Job Search, Help!

Chances are you have already started on a lot of the things you need. You have at least a draft resume or CV. You have probably been asking around to see if anyone has / heard of any jobs. You have likely been looking around the internet either on social networking sites like facebook and linkedin or through more official job-hunting sites like monster.com, jobsdb.com or ladders.com. But so far, you haven't gotten the results you wanted. (If you haven't been through all those things yet, or are not sure what they are, we will cover each one in detail below.)

Before reviewing ripping apart your resume or chasing your friend for that job he mentioned last Christmas, we need to be extra clear on the starting point for your search - your direction.

The direction of your search or your goal will likely determine how and what you look for a job. Especially if you want to get a job yesterday, you need to be extra clear on what you are looking for. Of course you want a job, but what kind of job do you want? and how flexiable are you going to be?

We all know other people. If you have a facebook or linkedin account you probably know a lot of people. You have friends from school, professors, x-colleagues, family friends and people you met randomly somewhere. Use them.

Once you know what you are looking for call everyone you can think of who might know someone who could help you. If you can get a personal referral, you have a super high chance of getting that job much faster than you ever imagined.

Sometimes making the call is a little tough, but just try your best to be friendly and then after chatting for a bit, ask for their help. Just give a short summary of what you are looking for, or make it easy and ask whether they know of anyone who is hiring.

You have a purpose for calling or emailing them, be polite but get to the point. How you chose to get to that point is up to you and your own personal style.

*photo was found here http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/photos/New_York/pages/Williamsburg%20two%20men%20talking.htm. Copyright held by Steven Pinker.

There are a million different ways to write your CV (Resume). Different countries have different styles and sometimes different industries will even have different standards for what you CV should or should not say.

If you have a lot of free time, you can talk with a lot of people working in the industry / country you want to work in and figuring out the best style to write your CV. However, don't spend much time on this. Many people will have to read your CV before you get a job and chances are a lot of them won't like your format. Most hiring people are used to bad CVs and if they are smart, they won't worry too much about small mistakes or style miss-matches.

The number one thing ever HR or Hiring Manager wants is someone who knows how to do the job and whom they can trust to do the job well. The best way for you to show this is with a clear, simple and detail-driven CV or Resume. Leave all of the flowery "I love your company and I am motivated to join your special team" till the interviews or even after that.

Instead write you CV to be a short and clear two pages about what you have really done and you know how to do. Use real examples not vague statements. You should never have a sentence longer than 10 ~ 12 words:

Bad Example:
X - I lead a team and consistently achieved high performance for everyone.
X - I know many design software systems
Good Example:
O - I managed a team of 4 sales executives. Together we have increased sales 100% to USD$20,000 per month.
O - I have done full design using AutoCAD 2D and 3D. I have worked on a few projects editing drawings made in InDesign.

*The picture comes from http://www.completepeoplemanagement.co.uk/67/text/136/files/resume.jpg

You have bothered the people in your network so much they aren't returning your calls. Your CV is now as clear, short and detail filled as you are comfortable making it (without walking the fine line between truth and fiction). Now, you are ready to start sending your master piece to every job site, newspaper article or other warm body you can find willing to look at it.

In the recruitment industry, we get a lot of CVs (Resumes) every day. Some days I have received more than 100. Within these CVs there are a lot that are professionally delivered and there are a lot that are done horribly. Here are a few things which would get you literally blocked and blacklisted:

1) CCing other recruiters in the email
2) Sending your CV attached to a blank email or with "See attached CV"
3) Repeatedly applying to the same job or other jobs posted by the same recruiter
4) Applying to jobs which require technical skills you do not have

To avoid getting blacklisted, here are some best practices to get you in the door and make a good impression.

1) Send your CV only to me, mention my name in the "Dear" line, and give an interesting title to the email.
2) Write a short (very short) summary introduction in your email. Try to just give me three things: What you are doing now, what job you are applying for (or what type of job if you are not applying to a specific job), why you are qualified to do that job. This summary shouldn't be longer than 5 or 6 (short) sentences if you want me to read it.
3) Only send your CV to me once - ever. Even if you see another job ad from me which you think you are qualified for, don't send me another email. If you want to check on your application status, pick-up the phone and call me.
4) If you are not qualified for the job, don't apply for it. Instead send a general inquiry to me asking whether I can help you find a job and following the format given above.

Follow these four points and you will make every recruiter you deal with so very happy. And no matter who you are talking with, they will think you are professional and serious about getting the right job.

*The picture is from http://www.nd.gov/duplicating/delivery.jpg

After you send in your CV (Resume), you have just become a number. The person who receives your message and Resume will only see you as another faceless applicant. The only way you become anything more is by following-up and talking with someone.

If there isn't a phone number listed, look in the phone book or on www.yellowpages.com (almost every country has a local version of the yellowpages). Call up the company and ask to speak to the person listed in the email address or the HR Manager. Be nice, polite and determined. You may need to call many times before getting an answer.

Once you get an answer, and if it is bad, ask why, use every chance as an opportunity for feedback and advice. You have invested a lot of time in applying for this job, try to get something back.

*The picture is from www.thephonecoach.com/PhoneEtiquetteTenSteps.htm

Ignore all of those books that give "perfect methods to ace your interviews". You might be able to ace the interview and get the job, but you will lose in the long run.

If you get a job which you really are not suitable for, you will waste your time, money and it will look very bad when you have to leave early or get fired. Instead of trying to ace every interview, look for ways to understand whether the company is right for what you want.

Of course you should present yourself well, explain your background and give a short introduction of yourself, but really none of that matters. Every chance you get in the interview should be filled with questions. Ask about the people interviewing you, the company culture, the office environment; ask about everything.

Most of what they tell you won't be true. Just like most interviewees are trained in interviewing, so are interviewers. They will try to sell you on the company so be careful what you believe. If they make too-good-to-be-true statements, ask for it in writing or for someone from your department doing a similar role to talk with.

Even if you are desperate for a job, you should be very clear that you are not desperate for any job. You, like everyone else, want the right job.

*The picture comes from http://www.byu.edu/hr/managers/hiring-info/sample-interview-questions

No matter how good a job you did screening the company, asking questions and doing background checks, the image of the company you had before joining and what it turned into after will likely be different.

Some people will give up and quit. These people join the ranks of Job-Hoppers and develop habits which make it difficult for them to ever be stable and successful in one role for very long. If you really prefer to hop, I can't stop you. And if your company is a really horrible environment, I highly recommend you leave. However, most of the time we exaggerate.

Things didn't turn out as you expected, but that is expected. Our impression and reality are often very different. But you also have an opportunity. Instead of seeing it as something negative, try to make it something positive. Use it as a chance to talk with more people, build connections and try to overcome the barriers.

If you challenge yourself and overcome the problems you face, you will be a stronger and better person and have gained valuable experiences for the future. Most of all, you will show to your bosses and colleagues that you can be depended on.

Once you get the job, before you get the job, yesterday and today, your success is up to you. Do your best and you can achieve the life which can make you happy.