Virtual interviews are really nothing new and they are becoming more and more common in the early stages of the hiring process. Today, employers use a wide variety of technology ranging from the well-known telephone screen to audio interactive voice response systems to video using your computer’s web cam.

Virtual interviews can be very convenient the job seeker, but companies often use them because it makes the hiring process more efficient and effective for them.  One of the key benefits for companies is a larger applicant pool, which means that competition for open positions is greater than ever before.  You need to elevate your game in order to rise above the rest. 

Here are seven winning tips to ace the virtual... Read more »

It could be your product or service but more often than not, it’s the way your customer service professionals engage with your customers.  They form a customer’s initial and lasting impression of your brand and may be the only interaction a customer may have with your company.  In short, they can make you or break you.

Social media have given consumers a virtually unrestricted pulpit from which to deliver both the good and bad news about you.  In fact, studies have shown that over 25% of consumers will gladly share their unpleasant episodes via social media, where millions can view those experiences in just a matter of seconds.  Furthermore, these bad customer experiences have a detrimental impact on the bottom line in... Read more »

With apologies to William Shakespeare. 

Video interviewing as an accepted method of conducting applicant screening continues to gain significant momentum, but is it the best medium for all job roles and is it a viable technology as it relates to EEOC non-discrimination and OFCCP compliance?

In a recent survey conducted by specialized administrative staffing firm OfficeTeam, over 60% of those responding said that they conduct employment interviews via video.  Furthermore, 13% of respondents maintain that they will conduct more video interviews over the next three years.  Clearly video is here to stay and has become a valuable tool in the talent acquisition toolbox.  It is generally convenient, cost-effective, and can... Read more »

Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege to interview a number of  sales, client advocate, and development professionals and I’ve detected a growing trend.  When I’ve asked for a resume to review in advance of the interview, as often as not I’ve merely been pointed to the candidate’s LinkedIn profile.  “Everything you need to know about me is there,” I was told by one candidate.

Sensing that I wasn’t going to get an actual resume to review – or worse, a copy-and-paste of said applicant’s profile – I went to LinkedIn and didn’t exactly find “everything I need to know.”  I found a pretty generic list of accomplishments, only remotely relevant to the job we were hiring for, followed by a Facebook-like timeline of prior... Read more »

A candidate's view of your company's culture is often formed by their experience during the recruiting process.  If the process is cumbersome, repetitive, redundant and lengthy, you run the risk of running off qualified candidates in favor of those that can merely endure the process - sort of a recruiting "survival of the fittest" - but not necessarily the best qualified applicants.  Your company's online presence says alot about your company, its values, and how it treats its employees and customers.  Does your talent acquisition process, and the tools you use to support it, reflect those values or does it open the door to a metaphorical cold, dark, damp basement?

To a large extent, technology has helped take the drudgery... Read more »

A few months ago, I wrote about a Customer Service Representative's (CSR) most powerful word – “can” (find it here: http://www.hireiqinc.com/blog/entry/csrs-most-powerful-word).  Recently, nationally recognized consumer advocate Ron Burley  wrote about the flip side to this coin - "Five Worst You Can Say to a Customer" (http://www.inc.com/ron-burley/5-worst-things-to-say-to-a-customer.html).  I’ll call them the “Fatal Five” because they kill goodwill and customer relationships. 

While all of these are bad, the most egregious of these, in my opinion, is directing a customer to your website.  Chances are the customer has been to your website, become frustrated that he or she hasn’t been able to find what he or she was looking... Read more »