At Top Applicant, we’re constantly looking into trends and data to guide further development of our hiring tools. It takes a lot to revolutionize the job search process for both sides of a professional relationship. So let’s take a look at how we believe employees and employers can build a professional relationship.
For Employees
To build a professional relationship, employees on our platform can start before the interview. As you build your resume, consider the professional details that make you an ideal candidate. Make sure your intentions are loud and clear when you’re building your resume. To clarify, here’s what to focus on throughout building a professional relationship with your employer:
Not That Relationship
Forget what you’ve seen on TV. There’s a fine line that separates how personal you can be as a professional. Instead of becoming just a personality hire, make sure you focus on the successful teams you’ve been on and less on personal friendships. Building a professional relationship starts by setting the tone right away. Make sure you’re heard from your first interview to your first day on the job.
Sharing Your Professionality
There’s a reason that professionality has personality in it. A true professional blends the best of 3 key aspects of professionalism in the workplace. Here’s how to build your professional relationship with the perfect blend of each:
Personality
Your personality can be discerned in subtle ways throughout your professional relationship. An upbeat, optimistic demeanor is always welcomed by an employer. Throughout your resume, you should focus on projects with a positive outcome and always give credit where credit is due. This is where being honest about your professional relationships is crucial.
Reality
Get real on your resume. Nobody builds a successful career alone, so focus on the “we” over the “me” when talking about your successes. This is not only a great way to share your accomplishments, but it’s also a great display of how you work with a team. Whether you’re shouting out your team on your portfolio or talking about them on your profile, Top Applicant was built to share the reality that built your professionality.
Professionalism
Your professional life and your personal life should benefit from each other. To maintain decorum while building a professional relationship with an employer, focus is key. Remember these are your co-workers, not your friends. We recommend keeping your interactions and intentions focused on the common goal. Simply put, if it doesn’t benefit you or your employer, it shouldn’t go on your professional record. A good way to illustrate this is how we post things on one social media account and not another.
Reach Out
To build a professional relationship with your employer, soft skills are often overlooked. Reaching out is important for anyone building their career and living daily life. That’s why Top Applicant makes reaching out to the right people easier than ever before.
Get Social
Social media is where professionalism and personality meet for some. We’re all excited when we start a new career, but ask yourself, do you need to tell your grandma about your latest certification? This is where having specially selected social media is important.
To help you control what an employer sees, our platform lets you integrate your preferred accounts right into your profile. You can also get matched with an employer based on your preferences selected as well. So make sure to stay true to get the best results for you!
Say Thank You
Of all the crucial things to take away from our advice on building a professional relationship, this is probably the most important. If you truly want to make it to the next level, saying thank you can go a long way. Employers like to see progress for their employees, so whether it’s after a promotion or an interview, make sure to say thanks to everyone sharing their time with you.
Related Reading: Preparing for an interview.
For Employers
There’s nothing more rewarding than having a good relationship with your staff. As a manager, you need to have an understanding with those you’re responsible for. That responsibility means that relationships matter to every employer. From job sites to corner offices, managers need to build a professional relationship before, during, and after the onboarding process. Here are the ins and outs of successful professional relationships employers on Top Applicant can enjoy:
Not That Relationship
Raise a hand for every bad boss you’ve ever had. Now wave them in the air like you just don’t care. Just because that boss wasn’t your favorite doesn’t mean that they’re a bad person. It just means they don’t know how to properly build a professional relationship. Positivity and decorum are both expected from your employees. So why not make them an expectation for yourself as well?
Top Applicant combines crucial insights from our hiring managers to build our platform for the clearest communication possible. Here’s how to build a better relationship with your employees by understanding often overlooked aspects of daily interactions:
From Handshakes to High Fives
By now we shouldn’t have to explain how important a firm handshake is to you. If you’re versed at all in the world of business, you know the power of a good, firm handshake. But did you know there’s an equivalent that works to build a professional relationship and boost employee morale?
That equivalent is a good ol’ high five. Yes, like the one kids give each other after a Saturday morning soccer game. If 8-year-olds can do it, why aren’t C-level managers? When an employee does something positive or leads to a positive outcome, make sure they know you see them. Being seen is a crucial part of any successful team, so when appropriate, feel free to give positive reinforcement when possible. It does go a long way.
Who Do You Rapport to?
What if we told you that your quarterly reports actually have something to do with your rapport with your employees? Think we’re crazy? The Good Jobs Strategy was fully developed around this concept, and it continues to prove how effective building professional relationships really is.
On the surface, treating employees fairly sounds easy. But surprisingly, most companies don’t have a good rapport with their employees. This can be because of anything from the assigned work to the person assigning it. The GJS report lists QuikTrip as one of their favored jobs due to a few key markers, one of which is empowerment.
By cross-training employees, standardizing operations, and promoting employee autonomy, a normally high turnaround work environment can be turned on its head. Amongst their competitors, QT workers have more staying power and more good things to say about their manager. How do your employees talk about you? Not sure? Let’s fix that!
Being Successfully Social
There’s a difference between after-hours drinks and a mandatory work event. Both require different strategies to be successful when building a professional relationship with your employees. This is where it pays to be honest with your employees and yourself. Businesses can share their preferred social media accounts on their Top Applicant profile. This allows you to be the master of how social you really want to get as an employer.
Share Social Links
By linking your social media accounts to your Top Applicant profile, it’s easy to break the ice. Maybe you noticed something on an applicant’s Facebook that you found interesting. If you feel that it adds to an interview, feel free to ask them about it! Every feature of our platform is centered around effective communication across every part of the application process. Feel free to get social on your terms!
Shoot Your Shot
We’re not OK-Cupid, but we do have a seriously powerful matchmaking tool. Instead of gamifying job postings, Top Applicant immediately matches employers with potential candidates in their price and experience expectation range for your specific opening. All of that goes on as your feed gets refreshed as more applicants join in.
Related Reading: How to Attract Top Talent
When you find the ideal candidate for your position, you can be sure that they’re the top applicant in just a few clicks. Invite them to apply, and start building a professional relationship with one easy platform.
Be Your Best Reference
We’d say our features are your best reference. But there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself. Be a better candidate or find your next great one with Top Applicant! With transparency on both sides of hiring, our users are our best reference! Sign in to see who’s hiring, or sign up to post your next job on the next generation of fair and honest hiring.
Thank You From Top Applicant
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