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Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Get a Job By Targeting the Hiring Manager
In the past, candidates could self-submit their resume to job postings, post a resume on a job board or just wait for the phone to ring. A small percentage would actually try to network their way into a new job -- which is the single best way to land a new gig. Well here are some tips for you to be able to target hiring managers and therefore allow you to network and even send a resume to them directly. My goal is to help you locate key Human Resource professionals, recruiters and hiring managers at targeted companies within your industry, and at third-party recruiting firms. You want to be able to find leads to emerging opportunities and place your resume with your best prospects, and one of the only ways to do so is to have the hiring manager's contact information to begin self-targeted resume submissions, so you can increase visibility and enhance chances of obtaining employment.
Become the first to get into a company and become more competitive by accessing daily information pertaining to your industry and in your metro. Set up Google news and Yahoo news alerts for the words "relocating" or "relocation" and your city's or near-city's name to find companies who are relocating to your area. Set up alerts for "expansion" and "growth" to identify growth companies and emerging opportunities for you to seek out hiring decision makers and recruiters at those companies. I had a client that was set on being in one particular city, so her chances of receiving new employment were lower than if she would have been tolerable with relocation. Well once her husband was laid off and they were open to relocation, she requested some pointers to find new employment over 200 miles away. I showed her this process of setting up alerts, and her first interview came from a hiring manager whom was mentioned in a Google News article. My client tracked down this hiring manager she read about, submitted her resume and landed a job post-interview.
Review leading online and published newspapers like Forbes and The Wall Street Journal (and your local paper) to keep up on those growth industries. This also allows you to be fully- informed on what is going on in your market. Be an expert!
Obviously you cannot get a job unless you put yourself out there. You must answer ads, contact recruiters at staffing companies, network, post resumes on niche and general job boards and employer websites. There is still more you can do! Research growing companies that hire your job description. Connect with hiring managers and decision makers on outlets like LinkedIn. Cover all your bases!
Making Contact
Hiring personnel get annoyed very easily. Do not be overly pushy and take yourself out of the running before the race even starts. If the hiring managers and recruiters can find a job for you, trust me, they will! They want to hire a qualified candidate as fast as possible, but they know what they want and hopefully (if you market yourself correctly) they know what you can bring to the company. If it is a match, great! If it is not, let it go and move on. I once had a candidate that contacted our recruiting office numerous times a week and applied to every single job that every single recruiter posted, he became blacklisted from any future opportunities. It was not the fact that he was eager, but the fact that he then would lie to each of the recruiters and create tension between the office. It was company policy to document every conversation, so thus he was not eligible for any future opportunities with our company.
Great ways to search for hiring contacts:
- Looking up resumes posted online and searching through references on a resume. This can provide direct contact with managers and can be a good way to begin a networking campaign.
- Contacting associations and respected leaders in a certain industry and finding out who they know does the hiring at various companies.
- Communicating with college instructors or career service personnel who can provide contact information of employers who have performed on-site speeches during a class or attended a career fair.
- Networking with past colleagues and managers to find out if they know of anyone looking to add talent. Sometimes a past reference might be looking to hire someone of your skill-set again.
Another trick is to utilize the Google search command to find email addresses of your targeted hiring managers. Find the hiring manager's name either by using sites like LinkedIn, on the company's website, a professional forum or even in a job posting. Then search the company's email format. By that I mean search how the company sets up their email address for the employees. For instance, Google's might be setup like "John.Doe@google.com". So now you know that the hiring manager at Google, Jane Doe, whom you are targeting will be "Jane.Doe@google.com". Now you have the direct email address and therefore can initiate contact and even send a resume.
The goal again is to get your credentials in front of the people making the hiring decisions. Sometimes it can be Human Resources, but most of the time it is a departmental person who will physically be making the decision because that will be your new boss. So get yourself out there and work the networking route for a higher number of interviews and thus, a higher chance of interview success.
Become the first to get into a company and become more competitive by accessing daily information pertaining to your industry and in your metro. Set up Google news and Yahoo news alerts for the words "relocating" or "relocation" and your city's or near-city's name to find companies who are relocating to your area. Set up alerts for "expansion" and "growth" to identify growth companies and emerging opportunities for you to seek out hiring decision makers and recruiters at those companies. I had a client that was set on being in one particular city, so her chances of receiving new employment were lower than if she would have been tolerable with relocation. Well once her husband was laid off and they were open to relocation, she requested some pointers to find new employment over 200 miles away. I showed her this process of setting up alerts, and her first interview came from a hiring manager whom was mentioned in a Google News article. My client tracked down this hiring manager she read about, submitted her resume and landed a job post-interview.
Review leading online and published newspapers like Forbes and The Wall Street Journal (and your local paper) to keep up on those growth industries. This also allows you to be fully- informed on what is going on in your market. Be an expert!
Obviously you cannot get a job unless you put yourself out there. You must answer ads, contact recruiters at staffing companies, network, post resumes on niche and general job boards and employer websites. There is still more you can do! Research growing companies that hire your job description. Connect with hiring managers and decision makers on outlets like LinkedIn. Cover all your bases!
Making Contact
Hiring personnel get annoyed very easily. Do not be overly pushy and take yourself out of the running before the race even starts. If the hiring managers and recruiters can find a job for you, trust me, they will! They want to hire a qualified candidate as fast as possible, but they know what they want and hopefully (if you market yourself correctly) they know what you can bring to the company. If it is a match, great! If it is not, let it go and move on. I once had a candidate that contacted our recruiting office numerous times a week and applied to every single job that every single recruiter posted, he became blacklisted from any future opportunities. It was not the fact that he was eager, but the fact that he then would lie to each of the recruiters and create tension between the office. It was company policy to document every conversation, so thus he was not eligible for any future opportunities with our company.
