“The Number One Job Hunting Book

In The World”

Jim Stroud

2

FOREWORD In 2013, Randstad Sourceright offered me the opportunity to lead its North American employer brand department, a role I was already fulfilling for the company in the UK. This was an amazing opportunity, but still required careful consideration… until, that is, I was told I would be joining another new hire, a guy by the name of Jim Stroud. When Chase Wilson, the head of Randstad Sourceright’s Center of Expertise told me that Jim would be leading the attraction and sourcing department, I called my wife and said, "Carolina, how do you fancy living in the US?" You see, I knew of Jim long before we met. I'd read his previous book, Resume Forensics, and recommended it to a number of colleagues. I'd also seen him present at the Sourcing Summit, Europe, on the importance of promo-tion through content marketing, something I talk a lot about myself. Like many, I am a big fan of Jim Stroud. In whatever medium you receive his knowledge you get an overwhelming sense that this is a man that loves what he does. He's an innovator, a futurist, and a man hell-bent on improving the world around him. Knowing him as a friend and colleague, and seeing him as a husband and father, I can tell you he does just that, both professionally and personally. As for me, I spend my days advising clients on the impor-tance of their employer brand, essentially “managing the perception of an organization as an employer.” The em-phasis is firmly on “perception.” This leads to a question that Jim asked me to answer here: is perception manage-ment only applicable to organizations? Each and every one of us is constantly shaping a perception through our actions and our interactions. It is a perception of ourselves through the eyes of others, and that perception is our own personal brand.

3

So how important is our personal brand? Well, typing "the importance of personal" into Google gave me “brand” at number five, so we can assume it’s a topic people are looking to better understand. According to Wikipedia, the term was first used in 1937, but it wasn’t picked up again until 1981. It gained real popularity in 1997; only six years after the World Wide Web became publicly available. That’s no coincidence. Prior to the public emergence of the Internet, you’d need to be Donald Trump to afford the kind of publicity it would take to build even a single-country personal brand. The Internet offered a low-cost option to brand ourselves at a potentially global level - and brand ourselves we did, for better or worse, whether we meant to or not. Since then, a steady stream of innovations has exponen-tially expanded the power - and the risks - of our personal branding capability. LinkedIn came along in 2003, followed by Facebook in 2004. YouTube joined us in 2005 and Twitter in 2006. Though the first blog was launched in the mid-90s, it wasn’t until ten years later that blogging went truly mainstream. Since then, personal branding has become a part of our lives, whether we are actively manag-ing it or not. If you want to see what I mean, Google “social media employment fails” for some hilarious, cringe-worthy examples. This is what has created the need for what I refer to as “personal brand perception management.” If you want to build and/or manage your personal brand, here are three simple rules. One, think about how you want your brand to be perceived, and create content to support this. Be consistent and avoid hypocrisy. Nothing will damage your brand more than a super professional LinkedIn profile, followed by a Facebook post or YouTube video to the contrary. Employers use the likes of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to vet candidates, so even if you aren’t actively promoting your personal brand, it pays to manage your brand perception.

4

Two, build as much visibility, using as many channels, as you can. We call these “brand assets”, and the more you have, the more you will bring your brand to life. There are many ways of building your personal brand. Deciding up front what you want to achieve will help you to build a strategy in much the same way that you would if building a product or service brand. For many, the idea of building and maintaining multiple personal brand assets seems like too much work. If this is the case, then having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile could be all you need. Just make sure you maximize this asset by tailoring the messaging to-wards your desired perception. Asking colleagues for LinkedIn references on this topic will help a lot. If you are looking to go a step further, then utilize other channels such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to support your brand and drive it to a wider and potentially new demographic. Writing a blog will really help by elevating you as a thought leader. Just be careful to keep the momentum going. There’s nothing wrong with being a monthly poster, but if you start daily, move to weekly and end up monthly or longer, followers may start to wander. Tell them what they are getting and stick to it. Most successful bloggers write content as they think of it and release articles at a steady rate, giving them a back-library to reduce the pressure of being creative-to-order, and allow them to remain consistent during holidays or busy periods. Looking for more? Then be prepared to leave the comfort and safety of your desk and get out in front of people. Speaking at events is one of the best ways you can show people who you really are, and if you can have these recorded, you have some great content to push out through your social channels. Many years ago I would never have thought I could get up on stage. At first I just wanted to say my piece and head to the bar, but as I gained confidence I found that I thrived off of audience participation. Over the

5

years it’s something I’ve come to enjoy. If speaking is something you want to do but you don’t have the confidence to do it, don’t put yourself under too much pressure. Start with a small audience and go with some-thing short. Co-presenting can be a great way to share the pressure and get into your comfort zone. Don’t overthink it. Allow yourself an opportunity to do it a few times until you figure out what works for you; then you can write presentations that will play to your strengths. Once you get over the fear of presenting, you’ll actually enjoy it, and then you will discover that sharing your knowledge with people is hugely rewarding. And that brings me onto my third rule… Rule number three (this may surprise you): your personal brand isn’t about you; it’s about how others view you. Doing things to help others will build a stronger brand than ‘self-promotion.’ Self-promotion isn’t building a personal brand; promotion is merely the vehicle you use to drive the message. So let the message be one that is useful to others, that helps them to be better at doing what they do. Like a corporate brand, be authentic, be honest, and give people a reason to want to listen to what you have to say. Personal branding is not about telling people how success-ful you are or what you have achieved. It’s about being a mentor in your industry. It’s about helping others. A good friend of mine, and leading Employer Brand author, Richard Mosely, used a quote in one of his presentations that sums this up perfectly, “If you want to be a comedian, don’t tell people you’re funny, make them laugh”. Lastly, if you’ve done all of the above and people recognize you as a true leader in your industry, give them a real gift and write them a book. That’s what Jim Stroud has done for us, and his brand is one of the best in the business. -James Foley

6

INTRODUCTION Hi! I don’t know what time it is for you now so, let me say “good morning, good day, good evening and good night.” There is a chance that you might already be familiar with my content. I have been quite prolific in producing blogs, podcasts, videos and comics but, chances are you have never heard of me. So if you please, may I introduce myself? My name is Jim Stroud; most folks call me Jim Stroud, so feel free to do the same. I have been working in the recruit-ing field since 1997 for such companies as Google, Microsoft, Siemens, MCI, Bernard Hodes Group and Lanta Technology Group. I currently serve as a senior director at Randstad Sourceright. (Best job ever!) As an entrepre-neur, I have created and sold four online properties, managed an award-winning blog, published a weekly newsletter for jobseekers, a recruiter training magazine and co-hosted a popular technology podcast. I am the author of two recruiting related books (“Resume Forensics” and “Content is the New Sourcing”). I was quoted in, or was a contributor to, the following books “Hired! Paths to Employment In the Social Media Era,” “Size Matters! How Big is Your Social Footprint,” “Social Networking for Career Success,” “The Executive Search Process,” “Tweet This! Twitter for Business,” “Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0,” “Happy About: LinkedIn for Recruiting,” “Predictions and Trends for Data-Driven Hiring in 2015,” “Employed for Life: 21st Century Career Trends” and “Social Recruiting Predictions and Trends for 2014.” I have also written several career blog posts for Dice, Glassdoor and several other career related websites as a ghostwriter. But I digress, I’ve always wanted to write “the number one job hunting book in the world.” By my reckoning, I have

7

two means to accomplish this goal: one, write a book with that as the title (check) and two, inspire revolutionary thought in how people find work and stay employed. When writing this book, I kept asking myself, “Is this idea worth a jobseeker’s time and effort? Will these tips inspire some-one who has been out of work for a long period of time? Am I saying something new or at the least, giving advice that has not been given a hundred times before?” I truly hope so. I want this book to be a breath of fresh air to every unemployed, under-employed and unhappily-employed person who happens to find it. On the off chance that you are skimming this book inside of a bookstore, previewing it via an online store or thumbing through a friend’s copy, let me share the cliff’s notes version of what you can expect.

1. Believe it or not, now is a good time to be looking for

work because companies are having difficulty finding talented people. In fact, it is a worldwide concern.

2. Rather than send your resume everywhere, position yourself to be found and attract career opportunities your way.

3. Do not job search alone. Increase your chances of find-ing work and reduce your workload and stress by working with a team of like-minded job hunters.

4. Make money while in between jobs by starting an online business that requires minimal overhead.

5. Leverage social media to find hidden jobs, establish a personal brand and protect your online reputation.

My book is unapologetically quirky, aspires to be amusing yet manages to inform and inspire. At least, that was my intention. I leave it for you to determine how successful my effort was. Happy Job hunting! -Jim Stroud

8

Scene: Inside

Coffee shop

Scene: Jim waiting inside coffee

shop.

Jim: Hmm… They should be here

in a few minutes.

Scene: Picture of my laptop and

notebook set up at a table.

Jim enjoys his nap.

Say what?

Someone at the door?

9

Scene: Jim looking at coffee grounds

for sale and wonders if he should buy

some for his wife.

Close up of my notebook which has a to do

list: 1 ) Pick up dry cleaning, 2) Get oil

change, 3 ) Meet a friend and help them

w i t h t h e i r j o b s e a r c h .

[ 1 and 2 are checked off ]

[ Drawing of me as a stick man and doodles

around stuff I will be discussing. ]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

10

The Number One Job Hunting Book In The World

Copyright 2015 by Jim Stroud. All rights reserved. No part

of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner

whatsoever without written permission except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and

reviews.

First edition.

Image on page 67 was taken by Julian Carvajal.

11

Jim: Hey you! Good to see you.

Pull up a chair and get

comfortable.

Jim: Now, I understand you are

unemployed, under-employed

or… unhappily-employed. Yes?

Jim: Well, no matter the

situation, I came prepared to

share my $24.95 worth of

advice. ( wink )

Coming!

Welcome. Mi casa es su casa.*

*All the Spanish Jim knows.

12

JIM: Okay, to start, no! I’ m not

going to look over your resume.

That should be a secondary

concern of yours...

Jim: oh, look at me, I ’ m rambling.

I do that sometimes and I get dis-

tracted at times. So, understand

that as we go forward because...

Jim is distracted by someone or

something in the coffee shop.

Squirrel...

I’m all set for you! Please have a seat.

I understand that you are open to new opportunities?

Unemployed, under-employed, unhappily–employed…?

13

Umm...

Oh, look at me. I’m rambling. I do that sometimes and get distracted easily at other times and...

No matter. I’m not going to look over your resume. That should be a secondary concern to you at this stage in the game* and…

*$24.95 worth of advice begins now.

14

*Look at me! I’m in a book! Whoo-hoo! Yay me!!

Yeah...

15

Ah! See what I mean? (Just bear with me.) Now, where was I? Oh yes. When it comes to any career move you have to ask yourself a very important question.

Before you answer that question for yourself (keeping in

mind that we are speaking in terms of employability), you

have to consider a few facts and figures from the world of

labor.

Can you guess what keeps HR up at night? I imagine that

you have no clue, so let me just tell you - “employee

retention.”

GEEK TIP: Employee retention is a systematic

effort by employers to encourage valued

employees to remain with their organization.

There is an old blues song by Johnnie Taylor called, “Its

Cheaper to Keep Her.” The gist of the tune (look it up on

YouTube) is that a struggling marriage is preferable to an

expensive divorce. HR could very well sing the same song

when it comes to their workforce. Its more affordable to

( J im in a model pose. )

“ A m I hot or not? “

Am I hot or not?

16

keep an existing workforce and retain valuable company information than it is to seek out new talent. As someone open to new opportunities, you might not have given much thought as to the leverage you may have as a passive candidate or active job seeker.

GEEK TIP AND A RANT: A “passive candidate” is a qualified candidate for employ-ment who isn't necessarily looking for work, but who may be interested if the right job comes along.

Hiring managers tend to think that passive candidates are more valuable than active jobseekers, especially during times of recession. Why? Conventional wisdom says if economic times are tough, a company holds on tightly to their star players as long as they can. (I never held that mindset, but I think I am in the minority. Umm… no pun intended.) Some employers also think that active job seekers who are passionate about finding work (i.e. constantly calling for updates on their resume status) are not as qualified as those who do not call as much. Weird. Asinine. Regard-less, I have witnessed some employers with that mindset. But I digress… According to my beloved employer - Randstad, there is a massive skill shortage pretty much everywhere in the United States. Here is a quote from our website…

“When asked to assess the skills of today’s work-force, two-thirds of respondents somewhat or strongly agree that a skills shortage exists, and

17

slightly over one-half say the skills deficit has negatively impacted their businesses. Hiring man-agers also delivered a strong message that it’s difficult to find the right people for open positions…”

Here are a couple of images from an infographic that Randstad created in support of their data. What stands out to you, if anything? (Take your time. I have all day.)

