Job Interviews: what they are and are not

This post from the Metropolitan New York Library Council describes job interviews and does a great job of reminding us what they are and are not. The advice is applicable for all, and stresses early on the importance of preparing (i.e. doing the research as I have described many times.)

I can certainly attest to how I knew the things written here, but also have fallen into the traps they describe many times. I encourage anyone who is getting stressed out and/or burned out with interviewing to read this article then take a moment to reset. Getting interviews are great, but it is only a step in the process.

Good luck!

Jobs outlook for 2013

CNN and Money Magazine have a this wonderful piece about the jobs outlook for 2013, which is in their series about Making More in 2013. While predictions like this are never guaranteed it looks like things will be improving for hiring and working conditions in 2013.

I encourage those both looking for employment and looking to improve their employment situation to read this piece. Then keep in mind both my advice and the advice of those I direct you to on employment trends to be aware of and preparing for the job search/interview.

I would love to hear from those who have good experiences in late  2012 and 2013.
Good Luck!

Job applicant experience can effect business!

Alice Diamond is a career counselor at an academic institution. Her piece for Career Convergence Magazine discusses how the applicant experience can effect a business. She uses some generalities that I think we can all identify with. Interviewing and not hearing for weeks if ever are unfortunately things that many if not all job searchers can understand.

I have tried to avoid boring you the reader with too many personal stories of my job searches, so I'll just say that all of the situations she used as examples are ones that I have experienced or were experienced by someone I know closely.

What I wanted to talk about in more depth were the things she shared about how these experiences can effect the hiring company, and more importantly what we as job seekers can do about it.

First if the situation was really bad, vote with your wallet. Tell family and friends about the bad experience and if the company provides services that you consume then consume accordingly. But if the experience was not so egregious that you must take to the streets so to speak... her tips offer some interesting options.

As I have discussed in several of my posts about employment trends, the job search process is changing. The nature of work is changing as well. In this new environment providing feedback either directly or indirectly is a vital piece of business. Keep that in mind during your next interview.

Age of the Freelancer

Gary Stern writing last week for Fortune Magazine talked about the Age of the Freelancer. As he notes this is not a new phenomena, but it is seeing a resurgence of late. In September a survey taken of over 300 freelance workers found that 57% saw an increase in income during 2012.

I have talked about the changing landscape of work in past posts. As Mr. Stern points out this is not a new trend. What it signals is the end of the traditional career of staying put for 30+ years. The benefits for the employer are just too great for them to continue to hire primarily full time salaried employees and remain competitive globally.

I see this as a sad trend, but one that may be impossible to avoid. My greatest concern is that even if employers raise salaries enough to equate to what a worker was receiving in salary and benefits in the past (health, disability, retirement, etc.) will employees remain disciplined enough to go out into the free market and invest those extra dollars wisely? For most the health coverage will remain essential and as the nation settles into life with the Affordable Care Act it should become easier and more affordable to purchase this coverage as an individual. The bigger concern will be retirement. Currently the trend that is seeing modest positive gains is to automatically enroll an employee into a 401K or similar plan offered through the employer.

As Social Security and Medicare begin to loose footing, and more workers are not seeing these benefits from employers will we be self-disciplined enough? I hope for the best and fear for the worst.

Thoughts?

Are you shooting yourself in the foot?

About two weeks ago J.T. O'Donnell wrote this piece for LinkedIn about job seekers taking advice from the wrong person.  Ms. O'Donnell is the CEO of CAREEREALISM a career coaching site on the web. In this article she sites a study by the non-profit Career Advisory Board that found that 58% of job seekers are not seeking professional advice, instead they are looknig for work on their own. She then links to a story she wrote about her own experience when she did this as well.

Now as the CEO of CAREEREALISM she has a vested interest in all of us job seekers using professional services for help in our searches. If we all did her company would get some portion of that business, a.k.a. her bottom line would improve. But I don't want to sound too negative, the advice is still sound... just consider all the professionals out there.

1) The workforce development office in your community (or whatever the name may be)
2) The career services at any college you attended
3) Professionals companies like the one MS. O'Donnell founded.
4) Librarians

Now the first three will make sense to all of us, but the last may take a bit of explaining... I have worked with the career service units at several colleges I have worked at. In every case I have heard the anecdotal evidence that they receive from employers: '...the students are academically smart/qualified, but they don't know about my company/industry...'

I have paraphrased here, but the sentiment has been expressed to me and others I have worked with many times. This is actually one of the reasons I started this blog, to try and write about ways the average job seeker can improve their research skills to improve their knowledge about the companies/industries they want to work for/in. With this increased knowledge it is easier to tailor your resume and cover letter to the job. This then increases the chances of getting the interview. Once you have the interview you can conduct additional research to find more information that will strengthen your answers to the interview questions.

For all these reasons I believe that most librarians can be a valuable source for helping the job seeker understand how to conduct quality research. My posts about research tips are a great place to start, but actually seeing them in action and having someone to walk you through the use of the tools can be invaluable.

Almost everybody in should live near a public library, and as I pointed out here 49 of 50 states have programs to either purchase these tools for all their citizens or help the libraries purchase the tools. My biggest caveat is that depending on the public library they may not make the connections I have made in my career. If you go in asking for job related help you may get pointed to job ads, or local resources for finding jobs. But if you ask them to teach you how to effectively search their databases to find information you can then apply that skill for any need, career related or otherwise.

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.

Does your career Zig or Zag?

This piece (Does your Career Zig or Zag?) by Caroline Dowd-Higgins discusses the trend of more frequent career and/or company changes. She dubs this trend as becoming a zig zagger. It describes a phenomena I have highlighted before of the changing employment landscape. That is that the days of hiring into a company young and working for that company for a 30+ year career are over.  Several of the tips Ms. Dowd-Higgins suggests fall in line with the mantra of this blog: you need to be prepared with knowledge of the company before interviewing to help present yourself and your skills in the best light.

Even though we are moving away from the era where several jobs in several years is a red-flag, companies will still be looking for the potential to benefit from hiring you. Therefore you need to know as much about them as possible to help present your skills. This is especially true if you are coming from another industry. It is then up to you to present the skills you have acquired as transferable to their industry/business.

Dealing with long term unemployment

The Employable is an online community that seeks to fill the void for job seekers. This piece offers advice for dealing with long term unemployment. For the most part the advice in this piece are not radical, and things I have linked to in the past provide similar advice. My primary motivation to highlight this piece was the community itself. I like the idea on an online community with such a positive focus on this particular problem.

Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone out there that was unaware of it, and in this situation.

Fighting the Unemployment Stigma

Here is a post over at CareeRealism that offers some interesting advice for fighting the unemployment stigma. Now as I have mentioned before I was recently unemployed for very close to two years. There were many things about my situation that are likely unusual for the typical worker who is in this situation. The three tips from this piece are as follows (read their full post to get a better sense of the reasoning...):

• Stop looking for a job
• Press 'Play' on life
• Get a 360 degree evaluation

I agree with all of these, the second two are very good, and read well as stand alone tips. The first makes total sense if you read their entire description. There is always a reason you have been unemployed that long. Sometimes it is something you can control (being selective in you applications looking/waiting for a perfect fit, etc.) and sometimes they are things you can't control (living in an area with a high concentration of people in your industry, making the candidate pools very competitive, etc.)

