Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

After a Lay-Off – Don’t Fall Into these Traps

By

One constant in job seeking is that there is no ONE “right” way to do anything. For example, some recruiters don’t appreciate thank you notes. Others require or expect them. (I maintain that it is safest to send them!)  There is, however, advice that seems to be ubiquitous. If you are job hunting as a result of a lay-off, Sarah Needleman offers some terrific, always relevant advice in her article for the Wall Street Journal. To avoid putting your foot in your mouth, keep these tips in mind! (Tips are from the article; commentary is my own.)

When applying, avoid expressing bitterness or self-pity. There’s no need to be specific about the circumstances of your job loss in your initial communication. While you should have an answer to the question about how and why you left your job for an interview, being laid off is not as much of a stigma as it once was, so don’t get too worked up about it. Focus on the positives – that you still have great skills to offer and are looking forward to using them for a new company.

Signal Confidence. Don’t be overly thankful! The article suggests that it isn’t a good idea to include lines such as, “Thank you so much for giving me consideration” as this may be a signal a lack of confidence. Don’t be overly self-confident, but make it clear what you have to offer instead of groveling and begging for consideration.

Be flexible and not fussy. There’s no question that employers will prefer candidates willing to do what it takes to get the job done. Demonstrate that you are a team player who is willing to hit the ground running.

But, don’t be TOO accommodating! Needleman reports that Russ Riendeau, a senior executive recruiter, does not believe candidates who say they are willing to go anywhere, travel all of the time or make other difficult concessions.  “When I hear that, I know it’s not true,” he says. “I know I’m dealing with a desperate candidate.” So – be flexible, but don’t come off as desperate!

Some unemployed job hunters also hurt their chances by volunteering to take a significantly lower salary than what they earned in their last job. Some recruiters will hold it against you if you offer to take a pay cut of more than 20%. I always suggest waiting as long as possible to discuss salary. Focus on why you are a strong candidate for the job and indicate what aspects appeal to you beyond salary. (Maybe the company specializes in an area where you know you can really contribute.) If you have good reasons for being willing to take a pay cut (beyond the fact that you will take any job to pay the bills), you’ll be more competitive.

Don’t forget – recruiters need to be sure you’ll stay in the job, or they may lose their fees or their credibility with their clients. If you seem like the type of candidate who will leave at the first opportunity, you aren’t going to be considered particularly desirable!

What other ideas do you have? I invite recruiters and candidates to share experiences in the comments!

Don’t forget that Keppie Careers can help you find the job you’ve been seeking, no matter what your circumstances: www.keppiecareers.com.

photo by g-hat

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

"Interview Suits" Make a Return Appearance

By

.

Image via Wikipedia

With many companies “casual” and Google and similar organizations with relaxed dress codes heading up “top employer” lists, knowing what to wear to an interview is a lot more complicated than it once was.

Conventional career advice says to dress more formally for an interview; it helps job seekers appear serious about the position and (when done correctly) gives applicants a more professional, polished look.

Well, now it’s officially stylish to turn back to the interview suit, according to Eric Wilson in the New York Times Style section. He explains, “… With the unemployment rate in America at a 14-year high and more than half a million jobs lost in the last three months alone, there has been a detectable shift in the way people are dressing for work. In the financial sector, certainly, the tone has become more serious, and as a predictable result, somber suits are making a comeback.”

The article reports that stores such as Men’s Wearhouse and Tahari are seeing higher sales for suits, especially classic navy and gray pinstripe styles classified as “interview suits.”

“We are back to a time when every company expected both women and men to wear suits and we didn’t have a Casual Friday,” said Gloria Mirrione, a managing director of A-L Associates, a financial services placement firm. “They are looking for a sharper style. I recommend a strong suit that says you are collected and ready to work.”

The fashion mavens do disagree about one thing: pant suits or skirts for women.

The bottom line is that interviewees must do their research to help determine the best choice for interview attire. Women especially have many choices. Pants or skirts, accessories, colors or traditional navy and gray?

Should you dress creatively – perhaps a flashy tie or colorful bag? Or conservative pin stripes? There is really no hard and fast rule. Do be aware that, in a tight job market, all of your choices are matters of scrutiny.  Before you even get to the interview, employers have potentially vetted you online by checking social networks and Googling your name.  Your resume was scanned for key words and scoured for skills and accomplishments.  You need to know who you are, but also how other people perceive you.

Bottom line – keep an eye on trends, but make choices that suit your plans. (Pun intended!)

What did you wear to your last interview? Was it the right choice?

Don’t forget that Keppie Careers is here to help with every aspect of your job hunt. Explore this site to learn how we can help you.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Can You Identify Your Single Greatest Accomplishment?

By

I’m working with a client whose documents include a note about a specific role that she performed in one of her positions. She indicates that this was “her single biggest professional accomplishment.”

This led me to ask: How many of us can identify our single greatest professional accomplishment? Can you? What if someone asked you in an interview what work experience made you the most proud? Could you pick one?

