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By rashley, June 25, 2009 11:43 am

  Locate Seattle’s hidden job market

Frustrated candidates lament the existence of the hidden job market.  Reason tells us there is no such thing, that instead, the candidate has not found the open sesame’ to reveal where the jobs are.

In his often quoted commentary on the costs incurred by an unfilled position, Dr. John Sullivan, Head and Professor of Human Resource Management College of Business, San Francisco State University, cites a litany of deleterious affects resulting from unfilled jobs.

To name only a few:

• delayed product development
• loss of new product ideas
• increased time to market
• loss of team productivity
• increased management time and effort
• resentment of superstar employees who are as asked to ‘fill in,’

Tangible losses often amount to hundreds of thousands in lost revenue, and significantly more if the open position is a senior sales executive or business development professional.

Knowing this, why would any company keep their job openings hidden?  The truth is the job market is not hidden, it is only not yet discovered by you.  How does the executive or technology professional learn who is hiring?

The obvious answer is, ask people. But while networking is the simple and obvious solution, it is not easy.  Many people find networking when they require information or introductions for themselves to be extremely difficult. 

I suggest taking networking to a different level than is commonly considered.  Bonding is far more effective than collecting contact information.  Just as an introduction is more powerful than a referral, so to is a personal relationship more effective than an request from a stranger.

Often, the more senior a job seeker, the more difficult it is to ask for help.  Thus, I suggest, ask for advice instead of help.  “My instincts tell me my experience is a good fit for the VP Development at Disney.  What would you do to get connected to the hiring authority?”  If you achieve critical mass in your exposure to many people, just like Brownian motion, you are bound to connect with exactly the right elements to become newly employed.

Resources:

Digital Eves –  a virtual community of 1,500 women (and some men) in technology.   A group that discusses everything from how to debug a bit of JavaScript, to feedback on a portfolio, to dealing with an HR problem at work, to technology news. It’s also a great place to post and look for job openings.  There are strict guidelines for the posts, but it is a direct link to peers and if you participate in the threads, you will make new friends who may be able to direct you to job openings.

Linked Seattle is a LinkedIn a Seattle-specific group for locals.  While not a job search site, it is a profoundly good place to network.  Interact, create discussions and get to know people.  You never know who will offer a tip or introduction once you get to know them.

Eggsprout.com is a technology site specific to Seattle for social networking, community building and a large data base of Seattle technology jobs.  Visit often since employers list jobs and contact information.

Craigslist.com has many listings for major cities, Seattle included.

Gay professionals can select from a variety of meet-ups and social networking activities for professionals. Participate, don’t be a drive by shooting attendee.  Another resource of over 1000 GLBT professionals is Seattle gay scene.  While not specifically a job search social networking organization, many find leads and introductions to gay-friendly companies.

A grass roots organization, Seattle Job Social has grown to attract hundreds of attendees, recruiters and hiring authorities.  Geoff Tucker and a few of his friends needed a place to gather where employers could find them en-mass. The result is an event where folks  exchange resumes, instant interviews are conducted and appointments are made.   There are many such activities and groups in Seattle.  Periodic search engine research will reveal others.  Set a news alert on several search engines.

The Jewish Jobs Network serves hundreds of Jewish professionals in Puget Sound.  The network provides help and connections in meetings and informal networking.  Contact Ben Meyerhoff at bmeryerhoffl@msn.com.

Don’t forget LinkedIn.   Join all the Seattle-centric groups available and participate.  Ask questions and respond to discussions.  Make new friends.  Reply privately to keep the discussions going; create real bonds.

Many groups host job search related activities.  While most of them are great places to meet other job seekers (who may offer leads to jobs in which they are not interested) the job search information shared in these sessions is rarely valuable.  Vet the speakers and presenters carefully.  A well trafficked web site does not an employment expert make.

MIT in Washington is the venerable place to meet technology executives and often even investors and hiring authorities.  The programs are rich and often include name-brand executives and highly relevant topics.  Go to participate.  Arrive at least 30 minutes before the program because that is when networking is done.  Come prepared with conversation starters, business cards and a genuine interest in the topic.  During the event, ask incisive questions.  Follow up the next day from the business cards you collected.

