SCL Search Consultants Ltd.

Did you know that over 70% of jobs are filled through networking? Do a quick Google search and you’ll find many studies showing it’s upwards of 80%. Networking involves connecting with industry peers including colleagues, mentors, industry leaders, and potential business partners.  Connecting means both online (typically this means LinkedIn) and direct contact – phone or in-person. Online connections shouldn’t be restricted to people you know. Reaching out to strangers with common interests on LinkedIn can be a great way to expand your network. Networking should include personal connections too! Think about your hobbies and extra-curricular activities. I’ve placed people in new roles that I met at the ski hill, through my kids’ schools, and social events. An important, but often overlooked networking opportunity is to connect with others within your organization. If you work in transportation, get to know the folks in warehousing and sales. Don’t just stick to the people in your own department. Are there other ways to build a professional network that I forgot to mention? Have you ever found a job or career development opportunity through networking? Let me know in the comments!

Showing accomplishments and achievements on a resume is SO important! Why do employers look for accomplishments and achievements on a resume? They show that you’re the sort of person who makes a difference, instead of just maintaining status quo. This can help your resume stand out from the hundreds of applications sitting in the recruiter’s inbox. Showing accomplishments on a resume can also open up the interview and allow you to tell stories about your achievements. Accomplishments can guide the interviewer to ask how you accomplished those things, instead of simply clarifying what you did. Here’s how to show these on a resume: Under the “Work Experience” section of your resume, you probably have several bullet points outlining your duties and responsibilities. Just sprinkle in some accomplishments as well. Or, if your resume is getting too long, try to tweak some of the bullet points by adding the business impact. Did you contribute to improved service times? A higher number of case-picks per hour? Improvement in inventory accuracy? Measurable improvements in employee engagement? Cost savings? Increased revenues? These are the things that should be shown on the resume. Details matter! Include numbers such as $ savings and % improvements on your resume to help your accomplishments stand out. Remember, hiring managers look for candidates who make a difference. And showing the impact of your work is crucial. I do not recommend creating a separate section for achievements, because hiring managers want to know when and where these accomplishments took place. Just leave them under the work experience section, under the relevant job. I hope this helps!

Does a resume really get you an interview? Traditionally, if you’re looking for a new job, you go on a job board, look for a suitable job posting, apply, and wait for the hiring team to contact you. Is this actually the best way to find a job? Most jobseekers know this approach rarely works. Recruiters and HR teams are overwhelmed by applicants that don’t match the job requirements, and trying to sift through unqualified applicants is often a waste of time. I don't post all my job openings, but I recently posted a job on LinkedIn and got over 500 applicants within 72 hours. I obviously couldn’t contact every candidate, or even every qualified candidate. So I used our ATS to perform a keyword search of the applications to identify the top 10% that were most likely a match, then manually screened them from there. Did I miss some good applicants? Probably! So how can you stand out from the crowd? Follow up. Not on every application, but if you are applying to a role that you are confident is a match, if you meet all the “must-have” qualifications and at least some of the “nice-to-have” requirements, follow up on your application with a phone call. If you can’t find a phone number, e-mail. And if you can’t find an e-mail, try reaching out on LinkedIn. Let the hiring authority know that you applied, that you meet the criteria, and you’re interested. And make sure they received your application. Often that is all you need to do to get the hiring manager’s attention and to elevate yourself from the hundreds of applications they received. Have you tried this approach? Did it work? Any other approaches you can suggest? Please let me know in the comments.

Many people don’t realize that the headline on your LinkedIn profile is a customizable field. It doesn’t have to be your current job title!    In my opinion, it’s OK to be a little creative with your headline, but be careful not to get TOO creative.   I don’t see anything wrong with making your LinkedIn headline the title of the job title you’re seeking. I also think it’s wise for someone actively looking for work to include contact details (e-mail, phone) so recruiters can reach out more easily.   If your current job title is not an accurate descriptor of the job you have, you might want to change it, at least for the headline. For instance, if your official job title is “Operations Manager” but your responsibilities are really those of a Warehouse Manager, you might consider making that your headline. I’ve seen many instances of official job titles that are not accurate, particularly in the world of supply chain.   I’ve also seen a few overly creative headlines: “Invisibility Expert” or “Investing in People and Community”. If your headline is too creative, recruiters may have a tough time finding you online and matching you with a suitable job opportunity. What do you think? Is it OK to get a little creative with your LinkedIn headline?

A couple months ago I had someone who wanted to cancel the interview with my client (on the day of the interview) because they found some negative reviews about the company online. I told him he should ask about the reviews when he met the hiring manager, but didn’t think he should cancel the interview. He cancelled the interview. Do you think this was justified?

I have a book recommendation for you! Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. I’ve ready quite a few biographies and autobiographies, and this one is right at the top of my list of favourites. I first read this book shortly after its release in 2016. I absolutely loved it and recommended it to several friends. I even loaned it to someone and it was never returned. But I hope that copy has since found its way to a few interested readers. I was recently browsing some audio book recommendations and this appeared, so I downloaded and quickly re-read the book. This is a memoir, coving the history of Nike from its founding as Blue Ribbon Sports and its early challenges to its evolution into one of the world's most recognized companies. It also covers much of Phil Knight's life. It’s a refreshingly open story about the major issues the company faced in its early days. Sprinkled with self-deprecating humour about Phil’s unresponsive management style and his battles with indecisiveness. It’s an incredible story and one that I highly recommend.