Here are 4 things you can do which will speed up your job search by making your job search more effective.
Conducting a more effective job search will shorten the time it takes you to find a job, so these time savers will be short cuts for you.
Biggest Job Search Time Savers:
1. Know what you want so that people can help you.
If you can’t tell people the job you want and where you want to work, it’s almost impossible for them to help. So, making it easier for people to help you will save time.
Bad:
“Oh, I’m thinking about looking for something in finance or accounting or maybe, management in administration, or, maybe even management consulting, as long as it’s with a good company that pays well, is solid financially for the long term (particularly in this economy), and offers plenty of opportunity for advancement. I’ve got a lot of great experience with start-ups and also established companies, an MBA from a good school, and I’m open to anything well-paying. I’d even consider a non-profit or a government job if the right one came along.”
Eh? SO, what is it that you REALLY want? If I know you from many PTA (or whatever) meetings, just learned that you are unemployed, and want to help, what – if anything – do I remember about your answer? How do I know who might help you? What is my “takeaway” from that loose, rambling, unfocused answer? Probably not much.
Remember, my credibility is on the line too when I refer you to someone else. How comfortable am I turning over a valuable network contact to you when it’s not clear what you are are interested in doing and what kind of impression you will make? Unless I know you well and know how good you are, the answer is that I probably won’t rush to help you make that contact.
So, time and opportunities lost.
Best:
“I’m looking for a position in accounts receivable and credit with a wholesaler or distributor like Company X, Company Y, Company Z, or a similar medium-sized organization with $10m and up in annual sales in MetroWest or Central Massachusetts.”
OK! Very specific. Short. Sweet. MEMORABLE!
You’ve done your homework to figure out which organizations meet your criteria, and you have a job target, too. YEA! Big help!
NOW, I know what you want, and I can figure out who I might know in that function and/or one of those organizations, an organization like those, or who might have good connections with that job function and/or those organizations.
More useful for both of us, and certainly enables me to be more helpful to you.
2. Ask people for help (but help them, too).
Put your network to work. Yes, you do have one! Former co-workers, former bosses, former clients, current and former neighbors, current and former classmates, etc.
Read Liz Ryan’s Job Hunt article, “What Network? I Don’t Have a Network!” for help finding YOUR network. Check out Job-Hunt’s “Corporate Alumni Group Directory” and the “Association Directory” to find contacts and opportunities to connect with them face-to-face.
You’ve read so much about networking everywhere that you may be sick of it. But the reason so many articles are written about networking is because THIS IS WHAT WORKS to connect people to jobs – 70% to 80% of the time!
And, networking is not selfishly using people. You help them, and they help you. You work together to help each other succeed.
3. Pay attention.
Recruiters and employers get the impression that job seekers are lazy, not very interested in getting a job, and not very smart. Why? Many reasons:
- Because applicants don’t seem to read the job posting past the job title.
It may ask specific questions that are never answered. It may indicate that resumes should not be attachments to an email, and attached resumes are emailed anyway. The list is a mile long. - Because of the large number of applications for the wrong job.
The job requirements specify 5 years of experience doing X. You have 2 years doing Z (which is related, but…), and you apply anyway. Either you can’t read well, don’t understand what the job is, or you don’t know the difference between X and Z. - Because the resume and cover letter are filled with misspellings, bad grammar, or obviously the result of poorly executed copy-and-paste efforts (Dear fill-in-the-blank:).
- Because job seekers come to interviews completely uninformed.
They may not have even visited the employer’s Website to see what’s there and what the employer says about what it does. And they ask few questions beyond the self-serving how much does it pay and how much vacation do I get.
Who would want to hire dumb and/or lazy people? So, show them that YOU are different by paying attention all the way through the process from the initial connection to the acceptance.
4. Use the Internet as a tool, not a solution.
To a certain degree, the “old” process from 1995 to ~2007 is getting flipped over. Recruiters and employers increasingly prefer to find appropriate job candidates rather than posting jobs and sifting out the most qualified applicants from the flood of job seekers.
