Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Job seeker – beware!

By

haircut5cents367152004_581426567e_mHave you been following our job search and hiring manager horror stories? I wanted to share these because they are good reminders to job seekers that “buyer beware” applies to them while out on the hunt. Have YOU ever experienced a scenario like this? Share in the comments!

This story from Doug a job seeker:

I was laid off from a job and had been offered a job earlier that week. Didn’t really check the new agency out. When I sent out an email saying you now can find me at this new agencies, I instantly started getting phone calls and emails saying, “You should have talked to me about them!” The owners was nuts. She had a ton of lawsuits against her, did things like grab her staff, buy plane tickets and rent limos to fly to another city on a cold-call, and make promises she couldn’t keep. I was there three months, most of that time spent trying to find another job, which I did and left gladly. That three-month period does not even appear on my resume.

From Chuck, a job seeker:

I was working in the Furniture industry several years ago. A company I had known for a long time asked me to interview for a position. I did interview and was given an offer. I accepted on the condition we (wife and self) had a successful real estate visit to the company location. After looking at real estate for two days and dining with the president and my new boss, I was told that my new boss had a friend who had come on the job market and he wanted to interview that person before he finalized things. (Things had been finalized before we ever left our home, except for a few details). I left, went home and told the company to take my name out of the hat. A week later they called me and offered me the job a second time. I politely declined. I tell youngsters new to job hunting to expect anything in a job search environment.

Don’t miss Parts 1 – 8. Follow THIS LINK and scroll to your favorite!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! 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.

How can a job seeker stand out?

By

cookiecutters1423128740_50b9ac55c8_mAs co-coordinator with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, I am proud to help launch a new community of expert career advisors and resume writing professionals called the called the Career Collective. Today’s post is one of many responses to the question, “Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?” I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which will all be linked at the end of my post by this afternoon! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

You’re a job seeker, so you want to stand out in a crowd. The LAST thing you want is to be called a “cookie cutter” applicant – someone who seems just like everyone else. We all know that the way to find a job is to stand out above a crowd. To be special – to be better.

So, the question is: How can you create your own shape?

As with many things, it may not be as complicated as you think.

– Know what you have to offer. You would be surprised (or maybe not!) to learn how few job seekers I meet can easily describe what skills they bring to the table. Being able to succinctly describe those skills in a networking setting – without resorting to the catch all/kiss of death, “I can do anything” will absolutely help you stand out. Follow THIS link for more ideas about your “elevator pitch.”

– Be a problem solver. Pitch yourself as a solutions oriented hire. Look for the organization’s “pain points” and identify ways that you can help. Remember – it’s all about what YOU can do for them! (Hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Recommend someone on LinkedIn for helping you. This really shows that you want to pay it forward. Have something nice to say? Well, say it!  (Another hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Know where to look. I teach clients to identify organizations and companies, not specific jobs. The fact is, most jobs are not actually advertised. (It may be as many as 70-80% of positions.) Rather, they are filled via networking and referrals. Stop spending all of your time looking for jobs. Research and target organizations instead and you will automatically stand out as someone not overly concerned with focusing on a specific job and more interested in the big picture.

– Use your ears more than your mouth. Ever been in a room full of people networking? They are all talking, but no one seems to listen? Be the listener. People LOVE listeners! Make a point to connect with people on a social and emotional level and you will stand out. (Learn more about this HERE.)

– Follow up! How many times have you networked your heart out, only to find yourself busy and overwhelmed? You didn’t make an effort to follow up and really connect after the event or to re-touch base online? Don’t let an opportunity slip through your fingers. Learn how to stand out by following up HERE. (There are probably some tips there you haven’t considered…They could change your job search for the better!)

– Great materials. This is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, most resumes are simply not very good. There are basic concerns – aesthetics, grammar, verb tense, consistency. These are not difficult to address. The bigger concern is making sure the resume specifically focuses on the employer’s needs and highlights the job seeker’s skills and accomplishments. If you are sending out a resume that lists “stuff” that you have done but is not adequately connecting to the employer’s needs, you are missing a key opportunity to stand out in the crowd.

There is no one ‘right’ way to look for a job that works for every person. So, don’t try to mold yourself into someone else’s shape. There is no “right” resume. There is no “best cover letter.” Not everyone likes or appreciates being approached the same way. So, stop trying to find the holy grail – it does not exist. Do your best to be your best. Go a little beyond the expected. You may be surprised.

Feel free to add your 2 cents to the comments…How can a job seeker stand out?

How have my colleagues responded? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts:

Megan Fitzgerald, Career By Choice’s Expat Success Tips:
 Ongoing Career management is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today’s New World of Work

Top Margin: Gayle’s Blog:
 Sabotaging Your Prospects: Cookie-cutter Style

J. T. O’Donnell of Careerealism:
 Cookie-cutters are for baking…not job searching

Chandlee Bryan of The Emerging Professional:
 On the cookie-cutter approach to the job search: Do you need a recipe?

Rosa Vargas of Creating Prints Resume Writing:
 Creating Prints Being a cookie-cutter jobseeker is a misfortune

Grace Kutney, Sweet Careers:
 Passive Job Seeker = Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers Blog:
 Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager’s Mouth

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend Blog: 
 Eating Bananas Doesn’t Make You an Ape

Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog:
 Avoiding Being a Cookie-Cutter Job-seeker In Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: 
Break the Mold: Don’t Be a Cookie Cutter

Rosalind Joffe, WorkingWithChronicIllness.com
Forget the cookies! Start with vision

Career Sherpa, Hannah Morgan
Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt!
photo by alessandropinna


Structure your time to land a job sooner

By

clocks.60496147_3330a11d13_mHave you been thinking about how you are using your time? My friend Jessica recently wrote about the topic of how she spends her job seeking time. She breaks it down pretty well – and notes that it keeps her pretty busy, eight hours a day!

When is the last time you really sat down to review how you were spending your hours? I think about this all the time as a business owner. What is the best use of my time? How can I help the most people? What are the best ways to approach new clients? What are efficient uses of my hours? How can I automate or outsource administrative tasks? What can I do to achieve my personal and business goals more quickly? Are there things that I need to say “no” to in order to stay on track and/or maintain my sanity?

I think many people struggle with these issues, but they are magnified for job seekers, who often allow themselves to be adrift in a sea of “job hunting” that doesn’t have much structure.

I have a client who lets me know that she is doing “a lot of networking” and applying for jobs, but is really frustrated because she has not landed something yet. She believes that she is doing everything she can. However, when I ask about what she is doing (specifically) or re-suggest a particular site or something to consider, she typically has NOT followed up on that suggestion.

So, some advice!

I’d suggest you make a list of all the things you are doing – people you are informational interviewing, companies you have researched, jobs you have applied for and other job seeking activities you have been doing so you can best evaluate the course of your job search. I know you feel that you have been doing a lot, but if you outline things, it may help identify deficiencies if there are any.

Take a good, long look at your list. What can you do MORE of? What can you do better? Maybe it “feels” like you are really busy and you have a sense you are doing a lot, but in reality, you can’t break it down in writing. Make yourself accountable. It makes a difference.

Need some help moving ahead with your search? Learn how I can help!

photo by Leo Reynolds