As a Recruiter, when I post a job on the company’s website or a job board like Monster, HotJobs, or Dice, I receive TONS of resumes. There is typically one recruiter working on a particular position (and that may not not be their only position). For one telecom client I supported, I had 40 open sales positions across the country on any given day. Multiply that by 50 applicants per job (a very conservative estimate with the current unemployment rate in the US) and I’m left with 2000 resumes to read. Not gonna happen folks. There aren’t that many Latte’s in the world. So the feasibility of reading TONS of resumes is often logistically impossible.

So, over time recruiters develop different strategies for getting through the pile. Some take a first in first served approach. Some borrow accounting’s LIFO or last in first out technique. Some flip through looking for who took the time to send a cover letter and start with those folks. Some screen out all the cover letters and just quickly scan the resumes. These are just a few styles. There are as many strategies as there are recruiters. So what’s a job seeker to do? How do you get through the gauntlet and land an interview?

Now I had to say to myself, as a working mother, do I feel guilty? And the answer is a resounding NO! Don’t get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY love my daughter, but having that adult time with other professionals is something that I welcome. I know that when my daughter is at school, she is learning new things, developing and most of all, learning how to build new relationships. I also know that when she comes home, all her attention is focused on myself and my husband and vice versa. That’s our quality time – that’s our time to see how much she’s growing, learning etc and truly savor it.

Tarita mentioned in her blog that America is one of the only places in the world that doesn’t look upon working parents favorably. I was lucky to have been born and brought up in London. I was lucky to have had my daughter in London while working. A place that – by law – gave mothers 3 months of PAID maternity leave of which it could be extended by a further 3 months with some pay. NOW, the government allows mothers to take 6 months off with an extended 6 months. And don’t get me started on fathers too, who are also catered for.

So that brings me back to the question: should you feel guilty when you go to work, knowing you can’t be at home with your kids? Well you definately have a right to, but it’s also OK if you are not. I guess you really have to ask yourself, is it fair to take that to work with you, or do you, as a parent, really have a choice?

Why don’t you listen in on our show tomorrow at 9am/12noon PST/EST on http://www.blogtalkradio.com where we’ll further discuss working parents!

C-ya!

Tiwah

Do you ever feel like that’s what companies are really saying?  Oh and don’t be a single dad raising children or it gets even worse.

On Monday’s show we will be talking about Working Parents.  Tiwah is a mom and this topic came up when we were trying to plan a date for our next show.  When Tiwah announced her daughter would be home from school and likely to interrupt while we were on the air we decided to move the date.  Then we got to talking about being a working mom, as well as, working with working moms. 

On one project I’m managing we have a working grandpa.  It’s his responsibility to ferry his grandson to and from school.  That means he drops him off at 8:30am each morning and picks him up at 3:00pm each afternoon.  THAT means all work stops while he takes care of his family responsibilities. Is it unprofessional for a worker to expect that sort of flexibility? Do companies have an ethical responsibility to support working parents (and grandparents)? Is there a place for family values in the workplace? Tune in and chime in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ratherbeworking.

Til then…
Cheers,
Tarita

Just dropping a quick note before we go on the air with our 2nd Blog Talk Radio show today to give you a look behind the scenes of RatherBeWorking.com.  I’m Tarita and I am working with Tiwah and Eric Von to bring you some support as you go through or consider going through your career transition.  I came up with this idea a few years ago because I felt folks could benefit from having “a friend” in HR.

I’ve been doing recruiting and staffing consulting for over 20 years and have seen lots and lots.  One of the things I noticed is a certain mystery and tons of anxiety for some folks around changing jobs.  Whether you’re getting laid off or just entering the workforce or leaving a career to start your own business or having to update your resume and interview for the 1st time in who knows when, we can help.

Tiwah and I will be providing tips, taking calls and interviewing amazing people all with the goal of making your transition a bit easier.

We have to prep for the show so I’ll write more later.  But I got a comment on this blog from Derek that helped me to realize we needed to get busy posting here as we try to figure out the whole show production thing.  That being said, join us on Blog Talk Radio for the live show and keep checking here for updates from myself as well as Tiwah and Eric Von!

Ciao for now,

Tarita

No Job? No Problem! We gotcha covered at Rather Be Working. Tune in and turn on…you career light that is! We’re talking about jobs. We’re talking to the people that hire the people and the people that are for hire. Wanna pimp your skills for the man? We can help that happen. Looking for that meaningful next step? Check out Rather Be Working and get ready for a change.

Visits career fairs, listen to us interview headhunters, recruiters, hiring managers, temp agencies, foremen, artists, entrepreneurs and more. Tune in to learn about hot companies that are hiring now. Peek into the minds of career book authors, other career professionals and last but absolutely first, YOU…the job seeker.

Join us as we hang out in HR departments providing you with the inside scoop and getting tips and guidance for you. We’ll offer advice and instruction on unwritten job skills like networking, power dressing, being proactive, resumes, interviewing tips, classes you can take and advisors that will work with you.