Monday, November 28, 2011

The #1 Rule to a More Efficient Job Search


Looking for work is stressful enough without wasting time pursuing opportunities that will never come to fruition.  There IS a connection between the job description and a candidate’s skill set.  If you are a job seeker and looking to streamline your job search activities, consider the following tips and information:

Read the job description BEFORE applying for the job! 
 
Job descriptions are snapshots of the job.  Well written job descriptions will clearly and concisely state the job responsibilities as well as a list of tasks that successful candidates will be required to do once they have secured employment with the company.  Well written job descriptions will also list the key qualifications i.e. basic requirements and/or credentials desired by the employer.

Well-written job descriptions are likely to contain the following information:
  • Title of the position
  • Department
  • Reports to (to whom the person directly reports)
  • Overall responsibility
  • Key areas of responsibility
  • Consults with (those who the person works with on a regular basis)
  • Term of employment
  • Qualifications (necessary skills and experience required)
It is also important to note that a job description may not be limited to explaining the current situation, or work that is currently expected; it may also set out goals for what might be achieved in future.

Rationale for reading the job description BEFORE you apply for the job:

1.         You will be able to identify the functional responsibilities and skills required to do the job and if you have the necessary skills to fulfill the job responsibilities.
2.         Once you have a better understanding of the job duties, you will have a better understanding of what a reasonable amount of pay is for the job and if you are willing to accept that level of  remuneration
3.         Once you are called in for an interview, you will be in a better position to respond to the interview questions that would be relevant to the role as well as the information you need to have a better understanding of the standards by which you will be measured

Advice to job seekers:

There IS a connection between the job description and a candidate’s skill set, so, stop wasting valuable time and resources pursuing job opportunities for which you are not qualified. 

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Monday, November 21, 2011

Small Companies Need YOU


Recent surveys conducted by The Bank of Canada and Price Waterhouse Coopers [PwC] indicate a bright future for small business in Canada.  The PwC Business Insights Survey, which looks at issues affecting Canadian private companies, says that, despite the economic slump, Canadian private companies are more optimistic than ever and that 82% plan to grow and expand over next 12 months.

Looking for and securing a job is a numbers game.   While most of the advice out there suggests that working for a large company is optimal.  If you, especially if you are a mature worker and looking for opportunities, it makes sense to consider the green pastures offered by small businesses.

Large businesses, as a rule, require candidates to clear the hurdle of their HR department before they bring candidates in for an interview.  The problem is that large businesses, i.e. those with and HR department that is larger than one employee, has likely invested tonnes of money in their Applicant Tracking Software [ATS] systems.  These ATS systems require candidates to submit standardized résumés that restrict the candidate’s ability to reveal the depth and breadth of their entire skill set.

Large companies, as a rule, are uncomfortable accepting ideas and growth strategies from the grassroots level of the organization.  As a result, the best opportunities for more experienced workers would be to look for opportunities with smaller companies that can and will benefit from the hands-on experience that only someone with years of experience can provide.
When approaching or applying for opportunities with smaller companies, candidates need to be cognizant of the fact that the rules are different in these smaller organizations.

1.  The owner of the small business is usually the one doing the hiring.

2.  The owner of the small business is likely to wear more than one hat and requires the same of their employees.

3.  Small business owners will always need people who can have a positive effect on their bottom line wither by increasing sales, increasing efficiencies or reducing losses.

4. Small business owners will always need employees with good/effective communications skills - written, verbal, presentation and interpersonal. 

5.  Small business owners will always have room for those who can produce extraordinary video and multimedia.  Producing video is just like writing, but it is targeted at customers who don’t like to read.  N.B. Both writing and producing video are skills that can be learned.

6.  Small business owners are far more adverse to taking risks than owners of larger companies and are more likely to hire on contract before offering a candidate a full time position.

When looking for opportunities with small businesses, mature workers, or anyone else for that matter, should not expect to be hired because they responded to an ad and has been granted an interview.  Candidates will need to demonstrate their worth to the company.  Once you, as the candidate, can demonstrate that you have the ability contribute far more to the company’s bottom line than you cost, the next exercise will be to figure out a payment schedule.

Was this article useful?  Please share your thoughts with others.

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Job Seeking and Utilizing the Power of LinkedIn

If you are one of those Social Media laggards who have not yet jumped into the pool and you are unemployed, thinking about jumping to a new job at a new company or perhaps even starting your own company, it behoves you to start planting your seeds now so that you can reap the rewards in the future.  

Now that you have an amazing profile on the site and you have spent time, energy and perhaps even some money to ‘optimize’ your profile, there is still work to be done.  In order to prepare for your future you must also familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and LinkedIn is a critical tool for doing such work.  As of August 2011, LinkedIn boasted a membership list of 120 million registered users and 61% of those members claimed to have used the tool for professional networking.  To gain a better understanding what that means to you, and your future, simply type your job title into the search box and prepare yourself to be in awe of the number of results generated within nanoseconds of clicking the ‘enter’ key.  

Now that you have digested the results and pushed past the queasiness in your stomach due to the realization that you are just one more ‘fish’ in that ever so deep sea of candidates, it is time to do something about it.

LinkedIn is a dynamic website.  Recent statistics indicate that 90% of LinkedIn members use it either to connect with others in the industry or for recruiting purposes. In order to maximize the utility of LinkedIn, follow these tips:
  1. LinkedIn allows its members to join up to 50 groups.  Smart networkers will belong to 50 of them.  Please note that just belonging to a group will not increase your visibility and an increase in visibility is what you need if you want to become a ‘hot’ commodity rather than goes stale on the shelf or worse, one that rots in the field.
  2. Use LinkedIn to find your industry groups.  Add your name to the group roster and you will become part of the insider’s club and have access to information as it becomes available.
  3. Use LinkedIn to find companies in your industry.  Add your name to the group of followers and you will become part of the insider’s club of information.  Many companies will list opportunities on the company website long before they decide to advertise the opportunity to a wider audience.
  4. LinkedIn activity includes 35% of members who check in daily and 32% who check in few times per week. To increase your visibility, make your presence known by adding thoughtful comments to the discussion boards of your chosen groups.
  5. Listen for job changes. The average person visits LinkedIn for one of two reasons: either to add or accept a connection into their network, or, to update their profile with their new job information.  Just open your profile to your home page and review the stream under "All Updates." When someone changes jobs, it usually means there is money in motion and a lot of questions in the offing. If you are listening, you can be among the first to reach out with sincere congratulations.  N.B. If these people are leaving the company, they are now available to provide you with many of the more delicate details about the company you will need should you ever want to apply for a job with their former employer.
  6. Choose a path of pursuit, and as Guy Kawasaki likes to say, ‘niche thyself’.  Both people and businesses should have a target market wherein they feel that they can better serve their employers, or clients/customers, better than their competition.  Utilize the advance search feature on LinkedIn to find the people you can serve best.  The advance serve feature can be used to find the people who can serve you best, as well.
  7. Build a large network.  If you subscribe to the theory of six degrees of separation, in the world of LinkedIn, your degree of separation can be reduced to as little as one. Think of it like this, if 10% of your connections on LinkedIn were to change jobs each year (likely a conservative number) and connected to 20 people, you would have 2 job leads.  If you were to connect with 200 people, which is well within reach for anyone, would yield 20 leads a year.
  8. Start your own group.  This is the fastest way to increase your credibility as a professional.  Please note that starting your won group is not an exercise in ‘set and forget’.  You will need to add links interesting articles, ask interesting questions and contribute to discussions in order to maximize your visibility and remain top of mind for those who are looking for someone just like you to fill a yet to be advertised position with their company. 
How are you using LinkedIn?  Did this article move you to change something about how you are currently looking for new career opportunities?  Share your story and help others learn.


Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca