Job Search Mistake to Avoid: Doing a Serial Job Search
January 28th, 2011 @ 02:01pm
A serial job search is one in which a candidate we'll call Kim goes after one opening or one company at a time. She finds an opening online that she fits, she pursues it, is interviewed for it, and then (so far) is not made an offer and the job goes to someone else. Because she has nothing else going on, she then crashes. And it takes her 1-2 weeks to "get over it", regroup, and start going after another company, another opening. Meanwhile, another month has gone by. She begins to think "It must be me...I must not be good at what I do...".
And that is so not it.
This kind of serial, one-after-the-other approach leads to only one thing: A painfully long search. "Painful" and "long" are two things I help my clients avoid. If they follow their plan, they learn it doesn't have to be this way, even in this stumbling economy.
For contrast, let's look at Trevor. Sure, he's answering ads, but he's in one-to-one networking meetings so much that it takes up about 25 hours a week. (For those of you between jobs, if you're not that busy in your search, you're not doing enough.) He's focused on his target companies, using varying methods all at once. His approach is multiple, and it's constant, week in, week out.
Because he's generating so much activity, leads, and interviews, here's how Trevor reacts to "Sorry, you're not our top candidate": he says to himself, "Oh well, on to the next thing, I have so much going on, I just know that something else will pop up." He does not miss a beat. His search generates results constantly, and it's going to happen that he WILL land -- at a company of his choice.
Note those words: "...I have so much going on, I just know something else will pop up." He's right.
The point here is you can go one way or another: The serial search, painful and long. Or the multiple and constant approach that expands your network AND gets you the job your after, sooner.
Your choice.
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Joanne Meehl helps professionals in job hunt do an intelligent search by setting an individualized strategy. Contact her for her ideas for you.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in interviews, Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, Your time, | No Comments »
Even Your Best Friends Won't Tell You
February 5th, 2011 @ 12:02pm
Even your best friends won't tell you -- that they don't quite understand what you do. Oh sure, they know you're a Product Manager, or a Financial Specialist, or Director of Engineering, but do they really KNOW what you do? They'd never admit not knowing.
I'm reminded of that episode of Seinfeld, where Jerry is dating a woman named Dolores but cannot remember her name. He does everything he can to find out -- except to ask her -- because they've been dating too long for him to NOT know so it's too awkward. And he gets caught.
Are your some of your best friends (and even family) doing the same thing? Could this be why they aren't really helping you with your search, other than to be vaguely encouraging?
If they don't know what you really do, and what you do well, and who you need to connect with so that you can get to the next step in your career, then how can they help you?
They probably know your dreams and hopes. Now's the time to get more concrete and more detailed. So show them your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and tell them your career success stories. Tell them who -- by title and function -- you'd like to talk with so you can make great connections at your target companies.
So as you network, don't overlook the very people who are closest to you. They're your biggest cheerleaders! Help them help you.
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What is your job search strategy? It's unique for each person and determines your whole direction -- and often, your job search success. Contact Joanne Meehl for more about your search.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in career change, job search strategy, Networking, resumes, | No Comments »
The End of "Generalism"
April 18th, 2011 @ 02:04am
So often, candidates try to hedge their bets by writing their resumes in a way that aims for jobs in two, three, or four areas, figuring they'll get a bite in one of them.
Or they think they're showing flexibility by listing various options.
Or they hope that if not this job, then the next one at this employer will fit them and their resume will be remembered and dug up for the new job.
Sorry - wrong.
Wrong. And wrong.
To talent sourcers -- that is, recruiters, HR, and hiring managers -- this array only comes across as confused and lacking focus. Recruiters say, "This is a 'menu resume', and this person wants ME to pick one to make up their mind?! No way. Don't they know the one thing they want? Next resume, please."
The fallacy is that being a "generalist" will have appeal. Not today. Sure, a company will appreciate that you can do other things in addition to your main internal driving force. But two, three, or more things all at the same level? It's impossible to be effective doing so, given the structure of today's jobs which are more and more laser-focused themselves.
