Executive Job Seekers' Biggest Mistakes

With the UK economy showing little sign of emerging from recession in 2009 the job market is still tough going especially for high earning executives as companies are becoming increasingly selective when making executive level hires and the interview process becomes ever more intense and prolonged.
When we recently helped a senior IT professional back into the work place we found that an article posted on Forbes.com proved a real help

Executive Job Seekers’ Biggest Mistakes

The main points highlighted in this article are extremely helpful and should be adopted when conducting your job search whether you are embarking on your first role since leaving university or seasoned campaigner within your industry sector.

For reference keep these points in mind when conducting your job search:

1. Candidates are poorly prepared, ensure thorough interview preparation

2. Ensure your CV is well constructed, develop a strong brand identity and USP

3. Don’t not appear desperate

4. Keep answers to questions concise and to the point

5. Pay attention to information covered in the interview, try not to keep going over “old ground”

6. Don’t apply for roles you are over qualified for

7. Follow up interviews with a thank you email and letter

For more helpful information to help you succeed in your job search then visit

The Talent Emporium Blog

or visit

Talent Emporium Jobs

to view our latest list of vacancies.

Talent Emporium provides transparent, low cost flat fee and fixed price recruitment solutions enabling companies to make multiple hires for the same role from a 4 week recruitment campaign. With our entry level recruitment solution starting at just £500+VAT we are guaranteed to slash you recruitment costs by thousands, the first time you use us.

Tell me about yourself? The most frquently asked interview question

“Tell me about yourself?” The most frequently asked question at interview and often the first to be asked, setting the tone and direction of the interview process.

Another one of those make or break interview questions that employers use to separate the men from the boys. But, once again by taking some time to prepare before your interview, researching the company you have applied for then a great opportunity to separate you from the competition and an bring that offer of your dream job closer.

As this is such an important interview questions I have put together some useful links so you can gain a cross section of views and examples on how this question should be answered:

www.actingforbusiness.com/interview/JobInterviewtips/interviewtips/tellmeaboutyourself.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_answer_

www.professional-cv-writingservices.co.uk/int/job-interview-tell-me-about-yourself.html

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-answering_one_of_the_trickiest_interview_questions-663

www.job-interview-site.com/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-questions-and-answers.html

http://cuberules.com/2009/10/02/interview-question-tell-me-about-yourself/

www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html

www.careerknowhow.com/interviewtips/tellme.htm

www.employmentblawg.com/2009/the-tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question-answer-it-with-a-memorable-story/

Talent Emporium offers transparent, low cost flat fee recruitment services matching talented individuals with dynamic organisations. To find out how we can help your organisation acquire the talent they need to move forward visit www.talentemporium.com to view our fixed fee recruitment services.

If you are looking for a career move view our job vacancies at

www.talentemporium.com

or if you have any questions relating to your CV or the interview process email your questions to Interview Questions

Flat Fee Recruitment: Transparent, low cost recruitment

We all know that companies are built on their staff and talent acquisition is key to a company’s success, but does it really have to be so expensive? Especially in today’s tough economic times when organisations are looking to cut costs to increase their bottom line do you really want to be presented with a bill from a recruitment consultant (the emphasis on con in many cases!) for more than you were expecting? Talent Emporium’s transparent, low cost, fixed fee recruitment offering guarantees that this is not the case.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that reducing recruitment and advertising costs when hiring is key for most businesses, irrelevant of size or sector and Talent Emporium is ideally placed to help your company acquire the talent you require to drive your organisation forward often 95% cheaper than using a contingency based recruitment model.

Although there are other flat fee or fixed fee recruitment services out there, we operate differently. Talent Emporium’s three distinct offerings enable clients to pay per 4 week recruitment campaign enabling clients to take ownership of the candidate applications received during that 4 week period. Our transparent, low cost, flat fee recruitment services ensure organisations maximise their ROI by enabling multiple personnel to be hired for similar positions from a 4 week recruitment campaign all for a fixed fee, starting at just £500. Surely this is a no brainer for any company, large or small as the cost of advertising across a network of job boards would far exceed our one off flat fee never mind the time of expense needed to manage the full recruitment process.

At Talent Emporium we differ from our competitors as the internet and social media plays a big part in our 4 week recruitment campaigns. We proactively employ the use of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to ensure our recruitment campaigns gain maximum online exposure and your vacancy is marketed to both active and passive candidates. Our use of online databases, social media and data mining of the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN ensure we explore every avenue to ensure we deliver the talent your organisation requires.

Talent Emporium’s recruitment credits will never expire, allowing companies to purchase credits in bulk and receive even bigger savings on their recruitment spend. As you can see, for a one off fixed fee Talent Emporium provides a more thorough and deep rooted search than many contingency or retained recruitment services, saving our clients both time and money. In fact we are guaranteed to save you thousands of pounds on contingency based recruitment models, who charge a percentage fee of the candidate’s first year salary and benefits, from the first time you use us. There are no hidden costs, just a low cost, fixed fee to take away the administration and financial strain that often puts pressure on firms when recruiting.

For more information on our transparent, low cost, flat fee recruitment solutions visit

www.talentemporium.com

to find out how you can start recruiting for a one off fixed fee.

Mickey Mouse Tie = Mickey Mouse Interview

Interview feedback from earlier in the week has promoted me to publish this post. A talented software developer with great references and an excellent academic background has turned up to an interview with a cartoon tie! What on earth possesses these people to opt for a cartoon character tie when getting ready for an interview?

