Hiring Climate For Creatives, December 2015 Update

Hiring Climate For Creatives, December 2015 UpdateHiring Climate For Creatives, December 2015 Update*/Read the infographic text.HIRING CLIMATE FOR CREATIVESDecember 2015 UpdateWhat are your companys hiring plans for full-time creative employees?*First half of 2016Second half of 2015Expanding/adding new positions11%21%Maintaining/filling vacated positions76%65%Freezing/not filling vacated or new positions10%13%Reducing/eliminating positions1%1%Dont know1%0%How challenging is it for your company to find skilled creative professionals today?13% Very challenging45% Somewhat challenging28% Not challenging13% Not applicable/not looking1% Dont knowTop areas creative executives expect to hire for in the first half of 201627% Content absatzwirtschaft27% Creative/art direction26% Brand/product management26% Print design/productionMost challenging areas for companies to fill1.Brand/product management2.Customer experience3.Account services4.Web design/production5.Marketing research and content m arketing (tie)Source The Creative Group survey of more than 400 U.S. marketing and advertising executives in the United States*Responses may not total 100 percent due to rounding. 2015 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.

Heres what to do if you need a reference later after firing

Heres what to do if you need a reference later after firingHeres what to do if you need a reference later after firingWhether or bedrngnislage youre the reason it didnt work between you and your last job, youre gonna need a reference letter to help you land the next one. In an ideal situation, a letter of recommendation from a previous employer is the perfect way to advertise your assets via a third party source.Your resume gets you in the door, and a good reference letter can often seal the deal. Because professional vouches are so important heres a roundup of tips on how to acquire a reference letter from a scorned employer from some experts and a noted incompetent.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreGet em before you need emBefore we attempt to assist those that have already turned in their key cards, it might be good to share some sage advice to those that are both actively empl oyed and ambivalent.After youve worked at a place long enough to prove your worth, it doesnt hurt to request a letter of recommendation before youve set your eye on a new gig for safety. This is prudent for several reasons. The first and most relevant this gives you a safety net in case of unexpected termination. It also gives you the freedom to accept potentially better opportunities completely on your own terms, without worrying about the effect of jumping ship. Moreover, who needs the headache of chasing down reference letters when youre in between jobs-no need you have one (maybe a couple even) locked and loaded.Strike while theyre still feeling guiltyEven Vader got a guilt headache after dismissing Admiral Ozzel,so chances are your last boss will too make sure you capitalize on it.Author Beth Winston of Chron.com writes, The person firing you probably is experiencing some guilt or emotional reaction to the turmoil that you are about to face. Remain polite and professional when you get the news of your firing, but ask immediately for a recommendation as a way to ease your transition into the job search. Some employers are concerned enough about the possibility of legal action that theyll do what they can to help.Along as you yourself are not in fear of the possibility of malicious comments, or accusations of illegal activity, you should certainly request referral information, as soon as possible, even if its crystal clear that your former employer hates you with a passion. It takes maybe five minutes to write up a perfunctory, whatta guyemployee reference letter.When they go low, you go high..or lower dependingIf playing to your firees humanity doesnt work, remember that you can always go higher or lower even. Unless you were an absolute incompetent menace, there will always be someone at your company that will have a good word to say about you. Of course, in a perfect scenario this said person is either in a position that is higher above, or in a potion c omparable to the person that gave you the boot, but if not, take what you can get.Ashley Putnam of Idealist Careers adds, In any company you interact with multiple levels of people clients, co-workers, colleagues from another department. List someone who can speak to your virtues and strengths. You choose your references, and we anticipate you will choose someone who will speak about your strong points.If nothing can be done, address concerns immediatelyIn the instance where you cant secure a positive word from your employer, or anyone that would hold weight at your former firm, your only method of recourse is to defuse whatever spawned the rift as early as possible while being speaking to your next recruiter.Ralph Heibutzki of Career Trend, suggests the following Admit the problems, but stress that theyre not relevant anymore, and refrain from going into detail. Dont try to explain, or make excuses, which only digs the hole deeper.Repudiate any and all false claims, deflate any sco rnful attempts of career stultification, and ensure you admirably represent the professional intimated in your resume.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview (Tips and Examples)

