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Weekly Job Transition Newsletter
June 15, 2009 |
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Hello Everyone~
Welcome to all of you who are new to our weekly newsletter. The new reader enrollment for this week:(drum roll) is 654! That puts the newsletter very close to the 11,000 readers mark!
I recieved a question this past week, "Mikal what do i do with all my spare time as I wait for the right opportuniity?" It may take months to find a job, but to keep from falling into a slough of despair, bolster your resume with work of some kind. Nonprofits will be looking for more volunteers as funds decrease, but their clients' needs increase. Google volunteer jobs in your area and I know you will come up with some interesting opportunities. Of course you need to network the many contacts you will make in your volunteer job. Two of my coaching clients found jobs through their volunteer work. (Check out my volunteer op -( www.hopehumane.org)
Make sure to check out the quick link section for more advise and assistance.
Enjoy this weeks newsletter and remember we are always available to assist you. Contact us at any time!
Mikal Jackson
404-808-1896
SKYPE: Mikal.Jackson
Twitter: Mikal.Jackson
Yahoo: Mikalj69
AIM: HRmikal1
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 ORGANIZE YOUR JOB SEARCH~
When the job market is tough, it's really important to effectively manage your job search - and your career. It's not just a question of creating your resume, writing a quick cover letter, and applying for jobs. There are so many facets of job searching today - applying for jobs, resume posting, connecting on www,LinkedIn.com, Twitter, and Facebook, professional branding - that it can be hard to keep track. If you take some time to organize your job search, the entire process will be easier. One way to effectively organize your job search is to take advantage of the free tools, like JibberJobber or Becomed, that are available to help manage and organize your job search. You'll save a lot of time, because you'll be managing your job search in one place, rather than flipping back and forth between email and a bunch of different web sites.
To take it a step further, the same tools you use to organize and manage your job search can be used even when you're employed. Taking charge or, and managing, your career will put you a step ahead next time you're in the job market.
- Track your target companies. I had a list of companies that I was interested in. Whether I applied to each of them or not, I put them on the list. Of course, it grew quickly, and soon I had over 100 target companies. I learned I should have 3 -7 "target companies" to really focus on. Use JibberJobber to keep track of ALL companies, and then categorize or rank each company so you can keep track of which ones are the target companies you will focus on.
- Track your network contacts. As you start networking you'll meet people that become a part of your professional network. It isn't enough to just collect business cards, LinkedIn contacts, etc. You NEED to have a management tool to understand who each person in, where you are at in the relationship, what you need to do to followup and nurture the relationship, etc. I don't think this is possible without a real relationship management tool. JibberJobber is like a salesperson's customer relationship management tool, but designed for YOU to manage your professional network. Want to use LinkedIn instead? It doesn't do relationship management. JibberJobber, by the way, was designed to complement LinkedIn.
- Track jobs you apply to. Imagine getting a phone call from a recruiter, HR or hiring manager, regarding a job you applied to. Four months ago. Between now and then, you've applied to DOZENS of jobs. You can't remember a darn thing about this job... OOPS! Using JibberJobber you can keep track of the jobs you apply to, when you apply, when you do anything for that posting, keep the job posting information (which can disappear from a job board), and more.
- Track where you send your resume. A job seeker told me they wanted to drop in on a company where they sent their resume, but instead went home. They couldn't remember which version of their resume they sent! Was it for a product manager role? Was it for a project manager, or business analyst role? Couldn't remember. Sound silly? It is. Until you have so many resumes out it all gets mushy in your brain. Let JibberJobber manage this information, taking the administrative stuff out of the job search, work on the important stuff, not trying to keep track of a bunch of little details.
- Network your way into a company. Have you heard you should network your way into a company? As your network grows, how do you keep track of it? A spreadsheet doesn't do this very well, and using Outlook as a relationship management system gets clunky. Only a relationship management tool will allow you to associate multiple people to one company ... which is a very real scenario as you increase your network, and work on those target companies! I should mention, this is a key benefit to a real job search system... not just a file like what Excel might give you, but creating all of these logical relationships.
- Create action items so you don't forget to do something. I'll never forget when I forgot to call an HR person about a job. I saw it on my job search spreadsheet the next day, and the opportunity was LOST. What a shame. I tried to create an action item tracking system with my spreadsheet, which kind of worked fine... until I had A LOT OF DATA. JibberJobber is a web-based system that reminds you of your action items. If you upgrade for a nominal $9.95/month, you'll get action items e-mailed to you. I NEEDED THAT. You can create action items for your contacts, companies, and/or job postings.
