Monday, December 5, 2011

How Projective Writing Tests Can Help in Hiring Managers


The resume, group discussion and the final interview have long been the tools of hiring managerial level candidates and most HR professionals believe that these are the only 3 ways of screening individuals. It might however be noted that many companies and many HR professionals have now begun to realize the flaws in these methods and have begun to think of creative solutions in order to choose the best candidate. HR managers usually feel uncomfortable when asked not to depend on resumes and interviews entirely; mostly because that is the way the textbooks have laid down the rules and principles.
Psychological Underpinnings of Group Discussions and Interviews
However, if one were to consider the psychological processes that take place during group discussions and interviews, one might have to consider the fact that all applicants are unique and they respond to interview and GD situations differently in different times. There are chances that an HR manager might choose the wrong candidate based on teh way he performs at the GD or by the way he or she answers the questions during an interview.

Just like everyone else, applicants have their good days and their bad days. Most of the applicants who get through rigorous selection procedures usually would have had their good days, and been plain lucky. For every successful candidate hired, a company loses several better candidates who just had a bad day. Thus, recruiters must understand that looking a resume and throwing it away in the dustbin disregards an applicant’s prowess by just looking at his resume writing skills.

Moreover, an impressive resume can be written by professional resume writers who know exactly how to play with an HR manager's mind. A group discussion may seem like a good idea, and may indeed reveal several things about a person's behaviour. The most important areas that a GD can throw light upon are a person's level of neuroticism, ability to stay calm, and also to think quickly. However, these traits are not always consistent and can change. A person who does well in a GD on a particular day may fail miserably if he were given an opportunity the next day. Interviews too have a similar way of deceiving the recruiter to hire incompetent managers and not select deserving candidates.

Advantages of Projective Writing Techniques
One of the most important way an HR manager can try and minimize these defects of traditional ways of hiring is to use projective techniques, especially that which involves writing. A person can be asked to write either a fiction or a nonfiction piece about any topic that interests him. The idea is to get the most out of a candidate and they might be encouraged to write for at least 2 hours.
A candidate of a managerial level should be able to write a piece that is coherent, cohesive, structured and lucid. An essay usually taps into the subconscious of the individual and reveals far more details than a situation like an interview or GD. Moreover, it tests the individual’s language skills, vocabulary and general knowledge. Thus, projective writing techniques must be seen as an important way of hiring practices in order to avoid recruiting the wrong individuals and eliminating the right ones.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Using Social Media to Eliminate Potential Software Employees: A Bittersweet Solution


n times like these it is not really easy to be an HR manager. Challenges posed by cost cutting by offshore IT outsourcing clients and a supply of IT professionals which is more than the actual demand, lead IT recruiters to be stringent when it comes to choosing the right employee. HR managers have thus begun to look for ways in which they can eliminate professionals seeking employment rather than choosing the right employee. 

This paradigm shift has resulted in recruiters seeking more novel methods to eliminate prospective employees, and that includes social media. Using social media to eliminate rather than recruit potential employees has become a bittersweet topic for most recruiters. It is widely frowned upon by PR executives of companies while implicitly they do understand that prying into prospective IT employees private and personal lives may be one of the ways to make sure that a future employee would be an asset rather than a liability.

IT industry, as everyone knows, is one of the areas where attrition is so high that it leaves most HR executives with sleepless nights. Coupled with a reduced need for offshore IT professionals HR executives have little option but to eliminate potential recruits at the slightest perceived fault. Though certainly not a healthy HR tactic, using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter has become commonplace.

In fact, with the Euro destabilizing thanks to possible Greek and Italian defaults, offshore IT companies in India, China and other offshoring destinations have lost much of their European clients. Moreover, American IT companies are not doing that well either, which has led them to seek nearshore employees in Mexico, Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. With that in mind, HR executives have little option but to make sure that IT recruits they hire are at least promising, reliable and stable.

Facebook accounts of software professionals reveal personality traits and risk taking behaviours which may indicate professional stability of an individual. A Twitter account could possibly reveal random thoughts that may suggest unpleasant characteristics of future recruits. HR executives tend to believe that tweets and Facebook posts can reveal a lot about a person and it is quite true indeed.

When it comes to HR ethics and recruitment standards, prying into future recruits personal lives may not ring the right bell in most people. There is also the possibility of losing out on splendid recruits who may otherwise have a rather colorful personal life that isn't well suited to a profession like software industry.