In addition, good marketers will tell you that unless you focus on the benefits of the one "product" you are offering, your message will get lost. You must focus to get noticed, focus to do what you say you're going to do, and focus to grow to the next level.
A colleague of mine in the D.C. area does only interviewing prep for candidates. Not only that, she does interviewing prep only for certain government jobs. And she's doing very, very well. Why? She has spent her time becoming an expert in that one thing, so she's good at that one thing and has become known for it. So everyone goes to her for it.
Unless you focus, you are not considered an expert in any one area.
Put another way: Focus means you have expertise.
Employers today want experts.
So choose among your strengths the one that shows your value to a future employer and stick with this one. Do your resume around it, your LinkedIn profile updates, put it on Facebook, tweet about it, network with others about it, blog about it.
"Generalism" is gone. Being specific will change things for you.
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Is your message unfocused? Is the market ignoring you? Contact Joanne Meehl at 612/807-0258 to change that.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, Social media in job search, | No Comments »
Are You A Job Search Dabbler?
June 3rd, 2011 @ 04:06pm
The caller wanted to know about my next networking group meeting. It draws about 50 people each meeting. He said, "I heard about it and think I should go. I have been looking for a job since I was laid off a year ago. My unemployment will run out in two weeks, so I figured I should step it up a little."
"Step it up a little"?!
Out of work for a year and about to run out of unemployment and NOW he thinks, "I'd better step it up a little"?
This is not someone who has been shielded in some way from the reality of the job market. Yet he says something like this. I quickly directed him to the group's web site for more information because I really wanted to say, "WHERE have you been?!"
This is the kind of person who will end up being interviewed by a news show reporting on long job searches. He will say "I"ve tried everything, I even applied at Home Depot, and nothing. It's really tough out there."
Yes it's tough out there. But there are people who are making it tougher for themselves with dabbler behavior like this. They hear from everyone how you have to network, but they ignore the advice. For a year. They hear about free job search workshops and webinars, but they ignore them, thinking that sitting at their computer is what works or having "recruiters work for me" will work. Maybe denial has kept them from hearing and doing what they really need to do.
The more effective job search activity you do -- and the earlier you do this effective activity in your search -- the shorter the search. That is a truism I've consistently seen for more than 20 years, and especially true since the end of 2008, when the bottom fell out of everything.
In fact, your activity level should be so intense that 1) you need to keep a database of all your contacts because you are making new ones every day, 2) you need a calendar that lets you detail your back-to-back activities, and 3) it will feel like a vacation when you start your new job!
Anything less is dabbling in a job search. Dabbling means a few intense days this week, a couple next week, none the week after, several the week after that. On, off, yes, no. Sometimes this candidate is "busy" with worthwhile activities not related to search, but still thinks he's in job search. He will be looking for months and months longer, complaining that no one wants him, or that they all think he's too old, and so on.
Contrast that with the candidate who does 8-10 networking meetings a week making the connections that reveal the so-called hidden market to her. She unearths opportunities not found on any job board, opportunities that are much closer to her own career goals. She's doing an effective 25 or more hours a week of search. And when she lands, it's not due to luck. It's due to her making her luck.
So don't be a job search dabbler if you want your search to end quickly. Ask yourself each day: What can I do today that will get me closer to my new job?
Then do it.
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Having trouble organizing your job search activity and making yours an effective search? Contact Joanne for help.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, | No Comments »
Do Hours = Effectiveness?
June 17th, 2011 @ 09:06pm
This week I saw a job hunt group email discussion about the best amount of time to spend on a search each week.
One person wrote this:
"I might spend 2 hours on a busy day. Most of that checking job boards/emails. I haven't had much traction with informal interviews or researching target companies."
He was joking, right? Unfortunately, no. His search will last a long, long time because in this still-volatile job market, it's ineffective. Here, ineffective means too one-dimensional, too brief, too PC-dependent.