When has business and interview attire included a tie with a cartoon character plastered all over it? Is the latest fashion accessory to a Savile Row suit a daffy duck or Mickey Mouse tie? I have just checked the website of the Savile Row Bespoke Association and I can’t find any evidence.

Without sounding sexist men are normally main the culprits, committing the worst interview fashion sins, but micro mini skirts are definitely an interview no go for women and especially men! To ensure you don’t make any interview fashion mistakes we have made a list of what not to wear to an interview:

1. Heavy use of make-up on women (or any makeup on a man)

2. Briefcases: A small leather briefcase or portfolio is recommended to carry your notebook and resume. Do not bring a large briefcase or bag with you.

3. The wrong tie: Wear a tie between 2 ¾ and 3 ½ inches wide. They should have a traditional pattern and be made of pure silk. No "trendy" ties or anything made of something besides 100% silk. Your tie should reach, but not exceed, the top of your belt buckle. Do not wear a bow-tie to an interview.

4. Overly bright or large-patterned clothing: it's best to stick with navy, black or grey.

5. Earrings on men: In fact, men should avoid wearing any jewelry unless it is a wedding ring, class ring or metal watch.

6. More than one set of earrings on women

7. Facial piercings, tongue jewellery or visible tattoos

8. Ill-fitting clothes. Few people can wear things straight off the rack. Spending a little extra to have your garments tailored is a worthwhile investment.

9. Long fingernails, especially with bright or specialty polishes. Nails should look clean and be trimmed to a length that doesn't leave an observer wondering how you keep from stabbing yourself.

10. Unnatural hair colours or styles

11. Short-sleeved shirts, even worse when worn with a tie

12. Fishnets, patterned hosiery or bare legs, women should stick with neutral colour hosiery that complements their suit.

13. Men whose socks don't match their shoes, or whose socks are too short and leave a gap of flesh when they are seated. Socks should be dark and coordinate with your suit.

14. Rumpled or stained clothing: If interviewing late in the day, try to change to a fresh suit beforehand.

15. Scuffed or inappropriate footwear, including trainers, stilettos, open-toed shoes and sandals

16. Strong aftershaves, perfumes or colognes: Many people are allergic to certain scents. For a subtle fragrance, use good quality bath soap.

17. Belts and shoes that don't match: Shoes and belts should be made of leather or leather-like materials

18. Telltale signs that you’re wearing a new suit, remove all tags and extra buttons -- and remember to cut off the zigzag thread that keeps pockets and slits closed!

Don't be a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. Plan and lay out what you're going to wear several days before the interview, so you'll have time to shop or get garments pressed and cleaned.

Save "innovative" or revealing garb for the club (or your couch) and strive for crisp, clean and professional. Remember, you want the interviewer to be listening to what you're saying, not critiquing what you're wearing.


Talent Emporium is a transparent, low cost, flat fee recruitment solution providing helpful resources to help job seekers into the work place as well as providing companies with a opportunity to hire multiple candidates from a 4-week, low cost, fixed fee recruitment cycle.

Talent Emporium’s unique transparent, low cost, flat fee recruitment solution enables companies to hire multiple candidates across Admin & Secretarial, Banking & Finance, Construction & Engineering, Energy & Utilities, HR & Recruitment, IT & Communications, Logistics & Transport, Media, Oil & Gas, Production & Operations, Public Sector, Sales & Marketing, and Warehouse & Distribution.

To find out about how we can provide your company with a transparent, low cost flat fee recruitment solution visit

www.talentemporium.com

Gold: Low Cost, Flat fee Recruitment Solution-Passive Candidate Marketing

Talent Emporium’s low cost flat fee recruitment solutions provide companies with a low cost, fixed fee alternative to using a standard contingency based recruitment model. We employ the traditional advertising mediums used by many of the recruitment agencies as well applying web 2.0 techniques and social networking activities to ensure your job posting gains maximum online exposure in order to reach your target audience. With our Bronze, Silver and Gold low cost, flat fee recruitment solutions costing £500, £750 and £1250 (excluding VAT) respectively Talent Emporium is guaranteed to save your thousands of pounds what ever the role or industry.

Talent Emporium’s low cost, flat fee recruitment offerings not only offer a superior service to recruitment agencies charging a % of the candidate’s first years salary we are also more cost effective than direct advertising! Due to our extensive network of online job boards we can advertise your role cheaper!

Gold: Low Cost, Flat fee Recruitment Solution

• One payment of £1250 + VAT
• Includes all the aspects of our Bronze and Silver offerings
• Proactive database searches of all the online job boards we utilise
• Proactive database search of our own extensive database which has been built and added to over the last 10 years
• Passive candidate searches on Social Networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Xing and many more
• Passive candidate searches using data mining techniques carried out on major search engines such as Google and Yahoo

Multiple Purchase Savings (There are no expiry dates on our credits!)

We are also able to offer our clients further discounts for multiple credit purchases:

Purchase 10 credits and receive 10 Gold Credits for the price of 10 Silver Credits a saving of £5,000

Purchase 20 credits and receive 20 Gold Credits for the price of 20 Bronze credits a huge saving of £15,000

To start utilising our low cost, flat fee Gold recruitment solution email Gold Offering

View our enetry level Bronze offering at £500 +VAT Bronze Offering and Silver offering at £750 + VAT Silver Offering

Silver: Low Cost, Flat Fee Recruitment-Full Recruitment Solution for £750

Talent Emporium’s low cost flat fee recruitment solutions provide companies with a low cost, fixed fee alternative to using a standard contingency based recruitment model. We employ the traditional advertising mediums used by many of the recruitment agencies as well applying web 2.0 techniques and social networking activities to ensure your job posting gains maximum online exposure in order to reach your target audience. With our Bronze, Silver and Gold low cost, flat fee recruitment solutions costing £500, £750 and £1250 (excluding VAT) respectively Talent Emporium is guaranteed to save your thousands of pounds what ever the role or industry.

