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modernjobsearch · 4 years

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Modern Job Search is only $4.99 for Christmas!

Modern Job Search is only $4.99 starting Monday morning until the end of Christmas!

Start your job search off right in 2020! Makes a great gift!

*Promotion starts 8:00 AM ET on Mon Dec 22 and ends on 11:59 PM on Wed Dec 25, Kindle version only.

Modern Job Search is only $4.99 for Christmas! was originally published on Modern Job Search

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modernjobsearch · 4 years

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Everyday Career Advice That's Not Everyday: Desperation - Going Rogue!

I keep thinking about a candidate I recently stopped working with. He’s a very good upper middle management supply chain professional who has gotten stuck and is currently with a smaller, unstable company. I like him. He’s a good guy. He’s very well qualified and he should be very employable. However recently he’s become so frustrated with the job market he told me he’s now willing to do anything to get interviews, which may include exaggerating or omitting details from his experience package. I explained that I couldn’t be involved in that, either as a fee-paid recruiter marketing him or as a career coach representing him.

In a way, I don’t blame him.

In addition to being ignored all the time, navigating today’s job market includes wading through a cesspool of unethical, dishonest, and misleading people and practices. The job market itself has become an industry that includes level after level of parasites trying to extract money from desperate job seekers by promising outsized results from custom resumes, confidence building seminars, branding exercises, affirmations, and a million other gimmicks. The list of things job seekers need to optimize their job searches is never ending. The list of “gurus” happy to fulfill those needs is never ending too. It’s kind of gross.

My former candidate simply got fed up, disgusted, frustrated with a capital F.

He said to himself “if that’s the way the world is, then I will join the world and get my hands dirty too.” He told me that he sent out 600 applications. I knew he only had a few replies. We talked about his approach repeatedly. I suggested changes but I don’t think he applied them. I understand that too. When time is limited, sometimes it’s just easier to keep doing the thing you know how to do. Personally, I can’t imagine sending out so many applications, that’s not my style. I like a researched, targeted, and personal approach. Even so, he should have gotten better results. From our conversations, with limited information about what exactly he was doing, I can’t say for sure what was wrong. However, generally, taking a high-volume approach like that means applying for jobs for which you may not be qualified, just to generate numbers. This makes your job search a lottery and your application-to-interview statistics will be worse.

He said he had offers for custom resumes and cover letters that went into the thousands of dollars. We both know people who paid that much. For reference, I might charge someone a couple of hundred if they have a draft resume or notes and history I can work with. One good phone call, more notes, a bit of typing, that’s all it takes. Resumes and cover letters are easy to write, way overvalued, and won’t get anyone a job on their own anyway. I don’t get how people can charge so much and I can’t believe people pay it. Fortunately, he didn’t bite either.

In the end he offered to hire me full-time to do his entire job search for him at the same rate that I might charge a client company. In his case, it would be been between $35k and $40k. He told me to “do whatever it takes” to include creating resumes based on job descriptions and putting his name and phone number on top.

He wanted me to apply to hundreds of jobs per week, to write resumes to match whatever supply chain jobs we found, and to do the kind of volume he couldn’t do while also working at his current job. Executing this plan would have meant basically applying to every posted job in supply chain in any number of industries and locations despite the fact that his real experience is somewhat specialized.

As a strategy, this goes against everything I practiced as a recruiter and everything I learned from marketing candidates.

It’s just busy work. Generating numbers. The greater the volume of applications, the lower the frequency of responses. It is simply a matter of quality. Something has to give, if the output is that high, the quality will be crap. If the quality is bad, ultimately the results will also be bad.

Again, I can’t blame him for this level of anger and desperation. To date, our efforts to find him a job have had little success. Making matters worse, we’ve both been lied to and misled over and over again by potential employers. I guess I’m used to it but it really affected him.

He’s also extremely frustrated because nobody has had the courage to tell him why he is not being considered for any particular job. All of the feedback he’s received as a candidate have been bullshit. All of the feedback I’ve received as a recruiter who has marketed him into positions for which he was qualified was… none. Feedback, at least constructive feedback, is rare.

We are both pretty sure it isn’t either of us. I’m a good recruiter. I have the numbers to back it up both in earnings and interview to placement ratios (a quality indicator). He’s a good candidate with multiple bachelor’s degrees in business and international economics, an MBA, and a reasonable history of jobs with increasing responsibilities at companies people know. We know our market spaces and we know our value propositions. Neither of us know what to make of the situation. I think he should keep trying and keep adjusting his methods. Instead, he’s opted to go rogue. Like I said, that’s not something I want to do, but I understand.

What should he do?

What should anyone do when they feel like they are being crushed by the Job Search Industrial Complex (JSICTM)? I can’t possibly know all the answers but a few things seem right to me:

Number one:

Maintain your integrity. Even if you’re amoral about it, strategically it is still the best thing to do to avoid getting fired unexpectedly. Background checks are ubiquitous and employment and education verification are just phone calls away.

Number two:

Don’t outsource your job search. You know you better than anyone else ever will. You also have more vested in your success than anyone else ever will. You are the one who has to do the work. You are the only one who can be intimate with your job search. That doesn’t mean that you should send out 600 applications. There are other options and strategies.

I’m also not saying that job seekers shouldn’t seek help. There are people who have mastered parts of the job search process and do have something to teach. The best of them have made their knowledge and experience accessible in videos, books, or classes that are inexpensive and widely available.

I don’t care if you buy my book (buy my book!), someone else’s, or all of them (there are plenty of good ones) it’s better than hiring someone to try do it for you. There’s a difference between spending thousands and pinning your hopes to someone else’s effort and spending a little bit and improving your own effort. Invest in yourself, educate yourself. Find resources, use them, and adapt.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy.

Everyday Career Advice That’s Not Everyday: Desperation – Going Rogue! was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #career advancement #employers #headhunter #interview #job hunting #job interview #job search #leadership #linkedin #modern job search #networking #resume #search #work

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modernjobsearch · 5 years

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Everyday Career Advice That's Not Everyday: Skip Applications and Find Jobs that Aren't Posted!

The Question: What should I do?

This could be anyone. We all know these exact feelings: “I will keep applying to published jobs, but I am 99.9% sure this is not going to work. Unfortunately, I am not good at calling companies directly, I am not good at sales, and I don’t have the confidence to call anyone and explain what I have done. What should I do?”

My Answer – Beginning:

I agree with you about published jobs – they attract a crowd. I understand about not wanting to make calls. It’s not fun, even when you get good at it. The problem though is that your intended targets are getting crushed with email and response rates are getting lower and lower. In some cases, I’d even suggest sending letters (like actual mail) just to do something different. Maybe even cards – but you have to keep it simple.

Don’t Sell!

The other thing is that you need to change your attitude from thinking about this being a sales effort. Of course it is, but so is almost everything else anyone does in life if you really think about it. However you will do better in your search if you think of yourself as a solution provider looking for problems to solve. At your level, one way of doing this would be to read press releases and / or professional publications literally looking for other people’s problems to solve.

As a recruiter, I have never sold anything. I know recruiters who work that way, they sound like car salesmen, and put a lot of effort into pushing whatever they have. I put my effort in providing solutions – listening, doing research, and showing companies people I was pretty sure they would want to hire. I include resumes and pretty objective summaries and tell them to let me know if they are interested. That’s all. I don’t badger anyone to test drive any of my candidates. Usually if/when I work that hard on a search, my candidates get interviewed (and prepped of course). From there, my interview to placement ratio is 3:1, industry average is 7:1.

When I market a candidate or when you market yourself, it’s the same thing – show people the right solution at the right time and they will respond. In marketing, the timing is the wildcard. If you are not replying to job postings, you don’t know who needs what right now – which is when [right now] you are contacting them. You have to offset it/timing by increasing volume. You still have to do the research though and it has to be spot on.