18

All of the industries cited in the “industry spotlight” section of the infographic (Healthcare, IT, Engineering, etc.) are having trouble finding people with certain skills and because of that they are missing their hiring goals. That being said, if you want to be considered “hot” by today’s recruiters, I suggest that you steer your career in the industries cited and study up on the skills employers are clamoring for.

Figuring out what skills are hot in the current market is not difficult; once you know how. I’m going to share with you a few resources that will help you do that. However, before I do, I have to ask, do you have a QR code reader? Even if that term is foreign to you, I am more than confident that you have seen them around. For example…

Jim shrugs his shoulders and says, “How can I know what employers are looking for?”

Scan this to go to the Randstad survey I was talking about earlier.

How can we know what employers are looking for?

19

If you have an iPhone (like me) you can download a free “QR code reader” from the app store. I’m sure there are some freebies out there for Android and other smartphone devices and tablets. So, take a look. I will be sharing a lot of resources throughout and will be using QR codes to do so. Okay, here is the first of several resources I want to share with you.

The “Occupational Outlook Handbook” is a a guide to career information about hundreds of occupations. There is a lot of data on this site, the least of which are government projections on the fastest growing jobs and the highest paying jobs. www.bls.gov/ooh/

20

CareerBuilder posts a Job Forecast every year. This is a link to the 2015 report. http://goo.gl/9aJFyN

CareerBuilder has a skills gap report that says “More than half of employers nation-wide have an open job for which they cannot find qualified candi-dates, and 8 in 10 have difficulty filling positions altogether.” http://goo.gl/ZgLGsq

Are you studying computer program-ming? These are the p r o g r a m m i n g languages employers want the most. Ranked by Tiobe. http://goo.gl/nhJbIi

Ind eed has an “Industry Employ-ment Trends” that measures how indus-tries are hiring on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. http://goo.gl/jjKht2

Indeed’s “Job Trends” page shows you how p o p u l a r c e r t a i n keywords are in job descriptions. http://goo.gl/vqzb0c

This is a link to a Google search. I am seeking web docu-ments citing “retail industry trends” that were added online in the past year. Change “retail” to whatever industry you’re in for the latest data. http://goo.gl/3srUsg

21

Jim: I tend to think of USA when I discuss

things like this but, the problem is indeed global.

I read this report recently from, um… I forget. Oh wait! I remember now. ( * blush *) It was a report published by the World Economic Forum. Check out some of the findings from that report!

The USA will need to add 25 million more workers to the labor force by 2030 to sustain economic growth. Western Europe will have to add 45 million. 1/4th of the population in North and West Africa is under the age of 15!

Unemployment rates for young people is above 30%. Due to diverse standards in education, multinational

companies think only 25% of Indian professionals are employable. Only 20% of Russian professionals are considered employable.

In China, 12.5 % of the nation’s population is at least 60 years old. | source: http://goo.gl/mdhgPC

All that to say, if you find it hard to find work in the USA, there are other countries that would love to have you.

Jim: Oh wait! Do you want to work in

another country? If so, I have a couple of

tips for you. Actually, a couple of arti-

cles...

I tend to think of USA when I discuss things like this but... The problem is

indeed global.

Oh wait! Do you want to work in another country?

If so, I have a couple of tips for you.

22

Do you know what a TLD (top level domain) is? Wikipedia

describes it like this…

A top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domains at

the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name

System of the Internet. The top-level domain names

are installed in the root zone of the name space. For

all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the

domain name, that is, the last label of a fully

qualified domain name.

That’s a bit verbose for my taste. I would simply say its the

suffix of an internet address. For example… “.com,” “.net”

or “.org.” Okay, now you know, so what does it matter?

Well, it matters plenty if you are looking for work overseas.

Each country has its own TLD and as such, you can limit

your Google searches for results that are only on that TLD.

Umm… Okay, I’m losing you. Let me show you a few

things.

Let’s say I wanted to find a Project Manager job in Austra-

lia. To do so, I would consult Google . [ See picture:

Australian Search ]

Just in case you are new to my job search kung fu, this is

what my search is asking Google to do.

site:au – Search for documents that are on the web-

sites ending in “au” which is the top level domain for

Australia.

How To Look for Work

In Other Countries

23

Australian Search

intitle:jobs – Search for the word “jobs” in the title of

a web document.

intitle:project.manager - Search for web documents

that have “project manager” in its title

I want the words “submit” and “apply” in the results I

find because on job descriptions I typically see “submit

your resume” or “apply to this job.”

inurl:job - Finally, I am asking Google to restrict my

search results to those documents that have “job” in its

URL as well.

The advantage of this type of search is that Google indexes

a lot of websites that you have never heard of and among

them, job boards you’ve never heard of. So… Yeah, you

get it. Search Google this way and you will find jobs in spe-

cific regions from job boards that you have never heard of.

24

(Really cool!) Now this type of search will work with any

TLD, so you can target any country you like. Here are a few

more searches to spark your imagination.

To find programmer jobs in the United Kingdom

site:co.uk intitle:jobs intitle:programmer submit apply

To find electrical engineering jobs in Ireland

site:ie intitle:jobs intitle:electrical.engineer apply your

To find chemist jobs in South Africa

site:za intitle:jobs intitle:chemist submit apply

See how that works? If you don’t know the TLD for a

particular country that you want to relocate to, consult this

list: http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db

Now, imagine that you are a recruiter based in Germany.

More than likely, if you were posting a job it would be in

German and on German sites. So, it stands to reason that

there may be jobs you are missing out on by only searching

in English. Make sense? Let me show you a couple of ways

to find them. The first method is to use Google

Translate to find translated keywords for your search.

[ https://translate.google.com/ ]

Check out the demo on the opposite page. In the search

slot, I added “sales and marketing jobs.” (If that is not your

skill set, type in something else.) Make sure “English” (A)

is entered as the phrase to be translated (assuming that is

your native language) and that “German” (B) is the

language you want your phrase translated to. (FYI - Google

offers several languages for translation.)

Once you have your keyword or phrase entered in, Google

instantly changes it to the German equivalent (C).

25

A B

C

Now do a search on the translated term. In this case,

“vertrieb und marketing jobs.” Google will display a

link to translate the results. (See arrow on the image

below?)

Once you read the results, apply as per usual or… find an

American office for that company and inquire that way.

Easy peasy. At least, in theory, as I must confess to not

ever looking for work overseas. If anyone reading this has

had that experience, I would love to hear your reaction to

this strategy. (Tweet me @jimstroud)

Hmm… As I think of it, there may be an even easier way to

do this. Google has several country specific domains and

26

you can find a list of them on Wikipedia by searching for

“List of Google Domains.” To do the same search as

before, I would visit www.Google.de. As I am on a Chrome

browser, Google asks me if I want to automatically

translate Google from German to English? I choose the

“Change to English ” option. (See arrow below.)

Now when the search results are returned, they are auto-matically translated and presented as per normal. When you take a close look at the URLs, you will see they are all based in Germany as per the “.de” domain.

27

Okay, I feel like I am rambling a bit at this stage. Please do give this a go and let me know your progress. Please? Or rather, “bitte?”

Jim: Okay… I think I was rambling a bit

there. Got off on a tangent. I know I was

saying something before… Umm…

Jim: Looking stymied and embarrassed.

He thinks, “So what do I say now?”

Jim: Ah! Let’s flip back a couple of pages

and recap before going forward… (I look

like I am getting a new idea.)

Okay… Umm… What was I was saying before? (I forget.)

Okay… I sense you have forgotten as well. (It happens.)

Let’s flip back a couple of pages to recap

before going forward.

28

If you want to be considered a hot commodity by recruiters , one sure fire way is to work in an industry that is short on talent and focus on jobs that recruiters have a hard time filling. Another way, to be considered a hot commodity is to work in leading companies. When job hunting, it is to your long-term advantage to

work for companies with good branding and reputation .

Case in point, if you had to hire a network engineer to

make sure your data was secure and you had a choice

between John Doe who works at Google and Mary Sue who

works at Joe's Software Shack, who would you choose?

Most likely, you would go with the candidate from Google

because Google has a great brand reputation in relation to

technology and Joe's Software Shack does not. Does this

mean that Mary Sue is less qualified? Certainly not! In fact,

she may be overqualified. However, more often than not,

she might lose out on opportunities because of the

company she elected to work for.

Such being the case, I would suggest trying to get hired into companies with stellar brand recognition (Fortune 500 companies and the like) or, connecting with companies that are gaining in brand recognition. How do you find companies like that?

Jim: As you may recall, we were discuss-

ing if you were hot or not. (Yeah, that’s

right!)

I am looking a bit embarrassed as I play

off my last fumble.

As you may recall, we were discussing if you were hot or

Uh, yeah, that’s right...

29

Recruiters and others in the biz of HR often talk about “the

war for talent.” It is a term originating from Steven Hankin

of McKinsey & Company in 1997 and a book by Ed

Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones and Beth Axelrod. To

quote Wikipedia, “…war for talent refers to an increasingly

competitive landscape for recruiting and retaining talented

employees.” The question I pose to you is, “How talented

are you?” Sure, you could point to your resume and what

you achieved. No doubt, you could argue your qualifica-

tions ad nauseum in any interview. However, before you

can initiate your case to a hiring body you need to be

chosen as a potential candidate. I am going to show you

how to stack the deck in your favor. But first, an

unpleasant truth I want you to consider.

Do you know who is looking at your resume? To be clear,

once you send it in to your prospective employer, who

evaluates it? The cynical among you will no doubt say that

a machine is viewing it first and you would be correct.

However all things being wonderful, a human being will be

amazed by your work history and contact you for potential

employment. Yet, this returns me to my previous question,

although slightly edited. Who is the human being looking

at your resume? Are they a senior recruiter able to scan

your resume in three seconds and discern whether or not

you are qualified or are they a junior recruiter only looking

for a certain number of keywords? No way to know, for

How To Find Jobs that Boost

Your Entire Career

30

sure. In order to satisfy the cursory view of either type of

professional, I suggest being as strategic as possible with

your choice of employment. Why? All things being equal, a

software developer from Google will be more coveted than

a software developer from Joe’s Software Shack. (I made

that last company name up. Apologies to any “Software

Shacks” owned by a “Joe”)

Such being the case, jobs at the “best” companies will con-

tinue to pay off for the duration of your career as recruit-

ers consider your resume. Yet, not everyone can work at

Google or Facebook or (insert hot company name here).

An alternative is to work for the “next” Google or Facebook

or (insert hot company name here). How do you that? Glad

you asked.

One way to find up and coming companies that could be

the “next big thing” is to search out enterprises that are

attracting funding or award citations. I’m focusing my

search around cybersecurity firms. Feel free to change

“cybersecurity” in the search to whatever interests you.

Google search for cybersecurity companies named “fastest growing.” goo.gl/QIxQ1c

Google search for cybersecurity companies named “best of breed.” goo.gl/oi9ktg

Google search for

award-winning

cybersecurity

companies.

goo.gl/9MvHce

31

Monitoring acqui-

sition rumors

could lead you to

hot companies to

target.

goo.gl/9o24CH

Who is investing

major funding in

hot startup com-

panies?

goo.gl/X2K0Ty

Startups getting funding. goo.gl/erdNv1

Startups getting funding. goo.gl/gEUhY0

Startups getting funding. goo.gl/uSHgUW

Startups that have been funded. goo.gl/PgL6XZ

Hmm…. Maybe, okay, maybe I will look at your resume. Your

resume from the future! Hahahahahahaha...

32

At a jobseeker networking function many years ago, I told jobseekers, “If you want to advance your career, write your resume in advance. Most people write or tweak their resume once they begin a job hunt. That’s the slow way to success.”

