Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Getting Hired in Today's Economy

We are in one of the toughest economic times ever.  Everyone knows it!  The unemployment rate continues to be high, employees who have jobs are afraid to leave for better opportunities, and recruiters are seeing more candidates than ever before.  So how do you as a job seeker stand out???

My intent with this blog is to give advice on resume writing, interviewing, researching potential employers, techniques on how to reach the right people, etc..

So, what is it that you would like to know?  Please let me know what questions you have (general or specific is fine) with regards to getting hired in today's economy.... and stay tuned for regular updates. 

7 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I have been applying for positions with no luck at all. I have a pretty good background from experience and education. I feel that my resume is decent. I've had several individual to look over it.
    I do not know what I am doing wrong,
    please assist.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi C,

    I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I am curious...
    1) what types of positions you you are applying for?

    2) what do you mean by "no luck at all"? Are you not getting called for an initial phone interview, or are you getting no communication at all, or are you getting an interview with no follow up from the recruiter or hiring manager after?

    I would recommend catering your resume to the job descriptions that you are applying for! If you want to get noticed (either by a recruiter or an ATS system that is looking for specific key words) you need to consider this. Even if you have to take a look at each line on the job description and write something specific on your resume which reflects your experience that matches that line.

    It will definitely take more time if you are submitting your resume to a lot of jobs, but you will get a far greater return on this time invested than just about anything else (except for KING NETWORKING, which I will discuss soon).

    Put yourself in the company's shoes. They want to hire the most qualified candidate for the job. They have certain qualifications and skill sets that they are told to look for (their JOB DESCRIPTION). That's what they want. So, find a way to match the wording from what you have done to the wording on what they are looking for....assuming that your experience is actually a match for the requirements of the job.

    One other thing, change it up a bit. If something isn't working (not getting recruiter calls), change it up. Tap into your creativity, go on LinkedIN, Facebook, etc.. to see what other people have done that has worked.

    Lasty, stay positive!

    I hope this helps. Stay tuned for my networking piece coming soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the advice.
    I have been applying for Implementation Manager, Project Manager and Product Manager positions. Ultimate Software, Windstream, ADP, Nokia & HP to name a few.
    I have let others review my resume and they seem to like it. Maybe I need to re-evaluate it. I feel that I am a pretty good interviewee, however I haven't been getting any phone interviews. With the state of the economy and job market, I have tapped into several social networking sites...
    Maybe my resume is to wordy!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Talent Scout:

    I moved to Atlanta in July. I have been unable to find a job. I had my resume retooled several times. I worked on interview skills. Yet I still am unable to find a career.

    Some background: I am a Ph.D. student. I have a M.P.A. I have over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a program manager and leader in the mental health and substance abuse field.

    I am networking with others in the nonprofit sector in Atlanta.

    I am looking for a management job, ideally in the nonprofit sector.

    The only thing I can think of is that I still have my New York phone number.

    Any suggestions?

    Brian

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Brian, thanks for your post and welcome to the South!

    I want to commend you on your pursuit of higher education and your choice of industry. It's great to be able to work in a capacity that helps others!

    It sounds like you are tackling the basics well: the resume, interview techniques and networking. So, I guess my question would be where is the breakdown? Are you not getting interviews? Or are you not getting an offer after an interview?

    If you are not getting yourself in front of hiring managers (or someone who can pull the trigger and make you an offer), I would recommend tackling the networking piece and putting together a major marketing campaign here.

    You mention networking with others in your field, and that is a great start! Are you on LinkedIn (my personal favorite professional networking site)? www.linkedin.com If not, you need to be. If you are, I would recommend checking out and joining some groups there. I did a quick search and found dozens of groups in the non profit space, several in mental health and substance abuse as well. Join these, and find out who else is there. Then research the companies these people work for to see what they are up to (if they're hiring, etc..). Also make it a point to reach out to all of these members to introduce yourself.

    HINT: you can search in LinkedIn Groups or in the entire LinkedIn network. The more personal contacts you make there, the bigger your search results list will be...it spans out to the 3rd degree (ie. your friends, their friends, etc..) so it can add up pretty quickly as you build your network.

    Search (like you would in Google or other search engine) for who think may be in your industry. Use keywords like "director" or "president", etc.. of titles of people who would be able to hire you as a manager. Then email/call these peole and make an introduction. It is best to pose a question about who they know who is hiring, or what organizations they are involved in that have regular get togethers. People are more likely to respond to these types of inquiries rather than just a request for a job or a resume emailed to them.

    Twitter is another great place to network. Use the hashtag # followed by a key word that your peers may be discussing to see who's talking about it. Then follow them and join the discussion.

    Facebook also has tons of groups you could check out. Search for key words and join these groups or "like" these pages. You can also find companies that now have groups on FB. Join these pages and talk to other members there.

    Make networking your primary goal for a week and see how many new contacts you can make in your industry, and you will be surprised at the results.

    *if you are getting interviews, but not getting called back or offers at that point, there are other tips we can discuss on that front...so please just let me know, and I'll be glad to help.

    Let me know how the networking tips work, and good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello Mr. Talent Scout:

    Thank you for the information. Also, thank you for this valuable resource.

    I am not usually getting called for interviews. At first I thought is was my resume, which lead me to retool it with a 15 year HR veteran. He did say that my cover letters were a little "academic," and did not show my wonderful personality. I have been trying to not be too academic in them.

    I am on LinkenIn, but mostly in theory. HA! I will make networking my primary goal this week. (BTW: How did you know I love goal work?)

    Thank you for your suggestions.

    Grateful,
    Brian

    ReplyDelete