3 Ways to Encourage Diversity in the Hiring Process

3 Ways to Encourage Diversity in the Hiring Process Diversity continues to be a hot topic in the modern workplace, as organizations seek to establish and develop practices that ensure they hire employees with a wide range of professional backgrounds. With the benefits of a varied workforce well-documented, hiring managers and senior decision-makers are investing time and budget into ensuring they can attract and retain staff that can positively contribute to business success. Recruiters can play an active role in this process, assisting clients in attracting the right talent. 1. Job Ads How you write a job ad can dramatically affect the type of candidates you attract. For example, research from augmented writing platform Textio found that the word ‘exhaustive’ attracts more men, ‘loves learning’ attracts more women and ‘synergy’ is a turn-off for ethnic minorities. Therefore, when writing your advertisements, it’s essential to consider the coding of your language. If you’re looking to attract females to a position, avoid masculine-oriented words like ‘competitive’, ‘active’ and ‘dominant’. In contrast, if you are hoping to encourage male applications, consider including more feminine-coded words like ‘inclusive’ and ‘considerate’. However, best practice would be to avoid gendered words altogether â€" a 2016 study revealed that removing these from job ads saw a 42% increase in applicants. The requirements that you include in a job ad can also influence the candidates applying for a role. A study by Hewlett-Packard found that men will apply for a role when they meet 60% of the qualifications, whereas women will only apply if they think they meet 100% of qualifications.  Therefore, consider separating the qualifications into ‘essential and ‘desired’. By lowering the barriers to entry, you will attract a larger pool of candidates, who will still be as qualified to thrive in the advertised role. 2. Candidate sources While referrals can be an effective way to recruit candidates, they can also hinder diversity efforts, as often networks are made up of people with demographic similarities â€" for example, attended the same university. This is especially salient for males â€" research by McKinsey revealed that 63% of men state their professional network is made up of ‘more or all men’. LinkedIn also found that women are less likely to use their professional network during the job hunt, instead, applying for roles on third-party websites. Therefore, when recruiting for a role, expand your advertising efforts as widely as possible. The wider you cast your net, the more likely you are going to attract a diverse range of candidates. 3. Diverse shortlists When recruiting a role for a client, it’s essential to ensure you are submitting candidates that satisfy the requirements of a role. However, this shouldn’t stop you presenting a shortlist of equal men and women or those with a wide variety of racial backgrounds. Research by Harvard Business Review revealed that when the final shortlist has one minority candidate, their chances of being hired are infinitesimal. However, if there is more than one, the chances increase dramatically â€" the research showed that if there are at least two female candidates in the shortlist, the odds of hiring a female go up 79 times. Similarly, if there are at least two minority candidates, such as those from a BAME background, the odds are 194 times greater. Therefore, when presenting shortlists to clients, endeavor to present an even spread of candidates of different genders, races and professional backgrounds. Their unique experiences could end up being the defining feature that lands them the job!

Improve Conversions from Your Website Home Page - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Improve Conversions from Your Website Home Page - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A branded website is just the start to building a great audience for your personal brand. Once a visitor comes to your landing page you need to capture their attention in order to convert these leads into sales. But if you are not reaching the right audience youre not generating enough targeted prospects. How does a personal brand attract the right visitors for better conversions? The method is simple once you apply the right market research as to exactly who your audience is. This includes knowing the right content that applies to your niche, and staying on top of the latest trends. With a clear target market focus your personal brand can attract more website visitors who will become loyal customers. How to attract interested buyers to your website Here are several ways to effectively build your personal brand online. Write attractive headlines Subject lines that are unique, specific, urgent and useful gain the most attention, especially on mobile. Use a good headline checker to test out your ideas. Offer your visitors a promise that catches their attention and matches what they have been searching for. In doing so you will compel them to want them to know more about how your brand can help them in a way that is not being offered by the competition. Connect with your audience in a personal way Write content that keeps your prospects interested and tells the reason of why you’re producing products or services. The could take the form of a video or powerful image, and describes what is unique to your business and how you can best serve your customers. Be the answer they are looking for Remember that you are selling solutions, not features, and you want your offer to communicate the benefits of what your brand has to offer. If you want to attract more interested buyers be sure that you are offering high value in exchange for their time and attention. This will help greatly increase your conversion rates and return buyers later. Create a separate lead generation page Create a simple lead magnet to include on your website, in your email marketing and on social media to increase the conversions. These lead or sales pages are designed to walk your prospects through the process of finding out more about what you have to offer them quickly and easily with email integration. Your personal brand’s website should be a place where visitors know exactly what your brand can offer them, and find your content that best meets their needs. When it comes to proper content optimization and social media engagement for your target market you can not only attract more leads, but grow your brand influence in multiple platforms.

