Why Recruiters Should Watch The Apprentice

Why Recruiters Should Watch The Apprentice Love or loathe the contestants on The Apprentice, theres no denying that the show is a great source of lessons for recruiters! We look at our top 10 reasons to switch on: The candidates focus on their presentation: Whether the candidates are excellent or, frankly, terrible they all have one thing in common; they look the part. Each candidate presents him or herself accordingly for the corporate world, sometimes with a twist to demonstrate individuality and personality, but always with respect for the business world that they are operating in. This is a vital lesson. If you want to be respected within the recruitment field and trusted by clients, you need to look the part.   The best candidates keep it simple: The best ideas on the show tend to be the most simple and invariably focus heavily on the ancient arts of selling! Alan Sugar is himself a salesman at heart and he greatly respects those who go for the difficult jobs of face to face selling and communication. If you can become a confident salesperson, you will naturally succeed in recruitment.   Honesty pays!   Lord Sugar hates a liar and he can spot them a mile off. There is a difference between slightly embellishing your credentials and blatantly lying and you need to know it. Trust will immediately be lost if you are found to be economical with the truth. Hold good values and always stick to them. Being nice is not a sign of weakness: Some of the apprentices think that they need to be mean and hardened to succeed. However, niceness often pays off. Business is just a facet of everyday life, and people like to be treated thoughtfully, respectfully and courteously. Think about the people you like to spend time with and work hard on cultivating those qualities. Remember too that other people tend to help those who are nice and supportive of them. The nasty people tend to end up alienated! Confidence is a great asset in moderation: Some of the apprentices are vastly over-confident and the viewers squirm when they are vastly over-selling themselves or lost in their own egos. Forget ego be confident about your abilities but always back up your claims with facts and examples. Let your work speak for itself as far as possible. Listening is a great art: As your Grandma said, you have two ears and one mouth. Some of the biggest gaffes on the apprentice come down to egotistical apprentices being too enamoured with the sound of their own voices to listen. Inevitably, a lack of listening leads to mistakes. Vow to become an excellent listener. Value your team: A great team is your source of support, expertise, help, camaraderie and complementary skills. Value your team players, and contribute wholeheartedly yourself. Respect authority: Sugar/Trump is the boss and he wants to be treated as such! Remember this when speaking to your own agency directors!   Know your market: Great recruiters know their market inside out. Like the best apprentices, they genuinely know what they are talking about and their knowledge builds trust and confidence. Be flexible: This goes without saying. The best apprentices and recruiters put in the hours when duty calls, and enjoy their leisure time when its there! Author:  Satnam Brar is Managing Director of  Maximus IT. Maximus is an Oracle Gold Partner which specialises in recruitment in the ERP, CRM Database sectors, specifically ORACLE, MS Dynamics, Salesforce.com and SAP.

