Are Huge Job Boards Actually Hurting Your Job Search

Are Huge Job Boards Actually Hurting Your Job Search One of the most common pieces of good advice offered to job-seekers is to find a positive way to stand out from the crowd something that distinguishes your resume from the stack of similar ones on the hiring managers desk and makes your name stand out in his mind. The reason for this is clearly illustrated in any of the nature documentaries you may have seen chronicling the relationship between predator and prey. When confronted with a herd of identical-looking zebra, a lion often has a difficult time picking out a single individual from the group; the odds that any particular zebra will be the one that the lion eventually succeeds at singling out are low. Blending in with the herd: Blending in with the group is an asset when the consequences of standing out are being eaten by a lion. However, when the hiring manager for a position you want is the one doing the hunting, its no longer an asset to be just one of the group. And the larger the group is, the more difficulty that HR manager will have in identifying the most qualified candidates. When a hiring manager has to sift through piles of resumes, on paper or online, to find the few qualified applicants mixed in among scores of unsuitable candidates, his eyes glaze over and he isnt able to give the task the time or attention it deserves. Thats exactly the problem with massive job board websites like Monster and CareerBuilder. Due to the nature of their business model, they open the doors to all comers, leading job-seekers to respond to any posting that looks even vaguely like something they might be able to do. Obviously this is a disadvantage for the companies posting the job listings, since they have to invest their HR personnels time into separating the wheat from the chaff, but it also hurts qualified job-seekers who have invested a great deal of time and effort into their career search. Its much harder to stand out among the mob of applicants responding to postings on huge job board sites, so even the most highly qualified candidates have little guarantee that their application will receive more than a cursory glance from a hiring manager â€" if it even gets looked at in the first place. Career position credibility: HR department managers, knowing the problems inherent in these enormous online career databases, may choose to avoid posting available positions to these websites at all â€" or they may only post less desirable, entry-level jobs for which it is less critical that they find highly skilled, well-qualified applicants. The screening process for responses to the jobs they do post may not be as rigorous as a candidate might expect; in an effort to avoid wasting a disproportionate amount of time on the selection process, the hiring manager may simply contact the first qualified applicant in the stack of responses they receive. Regardless of the details of the selection process that goes on behind the scenes, you may have the (completely justified) suspicion that your application is not getting a fair shake. So what can you do about it? Finding ways to stand out from the herd on massive career database websites is harder than it sounds, since you need to be careful that youre distinguishing yourself in a positive way. For the zebra in the nature documentary, any obvious marking that makes it look different from its fellows is enough to allow the lion to zero in on it â€" if researchers spray-paint a fluorescent blotch on a single zebra in the herd, guess which one the lion can keep track of most easily? But for a job-seeker, its not enough simply to be memorable; if it were that easy, career advice websites would tell you to type your resume in 20-point bright orange Comic Sans. Unfortunately, that sort of strategy wont get your application the kind of attention you want â€" you might give the hiring manager a funny story to tell his coworkers later, but your resume will end up deleted. The better strategy is to avoid being part of that huge herd of zebras to begin with. For job-seekers who are serious about their career search, massive job board websites may not be the best approach to finding the best fit for their qualifications. Rather than competing with a broad spectrum of candidates ranging from recent high school grads to underemployed professionals with decades of experience, it can be more advantageous to seek out targeted, field-specific job websites that use sophisticated matching programs to find the best fit for each applicant, rather than casting an overly wide net using search terms and hoping for the best. The professional candidate: Employers are more likely to use sites like this for more specialized professional positions that command higher salaries, because they can be confident of finding a suitable selection of candidates without having to do a lot of weeding from their applicant pool. Hiring managers using these services can take the time to give each candidates resume due consideration because they havent wasted their time and energy on dozens of useless applications from job-seekers without the appropriate qualifications. From your perspective as a candidate, applying to positions with which youve been expertly matched may help you feel less like youre shouting into the void, because you can be confident that the HR manager responsible for the position knows that you are qualified for the job and will seriously consider your application. Because the hiring managers are wasting less of their time rejecting unsuitable candidates, you will waste less of your time submitting your resume to overworked HR emp loyees who cant give it the consideration it merits. Theres another advantage to focusing your career advancement efforts on specialized career websites that match candidates to positions that meet their qualifications. Many job-seekers find themselves in the position of working at a job with unsatisfying advancement prospects or working conditions, and begin quietly looking for something else while trying not to make waves at their current place of employment. They may not want their present employer to know that theyre unhappy and are searching for other options â€" so think about how awkward things could become when their boss notices their resume plastered all over Monster and other major career websites. With a more targeted, specialized career site that matches applicants with suitable positions, you can avoid that sticky situation entirely. Expanding  your career options: The huge job board websites have their place, especially for entry-level positions or those that dont require a great deal of advanced qualifications. But for qualified professionals looking to expand their career options or to start moving forward again, those massive sites are unlikely to yield the kind of success you may expect. The signal-to-noise ratio that job postings on those sites elicit is poor enough that your application is unlikely to receive any sort of real attention, and you could find yourself applying to dozens of jobs without hearing a single word back from a recruiter. Dont waste your time and energy sending out applications that just disappear into the depths of the internet â€" focus your efforts on specialized career websites that carefully match applicants to positions where they will receive due consideration. Author: Still in college, Clarissa Brooks is currently an intern at www.pharmstorm.com, a pharma career resource. In her free time she can often be found reading, writing or playing with her two dogs.