Another person responded that she uses 50 hours a week to search, and listed a wide variety of activities, much better than the one-dimensional search of the first respondent. She listed networking groups for those between jobs and many online activities, and "some" networking. That's getting there, but those are way too many hours and can lead to burnout. If she shifts many of the online hours to in-person networking with employed people in his field, she'll be exposed to far more possibilities than she is now.
My answer is to do 25 effective hours a week. "Effective" means having a variety of approaches that are more heavily weighted toward being with live people than on the computer.
Why? Because it's what's working. Since 2009, when hiring began again after a devastating 2008, right through to this week, the people I'm seeing landing great, new jobs, are doing it by connecting with other people, live.
What does your search look like?
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Need to know better how to connect with those who can help you in your search? Then go here.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, resumes, The job search roller coaster, | No Comments »
A Resume DON'T: Don't Do White on White Keywords
July 24th, 2011 @ 03:07pm
Last week I was doing a presentation for over 50 professionals in job search about keywords. Keywords in a resume, LinkedIn profile, during networking meetings, and so forth. These nouns, adjectives, and phrases are growing more and more important in this technological age when so many resumes and LinkedIn profiles are being checked for them.
The old "white on white" text trick came up. This was something that began around the dawn of the Internet job search, back in the mid-90s: Create paragraphs of keywords, then put that paragraph in a blank area of your resume, then turn them white. They become invisible.
Not any more. Today, those are highly visible. And they'll get you in trouble for hiding them.
Someone in the room was in a seminar last month where the "expert speaker" TOLD people to do this in their resumes. What that speaker did not know is something that's pretty well documented for at least a year, in publications like the Wall Street Journal and technical blogs: that these "white" words CAN be seen by today's screening software programs. And they say if you do this, your resume (meaning, you) will be thrown out as dishonest and lazy.
That's not what you want, is it?
And given how important they are, why HIDE them? They should be visible to the human eye as well as to the digital one, and they should be woven into your bulleted items and summaries, not just plunked in with no thought.
Now that I've heard this yet again, it launches me on a personal mission to inform those who are telling you in job search to do this "trick", that they are spreading damaging advice. This advice is dangerous, so those teaching it have to learn they should stop.
So please send the link to this article to that person, as a favor to them and to those they speak to each week. You'll prevent a lot of damage to unsuspecting job search candidates.
Or alert me (either reply here or use the Contact form on my site) to those career counselors or others who have told you this, along with a way of contacting them. I will gently contact them and tell them what I've written above.
Thanks!
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Not sure what keywords are best for you? Or where to put them or how to use them? Contact Joanne for help.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, resumes, Uncategorized, | No Comments »
Don't Wait for the Job Postings Tidal Wave -- or You'll Miss Getting a Job
July 29th, 2011 @ 07:07pm
From time to time hiring warms up and candidates get hopeful that finally, things are "back to normal". People around them are landing, and they see more jobs posted. Finally, the tidal wave of openings is coming back! Or is it?
All indications are that just as 2008 changed the economy for the last 2-3 years, it will have changed it *permanently*.
And that means that job seekers will not see any big wave of openings like there used to be. Yes, there are rare exceptions in certain locations and certain markets. But generally speaking, there will be no big rising tide that will lift all job search boats automatically.
Think about why: Today, companies are much more savvy about finding candidates in other ways, mostly by depending on current employees to find them. They are also attracting future employees through social media and inbound marketing. Their own screening systems are getting more and more sophisticated.
Yes, this month I've seen more job postings AND more job landings in my contact world than since the end of 2008. But 95% of those who've landed -- yes, a full 95% of them -- have come through networking, not by answering job postings and waiting for a response.
And just this week, Delta Airlines announced a workforce reduction of 2,000...and Boston Scientific announced cuts of 1,400 jobs. Despite there being some more postings lately, the cuts continue, unfortunately. One step forward, one back.
Lesson? Those who are looking must network: It's how people are landing jobs. If they continue to wait instead at their computer for the mythical wave of openings, they'll likely miss getting a job anytime soon. I've seen executives make this mistake as much as individual contributors.
