Finding Employment

I thought that, given it’s now a new year, this would be a topic that could be of use to people.
Maybe it’s making all those new years resolutions that fills you with thoughts of new possibilities, but it’s usually around this time that people consider what they want their year to look like, and whether to decide to move employers, or stay in the same place.

I frequently get messages on LinkedIn, as well as direct emails, from recruiters. What happens next usually seems to fall along the same sorts of lines. They try to get some information from me, promise me the world, etc. Usually they’d try to get me on the phone, whilst not really providing any information for me to go on, or showing why having a call with them would be of any value to me.

Together with the amazing Alison Mulligan, we’ve drawn up the below. Alison is not only a seasoned recruiter, she’s also another Microsoft BizApps MVP! It’s a topic that we’ve been discussing on & off over the last few years since we first met. Alison also does a ‘One Minute Monday’ quick tips session every week. I’d strongly recommend to go & check it out!

We both chat with lots of people, and thought that giving a view from ‘both sides of the fence’ would be helpful to others. With this, we’ve put the time into drawing up a shortlist of points that both sides might think to take into consideration. Our aim here? Purely to help out – we’re not getting anything for this at all.

Tips for people looking for a new position

1. Ensure that your CV is up to date, with all relevant information on it. Include any professional qualifications, employment history, etc, & it’s laid out well. Personally, I’m a great fan of ‘Words in Tables’ by John Moon (https://www.jmoon.co.uk/index.cfm). Free registration (or an optional charitable donation – what better way to do good for yourself and someone else at the same time) on his site will give you a great CV template that will stand out from most others (I use it myself!)
2. Think about what you’re wanting in a new position. Be comfortable with discussing these, as you’ll need to mention them to recruiters. They could include:
   • Salary
   • Benefits
   • Career progression options
   • Volunteering
   • Work/Life balance
3. Ensure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date, with all relevant information. Include your qualifications as well as any other experiences. Use the space available – any good recruiter will read the information that you’re including, rather than just skim the first line. A good rule of thumb is to do at least two paragraphs for each position, detailing your achievements, & what you brought to the company. You can also use LinkedIn’s own 20 steps to a better profile
4. Use the LinkedIn ‘About’ section to describe why you’d be an asset to an employer, your skills & expertise that you bring to the table, and what you absolutely enjoy & love doing. If you don’t know what you love doing, sit down and give it some thought – start with tasks that, when you do them, get you into a ‘flow state’ (as in time seems to pass quickly)
5. Keep your overall career plan in mind – if you haven’t done that yet, then now is a good time to start.

Above all, if someone contacts you with a role, be open and honest about things, and if you feel it’s not appropriate, you can say so. Alternatively if you think that someone else you know would be suitable for the position, you can always recommend them.

Tips for recruiters

1. Have a proper job specification available, listing out the required & wished for items. If you don’t have one, be open about what the role is actually supposed to be, rather than guessing at it. Or at the very least have a detailed view of the company and WHY they are looking to hire. If you’re speaking to someone with more than a few years experience in their line of work, be pro-active about giving the spec to them. They’re able to take an initial look & assess whether it’s appropriate or not in much less time than you (as a recruiter) might be able to.
2. Ensure that you actually know the salary range for the position and are happy to share it. I’ve been approached multiple times with absolutely no salary information, and when it is finally available, it turns out to be half of what I’m currently on – this feels like a giant waste of time for everyone, recruiter included, as no matter how awesome the company or role, no one is taking a 50% pay cut (unless its to work with Elon Musk or Satya Nadella)
3. If using LinkedIn to search for candidates, take a proper look at their experience & information. All too often we’re asked about Developer opportunities, when it’s quite clear that I’m not a Developer. Use the appropriate filtering tools/options available to return pertinent results. And, we know you are under pressure in terms of time, but if you spend five minutes reading our profile (particularly if we have bothered to make it as detailed as possible), you will get a 10x greater return than if you don’t.

One final thing to keep in mind, in general. If you feel that you’re being pushed into something, take a step back, and consider if it is indeed the right move for you. It could just be the way that it’s being pitched at you, but taking a few minutes to make sure you’re alright is very important. You could also consult with a mentor around it, who we’re sure would be only too happy to help you out.

Oh, and if you have any tips you’d like to share, feel free to post them below in the comments – we’d love to see them!