Is it acceptable for candidates to have a cheat sheet during an interview?

This one will have to be quick as I am quite busy today. But I was searching LinkedIn for candidates to send to a company and I came across a thread: "Is it acceptable now for candidates to refer to notes during an interview to answer a question?" This is interesting. I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand I get it for a seasoned candidate who has an extensive career at a few different companies; however, if I was interviewing a candidate and they had notes they would refer to before answering some of my questions I'm not sure how I would take that. So far there are only two comments on the thread - both say yes it is acceptable (in so many words). What do you think?

I like this candidate, but can I see two or three more?

I was reading through some blogs today and came across one that started like this: Nothing drives a recruiter crazier than having a client say, "I love your candidate and there is no compelling reason not to hire them.  We'd just like to see one or two more candidates". This is the most obnoxious thing a hiring manager can say. 


I understand that in this market hiring managers can be more picky in their decisions. But if you love the candidate, have no reason NOT to hire them...why do you want to waste your time talking with more who, frankly, are probably not going to be as qualified or as good of a fit for the team?


There is this mind set out there that the more candidates a hiring manager talks to the better because they are more likely to find the best candidate. I get it. I really do. But if you find someone you love, and can't think of a reason NOT to hire them-don't wait. Because the best candidates are being picked up first. If you wait on the candidate there is a good chance the candidate will go some place else where the hiring manager makes up their mind in a timely manner.

Should I post my positions on Twitter?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets, as defined by Wikipedia.


Employers and Job Searching Sites (CareerBuilder) post positions on Twitter constantly. As a Recruiter you must have a presence on Twitter. Tweet your jobs and job requirements. Post interesting things that will make people want to follow you. Post helpful job searching tips, resume tips, etc. 


A great website to use for posting positions on Twitter (on top of your tweets!) is TwitJobSearch. Candidates can use this site or just use the search function on Twitter to search for jobs. 


Here are some great Twitter accounts from Recruiters in different industries:

• Christa Foley - @electra: Mom to an amazing 7 yr old. Recruiting Manager and Recruiter at Zappos.com. Scouring the planet for people that are fun and a little weird! :) http://jobs.zappos.com
• Craig Fisher - @FishDogs: Linkedin Certified Training VP - Ajax Social Media • Partner/Recruiter SocialMediaTalent.com • Speaker • Host TalentNet Live Events & #TNL Chat • Dad of 3 boys http://www.fishdogs.com
• Jim Durbin - @smheadhunter:Jim Durbin, social media consultant (since 2006) and co-founder of socialmediatalent.com http://www.socialmediatalent.com
• Jennifer McClure - @CincyRecruiter: Talent Attraction | Innovative Recruiting and Sourcing Strategies | People Development | Executive Coach | Human Resources | HR | Recruiting | Speaker | Blogger http://unbridledtalent.com/blog/
• A'nna Carncross - @AnnacASE: Recruiter actively looking to network with various HR individuals that may be seeking career advancement opportunities. Connect with me on LinkedIn! http://www.aseonline.org (You knew I'd throw myself in there!)

Now Tweet away!

Mobile Recruiting

There are 4x as many mobile phones as there are

PCs, and there are 1.8 billion people already have

access to the mobile web. Make no mistake "mobile"

is the way of the future... ~GoDaddy

Accept it. Embrace it. This is the way of the world. If you try to ignore it you'll fall behind so fast good luck catching up. Mobile recruitment is here and it's not going away any time soon.

Think about it~candidates, whether employed or not, probably have a cell phone. If they are working they are most certainly using their cell phone to job search rather than that work computer that is so closely monitored by IT. They they are not working they may be on the go interviewing and networking-you'd hate to miss the perfect candidate because you are behind on the times.  

Most people have a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android) which comes along with many apps-some free, some for a small(ish) fee. Here are just a handful of those apps:

• Kenexa 2x Mobile is an application designed for the iPhone and BlackBerry (with Android and iPad apps planned for 2011) that allows hiring managers to approve job requisitions and hirings no matter where they are.
• Voice Advantage HarQen is a candidate-interview program that lets recruiters use their phones and a simple web-based dashboard to create and distribute custom, recorded phone interviews.
• Power Resume Search Monster Worldwide is a new technology that can help recruiters find the most qualified candidates when searching Monster’s immense database.
• Jobvite is a social-networking application that focuses on referrals to promote jobs and find qualified candidates. Jobvite uses propriety matching technology to source, match and recruit candidates using employee referrals, social networks, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, and web searches.
• mResource , Chicago Mobile Talent 2.0 is an interactive text and mobile web platform that enables organizations to use cell-phone texting and mobile web applications in the recruiting process. Job candidates opt in to the service — which organizations can promote on corporate or external career job sites or on social media.
• The Interviewer is an app breaks down the process of interviewing job candidates into three phases: before the interview, during the interview, and after the interview. It digs deeper into the job candidate through a variety of questions, lists of skills, and an assessment tool that determines the candidate’s qualifications and their compatibility with the job and the organization.
  
• LinkedIn’s upgraded app allows you to search for people you are preparing to interview, quickly find contact information, and send and receive invitations and messages.
• AutoSearch Mobile gives recruiters (and sales people) aggregated access to prospective candidates and A-list leads with a one-stop shop model vs. hours wasted paging through the myriad of other sites. The searches target geographic regions around the world by filtering profiles and resumes via social networking sites.
• The Hire Syndicate gives recruiters meta access by connecting them to networks of other trusted recruiters so that everyone can share placements and leads. The application uniquely uses real time and mobile recruiting technology.
• Tweetie 2 can be used by recruiters who already keep a network of followers informed of opportunities and news, but who want more features like search saving and inline web-browsing. The automatic URL shortening is a great feature for listing and re-tweeting job posts.

Companies can work with companies such as Jobbing to help get their jobs, etc. more "mobile friendly". 

Visit the Just Biz Blog for more information on mobile recruitment!