While there’s nothing wrong with looking for “greener pastures,” people today tend to overlook the fact that companies reward employees that stay with them for extended periods of time. In fact, the longer an employee stays with a company, the more benefits they receive.

Here are three of the benefits that employees get to enjoy only if they stay loyal to a company for a very long time.

Loyal employees will get promoted

Unless you’ve got loads of experience, you join a company as an entry-level employee. You get a pretty basic employment package despite some responsibilities you have to fulfill. You have to go through a probationary period where your superiors will assess the quality of your performance to see if you will become a permanent employee.

That doesn’t sound that enticing, right? But here’s the thing. When there’s an opening in a managerial position, companies prefer promoting loyal employees over hiring someone new from the outside.

One reason is that a loyal employee is familiar with company policies and the culture within the organisation so he or she only requires minimal training.

Another reason is that the loyal employee would be able to come up with better suggestions and ideas to further improve the operations of the company, which would mean more efficient systems and even an increase in profit.

You build a reliable network

The longer you stay in a company, the more you’re able to build and develop relationships not just with your peers, but also your superiors. As a result, you’re able to build a strong network of business contacts. These connections will help you get tasks completed faster, and even let you in on opportunities for a promotion way before it becomes public.

There’s room for growth

One reason why lots of people leave a company is that they think that it’s the only way for them to make a shift in their career path.

That may be true. But did you know that you can do that as well by staying loyal to the company you’re working for?

It’s true. Just because you were hired in one department doesn’t mean that you can’t apply for an opening in another department. Of course, you’ll need to show and prove that you’ve got the skills and knowledge to make the shift. You’ll also need to update your CV to match the requirements and expectations of that department. But the fact that you’re choosing to apply in another department in your current company instead of applying to another company altogether will give you that all-important edge to get ahead of the other candidates.

Loyal employees are respected

You don’t immediately gain the trust and respect from your co-workers and superiors the moment you join the company. You got to earn them, and the only way for you to do that is by staying with the enterprise for a long time.

The great thing about it is that once you’ve earned their trust and respect, you also get their support. You’ll find it easier for your co-workers and superiors to work with you on a project. In some cases, your peers or superiors will even recommend you to head a task.

Loyal employees have become a rare breed these days. Because of that, companies are more willing to offer benefits you’ll never get to enjoy if you just keep transferring from one company to another. Be a part of the rare breed, and reap the rewards.

The post 3 Things You Gain When You’re Loyal to a Company appeared first on King of CV.

Have A Global View

Executives have to see the big picture. Their position requires them to see how all the different elements of a business interact with each other. They have to see where the strengths and weaknesses lie. Communicating at an executive level, then, requires that you don’t get bogged down in minutiae. Executives deal in the key points, the broad perspective. They don’t need to know if a specific shipment was on time or delayed, but they do want to know how shipments are affecting the profit margin. Start thinking in terms of the bigger picture.

Get to the Point

Chit-chat and small talk are part of polite society, the currency of living in a civilized world. Executives, however, live on accurate, up-to-date information. They don’t need the polite niceties, they want the information they need. In other words, they want you to get to the point. If you’re giving a presentation to executives, give them the information that’s pertinent, accurate, and up-to-date. Make sure you know everything about the information you’re supplying.

Don’t Deliver Uncertainties

Executives want information they can trust and depend on. They need you to be certain about what you’re saying, and they want to know you convinced about the validity and relevance of the information you’re supplying. If you’re suggesting solution to a company problem, they want to know that you’re absolutely convinced this is the right solution. Never deliver a ‘maybe.’

Executive Level People Hate BS

Executives need solutions, projects, and information that works, that’s useful, that’s valuable. They hate information or presentations couched in jargon and meaningless clichés. Don’t try to make your presentation or plans sound better by using a lot of jargon. Get to the point, explain why it’s a good idea, why it’s important, why it should be done. Give them solid reasons for trusting you.

The post Executive Level Communication appeared first on King of CV.

Here are some tips to help you improve your professional networking efforts:

Nametag Placement

This may seem like the ultimate in nitpicking, but there is a science in where you place your nametag during conferences and other networking events. Most people will automatically place a nametag on the left side of their chest. However, when you think things through it makes more sense to wear it on the right side instead. The reason is incredibly simple. When you shake hands with someone your right side is more prominent and seen more by the person you’re shaking hands with rather than your left. If your nametag is on the right side it will be easy to read, and make your name easier to remember.

