David E. Perry's Blog, page 15
November 8, 2011
They just aren't that Into You: Hot to close the interview with an offer
On one of the on-line forums I frequent, a candidate asked the question "when is enough enough? He had been through a protracted interview process with one company for months and couldn't find out if they where going to make an offer or not and was asking the group when to call it quits. My response is below.
"So when is enough enough? 96 hours. If you haven't heard back from them within 96 hours with a complete description of the next steps... sorry to say, you're not the star candidate.
1 phone call is all it takes to a recruiter asking where you stand. If they don't call back assume they're tied up in a deal or dead. All recruiters live and die on a daily basis by their production. You're the product they have to move. No movement = no money = no job. If a recruiter is dancing with you then you can assume you're the "B" candidate which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Technical skills count for a lot but no where near as much as chemistry does. And as the world continues to shrink and companies become more competitive expect every hire to become critical.. As that happens the chemistry piece outweighs skills. Some recruiters know this - most do not.
How do you win? Make it clear in the interview process that you have your own agenda and schedule to meet. In an unspoken way you need to telegraph the fact that you're in demand. The easiest way of doing that is ask deep penetrating questions that get at the business issues of the company. And don't wait until the end of the interview for your chance to do so. Ask them up front and then make a decision to stay and finish the interview or go. Take control of your life and your career and you'll get the respect you want."
Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
Kept waiting for them to call me "maggot" ...
This was another review copy sent to me by the good folks at Wiley, no doubt with the expectation that I'll be featuring the book in my The Job Stalker blog over on the Tribune's "ChicagoNow" site. As much as I appreciate getting books from various publishers, I really would prefer to have a JOB rather than a "niche" writing about the Job Search … it's been 2½ years now since my last regular gig disappeared, and it's getting desperate.
That level of desperation taints my impression of books such as Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry, as, almost inevitably, "step one" (or something close to "step one") is to define your "dream job" and work forward from that.
{click the live link for the entire piece}
via btripp-books.livejournal.com
November 7, 2011
#7 Buddy System
Everyone needs a job-search buddy. The main objective of your "buddy" is to keep you motivated and honest with yourself. Few people can work well in isolation, but that's exactly what happens when you're looking for a job. You're typically sitting at home night and day doing research, making calls, and writing letters. Life can become very lonely very quickly. It's tough to stay motivated and committed to your job search. It's important to have someone else to bounce ideas off who will make a "big deal" over your daily accomplishments, because you're not likely to do it for yourself.
Your buddy can be looking for a job too but that's not a necessity.
The number one rule: be honest with each other.
When someone is slacking off, the buddy needs to ask why and try and help work through the blockage.
Your buddy needs to hold you accountable, for both the quality and quantity of leads you are following.
Your buddy's main jobs are to point out opportunities you may have missed, and to keep you motivated.
Trade shows: Don't get stuck on booth duty.
Go spy on your competitors. Guerrilla intelligence is invaluable.Do they have new products or services? Are they expanding or contracting?
Does their booth look old and tired? Talk to their people (without
revealing your identity) to see if they're hiring.
Use LInkedIn.com and Zoominfo.com to follow up on leads and/or prepare for the event aead of time.
Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
Don't try this at home: #49 of 50 Ways to Find a Job
There's a huge obvious benefit to engaging in creative out-of-the-box activities which will bring you to the attention of hiring managers. There's also a real danger of crossing the line and doing something in poor taste or something that puts you or the potential employer at risk. Here's an example pulled from the pages of the Montreal Gazette in Montreal, Canada on October 15th , 2004:
"The job hunter hoped his resume would land him an interview. What he got was the attention of the bomb squad. The man was arrested after he included his CV in a ticking package left in a Montreal marketing firm's washroom last month. It was his way of drawing attention to the application, as he was among 400 contenders vying for six paid internships. The 24-year-old didn't get the job but he did get charged with public mischief. He had handed the receptionist an Arabic newspaper with a note alerting her to the ticking parcel in the men's washroom, police said. At a time of heightened concerns over terrorism, the package raised the specter of a bombing.
Montreal police evacuated the company's building. Later, police discovered the package was harmless. It contained a metronome - a device used by musicians to help maintain rhythm and tempo - along with the candidate's CV. "
Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
November 5, 2011
Job search tips: addressing job hopping on a resume - careers, it skills, jobs - Computerworld
Call it "The Job Hopper's Dilemma." It's the fear, uncertainty and doubt that overcomes IT professionals who've held multiple jobs during a short span of time when they need to apply for a new job. They worry that their job hopping will hamper their job searches, but they don't know how to mitigate the issue.
Still excellent advice.
November 3, 2011
Career Watch: Finding a job in a third the time - it management, careers - Techworld
Is there one thing job hunters can do that would shorten their searches? Stop looking for jobs. Start looking for employers and influencers. Pick a list of 10 to 20 companies where you want to work. They're not hiring? Doesn't matter. The one-word cure for "hiring freeze" is attrition. People get fired, laid off, quit or die every day, even at companies that aren't hiring. When you focus your efforts on a short list of target companies,
Press Kit: #12 of 50 Ways to Find a Job Today
People make all kinds of claims about their skills and abilities when in fact they're not true, so it's little wonder that employers are naturally skeptical. So if you have won awards, have been quoted in the news, or have any other type of "proof" that your accomplishments really do exist, then build a portfolio and send it with your cover letter and resume. I've done this myself many times, first as a job-hunter and than later as a head-hunter in search of projects. A picture is worth a thousand words and an article, reference letter, or thank you note from a client, is worth a thousand more.
If you're a student looking for your first real job, send a transcript of your marks. It probably doesn't matter but it might, especially if you kept a high GPA and a part time job.
