The Modern Job Search Checklist LIVE

I hope you will enjoy the only place where you can find Damian Birkel and I LinkedIn Live Stream shows we broadcast every Friday at 1 pm ET, 12 pm CT. We do a deep dive into a job search topic and attempt to provide many resources, information, and perspectives for that topic.

Damian Birkel is the co-founder of Professionals in Transition, founded in 1992. Over the years, his organization has helped more than 10,000 job seekers with their job searches. Damian’s experience includes C-Suite-level leadership and mid-level management. He has hired thousands of people but also has let go thousands through layoffs. He has also experienced several layoffs during his career. He understands and emphasizes those who have been victims of layoffs and helped many navigate the turbulent emotions of corporate separations.

He has authored two job search books. His latest, The Job Search Checklist, is how I met him back in 2013 and forged a lifelong friendship and mentorship. He has frequented the media outlets such as NPR, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fortune, and many more.

Laid off? Where To Go For Help?

Damain Birkel and I are back for an abbreviated version of the show. Better, RobinHood, Rocket Mortgage (expected), Ford, and others announced layoffs recently. We hope to help with where to go and what to do.

All Things Career Change With Nickquolette Barrett

Damian Birkel and I are back with a new episode! Most surveys cite 40-50% of professionals looking for a change of jobs or careers this year. To help us offer a few helpful job search strategies is Nickquolette Barrett.

What Should We Learn From Gen Z About Job Search in 2022 Pt. 2

Each generation has something to learn from others, but I and, Damian Birkel, will be learning from Brad Minton‘s experience with his Gen Z clients.

How are young professionals navigating a fluid job search space, and what are they learning (or not learning) from older workers? There’s much to unpack. 

What Should We Learn From Gen Z About Job Search With Cassie Spencer

Damian Birkel and I welcome Cassie Spencer to our panel. We’re always interested in their view and perspective of job search. They are navigating the landscape differently than past generations. All of us can learn from their thinking and strategies to get a competitive edge.

All Things Personal Branding with Rhona Barnett-Pierce

It’s an all-personal branding show as Rhona Barnett-Pierce joins Damian and me on the panel. We’ll cover some of the frequently asked questions on why it’s vital for job seekers and essential things you need to have for a successful job search.

 

Remote Work, Layoffs, and Researching Companies With Sweta Regmi

We tackle layoffs and working on remote teams with Sweta Regmi. Stay tuned.

The Modern Job Search Checklist With Keirsten Greggs

This week, Keirsten Greggs will be our guest host as she’ll moderate the panel discussion. We hope you’ll join us as we’ll also answer any questions or concerns you have about your job search!

Do You Know What Employers Want From You?

I once read, “A good employee gets the job done. A great employee gets the job done despite everything.” When you’re trying to land a job, you need to show employers you are one of those great employees, not merely a good one.

Yvonne Robinson-Jackson joins Damian Birkel and me this Friday to help you to win over employers.

How Do You Highlight Your Best Work with Matt Warzel

As professionals figure out their next gig, some struggle with the idea of proving their skills to employers.

It’s simply not enough to tell, you must show.

Matt Warzel will help Damian and I answer your job search conundrum and offer practical advice for you to use.

How to Tell It’s Time to Change Careers With Jessica Sweet

It’s time to quit, but you want to be strategic and thoughtful. There’s a lot to consider. We know the surveys that say most of us are looking for a change.

This show is for you if you’re considering a change this year.

Damian Birkel and I welcome Jessica Sweet, CPCC, CEIP, LICSW, to the show to help you to strategize your change. #jobsearch #careerchange #careers

How Can Hope and Faith Enhance Your Job Search, Too!

People, in general, are more grateful and giving at this time of year. We wanted to offer some ideas on how it can help your job search efforts for 2022. Nickquolette Barrett wasn’t able to join us for the show. 

How to Stand Out to Get Noticed By Employers 2022 With Paula Christensen

 We offer practical ways you can stand out in this crowded job market. To help us, Damian Birkel and I host Paula Christensen to help us.

How to Navigate December 2021 Job Search With Teegan Bartos

You are invited to join Damian Birkel and me in welcoming Teegan Bartos to our panel. We will help you navigate a December job search. We will tell help you get some courage and confidence while we offer helpful insight and job search tips.

Hint: This is time to step on the game, not shift to cruise control.

You don’t want to miss this episode.

How to Impress Employers in 2022 with Debra Ann Matthews

Is The Great Resignation and Striketober distracting you from your job search? Well, it shouldn’t. If you have only had a few job interviews during the last few months, then you’re not offering employers an accurate impression of yourself.

