First Contact - Don’t be a Captain Kirk …

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on March 3, 2010

This post is Part 5 in our 7 part series on how to manage your job search.

Congratulations you’ve probably done a lot of work to get this far and now you have contact with the hiring manager within the company. In Star Trek, Captain Kirk often wandered onto a new planet without finding out much about the aliens that lived there. Kinda saying, “Hi, I’m from Earth, you’ll LOVE me!”. Well, that might have worked for him but it probably won’t work for you. Assuming you are going to talk to this company about a role then you’d better do your homework on the company and the people you are going to meet. Arguably this stage and the next (the interview) are where you need to put in the most effort.

Now that you’ve got the introduction to the hiring manager you need to put your best foot forward and to do so you need to present yourself as the perfect candidate (without making things up). You need to work the network that got you into the role in the first place in a very short period of time so that you can alter your resume and cover letter to fit the role and company. Speak with those that introduced you to the company, speak with others that you know at the company or people who used to work there to get a better understanding of the company, the individuals and more specifics on the role. Most job descriptions are not written very well and there is always more information about the role that is pertinent to your application than can be explained in the job description. This is what you are searching for - the information that once highlighted in your resume or cover letter makes the hiring manager sit up and take notice. For some great advice on resumes and more generally on job searching, check out these bloggers: Susan Ireland and Alison Doyle.

It is our opinion that you need to customize your resume and cover letter for every role. You should maintain a standard resume for the major job roles that you are applying for i.e. a version for all of the project manager roles and a version for all of the copywriter roles. Then when applying for a role you customize your application (cover letter and resume) with details that highlight your skills/experience for the role even if that means changing just a few words or a sentence or two. In other words, you need to make the resume fit the job description and bring out information that address the must haves in the job description or that you have found in your research. Now that you have a better understanding of the company and the role than anyone else in the application process (based on the homework you’ve done) - you now must use that advantage to move your application to the top. This background knowledge also serves as a great basis for the research you need to do when you move through to the next stage, the interview.

Let’s not forget that warm introduction we talked about in the last segment (Approach) - now you hand your resume and cover letter to your contact at the company and ask them to give it to the hiring manager. Of course, if you can also ask your contact to recommend you that’s even better. But either way, it is your responsibility to convince the hiring manager that you are the person for the job once they see your application.

So unlike Captain Kirk, who had more than his share of unpleasant experiences with alien species - you can increase you chances of a positive response to your application by doing a small amount of additional work.

Next:
Step 6: Interview - be prepared!

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The Art of the Approach (networking to your next job)

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on February 16, 2010

This post is Part 4 in our 7 part series on how to manage your job search.

So I have to admit that writing this blog post took longer that I expected and I guess it reflects the difficulty of the subject matter. Making contact with colleagues, friends and other acquaintances in looking for a job is difficult, delicate and not what you would expect if you haven’t done it before. But before we get to how you go about doing this, let’s first talk about why:

According to a 2009 survey by Career Crossroads, 38% of all jobs get filled from candidates that are already known to the company. Only 8% get filled by candidates that sent their resume in without an introduction. So, are you better off sending your resume in the hopes of hearing something back or are you better off investing some time and effort to network so that your resume gets a warm introduction?

Clearly the answer is to get the warm introduction wherever possible, but how do you do that? That’s where networking comes in – it is an attempt to get that introduction through one of your existing or new contacts. In our opinion, it’s definitely an art rather than a science as it requires you to be creative, diplomatic, and delicate in how you find/approach people. You need to be able to understand the strength of your relationship with each individual and gear your approach based on that, plus other considerations such as: how badly do you need them to introduce you; how many times have they helped you before; the last time you’ve talked to them and do you have something to share with them. If you have established a pattern over the years to show that you have reciprocated any assistance given or kept in touch with people, then you’ll likely be helped. Otherwise it may take some time and effort in order to re-establish those relationships and politely ask them to help.

LinkedIn is a great tool to help you manage your professional relationships, but it too requires time and energy over a prolonged period in order to help. LinkedIn helps you understand how you are connected to companies in your Target list. Even with tools like LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook at your disposal, you’ll still have to manage it all yourself and keep track of your contacts and the result of conversations. In some cases you might already know people at the company. In others, you’ll have to carefully work your network to get to the hiring manager. In most cases though, you’re probably no more than 3 steps away from someone at that company. Start with the people you know best, but don’t expect a response from everyone – move on to the next person who will bring you one step closer to the company.

