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By rashley, November 8, 2009 9:33 pm

A few reasons some people are still unemployed.

The statistics are horrible.  Over 10% unemployment. Consultants and executives who have ‘aged out’ of the unemployment roles are not included.  Entrepreneurs who don’t qualify and interns who don’t find paid work are not included.  So the number is a lot higher than the statistic reports.

And it is those very executives and consultants who feed the economy. Laborers and hourly people don’t feed the beast.  We must get middle managers and executives back to work and spending money.  Short sales and bankruptcies are still occurring with wretched frequency.

My solution?  Revitalize the job search.  Learn how to do it right.  Stop doing what isn’t working.  I see executives uncovering great leads but shooting themselves in the foot with poor process or blind belief in job search myths.

One sad fellow called me because he had been on five interviews with five different companies and never made it to the second round.  After talking to him for just a few minutes, I knew why.  He couldn’t stop talking.

His desperation was palpable.  He wanted to make sure I knew every possible thing about him in case some one thing would trigger my response to hire him.  I couldn’t even get in a word to tell him I don’t hire people.

He sent me a resume and asked if my clients were hiring.  Bad.  Very bad.  He didn’t even know what I do.  He just sent out blind and random emails with his resume with no regard for the recipient.  His was not the first inquiry that assumed I am a recruiter or hiring manager.

Sending a resume and cover letter when none is requested is a career limiting behavior.  Not having an introduction also hurts.

Another had the opposite problem.  He didn’t ask questions or assert his competency with examples and outcomes.  He used words like, responsible for, led and managed without saying what he actually did and accomplished.

One bloke, at the end of the interview, proposed he would take the job for $50,000/year less than their range.  He was surprised and even a bit angry when they didn’t take him up on his offer to buy the job.  He overlooked that employers want the very best fit for any job opening because companies are fragile.  Clearly, he conveyed he didn’t think he was worth very much.

This horrible job market is not forgiving.  You can’t make any mistakes and you must create the most compelling job search you can.  That requires an assessment of your current method and a review of what others do that works.

• Conduct mock interviews that you can record and review.
• Practice your elevator pitch.
• Rework your resume to reflect the priorities of the job description.
• Spend hours each day in research and networking.
• Use the internet wisely to learn what you can about the company, the job and the opening.
• Reach out to others to see if you can help them.
• Ask for help with specific parameters such as the name of a company, person or domain.

Job search is not easy, but it is simple.  Keep a clear focus and don’t get so wound up attending and writing that you forget to follow up.  Make real connections to people and enjoy the ride.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you would like support creating your own compelling and expeditious job search, contact me. We can focus on your specific challenges and define a custom program.

My clients get hired; not brag-fact.

Perhaps you feel a proven book with field tested techniques is your first step toward an effective job search. You can download Job Search Debugged for advice that works.

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By rashley, October 14, 2009 2:18 pm

This morning my email revealed four personal messages from LinkedIn readers who responded to my comments and posts.

Each complained of overly long job searches and expressed they had no clue what is going on.  They wondered:  Blacklisted?  Are the jobs real?

Nope.  Your writing is so poor your credentials are not being considered.  Seriously, if you can’t write a decent email or cover letter how can you be expected to speak  well and represent the company?

It’s too easy to assume follow-up didn’t occur because of age, too many applicants or other spurious reasons.

Fact is, most cover letters, emails and even blog post responses demonstrate very poor written communications.  No matter how informal the correspondence, it must demonstrate you are literate and educated.  Never say, “It’s just an email.”

Be especially mindful of use of advice/advise and never use exclamation points in business correspondence.  If what you say is important and true, you don’t need to call attention with punctuation.

Don’t get cute or use smiley faces.  Read your missive aloud to ascertain proper sentence structure and word usage.  Still not sure?  Let someone proof your work.

Job Search is stressful and mistakes are easily made. Don’t let your writing mistakes prevent you from making it to the next step.

