Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,149,786 members, 7,806,178 topics. Date: Tuesday, 23 April 2024 at 12:31 PM

Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter - Jobs/Vacancies (11) - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Jobs/Vacancies / Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter (33527 Views)

What's The Most Insensitive Question(s) A Recruiter Has Ever Asked You? / My Experience As A Recruiter-chika Uwazie @chikauwazie / Points to note before sending out your CV to a recruiter (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3) ... (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (Reply) (Go Down)

Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 7:00pm On Aug 05, 2018
Pinkybush:
Thank you @OfficialAPC.Nig for the response. I'm not trying to detect what you should do for you, but please go with 3 of us incase 2 happens to make it to the final. Even if you don't accept officially here, but still have me in mind, lol. Thank you.
Secondly, is ezekielgeo12@gmail.com spammy?
Lol.

Lemme see what would happen.

Your email is cool.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 7:09pm On Aug 05, 2018
EdoBoy90:


Sir, I was told that in Professional Summary or CV, it is not advisable to use personal pronoun like "I", "We" or "You". for instance

Professional Summary :

"I am an experienced mechanical engineer seeking a challenging position( name of the position) where my resourceful experience, technical skills and innovative ideas will add value in organisational operations. "

That it should be " An experienced mechanical engineer with over 3 years experience... "


Sir, how true is this? Explain Sir. Know fully well what is acceptable in A is not acceptable in B or vice versa.





Thanks and God bless you
That is what they say, but that is ambiguous and unofficial.

Personalisation to me is everything.

What you wrote above is not a professional summary, it is career objective and unfortunately, it is now obsolete.

Your Professional Summary is your sales pitch. It gives a summary of your professional profile.

Check my post on Tell Us About Yourself. Your Professional summary be consistent with that but concised.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 7:10pm On Aug 05, 2018
solelymade:

God bless you real good, all this for free at no cost. Indeed, you're a blessing
Thanks.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by SHAMHOOD(m): 10:16pm On Aug 05, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Do you track your CV?

If not, start doing that. Make sure you only apply for jobs you are qualified for.

What did you studied?
I studied business administration sir
How do I track my cv?
Please enlighten me sir.
God bless you.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by Wantedmiller: 9:25am On Aug 06, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Lol.

Lemme see what would happen.

Your email is cool.

I don't know exactly how to start thanking you. how I wish you are close by, I will personally appreciate you with a tuber of Yam. You earn my respect!!! thank you so much for all this write up.

But....... I am a graduated in Industrial Physics(Bsc) and Solid Earth geophysics (Msc). I finished my masters degree since 2015. Since my graduation, I mean my first degree, all I have been doing is apply.

Lo and behold, I have not received any invitation from any firm.

My last job was through recommendation by a friend which is last year although I no longer work there again. Sometimes I want to start thinking that all those crazy village people are organizing crusade on my head but am far above that.

Even till now am still applying but nothing Don come out. I am waiting patiently for that day that I will receive an invitation for an interview.

I don't know if you can be able to review my CV or my Cover Letter, So that I can be assured that am safe on that side and continue praying to God for my own time.

Thanks in all........
You made my day!!!!
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by Pinkybush: 6:15am On Aug 07, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:
Lol.
Lemme see what would happen.
Your email is cool.
Thank you so very much.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 10:41pm On Aug 10, 2018
Wantedmiller:


I don't know exactly how to start thanking you. how I wish you are close by, I will personally appreciate you with a tuber of Yam. You earn my respect!!! thank you so much for all this write up.

But....... I am a graduated in Industrial Physics(Bsc) and Solid Earth geophysics (Msc). I finished my masters degree since 2015. Since my graduation, I mean my first degree, all I have been doing is apply.

Lo and behold, I have not received any invitation from any firm.

My last job was through recommendation by a friend which is last year although I no longer work there again. Sometimes I want to start thinking that all those crazy village people are organizing crusade on my head but am far above that.

Even till now am still applying but nothing Don come out. I am waiting patiently for that day that I will receive an invitation for an interview.