Great ways to search for hiring contacts:
- Looking up resumes posted online and searching through references on a resume. This can provide direct contact with managers and can be a good way to begin a networking campaign.
- Contacting associations and respected leaders in a certain industry and finding out who they know does the hiring at various companies.
- Communicating with college instructors or career service personnel who can provide contact information of employers who have performed on-site speeches during a class or attended a career fair.
- Networking with past colleagues and managers to find out if they know of anyone looking to add talent. Sometimes a past reference might be looking to hire someone of your skill-set again.
Another trick is to utilize the Google search command to find email addresses of your targeted hiring managers. Find the hiring manager's name either by using sites like LinkedIn, on the company's website, a professional forum or even in a job posting. Then search the company's email format. By that I mean search how the company sets up their email address for the employees. For instance, Google's might be setup like "John.Doe@google.com". So now you know that the hiring manager at Google, Jane Doe, whom you are targeting will be "Jane.Doe@google.com". Now you have the direct email address and therefore can initiate contact and even send a resume.
The goal again is to get your credentials in front of the people making the hiring decisions. Sometimes it can be Human Resources, but most of the time it is a departmental person who will physically be making the decision because that will be your new boss. So get yourself out there and work the networking route for a higher number of interviews and thus, a higher chance of interview success.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
How I Use the Oversaturated Internet to Find Career Opportunities
The Internet and generalized job boards are getting more and more saturated with resumes and thus, the competition is growing fiercer for job-seekers. I like to think about the Ladders.com commercials where the two guys are playing tennis and suddenly a bunch of crazy people storm the courts and interrupt play. The Voiceover actor comes in with a statement about how all the other job boards let anyone in to play, but with Ladders.com, they are specifically catered to those who make $100K or above. Well, it's sad but true. Below, I have compiled a list of some "other" sites that I think are beneficial for the job-seeker needing to up his or her Internet job-hunting game.
Company Portals
Almost all companies post their job openings on their company portal (or website). This is the spot on a company website where it says "Careers". When I worked in Human Resources, we always had to post our job openings on the company portal so the internal employees could apply to the opening. So we would usually just check the second box stating "share to company website" just to see if we could drum up some outside resumes.
I suggest searching all the portals of main industry players and also larger companies that hire your profession and click on that company’s “career” section. Create an online profile and post your resume so that company’s hiring manager or recruiter can find your resume. Also, set up an alert before you log off the company’s portal. Alerts are email triggers that are sent to your Inbox once a company posts a position matching your credentials. Not only does this help you get pulled up when a company’s internal recruiter is searching for resumes on the company database, but it also allows for you to apply to the job instantaneously. As a recruiter, we can become inundated with upwards of 1000 resumes for one job, so we sometimes can only get to the first 250 resumes. If you apply to a company’s opening while it’s still a fresh posting, your chances of your resume actually being seen are increased dramatically.
But remember, set up alerts on both company portals and niche and general job boards. Once a position opens up with your title, you receive an email instantly and you can have an edge on competitors by applying that same day the job was posted before the next 2,000 resumes come through.
Also, set up Google and Yahoo News alerts for your specific title/industry and general job-hunting techniques. Use relevant keywords such as "job hunting tips", "apply mechanical engineer" and "automotive production supervisor opening".
General Job Boards
As much as they have become flooded, continue to post your resume on CareerBuilder and Monster because that is where recruiters typically search for resumes first; and why not, when there are more job seekers on there than anywhere else in the world. Also use Craigslist, which is a great place to find local job postings in your area.
Niche Job Boards and Forums within Your Industry
Perform an online search with your industry title plus “job board” and review the results. Post your resume on those sites and set up alerts as well. Sometimes these sites display forums where you can participate in discussions on industry topics or trends. I had a client in the past that utilized a forum and networked his way into a new position, solely based on a discussion about a particular piece of equipment he had worked on and a hiring manager just happened to have been engaged in this discussion. The hiring manager was so impressed by my client’s knowledge, he offered him an interview the next day.
Association Websites within Your Industry
Most professional associations are easy to find online and by checking out an association’s website, you might find a job board or resume posting access. Even if not, you may find industry events being held, networking groups or even an opportunity to create a profile and join an online chat-board to stay in the loop.
Job Board Aggregators
Instead of going to the major job boards (e.g., CareerBuilder, Monster), start by using Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com which are called job board aggregators. These sites search jobs on all the other job boards including company web sites and local newspapers and pull the results into one, nice place for you to view.
In conclusion, some people are growing more tired because they think they have exhausted all of their online resources, but the truth is that there are so many companies that are hiring, you just have to be a little more savvy in finding those openings.
Company Portals
Almost all companies post their job openings on their company portal (or website). This is the spot on a company website where it says "Careers". When I worked in Human Resources, we always had to post our job openings on the company portal so the internal employees could apply to the opening. So we would usually just check the second box stating "share to company website" just to see if we could drum up some outside resumes.
I suggest searching all the portals of main industry players and also larger companies that hire your profession and click on that company’s “career” section. Create an online profile and post your resume so that company’s hiring manager or recruiter can find your resume. Also, set up an alert before you log off the company’s portal. Alerts are email triggers that are sent to your Inbox once a company posts a position matching your credentials. Not only does this help you get pulled up when a company’s internal recruiter is searching for resumes on the company database, but it also allows for you to apply to the job instantaneously. As a recruiter, we can become inundated with upwards of 1000 resumes for one job, so we sometimes can only get to the first 250 resumes. If you apply to a company’s opening while it’s still a fresh posting, your chances of your resume actually being seen are increased dramatically.
