The Blueprint for the Way a Job is Really Found

We recently conducted a survey, What are the Biggest Challenges You Face Now or Will Face in a Job Search?  It was very interesting to review the results.  As an overview:

• 41% felt their job search techniques were ineffective
• 41% felt their job search techniques were effective

At the same time:

• Over 70% felt they were not in control of their job search
• Over 75% felt they were not getting results from the create a resume, send a resume, wait for a response process
• 46% felt very confident with the effectiveness of their resume

We found that very interesting and contradictory.  It points out what most people believe, that the resume is the all powerful tool in a job search and at least 46% feel they have the best one for them even though an additional 29% were not getting results. 

It points out that most people feel that the create a resume, send a resume, wait for a response is the process that has to be followed regardless of how flawed and ineffective it is.  We understand that.  This process is decades old and not only do job seekers think this is how a job is found, but employers also believe it.  If they did not they would not post jobs. 

Or, maybe employers don't quite believe it.  Over two-thirds of open positions are not advertised.  That said, in talking with employers daily, they don't know how to make contact with potential employees either.

This makes for a very messy process of how employers and potential employees can get together doesn't it? 

The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky said, "Good hockey players skate to the puck.  Great hockey players skate to where the puck is going."  Since Wayne Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records, it is probably safe to assume that is good advice.  How does this have anything to do with getting a job?

Picture what is said.  You can see if you skate to the puck there is a good chance given how fast the puck travels that when you get there the puck is already somewhere else so you are continually chasing the puck.  If you are skating to where the puck is going, sure you have to anticipate, but when you get there the chances are the puck will be there too.

Now picture yourself searching for a job.  If you send your resume to a number of companies or respond to a number of job postings, your resume gets there with everyone else' resume and you are just one in the "bunch".  The job may be filled or you may not get noticed.  In today's hiring environment, even if you are qualified there are so many other resumes that yours may not be reviewed in any manner at all.  That is in effect, skating to the puck.

Suppose instead, you conducted some serious research on companies you thought might be a fit for you and your experiences, skills, etc.  You actually call into the company, engage in conversation with someone who is willing to speak with you and you find out a great deal about the companies you researched.  In that effort you found several that were seeking someone with your background.  You found out their culture is one that you would do well in.  You eventually spoke to a hiring manager for your area of expertise (wouldn't it be great to speak to someone who is not trying to find a reason to not hire you?).  You spoke with them and gained an interview.  You prepared specifically for what that hiring manager was looking for in that position and they liked you so well they made you an offer you found very acceptable.  Wouldn't that be more skating to where the puck is going?

In a very proactive manner you have not only found where the positions are you want but you have found out exactly what the hiring manager needs, not just what is in a job description or job posting.  Those two documents possess less than 30 percent of what the job is really all about.

That is actually what a successful job search is all about:

• Being in charge of the search
• Knowing what to do
• Know who to contact
• Know who to speak to
• What to say
• How to present your credentials when appropriate
• How to get an interview
• How to interview successfully
• How to manage the process after the interview
• How to gain an offer
• What to do once an offer is extended  

Notice the above list does not mention sending a resume or being passive.  It is a proactive process that allows the job seeker to be in charge and impact the outcome of each step.

Not many people are doing that and that is one reason why there are still so many unemployed today.  It is why many fear changing companies and why some do not advance within their current company because they do not know how to manage their career within a company.

Many individuals are returning to community colleges to gain more or different skills in hopes to become more employable.  That is great, but if once the skills are gained there is a lack of knowing how to find the company and position where they can do the most good for the employer and the individual, how valuable are they?

The ironic thing about all this is that companies are in the most difficult situation they have faced in decades to find the talent they need in almost every level of their organization yet neither employers nor job seekers are able to find each other.

You may say to yourself that you cannot do what is listed above.  Maybe not.  The reason would be that you have not acquired the skills of how to conduct a proactive job search.  Not many people know how.  No one has been taught at the secondary level, collegiate level or post graduate.  Most have been taught to write a resume and a cover letter and some basic research to find companies.  Like many activities though, the skills can be learned.  And, with a little practice you can become good at them. 

Stop skating to where the puck is and start skating to where the puck is going.  Go to www.CareerTalkGuys.com to learn more about the hiring environment and how to "skate to where the puck is going".  For almost 50 years we have successfully helped those seeking a job to learn how.

Be Like a Politician? Are You Sure?

Well, the election is over and like most everything else someone is trying to capitalizing on its momentary popularity.  The day after the election someone had an article ready for Fox Business.  It is titled, Why You Need to Run Your Job Search Like a Presidential Campaign, by Andrea Murad. 