I don't know if you can be able to review my CV or my Cover Letter, So that I can be assured that am safe on that side and continue praying to God for my own time.

Thanks in all........
You made my day!!!!
Invariably you are asking me to put you in among the list of the 3.

I can't guarantee that with 100% certainty, but the only thing I can guarantee is that we would be recruiting for that position first quarter next year and if my team is assigned the task, then I might review your CV.

Lol.

Till then, keep pushing. Good luck.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 10:49pm On Aug 10, 2018
SHAMHOOD:

I studied business administration sir
How do I track my cv?
Please enlighten me sir.
God bless you.
That is nice. Where do you stay at the moment and how mobile are you and how many languages can you speak?

Use Streak to track them, better still refer to the previous posts.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by SHAMHOOD(m): 11:06pm On Aug 10, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

That is nice. Where do you stay at the moment and how mobile are you and how many languages can you speak?

Use Streak to track them, better still refer to the previous posts.
Thank you for the reply sir
I really appreciate
I reside in mushin, Lagos.
I am willing to move/travel... I don't mind leaving my comfort zone.
I speak English and Yoruba.
Thank you sir.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 11:10pm On Aug 10, 2018
SHAMHOOD:
Thank you for the reply sir I really appreciate I reside in mushin, Lagos. I am willing to move/travel... I don't mind leaving my comfort zone. I speak English and Yoruba. Thank you sir.
Ok. I am sorry, we are currently filling for a particular language.
Good luck.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by SHAMHOOD(m): 6:56am On Aug 11, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Ok. I am sorry, we are currently filling for a particular language.

Good luck.
OK sir
Thank you sir
I believe you will be filling for my language someday... So keep me in your daily diary sir and mind.
God bless us.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by sterlingD(m): 7:57pm On Aug 11, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:
CV Format

Something happened some months ago, I was driving to work when a friend flagged me down and give me one CV to submit personally for him for an opening we were filling through placement.

I took the CV to the Lead of the team handling that recruitment, he told bluntly "xxxxxx, you know I can't accept this CV"

"I understand". I left her office.

The way it was presented is something if accepted, my friend would be standing before panel to defend.

Though there is no standard for CV, but it should look professional.

Here are few things you might try considering:

1. Avoid too much white spaces on your CV. Try using this spacing multiple and 1.15 to eliminate unnecessary white spaces.

2. Alignment: Justify

3. Font: Try Verdana size 11. There is something about that font that stands out. It is so catchy to the eyes.

Arial is too heavy and NewTimesRoman is generic.

3. For entry positions, a CV of 2-3 pages is perfect. Avoid 1 paged CV at all cost.

4. Try arranging your Name as Header 1, Address as (H2), phone number (H3) and Linkedin profile and email as (H4). Avoid putting your other social media url.

Please avoid this:

NAME: Lekan Idris

Address: 12 xxxx, Road, Zaria, Kaduna.

Phone Number: Bleep xxxx Bleep.

Email: LekanIdris@gmail.com

5: Your professional summary (profile) should come next. It should be specific to the position you are applying for.

If you are applying for as Accountant, make it specific to that. This is your first opportunity to sell yourself.

Keep it short.

Present it thus:

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

I am a bla bla bla.

6: Your personal profile should follow next. This is where your date of birth and others come.

PERSONAL PROFILE

Death of Birth:

Marital Status:

Please avoid religion and state of origin. Don't dare put nationality, unless you are not a Nigerian.

7. Present your working experience. Please don't tell us what what your roles were. I tell us what you achieved serving in those roles.

8. Your education just come next, then professional certifications and training if any.

9. Present your skills last. Some people present theirs first before working experience.

I don't like it. Even my colleagues don't. It feels as if you are trying to push something into our face.

10. Avoid listing your hobbies unless they are related to the position you are applying for.

11. Don't put your reference yet.

12. You don't have to be artistic. Just put it on white and black.

Like I said before, there is no standard format. Which ever format you choose, keep it simple and professional.