Do all this stuff. Find Job. Repeat. If you do all of this stuff in your job search, and then stop networking after you lost your job, you learned nothing. JibberJobber is not just a job search tool... it's a career management tool. You should ALWAYS have target companies, always grow and nurture your relationship, always have "me in 30 second" statements, always... get the point? I love the term I heard this year: "I'm between transitions." That means, I have a job now, but preparing for my next transition. Trust me, doing all of this personal career management will pay off significantly down the road. Ignore it and I bet you'll have prolonged job searches.
Go ahead and try this with a spreadsheet (I even offered you my job search spreadsheet). If you aren't serious about your job search, or career management, you'll do great with the spreadsheet! If you are serious about career management, and want to have shorter transitions, JibberJobber will be your essential tool.
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 YIPPEEJOBS.COM - JOB SEARCH MANAGEMENT
Yippejobs.com allows you to track your search via your top job opportunities (by job title) and/or by company. It also has a unique feature that employs graphics (pie charts and bar graphs) to give you a quick (color coded) visual of where your efforts are taking you. You can quickly see where the best leads are coming from or get a visual to show the stage of opportunities using such categories as researching, applying, or interviewing.
Yippeejobs.com also offers tools and support pages. Tools provide you with task management screens and you can schedule calls, meetings, add specialized tasks, and see the calls you've made. In addition, there's a task menu for reminders like "Follow-up with HR..." and you can manage appointments, etc. The support section has selection of articles and resource materials for reference and guidance.
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 10 TOP BLUNDERS IN JOB SEARCH
- Don't Prepare
Not being able to answer the question "What do you know about this company?" might just end your quest for employment, at least with this employer. Background information including company history, locations, divisions, and a mission statement are available in an "About Us" section on most company web sites. Review it ahead of time, then print it out and read it over just before your interview to refresh your memory.
- Dress Inappropriately
Dressing inappropriately can work both ways. You will certainly want to wear a suit if you are interviewing for professional position. When interviewing for a summer job at your local theme park or as a lifeguard, for example, dress accordingly in neat and casual attire. If you aren't sure what to wear, visit the organization and watch employees coming in and out of the office to see what they are wearing.
- Poor Communication Skills
It's important to communicate well with everyone you meet in your search for employment. It is, however, most important to positively connect with the person who might hire you. Shake hands, make eye contact, exude confidence, engage the person you are speaking with, and you will let the interviewer know that you are an excellent candidate for this position - before you even answer an interview question.
- Too Much Communication
Believe it or not, a recent candidate for employment, who, by the way, didn't get the job, didn't hesitate to answer his cell phone when it rang during an interview. Leave the phone behind or at least turn it off before you enter the building. Same goes for coffee, food and anything else other than you, your resume, your job application, and your list of references. They don't belong at an interview.
- Talk Too Much
There is nothing much worse than interviewing someone who goes on and on and on... The interviewer really doesn't need to know your whole life story. Keep your answers succinct, to-the-point and focused and don't ramble - simply answer the question.
- Don't Talk Enough
It's really hard to communicate with someone who answers a question with a word or two. I remember a couple of interviews where I felt like I was pulling teeth to get any answers from the candidate. It wasn't pleasant. So, even though you shouldn't talk too much, you do want to be responsive and fully answer the question as best you can.
- Fuzzy Facts
Even if you have submitted a resume when you applied for the job, you may also be asked to fill out a job application. Make sure you know the information you will need to complete an application including dates of prior employment, graduation dates, and employer contact information.
- Give the Wrong Answer
Make sure you listen to the question and take a moment to gather your thoughts before you respond. Like the following candidate, you'll knock yourself out of contention if you give the wrong answer. The interviewer had completely described a sales and marketing position to the candidate. She emphasized that cold calling and prospecting were the most important skills and experiences needed for the position. The candidate responded to the question about what she did or didn't like to do in sales, with these words: "I hate to do cold calling and prospecting, and I'm not good at it." That response ensured that she wouldn't get the job!
- Badmouthing Past Employers
Your last boss was an idiot? Everyone in the company was a jerk? You hated your job and couldn't wait to leave? Even if it's true don't say so. I cringed when I heard someone ranting and raving about the last company she worked for. That company happened to be our largest customer and, of course, I wasn't going to hire someone who felt that way about the company and everyone who worked there. It's sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don't know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot... You also don't want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren't the best.
- Forget to Follow Up
Afraid you didn't make the best impression? Are you sure that you aced the interviewed? Either way, be sure to follow up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position and the company. Finally, even if you do flub the interview, don't take it to heart. I don't think there is anyone hasn't blown an interview or two. If it happens, look at it like it just wasn't meant to be, learn from your mistakes and move on to the next opportunity
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