This statement still rings true today. If you are managing your career in reaction to a circumstance (i.e. layoffs, feel-ing burned out) then you are missing out on the benefits that a proactive job search can bring. And what is that, ex-actly? In a nutshell, when you are proactive with your job search you do not feel trapped in your current role, you are seen as a “mover and a shaker” and as such, more valuable to your employer. Finally, your market value increases and you are able to negotiate a higher salary for your next job.

Step One: Figure out what you want to be when you grow up.

Okay, I’ll stop laughing now and tell you, “How to advance your career by writing your resume in advance.”

“Wow!” You may be thinking to yourself, “How is all that possible?”

Okay, I’ll stop laughing now and

tell you...

How to Advance Your Career By Writing Your

Resume In Advance.

You may be thinking to yourself, “How is all that possible?”

33

Let’s do a quick exercise. Look at the famous people below (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa) and describe them in a single word.

What word did you pick for Abraham Lincoln? Was it “president?” How about Martin Luther King, Jr.? Was it “freedom?” And for Mother Teresa, did you choose “mercy?” Sure, there is more, much more, to each person than any one word could say. My key point is that each of these individuals had a strong personal brand Consider your own work history and ask yourself, what is your brand? Could a recruiter look at your resume and sum you up in a single word? If not, I suggest you do some soul searching on what you want to be when you grow up. As you do, research how hot that field will be in the future by consulting the Occupational Outlook (as mentioned earlier). If, somehow, you are still at a loss on how to position your career; I suggest taking stock in your personality. There are several sites online that will provide insight into your personality then, give suggestions on the type of work you are best suited for. Simply go to Google (or the search engine you prefer), and search on “personality test for jobs.” I would suggest taking a few of these tests and seeing what comes up the most. One result could be a fluke, but if the same thing comes up over a variety of tests… Well, that might be too big a coincidence to ignore. Make sense?

34

Another way to figure out your career aim is to search job descriptions for keywords and phrases that speak to your interests. Here is an example search to illustrate what I mean.

And this is what I am asking Google to do. “see the world”

I am looking for a job that involves a lot of travel, so I am looking for web documents that have the phrase “see the world” on them.

(intitle:jobs OR careers)

I am asking Google to look for documents that have the word “jobs” or “careers” in their title as they would most likely be on a job description page.

Atlanta

I am looking for a job in Atlanta. Duh! Oh, I guess you figured that part out already, hm?

35

(submit OR apply)

I am looking for a web results that have the word “submit” or the word “apply” because those would most likely be on a job description. For example, “To apply for this job, please submit your resume.” Make sense?

Among the results are companies promising careers that

allow you to see the world. For example, McCormick has a testimonial of world travel on its career center website.

On the Covidien website, it states that “Whether you want a rewarding career on your doorstep or one that will let

you see the world.”

36

Step two: Study the work history of those who have been where you want to go. Another thing you can do is do a search for the work history of people already in the role you want, then look at

what they did prior to their present role. You could then

follow their footsteps in the hopes of landing where they are now. Make sense?

I want to share with you a couple of ways of tracking down

that kind of data and both methods involve freely available

public information. Let’s pretend that you want to work in manufacturing as a… umm… “transportation systems

analyst.” Here is one way I would find the resume of someone like that.

To break it down:

intitle:my.resume

I’m looking for pages online that have “my resume” in the title of the page. In most cases, those will be

resumes.

37

“transportation systems analyst”

I’m looking for a resume that would include that job title.

-submit –apply

I don’t want “submit” or “apply” to be on the pages that are returned because most likely they would be on a job description. For example, “submit your resume” or “apply for this job.” Make sense?

ext:pdf

I am asking Google to only return documents formatted in PDF as that increases the chances of my getting a resume back. (There are a lot of resumes formatted in PDF.)

At this writing, there are not a lot of results. No biggie. I only wanted one to show as an example. Clicking on the results, I find a resume with the following data.

So, by virtue of this resume, I know that a “Transportation Systems Analyst” starts their career in retail as an Account Representative, becomes an Inside Sales Manager, morphs into a Customer Service Supervisor before being promoted to Transportation Systems Analyst. Make sense?

38

Another way to find work histories to study is to simply search LinkedIn. In the screenshot below, I am looking for the profiles of Transportation Systems Analysts. I find 1000+ results! From this point, I would do as before, review profiles and see how their career progressed.

Step three: Be strategic with the data you find. Once you have researched the work history of others

currently working in the position that you covet, take advantage of what you have learned. Answer the following

questions after you have surveyed at least, 5-10 different

resumes and/or LinkedIn profiles.

What are the basic duties of people in this role? How many years of experience do they tend to have

before being promoted into their next position? What are some notable accomplishments made by

the people in the role?

39

How do you think their previous jobs prepared them for the role they are in now?

What type of companies do they tend to work for? Large companies? Small companies? Startups?

Based on the various resumes (and LinkedIn profiles) you’ve surveyed, could you write a job description that adequately captures the essence of the role you want? Great! Write it! If you want to simply cut and paste duties found on the resumes (and LinkedIn profiles) you reviewed, that’s okay too.

How does the job description you wrote differ from the job descriptions found on various job boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder or Indeed?)

Take a look at some job boards and consider what they have written verses what you have researched. What do you think is missing? Write that down.

Once you have answered all of these questions and written

your job description, take a good look at your resume. Based on your research, are you on track towards your

goal? What percentage of the work you are doing now is in line with the type of work you want to do? If not at all or,

just a little or, even if you are ahead of the curve, I want you to do the following.

Add to your resume as honestly as you can, everything listed in the job description you created.

Consider everything from your job description. This is your to-do list. I want you to figure out how to get those tasks and accomplishments on your resume. To do so, you may need to do things like: volunteer for a charity, take on certain projects or, transfer to a different department inside your present company (if you are currently working) so you can get that experience. The end goal is doing what you can to get those details honestly on your resume. Get me?

40

Step four: Begin to immerse yourself in the culture of the company where you want to work. In other words, I want you to stalk the company you have an interest in working for. I want you to know it so well that by the time you do land an interview with them, you will give the impression that you would fit in so well that speaking with a recruiter is nothing more than a formality. Hey, such may seem far-fetched but believe me, it is entirely possible. Here are a few ways to give a really great first impression in an interview.

Most companies have a “News” section on their website where they post press releases about their enterprise. Read them all. Study them as if there will be a test because, there will be.

Go to Glassdoor.com and review the comments of people who work there or used to work there. Find out what they have to say about the company and take note.

Go over the company website with a fine tooth comb, so to speak. Take notice of the charities and/or causes they support. Can you involve yourself with those initiatives?

Go to Google News and read the recent press about the company.

Search social media sites (i.e. Glassdoor) to see how the company is regarded by the public as well as by employees. Who is discussing the company the most? Are they a raving fan of the company? Maybe a chat with them could lead to an employment referral.

Research online groups where the company employees might frequent and become active in those forums. (Why? Give recruiters and hiring managers something good to find when they research your background.)

Research blog posts that discuss the company and leave positive feedback in the comments field of

41

those blogs. (Why? Give recruiters and hiring managers something good to find when they research your background.)

I was talking so much that I overlooked your question? Sorry about that.

Oh! You want to know more about how I find free re-sumes online? Not a problem. I feel a tangent coming on.

Step five is… What?

I was talking so much I overlooked your question. Sorry about that.

Oh! You want to know more

about finding free resumes. Not a problem! I feel

a tangent coming on.

42

Take a moment and study the chart below.

Every year, an organization called “Career Crossroads” produces a “Source of Hire” report, which is basically a survey where leading companies are interviewed and asked which sources are mainly used to find the people they hire. As you can see in the data above, the most popular places companies find talent is via referrals, their own career sites, job boards and “direct sourcing” rounding out the top four. So, what does this tell you? If nothing else, it reminds you how important it is to network since referrals are the num-ber one way that companies find people. It also tells you that it is important to look at the career sections of com-pany websites since resumes submitted from that portal are certainly not ignored. For that matter, neither are resumes from job boards (believe it or not). What is most significant in these results (to me) is the fact that the top 3 sources of hire are trending down whereas “direct sourc-ing” is trending up—big time! In fact, when you consider all the various ways that companies find talent, direct sourcing is the most favored strategy. That being said, you may be wondering, what is direct sourcing? In a nutshell, direct sourcing is finding online information

43

about people you want to hire, typically for free. Remem-ber a few pages back when I looked up the “Transportation Systems Analyst” resume on Google? That is an example of direct sourcing. It was relevant and actionable information and it was—FREE! As a job seeker, one thing you do not consider when sub-mitting your resume to Monster, CareerBuilder, Dice, et cetera is that it costs money for recruiters to use those services. As such, a company might pay for one or a few of those websites, but certainly not all of them. That being said, it works to your advantage to have your resume on the web where all recruiters can find it for free. If your resume is only on job boards, only those recruiters who have paid to access those services will be able to see it. Make sense? There are a number of ways that you can make your work history available to any recruiter with access to Google or any other search engine. I’m going to share several means and they are all free. (Yay!) One quick and easy way to make your data available is to leverage personal branding sites. I think of them as virtual business cards because the info is very basic. One of the more popular of this genre is About.me. I have one such site and recommend it for a number of reasons: 1) Easy to set up, 2) I can track who has viewed my profile, 3) free stats on the activity of my about.me page and 4) I can freely contact others on the site. (A screenshot of my about.me page is on the next page.) As much as I like About.me, they are not the only game in town. I suggest setting up a presence on all of these sites. Why? The more data is out there, the more likely search engines will discover you and guide recruiters your way. Oh! Keep in mind that while these services are similar, they might not all offer the same options as About.me.

44

www.about.me/jimstroud

Flavors.me BrandYourself.com Re.vu

Another way to position yourself to be found is to complete the “About” section on your Facebook profile. Why? A couple of reasons. For one, there are tools available that allow recruiters to search the “About” section of Facebook profiles. Now this does not mean that they have access to your photos or anything else you have marked “private.” It only means that the section of Facebook where you have input data on your work history (and have chosen to make public) can be found. Check out the top image on next page. The arrow points to

45

LinkedIn envy?

Does Facebook have LinkedIn envy?

the “About” section of my Facebook profile. Over the years, I have noticed Facebook become more determined to make my work history more prominent. Initially, you had to click and look for it. Now, it is featured on the front of my profile. I suspect Facebook wants to go after the professional market in the same way that LinkedIn has. There are certainly enough rumors about that floating online, at this writing. As a matter of fact, the “Financial Times” in November 2014 reported that Facebook was secretly working on a website called “Facebook at Work.” Just in case the rumors are true, and even if not, adding your work history to your Facebook profile would definitely increase the chances of your being found by recruiters. Of course, along with that, is the chance of things being seen that you wish to remain private. Towards that end, I suggest that you become well acquainted with the privacy controls on Facebook by clicking the padlock icon (as shown on the next page).

46

Clicking the padlock reveals several privacy shortcuts and basic information about privacy concerns on Facebook. Read it all, then adjust your work history so that it remains public while everything else you want private stays private.

Padlock

Now, I want to go one step further and show you a few more things like this but...

I feel a tangent coming on about “online reputation.”

47

Every year a company called “Jobvite” produces a Social Recruiting Survey which tallies how companies use social media to recruit, among other things. Among some of the 2014 findings were these statistics: 93% of recruiters will review a candidate’s social

profile before making a hiring decision.

55% of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on the information they saw on a social profile

When asked, “Which of the following social networks

do you use for recruiting?” Responses were: 94% -LinkedIn 66% - Facebook 52% - Twitter 21% - Google Plus 20% - Blogs 15% - YouTube

Did you know that you were fired from jobs that you were unaware of? Believe or not, it's true and all due to your online presence, or lack thereof. Recruiters are always on the hunt for new talent and the internet is a prime resource. If they are looking for someone with your skill set and you are not out there networking in online forums, sharing your expertise or presenting yourself as an expert in your field, then how would they know to consider you for roles they are trying to fill? And if you decide that submitting a resume is all the proof of your expertise that a recruiter needs, think again.

How To get Fired Before You Even Start (Tangent!)