There may be cases where you’ll have to reach outside of your network altogether in order to reach someone at the company. In these circumstances we recommend understanding where people from that company might hang out. Remember face-to-face meetings are best where you can establish a personal relationship so whether it be a coffee house, a professional club or another social setting, you need to put yourself in situations where you can meet these people and where they too are more open to meeting new people.

But make sure to stay open to exploring new opportunities during these conversations as that’s the best way to uncover the hidden job market.

Next:
Step 5: You’ve made contact with the hiring manager, now what?

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Understanding and choosing the right Job Search Strategy(s)

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on December 14, 2009

This post is Part 2 in our 7 part series on how to manage your job search.

So you need to start looking for a job? Perhaps you just got laid off, you’ve just realized that you need to proactively find a new job or you just need to re-launch your job search after a break. Well, what now?

In this blog post, the second of our series on how to manage your job search, we recommend understanding the most common strategies that can be used during your search. In doing so, you can choose which strategy(s) suits your particular circumstance. Here are the most popular job search strategies today and a brief explanation of each:

  1. Work Existing Off-Line Relationships
    Whether you play bowling once a week, recently participated in a cooking class, participate in networking events, run a professional organization or are a member of your local golf club — if you have access to a member group that enables you to network to 10+ people that you haven’t talked to before then this is a good strategy to employ.

  2. Network to New Offline Relationships
    If you are now looking for work and you have exhausted your usual contacts, then it’s time for you to mine new territory. This doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Pick a group with a large enough contingent that meets on a regular basis. Look for a new subject area that you’d like to explore: a new hobby or a new professional interest area that you need to know more about. Trying to associate this potential new group with your job search makes sense, but it also needs to be fun. More than ever, employers are interested in your hobbies as a way of seeing how you pursue your interests, so go explore.

  3. Work Existing Online Relationships
    A lot of people are using professional online networking tools like Plaxo and LinkedIn, which are truly great resources if used in the right way. Assuming you have a good-sized online network then it’s time to selectively ask those contacts for help. Don’t just send them an email saying “I’m looking for work, can you hire me?” - be more selective and look for specific individuals who are properly connected to the companies that you would like to explore. If you are not already networked online, it’s time to start.

  4. Network to New Online Relationships
    This is best done in conjunction with your target company discovery. Expanding your online network during a job search in some haphazard way is not going to help. Review your target companies and then look to expand your network that gets you into or close to people in that organization (preferably the decision maker).

  5. Work with Recruiters that you know
    Recruiters are one resource that you should not neglect during your job search. Recruiter results vary significantly so hopefully you know which ones you prefer. If you have some recruiters who you like working with, make sure this strategy is one that you employ, but not exclusively. More and more employers are looking for candidates directly so you can’t rely on recruiters alone. Don’t forget to use our Recruiter Rating and Discover tool to help you rate/find recruiters you like.

  6. Find New Recruiters
    A good recruiter is a way to leverage up your resume. He or she should be able to get you into companies and roles that you are qualified for but otherwise would have had difficulty accessing. They should vet the roles for you, know what you like or dislike and not push you into a job that does not fit you (so they can earn a fee). Find recruiters who are respected, recommended and have a good track record of placing people in your industry at your level.

  7. Use Online Job Boards
    Everyone knows about the online job boards: they have been very successful in creating an image for themselves as the place to go to manage your job search. We don’t agree, however we also understand that you can’t ignore them either. So use them efficiently to make your job search more effective (see our upcoming release for tools to help you manage job boards) to understand who is hiring and what positions might be interesting, but do not make this the centerpiece of your job search.

  8. Use Offline Job Boards
    Even though the newspaper industry is now reeling from the effect of falling classified ad revenue, newspaper, magazines and other publications still have ads and in some smaller niche industries, this is still the only place to find the jobs. So if you’d like to use this strategy make sure that the jobs that you want are published offline in a publication that you are now or will receive and review on a regular basis.