By stopping and re-examining your situation and what you have been looking for can help put things back into perspective. As a personal example I live in between two highly ranked programs that produce librarians. Add to that many people in this area tend to stay close to where they have grown up, so there are many qualified librarians in the area. I have been typically told that I am one of one hundred or more candidates for most jobs I was applying for (I don't think any employer has ever given the exact number, not sure why?)

By slowing my search and spending some time to re-evaluate I was able to finally come to the conclusion that I need expand beyond traditional libraries. I found employers in my area that needed research/instructional skills and was making headway. Now if you have read this blog long term you will know I have settled into a part time librarian position. But if this opportunity had not come about, I was seeing positive signs that the re-evaluation was producing benefits (i.e. getting invited for the next round of interviews at one of the employers outside of my industry.)

What do others think?

Preparing for the new job market

Here is some career advice from a blog that I am less familiar with, but it matches much of what I am reading elsewhere. The advice boils down to the three tips:

• Pay attention to your industry.
• Develop niche expertise.
• Learn to market yourself.

These are again tips that may career counselors and  career bloggers are giving. This makes me feel comfortable pointing my readers to a anonymous blog post. I also find it interesting because of the theme it is constructed around. The job market is changing.

Now I have blogged about this premise before:

Is Traditional Employment Dead?
Traditional Employment (part 2)
The new job interview?

These three posts all tackle the issue from different angles... but taken in total I believe that they are pointing towards a growing trend in employment. So back to the article that motivated today's post... the three tips fall in line with things I have been saying in most of my blog posts. By paying attention to your industry through business news sources you are performing the research necessary to keep sharp as a job candidate. In this post (Company Research - business news) I detail how to conduct the research in the business news sources to learn and keep current in your industry.

By developing your niche and learning to market yourself you can stand out in a crowded candidate pool. These are actually the reasons I started this blog. During a lengthy unemployment I received some advice that to stay connected and relevant it might help to blog about an area I felt was my strength. Since I had worked with students at a major university, teaching them how to conduct this type of research to prepare for job interviews I felt I could broaden those skills for all individuals hunting for employment.

I would love to hear from any of you who feel that employment is changing.

More interview question advice

Another piece from Forbes about interview questions designed to trip us up, in this piece Jenna Goudreau lists 10 of these questions. Notice that number three is very related to the theme of this blog, researching before the job interview. I was actually asked this question at a recent interview.

Being able to connect with their situation goes a long way, and being able to tie your skills and abilities to their situation gets you even further.

Her analysis seems very reasonable and helps dig into the intent that interviewers are trying to get at by asking these and similar questions.

I hope that these are helpful to anyone who is interviewing in the near future.

Salary Negotiation

Salary Negotiation is never fun, but this two step process from Julia Philips on the 4 Business Networking blog is sound advice. The only problem is the way she casually mentions checking Google to find out the salary range for the position type and experience level.

• First this is not easily achieved by a Google search...
• Second, you also need to account for your geographic area.

I have mentioned before several web services for salary searching. I have also talked about America's Career InfoNet, which is a subset of Career One Stop. The ACI is a nice site with a usable interface for BLS data. You can use it to find your job/title and your zip code; and then get high, median and low salaries for both annual and hourly rates. Factoring in experience can be much more difficult. The typical method suggested by many career counselors is to peruse job ads, but my problem with that is that most ads don't list a salary. When they do, they give a large range so that it is difficult to judge where you lie on an experience scale.

Now if you are lucky and the place of employment is something like a government position or other job where the budgets are a part of the public record, then you can look the info up online... but if you don't personally know people who hold positions to the one you are applying for (and their personal experience) then it is difficult to use this data. At best you can use it to calculate a local high, median, and low salary.

The morale of this post is, that while I totally agree with the importance to have an idea of an appropriate salary before beginning the negotiation. It is not just a simple Google search away. I hope my tips are useful for those of you preparing for such a negotiation.

Good Luck All.

Is it a Mistake to Hold Out For a Full-Time Job?

This is the question posed by Fran Hopkins in a piece over on the AOL Jobs blog. Before I get into her reasoning I must state the obvious, that this is a very personal decision that hinges on many factors that are all unique to your own situation. For Ms. Hopkins she feels that she can support herself as a freelance writer. I she is being published on AOL Jobs, then we can assume that this is a reasonable decision for her to make. We of course don't know how long she has been looking, what exactly her specialty/field is or her geographic location. All of these will play a large role in this type of decision.

For myself, I have taken part time work. First I am geographically tied to one place, so I can only apply for jobs in a limited area. Second my profession (librarianship) is tied directly and indirectly to government spending, which as most know has been declining in recent years. Lastly and probably most importantly I had been out of work for close to two years. As I described in my last post, a lengthy unemployment is becoming increasingly harder to overcome in this job market. If I had continued to hold out for full-time work I could have been hurting my chances with each passing month.

Unlike Ms. Hopkins I am finding my part-time work very rewarding. The job functions are nearly identical to those I performed in my last full-time job, so that helps. The part-time hours still gives me time to search for full-time work. Perhaps most importantly I can be a little more selective in what full-time jobs I apply for. This is of course something that many might not be able to do, but for my current situation I can be more selective.

If you have been reading my blog long you will be aware of the importance of researching a job and company before and during your application/review/interview process. This means that if you can be more selective (a big if for many job seekers) you have the ability to only apply for jobs that truly match your skills and abilities AND that you are passionate about landing. This will show in both the cover letter and the interview process, which should count in your favor.

I hope that all of you are fortunate enough to have a situation that allows selectivity. Take the time to prepare for the writing of the cover letter and the interview(s). Your dream job is out there for you.

Reasons for employers not calling back.

I have been intending to write about this for a little while, and this article from Fortune is a good place to get us started...

Their list includes:

• Job hoping
• Outdated skills
• Getting fired
• Age
• Unemployement

Three of these five you can't do much about if they are a factor for you (job hoping, getting fired, age.) One you can address/improve (outdated skills.) The final (unemployment) is more of a concern if you don't use the time to stay active in your field. Some of the suggestions from the article include:

• Online courses
• Certifications
• internships/volunteering
• networking

There is on item that they have overlooked, which if you are in the long-term unemployed you want to think about and try to improve. Your credit. If you are asking yourself why? keep this in mind: It is legal (and becoming more common) for employers to check your credit as a factor in employment decisions. Here are some articles that explain this further: Can credit kill a job offer? or Credit scores and jobs.

If you want to learn more about credit scores and how it can effect you, try this site I designed for the Community College I work at.

Good luck!
-George

Questions, Questions, Questions!

I have written several posts that highlight the importance of asking questions during the interview process. This piece from Fortune Magazine's Ask Annie column highlights key questions of a potential boss to judge fit with the organization.

