Tangerine-Watson, Inc. Access to Success

Questions Hiring Managers are Asking About You

Smart Questions for Your Hiring Manager

Your HR manager is hounding you to green-light some new hires--but don't move too fast. According to a recent survey by Background Information Services in Cleveland, more than half of all job seekers lie on their resumés, often by inflating their job titles. Here's how to determine whether you've really found the right person for the job.

From: Inc. Magazine, February 2007 | By: Jennifer Gill

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1. Where did you find the candidate?
   Referrals from your own top employees are the best bet. If your hiring manager found the applicant at a job fair, be skeptical. Great players aren't hawking their resumé at job fairs; they're working.
   
   
2. Who did the interviewing?
   Don't rely solely on the opinion of the hiring manager. Make sure she has involved some of the employees who will work directly with this person. They'll have the best sense of whether the candidate will fit in.
   
   
3. Why is the candidate leaving his or her current job?
   This can be tough to draw out of some candidates--after all, they don't want to talk themselves out of a job. But you need to know what saps their motivation. Maybe they feel undervalued or hate traveling. Try to understand what will make them eager to come to work on Monday morning.
   
   
4. Is the candidate coming from a competitor?
   This is a two-for-one special: a talented new employee with inside knowledge of a rival's operations. Recruiting is a prime way to gather intelligence on competitors, such as how much they pay people and what business plans they have under way.
   
   
5. Is the candidate connected?
   Candidates who are at the top of their games will be on a first-name basis with other top people in the industry. Ask a candidate to recommend three of the best people at his or her current workplace to come in for interviews. Noncompete agreements can thwart such efforts, however, so be sure to ask if the candidate has signed one with his current employer, notes Margaretta Noonan, executive vice president of Hudson Highland Group (NASDAQ:HHGP), a global staffing firm in New York City.
   
   
6. Could the candidate do my job?
   No one likes to think he or she is replaceable, but smart bosses hire people with potential, and that's especially critical at a company in growth mode. A manager who has your interests in mind will recruit someone with the chops to eventually move into a more senior role. You should also ask if the candidate demonstrates leadership skills and decision-making abilities.
   
   
7. The candidate graduated from college, right?
   Beware of the word attended on a resumé. Last year, ADP Screening and Selection Services found that about half of the 330,000 people it ran background checks on lied about their education or work experience. Hire an outside firm if necessary to vet candidates. If there's an unexplained gap on a resumé, find out why.
   
   
8. How long has this job been open?
   If the answer is a month or more, consider putting someone else in charge of hiring. The best people on the job market are scooped up in days, notes John Sullivan, a consultant and professor of management at San Francisco State University. If it takes too long, you may be getting benchwarmers, not first-string players.
   
   

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Tangerine Watson Featured Panelist at the Upcoming Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair and Leadership Conference

Tis the season for exploring your options.  There are quite a few advertising related events, job fairs, receptions for those exploring career moves in the industry. 

Tangerine-Watson, Inc. will be participating in panels to provide additional information and insight on the industry.  Please join me for an upcoming session which is perfect for those trying to learn more about the industry or about other agencies that have peaked their interest. 

Be sure to stop by the Tangerine-Watson, Inc. booth!

For those wanting to see what else is out there

2nd Annual Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair & Leadership Conference
Web Site: www.bdionline.com/nydiversity08
When: February, 27, 2008
Where: NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life, 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012
Why: To provide advertising career opportunities and knowledge to job candidates from diverse backgrounds
Free for Job Candidates:  Please register free of cost at our website www.bdionline.com/nydiversity08
Recruiting Discount for Tangerine-Watson Network:  Members of Tangerine Watson’s network receive a 10% discount for recruiting exhibits
Contact: For more information please visit the event website at www.bdionline.com/nydiversity08

Look for more news on events in upcoming posts

Tips for Multicultural Internship Candidates

I had the pleasure of sitting in on the screening process for the 4As multicultural advertising internship programMAIP Program .  It is a fabulous opportunity for students to explore and experience large agencies at work and a perfect way to get your foot in the door (not the only way). 

