Job Search Archives - Page 93 of 93 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Your Spouse Can Help With The Holiday Job Search

Do you and your spouse attend holiday gatherings held by one another’s friends and families? No? Please, reconsider. This year, see it as an job networking opportunity, and not a waste of time. It is not a time to beg for contacts or a job. Don’t use this time to survey. It is a time to become familiar with a readily available contact pool.

No expectations other than having some productive conversations. Here are my suggestions for having subtle but significant social conversations.

It’s 80-90% about them

People love talking about themselves and their successes (notice I did not say problems). Ask him or her how did they reach this part of their success? Ask them questions related to their training and responsibilities. What makes them tick? Be sure to learn first and last names, and ease up on Mr. Walker, please.

The other 10-20% is barely about you

Again, begging and pleading is a turn-off. However, helping has value that keeps giving beyond the holidays. Yes, see if there are ways to help during a party! Less is more, and when done with caution, you can dictate the terms of engagement. (Hint: If I feel welcomed by the host, and gotten to know them well enough, I volunteer to help with…garbage. Proceed with caution.) Ultimately, you can ask for more information away from the gathering preferably after the holiday.

Your spouse can go to bat for you

If you hit it off with your spouse’s co-worker, then he or she can relieve you of the grunt work. It doesn’t matter if the person will refer you to a different company or the same, co-workers unless adversaries will talk. Talk with your spouse before the party to help him or her understand that you are partying with a purpose. If your spouse is uncomfortable with that, DON’T do it!

These same rules apply to family and other social gatherings. As long as you don’t come across desperate, you can find untapped resources from the people you party with during the holidays. If you are successful in finding someone generous enough to give you names, numbers, and more still follow-up sooner than later by thanking them. A phone call is appropriate, but sending them a thank you gift is too friendly. Remember, subtlety.

I should mention that the holidays are opportunities waiting to happen. It’s slower, and call Human Resources may not be the egg hunt that occurs during non-holidays, particularly after January 1. So use the slow period to your advantage, it is the best time to network.

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

4 Things That a Slow Job Search And A Boring Marriage Share

Unemployment becomes your life, and dominate your thoughts if you don’t get in control of it from the beginning. For sure a slow job search sucks. Maybe you were zealous in finding a job, and making strides at first like a torrid love affair, but as time progress, your job search turned stale. It happens in marriage relationships. Did it happen to your job search?

I suggest that today your job search is like a marriage relationship. You sleep with HIM, you think of HER throughout the day, you miss HIM, yet you are disenchanted with HER. Either tragedies can change your life for the worst. Allow me to offer four common threads with glaring similarities:

Lack Variety

Jobseekers want to use only one or two job hunt strategies. They implement the easiest way such as filling out online applications, or asking the same 10 Facebook friends for job leads. A job hunt needs spice, and at times inspires results. What if your marriage is one dimensional? Is that acceptable to you? I hope not!

Lack Quality

Will sending out hundreds of resumes a month and filling out hundreds of job applications monthly bring success? There are countless stories of people sending hundreds of resumes to employers, cold, and fast, but to no avail. Try to add a bunch of intrepid changes to your marriage at once will only hinder the entire dynamic of the relationship. Instead, focus on improving one or two areas at a time. Think long term. Think permanent changes.

Taken For Granted

Nothing is like being second fiddle to anyone else if you are the spouse of an unemployed jobseeker. A successful job search does not happen by itself. It takes cultivating relationships, ad giving back to others. Show gratitude no matter how needy you think you are. Like your spouse, a job search needs and your undivided attention.

Complacency

After 20 years of marriage, my wife and I still flirt, play, and make each other better. Most of all, we are cognizant of treating others better, especially those who are outside of the immediate family. As an active jobseeker, treating others well is just as valuable as finding a game changing job lead. At times, it seems that you give more than you get, but the return is priceless. Offer leads to people you know who need help. Be a resource for others, and perhaps, it may be reciprocated.

