This Job Search Stinks! Is Yours Going Like this too?

See if this sounds like your job search.

You were fired. Well actually it was a reduction in workforce but it feels like being fired. They said it was not your performance, after all you received a good performance rating the last time, but they let you go so it must be performance related.

You updated your resume with the most recent position and started applying online only to hear NOTHING! NOTHING! Seriously? You know that you can do the job but companies are not even giving you the courtesy of a reply.

You modified your resume to match the job description before you apply. You asked people to review your resume and you changed it based upon their feedback. Then you met someone else who suggested changing it another way or changing it back to the way you had it. It doesn’t matter because neither way is yielding results. You don’t even know which way is correct.

You researched and memorized the good interview answers like what to say when asked your strengths and weaknesses.

Looking online there are very few positions available so you start to get concerned that companies are not hiring.

You start to wonder if it is your age or something else about you and start considering lower level jobs. And maybe you even tried for lower level jobs and were not successful.

Maybe you were lucky enough to have an interview but could not get the company to see your value regardless of how you stressed you could do the job.

Does that sound like your job search?

What would you be willing to do to be successful in your search? You probably say “anything” and I’m going to challenge that. Too many job seekers are not successful, not because they are too old or don’t have value, it is because they are doing the job search the wrong way. I bet though that too many job seekers reading this will not change what they are doing. They are the hamster on the wheel – they will work hard at it but are not going anywhere.

Don’t just update your resume or change the formatting without concern for the content. Only 10% of resumes make it passed the keyword software that resumes go through to filter candidates. Formatting is important but resume reviewers only comment on format and do not address content. And when all candidates use the same job description to tailor their resume, all the resumes sound the same. As a recruiter said once “they ring hollow”.

Instead: create your resume based upon a sample set of job descriptions for the single type of job you are pursuing to be sure you are emphasizing the right skills, highlighting the relevant experience, and using the right keywords.

Don’t just rely on applying online. Only 15% of all of the job available today are posted online. When you limit your search to jobs posted online, you are leaving 85% of them out of consideration.

Instead: develop a job search strategy that utilizes all of the approaches but proportional to their success rate. Know the tips and logic behind them, to be better at each approach. Example: did you know you have to repost your resume to job boards every 3 weeks?

Don’t give the researched or pat answers to interview questions. When you do, you are not standing out as a candidate, in fact you sound like everyone else.

Instead: know what your real individual strengths are by taking an assessment. Know the stories of your past successes so the interviewer convinces themselves that you can do the job.

As they say: you will keep getting what you have been getting if you keep doing what you have been done – which is probably not what you want. If you really want to get off the hamster wheel and get a job you WANT, then partner with a job search coach who knows the right way to conduct a job search. Meet with them for an hour first to find out about their services and to get to know their approach. Be sure they address all areas of the job search, not just one area like the resume.

It is not you! You have just been doing the job search the wrong way. The job search is not intuitive so get advice from someone who can help.

For more information about RightChanges services and super specials through Dec 1, go to www.RightChanges.biz

Judi Adams

The Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach

www.RightChanges.biz

The Best Gift You Can Give: The Gift of a Future

Today between 50 and 80 % of people currently employed are disengaged or worse – they hate their jobs. Many people select their career or field of study by chance – falling into it. Others select a career because it is expected of them by others. I chose my initial college major because I liked the subject in high school; I didn’t really know what I would do with it once I graduated.  Imagine if you had the chance to do it all over again with a factual based understanding of what is a good fit for you.

Do you know a soon to be recent graduate (high school or college) or someone in a job transition? A great gift is the gift of knowing the right field or career for them using a comprehensive career assessment.

Where some assessments are one dimensional, RightChanges uses an affordable, internationally renowned Career Assessment that covers 4 key areas: personality, interests, skills & abilities, and values. We supplement the personality component with a second personality assessment that is based on different definitions so we get an accurate picture of the individual. The assessment does not select the final field of study or career. Instead the assessment narrows the options to a select pool that are a fit for the person from which they make the final, informed choice. Your RightChanges coach is an experienced and certified facilitator of this assessment.

Consider giving this amazing gift of understanding and knowledge to the student or job seeker in your life.

For more information on this affordable wondrous gift, go to www.RightChanges.biz

Does Networking Feel Like Begging? Then You Are Doing It Wrong!

