GILBERT GAZETTE
800.967.3846
resumepro
www.executiveresumewriter.com

A publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.

How Working for
No Pay Can Actually
Pay Off

Interviewing the Interviewer!

Execunet Report:
The Top 10 High Growth Functions
for Job Seeking Executives in 2010

How Working for No Pay Can Actually Pay Off

Volunteering during periods of unemployment provides many benefits including networking, enhancing skills, and the prevention job loss-induced insanity.

I am never going to find a job. My resume is posted on every job board including Hiremeprettyplease.com and Willtradekidneyforjob.com. I watch job boards with tenacity that celebrity stalkers would be impressed by; in fact, my average time to apply (ATTA) for newly posted jobs that may or may not match my background is 9 minutes 23 seconds from time of posting. I am linked in, fully branded, actively networking, and still jobless. I have cleaned, organized, and rearranged my house, twice. I can also, despite no legal background, predict the ruling with 99% accuracy on landlord disputes thanks to Judge Judy, Judge Maria Lopez and Judge Joe Brown. It is becoming increasingly clear, if I am unemployed much longer I will be able to donate my closet full of smartly tailored business suits to charity and invest in one really fashionable straight jacket.

Does this sound like you?

Nearly 3.2 million have been jobless for at least 27 weeks, which is a very long time to be absent from the working world if you are accustomed to only having a week or 2 off a year as a vacation. (During which you were hopefully enjoying your time away not fretting about it.) Furthermore, finding a job is the hardest job you can ever have…the pay is horrible, you want to quit every day, and it is very easy to become frustrated and disillusioned. If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of a long period of unemployment, don’t spend your days self-loathing, stalking the job boards, and getting sucked into hours of horrible daytime television; instead use this time to volunteer your way into a new position.

Volunteering is an ideal way to network and keep your skills sharp. If you are hoping to transition your current skills to a different position, or are a new entrant into the job market, a volunteer position can be the ideal solution to bridging the gap by gaining experience. However, it is way more than just being about you; it is also a way to give back to a cause you care about.

Volunteering can also create an opportunity to hear about new positions from other professionals like clients of organization, partners, or from fellow volunteers. That’s right; I am suggesting your serve your way to the top, or at least the top of the applicant pool. Scandalous yet socially responsible.

Plus, being able to tell an interviewer you have been spending time volunteering is much better than saying that you color coded the food items in your pantry, sub grouped by the contents of the ingredients, because, well, that is just insane.

Read the full article here: http://www.careerrocketeer.com/search?q=How+Working+for+No+Pay+Can+Actually+Pay+Off+

—Career Rocketeer

Interviewing the Interviewer!
Most people, when interviewing for a new job, forget the process is supposed to be a 2-way street.

It’s as important for you, as a candidate, to determine if the job, the company, the culture, and the work environment is right for you as it is for the company to determine if you’re right for them. You do yourself no favors by accepting an offer for a job that is not a good fit. It will make you miserable, your employer dissatisfied, and likely not end well.

In order to make a rational judgment as to the fit, you must have your criteria figured out in advance. Very often, when you’re in the middle of an evaluation process, it’s easy to rationalize all the things that don’t feel right to you because you want a job, any job, so much. Having a list of criteria that you created before you’re in the heat of the process helps you tremendously in determining if this role is a match, or not.

Then, it’s up to you to ask the questions, and do the digging necessary to see how well the position and the organization matches your list. No one, no company, and no position will ever be perfect. However, you will be much more aware of what fits and what doesn’t, and make wiser choices.

Possibly, due to your financial situation, you may need to take an offer you know is not a great match for you in order to pay the bills. However, in that situation, at least you are going in with your eyes wide open instead of deceiving yourself into believing you’re taking your dream job and find you’re disappointed later. Most people want to believe that any new job they take is the ‘perfect’ job for them. Know if that’s the case for you before you jump in.

Interviewers respect questions that seek out answers to those kinds of questions. A good hiring manager will appreciate your desire to determine the fit for you as much as they are determining your fit for them. They want a good match… from both perspectives.

These are all good reasons to make sure you’re interviewing the interviewer as much as they are interviewing you! The process should be a 2-way street.

Read the full article here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CareerRocketeer/~3/iWf-DOu-hb8/interviewing-interviewer.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

—Harry Urschel, Career Rocketeer

The Top 10 High Growth Functions for Job Seeking Executives in 2010
ExecuNet has just published our 2010 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report, and the executive recruiters we surveyed have identified the top high growth functions for executive job seekers in 2010:

1) Business Development

2) Sales

3) Operations Management

4) Engineering

5) Marketing

6) General Management

7) Finance

Consulting

9) R&D

10) MIS/Information Technology

—Execunet

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching,

Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution,

Cover & Thank You Letters

Online Identity Programs

Linked Profiles

Networking Training

Contact Marty Weitzman

Gilbert Resumes

800.967.3846

http://resumepro.com

http://Executiveresumewriter.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

To remove your name from our mailing list, please type remove in the subject
line and send an email to martin.weitzman

GILBERT GAZETTE
800.967.3846

http://resumepro

http://executiveresumewriter.com

A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career
articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.

 _________________________________________________

1.  Transitioning to Medical Sales
2. Top 3 Ways to Find a Job in 2010
3. Executive Search Industry Expects 19% Increase in 2010

__________________________________________________________________

A Brand New Way to Transition into Medical Sales

Just when they say there is nothing new under the sun. Well, actually everything changes so why wouldn’t the job search tactics used to get into a Medical Sales position? For those of you following this blog, you know I don’t rehash old stuff; we won’t be talking about networking in this article or the latest resume-scanning processes – we’ll be talking about something entirely new.

