Are candidates going a little crazy?

Recruiting in the Oil & Gas business is its own little bubble. How can the market be so hot while so many areas in the country are still struggling to find good jobs? I am sure a complaint from me that the market is too hot will fall on deaf ears with most of the country. With that being said I have told many people that business is so good that it is bad. How can that be, they ask, when I tell them I have hundreds of open orders and clients that are lining up with their checkbooks open ready to pay us very good money to find them talent? Then the next question is almost always, so you must have trouble finding good candidates? Well, not exactly. That is not a problem at all. Between our database and referrals we can find just about anyone we need. Here is the rub..... Candidates, especially those with an in demand skill set seem to have lost all sense of reality when considering other opportunities. Yes I am being a little dramatic, but I have seen more crazy actions by candidates that sometimes defy reason. I have seen more candidates taking counter offers (Even after they told us over and over they would never do that) in the last 6 months, then I have seen in 15 years. They know they are in demand so they ask for outrageous salary demands, they play multiple offers against each other in a very brazen way. Almost flaunting the lack of supply in the market, saying that if the company wants them they need to step up to the bar with their offer. They need to make it "worth their while to get them to move" Making multiple quick moves just to raise their salaries. I want to stress that I do not begrudge anyone from trying to maximize their situation both from a career and compensation stand point, but I have been shocked by the level at which candidates have flaunted their position of power. I have also been surprised but their willingness to burn bridges in the industry to get more money or a promotion. I am not going to get into the whole Millennium Generation issue, because I have seen it will almost all levels of candidates and most ethnic backgrounds. However there is something to be said that the demands and expectations of the current generation sometimes cannot be backed up by their experience level and that currently they are in demand because of a shortage of talent, not because their skills are superior. If you were not in the market when oil was $10/barrel over a decade ago you have no idea what it was like when just about every company in the Oil and Gas sector was shedding jobs and people were just glad to have a good position. More baffling is seeing candidates stay at companies that they know do not appreciate them, do work they do not like, and stay somewhere there is no career growth, just because a prospective company will not give them a big enough raise! Please be aware I am not talking about a company that makes a lateral offer, but makes a good offer with a hefty raise and a promotion to a candidate who is not happy at their current position! Yet it is not enough! In their mind they have some fixed number or % raise that they must get to make a career move. And many times this is with candidates who are early in their career and have 30 more years in the industry to make plenty of money. I can understand money being the #1 factor for someone who has 2 years left to retirement, but to give away a good promotion of a few dollars or a promise from a company that has not done anything for you in the past does not make sense. We have gotten candidates, who complained to us about their current situation and that were grossly underpaid, raises of upwards of 35% plus a positions that was exactly what they told they wanted only to have them turn around and be talked into staying by their current employer. What is even more interesting (and baffling) is the excuses that I hear after it has happened. They extol the virtues of the company that has underpaid them because out of the blue they give them a big raise to match the offer they just got. Praise the company that has passed them over for promotions and training opportunities because all of a sudden see their value by giving them a new title and send them to PMP training. (99% it is window dressing) Then talk about all of the opportunity with their company that had none 2 weeks earlier. When we get an offer for a candidate we let them know what will happen when they resign, BEFORE it does happens (Because we see it all of the time) We tell them so they can prepare themselves for then inevitable snow job they are about to get. We tell them that there are only 5 things that can happen when they turn in their notice: 1) They congratulate then on their new position and wish them luck. (Happens, but very rarely) 2) They let them go on the spot and walk them out the door. (Same as above) 3) They do the "Wine and Dine" where they tell them how important they are and they have so many things planned for their career. Maybe they get an executive to go out to lunch or dinner with them to say everything the candidate wants to hear. They know that if a VP tells you are special, you are more likely to believe it. (I call it bring in the closer) This happens all of the time. 4) They give you the guilt trip, where the manager tells you how much you let them down and that if you leave you have burned a bridge with them and the company. Even threaten you with the possibility they will tell everyone they know how bad you screwed them over by leaving. 5) They give you the cold shoulder where they make your last 2 weeks a living hell. At least they let you finish up and move on. Most candidates do not believe us when we tell them that their company will do whatever is necessary and tell them what they want to hear to keep them. That many articles and research has been done on the downfall of taking a counter offer, yet they do it over and over saying their company is different. Since we track our candidates I can confirm that most who take counter offers do not stay with their company long term. If it is all about the money then own up to that fact and let everyone know that is the reason you took the counter offer and we will all be better for it. Look out for your career first and not just the money. If you are good the money and opportunity will come. Ask yourself what is really important and stick to that. Look for the steak of the new opportunity and do not get swayed by the sizzle of a counter offer.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and looking good!

