Ask Grizzlee- Edition Two

Another week goes by and what an eventful week its been!! Thanks so much for your bundles and bundles of mails (sometimes Grizzlee looks at all of them, smiles and says - Grizzlee Khush Hua!!)

In this edition, Grizzlee has chosen to answer just a couple of questions- because they go to the essence of what our product is all about!! If you have any other questions though- keep them coming- through Facebook, our blog, anywhere at all, and we will get to them soon!!

Grizzlee ji, I am very depressed. I gave 5 interviews last week, but it often seems that recruiters don't want to know who I am. How do I share with them who I am as a person and not just where I studied, or what percentage of marks I received in XIIth standard?

Face-in-the-crowd

Dear Grizzlee, I have been following your Facebook feed with interest. Just what does your logo "Its Me!" mean?

Professional Cynic

If I had a penny for every time I was asked these questions!! It is true that one of the biggest conundrums facing job seekers is whether or not they are able to "truly" represent themselves to employers. Every individual is different- and it is important that they get a chance to show that. Hence "Its Me !" - Represent what is most important about you to the world so that you get the job most suited to you in the whole wide world!

To give you an idea of what Its Me! mean, Grizzlee did a little experiment. He went to Google, chose the 10 recent interviews and features on one of his heros- Sachin Tendulkar- and built a world cloud of the same! The words that people use most often to describe Sachin, and the words that he uses most often to describe himself, are in effect- the essence of his personality.

Notice the prevalence of words like 'special', 'different', 'Bradman', 'great', 'focus', 'Mumbai' and 'best' used by journalists across the world to describe him- just as often as words like 'batting', 'runs' or 'centuries' are!

Notice also how some of the words we think are probably more important - like 'winning', 'records', 'Warne' do not make an appearance. To put it in other words- his resume alone is not him. His personality is him :)

Dear Grizzlee, I wish we knew some of the things you share with us now back when we were in college. I would not have made some of the mistakes I did, if I knew better! Would you consider doing a guest lecture at my alma mater?

Older and Wiser

Grizzlee loves to travel to colleges and schools and spread his message! It is true what they say- your first job is one of the most important decisions you make in your life. To find out how Grizzlee can help you make that decision, write to us at feedback@lookbeyondresumes.com and schedule a meeting today!!

That's all we have time for this week. But keep the questions coming to your Happiness Inspector, and in every little thing you do, ensure you add a little bit of you!!

Until next time!

Image Built with the Help of Tagxedo.com

The New Order

So obsessed are we humans as a species with what once worked, that often, it is difficult for us to (pardon the pun) look beyond...

But just like the proverbial 'dinosaurs' who still walk with Motorola pagers clipped to their trouser belts- hoping that they will one day make a comeback- sometimes it is time to let go or choose extinction. And the more we talk to employers, the more we believe that it is time to 'let go' of the tiny piece of paper that seems to define your life.

As analysts, we are decision crazy so lets take a look at how you make most of the other important decisions in your life

1. When choosing a life partner- you want to get to 'know' that person, see if you are truly compatible, on occasion do a bit of a background check, and most importantly- judge whether you click!!

2. When selecting a house or a car, you test drive or look at the model flat, ask acquaintances and friends, build little excel sheet projections, and ask your self again and again - is this right for me?

Why is it then, that when it comes to choosing a job, we rely on a piece of paper with what we like to think is a summary of our lives, and hope that someone will call us? Why do so many of us compromise for the 'first' job we get rather than the 'right' job? If we are prepared to be blown away by the new Volkswagen Golf GT, or the shorter-than-our-dreamgirl-but hilarious-neighbor-next-door, then why do we stick to our pre-conceived notions when selecting a job??

Here are a few things we've discovered help people find the right job career in this new order, and we highly recommend that all of you keep these in mind

1. Google! - Whether you like it or not, your employer today WILL search you before the interview. He will know that your poem was published in The Kanpur Gazette in 1993, that you spend time on the discussions forums discussing Nadal's rivalry with Federer, and he will know that your LinkedIn profile has not been updated in the last three years. But instead of worrying and rushing to delete your online footprint, use this to your advantage-make sure you write and get written about, keep all your social media profiles updated, avoid strong political statements (unless they have a bearing on the kind of career you want) and find out what are the best forums to get noticed in by your community. To the freshers who ask us how they can convince employers of their strong technology skills, there is nothing we can recommend more than answering queries on the internet, perhaps keeping a smart blog on your views, and at the very least commenting on popular tech blogs!