It has been quite a while since I was a student but the application process is not difficult and actually offers an opportunity to really show your creativity.  Most of the screeners are the recruiters at the major agencies  who screen candidates regularly so they are really able to judge talent that they would hire.  Yes, there were definitely great essays and presentations and very talented candidates. 

There were many that may have been great in this business that we cheered for but  missed the mark and the point of this blog is to tell you things that you may never hear.  What goes on behind the doors.  The essays are crucial.  You have probably heard this before but no matter how great your grades (also crucial)  are or your ideas are if you can't write you are left "on the cutting room floor" .   There are some specialties where writing is more forgiving - digital, media, art, traffic, design.  But if you are interested in account planning or Public Relations and your writing skills are not impeccable, forget about it!

Your checklist before submitting an essay:

1) Spell check was created for a reason.  Use the thesaurus, grammar check, please, please, please.

2) Have someone else check your work.  Make friends with English majors, journalism majors or people with attention to detail and have them check your work. If there is a teacher (the person righting your recommendation would be a great choice) that you have a good relationship with have them look over your essay.

3) Do your homework on the roles and responsibilities - Beyond what you learned or did not learn in class do a little searching online.  Look for job descriptions for the area you have an interest in.  Go to Vault which lists careers, look on the list of jobs available at the agencies that you admire to get a better sense of whether that area is a good match for your strengths.  We reviewed applicants asking for Public Relations internships but presenting copywriter examples.

4) If it is a multicultural internship your hardship story, while they will be sympathetic, will be one of many.  Sadly there are many stories of being first to attend college in their family or lack of support.  You will be in the company of many and companies want to know more about how interesting you are to work with and what aspects of your personality will add to the company in helping them build brands.  It won't be because you are diverse and can add a diverse perspective.  That is the point and a given.

5)Make yourself more interesting by bringing in related passions outside the classroom. If you want to be in advertising and marketing don't start out saying you want to own your own company before you even start. Do  spend as much time learning  and immersing on your own.  You will be more competitive if you are getting some learning outside of the classroom.  Help a small business build their brand, do some digital marketing of a website on the side. Execute a focus group or research survey for a company of fellow students and asses findings. Any real life marketing and branding work that you can do outside of the classroom working on something you are passionate about makes you interesting and sets you apart from those with only academic experience. 

The great thing about advertising and marketing is that  unlike many other jobs  standing out and becoming more competitive means doing interesting things outside the classroom.  Grades are crucial and if you are not committed to more than a 3.0 consistently, particularly in your core classes, you are going to have to work even harder to overcome that. 

The industry wants creative, passionate students of advertising who are great communicators with insightful ideas who have something special to offer.  If that is you don't let a poorly written essay rob you of your chance.

Want to Build Diversity? Sweat the Small Stuff

Little Changes Can Lead to Big Gains Without Making a Major Investment

The TalentWorks Section of Ad Age featured a column from Tangerine-Watson that ran the week of August 13th .  We have been quite excited about the opportunity to share insight to the audience of Ad Age.  Would love to hear your comments, thoughts and ideas as we embark on a weekly multicultural blog on Ad Age.  Let's keep the dialogue going.
Want to Build Diversity Ad Age Article

Newest trend in Account Management Interviewing

I  started a new relationship with a great creative shop in Chicago.  Their passion is to create an environment and work that is creatively driven coming from the core strengths of the brand. Basically, rethinking the old and reinventing a new approach.  The new head of HR comes from the creative side so it is no wonder that her interviewing approach is not run of the mill and adds a creative twist to the conversations with candidates that I had not heard before.  She recently asked me if the candidates that I presented had books.  Hmmmm.  Hadn't seen that outside of creatives and some young account planners.  We went on to talk about the concept further. 