I have always found that asking a variation on the "key attributes that the next candidate will bring to this job" is highly effective. First as the column notes you can hear what they are looking for in a slightly more informal way and judge if what they want matches with what you could bring. Second, not mentioned is that if you ask this near the end of the interview you can then recap some of the information you have presented to them during the interview of how you feel you would match those characteristics (assuming you still want to be considered for the job.) If you think that it would not be a good fit you can then work on crafting a respectful communication to send to the hiring manager after the interview detailing why you are removing your self from consideration.

Never underestimate the power this can bring to your networking! Most professions/industries are small. By this I mean that the people you know and who know you may easily know a person that will be interviewing you for your next job. By declining a spot earlier (if you truly feel you don't think you would enjoy the job or the company) you can create a positive image of yourself as a professional (i.e. you know when a job would not have worked and you are respecting their time and resources.) Therefore in the future if you are interviewing for or being considered for a position that you know you are qualified for and want... that person/company may ask some of their colleagues whom you possible interviewed with. They will be able to not only comment on how you presented yourself but be able to comment on your commitment to finding the right job fit for you.

What other questions do you find useful to ask a potential boss?

More things not to do in an interview.

I bring up this piece from AOL Jobs, not because the list is particularly unique. Rather I bring it up to first remind us that there might be things we are doing that could hurt our chances. It never hurts to have practice interview time with a job coach, counselor, or other HR expert. All states should have work force development office with these types of services, as well as the career services office from any college you may have attended.

My second reason for mentioning this specific list is that it highlights the one area I hope to be counseling/advising against:

Having no clue about the company you're interviewing with.

 In the world we live in, there is no excuse for going into an interview unprepared to talk about them and their business. The best candidates will also be able to tie that knowledge into their own experience and how they can be the best fit for the job they are interviewing for. In the posts labeled research tips I try to either highlight articles on the web that give good information about performing this type of research, or my own insights from four years at Purdue University working with students in the Krannert School of Management.

I think that the best place to start is the post I wrote about searching business news sources. That post also links back to two earlier posts for some more basics.

How do we define ourselves?

I have seen this theme recurring over the past few months, without a career how does one define themselves? Here is the latest piece from NPR contributor Scott Simon. As someone who was looking for work until very recently I can say from personal experience that I continued to think of myself as a librarian. In web communication and when networking I would explain that I was a librarian without a library.

It appears from this story that I am fortunate in that my current part-time position is still in the field for which I am trained. When this is not the case how does that effect one's feelings of self worth and mental well being?

Would it possible be better to begin shifting our focus to our other interests? Family, hobbies, activities?

Also how does this tie into the American trait of working too much, and not using the vacation time they have earned? In study after study Americans consistently (myself includes, when I earned vacation) don't take all the vacation time they earn at their full time jobs. Is this healthy?

I would love to hear what others think.

Turning part time work into full time.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have finally found work. Currently it is part time work, but hopefully someday soon I will find full time work. This blog post from AOL Jobs gives 5 Surefire Ways to Turn A Part-Time Gig Into a Full-Tie Job. Their five tips are:

1. Dress like you're on a job interview.
2. Get to know everyone.
3. Be gracious.
4. Go out of your way to be helpful.
5. Focus on excellence, not speed.

The explanations are good, and the list makes sense. My perspective after a week is that these tips may not make the jump to full time possible, but this is due more to the nature of my position. I have been informed that all the previous holders of the position I am in have gone on to full time work in my field, so that is great. For anyone out there currently in a part time position I recommend following these principles to help you make the jump to full time if that is your desire.

Good luck!
-George

Do you need a Facebook profile to get a job?

My short answer is NO. But as this article from AOL Jobs points out you should not be completely invisible online if you are actively job searching. The article cites a survey that matches closely with a study I talked about in a previous post. These both suggest that the #1 social media site checked by HR is LinkedIn. The AOL article also points out another useful tip:

It's okay to protect your Facebook updates with privacy settings, but allow your Work and Education, About You, and Contact Information sections to be public.

As a librarian interested in both educating the public on the importance of information security and how to effectively use technology in the job search, I like this advice. Use the security/privacy features provided to you by the sites where you are a member... but don't lock it down so tight that the HR manager can't find you online.

Comments or questions? Let me know. Cheers!
-George

Apologies for my absence.

For any readers out there who read this blog regularly, I apologize for me recent absence. I do, however, have a good reason... I have found a part time job. The initial flurry of getting settled in this position have left less time for blogging. But now that I am getting my feet under me, I hope to re-establish a regular publication schedule.

For those of you who are still awaiting posts involving resources for small businesses and entrepreneurial efforts, those are still in the works and should be ready soon.

Cheers!
-George

Reasons you may not hear back after applying.

Do you ever get frustrated after applying for a job then waiting and waiting... well Meghan Brio of Glassdoor.com has written a piece for Business Insider with 5 reasons why you may never hear back.

Her reasons include:

• You really aren't qualified.
• You haven't key-word optimized your resume or application.
• Your resume isn't formatted properly.
• Your resume is substantially different from your online profile.
• The company received 500 resumes and yours was #499.

notice a pattern? These are all resume/application centered. Her suggestions?

• research interesting companies on social media.
• start a blog in your area of interest and/or expertise.
• get professional resume help.
• if at all possible don't wait until you are out of work to find your next job.
• network.

I commend her for having research the company as suggestion #1. I have many posts that may help with research tips and networking. As a job seeker who is blogging about an area I have experience with, I can say that this second tip is good advice... but I can't say yet if it has made a positive impact on my job search. I would like to think that it has.

What do others think? Is this type of general/generic advice helpful? Have you read a piece such as this, made a change or improvement based on that piece and seen tangible positive results?

Traditional Empoymnet (part 2)

In my last post I asked if traditional employment was dead...I linked to an article that had a somewhat negative outlook. Today I offer a somewhat more positive spin to this question. This article from Fortune contributor Larissa Faw looks at How Millennials are Redefining Careers.

As a Gen Xers near the end of that spectrum I guess I don't see this as anything new. While an undergrad the chair of my department liked quoting to us at Department of Labor statistic about how we would have on average 7 - 10 employers (careers, depending on whose wording you wanted to use.) At the beginning of the piece the author details how people used to define themselves as a single identity (engineer, teacher, NASA, etc.) but now people see themselves with multiple identities (journalist AND marketing consultant AND co-partner in a company.)

In a related piece on Fortune contributor Dorie Clark ponders Why Your Company Should Blow Up the Corporate Ladder. It examines that in order to attract and retain top talent companies should begin to change the way they view the rigid corporate structure? The article looks at a book about an alternative to that rigid structure The Corporate Lattice: Achieving High Performance in the Changing World of Work. In this book the authors look at how movements in a lattice (sometimes sideways, sometimes slightly down or slightly up) can help improve employee satisfaction and thus improve their productivity.

If these authors are correct, will it improve corporate structure? Will it help improve unemployment? Confidence in the economy? I would love to hear what people think.

Is traditional employment dead?

