Having trouble finding a new job, feeling like your career has stalled or lacking connections with other professionals? Consider networking.
No matter where you are in your career, whether you are just entering the job market, or are further along into your profession, networking can help make connections and spark passion within a career interest or industry. Networking can also go a long way when finding a new job. Zippia found that a whopping 85% of jobs are found via networking with personal and professional connections. If you aren’t ready for a new role, don’t count networking out, as it is also a great way to help advance your career. Zippia also found out that 79% of American professionals cite networking as playing a vital role in their career progression.
Read this article to learn more about networking and its best practices.
Utilize LinkedIn
With a reported 930 million members in more than 200 countries, LinkedIn is a great way to find other professionals in the same field and connect with both current and past colleagues.
The first thing a professional can do when using LinkedIn is to make sure that their personal profile is fully built out. This includes adding all work experience, providing public contact information, adding a professional headshot, creating a succinct introduction and adding skills/certifications. By including all this information, users may create an optimized profile. This will allow other people on the platform to know that it is a real profile and help them be confident in sending it a connection request.
Possessing a strong number of connections is also a great way to get the most out of LinkedIn. Connections are “friend requests” in a professional sense, where different types of content can be viewed that other connection share. After connecting, users are also able to reach out to other connections via direct messaging. Consider sending friend requests to co-workers, peers from school, professors, members of local communities and other professionals that share the same career space.
Here are some more tips on how to utilize LinkedIn to its full potential:
LinkedIn is a great tool for modern-day networking no matter where someone is in their career.
Reach Out to Former Colleagues and Managers
Sending connection requests to previous colleagues on LinkedIn is an easy step, but actually taking the time to reach out and engage in a conversation takes some effort. It may be difficult for a professional to figure out the best way to start a conversation with a former co-worker that may have been from many years ago. However, networking often requires someone to make the first move.
The best way to start a message is to be friendly, but also be direct about the intent of the message. Consider reaching out on LinkedIn, connecting via phone or sending a brief email.
Here is an example of a message that can be sent to an old co-worker when looking for a new role:
Hello {Name},
How are you doing? I hope you have been doing well!
As you may know, I have been working at {Company Name} for the past {Number} years. While I have gained new experience, I am now looking for a new position. I was wondering if you had any leads on positions that are hiring at {Name of Their Company}?
Any information would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to talking soon.
Best,
{Your Name}
{Email}
Reaching out with this type of messaging allows for a personal approach and lets them know directly what the sender is looking for.
While reaching out to an old colleague may be nerve-wracking, reaching out to a former manager might even be more anxiety-inducing for some. Just like reaching out to an old colleague, the sender needs to make sure that the message is welcoming and is direct to the point with what they are trying to achieve with the message.
Here is an example that can be used to reach out to a previous manager for a recommendation:
Hello {Name},
How are you doing? I hope you have been doing well!
It has been great seeing all the work that has been done at {Their Company Name}.
As you may know, I have been working at {Company Name} for the past {Number} years. While I have gained new experience, I am now looking for a new position.
I was wondering if you would be willing to write me a recommendation for a new position that I am interested in. Also, would you be comfortable if I included your name and contact information on my resume?
I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best,
{Your Name}
{Email}
No matter what the goal of reaching out is, keeping connections with former colleagues is very beneficial. Career professionals at all levels should consider reaching out to former teammates to check in.
Attend Professional Development Events
Networking is all about professionals putting themselves out there to make relationships with others in their field, whether it be in-person or virtually. This is all done through effective communication and messaging, which may not be a strong suit for all professionals.
When networking, it is near impossible to control the situation, but there are many ways to prepare beforehand. Here are some quick tips when attending an in-person networking event:
So how does one attend these types of networking events that relate to their profession?
For example, if a mechanical engineer that works in the pre-cast concrete industry is looking for ways to connect and network with fellow professionals face-to-face. A solution to this would be to simply search terms like “mechanical engineer conference”, “pre-cast concrete exhibitions”, and “engineering networking events near me.” One of the many great things about these types of events is that while a lot of them take place at convention centers around the world, many are also hosted virtually which can be extremely beneficial for remote workers and anyone who is unable to make it to a certain physical location.
Many companies also allocate funds to send their employees to these types of events to not only network, but to also improve their overall career development. Consider taking advantage of these programs to meet new people and gain valuable insights about professional industries.
Join a Professional Group
Just like joining clubs in school, there are thousands of professional groups that workers can join no matter where they are in their career.
For professionals at all levels, there are groups specific to industry and profession. A great example is the National Society for Professional Engineers (NSPE). This is a group dedicated to networking and advocating for engineers across the world. They offer discount rates for recent college grads and can be a great resource to meet others in the industry.
There are also professional groups that cater to C-suite executives. Many groups have been formed for executives to meet others in the business to talk about business ventures, experiences, the general state of the industry and more. For example, Chief is a C-suite executive group that was formed to let female CEOs have an open space to talk about their experiences in the space and have an open conversation about the struggles they face as a woman in leadership.
Professionals should consider their areas of interest and explore groups that might be beneficial to advancing their career. Individuals can find both local and national professional groups for any type of role or industry that they are in.
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Networking is a powerful tool and when done right, it can help workers reach any professional goal in no time.
Looking for an all-inclusive job board for all things STEM? Check out STEMHUNTER, a STEM-focused job board.
A motivated team goes a long way in the workplace, especially when it comes to productivity and retention.
Despite a changing economy, many professionals report looking for a new job due to feeling unmotivated, burnt out, not being compensated enough or lack of appreciation by upper management. Monster found that a whopping 96% of workers are actively looking or are open to new positions.
With many workers looking for new positions, organizations are looking for ways to motivate and retain their employees. Read this article for tips to motivate your employees, increase retention and improve business efforts.
Communicate Effectively
The first thing that needs to be established when figuring out how to motivate and retain employees is to ensure that there is an effective and professional way of communicating with them.
Communication is a simple concept that goes a long way when it comes to employee satisfaction. Zippia found that teams that have an effective communication strategy see up to a 25% increase in overall productivity. There is also ample opportunity for improvement by employers, as the study also found that only 7% of US workers view the communication efforts at their organization as accurate, open and timely.
Effective communication is not only the way managers say things to their employees, but also the way they write messages, talk with them on the phone, as well as their body language and facial expressions.
A way to improve communication is to do an internal observation of the current communication practices. Ask questions like:
After asking these questions, organizations can analyze the results and then create a game plan on how to tackle any problems or roadblocks that come up.
Another way of learning how to effectively communicate with team members is to ask them directly about their current thoughts on the way communication is being handled. This can be done through a one-on-one meeting or even anonymous surveys to get accurate results.
Approaching these communication problems head-on can give organizations the solutions to improve this problem and create a better working environment for their employees.
Acknowledge Accomplishments
Having a motivated team not only helps with retention but it can also impact the overall business. Gallup discovered that highly engaged employees, on average, bring 18% more sales to the organization. A great way to keep employees engaged and motivated is to recognize and award accomplishments.
Simply acknowledging accomplishments can go a long way for both the employee and manager especially as 44% of employees have reported leaving their job for not being adequately acknowledged for their achievements.
This type of recognition can be as simple as pulling an employee to the side and telling them that they are doing a great job with their work or delivering them a handwritten note about their recent achievements.
If a manager is looking for a more extravagant way to showcase successes, consider having an organization- or team-wide award program and/or ceremony by giving out physical signs of achievements to employees. This can include giving trophies, certificates or even monetary prizes.
There are many other ways to acknowledge employee achievements which include:
Offering these types of programs and incentives can greatly improve an employee’s morale and encourage them to keep up the great work that they are providing.
Offer Career Development
Career development is not only important to helping improve the skills of an employee, but can also impact their retention at an organization. Harvard Business Review found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if they were offered career development courses and programs.
One way to offer career development to employees is to encourage creative ways to solve problems. For example, if there is a system in place that has been used for over 20 years at the organization, ask employees to brainstorm on ways to improve the processes within the system. This will not only encourage the transformation of old systems but will also encourage creative thinking that may unlock new skills and passions.