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing people see about you.  Tear yours apart for grammar and sentence structure.  Does every line convey a compelling message?  Can the reader immediately see what you can do for them and why you are exceptional?

Make certain your writing is excellent and you will increase the success of your job search.  Just last week two of my clients received compliments from hiring authorities on the organization and flow of their resumes and cover letter.  People notice. Make certain your communications are being noticed for all the right reasons.

Need help evaluating your LinkedIn profile?  Is your resume getting complements? Do you have a compelling elevator pitch?  Check out my web site for information on Coaching to fix those elements…

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By rashley, September 3, 2009 4:09 pm

A stealth job search is always a risk. Just as soon as you take one interview, you run the risk of discovery regardless of your undercover social networking efforts. No matter how they promise secrecy, folks use the informal network to learn about you. And anyone who sees you enter the building or offices may know you and spread the news. Gossip is a wonderful thing.

Prepare for the worst. Protect yourself financially and know what to say when you are discovered. Then proceed with caution.

In my book, “Job Search Debugged” I discuss the stealth job search at length and mention a case where the candidate took a meeting 22 miles from his office and ran into the CEO’s admin. Discovery is likely regardless of your efforts.

The concept of the ‘passive’ candidate includes being found and courted. The comments above about how to assert your expertise, your brand, are useful but without active participation on the part of the applicant, landing a job that way is a slow road, at best. Establishing your brand for your career is a long term project and if you have been conscientious about that, you are already known. Branding is not just for job search.

Sometimes, honesty is the best policy. Remember, the folks you currently work for will ultimately become your references on the job after this one. Work to preserve them with integrity.

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By rashley, September 2, 2009 10:27 am

It’s that time of year again.  Seattle is getting wound up and ready to meet.  Topics range from social networking, the hottest thing since the Edsel to the tried and true start up entrepenuerial issues.  For more information subscribe for constant updates on what is going on, where.

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By rashley, August 26, 2009 7:32 pm

An ongoing series of articles with field-tested advice for those over fifty years old can be found on Seattle Examiner.

Browse the site for other articles to help you refine your job search.

Subscribe to Seattle Examiner.com for updates to this important topic.

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By rashley, August 25, 2009 10:49 am

Job Coach Lament

I wore my jeans to interview

’cause that’s what they all wear

My job coach told me not to

but I really didn’t care

.

I waited in the Lobby

what seemed a very long time

no one offered eye contact

a wall I sought to climb

.

I thought I was invisible

worst fears of the night

no one took me seriously

could it be the coach was right?

.

Next time there was an interview

I definitely suited up

The receptionist’s eyes told me

my apparel said, “not pup.”

.

The next advice I passed on

with an even worse result

I gave too much information

from childhood to adult

.

I saw the eyes glaze over

no way that she could listen

I kept on giving bio

though I knew I’d blown my mission

.

They asked me about money

and I evaded an actual answer

she glared at me with venom

as if I’d promised her cancer

.

Coach told me to give a number

and not negotiate sans offer

but I argued most effectively

imagining an empty coffer

.

The interview ended quickly

and I was not called back

I guess I didn’t listen

my future looked quite black

.

Why did I pay her money

and then not take her heed

if I knew how to do a job search

I’d have a damned job already.

Original Poem by Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach

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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 admin, April 10, 2009 10:25 pm

Job Search Engines

If you are engaged in a serious job search, you have run into job search engines. They aggregate job descriptions from a variety of sources, most directly from the hiring company. They tend to duplicate one another, but they are all worth using for those exceptions.

They are not job boards.  If they require you submit a resume, they are a job board, not a job search engine. Their only function is to list companies with job openings.  They don’t charge money and they don’t require resume submission.  They simply list opportunities and you select whom you want to contact.  The occasional job board or recruiter listing slips in, but you can ignore them in favor of direct employers.

My test for a director of development showed many jobs on The Ladders and other job boards but those same jobs were also shown at the company web site for direct connections.

If you use these job search engines, understand that not every company uses the same terminology for the same job. Use a variety of titles to round up the greatest selection of jobs you might want. Some of the sites will update you on new opportunities for your title choices.

