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How to Stay Persistent When It’s Hard

How to Stay Persistent When It’s Hard by Mark Anthony Dyson

Persistence is necessary for success in your job search. Most of the time, you will be uncomfortable asking for the help needed.

No one understands the stress you experience.

When people respond half-heartedly to your request for contact information usually means you’re under-valued.

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Or they’re busy.

Yes, you do risk a perception problem. But it’s unfair to think people are just waiting to serve you. The world doesn’t revolve around you.

That’s why persistence must remain a staple in your arsenal:

1. Show persistence or lose

When the competition is heavy and hot, your creativity will stand out. You’re qualified but forgotten. It’s a terrible combination. That is why the extra step is needed. Make it difficult for employers to say “no.”

Get the guide, The Fortune For Your Career Is, In The Follow-up

2. Show persistence or be forgotten

The value of great conversations often results in being remembered. People will struggle to remember if you are too shy about asking in a persuasive, full-throated manner for help or advice.

3. Persistence inspires and motivates others (most employers expect it)

Yes, people are encouraged by your efforts if you are putting yourself out there. If you’re “helping yourself, ” it motivates others to help too. How bad do you want it?

Read: Saying No Could Give Your Career Life

4. One-time contact is rarely enough

People who see and hear from hundreds of people daily need reminders, and others, persuasion.

Persistence is an investment of time, not always emotion.

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So don’t take it personally if you make several requests to the same person.

Listen: Personal Branding for Baby Boomers with Marc Miller

5. The heart of persistence realizes there is so much to lose

The tactful callback, second phone call, and follow-up email impress interviewers, employers, and recruiters. The key is timing. Although it varies on the medium and the communication, a well-thought-out follow-up until denied (told “no”), you should not be afraid to make sure it wasn’t meant to be.

People are even grateful you asked if follow-up is OK or even necessary. You’ll find many who will say, “Yes. Please follow up by Thursday so that I won’t forget.” It’s humbling to some degree, but it’s needed. Be prepared to ask someone to act in kind twice or three times for one task.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How To Be Or Not To Be Perfessional Online

How To Be Or Not To Be Perfessional Online by Mark Anthony Dyson

Last summer, I offered Beachside Rehab. Recently, I used the word “perfessional” in context to people sharing their sober status on LinkedIn.

It seems like it splits whether you should or shouldn’t. I err on caution only, as authenticity could be weaponized (and we often see that).

It’s freeing for many people but not for everyone. The peer pressure to do it doesn’t help either. I hope people are 100% if they choose either.

My take on “perfessional”:

personal

professional

confessional

First, I can’t help but say people use “perfessional” as a professional on LinkedIn. Misspellings happen, and we need spell checks at our fingertips.

But I digress.

I see posts where people are encouraging this new vulnerability as a way to build on their brand. There’s nothing wrong with it being a way to convey a person’s over-arching message in telling their story.

I’m only convinced telling your story is an employer attraction if it’s an employment story where someone’s skills or personal attributes are the catalysts. Resilience is necessary, but it’s also contextual. Employers need to see it through your story.

I understand why, for some, “perfessional” is essential:

It connects you to others in your network.
It attracts like-minded people to you for support and encouragement.
“Perfessional” breeds collaborations.
No one can copy your story, even if they copy what you’ve written.

Remote work has ushered in the need to convert your online network to your coworkers. Many people are comfortable with it, while it scares others.

Then again, someone’s “profession” has become someone’s trauma. Wow (What did I say?)!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

11 Items to Include On Your Pre Job Search Checklist

11 Items to Include On Your Pre Job Search Checklist by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job search usually evokes a wide range of emotions, from excitement to frustration. It may be hard to define where exactly to start. The complexity of the job search process requires an exact action plan and a considerable amount of time. According to CareerBuilder, job seekers will spend an average of 11 hours a week looking for work.

Whether you are looking for your first job, considering a significant career change, trying to find a better position, we want to guide you through this working tunnel step by step.

Therefore, we prepared our checklist of the fundamental steps:

Start with yourself. Aptitude diagnostics.

