Rather than searching for another job, many people start their own consulting businesses based on the expertise, and often the contacts, they have built up in the course of their careers.    Countless numbers succeed in their new ventures, a few succeed brilliantly, and some determine that it’s not right for them.

Very talented people are unemployed right now, and, if they are like me when I was laid off in 1994, they are wondering if they can trust another employer again.  Or face another job search again.

Perhaps surprisingly, as I’ve written before, that job loss was a GIFT to me – truly a blessing in disguise!  It set me free of the corporate world.

I started my own very small consulting business in 1995.  If I screw up, I am the only one who pays the price.  If I am brilliant (and/or lucky) and do quite well, I reap all the benefits.  That seems more fair than a corporate job, and, frankly, not that much more work than my last corporate job.  It is a whole lot more rewarding, in many ways - and, actually, much, MUCH more fun!

This week on Job-Hunt, Bruce Katcher begins his column, Starting a Consulting Business, to help you consider a consulting business as, perhaps, the next step in your career.  His first article offers “7 Reasons Why Starting a Consulting Business May Be Right for You.”  It is good food for thought.

Bruce L. Katcher, Ph.D. is an Industrial/Organizational psychologist, Executive Director of The Center for Independent Consulting and president of Discovery Surveys, Inc. He is author of “An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice” (AMACOM) and “30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers” (AMACOM).

Starting a consulting business isn’t for everyone.  Some people seem to instantly understand it, and others seem to struggle to learn.  But both can and do succeed.  Hopefully, Bruce’s first article will be followed by many more that will help job seekers determine whether or not independent consulting is for them and figure out how to do it well.

Stay tuned…

© Copyright, 2012, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

Over in the discussions on WorkCoachCafe.com, a common question and concern from many job seekers is “did I get the job?”  Things sounded promising at the end of the interview, but the call that was supposed to happen the next Monday didn’t happen.

Confusion about a job offer is understandable:

• The supervisor who was supposed to be round #3 of the interview process, spent an hour showing the candidate around the offices, going into very specific details about how to do the job.
• At the end of a group interview, several potential co-workers said, “See you soon!”
• At the end of the interviews, the hiring manager told the job seeker that he or she was the top candidate  and that HR would be contacting the candidate with the official offer the next day.

Were any of those job offers? No.  They weren’t.  They were very promising and encouraging.  But not job offers.

Reality:

Until the job seeker is holding a written job offer (on paper with the employer’s letterhead or, sometimes less formally, in an email from the employer’s domain name), complete with starting date and salary, in their hands, the answer is ”no.”  They didn’t get the job.  It doesn’t mean they won’t get the job.  It just means that they didn’t get the job - yet!

So, what is going on?

A million different things, from people just offering their standard farewell to everyone - ”See you soon” - and people not being well-briefed on what was going on (e.g. the supervisor doing an hour of training) to people waiting for the official processes and paperwork to be completed.

Often, people with jobs understand the angst and anxiety associated with not knowing what will happen next, and if a job search is finally over or continuing.  They will try to be reassuring.  Most will be honest, at least as honest as they can be.  Some will be worried about a negative response from a job seeker, and will give false hope.

It all depends on the people involved, the situation, and how the organization works.

Why does it take SO LONG?

Hiring someone is a secondary responsibility for most of the people involved.  They still have their jobs to do, typically without the help of the person who normally does the job being filled.  So, time and attention can be scarce, and the process goes “on hold” frequently so that daily emergencies are managed.

Particularly with large organizations, the process of hiring someone is very formal.  Different levels in the organization must “buy in” to the hire, and approve it before it goes further up the organizational chain.  If anyone in the chain, from the hiring manager’s admin assistant to the VP of the hiring division, is missing for whatever reason (vacation, business trip, sick, funeral, etc.), the process stalls.  Until the missing person returns or the situation is noticed and an administrative segue is made, the job opening is unfilled.

What should a job seeker do?

