By Mildred L. Culp culp@workwise.net
You have your job down pat. You know your industry.
You job hunt intelligently, but you’ve hit a brick wall. What have you not
learned to do? For inspiration, read some tips from people throughout the
country.
RESEARCH
Don’t minimize the most important
first step – research. Learn about company cultures. Mark Frietch recommends
you develop of list of cultures in your work history you liked or didn’t. He’s
president of TAC Services LLC in Charlotte, N.C., where he consults on
integrating social media and social networking for job seekers. “Look for
particular buzzwords on web sites,” he says, “such as community involvement or
community relations.”
Michelle Proehl, president of Slate Advisers
Inc, a career transition service in Sunnyvale, Calif., tells you to identify
the values of an organization to determine if it parallels yours. “What type of
work environment brings out the best in you?” she asks. “When have you felt
most successful in the past? How will the role that you’re applying for enable
the same? Some companies value long hours, collaboration and face time,” she
observes. “What kind of people do you want to work with – technology innovators
or people with more work-life balance?”
Frietch also mentions that, when
using LinkedIn, if you target the title of a person likely to hire you and “do
a keyword search in your areas of focus, you’ll be targeting people who will
help you get the job. They talk to each other.”
Once inside, look at your potential
boss. “Leadership styles and work environment are created by that leader,”
Proehl mentions. “Is the person more hands-on or self-directed?” She concedes
that you need to think about co-workers, too.
CONTENT
Career strategist Darrell Gurney,
author of “Never Apply for a Job Again,” has updated his job-hunting method,
which is particularly useful if you don’t need a job this minute (Career Press,
$14.95). He directs people to “focus on relationships today/this week (rather
than your) desperate need for a job.” The latter repels. The former attracts.
Identify and maximize your passion,
“such as something cutting edge in your current field or hot and fascinating in
another field,” he advises. Not sure how to do it? He makes it simple: Scan the
classifieds for inspiring words and phrases (a.k.a., your “sweet spot”).
Then, “find reasons to meet people
other than your need for a job,” Gurney writes. These aren’t information
interviews, which scream, “I’m looking for a job.” For example, one job seeker
created a blog showcasing local CMOs after he interviewed them. Eventually,
“people turned the tables on him and offer him a job,” Gurney reports.
“It’s always about knowing and
being known by people in the know,” he explains. “Go for information and
relationships. If you find reasons to get in front of and known by thought and
industry leaders, the job will take care of itself.”
Here’s a gem: “People bend the
rules for people they know,” he writes.
‘REPLAY’ BUTTON
When you don’t land a job, it’s
easy to torment yourself with failure. Rather than obsessing over how you did
in interviews, consider a tactic from Tracy Brisson, founder and CEO of The
Opportunities Project Inc. in Savannah, Ga. She calls it the “replay”
technique.
Immediately after an interview,
write down everything you can remember. Then, bring together one or two peers,
especially one who’s hired. “Replay the interview questions and your answers,”
she says. “Ask if they hear anything they might rephrase or consider a
turn-off.” Discovering you didn’t say anything catastrophic will free you to
move forward.
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