Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Get your checklist started
If you're looking for a new job you'll want to approach the job search like it is your full-time job or at least a part-time job if you are currently employed. Over the next several postings I'm going to expand on a checklist of action items for you to consider adopting as part of your job search. Before I get started with the list though let me say one thing ... I am assuming that you are ready to do this. It won't be easy. A job search is hard work. If you're not ready to put in the time and effort you will fail or at the very least you'll jump on the first job offer you get just to be done with the process and you'll most likely be looking again in 2-3 months. Make a commitment to do this right and you'll be so much happier with the outcome!
1) Get serious, and get down to business. That's the mindset you will need to develop. Forget about going to the movies, forget about going to the beach, put this job before all leisure activities and after you've completed a series of tasks then you can think about rewarding yourself for a job well done.
2) Get organized ... if you don't normally keep one handy get a calendar, day-timer or a PDA or PC-based organizer, and learn how to use it. You'll be scheduling phone calls, meetings, interviews and networking activities and you need to be able to track them, have a reliable reminder system, and a method for reviewing the week's activities so you can objectively evaluate the results of your efforts. I also suggest buying a book on time management, taking a class or finding a web site on the subject to brush up on your scheduling and organizing skills. You are going to have a boatload of activities to manage - you better get used to the idea of being very busy for a while. Trust me, if you aren't organized you'll soon be forgetting or arriving late for interviews, missing phone calls, and not sending follow-up or thank-you cards. Any one of these tasks could mean the difference between looking for months or landing a great job next week.
3) Start documenting your life. Of course you'll need the obligatory resume but you'll also need references (name, address, phone number, etc), previous employer contact information (phone, address, previous supervisor name, etc) and contact information for schools, social clubs, and anything else you can think of that will reflect positively on your well-rounded life-style. No, you won't use all of this information every time you apply for a job but coming to an interview unprepared speaks volumes to the hiring manager about your level of commitment to the job. Reference letters are the hardest to obtain, they take the longest time and you'll find it difficult to ask for them. Get over it. They are extremely useful, many job applicants don't bother with them, and employers give prospects who have them high marks.
4) Interview questions - write down your answers and practice reading them out loud. This is a must. The smoother your delivery is the better you'll be perceived. While the substance is important the quality of the delivery probably accounts for 50% of the interviewer's evaluation of your response to their questions. Having strong responses keeps the stress level down and gives you confidence. It will be noticeable and you'll make an impact. There are many internet sites with typical interview questions and many even offer insight on how to answer them. I don't recommend copying the answers from a web site but if the answer they provide does resonate wth you consider paraphrasing it and adapting it to fit your speaking style and work experience situation. Thoughtful, articulate and smooth - that should be your goal when answering any question. If you don't have an answer say so or say you'll be happy to get back to them with an answer. Making up answers on the fly is dangerous -- avoid the temptation. Here are some Interview Q&A links to help you get started.
In my next post I'll talk about an extremely helpful tool - the interview video. You won't believe how this exercise can impact your interview preparation. We'll also take a stroll down memory lane while I reminisce about my days as an advertising salesman. If you aren't a professional salesperson you will need to spend some time learning about a few of the techniques all sales people must know about to be successful. I'll get you started in the general direction for this exercise but you will have some homework to do!
1) Get serious, and get down to business. That's the mindset you will need to develop. Forget about going to the movies, forget about going to the beach, put this job before all leisure activities and after you've completed a series of tasks then you can think about rewarding yourself for a job well done.
2) Get organized ... if you don't normally keep one handy get a calendar, day-timer or a PDA or PC-based organizer, and learn how to use it. You'll be scheduling phone calls, meetings, interviews and networking activities and you need to be able to track them, have a reliable reminder system, and a method for reviewing the week's activities so you can objectively evaluate the results of your efforts. I also suggest buying a book on time management, taking a class or finding a web site on the subject to brush up on your scheduling and organizing skills. You are going to have a boatload of activities to manage - you better get used to the idea of being very busy for a while. Trust me, if you aren't organized you'll soon be forgetting or arriving late for interviews, missing phone calls, and not sending follow-up or thank-you cards. Any one of these tasks could mean the difference between looking for months or landing a great job next week.
3) Start documenting your life. Of course you'll need the obligatory resume but you'll also need references (name, address, phone number, etc), previous employer contact information (phone, address, previous supervisor name, etc) and contact information for schools, social clubs, and anything else you can think of that will reflect positively on your well-rounded life-style. No, you won't use all of this information every time you apply for a job but coming to an interview unprepared speaks volumes to the hiring manager about your level of commitment to the job. Reference letters are the hardest to obtain, they take the longest time and you'll find it difficult to ask for them. Get over it. They are extremely useful, many job applicants don't bother with them, and employers give prospects who have them high marks.
