Can't Find a Job? Do You Know Why?

Growth, evolution, changes. Technology may be a wonderful thing, but it has negative elements—especially if you’re in transition and looking for a job. Why? Perhaps you don’t know how to conduct a contemporary job search. Well, that may not be true, and don’t blame yourself.

The résumé

Two decades ago, applicants would submit their IBM Selectric–typewritten résumés to companies’ personnel offices when applying for jobs. Today, applicants modify and tailor their word-processed résumés to include many of the keywords they pick up from job descriptions themselves because applicants know that companies’ applicant tracking system softwares rate those keywords high when hiring managers make queries. Regrettably, in the current economy, the job market is literally flooded with résumés to the point that résumés are clogging up the system and overwhelming the people making searches. One study pointed out that a company’s applicant/candidate search surfaces way too many very qualified applicants because all of the applicants’ résumés have the right keywords—which causes yet another problem: yes, the computer mechanically selects résumés based on skills and keywords, but the hiring manager is looking also for a good fit into the company’s culture. And that’s the reason companies conduct multiple interviews.

The interview

If you’re asked to come in for an interview, it means you had sufficient keywords to convince the hiring manager that you have the skills to do the job. But now comes the second test, which for some is more difficult. In the next hour or so, during that interview, you have to convince the interviewer(s) that in addition to a skill set, you have the personality traits to make you a welcome employee in their organization. For example, you show your passion and excitement for the job and the work; you’re an excellent communicator; you have a pleasant demeanor; you’re not argumentative, opinionated, or abrasive; and you possess all the qualities of the ideal candidate. It is hoped that the interviewer’s boss would comment favorably on your selection and that your future peers and subordinates would praise you in your absence. This is a tall order, because all of the other candidates of course have good skills too; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been selected for interviews.

So, what’s the key to success? There are two answers: (1) prepare for the interview by practicing, practicing, practicing mock interviewing with an experienced interview coach, and (2) learn how to be an actor. In fact, while interviewing, you are an actor onstage, and those interviewing you are watching you perform and judging you based on that performance. With proper and adequate preparation, you should be able to outshine your competition. Good luck with the offer—and congratulations on being a good student and open for new and helpful ideas.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert

Can't Find a Job? Do You Know Why?

Growth, evolution, changes. Technology may be a wonderful thing, but it has negative elements—especially if you’re in transition and looking for a job. Why? Perhaps you don’t know how to conduct a contemporary job search. Well, that may not be true, and don’t blame yourself.

The résumé

Two decades ago, applicants would submit their IBM Selectric–typewritten résumés to companies’ personnel offices when applying for jobs. Today, applicants modify and tailor their word-processed résumés to include many of the keywords they pick up from job descriptions themselves because applicants know that companies’ applicant tracking system softwares rate those keywords high when hiring managers make queries. Regrettably, in the current economy, the job market is literally flooded with résumés to the point that résumés are clogging up the system and overwhelming the people making searches. One study pointed out that a company’s applicant/candidate search surfaces way too many very qualified applicants because all of the applicants’ résumés have the right keywords—which causes yet another problem: yes, the computer mechanically selects résumés based on skills and keywords, but the hiring manager is looking also for a good fit into the company’s culture. And that’s the reason companies conduct multiple interviews.

The interview

If you’re asked to come in for an interview, it means you had sufficient keywords to convince the hiring manager that you have the skills to do the job. But now comes the second test, which for some is more difficult. In the next hour or so, during that interview, you have to convince the interviewer(s) that in addition to a skill set, you have the personality traits to make you a welcome employee in their organization. For example, you show your passion and excitement for the job and the work; you’re an excellent communicator; you have a pleasant demeanor; you’re not argumentative, opinionated, or abrasive; and you possess all the qualities of the ideal candidate. It is hoped that the interviewer’s boss would comment favorably on your selection and that your future peers and subordinates would praise you in your absence. This is a tall order, because all of the other candidates of course have good skills too; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been selected for interviews.

So, what’s the key to success? There are two answers: (1) prepare for the interview by practicing, practicing, practicing mock interviewing with an experienced interview coach, and (2) learn how to be an actor. In fact, while interviewing, you are an actor onstage, and those interviewing you are watching you perform and judging you based on that performance. With proper and adequate preparation, you should be able to outshine your competition. Good luck with the offer—and congratulations on being a good student and open for new and helpful ideas.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert

America, the Land of Marketing and Selling

Every morning when I get to my computer, I’m amazed at how many companies have targeted me as someone in need of their products or services. I take it in stride, though, because in 99 percent of the cases, I’m of course not interested, and I know that the e-mail has been sent to a vast audience.

