Even though most people understand that applying for a job is “business,” and therefore any rejection isn’t personal, it’s still stings a bit to receive a rejection letter, especially if the candidate really wanted the position.

In fact, what really stings applicants is receiving a form rejection letter. Here are some tips to write more personal candidate rejection letters.

First, start with a buffer, of sorts. This should be short and have a small bit of praise, such as “Thank you for applying for our executive assistant position. We appreciate that you thought enough of our company to send in your resume.”

Your next paragraph should tell the applicant why you’re making this decision. Provide a few details: “The position requires at least 10 years of senior administrative experience.”

Then segue to the bad news. Don’t put this in a separate paragraph; that just draws attention to the negativity. For example, “This position requires at least 10 years of senior administrative experience and the position has been filled it with someone who meets that criteria.”

Notice how you didn’t say anything at all about the rejected candidate’s lack of experience. It’s implied, however, and is done in an indirect and more tactful manner.

In fact, your next sentence could be something like this: “We will be keeping your resume on file should you wish to apply for a different position.”

Aim to never use words such as “unfortunately,” “regret,” etc. Very gloomy.

Your close should be positive: “We wish you much success in your job search.”

Candidates who interviewed but not chosen should always receive a phone call from the hiring manager. Always. After all, candidates took the time from their schedules to meet with your managers, perhaps traveling several times for different interviews. The hiring manager can at least take a few moments to call all interviewees and let them know someone else was hired. It’s the professional and courteous thing to do.

Let C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. help you achieve great results with great people. We can source, interview and place many talented Syracuse-area employees for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement assignments at your company. Contact us today.

…..Time….

As the expression goes, time sure flies when you’re having fun; at least it seems to be that way in my world.  Just the other day someone asked how long I have been in the recruiting field.  The question made me stop and reflect because the answer amazed me. “Over 30 years” was my answer and I found it astounding.  Where did the time go?   No, I thought, I am much too young for that to be possible.   But having to face reality I resigned myself to the facts at hand. 

Looking back over 30 years in this industry, 10 years with J.W. Willard and 20+ years with C.R. Fletcher, I cannot believe how the world has changed.  When I was began working at J. W. Willard Associates, all work was done manually and by phone.  Applications were filled out by hand, not on-line, and filed in metal cabinets, not in an automated database.  A phone message was written on a pink slip of paper and was the only form of knowing you received a call.  Voice contact was critical; no emails, voicemails, or tweeting.  Personal contact was the way the world worked in those days.  Eventually we moved into the age of technology, but correspondence was still delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.  Stamps were a necessity.   Finally we expanded into emails and resumes and messages were sent online. 

I grasped that phase pretty well; maybe because I was younger and less set in my ways, or maybe because it made my job that much more efficient.   

Now I find myself at another turning point – the age of social media.  Yikes!  Information is coming at me from all angles.  Am I adapting quickly enough?  Am I using the right tools?  Do I understand all the symbols and have the correct buzzwords, i.e. #, @, etc.   Should I tweet, Facebook or be linked-in to my clients.  Is the world moving at a warped rate of speed or am I a bit old fashioned?  Well I’d better jump on the band wagon and grab one of my younger, more technologically savvy associates and have them train me.  All kidding aside, I look forward to reading your tweets and seeing you on Facebook!  BTW, who comes up these acronyms?   

I will leave you with one thought, “May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.”

 Enjoy your day. 

-Carol R. Fletcher

Even if you’re not now looking for a new or different job, keep your resume updated — you never know when you may need it.

Aside from the fact that you could lose your job tomorrow — people are laid off and fired at the drop of a hat nowadays — you should keep your resume current and handy because, conversely, a terrific opportunity could come your way and, with your resume at the ready, you could apply for it instantly.

No need to take time to find your old one buried somewhere in your computer’s files. No need to try to remember all the great things you’ve done at your current employer. No need to hunt down the continuing education courses you’ve taken over the years so that you can list them on your resume.

Instead, your resume will be ready and able to go to work for you the instant you need it. For example, your company is expanding and your boss wants you to apply for a promotion running a new branch. Or your dream job opens up at your dream company and — because you’ve quietly made your interest known in the past few months that you’d love to work there — a hiring manager contacts you about an opening for which you’d be perfect. Or your wife suddenly gets the opportunity of a lifetime and so you’ll be moving to a new town a few hundred — or thousand — miles away.

Anything can happen in today’s economy; it’s downright foolish not to keep your resume up-to-date.

It’s not hard or time consuming to keep your resume current. You can update it every quarter, for example, or every time you accomplish something major at work. Win the employee of the month award? Add it to your resume. Finish your bachelor’s degree? Place it you know where. Get promoted to assistant manager? On your resume it should go.

