"THE JOB-HUNTER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE" – PART 3

This is the final installment of the excellent book by Richard N. Bolles, "The Job Hunter’s Survival Guide." What have we learned so far?

• There are always jobs out there.
• How to keep hope alive.
• There eighteen ways to search for a job.
• The five worst ways to look for work.
• The five BEST ways to look for work.

You are comforted by all the tools at your disposal (internet, ads, agencies, résumés, networking) yet the most effective method of finding meaningful work depends not on the tools you have. It depends upon your Vision. Your vision of yourself and what you want to do with your life.

A 10% SOLUTION The Internet works 10% of the time to help us find work. If it works for you, great. But realize; only one out of ten people will find work from the Internet. So it deserves 10% of your time, just in case.

What will you find on the Internet? You will find some jobs placed by employers (but not all). It is a place you can list your availability, just in case an employer is looking. It is also a place for advice, career counseling, testing, researching various careers, industries, salaries, companies and individuals who have the power to hire you; and for making contact (networking) with people who may be able to help you.

There are free guides online for the entire job hunt process. Here are six that are comprehensive and very helpful.

• http://www.jobhuntersbible.com (Mr. Bolles site. Extremely helpful)
• http://www.job-hunt.org (links to a wide variety of helpful resources)
• http://jobstar.org (from the library system through grants, many resources)
• http://www.rileyguide.com (lots of web resources)
• http://www.quintcareers.com (career tools and advice)
• http://www.cacareerzone.org/graphic (self assessments and much else)

All of these will work, once you have your target. You network to find your target, not to socialize. A target is a destination, the job you want at the end of your job search. Here are some questions to help you define and refine your target.

1. What kind of work are you looking for? What are the job titles specifically?
2. What industry or field do you want to do this in?
3. Where (location in the country/planet) do you want to do this job?
4. What is the salary you want?

Write your answers down. If you can’t find the words, visualize this job. If you find a picture, post it where you will see it every day.

Be efficient is your 10% solution as you look for jobs on the Internet. Use a site that searches other job listings (such as www.simplyhired.com or www.Indeed.com). Use the obvious ones too (such as careerbuilder.com, monster.com, hotjobs.yahoo.com, craigslist.org). Find the niche sites for your specific field or industry (such as Dice.com for IT or tech jobs).

If you don’t know the industry your job is in, but you do know some of the elements, Google (or use your favorite search engine) it. You do this by entering in your skills (2 or 3) and field of interest (2 or 3 words). Specificity counts! An example would be: writing renewable energy researching.

Use the social networking sites. Networking is "hot" right now. It may or may not lead to a job. It will lead you to people who are in your chosen industry or company. People who may know of vacancies at their company or elsewhere. Some choices are LinkedIn.com or Plaxo.com. For a comprehensive list in Wikipedia, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites. The newest on the scene is Twitter.com for short bursts of information. Twitterjobsearch.com is a job search feature for Twitter. Exectweets.com follows top business leaders and wefollow.com drills down into Twitter and lets you see who’s Tweeting from that category or industry. Let’s not forget TwitDir.com for a directory and TweetDeck.com to organize your social contacts.

Why is the Internet only a 10% solution? Because the way job hunters and employers look for each other are different. Employers prefer to fill vacancies like this:

1. Hire from within. Promoting someone they already know. Someone who’s work they know. This is low-risk for the employer. (For the job seeker: get hired as a temp, contract worker or a consultant and aim for your preferred job later on)
2. Using proof. Hiring someone (anyone) who brings proof they can do the job regarding the skills needed. (For the job seeker: if you’re a programmer, bring a program you have done, with its code; if you’re a photographer, bring a portfolio of pictures; if a counselor, bring a case study with the names redacted, etc.)
3. Using a friend or business colleague. Hiring someone whose work has been seen by a trusted friend or business colleague. (For the job seeker: contact everyone who has seen or knows your work and who knows the person who can hire you at your chosen company and can introduce you. This is the point of networking to find these particular people.)
4. Using an agency they trust. This may be a recruiter, search firm or employment agency. The agency will have tested you or checked you out on behalf of the employer. (For the job seeker: get into the ‘stable’ of some agencies. Keep in mind this only works 5% to 28% of the time-see the first article in the series.)
5. Using an ad they have placed. Online, newspaper, sign in the window or other.
6. Using a résumé. If the employer is desperate, even an unsolicited résumé will look good.

