Articles - Page 239 of 258 - The Voice of Job Seekers

5 Ways Your Competitors Are Killing The Job Game Right Now

Do you know what your job competitors are doing to win over employers? If not, ask while networking with friends, foe, and everyone you meet. Find out how people are getting hired, or noticed by interviewers and employers.

Your competition is standing out ’implementing these strategies :

1. Boldly offering their social media profiles as professional proof

His or her social Media profiles are an enriched with creative and contagious updates while yours looks the same as it did in 2010. Even their photos, taglines, and comments have purpose and remain current.

Are your social media profiles filled out? Your profile on LinkedIn looks like a list. Don’t make your LinkedIn profile look like a list!

2. Your competitors know what you offer

Networking is more than your contacts referring you, although that is the universal expectation. If you want to “fit” in a high technology company environment, would you just bring a résumé? What are you talking about with your network?

3. Future-proofing by injecting value into his or her personal brand

Top performers create value and a professional brand that endures unemployment with plenty of options. They inject value in everything they do, therefore, his or her owns a potent personal brand. If you offer little competitive value, what are you doing to change that?

4. They thrive and embrace collaboration

Your competition relies on mentors and peers to share resources, complementing knowledge, and advice. You are relying on your past. Do you mention collaborating with others on your résumé? If not, how can you be a formidable opponent?

5. Your competition sweats the small stuff

Details separate you and the competition. Call backs, thank you notes (mentors, contacts, interviewers, baby-sitters), names of people you meet are as important as getting the job. Make a big deal out of the small stuff even if it’s mom, dad, siblings, or next door neighbors. Chivalry, graciousness, and gratitude goes the distance if you want to be noticed.

I came up with a few. Perhaps you would like to add to the list. If you do, please use the comments section.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Time to Get Down to the Heart of Your Employment Matters

Years ago, Don Henley released a song called, “Heart of the Matter,” that describes the broken and turbulent relationship is about forgiveness,

…even if you don’t love me anymore.

Closure is important proceeded by resolution, if a lack of forgiveness is the source of anger. Relationships are crazy and complex if the heart of the matter never comes to light.

I mean, how powerful and honest are the lines,

I’m learning to live without you now…but I miss you sometimes

The more I know, the less I understand

All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again

A job search can be as turbulent as a broken relationship. But if you can’t get down to the core of your problems, or at least define the doldrums, delayed success you can expect.

Yes we can talk about effort and exertion, but without strategy, failure begins. But there is something to be said about shortcomings, weaknesses, and character obstacles that can hold you back. I listed a few of them below:

1. Fear of returning to your career vomit

You do not want to do the last job. That is understandable as diligent professionals avoid sticking their hand in the proverbial plow and look back to do the duties of their last job. You move on but the lack of money is tearing your interests in two. Solution: Patience and diligence pay off. If you don’t want to return to old job duties, see if you can transfer those old skills into new opportunities.

2. Demons of your past errors

Errors are good. They remind us of what we shouldn’t do. Past errors are not good if they are allowed to roam free in your heart and mind. Solution: Shut down the pity party, and focus on your successes. Taking care of business may mean additional training, or a visit with a mentor.

3. Have not tapped the value of skills

People will look at their career as a moral and economic obligation, but rarely will people understand demonstrated value his or her performance results. Solution: Past performance reviews are good to read sometimes to remind us how valued our performance was to past employers. Look to see if your work was broken down by quantity and quality to showcase performance measures on your current resume. Not only numbers are eye-grabbing, but also it highlights your value. Words alone hides your worth, and your abilities.

4. Your network lacks a bold and honest person

We can win a war with many advisors, assuming the advisors are wise. Unwise advisors lack strategy and perspective, thus losing the war. Solution: Most need objective and honest people to shake us up, and motivate us to increase our expectations. Capable individuals who bring the best out of us know how to push the positive button, urging us, and spurring us in all areas of our job search.

5. Lack outstanding oral and written communication skills

The truth is that most people do not master oral and written skills. Although there are varying measures to what “master” means, but most jobseekers do not possess excellent oral and written skills. Solution: There are writing courses that can be taken online. Although it would be easier if people checked your work, it is not always possible. I wrote an article that cited some resources that help correct grammar and spelling errors.

6. Money is determining your happiness

Money is a temporary solution to a life long wound. Money is idolized if your pocket are always empty after working “just a job!” Throw the idol in the fire by unearthing a career path as you look toward the future. Solution: A frequent cliché but true is pursuing a career that you would do for free brings more happiness than a job for twice the money. Find intrinsic markers that allow you to find careers that provide some fulfillment, and allow the release of endorphins.

Job seekers need candid talks with mentors and coaches to shed light on strengths and grow in areas writing and speaking. It is essential that each job seeker understand what motivates him or her. It is not what you see that can keep you from being hired at the job you want. Everyone needs an individual who will get to the heart of the matter.

What areas do you find difficult to change? That is where the conversation should start. What do you think? Please offer your thoughts below.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Interview with Pete Leibman, Author of I Got My Dream Job

Editor’s note: Pete Leibman book, I Got My Dream Job and So Can You was reviewed on March 14. He kindly agreed to spend a few minutes with me to answer some questions about the book.

What is the biggest difference for job seeking graduates before the Great Recession (2008) and now in 2012? I had clients who are recent grads having to take things completely in their own hands.In a down economy, it becomes even more important for job-seekers to be proactive with their job search and with networking. On the bright side, the world is more well-connected now than it has ever been before. Facebook has over 800 million users and LinkedIn has over 130 million members (as of early 2012). These platforms, along with others, provide networking opportunities that have never been available to job-seekers. This is good news!
We know that college career centers can make a small difference in a graduate’s job search but many times not enough. What ways can a graduate optimize the use of his or her career center?The Career Center can provide a lot of value for students and young alumni by helping you get clear on what you want from your career and by helping you get connected to alumni working in fields of interest. The Career Center can also help you develop a strategy for your entire job search so that you can get hired faster.
You provide a very useful tool in the book for job seekers to intrinsically evaluate their skills and talents. How essential is that to the job search, and will it provide them a better view of their accomplishments and visualize his or her dream job? Employers hire people for one reason: to solve problems and deliver results. Your goal (before the interview and during the interview) is to convince the employer that you have the skills and traits needed to deliver the desired results in the position. Once you get clear on what the employer is looking for (which you can usually gather through employer research and by studying the job description meticulously), your next step is to prepare your “evidence” for why the employer should hire you. You should be prepared to discuss prior achievements and stories from your past that demonstrate how you have each skill and trait needed for success in the position.
You clearly state in your book that negotiating salary starts at the initial contact of the employer. Could you give an example of how new graduates mistakenly leave money on the table?The biggest mistake you can make in salary negotiation is to think that negotiation begins after you receive an offer. Negotiation begins the moment you come in contact with anyone who can hire you. You can also leave money on the table by throwing out a number first or by discussing salary before demonstrating your value to the employer. One of my favorite sales/negotiation quotes is from one of the world’s leading sales experts, Ray Leone who said “never quote a price to an unsold buyer.” In other words, make sure the employer wants you before you talk salary.
I am working with clients who are now setting up blogs to help them brand themselves. In your experience, What are the best components to include on a blog for job search purposes to yield noticeable results? Tips for blogging: Keep it professional and positive, write about a topic connected to your field of interest, and make sure it’s well-written. A poorly written or unprofessional blog will actually work against you. You can also use a blog as an “excuse” to reach out to leaders in your field to interview them. This can be a great way to start a dialogue with someone who otherwise might not be receptive to you contacting them. Everyone loves to be interviewed!
What research methods do you wish new graduate job seekers would use more carefully, frequently, or both?Most job-seekers spend too much time on job boards, while underutilizing online tools that can help them get a better job faster. For example, there are a variety of ways to use LinkedIn to get connected with people working in fields of interest. You can conduct searches on LinkedIn to find alumni working in your field of choice, you can use LinkedIn to search for relevant individuals connected to people you already know, and you can also join groups on LinkedIn where you can get “insider information” on certain fields and where you can communicate directly with people in fields of interest all over the world. A terrific, little-known resource for job-seekers is Jigsaw.com, which is a database of downloadable contact information on professionals and businesses worldwide. This web site can be a great tool to use for employer research and for tracking down contact information for people who are otherwise hard to access.