Seven Tips For Jump Starting a Stalled Job Search

Posted on August 24, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

A growing number of jobseekers find themselves in the midst of a long-term job search. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. jobless rate soared to a four-year high of 5.7% in July 2008 and the average job search took more than four months to net results. However, some critics would put this number and the number of the unemployed much higher.

Helen Kooiman, author of Suddenly Unemployed asserts, “[S]uch statistics are inaccurate indicators. They do not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out or those who don’t qualify for unemployment… Such statistics also do not count welfare recipients, temps (who cannot be counted as fully employed), or others who eke out a living on so-called self-employment.” Neither do such reports include what the Bureau of Labor Statistics terms “discouraged workers” or those who “were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them.” Their figures reached 461,000 in July.

A long-term job search can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on a job hunter. “It’s been a demoralizing experience and it’s been very difficult budgetwise. I’m a single mother,” Kay Marie King says, a former non-profit executive with a wealth of experience that is currently involved in an ongoing job search.

So, what can you do when weeks of a fruitless job search quickly turns to months? Here are seven tips for jump starting a stalled job search:

Tip One: Don’t be so quick to blame everything on the economy (your region, your industry, etc.)

These issues certainly play a role in the current job market. However, it is easy to fixate on such factors and completely discount factors which we personally control. The next six tips cover areas that long-term jobseekers do well to revisit to jump start a stalled job search. Why is this so important? I am reminded of a woman I once interviewed that looked great on paper, but during the interview she had an incredibly offensive body odor. She remarked that she’d been on several interviews but she was “overqualified” for every position. It was a classic case of the problem (or her perception of what the problem was) not really being the problem. While most jobseekers don’t have such an obvious issue, each one would still do well to take a long look in the mirror.

Tip Two: Conduct a candid self-assessment.

Look at yourself from the perspective of the potential employer. Compare your experience and qualifications to those typically required of someone in your target position. How do your skills and experience match up? Think of creative ways to to fill skill gaps and gain experience.

Tip Three: Re-examine your target position or industry.

Are you searching for work in a waning industry or oversaturated field? Is your desired position readily available in your selected geographic area? Being open to relocation may improve your chances. Can you apply your knowledge and skills to an industry that is experiencing growth?

Tip Four: Rethink your current job search.

What job search strategies are you currently using? If you are concentrating your efforts on strategies that are typically the least effective (like online job boards and newspaper ads) your job search will take much longer to yield results. Consider incorporating job search strategies that yield higher results, like networking and direct targeted mailing campaigns.

Tip Five: Re-evaluate the way you are communicating your message verbally and in print.

Communicating your message to potential employers in a clear and compelling manner is critical to job search success. Re-examine your resume. Does it communicate your value to employers by addressing how your skills and experience will meet the employer’s specific needs? Practice communicating your value in response to typical interview questions, including, “Tell me about yourself.”

Tip Six: Maintain your intensity level and a positive outlook.

It is easy to become discouraged over the course of a lengthy job search. Keep a positive outlook and maintain a high-level of focus and intensity throughout your job search for quicker results. Taking a systematic approach to your job search will help you to stay organized and on track during your job search. Yet, it is important to pursue other interests during your job search. Enjoy spending time with friends and family. Renew your interest in a hobby. Tackle a project you wouldn’t have time to if you were working. Spending time in other pursuits provides a much-needed reprieve from the stress of a job search. You’ll be energized and ready for the next leg of your job search.

Tip Seven: Build a solid support system.

If a self-guided job search has netted limited results; consider working with a career or job search coach. Your coach will help you identify any problem areas and offer suggestions for improvement. Another option is to join a local or online job search club. If a coach or job search club isn’t available try building your own support network. Enlist the help of family and friends or connect with other job hunters. Taking a team approach to your job search provides an opportunity for constructive feedback, a fresh perspective, ongoing encouragement, and added accountability.

Try applying the tips above to jump start a stalled job search. Learn more about conducting a Simply Successful Job Search by visiting SavvyJobseeker.com.

Roxanne Ravenel is a Job Search Coach, author of The Savvy Jobseeker’s Guide & Workbook, and the host of The Savvy Jobseeker Podcast. She teaches job seekers how to prepare for interview success and implement a customized self-marketing plan. Visit http://SavvyJobseeker.com to learn more. Copyright (c) 2008 Roxanne Ravenel

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12 Tech Writing Resume Tips

Posted on August 24, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

As you develop your resume, keep in mind that its purpose is not to get you hired. Its purpose is to get you face-to-face with the person who’s doing the hiring. The most important thing your resume can do is make the prospective employer want to meet you.

