Deborah Walker, CCMC is a Career Coach helping job seekers compete in the toughest economy. Her clients gain top performing skills in resume writing, interview preparation and salary negotiation. Find more job-search tips at http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com. Link to this article.
Having trouble staying on track with your job search during the summer? Here are three tips to help you get reemployed faster.
It’s easy to lose career focus during the summer months. Kids home from school, warm sunny weather and household projects tend to distract job seekers. Additionally, the interview process often gets disrupted while employers accommodate multiple vacation schedules. These interruptions become an easy excuse to put a job search on hold until September. Don’t give in to the temptation to take the summer off. Your summer sabbatical will add months to your job search. Increased competition in September means a smaller margin of error in interview performance. Keep your job-search momentum throughout the summer to avoid frustration in the fall.
Here are three tips to keep your job search moving forward.
1.Stay on track.
Keep a schedule of weekly job-search activities that include networking for leads. Summer is a great time for increased social activities, which can quite naturally lead to discussions about your search. Additionally, tap into your on line social network to find people who know people within your targeted companies who may be able to introduce you to hiring managers. Don’t over look the potential help of others in uncovering job leads.
Don’t let your project “to-do” list take precedence over your job search activities. Yes, Summer is a great time to build a deck, paint a kitchen or landscape your yard, but don’t allow your projects to keep you from moving forward toward a new job. Take care of your job-search goals first, then use all those extra day-light hours to fix up your nest.
2.Don’t get impatient.
It’s easy to let job-search activities slide when interviews get delayed, rescheduled or canceled. It’s best to accept that hiring stalls are a natural summer phenomenon. Use your extra time to research targeted companies in greater depth. The insider information you pick up may give you the extra “leg up” in the interview to win out your competition. Remember, even though the hiring process seems slower during summer companies still interview and make offers June through August.
3.Keep your interview skills sharp.
The normal tendency in summer is to neglect critical interviewing skills. The idea is “once interviews start back up I’ll pull out that book and get ready.” Bad idea. Don’t get caught off guard. Start perfecting your interview skills BEFORE your next interview is scheduled. Minimally you should be able to:
* State your strengths and weaknesses
* Give reasons for short job durations
* Sell your transferable skills
* Give examples of your accomplishments
Remember, these are just the minimum issues you should be able to handle in an interview. Every job seeker has their own list of questions they hope they don’t get asked. You must identify the questions that make you squirm and be ready with great answers.
Following these tips will help you maintain your job search momentum during the busy Summer months. Remember, work on your job search, then work on your tan. Build your interview skills then build the deck. You’ll be way ahead of the September crowd and months ahead in landing your next job.
Crissanka Christadoss is a recent Des Moines transplant, having spent time on both the West and East Coasts before returning to the Midwest where she grew up. With a Masters Degree in Health Communication from Emerson College in Boston, MA, Crissanka is interested in health literacy and acknowledging marginalized health issues. She has worked on health issues related to the transgender population and end-of-life care. Crissanka uses her specialized training to create stories and messages that increase awareness for health care organizations and relevant health issues. LinkedIn| Twitter
This week has been rather glorious and productive in so many ways.
- I have a brand new nephew, born May 1 (yep, interesting day to be born).
- I turned 28 on Wednesday.
- There has been gorgeous Spring weather all this week.
- I was on a web radio show called “The Big Boon Theory” hosted by Kelly Boon of CHAOS Inc. yesterday. It was a pretty awesome experience to be on a show like that, I definitely embraced the new experience. (The red nose that you see in the picture above is Kelly Boon’s way of saving the world one nose at a time! She is a fabulous person – a Des Moines area motivational speaker and artist that uses humor to basically save the world).
I have also come to terms with a couple of things. You remember last week I interviewed Terri Mork Speirs for her new blog project entitled “The Bad Asset Club”. Well, I decided to submit an entry. The things I have come to term with relate to my situation as a job seeker, but more importantly, knowing that I am definitely strong enough to wade into the great unknown. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote:
“It definitely helps to have supportive people around you, that love you unconditionally during a time of joblessness. You know what else helps? Knowing that your character and ego has taken a few hits below the belt and to know that you are still standing.
You don’t have to walk around with “UNEMPLOYED” written on your forehead. That is not who I am. Who I am is in my soul, my character, it is the passion I want to share with the world…someday and today.
Most importantly, I know that whatever I am going through right now, it makes me stronger and it makes me a fighter.”
This week has been amazing for several reasons. One of them just happens to be that I realized that I am stronger, emotionally and spiritually, that I have ever been. I hope this momentum I gained keeps me chugging for a while forever. I blame it on the power of Spring and its promise of better and greater things to come.
I encourage all job seekers to keep the faith and to encourage others along the way. Also, get out there and enjoy that sunshine. You deserve it.
