From the outside in – A recruiter’s journey from agency to internal recruitment functions.....

Courtney Sertdemir joined us as an Internal Recruiter 10 months ago and here, our little ray of “sunshine” explains her journey.

I think it was about two years into my recruitment career, when I was starting to feel more established and confident in my role that I began considering the move into internal recruitment, or as agency recruiters call it, moving to the “dark side”.

More and more I started to wonder about the people I spoke to on the phone, what exactly were Talent Acquisition specialists or Internal Recruiters accountable for? Was their day just like mine? Did they have as many vacancies to fill? Was there any difference working internally? Did they have strict KPI’s?

So I started to look around. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job but thought why not see what’s out there! So, like every semi passive/ semi active candidate I’ve ever met with, I tried my luck and became one too.

Courtney climbing the corporate ladder! 

To start off, it’s a tough gig trying to get an internal role, why? Because just like me there are plenty of agency recruiters thinking the same thing about their career. So, you’re now competing against every other agency recruiter out there. I mean, you already vie for jobs and candidates in the market but now its recruiter against recruiter on the same catwalk trying to be “internals next top model.”

Now, I know what people think about agency recruiters going internal, we are over it; over the sales targets, KPI’s and cold calls. Yes, for some this is the case but for me, I enjoyed all those things, I just didn’t enjoy sending out non relevant resumes just to meet my quota, I didn’t enjoy doing whatever it takes to get a placement across the line, even if it challenged your own ethics. Unlike some of my peers, I didn’t see candidates as a dollar sign.

What I did want was to be a brand ambassador, a true subject matter expert. Why work 20 roles with multiple clients when I can work 20 jobs with one brand. You start to want to make a difference on a more personal level, you become an integral part of the organisation, believing in what you do and why you do it.

So, eventually your times comes and you land your internal dream job. Its everything you had hoped it would be and nothing like you thought it would be! For me I think the hardest thing to get used to was the silence - no radio, no bell rings and no consultants yelling over each other on the phone. Because that’s all we really did at the agency, we lived on the phone – sales, sales, sales.

You start to learn new things too; you recruit for roles you have never recruited for before – even ones you never knew existed! You have meetings with GM’s, you start truly caring about the commercial elements of running a successful business, like strategy and team member on boarding. You learn more about HR processes and work force planning.

But ultimately I got what I really wanted, a chance to place people in their dream job, a company culture to live and breathe, a chance to learn more about how a business operates from a Support Office point of view, to create long lasting partnerships and to be a trusted advisor.

So far, it’s been an amazing journey and I wouldn’t change a thing, except for maybe putting a radio in the office!

Simone Says....

Over the past year, I found myself finishing a 3-year Bachelor of Business at UTS, working part-time in a medical practice as well as at the concierge desk of my local Westfield, all while frantically looking for a graduate job. I knew the best way to kick start my career was to get ahead of the pack and land my first role within an HR team. A plan, that at times seemed easier than initially thought!

"Hi, I’m Simone… probably should have started with that! I recently completed my Bachelor of Business, majoring in HR and celebrated my 21st birthday last month. Many of my friends would describe me as happy, loud… in fact very loud, sometimes funny, talkative and the mother of the group. I think it’s the loud and talkative qualities that have always drawn me to customer service type roles. So, when deciding where to focus my studies, Human Resources seemed to be a natural choice; a career path where I could build relationships and foster positive cultures.  

My 21st Birthday & beautiful desk decorations

In the first semester of my last year at UTS, I thought it was time to get serious about my job search. I applied to multiple graduate programs that involved centralised numerical testing as the first hurdle of the application. It was weeks of endless cover letters, tests and rejections that pushed me to look beyond.

After all, applying to job ads, isn’t the only way to job search. I asked my friends and families to put the word out that I was looking for a job in HR, and sure enough I got a bite! Through an elaborate array of connections, I found SFG and well, I haven’t really looked back.

I was contacted by, my now close colleague, Courtney, to talk about my experience and then invited for an interview. It was a breath of fresh air to be given a chance to talk and actually connect with a person. Before my interview I prepared by learning about the company inside out; I read about SFG’s history and their SHIRT values.

Despite it being an interview, I experienced the relaxed and friendly culture I have come to know at SFG as soon as I entered the room. We spoke about many different aspects of my experience, both on and off my resume. I may have gotten slightly sidetracked on a horse riding story from 2009, but luckily they didn’t seem to mind! Although, I think my winning line was “I feel like I have only learnt 5% of the HR profession from my degree and the rest I will learn in a job like this”.

Skip ahead to my first day as the new Recruitment Administrator and everyone was lovely; I was introduced to over 30 people in a bustling HR team and managed to remember only one name… my manager says it’s a New Year’s resolution I should work on! The rest of the day consisted of me getting to know my team through 1:1 chats about how recruitment works and what my role would entail. 

It took a little while but soon I started to feel confident in my role; i was willing to be thrown in the deep end and my team had no problem with that. I definitely made some mistakes, but I had not only my team but others in my office to teach and guide me, which if you ask me is the best way to learn.

I remember at about the three-month mark my colleague Lucy realised I didn’t delete or file emails… it was clear I hadn’t worked for a big company before, I had over 2,000 emails sitting in my inbox. Although, I was quickly reassured by some other colleagues that they had over 3,000 i knew being organised was a key requirement for me to stay on top in my bust role. Rest assured, all of you organised, detail oriented types, I am proud to announce I currently have 3 emails in my inbox… progress!

My stint on reception! 

I have enjoyed every new experience and challenge thrown my way at SFG, even the day I was asked by my manager to cover for the receptionist who had called in sick. Naturally, everyone thought being a receptionist at a medical practice would be the same as a 450 employee support office. Despite my state of terror, it was a great test of those transferable skills we talk about on our resume. If not just to help me learn some of the hundreds names at SFG.

Although I won’t lie, I was definitely happy to return to my comfy chair in the HR office. Right now I am immersing myself in everything I can, becoming more confident in what I know and taking in all that is new. I feel so lucky to be a part of a team that invests in my learning and growth. I can’t wait to expand my understanding of HR in 2017."

Top tips to secure the job you want in 2017

Many of us spend the first few days of a New Year pondering what the year has in store for us; thinking about what elements of our lives we would like to change or improve upon and career is often at the top of the list.

Job hunting can be a daunting prospect; trawling through job boards and websites, tedious application processes and never hearing back! Bear in mind the average job search takes time and generally requires a lot of effort and activity on your part. A scary US statistic states that it takes 24.9 weeks to get hired!

Here, one of our senior recruiters, Lucy Hibbert, shares her top tips to help you win that prize!

Your Resume

The first step needs to be producing a great resume. It has to be clear, concise, readable, truly reflective of your skills and experience and most importantly relative to your profession and the market you are targeting.

For example, if you are in a creative profession such as Graphic Design, your resume needs to be a reflection of your portfolio and skill set and we would expect the CV to have a creative flair to it – that said it still needs to have all the content of a traditional resume. Conversely, if you are in a more corporate function we would not expect to see graphics/ pictures/ charts or animations!

Example resume 

Personally, I don’t mind a bit of colour on a resume, for example if you use a different colour for sub-headings it can break up the monotony of reading multiple CV’s and make yours stand out; however, don’t make it a rainbow of colour! Think about using different sized fonts (but always the same in one document) and bold to highlight different sections of key areas.

Obviously, the following all apply; spell-checking, having your work history in reverse chronical order (most recent work experience first) and including your contact details goes without saying! You also need to get someone to proof-read your resume, multiple times and be open to feedback and constructive criticism. Typo’s and errors are a pet peeve for me in a resume, especially if the role they are applying for requires you to have strong attention to detail and/or impeccable written skills. Even if your actual experience is strong, these errors can see you sent to the reject folder in a flash!

Keep it concise; no one’s resume should be more than three pages and I mean NO-ONE! Even if you have 20 years work experience the roles from the first 10 years should be title and organisation only. At the other end of the scale if you are a recent Grad with limited experience, of course include extra-curricular activities and experiences gained but do not submit a 10-page CV telling me about essays you have written in Year 10! 

You do not need to include; age, DOB, address, photo (please don’t), referees (at this point) or hobbies (unless remotely linked to the job/ industry).

Now let’s talk personality…… Of course, what makes you is what makes you great! And you may be keen to give us insight into “you” in your career statement/ objective statement at the beginning of your resume. Again, I am not averse to this but it is a fine line between quirky, cheesy and out right odd! So you collect Star Wars figurines – cool if you are applying for a job in a marketing agency or tech-start up not so cool if you are applying to clerk in a top-tier law firm. Choose your tone carefully and again get a friend, mentor or family member to review.

Cover letters – Yes or No?

I’ll be honest, I rarely read them and if I do it’s after I have already selected you to be screened. If you do attach one make it short, sharp and insightful. Explain why you are interested in the role/ organisation and address any anomalies in your career history such as gaps in employment or work rights.

Going back to my earlier point about personality, perhaps this is the best place for you to include this insight…….

LinkedIn

Now that you have perfected your resume approaching your LinkedIn profile should be a piece of cake! Make sure it is up-to-date and that you have linked your experience to the correct companies, with correct dates.

Always include a photo but make sure it’s appropriate. Think smart business casual; a head shot is best and no sunglasses or selfies! I’m not a big fan of you using your wedding photo either! You need to look professional, approachable and normal! A smile goes a long way and make sure it is reasonably recent.

Like all social sites, LinkedIn works on an algorithm based on key words – therefore if your profile contains the matching words someone is searching for it is more likely to come up in their search. Your dream job might find you! For example, if you work in HR make sure you also use the full words Human Resources and then think about including variations on theme e.g. People & Culture, Talent, Performance, ER & IR, Business Partnering etc.

Make some connections! ‘Link-In’ with people you know first; former colleagues, people you have met at conferences/ seminars, current colleagues, tutors and friends who are in professions. Then think about expanding your connections to people of interest in organisations of interest. Top tip: make sure you activate your privacy settings on LinkedIn so connections cannot see your activity. (you don’t want your current boss to know you are on the hunt for a new role!)

Follow companies of interest and like and share their posts. Follow LinkedIn ‘Influencers’ you are interested in. I also recommend following a few media outlets/ publications/ distributors as your LinkedIn ‘feed’ can be a great one-stop-shop of catching up on some business/ industry news.

Job applications

Do your research: Before applying check the role is one you are truly interested in and check the company is one you would like to work for. Are they based in a location you can get to? What are their products/ services? Can you review them on Glassdoor or Job Advisor? Look at them on LinkedIn – do you know anyone that already works there? When we ask a candidate what they know about our business and the answer is little to nothing, I question their level of genuine interest.

Be honest: If you are asked to fill out a questionnaire or form, be honest. Nine times out of 10 there is a prescriptive brief that the recruiter is trying to meet and whilst you might still be an ‘interesting’ candidate they will prioritise those that more closely meet this brief. If you are unable to progress your application, as you cannot move on from a selection criteria page as you do not meet it – do not lie! Make a note of that organisation you are interested in and Recruiters name, if you can access it, then email their recruitment team directly. Explain that you were disappointed not to have been able to apply as you didn’t meet all of the selection criteria but are still interested in an opportunity with the organisation and were wondering if there was anything else you could be considered for. #greatcandidatebehaviour

Keep a tracker: I’m a big fan of a spreadsheet! Keep track of the role/ company/ date you applied (and any other info you want) so that you can follow up and remember which roles you applied for. I would also suggest saving a copy of the ad copy/ printing it out, so you can use it for reference. There is nothing more off putting than when you call a candidate to chat about the role they have applied for and they say “Sorry, which role is this I have applied for so many in the last few days I’ve forgotten.” #badcandidatebehaviour

Follow up: By all means sending a follow up email after the closing date or a few weeks after an application is fine. Do be mindful that if you have been informed ‘only successful candidates will be contacted’ then there is a chance you haven’t been successful. Of course, this is disappointing if you felt you were the right candidate for the role but pitch your email/ phone call appropriately. Be upbeat and friendly not aggressive or challenging. Ask for some open feedback and be open to what you might hear.

Selection & interviews

If you are selected for a telephone interview/ 1^st interview……… congratulations!

Be prepared, have the job advertisement to hand and if the first point of contact is a phone-call make sure you can really talk and that you are in a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. Hearing a candidate whisper and be insistent they are “okay to talk” when they are clearly at their desk or in a stairwell is not setting yourself up for success!

Do your research, be on-time and look the part! Check with a recruiter about the dress code if you are unsure. Smile, try and relax (as much you can) and take your time to listen and answer questions.

It’s inevitable that you will be nervous and all good hiring managers/ recruiters will be sympathetic to this, to a degree. An interview is an artificial environment so the more you prepare the better it will go. Practise your answers to standard questions & think of examples you can provide of certain scenarios. If you can’t answer a question, the perfect answer is “I’m afraid I haven’t had that experience yet but what I would do is X, Y & Z” or “I don’t know the answer to that but I would be honest and up front and want to research and learn. I’m not afraid to ask questions where needed”.

Have a notebook and pen (that works) so that you can jot any interesting points down and have some pre-prepared questions to ask at the end of the interview. If you aren’t told what the next steps are – ask so that you know what to potentially expect & timeframes.

Offer

You get the call and are offered the job you wanted…… again massive congratulations!

Negotiating: Be reasonable. At some point in the process you should have been asked about your salary expectations, now is not the time to add on an extra $20k to try your luck! If the role has grown in size in terms of responsibility/ scope and you now think it is reasonable to negotiate on the package, then do so, but you will need to be able to justify why.  

Accepting: If you want the job it’s ok to be excited! Follow all the instructions of documents that need to be completed and sent.

Yay!!!

Congratulations – can’t wait to see you on your first day at SFG! 😄

Being rejected

No-one likes being rejected and if you really wanted the role and were genuinely excited then it can be a genuine blow. Try to contain your emotions but it’s perfectly ok to say you are disappointed. Ask for feedback and if you can, make some notes. Ask for more clarification/ examples if they can be provided. Then go away and reflect. Is there some constructive feedback there that you can take away and work on? On reflection can you agree with any of the points made and how would you improve for next time? Remember no-one shots the bulls-eye with the first arrow nor without practice.

Then pick yourself up and dust yourself down and get back out there – the right job for the right person is out there for all of us. Happy Hunting!