Ask a Recruiter

Question:
How should I present my various consulting engagements, without making myself look like a job-hopper?

Answer:  
"You're right in thinking that when a prospective employer skims across your resume, they may just see many short assignments and assume that you have not stayed in one place for any length of time. My recommendation, to prevent that from happening, would be to cover that section with an Employer called "Self-Employed", or your company name, if you have one, and then within that Employer, list the assignments you did, showing the client, the duration, and a brief description of the assignment."

– Eileen Dick, Recruiter

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Eileen? Have further questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and Eileen will reply!

Ask a Recruiter

Question:
How important are thank you notes, and should I send them in writing or via email?

Answer:  
“A thank you note is not likely to be the deciding factor in whether or not an employer will hire you. However, it certainly can’t hurt and can definitely demonstrate a good attitude and genuine appreciativeness. In an ideal world, a hand-written note definitely offers that extra personal touch. Since many hiring managers today rarely look at their paper correspondence, email maybe your only option. Talk to your recruiter or HR representative to get some guidance on the preferred method.

If you do decide to send a thank you via email, let the email sit for a while before sending it on. Then, go back and look it over 2 or 3 times for grammatical errors, misspellings, misstatements, etc. It is very easy to send a hasty email that can produce disastrous results.”

– Jennifer W. Salter, Senior Recruiter

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Jennifer? Have further questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and Jennifer will reply!

Ask a Recruiter

Question:
I keep hearing that the key to landing an interview today is to include “buzz words” on your resume that a corporate website will recognize?  Should I tailor my resume for these online systems?

Answer: 
“Yes…. and No.  Most large companies today (including healthcare organizations) utilize some form of electronic applicant tracking system.  These systems enable candidates to upload resumes and apply for opportunities 24/7, from any internet-accessible computer.  These systems file and store candidate data and job order requests, run initial skill and certification screens, rank applicants in terms of relevance,  and alert hiring managers of any strong “matches” in the queue.
If you plan to submit your resume to a prospective employer via the web, it is important that you use accurate (and perhaps popular) industry terminology when describing your job roles and responsibilities.  Doing so not only decreases your chances of being screened-out of the process prematurely, but it also sends the impression that you are fresh and “in the know” within your chosen field.  No matter your years of experience, you should always strive to stay current in ever-changing technologies, fields of thought, and industry nomenclature.  So, make sure your resume reflects your efforts!

However, please take caution!  I’ve seen a few resumes lately that seem to include more “buzz words” than actual content!  This makes me cringe.  While pasting a nonsensical litany of key words on your resume might get you through that initial computer screen, the human pair of eyes on the other side of the system won’t be so easily fooled!  It may be 2009, but your resume still needs to be comprehensible!

Here’s another helpful tidbit:  Reputable Recruiters most frequently deliver their candidate’s credentials directly to their hiring authorities, bypassing these systems altogether!  

– Brenda Witkemper, Recruiter

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Brenda? Have further questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and Brenda will reply!

Traveling HIT Man

Want to know who Traveling HIT Man is? What he's all about? Watch the following video. Then, if you'd like to see where he's been so far, simply click on the label "Traveling HIT Man" to your right.

Enjoy!

Traveling HIT Man: Columbus, OH

Traveling HIT Man quickly made it over to his new friend Veronica’s house. Ohio was just a short trip from Tennessee! This trip was a little different for him – he got to spend time learning how to find a job – very important as he wants to break into the HIT industry! Let’s take a look…

I visited Veronica Joyner in cold Columbus, OH and we "HIT" it off immediately; she's a big Carolina fan.

She even let me sit in her chair and it was so comfortable.

We played on Facebook for a few catching up with old friends and even made some new ones.

Later we were on Linkedin...getting more invites to join networks...boy I sure hope this turns into an opportunity soon.

Wow! We got a call today about a short term opportunity for lab..keep your fingers crossed.

Traveling HIT Man is on the road again…stay tuned to see where his next adventure takes him!

Traveling HIT Man: Nashville, TN

Traveling HIT Man has made his second stop in his journey – in Nashville, TN! He made friends with Emily at Iasis Healthcare, who took him out to see the sights of the city!

Our first stop was Iasis Healthcare! But, Emily
didn’t stick to business for too long…

We visited the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum…

'

The Tennessee state capitol…

The Supreme Court…..

and the State Seal!

After learning all about the state of Tennessee, we took a break to do some shopping at the Opry Mills Mall. I got to stand on a cow!!

To finish off our adventure filled day, we visited the Vanderbilt arena and…

the Grand Ole Opry.

As a final stroke of luck – it snowed while I was visiting! It was my first time ever in the snow! It melted by noon, but that’s okay with me…at least I got to play in it a little bit!

Traveling HIT Man is on the road again…stay tuned to see where his next adventure takes him!

Candidate Funny: Talking about me!

Recruiter (debriefing a very long winded candidate): Overall how did you feel about the interview?

Candidate: Oh, I thought it was a great call until I started telling her about myself. I spoke some about my experiences, but I didn’t get into it as much as I would’ve liked, she ended the conversation 40 minutes into it.