SEL Resourcing

4 Top Tips for Video Interviews

Dawn Powell — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:36:36 +0000

As technology increases and the costs of recruitment is scrutinised in todays challenging markets, many companies are now considering the ‘Video Interview’.

It is no longer just global companies using this innovative and time saving recruitment tool, other organisations are now recognising the benefits of virtual interviews – where candidates and interviewees can converse, but without the need to travel and the associated time and cost of face to face meetings.

Where telephone interviews are common and can prove a valuable first stage recruitment filter for a prospective employer (and employee!), the virtual interview allows the interviewer and interviewee to see each other, read body language and get more of a feel for each other.

That said, it can be a very nerve wracking process, so here are 4 of our tips for a successful Video Interview:

Location – make sure you are in a location where you can give appropriate concentration to the interview and won’t be interrupted! The last thing you want is someone crashing into the middle of your interview to ask if you want a cup of coffee!
Appearance - what the interviewer sees on camera should be the sort of person he/she would like to have in their business. What can be seen on your webcam, will be in foucus for the whole of the interview – so make sure you have that final check in the mirror before you go live, so you don’t find you spent the whole session with ketchup on your chin from the bacon sarnie you grabbed this morning!
Practice – think about the questions you might be asked and get your friends to interview you on line to make sure you are comfortable on camera and don’t freeze up when the time comes for the real thing.
Be interesting – you need to make a great first impression to get through the selection process, so make sure you don’t come accross like a reject from Britains Got Talent. You should be able to keep the converstation going with relevant discussion, but don’t waffle and show you will be an enthusiastic and talented team member.

Good luck!

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Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dawn Powell — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:03:10 +0000

The SEL Resourcing Team have packed up for the Christmas break and will be back on the 2nd January 2013.

Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Best wishes to you all!

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SEO for CV’s!

Dawn Powell — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:03:40 +0000

You will no doubt have noticed that we have posted links to quite a few articles on virtual recruitment on our LinkedIn, Twitter and FB pages recently.

Each of these articles stress the importance of getting the right information on your CV to ensure you get through the database robots who are relied on by major companies and job boards to conduct a first stage filter of candidates.

To help with this we have produced a CV template designed to get you noticed by these virtual recruiters, by ensuring key information is presented early on in the document and is presented in a format which can easily be read online.

http://selresourcing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CV-Template.doc

Alternatively, if you would like us to review your CV and give you some tips to improve your content to get through online searches more effectively, drop us a line….and don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on twitter to stay abreast of career news in the process and engineering sectors.

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“What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.” Confucius