After sending the obligatory thank you notes, the job seeker should:

1.  Be patient.  Be patient.  Be patient.

2.  Continue with the job search without waiting for “this” opportunity to develop or die.

3.  Stay in touch.  Politely.  Persistently – but NOT daily or even weekly (most of the time).

Read Job-Hunt’s Be Easy to Hire article, particularly the section entitled “Don’t Make Them Remember,” for tips on staying top-of-mind in a good way while waiting for The Decision to be made.

Bottom Line:

The job search is not over until the written job offer has been officially accepted by the job seeker, and acceptance usually includes agreeing to the salary and starting date.  Employed job seekers should not quit their jobs before accepting that written job offer.  Nor should unemployed job seekers stop their job search until they have accepted that written offer.

© Copyright, 2012, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

Well…  2011 was a very interesting year, but boring (NOT!).  So I decided  that I needed a new challenge.  At the end of December, NETability, Inc. (owner of Job-Hunt.org) acquired WorkCoachCafe.com.  WCC is a 5-year old blog about career and job search issues which has been written by the famous Ronnie Ann for those five years.  Tough shoes to fill!

Check it out – all of Ronnie Ann’s articles are still available plus about 5,000 comments from members of the WorkCoachCafe.com community.  And, new articles and comments will be added in the future.

Thank you, Ronnie Ann, for doing such excellent work!

Do a Google search on “craigslist killings,” and Google will show you over 100,000 search results.  Yikes!  And the most recent event in the USA appears to have been related to a job posting on craigslist which has apparently resulted in at least 3 deaths.

Human predators have existed for millions of years, and they have adapted well to the Internet.  Like some people gifted with a talent for music or computers, people gifted with a predator’s ”talent” adapt to their environment and adopt the new tools available, modifying their approach to fit with the opportunities the new environment provides.

Right now a lot of people are job hunting, and that has attracted the human predators.  The unemployed are sometimes desperate which can make them more vulnerable.

So, is craigslist unsafe for job search?

No part of the Internet, or all human interaction for that matter, is completely “safe” from predators. 

MANY predators use the Internet to sell their snake oil solutions for a wide variety of human problem from obesity and dating to investing and job search and much more.  I bet every other job board and online classified ad site thanked their lucky stars it wasn’t their website involved in the recent murder investigation because it could have been almost any of them.

Craigslist is vulnerable because it is so inexpensive to use – free in most of its 700 world-wide locations.  When you use the craigslist website, it is plastered with warnings for people using it:

• Craigslist “about safety“
• Craigslist “about scams“

And, on Job-Hunt, we’ve been warning people for years about the dangers associated with online job search:

• Job-Hunt’s “Finding a Job Using Craigslist“
• Job-Hunt’s “Guide to Avoiding Job Scams“

Why job seekers should not avoid craigslist for job search.

The reason that craigslist is vulnerable (the low cost) is also, of course, one of its strengths.  Because of that low cost (free in most locations), many small and very small employers post their jobs on craigslist.  Traditionally, small employers do more hiring than the large employers, so ignoring craigslist postings may not be the most effective job search strategy to adopt.

Why job seekers should be careful of every website.

Craigslist is well-known and well-documented.  Not every “job board” is.  New legitimate job boards appear every month.  Scam job boards (and scam employers) appear constantly.  If the job board or the “employer” website has no contact information easily available and wants job seekers to “register” or to “post a resume” before letting them see the jobs, do not use that website.  It may be legitimate.  And, it may not!  See Job-Hunt’s Choosing a Job Board for more detailed information.

Bottom Line

No website on the Internet is “100% safe.”  The smartest thing is to be skeptical of every job posting, every employer, and every job posting site.  For job postings, verify that the employer is “real” by doing online research and asking the employer for verifiable contact information.  Trust after you have verified that the job and the employer are real.

Please note. 

Neither Job-Hunt.org, NETability, Inc. (owner of Job-Hunt), or Susan P. Joyce, author of this article, have any relationship with craigslist.  Craigslist is not a Job-Hunt sponsor.  Susan was not paid by craigslist to write this article.  As with all of Susan’s articles, this article reflects her opinion, based on 16 years of experience studying, observing, and writing about the online job search world.

