The Job Search Campaign Design BY: John Nicodemus, Job Search Coach

Like any successful marketing or military campaign, you need to plan and organize your job search. The goal is to have a steady, productive level of positive activity that always drives your search forward. Here is what I recommend. First you must understand two things – 1) finding a job is a full time job, …

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When Personality Outweighs Skill

Ok, so we’ve covered why you need a resume, the type of skills needed in today’s job market, and how to successfully market yourself; By this point you’ve either a. landed a super sweet gig and are coming back for tips or b. you haven’t had much success and are still trying to hone in …

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Marketing Yourself

These are tough times, at least for 99 percent of us. With rising unemployment, lack of opportunity and a contracting national and global economy is enough to make anyone wonder “how in the world does one ahead?” Savvy job seekers know that in order to secure new opportunities or promotions they need to go beyond …

View full post

The difference beteween being a “2nd” choice candidate and a “1st”

There could be a number of reasons why you’re an employer’s second or third choice. First, let’s start with what they are seeking completely. The reason for “completely” is the candidate fit goes far beyond the skill set. There is a “major” difference between a match for the company and a fit. The match, are candidates that possess the skills essential …

View full post

Why You Need A Resume

In today’s job market, a resume is the first thing an employer looks for in weeding out potential candidates from the undesirable. Before an employer will take valuable time to interview you, he or she wants to meet you – on paper. How you impress that employer with your resume can, and will, make all …

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The Job Search Campaign Design BY: John Nicodemus, Job Search CoachWhen Personality Outweighs SkillMarketing YourselfThe difference beteween being a “2nd” choice candidate and a “1st”Why You Need A Resume

Dec
21

The Job Search Campaign Design BY: John Nicodemus, Job Search Coach

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Like any successful marketing or military campaign, you need to plan and organize your job search. The goal is to have a steady, productive level of positive activity that always drives your search forward. Here is what I recommend.

First you must understand two things – 1) finding a job is a full time job, 2) if you do not strike a balance with the other aspects of your life, you will burn out quickly.

You are targeting numerous potential sources of employment and must divide your time between those sources based of their potential. Only 20% of jobs are found through responding to ads; 10% are found through recruiters and headhunters; 70% are found through networking in various forms. Thus you should be spending no more than 20% of your time responding to ads, 10% applying to recruiters and headhunters, and 70% networking in all it various forms.

We are all creatures of habit. Just as you had a daily routine (more or less) that you followed at work, you need to set up a daily routine for your job search. Pick a daily start time, say 8 AM. You need to be at your new job of finding a job daily at 8 AM. Schedule your time as suggested above and stick to it. Get into a daily routine that includes calling family, friends and professional contacts to network; researching companies; writing and sending targeted letters to specific companies and/or industries; building your on-line networking resources such as Linkedin; attending networking events and one-on-one meetings; contacting recruiters and headhunters; searching on-line listings and completing applications. Activity is the key. Measure your results (see my “Activity is the Key to Success” blog http://bit.ly/p5uUmT). This will help you to maintain a sustained level of positive activity.

In order to maintain your positive outlook and not burn out, try to maintain a balance. Plan time for physical exercise, even if it is nothing more than a daily 30 minute walk in your neighborhood. If you do not now exercise, start one (endorphins make you feel better and can help clear your mind)  Make sure you have time to see family and friends (they can be great networking resources for you). If you belong to a religious group, become more active it (another great networking source). If you do not belong to one, consider joining one. Finally, consider volunteering. It is another good networking opportunity, as well as a wonderful way to focus on others while generating a positive self-image that you need to sell yourself in an interview.

Finally, consider joining a support group or job club. They are great ways to cross-fertilize ideas that you or others may find helpful. They will also help you to maintain a positive attitude. If you cannot find such a group, Maybe you can start one.

Each person’s schedule will be different, all the good ones will contain these elements.

(Source: advancedcareertransitions.com)

 

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Dec
12

When Personality Outweighs Skill

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Ok, so we’ve covered why you need a resume, the type of skills needed in today’s job market, and how to successfully market yourself; By this point you’ve either a. landed a super sweet gig and are coming back for tips or b. you haven’t had much success and are still trying to hone in on exactly what’s missing. In either case, this post might be exactly what you’ve been missing: the old personality verses skills debate.

