Your Guide to Using Slack for Recruitment

Your Guide to Using Slack for Recruitment Lets talk about Slack.  Do you use it? Do you know what it is? Basically its a great tool for allowing  people to communicate within organisations.  Its a lot more than just instant messaging though did you realise  it can also be used for recruiting? I know, right? To get the real inside scoop on how to use Slack to engage with prospective candidates and top quality talent pools, who better to talk to than  our great buddy Angela Bortolussi  of Recruiting Social! Listen and subscribe to the podcast below or check out the written summary of our conversation. Okay, lets formally introduce you Recruiting Social Recruiting Social is a social recruitment company. Were based in Vancouver and in Los Angeles. We  provide on-demand recruitment services that we probably talk a lot about. Basically, we act like an extension of a companys in-house recruitment team, so facilitating the growth of that company. You can kind of think of it like loaning out a recruiter for a period of time. So thats one of the main services that we offer. And then recently, I became partner at Recruiting Social. What is Slack all about? Right now with Slack, I think the best way that I can describe it to anyone is as a messaging app for teams. They originally launched, I think back in 2013. So it was used as a tool to really cut down email and it provides more fluidity in conversation and just really having the ability to share knowledge amongst an organisation.  Since  then Slack has really become this new sort of phenomenon in terms of communication. So its not only used by organisations, just people in generalits essentially a tool that connects people with a general interest. Can anyone join Slack? Yes, we use it at Recruiting Social and it is a free channel to use. If you want to see, I believe its 10,000 searchable messages then youd have to upgrade to the paid version. But if youre okay with keeping that limit of 10,000 messages then its completely for free. Why would we be using Slack for recruiting? So my background is in technology and product recruitment. From my experience in technology recruitment, Im finding that more gainfully employed, engineers for example, are spending less time on like LinkedIn and checking InMails, which for us being in the business of a recruitment is difficult because we want to engage with them about opportunities, but obviously they are bombarded with messages from all recruiters around the country. So when I first got introduced to Slack I found it to be a platform where I could connect with talent and able to have really more intimate conversation with people and again, going back to that real time conversation. You can engage with them in that moment about, really, about anything. And a nice thing to about Slack is when you think of it from a recruitment perspective youre really honing in on their turf. So if its a topic, for example, about maybe AngularJS, you can start a conversation about their interest and then, you know, kind of gradually get into opportunities that might interest them with your employer. Whats a step-by-step approach to using Slack for recruiting? I think my number one rule if youre going to use this as a recruitment tool, is really  to  step up your knowledge, Slack offers on their website so many great demonstration videos on what the social media platform is, how to navigate around channels. And then I think the next step is finding out the purpose behind your Slack channel that interests you. For example, if youre looking for product managers, maybe finding a relevant channel that might be of interest to product manager in terms of just the topics of the conversation that theyre talking about, maybe job opportunities that they could be talking about within that channel. Right now, I think Slack,  theyve probably got about 300 communities happening right now, so it can get a little bit confusing to see all the Slack channels in which one would be of interest, so, I think right now its just best to hone in on ones that pick your interest as a recruiter and, of course, understanding who your audience is within those Slack communities as well. And then I think its really important to step up your Slack etiquette is what I call it, so really in this case when you go into a Slack channel, because what happens is when you go into a Slack channel you actually have to get invited to that Slack channel.  So, once you get invited by the administration person within that community, I would say reach out to them directly just to understand the rules and the regulations and best practices within that community and know theyll be quite transparent as well. After  you get the lay of the land of the Slack community then I would just kind of navigate around just to see what other channels are within that community. So, for example, if there is a job or career channel, check it out because thats a great opportunity for recruiters to post the jobs that theyre essentially looking to fill. And of course, within those Slack channels its a free place to post jobs, and I think thats the really cool thing about Slack, is that we can use it as an extension of our recruitment best practices as well. So once you find a channel that really interests you, then you can really start engaging with people in terms of the topics of conversation. So, someone might be talking about their interest in using like AWS for example. Find out what interests them about AWS and then you can actually use that in conversations with candidates as well. So its almost like as a recruiter you know what youre talking about in some way or form. Where exactly do you find Slack channels? They arent listed on the Slack website. So thats another little obstacle when it comes to finding Slack channels. So theres websites like slacklist.info, Chit Chats is another great tool to use to find Slack channels. Usually sometimes what Ill do is I just do a basic Google