Articles - The Voice of Job Seekers

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.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Ways To Conspire Against Your Job Search

When I sit with a client a job search strategy session, we develop a career development plan. We create a contract agreeing to complete certain tasks with dates, times and how-to associated with the task. I will have a to do list, and my client, the job seeker has a list. We have each other’s list, and we work to make it happen. 9.9 out of 10 times I have to remind my client, but they pay me to do so. Without accountability it you are likely to fall behind and excuse yourself with your job search efforts. It is part of the longitudinal conspiracy against yourself.

That’s right, I said it! You are purposely derailing your own job search.

You are not helping your career by waiting for a lead to drop from the sky. Nor, are you strategically active researching and exhausting resources to gain insights about employers. You can blame laziness, passivity, and apathy for letting important career defining moments lapse. Many of these mini-moments occur in front of you, and you pass on an opportunity to display expertise. Sometimes, these are tests that an employer will employ to see if you’ll blink. I bet you blinked more than once.

Other times the volume and speed of the conversation intimidates you. They smile. You smile. The interviewer forcefully and politely ends the interview and before you know it, the meeting is over. And still you remain unemployed.

Conspirator!

Et tu, job seeker?

I can name several obvious ways that conspiracy against thyself rears its ugly head:

You lose track of the employers you approached, and networking contacts

The conspiracy: Shame on you not following up on resumes and other correspondence to employers seeking interviews, and other opportunities that could advance your career. It’s an essential part of your job search! Solution: Get organized and start using tools that provide reminders of contacts, events, and of course, follow calls.

It’s what you don’t say that speaks volumes

The conspiracy: What? No questions for the interviewer? No research done? No direct answers given? At this point, your silence says things you don’t want to say–you don’t care. You didn’t take time to prepare. Solution: Ask direct questions, and through research answer direct questions. Anticipate what will be asked, and prepare accordingly. If your experience has the depth, so will your answers.

You give too much information

The conspiracy: A bad sign–your overstated banter becomes someone else’s entertainment. You mentioned your former bosses and coworkers by name, how bad you the were to you, and nothing about what your team accomplished. Solution: Listen three times as much as you talk, and answer one question at time. Show understanding and give positive examples of how you worked with others and what you accomplished together.

Not asking the interviewer the right questions

The conspiracy: This is the part where the lack of diligence bites your butt because your preparation downloading “50 Questions to Ask in an Interview” was satisfactory to you. You didn’t prepare to interview with the specific company, and glean questions to ask about the company. Solution: One interview, one employer, one set of questions to ask the employer. There are LinkedIn groups to participate in, and the company’s 1-800 number to inquire about the company’s product and brand, and the website to capture the company’s philosophy.

Quietly passive upon receipt of the unanswered question

The conspiracy: Remaining neutral on direct questions is a common error. No one likes admitting it, but the bait and switch is a frequent strategy to avoid answering questions. Solution: An interview is a privilege, and never a right, so seeking confrontation when a question is not answered is more than a bad idea. Be tactful in asking the answer to a question. First see if you were clear, and assume that you were not. I suggest having a main question, and prepare a rephrased a and b question.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Your Teen, the High School Graduate, and Jobseeker

I’ve written about my son, “Boy Wonder,” and his adventures in working part-time at a famous retail in Chicago. He will be graduating in two months, earning Silver Honors for most of his high school career, lettering in several sports, and more important, quality character. The high school graduate must prepare for career worthiness. He or she is a job seeker in one form or another, and one time or the other.

I’m a proud dad who can only take partial credit. I will give my wife a little more credit because she gave birth, but “Boy Wonder” has two years of working experience and 18 in May. Boy Wonder accrued more than 100 service hours in the community, and does not blink at doing more in the future. In February, he earned scholarship funds because of his “excellence in academic and community service.” He has become career worthy.

This is a good time to start looking for a summer job for your teen, the job seeker, especially if he or she is 16 years old. A job seeker. Like it or not. Working before high school graduation is a necessity in our texting, Twitter, and Facebook society. The are vulnerable by not getting job experience.

I don’t agree with helicopter parenting when they are 23 and possessing a bachelors’ degree. You should be Air Force One upon eligibility when they can work at 16. Walk with them through every step of the employment process, teach them how to think, drink, and eat responsibility. Teach them how to dress appropriately for an interview, and later they will be sharp to get that first college internship.

Another reason for your teen, the job seeker, must work is their baptism in the fire of working relationships. You can tell them how to work with others in theory alone, and draw them stick figures of how to handle conflict, but until he or she experiences it, your bantering is in vain.

Character is something parents discuss, and experience in part with him or her, but only the teen can embody the lifelong gifts that these changes can bring:

Pride, self-esteem, and independence is appreciated more
Appreciation for your hard work
Emotional and physical maturity begins
Responsibility and accountability is regular
Focus on school work is self-motivated
Mature understanding of professionalism (not perfect, advanced beyond peers)
The respect from other adults for working and doing well in school (I’ve witnessed his display of manhood)

I have a longer list than this. Parents, you miss golden opportunities to train your teen to mature and gain character. Jobs will rarely be plentiful. YOU, are the best career coach available.