This is the same way I do recruiting. I might, literally, look at 1000 LinkedIn profiles, contact only 10 people, and maybe only get 2 replies. However if I’ve done good research, my replies will be from viable, interested candidates and that’s money to me (even though really reading 1000 carefully researched LinkedIn profiles is a lot of work, especially when you know beforehand that 990 will be a waste of time).

What, To Whom, and How?

The two challenges for you right now are: What you are communicating (and to whom) and mode of communication. Your messages have to be well written and short. They have to be grammatically and structurally perfect. You have to work on this. It’s worth it though.

You have to seriously refrain from selling yourself. Your emails should start with something like: I can help you! And then include very few examples based on specific, researched knowledge, for example: You just read in Supply Chain Monthly (fake magazine) that XYZ Company is having delay issues with their Latin American suppliers and you know how to help them. If the article names a VP you even have a contact. The key to this is writing the best, most perfect, short message that you can – putting time into editing. You’ll use pieces of the message over and over again so it is time well spent.

Don’t send your resume or even tell them more than is absolutely necessary until they ask. Again, for example, if you are contacting someone about solving one of their problems, only mention your experience that is relevant to their problem, like before with XYZ Co. above, “Here’s how I solved delay issues with my Latin American suppliers when I was at ABC company, depending on your exact needs, I could help you do that too.” If they are interested, they will ask about your other experience, for a resume, etc. If not, keep moving.

Using this approach, my time goes into research, writing, and editing. A simple way to look at this: High Quality Research and Writing = High Quality Replies. Quantity becomes irrelevant.

The other challenge, the mode of communication is tougher. As I said, people are drowning in email. It still works and is better and less intrusive than phone calls but you have to set yourself apart. Again, well researched targets will help. A good subject line will help. A short, precise and technically perfect email will help.

If you send a card, do the same thing –

“Hi I’m Joe*, senior supply chain professional, I can help you solve your Latin American supply chain issues. I solved similar problems at ABC a couple of years ago. I’d love to share ideas with you and learn more about your goals. Please email me at (joe*@gmail.com) or call me anytime.

PS: I sent you this nice card because I’m sure you get a million emails but very few nice cards. Have a great day!”

Keep it Easy! (for them, not you)

Make it this short. Don’t include a resume or anything else. Don’t make anyone work to figure out why they need to talk to you. Make it easy for them. (Again, the right targets at the right time will respond.) Wait for them to ask you for more information, then show them how you can help.

Honestly, I might send cards just to mess with people and see what happens. You could go buy a box of cards with some nice, neutral image, something someone would put on their refrigerator or something. I know it is a high pressure, important thing – your job search. Just like me, working on commission. Even so, you can experiment, make a game of it somehow, take chances, have fun with it. You are aware of your weaknesses, so work around them. Define your targets around your strengths. Try different approaches. If you do cards, you can feel good every time you send out a well-researched and well written card. It doesn’t matter if you get replies. It is the act of doing the research, composing the message, and sending it from which you can derive satisfaction. And, sooner or later, one will hit the right target at the right time.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy.

Everyday Career Advice That’s Not Everyday: Skip Applications and Find Jobs that Aren’t Posted! was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #career advancement #career advice #career search #careers #employment #headhunter #hiring #job interview #job search #linkedin #networking #resume #search

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modernjobsearch · 5 years

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Everyday Career Advice That's Not Everyday: They Changed the Job Requirements During the Interview!

I get emails with questions from candidates all the time, both for projects we’re working on together and sometimes in regard to interviews they’ve gotten on their own. I like to try to answer if I feel like my thoughts might be helpful or at least another point of view. Sometimes it’s challenging, like in the situation below.

I could picture my candidate, let’s call him “Joe,” deflating as he read the email from the Director of Talent, like literally folding over and sighing. The company changed the specifications of the job during the interview.

“We were just informed that we will be going through some organizational changes that will also impact the supply chain management department. The position for which you are interviewing will transition downward into a Sr. Manager level instead of being at a Director level, which will also impact the associated compensation package. The idea is that this will provide additional levels for growth within the teams.

We realize this could represent a downward move for you, both in title and compensation, and we would understand if you wanted to withdraw from consideration.”

It’s not the most common situation but it happens and Joe wasn’t sure what to do. There was more at stake than just the title and immediate compensation. The job is with a larger and more stable company than the one Joe is with now. There may be more opportunities for future growth. His experience matches the requirements very well and he is confident that he could help, and in turn, earn recognition. If he wants to continue, Joe has two big changes to consider, one they’ve made clear (the title), and the other (compensation) is still vague. I tell Joe that unless he’s ready to walk away based on the title alone, I think he has some questions to ask.

Job & Title Questions:

Will there be a Director? Who will that be?

Will the Sr. Manager have an opportunity to become a the Director?

Will there be significant changes to the scope (responsibilities) of the position in the transition from Director to Sr. Manager?

Will there be changes to the reporting staff?

The title is less important than the scope of the job and growth potential. If everything else stays the same (the change is dumb) but also it shouldn’t make that much difference. It may not even impact Joe’s future plans, particularly if he is able to stay with the company for a long time. Being a Sr. Manager versus a Director may just come down to whether or not he can live with it for a while. However if the job is also diminished, then it may not be worthwhile to pursue.

Compensation Questions:

It’s one thing to say it will “transition downwards,” which is never good, but the Director of Talent didn’t say how much. The first questions I asked Joe were whether or not they were aware of his current compensation and if any had ever mentioned a compensation range when the job was at the Director level. At least that would reveal how much information everyone already has. To determine if it is worthwhile to move forward, Joe has to get a clarification on this. I told him, first and foremost, remind them that he is very serious and looking for a long term relationship with a great company, then try to ask the following:

Do they know yet if he is being seriously considered for the position? (regardless of title and compensation)

If he is not that bothered by the title change, and without wanting to get into compensation too early in the interview process but in effort not to waste anyone’s time, ask if they can provide a sense of what the compensation level might be in order to consider it in context with the title change.

Throughout, he has to remind them that he remains interested and is confident that he can help.

Note: The Director of Talent may not be able to answer all of these questions. So Joe should also do two additional things: First, express patience and ask if they can find out more, and second, while reiterating interest again, he should say that he is willing to speak with the hiring manager to not only learn more about his/her needs but also to hear what they might say about their vision of the team going forward. Maybe they will setup a call. It’s worth the risk at this point. If they are seriously interested, this is good pretext – questions HR can’t answer, and a set of good topics for the hiring manager to discuss.

Trade Offs:

There will be trade-offs for Joe but it benefits him to push this until everything is clear before making a decision:

If this is a good job, does the title matter that much?

Are there still growth opportunities? Are there more or less?

Is this a long term situation? (i.e. the longer it is the less the impact from taking a “senior manager level” position)

How much less compensation is acceptable?

What would be the lifestyle impact of that much less compensation in a different location? (cost of living comparison)

How does this opportunity compare to other opportunities in which you’re interviewing?

Is it more “possible,” further along, or more viable?

Is the company better, similar, or worse than others?

Is there less resistance / other benefits – location, relocation, work/life, etc.?

What’s the time value? This opportunity right now vs. what else in the pipeline?

It’s a lot to consider. I told Joe to think about doing this in two steps or two emails: First, ask the questions about the title and job and see what they say, reiterating his interest in the company and the role, etc. Depending on the answers it may or may not make sense to send a second email asking about compensation. Plus, asking about the job first will show well.

Joe has nothing to lose by continuing to demonstrate interest in an effort to continue the interview process until either he learns enough to withdraw, the job becomes a mismatch, or, conversely, it ends up working out. Ultimately, Joe, like any other candidate, wants to get through enough of the interview process to get to the point where the company makes an offer. Then he has control and can make the decision. That’s the goal.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy.

