Talent Attraction How to Catch the Purple Squirrels

Talent Attraction How to Catch the Purple Squirrels The purple squirrel Theyre hard to come by, but when you do you feel like youve struck gold! These rare, yet highly sought after candidates feel like an unattainable dream for many recruiters, however it is possible to catch them if you go about it the right way. From  knowing exactly what qualities and experience you are looking for, to creating an effective employer brand that  demonstrates values that are important to your ideal candidate, youll be capturing  the purple squirrels in no time! Jibe have put together a handy guide about how to attract the  top candidates on the market, looking at where to find them and how to win them over. What is a purple squirrel? They have the perfect experience for the role. They have all of the ideal education and training. You couldnt ask for a better skillset. Where can you find them? Purple squirrels are passive candidates and are usually comfortable in their current position, however they can still be found and reached on the internet. The top candidates are highly active online, so your recruiting strategy must keep this in mind. You can reach these candidates through social networking, content marketing, job boards and email marketing, to name a few. How  can you attract the purple squirrels? Recruiters need to think more like digital marketers  marketing employer brand and roles. You can draw attention to your job ads through on-site job search,  job boards, content marketing, employer branding and more. You can nurture and maintain the purple squirrels interest with email marketing, job alerts, talent networks and more. You can encourage them to apply for roles by implementing a responsive web design, a mobile friendly application, social media integration and more. [Image Credit: Mega Wallpapers HD]

Why Good Cover Letters Never Include These Words and Phrases

Why Good Cover Letters Never Include These Words and Phrases Why Good Cover Letters Never Include These Words and Phrases Your cover letter is going to be the first document that a prospective employer is going to read from you. This is why you need to get it right the first time.Imagine if you will that you are a company recruiter or the HR officer responsible for reading through all of the job applications coming into the company. Sorting job applications is a thankless taskYou are also very aware that it is your task to find those candidates that are a good fit for the job being advertised.How irritating would it be for you to constantly see the same generic set of words and phrases being used over again â€" especially if they dont really add anything of value to help boost the applicants chances.The problem with a lot of cover letters is robotic proseWe all want to craft the best possible cover letter that lets your personality shine through, so why do so many people resort to including a lot of robotic prose?Your cover letter is there to serve one purpose and one purpose alone, that of showing o ff your suitability for the job on offer. You could liken your cover letter to something like a trailer for a new blockbuster film. It is there to give a taste of what you offer and to entice the reader to discover more about you.The idea is to start your cover letter with a bang to hook in your reader and encourage them to keep reading so that they move on to your resume or CV to discover the finer details of your skills, experience and training.Think personable and professional cover letterThe very best cover letters offer their reader an interesting hook in the form of your most relevant work experience that makes you look like a perfect cultural fit for their company.Remember that most recruiters, when faced with a barrage of job applications, will only ever remember those cover letters that convey a human side. By making your cover letter more personable you will stand out more than another applicant.Your cover letter is more valuable than you think. Make sure you dont fill it up with overused and irrelevant words and phrases that could end up irritating the reader instead of encouraging them to remember you.Cover letter words and phrases to avoid usingLets dive right in with your cover letter introduction. The very first and glaring mistake made here by many thousands of job applicants is addressing your cover letter in the wrong way.1. To Whom It May ConcernUgh! Just hearing this being read aloud in your head should make you want to squirm. Believe me, any recruiter reading this opening will certainly be squirming already!This type of generic salutation is very overused, especially with job seekers sending off blanket job applications without taking the time or trouble to find the correct addressee.This sort of introduction can come across as quite sterile and impersonal. This is why it is worth spending a bit of time to find the name of the HR manager or the recruiter who is handling the job applications. Always check the job advert carefully as mos t will detail who you should be addressing your cover letter and resume to in relation to the vacancy. Failing to address your cover letter correctly, especially when a contact has been highlighted, can make your application look lazy.Ok, but what if there is no direct contact?In the absence of anyone specific to address your cover letter to, it may be worth researching the company to find out who you would be working directly for should you land the job.Lets say that you would be working in the sales department for the company. You could personalize your cover letter by addressing it to the manager of the sales team that you will be reporting to.Customizing your letter this way may be bypassing a fully automated application system, but if your application, cover letter and resume ends up in the hands of your future boss, then this could work in your favor!2. Using the wrong insider jargonAnother common mistake is that a job applicant will try to use professional sounding industry-s pecific words and phrases in their cover letter.While this may sound like a good idea because it makes your application sound relevant to the job in hand, it can backfire if you dont also do a bit of research on the company first to understand their company culture and way of speaking and using language.Even within the same industrial sector, one company may use the terminology for job titles and job descriptions and working practices that another company may not be at all familiar with.Mirroring your prospective new company cultureWhen including your relevant skills and work experience in your cover letter, it can be very easy to simply write down what you do using the company descriptive language that you are used to.Re-read the job description to identify the words and phrases that the company use to describe the job and the duties involved. It may help you to contact the company in advance of you sending in your application for further information about the vacancy.By requesting some extra information about the job you will be getting an insight into the company background and what descriptive words and phrases they commonly use and recognize.Draw these keywords and key phrases out of the job description and any extra information you can source and weave these into your cover letter to describe your work experience and skills that you will bring to the company.Make yourself sound like part of the teamBy making yourself sound and appear like someone who already works for the company, the recruiter will be more inclined to see you in a positive light.They will feel that you will integrate smoothly and seamlessly with the existing team and only require the minimum of induction training.3. Drop the millennial speakAlways remember that you are trying to come across as a professional person. The person that you are addressing with your cover letter may well be much older and more experienced than your average millennial.While you want to show your passion and dr ive in your cover letter you shouldnt enthuse or gush too much. Avoid saying that you love this industry, instead be more specific about what made you want to enter this field and how this job fits well into your career path.4. False flatteryThere is no harm in expressing your desire to work for a company because of its fine qualities. The company may have an excellent staff incentive scheme or have an outstanding reputation for good employee mental health well-being, for example.However, try to be authentic with your flattery. Dont offer flattery where none has been deserved. A hiring manager will hire a person because they like them.They will like the candidates authentic self and believe that they can do the job well. But if you offer insincere flattery it can leave an impression that you are not genuine or very trustworthy.You should bring honesty to the table and work on building trust with your future employer.5. Please feel freeYou will want to end your cover letter with a cl ear call-to-action, but you need to make it a direct call-to-action rather than a soft one.Using the phrase, please feel free to contact me for more information can leave your ending too open. You are not telling your cover letter reader to do something specific here.Be confident with your call-to-action and finish off with what you really want â€" finish with a request for an interview.Cover letter examples from FreesumesIf you are looking for some fantastic example cover letters to help guide you, then look no further than our own cover letter selection!Here you will find 12 of the best cover letter examples to follow to help you grab the attention of the recruiter. Our handy guide includes the following sections:Cover Letter Layout To FollowCover Letter StylesClassicSpeculativeCreativeTo help you out even further, we have created some very useful Cover Letter Examples By Professions, including:AccountingCustomer ServiceEngineerInternshipMarketingReceptionistSalesSocial WorkerTeac hersIf you are looking for a bit of extra help and inspiration with your cover letters, then dont forget to read our helpful advice in our Cover Letter Tips section! previous article The New Candidate Simple First Resume Template next article The Cognizant Candidate Professional Free Resume Template you might also likeTen Quick Tips to Nail The Cover Letter Format

