Posts Tagged ‘Harvard Business School’

Q & A: Candidates and Companies

January 26th, 2010

By Joe Redshaw

Joe Redshaw

What does it say about a company that constantly has the same jobs posted?

That the company is either growing or they have quite a bit of turnover.  If you get an interview definitely ask!

Who is the ideal candidate; experienced or inexperienced?

Depends on your outlook.  An experienced candidate can often come in and hit the ground running, but often can be expensive.  If a company does not have time to train the person, then an experienced person may be needed.  But if the person is over experienced then they may become board in the role and move on sooner than later.  An inexperienced person will typically need a lot of training, mentoring, coaching and guidance.  However this person may stick around longer and could be more driven in the role.

What would you do if you were the applicant?  How would you proceed?

If I were unemployed I would be more aggressive in my job search.  Meaning I would send my resume and probably try to find out who the hiring manager was.  I would reach out to them and let them know I am interested and have sent them my resume…and this is why I think I am a great fit.

If I was employed and just testing the waters, I would probably just wait to see if the company got back to me, but it all depends on the job.  If it was my ultimate perfect job and you REALLY want it, then go after it.

To a certain extent your hands are tied.  You can submit your resume and wait, or submit your resume and try to follow up with someone at the company to show your interest.  After that, there is not much you can do but be patient and positive.

About Joe Redshaw

Joe Redshaw is the Corporate Recruiter for Gomez, the Web Performance Division of Compuware.  He has been a recruiter for almost 10 years and has experience on the agency and corporate side. Joe has screened thousands of candidates and has agreed to provide NEJS his perspective on HR/Recruiter practices.

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HBS Tool Is A Good Starting Point For Creating An Elevator Pitch

September 25th, 2009

NBS Epitch toolThe elevator pitch is a part of every job search.  The Harvard Business School has created a new tool to help job seekers start the process of creating their own elevator pitch.  It’s called the HBS Elevator Pitch Builder

The tool helps the job seeker build his or her elevator pitch in four steps.   These are:

  • Describe Who You Are
  • Describe What You Do
  • Describe Why You Are Unique
  • Describe Your Goal

Each of the four steps of the tool provides the user with a text box to write his or her pitch and even supplies suggested words.  The suggested words are easy to add to the pitch by simply clicking on them.  The final tab of the tool gathers together all the text that the user typed into the previous four steps.  That final tab, which displays the complete elevator pitch, gives a word count and an estimate of the how long the pitch will take.  It also keeps track of the repeated words each job seeker used.  Finally, the tool provides the choice of printing the pitch or emailing it.

There are no user directions but it is suggested that  after the user reads each tip, he or she must then click where it says “Close Tip”.  Otherwise, the user can’t see the progress and he or she won’t know how or where to add his or her own words.

The New England Job Show gives job seekers the opportunity to tape their own elevator pitches.    The Show provides coaches who  help the individuals write and present their pitches.   Although the Show does not endorse this tool, the tool does provide a good format that helps individuals to start drafting  effective elevator pitches.

The file format for this program is Shockwave Flash.  If it does not work, you may want to download Shockwave Flash.

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Posted in Job opportunities, Personal branding

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