Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Friday
It's not just me touting LinkedIn!
Everyone should read this article about maximizing your potential to be found on LinkedIn. It lays out in clear terms the benefits to spelling out exactly what you do, and to using a title that's less like a vanity plate, more like a professional descriptor:
Tuesday
JobVite's Patrick Neeman on "How to Build a Great Profile on LinkedIn"
Patrick, recruiters everywhere salute you! Job seekers, please read. Then go forth and conquer!
Friday
When Enthusiasm borders on Stalking
There was a great article recently on hotjobs citing 6 reasons you might not get a response to an application. (Tiny url: http://bit.ly/txygt) It’s a great read and I’m so glad it was posted. I’m especially partial to reasons #3 and #4. As an op-ed though, I’d like to add a reason #7: You’ve made yourself a nuisance and won’t ever be hired here.
Before writing this, I asked a few fellow recruiters what topic I should cover and they came back with a resounding reply: “Stalking!”
The hotjobs article reminds us that time simply isn’t on our side. There have been loads of lay-offs in many companies, but have you thought about which departments get hit first? It’s the non-billable ones (i.e. HR and Recruiting). Therefore, while there are hundreds more resumes coming in weekly, there are fewer people to review them and to handle the actual hiring process.
So how to proceed without becoming a nuisance?
1. Make sure you’ve read the job description several times. If you really fit the bill, apply. Meanwhile, tap your network for internal contacts in the hopes of being internally referred as well. Send a nice email (*attach resume and signature with portfolio/blog link, email address, phone number*) to the connection and thank them for being so kind as to forward it. You can otherwise call reception to ask for the email address of the internal recruiter or recruiting coordinator. Send that person said email with resume. Now wait.
2. If you don’t hear anything after 2 full weeks, ask someone in your field to read your resume and the job description to see if they see the fit. If they do and you’ve been busily investigating the company, getting excited by what they’re doing, send a snail mail resume and cover letter explaining your respect for the company and fit for the role. Address it to “Hiring/Recruiting” -- the mailroom knows where to deliver it. Now wait again.
If you do those three things and still don’t hear anything, as hotjobs said, they’re just not that into you and leave it at that. Don’t take it personally; there’s just someone else with a leg-up on you this time. Keep your eye on the company website for subsequent postings and start over in a few months if you feel so inclined.
NOW… what to do when you actually GET a response? Well, if it’s to tell you they’re interested, follow their instructions at this point, and good luck!
IF, however, the response isn’t quite as favorable, please take note of the following.
A vague “thanks but no thanks” response ONLY warrants a reply to thank them for the follow-up and let them know you would appreciate being kept in mind for future opportunities. (*If in 2+ months you see another role that matches your experience, apply to the role online and alert the recruiter by replying ever-so briefly to his/her original message from last time.*)
On the other hand, if any response from a company is more specific, read it carefully. Respect the contents. If you do not possess an adequate amount of one or more of the required skills, still send a “thank you” reply as instructed above, but DO NOT argue the point. I have NEVER seen this work in a candidate’s favor. Never.
If a company takes the time to tell you why they aren’t moving forward with you, please do not turn it into a back-and-forth, time-consuming, irksome dialogue. You may have what you think is a lot of financial services for example, but for this role, compared to other applicants, based on company needs, it’s not enough. You may have some digital under your belt, but as of now, not enough. The list goes on but the point is this: you can’t possibly know better than the internal recruiter and hiring team what they need, so let them do their jobs, be respectful of their time, thank them and move on.
Too many times I’ve seen candidates argue their qualifications. They try to convince us that we just need to give them the opportunity to learn and grow and prove what they can do. Time, money, and client patience are tight commodities – we need someone who can do this job, as it’s written in the description, today.
All “stalking” gets anyone is a bad rep. Recruiters warn one another about stalkers, about the candidates they should avoid. Stalkers wind up looking desperate and we all know, if you’re desperate, it means no one wants you. If no one wants you, you can’t be any good. I say this plainly because it’s a basic human truth. Humans want what we can’t have. It’s supply and demand. In retail, no one wants the last one. The last one finds it’s way to the clearance rack. Don’t put yourself on the clearance rack by appearing desperate.
