Real People in a Cyber Landscape

This week I had an interaction with a candidate that I would like to share.
Here's a bit of background:
In an average week we can receive up to 150 new CVs of South African Scientists either looking for new challenges in their career or their first job out of school/tech or University.
At any given time a lot of these CVs aren't relevant to current positions we work on. They either come in as direct submissions to our online database ( www.lumaconsulting.co.za/register/ ) or into my email inbox. We retain all these CVs as they become relevant as Employers seek their skills.
I also get phone calls from some of these individuals just checking in.
This week I once again realised the power of personal connection- even if it is a quick phone conversation. One of our jobseekers, whose CV has been on our database for three weeks just phoned to connect on Tuesday. We had a quick chat and at that stage I couldn't assist her in her job search.
The next afternoon one of my clients contacted me with a position in their company.
I immediately thought of the young lady that had called the previous day. That one phone call had made the connection that she needed. I didn't have to screen data or sift through CVs- so my response time to the client was a whole lot faster than normal.
She has been interviewed and offered the position, and will start working next week with my client- all because she made personal contact with me.

In this digital age all of our profiles are reduced to a bunch of text and a few images. We become part of the cyber landscape.
I will remember this week as an example of how if we really want to make a difference in our own lives and those around us it may require us to use conventional communication!
We are Real People in a Cyber Landscape.

2015

Since launching Luma Consulting in January 2012 as a Recruiting Consultancy in the South African Science industry we have learnt a lot!
The most valuable lessons we have learnt have been from interaction with people looking for new career challenges and the Employers looking for their skills.
I hope to spend more time blogging in 2015- sometimes it will just be a quick anecdote or link to a relevant article/blog post published online.

We look forward to sharing our 2015 journey of helping Scientists and the Organisations that employ them connect with each other.
We may also throw in a few personal stories and observations that we think you may be interested in.

Employers: Why use a recruiter when you can find staff yourself?

As an Employer you may think that paying some-one for information (in this case candidate CVs) seems like a waste of your precious profit. Here are a few good reasons for using professional specialist recruiting consultants to find the right shortlist of candidates:

1.      Specialist recruiters have access to CV databases off and online

·         Specialist Recruiters have built up databases of qualified specialised personnel that are the most concentrated pool of suitable candidates for you. This content is managed by recruiters and verified by them.

·         Scarce skills and qualifications will be specifically tagged in a recruiters database for easy sourcing when a client is searching. For example, in South Africa there are few Science candidates looking for vacancies in Chemistry with technical skills in LCMS, GCMS and method development. Other sought after skills that recruiters understand are qualifications and experience in working in ISO accredited environments. There are loads more examples in sectors of Environmental Science, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical sciences.

·         In contrast to this the vast online CV databases are often a quagmire of candidates from all directions, and although they may be filterable specialist candidates often prefer to have their personal information stored in a Specialist database.

·         Scientists are highly qualified candidates who are aware of information security and confidentiality and often don’t post there CVs where the average Employer would be able to find them.

·         Recruiting Consultancies work with job placements every day and subscribe to a number of databases that business owners would be reluctant to pay for when looking for candidates on an occasional basis.

2.      Source new employees quickly

·         Picking up the phone and discussing a job opportunity with your Specialist recruiter can be the quickest way to finding candidates that are immediately available. Recruiters always have built relationships with candidates and will be able to source them quicker than Employers who have to advertise and sift through CVs

3.      Recruiters have a good understanding of the industry and your potential competitors

·         Specialist Recruiters have many clients in the industry and know who your competitors are hiring. Recruiters may be able to give you input into the type of skills that are in demand in the industry

4.      Protect your privacy

·         The anonymity of placing ads through a Recruiting agency is an advantage in the competitive market place. If you are restructuring and looking for new talent you can keep it under the radar until you have a stable team.

5.      Save you time and only see the CVs of the suitable candidates that meet your requirements

·         Every Employer knows that in South Africa (and the world) there are millions of people looking for jobs. I have seen it all too many times when advertising a position and seeing the number of CV submissions that come in that don’t meet the requirements.

·         Recruiters not only screen CVs but also go through the time-consuming first round of interviews and send you a suitable shortlist for your vacancy

6.      Assistance in negotiating offers

·         This is a useful one- consultants act as a mediator that can keep the negotiation process neutral, and keep the interest of the employer and candidates in balance.