search to find out, for example, a .NET Slack channel or it could be a marketing Slack channel. I think just doing a quick search like that youll get a lot of results as well. It just takes a little bit of time just to go through which Slack channel might interest you, but thats the  best start just in terms of to find one. The best list of @Slack groups for #developers https://t.co/RS2QJFzECg via @TechBeaconCOM - Thanks for sharing these! Great article! #tech Angela (Bortolussi) Rees (@ABortolussiRees) July 8, 2016 With are the Slack etiquette dos and donts? I think, well, in terms of the Slack etiquette as I was mentioning, not being spammy, write with purpose and really introduce yourself. So one example that I can give to that I would say if you are posting in the jobs or career channel I would usually introduce myself. So, Hi, Im Angela. Im a recruting manager at Recruiting Social. Im looking to hire a senior software engineer in the San Francisco area. These are the particular skills that Im looking for. This is not a remote position, this is an onsite position. And then I would provide the link to get more information and then put my email and then LinkedIn profile. Have you calculated the ROI, the return on investment on using Slack for recruiting purposes? Yeah. And thats another great question, because I do often come across that, about what is it in terms of Slack that makes it a better tool than other social media platforms. And in this case I wouldnt say its a better tool, Id say in terms of just how we use social media, I think, social media in general is not a new thing to the recruitment practice. I think how were leveraging it is something new. So, again, using Slack is just an extension of your other tools that Im sure that many of us, recruiters use. I think one important thing to note when it comes to using Slack right now, theres probably as I was mentioning about 300 Slack channels out there with about 3 million daily active users. With this particular product I dont know any other product that creates this entire sort of ecosystem around conversation, right? And I think thats the main sort of key thing to remember is that its in real time conversation. Its not where an email where theres that delay, its not a LinkedIn message where theres thats delay. This actual conversation is happening right at that moment. So, the engagement can be really high for a lot of the recruiters. What are your favourite Slack integrations? One cool tool that Ive come across is called Blitz. Its a free app that allows for instant messaging when you are engaging with candidates. For example, if I were to send a message to a candidate on LinkedIn or maybe via email, I could actually send a link via Blitz and that it would invite the candidate into my Slack channel where we could actually engage in conversation rather than sending a bunch of emails back and forth. So, it kind of gives that fluidity in conversation as well. Im obsessed with Giphy. I think Giphy would definitely be my number one. I know a lot of the engineers that Ive been chatting with have preference with GitHub as well. I would say Blitz like I said the app that I was just mentioning is a really kind of cool tool to check out. Appear is great as well. Follow Angela on Twitter @ABortolusssi.

The Top 5 Places Women Get Stuck and How to Get Unstuck (PODCAST) - Classy Career Girl

The Top 5 Places Women Get Stuck and How to Get Unstuck (PODCAST) Since starting Classy Career Girl, one of my main focuses is helping women get unstuck. I love coming back to this topic because I believe there are so many women who have a dream but dont know how to make it happen and end up staying stuck a lot longer than they should. I know I did. I stayed stuck in a job I hated for years before I actually did something about it. Todays podcast episode will help you move forward and I cant wait to share it with you! Where Women Get Stuck in Their Careers and When To Go For Your Dream Our Special Guest: Mia Scharphie is a creative agent of change who founded Build Yourself to help ambitious and creative women reach their potential on their own terms, and make the working world a better place for womens’ talent.  Mia is a professional speaker, trained facilitator and has worked on women’s advocacy for over fifteen years. She’s run a research effort on women in social impact design for the Harvard Business School, and was named a 40 Under 40 by Impact Design hub. Subscribe  on  your favorite platform below: iTunes Google Play Music Stitcher Radio TuneIn iHeartRadio Sound Cloud Tips From the Interview: 1. Stop waiting for permission and start proposing instead. Step up and say you are ready instead of waiting for someone to say you are magically ready. 2. In order to take risks in your career, you need to get more comfortable getting rejected. Practice pitching yourself. 3. Dont be scared that you arent going to be able to have everything you want. What if you didnt have to worry about your constraints? What are the tradeoffs you can make to get everything you want? Whats the challenge you face and how can you get around those challenges? The 5 places that women get stuck in their careers are:   Self-doubt. Self-doubt follows our careers when we are playing bigger and working at a new level.  