Unemployed in Des Moines

Unemployed in Des Moines Website Launch

2009-10-11T09:52:00.002-05:00

This blog has moved to http://unemployedindesmoines.com. Please follow this link to the new location and bookmark that site.

Escaping the Online Job Search Trap

2009-10-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

Unemployed in Des Moines networking at Caribou on Ingersoll, Thursday, October 15th at 10am.

Liz Layton works in Career Development Services at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers Florida. She is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a BA Degree in Arts and Letters with a Major in Speech Communication.
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Does your job search consist of surfing job posting websites and applying to any positions that you might be qualified for? And then waiting…and waiting… and waiting to hear something—anything—from the company? A new crop of frustrated job seekers has recently emerged in the United States. This group is being caught in the online job search trap. If you are one of them, it might feel like all you do is wade through postings, to spend hours filling out the applications, and finally submit them into the black hole of the internet. After all of that effort, you never hear from the company. While not even realizing it, you are only passively searching for employment. You are waiting for the employer to find you. In order to secure the best career opportunity, action is required! Using the latest “Source of Hire” statistics from Career Cross Roads to determine the way most companies fill their empty positions, here are some strategies job seekers can take to ensure they do not get stuck in the purgatory of online job seeking:

Target many employers: Over ½ of the 25.7% who report job boards as their main source of hire claim the company website is the source. If that is the case, how do people know about the jobs on the company website? They are using a targeted job search. How can you target your job search? First, research the type of company you want to work for then seek out those companies and pursue job opportunities. Once you have decided the type of companies you would like to work for, you can use reference resources to find them. theyellopages.com and zoominfo.com both provide free lists of organizations with contact information organized by industry. Once you have a list of targets, look for open positions by going to the company website or human resources hotline. If there are no immediate job opening, send your resume and a letter expressing interest in working for the company.

Use networking contacts: 28.7% of all jobs hired externally are from referrals. Networking is key to getting referrals. While you can use Linked-In and other networking social media, stronger relationships are built in person. You can meet people and form professional relationships by joining professional organizations, social organizations, or volunteering. To utilize the network you have developed, think of everyone you know and where they work. This list of organizations is your first target list. Check out each company and see if they are hiring. Then prepare a resume and cover letter for the position you want. You can proudly present your information to your networking contact and ask them to give it to the hiring manager for the position.

Despite the tips above, many organizations still require and online application to complete your application for employment. If you must fill out an online job application remember these tips:

Use exact words: To ensure that your resume does not get screened out, use exact words or phrases from the job description in your resume and application. The program is scanning application documents to make sure that they are similar to the job posting, so HR does not waste time on those without the minimum requirements. Specifically mentioning the skills you posses that match the job description will keep you in the applicant pool.

Customize your cover letter: When submitting applications and documents online, you are very limited. Don’t waste a chance to impress them by submitting a generic cover letter. The cover letter should specifically reference your skills as they relate to the job posting. Make an effort to mention why you like the organization, and why you fit!

More Interview Tips from the Experts

2009-10-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Unemployed in Des Moines networking at Caribou on Ingersoll, Thursday, October 15th at 10am.

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer.
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As I stated in my first article, Interview Tips from the Experts, interviews can be the most challenging and even the most overwhelming stage of the job search process for many job seekers. I had asked interviewers and career-search experts from across the web for what they considered to be the top tips for preparing for and acing interviews in today’s job market. I could not include every tip from all of the experts in my previous post; however, I did not want any of you out there to miss out on these other great interview insights and have compiled them in this second list to share with you today.

Be aware of the question “tell me about your mother or father.” It may seem like an ice breaker, when in fact it can possibly cost you the job. In many cases the values of a parent are also the values of the candidate, and that is what we and the employer are looking for. Compliments on a parent’s work ethic, integrity, and so on can give a good picture of what it is that you value as well. This answer can highlight qualities that make you stand out from the rest. How you were raised and your relationship with a parent frequently has a major impact on performance at the executive level. - Dean Bare, Stanton Chase International

When answering the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" question, understand what they're really asking for. This question is really asking, "Give me some skills and experience that will make me think that you'll add value to our organization." You need to think about crafting your answer to discuss your background and strengths in a way that brings a benefit to the organization. The most common mistakes people make when answering this is 1.) Not knowing what the organization is looking for and 2.) not sticking to strengths and work experience. - Rosemary Laack, PowerSuccessDiva.blogspot.com

Research who’ll you’ll be interviewing with on Linked In and Facebook. Find 2-3 well-respected people you know in common and have those folks phone the interviewer in advance with a personal recommendation for you. You’ll walk into the interview with the job already in hand. - Shane Vaughan, Balihoo.com

Ask for the job. At the end of the interview, tell the interviewer that you are interested in the job, and would like to know what the next steps are. If the next steps seem evasive or unclear, ask the interviewer if your accomplishments seem relevant to the performance requirements of the job. Understanding a potential gap here allows you to fill it in with an example of a related accomplishment. Make sure you do the best job possible of presenting your strengths. Sometimes you have to ask for the job to understand what points you need to get across. - Mark Landay, DynamicSynergy.com

At the end of the interview, I always ask, “Have I said anything that would lead you to believe that I wouldn't be the best candidate for this job?” At that point, the interviewer usually says something, and then I am able to counter it by clearing up any misunderstandings or to tell them how I could overcome that flaw. However, in any event, it shows that I am a problem solver, and I'm not content to let issues sit on the shelf. - Brooke Kelley, RestoretheRepublic.com/vlog

Candidates will do better in interviews by remembering just 2 little words: "for example".By adding the words "for example" to their interview answers, candidates will remind themselves to include lots of accomplishments, anecdotes and quantifying statements to their answers, which is exactly what interviewers are looking for. These 2 little words will make you stand out from the crowd. - Lauren Milligan, ResuMAYDAY.com

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this wealth of interview insight!

Why Are We Putting All of Our Eggs in One Basket?

2009-10-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

Why are we doing this to ourselves?

Most of you reading this post had a full-time job with an employer and that was your only source of income. You lost your job for whatever reason and now you are again looking for a full-time job which will be your only source of income.

What happened when we lost our jobs? We lost our only source of income...which put us in a really awkward, chaotic, anxious situation. Instead of stopping to reflect on what happened to us, so we never put ourselves in this situation again, we jump right back into the game of finding a full-time job.

I challenge you to think about what your lives would be like if you were to create multiple sources of income. Wouldn't your livelihoods be less affected if one of those income streams were to dry up? Instead of having all of your eggs in one basket, spread them around.

I've been thinking about this idea a lot lately. Someone got it stuck in my head...

Wondering what you could possibly do for these jobs? Get creative. If time and money weren't an issue, what would you do? (I stole this phrase from Tim Bianci) Chances are, it's something you could turn into an income stream; if not a river, at least a stream.

What are your thoughts on this concept? I've been laid off twice this year and it didn't feel too good. I'm thinking about taking control of my income streams instead of allowing someone else to have control over my livelihood...

No Job and Running Out of Money

2009-10-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years of contingency and retained search experience for senior technical, management, and executive level professionals. You can find his blog at http://www.thewisejobsearch.com/

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It’s a difficult time in the job market and I’ve been talking to many more people lately that are in dire straits. The lack of income for a longer than expected time frame has taken it’s toll on budgets, mortgages, and unfortunately… marriages. Savings have been used up, unemployment is running out, and debts are piling up. The financial stress often carries over into interviews and it sabotages the chance of getting a job even when there’s a chance. Each story has a different twist and there are no easy answers. I’m no financial expert or household budget guru, however, if you are facing a similar situation, here are some successful strategies I’ve observed and options to consider.

~ Diligently guard your attitude! Maintaining a positive attitude throughout your circumstances, regardless how difficult, is critical to a positive ultimate outcome. Without a positive attitude you are less likely to get a job, find solutions, or maintain your relationships. This is often the least considered but most important aspect in making it through your challenges. Read more about the importance of your attitude and how to maintain it here.

~ Consider a night job. I know of someone that went through job changes twice in their career when they had no money to carry them through their gap in employment. Although this person was a “white collar” professional, each time they found a midnight shift position in a machine shop in the interim to bridge their income. There were multiple reasons this was a successful strategy for them.

Since it’s more difficult for companies to find people willing to work night shifts, it was easier to find those opportunities than to find a more sought after day job. Often, the night jobs pay a premium wage compared to the same day shift as well. By working nights, it left their days free to pursue their job search during normal business hours. They could make the calls and schedule interviews without interfering with their current work schedule. Finally, one of the biggest advantages for them was that they HATED it! They hated the work, the environment, and the schedule. It was one of the greatest motivators they could find to give their full effort to their job search so that they could quit the temporary role as soon as possible. It paid some bills and helped them get their desired job faster. It may not be the right solution for everyone, but it may be a viable option to consider.

~ Cut expenses! That may sound obvious and simplistic, however, I find that many people don’t realize how much they can cut until they are forced to. The sooner you find those cuts, the longer your money will last. Particularly in America, we consider so many things as necessities rather than conveniences or preferences. Find expenses that can be reduced or eliminated in every area of your budget. Consider cable TV, Internet, cell phones, full-coverage insurance, eating out, groceries, dry cleaning, movies, and other entertainment. Now is a perfect time to talk to your mortgage company to explore a possible loan modification that may reduce your monthly payments. Invariably, when people really examine where their money goes each month, and don’t consider any item too insignificant, they are able to save significant amounts of cash.

~ Find money! No… it’s not likely you will find $1,000 laying on the sidewalk, but you may have $1,000 or maybe $10,000 laying around your home. What do you own that you don’t need? Craigslist and eBay are terrific tools to raise money relatively fast. Do you own a treadmill that’s gathering dust? Old books, old computer, old iPod, old cell phone, old furniture, old bicycle, old appliances, jewelry or anything else stored in your basement, sitting in your garage, or laying in a drawer that isn’t being used but could be easily sold? Do you have a newer vehicle that could be replaced by an older, cheaper car or truck? Do you own a boat or snowmobile that might be worth a couple of mortgage payments for you? Often it’s amazing what can generate money for you when you truly look around your home with critical eyes.

~ Explore Temporary or Contract work. Do you have skills and experience in an area where you might find temporary or contract positions? Companies use temporary workers in more fields all the time. It’s no longer just Administrative Assistants or Assembly workers that are used in temporary roles. Companies also use Accountants, Lawyers, Senior Executives, Programmers, Engineers, Network Administrators, Graphic Artists, Nurses, Bookkeepers, Cooks, Construction workers, Trainers, Business Analysts, Copywriters, and dozens of other roles on a temporary or contract basis. Often there are opportunities to get projects on a fixed bid, or piecemeal basis. Many can be done at home. Check with temporary agencies, contract firms, and call on companies directly for any of those kinds of opportunities.

~ Seek help. For some, it may mean seeking out and asking for help from others. Can you get help from family or friends? Can you get help from your church, synagogue, or other religious organization? Are there resources through your local Salvation Army, or other charitable organization? Have you explored what federal, state, or local benefits might be available? If your situation warrants it, seek whatever help you can.

~ Give special attention to your relationships. Often people withdraw into themselves during financial challenges rather than be open and proactive with their spouse or family. This is why one of the major causes of divorce is financial stress. Open communication and empathy with each other is critical in maintaining a marriage or friendship. Allowing the relationship to deteriorate compounds problems. Don’t allow the most important relationships in your life to blow up. Make the time and effort to give them more care than usual.

A job search can be an incredibly stressful time and financial meltdown makes it worse. If you find yourself in that situation, go into financial triage mode and find ways to keep your head about you. Whether it’s through seeking God, confiding to a friend, or getting plenty of exercise, your own mental health, persistence, and positive attitude are critical.

Times can be trying, but if you do all you can and keep at it, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Why You've Gone on a Dozen Interviews and Were Not Hired

2009-10-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Crystal Cotton is a career development consultant, President of Crystal Clear Connextions, and author of career blogging site, Job Ready, Job Savvy http://www.jobreadyjobsavvy.blogspot.com/. She specializes in empowering individuals with communication skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and beyond to create meaningful and intentional relationships. Through communication workshops, seminars, and coaching, Crystal helps people connect, influence, create and achieve career goals. Get Better Communication Skills Now at http://www.bettercommunicationskills.com/ .
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With 20 years of experience in Human Resources, Recruitment and Staff Development, I‘ve had my share of really bad interviews. I confess, early in my career the bad interview experience could have conceivably been my fault. After all, the interview process can be just as grueling for the interviewer as it is for the interviewee, especially if either are inexperienced, overly nervous or just have poor communication and social skills. But, as I became more experienced, more precise with my questions and more skilled at soliciting critical information without crossing any lines of legality (this takes a great deal of intuitive skill), it became apparent that sometimes…no, most of the time; it’s not me it’s you. Yes, YOU…the ill prepared, inexperienced, unprofessional and inconsiderate job applicant. YOU are the primary reason why you’ve gone on a dozen interviews and were not hired!

Before I move on and explain, let me put in my disclaimer to stave off all the nasty-gram email I am bound to get. The job market is bad and opportunities are few and far in between. There are more job seekers than job opportunities. However, when you are getting interviews but no offers, you must look at yourself more closely. Something could be amiss.

Recently at a round table discussion with several of my HR colleagues, I posed the following question, “assuming all major qualifications are met, what’s the one stand-out thing that makes you think twice, or even disqualify an applicant for hire?” These are the things that make a difference when the playing field between you and another candidate is leveled and now the employer is making character judgments, as a means of finding just the right fit.

Eager to vent and air their pet peeves, my colleagues all chimed in, almost simultaneously. It was like HR harmony as they vocalized their top 5 reasons for not hiring an applicant. It echoed what I’ve personally experienced over the years, and have heard time and time again from employers and recruiters. It’s YOU… and your inability to make a good and convincing impression. This explains why you’ve gone on a dozen interviews and were not hired! Listed below are the top 5 reasons revealed in my informal, unscientific query. Take heed, these are opinions of people who influence and sometimes make the final hiring decision. These are experienced Human Resources Professionals who give weight to these 5 things when deciding who gets hired and who doesn’t.

YOU ARE DRESSING INAPPROPRIATELY: By inappropriate we mean too much cleavage, or too body conscious. It’s a job interview, dress like you have a clue. Tone down the cleavage. Ok, I get that some people don’t have a suit, and no-one’s saying it has to be Armani, but at least put on a blazer. Please remember that flip- flops are traditionally beach wear, and even if they are embellished with rhinestones, or made from the finest leather, they are not appropriate for a job interview.

YOU ARE NOT PREPARED: Did you do your homework? Employers are impressed when you know more about the job than what is on the posting. It shows you have a sincere interest in the job and the company. Take what you’ve learned about the company and formulate some questions to ask at the interview.

YOU CANNOT CLEARLY EXPLAIN YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, GOALS OR POTENTIAL WORTH: This is a key point. So you’ve got skills, but what have you done with those skills which demonstrates your successes? Can you clearly state your goals and align those goals with the company in mind? Worth, in this sense does not mean salary, it means value. What value do you add to the company? What will be your contribution to their bottom line? Know how to express these things and you’re well on your way to your next job or career move.

YOUR RESUME DOES NOT SUPPORT YOUR INTERVIEWING SKILLS: A prime reason to draft your own resume (get the help of a professional if necessary, but know what it says and make sure it accurately reflects your skills and capabilities). When I work with people to re-write their resume, I make sure we do it together, I get their input, and see that the client understands how to present it to employers. Know that the resume is an extension of you and is the first way you are identified by the employer; know it like you know your birth date and social security number.

YOU’VE FORGOTTEN YOUR MANNERS: Never under estimate the power of being polite and just using a bit of common sense. Confirm your appointment, this shows responsibility and interest. If by some freaky chain of events you are late, call. When you get there, apologize and offer some explanation. Let me be clear, your explanation should be short and simple. Save the melodrama for your friends. Don’t interrupt the interviewer when speaking. It might lead the interviewer to think you have control issues. Lastly, say thank you for the opportunity to interview at the end of the meeting and in your follow-up communication.

Believe it or not, these things can be just as important as your skills. Make one of these faux pas and you may still be a contender. Make a few of these at once, and you’ve earned yourself a standard rejection letter. So the next time you go on an interview and things don’t go well, think about what you could have done differently.

Great Networking Today at Caribou!

2009-10-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Bring a sack lunch to Net2Work on Monday, 5 October at Connxions, so we can continue our networking session from 12-1pm

Great networking today at Caribou. I know it was short notice for most of you to be able to make it today, so I'm giving you two weeks notice to make sure you can come next Thursday. I've reserved the back room at the Caribou on Ingersoll from 10am-12pm.

We had about 10-15 people show up for very informal networking. Ben Stone of RPO Consulting even made an appearance! No speaker or program, just meeting new people, catching up with people we already know and making great connections over coffee. I received a lot of positive feedback about the event, so that's why we're going to do it again.

For those of you who were able to make it, what did you think? I'd love to hear your feedback!

See you all Monday at Net2Work at Connxions

4 Tips for LinkedIn Professional Etiquette

2009-10-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

My offer still stands for networking today, 1 October, at 10am at the Caribou on Ingersoll - hope to see you there!

Also, bring a sack lunch to Net2Work on Monday, 5 October at Connxions, so we can continue our networking session from 12-1pm
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Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, is the founder of Interview Angel Inc, a company that offers a comprehensive guide and toolkit to executing near flawless job interviews. Interview Angel is also organizing GetConnected!Virginia, one of the largest professional networking events in the country. Discover customer testimonials, blog posts, upcoming events, and media interviews at http://www.interviewangel.com/.
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We’ll connect with friends from elementary school in Facebook. We’ll reciprocate a Follow in Twitter (unless you are a teeth whitening spammer). But when it comes to LinkedIn, everybody has their own rules.

Admit it. You’ve received this generic LinkedIn invitation from somebody you don’t know:

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Bob

What do you do?

So I went searching for the answer…I contacted a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) in DC, a Marketing Executive in California, and a Product Manager at LinkedIn directly.

Let’s start with the official recommendation from LinkedIn:

Whom should I invite to connect? which highlights the following..."If you know little about the connection you weaken the integrity of the recommendation and your network."

The Product Manager at LinkedIn also recommended:

A Guide to Building the Right Connections
3 Ways to Make Networking Work

At the other end of the decision tree from the official LinkedIn recommendation are LION's.

Here is the official statement from LinkedIn..."L.I.O.N is an organization that is not affiliated or endorsed by LinkedIn. There are several user created groups with this name that can be found, each with their own group's summary and meaning."

It appears LinkedIn is not a big fan of open networkers (commonplace for professional third party recruiters).

For example, LinkedIn limits a user's displayed connection to "500+ Connections", and it limits the number of invitations a user can send out to 3000 (which is why most LIONs need for you to send them an invitation to connect).

For more information on LIONs on LinkedIn, please reference Neal Schaffer's blog post.

Meet Brett Brody.

Brett is a LION and is LinkedIn to over 6,200 professionals. Brett and I had the opportunity to talk on the phone for an hour before we LinkedIn (see my criteria below). Brett is not a recruiter. He owns his own company and is passionate about connecting people. If you'd like to connect with Brett, simply send him an invitation.

Meet Tim Tyrell-Smith Tim is a marketing executive in the consumer goods industry. Tim is also the Founder of Spin Strategy, an outstanding source for career advice and resources. Tim's general rule for becoming LinkedIn to someone new is to speak first with that person over the phone.

So whatever your rule for building connections in LinkedIn, I recommend some Tips for LinkedIn Professional Etiquette:

1. Never Go Generic

When sending invitations, always include a personal note in the invitation. Answer the question: What is your connection to this person? Go beyond something system-generated like "Bob Smith has indicated you are a classmate at James Madison University" (when you know, if you did a little research, the person graduated 8 years before you). For example, if you read an article the person posted on the alumni news section, be sure to mention that. I also make a point to send a personal note back when I accept an invitation. Never forget LinkedIn is about building professional relationships so start it off with professional courtesy.

2. Be Timely

When you meet other professionals in person (clearly the most valuable way to connect) and exchange business cards, get LinkedIn within 24 hours. The other person will remember your conversation and appreciate your timeliness. For professionals in Virginia, be ready to work overtime on this opportunity at the upcoming statewide networking event that will introduce a unique way to initiate professional relationships. Your LinkedIn connections will increase exponentially if you follow through after the event. As a side note, our intention is to replicate this networking model in other cities because we are faithful it works unlike job fairs and work the room events.

3. Have a Goal in Mind

When you send a LinkedIn invitation to someone, what is your goal? I find it refreshing when someone clearly states why she reached out. I always try to follow this rule when I send invitations. Is this someone I feel I can help his business or career through some form of collaboration? Is this someone I just met and would like to get to know better?

4. Stick to Your Rules

Be consistent with your personal rules for sending and accepting invitations. Don't forget the other person has his own rules too. Unless you are connecting to a LION, never assume. Nobody wants to have his invitation rejected or ignored (archived).

So what are my 5 rules for getting LinkedIn?

1. I accept / send LinkedIn invitations if I have had the opportunity to work with you

2. I accept / send LinkedIn invitations if we have met in person

3. I accept / send LinkedIn invitations if we have spoken on the phone (and an in person meeting is not feasible)

4. I accept / send LinkedIn invitations to initiate a professional relationship where phone and/or in-person collaboration is expected

5. My goal in every LinkedIn relationship is to be able to recommend your services to other professionals who trust my opinion That’s it. Pretty simple. I believe in quality of relationships, not quantity. I believe in focusing on your needs, not mine. I believe in communication the old fashioned way.

Am I LinkedIn to people I could not recommend at this time? The answer is yes (see criteria 1 through 4), but my goal is still to be able to recommend your services to someone else. I hope the people who are LinkedIn to me have the same goal for me.

Success in your career is about your reputation to help others. Period.

Final tip: Do not ever assume a person’s LinkedIn list is the body of his or her connections. It’s not even close. For example, LinkedIn actually erased my identity earlier this year so I’m still rebuilding. Until you build an actual trusted relationship with someone will you ever be introduced to the politician the person knows at church, the executive who lives down his street, or the person he plays golf with.

To borrow a quote from Jim Roman who I heard speak this past week at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, “It’s not who you know. It’s how well you know them.” I’m not a LION, but I believe in relationships (see criteria above).

My LinkedIn address is http://www.linkedin.com/in/brentpeterson. Please help me understand how I can help you. I welcome the invitation.Please share your rules for getting LinkedIn as well as other tips you may have for others. Thanks!

Just Tell Me I Didn't Get the Job

2009-09-30T06:00:00.004-05:00

Please join me and your fellow unemployed at Caribou on Ingersoll at 10am this Thursday, 1 October for informal networking...

I would really like some answers on this one:

We apply for jobs. This can take the form of attaching resume/cover letter/references to an email and sending it to an email address; completing an online application through the company's website and attaching resume/cover letter/references; even sketchier is a 3-click system such as Careerbuilder's where we attached our resume/cover letter and have no idea who we are sending it to. In all three of these scenarios, we may or may not receive an e-response indicating that our application was received...From speaking with a lot of unemployed, this is a huge concern, but I'm slowly coming to terms with the "Lost In Space" reality of this process...

So, we get called in for an interview. We're on Cloud 9! We ask the correct questions at the end of the interview so we understand their timeline for making their decision and what the next steps are; basically, who is to follow-up with whom, how and when.

How many times have you had an interview and you do everything you're told to do, in terms of follow-up, and you never hear anything from them? I've interviewed twice sometimes and I never hear back as to whether I'm still in the running or if they've moved forward with another candidate. I've followed-up as they requested and now I'm left here waiting. When should I move on and stop hoping? Their timeline for making their decision has come and gone and I haven't heard a thing. I'm having a challenging time achieving closure with many the jobs I've interviewed for because of this.

I would really like some answers on this one. Whether you're in Human Resources or if you've gleaned some information as an unemployed person going through this process, please share your knowledge...

