Jeremy Lin, the former Harvard University basketball star turned instant phenom on the New York Knicks NBA team, has created quite a buzz in recent weeks. My interest in the NBA is minimal at best but I have been impressed with the instant marketing success this young man became almost overnight. As a sports fan, I realize that he could be a one hit wonder and fade into the woodwork quickly. That is not what is important to me right now.
My takeaway from this Linsanity madness is how a very unknown star from a school not usually known for its athletic successes turned into an overnight sensation and how this could be applied to candidates trying to add a little spark to their job search strategies. All too frequently, a candidate will contact me at my agency and tell me they have been out of work so long (time ranges from a month to a few years) that they are desperate and will work for minimum wage in an attempt to get back to their chosen field where they used to make much more ($40-100K+/-) and they practically beg for their resume to be sent out even if the job is a complete mismatch. As a career coach, people will ask to meet with me and lament that they have become complete failures since they sent out perhaps ten resumes in the last six months and no one called them for interviews.
Candidates need to sound less like the New York Mets organization (sorry Mets fans!) and more like Jeremey Lin and the Knicks! A good friend has been out of work for a few months and has sent out countless resumes and had some substantial interviews but not landed a job just yet. Whenever I ask how he is doing he responds that he is doing Great and never complains! Perception is 90% of the issue when job hunting. Before you all start telling me it is impossible to remain positive in such bleak times, I am here to tell you that it is essential to do so! If you cannot keep the energy level high (and I do understand how hard that is to do) then you need to get some help. Join a few networking groups, get out among people, find a career coach, talk with a clergy person, network with your friends and neighbors, do something to get the positive juices flowing through your body. I cannot promise instant success but I assure you it will go a long way toward getting you back on track!
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Why Aren't You Getting Calls?
The following article is a presentation which I recently delivered to a job seekers support group at the National Council of Jewish Women's Center for Women in Livingston, NJ:
If you are frustrated because you send out dozens of resumes each week and rarely receive responses, let alone invitations for interviews, rest assured that you are not alone. In my roles, both as a recruiter and as a career coach, people contact me frequently, concerned because they feel like something is wrong with them or their resume. Before you throw in the towel, something you obviously cannot afford to do, let’s take a look at your efforts and see if we could make things a little bit better!
The first place to look is your resume.
~Do you list a phone number? Is it the number you most frequently use? Is there an answering system attached to it? Do you check this number at least 2-3 times daily for messages? Do you respond to all messages within 12-24 hours?If the answer to any of these questions is ‘No’ there is your initial problem. Potential employers may only call once. If you do not answer the phone live or respond within 24 hours, do not expect them to try again. If you do not have voice mail, set it up now!!! It is very annoying when a candidate relies on caller ID and calls back to a company and says they have no clue who called them or why they called them. There are plenty of others who will respond faster and get the interview intended for you.
~Have you listed an email address on your resume? Again, is it an address that you regularly check and respond to? Is it a professional looking address or something gimmicky like jerseyshoregirl1@aol.com? Having a novelty email address for your social activities is fine but you need something business like for employers to reply to such as jdoe@gmail.com. Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, and most cable providers allow you to set up no cost email addresses and I strongly recommend this.
~How many of you send out more than 75 resumes per month? 50-75?25-50?Less than 25? If you are not sending out at least 25per month, you should not claim that nobody is responding to your resume because nobody is seeing your resume! There are tons of sites to look for easy places to submit such as nj.com, indeed.com, simplyhired.com, tristatejobs.com just to name a handful to consider.
-When you look for places to submit your resume, what criteria do you use to select the jobs you apply for? Do you look only at jobs that fit 100% of your expectations based on your past work history even though it has been some time since you last worked in your chosen field? My suggestion is to apply for a mix of jobs with about 20% being the ones you consider perfect fits, 50% being jobs that you feel qualified to do about half the skills, and 20% for which you know a few of the needed skills plus about 10% just general, part-time employment with minimal special skills required. Avoid applying to full-time jobs that you have absolutely none of the required skills because if something more suitable comes up at the same site later on, the hiring manager might remember you as someone who randomly sent a resume for a job you were not qualified for. However, if your resources have hit rock bottom, you need to apply for any job just to get some positive cash flow. There is nothing wrong with taking a part-time job in a supermarket, drugstore or perhaps as a security guard or school lunch aide if you absolutely need to earn money but want to allow time to continue your job search.
If no one is responding to you, maybe you need to find other ways to search and target a new audience. How many of you are doing some form of networking beyond attending this group’s programs? Are you attending job seeker support groups through local houses of worship, Jewish Vocational Services, Catholic Charities, Professional Services Group of NJ? How many of you regularly visit your local public library and utilize their job search tools? I assume you are all using LinkedIN and have been adding at least 20-25 new contacts per week and have job search agents set up there. Are each of you calling 4-6 people per week who you simply know through one source or another and asking to meet with them to informally discuss your job needs, their current careers, and how they might refer you to someone they know? Do you attend job fairs and/or resource fairs at least once every 4-6 weeks. Does anyone pick up the newspaper and look for articles about new companies moving into the local area, write down the names mentioned, and contact them to see if you could meet to discuss future job opportunities they may have available?
