How to Choose the Right Job Recruiter
May 5th, 2012 // 4:28 am @ admin
A few years ago, when I was looking for a job as a sales executive with a major advertising or publishing company, one of the resources I used for my search was a recruiter. I had good and bad experiences with different recruiters. With there being thousands of job recruiters in the market, it was quite challenging to determine the right recruiter to work with. Working with a good or bad recruiter can make or break a job search. There are three traits that I found to look out for when choosing the right recruiter to work with. They are the following:
Knowledgeable – Good recruiters should not only know the business that they are recruiting for but they also should have a thorough understanding of those businesses needs. With this understanding he or she should be able to tell you whether or not you are a good candidate for the business they are recruiting for and why. He or she should also be able to provide some type of guidance on how you can make yourself look better and be more qualified for the types of roles you want to get hired for.
Caring – Although a recruiter’s payment comes from the employer and not the candidate, a good recruiter will show that they care about you and your job search. This can be shown by their willingness to listen to you and attempt to find employer matches based your career goals and intentions
A Good Reputation – Bad recruiters won’t have solid list of clients/employers that they serve. A great question to ask a recruiter before you decide to work with him or her is which companies he or she has made placements in. If he or she has a track record of working with solid employers in your industry, you will know that he or she can be an asset to your job search.
This Tuesday, May 8 I will be having a FREE conference call to talk more about using recruiters. I will discuss how to catch the eye of good recruiters. The fact is that they sort through hundreds of resumes everyday to find the “right” candidate to place into open positions. By registering for this exciting conference call you will know how to increase your chances of successfully landing your dream job through a recruiter.
You will learn the following:
- How to build lasting beneficial relationships with recruiters
- Why a recruiter may not put you in for a job
- How to get the recruiter to sell you better to employers
- The common mistakes that turn recruiters off
- The commons myths about how recruiters work
Register NOW for this conference call
Category : Blog &Job Search &Recruiters
Is Your Eye on the Prize???
April 7th, 2012 // 5:30 pm @ admin
One of my favorite quotes comes from Helen Keller who at 19 months of age became blind and deaf. When asked about her feelings about her disability she responded and said,
“I’d rather have vision with no sight, then sight without vision.”
I love this quote for its application to a growing professional. One of the hardest part about growing as a professional is to keep perspective on your career VISION no matter what your SIGHT reveals about your current state or environment. For job seekers the process is tough because one can feel like there is no progress until a job is landed. For an employed professional, one can have an emotional low after a tough day at work and not feel like he or she is moving forward in their career until either a new job is landed or a promotion is granted.
For both a job seeker and an employed professional, the perspective must always be kept on the VISION of the accomplished goal and not on the SIGHT of momentary failures. Despite Helen Keller disability she was still able to publish 12 books and become a national celebrity.
I have 5 main steps to always keeping perspective on the VISION of tomorrow and not the SIGHT of today.
- Decide on a vision. Think about where you want to be in 5 to 10 years. Imagine the experience of that vision being a reality.
- Make a 1 year goal. Break your vision down to where you need be in 1 year to be on track for it in 5 years.
- Respect the process. There is always a process between getting from where you are today to being where you want to be. Respect the process of getting there. You can respect your process the same way you would respect the process of a newborn baby learning to walk. You wouldn’t get frustrated with the baby not walking after only being only 2 months old.
- Celebrate your Victories. Each time you achieve a new milestone in your process take time to acknowledge yourself for doing so. You’ve gotten one step closer to your vision.
- Remind yourself of your Vision daily. Take 1 minute each day to meditate daily on your vision. This will constantly keep you aware of the reason for your working progress.
Category : Blog &Career &Featured &Job Search
Just Ask for the Job
March 31st, 2012 // 12:28 pm @ admin
One of my favorite tv drama’s to watch is Mad Men on AMC. I love it because the show has many lessons that any career professional can learn from. The show is a fictional story about a group of advertising executives of Madison Avenue in New York City who work at the same company. One of the characters on the show, Peggy, who started at the company as a secretary got promoted multiple times within four seasons from a secretary, to a copywriter, and then to a manager. To get each promotion she did one thing that many career professionals and even job seekers fail to do. They fail to ask for the job. Each time Peggy got a promotion, she clearly communicated her accomplishments and asked for the job.