Establish Your Personal Brand through Consistent Color

2009-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

My offer still stands for networking this Thursday, 1 October at 10am at the Caribou on Ingersoll - hope to see you there!
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Marsha Hallet has more than 30 years experience in the fashion industry, the last 26 with her own company Hallet Handknits and this year with her new business Hallet Sweater Art. Her educational background is a BA from Stanford and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and she also currently studies figure drawing and Spanish.
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Branding is really about business, how to package yourself in such a way so you are literally "picked" from the shelf. In today's competitive job market, you will need to rely on more than your skills to get a position and establishing a personal brand will set you apart.

1. From your resume through to your interview outfit, pick a color that defines you and use it as part of your brand. The idea is to use a power color, for example red, and apply it to all your dealing with a prospective employer. How you apply depends on the industry. For example you would be more subtle in applying for a job with a law firm that an ad agency.

2. Pick a symbol in your color that you can use on your correspondence. A red dot, a red square, etc next to your contact details is sufficient. You don't need to hire a branding firm, any geometric recognizable symbol will do. The simpler the better. All follow up or confirming e-mails prior to your actual interview should carry through with this symbol or brand. Use it as part of your signature.

3. When you arrive at the interview, make this color part of your interview outfit. If you think a red power suit is appropriate then wear it. Or it can be a red career bag, red glasses, red scarf, red shoes, etc. But remember that research with the company HR on appropriate dress or visiting the company sub rosa before your interview, will both stand you in good stead. Even with red you can be relatively conservative.

4. Follow through with your business cards. If red is your brand color, then your business cards need to show that. If you are seeking a position with an ad agency, maybe your entire card can be red. If it's the law firm job you are after, possibly just your name would be red and you would choose a dark red, not a screaming red.

5. A personal color will brand you if you use the color consistently. Make sure that you wear the color at all subsquent interviews with the prospective employer and if you get the job continue using the color with your clothing an accessories.

Two-Time Victim of the Economy

2009-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've got a confession to make. I got a job...and then was laid off two months after I started...to the day.

After the 4th of July, I was hired through a recruiter to do some sales and marketing support for a prominent, well-established company in Des Moines. (The challenge of working with this recruiter may be its own blog post at a later date :P)

I took the job because it was sort of in line with what I had done before and incorporated some of the social media skills I've acquired over the past several months. AND because my husband and I decided I'd been laid off long enough...mostly my husband...

I'll admit, it was a HUGE challenge having a structured day, sitting in an open cubicle (I previously had an office) and thinking about all the other projects I had going on that I had to put on hold.

After about a week, I realized that this job wasn't for me and began my job search with earnest. Let's just say that the "prominent, well-established" company in Des Moines was being sucked dry financially by a start-up company they began three years ago. I bought my own office supplies and had to bring my own cleaning supplies from home to clean my cube on Day 2. This was all a little strange to me. Why did they hire a support person if they can't buy legal pads or pencils?

After the two months I worked there, of the job duties I was hired to do, I would say that I devoted about 5% of my time to them. The other 95% of my time was devoted to cold calling in order to drum up business for the start-up side of the company. This was a responsibility that wasn't made known to me by the recruiter or my supervisor before I was hired. There are a lot of things I'll do, but cold calling isn't one of them. Let's just say that I'm not that good at it...Had I known this before I was hired, I wouldn't have taken the job.

So, 2 months after I was hired, the day after we returned from our Labor Day vacation in Northern Wisconsin, my supervisor called me into his office at the end of the day and told me that they were going to have to let me go:

"You've been sitting in on all of our meetings; you know what the state of the company is. We just don't have any money. We'd hoped that there would have been an improvement in the last 30 days."

I asked him 2 questions before I packed my things and left. "Was it something I've done?" This determines whether or not they'd contest my claim for unemployment. He confirmed that it was through no fault of my own. "When is this layoff effective?" He said immediately. That's all I needed to hear.

Now I'm back to being Unemployed in Des Moines and loving it. I am working part-time for the Iowa United Nations Association planning events for the Des Moines/Ames Chapters, but I am still looking for a full-time gig or freelance opportunities. If you'd like to connect, please let me know.

I've noticed that there aren't that many networking opportunities this week. Wondered if any of you would like to meet up for coffee - the more the merrier. Just let me know and we can make a big group of it. I'm thinking Thursday at 10:00am at the Caribou on Ingersoll downtown...send me an email suzanne_hull@hotmail.com or make a comment below this post. Have a great week!

The One Best Thing You Can Do For Your Job Search!

2009-09-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years of highly successful professional placement experience across Technical, Functional, and Senior Executive roles. He is Executive Recruiter and Owner at e-Executives
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One challenge in a job search is that it seems there are a hundred things to do and you have to do all of them, all the time. That’s mostly true. The more avenues you can pursue, and the better job you can do pursuing them, the higher the likelihood you will find a new position sooner. However, if there were one thing you could give the greatest focus to that might have the greatest impact… what would that be?

Attitude!

Maintaining a positive attitude is one of the most difficult yet most important things you can do for a successful job search. It affects every other aspect of your search and will have a dramatic impact on how your are perceived by potential employers.

A positive attitude makes you more effective in networking calls, meetings, interviews, and every form of contact with other people. People with a positive attitude are more pleasant to talk to, more engaging, and more appealing in many ways.

A positive attitude makes it easier to do the things that you otherwise don’t care to do. Having to contact people that you don’t know may be as appealing to you as a root canal. However, approaching it with a positive attitude will make it much more palatable. Approaching it with a defeatist attitude or sense of dread will cause you to procrastinate, feel miserable, and probably make a poor impression with whoever you may be calling. The same is true at meetings and interviews.

A positive attitude makes you a much more attractive candidate to a potential employer. Someone that comes across as ‘down’, discouraged, bitter, or fearful does not inspire an employer to think “Here’s someone I would love to work with every day!” Someone that is optimistic, upbeat, cheerful, and looking forward to a new opportunity is much more interesting to a hiring manager. It is often the primary reason why one person gets hired over another with similar skills.

So how do you maintain a positive attitude in a tough job market? That will vary from person to person. What works for one may not help another, but here are some suggestions…

Turn off the TV! It is extremely rare to find anything on TV that encourages you, inspires you, or cheers you up in any way. News broadcasts focus on bad news and trumpet the latest ‘crisis’ 24-7. Sitcoms, reality shows, and dramas don’t tend to highlight the best in people, but rather thrive on stories of people at their worst. Think of how often you walk away from watching TV and feel more motivated to get some work done. Probably not often. Your attitude is likely to be much better without much TV.

Be careful of who you talk to. Others around you can be a huge influence on your attitude. They can either encourage you or bring you down. Make it clear to your family and friends that you are working hard at keeping a positive attitude and ask them to help you do that. When you network with others, don’t stick around if they are dwelling on doom and gloom. It’s difficult to keep your own attitude up when you’re listening to someone else complaining about how bad things are. Guard your attitude and don’t let others bring it down.

Exercise! It’s hard to maintain a great attitude when you’re sitting on the couch and eating everything in sight. Your body can have a great affect on how you feel. Better yet, when you exercise your brain emits endorphins that give you sense of well being. Almost invariably, people that exercise regularly have a more positive attitude. Do it. It works!

Feed your mind with good stuff! The old computer cliché’ is true for our minds as well… GIGO… Garbage In, Garbage Out. The converse holds true too… Good stuff in, Good stuff out. Reading things that are encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting can do wonders for your attitude. For some it may be scripture, for others it may be biographies of great leaders, or poetry. It may be listening to uplifting music or something else that has a positive impact for you.

Do what you should be doing. One of the best ways to keep a positive attitude is to feel good about what you’re doing. If you are spending your days pursuing your job search as you planned, you will likely feel good about yourself. If your day is more characterized by procrastination and distractions and feeling like you haven’t accomplished much you will likely feel down. Do what you’re supposed to do! You’ll accomplish more and build your attitude every step of the way.

Nothing works for everyone, but pick the things that work for you and do them. A positive attitude will be the most valuable asset for your job search!

Project Lemon-Aid

2009-09-24T06:00:00.003-05:00

I attended my first Project Lemon-Aid event this week and boy, was it refreshing! I really don't understand why everyone who is unemployed in Des Moines weren't there on Tuesday. There's really no excuse :)

The event took place from 8am-noon at Connxions in Urbandale. It was my first time at Connxions and it has great meeting space in addition to its bookstore and coffee/munchies cafe. Pumpkin chocolate muffins - never seen those before - they smelled delicious!

The event started off with a four-person panel representing RDG Planning and Design, Deerfield Retirement Community, Home Depot and Doll Distributing. It was refreshing to hear the perspectives of representatives from smaller companies.

From 10am-noon, participants had the opportunity to attend, one-hour breakout sessions on topics such as "Plan B", Social Media, Networking and Resume Writing led by experts in the respective field.

What did I glean from attending this event:

Tim Bianci is an amazing facilitator - wait, I knew that already :)

If you're applying for jobs and you don't have directly applicable work experience, have a brainstorming session and add items to your resume that are applicable, but that you don't get paid for.

I like to follow-up with companies I've sent resumes to, but I haven't figured out a way to make it look like I'm not stalking them...until now...keep abreast of what the company is doing in the media. When they are mentioned, send the company a note mentioning the article and your congratulations...this gets your name in front of them again.

Check out Elevate America; Governor Chet Culver announced a major public-private partnership between Microsoft and the State of Iowa to provide free technology training for up to 5,700 unemployed Iowans, starting July 15, 2009. If you aren't taking advantage of this yet, you'd better get signed up fast!

Net2Work

2009-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you weren't at the Net2Work on Monday at the Botanical Center, here's what I got out of the event:

From 8:30-9:45am there was an informal networking session with over a dozen business professionals with expertise in the career search process including employer representatives, recruiters and career counselors. I wasn't able to make it to this session. Did any of you find it useful? I talked to a gentleman today at Project Lemon-aid who said he went to the morning session and he said he was able to speak with a representative from Marsh. He had applied for a job there and said it was extremely beneficial to meet the hiring manager in an informal setting.

Then came the traditional 30-second introductions at our table from 10:00-10:15am. I always try to sit at a table where I don't know anyone so I can meet as many new people as possible...tough to do when I've been going to these events for a while :) 3 of the 7 others at my table I knew already, but made great connections with the rest of the group.

From 10:15-11:00am, the below panel spoke about interviewing expectations. They answered 3 prepared questions they had received before the event: how to prepare for the interview; how to shine during the interview; and how to follow up after the interview. The panel included:

Kaci Rother, Des Moines University
Kris Benge, Nationwide
Joey Leonhardt, Marsh
Sue Cheek, Mid American Energy
Kerry Funke, Nationwide
Kendra Sones, Wells Fargo

After the panelists answered the prepared questions, they opened it up to Q&A which could have gone on all morning and part of me wish it had...What if the event started an hour earlier and we had more time to engage with the panelists? Or what if the "facilitated table discussion" from 11am-noon was shortened up a bit to allow more time for the "meat & potatoes" of the presentation? After the panel, there was facilitated table discussion during which career search professionals at each table continued the discussion and provided expertise and advice. This doesn't need to be an hour long in my opinion.

What did I take away from Net2Work? Even though I've been to quite a few of these events, I still manage to take away some great information.

When you're "reinventing" yourself, i.e. applying/interviewing for jobs that aren't necessarily anything you've ever done before, be passionate about the company and bring that passion to your resume, cover letter and interview. Be clear that this is an area that you would like to transition into and make sure they understand what skills you bring to the table...

This is something that I'm experiencing firsthand: During the past 8 months, the jobs I'm applying for have changed a bit. At first, I was straight international sales/marketing support and now with my experience using social media and managing online communities, I've started applying for jobs that require this skill set. Do I have much experience doing this sort of thing? NO, but I've gotten interviews because I can demonstrate that I'm learning and growing as much as I can in this field and I'm passionate about making this transition.

When I do interview for jobs with this "new, self-taught" experience, I am very well prepared to answer questions regarding my ability to do the job. Always anticipate questions and have answers prepared.

One of the panelists mentioned that we should give ourselves a pat on the back for just making it to the interview phase. I wholeheartedly believe this. Give yourself a break sometimes! You may be one of 300 applicants for a position. If you get an interview, give yourself a pat on the back. This is an extremely competitive environment right now. Don't beat yourself up so much; celebrate and recognize the successes.

The panelists addressed how we should follow-up after an interview. They said that when we walk away from an interview, both parties should have a clear understanding of what the timeline is for the decision and how we should follow-up with them. I have no problem with this. What I do have a problem with is when they NEVER follow-up with candidates when they say they will. I've had first and second interviews with organizations and I have NEVER heard anything back from them. And I'm talking after 2-3 months...I followed their process of how to follow-up and I hear nothing back. This is what I have a problem with. If I didn't get the job, just tell me...

Something dawned on me a couple weeks ago. Another person in transition and I wanted to go to go to Net2Work and then grab lunch afterwards; we're actually encouraged to do so by the facilitators of Net2Work in order to continue the networking process. I don't know about you, but I'd rather save my money instead of going out to lunch...so my friend and I decided to pack a lunch and ended up driving down to the Chinese monument/display on the river and having a great picnic. Honestly, the only reason I leave Net2Work when I do is because I'm starving. Who would be interested in packing a lunch and picnicking after the next Net2Work? I'm game. If the weather's bad, we might be able to just stay in the room and have an indoor picnic!

How to Avoid Identity Theft in Your Job Search

2009-09-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Miller, director of operations at Nashville-based Kroll Fraud Solutions, has unique frontline experience in the areas of identity theft discovery, investigation and restoration. At Kroll, Miller leads a team of licensed investigators specializing in cases of identity theft and fraud.
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With the U.S. unemployment rate approaching double digits, it is not surprising that many Americans are prepared to do whatever it takes to gain employment. In fact, many job seekers resort to a “desperate times call for desperate measures” approach, loosening their data security practices by divulging personal information to recruiters, businesses, and job search sites alike in the hopes of increasing their chances of securing a job.

The bad news is that identity thieves are well aware of this increased vulnerability among job seekers and use it to their advantage. There are an increasing number of studies that show identity theft and personal data theft is on the rise. The good news is that understanding the risks before you begin your job search can not only help you avoid identity theft, it can make your job search more productive, too.

Below are some of the key factors that you should keep in mind to protect your personal information from fraud during the job search process:

Remember: your resume is a hot commodity for a scammer. Resumes are an essential tool for someone looking for a job. After all, they say a lot about you and your professional background – information which is very important to potential employers. Still, there are some items that should never be disclosed, particularly if you intend to post your resume on career Web sites like Monster and USAJobs. Social Security Number (SSN), driver’s license number, and date of birth should never appear on a resume. The same goes for job applications: you might consider writing “prefer to provide this information during the interview” in the fields where these pieces of personal information are requested.

Proceed cautiously with career Web sites. Not all job posting Web sites are created equal, and online job scams are rampant. Make sure you review the privacy policy and user terms and agreements before you post your resume on a career Web site. You may also want to do some online research to ensure that the site you are working with is credible When in doubt check with online resources such The World Privacy Forum’s Consumer's Guide to Online Job Sites. That said, it’s important to remember that no matter how credible the site or how well it safeguards the data it keeps, no one can guarantee what happens to your resume after it has been downloaded by a recruiter or potential employer. For that reason, you may want to inquire if the site allows you to mask your name and contact information, thus giving you the ability to choose who can and cannot contact you.

Know how to spot bogus job ads. Job-related identity theft scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Despite the best screening efforts used by career sites, scammers always find a way in. You might be looking at a fraudulent job ad if it:
- Offers considerable pay with few to no duties
- Promises payment of wages in cash
- Contains no physical address or contact person
- Requires you to open a new bank account or accept company checks to “test” a wire transfer service
Most employment sites offer information on known scams, and should be notified immediately if you suspect that a posted job isn’t legitimate. You can also conduct an Internet search on the company or check with the Better Business Bureau to determine if the potential employer has a bad reputation.

Keep a record of your job search activity. Maintaining good records will not only help you track the progress of your search, but it will also provide a “paper trail” in the event you become a victim of identity theft. Record where and when you distribute your resume, maintain lists of contact information for businesses and recruiters/representatives you come in contact with, and keep track of any additional information (e.g., applications, etc.) you provide to prospective employers.

Carry good data security practices with you offline. Keeping personal information off a resume is only the first step—other vulnerable situations include phone interviews, job fairs, and e-mail and phone conversations with recruiters. Scammers know that as long as someone thinks an offer is genuine, they are more likely to provide sensitive information. Make sure that you know who you’re talking to and never divulge any personal information if you have doubts about their credibility. It is important to remember that virtually all legitimate businesses or recruiters will not ask for your SSN or other information until after you have begun a formal interview process.

Think before your post! Social networking sites (e.g., LinkedIn and Facebook) and are a great way of communicating your talent and expertise with a larger community of individuals. But sometimes staying connected comes at a cost. What many do not realize is that the more information you reveal online, the greater your chances of having that information accessed by the wrong person. Carefully consider what information you include on your profile page. For example, is it really necessary to share your date of birth and address with potential employers? When in doubt, remember this: if you wouldn’t give this information to a stranger on the street – you probably don’t want to put it online for the world to see.

Need any more encouragement? Consider this: according to the Federal Trade Commission’s 2006 Identity Theft Survey Report, 10 percent of all respondents who said they were victims of identity theft spent 55 hours or more resolving the problem. That’s precious time you can ill-afford when looking for work. Don’t waste it unnecessarily! For additional resources and links on the subject of identity theft and data breaches, see this list put together by Kroll Fraud Solutions.

How to Prepare for the Interview

2009-09-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

Lisa Rangel, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), is the Managing Director of Chameleon Resumes and a graduate of Cornell University. She knows first-hand what resumes hiring managers respond to and from what interviews companies make hires resulting from her 13+ years experience recruiting for international recruitment organizations and boutique search firms.
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Preparing for the interview is the most important task you can do to position yourself where you can land the role for which you are applying. How thoroughly you prepare will set you apart from the legions of candidates out there. It is suggested that you allot a solid 5-10 hours minimum preparing for the interview practicing interviewing tactics, familiarizing yourself with probable questions/answers, and knowing all you can about yourself and your experience. On top of that, you want to spend 3-5 hours researching the company, position and the hiring managers. Don’t wing it. A professional interviewer will be able to determine if you have done your homework or not.

What to Research?

The Company:

1. Company Website – About Us, Management, and Career Page
2. Google – where does the company show up? What is currently being said about them?
3. Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn – for current corporate culture information.
4. Hoovers/WSJ.com/Fortune.com/EdgarOnline/Dun & Bradstreet – for current news, corporate information and financials
5. Industry Specific Resources & Trade Publications

The Background of the Interviewer(s):

1. LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter
2. Professional: background, achievements, education and experiences
3. Personal: Hobbies, Family, Interests, etc…
4. What do you have in common? School? Interests? Keep it professional

The role for which you are interviewing:

1. Ask for a copy of the job description (this could be different than the ad posted)
2. Google the job title for duties and responsibilities
3. Vault.com – has interviewing tips on specific job titles/industries
4. Industry specific websites offer job responsibility information—make sure you understand what is being required for the job in terms of duties, achievements, and responsibilities.
5. Look an LinkedIn for other people with similar titles and network

What to know about YOU?

Your Resume

1. Ensure understand each bullet and term listed on your resume instinctively. Do not memorize it—synthesize it into your knowledge base.
2. Be able to communicate how your experience, academic training and talents listed on your resume mimic what the employer is requiring of the candidate hired for the job.

Your Goals

1. Write down your career goals – what you want and don’t want in a career. Be sure they are well defined and practice communicating them with confidence.
2. Be sure your goals and the related time frames associated with completing them are realistic. Check with a trusted colleague, mentor or friend to ensure your achievement time frame is realistic. Coming across as realistic is a sign of experience and maturity, two traits you want to convey on an interview.
3. Be prepared to discuss your motivation behind these goals. Employers want to see when things get tough, you will persevere in the job due to deep rooted motivators.

Your Characteristics and Traits

TELL A STORY: Have examples ready from your professional life to demonstrate realistically your desired work ethic, integrity and ambition and other traits desired by the target company. Telling a story works so much more effectively than simply saying “I have integrity.”

Your Challenges

1. Be prepared to handle challenging, and even downright negative, questions about you, your experience and your manager/co-workers. Here is a secret: We all have them…so those that can speak most comfortably and diplomatically about them and can demonstrate how they learned from these mistakes/situations win the game…are you going to win?
2. Where have you made mistakes and learned from them?
3. What decision have you made recently that did not work out as you planned?
4. Tell me about working on a project with a difficult co-worker…what was the outcome?

Knowing your background, skills and talents is the best way to communicate to hiring managers how you are right for the job. Armed with strong knowledge of yourself coupled with research about the job, company and culture, you will be able to show how you are the right match for the job. This is an investment in yourself. You are worth it.

Interview Tips from the Experts

2009-09-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer.
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Interviews can be the most challenging and even the most overwhelming stage of the job search process for many job seekers. I have asked interviewers and career-search experts from across the web for what they consider to be the top tips for preparing for and acing interviews in today’s job market. While I could not include every tip from all of the experts, I have selected and compiled the best and most unique ones in this list to share with you today.

-Research the business and job ahead of time. Find out what people wear to work and dress a step up from that, because employers assume people will become more lax with time on the job and you will want them to think you are worthy of eventual advancement. Even if you are wearing a dark, power suit, wear a color close to your face (shirt, tie or scarf) that makes you look healthy and vibrant. - Barbara DesChamps, ChateauPublishing.com

-Bring paper copies of your resume. Two good reasons: The interviewer forgets or misplaces your resume. Or, you're interviewing with several people and not everyone has a copy. - Rick Saia, PongoResume.com

-Don’t ramble or dominate the conversation. If more than half the interview is you talking, you are talking too much. Give your interviewer free rein to speak, and really listen. Don’t just use this time to plan what you’re going to say next. Truly pay attention. Truly paying attention will make you stand out, it being rarer behavior than you’d think, and is the foundation of every successful human interaction. Which is what you want your interview to be. - Karen Burns, KarenBurnsWorkingGirl.com

-Manage the nervousness. It's easy to become overly anxious about an interview when you start to put a lot of emphasis in your own mind on how much you want this job. You become worried about your own "performance" (did I answer the questions right?), and you unconsciously signal your urgency to the interviewer. Instead, bring your curiosity, and think of the interview as a conversation and not as an interrogation. Go to the interview intent on learning as much as you can about the position, the interviewer, the company, your prospective manager, and your coworkers, so that you can assess whether this job is, in fact, a good fit for you. By shifting the spotlight in this way, the emphasis is not on having the right answer but rather on having the right questions. - Wendy Gelberg, GentleJobSearch.com

-Use body language to your advantage. Lean in slightly toward the interviewer as he or she talks. This shows you are engaged and interested in the conversation. Also, smile, but not too much. You want to show your enthusiasm for the position and the organization, but you need to be careful not to have the smile just plastered to your face. It has to be genuine! - Heather Huhman, ComeRecommend.com

-Really use your resume by referring to it and expanding on the information during the interview. For example, lets say the interviewer asks, Name an accomplishment you are most proud of you can respond by saying something like: “In the introduction of my resume, you will note I highlighted the fact that I am a sought after change agent who paves the way for smooth running organizations. To piggyback on that thought, I’d like to mention the time I reversed ABC department’s prior history of low efficiency by shifting the managers mindset from a reactionary put out fires outlook to a proactive approach.” By elaborating on a resume statement during the interview, you are providing context for your written accomplishments. - Linda Matias, 201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions

-Never be negative. Interviewers know that past behavior is indicative of future behavior, so never talk about anything negative (i.e., “I hated my boss” or “I hated the management.”). Remember, this is still an interview. Even if something was negative in your past, turn it into a positive. Let’s say you were bored in your last job, you can say, “I looked to take on additional responsibility because I was able to get my workload done in a timely manner.” - Terry Starr & Bradi Nathan, MyWorkButterfly.com

-Line up your references ahead of time and know what they are going to say about you. Don’t assume that, just because Joe Schmoe was a good ole boss to you ten years ago, that he will automatically sing your praises when called upon – out of the blue – to recommend you for a position. Always invite someone to be a reference. A first-rate initial question to a prospective reference is: “Are you familiar enough with my job performance to give me a positive reference?” If someone hesitates or is lukewarm with their response, that’s a good sign to pick someone else. You must know in advance that your references can confirm the content of your resume and speak confidently of your contributions, strengths and performance. - Jane Perdue, TheBraithewaiteGroup.com

-ALWAYS send a thank you for the interview letter to everyone that you met at the facility. I'd suggest CC'ing the secretary and everyone you talked with as well. There are some companies that will ask the receptionist if the applicant asked any questions while waiting for the interview or if the applicant treated her with respect. So, thank everyone you met, and if you got the interview through a contact, thank that person too. - Steven Freedman, TampaBayHR.com

Are You a Talker???