But remember, set up alerts on both company portals and niche and general job boards. Once a position opens up with your title, you receive an email instantly and you can have an edge on competitors by applying that same day the job was posted before the next 2,000 resumes come through.
Also, set up Google and Yahoo News alerts for your specific title/industry and general job-hunting techniques. Use relevant keywords such as "job hunting tips", "apply mechanical engineer" and "automotive production supervisor opening".
General Job Boards
As much as they have become flooded, continue to post your resume on CareerBuilder and Monster because that is where recruiters typically search for resumes first; and why not, when there are more job seekers on there than anywhere else in the world. Also use Craigslist, which is a great place to find local job postings in your area.
Niche Job Boards and Forums within Your Industry
Perform an online search with your industry title plus “job board” and review the results. Post your resume on those sites and set up alerts as well. Sometimes these sites display forums where you can participate in discussions on industry topics or trends. I had a client in the past that utilized a forum and networked his way into a new position, solely based on a discussion about a particular piece of equipment he had worked on and a hiring manager just happened to have been engaged in this discussion. The hiring manager was so impressed by my client’s knowledge, he offered him an interview the next day.
Association Websites within Your Industry
Most professional associations are easy to find online and by checking out an association’s website, you might find a job board or resume posting access. Even if not, you may find industry events being held, networking groups or even an opportunity to create a profile and join an online chat-board to stay in the loop.
Job Board Aggregators
Instead of going to the major job boards (e.g., CareerBuilder, Monster), start by using Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com which are called job board aggregators. These sites search jobs on all the other job boards including company web sites and local newspapers and pull the results into one, nice place for you to view.
In conclusion, some people are growing more tired because they think they have exhausted all of their online resources, but the truth is that there are so many companies that are hiring, you just have to be a little more savvy in finding those openings.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #8: How to Search for a Job While You're Still Employed
LISTEN:
The 8th MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on those job-seekers that currently have a job, but are proactively seeking new employment. It is important that you conduct your job search in a manner that will not affect your current role, but can also allot enough time and strategy to effectively seek new employment.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
The 8th MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on those job-seekers that currently have a job, but are proactively seeking new employment. It is important that you conduct your job search in a manner that will not affect your current role, but can also allot enough time and strategy to effectively seek new employment.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
Monday, April 11, 2011
Now that You Got the Interview, Don't Mess it Up!
In a good interview, there are a lot of reasons you get the job because of what you said and did. You can also get the job because of what you do not say and do! Follow these tips for a successful interview and make sure you don't make the same mistakes that have hindered so many for a chance to earn a livelihood.
1. Don't ask about time off and salary up front! Wait to find out about salary when they bring it up and wait to hear about perks once they present the compensation package to you. Asking about medical benefits is acceptable though.
2. Don't ask about what the company does! You should've researched that info so don't waste their time (and yours)! I once worked with a hiring manager that grilled candidates about the company and the current state of the company and industry. He wanted to make sure he only had passionate people working on his team.
3. Don't get too casual. I once had a job interview with a highly respected insurance company that I felt real cozy in because I knew the human resources professional. Well, one slip up and it cost me big time. I accidentally used an explicit word because we got a little personal between each other. Later the hiring manager told me I did not get the job due to that fact. Casual only gets you to a place where you lose focus on what you're doing there in the first place. Unfortunately, that's when things may come out of your mouth that shouldn't unless you're with your buddies at happy hour.
4. Don't bash your previous or current employer! It can show that you aren't very loyal and that you don't respect those that aren't on your current radar screen. Hiring managers don't want you to do that to them in case you leave and they certainly don't want anyone who uses and abuses to get ahead. Just because you aren't happy with your previous employer does not mean you have the right to express your true feelings about it to a stranger.
5. Always dress one level up! Just because you might be a tradesman and your job dictates you wear jeans and a shirt to work does not mean you should be wearing that to your interview! Wear one outfit above the job you are interviewing for so in this case, the tradesman would wear a collared shirt and slacks. A salesperson would wear a suit and tie.
Stay positive and show that you really want the job throughout the interview. Asking about salary and perks shows that you don't care about anything else. Research the company before you go. Don't speak negatively about anything, especially your previous jobs. Dress to impress. Practice these simple acts and watch the offers start rolling in!
1. Don't ask about time off and salary up front! Wait to find out about salary when they bring it up and wait to hear about perks once they present the compensation package to you. Asking about medical benefits is acceptable though.
2. Don't ask about what the company does! You should've researched that info so don't waste their time (and yours)! I once worked with a hiring manager that grilled candidates about the company and the current state of the company and industry. He wanted to make sure he only had passionate people working on his team.
3. Don't get too casual. I once had a job interview with a highly respected insurance company that I felt real cozy in because I knew the human resources professional. Well, one slip up and it cost me big time. I accidentally used an explicit word because we got a little personal between each other. Later the hiring manager told me I did not get the job due to that fact. Casual only gets you to a place where you lose focus on what you're doing there in the first place. Unfortunately, that's when things may come out of your mouth that shouldn't unless you're with your buddies at happy hour.
4. Don't bash your previous or current employer! It can show that you aren't very loyal and that you don't respect those that aren't on your current radar screen. Hiring managers don't want you to do that to them in case you leave and they certainly don't want anyone who uses and abuses to get ahead. Just because you aren't happy with your previous employer does not mean you have the right to express your true feelings about it to a stranger.
5. Always dress one level up! Just because you might be a tradesman and your job dictates you wear jeans and a shirt to work does not mean you should be wearing that to your interview! Wear one outfit above the job you are interviewing for so in this case, the tradesman would wear a collared shirt and slacks. A salesperson would wear a suit and tie.