It is terribly simple to get into a rut and say that nobody is responding to your resume but it is a true challenge to put yourself into high gear and find creative ways to identify job opportunities. Job hunting is a full time career and requires the same attention that a full time job deserves from you. Make a schedule consisting of weekly chores and responsibilities unrelated to job search then insert at least 6 hours per day six days a week for your search process and keep to that routine. It is okay, in fact better than okay, to rotate the order you approach your search each day and it is essential to give yourself one day off per week to clear your head.
Very honestly, this might look daunting to some of you. Rest assured, the results will start to become obvious if you stop making excuses and saying no one wants to hire and get out there and make things happen. Job searching is a job but is also a heck of a lot of fun and a great way to learn new things while finding fresh sources of income!!
If you are frustrated because you send out dozens of resumes each week and rarely receive responses, let alone invitations for interviews, rest assured that you are not alone. In my roles, both as a recruiter and as a career coach, people contact me frequently, concerned because they feel like something is wrong with them or their resume. Before you throw in the towel, something you obviously cannot afford to do, let’s take a look at your efforts and see if we could make things a little bit better!
The first place to look is your resume.
~Do you list a phone number? Is it the number you most frequently use? Is there an answering system attached to it? Do you check this number at least 2-3 times daily for messages? Do you respond to all messages within 12-24 hours?If the answer to any of these questions is ‘No’ there is your initial problem. Potential employers may only call once. If you do not answer the phone live or respond within 24 hours, do not expect them to try again. If you do not have voice mail, set it up now!!! It is very annoying when a candidate relies on caller ID and calls back to a company and says they have no clue who called them or why they called them. There are plenty of others who will respond faster and get the interview intended for you.
~Have you listed an email address on your resume? Again, is it an address that you regularly check and respond to? Is it a professional looking address or something gimmicky like jerseyshoregirl1@aol.com? Having a novelty email address for your social activities is fine but you need something business like for employers to reply to such as jdoe@gmail.com. Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, and most cable providers allow you to set up no cost email addresses and I strongly recommend this.
~How many of you send out more than 75 resumes per month? 50-75?25-50?Less than 25? If you are not sending out at least 25per month, you should not claim that nobody is responding to your resume because nobody is seeing your resume! There are tons of sites to look for easy places to submit such as nj.com, indeed.com, simplyhired.com, tristatejobs.com just to name a handful to consider.
-When you look for places to submit your resume, what criteria do you use to select the jobs you apply for? Do you look only at jobs that fit 100% of your expectations based on your past work history even though it has been some time since you last worked in your chosen field? My suggestion is to apply for a mix of jobs with about 20% being the ones you consider perfect fits, 50% being jobs that you feel qualified to do about half the skills, and 20% for which you know a few of the needed skills plus about 10% just general, part-time employment with minimal special skills required. Avoid applying to full-time jobs that you have absolutely none of the required skills because if something more suitable comes up at the same site later on, the hiring manager might remember you as someone who randomly sent a resume for a job you were not qualified for. However, if your resources have hit rock bottom, you need to apply for any job just to get some positive cash flow. There is nothing wrong with taking a part-time job in a supermarket, drugstore or perhaps as a security guard or school lunch aide if you absolutely need to earn money but want to allow time to continue your job search.
If no one is responding to you, maybe you need to find other ways to search and target a new audience. How many of you are doing some form of networking beyond attending this group’s programs? Are you attending job seeker support groups through local houses of worship, Jewish Vocational Services, Catholic Charities, Professional Services Group of NJ? How many of you regularly visit your local public library and utilize their job search tools? I assume you are all using LinkedIN and have been adding at least 20-25 new contacts per week and have job search agents set up there. Are each of you calling 4-6 people per week who you simply know through one source or another and asking to meet with them to informally discuss your job needs, their current careers, and how they might refer you to someone they know? Do you attend job fairs and/or resource fairs at least once every 4-6 weeks. Does anyone pick up the newspaper and look for articles about new companies moving into the local area, write down the names mentioned, and contact them to see if you could meet to discuss future job opportunities they may have available?
It is terribly simple to get into a rut and say that nobody is responding to your resume but it is a true challenge to put yourself into high gear and find creative ways to identify job opportunities. Job hunting is a full time career and requires the same attention that a full time job deserves from you. Make a schedule consisting of weekly chores and responsibilities unrelated to job search then insert at least 6 hours per day six days a week for your search process and keep to that routine. It is okay, in fact better than okay, to rotate the order you approach your search each day and it is essential to give yourself one day off per week to clear your head.
