Good Read

[prelooknow]

Brand your company to win candidates & customers

https://medium.com/@ThinkNation/brand-your-company-to-win-candidates-customers-cc97a7215994#.1ah8jckws

Competition is fierce in the staffing world. People have more choice than ever when choosing a product or company to represent. But here’s the thing — there’s a way to crush the competition and cut through the noise. It’s called branding. A powerful brand is your company’s ticket to winning more business and hiring dedicated staff.

3 Simple steps you can take to define your brand

1. Describe your personality To stand out in the crowded marketplace, your brand needs a unique and consistent voice. Is your firm professional or playful? Masculine or feminine? Sophisticated or rugged? Defining the brand’s personality will attract staff and customers with similar traits and values. The most committed and passionate employees are those who feel a connection to the organization’s reputation and interests.

2. Differentiate yourself Can you define your brand in 5 words or less? Effective branding develops over time…it’s more than just the tagline and logo. A designer can help shape your brand but only the audience — your staff and customers — can truly make it into something memorable. Branding is what differentiates your product or services from others of the same quality and price point.

3. Remember your brand is your promise Whether it be quality, speed, reliability, elegance or some other tangible benefit, your brand is a promise to customers. A powerful brand requires the dedication of an engaged team — and like you, I’ve had both positive and negative experiences when shopping. The difference lies in the organizational culture and a company’s ability to attract talent. Does your company have a culture of people motivated to consistently deliver on your brand’s promise?

Consider this… A company cannot brand itself as “compassionate” unless its people are active listeners who support both internal and external stakeholders. And a company cannot brand itself as “delivering happiness” unless the CEO recruits and hires positive individuals who want to bring out the best in others. There must be a connection between culture you create, the staff you hire and the brand they represent.

By: Candace Campbell

[prelooknow]

Managing multiple job offers-what really matters...

Some call it the quarter-life crisis: you’re twenty or thirty-something and trying to find your place in the world…so getting your first “real” job offer is usually a pretty big deal — it’s the first step to adulthood. When it comes to managing multiple job offers there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to do it.

Don’t commit unless you mean it!

If you have had multiple interviews don’t just jump on your first offer. Yes, you’re going to be excited — but it reflects poorly on your personal brand when you accept an offer only to later turn it down. Instead, thank the employer for offering you a job and be honest. Let them know you’ve had other interviews, inquire about any time constraints and provide a date by which you will confirm an answer (usually within a week).

Do consider your long term goals

You may be intrigued by a higher paying salary but it’s always worth looking beyond a dollar figure. Seeing as you will be investing hours and maybe even years of time there, ask yourself: what’s in it for me? What’s the company culture like? Do your research and ask questions — do the current employees seem appreciated and satisfied? Remember, as employers compete to retain talent, many companies are revitalizing internally to appeal to staff. Think about how each job could benefit your personal life, family and friends, health or future. Use your personal network and online tools to look beyond the brand. Prelook, powered by ThinkNation for example, allows users to virtually browse companies, meet prospective coworkers and go behind the scenes to get a feel for the company’s culture.

Be persistent and patient

Job hunting can be a daunting process but don’t give up. Consider each interview a personal networking experience and try to leave a good impression. Interviewing is an art itself but like most things, it gets easier with experience. Be patient, be persistent and go with your gut. Just remember, every corporate job opening attracts 250 resumes — but only 4–6 people will be contacted for an interview and only 1 will be offered a job. To read more interesting hiring facts, click here.

By: Candace Campbell

[prelooknow]

Extrovert? Introvert? Find a company with the right culture for you

The average Canadian will spend more than 90,000 hours at work in his or her lifetime — that’s more time dedicated to working than meeting friends, travelling or even sleeping. If this figure hasn’t changed in recent years, the job search process certainly has and now more than ever, the job-seeker is in control.