Everyday Career Advice That’s Not Everyday: They Changed the Job Requirements During the Interview! was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #careers #interview #job #job interview #jobsearch #linkedin #modern job search #promotion #resume

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modernjobsearch · 5 years

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Everyday Career Advice That's Not Everyday: Target Your Search - Don't Apply to Everything!

This is a partial email conversation with a candidate I’m working with and marketing. He sends me job leads to explore on his behalf via my network, which is something I do a lot of and I’m good at. He’s definitely qualified for this job but statistically it’s a reach since there’s an industry mismatch and relocation involved. Here are my (unfiltered) thoughts:

“Of the 193 applicants that applied in the last 6 days, how many will be from automotive companies, either OEM’s or suppliers? Do automotive manufacturers prefer to hire from within the automotive industry? (Yes.) Probably at least 10% right, so that’s almost 20, which, from a hiring – processing standpoint is already a pain; and that’s eliminating 90%. You have to consider the odds!”

“It is always important to be brutally honest with yourself about the viability of your experience and any given position in the context of the number of applicants within a certain time frame. This is not meant to be critical, rather to ensure that you/we always use our resources (time) in the best way possible. You should focus all of your efforts into only looking at jobs to which your experience very specifically applies or is beneficial and then personalizing your approach to each of them. For example, we should look at all of the companies that compete with any of your previous employers and all of their suppliers, customers, and competitors. We also might look at smaller companies where your broader experience can be really applicable – we just have to find a) a better one than where you are now and b) to be honest, one that will use pay a recruiter!!!”

“Things are just so competitive that the only way to cut through is to spend your time doing research. Look for more than just more jobs but also people to talk to at these companies – even before there are jobs. Instead of blindly applying, spend your time figuring out who’s who and crafting messages. It’s tough. Nobody wants to read anything or do anything and everyone is always too busy, until maybe one day, somebody isn’t too busy and we find something. This is how I make a living… it’s frustrating though.”

There. That’s real world advice. No bullshit.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy.

Everyday Career Advice That’s Not Everyday: Target Your Search – Don’t Apply to Everything! was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #career advancement #careers #employment #headhunter #interview #job interview #jobsearch #leadership #linkedin #networking #search #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Everyday Career Advice: Paying it Forward

I’ve spent years telling job seekers that it’s okay to contact people who work in their desired field and ask their advice. Doing research, identifying appropriate contacts, and sending short introductory notes is okay, no better than okay, it’s the best way to learn about real jobs, develop relationships and find opportunities. It goes without saying that (almost) any real conversation a job seeker has with someone working in their field is more satisfying than sending resumes out into space.

Do people really reply? Yes, sometimes they do. Today, while scrolling through LinkedIn, I read a post by one of my contacts who received an invitation to connect and a nice follow up email seeking career advice. His response (full text below): He offered plenty of advice, gave out some contacts and accepted the invitation to connect. Here’s a link to his original post – Check the comments too!

“I don’t post a lot but for some reason I feel compelled to do so now. Last week I had a young man send me a connection request which I accepted. Shortly afterwards I received a message from him asking for some help in getting started on a career in project management. It may sound silly, but I was flattered that this complete stranger would put his faith in me to guide him in the right direction.

I gave him some advice on how to get started and even suggested that he get involved with some of the local PMI chapters. In addition, I sent his profile along to a few recruiters I know and asked them to do what they could to help him. To me this was not a big deal and I was glad to help him out because I too was once looking for help.

A day or two later and he has received phone calls from some of the people I put him in touch with. He said that it really meant a lot that I took the extra time to introduce him to some of my recruiter contacts. He said that he asked over 150 people to help and most people didn’t even bother to respond. What?! Isn’t that what LinkedIn is supposed to be all about? Shouldn’t we be helping each other? What’s the point in accepting a request if you aren’t going to interact with that person? Come on people, have a heart and help your fellow man!

Rant over.”

Everyone who has a job has had help from someone at some point in order to get there. Most of them are aware of it and are happy to help someone else when it’s their turn to pay it forward. It may not happen the first time you send an introductory email or LinkedIn invitation but if you persist and improve, good things will happen. Note, it took the person in the post 150 tries before getting a reply. While that number sounds discouraging, it is important to keep in mind the scale of the reward for all of that work: A good job.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need his book!

Everyday Career Advice: Paying it Forward was originally published on Modern Job Search

#article #career #employment #hiring #interview #linkedin #manage #networking #search #value

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Why Isn't LinkedIn Better?

Before I get to the title question, I am a huge LinkedIn fan. I use the site daily and have had a premium membership since 2007. LinkedIn has been very good for my business and I like it, both in concept and in execution.

I’m a corporate recruiter.

My clients are large manufacturing and energy companies. I help them identify and hire suitable middle and upper management supply chain management professionals. I’ve been a “contingency” corporate recruiter almost continuously since 1993. My current recruiting firm was formed in 2006.

Before the internet, figuring out who was who inside any large company was a time consuming process. I used two giant blue manufacturing directories (real books) to look up the main telephone numbers of companies so that I could cold-call in and fish around. I looked for potential candidates, open jobs, and hiring managers who needed help. Sometimes I found talkative people sometimes I didn’t. No matter what, I wrote down every name I heard and valued every shred of information. My (real paper) notebooks, filled with names and phone numbers, were worth more than their weight in gold. That information was hard earned and a key component of my value proposition.

Sure, good recruiters have other skills (communications, persuasion, etc.) in addition to having lots of potential candidates. However it is largely access to qualified candidates that companies value. Since the ‘90’s finding information and potential candidates has only gotten easier. As a recruiter, I’ve seen my value proposition shrink as a result. In the short term, easy access to candidates has been a boon to my business. Again, thank you LinkedIn. The long term doesn’t look so good though. Or at least it shouldn’t.

Let me tell you how I do my job.

We covered the old days – Lots of cold calls, lots of writing stuff down. Things are a bit different now. Instead of calling anyone I just get on LinkedIn. I look for advertised jobs, some with existing clients, some with potential new clients. Once I find a job I think I have candidates for, I look for the hiring manager and send him or her an email. If someone from the company replies and is interested in having me provide candidates I get right back on LinkedIn and start searching.

How do I search? I use key words in the company’s own job descriptions to write detailed searches using LinkedIn’s search tools. When I find highly applicable candidates, I contact them, recruit them and submit them. That’s all I do. When it works I get paid a commission. My average fee for a single placement is $25,670.00. There is still some process management (hand-holding) but a lot of my larger clients don’t want any recruiter involvement after the submission, making my job even easier and my value proposition even thinner.

To me, the scale of the fee relative to the work involved is out of balance. The fees are based on the old method of recruiting. I figured this out some time ago and have been worried ever since but companies are still paying. Why? They haven’t figured out a better way.

There is a better way though.

And, there is one company poised to benefit more than any other. I’ve been trying to tell them for six months but haven’t made any progress. I’m posting this here now for two reasons:

1. To find out if I’m wrong and my idea is stupid

2. To see if I can get some attention in case my idea is not stupid

The company that could benefit more than any other and dominate all recruiting and job hunting is LinkedIn. The question that keeps me up at night worrying whether or not I’ll have a business when I get out of bed the next day is:

Why hasn’t LinkedIn completely automated the candidate search process for client companies?

Why aren’t candidate searches automatically created when the job descriptions are posted based on key-word harvesting, geography, experience, education level, and other information that’s in the job description anyway?

