Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

The other side of the hiring desk, pt 2: What job seekers should NOT expect from a recruiter

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desk2T80071032It’s important to know what recruiters are thinking, what they do and what they do NOT do if you want to work with one successfully. Read another my series of interviews with my friend and colleague Stephanie A. Lloyd, a Talent Strategies Consultant and Owner of Calibre Search Group in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a National Careers + Workplace Columnist for Examiner.com and also blogs at Radiant Veracity. You can also follow Stephanie on Twitter.

Read on to learn how to be more competitive in the job market!

What should job seekers NOT expect from a recruiter

Job seekers should consider that internal recruiters handle a large number of resumes on a daily basis. Chances are, particularly in a job market like this, they are bombarded with hundreds or thousands of applications from the company’s website and other job postings. Recruiters sort through those resumes and applications in order to find the few that meet the specific qualifications for each particular job opening. That takes a lot of time! Unfortunately, job seekers should not expect personalized treatment until they are identified as good candidates.

Recruiters are not resume writers nor career coaches. Recruiters are not here to “find you a job,” help you change careers or to help you figure out what you want to be when you grow up. (Miriam’s note: that is what career coaches do!)

For candidates who are good matches for a recruiter – how should they go about finding someone who would be a good match?

I would suggest starting with your network. Ask current and/or former colleagues and others you know who work in your field who they’ve worked with in the past that they trusted and felt comfortable with.

You can also check with your current and/or former employer’s HR department to see which firm(s) they like and work with.

Finally, don’t forget about social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Use search tools on both sites to connect with and reach out to recruiters in your field. Your initial contact should be a friendly and courteous introduction with a brief explanation of your background and career interests. Very often, even if they don’t have anything for you at the moment, recruiters will be able to refer you to other recruiters and resources.

Do you need help with your search? Follow this link to learn how I can help propel your job hunt!

Plan your job search future…A future party!

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futureparty2905178289_c60350c5ed_mIn an effort to help job seekers break away from typical planning patterns and habits, today’s post offers a fun idea from my friend Cindy Petersiel, a business coach who blogs at Design Your Success. Cindy describes a “Come As You Will Be” party that her client attended:

Have you heard of these?  You come as if your life is 5 years down the road.  This gives the party goer an opportunity to really think about what she will be in 5 years.  Invitees were asked to dress as like they want to dress in 5 years.  Bring photos of the places they’ve traveled and their homes.  Conversation is expected to be as if you are 5 years in the future.

She goes on:

My client was nervously excited about the party.  As she got more and more into the process of pretending, she began to get more and more clear on what she wanted for her business and her life in the year 2014.  As the party approached, she had a real look at what success meant to her.  She had designed her own success (I love it!) and had a 5 Year Plan and Vision in place.

The benefits didn’t end there.  As she got into the idea and the play of the party, she began to really create a vision of what it would be like 5 years from now with her success.  She got to feel what it is like to be there. This told the subconscious portion of her mind that it IS.  And now, with with the subconscious portion of her mind thinking it is, it sees all sorts of possibilities and opportunities that she was blind to before. Actions taken on those possibilities become leaps forward toward the achievement of that – year plan.

Cindy suggests the following:

Use the power of pretend to create your own 5-year plan.  Host your own Come As You Will Be party.  Make it big or make it small, but make it fun and really get into it.

Here are some tips to give your invitees:

  • Ask yourself, “how do I want to be dressing in 5 years?”
  • Make a photo album of the places you’ve “been” and your home(s).  Be ready to talk about them and your experiences.
  • In your business, who are your customers?
  • What is your role in your business?  How is it different from today?
  • How do you spend your days?
  • What are your hobbies?

As you prepare for the party, jot down the ideas of opportunities and actions that will inevitably jump into your head.  It doesn’t matter if you won’t do them yet.  Keep them for yourself.

