working by 12 ‘o’ clock tomorrow. For the past fifteen days).

2. EFG Company. Four candidates under consideration. Anticipated billing only Rs.15,000/-.

(God, if this works out, I will not worry about the office rent; I will go to Simla for a holiday. Just let it work out. Please?)

3. PQR Company. Trying to get appointment with Personnel Manager. Down with viral fever, poor chap. (Down for the last 7 days. I do hope it’s not too serious. Seems Delhi viruses read the book War of The Worlds. And take it seriously. They are practicing on us poor Delhi’ites. Waiting for the Martians. Someone should tell them that the Martians will be landing in Washington.(No chance of coming to Delhi).

4. XYZ Company. Yay! got a placement. Chap joining at a gross salary of Rs.10,000. (Let me see, 40% for my contact in the company, 20% for the Personnel Manager. Leaves me with…let me see… ah, Rs.4000/-. Should be able to cover the expenses for the next 15 days. Great.)

JULY – SEPTEMBER

1. ABC Company. Finally got appointment for candidates. Candidates out of station. Summer holidays. Needed a break. Or something. Anyway, convinced client to wait.

2. EFG Company. No decision. Personnel Manager had to go for a Seminar on some HRD something being held at III Institute. With lunch thrown in. Must be lousy lunch. How will the organisers get their profits otherwise?

Anyway, recruitments delayed. Personnel Manager’s seminar is followed by Annual Sales & Marketing meet of the company. In Goa. Three days. You think they’ll give ME a job if I ask nicely?

3. PQR Company. MD’s daughter getting married. (No, no, this is not a LALA company. It is a true blue MNC. (Me No Catch… anyone for a decision). All hands busy helping out. After all, this year may be the lucky year (see January-April point 2). Bosses comments on the ACR may swing things… I may actually buy a Maruti this year… ANYWAY, MD’s daughter getting married, everybody busy.

4. XYZ Company. Gave bill. Accountant says auditing time. No payments to be made. Everybody busy.

OCTOBER – DECEMBER

1. ABC Company. Candidates back, eager to attend interview. Personnel Manager busy with THE FESTIVAL SEASON IN DELHI. Y’know, gift distribution, sweetmeats distribution, (why can’t I ever be on anyone’s distribution list? Last I received a gift in the festival season was way back in ’60, last time my parents celebrated my birthday).

2. EFG Company. – ditto.

3. PQR Company. – ditto.

4. XYZ Company. – ditto.

(We assume that Mr. F meant to tell us that the holiday season in Delhi is taken as seriously as the holiday season in the rest of the world – VERY SERIOUSLY.)

JANUARY – APRIL

1. ABC Company. Stupid candidates. Found themselves other jobs. This younger generation, no patience at all. Didn’t they know what a GOOD company this was? is? Anyway, trying to fix up with more candidates. Personnel Manager down with viral fever. Change of season. What pollution, maan. If it wasn’t for the business, I swear I would shift to Nainital, or something.

2. EFG Company. Shhh…! man, annual appraisal time. Personnel Manager busy in making out increments for the whole company. Rest of the company waiting with bated breath. (Happens every year. Rumours fly thick. Most of them floated by personnel department. Everyone expects high increments. Big plans. No work. Then, pssssssss……Standard increment for everyone. Everyone threatens to leave. No one actually leaves. It’s like the slot machines in Las Vegas. Maybe the next year, we might actually get an increment…)

3. PQR Company. Personnel Manager quit. Waiting for replacement. I’m sure something will work out as soon as the new person joins. (I wonder who placed the new manager?).

4. XYZ Company. Nice guy, accountant. Apologised for not releasing payment. He couldn’t, you know. Was busy in the admissions for his child. IT is four year’s old. Horrible. (not the child. the education system). Couldn’t they have at least allowed the poor man a few days respite to release my payment? I don’t think I’ll ever get married. Or anyway, have kids. At least, I won’t stay in Delhi if I have kids…after all, mom does want me to get married. It could be fun. I CAN TAKE OFF, AND TELL ALL THOSE__CANDIDATES I’M BUSY.)

__________________________________________________________

STOP PRESS – Mr. Findout  was last heard to have gone into the Real Estate business.

STOP STOP PRESS – we would definitely have thought of a better title for this report, but our editor was busy. She has gone for her summer holidays. With a female boss, you just can’t win!!

Copyright © 2011, Jobnet magazine, issue 154

Republication or dissemination of the contents of this article are expressly prohibited without the written consent of the publishers of Jobnet magazine

Posted under Articles from Jobnet Magazine

How to talk to a Placement Consultant over the telephone for the first time?

Source -Jobnet’s Directory of Placement Firms.