The basis

There is no denying hiring managers sometimes overlook top-notch candidates by focusing only on professional accolades and top-notch degrees.  However, if you ever find yourself asking “Why didn’t I get the job?”  it might be because even though you looked great on paper and sufficiently answered your interview questions, the hiring manager was evaluating your personality in relation to organization needs.

Remember you’re being hired to fill a role. And roles come with parts, that need to played.

Hiring managers are employed to find the best fit candidate and as a potential candidate, it’s up to you to distinguish not only how your resume and skills can be a benefit to the organization but also how your personality can contribute. After all, you can train the mechanics of almost any job, but you cannot teach or buy personality. Moreover, during the interview process hiring managers know they’re seeing the absolute best this person has to offer so, if in an interview a candidate displays a personality that is focused, humble, optimistic, eager to learn, creative, and ambitions that candidate is going to stand out much more than the one who just relies on a resume or degree to pass them off.

It is your role as a job seeker to sell who are.

I know some of you might be reading this now and asking yourself “how do I sell my personality?” Which is the right question to be asking come interview time. To be clear, marketing yourself does take a bit of practice, but I can be done. The important thing to remember is you are who you are, and it’s best to present yourself as nothing less than the very best version of yourself which for some means, toning down the attitude, polishing up the skills, and most importantly practicing your best smile. And if in doubt always remember:

Attitude is what you think, skill is what you can do with it, but personality is who you are.

Ultimately, skill and attitude can be changed, but personality is who you are; and who you are matters because employers want to be sure that what they’re reading on paper is in line with the reality of the person and the needs of the organization. Furthermore, they want know what it’s like to work with a person based on MORE than the well-rehearsed answers to well-rehearsed questions.

So the next time you are on an interview don’t forget: be yourself and have fun, or at the very least, make sure you are worth getting to know.

 

 

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Dec
08

Marketing Yourself

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These are tough times, at least for 99 percent of us. With rising unemployment, lack of opportunity and a contracting national and global economy is enough to make anyone wonder “how in the world does one ahead?”

Savvy job seekers know that in order to secure new opportunities or promotions they need to go beyond just working hard and hoping someone recognize them. It is critical that individuals, young and old, learn to market themselves if they want to secure greater opportunities; even students seeking internships or first jobs can benefit from learning the basics of marketing themselves by being in the right place at the right time. After all, “luck is where preparation meets opportunity” and what better way to create “luck” than by learning how to market yourself.

But what does “marketing yourself” really mean? What are the benefits of marketing yourself? And more importantly, what steps does one need to take in order to market oneself successfully?

Breaking it down

When it comes to marketing it’s all about product and solution. With regard to self marketing, you can look at yourself as the “product” and what you can do as the “solution.” As a savvy job seeker it is your responsibility to identify what expertise and skill you can offer your “customer” (aka your prospective employer). The challenge is that the workplace is dynamic and often volatile environment and therefore marketing yourself must be a consistent and ongoing task.

I realize that sometimes people hear the words “marketing yourself” and feel uneasy because they view marketing as pushing themselves on other people, or empty socializing. However, effective self marketing builds relationships, by pulling from your expertise. Simply stated, by marketing yourself you establish yourself as an expert and people recognize you for it.

Benefits

The benefits of learning how to market yourself effectively are seemingly endless, from accomplishing personal and professional goals more easily and usually in less time to creating greater opportunities to the improved ability to contribute in new and exciting projects and increased visibility, employability, and career resiliency. Most importantly, learning how to marketing yourself provides you with options as well as choice.

Step by step

The process of marketing yourself can be broken down in 5 simple steps.

1. Ask yourself: What do I have to offer?

  •   Start with a self knowledge check assessing each of the following:
    • Natural talents (aptitudes)
    • Interests
    • Personality
    • Values

2. Select personal and professional self marketing objectives.

  •   Determine exactly what you are looking to achieve

3. Gather, analyze, and interpret information about your situation.

  • Identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis)

4. Identify who needs to know you (i.e. your target market).

  • This means reaching out to friends, colleagues, managers, mentors, and human resource professionals to network and broaden your outreach potential.

5. Develop a marketing strategy for your target markets/customers.

Pointers:

As with any plan make sure your self marketing plan is flexible and includes performance measures that allow observable, objective indicators that determine if you are accomplishing your goals. Additionally, feel free to periodically evaluate your techniques and modify them as your expertise and experiences change and grow. Lastly, remember to incorporate feedback and performance suggestions as you implement your marketing plan.