Fun And Games Choosing The Right Wedding Entertainment

Fun And Games Choosing The Right Wedding Entertainment Ten years from now, what will people remember about your wedding? The flavor of the cake? The hymns from the service? Unless you have a destination wedding or a celebrity crashes the party, most weddings run together. That’s why the best way to help your wedding stand out is by having great entertainment. If your guests enjoy themselves at the party, your wedding will certainly be the talk of the town. Mix Up The Music There are so many traditions associated with wedding music, from the first dance between the newly married couple to classics like the Chicken Dance. But if you’re going to make dancing a key part of your party, make sure it suits your personality and your budget. More than a few music aficionados have DJ’ed their own weddings with an iPod to show off their extensive libraries, for example. Of course, if you’re looking for more of an experience than a soundtrack, hiring a band is the way to go. Just make sure you check on space limits â€" you don’t want to hire a twelve piece brass band and find out your venue can’t accommodate them. Instead, hire a group with a unique twist. Bands like Houston-based group The Grooves bring the party with songs from the 1940s right up to the latest hits, emcee toasts and cake cutting, and will even don costumes at your request. Guests will always remember the excitement of a live band. Make Food Fun Wedding food is a drag. Everyone knows it. But what if your food is the entertainment? Consider renting a group of food trucks to provide an interactive dining experience with a range of choices, from grilled cheese to tacos and ice cream. Food trucks are especially fun in areas with a major mobile dining scene, such as Los Angeles, since your guests probably spend a lot of time waiting around at the best trucks.   But if suddenly the Border Grill’s food truck is catering your wedding â€" well, that’s a guaranteed treat. Reinvent Tradition There are so many charming traditions associated with weddings, from cutting the cake to throwing the bouquet, and those traditions are important to a lot of people. But you don’t have to give up tradition to have a memorable wedding. Throwing the bouquet, for example, is supposed to determine who’ll be the next to marry. But why not combine the two ceremonies with a King cake-style game? Hide a token in your wedding cake and the person who receives it will be the next to marry. You can even hide an array of tokens, leaving many participants with a special prediction. Weddings are meant to be fun, but so many people consider them to be a chore. Make sure you don’t spend your whole day worrying if your guests are enjoying yourselves by making fun unavoidable. Whether it’s dancing or lawn games, food trucks or photo booths, there are countless ways to turn your reception into a rave â€" or at least ensure your guests leave raving about it. You just need to be creative.

Seth Godin chooses blogs over social networks [podcast] - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Seth Godin chooses blogs over social networks [podcast] - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-4379407413504809142hl=en] There are many influencers on the web, but few stand out as much as brand Godin (Seth Godin). In this video Seth speaks about web 2.0, social networking and blogging. He also talks about permission marketing and his purple cow theory, both of which I strongly believe in. He always says good ideas spread and they really do, but they spread through people that have developed brands, evangelists and creative marketing campaigns. Seth defines blogs and web 2.0/4.0: Web 2.0: Empowering your greatest fans to talk about you Web 4.0: when the internet and your iPhone know what youre up to Blogs: Lets someone with an authentic voice and something to say stand up and say it, repeatedly, consistently with transparency

