In this episode, Richard and Vernon discuss the topic of hiring and share their thoughts on the annoying things that companies and hiring managers do. They emphasize the importance of seeking clarification and understanding the context behind red flags on a candidate's CV.

They also discuss the power dynamic in the hiring process and provide advice for job seekers on how to mitigate potential problems. They highlight the value of storytelling and narrative in CVs and suggest cherry-picking relevant experiences to showcase in job applications.

In this conversation, Richard and Vernon discuss job hunting strategies and offer advice for those looking for new roles. They emphasize the importance of networking, building a personal brand, and being intentional about what you share on platforms like LinkedIn.

They also discuss the distinction between skills and tools in job specifications and CVs, encouraging a focus on transferable skills rather than specific tools. The conversation concludes with a call for feedback and suggestions from listeners.

#softwaretesting #software #hiring #hiringtips

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 01:43 - Vernon's LinkedIn post about how NOT to handle "red flags" spotted on CVs!
• 09:41 - Wayne Bennett, FRSA, CertRP
  • Wayne's comment on my post
  • Wayne's recruitment firm Made4Tech Global
  • Wayne's LinkedIn
• 17:47 - Recruiters we think are awesome!
  • Wayne Bennet's LinkedIn (particularly for Manchester and NW England roles)
  • Kelli Jackson's LinkedIn (for North American roles and runs a community for midlifers changing careers)
  • Gabbi Trotter's LinkedIn (UK wide but particularly the North West and Midlands roles)
  • Samir Mehta's LinkedIn (although he's internal now & works with Rich the poor guy)
  • Jamie Doyle's LinkedIn (UK wide and a legend)
  • Kristina Javůrková's LinkedIn (for Benelux roles)
  • Matt Drinkwater's LinkedIn (UK wide and hosts QE Babble)
  • James Duke's LinkedIn (UK wide and lover of fast cars)
• 18:07 - Book: Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
  • An explanation of Labelling
  • An explanation of an Accusation Audit
  • Chris's website
  • Grab the book from Amazon
• 23:53 - Huib Schoots
  • Huib's website
  • And Huib is one of the folks I've heard talk about storytelling! You can find that presentation here.
  • Huib's LinkedIn
• 32:28 - Alan Richardson
  • Alan's website
  • Alan's Patreon community
  • Alan's LinkedIn
• 43:01 - The Quality Talks Podcast
  • The Quality Talks podcast hosted by Stu and Chris
  • Stu's LinkedIn
  • Chris's Linkedin
• 48:01 - Elizabeth Zagroba
  • Elizabeth's article Doubt Builds Trust
    • Which contains an example of a Trustworthy CV
  • Elizabeth's website
  • Elizabeth's LinkedIn
• 53:18 - The Never Search Alone movement

00:00 - Intro
00:49 - Let's talk about hiring
01:00 - Hiring managers annoying habits
01:43 - Vern's rant about "red flags" on CVs
03:59 - Rich explains why he thinks option C is reasonable (in the circumstances!)
05:30 - Hiring is like software development!
05:37 - Red flags == Bugs in production
06:42 - Red flags == Feature flags / AB tests
09:41 - A recruiter's perspective on the issue
12:15 - How Rich approached his recent job search
14:11 - Don't be passive during the interview: Asking questions, clarifications, and storytelling
15:30 - How to handle objections during an interview
16:36 - The importance of weaving the hidden gems of your experience into you interview
18:07 - How Labelling and Accusation Audits can help you in interviews
How to combine labelling and an accusation audits to your advantage in interviews
19:31 - Leverage your risk analysis skills to prep for your interview
20:30 - How to sell yourself short in an interview
23:20 - The meta skill of storytelling
24:49 - Storytelling with your CV
28:04 - Excellent advice about leveraging LinkedIn that Vern isn't following!
29:49 - Rich's advice about what information to include and Vern's mysterious friends' experience trying to take that advice
31:26 - Contradictory job hunting advice and how to swerve it
32:05 - The ultimate hack(s) for job hunting
36:10 - How do you decide or calculate what kind of material to include in your "personal brand"?
41:09 - The balance of serious vs fun content
43:01 - Rich questions who Vern chooses to hang out with
43:39 - How to share other people's ideas and yours at the same time
45:47 - Shout out to PastRich!
46:06 - Rich wants to talk about how we talk about skills
48:01 - Elizabeth Zagroba's interesting take on writing CVs
51:21 - Vern has an idea for the next episode
52:51 - What advice did we miss? Help!