ARE THESE JOB SEARCH BLUNDERS KEEPING YOU FROM YOUR NEXT JOB?


Many job seekers unwittingly commit fatal errors when undertaking a job search, and because they don’t know what they are doing wrong, they keep making the same mistakes.

Here are some of the most common ones:

Mistake #1. Spending all of your time searching major job boards. What is the mistake here? After all, this is the age of the Internet. Isn’t searching online the best way to find a job? As it turns out, most jobs are not actually filled through job boards. It still comes down to who you know. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 80% of all jobs are filled through networking. And an article in the Monterey Herald estimates that only 5% of jobs are advertised online and in print. The Bureau of Labor Statistics advises job seekers to use many different job search methods because job hunters find jobs faster using several job search methods as opposed to just one or two.

Mistake #2. Writing an ineffective resume that only lists duties. Many job seekers use position descriptions from their current and previous jobs as the basis for their resumes. The result is a very flat and unimpressive resume that sounds exactly like a position description from HR. In order to make your resume compelling, you as the job seeker need to highlight accomplishments that show the contributions you made to the organizations that you worked for. That is one effective way of distinguishing yourself from the competition.

Mistake #3. Remaining anonymous. As a job seeker you not only need to actively seek new employment, but you also need to position yourself to potentially be found by recruiters who are looking for your skill set. Make sure to put a well-written profile on social networking sites like LinkedIn. According to About.com, approximately 130,000 recruiters are on LinkedIn. If recruiters are on LinkedIn looking for candidates, shouldn’t you be on LinkedIn as a potential candidate?

Mistake #4. Not googling yourself to determine if there is anything on the web that could be damaging to your job search. Many employers now routinely search the Internet to find negative information about job candidates. You need to know what they will see when search for your name. Make sure to remove any potentially embarrassing photos. Also, check www.zoominfo.com ensure that whatever information is there about you is accurate.

Mistake #5. Not preparing appropriately for the interview. Have you practiced your answers to difficult questions? Do you know what employers are looking for in potential candidates? Do you have questions ready to ask the interviewer? If your answer to these questions is no, then you are not prepared for your next interview.

Avoid these mistakes and start your job search in the new year on the right note.

Overcoming Potential Obstacles in the Interview

OVERCOMING POTENTIAL OBSTACLES IN THE INTERVIEW


Do you think there are any potential obstacles that could stand between you and your next position? Here are some suggestions for handling some common obstacles:


Age

Obviously you can’t change your age, but you can overcome a perception that you may not be up to the job. You can project yourself as energetic with a lot to give. I suggest that job candidates give some thought ahead of time to stories that illustrate that they are able to handle the stresses and strains of the job. They should also convey subtly in the interview that they plan to be in the workforce for a while.

For example, an interviewee can mention in the beginning of the interview what type of physical activity he or she did over the weekend. The interviewee can work this in during the ice breaking period which comes before the interviewer gets into the tough questions.

Salary

Job candidates need to determine beforehand what their bottom line is in terms of the compensation package. This should of course factor in current economic conditions. They should be armed with information about what they are worth and negotiate accordingly. But they should also show the interviewer that they are worth more than their salaries. In other words, they should demonstrate to the potential employer that the employer will get a return on investment that more than compensates for what they will be paying out in salary and benefits. Stories about past accomplishments can make the business case for appropriate salaries.

Health

If you look fit, that will go a long way towards dispelling any thoughts that the interviewer may have that you will be costly (in terms of health benefits) to the company if you are hired. If you’re not fit, it’s something you should start working on since this is a part of that first good impression that you want to make.

Personality Mismatches

You should do your due diligence prior to the interview to find out what the company’s mission/values statement is and what the culture of the company is to determine if this is a good match for both parties. If it is, you need to allay any fears that the interviewer may have that you might not be a good fit by connecting the dots for the employer. Speak convincingly about the alignment you see between your values and the company’s. Talk about what you know about the company’s culture and how you see yourself fitting in.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT A BAD REVIEW

What should you do if you receive a less than favorable performance review? What is the best way to bounce back? Here are some tips for dealing with what could potentially be a career derailment.

