The Beatles once sang, "all you need is love." In life this is true and it certainly helps during a job search, but it is not all you need. However, tough love is a good start.
A job search is tough. Few candidates are prepared for what happens in a job search. Few have had any formal training. Some will get help with their resume. Some will reach out to friends and family for guidance, but there is a whole lot more to a job search than the tactics and mechanics of the resume, networking and interviewing.
There are two enemies in most job searches that rarely get discussed. One candidates have to deal with, and few are prepared to handle is, "TIME." Many enter unemployment totally unprepared for the length of time a job search takes and how slow and long the hiring process is. They have one time frame and the company has a completely different set of priorities and time frame.
The other biggest enemy is, "themselves." As time passes and frustration sets in they start questioning themselves and their abilities. The have also gone through all the contacts in their network, have been doing the same thing over and over again for months with little results, and they are burned out. Now what?
The best thing you can do for yourself at this point is get what we refer to as an accountability partner. Accountability is something as adults we hate. That is why most can't wait to become adults. We all want to get away from this word. We want to do what we want, when we want, how we want and without anyone holding us accountable. Fine for life, but not a good thing in a job search.
An accountability partner needs to be selected very carefully. They need to be someone you respect and trust. Someone blunt and direct, who will tell it like it is, especially when you don't want to hear it. They should not be a friend or family member.
This is where the tough love enters the picture.
A good accountability partner will help you. They are not here to become your friend or buddy. Get a dog if that is what you are seeking. Their job is to encourage you when you're down and motivate you when you just don't want to go to another networking meeting or send another resume. Their job is to kick you (figuratively not literally) in the appropriate place when encouragement and motivation don't work as well as hoped. A good accountability partner knows the right buttons to push and when to push them.
They must be a person you can open up with about your job search and what is happening to you on the inside and even in your personal life. They are someone who will empathize with you, console you, feel your pain, be understanding, compassionate, never hit you when you're down, but instead picks you up, dusts you off and when all of this is completed, kicks you in the appropriate place and gets you going again.
A good accountability partner will listen to you. They will know the differences between an excuse and a real obstacle. They may be able to provide some resources to help you out when you are stalled. They won't accept excuses. They will listen to them and then kick you in the appropriate place and get you back on track.
A good accountability partner is somewhat like a good drill sergeant in the military. You hate them while you are in boot camp, but you also know that they have your best interests in mind for the upcoming battle. They are successful if, at the end of the battle, you look back and say, "Thanks, you really helped me get through this." Oh, you may still hate them, but you surely respect them.
They may or may not end up being your friend. That isn't important. What is important is that you want to refer them to every person you meet in-transition.
Finding an accountability partner (even if you have to pay one) willing to give you "TOUGH LOVE" during your search may be the best thing you do for your job search, yourself and your family.
A growing number of jobseekers find themselves in the midst of a long-term job search. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. jobless rate soared to a four-year high of 5.7% in July 2008 and the average job search took more than four months to net results. However, some critics would put this number and the number of the unemployed much higher.
Helen Kooiman, author of Suddenly Unemployed asserts, "[S]uch statistics are inaccurate indicators. They do not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out or those who don't qualify for unemployment... Such statistics also do not count welfare recipients, temps (who cannot be counted as fully employed), or others who eke out a living on so-called self-employment." Neither do such reports include what the Bureau of Labor Statistics terms "discouraged workers" or those who "were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them." Their figures reached 461,000 in July.
A long-term job search can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on a job hunter. "It's been a demoralizing experience and it's been very difficult budgetwise. I'm a single mother," Kay Marie King says, a former non-profit executive with a wealth of experience that is currently involved in an ongoing job search. So, what can you do when weeks of a fruitless job search quickly turns to months? Here are seven tips for jump starting a stalled job search:
Tip One: Don't be so quick to blame everything on the economy (your region, your industry, etc.)
These issues certainly play a role in the current job market. However, it is easy to fixate on such factors and completely discount factors which we personally control. The next six tips cover areas that long-term jobseekers do well to revisit to jump start a stalled job search. Why is this so important? I am reminded of a woman I once interviewed that looked great on paper, but during the interview she had an incredibly offensive body odor. She remarked that she'd been on several interviews but she was "overqualified" for every position. It was a classic case of the problem (or her perception of what the problem was) not really being the problem. While most jobseekers don't have such an obvious issue, each one would still do well to take a long look in the mirror.
Tip Two: Conduct a candid self-assessment.
Look at yourself from the perspective of the potential employer. Compare your experience and qualifications to those typically required of someone in your target position. How do your skills and experience match up? Think of creative ways to to fill skill gaps and gain experience.
Tip Three: Re-examine your target position or industry.