Maybe we are all too busy trying to identify our weaknesses to describe in an interview, when we should be focusing on the best things we have to offer. Think about it…If you don’t know your greatest strength, who does?

photo by ducktourer

What to Eat Before Your Interview

By

Who would have thunk it? It turns out that eating yogurt and nuts can help reduce anxiety, according to a new study by scientists in Slovakia. (Hat tip: Speechworks)

Joey Asher reports on Speechworks’ blog:

The scientists gave either amino-acid supplements or a placebo to a group of men and asked them to give a speech. The men who had taken the supplements experienced half as much anxiety according measurements of stress hormones in their bloodstream.

Yogurt and nuts have very high levels of the type of amino-acids used in the study.  So a healthy snack might help reduce your anxiety.

It seems logical that this stress-reducing snack might be a good choice in advance of an interview, which is kind of like a super-stressful speech and presentation all rolled into one!

So, prepare for your interview, and give yourself an extra boost by downing some yummy amino acids!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you via email! Prefer to subscribe in a reader? Click here for a link to receive Keppie Careers’ feed sent to the reader of your choice.

Anxious about your job hunt and don’t think that eating yogurt and nuts will solve all of your problems? We can help you with a successful job hunt. Need a great resume? Career search advice? Mock interivew? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

photo by josephp

Using Twitter to Hire – the Employer's Perspective

By

Yesterday, I shared several stories from people who used Twitter to help drive their career bus. Jessica Smith found her “dream job” from a tweet. Kyle Flaherty, moved his family from Boston to Austin, TX as a result of a job hunt that started as a tweet!

Kyle’s boss, Pam O’Neal (who hired him as a direct result of his tweet and blog post), was kind enough to answer some questions for me about using Twitter and social networking sites from the employer’s perspective. I hope you’ll agree with me that her answers help shed some light on the subject of social networking for a job hunt.

Tell me about using Twitter to hire?

Happy to share. I think it is a fantastic tool to find a job and for recruiting new hires. It’s a great way to expand your network exponentially to spread the word about an opening. And, if used properly, to alert employers that you are available.

In this instance, I knew it was going to be difficult–if not impossible–to find an experienced social media marketer. I had hired bloggers and other new media marketers before, so I knew what to expect. It’s a new role that demands a completely different mindset. Also, it’s difficult to find marketers who fit into a start-up culture. It’s usually best to hire someone you know or based on referral, but in this case, I knew no one that matched our needs.

How did you actually come to find Kyle? Did you receive his tweet directly? Via another contact? What about his tweet and/or blog appealed to you?

An important thing I’ve learned in my marketing career is to think like your prospect, speak their language and go where they are. So, when it comes to recruiting, I follow the same path. I had done this in my last position, pre-Twitter. In this case, however, I was not ready to broadcast the position, so I alerted my LinkedIn network, my PR agency, etc. Fortunately, one of the folks at our PR agency Porter Novelli was on the lookout for me and saw a tweet that Kyle posted about his next career move and alerted me that he would be a fantastic hire.

What was special about Kyle?

Kyle really took an out of the box approach using Twitter. He had already informed his employer that he wanted to make a career move and made a list of the exact opportunity he was looking for, so he posted an announcement to his 700+ Twitter followers and described that role. So, between the agency referral, Kyle’s use of Twitter and the insights he’d posted on his blog, I knew he would be a great addition to the team. I emailed him immediately.

(Note – I thought Pam’s description that follows of how she and Kyle used Twitter to update each other on the hiring process was really interesting…)

Once Kyle and I connected, we communicated throughout the interview process via Twitter. I followed his Twitter updates and sent him regular updates on what was going on at BreakingPoint (Pam’s organization) and in the industry. I could also tell the other companies he was talking to in Austin so I knew my competition. It was also a good way to get to know each others’ interests and philosophy about the role prior to closing the deal.

Do you (or your colleagues) regularly source employees online?

Not typically, but for hard to find specialists, I will alert my network via Twitter and other social media sites. We’ve had candidates reach out to us on Twitter and I’ve also spread the word for other colleagues who are hiring marketers.

What sites/tools do you use?

LinkedIn and Facebook mostly. I’m now a member of several online professional groups that I will use in the future.

How many employees have you connected with via social networking tools?

Wow, too many to count. I use them almost exclusively these days. Ads are a waste of money and sorting through stacks of resumes is an extraordinary waste of time. My last 4 or 5 hires have been through social media sites or personal referrals. I found Kyle via Twitter and a demand generation specialist via LinkedIn. I found a blogger via a social media content site. I can tell you that it has dramatically reduced interviewing costs. In two instances, I was able to hire the first candidate I interviewed as they were a somewhat “known” quantity based on their online profiles, content, network, etc.

Do you do background checks online as well? Have you ever NOT hired someone because of what you found?

I’ve used MySpace to do some “reference-checking” to see if a candidate would be a good hire. One such candidate foolishly posted publicly that he had enlisted in the army but would try to “get out of it” if he found a job. That was a couple of years ago. Needless to say, we didn’t bring him in for an interview.

Your Turn

So, how do you feel about engaging in a job hunt via Twitter? Would it be great if your prospective employer tweeted updates so you wouldn’t be left in the dark? What if you were also tweeting where else you were interviewing? Please share your thoughts about open-book hiring using Twitter!

—–

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you via email! Prefer to subscribe in a reader? Click here for a link to receive Keppie Careers’ feed sent to the reader of your choice.

We can help you with a successful job hunt. Need a great resume? Career search advice? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.