Posts

Stop Dreaming! If you want a new Job in 2015

/in , /by

Welcome and Happy New Year! Are you dreaming of getting a new job in 2015? Someone once said to me in my career that people who have dreams have goals. I agree, but if you dream too much and have your head in the clouds, then you will never get anywhere. I suggest you get real and let go of some or all of these typical job hunter dreams. Get them out of your head if you want to get a job in 2015.

If you want to get a job in 2015, I suggest you get real and let go of some or all of these typical job hunter dreams: get them out of your head now!

Dream # 1 The most qualified candidate gets the job. 

Seriously, when did you last apply that practice in your own world? Get real. For realistic people this is simply not how it works. I know, because I hear this at least 20 times each week and it is pretty clear to me that it’s hard for so many job hunters to let go of this dream. If you can manage to think differently about finding work and accept that it really means that you have to get a job and do a job, and that they are two different things, then you will get interviews and jobs.

Dream # 2 They will read all of the data in my resume. 

There’s only one definition of a good resume—it’s the one that gets you the interview. The vast majority of submitted resumes have evolved into ‘data dumps’ and in doing so, what’s been lost to the is the time tested value of telling your story. It’s the story, not the data, that engages the reader and communicates your value. Get it wrong and the reader will not consider you. Facts, figures and numbers, only matter when they form part of a larger story.

Dream # 3 Just work harder. 

This is probably the most evil and most common of all the job hunter dreams, because it can lead to blaming the victim. Not a single week goes by when I don’t read or discover yet another encouragement from self-professed recruiting experts, who tell job hunters to “just work harder.”  This unspoken judgment that hard work is all that separates the employed from the jobless is absolute nonsense. Never mind the irrational system we have in place for connecting people and jobs. Never mind luck, chance, connections, age, sex, race, disability, experience or sometimes even talent. Just work harder. Simplistic solutions like ‘work harder’ can feel good because they create the perception that the problem is solved. But it’s not. The dream remains. What you really need to do is search and apply smarter, not harder. That’s how you get job interviews. Call me if you want to know more; simply follow my blog or contact me during our Pro Bono Friday sessions or attend our seminars.

Dream # 4  Network, Network, Network till it comes out of your ears. 

Ask any job hunter or hiring manager what networking means and you’ll get a different answer each time. The word ‘networking’ has become so overused, that it has started to lose its real meaning for so many job hunters. To them, it actually means NOTHING because no one has an outright answer. Networking isn’t everything and it certainly is not wrong; it’s just not enough. And when it’s put forth as ‘the answer’ it becomes a dream. What’s worse is that it becomes a focus on the wrong thing. Networking is not the magic key to a new job.

Oh, and while we are on that subject, just knowing someone, or knowing someone who knows someone, will not get you a job either. You need to do much more than just ‘know someone’. This is probably the weirdest and hardest job hunter dream to challenge or even to dispute because sometimes it’s true! But more often than not it’s really just a start, especially if the connection is only online or simply weak. What’s weak? For starters, so many LinkedIn users believe that networking via their mouse clicks is a connection or a lead to a new job. Need I say more?

What’s even more important than knowing someone via a few mouse clicks or Facebook connection tabs, is actually being a part of something.

Being an active, visible and regular contributor to a community—any community— is real networking. Because it’s from these communities that the genuine connections required to find work are found. You have to put something in to get something out. A mere endorsement or a commentary post in a LinkedIn group does not make you a valuable networker.

Dream # 5  Be honest. 

We are all for honesty. The problem is the job hunters who confuse including EVERYTHING in their application versus simply including what matters. No small task. And it means something different to every individual. Most job ads are short and simple. So many jobs today are very narrowly focused. That means that the focus in your application has got to be on what matters, NOT on telling your life story. I just looked at another 8 page resume. I am not kidding. 8 pages?!

Telling what matters is what counts. Bottom line? Instead of a focus on being honest and including everything, change the focus to reading and LISTENING and speaking to what’s needed and what matters the most. Less is More!

Dream # 6  Go to LinkedIn and you will get a job. Yeah—dream on!

It is like saying, “Google Translate will solve your language problem.” Get real—LinkedIn is a database. As one of many tools, it might help you find work. But it’s a database, not a magic online kingdom. There are at least 10 alternative sites who do more for you depending on your industry and job search segment.

Dream # 7 Job Boards will do the work for you.  

There are lots of published speculations on the percentage of time job board’s lead to jobs and they range from 5-15%. Is that really true? Maybe. Maybe not. What’s consistent is that the numbers are never more than 20%. What is larger than 20%? The dream that online job boards will do the work for you. Approximately 70% of all job hunters focus their job search energy on online job boards hunting for less than 30% of the actual job opportunities.