Network Like You (Should) Date. - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Network Like You (Should) Date. - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career All too often, networking events feel like going to  a bad singles mixer.   Theres always that one guy racing around the venue, collecting contact info like its a contest.   Or that one woman you just met who asks invasive premature questions about  your work trying to decide if youre the one (who can help her get a job).   Or that one guy, who seems interesting at the event, but then calls you super early the next morning and wants you to commit  (to buy his product) way, way  too soon.   And lets not even talk about the people who stand too close or mention that their mom think theyre such a catch (and cant understand why her baby doesnt have a job!) You go to these events, all dressed up and hopeful, and usually leave feeling disappointed because despite all the schmoozing you still arent sure that youve actually made a meaningful connection with someone who is in the field you want.   Sometimes, you doubt that the people you want are even there    most networking events feel packed  with job seekers on the prowl, and a smaller amount of job-havers (who are suspicious that networkers are only interested in them for the referrals they can make). So, how do you network without feeling like youre part of a meat market?   Simple.   Network like you should look for a significant other! Savvy daters know that they make  better connections with people who share similar interests.   If they enjoy reading books, theyre more likely to meet someone compatible at a book reading than at a bar. Same for musicians, skiers, aspiring cooks,  dog owners  and lovers of classical music.   If theres something you want to enjoy doing with your significant other, its easier to find someone already interested in that activity than  convincing the guy  you met at the tequilla bar  to try your (sober) hobby! The same principles go for networking.   Sadly in this world of online dating, theres no Match.com for networking where you can filter out the things you dont want (job hunting in your industry) and zero in on the things you do (happily employed at your dream company.) In networking, you have to do it the  old-fashioned way: by going to the places where the people you want to meet go. If youre interested in product development, look up interesting talks in your area about different stages in the product development cycle.   If youre interested in the healthcare field, find out where the people in your field go to have lunch and talk about news in their field.   If theres a big conference in your field, go out on a limb, buy your own ticket and go by your lonesome self.  (Trust me, this impresses decision-makers at your target companies.) Find learning events in the field you want to be in and then throw yourself into them.   Ask questions, do your research beforehand, and be as engaged as possible.   If theres a question-and-answer segment, make sure you ask a thought-provoking question.   If the speaker asks for a volunteer, risk embarrassment and put yourself out there.   Participate in those events like youre there because you are really interested in the subject not like you are there to network. And then, on the side, do your networking.  (But not like the  typical networker!) Be friendly and try to meet as many people as possible.   Engage them in conversation about the topic not as a job seeker, but as someone who is genuinely interested.   Then, when you go home, connect with them by sending them a link to an interesting article that builds off what you discussed at the event. Egads, youre probably thinking.   That sounds like a lot of work! It is. But it pays off. Whenever you go to a singles/networking mixer looking just to meet that certain someone, you usually run into a lot of dead ends.   But when you take the time to invest in building a friendly relationship with people who have similar interests, they stop worrying that you want too much too soon from them.   Then they relax, engage in conversation, and look forward to getting to know you.   And eventually,  if you two arent right for  each other, they  introduce you to their friends with a ringing endorsement thrown in. And best of all, you get to go to events you actually enjoy, and connect with the people youd want to meet anyways.   Much better than running around a mixer collecting all the cards you can in the hopes that if you kiss enough frogs, eventually one will give you a job! Author: Katie Konrath blogs about creativity, innovation and ideas so fresh they should be slapped at www.getfreshminds.com.   She  works  for leading innovation company, Ideas To Go, and attributes her job to personal branding both through her blog and by attending  the events in her field.

Keeping Taxes in Check Write-Offs for Your Small Business

Keeping Taxes in Check Write-Offs for Your Small Business Tax season is almost upon us. Many of you will probably be looking at getting your taxes done earlier, so you can know exactly what you’re expected to pay before it’s time to write the check. Getting a handle on the tax deductions you can take will help you to figure out your costs, as well as learn where you can trim some proverbial fat. Here are 15 deductions for your business to keep an eye out for. Car Expenses Driving around for work can get expensive. If you’re a business owner, then it’s assumed some of your car use will be for work. There are a lot of ways you can keep track of that. In fact, there are even apps that will help you track and log your mileage for work. If you don’t have a car, then you can also factor in public transport expenses. Depreciation A lot of your assets are subject to depreciation. If you have a warehouse and you use large equipment, those items will depreciate. You’ll find the same thing happens with technology and transportation. If you’re trying to factor in the depreciation on your car, you have to be careful and only use the time that it’s applied to work. Office Expenses Necessary office expenses include things like desks, furniture and internet. It can also include a cleaning service if you have one. These costs are relatively basic, but it doesn’t mean you should replace your desk every year. You only get a percentage back, so buy what you need and nothing more. Employee Wages If you have employees, you have to pay them something. Those wages can be tax deductible, but they have to be claimed separately from the employee benefits and benefits programs. Employee Benefits Programs Employee benefits programs are a diverse group. This can encompass any program your company offers that benefits your employees, such as tuition reimbursement or health insurance. Those same plans that apply to you are not deductible, but the others are. Advertising If you’re doing advertising, you can get a deduction for it. This includes the cost of production and distribution of those items, including everything from flyers to pop-up ads. It would not include a Christmas party, even if you invite prospective clients. To be considered advertising, the object has to be branded. Meals and Entertainment Selling your products or services takes an investment, and that can occasionally mean you need to wine and dine someone. Dinner out to discuss a contract or meeting a contractor to go over fees both count as a business meal. Your personal meals, even when on the clock, do not. Travel Any travel you do for work is tax deductible. This will be a different category from car expenses and will include things like plane or train tickets, hotels and rental cars. Meals while traveling are not included unless they involve work, and even then would be listed under meals and entertainment instead. Professional Fees Any time you hire a contractor or outside expert for your business, like a lawyer or accountant, you can deduct the costs associated with those services from your business taxes. A CPA to help with business taxes will help you save money in the long term because they already know how to navigate our complicated tax code. If you have an interstate business, you’ll need to pay taxes in all of the states you do business in. Having a CPA to do the work for you can help you avoid trouble with those situations, and their work can be a tax deduction on its own. Commissions and Fees Any fees you might have to pay to non-employees to generate revenue are also deductible. These might be considered agent fees. Many companies make use of freelancers and use this deduction for them. Business Insurance Having business insurance is common sense. Making it deductible is an incentive from the government to employ that common sense. If you don’t have it, get it. If you’ve got, then claim the deduction. Pension Plan Contributions If you make any contribution to your employees’ pension plans, like matching a certain amount they put in, you can claim a deduction for it. This applies to profit sharing and 401Ks or whatever other kind of pension plan you have. You cannot claim a deduction for your own pension plan, though, only your employees’ plans. Rented or Leased Equipment Sometimes you don’t want to buy a large piece of equipment outright. Or, if you’re considering buying one, you may want to rent it first to see if it will fit your needs. In that case, it can still make the tax deductions part of your form, without you having to complete the entire purchase. This can go so far as to include leasing buildings and land, especially if you need new office space, but they fall into separate categories. Utilities Utilities you use for your office can also be deducted. These include the things that make the space useable, like sewer, water and electric. Garbage and snow removal can count, too, if you use them. Startup Costs If you started your business this year and you kept track of everything during such a stressful, exciting time, then you may be able to take startup costs as a deduction. This can include a lot of the items listed above, but they must either be a cost you paid to get your business up and running or an expense from the day before your active business began. Knowing where to start with deductions can give you a solid base for getting your taxes done. They are involved, but you can make it work for you if you put in a bit of work.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why the Lone Wolf Mentality Wont Work Anymore

