How To Find The Perfect Job

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There is No Magic Bullet

I am always amazed by what I call the Magic Bullet people. There seems to be this assumption that since they’re looking for a job, and a job involves interviews, and an interview involves talking about themselves, that there’s no need for preparation. Consequently, they also tend to assume that finding a new job all depends on the resume, so if their resume is good, that’s enough.

Magic Bullet people are looking for a quick route which results in operating at about 10% efficiency. The longer it takes for them to find a job, the more they run in their hamster wheel going from one recommendation to another, and one expert - or perhaps “expert” – to another. Magic Bullet people assume that since the last idea didn’t work as quickly as they feel it should have, that person didn’t know what they were talking about. Maybe this one does. So they do that instead.

As a result, they follow no cohesive plan and ricochet like a rubber band, looking for the next, best shortcut. Conversely, those that know exactly what they want, what the company and opportunity both look like, and have a focused plan to achieve it are much more productive and successful in reaching their goal.

Think of it like the Olympics. Top athletes have put extensive time into practicing their sport. They train with one coach, whose expertise and guidance they trust to get them in peak performance. That’s how they beat the competition. They’re focused with a laser like intensity.

More than that, it’s a full picture deal. A track star doesn’t focus only on running any more than a pro basket ball player restricts practice to shooting hoops. Finding a job isn’t about just having a great resume. Send it off with a generic cover letter and you’ve arrived at the opera in couture clothing but driven there in a dilapidated 1967 car.

Great interviewing skills won’t get you far if you aren’t networking for opportunities. A well-written, custom cover letter is of no use if you’re answering ads for positions that don’t dovetail with your skills and capabilities. Sending out cold letters to companies that aren’t advertising is a waste of time if you don’t follow up, follow up, and follow up again.

And all of it is pointless if you don’t learn the most effective ways of honing this skill, because that’s what finding a job is: a skill. Money may be tight but there are used books on Amazon, low-cost and free teleseminars, and community workshops and resources available, all of which you should be availing yourself.

Stay steady and stay paced, because there is no magic bullet. You can ask twenty people about a particular job search technique and you’ll likely get 15 different answers. How you pick through those is another topic, but start by with what resonates with you. Finding a job in this economy takes cutting -edge skills, work, persistence, skill, a positive attitude, a thick skin and focus. Looking for a short cut will only result in lengthening your job search.

Why Wasn't I Hired?

Interviewing can be both frustrating and arduous because throughout the process, you receive little or no feedback except for the obvious: if they want you back, they contact you. If they don’t, frequently you never hear from them again. But after a first interview the reasons for not being asked back are numerous, and quite frankly, usually the reason is you: lack of experience, poor interviewing skills, inadequate preparation and research, or similar shortcomings. As a result, another candidate generated more excitement.

But sometimes you are the candidate that generates the excitement, and you’re the one that is invited back for a second or third interview. And though you’ve reached the final stages of the interviewing process with a specific company and feel sure an offer is imminent, suddenly……nothing.

Sometimes the process has stalled. Occasionally - and stupidly - a company finds the perfect person, but feels they have to interview a specific number of people first, and while they do, they’re under the impression you’re waiting happily in the background with your life and emotions on hold until they contact you again.

Other times only a letter in the mail tells you it’s done. Rarely are candidates told why they didn't get the job. Unless you get this far in the process, usually you aren’t even told that much. Was it something you did? Maybe. But maybe not!

Relax. While you are busy wondering what went wrong or trying to convince yourself it had nothing to do with you...sometimes that’s the truth! You and that company just weren't meant to be, and nothing you might have done - or not done - would have made any difference.

Consider these factors, all of which take place without your knowing:

• A last-minute candidate appeared on the scene who was exactly what they were looking for. Maybe you were almost perfect, but for some reason, the last-minute candidate was just a bit more whatever they were looking for. If you experienced a delay in your interviewing late in the process, odds are very good your position as the top candidate was simply usurped at the last minute.

• An internal candidate suddenly came into the picture. Though many companies post open positions internally first and go outside only after exhausting internal options, that doesn’t account for someone changing his mind - especially if it was a person they were targeting for the opening to begin with.

• The company decided to eliminate the position or put the hiring process on hold for a period of time. Sometimes when a company doesn’t know in which direction they want to go, they run an ad to “see what’s out there” and then eliminate the position when their water walker fails to submit a resume. On other occasions, the process might be halted as a result of some event that changed the circumstances - and thus changed their decision about interviewing.

• The company felt you'd fit in so well, they didn't hire you. What? Sometimes a company needs someone not like everyone else to balance out the department. Sometimes a candidate’s full personality isn't really understood until the person has interviewed more than once and with additional people in the company. And yes, that's partially why you are asked to interview with more than one person!

• One of the interviewers that came into the picture later in the process didn't like you. Perhaps you reminded them of a former employee that didn't work out. Maybe they were threatened by your expertise and skill. In any case, they carried enough weight or had enough of a valid point to get you jettisoned from the process.

Remember that interviewing is the process by which you find a company that you like, and by which a company hires you because they feel you are the best person for the job. Everything happens for a reason, and if you missed getting a job offer with one company, something better may be just around the corner.

So concentrate on what you can control and forget about what you can’t. If you mope around over a missed job offer, worrying about what you did or didn't do and wonder why they didn't like you or where you messed up - what you are effectively doing is letting your attitude bring about another negative outcome.

Keep your chin up. Look objectively at whether or not you can pinpoint something you might have done differently, and then learn from it. Otherwise, put it behind you and move forward with a confident and positive outlook!

It takes more than a resume

An excellent resume doth not a successful job search make. Three other influencing factors are the ads to which you are responding, your cover letter, and your interviewing skills. In fact, not only are three additional components, they all four are intimately intertwined.

The ads to which you respond should to be closely aligned with what you’ve done. Reach too high or miss too many of the requirements, and you’re knocked out. Stick to making sure that you’ve got minimum 80% of what the company is asking for. But balance that out with some common sense. If the company wants three to five years experience and you have two, and most of the other requirement, go ahead. But if they say eight to ten years experience, and you have two, even possessing all the other factors won’t fly.

No matter how good your resume is, if you’ve selected ads that are a long shot, you’re not going to get in the door. It doesn’t matter if the job is something you want to do, or are sure you can do it. If you’ve very little basis in reality, what you think doesn’t matter, because it’s about what the company thinks. They’re the one who are hiring. They’re the ones who get to write the rules.

The exception is if you’ve been doing something parallel. For instance, the function is the same, but the industry is different. Then the need for a superb cover letter is paramount, and your resume had better be excellent, because they work in tandem.

Theoretically, the job of the cover letter is to whet the hiring authority’s appetite for the resume. The cover letter needs to provide one or two specific examples from your background of what the company is looking for. It also needs to cover, on a general basis, a few other factors from the ad. This way, the cover letter says, “I’ve done these two specific things you want, and I’ve also been involved with these other things. Read my resume for more specific information!”

Unknown to many job hunters, the hiring authority has formed an opinion about your resume (read: you) before he’s even begun to skim it. If the cover letter was boring and generic, he’s fairly predisposed to not liking your resume, even if it’s visually appealing and beautifully written. And if it’s cramped or contains daunting blocks of text, the visual validates an already formed opinion, and you’re lucky if you get more than a two-second eye flick.

Unfortunately, too many cover letters are general with no specifics, or have too many specifics with no resulting benefits, or completely ignore what the company ad says in favor of what the writer wants to relate, which typically means a generic cover letter. So if your experience isn’t dead on with the ad, your resume never gets seen.

If your experience is parallel with what they’re looking for, rather than dead on, it’s your responsibility to use that cover letter to highlight those parallels and spell them out. A generic cover letter won’t cut it. How does your wonderful resume help you there? It doesn’t. You’ve already lost their attention. They’re not going to take the time to figure it out.

And even if your cover letter leads the hiring authority to your resume, and your resume makes him salivate, and you find yourself sitting in his office for an interview, if you can’t close the deal, your sublime resume can’t help you there either. It’s already done its work. The rest is up to you.

The result of that is job seekers who have an abundance of interviews but no offers. They’ve neglected to recognize interviewing skills as an essential part of their search. A great resume is only one fourth of the equation. Any baseball player will tell you that a batting average of .250 is a far cry from that of 1000.

Cover Letters: They're About the Company, Not You. How to Write It That Way (part 1)

Almost without exception, every person who has looked for a job has written a completely ineffective cover letter and not realized it.  This is because almost every cover letter reflects one, or more, of the following errors:

 

·           short, stark, entirely generic

·           medium length; generic with some background included; salutation customized

·           lengthy with some attempt at customization

·           more than one page

·           resume regurgitation

·           generic; professionally done  

 

Professional cover letters are the biggest scam going, although I don't believe that the companies are purposely attempting to deceive.  But like job seekers, they simply fail to understand what the real purpose of a cover letter is.  It's to sell.  But there's a trick with that, another step that you never read about anywhere else. 

 

Articles are all over about how to write a cover letter that gets read.  Still, I've yet to read one of those articles that is really going to ensure that happens.  Those articles tell you how to write it about you.  Almost without exception, they disregard the company ad.  Yes, most are quick to tell you to not regurgitate your resume, although sometimes articles recommend that chart format - what the company wants on the left, and how your skills relate on the right.  Yeah, good, but still not enough.

           

But let's start at the beginning.  A cover letter is not about you, it's about the company.   It needs to frame you in the light of what the company is looking for, and it needs to anticipate the company's questions and answer them.  Most cover letters, rather than smoothing the way by addressing the company's questions, instead create questions because of their egocentric tone.  

           

Let's look at what cover letters usually do and why they don't work, and let’s use a simple formula to build one that's more effective.  Most cover letters begin with weak, bland statements. 

 

·           Enclosed please find my resume. (You're stating the obvious.  Unless you forgot to put it in the envelope).

·           Please consider me for X position.  (Why else would you be sending your resume?) 

·           Allow me to introduce myself.  (Very contrived)

 

Instead express enthusiasm, which is contagious. "I was excited to come across your opportunity (more positive than "position") for X, because (name of company) is (something about the company that appeals to you).  Additionally, (I have been very successful in doing what you are looking for).

 

Here's a specific example of a first paragraph that works:

 

I was excited to read that you are planning to expand your sales force to the southern region, because your company is well known elsewhere in the United States (that part is probably in their ad.  If not - grab it from their About Us page).  I have extensive knowledge of the high-end hardware market from creating an award winning sales force with Happy Home Hardware in Atlanta, GA.

 

The second paragraph is where most cover letters begin to repeat the resume or go on ad nauseum about how wonderful the person is.  There's not one word about the hiring company or any reference to what they're looking for.  And the reader begins to react just as you would if a salesman yakked on about how quiet a dishwasher model is when you're interested in how well it saves energy.  ("I don't care!")

           

Instead, demonstrate your ability to pay attention by addressing the company's needs.  Use the words from the ad.  Show (don't tell) them that you can do what they want.  "Your ad indicated that (Y and Z skills) are important.  When I was with X company, I demonstrated (Y skill) in (the same environment as in the ad or a similar one) very effectively.  With my help/My team/I (what you did), resulted in (the result)."  So the formula for the second paragraph is this:  You want X, I’ve done X successfully, therefore I can do X for you too.  Like this:

 

You indicate one of your top priorities is overhauling your current marketing department. When I was with Bowling Brands, the company had been without a marketing department for several months, thus was virtually non-existent. I was hired to assess what was left, what structures needed to be retained, and what needed to be rebuilt. Three years later, we were the market's number one provider of Bowling Shoes.

 

Here's another example:

 

In each sales position I have held, I have significantly increased the performance levels and results of the sales team. The opportunity to assist Frank's Fancy Furniture in increasing your revenues would be exciting and a goal with which I'm both comfortable and familiar.

 

Next time: we’ll look at the unique, tricky part that you don't read about elsewhere - it's the part that drives your cover letter home.  It's what makes the big difference.  So I'll tell you what that is and show you how to incorporate it into your letter - plus what to do if it's a different field, and only  some circumstances are the same.

Job Boards Part 3 - How to Use Them

In the earlier installations of this three-part series, we discussed three job board search engines, as well as the differences between the two primary job boards, Monster and Careerbuilder, and some secondary ones.  Now we need to look at how to find - and read - their ads most effectively.

           

Most people, for reasons of expediency, plug in a few key words and have ads pertaining to these key words sent to them.  This is a good idea, but only after you’ve done it another more productive way first.

           

Begin by doing actual searches rather than plugging in key words.  Let the search define the results and the results define the search.  What I mean by this is play with the search terms.  Get outlandish.  Combine different components of what you’re looking for.  Look at what the results are and determine if that combination of words is viable.  Note also if any of those ads are also using other terms or phrases that are applicable to what you’re looking for, but that you might not have thought of.

           

An example would be someone who is a Project Manager.  If the person’s background is in both banking and telecommunications, then here’s an example of a list of key words to check out:  Project Manager, Project Manager banking, Project Manager telecommunications, team leader (with each industry), Director of Projects (with each industry), Assistant Project Manager (applicable to larger companies, and with both industries), Assistant (for each of the other titles and industries), Senior (with each title and both industries) is a partial list.

           

When I do that, I find several patterns.  First, Project Manager tends to bring up only Project Management positions, but Team Leader also brings up Business Analyst positions.  If you examine those, they may or may not be relevant, and if they are, then you have still another term to search.

           

My point is that if you go straight to receiving alerts by key words, you’re not receiving comprehensive results.  Project Manager is a little narrower than many titles, but generally, the variety of titles is sometimes so diverse that searching only a few will cause viable ads to fall between the cracks.  When I teach my clients how to use the boards, how to read an ad, and direct them to stop the keyword method for a bit, they invariably discover both ads and titles that expand their results.

           

It also helps to know how to read an ad effectively, because this ability generally alters, to some degree, the ads you’ll answer, and thus the responses you receive.  The ad is about what the company wants. They don’t want to train someone, unless they indicate they’re willing to do that.  You need to have at least 80% of what the requirements are. 

           

On the other hand, if you meet every requirement but one, and that final one names a skill and lists it as a “must have”, “mandatory”, or “required”, you can reply, but your chances of getting an answer are low.  And if you don’t meet the mandatory one and one or two of the others, save your energy.

           

Additionally, ads tell you if you want to interview, not if you want to work there.  So seekers should be screening in, not screening out.  Don’t spend 20 minutes searching the internet for more information about the company.  Studying their website is part of the interview preparation.  Learning more of the details is what the interview is for.  So unless there’s something that makes it a definitive no – such as you’d never work in the chemicals industry or the particular location is simply too far to drive – it’s a yes.

           

Keep your options broad to start.  It’s a competitive market and without abandoning all discretion, it’s a numbers game.   Use the job boards to expand your options, not restrict them

 

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