Searching on Monster or CareerBuilder? Think again.

By the time a company lists openings on a public website, you’re already behind.

<insert confused look here>

Many of the mysteries of the job search can be solved if the candidate tries to step into the shoes of a hiring manager.

As a hiring manager myself, I would prefer to interview and employ candidates from within the company first, friends of an existing employee second, and complete strangers third.

Why?

The Employee: Existing staff are already familiar with the service offering and our company culture and it provides them with a visible career path.

The Friend: Employees will only recommend friends who they  KNOW will perform at or above par, because their reputation is at stake as well. A hiring manager will generally get referrals of solid candidates who are ready to go and will do what it takes not only to get the job, but to ensure their friends reputation remains intact.

The Stranger: They don’t know about the company culture, don’t have ties to maintain, are unproven, aren’t vouched for, and could be costly to bring on board and train.

“But… but… but… I’ve received calls from jobs I applied to on Monster!”

Great! But if your job search strategy is hinged on search alerts from popular job boards and staffing agencies who could care less about you, your approach is flawed.

Instead, apply for positions before they’re made public to the rest of the world, where competing with hundreds of candidates makes life… a little more difficult.

Tweak your job search strategy:

1. Create a list of 50 – 75 companies in your desired geographical area.
2. Identify the hiring manager and proactively send a cover letter and resume inquiring about openings.
3. Send reminder emails once a month to stay front and center.

When the job does open, your resume will be readily available and they’ll already have some level of familiarity with you. They’ll know you WANT to work for THEM. You didn’t wait until they advertised a position, you sought them out and said, “Listen, I’d love to work for you, do you have any openings?”

Simple tweaks in your job search strategy such as this can help propel you to the front of the candidate pool, remove unfamiliarity, and plant the seeds of trust.

Quitting your job in style

As Pope Benedict steps down from his duties as head of the Catholic Church, everyone caught themselves wondering – how does a Pope give a two-week notice, and to whom does he give it to?

It’s not often we see the leader of a city-state stepping down from their position prematurely, much less a Pope. Every day, thousands of employees around the world leave their positions for a myriad of reasons – ranging from dissatisfaction or lack of appreciation to higher pay elsewhere, giving a two-week notice or quitting point-blank.

Leaving your position before the ’90s was not as common as it is today. Employees were deemed loyal if they stuck with the company from the day one until retirement.

Nowadays, it’s very common to start looking for other job opportunities after staying with a company for just three to five years.

As we leave our jobs, a question comes to mind: What’s the best, and most appropriate way to leave? You have the standard two-week notice, a going-away present for your boss, or perhaps even a thank you card to the entire department, but what else does it take?

When leaving your position of employment, leaving with grace is more important than ever. In a world where stories and reviews of bad work ethic can go viral, maintaining your reputation is integral in a networking world that continues to get smaller, and smaller. Word can ruin quicker than fire at industry mixers or parties, and you don’t want to be classified as unprofessional, and certainly not immature.

Give a three weeks notice

On average, it takes five weeks to hire a new candidate, and it’s easier on your manager and your department to have a longer time to hire your replacement in advance. Stand out, show kindness and understanding, and give a three-week note before heading out.

Offer to train your replacement

At my company, Smashing Resumes, one of the hardest parts of the hiring process is the training. It could take anywhere from two to four weeks to get a new hire properly adjusted and up to speed, siphoning away valuable resources and time to accommodate.

You know your position best, and possibly even better than management. Make the transition a bit simpler, and offer to do the training while you’re still there or, create a quick handbook or tutorial video for the new hire.

Solidify Ties

During your last couple of weeks, mend fences with all you’ve crossed and reinforce relationships with those you’ve trusted. Add everyone on LinkedIn, give your colleagues extra attention, and shake everyone’s hand before you leave.

In a world as small as ours, it pays to have a strong network of people who have seen you perform, and perform well. When you’re searching for a job, pitching a business idea, or looking for industry contacts, you’ll be grateful for a large network of industry contacts.

Always Be Connecting

Surviving in the concrete jungle is much, much easier when you have friends to survive with.

At the end of the day, it comes down to good karma. Treat others with respect, show class even when the situation dictates otherwise, and keep calm with even those who are at odds with you.

We may not all be the Pope, but a time will come when something better comes along. Leaving a job may be the start of a new chapter, but leaving it kindly is just the right thing to do.

Headhunters

When the endless applications and resumes don’t seem to do the trick, some companies have sought to enlist the help of a staffing agency – also known as headhunters. Over the past decade, it has become increasingly popular to utilize the job-searching skills of professional headhunters.

By definition, a headhunter searches for suitable candidates to fill particular jobs. Not only is your resume given maximum exposure, but you’re given access to jobs within huge companies that aren’t even listed. Companies will pay headhunters thousands of dollars to find suitable candidates for particular positions, and for some job openings, they’ll pay up to tens of thousands for a good professional. Moreover, since you hold the checkbook, it’s in the best interest of these headhunters to find you a great job.

Headhunters that you’ll work with personally most likely work on commission or get paid a high salary and are expected to meet a quota. They’re power networkers, with thousands of people on their LinkedIn, and talk to dozens of candidates every day to match with job openings.

If the thought interests you, keep this in mind:

Work with one headhunter, not multiple.

If you work with multiple headhunters, you’re getting pitched numerous times throughout the week – and from a company perspective, imagine getting spammed with the same product over and over in your email inbox. In the business world, that can be summed up in two terms: unprofessional, and embarrassing.

No headhunter wants to compete against another.

If you want the best job, find the best headhunter suited towards that industry. For instance, if you were interested in a marketing position for the largest PR firm in the nation, you’d find a headhunter familiar with the company, the employees, the recruiters – not someone who has no idea what a PR firm does.

Weigh the cost against the benefit.

It’s no lie – headhunters can be expensive. If obtaining a headhunter seems is a bit out of your range, keep in mind the type of position you’re looking for. If you want a Wall Street, Main Street-type position with little experience in those areas, consider the chances of getting an interview without a headhunter. If it’s impossible, the price may just be worth it.

But, that said…some headhunters are free.

That’s right. Most headhunters will be paid a portion of your first year’s annual salary by that company, rather than directly out of your pocket.

Turn on the TV and let the calls roll in.

Headhunters get paid to make sure you find an amazing job. It saves time, effort, worry, and disappointment on your part…so sit back and prepare for the interviews.

The Jobs No One Applies For

Some of the best jobs out there for you are the ones that aren’t listed.

This past weekend, an Eagle Scout impressed me at a local job fair. As a company that specializes in career search services, we were looking for experienced HR professionals –  he was a senior at the University of St. Thomas, and he wanted to be our accountant.

But, we weren’t hiring an accountant. Mr. Eagle Scout gave quite the pitch on his skills, including how he doesn’t know anything about QuickBooks – but, if we created a position, he’d be the best bookkeeper we’d ever have. After uncertainty and a little bargaining, we had a deal.

Our company went in looking for HR, and instead came out with an accountant. It’s like a trip to the grocery store – walk in for the milk, but you walk out with everything that can fit in the cart. We had a new accountant we’d fit in.

This kind of situation isn’t rare. With an unemployment rate of 7%, Galvestonians are bouncing back with more jobs after years of loss from hurricanes, oil spills, and bad publicity that took a toll on the city’s small businesses – but now, there’s a job growth rate of 2.4%. Still a commuter city, professionals are looking towards Houston and suburbs in between for employment, instead of right here on the Gulf Coast, with hundreds of small businesses and a future job growth rate of over 35%.

With that said, jobs don’t need to be advertised for them to be available. Sometimes, small business owners here in Galveston don’t realize the need for a particular position, until you walk up with an Eagle Scout badge and present a pitch – to hire you, and you’ll make them infinitely better.

Sounds easy on paper, but how is it done?

Create a list of companies that interest you. 

Research companies, observe their needs, and fulfill them. Very few candidates take initiative in wanting to help companies rather than themselves. If you can offer stable growth and business, why wouldn’t companies hire you?

Make a pitch tailored to why companies should create a position for you. 

If you have the skills, you have the power of change to their business. Explain who you are, and what you can accomplish. 

When employers can match your face, words, and mission, they’ll know you better – and people hire those they know and trust.

As a candidate, you have nothing to lose. At the very least, you’ll be fresh on their minds when businesses are looking to hire. To top it off, it’s likely that no one is doing the same thing as you.

Aim to be the needle, not the haystack.

What’s Wrong With 89% of You?

You need a job for whatever reason. You either don’t have one, you’re stuck in the position you have now, it’s not a good fit for your family, it doesn’t pay enough, etc. etc.

Did you know 68% of candidates tell their network they’re looking for a job just once a month and 89% feel embarrassed to indicate they’re looking for a new position?

Are those numbers hitting home?

You have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, email, Reddit, text messaging and more. The world is connected more now than it was ever before in the history of the human race.