Company culture or the “personality” of a company is becoming increasingly relevant as business owners strive to attract and retain young talent. Millennials — those tech-savvy, self-reliant individuals born between the early 1980s to around 2000 are shaping a new meaning for company culture. Still, every organization has a slightly different personality so it’s important to do the research and find the fit that’s right for you.

If you’re an extrovert: Extroverts need a workplace that encourages high levels of emotional expression, collaboration and excitability. Find a company that embraces your energetic nature by offering access to interactive games, recreational sports and holiday parties. Many companies (especially in the tech industry) now realize offering breaks actually increases innovation and productivity.

If you’re an introvert: Introverts, often mistakenly called “shy” are not afraid of social situations but require less social stimulation and actually prefer to be alone. If you’re an introvert, you tend to produce the best work when you are comfortable with your surroundings. Look for job that offers flexibility, good food or a variety of workspaces. Imagine starting your day off at your desk and finishing up on a beanbag chair by the window.

Every job has its own perks, so make it your mission to find the most appealing opportunity the first time. At ThinkNation, we strive to connect job-seekers to the most compatible companies by allowing you to look beyond the brand. Our new platform, PreLook — powered by ThinkNation will allow users to virtually browse offices, meet prospective coworkers and go behind the scenes before landing a job interview. To find out more or get early access to the platform, click here.

Once you master the daily functions at a new job, all you’ll have left is the company culture — make sure it’s one that benefits you. If you’re going to spend 90,000 hours of your life doing something, make sure it’s something you love.

By: Candace Campbell

[prelooknow]

Things You Can Keep In Mind On Your Next Job Interview

Ever been to a job interview where you are constantly looking around trying to observe to learn more about the company and the people that work there? Next time you do this, you can be sure to remember to do the following to help you evaluate the company culture.

The Process

The first thing you can pay attention to is the interview scheduling process. Do they give you enough time to learn about your availabilities or are they rushing everything. Some companies often call and ask their candidates to go in for an interview the following day. While some companies send an email to the candidate to schedule a phone interview giving them a few availabilities to choose from. It is really just a gut check at first. Remember that time you told your friends you just got an interview, but the employer sounded really sketchy on the phone? Right? Yeah, you don’t want that.

Time Management

Whether they are busy or not, the employer should always greet the candidate with a warm welcome and have them seated to wait for the interview. It is important for them to show they are aware of your presence and that your time is important as well. It is unacceptable for the candidate to be late for their interview, but they should know that the employer should respect the candidate’s time as well. Your interview should start no later than 10mins of the initial time scheduled. 

The Questions

This is usually the part that really throws people off when the employer ask silly questions. For example, Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Who knows where they will be in 5 years, not even the person asking that questions. Now there are no right/wrong questions asked in an interview, but when questions are asked and they are completely irrelevant, we know theres a problem. It is usually a good sign when the questions revolves around the role that you are being  interviewed for.

Post Interview

Are you given clear instructions of what to expect next and how long until they contact you whether you are hired? Did they offer to show you around the office? Does the employer look happy after interviewing you? Although there is no way to know exactly what the company is like until you get on board, you can still get a sense of the VIBE after an interview whether you want to work there or not.  

[prelooknow]

Take advantage of company branding to attract talent to your company

Defining Your Brand

Branding plays a big part in talent acquisition. If you want to attract talent to your company, putting the word out their is not enough. You have to know how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering this to. 

What is your company’s mission?

What are the benefits of working for your company?

What do your clients/customers/employees think of your company?

With Prelook, companies can showcase their company culture effortlessly.

Let viewers see what the office looks like and what’s it like to work there.

Learn about the working environment and where you may be potentially seated and who you may be working with.

See the fun side of the company and learn about the perks and benefits. See it for yourself.

Achieve all this through using Prelook’s career extension. 

Request a Demo at [email protected]

[prelooknow]

The Future of Talent Acquisition (Branding Strategy)

Talent acquisition is one of the most important aspects of any business. Finding the right talent for your company is just as important than growing your business. An effective brand strategy can provide both brand awareness and attracting talent to joining. Prelook is an extension to your company’s career page with brand solutions.