If it is possible within the company budget, also consider sending employees to conferences or enrolling them in webinars that will improve their line of work. There are thousands of conferences and webinars held every year that focus on very niche subjects of professionalism/skills. There is almost certainly an event that will benefit an employee’s professional development and allow them to meet others that share the same field of work as them.
More ways to provide career development to employees include:
Offering these types of problems will allow employees to expand their skills and improve their happiness with the organization.
Participate in Team-Building Exercises
Many employees want to work for an organization where they are putting in meaningful work and feel like they are part of a community. Gusto found that over 80% of employees feel that a sense of community is important to them in a job. An excellent way to build community within an organization is to offer and encourage team-building exercises.
A great example of an effective team-building activity is volunteering in the local community. This will not only make employees feel more connected with one another but will also be helping the greater good.
If a manager oversees a fully remote team, there are still ways to build teamwork even in a virtual setting. A great way to bring together a virtual team, is to create virtual meetings dedicated to team-building. A great example of this is to host a virtual game show. This can be done by a manager or even a 3rd party company that specializes in these types of virtual events. This will encourage competition, teamwork and fun to break up a workday.
Here are some other team-building exercises that managers can consider:
Consider these activities to build morale and bring coworkers closer to one another.
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Making these changes can go a long way in an organization that may be struggling with employee retention and motivation.
Looking for a job board that can help you bring in motivated talent to your team? Check out STEMHUNTER, a STEM-focused job board.
When economic uncertainty hits, job layoffs usually follow. The news has been recently flooded by reports of layoffs, mostly in the technology field. According to Zippia, 15.4 million Americans were laid off from their job in 2022 and in 2023, 138,000 were laid off already.
Layoffs can sometimes appear to come out of nowhere, which can be hard emotionally and financially for employees that are affected by these decisions. Even when there are severance packages associated with terminations, it can still be very nerve-wracking for employees due to uncertainty about their future career and re-entering the job market along with thousands of others.
With all these emotions, it could be difficult for former employees to figure out where to start in a job search, especially if the professional has not looked for a new job for a couple of years.
Read more to learn how to bounce from a layoff and land a new job in no time.
Optimize Resume
The first thing professionals can do when re-entering the job market is to update and optimize their resume. When refreshing a resume, candidates should include all relevant experience and any new skills or achievements. This is essential, as it will give hiring managers a clear and updated look at experience and qualifications.
A resume should include these main parts:
Also, candidates should consider having a former peer, coworker or even a family member read over the resume to make sure that it is grammatically correct and formatted properly. Having a second set of eyes can help catch small mistakes and errors that may cost them a dream position.
For more resume advice, check out this article.
Ask For Recommendations
Being laid off does not necessarily mean that a worker was slacking or doing a poor job, it could just mean that their role was eliminated for financial or restructuring reasons. A professional that loses their job due to layoffs may be one of the hardest workers at the company, but just simply got caught in the crossfire of layoffs.
If an individual is laid off and knows that they did great work at their previous employer, they should consider reaching out to former managers or coworkers for recommendation letters to show a potential employer that they are the right fit for the job.
Also, professionals should consider asking the HR department of their former employer for a “laid-off letter” if one was not already included with the announcement of the layoff. This is an official piece of writing that explains the circumstances of why someone was let go from a company. These letters can be used to prove to future employers that someone was laid-off instead of being terminated for poor performance.
Reach Out to Networks
LinkedIn is not only a great platform to stay in touch with corporate news and keep up with a professional network, but it can also be a great asset to someone that has been recently laid off.
A recently laid-off employee should consider posting an update status on LinkedIn to announce to a network that a layoff has occurred and that they are open to new positions. By doing this, other members of a network may see this post and possibly recommend or suggest a company that is hiring or even hiring within their team.
In this post, the professional should include what type of roles or industries they are open to. Putting just a general open-to-work post may attract recruiters and messages that do not relate to the professional field that they work in and may be a waste of time in job searching.
LinkedIn also offers an “open to work” profile banner for members who are looking for new positions. New job seekers should consider adding this to their profile picture to make their job searching status even more visible to recruiters and hiring managers.