Talent Emporium’s low cost, flat fee recruitment offerings not only offer a superior service to recruitment agencies charging a % of the candidate’s first years salary we are also more cost effective than direct advertising! Due to our extensive network of online job boards we can advertise your role cheaper!


Silver: Low Cost, Flat Fee Recruitment Solution

• One payment of £750 + VAT
• Every aspect of our Bronze fixe fee recruitment solution
• We manage the full recruitment life cycle
• Full candidate screening providing a shortlist of the most relevant candidates for you to interview
• Arrange all interviews and manage candidates expectations throughout the recruitment process
• Manage the “offer” stage of the process
• Contact all candidates with appropriate feedback from the process via email

Multiple Purchase Savings (There are no expiry dates on our credits!)

We are also able to offer our clients further discounts for multiple credit purchases:

Purchase 10 credits and receive 10 Gold Credits for the price of 10 Silver Credits a saving of £5,000

Purchase 20 credits and receive 20 Gold Credits for the price of 20 Bronze credits a huge saving of £15,000

To start utilising our low cost, flat fee Silver recruitment solution email Silver Offering

Need a more indpeth search? Take a look at our Gold full recruitment solution-Passive candidate marketing for £1250 Gold Offering

Recruit on a tight budget? Take a look at our Bronze low cost flat fee recruitment solution, more cost effective than advertising directly Bronze Offering

Bronze: Low Cost Flat Fee Recruitment Solution-Hire Multiple Candidates from a 4 Week Campaign

Talent Emporium’s low cost flat fee recruitment solutions provide companies with a low cost, fixed fee alternative to using a standard contingency based recruitment model. We employ the traditional advertising mediums used by many of the recruitment agencies as well applying web 2.0 techniques and social networking activities to ensure your job posting gains maximum online exposure in order to reach your target audience. With our Bronze, Silver and Gold low cost, flat fee recruitment solutions costing £500, £750 and £1250 (excluding VAT) respectively Talent Emporium is guaranteed to save your thousands of pounds what ever the role or industry.

Talent Emporium’s low cost, flat fee recruitment offerings not only offer a superior service to recruitment agencies charging a % of the candidate’s first years salary we are also more cost effective than direct advertising! Due to our extensive network of online job boards we can advertise your role cheaper!


Bronze: Low Cost Flat Fee Recruitment Solution

• One Payment of £500 + VAT
• Vacancies are advertised across extensive network of UK job boards including market leaders such as Monster and Jobsite for a 4 week period
• Optimised advert creation so that your vacancy is searchable by as many potential employees as possible (utilising keywords, commonly used search terms, Google Adwords & SEO techniques)
• Vacancies gain online exposure using Web 2.0 and social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn
• All candidate applications are forwarded for you to review
• Hire multiple candidates from the 4 week campaign

Multiple Purchase Savings (There are no expiry dates on our credits!)

We are also able to offer our clients further discounts for multiple credit purchases:

Purchase 10 credits and receive 10 Gold Credits for the price of 10 Silver Credits a saving of £5,000

Purchase 20 credits and receive 20 Gold Credits for the price of 20 Bronze credits a huge saving of £15,000

To start utilising our low cost, flat fee Bronze recruitment solution email Bronze Offering

If our Bronze offering is not right for your needs why not view our

Silver full recruitment solution for £750 Silver Offering

Gold full recruitment solution-Passive candidate marketing for £1250 Gold Offering

Make or Break Interview Question: “Why Should We Hire You?”

“Why should we hire you?” Basically, this question is one of the master strokes during an interview, this and similar interview questions such as, “give us reasons to hire you” or “what can you bring to our company” is something that differentiates the best candidates from the other, good candidates.

This question can be a real surprise to candidates who new to the interview process and have not done their homework! Companies also like to use this and similar questions as it is an excellent way to separate those who are casually looking for a job and whose who are 100% on seeking new employment.

For those who have done their homework, he or she would certainly come across this question as one of the most commonly asked question and also know how to handle it. In fact, handling this question is one of the symbols that a person has done their homework and is not just casual job seeker.

How to Answer “Why Should We Hire You?”

When answering this question, ensure your answer does not come across to be arrogant, egotistic or unrealistic. You should focus on providing reasons to hire you over someone else in the best way you can.

Bear in mind the following:

1. Make a short list of all your advantages and create a paragraph that would point out the positive aspects that you have for the new job position.

2. Highlight the similarity of the job profile you are interviewing for to previous roles you have excelled in.

3. You can also take the interviewer’s attention towards your key skills and strengths, name – quick learning, excellent communication skills, etc.

4. Highlight your professional ambitions– the motivation and dedication that you have for the profession and the opening position.

5. The body language when you answer the question is important too. For example, your body language should make it clear that you have thought about the answer and given a carefully worded answer, instead of coming up with a made up, dummy answer.