You may feel that you married your job search, but this is for a short time. Commitment, dedication, and tenacity are also words associated with both. However, marriage often exceed expectations of what we give, and what we get.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Book Review: Cracking the New Job Market, R. William Holland + Book Giveaway

Bill Holland, the author of The 7 Rules for Getting Hired in Any Economy: Cracking the New Job Market, preferred to teach the choir, than “preach to the choir.” Job search education is forefront of Mr. Holland’s book applies to all of the job search communities and segments, especially to the white-collar worker. He promotes the notion that in the age of the supposed “hidden job market,” people are likely to focus on finding the secret jobs than to create and unearth their professional value. I will also give away a copy of this book FREE, as my review copy was FREE. I assure you, that I was not compensated for this review.

This practical book is essential to job seekers who have challenges in creating value, and demonstrating professional acumen through their resumes, interviews, and business networks. It is not full of resume and cover letter templates. Mr. Holland reasons that a strong resume and cover letter is not about you, but more about what the employer wants.

Mr. Holland presents a compelling case for 7 useful and dogmatic strategies:

Rule #1: Always Demonstrate Value. At the heart of what resumes should be about, Mr. Holland explains that the successful resume includes what “The value the hiring organization is looking to have created.” It’s a powerful statement since many job seekers look for the quick fix, and do not cultivate worth from their personal well of professional accomplishments.

Rule #2: Your Resume: It’s About the Value You Create. In this chapter, Mr. Holland not only shows how to “infuse your experience with value”, and explains how that selecting key statements accrue the attention of a potential employer. On his website, he states that he can provide courses contingent on the feedback he receives.

Rule #3: Use Social Media and Other Sites for Job Leads. In tackling the hot issue of “hidden job market”, he states that the “job market is not so much hidden as it is splintered.” He suggests that no longer job boards and Sunday classified ads monopolize job announcements. Social networking sites are one of the best places to discover opportunities, and build relationships that can lead to key information about employers and available positions. One of the few snags in this book is the broad overview of Social Media tools and services. Holland discusses Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook, but in general.

Rule #4: Interviews: They’re About the Value You Demonstrate. Throughout the book, the emphasis of “value creation” remains consistent and urgent. Infusing value throughout an interview remains a challenge of many job seekers, not only on resumes and interviews, but also pre and post-interviews. He discusses interview attire, references, thank-you letters, and follow-up which ha an impact on employers.

Rule#5: You Get What You Negotiate, Not What You Deserve. Holland inserts that successful negotiation takes preparation that starts when you realize that you have to find another job. He has provided 7 rules for skillful negotiation that will help a job seeker land the desired salary and benefit package.

Rule #6: Career Choice is More Than Following Your Passion. Holland states that passion can be an overrated determiner, “Those who look at career success solely through the prism of their passion can be in for a long and frustrating experience.” My takeaway from this considers the work I want to do, and the lifestyle I wish to create for myself is a part of the negotiation components. Holland provides a chart that helps to sort out what is beneficial to you during the negotiation period.

Rule #7: The Best Way to Reenter the Job Market Is to Never Leave It. Holland reminds us that going back to school, volunteer work, and temporary work are options to remain in the job market. This is also part of the value creation strategy that is re-emphasized through the book by not allowing “…your career-related activities to lapse… .”

After reading the book, I felt as Holland has achieved the need for job seekers remain competitive in the job search. One of his strongest premises is the notion of the nonexistence of the “Hidden Job Market.” Having worked with clients that heard the term, it scared them; however, Holland supports the premise through connecting value creation with sustaining an enduring personal brand that attracts employers.

As stated earlier, one of the few snags in the book was the lack of depth of Rule #3 on social media. I felt it was a genuine attempt, and the mentions were accurate. At the same time, Social Media is also about blogging, and learning to use it effectively. It is hard to talk about personal branding these days without embracing the full scope of tools or possibilities.

I recommend this book because of the key straight forward strategies offered could be used immediately. The importance of ready-to-use strategies is crucial to everyone. He aptly puts the responsibility in the hands of the job seeker by emphasizing their own personal and professional value. Cheers to a book that is relevant, and significant, that helps job seekers everywhere to envision their worth.

NOW, about the give away

This is how you can get a copy of this book:

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I hope to post the interview with Mr. Holland within the next two weeks. Please stay tuned by subscribing via RSS or email.