“Unemployed are not getting hired, here's why”

Since the beginning of the year I have written several resumes for underemployed, unemployed and employed jobseekers looking to find a better opportunity. I write resumes based on the position they are applying for and dig into their background to cover any issues or gaps that may cause red flags to appear on a resume. Along with the resume I offer tips and strategies on how to submit a completed application and a resume to the hiring decision maker, tips on interviews and what not to say, especially if there are issues in their backgrounds, and how to follow up with the decision maker to make you a target candidate.

I have done all of this without charging a fee for these time consuming services. I put lots of effort into each individual, mostly in range of 10-13 hours per jobseeker. The reason I don’t charge a fee is for moral reasons. I don’t believe in taking money from people that are unemployed and are already facing financial challenges. Nor do I want to spend time marketing to clients to have them pay me a fee for candidates, at least not right now anyways.

I guarantee every resume will get interviews. I can successfully tout that out of the last twelve resumes I’ve written,all of the jobseekers got a callback or an email response with the intent to move forward. I did my part. I offer the interview services because I know that most jobseekers don’t interview everyday. They don’t sit in front of people that they want something from and are able to explain their background and skills in a manner that makes sense to the person interviewing them. As a recruiter for a little over 10 years, I have had thousands of conversations with HR and hiring decision makers and I’m able to determine what is best for the jobseeker’s resume and how that resume can be written to answer many interview questions all the while highlighting their greatest accomplishments and skills.

Out of the twelve resumes only four of the jobseekers got through the interview and received an offer. The other eight didn’t get the job for one reason only-they thought they knew better than me. Meaning, they thought they could manipulate the interview process by doing things the same way they always have, instead of taking my advice, (not to sound conceited or arrogant) most people only interview five to ten times in a lifetime and I have that many when I was recruting full time before most people have lunch everyday. It is true that there are many jobseekers that have gone into an interview and got the job because they had all the right answers, but why aren’t they still working there? 

My interview prep is designed to allow the jobseeker to have a complete understanding of the hiring company’s expectations in the interview. I help jobseekers answer the tough questions by using real life examples that makes them different from everyone else that is interviewing, the interview prep is designed to get you an offer and it is industry specific.

If you’re resume is getting you in the door then what you say in the interview is the reason you’re not getting the offer, perhaps there are holes in what you say, maybe your answers are too general and not specific enough for the recruiter to understand you as an individual. One example on this is “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?” and your answer is “I’m hard working, goal oriented, reliable” then there is a good chance they aren’t getting to know you but know that you're just like everyone else that answers the questions the same way because a college recruiter or someone at the county job center told you to say that. Not bashing those professionals, but they mostly teach and advise on basic resumes, and these days your resume needs to be a preface that carries the right keywords that will lead to the decision maker.

If you cannot explain yourself in a cover letter (if needed) a resume, and in the interview that makes you different, well then that's the reason the unemployed are not getting hired. I am advising the unemployed to understand this-“80% or more of jobs available are not posted anywhere” It is expensive to advertise on web job boards and in print ads, and the free sites are cluttered with scams and spam. There are tons of jobs everywhere; the only problem is most jobseeker’s don't have the right stratigies to find those positions.

In closing, the best way to find a job is networking, know somebody that knows somebody, make sure your resume is done correctly and that it is written specifically for the job you’re applying to, and eliminate issues and gaps, and finally make sure what you say in the interview matches what is on your resume, give real examples about your skills and background, and be able to explain in a brief sentence how you’re hard working and reliable, especially if you chose to use those adjectives to describe yourself.

Bryan Moore

10 Years-Executive Recruiter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CareerproBryan

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/careerprobryan

Email: careerprobryan(at)gmail(dot)com

Can You Really Pass A Background Check? (Part-Two)

... http://careerprobryan.blogspot.com/2011/08/can-you-really-pass-background-check.html

    Can You Really Pass A Background Check? (Part-Two)

....Continued

       

     A background check company may send one of their researchers to the courthouse to collect records there is always room for error. Perhaps the background check company pays the researcher per document pulled and recorded. If this happens and they hire a sub-par employee that only focuses on quantity of records pulled and not the quality of information recorded then that could be where this fell through. This has allowed people with common names to be grouped together in data bases. So John Smith that shares his name with 6 other people within a 7 mile radius is bound to be in a situation like this. My candidate was clean, but an individual that lived nearby with the same name had a list of charges that would prevent my client from hiring him.

