FIND EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL HIRE YOU

Executives and  technology professionals in job search mode face the daunting challenges of finding and connecting with senior executive who can advance their search. The challenge is made all the harder when you ask:

1. How do I discover who they are?
2. How do I discover their credentials to determine what they can do for me?
3. How do I discover their contact information?

Once you know what company you want to approach search the web site “about us” section to find the names of strategic executives.  Read their bios, do a web search to discover their other affiliations and above all, look for them on LinkedIn. Find people in your network who can/will introduce you.

If you have no one in your network, use the ’search’ feature and ‘company alerts’ function to find second or third level connections and connect with those who will help.  If that doesn’t get you to the right people, look to your own Internet search for a solution.

Zoom Info provides names and contact information for 38 million people for a fee.  The service, and others like it, may be an asset for a highly targeted job search.  Though my own test of the free information on my name (you can do the same) provided out of date and insufficient information, it is a good place to start.  Services like Zoom use data they obtain by extensive Internet search for mention of a given individual’s name.  If their information is incomplete or missing, services typically have no way to add or correct. The info is still useful because knowing former employers and board members may lead you to the people with whom you want to connect.

A dependable resource for finding either the contact information for the person to whom you hope to connect or those with whom they work is  a search engine string:  “email * xyz.com ” including the quotes and where xyz is the name of the company.

If it is U.S. Postal information you desire, try:  “mailto ** xyz.com “, again use the quotes and xyz is the company name.

I don’t advise home contact, but if all roads are blocked, you can often locate home numbers using: first name, last name, zip code.

For more detail on locating, connecting with and enticing hiring authorities to help with your job search, read, “Job Search Debugged, Insider’s Guide to Job Search.”

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My clients get the promotions they are after and the jobs they want.  Isn’t it time to step up your own job search efforts?  Job Search Coaching provides a cleared path to your next opportunity faster than doing it on your own.  Read “Job Search Debugged” to discover where the rocks are and how to scale them.  The advice works.  And if you want proof, you can talk to clients and read testimonials and more.

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This is my favorite time of year to send out greetings to everyone I know.  My mood is elevated by connecting to people I know and enjoy, even if it is only digitally.  I like that I am reminded of how I know them, the encounters of the past year and the sincere warm greetings I extend.

What I don’t like is that email is a corrupted, unpredictable tool.  Today I sent six “practice” emails to myself to ascertain the aesthetics of my message.  Only three were delivered to me.  It wasn’t that they were delayed, it was that they disappeared into that great digital ether.

How many times, I ask myself, do emails vanish with no warning or notice to the sender?  I suspect many more times than we would like to think.  Because the mailer daemon frequently alerts us to failed emails, we assume we are warned every time; a false hope.

As a job search coach, I frequently use email as IM for immediate and collaborative resume or elevator pitch creation.  In every case, at least one email is lost, sometimes more.  It is not unusual to resend three or four times before the email is delivered.

My personal experience tells me to warn all email users:  Never assume an email is delivered simply because you did not recieve a failure notice.

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Every bit of job search advice to executives and technology leaders tells the six figure income candidate to network.  You know the statistics say 87 percent of jobs are landed through some form of networking, yet you just can’t seem to pick up the phone and ask for what you need.

The simple truth is, networking is very hard; even some successful sales executives find it difficult to ask for help with their job search.  Often, when someone does overcome their fear of networking, they still don’t get what they need.

Wendy Gelberg, in her very readable book, The Successful Introvert, recognizes the problem and offers sound advice. She states, “The purpose of this book is to present strategies used by successful people – including numerous celebrities – in managing their introversion or shyness while becoming successful in professional endeavors.”

Gelberg includes solutions for meetings, interviews and telephone outreach. She recommends an approach that reminds the reader networking is all about sharing information.   I especially like her advice to people reluctant to ask for help to ask for advice instead.

She also reminds the reader that an interview is not an interrogation, it is a conversation where you are the consultant asked to help determine if you are the person to hire.  And her best advice, for shy folks as well as extroverts, “Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.”

I couldn’t agree more with Gelberg when she reminds the reader, shyness is neither good nor bad; it is simply another way to be.  Once you acknowledge you are an introvert, it is a straight path to managing your style to succeed with networking.

My best advice to anyone reluctant to network for what ever reason is to understand, people want to help, they just need to know what help looks like.  Read Gelberg’s book for details on how to overcome your shyness.

