Don’t just select cookie cutter applicants – look out for the resourceful Job Seekers

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If you are a recruiter or hiring manager who adheres to strict submission guidelines, then you probably won’t read beyond the headline of this article….

However, if you struggle to attract truly new and resourceful talent, then you probably end up with an ad plastered with catchy key words such as: self starter; creative; resourceful; hungry; gutsy; etc.

Maybe you resort to punch lines like “pursue your passion”, “leverage your network”, “tailor and tidy up your resume”, “do your homework” and “dress for success” — among other things.

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Can you afford a “lacklustre“ recruiting process?

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So, you’ve updated your company website – tick; you’ve hired a professional copywriter and he spruiked up your dull ‘ABOUT US’ story line – tick; and you’re now happily placing new job ads because you urgently need enthusiastic and motivated employees with a strong sense of duty – tick.

You’re ready for the quality candidates to start flowing in… Yeah….

You expect your job seekers to reply with passionate, heartfelt, honest and more importantly fully personalised cover letters and CVs that match your criteria to the tee. You are spot on to expect all of that, because after all, you are a good business and people want to work for you. You get the drift, right?

If that’s the case, then hell yeah, let me spend the next 2 or 3 hours on my application to you. Because you are worth it!   Read more

Help Me ! instead of telling me how to suck eggs…

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Have you heard this one before?  Don’t tell me how to suck eggs!

If you live in Australia, then I’m sure you’ve heard it and maybe even experienced it first-hand.

Employees, work mates, peers or friends who tell you that, are really saying they don’t care for your advice.

But, they would like you to help or they wouldn’t have asked in the first place!

They usually have a valid point, since advice is often not delivered properly. There are endless examples of managers and executives who do not know their staff and therefore do not know about their strengths and weaknesses.  There are also tonnes of experts, forums and online portals which prefer to post generic–type advice and information instead of really helping their audience to work out issues or problems.

 

The same applies to people looking for a career change or new work.  Job Seekers don’t need intervention and help from content providers or experts who live and work in countries which have no relationship to their situation. What Job Seekers want is tangible solutions and good direction.  I found some of that for you – if you are a Job Seeker and if you are interested, that is…

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Australian recipe to win the next election: “Smart people hire the unemployed”

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G’day Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott and all of the rest of the smart politicians in Australia.  Here is a recipe to guarantee your party new and everlasting votes at the upcoming election in September 2013.

It is a very simple, low cost concept, super easy to promote and makes lots of sense even if it is promoted by guys like Bob Katter or Warren Truss. Here it is …

“Smart people hire the unemployed”

(or at least they should)

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Are you using all the right tools?

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It doesn’t matter if you are currently employed and seeking to move to greener pastures, or if you’re an unemployed job seeker who wants to get back in the game, a proper resume is the best start for a successful job search.

I know…. bla bla …. yes we’ve all heard it hundreds of times before, so what else is there to do to secure more interviews?

Well, for starters, recognise that different job seekers require different tools.  A Blue Collar Professional who is seeking a new position over $40k a year may benefit greatly by including 1 or 2 more documents in their job search whilst the professionals seeking a position over $75k a year may need to get more creative with their documentation attachments. Read more

Job Search

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Job search – or seeking new employment is not restricted to the unemployed. Job Search explores the various scenarios, situations and profiles of job seeking.

A common jobseeker feedback is that many out there would have enjoyed or managed their job search more effective if they had known more about how it was going to turn out.

Hope and Fear are the Enemies of Good Marketing.

We know you are in control of your destiny and you should only work with what you know! Don’t wait for miracles. They don’t happen –at least not in the job world.

This might not appeal to you, but imagine yourself during your Job-search period as a salesperson. You are effectively marketing and selling yourselves. We highlight the useful steps in the process for you. Just pick what suits you best. Read more

Dyslexia

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Hi there. I’m Ulrich, but most people call me Uli. I’ve got a little favour to ask of you. Google the word dyslexia. Go ahead . . . did you notice 99% of the search results refer to dyslexia as a learning disability that impairs a person’s fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read or write?

 

dyslexia and Job SearchCan we stop using “Learning Disabled” to describe people with Dyslexia?

I was told that “To have a disability is to be unable to do something”, but with dyslexia there is nothing preventing me from ‘learning’. Instead, dyslexia makes it difficult for me to tie a phoneme (sound) to a glyph (letter). Most everything else is hunky dory. So why is it then, for my whole life, I have been classified as unable to learn?

 

Can we just let that idea sink in for a moment? Unable to learn. Seriously? Let’s not tell other people what they can’t do.

 

 

Even with dyslexia I can speak, create, dance (albeit badly), work a computer, write a complex business plan, read, debate, present, and sell almost anything. Why has the fact that I am a poor speller been translated to an inability to learn? The rich and rewarding worlds of education and careers are not suddenly cut off from me because I am dyslexic? Yet for most of my life, that’s what I thought:

I am unable to learn.