You are probably playing so much bigger than you even thought possible at the start of your career. Self-doubt will grow with you but you can manage it. Perfectionism: We spend time over-perfecting things. Rewriting emails before we send them. We spend too much time on the wrong things. It keeps us from reaching our goals and it keeps us micromanaging. This leads to burnout. Focus on quantity instead of quality if you are getting stuck in that perfectionist cycle. Waiting for permission: Make it a season of pitching and stop waiting for permission. For job searchers, find 5 jobs next week and at least two on that list make sure you only qualify for 2 of the qualifications. You are going to apply for them. Sometimes we put ourselves in situations that arent challenging enough to us. This will give you permission to challenge yourself. You want to be in a role that you are challenged so stop aiming low! You are ready to play bigger. Stop perfecting your website and go find your clients! You always want to be doing work that pushes you forward. Waiting for a perfect path: You may not know where you want to be in 10 years. Dont lose the time you have NOW to move you closer to that next step. Sometimes taking that step helps you figure out where you want to go. Pick a North Star. Something that is generally in the area of where they might want to be in the future. Dont wait until you have the perfect path before you start taking action. Pick an area and move forward because you will learn so much about it. If you are nervous about it, pull out your calendar and look 3-6 months out and pick a date when you will re-look at where you want to be. But for now, pick one direction and go for it. Not negotiating for your value. Negotiating happens all day, everyday. The first step is to just ask. Over time, you will get better. ONE ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TODAY: Wherever you are listening, think about tomorrow. Whats on the agenda for tomorrow? Think about one way you can ask for something and instead of waiting for permission, go and get what you want. Pitch a project. Take what you would have asked for and then double it. Ask for twice as much. Ask to lead a project. Make an ask. This is not the last ask you will ever make. Even if you get a no you are building your resiliency to ask and over time that will add up and it will get you to the places that you want to be in the future. There is so much opportunity out there for you. Some questions I asked: Where do you see women “wait for permission” instead of going for it? Has this showed up in your own life? How did you get interested in  this topic? What are the costs of ‘waiting for permission?’   What are you missing out on? What are the top five places you see women get stuck in their careers and what can we do about it? How can women stop waiting for permission and what things can women do to stop that habit? How can women know when to go for it and when to say no? Mia Scharphie Creative Agent of Change www.buildyourselfworkshop.com Episode Resources: Website:  www.buildyourselfworkshop.com/classycareergirl You may also like these episodes: 7 Habits of Highly Successful Women How To Say No To Your Boss or Clients With Chrysta Bairre

Personal Branding Interview J.D. Roth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview J.D. Roth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to J.D. Roth, who is one of the blogospheres most beloved personal finance experts (Get Rich Slowly) and the author of Your Money: The Missing Manual.   In this interview, J.D. talks about his new book, how he got the idea of it, how hes differentiated himself in his niche, how his blog led to his book deal and more. How did you get the idea for writing Your Money? It wasnt actually my idea. I started Get Rich Slowly in 2006, and by the end of 2007, I was being approached by agents and publishers. I explored the book idea a little bit, but never pursued it. Why not? Because I was filled with self-doubt. Ive shown that I can blog on a daily basis, and people apparently enjoy what I write, but I just didnt feel like I could do a book. For one thing, when you do a book, you usually have to have a concept that you pitch to a publisher. I didnt have a concept to pitch. Last spring, however, I was approached by OReilly to see if I was interested in doing Personal Finance: The Missing Manual. I liked the idea, and thought I could use what I knew to create a book that would be useful to folks. I suggested the title Your Money: The Missing Manual, which they took, and then drew up a proposed outline. They liked the outline, signed me to a contract, and the rest is history. So, short answer: I didnt have the idea; a publisher did. But I liked the idea, and was pleased to be given the chance to write the book. Is there a connection between personal branding and money management? I dont see any inherent connection between personal branding and money management. HOWEVER, I do believe that money management is important for *everyone*, so its just as important for somebody tying to brand herself as it is for anyone else. Does that make sense? How did you become a personal finance expert and differentiate yourself from the Suze Ormans of the world? Im an accidental personal finance expert. Seriously. I never set out to become a voice in the personal finance community. Originally, I had a blog about cats and comic books, as I always say. I just happened to write a post about personal finance that spread across the internet. On a lark, I started Get Rich Slowly to write more about the subject as I learned more. For some reason, my journey and writing really connected with people. I still dont understand why, but Im grateful for the audience Ive built. The folks who read Get Rich Slowly are smart, and I learn as much (or more) from them as they do from me. I really feel like the blog is a collaborative effort. I dont have all the answers, and people know that. We discover them together. In a way, Your Money: The Missing Manual is the culmination of everything Ive learned over the last four years at Get Rich Slowly. Its the sum of the entire communitys knowledge not just my own. So, I guess if I differentiate myself in any way, its because I dont pretend to be an expert. Im not one. Instead, Im sort of like a moderator, highlighting the best money advice from around the internet, and giving other writers a chance to share what they know. Did you blog make it easier to write the book? Do you think youll be able to sell more copies because of the blog? My nearly ten years of blogging *did* make it easier to write the book, and in a number of ways. For one thing, I felt like I had some