    9. Generally you should apply several of the strategies listed above - those that best apply to your situation and your industry. Today there are numerous ways that allow you to conduct your search without leaving your home but our advice is to get out and go meet people. You need to practice talking about yourself and no matter how good you are at online networking, face-to-face networking is best. Networking and learning new things can be a fun and an exhilarating experience so go out there and enjoy yourself!

    A note about language - you’ll notice that we use more sales language in talking about how to deploy these strategies, that’s because it is a sales process. Like it or not when you are in a job search you are selling yourself and you’d better get good at it!

    Next:
    Step 3: Why Google may not be your ideal target company - 5 questions to ask

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Tech Tips for Job Seekers: How to Make the Job Search a Little Bit Easier

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on July 18, 2009

Unless your career interests are so narrow as to only include one position in the world (for instance, personal assistant to Heidi Klum), there is a good chance you will be applying to quite a few positions during your job search. For example, if you are looking for an entry-level financial analyst position in New York City, there are hundreds of positions you could potentially apply to. Besides being time-consuming, this process is seriously tedious. But if you think smart before you begin, you can cut out a lot of the work.

1) Turn on the auto-fill feature on your web browser. For crying out loud, why would you want to type out your phone number on 350 applications? If you have that much time on your hands you’d do better to spend it counting the blades of grass on your lawn. There are built-in tools for this in the Google or Yahoo toolbars but also some very cool new tools for your browser to help manage all your private data, e.g. Sxipper.

2) Have your browser save your passwords for future access to sites. Every job site and almost every company has their own registration and password procedure to complete before you can fill out an application for employment. Having your browser remember the passwords for each site makes your life a lot easier, and it gives you faster access to the site should you need to look over your application again. Some products can accomplish both auto-fill and password management (e.g. LastPass) and more (e.g. Billeo), so going that route may be better than getting multiple tools.

3) Make a .txt version of your resume. Many companies require you to copy and paste a version of your resume into a text box as part of the application process. Rather than copying and pasting from a nicely formatted Word document, wouldn’t it be smarter to save a version of your resume as a .txt file? This way you only have to delete extraneous spaces and bullets once, and you can then spend your time customizing the resume to the specific job to which you’re applying. You can use Google Docs and/or Yahoo Notes to capture text files that you need to cut and paste again and again in online forms.

4) Keep a record of jobs to which you’ve applied. We have mentioned this tip before, because it is seriously important to stay on top of where you have applications and where you are in the application process. If you maintain a good record of what you’ve done and what still needs to be done, it’ll be a cinch to prepare for a job interview. If you get a call asking you to interview for a position and you have no idea what the recruiter is talking about, you stand little chance of adequately preparing and being an impressive candidate. Tools like Jing or Clipmarks can also help here - it allows you to take a snapshot of any piece of an online page. This is particularly relevant if you need to reference the job description and it’s not posted anymore.

5) Simplify and streamline your search by using company indexes like Hoovers. If you’re interested in working for a specific company or industry, a search on a site like Hoovers can give you a list of all the top national players, with links to jobs, financial statements, news, and expert analysis and forecasts. This eliminates a lot of guesswork on your part and can give you an edge over job seekers who are less savvy. It is also essential in preparing yourself for the interview so that you can speak intelligently about the industry and ask relevant questions.

I’m sure you have other tools or ways of making the whole process easier for yourself, would love to hear about them.

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Job Search: Top 3 Irritations and How to Fix Them

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on June 19, 2009

Frustration is a feeling near and dear to all job seekers. Whether you were laid off, you just graduated, you’re changing careers, or you just hate your current job, looking for employment is seriously not fun. Here are three common irritations of the job search, and three ways to make them a little less troublesome.

1) Recruiters are slow to get back to you, or never get back to you at all.

When you send your resumé out into the cold world, with it go your hopes for a better job. How depressing is it, then, when you never hear back from anyone? The truth is that recruiters are inundated with thousands of resumés each day, and simply lack the resources to sift through each one and craft a response. Fortunately some companies have created auto-responses that assure you your resumé was actually received. Not all recruiters have caught on to this practice however, and many job seekers are left wondering. The best thing to do if you have not heard back from a recruiter is to send a follow-up e-mail a few days after your original letter. Wait a few more days, and if you have still not heard back, call the recruiter. Remind them who you are, and what kind of job you’re looking for. Offer to come in for a face-to-face meeting. The point is to get your resume out of the stack of thousands and into the hands of a real person.