As a job seeker, you have probably heard three important statistics impacting job search success:

1) Between 45-75% of people get their job through networking

2) You have a 50 times greater chance of getting a job with a connection

3) Only 15% of the available jobs are posted online.

Even though networking greatly increases the chance of getting hired, too many job seekers refuse to network, many because they feel like they are begging when they go to a networking meeting. The good news is that is not what networking is about.

Here are the steps to follow to increase your chances of getting a job through networking:

      1)  Be prepared

Be sure you have all of your marketing materials ready. The job search requires much more than just a resume. For networking, you also need to know your elevator pitch, have an ample supply of job search business cards, and a complete LinkedIn profile.

     2)  Know WHERE to network

There are job networking groups in many towns but most of the attendees are not employed. That is not a target rich environment; it is like going to a married group looking for a date.

I am a professional affiliate of one of the nation’s best job networking groups, CrossroadsCareer.org and they serve a vital purpose. You also need to network with employed people especially people in your industry.

There are a number of ways to find industry groups in your area. The simplest approach to locating target rich groups is to search the internet using the name of your industry or job title, the word “association” and your state (example: technology association Georgia). You can also search for meetup groups for your industry or job title in your city (example: meetups data analysis Atlanta).

    3) Know HOW to network

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I am an introvert. I do not like networking because even the thought of it exhausts me. However, I know that networking is an essential life skill. Like me, you just need to learn how to do it, practice it, and do it!

There are a number of excellent books that help develop strong networking skills listed on the RightChanges web site (www.RightChanges.biz) under Highly Recommended Resources.

The great news is that it is just meeting and getting to know other people and you have done 

that all of your life.

RightChanges affordable and successful job search coaches are here to partner with you to learn and execute a results-oriented job search strategy to help you get the job you WANT! Through December 1 we have specials that makes it even more affordable. For more information go to www.RightChanges.biz.

Judi Adams

The Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach

How to Follow-up with People during the Job Search

How to Follow-up with People during the Job Search

As a job coach, I am often asked how and when to follow-up with people following an interview or with someone who has said they would get back in touch. There are some basic guidelines I always give and want to share with you to increase your job search success.

        1. They said they would get back to me. Should I follow-up?

It is the job seeker’s responsibility to follow-up.  Even if the other person said they would get back to you, YOU are responsible for following up.

        2. How soon after should I follow-up?

There is no simple guideline that can address that question; the answer is “it depends.” It is based upon the facts and situation. I always have to ask questions such as “what exactly did the other person say?” and “how did you leave it?”

Do not, however, follow-up before the timeline they set. There is a reason they gave the timeline that they did.

          3. When should I follow-up?

The guideline I share with my job search and business clients is this:

NEVER follow-up on a Monday or Friday and NEVER the day before or after a holiday.

You probably surmised the principle behind this guideline. On Mondays or the day after a holiday, people are busy getting caught up with correspondences that have come in since the last work day and planning out their week. On Fridays or the day before a holiday, people are looking to wrap up their work so they can get out of the office.

          4.  Should I email or call them?

I always suggest paying attention to and using the form of communication that the other person prefers. Personally I prefer e-mail communications because I’m either working with clients and can’t take incoming calls, or I’m speaking at night and I can’t get back to returning a call until it is very late at night. Using email allows me to reply and move the communications along regardless of how late it is. Each person is different so make note of their preference ex. if you email them and they call you back, they prefer a call.

         5.   What do I say to someone who was supposed to get back in touch with me?

It is very important to be sure you do not make the mistake of pointing out to them their failure to contact you as promised. I call this blaming and shaming. Do not say “I didn’t hear from you” or “you didn’t get back to me about”. You do not know what has transpired in the life of the other person since the last time you talked, they could have had something terrible happen and blaming or shaming only makes you look bad.

Instead of blaming and shaming, always start communications with what I refer to as the “nice, nice” such as asking about their holidays. Then ask the question you want the answer to or, as in the case of an interview you are waiting to hear back from, re-express your interest in the job.

The way you handle follow-up reflects on your level of professionalism and is considered in the hiring process. Apply these simple but sound guidelines to be sure you are not eliminating yourself from consideration.

RightChanges is very thankful to our clients, their job search successes, and the abundant referrals over the past 8 years. In appreciation and to encourage other job seekers to get the help that will make a difference in their success, we have launched two specials from now until Dec 1. Check out our website www.RightChanges.biz for more information and to save.