So, if you are stuck in a rut and can’t do anything but complain that your search isn’t going the way you’d hoped – take a break from the typical and jump into the spirit of fun and imagination. Make a vision board. Envision your future. Host a future party.

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get your job hunt going!

photo by rafeejewell

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Envision your future to help your job hunt

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ladder on wall249101134_32ca4e0285_mMy friend Cindy Petersiel, a business coach who blogs at Design Your Success, suggested an idea I have been meaning to share, and “Job Search Future Planning Week” is the perfect time to share it! When you are looking for a job, knowing where you are going is the most important thing. As Cindy notes: “What good is climbing the ladder if it’s leaning against the wrong wall?” To help you figure out the right wall…

This is what Cindy says:

Envision yourself 5 years from now being featured in an article for a magazine or newspaper.   Ask yourself these questions:

What publication is featuring the article?

Who are you or what have you done to gain the interest of the magazine?

Now consider some questions that might be asked by the interviewer:

What lead you to this path in your life and in your work?  How have your core values influenced your path?  What are the steps that you took to get here?  What were the milestones along the way?  What do you love about your life and your accomplishments?  What have been the obstacles along the way and how have you surmounted them?  What has your work brought to you?

Notice that all of these questions are in the present tense.  When you answer them, keep that present tense.

So, what do you think? When you envision yourself 5 years down the road, what magazine is writing an article about you? Why?

Cindy suggests you think about:

Who have you become or what have you done that has captured the publication’s interest?   At the top of a piece of paper, write the name of the magazine.  Leave room for an article title – you’ll fill that in last.

Write out the interview questions above.  What other questions could there be?  Write them out.  Make sure you have about 20 to 30 minutes of quiet alone time and write out the answers to these questions.  Really pretend that you are there, 5 years from now.  Feel the pride and the joy.

Lastly, come up with a title for the article and write it at the top of the page.  This could end up being a battle cry or bolstering mantra as you move toward your 5-year vision.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s idea to extend the fun and pretend to help you firm up your vision of the future!

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!

photo by anihatzis

Plan your job hunt using The Vision Board to guide you

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Regular readers know that I usually stick to highly practical job search advice – I want to offer a toolbox of practical job hunting tips and advice. But, my tag line is “Encouraging, enlightening and empowering job seekers for success.” So, with that in mind, I want to suggest a book that job seekers and all professionals may want to consider reading!

Joyce Schwarz’s visually beautiful and inspiring book, The Vision Board, reminds readers of a key life lesson. As she says in the introduction, “Your time is now.” She shows her readers how to take the bull by the horns and take hold of their own destinies by offering moving stories of people (and families!) who have used vision boards to improve their lives.

For those of us who have never engaged in this type of work, Ms. Schwarz offers step-by-step instructions that not only help readers know what to DO, but also make the concept of the Law of Attraction understandable and attainable to even the most skeptical of audiences.

By offering her own framework to help the reader engage in this work (GRABS), which stands for Gratitude, Release and Receive, Acknowledge and Ask, Be and Believe and Share, the author helps readers really understand their roles in what she calls their own “quantum leap.” She literally offers readers a “passport to possibility” by describing how to get started both from a spiritual perspective (offering accounts of personal stories, sound advice and tips for expressing gratitude) AND from a practical perspective (even suggesting what type of adhesive to use).

One of my favorite things about this book was that it leads the reader to understand and agree with the premise without seeming preachy or “out there.” For example, who can’t understand the value of stopping during the day for a short walk or a coloring break with kids? Ms. Schwarz offers these as examples of ways to “say thanks for your body and the power of your mind.”

Having read The Vision Board, I suggested that my business mastermind group work on our own vision board projects to help us solidify our goals and propel our plans forward. I  recommend it to anyone who wants to jump-start his or her plans, even if you aren’t already a believer in the Law of Attraction!

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!


