Critical Next Job Tips: Key Job Search Advice -- #3

Q-Tips: Critical Next Job Tips
Key Job Search Advice -- #3

These job and career-related tips -- for all job-seekers looking at changing jobs (by choice or rightsizing) -- have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.

The most disturbing trend in job-hunting continues to be far too much emphasis on the "job market" rather than the individual, according to author Gale Montgomery in the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers. "By placing the emphasis on the job market, job seekers tend to look for the occupations that are paying the most, gimmicks and scripts. Montgomery observes. " 'What key words should I use on my resume?' 'What should my objective say?' When you are trying to sell a product with nothing more than a script, you put yourself at a disadvantage and waste the buyer's time.

"By placing more emphasis on the individual and his/her gifts/talents and ambitions, it becomes considerably easier to write an objective that is meaningful and true; that objective succinctly articulated both verbally and on a resume will speak volumes about the job seeker's preparation and ethics -- more than all of the memorized key words, buzz words and interviewing scripts. Employers are not impressed when every applicant responds to the questions with the same scripted answers. An applicant who is genuinely interested in the position, has taken the time to link personal attributes to the needs of the organization, and responds with honesty and enthusiasm will find the right career opportunity -- not just a job," Montgomery notes.

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The biggest barrier to interpersonal effectiveness in the workplace is to make the erroneous assumption that successful people got that way through being born lucky or naturally gifted, said career development therapist Janet Scarborough in the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers. "This is rarely the case, and believing it to be true sets one up to feel helpless about setting and attaining one's own career goals. Successful people are usually optimistic, persistent, and good at either working within an organization or forging an independent career path. However, in the areas in which they feel challenged or inadequate, they seek skills training or coaching to polish their abilities. The good news is that the areas that cause people the most trouble are changeable. If you find yourself fighting with your boss in every job you have held, that's a pattern that can be altered. If you keep getting passed over for the plum assignments in your department, you can learn to be a more strategic player. If every setback causes you to fall into a month-long funk, you can learn to be more resilient and hopeful. It takes time, energy, and hard work, but the rewards are well worth it," Scarborough says.

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Simple misspelled words, writing mechanics and the inability to articulate the most basic thought have proven to be some of the worst nightmares with employees, noted author Gale Montgomery in the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers. "I constantly stress with clients to get friends to interview them, role play. I admonish them not to wait until the interview to begin attempting to speak in grammatically correct sentences," Montgomery says.

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Here are some tips regarding reference lists:

Never put references on your resume. Make a list on a separate sheet of paper that matches your resume (and cover letter).
Never include references with your resume and cover letter, unless specifically requested the prospective employer.
Choose people who know you professionally and can speak well of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Always list your strongest reference first.
Make sure you ask people if they mind serving as a reference for you -- and then contact them again when you think they may be contacted by a potential employer.
Try to use people who know you professionally, but if you are a recent college graduate or are returning to the workforce, you can list a personal (character) reference.
Make sure you completely identify each reference, including name, title, company, address, phone number, e-mail address.

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"Job seekers should 'attack' the corporation of choice, not necessarily a job," advises career expert Mark Mehler. In the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers, Mehler said: "Most companies post their openings on their Web sites. Networking is still a key ingredient to the 'hunt,' so find a friend, acquaintance who will walk your information into the organization of choice. Plain vanilla resumes do not make it."

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To affirm whether your chosen career is right for you, consider setting up informational interviews with people in that field. What are informational interviews? They are interviews you conduct with key personnel in the field of your interest to learn more about how you can get a job in the field, what educational background is required, and more. Read much more in our Informational Interviewing Tutorial.

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The secret to successful job-hunting can be described in five words, according to author Gale Montgomery in the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers: Have a desire to work. Montgomery says that having the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for a job or career is certainly a must, "but I have heard employers says that they would gladly take a less qualified person to get someone who had a genuine desire to learn and do the work. Other intangible but greatly desired traits by the employer are attitude and communication - both verbally and in writing. 'Attitude' is hard to define, but if you look forward to working with one person and find creative ways to avoid working with another, the attitudes of the two people will probably have a significant impact upon your response," Montgomery says.