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The new year usually begins with national optimism.  This year, due to layoffs and financial crisis, that optimism is as scarce as a George Cluny marriage proposal.

1. Help someone.  Nothing helps us value ourselves more than when we do something for another person.  Make it a daily event.
2. Listen to your favorite music.
3. Use Netflix instant view to laugh out loud at season 1 of Thirty Rock
4. Be good to yourself.  For me, that is excellent tea from friends and a few hours of reading.
5. Take care of yourself.  Take your vitamins and get your exercise.
6. Play with the dog.   Dogs are joyous creatures and more than willing to share.
7. Give yourself permission to play hooky from job search for half a day.  Do something creative.
8. Call a friend to tell a joke.
9. Keep careful records of your accomplishments; read them before bedding down.
10. Clean the closet or the pantry.  Most people find getting rid of excess belongings uplifting.
11. Eat spicy food.  Chemicals released are mood elevators.
12. Read to a child.  They always appreciate the attention.  Borrow a neighbor child if you have to.
13. Write a letter by hand to a loved one.
14. Watch a silly movie.
15. Bake or cook something you have never baked/cooked before.
16. Visit JobMob for the latest in employment humor.

Above all, stop complaining.  And when others complain, shut them up with a joke or a tale of your most recent accomplishment.  Complaining solves nothing and it ruins your attitude.

And if you really want to make a dent in the job search confidence issue, hire a job search coach.

Please share your own antidotes to the blues in the comments section.

Happy New Year

Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach

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Job opportunities have always come your way.  Lately, you interview but offers don’t materialize.  You want to know why.  Consider these possibilities.

1.  You Talk Too Much. Whether you are seeking a job or the job is seeking you, the tension and pressure can make you talk too much.  If you want people to listen to you, you must be brief, answer the questions asked and include the listener in your response.

To prevent motor-mouth:

• Practice interviews and phone interviews.  Record them and revise until your answers are only three sentences long.  End with a question where possible.
• Watch the listener’s eyes for interest.  When they wander, ask a question.
• Practice responding to difficult questions in three sentences.
• Become familiar with your vocational assets and accomplishments as they apply to the job so you can answer any question with confidence.
• Focus on the objective for the interview.  The interviewer hopes to establish a bond, not hear an autobiography.

2. You Misunderstand the “Tell Me About Yourself” Question.  Most people answer this question starting with their education and then a list of all their previous jobs. It is the wrong place to start. This is your opportunity to target the company needs and demonstrate how your experience is relevant to the job.

The better answer:

• Come prepared with a solid pitch about what part of your background makes you a good fit for the job.
• Tell why you selected this company as a prospective employer.

• Practice with a video camera or tape recorder.  Your response to this question can be a deal killer or a chance to shine.

3.  You offered a solution when they really didn’t want one. You are asked your opinion on challenges facing the employer.  It is easy to assume they want you to offer a solution. They don’t.  This question is a way for the company to see how you solve problems.

The key - Ask, don’t tell:

• Ask what has been tried to date and the results.
• Ask what outcome they would like to see and discuss in detail.
• Ask why it did or did not work and what resources are currently available.
• List what you would need to know before you could have a comprehensive solution.
• Tell them about another experience where you solved a similar problem and acknowledge the situations are no doubt different.
• Tell them what resources you used, the solution and the results.  Make certain the employer understands you know you don’t have enough detail to say this will be an appropriate solution for them.

4. Your references did not shine. Employers tend to place a high value on references.  Just because your former employers liked you doesn’t mean they have the right patter to communicate your qualifications.

Worse yet, just because they liked you doesn’t mean they will give you a good reference.  HR professionals often hear “Are you certain she gave you my name as a reference?” and “I don’t know what he has been up to lately, but when he worked for me, he wasn’t management material” and other deal-killer comments.

Prepared references are good references:

• Make sure the contact information is current.
• Your references want to help you. Communicate the specific needs of the employer, the position and the qualities the employer is looking for.
• Fill your references in on what you have been doing so they are knowledgeable about your latest accomplishments.

Finally, to conduct your best interview, put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes.  They have an opening in the company that needs to be filled.  Believe it or not, they are actually looking for a reason to hire you.

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Tough employment times calls for tough solutions.

This last month I spoke to several executives and a few technology leaders formerly in six figure jobs who are out of work and looking for answers.  To a person, they cling to what they have always done to find a job; and to a person, they had not received a job offer after four months trying.

