November 2nd – The #NumberOfTheDay is 67.
According to Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, 67% of recruiters are interviewing using video. While video interviewing is not new, it is new to many applicants.
Here are five quick pointers to help you be successful in your next video interview:
✅ Dress from head-to-toe. You may think you do not need to wear dress pants with the shirt and tie since the interviewer is only going to see the top half of your outfit. But you should always expect the unexpected. You never know when you might need to stand during an interview. Pajama pants or shorts with a dress shirt, tie, and jacket just do not work.
✅ Lighting is important for Skype interviews. If the light source is behind you, you may appear as a dark silhouette on the screen. Position a lamp or other light source in front of you.
✅ Positioning is also important. Prop up the computer so that you are not looking down at it and practice where to sit so you are framed correctly by the webcam. Make sure your torso is visible — including your hands — especially if you “talk” with your hands.
✅ Dial-up the enthusiasm! Someone who speaks with normal energy in a one-on-one conversation can come across as flat and monotone on a video interview. So, it is important to be a little more enthusiastic in a Skype interview than normal.
✅ Turn off notifications on your computer and close your other software programs. You do not want to be distracted by beeps every time you receive an email.
What else?
November 3rd – The #NumberOfTheDay is 270.
As most of us know, 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency. There are two issues that spark controversy in even the most benign settings – politics and religion. Prior to engaging in a job search, I suggest auditing your own social media profiles for any content that could be frowned upon.
These items could include drunken college frat party photos, political commentary, religious posts, anything with an overtly sexual connotation, anything that would indicant intolerance of a specific group of people, obscene language, confidential information, or disparaging comments about coworkers or employers.
November 4th – 👉 The #NumberOfTheDay is 66.
According to Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, 66% of recruiters have used text messaging to engage and communicate with current applicants.
Many job seekers, especially those that are more advanced in their careers, are averse to change. Like it or not, but texting as a primary form of communication is here to stay. This presents some unique challenges and opportunities to consider when navigating a job search.
👉 Here are three things to consider when texting with recruiters:
✅ Save the shorthand and emojis for your friends. Everything you do in the job search is considered when making hiring decisions. Your professionalism, or lack thereof, when texting is no different.
✅ Don’t fight it. If your recruiting is use texting, you need to show your adaptability and willingness to embrace newer technology trends.
✅ Make sure that hyperlinks are legitimate. Sadly, scammers use texting as well to steal your personal information. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to call or email your recruiter to confirm.
November 5th – 👉 The #NumberOfTheDay is 62.
According to Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, 62% of recruiters surveyed identify rudeness to receptionists or other support staff as one of the top behaviors that disqualify candidates.
The other top disqualifiers are:
🔹 Checking one’s phone
🔹 Showing up late
🔹 Poor hygiene
🔹 Interrupting the interviewer
🔹 Bringing food
🔹 Dressing too casually
While you can’t control the hiring decisions that companies ultimately make, you can control your behavior and the way you present yourself. Little things matter!
November 6th – 👉 The #NumberOfTheDay is 40
Profiles that are considered “complete” by LinkedIn’s standards receive 40 times more “opportunities” (contacts from prospective hiring managers and recruiters) than incomplete profiles, according to the social networking site.
Populating your profile improves your chances of being found by people searching for you specifically, or someone with your qualifications, credentials, and background. And that’s true even when using sites like Google and Bing.
As LinkedIn’s own materials say, “LinkedIn profiles typically appear among the top search results when people search by name.”
LinkedIn has its own criteria for “profile completeness,” which has changed somewhat over time. As of December 2019, to be considered “complete” by LinkedIn’s standards, you need these items in your LinkedIn profile:
- Your industry and location
- An up-to-date current position (with a description)
- Two past positions
- Your education
- At least three skills (LinkedIn members with skills listed get discovered more and get 4 times as many profile views; profiles with at least five skills listed receive 17 times more views)
- A profile photo
- At least 50 connections
