Interview Tips

Hey Merrainiacs,

Been a couple of busy weeks here at Merraine, closed some great deals and working hard on a few more. After a couple of posts about resumes, let’s move on to the next step of the process.

So you’ve sent your resume in, and of course the place loves it (….if you’ve taken my advice). They want to interview you. Yippee! You’re in!

Not so fast - you have just begun the process. Here are a few things to watch out for in your first interview.

· The first thing goes without saying, but needs to be said: Dress Nicely! The outward impression that you give matters, people! Think about it: you wouldn’t want to hire someone if they came to the interview dressed like this, now would you?

Didn't think so.

In the same vein, another important interview tip: Make the right impression. Be on time.

Moving along- you've gotten to the interview on time, wearing your best power suit. what next?

Well, here at Merraine we prep all our candidates before any interview. So check us out !

www.merraine.com...maybe we'll have your next job waiting for you!

'Til next time,

Merrainiac

Is Your Resume a Silent Career Killer?

Here are some pearls of wisdom from our friends over at Get What You Set (experts in outplacement) that are definitely relevant to us Merrainiacs...

Is Your Resume a Silent Career Killer?

Spend a few moments taking the following vital signs on your resume:

No response: Does your resume go unanswered when you respond to ads?

Experience: Does it list the functions you performed in your jobs, such as “responsible for …”?

Personality traits: Does it include phrases such as “team player”, “detail oriented” and “effective communicator”?

Aspiration: Does it leave out the specific role you are seeking and how you are positioned to make a meaningful and relevant difference to a prospective employer?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your resume is in need of an overhaul. To get it on a healthy track and captivate the reader’s imagination, make sure your resume communicates

• The measurable results you achieved by performing your day-to-day functions (or from special projects), and how they impacted various stakeholders and/or the bottom line.
• How your personality traits helped fuel your results (the phrases alone are just generic and used by everyone).
• Your interest in assuming a specific role and your ability to deliver value that goes beyond the scope of management’s expectations.
• An expression of your work ethic, such as how your competitive intensity, disciplined and focused approach, or extraordinary commitment to getting things done was manifested.

Taking the time to invest in the health and vitality of your resume will surely yield better results.

Now thems' some good pearls.

-Merrainiac

Some Resume Do's and Don'ts

Heya, Merrainiacs...Merrainiac numero uno here, with a couple of Dos and Don'ts for resumes. See, I go through at least 50 resumes a day, so I consider myself pretty well versed in resume Etiquette.

Lets start with a Don't. Don't, under any circumstances, do this (watch that from 6:13). Scented Pink resumes are a no-no.

Do. Do include your current contact info (yes, there are Idiots in this world who don't know that).

Don't: Lie on your resume. Recruiters find out about these things- we just had to pull the plug on a candidate last week who lied about his current employment (Seriously! when we called to do a verification check, they said he hadn't worked there in three years. The nerve!). Don't Lie, people- you will live to regret it. Which brings me to another Don't. Don't write skills that are irrelevant. I don't care if you were on your swim team in high school when you're applying for a Director of Nursing position.

I know resume writing can be hard. thats why Barb, our VP here at Merraine, helps our candidates build professional resumes that actually help you get hired! so so take a peek our current jobs , and lets see if we have your next job waiting for you...I really want to dance the Conga again.

Later,

Merrainiac.

Meet the Merrainiacs - Merraine Group Inc.

Welcome to The Merraine Brain, Merraine Group's blog about everything Merraine. I'm Merrainiac, otherwise known as Naava Posy, Project Manager at Merraine. Who /What are we?

We are one of the premier healthcare recruitment firms in the biz. We place managers, directors, VP's and "C-suite" executives in hospitals and medical centers around the globe. Over the last nine years, we have worked with over 400 hospitals while averaging a 97% retention rate. 97 percent, people! Them's some good stats!

Seriously, though. Working here is pretty great. besides our impressive stats, I work in a remarkable team with friends who enjoy their job- getting others employed!

Just a quick meet and greet with a few of the folks I interact with the most:

First there's Jeff. Jeff is the one who brings in the dough-both kinds. Jeff is the Team leader for our Southeast and Southwest regions. He also brings us Dunkin Donuts every Monday morning. Needless to say, Jeff is pretty popular.

Next comes Barb. Sweetest lady you could imagine- you would never guess that behind that smile lies the sharpest brain we have. Smart as a whip, she knows every medical and nursing term, as well as most of the names of the candidates we have in out database (Tens of thousands of candidates and counting). I get most of my info straight from her. She is our VP of Career Development and oversees all of the recruitment and research teams. She's been here for nine years.

Barb's office is right next to Eli's. Eli is our Database Manager, and her dog, Maggie (Yea, a dog-friendly office- We're awesome. Deal with it.) never stops yapping. Eli keeps her door closed pretty often so Maggie won't bark at all of the candidates coming in for interviews.

Jonah, our team leader for the Northeast, Northwest (including California) and Mid-Atlantic regions is the fast talker. Lemme tell you, that guy could convince a lion that he's a shark. And I'm sure he has-- Jonah has some pretty crazy stories. He's been with us for over five years.

Oh, and there's David-our trusty Managing Director- a great boss and a great guy ( and no, I'm not just saying that cuz he's gonna read this- though I'm sure it won't hurt). David truly puts the team into a cohesive group that works really well together. Together we pick up jobs, source candidates, and blog. (Well to be fair, I'm doing most of the blogging now)- but its all due to David's management skills. At least, that's what we tell him :>)

Then there's Janice. Janice is the Team Leader for Midwest, Heartland and Alaska/Hawaii regions. She's our newest Team Leader and believe it or not.....a former narcotics officer and a nurse! She reminds us how exciting it is to get to work in the recruitment biz- the first time she placed a candidate, she made us all dance around the office! And boy did we dance...all the way into our Managing Directors office. Now here's the clincher- and proof that I work in the coolest office of all time. David Gantshar, Managing Director-the fearless leader of our department- joined us in the Conga! Thats how excited we get when we place a candidate. I won't lie, the fee we get is nice. But the fact that we know that we placed a capable candidate in a job where they can do good- thats the reason for the Conga.

Jessica is Barb's assistant and our lead Project Manager. She's as quiet as can be but the candidates love her. They know Jessica has all of the "inside information" about the hospitals.

I don't interact too much with the rest of our leadership team (Steve - Finance; Eric - Legal; Marci - Marketing, Wiggi - Information Technology) but they all play a critical role in our day-to-day operations. We're all supported by some of the best recruiters and researchers in the industry. I'll introduce you to them some other time.

So now that you've met the team, we can start talking about working together to find you your next job!

Wait, Jeff just came in, and its Monday morning- Donuts await.

Keep ya posted.

Merrainiac