Simple Advice - Is There Any in a Job Search?

I have been writing a series of articles that are on our web site, http://www.careertrackexperts.com/. It is a series of 7 articles and I am on the fifth article. I have had many comments on the articles. What most find them interesting and insightful, many are looking for a quick fix to their employment issue. I understand that. If one is looking for new employment they want to get back to work now. It is urgent and a high priority in most cases. The problem is since there is too little information to properly guide them. I see several problems with a quick fix.

One problem is a quick answer addresses only what is conveyed as the problem. The real problem may not be known without asking numerous questions. Another problem is even if the answer is a help it may not provide enough to help the person to the ultimate objective they have in mind. One last problem I see is that while the objective may be securing new employment, the successful path to that objective may not be known by the person asking for help.

Most advice I read is aimed at the quick fix and they come in several forms. One is the titles that list a number of things to do that will supposedly solve the problem. The other is the focus on one thing. The author tells the reader to do this one thing and it will cure their problem.

The problems with these are:

• They are incomplete and focus on only part of the process to find a new job
• They tell the person what to do, rarely how to do it so the reader is still in the dark
• They rarely deal with reality only with history
• They generalize too much
• Not necessarily proven to be consistent effectively

I am sure there are others but these are the issues that come to mind at the moment. Most of the advice I read is not helpful. Helpful advice is typically:

• An understanding of the current situation
• Provides a complete process that helps from start to finish not just at one point as the reader may not know how to get to the point where they decided to ask a question.
• Provides skills to accomplish the task not, telling what to do assuming the person knows how to execute
• Information that is proven to be consistently effective

I know that most of the advice is sincere and well-meaning. An additional problem with that type of advice is it increases frustration, anxiousness, confusion, skepticism and it generally makes people unsure of who to listen to or what is true advice and help.

My best advice is when asking for advice about something as important as the next employment, find a true expert that has real knowledge and a track record of success. Make sure they have a complete process not just clever, or pat advice. Make sure they are not willing to shoot from the hip but want to learn all the facts first about the specific situation. If they do want to generalize make sure they state up front they are generalizing and it may not fit the particular situation without all the facts. Finally, if they are teaching something to groups make sure what they teach will apply to the vast majority not to a small few. If not, the money spent may not be an investment.

What Are Friends For?

You know how sometimes with friends and particularly spouses choose not to listen to sound logic unless someone else offers it (no comments on that please as I recognize I am as guilty of that as my spouse). A similar situation occurred with a close friend of mine recently.

My friend has been seeking a new opportunity for the last 7 months. In today's economy it is not that unusual. However, what was unusual for him is that he has a long employment history, solid advancement in the few companies he has worked for. He also has outstanding accomplishments in each position he has had. He is almost a legend at one company for all the right reasons. He has not followed the process we teach at Career Track Experts. It isn't that he didn't think it would work because he found his last position following it and that only took a month or less.

He chose not to follow it this time because he rationalized it would not take long based on the last experience. Even though I reminded him how obtained his last position, he chose to ignore it. He followed the typical path most follow and most don't possess the kind of accomplishments he has or his long employment history. As he was getting more and more frustrated with dealing with recruiters that we not helpful and answering postings that were unproductive, he would ask what he was doing wrong. Oh, don't misunderstand, he was getting interviews. With his employment history I described above, companies wanted to interview him quickly. The problem lay in the fact the situations always turned out to not be the type of positions, type of future opportunity, company cultures or locations he wanted. So, he turned them all down.

Finally after repeating myself way too often, he listened. He soon correctly networked with a friend who put him in touch with a hiring manager of a company. They were having problems with a location in the US. They wanted someone to turn it around. He handled the research as I suggested. He handled the interview as I suggested and during the first interview they made an offer that was well within what he would accept.

Everything is as he expected and as he wanted. He will formally accept the offer the first couple weeks in January, 2010.

So what's my point? The 7 months would have been shortened by probably 6 months. His frustration level would have been very low. His financial loss due to not working would have been negligible.

No, I didn't say, "I told you so." I am just happy he is on his way to the next chapter in his career with a very bright future. He already knows there are opportunities in the future with the kind of performance he has done in the past.

Perhaps I should have asked someone he didn't know to suggest to him our process. He might have followed it sooner. Who knows.

Strong Emotions

I know there are a lot of different emotions that a person feels when they are without a job and are looking.