Negotiating Salary

Negotiating Salary Artie Lynnworth has over 40 years of management and hiring experience.   He is the scheduled speaker for the May 26, 2011 meeting of the WorkSource Professional Network.   He’s also the author of “Slice the Salami One Slice at a Time: Tips for Life and Leadership.”     Here’s one of his coaching tips for negotiating salary. He says, “I had a client who had a great interview out of state.   So great, in fact, that the recruiter called him before he left the city to offer him the job.   When the final offer letter came, the salary was just below the ‘low $40,000 range’ mentioned in the interview.   He liked the job; liked the company, but didn’t know how to open the negotiation without losing the offer.” It’s easy to worry about the process of negotiating an offer; it makes everyone nervous.   But as I mentioned in a previous post, there’s never going to be a better time to try to leverage your offer.   The company wants you; you’re their first choice.   But they don’t know yet whether you’ll accept.   It’s the single most influential time of your career â€" use it to your advantage. Here’s what Artie advised: start with a simple question.   “I noticed that the offer came in below the ‘low forties’ we had discussed in the interview.   Did something change?” Then you apply one of the most powerful negotiating techniques known to man: silence.   Just wait.  Artie says that the answer will be one of two things: you will learn that the lower offer is due to a perceived gap in your skills set, or that the lower offer is based on a policy or some other factor out of the hiring manager’s control. In other words, it’s either about you or about them. Either way, you can keep the conversation going. If the offer is based on a gap in your skills (“We were concerned with the number of large projects you’ve managed in the past”) you can offer to defer some of the salary until you’ve proven that you can manage the duties.   “I understand; we did discuss that in the interview. I wonder if we can agree to a review in three or six months, after I’ve shown you what I can do.   At that time, we’ll know whether the higher salary reflects my true value.   Could we add a review and increase based on that to the offer letter?”   If the decision maker agrees, be sure to get it added to the offer letter, so there are no misunderstandings later.   Then get to work and earn that raise. If the lower offer is based on a policy (You don’t have the degree or required years of experience) you don’t have many options; the HR department implements policies, and usually doesn’t like to make exceptions.   You can still ask about the review period and ask if an increase based on performance is possible. In the end, you may have to accept the offer as it stands.   If the job is a great one, I’d take it.   Your energy and performance will eventually pay off in earnings.

Avoiding Ageism, Revising Roles, and Finding Fresh Fields Job Search Questions [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Avoiding Ageism, Revising Roles, and Finding Fresh Fields Job Search Questions [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 56 â€" Marc and Elizabeth answer some of your career questions about steering clear of the perception you can’t keep up, how to change job roles, and positioning yourself to switch careers. Description: In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in to this episode for insights into preparing yourself to work in a changing market, or in a new role. Key Takeaways: [:56] Marc explains why he did not release an episode Thanksgiving week. He gave himself a mini-vacation in Galveston. [1:25] Marc announces his first podcast audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a Survey Monkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you. [2:03] Marc reviews the series format of this podcast for new listeners. Each month, the first episode is an expert interview. December’s expert will be Mac Prichard of Mac’s List. The second episode is a career pivot interview. The third episode is of Marc’s choosing. The fourth episode of the month is a QA episode with Elizabeth Rabaey. [3:18] Elizabeth introduces herself. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast [3:43] Q1: I am closer to 70 than 60. I have been unemployed a year. I had a grueling all-day interview, and I was not selected. The recruiter told me the younger team members vetoed my selection because they did not think I could keep up. I also had a call about another position there but was not called in. What should I do? [4:34] A1: Marc says, first, send the recruiter a $25 gift card for telling you why you were not selected and also gave you another opportunity. Reward the recruiter. Second, do not give the appearance of being old. Marc told the candidate to focus on his health, exercise, and eat right. He no longer has a young metabolism. [7:23] A person who works into their 70s needs to have the energy to do it. Marc tells about a very high-stress job he took that burned him out emotionally and physically. You also need to dress as the culture of the company dictates. Research it. Don’t overdress. [9:10] Q2: I am a 50-year-old IT professional, currently at a major company in a sales support role. I hate it. I have spent the last 10 years as a team lead, or manager. I want to go back to an earlier role I had, but I don’t see an opening for it. What should I do? [9:42] A2: Marc has been an IT manager, and those days are largely gone. The cloud is wiping out entire IT organizations that used to manage servers and installations. Marc says to look at where you need to be in 10 years and position yourself. About the only traditional IT departments left are on the state and university levels. They don’t pay well. [10:54] Marc interviewed Stan Siranovich in Episode 45. Stan used to be a Microsoft Certified Engineer. Those jobs are gone. [11:20] Marc was in Mexico last month and was interviewed over Zoom, on his iPhone, by Jim Peacock of Peak Careers, in Maine, and Geoff Pearman of Partners in Change, in New Zealand. It worked really well. They discussed the planning needed in your 50s to continue working into your 70s. Q1 and Q2 deal with changing industries. [14:03] Besides certifications, look at whether you will want to be working for yourself or for an employer. Within Marc’s Online Community, participants are in their 60s and they are looking for freedom, in various forms. They don’t want a 9-to-5 job. [15:09] Q3: I would like to change industries. I have been managing software projects for 20 years. I would like to transition into working in construction. I am getting a few new certifications, but the jobs want specific industry experience. How do I apply managing software projects to managing construction projects? [15:43] A3: Marc’s friend Gary O’Neal of Austin HR talks about how he would look for a job. Recruiters want to see a smoothly rising career trajectory. Many people don’t have that. The goal is to make your resume, and your LinkedIn profile look like a nice smooth upward rise. Start figuring out where do you want to go, and eliminate irrelevant items. [17:46] In this case figure out how to make your software projects look like the construction industry. Part of that is weaving in construction industry lingo, and start talking about the commonalities between what you would be doing on a construction project, versus software development. Figure out the commonalities. [18:20] Daniel, a client of Marc’s, wanted to transition into the smart-grid industry. What did he do? He wrote a blog, and every month he interviewed somebody in the smart grid industry. He learned a lot in 18 months, and more importantly, built up street credibility. [18:58] Marc suggests doing a construction blog and figuring out how to make yourself look like a construction person. By the way, this is a very hard task. Your first job will be suboptimal and will serve to get your foot in the door. Focus on the construction industry on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Elizabeth also makes suggestions. [21:39] Marc talks about following the money. Look for people who just got a loan. That will tell you who will be building. Construction is a very cyclical business. [23:30] The next QA will be toward the end of December. There will be an encore episode for Christmas. Download figures put Repurpose Your Career in the top half of Libsyn podcasts. Considering that the 50+ demographic makes up 5% of podcast listeners, this is a remarkable statistic. [24:28] Marc invites you to take the podcast audience survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. Mentioned in This Episode: Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc hopes to have the audiobook available in early December 2017. Subscribe, and get a notification when it is available. Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a waitlist. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community. Please take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources Careerpivot.com Peak Careers Partners in Change Adobe Creative Cloud Austin HR SMPS Libsyn Podcast Movement Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me Marc@CareerPivot.com CareerPivot.com/Episode-56 Show Notes for this episode. CareerPivot.com/Episode-45 Stan Siranovich interview You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Twitter: @CareerPivot LinkedIn: Marc Miller Facebook: Career Pivot Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Social Media as Tool, not Distraction - CareerEnlightenment.com