of the muscles I needed already. The analogy I use is this: Writing Get Rich Slowly every day is like running sprints. I know I can sprint and do it well. Writing Your Money: The Missing Manual was more like running a marathon. Now, sprinting and running are very, very similar, but there are some key differences. I was able to run my marathon, but it wasnt always easy, and I stumbled a couple of times along the way. But in the end, Im pleased with how things turned out. Get Rich Slowly also helped me write Your Money: The Missing Manual in another way because Ive been writing about the same subject for four years now, Ive developed a sort of philosophy. I know what I believe, and I have certain ways I phrase things. I was able to draw on this past experience to produce the book. (And I was able to re-use some material from the site in the book. I tried to keep that to a minimum because I dont like blog-to-book dumps, but it seemed foolish to reinvent the wheel when Id already written something good that could be used in a specific spot.) Will I be able to sell more copies of Your Money: The Missing Manual because of Get Rich Slowly? Absolutely. Theres no doubt. If I didnt have this audience, OReilly would never have approached me, and Id never be able to sell any books. I have a proven track record, and that makes people confident that the book wont let them down. What strategies did you use to get people to trust your financial advice? I dont have any conscious strategies to get people to trust my financial advice. I just go out there every day and write about what Ive learned and experienced. I try to be honest, open, and fair. I listen to opposing viewpoints. Im willing to change my mind if I discover something doesnt work or if I find a better option. For the most part, Im not trying to sell one point of view. Im trying to get others to take responsiblity for their own situation, and to see that they *can* destroy debt and build wealth if theyre willing to put time and energy into it. Though it sounds sort of lame, my goal is to empower other people to do the same things Ive been able to do. J.D. Roth is the author of Your Money: The Missing Manual.   He is an accidental personal-finance experta regular guy who found himself deep in debt. After deciding to turn his life around, he read everything he could about money and finance. In 2006, he started the award-winning website Get Rich Slowly, which Money Magazine named the Webs most inspiring personal-finance blog. Over the past four years, Get Rich Slowly has grown into an active community where thousands of readers a month share ideas on how to improve their financial lives. J.D. lives with his wife and four cats in a hundred-year-old house in Portland, Oregon.

7 Common Misconceptions About Job Hunting

7 Common Misconceptions About Job Hunting There are quite a lot of common job hunting myths that are frequently repeated, from outdated advice, to the downright absurd. Unfortunately, some of them  could be holding you back in finding a job if you take them too seriously, so its good to know what is true and whats not. Here are 7 of the most widespread myths [courtesy of Wiley] about your job search, that are best to ignore. 1) Being unemployed is a disadvantage when looking for a new job. Its a common perception that its easier to get a job when youre already in a job, as you are then regarded as a sought after employee. This isnt necessarily the case, as employers understand that there any a number of reasons why an individual may be out of a job and it doesnt necessarily mean they are a bad worker. 2) You should put your full effort into every job lead. Its important to put the time in to personalise and tailor each job application for particular roles, but if you do this for every single job vacancy you come across you will soon lose motivation. Its good to place focus and effort on the roles you are genuinely interested in. Its important to prioritise the leads that are most likely to lead to an offer you would accept. 3) Job hunting is more difficult than a job itself. Your job search can be extremely stressful, however if you stay organised, focused and disciplined it doesnt have to be as difficult as you initially think. 4) When unemployed you should accept the first offer. If youve been out of work for a while, you could be feeling desperate to land a role, but this doesnt mean you should accept the first job that comes along if you dont feel its right for you. Keeping this in mind, there are times when you may have to take a job that you are not 100% thrilled about, but just consider it a stepping stone. Temporary work or freelancing could be the answer if you want to carry on your job hunt. 5) Its not what you know, its who you know. Industry contacts can be invaluable in your job hunt, but knowing the right people isnt the be all and end all. Networking should be part of your job search strategy, so if you begin without any connections this doesnt need to be a disadvantage, as you can make them as you go on. 6) Being good at interviews is the most important skill. First impressions can have a big influence on your job search and coming across as confident and self-assured in your interview will certainly help. However, to get to the interview stage you have to know how to  convert job leads to set the ball rolling. 7) The only person you can depend on is yourself. Dont ever hesitate to ask from help when you need it. Friends, family, industry contacts and even recruiters can often provide you with the support you require  to succeed in your job search. Think about how certain people could assist you and dont forget to show gratitude when they do. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

How to Conduct an Effective Leadership Training - CareerMetis.com

