What NOT to do when you suddenly lose your job.
1) Use part of your severance pay for (re) training.
2) Pay a resume service to do your resume.
3) Apply for numerous jobs online and followup with emails demanding an interview.
4) Not contact anyone you know about your job search because you are too embarrassed.
5) Not immediately cut back living expenses, take stock of financial situation and make aggressive changes.
6) Apply for jobs you are not qualified for or truly interested in.
7) Not maintain contact with any of the other people might have been fired or laid off the same time you were.
8) Not contact any mentors, personal coaches or advisors who might have guided you in the past.
9) Not start any sort of second income endeavor whether it be a part-time job or consulting.
10) Let your pride, fear, ignorance and stupidity get in the way of success.
Next: Why
Monday, October 04, 2004
Friday, October 01, 2004
Know the company!
Try this same line on a member of the opposite sex -
"I noticed you sitting at this bar looking lonely and I realized how much your needs and my experience were perfect for each other..."
Wham! What are you doing on the floor, buddy?
Now read your last cover letter or statement for a position you applied for.
Did it say something to the affect of,
"I noticed the position for your company and saw how much the position and my experience were a perfect fit,etc".
Blah, blah, blah. Who came up with this anonymous, sly, confident approach?
What's worse, is when the above statement is made and the applicants' resume and the job description have NOTHING to do with each other. Sloppy!
Clearly, *someone* did not read the job description.
Employers are ego driven. They love their company. They think they have the best product or service. They want others to envy and admire them.
Write your cover letter and resume with knowledge of their company and admiration for their product, services, mission or business plan.
Read about the company you are applying for. Learn what they do and what you can give to the company.
Write your cover letter and resume for the job you are applying.
Remember, you are selling your value to the company, not your value to yourself.
Try this same line on a member of the opposite sex -
"I noticed you sitting at this bar looking lonely and I realized how much your needs and my experience were perfect for each other..."
Wham! What are you doing on the floor, buddy?
Now read your last cover letter or statement for a position you applied for.
Did it say something to the affect of,
"I noticed the position for your company and saw how much the position and my experience were a perfect fit,etc".
Blah, blah, blah. Who came up with this anonymous, sly, confident approach?
What's worse, is when the above statement is made and the applicants' resume and the job description have NOTHING to do with each other. Sloppy!
Clearly, *someone* did not read the job description.
Employers are ego driven. They love their company. They think they have the best product or service. They want others to envy and admire them.
Write your cover letter and resume with knowledge of their company and admiration for their product, services, mission or business plan.
Read about the company you are applying for. Learn what they do and what you can give to the company.
Write your cover letter and resume for the job you are applying.
Remember, you are selling your value to the company, not your value to yourself.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Resume?
I have a hand with the hiring at my company and look over literally hundreds of resumes for listed postions.
What amazes me is that hardly anyone researches anything about our company and the positions we have advertised. How do I know this? By reading their cover letters and resumes.
Most applicants bury the information I need that is directly related to our opening.
And don't get me started about the arcane skills, certifications and industry terms which mean nothing to my company ("I am completely adept with Lower Poobah AMI standards and have completed four levels of my Grand Master Thigamajig License!").
Look, if the position calls for a Senior Level Java programmer with understanding of ecommerce applications on a Linux platform, don't tell me about your MS.Net experience or your FoxPro certifications. This tells me you did not read the job description and you are most likely shotgunning your resume to whoever has a computer on.
Tell me your related experience, what you have done with that experience and if possible, direct me to some example of it.
Unrelated experience
If you do have a lot of unrelated job experience, explain it this way.
"Here is my related experience which I feel will benefit your company right now. And if it has any value to you at all, I also have tremendous experience in other skills/fields/positions which I will list below".
Employers fill needs, their needs, not your need for a paycheck. Give employers a reason to think you might have what they need right now.
Resume for the job
Finally, rather than sending out 4000 copies of the same resume for 4000 positions, tailor your resume for 40 positions you really want.
