On the road again

Hello there,

Today I would like to talk about the job search. Even though I am still looking for a job, I already learned some great tips that I am going to share with you. I wrote this article because I wanted to share those tips with my friends who are looking for a job too. But also because I noticed that some people I know (who are still students) are afraid of the day they will have to find a job. I believe that this article can help them.

A wrong strategy

The first really important thing in a job search is to have the right strategy.
I know a lot of people who started this journey with no plans as it would take just a little effort. I was one of them. Basically I thought I would just need to have my resume ready, post it to general job boards such as Monster, apply to online job offers advertised on job boards and finally put a lot of hope on the recruiters. (they are here to find me a job after all right?) I knew that my resume was not bad and that my skills were good so I had high hope, ready to succeed.

Where do you think that strategy led me? NOWHERE! Still unemployed I should say. Well it is not completely true. It was back in 2007 before I leave to Australia. I was about to be graduated from an engineering school in Computer Science and the economy was prospering. I had a lot of interviews, but all of them were coming from IT consulting firms! The ones who approach you and sell you the offer like it is the best ever, putting some sparkles here and there and almost tell you that you would be a fool to refuse it…Even though I was a bit naïve (it was my first job search after all) I knew it was not quite what I was looking for but got a consulting job anyway.
My point is, even though the consulting job was a great experience this strategy would never have led me to the right job. It would just make me waste a lot of my time online and make me feel down in front of all the wrong offers.

Let me tell you what was wrong or missing in my strategy back then:

1. Thinking that it will be easy

2. Thinking that recruiters would be my best weapon

3. Focusing only on job boards

4. Ignoring the concept of Networking

Below comes what I think you should know and do to build the right strategy.

Get your resume ready

All job search starts with a good resume. I will not elaborate on that here instead I will recommend you to read the insider’s guide to VisualCV that will help you to write a powerful resume. Here is the PDF version. Just one piece of advice: track down those typos and be sure to get rid of them (They are enemies!)

Adjust your mindset

Prepare yourself for a long search, lots of applications but few answers, ups and downs.
I am sure that a lot of job seekers start with unrealistic expectations. They think they will find that job in few weeks because they have a brand new resume and because they are good. They think they cannot be out of work for long. Admittedly it is not impossible to find a job in, let say, less than a month but with all the mechanisms involved in the process it will likely take more time. I believe it is really important to be aware of that time scale if you do not want to be kicked in the butt after 3 months of unfortunate search. This can really affect your mental. In top of that you will send a lot of emails, apply to a lot of offers but no one or a few will respond. I am pretty sure you will not feel like in your best shape at this time, right? Yet it is important to stay positive and have an optimist (but realistic) attitude to apprehend an upcoming interview. Who would hire someone who seems depressed or whiny? So what should we be doing?

1. Be realistic about your time expectations. Be aware that your job search could stand for a long time. Some of my friends ask me almost every week if I have found a job. If your mind is set to think that a job search should stand for about a month and that your friends keep asking you that question after that period, it can really take you down. So you’d better be ready!

2. Do not forget that people out there might be busier than you are. Sometimes people are busy when they receive your email and so put it in the read it letter stash. Then, they either think about it and respond to you like x months later or they just completely forget to. With that in mind, you will not see a non-response the same way and instead of complaining, you will try to remind them of your email.

3. Even though the job search is only about you, you are not alone. See your friends, talk to people, go to the gym or do whatever sports you like but go outside. It will help you to relax, clear you ideas and will prevent you from being isolated. Besides, the more people who will know you are seeking a job, the more likely they will suggest you contacts and opportunities (Keep reading to learn more about the power of networking).

4. Positive. I believe it is really important. If you get a NO, do not start to think that it was because of you, or because you did or said something wrong (don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should be unrealistic and foolish, always reflect on your experiences). Remember that you were not the only one on the job and maybe not the best fit. A NO gives you a way to be better, it gives you data to reflect on and identify what you could change for the next time. Someone once said “What does not kill you makes you stronger” he is certainly right.

5. Be a giver. Build‐up your networking power by helping others. Even though you are struggling to find that job, seek out opportunities to help them, make connections for other people, give recommendations on LinkedIn, help your fellow job seeker friends etc…People will be grateful and you will feel more grounded and appreciative. Plus it is always better when someday you will ask them to help you rather than asking only when you need something.

Understand how a recruiter thinks

You know some recruiters and you are pretty sure that they will be the answer to all your prayers. Well although it is possible (we never know, god could be one of them come on…), it is definitely wrong to think that they will find the job for you and even more wrong to put all your hope on them. Why? You are asking. First, because the only person who can find your next job is YOU and no one else. Maybe you will find it through someone but only because you would have work for it. Second, because recruiters work for themselves and not for you. I mean they work for the company who is hiring and will get a commission if they make the right placement. So what will happen according to you if you do not fit into the position they are looking to fill? Right, they will move to their next candidates since you have nothing they can trade off. Think about it.

Job boards are not what you think

First thing you need to know before going on a job board is that most of the ads are not there. So if you are only spending your time here, it is like fishing into an empty lake. Indeed, according to Cheryl Palmer, an Executive Career Coach and Resume Writer, most of the people focus solely there search online (read Job boards). However there are about 5% of the jobs that are filled that way against about 80% by networking. This is understandable since according to Ford R. Myers a career expert and author of The Ultimate Career Guide, there is only 1% of the right job offers that are advertised on job boards (I suppose it is disputable but still…it is very low) and this is where 99% of the job seekers are, tough competition! I am assuming that the hiring company that put the ad must receive so much applications (sometimes irrelevant) that somewhere, even great candidates must be overlooked…Yet, it is easy to think that because we are qualified with a fresh and fancy resume that we will stand out…I guess not. Cheryl also adds that a lot of jobs are even never advertised, worst, those among the one you do see are actually not really opened. Either because the position has been filled and the ad not removed or because even though the organization put it there (because they had to), they already have someone in intern to fill the position.

So, to sum up, job boards are:

· 1% of the good job offers

· 99% of the job seekers

· 5% of job filled that way

Scary isn’t it? Especially when you know that most of job seekers focus on them. So please, make yourself a favor, lessen your time spent on job boards. Set up a job search agent to let your computer do the job: use an aggregator such as indeed.com or simplyhired.com which collects and displays most of all the ads from here and there. Then, start to think about strong alternatives such as networking. For those who are looking for a job in France, a friend of mine points me to what could be a useful tool: monCV.com. This tool allows you to create one resume that you will be able to easily spread on other affiliated general job boards.

Networking is key

So if the job boards are not so effective what should we do? NETWORKING, NETWORKING and NETWORKING!

Relationships

Everything is based on relationships. Good relationships will lead you to success, bad will probably not. Keep in mind that a lot of things could change around you during your search (World economy, new president…) but your relationships will not; so work on them. Start by talking to the people you know, your family, friends, your hairdresser, doctor, mechanic etc… they know a lot of people, they maybe know someone that could help you land the job, or they could have great advices. Plus, telling that you are seeking a job will put your network at work but it will also make you feel more confident about what you are doing and where you want to go. When there are surely ups and downs during a job search it is always good to remove doubts and uncertainties to stay in the up side. I told you before to lessen your dependency to Internet and to go outside to see people. Indeed, this is the only way to make new acquaintances and expand your network. Keep managing your relationships.

The power of networking

You really need to understand the power of networking here. Imagine for a second that you are seeking a job in your city. You know almost everybody and almost everybody knows you the way two friends know each other. You start by telling to the maximum of people that you are actively looking for a job (Facebook and Twitter could be a great medium to initiate that, by the way). What will happen according to you? Well, quickly everybody will know that YOU, one of their friends, is looking for a job. Some will call you because they were actually looking to hire someone like you, some will call you to tell you that there is an opening in their organization, some will transfer your resume to the most qualified people in their organization, and others will simply tell to their friends (people you don’t know) that you are looking for a job. Here starts the snowball effect and sooner the whole city will know that you are a job seeker and will give you jobs or opportunities.

Let’s go further. You will thus get a job or at least an interview. Assuming it is for a position X at XXL Company. You notice that one of your friends (people in your network) did that job in that same company a couple of years ago! Wouldn’t be the interview easier knowing about critical information? It is a bit like taking an exam but knowing in advance some of the answers. And what if you notice that one of your friends did not do that job in that company but instead is your interviewer (or know the one who is)… well, no comments.

Yes this is an example and this is in a perfect situation. Of course you do not know everybody in the world and not everybody knows you, even less as a friend. But you know what? The world might be not so big after all. How many times did you hear the expression “small world”? As a matter of fact, a recent study made by Researchers at Microsoft who records 30 billion electronic conversations among 180 million people in various countries shows that any two strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation. As Microsoft researcher Eric Horvitz told "[…] we've confirmed that it's indeed a small world." So yes, you are only 7 contacts away from your idol and me! More seriously it shows that it worth to create a network.

Another fact, I have like 120 connections on my LinkedIn network (it is a professional network) but it can helps me to reach more than 1,250,200 people!

Sure it is far from the 6.6 billion of people in the world, but I don’t want to work (right now) in let’s say China so there are a lot of people that I don’t need to reach out.

If you thought networking was not a part of the job search or if you did not thought about it at all, I strongly advise you to reconsider. Even people who have a job should network. No one is away from a possible layoff. Plus, it is a good way to stumble upon great opportunities. It should be part of your career management strategy actually.

Direct applications

Just few words here to the people who are looking for a job in France. If networking is a key, it is not all about it (almost though). Direct applications should not be ignored. I read somewhere that the idea of applying for a job that has not been advertised or asking for openings was underestimated. Yet, according to a study made in 2004 by l’INSEE, more than one third of job offers in France are filled by this kind of approach. This a lot more than the 5% of success that provide the job boards, remember. Plus, if it does not work, do not forget that your resume has probably been stocked for an eventual further opening.

Now let speak about online identities and LinkedIn.

Be aware of your online identity

So now you have a growing network and you are able to see, for instance, where people work or did work. That is great information when job seeking but be careful. It also work the way around. People, especially recruiters, will try to find the more information about you they can. Right, they will Google you! And they better not find, let say, a video of you doing wicked stuff if you know what I mean. Thus, be aware of your presence online and start to polish it, be more professional. Try the web tool pipl.com or 123people.com to see how you appear online. If your accomplishments show up, you are all good. Otherwise a good way to do it is to fill out a profile on LinkedIn. The more relevant information you put, the better (you will be found more easily). Another thing you can do to increase your visibility is to put your resume online or create a VisualCV. Then, the more you will share those information (LinkedIn profile, VisualCV…) the more your professional content will appear at the top of Google search results. Moreover as Adam Dorowski suggests, you can also start a blog. In his own words “Not only does it serve as an excellent notebook for storing ideas and links, but it can come in handy in a job hunt where what interviewers really want to just know what, professionally (and somewhat personally), engages you on a day to day basis.”.

LinkedIn, a fast-growing professional networking site

LinkedIn is a powerful tool to build and manage your professional network.

There are several other networks such as Viadeo.com, Facebook, myspace.com, orkut.com, plaxo.com, xing.com and zoominfo.com to name a few but LinkedIn is as far as I concerned, the most global and professional. So if you want to network online (you definitely should) be sure at least to use it. I haven’t said that the others are useless, on the contrary, since some people will likely be on one network but not on another, the more you use the better.

Let’s get back to LinkedIn. With more than 30 Million experience professionals representing 150 industries and also more than 130 000 recruiters and the top executives of all Fortune 500 companies, LinkedIn is undoubtedly the place to be if you want to manage and grow your network and also if you want to be found by recruiters.

I greatly recommend you to read Guy Kawasaki’s post, Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. He basically says that the site is underutilized and offers 10 tips to get more value from the service. For instance he explains how to find out about your interviewers or future co-workers to make the interview go smoother. All the other advices are sound too and highlight again the high power of networking.

Tools

Here come some tools that could be useful to you:

Business networking tools:

· LinkedIn, if you do not have an account yet, go get one now. (Possessors of iPhone, an iPhone app is available). For instance, here is my

· Viadeo, if you are French, according to Google Trend (click to see graph) Viadeo is more used in France. For instance, here is my viadeo profile.

· There are of course a myriad of others but those are the one I use. Go read this post by Russell Podgorski if you want more.

Online resume

· VisualCV, it allows you to create a free online resume with media add-ons like video and images. For instance, here is my VisualCV.

Manage and display your files (like your resume)

· DropBox, is a tool that lets you access your files from the web or from any of your computers. Perfect to keep important document like your resume up to date on all your computers. Plus it is safe since they are backed up on the web.

· Box.net, is a way to share and manage your files online. It is also now possible to add it to your LinkedIn profile! It is a good way to share your resume. For instance here is one of my boxes:

An iPhone app is also available.

Job boards aggregator

· Indeed.com

· Simplyhired.com

General boards…

· Monster.com

· Lesjeudis.com (for those who are looking for a job in France in IT)

· …

MonCV.com: For those who are looking for a job in France, a friend of mine showed me an interesting tool that can spare you the hurdle of filling the forms of each French general job boards to put your resume on. It is called monCV.com. I haven’t tried it but it doesn’t cost a thing. There is an article on TechCrunch (fr) here if you want.