LifestyleFor many, social media is a lifestyle. More than just the stereo-type Gen Yer glued to the cell phone, this is a working reality for a lot of people in any generation. Many retired people are drawn to Facebook because it allows them to stay connected with their whole family. Others love being in contact with their network, while in line, at the dentists office.For the rest of the article, visit the Miami Herald.Are you using one of these strategies and willing to share your experience? Please feel free to comment below.

How Has Job Hunting Changed in The Last Ten Years

How Has Job Hunting Changed in The Last Ten Years The Internet has changed a lot about our world in the last ten years-including how we look for jobs. The basics may be the same: the old finding an opening and applying for it, but the internet has completely revolutionized the employment process. With more than 9% unemployed, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many people are going to be using every single tool at their disposal to find their next employment opportunity. Networking has been the traditional way to find a job, but over the last ten years this has changed to social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. These sites  are now the second-most effective tool in your job-hunting arsenal, according to job placement firms. Searching for jobs at trade fairs or by looking through newspaper classifieds has long been replaced by the internet. Its not about the old school anymore, todays job seekers have to be on the web to find a job. Social networking sites have exploded with popularity, people look to connect with old friends, loved ones and business partners alike, so there is always opportunity to meet someone with a job offer online. Facebook has over 500 million users worldwide, Twitters traffic has increased exponentially in the last year and LinkedIn, despite not being as robust as the other social media options, is perhaps the most useful of any social networking site when it comes to actual job hunting. LinkedIns traffic has nearly doubled in the past year, thanks to its usefulness as an employer posting site and networking capabilities. You all know how I feel about LinkedIn. Employment posting sites have been popular over the last decade as well. There are a lot of options out there for these sites and many are household names. Job posters look for these sites because they know prospective employees are going to frequent them in hopes of finding something. These sites experienced great growth early in the decade but social media sites and other factors have contributed to a loss of traffic. One of the factors in the decline of job posting sites has been the boom of Craigslist. Craigslist is a privately held company that specializes in free internet postings. Its basically like an online classified section for the internet, users can post jobs or even garage sales. Much of Craigslists earnings come from job postings, Craigslists success has meant tough times for the newspaper industry. Total revenue from classified listings for newspapers has fallen by as much as 42.5% in 2008 to just $2.2 billion, which makes it the worst drop in the history of the industry. The internet is definitely where people look for jobs, but the ease at which prospective employees can send out resumes has made it tough for HR managers. They have to sift through a huge pile of resumes to find the right candidate and with jobs scarce at the moment, it can be hard to get through the clutter. People who rely on one method for their job search will find it much more difficult to find employment than others.