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Job search planning – steps, tips and tricks

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july2582874758_5bebef06c2_mSince we are on the cusp of a new month, a new fiscal year for some and have just officially crossed into a new season, I am declaring this week on my blog as “Job Search Future Planning Week.” Everyone engaged in a successful search needs to have a plan.

Today, some tips and/or reminders about how to get your job hunt off on the right foot. Stay tuned this week for posts and ideas that are a little off my typical path!

Identify your 3%…

Peter Weddle explained that the genome project taught us that humans are 97% similar! So, he suggested that we each have 3% that is special and unique. Have you thought about that 3%? You need to focus and purposefully identify what you have to offer that makes you stand out from everyone else. It’s not enough to assume that it’s obvious or that everyone will recognize your talents. Stop, outline what you have to offer and focus on your goals. Then, move forward with intent.

Stay upbeat and positive – it really matters

You’re not alone – try to focus on the silver lining in the job hunt. No one wants to hire Debbie Downer. There’s no telling how much a positive attitude will help you succeed, so do your best to stay upbeat, or at least to look upbeat to the outside world.

Work on identifying companies – not just looking for openings.

Searching for job opportunities posted online can certainly take all of your time. Instead of focusing on open positions, consider targeting companies of interest (even if they do NOT have openings) and network your way into the organization so that you will be “top of mind” when there is an opportunity.

Know how to tell your story…

Did you know that being able to tell your story is probably the most important part of the job hunt? You need to be able to share your “elevator pitch” when you meet people and it’s important to have some good stories to tell on your resume, in your cover letter and during an interview. I like Kathy Hansen’s Tell Me About Yourself, a book that is all about how to tell your job search story. Be sure to pick up a copy!

Dive into social media if you haven’t already!

Yes, this can take some time if you are going to do it full force. But, you have time, so go for it! Start searching for blogs in your niche. Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop list is a perfect place to find blogs in an array of topics, but you can certainly use Google to find current information in your field of interest. Spend some time researching and exploring. See if you can identify the stars in your field. Use online mechanisms to connect to them! (More about LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook later.)

In fact, the New York Times published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

LinkedIn

I can’t emphasize how important it is to enhance your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters are sourcing from LinkedIn in large numbers, so if you aren’t there with a strong statement of your qualifications, skills and accomplishments, you are missing out!

Use Twitter to help you find a job

Yes, you CAN tweet yourself to a job. Get set up using the tips linked above and follow these links to learn what people to follow to help accelerate your search and about Twitter applications to use to help you propel your job hunt.

FaceBook

While Facebook isn’t my favorite social network for job seekers, you can use Facebook groups to help with your job hunt, and there are many Facebook applications that are useful for job seekers. You may also want to review how to use Facebook for your job hunt.

Start taking care of your digital footprint

Satisfying Career, Happier Life suggests these services to help control your digital dirt:

These resources may be useful, but you don’t want to be in the position of worrying about whether or not unsavory pictures or trash talking could have cost you an interview or a job. Be careful what you put online and you’ll never have to find out how well or quickly these services work!

Don’t forget to keep up your in-person networking

If you want to succeed in business or your job hunt, you need to be able to engage on a person-to-person basis, tell your story and share information to help you connect.

Consider the cost benefits of seeking career advice.

The fact is, most people don’t have a very good resume and have no idea how to search for a job in today’s economy. In a competitive environment, your job seeking materials (this includes your LinkedIn profile and web 2.0 presence) will be even more important. Money may be tight, but hiring a coach and/or a resume writer might be just the boost you need to propel your search. Anita Bruzzese, career advice columnist and author suggests,

“If you don’t think you can afford a career coach, consider giving up some of the extras in your life (a gym membership, eating out, cable television, etc.) which can can help you pay for a coach.”

Consider the cost of unemployment and the fact that you are much more likely to land a job in a timely way if you have a great resume, understand how to market yourself and are well prepared to interview and negotiate.

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!

photo by phlyersphan