Best Practices in Checking References

Best Practices in Checking References

After you’ve found a strong candidate deserving of consideration for a position, the next step you can do is to check their references. You’ve noted that the candidate’s interview went perfectly well, and their resume and cover letter are well prepared and tailored to the position. However, bear in mind that job applicants can be well-prepared, and resumes can be polished to a high degree. Checking a potential employee’s references is an excellent way to learn more about them and make the best possible hiring decision.

Checking References Best Practices

Candidates should provide at least three professional recommendations with their contact details. In an ideal situation, the references would be former coworkers or co-supervisors of the applicant. Ask for references from previous jobs if the applicant is reluctant to use one from their former position.

Set up a phone interview with each reference, letting them know that the candidate has permitted you to call them. Here are some tips to follow when calling the reference person: 

  • An email isn’t enough for an interview. More than one sentence from the reference will give you a better idea of the candidate’s character and skills.
  • Start offering a basic set of questions about the candidate to help the reference person think about it and formulate their response.
  • Give the reference a brief job description to understand the position’s requirements, your hiring criteria, and the candidate’s potential.
  • Respect the referee’s time. If you requested 15 minutes, make sure it is 15 minutes.

Create Questions

To make the best recruitment decisions, you should use your questions to gather accurate information about the applicant. Create interview questions based on the job description to elicit information about a candidate’s work ethic, expertise, background, and moral character.

Have a conversation with the reference you’re interviewing. Encourage them to think beyond the obvious. Ask the candidate how they would respond in a hypothetical situation. If you’re interviewing different candidates for the same position, a standard set of questions can be beneficial.

Sample Questions for the Reference Persons

It is important to note that the initial questions are easier and more basic than the rest. You want to incorporate the reference slowly into the discussion to add more challenging topics later.

The majority of the questions are unstructured. It’s important to ask “why” after every yes-or-no response if you’re asking a yes/no question.

The most effective technique to conclude your phone conversation is to ask the reference person if there is anything more you should know about the applicant. These catch-all inquiries might provide the reference person with a chance to explore a subject that you may not have considered before asking the question.

An example set of questions that you may ask during a reference check call are as follows:

  1. Do you know the candidate for a long time? How long?
  2. When you worked with them, how would you rate their overall job performance?
  3. What was it like to be in charge of these people?
  4. In what ways did they differ from the rest of the players on your team?
  5. Is there anything about them that sets them apart from the rest of your team members?
  6. Do you recall any areas in which you worked with the candidate to assist them to grow? Could you elaborate on it for me?
  7. Would you rehire them if given a chance?
  8. Is there anything more I should know about this person?

A candidate’s background may be gleaned by a review of their references. Verifying references is just one part of a successful recruiting strategy. As a result, you should always have a solid strategy for finding new employees.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Switching Careers

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Switching Careers

It’s becoming increasingly common for people to change jobs, even industries regularly. Traditionally, the usual setup is to work at your first job until you retire, if you were lucky. Before you hand in your two weeks’ notice and make the leap to a new career, take some time to reflect. Here are some things to keep in mind before making a career change.

Is it Financially Feasible for me to Switch Careers?

Looking at the numbers is an excellent place to evaluate the significance of changing careers. Are you worried about the impact on your finances if you make this change? Will it delay your retirement or make it more difficult for your children to attend college? Is your income going to increase or decrease? The question is whether or not your family can go without your income while you get back up and running. During this transition period, how will you handle your current financial obligations?

However, this doesn’t imply that you need a higher salary to change careers. In fact, many people are content after lowering their tax rate by a few tax brackets. Ultimately, what you need to know about your financial future is more important than anything else. If the answers to these questions are positive, it may be possible to change careers. Before making a career change, it’s best to have a detailed plan in place. Risks and rewards are always in balance.

Will it Affect my Family of I Switch Careers?

There are consequences to switching jobs when you are in a relationship and have children, and those consequences go beyond your own. As a result, you must take into account the effect your decision will have on others.

Consider how your partner and children’s lives will be affected due to this move. How often will they be able to see you? Will they maintain their current way of life, or will they be forced to make significant alterations? Is your partner going to be able to keep working? What if you’re forced to move?

This decision you make today will profoundly affect the lives of the people you care about. When considering a new career path, it’s essential to look beyond your interests and see if it’s the right one for you. A career change could improve your work life, but you must ensure that it won’t negatively impact your personal life. If you do that, you’ll simply be resolving one problem after another.