Today, most Placement Consultants rely on the telephone as a medium for assessing candidates. The volume of jobseekers being large and both parties being short on time or separated by geographical distances, the telephone and email has become an integral part of the process of communication and also of candidate assessment. The telephone conversation with the placement firm is very important and should be treated just like an interview. The first impressions about you will also become your assessment, which will determine how they will sell you to their client.

You must come across as professional

The conversations need to be crisp and to the point. Most candidates make the mistake of spilling out their work problems or their stories of personal mishaps. Sometimes, they spend a lot of time explaining their professional needs, and job requirements. Placement consultants are used to this and may even be polite, but avoid boring them with your conversations.

The impressions about you that are conveyed instantly are your language and communication skills. They can judge, by the conversation, many aspects about you and whether you match their client’s requirements. They will also be judging whether you have the confidence to pass an interview.

A placement firm may talk informally with you but the impressions that they collect about you will determine whether they are going to sell you as a right candidate to their client.

They usually call at their convenience, so if you get caught at the wrong time, it is better to request that you will return the call. And do call back fast; they have short deadlines for arranging interviews.

Phone interviews aren’t easy as you have to rely on voice only. Listening and focusing is very important.

Here are phone interview mistakes you must avoid-

Weak voice tone – A weak voice projects a personality that lacks confidence. Don’t be unenthusiastic and boring. Speak with a cheerful and confident tone without being too aggressive.

Assertive - Be confident and professional. Answer questions with confidence. Give direct answers.

Polite – A placement consultant is a specialist in finding jobs for people. You must treat them with courtesy and politeness even if you are in disagreement.

Negativity – Do not say bad things about your wife, spouse, boss, job or anything else. Don’t complain about the weather, the city or whatever. Be positive.

Unprofessional style – Use polite speech. Never interrupt. Do not eat, drink, or smoke while talking on the telephone. Be focused, talk clearly.

Dishonesty – People sense lies. Even a small white lie can be sensed. Or it can become an embarrassment for you if you forget your lie. It’s just not worth the risk.

Be formal – You can sound relaxed or even friendly, but do not be casual. No yaars or other oft used slang…

Answer all questions -  Understand the question before answering.

Do not cry or try and gain sympathy - What ever your problems with your job or boss or spouse, avoid boring someone with your sob stories. It may be true but telling a personal story isn’t going to work.

Do not miss the interview that a Placement Firm arranges. Be it a physical one or one over the telephone, or thru video – Unless you were hospitalized, dealing with a family emergency or it was a car accident there’s no reason for a no-show on a scheduled interview with an employer.

You will be contacting several agencies while job hunting, but treat each one with importance, and follow these guidelines with all of them.

Copyright@ Jobnet’s Directory of Placement Firms, Companies, Job-websites,India & International 2011

Posted under Articles from Jobnet Magazine

How to find The Best Candidate for your Company

Vijaylakshmi D’Souza

Getting the right kind of employees is the biggest tension for any organization. Ultimately good employees are the key factor to increasing the productivity of any organization.Most companies have financial constraints and budgets which become the determining factor in hiring people.How does one find the best candidates without compromise ?

First step is to examine your perception of what is best for your organization.A good candidate for one organization may not be suitable for another. Many factors go into defining suitability.Define the type of person you need for the job. Skills and market expertise count but personality and people skills count equally.

Identify the best way to source candidates.Identify Placement Agencies firms who could help you.The Jobnet Directory of Placement Firms is a good resource for it. Contact the Placement Consultants and give them a background of your company and the nature of your business. Give a detailed briefing to the Placement Consultants on your requirement –what kind of candidate you are looking for, what kind of background and qualifications are needed.If it is headhunting that is needed give them a list of your competitors.Explain at length the skills and expertise you require from the person you need to hire.

A quick elimination round saves time.Many companies opt for a preliminary screening.. It gives an opportunity of having an informal discussion about the position before the actual interview. This takes very little time and can save a lot of time for you and the candidate.

courtesy:Jobnet magazine, issue 181

Re -publication or dissemination of the contents of this article are expressly prohibited without the written consent of the Author

Posted under Management Resources/ HR

Recruitment Consultant : A recruitment consultant is responsible for helping employer clients to recruit staff for job openings.

IT Recruitment Agency: On behalf of a major and well-respected blue-chip clients, actively seeking to recruit a number of IT Professionals within various functions.. 

Posted under Research by Jobnet

Human Resource Consultant : Human Resource Consultant is responsible for providing human resource consultation in all aspects of human resources with an emphasis on staffing, employee relations, employee development and compensation.

HR Consultant : Human Resources Consultant will be responsible for providing human resource consultation in all aspects of human resources with an emphasis on staffing, employee relations, employee development and compensation.

Posted under Research by Jobnet