The title alone is enough to make one suspicious.  To do anything like politicians do should raise a red flag.  To conduct a job search or manage a career like a politician should make one very uneasy.  Sure enough, after reading the article it was clear that it was only intended, like too many politicians to gain notice not to be helpful. 

To be fair, there were one or two points that had some validity.  To be frank, in the overall, it is not going to help anyone.  Just like a political campaign it is designed to gain favor with someone.  The one glaring problem is that it does not mention to do your job exceedingly well. 

It also does not provide any concrete practices to find a job that makes sure the job seeker is finding the right job with the right company.  It doesn't tell how to approach a company or a hiring manager.  It doesn't tell how to ask the right questions to get the right information to determine if the person can actually help the company with their skills, experiences, education or accomplishments.  It doesn't tell how to determine if the job seeker is a fit with the culture of the organization.  There is a lot more that is lacking. 

If the goal was to publish a catchy article that many will read and be mislead on how to successfully find a job, then they accomplished the goal. 

The moral is beware of suggestions that mirror political candidate practices.  Our election results should be enough to convince anyone of that.  But, also beware of the same old pat advice of how to get a job.  Strip away all the fluff and this is still the same old practices that do not provide the necessary information from the start to the finish.  To do what is suggested does not give anyone a place to start or how to start and leaves too many questions around all of the advice. 

Go to www.CareerTalkGuys.com for gaining the skills required to conduct a successful job search with over 50 years of proven results. 

PS. Here is the link to the article, please don't take it too seriously, just like politicians:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/11/06/why-need-to-run-your-job-search-like-presidential-campaign/?intcmp=featuredmedia

Passive or Proactive Job Search?

The challenges job seekers face who want to find a job are difficult whether they are going it alone, using career services resource from their school or if they have sought other help. There is a lot to consider. While no one really wants to hear why they have a problem, understanding the cause helps to see what the solution is to the problem.


The competition for positions is very high. Not only does every job seekers compete with the other 35 million unemployed, they compete with all the graduating students coming out of every community college, every four-year college and university. I addition, there are those who are employed who are looking for a new position.

The practice of create a resume, send a resume, and wait for a response only compounds the difficulties. Regardless of how good the resume it has to be noticed in a group of hundreds if not thousands in some instances. The odds of receiving a response, let alone a positive response are very slim. The practice has failed those using it. That practice does not require any skills other than the ability to electronically send out a resume.

It is a very passive practice that places the company that received the resume in charge of the job seekers search.

Another source of frustration for any job seeker is that the number of positions that are advertised in some manner is about one third of the total available. Most individuals are not aware of unadvertised positions and if they are have been poor and ineffective information about how to identify them. The majority of the networking information available has little effect and becomes another passive activity.

Success in a job search requires a proactive, hands-on approach. It requires specific skills executed in a sequence that provides progress and success in each step.

Here is what the outline of the steps should look like:

1st Series of Steps: Pre-Interview Practices, Skills Self-Assessment • Create presentation materials • Develop references • Research the industries that you know • Research other industries that you want to consider your qualifications • Create a script for initial contacts • Develop responses to objections • Social Networking Best Practices (Face Book, LinkedIn, Etc.) • Plan your call performance plan

2nd Series of Steps: Creating Interviews Execute Your Calls • Establish rapport • Set appointments to follow up • Develop insights • Create assessments • Refine contacts network • Interacting with 3rd party recruiters • Perform follow up calls • Re-assess contacts • Establish meetings/interviews

3rd Series of Steps: Preparation for Interviews • Pre-Interview Actions • Determining your “Candidate Valuation” • Working with recruiters to prepare for the interview • Interview techniques and tactics • Discovering leverage points and overcoming objections

4th Series of Steps: Post Interview Action Steps. The Follow Up Plan • Researching position location and needs • Continued action calls to contact network • Dealing with alternative interviews and recruiters • Seizing secondary interviews • Follow up procedures • Early negotiation techniques • Pre-offer research steps

5th Series of Steps: Gaining the Offer & Opportunity You Deserve, Negotiation Technique Application • Managing acceptance/rejection of an offer • Post offer follow through • Resignation process management • Post resignation techniques and procedures • Starting your new position with your new employer

The Career Matrix - A Powerful Credential Presentation – While most employers are looking for a resume, they take immediate notice of the candidate that also presents the Career Matrix. For a total of 50 years hiring managers have made decisions on whether to interview a candidate or not using this tool. It has provided them with immediate information about how you can help them in the position you are considering.