Do I Need to Start Over if I Switch Careers?

When changing careers, it’s possible that your present level of seniority will not be transferred. As a result, it’s essential to consider what it means to begin again. Always start with a realistic expectation in mind. Is it true that you’re qualified for this position? Take a look at your current skills and see if you’re up to par; if not, what additional training or certifications will you require? If that’s the case, how long will it take and how much money will you have to spend on it?

The growth potential of your new industry should also be taken into consideration. How much farther up the corporate ladder would you be able to move up if you started over? Some jobs don’t give you enough time to rise to the top of fast-growing industries, which is unfair. Make sure you’re aware of what the future holds.

The most challenging question is whether changing jobs will benefit you. Do you despise your profession or just your current position? Do you think you’d be happier if you moved or changed jobs? A fresh outlook can sometimes help. There’s nothing wrong with making switching careers; in fact, millions of people do so each year. However, before making a decision, you should weigh all of your options. Stop and think about how this decision will affect your family, finances, and mental health. When it comes to taking a risk, it’s always a good idea to think things through thoroughly before making a decision.

Why Become a Dental Assistant?

Why Become a Dental Assistant?

Has it ever crossed your mind how it is like to work as a dental assistant? You’re not the only one with that thought in mind. Many people aspire to work in dental assisting. Working as a dental assistant can be rewarding on many levels, including both professionally and personally. Dentists and hygienists will rely on you as a Dental Assistant. A Dental Assistant will do everything from making patients feel welcome, helping them relax, making them comfortable, and explaining what is going on.

Let’s look at the top reasons you should work as a dental assistant.

High Demand

When it comes to choosing a career path, dental assistants have a lot going for them. Since dental offices cannot function without a Dental Assistant, this position is expected to remain in high demand for years to come. It’s great to know that you can expect a bright future as a dental assistant if you enrol in this program. The advantages of being a dental assistant are immense, and the career is considered the perfect blend of fun and professionalism. Just imagine working in an environment where your job requires you to work with all sorts of people and offers you the opportunity to make an impact on their lives.

As the population grows, so does the demand for dental care. People are seeking preventative dental care more willfully. You’ll also have a more extensive patient base because older people are more likely to keep their teeth now than in the past. Remember that dental assistants are sought by general and speciality dentists, including Endodontists, Orthodontists, and Oral Surgeons. As a result, Dental Assistants can find work no matter where they live.

Income

Dental Assistants make excellent money, especially when you consider how little schooling they need to get started. In Australia, dental assistants earn an average yearly salary of $59,640. There are no educational or certification requirements for dental assistants to work in this field. Many are “trained on the job”.

Career Growth

As a Dental Assistant, you’ll never have the same day two days in a row. If you’re interested in dentistry, this is a great way to get your feet wet, learn about the field, and gain practical experience. In this position, you’ll get a good understanding of what it takes to operate a dental practice, from front desk operations to patient care. Dental Assisting is often a stepping stone to other healthcare careers such as dental hygienists, dental office managers, insurance claim processing and coding specialists. You can make up to $70,000 a year in these fields.

Workplace

An exciting, fast-paced, and dynamic job awaits you in a dental office! You will be working in an environment where you will be surrounded by hard-working people. Dental assistants can work in various settings, including private practice, clinics, schools, and hospitals. There are many specialities in dentistry that you can choose from when working in a dental office.

Rewarding Career

A Dental Assistant needs to put patients at ease and listen to their concerns. As a result, customer service and effective communication are two of the most critical skills required for this position. There is a tremendous feeling of pride that comes with making patients your number one priority every single day. Dental assistants are likely to talk about their patients and the joy they get from helping them improve their quality of life when asked about their job. Make a positive impact on someone’s day, and you’ll never be happier!

Software Engineer: Build your Brand and Social Media Presence

Software Engineer: Build your Brand and Social Media Presence

The power of social media can be harnessed by software engineers who believe they can change the world through technology. Social media has a world of possibilities for Software Engineers, including developer advocacy, influencer marketing, remote work, and compensated speaking engagements worldwide.

A positive impact on the technology ecosystem, building your brand and expanding your network can all be achieved through social media while making money. As a software engineer, 

the struggle lies in establishing a personal brand and expanding your network across various social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even TikTok. Your first goal should be to get your name out there and build a solid foundation for yourself.