An approach I would highly recommend is to break down the job requirement into a set number of skills and attributes. Then concentrate on each of the skills required for the role on offer highlighting how your skills, strengths and experiences complement the requirement, giving detailed examples and success stories on past experienced to support each point.
The “why should I hire you?” question could determine your success or failure at interview, so be prepared to shine and blow the competition away, while being mindful of the following:

1. Before this question, you’ve already talked about your experience, your education, your strengths and weaknesses and your skills. What else can you say?

2. Keep in mind that probably other candidates answered this question and this is your best chance to separate yourself from the others.

3. “Why should I hire you?” – Here is your chance to perform – go and sell yourself!! This question is not an open invitation to repeat and describe your profile. Your answer should not focus just about you – It should reflect back to the job requirements and to the company.

4. The interviewer wishes to observe what you can bring to the company – what is your real value. They’re offering you a ladder to a professional career with a good salary and benefits. What are you offering them?

Talent Emporium offers practical advice for job seekers from optimising your CV, conducting a job search, networking tips and interview techniques; you can join our mailing list to keep up dated with advice to ensure you keep ahead of the competition in your job search email info@talentemporium.com

Talent Emporium offers a low cost, flat fee recruitment solution that is more productive than advertising directly and more cost effective than using a traditional recruitment agency. Our expertise utilising online advertising, social networking and media as well as good old fashioned networking ensures your job opportunity is marketed across a networking of over 700 online mediums and is given maximum online exposure using tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out how Talent Emporium can save you £1000’s on your annual recruitment spend contact info@talentemporium.com

Employment Background Checks

Following on from recent articles relating to bogus and fake employment references, CVs and qualifications we have decided to write about the importance of carrying out Employment Background Checks. Employment Background Checks are an effective tool to ensure the correct employment decision has been made, it delves deeper then the candidate’s qualifications and gives you piece of mind by ensuring staff and colleagues are safe both physically and financially.

In order to successfully complete an Employment Background Check, two main areas must be approached: criminal record check (Criminal Record Bureau) and credit record check. Criminal record screening should highlight any previous criminal activity such as arrests, lawsuits our any other problems related to judicial system. While credit record checks or consumer report is especially helpful if the role the applicant has applied for is finance related.

Criminal record checks (Criminal Record Bureau) consist of three types:

1. Enhanced Disclosure Certificate if the role involves regular contacts with underage, adults under risk or elderly people. Position examples: nurse, medical dr., teacher, care assistant, etc.
2. Standard Disclosure Certificate for top management positions involved in public or private financial sector. Position examples: company director, credit controller, cashier, accountant, etc.
3. For any other positions or in case of foreign issues apply for Basic Disclosure Certificate.Position examples: openings outside UK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all other positions not specified above

Consumer reports require the approval of the employment candidate. The information obtained during this stage of employment background check forms the major part of the applicant’s credit history.

Employment background screening particularly the consumer report can also be done online. However, some information is limited to criminal activity in relation to credit matters. The steps are similar in doing free online criminal background check, except that this time, it requires legal notification.

From an employees’ perspective, employment background check guarantees safe working environment for people. For employers, background searches save them from any potential harm done to their properties, finances and work force.

Anybody from the Human Resource department can do the employment background screening. Two steps serve as a good guide. The first is to gather the basic information such as the complete name, birthday information, telephone number and the address as well as information relating to previous employment are good sources of information for background searches.

The second step is to confirm the applicant’s identity. Using the information gathered, contact the number or the address to verify the person. If this is not possible, Google is reliable source to confirm the information. If the steps are not possible, public records search can do the employment background check.

Talent Emporium is a low cost, flat fee recruitment solution that offers to provide high calibre candidates across a variety industry sectors and roles. We are more effective then direct advertising and provide all the services of a recruitment agency at a fraction of the cost. Find out how you can start hiring multiple candidates for a one off flat fee, with offerings starting at £500, we guarantee to save you £1000’s on your recruitment budget. To find out more contact info@talentemporium.com

Talent Emporium website coming soon!

The Talent Emporium website http://www.talentemporium.com/ will be with us early September, but in the mean time I wanted to provide a sneak preview of the initial design.

Talent Emporium provides low cost, flat fee recruitment that provides greater results than direct advertising while our expertise utilising online recruitment and social media enables our flat fee recruitment solution to offer the full range of services of a traditional recruitment agency at a fraction of the cost.

Talent Emporium’s flat fee recruitment solution offers companies the opportunity to hire multiple candidates from a 4 week recruitment campaign for a one off fixed fee. Our Bronze, Silver and Gold flat fee recruitment offerings ensure each vacancy will gain maximum online exposure across our network of 700+ job boards and each requirement is individually tailored to ensure optimised searchability by the major search engines such as Google, MSN and Yahoo by incorporating keyword technology, Google Adwords and SEO techniques. We promise to further enhance each job advertisement online through the use of our social media and networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Talent Emporium’s flat fee recruitment offerings provide companies with a low cost, efficient recruitment solution. We provide flat fee recruitment across the UK what ever the position our industry sector. We provide flat fee recruitment solutions for Admin & Secretarial, Banking & Finance, Construction & Engineering, Energy & Utilities, HR & Recruitment, IT & Communications, Logistics & Transport, Media, Oil & Gas, Production & Operations, Public Sector, Sales & Marketing, and Warehouse & Distribution.

To find out how Talent Emporium can reduce your annual recruitment spend by £1000s email us info@talentemporium.com

Social Networking-Employment screening, You’re hired! You’re fired!