The thought was that creatives would be proud of the work and the process of selling through campaigns and the book would bring the journey to life and allow them to articulate and present their successes, challenges, problem-solving ability as well as their ability to move an idea and concept through all channels.  The Book would showcase what worked and didn't worked and how they made the campaign a success or what they would have done differently to sell a campaign through.  Showing your work helps you talk through your branding philosophy and approach and what the brand challenges were and how you worked through them. 

Behavioral interviewing is the big new trend and using creative work that tells a story and provides a picture of how you successfully managed the business sets you apart in a creative way.  A creative and visual portfolio of your career definitely makes for a more interesting conversation with hiring managers.

Would love to hear some comments on whether candidates will be willing to step up and rethink their interviewing presentations.

Blacks in Interactive Meet for Drinks and Community

You probably thought there were not enough to have justify getting together.  As the list grew everyone was excited to see who would be there.  The new Media Director at Beyond Interactive took the lead the old fashioned digital way.  A simple Evite.  It is not an association or formal group.  Everyone invited other people in the industry that they knew for drinks two weeks ago.  Who was there?  Advertising sales executives at some of the major digital networks, agency planners and buyers, web designers, digital marketing executives from both the media and agency side of the business.  Probably about 40-50 in all. Everyone embraced the idea of connecting, supporting and exchanging ideas.  They exchanged cards, ideas and shared stories to support their career journey.  It was a great way for top talent to get to know each other and help build their knowledge and connection.  Nothing formal planned yet.  Everyone had such a great time (we even raffled off an iPod Shuffle, courtesy of Tangerine-Watson, inc.) and we agreed to do it again. If you want an invite to the next soiree send me a note.  If you have heard about other groups communing let me know so that I can spread the word.

Career Trendspotting Tip #2

Digital, Digital, Digital! You are probably sick of hearing it. We have talked about digital trends on the agency side and the media advertising sale side is no exception.

I have been in many conversations with both traditional and new media companies that are aggressively looking for advertising sales people that are African American and Hispanic. This is still the only medium where I am hearing HR recruiters tell me they are still aggressively hiring and want to see more multicultural talent.

There is a great talent pool of amazing salespeople so what is the disconnect?

These are some of the concerns that I have heard from candidates:

1) I don't have digital experience
To get to the top companies there is a preference for experienced digital sales talent. If you have category expertise (automotive, cpg, retail, financial, pharma, etc.) you can position yourself as bringing contacts and industry marketing knowledge to the table.
If you are a sales generalist invest in getting your career by finding a website that will let you get your feet wet and try your skills out. I would highly recommend taking some classes at the same time to ensure your success. Most small companies don't have the resources to train you and it is either sink or swim.

2) Don't know where to go to get training
The Laredo Group offers training for individuals and groups on the buying and selling side as well as packaging integrated deals. Get the terminology and comfort needs to position yourself as a candidate that can make the transition

3)What other resources should I tap into
There are some sights and newsletters that you should be on top of to stay on top of trends and news in digital advertising and marketing sales.
MarketingVox:The Voice of Online Marketing
Interactive Advertising Bureau
This will get you started on the terminology, names and resources
Internet Ad Sales Glossary

4)I have been selling for a while, do I have to start all over

The best sites pay extremely well and due to the growth are consistently hitting their targets and making bonuses. Also, the top digital companies invest heavily in training and career development. Not to mention great benefits. The best salespeople are about reinvention as the market changes they change and evolve their "personal brand". The market is changing and those that invest in themselves can reap the rewards. There are many stories of print publishers taking cuts in compensation to get into a great digital company and work their way back up. Don't be afraid to reinvent for long term success!

5) I don't want to be limited to just online advertising
The influence of digital has permeated every traditional media and marketing strategy. Yes, it is it's own specialty but to become an integrated media salesperson or media salesperson or business leader. Developing your digital sales skills is crucial to building every career. Staying competitive with your skills increases your career options.