Ironic isn’t it? Your preferred methods are at the bottom of the employer’s list. Consider this too: when an employer is on the Internet looking at résumés, they are looking at job titles. This is also called job-matching. This is great if you’ve held the exact job title they are trying to match or it is a common job title. The challenge comes when you aren’t sure of the exact job title or guessed wrongly about what it might be or your previous employer called it something else. Then you are like ships passing in the night. Then there is the problem of job boards limiting you to a few dozen job titles from which you must choose. This may bring back a false "no matches found," when in fact there are matches out there.

All in all, that is why the Internet is the 10% solution. So only give it 10% of your time.

YOUR NEW RÉSUMÉ In the twenty-first century your résumé is not just the pieces of paper you hand to the hiring manager. No, it is everything that can be found out about you on the Internet. What does your web presence say about you? Do you still have your party pictures from college on your MySpace or FaceBook pages? What have you posted on YouTube? What do you Tweet about? If I (or your future employer) were to Google your name, what would pop up?

What can you do? Think about how you want to come across to an employer when you go in for a job interview. What are the adjectives you want them to think of when they think of you? Make a list (professional, creative, hard working, disciplined, honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, etc.).

Now Google yourself and pull up all the links. And EDIT. If you frequently Tweet, "Is it 5 yet?" That doesn’t connect with the ‘hard working’ adjective you came up with before. Go to all your social networking sites and look with a critical eye at your entries and your friends’ entries about you. Look at these sites from the perspective of an employer. Is there anything that would make them say, "Hmmm, let’s not call them in for an interview after all?" Look at pictures and any language they may find objectionable. If you can adjust privacy settings – do so. A "friends only" choice will limit what they will be able to see if you don’t want to block some friends from posting or take down pictures. Remember to NOT "friend" employers, if they ask, until you scrub your sites.

Create or edit your LinkedIn account so that it reflects the image you want to project to employers or would be employers. Put a link to your LinkedIn profile as part of your email signature.

Post your résumé (the old style one). This is still useful. If I’m an employer, I can see your casual side from your FaceBook site and your professional side from your LinkedIn site. If you blog, I can see your writing (content, style, quality). But to get your job history and a skills listing, I still need to see your résumé. To write a good résumé, go to previous editions of my blog or use one of the sites I listed above or Google "résumés". You will have a plethora of information. No matter you resource or style for writing your résumé, ask yourself "so what?" And "will this get me invited in for an interview?" This is the purpose of a résumé. The ‘so what’ question is to see if you have adequately explained what you are listing.

For example, if you say, "Responsible for closing at the end of the business day." If I ask you "so what?" You’d reply that it meant that you had actually:

"Totaled the cash register for the day’s receipts, counting and balancing the cash, checks and credit card payments. Created the bank deposit, locked up the register contents, set the alarms and locked the doors." This is so much better. This is much more likely to get you invited for an interview.

Résumés are not the place for saying that you had to leave that job because you forgot to lock the doors. Save that for the interview. Along with what you learned and how you now prevent that mistake from repeating.

Expand your online presence by completing every bio as if it is an executive summary of your life. Cross every T, dot every I. Join forums or groups on the professional sites. Go to Groups on LinkedIn and join a group relevant to your industry or interests. Start a blog related to the job you are looking for and update it regularly. Post a video (to your blog, your website, YouTube, etc.). Thus a plumber looking for work can demonstrate how to install a faucet. This is much more eye-catching to an employer than simple text.

WHY JOB TITLES DON’T WORK It isn’t just duties that change over time. The titles do too. And then, fashion and business theories change have their impact. Let’s take Personnel Director. That was just payroll and benefits, with a little rules-enforcement. Then business theorists began calling employees the company’s best resource and the job became more complicated with resources for the employees too. Now the title is Human Resources. Again the title is shifting as the responsibilities shift. I have seen a shift towards Human Assets Manager posted. Remember when everyone was an "engineer"? Things change.