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Say you've received a job offer and verbally accepted the position. You haven't received a written offer, and then you are offered a much better position -- in fact, your dream job -- with another employer. What do you do? You are under no obligation to the first company -- except to send a "thank you, but no thank you" letter or phone call. But before you send that letter, make sure you have the second offer in writing and are all set. No sense burning bridges until you are absolutely sure. Will there be some hard feelings with the first company? Perhaps, but until you have the offer in writing, you are really under no obligation to that employer. Politely turn down the offer, and try not to end the relationship badly. Ethically, it may not be the best decision you'll make, but don't let that issue stop you from accepting your dream job.

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The value of increasing your reading speed/comprehension and memory applies to just about everybody in the workforce since it helps us be more productive because we're reading every day -- emails, mail, memos, books, says nationally known speaker and author Gary Tuerack. "Anyone who can take in more information in a shorter period of time has the advantage," Tuerack notes in the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers, "We're in an information-overload society -- and the winner is the one who can get through, assimilate, and use the information most productively. Most people, however, waste hours by reading slowly, re-reading, mind wandering."

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Career counselor Michelle Watson offers this advice to jobseekers: "Be assertive. Don't wait for companies to come to you." In the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers, Watson advises: "Follow up on any letter or application you send out, whether it is an open position, or a request for an informational interview. Don't be afraid to use your contacts and connections -- there is always someone else out there who would do so in asecond. Create a portfolio of items that demonstrate your skills, and create a company binder of information to take to your interview. Show both! Employers will be impressed with your research and interest. A student I worked with recently just got a prestigious internship offer as a sophomore because she made a company portfolio. She had information that her recruiter didn't even know!"

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One of the biggest myths about job-hunting "is that success is related to how many resumes you send out," observed Phil Hey, professor of English and writing at Briar Cliff College, in the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers. "To me, this notion is a little like sending a written marriage proposal to every opposite-sex name in the phone book. By contrast, every application should be prepared by careful research, and every application should be tailored and targeted to a specific employer."

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Wondering about the best way to look for employers and positions in the information technology field? It largely depends on how open you are to where the job may be located. If you are open to moving, join a professional organization or professional discussion group on the Internet. Check out Quintessential Careers: General Professional Organizations and Associations for the best sources for finding the right groups. Search the job postings at the 10 major job sites. Search some of the IT-specific job sites, the best of which can be found at Quintessential Careers: Computer Jobs.

These three sources should generate plenty of job leads. If, however, you are not open to relocating, you need a very different approach. Network on the Net, as described above, but also make a strong effort to network locally. Check local colleges and chambers of commerce for any information on information technology groups in your area. Develop a target list of companies large enough to need your services or are technology-related companies. Develop a list of the IT gurus (VPs, division heads, CIOs) for each of the companies and write them a personalized, targeted cover letter. Then follow-up with phone calls. If you are currently undergoing training, check with the school's placement resources. Also see if any temporary or placement agencies in your area specialize in placing IT professionals.

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The idea of career portfolios is catching on, and Web sites are getting into the act. Career counselor Michelle Watson notes that in the near future "career sites will offer the ability to create career portfolios -- prospective employers will see the candidates references, writing samples, design projects, and the like, on their computer even before a formal face-to-face interview. In the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers, Watson pointed out that Web sites are already beginning this portfolio approach. "Interfolio.com was specifically created for candidates (such as future teachers and graduate school applicants) to place their credentials files online. Other sites, like PerfectAgent.com, allow candidates, as part of their electronic resume, to record audio 'interviews' via the phone. It won't be long before pre-recorded video interview become commonplace, and perhaps even interviews conducted through instant chat/video features."

Editor's note: Read our article, Your Job Skills Portfolio: Giving You an Edge in the Marketplace.

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Don't forget that getting a job doesn't finish the job-search process; it is just a rest stop along the journey, advised career consultant Karen Chopra in the Q&A interview she did with Quintessential Careers. "I have had clients find a job only to have the company sold within months, and they were back on the job market again," Chopra points out. "The job market morphs with such rapidity these days that you really shouldn't expect to work at any company for more than a few years. One client commented that he had always been too busy to talk to headhunters who called or to attend industry meetings. After struggling through a lengthy job search, and painstakingly building a network, this client concluded that he would never again ignore networking opportunities, even when he was working. That's the attitude we all need to have, because we never know when we'll be back on the job market."