In my head, this is very simple. LinkedIn has almost 500 million users, who, let’s be honest, are on LinkedIn because they want exposure to career opportunities. The message to companies: LinkedIn is where the people are. Automated searches could filter and deliver the most applicable candidates to fill any well described job. All client companies have to do is complete and post job descriptions like they would normally, and of course, pay an additional premium (that would still be a lot less than a recruiter fee). The best potential candidates (based on the companies’ own job descriptions) would be delivered automatically to contact and invite to interview. Imagine: No more recruiters, limited numbers of highly matched potential candidates, faster more streamlined processes and communications, lower overall cost-to-hire.

LinkedIn can offer a unique value proposition to hiring companies because of the size of their user network. LinkedIn really is where the people are, more so than anywhere else. Not only is LinkedIn where the people are today but it will continue to grow even larger. By becoming the only place where candidate searches are automated LinkedIn will be able to offer a unique service to job seekers as well, encouraging even more to join the site, resulting in an even larger potential candidate network to offer to client companies. In this way, growth feeds itself and the value proposition becomes better all the time.

New revenue would come from not only premium automated search services but also increased ad views based on additional individual user time spent on the site, both by job seekers and hiring companies; existing and new users. Additional user time spent would be fed by the fact that good search results both for job seekers and hiring companies depend on detail. Detail takes time.

New users, both company and individual, would follow existing users because they’d have to keep up. Companies who are NOT using LinkedIn’s automated search will be at a recruiting disadvantage and will be compelled to use the service. Job seekers who are NOT on LinkedIn will be equally compelled to create decent profiles less they miss out on potential opportunities.

Why isn’t this happening already?

This isn’t the same as the flying cars we were promised 50 years ago. This is actually doable. LinkedIn has all the user information, we enter it in ourselves! They have the brand, size, and ability.

What are they missing? What am I missing?

I’ve tried contacting a few people at LinkedIn, including CEO Jeff Weiner. I actually spoke with a Sr. VP there a few months ago. Maybe I haven’t done a good enough job of explaining my ideas or maybe they are just bad ideas. I don’t know.

If I’m missing something and automated search, as I’ve described it, is impossible, it would be nice to know so I could get a good night’s sleep. If, on the other hand, LinkedIn could do something like this, I’d love to help them build it and take recruiting and job search to the next level.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need his book!

Why Isn’t LinkedIn Better? was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job interview #job search #linkedin #networking

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Excellent Beach Reading and a Great Gift for Recent Graduates!

I know, it’s summer and all anyone wants to do is go to the beach, hang out, maybe read a book and just have a summer! If you’ve recently graduated, then (I hate to be the one to tell you), this is probably your last summer too – so enjoy! And what better way to relax and unwind than with a juicy summer thriller, like “Modern Job Search” of course. Right? Because who doesn’t want to read about career development while lounging on the beach with a cocktail. Okay, I’ll admit, reading about how to find a job may not be most relaxing thing you can do while all your friends are playing volleyball and getting sand in uncomfortable places but you’ll be making an investment in “you.” See, totally worth it? And it’s not even that heavy, especially the Kindle version.

Finding the right job, or at least a good enough job to get you started isn’t always easy. Every summer millions of graduates flood the markets looking for jobs and for many, like it was for me, just getting started is intimidating. If you’re a recent graduate looking for a job you’re probably hearing about it from everyone already and may even be worried. I don’t want to add to that. It’s true, “Modern Job Search” is filled with stuff that will help you get a job but – convenient fact – carrying a copy around will also keep people off your back. Think about it. Whether you read it or not, $12.99 (paperback) is money well spent if it buys some peace and quiet.

PS: Parents and Grandparents – “Modern Job Search” makes a great summer gift for the graduate who has everything but a job!

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need his book!

Photo: Sveti Jakov Beach, Dubrovnik, Croatia 2010

Excellent Beach Reading and a Great Gift for Recent Graduates! was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career advancement #careers #employers #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #job interview #job search #resume #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Everyday Career Advice: 5 Mission Critical Ways to Improve Job Interview Performance

The mission for your interview is simple – In fact so simple that you can even tell your interviewers what you hope to accomplish while you’re there. You can actually say to them: “I’m here to figure out how I can help you achieve your goals.”

Number One: “Tell me what YOU want to do.” Figure out what they want to do in their own positions and how their goals relate to and depend on the open position. If they can’t articulate it, back out and ask about their departmental or team goals and develop your own conclusions about how you can help them achieve their goals. It is critical to see if you can get them talking about what they want to accomplish (not what you want to accomplish). It is what they want to accomplish that’s important and how you can support them. If the structure of the interview consists of them asking most of the questions, use the STAR-Q Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result – Question) to try to ask questions so you can relate your experiences to their needs and interests. The “Question” part is mine and it’s useful as a conversational redirect to get the interviewers talking about their needs. Good examples of STAR-Q questions are things like:

a. (After answering a question) How does what I described relate to your needs here? b. (After answering a question) Have you tried something similar? Did it work? c. (After answering a question) Do you have similar problems, goals, needs? d. (After answering a question) Do you think a solution like that would apply here?

Number Two: “Here’s how I can help you do it.” Once you get examples of the interviewer’s goals, needs and challenges, you need to find ways to demonstrate and prove that you can help them achieve their goals, solve their problems and support their needs. The key word is “prove” – in that as they are revealing what they want to accomplish, you need to be able to cite examples of things you’ve done that are similar and how the results you achieved are applicable to the company’s needs. Key words to consider in regard to any and all experiences that you share are: Applicable, Relevant, Demonstrable, and Specific.

Number Three: The Importance of Pronouns: Why should you be so focused on them and their goals, needs and challenges? Ideally, you want them to leave the interview conversation with the idea that you can help them the most; that you are there to serve them. They need to see you as a “solution provider.” They need to perceive that you have a very high level of self-confidence, but not that you are self-interested. Consider that often the people who appear most confident and are inspiring leaders don’t talk or think in terms of the pronoun “I.” Instead, they inspire followers by talking and acting in terms of “we” (inclusive). Or, they project and use empathy to identify with the interviewers, i.e. “you, your, they, them, their.” Using these pronouns (we, us, you, yours, ours, etc.) instead of (I, me, mine, my) will demonstrate more maturity, self-confidence, strategic vision, social awareness and leadership potential.

Number Four: Consider the Panel (or other interviewers if it is not a “panel interview”): How are the panel members related? Do they agree on what the priorities of the position should be? How much do their “needs” overlap? Are there any conflicting goals among them? Are they unified in their overall vision? Can you ask them similar questions and get them talking among themselves and / or comparing each other’s needs and priorities? How can you demonstrate that you can help them all achieve their goals and solve their problems – balancing potentially varying priorities?

Number Five: Demonstrate Enthusiasm and Genuine Interest: Do this for the position itself, the team and company, and with every person who participates in the interviews. Don’t waiver on this; each interviewer needs to believe that if they really want to hire you, that it is realistic that you would join the team. In the end, you don’t have to join them if you don’t want to, or if the offer isn’t right. However during the interview, if you don’t make them believe they can hire you, they won’t even try. Companies are sensitive; they won’t reveal their interest in you if they believe that you aren’t really interested in them. They don’t want to be vulnerable and get their “feelings hurt” (think high school dating scene / teenage emotions).

A Successful Interview: Your interview will be successful if, after it’s done, all of the interviewers believe that you are truly there to help them and that you have the experience, skills, motivation and character to do so. This result has nothing to do with whether or not they can “afford” to hire you, what type of salary they would need to offer or anything else related to “what you might cost them,” (or what’s in it for you). The key for the interview is to get them interested in thinking about what it will take to get you to join them, not talking about it just yet. If they leave this interview convinced that you are the “solution” they are seeking, then they will open the conversation about the “price” and that will be to your advantage.

