Is There A Better Way to Find Job Leads?

Question: There must be a better way to find job leads than networking. After attending so many networking events with little to show for it I’m burned out.

I firmly believe networking is the key to finding a new position. I find that most candidates don’t network the right way. Candidates too often view networking as attending a lot of meetings and meeting a lot of people. They somehow think the more people they know the better the odds are of finding a job. Sorry, this just isn’t the right way to network.

First of all, networking isn’t about how many people you know. How many people you know is completely irrelevant. What really matters is how many people know you. One hundred great relationships are far more valuable than a thousand business cards stacked on your desk. Good networking should be about building strong relationships. This ensures people know you and will refer you.

Secondly, you should always network with a purpose. Why are you going to so many networking meetings, if you aren’t getting anything out of them? What are your expectations by attending these meetings? Instead of attending so many meetings, I suggest identifying three or four networking groups, then go deep in those groups. Serve on the board or committees or be a greeter. Build relationships with all the members of these groups. If each group has fifty members that is 150 – 200 relationships you have developed. That is powerful networking.

Finally, know why you are meeting someone. You don’t have to meet everyone. Be selective with your time, just as you are when working. Always have a reason for meeting with someone. Remember, it is all about networking with a purpose.

To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.

How effective is your job search?  If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Brad Remillard

Using The Right Tools In Your Job Search

Like most recruiters, I attend too many networking events. Once a person hears that I’m a recruiter, they generally want to engage me in some conversation that usually ends up with giving me a business card or resume. WRONG TOOLS.

Even when I meet candidates, not for an interview, but just to help them in their search they give me a business card and a resume. WRONG TOOLS.

Most candidates don’t have the right tools for the right purpose or they have one set of tools for every aspect of their job search. WRONG AGAIN.

When one is trying to fix anything, they need the right tools to do the job correctly. Would you try to hang a picture on your wall using a 16 pound sledge hammer? One tool does not fix all problems – it’s the same with a job search.

At a minimum, there are two types of tools you need to use during a job search. One set is for networking, and the other set is for use when applying for a position, interview, responding to ads, or anything directly related to a specific position.

Networking tools are designed to accomplish a couple of specific goals:

1) Assist the person or contact in remembering you and something about you. The contact needs a tool to identify you from all of the other contacts in their stack of business cards. This is so they can refer you. In two weeks, most contacts don’t know which Pat you are in the stack, if Pat is male or female, or what industry Pat has experience in. Not a good way to get a referral.

2) Assist with referrals and introductions. How many times have you had a networking meeting with anyone and walked away with a specific referral to a hiring manager, HR person, lead directly into a company that fits your background, or someone other than a service provider or recruiter. It happens, but this is less often.

These two things happen because most candidates don’t have the correct networking tools. They too often just hand the person their resume and a general business card. THESE ARE NOT NETWORKING TOOLS. Stop using them. They are the wrong tools.

Get the right tools.

1) Use networking business cards. These cards use the back of the card. On the back is a list of industry experiences, titles, target companies or anything that will help the person remember you from all the rest in their stack of cards.

2) Use a bio not a resume. Don’t just use a generic bio. Use a targeted and focused bio on what introductions and referrals you are seeking. The bottom third of the bio should list the specific company names and people you want to meet. This way when the contact is looking at your bio they can easily identify if they know the company or person. Then right there on the spot they will often indicate they can facilitate an introduction.

There are other tools you need, but these are the most important. Good networking tools help people help you by remembering who you are and what connections you are seeking.

To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.

If you would like to know if your job search is fully utilized and you are doing the right things, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resource link.

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Brad Remillard

How To Handle High Turnover In An Interview?

Question: I have some turnover in my background that makes me look like a job hopper. Most of the turnover resulted from the company either closing or moving, not me leaving. Do you have any recommendations on how to handle this when asked about it in an interview?