If you are reading this then most likely it was through a LinkedIn post, so I do not need to sell you on why your should have a LinkedIn profile. What you do need to have is a good profile. One that expresses your experience and puts you in a good light to anyone who might be looking at it. I do understand that for many of you, looking for a new position is not important and thus you might have a very basic profile just to put something out there for people to connect to you. That is fine, but I want to address those who are either looking for a position, exploring potential opportunities that might exist, or just keeping your feelers out for new business relationships such as networking or partnering with others in your industry.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a well thought out profile and one that you have looked over to ensure that it is accurate and detailed. I have seen so many that do not even properly show where the person is working or dates that are so out of whack that it looks like that they currently have three jobs. I have also see a number of times where the "headline" that is under your name is different then the actual position you have because you never changed it when you started the new position. Finally having too little information about what you have done and what you have accomplished could really hinder you if you are indeed looking for a new position.

There is no doubt that LinkedIn has become one of the most used tools for both third party and internal recruiters. I was told my one internal recruiter that he uses LinkedIn almost exclusively for recruiting. He was with a very large Oil and Gas company that has the ability to afford any recruiting tool and they use LinkedIn. So if your profile is not updated and complete you might never been found. In addition when resumes are submitted either by a recruiter or through their website, a LinkedIn search is one of the first things that recruiters and even hiring authorities do.

Specifically I can tell you that I was working on filling a position recently and sent over 4 resumes. When I called to follow up, the hiring authority had already looked over their profiles and most of his comments where about the profile not the resume. One candidate got an interview because the manager liked his picture and the time he took to put together a good profile. He would never have gotten an interview without that great LinkedIn Profile. Some of us spend hours or pay someone like me hundreds of dollars to redo your resume (Which I am more then glad to do), yet do almost nothing to their profile. You are leaving your self vulnerable to making a bad impression to someone who is "checking you out". So please do not underestimate the power of your LinkedIn profile to either help or hurt your in someway.

If you would like some free pointers on how to improve your profile (or resume for that matter) just send me an email to jhavranek@siliconcantera.com or send me an Invite on LinkedIn.

Good luck,

John

Interviewing and hiring in the new economy.

Today I would like to talk about a couple of things relating to interviewing and hiring that I have noticed lately as a recruiter specializing in the Oil and Gas arena. (Mostly in the Houston and Gulf Coast area) Clients are really picky so you better be prepared for your next interview. I have told numerous candidate during our preps that clients want what they want and there is nothing you can do other than to show how you can fill that need for them. Even in a tough economy if you solve the problem the company has, then most will aggressively go after you and make you a good offer. The days of just showing up for the interview, showing you can do the job and expecting a large raise is over.
Yes there are many people out there that are very good at what you do and your skill set is in demand. (Flow Assurance, Subsea Engineers, etc.) But even so, if you want the best positions and the best possible offer, then you need to aggressively go after the position, even if you are gainfully employed. That means preparing for an interview, a nice thank you letter, etc.
On the flip side, beware hiring authorities: While the pendulum has swung in your favor and in many cases you hold the upper hand in the interview process, I have seen many people turn down low ball offers or positions with limited growth even when they are underemployed or even unemployed. The interview process is a two way street and both sides need to make sure that they do not get too big for their britches. Be aware that your opportunity may not be “all that” and on the flip side that as a candidate your skills are not as good as you might think they are. If you go into an interview with some humbleness then I feel you will be more successful.
Maybe that is why I like being the "impartial third party"

Have a great day.

John
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhavranek

Half way through 2010 and finally a blog!

With everything that has been going on (and finally figuring out the pass code again) I am starting a new blog entry. What a crazy 2 years it has been. From the best year of recruiting since the dot com boom to an almost complete stop in business at the end of 2008, to a slow trickle for all of 2009, to finally signs of life in the Houston Oil and gas market. Let's just hope the BP spill finally gets cleaned up and Washington does not get too invasive.

While we have seen a slow upward trend in the Houston market I know that there are still a lot of people unemployed and many for a very long time. While I sometimes felt like I was unemployed when there was little or no orders to work on, I feel for all of those who have gone on many interviews, wrote many thank you notes, and had many close calls. The key is keeping your head up and try to have an upbeat attitude. I know that is hard, but with the activity in the job market recently there is hope and I also believe that the year of low ball offers are gone. That does not mean you will be getting a raise or even a lateral to your 2008 salary, but we are seeing more and more fair offers, while last year, companies seem to be taking advantage of the market way too much.

Lets hope there is no more spills and no double dip recession. Good luck in your job search.