Everyone knows that the company will have to pay you to take the job. It’s the unspoken part of the interview and can remain that way until they reveal the seriousness of their interest. They will “invite” you to talk about the “what’s in it for you” aspects of the job if they are really interested (after the interviews are over). In fact, if the interviews are truly successful, they will attempt to “sell you” on the job (obviously within the parameters of their compensation and benefits structure for the position). Consider this: An offer is a sales pitch in that they are trying to convince you that what they have for you is better than something else (your current job, another job, etc.). If you can get them this interested, then when they start talking about a potential offer (first, before you do) it will represent a transfer in power to you. You want them to try to sell you on the job. Everything that you do in the interview should support this goal.

Once a company fixates on a specific candidate, they will make a solid effort to hire that candidate – to a degree (depending on backup candidates, etc.). The bottom line is that nobody likes settling for their second choice. Do everything right at this stage and you can become the “first choice.” Then, and only then, will you make it to the next stage – where your needs and interests become important.

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need his book!

Photo: Superflo Porsche 911/993 Race Car, Savannah, GA 2013

Everyday Career Advice: 5 Mission Critical Ways to Improve Job Interview Performance was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career #empathy #employers #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #job interview #job search #lead #linkedin #manage #modern job search #relationship #resume #search #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Quora: What is the best way to find an entry level job after getting your degree?

Quora Question: What is the best way to find an entry level job after getting your degree?

“I’m finding it frustrating that after a few months I am still not able to find work. I graduated cum laude and even have successful military experience. I have always kept good grades and stayed focused and out of trouble. From about every school assembly I have attended since the third grade I have done my part to be a valuable member of the work force. So I am wondering what is the difficulty in getting my foot in the door. I have seen research that even though the recession, or at least the unemployment side of it, seems to be tapering off, the unemployment rate for 20-30 year olds is around 25%, far more than the national average and terrifying for new graduates.

I know that this isn’t a lot of personal on my situation specifically, but I want to know what are the best modern ways for students who have recently graduated or will in the next six months for getting a good entry level job, especially in this economy.”

*************

Answer:

As a professional headhunter, the single most powerful tool I use is LinkedIn. It is indispensable for finding the profiles and learning about the backgrounds of people who have the job(s) that interest you the most. Start by identifying people who work at companies you like, share your education background or have other similar experience. Take a good look at their career trajectories and the language they use to describe themselves and make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile is similar. Learn what you can from how they packaged themselves and how they arrived where they are.

Then, most importantly, make contact. Look up phone numbers, find email addresses, join groups, take chances and contact people directly. Seek advice from people who are doing what you want to do and literally ask them how they got there. Figure out who the hiring managers are for the positions you want to pursue and ask them what is important or challenging to them. It is NOT important that there are open jobs with any of the hiring managers or companies you contact. At this stage you are only networking for informational purposes, to learn and to figure out how you can help. You don’t need to send everyone you contact a resume or even let them know you’re looking for a job immediately. Keep it easy for them in the beginning and ask open questions about how they got their first jobs, what their challenges were and what they would do differently if they had to do it again. Everyone you contact will understand that you’re looking for a job but by not asking directly and seeking advice, you’ll get a lot more replies and a lot more opportunities to expand your network.

I do this same type of research and networking when I market candidates to companies in order to generate new job orders or develop a new client. In 15 years of commission-only recruiting “cold-call/email marketing” like this has never failed me – as long as I did the research first and ensured that I could bring value.

You have nothing to lose by taking time to contact people who have the types of jobs you want and asking their advice. You will get a lot more feedback by talking with people instead of just blindly sending resumes or completing online applications. Almost everyone you contact will have received a favor, advice or some kind of help from someone along the way and more than you think will be happy to pass it along.

This kind of networking is “critical mass” oriented. With 330 million members, LinkedIn is essentially an infinite resource. You control who and how many people you contact and what you say, the rest is timing and that can be managed by increasing the volume of contacts. Bottom line: If you develop dialogues with enough people in the space in which you want to work, sooner or later, you will run into an open job, or someone will give you a good referral or some other unpredictable result will come along and you will find yourself employed. The key is communicating with real people though and not relying on job applications to do the work for you.

Follow me on Quora for more answers to your questions. And if you want, fire off your own question!

*****************

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need this book!

Quora: What is the best way to find an entry level job after getting your degree? was originally published on Modern Job Search

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Everyday Career Advice: Are You Sure Your Resume is Perfect?

Every time you speak with someone during your job search the conversation you’re having is an interview. Every email you send is an interview. Every phone call, every introduction and every handshake, these are all interviews. This is important.

I can’t say how many introductory emails I’ve received that are written so poorly or are so full of errors that I can’t help but form an impression of the sender. The impression is not a good one. Considering that spell check is built into to almost every email program or browser, typographical and spelling errors are tough to reconcile. It’s simply attention to detail, which is a very important attribute for any of the jobs on my desk. Someone who hasn’t taken the seconds required to make sure that they have spelled my name correctly (it’s in my email address!), correct basic grammatical errors or at least include punctuation is someone who is not taking this very seriously.

This is not a complaint. From a pure efficiency standpoint, a poorly written email means that I don’t have to continue reading. It saves time to find out so early. It sounds harsh but the question I have to ask is: Will this candidate’s emails to my hiring manager clients be this bad? If they are, it will hurt an already competitive, statistically difficult process and the chances to earn a commission will decrease. As a rule, it isn’t good for me to do anything that will worsen the odds of making a placement. I have to do my best to strive for perfection every time. I don’t show my clients candidates they might hire, I show my clients candidates they will pay to hire. Notice the distinction; it sets the bar pretty high. The fees are not cheap and the value proposition has to be clear. I am not only competing with every other headhunter out there, but also all of the walk-ins, referrals, internals and other “no-fee” candidates. If I want to earn a living I have to be better than all of them. Keep in mind, you might be competing with me, or, if not me, certainly everyone else. Are you ready?

The same is true for resumes. We spent the entire last chapter discussing the formatting and content of a good resume. The fact that there should not be any misspelled words or typographical errors in your resume is implied. It’s not good to spend a lot of time creating a resume only to put it out there with errors.

I value my contact lists similarly. I don’t want to waste valuable time doing research to find good potential contacts only to send them poorly written email. Do you think they are going to give any more leeway than I would when it comes to errors?

How do I avoid this? I write, read, re-write, edit, review and then send. I make notes for calls ahead of time. I make an effort to get to the point quickly, to write crisp and concise emails. I respect the time of the people I’m contacting and I do my best not to make mistakes. The effort required to make sure is smaller than the effort required to do all the preparation work in the first place, and definitely less than what is required to go back and fix an error after the fact.

That’s it, lecture over.

Excerpted from Chapter 4 of Modern Job Search

Follow on Twitter: @MoJoSearch

(Photo: The Jester, Zagreb, Croatia 2011)

Everyday Career Advice: Are You Sure Your Resume is Perfect? was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career #empathy #employers #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #lead #linkedin #manage #modern job search #relationship #resistance #resume #search #unemployment #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Is Automation Hurting Recruiting and Hiring?

How does corporate HR technology, outsourcing and process automation impact your strategy as a job seeker?

I’m a contrarian on this subject – particularly in regard to the types of positions I work on for my very large manufacturing and energy clients. I believe that there’s starting to be too much “data” and “technology” (personality tests, social media investigation, automated resume reading software) in hiring and recruiting processes. I often wonder how much money could be harvested by doing away with some of this infrastructure in order to buy more time for hiring managers to conduct more specific and personal job searches.

It’s not that I’m against technology, it’s just that I think a lot of large companies are not using it efficiently. An example: Recently one of my clients (a +$25 billion manufacturer) outsourced the job posting, application process, pre-screening, candidate processing to a third party firm thereby automating the process and, likely in their opinion, making it more efficient. The thinking behind it likely has to do with the idea that increasing the company’s ability to handle a high-volume of applications more effectively will save money – and that may work out for some positions. However, in terms of recruiting, today’s technology has evolved from the idea of needing to be able to capture the most information possible (quantity) and is now more about being specific (quality).

