How to network for jobs

The aspects of the job search have changed immensely over the past decade. The increased use of the internet, along with the introduction of social media and the lasting effects of the recession have all contributed to make finding a job these days a completely different game.

After the recession hit in 2007, many Americans found themselves out of work and uncertain about their futures. In just a few years, the national unemployment rate doubled, leaving more people looking for new jobs.

The job search became much more competitive with so many unemployed, but the advents of the internet and social media provided increased opportunities for job seekers to interact with recruiters and hiring managers.

Sending in resumes and cover letters and waiting patiently for employers to reply is no longer how the job search works. Although these fundamental steps are still necessary in the entire process, they must be combined with aggressive networking in order to secure gainful employment.

Studies have shown that around 80 percent of all jobs today are landed through networking. Many positions are never even posted on job boards or company websites before somebody who knows somebody comes in and takes the job.

Traditional networking tactics are still important even in the social media-dominated world of today. Reaching out to everyone you know – or knew at some point – and letting them know you are in the market and exactly what kind of work you are looking for can be extremely helpful in finding a job.

Naturally, people want to help other people, and you never know who will be in the right position to hear of an opening or recommend for you the next upcoming job opportunity. Friends, family members, college acquaintances, neighbors; anyone you can think of can be a possible window to your next career move.

Apart from mentioning that you are looking for a job in casual conversation, it pays to be active in letting people know about your situation. Commit yourself to making a certain number of phone calls or emails to anyone you might know who could help out. Once you start doing this, it’s surprising how willing most people are to network for you in your attempts to find a good job.

Of course online social networking is utterly important in the job search today. The most obvious place to start here is with LinkedIn. But you must do more than simply complete your online profile and wait for employers to come knocking at your door. Actively seeking out contacts and employers on LinkedIn will help to expand your network and increase your chances of finding employment.

Twitter is also a useful resource in connecting with potential employers. Track down companies that you would like to work for and start following their tweets. This will give you up-to-date information on their day-to-day operations and possible news about job openings, plus it will give you opportunities to contact them.

Tweet employers directly and initiate a business relationship on Twitter. Once you feel comfortable enough, inform them of your interest in employment and what type of job you are looking for.

By being aggressive in networking and actively seeking out businesses that you would like to work for, this gives you a chance to build your brand and place yourself in a position that you would actually like to work. Instead of applying to job listings and tailoring your skills and qualifications to meet the requirements, you can get companies to hire you based on your credentials and abilities.

 

WORKS CITED:

Doyle, Alison. “Successful Job Search Networking” About.com http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/networking/a/networking.htm  Accessed 11/15/11

Schawbel, Dan. “7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media” Mashable Business http://mashable.com/2009/01/05/job-search-secrets/  Accessed 11/15/11

 

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November 30, 2011 – 3:02 pm
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Rewriting the resume

Every so often, whether a job search is underway or not, it’s a good idea to dust off the old resume and make some necessary updates. Not only should one always be prepared for anything in today’s job market, you never know when current or potential employers are taking a look at your credentials.

Especially in the modern age of social media, where one can easily post a resume online for the world to see in real time, it’s imperative to tailor your resume for the direction your career is headed.

A common mistake that many people make on their resumes is including every single job they were ever employed. If a particular position is irrelevant to one’s current career focus, it should be eliminated from the resume.

This can pose a problem when major career changes occur. You never want to have huge gaps in work history on your resume, and if you worked ten years in restaurants and are now looking for a job in healthcare, how do you incorporate that previous employment experience without being irrelevant?

One solution is to group all employers during that ten-year period into one brief section on the resume, such as “Prior positions in the hospitality industry include:…” This way, an explanation is given for previous years spent employed outside of the current career focus without giving it too much attention.

Another way to include unrelated work experience is to briefly describe where you worked and job duties in a sentence or two, highlighting any transferrable skills. For example, customer service and multi-tasking skills gained from working in restaurants can easily be applied to any position. Include this relevant information in an introductory sentence before delving into complete employment history.

