How NOT to Look for a Job

I posted the following status on my Facebook page today:


Yet another story about a job seeker who is going about their job search all wrong. "Werth said he spends several hours a day looking for jobs online and submitting résumés. He’s looking in Nebraska, in Kansas City, Denver, even Dallas. He applied for one job taking orders at a window company in South Dakota but never heard back. He said he puts out 10 to 15 résumés a week. Except for a couple of phone interviews, he rarely gets a response." 


I ended it with, "If you keep on doing what you've always done, you're going to keep on getting what you've always got."


The promise of online career boards like Monster.com and Careerbuilder and even local site Careerlink is that you can sit in front of your computer at home and get your dream job.


Well, if you're the kind of person who plays the lottery every week and thinks that's the way to fund your retirement, then you probably believe that you can find your next job online. 


The reality is, however, that finding a job -- and especially finding your dream job -- requires you to talk to actual human beings, not sit at home and simply apply for advertised openings.


The reason is because humans do the hiring for jobs, not computers. And when you're submitting your resume in competition with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of other people, it's hard to stand out. (A professional resume can help, but even then, you need to get it to the right person -- and that means getting it to the hiring manager, not the HR person -- or worse, sending it to an anonymous e-mail address, like careers@whatevercompany.com).


In 2000, a study by Forrester Research reported that only 4% of job hunters polled found jobs through the Internet. Similar research since then has confirmed those numbers -- only 5-10% of jobs are found online.


So why do job seekers continue to spend so much time online searching for and applying to online job postings, especially if it's not working?


A reply to my Facebook posting suggests that's the strategy being taught in high school and colleges ... which makes sense for Gen X and Gen Y jobseekers, but that doesn't explain the 50-year-olds who think that's the best way to search for a job. But enough about what's not working. What does?


So how SHOULD you look for a job?


The strategy is fairly straightforward:


1. Identify the type of job you want. (This is harder than it sounds -- I talk to dozens of job seekers each week who say they want, "Any job." It's actually harder to find "any job" than it is to find the "right" job. Use my Ideal Job worksheet to narrow it down. You must be clear about what job you want if you hope to find it.)


2. Figure out what kind of companies hire for the kind of job you want. Research them -- see if they are hiring for the kind of job you want. Look at their website. Google them. Remember the #1 rule of the job search: Companies hire people who can solve problems for them (make them money, save them money, save time, be more competitive, make work easier, attract new customers, etc.). Research the company to find out what kind of problems they have (because you might be the right person to solve them!).


3. Identify your strengths and skills and how you can help the company. It's not enough to do the job -- you have to show how you can do it exceptionally well. That means identifying key skills needed in the job and coming up with CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) or CCAR (Context-Challenge-Action-Result) examples. (My Canadian colleague Sharon Graham explains how to come up with CAR statements in this article.) Be sure to quantify the outcomes (in terms of %, $, and #). Talk about key projects -- especially your role. 


3. Once you know how you can be an asset to a particular employer, talk to people who might know about job opportunities at the company -- or, who might be in a position to help you get a job with the company, even if there isn't an advertised opening.
Talk to people who work at the company. You may know someone who works there, or you can find them through your personal network, or connect with them through online sites like Facebook or LinkedIn (the Internet does play a part in the job search, just not through giant career boards!). You don't have to know someone directly -- many job leads are found through weak ties, as this article points out. 


Another article cites Ormain Gathers, a senior recruiter, who cited the statistic of "35-40 percent of all new hires come from employee referrals."

Even if the company isn't actively advertising openings, there may still be an opportunity. Again, it's about identifying a need and filling it. Talk to people who can lead you to the people who make the hiring decisions.

Getting a job is about talking to people. People who can provide you with leads, contacts, and referrals. It's not about sitting in front of your computer and sending out dozens, hundreds, or thousands of resumes. Remember, you only need ONE job. It's better to spend a lot of time identifying the RIGHT job at the right company (and finding the RIGHT person to talk to about the job) than using the "Spray and Pray" method of job search.


