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What You Need To Stand Out In A Job Interview

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Stand out in a job interview|What You Need To Stand Out In A Job InterviewThe interview is the most important part of the hiring process. Not only does it give you an opportunity to present yourself to your potential employer, but it also allows them to see if they are likely to hire you too. You may have done everything right when applying for the job, but if you don’t do well in your interview, there’s no way that they will be interested in giving you a shot.

This is why you want to give it your best self and have the best chance of getting the job. But what does that look like and what does it take? Let’s take a look at some important points to help you here.

The Importance of Preparation & Presentation in a Job Interview

Job interviews are one of the most important aspects of the hiring process. They provide a chance to show the employer who you are, what you’re about, and make a connection. So, you’ll want to make sure that you can nail it by preparing properly. The most important thing is preparation in advance so that you don’t miss any key details when in your interview.

Research your potential employer and learn about the company’s culture, values, and history. If possible, try to find someone who has worked there recently or currently works there to get insider information before you go in for the interview.

How To Land The Interview In The First Place

The interview is the most important step in getting a job. But you have to make sure that you get there first. One way to land an interview is by following up with the employer after submitting a resume or application online. You also need to make sure that your resume is great by using a ksa response writer to get it all right. Also, be sure that you’ve not given straight forward answers and that you’re going to not only be suitable for the job, but also stand out as a key candidate!

What’s Important When Preparing For The Interview?

So when you’re actually thinking about getting to the interview, you’ll want to be sure that you’re prepared along the way. First impressions are important in an interview. So, make sure that you are wearing appropriate clothes like a suit or something similar. You also want to bring copies of your resumé with you. Be sure that you’re not late and that you’re polite and kind to the receptionist or whoever greets you when you’re there. It also helps to make sure that you’re in the right mindset for success when the interview begins.

How To Make a Good First Impression in an Interview

When you first meet the interviewer, you really want to be sure that you make a good first impression. But what does that actually look like? You get just a few seconds to come off in a certain way – so some of the things you might want to focus on, that employers want, can include you being enthusiastic and confident. Also be sure to smile and give a firm handshake. You will also want to make sure that they are interested in them and that you ask questions about their work. And if you are using humor, make sure that you do so appropriately.

Staying Calm in the Face of Difficult Questions

The stress of interviews and the fear of getting asked a difficult question can make you uncomfortable and less confident. It’s important to be prepared for all types of questions and to stay calm when answering them. Some of the key questions that you might get asked and that it helps to prepare for are;

  1. What’s your greatest weakness?
  2. Why do you want to work here?
  3. What is your greatest accomplishment?
  4. What are your salary expectations?
  5. Why should we hire you?

What To Do After The Interview

Finally, you might want to make sure that you know what to do after the interview. To find out what happened after the interview, you should ask the interviewer if they need any more information from you. If they say no, you can follow up with them in a day or two to check on the status of your application.

The safest practice is to wait for at least 24 hours before contacting them. This allows for them to go through your application without being contacted by phone or email. Sometimes they are hesitant about giving feedback due to fear of hurting the applicant’s feelings. Giving them some space will give them enough time to produce an answer that they feel comfortable with. So have faith and believe in yourself.

4 Ways to Grow Your Business Organically

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Grow your business organically|4 Ways to Grow Your Business OrganicallyEntrepreneurs want to see their businesses grow. After all, growth indicates potential success and validates that your processes are working well. However, there are two kinds of growth, one that is fast but risky and another that is slow but steady. Which type you aim for could impact the course of your business.

Growth can be organic or inorganic. Organic growth occurs when you expand from within by getting more clients, offering new products and increasing output while solely relying on your own resources. Expansion begins internally and spreads out naturally. In contrast, inorganic growth is a result of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. A company gains access to new markets by taking over or fusing with other businesses.

Some people would argue that organic growth is inherently better than inorganic growth. But each type has a role in the long-term success of an organization. A combination of both often signifies that business is thriving. Even so, organic growth is undeniably more sustainable than its counterpart. If your goal is to grow a small company or start-up, better start bolstering the business from within before adding new locations.

