Make Every Minute Count - Job Search

By Marc Cenedella

Yes, the days are getting shorter. With the end of Daylight Savings time, we fall back into those early evenings that signal the approach of winter. It's colder, it's darker, and it feels like there are just fewer hours in each day – especially when you're devoting every one you can to your job hunt.

How can you make the most of these days? How can you make sure now that you'll be in a $100K+ job you love in 2009? The secret is time management, folks! Now's the hour to maximize your time spent on TheLadders:

1. Get your resume online and searchable now. It's the single most effective way to maximize the time you spend with us – and the time you're spending elsewhere. Look, while you're doing other things, your resume is out there advertising your candidacy to recruiters. Your resume allows the pre-screened recruiters in our database to find and contact you.

2. Make that resume the best document it can be. Don't waste time crafting applications, only to send in a resume that doesn't effectively sell you for the position you're applying to. Contact our experts for a free resume critique or a complete, professional rewrite. You can also brush up on resume best practices in our Career Advice section.

3. Apply to only the right jobs for you. So many people spend their time and energy trying to get recruiters' attention for the wrong jobs! Don't be one of these job hunters: Get your searches as narrow and specific as possible, and only apply to jobs for which you truly feel you're qualified. To find the jobs that are the right fit, use our advanced search features to set the right criteria.

4. Save your searches. Don't waste time entering in the same search criteria over...and over...and over... You can save up to ten searches to get to results in just one click. And...

5. Take it a step further with email alerts – get the results of each search emailed to you at a frequency that works for you. You'll get jobs that match the criteria for each of your searches sent directly to your inbox.

6. Work with our pre-screened recruiters – don't run your search by just applying to jobs. A single track isn't the most efficient. Be sure you're finding and contacting recruiters who specialize in your industry.

7. Stay organized! Use our My Jobs features to stay on top of your search. That way, you'll have specific action items each and every day to get you up and running, rather than floundering around for the first half hour getting situated.

8. Always be searching, and always be in the game. With your job search top of mind, you'll be prepped and ready to jump on potential opportunities wherever – and whenever – they arise.

We're leaving the light on for you, Readers! The future is bright indeed for those who are ready to seize every day. I'm rooting for you!

Original "The Ladders" Article

10 Job Search Mistakes You're Probably Making

Ford R. Myers

Many people make significant job search mistakes and never even know about it.  These blunders are easy to make...and can end up costing you thousands of dollars. Ford R. Myers, Career Coach, Speaker and Author of Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring, reveals these top 10 mistakes, and explains how to avoid them.
"It is very easy for even the savviest of job seekers to make these mistakes. By learning how to navigate these potential pitfalls from the outset, your job search will be more productive and yield more positive results," adds Myers.

Mistake #1: Responding to online job posts

In general, job postings and "want ads" produce little value. However, it is also a mistake to ignore them altogether. Some of the best chances for jobs from ads are in specialty trade publications and web sites of specific industries. Myers suggests spending no more than five percent of your valuable time on public job postings.

Mistake #2: Mailing unsolicited resumes

Unsolicited resumes are considered garbage, scrap paper and wasted effort. Secretaries kill them, HR managers file them away, and hiring decision-makers pitch them. Myers advocates abandoning this job search tactic completely


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/10-mistakes-you-probably-made-in-your-job-search-2010-9#mistake-2-mailing-unsolicited-resumes-2#ixzz12iwyGp6V

Career Planning: What Can You Learn from Coca-Cola and Melinda Gates?

At the heart of your responsible career planning is your desire to bring your values to work.  How can you use your skills to advance a cause you believe in?  While watching Melinda Gates' TED Talk on what can international development learn from Coca-Cola, I realized that her insights are not only applicable to international development organizations, but also to anyone's responsible career planning strategy.  Indeed, on the job market, you are the product.  As a job seeker, you need to learn how you can best leverage your values and skills so that you can be as visible and desirable as possible to employers whose missions align with your values.  In short, how can you become as desirable as a Coke product on your job market of interest?

