I got this a few months back and thought that I should share it with you. Unfortunately, the source was not given to me and I ran a search to find out the source, and it was linked to Jeff Westover a contributing writer for myjobsearch.com.
So read on..
Mickey James is a good example of how a jobseeker can use information to an advantage.
Mickey had been a stay-at-home Mom for 9 years. With all of her kids in school she determined the time was right to re-enter the workforce. She got a job as a merchandiser through a casual conversation with a neighbor. The neighbor had a relative that knew a company in need of a merchandiser. Using this gathered information, Mickey took action.
She made contact over the phone, set up a meeting and within days she had a job. The job never got advertised and Mickey never got the chance to polish her resume. Hers is an everyday job search success story.
There has been a long-standing rule that a full 80 percent of jobs that are filled never get advertised. This is commonly referred to as "the hidden job market". These are jobs that get created and filled because people simply talk to each other. And chances are, you probably know someone that got a job this way.
Unfortunately, most jobseekers throw themselves into the other 20 percent of available jobs-- the ones that do get advertised. These are the jobs that cannot be filled in any other way. They are jobs that companies admit just could not be filled from within or from referrals that come to them. They are sometimes the jobs that nobody else wants-- and they are the jobs most compete for when they do not know how to network with people they know to find a job.
Some think the Internet will change the old 80/20 rule. But so far that has not proven to be true. In fact, if Forrester's report on the online job search industry says one thing loud and clear, it is that online job searching is ineffective and it has to change.
And those changes are coming. The Internet job boards, recruiters and companies everywhere are developing technology to improve results. Recent studies indicate that while recruiters are going to use the Internet overwhelmingly to find new hires, nearly 70 percent of them still prefer to hire people through networking efforts. And the changes being made by job boards and company web sites all point to technology that allows for easier connecting options with jobseekers online.
But for jobseekers this only highlights a need for new online skills and new online behaviors. Avoiding the 20 percent of the job market where most compete for jobs will mean networking online as it is effectively done offline.
About the Author
Jeff Westover is an Internet Content Developer based in Salt Lake City. He has 15 years of executive level experience in personnel and project management. Jeff writes for myjobsearch.com, the largest independent directory of online career resources.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
How To Work Out A Model Job Campaign Plan
If you have been sending out your resume and not getting interviews, you can certainly blame the resume.
Without a good resume, companies have no idea that you even exist - unless you are invited to an interview by the hiring authority, you may as well be invisible. We live in a market economy and you must learn to market yourself effectively and aggressively - or suffer in a 'go nowhere' job while your friends move on to new opportunities and brighter futures.
As a matter of fact. your resumes only job is to open doors !
A hiring manager takes 10 seconds to scan a resume This 10 seconds make or break you. It provides the information that hiring mangers use to make decisions on who gets called, interviewed, and hired. It is your resume, which decides that!
Get your profile out with an Online Resume
Recruitment Managers don't have the time nor the inclination to sift through the hundreds of resumes they receive. If your resume is not available on the manager's desk at the correct time, with the correct format, the job assignment is going to go to the person whose resume managed to get there first, even if you're the better person for the job.
So in order to get your resume into the hands of the recruitment managers, the best method is to have your own online resume. A manager is then able to access all of your information at once, instead of being forced to slog through links after links. Therefore getting your resume online will definitely give you a better access to recruitment companies, managers and headhunters.
Resume Posting
Personally, I have my reservations on this so called Resume Blasting, as I feel it is just another marketing stunt. But as a job seeker, you don't normally be very choosy. Then again, some services do give you the option of who receives your resume (Resume Distribution), unlike most others who do a "general blast" - don't be surprised with a job offer from Uganda !
This service is normally free to job seekers, and used only by those employers and recruiters who have paid a substantial fee to access the resumes. Years ago, when Monster and other similar job search boards were fairly new, it cost about thousands of dollars for Head Hunters, just to take a look at resumes posted on one job board. So you can imagine what it must cost today!
Besides, when you post your resume to an online resume posting service, NOT every employer or recruiter will find you, only those with the huge recruiting budgets. And that leaves out a good part of your target market.