Their credentials are excellent, they present themselves well.  Why then, have these outstanding members of the technology community not found a new job?  Each person had different issues and none was prepared to address them.  As a job search coach I am frustrated, but I do understand how, in times of crisis, people resort to what they believe are tried and true solutions.  My decades long experience in the employment market tells me they are wrong.

1.  Most every other candidate is doing exactly what you are doing.  How then, can you distinguish yourself from the crowd?

This is critical.  How do you stand out from the crowd?  Forget the web site submissions and unsolicited emails. Target three companies and get to the “C” level executives with a message they can’t refuse.  Easier than it sounds.  Use LinkedIn to see who you know who can (will) introduce you.  Remember to do it with a “Palm Up” attitude.  Ask what you might do for them in return and make absolutely certain to send a thank you note.

2.  You ask for generic support hoping someone will figure out what you need.

This one is so common I have heard every argument about why it is done.  And not one reason is valid.  People respond best to a specific request.  “I wonder if you can introduce me to Annie Lenox and two other people who do what she does?”  works better than, “Can you introduce me to people with job openings.”

3. You blanket the earth with your resume in hopes one will land on the right desk and actually be read.

Networking is the way most jobs are obtained.  No matter how great your credentials, a referred candidate will always trump random spewing of your resume.  You’d be surprised how seldom resumes are read without an introduction.  Worse yet, if you hook up with recruiters who have a job search for one of the companies where you submitted your resume, they can’t present your credentials.  So you lose twice.

4. You do get an interview but use much of your time bemoaning the fact that it is hard to find a job.

Ok, it’s a tough job market.  So, toughen up.  Be optimistic and upbeat.  It is your self confidence and positive attitude that will win you the next round of interviews.  Leave all the suffering at the door.

5. You are reluctant to ask for help.

Get over it. Fact:  People want to help.  Even your former administrative assistant may know of job openings or people you should meet.

6. You honestly believe all the time spent on job boards will result in a job.

Unless you are an individual contributor, job boards don’t work.  Less than 1% of senior jobs are filled through job boards, so stop wasting your time.  No matter how many jobs you find where your credentials are a perfect match, the probability you will even get an acknowledgment from the hiring contact is next to nil.  Remember, most jobs are filled through networking.

7. You curtail spending and neglect to attend conferences and seminars.

Where are hiring authorities during the work week?  In front of customers, at conferences and seminars. That’s where you need to be.  Many companies assume these events are the proper venue to scout out senior candidates.  Can’t afford to go?  Offer to “sit the booth” for a company for free if they pay your expenses.

8.  You use social networking sites improperly.

If your profile begins, “15 years experience…” you shot yourself in the foot.  Use that precious real estate to broadcast your accomplishments, not how old you are.  Craft the proper message to get the attention of hiring authorities and the search engines.

With the promise of more lay offs, the sooner you land a new job, the safer you will be.  This is no time to be conservative.  Consider hiring a career or job search coach.  If you chose wisely, a coach who knows your industry can save you months of unemployment, and doesn’t that justify the expense?

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IT ISN’T EASY, BUT IT IS SIMPLE

Reluctance to network and poor networking techniques are the most common barriers to landing new employment quickly. Statistics show over 75% of jobs are filled through networking: Not ads, not job boards.

While proper networking is simple, it is not easy. To make networking less of a challenge, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Accept that people want to help. Help them understand what you need. Know what you can do for them in return.

2. Craft an elevator pitch to tell the world what you do, how you do it and why you are successful. No more, not less. “I am a project manager who delivers quality products on time and on budget because I create intradepartmental dialogue.”

3. Examine who you already know and include:

• Friends
• Previous employers
• Your references
• Any service providers or vendors
• Synagogue or Church, cultural associations
• Hobby groups and golf buddies
• Volunteer associates
• Your doctor, dentist and real estate professionals
• Your significant other’s connections

4. Ask for specifics and offer justification for your request. “I develop quality C++ code and have delivered seven SaaS projects on time and on budget. Can you introduce me to three companies who are creating SaaS applications?”

Tailor your request to the audience. You may ask for introductions to people who know where those companies are or you might want to get connected to people who do what you do in hopes they can pass on leads to you.

Once you know what to say and how to say it, you can overcome your networking challenges. For a step by step guide to effective networking:  Networking Debugged can be purchased here:

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Read why job hunting during the holidays is a great idea.  As guest blogger on Single Minded Women I explain why this is so.

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