In her TED Talk, Ms. Gates reflects upon what nonprofits and government can learn from Coca-Cola in terms of accelerating the pace of international development.  Coca-Cola has been incredibly effective at penetrating very remote markets.  Coca-Cola has been very creative in leveraging channels that enabled their products to reach consumers in areas with very little infrastructure.  People in these areas are living in dire poverty and yet they are buying Coke products.  How did Coca-Cola achieve this, especially given that Coca-Cola produces soda, one of the most unhealthy products available on the market?  Of course, as many major companies, Coca-Cola is not a model company when it comes to Human Rights or Clean Water Access.  As a responsible professional, spending a little bit of time understanding how Coca-Cola achieved such success might help you refine your career planning strategy and build your responsible career path.  To build a responsible career that successfully blends financial return with social impact and environmental responsibility, compare and contrast your approach to the following three ingredients that have contributed to Coca-Cola's distribution success:

A solid analysis with new data immediately used to refine the product offering - Coca-Cola has developed an extensive system that enables them to track consumer behaviors dynamically.  If there is a decrease in sales in an area, they are able to quickly identify the factors playing a role in that decrease and build strategies and tactics to address that decrease.  Similarly, your career planning strategy starts by being able to reflect upon and clearly articulate who you are, what is important to you, and what skills do you want to bring to market.  Every new project at work, volunteer activity, book or course will enable you to further refine your understanding of which skills and values you want to bring to work.  By continuously reflecting and refining your elevator pitch and LinkedIn profile, you will be able to not only develop a more targeted career planning strategy to compete for opportunities, you will also attract contacts and opportunities that best align with your values and skills.

A strategy that taps into local entrepreneurial talent - Coca-Cola has developed an extensive array of micro-distribution centers.  These centers are generally formed of individuals on the ground that find creative ways to distribute the product in remote areas using local transportation channels that best adapt with the local geography and infrastructure.  Coca-Cola provides them with funding to make this happen and in return, Coca-Cola gets increased visibility in a largely untapped market.  As a responsible professional, what have you done to identify untapped opportunities to create social, environmental and economic value in your current job?  Have you been connecting with like-minded professionals in and beyond your current organization to share ideas and resources?  These small steps to creatively develop your network and your entrepreneurial brand will help you become more visible and desirable as a responsible professional.

A marketing campaign that is inspirational and uplifting - Coca-Cola has a brilliant slogan: 'Open Happiness', which is appealing and uplifting to everyone, no matter where they are or how poor they are.  What is your brand and your marketing campaign as a responsible professional?  Simply put, your brand can be defined as 'what people say about you after you leave the room'.  You might consider creating a short anonymous survey with questions that previous and present colleagues, as well as current and past supervisors can complete online to gain more insights into your current brand.  What can you do so that you are sure that your brand revolves around terms such as 'problem solver', 'open to new challenges', 'positive energy', 'constructive approach', or 'can do attitude'?  The more you can emerge as a positive individual that does his/her best to help others find solutions to their current projects or challenges, the more you will attract your next opportunity.

In sum, Coca-Cola has succeeded based on a strong culture of continuous data-driven self-improvement process, combined with innovative distribution channels and an inspirational brand.  What can you do today so that your career planning strategy will combine a strong self-knowledge and awareness of your preferences, a wide and supportive network, as well as a positive attitude to establish yourself as a valuable contributor to get business done better?

Original Article

Demystifying the rules of networking

By Denise Kersten, USATODAY.com

If you've ever read a book on job-hunting, you've probably encountered a statistic that says 80-85% of job offers come through networking.

Personal contact, it seems, is essential to getting a new position.

But despite the numbers, many job-seekers remain in resume-overdrive, or try to click their way to a new career.

"Our culture tends to act as though we all naturally know how to network," says Donna Fisher, author of Professional Networking for Dummies.

For Josh Lewis and Justin Mink, both of northern Virginia, networking is second nature. Lewis used a connection he made during his senior year at Cornell University to land a position at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mink networked his way into a new telecommunications sales job that offered him a 40% pay raise.

But judging from the reader e-mails I've received on this topic, networking isn't always an innate ability.

Understanding these five fundamentals can make networking less intimidating:

1. Networking is not sales.

Lewis met his contact at the EPA during a one-week 'externship' while he was still in college. Afterwards, he not only sent a thank-you note to his mentor there, but continued checking in via e-mail every month or two.

Though graduation was nearing, Lewis never asked for a job. Instead, he broke the ice by asking how the man's children were doing on their sports teams, a detail he remembered from their conversations. Lewis kept up the correspondence for several months, often requesting advice on whether he should go to graduate school or enter the job market immediately after graduation.