It’s a failed assumption to believe that just because you are working at a company your manager thinks that you want a promotion. It is even a worst assumption by a job seeker to think that just because you are at a job interview the interviewer thinks you want the job. Your employer will only know what you want when you tell him or her. Whether you are an employed or unemployed professional, asking for your next job simply means being confident enough to tell your employer that you want the job and supporting your request with your most notable accomplishments that prove that you qualify.
For an employed professional the process of gaining a promotion occurs in a few simple steps.
- Write down where you would like to be in your career in 5 years
- Determine how your current job aligns with your 5 year goal
- Assess where you are now and what steps and promotions are needed for you to reach your goal
- Evaluate and record what your most valuable skills are and most notable accomplishments have been in your career
- Determine what promotion is needed for you to take one step forward in your 5 year goal
- Talk to your boss about your career goals in the company, skills, and accomplishments. Then ask what you need to show in your performance to be consider for a promotion
- Do you best and more than necessary to meet the requirements of the promotion.
- Ask for the promotion
This Monday, I will be having a conference call to show you how to properly end an interview and ask for the job. On this call you will learn the following:
- How to find out what the employer thinks about you
- A 5 step process for ending a job interview properly
- How to increase your chance of getting called back for another interview
- The common mistakes that turn employers off
- What to do if you see the interview going in a bad direction
Category : Blog &Job Search
The Worst Way to Quit Your Job
March 16th, 2012 // 12:10 pm @ admin
There can be a time in our life when we dislike our job to the point that we simply give our resignation letter to our boss and quit. For Goldman Sachs executive, Greg Smith, he not only resigned from his company, but he published his resignation letter in the New York Times and wrote how much his company sucks. It’s a bold move that many us can only fantasize about as a way to publicly express our work related gripes and walk in the glory of shame we put on the company. It is akin to publicly breaking up with your loved one on Facebook and expressing in your status update how bad of a person he or she it.
Although there is temporary satisfaction, it comes at a cost that can outweigh the benefits. There are two major costs. Greg has tarnished many of his relationships with executives and employees at Goldman. They have had to endure financial and mental suffering as a result of his behaviour. He also will probably find it hard to work at another financial firm or company outside the industry again. The concern will always be whether he will publicly express his gripes instead of doing so directly and privately with the person he has a problem with.
From this I have put together my top 5 list of ways not to quit your job.
1. The Obvious. If you feel negatively about your company, don’t publicized your resignation letter and why you are leaving to everyone. Do so privately with your boss. Anything negative you say to others will only reflect poorly on you.
2. The One Hour Notice. Give your employer sometime to adjust and get ready for your departure from the company. A two week notice of your resignation is a standard rule. A short notice of your resignation will only hurt your relationship with your boss. You never know when and how you will need your boss again in the future.
3. The Rant. Waiting until the last day of your job to tell your boss all of the negative things that you wanted to say to him but haven’t would not be the best idea. You will not only hurt your relationship with your boss, but it will be put on your record. If your company were ever to go in a direction that you like you wouldn’t be able to work there ever again because of your previous actions.
4. The No Show. The art of simply not showing up to work anymore only can make you look bad. Others will think that you didn’t even have the courage to communicate your resignation at all.
5. The Text or Email. Quiting any job is a very personal thing. Consequently, it is best reserved to be done in person. It probably would not be a good idea to communicate your your resignation via a text message or a email from the comfort of your home. It would definitely prevent you from using your employer as a reference.
Category : Blog &Career &Job Search
Stop Stressing & Take a Break!
March 9th, 2012 // 2:16 pm @ admin
Just yesterday, I walked outside bundled in multiple layers of warm clothing only to strip down to my tee shirt because of the warm weather. With spring around the corner many professionals and job seekers are aching to get out of their office or home to take advantage of all the new activities that the warm weather brings. Whether you are stressed with the pressures of the job or job search, the warm weather gives you access to a whole new lot of things that you can do to relax and feel better.