Last fall I tried to jump start my motivation for the job search by attending a job search club at my local public library. For me the best positive from this group was this blog. One of the other things we discussed at great length was whether traditional employment was dead. Most of our discussion was about the difficulty for an employee to find a traditional full time job with benefits. Instead people would have to begin working part time, project work, consulting, contract work, etc.

This piece details how many people are perhaps giving up on traditional work. Those of us still trying to find full time work may find this hard to believe, but there is a growing group of people leaving full time jobs to become more entrepreneurial. Kevin Wheeler gives us 5 Reasons Why Traditional Employment is in Trouble.

What do others think? Are you ready to abandon full time work to venture out on your own?

Tips for better networking

This piece from the Wall Street Journal covers tips for being a smart protege, which of course is all about networking. A protege needs a mentor to help them learn and grow, and traditional this has been a one-to-one relationship. This piece gets into a detailed explanation of why having many mentors can be better than one.

I have had several mentors during my career, but rarely not more than one at a time. This piece has given my a lot to think about, and I may have more to share about it in the future. Does anyone else have any thoughts? 

Taking Charge of Your Career

A few weeks back an article appeared in The Atlantic that has stirred up some controversy. It talked about the near impossibility of women 'having it all'... I debated discussing it here on my blog, but it didn't quite seem to fit perfectly with my general theme of advice for those looking for work. Then I saw this response to that article, 5 Tips to Take Charge of Your Career (Startup Success for Women). The author, Mariette Johnson Wharton, is an entrepreneur in the field of marketing and has some good advice (that is of course valuable for men and women.)

#1 Negotiate for promotions and salary increases...
          don't for get my many posts about salary, especially this one on finding salary and employment data.

#2 Start doing the job you want.
          Most of us know what we want to do, but opportunities can come at unexpected times and in unexpected ways...

#3 Work on developing a strong leadership style.
          Try reading my friends Jerry Steuerwald's leadership blog.

#4 Become a subject matter expert.
          Knowing your subject better than anyone else will equal success as an entrepreneur.

#5 Build strong relationships in industry.
          Networking, networking, networking.

It doesn't matter if you are considering starting your own business or remaining in a traditional company or if you are a man or a woman... these tips can be valuable for shaping your future employment prospects.

Good luck.

State Small Business Development Centers

A while back I provided links to state resources for all residents. These resources can help anyone perform research on any topic, but of course they can be especially helpful for researching business topics.

The following post will help identify resources for researching starting a small business in each of the 50 states. The first place to start might be the US Small Business Administration's district offices. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization Program has state level resources. Another resources for many states are LinkedIn groups and Facebook groups of entrepreneurs and small business persons. Lastly, but certainly not least don't forget to check with the local Chamber of Commerce for the area you plan to operate your business in.

Alabama:
Alabama SBDC Network

Alaska:
Alaska SBDC
Alaska Division of Economic Development
Alaska Business Development Center, INC.

Arizona:
AZSBDC
Arizona Small Business Association

Arkansas:
Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center

California:
California SBDC
California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

Colorado:
Colorado SBDC Network
Colorado Small Business

Connecticut:
Connecticut Small Business Development Center
Connecticut Development Authority
Community Economic Development Fund

Delaware:
Delaware SBDC Network
Delaware.gov Start a Small Business

Florida:
Florida SBDC Network
Enterprise Florida
Florida Business Development Corporation

Georgia:
Georgia SBDC Network
Georgia Department of Economic Development

Hawaii:
Hawaii SBDC Network
Hawaii Business
Hawaii Business Research Library

Idaho:
Idaho SBDC
Idaho Small Business Solutions
Idaho Department of Commerce - Business Assistance

Indiana:
Economic Development Corporation of Indiana
Indiana Small Business Development Center
Indiana Business Services Division

Illinois:
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development

Iowa:
Iowa Small Business Development Centers

Kansas:
Kansas SBDC

Kentucky:
Kentucky Small Business Development Center
Kentucky governmental resources for business

Louisiana:
Louisiana SBDC

Maine:
Maine SBDC

Maryland:
Maryland SBDC

Massachusetts:
Massachusetts SBDC
Massachusetts HED - Business Resources

Michigan:
Michigan Small Business & Technology Development
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Directory of Organizations Providing Assistance to Small Business

Minnesota:
Department of Employment and Economic Development

Mississippi:
Mississippi SBDC State Office

Missouri:
Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers
Missouri Business Portal

Montana:
Montana SBDC
Montana Community Development Corporation
Montana Business Assistance Connection

Nebraska:
Nebraska SBDC
Small Business Resources in Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Nevada:
Nevada SBDC

New Hampshire:
New Hampshire SBDC

New Jersey:
New Jersey SBDC
New Jersey Economic Development Authority

New Mexico:
New Mexico SBDC

New York:
New York SBDC
New York Business Development Corporation
New York Division for Small Business 

North Carolina:
North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center
North Carolina Department of Commerce
Thrive in North Carolina
North Carolina Business Services
North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development

North Dakota:
North Dakota SBDC

Ohio:
Ohio Department of Development
Ohio SBDC Network

Oklahoma:
Oklahoma SBDC
Oklahoma Economic Development Authority

Oregon:
Oregon SBDC
Business Oregon
Oregon Business Development Corporation

Pennsylvania:
SBDC Pennsylvania

Rhode Island:
Rhode Island SBDC
Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
Rhode Island Small Business Recovery Program

South Carolina:
South Carolina SBDC
South Carolina Office of Small and Minority Business Assistance

South Dakota:
South Dakota SBDC

Tennessee:
Tennessee SBDC

Texas:
Texas Wide Open for Business
Texas.gov Start a Business

Utah:
Utah SBDC
Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development

Vermont:
Vermont SBDC
Vermont Secretary of State - Start Up Checklist

Virginia:
Virginia SBDC
Virginia Department of Business Assistance
Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Washington:
Washington SBDC
Access Washington

West Virginia:
West Virginia SBDC
West Virginia Business Assistance

Wisconsin:
Wisconsin SBDC
Wisconsin Business Development

Wyoming:
Wyoming Entrepreneur
Wyoming Business Council

Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship

As I alluded to in my last post, I am beginning a series of pieces that will provide detailed summaries of information freely available for start ups, small businesses and entrepreneurs. To get this series rolling, I will state the obvious, government resources will/should become your best friend. The grandfather of these is the US Small Business Administration.

Every state has at least on district office for the SBA, and numerous college and university resources guides. My next piece will attempt to provide links state level resources for small businesses, that come from sources other than these federal district office or colleges and universities. Also most states have regional offices within them. I am attempting to link to the state level offices to manage the length of the list... but here are some quick web searching tips:

search for:

name of state AND "small business development"
          should result in these regional and college sites
name of state AND "small business grants"
          should result in sites focused on funding small business development

The remaining pieces will then get into specific resources for the specific aspects of starting and running a small business: writing a business plan, industry and market analysis, demographic information, competitive intelligence, funding.

I welcome thoughts, suggestions and comments.

The F-word entrepreneurs love to hate.

