CM Access

An article was passed to me, and if I could find its original iteration, I’d include it. But I found the information to be helpful and thought it clearly articulated many of the points I’ve already made here. So I must be somewhat on track if other sources have the same info, right?

Are you falling into any of the following job search mistake categories?

1. Be sure to tailor your search to jobs you are qualified for and that interest you.
2. Video resumes are not prudent unless you’re looking for an acting (or broadcast media) job.
3. Always start out using “mr.” and “ms.” in an interview and in email communications, until you’re corrected otherwise.
4. Keep your social networking sites private–pictures can be found and be detrimental to your consideration for professional opportunities.
5. Make sure you research the company and the position to the best of your ability before an interview!
6. Dress professionally and appropriately when interviewing; it’s better to show up overdressed than be dismissed from consideration because you “weren’t quite sure what to wear.”
7. Don’t be a “Yes Man”. This means, don’t talk too much during your job interview, be concise with your answers, and always back up responses with concrete and relevant examples. And if you have an answer you don’t think they want to hear (a “no” instead of a “yes”) be sure to back it up with a well-crafted response. Take time to think about what you want to say, they’ll wait, and it will make it worth the wait!
8. Have a professional email address!
9. Keep your resume short and to the point: relevant experience only! It’s hard to keep work experience like “supported myself through college while working at Hooters” but the truth is, unless you just graduated, your professional experience is going to override this piece of information, and it will actually hurt you.
10. Get to know a lot of people: your success will come from who you know!
11. Ask for help during your job search. From friends, mentors, relatives.
12. ALWAYS follow up with an email or a hand written note after an interview!! Even phone interviews!
13. NEVER talk negatively about a past employer, no matter how comfortable the interviewer makes you feel.
14. Ask good questions to show you’re interested in learning about the company.

and of course : Don’t talk about money in the first interview or conversation. Even if this is a make or break criteria for you, you are hurting yourself if you don’t at least talk with someone about their opportunity or their company because you don’t think they’ll match your salary. The first step is to make them like you, and want you on their team, THEN you can figure out if you want them. This very minor (and easy to fall into) breach of etiquette can ruin any chance you might have for a really valuable network contact!

FYI: CM Access can help answer any questions these mistakes might bring up! If you’re wondering how to avoid these problems, or how to recover if you’ve already fallen into one, just get in touch with your friendly Career Advocate today!

Technorati Tags: job search mistakes, interview etiquette, professional dress, do’s and don’ts of job search, networking

Since there are always things to do around here, and this never seems to be at the top of the priority list, I thought I’d just write a quick note to keep you all intrigued!

I have been asked numerous times what our perspective on the status of the job market is at this time of year. Toward the end of 2007, the standard response was always “It’s a crazy time of year, budgets are in review, people are travelling, decision making is slowed down.” All of which were true to different magnitudes for each client and every company.

However, what’s been going on now that 2008 is in full swing, people are “back to the grind” and hiring needs still exist? As mentioned previously, most growth in hiring is going to be seen in healthcare and in technology. But that isn’t directly applicable, right?

I am hearing from designers and talented marketing professionals that they’re not finding a lot of movement on their resume submissions and applications.
Does this mean companies that post open positions aren’t actually hiring for these available opportunities?
Does that mean that candidates aren’t qualified for the positions to which they’re applying? Does this mean so many candidates are being considered that no one has time to even respond that a resume was received?

From my seat, we’re seeing a lot of positions that are more technical in nature than we have in the past. And, according to Monster, more technical and analytical positions are going to be the increasing demand at all companies in the coming months.

Also from my perspective, while the occasional production artist or print design contract has become needed by companies struggling with maternity leave and other temporary scheduling changes, the highest demand in the communications and advertising industries is for web-savvy design and strategy professionals.

Suggestion? Bone up on your SEO/SEM knowledge, learn a coding language and build a personal website to showcase these skills, tinker around with Flash or take a course in web design. Smaller companies will be looking for more versatile multimedia designers who can also handle print collateral, while larger companies are seeking those who can take the great design concepts of their current staff and translate it into usable, strategic web pieces.

I am one of those people that sees coding letters like HTML and XML and kind of shuts down. “That’s for the programmers to worry about.” But the increasing demand is going to be for people who understand why a PHP format is required for certain projects, or why Java and .Net are kind of like two paths to the same destination. WhatIs.comcan help you get quick answers, or talking to a developer will help you, too.

Key point: Make yourself aware of the technology happening in the creative industries. It’s not going away, and it’s likely to be a key desire for many of the open positions in 2008 and beyond.
additional key point: why not think about exploring temporary or contract positions? Especially if you’re miserable in your current situation? You might be able to expand your knowledge and portfolio of experience, and you could just end up falling into a perfect position for something you never thought of before!

