Blogging4Jobs

Have you ever noticed how once you hit 40 (or it seems so to some), there are young vicious sharks swimming around you on your search for work? They act friendly, but you just KNOW that they are circling and waiting to have you for lunch. I’d like to give you a few tips on how to keep the sharks at bay…

1. Never and I mean NEVER use the word “old” to describe yourself. Good grief, if you’re not 80 you’re not old to begin with and need slapped upside the head just for saying it. Saying that you’re getting old is like opening a wound and dripping blood in the water. Stop it!
2. Feeling squishy and slow among your 12 year old coworkers? Let me break it to you… Watching American Idol while eating chips and playing couch potato isn’t going to advance you career, only your waist. Get up off your butt and get active.
3. And if you “try” to get active and suddenly EVERYTHING hurt… Get over it! It will! I don’t know how many people give up after the first time they exercise simply because it hurts. Don’t overdo it, but don’t mosey through the neighborhood without breaking a sweat and call that enough. Sweat, baby, sweat!
4. When you do exercise, listen to something upbeat. Smooth jazz may keep you from getting violent on the drive home, but goodness it will do NOTHING for a workout. Think of it this way, if the music can cause your pulse to pick up just listening or watching the video, imagine what it can do for a workout.
5. Another “don’t” is the constant complaining about the younger former bosses and fellow workers… It makes you look like the curmudgeon of the office and like you should be saying something like “When I was a kid, we walked 10 miles to school, uphill, both ways.” Complaining gets you nowhere, fast!
6. Understand that you should be at the top of your game and you’re never too old to take classes and seek professional development. The only way to stay on top is to be a continuous student.
7. And finally… Be active in your community and make a difference in lives. There’s a much bigger world than just the only you live in. Look out for more than just you and your own. This keeps you active, your resume current, and an impact that can advance or build a career.

Follow these guidelines and not only will you stand a chance with the sharks, but you might just become a force to be reckoned with (instead of sleeping with the fishes).

Like what you see?  Vote for Angela’s blog post by leaving a comment so she can win a $100 gift card and be named the winner of the Job Search Blogger Contest.

Angela Current, CPRW is a Certified Resume Writer/Career and Interview Coach offering no nonsense approach to job searching and career advice, as well as serving as a freelance writing fiend on a number of topics. A cancer survivor that has a heart for those job hunters with unusual circumstances, like survivors returning to work and the 50+ worker. Love a challenge!

… under-qualified… or at least you feel like you are. I mean why else would you not have received the position right.

Hearing the news

You’ve had the interview, heard the call, received the email, and opened that letter. Finally you hear, in oh so many words:

Thank you for your interest in… While your skills and abilities are very impressive… We have decided to pursue other candidates… Blah, blah, blah…

You pause. Brace yourself for whatever reaction you may not be ready for yourself. Your eyes may kind of well-up. Yet you’re strong. You’ve been here before. You will move on, you will continue.

Regardless of the point in your life or how you may have heard the news, we all can relate. Every job seeker, fresh college grad, long/short-term contract employee, and/or the unemployed generational ____________ (place any trendy term here) has been through it.

We’re all in the same boat

While you need to stick to who you are, focus your resume, skills and core competencies in this very tight and tunnel visioned market; you also need to be flexible to the changes that you may face. It does not matter what point you are in your life or career. What age or experience you have. You, me, we, they… are all in the same boat.

“That was the position I was meant for. I was perfect.”

It doesn’t matter… there are a thousand other people that feel the exact same way you do. Question is, what are you gonna do about it?

Unemployment isn’t cutting it (where applicable).

Will it ever? Let’s face it. You’re starting to get bored with the routine. Getting up and looking at the aggregate engines at 1pm. Annoyed with adjusting and re-adjusting your resume. You create and revamp the revamp of your top companies. Making calls to contacts, and contacting contacts of contacts. Heading out to the new, used, and slightly over worn network meetings. It’s a typical feeling but keep at it! Sometimes the only thing that can keep you motivated is the routine. At least you are meeting great people and you’re not dead… yet!

You can tell a lot about the character of a person by how they treat those who can do nothing for them.

Experience still matters

We all have experience whether it is 10-20 years or 1-6 years. The thing is that you, now more than ever, have to articulate specific skills to the specific job that you will be good at and that can also translate for the employer. You have to be quick, concise and to the point while showing you are better than the rest. Above all you have to help them understand on paper, phone and in-person; why you should be selected over everyone else. If you don’t know something, take the time to learn about and practice it. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Or you could just look on the job boards, click send and pray…

Are you in this situation? Tell me what your routine is, how you have approached it in your past, or any recommendations or advice you would give?

Photo Credit Levintel.

Vote for Benjamin McCall’s post by leaving a comment to help Ben win the Job Search Blogger contest and win a $100 gift card.  Voting ends Monday, May 10th.

