Katherine Burik

Some Job Search Marketing Plans are Not Effective

August 6, 2013 By Katherine Burik

Every job seeker has a plan.

It is just that some “plans” are vague, unformed, and unproductive. Let us call that a “non-plan”. It is a plan, yes, but mostly ineffective; a non-plan is the exact kind of plan that guarantees that your job search takes forever.

In a non-plan job search, the candidate, let’s call him Henry, checks the newspaper (maybe the real paper kind) and perhaps the ad consolidators on the Internet for jobs related to his/her job function. Henry sends out resumes in response to the ads. Then sits back and waits for the phone to ring.

Henry gets more and more frustrated as he watches his unemployment checks wither away along with his savings. His embarrassment over his predicament makes him second-guess his every move. His confidence takes a nose-dive. If he is called for an interview, Henry barely keeps his chin off his shoes apologizing for his very existence, not listening, and not knowing how to display his skills and background in a way that makes him stand out against his competition. Henry and others like him can be out of work for a long, long time.

Plans are just lists of choices and decisions that must be made. The candidate with a “non-plan” made specific choices along the way. Unfortunately, they are choices and decisions that sidetracked the search. Let’s consider these non-plan tactics:

Choosing to answer ads instead of more effective search techniques
Not really knowing what he wants or where to find it
Not effectively using his time
Not understanding what he offers employers or how to express it
Allowing his situation to impact his self-confidence

A “non-plan” is a bad plan. Do yourself a favor and make a real plan that works for you instead of against you.

Learn more about how to create a Job Search Marketing Plan in our new book, The Job Search Marketing Plan, available through Amazon on September 23, 2013.

Edit Your Stories – Part 2 Edit on the Spot

July 26, 2013 By Katherine Burik

In our last blog, “Edit your stories – Part 1 The value of Advanced Planning”, we explored the idea of preparing your job interview responses in advance then practicing until the words flow off your tongue smoothly. This great idea helps me sound good.

But what happens when you are in the interview and the interviewer throws you a curve ball?

This reminds me of a story. When I was a VP of Human Resources, sales people used to come to my office to try to sell me things. I usually took their calls because sometimes they had interesting ideas that I could use. Many times a salesperson came to my office, said hello, and immediately jumped into their presentation. They seldom bothered to ask questions about my situation. They just started talking. I remember one poor fellow who, upon being interrupted, picked up his speil at the exact spot he left off! It was actually sad. I bet he didn’t close many sales.

Consider yourself the salesperson in this story. You come into the room all prepared to tell me your story. You know exactly what you want to say in response to all the possible questions I might throw at you. What if I ask you a question you haven’t considered? Or what if I ask a question in a different way? What do you do then?

Several things could happen:

You could freeze up.
You could proceed to give the answer you prepared. Don’t laugh. I’ve seen it happen.
Or you could regroup, rephrase, and punt.

You only control one half of the interview situation. Your half. You cannot control what the interviewer does or says. You can, however, influence it.

Here are some tips on how to edit your stories on the spot:

Consider your interview responses to be stories you have available to you. Sort of like tools in a toolbox that you can pull out to fit the situation. If you work on your stories as hard as you work on possible responses to questions then you will be prepared to pull out a story that fits.
Listen carefully to what is being asked. What aspect of a story in your toolbox will fit this question? Pick out that story and adjust it a little on the spot to tell the story you want told in response to that variation.
Structure your response to “Tell me about yourself” in a way that makes your responses to this overview question so compelling that the interviewer wants to ask lots of follow up questions on the ideas you raised. This is really strategic. With this method, you take over the interview. You love to talk about those particular stories. You can talk for hours about the ideas you preent in your response to “tell me about yourself”. Those ideas fit both your strategic plan and the strategic elements of the job.
Find ways to turn the interview into a conversation by finding points of interest between you and the interviewer that coincide. The areas of common interest can fill up lots of time in interviews and are areas where you excel.

Even if you are a reluctant speaker who needs lots of preparation, like me, you need to be able to edit your stories on the spot. Being prepared gives you many stories in your toolbox that you can pull out and adjust on the spot, giving you the flexibility you need to appear spontaneous.

Edit Your Stories – Part 1 The Value of Advanced Planning for Job Interviews

July 23, 2013 By Katherine Burik

Can you do two things at once? I can’t. I am just not that smooth. I can’t talk while I think. I can’t juggle. I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time.

This affliction extends to my ability to speak smoothly off the cuff. The words never come out of my mouth the way they are arranged in my head unless I do some advanced planning.