When one lists down the pros and cons of using social media to eliminate recruits, one cannot possibly arrive at satisfactory conclusions. At the end of the day, recruiters must decide for themselves if they are right in prying into recruits personal lives, when it may actually have nothing to do with how they work as professionals in a workplace.  Using social media to eliminate potential employees continues to be one of those hot potatoes that one can’t drop in times of dire necessity.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Why A Job Interview Is Like Going On A First Date


Most of us like dating and hate interviewing for a job, but in many ways a first date and an interview are essentially the same thing.  You’re both selling yourself and trying to figure out - will this company and I be a good match? Will we have good times, share lots of laughs, grow together, learn from each other?  Or will I end up broken-hearted, sniffling into tissues, watching Sex and the City and wondering where it all went wrong?

Good interviewing techniques, like dating advice, can increase your chances of avoiding the bad breakup.

So why is a job interview like a date?  Check out these six tips for success in your professional and personal life.

1.  Dress for Success

Sorry, it’s a cruel world.  Few companies are going to be impressed if you show up to your first interview wearing a hoodie and flip flops, blowing bubbles with your gum.  Yes, you’re beautiful on the inside, but organizations and interviewers want you to demonstrate that you can be put-together and appropriate at important occasions.  Find more on professional style for interviews here.

2. Discretion - Your Best Friend

Your first date is not the time to talk about all the times you’ve messed up, gotten your heart broken or been unfairly dumped.  In the same way, it is absolutely not the time to complain about past jobs.  Save the emotional baggage for later...or preferably, never. Discretion is key.  No matter how well you’re hitting it off with the interviewer, or how romantic the mood lighting is- remember!  You are being judged.  At all times.  Being a mess isn’t adorable.  Being incompetent isn’t charming.  And bad-mouthing a past employer, for any reason, is never smart.  Just stick to the basics and keep it together.  Rule of thumb- do not say anything you wouldn’t want printed on the front page of The NY Times.

3. Put on a Happy Face

Quite simply, be positive.  We’ve all made mistakes.  But your first date-interview is a short window of time in which you get to express your many wonderful qualities and skills, not your drawbacks.  Stick to talking about the time you made a positive impression on someone, took the initiative, or performed above and beyond what was asked. Lean forward, smile, be engaged, and relax.  Practice your conversational skills.  You are a happy, positive person and Company X would be lucky to have you as a permanent fixture!

4. Honesty – Make it Your Policy

Be honest.  If Company X loves football, cheap beer, and wings, and you’re more of a Madame Butterfly and champagne kind of gal, don’t try to talk about Tom Brady’s most recent stats.  Instead, try to find some common ground.  You’ve prepared for your interview using our tips here, so focus on what drew you to this company in the first place.  Then, post-interview, be as honest with yourself as you would be after a date.   Maybe Company X would make a sports-loving, beer-guzzling lady very happy indeed, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect fit for you.  Pay attention to corporate culture and how that might fit with your own preferences and working style.

5. Q & A

Everyone says, ‘’ask questions’’ on a date, and you should do the same at an interview.  Use this time to find out more about the company, the role and the expectations.  What are the company’s long-term goals? What would the ideal hire for this position look like?  What does Company X expect of you?  What will your relationship together look like?  What will you name your kids?  Okay, maybe not that last one.

6. Affirmations

A wise person once relayed some strange advice to this Pretty Young Professional, and I’m going to share it with you now. As you sit in the company’s lobby, waiting to be  invited in for your interview, repeat this mantra to yourself over and over again: ‘’I am awesome.  I am wonderful.  I will dominate this interview!’’  Yes, it sounds strange, but by the time you head in for the do-or-die moment, you will be sailing on a high of your own amazingness..

And there you have it.  Go get ‘em!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

SAP CAREER Opportunity with 100 year Old Company

Interview @ THANE on 9th July 2011

Hotel Satkar Residency, Next to Cadbury Company, Opp Singhania High School, Pokhran Road, No.1, Thane 400606

If you have 3years of SAP Experience in any of the following module then please come and grab this Opportunity.

SAP Skill set : ABAP,BASIS,BI,XI,SD,MM,FICO,HR,PP,SRM,ISU

Joining Location : Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Noida

Documents to Carry
  1. Resume
  2. Offer Letter or latest hike letter 
  3. Recent two pay slips 
  4. ID Proof 
  5. Two Passport Size Photographs.
If you need any further information please get in touch with Balbeer Singh on 9967122199 or email sap@conscript.net

Conscript HR Advisors Pvt Ltd is an agency specializing in SAP Recruitment and we have always assisted our clients to achieve their recruitment objectives by helping them choose the best resources. The SAP professionals who want to utilize their career skills in an organisation that values their skills and experience can reach the right place through us.