Are you searching for work in a waning industry or oversaturated field? Is your desired position readily available in your selected geographic area? Being open to relocation may improve your chances. Can you apply your knowledge and skills to an industry that is experiencing growth?
Tip Four: Rethink your current job search.
What job search strategies are you currently using? If you are concentrating your efforts on strategies that are typically the least effective (like online job boards and newspaper ads) your job search will take much longer to yield results. Consider incorporating job search strategies that yield higher results, like networking and direct targeted mailing campaigns.
Tip Five: Re-evaluate the way you are communicating your message verbally and in print.
Communicating your message to potential employers in a clear and compelling manner is critical to job search success. Re-examine your resume. Does it communicate your value to employers by addressing how your skills and experience will meet the employer's specific needs? Practice communicating your value in response to typical interview questions, including, "Tell me about yourself."
Tip Six: Maintain your intensity level and a positive outlook.
It is easy to become discouraged over the course of a lengthy job search. Keep a positive outlook and maintain a high-level of focus and intensity throughout your job search for quicker results. Taking a systematic approach to your job search will help you to stay organized and on track during your job search. Yet, it is important to pursue other interests during your job search. Enjoy spending time with friends and family. Renew your interest in a hobby. Tackle a project you wouldn't have time to if you were working. Spending time in other pursuits provides a much-needed reprieve from the stress of a job search. You'll be energized and ready for the next leg of your job search.
Tip Seven: Build a solid support system.
If a self-guided job search has netted limited results; consider working with a career or job search coach. Your coach will help you identify any problem areas and offer suggestions for improvement. Another option is to join a local or online job search club. If a coach or job search club isn't available try building your own support network. Enlist the help of family and friends or connect with other job hunters. Taking a team approach to your job search provides an opportunity for constructive feedback, a fresh perspective, ongoing encouragement, and added accountability.
Try applying the tips above to jump start a stalled job search. Learn more about conducting a Simply Successful Job Search by visiting Indeed Jobs
No matter how much time and energy you invest in job seeking, critical mistakes can derail your efforts. Consider the following job search scenario. Each of the mistakes described below can put your job search off track, but all are easy to avoid.
Mistake #1: Starting with a Handicap
Your job search is underway. Time to get out your resume, dust it off, and add your most recent experience… Right?
Wrong. A strong job search starts with strategizing, and a strong resume should be the vehicle to put your strategy into action. It isn't enough to dust off an old resume – you need a revised resume that is tailored to a specific position and a specific employer.
Ask yourself… What are the top needs and preferences of this employer? How can you address the employer’s needs with specific information about your experience, strengths, and accomplishments? And how can you structure your resume to convey this key information in a quick, 30-second scan?
To avoid mistake #1, assume that your resume is much more than a personal history that simply needs a little updating. Start with a strategy, and rewrite your resume so that it speaks directly to the interests and concerns of the employer who will read it.
Mistake #2: Sending Less-Than-Your-Best
Your resume is done, and you’ve written a cover letter to accompany it. Now you’re ready to drop both in the mail in response to a job ad that especially interests you… Right?
Wrong. Have you first made very sure that you’re not sending out less than your best? Many job seekers fail to realize that both the resume and the cover letter are seen as examples of the quality of their work.
This means that all aspects of overall quality are important – including spelling, grammar, visual layout, organization, and clarity of writing. Errors will stand out like a flashing red light, and anything that makes the resume and cover letter difficult to follow may cause them to be tossed aside.
To avoid mistake #2, follow this rule of thumb: Have at least two other people read both your resume and cover letter before you send them out. Tell them your job-search strategy so that they know what you want to communicate to the employer.
Mistake #3: Cyber-Regrets
The employer has called for an interview! In addition, he’s asked that you e-mail a copy of your resume to another person in the company. That's easy – a quick note with a Word attachment… Right?
Wrong. A casual approach to the computer world can lead to embarrassing mistakes. Regrettably, e-mails usually can't be called back after clicking on the "send" button.
As before, avoid mistake #3 by treating any letter as both an opportunity to convey your qualifications and a sample of your writing. Avoid common e-mail shorthand and short, terse paragraphs – the former can come across as "unprofessional" and the latter as impersonal.
Finally, to be on the safe side, print out your e-mail and attachment to make sure that all looks well in hard copy. Then send the e-mail to at least one other person, and ask them to review both its content and appearance.
Mistake #4: The Missed Opportunity
You’ve prepared for your interview and thought over all the answers you may have to supply. There's not much more you can do… Right?
Wrong. Chances are that at some point in the interview the employer will turn the tables and say: "Do you have any questions?" If you respond by saying "no" or by turning to practical details ("What is your benefits package?"), this will be a missed opportunity.