Very honestly, this might look daunting to some of you. Rest assured, the results will start to become obvious if you stop making excuses and saying no one wants to hire and get out there and make things happen. Job searching is a job but is also a heck of a lot of fun and a great way to learn new things while finding fresh sources of income!!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
What Is A Job Offer?
What is a job offer is a simple question which seems to conjure up various answers. Because my daughter has been enduring a series of standardized tests in recent months, I thought we would take a multiple choice test to come up with the best answer. Read all of the choices before making your selection! Each participant may choose just one response to the question which I will repeat to make sure all have read it.
What is a job offer?
a) A call from a company asking you to come in for an interview.
b) An inquiry from a staffing firm about your skill sets and employment status.
c) A verbal or written offer of employment containing salary, job title, and report date.
d) Email telling you that a company found your resume online and you need to press the apply button for immediate consideration.
e) All of the above.
f) None of the above.
Hopefully, you all selected (c) as nothing constitutes an offer of employment unless the start date, pay rate, and either a title or job description has been made to you either via a conversation or in writing. There is nothing wrong with getting contact online or by a phone call from a recruiting firm. Also, nothing is better than a formal interview invitation but none of these is a job offer!
Too many folks turn down chances to interview for a great job because they told the employer they already had a great offer. Until you actually receive a verifiable offer, do not turn down any interviews!
What is a job offer?
a) A call from a company asking you to come in for an interview.
b) An inquiry from a staffing firm about your skill sets and employment status.
c) A verbal or written offer of employment containing salary, job title, and report date.
d) Email telling you that a company found your resume online and you need to press the apply button for immediate consideration.
e) All of the above.
f) None of the above.
Hopefully, you all selected (c) as nothing constitutes an offer of employment unless the start date, pay rate, and either a title or job description has been made to you either via a conversation or in writing. There is nothing wrong with getting contact online or by a phone call from a recruiting firm. Also, nothing is better than a formal interview invitation but none of these is a job offer!
Too many folks turn down chances to interview for a great job because they told the employer they already had a great offer. Until you actually receive a verifiable offer, do not turn down any interviews!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Interview Processes
Employers seem to have very unique ideas on how to make hires. From personal experiences and the comments from colleagues, I have a collection of stories that could fill volumes! For today, just a few will have to do.
Many years ago, I was placing entry level computer programmers with a client who asked to see about 5 candidates. After the interviews were done, the employer chose the one I felt was less likely to be hired. Why? The manager had a huge saltwater fish tank that he was struggling to maintain and this programmer used to manage a fish shop and would be able to assist him!
A colleague sent a candidate to an interview a few years back, urging the person to take an extra minute when selecting her interview apparel as she had heard before that this individual showed up dressed neatly but a touch to casual. After the interview, the candidate reported back that the hiring manager wore a Grateful Dead T-shirt, bluejeans and flip-flops!
Predicting the mood or tempo of interviews is not easy. My best advice is to be prepared for the unexpected at all times!! PS: Feel free to share your stories with me!
Many years ago, I was placing entry level computer programmers with a client who asked to see about 5 candidates. After the interviews were done, the employer chose the one I felt was less likely to be hired. Why? The manager had a huge saltwater fish tank that he was struggling to maintain and this programmer used to manage a fish shop and would be able to assist him!
A colleague sent a candidate to an interview a few years back, urging the person to take an extra minute when selecting her interview apparel as she had heard before that this individual showed up dressed neatly but a touch to casual. After the interview, the candidate reported back that the hiring manager wore a Grateful Dead T-shirt, bluejeans and flip-flops!
Predicting the mood or tempo of interviews is not easy. My best advice is to be prepared for the unexpected at all times!! PS: Feel free to share your stories with me!
Monday, February 15, 2010
February Doldrums
February has been an odd month, snow on the ground in 49 of 50 states in the U.S., Senator Bayh announcing his retirement, the Super Bowl replacing the finale of M*A*S*H* as most watched program ever, President Obama hinted he would try to compromise with his rivals on health care reform, and unemployment rates were dismal once again. Change seems to be taking longer than ever (heck, it is snowing tonight across the Northeast once again).
Does this mean you, a job seeker, should resolve yourself to a month of dead-ends? I say, move forward now! Many of my clients are hinting that they just do not have the resources to meet any sort of increased demands for their goods or services. February is a great month to retrace your steps from a few months back and see if you could rustle up some interviews!! Good luck and never give up!!
Does this mean you, a job seeker, should resolve yourself to a month of dead-ends? I say, move forward now! Many of my clients are hinting that they just do not have the resources to meet any sort of increased demands for their goods or services. February is a great month to retrace your steps from a few months back and see if you could rustle up some interviews!! Good luck and never give up!!
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