Dawn Powell — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:32:21 +0000

In today’s fast paced businesses, the ability to learn and adapt to new situations is critical, which pushes effective training and education polices to the forefront of business growth. These days, the available training and development routes are broad ranging – from traditional academic learning, to NVQ type practical development routes and e- learning – the options are vast, but many of these flexible routes often get overlooked and there is often a failure by companies to effectively link this formal training and education to practical workplace experiences.
A recent CIPD survey has challenged the reliance on classroom based training, revealing that 52% of respondents believe in house development programmes are among the most effective ways to deliver training, with 46% citing coaching by line managers as a preferred training method. In contrast, only 16% of professionals identified formal training and education courses as being more effective.
So, why would this be?
Maslow’s highly respected 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” is oft cited to illustrate the human desire to feel a sense of accomplishment in life – which for most people can occur when they reach a career ambition. This sense of accomplishment can be nurtured by being given the support, coaching and responsibility to enable employees to achieve these goals and the respect of one’s peers in the workplace. Therefore, the development of skills which directly impact on a person’s ability to do their job well and the sense that the company is making personal investment in the individual through the individual support workplace training can offer, will surely only aid the development of the individual in realising their full potential.
The need to develop structured workplace development programmes to get the most from new trainees and support those looking to progress up the career ladder is essential to achieving both a productive workplace and ensuring appropriate succession planning.
Tom Heeley, Consultant at Doig and Co, has experienced a ‘fast track’ in house development programme first hand – mixing formal training with workplace experience to develop and embed key skills more quickly. He says:
“The academic and certified training provides the building blocks in terms of being able to understand the theory behind a particular subject and how it might be theoretically implemented. The practical experience is what I have found to be the more valuable ….Being able to gain insight through more experienced colleagues helps my development immeasurably. I also find that it makes me aspire to achieve more, as I see the investment being made in me and want to progress as far as I can with it.”
Louise Disley, Assistant Surveyor at Solomons Europe, has experienced a range of training since joining the company, but understands the value of being able to put learning into practice:
“I don’t think there is any substitute for practical experience – academic training and qualifications are great, but you only learn the ‘theory’ this way, in practice you learn from real life situations and there is no way you can learn how to adapt and deal with different situations by sitting in a classroom.”
In Engineering and Construction we regularly consider the concept of project lifecycles and attempt to include foresight into design of projects for maintenance and whole life costing. Employers are urged to take a similar approach to staff development – not only to meet today’s business needs, but also to ensure effective planning for tomorrows skills requirements, to keep businesses competitive next year or next decade.
Of course, in recessionary times it is a brave business which invests heavily in training and development with such an uncertain future, but can they really afford not to? Times change so quickly in today’s markets and the need to keep up to date with new technologies and approaches is more important than ever. Keeping pace with change can be as much of a challenge as trying to keep ahead of the game.
Naturally, the importance of work based training is felt more keenly in professions and trades where skills shortages exist. The current recession in the UK has sent many trained professionals overseas to Australia and the Middle East, which has left a gap in what was already a tight market for Project Control and Surveying professionals.
Dawn Powell, Operations Director at SEL Resourcing, a company who supports businesses in the recruitment and training of personnel in challenging markets, explains:
“In the current economic climate, the employment market is highly competitive for those trying to gain professional employment . With limited training budgets available, companies naturally aim to select those that can bring both experience and formal academic training into the workplace… In times of skills shortage, this can mean everyone is chasing the same resources, so businesses need to think more innovatively in their approach to recruitment, education and training. Businesses need to target their recruitment towards those that have the ability develop quickly and to identify and implement the right training programme to make this happen. This combined approach allows an individual to become more productive more quickly, with their development plans being targeted towards the needs of the business, rather than the more generic principles which are usually covered in classroom and academic training….”

It is clear that today’s more successful training and development routes have moved out of the classroom and into the workplace, with universities looking to capitalise on this shift by seeking industry partners to underpin their academic programmes. Training has to be structured in its approach and feedback to the employer’s goals, as well as the development needs of the individuals.

Similarly, variety is key to developing a broad range of skills more quickly, when employers become too fixed on courses, turning them into box ticking exercises, this isn’t beneficial to the business or the employee. Training, coaching and support in the practical application of skills in the workplace will mean return on investment can be realised more quickly and reap greater benefits for both the employee and the company.

Article by Mark Brown of Solomons Europe

References;

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2012/04/25/58502/employers-urged-to-move-on-from-outdated-training-methods.html

http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/survey-reports/learning-talent-development-2011.aspx

http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/learning-methods.aspx

A Theory of Human Motivation, A Maslow, 1943

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REC Membership

Dawn Powell — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:04:41 +0000

We are delighted to announce that SEL Resourcing has gained REC Corporate Membership. You can read the REC Code of Professional Conduct here.

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New Job: Project Quantity Surveyor

Dawn Powell — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:02:16 +0000

To find out more or to apply, please see our Latest Jobs

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How Errors in Recruitment Impact Your Bottom Line

Dawn Powell — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:11:38 +0000

We’ve found a fascinating article by Dr John Sullivan on why recruiting has the number one highest business impact of any HR function.

You can read it here.

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Welcome to SEL Resourcing

Dawn Powell — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:40:10 +0000

We hope you like our new site. The aim is to make it as interactive possible so please feel free to get in touch or leave your comments so we can continue to improve our content and navigation. Thank you!

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