RIG Animal Health Recruit

Connecting to the Veterinary World via Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (RIGAnimalHealth) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:02:00 +0000

I recently attended a very interesting course on the use of Social Media and how to maximise my companies web presence by the utilisation of websites such as Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter and Blogger (The course was run by a company called WSI, and facilitated by a fantastic trainer called Tracy Spence if anyone is interested on arranging similar training for their own company).

You probably could have guessed that I had been on some kind of course if you have followed RIGAHR recently...we didnt even have a twitter account a couple of weeks ago and now are fully fledged bloggers!

As a recruiter I have been using Linked-in for some time now in order to head-hunt high calibre candidates and to network amongst potential clients. It therefore came as a bit of a suprise to me when I was shown the following poll:

Social Media ranked by importance to Industry:

Now unless you have magnifying glasses for eyes, you will probably struggle to see the text in this blurred image (apologies), but surprisingly enough Blogger came out top within the medical health industry, followed by Youtube. Twitter and Linked in were last.

To me, this demonstrates ably what you could have probably guessed already - that Veterinarians and Human health professionals alike enjoy reading useful information and learning. Like all marketing, It is key to aim at the correct audience via the most appropriate source.

If you are looking to connect with your customers online and send them quick updates about your company, then Twitter and Facebook would be ideal simply because of its ability to push messages to your community instantly. If you are looking to educate your customers by posting regular articles, then creating a company blog should be your first social media priority. If you have video commercials you would like to publish online, then obviously YouTube would be your preferred portal.

Social Media is becomming a bigger and bigger part of everyday life. I for one spend hours on Facebook in the evenings, just looking through newsfeeds whilst having the TV on in the background. I'm not alone...

Generation Y are the Managing Directors of the future and after growing up with these websites I can't see the internet boom ending any time soon - My advice to those companies not yet on board is to embrace this changing culture sooner rather than later. Start tweeting and blogging and you will soon see tangible business benefits - afterall, it pays to show up in Google!!

Ben

http://www.rigahr.co.uk

Competency Based Interviews (CBI's) tips and tricks

noreply@blogger.com (RIGAnimalHealth) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:20:00 +0000

CBI's are becoming more and more common place when it comes to the first stage of the interview process, especially within large corporate companies. I thought I'd put together this blog to help out those people who may be struggling with the concept...

A CBI is essentially an interview which involves giving specific, relevant examples of when you have demonstrated either a skill or behaviour in your career previously. This enables the interviewer to be able to mark you against the set criteria required for the position - thus (aparantly) ensuring correct candidate fit.

This is great if you have prepared examples in advance...but if you havent you could be in trouble.

Fail to prepare for a CBI...Prepare to fail.

I have personally been on both the interviewer and interviewee side of the fence on a number of occasions...below are my top tips!

Tip 1 : Ask for (or see if you can find it listed on the company website)a list of the competencies that you will be questioned on. These usually come with a definition.
Tip 2: Prepare a selection of specific examples for each competency.
Tip 3 : Say ‘I’ not ‘We’
Tip 4 : Don’t be afraid to take a few moments thinking about your answer prior to giving it!
Tip 5 : Tailor your answer to the specific competency
Tip 6 : Think about Why you did something, not just how you did it.
Tip 7 : Structure your answer...you can use the following 'STAR' technique when preparing:

Situation – What was the background, why was there an issue?
Task – What did you decide to do?
Action –How you did it
Result – What was the outcome? Did you receive any feedback? In hindsight was there anything you could have done differently?

Below are a few example competencies and some common questions:

Customer Service excellence
Think about times that you have gone the extra mile for a customer. A good example here would be a time when you have turned a complaint into a positive experience in order to retain a customer.
Show how you develop positive customer relationships by actively listening and making the effort to understand the customer's needs, meeting and exceeding the customer's expectations and taking responsibility for the customer's satisfaction.
Potential Q’s:
• What does customer service excellence mean to you? Tell me a time you have demonstrated this?
• Tell me a time you have had to overcome a customer’s objections? Why did they have this objection? Why was it important to overcome this?
• Tell me a time you have dealt with a complaint?
• How do you define going the extra mile for your customer, give me an example of when you have done this?
• Describe a time you had to ask a number of questions and listen carefully to fully understand the customer's query

Accuracy and Attention to Detail
Describe your attention to all details of the customer interaction, however small. Show how you clarify the details, ensure you have complete information and accurately check your work processes and output.
Potential Q’s:
• Describe a time that you picked up an error or problem that had been overlooked by others at work?
• Tell me about a time that you had a confusing interaction with a customer, how did you clarify things?

Drive for results
Talk about examples where you have demonstrated your ability to prioritise your workload effectively, understanding the ‘bigger picture’ and the impact of your actions. This competency focuses on meeting (and exceeding!) targets and deadlines.
Potential Q’s:
• Can you tell me a time you have had to work to a tight deadline? Why was it important to meet this? What did you do to ensure you met this?
• Can you tell me a time you have had to overcome an obstacle in order to meet a goal?
• How do you prioritise your workload? Why do you feel this is important? Name a time you have had to manage your own workload effectively in this way?
• When have you set yourself a challenging target?
• Tell me about a difficult situation to which you found a simple solution?

People Skills and Sensitivity
It is important that you are able to demonstrate personable skills to both customers and colleagues alike. Demonstrate how this impacts the ability to retain business and to increase morale within the department, thus leading to potential improved productivity.
Potential Q’s:
• When has it been important to build a strong business relationship quickly?
• Name a time when you have had to deal with conflict? Why did this arise? What did you do to resolve this?
• Can you name a time you have had to give a difficult message to a colleague / customer?

Technical Skills
• Can you tell me a time when has it been important to learn a new system/ process quickly?

For more information or to speak to one of our team regarding our latest vacancies, please visit our website http://rigahr.co.uk

New RIG Animal Health Recruit Website

noreply@blogger.com (RIGAnimalHealth) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:17:00 +0000

We've launched our new RIG Animal Health Recruit website... http://www.rigahr.co.uk

On here you will find all of our latest vacancies plus details of our recruitment processes and services.

The type of companies that we recruit for are:

Pet Nutrition
Pharmaceutical / Animal Health
Veterinary Supplier
Pet Insurance
Biotech
Regulatory Bodies

We would welcome any feedback from you - Please let us know what you would like to see on the website.