Dream No. 8 You just need to get past the Gatekeeper. 

Yep—the gatekeeper used to be the receptionist or the protective ‘HR guy’; nowadays the first gatekeeper can be resume parsing systems and software. The idea is the same. The dream that if you could just get  past something, or someone, is a silly idea. Wake up. Job hunting is about doing things smarter—not harder—and with consistency.

If you want to get a job in 2015, get your head out of the clouds, focus on what really matters and remember to hunt wisely!

TheJobSearchCoach

Uli

Why you will never get a job interview: Job application mistakes

/in , /by

Job hunting sucks. We all know that, but silly job application mistakes can be so frequent that I struggle to be patient sometimes.

There are the basic mistakes like lengthy resumes, useless “objective/mission” statements, lies and then there are the BIG blunders like embarrassing email addresses such as [email protected] or letting your online profiles be public instead of private.

Our team at TheJobSearchCoach regularly (and discretely) share some of the funny and not so funny moments of our coaching experiences. I could probably write a book’s worth of funny and sad material on mistakes job seekers make, but that would make for a very lengthy blog post. So for now, I’ll start with the 3 most common job application mistakes that really hurt your chances of getting an interview.

Do you recognise any of these job application mistakes?

 

#1 You don’t have a proper LinkedIn profile

Seriously guys, we are approaching the last days of 2014 and you are job hunting without a proper LinkedIn profile? For white collar job seekers, that is one of the BIGGEST job application mistakes you can make.

I am amazed how many of our clients have a LinkedIn profile with no content.

First of all, LinkedIn is the leading place for hiring managers to cross check your application and resume information – to check you out so to speak and to find and hire employees. So, if LinkedIn is one of the first places where hiring professionals go to cross check or hire new employees, what possible excuse do you have for not having an up-to-date profile?

Recruiters and hiring managers almost always look up your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because they don’t want to waste their time. Simple. They’re looking for more information in addition to your application to better decide if you’re the right fit for that first step in the recruiting process. You guessed it … the interview. Not having a proper LinkedIn profile puts you at a disadvantage.

Do you want to be perceived as a candidate who understands how to use social media and is therefore be categorised as tech and social media savvy, or do you prefer to be stereotyped as one who doesn’t? LinkedIn is a social media site and when a recruiter cannot find you or check you out on LinkedIn, the first assumption is that you may not understand basic things like Facebook, effectively using the internet, mobile technology, apps or that are simply not social media knowledgeable in general. Invest those 15 or 30 minutes to update your LinkedIn profile and don’t let this silly mistake hurt your chances of finding a great job.

 

#2 You are too lazy to follow up

I know, job searching is no fun – but suck it up. If you’re seriously searching then you probably don’t have a choice so you need to ALWAYS follow up with employers.

After initially applying for a job, following up is a smart and easy way to separate yourself from the competition.

If 250 people applied for a position, you can’t just rely on the strength of your skills and experiences to get an interview anymore. After all, hiring managers spend an average of only 10 seconds looking at a resume. That’s simply not enough time to make an impression. In today’s age, you have to constantly search for ways to stand out from the competition. A simple follow up can accomplish that goal.

You can follow up in two ways: over the phone or online. Most importantly, each follow up must add value. The goal of a follow up is to engage the hiring manager in a conversation, add value to yourself and ultimately create an impression. You can use your communication skills to start any kind of conversation, but the easiest way is to say your name, why you’re calling and ask a good question.

However, following up in the correct manner can be challenging. We all get nervous and you want to really try and avoid saying the wrong thing or accidently creating the wrong impression. So… practice and prepare before you make that call. Contact us if you need some training or coaching. We can help you master this important skill. Also, why don’t you share your own insights, tips and tricks right here in the comment box? Sharing is Caring.

When you follow up, have a conversation and do your best to say things that add value to you as a potential employee. Remember, you may be talking to the person who is in charge of giving you the interview and possibly, the job. If you have a chance to mention your particular skills or experiences in the conversation, jump at the opportunity to do so. Try to sell yourself at any chance possible and mention anything that would make the hiring manager give you greater consideration.

A follow up encourages a hiring professional to think about you, and that’s exactly what you want. You took the initiative to make the call or send the message and created some kind of impression for yourself. If you do this for every job you apply for then you’re very likely to get more responses and interviews.