Another way background check companies collect records are through automated systems. Regardless of how the information is collected is not the issue, it is how the researched information is recorded that can create a catastrophe such as this. Once my candidate was able to get things straight with the background check company, my client ran the background check again, of course, and there was no charge from the background check company to the client. The candidate’s records came back clean and the client made the offer. Sweet ending for everyone involved.

But….

That’s not always the case. I’ve been in situations where the candidate was denied a job because of an inaccurate background check. Of course, those clients and background check companies were probably sued for discrimination.

For me, if I was denied employment for an inaccurate background check. I would feel that my name was slandered. I have a clean record, but if a background check company provided my future employer with inaccurate information about me and I was delayed or denied a position, I would have suffered a loss, not only that but I would feel embarrassed, especially if I had been referred to that company by a friend or someone in my social media connections.

Society views that you’re innocent until proven guilty, but in this case it is the exact opposite, you’re viewed as guilty of crimes and lies because of inaccurate information, until you have to prove your innocence.   

Bryan Moore

10 Years-Executive Recruiter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CareerproBryan

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/careerprobryan

Email: careerprobryan(at)gmail(dot)com

Can You Really Pass A Background Check?

I recently had a candidate interviewing for a restaurant management position with one of my clients. He had taken the time to fine tune his resume and prepare for the interview. He had done his due diligence by visiting the restaurant and job shadowed with other managers just to be sure that he was the right fit for the company and that the company was a the right fit for him. He really impressed the hiring manager with his organization and preparedness for the interview and experience and skills of running a restaurant. As a matter of fact the hiring manager was ready to make an offer, but for most companies, the offer was contingent upon a clear background check.

The candidate lived in a small community and shared his common name with several other individuals. Before the interview process began I asked the candidate if he could pass a background check. He replied “yes”. As a seasoned recruiter I had to dig into his answer as I can only assume that sometimes candidates don’t think having 4-5 DUI’s or misdemeanor violence, theft, or drug charges are considered criminal, or perhaps they forgot they were arrested 15 years ago for whatever reason.

I continued to ask the candidate if they “ever” had any arrest or convictions. The candidate replied “no”. The candidate went on to say that he had never had any trouble, never a speeding ticket, and had passed background checks before with ease. Once I felt comfortable that the candidate was clean, I decided to him through to my client for the face-to-face interview.

I received a phone call from my client with the results of the background check. The client went on to tell me that my candidate had 3-4 pages of felony and misdemeanor charges and my client decided that they were unable to pursue his credentials.

My very next call was to the candidate explaining to him that the background check was not clear and that the interview process was over. The candidate said that he cannot believe that happened and went on to tell me again that his background was clear and that the information my client had was inaccurate, then he threaten to sue my client for discrimination.

My client sent the candidate a letter containing information on how to get things resolved. The candidate was instructed to contact the background check company to get things cleared up and he did. The candidate was telling the truth about his background being clean and clear.

So what happened?

Can You Really Pass A Background Check?
Part Two-
http://careerprobryan.blogspot.com/2011/08/can-you-really-pass-background-check_11.html

My Pursuit Of Happiness Has Been HACKED!!!

I’ve taken a few days away from Twitter, blogging, and posting anything serious or work related. I wanted to see what would happen to my clout, if anyone online missed me posting or tweeting, or if I gained or lost any followers or friends. I guess my test was to see if my online presence had any bearing on social media.

I would imagine that the experts of social media may say that they don’t agree with my absence as it may throw a wrench into momentum and offset measureable results. For the sake of statistics I did keep track of what has occurred in the last few days. As an optimistic person I would say that my results were positive with room for improvement.

During my absence I had time to ponder unemployment, economy, our “Leaders”, our Country and where things may go from here and how serious the divide is between the American people and our Government.

I’m not going to go into “political” details about what is ailing our Country. We all know what is happening. I just want to know who is going to do something about it.

The answer is not only in Congress, it’s also our voting system, and it’s outdated. I am tired of telling the political leaders and electoral colleges in my state how and who to vote for.  I want my vote to count for it’s authenticity of being a real vote. I want someone to see my name on a vote in the pile that decides who or who is not going to be the next President or Congressional Member.