Click here to learn more about how to optimize a job search and be more visible to hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Be Open
When there is an increase in layoffs occurring in the workforce, there are thousands of employees that are looking for jobs. This could mean that there may be more competition for roles in specific industries or professions.
The best way for candidates to combat that problem is to be open to positions and titles that may be different from their previous roles.
For example, if someone is laid off from a mechanical engineering role in HVAC, they should consider looking at other engineering positions, like civil engineering or construction engineering. They could also consider looking at different fields, like an energy or manufacturing company.
By pursuing another type of role, a new passion may emerge from the new types of responsibilities from this position that may have never been discovered if they were not open to this position or industry.
Don’t Burn Out
Being laid off is a stressful time. It is easy to get consumed in job searching and feel discouraged when things aren’t working out. Spending hours and hours on job boards can be helpful in the short term, but in the long term, it can be very damaging to mental health.
According to a survey from Pew Research Center, 56% of adults who are unemployed and are actively job searching, report having feelings of emotional and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Having these thoughts and feelings can be damaging to one’s self-esteem and overall health which can cause even more problems down the road.
Here are some ways to help alleviate stress and reduce burnout:
Looking at job boards online isn’t the only way to land a job. Consider reaching out to recruiters, reaching out to your network or checking internal websites for job postings. This is a good way to stand out instead of being in a sea of candidates that are all applying on an online platform.
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Layoffs can be stressful, but taking these actions may help you land a job faster and re-enter the workforce in no time.
Recently laid off and looking for a new job? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board designed specifically for STEM professionals.
Many professionals around the world are looking to improve their career development, whether it is for moving into leadership roles, becoming more attractive on their resume, or simply improving their work skills. For example, Lorman reported that 61% of adults in the U.S. are currently seeking career development opportunities when looking at job postings.
A great way to advance in your professional development is to receive a professional certification in a certain skill or field of work. Certifications are not just present in STEM fields, but are also seen in almost every other industry of the professional world.
Even though it is not required, many employers often help or completely cover the cost of certification exams to help improve the professional development of their employees. According to Robert Half, nearly 94% of companies cover all or some of the cost of professional certifications for their employees. This is a great perk that employees should take advantage of if their company offers it.
Gaining certifications will not only make you more qualified for more roles, but it can also lead to an increase in pay, change in position and can show your current employer that you are dedicated to advancing your career. According to Dice, a STEM professional who receives a professional certification will earn $12,000 a year compared to their counterparts who do not receive a certification.
Read below to read about the most in-demand professional certifications by employers in the STEM industry.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification (CSSC) is a certificate for professionals that have at least three years of work experience that would like to demonstrate their knowledge of the process of Six Sigma which involves statistics and data to reduce errors in workloads.
The Six Sigma certifications do not end at just the “Green Belt”. Professionals are able to expand their knowledge and earn more ‘belts’ that can represent their career development and expertise in this space. Just like karate, the highest level a professional can earn is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
One of the careers that Six Sigma certifications is most in-demand for is project management. This field encompasses a large range of industries which includes healthcare, IT, finance, manufacturing and more. According to Invesis Learning, nearly 52% of job postings for project managers in 2022 require a CSSC. Without a certification in Six Sigma, a job seeker could find themselves outnumbered by more attractive candidates and risk being unsuccessful in a job search.
The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification program is estimated to take between two to seven weeks to complete and the Black Belt certification program takes around one to three months to complete. Many universities around the U.S. offer classes and study sessions for professionals to obtain these certifications.
Project management is not the only profession that utilizes and prefers a CSSC. Other roles include data scientists, computer engineers, process engineers and more due to the nature of their work.
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
Another in-demand certification in STEM is the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification. This certification involves a series of technical assessments for networking individuals. This certification program allows information technology professionals to demonstrate their skills of designing, building, implementing, troubleshooting and maintaining high-level networks.
Cisco offers a wide range of specifications for this certification to best fit the career path or industry that a professional may be in. Some of the specific certificate tracks include security, enterprise infrastructure, data centers and more. Cisco also offers four levels of certifications to allow professionals to continue their development and further their knowledge in this space.
According to a survey from Indeed, 82% of participants said the CCIE certification helped their career progression and 92% answered that the certification helped them find a better job in their preferred industry.