48

More often than not, a hiring manager is choosing between a few candidates with equal strengths and needs something to help him decide between them or validate their choice. So, where do they go? They look online to see what a search engine gives them. If the information found in the search showcases your skills and expertise in your field, then so much the better. If it depicts you in a negative light, so much the worse. In order to position yourself as a valuable candidate in the eyes of recruiters, you must do the following:

1. Keep your professional life and your personal life separate.

I call this my “Superman” rule. When Superman is fight-ing crime and saving kittens in trees, he portrays himself a certain way. No one recognizes him as Clark Kent when he is out of uniform. Should someone wonder if Superman is good for a job and do their research, they will find nothing on his life as Clark Kent because the two are separate. Make sense? If not, let me say it another way: when you are discussing your work or your industry, use your real name. Should you feel the need to dance on top of tables with a lampshade on your head, call yourself “boogie dancer 21.” When recruiters are doing a search on your background, they will be looking for data connected to your real name and not “boogie dancer 21.”

2. Remember why you are online!

As “boogie dancer 21” you can say and do anything online. However, when using your real name, you must be very careful about how you portray yourself. The things you do and say can come back to haunt you. Case in point, what do you think has happened to the people who sent out the following tweets? (Note, these are real world examples).

49

"I hate my job. I'm going to start applying to new ones soon"

"Pretty sure my boss is related to satan"

"I get some of my best thinking done while my boss is talking to me"

Maybe their present employer has not noticed them yet. Or, maybe a jealous co-worker decides to send copies of those tweets to HR in an attempt to get them fired. Or, nothing happened at all and the tweets are forgotten about only to show up later at an inopportune time. Who knows? The point of it all is, why put yourself in a negative light when it can be avoided by simply thinking before sharing?

When online using your real name (and not “boogie dancer 21”) keep in mind that the whole world has access to your content, so give them what you want them to see. Promote your skills and competence, watch out for bad grammar and typos, and make sure that what you post is consistent with your personal brand. That last bit is crucial. Why take the chance? 3. Protect your online reputation When you are looking for a job (or career advancement in your present job), the last thing you want is negative or embarrassing information about you to appear before a recruiter or hiring manager. Auditing your online activities from time to time is a good thing to do. However, timing can be everything. What if Google adds some negative data on you a mere moment ahead of someone who was researching your professional profile? Worse yet, what if the person is not you, but someone who shares your same name? Shouldn’t you know what info is out there so you can protect your reputation or explain the situation in case it ever comes up? I think so.

50

One way to place the protection of your online reputa-tion on automatic is to use Google Alerts (shown below).

I suggest that you type your name in quotes and also any derivative thereof. For example, say your name is “John Doe.” In the search box I would add “john doe” OR “Jonathan doe” OR “johnny doe”. Notice next to the “CREATE ALERT” button (a) is a “Show options” link (b). Clicking that link gives you, well… options.

See the choices I made? I want to be notified as soon as possible when my search turns up a result within the United States. I have the alerts set to be delivered to my email address and from all the sources available (news, blogs, video, et cetera) which is why “automatic” is chosen. (As depicted on the next page.) I also have “All results” selected because I want to see everything and make my

51

own decision on what is relevant to me. If I wanted Google to figure it out, I would have chosen “only the best results” as my option. Beneath my preferences is an “Alert preview” giving me an idea of the kind of results I can expect in the future.

Okay, Google Alerts will help you keep tabs on new data that hits the web. Great! But what about the stuff you don’t want anyone to find, especially recruiters? If that thought crossed your mind, no worries, I have some ideas and resources for you to consider. First and foremost, Google your name, then repeat the process and search for your name on Yahoo, Bing, Ask and AOLSearch. Those are the top 5

52

search engines (at this writing) and although Google is number one by a wide margin, you never know which search engine a recruiter could be using. What can you do if you find something unflattering associated with your real name and want it deleted? Here are some recommendations: 1. Check to see if you volunteered the information.

For example, a comment on a blog post. In many cases, you can edit old comments by logging into whatever system you used to make that post.

2. Contact the owner of the website and ask (nicely) if they would remove whatever information that puts you in a bad light. Point out that such information might hamper your job hunting efforts.

3. Consider changing your name on websites that you are a member of by adding a middle name or ini-tial. So, instead of being David Wright on your re-sume, you change it to “David B. Wright” and do the same for all of the social networks you use. In this way, anything under “David Wright” is not you (at least when speaking to recruiters) as you refer to yourself as “David B. Wright.” Make sense?

4. Should all of the above fail for you, you can always contact the search engines directly and ask them to remove the data. Such is not a quick fix, but it does work.

Google Online reputation man-agement tool. goo.gl/wvyjNI

To remove content from Bing. goo.gl/qbd6ot

To remove content from Yahoo. goo.gl/8ZZwB1

53

Oh yeah! One more point to make before progressing. Search engines are giving preference to social networks when it comes to researching people. Case in point, when I search my name on Bing, on page one of the search results is the following: My blog—Jim Stroud.com My LinkedIn profile My Twitter profile My YouTube profile Facebook profile of my video series - The Jim Stroud

Show. Links to two blogs I am affiliated with “The

Searchologist” and “The Recruiters Lounge.” Several pictures of me. When I searched my name on Google, Yahoo, Ask and AOL Search, I found more of the same. Most of the results were links to my social networks and blogs. In some cases, I saw links to my books as well. The point I want to make with this is, even if I was not active on those various social networks, my name would still come up in a search. Therefore, I recommend you set up a complete profile and create a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus and a blog (I suggest Wordpress.com). On those channels, represent yourself professionally so when recruiters look you up online they will see the data you want them to see. Make sense? Okay, I said a lot these past few pages. Let me take a sip.

Wow! That was a long tangent. Still, I feel like I could say a few things more. Hmm… A few pages back, I was talking about… something. Let me flip back and see. (Be right back).

54

Jim drinks some coffee or tea.

2002 was not a happy time for me; at least, not initially. I was in a position where my wife was laid off, I was laid off, I had a little one to take care of and bills that would not stop coming in. So, being the responsible man of the house, I go into job search mode.

Ahhh… Okay, now let ‘s tackle the biggest problem that all job hunters have. And what’s that?

Its doing the same thing but expecting different results (especially during a recession). Let me tell you a story.

Okay, let’s now deal with the biggest problem job hunters have.

And what’s that? It’s doing the same

thing you’ve always done, but expecting different results. Let me tell you a story.

55

This was my checklist:

[X] Post my resume on Monster

[X] Search every (insert expletive of your choice) online

job board I could find

[X] Newspaper Want-ads

[X] Email Recruiters and Contacts for leads

[X] Go to Networking Events

[X] Go to Job Fairs

[X] Department of Labor Office

[X] Contact Temp Employment Agencies

[X] Walk into companies and fill out applications

And the more I did these things, the more frustrated I became because I was not getting the results I needed. I blamed the economy, I blamed others for not recognizing my skills, I shifted the blame to there being too much competition in the workplace and eventually I began to doubt myself. I tried to laugh at the situation as I considered the irony at the time, me, a recruiter, looking for work. The turning point for me came about 2 weeks into my job search. Sure, not a long time by other measures, but the uncertainty and feeling of desperation was real nonethe-less. I was at the kitchen table with a stack of bills on one side of me and a pile of printed off job descriptions on the other when I said (in jest mind you), “God, something has got to happen and quick.” And then, a light illuminated my face and angels began to sing and my next job appeared before my eyes. Hah! Not really, not even half of that, but dramatic nonetheless. It occurred to me that I was doing the same thing, in the same way as everyone else and getting the same results –

56

no job. “Do something different,” I said out loud, and from that moment on, I did. It was not uncommon in 2002, to be unemployed for sev-eral months before landing a position. Once I changed my job search strategy, I was working in two months. It was a simple thing, well two things actually. 1. I positioned myself to be easily found by recruit-

ers online (I’ve already covered a lot of that already.) 2. I treated job search like a team sport. These two methods have helped me find work relatively quickly during the 2002 recession, 2008 recession and two surprise layoffs. If that does not sound remarkable to you then, you have been very fortunate in your career and have not suffered job loss during a tough economic time. But I digress, my intention is not to brag on my success, but to help you with yours. I have not forgotten what it felt like to be without a job and no prospects and I don't wish that on anyone.

Okay, this strategy is simple and very, very, very effective! I don’t know why it took a recession for me to get this but,

Job Hunting Is a Team Sport!

57

here it is.

DO NOT JOB SEARCH ON YOUR OWN!

Teaming up with other like-minded individuals pursuing a common goal will help you save money, save time and save some personal sanity. It will help you work smart and speed up your results exponentially without extra effort. I actually got the idea for this based on an article I wrote so many years ago. In the article I… Hmm… Let me just share it with you now.

Jobseekers! Look For Smoke, Not Fire "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always received," said some wise person. This is certainly true when it comes to job-hunting, espe-cially during a "sucky" economy. How many times have you applied to a job on Monster.com? Now ask yourself, "How many other people have applied for the same position?" The numbers are discouraging I assure you.

Should this keep you from applying to jobs online? By no means, job boards are a necessary part of the process. However, if you limit your jobsearch to seeking only those jobs that you are qualified for then you are making a mis-take. Am I suggesting that you do a "shotgun" approach with your resume and apply to as many jobs as you can

Okay, so this is a tangent. Its worth it ‘though. At least, I think so.

58

hoping that by some miraculous twist of fate you catch a recruiter's eye? No... and yes, in a way.

Let's put on our imagination cap for a minute and think of a horrific fire in a subdivision at the peak of rush-hour traffic. What is your immediate focus? The fire blazing bright? Sure... Are you concerned for the people in the sub-division? I hope so... "Now breathe deeply and concen-trate," I say in my Yoda voice. "See more, you will, young Jedi." Could it be that you see smoke? Could it be that you hear a fire engine? Perhaps a helicopter with a reporter giving the TV viewers a scoop on what is happening? Per-haps there is another chopper for radio listeners? Perhaps in the distance are people who don't know about the fire yet and are honking their horns and cursing the 5 o'clock commute? Perhaps all of this and more and why are they all there? Well, duh... they are all there because of a fire. Now, I know what you're thinking, "What does all that have to do with my getting a job?" "Everything," I say smugly.

Let's say that you are looking for a job as a network engi-neer. What do you do? You look for Network Engineer jobs, which is a good start but not the finish. Consider the events and surroundings concerning your job and imagine what surrounds that job. Let's see... to network computers, there must be a group of unconnected computers some-where. For a group of unconnected computers to be sitting somewhere, that would mean that some salesperson had to sell them to somebody else. So, who sells the computers that I am qualified to connect? Why "Computer Company A" sells the kind of computers I am qualified to connect. Why don't I call Computer Company A and ask for a friendly sales person? Perhaps with my powers of persua-sion (and a little bribery of lunch), I can get him to tell me who his best customers are. I bet his best customers could use a network engineer to hook up all the machines they

59

just bought.

You like that? Let's go deeper...

New computers being connected suggest new office space. If I was going to buy new office space, who would I go to? I’d start by calling the leasing office of some business com-plexes and ask who handles their leasing. Maybe they can refer me to someone? Maybe they lease their own space and will give me a tip on companies looking to move into their space. A possibility... but better yet, I could pick up a copy of "The Atlanta Business Chronicle" (assuming you are in Atlanta) and review their real estate announcements to see who bought what. Whoever is buying lots of office space is someone I would want to talk to.

Do I have your wheels rotating yet? The trick is not to look only for the fire (in this case, a network engineering job), but the smoke (those people who operate on the periphery of that job). Let me go a step even further. What happens after a fire has been put out? There is water damage, smoke damage, medical issues on occasion and so on. There has to be someone or some group of some ones to clean up the mess left behind. All that to say, as soon as one person gets hired somewhere, there is a possibility of an opening behind them. So, when you read in the paper about Company X has just signed on a new CIO formerly of Company Z, my advice is to call Company Z for a job. This is an especially good technique if you are an Executive, be-cause many senior management types foster a "cult follow-ing" and bring other execs with them. (Happens all the time...) Does this go for executives only? No, this would be a good heads up for techies and marketing types as well. Why? New leadership means new processes and new proc-esses often demand people to adapt or stand aside for new personnel who can.

"Now let's go deeper into the force," I say in a bad Darth

60

Vader accent. And imagine that you cannot imagine other positions that are connected to the job you are qualified for. Imagine that you are clueless on how to think along these lines. (Anybody can draw a blank?) For these folks I say, look for the recruiter jobs. If you see a company look-ing to hire Recruiters, Staffing Consultants, Internet Researchers (people who support recruiters by finding resumes online) or Online Sourcers (same thing as Inter-net Researcher), then that should sound like a cowbell at dinner time.