Hit the Right Conversational Tone

Making a good impression means that your first conversation with someone needs to hit the right kind of tone. You want to avoid two extremes–lack of confidence and overconfidence. Doing simple things like maintaining eye contact, keeping a relaxed posture and using the other person’s name during the conversation all help to make a good impression. Don’t let your ego have a field day by talking about yourself too much as this can come off as arrogance.

Follow Up after the Networking Event

After the event is over a good way to develop your network is to reach out with people you connected with via email. One good way to do this is through email.

Another way to do this is through LinkedIn. When you send an invitation to connect, make sure that you include details like which networking conference or event you met and some of the things that the person shared with you. These would help them recall who you are.

If you’ve given a really good first impression during the networking event, they would be more than happy to continue communicating with you.

Getting Additional Help

If after reading this you realise that you need more help and coaching, websites like King of CV can be a really good place to find this. These kinds of websites offer networking advice and strategies for professionals looking to develop their network and utilise it to its maximum potential.

The post 3 Top Networking Tips appeared first on King of CV.

Of course, the most important thing that executives should keep in mind is who they name as
manager as one wrong decision made by the person cannot be fixed.

In looking at companies that Gallup have partnered with, experts have identified five important aspect of a highly performing talent machine.

5 Important Elements of Companies with Highly-Performing Talent Machine

While hiring the right manager to handle it all is very important, there are other aspect that need to be considered as well.

Here are 5 important elements of a highly-performing talent machine:

1: A Working Succession Plan

A succession plan is usually one that ensures the survival of a company. Despite this, there are a number of companies that do not have one in place, one that’s dated or even reviewed in recent times. Others only consider this topic when the company is in crisis.

That said, replacement planning works only in the short-term, succession planning is dynamic and sustainable in the long term. In other words, the planning should be based on a pool of qualified leadership candidates.

One thing is for sure: this formalised plan should be one that is owned by both the CEO and the senior leadership team that is not only systematic, mathematical and documented.

Finally, ensure that you review the succession plan constantly and as regularly as possible.

2: Companies Have a Talent Pool Audit

If you don’t audit the talent pool in your company, it will be impossible to reach your mission and purpose. The reason for this is once you do this is because once you identify the right talent, you’ll know which managers to promote. Apart from this, you’ll also know which business units have sufficient talent and which ones need more.

Of course, this talent pool should align itself with a talent pool. Ideally speaking, this talent machine should have three candidates that are ready to fill a vacancy within the company.

3: Raising the bar in recruitment and hiring

While it is important to prepare a succession plan while auditing talent in your company, the
next step is to raise standards when it comes to hiring and recruiting too. If you focus on using language that discusses talent (instead of just job descriptions), high quality candidates apply to the company. Apart from this, objective and structured interviews can help with finding the right talent too. While hiring managers can spend more time with highly qualified candidates, getting these pre-hire assessments right can be fed quickly into an individualised onboarding and development plan.

4: Document breakthrough experiences from managers in companies

Given that it is vital to have a steady stream of potential managers in the pipeline, it is still
necessary to provide them with developmental experiences. But before that, you have to
interview those managers in your organisation that are successful as well as executive
stakeholders who could give you a picture as to whether the company is headed. What you take away from these interviews should be a set of experiences that will help the rapid development of high-potential managers and leaders and that has already helped those in managerial positions.

Some examples include international leadership assignments, having a mentor or
even managing people early in their careers. In doing so, also check which of these experiences have had the most impact on your company’s culture too.

5: Ongoing development, engagement and performance management

Not only should you tell people in no uncertain terms as to what they should be doing each
morning but also ensure that they are allocated to good managers. In fact, you should literally demand for the latter. Also, if you hire a person by telling them that they should build their career based on their strengths, then you should help them connect their strengths to their customer needs.

In Closing…

As soon as you hire the right management and put the right processes in place, you’ll quickly find a change in your company’s culture. Look at talent as your foundation and be as objective as possible with each decision you make in that regard. This will ensure the growth of your company for a number of years ahead.

The post Developing Companies with High-Performing Talent Machines appeared first on King of CV.

This can turn out to be a problem when it comes to closing candidates for a position. In fact,
83 % of professionals have said that a bad interviewing experience have changed their opinion of a role.

Alternatively, an excellent impression created due to a good interviewing experience can actually make a candidate change their mind while causing them to take an interest in the
position.

What you also need to remember is that an interview is the only chance that you have in order to talk with a candidate to understand them better and see if they’re a good fit for your
organisation.

Which begs the question: how do you do this while ensuring it is a good experience for the
candidate?