2010 Is almost here!

After a very trying 2009 for all of us in the staffing industry, 2010 cannot get here soon enough. With that said, we are far from being out of the economic and thus hiring delema we have been in for a while. When looking for a position you will need to be just as diligent and agressive as before. While I have talked to a number of clients who have expressed interest in hiring after the first of the year, they are all going to be very selective and will not be rushed into making a decision.

I do expect this to slowly change as the year goes on however. Exxon Mobil just announced that their large LNG project in Papua New Guinea has been approved and the credit needed is available. We will start to see a trickle down to a number of contractors and subcontractors when the money starts to flow in February. Hopefully the other operators will follow suit and start greenlighting new projects. From what I have read all of the operators have approved their capital budgets for the new year and most are an improvement over 2009.

Keep your fingers crossed and here is to a great new year.

Who needs a resume anyhow?

For as much as people want to trumpet all of the new ways to market themselves, such as one-on-one networking, videos of themselves, and all of the social networks sites, the reality is that most companies still want to see your old fashion resume.

Arggg you say, I do not like my resume. Well, you are probably right about that, but you need to get that little slice of your life updated and looking good. As one who has seen thousands of resumes I am still shocked at how little effort that some people seem to put into that little document that can make or break a great career opportunity.

You hear always hear about the horror story of the misspellings or large gaps in the resume. That is all important, but I am talking simple things like making sure the font is the same throughout the document. Making sure everything lines up. If you have 20 years experience and no degree, please do not put your high school and the graduation date front and center. And please do not use the standard resume templates that come with MS Word. Step out from the masses and actually try to impress.

It is the little things that help make a good impression. To me a resume is like a blind date. You check yourself in the mirror, you pop a couple of mints, and you ask others how you look. Well, ask someone else to look over your resume and tell them to be critical. You need to look good the door opens for that date and your resume needs to look good when that document is opened by someone who has never met you before.

It is not about the first date for your resume, it is about the second date that is important: The face to face interview. Make sure your hair is combed (Everything is lined up and neat), your breath smells good (You highlight what you can offer to your new employer), and you are dressed nice (Fonts look good). Then you are ready to make a good showing.

Obviously it takes a lot more then these things to have a truly great resume, but for those who cannot afford to have your resume professionally done it is the small steps that can make a big difference.

If you email me I will send you a before and after resume that turned a horror of a resume to one that you would be proud to send. jhavranek@siliconcantera.com

Resume Tips and Tricks

When looking for a job, your resume is the most important element in marketing yourself. Studies show that on average a resume is only glanced over for approximately 10 to 30 seconds. Your resume must catch the eye of the viewer if you want to stand out from the other hundreds of applicants.

To help you, we have provided a few Tips you can use to improve your resume:

Determine your objective. Your resume should be specific to the position you are applying for. It is best to keep in mind what the company is looking for in an applicant and highlight these skills and qualifications in your resume.

Make your point. Though you do not want to leave out any important information, you also don’t want your resume to be too lengthy, especially since it will only be viewed for such a short period of time.

Begin sentences with action verbs. You want to be portrayed as an active individual who gets the job done. Use the past tense so as not to confuse the reader.

Focus on your achievements. It is a common mistake to simply state the duties you had in previous jobs. Your resume should be used to state the overall accomplishments you had while you were in any given position. When appropriate, try to use percentages, dollar totals, and numbers because they stand out in the body of the resume.

For example: Successfully managed a large pipeline project with a $2 million budget. Completed project 2 weeks ahead of schedule saving $24,000 in labor costs.

Organize your information. There is nothing worse than a resume that is confusing or unpleasing to the eye. One of the simplest and most overlooked things you can do to improve your resume is to just change the formatting and fonts (See the resume examples below). You can either put things in chronological order or by type (experience, education, skills, etc.). Using bullets is also another way to make your information look neatly arranged.

Proofread. Studies show that spelling errors and typos leave the highest negative impression with employers. Get a friend or a professional to look over your final copy. Sometimes all you need is a second opinion, because they are more likely to catch something you didn’t.

We hope that these tips have helped you to improve your resume. However if you need more assistance, due to the requests from our candidates, SiliconCantera recently started a new resume service. It is an easy way to get a new and improved resume with the help of a recruiting professional. Our resume specialists knows all there is to know about resumes because they look at them all day long for a living! Click here or e-mail Courtney at cmartwick@siliconcantera.com for more information about our resume service which starts as low as $35.

Below is an example of a resume SiliconCantera revised for one of our clients, as you can see many of the tips mentioned above helped to improve the overall appearance of the document.