How do you dig beneath the job title? Analyze the job in terms of its component parts. Jobs have seven parts:

1. Your functional or transferrable skills
2. The field (or knowledge-base) in which you use those skills
3. The working environment (or working conditions) at that job
4. The people you work with or serve at that job
5. Your goals as you do that work
6. Geography: what part of the country/world that you work in that job
7. Salary and other compensation at that job

Mr. Bolles likens this analysis to a flower. The flower has six-petals with your transferable skills in the center. He thoughtfully provides a three-page listing (in four columns) of transferrable skills and two pages of fields. You breakdown your prior jobs into these components. That’s it. This self-inventory is important to write down. As you write it down you will realize how YOU have also changed over time.

"What you do should flow directly from who you are. That is the key to living a life that makes a difference." (page 76)

You then determine which parts you want to do or use again. Using these parts, you build up your dream job. Or your next job on the way to your dream job. A "dream job" is defined as the job that combines doing and being into a something that fits YOU like a glove.

WHO ARE YOU? To go out and find the job that fits you like a glove, Mr. Bolles suggests you have four options.

1. Write a résumé (for your eyes only) that details out everything you have done in life and work. Use this as a basis for self-examination. The challenge is this is your history, not your future. It tends to focus you on the marketplace and what will make you marketable, not on what will make you fulfilled.
2. On one piece of paper (not more) write down everything that you can think of about yourself. Summer camp at six. The color of your eyes. Your dreams at twenty. This can take several days. Then you look it over and circle the ten most important things about yourself. The challenge is that your brain may let you down and it doesn’t allow for the input of ‘your community’ into the process.
3. Take an online ‘test’ or ‘assessment.’ The challenge with these is they all try to fit you into their categories. Two respected assessments are Myers-Briggs (for personality "Do What You Are") and there are several based on John Holland’s Code. Myers-Briggs has four letter categories and the Holland Code use three. Remember, all tests will take you, and trim and push you into their categories.
4. The most effective, by far, is for you and two trusted friends do the flower exercise to build a version of your dream job. The challenge with this method is "only" the time and dedication it takes to do it.

Ready? Set, draw! On a single piece of paper, draw a large circle (about 6" in diameter) in the middle. Surrounding this circle, draw six smaller circles (about 2" diameter). Voilá, the flower. In the center circle write "using these transferrable skills." In the outer petals label them thusly: 1. where, 2. Special knowledges, 3. People environments, 4. Goals/purposes/values, 5. Working conditions, and 6. Level of responsibility and salary. In each petal or circle answer, in descending order, what is most important for you at work? That is a snapshot of your dream job.

As Confucius said, "Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life."

There is so much more in the book. Tools and techniques I don’t have space to write about that will help you. Mr. Bolles closes the book with a chapter on having a plan of action. It is a tremendously helpful book. "The Job-Hunters’ Survival Guide: How to Find Hope and Rewarding Work, Even When ‘There Are No Jobs'," just the thing you need. Now.