These are all actionable steps that put the job seeker in charge of their search continually moving forward toward the sustainable job they want.

Please go to: www.CareerTalkGuys.com for more information how you can learn the right skills for a proactive, in-charge job search.

The Hidden Job Market, What is it and What Does a Job Seeker Do to Get a Job?

Today, job seekers are lured to advertising, books, DVD’s and webinars on the so called hidden job market. Let’s bring this out into the light so it is not hidden anymore.

The people who are peddling the information on the hidden job market want it to stay hidden so more will participate in whatever they are peddling. Otherwise, if it is brought into the light, they have nothing to sell. The allure of something that you need which is portrayed as hidden is deceptive but commonly used.

What are people talking about when they say there is a hidden” job market? Is there a deliberate conspiracy to keep people from finding jobs? The answer is no.  I am sure they truly mean well bus like most advise that is where it ends.  Let’s start with what hidden jobs are in general.

I will not speak for those who are talking about hidden job markets but I will speak for my partner and I who have a combined 50 years in talent acquisition. On a daily basis, we have talked with companies of all sizes in many industries. What we learned a very long time ago is that many jobs are not advertised by companies. A logical question is why would companies not take advantage of advertising a position? There are numerous reasons.

One reason why jobs may not be advertised is that they get too many responses by people who are not qualified for their positions. The problem for the company is it creates an administrative nightmare. Imagine having to sort through hundreds if not thousands of resumes. This has become widely problematic due to the fact that over 35million Americans are desperately seeking sustainable employment or just a paycheck. Others choose not to advertise as they feel that networking within their industry or industry associations is the best way for them to find the qualified people they want. Still others do not want to expose to the public and competitors that they are lacking a certain talent or experience base.

There are other reasons that could be listed but that is not the point of the article. The point of the article is what should you do with this information and what does it mean to you? It can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting a job.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there are approximately 3 plus million open positions in the United States. Add to that the hidden jobs you have heard about. Again, from our experience over the last 50 years and 5 recessions, we know there are approximately 6 million open positions that are not advertised right now. That means if you have been spending all of your time with job postings you have missed twice as many open jobs.

How do you uncover these jobs? Is there a secret? It is not a secret. It is a learned skill. It is true that with the Internet it is much easier to find them but, it still requires the ability to effectively talk with people.

The basic steps are:

1.After you have determined your skills, experiences and accomplishments from your career and education, consider what industries you either have come from and/or those in which you want to work.

2.Today, the American economy is recovering but not as the economy that went south two years back. You will also need to determine what other sectors and industries will value your skills and accomplishments.

3.Conduct research in those industries and find companies that you feel may be a fit. The research is done through the Internet and using databases such as Reference USA or Hoovers or similar data bases. Most public libraries have such a database. They are searchable by SIC codes, NAICS, key word, or other criteria.

4.Take the list of companies you come up with that you feel might be a fit for you and then do what most are reluctant to do…pick up the telephone and call them.

5.Do not call HR but an open department of the company such as sales and marketing, investor relations, procurement, etc. They have people who are used to open outside dialogs.

6.Discuss with them the state of the industry, their company, what the outlook is and other questions.

7.Eventually you will get to a point of asking if they know if there is any hiring going on in the area where you would work. They may not know. Do the obvious; ask who is in charge over that area and ask for their extension. Most people are very willing to provide that information.

8.Call that person and do the same with them and ask questions that relate to what you do. Eventually you will get to a point where you can ask what needs they have now or in the near future. They will tell you.

9.If they have none, nothing is lost, as you have a good contact for the future there.

10.If they have an opening, discuss it with them. It can lead to you offering or them asking for you to provide information directly to them.

These steps are the very basics of finding the so-called hidden jobs. Not very glamorous nor is it very complicated. They really are not hidden, you just have not acquired the skills to find them and make the most of them. There are skills to learn that will refine that process greatly and make it very effective. Remember, if you find five companies where you are talking to a hiring manager about a real opening, you stand a good chance to gain an interview. That is better than a boatload of resumes sent blindly to job postings or even worse, unsolicited to companies.

The broken system of Get a Resume-Send a Resume-Hope fails in all ways in finding a job where they are posted somewhere. This very ill advised practice is the worst way to discover positions that are not publicly posted.

Keep in mind; this is only one of the many steps and skills required for gaining a sustainable job. To learn more go to http://www.careertalkguys.com/. We have real training that is not create a resume, send a resume, and hope for the best.  Who is in charge of your job search?  Is it the company that will probably never look at your resume?  Or, is it you becoming proactive and in charge of your search because you learned the skills that will create success?