How to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview (Tips and Examples)How to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview (Tips and Examples)Youve probably heard that you should send thank you schmelzglass after your interview.Youve probably also wondered Does it really make a difference?Is it worth your time?And what happens if you dont send one?Im going to reveal how employers really view thank you emails and the situations where it can make a difference in deciding who gets hired.What employers really think of thank you emailsFirst, Im not going totell you that every hiring manager cares about thank you emails.Some do, while others dont.However, its impossible to know which hiring managers care and which dont, and theres no real down-side to sending a thank you email to a hiring manager who doesnt require or want it.Theres no real down-side to sending a thank you email.Theyll simply note that you were thorough enough to follow-up and made the extra effort (and thats not a bad thing t o demonstrate after an interview).Im also not going to tell you that sending a thank you email will put you over the top and get you hired if you seemed unqualified, if youwalk in without researching the job and company, etc.However, in most cases where your interview went pretty well, the employer is considering you along with a few other candidates. This is where sending an interview thank you emailmakes the biggest difference and is why I believe you should always send one.Benefits of sending a great thank you emailSending a thank you email can be the tie-breaker between you and another candidate.It shows employers that you care about their job and are interested in what you discussed in the interview.Sending a thank you email can be the tie-breaker between you and another candidate.Employers NEVER want to hire you if you dont seem to want the job andshow that youre excited about the work youll be doing.Their fear is that even if youre qualified, youll lack motivation and may get bored and leave soon after being hired.This is a significant fearfor employers because it costs a lot of money and resources to hire and train someone.Sending an email to thank them and reaffirm that youre still interested will remove any doubt they have about you wanting the job.That can go a long way toward getting you hired.Thanking them after the interview also shows that you dont take things for granted and are grateful overall. This suggests that youll be easy to work with and have a positive impact on the company culture.Hiring managers care a lot about the character and personality of who they bring onto their team. Sometimes its as important as your job-related skills.Finally, a thank you email is a chance to remind them why youre a great choice for their position from a technical perspective.Maybe theyre on the fence between you and another candidate, and pointing out one of yourbiggest strengthscould be the tie-breaker.ThankyouemailexampleFor example, you might writeHi B eth,Thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I enjoyed hearing about what the day-to-day work would look like as a Senior Account Representative.Im confident that my 2 years of experience in customer support at XYZ Company would give me an advantage in this role, especially since both positions involve responding to a high volume of customer requests primarily via email.Ive learned that communication via email requires a unique approach, since you cant gauge their reactions in the moment, and its easier to have miscommunications if youre not careful.This is something Ive worked on mastering in my previous position and Id love to continue working in this area.Thank you again for your time yesterday, and I look forward to hearing about the next stepsIn the meantime, dont hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.Best regards,Your NameKey pieces to include in your thank you emailId recommend including the following in any thank you email you sendThe p ersons name. You want this to be a personalized email, sent to one person. Dont send one email out to multiple people, and dont send it without a personalized greeting like Dear Robert or Hi Robert. If you met multiple people, send a separate, customized email to each.A sentence showing appreciation for their time and thanking them for meeting with you.A comment on something specificthat you enjoyed hearing about.Customize this part and make sure they know this email is written just for them, based on the conversation you had.Reaffirm your interest in the role. Tell them youre excited by what you learned in the interview, and that youre eager to hear about the next steps. If youd like, you can also remind them of why you feel youre a great fit for the job (see the full email template above for an example of this).Id recommend sending this at lunchtime the day after your interview.If you interviewed on a Friday, you can send itthe same evening when you arrive home, so that youre not sending it on a weekend.The bottom line isWhile sending a thank you email isnt a substitute for walking in prepared and ready to impress the employer in your interview, it can be the difference between a job offer and a rejection, especially since most companies have multiple candidates they like for each role.By following the steps above, you can send thank you emails that show employers you value their time and truly want their job, which will help you stand out from other candidates and win more job offers.Biron Clark is a former Executive Recruiter and founder of the job search website CareerSidekick.com . As a recruiter he has partnered with Fortune 100 companies down to six-person tech startups while helping hundreds of job seekers advance their careers.