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.

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.

How to beat Resume Screening Software

Who hasn't come across a few opportunities where they were screened by those software programs? It's frustrating right? Here's a few tips on how to beat 'em.

Try calling the company and "working the building" (sales term for finagling your way from one person to the next until you find the decision maker) so you can figure out what keywords their looking for.

Contact a friend who works there and ask what the process is, what keywords they're looking for, etc.

Don't have a friend there? Make a friend who works there, by commenting on their blogs, websites, FB, etc.

I have done all of the above and got a call from the companies with those blasted scanning software programs.

SIDEOUT: Ask yourself, why are you just sending resumes into companies? The best way to get a job is through your personal network. So start networking.


Note: Those software programs can have some term recognition flaws, as well.

Are you scared to apply for a job?

"Those who are hesitating, getting scared, or becoming paralyzed lose out on the opportunities at hand..." - Mike Mann, Make Millions and Make Change!

When it comes to job searching don't NOT apply for a job because you're not sure about it. Go ahead and apply. If you don't you may miss out on an opportunity.


The same goes with contacting folks in your personal network to find out if they have or know of any job openings. When you hesitate or back off something because of fear, you can lose out on great opportunities.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure that you are following the best practices that I've mentioned in my blogs when you're applying for these jobs. (tailor your resume, apply for something that has a relevant connection to your skill sets, etc.) And remember don't lose your head if they don't call you back. Try to figure out what would get you more call backs (again read past Brecheisen blogs on that) but don't worry about everyone calling you back, worry about the right ones calling you back.

Conduct Job Warfare Like George W. Bush.

Yes. Looking for a job and warfare can be related. You need contacts: people. And you need contacts: shots that hit their intended target. But where I'm going with this is preemptive strikes.

How many HR people do you know?

That's not a rhetorical question. Count 'em up! Then contact them and stay in touch. This is important whether you're currently looking for a job or happily employed. In fact, if you preemptively reach out and stay in touch with HR folks the better position you'll be in when you are looking for a job.

Go the extra mile and seek out HR folks in companies within your industry or the industry you would like to be in. Make a friend and stay in touch in case something changes for you in the future. They may even reach out to you at an unexpected time. So the lesson here is to be preemptive in your job search.

Are you struggling to find your calling?

"Where your talents and the needs of the world cross lies your calling." -Aristotle

There's nothing more fulfilling than finding your calling in life. Sometimes it can be a battle to find. The best way to to find it is to start early. The more life experiences you have, the more you explore who you are, and the more involved you get in the workforce the easier it will be.

1) Life experiences - get out see the world. Go on a vacation and take a trip around the country. Or just spend an entire day walking around downtown. These are all ways to see the world from a different perspective which can help inspire you.

2) Explore who you are - write down your talents. Ask others what they think your talents are. Then take those talents around to different people (friends, family, etc.) and ask what occupations those would be most conducive with.

3) Get more involved in the workforce - start your own curb painting company, window washing company, etc. Do internships instead of wasting your summers at home.

Whatever you do. Do it. It can be a life long battle to find your calling. Trust me you can cover a lot more ground if you get others involved.

Do NOT go out with guns a blazing!

Here's a tip on dealing with rejection in your job search. Learn to bow out gracefully. Do NOT go out with guns a blazing!

It's never good to burn a bridge so don't. It's especially not good to burn a bridge if it's the only way out of town. I have interviewed several folks that were also interviewing at other companies where I know people in HR. You have to be careful because you never know who knows who.

The same holds true for me. I don't burn bridges with candidates. I may find them a perfect fit for another position in the future. It's also possible that they could be instrumental in helping me find a job in the future.

Be professional and bow out gracefully. You are in control of your own PR.

Tip on Interview Tips

Here's a tip on following interview tips. Don't get discouraged if you try one and it doesn't work. Every situation is different. It doesn't mean that the tip doesn't work. It may mean that it needs to be changed or modified for the situation.

It's also possible that it was used incorrectly. Keep at it. The tips I give and hopefully any other tip you might come across have worked for someone. That's why I share them, because I've seen them work.

Again, if you tried a tip and it didn't work, modify it, practice it, hone it and it will work.

Rehearse Answers to Interview Questions

I just want to follow up on one of my blogs from last week. It's important to prepare for job interviews by researching most commonly asked interview questions.

It's equally important to then write (or type) out your responses and then rehearse them. Memorize them or at least the main points and rehearse them. Practice in front of a mirror, camera, whatever, but treat it like a professional baseball player would. Study your intonations and movements. What type of feelings or attitudes do they give off. How would others perceive/receive it?

Just a helpful tip that has been useful for me over the years.

Tip for connecting on LinkedIn

I receive a lot of invitations on LinkedIn. I also send out a lot of invitations. When you send out an invitation make sure you add a brief personable explanation as to what your purpose is. There's a couple reasons why.