I have taught, mentored, coached, guided and managed many people, and I’ve only met people who Learn Differently.

LD no longer means ‘Learning Disabled’. We know better. I think I speak for all of us when I say we aren’t ‘Learning Disabled’, we have a ‘Learning Difference’.

 

I am still slightly dyslexic. I have learned to overcome most of my dyslexia and I am not planning to tell you about my amazing recovery process in this blog. This blog focuses on Job Seeker content. This section of the blog will be used as a resource for useful tools and as a platform to share and ask questions on the subject of dyslexia. So if you have some form of dyslexia, or if you are just interested in the subject, read on.

Thousands of dyslexic co-workers and friends are out there as well as thousands of successful personalities with dyslexia earning millions of dollars every year. James and Kerry Packer, Juern Utzon, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are dyslexic. I decided to use the title for my blog to address the subject of dyslexia in the context of a Job Seeker and help both sides of the table to deal with it better.

 

So again, welcome to my blog!

Hit the keyboard and ask away … I am a creative curator and writer and I can send you useful answers or share some of my own wisdom and tools.

Hunt wisely, Uli

 

Tools for Dyslexic Jobseekers

Don’t worry – I am not here to sell you something. We live in a world of apps and online solutions and I am sure you can work out one for yourself. There is one solution, however, which truly works for me. It is affordable, easy to install, and most importantly easy to use. I highly recommend Ghot.it to improve your writing results via an assistive technology that understands you. Go and try it out. I am using it every day.

PAUSE then GO LIKE HELL

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Here is what happens to most people in the 20 weeks following losing their job. In the first few weeks, most people experience a steady improvement in their sense of well-being. If, however, candidates haven’t found a job 10 -12 weeks into their search, the trend reverses and they start feeling rejected and depressed.

 

Most candidates know that finding a job is in their own hands but so is their mental health. Many Jobseekers lose sight of how mental health is directly linked to your ability to push ahead with your job search.

Remaining jobless and not finding work takes a toll on self-esteem and overall mental health no matter how tough you are. Networking and going on informational interviews is horribly tough when you’re feeling low, but will pay off in self-esteem, and ultimately in your ability to land a job.

 

So learn to PAUSE

 

pausethengolikehell

In my experience as both an employed and unemployed job-seeker, I learned that it is important to create Pause periods to refuel before I return to the search. When I return to my job search task, I recharge using the GO LIKE HELL method to ensure that I do not hit another low again. I also go hard to ensure that I feel good about myself at the end of the day. So Pause and GO LIKE HELL are both reward tools in my job-seeker toolkit.

The PAUSE section of the blog also offers creative ideas, tips and solutions to keep your financial situation “in good health” and to have some fun along the way.

 

Now before I rattle off my blog posts with numerous tips and tricks, let’s spend one more minute to take a closer look at what I am trying to convey. Read more

Baby Boomers and Generation X, Y and Z

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I’m as confused as you are when it comes to all the “generation” labels.  What exactly do they mean and why would they matter in my job seeking pursuit?

Let me tell you. It pays to know your X from your Y from your Z. You should try to find out who you are dealing with before you interview.  This is easily done by looking up their LinkedIn or Facebook profile.  Once done, prepare yourself and you can aim and market yourself more effective in your upcoming interview.

GenXyz

Before we can market ourselves effectively, we have to learn our XYZs.  As a Job Seeker, you are a marketer and have to communicate to these very different groups.  One style, message or medium will rarely cover them all.  Here is a brief summary of these generations and their communication styles, collated from my own experiences or from content written by wise guys like Ray Beatty, a very witty Fairfax Journo.

But let’s start with a general generational overview first:

In the press or on TV, experts blithely talk about “Gen X”, “Gen Y”, and “Gen Z” as if we automatically know what they mean. In fact, no one has an exact definition but this comes close.

Let’s start with the “Builders”, the “Silent Generation” or the “War Babies”. They came from the Depression and World War II and grew up at a time when unemployment meant hunger and working in any job was essentially a job for life. In marketing terms they are seen as conservative and security-conscious. Their numbers are dwindling. Read more

Cut Through the Crap

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Yes, you heard me right.  Stop wasting valuable time and learn to cut through the lingo and the unnecessary crap in job ads.  Let me guide you through a natural and intuitive process to secure an interview.  Learn to ‘cut through the crap’ so to speak, regardless of how descriptive the ad is, and decide whether or not it’s a good fit for you.

Applying this review or reading process can also clue you in to how serious the company is about the position and give you details about the company culture.  Here is a quick list of the three most obvious ‘cutting’ tools. Read more