Stay positive and show that you really want the job throughout the interview. Asking about salary and perks shows that you don't care about anything else. Research the company before you go. Don't speak negatively about anything, especially your previous jobs. Dress to impress. Practice these simple acts and watch the offers start rolling in!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Surefire Resume Killers That Will Murder Your Career
As a former human resources recruiter with over 10 years experience, I would commonly go through hundreds of resumes for any one particular position. And while it became tedious to sift through the same inadequate pieces of paper over and over, there was always a diamond in the rough.
A resume that stands out can create a sense of urgency for a recruiter to present it to the hiring manager without even calling the candidate first. Of course, that isn't the reality, because we do have to pause and track down the one with the "golden eggsume." Recruiters investigate all candidates to see if they really do match up with the opening.
Now you're asking, "what did that person have on his or her resume to make them stand out?" Simple... they can do the job and the resume reflects that. As much as I would like to just spend time on top candidates, I still want to help the rest of the fold, should they ask why they didn't get chosen. With that, I give you five surefire resume killers that can become deal breakers, in no particular order.
Get Rid of the Fluff - People tend to use too many adjectives (i.e., "fast learner", "hard working") when describing themselves or their experience. Do not be one of those people! Anyone can say they are a "team player". These descriptions are subjective and cannot be proven. We also don't need to know how you helped Bill get to work for a week when his van broke down.
It Isn't a Novel - You do not need to write a paragraph for each job description. I once had a candidate send me a summary of his work experience, as opposed to a nicely formatted section including employment dates, employer, location and title. My hiring manager told me it had to be cleaned up before he would even review it, so I passed the memo along to the candidate and apparently he was too lazy (or offended) to make any edits. Even though he was a fit for our opening, it was on to the next candidate!
Lack of Depth - Write tangible descriptions relating to your skills and duties. Provide numbers or results you produced and quantify the statement with that information. Anything is better than broad statements. They are annoying and a major turn-off for HR people and managers. Data and numbers showcasing your ability to impact the bottom line is what they want to see. So find out how you were able to increase revenue or decrease expenditures for your previous employers and make it known on your resume.
One Title, One Resume - Tailor your resume to the job you are attempting to land and market yourself specifically for this job. Hiring managers are focused on what they need and expect your resume to be geared towards that need. If you are interested in multiple job titles, create multiple versions of your resume. Make sure they are based on the company's job descriptions/titles you apply to and tailor them towards those openings.
Not Enough Buzzwords - Use words from the job posting to customize your resume each time you send it out. If the job posting says "project management," use that same term in your resume as it relates to your experience. Most recruiters are not experts on every single facet of every single opening, so they constantly are seeking out information from actual candidates to further their knowledge about the openings. With that said, try to help them out and put buzzwords onto your resume so they can see that you actually have comparable skills to that job posting. Plus, when recruiters search databases to find your resumes, most of the time they use those same buzzwords.
A superior resume displays your marketable or transferable skills and experience and "pre-sells" you. Not to only gain an interview, but make it so that when you walk in, the interviewer's reaction is: "I've read your resume, and I'm really looking forward to meeting with you." A superior resume puts you ahead of the ever-increasing competition, so you can be confident that you get noticed over the hundreds of other people applying.
A resume that stands out can create a sense of urgency for a recruiter to present it to the hiring manager without even calling the candidate first. Of course, that isn't the reality, because we do have to pause and track down the one with the "golden eggsume." Recruiters investigate all candidates to see if they really do match up with the opening.
Now you're asking, "what did that person have on his or her resume to make them stand out?" Simple... they can do the job and the resume reflects that. As much as I would like to just spend time on top candidates, I still want to help the rest of the fold, should they ask why they didn't get chosen. With that, I give you five surefire resume killers that can become deal breakers, in no particular order.
Get Rid of the Fluff - People tend to use too many adjectives (i.e., "fast learner", "hard working") when describing themselves or their experience. Do not be one of those people! Anyone can say they are a "team player". These descriptions are subjective and cannot be proven. We also don't need to know how you helped Bill get to work for a week when his van broke down.
It Isn't a Novel - You do not need to write a paragraph for each job description. I once had a candidate send me a summary of his work experience, as opposed to a nicely formatted section including employment dates, employer, location and title. My hiring manager told me it had to be cleaned up before he would even review it, so I passed the memo along to the candidate and apparently he was too lazy (or offended) to make any edits. Even though he was a fit for our opening, it was on to the next candidate!
Lack of Depth - Write tangible descriptions relating to your skills and duties. Provide numbers or results you produced and quantify the statement with that information. Anything is better than broad statements. They are annoying and a major turn-off for HR people and managers. Data and numbers showcasing your ability to impact the bottom line is what they want to see. So find out how you were able to increase revenue or decrease expenditures for your previous employers and make it known on your resume.
One Title, One Resume - Tailor your resume to the job you are attempting to land and market yourself specifically for this job. Hiring managers are focused on what they need and expect your resume to be geared towards that need. If you are interested in multiple job titles, create multiple versions of your resume. Make sure they are based on the company's job descriptions/titles you apply to and tailor them towards those openings.
Not Enough Buzzwords - Use words from the job posting to customize your resume each time you send it out. If the job posting says "project management," use that same term in your resume as it relates to your experience. Most recruiters are not experts on every single facet of every single opening, so they constantly are seeking out information from actual candidates to further their knowledge about the openings. With that said, try to help them out and put buzzwords onto your resume so they can see that you actually have comparable skills to that job posting. Plus, when recruiters search databases to find your resumes, most of the time they use those same buzzwords.
