Do You Hire People?

A world renowned career specialist lists the five worst ways to look for a job:

• Looking for employer's job postings on the Internet
• Mailing out resumes to employers at random
• Answering ads in professional or trade journals, relative to your field
• Answering local newspaper ads
• Going to private employment agencies or search firms for help

This same gentleman tells his readers there are five questions that people who have the power to hire want to know:

• Why are you here?
• What can you do for us?
• What kind of person are you?
• What distinguishes you from nineteen other people who can do the same tasks that you can?
• Can I afford you?

If you're in a position to hire people, you're probably saying, "This information is of little use to me."

Really? Think about it for a minute. Do you search for prospective employees using any of the methods described above? Are you quantifying exactly what you need from prospective employees during the interview process? How does your hiring and interviewing process correlate with the advice being given to people looking for jobs by a world renowned career expert?

Sometimes we need to view our problems through a different lens. Instead of using a resource designed for hiring managers, consider a resource designed for job seekers.

The author I refer to here is Richard Bolles. Richard began writing What Color Is Your Parachute? way back in 1970. With the exception of 1971, he has revised and republished it every year since. Translation: It contains a boat load of relevant wisdom and knowledge. This book is one of the best books that I've ever read. I highly recommend picking up a copy today!