But don’t worry, we got you. Join Damian Birkel and me in welcoming Debra Ann Matthews to our panel. We will help you figure out how to become more attractive to employers.

All Things Job Interviewing With @Sonal Bahl

If you are getting job interviews and not the offer, then this is the show for you.

Sonal Bahl, along with Damian Birkel and I, will share our job interviewing perspective from the hiring manager’s perspective.

Position Yourself for Now and the Future During This Job Search with Erica Reckamp

The worst position you can do to yourself right now is looking for the next job without considering your aspirations.

Is it wrong?

No.

But, if you have high expectations out of yourself and your life, looking, for now, can make your goals harder. But we got you! Erica Reckamp joins us to help position you with your best foot forward.

Why Do You Need Career Clarity with Kelley Shields

In my experience as a career professional, those who struggle with clarity in their careers often end up in jobs that drain their potential.

This week, Damian Birkel and I enlisted the help of Career Clarity Coach Kelley Shields to help us help you untangle the confusion and chaos you feel when there’s career uncertainty.

What Career Traditions to Leave Behind in 2021?

Join Damian Birkel and me as we welcome Chelsea Jay in challenging a few of the traditional thinking and expectations from the past.

• Is job-hopping a bad thing in 2021? How about quitting without a two-week notice?
• We discuss the September jobs report.
• What job search sin? What job search tactic or strategy is redemption?

How to Job Search While Underemployed?

When your underemployed, you’re challenged with two things:

1) You’re likely to get paid less

2) You are not using your talent(s) or training

3) You work more for less

4) You are affected by lacking time or exhausting in finding a new job @Damian Birkel and I have been there before and will help you move forward this Friday.

We will provide practical and actionable solutions to move you closer to your goals. Join us and bring your questions. Together, we’ll figure it out.

How to Mend a Broken Job Search

You may see and access many opportunities, but a job won’t be handed to you. You have to show you’re “the prescription to the employer’s job description.” This week, Loren Greiff will join Damian Birkel and me to help you fix what’s broken in your job search. Maybe you are getting interviews but not hired.

Perhaps you have applied to 100 jobs so far this month, but to no avail. This might be the first job search you’ve attempted in 5 years. Whatever your dilemma is, we are here to help, and we won’t be blaming it all on Broadway (S/O to Loren). Be sure you press the button below to get the reminder of the live stream.

The Good, Bad, Ugly of Job Search This Fall

If you’re one of those people who recently received an interview invite from a company you applied to a year ago, you might find this show pretty interesting. If you’re a job candidate who interviewed for the eighth time with one company in a single job interview process, you’ll find this show compelling, too!

Damian Birkel and I welcome Hannah Morgan to our panel to help you discern and design your fall job search strategy.

 

Finding Balance During Your Job Search

Are you researching the companies you’re aspiring to work for? Companies spend millions researching job candidates to ensure they are hiring the best candidate. Why shouldn’t you spend time to ensure you are working with the company that matches your values and fits your expectations?

Join Damian Birkel and me in welcoming Marc Miller, author of Repurpose Your Career A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life and founder of Career Pivot. We will answer your questions and help you strategize for your job search.

Avoid These Job Search Traps This Fall

Although there are many scams intended to entrap job seekers, there are also bad strategies being deployed. We want to help you be productive, connect safely with people who care and find the job you want.

Damian Birkel and I will help separate the good from the bad on Friday. Join us as we clear much of the confusion that seems to dominate many of our online timelines and the confusing advice many are passing along.

What Are The Best Ways to Market Yourself to Employers?

If you want to stand out in the most crowded job market in your lifetime, you’ll need to market yourself in a way to get noticed and become memorable to recruiters and employers. You cannot depend solely on job boards. Challenging? You bet.

How to Stand Out in this Crowded Job Market?

Damian Birkel and I welcome Ebony Joyce to our panel. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4% (.5 below June), with approximately 8.7 million job seekers unemployed. Understanding that more than 10 million are competing for jobs, it is tougher to stand out in this job market. We are here to help you parse the good information from the bad and offer strategies to help you strategize your efforts.

How Will You Take Control of Your Career Today?

In this episode of “The Modern Job Search Checklist,” we’ll offer suggestions on how you can position yourself best and future-proof your career. Damian Birkel and I welcome Randy Wooden to our panel discussion.

You’ll Need Multiple Simultaneous Job Interviews

Damian and I welcome Claudia Miller back to the show.

Together, we tackle the following questions:

What is keeping job seekers from getting simultaneous multiple interviews?

