Job Search - The Voice of Job Seekers

The Job Search Checklist (PODCAST)

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Editor’s note: AMACOM Books has kindly agreed to allow giveaway copy of the book, The Job Search Checklist. Listen to the show or read the bottom of the show notes for more information.

Damian Birkel is the author of “The Job Search Checklist: Everything You Need to Know to Get Back to Work After a Layoff.” He is a Certified Career Counselor and Founder of Professionals in Transtion support Group, Inc. that assists laid-off employees. He and his organization has been featured on CNN, WSJ, NPR and other national news outlets.

Damian and I discuss his story and how and why he created Professionals in Transition, his non-profit organization that has helped over 4,000 job seekers. We talk about the preparation for job loss and why must job seekers understand this process. He says that leading psychologists agree that job loss is the same emotional state as losing a loved one, or divorce. Grieving is a necessary part of the process before moving on.

Damien does state that at some point that someone needs to provide support but tough love. Listen to what he says about the “Bridge statement” that connects job loss to your current status indicating the direction our heading. How important is that to formulate to frame that in who you meet that may help you find a job? Damien provides a clear answer to a tough question that is often asked. This statement is only two sentences!

I also love the section he entitled, “What not to do and why.” You say that, “If you kill your career Karma (reputation) by blasting your old company, it will create a negative impression of you.”

Some of the other advice from the book he mentions in the show:

“Do not send a sloppy email to anyone (regardless of how well you know them)

“Don’t keep you job loss and job search a secret.”

And now the giveaway….

Comment about the interview and qualify for a chance to get a FREE COPY of Damian’s book, The Job Search Checklist. I will pick a winner randomly, and he or she will receive the book directly from AMACOM Books. I will announce the winner on Friday, November 8!

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 Ways Get Your Google Game Up for Your Job Search

Lacking a job search social presence in 2014 is like not having a home run hitter on your baseball team’s roster. You can score without one, but you’re not a scoring threat. It rarely happens in Major League Baseball that a team can win it all without a few home runs. The fans come for home runs–not doubles and singles. We love the long ball.

Getting your Google game up (the term coined by my friend and blog contributor Keith Townsend) is critical to transitioning to a new career and establishing expertise in your field. Without this job search strategy, you answer cattle call for jobs, and being noticed as a resource. Through establishing a credible online presence for your job search, the dialogue in your interview doesn’t approach the trying-out-for-a-place-on-the-roster. Instead, the conversation is business: A conversation about your talents fit in the future of the company.

Here is how can you get your Google game up to impress employers of your value and a must-have in their organization:

What’s your name, fool? Never googled yourself? You may need to use a nickname or middle initial to stand out if you have a common name. You don’t want to share the same name space as someone who has committed any crime messing up your good name.
Your name dominating the first page of Google. Blogs, Linked In, About.me, and guest articles in white papers leave a positive impression for employers. Positioning yourself as an expert or thought leader is more than quotes. At least a few people will follow your thoughts, direction, and to some degree your purpose.
Your name must stand out in a good way. I recommend setting the appropriate privacy settings so that your photos are private. If you use You Tube, Facebook, or Google Plus and your photos sync from your phone to your profiles.
Get caught serving. When you are answering questions on Quora, Linked In, or Yahoo on forums and public messaging, it portrays a positive impression. More often than not these acts of kindness will reflect on the first few pages of Google.
Monitor your online reputation. You have probably use Google Alerts to monitor your name as it mentioned throughout the web. But you probably haven’t heard of talkwalker.com (shout out to Ms. Ileane Speaks podcast) which is another passive way to ensure you monitor your reputation.

All four of my suggestions can be established in a couple of weeks. It may take a little time but it is worth the investment. There will come a day that your Google game will be as important to employers than the traditional resume.

How’s your Google game? Do you need to improve the quality of your online presence? Leave us a message or use the comments section. Thanks.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job Search Advice To Use Today!

This is an expert job search edition to give you some of the best advice out there. I am proud to say that over the last two years I’ve been able to talk with experienced and influential career coaches and educators. All of the quotes are from the article written on this blog from interviews that I’ve done since July 2011 and relevant to today’s job search. I may have quoted the author from his or her book yet, talked about the advice on the podcast. I hope that you can go and apply this advice right after reading this article. If you need help in implementing this advice feel free to contact me, and I will be glad to schedule you for a consultation.

There is timeless job search advice from these five experts today. The job search advice is also practical enough to continue your own research and find sources on how it can advance your efforts.

Bill Holland, the author of Cracking The New Job Market: The 7 Rules for Getting Hired in Any Economy

Today, if you are looking for work, it is helpful to target companies and determine how they recruit. Almost all recruiting today involves the Internet. The hiring processes, once described as hidden (I prefer “splintered”) are now largely open and easily accessible.

If you want to know where to look, identify your target organizations and ask them how they recruit. Most will be happy to tell you. A family friend recently got his next job this way. They told him to keep an eye open for job listings by becoming a “Fan” on Facebook. He also engaged his network; had people put in a good word for him; used job boards; and regularly checked the job ads in the Wall Street Journal. But sure enough, he learned of his next opportunity by doing exactly what they advised him to do.

Pete Leibman, the author of I Got My Dream Job and So Can You

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.

Book Review: Who Says It's a Man's World — Book Review: Who Says It’s a Man’s World

Emily Bennington, the author of Who Says It’s a Man’s World

Professional development is a real grey area in business. Some companies are outstanding at it while others totally suck. The ones that excel have full leadership buy-in and actually put their resources where their mouth is when it comes to “people first.” Still, I strongly believe it’s up to each individual to take charge of your own professional development and fill in any gaps between where you are and where you want to be. No one will ever care about your career more than you do.

Margie Warrell, the author of Stop Playing Safe

If you’re putting yourself out there, taking on bigger challenges at work and laying more on the line, you have to be careful to ensure that you have the competence needed to deliver results. Too often, promising careers take a steep nosedive when people are assigned to positions they simply don’t have the competence to do well.

Leigh Branham, author of Author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave

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.

Which advice will you implement today? Please, let’s discuss!