Getting your resume submitted by a professional submission service is a great idea. This may cost a little, but in my mind it is worth every penny.
Focus on a list of companies that best match your existing skill set and career focus, rather than applying to help wanted ads or conducting an exclusive online search. Create a new list weekly and follow-up with each employer within 5-8 business days to ensure receipt and to answer any questions.
Resume Distribution
With a resume distribution, the job seeker has access to a select database of well-qualified employers and/or recruiters to email his/ her resume to. This service does cost the job seeker a fee, usually anywhere from $45 to several hundred. The advantages of a resume distribution over a posting are that you don't have to wait to be found, you have more control over who receives your resume and besides you can control how many employers/ recruiters you contact-several hundred or several thousand-all at once. It is very quick and efficient. You submit your resume once and reach your entire targeted audience of employers and/or recruiters.
Make sure the distribution service allows you to target the employers who receive your resume. At a minimum, you should be able to query the employer/recruiter database by industry, job function and geographic region. If the service offers no targeting capabilities, your resume may be sent out indiscriminately to employers and recruiters who do not match your employment criteria.
Come to think of it, it is really powerful and fun to have the entire company, headhunter database at your fingertips
However, the fun last only for 30 days and if you don't get a job by then, its either back to the drawing board, or purchase this software!
Questions To Ask The Interviewer
Don't keep silent after or during an interview. Keep up the momentum with some questions from your side as well. Such as;
Getting a 4% raise and a $6000 bonus probably seems fantastic, before you compare it with your colleagues and the market benchmarks for your position. Again Monster has some good information on existing market trends viz., salary scales etc. However, no matter how sophisticated compensation systems get, I don't know any system that is viewed as perfectly fair by everyone. Every rating system-including those with complex formulas-include a component of subjectivity.
Wetfeet Insider Guides, gives you an inside scoop on thousands of hiring companies - what they pay, their mehods of interview, and most of all how to get hired!
Job Search
Choose a career you can enjoy, not one that is only directed at making money. After researching careers you find interesting, narrow down your career selections.
There are links to some of the popular job placement sites, such as Monster, Job Bank USA , Executive Career Search and Career Mag , which is part of the 4Jobs.com career network has links to massive amount of job and career links sites, which is very important during a job search campaign.
There are also some specialized and unknown job sites, such as Craigslist , where jobs, that are unlisted in other sites, can be found.
Focus your job search using networking, online and offline tactics. Networking is still the tried-and-true king relevant to an effective job-search campaign.
Training
Give yourself an online Aptitude test and get your Aptitude, Entrepreneur and Personality reports at Analyze My Career.Com. You can obtain an open self-assessment, polish your skills and if possible even learn a new one and also obtain career guidance
The search is endless. As the average time-span is around 3 months and by which time you don't get a job, then, you've to review your plans, goals and strategies.
I personally recommend starting a home business or going in for other part-time job, say such as blogging, and try to make some income during this period, which you can use to cover your resume writing, job search and other activities.
Remember to evaluate your priorities for any venture, before jumping in. Remember it is only part-time. So it should be fun. You can always convert it to a full time once you've learned the ropes and can afford to quit your full-time job
The above job campaign plan is just a sample which should suffice for somebody just out of a job and is searching. If you're searching for a great career resource, make The Riley Guide your starting point. Margaret Riley Dikel has done a masterful job editing, organizing and delivering this best-in-class resource. Here you get a step by step advise on how to work out a job campaign plan.
Without a good resume, companies have no idea that you even exist - unless you are invited to an interview by the hiring authority, you may as well be invisible. We live in a market economy and you must learn to market yourself effectively and aggressively - or suffer in a 'go nowhere' job while your friends move on to new opportunities and brighter futures.
As a matter of fact. your resumes only job is to open doors !
A hiring manager takes 10 seconds to scan a resume This 10 seconds make or break you. It provides the information that hiring mangers use to make decisions on who gets called, interviewed, and hired. It is your resume, which decides that!
Get your profile out with an Online Resume
Recruitment Managers don't have the time nor the inclination to sift through the hundreds of resumes they receive. If your resume is not available on the manager's desk at the correct time, with the correct format, the job assignment is going to go to the person whose resume managed to get there first, even if you're the better person for the job.