This is a partial list as new job search engines crop up all the time, especially in specific geographies.  Be sure to check out your own town’s web site for job listings.  Understand the difference between job boards and job search engines so you don’t waste time with job boards.  Don’t submit your resume to the web site.  Look for connections who can introduce you and you jump to the head of the line.

simply hired is a template for most job search engines. The site aggregates results from major job websites, newspapers, company websites, associations and other online sources. Employers cannot post jobs. Site is strictly for job seekers. Users can search by occupation, job title or location.

indeed is the oldest of the group of job search engines.

Juju – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location

Jobs online – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location

Job Volume – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location.  Includes Govt Jobs.

hound requires sign up but will send out opportunities.

Jobpier requires log in and user information.

Joes Jobs is all about software development openings. And lots of them from around the world.

37 signals has listings for web developers and designers, for the most part.

Creative has a site for about any creative type you can imagine and even allows users to post their portfolio. This is a sophisticated site with a variety of services.

LinkUp LinkUp is a job search engine that searches for jobs within company websites. Here are five search tips that will help you use LinkUp more effectively.

Yahoo Hot Jobs Yahoo Hot Jobs is one of the largest and most well known job search engines on the Web.

LinkedIn.com LinkedIn.com has listings of jobs submitted by members as well as those culled from direct employers.  A useful feature is Alerts can be set to monitor activity on your choice of companies.

Craigslist There are all sorts of interesting jobs on Craigslist. Just find your city, look under Jobs, then look under your job category. Non-profit, systems, government, writing, etc. jobs are all represented here.

For those of you in Seattle, a job board that acts like a job search engine is eggsprout.com.  As of this writing, most of the jobs are listed by corporate HR departments.

For lists of specialty search engines and local options http://tinyurl.com/as27e and http://tinyurl.com/9p6l5

My suggestion is to use more than one site to discover the direct path to the job since using any of the job boards just means you have more competition. A direct approach is always preferable and a referral is even better.

Chances are there are specific companies in which you are interested.  Set alerts on search engines using key words, job titles and names of companies.  Often this provides you with knowledge of jobs before other’s by days and weeks.

For clear, step-by-step advice on what to do after you discover a job opening, read, “Networking Debugged.” If you would like a job search tune-up, purchase,  “Job Search Debugged.”

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By admin, April 7, 2009 12:03 pm

While the job-search world is filled with competent and effective recruiters, my email from angry candidates who have dealt with the worst of the lot and responses to my LinkedIn threads shout there are a lot of bad recruiters and harmful recruiting practices candidates encounter.  Offenses are not just borderline-ethical with traps set for unsuspecting candidates; the field is populated with incompetent recruiters who believe recruiting is an easy way to make a fast buck.

How can this be? Barriers to entry for recruiters are invisible.  Anyone with a telephone and a voice can call themselves a recruiter.  They may not last long in the profession, but their truncated longevity doesn’t mean you won’t encounter them.

Bad apples taint the waters and the good recruiters, those who provide such an important service that easily, over 35% of executive-level jobs are filled by them, have to wrestle with the general perception recruiters are just like used-car sales people.  Not much anyone can do about that other than keep their own practices above reproach.

Candidates are at risk. While I have cautioned how to avoid a bad recruiter to protect candidates, sometimes you just can’t tell the recruiter is incompetent until after you submit your resume.

After the fact. Once you have given the recruiter your resume and she seems unable to give you the information you need or has difficulty representing you with her client, it is time to take charge.  You don’t want to offend the recruiter because he is the gatekeeper and can harm your efforts to get face time with his client.

Example. One example from my coaching practice, names changed to protect, demonstrates how to work with a recruiter who is incompetent or inexperienced and still get what you need.

Wendy found Bill’s contact information on LinkedIn and wasted no time phoning him about a job opening she heard about.  The job had been open for three months and she felt the company would welcome an unsolicited resume from her.  She didn’t have the search but was certain with Bill’s resume, she could get the assignment.  (This is called the Trojan horse method and is encouraged in many recruiter training sessions.)

Wendy contacted Bill with a vague job description and a few made-up statistics about the job and the salary range.  Bill sent Wendy his resume and the only precaution he took was to tell her not to send the resume anywhere but the hiring company without asking.  She readily agreed and as soon as she had the resume, Wendy called the company in question.

She had not interviewed Bill nor did she have a grasp on how his strengths with the Agile software environment were important skills the employer would find compelling.  Somehow, she landed the search based on this one (and only this one) resume.  Later, when Bill asked Wendy questions about the job and why it had gone unfilled for so long, she revealed her ignorance.

What to do. Time for Bill to take matters in his own hands.  He consulted LinkedIn.com to see who he knew who would shed light on the company and the opportunity. He contacted his favorite recruiter and asked him what he knew about the company and job. There are few secrets among headhunters in the local search community. Bill discovered the hiring company’s various interviewers had conflicting priorities which was why they had little success filling the spot in a town filled with probable candidates.

Bill located former employees willing to support his interest in the company.  He was thus able to get a bead on the issues and formulate an interview plan in spite of Wendy’s ignorance.  He still needed her support and proceeded with caution.

Advice: Talk to Wendy face to face if possible. Tell her you want to make her look good so the more information you have when you meet her client, the better. Is there anything about the corporate culture or team she can share?

Don’t ask: Do you know their biggest priority?
Ask: What did they say to you to communicate their biggest priority?

Don’t ask: Why haven’t they filled the job?
Ask: What do they have to see to fill this position based on their past attempts? What did they say was missing?

Ask: When you spoke with the person to whom I would report, what impression do you have about his/her style? Their energy level? This question gives her the opportunity to reveal the level of her contact which you need to know.

If Wendy does not have direct contact with the actual hiring authority, she may invent answers or repeat the canned comments from HR. Keep in mind, if HR had the right fix on the priorities, the job would be filled by now. That’s why your own research is imperative. You can’t rely on Wendy’s answers for what you need to know to conduct a great interview.  Try to get as much as you can.

Ask: Is there something HR said more than once when they talked about their difficulty finding someone on their own?

Ask: What did you see in my background that told you I was a good fit?

Ask: I want to make sure we are talking from the same play book. What do you have in mind as the most important part of my background to get them interested in me as a candidate? Was there a comment made by the company about my resume and experience?

Ask: What if anything did they say to you that would suggest my experience managing teams in a variety of countries is of value? Use this approach for any characteristic you feel she needs to accentuate when she makes your appointment.  It is a subtle but accurate method to groom her comments about you.

Ask: I always send email thank-you notes to people with whom I interview. Is there any reason you’d be uncomfortable with my contacting them directly? Once Wendy says, “No, go right ahead,” you can follow-up as need be in the future with emails and phone calls. Don’t go around her, always copy her on emails and always let her know if you have contacted or otherwise spoken to the company on your own.

There is hope. “Every group of inexperienced recruiters has one or two really great future recruiters and one or two that will end up in an internal HR department somewhere. Candidates would do well to remember that and not burn bridges before they’re even built.” Emily B., Senior Recruiter

Wendy may be naïve’ or inexperienced and even unprofessional, but she is still a gatekeeper and she is representing you. One negative word from her and you may be removed from consideration. Ask the recruiter the right questions in the right way. Don’t be dismissive as she learns her role, but don’t be handicapped by her ineptitude.

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By admin, April 2, 2009 12:44 pm

One estimate of  job openings filled by recruiters is over 35%.  The percentage is higher for executive-level positions in the $100,000+ salary range.  Clearly, cultivating a professional relationship with a recruiter or two is an excellent career development strategy.  But how do you avoid exposure to the wrong ones?  I believe knowledge is power.  The more you know about how and why recruiters set traps for you, the easier you can avoid getting caught.