Based on a recent conversation I had, is walking away from a stifling job interview process a viable job search strategy?

The argument was based on whether no one will gain anything by walking away from a potential opportunity.

Getting The Job When Competition is Heavy

Topic # 1 The type of answer to employers can get you in trouble. Job seekers often give too much information. Here’s an example: A CEO said out of 12 job candidates who interviewed and asked why they were leaving their current companies, 60% stated they are leaving because their company is going into the office 3 times weekly.

Topic #2 – Storytelling We know one of the most important elements to impressing a hiring manager is storytelling. In this video, this gentleman explains the most important to his success was missing from his story.

Reasons storytelling fails: Not focusing on the needs of the employer Doesn’t bring solutions The lack of active listening We answer a salary negotiation question. How to engage the recruiter during an interview if they seem disengaged.

What lessons are we learning about job search 2021?

Damian and I are a duo this week in tackling some of the job search issues of the day.

💪Sorting through the good and bad job advice on social networks. Damian’s great advice helping to choose a good career coach. Ask coaches for successful and unsuccessful client references. Good coaches listen for what is said and what isn’t said. It’s an important part of discerning the best fit for you.

💪Increase in Temp, Contract Work (Muse, 2/21) Research the agency and understand how they work. Successful how the company works through networking. Employers will buy out contracts if they know, like, and trust the temp or contract worker.

What Are RecruitersThinking? How Should Career Coaches Counsel?

This week, Keirsten Greggs joins Damian and me for this panel on how recruiters and careers are changing their approach in their career advice. Topic #1 – In your opinion, Keirsten, is “The Great Resignation” a land grab for talent? How do YOU see companies use this time to retain the best talent?

Topic #2 – Amazon’s Returnship Program for those employees returning from a year off from pregnancy, for family, etc. Should all companies offer similar programs? Would this be a mutually beneficial program? How will companies’ DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) strategy be affected?

Everybody’s Quitting, Now There’s More Competition

Damian and I welcome Jeff Altman, Career Coach, former Recruiter, and author of eight books. His site has thousands of resources including videos, podcasts, and articles.

Since there is a “Great Resignation” occurring in the job market, how should job seekers prepare for the “Great Re-Hiring?”

a. Will employers look to rehire laid-off employees before recruiting?

b. Should job seekers see if their old employer is hiring even if they’ve been away for a year?

c. Do job seekers have a better chance to go their own way? Are things moving too fast? Are people hasty at this time with things going on like they are? What are your strategies in highly competitive job markets (in general)?

Who Do You Want to Work For, and Where?

Join Damian and me as we welcome Daisy Wright to our show and panel discussion. Daisy brings a wealth of knowledge as a Career Coach, Resume Writer, Author, and Writer.

Today’s discussion topics:

Topic #1 – Will the most flexible employer be the most attractive to work for?

Topic #2 – Is “The Great Resignation” real? Or are employers and job seekers just fooling around?

Planning, Scheming and Landing Your Next Job

Damian and I welcome Erica Reckamp to the show. She is the founder of JobSearchLikeaPro.com.

We entertained the following topics:

How should job candidates answer the question: Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?

How should older workers overcome stereotypes to show they fit in?

Strategies to conduct a stealth job search (other than changing LinkedIn settings).

How Are Recruiters The Best Job Search Resource?

Damian and I welcome Kenneth L. Johnson! Ken is a Diversity Recruiter and founder and president of EastCoastExectives.com. He brings 20 years of experience to our show to share with job seekers.

Here’s the highlight rundown:

Are companies reinventing their hiring processes? What is working for recruiters? What are the sure ways job seekers get seen by recruiters and employers?

Kenneth said, “Job seekers must be information gatherers.” It is the job seeker’s responsibility to engage recruiters on and offline.

Damian said, “Their responsibility, their careers.” Damian stated, “Over time, your community (on LinkedIn) will change.”

5 Major Ways Your Personal Brand is Unemployable

Damian and I are joined by Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill, a career coach, writer, and the #1 Top Job Search Expert to Follow on LinkedIn for 2021 by Jobscan. 

 Topic #1 – What are must-haves in personal branding to be an attractive job candidate? Or better yet, what are job seekers doing to make themselves unattractive to employers?

Topic #2 How are people creating anxiety for themselves by overthinking instead of a personal brand?

Topic #3 -Why is it important to find a group to participate in and increase your brand and visibility? What are people missing out on when avoiding creating credibility and visibility?