It is estimated that these types of certifications take around three to six months of studying for successful completion.
The roles that would benefit most from this type of certification would be information technology professionals, computer scientists, network technicians and more.
AWS Certifications
Many computer scientists around the world are completing certification programs through Amazon Web Services (AWS). According to Amazon, more than 400,000 professionals hold an active AWS certification. certification.
AWS certifications heavily focus on cloud computing where companies can design, deploy and manage applications in a cloud setting instead of a physical hard drive or computer. This allows for more work being able to be done across multiple locations without the worry of data being lost through malfunctions of physical equipment.
Like other certification programs, AWS offers a wide range of paths of certifications that professionals can achieve and earn depending on their career level and specialty. Some of these certificates include DevOps engineering, data analytics, machine learning and many more.
It is estimated that a single AWS certification takes 80-120 hours of studying while working a full-time job which equates to about three months before the exam is taken.
Some roles that you can benefit from having an AWS certification are solution architects, cloud account managers, cloud developers, SysOps administrators and many others.
OSHA Lab Safety Certification
A certificate that not only improves your professional development, but also keeps you safe in the laboratory is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Lab Safety Certification. This certification program teaches laboratory professionals how to keep themselves and others safe while working with potentially toxic and harmful elements at work.
Working in a lab setting can be potentially life threatening if you are not aware of the proper regulations and actions to take while working. Nature, a scientific publication, featured a study regarding lab safety issues and the results were astounding. According to the study, only 40% of lab personnel were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times at work. It also found that 25-38% of lab personnel have been involved in a type of accident or injury that was not reported to their direct manager.
Having this certification not only keeps yourself and others safe, but also allows employers to have a sense of ease for safety when they have an employee that is properly educated in lab safety. An employer is also more likely to hire a job candidate that is aware of safety problems compared to a candidate that is not familiar due to liability and financial reasons.
Consider this certification if you work in biology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals or any other field that works in a laboratory setting to ensure that you do not accidentally hurt yourself or others at work.
Principles and Practice of Engineering
Engineering is a broad term since there are so many different specializations that someone can go into, but there is one certificate that can be obtained by any engineer. The Principles and Practices of Engineering (PE) is a certificate that can be earned after a professional has demonstrated knowledge of engineering and has also completed experience in the professional world of engineering.
According to the National Society of Professional Engineers, this is the exact timeline for someone that wants to complete a PE certification:
Earning a PE can be lengthy process, but it can be very worthwhile in the end. Having a PE could lead to more leadership positions, more complex projects and a possible increase in salary. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, engineering professionals with a PE can earn up to 13% more in salary compared to an engineer that does not have that certification.
Having a PE also gives you the ability to be able to official sign and seal documents with a PE symbol. Even though this could mean more liability for your work, it can be very fulfilling and can show employers that you are a trusted employee which could lead to more promotions.
If you are considering a path where you would like to teach engineering classes at a public university, you may be required to have a PE. Some of the states that require a PE for university level teaching are Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri.
A PE is not required by all engineers, but it can be an official certificate that helps you stand-out in the job market and can help you obtain your dream job in engineering with its value and demonstration of skills.
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Obtaining professional certifications is a great way to improve your skills, demonstrate your talents and keep you safe and secure in the workplace.
Looking for a new job in STEM? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals and their needs.
The current competitive and tight labor market is making many organizations rethink their hiring process, but many are leaving out a key aspect, employee retention.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that STEM jobs will grow 10.5% between the years 2020-2030. With large numbers of STEM jobs projected to open, this presents a great opportunity for employers to add new talent to their organization. However, with this focus on bringing in new talent, many current employees could be looking for new opportunities if their needs are not being met.
A great way to retain your employees is through conducting stay interviews. Read below to learn how stay interviews can help you retain great STEM talent.
What Exactly is a Stay Interview?
A stay interview is a conversation or meeting with successful employees to learn more about how they feel about their position and the organization as a whole. Some topics can include how they enjoy their position, what the organization can do better to support them, what changes they would like to see and other questions about their overall experience.