A superior resume displays your marketable or transferable skills and experience and "pre-sells" you. Not to only gain an interview, but make it so that when you walk in, the interviewer's reaction is: "I've read your resume, and I'm really looking forward to meeting with you." A superior resume puts you ahead of the ever-increasing competition, so you can be confident that you get noticed over the hundreds of other people applying.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #7: Phone Etiquette for Job Seekers
LISTEN:
The 7th MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on phone etiquette for job seekers. It is important that every single aspect of your job search is sharp and effective, including your messages and phone interviews with potential employers.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
The 7th MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on phone etiquette for job seekers. It is important that every single aspect of your job search is sharp and effective, including your messages and phone interviews with potential employers.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
Thursday, March 10, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #6: Unusual Job Hunting Techniques with Guest Career Expert Mary Sevinsky
LISTEN:
The 6th installment of the MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on unusual job hunting techniques. In this market, job-seekers need to be creative in order to showcase their skills to potential employers and this podcast will discuss ways to make yourself stand out amongst the competition and to think outside the box with your job hunt. We will be joined by career expert and owner of the firm, Lifeworks, Mary Sevinsky. Her information can be seen on her website, http://www.life-works.info.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
The 6th installment of the MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast series will be focused on unusual job hunting techniques. In this market, job-seekers need to be creative in order to showcase their skills to potential employers and this podcast will discuss ways to make yourself stand out amongst the competition and to think outside the box with your job hunt. We will be joined by career expert and owner of the firm, Lifeworks, Mary Sevinsky. Her information can be seen on her website, http://www.life-works.info.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
Monday, March 7, 2011
Brand: You. Creating and Self-Marketing Yourself to Find a Job During Tough Times
A career brand is an image that portrays you as an expert in your field, attracts your ideal employer, and reveals how you can help their business. How can you promote your career brand effectively, to stand out among increasing competition in the workforce? Self-marketing!
Before you begin self-marketing, you need to understand:
1. What you are going to market about yourself
2. Who you are going to market yourself to
3. Why you are going to market yourself to them
This article offers some important tools to develop your career brand and understand your self-marketing plan.
Goals of Self-Marketing
1. Provide direction to help eliminate trial and error. As a result, save time and money.
2. Network with key industry players.
3. Identify your transferable skills. Marketing these skills, not just job history and accomplishments, puts you in higher demand (i.e., more interviews).
4. Determine what other industries your transferable skills fit into. The industry you are in affects the success of your career. Market yourself in growing industries (green-collar, biotechnology, nutrition, IT). Steer away from dying 5. industries (textile, printing, newspapers, steel manufacturing, etc.).
6. Resolve any setbacks that hurt your career and prevent you from getting interviews. Fix your resume so it does not portray you as "a job hopper", "lacking education", or "unable to advance at a company".
Create Your Own Mission Statement
Just as mission statements provide direction and purpose for companies, individuals can benefit from having their own personal mission statement too.
Your mission statement says what is important to you. Write yours before starting a career to get on the right path and connect with companies that have similar values and beliefs. You can revise it or write a new one at a career crossroads. Its sense of purpose is great motivation!
What to include:
1. Goals - Aspirations in life (short-term and long-term)
2. Core values - Who you are and what your priorities are
3. Successes - Professional, personal, etc.
4. Offerings - How you can make a difference for the world, your family, employer or future employers, friends and community
Integrate Assessments into Your Career Branding
Career and personality assessments reveal consistent patterns in your traits, characteristics, strengths, preferences, and skills. The assessment results may lead you in a new career direction. If you have an established career, they tell you how well your traits and branding messages align with your career path.
Present your distinctive and noteworthy traits to your targeted employers. Remember that not all recurring patterns contribute to good branding (e.g., introversion). Disregard any pattern you feel is not really you.
Incorporate the assessment results into your career branding materials: resume, cover letter, elevator speech, interview responses, portfolio, business card, etc. Convey a consistent branding message throughout all of these materials. But you can use different branding statements for different industries.
Tag! You Are "It"!
Self-marketing is not just about selling your specific skills. Everyone has skills. They get you in the door, but not necessarily get you the job. There can be 100 or more applicants per job posting, and they all have the same or better skills as you. How can you stand out as "the one"?
Develop a tag-line. A great tag-line tells people exactly what a product is and how they will benefit from using it. This is what employers want to know about you! Specifically, how you will help them make and save money. Tell them how much money you helped a previous or current employer make or save on a given project, sale, or time period.
Dear Career Journal...
Did you have a diary or journal when you were young? It helped you express feelings when no one else would listen, or when you did not want anyone else to listen! Similarly, a journal can help and guide us in our professional adult life too.
Writing in a career journal allows you to set aside time to think and learn more about yourself and your career. Just as when you were younger, using a journal allows you to express emotions (good and bad) about career progress. When you read past entries, see how far you have come!
Use your career journal to:
1. Write your personal mission statement
2. React to self-assessment tests
3. Do a SWOT (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) analysis
4. Evaluate your current situation
5. Reflect on your successes and failures
6. Devise career goal ideas (breaking into a new career, as a volunteer or consultant)
7. Think about career alternatives
8. Establish daily or weekly career-related objectives or tasks
9. Develop action plans to achieve your objectives and tasks
10. Make checklists
11. Record network contacts, job interview results, etc.
12. Develop job correspondence material (cover letters, resumes, thank you letters, etc.)
13. Practice job interview questions and answers
14. Gather salary information
15. Jot down ideas and information you like and want to use in the future
16. Record things you want or need to learn, skills to improve upon
17. Discover and explore your workplace values
18. Record your job-related likes and dislikes (and employers' likes and dislikes)
19. Note lessons learned
20. Develop ways to improve the workplace
21. Review job-search trends
22. Develop plans for achieving promotions
23. Document the career paths of your peers that you want to emulate
24. Prepare for job performance reviews
Do not keep your career journal at your workplace. Keep it at home on your computer or in a notebook. Try to set a regular time of day to work on your journal, maybe right after work. Maybe before work to get yourself motivated and focused on what you can achieve that day!