This brings me to my conclusion and my op-ed reason #8 that you maybe haven’t heard back on a resume submission. It’s the fall-out of the stalker factor. Unfortunately, email has made it too easy for some people to stalk. Once these people have direct access to a recruiter, they abuse the privilege. As a result, recruiters have become skittish and afraid to make contact for fear it will result in having another stalker. Kind of like the housing crisis, a few bad apples have spoiled it for everyone.
Saturday
NO SPAM FILTERS when you're job hunting!
I recently got this message when I replied to someone applying to a job posting:
"To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand. If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience."
Don't make employers have to work any harder to reach you. Even if it means you get a few offers of pills promising to enlarge certain body parts, deal with it. Otherwise you risk not getting that email saying "Thanks for submitting your resume, are you available for a phonescreen?"
"To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand. If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience."
Don't make employers have to work any harder to reach you. Even if it means you get a few offers of pills promising to enlarge certain body parts, deal with it. Otherwise you risk not getting that email saying "Thanks for submitting your resume, are you available for a phonescreen?"
My article on TalentZoo's Career Oxygen: "Value Add"
Value Add
You have three seconds to impress me.
You get 30 more if I like what I see at a glance.
It does indeed sound like dating, doesn’t it? And you should think of it that way; it’s in the interests of both parties to feel a little giddy and a lot excited about the prospect of “getting hitched.”
Recruiters want to know what you bring to the table. It’s even more the case these days. When you hear numbers like 2000 people have applied for one job at an institution used to receiving 20 applications per position, you know there is some very fast scanning of resumes going on.
So, what makes you special? Give it to us straight, up front, your 30-second elevator pitch in a neat and tidy summary at the top of your resume. An Objective is well, just alright—many of us tend to ignore those because they are usually rather generic sounding. We much prefer a concise yet explicit Summary.
It’s not enough to simply say you’re “multi-channel” or “multi-media” and leave it at that. What are your specialties? Give me the keywords I might be looking for: interactive, Web, online, digital, print, television, broadcast, direct, radio, video, traditional, packaging, branding, outdoor, out-of-home, guerilla, social media, iphone applications, mobile, technology, financial services, healthcare, beauty, automotive, consumer goods, Flash, Ajax, Javascript, CSS, MS Project, Visio, wireframes, and so on.
If you’ve got too many buzzwords for the summary, you can use “multi-media” or “traditional and digital” in your 30-second summary as long as you elaborate within the Experience section. We like details in the experience section because it helps us determine how many years exposure you have to a particular medium or client vertical. (Include dates for your work history—it only makes us suspicious if you don’t!)
You might think there’s nothing terribly outstanding in your experience, maybe just the usual stuff those roles entail? Look for the details, the golden nuggets. Don’t sell yourself short, *BUT please, please, PLEASE, DON’T say you’re “The Best” or brilliant or exceptional or cutting-edge, or anything that raises expectations so much that the only way is down! (Back to that dating analogy, does anyone like sitting across the table from a braggart? Don’t the self-proclamations frequently prove false? So, don’t set us up for disappointment. Be cool, be honest, be clear.)
Here’s a old trick, let friends and family read your resume and ask them to tell you what you do! If they can’t, ask them if it was too dull of a read or if perhaps they simply found it vague. Either way, it’s valuable feedback and warrants addressing. Now do the exact same thing on Linkedin.com—a missed treasure ship if you aren’t on it and using it to its fullest.
Make the first three seconds great and the next 30 even better. You’ll have a love connection going much sooner.
You have three seconds to impress me.
You get 30 more if I like what I see at a glance.
It does indeed sound like dating, doesn’t it? And you should think of it that way; it’s in the interests of both parties to feel a little giddy and a lot excited about the prospect of “getting hitched.”
Recruiters want to know what you bring to the table. It’s even more the case these days. When you hear numbers like 2000 people have applied for one job at an institution used to receiving 20 applications per position, you know there is some very fast scanning of resumes going on.
So, what makes you special? Give it to us straight, up front, your 30-second elevator pitch in a neat and tidy summary at the top of your resume. An Objective is well, just alright—many of us tend to ignore those because they are usually rather generic sounding. We much prefer a concise yet explicit Summary.
