Tag: Job Search

Searching for Opportunities

There was a time when advertising jobs was expensive and extremely difficult to do. This led to the rule of thumb that 80% of jobs are unpublished and make up the “hidden job market.” The job market was never hidden. The logistics of advertising jobs was difficult and job seekers did not have a simple way to search efficiently.

There was a time when advertising jobs was expensive and extremely difficult to do.  This led to the rule of thumb that 80% of jobs are unpublished and make up the “hidden job market.”  The job market was never hidden.  The logistics of advertising jobs was difficult and job seekers did not have a simple way to search efficiently.

Today, all a company needs is a webpage and they can start promoting their jobs around the world.  Companies want to hire the best people and actively try to attract these individuals.  Few jobs today are kept secret and typically these are only senior level positions.  The reason the company doesn’t disclose the search is usually because there is only one person in the position in the company and that person is going to be replaced. 

The vast majority of jobs are actively advertised by companies.  This doesn’t make it easy to find all the opportunities.  There are so many advertised jobs and places to look it can be overwhelming just sorting through the listings. 

When companies advertise jobs, they will usually use a number of tools.  The company website is the first place jobs appear.  After that, the jobs may be posted on community sites, niche job boards and the big job boards.  Many of these sites charge significant fees to post jobs, so it is rare for a company to post on all the big job sites.  This makes it essential for a job seeker to use a variety of sites to find a position. 

Two of the tools to make the process easier for job seekers are Indeed and SimplyHired.  Both sites are job aggregators.  They search the web for jobs listed on other sites and repost them.  The search functions have some limitations because the jobs come from such varied sources, but this is more than made up for by the ease of searching so many sources at once. 

Active job seekers should use one of these tools.  Both have email alerts and RSS feeds to update the job seeker about new jobs that fit saved searches.  This can help ensure the job seeker does not miss a good opportunity. 

Using these tools should not replace all other job search tools.  As broad as the selection of jobs is, no tool is completely comprehensive.  Using a job aggregator along with a variety of job sites that suit the specific goals of the job seeker can provide a comprehensive approach to finding opportunities.

Relocation Resources

If you are considering a move, you should check out these resources.

For job seekers in high unemployment areas, relocation may be the only option.  If you are considering a move, you should check out the following resources:

 

Best Places:  Provides detailed reports by zip code, including housing, crime, climate, cost of living and education.

Great Schools: Provides detailed information on schools.  Compare elementary, middle and high schools within a school district based on test scores, teacher to student ratio and ratings from parents.

Salary.com:  Provides cost of living comparisons between metro areas and salary estimates for different careers.

BankRate: An interesting cost of living comparison tool showing the specific cost differences of a selection of common expenses.

Don’t Highlight Your Age

I worked with a job seeker interested in returning to the workforce after several years of retirement. Like many people today, the combination of falling housing values and a large drop in the stock market have reduced the retirement savings well below what was expected. To maintain the standard of living, this individual decided a part time job would help. The job seeker is also excited to return to working after several years off.

I worked with a job seeker interested in returning to the workforce after several years of retirement. Like many people today, the combination of falling housing values and a large drop in the stock market have reduced the retirement savings well below what was expected. To maintain the standard of living, this individual decided a part time job would help. The job seeker is also excited to return to working after several years off.

I reviewed the cover letter written by the job seeker. In it, he calls attention to his extensive sales experience. This individual worked in sales for just over forty years. This makes it easy to figure of the age of the job seeker.

Many people report encountering age discrimination. How common it is and how likely this job seeker is to encounter it are tough to estimate. There are companies who will not discriminate, and there probably are some who will. Knowing how big a factor age discrimination might be for this individual is impossible to tell.

A job seeker can raise or lower the odds of encountering age discrimination. You are not required to tell an employer your age. You also don't need to tell an employer key information that allows the calculation of your age – for example, a high school graduation date should not be listed on your resume.

The individual's cover letter included a sentence highlighting the 40+ years of sales experience the job seeker possesses. Highlighting the sales experience is good, but there is little need for emphasizing 40+ years.

The job seeker had held several positions over his career, and we decided to omit from his resume several at the start of his career. The resume showed more than twenty years of work experience. Omitting the first few positions does nothing to obscure the candidate's experience or potential. An entry level position forty years ago will not make a difference in a person's marketability today.

