MARTIN WEITZMAN, NCRW, RPBS, IJCTC
(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.

Job Search Fundamentals – Are You a Five-Tool Player?

One of the things our son’s baseball coach drilled into his players was:

“Learn the fundamentals!”

Be it baseball or job search, learning the fundamentals will serve you well in the long run, and in the short run. Of course, we all want to hit a home run and knock it outta’ the park as a participant in either of these games. For some, though, when it comes to the sport of job hunting, sometimes the fundamentals fall short and job seekers strike out trying to get on base. Consider these few tips below.

Fielding: Are you well positioned to be where the opportunities are or are you out in left field when you might have a better chance if you hustled more and moved from your spot? Are you coordinating the various elements of the job search with your teammates or are you trying to play the job hunt game solo? Are you a good team player and do you provide direct evidence of that at networking events and professional interviews? Do you anticipate tough questions or are you surprised when a tricky one comes your way?

Throwing: Throwing can be a key ingredient to your job search success. Have you thrown yourself into the job search process with a sustained positive, optimistic attitude? Are you demonstrating quickness and accuracy in job search activities? Are you throwing a good game using all of the resources, tools, and connections available to you? Are you using your time and talents wisely to throw your best game in an effort to snag a job? Are you showing control as you play the job-seeking game?

Speed: Are you using speed and agility to your advantage in the job search process? In order to improve your chances of scoring a job, are you doing your best to know your competition and do what you need to do to cover the job search landscape? Do you manage each day with the goal of achieving the maximum possible, or do you mosey along without much direction or motivation to win? Are you making sure your skills are current and up-to-date, not only in the social media realm, but in all facets of your career so you won’t get picked off base?

Hitting for Power: A five-tool job search player ‘must be able to hit for power.’ Does this well represent you and your brand? Do you have high slugging percentages when it comes to getting interviews and talking about the product — you – under duress and pressure? Are you tracking the statistics of your job search? Are you doing everything within your power and control to hit a home run on a consistent basis?

Hitting for Average: While hitting it out of the park is important, it is also important to strive for a ‘high batting average’ when it comes to interviewing, in particular. Stay patient. Be consistent. Don’t give up on yourself, or the game! It will most likely take you a few interviews before you land on home plate. Are you willing to embrace many different strategies to win the job? Are you open-minded and willing to change? Are you willing to seek out guidance and help to perfect your job search game, or do you already know all there is to know? What can you do today to improve your game and your chances?

In summary, are you a “can’t miss” job search player?

—Career Hub, May 2010, Billie Sucher

Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up!!!

“It’s been a week since my interview and I haven’t heard anything . . . ”

“I had a great informational interview but that was the last I heard . . .”

“I had a phone conversation with a good contact in the company . . .”

“I have almost 100 people I’ve networked with in my job search so far . . .”

“I met someone, at (an event) that said they knew someone, but haven’t heard back . . .”

“. . . should I follow up?”

I teach an 8-week class on job hunting skills, and these are the most common questions I’m asked regularly. And my response is always the same: YES!!!

“But I don’t want to annoy them, or come across as a stalker” . . . is a common reply.

In my experience, I’ve found that candidates think they are being annoying long before the recipient of their follow ups ever do. Professional, timely, pleasant follow up is key to setting yourself apart from other candidates they are pursuing.

Why should you follow up, and how do you do it effectively? Here are some ideas . . .

It’s a chance to set yourself apart. Even after a formal interview, generally less than 25% of people send a Thank You note.  Other meetings, phone calls, email contacts generally get little to no follow up from most people. Doing something different from the norm, in a professional and upbeat way, will virtually always create a positive impression. You have far more to lose by not doing it, than the infinitesimal risk of losing an opportunity by doing it. Especially if someone else does follow up, and you don’t, you will lose by comparison.

It’s another chance to cement a relationship. Whether it’s a casual networking contact, or a formal interview, the chances of gaining more consideration from them is very much dependent on building a relationship. If you only make an initial contact and they never hear from you again, it creates no reason on their part to invest any more thinking in helping or working with you. Building a relationship requires contact and effort in following up.

It’s another chance to mention something you may have forgotten before. Although you don’t want to launch into an in-depth explanation of something else in your background in a follow up… a succinctly worded phrase or sentence adding value to your earlier discussion can help in improving their impression of you. It’s another chance to provide additional or new relevant information.

Keep it brief! Too often, if someone does follow up, they either ramble on too long on the phone, or write too long in an email or letter. After the first minute of engaging in some way, patience begins to run out and there is either no chance of making a positive impact after that, or you are actually increasing the risk of annoying them. Even an extremely short “Just wanted to thank you again for your time” will have a more positive impact than 5 or 10 minutes of going further into in-depth information. That’s true in a phone call or written communication. It’s best to carefully plan exactly what you want to convey and say it as briefly as possible to make the best impression.

Be professional! Regardless of how friendly your meeting or prior discussion may have gone, never assume too casual a relationship. Even though a hiring manager wants to like you to hire you, or a professional networking contact enjoys talking to you, in order to take additional steps with you they need to feel confident that you will always be professional with others they introduce you to as well. The referral process, and the hiring process is still essentially a business transaction. Don’t take it too lightly.

Switch it up! Effective, and consistent follow up doesn’t mean a steady stream of phone calls every other day. That does become annoying. However, you can have some form of contact with them regularly to keep you fresh in their mind and build a further relationship with them in the process. Within a day of any of the scenarios listed at the top of this piece… Thank them. You might send them a Thank You card in the mail, or email a brief note, leave them a voicemail, or call and thank them for their time. Then, in a week or two, connect again, but in another form, and in two to 4 weeks again in yet another form. Keep the process going, but you end up actually talking to them directly only every couple of months.

If they are hearing from you regularly, but in various and unobtrusive forms, you are building a relationship, not haranguing them. Building that professional relationship has everything to do with their perception of your persistence, your follow through, your professionalism, and their interest in you.

Should you follow up??? Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!

. . but do it right!   

—Harry Urschel, e-Executives

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Gilbert Resumes
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