So in order to get your resume into the hands of the recruitment managers, the best method is to have your own online resume. A manager is then able to access all of your information at once, instead of being forced to slog through links after links. Therefore getting your resume online will definitely give you a better access to recruitment companies, managers and headhunters.
Resume Posting
Personally, I have my reservations on this so called Resume Blasting, as I feel it is just another marketing stunt. But as a job seeker, you don't normally be very choosy. Then again, some services do give you the option of who receives your resume (Resume Distribution), unlike most others who do a "general blast" - don't be surprised with a job offer from Uganda !
This service is normally free to job seekers, and used only by those employers and recruiters who have paid a substantial fee to access the resumes. Years ago, when Monster and other similar job search boards were fairly new, it cost about thousands of dollars for Head Hunters, just to take a look at resumes posted on one job board. So you can imagine what it must cost today!
Besides, when you post your resume to an online resume posting service, NOT every employer or recruiter will find you, only those with the huge recruiting budgets. And that leaves out a good part of your target market.
Getting your resume submitted by a professional submission service is a great idea. This may cost a little, but in my mind it is worth every penny.
Focus on a list of companies that best match your existing skill set and career focus, rather than applying to help wanted ads or conducting an exclusive online search. Create a new list weekly and follow-up with each employer within 5-8 business days to ensure receipt and to answer any questions.
Resume Distribution
With a resume distribution, the job seeker has access to a select database of well-qualified employers and/or recruiters to email his/ her resume to. This service does cost the job seeker a fee, usually anywhere from $45 to several hundred. The advantages of a resume distribution over a posting are that you don't have to wait to be found, you have more control over who receives your resume and besides you can control how many employers/ recruiters you contact-several hundred or several thousand-all at once. It is very quick and efficient. You submit your resume once and reach your entire targeted audience of employers and/or recruiters.
Make sure the distribution service allows you to target the employers who receive your resume. At a minimum, you should be able to query the employer/recruiter database by industry, job function and geographic region. If the service offers no targeting capabilities, your resume may be sent out indiscriminately to employers and recruiters who do not match your employment criteria.
Come to think of it, it is really powerful and fun to have the entire company, headhunter database at your fingertips
However, the fun last only for 30 days and if you don't get a job by then, its either back to the drawing board, or purchase this software!
Questions To Ask The Interviewer
Don't keep silent after or during an interview. Keep up the momentum with some questions from your side as well. Such as;
- Ask about your new job, i.e., whether its a newly created position etc.
- Ask for a description of your job duties and to whom would you be reporting to and supervising
- Ask with whom you will be working most closely, and the companies short and long term goals?
- Ask the interviewer on what he/ she likes most about working for this company
- Ask about any company training programs, and about company's promotional policy etc.
Getting a 4% raise and a $6000 bonus probably seems fantastic, before you compare it with your colleagues and the market benchmarks for your position. Again Monster has some good information on existing market trends viz., salary scales etc. However, no matter how sophisticated compensation systems get, I don't know any system that is viewed as perfectly fair by everyone. Every rating system-including those with complex formulas-include a component of subjectivity.
Wetfeet Insider Guides, gives you an inside scoop on thousands of hiring companies - what they pay, their mehods of interview, and most of all how to get hired!
Job Search
Choose a career you can enjoy, not one that is only directed at making money. After researching careers you find interesting, narrow down your career selections.
There are links to some of the popular job placement sites, such as Monster, Job Bank USA , Executive Career Search and Career Mag , which is part of the 4Jobs.com career network has links to massive amount of job and career links sites, which is very important during a job search campaign.
There are also some specialized and unknown job sites, such as Craigslist , where jobs, that are unlisted in other sites, can be found.
Focus your job search using networking, online and offline tactics. Networking is still the tried-and-true king relevant to an effective job-search campaign.
Training
Give yourself an online Aptitude test and get your Aptitude, Entrepreneur and Personality reports at Analyze My Career.Com. You can obtain an open self-assessment, polish your skills and if possible even learn a new one and also obtain career guidance
The search is endless. As the average time-span is around 3 months and by which time you don't get a job, then, you've to review your plans, goals and strategies.