Yes, don’t wait to be asked. Regardless of your negative situation you should always address it head on. Bring the issue up before you are even asked. In your case I would say, “From my resume it appears as if I have a lot of turnover. I would like to clarify this as in most cases the company either closed or moved. I never really left the positions.” Candidates often think that because the interviewer didn’t bring up the issue that they are comfortable with it. This just isn’t correct. It is always better to make it appear that you have nothing to hide. I refer to this as making a preemptive strike. This is especially true if you have been let go. It is better to discuss the issue on your terms and get your point of view out, than to let the interviewer jump to an incorrect conclusion.

You can review our Candidate Job Search Workbook for FREE (just pay $5 shipping). You can review the questions, read the multiple chapters on interviewing, and even learn the ten must ask questions in an interview. CLICK HERE to learn how to get your workbook sent to you for just the cost of shipping.

Download our sample cover letter. This will help make sure your resume aligns with the position, and recruiters appreciate this style. It is free.  CLICK HERE to get yours.

Finally our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group is free to join and all are welcome. This group has over 3,800 members and a wealth of articles, job postings and discussions to help you. CLICK HERE to join the group.

I welcome your thoughts and comments. If this was helpful, please pass the link on so others may benefit also.

Brad Remilllard

2 Major Job Search Problems You Can Fix This Week

A lot of my ideas come from personal experience.  Some directly as a part of my 2007 job search experience, some from my 18 years as a hiring manager and some that originate in life and remind me of either of those two.

Here is an example of the last one from this morning.

I woke to the sound of a beeping smoke alarm.  Now if this has happened at your home, you know that it likely is a battery issue.   And you know how frustrating it can be to stand under each detector waiting for it to beep.

That way you know which battery to change.  Before you pull your hair out.

Not only is it annoying to wait.  It is also incredibly inefficient.

And job seekers are making these same mistakes.  Every day.

Job seekers have two major problems.   They wait for others.  And they act with a surprising lack of efficiency.

Having been there, I know.  And meeting with 10-12 job seekers a week, I see it.  So today my goal is to alert you to the problems.  And then point you to some resources to help you solve them.

Problem #1 – Job Seekers Are Waiting

Just like my waiting under each smoke detector for the beep, job seekers spend too much time waiting.  Waiting for others to impact their search.

Waiting for:

–   recruiters to find them a job
–    a job search engine to return a relevant result
–    the blind resume blitz to turn up a hidden job

In my experience, successful job search isn’t about waiting.  It’s about taking action.  And while there are times in job search when patience pays off, generally you are rewarded for constant and smart activity.

Problem #2 – Job Seekers Are Inefficient

Most job seekers I meet with don’t have specific goals.  They act with impulse.  And do what feels right each day.  They apply for jobs even if not qualified, they socialize at networking events and, while they have a profile on LinkedIn, they don’t actually use the tool for what it is intended.

So set goals for your job search process.  Monthly, weekly daily goals to keep you focused.  And measure your ability to stay on track.

If you are on LinkedIn, use it to find key people in your extended network who work for your target companies.  Don’t have target companies?

Someone asked me once: “what can I do to get my resume noticed?”  My answer was to apply for jobs for which you are really well qualified.

As a hiring manager, I paid attention to resumes that included jobs, companies and experience and accomplishments that fit my needs (i.e. the job description).  So while there are great things you can do to improve your resume and cover letter, nothing is better than being a good fit.

Career networking is essential in today’s job market.  It is the single biggest reason I see some people landing new jobs and others struggling.  But it’s not just career networking.  It’s career networking with a purpose .  It is specifically identifying who you need to meet and acting with purpose to find them online and at events you attend locally.

So if you are looking for a boost in your job search success, stop waiting for others and begin working with goals and a sense of purpose.

It will increase your confidence.  And will stop that annoying beep

About the author:

Tim Tyrell-Smith is the founder of Tim’s Strategy: Ideas for Job Search Career and Life, a fast growing blog and website. Tim is also the author of: 30 Ideas. The Ideas of Successful Job Search. Download the book and other free tools at http://www.timsstrategy.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimsStrategy

How Can You Find the Best Job Search Content?