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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In an interview, are you a talker?

Many people that can normally carry on great two-way conversations, talk way too much in an interview!

Whether it's nerves, a compulsion to make sure the interviewer knows everything about them, or a false idea that they are supposed to dominate the interview, people often hurt their chances of progressing in the hiring process because of an overactive mouth.

A good interview is a two-way street. As a candidate, you should be determining if the company, job, and team are the right fit for you just as much as the hiring manager is determining if you're the right solution for them. Asking questions and effective listening are a critical part of effective communication. If you're doing significantly more than half of the talking, the interview is not going well.

So how do you make sure you get it right? Preparation!

Here are some points to consider as you get ready and when you're in the middle of it:

~ Find commonly asked questions, and write out your answers. The process of writing them out helps you solidify your answers in your mind in complete sentences. In preparing for interviews, most people only think about the general example or idea they would talk about for a given question. However, since they haven't formulated the sentences in advance, when they are asked they tend to just keep talking until they think they've got it all covered. You don't have to memorize your answer word-for-word, but by having formulated complete, concise sentences once, you will be able to articulate your answer much more succinctly and effectively when you're asked.

~ Practice, Practice, Practice! The old cliche' is true... Practice makes perfect. Practice questions with your family over dinner. Practice with your spouse one-on-one. Practice while watching yourself in a mirror, or practice while hiding in a closet if you have to... but practice!

~ Give them an escape hatch. There's nothing more frustrating than someone that keeps talking without hardly taking a breath when you want to move on. Watch their body language closely. If they start fidgeting, squirming, or look as if they are trying to say something... Stop! Give them the chance to urge you on, or to redirect the conversation. Best to give a brief answer, then ask: "Does that answer your question, or would you like more detail?" Letting them give you permission to extend your answer prevents an uncomfortable situation.

~ Ask relevant questions, then listen! One way to make sure you're not the one doing the vast majority of the talking, is to get them talking as well. Peppered throughout your interview, you should be asking relevant questions as well. As much as possible, they should be related to the topic you're currently discussing. If they ask you about your ability to work on a team, give your answer and then ask something like: "Can you describe the team I would be working on?" It keeps the conversation going both ways and makes you appear more interested in the role. Resist the urge to interject additional comments while they are talking. Wait until they are done, then you can add one more brief idea to the topic, but let them move on to the next question as soon as possible.

~ Make sure you're answering the right question! Occasionally someone will misunderstand the question and run off down a rabbit trail answering something else entirely. It's even worse if you don't give them a chance to stop you. If you're not 100% sure of the question, be sure to ask for clarification. Say something like: "To be sure I understand, are you asking about ____?" This is also another reason it's important to give a brief initial answer and then ask them if that's what they were looking for and if they would like to hear more. Give them a chance to get you back on track.

~ Have plenty of questions prepared for the last part of the interview. Invariably, near the end of the interview you will be asked whether you have any additional questions. Make sure you ALWAYS have additional questions. To say you have no questions at this point comes across as a lack of interest in the position. In order to be ready, create in advance a list of 15 or 20 questions you would like answered. Take them with you in a folder. Then at the appropriate time, say: "Yes, actually I do..." Look down your list and select ones that haven't already been addressed. You can say: "We already discussed this one, and this one, and this one, however I would like to ask you..." Don't ask something that you already talked about earlier, it appears as if you weren't paying attention. Also, this is not the time to actually ask 10 or 15 questions. Depending on time, ask 3 or 4. However, in order to have 3 or 4 that haven't already been discussed, you may need to have 15 to 20 prepared. Asking questions is the best way to get them to talk as well.

For a successful interview, neither you nor the interviewer should be doing 65% or more of the talking. It should be a conversation leading to mutual discovery about each other and your suitability for the position. Preparation is the key. So get busy!

Monster.com Career Fair

2009-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I told myself that I would never do it again, but I did.......I attended another career fair. You'd think I would learn my lesson the first or second time. I don't know what prompted me to go today other than the fact that I was HOPING that it would be different than all the other fairs I had attended...I was sorely disappointed.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the Embassy Suites downtown at 9:50am (it started at 10:00am) and there was already a line of people out the door and down the sidewalk! I had only put an hour and a half's worth of money in the meeter for parking!

This was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I'll give monster.com props for organization, but it took me 25 minutes before I was even speaking with a company! And I was speaking with companies for only 20 minutes.

There were quite a few good companies represented: Principal Financial, Wells Fargo, McDonald's, The State of Iowa, Mrs. Clark's Foods, CDS Global, Aviva...but not enough of them. Only 27...and it was the same old routine:

1. "We're not taking resumes, please visit our website to apply."
2. "Please go to our website to view openings"
3. There were no positions I was interested in applying for
4. There were positions I was interested in applying for and I already have applied for them

So, this begs the question, "Are Career Fairs Worth Our Time?" I say it depends on what you're looking for and if you've got anything else better to do with yourself. I didn't have anything else going on today, so I thought I would check it out. If you had a background in IT, Production Work or Housekeeping, you probably struck gold today. Ran into a guy with a background in nuclear engineering - wonder if he had any luck.

How about you? Were you able to make it to monster.com's career fair? If so, what did you think? What is your take on career fairs in general?

Net2Work Recap

2009-09-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I attended today's Net2Work session at the Des Moines Botanical Center. Andy Drish and Josh Ingalls gave an amazing presentation on how Social Media can help us in our job search.

To give those of you who couldn't make it a short overview, when researching a company you're interested in working for, your research should include:

Chatting with employees - use LinkedIn to see if you already know someone who works there or if there is a 2nd or 3rd degree of contact with someone within the organization.

Watching videos and reading comments - http://www.youtube.com/

Reading third-party reviews - http://www.jobvent.com/ and http://www.glassdoor.com/

Connecting with other applicants - if you can find out who else has applied

Job Openings - subscribe to job searches using an RSS Feed and iGoogle

Josh Ingalls spoke about taking control of the online content that is out there. All too often, when our names are googled, content comes up that we may or may not want potential employers to see. Josh created a simple and professional website including links to his online presence making it extremely easy for people to find information about him. This website shows up on the first page of google search results. It's all about taking control.

I would also suggest creating a Google Profile for yourself which is guaranteed to appear on the first page of google search results.

Top 100+ Job Search Hashtags on Twitter

2009-09-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, is the founder of Interview Angel Inc, a company that offers a comprehensive guide and toolkit to executing near flawless job interviews. Discover customer testimonials, upcoming events, and media interviews at www.interviewangel.com. Brent is also on Twitter at (twitter.com/InterviewAngel.com) and in LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/brentpeterson.

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer.Visit his website. Chris is also on Twitter at (twitter.com/CareerRocketeer) and in LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisaperry.
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Twitter is becoming an increasingly popular social media job search tool for professionals and students as more career experts, recruiters and employers join the Twitter ranks to post their advice and job opportunities. But with thousands of different people to follow and countless tweets to read and search through, it can be challenging for anybody to identify exactly what they are looking for.

This is where hashtags come in handy. For those of you who are new to Twitter, a hashtag is essentially a keyword or label following a "#" symbol that people post in their tweets to "tag" their messages in specific categories and/or make it more searchable for those seeking tweets on specific topics.

You can search for tweets using specific hashtags (with or without the "#") in the search box on the right hand of your Twitter profile, and Twitter will generate a list of all the recent tweets posted with that specific keyword or hashtag.

For job seekers, this is a great way to find job opportunities and job search tips for your resume, interviews, you name it. Whether you are seeking career advice or job opportunities, developing your personal brand, taking the next step in your career or simply just want to keep track of news and updates from the career industry, we both have compiled the list of the Top 100+ Job Search Hashtags on Twitter.

If you see one or more that are missing from this list, please comment below or send us your additions, modifications, and descriptions to the current listings. Our contact info is noted below. Thanks!

#aiga
#areallygoodejob
#avoidthisjob
#BA
#benefits
#business
#candidate
#career_change
#career_coach
#career_evolution
#career_fair
#career_suicide
#careerchange
#careering
#careerism
#careers
#coaching
#compensation
#Consultant
#crealism
#creative
#CV
#dreamjob
#employee
#employer
#employer-branding
#employers
#employment
#employment_trends
#employment-counselor
#employments
#entrepreneur
#exec
#executive
#finance
#franchise
#freelance
#gettingthegig
#greenjobs
#gsojobs
#happy_2_be_employed
#hireme
#hiring
#hired
#home-employment
#hotjobs
#hr
#humanresources
#internship
#interview
#interviews
#interviewing
#interviewmistake
#jobadvice
#jobangels
#jobhunt
#jobless
#joblisting
#jobposting
#jobposting
#jobs
#jobsearch
#jobsearching
#jobshouts
#jobtips
#laidoff
#management
#marketing
#MBA
#mcm
#needajob
#norestfortheself-employed
#pay
#personalbranding
#pmi
#PR
#pre-employment
#recruiter
#recruiting
#recruitment
#resume
#resumes
#rtjobs
#sales
#salesjobs
#self-employed
#sportsjobs
#stupid_career_coaches
#sustainable-employment
#telecom
#thejobsguy
#too_much_work
#training
#twackle
#tweetmyjobs
#unemployed
#unemployment
#wirelessjobs
#work-life
#work-life-balance
#WSJcareers

Check out the following articles to learn more about using hashtags on Twitter:
Hashtags on Twitter: How Do You Follow Them?
Ultimate Guide to Twitter Hashtags
How to Understand Hashtags on Twitter

The Introvert’s Guide to Landing a New Job

2009-09-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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From the outset… it must be understood that THE best way to land a new job is through networking, and networking is most effective over the phone and face-to-face.

However, for many people, the thought of actually taking the initiative to contact someone they don’t know is overwhelming and often is just not going to happen. For those people, contact online and by email is much more palatable and realistic. Here are some pointers to make the process as effective as possible.

~ Create an effective resume and tailor it for each position. If your resume doesn’t easily show how you are an obvious fit for a particular position, you will not likely be considered. It’s critical that you tailor your resume for each position you pursue in order to highlight your relevant experience and skills for that role. You can get additional help here.

~ You still have to connect with real people! In this market, it’s not realistic to expect success by simply submitting a resume online and waiting for a call. The competition is too steep, and even if you’re a perfect fit for a particular job it’s very difficult for them to find you. The only way to get noticed is by taking extra steps by contacting people.

Submit your resume through the online posting, however, additionally send an email to the best contacts you can find at the organization through LinkedIn, JigSaw, and Google. You can find additional help in finding contacts here. Your email should include a SHORT introduction of why you are a unique fit for the role, and have your resume attached. Send a similar email to multiple people in the organization.

~ Follow up matters. Submitting, and emailing the resume is not enough. A professional follow up sets you ahead of the vast majority of other candidates. A few days after presenting the resume, send another email with a BRIEF message of your interest and one or two compelling reasons you are a strong fit for the role. Attach another copy of your resume so they have it handy and make sure your contact information is prevalent in your email. Ask if there is anyone else in the organization they recommend you connect with. Send a similar note to each of the people you emailed originally.

~ Persistence Pays! Following up on a regular basis… professionally, pays dividends. Most candidates simply submit their resumes and wait. Candidates that get called are the ones that show extra initiative and stay in the forefront. Creating a marketing plan of follow ups, adding a little more information each time, helps to set you apart from the crowd. Each note should be very brief, professional, and show your value to the organization. Additionally, send a hand written Thank You note thanking them for their continued consideration and your sincere interest in the role. This should be done with multiple people in the organization. Although it would help for each of them to be related to the role you are pursuing, it’s not necessary. Even someone in Accounting can pass along positive information to someone in Engineering. Be sure all your contact information is included in each email.

~ Create a network list and update your network monthly. Most people want to help, but if they don’t know you are looking or don’t know if you’re still available they can’t. Create a list of EVERYONE you know… friends, family, former co-workers, neighbors, other parents at your kids sports teams, etc. Send them an email letting them know you are looking for a new position. Let them know BRIEFLY what you do. And let them each know that you would be grateful for any additional contact they might provide of people they think might be worthwhile for you to connect to.

Then send out a monthly email to everyone on your list and everyone you’ve contacted since the last time with an update of your search. Let them know of companies you’ve pursued, interviews you may have had, leads you’ve been chasing down, and great contacts you may have made. Let them know you are still looking for the right opportunity and would continue to welcome any new contacts or leads that may have come to mind.

Often you may connect with someone, and they come across a contact or opportunity weeks later, but think you are probably not looking any more by that time. This is a way to show that you are active and still interested. Send them regularly.

~ Keep records. Be sure to keep careful records of what information you sent to whom and when. You don’t want to duplicate the same note to the same person, and you want to be able to refer to what you’ve sent when you do get a call from someone. Few things can mess up your good work more quickly than if they ask you about something you sent and you have no idea what they’re talking about. Keep track of all your activity!

The process can often be accelerated and more effective by making phone calls and actually talking to people. However, if that is more than you feel you can handle, an effective online / email / snail-mail campaign can be effective as well. Whatever you do, don’t just apply and wait. Your job search will become MUCH longer than necessary.

Position Yourself for the Career You Want Not the Job You Have

2009-09-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Dan Schawbel is the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y. He is the bestselling author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 09), as well as the publisher of both the award winning Personal Branding Blog and Personal Branding Magazine.
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I prefer the term career over the term job. A job is a single occurrence, while a career is something built over the course of your life. A career is typically made up of many jobs. Sometimes they are interrelated and other times there is no real direction, therefore there are multiple careers leading to nowhere. I’m not into the word “job” or “job searching” because I believe they are old terms and an old way of thinking. The new terms are “people” and “people searching” and we’ve realized the change in purpose and career path due to the accessibility and connections made through the web. I’ve been thinking a lot about positioning lately, which is why today I want to direct your attention to something I both believe in and hold to be mandatory in a world where the future is uncertain.

Position yourself for the career you want not the job you have.

This big idea will change the face of how people brand themselves online and how they position themselves for success. My belief is that most people aren’t breakout stars or experts. A network isn’t built overnight either. Also, you can’t have everything you want today, which is where sacrifice and dedication come in.

Your goal is to command your career and create your future.

It’s not where you are, it’s where you’re going

I tend to examine a lot of online profiles to see whose doing things right and who is less “forward thinking.” Most people seem to be caught up in the moment, without really think about where they are heading in their careers. When this occurs, they tend to stay exactly where they are, without much progression. Of course, many people have different aspirations, but from most surveys I’ve read, 80% of people hate their jobs.

If you want to be able to make money doing what you love, you have to (and I repeat) have a future plan or destination. Whether you’re a consultant, entrepreneur, you’re currently employed or you’ve been laid off, the same idea applies: position yourself today to become a player in that area tomorrow.

Forget your job title and focus on your brand

I want you to examine the picture on the right. You’ll notice that there are two LinkedIn profiles, but both are positioned very different. What most people don’t know about LinkedIn, is that the “headline” in your profile is the single most important element. If you’ve filled our your LinkedIn profile information, your last job title and company appear in your headline automatically, unless you revise it manually.

If you don’t update this field, then your title and company become your brand. This is terrible for a few main reasons.

1. When someone goes to search for someone with your expertise, they won’t find you. No recruiter or hiring manager is goin to type in “Senior Account Executive.” If they type in “sports” and “LinkedIn,” they may find Lewis though.
2. Do you think Mike really wants to be known as a Senior Account Executive for Eclipse Financial, Inc.? Do you think he wakes up every single day with a smile and he wants to be in that position for the rest of his life? I would say there’s an 80% chance he’s doesn’t! I could be wrong though.
3. You won’t get any opportunities that reflect your passion and others will, causing you to stay stagnant in your career.

This LinkedIn example is just one. Most people aren’t thinking about their futures so all of their online properties and offline ones, such as business card, aren’t positioning them for success.

Your turn

How are you positioning yourself online and offline?

Experience vs. Experiences

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Matt Bader is an ex-college hockey player who is currently implementing lean six sigma and continuous process improvement techniques. He is the President and Chairman of Checking For Charity Corporation, a non-profit dedicated to changing the world through competitive hockey events. He plays guitar and loves to read and learn. Here's one of his posts that caught my eye:
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Recently my wife and I moved to Boston. Being in the Air Force I just show up and start my new job. Yeah I have to learn new things and get settled into a new routine, but I don’t have to actually go out and find a new job. My wife on the other hand had to start completely over. She was teaching in New Jersey, but with our move we thought it would be a great time to pursue one of her passions as a career. She has always been a fitness enthusiast so the thought of getting into the fitness industry was a natural transition. She decided to get her personal training license and begin interviewing for those type jobs. Despite having a degree from the University of Arizona in Physical Education, two years teaching experience, experience as a spinning instructor, a personal training certification, a life’s worth fitness activity all she heard throughout the majority of the interview’s was how they were hesitant due to her lack of experience. Besides being frustrating as hell, it really got me thinking about experience versus experiences and how people look at the two concepts.

Part of me can kind of understand where some of the people she interviewed with are coming from. I mean she had never had a personal training job before. She didn’t have experience doing that profession. What if she wasn’t any good at it and that person had hired her. They would have invested time, money and effort into an individual that just wasn’t cut out for that position. And most importantly, they would have delayed fulfilling their original goal; to fill a vacant position with a person who is the most qualified and competent for the job.

However, the other part of me can’t get over how blatantly off center this line of thinking is. Experience and experiences are different animals, and typically employers pay much more attention to the latter which, in my opinion, is the wrong approach. What does experience mean? Well it means that the applicant has familiarity with the position and it can be safely assumed that the individual has some basic knowledge of the duties to be carried out. Placing value on experience may well indeed save you time, effort, and money in the short run but is it the best strategy in the long run? I would argue no.

Think of it this way for a minute. By placing the emphasis on experience you are In essence blinding yourself to many other evaluation factors that are much more important and will have a much larger impact on your business’ bottom line. I can hire a person that has worked at McDonalds for 30 years and has only cooked fries the entire time (This is nothing against McDonalds. In fact I just read an article the other day that listed how many people had worked their way from cooking fries at Mickey D’s up to become CEO’s, late night talk show hosts, etc.). If I want a fry cooker tomorrow then placing emphasis on experience may be the way to go. However, if I want to hire the best employees to give my business the best chance of succeeding in a highly competitive environment then experience emphasis is obviously flawed. It’s kind of like the buggy whip analogy. The best buggy whip maker was probably making buggy whips (for horse and carriages) well into the mass production of model T’s. He probably did his craft better than anyone in the world at that time. But the automobile eventually put him out of business. He had a ton of experience that made him extremely competent at his specialized job, but that doesn’t mean I want to be him!

Maybe it’s because I have never officially hired anyone in my life. Maybe it’s because I am a naive “Gen Y’er” that is completely delusional. Or maybe, and this is a big maybe, I am not completely full of shit and once in a blue moon a decent original thought comes out of my head. I propose that weighting experienceS (emphasis) more than experience is a more effective way to surround yourself with people that will help you and your company succeed.

Let’s use my lovely wife as an example again. Personal training experience…none. But what experiences has she gone through that have shaped her to become a successful personal trainer and valuable team member to a company?

1. A proven ability to learn. She has a degree in a related field from a respected university. Just because you have experience as a trainer does not necessarily mean that you are educated in the science of the body. Do you want a trainer that tells you incorrect information?

2. Breadth. She has demonstrated success and results in multiple related fields. Whether it was teaching PE, instructing spinning, classroom teaching of health, or anything else on her resume there was a theme ever-present that she could succeed in different roles.

3. An ability to lead. Could you control 50 screaming pubescent middle school punks while they run around with hockey sticks in their hands? I would much rather go back to my Jr. hockey days and fight angry 6 foot 5 guys with hockey stick than try to control a bunch of kids with hockey sticks. She has taught spinning for numerous fitness levels.

4. Innovation and dedication. She created work out clubs before school for kids struggling with their weight. She did multiple after hours intramurals.

5. Personality. This may be the most overlooked and painful (in the long run) part of focusing primarily on experience instead of experiences. At the end of the day you need someone who you can work with. You need someone your customers will love and enjoy working with, especially in a service industry like the fitness industry. There are plenty of experienced assholes out there, and sadly their experience is probably enough to keep them gainfully employed in their niche until they finish out their days. You probably meet these experienced assholes on a daily basis whether it be at Kinkos, your local auto body shop, or even a large fitness center. Does the person you are interviewing have the personality, the aura about them, the 'it' factor that makes you think they will be a valued asset to the company in the position they are applying for? Or more importantly for a future position that isn’t available or even created yet?

I am sure there are numerous other traits that I haven't listed that are overlooked when you focus primarily on experience. However you get the point that there are a lot of benefits to looking beyond experience and on to someone’s experiences. Just continue to ask yourself "how has this person’s life and life experiences shaped them to be the perfect member of our team?" If you aren't asking yourself that question you are surely missing out on talent that could be the missing piece of your organization's puzzle.

More Employers Check Social Networking Sites

2009-09-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Nick Reddin has been with Manpower since 2001, working in multiple states including California and Illinois. He has over 12 years of experience in the employment services industry; the majority of his background is in working with Fortune 500 companies to achieve their workflow goals. Nick specializes in change management and driving operational efficiencies. He is an expert on the changing world of work and consults with many companies in helping them prepare for coming changes.
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Forty-five percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 22% when asked last year, according to a survey released today by CareerBuilder.com.

Of employers who use social networking sites to find candidates or do background checks, 29% use Facebook, 26% use LinkedIn, 21% use MySpace, 11% search blogs and 7% use Twitter.

The top industries for employers that use social networking sites to screen candidates are information technology (63%) and professional and business services (53%), according to the survey.

Content that caused employers to not hire candidates included posting of provocative or inappropriate photographs, content about a candidate drinking or taking drugs, bad-mouthing of a previous employer, poor communication skills and making discriminatory comments.

However, some content encouraged employers to hire a candidate. This included profiles that provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit, supported professional qualifications, showed the candidate was creative and showed solid communication skills.

The survey included 2,667 hiring managers and human resource professionals in the U.S.

The Discarded

2009-09-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Discarded's mission is to put a face to every worker who has been affected by the recession. 6.7 million people have lost their jobs in the past year or so and they want to humanize this statistic by putting a name to each person. Their intention is simple - to identify all 6.7 million people affected - leaning towards an artistic execution. Please visit their soft-launched site to learn more.
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Q: I don't get it, what is The Discarded?
The Discarded is a web-based visual archive of the now useless business cards unemployed people have inherited from their old jobs. We figured that instead of throwing the stack of business cards away or allowing them to collect dust, you could contribute them to this project. We are going to assemble all collected business cards into a larger piece. Each card represents every person that has been affected by this recession. The Discarded hopes to humanize the cold unemployment statistics and memorialize this point in history.

Q: What are you going to do with all of the cards?

The cards will be part of a visual collage shown online. So each card will help form the bigger picture. We have other ideas to take this project offline but, as of now, we're not quite sure yet.

Q: Who is behind the project?

The Discarded was founded by Michelle Cheung and Mike Bodge, two people who have both been directly affected by the recession but on the opposite ends of the spectrum. More on that later.

Q: I was laid off in this recession but found a new job, can I still join The Discarded?

Yes, please send us your business card. We want to hear your story, too!

Q: I'm nervous about submitting my information. Are you guys going to do something bad with it?

Absolutely not! We won't sell your information to anyone and won't display your e-mail address either. If you have any other specific concerns, e-mail us.