SO:
- Google yourself to see what’s out there about you, and do damage-control if you must.
A registered sex-offender has the same name you do? Be sure to use your middle initial or full middle name (assuming it’s not the same as the offender) on your resume and all your public visibility (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Google, etc.) so mistaken identity is minimized and the people looking for you can find the real you. - Be sure your LinkedIn Profile (you DO have one, right?) is up-to-date and spiffy.
- Twitter intelligently (don’t share your need to get high or your latest bout of over-indulging in beer), and create a solid online name for yourself.
- Watch your Facebook Friends and privacy.
- Set up a Google Profile for yourself (at www.google.com/profiles) and capture your name as your Google URL, if possible.
- Carefully and thoughtfully (using your real name), review some appropriate products and books on Amazon.
Read the articles by Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert, Meg Guiseppi, and check out Dan Schawbel’s PersonalBrandingBlog for more ideas about establishing a good, accurate online identity that will help your job search.
Bottom Line
You can save yourself an enormous amount of time by using these 4 “short cuts.” Or, you can ignore them and have a much longer job search.
Tell me, what do you think?
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About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.
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This is a great posting with insightful information that you would expect job seekers to know but surprisingly many do not.
The only point that I take issue with is where the posting asks for 5 years experience and the applicant only has two.
1. I am in IT and over and over I see requests for 5 years experience on a technology version that has only been out for 2 or 3 years.
2. I have seen many people that have 1 year of experience 5 times versus 5 years of increasing experience. They simply cannot learn and grow and they will be in the same place 10 years from now.
I work with many job seekers and I would never recommend that they rule themselves out if they have at least two years experience when the request is for 5 years. If they meet the remaining criteria they should apply.
Case in point; I met with a hiring manager last year and we talked about the fact that they weren’t receiving any of what they considered to be “qualified” applicants. The applications they received didn’t fail because of years; they failed because they were missing the relevant skills.
As you said there are many unqualified applicants that apply; the problem is usually not with the number of years experience. The problem is with no experience.
I asked if they were over estimating the requirement and the response was that they hadn’t considered that. Their purpose was to reduce the number of applicants and they were very effective; they didn’t get any applicants. Applicants with the required skills did pay attention and therefore didn’t submit an application. Great idea, wrong result!
What is it that makes 2, 3, 5, 10, or however many years relevant? What is the special ability that ties directly to the number of years?
People posting jobs must use common sense when establishing the requirements. Too often they are filling a position that was recently vacated and they look at the most recent occupant of the position and use that person as a template for the necessary skills. Just because the previous individual had an advanced degree or some other qualification does not necessarily mean that qualification is a requirement to do the job. Align the requirements with the work to be performed not with the individual that vacated the position.
Job seekers must use common sense, obviously you must be honest in your response, but present your case in a positive and affirmative manner. If you don’t have 5 years, don’t pretend that you do; but don’t rule yourself out based solely on that one reason. If the company is going to be that specific, let them rule you out.
If the exact number of years of experience in one area is the ONLY requirement not met or exceeded, then, yes, I would recommend that the job seeker pursue the job, too.
No question that jobs are posted with unrealistic, if not impossible, requirements, but job seekers aren’t going to be the ones that help the employer see the errors in their specifications. They have no credibility because they have a clear conflict of interest. Someone else will need to point out the problem.
However, for job seekers who don’t meet all of the other requirements, however unrealistic, their applications will be ignored unless:
* They’ve networked their way to the hiring manager so the application is just a formality.
* The cover letter convincingly connects the dots for HR and the hiring manager enabling the applicant to make it through that particular screen.
We could discuss the value and relevance of experience all day, but the bottom line is that employees with more experience should out-perform employees with less experience. They should be more highly paid, but worth it. As usual, of course, your mileage may vary.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
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