Below are some of the ways to build your brand and increase your social media presence:

Blogging & Vlogging

An essential part of blogging is sharing your thoughts and feelings about what you care about. On the other hand, Vlogging is the practice of creating video content about your personal experiences, reviews, and feelings on various topics. You can use Blogging and Vlogging to show off your skills as a software engineer. People and potential employers want to see an overview of your work and skills, which is why you want to get them to come to your website in the first place. In addition to posting your blogs and vlogs on your website, you can also use other platforms, such as YouTube to distribute your content. Youtube is a great way to advertise and market your brand, and they’ll pay you once your channel is monetised upon hitting certain milestones in views and subscribers.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a must-have for anyone looking for a job or looking to expand their professional network. Many people have no idea how to take advantage of the platform to its full potential. Keep your profile up-to-date with a current professional photo and your most up-to-date professional information, including your current position, title, responsibilities, awards, education, and other relevant information. Make a slew of new friends who share your professional passions. Recruiters use industry/sector and job position filters to look for potential hires, so make sure you’ve updated your profile’s industry/sector and job position sectors.

Connect with Other Software Engineers and Professionals

Join Facebook groups for software engineers and other professionals. You may find much help from other software engineers by doing this. With this, you can connect with people who share your interests. Hiring managers also participate in these groups to find qualified candidates for their companies.

Advertise your Content and Brand

Investing in social media marketing requires a significant investment of time and money. Your content can go a long way if you use paid advertising on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Ad packages are available on each platform, and you can select the one that best suits your ad campaign. Ads on social media will allow you to reach a much larger audience and provide you with data on how people are engaging with your content, both of which will help you improve your website’s SEO ranking. A solid social media presence can help you build a strong personal brand that will help you land a job and expand your network. Follow our tips, and good luck!

Hiring a Mechanical Engineer Made Easy!

Hiring a Mechanical Engineer Made Easy!

Recruiting for mechanical engineering is one of the most challenging jobs. There is a lack of qualified mechanical engineers, and the recruitment and selection process takes a long time to complete. How do I find and hire a mechanical engineer, then? This article explains finding the best mechanical engineer for your business while maximising the recruiting process.

Below is your guide on how to hire a competent mechanical engineer:

Create and Define the Job Description in Great Detail

A job description lays out the specific duties and responsibilities an applicant will be expected to perform to be considered for the position. 

The following should be included in your job description:

An overview of the duties of a mechanical engineer can be summarised as follows: Your mechanical engineer’s job description will differ based on your company’s needs and the specific responsibilities assigned to them. Because of this, it’s critical that you customise your concise summary to your particular needs.

Mechanical engineers must hold a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a closely related field as a minimum requirement for employment. Master’s degrees aren’t a requirement, but your employer prefers them. Mechanical engineers must also be licensed in every state. Before hiring them, make sure your candidate has the proper education, work experience, and certifications to obtain the appropriate license!

The general duties of a mechanical engineer are outlined in the term “responsibilities.” As opposed to this, the employee’s everyday activities are much more detailed and define the more minor duties they are responsible for. It is essential to tailor the duties and responsibilities to your company’s needs, just like the job description. Mechanical engineers can work in many fields, so ensure your responsibilities and duties are tailored to your specific needs.

Announce the position you’re looking to fill at your company after you’ve written up a job description for the new hire. A job board website is the most familiar place to advertise a new position. Even so, posting it to other platforms like social media and your website could be helpful.

Identify the Best Talent your Company Needs

Once you’ve finished writing your job description, it’s time to start going through all potential hires. Examine the resumes and cover letters of job applicants with care. An applicant may be a great addition to the team if they have the required education, experience, and skill.

Interview

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential applicants, it’s time to sit down and talk to them. Make a list of possible interview questions. Interview questions can be used to assess their professional competence, work ethic, carry out daily responsibilities, and other characteristics. Use in-depth interview questions to find the most qualified candidates.

It’s critical, however, to remember to customise the questions to your particular business. Make sure you don’t just copy and paste a set of questions from the web. What are the core values of your business? Is there a good fit between this candidate and the company’s culture? Is this person familiar with your company’s industry, or will you need to train them? Consider these factors before coming to a decision.

