Mark Anthony Dyson, Author at The Voice of Job Seekers

A Moment with Amit De, CEO of Careerleaf

Here is a fresh look at a new job seeker community, Careerleaf.com, an all-in-one job search platform that cuts the time to apply in half, publicly launched. Careerleaf’s partner-driven platform helps job seekers search for jobs, showcase themselves, and track and manage the entire process. You can read more at Careerleaf.com.

Amit De was gracious enough to find a few minutes provide some answers to questions I had. I will say that he had to correct me when I called the site a job board. In fact, the site was created to avoid the feel and function of any job board site. It was his own frustrating research experience using job boards that inspired this site.

What myths do you tackle and debunk with Careerleaf that makes you standout?

We provide a community for candidates that lets them access niche and other job boards, while structuring their job search effectively and efficiently.

What were some of the challenges you faced in starting out?

Building out the features that would help the candidate most, as our solution focuses on the candidate. However, getting the right mix for users is always a challenge.

Please explain the thought process of what you liked and didn’t like about job boards that you were using?

Just searching the large boards, where you have postings which receive hundreds of applications and get no responses. There needs to be a more efficient way of finding the right jobs.

How did you come up with Tracklet?

We created the Careerleaf Tracklet to help job seekers easily track and manage their search. Many job seekers don’t just look for jobs in one place, so Tracklet was created to allow them to easily manage all of their searches across the Web.

Was your goal at the beginning was to cut the initial time from the application to the search?

One of the goals was to cut the time. But overall, to create a more efficient system.

I saw a screen shot of the job seeker profile and it looked very attractive. Are there other considerations to the job seeker profile that would make it stand out to potential employers and recruiters?

There are lots of other features we can add, but too much is also not good. Hence, we felt this was a good balance to allow candidates to showcase themselves efficiently and tailor their profile.

So what would be key elements that a user must have to attract employers and recruiters on their profile?

A fully completed and well-thought out profile will certainly give users a better chance of attracting employers. Job seekers should focus on creating a strong summary of themselves in their bio section to allow employers and recruiters to better understand what they are searching for.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Signs The Thrill Is Gone From Your Job Search and Why it’s Giving You The Holiday Blues

How do you know that the thrill has gone from your romantic relationship? An easy way to tell is that it FEELS like your stalking. There are ties between relationships, holidays, and your job search. What you did during the year can dictate how the holiday fares.

Oh yeah, it’s the holiday season, too. This could suck badly.

You are the only one calling, texting but no reciprocation, and impatient, so you repeat the cycle. Your job search lacks excitement. Without leads, it became a chore or an obligation, perhaps that you took for granted. The feeling is similar to a dating or marriage relationship.

The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away
You know you done me wrong baby
And you’ll be sorry someday

~B.B. King, The Thrill Is Gone

May I suggest that some of those signs exist in your job search? You have hope in a process that doesn’t exist, or should I say effort that didn’t exist.

Let’s see, there is the whole she-says-that-she can’t-go-out-on-the-weekend-thing. Or maybe, in certain terms, he or she said they were not interested in a way you didn’t expect. Or they were no longer interested in your approach.

So has the thrill gone out of your job search yet? Don’t know? Well, here are signs that your job search is fading.

1. You no longer admit a job search exists

Oh, we’re no longer dating, you say. You just haven’t told him. Well, it’s like all the social media profiles that have gone untouched. It takes time and effort. Together. It doesn’t exist because you are not initiating contact with employers. Stop relying on the machine to do the work.

2. You can’t wait to do your own thing

A night with the girls for the third time this week speaks volumes. And if you think that your networking-less efforts will be career-fulfilling, then ask her again why she hasn’t spent time with you. Because YOU are boring! That covers both job and relationship dilemmas now, doesn’t it?

3. “We were never lovers…just friends.”

She likes your company, and you make her laugh. But that’s it, she likes you only as a friend. There should be some affection from your job search. A kiss on the lips is like getting an interview rather than a kiss on the cheek in the form of a five-minute phone behavioral assessment. Otherwise, you were just a friend.

