How to answer what is your greatest weakness?

When an interviewer asks “What is your greatest weakness”, they want to find out:

  • Whether you have a healthy level of self-awareness
  • Whether you can be open and honest, particularly about shortcomings
  • Whether you pursue self-improvement and growth opportunities to combat these issues, as opposed to letting these weaknesses hold you back

Ultimately, you’ll want to use this question to demonstrate how you’ve used a weakness as motivation to learn a new skill or grow professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn’t expect you to be perfect.

However, it’s critical you avoid mentioning weaknesses that will prevent you from performing well in the role. For instance, if you’re applying for a accountant role, you don’t want to say, “I’m not very good at math and struggle with numbers.”

Alternatively, if you’re applying for a web content writer position with little necessity for math skills, you might admit, “I struggle with numbers. While math is not directly tied to my role as a writer, I believe it’s important I have a rudimentary understanding of Google Analytics, to ensure my work is performing well. To tackle this weakness, I’ve been taking online courses in data analytics.”

At all times express confidence in both your strengths as well as your ability to overcome your weaknesses.

Developing an Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been in a situation where you had the opportunity to talk with a highly important person? Let’s say for example they’re employed in a company that you really want to work for, and one of the first things they say is tell me about yourself. Would you know how to respond?

You need an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is based on a premise where if you had only had 2-3 minutes to have a substantial conversation with someone, would you be able to? Here are some things that will help you build a great elevator pitch:

  • Create a positive first impression
  • Give a powerful and unique personal statement
  • Leave a positive lasting impression

Remember this is not an interview, you only have a few minutes, make sure you give the highlights that are of value to the person you are talking to.

Major Recruiting Challenges Business Leaders are Facing Today

Hiring today is quite different than it was a few years ago, and this isn’t just due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may seem relatively easy on the surface, hiring the right employees can be overwhelming and taxing on many different levels, regardless of the size of an organization. Human resources departments today face significant challenges as their roles become broader and more strategic. The HR function goes beyond recruiting, training and retaining employees. It is a key element in developing a workforce that aligns with the mission and vision of a business.

With that in mind, we thought it might be useful to get some insight into how hiring in today’s job market is for the business experts in charge of these operations. To get that insight, we asked some experienced business leaders across various industries what their thoughts are about today’s biggest hiring and resourcing challenges. We analysed their opinions and the answers gravitated to five main issues. In this blog, we will discuss these five major hiring challenges business leaders are facing in the job market in today’s climate. Keep reading.

What have been the main challenges?

Adapting to Remote Work

When the pandemic struck, in compliance with government directives and regulations, most companies had to switch to the remote work model to continue business operations. Now, before the pandemic, very few companies offered remote work and those that did included it as a perk. For companies that were completely new to this new culture of work, the transition to remote work was tough, not just for the staff but employers as well. Hiring new recruits, tracking employees’ productivity and performance, and keeping employees engaged and motivated can be difficult when you’re not in a traditional work environment.

Another Insurance industry leader, told us that, luckily, the company already had a remote working infrastructure in place, so adapting to the new work norm was not as difficult for them as it had been for other organizations. “The current climate has created some challenges, but our office has been equipped to weather the storm. The majority of the sales team had already been working remotely so thankfully we were prepared as anyone could be to continue despite the inherent challenges and as a result, we have continued to move business forward.”

Retaining Talented Employees

Recruiting is one thing, retaining and motivating your employees is another consideration altogether. According to research by the Society for Human Resource Management, HR professionals project that retaining the best employees will be the greatest HR challenge in 2022. But why? Well, the world of work is changing. Historically, job-hopping was considered to be a negative thing. Landing a role and staying at one company until retirement was the norm, and if you were moving around alot, it tended to lead to negative connotations. This is no longer the case. It is now acceptable to move companies more often, in pursuit of better salary, culture, learning opportunities or clearer progression paths. Rather than stagnating, or feeling (and being!) undervalued, it is seen as a positive attribute to know your worth and chase it.