As for the President, future Presidential Candidates, and the members of Congress, I think it is their duty to fix the economy and unemployment issues. They made the mess because for the past 12 years they have made bad decisions, they are all responsible for their actions aren’t they?  Whether Democrat or Republic, they have all screwed up, perhaps the real unemployment should be on their level, maybe would should eliminate jobs in Congress or remove some members. Maybe then they’ll “seriously” consider how unemployment is the reason this country has lost it’s AAA Credit Rating and squeeze that in on the next Hollywood-style budget deficit fight.

It’s funny they can raise millions of dollars in campaigns but cannot do a fundraiser to get the country out of debt they created-They are so lazy, and you voted for them. You hired lazy people to do a job and got lazy results. Are you satisfied with that? I’m not. I want to see changes in Congress and a positive America. I want to say I belong to a Country that has real heroes at home and abroad. So far the only heroes are our Military and their efforts over seas. But the leaders at home are destroying us from the inside. Are we going to let Congress and current and futures Administrations bankrupt America? Is this what you thought you were getting when you were sold in on who to vote for?

The middle class working America is what drives this country. The fat cats on Wall Street and Congress make all the decisions at the expense of the middle working class. If this continues then you’re the blame not them and we get what we deserve. This is not what I thought when I planned my “Pursuit of Happiness” 

Bryan Moore

10 Years-Executive Recruiter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CareerproBryan

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/careerprobryan

Email: careerprobryan(at)gmail(dot)com

Building Candidate-Recruiter Relationships

"Real Life Job Solutions 

for 

Real Life Job Seekers"

by Bryan Moore

I once worked on a job order for a medical client in California seeking to hire a Resident Physician. One late afternoon, I was having a conversation with the prospect candidate and we both determined very quickly that his profession was medicine and mine was recruiting. As a recruiter I needed to dig and see if he was a candidate that my client would consider hiring; they were paying a really nice fee so I wanted to be sure to send them a quality candidate not just wallpaper their walls with resumes.

I asked him one key question, “Who do you think can present your credentials to my client better, you or me?”

His arrogance and defensive tone of voice clearly try to set me straight as he continued to tout his expertise in medicine and my lack of knowledge of how to even change a bedpan.  That being said he was right to some degree, but what makes sense to him may not make sense to the person he is interviewing with and his resume and what he planned to say in the interview did not match what my client described as the perfect candidate. So far he wasn’t a good fit and he just didn’t know it.

I told him immediately that with his 20 years experience in the medical field that I doubt very seriously that my client would even consider hiring him. Irritated and out of breath he asked me why. I responded by explaining to him that in his lifetime he may go on four or five job interviews and that I already had 20 interviews before noon, before I even picked up the phone to call him. As I put things in perspective he understood that he may have the medical knowledge but I know what the client is  looking for, so if you go into the interview with 20 years of ego thinking that you are a professional interviewer than they will see through you and your chances of getting hired are slim.

It is easy for that a person to say that they can interview and present their credentials to a recruiter’s client better than the recruiter can. I mean they always say that they always got the job and they were confident in their answers. Yet they cannot tell me simply how they build a team. Or tell me a little bit about themselves or much about the client we are chatting about.

In this economy where we have a 9%+ unemployment rate and increasing rate in underemployment….It is much more difficult to get the job. A good recruiter will take the time to ask you questions about your interest and motivations, what you’re seriously looking for in a career, and share with you the techniques on how to build your resume and interview skills to match your industry’s interviewing criteria. When they don’t take the time to do those things then it is easy for you to say that they are not recruiters, they are performing as a “used car (people) salesman”-the 80’s version.

As for the doctor, he humbled himself, took my advice, interviewed well and received an offer. He called me back several weeks ago and asked me to find nurses for several of his departments in the facility I had placed him in years ago.

This is what recruiting is all about, building relationships with candidates that have the potential to turn into clients.

If you want to learn more about how to work with recruiters, the pros and the cons, get tips on interviewing and building resumes, how to find decision makers (too easy), and other great job search related tips please follow my blog or email me directly with any questions

Bryan Moore

10 Years-Executive Recruiter

http://www.linkedin.com/in/careerprobryan

How to Get Your Resume in Front of the Decision Maker in 4 Easy Steps

Ever send your resume in through a high traffic job board posting and not know what the person on the other end is looking for, or if they are even the person that is going to decide whether or not they hire you?