Study the company to which you are applying, understand the position and make a compelling argument for your immediate employment.
This is a test
If you were in school and the instructor tells you there will be an essay test covering one to four paragraphs of information, you would make it your business to know that information forwards and backwards and incorporate it into your answers.
Most job notices have a description of the job available, the skills and education requirements and possibly a description of the company and benefits all outlined in a few paragraphs.
Why are you not writing your resume for this description?
Read the requirements and job description and tailor your resume, your experience and skills to the job described. Don't try anything vague or general.
Answer the question the employer is asking. That is what a resume is all about.
I have a hand with the hiring at my company and look over literally hundreds of resumes for listed postions.
What amazes me is that hardly anyone researches anything about our company and the positions we have advertised. How do I know this? By reading their cover letters and resumes.
Most applicants bury the information I need that is directly related to our opening.
And don't get me started about the arcane skills, certifications and industry terms which mean nothing to my company ("I am completely adept with Lower Poobah AMI standards and have completed four levels of my Grand Master Thigamajig License!").
Look, if the position calls for a Senior Level Java programmer with understanding of ecommerce applications on a Linux platform, don't tell me about your MS.Net experience or your FoxPro certifications. This tells me you did not read the job description and you are most likely shotgunning your resume to whoever has a computer on.
Tell me your related experience, what you have done with that experience and if possible, direct me to some example of it.
Unrelated experience
If you do have a lot of unrelated job experience, explain it this way.
"Here is my related experience which I feel will benefit your company right now. And if it has any value to you at all, I also have tremendous experience in other skills/fields/positions which I will list below".
Employers fill needs, their needs, not your need for a paycheck. Give employers a reason to think you might have what they need right now.
Resume for the job
Finally, rather than sending out 4000 copies of the same resume for 4000 positions, tailor your resume for 40 positions you really want.
Study the company to which you are applying, understand the position and make a compelling argument for your immediate employment.
This is a test
If you were in school and the instructor tells you there will be an essay test covering one to four paragraphs of information, you would make it your business to know that information forwards and backwards and incorporate it into your answers.
Most job notices have a description of the job available, the skills and education requirements and possibly a description of the company and benefits all outlined in a few paragraphs.
Why are you not writing your resume for this description?
Read the requirements and job description and tailor your resume, your experience and skills to the job described. Don't try anything vague or general.
Answer the question the employer is asking. That is what a resume is all about.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Recruiters and Contractors -
I was sitting in a training class for a well known operating system vendor in the spring of 2002. One of the class participants returned to class after lunch and announced that his company laid him off during during the noon break. Over the phone. While he was offsite. Real classy company there.
One of the techies sitting in the class, (I will call him, Mr. Helpful) advises, "Well that's not a problem, call (this well known recruiting/contracting company). That is how I got my job".
The first problem with Mr. Helpful's suggestion was with the recruiter he mentioned. I knew someone who worked at that particular firm and knew on authority they had been receiving sometimes over 500 resumes a day from unemployed IT workers.
The second problem Mr.Helpful forgot to mention is that he had been working at his particular job for over three years. He had been hired during one of the greatest technical hiring booms in recent memory.
Mr. Helpful was not aware of the massive changes that had occurred in the IT world since 2001.
Yes, this famous recruiting and placement firm Mr. Helpful had mentioned had, during the boom years, placed thousands of IT professionals in numerous positions.
Mr.Helpful meant well, I am sure. But consider this as introduction to a lesson about recruiters.
Recruiters are a funny beast.
A recruiter's job is to fill positions based upon a commission paid by the employer.
This fee is either a set amount or a percentage of the candidates first years salary.
When unemployment and the pool of qualified candidates is high, recruiters fees go down and their job is more difficult.
To a recruiter, you, the candidate, are cattle. Cattle to be brought to market, poked, prodded and examined and if found wanting, sold to the first bidder willing to pay the selling price.