If you know the name of the recruiter, use it on the Cover letter.


l am in a state of bother with reference to Number 9.l have seen countless CVs where skills/core qualifications come before work experience even on a lot of standard CV template that l have seen online.Why the reservation about this.

Also Number 6 we have been advised severally to not include date of birth and marital status in on our CVs why the sudden turn around.Even templates l have seen dont list or carry this

1 Like

Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 9:48pm On Aug 11, 2018
sterlingD:


l am in a state of bother with reference to Number 9.l have seen countless CVs where skills/core qualifications come before work experience even on a lot of standard CV template that l have seen online.Why the reservation about this.

Also Number 6 we have been advised severally to not include date of birth and marital status in on our CVs why the sudden turn around.Even templates l have seen dont list or carry this
Lemme start with your last question.

I think I treated that before, but I will recap again. If you are applying for an entry position and you are not married, include it but if you are married, ignore it.

If you are applying for higher level positions, if you are married, include it but if you are single, remove it.

If you are applying for entry position and you are less than 27, remove D.O.B, but if you are applying for higher level positions and you are more than 30 include it, but if you are less, remove.

Pay attention to age requirement in the opening, but if not specified, follow the above advice.

We look at age when recruiting. A 35 years old man recruited to fill an entry position is likely to be distracted looking for another job than a 26 year old fresh graduate. Age contributes to Staff Turn Over Rate and it is one metric we pay so much attention to.

About your first question, like I said there is no concensus on CV format. Every format is good once it is presented professionally.

Team Leader
Ability to multi task
Ability to work under no or minimal supervision
Goal achiever

These are stupid things to start your CV with, so avoid them.

If you don't have a hard skill to include in your CV please never present your skills first.

If the skill is not something that can give you edge over other applicants, please don't clutter the first page of your CV with them.

In summary, Skill should be present first only when you are applying for a technical position.

1 Like

Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by Wantedmiller: 8:49am On Aug 12, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Invariably you are asking me to put you in among the list of the 3.

I can't guarantee that with 100% certainty, but the only thing I can guarantee is that we would be recruiting for that position first quarter next year and if my team is assigned the task, then I might review your CV.

Lol.

Till then, keep pushing. Good luck.


I cant stop laughing...........
any how I got to speak up......
who knows the day our Lord will come....

Thanks a lot
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by pomide(m): 1:27pm On Aug 13, 2018
Officialapcng, hello, I'd like you to shed more light into pursuing A career in Human Resource. Especially for a graduate of philosophy. Thank you.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by EdoBoy90(m): 7:43am On Aug 17, 2018
Ok
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 8:40pm On Aug 17, 2018
pomide:
Officialapcng, hello, I'd like you to shed more light into pursuing A career in Human Resource. Especially for a graduate of philosophy. Thank you.
Believe me, it is one of the most lucrative jobs in Nigeria. Fortunately, it is under-rated, so the competition is still low.

There is nothing like Advanced career in HOUR if you don't are not Chartered by law to practice, so I would advice you pursue a professional certification in Personnel Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management is reputable.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

1 Like

Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 8:45pm On Aug 17, 2018
SHAMHOOD:

OK sir
Thank you sir
I believe you will be filling for my language someday... So keep me in your daily diary sir and mind.
God bless us.
When people call me Sir, I feel like I am been manipulated. Apart from people working directly under me, I don't feel comfortable with that tag.

I promise I would.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by SHAMHOOD(m): 9:20pm On Aug 17, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

When people call me Sir, I feel like I am been manipulated. Apart from people working directly under me, I don't feel comfortable with that tag.

I promise I would.
Noted
I appreciate you for willing to help me.
God bless you.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by EdoBoy90(m): 6:47am On Aug 18, 2018
OfficialAPCng:

We are still waiting myself and the other guy, Kingley.



Thanks. I will keep on following you.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by PrimadonnaO(f): 10:23am On Aug 18, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Believe me, it is one of the most lucrative jobs in Nigeria. Fortunately, it is under-rated, so the competition is still low.