In the cover letter, we changed the 40+ years of experience to 30+ years of experience. It is still accurate – the candidate has more than 30 years of experience. It is just less precise. The difference in the presentation expands the potential age range of the job seeker. With more than forty years of experience and several years of retirement, the job seeker should be in his mid to late sixties. Changing the cover letter to thirty plus years changes this potential range to mid fifties and older.

This is a small change but it makes the age of the job seeker less of a factor and this may reduce the chance of age discrimination.

Networking to Find a Job

Networking is the most effective job search technique. All other techniques will take more time and have a lower success rate. Unfortunately, many job seekers fail to use their network.

Networking is the most effective job search technique.  All other techniques will take more time and have a lower success rate.  Unfortunately, many job seekers fail to use their network.

There are three reasons job seekers don’t network.  First, many job seekers that are unemployed withdraw from friends and associates.  Whether it is motivated by a lack of confidence, depression or embarrassment, many people hide their job search from the people they know.  Second, job seekers often fail to recognize the relationships they can use to help their search.  Third, many job seekers don’t know what help they can get from people they know.

To maximize your job search success, you need to overcome these three obstacles. 

A lack of confidence can be very difficult to get over.  Getting fired or laid off does nothing to change the accomplishments you had.  Focus on your successes.  This is good advice for anyone.  Your resume should emphasize accomplishments, and you should talk about your past successes in interviews.  Preparing to do these two things can help you restore your confidence.

Most job seekers consider very few people in their network as resources for their job search.  The truth is you have hundreds or thousands of potential allies that can help you.  Let’s look at the math.  A person with just 10 friends and associates has access to a team of more than 100 that can help.  The reason this works is that each of your ten friends has 10 other friends.  If you asked everyone you know if they know anyone at a particular company, you will probably cast a net in the hundreds or thousands. 

One pitfall job seekers often fall into is only asking for help from people that are in a position to hire them.  Any employee of a company can help you get noticed by their employer.  Asking for help and getting help are easy if you are willing to ask and know what to ask.

The key benefit to using your network is learning as much about the company as you can.  The more you understand the priorities, values and hiring process of a company, the better you can tailor your approach.  Once you identify someone you can talk with about an employer, ask the following three questions:

  • Can you tell me how the hiring process at your company works?

  • Can you describe what makes someone successful at your company?
  • How did you get your job at…

Your goal in asking these questions is twofold.  First, you want to gather intelligence on the company that you can use to best sell your background and potential.  Second, the person helping you may offer to recommend you to a hiring manager.  Many companies offer referral bonuses to employees that recommend people that are hired.  This can turn your contact into a significant advocate for you.

You can take this process to another level by reaching out to people in your online social network.  Contacts on Twitter or LinkedIn and be very helpful – even if you have never actually talked with these individuals.  The key is asking for help that the individual can provide.  Asking if they can give you a job will rarely lead to anything.  Asking what makes a person successful in their company is likely to yield and answer that you can use to tailor your resume and interview answers.

Emphasize Cost Cutting Experience

Many companies have increased the emphasis on cost cutting with the economy declining. Lower sales makes it much more difficult to remain profitable. For some companies, cutting expenses is necessary to stay in business.

Many companies have increased the emphasis on cost cutting with the economy declining.  Lower sales makes it much more difficult to remain profitable.  For some companies, cutting expenses is necessary to stay in business.

The emphasis on cost savings will drive the decision making of hiring managers.  A few years ago, a key priority might have been increasing volumes, adding new products or adding more staff.  Today, the same hiring managers are focused on shrinking the organization to maintain profitability.  You need to adjust your job search approach accordingly.

You need to show your experience adjusting to a declining business.  For many job seekers, this is uncharted territory.  They have written their resume and prepared to interview with great examples of growth.  As impressive as these accomplishments may be, they may not be the best for landing a job today.  Focus on showing your experience adapting and overcoming challenging situations. 

To prepare to discuss your cost cutting experience, prepare answers to the questions below.  Although you may not be asked any of these questions specifically, preparing answers to the questions will make it easier to address your cost cutting experience. 

  • How have you reacted to declining volumes?
  • Tell me about a time when you knew you were going to miss your budget.
  • Tell me about a time when you encountered forecasts that were significant wrong.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to the loss of a key customer.
  • If you had to cut expenses immediately, what would you do?
  • Tell me about a time when you automated a process without a significant capital expenditure.
  • Tell me about a time when you eliminated a process or step in a process that was unnecessary. 