Talent Emporium’s low cost, flat fee recruitment offering is heavily influenced by the use of web 2.0 and social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Our previous blog postings have highlighted the importance of social media and social networking for positive brand promotion to help finding employment and improving your future career prospects.

However, whether you tweet a few lines or scribble on the Facebook wall, your social media use could decide your job prospects and even whether you have a job to return to after your latest social media posting. Research from the US has shown employers are ramping up their use of social media and social networking sites to carry out candidate research before putting pen to paper and sending out an offer of employment.

45% of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder said that they use social networking sites to research job seekers and candidates attending interview, a massive increase from 22% when surveyed last year. About 11% of the companies surveyed highlighted they are planning to implement a candidate screening process using social networking mediums.

Also, the last 12 months have seen the emergence of social networking sites playing a pivotal role in the dismissal of staff from both small and high profile companies including:

A 16 year old girl from Essex for describing her job as boring on Facebook http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7914415.stm

A Swiss woman has lost her job after her employers spotted she was using the Facebook website when she had claimed to be too ill to use a computer
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8018329.stm

And a Waitrose employee has been sacked for insulting the supermarket chain on Facebook
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3357689/Waitrose-worker-fired-for-Facebook-slur.html

Therefore when embarking on creating your own unique brand on the multitude of social networking mediums available keep the following in mind:

1. Everything is public. Act as though it is going to be on the front page tomorrows news papers

2. Welcome pages are easily searchable and can be viewed without being a signed up member. The information is highly public and hard to erase from search engines memory

3. Don’t do it during work time unless you have permission to do so. Better yet, don’t use it at work unless you think it will get you a raise.

4. Don’t post anything that you wouldn’t feel comfortable posting or discussing in the lunchroom at work

5. Remove comments posted by others that can get you into trouble

6. Raise your privacy settings.

7. Do not ever admit to anything even remotely resembling a crime.

8. Don’t disclose personal information that you are not comfortable having out there.

9. Be considerate of others when you are posting things.

10. Don’t discuss confidential stuff online

11. Be careful if you mix your personal and business online

Social media and networking is an essential part of our success in being able to provide a low cost, flat fee recruitment solution ensuring we are successful in bringing together progressive employers and talented individuals. If you have any questions on how your company can employ successful social media practices to attract talented individuals or if you are a job seeker looking to empower you job search using social media either leave us a post on our blog our email info@talentemporium.com with any questions.

Fake employment references

Back in July we posted an article titled “Bogus Employment References Don’t Do It!” since then we have spoken to a number of employers who have highlighted the problem of fake and bogus references and how their use seems to be on the increase during the current recession. With the rise of the internet it has made it easier than ever for job hunters to find the services of unscrupulous companies, looking to make a quick buck by offering to provide fake employment references, fake CV’s and resumes and either provide fake employment alibis. High profile cases have appeared in the UK news throughout 2009 examples including a Scottish physics teacher banned from teaching in June 2009 for using bogus references so we wanted to make employers aware of some of the companies and the services they are supplying.

Companies such as www.alibienetwork.com, www.alibihq.com and www.fakeresume.com in the US has lead the way for UK companies such as www.fakealibi.co.uk to provide similar services www.fakealibi.co.uk offers virtual employment which they provide their subscribers with a confirmation letter of employment, virtual telephone numbers, and offer proof of employment while there is a host of content on the US sites explaining how reference checks are carried out by employers the loop holes within the employment law and the employment referencing procedure as well as links to obtaining fake degrees and qualifications recognised in the UK.

Talent Emporium offers a low cost, flat fee recruitment solution enabling companies to make multiple hires from a 4-week recruitment campaign, from £500, 750 and £1250. Our low cost flat fee recruitment solution encompasses over 700 online advertising channels, web 2.0 and social networking such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and old fashioned networking enabling to deliver staffing solutions for any job across any industry. We are so confident in our ability to deliver we offer a 100% money back guarantee if we are not successful.

To find out how our low cost, flat fee recruitment solution can save you £1000’s on your annual recruitment spend email us info@talentemporium.com for more information.

Twitter-Enhance your career with TweetDeck

Since our last blog post “Twitter-Enhance your career” we have been contacted by numerous job seekers who decided to follow our advice on using Twitter as a powerful job search tool. However, many have come back to us highlighting the difficulty they are having keep abreast of tweets that contain job postings as well as following recruiters and companies hiring directly.

The solution is simple and should have been mentioned in our initial post, sign up for TweetDeck www.tweetdeck.com. TweetDeck is a simple and fast way to experience Twitter, it enables its user to efficiently organise twitter information by filtering people you are following into groups, and with a click on the mouse you can interact with other Twitter users by retweeting and DMing contacts.

TweetDeck also enables its user to run real-time searches using Boolean technology, a great way to ensure you do not miss any job opportunities that may be of interest.

Talent Emporium is a flat fee recruitment provider that employs the latest web 2.0, social media, online advertising and good old fashioned networking to provide a low fee, flat fee recruitment solution. We are so confident in our ability to deliver talented individuals to your company we offer a 100% refund if we can not fill you vacancy.

To see how our flat fee recruitment solution starting at £500 could save your company £1000s contact us info@talentemporium.com

Twitter- Enhance your career

Twitter is a high powered tool which can aid your career prospects and provide employment success.

Twitter is an excellent tool to tap into diverse networks of people you would not normally have access to and can help accelerate your job search.

How can Twitter work for you?

