Four Ways to Make Employers and Recruiters Come After You

1. Start Blogging

Starting and maintaining your own blog requires commitment and an investment of your time, energy and creativity. While you can blog on any topic you desire, focusing your blog's theme and content to better serve your industry can be an outstanding way to show off your personal brand and demonstrate your unique value to potential employers and career stakeholders. A blog can be a great entrepreneurial venture to include on your resume and online profiles, and it demonstrates industry involvement and contribution outside of your full-time experience. Blogs are easy to start on numerous free and self-hosted platforms.

2. Get Quoted

Whether you start your own blog or contribute guest posts regularly to industry-related blogs, getting quoted in blogs, online magazines, books and printed periodicals adds a new credential for you to tout in your job search and boosts your personal brand. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a free service that links journalists, bloggers and authors who need quotes from experts and experts-to-be who can provide them. Sign up to receive daily queries from HARO, and respond as often as possible (and as appropriate) to queries related to your field or areas of interest. Before long, you may be quoted in the Wall Street Journal or interviewed for a leading blog, which will increase your credibility across your network and beyond.

3. Get to Know the Important Players in Your Industry

Most job seekers and professionals neglect informational interviews, likely because they sound boring, hard to get, ineffective or all of the above. But informational interviews are actually powerfully effective both in your job search and in your professional networking. By reaching out and asking for a few minutes to learn about a fellow professional's career and experience as well as for a bit of advice (note: this does not mean asking for a job), you get a chance to introduce yourself and your brand, and make a stronger connection with someone new. While this person may not be hiring when you meet, you are now on his radar and may be the first candidate he calls for his next opening.

4. Step Up to the Podium

If you like public speaking and have something relevant to share with your peers, whether it be advice, experience or case studies, consider developing a presentation or series of presentations you can pitch to various industry associations, alumni groups and other organizations. Whether they're webinars or in-person events, your presentations will set you apart as a confident thought leader who has true value to share with others, whether it be an audience or an employer. Research organizations and associations to find out the topics and events they are currently offering, so you can then offer something to serve unmet needs or complement their current event programming

Hate Your Job? Maybe Your Job Hates YOU

Hate Your Job? Maybe Your Job Hates YOU

Many people, over time, grow to dislike and even hate their jobs. You may be one of those people. What you once loved – if you ever truly loved it – is now a source of disillusionment, anxiety, and stress.

You're sick of your job. But like in any relationship your feelings may not be one-sided. Your job may be sick of you, too – so much so it wishes you would leave. Today.

And don’t forget to take all your stuff with you, because:

1. You manage up more than down.

Building a great working relationship with your boss, helping your boss achieve her goals and targets, helping your boss do her job better… all are definitely important.

But what is much more important is leading the people who report to you. Spend anywhere near as much time managing up as you spend leading your team and you do your employees, your job, and yourself a huge disservice.

As a leader your primary job is to inspire, motivate, train, develop, and harness the power of the employees you lead so your company and your team benefits.

Managing up is mostly about showing people higher on the corporate food chain how wonderful you are.

When you're a great leader, the only thing on prominent display is how amazing your team is.

2. You build walls instead of bridges.

You worked hard for your job so you protect it by creating a network of mutual deterrence with other like-minded job protectors: You watch my back, I’ll watch yours. And not much gets done because everyone is focused on making sure no one gets “done to.”

A great network leverages the power of individuals and results in much, much more than the sum of its parts. Your job will grow and flourish through building connections with the rest of the company and the larger business world -- not from building walls.

3. Your eye constantly wanders.

You're bored with your job because, quite frankly, what started out exciting and new has grown more than a little stale.

So you ask friends if they can set you up with another job. You search the “personals” for other jobs. You spend more and more time and effort trying to find a new job – and, worst of all, you do that while you’re still involved with your current job – and you pay less and less attention to your current work relationship. And your wandering eye impacts your results, your professional relationships, and employee morale. You think you're being discreet but you're not fooling anyone.

Especially your job.

If you think a job is no longer right for you, you owe it to that job – and to yourself – to look for another opportunity on your own time. Keep giving your current job your best.

Renewed focus might just remind you of all the reasons why once loved -- and could easily learn to love again -- your current job.