Who are your favorite bloggers that you read regularly to discover how to improve your job search?

Oh wait – let’s take a giant step backwards before we try to answer that question.

Are you searching, reading, devouring the content about effective job search put out by some extraordinary individuals who offer tons of golden nuggets in every post?

Could you rattle off the top ten bloggers on job search who are at the top of their profession? Who are the most respected on the Internet for publishing how-to articles, helpful hints, case studies, and step-by-step tactics to improve your job search?

You might respond back by saying “Barry – I just don’t have the time to search these blogs, follow the various authors, and digest all the information I can on a daily basis – it borders on overwhelming.”

If you’re that person – we have a solution for you.

We’ve created a site that aggregates ALL THE TOP BLOGGERS on job search in one place. No longer do you need to type various search strings into Google, try to remember which blogs you visited, and how to stay current on best practices.

This resource – our IMPACT Hiring Solutions FREE Job Search Resources Blog –  pulls the best bloggers into one place, allows you to subscribe by RSS or email, features reviews by Brad and I, and incorporates articles/links from our various job search archives and libraries.

Take a look – subscribe by RSS – and never worry again about being up-to-date on the latest best practices and trends in conducting an effective job search.

The site is http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/freesearchjobresources

Barry

P.S. Don’t forget to join our LinkedIn Discussion Group where we discuss many of the best practice topics related to conducting an effective job search.

Why Don’t Candidates Use LinkedIn Effectively?

Are you leveraging LinkedIn in your job search? If not, you could be dragging your job search on for a longer period of time than is necessary.

LinkedIn provides one of the greatest sets of job search tools – practically for FREE!

Why then are so many candidates so bad at using it for their job search?

This just makes no sense to me.

If you’re in a job search, help me to understand why you’re not effectively using LinkedIn to cut the time it takes to find a great job by at least 50%.

Here’s a great fresh example: I was interviewing a candidate for National Sales Manager Position this morning. This is a senior level job – compensation is in the $150K-$200K range.

She’s been out of work for an entire year. I asked her how many phone interviews she had in the last year. Her answer was “roughly about 10”. I asked her how many physical interviews she had in the last year. Her answer was “less than 5.” Her activity level is so low it would have been a miracle to get a job offer.

I then asked her how she was using LinkedIn in her Job Search. She says
“I’m really using LinkedIn. I logon all the time. I look at the job ads being posted. I check out the status updates of all my network contacts.”

You’re NOT effectively using LinkedIn. You might not be found by a hiring manager or recruiting unless pure random luck intervened.

You’re lurking. You’ve faded into the woodwork. You’re invisible.

Start to leverage all the great tools LinkedIn provides for your job search, such as:

• Ability to participate in Questions and Answers
• Ability to constantly evolve and change your Profile
• Ability to Get Testimonials/References to say good things about you
• Ability to share books/reviews/thoughts with others
• Ability to participate in group discussions
• Ability to post useful information into groups
• Ability to contact directly potential hiring managers and recruiters
• Ability to post rich content/media of Powerpoint presentations, white papers, video, and audio
• Ability to “LIKE” and comment on the status updates of people in your network
• Ability to easily build a powerful network to generate an abundance of job leads and referrals.
• Ability to include your twitter stream and blog postings

I’m almost embarrassed to ask candidates about their use of LinkedIn in a job search. When I hear their answer of how much they think they are using it and how they see themselves as a “power” user of LinkedIn for Job Search – I want to double over in laughter. I know that in 99% of the time when I go to look them up on LinkedIn, their activity level and sophistication of using LinkedIn is usually in the bottom 10%.

Why?

There is NO EXCUSE not to become a power user of LinkedIn for Job Search. The resources are astounding. For example, Brad and I have authored numerous articles, blog posts, and radio programs on this subject. We’ve got FREE tools to help you – such as our LinkedIn Profile Self-Assessment Scorecard which you can get by clicking here.

Special NOTE: My partner Brad Remillard is facilitating an upcoming inexpensive Webinar on How to Use LinkedIn to pop to the top of a hiring manager/recruiters search for candidates?

Can you afford to end up on page 3 of a search a recruiter is conducting for someone just like you? If you’re not on page 1 – you’ll never have a chance to get noticed. Check out the description of this LinkedIn Webinar by clicking here. I’m really excited about this unique technique Brad has developed to get you to the top of LinkedIn Candidate Searches by Hiring Managers and Recruiters.

This technique of leveraging “SEO” on LinkedIn for your profile is just one of the hundreds you can use to dramatically improve the effectiveness of your job search.

Consulting Can Be Harmful To Your Job Search

Candidates often take on consulting jobs while in an active job search. Granted, many need the income and if that is the reason for taking the consulting job I completely understand. However, this may be one reason you are in a job search longer than necessary. This may also be one reason for the roller coaster ride many candidates experience while in a job search.

It isn’t that taking the consulting gig is a bad thing to do. It is the terms of the gig that make it harmful to your real desire, which is to land a new position.

I have seen this happen so many times in my career as a recruiter. Candidates are in a perpetual job search. What happens is that candidates get an opportunity for some short term income with a consulting assignment, and because they really don’t know how consulting works, they jump in as if it is a full-time permanent position. Real consultants would never do this. Most consultants can’t do this because good consultants have more than one client so they can’t devote all of their time to any one client for an extended period of time. Candidates, turned temporary consultant, don’t grasp this.

I find that most candidates really don’t view a consulting gig as a consulting gig. They view it as a job. So in reality, they pull themselves off the job market for whatever period of time the consulting lasts. They put their job search on hold. When the consulting assignment ends they restart their job search again. This on/off job search is very harmful for a number of reasons.

1. People begin to view you as a consultant and don’t refer you when a permanent position comes up.
2. The timing for a job opening has to coincide with when you aren’t consulting, otherwise you will never find it.
3. Networking stops so recruiters and those you would keep in touch with either forget about you, refer someone else they are currently networking with, or assume you must be off the market because you aren’t around anymore. Basically out of sight, out of mind.

So what should you do? You need and want the money from consulting. You want the best of both worlds. Well, this is one time in life when you can have the best of both worlds. I would have said, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but I never understood that. Since you can’t eat cake you don’t have, what else are  you supposed to do with the cake once you have it?

The most important thing you can do if you want to take on consulting roles is behave as a consultant. This means you control your schedule.You have to let the potential client know you are a consultant and have other clients, so you need some flexibility. It doesn’t have to involve a lot of time off, but there will be days when you will be later than others. These are the days you network, schedule meetings with people, attend those networking meetings, let people know you are still looking for permanent work, and make sure you don’t pull yourself off the market. This has to be discussed right up front just like all consulting roles. You can agree on X number of hours per week, but you have to look out for yourself. Agree to the total number per week, not necessarily the time. You must leave some flexibility for continuing your job search. If you don’t, then your job search is on hold.

For those that say, what if the company won’t agree? Then they don’t see you as a consultant. They see you as an unemployed person looking for money. It is your job to position yourself as a consultant in the company’s mind. After all, what if you truly were a consultant with multiple clients, then what would you do? You would negotiate a mutually beneficial relationship.

Don’t let consulting stand in your way of your real objective. If you want a full-time permanent position, then don’t take yourself off the job market. Instead, work with the company as a consultant to ensure the job gets done to the client’s satisfaction and that you too are satisfied.

Help make yourself findable with a great LinkedIn profile. You can use our free LinkedIn profile assessment scorecard to help you. To download your free scorecard CLICK HERE.

Also, join our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group. There  is a wealth of resources there for you. You can even tap into others that are successfully consulting in order to find out how they do it. CLICK HERE to join the group.