1. Offers access to industry leaders and professionals, providing up to date information for you to leverage for your job search
2. Network with leaders and peers in your industry to promote credibility and build professional and personal relationships
3. Network with a diverse cross section of individuals, from MD’s, hiring managers and recruiters, a real hot bed for networking activity
4. Use of 140 characters or less ensures you think before you tweet, forcing you to think & clarify your proposition
   

What to do next:

1. Create an account www.twitter.com
2. Create a professional Twitter handle
3. Spend time creating a professional profile which will attract your target audience, linking it to other social mediums such as LinkedIn or your website
4. Start to Tweet about your industry, latest industry news, major projects, interesting articles, the list goes on
5. Start to follow leaders and peers in your industry, if you are tweets are of interest you will soon start to mass a following
6. Build your network using TwitterSearch and Find People tool
7. Remember don’t over do self promotion, give and they shall receive!

If you can think of any other points to add, please respond to the post! Also, feel free to add any details on how Twitter has played a positive or negative affect on your career to date!

Reasons why you are not getting an interview

Online mediums-Multiple Job Boards

Solely relying upon online mediums to land a job just isn’t going to work! There are numerous online job boards and even more people using them, so how are you going to stand out from the crowd? If you think you can post your CV across a number of job boards, sit back and wait for the phone to ring to land an interview you will certainly come unstuck. Posting your CV across numerous online channels doesn’t increase your chances of an interview it actually has the opposite effect. We all know that people always want what they can’t have and recruiters and hiring managers are no different. Recruiters especially, always like to think they are working with a unique commodity i.e. you the candidate something that is so unique it will open doors to new clients and for you a new job. If your CV is on every job site under the sun, you are no longer unique and the chances are recruiters will pay less interest in you and will not work as hard to find you’re your next position. We suggest market your CV on one or two job boards which you believe targets your industry sector and bin the others!


CV-Your calling card and unique identity

As mentioned in previous blog posts, your CV or resume is your unique calling card and the most important document you can use to get you foot in the door and make a lasting impression at interview. Your CV is your one opportunity to market your personal brand and captivate your audience; this is a real opportunity to demonstrate your background and your ability to deliver. Make your CV a compelling read, ensure it is clear and concise with examples of successful projects, career highlights and defined results this will certainly encapsulate the audience and ensure they invite you for an interview to find out more! And always ensure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.


Apply for roles that fit your skills

All too often we see fork lift drivers applying for C# development roles! Wise up, it is never going to happen, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for people with the skills to fill a specific role within an organisation. Therefore you’re CV and background has to demonstrate the core competencies required for the role on offer, your CV needs to tick the right boxes. Without effectively demonstrating your ability to do so, then I am sorry, no interview.

Networking

We keep banging on about networking, but networking on and off line is a must in today’s saturated employment market. Networking ensures you are continually engaging with friends, family and peers within your chosen industry and has several positive effects:

You are keep up to date with your industry
You here of upcoming projects
You know which companies to target
You do not become retracted from society

You can keep up to date with today’s employment news by following us on Twitter www.twitter.com/talentemporium

Talent emporium provides a flat fee recruitment solution that enables companies to hire multiple candidates from a 4-week recruitment campaign from £500, for more information on how we could help your organisation slash £1000’s from your recruitment spend contact info@talentemporium.com

Talent Management-steroid powered job search

Fed up with recruiters who try and pump you for information on where you are interviewing and who your line manager is? Like to know which companies local to you need your skills? Then our Talent Management offering may be what you are looking for!

Talent Emporium is looking to change the world of recruitment by offering a flat fee recruitment solution to clients and an individually tailored Talent Management offering to job seekers across the UK and Ireland.

Our Talent Management offering is a STEROID powered job search which will cut out the middleman (i.e. the recruiter) and decrease the time of hire ensuring you find your next role, quicker with the minimum of fuss. Our Talent Management offering provides:

CV clinic to ensure maximum impact when it lands in the clients inbox

Articles of improving your job search, networking and interview techniques

Individually tailored list of companies hiring in your area

Individually tailored shortlist of hiring managers within your specific industry

CV proactively marketed to an individually derived list of employers

Talent Emporium’s Talent Management offering is guaranteed to save weeks from you finding your next job and thousands of pounds if you are out of work.

For more information on our Talent Management offering contact us info@talentemporium.com

Illegal Interview Questions

As the recession bites and competition for jobs is on the increase you may find yourself having to answer more probing questions from your future employer which may not always be on the right side of the law. This was the experience of one of our candidates who had recently been on interview.

During interview it is important for both employer and candidate to gain as much information as possible of either party to ensure the correct decision is made and the right candidate is hired for the job. However, during the process it is important that the correct questions take place, questions that probe applicants qualifications, education, experience, past times and availability. But, all too often in an employers attempt to get to know the applicant they begin to probe areas which are off limits!

Questions relating to family, marital status and children seem relatively harmless on the surface but are definitely a non no! And this type of questioning seems to be more pertinent to female applicants.

How do you deal with questions outside the law?

More often than not candidates are unaware of employment law and even if there were they may put themselves at risk of loosing the job they are interviewing for they are not prepared to answer the questions at hand.

An approach would be to determine if there is any bad intention on the part of the employer, if you believe there is none, and then provide a direct answer to the question at hand. However, if you believe there is bad intention then focus on the relevance of the question to the job qualifications and role on offer and look to switch attention to you qualifications, experience and your suitability for the role.

Talent Emporium provide SME’s and Blue Chip organisation with a flat fee online recruitment solution. We enable companies to make multiples hires from a 4-week recruitment campaign starting at just £500, helping companies save £1000’s on their recruitment spend.