The saying goes, “all work and no play make jack a dull boy.” It’s an accurate description to what can happen to a professional overwhelmed by work or a job seeker overwhelmed by the stress of looking for work. This highlights the importance of actively engaging or planning for fun stress relieving activities that give you a renewed mind to perform even better than you had before. The following are my top 4 things to do to relieve stress:
1. Step out of your environment and go for a walk. Sometimes a change in scenery can make a big difference in how you view the pressure of the things that you are working on.
2. Work out at the gym. Exercise is a great way to remove negative energy from your body and produce endorphins in your brain that make you feel good.
3. Get a massage. Many times when I am feeling stressed, I can always find comfort and relief in a massage.
4. Smile. Even if you have nothing to smile about think of something to smile about and smile. Smiling reduces the amount of adrenaline released in your body and promotes the release of endorphins that gives one a feeling of euphoria.
Category : Blog &Productivity
Create Balance Within Your Busy Career
February 10th, 2012 // 1:46 pm @ admin
One of the many challenges of career professionals who are dealing with the growing demands of their busy career is the struggle to maintain a sense of work life balance. Work life balance isn’t scheduling an equal number of hours for each area of your life. It is the idea of giving time to different areas of your life based on your personal values and how you prioritize them. While it is important to focus and give intense attention to special projects that need to get done in a limited time. This can be the cause of major stress and a tendency to ignore other important areas of one’s life that requires attention.
The first step in achieving balance is noticing where in your life you are “off balance.” This can be done through one simple exercise. The first exercise is to grade your experience of balance in key areas of your life. For each of the following categories rank your level of satisfaction on a scale of 1(not at all satisfied) to 10(extremely satisfied):
Career/Work:
Finances:
Health:
Family/Friends:
Partner/Romance:
Personal Growth/Spiritual:
Fun & Recreation:
Physical Environment:
Next rank each of the following areas based on their level of importance:
Career/Work:
Finances:
Health:
Family/Friends:
Partner/Romance:
Personal Growth/Spiritual:
Fun & Recreation:
Physical Environment:
What are 2 things that you can do to create more balance in your top 3 areas that are both important and have strong level dissatisfaction?
Category : Blog &Career &Personal Development
It’s the Little People That Count
February 1st, 2012 // 3:54 pm @ admin
One of the most prized possessions of many working professionals is their social capital. One’s social capital is simply the value and depth of their professional network. It is what they lean on to gain access to career advancement opportunities. The assumption is easy. Get connected, build relationships and help other professionals more senior and experienced than you to build more social capital. The more people who know your value in high positions, the better.
This is only part of the equation. For the average working professional it is easy to forget the value of helping and building social capital with peers and professionals who are junior to you. One thing to realize is that these professionals want to grow and advance just as much as you do. Many of them will advance in their career and probably even surpass your current level. When they reach their new level, they will always be more inclined to help those who helped them along the way.
The benefit of giving a helping hand to peers and professionals junior to you will not always be immediately apparent. Much like a farmer can’t depend on every one of his eggs to hatch you can never know who your personal contribution of mentorship and advice will have the most impact on. This is why you should try to contribute as much as you can to the lives of your peers and those junior to you. The law of reciprocity simple states that “all transmissions of energy result in a return of energy in like kind”. The more that you give and contribute to peers and junior professionals, the more social capital that you have.
The following are my top three ways to give more to your peers and junior professionals:
Be a mentor: No matter where you are in your career you are always in a position to be a mentor to someone else. You will always have lessons learned and experiences that would be of benefit to others.
Refer others for jobs in your company – In this challenging economy, job seekers are finding it tough to get considered for important job opportunities. A personal referral from you is many times more likely to be considered for a job position than someone the company recruits from an internet submission.
Teach a class – Teaching a class in an area of your expertise is not only a great way to contribute to others, it is also a way to give yourself extra exposure to other senior professionals who can consider you for opportunities that could advance your career.
Invest Your Tax Return for Career Success!