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why the Lone Wolf Mentality Won't Work Anymore No other group in the workplace operates quite the way that the sales department does. Human resources doesnt ring a cow bell and jump around when they sign up an employee for benefits. A product development worker doesnt get a commission when he or she has a new idea. Sales teams have an eat what you kill mentality, which means they dont collaborate or brainstorm, but instead zealously guard their territory and are rewarded individually for their successes, says Tim Sanders, former Yahoo! Chief solutions officer and cofounder of Deeper Media, Inc., a research consultancy. But that mentality is also why sales departments at many companies are floundering. That mindset no longer works in such a fast-moving and competitive marketplace, he says. Sanders says sales teams need to embrace dealstorming, which he says is the combination of deal making and brainstorming. He says companies such as CareerBuilder, Conde Nast and Regus have adopted the method, and find that the scalable, repeatable process has helped drive better bottom-line results. The underpinnings of dealstorming are that no sale should ever be lost and everyone should jump in to try and save it. That means those outside of sales can be tapped for their knowledge, creativity or connections to figure out ways to stop sales from going to the competition. People arent innovative by themselves, he says. But Ive learned that companies whocollaboratejust do better. Collaboration can be a foreign concept tosales teams, who often are driven by a lone wolf mentality and a winner-take-all philosophy. But Sanders says that companies that embrace the idea of bringing in outside ideas close more deals. (He says that those who use dealstorming have a 70% close ratio.) Further, those companies that involve everyone in the sales efforts find that employees are more committed to execution and delivery once the deal is made, he says. Adding to the challenging climate for sales is that the shelf life for products is becoming(read more here)

How to Prepare Before Graduating from College CareerMetis.com

How to Prepare Before Graduating from College â€" CareerMetis.com You’ve spent the last four years of your life studying like crazy, acing all the tests and even did a bit of getting out and having fun. Now, you’re about to graduate, and just like everyone out there, an existential dread sets in.Yes, it can be super hard transitioning from someone who’s been in school virtually their whole life to an adult who’ll be fully responsible for everything in their life. And even though it’s scary, it’s hella fun to go out there and practice what you’ve been studying.evalSo, here are four simple things you to prepare you for what’s to come in the upcoming months after graduation.And the First One Is… It’s Nothing Like You Imagined.Real-life is nothing like school. College And that’s okay! Everyone takes on their own path after graduating and friendships are bound to get broken.But Then There’s the Lifestyle Change.The college has done a pretty good job of keeping you busy during your whole studying time, but now you’ll have to kee p yourself busy. A nine to five will do part of the job, but you’ll also have to focus on completely different things.Truth is, post-graduate life is 180 degrees of what you’re used to, so prepare to spend some time figuring that whole thing out.Well, the most important thing after graduating is to focus on the bigger picture and not feel down. Changes can feel overwhelming and drastic in most cases, but everyone is going through them, and it’s almost certainly for the better, so be brave!