It’s not enough to simply say you’re “multi-channel” or “multi-media” and leave it at that. What are your specialties? Give me the keywords I might be looking for: interactive, Web, online, digital, print, television, broadcast, direct, radio, video, traditional, packaging, branding, outdoor, out-of-home, guerilla, social media, iphone applications, mobile, technology, financial services, healthcare, beauty, automotive, consumer goods, Flash, Ajax, Javascript, CSS, MS Project, Visio, wireframes, and so on.
If you’ve got too many buzzwords for the summary, you can use “multi-media” or “traditional and digital” in your 30-second summary as long as you elaborate within the Experience section. We like details in the experience section because it helps us determine how many years exposure you have to a particular medium or client vertical. (Include dates for your work history—it only makes us suspicious if you don’t!)
You might think there’s nothing terribly outstanding in your experience, maybe just the usual stuff those roles entail? Look for the details, the golden nuggets. Don’t sell yourself short, *BUT please, please, PLEASE, DON’T say you’re “The Best” or brilliant or exceptional or cutting-edge, or anything that raises expectations so much that the only way is down! (Back to that dating analogy, does anyone like sitting across the table from a braggart? Don’t the self-proclamations frequently prove false? So, don’t set us up for disappointment. Be cool, be honest, be clear.)
Here’s a old trick, let friends and family read your resume and ask them to tell you what you do! If they can’t, ask them if it was too dull of a read or if perhaps they simply found it vague. Either way, it’s valuable feedback and warrants addressing. Now do the exact same thing on Linkedin.com—a missed treasure ship if you aren’t on it and using it to its fullest.
Make the first three seconds great and the next 30 even better. You’ll have a love connection going much sooner.
Wednesday
Necessity is the mother of all [re]invention
Recently I was emailing with a very talented designer. I realized that much of what I was telling her could be valuable to other Designers and Art Directors. So here's a bit of what I hope is helpful advice:
Freelance is big right now and growing. (There are no employee head count issues for companies, no extra taxes, insurance or benefits to pay for, and even if they pay an agency fee, it's cheaper to use freelance and easier to manage costs day-to-day.) Unfortunately, there are fewer projects and for the first time, I want to say since maybe 2002, online ad spending is down too.
So what can you do?
Hit the pavement. This is a time when local independent shops are vying for consumer dollars, but they don't have the $$$ for a "proper" design firm or ad agency to do the marketing materials. Print up some leave-behinds of your work with a fee card, link to full portfolio online your contact info, and go knock on doors. Flash a smile, make notes after visits of names and potential needs, and follow up. See if you can generate some project work around town. It may feel strange at first but it will make you better at presenting to clients when you're back to work full-time again. Additionally, you will be adding to your portfolio and have more say in the work than perhaps a client like AT&T would give you. As a side benefit, you'll be helping neighborhood businesses get through this tough time as well. In fact, looked at that way, you may even get into the pro bono spirit.
Having a skill you can sell is a leg-up in times like these. Truly - there's work out there, it just might be in unexpected places and you need to be willing to actually get out there and actively seek it out. Remember, in any economy, someone's making money.
*For non-designers, brainstorm with a friend about your skills and how they may be transferable to other endeavors. For example: Account people, Producers, Project Managers, Business Development gurus and Planners -- you can help people start new businesses! Copywriters can help people by editing proposals and business plans. Commercial real estate prices are going down enough to tempt many entrepreneurs out of the shadows. They need sales tools, they need to know how to frame their ideas, how to organize their vision and make it a reality, how to plan for and project manage opening a store... think about who's set up for success in this economy and reapply your skills. Necessity is the mother of all [re]invention!
**Everyone: Don't forget to make your intentions known on your linkedin status -- networking is always important but it is especially important when you're reshaping your skills and need as many leg-ups and connections as you can generate. Join groups. Let fellow alumni and former colleagues know what your doing. Don't be bashful; be bold! And remember to make it easy for people to know how to contact you!!!
Freelance is big right now and growing. (There are no employee head count issues for companies, no extra taxes, insurance or benefits to pay for, and even if they pay an agency fee, it's cheaper to use freelance and easier to manage costs day-to-day.) Unfortunately, there are fewer projects and for the first time, I want to say since maybe 2002, online ad spending is down too.
So what can you do?