4) Interview questions - write down your answers and practice reading them out loud. This is a must. The smoother your delivery is the better you'll be perceived. While the substance is important the quality of the delivery probably accounts for 50% of the interviewer's evaluation of your response to their questions. Having strong responses keeps the stress level down and gives you confidence. It will be noticeable and you'll make an impact. There are many internet sites with typical interview questions and many even offer insight on how to answer them. I don't recommend copying the answers from a web site but if the answer they provide does resonate wth you consider paraphrasing it and adapting it to fit your speaking style and work experience situation. Thoughtful, articulate and smooth - that should be your goal when answering any question. If you don't have an answer say so or say you'll be happy to get back to them with an answer. Making up answers on the fly is dangerous -- avoid the temptation. Here are some Interview Q&A links to help you get started.
http://www.jobweb.com/Resources/Library/Interviews/Interviewers_92_01.htm
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/interviewquestion1/l/aa031201_2.htm
http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/16-14.shtmlIn my next post I'll talk about an extremely helpful tool - the interview video. You won't believe how this exercise can impact your interview preparation. We'll also take a stroll down memory lane while I reminisce about my days as an advertising salesman. If you aren't a professional salesperson you will need to spend some time learning about a few of the techniques all sales people must know about to be successful. I'll get you started in the general direction for this exercise but you will have some homework to do!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Do you know how to network?
Have you noticed that most of the jobs you see posted in the newspaper or online are low-level, low paying jobs? That's because (except for companies that are truly growing) these are the jobs nobody else in the company wants! They have to go outside to fill them. What does this mean to you the job seeker? It means if you want to find a great job you need to look somewhere besides the traditional listings that are posted in plain sight and made available to everyone in the world. You need to network, learn about the "real" jobs, the ones that offer interesting work, a decent salary and a better than 50-50 chance you'll still be there after six months. What is networking and how do you do it? That is the $64,000 question.
I won't throw down a 10,000 word "how-to" on networking but I will give you a couple of tips ... first, you've got to believe that it works. If you're not a networker by nature this will be a leap of faith (this I know for certain). Networking could easily be your only method for finding a job but you probably wouldn't be comfortable with that thought and if you're a lousy networker it's a really bad idea anyway. So combine networking with the more familiar methods (newspaper ads, help-wanted signs, online listings, recruiters, and temp agencies to name a few). Second, go after networking with a vengeance and give it time to work. Networking does not produce results over night. You need to prospect, promote, cultivate and socialize new relationships, all of which require substantial investments of time and follow-through effort. A good tool is a contact manager program such as ACT! but there are others that cost less and can be effective when used properly. That is key - use your resources effectively for maximum impact. Do this and I'm confident you will be pleasantly surprised with your results.
Here are a few web links that will help you learn more about how to conduct a networking campaign as it relates to the job search. Keep in mind that most of the time these techniques are implemented by accident rather than because of a specific plan, and more often by job seekers who already have a job or a specific career or industry they are established in but it can work for career changers as well. If you become focused, stay energized and (like the good salesperson you need to become) brush off the frequent dead-ends, rejections, and time-wasters, with patience and persistence this process has the potential to yield the greatest job search results of all.
http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html
http://www.quintcareers.com/networking.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/networking/a/networking.htm
I won't throw down a 10,000 word "how-to" on networking but I will give you a couple of tips ... first, you've got to believe that it works. If you're not a networker by nature this will be a leap of faith (this I know for certain). Networking could easily be your only method for finding a job but you probably wouldn't be comfortable with that thought and if you're a lousy networker it's a really bad idea anyway. So combine networking with the more familiar methods (newspaper ads, help-wanted signs, online listings, recruiters, and temp agencies to name a few). Second, go after networking with a vengeance and give it time to work. Networking does not produce results over night. You need to prospect, promote, cultivate and socialize new relationships, all of which require substantial investments of time and follow-through effort. A good tool is a contact manager program such as ACT! but there are others that cost less and can be effective when used properly. That is key - use your resources effectively for maximum impact. Do this and I'm confident you will be pleasantly surprised with your results.
Here are a few web links that will help you learn more about how to conduct a networking campaign as it relates to the job search. Keep in mind that most of the time these techniques are implemented by accident rather than because of a specific plan, and more often by job seekers who already have a job or a specific career or industry they are established in but it can work for career changers as well. If you become focused, stay energized and (like the good salesperson you need to become) brush off the frequent dead-ends, rejections, and time-wasters, with patience and persistence this process has the potential to yield the greatest job search results of all.
http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html
http://www.quintcareers.com/networking.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/networking/a/networking.htm
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Getting started
If you're unemployed your job search should be carried out as if it were your full time job. If you currently have a job you probably don't feel as much pressure to find the next one but if you have decided to invest the time and effort you might as well conduct a proper job search or you will be wasting your own time as well as the time of others you will interact with (recruiters, interviewers, former employers and references, to name a few).
A job search coach (that's me) can help you get organized, put together a plan of attack, coach you on things like creating a resume, dressing appropriately and interviewing successfully, and often are able to help you learn new skills such as how to use the Internet to search for job postings. I will also be offering job search tips, web links I think are useful, and occasionally my personal insights. If you have questions, suggestions or critical feedback to offer, please send them. I'd love to hear from you.
A job search coach (that's me) can help you get organized, put together a plan of attack, coach you on things like creating a resume, dressing appropriately and interviewing successfully, and often are able to help you learn new skills such as how to use the Internet to search for job postings. I will also be offering job search tips, web links I think are useful, and occasionally my personal insights. If you have questions, suggestions or critical feedback to offer, please send them. I'd love to hear from you.