Harness those connections and the ability to communicate in the blink of an eye. Let people know that you’re looking for a job by posting weekly. Create a list of those with jobs in your industry, and contact them once a week to check-in and see if any new positions have opened up.

Make sure your entire network knows that if a related position opens, that you want to be kept in the loop, and if they meet someone in the industry you’re looking to be employed in, that they inquire about job openings.

More than anything, what helps the most in a job search, is good old fashioned kindness. When was the last time you had a friend who was absolutely amazing and was in need? Didn’t you try to do something for them, even if it was just a prayer or a kind thought? Being kind to others, even before you have to search for a job, will keep you front and center in other people’s minds.

If you’re always kind to others, chances are, they’ll always be kind to you.

Shameless plug: Get your friends to send in their resumes to us for a complimentary analysis. It’ll help them, and it’s seriously good karma.

Pass this link around please! :http://smashingresumes.com/complimentary-resume-analysis

Mistakes You’re Likely Making On LinkedIn

Did you know that 71% of hiring managers view a candidate’s background on LinkedIn before they actually decide to schedule an interview? Did you know it’s cheaper to find a candidate on LinkedIn rather than go through a job board such as Monster or CareerBuilder?

Either way, you have to be on LinkedIn. Consider it the Facebook for professionals looking to network. You add different friends, colleagues, family, and managers to reach out into their networks connecting yourself to tens of thousands of people with just a couple hundred connections.

Mistake #1: Copy and paste? Booooring

Hiring managers have likely already seen your resume, that’s why they’re on your profile. Give them something completely new and bold to look at. Provide them with a convincing reason to call you for the interview instead of the other candidate, and aim to impress with every section of your profile.

Because LinkedIn is a social service, it gives you the opportunity to add in information about your personality. Add in your hobbies, interests, and paint your summary with multiple colors, but never make the mistake of just copying and pasting your resume.

Mistake #2: Congratulations: You’re part of a clique on and offline

Try doing a LinkedIn search for any profession. You know what comes up first? People in your network, then people in the second circle, then people in your third circle, and people who are in the same groups as you.

That’s right. The closer you are to the person searching for someone just like you in terms of connections, the higher you’ll come on their results page. The larger your network, the larger your chance of being found.

Mistake #3: You’re not using it

It’s not enough to be on it, you have to use it as well. Endorse and recommend friends and colleagues, and even post updates in Groups. The best feature overall is InMail, LinkedIn’s messaging service. Consider it email with a read receipt feature. You purchase InMail credits, send a hiring manager a thoughtful appeal, and you get a little note the moment they open it. If they don’t open it in 7 days, you get a credit.

That’s right. Sending hiring managers messages with a guarantee that it’ll be read. Now think about the possibilities. ☺

If you’re not on LinkedIn, or you are and you’re not getting the results you need, consider grabbing our LinkedIn Makeover service.

After a phone consultation, our Social Media Strategists will tailor your profile every step of the way for specific keywords, a colorful summary, and work to position you so you have a profile that stands out with every search and with every view.

Not sure what to do with an amazing profile after we’re done with it? We’ll help you there too.

Get started for only $60 (normally $75)!

Thank You Letters = Sucking Up?

My dad would write Thank You letters when he was searching for a job. I likened it to brown-nosing the teacher, and surveys and reviews have shown that’s what most of you think.

Dead. Wrong.

Two things you need to know about a Thank You Letter:

1. It’s an opportunity for you to re-state all your skills, what happened in the interview, and why you’re the best fit for the job.
2. Because it’s a norm, hiring managers won’t see it as a nuisance, and they’ll actually read it.

You know what else is great about Thank You Letters? Every hiring manager loves them. You know what else? The MAJORITY of candidates do NOT send them.

It also keeps you front and center of any hiring managers mind especially when they have 20 other candidates to interview for the same position who all have more experience than you.

It’s not brown-nosing. It’s impressive.

If you don’t have one yet, we’ll gladly write you a custom-fit Thank You Letter for your resume for $30. Click here to get started!

Five Mistakes Students Make On Their Resume

1. Your resume reads like an essay and would even bore your TA
Remember hiring managers don’t READ your resume; they skim it, and look for the highlights. Editing your resume in the proper format so keywords pop when it’s skimmed is essential to ensure your resume makes the cut.

2. You emphasized your responsibilities instead of your accomplishments
No hiring manager cares about your previous position’s job description. They care about what you did, and how you can benefit them. For example, you weren’t responsible for excellent customer service. Instead, you assisted over 100 customers a day to review and find the product they need.

3. You wrote about Ping Pong or Call of Duty
Companies care about what you can do for THEM, not what you do in your spare time. Leave that for the interview. Instead, spend that valuable resume real estate on more items you’ve accomplished.