4. You focus on the wrong bottom line.

Would you be willing to work a lot smarter and harder… but only if you get paid more first? If you had your boss’s job – and salary – would you then be willing to do your best? If you had the founder’s ownership stake, would you then be willing to do your best?

If so you have it backwards. The key is to turn the equation around. When you work smart, work hard, and do your best to help the company succeed – in short, to improve the company’s bottom line – then in time your bottom line will improve, too.Great companies recognize effort.

Great companies recognize hard work, dedication, and drive.

If your company isn’t a great company, then maybe it really is time to leave. But if it is a great company, help make it even better... and in time you will build a great career, too.

5. You married a trophy job.

Do you see your job mostly a status symbol, as a way to show others how important you are? Do you talk more about your rank in the organization or about the cool stuff you do?

Is your title more important than the work you perform and the value you create?

Great employees think titles as basically irrelevant. They know while titles are sometimes given, accomplishments are always earned.

As with any great relationship, your job will love you most when you serve your job; then your job can best serve you, too.

6. You’re waiting for a white knight to save you.

You wish for a new boss who will finally recognize your value. You wish for an assignment to a high-profile project so you can finally show what you can do.

You wish. And you wait.

Your job doesn’t want you to wait for a savior; your job wants you to save yourself. Prove your value and your boss will recognize your value. Actively take more responsibility and great opportunities will naturally find you.

Take control of your own future and your job will respect you a lot more – and you’ll respect yourself a lot more, too.

7. You think it’s all about the big idea.

Amazing innovations and surprising breakthroughs sometimes build great careers. The problem is, innovations and breakthroughs are hard to develop and even harder to execute.

The vast majority of people succeed through focus, hard work, and consistently excellent execution.

Forget to sweat the details while you search for that one incredible breakthrough and your job performance suffers.

One big idea, if it ever comes, could possibly make your career, but executing lots of small ideas will absolutely make your job love you – and will form the basis for a career you can truly be proud of.

If you hate your job, realize the feeling may be mutual – so start repairing the relationship right away. Or take a clear-eyed look at whether you need to end the “relationship” and move on.

Life is too short to spend with a job you hate – and with a job that hates you

Written by: Jeff Haden

 

Know your worth - How to negotiate salary

Discover what you're worth by researching salary surveys for your occupation, experience and location.
Research the company to see if they're booming or hurting financially. If booming, go for top salary, benefits and perks. If not, get what you can comfortably live on, but think twice about working there.
Also research yourself so you can sell your skills, talents, accomplishments, work ethics and experience for top pay.

Politely sidestep salary (say it's negotiable, open or competitive) until you're confident they want to hire you. Then you have leverage.  When asked point-blank about salary, counter by asking what the range is, so you know the boundaries.  Command rather than demand, while working toward a win-win situation.
Be eager and enthusiastic, but willing to walk away if you've reached an unsatisfactory negotiating ceiling. Don't burn your bridges, but rather politely decline the offer.
 
Never lie about past salary. Reference checks might expose you.  Consider the value of benefits and perks too, such as stock options, bonuses, telecommuting options, and promotion potential.

Ask about extra benefits and perks, so it appears that you are compromising if you don't get them, or attempt to trade them for a higher salary.
 
 

How to Ace the Interview Process

Do your research.

Look up the company. Look up their competitors. Read their last annual report. Know that company backwards and forwards. Know their past, current role in the market, and their goals for the future. How can you help them achieve those goals? It doesn't matter if the company has 10 employees or 10,000. Every company knows where they are now, and where they want to be. Figure out how you can be the bridge that gets them there.

If you know who will be interviewing you, look online to see if they have written any articles for professional magazines and journals - then read them. You don't have to be all, "Hey, I read your article on amazing cat toys!", but it does help to know their background and opinion on issues. It also helps if you find out that your interviewer is from the same town as your best friend's dad. Networking - it helps. A lot.

Role-play your interview.

 

Practice, practice, practice Have a friend (preferably one with a good interview track record) play the interviewer and run through an interview from start to finish.    Then have your friend critique your performance. Then switch roles, with you as the interviewer and your friend as the interviewee. Take note of how your friend answers interview questions.    Now practice again. And again. (see my blog on how to Ace the interview questions)

 

Practice your handshake.