To avoid mistake #4, think of several questions beforehand – questions that speak directly to the responsibilities and challenges of the job itself. Employers want to know how you think and what you would be like to work with; your questions are an opportunity to show that you can take on the challenges of the job in a constructive way.
Mistake #5: Letting the Ball Drop
You had a strong interview, and you're waiting to hear whether you got the job. At least now you can take a breather while you wait… Right?
Wrong. Until you have a job offer, assume that it's up to you to keep the ball in the air. First and foremost, send a thank-you letter to each person who interviewed you, making reference to one or more things that were discussed.
Second, follow up at regular Intervals to indicate your continued interest and keep your prospects alive. It’s tempting to hang back so that you “won’t be a bother” – but the job seeker who lets the ball drop may lose out to the one who is politely and persistently enthusiastic.
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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Using a job acceptance letter when offered a position shows true professionalism. It is a way of saying “thank you” to the person who hired you, and giving them assurance that they made the right decision. You have presented yourself to them as a professional with your resume, cover letter, reference sheet, salary history, letters of recommendation, follow up note, and any other personal marketing materials you’ve used while job hunting. You went out of your way to make sure that the interview went well, and probably did your homework on the company before going in for that first interview. Now using a job acceptance letter will be a capstone on all your work, and perfect the positive professional image you’ve tried to convey throughout the job search and hiring process.
Of course, if you’ve never written one before you may have questions as to what it should contain and how it should look. Here are the basics: it should be on the same paper your resume and cover letter were on, preferably a light gray or ivory linen, laid, or parchment paper or one of the new sandstone papers. It should have a letterhead that matches the other personal marketing materials you’ve used. It should be personally addressed to the decision maker who hired you. The job acceptance letter should also be placed in either a matching business sized envelope, or a large white envelope to avoid folding, and should be personally addressed. If your own handwriting isn’t very legible, print the address, or have a friend with great handwriting address it for you.
It should also be short. Show that you respect the hiring manager’s time by being direct, while still polite. You can say everything you need to say in two or three paragraphs which are quick to read. When writing the job acceptance letter be straightforward and professional. Let the hiring manager know that you are looking forward to being a part of the team at your new company. Let him or her know that you appreciate the opportunity and will do your best. Let the decision maker know that you are aware of any special conditions of the job offer, and will adhere to them. That will avoid any misunderstandings down the road. Also make sure that the job acceptance letter states that you understand the starting date of your employment with this new organization, and assure the hiring manager that you will be there on the specified date, and time, ready to get busy. Sign it using blue ink in your pen so that they know it is not a photo copy, and hand deliver it to the decision maker’s administrative assistance. In this manner you will show yourself to be a true professional, and someone they will want to work with in the future.
4 Steps to Launching a $100K+ Executive Level Job Search Campaign That Gets You Hired in a Recession
Joy Andrews lost her position as a $100K+ executive about three months ago. Devastated, Joy took some time off to clear her head and get ready for her executive level job search campaign. But now, months later, she hasn't had many interviews and prospects are bleak. Her question to me was, "What can I do to get myself to get more interviews and get hired faster?"
In this article, I am going to give you four critical steps you must take if you want to find that $100K+ job and get hired during a recession.
Step #1 – Get organized
I am constantly amazed how executives who were driven and forceful in their jobs become lost in how to start their $100K+ executive job search. Getting organized includes these elements:
1. Treat your job search as a full time job. Totally dedicate your time to finding a job. Inform your family that your full-time job is to find a full-time job and nothing else!
2. Act as if your job search was a product or service launch. Plan your executive level job search campaign. Don't wing it. Organize your activities in a project plan and measure yourself against your milestones and sub-goals.
3. Start your day just like you would if you were employed. Did you start your day at 7:00am and end it at 6:00pm? Then do the same for your job search.
4. Create goals for every day and every event. Get a daily goal and meet it. Develop your networking goals for each event and stay until you achieve them.
Step #2 – Get help
For many, getting help is equivalent to going to the dentist. But getting help is the smartest thing to kick-start your executive level job search campaign. Getting help includes:
1. Ask for a review of your resume. There are many services available to review your resume for free. Better yet, pay an expert to write your resume.
2. Learn from the experts. There are many experts out there that write articles like this one. Many experts also have website tools that are available for free downloads. For example, I have a free eBook at: http://www.marketyourpotential.com/ebook.asp. Take advantage of these resources.
3. Get a career coach. For executives who earn more than $100K+, getting advice for your particular situation is a wise investment Make sure, however, that your coach teaches you how to fish, not just fishes for you.
4. Get a support group. When you launch a job search campaign when the headlines are awful, being upbeat and positive is extremely difficult. Get a small group of business associates and friends who can help you during this time.