 

#3 Your contact details

In a perfect world, you would end every new business interaction with “do you mind if we exchange business cards? I’m always trying to expand my network.”

How do people get great jobs?

I’ll tell you how. It’s not who you know, it’s who wants to know you.  If you make it too hard for people to get in touch with you then they just won’t be bothered because you are wasting their time. Get it? I am talking about having your details clearly at the top or bottom of your resume, cover letter and your email message (which is currently likely without a proper email signature).

It’s not that hard to set up a proper signature which contains all the info I would want to find about you. No matter what the document is, your name, phone/mobile, email address and possibly mailing address are must haves. If you are switched on, add your LinkedIn tag. Click here to get your own unique LinkedIn badge (you have to login).

Email is still the most common communication tool. An email signature is simply a few words that are automatically added to the end of every email you send. Most people use an email signature to display their contact details like name and phone number. So don’t forget it when you apply for jobs. You can set one up and turn it off and on as well so you don’t have to worry about including your signature on all your personal emails.

I conclude…

Let’s be honest here, there’s a lot more than 3 job application mistakes that people make when job hunting. Don’t be someone that includes a watermark of a fancy design and only half the required contact details, without a contact phone number or LinkedIn profile, and don’t be someone that expects the hiring manager to read and search through the documents to find your contact details. I’ve seen this many times… Ouch – that hurts!

If you want to get a job interview – follow these 3 steps:

  • Impress me with your professional application documents, including your contact details
  • Prove that you are savvy and connected to today’s world
  • Deliver with a professional Follow Up

If you get all that right, I’d consider calling you for a job interview. Don’t wait – do it and remember to hunt wisely!

Uli

 

Are You Driving Talent Away With Your Behaviour?

/in , /by

Nearly every job ad or company website contains “the search for talent” but it’s all too common to scare away, rather than attract, talent.

“the search for talent”

Many employers and certainly most recruiters, sad to say, do a better job of driving talented people away than reeling them in, both during the selection process and after the talent has been hired.

I have 10 common scenarios and helpful guidelines for getting the best results when interviewing job candidates.

How To Drive Talent Away from Your Company

Too many organisations ignore the power of social media.  If you get it wrong, you may see damaging ripple effects that appears when somebody makes a complaint which gains traction and/or goes viral around the internet.

To help prevent this, check out the above situations for jobseekers and see what many experience when they apply for jobs.

If you see one or two in your own organisation, consider adding them to your

“Resolutions for 2015” list.

It will be good for your brand and the morale inside your business.

Make 2015 a better year for your job applicants. Put your heart back into the recruiting business and remember to hunt wisely!

 

Uli

TheJobSearchCoach

Holiday Job Search Tips & How to Combat the Holiday Blues

/in , , /by

If you haven’t noticed it yet, the shelves in retail stores are piling up with holiday merchandise and advertising. We are getting swamped with tinsel and xmas decorations and before you know it, it’ll be 2015.

Is all that you want for Christmas, Hanukkah or Pancha Ganapati is to get a job?

The holidays – love or hate them – happen every year, and they tend to slow down many job-seekers’ pursuits to find a job until the New Year begins. We aren’t swayed by reindeer and tell our job hunting clients to tackle the “silly season“ head on.

You might think it is a waste of time to job hunt during a time when many people have anything but work on their minds. Our team here at The Job Search Coach knows one of the great secrets of job hunting is that the holiday season – the time between mid November and the end of January  –  is a great opportunity to search for a new job.  

We always coach our clients to search smarter – not harder. The holiday season is the perfect time to do just that. Now is the time to develop your network, uncover new job leads, clink glasses and get job interviews in the pipeline.

 

The TOP 5 Holiday Job Search Depression Butt Nippers

 

#1 Step up your Action Plan

Contrary to misguided beliefs, the holiday season is an excellent time of year to be aggressive in your networking, job search and interviews cultivation.

Many decision makers do put off hiring as long as possible but at this time of year they are often under pressure to fill vacant roles before budgets expire. They also prefer to have the new hire signed, sealed, and on-board before January 1.

Also, consider this. As the holidays draw near, decision makers are more likely to be in a jovial mood; you can complement this by being upbeat and offering novel solutions to pressing challenges.

 #2 Re-jig your Job Search Action Plan

…and your resume and make changes based on the results they generated up until now. There are a number of reasons for doing this. One reason is that in order to change your resume you must first rethink your accomplishments and re-evaluate what you have to offer. I suggest doing this exercise along with someone else. By doing this you should regain some lost confidence by restating your intrinsic value to a new employer. As you do this you’ll begin to see the problem is not you. Another reason is that this will refresh your big picture perspective.