Deal with your feelings about the situation. No one enjoys receiving negative feedback. It is human to feel angry and sad when something like this happens, but it is critical not to get stuck in unproductive emotions. Vent to someone who you can trust, but don't keep rehashing what happened endlessly.

Objectively assess each item on which you were rated poorly to see if there is truth in any of the statements. You may also want to independently and privately get feedback from colleagues who are trustworthy about the veracity of the issues mentioned in the appraisal.

Divide the list of issues into hard skills and soft skills. If you have any real performance issues with hard skills, you need to think about why this is so. Hard skills are the core essence of the job. If, for example, you are an auditor and you receive feedback that you are not performing up to standard with audits, that is a very serious issue because auditors are supposed to master that skill in order to be competent.

It's possible that your performance has slipped because of personal issues that are interfering with your ability to focus on the job. If that is the case, then you need to get professional help to aid you in getting back to normal so that you can do your job.

More people tend to run into problems with soft skills that have to do with interpersonal relations. If you receive feedback that you are performing poorly with respect to time management, teamwork, or decision making, then you should seek assistance from a coach who can help you improve in these areas.

Rebuild credibility with your boss and co-workers by showing that you are willing to take feedback. It will take some real effort on your part to win the confidence of the people you work with, but if they see that you are really trying, and if you are consistent with your improved performance, they will start to see you in a different light.

If there is information in your performance review that you have determined is not true but is rather political in nature, decide what your response should be. Basically you have two choices: either choose to play the political game and make friends with those who have power over your career or start looking elsewhere for a company that is better aligned with your values.

STRATEGY FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES—STAY PREPARED

STRATEGY FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES—STAY PREPARED


Financial giants have fallen. A $700 billion bailout plan. Unemployment rate rises. How do you cope with this economic uncertainty? Suppose your job is at risk. What to do? Stay prepared.

As a career coach with significant experience in outplacement, I know that job loss can come unexpectedly. I regularly advise clients to stay prepared. As we have seen, even companies that have heretofore stood the test of time can collapse and send their workers scrambling for new positions in a very competitive job market.

Here are some tips to prepare you for the possibility o job loss.

Have your resume professionally written so that you can be as competitive as possible in a tight job market. A professional resume writer can present you in the best possible light and highlight your unique strengths. Some job seekers make the mistake of thinking that they can simply do well at the interview, but it’s pretty hard to get the interview without a good resume.

Brush up on your interviewing skills. A great resume is designed to get you an interview, but you still have to convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job. A competent career coach can help you prepare for the interview. A career coach can help you distill your answers to commonly asked interview questions to concise statements that demonstrate your strengths to the hiring manager. In addition, a career coach can help you address any potential weak areas that might be used against you in the interview (i.e., gaps in your work history, short tenure at jobs, etc.).

Know what you are worth in the marketplace. You can easily obtain salary information on the Internet through sites like salary.com and payscale.com. You should also check salary surveys done by professional associations. Armed with this information you will know what to expect and ask for when looking for a new position.

Maintain and continue to grow your network. By joining professional associations and increasing your connections on social networking sites like LinkedIn, you give yourself access to an ever-growing group of people with whom you can have a mutually beneficial relationship. By getting to know other professionals outside of your current company, you potentially have a network of people who can give you leads about openings.

Generally speaking, many people only know professionally the people that they work with. So when a downsizing happens, such people have to start building a professional network from scratch because the people in their company typically are not in a position to help them. After all, in a downsizing you are either the one directly affected or you are one of the ones trying to do the work left behind from the ones who were downsized. It is critical to get to know professionals outside of your organization before a downsizing, merger, or company closing happens so that you can quickly get job information from your network when you need it.

