Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Job Search Taking Too Long?

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In a recent post on nytimes.com, Eilene Zimmerman compiles a list of things to consider if your job search is going on much longer than you’d like.

Since this is such an important and timely topic, I thought I’d share these suggestions and my commentary!  Be sure to also read my previous blog, Tips if Your Job Search Goes On and On for more tips.

Zimmerman’s article suggests:

Ask for frank advice.  Do you have friends or colleagues who can offer a critique of your resume, professional presence and interview style?  Ask for their honest assessment.  (Miriam’s suggestion – consider hiring a career coach, as most people will not give you honest information.  Or, they don’t really have the answers that you need.)

Customize your resume. I have written about this topic frequently. You must target your resume and include keywords from the employer in your resume.  Many companies, especially large corporations, use computer software to review your resume.  The computer scans for key word matches. Mimic the language from the ad.  Use the organization’s website to inform you of the most important traits they seek.  Then, incorporate them into your resume.

Network. Zimmerman’s article reiterates the importance of asking for ADVICE, not for a job.  Informational interviews, during which you have an opportunity to learn about someone else’s career path and about their company, are KEY to the job hunt.  A great networking idea in the article:

Host a cocktail party and ask each of your friends to bring a friend that can aid in your job search,” said Michael Jalbert, president of MRINetwork, a recruitment firm in Philadelphia. “Gen Y is all about teams and sharing.”

Don’t forget online/social networking. I just wrote about how great linkedin is for the job seeker. Take advantage of opportunities to get your name and profile out.  If you are a good writer, consider starting a blog.  I’ve written about how having a blog is a great job seeking resource.  The Wall Street Journal article, How Blogs are Changing the Recruiting Landscape, reports that one recruitment manager spends one to two hours a week searching blogs for potential hires. In three years, blogs helped him fill 125 corporate jobs. Only take this on if you are willing to work at putting together something professional.  If your blog is sloppily done, it could hurt you.  Blogging about your industry can be a great way to gain a positive reputation.

Zimmerman’s article quotes Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner of Kensington Stone, an executive search firm in California commenting on the issue of job seekers creating blogs.  He says,

“[Creating a blog] creates a pull strategy rather than a push strategy. Instead of waiting for a response to your resume, you create something — a blog with forward-thinking comments and concepts — and it draws others to you.”

I’ve written about how “passive” job seekers (people who aren’t actually applying for jobs) are desirable.  This “pull” strategy concept – you put something out and they will come – plays on the fact that companies seem to like to hire people who don’t come looking for jobs.

The last two points in Zimmerman’s article focus on the interview and the job seeker’s expectations:

Don’t talk so much about yourself in the interview.  Instead, research the organization’s problems and specifically comment on how you can solve them. Being a problem solver and offering specific examples will  help make you seem more attractive.

Qualify expectations. Looking for a job takes time. The higher up in the corporate food chain you hope to go, the longer it takes.  Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find something right away.

 

Are You Linkedin?

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Today, my cyber-friend, Chris Russell blogged about how linkedin.com has become a national resume database and a source of choice for recruiters who love to snag “passive” job seekers who are not actually looking for work!

Personally, I think linkedin is a fabulous resource, even if you aren’t looking (even passively) for a job.  I first became a fan when I located two long-lost high school friends on linkedin when Google and other search resources proved useless.  

When I first joined, I was amazed at how quickly my network grew and the connections I gained.  If you don’t join, you may never know that a good friend of yours has a first-hand connection to someone in a position to hire you or provide crucial career advice or information!

In addition to serving as a source for recruiters, Linkedin offers tools to help you create and promote  a personal brand.  The “Answers” section provides a forum to demonstrate your expertise as well as a great place to network with professionals in your industry and beyond.   Often, if you provide a response that seems useful, you will be invited to “link” with the questioner, thus expanding your contacts.

Don’t forget that networking is important throughout your career, even when (especially when) you are NOT looking for a job.  Don’t miss the linkedin boat!

