CM Access

I recently moved, and like any pack-rat, realized there were a lot of sentimental items that needed to be tossed for good.

But one item I found to be particularly interesting. It is a document titled, “The Job Search” and I remember it came from my Public Relations methods professor. I thought it’d be a worthwhile study to explore how accurate the document remains since I’ve learned a lot from my career advocacy experience.
Here are some highlights with my comments.

The people you know are the most valuable resource you can have when searching for a job. And it’s not about calling someone to have a conversation that sounds like this:
“Hi John.”
“Hi MaryHelen. Haven’t heard from you in years!”
“Yeah, I know. I was calling because I’m looking for a new job. Do you know anyone that might be hiring?”

How could John help? He barely knows me!

Details are what make you a unique candidate. Be sure to write thank you notes (my recommendation is to write one for ANYTHING-even just a lovely conversation) and make sure it mentions something particularly relevant to the encounter, not something generic.

There are many other items in this document that are great tips for the search, though more tailored for those seeking their first job post-graduation, and I’m sure I’ll write about that more in the coming months.

All in all, not too much varies from what I’d recommend for a comprehensive job search: follow up, research, self-evaluation.

This leads me to believe that no matter what job board you’re frequenting, what niche site you’ve saturated, or how Flash-y your personal website is, the tactics that get you that great job don’t really change.

Technorati Tags: job search tips, research, details, first job

I learned from a friend, peer and mentor the term “over-communicator” and embraced it as a great way to describe myself. I would much rather be accused of saying way too much, to too many people, too many times, than always leave people saying “I wish I knew why/when/where/who/how…”

So when I saw this Note From Boss to Employees (I regret that I don’t remember where it was passed to me from…), I thought “brilliant!”

And while the excerpts below are a piece of what Michael Wade shows can help alleviate a lot of intra-office politics simply because they inform coworkers and subordinates, the thread that follows the post is also a very interesting read. Especially the “note to boss from employees”.

1. I am sometimes under enormous pressure from upper management; pressure that you seldom see. Anything that you can do to make my job easier will be greatly appreciated.”
…
4. If you are a former co-worker of mine, please recognize that supervising former peers is one of the toughest jobs any supervisor faces. The support that you give me is crucial.

5. I will make mistakes. Please give me the same understanding that you’d like me to give you when you blunder.

There’s more on the list, but I whole-heartedly believe it worth reading for anyone who’s had a supervisor. (Just like you have a whole new understanding of the job search process when you’ve been in the hiring seat yourself!)

Here’s a bit from the rebuttal:

“I was wrong.” “I’m sorry.” If you can say these two things when necessary, and mean them, you’ll gain more respect than you can imagine.

My review should not be filled with surprises and new information. If you want to know something, ask. If you want me to do something that I have not done before, ask. If you want me to stop doing something I have always done, ask.

We will occasionally have differences of opinion. In the end you make the decision and we own the outcome together. Please don’t take authority for the decision and disown responsibility for the outcome.

Just thought this was information worth passing on. I try to give my candidates and clients as much feedback and information about the process and status as possible, to avoid mis- or lack-of-communication.

Technorati Tags: leadership, Execupundit, Michael Wade, communication, over-communicators