A client who was let go recently by his employer told me his strongest emotion was fear. Initially I was surprised. He is a strong, confident, accomplished individual. He explained that for him it was the fear of change; a new job, new culture, and potentially a new location. Immediately I understood his point.

There can a wide range of emotions. Some emotions besides fear could be, embarrassment, anger, confusion, and others. All are understandable.

Please feel free to comment about what your emotions are revolving around your current job search.

Advice Exposed

I recently read a brief article about how to find a job and the article directed me to a video for advice. The video was done by the head of a company that is essentially a “job board.” The gentleman spoke about networking, recruiters, career marketing companies and resume distribution firms as help.

The consistent problem with advice like this is that it only tells the job seeker what services are available, not how to find a job with any of these. He didn’t even say if the tactics or services would actually provide success for the job seeker.

This type of advice simply tells the job seeker to "talk to" people, go to recruiters, career marketing firms, and resume distribution companies. It never tells the job seeker:
· HOW to talk to individuals they network with effectively
· WHY recruiters aren't going to help them get a job
· WHY career marketers only help a few and it can be expensive
· HOW frustrating it will be throwing hundreds, possibly thousands of resumes at companies the candidate may not even know

ENOUGH!

Job seekers, if you truly want to SUCCESSFULLY find a job, contact Career Track Experts at http://www.careertrackexperts.com/. Eliminate the frustration and learn how to effectively find the job and position you want.

Questions About Conducting a Job Search

There are typically two groups seeking a new job opportunity:

• Those currently unemployed seeking new employment
• Those currently employed but want to make a change whether for career change, changing companies or other reasons

What questions do you have about your current job search or in considering starting a job search? I suspect there are common themes for both groups.

Please feel free to submit a question under the comments or send it directly to me and I will respond here. You can also go to http://www.careertrackexperts.com/ for other contact information.

How to Stand Out, No Really!

I recently read an article in my local newspaper about how to stand out to perspective employers. It consisted of the usual information and advice. It suggested a “polished” resume, good interview skills, and networking. It even mentioned getting to know someone at a company, because some companies have employee referral programs. The conclusion was they would be referred and the employee would get the referral money. The networking suggestion reminded me more of stalking based on some of the stories they printed of how others had networked.

There were other suggestions with the final one of, “don’t give up”. That did not seem very helpful! It is particularly troubling to continually see the same advice by so-called experts. They show up on TV, newspaper, and everywhere else. It would seem that there should only be one person speaking for all the experts, so those seeking a job only have to read or listen to it once. It all adds up to very ineffective, frustrating advice and the 20 million unemployed can attest to it. Most have tried every piece of advice they could find.

So how DO your really stand out? I will illustrate a couple of actions that have to be taken.

Do research, research, and research. However, it has to be the right research done in a proven manner. It cannot be superficial research like looking at a company website. It actually takes a telephone, talking to those who know about the company including hiring managers. There is a correct way to do that too.

Learn what the hiring manager wants; that means asking intelligent questions and possessing credibility by knowing about the company and/or department (see research). It may not start with talking with the hiring manager. Intermediary contacts may be the best first contact.

Learn what the critical qualifiers are based on what the hiring manager wants, not a job description. It also means presenting the qualifying information directly to the hiring manager in such a compelling way; he or she does not really want to consider anyone else. It is another learnable skill one must have to do that.

Doing these actions in appropriate detail can result in a hiring manager saying, “When can I meet with you?” When this has been accomplished effectively, and those words are said, then you will Really Stand Out.

Learn the details of how to gain these skills and others that will provide any individual with how to conduct the most successful job search ever. Go to http://www.careertrackexperts.com/ to see our 5 module webinar, Opportunity Acquisition Training System, (O.A.T.S.). Register to learn how to “feel your oats”. Also, consider our webinar, The Secrets of Powerful Resume Creation.

Let's Talk About Cover Letters

One of the most frequently asked questions is about cover letters. The question usually revolves around the problem most have in constructing one. Their concern is that it is as important as their resume and should have real impact to the reader.

My usual response is to ask my own question of why they want a cover letter like they describe. The answer is usually connected with they are sending letters and resumes to potential company HR departments and they are responding to various types of ads.

I usually respond to this with something like: Picture yourself in a situation where you have done considerable research on numerous companies. That research entails having talked with several people who work there and have good insight into the company. Their insights might encompass the culture, the type of people who work there, the type of positions they have open currently. It might also include who the hiring managers are for those positions of interest because that question was asked.

