Retail Top Talent

What Retail COMPANIES want in a candidate

retailtoptalent — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:41:55 +0000

As I talk to hiring officials all over the country I find that they have many things in common when looking for that right fit for their company. It doesn’t matter if the job is in merchandising, operations, human resources or marketing there are some common denominators. Even certain buzzwords. The first buzzword is LEADERSHIP. How do you quantify this? You can allude to it in your resume under responsibilities and duties but the only way to hone in on this quality is through a conversation albeit phone or in person. Hiring officials want to hear specific examples of how you led a team. Examples of mentoring or promoting others is one great way to convey this. Can you share with the company an incident where upper management didn’t like your idea but you persuaded everyone as to why it was a good idea? This leads me to the second point-BEING A TEAM PLAYER. Again you can’t just say it you have to provide examples that are COLLABORATIVE in nature. (Another good buzz word these days.) Where you partnered with upper management, lower management or a peer to accomplish a specific goal. Another buzz word I like here is EMPOWER. Can you lead not just by delegating but by empowering your people? This is something companies are looking for. They want that blend of delegating but rolling up your sleeves if necessary and getting the job done. Besides leading a team they want you to teach those that report to you. The best candidate on the planet is the one who is actually training and mentoring his/her successor. They are building a team for the future. My next favorite key word is PASSION. You can’t demonstrate this on a resume but you sure can do it in your first interview. Employers want to know that you love what you do and that you have passion for their company and their job and their business. This excites the executives in a company along with their human resources team. Of course the first thing a retailer looks at is- does this candidate have the skill set they are looking for? HR usually can pick this out on a resume right away. But does your resume highlight your successes? It should. But, more importantly, can you speak to your successes in an interview? Remember past successes translate in to future ones and companies love that. Can you give specific examples of your achievements? If you can explain in an articulate way to those hiring officials how you drive success through your people- by teaching, motivating, mentoring, empowering, leading and being collaborative- my guess is you are going to get the job! Best of luck in 2012.

What Retail COMPANIES want in a candidate

retailtoptalent — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:34:40 +0000

Honesty is the Best Policy

retailtoptalent — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:38:24 +0000

Happy Holidays to everyone out there! I look forward to an exciting 2012. As I work with other recruiters across the country I find we all come across the same issues with some of our candidates. We understand that people need jobs and are anxious to go back to work. But remember to be honest on your resume. If you didn’t graduate college then don’t put that you did. Over the past 14 years I have had 3 candidates who lied about their degree and they would have gotten the job without it. But they were embarrassed they didn’t finish. But nowadays employers do thorough background checks and they will find out if you didn’t get your degree. Sometimes a degree is not necessary to the job based on your work experience but they see it as an integrity issue and so do I. I think the same principle applies to posting all your jobs on your resume. I know if you have skipped around it doesn’t look great. But, once again, employers will check and they may know someone who said they worked with you at a company that is not on your resume. Make sure your dates are accurate and list everything. You can always put a good spin on why you left because you were in such demand. If you decide to withdraw from an interview be candid with the recruiter and/or company. Not returning phone calls and e mails because you changed your mind maybe easier for you then to have a difficult conversation but people will remember you in a negative way instead of a positive light. Better to pop off a quick e-mail and say for personal reasons you have changed your mind. It’s OK to change your mind just be upfront and honest about it. Lastly, another issue that just came up last week when I was speaking to a candidate. I presented a great job and they said they had not spoken to the company I was recruiting for in 2 years. Sadly, that was not the case. They had sent their resume in 2 months ago. So remember to be upfront with your recruiter if you have sent in an online application be upfront about it. If you have spoken to another recruiter on the job tell them so. We remember who was forthright with us and who wasn’t and I think companies do too. When you are out there in interview mode looking for the best opportunity for yourself let your recruiter know who you have contacted on your own. We want to help you and if it isn’t the opportunity we are currently working on, it may be another. I know it’s trite but honesty is always the best policy.

RESUME WRITING SERVICES

retailtoptalent — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:11:07 +0000

More thoughts on resume writing. I can’t knock these resume services because they are excellent at what they do. But if you don’t have the money you can certainly create a wonderful CV by using your home computer. As a recruiter, I like clean neat resumes. I love bullet points that highlight your accomplishments. I spoke last week about 2-3 page resumes which I am a believer in. But don’t try to cram in your entire work experience in to the resume. Save something for the phone interviews and in person meetings. This should just entice the hiring manager or recruiter to give you a call. By all means brag but do it in a thoughtful, concise way. Personally, I don’t need fancy fonts or colors or anything like that. Just elegant and remember that some space on a resume looks better than one where every bit of white space is used up. I also like a size 9 or 10 font. Those small fonts require me to pull out my reading glasses! And though some people don’t agree I really don’t need personal details on a resume. I’m interested in your successes and your work experience and where you have lived and the diversity of experience you bring to the table. Getting to know more about you should be done in a conversation and numerous interviews. My first and foremost concern is are you a match for the skill set the employer is seeking? That is step one and what your resume is for. More this week on video resumes and should you list all your jobs on your resume? Best Regards. Shelle

resume writing and cover letters

retailtoptalent — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:34:43 +0000

Hi everyone, my candidates always tell me “I heard if you write an amazing cover letter, companies will be impressed with you.” I can only tell you my opinion as a recruiter about cover letters. Frankly, I rarely read them and they don’t do much for me. In this busy world, I feel that recruiters and hiring managers just don’t have a lot of time to read a cover letter. So if you do write one for a company you are applying to, my advice is to keep it short and to the point. If you are sending a cover letter to a recruiter, frankly, I wouldn’t bother. All we want to know (and you can send it in the body of an e mail) is: are you truly and really relocatable? What is your current compensation package? Why do you want to leave where you are at? The rest of the information we can discern from your resume. Speaking of resume’s I don’t believe in the age old adage of one page. Honestly, if you have accomplished a lot in your career and that is usually the case working with an executive recruiter then your resume should be 2-3 pages long. I like bullet points that highlight your accomplishments, your successes, your responsibilities and your duties, awards and anything you have excelled at. I want your resume to be 100% accurate and I want to talk to you about it. So my bottom line is I really don’t need a cover letter from you. Just a well written resume is all I need to pick up the phone. Best Regards. Shelle@retailtoptalent.com

A Picture is worth a 1000 words

retailtoptalent — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:14:35 +0000

As an executive recruiter I think having a professional photo on Linked In is invaluable. Now don’t worry if you don’t look like a movie star but companies and recruiters like me want to see who we are talking to. A photo, preferrably of just you works wonders. So if you really want to do it right have a professional photographer take your picture and post it. Or you can take the best picture you have in your files and add it to your profile. While you are updating your profile with a photo be sure and add your e mail too. Best Regards. Shelle@ retailtoptalent.com