Over the past five years, I have taught résumé-writing classes to literally thousands of people, and every single time I get into a classroom, I ask the attendees where they are looking for employment.
Believe it or not, but out of all of those people, I've only met two (yes, really-2) that have ever found employment via a job board like Monster.com. This can be pretty discouraging for a job seeker. So this now begs the question: Where exactly DO you find jobs?
Hint: The website ExecuNet reports that 70% of executives find employment through their networks.
What does that mean for you? The answer is the same: the key to job search success is totally based on the people that you know.
Building your network means getting out of the house and meeting people, and there are plenty of avenues to do so.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1) Trade Associations
What industry are you in? Chances are, there’s some kind of trade association for it, and usually those membership-driven organizations have monthly networking meetings. Usually a fee is charged to attend, but imagine what kind of value you’d get for paying $35 to sit next to the CEO of the company you’re gung-ho about!
2) Business groups
A chamber of commerce or business association is usually a bonanza for meeting people and connecting to potential employers. Even if there aren’t any open positions at a particular company, this could prove to be a great opportunity to talk casually with influential people who could be tapped for an informational interview later.
3) Seminars and workshops
Connecting up with like-minded people in industry-specific training can be a great way to link up to fellow professionals who could be the ‘eyes and ears’ in the industry and keep you posted on imminent job postings.
4) Online business networking
With the advent of such sites as LinkedIn, Plaxo and ZoomInfo, having an Internet presence can boost your networking opportunities. Are you an expert in a particular field? Answer questions on sites like LinkedIn and establish yourself as an industry source. That helps position you as a helpful and knowledgeable contributor, which can have a great benefit when employers search these sites.
5) Talk to your friends
Letting friends know you are on the job hunt can also bring contacts and informational interviews. Everyone needs a job search advocate or two, and the people that you know can step into this role and even connect you to possible employment opportunities.
6) Don’t be afraid to use your Rolodex
In this ‘dog-eat-dog’ world, everyone else is leveraging their contacts to the fullest, and so should you. Most business people have a healthy Rolodex bulging with business and industry contacts. It’s time to cash in those chips! You need to be absolutely fearless and jump right in. Send these contacts an email or give them a ring to let them know what kind of job you are seeking. You might be completely surprised what happens next!
Hopefully, these tips have gotten you thinking about what you need to do to escalate and elevate your job search. It’s not about sitting at home on the computer and sending in a résumé to a website. That’s the front-door approach. How you get the job is by coming around through the back door utilizing a contact that you know and can be an internal advocate for you.
Executives are doing it, and so can you!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
An Employer's Perspective on Job Search Plans
This week, Tamara Roberts, People’s Department Director of Martin Hospitality, is our guest blogger.
As the person managing human resources for a multi-unit hospitality operation that includes the prestigious Stephanie Inn, rated as an AAA Four-Diamond hotel property on the spectacular Oregon Coast, Tamara provides a unique perspective of applicants:
Last week, Dawn blogged about creating a job search plan, and from my view, it is very easy to spot those applicants who have no plan at all. They show up in our reception area and tell our receptionist they are “looking for anything.”
My first reaction is this: They have no plan. They are desperate.
A well thought-out job search plan will create the confidence an employer wants to see from applicants - show me that you know your stuff. Rather than hearing that someone in the hotel lobby just wants any job, I want to see them demonstrate that they know what positions we have to offer, and have a background on our company. Have they done their homework about Martin Hospitality? Have they been to our website and seen the jobs we currently have posted? If so, I know that they have put some thought into their job search. The applicant knows what our business is all about, and is applying for a specific position open on our website.
As an example, I attend a large culinary career fair four times each year, and through this exposure, students see our company name regularly. As they approach their externship time, they will approach me asking for a restaurant externship. The students who take the time to find out about our dining and eating establishments have worked on their job search plan. They have researched us and what we offer, and because they have taken that initiative, these are the applicants I want to talk to.
Be confident and be knowledgeable- that will give you a huge boost of confidence that employers will notice!
As the person managing human resources for a multi-unit hospitality operation that includes the prestigious Stephanie Inn, rated as an AAA Four-Diamond hotel property on the spectacular Oregon Coast, Tamara provides a unique perspective of applicants:
Last week, Dawn blogged about creating a job search plan, and from my view, it is very easy to spot those applicants who have no plan at all. They show up in our reception area and tell our receptionist they are “looking for anything.”
My first reaction is this: They have no plan. They are desperate.
A well thought-out job search plan will create the confidence an employer wants to see from applicants - show me that you know your stuff. Rather than hearing that someone in the hotel lobby just wants any job, I want to see them demonstrate that they know what positions we have to offer, and have a background on our company. Have they done their homework about Martin Hospitality? Have they been to our website and seen the jobs we currently have posted? If so, I know that they have put some thought into their job search. The applicant knows what our business is all about, and is applying for a specific position open on our website.