WTIA, formerly the Washington Software Association, has morphed into a commanding resource for the Seattle technology community.  If you want to connect to technology executives, volunteer for one of the many activities of the WTIA.  Contribute. Go to the events, become an expected figure.  Make new friends. 

Seattle is host to countless business-building events.  Keep track of the calendars for the investment community presentations. 

Those interested in early stage or start up companies may find attending the $250 Fast Pitch conference sponsored by WTIA a good investment. Twenty-five early stage companies are on display and exhibit their product and give a short overview to investors and other attendees.  Great place to meet people, learn about new companies and be seen.

The Northwest Entrepreneur Network, is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed. Activities and programs are focused on building the entrepreneurial and venture community in the Northwest and enabling entrepreneurs to access resources and funding to accelerate their business growth.  They host several events and provide an excellent forum for networking.

While job search with a nonprofit requires the same highly targeted and polished job search, there are additional resources for Seattle.

• I Love Seattle lists nonprofits
• Yelp offers discussion of nonprofits
• Seattle Times lists nonprofits and contact information
• LinkedIn has valuable informaton on connecting to nonprofits.
• Puget Sound Business Journal Book of Lists has details on the 25 largest not for profit companies.

Subscribe to the Puget Sound Business Journal and be especially protective of your complimentary copy of the Book of Lists. If you are interested in the top 25 companies in any sector, the Book of Lists will tell you the players, the company revenue and so much more. 

John Cook’s Venture blog and his Tech Flash are up to the minute reviews of what is going on with technology companies in Seattle.  Follow the names, companies and products with John’s constant vigilance.

Xconomy, another Seattle-based resource, is dedicated to providing business and technology leaders with timely, insightful, close-to-the-scene information about the local personalities, companies, and technological trends that best exemplify today’s high-tech economy. 

Set search engine alerts for events, companies and people to keep informed.  If you want to drill down even further, create a Boolean String for your anticipated job title, prospective employer or other relevant information to cull from a search engine.   Be sure to include Seattle or range of zip codes in your string.

For all its horrendous traffic and densely populated neighborhoods, Seattle’s technology sector is a ‘small town.’  Once you are connected to a range of people, you are only one or at best two degrees of separation from the person who will hire you for your next job.  It is all about how you ask, who you ask and your nuanced messaging.  But that’s another topic.

For even more links to resources:  http://www.jobsearchdebugged.com/blog/?p=334

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By rashley, June 14, 2009 4:33 pm

What does ‘overqualified’ really mean?

Few comments by employers are as demoralizing to candidates than, “We like you but you are overqualified for this job.” Read why employers tell you you are overqualified and what you can do about it.

READ MORE.

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By thejobcoach, June 11, 2009 12:51 pm

  THE ELEVATOR PITCH–Is Yours Working?

Your brand [Elevator Pitch] is the promise you make to a prospective employer.  Shivonne Byrne, Microsoft Branding Executive.

Do people respond to it with questions about your work, your success or processes? Do they want to learn more? Do they invite you to talk about your credentials? Do they offer to introduce you to others? Do they show interest so you can invite them to meet at a future date? Do they ask for your business card?

Simply stated, the Elevator Pitch is a powerful tool to gain the attention of a person who will offer leads, an opportunity and introductions to people who can provide them.  The whole idea of the elevator pitch is to communicate very quickly why they want to learn more.

The tactic you use is to relate what you do to what they do. Understand your client. If, for example, you are talking to a financial person and you are an IT professional, you probably don’t want to stress the latest technologies you implemented in record time. You do want to stress how what you did affected the bottom line or the impact your work had on the stock or upcoming IPO.

Critical to this conversation is your own understanding of what you do.

• What makes you unique and why anyone would care?
• Your pitch must be clear, succinct and interesting.

Your pitch becomes the basis for your resume and all your outreach.  It is the fulcrum of all your communications and the trigger that creates conversations, generates interviews and signals to contacts why they want to help you.

This is your opportunity to convey your passion for what you do and the importance of the outcomes. Need more reasons to create a great Elevator pitch?  Think about all those social networking events where you just didn’t know how to start a conversation, or worse, stammered when someone asked, “what do you do?”  Your elevator pitch at the ready, you can respond with confidence.