Keppie Careers will help you with every aspect of your job search.  www.keppiecareers.com

Review of Retire Retirement, by Tamara Erickson

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Regular readers know that I have been reviewing Tamara Erickson’s book, Retire Retirement. Although aimed at Boomers (born 1946 – 1964), the book offers insights that are useful across the generational alphabet!  Erickson’s research suggests that work culture will change in the next decade for several reasons:

1.  To accommodate Boomers seeking flexible, new experiences.  As the first generation with the realistic expectation of a 30-year healthy, active life after age 55, Boomers may engage in several new careers!

2. Because of Gen Y’s desire to have a work-life balance and refusal to join companies requiring 60-hour work weeks. 

(It seems as if Gen X doesn’t have much to say in this matter!)

Erickson makes the case that Boomers who wish to stay in the paid workforce will leverage a lot of power:

  • Boomer skills and experience are needed. Employers don’t want to experience the “brain drain” of Boomers retiring in droves.
  • Technology and a changing economy offer flexible ways of working.
  • Research shows that workers over 55 are more reliable and loyal than younger workers.

Erickson encourages readers to dream big and to think optimistically about their plans.  She believes that by 2025, more companies will embrace next-generation enterprises, which she describes as:

Intensely collaborative, continually informed, technologically adept and skilled at on-going experimentation…Companies will adopt flexible relationships and continual active connections to attract both talented employees and loyal customers (49).

As a result, she believes that employees should reasonably expect the following in the next 5 years:

  • Flexible time.  Changing shifts, compressed work week, individualized schedule.
  • Reduced time. Part-time, job sharing, leave-of-absence programs.
  • Cyclic time. Project-based or contract work.  Employees will focus on a project for a number of weeks or months, complete the work and then either take a break or move on to a new contract.  (Read more about this here.)
  • Flexible place. Telecommuting, no fixed location for work.
  • Task, not time. Instead of working 9 to 6, for example, employees would have a task and be required to put in only the time that it takes to get the work done.

Erickson offers specific strategies for Boomers to negotiate a new work plan.  She encourages this powerful and large group to reinvent themselves and dream big!  The book also outlines a myriad of ways for those seeking a brand new challenge (not with current or similar employers) to leverage their reputation, or “brand.”

Erickson emphasizes that responsibility for a new and improved work life is up to YOU!  Boomers (and future generations) need to plan in advance, position themselves and plot a course to navigate a desired career path.  Many successful workers will map their route years in advance and steer toward their goal.  Others will take advantage of unexpected opportunities.  Either way, a life’s worth of work impacts our options if we wish to work beyond traditional retirement age with the benefit of flexibility and personal choice.

If Erickson is correct about the changes coming to the workplace, Boomers, and younger generations as well should read Retire Retirement to begin to plan how to position themselves in a brave new working world!

Keppie Careers can help you achieve your career goals at any age!  Need a resume?  Job hunting help?  Keppie Careers will assist you every step of the way:  www.keppiecareers.com.

U.S. Jobs Data Isn't Pretty

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The AP reports on the March 7th Jobs data, and it isn’t pretty:

Employers Slash 63,000 Jobs in February, Most in 5 Years, Feeding Recession Fears

They also report that the unemployment rate actually went down from 4.9% in January to 4.8%  in February, indicating that hundreds of thousands of people stopped bothering to look for work. Hard hit sectors:  construction, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and professional and business services.

Better sectors:  education, health care, leisure and hospitality and the government.

The AP notes that the troubled job market  “Certainly solidifies the notion that the economy has fallen into a recession,” said Ken Mayland, economist at ClearView Economics.

A silver lining (if there is one), as economists predicted, workers with jobs showed slight wage gains, to to $17.80 in February, a 0.3 percent increase from the previous month.  The AP reminds us that these tiny increases don’t go far when prices for gas, food and other necessities continue to rise.

All of this information should re-focus the job seeker (and job holder) on the importance of a well run job search (and strong performance at work).  If you are an unemployed worker, consider alternatives to dropping out of the search – Keppie Careers  offers ideas for how to recession proof your career, suggestions of the best careers for today’s economy, information about what to do next if you’ve lost your job, rules for job hunting in a recession and tips if your search is going on and on.  

Be sure that your job search is on the right track.  Keppie Careers will write your resume,  help you with your correspondence and coach you through your interview and job hunt.  When you find your job, you will agree that seeking help is a great investment in yourself.

Be Sure to Vet Your References

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Do you know what your references are saying about you?

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!