During your job search, the ability to communicate you qualifications, skills accomplishments, goals and career objectives even becomes more important in obtaining your next career opportunity.

Communication is all about establishing trust, communicating in a simple, concise way that allows you to find your own voice and communicate your vision to others while understanding their position.

Establishing trust is the cornerstone of all communication. Your actions and behavior must be in line with the words you speak. If your previous career activities do not align with what you are communicating in the words you are speaking or have written on your resume that trust level will be broken.

Many have found that finding your voice; developing your personal story or brand is an effective way to communicate with hiring managers and executives during an interview. Take some time to develop your story, review you resume, think about your accomplishments and practice communicating it in a simple and clear manner.

Find a voice that is distinctly your own and let your values show through your communication. People like and respect individuals that are “Real”. Do not get caught up in the corporate environment. Keeping your message simple, positive and concise will allow you to communicate your story, qualifications and skills effectively during your job search.

Listen! Listen! Listen!! Do not just talk, listen to what others are saying, and process that information before talking. The art of communication is a two way process. The best communicators are the best listeners. Listen with your eyes and ears. Look at verbal cues as well as physical actions before responding to questions. Ask pertinent and quality, open ended questions that show your genuine interest in the conversation and the opportunity it may lead to.

Understand that your attitude, personality and ability to communicate all go hand in hand. Communication is a two way street that you need to be prepared for. The best communicators are the ones that practice it every day.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com ). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Going on interview after interview; with no job offers can bring anyone’s self-esteem down. Human resources and hiring managers are very keen individuals and they can recognize when an individual who is interviewing with them is struggling or depressed. This has a strong impact on your chances of obtaining your next career opportunity. Having a strong support network and coping mechanisms in place that you can rely on will aide you greatly in keeping positive and making the right impression on job interviews.

Find A Group Of Trusted Advisers

When you are searching for a job you may feel alienated from the rest of the world. It is important to not cut yourself off from the business community. Developing relationships with like mind professionals; individuals you have worked with in the past, civic leaders, people you respect and trust will allow you to stay up to date and connected. It will also allow you to communicate your thoughts or ask for advice as you progress through the hurdles in your job search.

Volunteer To Work With A Non-Profit

Going from working 40 hours a week to sitting at home all day can greatly impact your self-esteem. There were many reasons you worked, the since of accomplishment, the pride of the job you were doing, the people you were helping, etc.. All of which can be recaptured by working for a non-profit, even if you are not being paid. It will also allow you to network with business leaders provide you a sense of daily purpose and greatly improve your emotional outlook as you search for a job.

Be Positive

Projecting a sense of positivity and showing a sense of purpose will greatly aide you job search and interviewing success. Individuals that are depressed or downbeat typically drive employers away from hiring them. You want to demonstrate in your life a positive sense of purpose.

There are many ways to do this, but the most effective is reflecting on your past accomplishments, your skills, and abilities, family life. You need to remember that you can provide a valuable contribution to any organization. You past employer saw this, that why they hired you. Take some time to write down these accomplishments and place them somewhere you will see every day. This will greatly help you project a positive outlook in your job search.

Utilize Social Media And LinkedIn

Social Media can be a great tool to utilize in searching for a job, as well as, connecting with folks around the world that have common professional interests. Use your LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills, accomplishments, connect with like-minded professionals and share your ideas through these platforms.

You will be surprised how quickly you build your professional network of contacts and how you will be recognized by employers and individuals alike in your profession.

Find A Local Support Group

Having professional contacts and advisors are all great; but there are times when you need to rely on individuals that maybe outside your professional life. Finding a local support group maybe the answer for you.

Often the thought of going to a support group at your local church or community center may seem a little extreme. The general perception is that people who go to these meetings have problems and need help, but in reality most people who go to these meetings are just like you. They are trying to share their stories, experiences, see what others are encountering while working through their particular situation.
People find they are good places to talk with resourceful individuals, be accepted and learn new things to help them in their job search process. Most people end up building long term friendships with people that last years.

Make Sure You Allow Some Time For Yourself

When you are searching for a job you mind is in a constant state of worry. Where will your next job come from? How are you going to find it? Who should you be calling? Sending resumes to?

