Job Search

Online Brand: Nasty or Nice?

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

This week’s WXP News had a great article that also relates to the job search process – and your online identity. If you were not aware, about 35% or more of recruiters and employers check your online identity before they meet with you. It’s amazing what a quick Google search can find out.

Also, much of job searching today is done via email. Quick, email your resume to an ad or online post. Before sending, check out your subject line. Is it relevant and attention-getting in a good way? What’s your cover letter or intro like in the email? Does it portray you in a favorable way, while addressing the needs of the employer? Have you spell-checked it?

Think about email ettiquette throughout the job search process, not just in the first email. How do you respond to their request for more information? For clarification? For setting up the interview?

And sadly, how do you respond if you are rejected?

Suggestions: Keep cool. Ask for suggestions. If this is the type of career you wish to persue, perhaps they have some tips for you.

Here’s a link to the WXP News article: Flame Away: Does the ‘Net Make People Nastier?.

Recruiters: Don’t be afraid of Video Resumes

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Just recently we had a big story on the news, “Throw out your resume. There’s a new way to job search.” So, I waited through all the commercials and other stories until finally, the big career story! I mean hey, writing resumes is part of what I do, so I need to know why they’re throwing them away.

On with the news. What’s the news? Video resumes! Sheesh. This is OLD news. Plus, the one they showed during the broadcast was poorly done and had the oddest lighting. But the new twist was posting it on Jobster and YouTube. That part was very new.

After the “non-news” of video resumes, I wondered, “Hmmm, what do employers and recruiteres think about them. What about the EEOC?” And then, I received this in my ERE (recruiter themed) ezine today.

Here’s what one recruiting industry guru said about video resumes:

Author Dave LefkowDon’t let the big, bad EEOC scare you

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | by Dave Lefkow

Video resumes and video interviews are here. Yet some employers, afraid of the legal ramifications of reviewing videos of people in the hiring process, are curling up into the fetal position and taking steps to avoid them altogether. Here’s why you should do the exact opposite and fully embrace them.

I recently had a conversation with a director of recruiting at a large organization who said that he had just put a policy in place to reject all video resumes. “And why would you do that?” I asked.

“Because I don’t want the EEOC or OFCCP breathing down our necks and want to be protected if we are ever sued for discrimination,” was his response.

As I’m about to illustrate, legally protecting yourself from video resumes or interviews would require locking all of your recruiters and hiring managers in a broom closet with a copy of the Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership.

I also fully expect pigs to fly well before the EEOC or OFCCP can develop sensible regulations that address the unique challenges presented by these new tools. This is exactly why you should embrace them for all of the benefits they can provide to hiring managers, recruiters, and candidates.

Read on!

The Power of Nice – and Your Career Search

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Check out this quiz and see how nice you are. Click here.

So, are you naughty or nice? Why am I asking? When you’re in career search mode, nice finishes first. People love helping people who are nice. Nice is not sappy, smarmy, or in-authentic. Nice can be:

1. Sending an article to a friend related to his/her career.
2. Referring a friend, if the job’s not right for you.
3. Connecting two people you know in complimentary busineses so they can team up on sales calls.
4. Asking good questions and listening to how you may help.
5. Volunteering for a favorite organization or charity.

When looking for a job, it’s sometimes hard to remember to be nice. Trying a few of these ideas can lift your mood, put you back on track, and increase your network connections. Networking’s a two-way street. If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get what you want — a job.

Have you eaten your frog today?

Wendy Terwelp 2 Comments

This arrived in my in-box today and I had to share it. Thanks Peter Crocker for a great article – something we can all relate to – managing time during a career search. 🙂

Peter CrockerHere’s something that used to happen to me all the time, and it completely infuriated me…

I’d head into my home office around 8.15am all ready to go. I’d pop back out and boil the kettle. Open up the email, check who won the cricket, drop by a few of my favourite sites. I’d re-boil the kettle. Clear out my spam, respond to some emails and read a few newsletters. I’d finally make my coffee, ponder my non-flowering frangipani tree and check my list.

Suddenly, it would be 9.45am and I’d have achieved nothing at all!

Every time I thought, “If only I’d done an hour and a half of productive client work I’d be well into my list, feeling great and all set for a productive day”. Instead I was behind for the rest of the day.

It was when I read a book called Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy, that I realised exactly when this procrastination routine kicked in. It was whenever I was putting off working on some complex or uninteresting project.

To save you reading the book, it’s essentially based on an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can look forward to the day knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll have to do.

‘Eat that frog’ is a metaphor for tackling the most important and challenging task of your day, before dealing with the rest.

Because there’s rarely time to do absolutely everything on our to-do list, productivity depends on prioritising the tasks that will make the biggest difference to your life and making sure they get done first.

Does this sort of thing happen to you? Are you procrastinating now? How do you beat it? Hop online and share your thoughts.

After that, stop mucking about and go and eat that frog!

Until next week.

Love your work,

Peter Crocker
peter@flyingsolo.com.au

The Seven Deadly Sins of an Interview

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Puts a spin on the seven big ones. Have you been guilty? This info is courtesy of TheLadders.com.

Pride: An excessive love of self
You have years of experience, you’ve earned respect and accolades in your field, but any arrogance will come back to bite you. Remember that seemingly insignificant person you barked at this morning for snagging that prime parking space? Yep, that’s the boss’ assistant. Getting the brush off after what seemed to be a great interview? Right. It’s that assistant again, this time with payback.Once you’re within a mile of an interview, treat every person you come in contact with as though someday, they’ll be your boss or you’ll be theirs. Take time to warmly greet the receptionist, thank the assistant for that glass of water, and put your best foot forward to anybody who conceivably could weigh in on your candidacy.

Read on!

Oh — and be sure to send them each a thank you note! Often executive assistants are brought in for that “gut feeling” evaluation.