warning icon
YOUR BROWSER IS OUT OF DATE!

This website uses the latest web technologies so it requires an up-to-date, fast browser!
Please try Firefox or Chrome!
Apply Now »

MONTHLY ARCHIVES


JULY 2012
30Jul
2012
Interview Tips, Management Tips, Resume Tips  

Keep an Eye on Your Online Reputation – You Have One Whether You Realize This or Not

Yes, You Have an Online Reputation!

Check Your Online Reputation | AGI Hospitality RecruitingAre you aware that Hiring Managers are learning about you through your online-presence reputation? Is your online activity conducted in a responsible way that does not smear your professional credentials, education, or personal values? Do you feel comfortable about what they will find if your name is searched on the internet? If you are raising an eyebrow, then it’s likely that you need to read further!

When you are involved as a participant in social media networking outlets such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter, you are creating an online reputation that is easily searchable. It can be a positive additional tool that reinforces your effective communication skills, knowledge base, and overview of your general attitude. But on the flip-side of that, your online reputation could direct others to believe that you are insensitive, indignant, and/or irresponsible. If you were a Hiring Manager, what side would you prefer to see? Just as your real-world reputation matters, so does your virtual online reputation count as being an indicator of the type of employee you currently are or could become.

To be able to fairly judge your own online presence, let’s walk through this list of five online reputation guideposts. Afterward, you’ll be better equipped to evaluate how you are viewed online:

  1. Type your name (in its various forms) into more than one search engine and see what results you find. Read about yourself. What kinds of images are attached to your name? Do you appear to be a positive or a negative person based on your social media comments? Are you helpful to others, or hurtful to others in your posts?
  2. Google-Alert your name so you can be emailed about others who are writing about you or using your image via the internet. While you may think that certain things are in your control because you authored them, others can forward them to others without your knowledge. For example, Facebook has a feature where your friends can “tag” your picture and share with others. Your permission is not needed for this, which means that if your fiend Bill sent a picture of your to his friend Bob, then Bob can “tag” that picture with your name on it and pass it around to Jack, Sara, and who-knows-who-else. Your name can be connected to an unfavorable image and passed along where the distribution grows exponentially: 2 x 2 = 4, 4 x 4 = 16, 16 x 16 = 256, 256 x 256 = 65,536, etc. That’s how “viral” happens. This is a good idea when you want this to occur – but when you don’t, it can become a nightmare! Years from now, you might still be judged by what you did last night when Bill took your picture and… (start reading again from the word “Bill”).
  3. Mention your personal values and beliefs in a way that uplifts others without insulting or offending those who see things differently. Avoid cyber-bullying for your own job-seeking sake!
  4. Be the “authentic you” rather than an imposter. If the online-you speaks Shakespearian, but the in-person-you doesn’t know one fact about Shakespeare, then the phony-you is revealed. Interviewers are very good at pulling back the curtain to see who is really there.
  5. Healthy debates are welcomed; but if your online postings ignite agitation and aggression in others, your potential new boss can discern between the occasional playing as the devil’s advocate and unnecessarily causing anxieties.

Start from this point forward to be more mindful about how you appear online. Incorporate the things that will present a more polished online presence, and stop doing the things that are damaging your reputation. Hiring Managers are using your online presence as a factor when considering you for employment, so take charge before you are misjudged by what you say and do online.

If you have a concern about your online reputation and need to repair it, there are several tools and services that can empower you to change some of the negative aspects that have become part of the online-you. Go to a web browser and search for help. These two strings of keywords will launch you in the right direction: “online reputation management services,” and “online presence management.”

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about this topic at contact@agimanagement.com

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.com

TAGS: hiring manager, job seeker

25Jul
2012
Interview Tips, Management Tips, Resume Tips  

When Interviewing, Ambitious Statements Can Be Dangerous

Why Ambitious Interview Statements Can be Dangerous

Ambition is defined as, “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment” (www.dictionaryreference.com). If we use this description relative to your career path, then we can clearly see how ambition would be a very positive trait to have. Without it, you’ll have a career, but minus the path or journey that will advance you to higher Ambitious Statements Can Be Dangerous | AGI Hospitality Recruiting levels. For those who do have career-path goals, you have to do a bit of a balancing act during the interview to make sure you are expressing your ambition in a humble and realistic way; otherwise, you risk being passed over as the candidate who is considered a “flight risk” if the career advancement isn’t achieved within a specific timeframe.