Step #3 – Get real
Just a short while ago, executives could expect to find a new position in about 90 to 120 days. Now, realistically, it can take upwards of 8 to 10 months. Getting real includes:
1. Do what it takes to survive a 10-month search. Expecting your search to go faster and not preparing for the long haul is just nuts. Reduce your expenses to just what is necessary and cut back.
2. Invest in your career. Now is the time to invest in your career and not try to "do-it-yourself." Investments include coaching, books, tools, events, memberships, and travel to targeted cities.
3. Develop quantitative benchmarks and metrics. Analyze your job search results and measure them against standards. When you do this, you'll be able to improve along the way which guarantees results faster.
4. Design qualitative feedback loops. Behaviors are qualitative and you can "measure" reactions to your oral and written pitch. Their reaction is a qualitative feedback loop that you can automatically gauge.
Step #4 – Get Clear
Getting a message that is clear and succinct takes work. And trying to figure out what you want next is also hard. Getting clear includes:
1. Do extensive research on target companies and industries. The Internet has a wealth of information. My recommendation is to conduct research at least 1 hour per day – above and beyond job posting searches.
2. Test your messages within networking groups. Take someone out for coffee. Try out your verbal pitch, and get their feedback. I tell my clients that they should attend at least 2 different networking groups a week during their job search campaign.
3. Know what's happening around you. Know what's happening around the globe. Integrate current affairs into your oral and written pitch and show how you can address the issues of the day.
4. Stay focused and determined. Persistence is the key to finding a $100K+ executive level position during an economic downturn. Direction is the result and movement in your job search is guaranteed.
One of the primary roles of a workforce development provider is building strong relationships with employers. Fundamental to this role is language; you must be able to communicate with your employers using terminology they understand and appreciate.
Language does not just represent concepts and ideas; it represents an attitude and predisposition to doing things. Notice that when you shift to an accepted form of communication, meaning, as well as the general tone of a conversation, changes. In the same vein, non-profit and business language can be worlds apart in what they suggest and mean. To effectively work with employers, you must exert the effort to get into their mindset. You can do this by using widely accepted business language.
The following are tips to consider when using business language:
Stay Away From Non-Profit Jargon.
Providers from the non-profit sector often have a set of jargon specific to their field. Terms like ‘stakeholder relations’, ‘multi-systemic impact’ and ‘trickle-down effect’ are phrases that are commonplace. For an employer, however, these terms may be too technical and rather academic. If you use jargons when communicating with your employer, you might come across as elitist and exclusionary --- even if you don’t mean to.
As much as you can, use an easy conversational style that gets your point across. Employers are generally practical people; they don’t typically deal with theories and abstract principles as part of their daily grind. If you can speak in such a way that a lay person can picture what you mean, then go for that approach.
Remember, a term acceptable to you as a service provider may have a different meaning to an employer. For example, the phrase ‘mutually beneficial partnership’ has been found to be acceptable by those in the non-profit industry. However, for those in the business community, it implies unequal balance or having to give up too much to participate in the program. A better word to use is just ‘partnership.’ The term connotes good for both parties, and communicates a win-win situation.
If you must use jargons, why not learn some of the business world’s own? Maybe you can better get your points if you use terms your employers would appreciate. Terms like ‘return on investment’ and ‘customer relations’ can be used to package workforce development programs.
Avoid Acronyms
Almost every sector, whether profit or non-profit, use acronyms. But, once you’re in the habit of using acronyms, it’s easy to forget that outside of one’s group, these acronyms may not be understood. Worse, they may have a totally different meaning!
For example, CDC for non-profit organizations stands for Community Development Corporation. But, employers don’t know this. Likely the first thing they’d think about is the Center for Disease Control!
To be safe, just say the term in full and then state that henceforth, when you use such acronym, that term is what you’re referring to. It’s better to anticipate misunderstandings rather than have an entire conversation not realizing you’re not being understood!
Use Concrete Terms Rather Than the Abstract
Here is a major difference in how a non-profit and profit organization communicate. Non-profits tend to find non-measurable results as an acceptable goal for a project. For example, it’s not unusual for a non-profit program to have ‘increasing workforce diversity’ or ‘advocating social change’ as general goals. An employer would most likely find these terms too vague. Speak in concrete terms that focus on what you can do in the here and now. Stick to the measurable deliverables.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The good news is, the more that you practice communicating, the better you will become and the easier it will be for you. Communication is crucial when working to become effective in your role. This makes it imperative that you be at the top of your game at all times. Spend some time practicing with colleagues and work to establish a large volume of employer meetings to improve your communication skills over time.
About The Author
Lisa Jordan is a disability and workforce development expert. Lisa uses her keen ability to identify challenges and develop solutions so that workforce development professionals can increase their comfort level, productivity and effectiveness when working with a diverse clientele. Download Lisa’s Special Report on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Agency Accessibility by visiting http://www.human-solutions.net