I always admire people who can speak contemporaneously. My daughter specialized in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking in High School Speech and Debate. She appeared to be able to argue about anything at a drop of the hat during a debate. But it was all a charade. She had boxes and boxes of research on various topics. She practiced speaking out loud for hours on those topics, taking different points of view, and testing which gestures and emphasis made the best impression. Not spontaneous or extemporaneous at all. But she sure sounded great during a debate!

Joan Rivers is my favorite comedian these days. I love her reality TV show, “Joan Knows Best” because we get to watch her work. She has a file cabinet filled with jokes on index cards. She picks specific jokes for specific situations in a specific order then practices till she gets the nuance right. It all sounds so spontaneous. But it is not.

That is what I need to do. When I prepare for an interview or for a speaking engagement or even for an important telephone conversation with a potential client, I write down what I want to say. What is the point I am trying to make? How can I make that point smoothly and succinctly without blathering all over about nonsense? Without the words tumbling out of my mouth in no particular order at all while my mind moves at 100mph.

An interview is a scripted, strategic event. You have a point to make. You want the interviewer to know and see certain aspects of yourself. How can you or anyone go into an interview cold and be confident that what comes out of your mouth makes the points you want to make spontaneously? It won’t happen without preparation.

Here are some tips for advanced planning an interview:

Consider what you are likely to be asked. Know the main objectives and responsibilities for the job. What questions could be asked to ascertain whether you can do that job? What are the most frequently asked questions?
Prepare responses to those questions. In writing. In detail.
Edit your potential responses until the words sound good and support your strategic goals.
Now you rehearse. Say your responses out loud until the words come out smoothly. No stammering. No stuttering. You have to sound like you believe what you are saying. If you don’t believe it then why will anyone else!
Adjust your proposed responses in writing until the words flow smoothly out of your mouth.
Have someone quiz you. Just like preparing for that spelling test in third grade, it really helps when a real person asks you a question and you give your prepared response. Then get feedback. How did it sound? Did you sound believable and confident? If not, keep working until it does.

Just like a world famous comedian, you can sound confident and smooth by preparing your responses ahead of time and practicing. Practice, practice, practice until it appears that you can talk and think at the same time!

Don’t Let Your Job Search Be Stopped By Resume Screening Software

July 5, 2013 By Katherine Burik

Q: Does anyone actually read the resume you sent in response to an ad?

A. Yup, a real person reads every one

B. I am afraid to think about it

C. No, that resume went into a deep dark hole

The answer depends. Most likely a real person does NOT read your resume. Most likely a piece of software reads your resume first and scores you based on some sort of criteria. Resumes that do not meet the criteria will never see the light of day. Those resumes go into a deep dark hole. Did you know that?

In the olden days, paper resumes arrived in envelopes. A clerk opened envelopes and stacked resumes appeared in the HR person’s mailbox. An R person read (or glanced) at each one, separating them into two piles, yes and no.

We aren’t in Kansas anymore. Resumes aren’t “read’, they are “parsed” and “analyzed” by software tools.

The Bright Score Calculator is a free web based too designed to “help recruiters match resumes to job descriptions.”

RChilli Inc. offers a “resume parsing analysis application.”

iCIMS offers software to help HR people “create a source pipeline for future hiring needs by engaging passive candidates.”

This technology represents a barrier between you and the person you want to read your resume. Your odds of getting the job from an ad just went down.

So how does a smart job seeker deal with this virtual barrier?

Go through it: Match your paper and virtual resume to the job description so the software will find your resume to be a perfect match. Know the key words that are important to the job you want. Include those key words in your resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letters.

Go around it: Don’t rely on job ads to get your next job. Check the ads and respond if you want but spend the bulk of your time going directly to companies that employ people with your talent. Network with people in those companies and jobs until you make connections that get you introductions.

Go over it: Set up your LinkedIn profile so you can be found by people looking for talented folks like you. Include key words. Be sure your profile is 100% complete. Actively search for contacts that can be influential in your future.

Use technology for your advantage. Do not be overlooked!

Share your experience with resume screening software and other “innovations” at our LinkedIn Group, Job Search Check-Up.

Think about the future on Independence Day

July 2, 2013 By Katherine Burik

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
-Woody Guthrie

This year as you enjoy potato salad and hamburgers or watch that July 4^th parade, take a moment to think about the bigger picture.

This great country’s future depends on everyone getting involved and everyone having an equal opportunity to get ahead. But it takes everyone.

If this land was made for you and me, what can you do today to make this land a better place for us all? How can you get involved to make your community stronger? How can you expand your horizons to consider the other guy? To help other people get ahead? To help other people learn?

Start today. Thinking about something or someone other than yourself will open opportunities you never expected and make you a stronger candidate when you change jobs.

Thinking about the future on Independence Day,

Katherine