Usually, I read at least some of the content because I’m intrigued not by the content but by the company’s marketing tactics. I do get puzzled, though, by the reason that all of these marketing gurus advocate the overwhelming of their audiences. We know that the average person’s span of attention is 20 seconds, yet a read of the entire document would probably take more than 10 minutes. So, my questions are, How many people are turned off by an e-mail’s sheer size? How many read at least a portion of the message? and, How many become convinced that the product or service is exactly what they need and in the end, buy it?

I for one am the type of person who needs information summed up quickly and who must be kept intrigued; otherwise, I delete without remorse and move on.

Specifically what caught my eye this morning was an e-mail about “winning, job interview answers.” The Web site link led to listed several potentially difficult interview questions—designed of course to work on the reader’s emotions. It reminded me of a common question that life insurance salespeople like to ask: “What happens to your loved ones once you die?” Further, the site promised to build your likability. And your confidence. Oh, really? That easily? And all this by downloading a bunch of PDF files and buying books that, if done by tonight(!), would be discounted 40%. And to build a reader’s confidence, there’s also a wealth recommendation.

What seemed scary to me was the insinuation that by reading the answers to such questions, “you will get hired.” But I’m in fact a practicing professional career coach specializing in training people for interviews. And after several years of such practice and after serving several hundred clients, I can say with confidence that the insinuation about getting hired is an exaggeration.

Interview preparation is a complex task, involving more than just memorization of canned answers. I wonder if anyone believes that reading a book on, say, how to dance makes one ready to jump onto the dance floor and do a demonstration in front of an audience of critical judges. The only way I know of to train people for interviews is by demonstrating for them, practicing with them, providing constructive critiques, and then doing it again and again till perfect.  Please share your opinion.  The value of these blogs is in others’ comments.

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How to Benefit from the Positive Job Market Outlook

Based on a recent survey by economists, the job market outlook is projecting steady growth in employment. Recruiting consultant CareerXroads reports that new companies find 28 percent of their hires via referrals. Job boards represent one in five applicants, or 20 percent. And career Web sites, about 10 percent. For job seekers or those who contemplate changes in their careers, such statistical information is pertinent so they can know how to spend their time searching for that new gig.

The most efficient way to search is via a job search aggregator such as Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com. Both of those engines search through all jobs in one go, pulling up results from job boards, newspapers’ job sections, companies’ career pages, recruiter sites, and more. Instead of looking via many job boards, these aggregators are huge time savers, but they often display duplicate results. Despite that, they’re still efficient and very helpful. But don’t ignore individual job boards and particularly the specialized ones in your industry. To find those that pertain to your industry, Google them.

As the cliché says, however, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” You need to work your way via multiple channels. Close to a third of jobs are filled via referrals, and a large number of LinkedIn contacts could prove useful for that. Once you’ve targeted a few companies and found an opening, it is imperative that you reach out to the hiring manager. Getting your résumé in front of that person and possibly having a phone chat could make the difference between getting an offer and sending your résumé to nowhere.

But let’s review for a moment the reason for the need to look for a job to start with: because the economy is vastly different from economies we remember from the past. In today’s economic climate, people are expected to change jobs and, occasionally, careers. Job stability is simply no longer guaranteed. So, what to do now? Continuing your education and earning advanced credentials are more important than ever, because in this fast-changing and shifting job market, the only things that stay with you and that you can never lose are your professional experience, newly acquired skills, and credentials.

In summary, the future cannot be expected to remind us of the past but is instead similar to a chameleon by constantly changing and morphing into new norms with new needs. Only those who adapt to that future will succeed. The rest will lag and be left out.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert

5 Tips to Help You Penetrate the Hidden Job Market

Written by Candace Waller as a guest blogger

Speakers Corners: Alex Freund

5 Tips to Help You Penetrate the Hidden Job Market

The rules of finding a job have changed drastically in recent years as many job seekers are finding out. The way you found your job five years ago is very different to the current job market. There is much more reliance on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Google + and Twitter to find and network with those in position to hire. This requires that job applicants understand etiquette when connecting online. The sheer numbers of people looking for work has complicated things further and put the power with companies and not job seekers.

Penetrating the hidden job market has become even more important due to the aforementioned facts especially for those out of work for six month or more. Alex Freund presentation on finding these unpublicized jobs gave participants new insights and ideas into doing this.

#1 Network with smaller companies.

Everyone wants to work for a large company for numerous reasons including better pay and better benefits but in a weakened economy smaller companies hire more.  Large firms may be top heavy and use layoff to restructure and become leaner. Applicants may see job opportunities posted at larger companies that will be given to internal candidates. This can be misleading to candidate who apply thinking they have a shot a job when in reality they are listed to fulfill legal guidelines.