Isn’t it a good thing during the interview to express how you would like to grow with the company? Doesn’t that show initiative and a sincere commitment to stay employed with them? How could something positive like ambitions jeopardize a job offer?

Let’s explore five downsides of ambition that could go awry:

  1. You say, “I want to be a manager within five years here.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “But we don’t have a protocol for advancement in that short timeframe.”
  2. You say, “I’m very ambitious, and I want a company that is ambitious too.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “Sounds like you haven’t done your research about our company yet, because we have grown very slowly over the past two decades.”
  3. You say, “I left company xyz because, after three years, I was turned down for every promotion, and I only saw others advancing instead of me.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “Little patience with high expectations equals disappointment and short-term employment.”
  4. You say, “I have a lot of ideas that this company could use.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “The job opening is for a tax accountant, and we have all kinds of regulations that creativity cannot change.”
  5. You say, “I need to make more and more money each year because I have a growing family.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “We only give a standard 3.2% annual raise, so maybe that won’t be enough for you and your family’s budget.”

You should now be able to notice some patterns in how a Hiring Manager might be thinking about your ambitious statements. While demonstrating that you actually have a career path in mind, it’s all about how you express and assert your views on what that means to you. Remember, the Hiring Manager is always thinking how you will “fit” with the company and not about how they can “fit” into your life plan. This mindset is really important for Generations X and Y to understand because these generations are very aware of the value of competitiveness. Being the first and being the best are elements that rule the day, and being shy about talent never wins prizes.

We suggest that, along with bringing a big basket of confidence to the interview, moderation and discernment must be included in the mix to help balance the ambitious statements. Career advancements and promotions take time and merit. Proof of results can only come from your time, energy, and skills you invest in each work day. It’s not a race for it, but rather a marathon for it. Pace yourself wisely so you don’t run out of steam too early. Show the Hiring Manager that you have done your research and understand their company culture. Help them discover that you are the best “fit” because your ambition is well-balanced and centered in reality.

If you slightly harness how you’re voicing your drive, the company will feel assured in your longevity with them, and you’ll find that your hard will help you advance in a reasonable amount of time.

Do you want to explore this issue more deeply? Drop us a note at www.agi.jobs/contact and let us know how we can help.

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

TAGS: Interview

23Jul
2012
Interview Tips  

Do Hiring Managers Judge You by Your Email Address?

Got a Bad Email Address?

You’ve worked so hard on your resume to make sure that all of the information on is Is Your Email Address Bad? | AGI Hospitality Recruitingperfect. You’ve spellchecked it, made sure that none of the phone numbers were transposed, the work-history dates exactly match with the actual records that the human resources department(s) reflect, and your resume format is clean and pleasing to the human eye. But wait — what about that email address you are using? Does that really read as, “rustybucketsgal@…?” And your alternative email reads as, imagoofydriver@…?” Hmmm… We better talk about that for a minute!

Yes, the credentials on your resume are excellent – no argument with those! Your accolades demonstrate your valuable work experiences, your highly-desirable leadership skills, and all of the specialized skillsets that put you through some blood, sweat, and tears to acquire. Shouldn’t these things generate a phone call to you that will invite you to an interview opportunity? The “meat” of the resume is what really matters, isn’t it? Why should you be unfairly judged by the email address you are using when it has no Impact on how well you can meet the job qualifications?

The truth of the matter is this – responsible hiring managers may not-so-much judge you based on your email address; but it does make them question why you are offering it as information they should know about you. If the email address you are offering is one that you’ve used since you were thirteen years old, chances are it isn’t one you should still be using as a person who is seeking better employment.

Let’s review some good and bad ideas about email addresses:

Professionals will have an email address with either their full name or a portion of their full name within the email address. Common-name emails will have digits included to distinguish themselves, or can have a relative word with it. For instance, Tom Jones could be Thomas.Jones.A82@…, Tom.Jones.Andrew@… , Jones.Thom.Atlanta@… , or any variation of that information. All of these emails contain the name within a varying degree. Even T18442Jones@… would be considered professional.

Bad ideas are email addresses that reference your age, gender, political and/or religious affiliations, and illicit drug usage. Of course, this is a very short list. You are bound to come up with other bad examples for inappropriate emails on a resume.