4. They take you for granted

No more gifts, cards, or little notes for you. Ok, you received one little note once. It’s not the small meaningful but affectionate expression he or she used to offer. Little things like thank you, you’re welcome, and please mean so much when meeting people is a small window of opportunity. If your job search spirit is gimme, gimme, lemme, gimme, most of the time, you take people for granted without consciousness. Give. Give without strings attached. Be wise, but you are showing a willingness to help.

5. Both of you were on the rebound.

He wants his old girlfriend back, and she can’t get over her old boyfriend. The familiar little ditty in the way your old job made you feel because it was special, and your achievements inspired others to treat you like a superstar. The reality is that they have moved on, and it’s hard to accept. Why would you want someone who doesn’t want you?

And it’s giving you the holiday blues because…

In my experience, I’ve gotten hired or started more jobs during the month of November and December. The holidays will be depressing if we take the accumulation of what I mentioned above. Multiply by ten if you have friends who are changing jobs because they sought out a promotion and salary jump. Experts will tell you this is the best season to get hired, but it will seem monumental if you haven’t done the right things.

Perhaps your job search is not interesting, so no one from an employer’s perspective is interested. When that happens, the thrill is gone. How do you know the thrill has gone out of your job search? What are ways you can get it back?

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Interview with Leigh Branham, Author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave

I feel fortunate to receive a response to some questions I asked Leigh Branham, Author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave. You may remember my review a couple of weeks ago of the book. If not, you can read it here. This book is a good read for job seekers, as it helps to know and pursue the work environment you desire. Branham’s book will also help you understand what employers generally expect.

What ideas were you testing before giving the survey?

I was curious to know if employees were leaving for the same reasons as I previously identified in analyzing 19,700 third-party exit interviews the Saratoga Institute conducted prior to 2005 when the first edition of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave was published (which reported my analysis of the surveys). I also wanted to find out some things Saratoga didn’t ask, such as whether there was a turning point in the employees’ decision to leave, the predominance of push vs. pull factors, how long employees stayed after first thinking of leaving, the avoidability of the reasons, and how their reported productivity was affected.

What was the most surprising about the results?

I was actually surprised how consistent the findings were when compared to the pre-2005 surveys.

The same 7 reasons held true in 2012 as in 2005 with small differences–not feeling valued was still the main reason, but lack of trust and confidence in senior leadership was mentioned far more frequently, probably owing to more consciousness about senior leaders due to all the negative publicity associated with leader behavior and the Wall Street collapse. I also found that nine out of ten root-cause reasons for leaving were avoidable push factors as opposed to pull factors, such as an attractive job offer. There was a triggering event that precipitated the decision to leave in 64% of the turnovers, compared to 66% found by Dr. Thomas Lee at the University of Washington (who has spent his entire academic career studying employee turnover).

Did any of the results tell you anything about job seekers? If so, what did it tell you?

The data indicate that many job seekers experience disillusionment in the first few months on the job but stay, and disengage for several weeks or months before finally beginning to look for a job. Finally, a “last straw” event occurs that moves them off dead center–an “I’m outta here” moment, so to speak.

To avoid disillusionment, job seekers need to have a mindset of “I’m hiring my next employer” and ask more questions about company culture as they network and ask to speak informally with future peers before accepting the position. It’s also advisable to take on a consulting assignment or project before accepting a full-time job so you can have first-hand experience of the company before making the decision.

Did any of the results change what you would advise job seekers?

Not really. I’ve always been a huge advocate of networking in a way that helps you uncover hidden needs in your target companies as well as hidden skeletons.

Can you elaborate a little on the interviewing process of how employers can screen job seekers for a better fit? In what ways do you think that candidates can find out about the culture of the workplace he or she is interested in pursuing?

As I mentioned, ask to speak with your future colleagues without your future manager present so they will feel free to talk openly about the manager’s style, culture, internal career advancement, senior leadership, work-life balance, teamwork, and other issues that are important to you. Recruiters, former employees, suppliers, contractors, consultants,and glassdoor.com are also good sources to check out. And you can always ask the hiring manager directly about his/hermanagement style, priorities, the culture, and the team you’ll be working with.

Two questions I would always ask are:

1. Can you tell me what results you would be looking for me to have completed after six months and one year? and

2.What traits or talents do you consider most important in the person you hire for this job?