Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

What to tell your job references

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My colleague, August Cohen (@resume_writeron Twitter) tweeted about preparing your references to talk about you should a prospective employer call. This is an often overlooked topic. Job seekers are so busy trying to get interviews, often thinking ahead to the next step (references) is an afterthought. Some things to think about..

Many job seekers overlook this important part of the job hunt. Especially if you have often reached the final stages without landing the job, touching base with those who may hold the keys to your next position is a great idea!

Whom to Ask? Ideally, you should have a current or immediate past employer as a reference. Co-workers and trusted subordinates may also be references, but most hiring managers will want to hear from employers. If you are a student or recently graduated, faculty members may serve as references. If you have had a leadership role in a volunteer organization, “supervisors” from that organization may be good references for you.

Ask permission. Once you have in mind who you’d like to serve, ask their permission. If they seem hesitant or hedge at all, allow them to bow out gracefully. You don’t want to browbeat your references into helping you. (They may hurt more than help.) The best references are those who are enthusiastically supportive.

Prepare your references to support you! Be sure they have the most updated version of your resume and a cover letter for the position if you have one. Let them know if you expect they will be called, and offer suggestions of topics they may want to emphasize.

When I was applying for one of my jobs, I knew that teamwork and the willingness to pitch in when necessary were crucial for my potential employer. I emphasized how I was the perfect match (I really was!) in the interview. I also asked my current supervisor (who knew about my search and was my #1 reference) if she could mention some examples of my teamwork when she spoke to my potential boss, who offered me the job as soon as he spoke to her!

Hopefully, you will have a strong relationship with your references and will be comfortable making them partners in your search. Let’s face it - you can get right to the job’s door by having a great resume and interviewing well. The key to get in is in the hands of those who are willing to recommend you for the job!

 

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Finding the silver lining in job search – Altruistic Tuesdays!

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If you look hard enough, you can find a silver lining in this economy for job seekers. Many people have been trudging along in careers that didn’t suit them, but leaving seemed impossible and risky.

Taking advantage of a layoff and turning a difficult situation into an opportunity is not always easy, and it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when making plans for the future. Let’s face it, if you have always done a certain type of work, it is easy to think that your “next” thing needs to be that same thing. If your field does not seem to have much of a future (or even a present!), making a change is obvious and necessary, but I hope my new series of posts will remind ALL job seekers that this may be a good time to take a different path!

I recently reviewed Alexandra Levit’s new book, New Job, New You – A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career,where she highlights stories of people who have made career changes for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Family requirements
  • Need for independence
  • Desire to pursue additional learning
  • Financial aspirations
  • Pursuit of a passion
  • Personal or health setbacks
  • Honing a talent or skill

There is no doubt that layoffs can lead to a second career. (Take a look at this piece from NBC Nightly News that highlights people who made big jumps.) It is no surprise that Marci Alboher commented in this story. An authority on career changers, Marci is a senior fellow at Civic Ventures, the author of One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success and creator of the popular Shifting Careers blog and column for The New York Times. I’ve had a chance to talk to Marci about her work for Civic Ventures and the resources they offer via Encore.org. (Learn more about Civic Ventures and Encore.org HERE.)

My discussions with Marci and reading Alexandra’s book inspired me to create a new, ongoing feature here on my blog. I’m going to highlight stories of people who have made big career changes. To start off, I will share information and resources for and from those who have shifted to not-for-profit careers. I will call this feature “Altruistic Tuesdays” and highlight resources, many from the Encore.org site, aimed at smoothing the transition.

If you have a story to share, please contact me! In the meantime, think about how you can use your skills in a different setting…What have you always wanted to do, but never thought it was possible? You can translate your skills (maybe along with some new training) into a whole new career.

photo by pranav singh

How to apply for jobs that are a reach

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Key advice for job seekers – apply for jobs you are clearly qualified to do! However, it’s also clear that there will be times when you need to apply for jobs that may be a bit of a reach. I don’t think that this is contradictory advice. The important thing is to demonstrate that you are qualified to do what it is you want to do. Don’t assume that anyone reading your resume is going to give you “credit” for anything that you don’t clearly show that you can do.

Here are some things to think about…

Job ads are “best case scenarios,” sometimes considered “pie in the sky” descriptions.

In the old days, employers who advertised paid by the word or square inch for a newspaper or magazine ad. Today, with online ads, the sky is the limit. Linking and unlimited space offer employers the opportunity to list EVERY possible skill desired. Do they really expect to find someone who meets every qualification? Probably not.

Focus on accelerating your career.

Most employers hope to fill jobs with people who have already done exactly what they need someone to do! No learning curve means less training and less trouble for the new employer. However, if you only apply for jobs that list skills you’ve already accomplished ad naseum, how will you advance your career?

Think about the touch points between what you have to offer and what the employer wants. Highlight those points and connect the dots.

Make a point to understand your skills and qualifications. Know your limitations and where you have potential to successfully stretch.

A little self-assessment can go a long way. You must know yourself to sell your skills. If you apply for a position that is a stretch, be prepared to sell yourself and defend your ability to get the job done. Know what transferable skills you possess that will make you successful. You can apply for “reach” jobs until you are blue in the face, but if you don’t know how to convince the employer that you CAN do the job, even if you haven’t ALREADY done it, you’re going to be looking for a long time. I cannot overemphasize the importance of your transferable skills.