2) You don’t know how to find recruiters in your industry.

It’s a big challenge to find recruiters working in your industry, either because you’re entry level, you haven’t used a recruiter in years, you’re in an unfamiliar city, or because all the recruiters you used to know have since moved on. The challenge is even greater if you live in a small city with limited opportunities. The best way to find recruiters is through word-of-mouth. When you meet people at networking events or at informational interviews, ask them if they know of any industry recruiters. Their contacts may be old or obsolete, but they can at least point you in the direction of the appropriate firm. You can also search social networking sites, job boards, or conduct an internet search for local industry recruiters. The goal is to get a name and an e-mail. In your e-mail, say who referred you. Be brief and direct - recruiters are very short on time. And remember to emphasize how YOU can help THEM.

3) You’re having a hard time keeping your job search organized.

A job search in today’s economy could easily span over 6 months, and require hundreds of applications and e-mails. It’s a full-time job just to stay on top of the paper trail. But it’s essential to keep a record of which jobs you’ve applied to, who you’ve contacted at each job, and what steps you’re taking next. How embarrassing (and damaging!) would it be if a recruiter called you about a job and you had no idea which position she was talking about? A record management system will make all the difference between making you seem organized and competent, or sloppy and unprepared. Keeping on top of your job search will also save you time (since you won’t be applying to the same jobs twice) and headaches (since you won’t have to spend hours sorting through e-mails in your Sent folder trying to find the one relevant to your interview tomorrow).

10 Steps to Organize Your Job Search

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on June 10, 2009

Looking for a job can be one of life’s most unpleasant tasks, akin to shopping for car insurance or getting a root canal. But the process need not be so painful. If carried out in a thoughtful, directed way, the job search can be streamlined, and dare I say, even fun? Well let’s not get carried away.

Step 1: Define Your Goal

Before you can compose a resume, before you can schmooze at networking mixers, you need to know what you want to do. If you want to keep your options open, it’s ok to have several roles in mind (systems analyst, IT consultant, bikini inspector), as long as you know what job titles you’re aiming for. These roles will guide all your efforts from here on, so it’s important to get them figured out at the beginning of your search.

Step 2: Define Your Strategy

Before you start looking, decide in advance how you want to search for the role(s) you have in mind. Today the best recommendation is to use a variety of approaches combined to implement an efficient, well-rounded job search. In no particular order of importance, these are some of the strategies to employ: network into the companies, talk to recruiters in your industry, apply online through job boards, apply directly through company websites, talk to friends, network at industry conferences, etc. Depending on your industry and role, some or others might be more successful - decide before you start what the most successful strategy should be for the industry, role and companies you are targeting.

Step 3: Create Your Online Profile(s)

There are lots of ways to create your online profile - concentrate on those that are displayed in the first page of Google results when you search on your name. If nothing exists, create one using one of the popular professional social networking tools available today (e.g. Plaxo, LinkedIn). Make sure this online profile fits your career goals and how you wish to be portrayed to employers. Clean up any pictures, comments or other online content that you’d prefer an employer/recruiter not see. If you have several disparate jobs you are evaluating, keep your profile(s) relatively generic to highlight your transferable skills.

Step 4: Create Your Standard Resume(s)

A standard resume is what you use to customize for each role - create one for each different type of role you are interested in. Ideally you would have experience that actually qualifies you for your target positions, but you can always be creative (a waitress job could easily transition into public relations, conflict resolution, and even waste management!). Do use action verbs and industry jargon (but use responsibly). Do not include meaningless keywords at the bottom of your resume to fool resume-scanning software. Do include volunteer experience, awards, and unique items that make you stand out. Keep the layout clean and font consistent. Spell check, do not fudge facts, and if you are a recent college graduate, include your GPA unless it’s truly horrifying.

Step 5: Identify Target Companies

Now that you know what you want to do, you should figure out where you want to do it. Just like when you applied for college, it’s good to have a tier system of dream companies, mid-range prospects, and safeties (though obviously you never tell a safety that they’re a safety!).