by Richard N. Bolles $9.99

ISBN: 978-1-58008-026-2

For Borders books or For Amazon.com

If you want help to sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

Warmly,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

“THE JOB-HUNTER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE” – Part 2

This is Part Two of some of the highlights from the latest book by Richard N. Bolles, of “What Color is Your Parachute?” fame. He wrote this book, as he says, “I felt there was a need for a much shorter, less expensive book to help job-hunters who were hanging on the ropes during this brutal Recession.” … ““If I were job-hunting tomorrow,” I asked myself, “what would be the most important things for me to know?” I wrote the book accordingly.” It is just that, a small book (100 pages) of pure job-hunting gold. He writes as he speaks, so it reads easily and quickly. There are internet links on almost every page for you to get more information or detail on what you need. Here are the five worst and five best ways to hunt for a job from the list of eighteen that I outlined last week for you. FIVE WORST WAYS TO HUNT FOR A JOB After that long list of eighteen alternative ways to get a job, which ones work best? This is a good question. Mr. Bolles lists the top five and the worst five. Let’s do the worst five first and get them out of the way. -1) Mailing out résumés (to employers, on job boards or by mail). The success rate is only 7%. That is a generous rate. Most employers won’t look at your résumé delivered unsolicited like this. They simply don’t have the time. -2) Answering an ad in a professional trade journal. The success rate is only 7%. The reasons are the job is usually located out of your area or it was filled after the ad was placed (print journals are at least a month behind). It really only works if you are experienced in your profession and are willing to relocate. -3) Using the Internet to look for job postings by employers. The success rate is up to 10%. Unbelievable, yes? The facts are that in good times, the results in finding a job using this method is only 1 in 10. In bad times, the odds are worse. That is why you rarely find anything. Many posting are by recruiters and recruiting agencies. They are testing the market and adding to their stables. These are not for actual jobs. After searching day after day, there is a very real chance you’ll become depressed. The low success rate has everything to do with employers not putting all or some of their postings online. Generally, employers only use this method if they are desperate. It has nothing to do with you. When it works – it is great. Just expect it to work only 10% of the time (your entire job search time). -4) Answering local newspaper ads. The success rate is between 5% and 24%. This oddball work for every five to twenty-four people out of a hundred. The fluctuation is due to the level of salary being sought. The higher the salary, the less likely it is to work. If you are looking for a stop-gap job, this is the place to look. The challenge is that newspapers are a dying breed. Employer’s now use put signs in the window, or go to local Internet sites, such as www.CraigsList.org . -5) Going to private employment agencies or search firms for help. The success rate is between 5% and 28%. These are firms that charge a fee to provide employment. Sometimes the fee is paid by the employer and sometimes by the future employee. ASK BEFORE you go to the interview. Ask how much (usually a percentage of annual salary) and who pays (you or the employer). Since they have called the employer and they know there is an opening, the success rate can be at the high end. Again, the higher the salary, the less likely this will work for you. This method seems to work slightly better for women than it does for men. FIVE BEST WAYS TO HUNT FOR A JOB Just in time, let’s look at the five best ways to hunt for a job. If you are employed part-time (a stop-gap job) or your job hunt takes months, and your energy flags, concentrate on these five. As you alternate between them, you’ll keep your spirits up with these strategies. Going in reverse order (the bottom of the list) and saving the best for last: +5) Asking your network for job leads. A 33% success rate. That simple question, “Do you know of any jobs where you work, or elsewhere?” You ask this of everyone and anyone you know. One reason this works so well, is you don’t walk in cold. You walk in having been recommended by someone who works there. The challenge is it may not be in a field or industry that interests you. This may tempt you into trying to fit the job, rather than finding a job that fits what you want for your life. If you don’t think 33% is a “best” percent, remember, it is five times better than sending out résumés. +4) Knocking on the door of any employer, factory or office that interests you, whether or not you know of a vacancy. A 47% success rate. This works best with small employers (100 employees or less) rather than the huge employers. This works because you often happen upon a job (vacancy) that was just created. Or, due to your expertise and enthusiasm, you may help create a new job there. The challenge