For Job Seekers

Get Inside The Heads Of People Who Hire

In military science, it's well understood that intelligence wins wars.

Very few job seekers take advantage of the obvious corollary here. Everything you can learn — not just about specific employers and the opportunities they have open, but about how employers and recruiters see the world they operate in — is invaluable.

Researching employers is so obvious I won't dwell on it. But the other dimension is worth considering. In managing your career (or simply looking for a job) wouldn't it be invaluable to get inside the heads of the people you're talking to? The people who will make the hiring decisions?

It's not difficult to do. In fact, you're one click away. ERE.net is a wonderful resource for recruiters and employers. That makes it a wonderful resource for smart job seekers!

Keywords: A Candidate’s Best Online Friend

If you browse employment web sites for jobs just by scanning categories, chances are you’re missing some great job opportunities — maybe the best ones. Your skills may map very well to openings in another category (or maybe an employer assigned a choice job opportunity to a category other than the one you would expect).

Keywords are the way to find these hidden gems. Keyword searching is like using a search engine: what you find has everything to do with the keywords you use. In other words, your results will depend on how well you work the keyword search, how creative you are, and how diligent you are about trying synonyms and variations on words. For example, beyond “technical writer,” try:

Writer, writing, written

Editor, editorial, edit

Plus proofread, proof, Word, compose, author, document, documentation …

And anything else you can think of. In fact, in case the person looking for you is really in need of your services, you may also want to try auther, righter, edtorial, proof-read & prufread. I’m sure you get the idea.

Remember that keywords matter outside the realm of your job searches, too. Consider job agents. If you aren’t familiar with this helpful tool, you’re going to love it. Let’s say you just spent the last half an hour running creative keyword searches. Do you want to stop back every day and run these searches again? Instead, why not setup an agent to perform this task for you — every night. Local Job Network search agents email you every night with results for your searches.

There’s one more important use for keywords. Everything I just said applies in reverse for employers looking for candidates! Hopefully you’ve posted your resume on our website. (Remember, not all jobs are posted. Employers often conduct their own keyword searches for opportunities they haven’t posted!) The way that you can help ensure that you show up in these searches is to ensure your resume includes all the appropriate keywords.

So, let’s backup a few paragraphs: the “variations” game you can play when you are doing a keyword search also applies to your resume, or at least its corollary does. To the extent that you can work variations on keywords into your resume with it looking redundant and strange, do so. Here’s a great implementation of this idea — I once saw an online resume that ended with a section actually entitled “keywords.” It listed skills (complete with word variations) and software packages. It was laid out neatly and actually looked like an entirely legitimate section of the resume. It was a separate page, though, so the resume could easily be printed without it, for normal distribution.

So, keywords are a two-way game. Use keywords to find opportunities when searching employment web sites, but also use them in your resume so that employers can find you.

Postscript: one of the features that distinguishes web 2.0 is the use of "tags." Tags aren't all that different from keywords, except while keywords are "spidered" (automatically searched for and indexed) by search engines, "tags" are labels you can apply yourself. In the case of employment web sites that have this feature, you'd apply tags to yourself. The simple tip here is, if tags are available, take advantage of them and choose your tags wisely!

 

The Adoption Curve

Since you're reading a blog, I guess you're on the adoption curve!

Most other job seekers are probably watching TV right now, or playing solitaire.

Will Your Online Past Haunt You?

Recent media buzz about how blog entries (plus myspace pages, etc.) can haunt individuals forever -- when they go job hunting in particular -- has sparked some concern. Students (at least, those with an eye towards the future) are asking how concerned they should be. Well, let me start by acknowledging that anything you post online can potentially haunt you later. But let me put this concern in perspective. First, most employers don't have the time or expertise to track down old internet indiscretions: if you can't find it in Google's top 20 results, it probably doesn't bear worrying about. Two, do you want to work for an employer who would exercise the type and degree of censorship where they would go to great lengths to determine that you leveled a few reasonable gripes at Wal-Mart after working there? I wouldn't. However, I do want to end this reassuring post with one major caveat. Like many employers, I can't stand negative employees, no matter how good they are otherwise. If you have successfully cultivated a Michael Moore-like
online persona regarding previous employers -- a highly visible, scathing diatribe -- I don't question your right to free speech. I just won't hire you.

Blog Leads To Job

A tip of the hat to Wendy Terwelp, occasional contributor and career coach extraordinaire, for pointing me towards this...