Technorati Tags: employment outlook 2008, hiring status, technical positions, web design, career advice

Hoping to continue to be a resource for job seekers and career-minded professionals, I thought it might be helpful to share this information that was shared with me about the top growing fields for employment in 2008.

Eight Top Fields with Major Job Growth can be found at the Yahoo Hot Jobs page.

While some are obvious, like healthcare and technology, there is also growth predicted for independent creative professionals (good news!) and support staff in facilities management. Anyone with a nursing certification or the ability to program and build computer software is definitely in a good position to seek out the best opportunity for their career.

The author, Sonja Carmichael Jones from EarnMyDegree.com also highlights a very smart strategy for helping to secure a new position, including many of the things we’ve mentioned here. Most importantly, take the time to research companies and know what you want.

Get to know what jobs fall within the major industries.
Determine the skills and accomplishments you have or need to meet the requirements and showcase them on your resume. If you’re not confident about your skills then consider taking a course, volunteering, or pursuing an internship to enhance your skills. It’s also a good idea to look for mentors — they can become your biggest ambassadors when you need an outstanding reference.
Locate and research companies that you want to work for, and then network to make the right connections.

She also says something I can’t say enough:

Keep a positive attitude and be ready to jump in and work with all the skills and energy you’ve got.

As someone who speaks with a lot of job seekers at all levels of their career, and all stages of the search process, I can tell you first-hand that there is a point of burnout and it is detectable by hiring managers and anyone in the hiring process. You must always stay upbeat, confident, and positive about your experiences and past employers. If this means visiting a counselor to reassess where your focus needs to be, then maybe you should! Take some time to re-center, to really get to know yourself.

ok, enough new-age mumbo jumbo! It’s a new year, and a great time to make a fresh start. Keep at it, and if you’re not sure you’re doing the right things, just ask any CM Access career advocate!

Technorati Tags: industry growth, new year job search, job search burn out, healthcare jobs, technology jobs

Back to finish my very educational post about the information that recruiters are getting, and how it applies to you, the job seeker, as the other side of the process coin. You’re both hoping for the same result: to fill an opportunity that will ultimately help both parties (company and employee) succeed. This article from Adecco highlights recruitment best practices and I’ve begun explaining how the information is like understanding what your enemy (in a very broad generalization) knows.

so to continue:

Communication. It’s essential to take the time to communicate consistently with everyone involved in your recruitment process…It’s essential to have buy-in from the people who will be working with the new person on the key skills and other characteristics this person should possess.

You better think to ask about what the backgrounds and personalities of the other team members are, if it’s not brought up to you in the interview.

…It’s very important to help your recruiter understand your needs. Whether it’s an internal recruiter in HR or from a recruitment firm, the more information you share with the recruiter, the better a job they can do for you in identifying high potential candidates.

Many recruiters are not trained to understand what goes on in every department in a company. A technical recruiter who gets put into a creative recruiting role won’t be fully equipped to qualify certain design skills, or marketing strategy case studies. This is why talking directly to a hiring manager is always your best tactic. You can figure this information out by being a good salesperson, researching, and practice.

Recruiting is marketing. Every point of contact builds a brand, and recruiting is no exception. As you post jobs, interview candidates, and introduce them to your company, it’s an opportunity to help build your company’s reputation….Also, we can never forget the impact that word of mouth has in the workforce today, so always put your best foot forward with recruits.

I won’t get on a soapbox here, but this last part is absolutely true for recruiters and hiring managers to understand. And unfortunately, many don’t and won’t change their practices to improve the negative experiences candidates have. So my suggestion here is to be an informed job seeker: talk to other candidates about their experiences with applying to certain companies, and share your own experiences through conversation (online or other).

Job seekers unite! No company is perfect for every person, and no position fits every skillset, so in order to make the best teams and help everyone be successful, step back and think about how you can really assess if it’s right for you–and if not, then for who that you know might it be a better fit?

Technorati Tags: networking, recruiting process, hiring manager behavior, job search strategies

Let us think of the job search and career path process as a game of strategy, involving precise timing, strategic positioning and occasionally defensive maneuvers to protect your own survival.

Then, we can identify the involved parties:

you, the job seeker, are on the offensive, trying to break down the impenetrable walls of the enemy fortress: your ultimate job within in a thriving company that protects its own resources fiercely.

me, the recruiter from an agency, is the strategic ally who plays both sides for the altruistic benefit of all involved.

and the hiring manager is the general of the army of corporate Human Resources and departmental henchman. They’re not really fighting against you, take this with a grain of salt please! They’re just trained to resist change, especially to personnel.