Back to my example, one result of my client’s move to the third party provider and automation is that recruiters (and candidates) have been moved further away from the sources of “real information.” In practical terms, recruiters who had long term relationships and ongoing dialogues with key senior hiring managers are no longer contractually allowed to speak with them. As a result the information that we relied upon to be able to present only the most qualified candidates is no longer available. Instead, both recruiters and applicants are required to deal with contracted human resources representatives that are much further away from the “real information” and have much less experience with the job types. Without good information not only does quality suffer, but in order to cover the quality gap, volume increases (self-fulfilling the idea that there needs to be systems to handle high-volume). However, I’ve spoken with many hiring managers who have complained about the quality of candidates they receive through large third party HR service providers and don’t know what to do about it (other than cheating and talking to me anyways – thereby duplicating the effort).

Now when this company assigns jobs they do it via email to all of the recruiters who are vendors, regardless of specialization, qualification, relationships, etc. Instead of having a personal call with a hiring manager about their specific needs and goals for a position, I now receive assignments with generic job descriptions along with 50 to 100 other recruiters copied in the CC field (sadly, not even the BCC field). The method of job assignment itself guarantees high-volume and again, self-fulfills the third party HR service contractors “necessity” without necessarily adding value. Previously, I knew that my hiring manager end customers would assign their jobs to a few other recruiters with whom they had good relationships and I was fine with that. Assigning a job to just a few recruiters shows some level of commitment on a company’s part and there’s nothing wrong with competition. When I know that a company has shown a small amount of commitment to me (small because it’s still a commission project) I can commit to them and their job – and actually work it hard and well. However, when I know that a job has been farmed out to 100 other recruiters it tells me that the company doesn’t care about me at all and I become less receptive to risking my time on the project.

What happens when a company assigns a job to a lot of recruiters? In the scenario I described above, it seems likely that the company will get a lot of candidates. Given the volume of recruiters and the lack of specific job information, it also seems likely that a lot of the candidates submitted will not really match the hiring manager’s needs. The volume of candidates creates work though and burns time – whether it’s the contractor’s time or the hiring manager’s time.

Again, I wonder which way is more effective? As I said earlier, technology has evolved from being about generating a high quantity of results to the point where it is now possible to drill down deeply get very specific results. LinkedIn is a great example. If a client gives me enough information about what they really want I can go and find a small set of people who very closely match their desires. From a hiring manager’s perspective, I’ve been told that it is preferable to have resumes from 2-3 candidates who are good matches than 100 “maybe’s.”

From an efficiency standpoint, is it possible that the cost of the time the HR contractor’s internal recruiter spends trying to figure out which of the hundreds of candidates should be referred to the hiring manager could be recycled and reassigned back to the hiring manager to use speaking with experts who recruit in their fields?

Unfortunately the decision to outsource the recruiting function to a third party, as in the case of my +$25 billion client, was made many, many levels above my hiring manager customer’s level. In my opinion, it’s a decision that reflects an understanding of recruiting capabilities that is about 10 years old. I don’t know what it costs them in dollars or what they think their old recruiting method cost in dollars, but I would be willing to bet that the long term cost of “de-personalizing” their hiring process and disregarding a lot of long term relationships will hurt in the end.

As a job seeker, what do you do about this? I know from my perspective, as I alluded to earlier, my hiring manager clients and I frequently break the rules. They still have a job to do and so do I. To do their jobs they are still going to do whatever it takes to recruit the best candidates and I’ll continue to do my best to source them. That’s me though – what about you? That stuff about the evolution of technology that I mentioned, the ability to drill down to the specific can work to the job seeker’s advantage as well. For people who are willing to do a different kind of job search work (instead of finding job postings and completing applications) it is not too hard to find jobs by building and communicating with a network of peers, advisers, mentors and potential hiring managers on LinkedIn. It just takes time, time that for you can be re-allocated from the cut/paste application process.

This is a way to fight the hiring process “de-personalization” that online applications represent and use newer technology and your own initiative to find opportunities. Yes, like me, you’re still going to have to use the system in the end, but also like me, if you can disrupt the process by connecting with hiring managers before applying to their jobs you can significantly increase your chances of getting past the gatekeepers. The key to making this approach succeed is doing very high quality work. If I’m going to break the rules and contact a hiring manager when I know I’m not supposed to, then you can bet that I’m going to make absolutely sure that I’m bringing what they want.

Again, maybe my views go against current thinking but I still believe hiring, at some levels, is a personal process, as are a lot of things that involve relationships between people. I also believe that the high quality soft information that can be gleaned from conversations with actual hiring managers and actual candidates always trumps mediocre quality delivered in higher quantities. We’ll see if time proves me right. I’ve been at this long enough to have seen quite a few big companies change their minds about processes, maybe this too will revert – if we push it.

Photo: Szent István-Bazilika (St. Stephen’s Basilica), Budapest, Hungary 2010

Is Automation Hurting Recruiting and Hiring? was originally published on Modern Job Search

#career #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #lead #linkedin #manage #marketing #modern job search #resume #search #value #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Everyday Career Advice: Using Numbers to Manage Job Search Stress

It’s Monday and I’m supposed to have written and published a blog post already (or more than one – and have them queued up to publish) but I’m still working on it. I procrastinated through my coffee this morning. I took a little longer than necessary to read the news and got distracted a couple of times by flashy things on the internet. Then, worse, I went and had an early lunch with a friend and sat in the sunshine. That precipitated a midday malaise and now, here I am, in the early afternoon still trying to squeak out a blog post (in addition to a bunch of other things that need doing as well).

I know what I’ve been meaning to write about too – it’s something from the book of course, but it’s prescient as well, both for myself, job seekers and a lot of other people starting out their week. The topic is persistence and how to continue to push through difficult times. The idea came after reading a career oriented article in Fast Company, another one of their “list” articles which I guess are very popular. This one is called the “8 Personality Traits of People Who Don’t Let Job Hunting Crush Their Souls” and it goes on to discuss things like staying positive, having goals, being persistent and prepared, networking and continually improving. However the first thing I thought of after reading the headline and scanning the article was “What if someone doesn’t have 1 or more of the 8 on their list?” What I’m really thinking is that “personality traits” might have some influence over success or failure during a job search but it all sounds a bit soft really.

As you know, I wrote a book and recently published it on Amazon. It’s a good book, people have told me – and I agree, however I still have to keep my day job. During the day I’m an executive recruiter. As I wrote in the book, an executive recruiter’s job is a lot like a job seeker’s purpose. I actively seek jobs to work on and fill all the time. It can be a tough and grueling kind of thing, as again, any job seeker knows. I’ve been a headhunter for a long time so I’ve developed a way to deal with it and, referring to the Fast Company article, in contrast to “personality traits,” my method has a lot more to do with being task oriented, completing tactical goals and taking satisfaction from hitting milestones regularly.

It’s all about numbers and managing expectations. I am thinking about this now as I am starting to market a couple of candidates (just like any job seeker should do). The first part is imagining the scale of my goal – I want to earn a good size fee. It’s a big goal, not as big as getting a job for yourself, but still very significant. I know from experience that a goal this big will take some work; in fact, sometimes months of work. Accepting that from the beginning helps me deal with a lot of days in which little will seem to happen.

The next step is understanding and owning the process – for me that means identifying potential clients with the right needs (finding jobs), contacting hiring managers, establishing dialogues, referring candidates, setting up interviews, and so on. As it is with any job seeker, this is a process of elimination. Out of hundreds of attempts, few initial contacts will turn into dialogues, even fewer will result in interviews and of those, maybe just a couple will develop into offers. This is also helpful to know and digest. Processes of elimination are easy – all you have to do is work until you find the solution.