Poor Financial History You Can Still Enjoy The Good Life

Poor Financial History You Can Still Enjoy The Good Life For one reason or another, most people will encounter financial difficulties at some stage in their life. However, if those problems are allowed to snowball, those negative impacts can last a lifetime. In truth, the best way to avoid those issues is through prevention. Nevertheless, experiencing financial strain doesn’t have to put the brakes on your enjoyment in life. The most important factor is that you learn from those mistakes and work your way towards a brighter future. Follow this four step guide, and there’s nothing to stop you achieving your financial goals. Pay Your Debts The first step en route to financial freedom is to start paying off your debts. The longer that you are in debt, the more money you will pay through interest rates and other charges. Quite frankly, this aspect has to be your priority. There are various strategies that will help you work your way towards a debt free life. You need to take greater responsibility and accept that it may require short-term sacrifices to see long-term gains. If your mind is in the right place, there’s no limit to what can be achieved. Think About Credit Score In modern society, your credit report can often make or break those aspirations for a better life. Whether it’s getting a mortgage or making another financial commitment, your score will have a telling impact. Knowing how to remove charge offs from your history will instantly boost your scores. Meanwhile, you should be sure to check that details on file are correct. Erroneous data could cause a hugely negative impact. A better credit score won’t only make more options available, but it can help you get better rates from creditors too. In the long-term, this could be your key to a far brighter future. Cut Unnecessary Spending Working towards long-term improvements is vital, but you also want to see immediate results. If nothing else, this can afford you more disposable income. Even if you aren’t in financial trouble, making your funds last longer is a must. Before cutting out luxuries, you should vow to reduce waste. Trimming the fat from energy bills can have a telling impact. Meanwhile, running a speed test can tell you how fast your internet is. Why pay for more than you are actually getting? Similarly, food waste is something that most households could cut with instant impact. Take better control of those small elements, and the big payoffs will follow. Make Smarter Purchases It’s very easy for our eyes to fall in love with a product. But it’s imperative that you shop with your brain from now on, particularly when it comes to bigger items. The feeling of a new car is incredible for a few weeks. However, buying a vehicle that’s just one-year-old could cost considerably less. Similarly, buying a fixer-upper property could be your most financially viable way of getting on the property ladder. Ultimately, you just need to weigh up every decision. Do this, and you should see vast improvements. Image Source; Image Source; Image Source

A Televised Three Way - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

A Televised Three Way - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You can’t say personal brands don’t matter everywhere to everyone. In fact, the three largest broadcast networks are betting on nothing but a battle of three personal brands to win bragging rights â€" and big ad dollars â€" early in the AM this week. Who is facing off, where and why? Katie Couric On television, which we’ve all been told doesn’t matter anymore because real-time TV is just so last decade, personal brands will compete this week for the way in which tens of millions of people kick off their day: watching network TV morning shows. Here are the three contenders: Katie Couric on Good Morning America. Oprah on CBS Morning News Monday. Sarah Palin on Today. And who said you had to dance, sing, lose weight or try to spear a snake with an arrow to get a crowd? It’s a bit shocking to learn that personal brands pack an enormous wallop on one big old media form that, by the way, still dwarfs the importance of those spartan little Facebook ads, and the ever moving Google algorithms that constitute so much of today’s measurable marketers’ nightmares and workload. How old school. Or really: how get-the-kids-ready-before-school, or the-moment-I-wake-up-before-I-put-on-my-make-up. It is worth noting that all these women are stars because of their persistent personal branding. They parlay their personas for a living, which drives millions of dollars to them and billions in ad revenue to shows they appear on. All this desirability is based solely on whom they project they are. What makes their brand popular? Consider that Couric, Oprah, and Palin aren’t selling acting, writing, crafting, judging or using any other amazing skill to wow us. They each sell only an ability to project a singular, signature being. Their brands are each different and almost equally compelling. Intelligent, engaging, and perky. Soulful, worldly, and giving . Nasty, opinionated, and smug. What do these people do for a living? They leverage the force of their compelling, encapsulated, recognizable and relentless selves. What they project is why we tune them in. They captivate and control audiences by activating their personal branding strategies. They appear like no other individual can even hope to imitate. That is the essence of great personal brands. Couric, Oprah and Palin are among the biggest personal brands on mass media, plus each has a huge, orchestrated online presence. The three of them are enough to create the biggest ever morning show battle of people who just talk. And weirdly, they are all close to or over 50. So, watch and learn. There’s nothing like a competition-crushing ratings and revenue battle to prove you’re on the right track, if you’re building your own personal brand. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