Research yourself first! Whether starting a career path or fed up with their routine job, it is essential to learn about their strengths and weaknesses. For sure, you have already imagined yourself in various positions, and all of them suit you perfectly well. However, guessing is not always enough. Therefore, it would be better to evaluate your competency via aptitude tests and get hard data to consider.

Find out where your dream job resides.

Now when you are sure about the position that might fit your talents, you need to define your target company type. Find companies searching for similar specialists. Identify their industry, size, location, and even culture.

Get acquainted with the job research engines, which are the most appropriate for a position of your type. Besides, check offers on the LinkedIn platform. It is advisable to monitor the situation for several weeks to spot the overall tendencies.

Consider remote options.

Considering the present situation, many people are adjusting to the new reality by shifting to remote working options. Give at a thought. Perhaps, this is what you’ve wanted.

Consideration of the remote options considerably multiplies your chances of finding your dream job. To be fully prepared, look through the apps and software used for remote working. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable about time trackers, video meetings, and funding a comfortable workspace for yourself.

Clean up your social media.

HR specialists and managers often pay considerable attention to the LinkedIn profiles of the candidates. Discrepancies between a resume and a profile may cause some confusion. Unfortunately, it may result in rejection at the early stages or additional questions in the interview. Try to eliminate all the matters with no value add.

Besides, quite often, recruiters search for the candidates on such platforms as LinkedIn, thus, make sure your profile looks as good as possible.

Find references.

A list of professional references may be rather beneficial for your job search. It is a good idea to prepare a documented list of your references beforehand. Take your time. Think about the relationship with your previous employers, colleagues, or even teachers and advisors. Make sure you select the best people to speak on your behalf.

Do people.

At one time, way back in 2016 (insert joke), according to Forbes and LinkedIn, between 70% and 85% of jobs are not posted online. It has been an ongoing argument for many years.

But the work is in the conversations you have with people in your industry, former coworkers, and layers of introductions (friend of a friend of a friend).

Try to contact headhunters and hiring managers to learn about possible openings and even generate some interviews.

Track your job applications and follow-up.

Proper organizing and managing your application process requires control and tracking. Don’t get lost in numerous opportunities, job descriptions, and application deadlines — have a separate spreadsheet containing all this information. Nowadays, there are multiple apps and software that can automate the process.

Set up some alerts to send follow-ups and thank you emails. Prepare some templates that would facilitate the process.

Salary negotiation preparation.

Be prepared for the salary question and be well-informed of your market value. Get a realistic view of the compensation scale concerning your field.

Besides, be prepared to discuss the options. Do not be afraid. A reasonable employer will not reject your applications just because of salary negotiation.

Get a feel for the company.

A well-prepared candidate who has a feel of the company is highly appreciated. Knowing more about the company makes you feel more comfortable.

Learn the specifics like goals, mission, policies, products, and culture. Check the company’s social media profiles and various feedbacks from reliable sources. Spending some more time for this time appears to be extremely efficient.

Make interview preparations.

There are a variety of studies show a very low percentage of applicants get job interviews. But this means to prepare, not expect the worse.

While waiting for hiring managers to call you back, keep adding more job interviews for your schedule. Make sure you will not be surprised by the interview offer and a job offer. Prepare answers for the most common interview questions and think about questions you would like to ask. In case you are not well familiar with the video interviews, make some test runs and rehearsals.

Remain patient.

Indeed reports the hiring process is taking 30 days or less. In several conversation, there are start-ups hiring faster than a week in a few cases. In addition to checking out the company thoroughly, some large companies offer an expectation of their hiring process. It’s always best to connect with employees of the company who recently hired to see how long it will take. Their timeline not always accurate, but it helps to get an idea.

Waiting too long may be frustrating, but you need to develop and maintain a positive attitude. The most proactive and positive candidates usually land the best jobs.

Summary

For many people, keeping an eye on new job opportunities is an essential part of professional development. Others face the need for job search due to career change or first employment. Despite the initial reason, the job search is complicated and tedious. Being prepared for each step will save you time and nerves.