Announcing the Gary Vaynerchuk Edition of Personal Branding Magazine! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Announcing the Gary Vaynerchuk Edition of Personal Branding Magazine! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpJJpn_pxe0] Subscribe to my podcast series Personal Branding Magazine Volume 2, Issue 2 FREE sample available today (HERE) Title: The Personal Branding Gold Rush Description: Volume 2, Issue 2 is a call to action. Now is the time for building your personal eBrand. Laggards will be lost in a Google cloud of dust, while early adopters will rank #1 for their name. Stop watching everyone else steal your gold (your THUNDER) and get involved today. Many people are scared to develop an online presence, yet its the only way you can safeguard your brand and have job security. This issue will highlight Gary Vaynerchuk, who will passionately force you to get involved in the GOLD RUSH. As you read each page, you will gather the knowledge needed to not let these opportunities pass you by. Background: This issue is based off of Garys podcast video introducing the personal branding gold rush to the masses and his consistent dialog and push for people to get involved today. Exclusive interviews: Gary Vaynerchuk, Director, Wine Library TV David Allen, Bestselling Author, Getting Things Done Keith Ferrazzi, Bestselling Author, Never Eat Alone Robert Cialdini, Bestselling Author, Influence 2008 Personal Brand Awards: This issue will announce the 2008 Personal Brand Awards, including the gold, silver and bronze winners. Stay tuned, as Ill be blogging about the winners here soon! By the numbers: 40 pages, 26 articles and 12 sponsors Whats in the free sample? The free sample contains pieces of interviews with Gary Vaynerchuk, David Allen, Keith Ferrazzi and Robert Cialdini. There are two additional articles written by our columnists. When is the full issue coming out? Paid subscribers of the magazine (you can subscribe here) will be receiving their copy of this issue, in full length (26 articles), on November 1st. Who contributed? Experts, authors, coaches and bloggers such as: Michel Fortin, President and CEO, Success Doctor Ivana Taylor, Founder, DIY Marketers Alana Taylor, Blogger, Mashable Lodewijk van den Broek, Blogger, How to be an original Alister Cameron, Blog Consultant Jason Womack, Workplace Performance Expert Angela Maiers, CEO, Maiers Educational Services Steve Olsen, Blogger Ron Hogan, Writer, Mediabistro Dean Shareski, Blogger, Ideas and Thoughts Jim Wang, Blogger, Blueprint for Financial Prosperity Special thanks to the staff: Selina McCusker interviewed Robert Cialdini Scott Bradley helped with marketing Miriam Salpeter and Connie Bensen are the editors Columnists: Jay Deragon, Tiffany Monhollon, Rick Mahn, Liz Pabon, Rob Cuesta, Maria Elena, Vikram Rajan, Jack Humphrey, Georgina Taylor, Justin Levy and Jim Stroud. Join our Facebook fan page Thanks to the sponsors