"The Art of Networking"

PRESS RELEASE

Contact Information:
Tammy Turner, President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
20700 Civic Center Dr, Suite 170
Southfield, MI 48076
tturner@kapstonejobs.com
http://www.kapstonejobs.com/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2009

“The Art of Networking” – How to Maximize Your Relationships in Today’s Job Market

DETROIT, MI – April 25, 2009 - Networking is critical to finding jobs in a recession. The broader your network is, the more job opportunities that you expose yourself to. The Art of Networking aims to aid others in maximizing their relationships in their professional and personal lives. It will be held on April 25, 2009 at Northwest Activity Center (18100 Meyers, Detroit, MI), Room 100, from 4:00 – 6:00pm. The cost is $10.

5 Million Jobs Have Been Lost Since the Recession Began! “The Art of Networking” will teach people how to network their way to their next job opportunity, make the best use of business cards, how to maximize the effectiveness of social networking sites, how to have a magnetic personality, how to nurture and cultivate relationships and much more. This seminar is not only for the job seeker in today’s recession, it’s for the novice networker, the entrepreneur, the seasoned professional, the busy executive or the stay-at-home mom that has a home-based business and needs to be creative about generating revenue. There’s something for everyone.

Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services strives to assist the everyday job seeker by equipping him/her with the tools necessary to find a job opportunity in a recession where jobs are scarce. By building, nurturing and maximizing relationships, a job seeker has the elements of success at his/her fingertips. Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services is dedicated to “elevating” the community by “educating” the community.

To pre-register: http://www.kapstonejobs.com/
Contact: tturner@kapstonejobs.com or (248) 794-7771


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What Does Your On-Line Image Tell a Recruiter?

With social networking sites boasting 150 million (Facebook) users, it's not hard to imagine that Recruiters, Business Owners, Hiring Managers and HR professionals are using these tools to "dig a little deeper" into a candidate's history. Of course we know that in the interview you're going to put your best foot forward...but who is the real "John Doe?"

We're curious about who we're bringing into our organization and the Internet has made it so simple that a 5th grader can do the research. We will "google" candidates or look you up on the social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Tagged, etc. Yeah, you may have changed your name to "MrJohn D" on Facebook so your employer can't find you, but guess what???? We can find you because the email address that you provided on your resume is how I'll look you up on the social networking sites. This article gives you some more insight (http://extrasmallurl.com/d94d2f).

I suggest that job-seekers (and those currently employed) err on the side of caution. If your on-line image can be seen by an employer and it doesn't represent you in a positive light, you may want to consider making the necessary adjustments. It's a competitive market out here. Don't put yourself in a position to be weeded out.

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com/
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting

Common Mistakes Made at Networking Events

I am a huge champion of networking. I preach networking at all of my workshops and speaking engagements. Why? Because it's critical to your career and/or business development, and I am after all a Recruiter and Business Owner. I believe in the Art of Networking and I know the benefits of building strategic alliances and partnerships.

As many networking events as I have attended or given in the past, I see a lot of "business etiquette" mistakes being made. These are those unspoken rules. The article in this link (http://tinyurl.com/f6xs6) outlines 4 of the most common mistakes made at a networking event.

I love the piece on quality, not quantity. So blow the dust off of that "elevator speech" and get out there maximize your networking experience.

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting

Mastering the Phone Interview

We've all had phone interviews before, right? This is the pre-screening process by the recruiter or hiring manager to determine if you should be invited to a face-to-face interview. Yes, it's the weeding out process. Let's cover the basics: 1)Find a quiet place to talk (no screaming kids in the background, no television or radio), 2)Have a pen and piece of paper handy, 3)Be prepared (research the company, the position, etc.).

Once you've nailed down those items, here's what you can do to ensure that you "master" the phone interview (http://tinyurl.com/aja9a).

From the link above, I want to place emphasis on: being upbeat and enthusiastic, role playing, asking questions and finally asking yourself (honestly): if you were the interviewer would you hire this person?

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com/
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting

Interview Questions to Avoid

Oftentimes job-seekers forget that interviewing is a two-way street. It's an opportunity for the interviewer to learn more about you and allow you to convince him/her why you would be an excellent selection for the job which you are applying for. It is also an opportunity for the candidate to interview the company as well. This is your career we're talking about and you want to be certain that this company is going to be the right fit for you and your needs.

Recruiters/Hiring Managers EXPECT candidates to ask well-thought out questions in the interview. In fact, as you've read in a previous blog, if you don't ask questions in the interview it will almost certainly work against you in our decision making process and almost certainly have us identify a different candidate to offer the job to. There are however, some questions you should steer away from asking the interviewer.

Here are a list of questions to NEVER ASK in an interview: (http://tinyurl.com/7cqkqd). These questions will also ensure that you will not be invited back for a second interview.

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com
http://blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting

Recruiter Asks: What Are Your Weaknesses?

You've all heard the dreaded interview question: "Tell me what your weaknesses are." And time after time, candidates fail this test (yes, I said test) by answering with:

1. I don't have any weaknesses (everyone has weaknesses...recruiter knows you're lying)
2. I'm a workaholic (displays inability to effectively manage time)
3. I'm a perfectionist (shows inability to delegate or make a decision)

As a recruiter, when I ask you to identify your weakness(es), IT IS A TRICK QUESTION! What I'm trying to get to is 1) Are you going to be honest, 2)Are you prepared, 3)If you identified a weakness, what are you doing to turn it into a strength, and 4)If you are going to reveal any information that may be a potential red flag.

See this article from the Wall Street Journal (http://tinyurl.com/cb7ff9).

What are some of the answers that you have given when a recruiter has asked you this question?

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting

References - Got any?

Ever been ambushed by your reference? Have you ever worried about what your previous boss (who you listed as a reference) would say about your past performance? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you need to view this link on "How to Bulletproof Your References" (http://tinyurl.com/dau2ms).

You should take special care in grooming your references....first and foremost by asking is it okay for you to use them as a reference! You would be surprised at how many reference checks I've done when the person on the other end of the phone says "wow, he used me as a reference?" and it's all down hill from there. Please note also that if you inform me that it is your previous company's "policy" not to give out reference information that I can contact HR to verify your employment, that is a HUGE red flag for me. Lots of companies have this policy, but how that reads to a recruiter is that there is something that you don't want me to know.

References can be a deal-breaker! Please make sure yours are bulletproof!

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
http://www.kapstonejobs.com
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kapstone-recruiting