Your journal is always ready, and no matter where your career path leads you, you can continue to use it throughout your professional life.
Key Marketing Tools:
Strategic Marketing Plan - Your plan answers these questions:
1. What have I accomplished, where am I now, and where will my career be if I do not take action?
2. Where do I want to go with my career?
3. How do I get to where I want to go?
4. How do I put my plan into action?
5. What do I need to change if I am not getting success?
Market Research
Understand trends in your career field. Consult resources such as the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. Interview industry professionals. Study the companies you would like to work for. Use this information for your cover letter, resume and job interview.
Marketing Mix
You are probably already familiar with the 4 P's of marketing, or the "marketing mix". The 4 P's are product, promotion, place, and price. Translate these in terms of you and your career for job search success.
Product
You are the product with unique characteristics, features, and skills. Expose your "product features" in your tag-line and resume. Let employers know your work experience, leadership experience, professional memberships, technical skills, education and training.
Make sure that your on-line marketing tools (i.e., Facebook or Myspace) are cleaned up and employer ready. You do not want a potential employer to see something on your personal networking sites that will land you in trouble.
Do not forget "packaging", to properly present yourself and your credentials to potential employers.
Promotion
This is your cover letter, resume, phone calls, correspondence and interviewing. Promotion tools include anything that you can use to get a job interview and ultimately get a job offer.
Be memorable by utilizing multimedia marketing like email, follow-up phone calls, or try using regular priority mail envelopes to send resumes, cover letters and other "marketing materials". This increases your career brand and distinctiveness.
Place
This includes everywhere employers can access you. How are you reaching employers or people who can connect you with employers?
1. Internet job-searching and applying to job postings
2. Cold calling
3. Networking with current and former coworkers, colleagues and alumni
4. Speaking with recruiters at staffing and employment agencies and company HR departments
5. Visiting your university career centers and alumni offices
6. Attending professional association meetings and seminars
Price
Price includes all aspects of the compensation you can receive from potential employers, as well as your strategies to get the price you want, and that the employer feels you deserve. Your price not only includes salary, but also insurance, benefits, paid time off and perks.
Call in the SWOT Team!
Performing a SWOT Analysis, used in marketing planning, is helpful to use in your career planning. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It answers:
1. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses (in your internal environment)?
2. What are Opportunities and Threats in your career field (external environment)?
Strengths
Internal, positive aspects which you can capitalize upon, such as:
1. Work experience
2. Education
3. Technical skills and knowledge (e.g., computer skills)
4. Personal characteristics (e.g., superior work ethic)
5. Strong network of contacts
6. Involvement with professional associations and organizations
7. Enjoying what you do
Weaknesses
Internal, negative aspects that you plan on improving, such as:
1. Lack of work experience
2. Inconsistent major with the job you are looking for
3. Lack of specific job knowledge
4. Weak technical knowledge
5. Weak skills (leadership, interpersonal, communication, teamwork)
6. Weak job-hunting skills
7. Negative personal characteristics (e.g., no motivation, indecisiveness, shyness)
8. Weaknesses identified in past performance appraisals
Opportunities
External, positive conditions out of your control, but you plan to leverage or add value:
1. Field trends* that create more jobs (e.g., globalization, technology)
2. Field needs your set of skills
3. Opportunities for advancement in your field
4. Location
5. Strong network
Threats
External, negative conditions out of your control, but you may be able to overcome:
1. Field trends* that diminish jobs (e.g., downsizing, obsolescence)
2. Companies are not hiring people with your major/degree
3. Competition from college graduates with your same degree
4. Competitors with superior skills, experience or knowledge
5. Competitors who attended better schools
6. Limited advancement in your field (too competitive)
7. Limited professional development in your field
8. Find hiring/employment trends in your field. Go on-line to ABI/INFORM, Business News Bank, and Lexis/Nexis.
After completing your SWOT Analysis, add the results to your Strategic Marketing Plan. Also, use your SWOT results to develop the following in your Plan:
1. Career goals
2. Marketing strategies
3. Action plan with deadlines
The Elevator Speech
The Elevator Speech is a clear, concise introduction that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the top to the bottom of a building. It can be as short as 15 seconds or as long as three minutes. Write down your Elevator Speech, and practice it so it comes naturally. Be ready to deliver it!
Use it at:
1. Networking events (including "unconventional" ones, like shopping)
2. Career fairs
3. Cold calls to employers
4. Voice-mails
5. Your current workplace, when you encounter the higher-ups
6. Job interviews when asked, "Why should I hire you?" and "Tell me about yourself"
Your Elevator Speech includes:
1. A greeting
2. Your name
3. Your industry or field
4. Accomplishments, background, qualifications and skills
5. If you are graduating soon, what school and what degree
6. What you want to do and why
7. Why you enjoy what you do or want to do
8. What interests you about the listener's company/business
9. What sets you apart from others
10. Your tag-line that you developed!
11. Your mission statement that you developed!
Finally, capture their interest and request action.
1. At a career fair: "May I have your business card, and give you my card and resume? Can you add me to your company's interview schedule?"