The final step, and maybe the most important, is combining the expectation and acceptance in the first step with the process understanding in the second step into a map that breaks down the overall goal into manageable tasks in specific periods of time. For example, if I accept that making a placement will take three months, that means I have around 90 days. I know from experience (this is one of those “your numbers may vary” types of things but stay with me)… I know from experience that if I call or email 20 or so specific people per day to market a candidate over a few weeks I will find jobs. That’s my first task – find and contact 20 very specific people per day. Next, I know that if I find between 8-10 jobs, at least 3-4 of them will be viable for the candidate(s) I’m marketing and that of those, 2-3 will convert into dialogues or interviews. So I want to find between 8-10 jobs. Next, I know that if I can setup 2-3 high quality interviews then I have a very good chance of getting a good offer for one of my candidates and likely making a placement. So the target minimum is 3 interviews.

My tasks and targets give me smaller goals within my overall goal that allow me to take satisfaction along the way. There’s no personality trait involved in making sure I contact 20 people per day. However hitting the targets, no matter the result, is satisfying.

Where do all of my numbers come from? My numbers come from my experience – but the secret is, they don’t matter. As a job seeker you probably don’t keep historical data that shows calls or emails to interview or offer ratios. Recruiters do but again, the specifics don’t matter that much. What matters is acknowledging that overall success is achieved by meeting a series of targets along the way, defining them and taking satisfaction from putting in a good day’s work to meet them – every day. A successful job search, or a placement for me, is the result of a cumulative effort, not a single action.

I wrote a whole book about this because there’s a lot more involved than just hitting the numbers, however, in regard to the article that prompted the thought, “personality traits” aren’t what get people jobs. Quality, work, and persistence are what get people jobs. The numbers part in the book, that’s Chapter 5, which means there are 4 Chapters before it that fill in the blanks about how to perform the daily tasks in ways that inspire confidence and do even more to get through the tough times.

Everyday Career Advice: Using Numbers to Manage Job Search Stress was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #lead #manage #marketing #modern job search #resume #search #value #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Quora: In job interviews, recruiters always ask your current pay. Should I be honest about it? Or is it okay to lie?

Quora Question: In job interviews, recruiters always ask your current pay. Should I be honest about it? Or is it okay to lie?

*************

Answer:

As a recruiter, part of my job is ensuring that it is possible for my client companies to make competitive offers to the candidates I submit. If I don’t know a candidate’s current compensation level, I can’t submit them to my client without increasing the risk of failure. If a candidate won’t tell me when I ask, I don’t submit them. I can’t risk losing the client.

That said, when I’m working with smart people, we all understand that in most cases candidates require an increase in compensation in order to make a move.

In addition, my commission is based on a percentage of the salary I negotiate for my candidates. So, the higher the salary, the more money I make as a recruiter even though the company, my client, pays the bills. I explain this to candidates during the screening process in order to help them understand the relationships involved and develop credibility.

Like others have mentioned, a good recruiter will know if a candidate is inflating their compensation. How? I can’t speak for all of us, but I personally have spent years talking to people about their compensation and I know what the jobs in my discipline pay. There’s also a high likelihood of getting caught when the hiring company requests a W2 for their records. I think we all know what happens when candidates get caught in a lie during the interview process: Game Over.

Follow me on Quora for more answers to your questions. And if you want, fire off your own question!

*****************

Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need this book!

Quora: In job interviews, recruiters always ask your current pay. Should I be honest about it? Or is it okay to lie? was originally published on Modern Job Search

#article #book #career #empathy #employers #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job search #lead #modern job search #networking #quora #resume #salary #search #value #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Chasing Cars - What do you do when you catch one?

This started on LinkedIn as a simple post about the fact that Indeed is a great source for finding jobs but it’s also a pretty crowded space. Everyone’s using Indeed to find jobs and apply to them, often as many as they can. The website makes it easy to track down opportunities and fill out applications. However there are much better ways to use Indeed. As a headhunter, I use it myself, though obviously I never apply to jobs there for my candidates. For me, Indeed is all about information. Here’s how I describe it in Chapter 2 of the book:

“Indeed.com is a simple job listing aggregation website. It scours the internet looking for job listings that come directly from company websites, search firm websites, job boards and online publications. It is easy to use, only requiring the most general information for basic searches (keywords, title, company name, city, state or zip code). Advanced searches allow you to be more specific and add filters. You can setup a free account that will allow you to save searches and receive daily or weekly updates via email. It is like Google for jobs, even in appearance. Like any website, it’s good to experiment. I use Indeed.com to quickly see if there are any listed openings within the disciplines and locations that interest me. Typically I search by job title(s) and location.”

Easy right? So what? Lots of information. (More from Chapter 2):

“I have no doubt that there are millions of job seekers and other headhunters searching Indeed.com for jobs too. Since I am working with candidates trying to find positions with existing or potentially new clients, I never apply to any of the jobs I find. My goal is to see who is doing what and where.

I am not recommending that Karen or Anthony (meet Karen and Anthony here) apply to jobs they find there either at this time. Applying online can end up being a black-hole kind of process resulting in a lot of effort and little return. Everyone is applying online and most are using a shotgun approach to blast out resumes by the hundreds. It can be a lot of work and, more importantly, it creates a lot of work. Have you ever considered where all of the resumes and online applications go? While you may be doing your homework and only applying for jobs that you are qualified to do, many people are not, they are just applying to everything. The end result is that your resume and everyone else’s go through a system, some more complex than others.

Large companies have very sophisticated databases and software that actually reads resumes for keywords before either forwarding them to an internal recruiter in human resources or not. In smaller organizations the link you click to apply online may generate an email to a human resources person who receives all of the resumes, applications and cover letters directly. Other job postings will literally have an email address at the bottom which will attract not only resumes but also all sorts of spam and other junk mail. At the end of this, maybe, your resume will find itself in front a live human resources person who probably has hundreds of other resumes to review and measure against a likely generic job description. Ideally this is not where you want to be but it is often the best result of the process. Certainly this is not where I would want any of my candidates to end up. While people do get jobs this way, the odds of getting noticed are long, regardless of qualifications and experience, and getting applicable feedback is next to impossible. Chances are you won’t even get a reply. No feedback equals no opportunity to calibrate your search or improve your efforts either!

For now, we’re just going to use Indeed.com to find jobs, read the listings and learn about the titles, responsibilities, language and requirements. When paired with what we’re also learning by reading company websites and other resources, understanding the job postings helps complete the basic picture of our target jobs. Even if you’re a professional and have a great understanding of what you do, how you do it and for whom, this exercise can help you figure out if other people see and express things the way you do. We’re going to use the information we get in job postings from Indeed.com in the next steps to clarify our understanding of the jobs we’re after, refine our lists and develop specific contacts.”

What do you do next?

That’s part of the point of this post. Note the part of the quote above in bold: “My goal is to see who is doing what and where.” That quote signifies that exploring job listings on Indeed is only one step in an overall process and it has its purpose. However, everyone’s doing it and the “shotgun” approach to applying for jobs on Indeed that they’re also doing probably isn’t that effective. It’s certainly not personalized or targeted, and won’t set you apart from the pack.

That brings us to the other point I wanted to make: There’s a lot of good advice available about cover letters, resumes and interviews as parts of a job search, however, it pays to have a comprehensive strategy that covers every step of the process. That’s why I wrote Modern Job Search – and made it accessible with a narrative structure, step-by-step guidance and a real “value based” approach. Check it out: The entire first chapter is free to read on Amazon.