here is that this method is not for the timid or terminally shy. It takes a bit of moxie to ask for five minutes of someone’s time without an appointment. This works an amazing amount of the time. Your fear is that you are intruding and are unwelcome. People usually want to be helpful. If you have real expertise and enthusiasm and demonstrate that, you will be welcomed more times than not. +3) Using the index to the phone book’s Yellow Pages to identify subjects or fields of interest in the town/city where you want to work. A 69% success rate. After you’ve identified your subjects or fields of interest, you look up the organizations under those headings; then you call them up or go visit them. You ask if they are hiring for the type of position you can do and do well. Think of this as a reverse job posting. This method uncovers the hidden job market (unadvertised). The challenges here are voice mail and the recession curbing job creation. However, 69% is still 69 out of 100 times it does work. +2) Working with others in a job club AND using method +3 above. A success rate of 70%. The key is working with others or a job-hunt buddy to identify leads. As you uncover leads that aren’t for you and your skills, you pass those on to the others in the group. They do the same for you. It increases your resources exponentially. If you have one buddy, it doubles; thirty other job-club members is thirty times the possibilities. This works best if you do your calling in the morning and company visits in the afternoon. If your job club is more about inspiration and encouragement, it will take longer. Find a like-minded person at the club and partner up with them. If they are in your field, even better. A job that isn’t perfect for them, may be perfect for you. Then do your calls in the morning and company visits individually that afternoon. +1) Do homework on yourself, taking inventory in detail of all you have to offer and what you are looking for. A success rate of 86%. This revolves around three simple words: What, Where, How. WHAT. This is all about your transferrable skills. These are usually verbs (analyzing, organizing, researching, etc.) You inventory and identify what you have and that you enjoy using. These are the skills you are usually best at doing. These skills are called ‘transferrable skills’ because you can transfer them to any field or career you choose. WHERE. This about job environments. This is where you will do your most effective work. These are usually nouns (technology, finance, chemistry, the arts, hospitality, etc.). HOW. This is how you do your job – your career and your job of finding a job. You need to find out five things. 1) the manner in which you perform your job. (usually adverbs or adjectives – thoroughly, quickly, etc. These are also known as traits. 2) the job titles of work that involves your transferrable skills in your fields. 3) the names of organizations (in your desired geographical location) that have those kinds of jobs (your target companies). 4) the name of the person that has the power to hire you at the target company. 5) how can you best approach that person to show them how your skills and knowledge can help them with their goals and challenges. It doesn’t sound like a job-hunt method, but it is. By doing the hard thinking this method requires, you have a 1200% better chance of finding a job than if you just send out résumés. And not just any job – a rewarding job that matches your talents. You can also more accurately define yourself and exactly what you are looking for beneath the shifting shape of job titles. You now you are a person who …, not just an accountant (or whatever). This in turn makes it easy to describe to your family, friends, network just exactly what you are looking for and in details. Last, but certainly not least, you can accurately describe to employers exactly what is unique about you and what you bring to the table, that competitors for this position don’t bring. The challenge with this method is that it involves work. The hard thinking about yourself kind of work that most job hunters try to avoid. It “takes too much time,” or “demands too much thinking.” It is not the easy way out of unemployment. It could be done over a full weekend devoted to this. It won’t take “forever.” The stakes are high. The rewards are high. Mr. Bolles comment on why this method works so well is one word: VISION. “Keeping your vision focused on the target is everything. …the more detailed your picture of that target (your future job) the more likely you are to reach it.” You get out of something what you put into it. Isn’t a job that is rewarding to you, that you will look forward to, and that fits who you are, worth it? You have all these tools available to you. Yet, the most effective method of finding meaningful work depends upon your Vision. Your Vision of yourself, and what you want to do with your life.” “The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide: How to Find a Rewarding Job Even When "There Are No Jobs"” by Richard N. Bolles $9.99 ISBN: 978-1-58008-026-2 For Borders books or For Amazon.com If you want help to sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