I can't emphasize this enough. If you want to get a job, you've got to get out from behind your computer and talk to people. Here's some ideas on who you should talk to. Make sure everyone you know knows exactly what kind of job you want. But you also need to ask them for specific help -- for example, "I'm looking for a computer programming job with a bank. Do you know anyone who works at any bank in Lincoln? It doesn't have to be someone who works in the IT department -- just someone who works at the bank."


Talk to people. That's the key to getting your next job. But "if you keep on doing what you've always done, you're going to keep on getting what you've always got."


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If you found this article interesting, read this one about the Get Hired Now! system.

"I'm Not Getting Job Interviews Because I'm Overqualified"

A recent article on WorkBuzz (the CareerBuilder) blog, caught my attention ... as did the comments of dozens of job searchers on the Facebook status referring to the article.

My comments for these job seekers:

The first thing to remember is that you are probably not OVERQUALIFIED for a position ... you're just not a good "FIT." Employers know the level of the position that they've got available, and from experience, they know that someone who was making $50,000 before is not going to be happy making $8/hour (equivalent of $16,000/year). So even if you would TAKE that job (just to have one), you're not overqualified ... they just know that they're going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to train you ... only for you to find out that you're bored -- or, worse, you'll leave when a better job opens up.

If you TRULY want to make a career change, or "step down," then you have to demonstrate your commitment to that new level of work. The idea to volunteer for an organization is a great one. Ask if you can "job shadow" someone doing the work you want to do, to make sure it's a good fit, before you apply for the job.

The other big mistake I see job seekers making is that they apply for hundreds of jobs ... don't follow up on any of them ... and wonder why they don't get interviews. If you are one of even a dozen people applying for a job, stand out from the crowd by trying to make a PERSONAL connection with the organization -- and, in particular, someone at the company. If you want to work in retail, shop the store. Get to know the manager. Identify ways you could help make the store make more money, keep their customers, get new customers ... and then share those ideas with the manager. If you want to work at a place that isn't "retail," then "shop" the company by researching them thoroughly -- read their website, Google them, talk to their customers, talk to their competitors.

Networking is important. If you're new to an area, it's actually easier, in my opinion. Say, "Hi, I'm new to the area, and I was wondering who to talk to about a job in (x)." Go to neighborhood association meetings and introduce yourself to everyone there. Call the local chapter of your professional association and introduce yourself to the Membership Chair. Ask for his or her help making contacts in the area (NOT for help in GETTING A JOB ... just MEETING NEW PEOPLE).

Employment agencies are struggling. Their clients -- employers -- don't have as *many* jobs to fill, so they are filling square holes with square pegs. There are simply too many good people out of work nowaways (like a lot of you guys on here), so you need to set yourself apart. > SMALL companies are the ones doing the hiring nowadays, and they're not advertising in the Classifieds or posting the jobs on CareerBuilder (most likely). Instead, look on CareerBuilder -- or USE YOUR NETWORK to find these companies.

You need to be absolutely clear about the value you offer to companies. What makes YOU unique? The answer MIGHT absolutely be your depth of experience. You need to identify what sets you apart from other job seekers.

Do something different. If you've been out of work for a while, you're probably in a rut ... and depressed/demoralized. Now is the time to take a fresh approach. Have a professional resume writer take a look at your resume and cover letter to identify possible pitfalls that might be keeping you from getting interviews. Start -- or join -- a job search group or club. Take a class in job search techniques.

"Ask the Experts" -- One (WO)Man's Opinion!

I sat in on a couple of sessions today on EmploymentChatLive, sponsored by WOWT.

What I soon realized is that -- although there are a lot of people out there who profess to be "experts" when it comes to finding jobs, some of the advice out there isn't just unhelpful ... some of it is just plain wrong -- and can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars while you try these "methods" that just don't work.

One "expert" advised posting your resume online everywhere and "refreshing" it daily. That was his main point of emphasis for the job search. If you spend the majority of your job search doing this, you'll be out of work for a long time. 

