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.

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.