For advertising vacancies in Science please contact me.

Sue

Dr. Sue Bosch

Director: recruiting

Why is the guy at the desk next to you more successful?

Why is the guy at the desk next to you seemingly so much more successful than you? Or are you that guy? Or do you want to be that guy?
Luma loves this blog: Wannabe Employee
There are loads of great posts on developing soft skills for both interviews and sucessful employment.
So when submitting your CV for vacancies in science take time to read this useful resource!

Have a great weekend,
Sue

Every candidate has a Story and a Dream

I love interviewing candidates!

Every candidate has a story. Every candidate has a dream. At Luma we are dedicated to connecting the story (past and present experience) and the dream (future) of our candidates.

In the past couple of week’s I’ve interviewed candidates from executive management level to graduates looking for their first job. Each one has a story and a dream. Whether you are a seasoned professional scientist and manager or a candidate entering the job market for the first time we would love to connect with you. It all starts by registering your CV (Word doc) on our database for careers in science. As soon as we have an opportunity that will fit your dream we’ll be in touch.

Please contact us for queries about vacancies for science, management through our website and browse current vacancies

Candidates: How to answer questions in an interview

I came across this article (http://www.officearrow.com/job-search/the-star-method-of-interviewing-oaiur-107/view.html) and thought I'd share some of the method with candidates that are preparing for interviews:

The STAR method breaks this down:

Situation (or Task)
Describe what was happening and what needed to be accomplished. Be specific - don't generalize by saying "I always..." Pick one particular event.
Action
Describe specifically what you did.
Result
Explain what happened, what was accomplished, what you learned, etc.
Share these three things in each of your answers and you'll be putting your best foot forward.

Here's a practical example:
When applying for a vacancy in a technical scientific direction you might be faced with a question in the line of "What are your technical strengths?"
Instead of listing a dry bunch of skills use the STAR method:
I work in a Food Testing laboratory as an Analytical Chemist. We had a client bring in a sample that they suspected was tainted with a banned substance (SITUATION) and they needed it identified and quantified (TASK). It was a difficult task that required me to spend a lot of time on different instrumentation including HPLC, GCMS and finally LCMS (ACTION). We were able to both identify and quantify the banned compound and provide the client with potential scenarios of how it had landed up in the finished product (RESULT).

Scientists please submit your CVs to applications@lumaconsulting.co.za and visit our website http://www.lumaconsulting.co.za/

Introducing Luma's Team

Dr. Sue Bosch (Director: Recruiting)

Sue has both MSc. And PhD qualifications from Stellenbosch University. She also spent time conducting and managing research in various local and overseas laboratories and gained skills and expertise in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Plant Biotechnology, Yeast Biotechnology and Microbiology. Prior to founding Luma Consulting she spent three years in the Recruiting Industry placing scientists in positions that require their unique skills set. She had a strong focus on client liaison and technical interviewing of candidates.

Sue has a passion for assisting companies in sourcing “the right scientist for the job” whether it be on a technical or managerial level. She knows that being a scientist herself can bridge the gap between the Candidate and Employer in this niche area.

Sue plays a key role in ensuring that Luma Consulting’s clients receive the best possible recruitment service.

Morne Bosch (Consultant)

Morne is a CA(SA) who has also qualified with an MBA (USA). He has 15 years of  experience in areas of Financial Management, business development and project management in the SMME environment with extensive skills in “putting the right team together who can do the job”

Morne is passionate about matching the Candidate with an Employer in a career that will be mutually beneficial to both.

He is co-founder and financial director of Luma and  will consult on recruiting processes of financial and operations management related vacancies.

Jan Bosch (Senior Consultant)

Jan (MSc Forest Hydrology) is an experienced professional whose primary focus has been in Research Management for over 30 years. Although his niche field of expertise is in Forest Hydrology he has managed programmes in broader disciplines of Ecological, Biological and Environmental Sciences in his time working for the CSIR. He has experience leading teams in field research and data modelling. He has a scientific output of more than 30 publications and book chapters. Jan also has great people skills and has gained essential experience in managing, recruiting and motivating individuals in a team.