LinkedIn and dating; much the same really!

The business world has changed so much in the last twenty years that it is nigh on impossible imaging returning to sitting in a library flicking through reference manuals or scrolling through microfiche to unearth the information that you were after. If you’re under 30 you’ll probably have to Google microfiche – now how old do I feel!

So, where would we be without LinkedIn, the new business white pages that seems to dominate these days? I bet you couldn't imagine going back to the days before you could find people you'd lost track of or attempt to connect with pretty much anyone in the working world, whether they like it or not. And therein, lies the rub.

In many ways, LinkedIn is a lot like a dating site, except for business.

If you’re old enough you’ll remember the J. Geils Band who had a song called "Love Stinks" that goes like this, "You love her; but she loves him. And he loves somebody else; you just can't win." Trying to connect with people on LinkedIn can be just like that. Moreover, how we network and form relationships in the working world is very similar to how we do it in our personal lives.

It is an almost unquestionable fact that these days if you want to have a career, you've got to have a LinkedIn profile. On top of that it's also a great way to manage your business contacts. But LinkedIn also makes it easy to try to connect with people you don't know to further your career or your business opportunities. However, don’t be surprised that it’s not just beautiful blondes who hit on your LinkedIn profile but the occasional moose too.

OK, not the world’s best analogy, but you've got to admit, it true. I’d be surprised if you haven’t had an opportunist or two contact you on a number of occasions. They put you on the spot and then you've got to reject them. It's annoying. Unless, of course, they've got something you want, in which case you’ve just made a connection. Not for life. Just until you get what you want, get bored and dump them. Just like dating.

As for posting to all those groups and commenting on discussions, that's just like when you were single, wasting your nights bouncing from one bar to another hoping to meet that someone special. Just try to imagine all those desperate, inane, rambling nightclub conversations that ultimately led to absolutely nothing. That's right. LinkedIn is just like that.

Twitter's different. Twitter's a media outlet, an overloaded news source for people with ADD - because very few people really ever have the time to read even a tiny fraction of what is tweeted. Anyway, you're not going to form any real relationships on Twitter. Either personal or business.

I’m over thirty (and quite a bit) so yes this all makes me sound cynical and jaded, but really that's because there's nothing new here, at least not if you’ve been around the block a few times. Working at a company or doing business is all about relationships. Business relationships, personal relationships, they all work pretty much the same way. And online social networks are just a new way to find each other.

Is there anything that can be learned from this? Business life is a lot like personal life. Companies are a lot like homes. Bosses are like parents. Business partners are like spouses. Colleagues are like friends. And employees are like kids. Yes that sounds strange, but if you think about it, it might actually make sense.

As for online social networks, they're just a new way to do the same old stuff. They're another way to find and connect with each other. The same rules apply.

As ever we’re keen to hear from you, let us know your thoughts on networking, social networks and if you must – your dating experiences!!

You can contact us at: blog@chestertongray.com or tweet us at @chestertongray

Will Social Media scupper your career?

There has been a lot in the press (both online and in print) recently about Hiring Managers and HR using Social Media to take up unofficial references on candidates; this has included comment and research and some of the conclusions are quite alarming. For example research by the website CareerBuilder.co.uk found that over half the employers who responded have rejected a candidate after having seen something on their social media that put them off!

You may think that this only applies to Generation X and Y – the young, tech savvy candidates and not the mature professional, management grade candidates. But think again; how many of these now have a strong presence on social media through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as well as YouTube?

Many of the younger generation we talk to are quite prepared to share their lives via social media (ask your teenage children if email is old hat) and don’t seem to comprehend that it is all in the public domain and not confined to their immediate circle of friends. Unfortunately this is now moving up the age and professional scale with many individuals posting regularly on Twitter and Facebook.

But here is the big question: should you as a (potential) employer seek to find answers to those delicate questions you can’t ask in an interview anymore on social media? And if you do should someone’s private life influence your decision? Should a candidates’ social media profile be used to pre-screen them and to judge if they are a worthy person who will fit into the company culture?