How to Conduct an Effective Leadership Training During my college days we were asked a question “what quality should a good manager possess?” there were more than 50 qualities that were named in the classroom, but the one that stood apart and everyone agreed on was “Leadership skill”.Today the organization world is moving towards developing a new skill in the manager employees and that new skill is non-other than leadership. Everyone agrees that a good leader is an efficient manager.evalThe effectiveness of an organization or any project depends on the leadership skills of the individual, to a large extent. Some individuals possess innate leadership qualities while in others we have to develop them.There are many types of trainings that are now conducted to develop and to submerge the sentimental, practical and theoretical aspects of the leadership in an individual.An effective leader can increase productivity and retention rate in the employee.If you are someone who aims to conduct a leadership training skill then followi ng the detailed procedure will assist you in conducting effective leadership training:1. Plan the TrainingevalDevelop an outline of the workshop that is to be held based on the initial information you have about the organization and the potential candidates that the human resource department provided you with.Set out the participant’s prior experience with leadership development and identify the gap. Set out the skill that each participant needs to develop.A comprehensive action plans help us cater to the need of individuals in a more productive and efficient way.2. Send Invites for the TrainingevalDraft a letter and send to the participants that communicated the purpose of the training along with the date, time and venue where the training is to take place. Also, request them to acknowledge it to confirm their participation.3. Before Training PreparationsDecide on how group size you want, it is suggested to hold not more than 20 participants. Give consideration to the time that i s to be invested, training methods to be used, materials and equipment if required along with venue setup whether it will be in-house or conducted externally.You need to make sure that if there is a use of audio-visual, the speakers are available at the venue and if not the arrangements should be made beforehand.4. Organize the TrainingCreate a timeline of the training that is to be held. Keeping the training activities sequential and chronological is essential regardless of the method that is adopted. It helps in managing time effectively.evalAllot time for each activity, question answer, refreshment, and team activities so that everything follows a timeline.5. The IntroductionevalThe first step is to introduce yourself as a trainer and the qualification that makes you a leadership expert. Secondly, elaborate the participants what the goal of the workshop is. You can also ask the participants what they expect of the workshop and plan to achieve through it.Explain to them the arrang ement or the pattern in which the workshop will be conducted. It includes the activities, beginning and ending time, refreshment and how to respond to instructions. Explain them the principles of leadership, who he serves, techniques for developing power and effective attribute of leader.Nurturance upon this is fundamental for them to recognize the qualities they possess. Tell them about the main portion, explain key points, demonstrate procedures and explain them the purpose of multimedia. Use ice-breakers when starting the training, this helps in engaging the trainee and in building a perspective that he is not going to doze off during the training.6. During the TrainingAfter delivering an engaging start introduce activities that awake the leader in them. The trainer can go for forming IDEA teams, leadership shield or walk and talk method. These methods are really effective in building the leadership skills in the individual. The activities can take place individually or in teams. The trainer can use the Exhibit Hall which encourages the participant’s to share their knowledge and experience. Introduce walk and talk activity in the middle of the workshop because participants tend to run out of energy halfway.The trainer should also demonstrate the uncertainties that they will have to face as leaders and what method or type of behavior and attitude is require in tailoring it.Explain thing in terms of what should he do and what he should not. Assist them in clearing the strategies they adopt if they create conflicting priorities.7. Ending Stage of the TrainingThe trainer can use different methods to find out what the participants have learned from the training. He can opt for the Word Scrabble activity or can ask them to do some journaling through Dear Diary activities.evalThe closure of the training should be made fun. As a trainer, you should ensure that you not only uncover the tools but also give the participant a chance to practice those tools in a fun an d engaging way.8. Evaluate and ReviseTo evaluate the understanding that the participant has gained we can introduce a questionnaire. The questionnaire can include background questions, situation questions or open questions.If participants are talking to each other to verify information, if that is the case than repeat the key information to illustrate your point.9. FeedbackTrainer need to handover a feedback form to the participants, this helps trainers discover the lacking in the training and the aspects that he needs to focus upon. The feedback form also determines those activities that actually engaged and made a difference in the leadership skill for which the training was conducted.These tips will help you in conducting a training smoothly and developing the leadership skills in the candidates. The chances of success of a project increase by a good margin if one undergoes the leadership training.evalWell-defined leadership training allows us to attain optimum output from the or ganizational talent.The training ensures that the company has strong leaders that are essential to the organizational success because leaders are the one that are best drives the performance of the business.