Finding a Job 'the Hunger Games' Way

The job market is extremely competitive right now. One mistake and you could lose out on a job to another candidate. This can mean the difference between making it or breaking it in the fight to take care of your family. Take a few tips from The Hunger Games.

1. Seek sponsers. Seek out supervisors and colleagues from your past jobs (supervisors are the best) that will vouch for your work. Give these as referrals in the interview. Be forward and let them know, if you want an unbiased opinion on my work there give so and so a call. Here's his number. Remember, make sure that they will say positive things about you before you decide to give their names out.

2. Build alliances. Make sure you are talking to everyone you know and letting them know that you're looking so you can get as many job leads as possible.

3. Be the last one standing. Work harder, smarter and faster than anyone else in the interview process. Research the company, practice how you will answer questions, practice what questions you will ask, practice your pitch, make your communications professional and on queue.


Side not: Whatever you do though don't show up the host.

How are people finding jobs right now?

So I did an HR internship for a global organization while in school and they had a statistic that over 75% of jobs are filled through networking. We used that as a basis to teach folks how to better leverage their networks.

New technologies such as online job boards, meta search engines, company career sites, etc. disseminate information about job openings much faster, broader and more efficiently than what we've ever seen. So with all this technology is old fashioned networking still the best way to find a job?

What do you think?

Have an objective in your interview.

I've talked a lot about preparation prior to your interviews, but what's the point of preparation if you don't know what you're preparing for. Do your company research before your interview and then decide what you want to accomplish in the interview.

Do you want to learn more about the day to day duties of the position? Do you want to learn what their competitive advantage is? Do you want to know what they're culture is like? All of these questions can be important but you need to determine these objectives before hand.

If you don't have an objective, you'll look lost and that will not get you hired, unless you're interviewing for Gilligan's Island.

Looking for a job? Watch NCAA March Madness!

If you're looking for a job right now, turn on the ol' boob tube and watch a little NCAA March Madness. We've already had a few amazing comebacks that prove that you're never down and out.

Take inspiration from these guys who have spent countless hours their throughout their lives and do not know how to give up. Don't you give up on yourself either.

Do [you] feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." - Thomas Jefferson

A little luck never hurts. Hard work does. Maybe that's why some people are willing to bet on luck before working hard. Regardless, luck can come from being in the right place at the right time. You can't be in the right place unless your doing something.

Be like Thomas Jefferson. Believe in yourself. Believe that working harder and smarter will bring luck and good fortune. Don't sit around and do nothing, then hope in your moment of desperation that Clint Eastwood's gun has already run out of bullets. So you gotta ask yourself that one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya... punk?

'Lead by example' is not just a cliché!

Last night I watched a documentary on D-Day. One segment included a great story of leadership. The allied soldiers found themselves pinned between the cliffs below the Nazi fortifications and the exposed beach. General Norman "Dutch" Cota rallied the nearby allied soldiers and they rushed one of the Nazi fortified gunner positions. Cota lead the charge.

This principal holds true in business. You can lead by example. When every one else is scared or they simply don't know what to do, a leader must be willing to throw himself in the trenches and show them the way. I don't know about Cota, but most leaders get scared just the same as everyone else. The difference is they don't lose their heads, they don't give up, they don't acquiesce. They take courage, make a plan and move forward.


Whatever is blocking you from getting out of your pinned position, finding a job, increasing sales for your team, or whatever, take a page from General Cota's book. Take courage, make a plan and move forward. That will inspire others and they will follow.

Should companies hire for talent or for personality?

Are you extremely good at what you do, but don't have the world's most sparkling personality. Take comfort from this article on personality-based hiring.

Sometimes companies try to maintain a certain culture among it's employees. I think that's a great idea in many regards. I also think it's a great idea to surround yourself with the brightest people and especially people who think and/or see things in different ways than you do.

Some of the best matches made in heaven are between a sparkling, dynamic, gregarious personality and a boring, pensive, reclusive one.
 

Technical Support Jobs Available

I just wanted to get the word out that one of our clients in Utah County needs to hire 3 tier 1 tech support people ASAP. If you are interested or know someone who might be, click on Job Openings in my Links widget on the right.

The company is looking for a generalist with experience in both Windows and Mac operating systems, who has a knack for troubleshooting. You would be supporting their software products for both consumers and corporate clients.

Career Fair 6 March 2012 at OWATC in Ogden

Tomorrow 6 March 2012 there will be a career fair up in Ogden. The location is the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College (OWATC) at 200 N Washington Blvd., Ogden, UT 84404. It will be open to the public from 3pm - 630pm.

Come on out and see who's there. I myself will be there representing my company proHR. We hope to see you there.