2. Networking: "What advice do you have for me? What employers do you suggest I contact?"
3. On a cold call: "When can we meet to discuss how I can help your company? May I send you my resume?"
Before you begin self-marketing, you need to understand:
1. What you are going to market about yourself
2. Who you are going to market yourself to
3. Why you are going to market yourself to them
This article offers some important tools to develop your career brand and understand your self-marketing plan.
Goals of Self-Marketing
1. Provide direction to help eliminate trial and error. As a result, save time and money.
2. Network with key industry players.
3. Identify your transferable skills. Marketing these skills, not just job history and accomplishments, puts you in higher demand (i.e., more interviews).
4. Determine what other industries your transferable skills fit into. The industry you are in affects the success of your career. Market yourself in growing industries (green-collar, biotechnology, nutrition, IT). Steer away from dying 5. industries (textile, printing, newspapers, steel manufacturing, etc.).
6. Resolve any setbacks that hurt your career and prevent you from getting interviews. Fix your resume so it does not portray you as "a job hopper", "lacking education", or "unable to advance at a company".
Create Your Own Mission Statement
Just as mission statements provide direction and purpose for companies, individuals can benefit from having their own personal mission statement too.
Your mission statement says what is important to you. Write yours before starting a career to get on the right path and connect with companies that have similar values and beliefs. You can revise it or write a new one at a career crossroads. Its sense of purpose is great motivation!
What to include:
1. Goals - Aspirations in life (short-term and long-term)
2. Core values - Who you are and what your priorities are
3. Successes - Professional, personal, etc.
4. Offerings - How you can make a difference for the world, your family, employer or future employers, friends and community
Integrate Assessments into Your Career Branding
Career and personality assessments reveal consistent patterns in your traits, characteristics, strengths, preferences, and skills. The assessment results may lead you in a new career direction. If you have an established career, they tell you how well your traits and branding messages align with your career path.
Present your distinctive and noteworthy traits to your targeted employers. Remember that not all recurring patterns contribute to good branding (e.g., introversion). Disregard any pattern you feel is not really you.
Incorporate the assessment results into your career branding materials: resume, cover letter, elevator speech, interview responses, portfolio, business card, etc. Convey a consistent branding message throughout all of these materials. But you can use different branding statements for different industries.
Tag! You Are "It"!
Self-marketing is not just about selling your specific skills. Everyone has skills. They get you in the door, but not necessarily get you the job. There can be 100 or more applicants per job posting, and they all have the same or better skills as you. How can you stand out as "the one"?
Develop a tag-line. A great tag-line tells people exactly what a product is and how they will benefit from using it. This is what employers want to know about you! Specifically, how you will help them make and save money. Tell them how much money you helped a previous or current employer make or save on a given project, sale, or time period.
Dear Career Journal...
Did you have a diary or journal when you were young? It helped you express feelings when no one else would listen, or when you did not want anyone else to listen! Similarly, a journal can help and guide us in our professional adult life too.
Writing in a career journal allows you to set aside time to think and learn more about yourself and your career. Just as when you were younger, using a journal allows you to express emotions (good and bad) about career progress. When you read past entries, see how far you have come!
Use your career journal to:
1. Write your personal mission statement
2. React to self-assessment tests
3. Do a SWOT (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) analysis
4. Evaluate your current situation
5. Reflect on your successes and failures
6. Devise career goal ideas (breaking into a new career, as a volunteer or consultant)
7. Think about career alternatives
8. Establish daily or weekly career-related objectives or tasks
9. Develop action plans to achieve your objectives and tasks
10. Make checklists
11. Record network contacts, job interview results, etc.
12. Develop job correspondence material (cover letters, resumes, thank you letters, etc.)
13. Practice job interview questions and answers
14. Gather salary information
15. Jot down ideas and information you like and want to use in the future
16. Record things you want or need to learn, skills to improve upon
17. Discover and explore your workplace values
18. Record your job-related likes and dislikes (and employers' likes and dislikes)
19. Note lessons learned
20. Develop ways to improve the workplace
21. Review job-search trends
22. Develop plans for achieving promotions
23. Document the career paths of your peers that you want to emulate
24. Prepare for job performance reviews
Do not keep your career journal at your workplace. Keep it at home on your computer or in a notebook. Try to set a regular time of day to work on your journal, maybe right after work. Maybe before work to get yourself motivated and focused on what you can achieve that day!
Your journal is always ready, and no matter where your career path leads you, you can continue to use it throughout your professional life.
Key Marketing Tools:
Strategic Marketing Plan - Your plan answers these questions:
1. What have I accomplished, where am I now, and where will my career be if I do not take action?
2. Where do I want to go with my career?
3. How do I get to where I want to go?
4. How do I put my plan into action?
5. What do I need to change if I am not getting success?
Market Research
Understand trends in your career field. Consult resources such as the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. Interview industry professionals. Study the companies you would like to work for. Use this information for your cover letter, resume and job interview.
Marketing Mix
You are probably already familiar with the 4 P's of marketing, or the "marketing mix". The 4 P's are product, promotion, place, and price. Translate these in terms of you and your career for job search success.
Product
You are the product with unique characteristics, features, and skills. Expose your "product features" in your tag-line and resume. Let employers know your work experience, leadership experience, professional memberships, technical skills, education and training.
Make sure that your on-line marketing tools (i.e., Facebook or Myspace) are cleaned up and employer ready. You do not want a potential employer to see something on your personal networking sites that will land you in trouble.
Do not forget "packaging", to properly present yourself and your credentials to potential employers.
Promotion
This is your cover letter, resume, phone calls, correspondence and interviewing. Promotion tools include anything that you can use to get a job interview and ultimately get a job offer.
