A six second job search tip for students.
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Jeff
Job Search Planning Suggestions
On this hangout, I’ll speak about planning suggestions
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Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
Follow him at The Big Game Hunter, Inc. on LinkedIn for more articles, videos and podcasts than what are offered here and jobs he is recruiting for.
Visit www.TheBigGameHunter.us. There’s a lot more advice there.
Email me if your firm is trying to hire someone.
Pay what you want for my books about job search
Subscribe to TheBigGameHunterTV on YouTube for advice about job hunting and hiring. Like videos, share and comment.
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Get Found!
I was speaking with a senior professional with a large consulting firm on Friday afternoon. He had a big job helping to build a new practice and had decided to change jobs because he was was not partner, would not get credit or recognition for what he did or any of the recognition that comes from a successful launch.
As I’m speaking with him, I went on to LinkedIn and couldn’t find him. Maybe he isn’t in my network. That doesn’t happen often given the size of mine but it can.
I went to Google and discovered that any information about him was from his previous employer.
“For someone who wants recognition for what he’s done, you make it hard to be found,” I said and then explained to him what I meant.
I continued, “You’ve hired people. When they are out aggressively looking for work, you probably think a little less of them than when you get a call from a headhunter who tells you that they went out and found this person who wasn’t looking for something right now but had all the particulars you’re looking for. Sell him on the opportunity; you’ll be impressed by what he’s done.”
“That’s true.”
“The fact is that there is a bias in recruiting to the person who is believed to be “the passive job applicant.” The person who isn’t looking for work. The one that you have to sell to come on board because they are currently doing the work at a competitor.”
The way you take advantage of the bias is NOT to build your network once you’ve decided to change jobs. It’s to put yourself in the position to be found by updating your LinkedIn profile, blogging about your subject area expertise, answering questions on LinkedIn and on Quora, writing articles for the trade press, and by becoming a public speaker on the subject.
Search firms will seek you out for roles and think you are a superior potential new hire even if your resume is all over the job boards.
So don’t wait to be out looking for work.
Plan ahead.
© 2011, 2013 all rights reserved.
Finding a Purpose to Your Job Search Networking
As I write this, I am connected to over 10000 (now over 14500) people directly on LinkedIn. I have many thousand people who receive job descriptions from me, another 7000 who receive my ezine every week, several thousand more who receive 60 days of periodic job search tips from me plus almost 200000 people in my data base.
I have a different purpose for which I use each list but ultimately what I am trying to do is develop a relationship with each person that will foster their trust in me so that should we work together to finding a job or interviewing with a client, they have a sense of me that allows them to know more about me that gives them confidence in my input.
I may not represent the highest paying job or the best job. People will believe me when I say things, feel confident that if they ask me questions that I am knowledgeable and much more.
What is the purpose to using your network?
To help you find a job.
How are you helping to foster trust and relationship with those many people with whom you maintain “a marginal relationship” like the many marginal relationships you have with people on LinkedIn?
Most people try to connect with as many people as they can and then do nothing with that connection. They then wonder, “What’s the point” to having all these connections. The truth is that there is no point to a relationship like that.
Relationships, like those between married people, require tending. They require cultivation and watering. Only cultivated relationships yield results in job search.
Water your garden.
© 2011, 2012, 2013 all rights reserved.
7 Steps to Better Networking
If published statistics are accurate, employment agencies and search firms fill about 20% of all jobs in the US. Job boards fill anywhere between 2% and 8%. So how do the others get filled?
Networking consistently fills more jobs than any other method. Yet people often don’t know how to network well or only act in crisis (I need a job now!) Networking when you don’t need a job will help you cultivate relationships that will help you find work.
Here’s what to do.
1. Develop an elevator speech. If you’re not familiar with the term, an elevator speech is a 30 second synopsis of you experience that you want people to remember about you. It needs to be delivered with enthusiasm, as an actor or actress might. Every single time.
2. Cultivate your network of relationships. Tap into your existing relationships-friends, family, former colleagues, people you know. Just let them know you’re looking for work and ask them if they might know someone in your field who might be able to give you advice. Ask each person you are referred to for at least 3 referrals. Create a snowball effect.
3. Participate in trade groups. The “mega-functions” are harder to be successful in than smaller ones. The more targeted the group, often the better. Get involved. Join committees. Let people get to know you through your contributions. Ask for support.
4. Help others. I’m sure you’ve the phrase, “give more, get more.” Help others and things will come back to you. Contribute to others and their successful search. This can also occur when you genuinely listen to others and their professional needs and offer assistance. There is advice that you will receive by supporting others, ideas that will emerge from helping others work through their problems and opportunities that will be afforded to you through listening.