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Brad Remillard

Building An Effective Network Step 2 – Online Social Media & LinkedIn Profile

Step one of effective networking focused on the offline networking process. It discussed why so many candidates receive such little value from networking that most just give up. I understand why this happens and hopefully the 4 steps started to change how most candidates approach networking.

Online networking is becoming more and more an effective way to connect. I personally don’t believe it is even close to as effective as offline networking, but one has to make sure that this base is covered. Just like the offline networking that we described in Step 1, it too must be covered effectively. Just doing it for the sake of doing it will not be any more effective in your search than meeting a bunch of people and going to a lot of networking meetings just for the sake of doing it.

There are very few things one can do poorly and expect anything other than poor results. Yet, this is what many of the candidates I encounter expect given their networking process.

Online networking takes effort. It is much more than just filling in the blanks on your LinkedIn profile and then hoping a recruiter or hiring authority will see it and think, “WOW, what a great person, I need to contact them now.”  I recently conducted a small poll asking approximately 500 people how they would rate their LinkedIn profile. To my surprise, most were completely honest and rated it poor to below average. A few rated it good and one or two rated it excellent. Of those that rated it good and excellent, four made the mistake of asking if I agreed and wanted my opinion. Don’t ask me for my opinion if you don’t want a complete answer. When I finished writing my assessment of their profile, all agreed that their profile needed work and was incomplete and therefore ineffective.

Here are some things to consider when building an online network and how to fully utilize it:

1. Limit your expectations. LinkedIn and other social media sites are not a silver bullet for finding a job. They are definitely an important component, but don’t over rely on them. Offline networking is still at the top of the list when searching for a position.
2. I cannot stress enough that you need to make sure that you not only have a complete profile on LinkedIn or Google, but also make sure it is compelling. This is your home page. Make sure it demonstrates that you are the expert in your field. Do an analysis of your competitors just like companies do. Review other profiles in your functional area. See what they have to offer. How does their profile compare to yours? If you looked at both profiles, which person would you contact first? Be objective.  CLICK HERE to get a FREE checklist to building a compelling profile.
3. A profile is meaningless if you still aren’t findable. What steps are you taking to make yourself findable? (Part 3 in this series). How sure are you that if my team of recruiters was searching for you that they would find you? This is what counts.
4. Once they do find you, how difficult is it to connect with you? This is a major issue. Most candidates don’t understand the process LinkedIn uses to connect people. If we aren’t connected at the first level and you don’t have your contact information displayed on your profile, LinkedIn makes it difficult to connect with you. In addition, the way their system works it can take days to make contact.
5. Have you Googled your name and reviewed what shows up? Most have done this. Do the results link the person Googling you back to your LinkedIn profile? This can be a problem if you have a common name. Bob Smith, Jane Jones, Mark Roberts may have hundreds of names show up. It can take a long time to find you.

Online networking is a good thing,  however, it is often over relied upon by candidates. Too many candidates believe that if they build it, people will just find them. This is just not true. I wish it were, as that would sure make my job easier. You have to work your profile. You have to get it out into the marketplace.

The good news is few candidates do this. If you do, you will be the one that gets the call.

You can get our Create a Powerful LinkedIn Profile To Find a Job webinar package. This includes all of the slides and the audio recording. The audio is an hour and a half and there are more than 30 slides that will walk you through step-by-step and show you exactly how to build a compelling profile. CLICK HERE to read more.

Join our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group. 5,300 members are there for you to connect with. CLICK HERE to join.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Brad Remillard

How To Get Job Lead Referrals. 3 Simple Steps

I preach all the time how important it is in a job search to have a steady stream of job lead referrals coming from your network. Few disagree with this.  Few also do much about it.  Oh they go through the motions, they generate a lot of activity, they meet a lot of people, and they go to so many networking groups they have lost count. Yes, even after all that activity, one of the biggest issues I have to help candidates with is getting referrals from their network. In fact, most of the people that come to me requesting job search help, this is the catalyst that starts our relationship.