As I mentioned about a week ago I am working on a series of pieces to cover resources for entrepreneurs. These resources will run the gamete from demographic and market research sources to covering the basics for writing a business plan. While I finish these posts up I heard this story yesterday on NPR's All Things Considered, it covers failure and start-ups, how it is more common than we would like but is a driving force for the spirit of the entrepreneur.

Long term unemployment rolls on.

This piece from CNN/Money covers the increasing problem of the long term unemployed. This hits close to home, since I have now been out of work for twenty months and counting. Lets recap some of the general advice for dealing with long term unemployment:

consider additional schooling/training
maintain a strong professional network
start you own business

I am friends with one new business owner, and thought I would spend the next few posts discussing resources that any new entrepreneur should be aware of for their budding start-up.

A value proposition letter approach.

A value proposition letter is a concept from the business world, and this piece from the Just Jobs Academy explains how to use the concept from stronger cover letters. I like this concept, and it is similar to the advice from the Guerrilla Market book (covered here in parts 1 and 2.)

As my unemployment grows longer I have begun to worry... but my two concerns with this style of letter are

1) will my ideas be used without hiring me?
2) do companies respond to this style yet?

What do others think?

Job interviewing strategies.

Now I know if may feel like I cover interviewing a lot and I suppose I do... but for most of us it is the hardest step in securing a job. Second it is one of the most blogged about topics within career development/career services. Well here is another piece I would like to point out and discuss: 10 Best Job Interviewing Strategies.

Image Credit: ithire.org

First the hyperbole, this IS a good list, but the best... is a bit of a stretch. How would you prove that anyway?

I am glad to see two of their 'best' strategies include researching/fully understanding the company and position your are interviewing for. The rest however are common sense, which is not to say they are bad strategies. If you feel you need help with the research don't forget to check out my posts about company research and free resources for career development/research.

What do you think about this list? Good strategies?

Networking with LinkedIn

While I and many other career related blogs have extolled the importance of using LinkedIn to network, here is an article with tips on things to avoid when reaching out to for connections. "Who are you and why should we connect?" offers insight to all the options with in LinkedIn's connection wizard and how you should use them to the best effect. It also discusses the four common types of LinkedIn user, and why they might not what to accept your offer to connect.

I personally only connect to people I have worked with in the past, or those who are in my field (librarianship) and in my region (Indiana/Midwest). How do you use LinkedIn?

Networking mistakes to avoid.

This article by Ruth Mantell of the Wall Street Journal covers common networking mistakes. Now several of my posts on Social Media have covered the importance of these tools in developing your network... but I feel that I may have neglected to discuss networking and it's importance fully.

Here is the entry from the Riley Guide on Networking, which I reviewed in an early blog entry. As they point out it is consistently cited as the #1 way to get a new job. I can't say that it has directly led to a job opportunity for me personally, but I can say that it has helped keep me connected to my profession during my search for a new job.

If you have stories, good or bad, I would love to hear them.

How bad was it? May jobs report...

The May jobs report was released on Friday June 1st, and it appears to be bad. For full details and the possible outcomes I suggest this CNN/Money Magazine article. The keys for me, and I presume many of you, was the official unemployment rate went up to 8.2% and the underemployment rate went up to 14.8%. Hiring, especially in the public sector has not been stellar. I have blogged in the past about these two numbers and what it means to be unemployed. As I have stated in the past I will always try to remain apolitical... but if this trend continues, especially with the European economic troubles, the fall campaign season is going to be unpleasant.

For anyone out there still trying to find work (myself included) just remember to keep your chin up, follow the advice of myself and others regarding putting your best foot forward in all searching/career encounters. If you fully research both the job and company before applying/interviewing it should improve your chances. Please share any stories good or bad about your search or ask questions. Hopefully I can provide advice, perspective and/or words of encouragement. And if I can't maybe others will.

Advice from a toddler.

This piece which was originally posted on the Examiner covers some career advice from a toddler. This mother relays some career advice she learned from her child. I particularly like the fourth and fifth points: dust yourself off and play again and keep on learning. All of these tips are useful but these two stick with me.

As I approach my second year of unemployment I try and keep these with me everyday. Look for opportunities to grow and learn both within your profession and outside of it as well. If anyone else has any advice, whether you learned it from a toddler or not... please share in the comments.

Making Employers FInd You.

In this piece originally from theundercoverrecruiter.com provides 7 Secrets to Making Employers Find You. When I first encounters this article on a listserv I thought it would make a good piece to blog about myself. As most of you know I try to link to relevant career related articles and blogs and provide my own commentary.

As I read the tips I thought to myself these aren't secrets. They seem geared towards professional careers more then manufacturing and service careers. Also I have written previous blog posts about similar articles dealing with the importance of Social Media on the career search. Now before the comments come, I freely admit and acknowledge that not all of these seven secrets are not all about social media... but more than half of them are directly tied to social media and the others are related.

Now even if we concede that these are oft written about, and maybe even common sense we shouldn't just ignore them. HR personnel do use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media tools to find and screen candidates. By being proactive as a job seeker you can help improve their opinion of you as a future colleague.

Thoughts?

Eight Lessons

While I worked in academic libraries I had the pleasure of working with folks in the Career Center. I have since maintained virtual connections, and today I want to share a blog post from such a college career professional. These Eight Lessons were written for a college senior audience, but I think they can be valuable for all of us. Now I have written posts in the past focused on interviewing, and most of them point to articles and advice with similar advice.

The points I like the most from this list are don't play into stereotypes and know how to close. Now since the article is aimed at twenty-something college grads it mainly focuses on the stereotype of that generations attachment to their parents and dealing with criticism. But if we all examine ourselves we can probably identify a stereotype or two that someone might presume about us that we may need to diffuse during an interview or other area of the career search. Whether it is some aspect of our career profile or some personal characteristic we should do our best to down play or dispel such misconceptions about ourselves.

The second point, know how to close, is possible the most important on this list. As the author explains it is very useful to plan or script out the beginning of an answer to the types of questions that can be expected, but be sure to have a strong closing as well as a strong opening.

Hopefully you will find this columns advice, and my take on it useful. Please feel free to share examples of how these tips have been helpful to you.  

The new job interview?

This blog post from the Harvard Business Review poses some interesting questions about the future of the job interview. Projects Are the New Job Interviews by blogger Michael Schrage is a look at what the future of the job interview may look like.

Some have expressed concern about this possible change in the interviewing paradigm. But I see the potential. First, as the author states you as the candidate would be paid something for your time and creative contributor to the project. While this may not be as high as you could get for a similar effort as an independent contractor giving the same effort lets break this down:

currently as a job seeker we spend a great deal of time searching for the jobs, preparing resumes and cover letters for each job, researching each position/company for each interview, taking the time to travel to and interview with the company, then the time/effort of thank you's and follow up with each member of the company you interviewed with. Now many of these things will still hold if this new paradigm is realized... but instead of spending conservatively anywhere from 25 - 50 hours invested (at $7.25 per hour minimum wage...) somewhere around $180 - $360 per job interview. Now if you tell me that for some (eventually many) jobs that I interview for there is not only the potential of a full time job at the end of the process, but also I might make a few hundred dollars for my efforts I think it could be a positive for business.