Things that a Recruiter Needs to Prepare in Advance

As mentioned earlier, it all boils down to preparation. Here are 7 things that every recruiter must do in order to ensure this:

1: Understand the position clearly

Before you take the interview, make sure you know what the recruiting manager is looking for, in terms of a candidate. Based on this, structure your interview accordingly. Maybe it is a good idea to spend more time with them and look through resumes together. Building a strong relationship with them will certainly improve your prospects as a recruiter too.

2: Create a list of interview questions

Researchers have found that structured interviews are better than unstructured ones. Trusting
your gut isn’t always the best way to go. Prepare questions beforehand and then improvise later if you must. Not only will this interview feel more reliable but it will make the
interviewer’s job much easier too. Best part: less awkward pauses.

3: Look at the candidate’s LinkedIn profile and application

This is one that most recruiters follow but can be missed especially if they’re busy. You still have to remember that an interview is a two-way conversation, so you have to impress them in that interview too. Read their LinkedIn profile and application before taking the interview. This extra information will help the candidate feel wanted at your company. If you don’t, you’ll waste time at the interview finding out about the candidate too. This way you can ask pointed questions and take a better interview as a result.

4: Think of what to say to show why your company is a great place to work at

Given that candidates will want to know why working at your company is a great place, it’s best to prepare as to why that is true, and not some other organisation. One way to do this is by taking them for a tour of the facility while highlighting which aspects of the company makes it true.

5: Be prepared to answer a candidate’s responsibilities

An interview isn’t just about asking a candidate question but also to answer their questions as well. In fact, a number of professionals agree that getting their professional and responsibility-based questions answered are very important too. So, if you tell them more about their responsibilities as well as how they can succeed at their work, then this will improve their experiences too.

6: Prepare a homework assignment for them

Interviews aren’t the only way you can tell whether a person is fit for your company or not. Work samples or even a homework assignment is an excellent way to find out, especially if it is similar to the project that they will be working on at your firm.

7: Be ready to offer feedback

Almost 94 % of professionals want feedback after taking an interview at a company they don’t get a job at. In fact, they would four times as likely to consider employment at your organisation if they get some feedback too. So, if you do provide constructive and actionable feedback, this will lead to a positive candidate experience.

The post What Every Recruiter Must Do Before An Interview appeared first on King of CV.

Yet, overcoming these challenges for HR professionals is vital to find the best talent that is in the market. For this, you have to adopt certain strategies and solutions if you want to improve your recruiting numbers.

So, here are 5 challenges of HR professionals and how they can be overcome:

1: The Need To Making a Speedy Hire

This is one of the most difficult issues that recruiters have to deal with. That is, to make a quick hire. In the past, there was time to analyse employee’s qualifications and conduct
multiple interviews, competition and growth requires them to cut short this process.

One way you can save on recruitment time is to examine your recruitment tools namely the
software and employee management services that you have been using. Ensure that you
document the proper information and make it easily accessible. If anything, this will cut down the time spent in recruiting candidates.

2: Lack of Resources

Finding qualified candidates all depends on where you are able to place your recruitment ads. For some, they can place them across the Internet, thanks to a big budget. For others, they
have no option but to use the job boards or even look in traditional recruiting channels for the same.

In order to solve this issue, using social media can be a boon and where most qualified candidates spend their time these days. LinkedIn seems to be on excellent example of this.

3: HR professionals Not Finding the Right Candidate For a Position

Recruiters often find themselves not being able to find the right candidate based on background or skill sets. In fact, even when they contact passive job seekers, they aren’t able to find the talent that they require for the position. This issue gets tougher to handle given that the competition to hire selected few top performers begins to heat up. If this is the case, then it’s time to change your approach from just looking for candidates who can fill a position.

Look for people who have talent and then be open to training and educating these workers to fill that position.

4: Finding Employees Who Fit the Company Culture

Probably the biggest challenge is to find new hires who are able to fit into the company’s work culture seamlessly. Some experts are of the opinion that if an employee cannot fit into the culture, then it is best to let them go.

Of course, if you want to find employees who do, you have mention the company mission and work culture in job descriptions. Not only will this help them understand the company better but only the ones who do will apply.

5: Not Being Able to Analyse or Use Analytics Effectively

While Big Data might not be such a new topic with HR professionals, analytics continues to be one that they struggle with. Simply put, this is the ability to locate and sort data collected from human resource information systems that proves to be tricky. For this, ensure that you work with data analytics experts or even HR solution vendors in order to understand what each and every data point you’ve collected means and how this can leveraged by the department. Knowing how to use certain types of information is an important task as well.