Here are some additional thoughts from Kathy Hansen at Quint Careers:

1. Consider playing up school and other unpaid experience.

2. Don’t apply for jobs for which you’re grossly underqualified, but do remember that job postings and employment ads are often employer wish lists.

3. Indicate your flexibility and willingness to learn or gain additional training.

4. Find out more about the employer’s needs.

5. Consider a career portfolio with work samples.

6. Consider volunteering to work on a unpaid trial basis.

photo by Joe Thorn

How to apply for jobs

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Have you been applying for jobs and have not been hearing back? I recently read something about the percentage of employers who are not replying back to job applicants…If anyone is familiar with a post along these lines, please share it, as I cannot put my hands on it now. Suffice to say that many, many job seekers never hear a word in reply to their applications.

The question is – can you apply for jobs in such a way that you don’t wind up in this predicament? Of course, there is no perfect approach, but I want to suggest something to consider – ONLY APPLY FOR JOBS YOU ARE CLEARLY QUALIFIED TO DO!

Doesn’t sound like rocket science, does it? Take a hard look at jobs you are applying for…Are there clear links between what they want and what you offer? Go through the job description. What do you offer the employer? Do you have the skills needed to solve their problems? Are there direct connections between what you have and what they want? If there are – make sure these are clearly stated in your resume. Do not expect hiring managers to decipher and interpret your resume. No one has time for that.

I was sharing this philosophy with a client who has hired many people in her career. She heartily agreed and commented, “Yes – if you are a chef and want a sales job, it’s important to convince me that you can sell!”

So, back to our topic – how to apply for jobs. First things first – only apply for jobs that you can qualify yourself to do. Don’t waste your time zapping resumes here or there, just because you can. If your application might make someone scratch his head and/or would have no chance of passing an initial computer screen, you are wasting your time and the organization’s time.

Would it be NICE to receive a “no thank you” note from every organization in reply to all applications? Of course. However, the fact that so many people are applying, apparently randomly, for jobs, makes it more difficult for that to become reality.

Read THIS POST about what one guy did when he never heard back from HR. I laughed out loud, but wouldn’t suggest this tactic to my clients. (Thanks to @heatherhuhman for sharing this link via Twitter!)

Does this mean that a chef should never apply for a sales job? Not at all…The key is to SHOW HOW you are qualified. Stay tuned for some ideas if the job of choice is a bit of a reach.

Do you need help showing that you are qualified? You need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

Job searching tips from the trenches – how to get the job you want

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Today, I am happy to share a guest post by Teresa Basich, who has just joined Radian6 as the company’s Content Marketing Manager. Teresa writes a terrific blog, Writing On Purpose and is on Twitter @transitionaltee.

Job searching. It’s daunting these days, isn’t it? With talk of mile-high unemployment rates and the scarcity of jobs lurking around every media corner, it can be easy to become overwhelmed at the thought of having to look for your next big break. When I began my job search in January of 2009, I was up against more than just a bad economy and scary news stories; I was hoping to make a slight career change and find my new gig 2,000 miles away from my current city of residence.

Despite the odds, I was offered an incredible role that will allow me to finally do what I love and move across the country, too. If you need proof the old ways of finding a job don’t work anymore, my story is that proof. And if you need some ideas for how to get started on the road to a job you truly love, start here.

3 Dos and 1 Big Don’t to Help You Get the Role You Want

Strategically network. Don’t just throw yourself into every networking event you can fit into your calendar; seek out industry- and organization-specific events that you know people you’re interested in connecting with will attend. Because I’m a bit of an introvert, I joined online social networks and made a point to connect with professionals I respected who worked for companies doing great things. And when I felt comfortable, I took those relationships offline. Bottom line: spend your networking energy making connections that count.

Invest in your résumé. Remember, your résumé is your first impression and one shot. And not only will a well-crafted résumé make a fantastic impression on potential employers, if it’s at its best, it’ll remind you how great a professional catch you really are. I “met” Miriam of Keppie Careers via Twitter and decided to enlist her services after finding the resources and advice she tweeted incredibly helpful. Miriam and I worked together to revamp my résumé, so I was able to take ownership of the document while she taught me how to reflect on my experience in ways that highlighted what I’d accomplished in my career.

Show what you know. Your path to success lies in the knowledge you hold, but that knowledge will get you nowhere if you don’t demonstrate it. There are plenty of opportunities outside of formal interviews in which you can show your smarts, including informational interviews, online forums, professional meet-ups and volunteering. Not only did I engage in conversations about marketing and social media on Twitter, I created a blog and maintained it regularly to demonstrate my writing skills and inspire engaging conversation.

Don’t wait. One of the biggest mistakes people make in their professional career is waiting until they need a network to build it. It is so easy to get comfortable with your job and put off attending professional events and joining business organizations, but if you do the work now, you’ll make incredible connections while continuing to learn about your field outside the bubble of your organization. And, if the time comes for you to tap into your network for help, it’ll be ready and waiting. I made the unfortunate mistake of waiting until I lost my job to build my network, but now that I’ve experienced the power of my connections firsthand, I don’t plan on letting that network dissipate.

There is no one standard way to successfully navigate a job search, but having a few tips in your pocket from someone whose “been there” can help. Although these sound like basic action steps, it’s surprising how many job seekers stubbornly avoid them. Connect with people, put time and effort into your résumé so it reflects what you’ve done and take those opportunities that give you a chance to show off your smarts. Good luck out there!

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If your job hunt is stalled, I can help! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.