As an example, I attend a large culinary career fair four times each year, and through this exposure, students see our company name regularly. As they approach their externship time, they will approach me asking for a restaurant externship. The students who take the time to find out about our dining and eating establishments have worked on their job search plan. They have researched us and what we offer, and because they have taken that initiative, these are the applicants I want to talk to.
Be confident and be knowledgeable- that will give you a huge boost of confidence that employers will notice!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Creating a Job Search Plan and Strategy
For some people, the loss of employment becomes completely debilitating as well as demoralizing. Consider the fact that most people spend the greater portion of their time during the day functioning in the workplace, it is easy to start associating our personal self-identity with our work and career.
When the paradigm shifts, however, and suddenly that major part of our lives is no longer there, a person experiences grief, sadness, despair, loss of self-esteem, and yes, even sometimes panic. Given the uncertain economic times, there’s even more to fear about what it is going to take to survive, let alone bolster our feelings of isolation and depression.
The key to overcoming these strong and sometimes overpowering emotions is to draw up a job search plan and strategy which focuses that energy into being productive. This will be designed to actively engage oneself in the types of activities that will provide the most opportunity to strike upon that one contact that could become a job prospect.
Develop a plan that is something that you feel is truly do-able. You know your limitations and motivation levels – write down a reasonable list of things you plan to do on a weekly basis that will help get you out, networking and meeting people to connect to prospective employers and learn about new job postings.
The key is that you want to be engaged in the search actively; sitting at home in bed with the covers pulled over your head isn’t going to bring you a job offer on a silver platter. A mentor once told me that looking for a job is a full-time job unto itself, so you are going to have to put some legwork into your efforts in order reap the rewards!
Start the process by listing out the specific goals you’d like to accomplish weekly. This could include (as an example):
1) Develop a list of the top companies you are interested in; do your due diligence by researching them thoroughly on the Internet to find out key information about that company and people you might want to talk to
2) Cold call five people on that list this week on that list and request an informational interview
3) Call five friends and ask them if they know of anyone that you could talk to in those companies or in your career field to request an informational interview
4) Attend three networking events; make sure you get some business cards made up that you can hand out as a way of reaching you; résumés handed out at networking events is generally frowned upon
5) Apply for five jobs in the field you are qualified/interested in
The above list is a pretty demanding job search plan for one week- you can tailor-make it to fit your own style.
If you think about it, however, in one month, you would have had hopefully 20 informational interviews, contacted 20 friends (who can turn out to be job search advocates) to engage them in your job search, attended 12 networking events, and applied for 20 positions. That’s pretty impressive!
It seems like a lot once you summarize it, but if you make each one of the points above an objective for a day, it won’t seem so burdensome. You’ll feel that you have a plan of work to focus on, and have results to show for it, too!
Another thing you might also consider when developing a job search plan is to communicate it to a friend who will be able to keep you accountable. Let them know your goals, and plan to re-connect at the end of the week. Having someone that you need to report to will also provide structure and focus that otherwise might be lost while grappling with job search emotions.
Keeping a positive, upbeat attitude, maintaining contact with professionals that you know, and networking with new people will put fresh energy into your job search. So get out of the house, and get going- there’s a whole world of opportunity out there just waiting to be discovered!
When the paradigm shifts, however, and suddenly that major part of our lives is no longer there, a person experiences grief, sadness, despair, loss of self-esteem, and yes, even sometimes panic. Given the uncertain economic times, there’s even more to fear about what it is going to take to survive, let alone bolster our feelings of isolation and depression.
The key to overcoming these strong and sometimes overpowering emotions is to draw up a job search plan and strategy which focuses that energy into being productive. This will be designed to actively engage oneself in the types of activities that will provide the most opportunity to strike upon that one contact that could become a job prospect.
Develop a plan that is something that you feel is truly do-able. You know your limitations and motivation levels – write down a reasonable list of things you plan to do on a weekly basis that will help get you out, networking and meeting people to connect to prospective employers and learn about new job postings.
The key is that you want to be engaged in the search actively; sitting at home in bed with the covers pulled over your head isn’t going to bring you a job offer on a silver platter. A mentor once told me that looking for a job is a full-time job unto itself, so you are going to have to put some legwork into your efforts in order reap the rewards!
Start the process by listing out the specific goals you’d like to accomplish weekly. This could include (as an example):
1) Develop a list of the top companies you are interested in; do your due diligence by researching them thoroughly on the Internet to find out key information about that company and people you might want to talk to
2) Cold call five people on that list this week on that list and request an informational interview
3) Call five friends and ask them if they know of anyone that you could talk to in those companies or in your career field to request an informational interview
4) Attend three networking events; make sure you get some business cards made up that you can hand out as a way of reaching you; résumés handed out at networking events is generally frowned upon
5) Apply for five jobs in the field you are qualified/interested in
The above list is a pretty demanding job search plan for one week- you can tailor-make it to fit your own style.
If you think about it, however, in one month, you would have had hopefully 20 informational interviews, contacted 20 friends (who can turn out to be job search advocates) to engage them in your job search, attended 12 networking events, and applied for 20 positions. That’s pretty impressive!