Can a blog get you hired? In this case, yes, a blog specifically developed by a candidate to target an employer she wanted to work for, paid off when she was offered a job. The CEO of the company that hired acknowledged that her strategy caught their attention and impressed them.

Although I recommend blogs as a great way to support your long-term career development, this is a remarkably fast and direct payoff!

A Great Job Hunting Resource For Veterans (And Any Other Job Seeker)

I was listening to a radio piece the other day about the challenges faced by veterans returning home, and I started to think that an earlier blog entry I wrote is a bit glib.

Veterans (especially those who went into the military young, with no real work experience) have been completely immersed in a career (and a lifestyle) that fails to prepare them for what they face when they try to enter our workforce. That is a sobering thought. Sadly, it's one of many ways we let vets down.

Having said that, if there is one critical element in successful careers, it has to do with taking full responsibility for ones  own situation. Taking responsibility in the short term (immediate job hunt) and the long term (overall career).

I'd like to think that collectively, the entries on this blog cover the types of information that veterans can use to get their job search on track: resumes, interviewing, and perhaps most importantly networking and personal branding. But it's information; what's missing is tools. Tools that can genuinely help veterans and any other job seekers to help themselves.

One tool that satisfies this need is JibberJobber. This web-based tool supports exactly the sort of networking activities a job seeker should engage in. For someone like a veteran returning home and seeking a job and a career, it's great to have a tool that will encourage and support effective networking. Recognizing this, JibberJobber is offering a free premium membership to veterans returning home (click here for details).

I appreciate what our veterans for what they've done for our country. And I respect the folks at JibberJobber for offering this special deal.

Identity Theft & Internet Job Searches

Given the various internet-based identity theft scams, it was only a matter of time before scammers turned their attention to online recruiting. And indeed, they have. The good news is that any job seeker who uses the internet can protect themselves by following a few simple rules.

Here’s an example of how identity theft has been worked into online recruiting. The scam begins when you have your resume posted, and you receive a call from someone who seems to be an excited recruiter/employer, telling you that you are the perfect candidate for a job.

As it unfolds, the scam isn’t complicated: the bad guys want your information. Especially your social security number. If the scammer is really ambitious, maybe they try to convince you that they need a credit card number for some reason as well.

You are probably thinking “I would never fall for that.” Some very smart people have, because some smart scammers have figured out to take advantage of the nuances of the job seeker’s psyche.

One hallmark of this type of identity theft scam is a sense of urgency. The bad guys know that if they let you get off the phone you are going to realize that giving up your social security number to a stranger isn’t smart. That’s why they’ll push you. It’s easy to get caught up in their feigned excitement, especially if you are in desperate need of a job.

Even in completely legitimate hiring processes, you do need to provide some personal information eventually, such as your social security number. But this should be well down the path with an employer you have met face to face. You’ve seen their office, perhaps done some research on them, and a certain degree of mutual trust has been established. That is very different than giving personal information to someone whose identity you haven’t even verified.

While social security numbers may be the most common type of information scammers will try to get at, particularly bold ones have gone after other types of information.

For example, credit card numbers. Case in point: the scammer sends you a form that asks for your social security number as part of a “security background check.” To add insult to injury, the form also requests your credit card number (With a note that says “sorry, the company that runs the check requires a credit card number as a deposit. Don’t worry though, it’s just a deposit — we’ll credit your account.”) If you proceed, the scammer would now have your social security number and credit card. And potentially, the scam doesn’t even stop there…

One especially diabolical twist, at least according to a story that has circulated, came in the form of a request that actually seemed to add credibility to the whole scam. The form was accompanied by an offer to provide the job seeker with an account on the (bogus) employer’s secure website, where they could login and check their application progress. “Just send us the 4 digit PIN number you want to use.” The scammer assumed, perhaps correctly, that the PIN provided would be the same one associated with the credit card they already have on file. So, at this point, the scammers have the victim’s social security number and credit card info, plus the PIN for the credit card. Ouch!

Again, you can protect yourself by following a few simple rules. First, be wary of anyone who wants your social security number (or similar information) — this is of course true in almost any sort of interaction. In the case of an employment search, bear in mind that there is no good reason for someone to want personal information (beyond what’s usually included in a resume) right away. Additionally, be wary of any recruiter or employer who seems to be in a big hurry, especially if they are pushing for anything that makes you uncomfortable.

An Awesome Technique For Diversifying Your Job Search

As someone who works for an employment Web site, you would expect me to tell you that employment Web sites should play a major role in your job search strategy.