Here is the drill.
First a recruiting firm gets a tentative bid to fill a certain position. They have to scramble to get these - a herd of sales people contacts hiring managers and HR departments from dawn to dusk and uses any tactic possible to get a lead.
Often, several competing recruiters work to fill one available spot. Sometimes they are working without authorization or contract from the employer. And they also study the same job board ads you are looking at and contact the hiring company directly when a position opens.
If they find an opening, the position is taken back to the recruiting team. These people search online resumes for as many candidates as possible. They search for matching key words taken from the posted job requirements often time with little regard for the actual job description.
Next, they call candidates and question them about their skills and availability and arrange for a face to face interview. If you have ever received one of these calls when you are unemployed, it is a very uplifting and joyous occasion. "Finally, someone is calling me for an interview!" you exclaim.
Recruiters have the candidates visit the their office for a 15 minute evaluation (walk through). This is not an interview for the position, but actually an interview to represent the recruiting firm. So you get your hair cut, shine your shoes and get dressed up in your interview suit and bolt across town to the recruiters office full of high hopes.
You sit down in an office and wait along with a half dozen or so other candidates. "Surely these people must be here for other positions" you try to convince yourself. After filling out a cursory form handed to you by a receptionist, you sit in a waiting room and read People magazine and Arizona Highways and wait for your name to be called.
After a half hour or so, a ex-cheerleader named Tiffany or Chad summons you from Waiting Room Purgatory and takes you to what can best be described as an interrogation room.
Chad or Tiffany look over your resume and gush about your experience and skills. They ask a few "technical" questions about your experience (they generally have about zero technical experience or knowledge, incidentally). They cannot tell you what is good or bad about your resume or how you present yourself. What they can do is identify buzzwords on your resume and connect them however remotely to the position they have open.
Then they take you into their confidence and in hushed tones describe the position and the company. You agree to the vow of silence and sit in stunned reverence as they go on about your perfect fit for the job at hand.
"Could you come in on Thursday for an interview with the hiring manager?"
"Of course!" you say.
Times are arranged, hands are shook and you float away on a cloud to the waiting room, where Chad or Tiffany summon one of the other people who were waiting with you earlier.
You head to your car and call your spouse with the good news.
Meanwhile back at the recruiters office, the boiler room goes to work. If you and the other candidates do not smell bad or have green hair and show up on time, they are ready for the block.
The recruiters scramble to schedule the following Thursday's schedule. A back to back roster of candidates is arranged with the interviewer. All are "pre-qualified" for the open position and all are available for a 15 minute meeting.
The following Thursday, you arrive, again in your freshly pressed interview suit accompanied by a fresh stack of resumes, this time printed on high quality linen paper in an off white shade. You are mentally prepared to be questioned thoroughly and are already paying off your debts with the big offer you are sure to receive.
Then you see the lineup. There must be a mistake! There are no fewer than twenty five other people at "your" interview!
Stunned, you line up and wait with the other candidates. if you are lucky you will be first. The interviewer will be fresh and ready to pepper you with questions about your job history and experience. Woe be tide, however,if you are number 18 or so. By then, the interviewer only can think of escaping this mindless merry-go-round.
After your exit, the recruiter conducts a five minute "panic post-interview".
"What happened? How did it feel in there? Did you answer his questions? Was he interested in seeing you again?" followed by the standard "Okay buddy, we will call you".
Dejected and demoralized you head home.
Following the interviews, if the employer shows any interest in a candidate, the recruiter will call the candidate immediately and break the good news. Arrangements are made for followup interviews, Advice is given on dress, demeanor and demands.
On the other hand, if there is no interest, the recruiter drops the candidate like a hot potato. No phone calls. No words of encouragement. Nothing.
Remember if just one of their candidates gets a job, the recruiting company gets 10, 15 or 20% (sometimes more) of the candidates first year's salary from the employer.