If you are thinking to yourself, "Why should I care about HR jobs? That's not my background." I suggest that you rethink that. Why would a company hire recruiters? They hire recruiters because they are about to load up on new employees! What kind of employees? Well, look at the kind of recruiter they want! Are they hiring technical recruiters? Sales recruiters? Executive recruiters? Ahh... I see the light bulb has just flashed over your head, you're with me now. (Glad to meet you-wink).

There is an old joke by a comedian named Robin Harris that says, "If you cannot get to the man, get next to the man that is next to the man. And if you can't get him, get next to the man that is next to the man that is next to the man and so on..." If you are feeling frustrated in your jobsearch, look beyond finding jobs that fit you, but rather seek out people connected to what you do. If you cannot connect with them, then connect with the person next to them and so on and so on and so on...

Okay, I’m off that tangent now.

61

Now, with all that being said, let’s apply that principal to your job search. These are the basic steps: 1. Consider your job carefully. Make a list of 3-5 job

titles of people who work alongside you, report to you (if applicable) and your superiors. It’s important that all of these roles relate to what you do, but do not perform the same duties that you do. Why? If you are an accountant and you team up with another accountant, why should they refer accountant job leads your way when they are seeking accounting work too?

2. Once you have your list together, connect with people who have those job titles and are looking for work. Let them know that you are building a job hunting team and how it would work to mutual advantage for you to work together.

NOTE: There are lots of ways of finding these people. In fact, I already shared how recruiters find free resumes online. Other means include looking people up on LinkedIn.com.

NOTE: If you search “career ministries,” “job club” or “job search meetup” along with your city on Google, you will find some interesting leads. Just sayin’…)

3. Create a list of companies you want to work for, job fairs in your city, networking events related to your industry, online job boards, staffing agencies and professional associations related to your work.

4. Divide the work up 5 ways. (Assuming of course, you have 5 people on your team.) Someone calls the companies, another attends the networking events and so on.

62

5. Set up weekly meetings to share the intelligence gathered and how to best leverage it.

6. When you and/or a member of your team interviews for a job, mention the other members of your team. When the recruiter agrees to view their resume, write a letter of introduction bringing them together. Introducing your teammates to potential employers incentivizes them to do likewise and gets your resume in front of more people (who want to view it and are actively hiring) without additional effort on your part. Make sense?

7. Once all on your team is employed, stay in touch and help one another advance each other’s careers forward.

Just in case you need it, I am sharing with you a template email you can use to recruit people to your job search team.

Of course, adapt it to fit your specific needs.

Just in case you need it, I am sharing with you a template email you can use to recruit people for your job search team.

Of course, adapt it to fit your specific needs.

63

From: Your Name here

Are you tired of being alone in your job search? Why not join a Job Search Accountability Team!

If you’re like me you typically spend 30 to 50 hours per week doing target company research and networking to get interviews with hiring managers of your target companies. Did you ever think about how many other people may actually be trying to get into the same companies you are, but in different careers? I have, and so I talked to success-ful recruiters who have told me about Accountability Teams! Don’t worry, there’s no fee, nothing to buy, and no contractual commitment. It’s about job seekers with similar career interests that meet in small support groups to help each other’s efforts.

What is a Job Search Accountability Team? It is a team of 5 to 6 job seekers that commit to support one another in each other’s job search. The team is made up of members who are in the same business, but who would not compete for jobs. E.g., a team focused upon “Manufacturing” could be comprised of plant Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, Human Resources, Information Systems, etc., all trying to find a job in the manufacturing industry. Can you imagine the time you would save in doing research and networking to reach certain hiring managers if others could help? Accountability Team members can leverage each other’s activities, i.e.… Market research can be shared Target Company research can be shared Even contacts within Target Companies can be easily

shared Non-competing job leads can even be shared

64

Accountability Team member also commit to: Keeping each other focused on their job search and

achieving their weekly goals Supporting each other when a member encounters a

problem or “plateau” in their job search Give each other moral support I am currently trying to setup an Accountability Team in the Industrial Automation marketplace. I am an Auto-mation Engineer/Manager with 25+ years providing and supporting automation systems in the manufacturing industry. I would like to team with others who would like to share the burden of their job search. Below are my thoughts regarding Accountability Team member backgrounds: Professionals looking for work providing machinery, processes, engineered solutions, software / electrical / mechanical products, and support services to the industrial manufacturing and product producing ndustries; automotive, food processing, material handling or consumer goods industries. I am looking to connect with: Engineers Inside Sales Outside Sales Operation Managers Please call or email me if you would like to participate. I can be reached at (123) 456-7890 and my email is: johnny.b.goode@gmail.com

Production Managers Purchasing HR Managers Marketing Managers

65

Okay, I really want to stop now but, I still feel like I have so much to share. Should I stop?

Maybe… (phone rings) One sec

Ah! Its my pal Gerard! How’s it goin’? Gerard: I hate to interrupt you in the middle of your book and all but, you’re missing something.

Me: I am? What’s that? Gerard: Money! What about the people living paycheck to paycheck? They need money now!

Wait a sec’. I just got a call from… my dog?

*(Translation) What about people living pay-check to paycheck?

Woof! Woof!

66

ME: I suppose I could share some advice around being an entrepreneur… Gerard: Sounds like a plan! I’ll let you get back to your book now.

ME: Okay, cool! Talk to you later and…

ME: How did he know to call me and tell me that at this point in my book? (Gerard photo bombing in the back.)

Never mind. This is the entrepreneurial advice I was talk-ing about.

I suppose I could talk about

selling their expertise online.

*Perfect!

Is that Snoop Dogg playing in

the background?

*Translated

67

How To Make Money In The Meantime If you are in-between jobs (What are the odds of that ?) or simply in need of some extra dollars to make ends meet, I have a simple solution for you. Simply sell your expertise online. I suggest this because it is something you can do immediately without spending any of your money. Let me show you what I mean. Consider the picture below. What is his job? Let me suggest a few possibilities: web designer, programmer, photographer, artist, writer, paralegal, graphic designer, sales person, help desk, data entry, translator, administrative assistant. Look at the image closely before making your guess.

Next question! Are they at home or at the office? The answer to both questions is the same. It does not

Someone at a desk talking on the phone.

68

matter. The person in the photo could be doing any of those jobs at home or in an office. They are a freelancer. Could a freelancer role be for you? All you need to do really is find projects to work on and for that, you need access to a freelance site. Umm… You do know what a freelance site is, right? If you do, pretend that you do not so I can explain it for the benefit of those who have no idea. On any given day, someone will post a project up for bid on a freelance site. Say… Someone needs a website designed. A freelancer will step up and declare, “I will take on that project for $x.00.” Another freelancer will make a bid and another until eventually, the person who put the project up for bid will make a choice. As soon as the project is completed, the freelancer is paid and his work is rated so many stars. The next time the freelancer bids on a project, he may be more expensive than others bidding besides him. However, since he has high ratings, he gets awarded the work. Rinse and repeat this often enough and the freelancer has a lucrative business. Some cool sites to check out are…

Elance.com - Check out how much money people have made on this website! Its on their home-page.

Ether.com - Great platform for a freelance business.

PrestoEx-perts.com - I used this site a few times when it was called LivePer-son.com

Ingenio.com - Sell your ser-vices over the phone and charge by the minute.

69

Reading your mind with my special powers, I see that this concept intrigues you and you want to know how to find customers. Am I right? (If I am, nod your head.) Cool. How to find freelance projects: 1. Freelance job sites usually have a search function that

helps people find experts to engage. Make sure your profile on the freelance site is well written and promotes the skills you offer accurately.

2. Start a blog or a podcast where you share your expertise and those curious for more information will seek you out.

3. Look for people who are asking questions that you can answer. Q & A sites are great for that type of thing. On Q & A sites, someone posts a question about... some-thing, anything. Later, someone answers the question and their response is rated by the person who asked the question and other people visiting the Q & A site.

More cool sites to check out are…

Fiverr.com - Offer a sample of your service for $5.00 and tempt custom-ers to buy more.

Quora.com - A very popular Q & A site.

Blitztime.com - I am a fan of this speed dat-ing for busi-ness leads website. Very cool

Guru.com - A popular free-lance website. Enjoy.

70

I bet you're wondering how to price your freelance services. Am I right? (Nod your head.) No worries. I got you covered. 1. Charge according to the market! How? Research the

average salary for your services. (Indeed.com has a free tool for researching the average salary of jobs.) Once you know the annual salary of someone who would do your service full-time (say... administrative assistance, for example), divide that number by 120,000 to get your per minute wage. In other words, an administrative assistant making $40,000.00 a year earns $0.33 a minute / $19.80 per hour. Such being the case, an admin working freelance could price his or her services accordingly.

2. When dealing with customers, set payment terms upfront (half now / half upon completion or whatever works for you) and get it in writing before you do anything. You might want to consider various pricing models as well. Say... one price for virtual consultations and a higher price for in-person engagements.

3. As you gain positive feedback on the freelance sites, gradually start raising your rates. (wink)

ME to READER: There are a lot of advantages to working freelance just as their are some disadvantages. I do not want to paint too rosy a picture, so let me share the good and the bad. (Is this glass half-full or half-empty?)

Is this glass half-full or half-empty?

71

Advantages Flexible work hours Flexible work location Choice of projects Wide variety of projects Work naked if you want to! Disadvantages Financial insecurity Loneliness Blurring of home and work Wearing multiple hats Loss of salaried benefits

1. Position your resume where it can be found online for

free by all recruiters. 2. Protect your online reputation because recruiters are

watching. 3. Create a job hunting team in order to cover more

ground without extra work. 4. Make money in the meantime by selling your advice

online. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask me now. I'll wait. (At least until you turn the page.)

Just in case you dozed off somewhere between page one and now, this is my job hunting strategy in a nutshell. (Patent pending)

72

How To Find A Job On Twitter

There has been a lot of buzz lately about Twitter becoming

a publicly traded company. At this writing, it is reported

that the stock price will be somewhere between $23 and

$25 and I, for one, plan on investing. (Just sayin’…) So

much is being speculated about what Twitter’s valuation

means to investors, the technology industry and social

media in general that one other important aspect is being

ignored: the increased awareness of Twitter is good for job

seekers.

Somebody tweets me something. (Screenshot of the tweet goes here.) Like… Can you help me find jobs under the ra-dar?

Hmm… Ironic that they tweeted me that . Twitter is full of jobs? Let me give you a crash course!

Hmm… Great timing on that tweet “ineedajob.” Twitter is full of jobs. Let me give you a crash course.

73

Consider these stats: According to a recent Los Angeles

Times article, Twitter has over 230 million active users

and that is certainly going to increase post-IPO. According

to the website All Twitter, at least 10% of Americans use

Twitter during work hours. In May 2013, Twitter users

favorited tweets at a rate of 1.6 billion times! This was four

times the amount of favorites in May 2012. (For the

uninitiated, favoriting tweets is akin to Facebook likes.)

All quite impressive, you may be thinking, but how do

those stats correlate with your job search?

There are a lot of people on Twitter discussing lunch,

celebrity gossip, a bazillion things that you care absolutely

nothing about… and jobs. If you search Twitter a certain

way, you will find jobs being promoted as well as

unadvertised opportunities. Furthermore, since a

significant Twitter population is tweeting during office

hours, I suspect employment-related tweeting to increase

as well. Favoriting tweets is pretty common now and one

way of attracting someone’s attention. Perhaps, a

recruiter’s attention? Let me share a few examples.

Let’s look at the promoted jobs first by doing a search for

“now hiring.” I get lots of results like the one below.

74

If I apply a hashtag like “#job” to my search and a job title, I can get more specific with my search. (As shown below.)

What if I wanted to get very specific? Say, I wanted to fo-cus on tweets made within 25 miles of New York City? I would search Twtter this way...

“now hiring” #job accountant near:nyc within:25mi

75

Have you ever heard of “Tweet My Jobs?” It is a social and mobile job distribution network. You can target jobs on Twitter by simply citing the hashtag “#tweetmyjobs” and a job title.