With that in mind, we will focus on organic growth and learn five effective ways to grow your business organically

1. Create a Strong Brand

So, you have an excellent product, a friendly staff, even an eye-catching logo. But without a well-defined and solid company brand, your efforts are useless in the vast ocean of competition. You have to stand out, and your company brand is your rallying point. Remember that your brand goes beyond an emblem and a tagline. It is the entire experience – the products you offer, your customer service, your online presence, the way you treat your clients.

Creating a strong business brand is crucial because it makes your company more recognizable and sets you apart from others. It also builds consumer trust and provides value to your business. Effective branding enables you to cut marketing and advertising costs. Organizations with a unique but honest brand have a much easier job promoting their services to their customers and attracting prospective clients. The main reason for this is people are more likely to choose products from organizations that appear genuine, legitimate and credible. Moreover, a clear and consistent brand puts customers at ease because they already know what to expect from their transaction with you.

Branding is an integral part of your business strategy and helps your staff stay focused on the company goals. A clear brand provides motivation and direction to workers, often leading to high employee retention. Furthermore, it entices quality candidates to join your organization.

For customers to know about your company brand, ensure that your marketing tactics fit your target audience. This step requires a lot of research as you need to figure out how your clients prefer to receive information, but it is worth the effort. Having a well-thought marketing strategy will help you direct your budget on the most effective communication channels. Thus, getting the best results.

2. Build a Strong HR Department

As your business grows, you will need to hire additional people to meet the rising demand for your products or services. Bringing new workers on board means more paperwork, employees’ contracts, job responsibilities, performance assessments. Then, there is always the worry of hiring the wrong people. To address these concerns, you need a robust and able Human Resource department. A well-trained HR staff will not only take care of the paper trail but also manage employee matters.

The HR department has a vital role in choosing the best candidates to fill the positions created by the expansion of your business. Making sure you pursue the recruitment of competent HR staff will improve your recruitment process, diversify your team to increase innovativeness, and reduce, if not eliminate, employee turnover. The staff is also responsible for training and developing talent as well as cultivating leaders.

Although HR primarily focuses on employee relations, it also aids in building the company brand and culture. One of its roles is to forge a strong relationship with your partners and target market by facilitating business meetings, gatherings, conferences and promotional events. Lastly, HR looks after the corporate image and interest of the organization by helping the business comply with labor laws, health and safety regulations, and other government-mandated policies.

3. Ask Clients to Recommend Your Business to Others

Does word-of-mouth marketing really work? The short answer is yes. It is one of the fastest yet cheapest ways to attract and obtain new customers. Many companies go all out to make the overall experience so positive that word-of-mouth happens organically. If your clients had a great experience, they would be willing to promote your products or services to their friends, family, and colleagues for free.

However, merely asking your clients to talk about your offerings may not be enough to support the company. Customers, even happy ones, can be unpredictable and will not always remember to spread information about your business. To spice things up and encourage existing clientele to endorse you, develop a referral program that compensates customers for recommending your products and services. The incentives can include freebies, gift cards, cash backs, product discounts or store credit. A referral program is also an effective way to reward loyal and returning customers.

Finally, do not underestimate the potential of online reviews. Statistics show that 90 percent of customers check online reviews before choosing a business. Furthermore, over 67 percent of consumers’ feedback influences shoppers’ purchasing decisions. With that said, be sure to spend time and effort building your social media presence.

4. Developing Staff

You’ve probably heard it many times, but it’s worth mentioning again: you grow your business by developing your people. A company’s most valuable asset, after all, is its workforce.

Professional development is vital in every organization because it enhances knowledge, hones existing abilities, and teaches new skill sets that help people adapt to changes. It drives innovation and promotes better employee engagement, resulting in higher productivity and profitability. Additionally, developing your team members boosts their morale and increases satisfaction, which allows you to retain the best workers. This can be done using online bespoke training courses, created to specifically improve your employees in the areas of the business you want to grow.

However, employee development does not only focus on career advancement. It has to be complete and holistic. Be sure to include emotional balance, mental growth, and physical health in your program. In addition, provide the workforce with personal and professional development time to focus on self-directed learning.

Four Key Web Design Rules For 2022 And Beyond

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Web Design Rules|Four Key Web Design Rules For 2022 And BeyondThese days even the smallest businesses are expected to have top-quality websites. This means that new entrepreneurs should be prepared to invest in them. You don’t have to build your website yourself. In fact, it’s usually best to delegate the building to a professional. It can, however, be useful to understand the key web design rules for 2022 and beyond.