5 Typical Job Search Problems And How To Solve Them

2009-08-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tim Tyrell-Smith, a veteran consumer packaged goods marketing executive, started writing Spin Strategy in September 2008. Tim writes and creates from the perspective of a hiring manager and a job seeker focusing on the strategy and psychology of successful job search. He lives in Mission Viejo, California, USA. Follow him on Twitter at @SpinStrategy.
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Every job search has its share of problems. Here are some examples and what to do about them.

It all starts with a hole in a bucket

As a kid growing up in the United States, I was influenced heavily by public television. These shows included Sesame Street, The Electric Company, ZOOM and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Entertainment and education all in one. Seen all over the world, I imagine.

All the songs and phrases still fill my head - including some that are unwanted - but there is one song/story that stands out the most. And don’t ask me why…

The song found my ears as a Muppet skit on Sesame Street. According to an entry on Wikipedia, the song has German origins dating back the the 1700’s.

Here’s a few lines to give you an idea:

There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, then fix it.
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?
With some straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With some straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, some straw.
The straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long,
Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,

As you might expect, this song can go on forever but thankfully it does not. The solution from Liza involves the need for a bucket which, yes, has a hole in it. And the local hardware store is likely closed.

The good news for Henry is that he has Liza there, to sing with and solve problems. We all need a Liza. Some of us need a more aggressive Liza, one who will even hit us over the head with the bucket when we need it most.

If you’re having trouble in your job search, you just might be like Henry with a hole in your proverbial job search bucket. In that case, here are 5 things that might be leaking out and causing problems in your job search.

So, what does a hole look like in job search and what is actually leaking out of your bucket?

5 typical job search problems

Hole #1 leaks Time: Inefficient Strategy

If you wake up every morning, hop on the computer and search for jobs (via Monster or AllJobs) for hours, there’s a hole in your bucket.

You are losing valuable time every day.

Time that could be spent meeting with real people, completing informational interviews, and using Linkedin, Plaxo or Xing to find contacts at your target companies. Since you cannot and should not search for work 12 hours a day, focus your key search hours on the right efforts.

Hole #2 leaks Opportunity: Uninspired Elevator or Introductory Speech

So you stand up at the big networking event when it is your turn to speak in front of 50 other people, some of whom might be able to influence your job search.

You speak too softly, don’t make eye contact, don’t deliver a compelling message and forget to share your job search objectives. When will you be able to fix that one? You’ve just left a forgettable impression on 50 people.

Fix this leak by learning to speak with a powerful voice, find at least 10 people to reach with your eyes and work hard to develop a compelling story for your career. Be interesting.

Hole #3 leaks Credibility and Friendship: Ineffective and Self-Focused Networker

If you are uncomfortable meeting new people. If you stumble in conversations. If your focus in networking is to solve your own problems.

Leak, leak, leak.

Networking is about giving and getting. In that order. No matter your stage in job search. Even if just beginning, there is always someone worse off than you. Someone you can help. And, of course, word gets around. If you are a giver, you will get from others. If you are a taker… well, the leak will get worse.

Hole #4 leaks Interview Potential: Poor or Incomplete Marketing Materials

When your resume or CV is too long, unstructured or lacking measurable accomplishments, you give little option to a hiring manager or recruiter. You give them a reason to filter your candidacy to the “HOLD” or “NO” folder.

If you do not create a significant impact in two pages, you will miss out on phone interviews and you will be less likely to be invited into HQ.

Also, make sure you have materials prepared for all occasions. Going to an event where the search is performed more informally? Have a “one sheet” version of your resume and carry networking business cards that include your contact information, key strengths, a clear positioning statement and your specific job search objectives.

Hole #5 leaks Energy: Random Acts of Desperation

Sometimes in job search a little bit of frustration sneaks into your mind. Perhaps that interview that you thought went so well… didn’t. But you feel a need to reinforce your skills via a phone message, e-mail and a hand-delivered note in the hopes that the company will realize they made a mistake by not offering you the job.

Not only is this damaging to your psychology, it does not endear you to the hiring manager. If they want you, they will call.

Really.

Make sure you have lots of irons in the fire to prevent a hyper-focus on one position - even if you think it is your dream job.

Follow up

So now it’s time to inspect your bucket. Are you seeing any leaks?

Look for a Liza in your network.

And learn how to sing.

YPC Mixer at Miss Kitty's

2009-08-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you weren’t at Tuesday night’s Young Professionals Connection Mixer, “Jump Start Your Network”…shame on you! The event was hosted by Miss Kitty’s with food provided by Johnny’s Hall of Fame.

It was a fantastic event including free food and discounted drinks. I networked with a lot of great people and made fantastic connections. Isiah McGee (http://www.mcgeestrategies.com) spoke about networking and the dos and don’ts that go along with it. He provided all of us with tips on how to network, which I’m sharing below:

McGee Strategies Ten Tips to Networking

1. Plan Ahead – Know exactly what type of event you are going to, who is sponsoring it, what the attire is and who will be attending. Be prepared for certain scenarios, think of some opening lines, transitions and exit strategy. Luck is just preparation meeting opportunity.

2. Know Your News – be up-to-date on some of the latest trends and events. Read the newspaper and current books, watch TV and not just CNN, but sitcoms, Sportscenter, reality TV.

3. Step Away from the Spinach Dip – the big no-no in networking is staying around the food table. How many opportunities did you lose out on by getting your third helping of cheese cake bars? You want to be a good guest and nibble on a snack or two, but remember, you are there to network, not pig out!

4. Be a Farmer, not a Hunter – Hunters go for the kill; they seek out their targets, they believe they are being patient and they pounce with precision. When prey know they are being hunted, they run away. Farmers understand that there are a lot of external variables that contribute to their yield and the best thing they can do is be consistent, and practice TRUE patience.

5. Go It Alone – Some spend networking events talking to the same people they already know. How will your business or reputation grow if you only speak with those with whom you are familiar or comfortable? If you go with someone, use each other as an aid, introduce them to others and then move on. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn by talking to people you do not think you have a lot in common with.

6. Ask Questions – The best way to get to know someone is to ask. People love to talk about themselves, but it’s not good enough to ask those surface level questions. Go a little further and start asking motivational and value-based questions. Don’t just find out “What?”, but find out “Why?”, too.

7. 80/20 Principle – 80% of your conversation should be asking surface, motivating, value-based and clarifying questions. The remaining 20% is spent setting the foundation to your questions and empathizing or relating to their responses. Without the other 20%, tip 6 will make you seem like some investigative reporter.

8. Stay Positive – Don’t confuse pessimism with realism. Are you “being real” or “being rude”? Being Pollyanna, might get annoying to some, but being a grouch only turns people away.

9. Be Outstanding; Don’t Necessarily Stand Out – You want to leave an impression, but not too much, otherwise people lose their sense of relatability to you.

10. Follow-up – Don’t let the relationship die out like a cheap one night stand. The quick email and/or thank you note are loosing their effectiveness; however, the idea is not lost. Simple, unexpected notes, as well as follow-up coffees are still effective.

Enhancing Your Employability Despite Those Employment Gaps

2009-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Annemarie Cross is a Radio Host on www.CareerCommuniqueRadio.com, a Career Coach, Personal Branding Strategist, a triple certified multi award-winning Professional Resume Writer and Author of ’10 key steps to Ace that Interview'.
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Involuntary career breaks, or dare we say it, ‘unemployment’, can often be a frightening situation for anyone to be in. After the initial shock of unexpectedly finding yourself without a job, it doesn’t take long before disillusionment sets in, particularly when days turn into weeks, then weeks into months or even longer, and you begin to panic: how you are going to handle the ever-increasing employment gap on your resume?

The belief that the longer you are out of work, the more difficult it will be to regain employment is understandable. However, it is important to stress that many people at one time or another have found themselves jobless whether through their own doing (such as taking a career break to raise children or scheduling a well-deserved holiday), or in situations that have been beyond their control such as with layoffs, redundancies or company closures.

So if you currently find yourself unemployed, don’t be discouraged as many have experienced job losses and have eventually re-established successful careers. Rather than letting fate take its course, they have implemented various strategies that increased their marketability to a potential employer, and believe it or not you too can follow these tactics and hopefully shorten the gap that lays between where you are now and the light at the end of what may seem like a never-ending tunnel.

Following these initiatives should assist you in transforming a potential employment gap into a learning experience, and provide you with marketable solutions for use in your resume.

* Demonstrate your commitment to remaining current with industry trends through reading publications, periodicals or trade journals, or even researching the internet.

* Join a professional association within your field and get involved. Not only is this another way of keeping current with industry trends, but also a fantastic opportunity to grow your network; meet and develop relationships with potential employers; and even generate/source some great job leads from other members of the group.

* Take a class or a professional development course to enhance your knowledge. You may even find yourself developing new skills that can open doors to a new and more challenging career path.

* Consider the possibility of providing advice in your line of expertise through consulting or projects/assignment work performed as part of your own business. This will allow you to develop strategic relationships with other companies, which could possibly lead to full-time employment, and/or allow you to continue developing your network of contacts.

* Provide your knowledge/services on a voluntary basis. Just because this is on a non-paid basis does not discredit any great results or contributions you may have made within an organization.

* Become a mentor and support someone else’s knowledge growth. Knowing that you have facilitated or contributed to another person’s journey of knowledge enhancement can be extremely rewarding.

* Write articles for a publication in your industry (or on your own personal blog) – a great way to portray your expertise and raise your credibility and profile among your peers.

* Offer your services within family/associates’ businesses either on a voluntary or paid basis. Not only will you be contributing to the overall running of their business, but ensuring you skills remain up-to-date.

There are also various techniques you can use when developing your resume in order to draw attention away from potential gaps.

* Rather than presenting your resume in a reverse chronological format (which is the most common) providing contact details and professional experience with the most recent at the forefront, try the combination or functional formats, which list your transferable skills, competencies and accomplishments relevant to the position at the forefront. This way you are demonstrating at the outset what you can contribute to the position.

* Another strategy is to omit the months when providing dates, so that instead of stating 10/2005 – 1/2009, you would just write 2002 – 2009.

* List any education or professional development courses at the forefront as this will demonstrate your initiative and commitment to expanding your knowledge.

* Treat consulting, assignments, or self-employment as professional experience, as with any voluntary work performed within the community or even for the family business. There is no need to disclose that this was unpaid, nor even the fact that you were related to the manager; only concentrate on your accountabilities and accomplishments.

Your job search should be treated as your full-time job and each day should be organized and prioritized with time allocated to sourcing suitable positions, sending off applications, following up, and continually working and expanding your network of contacts to maximize your overall job search campaign.

Maintain your health, physical fitness and personal appearance to ensure your positivity and enthusiasm do not diminish. Therefore, when finally called into an interview, you will not bring with you a blanket of self-doubt and disenchantment. During the interview remember to portray all of the relevant experience and achievements (gained through the above strategies) with enthusiasm, while demonstrating your ability to continue contributing your expertise toward the ongoing success of their company.

Five Ways to Shine in a Bad Interview!

2009-08-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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As a job seeker, have you had an interview with someone that doesn't know how to conduct a good interview?

This is not an uncommon problem, and depending on how you handle it, can work to your advantage or disadvantage. In order to make sure they know you're the right person for the job, you may need to subtly take control of the interview yourself.

The first thing to do? Give them some grace!

If you're meeting with a hiring manager, particularly at a small or mid-size company, that may only hire one or two people a year, interviewing and evaluating candidates is not their area of expertise and they may never have had any kind of training. Often, they either ask questions that they may have been asked before, which may not be very appropriate to the position you're interviewing for, or they are more comfortable with talking about 'extra-curricular' topics rather than the position at hand.

Perhaps they are not a very talkative or conversational kind of person themselves. Or they may take up the entire time telling you about the company and position without asking many questions. It may be a very friendly interview, however, you must always remember:

If they don't know enough about you to know if you fit the role, you will not get hired!

A while ago, as I was working with a client company to fill a position, I had a candidate go in for an interview. Afterward, she called me to debrief and said:

"I think the interview went great! He asked me about any vacation plans and I told him I was looking forward to going to a Country Music Festival in Nashville. It turned out he was going to the same festival and that's all we talked about for an hour and a half! We got along really terrific, I'd be shocked if I don't get an offer."

I asked if they talked about the job or her qualifications at all, and she said only a couple of short questions. I knew she wouldn't get the job, and sure enough, the hiring manager said:

"We had a great conversation, but to be honest, I don't know enough about her to know if she's a fit and I interviewed someone else this afternoon that seems to fit the bill well."

My candidate didn't get the job.

If you take control, however, and they do learn about your fit for the role, you may be the only candidate they see that they did get to know. You can be the winner simply because you're the only one that took the initiative to show they can do the job!

So how do you take control? Here are a five points that may help:

1. Chemistry is good, but they have to see the fit! If the discussion at the interview is dominated by things other than your suitability for the position, you must turn it around. One good way to do that is to say something like:

"I'm really enjoying this conversation, but I'm very interested in this role and before we run out of time I'd like to discuss my fit and interest in this position. If I understand correctly, the job requires significant experience with _____, can I tell you some of my background in that area?"

2. If they are not asking questions that expose your strengths for the role, tell them anyway! Sometimes they may ask a number of generic questions, but none that really get to your unique fit. If that's the case, be sure to interject it yourself. Say something like:

"If I may, can I tell you about my experience with ______ that I believe is important to this role?"

3. If you don't know, and they're not saying what their most pressing requirement is, ask them! Ask something simple and direct like:

"What is the most important requirement you're looking for in a candidate for this position?"

Listen carefully, then be sure to tell them your relevant experience in that area.

4. Ask questions! If they are not telling you much about the position, ask questions to lead them. Questions like:

"What is a typical day like in this role?"
"What can you tell me about the team?"
"What are some of the biggest challenges in this position?"and
"What can I tell you about me that would help you in your hiring decision?"

5. When the time comes... make sure they know you want the job! Tell them:

"What you described seems to fit me well and I believe I can be an asset to you, what would be the next steps in the process?"
And ask them directly: "Do you see me as a likely candidate for this role?"

Not everyone you meet will be a great interviewer. If you want the job, you must make sure they learn what they need to in order to make an intelligent decision about you. Sometimes you need to take things into your own hands to make it happen!

Jump Start Your Network

2009-08-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Jason Kiesau is the Chief Realization Officer at Full Circle Development Group in Des Moines, Iowa. The group's mission is to help businesses get the most out of their people and help people get the most out of themselves. Jason's involved in organizing the below event:
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Are you ready for September’s YPIowa Conference?

Come out and Jump Start Your Network at this free-to-attend event!

Engage both your professional and social networks with other YPs from across Des Moines on Tuesday August 25th at Miss Kitty’s.

Grab a cocktail and Kick-off the evening with a session featuring Consultant, Trainer and Coach Isaiah McGee. For the following interactive World Cafe, leave your comfort zone behind as you interact with YPs at several stations to discuss topics ranging from Des Moines nightlife to the power of social media.

Topics:
Sports
Des Moines Nightlife
Volunteering in Des Moines
Social Media
YP Iowa Conference
Marketing/Branding
Leadership
Health and Fitness around Des Moines
Economy, Finance, Personal Finance
Education / Higher Ed

The evening will then wind down with a happy hour including discounted drinks and complimentary appetizers.

DRAWING = Two tickets to YP Iowa’s Conference will be given away (valued at $89 per ticket). Must be a YPC Member to win.

Event is open to members and non-members. Registration is recommended, please visit http://is.gd/2mR0p.

How the Hidden Job Market Found Me! "Pull Method of Marketing"

2009-08-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Guest blogger Sharon Cohen, MA, CPRP is a Global MBA CareerAdvisor at Robinson College of Business in Georgia State University and an Executive Career Management Consultant.
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These days everyone is trying to find job-leads, find sales-leads, find any kind of lead! However, if you use the “pull method” of marketing, employers will come to you. Read the true story below.

As a Global MBA Career Advisor, at Robinson College of Business, I am always trying to attract employers to our college. With 7,600 Business students, GSU is the largest Business College in the Southeast and therefore we need a LOT of employers to mentor students and hire graduates. Our Career Management team spends a lot of time marketing, to attract employers and students to our 20-30 Career Events each semester. Over the summer, we do all of the Project Management, logistics and planning for our Executive Career Coaching, Mock Interviews, Business Career Round Tables, and Career Expo. Often, as Career Advisors, we either overuse the “Push method” or only use this method to attract employers and students. The 500+ job seekers, on my case-load each semester, are also guilty of overusing the “push method" during their job search.”

http://www.doshdosh.com/push-marketing-vs-pull-marketing/

“In Marketing; there are two main ways of promoting a business model in order to reach a target market. In push marketing, you ‘push’ your content or product towards the audience which may or may not be aware of it. Conversely, in a pull-marketing scenario, the customer ‘pulls’ your content or product towards themselves, because they are interested in learning more about it. Pull-marketing largely involves the active development of a highly visible brand. This encourages customers to actively seek you out, because they believe you can fulfill their needs. Methods commonly used include blogging, media interviews, conference speaking, syndication of your content and word of mouth.

A series of events happened to me last week, which leads me to question the efficacy, of over-reliance on the “Push” method of marketing. Last Tuesday, an employer, Ms. Simone Tapp, who I had never met, never marketed to, and never spoken to - contacted me via LinkedIn. Ms. Tapp is the Human Resource Director at Reed Construction Data, a Division of Reed Business Information.

http://www.reedconstructiondata.com/mkt/us-project-leads-1/?aid=google_rcd

This is a multi-national company with branches throughout the USA and Canada. Her division is based in Norcross, GA and they do aggregate research on new construction starts: both residential and commercial. Then, they market these databases of information. This data is highly desirable for people in city planning, construction, real estate and the construction supply industry.Though, I didn’t’ know her, she knew about me. As the old adage goes, it’s not who you know, but who knows you.”

Here is her LinkedIn message:

Subject: Job opportunity for your students/clients

Hi Sharon –I see that you are presenting ideas on Accessing the Hidden Job Market. Our company has available opportunities in sales, research and IT and I wondered if there was an opportunity to get this message out to any interested candidates?

Regards,
Simone Tapp (HR Director)
www.reedconstructiondata.com

Ms. Tapp researched me online and read my profile on LinkedIn. She knew that I taught business students at Georgia State University and knew that one of the 13 courses I teach is “Accessing the Hidden Job Market.” She may have also read my micro-blog on Twitter, my I-Google page, my personal blog or this Blog. Through her research, she discovered that the students, alumni and business professionals who I teach, are her target demographic of job candidates! She invited me to partner with her.

Ms. Tapp asked to present Hidden job opportunities to students, attending my workshops on “Accessing the Hidden Job Market!” I couldn’t have created a better scenario, if I had tried to “Push” my workshop on a dozen employers! What is better than connecting eager job seekers, with an eager employer, who wants to hire them. Win-Win.

I think that my personal branding, both online and live must have reached a critical mass. Last week, 2 other well-known, employers, also contacted me. They also wanted to partner with me and provide opportunities for my students. Additionally, about a dozen Alumni and a numerous, Global MBA's contacted me. The majority of them heard about me through my LinkedIn groups, my Discussion Threads and my Blogs. Some also saw me present at community workshops or may have met me at community networking events.

A sea change has occurred in the way employers and candidates and the people who broker between them operate. It will never again, be “business as usual” for Career Advisors, Recruiters and Human Resource professionals. This online revolution and online social networking phenomenon, is like Shakespeare’s tempest. Either enter the tempest or be left on the shore. Employers are sourcing candidates, products and services by using online methods. This is now the preferred way to do business. Employers often make the first contact, online, through a shared group or website.

In summation:

Access the Hidden Job Market – using the Pull Method of Marketing

1. Develop a Personal Brand and actively maintain it.
2. Create quality, profiles on the top Business Networking sites such as LinkedIn, use Twitter or blog about your area of expertise.
3. Use online methods to find your target audience.
4. Build relationships and contribute to your communities: live & online.
5. Become an SME Subject Matter Expert. Consider retraining if necessary.
6. Don’t overuse the Push Method of Marketing. Use the “Pull Method” of attraction to bring in business, job leads.
7. Be patient, the Pull method takes time…

Phone Interview Rule #1: Don't Say Hello

2009-08-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Guest blogger Brent Peterson is the founder of Interview Angel (www.interviewangel.com), a comprehensive guide and toolkit to executing near flawless job interviews. The goal of the Interview Angel Team is to bring out the very best in every job seeker. Discover product testimonials, upcoming events, and media interviews at www.interviewangel.com
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The other week, it happened again. I had scheduled a phone interview with a candidate at an exact time and date. So my phone call was to be expected. And when I placed the call to the number given, I expected the greeting on the other end to be at a minimum professional. Ideally, it would also be an immediate recognition of the appointment.

Why? Because it sets the right tone for the rest of this very important conversation.

Instead, I received the unfortunate and awkward "Hello".

After I paused to shake my head in disappointment, I had no choice but to ask the candidate (in this case, we'll call her Mary), "Hi, is this Mary?".

"Yes, it is" Mary replies.

Another pause to shake my head in frustration and wait for her to say something else. Was the candidate even expecting my call?

Now, I had to really move the conversation forward.

"Hi, this is Brent Peterson from Interview Angel Inc."

"Oh, hi" Mary responds.

At this point, the critical first impression wasn't a good one because I had to do the phone call confirmation, and it felt that I was inconveniencing the candidate.

I then spoke up again. "Uh, hi. I was calling for our phone interview. I am assuming this is a good time to talk."

"Sure," Mary concludes.

Agh!

Let's rewind the tape and walk through how the conversation should have been handled.

I place the call and the candidate picks up the phone:

"Hi, this is Mary Smith."

"Hi Mary, this is Brent Peterson from Interview Angel Inc."

"Hi, Mr. Peterson. I was expecting your call. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today."

Perfect!Let me provide some additional clarity on these two simple recommendations (Professional Greeting and Appointment Recognition).

1. Professional Greeting

In an office environment, there is a standard protocol for answering the phone. Typically, the greeting is something as simple as "Hello, this is Brent Peterson." Or it may be something more scripted such as "Thank you for calling the finance department. Brent Peterson speaking."

The reality is you probably know who is calling on the other end because virtually all phones are equipped with caller ID. And yet, you would still respond with a professional greeting primarily because you know it is a communication exchange between professionals.

The other reason you would answer professionally because you know a co-worker may be placing a call from someone else's extension. I'll confess I've made the false assumption before based on caller ID, and once you have made the mistake, it is a hard lesson. Let's just say, picking up the phone and saying "WAAAZZUUUUUUUUP?!?!?" in my best Budweiser imitation to a friend (based on caller ID) didn't sound so good when it was his boss making the call.

So if you are a job candidate, answer the phone as if you are already in the office.

"Hi, this is Mary Smith."

2. Appointment Confirmation

If you have a scheduled interview appointment with a recruiter or the hiring manager, be the first to acknowledge it on the phone. Appointment times can sometimes get mixed up. Don't wait for the person calling you to confirm the purpose of the call. When I call candidates, I expect the person to be expecting my call, and to be prepared for the conversation.

You can simply state, in a friendly but professional tone, you were expecting the person's call. Your next step is to immediately thank the person for taking the time to speak with you that day.

"Hi, Mr. Peterson. I was expecting your call. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today."

(Note: My general rule of thumb is to address someone formally (e.g. Mr. or Ms.) in any interview setting until given permission to call them by their first name. Chances are, the person will quickly respond with something like, "Oh you can me Brent". Old fashioned chivalry can go a long way in a crowded job market.)

By following these two simple steps, you will start the conversation off on the right foot!

The good news for you is that most candidates fail to do so. Over the past 15 years for multiple organizations, I estimate that 75% of all candidates I have interviewed over the phone initiate that potentially life-changing career phone call just like a personal call from a friend.

Job Interviews: How You Can Benefit By Asking Questions

2009-08-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

About the Author: Peggy McKee is The Medical Sales Recruiter and the owner of PHCConsulting.com. This article is part of the 3rd Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. If you want Peggy McKee to win, share this article with your friends. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JobMob/~3/WSu_CPyrx2E/
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My name is Peggy McKee, and I am The Medical Sales Recruiter. Jacob asked me to participate in his guest blogging contest and so I thought I would talk to you about what really separates candidates.