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your employees and prospective employee. It tells them what they can expect from your company, and it differentiates your offering from other companies like your competitors'. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. It is important to communicate that your brand has a positive reputation in the eyes of the employees, if you wish to attract fresh talents to join. 

Learn more...

[prelooknow]

Startup Culture

Lots of people have been talking about startup culture as many companies are looking for ways to improve the work experience for their employees. Employers want their employees to comfortable in the workspace to boost productivity by improving operations and gain a greater satisfaction.

Many startup founders and co-founders miss the importance of defining their culture, and over time it certainly has an impact on the business. I often ask different startups at various stages of growth about their company culture, many are unsure how to describe or define the values of their culture. It can be quite challenging when you have a handful of staffs in different team as well as new recruits. 

Here are the things that I focus on in my company’s culture. Knowing what I value most is important for success. If you don’t know, then maybe you should reflect on the positive and negative experiences with workplace culture. The value should be something everyone can relate to. Jeff Lawson, CEO and Cofounder of Twilio, was asked how he defined culture, and heres what he sad.

“Culture is the collection of people, you’ve got 130 people out there making decisions every day. Thousands of decisions are made every day. Culture is how you, as say a leader of the company, are confident that every one of those decisions is the right one. In an environment where you say, you know, people aren’t allowed to make decisions; that obviously doesn’t work. You don’t hire great people and then say you can’t make decisions.”

Want to learn more about company culture? Check out how ThinkNation showcase the culture of different tech companies.

[geekups]

2016 will be Silicon Valley’s hangover year

GUEST:

2016 is going to be an unusual year for the tech community. In fact, it will be so different from 2015 that we’ll look back like Alan, Phil, and Stu from “The Hangover” and wonder what the heck happened. What looked hot and incredible in 2015 will look like smushed Gray’s Papaya or Hot Doug’s on the street from the night before in 2016.

I believe most analysts expect a financial downturn, but we don’t know how severe it will be. Michael Burry, who predicted the last big one and the main character in “The Big Short,” believes there will another big one, so I am personally leaning towards a severe economic downturn.

Anyway, first is a review and grades of my predictions from last year:

“Outflow of security-related startups”  Score: A+

Rather than listing companies, I just want to state that by September 2015, over $2.3 billion had been invested into security-related startups according to data from CB Insights and Bain Capital Ventures. I assume the year-end total is above $2.5 billion, so I would say there has been a bit of a startup craze in this space. Yeah, I nailed this one.

“Uber’s valuation flattens”  Score: D

Well, I don’t get an “F” at this stage since Uber’s valuation isn’t finalized. It is raising now at a $62 billion valuation, but I still called this incorrectly.

“Rise of machine learning”  Score: A

Artificial intelligence and machine learning really did enter the mainstream market in 2015, so I give myself “A”. I’m tempted to give myself another A+, but most of the big news came at the tail end of 2015. Toyota committed to investing $1 billion into artificial intelligence and OpenAI launched, which is a nonprofit with $1 billion in backing from Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, and others.

Even from our global seed-stage fund, we have seen numerous AI/machine learning startups trying to disrupt the insurance industry, drug discovery, manufacturing, and other sectors. We’ve seen multiple approaches and pitches for funding in many verticals to the point that I was getting blurred vision and thought I was seeing double since most AI algorithms from top teams are similar, with the only differentiation being the data sources and UX/UI of the applications.

“Xiaomi becomes the third largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world”  Score: D

Xiaomi was stuck at number four according to IDC, with 5.6% market share, so I was too bullish on its prospects for 2015. I will say as an excuse that it expanded into other product verticals, such as air filters and fitness bands, which distracted its phone business.

Now for my predictions for 2016 …

1. We’ll see 10 or more dead unicorns in 2016

This is expected, but I’m putting a number down. At least 10 unicorns will go under in 2015. If you consider that there are 144 unicorns in the world (according to CB Insights), you may think I’m being a bit weak on this prediction. I want to say 20, but I’m no longer a daring entrepreneur, so I’ll stick with 10.