Is Free Job Information Going to Get You a Job?

I am very curious about something. Am I wrong, or is trying a job when you do not have one, a very stressful time? From everyone I talk to on a daily basis, they are stressed to varying degrees. They may have little stress as they have plenty of resources to carry them over until they find the position they want. The other end of the spectrum is those that are extremely stressed due to the lack of resources to carry them over. One of the unfortunate occurrences that has always happened but is more prevalent now, is that those that start out with low stress become highly stressed. One reason is they assume they will get the next position. The reasons why they feel that way are long and varied.

The stress manifests itself in a myriad of ways. It can be depression, anger, lack of self-confidence, and many other emotions. All of them are unfortunate. All make everyone that knows a person with the issues very concerned.

With all those serious issues from a personal standpoint of individuals seeking a new job, I come back to the question. If this is such a difficult time, why does everyone want free information and many reluctant to pay for a solution?

The reason I ask is that most if not all the free information I have ever read on finding a job is useless. It is almost always in bits and pieces of parts of other useless information. Why is it useless, because it does not work for the job seeker. Yet people flock to that information and try to apply it to one of the most critical acts they will perform. I think most would agree that finding a job that will support themselves, their family, and provide for their future is extremely important to most people.

If I can put this in perspective, if you had a disease or medical condition that required the attention of a doctor, would you go to the internet and take the advice given there? Would you take it if the advice giver was not really qualified to give the advice, but it was free?

I think that is a fair comparison. I think you would agree these are two serious situations that require a remedy.

Most of the time the advice on seeking a job, writing a resume, taking an interview, or negotiating an offer is given by those not qualified.

I think I will leave it like this, is your ability to find your next job in the highest unemployment, by numbers in history, worth nothing, or is that critical life situation (having the job you want with the company you want) worth something?

Job Search Success Stories

It may come to you as a shock, but I am always amazed with the success people have when we train them to conduct their own successful job search.

My amazement is not that they were successful. I always expect success. My amazement is even the most skeptical people who are adamant about the traditional process of send a resume and wait, will eventually come to the conclusion there is a better way.

Here is a difficult situation with a great ending that illustrates what I mean. I recently met with an individual who wanted me to help him individually. I usually recommend either the live webinar or the streaming webinar due to the great price difference of $250 per man hour versus $299 for the live webinar (five hours) or $69 for the streaming webinar (also 5 hours). They all teach exactly the same skills the same way.

Anyway, he was adamant about private help. I was happy to provide the training to him. His background was a bit different, but most people have something that makes them unique. Tim, had only three jobs in his life. They were all in the same industry and he had had success with each company. He did construction supervision (an hourly position) and was very good at it.

Unfortunately, during work hours on company business, almost a year ago he was in a bad car accident. He suffered severe injuries to his back. Fortunately, he did not have any paralysis. He had surgery twice to correct his injuries and had the usual fights with Workers' Compensation and his company. His company fired him due to his injury (I won't pretend to understand that). Keep in mind he was not at fault for the accident. Now he had to find work while wrestling legally with the company for a settlement.

He came to me after reading some of the articles and reviewing the website outline of the course. He was very concerned that while he was now physically able to do what he had always done, companies would not want to hire him because of his injuries, surgeries and year off work.

I spent the entire five hours teaching the skills we teach to him and showing him how to apply them to his particular situation since that was his major concern. He also opted to have me teach him how to create powerful credential presentation materials that we teach in our webinar, The Secrets of Powerful Resume Creation.

From the training he set off to find a new position with a new company. It only took three weeks and he was made an offer with a company he wanted to work for in the position he wanted.

What amazed me about this particular individual was he was so skeptical at the beginning, yet willing to invest in individual training versus an equally effective, less expensive option. Every step of the way his favorite comment was, this can't work. His only positive comments were, this certainly is different than anything I have ever seen. My concern was he was spending a considerable amount of money and with his negative comments he would not follow through.

When he started talking with prospective employers he started to change his comments. By the time he had interviewed with a couple of companies that were a fit for him he was now saying, I see why following your process brings results.

He admitted the only reason he came to me for the training was he concluded that if my partner, Doug Beabout and I have been using the same skills we teach for years with success, there had to be something to it. Now he tells everyone he meets about his skill at finding a job. We are thrilled for him.

By the way, the fact that he was out of work for an entire year did not have a negative effect with any of the companies he interviewed with. He did not have to relocate which was a goal of his even though I cautioned him he might have to consider it.