Chasing Cars – What do you do when you catch one? was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career #employment #headhunter #hiring #indeed.com #interview #job #lead #linkedin #manage #marketing #modern job search #resume #search #value #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Empathy and Understanding Resistance

A few years ago I received an eight page resume. Let me explain, I’m an executive recruiter. I see a lot of resumes. The only thing that made this one unusual was the fact that it was eight pages long. The sender pasted in a nice introductory note, attached the eight-page resume and likely sent it out to a lot of people since my name was not included in the greeting.

Again, I get resumes all the time, including plenty of unsolicited resumes. I encourage it. Even so, this particular eight-pager created a very specific feeling, one so acute that I had to go looking for the cause. Discovering it was an interesting learning opportunity that helps me do a better job for my own customers today.

The feeling I’m referring to – I think resentment. Why? Why should receiving an unsolicited resume create a feeling of resentment? Because this one asked me to work harder than the others without the promise of value. The easiest thing would be to delete it. I didn’t though.

It was the experience of feeling resentment that caused me to wonder if the sender ever considered how I, or any of the other recipients, would feel upon receiving his eight-page resume. He didn’t personalize the email message, didn’t do any research to determine if I was an appropriate recruiter for the type of position he was pursuing, and didn’t try to anticipate any of my needs. The message he sent said “I didn’t spend time trying to understand exactly what you’re looking for but I’m sure I did it at some point and I can probably do it again. You can find it in here somewhere if you really look.”

Bottom line: He sent me a pile of work with the expectation that I would do it without putting in a similar effort himself. How am I supposed to feel about that? How would you feel about it?

Like I said, I’m used to getting resumes and I’m used to reading them quickly. It’s not a big deal. However sending a resume eight pages long represents a transfer of work that goes against the nature of the job seeker / potential employer dynamic. Instead of trying to learn how he could help, this sender created unnecessary resistance by making me try to figure it out.

Why isn’t he thinking about the resistance he is creating by sending generic cover letters and eight-page resumes?

Wait a minute… Light bulb! Am I thinking about the feelings of the recipients of my own email messages? Am I doing the work to anticipate their situations and needs?

What’s the word that describes this? Ah, “empathy” – the ability to understand another person’s needs, situation and feelings. If my original eight-page resume sender had done a little research or somehow demonstrated that he thought about my situation, I would have been a lot more receptive to his message. Beyond resumes, interview techniques, and all other sales or communication methods; empathy is what makes the difference.

This was not a discovery. I’ve been doing this for a while so I know about empathy. It was a sharp reminder though. To be effective, I, we, should ensure that we’re speaking to the person we’re speaking to and not broadcasting to a crowd. Our messages not only convey information, they create feelings, and the feelings they create are in large part up to us, the senders. I may not always be right but I believe people recognize it when an effort’s been made, and more importantly, they appreciate it – and that can help us all move forward. Now if I can only follow my own advice… I suppose I should thank the guy who sent the eight-page resume.

Follow @MoJoSearchon Twitter (Photo: London Eye, London – 2010)

Empathy and Understanding Resistance was originally published on Modern Job Search

#book #career #empathy #employment #headhunter #hiring #interview #job #lead #linkedin #manage #marketing #modern job search #resistance #resume #search #value #work

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modernjobsearch · 7 years

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Quora: What career path should a college student take to become a recruiter?

Quora Question: What career path should a college student take to become a recruiter?

To become a recruiter in the technology industry, what path should a college student take when leaving college? What skills are important, and what sort of interview preparation should one take? Thanks!

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Answer:

The first question to ask is “What kind of recruiter do you want to be?” I am an “external recruiter.” I am the president and owner of my own executive search firm and work on a contingency and retained basis for my clients, who are primarily Fortune 100 energy and manufacturing companies. I frequently work with “internal recruiters” who are either employees or contractors hired by my clients and paid hourly wages or a salary.

There is a big difference between “external” and “internal” recruiters. As an external recruiter, my job is to proactively and aggressively work to identify, source, screen and submit candidates. I work on just a few jobs at a time and do a lot of research and networking to actively find and engage potential candidates. Then I “package” my candidates and submit them to my clients – often directly to internal recruiters.

The internal recruiters I know typically manage more jobs than me but don’t or can’t do the kind of proactive searching and networking that I do. Their jobs seems to be more passive – sorting through resumes that come in via advertisements, referrals and external recruiters and setting up interviews.

Many of the internal recruiters I know tried to be external recruiters but couldn’t make it, either because of the risk involved with commission work or the stress that comes with it.

Being an external recruiter means accepting that you will fail most of the time. Some people can’t deal with that. In contrast, when I succeed and make a placement, the commission I earn is usually well worth it. The trick is consistency.

That said, many of the external recruiters I know, myself included, couldn’t be or wouldn’t want to be internal recruiters. In my own case, I am not interested in “office work” or “office politics,” and am not cut out for largely administrative tasks. I am a hunter by nature so I enjoy the hunt and the reward of making a placement. I also like to make my own rules.

This is something you’ll have to learn about and figure out on your own. The good news is that you can switch from “internal” to “external.”

How did I become a recruiter?

I got my first recruiting job with a firm at the age of 24. I had no relevant experience whatsoever and was literally part of an experiment conducted by the owner of an established executive search firm. My first boss, Clark, the owner of the firm and a former VP at GE, had six other headhunters on staff, five of which were seasoned corporate veterans who left their management jobs to go into headhunting in order to slow down and make some money. The sixth headhunter was my predecessor and Clark’s first successful experiment – a young guy right out of college. Clark’s idea was to develop and train a pair of fresh college graduates with no other experience to see if they could make it – and in turn bring more energy to the firm. In his view, the corporate veterans were great but they lacked the hunger that recent graduates could bring.

I was hired on full commission and given a draw of $1000.00 per month to live on. Needless to say, I starved for more than a year before I figured out the business. By “starved” I mean to say that I worked +70 hours per week, every week, took no vacation or breaks and busted my a$$ to figure out the job while barely paying my rent and living on Ramen noodles. The thing that kept me going was seeing the $20k commission checks that the others earned regularly. By the end of my second year I was out-earning my college class peers. By the end of my third year I owned a Porsche 911. Before the end of my fourth year I started my own company and billed $50k in my first quarter (with a 96% profit margin).

I’ve done other things in between being a headhunter. I was a partner in a software service company (sold), a consultant and even a day trader (briefly). Earlier this year I published a book, Modern Job Search (Amazon.com: Modern Job Search: Insider Knowledge and Strategies that Work eBook: Kurt Schmidt: Kindle Store), that details not only how you (and everyone else) should execute their job searches but also a lot of the “secrets” that have made me a good headhunter.

The bottom line is persistence. My work is hard. Like I said, I fail most of the time – we all do. However there is a balance between “risk” and “reward” that remains alluring.

To your question: You don’t necessarily need experience to become a headhunter. However, no matter how you do it, there will be a price to pay.

If you go “internal” you should look for an internship in an HR department with a company you like or within an industry that interests you. Once there, you’ll need to figure out which “discipline” you like and want to work in. Specialization is key because to be effective you really need to know your jobs, clients and industry.

If you go “external,” first, save up your money because if you’re on commission, you’ll need some savings! Next, find some headhunters, owners of firms or even franchise owners and seek their advice. Use LinkedIn. We’re all on it. Then demonstrate a willingness to take wild risks and work like crazy and one of them might take a chance on you. Even though it is a commission job, anyone who hires you is still spending their time to train and develop you so it is risky for them too.

I hope that helps. Good luck!

Follow me on Quora for more answers to your questions. And if you want, fire off your own question!

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Kurt Schmidt is the author of “Modern Job Search” and the President and Owner of Capto Systems, an executive search firm focused on supply chain and strategic sourcing jobs in manufacturing and energy. He’s also an aspiring photographer and traveler. If you’re really looking for a job, you need this book!

Quora: What career path should a college student take to become a recruiter? was originally published on Modern Job Search

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