Doug Neeper's Blog

DFN: Book reveiw of "Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview", good pointers of what to do / not to do in an interview. The only thing I somewhat disagree with is the concept of altering your resume for a specific job. Unfortunately, while it positions you better for a particular job, it can create an impression of trying to ‘game’ the system, or ‘lie’, it an employer should happen to get hold of different version of the resume for a person. Will the real person, please stand up; should this happen, in today’s market, it will quickly lead to ‘your’ being discarded as a candidate.

Author gives job-hunt tips for nose-ring crowd
Janet Ford WCU Book Review • October 18, 2009 12:15 AM
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091018/BUSINESS/910180344/1003/ARCHIVES

Ellen Gordon Reeves drew upon experience on both sides of the job interview desk in writing “Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?”

Although her target audience is recent or soon-to-be college graduates looking for their first professional jobs, she offers solid advice to anyone looking for a job.

Although much of her advice is standard, Reeves presents her material in a humorous manner that encourages and reassures the entry-level job seekers who are most desperately in need of her help.

Like most career counselors, she instructs job seekers to approach the task as if the search itself is a full-time job.

She notes, however, that college students often have little or no professional experience and consequently do not know how to go about the “business” of finding a job.

Reeves advises ways to make up for this deficiency: Set up a home office, develop a reasonable schedule, identify networking possibilities and pursue job leads.

Her advice is common sense: Use a professional e-mail address for your job search instead of the clever “hotchick” or “partyguy” moniker from your college years. She also advises job seekers to use professional-sounding messages and musical selections on their voice mail service.

And they should be realistic about their goals. Her “Rule of Three,” for example, suggests that job seekers make three job contacts per day.

It’s also important to be strategic: Rather than sending out generic résumés in an electronic mass mailing, focus on the jobs, companies or fields in which you have a genuine interest, carefully adapting and tailoring your résumé and cover letter for each position sought.

Reeves also shares the currently accepted protocol concerning references, an element of job seeking that is often addressed only superficially. Perhaps most helpfully, Reeves provides both good and bad examples of résumés and cover letters.

For the job seeker who has followed her advice and landed an interview, Reeves provides additional instructions on how to prepare for and engage in a successful interview and what to do in the event of an interviewing faux pas.

An applicant who receives a job offer should carefully evaluate the offer, negotiate the terms if that is appropriate and reach a rational decision about a job that could very well set the tone for his or her professional career.

Reeves, through her book, may become the best friend a college student (and hiring managers) could have. The first task on a job seeker’s to-do list should be to read this book.

Janet Ford is an assistant professor of business law in the College of Business at Western Carolina University. For previously reviewed books, visit the Web site at www.wcu.edu/cob.

–
Doug

Filed under: Networking | Tagged: Job Search | Leave a Comment »

DFN: Article about the ‘oversupply’ in today’s market and some thoughts about what do to, not to do to appeal to HR screeners and ultimately to hiring managers. Pay particular attention to admonishment in the article regarding what might appear when recruiters, hiring managers ‘google’ you.

Applicant Oversupply Can Complicate Job Search

By Anne Sandberg
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_13584373
Posted: 10/17/2009 10:38:15 PM PDT

The recession of the past 18 months has many people out of work and job hunting in a "dog-eat-dog" employment world in which recruitment has gone high-tech. The employment scene continues to be tough for both sides of the desk – applicants and employers.

"Right now there is about a six-to-one ratio of people looking for jobs to jobs that are actually available," said Gary Kaplan, president of Gary Kaplan and Associates, a Pasadena-based executive search firm (www.gkasearch.com).

"This is the highest ratio of job seekers to available positions we’ve seen since the government began tracking these figures in about the year 2000. As of July of this year, there were approximately 2.4 million full-time jobs open, but there were about 14.5 million people looking for jobs."

No wonder job seekers are under pressure!

Employers were being warned just a few years ago that the "war for talent" was expected to intensify and a skills shortage was just around the block. But for all but the most specialized positions, and in certain select sectors including health care, education, and non-profits, this has NOT occurred. Instead, employers are dealing with record numbers of candidates, including many of high quality, for way too few jobs.

Even in protected sectors, such as heath care, education and non-profits, movement can be slow as funding cuts continue to hit (particularly in California),

Applicant oversupply is keeping human resources departments busy responding to persistent, determined and stressed-out job seekers, many of whom are desperate to secure employment, often considering jobs well below former expectations and personal ability.

Job seekers are finding it increasingly difficult to get past the initial screening hurdle and talk to a "live" person, much less be invited to interview with a manager. Internet technology has often resulted in an online candidate experience that can make the employment process feel cold, confusing, and isolating.

According to Jim Lowry, a former public sector human resources director: "The depersonalized recruitment practices in place, including electronic screening, is like submitting your life career to a dark room and hoping some light will shine upon you as the selected one."

Many organizations are finding that they simply can’t handle the volume they receive for advertised jobs and are getting more creative about hiring. The use of staffing and search firms often makes sense for other vacancies, rather than posting a job on job boards and trying to cope with hundreds of resumes. Many companies are so overwhelmed with resumes and applications that excellent candidates get "buried" in the sheer volume and are consequently overlooked.

Employers need to be careful not to offend or otherwise turn off people who apply for jobs and become frustrated at a poorly managed employment process. As members of the general public, applicants are also are consumers and can have a long personal memory.

Job seekers, on the other hand, need to be careful about their job search tactics. Human resources professionals are reporting an increase in overly persistent applicant behavior that sometimes can be perceived as being obnoxious. If you are looking for a job, take care not to be a pest. Don’t call, fax, text and e-mail repeatedly for information – this drives recruiters crazy and they simply can’t handle the number of inquires they get daily.

Further, recruiters are reporting that applicants are spreading themselves too thin in this recession, trying to be "everything to everybody." It’s easy to see why job seekers are presenting themselves broadly when they may badly need a job, but professionals can see through the way you present your expertise. Stick to what you do best and target your area of specialty. In this economy employers can get "A" players in almost any niche, so play to your strengths first and foremost.

And if you are a job seeker, be conscientious about protecting your "public persona." Anything you have posted on the web (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, or other social networking sites) is in the public domain and accessible to recruiters and hiring managers, whether they go looking for information or stumble upon it unintentionally.

Gary Kaplan advises job seekers to "bear in mind that most astute people looking to fill positions today tend to Google candidates under consideration as a matter of course. Any foolish commentary or indiscretion about you or by you that is out there in cyberspace may surface. And if it comes to the recruiter’s attention, it may disqualify you."

So Google yourself and see what you find, just to be sure!

Other advice to job seekers is to consider interim or even volunteer assignments to get your foot in the door. Decide what you can tolerate financially and otherwise, then open your mind to alternatives. The recession won’t last forever – it just feels like it right now!

Anne Sandberg is president of ReadyToManage Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that produces human resources/learning and development tools, resources, e-learning courses, workshops, books and other materials for business. Anne can be reached at anne.sandberg@ReadyToManage.com or at (310) 648-8304.

–
Doug

Filed under: Networking | Tagged: Job Search | Leave a Comment »