Smaller companies may not offer all the benefits that larger can but they may be understaffed and need to hire. Candidates may also find the progression to higher-level titles move faster.

#2 Take on temp and short-term assignments.

Some applicants feel that short term assignments especially those lasting six month or less is a waste of time. Nothing can be further from the truth.  Approximately 13.5 percent of jobs are contingent meaning they are part-time, temporary or contract. Companies do this because they often want to test out a candidate to see if they will fit with the corporate culture and people they are working with.

These positions often can turn into full time positions. Applicants on these contingent assignments should demonstrate their ability to make positive contributions to the company. This is the time to really show what you can do. These assignments may lead to fulltime or you may gain valuable connections and references that can help you get into other companies.

#3 Learn how to talk with people in person and online

Most jobs are not published because they are filled via referrals.  This is not the time to be shy about letting people know that you are looking for a job. Attending various networking groups, career events and job fairs are good ways to build up your contacts list.

Many colleges have career centers that can be accessed by alumni. Reaching out to alumni that graduated from the same school is a great way to build contacts.  Send out emails asking for information and follow-up with a phone call. People want to be helpful and love talking about themselves.

#4 Put more time into your job search.

Most applicants only dedicate 6-10 hours a week to their job search.  The successful job candidate spends about 40 hours a week searching for work. This includes attending career fairs, networking meetings and job programs, applying for positions online, networking online and volunteers. Applicants can also take advantage of classes given by the Department of Labor, public libraries and career networking groups to improve their skills.

It takes several contacts in a company to get positions. Many job seekers become discouraged if one person says no. There are other people at a company that could be your advocates so don’t give up if one person says no.

#5 Generate more job leads.

Applicants must attend different job networking events and careers fairs so that they can meet and network with other people; The Landing Expert Lists most of the networking clubs and events in the tri-state area.  Go to different groups and locations to find a group that fits your needs.

Other ways to generate leads include

Checking out listing in the newspapers and online to find out that is hiring.

Job fairs

Search engine searches

Religious organizations

Alumni Groups/College Career Centers

Clubs, (Sororities and Fraternities)

Volunteer Organizations

Former Employees/Colleagues

Family and Friends

#Bonus Tip
Ignore that little voice in your head that says discouraging things.

Applicants may be their own worst enemy believing the negative thoughts in their minds.  You must believe in yourself and your abilities. The more positive you are feeling and acting the more likely others will want to help you with your job search.

You may feel like no one will help you and that may be confirmed if the first you speak to isn’t helpful. However you must keep going and not give up. Eventually you will find a job and that process will go much faster if you look for jobs in the hidden job market.

Alex Freund is a career coach who volunteers his time to speak with various groups sharing tips on how to find a job. His website landingexpert.com features tips, resources and the Landing Expert List providing 70 plus pages of information on where career groups meet in the tri-state area.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert

5 Tips to Help You Penetrate the Hidden Job Market

Written by Candace Waller as a guest blogger

Speakers Corners: Alex Freund

5 Tips to Help You Penetrate the Hidden Job Market

The rules of finding a job have changed drastically in recent years as many job seekers are finding out. The way you found your job five years ago is very different to the current job market. There is much more reliance on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Google + and Twitter to find and network with those in position to hire. This requires that job applicants understand etiquette when connecting online. The sheer numbers of people looking for work has complicated things further and put the power with companies and not job seekers.

Penetrating the hidden job market has become even more important due to the aforementioned facts especially for those out of work for six month or more. Alex Freund presentation on finding these unpublicized jobs gave participants new insights and ideas into doing this.

#1 Network with smaller companies.

Everyone wants to work for a large company for numerous reasons including better pay and better benefits but in a weakened economy smaller companies hire more.  Large firms may be top heavy and use layoff to restructure and become leaner. Applicants may see job opportunities posted at larger companies that will be given to internal candidates. This can be misleading to candidate who apply thinking they have a shot a job when in reality they are listed to fulfill legal guidelines.

Smaller companies may not offer all the benefits that larger can but they may be understaffed and need to hire. Candidates may also find the progression to higher-level titles move faster.

#2 Take on temp and short-term assignments.

Some applicants feel that short term assignments especially those lasting six month or less is a waste of time. Nothing can be further from the truth.  Approximately 13.5 percent of jobs are contingent meaning they are part-time, temporary or contract. Companies do this because they often want to test out a candidate to see if they will fit with the corporate culture and people they are working with.