The conversation often begins,”I have been looking for X number of months with very little results. I’m actively networking, meeting people all the time and just not getting the right referrals or leads. Can you help me?”

This person hasn’t built a sales force. They’ve built a lot of contacts, but every top sales person knows few contacts buy anything. Connections and a relationship often result in a sale.

So here is the proverbial $64,000 question for you, “How many sales reps do you have out in the field selling you?” If you answered 50 or more you can move on to the next article. If you answered, “I don’t know.” Here is how to find out, “Are you happy with the quality and quantity of the job lead referrals you are getting?” If no, read on. If yes, move on.

I find that most job seekers have less than 15 (usually around 10) really solid job lead referral sources  in their network. Most are getting referrals to other people, usually service providers, but not job leads. Few are tapping into the hidden job market.

The people I work with have a goal of 50 sales reps. I call them sales reps, because every candidate needs to have at least 50 people in the market place promoting and selling them every time a job lead or potential job lead comes up. The larger the geographical area, the larger the number of sales reps required.

My all time favorite line that best describes effective networking was given to me years ago by a person that understood networking before networking was even a word. Bill Ellermeyer said to me,”You have to take a contact and turn it into a connection.” Read it again if you didn’t pick up on what real networking is all about. This hits the problem square on the head.

Job seekers are not making connections, most are making contacts. Many don’t even know if the contact is willing to refer them or not.

So start turning all those contacts into connections. 50 great connections are worth more to you than 500 contacts. So start focusing on getting the 50.

Some ways to do that include:

1. Network with a purpose. Stop going to every networking meeting on the planet. Stop meeting every person referred to you. Start going to networking meetings that will provided you the connections you need to get job leads. If the meeting isn’t going to meet this goal, why go? Do your homework before spending a lot of time with someone. Ask the referring sources some qualifying questions about the person and why they think this person would be a good referral source for you. Don’t just run off and spend all that time meeting a bunch of people.
2. Select or target the people that can help you and eventually you can help them. Generally, if it is a service provider you are trying to make your sales rep,  they want business referrals. They want to meet decision makers. So you should have a list of people you are relying on for help and find out from them exactly what types of business referrals they want. Stop asking the question, “How can I help you?” Every service knows that rarely leads to anything. You want referrals so do they. So ask them, “What business introductions can I make for you?” Have your rolodex with you. Open it up right there and give a good referral. They now owe you.
3. Follow-up with these people regularly. Every sales manager knows you have to keep in-touch with your sales reps and with the customer. So you need to do the same thing.  Since you know the backgrounds of the people they want to meet invite them to meetings, introduce them to a potential referral  over coffee with you there to make the introduction, call and inquire if hey would be interested in meeting this person or that person, invite them to a social event, golf, sporting event, drinks, conference.  Maybe they would like to meet one of your other 50 sales people so they can network together. Why not set up  a small group meeting.  There are so many opportunities to take this contact and turn it into a connection once  you start thinking about it. The problem is very few think about it.

It only takes the ability to focus on the right things that will lead to quality job leads. I can tell you from personal experience, when I can get the candidates I work with in this mode most see quality job leads start coming in. Having a sales force is critical to a successful job search.

So please go out today and start building your sales team.

For a FREE example of a cover letter CLICK HERE.

For a FREE example of a Thank You letter CLICK HERE.

For many more FREE resources and articles, join our Job Search Networking Group on LinkedIn. 5200 people have done this. CLICK HERE to join.

If your LinkedIn profile doesn’t demonstrate you are the expert in your field you may be missing opportunities. Recruiters, HR and hiring authorities often start looking on Linkedin. This tool is critical in a job search. CLICK HERE to learn  how you can build an outstanding Linkedin Profile.

I welcome your thoughts, comments, suggestions and ideas.

Brad Remillard