Your handshake says a lot. A nice, firm handshake says you are professional. A floppy handshake gives the impression that you are passive and lacking in social skills. Too firm of a handshake gives the impression of aggressiveness. Not fair, you say? Sure, you could argue that - and not get a second interview. Practice your handshake with a friend.

Learn a company's culture, but be genuine.

A business has its own culture, or set of social norms (behaviors). If you learn that the business expects you to wear a business suit, dress accordingly. If you are being interviewed in a culture that is different than your own, educate yourself. You aren't expected to follow the exact social norms when you go to a first interview, but you should at least be aware of them.

Look smooth when you arrive for the interview.

When you step out of your car, or walk from the bus to the building, the interviewees may be watching you from the window. (Yes, How you carry yourself is important. This means that you wear an outfit that needs minimal to no adjusting, tugging, or any other distracting "fixes". Your outfit fits you well, and you feel comfortable in it. Women, if you are wearing heels, practice walking in them before your interview. Also, make sure the portfolio you have with you is neat and organized.  And since you know exactly where you are going and left enough time to get to the interview, you will excude ease and confidence. Walk with purpose and direction. And don't talk on your cell phone as you walk to the building. Just don't.

Be punctual, but not too early.

Arriving 15 to 20 minutes before your scheduled interview is acceptable. Any more than that, and you may be sending the wrong message. Plus if you arrive too early, the staff may feel like they need to entertain you or continue offering you coffee, etc. They're trying to make a good impression too.

Granted, if they ask you to get there15 minutes prior to your interview to fill out paperwork, get there 25 minutes early. So what should you do if you arrive early? Take some deep breaths, repeat an affirmative saying to yourself, like "I am competent and intelligent" or "this interview is going to go really well". Sounds goofy? It works.

Know how to answer the infamous "What are your weaknesses?" question.

If you answer with, "I don't really have any weaknesses", it doesn't make you look confident - instead, you look arrogant and lacking in the ability to self-reflect. Answer the question with something that is relevant to the job, and a way that you are working on improving this issue. However, you have to be careful with the answer - if you are applying for a job at a zoo, you don't want to respond with, "I'm working on my hatred of animals." Instead, you may say, "I'd like to learn more about marine conservation efforts. I'm going to be attending the Marine Conservation Conference in July so I can learn more." Phrase it as a positive. Say, "This is what I'd like to improve upon, and this is how I'm going to do that" rather than, "I'm not good at blah."

Know what to ask your interviewers.

Remember, you are also interviewing the company. You want to make sure that it is a good fit for you. Never respond to "Do you have any questions for us?" with "I'm good, no questions." Bzzzzz! WRONG! I'll tell you what you DON'T want to ask - "What's the salary for this position?" or "How much vacation time do we get?" You don't have the job - yet. DO consider asking about the day-to-day responsibilities of the position, the company's management style, or opportunities for growth within the company. You may also want to consider asking the interviewees what they enjoy about working for the company. Practice this part of the interview in the role play mentioned in secret #2 (above).

Send a Thank You note.

Following an interview, promptly (within 2 business days) write the ... that you have good manners and know to write a thank-you letter.

Follow up.

If you haven't heard back in a reasonable amount of time ("reasonable" differs on how long the interviewer told you it would take before they made a decision), give the interviewer a call. If you didn't get the job, It's appropriate to ask what you could improve upon in the future. Never underestimate this important step. I know quite a few people that got jobs at the company of their dreams because the first candidate withdrew - and the interviewer remembered which candidates followed up after the interview process was over.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

 

Do you have the traits that employers are looking for?

I know you: You’ve made looking for your next job, well… your job. You’ve scoured your resume of clichéd buzzwords, brushed up on body language and even watched a "How to interview video".

 

But all that might be for naught if you just don’t have the personality your dream employer is looking for.  The vast majority of employers (88%) are looking for a “cultural fit” over skills in their next hire as more and more companies focus on attrition rates. Lucky for you, I've hired for some of the world leading employers and I will share my data with you. (think General Electric, Nike, American Express)

 

The top personality traits employers are looking for in job candidates in 2013. 

Professionalism (86%), high-energy (78%) and confidence (61%) are the top three traits employers say they are looking for in new hires.  These first-impression traits are the most critical for employers to prepare for as they all can be evaluated by a recruiter or hiring manager within the first 30 seconds of meeting a candidate.