January 17th, 2012 // 1:57 pm @ admin
It’s already that time of the year where we have the opportunity to get back the money we have over paid in taxes. For the fortunate many who are able to receive a tax return as opposed to paying more taxes, a celebration is already in store. This extra income brings the opportunity to make purchases or payments that may not have been possible with our regular biweekly salary.
For a job seeker who is either unemployed, underemployed, or just simply ready for a bigger and better job opportunity, this tax season give him a chance to make personal investments for the benefit of their job search. There are many things that a job seeker can invest in to improve the quality of their job search. The following are my top 3 things a job seeker can invest in to improve their job search:
Continuing Education Class
For a job seeker who is looking to increase their knowledge and skill in a field of their choice a continuing education class can be a valuable resource. The information gained from these classes can give a job seeker better insight on how to make themselves look better in the eyes of the employer. Not only is the class beneficial because of the knowledge gained it is also a prime networking opportunity. You can have the chance to network among other like minded individuals who may know about unadvertised job opportunities that you don’t know about.
Membership to Trade Associations
Trade associations can be a prime place to learn about job opportunities that aren’t normally advertised to the public. Many trade associations will only share these opportunities with paid members. Do some research in the Encyclopedia of Associations at your local library or on the internet for some key associations related to your field. Contact an officer within these organizations and find out if they advertise job opportunities to their members.
A Career Coach
If you couldn’t afford to invest in a career coach before this may be the best time to do so. A career coach can help you to take a very strategic approach to your job search that helps you get access to more job opportunities, calls for more interviews, and more job offers. Working with a skilled career coach can help you to expedite the process of you landing your next job so that you can have the benefits of a new job sooner than later.
2012 Resolution: Don’t Waste Your Time!
December 21st, 2011 // 10:12 am @ admin
Statistics show that 97% of new year resolutions aren’t kept. Frankly, I think that new year resolutions can be a waste of time. From my experience I’ve noticed that a lot of the people that I have come across either have very vague goals or their goal is just too big to feasibly work on. In addition, having a year deadline can be just too much time for the natural procrastinator who may decide to put off their goal for so long that it just never gets accomplished. Instead of making new year goals one can make a new month and a 90 day goal. These type of goals bring a new refresh energy to your achievement. You can start by asking yourself the following questions in their order:
What would you like to specifically accomplish within the next 90 days?
How will you measure your success in that goal?
What can you do over the next 30 days that will put you in line for that 90 day goal?
What are some milestones that need to be achieve along the way of achieving your 90 day goal
What milestones can your accomplish within the next 30 days? 60days?
What steps do you need to take to achieve your short term 30 days goal?
Category : Career &Goal Setting
How to Network Without Networking Events
November 30th, 2011 // 2:52 pm @ admin
For many career professionals the idea of networking seems synonymous with the tradition of attending events where crowds of people clam together, have conversation, and exchange of business cards. If you’re a busy professional that habitually gets out of work late or have a number of after work responsibilities such as a family, you may not have the time to attend these events. The dilemma is how to balance your career and personal life while also growing your professional network to gain access to various word of mouth job opportunities or valuable industry related information. I say that you don’t always have to attend a networking event in order to network. In the following I list my top three non-traditional places to network that don’t require any extra time out of your busy schedule.
1. Early morning train or bus
Many successful businessmen and women have internalized the phrase, “the early bird gets the worm.” In fact, much of their success lies in arriving to work well before their colleagues and leaving well after everyone has gone home. As a result you will commonly find them commuting to work on the early train or bus. If you work a regular 9 to 5 work shift, try leaving for work an hour before you usually leave, you’ll be surprised by how many more people you will be able to meet during your commute.
2. The Coffee Shop at lunch
The coffee shop can serve multiple purposes for various business people. Not only is it a place to buy coffee, but it is also a place to have business meetings. As a result you will likely find various type of business people at the coffee shop who either have the power to refer you for a job opportunity or hire you for one.
3. Gym
For many high-powered business people with high stress jobs the main way that they manage the stress is by working out regularly at the gym. In between exercise routines, one can easily initiate a conversation with them, build rapport, and create a networking opportunity. The best time meet these people at the gym are either early in the morning, during lunch or after work hours.
Category : Blog &Career &networking