 

All Things Job Interview Show with Bob McIntosh

Damian and I welcome Bob McIntosh to the show to talk about job interviews. Bob is a career coach who teaches webinars and training with Mass Hire Lowell Career Center in Lowell, Ma. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice 2019 and has written hundreds of articles over the years.

Here are a few show highlights:

We discussed how the pandemic fared for older workers? What must they do to convince employers during interviews of their value? We agreed ageism has something to do with the lack of success for older workers. Older workers have had “abysmal” success from the beginning.

We agreed the approach in Zoom interviews makes things more challenging. The human aspect is missing from in-person meetings.

Damian offered advice from a news anchor who gave him how to perform in front of a TV camera: the energy level should go 150% up for your energy to translate positively through the camera.

How to get multiple and simultaneous interviews? Again, targeting companies and networking is the key—network deeper and smarter while going through the interview process of other companies.

 

All Things LinkedIn and Job Search

Damian and I are joined by Kevin D. Turner, who is a Brand Strategist and Trainer, and Career Coach, and Kenneth Lang, a LinkedIn Top Voice 2020 and Business Analyst and owner. Both add substantive value to the LinkedIn community including job seekers.

We tackle several topics during this episode:

1) Scams on LinkedIn The average user is not a participant daily or even weekly and likely is not keen on ongoing scams. Kevin’s article is a valuable resource in understanding how to handle the potential breach of your private information step-by-step.

2) Self-promotion vs. Bragging What turns other users including recruiters and employers off from exploring the possibilities with someone who over-reaches The good about “humble” bragging and how the value you give your followers and tribe will enhance rather than repel

3) Mistakes job seekers make employers go HMMMM…. The power of a robust filled out profile The lack of a headline and keyword Lacking use of the LinkedIn platform tools to help job seekers get noticed

All Things Resumes Show

Damian and I are joined this week by Annette Richmond, who is a multi-certified resume writer. 

 Here are some of the highlights of our discussion:

How important that resumes are succinct in providing the employer a story. A resume can be more than one page.

The first 20% of the resume will get employers and recruiters to read the other 80%

Aesthetics matter: White space, brief descriptions, not too many bullet points. It also helps the reader that you provide context about the company.

Tell the story throughout your resume by constantly asking, “So what?”

Research to inform your resume and its readers how you will be an asset to them. Hear what Damian says you can do to check the dates of your employment of past jobs you can’t remember.

 

Job Search Advice to Share with Others 

Damian and I often park our conversation on job interviewing no matter what we decided to discuss.

Here are a few points of our conversation:

1. An outdated resume rarely gives you credibility to the reader who is an employer or recruiter.

2. People often will get advice, get bad advice that ruins any progress or surge they experience, and come back to us in worse condition. Damian says follow one expert, although, it doesn’t help to follow a bad expert either.

3. There are many people who have progressed all the way through the interview process but don’t get the job. Revising your resume and cover letter is not the answer. You got to hang in there.

4. Others who are successful get to final rounds and don’t get picked may not need more strategies. It’s possible they need to use what got them to final rounds deeper.

5. Networking deeper throughout the interviewing process will provide you deeper intel to impress employers. This will also help you identify the right employer for you. More people will bring more information to process and figure where you can further your goal in adding value.

Salary, Gimmicks, Lies

I introduced a reference to viewers the reference from hrdive.com of 19 states and 21 cities and their bans of salary history.

Damian and I discuss why gimmicks to get meetings with companies or resume with cupcakes are not real strategies. Both of us agree creativity and audacity are needed to get results, but only if they’re thought out.

Damian shares a great story of how he broke through a large company’s gatekeepers with thank you notes to each interviewer and what happened afterward.

Every career consultant or coach will tell you not to lie on your resume. We explain how our advice is not just to get in the company. This can have a long-term effect on your career.

Got Interviews? Guest co-host Claudia T Miller

Damian Birkel had a personal emergency, so I could draft Claudia T. Miller to fill in this week. Claudia can be found at ClaudiaTMiller.com and her podcast, “Roadmap to the Executive Suite with Claudia Miller.” Not only was she a good sport in following the show’s fast-paced format, but she did not flinch once.

It’s so good it will be on the “The Voice of Job Seekers” podcast in May.

Here are a few highlights of the show:

🤓 How to find remote work jobs without them being advertised as such

🤓 We helped one of our listeners, Debria, with some interview advice

🤓 Job search and the mobile experience. Being able to job search only using the phone

🤓 The importance of updating your resume and customizing it to positions

🤓 Is a visual resume necessary? Is it the future? Both Claudia and I weighed in.

 

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