According to Katherine Hansen, author of A Foot in the Door, Lewis took the right approach. Asking for advice both flatters your contacts and gets them thinking about your situation. "They're automatically invested in you," Hansen says.

For Lewis, it paid off. Though he never directly solicited job leads, his contact notified him as soon as there was an opening and encouraged him to apply. Lewis did, and got a job as an environmental engineer.

2. Networking is P.R.

Creating a positive buzz around yourself is critical in networking.

"Your job as a networker is to teach the people you know to trust your character and your competence. And that way they will be inclined to pass you along," says Anne Baber, author of Make Your Contacts Count.

Mink did this skillfully. He had already accepted a job offer when he interviewed with another company, hoping to learn more about the firm and its approach to the industry. The interview went well, but Mink still went to work for the company where he'd accepted an offer.

Mink checked in with his interviewer via e-mail every four or five months, and updated him on his recent accomplishments.

By sending a few messages, Mink accomplished two networking essentials: He established a strong reputation and stayed fresh in his contact's memory. "It really only takes a couple of minutes," Mink says.

Those minutes were well spent. When the interviewer took a high-ranking position at a start-up, he brought Mink with him — at a significantly higher salary.

3. Networking is not a spectator sport.

Face-to-face interactions make networking an effective job-search strategy. Unfortunately, they're also what make it so scary.

True, when you send a resume, you don't have to deal with potential rejection up front. But you won't get the results you could with some one-on-one networking.

"I think everybody knows where most of those resumes go," Fisher says. "But we pretend. We still want to do it that way because it just feels safe and comfortable."

But that's not going to get you a new job. Neither is simply meeting new people.

When you make a new acquaintance, have a clear focus in presenting yourself and requesting their help. Tell them what you're good at, what you like to do and what you're looking for — without scaring them off by asking for a job. Include concrete details that make you memorable, like an award you won or a problem you solved at work.

Most importantly, ask for more contacts. It's this 'second generation' of networking — two or more degrees of separation — where people make connections that lead to job offers, Baber says.

In informational interviews, aim to get three new names from each person you meet. If you succeed in building rapport and presenting yourself as an asset, they may offer to make a phone call or arrange an introduction on your behalf.

Most importantly, always show appreciation for the favors you receive.

"Anybody along the way that does the slightest bit of help should be thanked, preferably with a thank-you note," Hansen says.

4. Networking is not a one-way street.

Focusing on what you can get out of your colleagues is the fastest way to sabotage your networking initiative.

Instead, try to build an alliance — the business version of a friendship — based on shared interests. Consider not just your needs, but your colleagues' as well. Do you have any leads or contacts that would interest them?

You may also need to take a friendly stance with people you'd normally think of as 'the enemy.' Though professional organizations are by far the most effective source of networking contacts, people often view the other members as competition for jobs, rather than allies.

"Your next job is going to come from a competitor," Baber says. "So get to know them and collaborate, don't compete."

5. Networking requires patience. Start now.

Lewis and Mink were wise to begin networking well in advance of when they would need new jobs; their efforts took several months to yield offers.

Forming alliances is easier when you're not actively looking for a job. If you don't have an immediate need, focus on building mutually-beneficial relationships that will pay off down the pike.

Many people aren't aware of current openings at their company. But if you network successfully, they'll let you know when they learn of one and they may even do some extra digging for you. That way, you'll hear about the position before it hits the classified ads and you'll have an internal contact for advice and referrals.

Think of building your web of contacts as knitting a safety net. It's a time-intensive process that requires lots of maintenance. It can quickly save you if you fall, but if you're already out of work you've waited too long to start knitting.

Mink's firm was hit by the economic downturn and he's now out of work. But he has a strong network to fall back on — he's miles ahead of job seekers who haven't laid their groundwork.

If you do need a job right away and haven't launched a networking campaign, don't give up. Everyone has a built-in network of friends, family members, former co-workers and professors — even neighbors.

Begin working connections with people who are most invested in your success. It may take you longer than those who've been grooming their network for years, but it's never to late to start.

Original Article   

Green Job Search Tip of the Week: Making the Most of Career Fairs

Green Collar Blog is pleased to introduce a new feature "Green Job Search Tip of the Week."  This feature is designed to provide job seekers with practical tips and suggestions for your job search.
This week's tip is "Making the Most of Career Fairs."
Background: With the growth in the green economy there are an increasing number of career fairs that focus exclusively on green jobs.  These events generally have names such as "green job fair" or "environmental career fair."  While a number of these events are produced by colleges and universities there are some that are open to the public.  Green Collar Blog maintains a calendar of green job fairs and other events relevant to job seekers.
Below are 10 tips for job seekers who are planning to attend a job fair.  These tips are also intended to be applicable to general interest job fairs as well as green-specific events.