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

People get together for the holidays, often seeing friends they haven’t seen since the last year’s year-ending holidays.  So, holiday parties are a wonderful time to network and to connect with jobs, before the new year starts.

If you have unemployed friends (most of us do), help them leverage these holiday get-togethers to advance their job search.  What a great way to start the new year – a new job!

Do NOT –

Even sympathetically, don’t ask “So, still job-hunting?”

If you’re unemployed, you face the reality of job hunting every day, and it isn’t fun.

So, when you meet with unemployed friends, be sensitive to your friends’ feelings, and don’t ask awkward questions.  People seem to flounder around trying to be helpful, often making everyone feel uncomfortable.

Instead -

After you’ve exchanged the usual pleasantries, look for concrete ways you can help your friend with their job search.

Ask these 3 questions:

1.)  What?

More on Holiday Job Hunting Holiday Hope Helpful Holiday Table Talk Holiday Party to a New Job Holiday Networking for Introverts Are Recruiters on Your Holiday Card List? Best Times of the Year for Job Search

Ask your friend, “What job are you looking for?”

Hopefully, they will know what they want.  And it will hopefully be something they enjoy doing so they won’t hate their next job!

But, they may feel so desperate that they say, “I’ll take anything at this point.”  Understandable, but not useful or, ultimately, helpful because they usually won’t find any ”anything” jobs available – legitimate jobs with real employers are always about something specific. 

If they don’t have a target job, ask:

• What did you enjoy doing in your last job?  Or, in the job before that? Or before that?
• If not what you’ve been doing, then what else?

If they can’t think of any jobs they would like next, you might suggest a few yourself based on your knowledge of your friend’s accomplishments, skills, and experience.

2.)  Where?

Ask your friend, “Where – which employer or employers - would you like to work for next?”

• Like your last employer?  Or, the employer before that?
• If not like recent employers, then what other employers would be interesting?
• Make suggestions of employers you know about that your friend might not.

Having specific employers in mind for that next job makes the job search easier and the networking much more effective.

3.)  Who?

Now, ask yourself if  you know someone who works at the right place or in the right job or industry.

Introduce your friend to that person or those people.

Think about the possibilities.

• Employees -
  Tell your friend the names of people doing the job your friend wants, particularly if those people work at any of your friend’s target employers.  Then, make an introduction, if your friend is interested.
• Employers -
  Tell your friend the names of employers you know who are currently hiring, particularly if you have friends working for those employers and you could help your unemployed friend connect with the person working for one of the expanding employers. Again, if you have connections, make the appropriate introductions if your friend is interested.

But, even if you don’t know anyone working for one of those employers, strategize about how to connect – LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, etc.

Bottom Line

Don’t ask awkward questions.  Focus on providing concrete help with networking rather than sympathy or even commiseration.  Networking help will be more work for you, but the payoff will be bigger – for everyone.

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

I think this is a fabulous idea – as long as the card isn’t snarky or sent with a mean spirit.  I’ve also seen “Happy Lay Off” cards that can be very funny, if you’re in the mood.

But, I also wouldn’t stop with only a card, even if the card is wonderful. There are so many more things you can do for someone who has just lost their job.

When you’ve been laid off, you can feel like an escapee (if you’re lucky) or like a failure or a victim, and sometimes you feel awkward about reaching back to people you saw every day but who are now employed where you were once employed.

You also feel cut off from your colleagues – from your (former) support network at work.  With luck, and a little effort, colleagues can transform into a network outside of work, too.

So that card is a great start.  And then:

1.  Stay in touch!  Don’t abandon the person.

Particularly if you were a co-worker of the person who got laid off, stay in touch.  It’s too easy to lose track of people when they leave the work environment.  Remember, they haven’t disappeared.  They’ve just moved on.

2.  Don’t feel guilty if you still have a job.

Feel very lucky and know that a layoff could happen to you, too.  Don’t “drop” the person because you feel uncomfortable with their employment status.  Reach out to them, because they may feel too unsure of their welcome to reach out to you.

3.  Share positive feedback.

If you have ideas on what you think they do really well, share that information.  Remind them of their accomplishments, obstacles they overcame, achievements, and successes.