All of the previous examples point to an advertised open-ing of one sort of another. Wouldn’t it be great to find out about opportunities before everyone else? Or, at the least, before the masses do? Well, you can, if you know how to search. Try this search on for size: “my company needs” What you will find are people complaining that their employer needs to do something improve the workplace or their station personally. You will also see opportunities, like the one shown below.

76

If you are someone versed in SEO, then that last tweet I showed you is a definite lead for your services. Make sense? If you were to do a search for “looking to hire” then, you might discover small business owners looking to save money. After all, why pay to advertise on a job board when a quick (and free) request for leads on Twitter might accomplish the same result? Looking for a gig to get you through the holidays? Try this search “dm me” holiday job and you might get results similar to the one below.

Here are a few more searches you might want to try as

77

well.

“my company” “looking for”

“I need to hire”

“send me your resume”

What I like most about doing these types of searches on

Twitter, well, any search for that matter, is that the results

change frequently. So, even if you do not find anything

now, try again later and something may turn up. (By later,

I mean, by the end of the day.)

So once you have found a few interesting tweets, based on

my search examples, what next? I suggest…

1. Go to their Twitter profile. Is there a link to a company

website or personal webpage? If so, why not reach out

to them that way? Just in case you do not want every-

one on Twitter to know that you are open to new

opportunities.

2. Follow them and (more than likely) they will follow you

back. Should they do so, send them a message via DM

akin to this: “Saw your tweet about X. Can we talk?

[Add a link to your LinkedIn profile]

3. Create a new Twitter profile and openly respond to

them. In this new profile, mention your expertise in the

bio section. In this way, the person you are connecting

with will be more apt to respond.

So, does any of that make sense to you? I hope so because I got some more twitter tips coming your way on the next page. :-)

78

One of the most underutilized Twitter features in my opinion is its Lists feature. Have you heard of Twitter lists? No? Well, lucky for you that you are reading this blog! Twitter lists lets you view a curated list of Twitter users instead of everyone you are following. Twitter lists can be public or private. Here’s how creating Twitter lists can help you find a new job.

To get to the Twitter lists I created and subscribed to, I click the “lists” link on my Twitter homepage (“arrow 1” in the image below). If I want to create a new list, I would click the “Create new list” button but, more on that in a moment. (“arrow 2” ) For now, check out the black sunburst image. It is next to a Twitter list called, “Top 100 Social HR Experts.”

By clicking that link, I see a subset of people on Twitter and not the entirety of Twitter. (Picture shown on the op-posite page.) Imagine now that you are an administrative assistant open to new opportunities. Who can potentially hire you? Hmm… Executives, managers and supervisors and sure, you can add recruiters to the mix as well. Can you imagine now being on Twitter and only seeing the Tweets of people

79

who could hire you? How easy would it be to strike up a conversation with someone after reading something they said, noticing a hashtag conversation they are involved with or viewing a picture they just posted? Get me? To begin the networking process, you need a good excuse to initiate a talk (your need for a job) and a reason for the other party to respond (a perceived common interest). Following people on Twitter gives you that “in.”

Of course, before you can build a list, you need to figure out who will be on it. One cool tool called Tweepz will prove especially useful. Keeping with my example, this is how I would find executives for my list.

Me to reader: Check out the image on the next page. Sorry, I could not fit it easily here.)

Check out the image on the next page. Sorry, I could not fit it easily here.

80

Hmm… For the sake of demo purposes, I pick a profile at random – Joey Styles, VP of Digital Media Content. I want to add him to a list. So, I click the gear shift button to the left of the “Follow” button and click “Add or remove from lists…” After clicking the “Add or remove from lists…” I go through the prompts to create a list called “Job Search Networking” and mark it private as it is intended for my use only.

Of course, there is an even easier way of doing this, although it is not always an option. Simply put, do a search for Twitter lists others have created and save yourself the trouble of making one. Unfortunately, Twitter does not have a means for searching these lists. (Weird, I know.) Fortunately, you can use Google as a work around. The following search on Google finds Twitter lists with the word “executive” in the title.

81

site:twitter.com subscribers members intext:list.subscribers intext:list.members “a public list” intitle:executive

So what do you think? Will you be adding Twitter lists to your job search strategy? I hope so. Hmm… I think I have one more tip on Twitter to share. Umm… maybe two. Find out which on the next page.

Me to reader: You can’t see all of the search terms in the screenshot. No worries, scan the QR code to go right to it. Or, glance at what I have listed below.

82

There is an old saying that goes like this, “You have to kiss

a lot of frogs to find your prince.” I typically hear this a lot

when it comes to dating and marriage, but I think it

applies to networking as well. I mean, let’s face it. Anyone

can call themselves a doctor, but how do you know that

they are indeed a doctor, let alone a good one? Well, one

way to weed out the pretenders is by “crowdsourcing.” I

stumbled across an interesting blogpost called

“Crowdsourcing Definition #1: What is Collective

Intelligence?” [http://buff.ly/1yORphV] that discusses

how the wisdom of crowds is often superior to the wisdom

of the individual.

Here is a quote:

What is collective intelligence? Jeff Howe, the guy that

came up with the term crowdsourcing, says it this way, “A

central principle animating crowdsourcing is that the

group contains more knowledge than individuals.” James

Suroweicki says, “Even if most of the people within a group

are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still

reach a collectively wise decision.” This is the science that

explains why when asked for a lifeline on Who Wants to Be

a Millionaire, the crowd guesses 91% correctly, whereas

experts have a 61% likelihood of getting the right answer.

The answers that come from crowdsourcing are called

collective intelligence or wisdom of crowds. Yes, two terms

for the same thing.

When I saw that, a light bulb flickered in my head. As I

continued to read, something else jumped out at me.

So what does it take to achieve collective intelligence? Will

any group of people do? Crowdsourcing has three unique

requirements to deliver collective intelligence – (1) a

83

diverse crowd, (2) a qualified crowd, and (3) the right sized

crowd.

This sounded like Twitter to me. Why?

Twitter has a large and diverse crowd with 200+

million members.

Twitter members can be qualified with the right

searches.

Whether or not the number of qualified people (and

“qualified” differs with each search) are a large enough

sample to give wise information, it is certainly large

enough to give you a significant number of pre-

qualified leads to people you may want to network

with.

Let me show you what I mean by looking up some…

umm… some iPhone developers. I begin by seeking out

Twitter followers who have been described by the

collective wisdom of Twitter users as being an iPhone

developer. Once I have found these iPhone developers, I

will look for more iPhone developers based on the opinion

of the iPhone developers that the crowd has sourced.

I use a few search strings to find Twitter lists that focus on

iPhone developers.

site:twitter.com/*/lists/ iphone

site:twitter.com/*/lists/ iphone developer | engineer

intitle:*.is.following site:twitter.com iphone developer

Among the results was @joshgrenon who (according to his

bio) is an “iOS developer at @shyp, reader of success

84

books, athlete of strength, watcher of anime and lover of

tea.”

I notice that twitter users have placed him on several lists

related to iPhone development. I see this by clicking the

“Lists” section (a), then clicking “member of” (b) and

scrolling through the lists to see what I can see.

Here are some of the ways the crowd has labeled

@joshgrenon: Birmingham, iphoneappdev, programmer,

iphone-peeps, software-developer, iphone-developers,

Awesome Tech Peeps, iOS Developers, iOS Development,

mobile tech innovation and more.

So according to the Twitter crowd @joshgrenon is an iPhone developer worthy of my networking time as he has been cited on several Twitter lists focused on software and iPhone development; along with several other iPhone developers. (Of course, this assumes that I have an interest in networking with iPhone developers.)

85

Umm… Yeah, I think I’m tweeted out of twitter advice. Next topic!

Good question! I think I have a good

answer for you, but its not here. Its on the next

page.

86

How To Dial For Dollars Okay, so maybe you’re not one to network, research or

even market yourself online. Maybe you are one to let your

fingers do the walking and your charm do the talking.

(Hey, that rhymed! I’m a poet and didn’t even know it.)

Maybe you figure all you have to do is pick up the phone,

call into a perspective employer and badda-boom, badda-

bing, you sir (or madam) are sitting fresh and pretty on a

Monday morning at your new cubicle. Or, maybe not…

Maybe playing telemarketer with your resume is not

working so great for you. Maybe, you need a little help?

Am I talking to you? If so, then you will find this section

especially interesting. If not, well, you’ve read this much so

keep on going. (smile) I call this technique, “Dialing For

Dollars!” (Insert dramatic music here) Umm… just as the

title suggests… yeah.

In the age of the internet, I am surprised that people still

try to call their way into an interview. Well, I take that

back, I expect this from sales professionals. I mean, why

not? What better way to get a job as an Account Executive

than calling and talking your way into a job? However, for

all the other candidates who are not as polished as those

who work phones for a living, cold-calling can be a very

intimidating experience. This is why so many jobseekers

are bad at it. Before they even pick up the phone they form

a negative opinion about what is about to happen.

Is this you?

“I hate this, but I got bills to pay, so here I go.” (Hang up)

“What am I going to say? How will I get past the reception-

ist? How many other people are calling in? I’ll probably be

the 100th person to call in and ask about a job today. Ah,

87

forget it, I’ll call anyway.” (Dial phone and it rings) “Don’t

give up before you try.” (Receptionist answers) “Umm…

sorry, wrong number.” (Hang up)

Or maybe you actually have the nerve to ask for a manager

(or HR) and by a stroke of luck, you get them on the

phone. What do you say? Let me guess, you are so excited

about getting a decision-maker on the phone that you go

into selling yourself with rapid-fire pitching.

“Hi, my name is (insert your name here) and I want to be

your next (insert job here). I am a really hard-worker and

if you just give me the opportunity, I promise you won’t

regret it. (Okay, now would be a good time to stop, but you

keep going.) In my X years of (whatever) I have

accomplished yadda, yadda, yadda…

So, are you one of these people? Both? (I was both, but

more so the second person.) Hey, I know how hard calling

in cold can be. It takes tough skin to deal with all those

“not interested, send me your resume and I’ll call you

never” responses. However there is a way to counteract all

of that and get the results you are looking for. All it takes is

a little thing I like to call “practice.”

Ask yourself this, how many times have you practiced

calling a company for work before you really call them for

work? Let me guess, you figured you would “wing it,”

dazzle them with your wit and charm? Am I right? If I was

right, then you were most definitely wrong in calling

without an initial strategy. When you dive in blind, more

often than not you are perceived as unprofessional. (Think

of it this way, if you cannot represent yourself well, why

would I want you to represent my company?) If you are

determined to go dialing-for-dollars without a referral to

88

get you in the front door, I suggest that you do your home-

work on whomever you are calling first.

Do I hear whining? Do I hear, “That’s too much work or,

that takes too much time?” If I do, then remember what a

wise person once said. “If you always do what you have

always done, you will always get what you got.” (I think

that was Mike Murdock, come to think of it.) Over the

phone, like anything else for that matter, its all about

perception. Do you sound confident, as if you are indeed

worth someone taking time out of their schedule to chat

with you? Here is an even more important question, “How

do you think you sounded to the receptionist?” Believe me,

it mostly comes down to whomever picks up the phone

first. If they think you rank the attention of a decision

maker, then you have a chance. If not, more than likely you

will be dismissed and probably blown off when/if you call

again.

Are you despairing? If so, stop it now. The gatekeeper

(Receptionist, or whomever it is that catches the phone –

an Administrative Assistant usually) may turn you down

kindly or with a resounding slam of the receiver. No matter

how their reply is communicated, their direct response to

you is RARELY personal. Three seconds after you they

have gone on to something else and as such, you should

too. Losing your composure after the fact will not do any-

one any good, especially not you, so roll with the punches.

Now let’s suppose that you impress the gatekeeper

and manage to get someone on the phone that can

actually do something for you. Let me give you some

quick do’s and do-nots.

It’s doubtful that you would forget your work history,

89

but nervousness gets the best of us. Just in case, have

your resume at hand. Also, have a cheat sheet ready on

the company you are calling with details such as:

company history, key players and recent company

developments

Everybody likes the sound of their own name. I don’t

know why, we just do. So when you get someone on the

phone use their name. It will make you more “real” to

them (as opposed to say, a telemarketer) and helps you

remember who they are as well.