So the recruiter strategy is to shotgun as many candidates as possible. The more candidates the better the odds of getting that commission.
Let me put in a disclaimer.
Not all recruiters are this way. I know several that are decent, hardworking entrepreneurs. Real business people who take their work serious. They care about their clients and customers and treat both well.
Just remember this: Take recruiters with a grain of salt. A recruiter's call is not a guarantee of a job, it is nothing more than a sales call.
You and only you are responsible for getting your next job no matter what the source.
I was sitting in a training class for a well known operating system vendor in the spring of 2002. One of the class participants returned to class after lunch and announced that his company laid him off during during the noon break. Over the phone. While he was offsite. Real classy company there.
One of the techies sitting in the class, (I will call him, Mr. Helpful) advises, "Well that's not a problem, call (this well known recruiting/contracting company). That is how I got my job".
The first problem with Mr. Helpful's suggestion was with the recruiter he mentioned. I knew someone who worked at that particular firm and knew on authority they had been receiving sometimes over 500 resumes a day from unemployed IT workers.
The second problem Mr.Helpful forgot to mention is that he had been working at his particular job for over three years. He had been hired during one of the greatest technical hiring booms in recent memory.
Mr. Helpful was not aware of the massive changes that had occurred in the IT world since 2001.
Yes, this famous recruiting and placement firm Mr. Helpful had mentioned had, during the boom years, placed thousands of IT professionals in numerous positions.
Mr.Helpful meant well, I am sure. But consider this as introduction to a lesson about recruiters.
Recruiters are a funny beast.
A recruiter's job is to fill positions based upon a commission paid by the employer.
This fee is either a set amount or a percentage of the candidates first years salary.
When unemployment and the pool of qualified candidates is high, recruiters fees go down and their job is more difficult.
To a recruiter, you, the candidate, are cattle. Cattle to be brought to market, poked, prodded and examined and if found wanting, sold to the first bidder willing to pay the selling price.
Here is the drill.
First a recruiting firm gets a tentative bid to fill a certain position. They have to scramble to get these - a herd of sales people contacts hiring managers and HR departments from dawn to dusk and uses any tactic possible to get a lead.
Often, several competing recruiters work to fill one available spot. Sometimes they are working without authorization or contract from the employer. And they also study the same job board ads you are looking at and contact the hiring company directly when a position opens.
If they find an opening, the position is taken back to the recruiting team. These people search online resumes for as many candidates as possible. They search for matching key words taken from the posted job requirements often time with little regard for the actual job description.
Next, they call candidates and question them about their skills and availability and arrange for a face to face interview. If you have ever received one of these calls when you are unemployed, it is a very uplifting and joyous occasion. "Finally, someone is calling me for an interview!" you exclaim.
Recruiters have the candidates visit the their office for a 15 minute evaluation (walk through). This is not an interview for the position, but actually an interview to represent the recruiting firm. So you get your hair cut, shine your shoes and get dressed up in your interview suit and bolt across town to the recruiters office full of high hopes.
You sit down in an office and wait along with a half dozen or so other candidates. "Surely these people must be here for other positions" you try to convince yourself. After filling out a cursory form handed to you by a receptionist, you sit in a waiting room and read People magazine and Arizona Highways and wait for your name to be called.
After a half hour or so, a ex-cheerleader named Tiffany or Chad summons you from Waiting Room Purgatory and takes you to what can best be described as an interrogation room.
Chad or Tiffany look over your resume and gush about your experience and skills. They ask a few "technical" questions about your experience (they generally have about zero technical experience or knowledge, incidentally). They cannot tell you what is good or bad about your resume or how you present yourself. What they can do is identify buzzwords on your resume and connect them however remotely to the position they have open.
Then they take you into their confidence and in hushed tones describe the position and the company. You agree to the vow of silence and sit in stunned reverence as they go on about your perfect fit for the job at hand.
"Could you come in on Thursday for an interview with the hiring manager?"