Benjamin McCall is an HR practitioner with specializations in Change Management, Communications, OD, and Learning & Development. His passion for aligning the functions of HR with the strategies of business is evident through his blog ReThinkHR.org where he writes about management, leadership, networking and his love for family and golf! Follow him on Twitter: @BenjaminMcCall

So how ‘bout those informational interviews? They’re a fantastic way of intelligence gathering and getting your name out there for potential openings.  They’re great practice for actual job interviews but without the crushing nervousness. You can ask for feedback and the interviewer won’t feel the pressure of having to hire.  Heck, sometimes I just pick a name out of the phonebook and ask them to meet with me.

But let’s dig a little deeper into our bag of tricks and talk about something you may not have thought about. Rather than concentrating solely on mid to upper level people or managers consider reaching out to people just a few years out of college. They can be a source of great job search information, advice and encouragement.  They’ll know the duties and requirements of entry-level positions and most will be happy to help someone close to their own age.

Use your network to find some names. Talk to your Alumni Association, frat/sorority or other student organization. Get it out on Facebook that you’re looking to talk to a recent hire. Go to LinkedIn, get into the Advanced Search/People area and start plugging in your criteria. You can direct your search in different ways but what you’re looking for are people you have an association with.  Where you went to college, groups you have in common and friends or connections you share will give you a starting point. Any sort of commonality can help break the ice and make your contact more receptive to meeting with you. Regardless of how you find them make contact, ask for a few minutes and be polite if they say no.

Of course the rules of info interviews still apply: promise you’ll take no more than 20 minutes and stick to it, have your questions ready to go and be flexible if schedules get in the way. Make sure to confirm the day before and be cordial if they need to bump you, have some dates and times ready to go to facilitate a fast reschedule.

This is such a great way to network and polish your interview skills. But be a bit careful; don’t be too informal or spend too much time talking about other stuff. Yes, the new Vampire Weekend is great but get over it. Keeping it professional is still important, this connection may ultimately refer you for an opening and if they’re not one hundred percent confident you can pull it off you’re just somebody they met with and that’s where it ends.  And people, do I really need to tell you to send a thank you note? I’m a throwback and prefer an actual piece of paper with actual ink, with actual thoughts and an actual signature. But however you do it info interviews are a great way to get yourself out there.

Photo Credit Meds.

Vote for Lisa’s blog in the Job Search Blogger contest by casting your vote and leaving a comment.  Contest ends May 11th.

Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate has over seven years of recruiting both with a recruiting firm and within the largest employee owned ad agency in the US. I’ve seen thousands of resumes and most of them were bad. I’ve met hundreds of people who couldn’t tell me who they are and I’ve recruited people that looked great on paper but froze during their interviews.  If you don’t know how to promote yourself guess what? No one else will. But it’s not that hard, it just takes some time and creativity. And when it works you’ve set yourself ahead of the vast majority of job seekers.

The job search presents many challenges for candidates who are eager to land a new position as well as recruiters and hiring managers.  Experts like career coaches, job coaches, and resume writers provide job seekers valuable resources to help them get a leg up in the job search.  As someone who has been in both the job seeker and the hiring manager’s shoes I can see both sides, and lived the frustration.

Bottom line–it’s tough both ways and as someone who’s been there I am extremely passionate about helping to bridge the communication gap for both parties making the hiring, candidate, and interview process as enjoyable as possible.  With this in mind, I’ve teamed up with MingleMediaTV & Restaurant.com and put together a fantastic contest involving $200 in gift certificates and prizes (yes $200).

Job seekers, career experts including recruiters, HR, job coaches, resume writers, and so on can submit one blog post to me at blogging4jobs@gmail.com no later than Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 11:59 PM.  Post must be related to the job search and be between 250-500 words.  Video blogs, slide decks, and podcasts are also accepted.  Posts must be emailed as a word attachment with pictures attached to the email separately.

On next Sunday, May 2nd, I will announce those that have been selected to compete in the contest.  Those that follow the rules and bring original and interesting content are more likely to be selected.  So bring the creativity and be original.  Blog posts that are selected will be featured on Blogging4Jobs.com.   Selected blog posts will receive a vote when someone leaves a comment on their preferred blog post.  Voting or commenting ends Sunday, May 9th with the winner announced also on my show.

Voters can vote or comment as often and as much as they like.  Featured blog posts can promote their blog and encourage voters in whatever matter and method they desire.  Personally, the more creative the better.  Encourage your friends, neighbors, and strangers to visit your blog post and vote as many times as they like.

The top three blog posts with the most comments will receive gift certificates to Restaurant.com with first prize being a $100 gift card, second–$75, and third prize receiving $25.  The top vote getter will also receive the honor of being a future and featured guest on my web show and maybe some additional prizes if someone decides to throw some more goodies our way.