How To Get Referred For A Job

How To Get Referred For A Job If you are tired of your application falling into a black hole and want a better way to communicate with a potential employer and secure an interview, then you need to get referred. Heres how to make contact and what to say! Referred Candidates Are The Top Source Of Hires Over 30% of new hires come from employee referrals according to SilkRoad’s Source of Hire 2017 study. Companies report that employee referrals beat out the other hiring methods including applications from Indeed, current employees, candidates sourced by company recruiters, company career website, CareerBuilder and LinkedIn. Image via SilkRoads 2017 Report And then theres this evidence from Lever, shared by Donna Svei, AvidCareerist. Please read the full article here. Image via AvidCareerist The Majority of Companies Offer Referral Programs More than three-quarters of U.S. workers say that their company has an employee referral program according  to talent acquisition solution provider  iCIMSs 2017 Modern Job Seeker Report. This means there is an incentive for employees to refer candidates for job opportunities. Why is this? Referred candidates stay in the role longer and make better employees. 70% of referred employees  surveyed have not changed positions  since being hired.  (source: iCIMS) 60% of employers believe  referrals bring in candidates that are a better fit for  the company.  (source: iCIMS) 86% of employees say they would expect  to be happier at a job  they were referred for  than one they were not  referred for. (source: iCIMS) But financial incentives aren’t the only reason employees refer people for openings in their company. Believe it or not, people want to help you and help their company. All you have to do is ask. There are two ways to get referred. Proactively Get Connected (then referred) Before a job is posted, contact people who work inside companies you are interested in working for. You can learn more about creating a target list of companies here. You want to meet with people inside companies to learn what it is like to work there. The best time to do this is before a job is open because once a job does get posted, lots of people will be reaching out and asking for these meetings. The secret is staying in touch with these insiders so when a job is posted they will think of you and reach out to let you know about the new opportunity. Reactively Find A Referral The second way to get referred happens after you’ve found a job opportunity. Use your in-person network, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook to identify friends or friends of friends inside the company. Use every means possible to find someone who knows someone inside the company with the job! It doesn’t matter what role your contact holds. What is important is that you reach out and ask for a referral. You used to be able to search Facebook by companies where people worked, but you can no longer do that. But you can post to a personal status update on Facebook asking if anyone knows someone at X company. You never know! Always tap into your existing network first. Ask the people you know inside a company with a posted job what they know about it and who they recommend you speak to. Dont let them suggest Human Resources. You cant network with them. You need to speak with someone in the department/area that is hiring. Keep in mind, it is easier and faster to reach out to the people you know inside a company and ask them to refer you for the job than to try to build new relationships with insiders. LinkedIns Get Referred Feature Not only can you search for people you know inside a company using LinkedIn, but you can also now use LinkedIn’s job search filter to search for jobs where you have connections. Learn more about it on LinkedIns blog here From the desktop version of LinkedIn, go to the jobs tab. You will see a section that says “jobs where you can get referred.” This allows you to first focus on jobs where you have connections. View the job and the people you know inside the company and identify the best person to refer you. Choose either someone you know well or someone who is familiar with your work. Asking someone you don’t know very well to refer you can be awkward and may not get the desired results. Once you find the best connection to refer you, LinkedIn allows you to send a message directly from the job posting. The recipient will also receive a link to the job posting.  LinkedIn supplies a basic message which you can edit. Here’s what the message says when you ask for a referral. Hope all is well with you! I came across the [job title] role at [company name] and am interested in applying. Would you be open to sharing my LinkedIn profile with the hiring team so they know about my interest in this role? Happy to chat more if you have the time as well. Looking forward to hearing from you. [your name and phone number] Email Your Inside Contact Instead Many people do not receive email notifications from LinkedIn so you may want to reach out via email instead. Heres what your email message should include: Remind your connection how you know each other Reference the job Explain why you’re a good fit State why you’re interested Here’s a template to help make it easier to ask (and get) a referral. Hello [name of connection]: I wanted to reach out and ask for your help. There’s a job for a [job title] at your company and I’m very interested in applying for it. You may remember, [state how you know each other]. Based on what I read, I believe I would be a great fit for the role. • [#1 qualification you meet] • [#2 qualification you meet] • [#3 qualification you meet] I have been watching [company] and am excited about [something interesting the company is working on]. Additionally, [company]’s focus on [volunteer projects the company supports] aligns well with the volunteer work I’ve been doing at [volunteer organization]. If you need more information, I’m happy to have a conversation if that would be easier. Thank you in advance for your help and support! [your name and phone number] The best way to get your resume to the top of the stack is to tap people you know (or meet) inside the company.