About Meg Guiseppi: Spend just a few minutes on Meg’s Executive Career Brand blogsite and there’s no mistaking her crackling writing, personal marketing savvy, and talent for personal brand positioning. Meg’s blog reflects her brand and is a vivid platform for her to offer advice and share trade secrets, gained over 20 years in the careers industry.
Don’t have time for Twitter? Think it has no value?
One very good reason to dive into Twitter if you’re in executive job search, or think you may be soon, is to learn about today’s challenging job search landscape from the experts, by following them and listening.
. . . Even if you do nothing else with Twitter.
Many, many careers industry professionals tweet regularly and offer tips and resources on job search and career management. They know how the new world of job search works and share their considerable knowledge. They’re writing about personal/executive branding, career management, networking, recruiting, resume writing, interviewing, blogging, social media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, social networking . . . every aspect of job search.
It’s almost like getting free mini-consultations with these experts. Free professional advice . . . what could be better?
Here are some of my favorite job search Twitter folks, in no particular order. There are many, many others:
@JobHuntOrg
@careersherpa
@TimsStrategy
@SusanIreland
@AlisonDoyle
@DWestJr
@RobynGreenspan
@kathynetshare
@NealSchaffer
@JasonAlba
@GayleHoward
@careerhero
@ValueIntoWords
@HeatherEColeman
@AndyInNaples
@RyanRancatore
@WorkWithIllness
@JacobShare
@HRMargo
@ed_han
@barbarasafani
@wendyterwelp
@JorgenSundberg
@Keppie_Careers
@PhyllisMufson
@JulieWalraven
@LauraLabovich
@TheJobQuest
@bbenishek
@toryjohnson
@DawnBugni
@KCCareerCoach
@ErinKennedyCPRW
@kufarms
@KatCareerGal
@jtodonnell
@liz_lynch
@BrazenCareerist
@jobshouts
@PamelaMMcBride
@CFOCoach
@MaggieMistal
@NancyCollamer
@MelissaCooley
@alevit
@CareerRocketeer
@Execunet
@pete_kistler
Recruiters
@CincyRecruiter
@JLipschultz
@TalentCulture
@MeghanMBiro
@AvidCareerist
@JimStroud
And don’t forget to follow me – @MegGuiseppi
Alison Doyle is a job search expert with many years of experience in human resources, career development, and job searching, with a focus on online job searching, job search technology, social media, and professional networking. She has covered job searching for About.com since 1998. Alison is the author of Internet Your Way to a New Job: How to Really Find a Job Online and the About.com Guide to Job Searching. The following article was published on her blog on April 28, 2011.
Creative types like artists, designers, writers and architects and have long known the significance of building and presenting a viable portfolio. In the current job market it has become increasingly important to document and represent work products that prove your competence for target jobs regardless of industry.
Possible work samples to include in a portfolio might include:
- Memos
- Reports
- Articles
- Blog Posts
- Websites
- Lesson Plans
- Spreadsheets
- Computer Programs
- Promotional Materials
- Ads
- Programs for Events
- Presentation Slides
- Forms/Documents Designed
- Press Releases
- Drawings
- Designs
- Certificates
- Awards
- Research Abstracts
- Letters of Commendation/Appreciation
Be sure to avoid divulging any proprietary or confidential information. You can alter documents to remove any such materials while still demonstrating your ability to produce similar products.
Many candidates are now posting their portfolio on a personal website developed through point and click web hosting services. LinkedIn has developed applications whereby job seekers can include work samples with their LinkedIn profile.
In times of tight budgets employers are reluctant to hire unproven employees. Make sure you get the extra edge by showing employers samples of work that prove you have the right stuff to get the job done!
Terri Mork Speirs, a Des Moines area resident, writer, teacher, and communications and marketing professional, talked to Unemployed in Des Moines guest blogger Crissanka Christadoss about her latest blog project, “The Bad Asset Club.” The blog seeks stories from anyone who has been affected by the recession/unemployment.
Follow Terri Mork Speirs:
LinkedIn | Twitter: @terrimorkspeirs, @Bad Asset Club
“The Bad Asset Club” blog | Contact Terri
Terri Mork Speirs, President of "The Bad Asset Club"
Terri Mork Speirs makes a bad asset look good with her new blog project, “The Bad Asset Club.”
“I wanted to create a space that was fun and lighthearted. When the recession first started, I kept hearing the phrases ‘bad asset banks‘ and ‘bad asset bonds‘ and bad asset this and that. It became part of the lexicon of the recession…I just thought it was funny,”
Speirs was affected by the recession and was unemployed for one year. Currently, Speirs is the Communications Manager for the Des Moines Area Religious Council and she is pursuing her Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Her specialty is writing creative non-fiction. A field study project for class helped her come up with the idea about a blog filled with stories from those affected by the recession and unemployment.