The most important thing one can do when revising a resume is to evaluate skills and determine which ones are most important to the intended career focus. Many people pick out certain keywords that they think will pop out to employers, but if they cannot be backed up by real-life examples and achievements, they are simply overused buzzwords that lose their meaning.

Describe how you were successful in previous jobs, and what you did to help that company excel. This will highlight important skills through actual examples and not just broad statements.

The object of a resume is to sell yourself to an employer, and this can be done through persuasive marketing. If someone is selling knives, they don’t simply tell people that the knives are sharp and expect to make a sale. They demonstrate how sharp the knives are by cutting through a tin can, or something to that effect.

The content of one’s resume is ultimately what’s most important, but if that content is not presented in an organized and effective manner, its meaning can be lost or misconstrued. Aesthetics are essential in presenting a resume that clearly outlines and highlight one’s skills while making the document easy to read.

Try to keep resumes to one page. A second page can easily be lost, and employers don’t really want to deal with flipping through multiple pages stapled together.

Use a modern yet simple font, and always keep the size larger than 10-point. You don’t want a potential employer to have to squint to make out your skills and qualifications.

The resume isn’t everything, but it’s usually the first impression that an employer receives of a job candidate. Ideally, this impression should be one of professionalism, organization, and the ability to excel in the job at hand.

 

WORKS CITED:

Davis, Jeff. “Tips for rewriting your resume” TechRepublic http://www.techrepublic.com/article/tips-for-rewriting-your-resume/1031480  Accessed 11/14/11

Kay, Andrea. “Your resume shouldn’t be a tell-all novel” USA Today Money http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/kay/story/2011-10-03/dont-list-every-job-on-your-resume/50639204/1  Accessed 11/14/11

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November 18, 2011 – 12:01 pm
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Salary Negotiation

Getting a foot in the door and being able to sit down with employers for an interview is a grand feat in itself, but there are many different things that one must prepare for before the actual meeting. Having a good idea of how much the position will pay and how much you think a company should pay you is essential before even considering a new job.

Once you have made it to the interview, you have a certain advantage. This means that the employers want you. They have already weeded through hundreds of resumes and narrowed their decision down to you, and probably a few other candidates.

By receiving a job offer, this means that you are among the select few qualified for the position. Not to say that you should ever be overly confident as to exude any level of cockiness, but once an employer has gotten to the interview stage, they don’t necessarily want to backtrack and have to sort through another stack of resumes.

To gain a better understanding of the job at hand and how much you can expect to earn, it’s important to do a sufficient amount of research. Check out what other companies are paying their employees for similar positions, and look up the status of the company you are applying to.

How is their business? Are they successful and do they have money at their disposal to pay you what you think you’re worth? Gaining a better understanding of a company’s overall situation and how much they can afford to pay you will give you a solid number to base your salary proposal on.

In addition to formulating an estimate as to how much you expect to earn, doing background research on a company will also give you a better idea of exactly what the company is looking for in the position you are applying for. In doing so, you can effectively tailor your skills and highlight them on your resume to target exactly what your potential employer is looking for.

One of the most important things to remember before an interview is that you should never bring up the issue of salary before an employer does. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot or sell yourself short by mentioning a number that could very well be much lower than the company is prepared to offer.

Once the salary is discussed, even if it’s much lower than expected, you should never settle for something less than what you think you are worth. Negotiating a salary demonstrates positive business skills and shows employers that you are not a pushover.

By simply accepting what is presented to you, employers might think that you will just settle for anything, and that’s not a desirable characteristic for someone who will conduct their future business deals. Never be afraid to ask for more money. It shows that you are confident and willing to fight for what you think is right.

Interviews should be seen as an opportunity to sell yourself to a company, and if you feel confident in your skills you should present this to an employer and convince them that you are worth more money.

Even if an employer offers you less than what you expected, and they won’t budge to offer you more money, you should still consider taking the job at a lower salary. Just because a company doesn’t initially offer you what you expected doesn’t mean you can’t build on that and push for a raise in the future. And if it doesn’t work out in the long run, at least you made some money and established new professional connections in the meantime.