I Quit! - A Guide on How to Resign Right IM HIRED

I Quit! - A Guide on How to Resign Right How to say I QUIT in style!   I recently quit my job and it got me thinking that although the offer of a new job or venture is such an exciting time, the actual process of quitting your current job can be nerve racking and worse feel uncomfortable. Why is that?   Because normally we feel some sort of obligation to that employer and there doesn’t seem to be any set of rules  on how to quit a job, who you should tell, when you should tell them and how they are going to react. Let’s start by saying it’s a process that we might not enjoy but nevertheless one which needs to be completed to move forward, unfortunately you can’t just leave and never return. Where to Start? Go find your contract, it’s probably safely  put away in a draw or under your bed in a box where it has lived from the day you received it, be honest have you ever even read it.   Whilst we are on the subject please read your contract in your new role and don’t just blindly sign whatever is put in front of you. So why are we getting your contract out if your quitting does  this piece of paper matter anymore? Yes it does, as we need to find out the terms of your contract and how that affects your resignation. Check your notice and remember most employers will add additions to your notice based on length of service. So although it might say 4 weeks’, double check it doesn’t add an extra week every years after 5 years for example. Writing your Notice Now sit down and write your notice, address it to your manager and detail the date you are planning to work to with your notice period in mind. It is always a good idea to explain the reason why you are looking to leave your employer whether it is for a new opportunity or if it is for more personal reasons. If it is the latter then it might be more appropriate to ask for a convenient time to speak with your employer in person. Always remember the purpose of the letter is to effectively end your contract so don’t get tied up in bad mouthing your employer. Most employers will conduct some sort of exit interview which will allow you time to air your feelings and give advice to the employer to support them with any changes for the next employee. Remember to be honest in your resignation; what have you got to lose at this point. But at the same time this is not a bad break up where you need to rip up their clothes and spray paint their car â€" let’s be slightly more professional in our honesty. The Meeting So now you have written the notice you need to deliver the message. I would always suggest doing it in the morning, get it out the way and don’t let the worrying or nerves wreck the rest of you day. When quitting your manager should be the first to know so don’t go round telling everyone and their dog before you make it official. We all love a water cooler gossip at work but when it comes to quitting let your manager know and then the flood gates are open to everyone else. Ideally you will want to arrange a time to speak with your manager face to face but if not possible in cases where your manager works on another site for example  then arrange a phone conversation. Don’t just email your resignation and never never never text your resignation!   (was that enough nevers) Get to the point, when you have the conversation with your manager, be  open and explain  why you are looking to leave. It is great if you feel loyal but a good employer will never stop you going for a better opportunity so don’t ever feel you are doing something wrong in your resignation (and if you never liked them anyway try not to gloat too much when you hand your resignation in.) After the Meeting Discuss with your manager what they would like you do next, do they want you to help in the recruitment or training of your replacement or start writing a handover document. Whatever their process set clear deadlines to ensure the handover is smooth and make sure you and the employer have agreed next steps. Some companies will do an official comms that you are leaving so confirm with your employer how you are going to notify the other team members of your departure. Just be transparent with your employer and make sure you are both on the same page; so your  last month can be stress free. A bit of help It can be difficult putting pen to paper and writing down your last words to your employer (a bit dramatic to say last words but some of you might be hoping never to speak to them again so it is final) so to help I have put together a short sample of the type of letter you should be sending. Keep it short and sweet. Dear (Manager’s Name) I am writing to notify you of my formal resignation from my role as (position) at (company name) As my contract requires that I give (your agreed notice period) notice my last day of employment will be (last date of employment) Thank you for all the support you have given throughout my employment but I have been given an excited new opportunity as a (add position if you want them to know) that  I have decided to pursue. OR I would be grateful for an opportunity to discuss the reasons for my departure in person, please let me know a convenient time to arrange a meeting. If there is anything I can do to help with the transition, please do let me know.   Sincerely, I’M Hired Congratulations on getting yourself hired and good luck with your new position or venture, the countdown of your resignation now begins.