"Of course!" you say.
Times are arranged, hands are shook and you float away on a cloud to the waiting room, where Chad or Tiffany summon one of the other people who were waiting with you earlier.
You head to your car and call your spouse with the good news.
Meanwhile back at the recruiters office, the boiler room goes to work. If you and the other candidates do not smell bad or have green hair and show up on time, they are ready for the block.
The recruiters scramble to schedule the following Thursday's schedule. A back to back roster of candidates is arranged with the interviewer. All are "pre-qualified" for the open position and all are available for a 15 minute meeting.
The following Thursday, you arrive, again in your freshly pressed interview suit accompanied by a fresh stack of resumes, this time printed on high quality linen paper in an off white shade. You are mentally prepared to be questioned thoroughly and are already paying off your debts with the big offer you are sure to receive.
Then you see the lineup. There must be a mistake! There are no fewer than twenty five other people at "your" interview!
Stunned, you line up and wait with the other candidates. if you are lucky you will be first. The interviewer will be fresh and ready to pepper you with questions about your job history and experience. Woe be tide, however,if you are number 18 or so. By then, the interviewer only can think of escaping this mindless merry-go-round.
After your exit, the recruiter conducts a five minute "panic post-interview".
"What happened? How did it feel in there? Did you answer his questions? Was he interested in seeing you again?" followed by the standard "Okay buddy, we will call you".
Dejected and demoralized you head home.
Following the interviews, if the employer shows any interest in a candidate, the recruiter will call the candidate immediately and break the good news. Arrangements are made for followup interviews, Advice is given on dress, demeanor and demands.
On the other hand, if there is no interest, the recruiter drops the candidate like a hot potato. No phone calls. No words of encouragement. Nothing.
Remember if just one of their candidates gets a job, the recruiting company gets 10, 15 or 20% (sometimes more) of the candidates first year's salary from the employer.
So the recruiter strategy is to shotgun as many candidates as possible. The more candidates the better the odds of getting that commission.
Let me put in a disclaimer.
Not all recruiters are this way. I know several that are decent, hardworking entrepreneurs. Real business people who take their work serious. They care about their clients and customers and treat both well.
Just remember this: Take recruiters with a grain of salt. A recruiter's call is not a guarantee of a job, it is nothing more than a sales call.
You and only you are responsible for getting your next job no matter what the source.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
How to ask about available jobs without ticking off the world.
When I was laid off, I panicked. A emailed a number of people, let them know I was laid off and asked for a lead on a job. Most of these people I had not spoken to in months, sometimes years. The only responses I received from my emails were sympathies and shrugs. If you are in the same position, please read the following and consider an alternative.
How do I ask people about work?
Good question. It seems simple enough - "Hi, ya hiring?".
Here are two ideas.
One, call someone you know with another company. Let him know you were let go/don't have a job/just got out of school and ask if they have any openings. Direct and to the point.
So, what's the problem? It might work, but let's look at how this sounds:
I am out of work, I need a job, please give me one, I have nothing for you.
How about this approach?
Call your acquaintance at another company. Explain that you are back on the streets looking for a new opportunity.
Ask for advice.
Would they mind helping with your resume or cover letter?
How about some career direction or advice on what your next move is?
What you are doing is complimenting this person by showing how much their advice, (which should be true of most anyone you would call in this situation, so this is not dishonest).
People love to be complimented, praised, consulted with, and validated in any way possible.
Nearly everyone loves to give advice and offer support and understanding.
At worse, you will receive invaluable information and feedback on your resume. Better would be an introduction to someone who may be hiring. Best would be an actual interview or job offer.
Leverage this facet of human personality to your advantage.
A word to the wise and soon-to-be wise: There is a commitment angle here.
You are going to have to call and speak with people.
You are going to have to meet with people face to face.
You have to be polite, personable, friendly, sociable and persuasive.
You have to dress correctly, bathe regularly and practice overall good hygiene.