In Closing…

While these solutions aren’t guaranteed to work perfectly, these are tried and tested methods to resolve these challenges faced by HR professionals. So it bodes well that you also spend some time finding new ways to solve these problems if these approaches do not work.

The post 5 Challenges of HR Professionals And Their Solutions appeared first on King of CV.

For that matter, hiring an employee that is wrong can cost you a lot of time, money and effort that has been put into their training. Of course, there’s the aspect of requiring equipment too and that costs a substantial amount of money to put together.

So, it shouldn’t be surprising that leaders generally view employees as investments over time. This is purely so that they can make excellent financial returns too.
But how can one tell a good hire over a bad one?

5 Ways to Hire the Right Candidate for the Job

There are a number of ways by which you can tell whether a candidate is a good hire or not. But it doesn’t always boil down to one’s ability, experience or qualifications.

Here are 5 factors that one can use as a measure to hire great candidates:

1: Competent

Without a doubt, this is the first factor that you must consider. Ask yourself if the person has the right skills, experience and education to complete the tasks that you assign them? If this is a no, then it’s time to move on to the next candidate.

2: Compatible

The next factor involves checking as to whether the person can get along with his colleagues, bosses and even clients and partners as well. Be sure that the person is not only willing but is able to work harmoniously with you being their boss. If you cannot, then there will be issues going forward.

3: Commitment

It’s good to check if the person is serious about taking this position for the long term. Or if they are just passing through while continuously looking for better. For this, make sure you take a look at their history of past jobs as well as time spent. Doing this will ensure that you obtain clear insight on the matter.

4: Character

What you have to check in this regard is whether the person’s value align with yours or not. For example, you’ll have to determine whether they are honest or whether they tell the truth and even keep their word as well. Make sure you find a person who is a team player apart from being selfless when it comes to getting the job done.

5: Compensation

Make sure you offer the employee a market-based compensation package that they are satisfied with. If they aren’t happy with the amount, then they will feel unappreciated and therefore underperform as a result. And whatever you do, be wary of giving them stock as this can complicate matters in the long run.

The post 5 Factors to Consider to Hire the Right Candidate appeared first on King of CV.

So, here are four popular recruiting tools that are based on technical solutions:

1: Social Media

Social media sites have a large amount of traffic and volume flowing through them. Companies find it difficult to sift through all the information sometimes while having to include social media platforms in their recruitment process as well. Some of these platforms include YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. These social media sites are excellent because they allow recruiters to find employees based on their skills set as well.

Just the very aspect of the amount of traffic to social media sites make recruiters and HR
professionals happy as a pool of potential candidates are available to them. They can not only leverage relationships but also promote their company as a result.

One reason why social networking sites have become popular in recent times is because
compared to search engines and job boards, this allows for transparent and two-way
communication between employer and potential hires.

2: Vendor Management Systems (VMS) & Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

Vendor management systems (VMS), usually software programmes , is responsible for distributing job requirements to a number of companies such as independent consultants, consulting companies, recruiters and staffing companies. Right from organising the interview and hire process to handling payroll within the firm, it can used to manage literally everything.

VMS can be used by both staffing firms as well as an organisation’s recruiting department.
As for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), they generally handle the entire recruitment
process that are no different from VMS providers. Since these firms handle a variety of
recruiters, they have procedures in place to take care of the entire recruitment process.

3: Employee Screening & Background Check Vendors

The simple reference check of the past has evolved into a thorough background check that
looks into a candidate’s work history and criminal records.

Speaking of which, this includes past and present employment, attendance, performance as well as one’s reasons for leaving their current job.

Without a doubt, for positions of trust and involve high security, screening employees is a must. Depending on certain types of positions, certain other checks are also necessary. Some of these include alcohol and drug tests, credit score and fingerprint investigation.

Background checks are also necessary for potential government employees. Popular vendors that offer employee screening and background checks include AccuScreen, HR Plus, LexisNexis, TalentWise and Social Intelligence.

4: Virtual Interviewing Recruiting Tools

Being able to interview someone virtually helps companies to save money apart from building their brand too.

One option to use is Skype where you can video conference with prospective employees.
Another option is to have candidates complete a virtual questionnaire that requires them to log in to an interview session online while responding to questions on the phone. They
will have the opportunity to review answers before it is stored for the recruiter.

Of course, there are limitations. It isn’t easy to either reading candidates or even understanding employees’ needs. The virtual experience for everyone.

The post 4 Popular Technology-Based Recruiting Tools appeared first on King of CV.