Now picture yourself talking with the hiring manager of the position you are interested in. Because of your previous research you are asking him/her questions about the challenges they have, the opportunities they have as a department or company (among other questions). The hiring manager is impressed by your knowledge and questions. You are now talking about how you can contribute to helping him/her achieve the goals and objectives they have perhaps. He/she now wants information about you. Here's the punch line.

Instead of sending a cover letter and resume because you know the position qualifications well from talking with the hiring manager; you send information that clearly indicates you are qualified for the position. The hiring manager now wants a face to face interview.

No cover letter has been sent. HR has not put your resume in the "discard" pile. The keyword search program has not passed you over.

Doesn't that sound more like the scenario most job seekers would prefer? It is possible. There is actually more to it but these are skills that can be learned and applied with great success.

See Career Track Experts' webiste, www.careertrackexperts.com to review our 5 series webinars to learn how to conduct the most successful job search you have imagined. You can also sign up for our webinar on, The Secrets of Powerful Resume Creation. They may be the best investments you have ever made.

Is Thanksgiving Different This Year?

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. A day when we are celebrate being thankful for our forefathers founding this country. A country where opportunity abounds and those that wish to be a productive member of society are able to do so. What happened? I could get into a very long and involved political-economic discussion but not now. At this point it appears those who want to be a productive member may not have the opportunity they thought they had. How can that be addressed?

There are many companies looking for good people. The problem is how both companies and individuals are going about it. Too many companies put their efforts into ads, websites, job boards, ineffective recruiters and others. Individuals send cover letters, resumes, answer ads, contact company HR departments, call ineffective recruiters and others.

Lets not consider companies' efforts at this point. I can address that directly with companies or in other blogs. Lets consider this. If the methods individuals use are effective, why are there so many still not able to find a position? Sure there are fewer jobs. In another blog on this site, I addressed how hiring has changed and the fact that there are Baby Boomers dropping out of the workforce in droves.

If methods above you have been using are not working, would you be willing to consider an effective way? What would that look like? Here's how it can go and be very effective.

1. Gain the skills to know how to research companies, contact hiring managers and talk about positions they need filled.
2. Gain the skills of how to create interviews, stay in contact with potential employers effectively.
3. Gain skills to learn how to prepare for interviews and conduct an effective interview that gains the exposure wanted and the employer learns the candidate is qualified.
4. Gain skills of what to do after the interview that gains second interviews and sets the stage for negotiations.
5. Gain skills of how to gain the offer wanted, manage that process, post-offer actions through starting the new position with the new employer.

These skills have always been critical but are more critical now than ever before due to the number of unemployed and the lack of effective help.

At Career Track Experts we have always known those skills. We have used them to help our clients for decades. We have taught them to others when time allowed. We now recognize the need to teach them to those wanting to conduct a successful job search.

The five points above are general points of the skills we teach. Please feel free to go to our site, http://www.careertrackexperts.com/ for the complete listing of our 5 series webinar. Also consider our one hour webinar, The Secrets of Creating a Powerful Resume.

Three Key Steps to a New Opportunity By Doug Beabout

Seizing a new opportunity is not a project; it is a full time venture.

It must be managed as one. No other person, no matter how committed or experienced, can do this for you. I offer this overview forged in three decades of hands-on success in professional recruiting.

Key #1:

Resumes

Your resume must grab the attention of a hiring manager in 10 seconds. Generic resumes are commonly used and no more effective than a billboard in the desert. The resume you provide a potential employer (or contact who may be of help to you) can only create results when it is created for the specific opportunity for which you are seeking consideration. How does your resume appear as compared to the hundreds that accompany it whenever a position is open? Remember, when you look to buy a car, you do not start looking at a 1970 model. Does you resume look like they all do; dated and dry?

Key #2:

Research

Leveraging your consideration for a new opportunity demands that you do in-depth research. Learn about the employer’s history, projections, goals, philosophies and mission statement. Do not depend solely on the employer’s website alone. Discover who are their vendors, customers and markets. Real research advantages are gained on the keypad of your phone, not just on Google or another search engine. Employers prefer applicants who are aware of their organization’s and industry’s special needs and challenges. Success in seizing an opportunity is dependent upon learning as much about the employer as they will strive to learn about you.