If you’re looking for that next terrific career opportunity, send that current resume to C.R. Fletcher Associates. We offer residents of the Syracuse, NY area great job and career opportunities with some of the regions best employers.

Interview Questions You Should Avoid Asking

Interviewing candidates can be a true minefield. Ask the “wrong” questions and you could be setting yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit.

Here are some questions you should not ask job applicants, as well as some alternative questions you may ask that will give you the information you seek.

How old are you? Classic question that could land you in court defending an age discrimination suit. Not hiring someone based on their age is a huge no-no in this country. If you truly do need to ask an age-related question, your safest bet is “Are you over the age of 18?”

Are you a U.S. citizen? Whether someone is a citizen of the U.S. or not is irrelevant. So long as someone as the legal authority to work here, you may hire him or her. The best question to ask — and you’ll have to ask it anyway when it comes time for the person you hire to fill out the I-9 form is “Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?”

Do you have children? Do you plan to have children? Whether a candidate is a parent or not has no bearing on whether he or she is capable of doing a job. The proper question to ask is “This position requires extensive travel and/or overtime/weekend work. Will that be a problem?”

What religion are you? Again, an individual’s religious beliefs in no way determines his or her ability to do a certain job. However, some religions do ask their followers to take certain work and weekend days off, so a good question to ask is “What days are you available to work?”

How many years do you have until you plan to retire? Don’t be fooled by someone’s appearance. A very young looking person could be deciding to retire young (saving money like crazy to retire at age 35), while someone else could be planning to work until age 70 or longer.  A much better question to ask is “What are your long-term career goals?”

C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. provides highly-skilled professional employees to companies doing business in the Syracuse, NY area. As a leading staffing agency, we can help you develop a strategic staffing plan to help ensure your company’s growth and success. Contact us today.

Many career experts recommend that young or inexperienced professionals identify a mentor to help them grow and advance in a profession.

Most of the “find a mentor” advice puts the onus on finding a mentor on the individual who is looking for one.

Why is that? Those with inexperience may not be able to see good mentor qualities in his or her colleagues. Instead, your company can identify mentors itself and then offer those employees who wish to take advantage of a mentor’s wisdom and expertise the opportunity to enter into a mentoring relationship with high-level professionals you identify.

Here are five traits to look for in potential mentors:

1. Mentors in your company should first and foremost be accessible. They should want to speak with and listen to younger professionals within your company. They shouldn’t look at the time they’ll spend with their mentees as “burdensome.”
2. They should be good listeners. In fact, some of the best mentors speak less and listen more. They listen to their mentees’ questions, goals, insecurities, ideas, etc. so that they can get a good idea of their mentees’ strengths, weaknesses and desires.  Mentors used as sounding boards can be a great way for younger professionals to “make mistakes” without making real mistakes.
3. Mentors should be the type of people who like to encourage others. They also should be the type of individual who can gently but firmly tell someone an idea is bad without cutting the person to smithereens.
4. Mentors should have experience and wisdom (the two don’t necessarily go together). That is, mentors should have learned from their own mistakes.
5. Mentors also should be willing to be “mentored” by their mentees, as in, mentors should be willing to learn from others no matter how young, seasoned, educated — or not — someone is. Mentors should believe they can and do learn from anyone.

Let us find your company’s future mentors. C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. can help Syracuse-area companies identify and source high-caliber employees via executive search as well as for direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary positions. Contact us today.

As the economy begins to pick back up, your top performers may end up getting offers from other companies.  In past downturns and recoveries, many talented people jumped ship, especially when they perceived there was more opportunity elsewhere.

So what can you do to retain your best people?

The key is to identify your top performers, stay close to them, and work on finding rewards that work for them.  Here are few tips:

• Pay attention. Show your employees that you value them and their contributions. Tailor HR and benefit programs to meet the needs of your unique workforce. This may mean moving to flex time, PTO, or offering more choices in healthcare plans and adding any other unconventional policies.
• Teach, coach…lead the flock. Provide ongoing training. Have an open door policy. Provide mentoring and opportunities that your competitors do not offer. Lead by example and follow through on your promises.
• Ensure your company’s goals are in line with your employee reward system. Set clear expectations on how you will reward top performers.
• Ask and you shall receive. Ask your top people why they like working at your company. Ask them why they stay. And ask them what they’d do differently. Use their feedback to make improvements. On the other hand, when someone leaves your company, ask them what made them make this decision. Knowing is half the battle.

At C.R. Fletcher, we continually help companies manage retention issues.  Whether looking for temporary support to alleviate stress on your internal staff, or searching for a new top performer to fill an opening please give us a call.