The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

One position, multiple applicants – but still one of them has to be and will be selected, what gives? To complicate things further some of them might even have the same educational qualification and experience, what’s the deciding factor? Selecting the younger of the two is what happens at the Universities, not necessarily at the workplace. The interviewer will not feel compelled to hire you only because you look good on paper, in fact Cavett Robert estimated that 85% of the reason you get a job, keep that job, & move ahead in that job has to do with your people skills & people knowledge.

We went ahead and asked some seasoned recruiters the one thing that candidates do which completely ruin their chances of making it, listed below are the most common answers in no particular order:

1. Being defensive – Some people seem to be engaged in an ever lasting battle in defending their point of view, or their career choices and amongst other things. There are a few things to be considered here – (1) An interviewer might be testing you for how flexible you are, (2) You might actually have made some mistakes, but you don’t want to admit them, (3) You are the sort of person who starts their argument based on a defense, e.g. “Although I wanted to be in the healthcare industry, but I wasn’t good enough for it”. Either of these ways, you’ve set the alarms ringing in the mind of the recruiter.
2. Complaining a lot – Traffic was bad, it’s always too hot or too cold, the office is not anything like what you expected, the pervious employer exploited you, they had the wrong business plan, you’re sure the future employers will too… these are the kind of things that an interviewer does not want to hear from a candidate. Think of an interview as a one hour job where you have to be at your best behavior and highlight the positive aspects of your personality, go easy on the complaining. Nobody wants to hear it.
3. Narrating scripted answers – This might be acceptable to some extent for students right out of college, but as a seasoned professional you are expected to talk about your careers so far and the way ahead in an ‘as it is’ manner and not as you think the recruiter wants to hear it. Stephen Paul says “When you give up your own truth to win at someone else’s game, everyone loses”.
4. Being arrogant – This actually happened with a recruiter – A candidate for an IT position came in for an interview on time and well dressed and the whole drill… score? Sure. He had good credentials and a consistent employment record… win? Absolutely. Now, as part of standard selection procedure, he was asked to take a half hour written technical assessment when he realized he didn’t have a pen on him. He asked the recruiter for a pen and was quick to show his impatience when the recruiter too couldn’t find one. And that was the moment of truth in the interview, no points for guessing the outcome.

Hope you find these links interesting and informative! Have a great weekend!

• 15 Networking Mistakes You Can’t Make. HRGuru
• Entrepreneurship’s 10 Commandments. Forbes.com
• How Lousy is HR Perceived at Your Company? ERE.net
• 5 Must-Use Social Media Tools For HR & Recruiting Professionals. Fistful of Talent
• LinkedIn – Is It Worth Being A Member? Integrity Career Transitions
  

We are living through a phase of economic slowdown in the global markets including in India. These are uncertain times and with the declining state of the global economy with credit crunch and layoffs happening all across, most companies have to deal with these complex situations in their organizations. The question on everyone’s mind today is how to survive and sail through a recession.


As a corporate professional, you may have seen or faced a similar situation and as a leader, wondered – what can I do to reduce the impact on my existing workforce? How do I motivate myself and my teams? How do I survive recession?


The key to surviving a recession is opportunity recognition. One has to believe that there will always be opportunity for those who seek and pursue it. Irrespective of the state of the economy, needs will always be there. From a ‘want’ economy we may move to a ‘need’ economy, but we still require products and services to meet those needs. The mantra is to identify and explore these opportunities and capture them. The mantra also is to keep your existing businesses sailing as customers become more demanding in these times while employees can become insecure and shaky.

So here are some mantras to remember in times of recession

Recognize opportunities that you have never thought of before, areas that you have not explored. Look beyond the obvious.


Keep the communication flowing between you and your teams. Many a times, lack of timely communication can lead to rumors and grapevine that can generate panic and lead to high attrition. In order to motivate & retain your workforce, keep the communication channels open.


Treat this phase as a learning opportunity. Be open to experiment. Focus on enhancing the skills of your teams and to hone their domain knowledge. Identify and groom your potential leaders.


Share your and your company’s vision and future plans with your team. Be transparent. People will stay with you if they see clear vision and leadership.


Most important, recognize and reward employees. Sometimes a pat on the back works wonders to motivate people! Timely recognition is a must, do not delay it.

Remember, recession in itself is a great opportunity to change. It changes the way we feel, look and react to things. It takes us out of our comfort zones and makes us more alert, controlled and cautious. Treat it as a stabilizing phase and reassure yourself and your teams that those who stand tall in these times by looking long term will shine brighter. While those who panic and want only short term growth can perish easily.

This is the time to prepare for the future…. are you ready?

Guest Post by Sangeeta Malhotra