Not sure how everyone else feels about the many posts and articles circulating on “tough interview” questions. What I have noticed is that many seem to have a bit of a rinse and repeat rhythm to them – same questions reworded. Here are a few of the commonly suggested tough interview questions:

• What would you say are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you?
• Give us an example where you encountered a disagreement with a…

This very question has become a debated topic amongst recruiters, HR professionals and managers – basically anyone involved in the interviewing process. As we well know, traditionally the old standard was you apply for a job and become an applicant, if lucky enough to get chosen from the applicant pile you became a viable candidate, one worth interviewing at least. 

The interview stage, this is where candidates stress and prepare themselves for the opportunity to present…

Having just returned from visiting family and friends in South-western Ontario, I was once again reminded of the frustrations talent faces when organizational “process” road-blocks potential.

Before I begin, I have a confession to make - my name is Lisa and I was once a process-obsessed HR Professional. I was many talents’ worst nightmare, the ironclad gate-keeper with minimal awareness and direct impact on the bigger picture within my organization. The most unfortunate…

Early February I posted a blog entry called “To Video or Not to Video? Resume video’s are they going to help or hinder?” and it sure did get some feedback. It also brought me to another mind-set on how video recruiting should really be handled. And of course the world has a funny way of connecting people and organizations that share…

One common thread across all levels of clients has been their internal road blocks to recognizing their accomplishments.  They are so used to living and working day in day out that their record keeping of accomplishments fades into oblivion. Although, there are still the handful that have enough ego for the rest of us, those aren’t the people this blog is meant for – not to mention I am sure many of us wouldn’t mind if there were some choking happening there (wink wink).

When…

Back in 2003 while reviewing submitted hardcopy resumes, there were a number of new submissions that came in with mini-CD disks. Unsure as to what they really were, and concerned of potential viruses our IT department scanned them and once given the approval it was my turn to check them out. To my surprise they simply held the soft-copy of the documents that had been submitted – ok thanks but not needed.

During the Global Career Brainstorming Day (held Dec. 3, 2010) and at…

Time to get informed, especially if e-messages are a major player in your marketing toolbox. What am I talking about? There was a bill passed by the Canadian Parliament that received Royal Assent on December 15, 2010. This bill’s purpose is to enact the “Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA)”, Bill-C28. At its most basic face value, Bill-C28 prohibits sending commercial electronic messages without…

A note of thanks to Julie Keeter, PHR for her guest blog entry on Terminations in the USA: Part 1 & 2 – Red, White and Grey?

Terminations in the USA: Part 1 – Red, White, and Grey?

By: Julie Keeter, PHR

I wish I could say that employment standards in the United States are far less…

The last two years our economy has really given us all a good shake. It was a cold hard slap for many who believed they were secure in their careers but received the “golden boot” out the door instead. Others went to great lengths to remain under the radar for fear of being the next on the booting block, if Bob the company’s most committed employee got the pink slip everyone knows no one is safe!

One of the strangest but arguably potentially coolest side-effects of being the receiver…

Resume gaps if left to themselves will bring more attention from the hiring manager than the rest of your bountiful experience and valuable skills. Why? Because no one wants to hire what they *might* perceive as a “problem”. What do I mean by a problem, I mean an employee that presents well in person, scores the position, and then before you know it their true colours come out...those amazing skills – they don’t…

First things first – I am not taking any credit for the information provided below or details – this information was provided by Rick Spence, a writer, consultant and speaker specializing in entrepreneurship.

I read an article by Rick Spence in the Calgary Herald this…

Speaking with an affiliate who specializes in recruiting, I was asked what rights do recruiters have in an employment relationship around termination. My answer, a whole lotta grey.

First thing to determine is was there an employer/employee contract in the first place. There are legal payroll requirements, standard employment contract agreements and many more conditions that determine if the relationship was actually an employer/employee one. With that said, there are also…

Allow me to share with you a story about an email I received out of the blue from someone I have never met or done business with...but would one day certainly be open to meeting. We all receive copious amounts of email a day, alas much of it is spam or material that in our personal opinions may as well be spam. So, at the end of my days I tend to go through a major delete and purge mode of my inbox and…

In a recent HR magazine called “Network” that is distributed through Alberta there was a story posted about an interview appointment gone wrong. I had to read the story about three times over before I could believe what I read. My question is, have candidates really degraded to this level of foolishness?

Story…

I recently received a comment on my original posting “Twittering taking job boards to a whole other level”, from Jeff Waldman. In his comment he provided me a link to his blog that lined up with mine. So I decided to take a minute and read what he had to say, wow it was good! Jeff’s blog is called “What Social Recruiting IS & IS NOT...” and it works perfectly in tandem with what I was thinking when I wrote…

So I have signed up for another "Networking" event, but I'm not sure what to expect this time around. Why is that? Well, perhaps it’s the previous experience where I attended the "network" event that wasn't...I believe we have all had this experience?

Some of my most recent experiences attending networking…

Social Media has become the new hub for posting job opportunities and attracting potential candidates, including those who weren’t necessarily “searching”. I don’t believe we will ever get away from the core of finding the hidden gems of job/career opportunities, it has been and will always been a world where who you know or who knows you - puts you in the lead. But now it has grown, social media has expand this…