You do not want your entire life obsessed with finding a job, it’s emotionally and physically unhealthy. You still have a life, interests, friends and family. Take time to enjoy those interests and step away from the job search regularly. It will greatly help your emotional state of mind and health.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

The latter being the more influential in the business world. Who you are perceived to be will greatly determine how much influence you have over another person in business and increase your level of credibility in public. In your personal life though the opposite is true; everything you do and/or do not do personally either adds to or decreases your level of credibility with the ones who know you best and are around you every day. Many of the worlds great leaders had great public success, but personally had troubled or little success in their personal affairs.

In public the first impression you make on others dictates how you will be perceived. The most obvious impression revolves from your appearance. When you first meet someone within 30 seconds or so that person will make a judgment about you based on your appearance and within 1 minute finalize an overall opinion about you based on your tone of voice, body language, etc.. Most notability in a hiring / interview setting most hiring managers will admit they make an assumption on a potential employee in less than a minute after meeting that person; that assumption is very hard to change during the interview if the interviewers mind is made up.

So what can you do to make that great first impression?

(1) While you cannot change your god given physical features, you have complete control over how you dress and present yourself to the world. As it may be a sad commentary on the business world that how you dress will greatly influence how you are perceived. Making a conscious effort to dress professionally and be groomed and clean cut when in a public will greatly influence people’s impression of you. Following fashion trends and/or utilizing accessories such as a brief case, ipad, etc.. all add to your overall image. If necessary, take a look in the mirror, get a few fashion magazines or hire a fashion consultant to help you; as your appearance is the number one influencer on the impression you make within that first 30 seconds.

(2) Your body Language is the next thing people perceive about you. Are you making eye contact? Talking in a strong confident manner? Smiling? Have correct posture? Present a pleasant personality? Your body language says a lot about who you are as a person and leader. So stand tall, make eye contact, speak clearly and slowly, use a moderate tone of voice and when making hand gestures do so purposefully and deliberately. Most importantly be confident.

(3) Know what you are talking about!! Once you have made it past the all-important 1 minute hurdle; you now need to show you know what you are talking about. This is where great business professionals shine. They know their stuff. So in an interview setting, you better be ready to show you are qualified, have the experience and understand the business of the company you are interviewing with. Have your resume with you, do you research on the company understand the position they are talking with you about.

Making a good first impression in the business world go’s a long way in having a successful career. The interview is the first step in building that career. So take the time to prepare and present the best version of you when interviewing.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Simply posting job advertisements when you need to hire for a job opening will never allow you to find exceptional talent. Your job advertisement only targets individuals looking for a job at a specific point in time. Your organization always needs to be looking for high quality talent. Holding open houses, career fairs, talking with other professionals and leaders in the industry, showcasing your organization to the public.

As a manager though, you need to remember the highest quality and best talent in your industry will never actively be looking for a job. They already have one!! An employer searched them out, courted and hired them. You now need to do the same!! You need to find out who these individuals are, build relationships with them and hire them when the time is right.

You will want to attend professional association networking events, go to lunch with your competitors, talk to your clients about who they know and have experience working with, and/or search LinkedIn and other social media outlets for individuals with specific expertise and connect with them. Establishing relationships and simply take some time to get to know people, their careers, what projects they are working on, what motivates them, and where they see their career going, etc. will allow you as a manager when the time is right to select and make the right strategic hire quickly and efficiently.

But they may not be looking for a job?? Wrong!! You will be surprised how open people are about learning about a new career opportunity when approached. 90% of the currently employed workers will never turn down a potential new opportunity. Everyone is always looking for something better!! By having an existing relationship with them, the courting process is much more efficient, effective and beneficial to the organization doing the hiring.

You already know what makes the candidate tick, what they enjoy, where their expertise is, the type of personality they have, etc.. The relationship is already established all you need to do now is reel them in and make sure the position you have matches their desires, salary and career advancement needs.

Managers that are always building relationships and keeping their eyes open for exceptional talent in the course of their daily business activities will never find themselves lacking exceptional talent for a growing organization. Their businesses will be thriving, while others are still posting job ads and interviewing candidates.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com ). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

1. Keep Your Inquiry Short, Simple And To The Point…
Human resource managers, recruiters and hiring managers are busy people. They are looking at hundreds of inquiries each day. So when you respond to a job announcement via email, you need to stay focused on your message. Highlighting a few points from your resume that are relevant to the position they have available. Focus on your strengths, key attributes, and skills to demonstrate how you would be of value to their organization. The key in the body of the email is to get the hiring manager’s attention; show you are qualified for the opportunity.