4.  Help with networking.

Put yourself in your laid off friend’s shoes, and do what you would hope someone would do for you – help them with their networking.

Off-line help:

• Call them just to stay in touch.
• Ask what they want to do next.
• Ask who they might want to work for next.
• Figure out if you have any connections that could help them find that next job.  Share those connections.
• Make phone calls on the person’s behalf to potential networking or job sources.
• Arrange “coffee” meetings to connect the person with good networking connections, and be there to make the introductions in person, if possible.

Online help:

• Send email “introductions” connecting them with new people.
• Write a nice recommendation on LinkedIn.
• Share the person’s resume with anyone you know who might be able to help with a job lead or more networking connections.
• Help them find good websites (like Job-Hunt.org) where they can get excellent advice and links to useful job search resources.

5.  Don’t send this card as a joke or a warning.

Right now, job loss is no joking matter.  So, let the greeting card lighten the blow for someone who really has been laid off.  Be nice, and don’t scare someone with one of these.

Bottom Line

A job search today is tough, but it’s much easier if you have a good network helping you connect with that next job.  So, if you know someone who was just laid off, send them the card, if you think they’ll enjoy it.  Then, more importantly, offer to help them connect with that next job.  Because you could be unemployed soon, and won’t it be nice to have employed friends who appreciate your support of their job search!

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

Think about it: would you buy something from someone who didn’t care what you wanted or needed?

“Buy this computer.  I need to make a sale today.”

You’d be a lot more interested in buying if the salesperson said this:

“This computer does exactly what you need.  It runs the most popular and reliable operating system, the one you know how to use.  All the software you use every day is already installed, and ready to go.  It has plenty of memory, a super fast processor, and the largest and fastest hard drive on the market.  It has built-in WIFI and 5G network connections, plus the latest anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-spyware software to protect you and your computer from the Internet bad guys.

If you’re like me, you’d be so thrilled by that offer, it would take you a while to remember to ask the price.  That’s why really good sales people are so successful – they look at things from the customer’s perspective.

In your job search, view potential employers as your customers.

Buying Mode – W I I F M

When I worked in corporate America, in every deal, we looked for the -

W I I F M
(meaning What’s In It For “Me”)
“Me” = the company)

As a job seeker talking to a potential employer, WIIFM is the wrong place for you to start (great for finishing, though).

WIIFM is the buyer’s perspective, and, at least at the beginning of your discussions with a potential employer, you are the seller, not the buyer. 

So WIIFM is the wrong approach to take, unless you and the employer know - as an absolute fact – that you are the only person who can do the job.

Sales Mode – W I I F T

Most of us do have quite a bit of competition in the job market, unfortunately, so we are normally in sales mode (or as Job-Hunt Expert Tim Tyrell-Smith would say, “Personal Marketing” mode).  Consequently, job seekers are typically much more successful when they approach potential employers from this perspective -

W I I F T
(meaning What’s In It For “Them“)
“Them” = the employer)

Think about it – why should this employer hire you?  The fact that you have bills to pay and need a job to pay them doesn’t really matter to the employer.

Bottom Line

Remember that employers want to know what’s in it for them if they hire you.  What will you do that they need?  How will you help them to succeed?  Focus on W I I F T for employers you really want, and you will have a successful job search.

For more information:

• Read Tim’s posts in the Personal Marketing section.
• Read Parmelee Eastman and Debra Wheatman’s posts in the Company Research section.
• Read Laura DeCarlo’s posts in the Job Interviews section.

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

 The world’s # 1 online job search destination just became even more important!

On Sept. 14, in response to requests from job seekers (and probably employers), Indeed.com announced the launch of Indeed Resume, a new function that will help both job seekers and employers, and could be the next must-do for job seekers.

As of September 14, Indeed now provides:

• Resume posting for job seekers (free, of course) with many different resume formats accepted, including PDF.
• And, free resume searching for employers, although a cost to employers will probably be coming. 
• A personal URL for the job seeker (customizable by the job seeker) to use for their Indeed Resume.

I’m happy to say that Indeed is a Job-Hunt Sponsor, but I see this as an important new development benefiting both job seekers and employers regardless of that relationship.