2. Be Authentic! - Be yourself. Grizzlee believes that we should all try a little honesty sometimes. The lies on your resume can be easily verified, the stories in your interview answers easily unraveled, and an attempt to be someone you're not can only get you so far. Employers are much more likely to appreciate and like the 'real' you than that conception of you that resume builders and career counsellors tell you to project. After all, they have all also once been 21 and unemployed and confused. Why pretend otherwise then?

3. Let your PASSION show! - Remember that old hoary chestnut about all Indian parents wanting their kids to be doctors or engineers (or call center employees)? Don't choose a career based on what your parents and grand parents think is right, but one based on what you want to do. Dream big or dream small. But dream of a life that makes you happy- not a life that makes your extended family happy and helps you fulfill their destinies. During our journey we have come across some remarkable people who want to be everything ranging from an artist to an entrepreneur. And we say "More power to them!" Take some time, discover your passions. Take some more time, excel at them. Take some more time, prove you excel at them by "creating" something or allowing yourself to be assessed against peers.

And then go looking for a job!

The new paradigm has no place for a 2 page resume. Because a 2 page resume can't encompass all you are capable of- or even all that an employer can find out about you.

So -go ahead- bid good bye to that pager (its never coming back, I am sorry), and to all the music you have saved on audio tapes over the year.

And once you're done, think about what you really want to be, and start working towards it!

Ask Grizzlee- Edition One

At LookBeyondResumes, our patron saint Grizzlee- who is Green (but not Irish, and no, not with jealousy), gets asked many a difficult questions by job seekers and team builders. We have decided to compile some of his best answers for you every Friday- and share, so that you too may bask in Grizzlee's glow, and learn from his many many years of wisdom.

Dear Grizzlee, I love cooking and eating and want to be a world class chef one day. However whichever restaurant I go to for an interview, they ask me for my 12th standard marks! Is that fair??

- Foodie McDonald

Dear Foodie,

Grizzlee looks forward to eating your famous butter chicken and a large slice of carrot cake in your own restaurant some day! Unfortunately, many employers in the world are still looking for artificial means to measure somebody's competence. How many times have you asked for a Chef's degree certificate after a particularly wonderful meal? No, that's not fair, and change is coming slowly. In the meantime,for your next interview, we recommend you take along a platter of your best recipe to impress the employer and knock him off his socks!! If you have some left overs mail them to the address provided on our website, and we will give you a sterling reference (;))

Yo Grizz! (Can I call you Grizz?) I sent my resume to at least 500 HR Managers last night in a mail- but no one has called me yet. Why do you think that is?

- Mr. BCC

Only my mother and great aunt Glenda are allowed to call me Grizz, BCC. However, coming back to your question- 500 HR MANAGERS at one go? That is NOT a good idea. I recommend sitting down, and thinking about what it is you really want to do. Think about what it is about yourself that you would like to present to the world and then write -individually- to the few people who can help. What organizations look for more than anything else is a clarity of vision and thought, and when you send the same mail to 500 people you are indirectly telling them you don't know what you want to do.

So take a deep breath, start your job hunt again (this time with perhaps just 10 employers), and don't EVER use bcc again!!

Dear Grizzlee, I notice you use Rajnikanth as an example very often when talking of someone who succeeded without a resume. I would like you to know that Rajnikanth succeeded only because Megastar Chiranjeevi doesn't know any Tamil!

-Disgruntled Chiru Fan

Dear Disgruntled Chiru Fan

At Look Beyond Resumes we stand by our view that Rajnikanth is one of the coolest men on the planet. Nobody can light a cigarette or wear his sunglasses with quite the panache that he does. But we admit that your boy Chiru is a better dancer, and has a certain charm about him. If you still want to continue this discussion with other Chiru (and Rajni, and Big B) lovers, then hop on to our discussion forum and carry on!

Dear Grizzlee, I don't understand it. I hire only from the best engineering colleges, I pay more than my competitors by 20%, and my office coffee machine has 6 different flavor settings. But people leave every day from my company anyway. Why is that?

-BossMan

Hola BossMan!! I feel your pain, all those smart Tier I institute types who enjoy your hospitality and mocha-latte-cappu-cinnos and buy their first Ferraris with your money, just don't want to stay. Have you considered hiring for the role instead- looking for people who match your vision more than those who have the right degree? I am sure that will work!! Surely an organization that can provide 6 different types of coffee can make space for a little variety in people!! Hire people who seem right, and not people who come from the right institutes alone- am positive they will have coffee with you for much longer!!

Thats all we have time for in this edition!! Have a question for Grizzlee? Write it in the comments below or on our Facebook page so that Grizzlee can answer them next Friday!!

Until then, Cheers

Focus Group or ''Heart'?

Alright. Full confession here- for at least 20 years of my 32 year life, Shah Rukh Khan has been a constant. I have watched some terrible movies because he's been in them, disappointed friends and family who otherwise respect my "highbrow" taste by displaying more-than-seemly excitement at the songs of Om Shanti Om, and single handedly introduced SRK to at least three new nationalities by hosting viewing parties at my house.

However, when it comes to Ra-ONE, I am just not 'feeling it'.

When we Indians go to watch a Bollywood movie every Friday, we go to watch someone we know do what we know he or she is good at.

So, when we go to watch a Salman Khan movie- we expect a little bit of muscle flexing, some innuendo laden jokes, and a couple of non-dancing hit dances. When we go to watch an Aamir Khan movie, we know we will get something youthful, urban, and with a strong though emotionally manipulative story line.

With Shah Rukh Khan you know you will get rich people addressing rich people problems in rich people ways, but with an undercurrent of "heart".

How do we know this? Put in resume' terms this is a combination of their:

• Experience- last 5 movies or so, (nobody judges Aamir Khan for Tum Mere Ho anymore)
• Their Own Personality (BEI???)- the many little spicy pieces of information that their well-oiled PR machinery has been feeding us over the last several years.
• Our personal 'connection' with the actor- whether it was the fact that he made us smile during a particularly difficult break up or made us laugh with a close set of friends on the last day of colleges.
• What we think of ourselves- chances are that if you like to think of yourself as an intellectual, or someone not quite run of the mill, you watch Aamir Khan movies. Those of us who like to think of ourselves as 'in touch with our roots, or 'simple' or 'pleasure loving', watch Salman Khan movies.

So why am I not ''feeling" Ra.ONE?

Because it seems too much like a movie designed by Focus Groups, where people sit together around a table, debate over what they think we will like, and add a bit of that to the movie. In short, a movie which instead of having a 'heart', is a well-publicized inauthentic experience thought out over spreadsheets and marketing meetings.

Now lets take a look at how most employers we speak with hire.

Once again, they take a look at your experience (with the more recent experience getting a much higher weightage than what you did when you were 5 year old), they look at your personality (and perhaps do a bit of background search by looking at your Facebook and LinkedIn pages), their own "connection" with you (do you sound like someone they would like to have a cup of coffee with?), and what hiring you says about themselves. Chances are, that an IITian is more likely to hire another IITian, while a self made entrepreneur is more likely to look for that tenacity in his interviewees which he remembers in his 18-year old self.

Then why do we download formats of resumes, or even pay for resume and cover writing services, in an effort to give employers what we think they want?

Why do we tell those little white lies in our interviews and resumes, and are afraid of letting our true selves shine through?

Why do we worry so much about what the person reading our profile wants to know, and put so little trust in what we are as as a person?

In movie parlance, fakery may get you a great opening weekend (an interview call, or even-on occassion- a job!!), but it definitely won't help you build a long lasting connection (or a career)!

True connections and careers only come through authenticity- through exposing a little bit about ourselves to the people we want to work with, and through establishing a bit of "heart"

How to avoid the 5 common mistakes that Recruiters make while hiring:-

Recruiters today work in an environment of multiple challenges and pressures. Often, they find themselves fighting for the same slice of the skilled job pool as other competitors. On other occasions, the extreme specificity of requirements beats them because they lack the technical expertise to decipher them. The following are some of the common errors that recruiters make, and how we believe they can be addressed:-

1. What You See Is NOT What You Get: Recruiters often accept candidates on face value.Immense pressures on their time leads to situations where they give inadequate time to screening a candidate. They are just flattered by the skills or qualifications portrayed in their resumes, but what they overlook is what the candidate can actually do. To avoid such mistakes recruiters should ask tricky questions different from the stereo-typed ones which will help them to analyze the candidate in a much better way. Watch out for hesitance, slow answers or repeats which often indicate that a candidate is speaking from a script.

2. Referral Policy:-The referral policy is another big mistake which the recruiters follow to make their lives easier. While in principle a good idea, occasionally recruiters do not take a proper interview for the referred candidate since they believe that the candidate is good enough by dint of association. This can prove wrong and create problem in an organization. This can be addressed by following the same selection criteria for referral candidates as any external candidate.

3. Selection Bias:- These days often female candidates are given more preference than male ones sometimes to address the gender imbalance in the organization. Conversely, technical roles still see a bias towards male candidates. To find the right candidates it is essential that recruiters avoid the pressures of fitting the right buckets, and just search for the right person for each role.

4. Traditional method of recruiting not effective:- Recruiters shouldn’t just follow the typical traditional method of recruiting. Instead they can also leverage newer forums such as social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook. However a blanket bombing process on these networks is likely to prove ineffective and it is essential that recruiters take some time to segment and position available opportunities effectively. This will help them to go beyond their traditional means of locating candidates and gain access to a larger diverse pool of job seekers.

5. Job Description provided by recruiter lack detail:-Many times job descriptions provided by the recruiter are too broad and candidates who are not qualified apply for it without understanding the details. So to ensure qualified candidates, the job description provided by recruiter should contain all the details. Such an incident happened recently in a MNC Walk-in Interview. There were a huge number of candidates who came for the interview. The recruiters were totally taken aback seeing this they never expected such a huge number. All this happened just because their job description lacked some important details.

Everybody Lies

In the summer of 2006, during an extended period of insomnia, I discovered the television show House MD. I spent two nights catching up with Seasons 1 and 2, and revisiting my childhood fascination for 'erudite British humorists in serious roles' (yes, I know thats a niche, somewhat acquired taste).

Anyway, I got over the show, as its mythology got more and more absurd, but when I began working in a start up two years later, a piece of advise from the show stayed with me- "Everybody Lies"

Over the three years spent attempting to hire people for first a start up, and then a mid size company with a clear vision, I was reminded of Hugh Laurie reprimanding his interns of this diktat at every turn. Everybody I met lied- on their resumes and in their job interviews. There were the small lies, where an assistant manager chose to call himself a manager- the unnecessary lies, where people invented MENSA scores or an imaginary proficiency in French, and the ridiculous lies- where people claimed to be proficient in data modeling but struggled to add two three-digit figures!

Now those of you who have seen the show know that the venerable Dr. House counters this problem by typically breaking into his patients' house and finding out the truth for himself.

Unfortunately, we as employers, can't do that.

What we can do though, is, -'Inception' style- 'break into their minds'

Behind their rote desire to say that they are a "team player who likes challenges and loves risks and doesn't really care about money' (la-di-dah), what is it, that makes a person really tick?

Short of administering a polygraph- the best answers we've come up with after extensive tests in our labs are:

1. People lie less the 'more' we get them talk (you know the old saying about giving someone enough rope and he'll hang himself??)- hence the extensive textual answers on our portal- which give you a window into their soul.

2. Numbers and statistics lie less than humans- hence converting these textual answers and the users' behavior into measurable metrics

The journey is still a work in progress, and while we can't claim to have quite got to the whole truth, we definitely are 'closer' than we were before.

Now when someone comes into our office, we take great sadistic pleasure in first tearing their tiny resume into pieces, and then ask them to sit on a machine and start testing!

They protest occasionally- but a careful probing- typically leads to a sheepish admission or two, an interesting moment of catharsis, and we feel so much more confident when finally making the job offer to them.

They would be advised not to believe us about the 5 day work week though- because- everybody lies :)

They say, "We need a change"
I say, we need a Revolution. Now.