You can expect that many companies will look for employees that can step in and make an impact immediately.  In a recession, a company can’t afford to hire and train someone that won’t be productive for months or years.  The company will expect the new hire to generate income or cost savings to more than pay for their salary. If you can show your ability to pay for your salary and increase bottom line profits, you will have a greater chance of getting hired.

Job Search Tactics for a Recession

To be successful, you need to stand out from the mass of resumes a company receives. There are ways you can customize your approach to a company to improve your chances.

It has been said that many armies prepare to fight the last war instead of the next one. This was true in World War II in France. The French built a line of heavily fortified defenses designed for the type of trench warfare in World War I. When WWII broke out, the Germans utilized highly mobile tanks to simply drive around the French defenses.

Your job search poses similar challenges. It is likely the economy was good the last time you looked for a job. Today, the situation is different. The tactics that worked so well a few years will be less effective today. You need to adapt.

In a booming economy, many people are directly recruited before they start a formal job search. Companies can’t sit by and wait for candidates to come to them. Posting a resume online could yield phone screens within hours. Hiring managers aggressively sought talent.

Today, the situation is different. Companies can sit back passively and wait for job seekers to come to them. Hiring managers know they can be selective and look for the perfect the fit.

You cannot sit idly and hope companies will call you. You need to be proactive. Just as companies aggressive sought candidates in the past, you need to aggressively seek out opportunities. It sounds easy, but in practice can be difficult.

Many people assume an aggressive job search means sending your resume to everyone. It doesn’t. The key is getting someone to read your resume thoroughly. Blasting your resume to every address on the net is not going to get many people to read your resume. Resume submissions online have increased significantly and your resume may never get read. Large companies often use software to screen resumes before a person takes a look.

To be successful, you need to stand out from the mass of resumes a company receives. There are ways you can customize your approach to a company to improve your chances:

  1. Tailor Your Terminology – Research the company and identify the key terminology the company uses. Revise your resume to use the terms the company prefers instead of alternatives.

  2. Learn the Company’s Priorities – Each company has its own set of values and priorities. Learn what is important. Does the company value consensus building and supporting group results or value individual achievement more? Does the company pursue cutting edge technology, or prefer applying older, proven solutions?  After you lean what is important, emphasize your experience in this area.

  3. Get Referred In – When a job seeker is referred to a hiring manager, whether referral comes from an employee or a recruiter, the hiring manager will usually spend significantly more time reviewing the resume and considering the candidate.

A few years ago, these tactics were not necessary.  They would have been effective, but job seekers didn't need to do them.  Today, you need to adapt and manage your search based on the current challenges.

The Job Market for New Graduates

The job market is tough. Experienced and successful professionals are finding it very difficult to land an interview let alone a job. So, what are people with no experience that are just entering the workforce facing?

The job market is tough.  Experienced and successful professionals are finding it very difficult to land an interview let alone a job.  So, what are people with no experience that are just entering the workforce facing? 

For new graduates, there are less opportunities than in past years.  There three reasons for this.  First, we all know the economy has slowed and there are less jobs.  Second, companies are able to hire experienced workers much easier and prioritize skills that can make an impact immediately.  Finally, older workers that planned to retire are staying in their jobs, limiting the number of new openings.  All this is conspiring to create one of the worst hiring seasons for new graduates we have seen in decades. 

The situation is not hopeless.

The baby boomers will retire.  Many may be delaying their retirement, but they won't do this forever.  In the next five, ten or twenty years, our economy will undergo significant changes and there will be tremendous opportunities. 

If you are looking for a job right now, the potential opportunities five or ten years from now probably aren't getting you excited.  This potential doesn't pay your student loans.  You can position yourself to succeed faster.  A recent report from CareerBuilder shows some of the activities that give you an edge in your job search.  Their list includes:

  • Internships
  • Part-time jobs in another area or field
  • Volunteer work
  • Involvement in school organizations
  • Class work
  • Involvement in managing activities for sororities and fraternities
  • Participation in sports

If you just graduated, many of these are not possible.  The list does have a pattern you can use, though.  Each of the items lists an activity to demonstrate what you have done. 

If you just graduated, finding work in your field is critical.  This may require some creativity in your search.  Consider pursuing an internship or volunteer to work without pay for a specific time period.  If you can get in the door, work hard and show your potential, you will have a substantial edge over others when the company does hire.  