“THE JOB-HUNTER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE”

This is the title of a brand new book by Richard N. Bolles, of “What Color is Your Parachute?” fame. He has sold over ten million copies of Parachute and has been in the career search business for over forty years. He wrote this book, as he says, “I felt there was a need for a much shorter, less expensive book to help job-hunters who were hanging on the ropes during this brutal Recession.” … ““If I were job-hunting tomorrow,” I asked myself, “what would be the most important things for me to know?” I wrote the book accordingly.” It is just that, a small book (100 pages) of pure job-hunting gold. He writes as he speaks, so it reads easily and quickly. There are internet links on almost every page for you to get more information or detail on what you need. Here are some highlights from the first half of the book that I would like to pass on to you. THERE ARE ALWAYS JOBS OUT THERE That is also the title of chapter one. Across America, there are approximately 1,250,000 jobs available per month. In April 2009 (when he wrote the book), there were 13,200,000 unemployed and officially looking for work. Now before you give up, realize that there are always about 8 million people who fail to find work in the US even in the best of times. So, there is always competition for jobs. It is just a lot more fierce right now. What you need, are greater job-hunting skills. Mr. Bolles says there are four pillars to greater job-hunting skills.

1. Assume finding work is your job.
2. Be willing to work hard on your job-hunt. This means time and persistence. Lots and lots of time. Days, weeks, months.
3. Do a thorough and detailed inventory on yourself. (more on this later)
4. Learn everything you can about job-hunting in the 21st century. Things are constantly changing, stay current. Do you know the eighteen ways to look for work? Remember, the familiar ways may not work. The ways that worked the last time you were out of a job, may not work this time. “Be ready to observe, to learn, to change your way of doing things. Be ready to reinvent yourself, with a new identity. No longer, ‘I am an auto worker (or whatever), but ‘I am a person who can do …” (you can also read about branding yourself on my blog – click here)

ON KEEPING HOPE ALIVE The secret to keeping hope alive is to have alternatives. Have at least three. If you have only two alternatives, it can cause paralysis, as you don’t know which ONE to choose. Have three and you can easily alternate among them. Research has shown many people give up after one or two months. If you keep alternating between your chosen alternatives, you are more easily able to keep hope alive. This principle of having alternatives works in every situation you may be facing in this economic downturn. Stop and ask yourself, “What are alternative ways for dealing with this challenge?” Then come up with two other ways and use them all. Here are Mr. Bolles eighteen alternative ways of looking for work:

1. Self-Inventory. Before you do anything else, do a thorough self-inventory of the transferrable skills and interests the you enjoy most and do best, so you can define in stunning detail exactly the job(s) you would most like to have, to your family, friends, contacts, network, and employers. And then use this knowledge to focus your search for work.
2. The Internet. Use the Internet to post your résumé, look for job postings or vacancies.
3. Networking. Ask friends, family or people in your community for job leads.
4. School. Ask a former professor or teacher for leads.
5. The Feds. Go to state/federal unemployment services or to One Stop Career Centers (http://www.careeronestop.org/).
6. In Your State. Go to private employment agencies.
7. Civil Service. Take a civil service exam to compete for a government job.
8. Newspapers. Answer local “want ads” (online or in the paper). Sunday editions are usually the most useful.
9. Journals. Professional journals in your profession or field. Answer any ads that intrigue you.
10. Temp Agencies. Go to temp agencies for short-term assignments (work) for companies that need your skills temporarily. This is a good way to get your foot in the door and you build experience for your résumé.
11. Pickups. Go to places where employers pick up workers. These are usually well-known street corners in your town (ask around) or union halls, etc. These are usually manual labor jobs. No job is too humble when you need money.
12. Job Clubs. Join or form a job club where you will receive job leads and weekly emotional support. Excellent directory at Job-Hunt.org (http://tinyurl.com/7a9xbb )
13. Résumés. Mail them out.
14. Choose Places That Interest You. Knock on the door of any employer, factory, store, organization or office that interests you, whether or not they are known to have a vacancy or not.
15. The Phone Book. Use the index in your phone book’s Yellow Pages to identify five to ten subjects, fields or interests that intrigue you in your town or where you want to relocate. Then call and visit the organizations listed under these headings.
16. Volunteering. If you’re okay financially for a spell, volunteer to work (for free) for a short term at a place that interests you, whether or not they have a known vacancy, with the hope that down the line they may want to hire you.
17. Work for Yourself. Start your own small business, trade or service after observing what your community needs, but lacks.
18. Retraining. Go back to school and get retrained for some other type of occupation.

Research has shown the importance of having at least four alternatives is particularly true when looking for work. It’s probably going to be a long haul this time around. Keeping hope and having alternatives will help you conquer any challenge, with time. You can and will do this. Your unemployment may last twenty-one weeks or more. Make frugality your friend. (http://www.alwaysfrugal.com/) And Buyer Beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Checkout http://www.ripoffreport.com/, to look up any company that has a get-hired-quick scheme. Especially if they want you to send them money. Be sure and sign up for unemployment insurance. DO NOT hire someone to do this for you. It is a simple online form or a phone call. Just know your salary per hour and have your last paystub handy. Mr. Bolles' other resources include food stamps, health insurance, financial counseling and maybe moving back in with the parents. Let’s not forget getting a stop-gap job. This is also known as a bread-and-butter job. Something you may detest (that’s actually a good thing, you won’t linger in it too long) but, it will pay the bills short term. Next week I’ll reveal the Five Best ways and Five Worst Ways to search for a job. Or, go out and buy the book for yourself. It is worth every penny! “The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide: How to Find a Rewarding Job Even When "There Are No Jobs"”

by Richard N. Bolles $9.99 ISBN: 978-1-58008-026-2 For Borders books or For Amazon.com If you want help to sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