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Writers get writer's block and sometimes job-hunters get job-hunter's block, especially when they are new to job-hunting. The key is getting focused on what you want to accomplish, which should motivate you to get you on the right path to finding that ideal opportunity for you. A step-by-step plan for job-hunting can help keep you on course. Identify key companies in the geographic areas that interest you. A number of reference books in your local library or university library that list corporations and divisions by location. You could also contact the area chambers of commerce to get that kind of information -- or even track down the phone books. Check out our Quintessential Directory of Company Career Centers.

Once you've identified the companies, contact each company to get a name of a person to whom to send your cover letter and resume. Next, write dynamic cover letters to these people; look here to find some great sample cover letters. Then do the required follow-up. Call the people you wrote to about 10 days later and request an interview. Be prepared for some rejection. While the cold-contact method is much more successful than responding to want ads and job listings, you will still get numerous rejections. However, you should also consider scheduling informational interviews with the firms that tell you they have no openings; this networking technique often leads to other job interviews. See our Informational Interviewing Tutorial for more information.

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Good writing skills are a strong way to support your career success, advised Phil Hey, professor of English and writing at Briar Cliff College, in the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers. For example:

"Your bosses will know that you represent the company well in public view.
Good writing physically represents good thinking, planning and organization.
A good letter or report can become a model for other employees to follow.
A good report is one of the best and commonest ways to be recognized from above."

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Disabled and trying to find a job? While there are a few sites on the Web for disabled workers -- there is a list of them at Quintessential Careers -- your best bet may be looking in the phone book for your community's social service organizations and contacting them about programs. If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, there are probably several large employers that you should target. Once you have identified the companies, contact the human resources offices and see about job openings. Also read our article, Job-seeking Strategy for Differently-abled Candidates.

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The best kept secret in job-hunting, according to author Jeffrey Fox, is that the people who hire do so on essentially two criteria: (1) will this person make us more money than it costs to recruit, hire, train, and outfit; and (2)do we like the person. In the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers, Fox observed: "People buy anything for only two reasons: to solve a problem or to feel good. If the job-seeker solves the hiring organization's problem, and he or she is likable, the chances of getting hired are high."

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How long can you safely take between receiving a job offer and accepting or declining a job? You usually establish the timetable when the offer is presented. Employers always want to know sooner than later -- mainly because they want to conclude the search, but also because they don't want to keep their other candidates dangling for too long in case you turn down the offer and they have to go to their next-choice candidate. If you were not given a timeframe, reply in some fashion within a week. Even if you feel you need more time to make a decision, it's best to reconnect with the hiring manager by calling him or her to request the time. If you wait too long, the employer will probably just assume you are no longer interested and move on to candidate #2, leaving you out in the cold. A final issue to consider. If you need a long time to make a decision about the offer, it's probably not the right job for you. In theory, by the time an employer makes an offer, you should have a pretty good idea about whether you would want to work at the company or not. What's stopping you? Are you waiting for another job offer? Are you not sure you want to make the change? Was the offer lower than you expected? Take some time to consider why you seem hesitant.

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If you have the right mix of skills, experience, and job-hunting expertise (and maybe a little luck), you should be able to find a job in any economy. But job-seekers who report that they've sent out hundreds of resumes are usually mistakenly using a scattershot approach to getting a job. That is, you have fired off your resume to hundreds and hundreds of employers without really having a plan or a precise target in mind. And a scattershot approach rarely works. Think about what you really want to do. What kind of job are you looking for? What kind of company do you want to work for? Have you thought about a career path? Before you send out another resume, spend some time really thinking about these issues. You may want to read a great article by Kathryn Lee Bazan: Research Your Next Job by Targeting Your Preferences and Ideal Companies. Then, spend some time developing a plan, assisted by our Job Search 101 tutorial. It's free -- and full of lots of ideas for helping you map out your plan. Once you're done with the first two resources and ready to target specific companies, go to our Guide to Researching Companies, where you'll find key resources for getting the specific information you need for your job search.