During her period of unemployment, Speirs said it helped to meet and network with others who were going through a similar situation, and most importantly, she said it helped to laugh and keep positive.
“There is a different kind of dignity and humility that comes with facing unemployment. Others I met were such talented, amazing people who just happened to be affected by similar circumstances. ”
With the space she has created with “The Bad Asset Club,” Speirs wants others to share their story and seeks submissions to the blog.
“I think it is very important to figure out what you can take and learn from these situations,” she said. “We can and we are going to overcome it.”
Her advice for those who have either just lost their job or are still seeking: “It’s okay. Take time to sort it all out.”
In the meantime, become a proud member of the “Bad Asset Club.” Submit your story, read others’ reflections, and just take comfort in knowing you aren’t the only bad asset around town. – Crissanka Christadoss
Kate Lorenz is the editor for CareerBuilder.com and its partner sites throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, as well as CareerBuilder’s job seeker and workplace blog, www.TheWorkBuzz.com. She was also the editor CareerBuilder’s books Career Building: Your Total Handbook for Finding a Job and Making it Work and Cube Monkeys. Kate is an expert in job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues and has a degree in Journalism from Loyola University New Orleans. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/katelorenz and view her blog posts onTheWorkBuzz.com or become a fan of CareerBuilder on Facebook. Article written for AOL Jobs and posted on glassdoor.com. Originally published on January 28, 2011.
Many of our readers have asked recently, “Why won’t employers call me back?” Job seekers get that employers can’t always respond to every single applicant … but to never so much as e-mail or call someone back after an interview? What gives?
Some job seekers have applied to hundreds of jobs and haven’t received as much as an e-mail acknowledging receipt of the resume. Others haven’t heard a peep from HR or the hiring manager after having an interview (or two or three). Job seekers are left scratching their heads wondering why they can’t get even a “thanks, but no thanks” from employers. There are two sides to this story.
It’s them, not you.
One thing that keeps hiring managers from replying to candidates is the sheer volume of resumes. The number of applicants to jobs has risen significantly over the past few years. “Hiring managers and HR professionals are receiving 10 times the amount of resumes than they would have a year or two ago,” one hiring manager told CareerBuilder. “Their time is spread thin, and it is difficult to respond to each resume or application. Don’t expect to hear from every company that you’ve applied to. The position may have filled and the manager has moved on.”
If a hiring manager indicates that she will contact you in two weeks and you haven’t heard anything, you should follow up with her. It may be that the process is taking longer than she expected. Remember, the hiring manager may not only be trying to find the “perfect” candidate, she’s also probably trying to keep up with day-to-day duties as well, which can circumvent or prolong the hiring process.
And finally, there are those people who just don’t follow up with you even after the second, third and final interviews. Unfortunately, that’s just going to happen in any hiring environment.
It’s you, not them.
If you’re applying to jobs and not hearing anything back, take a look at your resume. Your resume must say something remarkable and stand out from the competition. In a 2010 survey, 38 percent of hiring managers said, on average, they spend less than a minute reviewing a resume; 18 percent spend less than 30 seconds. You’ve got just 30-60 seconds to really grab the hiring manager’s attention. If you’re phone’s not ringing and your inbox is empty, it’s time to revise your resume.
Another reason you might not be hearing back about any jobs: You have the “I’ll take anything” mentality. One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is not customizing their resume and cover letters. When you blindly apply to every job out there or tell people you’ll take any job that comes your way, employers may think you’ll jump ship when something — anything — better comes along. Employers don’t want to risk interviewing or hiring someone who might not stick around awhile. Make sure you’re applying to jobs that fit your skill set. If you’re trying to transition into a new career and your resume doesn’t quite illustrate the connection, a cover letter can do that. Even if you’re applying to 100 jobs a day, you need to make each hiring manager think you’re the best fit for the job.
But what if you’re getting called into interviews but hearing nothing after the fact? It could be how you interview. Common interview mistakes include dressing inappropriately, appearing disinterested or arrogant, chewing gum and not giving specific answers. Are you practicing before the interview? Are you anticipating questions based on the employer? Are you doing your research? How is your attitude? Stay upbeat even when you’ve had a negative experience with an employer; prepare and practice your questions, and keep the atmosphere professional.
If you don’t hear from an employer, don’t dwell on it but instead move on and realize it wasn’t the right fit. Focus on the things you can control. You can’t control what happens after you hit “send,” but you can control what you send and how you present yourself face-to-face.