SEO needs to be baked in

When the internet first started, web design and search engine optimization were separate disciplines with little to no crossover. Now, however, the design of your website can do a lot to help or hinder your SEO. Modern search engine algorithms now assess sites on safety and usability as well as content. This is why SEO has to be baked in from the start.

In some contexts, the effectiveness of your SEO will be seen as an indicator of your overall competence. This is particularly true of tech-related companies. For example, if you’re offering web design services in West Palm Beach then you’ll be expected to rank well for “website design west palm beach”.

Mobile-friendliness is a must

In the old days, people used to surf the net from a computer at their desk. Now, they can also surf it from mobile devices and they increasingly do. The experience of using a website from a computer is often very different from the experience of using a website from a mobile device. This means that websites have to be carefully designed to satisfy both groups of users.

At a superficial level, this means either having two separate websites for the two groups of users or having a single, responsive website. Effective, mobile-friendly web design must, however, go much further than this. It has to accommodate the very different ways and contexts in which the various devices are used.

For example, computers are generally used when you’re seated at a desk or table. Mobile devices can be used in all kinds of places and ways. Computers tend to have fairly large screens whereas mobile devices can have very small ones. Computers have keyboards, mobile devices don’t. In fact, mobile devices are often worked using one hand.

Voice search is now serious

Voice search has now matured to the point where it deserves to be taken very seriously. It’s particularly important for businesses targeting people who are actually on the move. Regardless of whether you’re driving or walking, you want (and often need) to keep your eyes focused on where you’re going. That’s why voice search is so useful.

Even if you’re not targeting people on the move, it’s often still useful to optimize your site for voice search. The growth of smart assistants, especially smart home assistants, is leading to growth in the use of voice search. Quite simply, it is or should be, a really convenient way of getting quick answers to straightforward queries.

Chatbots are go

Chatbots can be used for all kinds of purposes from collecting user feedback to answering basic queries. One of their most popular uses is as “first-responders”. In other words, they will try to help users themselves. If the query is beyond their capability, they’ll pass it on to a human agent. If it’s out of hours, they’ll take a message.

Loopholes in Hiring: What Are You Doing Wrong?

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Hiring Loopholes|Loopholes in Hiring: What Are You Doing Wrong?It seems like you’ve decided to go through this article. Well, in that case, there’s a high probability that you’re looking for some assistance in your hiring decisions. Even if you’re an experienced recruiter, things could be looking gloomy in the recruiting area for some time, and that’s a point of concern indeed.

For instance, the problem could be that your employees aren’t meeting expectations, or you feel you’ve hired a good candidate for the wrong position! Fortunately, you’ve stumbled upon this article that will assist you in assessing your own recruiting methods and criteria.

Undoubtedly, hiring new employees is a complicated process. You have to know the law, set recruiting criteria early on, sort out an employment contract and – above all, ensure you’re recruiting the right person. You can easily err if you don’t check all the right boxes. After all, finding the wrong person is worse than finding no one at all – it means having to start over.

The trick to recruiting new employees for your business is to have a clear idea of the skills, characteristics, and experience required for that particular position. A reasonable plan to assess and attract the best of the best entrants is an essential component of effective recruitment. Unfortunately, too many businesses commit the same slipups over and over again, costing themselves money and time in the process. The best way to dodge these mistakes is to learn from them.

To make it easier on you, we’ve compiled a list of all the loopholes that exist in recruiting new employees, including a gist of how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Not Manifesting Technology

Are you still taking a stroll down the river to wash your clothes on the rocks? Do you hang your unmentionables over shrubbery to dry? Of course not: There is a better way, and you’d only give yourself some trouble if you do not use it. The same applies to screening potential candidates. Sifting through a mountain of resumes and printing every email is a tedious process. It wastes time and energy and leads to inefficient results, such as losing track of an applicant’s information, slowing down the recruitment process.

