Comprehensive Guide to Free Online CV Registration
A lot of candidates that I speak to find themselves in shock when I say that they don’t need to pay a recruitment fee when registering with Measured Ability.
The truth of the matter is, you should never need to pay a ‘sign up’ fee when you are going through a recruitment agency. There should be NO HIDDEN COSTS. We as a recruitment agency, invest in you. We market you to our clients when a suitable job spec comes in.
The magic comes in with our online database. All you need to do is go to our jobseeker page, select your skill level, fill in a basic online application form and upload your CV. Please make sure your CV is in word format and less than 2MB. If you are not sure what is meant by that, please read here.
Here is a quick walk through of how the process looks:
First, you will need to visit our jobseeker page and select the skill level you fall under.
Secondly, you will be taken to a page that looks like this. There is a disclaimer at the bottom that you should read.
Thirdly, scroll down and you will see the beginning of the online application form. Please try and fill out as much information as possible. The more information you have, the easier it is for our consultants to find your information when looking for suitable candidates. To learn more about the recruitment process and the search techniques we use, read our blogs on Boolean Logic and the overall recruitment process.
Lastly, you will be asked to upload your CV and press submit. The program will ask you a few more question about your employment and education history.
Once you have completed the free online registration process, you will be captured on our database forever, no payment needed, ever.
Looking for a job?
Please visit our jobseeker page, and upload your C.V to our nationwide database! Should a potential job offer open, and you are considered, we will contact you!
Looking for staff?
Let our dedicated and hard working team of consultants find you the perfect candidate. Please visit our employer page and tell us what you are looking for!
WRITTEN REFERENCES – WHY DO YOU NEED THEM?
Let’s cut to the chase. You either have a sweet heart of a boss, or one that is too busy for anyone or anything. When you apply for a job, and your recruitment consultant urgently needs references from previous employers to market you to their client, you don’t want to waste time. Your potential dream job could be on the line!
One sound piece of advice I can give you is; urge your bosses/person you report to to do written references for you.
The reason why I am emphasising this is; what if your referee is on holiday when your recruiter wants to contact them? Having written references saves time, and you know that your references are in order. Plus, you’ll know before the recruiter what your bosses and supervisors think of you. No surprises at the end of the road!
Now, when you request a written reference, there are definite DO’s and DON’Ts.
Choose your referee wisely.
Sometimes the director of the company doesn’t actually come into contact with you on a daily basis. Your supervisor or the person you directly report to may be the better choice to write your reference. You want someone who really knows you, as it clearly shows in a reference if the referee doesn’t know you.
Always let your referee of choice know they have been chosen.
Don’t just give out their number. Let them know. This gives them time to gather their own thoughts, instead of rushing through it.
Always ask politely, never expect a reference.
No one is obligated to agree to provide you with a written reference, so be careful how you ask for it. Always be courteous.
Want to know how to ask for a reference letter? Check out our next blog!
Looking for a job?
Please visit our jobseeker page, and upload your C.V to our nationwide database! Should a potential job offer open, and you are considered, we will contact you!
Looking for staff?
Let our dedicated and hard working team of consultants find you the perfect candidate. Please visit our employer page and tell us what you are looking for!
HOW DO RECRUITERS SEARCH FOR CANDIDATES?
So, how do recruiters search for their candidates?
BASIC GUIDE: BOOLEAN STRING SEARCH
Firstly, who was the brilliant person who came up with this search technique?
Mr George Boole, a well renowned British Mathematician, whose work on logic helped lay the foundation for the digital revolution we all live within today, left us with the amazing Boolean logic, a theory in which all variables are either ‘true’ or ‘false’, or ‘on’ or ‘off’.
Most of you may not know, but this logic is apparent in all digital devices, and exists in almost every line of computer code. It has also become the main logic that all recruiters use to find the perfect candidate.
SO HOW DOES BOOLEAN SEARCH WORK?
Boolean search uses three main operators:
- AND
- OR
- NOT
And by using a combination of these three, you can produce more relative and accurate results when searching for your perfect candidate.
There are 5 elements of syntax to remember when using Boolean search:
- AND
- OR
- NOT
- ()
- “”
AND:
AND is used to ‘narrow’ results down. Only profiles that have both of the keywords in them will be shown in the search results. AND is usually used between the required skills in a job spec. The things a candidate MUST have.
E.g.: Sales AND Manager (this search will only provide results that have both those words in it).
OR:
OR is used to expand the results of a search. It does not mean either/or, but rather ‘any one of’.
OR is usually used for synonyms, or for less important skills (not required, but an advantage or preferential).
E.g.: Sales OR Manager (produce all profiles that contain the word ‘sales’, the word ‘manager’ or both).
Only profiles that contain one or more of the keywords will appear in the results.
NOT:
NOT is used to exclude words from your search.
E.g.: You want to search for company directors, but you keep getting Artistic Directors, then you can search for Directors NOT Artistic.
The only danger with this, and why you need to be careful when using NOT, is that if there is the word artistic anywhere in a candidates profile, their profile will not show up in your results, and they may be the perfect candidate.