Hiring managers realize that one person can have many different email accounts for different correspondence purposes. Some people have a specific email they give out to only their friends and family members, another account will be given as a generic one they use to pay their bills online, and another email account is used when they engage in business. Depending on your email host, you can have more than five email accounts. This knowledge drives the point home about why a hiring manager can judge you on your email address — especially when you can have several accounts to use, but your resume offers “crazy&nuttybilly@… “

Now it’s time to scroll back up to the title of this blog: “Do Hiring Managers Judge You by Your Email Address?” How are you answering that question? And based on your answer, will you be updating your resume to offer a professional email?

If you need some resume advice, just drop us a note at www.agi.jobs/contact , and we’ll be happy to help you!

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

TAGS: hiring manager

17Jul
2012
Interview Tips, Management Tips, Resume Tips  

As a Job Seeker, Are You a Bowler or an Archer?

Two Sports of Job Seekers (Resume Techniques)

Here are two compelling questions to seriously contemplate: When you send out your resume during your job search, 1) are you using the approach of a bowler who hopes to knock down as many pins as possible, and 2) are you aiming very carefully as an archer would do to hit the Bullseye?

The bowler’s approach is what most job seekers do. By striking multiple targets (like individual pins), the logic is that you are bound to make several good “hits” out of the effort. The archer’s method, on the other hand, is very precise with all of the energy focused on the exact center of the target. Both systems have the potential for a maximum of ten points per effort. So why does it matter which method is used when you’re looking for your best-fit new job?

Job seeking bowlers, as it turns out, experience more disappointments and discouragement than the job-seeking archer experiences. When a bowler calculates that the weekly “game” had a potential to hit 300 pins (or companies), but doesn’t receive any inquiries about their resume, self-doubt lingers overhead like a dark cloud that never parts to show the sun. Archers tend to have a different mindset about their efforts because they know that they’ve honed their skill to aim very carefully and only release the bow’s tension so the arrow shoots straight and dead-center. Archers usually have more confidence in their single deliberate effort than the bowler who is calculating a probability of the odds.

Resume | Bowler or Archer | AGI Hospitality Recruiting We highly endorse the archer method when looking for your best-fit job. When you understand that employers want that near-100% match for their open position, is it wisely using your time to “bowl” your way to your next job? It works if you just want a job right now – but if you want that best-fit job where you can grow and truly find professional satisfaction in what you’re contributing to the company, you should be carefully aiming and customizing your resume to be as near to 100% match as you legitimately can accomplish. Hiring managers look at bowler “hit-them-all” resumes constantly; they are looking for those resumes that are from archers who took the time to aim carefully so the one shot really hits the target.

Do you want some career coaching about this? Call us at 573.731.1359, and we’ll talk about your strategy.

Image Source: www.freedigitalphoto.net

TAGS: job seeker

09Jul
2012
Management Tips  

Kid-Friendly and Gluten-Free are Top Reasons for Updated Menus

Restaurant Menu Updates for Kids and Gluten-Free Patrons

The next time you’re dining out, take a closer look at the Children’s Menu. You’ll notice more whole-grain choices and fruit rather than fries. Likewise, gluten-free items are significantly emerging as well. These are positive changes that help to balance the paradigm shift when more families are convinced that, in order to eat healthy, they have to eat at home. However, many well-known restaurants are realizing that our current society, both young and old, is asking for healthier food selections on the menu.

Updated Menu | AGI Hospitality Recruiting Just like adults, children have their list of favorite restaurants too. As parents, we recognize that the short list of kid-favorite eateries isn’t because the children are thinking about nutrition, but rather, they are thinking about the entertainment value of the meal. If the meal comes with a toy, an arcade area, a playground, crayons and coloring books, and the like, children will always try to persuade you to taking them where the fun awaits. But now with these kid-friendly places including more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains with the meals, there doesn’t have to be such an avoidance issue. Better eating choices can be fostered when combined with a “favorite” place and the aspect of some entertainment.
As food allergies are becoming more and more common, being “picky” about what to eat goes far beyond the stigma of yester-years. Eating something that causes an allergic reaction can often be severe enough for a visit to the nearest emergency room. Things such as peanut products, fish and shellfish, and gluten are the top three culprits that can turn a dining experience into a near-tragedy. Although it is the responsibility of the parent and/or adult to be very mindful of their own allergy circumstances, restaurants are also mindful that allergic reactions are scenarios that they do not want happening at their establishments.
Let’s say a big “bravo” to those who are keen on the trend to offer healthier food selections on the menu! It all boils down to the actual dining experience that really matters – so removing some of the anxieties for those who have to truly consider better eating habits and avoiding food allergies is absolutely a very good thing to do.
 

TAGS: Customer Needs, Restaurant Management

loading
×