4. You thought it was good enough
Remember, a resume is a sales pitch, and it needs to be tested, ESPECIALLY a student resume. Get a total stranger to review it, and give you real feedback. Does it impress them? Does it tell them what you’re applying for? Do they have questions about you, and if so, what are they? If you can impress a stranger, you can impress a hiring manager.

5. You showed high school spirit
Please don’t list your high school or any achievements from Theater class. No one cares. Have a proper email address, not xxHtownCutie123xx@hotmail.com. Check your spelling and grammar, and then, have someone else review it. Stick to one font, and don’t use colors. Sure, it’s a student resume, but it doesn’t need to look like one.

 

About Smashing Resumes
Smashing Resumes is a specialized resume writing and career services company offering resume editing and review, job search coaching, and social media services to candidates of all levels and professions looking to solidify their pitch, and land their dream job. To learn more, visit us at http://www.smashingresumes.com.

Six Job Search Strategies For The New Year That Actually Work

The first month of every year is when we make resolutions and renew our commitments to do better and prosper more. As we look over our progress in finding the best job possible for ourselves and our families, let’s review a few key points to put our shiniest foot forward!

 1. The night is darkest before the dawn.

You can’t be paralyzed by the fear of failure. –Arnold Schwarzenegger

Never give up in your search for a career. Throughout history, many of the pinnacles of today’s society faced hardship and criticism from those around them – Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team, Thomas Edison was told he’d never be successful.

Happiness and success will never be handed to you – it’s a process of trial and error, a pursuit of your passion. The job search is long and tumultuous, but the sweetness of the reward will come. Given your experience, you’re a great candidate, and there are plenty of people needing your expertise. Keep your goals clear, and your search consistent. The job is out there – you just have to look harder to find it.

2. Be social. Get your name, credentials, career interests out.

Tell people you’re looking for a job. The second you make your passion public – that’s when others start paying attention. Post a status on Facebook, update your LinkedIn. Get introduced to some people and remind others of your job search, as well. A majority of jobs these days are found through networking, not actual applications so, use your resources (and friends) well.

3. Get recommended on LinkedIn. Reintroduce yourself and checkup on people.

Remind others what you’re looking to find.

Pick a few people (co-workers, employers, etc.) from each position you’ve worked at, and get them to recommend you for specific skills. These recommendations are vital and prove credibility to the experience around your position.

Remind others what you’re looking to find, and integrate as many skills as you possibly can. If you’re looking for a job in the accounting industry, don’t place “Business” as a skill – throw in “Auditing,” “Financial Analysis,” words that accurately depict what you’re able to do.

4. Get a fresh pair of eyes to look at your resume. Keep a master resume, and add or remove points to cater to the position you want.

Sometimes it takes friends and family to point out the glaring mistakes that we’ve looked over many, many times – just like that weird cat smell in your house. It takes someone pinching his or her nose and bringing over some Air Wick to really get to you.
We’re used to our resumes, and we expect it to get results – but in these days, resumes need to be changed up on a monthly basis. If the barbecue isn’t cooking the steaks, you adjust the flame. Changing up your resume shouldn’t be something too drastic, but little tweaks here and there to open doors to more results.

Keep a master resume handy at all times, and format a new resume for specific positions based on that. Resumes shouldn’t run more than two pages at most – stay consistent, detailed, and concise with your experience and expertise. HR Directors spend very little time on each resume, and look for certain words applicable to the position throughout.

5. Get a good cover letter.

Cover letters are the introduction to your resume, the preface to your novel (just don’t make your resume a novel). Cover letters describe your intent to the recruiter, as well as detail and highlight specific accomplishments and expertise that you have. Write out a good letter – not cocky, but factual and detailed – and get a few people to read through it a couple of times.

6. Clean up your Facebook/Twitter page – check your privacy settings.

Every Human Resources Director who understands the Internet will Google you. Accept it, and expect it. Know that every result that search engines provide will give insight to a recruiter about what you do, what you’re involved in, and what you’re passionate about – or not.

Check your Facebook and Twitter privacy settings – what the world doesn’t need to see should be hidden. Limit posting your opinions, beliefs, things irrelevant to your professional life on public forums – everything is accessible these days.

About Smashing Resumes
Smashing Resumes is a specialized resume writing and career services company offering resume reviewing and writing, job search coaching, and social media services to candidates of all levels and professions looking to solidify their pitch, and land their dream job. To learn more, visit us at http://www.smashingresumes.com.