Choose The Best Candidate and Conduct and Onboarding

It’s safe to say that after conducting interviews, you’ve narrowed down your list of potential hires to a select few. For now, if no one comes to mind, hold off. Mechanical engineers are hard to come by, so you don’t want to risk a bad hire just because you’re in a hurry. Be patient; it will all work out in the end. You’ll find the right person eventually.

It’s time to hire and train a candidate once you’ve found one. Onboarding may take as long as a year for new employees to get up to speed. Plan out a thorough orientation process for your new hire so that they can learn everything about your company and the responsibilities of their position there. As an alternative, the goal of onboarding is to help the new employee become part of your company’s culture.

Find a Mechanical Engineer the Fastest and Easiest Way

Your search for a mechanical engineer is over! However, you may have noticed that hiring can be a time-consuming and costly process. Fortunately, finding and hiring a mechanical engineer is now much more straightforward. Recruitment agencies help companies fill positions with qualified candidates. Your values and goals as a business are considered when they recruit a mechanical engineer for you.

Top Qualities to Look for in Hiring Employees

Top Qualities to Look for in Hiring Employees

All employers seek the ideal employee. Hardworking and reliable, dependable and credible – and honest, too. This is just a fraction of what we could include! One of the most important things to keep in mind is that no one is perfect. Even so, both employees and employers seek to maintain the closest semblance of perfection as possible. An employee’s honesty is one of those factors that can make or break a business relationship. Because of this, you’ll need to figure out which of your values is most important. That is why you begin with a bit of old-fashioned mind-mapping.

You are going to receive a lot of applications, and you need to be able to sift through them in a short amount of time, so it’s necessary to have a system in place that will help you establish a quick and clear view of who is worth the follow-up call or interview. There are plenty of points to consider when hiring: skills and experience, but there is something much more important than this – trustworthiness!

To the best of your ability, you should know what drives your new employee and whether or not you can deliver it. In the mornings, what gets your new employee out of bed? Is it because they enjoy their work or because they are paid a fair salary? Would they instead receive monetary compensation or have the option to work from home? What kind of reward do they want? Their preferred management style is either one that gives them lots of freedom or gives them clear instructions and step-by-step tasks. You’ll need all of this information to ensure you’re a good match.

Your new employee should possess the top qualities that your company needs. These qualities should be on your shortlist as a minimum requirement for the position. Let’s go over them one by one.

Passion

Ask them to justify something challenging they’ve done in an interview. This is a great way to assess a candidate’s knowledge and motivation. Communication clarity and audience understanding are also social skills indicators. The candidate could talk about a hobby, a movie, or a recipe. Workplace expertise and passion contribute to a person’s charisma and enthusiasm. You can test their knowledge of a complex subject by asking them questions. Look at a person’s face to see if they can speak clearly. Keep in mind how they would respond to a friend if asked about their answers.

Self-Recognition

You can test this by asking them about a recent mistake they’ve made during an interview. The ultimate test of self-awareness is this question. Candidates who can talk openly about when they made a mistake are a good bet (perfectionists who obsess over their own mistakes are easily noticeable). You want them to take responsibility for their errors and be able to explain what they’ve learned from them. Be on the lookout for candidates who try to cover up their mistakes by fabricating answers or blaming others for their misfortunes. Although a well-prepared candidate should be awaiting this question, the authenticity with which they respond reveals a lot about their character and personality in general.

Ability to be Completely Honest

Ask the candidate in the interview, “What are two negative qualities that your friends or family would say you have?” Give them time to think. It’s best not to ignore this vital question. It reveals their self-awareness and transparency. The best candidates are those who are honest about their flaws. Plus, points if they can honestly explain how they plan to improve.

Character and Cultural Fit

As part of the initial stages of the hiring process, it’s essential to select an appropriate mix of education and work experience. This data is unbiased and aids in selecting the most qualified applicants for an interview. Discuss the management style and team environment that best suits their preferences. Learn about your coworkers’ extracurricular activities, such as sports or music. Please consult with your coworkers to learn about their experiences dealing with specific issues that arose in the workplace. It’s critical to hire someone whose character complements the values of your business.

Trustworthiness

Handling a staff you don’t trust is exhausting enough. So, how do you tell if you can trust a person? Consider these three points. First, is this person invested in my business and me? Second, do they do what they promise promptly and continuously? Finally, is this person skilful in the areas claimed? Consider them before committing. Ask the same questions of their reference person.

Now that you know the top qualities needed in hiring new employees try to think of other excellent qualities that might benefit you and your company.