Here’s the scenario. You’re an older sales rep. You’re in pharma. Pharma is going, well… enough said. And you want to move into Medical Sales. But you’re worried – too many medical sales reps to compete with, no medical sales experience, etc. If we all thought about the hurdles we face each day none of us would get out of bed. So – something more than words of encouragement here; there is a new way for you to get hired by a medical device/equipment company and you “ain’t” heard it elsewhere.

The idea is a 6-month contract. You propose to the prospective employer you are willing to “prove yourself” to the employer over a period of 6-months. The T&C’s (terms and conditions for all of you non-contract folks) are laid out in this contract. Bear in mind the biggest challenge you face as an “older” sales pro making a change: ROI. The employer knows you are a performer – but they typically have to convince themselves (or their boss) that you are a safe bet as an ROI. So – instead of simply hiring you as a “permanent” employee (the term “permanent” is losing its meaning these days, isn’t it!) and hoping for the best the employer gets to “kick the tires before they buy”.

Here is what you need in your contract. And I am not a laymen here; my background is in F500 HR where I wrote and edited hundreds of employment contracts – and I do stay up on the labor laws.

a.) Have the employer state in writing the specific start date and stop date of the contract.

b.) Have the employer state in writing what sales-performance will be measured. Will it be % increase vs. last year? Will it be % increase of a given geographic market? (If so – define what the “market” consists of – X number of accounts – a geographic region?). Will it be a given $ figure? If so, what is that figure? Most sales reps are given a specific $ figure over a specific period of time – and they are to achieve a % of that $ figure; so what is that %? (100% or better?)

c.) Have the employer state in writing “how” the performance above will be measured. Who will be doing the measuring? When will they be doing the measuring (you might want status reports at quarterly progress points to assure you are on target). What specific tools or processes or reporting will be used to determine your performance? This is actually the most important question of all as it is easy for you to perform up to spec and not get credit for it! (I won’t mention the term PODS here as I know someone will strike me hard with a stick).

d.) You’ll want to list – with the employer’s agreement – what options are to be considered if you do perform “up to stec” I.e., what happens now? This is really a powerful position for you now because you will either have in writing what your compensation will look like (because you determined that up front in the contract – including car, expenses, salary, bonus), or you have now “proven yourself” and are in a very good – at least much better – position to demand what you want. Further icing on the cake: you built relationships with potential customers – so don’t sign a non-compete clause on this 6-month contract. And further icing on the icing on the cake: you bought time in your job search to consider other (now open) career opportunities.

_________________________________________________

Top 3 Ways to Find a Job in 2010

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job search as of November 2009 took 28.5 weeks — more than 7 months. That’s the longest since record keeping began in 1948.

But there is good news: People are still finding jobs, often faster than average.

How are they doing it?

From what I can see, talking to and counseling hundreds of people in 2009, successful job seekers do three things that can get you hired faster in 2010 …

1. Start with clarity

Here’s the best predictor of job-search duration: To the extent that you can clearly describe your target job title and a shortlist of 10-20 ideal employers, you will find work fast.

To the extent that you can’t, you won’t.

Think of it like this. If you walked into a bank and asked for a loan, they’d ask you a series of questions: How much do you need? What is it for? How will you pay it back?

If you can’t clearly tell the bank what you want, they can’t help you.

And if you can’t clearly tell networking contacts and potential employers what you want, they can’t help you, either.

2. Stop “networking” and start being helpful

Hands up — who loves networking? I thought so.

Like eating your broccoli, most people see networking as a necessary evil.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can make better connections that lead to better job leads — and have a good time doing it — by helping other people.

Fred Stuck, from northern New Jersey, was hired last month for an IT position after networking effectively. Did he “work the room” at networking events or spring a “30-second elevator pitch” on friends and family?

No. He simply tried to be helpful.

“When a recruiter contacted me, I would say, ‘Send me the full job description,’ even if I wasn’t really interested in the job,” says Stuck.

He then offered to help the recruiter find candidates by forwarding the job description to friends and colleagues who looked like a good fit.

Stuck did more.

After being contacted by a recruiter, he asked to connect with them on LinkedIn, where many recruiters update their status with jobs they’re trying to fill. “I saw one update that said, ‘I’m looking for a Linux Systems Administrator.’ I knew someone and asked if they were in the job market. They said, ‘Yes,’ so I forwarded their LinkedIn profile to the recruiter. That person didn’t get the job, but they did get an interview.”

Meanwhile, Stuck was hired from a networking contact he made at a prior employer, in a job search that took only about half as long as the national average. He got what he wanted while helping others get what they wanted.

3. Go beyond email

Finally, let’s look at how most job seekers communicate with employers and networking contacts. It’s probably how you communicate, too.

It’s email.

And I submit that email is the root of most employment struggles.

Yes, email it convenient. But is it effective?

Put another way, if you had to get a message to someone across town by 5:00 tonight or face certain death, would you email it and then update your Facebook profile until dinner?

No. You might email that message, yes, but here’s what else you would do, in this order:

• pick up the phone, call, and ask if they got it;
• fax the message, call, and ask if they got it;
• get in your car and hand-deliver the message yourself.

So. If you wouldn’t trust your life to email, why trust your career … which provides the money you need to live your life?

If you make one resolution in 2010 make it this: Stop relying on email and online applications to find a job, and start doing whatever it takes to make personal contact at companies you want to work for.

To prove this non-email approach works, here are three mini-case studies from the Guerrilla Job Search files …

1)     Jeff Donaldson, former Chrysler program manager, hired in November 2009. He got his winning job lead from a letter he mailed to networking contacts. Time to hire: 45 days.