“As a hiring manager I can read you the moment you walk in the door,” from the clothes you wear to the way you stand to the grip of your first hand-shake, presenting yourself as a confident, energetic professional is about as basic as career advice gets. But don’t be off-put by this commonplace advice.  Confidence ranks highest on the list of skills companies think employees are missing most.

“The most successful applicant is the one who walks into every interview with her hand outstretched for a handshake, has done her homework on the interviewer and company and is dressed to fit effortlessly into the culture of the workplace.

The remaining personality traits that are critical in the hiring process aren’t ones that can be read on-sight but instead call for both resume and interview preparation. To present yourself as a self-monitoring (58%) personality type,  remember to adjust your resume language to call attention to work experience where you’ve worked independently or excelled without the guidance of direct leadership. “In interviews, chose anecdotes that show how you’ve saved, made or achieved in previous positions… and how self-motivation was critical to that success.”

Intellectual curiosity (57%) is, fittingly, a curious and I generally advise you to tightly edit the “hobbies and interests” sections of your resumes.   Employers are looking for two things,  “The ability to problem solve and the ongoing dedication to learning new technologies or solutions that will continue to advance in the changing workplace.” Employers are asking themselves whether new hires will be with the company for the long term.   An employee who will grudgingly adopt a new database is not as attractive as one who is truly passionate about learning new things.

 

How to write the best resume to get you the interview! “Results Driven Resume”

Results- Driven resume will give potential employers the impression you can bring the same or similar results to their organization.  You know who you are and what skills you bring, now I will help you develop the best resume to effectively tell potential employers that you are the solution to their problems”

Your resume is usually how employers "meet" you. And their decision to interview you -- or not -- is often made after a quick glance at this all-important document.

Here's the challenge: Most resumes look the same, read the same and, quite frankly, they're boring. Most are cookie-cutter exercises in mediocrity, even though each candidate claims to be "driven", "dynamic," "creative", etc. But empty assertions like these won't land you an interview. You must prove the claims in your resume to get an employer's attention.

Your resume is a marketing tool, plain and simple. Is yours so powerful that it grabs the attention of hurried employers, forces them to slow down, read on, pick up the phone and call you? It must! Because your resume has to get read to get you hired.

Warning! Just because you spent four hours writing your resume doesn't mean it will be read with care. As a hiring professional who's been at this for more than 20 years, I can tell you that your resume has less than 10 seconds to impress a reader enough to compel them to read it entirely. Ten seconds. Or less.

Results are things you did that had a lasting impact for your company or client. Typically they are things that you created, built, designed, sold or initiated. And they are absolute gold for resumes. Keep your duty summaries concise, and focus instead on unique accomplishments and you'll be miles ahead of your peers. 

Here's a two-step process you can go through to identify and write out achievements for your resume:

Step 1: Make a quick list of your accomplishments. To spark ideas, think about times when you have:

• Re-organized something to make it work better?
• Identified a problem and solved it?
• Come up with a new idea that improved things?
• Developed or implemented new procedures or systems?
• Worked on special projects?
• Received awards?
• Been complimented by your supervisor or co-workers?
• Increased revenue or sales for the company?
• Saved money for the company?
• Saved time for the company?
• Contributed to good customer service?

Step 2: Use the STAR process to expand each of your accomplishments.

• Situation or Task – What was the problem or situation or challenge?
• Action – What did you do to solve the problem or make the situation better?
• Result – What was the outcome? Where possible, include percentages, dollar figures, and other metrics.

Here’s an example:

• Situation or Task: Disorganized, inefficient warehouse
• Action: Redesigned the layout
• Result: Saved the company $250,000 in recovered stock

Take your time and do these steps thoroughly, creating as many S-T-A-R statements as possible.

Once you've completed your S-T-A-Rs, turn those 3-part statements into single bullet points.  There is no one best way to do this - it will vary from results to results - but one effective approach is to phrase the bullet as "action" + "result", with some slight integration of the "problem" and rephrasing of verb tenses where necessary. Using the example above, here's how this might look: "Redesigned the warehouse and improved disorganization, inefficiency and saved $250,000 in recovered stock”.

Do this for all of your S-T-A-R statements, and you'll have the essential ingredients for a Results-Driven resume that stands out!