If the person you are speaking to sounds as hyper as

Spongebob Squarepants, then sound just as hyper

when you speak with them. Are they coming off as

Lerch from The Addams Family? Return the dryness in

their voice with a similar tone in yours. The key is not

to make fun of the person, but to get them to identify

with you and over the phone, this is a quick way to

accomplish that.

Be strong! Nothing communicates “unqualified” better

than such phrases as “maybe,” “I believe,” or “Not sure,

I think so.” Instead of saying “maybe,” it would be

better to say,” “I don’t have an answer for you now, may

I get back to you on (and give a time or date) with an

answer?”

Always allow the other person to hang up first. You

might over hear something that could be useful to your

cause. (wink)

Now let’s suppose that the Receptionist did not

even listen to all of what you have to say and on

reflex says, “Would you like his voicemail?” If this

90

happens, always say, “Yes, thank you” because voicemail is

your friend. When used properly, your phone message can

peek someone’s interest and prompt them to call you for

more of what you have to say. Or, it could be used (as it all

too often is) as a means of screening people out. When you

get the voicemail of someone you would very much like to

talk to, understand that you have 30 seconds or less to

accomplish your mission. What is your mission? Of course,

it is to get them to call you back. How is that done Jim

Stroud? Glad you asked…

Example #1 – I’m doing you a favor by calling.

“Hi John, this is Jim Stroud. (1) I decided (2) to give you a

quick buzz after seeing something on the internet. (3)

When you get a minute dial up my office (4) 404-123-4567

and I’ll go over the details with you. (5) I appreciate your

time.” (6)

1. I called them by their first name to suggest that we are

peers and someone they can identify with. I use my full

name because they do not know who I am.

2. Subtle psychology; I am busy just like you, but I made

time to clue you in on something that might matter to

you

3. The internet is so vast and constantly changing, the

possibilities of what you may have seen are endless.

Hopefully that alone is enough to hook their interest.

4. Could your “office” be your cellphone or your kitchen?

Yes, you’re not calling for a job because you have an

office. You are however, open to new opportunities

similar to the one they are advertising.

91

5. Details? What could it be that there are details

involved? Oh, the suspense!

6. The fact that you appreciate their time, conveys that

you are not wasting theirs with your call.

Notice that the message is short and sweet! This next

example is risky, but if executed correctly, has high

potential of working for you if executed right.

Example #2 – The Clicker

“John, Jim Stroud here (1) at 404-123-4567. (2) I spoke

with Charmaine earlier (3) and she said that you are the

right person to speak to (4) regarding… (Click)”

1. I called them by their first name to suggest that we are

peers and someone they can identify with. I use my full

name because they do not know who I am.

2. Phone number brought up early in the call.

3. Charmaine is the receptionist who takes dozens of calls

per hour. Are you someone important that she could

not recall? By chance, are you a million-dollar client?

Can they take that chance?

4. Whatever the reason for the call, they know at least that

they are whom you need to speak with. But what do you

want? Oh, the aggravation of not knowing!

5. (Click) You hang up the phone in the middle of a

sentence. What happened they wonder? Did the

machine cut you off? Who are you? Now they have to

call you back because it may drive them crazy until they

discover the reason for your call.

92

Example #3 – Working the nightshift

To perform this trick, you must call well after office hours.

The only person working should be the automated answer-

ing service; you know the one that says, “Press 3 for a

company directory?” Listen to every name mentioned on

the recording (assuming that the company you are calling

on lists everyone) and write them down. Read through the

website and research who and what each person does.

Which person is most likely the one who will make the

decision to hire you? Once you have that figured out, go

into the “I’m doing you a favor by calling” script. If the

person does not return your call in a day or so, call back to

follow-up with them. If you still can not get them on the

phone, ask to speak to another person from the company

directory and ask them for help.

“Hello Susan? Jim Stroud here, thank you for taking my

call. I’m trying to touch base with John, but perhaps you

can help me? I read recently that you were looking for X

and I was calling to refer someone. In John’s absence, can

I send my recommendation to you?”

(Now recommend yourself for the position and why you

are the best candidate for the gig.)

Okay, call me butter ‘cause I’m on a roll! Next… Okay, call me butter ‘cause I’m on a roll!

Next!

93

Nine Reasons Why Recruiters Never Call You ( ...and ways to convince them otherwise)

If you ever wondered why a recruiter never called you back, chances are these are the reasons why: Situation: Too many responses and not enough time. One advertised job can bring as many as three hundred responses in less than three days. It is logistically impossible for a recruiter to reply personally to every applicant.

My advice: Network your way into the company. This is the best way to circumvent the tidal wave of resumes recruiters face daily.

Situation: There is a relevancy factor. Many resumes received are not even in the ballpark of what is being advertised. Simply put, some applicants are tossing their resume against the proverbial wall and hoping it sticks. These types of efforts are immediately recognized and consequently ignored.

My advice: Make sure your resume is accented with keywords significant to the job you are apply-ing for. (ONLY add those terms relevant to your experience.) Check out - www.jobscan.co

94

Situation: Your resume did not make it through the

OFCCP process. Even if you have the ideal experience and

a recruiter would love to speak with you yesterday, you

may have been randomly deselected from the process and

the recruiter never had access to your information.

My Advice: Know that if the job description has

required skills listed it is not negotiable by law. If

you do not have one of the required skills listed,

then do not apply. Also, pay attention to verbiage

and the way your experience is described within the

job posting. Use similar phrasing in your resume to

maximize the chance of being selected in the

recruiter’s search.

Situation: There is the issue of spam. Due to the over-

whelming proliferation of unwanted solicitations of

Viagra, prescription pills, easy lending, gambling and

dubious business opportunities from African countries, it

has become expedient for companies to initiate spam

filtration systems. As such, some emails never reach their

intended destination. For example, if you have the

credentials of “Magna Cum Laude,” a spam filter may cite

the term “cum” and label it as pornographic spam and

delete it.

95

My advice: Look for a return-receipt from the

company database, an automated email that thanks

you for applying and promises a follow-up if there is

an interest. If you apply on line and do not receive

an email confirmation within 24 hours, then

resubmit your resume.

Situation: The position advertised is now “on hold” or

cancelled all together. With the changes in the economy,

huge waves of previously thought to be critical positions (if

a company pays to post the job it is high priority) are put

on hold or cancelled as there is internal squabbling to

complete the dreaded re-organization or for budgeting

purposes.

My advice: Do not be discouraged or black list a

company, because you do not get more than an

automated response of application. Continue to

apply to positions within a company even if you do

not receive a call about a specific position.

Situation: The hiring manager wants to hire a friend, but

must follow company protocol which includes publicizing

the opening.

My advice: No way to guard against this as many

96

times the recruiter is oblivious to this fact as well.

The good news is that you are front and center in

the recruiter’s mind and will be on the short list for

the next opening.

Situation: The hiring manager wants to promote some-

one internally, but wants to “window shop” before

committing to the hire. As such, a job will be announced

and each applicant will be measured against the standard

of an established employee well-acquainted with the inner

-workings of the company and the existent personnel.

My advice: No way to guard against this as many

times the recruiter is oblivious to this fact as well.

Situation: The hiring manager is on a never-ending

quest for the non-existent “perfect candidate.” Generally

the manager has the hope of an unrealistic list of skills

that he wants an applicant to possess. Typically this

“perfect candidate” will have senior-level knowledge from

competitor companies but a junior to mid-level work

history that makes him/her easier on the budget.

My advice: As only the manager knows for sure

what is in their head, the recruiter has the difficult

task of qualifying you against ambiguous require-

97

ments. I have no way to advise you on this matter.

Situation: You were submitted to the company by a

search firm. If a company has a job posted, then apply

directly. A search firm opens doors into companies that

do not initially post positions publicly due to cost or confi-

dentiality. This is certainly true with executive positions

or those that would negatively impact market share or po-

sition should the opening becoming common knowledge.

My advice: Search firms may charge a company as

much as 30% of a candidate’s salary for their

services. Not willing to take on that fee, some com-

panies make it a policy not to deal with search

firms. I suggest that before working with a search

firm; ask them if they are presently representing a

client. Job Seeker Beware: Some agencies make it

a practice to secure a resume from an interested

candidate first and then using it as leverage to

secure a customer.

I was going to say something witty here, but I had a mindfart and forgot it. So… just turn the page.

98

Not Interested? How to Respond to Recruiters

How do you feel about recruiters?

For some people, lots of people, too many people, talking to a recruiter is a waste of time. They view them as useless, clueless and more than anything else, an annoyance. As someone who has been in the industry since 1997, I whole-heartedly disagree. Yet, I can understand why some people feel the way that they do. Let me explain.

There are different types of recruiters. For example, there are “contingency recruiters” who do not get paid until a hire is made and “retained search firms” who have been paid an upfront fee to produce a hire within a reasonable amount of time. When quotas are unmet and the clients start barking, recruiters tend to go into survival mode. Some of these “survivalist recruiters” may log into a job board, grab all the emails of candidates they can find and spam a proposition until they get lucky. In these cases, recruiters are focusing on keywords in your resume more so than your entire work history. (Just in case you ever wondered why you were approached about jobs you were obviously unqualified for.) Will recruiters ever stop spamming candidates based solely on the keywords on their resume? Probably not. As the saying goes, “a few bad apples spoil the bunch.”

Question for you! How do you deal with recruiters when you are not interested?

99

If you are someone who is often contacted for opportuni-ties that you are not a fit for or, are simply uninterested in, use it to your advantage. How?

1. Create an email addressing the job opportunities that would be of interest to you.

2. Track your interactions with recruiters and develop those encounters into relationships.

Hmm… Just in case I lost you there, let me step-by-step it. The next time a recruiter contacts you about an opportu-nity, try sending an email based on the template below.

Dear Recruiter,

Thank you for contacting me about (insert job title here). With respect, I must decline any interest in that op-portunity and ask that you remove me from further consid-eration. However, I do hope this does not conclude our relationship. Feel free to contact me for opportunities of which I am reasonably capable of performing.

Please use the following job titles as a point of reference:

# Job Title I # Job Title 2 # Job title 3

I am open to relocation. Specific areas of interest are:

# City 1 # City 2 # City 3

100

In order to save us both some time, I have an interest in companies focused on (fill in the industry of your choice) who foster a culture of (describe a cultural attribute you like) and allow me to (work virtually / promote work-life balance / whatever floats your boat).

My most notable professional achievements are:

# Bragging right 1 # Bragging right 2 # Bragging right 3

I am not interested in jobs that:

# Add your criteria. (For example... require managing teams greater than four.) # Add your criteria. (For example... require extensive travel.)

Finally, I have also researched the most common interview questions and prepared statements on each. I understand that this could help expedite the recruitment process? I will make this available to you should an opportunity you present capture my attention. For your information, some of the questions addressed are:

# How do you handle stressful situations and working under pressure?

# What are you like working in a team?

# What has been your biggest professional disappoint-ment / achievement so far?

# What type of work environment do you prefer?

101

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Me to reader: Once you have replied to a recruiter with this data, I sug-gest you add a reminder on your calendar to follow-up. Make sense?

Me to reader: As I think about it, there are a couple of other templates that may prove useful to you.

How to Get Jobsearch Help From Friends and Family

Do you know someone that is looking for a job? Of course you do! How do I know that? I know that because you get the same emails that I do that say, in so many words, “Do you know who’s hiring? If you do, send them my resume

Once you have replied to a recruiter with this data, I suggest you add a reminder on your calendar to follow-up. Make sense? As I think about it,

there are a couple of other templates that may prove useful to you.

102

because its attached.” Chances are you received these type of emails from family members, friends and people whom you have no idea where they came from. Am I right? Well, if you know someone who has tried this method of prospecting the hidden job market and did not get any-where, maybe it was due to their approach. I do not want to bash anyone, but some people do not make it easy for me to help them. I mean, my heart goes out to anybody who is looking for work. (Why would I write so much on the topic if I did not have sympathy for those suffering this plight?) But, dude, make it easy on me. Three sentences and a resume is not doing it for me. May I offer a suggestion? Check out a request for assistance that was forwarded to me recently.

(1) Jim,

(2) First and foremost, I must THANK YOU for being an

instrumental and valuable connection for my personal

and professional growth here in Atlanta! Just knowing

you is inspiring to the success I’m trying to build

for myself and constantly reminds me to work harder

and push further toward my next level… and that “next

level” is exactly why I’m reaching out to you today. (3)

By the way, I remember your being a fan of the TV

show “24.” You might find this article interesting: How

Will Jack Bauer Spend His

Vacation Until The ’24’ Movie? I hope it makes you

smile.

