Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Job-hunting tips from the July 30, 2001 issue of QuintZine.
An important piece of career planning is developing
a list of key employers to target when you're ready to move
on to your next job. In her syndicated column with Dale Dauten,
Kate Wendleton talks about making yourself more in demand
through such targeting. "Have six to 10 things in the works," she
suggests. "Take your target list of organizations, and then
divide them into an A, B and C list. The A's are the companies
you would die to work for; the C's are the companies that would
die to have you.
Contact the C-list companies first. You'll
practice your interviewing skills and -- who knows? -- one of
them might turn out to be the perfect opportunity. As things
start to move along, go to the B companies and say, 'I'm talking
to four other companies, and things are happening pretty quickly,
but I didn't want to accept any of their offers until I talked
to you first.' They will be interested in you because others
are interested. As the B's start to come along, you move to the A's."
With the job market cooling off, it's helpful to know that
more corporate employers seem to be turning to temporary workers
to fill their unique, project-specific jobs and partnering with
staffing firms to make that happen. Thus, if you're having difficulty
finding full-time employment, you can continue to build your resume,
your skills, and your network through temping. A record 3 million
temporary workers were hired by staffing firms on an average day
in 2000 in spite of labor shortages throughout the year and an
economic downturn during the last quarter.
"Staffing firms created 100,000
new jobs last year and more than a million during the past six years,"
says Richard Wahlquist, executive vice president of the American
Staffing Association. "Temporary work provides a bridge to permanent
employment. On average, seven of 10 temporary employees go on to
permanent jobs within a year. However, for a smaller but growing
group of workers, staffing firms are becoming their long-term
employer of choice." Read more about the value of temping.
It's almost always instructive to look at the world of
job-seeking from the employer's/recruiter's perspective.
For example, WetFeet's RecruitWatch newsletter, aimed at
recruiters, recently ran an article about mistakes
recruiters make in phone interviews designed to screen
job applicants. For almost every potential recruiter
mistake, job-seekers can apply the wisdom to their own approach.
For example:
Recruiter mistake: Not understanding the job you're talking
to the candidate about. Job-seeker lesson: The job-seeker, too,
needs to have a good understanding of the position he or she
is applying for.
Recruiter mistake: Writing off seemingly unenthusiastic
candidates too quickly. Lesson for job-seekers: Even if recruiters
are being advised to excuse a lack of enthusiasm, they won't
have to excuse you if you project maximum enthusiasm in phone interviews.
Recruiter mistake: Missing scheduled phone interviews. Job-seeker
lesson: Obviously, it's even worse for the interviewee to miss the
scheduled phone interview than it is for the recruiter.
Recruiter mistake: Not being aware of open positions at
your company other than the one for which you're recruiting.
Job-seeker lesson: Be sure to express that you're also
interested in other positions, especially if you sense the
recruiter doesn't think you're right -- or comes right out and
tells you so -- for the position you're seeking.
An important piece of career planning is developing
a list of key employers to target when you're ready to move
on to your next job. In her syndicated column with Dale Dauten,
Kate Wendleton talks about making yourself more in demand
through such targeting. "Have six to 10 things in the works," she
suggests. "Take your target list of organizations, and then
divide them into an A, B and C list. The A's are the companies
you would die to work for; the C's are the companies that would
die to have you.
