Creating a Strategic Job Search: Rise to the top like C.R.E.A.M.

Are you ready to start job seeking? Before you start aimlessly applying for jobs, understand that in today’s competitive market developing a strategy for your job search is essential. Here’s a road map on how to create a strategy to get the job you want and becoming like the C.R.E.A.M. (Career Ready Exceptional Applicants of the Millennium) who rise to the top.

Know What You Have to Offer. In order to successfully sell a product, it’s important to know the features and benefits as it relates to the buyer. As a candidate for a position, begin with an entrepreneurial mindset. View yourself from the eyes of an employer and think about the skills, knowledge and experience that you possess that employers would find valuable. Develop an elevator pitch; that’s who you are and what you do in 3 sentences or less.

Optimize Your Resume and Social Media Presence. Your resume is like an ad for your services. Will it immediately attract the attention of a potential employer? Does is clearly state your qualifications, how you will meet employers’ needs and free from errors? It’s important to have a focused resume, otherwise employers will not be able to figure out how you may be a benefit to their company and pass. Make it easy for them.

And let’s not forget your social resume. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are tools that companies use to market their presence online to help potential customers find them. You need to do the same to help employers find you. Don’t be incognito about it either (i.e. setting your profile to private or not including a legitimate professional profile picture); these are your media outlets. Sounds overwhelming? There are tools such as CareerCloud to help you manage it all. Be seen, be heard, and be discoverable!

Target Companies. Now that you know your product and created some great “ads” it’s time to search for your target market. Search for companies that are seeking your services and create a plan to connect with them directly (direct marketing). This may include searching through your connections on social media (prospecting) to find out who knows someone in your companies of interest (Jackalope Jobs makes that easy). Ask for an introduction or attend an event where employees of those companies will be present (this is when you use that elevator pitch). Follow your companies of interest on all their social media platforms. This may give you insight into their corporate culture or first dibs on an employment opportunity.

Be Interview Ready. After you've gotten the attention of potential employers be ready to close the sale. There’s nothing like getting a product that doesn't deliver on its promises.  It’s important to research the company in preparing for the interview, but if you have been connecting and following them on social media most of this work has been done. This will make it easier for you to readily match what you have to offer with their needs and share ideas on solutions you can provide.

Not having a proper plan and strategy in place is where many fail in the job search process. It’s like throwing darts without a target and hoping something will stick. Applying a strategy will take you from being a career ready applicant to a Career Ready Exceptional ACHIEVER of the Millennium. Know your value, know what you want and be intentional in getting it.

Moving You Forward,

Cathy Francois
Career Coach
Founder of Rezume Forward

P.S. The job search process can be complicated. Thankfully, you do not have to create a plan alone. Let’s team up to create a personalized plan to help you achieve career success today. Email me at cfrancois@rezumeforward.com

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Getting Your Connections Up: Networking Simplified

The New York Times recently published an article¹ on how larger companies are increasingly using their own employees to find new hires through referrals. This trend makes good business sense as it saves time and money. And it left me to think that the life of a hermit crab is going to get really tough in today’s job market. According to the Department of Labor, the average unemployed worker today is jobless for 38 weeks. Besides being a call to get your emergency savings up, this is a call to get your connections up; meaningful ones.

However, the thought of building connections through “networking” may make some people cringe. Some people may view this as hobnobbing, schmoozing, or down and dirty brown-nosing. This is deeper than the superficial “friends” you have through social media. However, I’m not discrediting social media, just stating it is merely a link to a possible meaningful connection.  Here are some tips on building your connections up.

Start in your natural environment. Do your neighbors know who are and what you do? Have you taken time to get to know coworkers outside your department? Do you know other parents at your child’s school? If you answered no to all 3 questions you have some work to do. Start with a smile, a wave hello, say good morning, and take little opportunities to strike up a conversation without expecting anything in return. Connections are much easier to build when you’re not looking to receive, so build them before you need them.

Warm your cold connections. The next time someone accepts or sends you a connection request on social media send them a thank you message. Send birthday and congratulatory messages whenever possible. This gives an opportunity for people to remember who you are. You can also add an open-ended question to encourage a two-way conversation, such as “How do you like your new job?” These simple gestures take a little time, but may lead to a rewarding meaningful connection.

Be Likable. (Not a people pleaser or pushover) Making connections is pointless if you turn around and burn them. That’s called building walls. There must be a good reason why Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is still a popular book since published in 1936. This is long before Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s about getting back to the basics and applying it in the new millennium.

Give. What do you have to offer? At career fairs people are always drawn to the booth that’s giving away the cool knick-knacks.  Give to open yourself to the opportunities to receive.

In this fast paced world, it may be challenging to find time to build relationships. For some it comes natural and it shows by their success and for others not so much. Thankfully this is a skill you can learn. Research and finds ways to build relationships and make connections in a way that comes natural to you. Remember, in today’s job market, keeping your connections up means keeping your money up.

Moving you Forward,

Cathy Francois

Career Coach
Founder of Rezume Forward

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¹http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/business/employers-increasingly-rely-on-internal-referrals-in-hiring.html?hp&_r=0

Tapping into the Hidden Job Market: Get ahead of the competition

Let’s face it, it’s a tough time for job seekers today and with unemployment rates at record highs across the country the competition can be furious. Some may wonder how they can get ahead of the pack. It’s bigger than having a stellar resume and saying the right things at the interview, although important. It’s about seizing the opportunity before anyone else has a chance to; tapping into the hidden job market. 

According to CollegeRecruiter.com 80% of jobs are not listed anywhere. You will not find these opportunities on indeed.com or in your local classifieds. It may be a position in the process of being created, at a start-up or where the hiring manager is too busy to post the opportunity.

There are a number of avenues that may give you access to the hidden job market and it starts right under your nose. And no pun intended; literally. The first thing you need to do is open your mouth and spread the word that you’re seeking.  Don’t be shy and don’t be ashamed because closed mouths don’t get fed; literally. Instead of just asking for a job, have conversations about what you’re looking for and ask for referrals or advice. Reach out to your network of friends, family, former coworkers, anyone within an earshot and their networks. And with technology this can be done through a number of channels such as social media via LinkedIn or Twitter.

I can recall how I got my first job out of college when I decided to move back to my hometown after graduating. I was having a casual conversation with a former classmate about my job search. She provided me with a referral to a human resources manager at the company she worked for and the rest is history. When coaching a student who graduated and after sometime did not have a job in her field of study, I encouraged her to introduce herself to office managers at medical offices in her local area. I was thrilled when she called to tell me she was offered a position. And something tells me if she was waiting on that same office to post an ad online, the opportunity may have slipped her by.

I’m not at all suggesting efforts applying to jobs online or through your local newspaper are futile. However, coupled with networking and making real connections you can find your way to your next job exponentially faster. Explore the opportunities that may not be readily recognized by others. And remember looking for the right job may be a matter of finding the right person to connect you to it.

Moving you forward,

Cathy Francois
Career Coach
Founder of Rezume Forward

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