Key #3:

Exposure

The odds are not in your favor if you depend on the results of sending a resume to an employer. By doing this, you stand a 1-in-550 chance of gaining an interview. Furthermore, you will find little confidence that it is an opportunity for which you are truly best qualified or one you will ultimately be interested in accepting. The means of exposure via direct contact with hiring managers, Internet resources, social networking and local associations dramatically increase your potential to gain an interview for a desired opportunity. Success in securing a good opportunity in any economy, and certainly a recovering one, requires a full speed, proactive effort. It is in fact a full time job in and of itself. Surfing the Internet, emailing a resume and working these actions into an otherwise ineffectual day is a recipe for disappointment. Gain the position you seek by learning the proven techniques of effective resume/CV creation, career research techniques and practices and the proven pathways to discovering your next and possibly best career opportunity.
Learn more...,

How Has Hiring Changed - You Need to Know This

In the last few years the entire employment landscape has changed. I am no only talking about the excessive unemployment. Those that do the hiring have changed. There are numerous reasons and one of those is the hiring manager. Those seeking jobs should be aware so they know how to change how they are conducting their job search.

For decades Baby Boomers were the hiring managers. After all there were 76 million born. They are retiring at a very fast pace. Now every month, there are about 250,000 either leaving the work force all together or they are taking other employment different from their career. Who has taken their place?

Those taking their place are the Gen X generation. There were only 38 million born. Makes for some interesting thoughts doesn't it? It gets better.

With companies down sizing, right sizing, changing the organization to make it leaner and all the other terms for letting people go in the name of more streamlining, it has changed the hiring dynamics. Those left in organizations have experienced being asked to take on the tasks of those that left the company. Where a department had 15 people there may be only 7 now. The work didn't go away, the 7 absorbed it. So positions are more multi-dimensional today. So are the hiring managers' jobs.

The Baby Boomers have not mentored the Gen X replacements like their predecessors did. They now have to come up with the best way to hire on their own in some cases. They don't want 3-4 recruiters battling over a search. They don't want to pour over hundreds of resumes. Resumes don't impress them. They want the right person for the position now. They find the old methods not helpful. They are more willing to listen to logic and reason than many of the predecessors.

Learning how to directly approach the hiring managers today is much more effective than other ways to try to secure employment.

That's only the tip of the iceberg of the job seeking process today. Visit our site at www.careertrackexperts.com or contact us directly to learn how to gain the skills that will allow you to conduct a successful job search. Our O.A.T.S., Opportunity Acquisition Training System, will give your those skills.

Where is the Real Help for the Unemployed?

I recently did a Google search for the top 100 blogs for job seekers. There was a nice list with ratings, etc. When I started looking at some of the sites I was absolutely shocked.

I thought I would be viewing great advice and information where those seeking a new job or a job change could find some solid advice or even help. What a mistake I made.

I looked a numerous sites, some with prominent names and websites to match. Let me give you some examples of what I saw.

One site had a section where unemployed individuals could tell their story. Under each one there was an "advice" section. I thought that was nice and would have some good advice. Most comments were sarcastic and what I would consider cruel. It appeared to me this person was using others bad circumstances for some type of amusement. It made me quite upset.

Another site was specifically for job seekers and advice for them. The best I could find was advice like the 10 things to do with your resume, the 10 dos and don'ts for resumes. It never got better.

I won't bore anyone with other non-information or mis-information I found. I talk with those seeking jobs daily. Most are seeking real help. The internet universe and every virtual and real job watering hole is full of the same advice. Things such as write a great resume, network with others and so on is everywhere. How does that help? As I talk with people they are frustrated completely with resumes that are powerless, cover letters that look like every single other one. They are tired of being told do this, don't do that. Many have taken all the advice to heart and had no results. Why?

Things have changed. Hiring has changed. (I will cover this in another blog) What sort of worked in the past no longer works at all. Leaving ones fate in the hands of HR, recruiters, outplacement companies, etc, leaves the job seeker powerless.

To successfully conduct a job search today one must possess the skills that allows them to be fully in charge of their search and the results. To many it sounds too good to be true or even impossible. It isn't. Like everything one learns skills have to be taught in some manner. There are no courses in school that teach students how to find a job successfully. No one picks it up after school either. That has all changed.

At Career Search Experts we have taken our 50 plus combined years of experience as talent acquisition experts and turned it into material those seeking a job can learn and own the skills. No one will be able to take them away and they will be effective. No more depending on a resume writer, recruiter, web postings or the guys at the water cooler.

Let us show you how. Go to www.careertrackexperts.com and find out how we will teach you the skills you really want that will lead you to the job you seek.

