Referral Required?

Whether it's fair or not, an employee referral is often the difference between getting your foot in the door of a company, or getting your resume thrown on the 'ignore' pile.

The New York Times posted an article on Sunday about this shift in hiring, using several large companies as examples. Referral programs are nothing new, but the trend has been to increase the number of new hires from referrals, at some companies up to 50 percent.

This seems to have the most negative impact on the long-term unemployed, as networks begin to shrink the longer a person is out of work. This is why it's important to remain active in job clubs, volunteer activities, and coffee dates with former (and hoped for) co-workers. The more active a person remains in their network, the more likely they are to get that often necessary referral for their next job. LinkedIn and other social media tools are other ways to get involved and stay visible in the market.

Working with a recruiter can also be a great way to get your name in front of the right hiring manager without necessarily knowing someone already inside the organization. Recruiters often have long relationships with their clients, and as such, their judgement is trusted when recommending someone for a position.

Once you're on the job, the 'what you know' side of things eventually takes over. But to get to that point, more and more it depends on who you know.

Good ‘N Plenty? No, Fabulous & Free!

We’re excited to share our latest effort to help jobseekers:

www.Mylandajob.com

This free, really, no-salesman-will-call, site is our effort to help jobseekers everywhere. It’s simple to sign up, easy to access tools for your job search, anonymous (naturally), and valuable. Did I mention it’s free?

The process is segmented into 3 parts: Preparation, Search & Connect, and Interview. Each of these areas contains 5 or 6 tabs to walk you through the process, like these:

*Assessments – again, free – find out what really trips your trigger
*Select: determine targets and your personal brand
*Resume/Cover letter/references – there’s a (free) resume builder, a resume review option and more (like a talking Career Wizard who encourages honesty)


There are some pieces you can choose to purchase, and only if you choose, and it won’t be a surprise. For instance, there’s a resume tune-up for only $59. There are other levels of resume re-write services that top out at $169 for a senior level jobseeker.

There are also (free) forms to help you, like an organizer (oh, joy! Have you really remembered to follow-up with every contact, every time, on-time?) and an interview de-brief form. There are video training clips, webinars (like “Objections are Buying Signs”), and one weekly email.

Here’s why we’re offering it: as recruiters for full-time positions and temporary staffing agents to the same clients, we are paid by the client companies who are hiring. And we can’t help every jobseeker as much as we’d like and remain in business. But most of us got into this work because we love helping great companies find great employees and vice versa. This career portal is our way of accomplishing that loftier goal.

Going Clubbing

It makes my heart beat a little faster. Well, it certainly made me smile. One of my favorite candidates returned my call this afternoon, apologizing for the delay (we have a temporary opportunity for him!). He said he'd been at two different job clubs today and was "going clubbing" again tonight.

Everyone says that networking is THE way to find that next job and there's no more focused way to network for a new job than at a job club. Most jobseekers, sadly, say things like "pffft" when we mention it. There's a great list available for metro Kansas Citians here (http://www.jccc.edu/home/depts.php/S00011/site/JobClubs) thanks to Johnson County Community College and you can easily find them in your community, too. You may have to try more than a few before you find one that fits your needs best; smart jobseekers are regularly attending more than one.

The fellow I mentioned? He sounds more confident and that's priceless!

The Importance of Being Interesting (and Earnest)

As a career coach, one of the activities I spend a lot of time on with clients is their use of language. How we talk about ourselves, and what we say to describe our skills and experience, has a huge impact on whether people want to engage with us, especially if we're looking for referrals to a job or freelance opportunity.

Here are a few simple ways you can be more interesting when you find yourself in those situations when people ask you, "and what do you do?"

1. Instead of using a passive verb ("I am a writer/graphic designer/marketing manager"), use an active verb. Try telling people what you actually do instead of stating your title or past title, which does not create a conversation. In doing this, you may need to just select one aspect of your professional portfolio, but that's okay. You may end up with five or six alternative statements you can use, according to the situation.

2. Find new and compelling words to use. Words are fun! The English language has so many synonyms that there's no excuse for using the same tired terms everyone else does. Devoting just a few minutes to identifying new language for your accomplishments and skills can give a big boost to your personal presentation.

3. Think about describing what you do in terms of its results or impact. There's always a larger purpose for how your function influences the enterprise, and using a few words to reference that helps your listener understand and connect.

4. If you're looking for a job, be prepared to assist your listener with a concise and accurate description of the sort of position and accountabilities you're seeking, maybe even with examples of the kind of company or category you are targeting. Make it as easy as possible for someone to help you.

Implementing these tips requires just a little time, experimentation, and practice. Find a friend, colleague, or coach to help you. In my experience, it's really worth it. When someone's interest is piqued and they truly hear you, a conversation develops, and then some connection may emerge that will genuinely help your quest!

Tell me if you have other tips that have worked for you. Or, if you'd like some help with your own personal pitch, let me know.

A few words for the job hunt

As much as we can, we try to listen to the experiences of job-seekers. This includes those who are looking by choice (to move up or out, or make a career shift), those who've been laid off, and those who are returning to work (moms, for example). We also talk to hiring managers every day. So, that means we hear a lot of stories, and we have a pretty good view of what seems to be most effective in a job search.

Here are a few of the things we see people do who have the shortest time-to-hire.

1. They hold themselves accountable for making a certain number of fresh contacts every week. Rather than just recycling old contacts, they find ways to make new connections. They mix it up, reaching out to companies they've researched and in which they have an interest, as well as applying for posted positions.

2. They do a really good job of articulating what they can offer to a team. The best ones talk about their value in terms of deliverables, rather than strategy and planning. Employers want to hire people who can get stuff done. They tend to hire people who demonstrate they can walk right in and do that stuff.

3. They get out of the house, or out of the office. Every week they show up someplace where they can meet new people at a meeting or program, or they volunteer for an organization where they'll make new contacts, or they join a special-interest club where they can generate fresh energy.

We admire these successful job-finders, so we thought we'd share these lessons we've learned from them. 

Tell us what advice you might share. What's worked for you? What tips do you have for others?