So there's good news: With networking, you have more control over your search than you've ever had before.
So take control. Don't wait for waves that aren't coming.
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Stuck in your search and not sure how to break free? Contact Joanne Meehl.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, resumes, The job search roller coaster, Your time, | No Comments »
Conquer those Monday morning job search blues
September 25th, 2011 @ 10:09pm
Whether you're IN a job or between jobs, Monday mornings during job search can be tough.
You're in a job and can't wait to find a new one. So Monday mornings are a reminder you're still stuck where you are.
You could be a new grad who's overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start, and each Monday means you're wondering where to begin.
Or you're between jobs and Monday mornings remind you that there is no office to go to. Especially if you're a manager or executive, your energy has nowhere to land for the day. The sense of loss is profound and can be powerfully dispiriting.
This is Monday Morning Syndrome. Or the Monday Morning Job Search Blues.
How to beat the blues? Here are a few ideas.
- Get out of the house! Getting out of your house or apartment, and being at the library or local cafe, will reset your energy. Bring your laptop or tablet and make a list of target contacts for the next week or two, or do research on companies, for example.
- Schedule networking meetings for that time slot. Make good use of Monday morning; don't use it to start planning your week, something you should have done last week. You'll have that to look forward to instead of an empty, lonely morning.
- Meet with a job search "buddy" at a coffee shop, each with your own set of goals set from the week before. See how you each did with your own goals, and how you rewarded yourselves for meeting your goals.
- On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, send invitations to contacts to do networking meetings this week. As a client of mine, Jim, says, "The replies will come in on Monday, making your email that morning full of replies, and many will be 'yes'. It's great!"
- For those IN jobs who are always struggling with inadequate time for their search, working with a job search coach can keep you on track will give you a sense of "I'm doing something for myself and my search", instead of you having yet another week slip by.
What about YOUR ideas?
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Shake the blues: talk with Joanne about how you can manage your search so that YOU are in charge, not your emotions. Contact her today at www.TheJobSearchQueen.com.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Change, Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, The job search roller coaster, Your time, | 2 Comments »
Be Proactive Pete, Not Last-Minute Lucy
November 25th, 2011 @ 11:11am
A handful of times in the last couple of weeks, I've heard from people who have interviews they need to prepare for. Their interviews are in days, and the people asking for help are panicked. They say, "I haven't interviewed for 5 years", or 15 years, or "ever".
First, let me say it's great that candidates are getting more interviews. Maybe the slow-hiring logjam is shifting a bit more.
But back to those calls. Are these candidates thinking, "I'll get prepared only when I have to"? That just does not make sense. Or, "When I get an interview on my schedule, then I'll begin to think about it"? Again, I don't get it.
In one case, the deadline was so short I simply didn't have available time for the candidate.
These calls make me want to say, People! If you need to practice your interview skills, I'm happy to help -- but do it WAY BEFORE you really need it.
Why?
Whatever the reason for their delay, these anxious candidates are now up against a deadline. So they do not have time to get really ready by talking with people who work there, or connecting with those who know a lot about the company, or learning about the culture. They just don't have enough time to do this really important stuff before the interview. Which compounds their panic.
Instead, they are going to be rushing to learn or review the basics that they should have taken care of a long time ago, and then which would be easy to "brush up on" days before an interview.
So don't cheat yourself: do a prep session with someone now, before you "have to", and you'll be so much more competitive. And much more likely to get a second interview.
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*My one-on-one Intensive Interview Prep is 1-1/2 to 2 hours, either in my office or via Skype. You'll be taped as you answer typical tough questions. We then play back the video and discuss it, and repeat parts as necessary. We also talk about interview dynamics, interview psychology and employer expectations, so that you know the finer points of the interview. Almost everyone who does "interview prep" with me tells me later that my practice session is way harder than the actual interview, so they felt more confident and came across as prepared. Contact me for fees and available times. I book at least one week out.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in career change, career shift, interviews, Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, Your time, | No Comments »
Beware of the Word "Experience"
January 2nd, 2012 @ 09:01am
The word "experience" can hurt you during job search. I say this to candidates of all ages.
How so?
1. The word "experience" can get in the way of other, clearer words that are more specific to your successes.
2. People just don't "see" it any more. It's lost its punch, its meaning.
Saying "I have all this experience" means nothing to the listener, especially if that listener is a networking contact or an interviewer. You'll get polite nods, but little more. They'll be thinking, "So... what does she mean?" But they probably won't ask. You must be more specific from the start -- including on your resume.
So use other words that are more precise, and "sparkier", as I like to say. For example:
Before - "I have 14 years of experience in surface mount technology."
After - "Over several years, I've enjoyed solving surface mount technology project problems."
Before - "I have experience using social media."
After - "At my company, I established the use of Twitter which has led to a 140% increase in our webinar enrollment."
Before - "I have several years' experience in cost accounting."
After - "Within cost accounting practices at my current company, I've become known as someone who streamlines processes without losing accuracy."
Replacing the word "experience" is especially true for the older worker, who is apt to complain to others, "With all my experience, it's taking me a long time to land a new job". But what do you really mean by "experience"? Is it vital stuff or did you do the same thing over and over for all those years? It's painful to see people put the word "experience" out there like it's gold when it's not -- until you say HOW that impacted your organization. Do you now see -- through the examples above -- that changing "that word" to the REAL things you've done will help you break through that barrier? Give it a try.
The word "experience" by itself is just not enough today. Be more specific, and tie the successes you've had to the potential employer's job. That way, you'll be able to apply your actual experience to their problems -- in a new job there.
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Want to "spark up" your wording? Joanne is a published wordsmith as well as a career choice and job search coach. Contact her here.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, resumes, Social media, | 2 Comments »
Five Truths About Job Search
February 11th, 2012 @ 11:02am
Valentine's Day prompted the founding of my business nine years ago, when the software company I worked for was bought by another and our division was shut down. More about that another time, because here I want to focus on what I've observed over the years about job search. There are just certain truths, and here are a few.
1. About 85% of the time when there's a problem, it's candidates themselves who hinder their own job searches. You must get out of your own way. Must.
How do they mess things up? They become untrue to themselves. They start out with goals that fit and are real for them, and which their successes support. Then in mere weeks they relent: They talk themselves into a job at that company where no one ever gets promoted, or the company where they always have layoffs, or they apply for the job that demands they use skills they don't like using - in every case, because "it's a job".
This happens over and over and they wonder why they're not happy in this track record they've created for themselves, and how is it that others seem a lot more satisfied in their careers. So give your goals a fighting chance - don't get in their way.
2. Job search (i.e., career) success comes from trying things that are scary because they're out of your comfort zone. So, for example, I tell candidates, "Throw your hat in the ring just to SEE if it's what you want." Meaning, too often job descriptions are poorly written and it's not until the candidate is actually talking with the employer that they get the real picture of the job - and they might like it and want it far more than they did by just what the job description said in the posting. I've seen this happen more times than I can count.
3. "No one method or idea in job search is always right, no one method or idea is always wrong." So says Richard Nelson Bolles of What Color is Your Parachute? fame. It's true.
4. Sometimes in job search, it's a certain, concrete, predictable step that's next. But often job search is "You'll make it up as you go along". In other words, sometimes it's a science, and even more of the time, it's an art.
Putting it another way: Sometimes you can see the job search "road" clearly ahead for miles. But as E.L. Doctorow said about writing, job search is "like driving at night in the fog - you can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way".
5. The search is something you have to do for yourself - a coach or recruiter or marketing company or parent can't do it for you, regardless of whether you are Gen X, Y, Z, or boomer. Like driving or managing your finances, it's a skill you need to develop because you'll be using it again. And while parts of it will remain the same, parts will change.
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Thoughts? What "truths" have YOU experienced in your search? Please comment!
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in career change, Career coaching, career shift, Change, Don't settle, Job Search, job search strategy, | 4 Comments »