Savvy job seekers are sending email correspondence directly to new and existing contacts to follow up on job postings, to ask for job lead referrals and to inquire about exploratory job interviews. Normally, job seekers know what they want to say and get to the point in the body of the email on the email’s purpose. But then they get to the subject line…..”What do I write in the subject line?” is the question I am often asked.  After all, it is the email’s first impression—it is critical to get it right! Well, here are a few ways to successfully tackle this head scratcher of a dilemma. NOTE: no tactic will work each and every time, but using your judgment to choose which tactic can work best to capture the reader’s attention can improve the odds that your email is read. (more…)

New Year. New Job. New Opportunities. “But I have been looking for a job, Lisa, so searching for a job is not new for me. I need to recharge my efforts to get results…where do I start?” If this is you, I empathize. For some, this is a new year that brings new perspective. For others, it is just another day in a life that has been focused on looking for a new position. If you need to pump some new mojo and energy into your search to get results that you want and land that next job faster, here are the six things you can do today…or even this week: (more…)

I attended the Career Directors International Summit led by Laura DeCarlo (@careerhero) this past week held in the colorful Savannah, Georgia. What a week it was! The general theme validated for me was that having a self-made or professionally done resume is not the sole magic elixir to landing your next job. It is a component, not the only step needed to be taken.

So what else is needed, you ask?  Job seekers today need to approach their search with the hiring manager’s mind set in hand. It is no mistake that this year’s conference featured Martin Yates, the author of the highly successful Knock ‘Em Dead career books and former recruiter, and Shally Steckerl, the sourcing and recruiting industry rockstar. These two gentleman punctuated job seekers need to think creatively when approaching and being discovered by hiring decision makers.  Here are a few ways how:  (more…)

JOB SEARCH AUDIT QUIZ

The job search is not yielding what you have hoped up to this point. You feel stale, uninspired and ineffective. Or maybe you are happy with your initial results, but now the activity has weaned a bit and you want to step up your game? Below is a short list of questions to quickly assess the quality of the quantity of your job search activities to help you determine (1) Am I doing the right activities? and (2) Am I doing enough of the right activities? Take this job search audit quiz now and be honest with yourself…it will help you identify the activities that will get your results and ensure you drop the activities that are dragging you down: Here we go:

1. How many hours are you spending on job boards?
2. How much time are you spending tweaking your resumes and cover letters?
3. How much time are you spending researching companies to apply to?
4. How many companies do you add/modify/delete from your target list each month?
5. How many hiring managers, line managers or knowledge resources are you speaking to each week?
6. How many outbound emails are you sending to targeted decision makers or knowledge sources each week?

What does it mean?

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This is an actual question posed to me by a job seeker back in March 2011.  And below it is my answer. I felt this person’s pain. While this reader was not in the position to hire me, I was compelled to giving this person some low-cost and free resources that, with initiative and gumption, could help them get results from the search that was currently frustrating them…If this is you, I hope this helps:

I have a major problem, companies I want to work at say to apply on-line and but it seems the application disappears.  Everyone says I should network but I feel uncomfortable hounding everyone I know about finding a new job.  Recruiters are somewhere in between, you have to play along or they will black list you.  What should I do? —

I agree this is a frustrating situation.  Without knowing specifics of the situation, it may be difficult to diagnose in email, but I will offer some insights that I hope will help: (more…)

Your head tells you, “No one is hiring.” I am here to tell you that it is not true –I have had two clients land and start positions in December. This is actually the time we get to have fun with this process! The holidays can present many leads to pursue and an abundance of opportunities to expand your network. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, here are practices you can do to make job searching and holiday networking easier for you during this season: (more…)

Creating a social media profile is a business necessity in today’s job search marketplace. We are not only talking about Linkedin, but also Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and other niche sites. According to the most recent issue of HR Magazine issued by The Society of Human Resources Management, 78% of companies are using LinkedIn for recruiting, 54% are using Facebook, 44% are using Twitter and 18% are using blog searches. There were even some cited as using YouTube and MySpace for recruiting. So why is this important? Bottom line is if you are doing a job search and you are not on most of these mediums, you will be at a serious disadvantage in landing your next role. Here are four reasons why: (more…)

Yes, I landed what I would call an interview a couple of weeks ago without looking for a job or to work for an outside company. How did it happen? I was reading a blog post from a fellow career services professional who runs a group at a large career management firm. This person made a great point in how successful job seekers at all levels (in their particular case they cater to the executive job seeker) are repackaging their skill sets to reinvent themselves within their existing profession or an entirely new profession. (more…)

Feeling like you want to see what opportunity is out there in the marketplace? Not sure what to do to get it going or if you even want to look for a job? Well, start your own research tour. Learn about what you think you may want to do next. You do not need to start with your resume, if you do not know where you want to go yet. To help you get that direction, here are three things you can do today to begin assembling information to help you: (more…)

Frustrated by search firm recruiters not calling you back when you have submitted your resume to them? Feel you’re perfect for the job they posted, you know you can do it, but baffled by the fact they have not returned your call? Well, I have some answers for you and outline a few things you can do about it. Read on if you are open to honest, tough talk, you are serious about optimizing your job search time and you are prepared to do something about it. Here goes: (more…)