Job Search Plan

Another Better Use for Job Postings

June 19, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Responding to job postings is an ineffective way to find a new job.

The chances of finding a job from a job posting are in the single digits. I can never find the citation for that statistic but trust me it is true. That doesn’t mean you don’t respond to ads but it does mean you probably won’t find your next job through a posting.

We don’t rely on job postings to find a job. But we CAN use job postings to explore careers! I bet you didn’t think I was going there, did you?

Yes, I have found a use for job ads.

Each job description is a little different, highlighting different priorities and perhaps even revealing a little about the company culture. Since every possible configuration of job description can be found on the Interwebs these days, companies do us a favor by creating a handy place to research new careers! A veritable treasure trove of career opportunities at a click of a button!

I call this a “stupid, simple” exercise:

My favorite place to go is Indeed.com because they consolidate ads from all sorts of places into one central research hub.
You will see two boxes: “What” and “Where”. Keep the “Where” box blank. We don’t care where in the world the job is located since we are not applying for jobs.
In the “What” box enter keywords that relate to the job or career you want.
Start reading job descriptions.

That is it. Start reading job descriptions until you find several jobs that are so amazing you would move to Alaska to take that job. That is the high bar we need to achieve to be sure you found the best career for you.

Simple right? Who would have guessed that job ads could be so useful? No assessments. No long hours spent staring at our belly buttons.

Let’s use the free resources at our fingertips to explore new careers before we jump into something new! With that in mind, check out The Interview Doctor’s free resource, The 10 BEs to Grow Your Career for more tips!

Job Search Potluck Antidote – Part 3: Is that an opportunity hidden around that corner?

March 27, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

The antidote to job search potluck is information gleaned from a bit of creative detective work that can open an array of opportunities you never considered.

This series offers a process that gets job seekers beyond advertisements. In Part 1 we discussed the importance of knowing what you want. In Part 2 we considered how to use that information to network. In this third part, let’s look at where to find companies to network into.

The trick to making a list of target companies is thinking outside the box.

Heard on the street here in northeast Ohio, “I’ve tried Smuckers, Gojo, Diebold, Timken, Progressive and Eaton. There are just no jobs here in NEO.” Bull. Folks who say this have not done the research to find companies in their community that might be options other than the few really big companies.

They are not looking in the right place. This calls for some research.

Here are three research options I recommend to my clients:

Google Maps. Maps.google.com. Zoom out to the geography within which you are willing to commute in your target geography. Then click on the “nearby” button to open a search button. Enter a keyword that describes your industry. Maybe “Manufacturing” or “Distribution” or “Healthcare”. Click the enter button and watch Google generate lots of red dots representing potential job search targets. Magic.
Reference USA Resource.ReferenceUSA.com/ is a data base that allows you to insert many search factors like geography, industry, size, revenue and more. Click on the search button and you will generate a list of potential job search targets. You can access Reference USA from your local library or in your local public library’s online interface. All you need is a library card!
Other library resources. References librarians love to help. They have access to many research resources that can be helpful from Hoovers to Dun & Bradstreet. Just walk up to the reference librarian’s desk. They will throw themselves at you in an effort to help!

Expand your job search outside of potluck advertisements by doing a little research to identify more target companies than the local “big companies” in your neighborhood. This opens up more opportunities for networking and we all know that networking is the way most people will get their next jobs!!

Job search is a numbers game. More outreach delivers more action. The Interview Doctor’s Job Requirements Comparison List is the perfect tool to clarify what you want. Networking is easier when you know what you want!! Download the Job Requirements Comparison List today to get started on your networking adventure! So much better than taking potluck.

The Job Search Potluck Antidote – Part 1: Don’t settle for potluck job search – know what you want before you start

February 27, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Ever been to a potluck dinner?

We have them at our boat club periodically. Potluck dinners are fun because you never know what you will find. Last time there were ten kinds of baked beans and no potatoes. Next time you might find ten kinds of potato salad and no beans.