Be memorable by utilizing multimedia marketing like email, follow-up phone calls, or try using regular priority mail envelopes to send resumes, cover letters and other "marketing materials". This increases your career brand and distinctiveness.
Place
This includes everywhere employers can access you. How are you reaching employers or people who can connect you with employers?
1. Internet job-searching and applying to job postings
2. Cold calling
3. Networking with current and former coworkers, colleagues and alumni
4. Speaking with recruiters at staffing and employment agencies and company HR departments
5. Visiting your university career centers and alumni offices
6. Attending professional association meetings and seminars
Price
Price includes all aspects of the compensation you can receive from potential employers, as well as your strategies to get the price you want, and that the employer feels you deserve. Your price not only includes salary, but also insurance, benefits, paid time off and perks.
Call in the SWOT Team!
Performing a SWOT Analysis, used in marketing planning, is helpful to use in your career planning. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It answers:
1. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses (in your internal environment)?
2. What are Opportunities and Threats in your career field (external environment)?
Strengths
Internal, positive aspects which you can capitalize upon, such as:
1. Work experience
2. Education
3. Technical skills and knowledge (e.g., computer skills)
4. Personal characteristics (e.g., superior work ethic)
5. Strong network of contacts
6. Involvement with professional associations and organizations
7. Enjoying what you do
Weaknesses
Internal, negative aspects that you plan on improving, such as:
1. Lack of work experience
2. Inconsistent major with the job you are looking for
3. Lack of specific job knowledge
4. Weak technical knowledge
5. Weak skills (leadership, interpersonal, communication, teamwork)
6. Weak job-hunting skills
7. Negative personal characteristics (e.g., no motivation, indecisiveness, shyness)
8. Weaknesses identified in past performance appraisals
Opportunities
External, positive conditions out of your control, but you plan to leverage or add value:
1. Field trends* that create more jobs (e.g., globalization, technology)
2. Field needs your set of skills
3. Opportunities for advancement in your field
4. Location
5. Strong network
Threats
External, negative conditions out of your control, but you may be able to overcome:
1. Field trends* that diminish jobs (e.g., downsizing, obsolescence)
2. Companies are not hiring people with your major/degree
3. Competition from college graduates with your same degree
4. Competitors with superior skills, experience or knowledge
5. Competitors who attended better schools
6. Limited advancement in your field (too competitive)
7. Limited professional development in your field
8. Find hiring/employment trends in your field. Go on-line to ABI/INFORM, Business News Bank, and Lexis/Nexis.
After completing your SWOT Analysis, add the results to your Strategic Marketing Plan. Also, use your SWOT results to develop the following in your Plan:
1. Career goals
2. Marketing strategies
3. Action plan with deadlines
The Elevator Speech
The Elevator Speech is a clear, concise introduction that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the top to the bottom of a building. It can be as short as 15 seconds or as long as three minutes. Write down your Elevator Speech, and practice it so it comes naturally. Be ready to deliver it!
Use it at:
1. Networking events (including "unconventional" ones, like shopping)
2. Career fairs
3. Cold calls to employers
4. Voice-mails
5. Your current workplace, when you encounter the higher-ups
6. Job interviews when asked, "Why should I hire you?" and "Tell me about yourself"
Your Elevator Speech includes:
1. A greeting
2. Your name
3. Your industry or field
4. Accomplishments, background, qualifications and skills
5. If you are graduating soon, what school and what degree
6. What you want to do and why
7. Why you enjoy what you do or want to do
8. What interests you about the listener's company/business
9. What sets you apart from others
10. Your tag-line that you developed!
11. Your mission statement that you developed!
Finally, capture their interest and request action.
1. At a career fair: "May I have your business card, and give you my card and resume? Can you add me to your company's interview schedule?"
2. Networking: "What advice do you have for me? What employers do you suggest I contact?"
3. On a cold call: "When can we meet to discuss how I can help your company? May I send you my resume?"
Monday, February 14, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #4: Sample Interview Closing Questions
LISTEN:
For the 4th installment of the MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast, we will be discussing some sample interview closing questions. You should always be asking questions at the end of an interview!
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
For the 4th installment of the MJW Careers' JobSticker's podcast, we will be discussing some sample interview closing questions. You should always be asking questions at the end of an interview!
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our Free Resume contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
Sunday, January 23, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #2: You've Been Laid Off! Now What?!?!
DOWNLOAD:
LISTEN:
Welcome to the 2nd official MJW Careers podcast! This week we will be discussing what to do immediately following a layoff.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our “Free Resume” contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
LISTEN:
Welcome to the 2nd official MJW Careers podcast! This week we will be discussing what to do immediately following a layoff.
On the show, we discussed some tips and don't forget about our “Free Resume” contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
Friday, January 14, 2011
JobStickers Podcast #1: WAZO 107.5 Wilmington 01-13-11 Radio Show Interview
DOWNLOAD:
LISTEN:
Welcome to the 1st official MJW Careers podcast! To set things off, I will be sharing my morning radio show interview with Foz and Jocelyn over at WAZO Z107.5 in Wilmington.
On the show, we discussed some resume tips as well as our “Free Resume” contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
LISTEN:
Welcome to the 1st official MJW Careers podcast! To set things off, I will be sharing my morning radio show interview with Foz and Jocelyn over at WAZO Z107.5 in Wilmington.
On the show, we discussed some resume tips as well as our “Free Resume” contest. For more info about these and other great job hunting tips, please visit www.jobstickers.com or our website www.mjwcareers.com.
For more information on the "Free Resume" contest, check out http://mjwcareers.blogspot.com/2011/01/announcing-free-resume-contest.html
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