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If you feel you've tried everything and still can't land a job, check out our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven't Found a Job, published on the Quintessential Careers site. There are no magic formulas that get you a new job. Job-hunting is often a long-term project that takes a lot of sweat and effort. There is a misconception that even in the best markets all people can easily find a new job in a short period of time. Job-seekers sometimes project a sense of disappointment or failure when discouraged about their job prospects. Those vibes can easily be detected by potential employers, turning them off to your potential. You may need to re-evaluate your entire job-hunting strategy, such as by talking with a close friend or colleague, a career counselor, or someone in the career services office at your alma mater. You need to have an objective opinion about your search.

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Is it appropriate to request a prospective employer to pay for your airline ticket to an out-of-state interview? Any employer worth working for will buy your airline ticket, arrange for your transportation from the airport to your hotel, and pay for your hotel stay. Some pre-pay, others reimburse. In a number of smaller firms and certain industries, companies do not pay for travel expenses and use the approach: "when you're in the area, give us a call and we'll set up an interview" to get around paying expenses. If you have any questions about who is paying, be sure to ask. It's better to know beforehand; employers shouldn't be offended by the question.

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What is corporate culture? At its most basic, it's described as the personality of an organization, or simply as "how things are done around here." It guides how employees think, act, and feel. Corporate culture is a broad term used to define the unique personality or character of a particular company or organization, and includes such elements as core values and beliefs, corporate ethics, and rules of behavior. Why is understanding the employer's corporate culture important? Because the organization's culture will affect you in many, many ways, such as: hours worked per day/week, availability of options such as flextime and telecommuting, how people interact with each other in the workplace, how people dress for work, benefits offered employees, office space, training and professional development opportunities, perks -- just about everything related to your time at work.

How can you learn more about the climate and culture of companies? By observing all the employees while at the interview -- what they wear, how they relate to each other, what their office space looks like. You can also learn more about an organization's culture by going to the company's Web site, taking informational tours, speaking with people who work for the company, reading annual reports and company newsletters, researching the company in business and industry journals, and interviewing human resource personnel or recruiters.

Get even more advice and resources about understanding corporate culture by reading our article, Uncovering a Company's Corporate Culture is a Critical Task for Job-Seekers.

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Career expert/author David Helfand advises jobseekers "to recognize that they have the power within them to create their own good luck. You've heard the saying that luck is 'when preparedness meets opportunity,' which may sound a bit corny but I believe it's true for life in general and especially so when it comes to career matters" Helfand said in a career article for Quintessential Careers. "If you have any doubt try this little exercise. Think of a recent success/accomplishment (small or large) that was unexpected. Now ask yourself did that come about on its own or as a result of some action that you took (though seemingly unrelated at the time and perhaps one month to a year or more prior)? Did you choose at some point to participate in some way rather than not to? Chances are you probably just answered yes, you took some action, chose to participate and experienced unexpected positive results at some point thereafter. You created luck (perhaps when preparedness met opportunity) for yourself."

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Writing skills are not only important but essential to career advancement, advised Phil Hey, professor of English and writing at Briar Cliff College, in the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers. "Poor writing skills can:

keep you from being considered for an interview;
get you sent back even to high school to acquire the competency you should have had at hire;
lose the trust and confidence of customers, co-workers and bosses;
cost the company money to straighten out misunderstandings; and
keep you from succeeding, apparently without reason, when your superiors don't want your writing to represent the company."

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In the Q&A interview he did with Quintessential Careers, teacher and writer Martin Kimeldorf observed that "the temporary nature of employment in America has finally hit home. This phenomenon has created a community of job-seekers that now really is inclusive and helpful. This community now includes people who are unemployed and the rest of us who are temporarily employed. As a result, more and more people are willing to help their fellow job-seekers. Most of us are willing to help people with informational interviews or with networking because we know we might be job hunting next."

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Q-Tips: Critical Next Job Tips Key Job Search Advice -- #3

These job and career-related tips -- for all job-seekers looking at changing jobs (by choice or rightsizing) -- have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.

Review all our Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Q-Tips: Critical Next Job Tips
Key Job Search Advice -- #3