Hit the pavement. This is a time when local independent shops are vying for consumer dollars, but they don't have the $$$ for a "proper" design firm or ad agency to do the marketing materials. Print up some leave-behinds of your work with a fee card, link to full portfolio online your contact info, and go knock on doors. Flash a smile, make notes after visits of names and potential needs, and follow up. See if you can generate some project work around town. It may feel strange at first but it will make you better at presenting to clients when you're back to work full-time again. Additionally, you will be adding to your portfolio and have more say in the work than perhaps a client like AT&T would give you. As a side benefit, you'll be helping neighborhood businesses get through this tough time as well. In fact, looked at that way, you may even get into the pro bono spirit.
Having a skill you can sell is a leg-up in times like these. Truly - there's work out there, it just might be in unexpected places and you need to be willing to actually get out there and actively seek it out. Remember, in any economy, someone's making money.
*For non-designers, brainstorm with a friend about your skills and how they may be transferable to other endeavors. For example: Account people, Producers, Project Managers, Business Development gurus and Planners -- you can help people start new businesses! Copywriters can help people by editing proposals and business plans. Commercial real estate prices are going down enough to tempt many entrepreneurs out of the shadows. They need sales tools, they need to know how to frame their ideas, how to organize their vision and make it a reality, how to plan for and project manage opening a store... think about who's set up for success in this economy and reapply your skills. Necessity is the mother of all [re]invention!
**Everyone: Don't forget to make your intentions known on your linkedin status -- networking is always important but it is especially important when you're reshaping your skills and need as many leg-ups and connections as you can generate. Join groups. Let fellow alumni and former colleagues know what your doing. Don't be bashful; be bold! And remember to make it easy for people to know how to contact you!!!
Tip for the day #5 when applying for a job
Think like a salesperson!
Insurance Agents, Car Salesmen, Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers. Think about it: GOOD salespeople do one thing particularly well - they always leave a business card with you. Even on your 5th meeting, you're getting a business card.
So, if you drop me another line in 8 weeks to check in about that job that was put on hold, think like a salesperson! Include that resume again, include ALL of your contact information, make it so I never have to dig around looking for a way to reach you, or remember why I'd want to. (Replying back to my reply to your first intro email helps refresh my memory better than a brand new email, so don't be afraid to do that. It doesn't look lazy, it looks like you have saved our correspondence because this job/company is something you really want to pursue.)
The easiest way to remember to always include the "business card" information is to create an automatic email SIGNATURE with your full name, title, portfolio site, phone + email. (sidenote: You score extra points when you include the "www." in the beginning of the portfolio address because then it arrives as a live link, no copying/pasting required on our end.)
*If you have a Linkedin profile, include that too! If you don't have one, create one today. Make sure it clearly spells out all you can do (see our post on "Value ADD + Skills"). Within the profile, you have the opportunity to include a website -- don't pass that up! Linkedin is an ideal place to post your portfolio link and/or blog. Employers do keyword searches on Linkedin and on search engines -- make sure you're getting as much coverage as possible by employing any and all relevant keywords/experience/skills.
It simply comes down to thinking like a salesperson.
Insurance Agents, Car Salesmen, Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers. Think about it: GOOD salespeople do one thing particularly well - they always leave a business card with you. Even on your 5th meeting, you're getting a business card.
So, if you drop me another line in 8 weeks to check in about that job that was put on hold, think like a salesperson! Include that resume again, include ALL of your contact information, make it so I never have to dig around looking for a way to reach you, or remember why I'd want to. (Replying back to my reply to your first intro email helps refresh my memory better than a brand new email, so don't be afraid to do that. It doesn't look lazy, it looks like you have saved our correspondence because this job/company is something you really want to pursue.)
The easiest way to remember to always include the "business card" information is to create an automatic email SIGNATURE with your full name, title, portfolio site, phone + email. (sidenote: You score extra points when you include the "www." in the beginning of the portfolio address because then it arrives as a live link, no copying/pasting required on our end.)
*If you have a Linkedin profile, include that too! If you don't have one, create one today. Make sure it clearly spells out all you can do (see our post on "Value ADD + Skills"). Within the profile, you have the opportunity to include a website -- don't pass that up! Linkedin is an ideal place to post your portfolio link and/or blog. Employers do keyword searches on Linkedin and on search engines -- make sure you're getting as much coverage as possible by employing any and all relevant keywords/experience/skills.
It simply comes down to thinking like a salesperson.
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