Second some critics suggest that companies will conduct 'interviews' to get the cheap labor for these projects. This is unlikely, given that to conduct this 'interview' would still cost more than the discounted labor you might receive from two or three finalists for the position. Over at Investopedia they explain why hiring can be slow, due to direct and indirect costs of the hiring process.

What do others think about this potential change in hiring? Good or bad?

8 'New' Techniques to land a job.

Here is an article appearing on a blog New Grad Life and it is entitled "8 New Techniques to Land a Job." My first thought is that they are not new techniques, and even if you are 18 and just graduated from high school you have probably heard one or more of them before.

1) Set goals
2) Find the right targets
3) Seek expert assistance
4) Get to work
5) Keep it positive
6) Hit the club scene
7) Ask why
8) Relax

Now most of these I agree with, and try to practice to keep my sanity during my 18 month and growing unemployment. I strongly recommend 'hitting the club scene'. I was a member of a job club at my local public library for a while and it helped connect with others in a similar boat as myself. But I want to focus the asking why. I have tried this over and over, and only once is the past 18 months has an employer given any answer past the most common "... there were (many, hundreds, ...) of qualified applicants..." and more often than not I never get any answer to the question. Now I have covered before how interviewing works both ways and hopefully the employer is treating you with respect, but it seems to me that this is becoming an increasing problem.

Have others experienced this lack of response to simple questions to the interviewer/employer when they have asked for feedback on how to improve as a candidate?

Look inside the mind games to find the solutions

Another useful article from Business Insider, this time about "8 Mind Games That Recruiters Play During Interviews."  Things like the awkward pause and language usage are discussed to help improve the interview process. I encourage everyone to read the full article, but the spoiler for those of you who don't have time is to answer in the first person, past tense with few adverbs. Also try to avoid passive voice.

I feel that I have done this in past interviews, but it is interesting to hear some explanations as to what it can tell the recruiter or HR professional. I don't know if I would exactly call these mind games, rather how these answer styles speak to your personality. Does anyone else have experience with these 'games'?

"The 10 Worst things about job hunting" - a comentary

US News and World Reports has a career blog and a few weeks ago they posted a piece entitled "The 10 Worst things about job hunting". Here is the list:


 1. Contradictory advice.
 2. Online application systems that barely work.
 3. Job descriptions that don't match the reality of the job.
 4. Employers who set up phone interviews and then never call.
 5. Interviewing and then never hearing anything back.
 6. Employers who insist on knowing your salary history but won't reveal what the job pays.
 7. Having your new salary based on what you used to earn, not what you'll contribute to the company.
 8. Not being considered if you're not a local candidate.
 9. Routine invasions of privacy.
10. Employers who say they'll give you an answer within a week and then go silent.

Now I first was directed to this article via one of my LinkedIn groups (a great was to stay connected and Network with people in either your current field or a field you are interested in entering...). The consensus on that discussion list was that point #10 is the worst, and I agree that it can be the most frustrating. But shouldn't we be more concerned about #9? I have had personal experience with #'s 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 & 10. Maybe this makes me fortunate... but it could just be the nature of my field and the HR people in it. The reason I think that #9 should raise the most concerns is that it is becoming more common in all aspects of our lives. For example to do just about anything online that involves customizing, ordering, the creation of an account we have to agree to a privacy policy... but how many of us read them in full AND understand them? And how often are we told as job seekers to provide access to ourselves digitally that we may not agree to in the physical world? I fully subscribe to the advice to remain as professional as possible with your online presence, and I have never had a Facebook account (just never saw the point), but I can't imagine giving a potential employer access to my account if I had one. Or friending the HR person just to apply for a job.

Which of these have you experienced? Which do you find the most frustrating? Or troublesome?

Employment by undergrad major.

Recently Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce released a study entitled Hard Times. The Wall Street Journal then used the study and Census data from 2010 to produce a sortable chart with undergraduate majors, unemployment rate, and salary data. It is a pretty cool chart, so take a look...  the full report from Georgetown is 20 pages, also interesting but not as quick and easy to digest.

In terms of majors with both high and low unemployment rates I did not see anything shocking. Near the top of the list in terms of unemployment are:

1. Clinical Psychology; 19.5%
2. Miscellaneous Fine Arts; 16.2%
3. United States History; 15.1%
4. Library Science; 15%
5. Educational Psychology; 10.9%

Four of these five are highly dependent on graduate course work and degrees, so it does not seem surprising that the undergraduate student may have a higher rate of unemployment. Then there is the stereotypical starving artist. Also one thing that is not clear is are they collecting data on employment in the field of their degree or any employment.

All this leads me to the conclusion that anyone just beginning a bachelors program should do research about current trends in their field as well as future projections. A good place to start is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As you get closer to graduation begin to read job ads for the type of job you hope to obtain once you graduate. Pay attention to skills desired, and experience required. Talk with the career counselors at your school and see if they can help set up an informational interview.

More interview don'ts

Here is yet another article with a list of interview don'ts, Seven stupid statements that can sabotage your job interview, this time posted on PayScale.com. First I find it fascinating how similar this list is to one I linked to in this previous post. Both lists contain seven things not to do/say in an interview. Four of the points are exactly the same (don't be late, don't lie, don't try to turn a weakness into a strength, and don't ask why they might not hire you). Additionally one point one each list is very similar (don't show up unprepared/don't come without questions).

I am reassured by these similarities. It is reassuring that the major sources of career/interviewing advice are in agreement. As someone who is still looking for employment it tells me I don't have to waste time trying to read every blog and article on such advice.

The group interview.

This piece from AOL Jobs offers one tip for acing the group interview. As the author alludes to, the group interview is becoming more popular so it is a good idea to be prepared. In the area of libraries, especially academic libraries this is a style I am used to... but it is now becoming common place in many industries.

I tend to agree that the group dynamic can be tricky, so try to incorporate each of the techniques mentioned here. The one thing I would add is that if possible it can be helpful to address each member of the team each time you answer their question. This can help cement the names in your mind, which is harder when there are many people in the room. Also you may want to try to summarize each question before answering it. This gives you a few seconds to order your thoughts and it allows them to redirect you if you may have miss heard. If you are unsure you can also ask after your summary if you that is indeed what they want you to answer. It is better to clarify than to answer the wrong question.

I hope that these tips help you all in your next interview.

Cover Letter Myths

Here is an article from AOL's jobs site that uncovers three cover letter myths. The first two are fairly straight forward, but the third deserves some discussion:

Explain what experience you have that proves you can do the job.

This seems contrary to most of the common advice, that is that the cover letter should explain how you meet the qualifications they are looking for. Provide more detail about your background and paint a fuller picture than a resume with its list of names, dates, and events. But the advice in this article yet again reenforces the importance of researching the company and position you are applying for. If you can learn more about them and their circumstance from your research you can paint a picture with your cover letter that explains how you can solve their need.

As a personal example I recently applied for a position as a manager of a small branch library. I have not had experience in a position exactly like this before, but I have had a position with the wonderfully descriptive title of Operations Coordinator. This position even though it had been a few years ago was the closest to what I was trying (still am) to become so I focused on it in my cover letter. I have not talked to the hiring committee since they are still making the decision, but if I don't get it for some reason I will inquire about this cover letter. It is my belief that the cover letter at the very least secured me the interview since I used it to relate the similarities between one of my past jobs and the role they are hoping to fill.

Secrets of Hiring Managers

This article appeared in Forbes last week with 11 secrets from hiring managers. This list of dirty little secrets will open eyes for its honesty. Many of them are not surprising for the pessimistic job hunter, but for those of us who still hang on to that last bit of optimism it is disheartening.

Have any of you faced these problems for sure? Do you suspect that you have?

Why I tossed your resume

Here is a very interesting article about resumes/cover letters. It appears in the Chronicle of Higher Education, but all the advice seems to cross all industries. Like I have said before in these commentaries most of the advice seems familiar, but  as always I have some thoughts.

The point about not speaking the language is code for doing your research, but the authors advice for using that research seems fresh. I have heard before of the importance of customizing the resume for each position, but I will admit I have had difficulty figuring out exactly how to pull this off. After all my experience doesn't change very often... so other than rearranging the order of things to emphasize certain things I have never done well at this step. I will be trying Mr. Miller's advice about placing keywords from the job ad into the resume as well as the cover letter.

The point that I don't 100% agree with is his first about only applying if you meet all the criteria. While I agree with his point about not using the "spray and pray" technique for applying. I have personally applied for positions that I have not 100% meet all the criteria and still made it to the final 3 or 4 for the face to face interview. In this case I had to make a well reasoned presentation with the resume and cover letter that my qualifications well exceeded their expectations in all other areas except the one that I lacked.

This worked to a point, but I did not get the job. Read the advice, do your research and keep your spirits up.

Why you didn't get the interview.

The most common advice when you don't get an interview is to ask the company/HR executive for any feedback on your candidacy. I don't know about you, but I have only once ever gotten feedback from an employer. That said, you should still ask. Here is an advice column about three common interview mistakes.

The last mistake listed in this piece is not having questions, which boils down to not researching the company/position. You need to be prepared with enough knowledge of the company to prepare questions about the position.

Have you ever gotten positive feedback from an employer that you didn't get hired by?

Interviewing Don'ts

Here is a post from over at Business Insider with a list of Seven things you should never do during an interview. Yet again this column includes an important tip about why it is a problem to show up unprepared about the company you are interviewing with.  So even though I feel like a broken record at times it is crucial to do all your homework and research them thoroughly. Check out my posts about research tips for some useful advice.

All the other tips seem solid, the one I have the hardest time with (like most people I would assume) is the "weakness" question. Finally the last tip about ending the interview I have heard both ways. Frankly I have never been able to get up the nerve to ask the blunt question to end the interview... so I am glad to hear this flip side of the coin.

In my last interview I was asked "What did you do to prepare for this interview?" This is the most direct way it has ever been asked to me in an interview setting, but it leads strength to most of my posts as well as the second tip from this column's list of don'ts.

"Invaluable Websites" ??

First I'd like to say welcome back, and I hope my absence was not an inconvenience to anyone. On the plus side I have had two interviews since my last post, and will be writing about that soon. But today I wanted to share an advice piece I was pointed to recently and discuss it in depth. Over on the blog Careerealism, there was a pieces a few months back about web sites for career research: 15 Invaluable Websites for Job Research.

Don Goodman wrote the piece, and for the most part I agree with the list. He doesn't indicate if the list is ranked, but lets take a look at them:

• Quintessential Careers
• Job-Hunt.org
• LinkedIn
• ZoomInfo
• Spoke
• Jigsaw
• FTT Research
• Highbeam
• Glassdoor
• The Vault
• Wet Feet
• Internship Programs
• Airs Job Board & Recruiting Technology Directory
• AnnualReports.com
• CEO Express 

The sites I agree with the most on this list are LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Wet Feet and AnnualReports.com. Also good are CEO Express, Highbeam, Job-Hunt.org, Airs Job Boars & Recuiting Technology Directory and Quintessential Careers. In this second group are three sites that help search for article type information... so just remember that while these are good, since they are free on the web you might have better success with resources from a local library. Since the databases through a library are subscription they will contain information which someone (the author or publisher) has decided is valuable enough that they don't want to give it away from free. This does not always make it better, just that someone has deemed it valuable. For help finding library resources in your area you can start with the local public library in your home area... or check this list to see if your state offers free access via the web.

I have not used ZoomInfo, Spoke, Jigsaw or FTT Research, but here are my thoughts based on Mr. Goodman's descriptions. ZoomInfo like Highbeam and Quintessential Careers can find article level info so while it is free online just remember your other options. The other three sound like directories, so Spoke and FTT Research might work well in combination with LinkedIn, but there are others and often times libraries have on line and print resources that can do the same things.

Jigsaw may be a cool site, but between LinkedIn and other free library resources I wouldn't pay for a web service to find contact type information. Finally I would like to address The Vault. The site Mr. Goodman describes is a small piece of what this company provides. And he mentions the 'small fee'. The full resources is most likely available from college libraries and/or career service departments... so if you have an alma mater I would contact them first. If they can't give you the full access... then Glassdoor also has a section for employees to rate and describe working for a company... so I would not pay for a subscription to The Vault as an individual.

Just my thoughts, hope these helps save you money as well as time.
               

Salary requirements.

As my luck begins to change and I begin getting the opportunity for a few more interviews, I again have to think about the salary question. While this is never easy, this blog post has some good advice on the specific issues around when it is ok to ask about the range for the salary. I have not had the time to review the full archives, but the Ask A Manger blog is becoming a new favorite. Also Ms. Green's third point just strengthens my whole point about doing the proper research before going into any interview setting.

I think that this situation will vary greatly based on the personal situation and the industry involved,  but these three approaches are well reasoned.

Set yourself apart

As some of you may know I used to work at Purdue University as an academic librarian. I had the privilege to work with the staff of the Center for Career Opportunities. The staff in this office worked closely with the companies that came to interview students and had many great insights to help students. The following is a post on their blog about some of these insights from the company perspective about interviewing.

My first observation is that if you have attended/graduated from a school don't forget your career center. They usually have services for alumni as well as current students. These can be very valuable for your job search.

My second observation is that here is another voice mentioning the importance of preparing and researching the company you are about to interview with.  I can not stress enough the importance of this step, and here is the voice of the company telling you that it is important!

So use your former college(s), local public library, the internet (social networking like LinkedIn) and any other place you can think of to find information on your perspective employer.

-Good Luck!

Six Questions to Ask?

Here is an advice column about what to ask during the interview. It appeared in a recent edition of Fortune online, and it reiterates many of the things I have said on this blog.

1) You must do your homework on the company you interview with.
2) You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
3) In order to stand out in the crowd, showcase your talents and make a positive impression.