 

WORKS CITED:

Chalmers, Edward. “8 Tips to Negotiate a Higher Salary” AskMen http://www.askmen.com/money/career_100/141b_career.html  Accessed 11/8/11

Weiss, Tara. “How to Negotiate for a Better Salary, Even Now” Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/23/jobs-salary-negotiating-leadership-careers-basics.html  Accessed 11/8/11

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November 14, 2011 – 3:03 pm
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Bartering by Phone

Often when in the process of acquiring a new job, you are forced to have some discussions over the phone as a practicality. You may not know this, but there are different techniques for salary negotiations over the phone than in person, and there’s a specific way to do it and still get everything you want.

Not being able to see the person you’re bartering with can be a serious tactical disadvantage. You won’t be able to pick up on any of their ticks or get a get a good face read to see where they are in terms of acquiescing to your demands.

When negotiating over the telephone, you need to be the one to make the phone call to your opponent, this gives you an advantage and you are not caught off-guard.  If by chance your opponent does call you first, ask them whether you can call them back in a few minutes or even an hour which will give you time to gather your thoughts and be more prepared.

When making the call you need to make sure that you are completely prepared and have your thoughts in order before you pick up the receiver.  Picking the correct time is just as vital as being properly prepared as you do not want any disturbances during your phone call or lose your train of thought.

It is always important for you to know and stick to your bottom line or end result, some deals may sound like the best deals ever but sometimes it is better to walk away from these deals if your bottom line is not met.

Don’t get upset if the first offer does not seem fitting as this is the start of the process and usually the first offer is done to ‘test the waters’.  Your opponent wants to gauge and see your reaction, take a step back and refocus on what is your end result and then re-enter into the ring of negotiations.

Remember this is almost like a game of Texas Hold ‘Em and you certainly want to keep your ace till the last chance possible.  Gauge your opponents hand by asking a lot of questions to make sure you are both on the same page and the more information you gather the easier it will be to seal the deal.

It is also important to ask rather than to tell your opponent what you want.  Telling someone what and how to do their job will instantly make you unpopular and your road to negotiations will be shut down on the spot.  As crafty as it may seem it is better if you ‘lead’ your opponent to think of the deal themselves and make you the first offer.

If things don’t go your way try not to let your emotions into the equation, work hard and controlling your voice and speak matter-of-factly to avoid showing how you really feel.  Know when to walk away and take it up at another opportunity when you have another tactic in place to get to your bottom line.

Following these tips will make you salary negotiations successful.

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August 31, 2011 – 12:03 pm
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When You’re Asked for Your Salary History

Some may not realize this, but putting your salary history down on your resume seriously dampens your chances of bartering for a higher salary than you had before. Even worse is when during the interview you’re asked directly to provide this information.

This request is an all-too-often ploy used by many employers to try to force job seekers’ hands into showing their salary cards and effectively sweeping any negotiation power out of the candidate’s hand. Many unemployed people are so desperate they cave in right away for fear they might not get the job if they don’t play nice in the employer’s cat and mouse game of salary negotiation.

There isn’t any “perfect” way to negotiate because each situation is subjective to the company culture and the person interviewing you/making the hiring decision. But being educated about your options and also having a good “read” on the internal company environment can help provide you with the necessary business intelligence on the best way to approach this discussion.

If the job opportunity truly hinges on whether you give them an answer to this question, then you have to make the decision whether to divulge your salary to give them what they want or not. The obvious downside to providing that specific number is now you have absolutely no negotiating room whatsoever. The company knows exactly what they can get you for, salary-wise, and it will be very difficult to go upwards at this point. Let’s face it: most employers aren’t going to pay you a higher amount out of the sheer goodness of their hearts. Their strategy is to hire the best asset to the company for the best price possible.

Until a job offer is actually on the table, any preliminary discussion of salary is actually a fishing expedition. The employer is testing the waters to see if there is a match between their salary number and yours. Proactively stepping into the discussion can work for you if you know this tactic will work. A good way of framing it up nicely, “Until a job offer is being made, I would like to request this discussion take place later…right now, I am very interested in learning more about this job and how I can help your company.”