Five Tips for Writing Great Cover Letters

FIVE TIPS FOR WRITING GREAT COVER LETTERS


Job seekers often have questions about cover letters. They want to know if cover letters are necessary and if they help people get jobs. The answer is yes in both cases. Cover letters are necessary, and they can help you to get a job. Unless you are applying online using a resume builder, and the online application does not allow you to attach a cover letter, it is assumed that you will send a cover letter with every resume that you send out. Even if the ad simply says, “Send resume,” make sure that you send a cover letter as well.

Here are some tips to make sure that your cover letter is effective:

Keep the cover letter brief. Three to four paragraphs are sufficient to make your point.

Tailor each cover letter to the specific position that you are applying to. Form letters will not catch a recruiter/hiring manager’s eye. Be sure to highlight the qualifications that you possess that are mentioned in the ad that you are responding to. You want to emphasize to the reader that you are a good match for the job.

Try to find the name of the person who will be receiving the resume if at all possible. Recruiters/hiring managers will pay more attention if they are being addressed personally.

If you do not possess a qualification that is listed in the ad, don’t mention it in your cover letter. There is no need to draw attention to any deficits. Generally speaking, hiring managers put out a wish list of qualifications. Those who come closest to meeting all of the qualifications are usually the ones called in for the interview.

Let the reader know exactly which ad you are responding to. Oftentimes large employers have several ads running at one time. To make it easier for the reader, mention where you saw the ad, and if there is a reference number, be sure to include it in the cover letter.

Why Should I Hire You?

WHY SHOULD I HIRE YOU?


As a job seeker you may be wondering, “What will make me stand out?” How can I differentiate myself in the job search process? With so many qualified people applying for the same job, how can I compete?

Here are some practical tips for making a positive impression on employers that will say to them, “Hire me.”

The Resume

Analyze several job postings for the field that you are looking for a job in and develop a list of keywords from those postings that you incorporate into the resume in your summary section under a subheading entitled Core Competencies. Employers search their database of resumes by keywords, so having these terms on your resume increases your chances of your resume being selected for further review.

Use an easy-to-follow format that relieves the hiring manager of the task of searching through your resume to determine if you are qualified. Your resume should be written in such a way that it will make the cut when the reviewer gives your resume the 20-30 second glance.
Make sure to use strong accomplishment statements in your Professional Experience section, quantifying wherever possible. The employer should know at a glance that you have made a significant contribution to the organizations that you have worked for.

The Cover Letter

Your cover letter has to be tailored to the specific position that you are applying for in order for it to say to a potential employer, "Hire me." A generic cover letter doesn't have a specific target, and it is not very effective. Employers want to know that you are interested in their specific job, not just that you want a job, any job. Analyze the vacancy announcement and customize your cover letter accordingly.

Work a few (two or three) strong accomplishment statements into your cover letter to grab the employer's attention. Choose accomplishments that directly relate to the position that you are applying for.

The Interview

Keep your responses job-related. Many job seekers start off the interview on the wrong note when they respond to the statement, Tell me about yourself. Very often job seekers give a personal response instead of a professional response. They may volunteer information about their marital status, their children, where they grew up. Your response will say, "Hire me," if you tailor your responses to the position you are applying for. Review that job announcement the night before the interview and write out some bullet points for yourself to speak to the employer's needs.

Go through the company's website in order to gain information about their values, mission, and any upcoming projects or initiatives. When asked a question, weave the research that you have done into your answer. The employer will be impressed with your thoroughness.

Above all, make sure that you have stories that you can relate to the hiring manager that illustrate any claims that you make. For example, a commonly asked interview question is, What are your strengths? Instead of simply saying, "I'm hard-working and dedicated," give an example of a specific incident that proves this to be true. My favorite example is from a workshop participant who told me that she stayed after her federal building closed due to a snowstorm to work on the payroll to make sure that her co-workers were paid on time. That illustrates well her claim that she is hard-working and dedicated. That story gives credibility to her answer.

Radio Interview with Lisa Fredette on Networking