1. Prepare.  Preparation is the most important step to get the most out of a career fair.  Before you attend the career fair, review the list of participating organizations and positions they are currently recruiting for (for an example, see this post). Based on this information, prepare a list of the organizations at the fair that you want to speak with. You can then research these organizations in advance of the event and come prepared with questions to ask and talking points for how you'd be a good fit for their current opportunities.
2. Make your first impression a good one.  One way to think about pairticpating in a career fair is that it is your initial interview with an organization.  As such, you should take steps to make your first impression a positive one. Such steps include dressing appropriately and smiling.
3. Bring your resume. While not every organization you speak with at a career fair will be accepting paper resumes, some will, so plan to bring some copies.
4. Don't come too early or too late.  When planning your schedule for attending a career fair, don't arrive too early (some employers may be late and will not have arrived) and don't arrive too late (some employers may leave before the official end of the program or may be tired by the end of the fair).
5. Step up to the table.  In many instances, employers will not solicit job seekers as they are walking past various tables and booths.  Instead, you should approach the table or booth and introduce yourself to the employer representative.
6. Listen. When you stop by an employer's table the employer representative may already be speaking with career fair participants.  If you listen while you are waiting, you may learn information that could be helpful for when it is your turn to speak to the representative (see next tip).
7. Have questions, answers, and icebreakers.  Once you step up to the table you may want to have a couple of questions ready as icebreakers such as: "How has the day been going?" or "What types of jobs do you have available?"  You should also come prepared with answers to questions you may be asked such as "What brought you to today's event?" or "What types of jobs are you looking for?"  Where possible, highlight relevant aspects of your background or qualifications (for example, if an employer mentions that they are looking for a solar sales representative, you could mention your prior sales experience).
8. Obtain follow-up information.  If you are interested in following up with the employer, be sure to obtain contact information for the employer represenative you are speaking with (and anyone else that the representative indicates you should follow-up with) before you leave the employer's table.
9. Follow-up.  After the event, send a thank-you e-mail or conduct other follow-up as appropriate based on the information you obtained.
10. Relax.  Career fairs can be stressful for some people, but keep in mind that these events are designed to bring job seekers and employers together.  Employers attend these events to meet potential candidates, so they generally will be happy to speak with you. Hopefully the tips listed above will help you relax and make the most of the event.  Good luck!

Original Article

How to Make Your Job Search More Like a Job

Whether you're on salary or on the hunt, you need to manage your time and energy. Approach the latter with the same focused structure you'd give the former.

By Debra Donston-Miller

You've probably heard it said: A job search is a job in itself. But are you treating it like one?
When you're working in a traditional environment, your day might look something like this: You wake up with an alarm at a regular hour. After some coffee, you shower, don a professional-looking outfit and head out, timing your commute so you can start your day at 9 a.m. sharp. While at the office you have a regular routine, punctuated by collaboration with colleagues, phone calls, e-mails and the like — all in the name of meeting specific goals. At the end of the day, you turn off your computer, shut off your light, and head home to relax and spend time with friends and family. The next day, you do it all over again.

Not everyone's job looks like this, and not every workday looks like another, but experts who spoke with TheLadders said your job search should look an awful lot like the aforementioned scenario.
One of the most important things to do is also one of the most basic: Get up, get dressed and get going early. Starting your day with purpose is key to ensuring that the day will be productive.
"First thing, and I'm not trying to be funny, is get dressed," said Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, an executive recruiting agency. "Granted, you're not going to an office, but the desk where your computer is, is now your office. You've got to feel professional, so get dressed. You can't do it in your PJs — it won't work."

Also important is dedicating space to your job search and optimizing that space for the task at hand.

Hurwitz recommends making the area in which you conduct your job search as much like your old workplace as possible. "Atmospherics are very important," he said. "If you feel like you're at home and not working, then you're at home and you're not working. Do whatever you would do in your office. If you had a radio on for background noise in your office, turn on a radio. Don't change your work habits. Your work habits have to stay the same, whether you're employed or whether your work now is finding a job."