I believe some replays from the ’90s, such as today’s Kozmo/on-demand delivery startups, cannot continue to operate under slim or negative margins. If Google Express and Amazon Fresh are probably losing money on their delivery services, it’s difficult to see how the upstarts will continue to survive beyond their cash.

As Stu from ‘The Hangover” might say, these replays are basically surviving on “sofa pizza” at this point.

There are also consumer apps still seeking to find sustainable business models that will run near their end in 2016.  This year isn’t going to be pretty for the startup world, but a part of the startup lifecycle.

2. Blockchain tech will go mainstream

Industry pundits tend to overstate this point at times, but I am one of those that believe in the longevity of blockchain technology as a universal ledger more than Bitcoin as a currency. 2016 will be the breakout year for blockchain technology as it moves beyond Bitcoin to other aspects of business and financial markets that need to track the exchange of value between entities.

We’ve already seen some new approaches to blockchain technology, but the Open Ledger Project is one to keep an eye on. It’s a collaboration between various big corporates, such as IBM, the London Stock Exchange, JP Morgan, State Street, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Intel, and others. It is managed by the Linux Foundation, which is a non-profit, and they seek to create an optimal blockchain technology for large corporates around the globe.

3. IoT uptake in the home will remain slow

I’m a big believer in IoT, and so is our team at SparkLabs Global, but I believe home hubs, security, energy management, and other IoT solutions will have a unspectacular 2016. Unless, there is a very strong service component to an IoT play, it seems the convenience factors haven’t outweighed security and other concerns yet. 2016 will be a year filled with educating and marketing pushes by home IoT companies.

Also, as many IoT startups have found out, battling for shelf space at major retailers isn’t an easy task. Your product has to be really good to displace one of the incumbent products at Home Depot, Target, Ace Hardware, and others retailers.

4. Machine learning will remain in the trunk

Yes, I sound a bit schizophrenic since I predicted machine-learning’s rise for 2015, but I believe this technology just needs to marinate some more and prepare to jump back out in 2017 like Mr. Chow in “The Hangover.”  For example, we have seen a fair number of machine learning startups related to industrial Internet of Things, but the industries they are targeting don’t seem ready — or else the business model hasn’t matured yet — to generate significant revenues.

5. Google will buy Snapchat

I had to have one crazy prediction to stop myself from sounding like the Grinch, so I’m predicting Google will acquire Snapchat to stay relevant. It still doesn’t understand social, and self-driving cars will be the future, but the advertising engine at Google’s core is being threatened by Facebook’s empire of Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and its core property. Google needs a youth injection to leapfrog Facebook’s growing influence in the next generation of online users.

What are your predictions for 2016? Feel free to comment or email me with your thoughts and feedback. Happy New Year!

Bernard Moon is cofounder and General Partner at SparkLabs Global Ventures, a global seed-stage fund, and cofounder of SparkLabs, a startup accelerator in Seoul, Korea. Follow him on Twitter. 

[prelooknow]

Company Culture In The Eyes Of Job Seekers

Prelook is not just an ordinary tech job board, but also a social profile for companies to showcase their culture and work environment. 

What do job seekers look for? Everyone wants to be part of the next big thing when they decide to join a startup. Aside from the pay and company brand, the next thing they look at is the company’s culture. Well, where do you start? Start at Prelook, where we tell you everything you need to know about the company’s culture without “googling” or “social media”. 

A quick conversation I had with a friend last week.

Me: Hey Jackie, if you get to choose, which company would you want to work for? What is you dream company to work for?

Jackie: Shopify! 

Me: Why?

Jackie: Because they have a great culture and office space. They even have a slide in their office.

Me: Do you know how much they pay?

Jackie: I don’t know, I don’t really care. It looks fun to work in that office.

[prelooknow]

Tesla Ramps Up Hiring as Rivals Loom

Tesla is looking to add thousands of employees in coming years just as an auto industry showdown for tech talent is brewing.