AGAIN, THE RULES–

• Only one blog entry person individual so send me your best.  Must be related to the job search either as a job seeker providing insight or experience or a career expert (recruiter, job coach, resume writer, HR, and so on) providing tips and tricks.
• Interested parties can submit their blog post to me (blogging4jobs@gmail.com) no later than Friday, May 7th, 2010.  You must include your name, email, bio, and any pictures you’d like included in your email.  Recommend that you attach a word document with your blog post & attach any additional pictures or photos separately.
• I make the final decision on which blog posts are to be selected to be part of the voting process and I reserve the right as owner of Blogging4Jobs.  The voters decide the final winner with voting.
• Once the blog posts have been selected and announced, the voting begins.  Voters or commenters can vote as many times as they like and their is no limit to the number of comments one can leave.  I encourage creative strategies to promote your blog, the more the better.  Let’s make this fun and competitive.

So let the submissions begin.  Feel free to email me or tweet me at @blogging4jobs with any questions.  A special thanks to MingleMediaTV, my network for my Job Search Secrets webshow and Restaurant.com for helping me in promoting the Job Search Blogger Contest.  Don’t forget to watch my web show live on Sundays at 9 PM EST.

Photo Credit Bumper Shine.

Being in the job search is tough and as a job seeker you are not alone especially with the more than 15 million who are out of work and in the job hunt.  People don’t prepare for the job search although they should at least six months in advance.  This provides you opportunity to grow and build your network using  both traditional (face to face networking) and non-traditional methods (social media networking).

One non-traditional networking tool is Twitter.  Think of Twitter as a virtual cocktail party with more than 27 million people in attendance.  Like any traditional cocktail party or networking event, there are conversations (known as your twitter stream) that happen all around you.  Twitter is no different.  Because your purposes for Twitter are primarily business based, it is extremely important to selectively join and be present for key conversations among decision makers or influencers in the industry in which you are looking for work or in your community.

• Follow People. Following others and retweeting or reposting their tweets is a great way to begin to build a relationship.  Use Twitter directories which are essentially online yellow pages to search for influencers in your target industry, location, or by key word like Twellow, and We Follow.  Here are 15 more great Twitter directory sites courtesy of Mashable.

• SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Be found by making sure to include key words that are searched by recruiters and hiring managers in your Twitter bio.  Consider words including industry specific software programs, certifications, and words that are repeatedly listed in job board advertisements.  Recruiters use key words within your tweets and your bio to find you.  Make it easy to be found including key words and a link to your blog or profile.

• Hash Tags (#). Hash tags are used in Twitter as a way to sort and search by topic.  Some common hash tags for job seekers including #jobs, #jobhuntchat, #jobsearch #jobadvice.  Using your iGoogle account set up an RSS feed of common key words and hash tags in Twitter Search.  Setting up your RSS feed is a great time saving tip.

• Find Recruiters. I almost always suggest that job seekers take an aggressive approach to their job search.  Just as recruiters source and search for you, job seekers can seek out and connect with recruiters, human resource professionals, or hiring managers using social media search tools.  Twitter directories are a great start, however there are more advanced tools like Follower Wonk and Twitter Search.  Both these offer advanced search options allowing you to search by key word and zip code.  Follow Wonk provides advanced bio search options.

• Building Relationships. Chris Brogan provided a crude yet effective example of social media networking and how to build relationships.  He likened engaging someone and asking them for a sale, to buy their product, or a job to sticking your tongue down someone’s throat just after meeting them.  Basically, don’t ask for the sale until you have an established relationship.  Social media can be very surface and the relationship is the glue that holds your reputation and relationships together.

To learn more about Twitter for the job search and business, you can take a look at my book, Tweet This!  Twitter for Business. E-book and softcover versions are availale.

Photo Credit IbTimes.

Having A Job Search Strategy Helps Job Seekers Compete.

Picture this: You’re training for your first marathon, the long-distance kind of event that covers 26+ miles.  You are running against experienced and non-experienced runners. You also figure that you’ll be surrounded by sponsors, organizers, volunteers, cheerleaders, etc.—you will need all of these people to help make sure that all the runners are taking care of for the race.

Successful marathon-runners obviously prepare for many years. Just imagine the chaos if all the runners of the Boston Marathon just sort of showed around the time and maybe the place the race was to be held, failing to anticipate what it takes to compete and even participate with the 25,000 people including runners, organizers, and volunteers?  In order to achieve the goals of being competitive or let’s say just “finishing” the race, runners apply training strategies similar to that of the successful world-class runners use.