5. Focus on creating a great impression and asking for support. If all you do is ask for a job, a lot of doors will be slammed in your face. If you focus on creating a great impression, rest assured that when you are in front of someone who needs you, they will be smart enough to see the fit.
6. Cultivate your relationships. Like dating and good marriages, relationships take time to develop and blossom. Don’t expect instant results. Send thank you notes (www.hallmark.com and other online greeting card sites will help you keep the cost low or free), a quick email or a periodic phone call to stay in contact.
7. Follow through. Act on all the leads you receive. If you promise to do something, do it when you say you will do it. Imagine what it is like for the other person who is trying to help you, who may have even alerted the other person to a phone call and then not have it acted upon.
Take the time to network, ideally when you are working and don’t necessarily need a job. The investment will be worth your time.
© 2005, 2010 all rights reserved.
It’s Not Always What You Know But Who You Know
Things have conspired this week to bring me this article.
Last week, I spoke with two clients who landed new roles based upon their network. Then I received my copy of Businessweek and read a story about how grads find jobs primarily through their networks.
Most people tend to think of their network in the context of people they work with and, technically, one of the people did find their new position that way–through a vendor. The vendor was someone who had successfully sold business to his firm and, sensing his unhappiness, asked if he was open to something else. Several months of interviewing later, a new position was offered.
The second person found work though someone they went to college with 25 years before and had barely seen since! Yet that was the stepping stone to a new position.
Businessweek points out that information about available jobs remains very limited and that if we rely purely upon job listings you are only learning about a small subset of available jobs just like in the days when newspapers ruled the roost for job listings.
“Acquaintances (weak ties) have networks that go beyond a job seeker’s immediate circle (strong ties) Yet the acquaintances know the applicant well enough to vouch for their character.” Such introductions are often far more effective than shooting resumes into the black hole of applicant tracking systems.
So rather than only answering ads and talking to friends and other members of your immediate circle, stretch yourself and start reaching out to people who in a million years you would never have thought of connecting with.
It may pay off for you just like it did for my clients.
© 2012 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is an executive job search and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
JobSearchCoachingHQ.com changes that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions. NOW WITH A 7 DAY FREE TRIAL
You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle for $.99 and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.”
What Does It Say?
I wrote my first book, Get Yourself Hired NOW!: The Big Game Hunter’s Guide to Head Hunting Your Next Job and Every Job After That!” several years ago. Concurrently, I released my job search organizer, “Get Yourself Hired NOW!” 6 months later, I released, “No B.S. Job Search Advice;” 6 months after that came, “The Single Best Question You Should Ask on Any Interview.’ Then came, “Look Me Up: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Social Networking Your Way to Job Search Success.”
They all sell regularly on Amazon (for the Kindle) and on BN.com (for the Nook). In addition, I sell copies in PDF format for people who want to read from a piece of paper. I don’t do print.
A few years ago, I started to release short guides to for recipes and card games. They have titles like, “Crockpot Cooking for People Who Can’t Boil Water,” “Pressure Cooker Recipes with Chicken for People Who Can’t Boil Water,” and “Playing Solitaire: 25 Versions of One of the World’s Great Games.”
The solitaire title alone outsells my job search book by more than 3:1 in each and every month!
What does that tell you about people?
It suggests to me that most people would rather waste time playing solitaire than develop the skills to help them get back to work or do more than conduct themselves in a “hit or miss” way in their job search.
Job hunting does not need to be difficult or time consuming. It is a skill, just like the ones that you employ in your work that can be learned. Yet most people would rather lose good opportunities that they want for lack of that skill rather than spend $9.99 for an ebook, whether it is mine or someone else’s, to get better at the skill that will help them earn $10000, $20000 or $50000 more in their next job.
They would rather spend $5 to learn how to play solitaire or cook better.
Does that make sense to you?
It sure doesn’t make sense to me.
Job Search Advice from the American Revolution: The Founding Fathers Offer 5 Tips for Your Job Search
The Founding Fathers Offer 5 Tips for Your Job Search
The American Revolution like the French revolution and others that preceded it offers wonderful profiles in courage if we only take a minute to see them.
Yet there are other lessons that we can learn from them and from other heroes of the American Revolutionary War that we can apply to job hunting.
Lesson 1: There comes a time . . .
The American revolutionaries decided that enough was enough. That it was important to stand up to what they perceived as tyranny and take action. They tried to negotiate with the British but ultimately decided that war was necessary. You as a job hunter working for your employer need to decide for yourself when to negotiate and when to take action and, if you take action, take consistent decisive action.
Lesson 2: What are your principles?
The Americans established principles that have stood the test of time in their war with the British. They knew what they stood for and became clearer and clearer as time went on.
