The FINANCIAL — Are you unemployed? Are you seeking a job? Do you want to change your job? No matter which question fits you, The FINANCIAL with the assistance of leading recruitment agencies, has prepared these tips for job hunters.
Every person has a special talent which may be a valuable resource for a company. According to recruitment managers, the most common mistake in a job search is when your talents and skills are underestimated. More often than not the reason is a poorly written CV.
The average recruitment process that a candidate must pass through includes: sending in a CV, writing a test, and going for 2-3 job interviews, one in a recruitment agency and one or two in the client organization.
“The importance of the CV is obvious. Content is definitely very important but the CV content and layout create a single unity and this unity can easily change your life for the good,” Michael Lelashvili, Head of Brain Source International’s Representative Office in Georgia.
“One thing all applicants should keep in mind – the person who will be reading the CV mustn’t get the impression that the visual side took much more time than the content. In a few words, your CV must be well-organized and eye-friendly,” says Lelashvili.
“Your CV is a powerful instrument stating who you are. You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. That is why you must pay attention to the documentation you send in to a prospective employer to get an invitation for an interview,” says Nodar Shurghaia, Director of HR recruitment agency, opened two years ago.
“You’ve sent your CV to every employer you know, but your phone remains silent for months. The reason – your CV did not impress anyone. It fell into the rubbish bin after a regular “short-listing” process without even being reviewed,” adds Shurghaia.
”Never lie on your application even if it is a small one, after a reference check the all will be clear. If submitting an application in person be properly dressed and groomed. After all, don’t forget that first impressions are very important and will get you noticed,” says Irakli Kilasonia, Regional Consultant and Country Manager, Georgia of Pedersen&Partners, one of the leading executive search company in Central and Eastern Europe
According to Kate Javakhishvili, recruitment manager of Human Capital, the CV is like an advertisement for the job seeker, it should in effect “sell” the candidate.
“A lot of information can be gathered from a CV, so it is good when a CV gives detailed information about the candidates’ experience. For example it is better when it is written not only what the occupied position was, but also what kind of responsibilities the candidate had, what the tasks were that s/he had to perform and what kind of skills they required,” says Javakhishvili.
“For example, when you write “graduated Tbilisi State University” you should attach as additional information which subjects you studied and what points you received, this gives useful information to the client so that when he has to choose 20 resumes out of 300, your well described CV will have a much better chance of being picked. There is no need to write your hobbies, but do include any expanded work experience,” says Shurghaia.
“Always take time when writing your CV, MS Word template is not the answer. Let people know you care. If you are not able to create your own, there are many different ones online to use as an example,“ Kilasonia advises.
“Focus on your experience, responsibilities and core competencies. Speak in specific numbers, dates and volumes, but remember a good CV is only 2 to 3 pages,“ added Kilasonia.
Hopefully with the above tips you can write a good CV or Resume. Also, you can attach a cover letter to your CV even if the employer does not stipulate it.
“A CV answers a question: Who are you? While a good cover letter explains why above all other candidates the employer should choose you for the vacant position,” Shurghaia says.
After writing these documents well, you will have a much increased chance of being called in for an interview.
“Today we interview more than 30 people daily and the result is the very pure, because most of them are unprofessional in their field or do not have the specified skills to be found in the new job,” says Shurghaia.
That’s why HR recruitment agency decided to launch training for job seekers.
“It will be a 2 or 3 day long training however even if a job seeker is willing to participate, if they have some kind of complex then we will remove them from the programme.”
“When called to an interview, gather information about the company. Know their business; understand their structure, culture and strategy. Prepare and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the company, vacancy, and expectations. You are selling yourself to them almost as much as they are to you“- says Kilasonia.
“Speak in figures, shows your connection to your line of work. Be confident and try to relax. Thoroughly explain your motivation. Never ask the salary question first, save it till the end,” he added.
According to recruitment managers, the top interview questions are: Why do you want to work here? Why should we hire you? What are your weaknesses? Why did you leave, or why are you leaving, your job? What motivates you best? What is your salary expectation?
“When we interview a job seeker, we pay attention to how productive his work was at his previous position. Also we are interested in the steps the person has taken, from what initial position and where he was promoted too,” says Shurghaia.
According to him, there is a great demand for accountants at the moment; accordingly the salaries for these professionals are high, from USD 700.
“Basically all our clients seek people who know the English language, also Russian. Although because many Turkish companies have entered Georgia recently, there are also those seeking candidates who know Turkish as well,” says Shurghaia.
The clients of Pedersen & Partners, the largest executive search firm in Central and Eastern Europe, are always companies and never individuals.
“We have an extensive list of clients across the region. Through our specialized practice groups we work in many sectors,” Irakli Kilasonia, Regional Consultant and Country Manager, Georgia of Pedersen & Partners, told The FINANCIAL.
The clients of Pedersen & Partners are companies such as Bausch & Lomb, British American Tobacco and Levi Strauss, Nokia and Microsoft, GRDC and London International Bank.
“For different jobs and positions the definition of an ideal candidate might be very different, but when speaking in general terms, for management positions a better candidate is one with a proven track record of professional growth, starting and completing projects, longer tenure, adaptability to company culture . However at the end all comes down to our client requirements and needs” Irakli Kilasonia says.
Brain Source International is a European search and selection company specializing in the recruitment of middle and top management for international and local companies in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and the CIS. The company has been operating in Georgia since 2006.
“The criteria according to which we make the search and selection process of potential candidates is different for each assignment and is set by our clients, according to their needs and requirements,” Michael Lelashvili, Head of Brain Source International’s Representative Office in Georgia, told The FINANCIAL
“As we do only executive searches for top and middle management, job offers from our clients are very perspective, because the candidates we offer to our clients are successful managers, who in many cases are not looking for a new job and to motivate them to move to the new work place, it is essential to provide them with a very attractive offer,” added Lelashvili.
For Brain Source International, characteristics of the ideal candidate are: Can do the job; Leadership skills; Realistic about money; Co-operative; Reference checkable; Appearance; Chemistry; Location; Not too long at any one company; Marketable – something to sell.
Since 2007 Human Capital offers its clients full HR service from staff selection and head hunting to inter organizational research, trainings and other HR related consulting services.
“Experience in the field of staff selection, trainings and organizational research is much longer, Human Capital, former MC – Marketing Communications, offers its clients most of these services,” Javakhishvili, Human Capital, told The FINANCIAL.
According to Javakhishvili, since its establishment, the company Human Capital has co-operated with some of the most important and successful players of Georgian business society.
“In some cases our company announces vacancies, in other cases direct search or headhunting is needed, sometimes our clients already know specifically whom they would like to employ and our company works on “hunting” a person, which is defined by the client,” says Javakhishvili.
Finally, don’t forget what the experts advise:
Looking for a job is work. The more experience you have, the better your chances for success. The more people you know and the more you follow up on contacts, the greater your options. While any job that increases your income is probably worth considering, the real challenge is to find a job you really enjoy that also returns a decent amount of money.
