Today I’m opting for comedy relief. If you have time, you should watch some of these videos about job interviews. They will show you what NOT to do!
Have you ever felt like THIS in a job interview? (click here to watch the videos)
“If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.” Sun-Tsu, The Art of War
24 centuries ago Sun-tzu taught his generals that winning involves two things: knowledge of one’s self and knowledge of one’s opponent. This advice is still true today — especially for job seekers going on an interview. (I know the interviewer is not your “opponent” per se, but you must admit that sometimes it feels that way!) Understanding who you are interviewing with and what their objectives are for a particular interview will give you a leg up on your real competition . . . other candidates for the job. (continue reading. . . )
By now you understand that finding the perfect job requires more than simply writing a resume and posting it online. In fact, if you are going to take the “apply-on-line” approach you should spend NO MORE than 2 hours per week at it. Less than 5% of jobs are ever posted online, so if you are going to find your next job fast you need to spend your time elsewhere. The successful and savvy job seeker will develop a compelling personal brand and spend 75% of their time (or more) promoting it. Here are 7 key ways to promote your personal brand. (continue reading at http://careeradvice4u.com/7-key-ways-promote-personal-brand/)
If you are going to build a house you will want to have a blueprint. Otherwise how would you know if you were supposed to install a window or a door? How would you keep the roof from falling through the floor without the proper placement of the pillars?
If you are going to develop your personal brand you will want to have a strategy — a blueprint for building your personal brand. Here are the four pillars of that blueprint. (continue reading. . . )
Tiger Woods.
What do you think of when you read or hear that name? Chances are, what you think today is NOT what you thought about 3 weeks ago. I hate to pile on, but . . . well, actually I don’t mind piling on if we can all learn something from it.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last two weeks, you know the story about the most famous golfer of all times and how his reputation (i.e. his personal brand) has been tarnished following the exposure of his multiple sexual encounters. I’m not here to pass judgment on Tiger. Afterall, who DIDN’T see something like this coming? What I want to do in this post is to see what we can learn from Tiger about managing (or mismanaging) our personal brand. Here’s my list: (continue reading. . . )
You don’t really “create” a personal brand. You already have one.
Don’t believe me? Google your name followed by your home town. If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile your name probably comes up on the fist page. Perhaps you are listed in the phone book. Maybe you have recently been mentioned in a local news article. All of these things are part of your personal brand.
Scary? Get over it. . . (continue reading at www.careeradvice4u.com)
Behavioral interviews (or behavior-based interviews) have been around since the 1980s and have become a rather prominent form for selecting qualified candidates. The effectiveness of this type of interview has been validated in respected research journals repeatedly. In short, behavioral interviews work when they are done right. Unfortunately, they are not always done right because they are conducted by people who have not been trained to conduct them. (Read more at http://careeradvice4u.com/ace-behavioral-interview/)
Interested in promoting yourself on the Internet without spending a ton of money? Want potential employers to know more about you? Looking for ways to get recruiters to show more interest in your Resume? You need a blog.
Done well, a blog is an important tool for branding yourself. Make sure your blog is done well, because done poorly a blog will hurt any chance you have of landing a job.
Blogging is a tool used to. . . (continue reading. . . )
Today’s post at www.careeradvice4u.com/blog is by guest writer, Larque Goodson — a job seeker, just like you. Here’s what she has to say. . .
“Do you ever have a bad feeling in your gut like you are seven years old and just stole candy? How about a grating irritation that something is not quite right?
Possibly your subconscious is trying to tell you that despite saying you have a job-hunting strategy, you are not working the process.
I have felt an agitation over the past two weeks that I could not seem to shake…(to read more go to http://careeradvice4u.com/swiftkickinthebutt/)
A reader recently commented: “Dealing with recruiters, hiring managers, and HR is a game where the odds are stacked way against you. One never knows what it is that gets you eliminated from consideration. And often times, they just go with an internal candidate they identified way before they advertised the position you applied for.”
This is a VERY interesting observation. Many people feel its true that applying for a job is a “game” and that the odds are stacked against the applicant before the game ever begins, but think about it from the standpoint of the employer. Who would YOU rather hire? Someone you don’t know that you pulled out of a stack of 1,000 resumes? Or someone you know or have met through someone you know? I’m sure MOST of us would rather hire the latter. People hire people they know, because finding someone who is the “right fit” is often MORE important than finding someone who has the skills you need. You can always train people new skills. But if someone is not a good fit for your organization. . . well, you can’t really change that, can you?!
Then there is the cost of hiring. Consider that it costs about 1.5 to 2 times the annual salary of the employee per hire. That means, if I am paying someone $70k per year the cost to hire them is somewhere between $105k and $140k. If they end up not fitting into the organization I might have to pay that out again in 6 – 18 months. However, if I hire someone I know (or meet through a friend, colleague, current employee, etc) my chances of finding a good fit are much better – thus saving the cost of hiring someone else within 6 to 18 months. Again, which would YOU prefer?
Since THAT is the game, the secret for job seekers is to activate your network to be the person with the odds stacked in YOUR favor. Use your friends, colleagues, and former co-workers to find out where the opportunities are. Have them submit your resume or introduce you directly to the hiring manager. When you do get in front of the hiring manager, don’t focus on your needs. Instead focus on THEIRS! Show them what you can do for them – how you will help them achieve their business goals and cause their business to grow. Give them concrete examples of how you have helped previous employers make or save money. And don’t forget to make sure that you and the company are a good fit.
If you need help activating your network, find a good coach or mentor. Use Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks to help you – but remember, ALWAYS focus on what you can do for others. People don’t care what you know or are capable of until they know you care about them and their needs!
Happy Hunting!
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