What’s most important to you in your next job or organization? What will you need to see or know in order to know it is the right place and job for you to work in?
Lesson 3: Find allies
Benjamin Franklin was sent to France to persuade the French to support the Americans. They sent troops and a general, General Marquis de Lafayette, to aid the Americans (and to support their own interests) in their battles with the English.
Who is there to help you outside of your family? Where can you find allies to aid you with introductions as well as advice during your job search?
Lesson 4: Do Not Give Up!
There were many reasons to give up and only one to stay the course. Especially in difficult times or when you are facing strong competition it will be easy to give up and hard to persist. Remember your reasons for job hunting and do not surrender your principles for expedience.
Lesson 5: Beware of traitors!
Like Benedict Arnold, you may have friends or colleagues who will sell you short and try to persuade you to stay. Like wolves in sheeps clothing they will make a strong case for surrender by manipulating facts into “nuanced thinking” and count on the passage of time to dissipate the strong feelings that brought you to rebellion. Beware!
Read more at: http://www.jeffaltman.com/JobSearchAdvicefromtheAmericanRevolution.htm#ixzz3ZFr03UaR
http://www.jeffaltman.com/PreviousArticlesNoBSJobSearchAdvice.htm
Job Search Planning Suggestions
On this show, I talk about planning for your job search
Who says job hunting has to be so hard?
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been helping people find work by recruiting, providing great information and coaching without any BS for more than 40 years.
Follow him at The Big Game Hunter, Inc. on LinkedIn for more articles, videos and podcasts than what are offered here and jobs he is recruiting for.
Visit http://www.TheBigGameHunter.us. There’s a lot more advice there.
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Pay what you want for my books about job search
Trying to hire someone? Email me at JeffAltman@TheBigGamHunter.us
Want to ask me a question via email, chat or phone ? Reach me via PrestoExperts
“I’m Taking Another Offer:” Avoiding That Message You Hate
Have you noticed more of your job offers being turned down? Have you noticed more people responding favorably to counteroffers and staying in their current jobs? Have you noticed that fewer people are out of work and, if they are out of work, they are out of work for far less time than a few years ago?
In 1972, I started working for an employment agency. It was my first job out of college and I was paid $125 per week to find programmers for the agency’s clients.
Salaries sound low by today’s standards—a programmer who had two years of experience with the hit technology of the time (COBOL in an OS environment) earned $12000; if he had a degree (in 1972, it was almost always a “he”), he earned $12500.
It sure seems like salaries have gone up since those days and, in some respects they have. Salaries are a lot higher than then. Yet, accounting for inflation and higher levels of skills required, salaries in most fields have declined. Even in actual dollars, salaries in most fields haven’t changed in almost 15 years. Companies that were paying $90000 in salary to fill a position in 1998 are paying the same salary today as then. Is it any wonder that job hunters are finding little difference in jobs and deciding to stay where they are?
Oh, you say that you offer a better career path than the current employer. Job hunters have heard enough stories about career paths winding up being non-existent to learn to disregard them. Even when they exist, the promise can end when the manager who made it decides to change jobs.
So, how do you attract and retain talent?
No matter how often people say they don’t change jobs for the money, most of them change jobs for the money. They hear a message in how they are perceived by the amount above their current salary they are offered.
Offering a person earning $78000 a $2000 raise or a $200000 person a $5000 raise normally will not secure the new employee . . . without a lot of talking to, promises and other phony baloney. Even if they do join, the new hire will be susceptible to the siren call of the next inMail, online ad they read or next call they receive from their old friend, the recruiter.
What can you do?
Improve salary scales across the board in your new budget. Without starting with your existing staff you are inviting them to be poached by others.
Some years ago, a large New York employer faced with losing large numbers of their staff in a hot technology, increased salaries by 40%, effectively pricing their people out of the job market. In ensuing years, the staff received very modest increases but couldn’t leave because they were priced out of the market.
Five years later, as the technology started to become less important and more commoditized, their salaries were now in line with the market and they could afford to lose people and did. With that first wage increase, they bought staff stability in a critical area at a critical juncture.
Isn’t that better than replacing 15 – 25% of your staff every year?
© The Big Game Hunter, Inc. Asheville, NC 2006, 2015
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a recruiter for more than 40 years.
Connect with me personally on LinkedIn. (I do not accept requests from 3rd party recruiters)
Follow The Big Game Hunter, Inc. on LinkedIn
Trying to hire someone? Email me at JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us
There is a lot of free content available at my website that you can watch, listen to or read. to help you be more effective with your hiring process or to help with changing jobs. I hope you find some of it useful.
Is your job search stuck. Don’t know how to get it going? Find out about getting a Job Search Makeover