Kristen Jacoway is a JibberJobber Partner and the newest Now What??? author. Her book, I’m in a Job Search – Now What??? is a great guide to those who have been blindsided into this role as job seeker. I rarely foreword books but I did this one, because I’m so passionate about the topic.
Kristen is going to be the judge of this weekly question/answer… make sure you answer in the comments in this blog post (not on Facebook).
What is the best job search advice you’ve ever heard?
What is the worst job search advice you’ve ever heard?
Answer in the comments – good luck!
(if you want the book now you can get it at amazon or from the publisher (you can also get this Job Search Now What??? book for only $11.95 from the publisher))
Best advice
Know your talents, strengths and what you want and then write them down. When networking, be specific with target companies, industries, possible titles and job responsibilities. Then, with every encounter, your message will be clear, specific and memorable to others. But more importantly, with any help or introduction, ALWAYS “circle back” and tell ‘em what happened and say THANK YOU! Networking is a full contact sport! Being all things to all people in job transition is like playing the lottery.
Worse advice
Hang with all the negative job seekers so you can have a pity party.
Hi Jason,
I have 2:
#1. (From our friend, Pete Weddle) “It’s no longer who you know, its WHO knows you.”
#2. (From our friend, Gerry Crispin) “Never, ever apply for a job without finding someone inside the company to hand deliver your resume to the hiring manager.” This is the best, and most important advice I could share with anyone is a job search, and (as you well know), points to the importance of developing a strong Linkedin network. Submitting your resume online through a job board or company career portal is like shooting craps in a casino: How is the ATS (applicant tracking system) set up? What are the key words? Maybe they’re only looking for people who’ve worked for their biggest competitor. Maybe the hiring manager went to UCLA and has the system weighted to finding UCLA grads. Point is: with the glut of talent on the market, companies can be very choosey.
Using Linkedin to find someone in your target company you know, or who can provide you with a strong referral. Puts you light years ahead of the competition, and your resume at the top of the pile.
Speaking about referrals, would you refer Kristen to me? Would love to interview her!
Peter Clayton
TotalPicture Radio
There are many of best and worst advises, depending on the point of view (related to resume and cover letter writing, attitudinal mistakes, interview mistakes, etc.), but I think these are two of the most important ones:
best advise: Develop a job search plan and stick to that plan
worst advise: Presuming entitlement to the job, which reflects badly in interviews and on tests