Job seekers face a whole new world

Posted on 02. Jul, 2007 posted by Bill in Employment News

Jeanni Dennis quickly learned the job-search process is a lot different now than when she applied for an administrative assistant position four years ago.

The 52-year-old was laid off in March from an educational services company and since then, she regularly visits the Delaware Department of Labor’s employment and training center on 40th and Market streets in Wilmington to use the computer, fax and other job-search tools.

“It used to be you could look in the newspaper and find jobs, but now almost all the jobs are online,” said Dennis, who lives in New Castle. “Now you have to have a computer, access to a computer and an e-mail address.”

Jobs seekers today know many companies post job openings online, either on their own Web sites or on job clearinghouse sites like Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Many employers don’t accept paper applications — they want you to create a profile and apply online. Other, more tech-savvy companies even conduct interviews online in a virtual space like Second Life, set up by San Francisco-based Linden Lab.

So how different is the job-search process today from, say, five or 10 years ago? There is no question job seekers have to be comfortable with computers and know how to navigate the Web. But experienced career coaches and recruiters continue to emphasis the fundamentals: putting together a solid rÃ©sumÃ© and cover letter, networking in smart ways and marketing yourself.

“Not using a computer, not being tech-savvy is not an option,” said Kate Wendleton, president of a national career counseling organization called The Five O’Clock Club based in New York.

But job seekers need to do a lot more than check millions of online job listings and press the send button.

No matter how tech-savvy you are, you must prepare a well-edited, focused rÃ©sumÃ© and cover letter that will catch the attention of a hiring manager or recruiter. Some recruiters suggest spending an hour or two on your rÃ©sumÃ© and cover letter.

“They want a cover letter that is specific to the job. A rÃ©sumÃ© somewhat tweaked for the job,” said Garrick Weaver, project leader at CBI Group, a human resource recruiting and consulting firm based in Newark.

If a job requires “project management experience,” make sure you state that you have such experience in the letter and rÃ©sumÃ©. “Don’t let me read between the lines that you have project management experience,” Weaver said.

Once you get your basic paperwork in order, make sure you have it handy when you fill out your online profile or job application. You want to be consistent and accurate — once you submit your application, you don’t always have a chance to go back and edit it.

So, now that the basics are out of the way, what can you do to get yourself stand out? What will it take for a recruiter or hiring manager to pay attention?

Wendleton of The Five O’Clock Club says that, instead of just applying for the posted job opening, the best strategy to finding a job is to first figure out where you want to work, target that company or industry and then contact the hiring manager.

“Most jobs are not advertised,” said Wendleton. Only about 6 percent of all jobs are filled through advertisements, she added.

James Shuford, 32, of Wilmington, recently lost his job. As part of his job-search strategy, he is looking through classified ads in the newspaper, but also plans to contact employers directly to share his experience and availability.

An electrician by trade, Shuford said he will target his network of local contractors. “It shows them that someone is actively looking instead of waiting for somebody to put an ad in the paper,” he said.

Instead of relying on your network of friends to forward job openings, ask them to refer you to a hiring manager. Perhaps they can forward your rÃ©sumÃ© and cover letter to that person. You can arrange an informational interview. This way, when a job opening does occur, they already have your information.

“I love hiring people through the system — I love referrals,” said Michael Scheinholtz, senior director for talent acquisition at Barclaycard US in Wilmington.

Scheinholtz prefers referrals from workers inside the company because they know the company, its culture and whether the candidate will fit in.

Once you figure out who does the hiring, don’t be surprised if that person doesn’t immediately return your phone call. On average, it takes eight follow-up phone calls to set up a meeting with the right person, Wendleton said. Sometimes, if the hiring manager is busy or out of town, so you will need to be nice to his assistant and convince him or her to help you set up a meeting with the boss.

While all these steps are important, job candidates, particularly senior executives, need to also find ways to make themselves marketable. Don’t just knock the doors of hiring managers and recruiters — make them come to you.

Create a brand identity online. Instead of simply posting your rÃ©sumÃ© on a static Web site, design a multimedia portfolio online. Part of that portfolio can be a blog, examples of your accomplishments, your goals and vision.

Think of yourself as a business. First, Goggle yourself and check out what is written about you online — is it accurate? What would you prefer to see?

“A blog is the best way to build your brand online,” said Kirsten Dixson, co-author of Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand based in New Hampshire. “The blog medium is ideal because it’s easy and fast to set up and people can maintain it themselves. It is a content management system and blogs are search friendly.”

Since your goal is to change your job or at least make yourself marketable, this blog is not meant to illuminate the world about your personal life and your thoughts on Paris Hilton. You want to keep it professional — perhaps write about an interesting new study or an idea you have about a particular subject in your area of expertise. It should be interesting, give you an opportunity to take a stand and reveal your personality.

In addition to a blog, serious job-seekers should consider building social networks online. Employers scout prospective workers from popular sites like LinkedIn.com, an online network of more than 11 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.

Instead of old-fashioned networking by collecting business cards from strangers, LinkedIn allows you to network with people you know and the people they know and so forth.

As always, be aware that every time you sign up for online social networking sites, you are in a public domain. Unless you are able to put a filter on some of your information, nothing is private, and it is really difficult to erase once it is posted.

If and when you finally land an interview with a prospective employer, you should be aware that they may have scanned the Internet to try to find out about you.

For many college students with a compromising profile on MySpace or FaceBook, this can be a challenge.

“At this point, I think they have done more harm than good,” said Jack Townsend, director of the University of Delaware Career Services Center about such online profiles. “Students view them as their personal space — not appropriate for a job search.”

For job-seekers like Dennis of New Castle, who aren’t interested in creating a FaceBook profile, tasks such as navigating the Internet, filling out online applications, and making strides networking with the right employers are hard enough.

Dennis has computer skills and decades of experience typing, proofreading and answering phones. So far, she has had a couple of interviews. But it is a competitive world out there.

“I am competing with kids right out of school,” said Dennis, who recently dyed her hair light ash brown to cover her salt and pepper. “Are they looking for somebody who is cheap right out of school or somebody with experience?”

EmploymentDigest.net

Job seekers face a whole new world

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