It seems like a lot once you summarize it, but if you make each one of the points above an objective for a day, it won’t seem so burdensome. You’ll feel that you have a plan of work to focus on, and have results to show for it, too!
Another thing you might also consider when developing a job search plan is to communicate it to a friend who will be able to keep you accountable. Let them know your goals, and plan to re-connect at the end of the week. Having someone that you need to report to will also provide structure and focus that otherwise might be lost while grappling with job search emotions.
Keeping a positive, upbeat attitude, maintaining contact with professionals that you know, and networking with new people will put fresh energy into your job search. So get out of the house, and get going- there’s a whole world of opportunity out there just waiting to be discovered!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Keywords: The Key to Getting Your Résumé Noticed
As the job market tightens and there are an ever-increasing number of applicants for each job opening, standing out from the crowd is becoming a matter of survival of the fittest. Or in the case of résumés, survival of the ‘key-wordiest’.
Human resource and hiring managers have employed a variety of tools to help ‘weed out’ lesser or non-qualified applicants in the form of software that scans or ‘reads’ your résumé. Those résumés that score below a certain number of keyword hits go directly to the electronic round-file, while those who score high end up being viewed by a live human being.
So what’s the trick to getting into the coveted interview pile? Keywords, keywords, keywords. Is it sinking in yet? Good. Now, your next question should be, “Where do I find keywords?” Excellent query! Here’s how to find those words that are going to get your résumé to the next level in the application process:
The first place you should look for specific job-related keywords is the actual job posting itself. That alone is the first resource that hiring managers go to in order to make sure everything matches. You’ve heard of the ‘apples to apples’ comparison? This is in full effect – so sit down, pull out a separate sheet of paper, pore through the job posting and identify key required skills and duties to figure out what are those key words.
Secondly, review other related job postings that can be found posted on online job boards or websites, such as monster.com. Review each of those related postings and you’ll start to see a list of words that pop out and match the ones you’ve already reviewed.
Another good source for key words can be found by reviewing industry news or articles – oftentimes, key industry buzz words are repeated in these publications, and specific trends are identified, so this can also be a research bonanza for future interviews!
Industry trade associations are also a wealth of knowledge. Specific industries usually have their own trade association representing them at a local, state and federal level, and each organization has loads of information, articles, job listings and trends that are also a good fountain of industry-specific knowledge.
By talking to people in the industry, a lot of key skill information and definition of the types of duties can be gleaned from informational interviews. Seventy (70%) percent of all applicants find jobs through networking, and by making connections in an area that you are pursuing can be very helpful. Getting a good understanding of what kinds of skills and duties are required in a particular position are things that usually come out in informational interviews. Having first-hand, real-time background on that job from someone currently employed there is incredibly valuable.
Finally, there are some aggregate online keyword sources out there that you can research to find out specific industry or job-related keywords:
www.onetcenter.org
www.keywordspy.com
www.google.com/trends
www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
Good luck and happy researching!
Human resource and hiring managers have employed a variety of tools to help ‘weed out’ lesser or non-qualified applicants in the form of software that scans or ‘reads’ your résumé. Those résumés that score below a certain number of keyword hits go directly to the electronic round-file, while those who score high end up being viewed by a live human being.
So what’s the trick to getting into the coveted interview pile? Keywords, keywords, keywords. Is it sinking in yet? Good. Now, your next question should be, “Where do I find keywords?” Excellent query! Here’s how to find those words that are going to get your résumé to the next level in the application process:
The first place you should look for specific job-related keywords is the actual job posting itself. That alone is the first resource that hiring managers go to in order to make sure everything matches. You’ve heard of the ‘apples to apples’ comparison? This is in full effect – so sit down, pull out a separate sheet of paper, pore through the job posting and identify key required skills and duties to figure out what are those key words.
Secondly, review other related job postings that can be found posted on online job boards or websites, such as monster.com. Review each of those related postings and you’ll start to see a list of words that pop out and match the ones you’ve already reviewed.
Another good source for key words can be found by reviewing industry news or articles – oftentimes, key industry buzz words are repeated in these publications, and specific trends are identified, so this can also be a research bonanza for future interviews!
Industry trade associations are also a wealth of knowledge. Specific industries usually have their own trade association representing them at a local, state and federal level, and each organization has loads of information, articles, job listings and trends that are also a good fountain of industry-specific knowledge.
By talking to people in the industry, a lot of key skill information and definition of the types of duties can be gleaned from informational interviews. Seventy (70%) percent of all applicants find jobs through networking, and by making connections in an area that you are pursuing can be very helpful. Getting a good understanding of what kinds of skills and duties are required in a particular position are things that usually come out in informational interviews. Having first-hand, real-time background on that job from someone currently employed there is incredibly valuable.
Finally, there are some aggregate online keyword sources out there that you can research to find out specific industry or job-related keywords:
www.onetcenter.org
www.keywordspy.com
www.google.com/trends
www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
Good luck and happy researching!
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