Building a workplace where employees are motivated is another ongoing issue confronting HR professionals, because the work doesn’t stop at landing top talent. Retention is the next consideration. Knowing what motivates your staff, and implementing strategies and packages that cater to their motivations, is how you keep the best employees happy and productive. A leader in electrical distribution spoke to us about how finding talent that wants to build a career with your company in the long term can be tricky – especially in niche industries. “Our primary challenge is identifying talented individuals who want to build a career within the commercial lighting industry.” they said, with “getting the word out that you can build an excellent career within the trades and create long-term stability for yourself and your family” being a particular area they need to focus on. Another challenge they’re facing? “Identifying motivated candidates that actually want to work.”

Finding And Recruiting High-Quality Talent

Identifying and acquiring high calibre talented individuals has always been a critical challenge for HR managers. Sure, the job market is full of job seekers especially after the devastating lay-offs of workers caused by the pandemic. But how many of those job seekers actually have the skills and qualifications that match the candidate persona of what a recruiter would consider their ideal applicant for an open role? It can be tedious and time-demanding to sift through dozens of applications to discover the right candidate in a pool full of unqualified talent.

One of our clients within the Insurance industry tells us that the difficulty in identifying high caliber talented individuals is a big issue, especially within a niche industry like insurance, that often requires candidates with a unique set of skills and competencies. He does note, however, that this was an issue before COVID-19 struck, so isn’t a challenge to be exclusively attributed to the pandemic.

Promoting a Strong Employer Brand

A strong employer brand is built by investing energy and resources into numerous channels, as well as through ensuring a company culture that resonates with clients, employees, and other stakeholders. You can nail your social media presence, and promote a brand that looks desirable, but longevity comes in living your values with your employees and your clients.

We spoke to a leader in the manufacturing services provider in the aerospace industry, who believes that investing in relationships with your clientele can help business leaders weather the storm especially in a time like this with so much uncertainty in the air. “Relationships are extremely key and spending time with your clients to let them know that you care “more than just a sale” has also proved extremely advantageous in helping navigate these unchartered waters.”

Building Solid Professional Networks

The importance of networking in the corporate world is something every business leader should not underestimate. As essential as it is to have talented people in your workforce, if you want to build a successful business, it is vital that you have a network of professionals who can help you with attracting and engaging highly skilled candidates in the job market. Without a solid professional network, as a business leader, you might find yourself struggling to find and recruit the best talents in your industry.

One Insurance industry company identifies networking as being key to maximising  opportunities. They advise that you need to “develop a network that views you as an asset [or] you are going to struggle to do well in this market. Networking is still key and maximizing opportunities as they present themselves. As well as identifying new hungry, humble, and smart individuals to be apart the team is still an issue. But we are equipped to bring on board new talent despite the current climate.”

How are things going for leaders at the moment?

The pandemic has caused global unrest. It disrupted many businesses and upended several business operations. We asked the business leaders we reached out to about the impact of the pandemic on their organizations. The insurance industry (especially in the areas of employee benefits and commercial line coverages for companies) is up over last time this year.

“Overall things are going well. [Our] physical office has been closed since March, but the current team has acclimated to the new process and things are continuing to improve. There has been a bit of decrease in revenue as it relates to funding within industries directly impacted by covid related projects along with some delays in the servicing of some accounts as a result of available team members but overall business is doing great and continuing to improve despite the current climate“. – Insurance industry firm

“Things are going well. Company and business is up over last year at this time. There has been an uptick within the Insurance industry for obvious reasons especially in the areas of employee benefits and commercial line coverages for companies.” – Insurance industry business

In addition, the construction industry (in particular custom home building) and real estate is seeing some significant growth, benefiting from boosted disposable incomes and increased numbers of households. According to a report, “The necessity of shelter and the desire of many urban renters to move to suburban homes with greater distance from neighbors will support revenues in the residential segments,” and coupled with lower interest rates and high inventory, those with stable finances are moving away from renting and into ownership instead.

However, as expected, some industries have been affected worse than others. The aerospace industry has been hit pretty hard, as a result of the pandemic and lack of air travel. Construction is another industry that has seen disruption too.

“Times are challenging. The majority of our clients are in the aerospace industry and that industry has been massively hit. Contracts have been out right cancelled or not renewed as a result of the virus and lack of airplane travel.” says a manufacturing services provider.

It’s important to understand that these challenges might play out differently depending on the size of the company, hiring needs and several other factors, but it reaffirms the fact that there’s some sort of consensus in the market and that these challenges are common.

Whether you are a business owner, HR professional or a recruiter, understanding these challenges can help you survive the pandemic, and even come out of the other side stronger and more equipped to handle future challenges.

At CareerPaths NW we pride ourselves in providing qualified candidates to leading companies all across the nation. If you are looking to make a hiring decision soon, contact us today and we can source qualified, professional candidates for you as soon as possible.

You need a killer resume, make sure its ready for the job you want.

1. Find a Professional Font

As fun as it might look on the page, now is not the time to use weird fonts. Unless you are working in a creative field where you should be showing off your style, stick to something classic. Times New Roman is great go-to, or try a serif font with a little more individuality, like Book Antiqua or Lucida Bright.

2. Put the Good Stuff First

The real secret to a good resume is focusing your reader’s attention. In an ideal world, recruiters would read every word on your resume. In reality, that rarely happens. I’ve screened hundreds of resumes, and though I’m more meticulous than most, I’ve been surprised by how many I nearly tossed, only to find something truly interesting buried at the bottom of the page.

Also, the biggest mistake is to use chronological order. Why lead with “Babysitter in High School” when you could lead with “Strategic Planning Analyst?” Even reverse chronological order (which is more common) may not give you the flexibility you want to highlight your best and most relevant accomplishments.

3. Be Specific

You increased recruiting? Give us the percent increase. You raised money for charity? Tell us how much you raised! This can turn average-looking experiences into impressive head-turners and help distinguish you from other candidates. The flip-side of that is that specifics can also make some accomplishments look worse. If you only raised $150, you might want to think twice before including that—it’s unlikely to impress a billion dollar company.

Hint: This is true of your classes as well. Mentioning relevant coursework can help catch a recruiter’s eye.

4. Vary Your Verbs

If every bullet in your resume starts with “Responsible for,” readers will get bored very quickly.

5. Make Every Word Count

Unless you’re a tenured professor who needs to list every book and article you’ve ever published, your resume should be one page. While this limits the space you have to share your experience, think of it as a blessing in disguise: It forces you to focus.

You don’t need an equal number of bullets under each experience. You should be spending more words on your most impressive set of experiences. Moreover, if a job isn’t relevant anymore, take it out! You don’t need to prove that you’ve been employed since 1997.

Can’t make things fit on one page? Keep cutting it down. You can play with margins and font sizes a bit if necessary—but don’t overdo it. The point is to choose the right experiences, not squish them in. Plus, a dense resume is harder to read. And the harder your resume is to read, the more likely people will just skim it.

Hint: You can make the font size of the spacing between text smaller without losing legibility

6. Proofread

Grammar or spelling errors in a resume can be the difference between the “keep” pile and the “trash” pile. At best, you look sloppy. Enough said.

7. PDF, PDF, PDF

This one is simple: PDFs look the same on any computer. Word documents, on the other hand, can show up with wacky formatting or spill onto a second page if opened with a different version of Word or on a PC vs. a Mac. Make sure companies see what you wanted them to see.

Final steps to setting your career goals.

Try Job Shadowing to Get an Insider Perspective

If a field still holds your interest after reading about it and speaking with professionals in that sector, try to schedule a job shadow to observe the work and sample the work environment.