More Resume Writing Tips

I discovered a great article and resource for resume writing.  It confirms the typical mistakes that I see nearly every day.  If you need one on one intensive work it is worth the investment. If dollars are tight check out the resources on my sidebar for the free down-loadable books available to make your resume shineCareer Solvers.  There is also a great blog that I found that focuses on something that I am an Evangelist about, personal branding.  There are a ton of other information and book referrals for investing in your career and helping to reinvent and refine your career goals. Career Hub Blog 15 Items for Your Resume "To Do" List By Barbara Safani Do you want to create a more "user friendly" resume to submit to recruiters and hiring authorities? Here are 15 suggestions for composing more compelling and targeted resumes. 1. Create a resume headline. Headlines sell newspapers. They can also sell job search candidates. Hiring managers don't really read resumes, but rather scan them to determine the candidate's fit for the job. Help make that fit more obvious by creating a resume headline that tells the reader your strengths such as Award Winning Television Executive Producer, Entry Level Public Relations Assistant, or Information Technology Product Developer. 2. Create a profile section. Hiring managers tend to focus on the top third of the first page of the resume. They may only read on if your profile grasps their attention quickly. Communicate your value-add in the profile section. List powerful and consistent examples of how you help the companies you support make money, save money, save time, grow the business, and maintain the business. 3. List core competencies. One of the first things hiring managers will be looking for is an indication that you have the skill set necessary to do the job. Your areas of expertise should be displayed prominently and early on in the resume. Try to use the keywords or phrases that are important to your job function and industry. If you are not sure what the appropriate keywords are, look for consistent wording and phrases on job postings for positions in your field to better align your qualifications with potential job specifications. 4. Include brief descriptions of the companies you have worked for. For each organization you were part of, include information on the company including the industry the company represents, size, and revenues if publicly-held. The company description is particularly important if you have worked for new, small, or lesser-known firms. Refer to the company's website and "about us" page to secure additional data for your description. 5. Discuss operating budgets and staff size. Include information on budget and staff size to help your reader gain a better understanding of the scope of your responsibilities. 6. Minimize descriptions of job tasks. While it's important to convey a brief overview of job tasks, this information does little to differentiate candidates. Many candidates have experience doing similar tasks. What makes them unique and memorable is the accomplishment within the task. Spend no more than 3-6 lines discussing the job tasks associated with each position and save space for more valuable accomplishment-focused information. 7. Maximize use of accomplishments. Employers are interested in reading about your accomplishments. Past accomplishments are a better predictor of success than a discussion of job tasks. Accomplishment statements are those that clearly indicate how you help the companies you support make money, save money, save time, grow the business, and maintain the business. 8. Group like accomplishments into categories. After you develop your accomplishment statements, look for trends within your achievements. Do some accomplishments represent increases in sales while others represent decreases in costs or process improvements? By grouping accomplishments by theme, and creating category headings within the chronology for each position, you can better communicate your personal brand and make it easier for your reader to follow the accomplishments achieved within each key critical competency. 9. List appropriate hobbies. Only include hobbies when they are relevant to your job search or in sync with you target audience. For example, an IT technician might mention his knack for fixing up old cars and an event planner might mention her involvement in community theater. Hobbies can also be used effectively to counter potential age bias. For example, the over 50 candidate might mention that she is a marathon runner to imply overall stamina, health, and fitness and to dissuade any bias that as an older worker the candidate lacks the necessary energy to do the job. 10. Include appropriate volunteer experience. Again, include what is relevant and discuss the competencies gained from the volunteer experience that elevate your candidacy. For example, a career changer seeking an entrée into the healthcare field might discuss the volunteer work she did in a hospital or a technology professional might mention teaching computer skills to disadvantaged youths. 11. List relevant professional affiliations. Include relevant and recent professional affiliations and make special mention of any leadership roles held within these organizations. 12. Report employment history by years. Hiring managers generally expect to see the years you were employed by a company, not the months and years. Exceptions to this rule include candidates who have less than one year of tenure in a position or students reporting on summer employment or internships. 13. Focus on the past 10-15 years of employment. Generally, hiring authorities are more interested in recent accomplishments than those achieved over a decade ago. Weight information on your documents towards the past 10-15 years and minimize the amount of space dedicated to earlier work experience. 14. Include graduation dates. Sometimes job seekers omit their graduation date on their resume to mitigate the potential for age discrimination. But by omitting the date, you may actually be calling more attention to the very issue you're trying to hide. They may even assume that you are older than you actually are. 15. Omit "references available upon request". It is understood that candidates will provide references when asked. Save this space for more compelling, accomplishment-driven information. Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, has over ten years of experience in career management, recruiting, executive coaching, and organizational development. She is a triple certified resume writer and frequent contributor to numerous career-related publications.

Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Resume Questions

There are some top candidates with excellent experience come in to see us and send resumes that don't always present them in their best light.  Resumes should tell a story of what you want hope to do next and what makes you great backed up of course with the experience that demonstrates a track record of success and the skills to do the job that you want.  Many times people list everything that they have done and when you talk to them they tell you that they want to do something different.  You don't get any of that from the resume and they wonder why they have not been getting a great response from the market.  You can't make hiring managers do too much work to figure out what to do with you.  They don't have the time and it is not their job.  Make it easy for them to see you in the position that they need to fill. Doing your homework is easy with the internet.  Search for jobs that can use your strengths and that attract your attention.  Position yourself on paper to cater to those positions that you want.  Include only those skills and experiences that demonstrate your ability to do the job you are going after.  I just read a great article onDiversity Inc.. that provided great tips on how to craft a great resume to get what you want. 5 Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed.  Let me know what you think and if you have seen other things that we should share with candidates. 

Don't Make Them Work Too Hard

So, you have decided to get out there and explore new career opportunities. You just put the finishing touches on the resume and you are quite proud. You have proudly documented all of your accomplishments, successes, projects and promotions. It looks beautiful!

Only problem is that you are tired of doing what you have been doing over the last 10 years, or you have been doing a variety of jobs with somewhat unrelated responsiblities. There was a reason of course. Your resume reflects your many talents but also included are the personal and career missteps that caused you to veer off a little. You are ready to take your career in a different direction now but not quite sure what that is exactly.

Before you start sending out that resume listing all of your wonderful accomplishment take a moment to think about the receiver on the other side of the desk. You already know that they get tons of resumes. Hopefully, you realize that they are looking to fill a need that they have and solve their own business problems. Maybe you are aware that they need to differentiate you from everyone else and clearly see what you can do to make their jobs easier.

If your resume does not quickly and easily give hiring managers a clear idea of what ties your various positions together, what the common thread in your career is you will get passed over. If you do not clearly state at the beginning what you want to do or what you are looking for, particularly if you want to make a career change or shift they won't consider you. For example, if you want to go from a promotions position to a strategic position, do your homework and find some strategic marketing job descriptions to taylor your skills, experience and talent accordingly. The amount of information available on the internet and in books online and in the stores makes your research job pretty painless. Not doing some homework on the job descriptions and skills necessary inexcusable.

Never forget that your job is to package your "brand" . What differentiates you? What skills and talents run through your previous positions that are valuable specifically to the person on the other side of the desk? The work experience should document how you got where you are. Give some serious thought to what you want to do for the company and why it should be you instead of someone else? I am amazed at how many resumes list lots of great experiences but the owner wants to do something different and I have to figure out from the resume what that is and why I they would be great at it. There is usually too much of the stuff that you don't want to do any longer listed and no demonstration of knowledge and ability of the things you want to do now. No one is going to care and feed your career development like you should. Ask questions from people that can help you but it is not there problem or responsiblity, so do the work. Don't dump your career strategy problem on their desks.

People do want to help. Make helping you easy, not a burden. By doing some research on positions, careers, job responsibilities and asking specific questions from people in that role or who know, you can better gear your resume so that it is clear that you should be considered for the area that you crave.