Career Management Alliance Blog

I came across a lovely story that made the rounds on the Internet and bears repeating. It addresses the emotional blow that accompanies many difficult life events, such as a layoff or job termination, circumstances that still carry a stigma for some people. The story fits nicely with a recent lively discussion on this blog on the subject of rejection. Here’s the story.

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In a room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the $20 bill up.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Still the hands went up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

“Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it, because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - don’t EVER forget it.”

Submitted by Wendy Gelberg

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“Who you know” is more important than ever in finding a job, yet it might be easier than you think to network effectively.

As a Job Search Coach and Career Transition Specialist, I am always dealing with “networking phobia.” A major proportion of my clients are making career transitions or are trailing spouses of relocated executives from top Fortune 500 organizations who are new to the area and therefore justified in saying “I don’t know anyone” when we try to identify potential referrals. But I’m even more surprised by the number of young people today who shy away from using referral strategies in seeking a new career position.

A recent study http://www.careerxroads.com/news/SourcesOfHire06.pdf confirms what I had already suspected, that using employees as referrals is viewed positively by large corporations. The study, that surveyed 40 large multinational corporations with 5,000 or more employers about their sources of hire, found that referrals were the number one source of external hires and that of those referrals, 95% were from employees. What’s exciting about this research is that it confirms that major employers believe the best candidates are those referred to them, rather than those they find “cold” through print or online advertising (hires attributed to job boards were 8.1%). This is further confirmed by the fact that companies are offering thousands of dollars in referral bonuses to their employees if a candidate they refer is hired by the company.

So, how can you as a job seeker profit from this trend? First of all, don’t hesitate to ask someone you know in a company you would like to work for to refer you. Ask if their employer has a referral program and reassure them that they are not necessarily endorsing you, but simply referring you for an interview.

But what if you don’t know anyone in a particular company you would like to work for? Ask around, ask everyone you know if they know of anyone who works at “XYZ” corporation. In addition to friends, neighbors, members of your church, clubs or alumni networks, you can also ask professionals who provide a service for you such as your accountant, financial adviser, real estate agent, or even your hair stylist. Professionals who provide services to clients have many contacts and may well have one who works at the company you are targeting.

Once you identify someone, email them a cover letter, referencing the person who referred you, along with your resume, then follow up. It’s easy when you know you might be helping them make several thousand dollars and that the employer is eager to review your credentials.

So, go for it!!

Posted by Julianne Franke, MS, CCMC, CPRW
Visit my blog for more job searching tips at http://breakthroughconnections.typepad.com/blog

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The Internet has dramatically changed how job searches are conducted. With the click of a mouse, you can distribute your resume to thousands of employers and search firms.

As a result, recruiters are inundated with resumes from unqualified job seekers. I recently spoke with one of my recruiter contacts who lamented about this problem—being deluged with resumes from unqualified candidates.

Recruiters, she said, are quick to spot mass mailings of untailored resumes and generic cover letters conducted without any research to identify appropriate firms that specialize in the job seekers’ field. If you send your resume indiscriminately, you lose credibility with those recruiters and employers.

The best way to gain credibility with recruiters and employers is to conduct highly targeted searches and apply only to positions for which you are qualified. If you are reviewing ads, scrutinize the list of stated qualifications that are required. A good technique to determine if you are a match is to print out the ad and underline or yellow highlight all statements that match your qualifications, skills, education and experience. If you don’t meet all of the stated requirements, which are considered minimum requirements, you’re not likely to get an interview.

Also, when conducting a targeted campaign to search firms make sure to include your job target, industry target, willingness to relocate and locations, percentage of time you are willing to travel, a broad compensation range, and your availability.

Ads for positions that are not a match or vaguely appeal to you won’t get you closer to your ultimate goal of winning the offer you deserve and want. Save your time—and respect the recruiters’ time—by concentrating on the ads for which you do meet the listed requirements and other search strategies that are more productive.

Louise Garver

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