For example, you may want to alter your approach based on the current market. Perhaps retraining would be beneficial or leveraging an altogether different skill that has been waiting in the wings is appropriate.

If you are switched on, you will come up with a new and more charismatic way to present yourself in a new resume or maybe even a video resume. Just like the confidence you gain when you don a new outfit that fits you to a tee and that exudes an image that says WINNER, you will get the same emotional lift and reinvigorate your job search with a stylish new professional job hunter marketing portfolio. We can help you with the portfolio.

#3 Network, Network and Network some more.

An increasingly high number of people our Job Search Coaching team comes in contact with are uncomfortable networking with people from their past because they think they’ll be perceived as being insincere and self-serving. I consider this misguided, but it is understandable.

What’s great is that even if you have not spoken with a potential helpful contact since the beginning of last year, or even for one, two, or ten years, this time of year is nostalgic; getting a shout out from an old friend or business acquaintance will be looked at as a sincere effort. So reach out and extend best wishes and catch up on old times with everyone you know since you began your career. I always say – it’s not who you know, it’s who wants to know you, and you will be surprised how many people are open to re-connecting.

If you begin the conversation with genuine interest and sincere inquiry into how their life has progressed since you last spoke, and slip in an offering to help them in their career or personal endeavours (e.g. LinkedIn recommendation or an intro to someone in your network) you will have social license to ask them to help you without feeling guilty and, more than likely, you will get a positive response.

 #4 Apply some Holiday Carpe Diem. 

Use holiday get-togethers with family and friends to seek out job leads.

I know it sounds a bit pushy, but it works. The people closest to you have your best interests at heart and, if you allow them, they will assist you in uncovering potential leads to new jobs. Just ensure to avoid stalking or pestering. Don’t expect them to be able to hire you, but do be honest about your current situation and the type of job you seek. Acting as your agents, they might surprise you with the job leads they uncover for you.

 #5 Oldie but Goodie: Holiday Cards

Send out holiday cards. I am not kidding.

Yes, it’s a bit 80’s and 90’s, so feel free to use the electronic versions. Sending simple and tasteful holiday cards are a great way to follow up with recruiters and hiring managers and to reconnect with more distant contacts like former bosses, co-workers, customers, and suppliers. Be sure to include a personalized note, along with your networking details – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Remember political correctness here – just send holiday cards, not Christmas cards.

Wrapping up (pun intended)

The holidays can be a time of distraction and depression for many job seekers. You can choose to do what everyone else does and sulk away, or you can take these suggestions seriously and improve your chances of 2015 being a year to remember. Search smarter – not harder and remember to hunt wisely!

Uli

Ps. If you know a job hunter in your professional or private social or direct network – reach out and do something good – start by sharing this blog post and ask how they are doing… – sharing is caring !

 

 

 

How to Avoid Fake Job Ads

/in , , /by

Job searching is tough work. No one wants the added hassle of having to weed out the fake online job ads from legitimate and genuine job opportunities. I have three simple steps that help you to spot the ‘snoopers’ and ‘scammers’. Read more

How to find Hidden Job Market opportunities Part 2

/in , , /by

Hello! It’s nice to see you’re back to read Part II of my blog on the subject of the Hidden Job Market. You should feel better about the subject after reading Part I. Read more

How to access ‘The Hidden Job Market’?

/in , /by

Is it a myth? Does the Hidden Job Market really exist? If so, how do you access it? Read more

How to Find a Job with Twitter

/in , , /by

Twitter is easy and job searching on Twitter is a great way to get ahead! So get started and we’ll show you how to find a job with Twitter!

If you haven’t heard of it yet, or if Twitter is all new to you, don’t get stressed out. Not everyone loves gadgets, plus not everyone wants to be on social media 24/7.

That being said, if you are job hunting or job seeking, then Twitter is the perfect free social media and micro blogging service to promote your personal brand. It’s also the perfect tool to complement your online presence on other sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Sign up for Twitter:

Just go to Twitter to sign up for your account. Ensure that you create a username that is professional, and that will attract employers you want to tweet with. Not Molly55 if you know what I mean.

If your name is taken, consider any combination of your name and your industry or what you do. As with LinkedIn, you will want to put a nice photo up on your profile, and you might want to customize the background image as well.

Don’t forget to fill in the micro biography – keep it short & simple. You don’t have that many words so be precise and tell the world what you do, how much experience you have, and what your major achievements are. I recommend that the URL link be directed to a professional profile on LinkedIn or similar site while you are in job search mode.