Copies of articles and awards should be included
Use Xeroxed copies; don't send originals because you may never get them back
In articles, highlight the part about you so they don't need to search for it.
Bring this with you to an interview as well because the individual items in the Press Kit make good talking points.
This is a perfectly logical idea and a natural extension of your resume. For years architects and designers have been dragging around portfolios to sho prospective clients and employers. Why not you?
Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
November 2, 2011
Meet an A+ RezScorian: Peggy S! | The Quasi-Official RezScore Blog
Yes job hunting is a marketing exercise where you are the product and your resume the brochure.
November 1, 2011
How to always interview well
There are three types of presentations you are likely to go through each interview:
1. Short synopsis [30 seconds in duration] – you start off by saying something to this effect, "maybe it will be easier If I give you a short synopsis …"
2. Detailed dialogue about previous positions [be prepared to dissect each job ] – this is a back and forth on job a. b, c, etc. This second presentation will come in the form of an open dialogue which may begin with "tell me about one of your particular jobs and how it relates to…"
3. Technical interview – The interviewer will get into the nitty-gritty technical details.
If it looks like a lot of work – well, it is. Here's how you tighten the cycle and ensure your presentation is complete AND that you can spit it out on demand without sounding canned.
When you physically write something down it more easily becomes logged in your mind, so here's what I suggest you do the next time you're preparing for an interview so that you "show" your real potential to the employer with out becoming tongue-tied.
Short synopsis - use a full legal size page. Write a short synopsis for your entire working career until it looks good and sounds complete. Rehearse this until you're comfortable with it and eventually remember it to the point where it flows naturally off your lips like you where saying it to a friend in casual conversation and not from memory.
For the second presentation you need to write a short synopsis on each job. Use a "T" account [if you've read Guerrilla Marketing for job Hunters or know how to] - in the left column list 5of the responsibilities the employer is looking for in the new job you are applying for. In the right column list similarities to your previous positions AND link them together fro the employer. This simple act will separate you from the pack as an outstanding candidate. If the previous gentleman had taken the time to do that we likely would have extended an offer to meet the executive team. Admittedly it would have taken perhaps an hour of his time at most.
Rehearse until you can repeat it without thinking. It eliminates choppiness – there's no time for thinking in an interview - it's the time to perform.
The ability to retrieve information smoothly and quickly is important. You can't hesitate in an interview there's just too many opportunities for employers to incorrectly surmise why you're taking so much time to think before you answer. For every moment the employer watches you think, you lose credibility. They want to see you together. If you use the "New Value Grid" from Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters you can easily link your features and benefits to their needs.
So for your second presentation you way want to begin by saying, "I guess I'd like to start by telling you the reason why I'm here today, and that's based on researching as much as I could about the company, I really felt that this company had direct links with things I've done and training which I've had and I can see a link between the company and myself."
To your success Guerrilla!
Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
Occupy Wall Street Protestors: Top 10 Reasons You Can't Find a Job #9
Tell me:
Do you watch television in Black & White?
Bought music from your neighborhood record store lately?
Still looking for jobs in the classifieds?
Are job boards, still your main source of leads?
Technology has changed how we do a lot of things we took for granted just a few years ago.
Me, I really think color makes TV more interesting and I buy my favorite music on iTunes. Employers very rarely run newspaper classified ads anymore. But you knew all that already.
Bet you don't know this…
Employers don't use job boards much anymore either.
Sure they flocked to them when they first came on the scene. Job boards made everything easier and faster during the late 90's 'War for Talent'. It made it super easy for job hunters everywhere to 'SURF, CLICK, & APPLY' on-line. Job hunters could do it in their pajamas. Fast, Cheap & Easy!
Ask any job hunter and you'll likely hear that they feel the 90's 'War for Talent' has become this recession's 'War on Talent'. Sure employers still use the internet for recruiting… the weapons have changed
99% of Jobs Aren't Advertised
A rapid transformation in technology has gone unnoticed by most job hunters. The very technology that allowed employers to hire faster has been turned against them by job hunters and employers can't deal with the avalanche of unqualified resumes they now receive, each one of which has to be filed, tracked, and replied to. This consumes hundreds of hours of time that few employers can afford.
To get around the bottlenecks caused by Equal Employment Opportunity Legislation employers are relying on a brand new digital suite of tools and tactics to find the handful of "most qualified" recruits that they want to interview. How easy is for an employer to find you? You're invisible unless you have a profile on ZoomInfo.com [or took the time to put one in yourself – it's FREE by-the-way] , or have built a well crafted 'key-word rich' profile that makes you stick out on LinkedIn, Facebook , or Twitter. And if they do find you, can they understand the value you bring to their organization?
Your 1st Interview Comes to You Now
Chances are your first interview will happen without you. Employers hunt selectively - think rifle shot – not shotgun. Given the choice of running an advertisement for an 'exhaust systems engineer in Detroit" and having to wade through 500 – 5000 resumes, or doing a key-word search through Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter … I'll chose the key-word search every time because I'll only get exactly what I ask for. I will assess the people I find and make a decision among the dozen or so very qualified people I find… which one I want to interview. Your first interview happens without you even being aware. If you pass, then I'll call you. 
What this means to you is that you may never be called or considered for jobs which you may be perfect for, simply because the person searching can't find you but did find someone else. We recruiters know that the best and brightest are rarely the ones who win the offers – it's usually the ones who can best articulate their value to the employer – provided you can be found of course.
Bottom-line
Yes there are jobs in the "hidden job market" – and lots of them - but to get at these opportunities, you need to learn How to Be Found. You can make the jobs come to you if you learn how to use social networking effectively in your job hunt.
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Compliments of David E Perry. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters blog and download the free audio CD.