Consider an Internship or Volunteering

If you are in a position to try out a field that is still of interest at this point, consider doing an internship or some related volunteer work.

Start the Decision Making Process

You should be prepared to make an informed decision at this point. List the pros and cons for each remaining option on a separate sheet of paper and weigh the choices. If you are still unsure, seek the assistance of a guidance counselor at your high school, a career counselor at your college, or a professional career counselor.

Do your research

Research Your Top Career Choices

Once you have a tentative idea of some careers worth investigating, then you will need to research them in detail to further assess their suitability. Begin by reading about each of the fields on your brainstorm list. Look for information on our online career information resources.

Try Googling each field like this: “Career Information Sales Accountant.” You will find that professional groups provide excellent sources of career information. Review the requirements for entering the field and make sure that you are prepared to complete any training, certificate programs or educational degrees which are required.

For your remaining options, the next step should be to conduct informational interviews with professionals in those fields. Reach out to college alumni, contacts in your personal and social networks, as well as local professionals to schedule in-person or telephone consultations.

Keep notes regarding what you have learned during your research and match it up against the list of interests, skills, and values which you generated during your self-assessment phase. Make a list of options which are still worth considering.

As always consider having a conversation with the recruiter’s at CareerPaths NW, we are always available to chat with you about your career options.

Working from home? cultivate some good habits.

Maintain a live schedule.

Since you’re not seeing your colleagues every day, it’s hard to stay updated on their whereabouts and the goings-on of the company. Employees working from home need to make it a point to have an active schedule. By keeping constant updates and reminders, it is easy to stay abreast of what the rest of the team is doing and not get behind or miss deadlines. There are many tools and apps that keep track of moving parts of assignments, meetings, days when other employees are in the office and more, he added.

Use apps like Slack  or Teams

Create a physical workspace.

Just because you’re working at home or in your pajamas doesn’t mean you can’t create a productive environment. Setting up a particular space in the home that is only for work, such as an office or a particular spot at a dining room table, it is a clear message to the employees and anyone around them that they are in work mode. It can be as simple as setting up a desk with notepads and pens or clearing some space at your kitchen table rather than lounging on the couch or in bed. Make sure you have zero distractions: Turn off your TV, put on some bright lights, keep your phone on silent unless it’s needed for work, etc.

Create a virtual workspace.

A virtual workspace is just as important as a physical one. Rather than isolating yourself from your colleagues, initiate video calls and group messages. Create a space for all online employees to meet frequently, having video conferences or conference calls builds community within a team and makes sure no one feels left out. Make sure everyone receives an equal amount of attention, and that no one feels out of the loop. When managing workers who are not in the office daily, it is important that supervisors provide them with all the information necessary.

Don’t come in only when you have a reason.

While it’s tempting to stay at home as much as possible, don’t save in-office days only for required meetings, the root of true innovation very often lies in chance meetings. Organize lunches or after-work dinners, and push yourself to come in when others are around – even if your agenda is free that day. This will enable these face-to-face meetings and entice others to the office. Remote work could be a bad practice, however, if you make the effort to show up often and connect with colleagues, you’ll find the practice more beneficial than problematic.

 

Sending your resume via email? Read this…

When sending your resume to potential employers or recruitment agencies it’s important that you pay attention to the style and tone of your email. Besides, this is their first impression of you so your email etiquette MUST be right if you want to be successful!

