Today while talking to a terrific, very smart USC MBA (he has a MS in engineering too), he mentioned the black holes of the internet: job/resume portals. He said they don’t work, on line networking doesn’t work and emailing resumes directly to HR doesn’t work. For the most part, he’s right. Our world of instant emails, instant gratification doesn’t always work for finding a job. So, note to job hunters – finding a job is very hard work and sometimes you have to go the extra mile. Finding a job is harder work than having a job. In order to not end up in the black hole you need to go the extra mile .
Create - a list of companies that interest you. Then find out who is in charge of what you want to do. Example, if you are a marketing person, find out who is the Marketing Director or Marketing Vice President. Then, send your resume directly to that person – after you customize your resume – see below for more on that. You can also send it to HR.
Tailor - your resume to fit the job you are applying for. Do not lie, do not embellish but do highlight those skills that are applicable to the job you are applying for. Your resume is a marketing tool. It helps you get the job but you need to get in the door to sell yourself.
Follow - always follow up a resume with a phone call. You can call twice and send one email, after that you become a stalker. You do not want to become a stalker.
Interview - When you get the interview remember your elevator pitch, know your resume and sell yourself. Know enough about the company to be able to explain why your skill set fits their needs.
Thank you – write a thank you note, don’t just email it. Personal well written notes are still a nice touch.
Got the job – great! Now get ready to work. Didn’t get the job – make sure you tell the people you interviewed with that they can forward your resume to anyone they think might be able to use your skill sets. Always stay on good terms with anyone you’ve interviewed with – you never know who they know. It’s best not to end up in the black hole of a burned bridge.
An idle mind is the devil's workshop. --- Lately I’ve been getting very irritated with people who have too much time on their hands. Idleness typically means you have no particular goal in mind and can be easily distracted, or in the case of a few, fixated. I’ve been finding these easily distracted or highly fixated people annoying.
First off, why do you have time to go through missed calls and actually call back those people who did not leave messages? It was probably a miss-dialed number. If they didn’t leave a message don’t worry about it.
Second, don’t call people multiple times and not leave a voice mail. You might have the time to constantly phone me, but once I’ve seen you’ve called three times without leaving a message you become a stalker. Yes, our receptionist remembers you’ve called three times. Just leave me a message. Stalking people is not OK. Finally, story telling, when you keep telling the same people the same story over, and over, I think you need to find something else to do or someone new to talk to.
Retired – Great, good for you, go find a charity group and volunteer.
Not working – you should be on the net, on the phone networking all day. You should not be fixated on one person – branch out, meet lots of people. If you are one of those people who think they need to check their PDA constantly and be in constant communication – get over it.
Seriously, how narcissistic can we be these days?
You know those times where you get writers block. I mean really stuck. Usually I can come up with something, anything. Today all I was thinking about is my son repeating a line from Star Wars, “Laugh it up, fuzz ball.” I had to know who said the line so off I go to the net to find out. It was Han Solo. So today all I’ve got it is, “Laugh it up, fuzz ball."
Maybe I need a day to laugh it up instead of sitting here stuck like a fuzz ball.
The calls we are getting from some of our candidates can break your heart. People are stressed, not working, frustrated, scared and desperate -- but those traits won’t get you hired. When you talk to a potential employer be confident, happy, smart, sensible, and strong. And if you don’t feel that way, fake it til you make it.
Seriously, fake the happy, sensible and strong. Fake the confidence. Don’t give into fear and insecurity no matter how you really feel. If you need to vent, dump your frustrations and fears on your family, friends and your shrink, not on a potential employer. Then, sit down and put together an employment plan and work the plan.
Not working? Have you finished "The Honey-Do" list? Need something to do while you are searching for a job? Work for a Non-profit. Yes, volunteer your time. What volunteering does for you?
1. Makes you feel good. You are helping those who need help while you are helping yourself.
2. How are you helping yourself? By expanding your network. You are meeting people you might not normally meet.
3. Develops new skills or refines skills you already have.
4. Keeps you busy. Idyll hands, idyll mind. Keep yourself sharp by keeping busy.
There are many successful companies today, companies that are showing a profit. If you work for one of these companies and are thinking you deserve a raise - it’s OK to ask for one, but do it in the right way.
You are not entitled to a raise. You must earn one and demonstrate why you deserve one. Especially in this tough economic climate where cutbacks are the norm, you need to make sure you have all your preverbal “ducks in a row” when you go talk to your boss. Show, preferably using positive examples, why you deserve a raise. Your credit card bills, your stock market loss and your kids’ tuition increasing are not reasons to get a raise. Saving the company money, increasing the bottom line, and turning around a difficult situation to the benefit of your company – those are all reasons to receive a raise.
So, get your pitch together with all the facts, be genuine, and state your case. If they say no, at least your boss learned all the good you’ve done. If they say yes, celebrate!
Part of an easy job search is to develop a document to use with your resume. This “plug and play list” will have all your accomplishments and all of your skill sets. You list all of them out separately. When you are applying for a job and re-writing your resume you can “plug and play” what is appropriate to the job.
Keep in mind, this is a working document, not one you will share when taking in your resume. If you have a web site you formalize the list and post it. Mostly, this document is strictly for convenience when you are styling your resume for your next job.
A few rules:
• No stodgy boiler plate phrases.
• No exaggerating the truth. If it was a team effort that is OK. You were part of a successful team.
• Write in your own voice. Writing like you are someone else shows up in the interview. When we drill you down and get the – who, what, where, why and when (5W’s) we can pick out all the truths and falsehoods.
• Be prepared to go into detail about all your accomplishments. Again the 5W’s.
• We like numbers -- Increased sales by 200%. Saved $71 million. Reduced over due balances by 25%.
So, get going on your plug and play and make it easy to change up your resume as needed.
