No Secret – Recruiting Practices have been Streamlined… or is that Steamrolled!The key to getting hired is having a great resume! It’s a great investment to pay a professional to draft and polish your resume. Oh, and BTW, be sure to include your accomplishments on that resume… what percentage of increase in productivity/revenue/profit was due to your work? Not clear, unable to document it – well, just make it up. It’s not like it really matters.
Just ask the guy who got called out as an “expert witness” for including a non-existent degree on his “CV” (fancy word for resume!).
The secret for years in recruiting is automated scanners to sort resumes and identify key words… So develop a list of key words to include on your resume to ensure that a human being actually reviews that resume. In most instances, a resume that passes the keyword scan is viewed for about five seconds by a recruiter or hiring manager. So keywords that aren’t in context usually DQ you pretty quick.
Applicant websites have used “screening” questions to test candidates’ knowledge of necessary subject matter. And now, the latest tool to use in screening candidates? Recruiters are starting to “test” AI chatbots that can perform initial screening calls. So talk to the computer because humans make mistakes. Talk to the computer because AI handles nuance so well.
Just ask the attorneys who’ve been sanctioned for submitting AI-generated documents to the court that quote (yes, we know the legal term is “Cite”) legal decisions that AI MADE UP!
THE TRADES REALITY: WHY BCTS DOES IT DIFFERENTLY!
That’s why BCTS takes time with every client company at the start of the relationship to talk about the challenges in recruiting in the trades. Quick response, engaging with applicants, and taking the time to talk about technical skills AND culture. That’s why BCTS sees candidates as clients as well. A tech, or even a manager, can have the requisite skills for success and the motivation to stand out. But some companies have different approaches to their market. Some emphasize sales & new systems, others focus on repair & service. We can all debate which one we feel is better. But the real issue is whether a specific company is a good fit.
At BCTS we take the time to get to know your focus, we get talk to you as an individual professional and try to determine if you are a good fit. We take time to discuss the position and the culture to determine if you’d be happy at a specific client. And if not, we’ll do what we can to help you find that right position.
Every so often – actually at least 3-5 times a week – we’ll get an applicant who’s clearly NOT qualified. Many are just looking for their first opportunity in the trade. We may not be able to help place you – but we applaud your desire to break into the trade. And we’ll take time to give you advice (if you want it) to put yourself in the best possible position to get that first position. In fact, when I have a conversation with an applicant who’s clearly not ready for the position our client company is filling, I’ll start that conversation like this:
“I can’t present you to this client because they are looking for someone with ___ experience. But I’ve got a few thoughts about how you can get that first job. It may not be where you want to work forever, but it’ll get you started… but I’m an old fat guy, a boomer – so if you don’t want my advice – I totally understand.” I let you tell me if you want a few tips to help you get into that 1st job.
At BCTS we see ourselves as matchmakers – finding matches between companies and candidates. And if we do our job well – then both the company and candidate are happy – and then we can see ourselves as successful.
So here’s our promise to you:
- You don’t have to have a great resume! In fact, we’ll talk to you with or without a resume!
- If you need a resume – we’ll even help you pull something together.
- You’ll talk to a real person – no AI… no chatbots… and no BS.
- We’ll be straight up with you about whether it’ll be a good fit and the criteria the client is requiring.
- No “silver bullets” – we’ll do the grinding for you!
That’s who we are… two vets… an old fat guy… a guy who can fit into his navy uniform… and a guy who’s worked around several blue collar trades. Three guys who focus on the trades and love & respect what it takes to master the skills of the MEP positions. Every so often – we’ll see recruiters who usually focus on IT pros, or medical (doctors & nurses) or legal (lawyers & paralegals) “dip down” when their business gets slow. Because they don’t know the trades. They underestimate what it means to be a trades professional. They think it’ll be easy! All we do is focus on the trades…