I was getting discouraged, but the "experts" in the 3 o'clock hour chats were much better. (Although the Workforce Development folks seemed to be pretty consistently on target with their advice -- and their specialists were participating in multiple chats.) I also found Jeri Schaben, the career specialist who participated in the "Resumes That Work" chat, to be very knowledgeable -- and I'm not just saying that because she complimented my ideas. *smile*

I compiled a list of the questions asked and will be answering them on this blog over the next few weeks, so check back often!

You Only Need One Job

Applying online for dozens of jobs is easy. It's also not very effective. You only need one company to hire you. The more targeted you can be in identifying what kind of job you want and what kind of company you want to work for, the faster you will find a new job and the greater the likelihood you will get the job you want.

It may only take 1 application and 1 interview to get the job -- but most job seekers find it takes 20-30 applications to yield 3-4 interviews. That may generate 1 or 2 job offers.

To maximize your efforts:

• Decide what kind of job you want. That may be easy if you've got 15 years of experience as a Plastics Engineer; harder if you just graduated with a liberal arts degree.
• Identify what kind of company you'd like to work for. Big or small? Public, private, or family-owned? Located where? What do they do/buy/sell? 
• Think about your personal preferences. Do you like working alone or with a team? Few meetings or lots of meetings? Travel? Short-term projects or long-term?
• Research the companies. Look at their website. Google them. Read their news releases. Research their competitors and the industry. What are their key issues? How can you help them solve those problems?
• Don't worry if you don't see a job advertised that fits your specifications/interests. While it's true that only 2% of jobs are filled from "unadvertised resumes," the majority of these are "bulk-mailed" resumes either without cover letters, or with "generic" cover letters. Highly targeted cover letters, sent to likely employers (even with no advertised openings) DO yield results.
• Draft a cover letter that "speaks" to the prospective employer. Demonstrate an understanding of their needs, your skills/qualifications, and -- most importantly -- how the two can be combined.

If you are interested in medical product sales, but are a nurse, talk about how your medical knowledge and ability to build rapport with physicians will enable you to quickly grasp complex product and disease information, leading to more effective sales presentations, and increased product sampling/adoption.

If you are seeking a new teaching position, don't just talk about lesson plans and class sizes -- talk about your teaching methodology and how it relates to the student population you'd be working with.

Remember: You don't have to be all things to all people; if you know what you have to offer, and target the employers who need what you deliver, it may only take applying to one company before you have the job you want!

Customized Cover Letters

I just got off the phone with a client who had a simple question: Who do I address the "Dear" line on the cover letter to, if I don't have a person's name? [He's looking for entry-level jobs as a TV producer, and was sending off his resume to television stations. Several of the job postings just said: Send to the attention of "Human Resources."]

I asked him: Do you want the easy answer, or the effective answer? The easy answer is to do one of the following:

• Dear Sir/Madam
• "To Whom It May Concern"
• Omit the "Dear" line altogether, and just put RE: [JOB TITLE] and then go directly into the body of the letter.
  

That's the easy way to do it, and how probably 90% of job applicants handle it.

But my clients comprise the best 10% of job seekers -- or so I'd like to believe. (My tips and guidance help get them into that top 10%, usually.)

So my answer to him wasn't so easy -- but it's definitely more effective:
I told him to call each of the television stations and ask who he should address the cover letter to (and be sure and get the correct spelling of their name and their job title). For the types of companies he's targeting (TV stations), 95 percent of the time, a 2-minute phone call can yield this information.

In the other 5 percent of cases, you can find the information you're looking for on the company or organization's website. In a TV news job, you're probably looking for the name of the News Director. That's fairly easy to find on the TV station's website. You might want to call to make sure that person is still the News Director, though, because that's a job with a LOT of turnover (particularly right after a ratings period).

There are few things worse (from a job seeker's perspective) than sending the resume and cover letter addressed to the FIRED News Director. One, it might not get to the new News Director and second, they might not think very much of your research skills if you didn't know there was someone new in the role (even if it just happened last week).

So take the effective route, and make the call. You may even get the opportunity to talk to the hiring manager (or HR person) directly. That's a GOOD thing (although some of my clients find that nerve-wracking -- but hey, your goal is to get in front of that person eventually anyway, right? Better to break the ice now!).

Don't take the easy way out ... be effective!