HOW TO GET HIRED

When you apply for a job, there are some simple ways to ensure your résumé is read. With a greater number of applicants than ever before, you want, no, you need, every advantage. The economic downturn seems to have changed how employers hire. They seem to be making do with fewer employees. The employees they do hire, need to be able to fit in with the existing team. The unity of the workplace is very important. The solution to ensure your résumé is read AND fitting in with the existing work team is the same. You start with the job posting or want ad. Highlight all the keywords. Put all of those keywords into your application materials (résumé, cover letter and application). Yes, you will be rewriting your application materials for each and every job you apply for. A computer makes this a simple process. Let’s run through a sample:

The Mid-Level Staff Geologist/Hydrogeologist will work on a variety of projects including Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments, geologic and hydro-geologic characterizations, and soil and groundwater remediation. Field activities may require working independently on smaller projects or as a team player on larger projects. In addition, the Mid-Level Staff Geologist/Hydrogeologist will be responsible for directing and coordinating activities relating to projects, supervising and controlling the work and progress of a field team and subcontractors. This position will be responsible for developing plans, specifications, creating representative maps and figures of project sites, and preparing final reports. Excellent understanding of the principles of groundwater movement and hydrogeology and experience in the collection of defensible environmental data as well as assist with interpretation/evaluation of scientific data.

I have used orange text to indicate the keywords. Some of these words are industry or job specific. An environmental assessment is a specific process. If this is you, you want to describe when and where you have used “environmental assessments.” This is straight forward so far, yes? The key is to also use the company’s words from the job posting for the non-industry or job specific requirements. Those are:

• Working independently
• Team player
• Directing and coordinating activities
• Supervising and controlling
• Work and progress
• Field team
• Defensible environmental data

Let’s use the first two as examples, working independently and team player. You may have something in your résumé or cover letter stating, “I work well independently or in a team environment.” Does this cover what the job posting states? No, it does not. To “fit in” and to match the company, you need to use their word choices and phrases; not something close or something more creative from a thesaurus or something more useful. All you need to do is tweak your sentence to say, “I work well independently and as a team player.” Subtle? A meaningless change? Not to the employer. To the employer this demonstrates how you already fit in to their corporate culture, because you already SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE. Look at the last item in the above list: defensible environmental data. As a geologist, you know you collect data all day long when you are drilling. That is not what this company is looking for, however. They want to know if you have had your data sample rechecked by a laboratory. Your résumé before: Prepared Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessment, site closure, soil and groundwater investigation and well installation reports. Your résumé after: Using defensible environmental data, prepared Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessment, site closure, soil and groundwater investigation and well installation reports.

In my example above, the "defensible environmental data" was previously implied, now explicitly stated. The employer has to know you realize what defensible environmental data is, they will not assume that. So tell them what they need to know.

Here are some more application tips:

• Post your résumé without your home address or other sensitive contact information. Use an e-mail address and cell phone number. If they exist for your job search only, even better. This will protect your privacy and you will know the call on that phone is employment related only. So you will know to answer the call professionally. Check that your voice mail greeting is aslo appropriate.
• For your privacy and protection, when applying to a job online: Never give your social security number to a prospective employer, provide credit card or bank account information, or perform any sort of monetary transaction. (a CareerBuilder online warning worth repeating.)
• Update the résumé you post on the Internet on a DAILY basis, even if you only change one word. Recruiters avoid résumés that are dated and search regularly for the latest talent.
• Write a résumé with a clear direction. Be as specific as possible. Determine the specific industry and function you want to pursue and write a résumé showing how your accomplishments match the market's requirements.
• Remember that there is no such thing as a perfect job candidate. Apply for jobs even if you do not meet every requirement. If you match 60% to 80% of the requirements, apply. Let the recruiters decide if they want to interview you. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• Write a cover letter that lists the exact requirements of the position (spelled and listed exactly as it is in the job announcement) and then list your related capabilities. See my previous post on this subject for more guidance. This will ensure that you capture every key word in your application and shoot to the top of the list.

Use these tips in combination with your networking plan. The Internet is only one tool of the many you need to get hired. You can do this. There are jobs out there. You just have to demonstrate that YOU are the perfect fit. One way to do that is to consistently use the company’s language and word choices. Now - Go get hired!

Let me know how your job hunt is going. What are your particular challenges. Share your experiences in the comments section. Or, send me an email to eal@EALCoaching.com . I’d love to know how you are doing and what strategies you are using. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com