Though these are hard times for even experienced job seekers, knowing how to effectively market yourself can mean the difference between being a candidate and being “the right candidate.”

And remember, always look at yourself as the product and sell yourself as a solution!

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Nov
02

The difference beteween being a “2nd” choice candidate and a “1st”

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There could be a number of reasons why you’re an employer’s second or third choice. First, let’s start with what they are seeking completely. The reason for “completely” is the candidate fit goes far beyond the skill set. There is a “major” difference between a match for the company and a fit. The match, are candidates that possess the skills essential to the position. Companies will train an employee with a great personality versus choosing to disrupt the moral of their company for skills.

The candidate fit is 90% personality and 10% skill. 

In sales they teach you that people do business with people they like. Well, it’s the same for hiring managers; they hire people they like and want to work with. 5% is presentation; how well you speak and articulate your experience, duties, traits, etc., your attire, and your non-verbal gestures. 5% is skill; hiring managers are not going to waste their time interviewing candidates that do not possess the hard skills needed to perform successfully.

Secondly, be realistic with yourself. Don’t let your excitement over cloud your purpose. Is this interview a compliance interview??? Before you schedule the interview, ask what part of the process the interviewer is in: wrapping up (just finishing up the last interviews but made decision); just starting (new position); still seeking (has been interviewing but has not found a fit). It is okay to strategically manage your time & search realistically.

Thirdly, Find out what makes you second or third. Is it a lack of experience, education, etc.? Industry experience plays an important part as well, what companies you have worked for, how long you have been performing a task versus someone else. The candidate of choice may have experience in an area that enhances the position and its needs. Don’t count yourself out because at least you are interviewing. Practice makes perfect and questions makes you a better person.

GOOD LUCK!!!

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Oct
17

Why You Need A Resume

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In today’s job market, a resume is the first thing an employer looks for in weeding out potential candidates from the undesirable. Before an employer will take valuable time to interview you, he or she wants to meet you – on paper. How you impress that employer with your resume can, and will, make all the difference.

Without a resume, you can’t even begin to compete, and an inferior resume will quickly eliminate you before you even have a fighting chance. That is why it is necessary to have a superior resume, one that effectively lets employers know what you can do for them.

WHAT IS A RESUME?

Simply put, the term resume means “summary.”

In the business world, that’s exactly what your resume should be: A summary of your qualifications, skills, and achievements. It is used to show future employers what you have done in the past. Moreover, it informs employers of your career objective i.e. the job you are seeking and communicates in a concise manner the benefits you will bring to the job if hired.

In short, a resume is an advertisement. It markets you, your unique skills and qualifications, and it stresses the benefits you have to offer.

THE PURPOSE OF A RESUME

Most people think that a good resume will get them a job. This is a mistake. It is rare in today’s market to find an employer who hires anyone solely on what they have read in their resume. Employers want to check you out in person before they hire you. They want you to substantiate your resume, and see if you have the personality they are looking for. This, of course, requires an interview. It is actually the interview that ultimately gets you the job.

But it is the resume that gets you the interview! In today’s market where many companies utilize resume-tracking programs, where a computer selects your resume based on keywords, you must be extra careful to load your resume up with benefits. You not only have to impress the employer, today you must impress his computer as well! The purpose of any resume, electronic or otherwise, is simply to get you an interview.

How often have you thought, “If only I had met with the employer in person, I could have convinced him that I was the right person for the job!” Your only chance is to compose an impressive resume, one that will get noticed and get you in the door so you can meet the employer in person and get the job.

Your Reason For A Resume…

  • Prepares you for the interview. Most employers will use your resume as a guideline when they interview you. They will ask you to explain in detail many of the statements you have made in your resume.
  • Organizes you. Preparing a resume forces you to assess your skills. This in turn will help you evaluate the many employment options open to you. It will also help you plan an effective job search campaign.
  • Gives you a sense of security. It’s a good idea to always have an updates resume on hand. You never know when you will want to seek a better job or just a change. Also, in case you unexpectedly lose your job, it is wise to have your resume updated and ready.
  • Can be used as a calling card. It’s there when you want to conduct informational interviews to test potential opportunities.

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