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.”
13 Dec
Don’t End Up At The Back Of The Pack In January
There are only a few weeks left to 2018. If you’re already looking or plan to start in the new year, there is no time to waste. Serious candidates are working a job search plan right now. If you’re taking time off to enjoy the holidays, you’re falling behind. Here are a few ways to catch up.
Target Employers
First, create a list of target employers. These are your dream employers, the places you would work if you could work anywhere. Ten is a good place to start. Learn all you can about them.
Make a note to visit their website periodically to check job openings. As a recruiter, it was rare to source a job that was not listed on the company website. The exception being a confidential search when the person didn’t know they were being replace.
05 Dec
How To Mix And Mingle Your Way Into A New Job
The holidays are one of the best times of the year for networking. So, if you’re actively looking for a job, even if you’re thinking about it, December is a great month to get out and meet people. This month, there are even more places to do this.
Begin with your office holiday party. It’s tempting to think we know the people that we work with I but if you work in a large corporation, I’ve worked in a couple, you probably don’t. There are a lot of people you are friendly with, as in your frequently exchange emails or phone calls, who you’ve never met face-to-face. Your office party is the perfect opportunity to put faces to names and, maybe, get to know your boss a little better too.
31 Oct
How To Take Control Of Your Narrative
As I tell my clients, today you are who the internet says you are. Which makes it essential for you to control the narrative. To do that you need to know what’s out there and monitor your online presence going forward.
Today recruiters and hiring managers are researching candidates online as part of the interview process. Make sure there are no surprises. Start by doing a Google search on yourself. This will give you an idea of what others will find out about you and anyone else with the same name.
While you may not realize it, there are probably dozens, if not 100’s, of people with your name out there. Searching my name on Google turns up 9K+ results. One of them is my ex-sister in law who’s a veterinarian in California. She’s nice, I don’t know anything about the rest of them.
19 Sep
How To Turn A Probable No Into A Yes
Successful business people know it’s important to know your audience.
That’s why career professionals advise their clients to research the company and those who you’ll be meeting before every job interview.
As a former recruiter, I know that most people don’t bother.
Questions about what candidates know about the company were often met with vague generalities or an outright “nothing really.”
The truth is knowing your audience can make the difference between a probable no and a resounding yet.
My favorite example is from the movie Hidden Figures about 3 African-American women who served vital roles NASA during the early years of the space program.
30 Aug
Is A Day At The Beach Worth Falling Behind In Your Job Search?
This weekend marks the unofficial end to summer. Despite the endless rain and 90-degree days, I’m sorry to see it go. I’m guessing you are too.
I plan to enjoy summer’s last, long holiday weekend. You should too.
But, if you’re looking for a new job, squeeze in a little work as well.
Here are 5 easy things you can do that will help you get a jump on your fall job search. Do 1 or do them all. They are in no particular order.
#1 Target Employers
Create a list of 10 target employers. Places where you’ve always wanted to work. Maybe they’re your company’s competitor or what they do inspire you or they exude the culture you seek. Set up Google alerts on them. Schedule a time each week to visit their websites for career and business information.
18 Jul
Do You Want To Know What Hiring Managers Think?
Looking for a job isn’t easy. Getting an interview is tough. Securing an offer is even tougher.
If the whole process was easy, unhappy workers wouldn’t hesitate to make a change. People wouldn’t be as devastated when they lost a job.
Of course, one of the most difficult thing for jobseekers is trying to figure out what hiring managers think. What are they looking for? What questions will they be asked during an interview? Is talking badly about a boss or former boss really that bad?
The list of questions goes on.
Well, today, we’re going to provide some insights gleaned from a survey of hiring managers conducted by Simply Hired**.
What You Can Expect
While a robust, optimized LinkedIn profile is essential to being found on LinkedIn, most (71%) of hiring managers don’t check candidate’s profiles. Of course, that means almost 30% do.
03 Jul
4 Ways To Heat Up Your Job Search This Summer
After a tough winter, summer is finally here. Vacationers back up traffic for miles and sometimes there’s even a line at the beach. Time to sit back, enjoy the warm weather, and chill.
Not so fast.
Tempting as it may be, if you’re looking for a new job, this is not the time to slack off.
Even a decade ago, most people thought summer was not a good time to look for a job. In some respects, they were right. But, things are much different today. While recruiters and hiring managers may be taking long weekends, even week-long vacations, in our 24/7 world of work no one is ever really out of the office.
That means it’s not the time to kick back and wait for September. Here are four ways to keep your job search moving this summer.
21 Mar
How To Avoid Being Considered The Lazy Candidate
When I was recruiting, I always asked potential candidates if they were familiar with the company during my screening call.
The smart ones said, yes and went on to tell me what they knew.
The lazy ones said no.
Not a good sign.
When you’re competing for a job, one of the things many employers will ask is “why do you want to work here?”
If you don’t know anything about the company what can you say?
One of the keys to being successful during job interviews is to research companies in advance and prepare a few responses to questions like “what do you know about us?” and “how did you find this job?” and, the inevitable, “why do you want to work here?”
Imagine you’re interviewing with Amazon.
Since the company is a household name and you’ve probably shopped with them often, you might think you know a lot about the company. You might not bother to do your research.
Here’s why that would be a mistake on your part.
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)