You have to shake hands firmly, look people in the eye, act genuine and behave ethically.
You have to have decent social skills for acceptable public behavior.
Most of all you have to followup religiously and vigorously with anyone who is giving you anything.
There is nothing I cannot stand more than someone who wants my time and energy but then fails to demonstrate proper manners and let me know if I was helpful with solving their problem.
All in all, this will be a lot of work especially if you are not comfortable dealing directly with people.
But it can also be fun, rewarding and maturing. And it is far better than sitting at home waiting.
When I was laid off, I panicked. A emailed a number of people, let them know I was laid off and asked for a lead on a job. Most of these people I had not spoken to in months, sometimes years. The only responses I received from my emails were sympathies and shrugs. If you are in the same position, please read the following and consider an alternative.
How do I ask people about work?
Good question. It seems simple enough - "Hi, ya hiring?".
Here are two ideas.
One, call someone you know with another company. Let him know you were let go/don't have a job/just got out of school and ask if they have any openings. Direct and to the point.
So, what's the problem? It might work, but let's look at how this sounds:
I am out of work, I need a job, please give me one, I have nothing for you.
How about this approach?
Call your acquaintance at another company. Explain that you are back on the streets looking for a new opportunity.
Ask for advice.
Would they mind helping with your resume or cover letter?
How about some career direction or advice on what your next move is?
What you are doing is complimenting this person by showing how much their advice, (which should be true of most anyone you would call in this situation, so this is not dishonest).
People love to be complimented, praised, consulted with, and validated in any way possible.
Nearly everyone loves to give advice and offer support and understanding.
At worse, you will receive invaluable information and feedback on your resume. Better would be an introduction to someone who may be hiring. Best would be an actual interview or job offer.
Leverage this facet of human personality to your advantage.
A word to the wise and soon-to-be wise: There is a commitment angle here.
You are going to have to call and speak with people.
You are going to have to meet with people face to face.
You have to be polite, personable, friendly, sociable and persuasive.
You have to dress correctly, bathe regularly and practice overall good hygiene.
You have to shake hands firmly, look people in the eye, act genuine and behave ethically.
You have to have decent social skills for acceptable public behavior.
Most of all you have to followup religiously and vigorously with anyone who is giving you anything.
There is nothing I cannot stand more than someone who wants my time and energy but then fails to demonstrate proper manners and let me know if I was helpful with solving their problem.
All in all, this will be a lot of work especially if you are not comfortable dealing directly with people.
But it can also be fun, rewarding and maturing. And it is far better than sitting at home waiting.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
The talk radio caller sobbed into the phone about how two years after completing his degree in computer science, he was unable to find a job and the net result would be homelessness in the next two months.
The caller had tried in vain to locate a job; he had applied for over 4000 positions and had landed only one reply, but no interviews. What was going on?
Prodding from the show host revealed the caller had applied for over 4000 positions over the internet and the response had been one email. I think after the 100th submission I would have tried another method, but you know how some people repeatedly do the same thing over again even though it does not work. There are specialists I have heard who attempt to fix this sort of thing.
You know the drill. Set up an account on Monster, Dice or Techies, fill in few boxes, create or upload a resume and surf thousands of tech jobs online. Appying for any of these positions requires one click and its off to the next vacancy notice. It's easy, isn't it?
Then how come the phone's not ringing? If you apply for a dozen jobs a day, there should be at least one email, phone call or interview, right?
Ah, but here is the problem: You are one of millions doing the same thing every day, worldwide.
And every job you apply for, hundreds, if not thousands of others are doing the same thing as well.
And if that doesn't lift your spirits, consider this: every job posted online is not always filled by an online applicant. In many cases, jobs are filled internally, through personal networks, through a placement agency, newspaper ad or past applicants.
Consider this diagram below. (Sorry for the spacing).
! Job !
The boss's kid
Current employees
Friends and relations of current employees.