This is a tactic some people take because A) They don’t really know how to handle it or B) They assume that by avoiding it, the employer won’t not notice that the applicant didn’t address the question. All of which can completely and utterly backfire. Salary numbers are absolutely going to be a hot button for an employer, and they’ll be specifically scanning for that reference mentioning your salary history in the cover letter.

The most successful tricks to negotiating your salary is being flexible, willing to negotiate on other options including benefits, having a good knowledge of what jobs of this type typically pay, and being centered on what your value is without being overconfident.

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August 17, 2011 – 7:12 am
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Bartering for Better Benefits

Most people just assume that a benefits package is set and unchangeable, like it’s a product you purchase from a store shelf. Whatever is in that box is in there and you can’t change it. But that’s simply not true.

Some companies will be more willing to negotiate your benefits package than they will your salary since there’s less perceived cost to it. What elements can you barter for? Well, there are several.

Most companies will pay a portion of health care costs and pass the remainder on to the employee. Obviously, there’s some percentage in play here that you can ask to be paid. Instead of 50/50, you may get 75/25 with your new employer taking up the heftier end. Or they may be willing to pay all of it depending on how much they want you in the position.

Another area with a little wriggle room is retirement benefits. A lot of companies have matching contributions to a 401k. But there’s nothing that says the can’t contribute more than you month after month. Also, although some companies have a “ceiling” for how much they will match, you’ll find that it’s a moveable ceiling for more desirable candidates.

Vacation time is something else you can get more of. You may be able to negotiate a few extra days at milestones. Those targets are typically hit when you stay with the company for a certain period of time, but you can certainly ask that if you hit certain job performance goals that extra days be rewarded.

And the same can be done with bonuses. It’s not out of the question to pre-determine what you bonuses will be, especially for those entering sales jobs.

Just remember that benefits are as much a part of your salary as your weekly paycheck, and you want them to be just as valuable to your life.

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August 10, 2011 – 12:02 pm
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Bartering for a Promotion

After about a year — or even maybe half a year — at your job you might feel that you have earned the right to ask for a promotion.  Like everything in life, this is a negotiation that you’ll have to barter for. You’ll need to leverage your skills and knowledge of the company against their desire to NOT give you more money, which usually comes with a promotion. After all, the less they pay you the more they keep. The key to successfully accomplishing this can be summed up in one word: confidence.

Successful people in the world like Donald Trump and Richard Branson surely did not wait around for the next boat to come along; they made themselves the epitimy of success by making it happen and believing that they are destined for great richness.

Bearing this in mind, approach your manager or supervisor.  This may seem intimidating at the best of times, but remember that they are just as human as you are.  Start by creating a friendly conversation and gear the questions which require a ‘yes’ answer or talk about concepts that get your manager in agreement with you (think of it as a positive psychological warfare).  This enables a positive feeling that will only benefit your selling technique when you present all the important and efficient tasks that you have successfully handled.  Try keeping the tone in the same friendly manner as before even though you are now gearing for a more serious topic.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself so remember to highlight how beneficial you would be to the company if you were ‘assistant manager’ or ‘supervisor’, bear in mind that you do not want to send a message that you are out for your manager / supervisor’s job but rather how you can best help the company by moving up the progression ladder to whichever position you are seeking.

If you feel that you are getting the red card, so to speak, and things are not quite going your way, don’t give up and walk away.  Rather try justifying why it would be beneficial for you to be placed in your desired position and look out for signs when to stop talking.  If you get a positive answer or feedback don’t put your foot in it by talking too much about the business aspect but realize that you have got the go ahead and move the conversation to a friendlier nature.  Maybe change the topic to something that you both can relate to or have in common and end the conversation on a light hearted note to clench the deal.

If you can see that today might not be the day, don’t give up but persevere and make sure that during the next couple of weeks you have even more reason for your supervisor to be impressed by your work.  Water your ever growing career and make sure you approach your manager again when the ‘sun is shining’ bright in your corner.

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August 3, 2011 – 1:33 pm
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More Salary Bartering Tips

It’s taken months and months just to land an interview and now the call you’ve been waiting for has finally happened, they offered you the job. Just when you thought the process was over, the hard part begins. Do you take the offer or negotiate?