The Society of Human Resource Management found that it costs an employer one-third of an employee’s annual salary to replace them when they leave their role. This high cost is due to factors such as recruiting, training, loss in productivity and more. To combat these costs, employers are finding great success in having stay interviews with top performing employees.
The objective of a stay interview is to learn how the organization can change to better help employee experience, while also showing the employee that their opinions and experiences matter to management. This directly correlates to employee retention and keeping outstanding workers at your company.
Preparing For a Stay Interview
A great way to prepare for a stay interview is to take a close look at the performance of your employees and identify which individuals would be the best to conduct this type of conversation with. Consider picking employees that you want to retain at the company long-term, or those with a strong work ethic.
Once you have identified employees that you would like to conduct this conversation with, put time for the meeting on their calendar. When sending out an invitation for a stay interview, it is a great idea to explicitly inform the employee what the meeting will entail. If you are not clear about what the conversation will be, the employee could jump to conclusions like a possible lay-off or a haul of extra work which could hinder the meeting productivity and overshadow the purpose of the stay interview.
It is recommended that stay interviews last at least 30 minutes. This allows employers to ask several important questions, while also not taking away too much time from the workday for everyone involved.
Conducting a Stay Interview
Stay interviews are best conducted by a direct manager, rather than an HR professional. This is because employees will more likely have a sense that their feelings and opinions of the organization are being taken more seriously. If it is only being done by a member of HR, it could come off that the stay interview is only being done for compliance or to meet a quota. However, the results should be shared with HR following the interview.
Another factor to consider when having a stay interview is to make sure the interview is being done at a convenient time for both the manager and the employee. Considering both individuals’ time could make the employee feel more comfortable with the conversation and overall more respected by the organization.
Also, consider keeping performance reviews and stay interviews separate. While both are equally important, they have different purposes. Combining the two could cause the employee to be discouraged or stressed during the review and could make them avoid giving genuine answers to the questions that you are asking. It is best to save a performance review for another meeting.
Assembling What Questions to Ask
Just like an entrance or exit interview, preparing questions beforehand is essential when conducting a stay interview. It is best to include questions that are about the organization as a whole, as well as their specific experience working at your organization. You’ll want to ask questions about what motivates the employee to stay in addition to questions related to why they might leave. This can provide leadership with insights to help make decisions on what the organization can do to help increase and improve retention. Consider these questions below to ask in a stay interview:
Also, consider asking questions that are tailored to the employee’s specific role. By including specific questions, employees could feel that you took the time to consider their specific role within the organization.
These questions can be helpful to understand the needs of your employees and help open the door to what leadership can do to make sure that they, and others, stay at the organization for a long period of time.
Using The Information You Collected
Once you have successfully completed stay interviews, analyze what employees said and look for commonalities between responses. It is a good idea to meet with other leaders and the HR department to discuss findings and conclusions. From there, a plan or initiative should be created to improve employee retention.
Additionally, consider having an introspective look at yourself as a leader in the organization. Compare the answers from the stay interview to your leadership style and see if there is any room for improvement. Having strong leadership will go a long way with employee retention and hiring great talent.
After some time, consider having a follow-up conversation with employees to see if the changes have made a significant impact. It is a good idea to track to see if measurable change has been made overtime.
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Stay interviews can be a great way to retain star employees, but can also shape an organization to be attractive to all job seekers.
Looking for great STEM talent? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals.
Top talent in scientific, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields can be hard to find using traditional recruiting methods. STEM professionals’ searches differently for new opportunities and your organization may need to think creatively and utilize new tools in order to get your jobs in front of these individuals. Below are five ways you can reach and engage talent in STEM.
A great way to get in front of STEM professionals is to meet them where they already are. What kinds of magazines, podcasts, websites, etc. might your target candidates be engaging with? For example, if you are looking to bring on Chemical Engineers, Chemical Engineering Magazine might be a good place to advertise on. In some cases, these publications have their own job board, email newsletter or social media channels, which are additional opportunities to get your job postings in front of the right people.
If you are trying to grow your hiring network in a particular area of STEM, look no further than events such as trade shows, conferences, seminars, etc. . There are many event options throughout the year in a variety of industries and specialties within STEM. These events, whether national, local or virtual, are a great opportunity to make connections in a specific space. By growing your connections, you can increase your network reach and bring more attention to your organization and critical roles.