Business relations, vendors, internal recruiters, company Human Relations department.
External recruiters, headhunters, contracted placement agencies Web ads, employment boards, newspaper and trade ads, newsgroups and mailing lists
Now, the top rung is the job - that is what you want. The bottom rung includes Internet employment sites.
If you are not in of the upper levels, you are on the bottom - the internet submitted resume. But don't feel bad, you are not alone, there are millions of others down there with you.
You are competing with other candidates not only in your town, state or country, but with those in countries you may never had heard of, (hint: the Internet is global, monster.com can be viewed in India, Ireland and China too).
The odds of landing that perfect job through an Internet job board are not as promising as one would think.
The reality is although the economy is recovering, hiring is still sluggish. Sitting in front of a computer all day may be your line of work, is not the way to get work.
So what can you do? Read on and follow, weedhopper and maybe one day you will snatch the pebble from my hand. Then you will be ready to leave.
The caller had tried in vain to locate a job; he had applied for over 4000 positions and had landed only one reply, but no interviews. What was going on?
Prodding from the show host revealed the caller had applied for over 4000 positions over the internet and the response had been one email. I think after the 100th submission I would have tried another method, but you know how some people repeatedly do the same thing over again even though it does not work. There are specialists I have heard who attempt to fix this sort of thing.
You know the drill. Set up an account on Monster, Dice or Techies, fill in few boxes, create or upload a resume and surf thousands of tech jobs online. Appying for any of these positions requires one click and its off to the next vacancy notice. It's easy, isn't it?
Then how come the phone's not ringing? If you apply for a dozen jobs a day, there should be at least one email, phone call or interview, right?
Ah, but here is the problem: You are one of millions doing the same thing every day, worldwide.
And every job you apply for, hundreds, if not thousands of others are doing the same thing as well.
And if that doesn't lift your spirits, consider this: every job posted online is not always filled by an online applicant. In many cases, jobs are filled internally, through personal networks, through a placement agency, newspaper ad or past applicants.
Consider this diagram below. (Sorry for the spacing).
! Job !
The boss's kid
Current employees
Friends and relations of current employees.
Business relations, vendors, internal recruiters, company Human Relations department.
External recruiters, headhunters, contracted placement agencies Web ads, employment boards, newspaper and trade ads, newsgroups and mailing lists
Now, the top rung is the job - that is what you want. The bottom rung includes Internet employment sites.
If you are not in of the upper levels, you are on the bottom - the internet submitted resume. But don't feel bad, you are not alone, there are millions of others down there with you.
You are competing with other candidates not only in your town, state or country, but with those in countries you may never had heard of, (hint: the Internet is global, monster.com can be viewed in India, Ireland and China too).
The odds of landing that perfect job through an Internet job board are not as promising as one would think.
The reality is although the economy is recovering, hiring is still sluggish. Sitting in front of a computer all day may be your line of work, is not the way to get work.
So what can you do? Read on and follow, weedhopper and maybe one day you will snatch the pebble from my hand. Then you will be ready to leave.
Why am I writing this?
Hi, my name is John. For over several years I worked in Information Technology for a public company based in the US. Then I got laid off. It took a number of months and mistakes before I landed at my next position. I had alot of time to think and learned many things that you need to consider when looking for your next job.
Whether you are fresh from school, recently unemployed or simply looking for your next position, there are some basic tenets of finding a job you need to know. Knowing these simple rules and practicing them regularly could make the difference in landing your next position.
Thanks and keep reading.
Hi, my name is John. For over several years I worked in Information Technology for a public company based in the US. Then I got laid off. It took a number of months and mistakes before I landed at my next position. I had alot of time to think and learned many things that you need to consider when looking for your next job.
Whether you are fresh from school, recently unemployed or simply looking for your next position, there are some basic tenets of finding a job you need to know. Knowing these simple rules and practicing them regularly could make the difference in landing your next position.
Thanks and keep reading.