If you like it, then by all means take it. Whether an employer is willing to or not is less important than if you’re pleased with the offer extended. Bartering when you’ve already received a great offer is senseless. Accept it and set a start date.

On the other hand, if you were hoping for a higher salary, different vacation schedule or telecommuting option, there’s some bartering to be had. Now’s the time to think creatively and remember, it’s not always about base salary. How can you get to your final goal and give the employer options? Ask for what you want yet create counter-offer options that give them the flexibility to choose what works for their business and budget.

Flexibility with your options is smart but flexibility with your bottom-line is not. You need to know what your baseline “yes” for this particular job offer is before you pick up the phone to negotiate. If the hiring manager is unwilling to move on one single item, which does happen, are you willing to walk away from the job offer?

With stakes as high as a new career on the line, now is time to go in with a well thought out counter-offer and scenario that you’ve practiced. If you’re single, ask a trusted friend to walk through it with you, or call a career coach who specializes in job offer negotiation. You want to be ready to ace to volley back and forth confidently when the negotiating starts.

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July 27, 2011 – 1:08 pm
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How often do businesses barter?

It goes without saying that during a troubled economy, businesses tend to barter amongst themselves for goods or serves that they would rather not pay for.

Whether this boils down to not wanting to go through accounting departments or not, the simple fact of the matter is that businesses are managed by people and thus have tendencies similar to what an ordinary person would. Sometimes, two businesses can reach a mutual agreement about a problem that can benefit each other without any messy entanglements.

When a company lacked the funds to pay for advertising they had taken out in a large newspaper chain, they simply bartered with the newspaper as compensation. The aforementioned company built custom-made vans and buses, but its business had taken a dive in between when it took the ad out and when they had received the invoice to pay for it.

The newspaper, understanding the situation, simply requested that the company give one of its vehicles and that if they did, it would all be called even. The customizing business did, and the newspaper company got a fantastic traveling van for their employees to go to conferences with.

While just one example, it goes to show that businesses aren’t always going to resort to drastic measures to settle minor differences. The newspaper company could’ve easily sued or started a long legal battle, but it instead decided to barter, save money on lawyers, and also get something useable out of the transaction.

The example can go to show that whether you work for or own your own business, keeping bartering in mind might not always be a bad idea. It doesn’t necessarily always have to involve the “value” of something, either. Maybe one company has a lot of professionals that the other doesn’t.

It wouldn’t be beyond a printing company, for example, to as a graphics group to design some posters for them in exchange for free printing or advertising.

Simply put, bartering will always be a part of the world we live in. While it’s not as prevalent as it used to be, it’s very effective when it does happen.

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July 21, 2011 – 2:10 pm
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Bartering for a Salary During Your Interview

For some reason, whenever someone interviews for a job they are very shy about discussing salary. There are many psychological reasons for that, the least of which is that salary actually isn’t the most important part of jobs for most people.

But, no one would work if it wasn’t for the paycheck. So it is something that you do want to bring up. Most resumes, for good or bad, usually list “negotiable” under salary requirements although negotiating rarely happens. Be honest, you put that there because you don’t want to price yourself out of a job. You’re afraid that if you put too high of a salary you’ll be ruled out instantly.

But the real reason behind the word “negotiable” is that you are supposed to negotiate. But all negotiations need facts gathered before they can begin in earnest. Imagine yourself at a flea market. You want to buy an antique looking item. But before you’ll offer the crafty booth owner a dime, you usually want to know its history so you can work out a good price in your head and start the bartering. The same applies to your salary.

This is where the sage advice of listening as much as talking during the interview comes into play. You need to get a handle on how much the position entails, and how valuable it is to the company. Every job has value to the company, but it’s usually about how much return the job offers that determines that value.

During the interview you’ll get a good sense of where you’ll fit in to the company’s structure and therefore how much value you can bring. Use that as your starting point in the negotiations; tell the interviewer what you can do to be successful. Make them want you. Then start with a figure you think is fair, but probably a little high. Purposefully give them some room to offer less than you asked for, but more than they originally planned. So long as that figure is equal to or more than you need to support your life, you’re golden.

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Published:
July 21, 2011 – 8:48 am
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