This is why it is important for your organisation to begin this ‘love affair’ to begin during the recruitment process.This will definitely result in attracting the right talent and you don’t have to be working Google or Apple either.

4 Recruitment Tips to Attract the Right Talent

Since the objective is hire the ideal candidate for the position, there are certain changes that
you might have to make.

So, here are 4 tips to attracting the right talent:

1: Take a Look At Your Workplace Culture

The first step is to look at your HR and recruitment practices. For this, put yourself in the shoes of a talented person and check as to how you would reach him or her. Are you using social media or the right kind of filtering tools to reach this person. Do you have brand advocates or influencers furthering your cause? What language are you using? Is your career site design appealing to people from all walks of life? How you do make your initial and follow-up contacts?

In fact, break down the entire process from initial posting to final hire. Check what you need to change so as to find the right talent for your organisation. Very importantly, take feedback from recent hires if you must at your company as well as your competitors too.

2: Integrate Marketing and Recruitment

HR and recruitment does not exist in a vacuum. In order to be effective, they require input from other departments too. This will make the recruitment process far more integrated and stronger as a result. Why this matters is because the applicant will directly and indirectly impact the different departments and functions.

One way of doing this is to take input about job posting from the specific department it is for. Make sure that you ask for inputs in regard to your marketing pitch so as to make it enticing and interesting to the ideal candidate.

In other words, the more you receive input from all departments, the more likely you are to find the right employee for the position.

3: Make Use of Social Media

Social media is an ideal way to reach out to both brand advocates and influencers. Use as
many platforms available in order to establish dialogue and a presence that goes beyond just
advertising a particular job opening. In particular, use it for branding and talent management
too. If you must, hire a social media experts to help you get the most out of your resources and efforts. You might also have a number of media-savvy employees in the organisation.

Get their input too. While using video is a good idea, ensure your online interface and career application process is simple and easy to use.

4: Make sure the recruitment process is honest

The recruitment process has to be an honest one. Misrepresenting your brand will involve
recruiting the wrong kind of talent and which will make someone feel like a victim when they are finally hired. No matter what, make sure you attract the right kind of talent that feels comfortable in the work culture.

The post 4 Good Recruitment Habits For Companies to Consider appeared first on King of CV.

Career advice that could apply to us all even if these are thoughts have been compiled by a
person in their fifties.

Here are 5 pieces of career advice that should benefit most people in their twenties:

1: Treat Your Career Like a Marathon, Not a Sprint

There’s a tendency to rush when we are younger–definitely because we’re impatient at that
age. Unfortunately, that’s the wrong way to go about things since your career should be viewed on a long-term basis. Much like a marathon. Sprinting too hard will make you feel resentful towards work or even wear you out as a result. Make sure you breathe and grow with your work. Take your time and in time, you will get good at your work too.

In fact, if you do take things really slow, sometimes you’ll be able to view aspects of this journey that wouldn’t be possible if you were rushing around.

2: Success comes from repetition, not doing new things

Almost everyone will agree that success comes this way be it Bill Gates and the Beatles and so on and so forth. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers says that you need to spend 10,000 hours in order to become an expert at it.

So, the idea is to become very good at a couple of things before you move on to the next new
thing. No matter what you think, genuine expertise belong to only a few people. Not only do they have the patience to see it through but also maintain a long-term view as well. Also, if you love what you do, be sure never to leave it.

3: Don’t spend your life away at the office

Nobody wishes they had spent more time at the office when they’re dying. While this seems
obvious, there are times when we make this mistake for the silliest reasons. Some reasons
would involve school sport days or even your children being appreciated and recognised for
something. If you understand this at 25, then you’ll know when to prioritise work and your
personal commitments too.

In hindsight, you might remember every one of those events you missed but not necessarily why.

4: Balance Career Advice with Personal Life

Don’t worry about your career if you have the necessary skills, passion and commitment. This is especially if you have young children but applies equally to both men and women. Time flies by quickly and spending it with your children means you getonly one chance.

Apart from this, you only get one chance to learn from them. In fact, they tend to teach you
much more than you will teach them. One way by which this is possible is that they help you see the world as you did as a child for the second time. You’ll miss out terribly if you don’t spend time with them but prefer to stay at work.

5: Act Like You’re 35

It doesn’t matter what age you are–always act as if you are 35 years old. If you are actually younger, then don’t act like a novice. If you are smart and competent, then you should act maturely and get to working on the task in the best way possible.

Of course, if you are much older than 35, don’t act like it. It’s vital that you approach the day with a sense of youthfulness. For this, you have to be inspired enough.

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