A crafty recruiter or a representative from a ‘resume mill’ can entice you to send your resume because they are trained to handle any objection you can produce.  Unless you verify an actual search for a real company, don’t send your resume.

1. Vet the recruiter immediately. Ask for the recruiter’s company name and contact information.  If the recruiter is vague or unresponsive to your direct questions, they are bogus and up to no good.  Request the hiring company name and the job description.  If they can’t supply all this information, there is no reason to go forward.  If they can, offer to get back to them after you have a chance to think about the opportunity.  Use that time to ascertain the validity of the recruiting company, the company with the open req and the job.  If you still have doubts, call the company in question and ask if they work with that recruiter.  If the recruiter cannot supply the information or objects to giving you time, run away.
2. Protect your contact information.  Resume mills are or sell your resume to resume aggregators.  These resumes are then used to cull contact information which is subsequently sold to the highest bidders.  Don’t include your home address and use a public email such as gmail.  If you submit a resume, it is lost in space and you will never hear from the recruiter again no matter how terrific the match to that imaginary job.
3. Job boards are not your friend.  The recruiter submits your resume to job boards. Resumes are stripped of your name and contact information and the recruiter’s contact information is substituted.  If someone is interested in your credentials, they have to go through the recruiter and split fees.
4. Cover the earth.  Resumes are sent to prospective employers at random and nationwide with the recruiter’s contact information, not yours.  Most companies do not follow-up on unsolicited resumes submitted by unknown recruiters.  They flag the resume and file it.  When a genuine presentation of your credentials occurs by you or your recruiter of choice, your resume is cast aside because of the previous connection.
5. The Trojan horse. Recruiters contact a company with an open req and pretend to represent you.  If the employer takes the bait, the recruiter can say they have the search.  While this sounds like an opportunity to get exposure with someone else doing the heavy lifting, it is just the opposite.  Candidates from recruiters known to the company get higher consideration.  The recruiter doesn’t know you so he can’t represent you (or the company) with any usable knowledge.  And worse, if the company rejects the recruiter, they flag your resume so neither you nor another reputable recruiter can breach that company’s defenses for consideration.
6. Is your resume part of their quota? Some recruiting companies have a resume quota for their recruiters.  This encourages new recruiters to get resumes with any story possible.  This is where the complaint “The recruiter didn’t even understand what I do,” comes from.  Your resume is submitted to their data base with no real understanding of the job you want or the special circumstances.  You can contact these recruiters till the cows come home and never get a response or follow up.  In fact, the likelihood that recruiter is still employed by the recruiting company after a year is very low. These recruiting companies can advertise and boast of a database with over xxx# current resumes.
7. The oldest trick.  A recruiter trick as old as the hills is to court an unsuspecting candidate with the ‘perfect’ job then ask the names and contact information of their boss or direct reports; the real target of their search.  While this is clearly a short-term solution, many recruiters cannot see past the next placement.  You will never hear back but your connections will.

New recruiter scams and bad-actors arise weekly.  It is up to you to protect yourself from bad recruiters.  The best way to avoid the disappointment and harm done by these disreputable folks is to vet them before you ever send a resume or give any information…regardless of their pitch.  No opportunity is so critical that receiving your resume can’t wait a day or two while you research the recruiter.

If a recruiter asks for a fee, they are not a recruiter.  By definition, no recruiter should ever charge the candidate; if they have a search, the company pays.  If they charge, that makes them an employment agency, not a recruiter. Again, run away.

Don’t let your desire to find a plethora of resources cloud your vision about recruiters. If you chose the wrong one(s) they can do serious damage to your self confidence and your search.  There are many excellent recruiters hired by companies to source qualified candidates. Learn to tell the difference and you will avoid all the angst and anger the recruiting’s bad apples spread.

This just in:  GadBall reports on scams where job seekers lose money and their identity.

Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach
Author: Job Search Debugged
www.jobsearchdebugged.com
ritathejobcoach@gmail.com
My clients get hired; not a guarantee, it’s a track record.

For more insights on recruiters, purchase Job Search Debugged. 

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