So here’s an article I found that is addressing recruiting practices for hiring managers (the generals) and what they should be utilizing to go about the process in the best possible way. This might help you, the job seeker, to understand what you’re up against, since most hiring managers are NOT doing these things.

Start at the top. Take a close look at the top performers in your organization and determine what the key characteristics are that enable them to succeed. Incorporate these into your job description.

If the hiring manager of your target needs to be told that this is important information, then you are ahead if you ask them when speaking with them. This is valuable for you to be able to assess your own fit as a team member, and for showing your intelligence and interest in the company and the team.

Look ahead. As you begin hiring for a position, consider what success will look like a year from now for the person you hire. What will the person need to have accomplished to be deemed a success? Which key stakeholders will play a role in this person’s career at the company? How will this person fit culturally with these stakeholders and the rest of hte core team?

If the hiring manager hasn’t included these items in the job description, then you have every right to ask these questions. And chances are they havent. And you should. All job descriptions start to sound the same after a long while, because companies outsource their recruiting, or in-house recruiters aren’t trained to know the nuances of each different role in a department and aren’t able to look beyond the quantifiable skills.

Clarity. Have a clearly defined job description at the onset. Avoid being generic….Quick turnover happens as a result of a lack of clarity around what a job truly requires.

Here’s where you should notice that many job descriptions are vague because no one puts time or energy into truly understanding what the day to day requirements are versus the long-term objectives. And you should be aware that your resume needs to be targeted. If you have the same catch phrases and generic format, you’re causing as much trouble as you’re experiencing. Again, the more information you can get about a job before sending your information, the more you can ensure that it’s perfectly relevant. When dealing with the landmines of unclear descriptions and missing pieces, you could be wasting your time and need to think about redirecting your efforts.

this is probably more than enough to read for today. keep your eyes peeled for part 2!

Technorati Tags: Counter Intelligence, Job search war, hiring manager generals, generic resume, interview questions

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

Just wanted to share this information because I feel that it’s incredibly valuable in managing your career.

First– when looking at job postings on line, figure out if it’s posted by a staffing firm or the corporate HR. This will help you when applying. Most agency recruiters (like CM Access) don’t need a long cover letter. They need to see what job you’re applying for and your resume, possibly salary or rate requirements, but just the facts, ma’am. If it’s a corporation you’re applying to directly, cover letters are a good indication of your writing ability (IF it’s a job that would involve writing) and they should give clues about you and your personality. Make it worth reading, not a chore. And if you’re applying to Craigslist, see my notes here.

Second– working with recruiters is a good thing! The more people that know about you and your abilities and career goals, the more you’re marketing yourself, the more chances that someone might get you a great opportunity. However, be realistic about your expectations and your abilities. If you’re straight-forward with a recruiter, they should be realistic with you. It’s much easier for a recruiter if you tell them straight up that you’re not looking for certain types of positions, you’re not willing to commute more than a certain distance, etc. If you’re flexible, then that’s a different story. But if you have specific goals and needs and criteria, stick to them.

Third– Keep reaching out to those who know you and your resume. If it’s a recruiter, and you haven’t heard from them in a month, but are still looking for a new job, then reach out and say so.

Fourth– Recruiters are paid by client companies to fill the open positions within that company. Headhunters are paid by job seekers to find opportunities that suit them. [promotional plug: CM Access uses the needs of the job seeker as ammunition for the companies we work with=the best of both worlds!] You should only work with recruiters you feel are honest and genuine about the information they’re sharing. You should only work with recruiters who aren’t sharing your information without your knowledge (ie your address, phone number and email contact information.

I hope this helps! I sure wish I had known that recruiters aren’t evil, and how their business works. Knowledge is power. The more you know… and so on.

Technorati Tags: Recruiters, Headhunters, CM Access, How to, marketing you

And yes, they deal with a lot of people and a lot of resumes, so if they forget that your cat died last month, don’t take it personally.

I want to start off with the good news, so you don’t think I’m a ranting and raving type of blogger:

You are worthy of being the next great employee. You will find a great company that will challenge you, help you learn new skills, where you’ll make a difference in the success of your team and your company.

But the Burn Out from a job search is common, and it’s a dangerous place to be in. If you need to vent, do it here (or other anonymous blogs) but don’t do it in your cover letter.

The following information is for the benefit of job seekers in need of a reality check.

Have you become entirely disillusioned and delusional with your search?

Here’s how to tell:

Here’s how to recover:

CM Access is always willing to be a buffer for you, to help you assess your cover letter quality, and your search strategy. And even just to spell check if you ask!

Technorati Tags: Job search burn out, recovery, spellcheck, resumes

(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