Career Hub

It Takes a Village to Support a Job Seeker

Many people rely on their family when they are going through a difficult time to give them the emotional support they need to move forward. While we should all consider our families a vital means of support during difficult times, sometimes our expectations of their support can be unrealistic because the members cannot always relate to the stress of our experience. This happened to Karol Frank, after she found out that her daughter needed a kidney transplant. Her extended family understood very little about what she was going through, but by building an on-line network for information and moral support she quickly found a whole group of strangers who could empathize with her plight.

Career transition can be an exceptionally emotional time (psychologists rate it as one of life's most stressful events after death of a loved one and divorce). Family members want to help, but unfortunately their "help" is often interpreted as nagging by the person in transition. This leads to additional stress and a damaging breakdown in communication.

In addition to beefing up your professional network, find opportunities to connect with others that can relate to your current search. Networking groups for professionals in transition are about more than sharing leads. They are about building a community that understands the unique needs of the job seeker. Relationships formed through career transition services, the unemployment office, and seminars geared towards the job seeker  can form the basis for lifelong friendships  and an extended support network.

Sometimes it takes a village to support a job seeker. I'm continuously impressed by the willingness former job seekers display to give back to the "in transition" community. Many are passionate about helping others find meaningful work because they identify with the struggles the job seeker often faces. By building relationships with others in career transition, you may find a strong advocate, an accountability partner, or a lifelong friend. The experience will make you a better networker and a better person, because you can give back to the community in a meaningful and authentic way for years and years to come.

Posted by Barbara Safani

What's Next in Resumes?

Food for thought...

Liz Harvey, Consumer Products Director for CareerBulider.com spoke at the Career Masters Institute national conference last week. Consider carefully something Liz mentioned in her presentation--she is so busy that she reads resumes on her Blackberry. Can your resume's message stand out in a few inches of space? If not, you'd better think about how to make that happen, because I'm guessing Liz isn't the only busy exec reading resumes on hand-helds.

Posted by Deb Dib

Refueling

Last week I shared with one of my professional colleagues that I would be gone for a few days, not on vacation I offered, but for refueling. So now I'm home. Re-energized. Recharged. Refueled. Networked. New friends. Faces to names. Invigorated. And challenged to take it to the next level.

Still processing, sorting, and filtering all that I've crammed into my brain (or my carry-on). New words, interesting ideas, handouts, notebooks, business cards, door prizes, and yes, even a crumpled $100 Grand candy-bar wrapper I forgot to toss. Actually, I think I'll keep it as a souvenir.

Anyway, ready to get back to it tomorrow. Affirmed. And grateful for such a special opportunity to collaborate and connect. And truly appreciative of the people who take time, and make time, to orchestrate such wonderful learning experiences. Bottom line is this -- should you have a chance to attend a national conference or an industry-related convention this year, I'd encourage you to give it some serious thought and GO! I'm really glad I did!

First Impressions Do Count

Its not quite Malcolm Gladwell's Blink - but according to a recent survey from Robert Half, executives take all of 12 minutes to make up their mind about you in an interview - even though you might be there for 60-90 minutes.

A survey of 100 Canadian senior executives, released Wednesday, found that most interview staff-level candidates for 60 minutes and management-level candidates for more than an hour-and-a-half, on average.

Chances are that many are satisfying Gladwell's theory that they have made their decisions even sooner - in 20 seconds! - and then spending the other 11 minutes and 40 seconds confirming their perceptions.

Either way it is critical that you prepare yourself for the interview as much as possible - this blog offers a great place to start with the new FREE e-book - Insiders Guide to Interviewing.

Alternate Routes to Job Seeking Success

A job seeker recently asked the JobHelper, "I have an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and an MBA and I'm having a difficult time finding a job that pays well ... I've been looking for some time now for positions in sales, marketing & business development. And I'm also looking for procurement positions. I've tried job sites, newspapers, targeting specific employers, job fairs, networking sessions, etc, etc, etc ... Help!!! What am I doing wrong?"

From what I can tell, this job seeker isn't necessarily doing anything wrong, but he may not be doing everything he can. One thing that he is doing RIGHT is trying alternative job seeking routes. Instead of getting stuck in a "job seeker rut", this job seeker has been attending job fairs and networking sessions and utilizing all the different forms of job posting services. Now, having variety in your job search is great, but sometimes, you need to put yourself out there a little bit more and try things you normally wouldn't. You may feel a little outside of your comfort zone at first, but being innovative in your job search can not only improve your chances of finding a job, but it can also improve your chances of getting hired by proving to potential employers that you're willing to take risks and do what it takes to accomplish a goal.

Here are a few things this job seeker and you can do to step out of the comfort zone and try a new way of landing your next job.

