Knowledge Sharing

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    During an event interview, I was asked 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝐨𝐫 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝐭? 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝐨𝐫 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔?

My response was that in today's dynamic professional landscape, networking and collaboration are pivotal for 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 and 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. It's offer unparalleled opportunities for 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 and 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.

In the past few months, I have attended several events and knowledge sessions, sometimes as a participant and other times as a speaker. These interactions with many great minds have helped me 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, gain insights into current 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔, and understand 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 better.

ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕨 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:

💫 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤:Networking expands professional connections, opening doors to new opportunities, collaborations, and job offers.

💫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: These events provide access to the latest trends, technologies, and best practices within an industry.

💫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Seminars often showcase cutting-edge innovations and research, helping professionals stay ahead in their fields.

💫 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: It enhances personal and professional visibility, leading to recognition and credibility within the industry.

💫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: It helps in building a strong personal brand, making professionals more marketable and influential in their fields.

💫 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Direct interaction with industry leaders can lead to mentorship opportunities, providing guidance and advice for career progression.

𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 through knowledge sessions, seminars, and interactions with industry leaders are integral to professional growth. Embracing these opportunities can significantly impact one’s professional journey, leading to sustained success and fulfillment.
 

   The Hidden Hand: How Recruiters Influence Hiring Decisions

About twelve years back, I worked with a recruiter who may have had three years of experience. She came and told me about her insights on a senior candidate while she was making travel arrangements. Those insights stayed with me, and I probed further on similar behaviors and found a big can of worms.

Never underestimate their power in the whole process by simply picturing them as “middlemen” or “intermediaries”

Imagine this: You've spent countless hours crafting the perfect resume, tailoring your cover letter to every job description, and preparing for numerous interviews. Finally, you land an interview with your dream company. But before you even meet the hiring manager, your fate rests in the hands of one person: the recruiter.

This scenario highlights the often-overlooked power of recruiters in the hiring process. While hiring managers make the final decision, recruiters are the gatekeepers who determine which candidates make it through the door. Here are six ways they influence hiring decisions:

1) First Impressions Matter: Recruiters are often the first point of contact for candidates. Their demeanor, communication style, and responsiveness can significantly impact a candidate's perception of the company.

2) Resume Black Hole: in the days of artificial intelligence and ATSs, I value the insights I get from a recruiter. With hundreds of applications pouring in, recruiters must quickly prioritize candidates. Their ability to identify potential matches based on specific keywords and experience can determine who moves forward.

3) Culture Fit Gatekeepers: Recruiters are on the front lines of assessing if a candidate aligns with a company's culture. They know hostility, arrogance, and exaggeration. They deal with them multiple times a day. Their antennas can spot fakeness long before others can. It is an occupational hazard.

4) The Interview Agenda: Recruiters play a crucial role in shaping the interview process. They are aware if chemistry among other things will work or not. They collaborate with hiring managers with insights that are far more valuable than mere resumes.

5) Candidate Experience Architects: From initial contact to offer, recruiters shape the candidate experience. Positive interactions can influence a candidate's decision to accept a job offer, even if other factors are equal.

6) Diversity and Inclusion Champions: They are front runners of the inclusion flag of the organization. Recruiters can be instrumental in building a diverse workforce by actively seeking out candidates from underrepresented groups and challenging biases in the hiring process.

In conclusion, recruiters are more than just intermediaries; they are strategic partners in building successful teams. Their influence on the hiring process is undeniable, and their impact on a company’s talent pool cannot be overstated. 

Yesterday, one of my team members sent me a message: "Hello Ma'am, an emergency has come up. I'll join after 2 hours." I had the option to question him and delve deeper into the situation, but I chose to show understanding instead.

Later, I checked in to see if he needed anything. He expressed how moved he was by my gesture. This experience reinforced an important lesson: not everything in life requires an explanation.

If you feel the need to explain everything, you might be in the wrong place or with the wrong people. Don't be rude or aggressive without valid reason, especially towards someone who doesn't owe you an explanation for something self-explanatory.

True leadership isn't defined by a title; it's shown in how we treat others. Early in my career, I learned that trophies and certificates may lose their charm, but winning people's respect and trust never will.

Sending you positive vibes. Let's repost and share.