2)     Gail Neal, sales rep, hired in November 2009, after mailing her resume and cover letter in a thank-you note to an employer she learned of by meeting a LinkedIn contact offline. Time to hire: 52 days.

3)     Mary Berman, marketing executive assistant, also hired in November 2009, after mailing her resume and cover letter in a box, with a coffee cup, asking to meet the employer for coffee. Time to hire: 53 days.

Now. What do the three success traits in this article — clear goals, helping others, going beyond email — have in common?  Star Tribune

(My comment – While I think the article has great merit, emailing your resume to properly targeted recruiters and Venture Capital/Private Equity firms is still a valuable tool in finding a new position Many of my clients have found new positions in less than one month through resume emailing/distributing)

_________________________________________________

Executive Search Industry Expects 19% Increase in 2010

Confidence in the Executive Employment Market — Next 6 Months

Executive recruiting firms now expect a 19 percent increase in management search assignments from corporate clients — the highest since early 2008 — and are adding staff in anticipation of the growth.

According to December’s survey of 153 executive recruiters, 54 percent are confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve during the next six months — up from 50 percent in November. In addition to forecasting a double-digit increase in assignment growth in the year ahead, 21 percent of all search firms are planning to add professional staff in the first quarter of 2010.

“All of this bodes well for executive job seekers and for those employed business leaders who may have deferred searching for new career opportunities in the last 12 to 18 months,” says Mark Anderson, president and chief economist of ExecuNet. “The anticipated increase in search activity shows companies have started to expand their workforces after a long period of cutbacks.”

Introduced in May 2003, the Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms conducted by resumepro&userid=29750&extra=&&&2006&&&http://www.execunet.com" target="_blank">ExecuNet, a private network for business leaders. A leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market, a reading above 50 percent indicates recruiters expect the number of search assignments in the next six months will increase.

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching,

Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution,

Cover & Thank You Letters

Online Identities

Linked Profiles

Networking Training

Contact Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846
http://resumepro.com
http://Executiveresumewriter.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

To remove your name from our mailing list, please type remove in the subject
line and send an email to martin.weitzman.

GILBERT GAZETTE
800.967.3846

http://resumepro

http://executiveresumewriter.com

A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career
articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.

To my clients and newsletter readers, I would like to express my sincere wishes to you and your family for a wonderful holiday season, filled with joy health, and prosperity.

This month’s article is a must-read. Within the career services industry much time has been spent discussing, researching, and developing strategies for capitalizing on Social Networking to secure a new position. While it doesn’t and won’t eliminate the need for a traditional résumé for years to come, it is becoming more and more important. Networking, getting your résumé into the hands of recruiters, and traditional networking are still vital, but Social Networking is no longer for kids or Internet junkies.

“Networking” – Instead of reading resumes, more employers are using social media to find job candidates.

Ask him how his job search is going, and Craig Stack will tell you he’s frustrated as hell. The displaced trade operations manager wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning, types Indeed.com into his browser and checks to see what new job openings have been posted. Next, he goes to LinkedIn to find out if anyone in his network is hiring, then he searches the major job boards like Monster, HotJobs and CareerBuilder.

“I apply for every job I qualify for,” says Stack, who estimates he’s sent out 600 resumes in his 13 months of unemployment. In response, he’s gotten fewer than a dozen e-mails even acknowledging that his material has been received.

“I feel like I’m sending my resume into a black hole,” says Stack, who used to earn big bucks providing services for the likes of Barclays, Computershare and Equiserve.

Ryan Hebert’s experience with job boards wasn’t much better. While the management consultant got occasional calls from recruiters when he used sites like Monster.com, they never amounted to much.

So instead of spending his time on job sites, Hebert decided to give social networks a try. He tweaked and updated his LinkedIn profile every few weeks, and worked at growing and cultivating his network of connections.

“Almost every time I added something to my profile, I was contacted by recruiters,” he says. It didn’t take long before he figured out that sites like LinkedIn send out notices to your connections whenever you update your credentials. As a result of his efforts, Hebert landed seven or eight quality interviews, one of which resulted in a job at Ernst & Young.

Hebert discovered something millions of other job seekers have yet to learn — that more and more employers are utilizing social networks as part of their hiring strategies. Instead of passively inspecting resumes that land on their desks, they’re using Twitter to broadcast job openings; they’re using LinkedIn to search for and connect with workers who meet specific job requirements, they’re using Facebook to brand themselves and to court potential hires, and they’re using social media widgets that deliver relevant information to potential candidates’ iPhones and Facebook pages.

“We will use every opportunity we have to connect directly with the job seeker as opposed to through a job board,” says Carrie Corbin, senior human resources manager at

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/jobs/net_working_xLfN0gZmlCFLe7lgHZQe7N#ixzz0Z0jnGdRQ

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching,
Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution,
Cover & Thank You Letters
Online Identities
Linked Profiles
Networking Training

Contact Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846

http://resumepro

http://Executiveresumewriter.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

To remove your name from our mailing list, please type remove in the subject line and send an email to martin.weitzman.

GILBERT GAZETTE

800.967.3846

Email: resumepro

http://executiveresumewriter.com

 

A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career

articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.

 

I would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving

 

A timely article for today’s job seeker. Many years ago, as a recruiter I constantly reminded people that the holiday season was no time to stop job searching. “Remember,” I would say, “the people who get hired in January and February may have been interviewed in November or December.” The following article brought this to mind, so I wanted to share it.

 

Don’t Postpone This Strategic Timing Opportunity!

“I’m putting off MY job hunt until after the holidays. Nobody’s hiring now.” We have heard too many people say this. Often, job hunters think the time from Thanksgiving to the end of the year is a bad time for job hunting because people have parties, not business on their minds. They postpone their job search until January.  
 
This is a big mistake and can lead to missed opportunities.  The truth is, the holiday season, like any other time of the year, has job openings.    A position becomes open due to growth of the business or replacement of an employee who has quit, transferred, retired,  been fired, promoted or become sick. That  makes seven reasons for a job to open up, none of which have anything to do with a particular season.  
 
When January brings in the  new year, it is a great time to begin something new.  In many organizations, department budgets have been approved and fresh money is available for hiring new employees.  
 
Since the recruitment of candidates, initial screening, interviewing, final selection, and training all  consume lots of time, it is not unreasonable that a January hire would be put  into motion in October or November.
 
Any job hunter who slacks off during the holiday season risks losing a strategic advantage.  Part of this advantage stems from staying in the hunt while others sit on the sidelines, telling themselves there is no point in looking right now.   Then, the holiday season carries a psychological advantage.  There is a sense of good cheer in the air.  People are a bit more approachable due to the holiday spirit, which can’t help but engulf us at this time of the year.
 
Instead of contacts being hard to reach this time of year, they are in town this month because they’re planning to attend a lot of parties and do some networking themselves.  Here’s how to get the most job seeking mileage out of holiday events:
 
1) Check the newspaper for association-sponsored holiday events (or breakfasts and luncheons), and try to attend as many as possible.
2) Take your business cards or resumes everywhere.
3) Resolve to meet at least ten people at each event.
4) Search out and thank the party organizers, and be sure to compliment them on the good job they did.
5) Organize a networking event of your own, with people you have been meaning to contact.   
6) Attend your own trade or professional association’s holiday-season event.  This gives you a chance to meet all the new members and to see all of your old contacts who haven’t been at any recent meetings.
 
 A little partying can provide a lot of contacts. Every person you meet can give you additional names of people who can help you in your job hunt. By networking you can open the “hidden job market”—those jobs that have yet to be advertised, or never will be.
 
Remember, openings do occur without regard to the calendar. The need of the employer to get a suitable employee overrides all other considerations. When they need help, they will hire and there is no way to predict when it will happen. The best bet is to keep a job campaign moving at all times.   By Steve Frederick

 

 

GILBERT GAZETTE

 

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

 

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching,

Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution,

Cover & Thank You Letters

Online Identities

Linked Profiles

Networking Training

 

Contact Marty Weitzman

Gilbert Resumes

800.967.3846

resumepro" target="_blank">http://resumepro

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Gilbert Gazette
800.967.3846
resumepro
http://executiveresumewriter.com

A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career
articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Job Seekers:

As we enter July the 4th weekend and the summer slowdown, it is imperative that you continue to persevere in your job search. While it is true that hiring tends to fall off until September, the people that get hired then may well have interviewed in June, July, or August. Stay ahead of the competition. Be proactive and your efforts will pay off.

Sincerely,
Marty Weitzman
________________________________________________________________________
Contents
1. Pricing Yourself in a Down Market
2. Job Postings on Twitter
3. Older Workers Face Rehiring Challenges
4. Recent Grads’ Salaries Lag Behind
5. The Language of Job Loss
6. Contact Information
___________________________________
Pricing Yourself in a Down Market
How to respond wisely when asked, “What’s the lowest salary you’ll accept?”

My friend Jane had two job interviews last week, and she called to tell me about them. “They were both second interviews,” she said, “and I was chomping at the bit to talk about the salary level with both employers to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time.”

“So, did you get to talk about salary?” I asked. “We did, in both cases,” said Jane. “The first employer named a figure that was a little low, but I know how tough the job market is, so I named a slightly higher figure, and we left it at that. If I get an offer for that job, at least I know I’ll be able to live on the salary, and the job itself sounds really fun.”

“What about the other job?” I wanted to know. “Here’s what happened in that case,” said Jane. “They told me that they wouldn’t discuss salary until they’d settled on the final candidate. Then, the HR manager asked me, ‘What is the lowest salary you would accept?’”

“How did you react to that?” I inquired. “I gave her the same number I’d given the other company, a little less than I was earning before, but not drastically less,” said Jane. “I thought the question itself was insulting. I’m not going to lowball myself just because the job market is crowded. Employers still have problems that need solving, and I’ve solved these types of problems before. I don’t see any reason to cut my salary level in half.”

Keep Your Counsel

Job seekers need to be ready for startling interview questions like “What is the lowest salary level you would accept?” in this rocky job market. When you’re asked a question like that, do you need to share a rock-bottom figure? I don’t recommend that you do. Negotiation is negotiation, whether you’re selling a house or buying a car or applying for a job opportunity. Rule No. 1 in any negotiation is to keep your counsel and share only the information appropriate for the stage of negotiation you’re in.
The company rep who asks you, “What is the lowest salary you’d accept?” hasn’t made you an offer yet. It is prudent and appropriate at this stage to mention a conservative yet reasonable salary figure. If employers want to lowball you, that’s their business — you can respond as you see fit. No need to do it to yourself!

The summer of 2009 is not the moment in time when most job seekers will command, or demand, the highest comp levels of their careers. Unless you’re in a white-hot function in a booming industry (and I’m struggling to think of one), the more practical approach is to settle on a salary target that’s comparable to, and not more than, what other people with your skills and experience are earning. You can gather this information using Web sites like Payscale.com, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com.

You can get more salary data by checking with local search consultants and salary surveys published by industry-specific and function-specific trade magazines. One headhunter I know told me that starting offers for her candidates are running about 10% lower than comparable offers this time last year. Another search person quoted me a 15% figure. These cuts are significant, but they’re not catastrophic. Adopting a “cheapest talent on the market” pricing strategy isn’t necessary, and it isn’t wise.

Desperation Is Not Appealing

If you’ve been earning, for instance, around $75,000 for several years, I wouldn’t cut your salary requirement by more than 20%. Doing so won’t help you get a job and could even hurt you. As in the dating arena and many other realms, desperation is not appealing. Employers are less likely to go with the cheapest candidate than to hire someone they’re confident can do the job and who’s also within their target comp range. Businesses know what it’s likely to cost them to get their most thorny and expensive business problems solved. They’ve budgeted for that. If they haven’t, you can bet they also haven’t banked on spending the time and internal resources that it will take to achieve the goals they’re shooting for. In a case like that, you might accept the under-resourced job and wish you’d stayed in the job market a bit longer. As far too many anxious job seekers have learned, there are worse things than being unemployed. And having a thankless, hopeless, Superman-couldn’t-do-this-job job is one of them.

Expect employers to negotiate hard with you, and expect them to withhold perks you might have taken for granted in past jobs. But don’t expect, and don’t build into your job-search plans, rock-bottom salary levels. There are employers making offers like that, and there have always been those bottom-drawer employers. They haven’t just arrived on the scene and they’re not going anywhere soon. You won’t budge an employer like that from its take-it-or-leave-it hiring philosophy, but you can move on to other opportunities with employers who’ll value your talent and experience enough to pay the (slightly depressed) market rate. Aren’t you worth the extra time it’ll take to find those people?
By Liz Ryan, Business Week
________________________________________________________________________
Job Postings on Twitter
By Alan Kotok

TwitHire is a simple listing of job announcements in reverse chronological order, with links to the announcements online. It has separate tabs for design and computer programming jobs. The listings give the job’s geographic location with varying specificity, from names of cities to “north of the Equator.” There’s no charge to employers for posting job announcements.

TwitterJobSearch aggregates job announcements posted on Twitter and lets visitors search its collection or browse through categories, with links going to the online announcements. Searching on the term “science” returned some 16,000 results. A more targeted search using the term “Toxicology” returned 53 entries. Another targeted search, “materials science California,” provided 62 results. Signing in with your Twitter account can let you save or retweet (forward) the announcements.

TweetMyJobs operates more like a job board using Twitter as its engine. Job seekers create an account, enter their employment criteria and preferences, and receive Twitter messages when jobs are posted in TweetMyJobs match these factors. The service charges employers for posting their announcements: $0.99 for one day to $9.99 for 30 days.

Career Hub reminds Twittering job seekers that recruiters and hiring managers also use Twitter, thus it pays keeping your tweets in good taste. And of course, you can follow Science Careers on Twitter.
________________________________________________________________________
Older Workers Face Rehiring Challenges
Stats show that workers over 55 have a harder time finding a job after a layoff. The good news is that many companies are reluctant to let go of older workers once they’re hired.
Read the article from the Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/careers/story/1085771.html
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Recent Grads’ Salaries Lag Behind
This year’s college grads may need a few years to catch up to the salaries of workers who graduated in more prosperous times. Studies show that the financial impact of entering the workforce during a recession can last well after the recession ends.
Read more from the Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124181970915002009.html
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The Language of Job Loss
Laid-off workers often face another indignity with job loss: platitudes that are meant to cheer them up, but often have the opposite effect. Read some tips on the right thing to say when someone is struggling with employment issues.
Read more from the Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/work/just-dont-tell-me-to-make-lemonade/article1182870/
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GILBERT GAZETTE

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching,
Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution,
Cover & Thank You Letters

Contact Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846
resumepro
http://Executiveresumewriter.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

GILBERT GAZETTE

http://resumepro

http://executiveresumewriter.com

Marty Weitzman
800.967.3846

A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring career
articles, websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers

Dear Friends:

The economy and the job market continue to be challenging, so you must continue to be proactive when seeking and new position. Don’t just post your résumé to a job board and expect everyone to be a path to your door. Finding a position is a full time job and if you are not currently employed, you should be spending 35-40 hours a week looking.

This month’s Gazette features timely articles on:

1. JOB FAIRS
2. RECRUITER CONFIDENCE TICKS HIGHER
3. ELDER LAW: EXPANDING LEGAL SPECIALTY
4. CAREER WOMEN SURVEY
5. YOUR INTERNET PROFILE

Are Job Fairs Worth Your Time?
Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC’s career columnist, has a decidedly downbeat story today about job fairs. She reports that many professional and technical attendees at these events find themselves waiting in long lines only to discover that few employers are really hiring.

Just the words “job fair” or “career fair” suggest an abundance of potential employers and potential jobs, and that idea seems to attract huge numbers of job seekers. One job fair at Rancho Cucamonga, California, earlier this month attracted four times the expected number of attendees, forcing police to turn away others who wanted to attend the event.

Tahmincioglu says that in today’s brutal job market few companies have jobs to offer, including the ones that set up at a job fair. She notes that many employers participate in job fairs today for promotional purposes or as a form of community outreach–not necessarily to fill job openings. Other employers use job fairs to get information on future job applicants, to have candidates in the pipeline when the economy improves and hiring starts.

None of that, of course, helps unemployed workers immediately needing a job. Tahmincioglu tells of job fair attendees who were surprised to discover the companies would not even take their resumes when offered. She found that many companies prefer receiving resumes online so that they can be managed electronically.

(Memo to employers at job fairs: If you don’t want to sort through a pile of paper, why not take electronic resumes at a job fair on flash-memory drives, or from laptops and smart-phones over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?)

As Dave Jensen points out in his February Tooling Up column, in today’s tough job market, you have to do much more than attend job fairs. You need to combine job fairs with the other job-search tools: informational interviewing, networking, responding to employment ads, and headhunters. “You’ve got to have all the bases covered,” says Jensen.

Tahmincioglu quotes recruiter Jay Meschke who says you need to do your homework before going to a job fair: “Find out who’s attending the fair, whether those employers are really looking to fill positions, and what type of jobs they are looking to fill.” For scientists and engineers, there are some career fairs, such as the European Career Fair at MIT, that are regular annual events and include seminars and sessions with employers arranged in advance. These events will likely have better opportunities than the general job fairs hastily arranged in suburban hotel ballrooms.

And if you attend a career fair, know what to do before, during, and after the event. Even if you do not find employers hiring right away, you can still make good contacts in the companies and learn about their future plans. You may not get a job at the job fair, but it can still be worth your time.
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Recruiter Confidence Ticks Higher
Execunet

News about job loss and unemployment rates is inescapable these days, and for many, the headlines are demoralizing. But despite the contractions, hiring is occurring: 9 percent of the corporate human resource professionals we surveyed said their companies are leveraging the current economic climate by adding new executive-level jobs; and another 31 percent revealed that they are “trading up” with new hires for existing roles.

Executives have recognized senior-level hiring in their organizations too, with 31 percent indicating new positions or vacancies are available. Competition for these openings is tight, and to be considered a candidate, one has to stand out from the crowd and in front of the right people. Executive search consultants credit a combination of networking and professional development as the most effective methods for getting attention and as key factors to executive success. They suggest executives routinely build networks outside company with business/industry/trade contacts.

With a dim economic outlook spurring unprecedented policy initiatives in Washington, an increasing number of recruiters expect hiring at the executive-level will begin to rebound before the end of this year, as ExecuNet’s Recruiter Confidence Index (RCI) reached its highest levels of the first quarter in March.

According to March’s survey of 150 executive recruiters, 38 percent are confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve in the next six months — up from 28 percent in February.

“While the broad unemployment rate is expected to climb higher in the months ahead, recruiters haven’t given up hope that we’ll see an increase in executive-level job growth before the end of the year,” says Mark Anderson, president of ExecuNet. “Based on conversations search firms are having with clients, the healthcare, clean tech, and energy industries will help lead the employment market out of this recession.”

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Elder Law: A Growing Legal Specialty

There are many reasons people want to become lawyers. One of the most common reasons is a desire to help people. Elder law is a legal specialty that helps a rapidly growing segment of the population — the elderly.

Elder law is a pretty new field. It began only two decades ago. The American Bar Association recognized it as a distinct field in the early 1990s.

Although it’s a new field, it’s expanding quickly. There are now about 5,000 members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) in the United States.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) predicts that demand for lawyers will grow at an average rate through 2014. However, the OOH predicts that elder law is one of the legal areas that will see the most growth.

Read the full article on my blog here: http://www.resumeproblog.com

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CareerWomen.com participating viewers say they aren’t inspired by the current job because of:

from Career News
– Lack of “fit” with company 72%

– Working Relationship with co-workers 66%

– Lack of Advancement Opportunities 47%

– No upward mobility 41%

– Working relationship with boss 41%

– Uninspiring field 17%

– Pessimistic/negative attitude 9%

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YOUR INTERNET PROFILE

Have you Googled yourself? What did you find?

Did you know a recent survey found that 86% of recruiters Google prospective candidates and 44% of those are rejected because of their online presence?

If your online profile is holding back your career, we can develop a remediation strategy that will mitigate the issue and remove this impediment to your success!

______________________________________________________________________________

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching, Recruiter and VC Distribution,
Cover and Thank You Letters

Contact

Marty Weitzman
resumepro
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846

http://resumepro@gmail.com

http://Executiveresumewriter.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

**To be removed from our mailing list, please type remove in the subject line and send me an email.

Dear Friends:

Well this has certainly been an interesting January and February. The media is spewing doom and gloom, on Wall Street the sky is falling, layoffs continue, and the unemployment rate is rising. All that being said, you must be proactive in your career endeavors. If you are gainfully employed, try to make yourself invaluable…put in the extra effort and volunteer to assist others. Learn new skills that can benefit your employer and expand your knowledge base. If you are out of work, maximize your ability to find a new position. Don’t just post to job boards. Answer specific ads, don’t wait for companies to find you. Newspapers are not dead…look at the help wanted ads. Send your resumes to recruiters that specialize in your field and please network, network, network – that is still the number one way to find your next job.

This issue of the Gazette features timely articles and the innovative Job-Search Tele-Summit, featuring renowned career experts.

1. Job-Search Tele-Summit
2. Networking Purposefully
3. Demand for CFOs on the Rise
4. Alternative Job Search Methodologies

Job-Search Tele-Summit

The spring 2009 Jumpstart Your Job Search Tele-Summit is a day-long educational and inspirational event created to give job seekers all the tools, knowledge, and resources to create an effective job-search plan, land interviews, and get job offers. What makes this program so unique is that job seekers “attend” simply by listening over their computers or telephones. The summit covers all key phases of a job search from personal branding and resume writing to social networking, interviewing, salary negotiations, and tapping into the “hidden” job market.

The courses are taught by leaders and experts in the career-services industry including top career book authors, interview specialists, resume writers, career coaches, and recruiters. The summit takes place on March 21st from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 P.M. Eastern. All you need is a computer or a phone, and you will have access to the latest, cutting-edge information on how to stand out from the competition. And if you can’t make it to a course – don’t worry. You will receive links to all the recordings after the summit.

And you can be confident that you will receive a lot of value from the summit. There is a 100%, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee if you feel otherwise.

For more information, visit:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=945875
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Networking Purposefully – Emphasize Connections Over Job Vacancies and HR Opportunities
By Debra Feldman

The heart of Debra’s approach is purposeful networking, because it’s not just what you know, but whom you know – and who knows you – that truly matters.

Review your own pattern of advancement over the years, and think about how you recruited people for your own teams. Did you choose from a stack of résumés, or fill a vital position with a person from a recruitment service? Or did you call upon your own established connections, relying on those trusted sources for recommendations? You’ve probably helped friends and colleagues get where they are today with similar tactics that thrive on strong, qualified relationships. Debra creates life-changing connections for you so when opportunity knocks, your door swings wide open.

Debra starts you off with a comprehensive telephone consultation, and performs a rigorous assessment to determine how best to position you, how to most clearly state the unique value you provide, and how to create a campaign strategy that uses your values and your positioning to their best advantage.

Once you’ve worked with Debra to identify companies you want to target, Debra uses her expertise, her databases, and her own network to identify the people who need to know about you. Then she breaks the ice for you by making the phone calls, sending correspondence, and getting you connected. She doesn’t rest until those key contacts are primed to talk to you. And with a success rate of over 95% on targeted contacts, you know your mission is being executed with brilliant results.

With the focus firmly set on pitching your singular abilities and making choice connections – NOT thrusting you into pre-fab positions – Debra orchestrates the introductions, so that you can concentrate on building your network. These contacts provide opportunities to generously share resources, ideas, and insights. This is how you get yourself on the inside track for unadvertised job leads – for your next job, and every job thereafter.
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Amid Recession Demand for Skilled CFOs on the Rise

Chief Financial Officers and senior-level executive CPAs now say the U.S. economic downturn will last longer than previously expected. According to a new survey of 1,183 CPAs who hold leadership positions as chief executives, COOs, and CFOs conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, the majority of those polled expect no turnaround in the economy before 2010 – six months longer than previously estimated. “As the recession has deepened and pessimism solidified, a majority of CPAs working in business and industry now don’t expect an economic recovery before 2010,” said Arleen Thomas, AICPA’s SVP for Member Competency and Development.

The AICPA/UNC study did offer one glimmer of hope: about 25% of companies still expect some growth in the next 12 months. But as the majority of executives brace for continued turmoil, CFOs are facing increasing pressure to make the best of a bad situation, according to CFO.com. CEOs are increasingly leaning on their Finance Chiefs to better understand their companies’ liquidity position and come up with a strategy for the months ahead. The question is: do they have what it takes?

CFOs Face Unprecedented Circumstances

A growing number of CFOs will find themselves running the finance function of an insolvent business as the downturn continues to take its toll, according to CFO.com. The report states that Euler Hermes, a credit insurance company, predicts the number of insolvencies worldwide will rise by 25% this year following a similar increase in 2008. Moreover, in Western Europe the firm predicts a 34% rise this year following a 25% jump in 2008. In France and Germany, Euler Hermes forecasts a rise in insolvencies of around 12%. The Netherlands could also see a surge of 38%.

A recent Deloitte paper argues that the combination of the worldwide credit crunch and a recession with possible deflation creates a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances for CFOs. Deloitte concludes CFOs will have to navigate two distinct challenges: they must manage their short-term credit, cash and performance needs – despite receding pricing power and they must efficiently position and utilize assets with an eye toward post-recession growth. Ajit Kambil, Global Director of Deloitte Research, says “The challenge for CFOs will be to read the signals and discern the shape and structure of the recovery.”

Skills of the Ideal CFO

Though a daunting prospect for most Finance Chiefs, CFO.com says the “burgeoning corporate rescue culture means that there is greater scope for effecting a turnaround than in the past.” So what does it take for CFOs to hold it together even as their companies are falling apart? CFO.com says the basic skills needed from Finance Execs during administration are the same everywhere.

The report states that insolvency practitioners and restructuring experts list the following three skills which characterize their ideal CFO:

1. A perfect grasp of up-to-date figures. Particularly if there’s been a high turnover in the executive team, the challenge to stay on top of the numbers for new CFOs much harder. At a minimum, however, up-to-date numbers give CFOs a better chance of mapping out a contingency plan.

2. The ability to plan for every eventuality. Administrators say a “plan-for-the-worst” approach say makes the difference between a good CFO and an excellent one in distressed situations.

3. A strong enough voice to ensure that when you speak, your board listens. CFO.com quotes Alan Hudson, a Partner at Ernst & Young, as saying that CFOs should stick to the facts, however painful they might be for members of the board to hear, and the sooner they are made known, the better. “It’s no good after the event saying, ‘I always knew we were destined to fail,’” says Hudson.

Another key area of focus for CFOs concerns reporting practices. Finance Chiefs must provide the right information at the right time. CFO.com quotes Neil Griffiths, a Partner in the restructuring team at law firm Denton Wilde Sapte, as saying, “If you’re in distress you want daily [rather than monthly or quarterly] information coming through so you can see how close to the edge you are. The CFO becomes absolutely critical in all of that.”

CFO.com adds that if a CFO can manage to demonstrate these key skills during troubled times, there is a good chance there will be a job awaiting them at companies that survive. The report states, “A Finance Chief who can confidently and quickly provide full visibility on deteriorating cash positions, identify where the company is being squeezed and articulate what to do about it is more impressive to an administrator than one whose leadership flourishes in good times, but withers in bad times.”

Looking Ahead…

Much has been written about the fact that greater CFO accountability is contributing to a high rate of turnover. Recent KPMG research suggests that CFOs are, in fact, moving on to new opportunities for which their particular talents are best-suited.

Indeed they are. Executive search firm, A.E. Feldman, reports that CFO jobs are opening up as a growing number of companies are now looking for finance chiefs with treasury and capital- markets skills. The firm adds that Finance Chiefs who understand and can manage enterprise-wide risk, who can get funding for growth opportunities, who know the debt markets and who are strong on valuing assets are in demand. Flexibility and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of the market as the crisis unfolds are also critical.

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Alternative Job Search Methodologies, Netshare

Have you been exploring alternatives to traditional job search methods? If you have, congratulations! You are on your way to greatly increasing your results and response rates!

I believe you will find this does wonders not only for reaching your job search goals, but also in keeping up your excitement and confidence in the process.

Developing the right list of target companies for you is so important because, done right, it’s going to save you a tremendous amount of time, increase your interviews and save you from the frustration of doing it wrong, which can create an illusion that the reason you are not getting enough quality interviews is because there is something wrong with you or your resume.

So here are 5 tips on how you can get started developing your own amazing list of target companies today:

Tip #1: Focus – Example A

Let’s say for example you want to stay in the state of Georgia and you would like to remain in the field of Academia. Your challenge is to find the institutions potentially suited for you in your state. You need to identify where these lists of institutions are AND you need to track where the movement or growth is with these individual institutions. Your best bet is to check out your trade and association journals for these lists and late breaking news like campus growth, appropriated funds, and promotions etc… anything that might indicate growth or development and a great reason for you to connect. Start by Googling Academia+Georgia or Associations+Higher Education+Georgia.

Tip#2: Focus Example B

Perhaps you are in sales and marketing of consumer goods and you want to move into a senior sales role for the “green” market. You are open to relocating anywhere in the US. In order to not spread yourself too thin, you must come up with a nice handful of portals you can use to find emerging or developed companies that specialize in your “green” market of choice. Begin by Googling Green jobs+products. Interested in wind farms or solar? Google green jobs+wind farms and wind farms+USA. You can also try Googling wind energy+investors. These are just a few examples. Not only will you find companies and contact decision maker names this way, but you will also find articles and information on companies that are growing and developing new products and services. Any and all companies that you like should make your list!

To supplement this information I also highly recommend using Manta.com. Manta provides free company profiles and company information on US and International companies, including market research reports, business news, contact information and key contact names.

Tip #3: Create an Abundant List

The general rule of thumb is: the smaller your geographic parameters are, the more you really need to dig to add anyone and everyone that meets your career focus parameters to your list. If your list is too small, you minimize your responses. Try to begin with 30 to 50 companies, ideally.

Conversely, you may develop over 150 potential company picks in your industryof choice. If this is you, then consider sending your mailings out in phases or hiring a printer (I like Insty Prints) to help you with your mailings.

There is another industry school of thought that touts concentrating on just a few companies at a time. If you are not in a hurry and are willing to i nvest in learning about, and networking with, key decision makers in each of these companies then I would agree this method is also effective.

Tip#4: Get To the Decision Maker

Sending all of your correspondence to the human resource department will get you far less valuable connections and interviews – primarily because unless HR has been handed a job description that closely matches your qualifications at the exact time you send them your resume, they are probably not going to be interested in you.

So, don’t gamble your confidence away! Though rarely you might hit the jackpot, these just aren’t very good odds. Get to the decision maker… the person two to four levels above your ideal position that is going to be interested to hear about your successes in productivity, profitability and problem s olving. No offense to my human resource friends that serve a valuable and honorable function.

Tip #5: Follow Up

You have to be prepared to follow up with a phone call once you have sent out your correspondence. I know, you are thinking, “but it is so uncomfortable to follow up with someone I don’t know and ask them for a job!” Good news! You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) come right out and ask them for a job.

As a professional, one of the things you must do in your job is learning the basics of networking. We ALL have to do it, so let’s discuss for a moment the value of learning how to network in a way that is comfortable and breeds confidence.

Here is a technique that I use: when I network, I think about it in a way that does not put undue pressure on myself or the immediate outcome.In other words, when you follow up, don’t set yourself up by rationalizing that the only acceptable outcome is a job interview. Here is your realistic goal: to make an introduction, either personally or via voice mail that you feel good about. That’s it. When you go on a first date do you berate yourself that no one got married at the end of it? Of course not! So just take a deep breath and give the situation a chance to materialize into something positive.

Okay, so here is how to leave a nice message you can feel good about. Try something like this: “Hi this is ____, perhaps my name sounds familiar – I sent you some correspondence last week and indicated I would be following up with you. Its Wednesday, 10am and I will be in the office all day. Please feel free to call me back at ____ and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.” This is a nice general introduction. Not to short and not too long.

If you connect with your contact live, this is even better! Say hello, inform him or her why you are calling and then share what you specialize in. Perhaps you increased revenue in your division by 57% last year, or you are a turnaround expert or you just lead your corporation through a very successful merger. Whatever your latest and greatest achievement is, this is what you lead with.

State your achievement in just a sentence or two and then say that you greatly admire their company and for these reasons you wanted to introduce yourself and find out if he/she might have an interest in learning more. This structure concentrates on your quantifiable achievements, is short and is flattering – a recipe for success!

Using these simple tips will put your job search focus in order and allow for a smooth transition from one objective to the other so in no time at all you will have garnered positive results from.

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GILBERT GAZETTE

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing, Job Search & Interview Coaching, Recruiter and VC Distribution, Cover & Thank You Letters

– Sincerely, Marty Weitzman,NCRW, CPRW, RPBC, JCTC Gilbert Resumes 800 967 3846

http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

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