So many people want to tell you what not to do when working on your job search online. In this tough job market too many well intentioned people can scare you out of some solid, bold approaches online. We can recount the many mistakes and hazards of building your online brand. Some of the eye catching warnings start with lines like The Five Fatal Mistakes of...and you can fill in the blanks after the ellipsis. So let's talk about building a core, positive presence online and what you can do to improve your job search networking etiquette and habits.
Peggy writes:
I submitted a resume and cover letter in response to a job vacancy 2.5 weeks ago but have heard nothing from the employer so far. What should my next follow-up step be?
The Career Doctor responds:
Jimmy Sweeney, president of CareerJimmy and author of the www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com, advises sending an e-mail (as one option) to follow up if you haven’t heard from an employer within 10 days of applying with a resume and cover letter. Says Sweeney: “Professionals … often prefer e-mail for quick messages. Use this effective means to your advantage. Follow up your original cover letter with an e-mail reminder.” Continue Reading »
Last night I spoke at Career Transition Connection at Woodbury Lutheran Church in Woodbury, MN. It's a job transition group, aka job search support group for those that are unemployed, underemployed, or simply looking for a new position at another company. It was nice seeing less people there than the last time I spoke several months ago. I take that as a positive sign that companies are starting to hire again.
Summer is also a time when some folks slow down their job search. That brings up a good point- summer is an excellent time to actually ramp up your job search! Many folks with families take summer vacations which means less competition for those in an active job search. Continue Reading »
During the past couple months, the folks at Brazen Careerist have been compiling an eBook designed to help young job-seekers overcome the hurdles of finding mentors. The chapters in this book come from some of the top human-resource bloggers on the web — big thinkers and do-ers and people whom the folks at Brazen look to for trends in hiring.
Some topics these leaders cover include …
Marketing Yourself Based on the Value You Will Bring
Your value proposition has to be out there, consistent and recognizable to all that see or hear about it. If your mom, spouse, best friend and dog can’t explain what you can do in 20 seconds, go back to the drawing board to figure out how to better communicate your employment value. ~ Lance Haun, Rehaul.comContinue Reading »
Although studies have shown that employers rarely try reaching
job-seekers using any number but land-line home phone numbers,
include on your resume and cover letter your cell-phone number and any other option for reaching
you, such as fax number and office phone number
(if you can discreetly receive employer calls at your office).
Also include your mailing address and, of course, your e-mail address(es).
Make sure your email address is professional, not one such as SexyBabe2301@aol.com.
If you have a personal web site or web portfolio, include the URL for it.
If you are in serious job-hunting mode and employers who call your phone are likely
to get voicemail, make sure your voicemail greeting is professional. Read more in our
Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.
Whether you are a job seeker, you are in a career transition or you are an entrepreneur, it’s impossible to ignore social media these days. Career and business opportunities are aplenty via Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, but are you taking advantage of them? If you are not already convinced, read the following stats taken from an email from John Assaraf, of OneCoach: Continue Reading »
Goldfish Crackers are a standard in most homes with children. My two children have always loved them. Yesterday as I was putting away groceries, the word Optimism caught my eye on a big box of whole grain baked Goldfish with the important note: “Optimism is a skill children can learn and leads to greater happiness and resilience.”
As an advocate of Positive Psychology and building optimism, I went straight to the website to read more about “Fishful Thinking”. Pepperidge Farm’s marketing ploy worked. Intrigued, I read “how to teach your children optimism and resilience.” The title of a simple yet pointed outline to teach children the skills necessary to cope in an unpredictable world. Continue Reading »
To be considered seriously as a sales, marketing, or business development candidate, you must look the part. You need to capture your prospective employer’s interest, present your product, highlight its features, demonstrate how the employer will benefit, negotiate the agreement, and close your next job offer. If you fail in any of these steps, you are showing by example that you cannot do the job. Continue Reading »
Every now and then, the media latches on to a story about some creative job seeker and his or her strategy for getting attention. There was the guy who walked around Manhattan with a billboard around his neck. There was the guy who offered to work for charity in exchange for interviews. And the guy who created a slide show presentation instead of a resume.
Usually these stories end well – the job seeker in question quickly gets interviews and lands a new job. So I can understand why desperate job seekers look for ways to do the same. I came across this article via Twitter the other day:
One morning in May of 2009, Marguerite DiGaetano put on her best suit, stuffed her briefcase with chocolate roses, marched into a Miami office building and asked to see the human resources manager. Having received no response to her online application for an executive assistant position, she decided to personally deliver her resumé with a little something extra to get herself noticed.
DiGaetano says the receptionist told her the HR manager was not available and promised to pass along her resume, cover letter and chocolate roses. She never heard back from the company.
I feel so sorry for Marguerite. She has been unemployed for 18 months yet she’s a hard worker with a lot to offer potential employers. But her story gave me the perfect opportunity to write a blog post about the fine line between creative and corny. Later in the article, we read this:
she says she has tried every trick in the book to get back into the workforce. She has heavily dumbed down her resumé, divided her salary expectations in half, hand-delivered her materials to potential employers, and even printed out her resumé on hot pink paper with a footnote that said, “P.S. No, I am not a rock star, nor blonde (legally or otherwise). I’d be tickled pink at a chance to interview for this position.”
I have to be honest – if I were the recipient of either the roses or the hot pink resume, I would not hire Marguerite. The problem is that her creative approaches are not coming off as creative – they’re coming off as annoying and slightly desperate. But what’s the difference between her and the guy with the billboard?
The Secret to Effective Creativity
Each of the creative approaches I mentioned earlier work because they directly relate to the work the person would be doing in their next job, and because they were genuinely surprising.
To see what I mean, watch this short video about how one guy secured the exact job he wanted despite the awful economy (it only takes a few seconds and it’s worth it).
Genius!
The magic of this creative approach is that a) it was genuinely surprising but b) – and most importantly – it demonstrated the exact skills that are important for a creative professional in an advertising agency. Why on earth would any creative director hire the people who just mailed in resumes when this guy is available?
What Does it Mean for Marguerite?
Obviously, this doesn’t mean Marguerite should immediately buy up ads to attract the attention of executives who might be looking for an admin assistant. It wouldn’t work because it wouldn’t be related in any way to the work she would be doing in her new job. Instead, she should think about how she could apply this idea to her own field. How could she creatively demonstrate her worth as an admin assistant? (Hint: It won’t be by bribing the recruiter with chocolate!)
Oh and she should get her resume rewritten. I’d bet large amounts of money that it doesn’t even being to market her effectively. (Marguerite, if you happen to see this, drop me a comment and I’ll take a look for you).
This blog is published by the Career Management Alliance and edited by Barbara Safani. It features career news, trends, tips and information from leading career experts who are active members of the most vibrant, innovative career association in the world.
Goldfish Crackers are a standard in most homes with children. My two children have always loved them. Yesterday as I was putting away groceries, the word Optimism caught my eye on a big box of whole grain baked Goldfish with the important note: “Optimism is a skill children can learn and leads to greater happiness and resilience.”
As an advocate of 