Keep in mind the following 12 steps when creating your technical writing resume:

1. Determine Your Objective

- Prior to writing the resume: clearly state what sort of a job you want know what kinds of skills and experiences are needed structure the content of your resume around that objective Example of a good objective: Contribute my technical writing skills to create user focused instruction manuals detailing software processes.

2. Be Clear and Concise

- The sole purpose of a resume is to have a potential employer contact you for an interview. - It’s a marketing tool to get you in front of your potential boss where you can do the sales pitch and close the deal. - Put yourself in the shoes of the resume reader when considering the job qualifications needed for the position.

3. Use Bullet Points

- In the body, use bullet points with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. - Key phrases that stand alone and bulleted will help the reader see the important information at a glance. - You can go into the details during the interview. Example:

Weak: Developed a communications process guide which consisted of 255 pages, eight case studies, 25 best practices, 36 charts and diagrams, 14 interviews, 20 communication mistakes to avoid and this manual was used by the hospital doctors and nurses to communicate with their patients.

Strong: Developed a communications process guide which was used by the hospital doctors and nurses to communicate with their patients. This 255 page guide included:

- 8 case studies - 25 best practices - 36 charts and diagrams - 14 interviews - 20 communication mistakes to avoid

4. Use the Right Words

- Computers are often used to pick the resumes to be looked at by looking for keywords that have been picked by the hiring manager. - These are key words that relate to the position. - If your resume is scanned, the computer will pick up on these words. - Use action verbs to describe what you’ve done. - Words like prepared, managed, developed, monitored, and presented make your statements stronger.

5. Include Specific Figures

- Percentages, dollar totals, and numbers stand out in the body of a resume. - Example: Weak: Created a technical manual for the VH5 Valve. Strong: Created an 87 page technical manual for the VH5 Valve.

6. Highlight Your Strengths

- What is most relevant to the potential employer? - Determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. - Put the strong and most relevant points first where they are more apt to be read. - Focus on your achievements and contributions to the business development and success of your past employer.

7. Match the Needs of the Hiring Company

- Review job postings for positions that interest you. - Listings almost always have a brief blurb about the company and the position available. - Read the job description closely, use the key words listed in the ads, and match them to the bullet points in your resume.

8. Be Positive

- Don’t include negative and irrelevant information. - Leave out anything that might cause an unfavorable reaction. - Leave off your graduation date if it could subject you to age discrimination. - Leave off duties in your current job that don’t support your job search objective. - Leave off irrelevant personal information like your race, weight, height, religion, hobbies, music and food preferences, and political leanings unless they are vital to securing the position.

9. Make It Look Good

- Print the resume on good quality, white paper using black ink. - Leave wide margins. The font size should be no smaller than 10 points. - Don’t pack the page with print. - If necessary, use a second page. - If you have a hard time filling the page with text, increase your line spacing to compensate and increase the white space.

10. Limit the Length

- The length of your resume should be no more than 2 pages. - Two plus pages is usually more appropriate if you’re after an upper management position. - Generally, employers prefer a one page job resume, but they will read two if the resume is organized and focused and conveys a unique and interesting message of capability. - Anything after the second page should be an addendum that supports the content of the first two pages.

11. Get Outside Opinions

- Always have two or more people review your resume. Get feedback that relates to: how others view your marketing materials are they impressed by the resume: content and format content that isn’t clear content that isn’t necessary missing content

12. Pay a Professional to Proofread

- No one can read her own writing and find all the spelling, grammar, or typing errors. - It isn’t worth any amount of money to lose the chance at a job due to a misspelled word. - If you can’t afford to get your resume proofread, have at least two (preferably three) other people whom you trust read it. It only takes one typo to turn a reader off.

Being a tech writer is a great job. Go interesting places, meet really smart people, learn new things and make really good money. Which is why it’s such a rapidly growing profession. The down side, though, is that there are people who get into the business without knowing as much about it as they should.

If you want to become a technical writer try out our free weekly exercises. They are easy and fun to do. You’ll also learn common tech writing terms and current industry trends. Click the link below to check out these exercises:

http://www.techwritertoolkit.com/exercises.html

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The do’s and don’ts of IT job seeking

Posted on August 24, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

As an IT recruiter for some 15 years, what do you think has changed the most for high-tech job seekers?

With today’s unconventional recruiting methods such as social networking sites, there are so many ways now to really put yourself out there and get connected to people with the same interests as you. That has really changed the landscape of recruiting for IT talent.