Tesla will never let themselves fall behind. 

[prelooknow]

How Specific Should You Be When Hiring Tech Talent.

I was at a tech meetup last month to find a UI/UX Developer. I made sure that everyone I spoke with understood what my I was looking for and that if they are a good fit and are interested, we will schedule an interview on the spot.

You want to find that Rockstar developer? Its quite simple, make sure you know what you are looking for and be specific. I know it sounds very generic, but thats really the way to go. On my last hire, I know exactly what talent I was looking for, I even planned out everything the successful candidate will be working on in the next 2 months coming onboard. 

Making sure everyone viewing your job posting understands exactly what you are looking for is crucial in saving you time as well. Both the employer and job seeker needs to be on the same page in the process. 

“If we weren’t still Hiring Great People and pushing ahead at full speed, It would be easy to fall behind and become some mediocre company.”

- Bill Gates

Set a timeline for both you and the candidates, you should give off the impression that you are looking for the best and that they are joining the best. Again, lets waste no one’s time. Curiosity raises questions, make sure all the candidate’s questions are answered. That is why at Prelook, we make sure employers have the best job listings and profiles that answers the curiosity of the job seekers.

[prelooknow]

This year, Rubikloud has hit major milestones and raised significant funds in its mission to innovate in retail. It could

Another article laying out the importance of the Company’s Culture

[cultmusk-blog]

Elon Musk Is Personally Interviewing Job Candidates

The Tesla chief is looking to hire software engineers for his autonomous vehicle division.

Want a job as a software engineer? Want to also work for Elon Musk? Well, you now have your chance!

[prelooknow]

It only makes sense to hear it from the CEO/founder himself what he looks for when interviewing a candidate for Tesla

[prelooknow]

3 Ways To Attract Talents To Your Canadian Startup

The smart and ambitious understands that it is not always the salary of the job that matters, but a lot more when considering if you should take the job offer. Big successful companies are offering good pay and a lot of perks with extra benefits, to attract and keep employees happy in their jobs as well as their brand-name recognition. Bringing talent on board had always been a challenge for most startups, when money is tight and you want to get a rockstar for your team. So how can startups attract and retain talent? 

Be everywhere, I’m not kidding. Companies often try out different job boards to find applicants, and when they do hire one of the candidates, they usually go back to the same job board believing that it is the better among the other ones they have tried. WRONG, chances are they just got lucky, you should be consistent on using all the source to attract talent, whether it is LinkedIn, Indeed, AngelList, School Job Boards, etc. Put it on all your social media platform as well, Get the message out that you are hiring.

Founder’s network and reputation is also an easy achievable way to attract talent to your company. As the founder or CEO of the company it only makes sense to put yourself out there and making sure people know you and your company. There are many tech networking events throughout the year, no matter which city your company is located. It is also important to keep a digital presence, social platforms like LinkedIn and TenThousandCoffee is a great place to get connected to industry professionals.

Presenting your company with a fun and happy culture. The culture of the company is a strong way to attract and win the minds of a job candidate. Employees are often more productive when they feel comfortable and good about the people they work with. If you haven’t heard, theres a trend of a “work BFF” in the workforce where good friendships are made. They want to be able to suggest new ideas and have inputs for the company. 

[prelooknow]

How Do You Dress For Work

What is the “tech uniform”? Does Mark Zuckerberg come to mind? I mean, everyone has their own style of dressing when it comes to “work uniform” When you are sitting in front of your computer coding for 10 hours, you want to be wearing what you feel is comfortable, not what looks nice. Ok let me take that back, yes you want to look nice, but at the same time feel comfortable about yourself. I was in the valley last month and majority of the people I saw at the coffee shops coding on their laptops, “Macs”, were wearing a collar shirt, sweater, jeans, carrying a messenger bag. It reminds me of Richard from Silicon Valley and Elliot from Mr. Robot where they always had or carried a sweater everywhere they go. Not like Harvey from Suits who wears Tom Ford, Zegna, Brioni, etc... You get the point. Share your “tech uniform”. 

