10 PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WWW.BBJ.HUBudapest Business Journal | June 4 – June 17

Network to succeed!

HOW EFFECTIVE DO YOU THINK NETWORKING SITES ARE?Not only have they become a fundamental part of the global online experience, but they are also making a huge impact on the pro-cess of recruitment, job search and candidate attraction. Incorporating social networking into your job search strategy for 2010 and beyond is definitely the right route to take.

WOULD YOU, AS A RECRUITER, RELY ON THEM?You have to realize that the internet is the internet. Anyone can write anything. It will never replace face-to-face interviews or checks that need to be done. It is a good tool to initiate a search, but it cannot be regarded as a substitute for meeting people in person. We have our database that we use first, but we do use LinkedIn and iWiW, too. They are just some of the many tools we have to comple-ment our work. CAN DETAILS YOU FIND ON NETWORKING SITES HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON A CANDI-DATE’S PROSPECTS?This is the internet, it is available to any-one. Whatever information you put there, your potential and current employers can all look at it, and so can headhunters. So you have to be cautious about publishing the right information; everything you share has to be accurate. You have to be able to distinguish between professional sites and social sites. On some sites you will find out more about the personal life of the individ-ual — and there is nothing wrong with that. Unless they share something totally bizarre, I wouldn’t expect this to [have a negative impact]. It has to be really inappropriate to jeopardize their chances. Everyone has a personal life at the end of the day; employ-ers know that. Of course, it depends on how much of it is exposed.

HOW MUCH DO HUNGARIAN JOBSEEKERS USE SUCH SITES?They are getting increasingly popular. I remem-ber that in the Czech Republic, it was probably six years ago when they started to be mentioned, but they were still not nearly as widespread. Now Czechs and Hungarians are much more willing to put their information on these sites, just like many other nationalities, although the US may still be a few steps ahead. I recently read that there are 4.2 million registered users on iWiW and there are more than 1 million Hungarian users on Facebook. iWiW has approximately 1.2 million users logging in every day and the most intensive users are mainly the 15–29 year olds.

IN WHAT WAYS CAN JOBSEEKERS BENEFIT FROM REGISTERING ON PROFESSIONAL NET-WORKING SITES?The traditional approach — writing a resume and either sending it or placing it on a job board, then waiting for an interested potential employer call you — is hardly the most effec-tive way anymore in a market where vacancies have shrunk and thousands of qualified profes-sionals have been made redundant. The new approach should think out of the box and your job search should exploit all resources available. It is about building a powerful personal message and attracting job opportunities directly to your social network account. Ninety percent of search time by recruiters is spent online, and the per-centage spent on social networks liked LinkedIn and iWiW is at an increase. Therefore, your ulti-mate goal as a candidate is to make your online profile as complete and as visible as possible.It is a popular fear that placing your CV on a job board may be like waving a farewell flag to your boss before having secured a new job. The advantage of social media over conventional job boards is that you do not appear to be an active jobseeker, since having a comprehensive and up-to-date profile merely demonstrates

that you are active in maintaining a professional network — something that is beneficial to both you and your current employer.

DO YOU SEE A WILLINGNESS BY HUNGARIANS TO DO SO?Recently I have held some presentations on how to prepare CVs and what people actually have to do to find a job. One of the crucial points was that you have to be part of a network to achieve your goals. The world is changing day by day and you have to keep up with the trends. Now this is the trend, and it is clearly being followed in Hungary as well.

WHAT DOES A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL NETWORK PROFILE LOOK LIKE?It is important to have a fully completed profile on these sites that elaborates as much on your experience as your CV does. A well-written summary of your track record will enhance the chances of your profile popping up in keyword searches when a recruiter is looking for more specific skills or expertise in a field. It is also a good idea to get a few recommendations from your network, be it your subordinate, supervi-sor or even a wider professional contact.

ARE HUNGARIANS TALENTED AT WRITING CVS AND COVER LETTERS?CV writing varies by areas. Finance people are more structured, marketing people tend to write more imaginative CVs, while some IT professionals even put logos for each com-pany they worked for. At the presentation I held about CVs, there were different nationali-ties present, including Hungarians, Americans and Czechs. It was really interesting to hear and discuss the better approach between Czechs and Hungarians who are more modest com-pared to Americans. They avoid openly declar-ing how good they are, while Americans show more confidence.

WHICH APPROACH DO YOU THINK IS BETTER?Employers like to hear that a person feels com-petent to do tasks. There is a level of confidence that must be reached, simply because when candidates present themselves in front of a potential employer, they have to sell themselves.

A REGISTERED CANDIDATE PROFILE, A WELL-WRITTEN CV AND A CONFIDENT MANNER IN FRONT OF RECRUITERS. WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO SUCCEED?Being in constant touch with recruitment companies is also something I advise candi-dates. Even when they are not looking for a job, they should keep their eyes open. If they are in contact with a recruitment agent who informs them on the market situation, they will be one step ahead when they actually come to seek a job. ■

Landing a dream job depends on various factors. Not only do you have to be qualified and highly motivated, you also need to convince your future employer that — from a pool of talented candidates — you are the best suited for the post. There are several ways to do that. The written CV is the tried and tested method but won’t necessarily make you stand out from the crowd. An impressive network presence, on the other hand, can improve your chances a great deal. It is, in fact, an essential tool for the 21st century jobseeker, according to Tammy Stellini, managing director of recruiting agency Hays Hungary.

BACKGROUND

Tammy Stellini was born in Canada and raised in Malta. A qualified ACCA accoun-tant, Tammy moved to Prague in 1999 and joined Hays in September 2002 as a consul-tant within the Accountancy & Finance divi-sion, which she set up. Once the team in Prague had grown to a certain level, she was appointed CEE Business Development Man-ager, and along with this role was given the task of opening a Hays branch in Hungary. A little over two years ago she was given the opportunity to run the Hungarian branch and having originally set up the local office and been directly involved with internal recruitment was a great boost for her. Yet her responsibilities did not end there: parallel to this, Tammy also had operational respon-sibility for establishing Hays in Russia. She speaks English, Maltese, Italian, Czech at an intermediate level, and is currently studying Hungarian. Her self-described characteristics include a positive attitude, determination and willingness to succeed and to power the world of work here in Hungary.

CURRICULUM VITAE

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