To do this, use you network.  Contact managers and executives you know and outline your plan to gain experience even if it means working for free.  Explain to the person how critical it is for you to gain experience for your long term potential. Most executives will try to help if they can.

To be successful, you need to do a few things.  First, you need to commit to work every bit as hard as you would if you were getting paid.  You will learn more by working harder, and you will demonstrate your work ethic and maximize the chance the company will hire you.  Second, you need to commit to a normal schedule.  Being on time and working the full day will show your commitment.  Third, track your activity throughout the internship.  You will use your work and accomplishments to land a job. Finally, make a commitment to the company that will give specific notice when you leave – one week, two weeks or more.  Be upfront about this.  You are more likely to land the internship and to get challenging work if the company knows you won't quit on a whim.

If you take an unpaid position, don't stop looking for a job.  Your goal is to land a job in your career field – not volunteer.  Gain experience to improve your marketability and leverage that experience to get the job you really want.  If you do this, you will have a substantial edge over your peers that just sit around waiting to get hired.

I'm sure there are a lot of people thinking, that after four years of college, it's crazy to go work for free.  In a booming economy I would agree.  You don't want to stagnate.  There will be new graduates that stay unemployed or take an unskilled hourly job for the next year.  If the economy is better a year from now, they will be behind the eight ball.  There will be a new class of graduates entering the workforce.  Who do you think will have the edge – the new graduate, or the person that graduated a year ago and has done nothing with their education? 

Upgrading Your Skills

Improving your credentials is a good way to set yourself apart from your competition. Most people don’t have the time to get an additional degree, but there are options for improving your skills and your marketability.

Improving your credentials is a good way to set yourself apart from your competition.  Most people don't have the time to get an additional degree, but there are options for improving your skills and your marketability.

Obtaining an industry certification is a step that can boost your career.  Industry certifications provide a third party statement of training in specific skills.  Some are very specialized while others are applicable to a wide range of industries. 

Some certifications are absolute requirements – for example becoming CPA, a Professional Engineer or passing the bar exam are critical for some jobs in accounting, engineering or law.  Other certifications are optional, and can give you an edge over your competition.

A few of the more common certifications we see on a regular basis include:

  • CPIM – Certification in Production and Inventory Management (APICS)
  • C.P.M. – Certified Purchasing Manager (ISM)
  • PMP – Professional Project Manager (PMI)
  • Green Belt – Six Sigma Certification (Various Organizations)
  • Black Belt – Six Sigma Certification (Various Organizations)
  • PHR – Professional in Human Resources (HR Certification Institute)

Some of these can be obtained quickly, while others may take a year or more.  The benefits your career can be significant.  These certifications are much less costly to obtain than an advanced degree – often costing a few thousand dollars instead of the tens of thousands for master's degree.

Below are the trends in job postings for these certifications.  The graph show the percentage of job postings mentioning the certification.
 

The demand for PMP's is up, while the other certifications are down, but not as much as many industries in general. In a down economy, companies can be more selective.  There may be less jobs, but more companies are requiring professional certifications.

Look at the certifications in your field and consider pursuing one.  It could make the difference in your job search.

Resume Tip #14

Resume Tip: Don’t assume your background makes it clear why you are qualified to do a job. Show specifically how you skills and experience will make you successful.

Resume Tip:  Don’t assume your background makes it clear why you are qualified to do a job.  Show specifically how you skills and experience will make you successful.

When trying to break into a new job or career, stating you can do a job isn’t enough.  It may be clear to you that your skills will allow you do a job successfully, but it may not be obvious to the hiring manager.  Demonstrate your transferable skills by showing specific experiences and accomplishments.

 

Supply Chain Career Trends

I added a number of supply chain career trends to the Palladian website this week. The job market has slowed, but some skills have held up better than others. The trends are taken from Indeed.com’s job trends, and track the number of job postings that include a specific keyword or phrase.

The job market has slowed, but some skills have held up better than others.  You can see trends in the job market using Indeed.com’s job trends and track the number of job postings that include a specific keyword or phrase.

One of the graphs I created lists major supply chain functions.  The graph shows distribution is much more common than the other terms, but logistics careers are holding up much better in this downturn. There are also graphs showing trends in job titles, terminology, technology, process improvement terms and professional certifications.

When you write your resume, include the keywords for your field.  Many companies use automated systems to do the first resume screen.  If you don’t have the keyword on your resume, it may never get read.