I personally recommend starting a home business or going in for other part-time job, say such as blogging, and try to make some income during this period, which you can use to cover your resume writing, job search and other activities.
Remember to evaluate your priorities for any venture, before jumping in. Remember it is only part-time. So it should be fun. You can always convert it to a full time once you've learned the ropes and can afford to quit your full-time job
The above job campaign plan is just a sample which should suffice for somebody just out of a job and is searching. If you're searching for a great career resource, make The Riley Guide your starting point. Margaret Riley Dikel has done a masterful job editing, organizing and delivering this best-in-class resource. Here you get a step by step advise on how to work out a job campaign plan.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Online College Education
Online college education during the recent years has increased, which has led to increased competition among institutions to attract students.
One of the most important aspects is to find an online program that meets both professional and personal needs. Mainly because, it can be difficult to juggle classes and a career, as well as the costs and time needed.
Now, online colleges provide that self-paced learning environment that allows you to complete a graduate degree while working full-time. Better still, this can be done from the convenience of a computer, no matter where you are or what time of day. This flexibility makes all the difference.
You can complete your studies from virtually anywhere in the world. You study from your own home or office, wherever it is convenient with no on-campus courses (in most cases) to attend.
Most students enjoy online education for several reasons. They say that their online education outshines their traditional classroom experiences. That's because in online education is that you are a part of a team and this always helps you to learn from the students.
That's because, apart from the personal attention, it also provides a flexibility and dynamic interaction to online education. In other words, distance education on the Internet tends to attract people who are already professionals. They bring their experience to the classroom, adding both depth and breadth to discussions.
Another very good aspect of online education is that it is affordable. It removes financial barriers that keep some people out of college. With low tuition and flexible financial aid (which most colleges provide), you won't be burdened with a mountain of debt when you graduate. You have to pay only for the credit hours you need to complete your degree. The more previous college credit and work experience you have, the lower your cost will be. Besides you also have a variety of payment options.
There is also some conflict as to whether an online college education is as good as a traditional college education. The answer is not very difficult - there are institutions that offer good and bad online college education. This holds true for traditional college degree programs as well. So when comparing, it is obvious that in most cases, a good traditional college degree is compared with a bad online college education. Hence this conflict.
Now there are also some shams that are associated with both online and traditional colleges. This is an area, which you have to be careful of. So take a little extra time, and verify the value of any online college learning program offered is going to be worth taking, so as to advance your online college education.
One of the most important aspects is to find an online program that meets both professional and personal needs. Mainly because, it can be difficult to juggle classes and a career, as well as the costs and time needed.
Now, online colleges provide that self-paced learning environment that allows you to complete a graduate degree while working full-time. Better still, this can be done from the convenience of a computer, no matter where you are or what time of day. This flexibility makes all the difference.
You can complete your studies from virtually anywhere in the world. You study from your own home or office, wherever it is convenient with no on-campus courses (in most cases) to attend.
Most students enjoy online education for several reasons. They say that their online education outshines their traditional classroom experiences. That's because in online education is that you are a part of a team and this always helps you to learn from the students.
That's because, apart from the personal attention, it also provides a flexibility and dynamic interaction to online education. In other words, distance education on the Internet tends to attract people who are already professionals. They bring their experience to the classroom, adding both depth and breadth to discussions.
Another very good aspect of online education is that it is affordable. It removes financial barriers that keep some people out of college. With low tuition and flexible financial aid (which most colleges provide), you won't be burdened with a mountain of debt when you graduate. You have to pay only for the credit hours you need to complete your degree. The more previous college credit and work experience you have, the lower your cost will be. Besides you also have a variety of payment options.
There is also some conflict as to whether an online college education is as good as a traditional college education. The answer is not very difficult - there are institutions that offer good and bad online college education. This holds true for traditional college degree programs as well. So when comparing, it is obvious that in most cases, a good traditional college degree is compared with a bad online college education. Hence this conflict.
Now there are also some shams that are associated with both online and traditional colleges. This is an area, which you have to be careful of. So take a little extra time, and verify the value of any online college learning program offered is going to be worth taking, so as to advance your online college education.
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