STEMHUNTER’s next-generation platform was built specifically for reaching and engaging top STEM talent. Whether posting your job on the board, or searching STEMHUNTER’s candidate database, your company can get in front of the right professionals and create a seamless hiring process that could lead you to your next stand-out employee. Start a free trial today and see for yourself why STEMHUNTER is a top choice for employers.
When your organization is in need of fresh STEM talent, turn to colleges and universities. These institutions are guaranteed to have new graduates looking to enter the job market every year in a number of disciplines. Your organization can get in front of these prospects by posting on their university job board, attending career fairs and getting involved on campus. Through clubs, seminars or events, you can be targeted in your recruiting efforts to find the students with the experience and interests you are looking for.
When prospecting employees, professional organizations may not come to mind as a hiring tactic. However, there are organizations for a number of different interest groups and industries, allowing you to build your network in a particular area. In addition to making critical connections in your space, these organizations offer various events and promotional opportunities that you can utilize to build attention and awareness of your hiring efforts.
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Are you seeking top talent to fill your critical STEM roles? Start your STEMHUNTER free trial and find employees among our extensive database of STEM professionals!
The right preparation can make all the difference when interviewing for your dream job. Check out these six interview best practices that will prepare you for your interview, allow you to showcase your talents and make a lasting impression on your interviewer.
1. Do Your Research
You’ve made it to the interview – that’s half the battle. Give yourself a fighting chance by researching your prospective employer. Researching the company will not only show your enthusiasm for the job, it will also give you an introduction to the company culture so you can determine if the company is the right fit for you.
Take a look at the company website and social media platforms. Do they post company news or have a company blog? Have they been involved in any charity or community engagement initiatives? Also, don’t hesitate to ask your recruiter for the names of your interviewers. Google their names and check out their LinkedIn profiles to familiarize yourself with their work history and current responsibilities.
2. Practice Your Interview
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a difficult interview question. How you answer can make or break your chances of getting your dream job.
Once you’ve done your research on the company, take the time to practice your interview. Think about your background and job history. Are there any gaps in between jobs? Are you changing industries? Why are you pursuing this opportunity and how will it affect your long-term career goals?
If you are new to the job hunt or just struggling with this step, try looking for outside resources. Many communities offer career development workshops and mock interviews, which can be a great way to practice your interview skills so you can nail your next job interview.
3. Interview Your Prospective Employer
Today’s job seekers are just as interested in finding a good fit as employers. Use the interview process to your advantage by creating a list of questions for your prospective employer. The information you uncover during your research will help you tailor your questions to each interview. Not only will these questions help you determine if a job is the right fit for you, they will illustrate your industry knowledge and enthusiasm for the job.
4. Pay Attention to Body Language
Interviews put you on display. They are an opportunity to showcase not only your talent, but how you interact with others in the workplace.
So, it is important to remember body language can speak volumes during an interview. Crossing your arms, biting your nails or being unable to make eye contact can count as immediate strikes against you.
If you struggle with any of these habits, take a deep breath and check in with your body throughout the interview. Try to sit comfortably with your arms relaxed at your side or on the arms of a chair, smile, and lean in when you want to show enthusiasm.
5. Dress The Part
We’ve all heard the phrase: dress for the job you want, not the job you have. This is especially true when dressing for an interview. Make sure to get a good night’s rest before your interview and give yourself plenty of time to get ready so you appear well-groomed and professional.
Remember: Even if your interview is virtual, you still need to dress the part. You only get once chance to make a first impression, and dressing professionally is the easiest way to start your interview off on the right foot.
6. Express Gratitude
The interview is over. You’ve done your best, and now all that is left to do is wait – right?
Not quite. Sending a polite and professional “Thank You” note within 24 hours can be a great way to ensure you made the best impression possible. Expressing your gratitude can also further show how passionate you are about the job.
Also, don’t be afraid to follow up with your recruiter by phone. We’ll be happy to communicate any feedback so you can stay informed and make the most out of your job search.