How has it changed the process for recruiters?

It has allowed us to better match clients with candidates in a cultural way. We can search on Facebook and Google, for instance, and get just a glimpse or even deeper insight into their character. Interests outside of work such as music or art could lead an employer that is in a particular industry to one candidate over another. We can use social networking sites to find out more about an organization’s culture as well. If employees are in clubs or groups listed online, that gives us a perspective on the people that already work there and helps us culturally match others.

What would be considered a bad cultural match?

If you look at dot-com companies that are very fast-paced and work long hours, and someone coming from a structured financial institution and is accustomed to working set hours, such as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — that is not a good cultural fit.

How can IT job seekers use those sites to find work?

A lot of candidates are going to sites and learning more about an organization and connecting with people that already work there to better understand the jobs and culture. For their own profiles, they should make sure the profile is well written and tasteful. They need to display the work that could differentiate them as a candidate, such as interest in music, art, clubs or athletics. That type of information could give them the added boost with an employer and really make them stand out.

Do you have any examples?

We work with a lot of online media companies. One of those clients was looking for a developer, not just a coder, someone that offered a bit more to the role, someone more interesting and original. We had a candidate that was a rapper, a music video rapper. The client went to the candidate’s YouTube site and found the candidate’s personal information and rap video very original and creative in terms of music and other personal interests — attributes beyond his job qualifications and technical skills. It was a very positive representation for that candidate. The client saw that his creativity would translate well to their online media company and be able to provide what they needed to produce for their clients. It was more about looking at the person as a whole as opposed to a one-dimensional piece of paper that has their credentials. It’s not really about that anymore.

What if you aren’t a rapper or you don’t have art to display?

It is also very important to not only talk about your education and work experience, but also what you did at the school or university or former employer, such as social clubs or teams you were involved in. And always remember to be human and relatable. These sites are about humans trying to connect with each other so you have to put that human element forward. Social networking is another sales tool, another way to showcase the best attributes you have.

How can putting personal information on social networking sites hurt a candidate’s job search efforts?

There are a lot of don’ts in terms of what you want to do with your profile. People are definitely more aware of what they are putting on their sites, giving some people the ability to look at some things and keeping some aspects private. I think now people are becoming much smarter because they might have had pictures of themselves up partying in college and now they know that it can be seen and found by potential employers and that the information they post there can be applicable to their professional lives.

For instance?

In terms of things not to do, don’t post a lot of personal pictures of questionable taste. My rule of thumb is if my mom couldn’t see it, I wouldn’t put it up there. You also have to be careful who you link to and who you accept in your profiles because people go beyond and look deeper into who those connections are. If you have political or social views, you want to keep that to a minimum because you never know how a potential employer could interpret those, especially if it is a bank or a financial institution, for instance. Your personal beliefs are your own and potential employers likely wouldn’t ask that question in an interview, but if it is posted for the world to see, you have to be aware that the information could help or potentially hurt you.

How could personal beliefs hurt a person’s chances at getting a job?

One example I can share. We had a situation that we posted for a position. The resume for this candidate included phenomenal credentials and great experience, but the recruiter manager also did a search on Facebook. The candidate’s theme was predominantly Satanic and that didn’t work for the hiring organization’s culture.

Should IT job seekers strip out all personal references on these sites?

No. In many cases, it depends on where they would like to work, the type of organization they would prefer. There are many things that can be taken as positive or negative, depending on the work culture. For instance, we hired someone that had pictures of him with his fraternity brothers and we viewed that as a very positive aspect of his personality in that he was committed long term to an organization. But another employer could view the same picture differently. You have to be very selective and consider both sides of the fence when posting pictures or personal information. People use these sites to check you out and judge you essentially.

How can IT workers highlight their nontechnical skills on such Web sites?

Today’s market is more about the soft skills. The technology demand is there, but it’s how IT workers go into a situation and use their business acumen to handle a crisis. Employers don’t want people to sit in a room and code, in all honesty those jobs are going overseas. You have to give concrete examples of how your technical know-how helped the business.

How honest do candidates have to be in their profiles?

They should be honest, but they can present themselves in innovative ways. We had an instance in which an older gentleman who worked in IT went on Facebook and positioned himself as more youthful by joining nightlife, connections and dance-club groups. That profile helped him get an interview, but his technical skills and experience helped him land the job. There are many IT workers with a wealth of knowledge and experience at their disposal, but it’s important that they convey how they are keeping current with their know-how.

Source: Computerworld - Denise Duble

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