2. Use Confident And Positive Language
Be confident in your response. Keep it positive, demonstrate your eagerness to perform, your skills and abilities to do the job. You want to avoid any type of negativity in your response. In today’s marketplace managers receive so many applications for jobs that it is easy for them to skip right over your application and on to the next. So capture their attention, show you can do the job and are eager to perform.

3. Attach A Complete Resume
Make sure you attached you resume to your email!! One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is that they are concentrating so much on the body of the email response that they forget to attached their resume before sending off the email. Your Resume should for professional, focused on the opportunity at hand and contain your complete contact information. Sending a resume that does not have your contact information, is simply wasting your time. The employer needs to know how to contact you!!

4. Submit At Least Two Samples If Requested
When an employer asked for samples of your work, make sure you send them with your resume. The samples will be the key item that will get you in front of the employer. You can have an amazing resume but if your work samples are not up to par, you will never receive a call from the employer. Essentially the work samples will carry more weight than your resume when applying for a position that requires technical knowhow or extensive writing skills. Make sure the samples are exceptional, relevant to the position you are applying for, are correct and do not contain any errors.

By utilizing these basic email response tips when applying for a opportunity via email, will assure your resume will get noticed and increase your chances of being called in for an interview.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Here are a 5 tips that will allow you to recognize the signs of professional burnout so you can take action before you or someone you know burns out.

1. Are you always tired, exhausted, stressed out or just walking around in a daze going through the motions at work? If so, you are probably at that burnout state. Most people get to a point where fatigue caused by long term stress, can cause health problems and make you more prone to sickness.

2. Memory Problems? Are you forgetting things? Have too much going on at one time? Stress can lead to cognitive memory problems. So if you keep forgetting things it’s time to slow down.

3. Eating a lot of fast food? Not exercising? Sleeping way too much? Not going to the doctor or dentist for basic checkups? You’re not taking care of the most important thing, yourself!! If your work schedule, projects and responsibilities are putting your personal health at the back of the line. It’s time to stop and take stock of where you are.

4. Thinking about work all the time? Stressed about deadlines? Not relaxing while at home? Becoming less productive? If you’re beginning to feel isolated and overwhelmed by your responsibilities then you may be showing signs of depression and extreme burnout. It’s time to reach out to family, co-workers and friends for help. Continuing along in this state will greatly affect your long-term health and career.

5. Is your family life suffering? Are you having marriage problems? Are you spending most of your time at work? There is a reason, you are burned out. It’s time to take stock of your life and get things back on track. Even if it means changing jobs, taking a sabbatical or a prolonged vacation.

Professional burnout is one of the greatest problems in today’s workplace. The most successful professionals are the ones that have the abilities to balance the demands of life, recognize burnout and prioritize their responsibilities to make sure they are able to maintain a balanced life. Even if it takes asking for assistance or help with projects.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Today hiring managers and human resource professionals have a host of technological products at their disposal that allow them to manage an applicant pool efficiently and these tools are specifically tailored to the electronic resume. In today’s marketplace the most efficient way to apply for an employment opportunity is to email your resume or submit your resume through an organizations corporate career portal on their website.

The only time you should personally deliver a resume or mail a hard copy of a resume to an employer is if the employer directly tells you to drop off your application in person or mail in a hard copy of the resume in the employment announcement.

If you happen to have personal relationship or contact with an employer prior to applying for an opportunity; contact them and talk with them about the opportunity and ask for a few moments of their time to drop of a resume. Just showing up unannounced may take time and resources away from the organizations busy schedules to talk with you.

2. Following-Up With The Hiring Manager
When you are searching for an employment opportunity your focus is on finding a job, and your daily routines mainly focus on that endeavor. Hiring managers on the other hand have a number of responsibilities and the opportunity you may have applied for with them maybe one of many daily projects they are working on. So, contacting an employer about the status of a position or interview schedule should be planned out. Do not just call and call over and over again asking for a response or leaving multiple voicemail messages. Plan out how you are going to approach a specific opportunity, and how you will follow-up with the employer.

Utilizing a 3 step approach for your follow-up is best.
Step #1 – Submit your resume and wait about 2 days for a response. Should you not hear anything from the employer, contact them to confirm the receipt of your application and talk with them about their hiring/employment process. The hiring timeline, the best way to follow-up with them, who is doing the interviewing, etc. This will show initiative on your part as well as set you apart from all the applicants as someone who is genuinely interested in the opportunity.

Step #2 – Should you not hear back from the employer around the time they stated in your first conversation, attempt to send an email to the hiring manager; stating you had applied for the opportunity and were wondering the status of the position and if it is something you are being considered for. It is best to keep the email short and polite; which will most likely get a relatively immediately response.
Utilizing email in your follow-up communications is a very non-intrusive method of communicating with an employer. It allows the hiring manager to follow-up with you in a manner that works into their schedule and allows them to address daily issues in an efficient manner.

Sept #3 – Should you not receive any response from the employer, wait about a week or so and follow-up with a brief phone call. Should you not talk with anyone leave a polite message and wait for a response. Do not call over and over every day looking for a response.
Throughout your job search process keep applying for new opportunities and following up in a structured manner; even though you may not receive a response from every single application you will be making the most of each potential opportunity.

3. Thank You Notes
Confused as to when to send a thank you note? Well many people believe that they should customarily send a thank you note thanking the interviewer for their time. But this does nothing to emphasize your interest in the position.

Today, when sending a thank you note it should be to thank the interviewer for their time and provide additional information that would provide a meaningful supplement to your conversations and interview. Providing references, writing samples, etc. With the thank you note today, can be a extremely effective tool to use to continue the interview process along and help a hiring manager make the all-important decision to hire you.

Simply sending the thank you note to thank the interviewer for their time, in today’s marketplace is ineffective.

By following these simple steps will make these outdated job hunting methods more effective and help you land the career opportunity you have been seeking.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Notes, Notes, Notes
The first week on the job you will be taking in a great amount of new information and trying to remember it all in your mind will be impossible. Take notes, writing everything down. Client names, co-workers names, responsibilities, projects, timelines, ongoing company policies, etc.. Writing things down so you can review them at the end of the day or reference the information at a later time will aid you greatly in organizing your thoughts and get you moving in the right direction.

Who Are You Working With..
During your first week of work you will be meeting with co-workers, your bosses, their bosses, HR staff and clients. Learn who they are, what they do, how you will be interacting with them. Some you may only work with briefly others you may have contact with every day. Get their contact information, email them yours. Try taking a few minutes each day to learn about your co-workers, take them to lunch or have a cup of coffee with them in your down time. Establishing a personal relationship with your coworkers is vital to successfully growing in an organization.

Start Learning and Understanding The Business’s Details..
What does this company you are now working for do? You know the basics already; their products, services, marketplaces, etc.; but you now need to start learning the details. How their products are manufactured, how their services are provided, who their direct competitors are, how they see the company growing, profit margins, and budgets. These are important items that you need to start learning about to be successful in your new position. So start reading, reviewing company financial forecasts, budgets, product manufacturing processes/costs. Talk with managers in each area and learn from them. Have conversations about what they think, review processes, start understanding ongoing issues. This will all make you successful down the road.

Take Care Of Personal Issues…
Meet with your Human Resource Manager and get all the employment paperwork taken care of, review company policies, contracts, complete your payroll forms, enroll in healthcare plans, etc.

Addressing all your employment related issues the first week of work is essential. Your time may be limited once you start delving into your workload, so get all the questions you have answered regarding your employment this first week; so you are not caught off guard down the road when something may not have been completed.

Use the first week on the job to get your self-established in your new position and set the stage for you to be successful in your new role.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Genuinely Show You Care About Your Employees…
For most employees that office is their second home. They spend a significant amount of time every day at the office, but it is their second home. They have families, interests, activities that matter to them outside of the workplace. So showing an employee that you care is one of the easiest ways to reward them. Allowing an employee to take care of their family life is one of the greatest rewards you can give an employee. Let them take a day off, send them home early, if they need to take care of a personal issue during working hours; let them do it. Having an employee whose family is happy will go a long ways in boosting company morale. The employee will be more productive, care about the company greater and encouraged to work harder.

Recognize Employees For Their Hard Work..
When you hire an employee you expect them to work hard and do a good job. But when someone goes above and beyond expectations and works hard to help the company. Employers need to recognize it; which could be anything from offering a simple thank you or an employee of the week recognition to a plaque for exceptional performance.

Most individuals value personal recognition over anything else in the workplace. If they know they are being acknowledged for their hard work, they only need simple recognition to keep their morale high.

Focus On Achieving A Goal ..
Companies have a strategic direction, goals they are trying to achieve. Employees work to achieve those goals every day, but reminding an employee about the good they are doing, the people they are helping, how the company benefits a wide variety of customers and/or people lives are positive reinforcement for employees to do a good job. If they can relate to their customers, see the impact their products, services are having on the community as a whole. Morale within the company will jump greatly.

If customers recognize an employee’s hard work, let the employee know about it. If a product or services impacts a specific customer in a life changing way, let the employee know their work greatly influenced that person’s life. If an employee recognizes their hard work is paying off, morale will jump greatly throughout an organization faster than any other reward that can be offered.

The above tips are only a few of the many ways in which you can reward an employee and keep company morale high, without affecting the company’s overall budget.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

 Well, it’s time to start learning about the company you are interviewing with. Their products, services, corporate culture, personnel, financial stability, etc. This is an essential step in succeeding to have a successful interview.

Following these tips and doing your homework before the interview will allow you as a candidate to stand out in a crowded pool of applicants and show the hiring manager how your skills and qualifications will benefit their organization.

Employers Website – Review It!!!
The easiest way to research a company is the internet. The company’s website provides a content rich environment in which you can learn about the organization, products/services, financial history, and personnel.
Review the products, services and gain an understanding of the market niche the company focuses on, who they sell to, the type of people they hire, and how the company is performing financially will all aid you greatly in having a fruitful conversation while at your interview.

News And Press Releases
While on the company website review the press releases they have published. This will provide you with a history of performance, accomplishments, and news about the organization in which you can use during the interview. Having a solid understanding of where the company has come from and how they have succeed will go a long way in the hiring manager’s eyes. Candidates that take an interest in the company and follow a company’s growth will always give them a step up in the hiring process.

Current Employees – Do You Know Any?
Research who is working at the firm currently, do you know anyone? One of the best ways to learn quite a bit about an organization is to talk with people who have worked there or are currently working for the firm. Use internet resources like LinkedIn to search and network. See if you can strike up a conversation as it can give you insightful information about corporate culture, company successes, and challenges, etc. The more networked you are the greater the possibility that you will know someone at the company.

Learn About The Companies Products And Services
You are a consumer!! So what is it that the company is selling? Would you buy the product or services? Have you ever bought their products? If so, what did you think? What did you like about it, dislike?

The simple action of interacting with a company’s products or services will allow you a gain an exceptional insight into a company’s products and having that insight for an interview is priceless, as you are the end user have an insight of the product which the company cannot; user experience.

This is a very powerful insight which you as a candidate can leverage to express your interest in the company, products and how your skills will help the company grow.

Remember that taking some time and doing some basic research on an organization before the interview will allow you to step above the crowded applicant pool and increase your chances in succeeding in obtaining your next exceptional career opportunity.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

First Impressions Count!!!
You should always remember that the first impression you make when meeting a new person, effects how they will perceive you in the future. The first few minutes of a conversation will affect your relationship with them going forward; so always be confident, make eye contact, smile, speak with a clear strong voice and be confident in your skills and qualifications. A pleasant, secure introduction will always open the door to an effective and rewarding conversation.

Question, Question, Question….
Asking smart, inquisitive questions of people will allow you to start a conversation by learning about others. By showing interest in others will open up a line of communication that sincerely shows your interest in getting to know someone or their business. Questions that are thoughtful, that spark an individual’s interest are the best. Asking open ended questions that spur conversation; like, how long have you been in your current role at the company? What are your products like? How is their business doing? Who else from their organization is at the event? are all good questions that allow a conversation to grow.