Getting the interview is good, nailing the interview is better!

-Good Luck All.

Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 (part 2)

As I stated in my first post about this book, the authors have an interesting take on many aspects on the job search. One area they have absolutely correct is Chapter 4 on the importance of research. They do a good job of presenting all the reasons for the importance of research, many of which we have discussed in previous posts (company research 1 & 2). I also give them major props for recommending the use of your local public library to find the things you are having trouble finding on line!

The one area that they don't connect the dots is that many of the free online resources that they mention by name (Hoovers, Lexis Nexis, D&B Million Dollar database, etc.) have subscription versions that provide even more in-depth information. Many libraries have subscriptions to these or similar resources, so while they give props to libraries, they could have made a stronger case. In my company research part 2 piece I provide links to the state-wide resources available in 49 of the 50 states that should have these or other very valuable subscription resources for performing this research.

I have found this book to be a good read. The advice and tips may seem a bit aggressive, but in this job searching environment aggressive may be necessary.

Interviewing - STAR technique

Here is and advice column I found recently detailing the STAR technique of answering behavioral interview questions. The column is a bit old, but the content seems very relevant. STAR stand for:

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Results

so it seems obvious that when you answer the questions using this style you address the situations you have encountered in your career, tasks you have completed, actions you have taken and the results that were achieved. This blog column provides good tips and advice for preparing for this style of interview.

I am certain that I have been interviewed using this technique, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I now feel more prepared, hopefully you will be as well.

-Good Luck!

Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0/3.0

I am reading through this very interesting book by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry. The second edition is very good, with practical advice. As the authors mention early on in the book there are many such advice texts on the market, but few are written by a marketing experts and an executive head hunter.

Now admittedly the book is written for a decidedly corporate audience, but some of the advice is universal. For example where many books would talk about analyzing your strengths and interests and focusing a job search on careers that highlight these... the Guerrilla method (as they call it) has the reader write down all these personal interests and professional strengths and compare the lists. Find the intersections of these lists and concentrate on them.

They also advocate researching the companies you are targeting and the industry(ies) that these companies fall within. As a librarian that preaches a similar message and teaches those skills I  am very much in favor.

As a public servant I realize the importance of marketing ones skills and self, but I find it difficult. I will post more thoughts about the book as I continue to read through it. In the meantime how are all of you dealing with marketing yourselves? I welcome the comments.

Cover Letters

I can not count the number of articles, and advice columns I have read about customizing your cover letter. They typically say the same thing: do your research and find a way to match your skills and abilities to the job and environment.

This is easier said than done, but it is sound advice. Here is an example of this type of advice article. It is written for a college student audience, but the tips are relevant for us all.

I know that this is very valuable advice, and yet most of my cover letters are just picking out things from my resume and past work history that match something from the job ad. This is a good first step, and has landed me plenty of interviews, but do these really WOW the hiring manager or committee?

Do any of you have letters that you are proud of? Or that you know were not the right fit?

What to do about lenghty gaps in unemployment during a job search?

Have you been searching for a job for a long (one year or more) time? Do you think this work gap is causing you to miss out on job opportunities? Here is an article form the New York Times with some suggestions. Most of the advice seems to be written for professionals, but I think it can be applied to all types of employees. This article from CareeRealism has a very similar list to the first, but is slightly less focused on professional careers.

Use the time to improve your skills or acquire new skills. This will keep you current in your field, so that during your next interview you can talk about the latest trends or things you have learned that will help the interviewer and her company.

Continue to develop your network, most career experts still maintain that 70 - 80% of jobs are acquired buy knowing the right people. Using sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to maintain your connections with people you know in your field will help you learn about new opportunities.

Personally I have been looking for a new job now for almost three years. The first year and a half I maintained my job, but knowing the contract would not be renewed due to the economy I began looking that far in advance. The past year and a half I have been unemployed. I have been volunteering to help maintain some connection to my field. I have begun to research jobs that are outside of traditional librarianship (my field) but use the skills I have mastered during my ten years in the profession. I have been reading to keep up with my field, but for me I think that this blog has been the best connection.

How have some of you managed lengthy periods of unemployment?

Simplifying Social Media and the job search.

In part one on using Social Media I detailed a study on the use of these tools by HR staff at companies to learn about perspective employees. In part two I referenced two books I have been reviewing about how to use various social median tools more effectively. I have just seen a blog post over on SocialMedia Examiner about tips to simplifying the use of your social media tools. I knew about several of the tools/tips they were describing, but some were new to me. Reviewing these tips may help some of you in your use of social media tools for your job search.

Have you used any of these or other tools for organizing your social media presence for the job search?

Social Media & jobs (part 2)

LinkedIn just hit 150 million users. Yet another reason to use it for job searching and more importantly networking. But in case you are still skeptical, I am reading through a few books that might interest some of you:

Schepp, Bard & Debra. How to find a job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other Social Networks. McGraw-Hill. New York. 2010.

Crompton, Diane & Ellen Sautter. Find a Job Through Social Networking: Use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and More to Advance Your Career. Jist Works. Indianapolis. 2011.

As I say, I am still reviewing these, but my initial assessment is that the first does a good job of walking through the process of setting up accounts on LinkedIn and other social media tools, the second book covers a wider variety of tools. This creates a larger breadth but of course the side effect is less depth on each tool.

Do any of you have a favorite social media tool? How are you highlighting your skills?

Career Wisdom in just 6 words...

I have just seen this piece about on a new book(Six Words About Work) about career wisdom. I have not yet seen the book, but when I learn more I'll let everyone know.

The Elevator Pitch!

I found this tool for helping craft an elevator pitch. It comes from the Harvard Business School, and once you have entered your pitch it analyzes it for you. Basically you are asked to enter your pitch in four sections; who, what, why, and goal. The system them gives you a word count, time estimate, and number of repeated words. There are tips and suggestions of strong words along the way. It is an interesting site, but if you don't have a cohesive pitch in mind going in I am not sure it helps craft or build a pitch.

Other than general advice to keep your pitch short and engaging, and to avoid jargon specific to your field... I have found little consensus about how best to craft an elevator pitch. What do others think? Do you have a strong pitch that you would be willing to share?

College Majors & Employement

I just saw this today.... interesting graphic of the 15 highest and lowest college majors by  unemployment.  The web site in general seems to have some interesting reading about training, employment and career information.

Cover Letter advice

I just read an interesting perspective about cover letters written by Adam Dachis at lifehacker. I think that this piece illustrates the point I have made in past posts (company research and business news) about performing research about the company you are applying to. Keep this advice in mind as you conduct your research and how you can use the information you are finding in both a cover letter and an interview situation.

To be honest most of my cover letters over the past year and a half have been closer to the generic style Mr. Dachis describes. I always write custom cover letters for each position, and try to incorporate some facet of the employers mission or vision I have learned in my research. Perhaps that is why I have gotten interview offers from around 50% of my applications... but if I was being less formulaic would I have gotten an even better return on my investment?

Have any of you used unique cover letters to either success or failure?