With Conscript, candidates get to match their abilities and ambitions with the role that they are looking for.

Monday, May 9, 2011

When To Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business

Let’s face it: Working for someone else is a great way to get started in the business world, but it is not where an entrepreneur with lofty goals will want to remain.

If you’re tired of being just another cog, and you crave a sense of personal fulfillment and long-term passion, then it might be time to take the plunge. Here are some signs when you should quit your job and start your own business.

1. High Level of Confidence.

To be a truly successful entrepreneur, there should  be no doubt in your mind that you will not accomplish your goals, even if you may have to occasionally alter your plans or refine your targets. Your success is as much a matter of your belief in yourself as it is of the skills you will develop on your journey.

Even though your attitude is focused on winning, you should not be emotionally attached to the outcome of any one transaction or activity. In order to achieve success, you need to be flexible enough to evolve.

There are hardly any successful business people  who do not feel certain of their ability to adapt and succeed. Winning is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you decide to be a success, you can be.

2. Ready to put in extra hours.

Those who work harder and longer will be more productive overall. That doesn’t mean working “harder” is more advantageous than working “smarter.” You actually need to work harder with more raw human-hours AND work smarter by using evolving best practices to maximize your financial gain.

Fledgling businesspeople often don’t realize how close they are to a major success. In most cases, success is just around the corner with a few years of hard work applied properly to their industry.  Overall, hard work might not be the only barrier separating the rich from the poor, but it certainly enhances any other advantages the average professional brings to the economic table. Successful people are those who are focused on proactively performing clear goals, at the highest level, for the most hours, over the longest duration.

3. Owning Responsibility for Your Problems.

If you’re the type of person who avoids blaming external forces or people for your problems, then entrepreneurship is right for you.  Most problems in life and in business are in your own best interest to solve, irrespective of how they emerge. Blaming the economy will never help you, nor will blaming the government, a political party, your competitors, or your ex- boss.

Nobody and nothing can stop you from getting your fair market share if you maintain a long-term focused effort. Therefore, if you hate your job or aren’t earning enough and you think there is an external force to blame, then at the very least, you should be proactively working to change that force every day, as opposed to complaining about it. Better still, change your attitude! Once you’ve stopped blaming others for your problems, you’re ready to venture out on your own.

4. Be Focused and Have an Eye for Detail.

Attention to detail is one of the most essential qualities that you can develop while you become a leader. Anything that isn’t done completely and correctly will have to be reworked, thereby wasting time and money. If you are not detail-oriented, you are likely to initiate cascading problems that could put you out of business before you have a chance to recover.

Indeed, lacking a detail orientation in accounting could land you in tax court.  Lacking a detail orientation when reviewing references could leave you with an employee who embarrasses you and drains your profits. Failure to pay attention to detail with security could get your store robbed or could facilitate the theft of credit card numbers from your e-commerce web site.

If you can pay attention to details, that’s half the battle. The other half is to stay focused. Don’t get lost with intangible plans and tasks. Instead, stay focused on tangible long-term goals, while understanding what’s truly happening around you minute-by-minute, and how you can positively affect it.

If you find that you’re able to pay close attention to detail and can focus on those details, then why are you letting another company benefit from your abilities? You’re on your way toward independence.

5.  Created a Winning Plan.

The most successful businesspeople keep their eye on a clear business plan all the time.  They begin by choosing their business wisely.

When choosing the type of company you want to operate, selecting an industry or service in which you have experience only makes sense. Choose an area where you have work or educational experience. Picking a field that you are passionate about would be your initial “Best Bet” as opposed to investing your time in something where you have no personal affinity. Peter Lynch of Fidelity Magellan Fund put forth the mantra, “Invest in what you know or what is near to you.” He was right.

Once you decide what kind of business to start, the next step is to create a written business plan.Pro-forma financial statements estimating the company’s future success should be based on realistic assumptions that are explained in notations and attached to your plan. Rather than writing a full-blown “business plan,” you could instead write a “business model” in a few short pages. There are standard boilerplate forms for business plans available online, which are acceptable for simple plans and small investors; however, larger investors will prefer a thorough and clearly worded original document with detailed justifications for your assumptions, something that summarizes specific research that you have done in your industry. Once you have your business plan, you’re well on your way to beginning to implement it.

