CM Access

Happy Holidays! Just wanted to mention a few things that might seem like common sense, but as I’ve heard someone say recently: common sense ain’t that common!

If you’re looking for a new job, or at least open to hearing about new opportunities that might be better than the one you’re in, have you made sure to cover the following bases?

Is your voicemail still set to “YO! It’s the T-dawg, leave it!”
[tip: You’re not going to leave a good impression when a recruiter hears that after being interested in your resume.]

Is your resume error-free? Have you had an objective set of eyes thoroughly read through the whole thing?
[tip: You’re not going to be regarded highly for a writing or editing position if your resume has typos and formatting errors, or words that spellcheck won’t pick up, like “there/their/they’re”]

Do you have a professional email address?
[tip: If you’re not in college any more, then you shouldn’t use a .edu address. If you’re not in a gang, you shouldn’t use “T_dawg@juno.com” E-mail addresses are free, so you should really have one that uses your name.]

Is your resume in a Word or PDF format, and saved with an identifying filename? [tip:”resume.doc” increases your risk of your document getting lost on someone’s desktop, and it’s tough for some companies to open documents saved in formats or programs they don’t have in their system.]

Does your email cover letter clearly state what job you’re applying for? [tip: Many hiring managers are working to fill more than one position, so if you’re not clearly stating your objective, you’re making me work too hard.]

Remember, the goal of the job search is to get a job, right? The goal of the hiring process is to get someone hired? You will have much more success on either side of the process if you make it easier for your target.

Companies should have an easy-to-navigate application process, or a quick response time to make it easier for candidates and job seekers. And job seekers NEED to make the process easier for the hiring manager, the one reading and sorting through the resumes.

Technorati Tags: Job Search Tips, Resume errors, hiring process, job seekers

(I can tell you they aren’t reading this thinking: “you’re not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition!”)

Let me explain why I feel the need for lazy people to be identified: day in and day out I realize that a lot of people, job seekers in particular, are more apathetic and less proactive than they should be.

While applications online are often aimed at being as easy, convenient and quick as possible, is that really the best way to show your interest in a job or a company? Guaranteed you or someone you know has said “I tried to apply online but it took FOREVER!”

Could the tedious steps be part of the screening process for the company or corporation who’s hiring? If a candidate isn’t willing to even fill out the whole application, they probably wouldn’t be willing to follow through on their responsibilities in a new position…

Now, my personal suggestion is that if a company is serious about hiring GOOD people, and not just someone “alive and breathing” for their team, a phone number should be set up and a person should be employed fulltime to field those calls. This receptionist (in that they are receiving the calls) should know the company brand inside and out, should truly understand what the role requires, and not only would then be able to identify quality candidates, but also maintain that brand’s standards and reputation because no one is saying “oh, they never responded to my application.” This is laziness on the part of the hiring side. And while I’d like to say “why would you want to work for a company that doesn’t pay attention to their candidates?” but it’s so prevalent that a rule can’t be made…

There’s a funny story Seth Godin relates here, which he calls the Blind Squirrel problem. “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.”

So sometimes a company hires an amazing candidate through their CraigsList posting, and sometimes people get great jobs by applying on Craigslist. But it shouldn’t be the most proactive thing you do for your job search.

Technorati Tags: blind squirrel, Seth Godin, laziness, proactivity

New grads, be aware of the challenges you’re facing whether they’re blatant or latent.

I’m often asked what I would suggest to new college graduates or young professionals to make their job search and career path what they’ve always dreamed. And for fear of being touted as a “hater”, I’m going to share a recently published article in the Business Journal about an internet survey (by the Internet Business Pulse Survey) asking readers to give a letter grade to the work ethic of the recent graduates who were hired in their companies. I was disappointed, being closer to the “recent graduate” age than the “experienced professional” one, to see that all the responses were negative.

The pie chart in the column showed that out of 174 respondants, 31% gave their recent grad new-hires a C, which, if you’ve been out of school too long, means average. Only 20.5% got an A grade.

Here are some of the quoted responses:
“Their attention to detail is horrible. Careless mistakes abound.”
“Recent graduates are not go-getters. They sit around and wait for someone to tell them what to do, or wait for someone to do it for them like their parents have done through their high school and college educations.”
“It would be nice if the majority of them could write in complete, correct sentences.”

Ouch! I mean, considering that almost every single resume and cover letter I receive from college graduates includes “excellent written and verbal communication skills” as an asset. Are these candidates lying or just not aware of how they measure up? Are these critiques overly harsh and generalized?

I’m sure some measure of ageism is evident, because each generation thinks their’s is better than another. “Kids these days have it so easy” and so forth. But there is something to be said about all of our technology creating a culture of convenience, and things that take a little effort are almost entirely avoided: I recently met someone who seemed astonished that a job search could be expanded to include resources other than Craigslist or Monster.com.

I find it precarious to be in between the professional world, where I see first-hand how valuable it is to ACTUALLY be a decent writer, and to handle yourself professionally with management; and to be a part of the technology generation who does find it easy to be distracted by gadgets and gizmos, and e-mail.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the answer is. But I do recommend to recent grads to continue working to differentiate themselves, to continue working to learn about themselves and their position within the marketplace (of job seekers) and to continue working to build professional relationships. (This is where talking to recruiters and career coaches, or advocates like at CM Access, can be very informative!) Then, the right job and the career path become evident on their own.

Technorati Tags: recent grad job search, ageism, work ethic

Busy Busy CM Access–welcoming two new team members in our Philly office–YAY.

But they’re now able to see the joys of being at the other end of a job posting: misdirected applications, three page cover letters, and my personal favorites: “Dear To Whom it may concern” and “I’m a perfect accusation for your team.”

But I wanted to comment again on why spelling is so important when communicating with anyone who will be involved in your career development or job search. It’s culturally significant that e-mail and texting and instant messaging is such a big part of daily activities. But that means we need to be more aware of how we are perceived to the receiver.

Just like online dating. The online job search is just like online dating. (and in a broader sense, the whole process is: both situations should include a variety of tactics and approaches, not just e-mail or chat).

Maybe spelling isn’t a big deal for you. You don’t mind if someone has a typo, or if they use a word incorrectly. But there are people who do mind, and you’d never know it.

So err on the side of caution and have someone else read your resume, your e-mail cover letter, your dating profile. Nowadays, misspelling is hard to differentiate from typos, and both look like laziness.

Would you hire someone who’s lazy? Would you want to date someone who doesn’t take the time to put their best foot forward? If you’re not taking yourself seriously enough to take the time to spell-check, grammar-check, and get a second opinion, why should anyone else?

Technorati Tags: spelling, online dating, effort, second opinion