The Fix

Incorporating technology and specific tools in the recruitment process is a viable way to track all essential details. An applicant tracker, for instance, is a model built to help you handle everything from potential candidates to interview dates, job positions, job descriptions, and so much more. Furthermore, it casts a vast network for attracting applicants by driving traffic directly to your job openings and screens for the top candidates. So instead of schlepping home a box full of resumes to read, you’re now directly scheduling in-person and phone interviews and getting that position filled. It is not just a keen move but cost-effective and easier on your back as well.

Mistake #2: Rushing to Recruit Someone

Hiring someone without thinking twice or scrutinizing their experience/work profile can be as bad as not using technology or making the hiring process overly lengthy. Of course, there can be a sense of urgency to recruit an employee, especially if you have other staff covering the position putting additional strain on the team. But by trying to speed up the process, you may miss out on vital information, which could prove costly in the future.

The Fix

Focus on setting a realistic timeframe to send out the job offer and go through the hiring process. You can then share this with your team to get an idea of how long it will take to find the right candidate for the job.
Also, ensure that you take all the necessary time to perform relevant checks, contact references, and conduct online skill assessments. A checklist can assist you in this regard; by setting a timeline for every step, you can stay on track and ensure nothing is left out.

Mistake #3: Making decisions based on gut feelings

Human beings are biased – no arguments here. However, this becomes a problem when most of the recruitment at a company is based on gut feelings! Subjective and unthoughtful decisions are a primary problem in several organizations.

The Fix

Fortunately, with AI or Artificial Intelligence, recruiting managers can identify the right fit for the position by evaluating the applicant’s characteristics, skills, and other required criteria. AI-based solutions are designed to collect data and convert them into actionable insights. It will ensure that all the crucial decisions are based on untainted data, allowing companies to compare the skills required for a particular position with the applicants’ job profiles.

Moreover, deciding to hire someone based on gut feel can be damaging to the company. If you’re not careful, you might miss the red flags in job applicants. Performing extensive criminal background checks with candidates’ written consent through a third-party background checker is within a business’s legal right, so it’s something you should consider. Background checks can expose problematic behavior and keep bad employees from being hired at all. Since background checks are standard practice, most job seekers are aware that they may go through them.

Mistake #4: Not Including other Staff Members

Hiring managers often use the same old recruiting criteria used previously to hire the last employee. What they don’t realize is that the skills or role requirements might have changed. They often fail to mention these additional requirements in their requisition. Thus, the job offer might attract the wrong group of candidates.

This mistake usually occurs when recruiters and HR work in isolation, not consulting the team and hiring managers about the actual job preferences and duties. This makes the hiring process even more chaotic and prolonged than anticipated.

The Fix

Involve all your staff members in the recruitment process. More than 50% of the time, it is seen that hiring managers make tweaks to the job description. You can invite your staff members into your talent acquisition podium so that you can all give your two cents on the hiring process. Moreover, with open-end discussions, you can discover the right candidate for the job opening.

Mistake #5: Not Offering Enough

When it comes to hiring new employees, staying within your budget will forever remain an essential consideration. Many organizations walk a fine line between spending enough money to expand their business and staying profitable. But now more than ever, job applicants know what they are worth, and they are searching for a job that will be realistic in terms of amenities and salary. So offering less for a job that deserves more is a definite no-go.

The Fix

It is wise to look at what other organizations are paying their employees. The same websites that candidates will use to research what a position is worth can help recruiters too. You don’t necessarily have to pay more than your competitors. Still, you should play fair if you’re expecting to attract top-class talent.

Furthermore, suppose you don’t have the budget to match what your contenders are paying. In that case, you can perhaps offer other bonuses, such as an office gym, 401k matching, tuition reimbursement, etc.

Conclusion

So there you have it – a list of all the plausible mistakes that are bound to sabotage and possibly derail a recruitment process. All recruiters need to consider the pointers mentioned above to ensure an effective and smooth hiring process. To err is human, of course, but you can streamline the entire process and run it smoothly with a little bit of effort and technology. Just be sure to take your time and assess the potential candidates with a sharp eye, and before you know it, you’ll have no trouble finding the best fit for the job.

Tech hiring platforms: need of the hour

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Tech Hiring Platforms|Tech hiring platforms: need of the hourWith the continuous advancement in the field of technology, everything is going online. This has further become more important in the current situation of a pandemic where most of the things and work has shifted from the traditional ways to online platforms. In such times, the technical teams of the organizations have got tough positions. One such innovation has been made in the field of hiring.

