02 Jan
How To Get Moving In 2019
It’s 2019.
Are you ready?
A lot of people casually looking for new jobs, put their job search into high gear in January.
The holidays are over. They’ve taken vacation and gotten year end bonuses.
If you want to find a new job this year, it’s time to get moving.
Time to do all those things you planned to do in the last few months of 2018.
Get Your Tools Together
First, make sure you resume is recruiter and hiring manager ready. Your resume is your calling card so make sure that it is a compelling marketing document not the boring list of duties you used 5 years ago.
A boring employment history is not going to impress anyone. Employers want to know how you can solve their problems, you resume should clearly demonstrate your value in modern, easy-to-scan format. And if you’re a senior executive, don’t forget to show momentum.
Next, finish completing your LinkedIn profile so recruiters can find you. Finish that that summary you’ve been meaning to for the last 4 months. Now that LinkedIn has changed their user interface, pay particular attention to the first 240 characters in your summary. Write something that will encourage them to click “Show more.”
07 Mar
What Recruiters Can (And Cannot) Do For You
Many job seekers are under the misconception that recruiters are there to help them find a job. They aren’t. Whether they’re contingency, consultants or retained search, recruiters work for employers.
That doesn’t mean that they can’t help you find a new job.
It depends on what your goal is.
Based on my experience as a recruiter, recruiters are eager to help you when you’re easy to place.
A recruiter’s goal is to fill one or more open positions. If they are working contingency, they only get paid when a client hires one of their candidates. They may have to wait until the candidate is there 30-days to get paid.
While corporate recruiters are not on commission, they may be paid a bonus based on how many positions they fill. They will certainly be judged on the quality of candidates they present.
As I tell my clients, recruiters are looking for a round peg that will fit into the round hole they are trying to fill. If you’re a square peg they’re unlikely to spend much time with you.
10 Jan
Employment History vs. Modern Executive Resume
If you want to get an employer’s attention, don’t send them an employment history. Send them a results-driven, easy-to-scan executive resume.
While many people think they are one and the same.
They’re not.
The reaction they get from employers isn’t the same either.
Here are a few reasons why.
Old-School Executive Resume (Employment History)
29 May
3 Ways To Get Hired Using Social Media
Barely a week goes by without news of someone getting fired over a post on social media. Some are truly horrific, like the bankers who were fired because they thought it would be fun to reenact a beheading. Others are merely stupid, like the Colorado teacher who was canned after posting racy tweets.
But, what you may not realize is that inappropriate behavior on social media can also keep you from getting hired in the first place.
Today 52 percent of employers are investigating candidates online as part of the hiring process, up from 43 percent in 2014, and 39 percent in 2013 according to a 2015 report from CareerBuilder. In the study, 48 percent of employers who reported researching candidates on social media said that something they found caused them not to hire the candidate.
What turns employers off?
16 May
Does Your LinkedIn Profile Look Outdated?
As you probably know, LinkedIn has rolled out a new user interface. Some things are gone, like the Advice for Contacting section. This makes it a bit trickier to make it easy for people to contact you, if you’re conducting a confidential job search.
But, there are also new sections that make it easier for you to showcase your brand. For example, the opportunity to insert a background photo.
Unfortunately, just as with their LinkedIn headline, many users leave LinkedIn’s default background shot.
Why?
Inserting a personal background photo on your LinkedIn profile is as simple as putting a cover shot on your Facebook page. And it serves a similar purpose.
It gives readers a chance to immediately learn a bit about you.
Beyond that, leaving the default background shot makes you appear outdated and lacking technological savvy.
Here are a few ways to update your LinkedIn profile today,
11 Feb
5 Musts Before Starting Your Job Search
Like most things, a key element of job search success is planning. Unfortunately, many job seekers just jump right in. They begin looking at job ads and internal opportunities.
Bad idea.
Most people wouldn’t just put their home on the market without some planning. They would consider different neighborhoods, maybe research realtors, and evaluate mortgage rates. They would appraise their home and find out what they should repair or replace to get top dollar.
Yet every day, people decide that today they’re going to start looking for a new job. Once they find a few exciting opportunities they dust off their old resume and realize it needs an overhaul.
They quickly find that jumping into a job search without planning doesn’t lead to success. Here are 5 things you need to do before you begin your job search.
04 Jan
2017 Kickoff – Time To Get Going On Your Job Search
For better or worse, 2016 is over. Time to make 2017 a great year. If one of the ingredients of your great year is a new job, it’s time to get going.
Even if you’re not actively looking, you should make many of these activities part of your life. You should always have your resume ready to go and an ongoing practice of networking.
If you are actively looking, get started on this list today.
Get Ready
First, make sure you resume is recruiter ready. Your resume is your calling card so make sure that it is a marketing document, which clearly demonstrates your value, not a boring employment history. Your resume should convey how you can solve a potential employer’s problems and be presented in an modern format.
14 Dec
Mix & Mingle: Successful Holiday Networking
We all know that networking is one of our most powerful business tools. One of the things most of us forget is to continually nurture our network even when things are going well. The holiday season is a great time to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Why are the holidays so great? When do you have a better opportunity to rekindle relationships? This is the perfect time of the year to get back in touch with people just to find out how they are doing. Make sure you take the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family – to do a little holiday networking.
06 Jul
10 Simple Job Search Strategies That Work
1 Make a list of your target employers and try to network your way in. As your friends, family, LinkedIn connections, etc. if they know anyone who works for one of your choices.
2 Keep a record of the companies and positions where you have applied. This will save confusion if you are contacted by someone from HR or a recruiter who is working on a position you’ve already applied for.
05 May
Think You Can’t Find A Job Through An Online Connection? Think Again.
Many people I talk to, particularly those over a certain age, scoff at the idea that there can be any true relationship with the folks you meet online.
A few of my friends had to be dragged kicking and screaming to LinkedIn. Almost every job seeker I’ve suggested sign up for Twitter says, “That’s not for me.”
Really, not for you?
Why not?
I know many people, myself included, who have developed valuable professional and personal relationships with people they met on LinkedIn and Twitter.