I love happy endings, don't you?

Job Search Wheat and Chaff, How to Separate

I recently had a brief email conversation about an article I just wrote in three parts. It covered how a hiring manager sees candidates. I received a comment that was reasonable. The bottom line is there is so much information out there, how do you know what is helpful and what is not. It also is really saying what is worth paying for and what is not worth paying for. Very good questions that I am sure most people ask themselves. I agree.

I just did a search on the internet for, job search advice. It had over 90 million results. No wonder it is a difficult decision. I think there are a number of things that what you say bring to mind.

How do you separate the wheat from the chaff of quality versus worthless information, advice and tips?

Now, while it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, it is not impossible. One has to separate the assumptions that most start with that result in the false conclusions they come up with. Let me see if I can illustrate what I mean.

I pointed out in this and several other articles, the method the vast majority use to find a job is antiquated at best. I also wrote an article about the origins and evolution of the job search methodology. In the late 1940s and 1950s into the 1960s companies were struggling to find people. That is when employment agencies came into existence. They ran ads (either real or fictitious) to attract a job seeker to their office. When the individual went there they were interviewed. It wasn’t what you and I would expect as an interview. It was rudimentary and just to collect basic information. The recruiter filled out paper work and then the candidate waited in a holding pen. The recruiter immediately called numerous companies that might need a person like the one they had just interviewed.

When they came upon one, they sent the person to an interview with the company. They reported back to the recruiter with the results. In this case the candidate paid the employment agency not as it is today, where the company pays the recruiter. It evolved slightly when people became more mobile for their jobs. They might answer ads in the newspaper in a locale. They sent a cover letter and resume (work history) to the company. They got a call to interview over the phone, then a face to face.

It has not gone much further than that today as you know. Yes, we have added the technology of computers, Blackberries and the speed and distance it can cover. It also adds to the job seekers ability to research companies. Other than that not much has changed. You can see that it really was a strong demand for people and many people seeking jobs so it was a matching process and not much more. Today, it is a weak demand for people, a large supply and very little process wise to match the two.

You may have read my description of how jobs have become very complex today. Think back over your career and how your work has changed in complexity for many different reasons. That is not taking into consideration the complexity of the challenges and the culture of companies today.

The question becomes why are people still trying to simply match what is on paper with what a company says it needs in an ad (job posting)? I think you can see how difficult that is for the employer. It is obviously equally difficult for the job seeker to know what the employer wants and present it on the old standard resume.

All of that long winded explanation leads back to the separation question. The assumption job seekers should make is, what advice, information, training, coaching, etc, is offered that is not the 1950s, 1960s style process.

My partner and I have been following our process for many years. My partner recognized long ago what I just explained. He learned how to find out from an employer, specifically what a hiring manager, wanted as the ideal candidate for that specific position they needed right then. From there he developed and we have refined over time, how to follow that process to finding the exact person that would fit and qualify them to know they were qualified. Then, we presented them to the client. But, not just present them, but present them in a manner that showed the hiring manager they were exactly what he/she was looking for in the position. We then prepared the candidate to present themselves properly, asking questions only we knew to ask because we asked the right questions up front. The candidate’s education, skills, experience and accomplishments matched with the questions as the answers. We prepared the candidate how to get an offer and how to properly negotiate it so it was as win-win for both employer and candidate. It takes a great deal of work. It works every time.

That is not anywhere close to the traditional method. I could go on for what would seem like hundreds of pages with the details.

I don’t know how much research you have done to find good information on a job search, but neither my partner, our researchers, nor I have been able to find a process near to what we have put together. All others we have encountered have some variation that leads to the traditional process.

My advice is simply to question every piece of advice and ask why would that advance what I am trying to accomplish? If it won’t do anything different then it probably isn’t a help. Just changing how a resume looks isn’t going to get anyone’s attention. Knowing how to answer the question, what are your strengths ten different ways, isn’t going to wow a hiring manager. If you present yourself with information of how you can solve their specific problems, then you will get their attention.

That is just a sample of the issues. There are many more to overcome. Everyone’s mind set is so ingrained on the rules. The fact is there really aren’t rules yet everyone is fixated on them instead of thinking through what does the hiring manger want? And, it is beyond that, because every hiring manager wants something different even for the same titled position. We teach how to know all of that and how to respond to all of it. We go further to teach how to get the offer and how to get the one you want.

I hope that brings some clarity and not muddy the waters further.

This is why we take 5 hours to explain it in our webinars and another hour just for resumes.