Now let’s take it from the race course of Boston to the job search happening for a record number America’s workforce…
A job search strategy serves as a road map for the job search, keeping you on the right course. I’ve seen the unintended consequences of what happens when job seekers are not prepared to be competitive in the job search, inadvertently starting the race at the wrong place and wrong time with no chance to even finish the race. So, don’t be the runner getting lost on the course making apologies and losing out by not getting the job.  It happens all too often: A job seeker is a great person, yet is unsuccessful in getting a position that might actually match up to their experience, personality and skills all because they’re not prepared to discuss why they’re good for the team.

To avoid such unintended consequences, here are a few tips and pointers….
First, research the positions for which you’re applying, go online to the corporate website or Google job descriptions in reality a lot of HR departments are using these same job descriptions. These allow you to see what a recruiter or HR person is going to see. Next, research the company via news releases, online searching or get really radical and ask around to people about what they think about your company of interest.

What I consistently hear from HR for at least small and medium-sized businesses, is they typically do not feel they have the resources to manage the recruitment process in a “best practices” sort of way.  So, suggestion to job seekers is, “Make life easier for over-burdened recruiter, HR Manager, or business owner” by having everything prepared; copies made, numbers available, be on-time, and have questions at the tip of your tongue.  Ask your questions, and then LISTEN to the answers.

Your job search can benefits from having a job search strategy, it will help you:
1. Be prepared for every interview with answers about skills, experiences, motivations, etc.
2. Apply for the right jobs, with the right companies.
3. Reduce job search costs which help stretch resources as far as possible
4. Maintain a consistent process that helps minimize time wasted, limiting you missing opportunities’.

The ebb and flow of a job search can be a lot like a relationship; it can be as difficult, challenging and rewarding as running a marathon race. Job Search strategies can help job seekers be competitive for the tough race course ahead.

Photo credit More

Bryan Wempen is a guest blogger for Blogging4Jobs.  He is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at People Clues an assessment company.  Bryan is also a Partner with GET A CLUE!,  a global provider information used by Jobseekers to help then get noticed and prepare for the job interview.

You can connect with Bryan on Twitter, FaceBook, or LinkedIn.

The economy as a whole is coming out of a hole.

Americans ages 18 to 65 fill unemployment offices daily, looking for resume advice, stipends to help them financially and possible new leads on landing a job.  Being a job seeker myself, frustration easily becomes a daily mood in my world of countless no’s from employers.

There are several problems that could possibly be reasons why employers are less than excited about the potential employee.  To start, the average job seeker has had the same resume for years and simply changes the objective to fit to what they think the employer for the current position they are applying for wants to hear.

Next, the interview outfit: A worn-out suit or dress that has been deemed “lucky” but its’ current track record is not so much.  Finally, the confidence level is dismal and uncertainty plagues the job seeker, leaving for a not-so-successful interview.

Going back to the drawing board and rethinking a few things was a tough process, but the decision to change things goes as follows:

First, utilize your resources.  A nice visit to my friends at Tricholgy Salon in Edmond was definitely a priority. A trim or drastic cut can change the job seekers outlook on the employment process as a whole.  Looking good equals feeling good.  Then, change up the outfit a bit. Target had a dress that was perfect for an interview.  Many department stores have clearance racks that have some nice ensembles, just takes a little bit of looking.  Lastly, makeup and jewelry always make women feel important. Robin Johnson with Jewels by ParkLane assisted in that department. Gold and Silver are timeless colors that will go with any outfit.

Top it off with Brent Fuchs Photography taking a few shots for a portfolio or on- line profile and the total package is complete!

Job seeking is necessary for some and is what you make it.  Consider taking the extra step and not only revamp your resume, revamp your look too!

To learn more about guest blogger, Tess Mack, visit her blog and follow her networking travels in Oklahoma and Texas at Life on the O List.

According to a Profiles Survey of Canadian Employers, Employers want a top candidate with the following characteristics:

*Good Resume
*Good Skills
*On time for interview
*Prepared for interview
*Good Communicator
*Enthusiastic
*Great First Impression
*Aggressive Job Seeker
*Interested in the Company and Interviewer
*Good Follow-up (emails, thank you cards, phone calls)
*Poised & Confident

I have colored in orange are everything that you have control over prior to the interview with a small amount of effort in comparision to Skills. Skills are important but often require a great deal of training or certification. Hopefully, you’ll already have the required skills like a bachelors degree, certificate, or experience requirements for the positions you are applying for. Imagine setting yourself apart from the rest with a great resume, confidence and enthusiasm and a genuine interest in the company you are interviewing with. Amazing! Believe me when I say I have hired many individuals based on their enthusiasm, confidence,and interest and knowledge of the company.

Just last week I offerred a candidate (who was a referral from a networking contact) a job. I was overwhelmed by her knowledge of the company, her interest in the position, and enthusiasm. The candidate had done her homework and was prepared for the interview. The position I was hiring for was an Inside Sales position. She did some research and could speak to the selling process and was able to use her experience with fundraising to speak to sales. I love it when a plan comes together!!

Next time. . . Checking your references.