Business, Business, Business!! Talk About Something Else…
Professional networking events are always about business. People talk about business all day, but they do have other interests and aspects to their lives. Opening conversations up to other interests; holiday events, families, sporting events, etc.. all allow people to relax and have more rewarding conversations that are memorable.

Studies have shown that individuals that can relate on a more personal level, have a greater chance of working together than those that strictly revolve around business interests.

Controversy!!! Avoid It At All Costs…
When we say first impressions count; meeting people for the first time and bringing up or discussing controversial subjects will always lead to failure. Always try to keep your conversations light and avoid subjects that are controversial. As a rule of thumb politics, race, religion, sex are all good subjects to avoid until you have a deeper lasting relationship with someone.

Find Common Interests..
The best way to strike up a conversation with someone is to have a common interest. It builds respect and a personal level of rapport with someone almost instantly. This can be both working within the same industry, company, or simply having the same hobby, etc.. Learning about individuals interests will allow you to strike up a conversation quickly.

Breaking the ice and having meaningful conversations takes some practice and may not go as planned immediately, but continuing to have conversations and meet new people will effectively develop your conversational skills and expand your career prospects as you grow as an individual.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

The hiring manager is under a great amount of pressure to hire the right candidate. His or her decision directly reflects their abilities to run an organization and a bad hire will greatly impact their reputation within the organization. Candidates on the other hand can simply, continue interviewing and find the right opportunity for your specific skills and situation. If a hiring manager makes a mistake and hires the wrong person the effect could be career ending.

If you are hiring your first or 1000th employee there are a number of basic steps every manager should follow to avoid making a mistake and hiring the wrong employee.

1. The Resume
The resume introduces a candidate’s experience and career history to you. It is a necessary document that allows a candidate to introduce themselves to you as an employer. Do not rely simply on the resume to understand a candidate’s skills, experience and accomplishments.

Use the resume as a guide to learn about the candidate. Talking with them on the phone or an in person interview allows you as an employer to gain a full understanding of the individual. Ask questions; learn about a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments in detail. Have them explain what they did, how they accomplished tasks, worked with others, etc. You can challenge candidates and see how they respond to questions under pressure, as well.

2. Always Check A Candidates References..
One of the most critical mistakes a hiring manager can make is to fail to check candidate’s references. This is of prime importance before hiring any candidate; gaining a outside view point from another as to a candidates experience, skills and reliability will give you as a hiring manager a rounded picture of the candidate; from someone who has worked with them in the past.

References should always be from past employers, candidate’s superiors or business associates that has direct experience working with the individual. On average you should check a minimum of 3 references for each candidate. Additionally, many industries are well connected and a hiring manager may want to check with colleagues or friends from other organizations that they may have in common with the candidate for an additional perspective.

3. Do you Know What Position You Are Hiring For??
A hiring manager needs to know specifically what position they are interviewing for and have a clear understanding of the skills they are seeking. Many times hiring manager’s interview candidates before they even know what skills they are seeking. This leaves a candidate confused as to the position advertised and the interview process within the organization. A candidate may be exceptionally skilled for the position that was advertised, but then finds out in the interview the employer is not sure what they are seeking for the position. This leaves a candidate with an ill faded view of the company and wastes precious time for both the interviewer and candidate.

You, as a hiring manager must fully understand your needs, the position responsibilities, skills required and be able to fully explain the position to a candidate during the interview process. Providing a candidate with as much information as possible will go a long way in making sure you hire the correct individual for the opportunity and assure their expectations are in line with the company goals.

4. Skills Testing?? What’s That…
What’s a skills test? Many employers are asking that same question, but human resource professionals have been using them for years in assessing a candidates skills and the potential fit within a corporate culture.

Utilizing testing for skills assessment can be as simple as a typing test to as complex as an engineering design; that will allow you assess candidates abilities in specific areas that they will be required to accomplish in their daily routines. Employers can additionally expand on the skills testing and incorporate in corporate culture testing to see how a candidate may fit into the overall corporate culture, based on their personally traits, matched against all the other employees of the firm.

With advances of internet technology and cloud based software; these testing processes are now much more affordable and easily accessible by any employer seeking to utilize them as a tool within the scope of overall hiring.

If a hiring manager practices the above tips and assure they check the details when they hire an new employee, your next hire will be a great success.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com