There is nothing like Advanced career in HOUR if you don't are not Chartered by law to practice, so I would advice you pursue a professional certification in Personnel Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management is reputable.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

Chartered Institute of Management. Great. Thanks. cheesy
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by PrimadonnaO(f): 11:08am On Aug 18, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Believe me, it is one of the most lucrative jobs in Nigeria. Fortunately, it is under-rated, so the competition is still low.

There is nothing like Advanced career in HOUR if you don't are not Chartered by law to practice, so I would advice you pursue a professional certification in Personnel Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management is reputable.

Good luck and welcome to the club.


Please, what's HOUR?
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by BlueScholar(m): 12:02pm On Aug 18, 2018
Interesting thread you have here, thank you for sharing
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by Nobody: 1:05am On Aug 19, 2018
Very interesting and educative thread, you really have thought alot of people through this informative thread, I sincerely do appreciate your effort towards helping others learn about what you have highlight all through.

THANKS!
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 1:14am On Aug 19, 2018
PrimadonnaO:


Please, what's HOUR?
Sorry, autocorrect. I wanted to type HR.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 1:15am On Aug 19, 2018
maviduchez77:
Very interesting and educative thread, you really have thought alot of people through this informative thread, I sincerely do appreciate your effort towards helping others learn about what you have highlight all through.

THANKS!
God bless your office.

1 Like

Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by OfficialAPCNig: 1:15am On Aug 19, 2018
BlueScholar:
Interesting thread you have here, thank you for sharing
You are welcome.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by PrimadonnaO(f): 5:21am On Aug 19, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Sorry, autocorrect. I wanted to type HR.

Alright.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by pomide(m): 10:28pm On Aug 20, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:

Believe me, it is one of the most lucrative jobs in Nigeria. Fortunately, it is under-rated, so the competition is still low.

There is nothing like Advanced career in HOUR if you don't are not Chartered by law to practice, so I would advice you pursue a professional certification in Personnel Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management is reputable.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

Thank you very much for the reply.
Re: Interview Etiquette 101: My Personal Experience As A Recruiter by klexycole(m): 9:44am On Sep 21, 2018
OfficialAPCNig:
Like I said before, I work for HR Agency, we recruit, train and appraise for top companies.

As a recruiter I handle thousands of applications for each position and it is a standard practice in my organisation to invite only 25 people to the interview for each position.

So how do you eliminate to get the best 25 if you 11,000 applied?

We import into our system and it will start the eliminations.

First, by emails.

Second, by checking if the Subject complied with our adverts. It filters by Keywords.

Just this 2 will reduce that number to 5000-9000. I don't know why our youths keep making this mistakes.

The remaining ones would be forwarded to the Team handling the recruitments.

That is where we start checking cover letters and CVs.

Even dots where it is not supposed to be can disqualify a CV, your state of origin can even disqualify you. That is why it is advisable never to put it your CV unless you are asked, a single page CV are discarded, and a maximum of 4 are discarded for entry positions.

But once you adhere to the standard practices, nobody would reject you.

Personally I love tiny fonts, Verdana 11], this is not a standard practice, so whether you use it or not, but it doesn't matter. But if I see it on a CV I would take a second look at it, but won't do shit if the person doesn't meet the basic requirements.

So what I am saying is that we don't disqualify because we love or hate something, but because we are following an established standard practice.

A situation we couldn't get those 25 without being biased, then we run tests. At this point there is nothing we could do to reduce them because their qualifications are just similar and hard to differentiate.

Sometimes, we send invite for the test at night while the test is tomorrow morning by 8. We use this to disqualify a lot of people.

Those that made it would be tested in areas they won't even imagine.

Sometimes we run an endurance test where we pack them into a room with CCTV and monitor them without attending to them and then conduct a test late in the afternoon.

We might give them a simple task to do and submit or start looking at their Social Media.

But one thing is we must get at most 25 for the interview.

Please, why are single page résumés are discarded? Thank you! smiley

(1) (2) (3) ... (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (Reply)

What They Did Not Tell You About Government Job In Nigeria / Exams Officer At British Council Or Assistant Registrar At WAEC? Informed Advice / Job Offer: Ecobank 2019 Entry Level Recruitment

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 67
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.