How Indeed Resume Works

1.  You, the job seeker, post your resume (one version, for now at least) on Indeed Resume.

2.  You choose the level of privacy you want.  So, if you are employed, you can (should!) keep your resume Private!

3.  If you make your resume searchable, employers can search for your resume for free (vs. the hundreds or thousands of dollars job boards typically charge).

4.  When an employer finds your resume and wants to contact you, the contact goes through Indeed.  So, your contact information will be supressed in the resume search, which means you shouldn’t get any bogus offers or sales pitches as a result of posting your resume.

5.  If you are interested in the job and the employer, you can respond.

Benefits for Job Seekers and Employers

This is good for everyone for several reasons.

If you are a job seeker -

• You now have a snazzy place to post your resume, complete with your personal resume URL which you can use many ways: “networking” (business) card, email signature, Google Profile, LinkedIn Profile, and QR code.
•  If you are a job seeker, your resume is searchable by MANY more employers than usual because employers don’t need to pay a fee to search through Indeed Resume.
•  Employers seeking to search through Indeed Resume are carefully screened to ensure that they really are employers.
• Employers can’t see your personal contact information, until you approve, so your privacy is protected.

If you are an employer -

• You don’t pay for access to resumes that may not contain the job candidates you need.  And Indeed Resume, which started “beta” in March, 2011, already has over 1,000,000 resumes and is growing at more than 10,000 resumes a day!
• The search function is very, very nice – lots of Indeed filters and advanced search options.
• You won’t be competing with non-employers who muddy the communications between job board, employer, and job seeker.
• At least for now, reaching out to a job candidate who you’ve found will be at no cost.  That will probably change in the future. 

Most of the time, when I see “Free resume posting” and/or “Free resume searching” – I look for the “gotcha” that causes either job seekers or employers pain.  I don’t know any legitimate site, except maybe a private association, that charges job seekers to post their resumes. And, I usually see “free resume searching for employers” as a threat to job seeker privacy.  But, this one is different!

Click on that “Post Your Resume” button, and upload your resume (even a PDF!).  Then, IF you are currently employed, be sure to make your resume Private!  Indeed has included the safeguards for you to use to protect your privacy.

Here’s the Indeed blog post about Indeed Resume.

Bottom Line

Given that this is Indeed, this looks like a win/win, at least for job seekers and employers.  Maybe not such good news for Indeed’s competition…

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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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.

I ran into this very interesting infographic on LinkedIn today, thanks to David Merzel‘s post on the Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group, and it’s worth sharing.  This graphic was originally published on SearchEngineJournal.com in late August, so it’s current, comparing 2010 and 2011 data.

You will see it includes some of the impact of social media on recruiting and job search, particularly how employers research in social media and the impact of that research.

It’s long and global.  I recommend that you read the whole thing. The data sources are at the bottom of the graphic.  If you click on it, you can see a larger version of it.

Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic

4,051,000 jobs were filed in June, 2011, and over 3,100,000 jobs were open at the end of June, 2011!

Much better than you thought, right?

Welcome to JOLTS – monthly reports issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, every month.

JOLTS Reports?  Yes, every month since January 2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzes the number of hires during a month and the number of jobs open at the end of the same month.  The result is called the “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey” a.k.a. “JOLTS.” 

The JOLTS survey covers all nonagricultural industries in the public and private sectors for the 50 States and the District of Columbia.  JOLTS collects data on total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations

This provides some very interesting and encouraging, information about the job market.  While we obsess and wring our hands every month over the high unemployment rate and the low number of new jobs created, JOLTS offers additional  information that is a better indication of what job seekers are experiencing in the current job market.

The data is a couple of months old when released, while the statisticians at  BLS do their analysis, but on the better-late-than-never theory, new information is released every month.

A couple of years ago, as the recession began, my friend (and every job seeker’s friend) Dick Bolles, author of the classic book What Color Is Your Parachute? introduced me to the US Department of Labor’s JOLTS reports.  We should all follow Dick’s advice, and check it out.  We’ll probably feel better as a result.