Don’t use a private account

When you make your account private, by definition, you make yourself less visible. I wouldn’t advise it. If you’re worried that your personal tweets will make you lose you a job or stop you from getting an interview, either get a second Twitter account or don’t post personal tweets while you’re on the job hunt. You know my advice when I sign off, “hunt wisely!“

Make use of your bio

Some industry (social media specific) hiring managers, and some of the more clued in recruiters know how to find great talent by searching for people looking for jobs via social media. We regularly advise our JobSearch clients to sign up for Twitter. One of our most recent clients tweeted “looking for FT/PT/#freelance roles in social media” and was snapped up within days. He had followed and retweeted related content and regularly contributed with his own tweets.

Once the recruiters found him, they knew the role he was seeking by reading his bio, and the rest was easy.

Learn how it works before you start to tweet

Just like when you first signed up for Facebook or LinkedIn, it’s best if you play around with it a bit to familiarize yourself with the functionalities. The big difference is that Twitter is not as personalized, you can choose to follow anybody and anybody can follow you. You will also find that Twitter is much easier to use than most other social media sites, so you should be able to grasp the basics within a half an hour or so. Twitter is all about reading and tweeting short messages.

Who & how to follow without becoming a stalker?

Before you follow anyone, make sure you have completed your profile. You don’t want to follow people and create a poor first impression with your profile. Once your profile is complete, start looking for people who might have a job for you. Consider recruitment companies, HR departments, line managers, and owners/operators of new social recruiting sites. They are all on Twitter and will be tweeting new job offers and leads for opportunities.

If you follow them, they are likely to follow you and pick up on your tweets. You can actually search Twitter for tweets containing words such as vacancy, new jobs, requirement, etc. This way you can target the Twitter folks who have jobs available.

TwitterJobSearch.com is a really cool site that compiles all the jobs on Twitter, it is global (yes I am not kidding, they even cover Australia & New Zealand) so just type in what job and location you are looking for, and if you want any other suggestions, check my regular tweets at @ulrichschild. 

Tweeting

Tweet about interesting stuff. Share the ups and downs of your career, life, friends, and family. Retweet interesting tweets from others. Embed these tweets in your job search about once a day, just give your followers an update so that they get constant reminders that you are looking for a new opportunity. If you post links, always use URL shortening services. Your followers will love you for it. Naturally, as with LinkedIn, don’t ever spam out any tweets and don’t stalk your followers.

Twitter – Tweet Tricks & Tips

Now that you are up and running, you might want to look at smart applications to help you tweet. After all, you don’t want to waste all day on another social media solution. There are some great Auto Follow and Repost tools. I recommend that you use them.

Don’t Follow Everyone

I always advise my JobSearch clients to start by following the 10 to 15 companies they really want to work for. The rest are added to a “list” on Twitter; these lists are designed to help you organise the people and topics you are interested in, whether you follow them or not.

Follow Key Members or Influencers

I always advise clients to follow existing employees, (particularly influencers or recruiters) as it is much better than following the company’s Twitter account. Individuals are much more likely to respond.

Increasingly companies are using Twitter to advertise jobs as well as message boards. The character limitations mean they have to be succinct, but there are tons of jobs every day in every field.

Use Twitter Search

Google searching is very useful, but you can’t filter by location. Twitter’s advanced search allows you to specify a location followed by some keywords.

The # HASHTAG Thingo

You can also focus your search by removing keywords or including hashtags. For example, #JobsSydney. This can make finding a local job a lot easier.

What’s the Best Time to do your Tweets?

If you are in Job Search mode, spend at least 10 minutes every day checking your account, about 1-2 times a day, and tweet your material preferably when your followers are most likely to be online (Tweriod is a cool tool to assist you), also catch up on recent direct messages and tweets from people on your list. Retweet the best tweets, and make an effort to respond to as many open questions as you can.

Summary

Remember that Twitter is obviously not a miracle tool for new employment, but it complements your other activities, and if used properly will regularly offer new leads and networking opportunities.

So guys, get out there and do your tweets, please share your experiences with Twitter, and whether or not it’s helped you, and remember to hunt wisely!

#TheJobSearchCoach Zophim Logo

 

TheJobSearchCoach                      Uli

How To Avoid Rookie Recruiters

/in , , /by

A Field Guide To Spotting A Recruiter And Avoiding Rookies  Read more

Taking the Cringe Factor Out of Networking Part II

/in , /by

Every professional needs to network – there are no exceptions! But how do you stand out as a valuable networker instead of coming across like a stalker?

Read more