Job Archives - Page 17 of 23 - 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.

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

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.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Book Review: I Got My Dream Job and So Can You by Pete Leibman

From the good people at AMACOM books, I am privileged to review a new book release again this month. Pete Leibman’s book, I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College is a recommended read (I was NOT compensated for this review. I received one review copy and authorized to give one free copy away).

Not only there are principles, strategies, and ideas for college students, but also for the current employed or unemployed job seeker. If you are passively looking for work, this book will inspire you to become more aggressive, strategic, and dynamic in your approach to finding your dream job.

Leibman states that he found his dream job before he was 23 by using most, if not all strategies mentioned in this book. He pursued and landed his dream job in sales with the NBA Washington Wizard, and eventually became one the youngest managers ever within the organization (and probably the entire NBA). Overall, this book is not written for college students and the job seeker universal to find a job, but to grab THE job!

By the way, I will be giving away a free copy of the book, so look forward to that at the end of the post.

Here are some of his strategies and methods cited in his book:

1. Employers Are Nervous Too. Leibman states that one of your goals is to make sure that you are not dishonest, lazy, difficult, uncommitted, unprofessional, or unqualified. Just as you don’t want to be stuck in an undesirable position, employers are trying to avoid a troublemaker or an unproductive employee.

2. Create your own job description. Not only employers should want you, but also should have qualities that attract you to the job. List your own ideal location, schedule, environment/culture, function, salary/compensation, and employer size.

3. What is a Dream Job? Leibman describes a dream job as, “…a job that combines your talents and passions in a way that is meaningful to you.” Throughout the book, he stresses high expectations to reaching your goals. No safety net is motivation enough to succeed. One quote that stood out: “It is not impossible to get your dream job with little or no industry experience.”

4. Should I have a back up plan? “NO!” A back up plan is actually a plan for failure. When you are willing to do whatever it takes, eventually you will get your dream job. In other words, don’t plan to fail!

5. 10 Innovative Marketing Assets You Need to Get Your Dream Job. This is a good list to put your comprehensive job search strategy in perspective:

Confident Body Language

Polished Physical Appearance

Rock Solid References

Results-Oriented Resume

Compelling Cover Letter

Pristine Internet Presence

Pumped-Up LinkedIn Profile

Strategic Social Media Account

E-mail/Voicemail Marketing Machine

Winner’s Mindset

6. Crash the Party Through LinkedIn. Throughout Leibman’s book, he emphasis the usefulness of Linked In by stating that it is a place to reach out to “Cold Networking Contacts (People you have never met or interacted with before)”

7. Cool Networking and Seven Effective Strategies. He describes “Cool Networking” as the type of networking everyone is generally familiar with when you think of networking:

Have a strategy

Show Up with the Right Mindset and Expectations

Know What to Say (Create a 5-10 ice breaker list)

Talk to Strangers

Behave Professionally

Ask for the Next Step

Follow-Up Correctly (Networking fails without one

8. Be Prepared to Lead the Conversation. Leibman recommends 10 questions to prepare for asking. It is true that many job seekers know they should ask questions but lack the preparation when it’s time to ask. He also teaches that a candidate should have 5-10 success stories.

These are just some of Leibman’s strategies in his new book. Prices range from $10.95 and up through Amazon.com and other places. Or you can participate in the giveaway of Pete Leibman’s book by Retweeting the post on Twitter, or commenting below about how the book can help your job search. The choice will be random, and the winner will be announced Monday, March 26.