  1. Remember that applying for a job is a formal process and your manners should be formal. ‘Hiya’ or equivalent is not the way to address your email. Use the individual’s name if known, ‘Dear Jane’ or ‘Dear Jane Brown’. If you do not have their name, use ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘Dear Recruitment Manager’ or equivalent. If you write ‘Dear Sir’ when you do not know who will be opening your email, then you run the risk of offending any female who receives your email and vice versa.
  2. In your covering email, write in full sentences, but use bullet points to emphasise any key points.
  3. Never use text-speak as you would on your mobile.
  4. End the message formally, e.g. ‘I look forward to hearing from you’ rather than a ‘Thx!’ type ending.
  5. Always check and double-check the spelling in the main body of your email and any attachments. Spelling mistakes mean landing on the reject pile 99.9% of the time. Remember the spell-checker won’t pick up every spelling or grammatical error so proof read it yourself.
  6. When sending your resume as an attachment, always label the attachment with your full name and reference number or date to keep track of the version you have sent.
  7. Don’t use your work email address. Set up a private email address specifically for job-hunting which includes your name. You can obtain free email addresses from Hotmail, Google and Yahoo among others.
  8. Be aware that employers are likely to monitor the email and internet use of their employees on their work computers so if you use work facilities or work time to apply for jobs then be prepared to explain why to your boss.
  9. Exercise caution in sending out your personal details. Is this a company that you know or who you can verify independently? If you are unsure, take a look on the web and see if you can find out anything about the company before sending out your confidential information.
  10. Add a read receipt to your email to make sure your CV has reached the recipient. Or call the employer directly if you have their phone number to make sure they have received it.

Starting a new job? hit the ground running.

Start early each day. Getting to work early gives employees time to get settled, review what needs to be done for the day and organize their schedule.

Don’t act like you know everything. Just because things were done one way at your old job doesn’t mean that’s how your new employer wants it done. Before suggesting any changes, it is important to first try to do things the way your new employer prefers.

Ask for help. Try to learn as much about how your new company operates as quickly as possible. If you aren’t sure about a task or how it should be completed, ask someone who knows. It’s better to ask for help than to get it wrong. Also, get specific feedback from your boss each week so you know what areas you need to work on and what additional training might be beneficial.

Don’t rock the boat. When first starting, observe the company’s corporate culture and act accordingly. In the beginning, don’t ask for a flexible schedule or more time off. If those are things you’re looking for, discuss those possibilities before accepting the job.

Say “thank you.” It’s important to show your co-workers appreciation when they help you out. Showing gratitude lets your co-workers know that you valued their assistance and will likely lead them to help you again in the future.

Be open to feedback. If someone tells you that things are done a certain way, accept it and move on. Often, people do not mean it as criticism but guidance. Consider their feedback thoughtfully to make improvements rather than taking it personally.

Ask for advice. There is no better way to show people in your office that you value them than by asking what they wish they had known when they were in your shoes. Many people love to talk about themselves, so give them the opportunity to do so.

Tips to survive the Covid Blues

2020 has been an epic year for all the wrong reasons and things are bleak and circumstances have led you to think about a  new career or a new job.

Maintain your focus.

If you’re about to start a new job or career, it’s time to get laser-focused. What type of work do you want to do? What types of projects do you want to work on? Get clear on what your dream career looks like and deprioritize anything that’s not on your goal list.

Do your research.

Thanks to Google (and Bing and Yahoo) job searching resources are at our fingertips! Interested in working at a specific company? Check out Glassdoor to see what employees are saying about it. Get informed–it might even lead you to a new company (or title) you haven’t heard of before.

Remove distractions.

Learning something new or doing research to change careers can be daunting, so always aim to work in environments that allow you to be the most productive.

Learn the fundamentals of the industry.

If you’re making the leap into a completely new field, do your best to learn the basics. Find out what the typical job titles and roles consist of and learn about the types of career path options you could take. Start with the entry level and work your way up to see what it would take to become a manager or director in your respective field.

Tap into your network.

Ready to become a software engineer and know a friend (or a friend of a friend) who is one? Reach out to them! Buy them coffee, find out about their process, dig into what they wish they knew when they got started.  Even if you’ve had three jobs before making the switch, there’s always room to learn more. Worst case, you’ll get some insider info. Best case––they might be the contact that helps you nab your next role.