Blog

Being out of the corporate environment myself these days, I am constantly keeping myself in check by doing research on hiring trends and the job market. I recently received a connection request from a local recruiter on LinkedIn. Since I'm not in the habit of connecting with people that I don't know, I set up phone call to see how we could add value to each other's networks.

I took this opportunity to pick his brain about all of the burning questions that my clients have about working with recruiters. Why? So I can share all of the insights with you-my tribe!

Here are the top two takeaways from our conversation....

Are cover letters dead? No, but they are on life support. The modern cover letter is now reincarnating as an "E-Note." E-Notes refer to electronic communications such ...

Everybody likes the "try before you buy" approach to life. Would you buy a car without doing a test drive? I doubt it. Have you ever read an online review before buying a product? Of course. Everyone wants to make sure that they are getting something for their investment. Employers are no different. Employers have numerous ways to evaluate you: the resume, your LinkedIn profile, the interview, etc. All of those methods are self-reported though. They consist of you talking about why you are so great and should be hired.

But....

What if OTHER people were saying how great you are and why you should be hired? That's a whole different ballgame right there. What do you think the benefits would be if you had other people selling your value for you on your profile? Would that add ...

If you've done an interview coaching session with me, then you already know this fact: In 2016, LinkedIn surveyed over 1,300 hiring managers to uncover the top skills that employers are screening candidates for. Soft skills, in particular, can be some of the most difficult skills to evaluate. The managers revealed that they most value the following skills, in this order: Adaptability, Cultural Fit, Collaboration, Leadership, Growth Potential, and Prioritization.

I work primarily with mid and later career clients and it’s interesting that adaptability tops the list, because older job seekers often get stereotyped for not being adaptable enough already. They are often assumed to be resistant to change or unwilling to learn new technologies. Given that this is my general client base, I know this to be completely untrue in most cases. Many older workers are in fact very willing to work and learn new skills ...

Throughout this series, I've walked you through the preliminary steps of an effective job search strategy, beginning with researching companies that you're interested in and then connecting with people who work there. Interestingly, most job seekers skip steps one and two entirely and only do the last step-applying. This is a large part of why the average job search takes several months.

When you engage all three aspects of this strategy, you will be reducing your job search time and increasing your future job satisfaction by focusing on companies where you'd be a good fit. You may have guessed that this approach actually takes a fair amount more effort up front, which is one reason why a lot of job seekers don't do it and just go right to applying. The good news, however, is that because you are putting in more ...

Step one of re-vamping your job search strategy was to research potential employers that you are interested in. The goal is for you to go beyond the job boards and think about where you actually want to work. Yes, you can approach your job search that way. As you may know, the job boards only show about 20% of the available jobs out there. Those are terrible odds!

After you've compiled a list of at least 25 potential employers, I want you to set a goal of finding at least one person to connect with at each company. Who are you trying to connect with? Recruiters, Hiring Managers and especially anyone in your network who works at that company. Always start with your warm leads, which are people that you already know. Your current network is always your best bet because they already know ...

Having a strong resume is only one component of a successful job search. Possibly even more important than that is your strategy. I've heard from a number of clients that they've never needed a resume in the past because they've always gotten their positions from networking. Wow, that says it all. Having said that, resumes are still expected these days and you will have to present one at some point.

If you are not getting the results you need in your search, then stick with me for the next few weeks. I'll be unveiling a three step process for you to REVAMP your job search strategy and improve your results. The three steps are: Research, Connect and Apply (in that order!).

Step One: Research

The first step to an effective job search is to ...

Let’s face it—much of the job search is set up in the employer’s favor. Employers have access to reliable salary data through compensation surveys, and they often have hundreds of applicants to choose from for just one posting. Unless you possess some very rare and specialized skills, it’s typically up to the job seeker to get the employer’s attention, and not the other way around. Improving your resume and your strategy with a coach is an excellent way to expedite your results.

Some people claim that it's cheating to have someone else write your resume. The notion that hiring a resume writer or career coach is cheating is completely absurd. Is it cheating for an athlete to use an athletic coach? Or for a vocalist to use a vocal coach? Job searching and resume writing are skills ...

I don't have to tell you that job hunting is an arduous process. If you've been through one recently, then you know. Even once you secure an offer, the work is still not done. Or, at least it shouldn't be.

So many people avoid negotiating their salary and take whatever is offered because that's the most comfortable thing to do. But that’s not the best approach. I encourage you to go beyond what is comfortable, to help you realize the benefits of speaking up and asking for what you deserve.

I've coached several people through successful negotiations in the last few months, using the dialogue below. It's very effective, and I'm excited to share it with you here! To make it even easier, I’ve broken it down into easy-to-follow steps.

Read more

Most job seekers treat their LinkedIn profile (if they have one) as simply an online version of their resume. They copy and paste everything from their resume and transfer it right to their profile. Or, they simply list their positions with no information to describe them. Neither of those is the best approach.

It’s important to understand the ways that a LinkedIn profile is different than your resume. Unlike your resume, social media profiles are visible 24/7. Anyone can view it at any time. This makes it more difficult to target specific positions with a LinkedIn profile. Your resume is kept private until the moment you choose to send it and therefore can be customized prior to someone reading it. The implications of this are significant. This means that your LinkedIn profile must be well-aligned with the positions that you are applying ...

This week's article is a guest blog from Careerminds. Careerminds is a next gen career transitions company focusing on outplacement, retirement lifestyle planning, and leadership development coaching. They specialize in high-touch, high-tech solutions that give their clients personalized experiences while still using the most sophisticated technology on the market. For more information about Careerminds, please visit their website.  

Job searches are always hard, but going through them after being let go can make them even harder. Not only is your morale low, but there is a sense of pressure to quickly find a job as to not feel the impact of lost wages. It takes an organization an average of about fifty-two days to hire on a candidate for an open position. While a month and a half might not seem like a long time, it is long enough to cause serious harm to the morale ...