Tips & Tidbits
1) Shift in recruiting: networks are getting too big to be effective. Job seekers are mining and developing their connections based on “network or not work” as the prevailing theme.
Websites like LinkedIn have created something of an electronic scorecard … people’s contact lists are getting larger than the population of small developing nations. Recruiters are getting worried that volume networking is diluting its early efficiency.
Keep networking, but do it with purpose … and don’t forget the power of selective targeting! Research, and send a work sample in the form of an idea. It works.
2) When you get to the interview, be prepared! Know about the interviewer(s), the company and its goals, and be prepared to respond to behavorial-based questions (tell me about a time when you …). Have a story ready to illustrate your contributions in each of the core areas of skill for your profession and industry. If you don’t know what core skills are in demand, deconstruct announcements for patterns.
3) Salary negotiation strategy: when an offer has been made (not before if you can manage it), have a high salary, a low salary, and an “acceptable” number in your mind. Base your numbers on personal preferences, past salary history, but most of all, on research. Some good tools are: Salary.com, hotjobs.yahoo.com/salary, swz.salary.com, Payscale.com, and Salaryexpert.com. The websites won’t always agree on a number … establish a range, and extrapolate from there.
3) Great resource: glassdoor.com. Offers basic, free information for over 30,000 companies on Salaries by Job, Salaries by Company, Salaries by City, Reviews by Company, Interview Questions by Job, Interviews by Company, and Jobs by Company.
4) During a long search: take care of yourself (exercise, eat well, take breaks, get advice when you need it). Stay positive … remember that it’s the market, not you, and you’re not alone. Be sure your marketing is authentic and targeted (write with focus, target your initiatives carefully and realistically). Don’t give up! The Dow was up 95 points today, staying above 10,000 for more than a week now. It’s the people who stay in the pipelines that will get the calls when things break!
Questions? Call me, 800-876-5506.