[prelooknow]

Tech Lead

Teamwork

Teamwork is always needed, a good lead should act as the core member of the team managing and driving the team’s performance. Their goal is to broaden the capabilities of their team and providing guidance. 

Communication

Keeping a good communication with your team is a vital part of your job. People need to trust and acknowledge your leadership to listen to you. In many cases, you will have to sacrifice some personal productivity to manage and boost the overall team productivity. 

Vision

Not everything goes smoothly and things are bound to change at times, but it is important to not lose track of your vision. A good tech lead has an overall vision for the company and makes sure everyone on the team understands and share the same vision. Everything ties together when you recognize the strength and weaknesses of your team members and trusting them to handle their significant tasks.

Discussion / Debate

A good tech lead encourages debates and enjoys listening to the input the team has. Often debates are brought to the table when a problem occurs and they will try to work together to describe the process that would help them resolve it. Everyone has the right to speak and share their opinions without holding back. 

Project Management 

Without a doubt every good tech lead should be proactive and making sure their team progress is on track. You will have to work with your team members to set milestones and estimate dates for deadlines as well as identifying strategies to get around roadblocks. Making sure things delivery on time is great but it is also important making sure the task loads are distributed fairly.

[prelooknow]

Pre-screening Tech Talent

Shortly after starting my first startup, I quickly realized the struggle in looking for tech talent. I simply posted on all the free job boards like Indeed, School Job Boards, etc and I would get hundreds of applicants, which I don’t have the time to go through all of them.  What ends up happening is I get tired of going through the list and I would give up. My next option was to ask around for referrals instead of job boards. 

How I used to pre-screen candidates before starting ThinkNation

I would only pick candidates from certain universities like U of T or Waterloo for interviews because I thought these were the smartest developer/engineers for the job. Yes, students coming out of these school in Canada are very talented without a doubt, but this doesn’t make candidates from other post-secondary education any worst. I would say 8/10 candidates I invited in for an interview had similar education and work experience and I would be biased towards candidates who sound the smartest. It was like picking out the apple that I think would taste the best when they are all from the same farm and they look the same.

How I used to interview candidates before starting ThinkNation.

I used to ask silly questions that would not help me understanding or validate whether a candidate was technical fit for the role that I am hiring for. 

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

“I am very lazy, but because I am lazy I figure out more efficient ways to complete my work on time,” said one candidate.

Sounds smart eh? What now? Doesn’t show me how efficient his work habits are or if he is fit for the full-stack developer role.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

“Um, I don’t know,” said one candidate

That is true, how would anyone know where they will be in five years.

Why should I hire you?

“Because I fit all the criteria for the job,” said one candidate.

Funny, I don’t even know what criteria to look for for this job when I am the one hiring.

I would also ask the candidate to show me some of their work that they have done in their previous job or portfolio. Based on this I still cannot tell whether they are a good fit in development for my startup. Long story short, It took me months to find my first developer and I ended up trusting my guts.

Why I started ThinkNation

Shortly after selling my first startup, I revisited the problems that I had when I was pre-screening for technical talents. I saw the frustration of going through hundreds of resumes and still not be able to determine which candidates to interview, and yet there were no solutions to this. I wish there was a tool that can help me assess the technical skills of the job applicants where I can then sort through the list and compare the results. Being able to determine which candidates I want to interview with just a click away. We built a platform that allows the employers to sort through a list of applicants who have been assessed and scored based on the coding challenges they have completed. 

ThinkNation is revolutionizing the way developers are being recruited. Candidates are able to build a profile, demonstrating their coding chops and apply directly to leading tech jobs! Our database holds a vast assortment of skill-testing questions that are designed to accentuate the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. At a click of a button, employers can instantly sort candidates by test scores, ranking, and programming languages. With this simple yet comprehensive feature, employers will never have to waste their time and money on candidates that are ill-matched for the job.