OK. I admit it. I used to think "passionate" was a good CV or resume word. It conveys more than "hard-working" or "diligent" and adds "caring" and emotion. If you're passionate about something, you're fully absorbed, engaged and enthusiastic. I can remember when, if I saw it on somebody's CV, it added…

Let's be honest with ourselves. All recruiters are using LinkedIn - whether they admit it or not. They won't be using it as the only search tool - or at least I hope they're not!

And when I say "all recruiters", I don't mean…

My previous post about the right number of interviews received a lot comments - some from people saying I should add an extra interview to allow for interviews for subordinates to help select their…

I’ve been stimulated by something I read earlier: – “Up to a few years ago, Google would have employees go through a 12 – 14 meeting process. This would result in dreadfully long staffing cycles, loss of top talent to competing internet companies and overall inefficiency when attempting to…

I have just read on the BBC that Cardiff City (a Welsh soccer club just promoted to the English Premier League) have just appointed a 23 year old Kazakh as head of recruitment. He replaces a safe pair of hands who has helped the…

Encouraged by a world that often doesn't look much beyond tomorrow, we often make decisions in isolation that seem a good idea at the time - only to regret them later. I understand the Danish perspective is that "at least when I wet myself it's warm....." (I find the Danes have a very pragmatic view on the…

Despite the fact that the world and their dog now has a LinkedIn profile, too many members are careless about what they write - and what they don't write!

I covered much of this stuff some while go, but LinkedIn and it's…

You interview lots of people every day. The candidates are keen to get the job you have within your gift. They get nervous, and you're just doing your day job. It's dead easy to get cocky and think you know it all. You start to get a little too clever. You think you can read something into every gesture,…

I've had enough!

How can you possibly not know it's important? You ring me or write to me to tell me you want my help, but you can't be bothered to fill in a simple form and post your photo. And NO! I'm not going to write it…

LinkedIn celebrated its tenth birthday in May, and to celebrate the occasion it asked some industry experts how recruitment might look in 2023. Two things struck me immediately:…

This morning Annie wrote to me pleading for simple and clear resumes/CV's. Annie is a UK-based recruiter. Annie, and thousands like her, spend a good deal of their day matching people to jobs, and to do that Annie reads resumes...... lot's of resumes....... thousands of resumes .....too many bloody resumes!…

The volume of twaddle spouted about optimism and pessimism by half-baked amateurs (like me) is hardly helpful to those looking for an understanding so they're able to make better recruitment and people decisions for themselves and those around them. Much of it is either vacuous - or clever and impenetrable. Hardly useful…

I sometimes wonder if it's me....?

I've heard about all these really clever questions to ask at a job interview that will really sort the wheat from the chaff, but they whizz past me - and I can't help it, but I have to say to…

The Internet is for so much more than email (which the young already regard as old-fashioned) and social networking. I recently wrote about UK government and public bodies (but I suspect these people are the same the world over) who continue to see the solution to address our economic sloth in …

Employing people was never easy. Perversely, it's more difficult now because there are more candidates than jobs, but there are simple steps any employer can take to reduce the risk of appointing the wrong person...

Having said that, there's a lot of…

Rejection is part of the job hunting process.

Think about it: If I involve 60 candidates in a headhunt, eventually 59 are going to be rejected. It's a mathematical likelihood you will be in a position to be disappointed more…

You've covered all the bases so far... your CV has got you an interview... you've done your research and rehearsed what you'll say to the obvious questions you're likely to be asked... You got to the interview on time, and you're performing like a star (You may already have read Top Ten "DUMB" Interview Tips) then the…

I have long held the view that people need to be a little braver with their CV's and resumes. Far too many people write their CV/resume so it offends nobody. Trouble is, it attracts nobody either.

Just last week I had a candidate who sent me their CV.…

In my last article about headhunter fees, I wondered how you could trust to get a headhunter to keep the promises…

This is part of a series of articles called "How to Choose a Headhunter" that's been running since 2008 - But the market is changing so quickly, at least here in the UK, that much of that has been left behind in the sands of time.....…