It is not what you think.

What sets candidates apart

Of course, you need a great resume and you have to have presence. You have to have your shoes shined, show up on time and answer all the questions correctly.

But you know what really makes a great candidate stand out from the others?

It is the questions that they ask.

The questions that show:

1. they have the confidence to ask the questions
2. they thought it through
3. they think strategically

Quick story

I had an entry level medical sales candidate last week call me right before she had her phone interview. She said, “Hey, I want to ask you a couple questions, do you mind? I want you to tell me, without worrying about hurting my feelings, what are my weaknesses and what do you perceive are my strengths?”

I’ve never had a candidate ask me that!

Most candidates think they already know what I think, but we don’t really understand how anyone perceives us without first asking questions to find out.

The kinds of questions candidates should ask

Questions like:

Tell me a little bit about what you are looking for in your candidate or new hire, tell me about the last one you hired, or why is the position open?
What was it that you think held the other person back from being successful?
What are the tasks in this job that are really going to define success for this person?
What are the next steps?
When will I hear from you?
Do you have any reason why you would not consider moving me forward during the (hiring) process?
Are there any other folks who will be interviewing me later?
Will it be a panel interview?
In the typical day, how many hours do you work on the road?
How does the travel program work?
With your clients, what do you think is the #1 obstacle to success?
What do you see in the field with sales representatives that stops them from being
successful?
Which product line of yours is your lead line? (i.e. the one that everyone should buy)
Which product line should they probably not buy?
What do you like about working here?
Among the other candidates, how do I rank?
Are there any questions that you have for me?
Do you see how my experience at XYZ (past company) translates well into this position?
Do you agree with me that a Bachelor’s degree in Biology is not necessary for this position, that it seems like it’s a sales process that really requires someone that can understand the product well enough, but can also understand the customer and their business process?

What it takes to ask a question is:
1. Confidence
2. Thinking it through
3. Being strategic

Back to the story

I will tell you, that gal that asked me those questions, she set herself apart. I was impressed! And that does make a difference about my confidence in supporting her candidacy.

So when a manager called me and said that he was not quite sure if he was going to move forward with her, I insisted because I felt strongly about her. Since she had enough guts to ask me those questions when I interviewed her, she convinced me that she could probably do the job well.

She will probably ask the customers questions like:

When can I expect you to order?
When would you like the product to arrive?
Is there any reason why we can’t move forward with this deal?
How many pieces do you want to buy?
Is there someone else I need to speak to?
What is the purchasing process?

Get the point: QUESTIONS!

This is the key.

I hope this helps you and I wish you the best of luck. I’ll see you at the top!

How I Got My Job as a Desk-side Support Technician – Rob Bennett

2009-08-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a little something new for today. I read a blog called "How I Got My Job", except it's different...it's an Internet radio program (podcast) that presents job-hunting success stories in an interview format. The program runs about 20 minutes and comes out weekly. I love them because it's refreshing to hear success stories - all too often we can get down in the dumps about our situation and it's uplifting to hear that someone out there is having some luck. Let me know what you think:
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Podcast: Play in new window Download (Duration: 25:10 — 23.1MB)

In this episode of How I Got My Job (mp3, 25:10, 23.1 MB), Rob Bennett shares how he got a job as a Desk-side Support Technician. I like how he addressed the hiring managers’ concerns about being overqualified and doing a career change.

Find other job-hunting success stories at http://howigotmyjob.com

More job-hunting and career development information at http://getthatjobonline.com

If you have a job-hunting success story you’d like to share, please e-mail your contact information to success stories AT howigotmyjob DOT com, and we’ll get in touch to set up an interview.

Please share this episode with someone else who is looking for a job, and tell others about the show. They will thank you for it.

Thanks!

About Rob

Rob Bennett is a 12 year IT professional currently providing system operation support for Pomeroy IT Solutions in Hebron, KY. As the only internal IT department member in the 200 person call center, it is Rob’s responsibility to ensure maximum system availability and uptime for the multi-tiered helpdesk and dispatch centers.

Rob’s personal time is spent juggling his love of the Internet and social networking, gaming, and attempting to parent two children. You can follow Rob’s ramblings on twitter (http://www.twitter.com/armonde) or his personal blog (http://www.armonde.net).

Who Does Your Grandma Know?

2009-08-17T06:00:00.004-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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Networking in a job search is critical. Often people don’t do it because they think they have to know hiring managers in their field in order for it to be productive. Not True!

It’s not who YOU know. It’s who you know, knows, and who THEY know!

Many people may think of their grandmother as a poor job networking contact. However, you may not know who her neighbors are, or who she knows at her church, or seniors club. You may not know which of her friends has a son or daughter in a hiring role. And more importantly, you don’t know who any of those people know.

Your job in your job search is to follow the trail of one referral to the next, and the next, and the next until you get to the one with the right opportunity for you.

In a Job Search Skills class I lead, I had one participant that found his job opportunity through an 85 year old grandmother at his church. She overheard him talking to someone else about his job search, and asked him what kind of job he was looking for. He told her he was an IT Director and she asked him what that was. He impatiently explained it to her, wondering how this person could possible help. After he finished explaining his role, she told him to give her his phone number. He did and they left. The next day he received a call from her son who owned a mid-size company and needed a new IT Director! Who does your Grandma know???

Here are some tips to help you begin networking effectively:

~ Create a list of EVERYONE you know. One study showed that the average person knows nearly 300 people. Who do you know. Write out a list. Create headings of different ways and venues you may know people. Perhaps headings like: Family; Church; Service Providers; Kids sports; Health Club; All previous co-workers; Professional Association meetings; Friends; etc.

Don’t exclude ANYONE. Even if you assume they don’t know anyone relevant for you, you never know who the people they do know, know.

~ Gather all the contact information you can for each of them. This may take some time and effort. You may need to go through old notes, phone books, or online resources. WhitePages.com, LinkedIn, and Google may be good ways to compile that information. You’ll be much more productive contacting more people if you can make several calls in a row. You won’t be able to do that if you have to look up each persons phone number between each call.

~ Don’t ask if they know of a job! This is one of the biggest networking mistakes most people make in their job search. They ask everyone they talk to whether they know of a relevant job opening. The person may not fully understand your field, or simply nothing comes to mind, and it becomes a very awkward conversation at that point.

Let them know you are looking for a new position, and they will certainly realize that you would be interested in hearing about appropriate opportunities… so don’t ask! You have a different agenda in this call…

~ Ask for “Breadcrumbs”. Your objective from each networking call is to gain 2 or 3 additional names of people to contact. Let them know that directly. Tell them: “My job while I’m in my search is to follow the trail of breadcrumbs from one person to another until I get to one with the right opportunity. So I’m really just hoping you might be able to let me know of a couple other people that you think might be worthwhile for me to talk to. If you were in my situation, who would you connect with?” Then let them answer.

You’ll find the vast majority of people want to help. They just aren’t sure how. If they don’t know of a job, they often can’t think of what else they can offer. This gives them that answer, and most everyone will be able to think of a couple people they would talk to if they had to look for a new position.

~ Give them your contact information! Whether they think of something for you right then and there or not, be sure they have your contact information. They may think of someone else or something more for you 5 minutes or 5 weeks later. If they don’t know how to reach you, that lead is lost. Send them an email, give them a business card, mail them a note, or whatever works best for that individual. Make sure they know how to get back in touch with any additional helpful information.

~ Contact the referral… it’s a ‘warm’ call! You now have a new name that was referred by someone else that knows you. You can certainly now call them and say: “Bob Smith gave me your name as someone that may be able to point me in the right direction in my job search…”

You ask them for a couple of names that they think would be worthwhile for you to talk to, and it’s a warm call to those next contacts as well. It’s similar to instructions on a shampoo bottle: Wet hair, lather, rinse, repeat; instead it’s: Call, introduce, ask, repeat!

Networking for a new job is not just for those that are ‘connected’. It’s for everyone that’s looking for a job! Build your list and begin!
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When I read this post I had to chuckle for a minute because this is so true...Early on in my job search, I got a call from my Aunt-in-law. She said she had a hot job lead for me. I thought to myself, "Really?" How can a 70 year old, retired lady have a hot job lead for me?

She told me she met this 'gal' in the check out line at Hy-Vee. Aunt Jane asked her why she was buying so much fruit. "All she was buying is fruit, so I had to ask her what was going on!", Aunt Jane told me. (As if there's some conspiracy :P) So, the two struck up a conversation (apparently there was a bit of a line).

The 'gal' told Aunt Jane that she was buying fruit for work, because they always have healthy snacks available in their break room. The 'gal' was raving about her company, so Aunt Jane asked her if they had any openings - they did - so she got the 'gal's contact information. Needless to say, the job wasn't up my alley (cold-calling sales), but Aunt Jane was out there working on my behalf.

Who do you have out there looking out for you who can honestly describe you and the opportunities you're looking for? Everyone who knows you is an extremely valuable asset during your job search. Are you adequately leveraging these FREE resources????

Surviving a Redundancy: 10 Tactics to Get You and Your Career Back on Track - Part Two

2009-08-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Annemarie Cross is a Radio Host on CareerCommuniqueRadio.com, a Career Coach, Personal Branding Strategist, a triple certified multi award-winning Professional Resume Writer and Author of ’10 key steps to Ace that Interview'.
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As we mentioned in our last edition blog post - the world of work has changed. The one-job-for-life principal that our grandparents experienced and their grandparents before them, is no longer a reality. Constantly changing economies, industries and technologies have forced companies to continue evolving and adapting, which regrettably has led to staff redundancies and downsizing.

Here are the next five important strategies to support you in getting your career on track.

6. Understand the rules of networking

Networking is not about meeting as many people as you can and getting your business card into as many hands as possible. It's about developing and building solid relationships with people who know and trust you and who would be happy to share resources/connections with you as well as recommending you. Nurturing and building your network should be an integral part of your overall career management plan and not just a (knee-jerk) activity you are doing because of your current need to find a job.

7. Build and leverage your network - both offline and online

Establishing an online presence (and online network) is just as important as building an offline (face-to-face) presence. In fact, if you can't be found online – you won't be found, period! According to a 2007 survey by Execunet, 83% of recruiters used search engines to research potential candidates. And of those recruiters, 43% admitted to having eliminated a candidate due to the information they found while searching the Internet. What message are you sending as part of your digital footprint? Is your online presence ‘on brand’? Does it confirm your expertise and value to a potential employer?

8. Practice and build powerful interview skills

It's important that you're able to confidently communicate your personal brand and value in person during the interview to continue strengthening your overall candidacy. Remember, the job is seldom given to the person with the most experience and/or qualifications but rather is given to the person who is able to build rapport and market their expertise and overall value with professionalism confirming why they are the best person for the role. So, why should the organisation hire you?

9. Connect with people in your immediate network to inform them how they can help you

Friends, family and colleagues are often only too happy to help you in any way possible but often may avoid you as they don’t know what to say or do. Enable them to support you as best they can by ensuring they are clear on exactly what you are looking for, and what a great lead would be for you.

Recently, one of our CareerCommuniqueRadio.com listeners was given a lead to a job opportunity by former colleagues she had maintained contact with after they had all lost their jobs. She landed the job and was extremely thankful she had continued to maintain and nurture this relationship – otherwise she would never have learned about the job opportunity. Are you nurturing and maintaining contact with your network?

10. Have a strategic job search plan/action steps and follow it/do it

Formulate a written plan with action steps and due dates and follow the plan. Treat looking for a job as a full time job and ensure you are adopting all of the above listed strategies.

To keep you motivated and on track with your plan, consider establishing an accountability partner – someone who will check in with you on a weekly basis to see how you’re tracking. This is a great strategy to keep you accountable and moving forward towards your career goals.

If you’re currently adopting all 10 of these areas in your search – congratulations! If not, then perhaps aim at incorporating a few of these strategies in your overall job search plan to support you in getting your career back on track.

So which of the 10 strategies are you going to begin working on today?

Surviving a Redundancy: 10 Tactics to Get You and Your Career Back on Track

2009-08-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Annemarie Cross is a Radio Host on CareerCommuniqueRadio.com, a Career Coach, Personal Branding Strategist, a triple certified multi award-winning Professional Resume Writer and Author of ’10 key steps to Ace that Interview'.
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The world of work has changed. Unfortunately, the one-job-for-life principal that our grandparents experienced and their grandparents before them, is no longer a reality. Constantly changing economies, industries and technologies have forced companies to continue evolving and adapting, which regrettably has led to staff redundancies and downsizing.

If you have experienced job loss, over the next two issues we’ll be covering 10 important strategies to support you in getting your career back on track. Here are the first five.

1. Allow yourself time to grieve and recognise that this is completely normal

Losing your job can be a shocking and traumatic experience. In fact the impact that job loss can have on both your physical and emotional well being and the increased stress levels this can cause can be compared to someone having experienced the death of a loved one. These feelings and emotions are normal. Allow yourself time to move through this process and ensure you have a solid support system in place.

2. Have a clear understanding of your career direction

With studies indicating that 70-80% of people hate their jobs, losing your job can provide you with an opportunity to re-examine and re-invent yourself and take a completely new career direction to a job that really inspires and motivates you. In fact for many people this situation was the impetus they needed to finally sit down and re-evaluate their career goals and move forward in an entirely new career direction to a job they absolutely loved. So, what are your career interests? What are your career values? If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you be doing instead?

3. Be clear about your personal brand and continue to promote your brand prominently and proactively – both online and offline

I like to think of your personal brand as your reputation - the perception that others have of you. Your personal brand is what make you exceptional and unique and is what can set you apart from everyone else around you. It's extremely important to be clear about your strengths and the value you offer, and be able to promote this with confidence as your continue your job search. What’s your USP – your unique ‘strengths’ proposition? Why should an organisation hire you, rather than another candidate? What’s your unique promise of value?

4. Develop a clear and professional marketing document (your resume)

Your resume is your initial handshake and introduction to a potential employer. Don't miss a valuable opportunity by presenting an uninspiring document that just lists your job functions and experience. Rather, create a powerful marketing tool that confirms your expertise through the achievements and successes you have delivered. Does your current resume state ‘hire me’ by positioning you as an ideal, value added and irresistible candidate?

5. Research the company and industry with diligence

Find out as much as you can about the company and/or industry you are targeting in your job search to confirm it is the right fit and opportunity for you. This information will also allow you to prepare for upcoming interviews having identified relevant responses and examples to confirm your ability to perform and deliver impressive results within that role.

You may also like to consider industries that may not have been affected by the economy or evolving industries, positioned for continued future growth. Identify transferable skills and experience and ensure you demonstrate the value you can deliver within your resume and interview. Your research may also pinpoint specific professional development opportunities you can undertake to enhance your knowledge and strengthen your candidacy for this new industry.

How did you do? Are you adopting the above five strategies into your job search?

Next week we'll cover the other five strategies. Until then...all the very best!

5 Networking Tips For Shy Or Introverted People

2009-08-12T06:00:00.003-05:00

Rich DeMatteo, creator of Corn On The Job, is a Philadelphia area staffing professional with four years of experience in multiple disciplines of staffing. He is currently completing his Masters in Human Resources Development at Villanova University, with a target graduation date of December 2009. His versatile staffing experience, mixed with recent and up to date classroom knowledge brings a fresh perspective to the staffing world.
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Being shy can be a networking asset, you just need to know how to use it. Remember, the world craves balance. If networking events were made up of entirely extroverts, they would drive themselves crazy. Here are COTJ’s 5 networking tips for shy or introverted people:

1. Utilize Social Media – Begin networking first on Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace, or any web 2.0 destination that connects you to people with similar interests. Start building up your contacts/friends list, and build up your relationship with these people. Once you feel comfortable, invite them to join a networking event with you. This may help the lessen any intimidation you may feel of going it alone.

2 . Use being shy to your advantage - People absolutely love carrying on about themselves, so provide an ear for them to let loose on, and you’ll make a friend in the process. Don’t be intimidated by louder, extroverted net workers. They need you, and they know it. Just be yourself, be polite, listen, and sacrifice your ears over to the extroverts.

3 – Set networking goals - Make it your mission to talk to X amount of people and/or set a goal on how many events you’ll attend each month. If nothing else, just set your mind on having fun and enjoying each event. A positive mind set is critical.

4 – Know when to speak up - Lay low until a question surrounding your area of expertise is brought up. Once you feel confident, speak loud and clear. Keep it short and to the point, and you will look like a star.

5– Smile - Simple right? Not only does the upside down frown bring a look of confidence, but you’ll instantly become easier to approach as well. Heck, smiling may even force/trick you into having a good time. Not smiling can leave a negative impression that you’re intimidated, uncomfortable, uninterested (maybe the worst), tired, or just sociably awkward. I know this is weird, but just in case you honestly don’t know how to smile, click HERE TO LEARN.

How to Interview When They are Looking for a S.T.A.R.!

2009-08-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

Past behavior is usually the best predictor of future success. How you handled situations in the past tells them a lot about how you’re likely to perform in the future.
How well can you communicate a detailed story? Do you pick good key details? Do you ramble? Is your story cohesive? Does it make sense?
Can you communicate what you did in a way that strikes the right balance between demonstrating your ability as well as being part of a team? Not claiming a project was all you, while not looking like you were just tagging along in a team either.

Most of the time people assume they have to give a story that had a positive outcome. Relating a positive story is good, but often a story with a failed or negative outcome can be just as, or sometimes even more effective. Describing a failed project or situation along with what you learned in the process and specifically how you would do things differently next time can show a great deal of insight, personal awareness, and willingness to learn on your part. Those are attractive characteristics in a candidate.

If they ask multiple behavioral questions, however, don’t make all of your answers examples of failed results!

The key to nailing behavioral questions when asked is to think about them and write out answers in advance. Think of your previous responsibilities, and try to imagine several potential situations they may ask about. Such as: a difficult employee, difficult customer, a long term project, a crucial sale, or ‘crunch’ deadline.

Actually sitting down and writing/typing out your answers is a critical part of the process. Otherwise most people only vaguely think about what they would discuss if the question was asked. Furthermore, since they haven’t finalized an answer in advance, they often just keep talking until they think they’ve told the whole story. Often resulting in a long-winded rambling answer. Writing your answer in advance forces you to articulate it in complete sentences and hopefully hone it so that it’s more succinct. Once you’ve written it and read it, it’s much easier to memorize as well. It’s not necessary to memorize an answer word-for-word, however, writing it helps you remember enough to stay on track.

When crafting your answer, it’s critical to make clear what you specifically did, not just your team. It’s admirable to show team spirit and give recognition to others, however, if you describe everything in terms or ‘we’ or ‘the team did…’ then it’s easy to conclude you were there, but didn’t actually do anything productive. On the other hand, if you make it sound like you did everything and the team did nothing, you appear arrogant. Strike the right balance.

Next, practice! Practice out loud to yourself in a mirror, in the car, have your family ask you and you give the answers over dinner, or practice in a closet if necessary… but practice.

Go through the same process with several situations so that you’re prepared regardless of what is asked. Make your answers direct, and succinct.

Once you’re prepared it can have great benefits in your interview! You gain a great deal of confidence when they ask a complex question and you’ve got it nailed! Furthermore, you can use your answers even if the question wasn’t asked. If they ask a question like:

“Have you ever had to deal with a difficult client?”

and you’re able to answer with a STAR model answer like:

“Definitely, let me give you an example of a time when we thought we would lose one of our most important customers and how I approached the problem…”

That’s a much more impressive response than 99% of candidates are likely to give!

As with most interview questions, preparation makes you a far better candidate. Even if you are someone that can generally speak very well ‘off the cuff’, you will be even better if you’re prepared.

So the next time you’re asked a STAR question, show them that you are a star candidate!

Project Lemon-aid

2009-08-10T06:00:00.003-05:00

If this event isn't on your radar yet, put it there. Project Lemon-aid is a group of very passionate people that have come together to offer their time, services and knowledge (free of charge) to help the unemployed in Iowa. Check out their website for more information. Their next event is on 17-Aug from 8-12 at Connxions in Urbandale. Make sure to arrive early to register and network.

Registration: 7:15 AM
After registering take advantage of having a professional photograph taken to use on your networking sites

Program: 8:00 AM
Employer panel – straight talk from employers about how to find your next job

Breakout Sessions: 9:00 AM
Social Media for Job Seekers – Ben Stone
Interviewing Strategies – Shelly Rusch
Job search strategies 101 – TBA
Being fearless in your job search – Crystal O’Connor/ Jason Kiesau
Tips on financial success in your job search – TBA
Networking within your job search - Renda Lutz/ Tim Bianchi

Drawings for free professional services such as:
Career Coaching
Personal Leadership Coaching
Video Resume
Social Media Personal Consulting

Mature Workers Seize on Younger Opportunities

2009-08-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nick has been with Manpower since 2001, working in multiple states including California and Illinois. He has over 12 years of experience in the employment services industry; the majority of his background is in working with Fortune 500 companies to achieve their workflow goals. Nick lives in Urbandale, Iowa. He has five children and has been married for 18 years to his wife, Dana.
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In a market shaped by mass job loss, mature workers are a critical workforce segment that has been hit particularly hard. Twenty-eight percent of workers age 55 and older who were laid off in the last 12 months found new jobs, the lowest of all age groups. This compares to 71 percent of those ages 25 to 34. A new study from CareerBuilder shows mature workers are expanding their job search to include entry-level positions, internships, relocation and other options to secure gainful employment – and employers are open to it.

Starting Over at Entry-Level
The majority (63 percent) of workers age 55 and older who were laid off in the last 12 months said they have applied for jobs below the level at which they were previously employed; 44 percent have been told by employers that they are overqualified.

In an effort to bring in a steady paycheck and get their foot in the door with a new organization, mature workers are now competing with recent college graduates and other new entrants to the workforce for entry-level positions.

One-in-four employers (26 percent) reported they have received applications from workers over the age of 50 for entry-level jobs (but not retired); an additional 11 percent have received entry-level applications from retirees. The vast majority of employers (65 percent) said they would consider experienced candidates who apply for jobs for which they’re overqualified.

Applying for Internships
Mature workers are also exploring internships as a way to land a longer term employment opportunity. Seven percent of employers reported mature workers have applied for internships at their organizations. Four percent have hired mature workers while 55 percent would be willing to consider mature workers for internships.

Considering a New Location
Embarking on a new adventure by moving to a new location is another option for some mature workers. Of mature workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and did not find a new job, 41 percent stated they would consider relocating to another city or state to find employment.

Becoming Their Own Boss
Some mature workers are using a challenging job market as a catalyst to entrepreneurship. Of mature workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and did not find a job, 23 percent are considering starting their own business.

“Mature workers offer a wealth of knowledge and experience that has translated into a significant competitive advantage for employers,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Employers are considering mature job candidates for a variety of positions ranging from entry-level to senior-level to consultants to leverage their intellectual capital and mentor other workers. Twenty-nine percent of employers have hired a worker age 50 or older for a permanent position within their organization over the last six months.”

Of those mature workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found another job, 26 percent took a job in another field with the vast majority (75 percent) reporting that they are enjoying the experience. In terms of compensation, 40 percent landed positions with similar pay and another 13 percent found jobs with a higher compensation rate than what they were previously earning. Forty-eight percent took a pay cut.

Postponing Retirement
In addition to applications received by mature job candidates, employers are also receiving requests from staff members to stay with the company longer. One-in-five employers (21 percent) reported, over the last six months, current employees approaching retirement age have asked them to postpone their retirement. Of that 21 percent, the vast majority (86 percent) said their organizations are open to postponing retirements, pointing to the following benefits:

Employers want to hold on to their intellectual capital (65 percent)

Mature workers can help train and mentor others (61 percent)

Mature workers know how to weather a tough economy (42 percent)

Employers have more time to transition responsibilities (36 percent)

How Having A Blog Landed Me A New Job

2009-08-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

Lance Haun is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field for the past five years. His professional interests include recruitment, team building, training and development, employee relations and restraining himself from beating the crap out of bad managers and employees. He is a proud product of the Washington State University School of Business. In his spare time, he likes to recreate outdoors in the beautiful Northwest US with his flawless wife and tell stories about his co-workers with friends over a beer after work.
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If you’re a blogger, you know the feeling. You just sat down at your computer and you are a paragraph into a blog post when it suddenly hits you: apathy. “Why am I doing this?” you ask yourself. It may be the worst paying job in the world (most people do it for free or nearly free) and you question the real value of the people you end up making connections with. It can be a lonely existence if you make it that way and the blog is the ultimate one person company. If you don’t make it move, no one else will.