6. Secured Financing or Have Potential Investors.

After you have determined what type of business you want to pursue and have written a business plan, you need to consider how to secure some basic financing.

When attempting to raise capital for your first company, you might start by asking your friends and family. However, think it through first: your friends and family might feel obligated to lend you money, and that might interfere with your relationship down the road. If you decide against involving friends and family, or if they refuse you, then try angel capital groups in your community.  When going this route, you must have a professional business plan that is conceptually profitable for investors.  Perhaps you’ll consider using unsecured debt, like credit cards, to get your business up and running. Either way, you’ll need a financial plan before you’re ready to start a business.

7.  Overcoming  Fears and  Willing to Take Risks.

There will always be some people in your life who will try to discourage you from quitting your secure position when you want to start out on your own. The truth of the matter is that starting your own business is a big risk. But what is the worst thing that could happen? If you’re smart, you won’t let yourself get to the point of homelessness and destitution before you realize your plan has not worked, and if things don’t go your way, then you could put yourself back on the job market. In the worst-case scenario, you still will have learned many valuable lessons that can be properly applied to your future.

You can’t be scared to be a capitalist in a capitalist society. It’s not wrong to profit or make money from your business peers and your community. Ultimately, within the flows of the economy, they, too, make a profit from you, your family, and your peers. Everyone deserves to make an honest buck. Profits create a virtuous cycle if you work with virtuous individuals during the process in a free and fair market economy.  Thus, there is no reason to avoid or fear capitalism. Just dig in!

If all the above signs apply to you,  then you are ready to take the next big step and quit your current job and get busy building your own business.

And remember, it is critical that you attempt to keep good relations with your former bosses and co-workers. Odds are you will run across them again as customers, suppliers, new co-workers, neighbors, references, or industry competitors.

So you should always end relationships on positive terms and keep in touch with all contacts that may benefit you or your new company in the future.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Personal Branding - How important is it in today's times?

Hello Friend,

 

Do you want to fast track your career?  A great way to do so is personal branding. Many believe hard work can do so and they keep hoping that their efforts will get noticed. While it's certain to help, there's another important and more assertive way to stand out among your peers.

Maybe you have graduated from a reputed school, and you were among the toppers in your batch, or have some great experience that could align you for that promotion down the road. Even if you didn't make it to the Top List, we've been brought up to believe that hard work is the only way to get ahead.

One drawback with this approach is that it's the common path. Your colleagues work hard too, and you're competing at the same level. Should you work harder, or work smarter?

Branding, among its many traits, is also about differentiation. That doesn't mean you should start wearing bow ties, but positioning yourself so that you do stand out. You can begin by demonstrating your potential with personal branding.

Regardless of age, position or the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own selves. To be successful today, our most important role is to be head marketer for the brand called "You" We need other people to think well of us.
 
One of the important components of personal branding is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and which a lot of people are not aware of. Studies show that when you ask a person their weaknesses, and those around them to name their weaknesses, the answers are rarely the same. In other words, some people have no idea how they are perceived by others, or what to do in order to be seen as a greater business asset, or good choice to be put on the "fast track" in the company.

The ideal way to create your personal brand these days is through social networking with such websites as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Consider how you can engage with potential future colleagues to position yourself in the best light.
 
Each day presents a new opportunity for personal branding beyond the people you engage with on a regular basis. Why limit yourself to those within your personal network of acquaintances and co-workers? Networking with social media allows you to cast a wider net and increase personal brand awareness.


Consider starting your own blog, possibly writing about your industry. Get down to specifics and find your niche. By doing so, you're on your way to positioning yourself as a thought leader within your area of expertise or interest. Rather than blogging about a hobby, use the opportunity to work on something that might have an impact on your career later.

Almost as important, try contributing to other blogs and websites and sharing your knowledge, by doing so you will allow you to build a name for yourself

For a while you might find it challenging, and even wonder whether it's all worth the effort, but allow me to assure you it is. Those that stick with it often reap the benefits of their hard work. It's those that keep at it that improve their chances of gaining any recognition.

How might this help your career you ask? By building your personal brand around your career expertise, you'll also develop a name for yourself. And it's those that persevere that have a better chance of controlling their destiny.

Now is the time to start building your personal brand. It's a way to show your knowledge and expertise, while everyone else has their head down hoping their hard work pays off. Sometimes it's more about what you say than what you do.

With some work, you could create demand for yourself in the future. And since branding takes time to build any association with the name, there's no better time than the present to get started.