An article worth reading: Good Advice for an Elevator Pitch.  For a tutorial on elevator pitches download Elevator Pitch Essentials from Chris O’leary.  His guide is free and endorsed by Guy Kawasaki.  Of course, I would be remiss if I did not suggest you should purchase my book, Job Search Debugged, to get the full range of elevator pitch uses.

OK, that’s the theory of the Elevator pitch, here’s reality. In all my years in recruiting and coaching I’ve rarely found anyone who has their pitch down cold. It is difficult to see our own image. Often, the pitch is lukewarm and the words just stumble out because the job seeker isn’t comfortable with it. Or worse, it sounds canned and doesn’t change with the audience.

Tip:  Say your elevator pitch to a twelve year old.  If they can tell you what you do, you have a good pitch.  If not, keep working until yours is clear and simple.  Crafting your pitch isn’t the time to show you are the smartest person in the room; it is the time to say something so interesting, the listener asks questions.

The Internet has fundamentally altered job search behavior – the way employers identify, evaluate and hire is changed forever.  Email me for your free chapter:     BASICS FOR SIX-FIGURE INCOME CANDIDATES

Job Seekers must accept employer behavior has evolved and learn how to use digital job search methods to land their jobs.  Effective use of LinkedIn, blogs and search engine alerts combined with excellent use of job search engines gets you a faster outcome.

Download Job Search Debugged and learn how to:

• Get what you need from your network; job leads and introductions
• Avoid common traps that trip up the competition
• Create messaging that makes you memorable
• Use digital job search tools to optimize your search

Want a sneak peek at the table of contents?  Job Search Debugged Table of Contents.

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By rashley, June 3, 2009 5:51 pm

A thread in the Executive Marketing Group of LinkedIn* opened a discussion on the value of social networking sites and extreme SEO as marketing tools.  Many great points were made, but the main idea was, would social networking take the place of current marketing techniques and outreach?

As a former marketing executive back in the day when computers were steam driven, I tire of listening to all the pet rock conversations.  The basics of marketing are the basics of marketing for a reason.

As for the social networks and commerce, doesn’t it all depend on the target audience?  The assumption is that the entire customer base for all the products uses Twitter et al. The increased population of social network sites does not reflect those who stay away in droves…read, missed opportunities.

I whine; cannot commerce benefit from a focus on more than just genX, genY.

In the words of one savvy respondent, Paul Van Winkle, Corporate Marketing Officer, “There are clear basics and fundamental principles (of marketing and any other practice) — and there are new developments and contexts. New developments don’t change the requirements for basic principles and knowledge! Yes, false prophets and counsels of fools seem often confused, and are often driving the buses.”

I keep track of the thread and have contributed my own two cents. The concept of using social networking for job search reared its ugly head and I am provoked to rant.  Readers of my blog know it doesn’t take much.

In my practice for executives and technology leaders I often field questions about the viability of Facebook and Twitter as employment resources. The answer remains the same and probably will for years; nothing beats talking to people to create a real network (as apposed to simply acquiring contact information). There are better places for executives to spend their precious time be it online or off.

Again, as a job search coach, I am inflamed by the mythologies and carpetbaggers who derail candidates’ job searches with simplistic solutions.   I shake my virtual fist at Paul’s false profits who encourage candidates to rely heavily on Twitter et all for leads, connections and job opportunities.

Those who embrace that advice take what looks like the easy way out (it is hard to pick up the phone when you are an exec and you more so when you need something; far easier to use the keyboard) and thus postpone the time when they are once again contributing to the economy by spending their six figure income.

Net?  In my view the big picture is the ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS DELAYED by job seekers who embrace all the hoodlihoo about social networks as job search nirvana…And that’s the truth (a quote from Edith Anne, which tells you, I am not a GenY,X.)

I anticipate as I post this blog that I will receive many comments, anecdotal declarations of success using Facebook or Twitter.  But the fact remains, statistically, a technology leader or executive’s time is best spent establishing personal connections to real people with whom they create a bond.

*you must be a member of the group to see the thread.  LinkedIn is not, in my view a social networking site; it is a business networking site and does not fall into the category discussed in this blog.

Free until June 8. Networking Debugged
w/purchase of Job Search Debugged

Order Job Search Debugged and I will send you Networking Debugged

Podcast on Job Search Issues: http://jobsearchradio.sprnetwork.com/

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