For more information on our £500, £750 or £1250 flat fee recruitment solutions please email info@talentemporium.com for more information

Networking Tips for Job Seekers

1. Focus on networking with your warmest contacts and peers

2. Set clear objectives of what you are looking to gain from networking

3. Give More and take less! Generosity is Key share ideas, resources, and contacts

4. Be yourself

5. Ask lots of open questions - who? what? how? when?

6. Network with a wide range of contacts outside your immediate connections

7. Ensure you have a consistent online presence and are using social media platforms to establish an online brand (Eg LinkedIn.com, Twitter, Facebook)

8. Take a genuine interest in other people, their challenges and their goals (and not just your own needs)

9. You have two years and 1 mouth, listen twice as much as you talk

10. Focus on the quality of relationships rather than the number of contacts you've got

11. Keep asking "How can I help you?" rather than "How can you help me?

12. Share and help others without expecting anything back

13. Limit the time you spend on social media platforms. They can easily distract you from the main goal of finding a job.

14. Think long term relationships rather than short term gain

Dealing with redundancy

The old adage of a job is for life certainly looks as if it has gone out of the window as companies are now in a constant state of flux as they are shaped by a multitude of external factors and are continually having to evolve to maintain competitive edge and stay afloat which often results in down sizing, staff cuts and redundancies.

If you are one of many who find their job is now redundant, DO NOT take it personally and try to take keep the following in mind:

Grieve
Loosing your jobs is certainly a traumatic experience as most of us spend more time in work during the week than any other activity. So if you are in the unfortunate position of loosing your job this may impact on your mental and physical wellbeing in a similar way to the passing of a family member. Remember it is not your fault, give yourself time to put events into perspective and then begin to construct a work plan to get back into the work place as soon as possible.

Work Pan
Studies show that high proportions of us actually dislike our job so redundancy can provide the impetuous, to re-invent yourself and look to explore new industries and career paths. Redundancy may provide the ideal opportunity to re-skill or cross-train in order to follow that new career you have been thinking about for some time!Work on your USPTake time to work out your Unique Selling Point, what makes you stand out as an individual and more importantly why an employer will hire you over another candidate in the market. Once you have established your USP, your strengths, core values and what you can offer, look to consistently market your personal brand and USP both on and offline. There are a wealth of social media and networking tools for you to market your USP and personal brand to the widest possible audience, ensure you are conveying a consistent message and your profiles contain as much up to date information as possible.CV/Resume creationI have read numerous online articles about the death of the CV or Resume as people create online video content for employers to view, but do not under estimate the power of a well crafted CV or Resume. A well crafted CV is an opportunity to create a powerful marketing document that highlights professional expertise and experience through your success and achievements. Your CV or Resume is your opportunity to build on your USP and personal brand to make an overwhelming first impression, opening the door to an interview.

Market Knowledge
As they say “knowledge is key!” and that is so true when you are embarking on your job search. Treat your job search as a full time job, take time each day to research the specific industry you are targeting, keep abreast of major industry news and study key players within your chosen industry. In our previous article we discussed the importance of networking, both on and offline put these principles into practice to ensure you are a knock out candidate when you are called for an interview.

Company Research
When you get that call for an interview be prepared! Find out as much as possible about the company you are interviewing with firstly to establish if they are the correct fit for you and secondly so you can demonstrate your company knowledge as well as being able to construct a set of well crafted questions to ask the interviewing panel.

Interviewers like a candidate who has done their research and a set of well crafted relevant questions about the company, competitors, up coming projects etc is a sure way to demonstrate you are on the top of your game and an excellent way to demonstrate your ability to perform.


Talent Emporium is a leader in providing flat fee online recruitment solutions enabling companies to hire multiple candidates from a 4 week individually tailored recruitment campaign with offerings at £500, £750 and £1250.

Talent Emporium also has a unique candidate offering, our Talent Management service provides a CV clinic, targeted CV marketing campaign, industry and location specific employment news. To find out more about either our client our Talent Management offerings please contact us at info@talentemporium.com

Employment Gaps in Your CV

We all know times are tough and the employment market is as competitive as it ever has been so everybody is in the same boat and finding it difficult to land a new job. Employers know this and few will hold this gap in your employment history against you. In fact, if you’re interviewing and an employer is overly critical of this period of unemployment, you have to wonder if it’s the type of company and environment you wish to work in!

If the issue is raised at interview, be direct. Offer a concise explanation of the difficulties you have encountered looking to secure a new position. Employers should understand that the nature of the market and often job hunters out weighs the number of job opportunities; they are probably interviewing a ton of people for each open position. What they won’t understand is if you don’t take any steps to take in touch with your industry and improve your skill set during those months.

In order to stand out from the crowd do the following during this period of unemployment:

Network

What ever your industry there are people who will talk to you about what’s going on. It is imperative you to keep up to date with news of company mergers, key industry promotions and major deals in the pipeline. Keep in touch with former colleagues, continue to network within your industry and find groups of industry people to discuss things with. Utilise the web, visit at sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for online communities of like-minded individuals who can share information with you and give you tips on where there might be job opportunities.

Volunteer

You can fill that empty space on your CV even if you are out of work. Find a volunteer opportunity that either makes use of your skills or teaches you new ones–or both!