The smart option at a potluck dinner is to contribute the food you would like to eat. Then you have a modicum of control over your meal.

Relying on job ads for your job search is like going to a potluck dinner. Your options are limited to the potluck universe of whatever jobs happen to be posted at the moment when you look. You might find the equivalent of ten baked bean jobs or potato salad jobs when you would be more comfortable with a coleslaw kind of job. No coleslaw available? You are out of luck.

A quick story to illustrate what I mean…..

I am not everyone’s cup of tea. I thrive in a specific kind of environment that values my high energy and my urge to solve problems with humor and creativity. Not every company values those characteristics. I know. I have the scars to prove it!

One time early in my career I walked into a new company and knew by the end of the day that I made the wrong choice. I took the job because it was available and I needed the money. But I could tell I was never going to fit into this company. The next three years were the longest work years in my life. Every day was a frustration because I had taken a baked beans kind of job when I was a coleslaw kind of gal.

I went to the job search potluck and took the first job that made sense out of the jobs available at that moment. I did not do my due diligence. At that time in my career I did not know what I needed from a company to evaluate the options effectively.

It doesn’t have to be that way. This is the first in a series about how to structure a different kind of job search built around finding your own opportunities – the potluck antidote!!

Start by knowing what you want. I was an HR Executive. You would think that every opportunity with that title would be the same. You would be wrong. Every opportunity is different with its own pluses and minuses. The trick is figuring out what you want then comparing every opportunity to your requirements.

Step 1 then, before you get started, define what the ideal job for you looks like. Ask yourself “What”:

What size – revenue and number of employees? Small or large?
What geography? Where live now or some other place? Don’t just say “anywhere” because everyone has some preferences. Narrow it down to just a few geographies to make your search more targeted.
What industry?
What culture? What kind of people do you want to work with? What level of integrity? How do they talk to one another? Are they nice or is cutthroat ok with you?
What energy level? Quiet and traditional or bolder and cutting edge?
What kind of hipness? Older and traditional or younger and trendy?
What kind of independence? Can you make your own decisions or do you prefer a structured bureaucracy?

Write it down. There are no right or wrong answers. There is only what is right for you. That means that some of the companies out there are wrong for you, which is fine. If you don’t know exactly what you want, describe the place you worked that made you the most happy or just imagine what would make you happy. That is as good a place as any to get started.

Writing it down at the beginning allows you to compare opportunities and companies against your needs to increase the chances that you make a match that works for you. Not potluck but controlling your destiny to find companies that fit your needs.

The Interview Doctor’s Job Requirements Comparison List is the perfect tool to clarify what you want. If I had done this earlier in my career I might have made a better match. What are the “whats” that work for you? Download the Job Requirements Comparison List today to get started on your networking adventure! So much better than taking potluck.

Stay Tuned for the The Potluck Antidote – Part 2: Network into opportunities – coming in March!

Are you Busy or Effective?

February 13, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

How are you spending your job search time?

I met Angelo recently. He has been out of work for six months. He showed me a binder with over 200 jobs he applied for. He heard nothing from those companies. Not a peep. Not even a “thanks but no thanks” letter. He said, “There are just no jobs out there. No one is hiring.”

Another time I will share my rant about how badly most companies treat earnest candidates like Angelo. Today I would like to consider whether Angelo is using his time effectively. Can Angelo organize his time in a different way to get different results?

Angelo is busy, certainly. Two hundred applications in six months is about 20 applications a week, so Angelo has been busy finding opportunities, crafting cover letters and customizing his resume. But then he sends off his resume to a big black hole and is surprised that nothing happens. It is a sad but all too common story.

Angelo is busy but is he effective? I think not, otherwise his efforts would have born some fruit.

Here are some tips for Angelo (and you?) to spend his time more effectively to get a different result:

Decide how much time you want to spend on job search. If you are out of work or in transition, you should be spending at least six to eight hours every day on job search. Thirty to forty hours a week devoted to working on your Job Search Marketing Plan. If you are still working but want to change jobs, can you find an hour or two each day? That gives you five to ten hours per week.

Spend time on tasks that are most effective. Most people (60% to 80%) find a job by networking. Advertisements are much less effective. Your chances of finding a job from an ad are less than 10%. Therefore it makes sense that an effective job search allocates significantly more time networking and much less time on job ads. Don’t be Angelo.

Allocate your time accordingly. If you decide you will spend 8 hours per day on your job search, then here is a sensible time allocation:

Less than one hour (about 10%) on job ads. Get up in the morning, scan the online ads, find a few that sound interesting, send off your resume and move on with your day.
Five hours (about 65%) allocated to networking, research, outreach, LinkedIn, coffee meetings, professional meetings, getting referrals from contacts, etc.
Two hours (about 25%) allocated to follow up on LinkedIn invitations, resumes submitted, referrals, recruiters, other kinds of marketing campaigns, etc.

It is not hard to apply this kind of formula to any amount of time you decide to devote to your job search. The trick is deciding how you want to spend your time.

How are you spending your time? Are you Angelo just sending resumes off in response to job ads but never getting a response? Or are you open to a different way? Make a plan then stick to it. That discipline will bear fruit in increased activity.

Job search is a numbers game. More effective outreach delivers more action. The Interview Doctor’s Job Requirements Comparison List is the perfect tool to clarify what you want. Networking is easier when you know what you want!! Download the Job Requirements Comparison List today to get started on your networking adventure! So much better than taking pot luck.

5 Ways to use LinkedIn Groups for Job Search Success

January 23, 2018 By Katherine Burik

LinkedIn Groups are your networking key to the Job Search Kingdom.

(And I heard from someone with a connection to someone on the Inside of LinkedIn that groups are going to soon undergo a new change! You will want to be using this social media channel more and more!)

Until you have explored and joined groups you haven’t fully utilized the networking power of LinkedIn. This article will explain five way ways to use LinkedIn to help you find that job or new career.

Occasionally when I work with a job search candidate having trouble with his/her search, I find they have not fully explored LinkedIn groups.

This network is the biggest one in the world for professionals in all industries. It is a must-use tool in your job search plan.

Here are 5 ways to use LinkedIn Groups in your job search:

Expands contacts. LinkedIn protocol allows you to send an invitation to connect to people who are in groups with you. Being in groups allows you to connect with more people and allows other people in the group to connect with you
Interesting discussions. You can post questions or comment on questions other people post. This raises your visibility and lets people see how you think. Assuming you make a good impression, it makes you more desirable.
Jobs are posted in groups that might not be posted anywhere else. You can respond directly and perhaps get a leg up on the competition who might be looking at Monster. You might also become aware of companies hiring people in your field.
Increases your visibility. The more people who know you are looking for a new position, the more likely you can land that job. Recruiters use LinkedIn as their top choice to find candidates. They look in groups.
Offer more ways to search for people, companies, and jobs. LinkedIn’s search tools are very powerful, even if you do not purchase the expanded services. You can see who is looking at your profile and search for companies in your industry. You can talk to people who already work at those companies and get inside information on who to speak to in your field.

What types of LinkedIn Groups should you join?

It is best to build a mix of them so that you have a well rounded network – the same as you do with people in real life.

Consider joining groups related to:

Education (college alumni association, college interest groups, sorority or fraternity groups)
Previous employment
Special interest groups related to your job, groups related to your industry or the industry you want to work in
Groups related to some special characteristic about you (maybe your age, sex, race). Be careful about groups related to your religion or politics so you don’t inadvertently alienate potential employers.

If you wonder how employers use LinkedIn, read this article to better understand what is happening on the other side fo the job search process.: How Do Employers Use Linkedin.com?

Don’t settle for a mediocre career that you don’t want! LinkedIn offers many ways to find the ideal job or career for you! You can download a FREE copy of the LinkedIn Career Advancement Tips and find the perfect career today.