First, it's rude not to. Don't be rude by not explaining yourself. Especially, if the person you're trying to connect with doesn't know you from Adam. Would you go up to a person and talk business without introducing yourself? No. The same goes online. It's no different if you're a professional. So be professional.


Second, how will they know how to help you? I enjoy connecting people with others and helping out where I can. I can't do that if I don't know you or your intentions.


Help yourself out, drop a line to the folks you're connecting with on LinkedIn. You'll get a lot more positive responses.





 

Share Job Opportunities with Others

Let others know about the job opportunities you're pursuing. If you're excited about them and you share the positive experiences and details, this can spark them to share other opportunities with you.

For example, maybe they know other people in the industry of field you're looking into.

The more positive you are about your job search the more it will help.

Define your goals in your Job Hunt

Happy New Year! I hope your Christmas and New Year's celebrations were great and that you were able to receive support from your family.

I read a quote this morning I wanted to share.

"Define clearly what you want to have happen in your life. Keep the vision in front of you and make a total commitment to fulfill it." - Paul Donahue

Decide what you want to do for work that would be fulfilling and provide for your family then set goals for your job hunt and go after them.

Be Persistent in your Job Search

Don't get discouraged if you apply for a position and don't get it. If the company has other positions that you think are relevant to your skill set, keep applying. One gentleman did just that with our companies and we didn't select him for the first couple positions, but then a perfect position for him arose and he applied. We have him selected as one of the finalists. So persistence can pay off.

One caveat: don't apply ad nauseum or blanket apply to all positions. This will cause you to lose credibility, coming off desperate because you're really not that good. Just like dating, you don't want to go on the first date and scream I love you, I love you, I love you like Will Ferrell in Elf. Be persistent but don't be annoying.


Good luck in your job search and remember, if there's a company out there that you're excited about pursue them with persistence.

Don't let HR people interpret your resume without a translator!

Highlights at the top of your resume. I talk about this all the time. The reason I do is because it’s important. Please don’t send me a generic resume. Send me a customized resume. I want to see that you really took the time to consider our position and company as a serious option.  A job isn’t just a job. It’s about finding a right fit. If you don’t match with the culture you won’t be happy with them, they won’t be happy with you or both. The same goes with a lot of other areas such as salary, career path, direct coworkers, etc.

My point is, finding a job should be taken seriously. If you’re applying for a Marketing position and at the top of your resume it reads you are an experienced physical therapist, you’re not going to get many calls.

Another example: you read a job description and it says we need someone with:

·       5 years of experience in Marketing

·       3 years running social media campaigns

·       2 years of SEO

If you just send your resume over you’re trusting that the HR folks are just going to see how qualified you are. Wrong. They may, but they may not. Do yourself a favor and talk the same language as them. Interpret your resume for them.

At the top of your resume add a few bullet points that say:

·       7 years of experience in Marketing

·       4 years running social media campaigns

·       5 years of SEO

It’s that simple. You’ll save the HR folks some time, you’ll stand out from other candidates and most important, you’ll get more calls.

The goal of your resume is to get calls.

Subtle yet Impactful Word Usage in an Interview

Yesterday, I'm sitting in an interview asking the candidate some questions. As he's answering, I realize that this guy is talking different than some of the other folks that I've interviewed for this position.

The specific question at hand was about his management style. He answered like most people, talking about guidelines, performance, creativity, efficiency, etc. What I noticed was in between all the standard answers was some subtlety. He talked about adding a personal touch to the work, respectfully working with others, progressing the teams abilities and careers.

What came across to me was that this guy really is passionate about what he does and what's more, he cares about others and how he can contribute to them. It was a subtle taste of prose in between his hard line answers that I noticed.

That subtlety of genuine excitement about his job and desire to help others achieve the success that he has set him apart from other candidates. Hopefully, this can help you do the same and set yourself apart from others in your interview.

If you're looking for a job, "don't be a fool" with your social media!

Well, it has happened again. One of my clients was considering a candidate for a position, but after some online research they decided to pass.

So my client went online to check out this candidate and found just one "web gem" that caused them to question. They found a photo that insinuated some pretty disturbing behaviors that you would not want an employer to see. I'll refrain from indicating exactly what it was, but it was of a sexual nature and nothing to do with sexual preference. Yeah that's how disturbing it was!

Anyway, they even decided to give the person the benefit of the doubt and continue with the interview, but as they say, first impressions are lasting impressions.

Word to the wise... be careful what you post in your social media forums, because employers access them. As they should. They are trying to hire people that will represent their company well and not embarrass them with off the clock shenanigans. I guess you should've grown up watching the A Team. Just take Mr. T's advice and "don't be a fool."