4 Communication Tips for Job Seekers How to Utilize Modern Tools CareerMetis.com

4 Communication Tips for Job Seekers How to Utilize Modern Tools The job market of the past and the job market of the present are two drastically different landscapes. One of the most significant differences between the two is the need for all individuals to market themselves and the availability of a platform to do so.If you’re one of the many business people who plan to start the search for a new job, you’ll need to sell yourself not only during interviews, but beforehand to various individuals as wellâ€"which nowadays includes everyone in your online network.evalUltimately, a successful job search in today’s business world must revolve around the proper use of digital tools and technology.With the use of all these modern tools and communication channels comes the newfound responsibility to market yourself at all times. It’s no secret that recruiters and hiring managers are scouring social media to find and investigate new talent. Because of this, you have to promote yourself and carefully curate your identity in order to catch their att ention.Along those same lines, modern recruiting tools allow potential employers to learn more about candidates than they ever could before.In order to properly promote yourself online, there are a slew of modern tools that help job seekers build and promote their personal brandsâ€"and we’ve compiled these 4 tips to help depict how you can properly use them to ultimately land your dream job.1) Build an Impressive Digital ResumeevalIt is no secret that most companies require candidates to submit resumes and cover letters in digital form due to the shift to digital overall.In order to make the process easier on yourself, consider utilizing a resume digitization service, which will allow you to embed graphs, photos and links easily to make your resume outshine the others to potential employers.If this sounds a bit too flashy for you, a more basic yet equally effective option is to create a PDF file of your existing resume. This is because most employers who don’t use an online job application platform prefer email applications that they can print on their end.evalWhichever of these methods you find most compelling, keep in mind that your documents will likely be read, at least initially, on a mobile screen. Because of this, make sure your formatting is precise and consider testing out what your resume will look like by opening it on your own or a friend’s mobile device.A quick set of rules for formatting includes keeping your paragraphs short, leaving ample white space on the page, and using bold or italics to highlight your most important points.As an added bonus, consider mixing in some color, icons, graphs, charts, or logos to visually represent your skills and experience.2) Manage Your Online PresenceBecause so much of recruiting happens before you are invited in for an interview, creating a presence on professional social media tools, such as Linkedin, is crucial. And considering that approximately 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search tool, this is not to be taken lightly.evalAs a professional searching for a new job, you need to not only present on LinkedIn, but you also need to be using it to your full advantage.Consider the circumstance: right this minute, a recruiter is running a search on Linkedin for someone in your location, with expertise in what you do, and you’re not there. How are they ever going to find, interview and hire you if you aren’t searchable?You could miss out on a lot of opportunities by neglecting your online professional presence.If you’re wondering how exactly you can position yourself on Linkedin to be successful, start with these tips:Complete your LinkedIn profile fully, including industry-specific keywords that recruiters will be searching forAsk colleagues for skill recommendations and endorsementsAdd as many meaningful contacts and connections as possibleChoose a photo that expresses both professionalism and a glimpse into your personal brandUpdate your account frequently wi th articles, new skills, qualifications and certifications3)Master Your TechnologyThe internet takes over so much of the hiring process these days, and interviewing is no exception.As technological advancement opens companies up to a wider candidate-base geographically, phone and video interviews have become the norm. With this type of interview becoming more common, being prepared both personally and technologically is something that’s important to master.Some of the most important things to check off your list while preparing for a phone or video interview include getting yourself organized and testing out your equipment.When the day of your virtual interview comes, you will want to do a little preparation beforehand to ensure that you are organized and ready to perform. To make sure your devices are compatible with and you know how to work the system that your interviewer plans to use for the interview, open it up ahead of time. A lot of companies nowadays are utilizing the eas y-to-use but unfamiliar system of VoIP.It’s important to familiarize yourself with what VoIP is, and the basic knowledge and functionality beforehand to most properly use it. It’s important to test out your personal equipment as well to ensure that it won’t malfunction during your interview.If you fail to do so, you run the risk of derailing your interview and your impression on potential employers. Technology failures can make you come off as unprofessional and unprepared, which is the last perception you would want possible future employers to have.4) Know How To Interact Via ToolsevalWhen it comes to interviewing with the aid of modern technology, there are specific skills that can make a candidate successful enough to stand out from the rest. Because of the lack of face-to-face communication, many candidates take that as an opportunity to get lazy with developing and honing their interview skills.Rather than doing that, take advantage of being able to interview from the co mfort of your own home using your own tools and technology. Being able to do so will put you in the best light rather than making you look like a deer in headlights.Because virtual interviews deny you the benefit of creating in-person connections, being aware of your body language becomes even more importantin a virtual interview.Be sure to sit up straight, maintain the illusion of eye contact by looking directly into the camera rather than at your computer screen, and avoid fidgeting with your computer, which includes clicking around to notes or your resume.Keep in mind that some interview software programs allow your interviewer to rewind and rewatch, which means that any slip-ups can be viewed over and over again. Make sure to also check your lighting, sound quality and picture clarity within the interview software to appear as professional, prepared and as tech-savvy as possible.evalYou can do this by conducting a test run of your own or a mock interview with a trusted friend at least an hour in advance of your interview to give yourself ample time to make any necessary changes to your location or devices.When you start looking toward the next step in your career or searching for a new job, the points discussed before are all important to keep in mind. From marketing yourself online before applying for jobs to cautiously and meticulously navigating virtual interviews, properly using technology can position you one step ahead of the rest.If you’re interested in learning more about the job search process, check out these other posts:How to Change Jobs the Right Way?How to Attract Recruiters on LinkedIn?How to Give Your Resume a Boost with Metrics?