In addition, goals and objectives are just as important in the job search as they are on the job.
For example, Karla Porter, director of workforce development and HR for the Greater Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Chamber of Business and Industry, recommends setting goals for the number of phone calls you will make and the number of resumes you will send out each day.
And, just as you would be accountable to a manager for what you accomplish in the workplace, you need to be accountable to yourself for what you accomplish during your job search.

Hurwitz recommends keeping a searchable log of all of your job-search activities: contacts with whom you spoke, which resumes you have sent out, what follow-up you have done, what cold calls you have made. Such a log will help in very pragmatic ways, such as avoiding duplication, but it will also help you spot trends and opportunities — kind of a customer relationship management (CRM) system where you are the customer.

The 20-hour work week

Career experts also note the importance of establishing set hours for your job search, both to make the process more effective and to maintain a healthy mindset. By not explicitly "shutting it off," your life can easily become consumed by the quest for work.

While experts agree that applying workplace principles to the job search makes the process more productive, they say that 40 hours a week is too much to dedicate to scouring the Web, polishing your resume and making follow-up calls.

"What used to take 40 hours can now be accomplished in 20," Porter said. "Being unemployed is stressful enough, and it's overkill to spend 8 hours a day dwelling on it."

Porter recommends using some of the "other 20 hours" a week volunteering or focused on some other pursuit. In addition to the good you do for yourself by doing for others, volunteering can lead to networking and job leads, she said. Hurwitz advises job searchers to use part of their day keeping current by reading industry journals, taking classes and searching for relevant news articles and blogs.

In the end, say experts, whether your week is filled with work or with looking for work, it's important to do one thing: Take the weekend off.

Want a Job? Use a Job Developer’s Techniques

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Melissa C. Martin
A colleague of mine passed on information on how he lands jobs for clients. (And dare I say these clients have barriers the competitive workforce may not have). “D’s” title is ”Job Developer,” which means he meets employers regularly, nurtures his network of contacts and then matches available jobs to assist clients. This last point about networking is a moot point for your job search.
Ironically, employment specialists do not always practice what they preach; some confess they do neither network actively, nor nurture their existing contacts. This is imperative, no matter if you are unemployed or not. Research indicates you stand an 80% chance of landing your next job from someone you have met or contacted. Those are formidable odds. And something should be said about the so-called “weak links,” which are people who appear to be irrelevant to your job search.
Once, when I was laid off by surprise, I immediately turned to my circle of contacts, and fortunately, I received two job offers in a week and ultimately accepted a satisfying position.
Just as job developers aim to attract employers to assist their clients, job seekers need to attract employers to demonstrate their value. Enter the “exchange theory.” This theory, is designed to build a bridge between a need and a solution. In short, you give something and you get something. How does this help you as a job seeker? Read on…
Employers, on the whole, are motivated by 2 factors: their needs must be addressed. For example, improve customer service, boost productivity levels or reduce costs. Secondly, employers must perceive value in hiring you. Translation? Each party in the “exchange” must perceive the benefits of hiring must outweigh the employer’s costs. For example, convince the employer that you can help him/her with a high turnover (hiring is expensive) or being a reliable employee.

As a matter of fact, an employer told me earlier this year she was disenchanted with job placements from college students because they are NOT reliable. In spite of a shaky economy, employers have consistently told me the number one thing that attracts them is loyal employees. Yes, I realize contract work is very prevalent but job seekers need to be mindful of this.
The other technique job developers use is related to the market theory. What’s the gist of the market theory if you are unemployed? Features and benefits. In other words, if you are preparing yourself for an upcoming interview, what would you identify as your “features?” Perhaps your unique talents or credentials? Your new blog that held sway with those in your chosen field? Bilingualism? Diverse experience? Now think about what benefits you can present in an interview? Perhaps stellar performance ratings? Be prepared to incorporate the exchange and market theories into your active job search. Obviously, it works for job developers to create employment. Why wouldn’t it work to propel your job search? You don’t have to be a marketing specialist to embrace these techniques.
Incidentally, my colleague asked me to assist him with short-term placements. I “hit the streets” and espoused the exchange theory for the benefit of those disadvantaged clients. It worked! I landed job placements for him, using the principles of job development. You can too!
Speak to the employer’s values and goals. Assure the employer that by hiring YOU, the company will enjoy short-term and long-term benefits.


Original Careerealism Article