If you’re not a blogger and you’ve wondered why we do what we do, you’re not alone. My wife was in the same boat. She could often be found telling me to go to bed, to not spend as much time on it and thought it may be a nice hobby but that’s it. She was supportive of my “hobby” but we didn’t agree on the value of it.

What’s The Value Of Blogging?

The real value of blogging isn’t the content I create. That is nice and that gets my foot in the door. The real value are the connections I make and the things I learn and apply to make myself better.

We talk about what a game changer social networking and social media is all of the time. The only real game changer is where the conversations are happening and what limitations there are on who you can connect with. The principles that people use to get ahead are the same now as they have been for the last half century (if not longer). Sharing good ideas, helping people around you succeed, being a decent person and doing what you say you’ll do? That still works in social media and its impact is bigger than ever because the amount of people you can connect with is… well… a lot.

What Happened? How Did You Get A Job?

After my employment ended with my last company, I reached out to my network (both the one I built here locally and the one I built through blogging and other social media stuffs). I posted on my blog. I posted on Twitter. So did a ton of other people. I was flattered, humbled and feeling a little bit egotistical about the attention. What can I say, I am human! The conflicts of emotion were interesting.

I received many e-mails from people saying that if I was open for relocation, there would be several positions open. My wife and I talked about it already and we weren’t willing to leave Portland so those options were off the table.

Last week, I received a message from someone that wanted to talk about how I could work with their company. They were going to be launching a big time product upgrade and they were targeting the niche I have been working in for the past six years (HR pros). They commented on my blog in January (this is why longevity counts) and saw the overwhelming response after I was back on the market.

We talked by phone and sent e-mails back and forth (none of those e-mails or conversations included a resume or application or formal interview questions). It was truly a conversation. After we hammered out some details, I agreed to start immediately.

What About The Company? What Will You Do?

The company is MeritBuilder. I will help them reach out to you HR/Corporate types in a variety of ways.

So what does that mean, right? In the next couple of weeks I’ll be talking more about my role especially as we look to re-launch the platform in mid-August. What I will tell you is that this blog will not change. Maybe a few more posts but the tone and the content is going to be the same. They were adamant on that. Insistent even. They get it and that’s what made it so easy.

So If I Start A Blog, I Will Get A Job?

Not exactly. Especially if you plan on starting one when you start a job search.

Sure, you might strike on something and see success. But more likely, you’re going to be turning your wheels and getting frustrated. It will be disheartening in most cases.

If you think of blogging like you do networking, you need to start a blog, contribute and become a part of the community before you can leverage it to help you find a great job (either by your choice or the company’s).

I will say that after the thousands of hours I’ve spent blogging, when I told my wife this story, she felt a little bit differently about this whole blogging business.
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Let me just reflect on this piece by saying this is very similar to how my husband reacted to unemployedindesmoines in the beginning. It started out as a way for me to help others; and it ended up helping me in the process. Writing is quite therapeutic! And it's turned into a great way to start discussions and to meet new people. How many of you reading this have your own blog? Are you blogging for yourself or to find a job? Or both?

An Effective Resume for 2009!

2009-08-04T06:23:00.001-05:00

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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There is so much advice about resumes available out there! Everyone has an opinion, and I certainly have mine. You have to decide what seems right to you as you’re the one that knows your background best, and the only one that’s ultimately responsible for what you present to potential employers.

However, there’s no question that things have changed in the last few years and what may once have been considered a great resume may not be effective today. Furthermore, a ‘beautiful’ resume and an ‘effective’ resume are not the same thing. It can be both, but effective matters more than beauty every time.

So what are key points for an effective resume in 2009?

Here are a number of things to consider:

* Most companies find you primarily through a keyword search. It’s rare these days for someone to actually read through a stack of resumes on their desk. They either search online, or their database, or their emails for keywords on resumes that have been submitted. If your resume doesn’t contain those keywords, it may never be seen at all.

Make sure your resume has the keywords they will be searching! Use wording from their job description. Dig and find out their lingo and use it, not your own that may mean the same but uses different wording.

* Your resume will get an initial scan of only 15 to 30 seconds. If they are reviewing several resumes (and in today’s market, they always are), they only scan it quickly to see if you may be a fit or not. If they see an obvious fit, they may read more. If your fit for the role isn’t obvious right off the bat, they will move on.

In a quick scan, ‘sound bites’ get read, paragraphs do not. Creating an image of yourself in short phrases as their eyes run down the page is key to surviving the scan. Writing in short, substantive, phrases is better than detailed sentences every time. Furthermore, your resume can be as long as you like, as long as it’s two pages or less! Anything beyond two pages will not get read.

* They want to know what you can do for them, not what you want. An ‘Objective’ statement at the top of your resume is all about what you want in your next job. They don’t particularly care! What they do care about is whether you will be able to accomplish the responsibilities the position requires and if you will do them well.

Instead, you might headline your resume with a broad title of what you do, like ‘Project Manager’, and give brief bullets of highlights of your experience and accomplishments.
Also, under each description of your previous positions should emphasize those things most applicable to the position you are applying to.

* If they can not see where and when you gained the experience you claim to have, they will move on. A purely ‘Functional’ resume without showing your employment history and connecting where you gained your experience makes it appear as if you’re making stuff up.

In order to get a call after you apply to a position, you must be able to show them that you have relevant, recent experience that relates directly to the position you are applying for.

* Don’t write in a first person, or a third person voice. A resume is not a personal letter, so writing “I was responsible for…” is an inappropriate form for the document. Similarly, writing “John was responsible for…” sounds as if someone else is writing about you, when you are the one responsible for what you present. Simply write in direct statements: “Responsible for…”

A professional representation of your background without being too personal or too detached is best.

* Include contact information, and make it easy to find! Amazingly, people occasionally send a resume with no contact information, or perhaps only partial contact information (an email address but no phone number). Or they may list their contact information at the bottom of the page where it’s not necessarily easy to find when viewing their resume on a computer screen. Although, it may seem obvious, if they can’t find how to reach you easily, they will move on.

Provide multiple ways you can be reached: home phone, office phone, mobile phone, email address, street address, and possibly a website (although be sure the site is only professional).

In order to achieve all of this for each job you apply to… You must tailor your resume for each job!

“Isn’t that a lot more work?” Absolutely!

“Is that really necessary?” Not if you don’t care about getting noticed for the position.

“I can’t tailor hundreds of resumes for all the jobs I apply to online!” Right! It’s far more effective to apply to 15 well qualified and targeted openings than 100 to see what may stick.

There is no perfect resume. However, if you apply these principles you will have more success in getting the attention of recruiters and hiring managers you want to target in your job search!

Project Lemon-aid De-brief

2009-08-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Mike Yearick is a contributing blogger at http://whojobseekers.blogspot.com. Mike is a results-driven Senior Technology Leader with process improvement, business operations, and project management leadership experience as well as a record of success in the design, development, and support of enterprise-level solutions. I met Mike out networking over the past couple of months. I wasn't able to make it to this event, so here is Mike's take on it. The next meeting is on 17-Aug from 8am-12pm at Connxions. Send your RSVP to ProjectLemonaid@yahoo.com
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Last week I attended an event, Project Lemon Aid, for job seekers that was advertised as "unlike any other event you will attend." And I gotta admit that it lived up to its billing.

There were 3 speakers and a participant-participant networking session which is a fairly common format for these type of gatherings. However, the content from the speakers is what set this event apart. Other than a few questions from the studio audience, the presentations did NOT cover the standard fare--resumes, cover letters, etc. Rather, the content of the presentations was focused on PMA. Positive Mental Attitude. "Create the habit of thinking what you want." "Angry thoughts produce angry energy which attracts anger into our lives." "Believe it to achieve it."

And also remaining unfailingly persistent during one's search. For anybody in sales, this was good stuff. And since everybody in career transition is "selling themselves" there was probably some benefit to all.

One exercise that I found interesting was one of the speakers asked everyone to list life experiences that induced fear. And then asked us to indicate whether the experience held us back or helped us move forward.

There was a bit of a scheduling snafu with the photographer, but pictures were eventually taken.

How Present is Your Online Presence?

2009-08-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer.
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Your personal brand should always begin with who you are and what unique and differentiating value you bring to the table offline. Period.

However, many of us, myself included, find it enormously beneficial to leverage the power, connectivity and influence of blogs, websites, social networks and other internet resources to increase the online presence of our personal brands.

With that being said, how present is your online presence?

Here are just 6 free online tools that not only help you measure the effectiveness of your brand-building efforts online, but also help you optimize your online presence with advice for moving forward:

Online ID Calculator - Created by leading personal branding and career experts, William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, this calculator is the first and leading tool that will help you make sense of your Google results and give you advice on how to build a stellar online identity that's aligned with your real-world personal brand.

The Linkulator - Provided by Social Media Sonar, this LinkedIn presence scorer, using a scale from 0 to 100, compares your efforts and activities on LinkedIn to the average LinkedIn user. The results also include tips on what you can do to improve your score and presence.

Website Grader - Part of the toolbox provided by Grader.com, Website Grader is a free SEO tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website, blog etc. It provides you with a detailed report and offers you tips and advice on how to optimize your placement in search engine results.

Blog Grader - Part of the toolbox provided by Grader.com, Blog Grader, while similar to Website Grader, measures the marketing effectiveness of your personal or business blog and compares that to and ranks it against others in the blogosphere.

Twitter Grader - Part of the toolbox provided by Grader.com, Twitter Grader is a popular tool for measuring the authority, power and reach of a specific Twitter user. This tool not only helps you by ranking your Twitter profile and offering tips for profile optimization, but also allows you to search by keywords for other influential Twitter users within your field or industry with whom to connect.

Facebook Grader - Part of the toolbox provided by Grader.com, Facebook Grader is a tool that measures the power and reach of a specific Facebook user’s account and even business pages.These are just some of the tools that can help you build, enhance, measure and/or maintain your online personal brand.

What other free online resources do you use or does your business offer?Please share them with us!

8 Tips to Building and Maintaining a Professional Online Image

2009-07-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

Guest blogger Rachel Esterline is a public relations senior at Central Michigan University, blogs at A Step Ahead and is the 2009 Founder’s Award recipient and public relations intern at Fahlgren Mortine , a public relations firm in Columbus, Ohio.

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Maintaining a professional online image is a very important aspect of your career. Through a simple online search, an employer or client can find out what you like to do, how you blog and tweet and see the overall professional online image you portray of yourself.

Here's advice and eight tips on maintaining your image as a professional online:
First of all, how often do you update your Facebook status? More importantly, how do your updates reflect your professional online image? The status "At the bar getting trashed tonight" does not sounds professional. Neither does the wall post from your friend talking about that last party.

Tip No. 1: Don't use your status updates to share information about the actions an employer doesn't need to know about, censor your wall posts and patrol the posts written by others on your own wall.

The photos you post also can impact how people perceive your online professional image. Although it won't hurt your image if you have photos showing you outside of the professional setting, it will hurt you if your photos display you in a way an employer may see as inappropriate. Even if you don't post unprofessional photos of yourself, your friends could still tag you in photos without considering how it could affect your image. Depending on your career goals, the type of photos considered appropriate will vary.

Tip No. 2: Never post pictures of yourself at a bar, party or other situation that may be inappropriate and inform your friends to ask for permission before tagging you in a photo.

Facebook users concerned with maintaining a professional online image also should be cautious about joining groups and fan pages. Groups such as "Party Girls" do not portray professionalism. The various applications on Facebook, such as quizzes and games, also can affect your image.

Tip No. 3: Try to avoid joining groups, fan pages and applications that are not relevant to your field. If you decide to join an irrelevant group, be sure it is about a topic you would be willing to discuss with a company CEO and your grandmother.

Setting your profile to private is one way to avoid professional online image issues. But, people often accept friends who they do not know well. Additionally, a potential employer may go through a mutual friend to see your profile.

Tip No. 4: Even with strict privacy settings, it is still possible for other people to get access to your Facebook account. Always be insistent on maintaining a professional online image, even if your profile is set to private.

Your tweets and the conversations you join are a reflection of your professional online image. If you do not have your tweets set to private, watch what you tweet.

Tip No. 5: Build a professional online image by sharing ideas and information and adding knowledge to the community. Write relevant and useful tweets.

One of the social networks used less often by young professionals is LinkedIn. But, LinkedIn can help build credibility in a person's professional online image. You should go beyond simply filling out a profile and take full advantage of the site's features.

Tip No. 6: Request recommendations, join groups and answer questions of other users after creating your LinkedIn profile.

Participating in the blogosphere also can help build a professional online image. Blogging displays leadership and knowledge in your given field. As a blogger, you also should contribute to the community by commenting on other blogs. If you wish to be seen as a professional, you should not write about personal matters on your blog.

Tip No. 7: Strategically write blog posts that will showcase your skills and knowledge and comment on other industry-related blogs.

A personal Web site or online portfolio is a great tool to help build a professional online image. Not only does it show that you are serious about your career, but you also can include materials to promote your personal brand, such as recommendations and work examples.

Tip. No. 8: Create a clean, well-designed Web site focused on promoting your personal brand in your field to help build your image.

Professional online images take time to create and build. By following these eight tips, you can help build a positive and credible online image that can help advance your career.

http://blog.brand-yourself.com/2009/8-tips-to-building-and-maintaining-a-professional-online-image/

New Social Recruiting Platform

2009-07-28T06:00:00.003-05:00

Another great post from Andrew G.R.
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Web 2.0 reviews take a lot of space on the Jobacle roster. This week, we’re covering KODA. KODA is a small tech startup that is making a name for itself in various unique ways. From the press release:

KODA launched its beta site on May 27, 2009. More professional than Facebook but more personal than Linked In, KODA allows both sides of the hiring equation to get to know each other by establishing profiles on the KODA platform. The result is that both the talent and the employer make more informed career and hiring decisions.

While many of us are looking for a job, we also want a company that is going to appreciate us for the unique skills and talents that we bring to the table. KODA allows users to set up a profile that goes beyond the normal “experience and education” on a traditional resume. In fact, in recent years, the trend has been to make the resume completely professional and remove all traces of a personal life.

KODA differentiates itself by focusing on matching people closely with employer jobs instead of trying to fit into the already-crowded social networking space. However, because they are a startup in a crowded market, they are currently only focusing on two markets—New Orleans and the Bay area. However, anyone can post jobs or create a profile.

KODA’s profiles have sections for expounding on life experience and for demonstrating Web presence; both of these are important factors to a younger job candidate that may otherwise remain hidden from employers. Maybe the fact that you spent an entire summer volunteering or traveling would be important to a potential employer. Maybe not. But unless the topic comes up somehow, there’s no way to know. While nobody may want to admit it, we’re more than a bunch of words on a page. We’re the sum of our dreams, hopes, and abilities.

If you're interested in visiting KODA, feel free to check it out.

What's Your Job's Version of a Perfect Game?

2009-07-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Andrew G.R.'s blog post that I read with my reaction below:
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It's the dream of any kid who has ever picked up a baseball. 27 up, 27 down. Sure it ranks behind the bottom of the ninth grand slam and the over-the-wall-homerun-robbing catch, but the perfect game definitely cracks the top 5.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle became the first major league pitcher in five seasons to hurl a flawless game. And that got me thinking...

WHAT WOULD MY PERFECT GAME LOOK LIKE?

I'm not a baseball player. I'm your average middle class, blog-writing, new-media loving Webaholic who mostly operates under the radar.

I have work goals that I would like to accomplish; career feats that I am driven to achieve. But when I sit down, take a few deep breaths and clear my mind, I still have no idea what my version of a perfect game would look like.

That's a problem.

Since dream chasing is an important aspect of success, I'm now determined to put more thought into what ultimate perfection looks like for me. Is it an error-free presentation? Consecutively successful projects? Increasing ROI by 100%? I don't know, but thanks to Mark Buehrle's magical performance, I am now on the path to find out.

What does a "perfect game" look like for you?
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I read this blog post and started thinking about what my “perfect game” would look like. If you’re on the job hunt and someone asks you what your dream job would be, do you have an answer? If you can’t articulate it, you’re never going to be able to find it.

My perfect dream job would be one where I could work from home because I really enjoyed not going to work. I found that I can still be dedicated and focused without being in an office setting. I have a relatively short attention span, so sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day can be trying at times. I get more accomplished without the interruption of office politics.

I want to make a difference. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been doing a lot of things and not getting paid for it, but I love it because I feel like I’m helping people. I want to add value and I want my voice to be heard.

I’ve discovered in my time off that I can write and be creative.

I enjoy meeting new and interesting people and learning what they’re passionate about.

I love social media. Writing this blog, twittering (tweeting?), keeping up with contacts on LinkedIn; it would be great to continue working within these mediums in my dream job.

So, dream job includes working from home, making a difference, writing/being creative and using social media. Oh, and if I could get to Europe every couple of months on a “business trip”, that would be great :)

My dream job has changed over time because kids are on the horizon, so working from home has really been on my mind. You need to reassess your dream job scenario and keep in mind what’s important to you and yours.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? Post it here for all of the readers to see – who knows, you might make a connection through this blog!!!

Am I Depressed About My Job Search?

2009-07-24T06:00:00.003-05:00

Guest blogger Joe Chandler is a Marketing Consultant with experience in education, customer service, and business and consumer electronics. Joe has over 20 years in corporate America and education, with an MBA-Marketing. He is a Navy Veteran trained in Nuclear Power Plant operation. His passions include: History, Politics, Football, Baseball, and Family. Check out his blog at http://thenukereport.blogspot.com and his profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/joewchandler.
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You’ve been laid off or lost your job for any number of reasons and the job search is not going well. Now what do you do?

The economy is down and the job pool has appeared to dry up. Most people feel helpless and out of control. These are just a couple of the first signs of the onset of job search depression. According to Webster’s Dictionary, depression is “a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies” (www.merriam-webster.com) To understand job search depression further, we must first consider the causes. There are approximately 15 known causes, the most significant include: insignificance from the lack of replies, strain of managing personal finances, and unemployment embarrassment. "It is the crises that follow job loss that are more damaging than the loss itself," says study author Dr. Richard H. Price of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. (Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 2002;7:302-312)

Why should you worry about job search depression? You could be your own worst enemy. The negative thoughts and resulting procrastination can sabotage even the most effective job search. Have you ever thought “I can wait till tomorrow to follow up on that job, or I don’t have time, maybe I will check on that lead next week?” You could be in the first stages.

How do you know if you are experiencing job search depression? As stated before, the initial symptoms are helplessness and loss of control. Other symptoms, as described by the University of Florida (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY100), include:

Sadness, depressed mood, crying over seemingly minor setbacks
Increased irritability, crankiness, difficulty being satisfied
More easily frustrated, gives up quickly after initial failures
Poor self-concept, low self-esteem, reluctance toward attempting endeavors
Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities
Changes in appetite (decreased appetite most common) often signaled by rapid weight gain or loss.
Changes in sleep patterns (not enough or too much sleep)
Slowed, inhibited actions (slow, soft speech; slowed body movements).
Fatigue, loss of pep and energy
Poor concentration, attention and/or memory.
Thoughts or words about death or suicide.
Motivation loss
Wonder if a job will ever be found.

You must experience at least five of these symptoms continuously for at least a continuous 2 weeks, to be considered major depression. Job search depression is a real issue and the ability to recognize the symptoms is the first step in prevention.

Prevention of job search depression is a very important undertaking for any job seeker. As you probably know and have experienced, the trail to finding a job is like a high speed roller coaster with many peaks and valleys. The peaks are the high points where significant progress is being made and it makes us feel good and like something is being achieved. The valleys are low points, which consist of events that make us feel insignificant and let down, such as not getting the job after a good interview. As time goes by, the peaks and valleys become more prominent and more susceptible to job search depression. There are several steps to prevention.

Share your experience with others, with your friends and family, with a local support group, or online.

Educate yourself; read a book such as Listening to Depression.
Take a day or two to reset your mind.
Practice meditation and relaxation.
Visit a counselor; sometimes just one or two visits can make quite a difference.

Knowing yourself is the most important part of beating job search depression. You know what works best for you in keeping your spirits high and focused on the ultimate goal “A JOB.” If you feel you’re spinning out of control, then please seek professional help. Your health is important to you and your family, so do not take it lightly.

Finally, why should you worry about job search depression? You have more than yourself to think about. There are others in your life that are willing to help you. You are not alone. Take responsibility for your happiness and reward yourself for small successes along the job search path. Not only will this stave off depression, but it will allow continued focus and determination.
Good Job Hunting….

Employee Loyalty

2009-07-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm on the cusp of GenX/GenY - as such, I've heard through the grapevine that we're not too loyal to our jobs and that we change jobs more often than the generation that came before.

Some of you that I've met through networking over the past couple of months describe rounds of layoffs at the companies you worked for. If you were still there after round one, how did you feel? Were you looking for a job while you still had one? Did you think that after 25 years with the company that you wouldn't be affected? Maybe there's only going to be one round?

After the next round, what did you do? I've met people who worked for companies through five rounds of layoffs and then it was their turn to be dismissed. Through that whole situation, they remained loyal to their company and stayed with them - not looking outside their company for other opportunities. I even know some people who are very open to returning to the same companies who laid them off. They've even received invitations from their former employer who would love to have them back when "the economy improves".

I would love to hear your opinions on this phenomenon called loyalty. Would you return to the company that laid you off if they made you an offer right now? When the first round of layoffs happened, did you start looking for another job? Are you going to be as loyal in your next position?

Caught in the Middle

2009-07-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Wharton School in Pennsylvania recently wrote an interesting article regarding middle managers and how the tides may be turning for them in their job search:
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Rising unemployment is taking its toll on older managers, who are more likely to be laid off and may stay that way longer. Middle-aged employees will find it harder to get a job, compared to younger workers with newer skills, experts say. But the tide may be beginning to change.

U.S. recessions since the oil crisis in the early 1970s each had their own special causes and victims, but they also had something in common: They were over relatively quickly.

The current downturn, however, is deeper and already longer than any since World War II. This spells trouble for one especially vulnerable group — managers in their 40s and early 50s.

They tend to be more expensive than their younger counterparts; they may lack some of the high-tech savvy needed to succeed in a more efficient workplace; and they face a downsized job market that will stay that way much longer than usual.

Even in a “normal” downturn, the job market is a “lagging indicator” (meaning it does not show improvement for several quarters after the start of a recovery). And the current recession is anything but normal.

According to Wharton finance and statistics professor Francis X. Diebold, co-director of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center, the employment picture is closely aligned with the depth of the recession.

If the recession really did bottom out in February or March, and if we stay on track and start growing at a positive rate by the end of this year — which is by no means certain — it could still be 2013 before we see some significant employment optimism.

A generation ago, says Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli, director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources, “layoffs at this level were temporary. Not now.”

Even if an equivalent job were open at another company, that company will most likely not fill the position or will hire from within. In addition, Cappelli notes, in the 1990s, the economy experienced a “big wave of startups that would take on corporate people who had lost their jobs or bailed out of them. These days, we don’t see those smaller companies on the horizon.”

To continue reading, click here

IWD: Iowa Unemployment Tops 6.2 Percent

2009-07-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

This rate is a 22-year high! If you can recall, last month the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent...The national unemployment rate in June 2009 was 9.5 percent.

What do I think this means?

I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, about the fact that the unemployment rate is really tough to calculate. I feel that we are always at a higher rate of unemployment than Iowa Workforce Development statistics indicate because their information is based on their assumption that those who are out of work file for unemployment insurance benefits. And this is simply not the case.