Many tech hiring platform have come up as a major solution to companies for their recruitment and hiring processes. Their main focus is to find the best of the talent and develop them in the best possible manner. They use cloud-based efficient platforms that focus on various key aspects that are involved in the hiring process. These service providing companies help in providing online test assessments, recruitment and L&D solutions, certifications, proctoring, conducting online exams and various other things. Their portfolio has a large variety of product offerings for their customers. These platforms are secure and provide best service experience to their clients. Here we will discuss the key benefits of tech hiring platforms that have also become the need of the hour.

  1. Increases the chance to recruit the best talent: The process of hiring is developed after proper research and development. These are cloud-based and very efficient in conducting all the test and interviews. They also help to get a detailed assessment of the candidates. Thus, this increases the chances of selecting the best talent. The companies can always develop their plans regarding the assessment in terms of skill, role complexity, time and other measures.
  2. Screening of the candidates: Such hiring platforms help to screen out the best candidates. They have the latest and very advanced assessment platforms. They also provide proctoring solutions in cases of conducting online tests and exams which further ensures the authenticity of the exams. One can also select from the vast array of the questions.
  3. Online interview of the candidates: this further helps to conduct the online interviews of the selected candidates most appropriately. This could be conducted in real-time. One can easily assess the candidate’s skills and knowledge using such platforms.
  4. Up skill and engaging the candidates: These service providers also have the training and development solutions for the companies. This can be used by the companies to enhance the skills of the candidates. They also provide a platform for new and existing employees for their better engagement.
  5. Hiring strategy as per your needs and requirements: The companies can always plan and strategies their hiring needs and requirements in the terms of cost, time, complexity and skill. They have hiring processes that are a mix of MCO’s and simulators. This helps in the filtration of the best candidates at the very first step. This further saves a lot of time, energy and cost involved in the hiring process. They also offer in-depth assessment analysis of the candidates for their advanced assessment. Further, after finalizing the candidates, interviews could be conducted online in a very simple and easy manner.
  6. Tech screening of the candidates using assessments and simulators: These tech hiring companies are very advanced in their field and provide the tech screening of the candidates remotely using assessments and simulators. You can choose from the vast portfolio available the type of questions you want to go for.
  7. In-depth analysis of the candidates: The hiring companies also give an in-depth analysis of the reports of the candidates. This also helps to differentiate the best candidates from the average ones. The companies can easily analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. There are different reports for both of the knowledge bases assessments and application-based assessments. Companies could use this as the preliminary step for conducting the online assessment of the candidates.
  8. Robust proctoring software and technology: These companies provide a ready platform for conducting secure tests and assessments. They have well developed [proctoring software and technology and the candidate can be assessed even from the remote area. These proctoring software further help to develop the customized assessment of each candidate conduct the multiple assessments of different candidates at the same time. The companies can choose from amongst the AI-based proctoring or manual proctoring. They could easily get end to end screening results as well.
  9. Efficient hiring through innovative technology: The innovations and advancement in the field of technology have made everything much simpler. With the use of such technology, efficient hiring has become very easy. It also helps in the better engagement of the new and existing employees. Some service providers provide very advanced hackathon platform. This helps in nurturing the problem-solving skills, fosters better team collaboration among the workforce and fosters the internal innovation.
  10. Customization options: the companies have the option of getting everything customized as per their needs. They can get the tests, assessments, analysis and reports and everything else customized as per their needs and convenience. The tech hiring companies also provide continuous support services to their clients to ensure they get the best experience.

With coming up the online coding assessments, combined with efficient and innovative technology, the future of recruitment has become very structured and well planned. The companies can get the best of the talent by using such platforms and develop them in the best possible manner. The companies should look for the best online coding platform to make their recruitment process more efficient and organized. These are developed taking into considerations several factors and after proper research and development processes. They also provide efficient, cost-effective, clear and transparent hiring platform to the growing companies. Everything from planning, screening, assessment and interviews could be done online. The proctoring software further ensures that everything is conducted in a secure and best possible way. So don’t just look, choose the best platform and go for a more efficient method of hiring. This will not only help in finding the best talent amongst the pool of candidates but also develop them in the best possible manner and ensure their better engagement.