1) Define the companies that could potentially hire your skills and expertise. Then, try to develop networking leads with the people who have those jobs. A good way to get in contact with people in your desired position is to join any local professional organizations that focus on your field of work. Once you meet the people who have the job you want, find out how they got there and ask for career tips. Specifically, ask what skills, training, education, etc has been the most helpful to them in their career track. Finally, ask "who else should I be talking to?"

2) Contact a headhunter in your field. Find out if you are marketable. If yes, a headhunter should be able to start opening up interview opportunities for you. If no, a headhunter should be able to give you advice on what steps you need to take in order to make yourself more marketable within your field.

3) If you get interviews but no job offers, ask the headhunter for advice on your interview style, resume and self presentation. Find out why you didn't get the job and what you could have done better.

4) If you are particularly knowledgeable within your field, join a blogging community or start your own blog. Blogging is a quick way to make an online name for yourself and establish yourself as an industry expert and thought leader. You can also write and submit articles to websites with industry-specific content.

5) If the pool of potential employers within your area is small, you may want to open yourself up to the possibility of relocation. Go where the jobs are in your industry.

6) Contact your alumni association or any local universities. Ask professors or department heads to meet with you for an informational interview. Often times, recruiters will network with university officials to find top potential employees. Professors are also a great source for getting connected to professional organizations.

Cross posted from JobHelper.com

Manage Your Job-Search Online Identity with Blogging

Employers and recruiters often "google" prospective candidates, as well as current employees, and factor in the resulting information when determining which prospects to interview for new hiring or promotions. You may have been reticent to deal with your online identity in the past; that's understandable. But as time (and technology) marches on, you may find that attitude is increasingly detrimental to your job search.

I was reminded of this new reality in a recent job-search-related blog posting by Debbie Weil, a renowned corporate blogging expert and published author. Although Debbie's brand is about corporate CEO blogging, her suggestions hold true for anyone interested in proactively managing their career.

If you are a blogging novice, Debbie's "Top 20 Definitions of Blogging" article is superb. You can even hear her in a Typepad interview about blogging.

For even more job-search blogging tips and resources, check out Alison Doyle's article on "To Blog or Not to Blog?" Both Debbie's and Alison's suggestions and resource links will provide you with solid footing to explore starting your own career-boosting blog.

Visibility in your job search is key. If you bemoan the fact that you have sent out thousands of resumes (via email or online applications) and have been lost in a "black hole" with no response from employers, the effectiveness of your visibility is practically null. Why not take a different tack to garner the attention of prospective employers and recruiters? Try blogging on a regular basis, using the guidelines in the above mentioned sources, to improve your visibility and online brand.

Cross Posted at Career Goddess Blog

Think Like a Fish

I've been watching old episodes of Northern Exposure, and recently one of the characters explained his approach to fishing this way: "If you want to catch a fish, you must think like a fish."

If you're looking for a job, you should frame this quote or stick it on your computer monitor. Then, before you take any action in your search, ask yourself whether you're thinking like the person who makes the hiring decisions.

This morning, I received a resume in my email from a designer. The headline reads "Graphic Designer" and there's no introductory note, just a resume pasted into the email. I wondered if he was looking for a proposal for a resume rewrite, but when I asked, he wrote back: 'No, I just wanted to let you know I'm available if you're hiring a designer.'

Well I'm not. But even if I was, why would I consider someone who hasn't personalized his contact with me in any way?

If my designer friend was smart, he'd be researching companies who are advertising for designers, finding out as much as he can about their business, their competitors, and their challenges, and then craft an email showing how he can be of service. By thinking like the hiring authority, he could put himself ahead of all the other candidates. By mass emailing strangers, he just annoys a lot of people.

Companies advertise vacancies because they have either a problem or an opportunity - your job is to figure out what it is and then show that you are the solution. Think like a fish!

Cross-posted on Blue Sky Resumes Blog.

How to Lose a Job Opportunity Faster Than You Can Snap Your Fingers

I never cease to be amazed at the things people will do when in job search mode that they would never THINK of doing in the course of their normal personal or business interactions.

I recently heard from a client that he had been dropped from consideration for a really plum position and could not understand why. The answer to this question quickly became obvious.

It turns out that this individual had initially been contacted by a recruiter regarding the opportunity. A fairly lengthy discussion of his qualifications and fit for the position ensued, in which the company and the role he would fill were also outlined in detail. He managed to determine from the conversation the name of the well-known company that had the position. The search assignment was a sensitive one not advertised in public channels, and the company did not even want its name released to potential candidates until they were ready to ask the recruiter to set up an interview.

What did the candidate do next? To my horror, I learned that he became impatient with the pace of the process and decided to contact the company directly--a brazen attempt to completely bypass the recruiter who had already talked with the company about him and was preparing to formally submit his credentials. He seems to have thought that he could represent himself better than the recruiter and would be improving his chances by doing so.