Getting your resume to the decision maker requires a little bit of skill in investigation, networking, and playing dumb….Yep that’s right playing dumb will get you past the gate keepers.
In this scenario what how Sales Rep Cindy navigates her resume into the hands of the decision maker and quickly gets an interview.

Step Number One.

Target a specific company that fits your industry that has a good reputation and begin doing research online. Try to find job postings that will carry keywords that you can relate to on your resume, try to find as many contact names, email addresses and phone numbers on the website as possible, and bookmark the contact us form if applicable. Most websites have a contact form if you need to fill out a complaint or have questions about products and services; this area is also great for jobs seekers.

Step Number Two:

Once your resume/cover letter is fine written to the tune of what the company does and how your skills and qualifications match what that company’s website obtained, you now ready to email, fax, and make phone calls.

Step Number Three-Email:

You may have collected some emails from the website that are not HR related, they may go to the VP of the company or a customer service rep, maybe a receptionist. It doesn’t matter; blind copy all of them so that everyone gets a copy of your resume. You may get a response back that says that you sent your resume to the wrong department; the responder may give you the name and contact information of the right person to send it too.

In a perfect world Bob the responder might say “you sent this to me by mistake I work in the Sales Dept not HR, you need Donna Smith in HR her email address is Donna.Smith@xyzcompany.org and extension is 4533. Good Luck. 

But in most cases Bob in Sales won’t respond he will think it is just spam, delete it, and move on or perhaps use your email address as a marketing lead.

Step Number Four-Phone:

***Notice the emails you collected online contain names domains like Bonnie.Lewis@xyzcompany.org

You have sent in your emails now it is time to call to follow up to the only number listed on the website. Whether Bob responds to your email or not following up with a phone call is the key. You call in and Bonnie the receptionist answers, you say to Bonnie that you applied for a position in her company and wondered if she received your resume. Bonnie will say “yes I received your resume and forwarded it the HR department, I’m just a receptionist I don’t do the hiring”. You respond by saying “Bonnie I apologize for sending you my resume, I was unsure of who was the decision maker on the hiring (play dumb), I do appreciate your efforts in sending my resume to the HR department, can you tell me who is in charge of the hiring in HR?” Bonnie replies, “That would be Michelle Stafford” Would you happen to know her extension or can you direct me to her voicemail?

In most cases Bonnie would just send you to voicemail, but the good news is you are now getting somewhere. Cindy leaves Michelle a message “Hi Michelle, my name is Cindy, I recently spoke with Bonnie (name drop) about applying for a position within your company and I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time so I can ask a few questions about your hiring process? Please give me a call or email me with the best time to reach you, my number and email address is……..

At this point, you have sent in your resume to everyone except Michelle; however you left her a voicemail and gave her a call to action, partnered-networked with Bonnie, and now know the name of the person who will make the hiring decision. By using Bonnie’s email address it is not too difficult to figure out Michelle’s email address, so now you can send your resume and get it in front of the decision maker.

Please stay tuned, in my next post I will explain the features and benefits of following up with HR and how to sell yourself over the phone and get an immediate face to face interview.

I hope this information helps and good luck with your job search.

Bryan Moore
10 Years-Executive Recruiter
Blog: http://careerprobryan.blogspot.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CareerproBryanLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/careerprobryanEmail: careerprobryan(at)gmail(dot)com

Benefits of Recruiters using Google Plus (Google+)

Google Plus (Google+): Finally, A Recruiting Friendly Facebook 
(Read this article on Recruiter.com)


This is a great article for Recruiters using Google+. The organization of contacts is excellent. I can keep candidates for Nurses In Maryland in one circle and candidates for Engineers in Ohio in another circle. 


I agree that the Hangout is a great way to do group interviews and training. There is real value here for the right marketer.


I disagree that it should look more like LinkedIn and less like Myspace. I think this gives the personal emotional touch needed to communicate with candidates on a personal level. Recruiters don't have as much success on Facebook because Facebook was designed to be more about sharing with friends and family, LinkedIn is the opposite, they have the professional feel. Google+ is right there in the middle.


Fortunately for the job seekers that don't know any better and like to share party photos or nude photos or post inappropriate material they too can benefit from Google+, just hope they aren't too drunk to share them with the right circle or allow access for the Social Intelligence Agency to find it.