How difficult is today's job market? You know it's tough when 22 percent
of employers say job seekers are resorting to unusual tactics to capture
their attention. That's up from 18 percent last year and 12 percent
in 2008.
One applicant played a DVD of a former boss giving a glowing recommendation.
Another wrote a complete business plan for one of the company's products.
An aspiring artist designed a graphics portfolio using the company's
logo. And a teaching candidate used props to demonstrate her individual
teaching style.
Do these tactics work?
According to the CareerBuilder survey, nearly one in ten managers
responded positively and made the hire.
Although a 10 percent success rate may sound impressive, 90 percent
of the hiring managers refused to take the bait.
When working with job seekers, I encourage them to be resourceful
and to consider unconventional techniques to stand out from the crowd.
Speaking of job seekers… if you're in the market, I suggest you
read the article below about the importance of planning when looking
for a job.
Conducting a Job Search?
Plan to be prepared before you start
Whether you are
unemployed or employed and looking for a job, you need to be prepared
before the job search even begins. When you have a plan, your strategy,
daily game plan and overall focus help you find the right job more
quickly. Don't be like most people who start a job search by immediately
applying for jobs, sending out resumes and telling people the 4-5
jobs they want without any thought process before they jump in.
Prepare
for a long job search
On average candidates take about six to nine months to find a job.
Even though you might have excellent experience, a solid track record
and well-known companies you've worked for, the job search period
will be longer than you expect. It's vital that you are prepared
for this extended amount of time. Even the most qualified can take
up to a year.
Be financially
prepared
Make sure you have enough finances to cover the length of your job
search. Save as much money as you can, cut expenses and create and
stick to a budget.
Confront
fear and self-doubt
Even before you start your job search, it's common for many to feel
fear and self-doubt. Fears around not being able to find a job,
it taking too long, doubting your confidence, becoming needy to
find a job and questioning your overall worthiness.
Dedicate
plenty of time to the job search.
The more time you spend daily, the less time the job search will
take. However, most people resist making the required commitment.
The minimum amount of time to commit should be 20-25 hours a week
and, if you aren't working, the maximum amount should be 40 hours
a week. If you are working, expect to spend 4-6 hours a week and
the maximum will be 20-25 hours a week.
Create
a daily schedule
Schedule and make time for the most important things related to
your job search. Block out chucks of time to avoid distractions.
For example, you might designate 9-11:30am on Mon, Wed and Fri for
you to work on the most important things that need to get done related
to your job search.
Get organized
Create a document (e.g. excel spreadsheet)to track the names, numbers,
emails and vital information about your contacts as you move forward
in your job search. This organized document will be vital as you
follow-up with people you contacted in the past and need to recall
their key information.
Evaluate
job location
Ask yourself questions about the location of your next job. Are
you willing to live in other locations? If so, where do you want
to live?
Once you have
accomplished all of the above, you are now ready to target the exact
role, industry and job you most want. This involves creating your
resume, networking, interviewing and salary negotiation.
"I
had a job interview at an insurance company once and the lady said,
"Where do you see yourself in five years?" and I replied,
"Celebrating the fifth year anniversary of you asking me this
question."
~
Mitch Hedberg
"When you
go in for a job interview, I think it's a good thing to ask if they
ever press charges."
~
Jack Handy
"Never wear
a backward baseball cap to an interview unless you're applying for
the job of umpire."
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