How to Use Instagram as a Recruiting Tool

How to Use Instagram as a Recruiting Tool Ever thought of using Instagram for recruitment? It  may sound like an unlikely use of the platform, but it can actually be a really good tool for networking and reaching out to candidates. I spoke to Angela Bortolussi, who is a Recruiting Manager at Recruiting Social  and a featured author for Undercover Recruiter and she revealed some of her secrets behind using  Instagram for sourcing candidates, building her professional network and developing her personal and company brand. Listen to the interview  below, keep reading for a summary and be sure to subscribe to The Employer Branding Podcast. About Recruiting Social and  Angelas role: Recruiting Social was founded by a fellow named Chad MacRae. He started the company back in 2012, and since then hes brought on numerous employees, myself being one and weve also grown out from our Vancouver location into Los Angeles as well, so thats been very exciting. So in a nutshell, Recruiting Social, were a Social Recruitment company and I think people always question well what does that even mean? I think the premise of that is really that we focus on attracting the right candidates, and then by telling the company story, so essentially that would be our client. Were big into culture fit, because we know especially in the tech space it can be a lot based on skill, but culture is a huge fit for a lot of our clients and its a focus for them, as well. And then, of course, being that social component we use various different platforms to reach out to candidates in very specialised ways as well. One being Instagram. And so my role with Recruiting Social is Im a Recruiting Manager, and I focus on technical recruitment and product recruitment as well. Finding technical and product people on Instagram: Networking events  What would happen is, is  I could check into that location and then I could search that location to find out who has been at that location as well. Hashtags And then any type of popular hashtag that the event is putting on, I could search that as well, find out who used that hashtag, when they were there and then reach out to them. Just to even build that connection, because even though that connection just in terms of reaching out to potential hire might not happen right then and there for a potential job, it could happen six months down the road. View this post on Instagram Tomorrow Im flying out of #LA BUT excited to be back in #vancity Speaking at @lighthouselabs on how to find a job in #tech! Follow my #recruiting #adventure on #snapchat! #recruitinglife #urbanplanet A post shared by Angela (Bortolussi) Rees (@abortolussirees) on Jan 25, 2016 at 5:27pm PST The 3 keys to success on Instagram: Good content  It really does come down to the quality of pictures. And it doesnt mean that you have to go and buy a professional camera to take these pictures. I use my iPhone. So that is key and I think to a moment that can capture who you are, and what youre doing. So usually saying good content comes with quality pictures but also a theme.  If you look at my Instagram account, you can see that the theme is coffee, computers, networking, branding, and Recruiting Social. Hashtags And the next thing too, is about using hashtags, owning that hashtag. At Recruiting Social we use #RecruitingLife as  our main go to hashtag, so thats always key as well. Think before posting  If you ever doubt yourself and the picture that youre posting, its probably best that you dont post it. How to  get more engagement on your content: It depends on the community that youre in    For example, mine would be like the tech community and the HR community, so usually what I say is the engagement component can liking photos, it could be commenting on photos. Have a small conversation  I always say Instagram has been, I would say, a more productive networking tool than LinkedIn, because essentially you are capturing a moment with someone, because we always say Instagram is within the moment, its very authentic. You get to see someones life essentially, so that is one thats your comments back and forth. Cross promote    Youve got followers on, for example, Twitter, or on Facebook, encourage them to follow you back on Instagram as well and create that sense of community within your Instagram plot. How to  get more followers: Ive seen a lot of companies taking part in is IG  takeovers So you have someone thats an influencer in your industry take over the account for the day, it could be for the week, usually if the say a day is successful enough to build those followers. Tagging other people and your photos. Put thought into the subject lines in caption lines. I think if you are more authentic when youre writing your captions, and telling people how you feel in somewhere from, again keeping it professional if you do have it public is key, and then, of course, leveraging trending hashtags is always a big one. Use hashtags I usually say cram in a bunch of hashtags, it doesnt hurt. After an hour usually they do often expire, meaning your pictures are no longer at the top of the explore page youre usually at the bottom, and so you can delete them after as well. How to find people to recruit: Build up your bio  Before you can even go out on your search, you definitely have to build up your bio. So if we are going to be potentially reaching out to people or engaging with people, they know who we are essentially and maybe why we would be reaching out to them. Hashtags  Then you can simply do searching hashtags. So if I was searching a hashtag on UX designer, or if I was searching a hashtag in regards to places, #YVRTech would be one, so thats the Vancouver tech scene  thats a common hashtag that they use.  I would start there because then you can see who is using that particular hashtag, where theyve checked in. Again going back to if I went to an event like Tech Fest here in Vancouver. They create their own hashtags for that event. So when I do a quick search, I can see all the attendees and those could be potential job seekers as well. Send a message The nice thing and I guess new item that Instagram has implemented, is the direct messenger.  So before youd have to send a message through a picture to get someones attention through a message, but now you can actually just send them a direct message without having to do that on Instagram. So that changes the way we communicate with people as well. Does this tie into using Instagram as a networking tool? Reach out In regards to the direct messenger, it does make it easier to reach out to people for opportunities. Transparency I always make it very transparent as to why Im reaching out to them. So for example, if it was a UX designer or someone in the tech industry, usually I give a quick intro to who I am, why Im reaching out to them, and why I think maybe they might be a good fit for a role, or why maybe we want to network with them in the future as well. View this post on Instagram I ?? the connections you can make over #socialmedia evening chats about all things #code/#tech/#life/#career @codegirlcode ?????? #recruitinglife #urbanplanet #MyUPDenim A post shared by Angela (Bortolussi) Rees (@abortolussirees) on Feb 3, 2016 at 11:21pm PST The Instagram pitfalls to avoid: Bad lighting  If youre in a dark space, its probably best to avoid that. Not knowing your audience   I think one of the major pitfalls when it comes to Instagram, because really again you can use it any way that you feel fit for your brand, or for your personal brand, is I think just in terms of its users so if youre a company that is trying to build some brand awareness within Instagram.  We know that usually the users of Instagram are usually between 18 to 29, in comparison to maybe the 30 to 49 age bracket. The users are a little bit more less engaged. So I would say its very youthful, Instagram, but I know that there are more later adopters that are using Instagram. Its just I think Instagram is still known as a younger social media channel. Tools and apps  you should use: FaceTune    If you dont have it, you should definitely download it. FaceTunes a great tool to use just to fix any imperfections on pictures or even enhance them. For example, if you have a table with maybe a white coffee mug on it, and you just want to make it more a crisp white, you can do that within FaceTune. Boomerang    You can attach that with Instagram as well. And again, its just that visual content, I guess, on Instagram, which I think is getting more popularity since Snapchat has come out. And its been gaining a lot of popularity as well. View this post on Instagram This off-the-grid home, nestled into the canopy of local flora, invites you to come in and be one with nature. Host @kristiemaewolfe and her mom built the detailed bamboo structure by hand. Kristies been interested in the tiny home movement for awhile, trying out the lifestyle in Idaho, where she built her first little home from the ground up. She says, “The forced simplicity of living small made me realize I wanted to live like this permanently.” That experience lead her to build a tiny vacation home on Hawaii’s Big Island, where she hosts guests looking for an eco-friendly experience. The up-in-the-air home features a wrap-around lanai, huge windows where sunlight streams in, and a partially open air shower that sustainably uses Hawaiian rainwater collected from the tin roof. If all that isn’t enough of a fantasy, there’s a hanging bed below the treehouse â€" the perfect spot for daydreaming. Which is exactly what Kristie continues to do as she plots her next project: Lo rd of the Rings style Hobbit Holes in the Northwest. See more of Kristies handiwork by clicking the link in our bio. A post shared by Airbnb (@airbnb) on Feb 10, 2016 at 9:06pm PST The next big thing for Instagram: Its tough now to say because things change so often, but one being that now that you can buy ads on Instagram. That seems like one that is going to get pushed a little heavier this coming year. We know that Hootsuite now offers compatibility with Instagram and posting, so thats a big one. I think theres probably pros and cons with using Hootsuite.  I know some people were opposed to it because its not that authentic moment that youre capturing, that Instagram is known for. But when it comes to branding and marketing, it can be a successful platform to use, in the sense that you dont have to worry about posting images throughout the day and it interrupting your day-to-day work. Follow Angela on Instagram:  @abortolusssi.

This is a replacement post for the post that used to be here

This is a replacement post for the post that used to be here I took down a blog post today. I made a pretty big mistake in taking a critique of a book and making a personal attack. I am sure sorry that I did that. I sure dont want to be that kind of writer. I probably made a bunch of other mistakes in that post too, but the blogosphere goes fast, and I cant process them all fast enough to tell you about them now. Heres what I can tell you, though. Media Bistro linked here today and its a blog and community that I really respect. And CareerJournal.com is featuring this blog on Monday. And I really dont want any of those people to think the blog is about personal attacks and controversy. This is what I think my blog is about: Community. People have always asked me why I write every day about career advice. I mean, there are more glamorous topics in the world, for sure. I tell those people, first of all, that my career saved me at lots of very bad moments in my life, and Im grateful that I have it to fall back on, and I want other people to have that, too. But the other reason I write is because I want to be happy in my life, and I know that somehow, my career is involved in that, and I am not totally sure the best way to do it, and I want a community of people around me who are also trying to figure this out. I want us to do it together. So, you can see that the post I deleted (well, if you saw it at all) is not turning out to be in line with my vision for my writing life. I wish I had never even thought of writing a personal attack. I can only tell you that Ive learned a lesson. Maybe ten lessons. To be honest, I am used to having an editor reining me in, which I dont have on the blog. And it makes me nervous all the time. At Business 2.0 my editor told me never to write about sex, ever. At Warner Books, my editor took out two fat references and told me that no one wants to hear me writing about fat. I sure wish I had listened to her. At Yahoo, the readers write in scathing comments every week, (Example: Terrible advice but Id take her for something else. Yes. Im not kidding.) But it never bothers me. The comments are so absurd that I know the people are not part of my community. The comments I got today were thoughtful, heartfelt, and definitely were from people I consider part of my community. So, in an effort to keep us all on the right track looking for how to do work and life in a way that makes us happy I deleted this post. And you should know that Im not above taking some advice, either.

What Is the True Cost of Hiring a Bad Employee

What Is the True Cost of Hiring a Bad Employee What is the cost of a bad hire? We all know that hiring the wrong employees can cost organisations a huge amount of money, but this infographic by  Resoomay  presents some startling figures. When hiring a new employee, double check that the job description outlines exactly what you want before posting the opening and really sell what you business can offer top candidates to attract the best people. As important as the technical skills are to complete the job, it’s also crucial to assess how well the individual would fit into your environment. If their personality does not suit your organisation, it is unlikely that they will stay for long and it may cause conflicts amongst your team. If you’re not sure about a candidate, ask other members of staff to help you to make the decision. Don’t just hire anyone to fill the spot, it’s best to take your time over hiring decisions and consider it carefully to ensure that you find the right candidate for the position. When it comes down to it, getting the right fit the first time probably matters a little more than you thought it did. Recruiters, your job is just that much more important. RELATED:  What Could a Bad Hire Cost Your Company? [INFOGRAPHIC]

We Want More Women!

We Want More Women! Its a common complaint throughout the tech industry: there aren’t enough womenand the few who are there are treated terribly. It is important to know that the lack of women isn’t an isolated tech-world problem.  Its a problem in almost every field. Women hold fewer positions of leadership, their work is valued less, and their opinions and ideas often dismissed. We’ve all been there and it never stops being infuriating. This problem is especially rampant at conferences and conventions where, unless the panel is specifically about the women in a certain field or industry, the number of women asked to speak in any given session is often limited to one. And that lone woman is often talked over by her male peers. This doesn’t mean that women can’t find each other, of course. Even the most introverted among us can make use of the conference apps and educational track planning to find each other and make connections. And we appreciate that more and more events have strict anti-harassment policies in place. Still, we think conventions and conferences can do more to elevate women’s voices. Here are some of our suggestions: Start Teaching Early Part of the reason women currently hold so few leadership roles is that the current generations of adults were raised in a culture of “boy stuff” vs “girl stuff.” Even the most enlightened among us have a hard time shrugging off the decades of conditioning to which we’ve been subjected. This is why it is important to start integrating at young ages and making a real effort to encourage young girls and women to explore fields that have traditionally been seen as “boys only.” One particularly great example of this is the App Camp For Girls, which teaches elementary and middle school aged girls how to code and helps them get excited about technology. 50/50 Minimum Enough with the “token lady” on all of the conference panels, in meetings, etc. Having just one woman involved does not prove that your company is diverse or that you value the women in your ranks. It shows that you are more concerned with meeting a quota than actually listen to the women who work for and among you. Aim for *at minimum* a 50/50 split of men to women (and, of course, you’ll want to include other races and the non-binary as well). Equal representation goes a long way to teaching your audiences that you value the women among you. Shut Up and Listen One of the worst parts of being a woman is bringing up issues like the lack of representation, the rampant harassment, etc. and having men dismiss it as hysteria or irrelevant because they’ve never experienced that. A fantastic recent example of this is when Aaron Sorkin was told and finally seemed to “get” that women are actively discriminated against in Hollywood and that it is their gender, not their ideas that keep their projects from getting made. Sorkin falls a little flat here because he focuses on what he can do to fix it. Our advice to Mr. Sorkin and all of the men reading this? When a woman tells you what her experience has been, shut up and listen to her. And, most importantly, believe her. Be the Change That’s right: we went Gandhi on you. Women can talk and scream and yell until we blow out our voices but the simple and infuriating truth is this: men are more likely to listen to another man than they are to even a hundred women who are telling him the same thing. This means, gentlemen who are reading this, that you need to shoulder some of the burden of your female colleagues. When one of your male counterparts interrupts a woman while she is speaking or steals her idea, speak up about it. Point out what has happened. Call them on the carpet. Speak up in meetings when management tries to discriminate against a woman because “she’s not one of the guys.” We have a long way to go to be sure. Strides have been taken to increase accommodations and visibility and we’re thankful for them. Still, we think if more event organizers listen to what we’ve said here, they’ll find their events are far more popular and successful.

Technical Skills Resume - How to Write Them?

Technical Skills Resume - How to Write Them?Writing technical skills resume can be very tedious and time consuming task. While preparing a resume you should give ample time to understand the requirements of the job as well as your limitations. It is always important to keep in mind that it is not going to be read by everyone.Technical skill resume is usually divided into two sections; skill related and non-skill related section. Skill related section will contain information related to your academic qualification, certifications, working experience and professional development etc. On the other hand the non-skill related section includes information related to skills, interests, talents and abilities.While writing technical skills resume the objective is to ensure that the technical skills is highlighted in a positive manner. This is very important because if people are not impressed with the skills mentioned then it might have negative impact on their confidence level. So, do rememb er to highlight the skills and make sure that they are in a positive light.A few words of description regarding the particular expertise would be very helpful while preparing a technical skills resume. It is a must to mention your name, your employer's name, the company or organization where you are currently working, full name of your supervisor, your permanent and temporary address, departmental and project management status, education and other relevant details regarding your work history. You can also include any job related awards or certificates.You should remember that the technical skills must be carefully written to present a complete picture. The resume should be worded with clarity and accuracy. The spelling mistakes, syntax errors, incorrect order of data or dates and any information that cannot be correctly understood are not acceptable in technical skills resume.Finally, while writing technical skills, you should avoid all unnecessary grammatical and spelling errors. D o remember that there is a need to explain what you did and howyou performed it. In technical resume it is very important to highlight your expertise in various sections like applications, hardware, software, data entry, database, website, networking, CAD etc.A writing style that is highly technical is clear and concise. A technical resume is also different from a regular resume. So, if you want to impress your potential employer then try following a well structured resume to come up with a competitive and well presented resume.In conclusion, writing technical skills is a very difficult task. But in writing technical resume, one should try to present your qualifications in an attractive manner so that it will be easily appreciated by the employers. So, keep a check on your grammar and spelling mistakes while writing technical skills resume.

Communicate with emotional intelligence to become your companys MVP

Communicate with emotional intelligence to become your companys MVP Business experts agree that the key to any company’s success is highly dependent on the leaders in charge of that organization. Although most CEOs and top-level executives are generally very driven, staying motivated on a daily basis can pose challenges from time to time. Yet staying inspired is crucial for developing their teams and growing their companies. With the economy is still recovering, many organizations and even individuals are still not able to invest in executive leadership coaching resources. I spoke with leadership coach and organizational change expert Dr. Brandi Stankovic, author of the new executive coaching handbook The Strategic MVP. Stankovic shared five important things you can implement today to increase your value to your company and become a true MVP! “Regardless of the size of the company, there are common denominators across most industries and organizations,” says Stankovic. “They all look to build influence, they rely on teamwork, and there is a need for quality communications.” 1. Discover your mojo “Everyone around you can tell if you’re happy where you’re working,” says Warren Buffett, who claims that he “tap dances to work.” The difference between becoming a good leader and a great one is a matter of finding your mojo! The legendary investor thinks that your sour attitude is not only bad for the culture; it undermines your creative energy and enthusiasm. Putting off your passions is “a little like saving up sex for your old age. Not a good idea!” 2. Communicate with emotional intelligence Although we are very much in the digital age, honing your emotional communications skills with your teams is crucial to creating a healthy functional environment for your employees, and it will ultimately trickle down to your customers. With all of the available social media platforms for customers to vent any frustrations they experience with a company, effective communications skills are even more important today. Strong leaders must recognize the impact of emotional intelligence on their social abilities and communication styles. Your awareness and regulation of your own motivation and emotions impact your ability to be effective. 3. Get over it “You have enduring impact not because you are perfect or lucky,” says Sir Richard Branson, “but because you have the courage to stay focused on building a better future rather than dwell in the past.” Yesterday’s cultural baggage is just that: Yesterday’s. People do not want to hear your complaints or what it was like in the good ol’ days. Instead, they want to look to the future and want to know how you will make tomorrow better for them. It is time to move on; however, it is also important to respect the organizational sacred cows and institutionalized approach to systems and processes. Respect tradition, but do not be the person that others have to go around to get things done. Wipe the slate. Get over it. 4. Hire your weakness “One of the fundamental reasons why leaders get derailed along their paths is because they forget this truth,” says bestselling author Jim Kouzes, “…that you can’t do it alone.” It’s vitally important for any leader to figure out areas where they may not be as strong, and to hire team members who can fill those gaps. In any organizational setting, the most respected, valued, and admired leaders achieve success only with the support and expertise of a great team. No one does it alone. 5. Commoditize your time Time is our most valuable resource. You should budget your time in the same manner that you budget your money. Life is full of energy-creators and energy-takers. Each moment that you spend focusing on what matters most will help improve the quality of your life and your effectiveness in all aspects. Mastering how you focus on what truly deserves your time and energy will make you an MVP! Stankovic also cautions that ideas alone are not enough. “It’s great to read books, study, and listen to the most powerful and highly successful people, but the application of those learned skills and tools and executing strategies is the key to success,” she says.

The Greatest Trades in Wall Street History [Infographic]

The Greatest Trades in Wall Street History [Infographic] Wall Street is not a place for the faint of heart. Stock market trading is a cut-throat world where judgments could either make or break a person’s future. While most traders will base their activities on discernible market trends, some might choose to go against the grain and take an enormous gamble which defies all market logic. Every so often, though, the left-field trade is the one that sets a person up for life. In the infographic below, creators Easy Life Cover profiled 10 astute traders who took bold decisions and ultimately saw their faith rewarded handsomely. Any list of Wall Street legends should start with the original shark Jesse Livermore. Nearly a century after his most famous moment, he is still held in awe by all those who partake in stock trading, for it was he who shorted the notorious Wall Street crash of 1929. Be selling stock at a high before its value plummeted, he ended up $100 million richer, and that was almost 90 years ago, so it would equate to billions today. He continues to be held as the benchmark towards which all modern traders aspire. Closer to the modern day, few called a stock shock as brilliantly as Jim Chanos. When Enron was buoyant at the turn of the century, the auditor went short on the company’s stock as he knew from analysing their accounts that a storm was brewing. Once the energy firm collapsed, amid the stunned masses was a substantially richer Chanos, who knew something that very few could ever have envisaged. The list of legendary traders makes for impressive reading, but for every Livermore or Chanos, there are numerous others who put their necks on the line on Wall Street and were literally made to pay for their poorly-placed faith. Here’s 10 of the best to have ever played the stock market game.