These positions often can turn into full time positions. Applicants on these contingent assignments should demonstrate their ability to make positive contributions to the company. This is the time to really show what you can do. These assignments may lead to fulltime or you may gain valuable connections and references that can help you get into other companies.

#3 Learn how to talk with people in person and online

Most jobs are not published because they are filled via referrals.  This is not the time to be shy about letting people know that you are looking for a job. Attending various networking groups, career events and job fairs are good ways to build up your contacts list.

Many colleges have career centers that can be accessed by alumni. Reaching out to alumni that graduated from the same school is a great way to build contacts.  Send out emails asking for information and follow-up with a phone call. People want to be helpful and love talking about themselves.

#4 Put more time into your job search.

Most applicants only dedicate 6-10 hours a week to their job search.  The successful job candidate spends about 40 hours a week searching for work. This includes attending career fairs, networking meetings and job programs, applying for positions online, networking online and volunteers. Applicants can also take advantage of classes given by the Department of Labor, public libraries and career networking groups to improve their skills.

It takes several contacts in a company to get positions. Many job seekers become discouraged if one person says no. There are other people at a company that could be your advocates so don’t give up if one person says no.

#5 Generate more job leads.

Applicants must attend different job networking events and careers fairs so that they can meet and network with other people, The landingexpert.com lists most of the networking clubs and events in the tri-state area.  Go to different groups and locations to find a group that fits your needs.

Other ways to generate leads include

Checking out listing in the newspapers and online to find out that is hiring.

Job fairs

Search engine searches

Religious organizations

Alumni Groups/College Career Centers

Clubs, (Sororities and Fraternities)

Volunteer Organizations

Former Employees/Colleagues

Family and Friends

#Bonus Tip
Ignore that little voice in your head that says discouraging things.

Applicants may be their own worst enemy believing the negative thoughts in their minds.  You must believe in yourself and your abilities. The more positive you are feeling and acting the more likely others will want to help you with your job search.

You may feel like no one will help you and that may be confirmed if the first you speak to isn’t helpful. However you must keep going and not give up. Eventually you will find a job and that process will go much faster if you look for jobs in the hidden job market.

Alex Freund is a career coach who volunteers his time to speak with various groups sharing tips on how to find a job. His website landingexpert.com features tips, resources and the Landing Expert List providing 70 plus pages of information on where career groups meet in the tri-state area.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert

The Art and Science of the Face-to-Face Interview

Consider yourself very lucky for being considered for a face-to-face interview. It just means that you survived the first phase of the competition; your résumé projected you as someone deserving of further exploration; and you outshone the vast majority of your competition. The most critical test, however, is still ahead of you. You are at this point electrified, thrilled, and exuberant, but if you don’t convince the interviewer(s) that you’re the ideal candidate, then the offer goes to someone else and you’ll feel defeated, deflated, and depressed. That’s why an understanding of the dynamics that get played out during the interview could potentially tilt the decision in your favor.

So, what is it that drives the interview—from the interviewer’s perspective? A large survey that was conducted among hiring managers, human resources people, and recruiters shockingly revealed that 100 percent of interviewers are looking for “fit with their culture,” and about 82 percent are looking for “passion and excitement.” All the rest of the questions scored below the 40th percentile. So, from that survey, we’ve learned decisively how interview decisions are being made. And now you can prepare because no longer is the interview a pure guessing game.

Of course, it’s impossible to predict the interviewer’s questions, but it’s reasonable to expect that the conversation will focus on job duties and responsibilities as well as the pertinent skills, experience level, and personality traits preferred for the job. So, then, how do we correlate that focus on “fit with their culture”? The answer comes from (1) the candidate’s ability to sleuth into the company via internal connections, which can be acquired via LinkedIn connections, and (2) by thoroughly researching the company not only for hard facts but also for information in articles about the company or communications written by insiders.

Another subjective side of the “fit” factor involves things you’ll never find in print. For example, does this company embrace diversity? Is age discrimination evident? For example, many start-ups hire primarily young people, expecting to pay them less than they’d have to pay very experienced people. Is gender discrimination evident? Certain industries hire primarily women, and others, primarily men—for example, firefighters and airline pilots.

As mentioned earlier, “passion and excitement” are critical. The interviewee must see himself as an actor onstage. I know this is difficult for some, especially when they’re tense and under pressure. A good way to show the passion and excitement interviewers seek is in your answer to the question, Why do you want to work for us? If your body language does not show the appropriate level of excitement, then your words by themselves will not be convincing.

In this particular case, as well as in the general preparation for an interview, practice is a must: that is, lots of practice, and preferably with someone who can critique you honestly and guide you toward excellence in interview skills.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert