Just completed the Reach “Online Identity Certification” program. Learned some new “high tech” techniques to get maximum impact and visibility. A real boon for my clients!

Challenger, Gray & Christmas recently sent out the following email:

“Social and professional networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, have become critical components of the job search. Digital networking is an effective and positive way to expand one’s connections and find potential job opportunities.

A new entrant into the social networking world threatens to alter the landscape, and not necessarily for the better. Unvarnished.com (http://www.getunvarnished.com/beta) provides users the opportunity to post anonymous reviews of co-workers, bosses, subordinates, etc. The website’s founders said in a Chicago Tribune article that the site “encourages candid and nuanced information about prospective hires, bosses and business partners. However, many are concerned that the site will open a Pandora’s Box of negative, spiteful, dishonest reviews. The fact that the reviewer remains anonymous further complicates matters by making it impossible to determine the veracity of any claims, whether they are positive or negative.”

I am a proponent of Linkedin and Facebook but do not find great validity in a site that can be used anonymously, with no repercussions for falsities and petty vendettas that tend to permeates sites like these and cause significant and unwarranted damage.

Just my opinion.

Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
Executiveresumewriter.com

Nancy, and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary tomorrow, both our girls celebrate their birthdays, and getting my boat ready for April 20th launch.

One of my clients called to thank me for helping her secure a great position (Internal Audit Director), and secured new assignments with CEOs, Presidents, and COOs in Alaska, California, Florida, Texas, Connecticut, and Illinois – I just love the Internet.

Happy Holidays to all
Marty Weitzman

As time goes on, it is becomes more and more apparent that Linkedin is a must for job seekers. As part of my career services practice, I distribute my client’s, and client’s of other résumé writers, to recruiters nationwide. More and more recruiters are telling my clients to make sure they are on Linkedin, and then to please link to them.

If you are not on Linkedin, get there, and make sure you write a strong Linkedin profile.

I also recommend Jason Alba’s DVD on “Linkedin for Job Seekers”. Its available at Amazon.com for $25.00 or you can call me. I have them as well.

Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
800 967 3846

Certified Branding Coach, Résumé Writer, and Job Search Expert

As hiring authorities at companies and recruiting firms refine their online candidate searching it is imperative that job seekers “can be found,” and what is found is positive and effectively targeted.

Today, I began an intensive five-week certification program today that will provide the expertise and cutting edge tools needed to establish and or significantly improve my client’s online presence.

Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes

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.

After a wonderful holiday vacation and Caribbean cruise I came back to reality. Drove 1300 miles from Miami Saturday and Sunday, and the phones were ringing Monday, and the emails were coming—–life is good.

Nancy, Danielle, and Samantha are already plotting for Xmas 2010 so I better get to work.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas/Channukah and New Year.

Marty

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

http://Executiveresumewriter.com

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

 

To remove your name from our mailing list, please type remove in the subject

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I Hate…

• I hate formal ‘networking events.’ The ones where you have to ‘work a room.’
• I hate ‘networking breaks’ at seminars and conferences where you have people madly collecting business cards and staring over your shoulder (instead of looking and listening to you) to see who else they can exchange business cards with after they’ve finished with you.
• I  hate breakfast networking events – I’m a night owl and so prefer to avoid early morning appointments and events wherever possible.
• I hate blogs where the people taking part in conversations are simply there to self promote: comments such as “Hey great article! By the way, your readers should take a look at my 6 part course on xyz – follow this link now!” (I never ever click on those links).
• I hate networking with anyone that doesn’t say ‘thank you.’ Good manners cost nothing. Bad manners tell me lots about the other person. 
• And don’t ask me why, but I don’t really like Facebook – it’s just not my thing.

I Love..

• I love hanging out in coffee shops and hotel lounges with nice sofas to catch up with friends and professional contacts.
• I love going for drinks in cool bars where you can actually hear yourself speak – especially if they’ve got nice sofas (..as you can see, it’s all about the sofas for me!).
• I love pinging an email or a LinkedIn note to introduce two people in my network who I think may be able to help each other. Not because I want a ‘kick back’ or a favour; but because I enjoy connecting people. And as a by product of this, I strengthen my relationship with them
• I love sitting in the lounge at my local gym (on a comfy sofa off course) with my Blackberry and emailing or calling people I haven’t spoken to for a while just to say “hey, long time no speak – how are things?” 
• I love catching up with old friends over an informal dinner
• I love LinkedIn – not sure why, but I feel more at home there than on Facebook
• I love blogs where there is an exchanging of ideas, resources, opinions and debate in the comments sections. A genuine desire to add to the content/discussion rather than it being all about self gain and self promotion.
• I think I’ll eventually get to love Twitter - I just need to spend more time there

Networking With Authenticity Is Effortless

I find networking effortless because I choose those networking activities that play to my strengths and natural style. So instead of it being a chore – it’s fun. Anything that is fun is effortless. And any activity that is effortless, is more likely to yield the results you want.

I mean, who says networking “should” involve going to fancy ‘networking events’ and ‘working a room?’ That’s just one version.

Networking is all about establishing and developing genuine relationships – you can’t build genuine relationships if you feel really uncomfortable and a bit of a fraud. So network in a way that feels natural and authentic to you and you’ll build deeper relationships and be better placed to attract the kind of results you want.

How To Network Effortlessly

1. Choose the networking activities you love

Those networking activities (or relationship building activities), that you really enjoy. The ones that come naturally to you and have always come naturally to you.

2. Avoid networking acitivities which you hate 

Activities which don’t suit your style and make you think “that’s just not me.”

3. Be honest with yourself

There’s a big difference between activities which are not your natural style – and activities which you’re scared to try out because they are outside your comfort zone.

So yes, play to strengths – but please don’t use this article as an excuse to avoid testing your comfort zone!

4. Keep a close eye on these 21 networking tips 

1. Focus on networking with your warmest contacts FIRST 

2. Be clear about your objectives and what you want (and don’t want)

3. Be generous in sharing ideas, resources, contacts

4. Don’t keep score

5. Be yourself

6. Ask lots of open questions – who? what? how? when?

7. Network with a wide range of contacts outside your immediate connections 

8. Ensure you have an online presence and are using social media platforms to establish an online brand (Eg LinkedIn.com, start a blog etc)

9. Take a genuine interest in other people, their challenges and their goals (and not just your own needs)

10. Be systematic

11. Listen twice as much as you talk

12. Focus on the quality of relationships rather than the number of contacts you’ve got

13. Keep asking “How can I help you?” rather than “How can you help me?

14. Share and help others without expecting anything back

15. Keep nudging yourself outside your confort zone 

16. Limit the time you spend on social media platforms. They can be great fun, but also a great drain on your time

17. Be spontaneous

18. If you’re not going to follow up religiously, don’t bother networking

19. Think long term relationships rather than short term job leads and opportunities

20. Don’t try and follow every tip on this list

21. Instead just incorporate ONE tip from above. Then another. Then another… 

By Sital Ruparelia