As a candidate you can obviously use social media to increase your chances of success by posting great stuff that shows you in a good light and by networking carefully. On the flip side it is so easy to damage your chance of success by throwing caution to wind and posting what to an employer may be seen as inappropriate content.

Many users of social media do not realise that the internet never forgets – once it is posted it will be found, even years later – a public skeleton in the cupboard!

So beware those photos that you wouldn’t want your mum or granny to see and be careful not to make any comments you may regret later. Remember you have chosen to share this content with the public so make sure it shows you to advantage.

Make sure you look professional on-line and avoid posting anything that could be construed as an illegal activity; shows you as a drinker or drug taker; shows you can’t spell or construct a proper sentence; is untruthful about your experience; has improper photos; bad-mouths your colleagues or ex-employer; demonstrates that you are not confidential at work.

As ever we’re keen to hear from you, let us know your thoughts at blog@chestertongray.com or tweet us at @chestertongray

The high cost of bad recruitment

A few days ago I worked out that I’m now in my twenty sixth year in the recruitment industry and I think that it’s fair to say that I’ve done my fair share of recruiting. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that one of the most costly, time-consuming blunders a business can make is picking the wrong person for the job.


How costly? The industry employment statistics currently estimates that the average cost of a bad hiring decision can equal 30% of the individual’s first-year potential earnings. That means a single bad hire with an annual income of £50,000 can equal a potential £15,000 loss for the employer.

On top of the financial cost the loss is compounded by the impact of a bad hire on productivity and team morale. One subpar employee can throw an entire department into disarray. Team members end up investing their own time into training someone who has no future with the company.

One of America’s top CEO’s has estimated that his own bad hires have cost the company well over $100 million. As a consequence of that he now offers new recruits a $2000 bonus to quit after their first week on the job!!

As the search and recruitment firm we’re not in that position but here are a few techniques we believe to be effective in preventing recruitment disasters:

1. Over-prepare: A job candidate isn’t the only one who should prepare before the interview.

When you’re recruiting employees for specific, technical roles, it can be hard to prepare the right interview questions. It’s useful to find an expert in the candidate’s specific field and get some advice on the best questions to ask. This is worth the extra effort, even if it means consulting someone outside your company.

So if you’re recruiting for an IT role, find and talk to an IT person about what makes a good team member. Then, add three specific IT-related questions to your interview. Don’t be afraid to loop back with your expert to get their feedback on the responses.

2. The secretary test: Great collaborators don’t pull rank.

All of the candidates who we invite here to meet us for an assignment are initially met by our team PA. Over the years it always surprises us to find out that a number of the candidates who had been personable and courteous to us were rude to her.

The ability to work well with others is a skill that benefits any workplace. An obvious way to gauge this is to contact the candidate’s references. But, why not take it a step further and dig into a candidate’s social media profiles? Switched on HR departments are already looking through candidates’ Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. I recommend going as far as checking a candidate’s Twitter feed to gain insight. You never know what you might find!

3. The curveball: Hide an unexpected question in the fine print.

We believe that the most effective employees are those who take the time to read the fine print. During one assignment a client mentioned that they write a small, unconventional request into a job application. This can be something as innocuous as, “Please list three websites you visit often.” In their view, candidates who overlook this question or didn’t provide a full answer aren’t worth interviewing.

Why? People tend to be the most alert and thoughtful during this initial stage of the job application process. If they can’t pay attention to details here, how will they perform once they’re on board?

When it comes to recruitment, Steve Jobs once said: "I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1. Given that, you're well advised to go after the cream of the cream. ...A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players."

How do you find your crème de la crème?

If you would like to discuss how you we can work with you on your key recruitment issues then please contact one of the Directors at www.chestertongray.com

4 Reasons your CV will be replaced by your online profile in the future

The last few years has seen the rise and rise of social and business networking sites. Putting aside for one moment Facebook, there is a plethora of business sites that you might have been advised to look at. If I’ve lost you already and you weren’t aware of these sites (really?) then here is a very small list, in no particular order of preference, to start with: LinkedIn; Viadeo; Xing; Plaxo; BraveNewTalent. So, the real question is; how important is your online presence in your career these days? I would suggest that it is more important than you might think.

A number of “expert” surveys on both sides of the Atlantic are predicting that CV’s will fall by the wayside while your online presence takes over your career. Here are a few reasons taken from these surveys as to why they believe this will happen:

Today’s job hunting strategies are mostly online. Gone are the days of looking in the newspaper or applying in-person for job openings. Consider how reduced are the broad sheets Sunday appointment pages compared to a few years ago. Today’s job seekers are spending most of their time and effort networking online, searching company websites, and participating in web communities — and that will only increase in the next few years.

Everyone needs to be ready for a job transition at all times. Now that the days of landing a “traditional” job with stability, benefits, and tenure are gone, candidates need to be ready for a transition at any time. Maintaining an online profile on professional networking sites is more logical than creating a new CV every few months, because it allows for immediate changes and is visible to your entire network.

A recent article in Forbes commented: “By building your online presence, employers can find you and thus you have more opportunities. If you don’t have an online presence, you won’t appear to be relevant and you will be passed over for more savvy applicants that have visibility. You need to be creative in your job search by developing your own product, eBook, viral video, or personal advertisement. Finally, you need to treat your life as one giant networking event, and meet as many people in your field as you can.”

Entrepreneurship is becoming the choice profession for many job candidates. The state of a number of the European economies has seen a rise in redundancies and with little opportunity for some job seekers; many have resorted to setting up their own business or to freelancing opportunities to support themselves. In order to be successful in their new venture, they are realising the importance of a strong online presence and network in order to make their new business successful.

CV’s don’t convey passion or personality. With today’s technology, a job seeker can do a better job at selling themselves through a professional portfolio website or networking profile than a traditional CV. An employer has the opportunity to get to know that candidate in more depth through these online tools than a traditional recruitment process.

There is a natural proviso that goes along with any online presence that hasn’t changed from a traditional CV and that is how you present yourself, what you say about yourself and any images that you choose to post. Whilst I’m sure that you will all maintain the utmost professionalism on the business networking sites, my colleagues and I have seen far too many candidate profiles and pictures on sites such as Facebook that would embarrass their parents and should definitely never ever see the light of day.

If you would like to talk with any of us about creating an online presence and the networking sites then please don’t hesitate to do so at www.chestertongray.com

Why companies watch your every Facebook & Twitter move.

The recent banning and fining of a number sports stars for tweeting rude comments about their lack of selection has once again brought attention on modern networking sites back into focus and a reappraisal of how they’re used by commercial organisations.

Once upon a time companies could afford to be rude. I might grumble to a few friends and walk to the next shop on the high street but there was little else that I could do. These days I’ll still grumble to my friends, but now I do it online, using social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Today one witty Tweet, one clever blog post, one devastating video - forwarded to hundreds of friends at the click of a mouse - can snowball and kill a product or damage a company's share price. It's a dramatic shift in consumer power. But what if companies could harness this power and turn it to their advantage?

Social media is quickly becoming a customer relationship management system, as companies have for the first time access to people's minds in near real-time. It may be all the buzz, but I suspect that in reality only a few firms understand it and know how to use it, it's been of peripheral interest for most. Few realise that using social media has become much more than customer service and reputation management.

Most importantly, it can act as an early warning system when something goes wrong. But for many companies social media tools are poorly integrated into the corporate structure, if your system tells you that your customers are unhappy about a product or service, it can be critical that the tool immediately alerts the team in charge of it.

It also makes business sense. Good use of social media can reduce complaints and costly calls to a service centre. But there are dangers that the obsession with social networking can make management lose focus. If a company needed a random tweet to alert them to a problem, surely something was wrong in the first place.

Even in normal times social media marketing has its quirks. I was told that the single most important rule is to try to sound genuine, "don't push... and don't pretend you are hip". Just as readers can quickly tell whether a CEO's blog is really written by the boss or the PR team, Twitter and Facebook don't lend themselves to spreading the corporate message.

As companies are getting to grips with social media, the very business model of customer relationships looks set to change. Consumers are spending their attention on social media but firms don't know how to repay them properly. There's no manual for that yet and there probably never will be.

After all, what works today, might not work tomorrow.