Of course they should.

But a diversified approach to job seeking is best -- don't put all your eggs in one basket, even a great basket. I'm going to share one of the best ways you can diversify your job search.

Here's the problem with employment Web sites: they are such an efficient way of job hunting that lots of people use them, and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. Here's the problem with networking: it's an awesome way to connect personally with decision makers, but there's no reason why they would necessarily be in hiring mode.

Now, here's the magical "peanut butter in my chocolate" way these two come together, addressing each other's shortfalls.

Use employment Web sites to determine who's hiring. Then, use your network to find a human "back door" into these organizations. Granted, this last step can require persistence and creativity. That's great news for you -- by virtue of the fact that you are reading this blog, I know you're willing to go the extra mile to enhance your job search.

Here's how you use a networking strategy to open doors once you've used the Web to determine a specific employer is hiring. Somehow, you need to connect with someone who works at the company, who can create a personal referral/introduction to someone involved with hiring for that specific job opening. Chances are you don't have any immediate or direct connections who fit the bill -- that would be too easy. So, who do you know who might know someone who does? Hint: you have to tap into your contact's contacts. And maybe even their contacts. Alternately, play private eye & figure out who's making the hire (get a name), Google them and figure out how to meet them.

I didn't say this would be easy. Advanced kung fu is never easy. I would venture a guess that the powerful technique I've outlined here will be effective in direct proportion to how hard you have to work at it. So, how bad do you want a great job?

Ignored? Don’t Take It Personally

I recently read a career advice column featuring a job seeker who wrote in to complain about employers who didn’t respond when she applied. Anyone who is currently job hunting may be able to relate, as this has become a common occurrence. Without defending this discourtesy, the following insights may help you understand why it occurs. And the more you understand about what’s happening on the employer’s side of the fence, the better you can adapt your job hunting strategies.

Why do candidates (even those who have interviewed) and resumes often get ignored?

1. Today’s job market is flooded with candidates, and the web makes it so easy to apply for jobs, quickly and in large quantities. Candidates “mass market” themselves. Back when employers got a dozen applications for an opening, it was feasible to respond personally to each. Now that employers often receive hundreds of applications for any position they post online, that is no longer true. You wouldn’t believe how often candidates give inaccurate or confusing contact information! Some examples… The resume and cover letter list different phones numbers. Or, a call to a phone number listed on a resume leads to a voice mail under a different name. Another common occurrence is that a call to the candidate is answered by an uncooperative roommate. Then the real topper — candidates who provide their phone number at their current job, even though their job hunting is secret. When called, they can only talk at a whisper, or they panic altogether. As far as other methods of contact, such as email and postal addresses, many online submissions lack the necessary info, or it’s wrong. This is what employers are up against. So, they get a little callous about following up and responding to every applicant.
2. Many employers have developed special internal processes to accommodate the flood of applications they usually get when they post a job. These processes aren’t designed to provide good communication with candidates, and they don’t. Rather, they create a one way flow of resumes through an initial screener to the executives who make specific hires. This means there is no single individual responsible for follow-up. Once the “screener” approves a candidate and passes a given resume along, he or she doesn’t know what occurs after that. And the executives who receive the pre-screened resumes have no relationship to the candidates (after all, they haven’t yet met them) so they have no sense of ownership or obligation to follow up with candidates.
3. Many employers have no set timeline for hiring, at least with regards to some openings. Even with the semi-promising candidates they interview, they never really decide not to hire them. Instead, they just never actually decide to hire them. It’s like window shopping: you may see many things you tentatively consider buying. In many cases, you never get around to making the purchase, even though you never actually decide “no, I’m not going to buy that.”

I’m not justifying the practice of leaving candidates in the dark — just explaining why and how it happens. This article hopefully sheds some light on what’s happening inside the “black box” of the employers you apply to or interview with. Hopefully, knowing this will help alleviate any hurt feelings over being ignored. It’s unlikely anyone specifically decided that you weren’t worth responding to.

So don’t take it personally. Just keep plugging away.

Spelling Is Fundamental

Did you know that it's very important to spell everything right on your resume? And in your cover letters?

I think this pretty well known, but (at the risk of sounding patronizing) here's an insight from someone who reads resumes daily: at least 80% of them contain typos.

Simple way to stand out, then: make sure everything you submit to a prospective employer is spelled right. Resumes and cover letters, but also the parts of an online application that you do in real time, like answering questions. The devil is in the detials.