I feel that the increase from 5.7 to 6.2 percent is due to severance packages running out which now allows for the laid off workers to file for unemployment insurance benefits. They're now finally being recognized as unemployed even though they've been out of work for quite a few months. Will we ever really know what the real unemployment rate is?

If you think the job situation in Iowa is bad, check out other states in the nation. The central United States doesn't have it too bad...

Making Lemons out of Lemonade

2009-07-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Guest blogger Monika Agic is a contemporary artist living in Urbandale who grew up in Bosnia but has made Iowa her home since 1995. After a successful financial services career lasting 9 years, she found herself unemployed and started exploring her creative passion which lead to the creation of the Art by Magic studio. Monika provides free in-home art consultations and designs custom one-of-a-kind paintings that capture the personality, sense of style, wants and needs of each person or group she works with. To see her portfolio, visit http://www.artbymagic.com .
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Suzanne, thank you for inviting me to be your guest blogger. You are doing a wonderful job with unemployed in Des Moines blog that provides multitude of great information and networking opportunities.

I met Suzanne at one of the events organized by the Kaplan university. Suzanne had a bad cold, was dressed up really nice, and for one reason or another, we connected. Sure enough, both Suzanne and I have found strong passions to pursue our natural talents and provide service to others.

I was laid off from the Principal Financial Group back in December 2008. The event was nothing unusual for the state of the economy, and the first reaction was one of disorientation. Perhaps loosing a job that you were so good at for 9 years is not as hard as taking that next step. And weather we want to admit it or not, life goes on, we are the only ones who can make it different. Looking back to January and February it is amazing to think that I did not know that I'd be a business owner and create custom artwork for people only a few short months in the future. I've owned the Art by Magic domain name for almost 3 years, and my unemployment situation allowed me more time to paint. I always had the idea but never had the time. Apart from my love of art, it was also therapeutic and meditative to paint and process my new life situation. In April, I registered the trade name, and today I have clients; there are newspaper articles about me, and I even have a fan page on the Facebook. Wow, what a transformation in only a few short months!

Had I allowed my past career to define me, I would not be able to see past my CLU (chartered life underwriter) designation. Initially, at least in January and February, I thought all I can be is an insurance agent. However, after some soul- searching, I knew that I could do anything, even art!

Since it happened so quickly, I am not sure if Art by Magic is destiny or my own choice. I have realized that being a small business owner, trying to create the product and launch it in the marketplace takes a whole array of skills and is much more complicated than having a corporate job. I must give myself kudos for that kind of growth! Not only I am now more skilled, I am also in a better spiritual and emotional place than I have ever been before.

While art is hardly a profession with which one can make a living, it is something I am dedicated to pursuing long-term. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the happy face of a client whose home is now suddenly enhanced with the beautiful custom art they'll be able to brag about to their friends and family. Yet, I'd really like to have a good paying job, like I was used having. Someday, I'll be doing both. While in search - it is Art by Magic all the way.

Art by Magic web site http://www.artbymagic.com
Art by Magic on twitter http://www.twitter.com/artbymagic
Art by Magic on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-by-Magic/62182248814?sid=076fdd20e52bd242b2ff0aa2b6d3aac0&ref=search
Des Moines Register article http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090618/NEWS/906180314/1131
Monika Agic linkedin profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/monikaagic
Art by Magic upcoming events / also listed on the web site:
July 18th - Art Sale in front of the Art Store - 9:00 - 5:00
July 21st - Jazz in July at the Roosevelt Cultural District 6:00 - 8:00
Aug 1st - Waukee Art Fest 2:00 - 7:00
Sep 24th - Art Sale and Free Class 3:00 - 7:30

Finding a Job Without a Harvard MBA

2009-07-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

Guest blogger Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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Too many people treat their job search as if they had an MBA from Harvard. They send their resume or apply online for an appropriate job opening and wait for the phone to ring.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that highly valued sheepskin, or some other ‘bell ringer’ that will jump off the pages of our resume to reliably cause recruiters or hiring managers to call. So the rest of us have to be more proactive in our search. The key, especially in today’s job market, is to always remember that a job search is a Sales Process!

For many people that aren’t in a sales career the thought of having to ‘Sell’ is frightening. That fear often comes from a misperception of what a good sales person does. Good sales people don’t fit the stereotypical ‘Used Car Salesman’ persona. They don’t deceive, gush false flattery, manipulate, or exude a ‘large personality’. A good sales person is real, and conveys the value of what it is they have to offer to fill the want or need of a potential buyer. That’s your job!

It’s not good enough to have a good generic resume that you send for every job opening. You must tailor your resume to show what experience and successes you’ve had that matter most for that particular position.

It’s not good enough to wait in the showroom (resume on job boards) for customers to come in to buy. You must proactively contact them professionally to market your value to them.

It’s not good enough to expect them to determine your unique value by waiting for them to ask the right questions. You must know, and be able to articulate why you are the best choice for the job.

It’s not good enough to boast about yourself. You must show sincere interest in them and the role.

It’s not good enough to wait silently for weeks for a decision. You must follow up, thank them for their continued consideration, ask if they have any further questions, express a continued desire for the role, and offer additional reasons you are uniquely qualified.

A good sales person makes sure they are seeking, approaching, and professionally presenting their product or service to enough qualified prospects each day, each week, and each month to reach their goal. As a job seeker, your objective is the same. You must plan your work thoroughly, and work your plan diligently.

If you approach your job search as a full-time job… a Sales job… you will get to your goal much more quickly. If you don’t have a “Harvard MBA”, don’t treat your job search as if you do!

Guest Blogger Invitation

2009-07-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

I wrote my first post for this blog on 21 May of this year and since then, I've been extremely busy. Many people in the community have reached out to me in my time of need to lend support. The creation of this blog has resulted in invitations to go for coffee, job interviews and offers to work on special community projects.

I'm writing to invite any of you who are unemployed in the Des Moines community to write a piece for this blog. You could critique an event you've attended to let others know whether it is worth their time or not; you could write about your unemployed situation, the good, the bad and the ugly; you could let the leaders of Des Moines know what you would like to see done to help the unemployed get back to work. Readers include recruiters, career coaches, and many people in the community whose job it is to help the unemployed get back to work.

Not only will you draw attention to yourself and your unemployed status, but you'll also demonstrate your writing ability; something I haven't had the chance to demonstrate in my previously paid positions. People have picked up on my abilities and I've had several conversations regarding being paid to write.

The most rewarding part of contributing to this blog is that you are creating a dialogue with people who are in similar positions. You may provide information that could potentially help someone. That's why I started writing this blog.

If you have an interest in writing one post or even being a regular guest blogger, please let me know...suzanne_hull@hotmail.com

Project Lemon-aid

2009-07-09T06:00:00.005-05:00

Project Lemon-aid is unlike any other event you will attend. Geared towards those in job transition, Project Lemon-aid's mission is to:

Educate - The speakers will will provide relevant, real, tangible, information you can turn into behavior for success.
Equip - The speakers will provide you with resources and tools that you can walk away with and use now.
Connect - This event will create a forum that will allow you to share connections and networks to find a career.

The agenda for Monday, 20-Jul will include information on:

How to find the jobs that aren't advertised and get the interview
Learning a new way of creatively connecting with people in the business community
Selling yourself with confidence and purpose
Facing your fears and overcoming them in your search
Identifying your talents and strengths with new clarity
You will leave this event with new approaches and a new perspective on your job search

The first session will offer a variety of professional services, including free professional photographs for every attendee. There will also be drawings for free services, including:

5 - 30 minute free career coaching sessions
5 - 1 hour personal leadership coaching sessions
5 - free video resumes
3 - 30 minute social media personal consulting sessions

This event will be from 8 a.m. to noon on July 20 at Staybridge Suites, 6905 Lake Drive, West Des Moines. Registration will start at 7:15. For details or to RSVP, write to ProjectLemonaid@yahoo.com.

LIVE on Realization Nation

2009-07-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday, I was a guest on Jason Kiesau's radio show, Realization Nation which is streamed live via http://www.macsworldlive.com/. Jason is the Chief Realization Officer at Full Circle Development Group. He offers companies employee assessment tools, business coaching and various other business solutions. For individuals, he offers personal leadership and career coaching services.

Listen and watch our conversation on USTREAM! We talked about getting laid off, Jason getting fired, the Green Bay Packers, interviewing, college, and the real world! I also talk about my first networking experience and how it completely changed me forever!

Do Thank You Notes Really Matter?

2009-07-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

Guest blogger Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives and writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search.
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EVERYBODY sends a Thank You note after an interview… Right? Wrong!

Having been in the Employment Placement industry for 23 years, I’ve found that only around 10% to 20% of candidates actually send a Thank You note after an interview. And of those, fewer still send one after each interview at a company. Even though I coach all my candidates to send one after interviews I set up for them, only around half actually do it! Yet if you ask any of them if they think it’s a good idea, they will almost always say it is!

But do they really make a difference as to who gets hired? It’s the person that’s the closest match to the job… isn’t it?

No. It isn’t.

Over the years, I have seen a number of times where it’s not the most qualified, or closest match candidate that gets the offer, but rather the one that seems to want the job the most and expresses that enthusiasm professionally. That is often determined by the fact that one sent a Thank You note expressing their interest and the other did not.

It shows that the person is thinking about the job, even after the interview is over. It shows that the person has follow through. It shows that the person is thoughtful, and is more likely to relate well to people at the company. Whether those things are actually true or not, it certainly creates that impression.

So here are some tips to do it successfully:

~ In today’s job market, send a Thank You email the same day after your interview. Sending one by mail is nice, but speed is of the essence. You don’t want them to make a decision on someone else before they see your note! Sending an email immediately, followed up by a ‘snail mail’ note is even better.

~ Keep it brief! If they open your note, and see a long letter, they’re not likely to even read the first couple of lines. They are busy and don’t have the time. If they see a couple of short paragraphs, they will likely read the whole thing.

~ Give one or two reasons you believe the position is a good match, based on their criteria discussed in the interview, and express your interest in pursuing the next steps. That’s all that’s necessary. Short and Sweet.

~ Be professional! No matter how well you got along with them in the interview, do not assume a personal or casual relationship in your note. Getting hired for a job is a business transaction, treat it that way.

~ Be meticulous! Any points you may score by sending a note, will be diminished by poor grammar, misspelled words, or poor handwriting. Proofread it carefully several times, have someone else check it, and proofread it again before you send it.

A well written and timely Thank You note can make the difference between getting an offer and getting a “We chose someone else” letter. Send one every time. If you’re not sure it’s appropriate, send one anyway. I have never seen anyone get rejected because they sent too many Thank You’s!

Alone In A Room Full of Unfamiliar Faces

2009-07-03T06:00:00.004-05:00

Guest blogger Jenny Guerrero is a twenty something social media enthusiast. Since leaving her job she takes the time to learn new skills and blogs about the many things she encounters over at A Note or Two . You can also find her on Twitter.
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“Do something that scares you every day. That scares you. Every single day.”

I came across this saying while reading a blog post over at Transient Travels. Although this was not the first time I came across this, something about it hit me this time.

I am a very friendly person but find it hard to take the initiative and go to a networking event alone. There have been many non-profit, social media, marketing, and networking events that I wanted to attend. For some reason or another I am scared at the idea of walking into a room full of unfamiliar faces.

I know, I know, why not go alone? That is the nerve-racking part for me, walking in a room where I don’t know anyone. Yes, I know that once I go to these events I will meet people whom I could possibly establish a relationship and attend future events with. (That doesn’t make it sound any less frightening) Don’t get me wrong I have tried to get over this weird fear. Bizarrely, I only feel this way about networking events. Last summer I joined an internship program in California, flew out not knowing a single soul, and lived there for a couple of months. It turned out to be one of the utmost experiences of my life.

I know that once I get past the awkwardness and meet people I will do perfectly fine. It is the first couple of minutes that scare me. This is where “Do something that scares you every day” comes in. I am ready to get over my fear and stop missing out on great events and the chance to meet great people.

After doing some research I found some good events right here in my hometown. Thursday, June 25th is Young Professionals night at Trinity Brewhouse. I can make some social connections and possibly form great relationships. I guess now that I blogged about it I have to go huh?

Do you do something that scares you every day? Did you ever find yourself attending an event alone? Was it easy/hard?
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Early on in my unemployed career I managed to mustered up enough courage to go to my first "social hour" alone. I was a bit nervous, but it didn't really hit me until I got there and saw the room full of strangers. I asked the greeter where the bathroom was and left the building through the back door. The whole way home I was beating myself up. Why couldn't I just do this? Go up to someone I don't know and introduce myself. Besides, there are probably other people there that don't know anyone either. When I got home, I vowed NEVER to let my nerves get the better of me. And they haven't.

Actual, Jaw-Dropping Interview Questions

2009-07-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Certain questions are illegal for interviewers to ask. How old are you? Are you married? Are you pregnant? Height? Weight? Do you have any disabilities? Which church do you belong to?

And then there are those questions that catch you off guard. You're not quite sure whether they are illegal, strange or just plain out there.

During one of my most recent interviews, I encountered a few ambiguous comments/questions. "Why haven't you found a job yet?" A few minutes after we started the interview, the employer said that I was well-spoken and that I had great experience, so, why hadn't I found a job yet? I asked for clarification in order to give myself a few seconds to wonder where this question was coming from. I said that the job market is pretty tight right now and there are fewer jobs than there are people looking for jobs. Competition is stiff. After thinking about it for a second, I started to take it personally. "What's wrong with me that I haven't found a job yet?"

We chatted a bit more, then came the shocker, "How are you surviving?" That was very strange. I've been unemployed for 5 months, so sure, one can wonder how we've survived this long on my husband's salary and my unemployment, but to actually be asked that question was very awkward. I asked for clarification again and he said, "How are you eating? How are you paying your mortgage?" Dumbstruck and in awe, I answered that we're very frugal. How would you answer a question like that?

The kicker was when they told me that I was over-qualified. I kind of knew that going into the interview, but I'm not one to turn down an interview. I challenged this statement with the fact that there are a lot of skills that are transferable between industries and job functions, blah, blah, blah...but to actually hear, "You're over-qualified." That just isn't nice.

You've probably guessed by now that I'm sharing this because I did NOT get the job. And I'm okay with that. What are some of the off-the-wall questions you've been asked and how have you answered (or not answered) them?

USTREAM Radio Show

2009-07-01T20:28:00.001-05:00

I was on Jason Kiesau's Radio Show today. We talked about getting laid off, the Packers, networking, interviewing, college, and the real world! Enjoy! http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1740216

Net2Work Debrief

2009-06-30T06:20:00.003-05:00

Net2Work was different yesterday. 90 potential employees had the opportunity to give their 3-5 minute elevator speech to 6 potential employers during a 90 minute networking session. (One of the employers left with 45 minutes to go in the program.) After doing the math, I realized that not everybody would be able to speak to each employer. There was one third-party recruiter (she left early) and 5 employers, so I pared down the list and focused on how make the most of my time.

I ended up talking to Addy Gould from Aviva and a handful of other unemployed persons who I had seen at previous events. It was great catching up with them and hearing how their search was going. They had quite a bit of feedback regarding the event. Keeping in mind that this is the first time Net2Work was organized this way:

1. Sometimes it's better to have a conversation with someone if you know a bit about them first. It would have been great to know which companies were going to be there; better yet, the specific people so we could do a LinkedIn profile review. That's what I like to do anyway...
2. The first 30 minutes were completely chaotic. The unemployed started in one room, then shuffled over to a smaller room where about 20 people had to stand during the 20 minute instruction session. After the instructions were given, the leader had to "check" in the other room to see if the employers/recruiters who signed up to come had actually showed up yet. Since there were only 6, I suppose that was a good idea.
3. Some attendees didn't know that they were going to be meeting with potential employers, so they didn't feel that they had "dressed for success" and asked if their attire was appropriate. Others hadn't brought enough copies of their resumes. The only people who knew about the format change were those who received the email reminder from the Partnership and those who were invited by a friend and their friend told them.

Suggestions for success in the future :
1. Let us know who is coming and what company they work for. This way we can do what we're supposed to do, namely, research the company, so we can have an intelligent conversation. We can also get a sense of whether attending this event will be worth our while.
2. Now that they've got one event under their belt, the next one will run more smoothly.
3. I don't know how you get the word out to the attendees that they will be 'interviewing' today. Since this is a reoccurring event, and people know that, they just show up every other week and expect the program to be like the last one. Yes, those that arrived were told that attire isn't that important and if you don't have a resume, that's alright. But WE feel uncomfortable if we're not dressed how we want to be and if everyone else has a resume and we don't. It's a comfort thing.

This is what I heard from other participants who I spoke with at the event. I hope the organizers read this and incorporate these comments into the next event. For those of you who attended, do you have any comments on how things went? Was it beneficial to you? What went well? What needs to go better next time?

Iowa's Jobless Rate

2009-06-29T06:00:00.004-05:00

The Des Moines Register published an article on 19-Jun entitled, "Iowa Jobless Rate Jumps to 5.8%". According to the state, this is the highest level of unemployment in Iowa since July of 1986 when it was 97,700. Last year at this time, there were 67,600 unemployed workers in Iowa, or 4 percent. The U.S. jobless rate was 5.5 percent in May 2008, 8.9 percent in April 2009 and 9.4 percent in May 2009. Elizabeth Buck, director of workforce development, attributes the latest surge of job losses in part to the increase in college graduates entering the workforce.

According to the article:

Iowa has lost 43,100 nonfarm jobs compared with a year ago.
Manufacturing cut 5,100 jobs from April to May, bringing losses for the year to 27,800.
Construction added 800 jobs in May, thanks in part to the federal government’s $787 billion stimulus spending.
Iowa has lost 6,500 construction jobs compared with a year ago.
Professional and business services added 1,600 jobs in May, although mostly temporary and administrative support positions
Professional and business services has lost 9,000 jobs compared with May 2008.
Financial activities added 800 jobs but is down 100 jobs compared with a year ago.
Trade, transportation and utilities have added 3,500 jobs compared with a year ago.
Education and health services have added 3,500 jobs compared with a year ago.
The number of unemployed workers grew to 96,900 in May, adding 12,000 workers from April

So, all of this adds up to 5.8 percent unemployment in Iowa, right? As far as I know, the state arrives at this percentage based on the number of people who are currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits. What about the willing and able unemployed workers who don't receive unemployment insurance benefits? For some, benefits have run out, but they're still willing and able to work. For others, their employer provided them with lengthy severance packages when they left. They're willing and able to work, but can't receive benefits until the severance period is over; therefore, they aren't included in the 5.8 percent. What is Iowa's actual unemployment rate? Is it grossly understated? Is the federal jobless rate understated?

Layoff Survival Guide: What to do with your 401(k)

2009-06-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Guest blogger Stephanie graduated from MIT in 2006 and started working at a start up. After two years there, she was laid off, and learned firsthand the ins and outs of surviving a layoff and searching for a new job. She's now at a new job, and loving it. She'd love to help you with any of these transitions!
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A good friend of mine recently got laid off. And, since I went through this about a year ago, I’ve got plenty of advice.

I’ve decided to start a little series, the Layoff Survival Guide. I’ll be answering questions that she has, and will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. I’m not a professional financial adviser or career coach, but I’ve learned a lot about surviving a layoff, and the transitions and decisions that come with it. Plus I might have some advice on finding a new job. I already have a few posts for some of these topics (linked to in previous sentence), but I don’t mind focusing on a specific question or topic.

So, ask away! I’ll try my best to find the information you are looking for!

One of the questions my friend sent me was: What do I do with my 401(k)?

I realize that plenty of people have posted about what to do with your 401(k) after you leave your job (either voluntarily or involuntarily). A really good guest post by The Working Dollar at Get Rich Slowly describing your options can be found here.

Still, here’s my own view of your options:

Keep your money where it is. This isn’t the option for everyone. In fact, it depends on the rules of your company and the firm they run the 401(k) through. There’s usually a certain amount of money you need to have in the account in order to keep it there. If you’re happy with your portfolio there, and you are allowed to keep your money there, then you can go ahead and keep it around. If you aren’t able to keep your money there, or you don’t like how your money is invested, or if they’ll start charging a fee or impose other rules you’re not comfortable with, then you might want to consider the other options. The benefit to keeping it (if you can) would be that you wouldn’t have to “sell” your funds, and could hope to make back the losses from the crummy stock market performance. When my boyfriend left his last job, he just kept all his investments at the old company, since he actually had really good investment options there, whereas I was not happy with my options after I got laid off, so I rolled my 401(k) over.

Roll over to an IRA (or Roth IRA). If you can’t (or don’t want to) keep your money where it is, you can roll it over to an IRA. Most investment companies (like Fidelity, Vanguard, or T. Rowe Price) (click those to go directly to their rollover sites) have an option to roll your money over from your 401(k) into an IRA. The important thing to remember here is that you should check with both the organization that has your old 401(k) and the company that you want to roll over your money with, to see how you can move the money without incurring fees or taxes. They’ll tell you what to do! You can now also roll over your money into a Roth IRA, but will need to deal with the taxes there (pre-tax money to post-tax money). The benefit of having an IRA is that you have more choices on what to do with your money. It’s an investment vehicle, where you can buy all sorts of different investments…not just the 10 or so mutual funds that your company lists for you. Another good post about IRAs (from Get Rich Slowly) can be found here.

You also have the option to Roll over your old 401(k) into a new employer sponsored plan. I don’t know as much about this option, but it seems that it would require you to have your new job already. You’d need to be able to keep your retirement savings somewhere (i.e. the old 401(k)) while you wait for your new plan to take effect.

And, finally, my least favorite option, Cash it out. I don’t recommend this unless you have a really good reason to. You’ll be hit with taxes all at once, and will likely have to face fees as well, quickly dwindling down the actual amount you will get.

What did I do? Since I was not happy with my investments in my old 401(k), I decided to roll my money over to an IRA. And since I already had a Roth IRA at Fidelity, I decided to open a rollover IRA there. It was pretty darn easy, and they answered all the questions and concerns I had. Plus they have a lot of investment options, many of which don’t require fees. I’ve heard good things of lots of the other investment companies, so take a look around your options before committing to a specific company.

Vanguard also lays out the pros and cons of each option (as does Fidelity). Like I said before, this information is everywhere. But I just figured I’d lay it out again for anyone looking for some guidance.

Have any questions about what I wrote? Suggestions? Corrections? I don’t claim to be a financial adviser or expert, so hopefully you’ll take what I’ve written and run with it (and if there are mistakes, I’ll be sure to edit it to reflect corrections you submit).

Also, what other questions do you have about the transition from employment to unemployment? I’ll be answering them here! Leave a comment or email me the question at graduatedlearning@gmail.com.

Pink Slip Networking Debrief

2009-06-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

I went to the Des Moines Pink Slip Networking event Tuesday night. With over 60 people attending, I would call it a success. The $5 charge got you 45 minutes of networking, over an hour's worth of advice from the speakers listed below and the chance to learn more about my got work? online apparel store: www.gotworktshirts.com (shameless plug). The speakers included:

Billie Sucher, Owner, Billie Sucher Career Transition Consulting
Heidi Myers, Senior Technical Recruiter at Technisource
Elizabeth Floyd, President, WebPromote Kansas City & Iowa
Janet Tingwald, Owner, The Coaching Advantage Group and Professional Training & Coaching Consultant

The theme of the night was "How to Be the 1 In a Million STAND OUT (Rather Than Having a 1 In a Million Shot)". The stress again was on networking and how important it is. Get your elevator speech together and memorized; rediscover what you love to do and through that, you'll be networking without knowing it; reach out to people you know already; reach out to people who work at the companies you want to work for using LinkedIn introductions. Spice up your networking activities. Once I start seeing the same people over and over again at a networking event, I switch it up and go to a different event the following week/month.

The next Pink Slip Networking is Tuesday, 28-Jul from 5:30pm-7:30pm (location to be determined). The topic will be "Tough Interview Questions - Why They Ask & How to Respond". Click here to register.