Here is an example of what a Boolean search string looks like:
((“marketing strategy” OR “marketing” ) AND (“sales process” OR “sales operations” OR “sales management” OR “sales” OR “new business development” OR “negotiation” OR “direct sales” OR “account management” ) AND (“sales manager” OR “customer service” OR “business development” OR “solution selling” OR “presales consultant” OR “salesman” OR “presales manager” OR “area vice president” OR “commercial director” OR “solutions consultant” ) )
This is a basic overview on Boolean Search Logic, and there are more operators that you can use, including quotation marks and parenthesis. We will cover that in the next instalment. Stay tuned!
Looking for a job?
Please visit our jobseeker page, and upload your C.V to our nationwide database! Should a potential job offer open, and you are considered, we will contact you!
Looking for staff?
Let our dedicated and hard working team of consultants find you the perfect candidate. Please visit our employer page and tell us what you are looking for!
WHY DO WE HAVE AN ONLINE DATABASE?
A little lesson in how recruitment works:
Let me debunk the myth that recruitment agencies’ sole purpose is to find a candidate a job, that is (most of the time) not the case. Recruitment agencies are called upon by a client who is looking to hire a new person, and they find the perfect candidate for that position. They are the middleman.
Recruiters do, however, keep good CVs on record, so that if they get a job spec that matches one of those CVs’ particular skill sets, they will call up that candidate and ‘market’ them to their client.
For more information on how recruitment agencies work, check out our blog.
HOW OUR APPLICATION PROCESS WORKS, AND WHY WE HAVE AN ONLINE DATABASE:
We have an online application which we urge all candidates to use and upload their updated CVs.
The reason why we have this online database system in place is so that we can form a comprehensive database, that draws information from candidate skill sets. Our consultants scan the online database for skills that depend on the job spec they have been handed. For example, if they are looking for an accountant they might search for ‘SAIPA’ (depending on the role’s seniority) and those with that accreditation will show up first in their candidate pool search.
If you upload your C.V. to our online database, we will only contact you if a client requires your skill set and you are considered.
The method we use for finding our perfect candidate is done using BOOLEAN STRING SEARCH.
This method brings up exact matches for the skill set we need, so always remember to put as much of your experience, skill sets and qualifications on your C.V.
APPLYING FOR JOBS ONLINE:
We also have a page on our website that showcases all our current vacancies that you can go through. If you find a position you know would be perfect for you, you can apply directly. Our consultants never leave you wondering, we will always let you know if you have been considered, or regretted.
Please be mindful of applying for jobs outside your skill set. If you are a graphic designer, try not to apply for an HR position. You will find yourself constantly disappointed.
Are you looking for a job?
Please visit our jobseeker page, and upload your CV to our nationwide database! Should a potential job offer open, and you are considered, we will contact you!
Are you looking for staff?
Let our dedicated and hard-working team of consultants find you the perfect candidate. Please visit our employer page and tell us what you are looking for!
JOBSEEKER- HOW TO GET FOUND BY RECRUITERS
Recruiters are very busy individuals and time is of the essence in this industry. When it comes to sourcing candidates that are looking for jobs, this process takes a while, especially when it comes to finding contact information! This blog post will highlight briefly, how the recruitment process works and some of the best practices when it comes to making yourself easy to find.
Here is a crash course in how the recruitment process works:
Summed up, a client needs a staff member, so they request the assistance of a recruiter in finding them the perfect candidate. The recruiter then needs to find candidates by any means necessary. The first way, is to go online, and try and locate candidate C.V’s. After they have found a few viable candidates, they need to contact those candidate. Now the problem is, a lot of people do not have enough of an online presence for them to do so, and then miss the opportunity to find a job or a better one in most cases.
How to increase your chances of being found:
Online Job and Jobseeker Portals:
As you can see, recruiters use various online portals to source their candidates. This can be done by advertising and having the candidates apply, or actively looking for them on job seeker portals.
Here is a list of some of the portals they use:
- Pnet
- Careers24
- Career Junction
- Indeed
- Career Jet
- Job Mail
- Best Jobs
- Gumtree
- Jobvine
- Bizcommunity
- Github
One way of always making sure you can be found is having your UPDATED C.V on the various jobseeker portals, one example being Pnet. This is a portal where you can upload your C.V, elaborate on your qualifications and skill set, and leave contact information! This allows recruiters to save time by finding your updated C.V and having your contact information ready for them to call you.
Social Media:
Facebook and Linkedin are the primary social media portals that recruiters use to try and find extra information about the candidates they are trying to source. They look at:
- Education (qualifications etc)
- Employment History
- How you present yourself
Advice to you is; always keep this up to date, and remember that your social media profiles speak volumes about you, and if you are in the job market, you want to make sure that your profile gives off a professional feel.
See how important social media presence and profiles are?
Looking for a job?
Please visit our jobseeker page, and upload your C.V to our nationwide database! Should a potential job offer open, and you are considered, we will contact you!
Looking for staff?
Let our dedicated and hard working team of consultants find you the perfect candidate. Please visit our employer page and tell us what you are looking for!