Crissanka Christadoss is a recent Des Moines transplant, having spent time on both the West and East Coasts before returning to the Midwest where she grew up. With a Masters Degree in Health Communication from Emerson College in Boston, MA, Crissanka is interested in health literacy and acknowledging marginalized health issues. She has worked on health issues related to the transgender population and end-of-life care. Crissanka uses her specialized training to create stories and messages that increase awareness for health care organizations and relevant health issues. LinkedIn| Twitter
Earlier this week I attended a networking event hosted by the Association for Women in Communications (Des Moines, Iowa Chapter). This month’s guest speaker was Stephanie Bidney, Project Manager at Applied Art & Technology. She gave a great talk on maximizing LinkedIn. Below is her slideshare presentation on the subject. Bidney pointed out several important facts about LinkedIn. The number one mistake she says people make is that they create a LinkedIn profile and think their job is done. Engagement is the key – you have to be active on LinkedIn to create a meaningful network.
Some tips from Stephanie:
-After you have come home from a networking event, connect with everyone you met on LinkedIn.
-Join groups on LinkedIn relevant to your profession and interests. Be engaged (comment, “Like”) in discussions going on.
-In order to get recommendations, recommend people on LinkedIn.
-LinkedIn provides job postings related to your profession, check those out.
Go through Stephanie Bidney’s slideshare presentation to learn more. The sky seems to be the limit on this LinkedIn thing…:D
This blog post was originally published on April 4, 2010 on International Business Times by a blogger (Recentlylaidoff named Rachel) who was unemployed but found contract work. She talks about many issues related to joblessness and shares her story.
I always tried to be honest on my blog. Like some greater blog god was going to judge me and strike me down with spam for not being brutally honest. I won’t lie there were times when I’m like this story would be so much better if I didn’t have to admit that I was feeling like an episode of My So Called Life which wouldn’t be so bad if I was sixteen, but for the fact that I was twenty-seven nearing twenty-eight; adulthood was calling and I had to answer.
Since I’ve been employed now via contract work I’ve been playing in pseudo-employed world. Having a job and feeling self-sufficient has been euphoric, but honestly there’s a post-traumatic unemployment disorder (PTUD) that’s become a part of me. I’ve talked to friends who’ve felt similarly after being laid off. It’s this late-night-in-your-head-never-leaving-nagging-voice that waits for the floor to disappear. When is it going to happen again. When I’m going to be left with nothing. It has nothing to do with the present and all with the past and while I struggle to regain fiscal confidence, I also struggle to regain personal confidence as well.
Today is about my lessons in responsibility in the fiscal sense. When I first became unemployed I took to the phones and called all my creditors. I was on top it. I had to be. The second time I was laid off I was less on top of things. I was moving to a new apartment, looking for new jobs and lost track of a lot of things. Fast forward to the present and having to make a payment so I don’t have a block on my credit report. It’s not a fun feeling. It’s my fault in all senses of the world. It’s my fault for being in debt to begin with. I lived beyond my means and I learned that. Did I need to learn it again and again? No, but that’s life. Should I have paid better attention to the junk mail I received? Yes. Maybe that’s wasn’t junk mail but a credit bill. Lesson learned? Yep. I was able to set-up payments for the next five years. In five years I’ll be thirty-three. That’s a)scary b)intimidating c)hopefully will have less debt and d)learned my lesson from my twenties – I’m hoping for all over the above and for it to be paid in less than five years, but I’m not holding my breath.
My biggest lesson from my latest fiscal crisis was learning that there are lot of stories out there from people like me. I started this blog when I needed an outlet. I need to work on my writing, I needed to keep my family up-to-date and I needed something for me. How does this all fit together? My credit card helper yesterday asked me the normal questions. How did this happen? What’s your situation? The usually why haven’t you been paying you credit card bills. I answered truthfully and looked for help on getting payments lowered. It was after that conversation that he shared his story with me.
He had been laid off for nine months. A former police officer, his wife was pregnant when he was laid off. This job was paying 1/3 the amount he used to make, but there was opportunity for growth. He just had to start at the bottom. We shared our stories and talked about our own survivals. It was brief conversation, but it was empowering. There are so many of us out there whose lives have changed. Some minimal, some in extraordinary measures and while there are a lot of stories being told, I’d like to continue to hear them. If anyone wants to share their story with me. I’d love to start interviewing people. This is something I’m not sure where it will go or what it will turn into, but it’s something I’d like to understand better. This kind of work has been done before. On my own quest for the meaning of my life and what life is, I’m reading US: Americans Talk About Love. John Bowe’s writing about relationships. I am writing about relationships with jobs, unemployment and the personal attempts at growth that one can never turn away.
I’m not sure what will happen or where this could go, but I do want to hear you stories. I want to know if you are employed now if you struggle with PTUD, and if I’m the only a quest to find out if there is a greater meaning or if I should just shut that part of my brain off and become a robot. 2009 was the year of the unemployed/funemployed and it seems to have passed. Where have all the unemployed blogs gone; there are stories are out there. Share yours. Have we learned anything?