Find your voice

2009-06-24T08:17:00.003-05:00

This is Seth Godin's blog post of today. Thought it was very applicable to job seekers in today's market.
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Marketing (in all its forms) is unlike everything else an organization does, because it's always different. There's no manual because everyone does it differently, and what successful marketers have in common is that they are successful.

The only way your organization is going to make an impact is to market in the way only you can. Not by following some expert's rules or following the herd, but by doing it in the way that works. For you. Don't worry about someone else's invented standards for new media, invent your own. Avoid obvious mistakes, don't follow obvious successes.

Find your voice, don't copy someone else's.
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As unemployed persons looking for work, we are essentially marketing ourselves and our skills/experience to potential employers. We all have marketed ourselves differently in order to get our last positions. We've all been successful in doing so. The only way we're going to be successful in our current job hunt is by continuing to market ourselves the way that works best for us. Don't worry so much about what other people are doing; do what works best for you - avoiding the obvious mistakes job seekers make, of course. By being you, you're going to stand out in the crowd.

MEETING CANCELLED/RESCHEDULED

2009-06-23T14:26:00.003-05:00

Tonight's Jobs Town Hall Meeting at Living Truth Church in Des Moines is cancelled. It has been rescheduled for 7-Jul at 7pm Contact Belle Britta for more information.

Speed Networking

2009-06-23T07:57:00.004-05:00

I attended my first speed networking event last night at Staybridge Suites in West Des Moines. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never done anything like this before. Cheryl Hayes, Regional Sales Director along with Tim Bianci, Owner of Trilogy Solutions put together a great event.

Attendees were able to tour one of the hotel rooms and your $5 entry got you beer, wine and a filling spread of appetizers. Before we got started, Tim told us the "rules of engagement", basically how to get the most out of our networking experience. Each person had 3 minutes to talk about themselves and what they do, then it was the other person's turn. Then Cheryl blew a whistle (we need to work out a better system for signaling when it is time to switch!) and then the person you were talking to shifted over a chair and you had someone new to talk to.

Because of our short time together, Tim made it clear that we should talk about what we do, but then focus on who we are as a person. We're more likely to do business with people we connect with on some level. Then, the next day, take a couple minutes and see if you want to take the next step to further your relationship with those you met; make an appointment to go grab a coffee and have a one-on-one conversation that lasts more than 6 minutes without the interruption of a whistle.

I was a little disappointed that there weren't other unemployed people in the room. This would have been a great opportunity to meet 25 people. No, I didn't get a job offer, but I met people who now know that I'm looking and they know what I'm looking for.

It was a great first event for the Staybridge and I hope that more are organized in the future.

I'd better see all of you tonight at Pink Slip Networking! www.pinkslipnetworking.com

Using LinkedIn During Your Job Search

2009-06-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

During my last 5 months of networking, I've met several of you who are either new to LinkedIn or don't have an account yet (Shame on you!). I can't stress how valuable this resource has been to me in my job search.

I want to find a job in the Des Moines area, so I became a member of all groups in this area that interested me. Once a month, I post the same job announcement to all job tabs within each group: "Talented, mid-level professional seeking marketing, project/product support or event planning position in the Des Moines area. Speaks German and Spanish." It felt a little redundant at first, but my message is being seen by hundreds of people. I've received information about job opportunities that aren't being published on job boards. I've had people in the recruiting industry reach out to see how they could help. I'm learning about networking events that aren't published in social media that I am then posting on this blog to share with others. I've had numerous meetings over coffee getting to know people. LinkedIn is great; if you know how to use it properly.

Below are a few links on how to use LinkedIn during your job search.

Best Practices for a LinkedIn Job Search - Konstantin Guericke (via Dave Taylor)
How Do I Use LinkedIn to Find a Job? - Dave Taylor
How to Use LinkedIn to Find a New Position - Eric Mariacher
How to Find a Job Using LinkedIn - Liz Ryan (via Dave Taylor)
LinkedIn and Your Job Search - Alison Doyle
Searching the Hidden Job Market for Opportunities - Debra Feldman
Create More Value with LinkedIn - Darlene McDaniel

Leaving Your Job and Why It's Exactly Like Schizophrenia

2009-06-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

Guest blogger Caitlin McCabe is a Madison, Wisconsin-based social media enthusiast and consultant. A graduate of the University of Iowa she is putting her hard earned journalism degree to work in writing a blog, Smile Like You Mean It, covering design, fashion and social media.
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I left my job this week, the details of which don't really matter. Things ended well with everyone, security wasn't called, and we promised to stay in touch.

It was anti-climatic actually.

I thought that doing something as big as changing jobs would be a bigger deal somehow, like part of my identity would be missing. Like I'd wake up and be either freaked out, enormously exited, endless possibilities, or..... something. I blame social media for the ease of transition. For example, 20 years ago when you changed jobs or careers, you had to turn in your Rolodex and generally stopped connecting with a lot of the people you knew. When my Grandfather was laid off a few years ago, it was almost like they had cut off a limb. His only access to the company news, the employees, etc. was by being at the building. With social media, my LinkedIn is still there, my Facebook friends still update me on their every move, and my blog is exactly the same as it was last week. I realized that however superficial my identity is on the Internet, it's permanently attached to me. That we aren't as defined by our place of employment as we think we are.

Granted, the crazy had to set in since I am melodramatic and cannot let an event like this pass without some kind of existential drama. Turns out that drama is schizophrenia. Example: during the course of 1 conversation with New Jersey, I had definitively decided to: start my own company, work for someone else, work on my blog more, open a clothing store, open an art gallery, design a new software, or some combo of all of those. He agreed with all of those ideas because he's really supportive and probably a tiny bit frightened of multiple personality me.

I just can't help thinking that since I'm 28 now, the next thing I do is going to have to be good. Because I always thought that having career schizophrenia was ok if you were in your twenties but not in your thirties and since I'm getting pretty close, I shouldn't still be deciding what I want to be when I grow up right?

So I laid out all of these ideas (there are 6) and tried to find a common thread (there wasn't). I tried to "gut instinct" them and see which one really stood out (nope). How could there be a universe in which there are so many different versions of me and how did I not realize this until very recently?

I think that the older you get, the more these decisions we make (career or otherwise) determine how our life is going to go. These decisions start to stick longer and have a lasting impact on our lives. Also, and this is the hard part, choosing one thing means you are probably not going to ever do some of the others. Maybe I don't even really want a clothing store but the idea that I could have one always pops up at times like these and that's a very tough thing to come to grips with. Anyone else have to give up a version of themselves (pipe dream?) lately?

The Time Shift

2009-06-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

Does it seem like it takes a lot longer for things to happen now that you're unemployed? When I was working, we would schedule in-house meetings, conversations over coffee, project deadlines not for this week, but for next week, or the week after that. Right now, I'm talking with companies about job opportunities and I'm told that "we really want to move fast on this". What does that mean? In my "unemployed mind" I'm expecting a call with some information the next day. Fast in their minds is a couple of weeks (or months). I'm finding it difficult to understand this time shift now that I'm on the unemployed side.

The employed are busier than the unemployed because they have a job, right? I don't know about anybody else, but I'm busy too - looking for a JOB! Every day I spend at least a couple of hours looking for a job. By the end of this week, I will have spent 15 hours networking and interviewing. Blogging takes time too. Imagine if we had kids!!! We're all busy with one thing or another. But I still find time to make decisions and get things done.

Are any of you experiencing this strange time shift phenomenon? Or is it just me?

Just Practicing

2009-06-17T07:50:00.009-05:00

Guest blogger, Judy Palko is a positive, accomplished human resources leader focused on helping people and organizations raise their performance to achieve stellar results. Her career has focused on leadership, employee organizational transformation, employee engagement, and communications and change management –all of which are on her radar screen for her next position. While seeking her next great employment adventure, she recently attended The Mevyn Group’s "Leaders to Go!" program, is participating in a teleprogram, "Practicing Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace" through LeadingYourselfCoaching.com, and is exploring positive psychology. Connect with Judy through LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/judypalko. After reading Judy's piece, I'm sure you'll hope, just as I do, that she becomes a regular writer on this blog. She brings such a fresh and unique perspective to our situation.

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Just Practicing

If you’ve been away from the routine of a day job, you know, the one that starts with the 6 a.m. alarm, followed by a shower and primping, the scoot with the morning commute, and a day jam packed with all the stuff you once took for granted, then you might want to consider holding your own dress rehearsal. I call it a “Just Practicing” day.

A successful Just Practicing day gives you a non-stop day filled with To Dos related to your primary job of finding your next great opportunity. With a little bit of planning, you’ll have a good time and get an extra jolt of energy, all with just a little practice.

First, to make it a real dress rehearsal, you need to start with a people event that gets you out of the house first thing in the morning. That means, no ruminating through the job boards while you’re sipping your favorite caffeinated drink. Up and at ‘em with full dress uniform, matching shoes, and make-up, if you’re so inclined. If you can, it’s a nice touch to wear something new, just to see how it might feel on the first day of that new job you’ll eventually get. That way, when someone sees you all dressed up and asks about your new job, you can say, “I’m just practicing.”

Next, you need to schedule back-to-back meetings, just like you did at the office. This way you can get your adrenalin pumping as you’re maneuvering through traffic and watching the time pass at the longest red lights between you and your next meeting.

A five-star practice day also needs some kind of professional techno-meeting – a webinar, a teleconference, or video conference – to recharge your intellectual curiosity. This event may also allow you to practice dealing with dropped connections, delayed slide shows, or high-decibel feedback in your ear. There is an art to handling each of these – all the more reason to stay in shape.

And finally, any time spent back at home base, is still “on the clock.” That means you answer emails, apply for jobs, phone your network contacts, and plan your To Dos for tomorrow all in your dress rehearsal clothes, until 5 o’clock, or 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock—whatever you consider normal. Remember, you’re practicing for the whole day so you need to go the distance.

Okay, so here’s how my latest Just Practicing day played out:

5:45 am Alarm, shower, new jacket, new shoes–just to break them in
6:50 am Freeway exhilaration with morning rush hour
7:15-9 am Central Iowa SHRM meeting: HR legal update with networking, Pleasant Hills
9:00-9:30 am High-adrenalin traffic to get back across town to West Des Moines
9:30-11 am Meeting with recruiter, back to my home office
11:00-Noon Quick emails; job alerts from job boards, lunch at my desk—just like old times
Noon-12:50 pm Free webinar: Becoming a Strategic Partner in Your Organization
1-3 pmUpdate meeting with CRG Lee Hecht Harrison® job search work team, West Des Moines
3-3:30 pm Meeting prep: Practice run at following map to drive to tomorrow's morning meeting
3:30-5 pm Research on job prospects, network emails
5:15 pm Pure satisfaction—with blue jeans and tennis shoes for a little relaxing

The best part of my practice day: Feeling like it really was the first day of my brand new job. . . and that was priceless.

So if you’ve go some spare time this week, try a dress rehearsal. You can always tell your friends you’re just practicing for your opening day.

Net2Work - Utilizing Social Media to Maximize Your Job Search/Networking

2009-06-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Net2Work at the Des Moines Botanical Center was another informative session. Ben Stone - RPO Consulting - talked about what social media is and how we as job seekers can use it to our advantage.

How many hours a day to you spend looking at the numerous job boards, checking your Twitter account and surfing LinkedIn for updates? Today, Ben introduced us to Google Reader. It takes a little time to set up, but once you do, you'll be spending a lot less time surfing the net. You basically tell the Reader what information you want (you can subscribe to many different RSS feeds) and it gets the information for you so you don't have to spend time looking for it. I'm very excited to start creating my Reader!

If you're coming to the next Net2Work session on 29-June, be aware that the format will be vastly different. We won't be sitting around a table networking with each other and then listening to a speaker. Human Resource staff from local companies, as well as third-party recruiters, have been asked to attend so we all can network. Have your 'elevator speech' prepared and your business cards and resume ready to hand out.

Career Resources for Alumni

2009-06-15T06:30:00.002-05:00

I recently read an article entitled, "Career counseling draws alumni back to campus" published in the Boston Globe: http://tinyurl.com/nb2vrk. I got excited. I wondered what kinds of services my Alma Mater, Wartburg College, offers its alumni, i.e. those of us who are more than 5 years out of college. I'm celebrating my 10th reunion this year.

In searching the Alumni pages, I vaguely remembered using the Wartburg KnightNet. I was quickly reminded why I stopped using it as a resource; it's Wartburg's attempt at a LinkedIn for students/alumni, but very few people use it. Great.

hen I looked at the "Career Resources for Alumni" page to see how this amazing, private, liberal arts college could help me in my time of need, since I am, after all, still paying for my education. I was sadly disappointed. I don't even need to ask if I read the first couple of paragraphs correctly. I understand the writing on the wall; it's pretty clear:
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As you might imagine, our online resources can provide you with information on alumni connections, job search resources, and information about continuing your education. Alumni are always welcome to stop in and browse our resource library located in the Pathways Center. However, it is important to note that our primary focus is serving the needs of our current students, thus most of our resources tend to be geared toward current students and recent graduates.Because our main focus lies in counseling and advising undergraduate students (and those who have just recently graduated), we provide limited advice and referral services to those more advanced in their career. Career assessments and counseling can be better accessed from those who specialize in adult career transitions such as the Iowa Workforce Development and CareerOneStop.
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Have any of you gotten back in touch with your Alma Maters to see if you can use their career center resources in your job search? What have you found? I hope your Alma Mater has more to offer its alumni.

Public Service Announcement

2009-06-12T07:32:00.007-05:00

Below is a public service announcement (addressed to us, the unemployed) published in the careerbuilder section of the 7-Jun Des Moines Register:
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Dear job seeker:

As we all confront the challenges of a difficult economy, it is more important than ever to recognize the tremendous opportunities Iowa's job market has to offer. We have not been immune to the current economic environment. Here in Central Iowa we are fairing far better than many regions across the country. Our unemployment rate is lower than the national average and, yes, employers are still hiring here as evidenced by the thousands of job opportunities highlighted today. It is crucial to connect you to central Iowa employers. If you aren't working, our region isn't working. We need a strong local work force to help our business community grow.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership joins other local organizations in focus and commitment on getting you back to work. Through new programs like Net2Work, we are helping you expand your networks, learn from local experts to better market yourself and navigate your search to ultimately connect you with your next job opportunity. With economic development at the heart of the Partnership, we are aggressively seeking to bring new employers here to help our local businesses grow and create new jobs.

Thanks to the Des Moines Register's careerbuilder.com, more information and options are available to connect you to new opportunities,

Sincerely,

Signed:
Steve Lacy, Chair, Greater Des Moines Partnership
Martha Willits, President & CEO, Greater Des Moines Partnership
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Yes, I agree, Central Iowa is fairing better than many regions across the country. It's easy to forget that sometimes when we're focusing on how we're going to pay our bills.

Yes, employers are still hiring. But are the positions they have open in line with our skill set? I feel that the majority of employers are hiring for positions that are outside of what we are qualified for/or want to do, otherwise they wouldn't have let us go in the first place. This is why we find ourselves in a difficult position; do we take a job that we don't like until we find something better or do we take a job that we're over-qualified for? Good luck getting hired in either of these situations because, believe me, the employers are on to us. They know we'll leave if we find something better.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa Workforce Development and Grand View University are among those offering networking opportunities, classes and workshops to help us. Is what they're currently doing enough? When I started this blog, I posted a poll, "Do you think Des Moines is doing everything it can to help us get back to work?". 66% of you said no. What other community initiatives would you like to see developed to help us get back to work? I know that there are people at all three institutions listed that read this blog, so now is the time to let them know!

"Leaders to Go" - The Meyvn Group

2009-06-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Today I'm participating in Day 2 of a two-day event hosted by the Meyvn Group focusing on leadership and coaching skills that increase organizational effectiveness and productivity. I'm thoroughly enjoying their "learning laboratory" approach to training out at Walnut Woods State Park; we participate in different activities and then are asked to reflect on them which leads to eye-opening realizations and discussion. The Meyvn Group specializes in training and development, human resources consulting, business coaching and organizational development. If you're not already familiar with this group, you need to get familiar. They're doing great work...

What are you doing to maintain or improve your skills? Do you work in an industry where a 6-month stint not working will out date your skills? Before I started this blog, I noticed that my writing skills were getting a little rough around the edges. And this is only after 3 months off the job! If you don't use it, you lose it. If there are skills you need to maintain or improve on, you need to find a way to do it. I know there are a lot of online courses available for free or for a minimal fee. In this competitive marketplace, don't let the difference between you and your competition be skills that you have the chance to maintain or acquire.

The Age Question

2009-06-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

First, on the sidebar, you'll notice an interactive tool called a ShopBOT which you can scroll through to view the apparel at my online store. Please feel free to "Click-N-Place" this ShopBOT on your FB page, MySpace page, blog, website or email by clicking the "share" symbol located on the bottom left hand corner of the ShopBOT. Thanks!

Anyway...at last week's Net2Work event, one of our table's topics of discussion was age (along with which goes experience) and if it helps or hinders you in the job search.. We didn't notice any young professionals (20-30 somethings) at the event besides myself and one other person. Where are the young professionals? Do they still all have jobs? Everyone at my table (all older) said that they are having a difficult time getting a job because they're overqualified or are asking for too high of a salary, even if they indicate that neither of these things are that important to them right now. They just want to get a job. When companies "retooled", I wonder what age demographic was affected the most; did they layoff the older, more experienced (more expensive) employees and keep the younger less experienced (less expensive) employees? I wonder...If there are any statistics out there, I would love to see them. The youngest person I know who lost their job is 26; the oldest was laid off 3 months before he was to retire at 67...the majority, though are in their 40s and 50s, the upper level execs. What are your thoughts on this?

Jobs Townhall Meeting - Philadelphia SDA Church‏

2009-06-09T15:53:00.003-05:00

An event going on in Des Moines tonight. Please get the word out! This organization is planning on doing more events like this throughout Des Moines.
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How do you find a good job?
Are good jobs available for all??
What are the barriers to good jobs???

Join us on Tuesday, June 9th at 7 p.m. at Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church (1639 Garfield Avenue) for a frank and open conversation about the world of work. Philadelphia has partnered with AMOS, Workforce Development and Making Connections to begin identifying the barriers between unemployed and underemployed Iowans and a good job. Over the next few months AMOS (A Mid Iowa Organizing Strategy) will be organizing hundreds of conversations across Des Moines to identify the problems associated with getting good jobs. These conversations will lead to a strategy to make good jobs available to more people in our city.

We need to hear from you! What have your experiences been in finding good paying jobs in Des Moines? What's your dream job? Help us shape an economy that works for all!

For questions about this meeting, please call the Philadelphia church office at 262-7467 or Paul Turner at AMOS at 554-3433. See you on June 9th!
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Graduate school for unemployed college students

2009-06-09T08:11:00.006-05:00

I'm reposting Seth Godin's blog post from today because I think it is very applicable to our situation. He's specifically speaking to college grads who don't have jobs yet, but I think his reasoning is applicable to all of us who are unemployed. How many of these projects have you completed?
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Fewer college grads have jobs than at any other time in recent memory—a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers annual student survey said that 20 percent of 2009 college graduates who applied for a job actually have one. So, what should the unfortunate 80% do?

How about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):

Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.
Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery.
Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.
Start, run and grow an online community.
Give a speech a week to local organizations.
Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.
Learn a foreign language fluently.
Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.
Self-publish a book.
Run a marathon.

Beats law school.

If you wake up every morning at 6, give up TV and treat this list like a job, you'll have no trouble accomplishing everything on it. Everything! When you do, what happens to your job prospects?
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If you're not already subscribed to Seth's blog, click on the title of this post and you'll be directed to his blog so you can subscribe.

Are You Keeping Your Employment Status a Secret?

2009-06-08T07:00:00.007-05:00

When I lost my job, the first thing I did was get the word out that I was unemployed and was looking for work. Over the past few months, I've met quite a few people, who, for one reason or another, are having a tough time overcoming the negative stigmas associated with being unemployed. This is just my opinion, but let others think what they want to think about us; we know who we are and what we're capable of.

I don't know what made me so open about looking for work. I think it was just the fact that I knew that the best way to find a job is through someone you know, so I wasn't shy about my situation. Some unemployed feel like they're letting their families down by losing their jobs. Some men, the "hunters", feel like losing their job conflicts with their responsibility to provide for their families. There are also some strong, independent women who have lost their jobs who were the main (or sole) income for their families. Some unemployed parents have kept their job status a secret from their children in order to keep them from worrying.

We all have our own reasons for what we do and who we tell what. And if you can manage to get a new job by keeping the fact that you're looking for a job a secret, that's amazing! I'm still of the school of thought which says that people can't help you unless you ask for it, so maybe that's why I reached out to my contacts (including family and friends) so early on in my search.

How did you react when you lost your job? Did it take you a while to tell others or did you tell them right away? Are you continuing to keep the fact that you're not working to yourself? I'm curious to hear your stories.

Net2Work, 15-Jun

2009-06-05T14:56:00.004-05:00

Just got an email from Mary Bontrager at the GDMP. Thought I'd get her message out to my blog readers who may not be subscribed to her mailing list for the Net2Work events. She writes:
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Do you want some FREE personalized, expert assistance with your interview skills and/or resume review? Come early to the next net2work where you can schedule a mock interview with a panel of experts or have a one-on-one resume review session with a professional career counselor.

Mock interviews (with constructive critique included) will be conducted every 15 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Once your interview is complete, you are welcome to sit on a panel as an interviewer. Depending on demand, we will plan to have two panels available to run concurrent interviews per time slot. If interested, please call 223-6200 and ask for Julie Lambirth or email Connie McKeen at Connie.mckeen@right.com.

Resume reviews will be scheduled in 10 minute time slots beginning at 8:00 a.m. and concluding at 9:50 a.m. Again, depending on demand, we will have two experts on hand to provide professional assistance to make your resume stand out in a crowd – be the Blue Marble. To schedule a resume review please call Cassandra Halls at (515)473-4980 or email her at c.halls@mchsi.com.

Mock interviews will take place in the Willow Room and resume review will be in the Walsh classroom. If we don’t see you early on the 15th, we do hope to see at 10:00 for net2work.
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If you haven't had your resume critiqued, you need to, and this is the perfect opportunity. If you haven't interviewed in a while, don't "practice" your interview skills during your job interview! Take advantage of this great, FREE opportunity to mock interview with people who know what TO do and what NOT to do.

@unemployedindsm is now on Twitter!

2009-06-04T07:50:00.001-05:00

Today will be short because I'm getting used to having only 140 characters to get my point across. Follow @unemployedindsm on Twitter!

What have you been doing during your time off?

2009-06-03T12:31:00.007-05:00

If this question is posed to you during an interview, what are you going to say? "I've been looking for a job..." This approach probably won't work.

If you've been unemployed for more than four weeks, you need to start doing something in addition to looking for a job. I keep a list of all of the networking events I've been to, events at which I've volunteered and clubs I've become an active member of. The fact that I've started a blog is at the top of that list.

If you're doing temp work, I would include that on your resume. Consider doing volunteer work that would help you maintain skills you used at your previous job. Even better, see if you can find a volunteer opportunity or club where you can LEARN additional skills to bring to your next job. Include these experiences on your resume.

People that you meet while networking are also going to be interested in what you've been doing with yourself, so have an answer ready. This answer may be the deciding factor on whether or not they refer you on to someone else. Word-of-mouth marketing is extremely beneficial during your job search!

Believe me, you should never answer, "What have you been doing during your time off?" with "Nothing." In this competitive job market, I guarantee your resume will be shoved to the bottom of the pile with that answer.

got work? Apparel Online Store Launch!

2009-06-02T10:41:00.007-05:00

Let everyone you meet know you're looking for work with got work? apparel available online by clicking the got work? logo on the right.

The more people who know you're looking for work, the more opportunities you have of striking up a conversation which could lead to something great! There's a wide selection of shirts and hats available in a variety of colors and styles for you to choose from. Wear got work? apparel to the gym, while doing yard work or anytime you leave the house to let everyone who sees you know that you're looking for that next great opportunity.