What Does it Take to Become Re-Employed?

With unemployment at 10.2% based on government information it is the highest it has been in most people’s memory. The actual number may even be higher when those who are no longer seeking a job are included. It makes everyone tense and anxious. It also causes those who are employed concern in some cases if their position is secure. All of this is understandable.

Those seeking a new opportunity are slugging it out with everyone else using the same strategies, tactics, and tools that have been around for decades. Perhaps the only difference now is that we have social networks and professional networks to add to the mix. Since the numbers of those becoming employed is not great, the question becomes why aren’t all the “tried and true” methods coupled with the highly advanced additional communication tools working? This is also are creating a large group of very frustrated and even discouraged people.

There are a number of specifics that have changed. The hiring managers are changing their methods. The Baby Boomers, who dominated the hiring managers for decades are retiring being replaced by Gen X. The jobs have changed. What was once a straight forward position is now multi-dimensional. The time available for hiring managers to hire the same way isn’t there anymore. Certainly there are many more applicants for any one position than there have been for a very long time.

Many will attest to the fact that those “tried and true” methods are not working such as:
Answering ads whether in print or online at some website.
Sending cover letters and resumes to numerous companies.
Even networking is not as effective. A recent article stated that what used to be 85 percent that would find their next position this way has dropped to 60 percent.
Using recruiters has never been an effective method.

Instead of pursuing those methods above, try taking a more proactive approach by learning the skills to:
Perform a skills self-assessment for a specific industry and specific companies.
Market themselves and their specific value to a company.
Prepare to gain the interview, then gain it.
Perform specific post interview actions to create additional interest by the hiring manager.
Not only gain the offer, but the offer desired.

Try to think about where in school, what class or course or training was provided to learn how to conduct a successful job search. To the best of my knowledge there haven’t been any.

Now there is such training. Career Track Experts partners, Doug Beabout and Kevin Sutton have combined their 50 plus years of experience to design and conduct this training. It is presented in a series of 5 webinars, in 5 consecutive days. The times each day will be 12:00 PM ET and 7:00 PM ET. Please go to our website, www.careertrackexperts.com to see our qualifications and more specifics of each webinar. We also offer a webinar on creating a powerful resume and for those that take it and register for the complete series we will credit them for their investment in the resume webinar.

We also offer a rare inisider's process of creating a powerful resume. Those that take it and register for the complete series we receive full credit of their investment in the resume webinar towards the tuition for the complete OATS course..

What Does a Hiring Manager Look for in a Resume?

What does the hiring manager look for when they scan a resume? I have been in hiring positions for close to 30 years. I have hired entry level, technical, administrative, operational and executive positions in large and small companies. The industries cover manufacturing, service and consumer industries. I have seen thousands of resumes.

The situation typically looks like this. There are specific objectives to achieve for the company. Now picture that as the hiring manager there is a vacancy and I need someone to take on that position. It may impact the objectives so the need is urgent. Human Resources place an ad or I contact a recruiter. Either way I typically end up with resumes. Regardless of whether they have been pared down or whether I see them all there are key points that will make one stand out over another and compel me to look closer.

Key #1
Is it readable? Is it filled with fluff that is unimportant? Did the applicant waste my time and take up space making it more of a chore with an employment or career objective? It may even have a reason why I should look closely at their resume. It rarely matches the job for which they have applied. If the information is applicable to the position again, I am more compelled to look at it closely.

I am looking for useful information that may tell me the person is qualified for the position. It should compel me to want to talk to them. Facts tell me that, especially if they are clear, concise and pertain to the position.

Key #2
Is every position with every company listed with the month and year they started and completed or left the company? If I am suspicious of a gap then I automatically wonder what else they may not be forthright about. On the other hand, I see a gap I can easily ask about it and move forward. I don’t care how many pages it takes if it gives me a more complete picture of the person’s career.

Key#3
What accomplishments have they had in each position over their career? Are they quantifiable? Did they impact directly or indirectly the bottom line of the company? Remember, I have objectives to achieve and I may see this person as a team member that will help that achievement. Even if not quantifiable, did they have a role in the success of the company or department?

The person that has supplied the right type and kind of information will get my attention every time. As a hiring manager I am not looking for fluff but information that will give me hope the author can make an impact. If I see the potential, I will interview them.

Join us at www.careertrackexperts.com to learn how to take charge of your own search and results. See our credentials and qualifications. We are conducting an entire series of webinars for a complete job search.