Step 6: Network Your Heart Out

It’s cliched, but it’s the Newtonian law of finding a job. According to the 2009 edition of “What Color is Your Parachute?”, the success rate of applying to positions online is about 4%. The success rate of finding a job through networking however, is closer to 33%. Use your sleuthing skills to find people who work in the companies you’re targeting and make dates to speak on the phone, or even better, meet for coffee (and yes, you’re paying). Speak with recruiters who work for the companies you like and find out who they like to hire. Also speak with people who do what you want to do - find out how they got their job, what they like and dislike about the company, and if appropriate, ask if they can look at your resume. And always follow up with a thank-you e-mail. Other networking opportunities include your hobbies, interests, school, alumni or other affiliations - employers like to hire like-minded people.

Step 7: Customize Your Correspondence

It’s tedious, but you can’t send out form letters and generic resumes. Remember the job market is a numbers game and you have to set yourself apart from all the rest in a matter of seconds. Your cover letter and resume need to be specific to the job requirement if you are serious about the role. Explain why you want to work for Company X and no one else, why all of your experience to date satisfies their requirement and why you are passionate about the opportunity. You can use bullet points, tables, and bold or italic print as long as your letter is legible, and ideally address it directly to the hiring manager or recruiter responsible. In the resume, don’t forget to customize your objective to that job.

Step 8: Take Notes

It’s important to have a record of what jobs you’ve applied to, who you’ve spoken with, and who you need to contact next. The last thing you need to do is blow a great opportunity because you forgot about an interview or accidentally e-mailed the wrong person. After speaking with a recruiter or a new contact, keep notes of what was said and how you’ll follow up with them. Imagine the great impression you’ll make on your new boss if you remember he’s a whiskey connoisseur!

Step 9: Follow Up

Ask for business cards at your interviews - then you have the information necessary to send a thank you note. You probably haven’t written a thank-you note since Aunt Ethel gave you that hideous purple sweater in 9th grade, but it’s time to dust off the stationary and get writing. After every interview, even if it’s over phone or Skype, sending a hand-written thank-you note to everyone who interviewed. It should be in the mail within 24 hours after the interview. It doesn’t have to be fancy - just thank them for the interview and restate that you want the job. This kind of personal attention should set you apart from others, show your enthusiasm for the role and hopefully propel you into a second interview. If you interviewed at a company with a more relaxed culture, a thank-you email will suffice.

Step 10: Be Productive, Stay Positive

When you’re unemployed, it’s tempting to veg out and catch up on sleep, but you need to treat the search for a job as your actual job. If that means taking a shower and sitting down at your computer by 9 a.m., so be it. You also have time to develop new skills, catchup with friends new and old, explore new business ideas, and learn what makes you happy. If you’re asked during an interview what you’ve been doing for the last 6 months, you don’t want to say you’ve seen every episode of “Family Guy” - Twice. You’d be doing yourself a huge favor by using the time to your advantage. And stay positive. It won’t be long until you’re working 60 hours a week and having little to do is only a distant memory.

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Jobseekers: Help is coming …

Posted by jobspeaker in Job Market on April 9, 2009

Welcome to the JobSpeaker blog.  We are launching our blog to give you an opportunity to learn about our service before we launch our alpha product, influence what we do before and after the alpha and generally get you an opportunity to learn about what we are all about.

We are planning to have the alpha version of our product available very soon, so please stay tuned to receive an invitation to join when we are ready. In the meantime, what is JobSpeaker all about? JobSpeaker is a service specifically aimed at helping you manage your next career move, be it your 1st or your 20th job. Looking for a job is a difficult task and one that can be emotionally, physically and financially stressful. In these times particularly, looking for a job becomes even more difficult because of the number of jobseekers on the market. That’s were we plan to help. We are going through the same issues, we are technology professionals that have recently been let go, are having problems finding work and having problems finding services to make the whole process easier. We are experiencing the same emotional highs and lows, having some of the same financial strains and we want to help others in the same situation.

We want to launch a service that you find helpful as you are pursuing your next career move. But we don’t assume we know what problems you experience so let’s first discuss what you do as you begin thinking about a career move. Do you contact all your friends, do you use LinkedIn to contact people in interesting companies, do you take a look at your resume again, …? And where do you run into problems however small or big that frustrate or make the process more difficult.

Looking forward to your input.

Team JobSpeaker.

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