The result? Now no one will talk to him--neither the company's hiring executive nor the recruiter. He's aced himself out of a great opportunity.

A word to the wise: Attempt to circumvent a recruiter who is already working on your behalf at your own peril!

Postscript added 4/26/2007:

I find it necessary to clarify this blog entry, as it seems to have generated some interesting responses. By no means am I advising that candidates passively sit and wait for recruiters to find them opportunities, nor do I believe that it is unwise to be proactive in identifying companies and opportunities and following up on your own. What I refer to here is a situation in which a retained recruiter who was working on a confidential and exclusive assignment where the company did not wish to be contacted in any other way than through that recruiter. The recruiter had invested considerable time and effort in interviewing the candidate and preparing him for presentation to the company. Certainly one could ignore this, step on and over that recruiter to get to the hiring manager, but I think the result here was predictable. If one wants to take that route, it must be done with an understanding of the risk--which this story was intended to illustrate.

It was not my intent to leave the impression that just because a recruiter has mentioned a position in a brief conversation that an aggressive and proactive job seeker could not or should not go to the company directly. For example, I spoke with a client recently who marveled to me that he'd had at least a half dozen calls from different contingency recruiters about a particular opportunity. He did some homework, identified and contacted the hiring manager at the company, and got an interview. Good job!

Posted by Laurie Smith

Why Your Networking is Not Working

I was really disappointed in the message conveyed in the recent article in Forbes, Down But Not Out: Why Do People Resist the Idea of Networking? The author mentions that many people hate networking because it seems fake, even deceptive. One person she interviewed says "You aren't meeting people because you want to make friends or find allies, but because you want something from them."

This definition describe how people abuse their networks, not how they build them. Many people neglect their network until they are in job search. If you haven't talked to someone in eight years and then you try to rekindle the relationship when you are in search mode, the problem is not that you look fake, the problem is that you are fake. When a relationship is mismanaged or abandoned for a significant period of time, the value of the relationship can diminish significantly, to the point where it may be extremely awkward and difficult to revive.

Networking can also be perceived as deceptive when people ask for information too soon in the relationship, before they have established rapport and trust. You build value in the relationship by repeatedly offering support or information to your network before you need something. By giving more than you get, you establish credibility and good standing within a particular community.

Networking isn't really a job search tool, but rather a career management tool. It works best for people who nurture their network, and build authentic, caring relationships throughout their careers. When these people find themselves in a job search, there is no awkwardness in reaching out to their network and the information, contacts, and leads come much easier. Networking does work and it has played an integral part in the success of several well known business people such as Keith Ferrazzi and Harvey Mackay. It has also had a major impact on less mainstream, but equally savvy professionals, including Heather Hamilton, Scott Ginsberg, David Teten, Kent Blumberg, and Jason Alba.

If you are currently in a job search, review your network carefully, assess the quality of your current relationships, and find ways to build new relationships through professional and personal contacts and  affiliations.  If you have been somewhat negligent in maintaining your network, you can still make your network work for you provided you are creative, authentic, and patient.

Posted by Barbara Safani

Job Search Time Projected to Increase, the Time to Act Is Now

After March's drop in unemployment, experts agree the economy will begin to slow. Although unemployment fell to just 4.4%, the average time a job seeker remained unemployed rose from 16.4 weeks in February to 17.3 weeks in March. The slowing trend is likely to continue through second quarter.

So the job search is getting longer and competition for jobs will tighten–time to get serious about your job search game plan. If you've been procrastinating on updating your resume and posting it around the web, the time to act is now. If the experts are right and the time it takes to find a job will get longer, it makes sense to start your search as soon as possible.

Simple Job Search Game Plan
1. Start searching the web to see who's hiring. Do some reasearch on the position you'd like to obtain and tailor your résumé to create a unique selling proposition for yourself that's designed to fit each advertised position you're aiming for.

2. Clean up your online profile by Googling yourself and removing any negative images or comments you can find on the web.

3. Start sending out your tailored résumés and cover letters.

4. While your waiting patiently for a call back, get reading. Read up on the latest news in your desired industry. Read newspapers, trade journals, professional association's websites, etc. If you do this, you can WOW them in an interview with your keen observations and intelligent insight on the industry.

5. Send thank you's. Whether it's for a job interview or just a networking/informational interview, the surest way to show gratitude and professionalism is to send a hand-written note to each person that took time out of their day to meet with you!

6. Keep at it. Don't expect to find your dream job within a week. Remember, that even in good times it takes the average job seeker 17.3 weeks to find a job. So, continue to network and ask around. You can never have enough job leads.

There's so many things that go into a successful job search, this little list just scratches the surface, but it's a good start. If you're a procrastinator, like myself, a start is exactly what you need, so get to it!

Cross posted from JobHelper.com