Study/Keep Skills up to date

I know not everyone is financially capable of this, but it’s not impossible! For technical professions this is a must as skills can become dated in no time at all. If it’s not financially feasible, at the very least read the latest books and industry journals. The idea is to keep your finger on the pulse and know what’s going on in much the same way networking with colleagues. If you can demonstrate knowledge of some of the latest studies or major events in your interview, you show that you still view yourself as part of the community and are ready to jump back in with no delay.

Ultimately employers are looking for solutions and not problems. They are looking for pro-active achievers who are going to move the company forward once we emerge from today’s recession. They understand unemployment can be beyond your control, but they want someone who isn’t defeated by it.

I’d like to here your views if you’ve been in this position and how you handled the situation. Fell free to contact us about this or any of our other postings info@talentemporium.com

Bogus Employment References Don’t Do It!

I am sure we all know that an employment reference on its own, especially a bogus employment reference isn’t going to land you that dream job! The internet is rife with adverts willing to provide an employment reference if your last position resulted in an unceremonious ending, but please don’t be tempted!

In today’s tough employment market where competition for jobs is fierce a glowing employment reference or testimonial will boost your prospects and make you stand out from the crowd, but a bogus employment reference will do you no favours in the long run. Lying will no doubt come back to haunt you as companies are becoming increasingly diligent in following up references and testimonials and if your bogus employment reference comes to light in the future its is certainly grounds for firing you.

Any web site that promises to give you a "good" fake reference stay well clear, treat it as another one of the many scams on the web. Don't waste your money and don't jeopardise your future employment opportunities by trying to fake it.

Talent Emporium provides blue chip companies and SME’s with a flat fee online recruitment solution starting at £500 for a 4 week advertising campaign. To find out how you can hire multiple candidates from one ad campaign and slash thousands from your annual recruitment spend contact us @ info@talentemporium.com

Blue Chips & SME's

Talent Emporium’s flat fee online recruitment solution with offerings starting at just £500 for a 4 week campaign is proving a real hit with some of the Worlds’ largest blue chips and SME’s alike. Companies are highlighting our competitive pricing coupled with our extensive range of recruitment services will enable them to save thousands of pounds per annum as the Talent Emporium offering is seen as a true replacement for the contingency recruitment model.

We will soon be able to announce some of the client’s who are selecting Talent Emporium as their flat fee online recruitment solution of choice!

Finance Positions in Southern Ireland

IT Solutions Company with over 25 years experience of providing networking and security solutions globally will soon be looking to recruit high numbers of finance professionals for its operation in Southern Ireland. Talent Emporium is in the process of providing a recruitment solution to enable our client to embark on this ambitious project which is set to begin late August, early September 2009.

Sign up to our blog and follow us on twitter to make sure you do not miss out on these exciting financial careers with a truly global player in the networking and security arena. You can follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/talentemporium

Talent Emporium Website Comming Soon

Coming soon, the Talent Emporium website! The site will enable job hunters to keep up to date with the latest companies to endorse the Talent Emporium flat fee online recruitment solution as well as search for your next position across a variety of industry sectors, job titles and locations throughout the UK and Europe. Job hunters will also be able to apply online from our extensive list of advertised positions or register your CV to keep informed on the latest vacancies that match your specified criteria.

Clients too can view the latest Talent Emporium promotions as well as register any vacancies online with us.

Talent Emporium is looking to revolutionise the recruitment industry by providing three distinct flat fee online recruitment offerings £500, £750 and £1250. So from as little as £500, Talent Emporium enables its customers to advertise across the major job boards for a 4 week period, hire as many candidates as they like from one advertisement as well as having complete ownership of all the candidates that apply to any given advertisement!

Talent Emporium will also write the required job advertisements and promote each vacancy using Web 2.0 and Social Media tools such as Twitter and Linked to ensure each advertisement reaches the maximum target audience.

To find out more information about or flat fee online recruitment solution please contact us at info@talentemporium.com

Flat Fee Online Recruitment from £500

Talent Emporium, the flat fee online recruitment solution is turning the world of recruitment on its head! In today’s tough economic conditions Talent Emporium is able to offer a service which will save you £1000’s on your annual recruitment spend. Our expertise with Web recruitment enables Talent Emporium to offer the full range of services you get from a traditional recruitment agency, but at a tiny fraction of the cost!

In fact we are offering to advertise any vacancy across any industry sector on the UK’s major job boards from as little as £500. For a one off payment of £500 our Bronze service will ensure:

Vacancies are advertised across the major UK job boards such as Monster, Jobsite, Total Jobs and many more for a 4 week period

Optimised advert creation so that your vacancy is searchable by as many potential employees as possible (utilising keywords, commonly used search terms, Google Adwords & SEO techniques)

Vacancies gain online exposure using Web 2.0 and social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn

Hire as many candidates as you wish from one advert


For a one off payment of £750 our Silver service includes every aspect of our Bronze service plus we will eliminate the hassle of the recruitment process by managing the full recruitment life cycle:

We will carry out full candidate screening providing a shortlist of the most relevant candidates for you to interview

Arrange all interviews and manage candidates expectations throughout the recruitment process

Manage the “offer” stage of the process

Contact all candidates with appropriate feedback from the process via email


Our Gold Service includes all the aspects of our Bronze and Silver offerings, but for a one off payment of £1250 you will also receive:

Proactive database searches of all the online job boards such as Monster, Jobsite and Total Jobs

Proactive database search of our own extensive database which has been built and added to over the last 10 years

Passive candidate searches on Social Networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Xing and many more

Passive candidate searches using data mining techniques carried out on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines

For further information please contact us at info@talentemporium.com