103

(4) As you know, I am currently a producer/programming

assistant at [ censored ] in Atlanta, [ censored ]. I’ve

enjoyed my experience there; however, it is not currently

yielding desired growth or opportunities for career

progression, nor does it provide what I need to take care of

financial responsibilities. Thus, I have found it very neces-

sary to pursue full-time opportunities that will help me

achieve these desires.

(5) I NEED YOUR HELP!

In effort to maximize my chances at obtaining gainful em-

ployment, I’m enlisting your help, in hopes that you can

reach out to your contacts who you believe will benefit

greatly from my skills and experience. (6) I specialize and

can perform within the following business, education or

media related areas and titles:

Radio/TV Broadcasting – Show Producer, Associate

Producer, Programming Assistant, Web Content

Producer, Assignment Editor, Program Coordinator,

Assistant Program Director, Production Coordinator/

Manager

Public/Media Relations – Public Relations Coordina-

tor/Specialist, Media Relations Liaison, Community

Relations Coordinator/Manager

104

Writing – Writer, Editor, Editorial Assistant,

Proofreader, Copywriter, Scriptwriter, Script Supervi-

sor

Business/Marketing/Event Planning – Marketing

Communications Coordinator, Event Coordinator,

Special Events Coordinator, Manager, Supervisor

Education – Teacher, Substitute, Administrative

Assistant, Trainer, Paraprofessional

Administrative Positions – Customer Service

Manager/Coordinator, Executive Assistant, Office

Manager, Administrative Assistant

Once again, I ask that you forward my resume to your

contacts that need someone like me, or if you come across

opportunities that require online applications, (7) just

shoot me an email and/or the requisition #s and I will

complete the process J. Also, I can provide excellent

references and tailored cover letters whenever necessary.

(8) TARGETED COMPANIES: Turner Broadcasting, Time

Warner, BET, TV-One, WXIA-TV, WATL-TV, WGCL-TV,

WSB-TV, WAGA-TV, WUPA/CW-69, Tyler Perry Studios,

GA Public Broadcasting, School Systems (APS, Fulton,

DeKalb, Cobb), Colleges/Universities, Federal

Government, Non-Profits, etc…

105

(9) WITH REGARD TO LOCATION – I desire to stay in

the Atlanta area, but I am open to opportunities in the

DMV (DC/MD/VA) area. Wherever the right opportunity

is, that’s where I want to be.

(10) WITH REGARD TO PAY –My desired pay is $40K or

above. I am open to reasonable negotiations within that

immediate range. I desire a full-time, salaried position

with full benefits and the possibility of 401K/stock

options… this is non-negotiable and are the only

opportunities I can/will consider at this time.

(11)WHAT I’M NOT LOOKING FOR – As stated above, I

am only considering full-time opportunities that can

guarantee salary and benefits. I will not consider any

multi-level marketing, commission based cold calling,

or initial work for start-up companies. Freelancing

work for individual or start-up companies is pos-

sible, but I will only pursue those opportunities AFTER

full-time work has been secured.

(12)I hope my requests don’t come off as asking for too

much, or as being too picky because I’m not. I’m a dedi-

cated, hard-working woman and at this particular point

in my life, I have to be authentic in my worth. Hands

down, what I bring to the table through skill,

106

experience and instinctive talent is worthy of invest-

ment… and anyone I’ve worked with, or for, can attest

to that.

(13) I know that you have a very busy schedule, and from

the depths of me, I THANK YOU for ANY assistance

that you can provide. I’ve sown so many seeds since

being here in Atlanta and I look forward to reaping the

HARVEST of a rewarding opportunity…thanks for

helping me take this step in enjoying just that!

Warm Regards,

[ censored ]

(14) Writer | Producer | Multi Media Professional

Why is this a cool prospecting letter? These are my

notes. They correspond with the numbers in the email,

just so I am not confusing you.

1. Although this person has (probably) sent this same

email to several of her contacts, they took the time to

personalize it. Or at the least, used a program that does

it for them. (Smile)

2. They start off giving me warm and fuzzy feelings. That’s

a good thing because if I feel good about them, I will

107

more than likely remember them later.

3. We actually know each other and gave me information

that I actually have an interest in. (Who doesn’t love

Jack Bauer?)

4. Thank you for reminding me of who you are. I don’t

have the best memory.

5. Keeping it real. I can appreciate that. I feel good about

you and now I can (hopefully/maybe) be of help to

them.

6. Bullet points make it easier on me to pigeonhole you.

7. All I have to do is send you a lead and you will follow

through? Cool. Thank you for not asking me to connect

you to my closest connections when I barely remember

you.

8. Very nice. It saves us both time when we both know

what you want.

9. Very nice. It saves us both time when we both know

what you want.

10. Very nice. It saves us both time when we both know

what you want.

108

11. Very nice. It saves us both time when we both know

what you want.

12. Honesty is always appreciated.

13. Ending the request on a positive note is also good.

14. Thanks again for pointing out your preferred job titles.

Again, I don’t have the best memory.

15. Oh cool, you are on Twitter and LinkedIn. I will

connect with you that way as well.

A Template For The Perfect Prospecting Letter

All jobs are not advertised! Career opportunities often

come about from two people who happen to be networking

with one another or from one person reaching out to

another and prospecting. If the latter is you, you may have

You like that? I’m going to imagine that you are nodding your head “yes.” And share another template. Enjoy!

You like that? I’m going to imagine that you are nodding your head ‘yes” and share another template. Enjoy!

109

an interest in my “perfect prospect letter;” at least in my

humble estimation.

(1) SUBJECT: “Isn’t 802.11x a waste of your time and

money?”

Dear (Insert Name Here):

(2) I read about you in the September 2008 issue of

Techlinks Magazine. Is 802.11x a waste of your time and

money? I hope not! (3) I just invested my time and money

in becoming a Certified Wireless Network Professional

(CWNA), the only vendor neutral and industry-approved

certification for Wireless technology in the world today. (4)

When I read your comment on how your company will

leverage this technology, I began brainstorming on a few

ideas that may prove of benefit to your organization. Time

permitting, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss

them with you. (5) Are you available for a 15 minute

brainstorming session? Please advise…

Cheers,

(6) Steve Findley

Information Technology Professional

Websites: http://www.stevefindley.com

Phone: 678-123-4567

110

Obviously, you do not have to add numbers within your

reply letter. They are there only as a reference for our

example, so as to identify the purpose for each line.

1. Shorten your letter to a quick note (4 lines ideally)

with a catchy subject line

2. Identify how you found them

3. Cite your qualifications VERY concisely

4. Tease them on the benefit of speaking with you

5. Suggest a very short “brainstorming session” as this

will give the feeling of actual work being done and as

such, meeting you will not be seen as a waste of time.

Hopefully the conversation will be so engrossing that

it will lead to additional meets. (smile) *Let them

choose coffee, lunch or phone conference and you

make yourself available to whatever they choose. Once

inside, be sure to dazzle and always leave them

wanting more.

6. Your name, a quick repeat of your skill set, a link to

where they can read up about you online and a phone

number where they can immediately reach you.

Is that everything I wanted to share?

111

Honestly, I feel like I could go on forever but, I should probably stop…. After one more tip! (I can’t help myself.)

How to Use Facebook To Get a Job

There are several tips I could share about Facebook, but let me just center on what I consider to be the coolest. Let’s imagine for a moment that you work in the retail industry and would like to work for Target. A search for “recruiters who work at Target” returns more than 100 results.

Using the scientific process of eenie-meenie-minee-moe, I take a peek at the very first result, an Executive Recruiter.

Honestly, I feel like I could go on forever but, I should probably stop… after one more tip! (I can’t help myself.)

112

We’ll call him “Curt.” I see where Curt went to school and that he likes KISS and AC/DC. (Well, who doesn’t?) Let’s say that Curt is exactly the recruiter I want to connect with as I (for example’s sake) am seeking an executive gig at Target. My first instinct is to click the “Message” button and say, “Hire me, hire me and hire me now!” But what if Curt, like me, does not want to receive work related type messages from Facebook? Hmm… Chances are that he is on LinkedIn! So, I do a quick search, find him and send a message via LinkedIn. But what if I am the 53rd person who emailed him today? Okay, maybe I won’t be his 53rd email of the day. There is still a chance that my email will be ignored, deleted or considered spam. So, how I can safeguard against that? Well, in a word, personalization. From Facebook, I learned that Curt is a fan of KISS. After a quick search for the “most popular KISS songs,” I have what I need to make a memorable prospect letter that would resonate with Curt. Check it out…

SUBJECT: I want to rock and roll all nite at Target and work every day.

Curt,

I was made for lovin’ you and by “you” I mean Target. I am a Merchandiser from Detroit Rock City (by way of Atlanta, GA) and I am a real strutter for finding the best products and deals for my former employers: Macy’s, Kohl’s and Kmart. I’ve had some crazy, crazy nights exceeding quotas, beating deadlines and staying under budget. Like a god of thunder, I know I can electrify any job you have related to merchandising on a national and even global scale.

113

I would love to chat about the possibilities and one day shout it out loud that I work for Target!

Can we talk?

Jim Stroud

ME to reader:

Okay, to the average person, that might seem a bit quirky (to say the least). However, if Curt is a BIG fan of KISS, he will get the song references and hopefully be swayed to reach out to me.

Me to reader:

If nothing else, to comment on all the KISS songs and ex-plore what other things we have in common. Make sense?

Okay, I told myself that I would keep this to only 100 pages and focus only on my best tips, but I blew that judging by the page number I’m on now. Maybe I will do another

Okay, this might seem a bit quirky (to say the least). However, if Curt is a BIG fan of KISS, he will get the song references and hopefully be swayed to connect with me.

If nothing else, to comment on all the KISS songs and explore what other things we have in common. Make sense?

114

volume with another 100 pages of tips? (If so, chances are I will go over my page limit as well. Oh well.)

Me to reader: Okay, this is really the end. Thanks for sticking with me this far.

Do me a favor before you go? Leave a comment on Ama-zon? That would be a big help. Also, if you know anyone who could use these tips, please pass my book along to them. Cool? Cool. See you later bye!

Okay, this is really the end. Thanks for sticking with me and staying awake. I do tend to drone on at times.

Do me a favor before you go? Leave a comment on Amazon? That would be a big help. Also, if you know anyone who could use these tips, please pass my book on to them. Cool? Cool!

115

List my social networks and invite people to connect with you . LinkedIn Twitter Google Plus YouTube # Use the picture of the guy at the bar. (Photofunia)

Don’t forget to cite GLASS-DOOR and DICE blog

articles!

Let’s connect online! Subscribe to my blog! Www.jimstroud.com Find me on LinkedIn Www.linkedin.com/in/jimstroud Twitter Www.twitter.com/jimstroud YouTube Www.youtube.com/jimstroud Google Plus Plus.google.com/+JimStroud1 Some of The content herein was originally posted Elsewhere. the following articles were posted on the Glassdoor blog. How to use facebook to get a

job How to get a job overseas How to get fired before you

even start Read more at: glassdoor.com/blog And one other article was first on the Dice blog. How to find jobs that boost

your entire career Read more at: news.dice.com

116

Hmm… Who is this calling me

now?

Dude! I’ve been reading right along with you and I can’t believe you didn't mention job search apps.

Oh yeah, those are great for people who want to job search in secret.

Oh! Its Gerard.

117

Other than that, you doing great! Keep up the good work!

Thanks! I’ll do what I can. Talk to you later!

After the call...

Wait. How did he…? Um...(Nevermind)

Yesterday, I told Gerard about a trend I noticed in job search smartphone apps. Lately, several apps have appeared on the market that let you search for jobs and promote your qualifications to recruiters anonymously. How do they work? Companies get to learn about your skills and work history, but they do not get access to your contact information until you approve of them first. If you are familiar with the dating app - “Tinder,” then you understand the principle of how they operate. Whether you are familiar with Tinder or not, I suggest you check out these smartphone apps to see what’s out there without risking your current job. (wink)

Poachable https://poachable.co

118

Blonk Www.blonk.co

switch Www.switchapp.com

Poacht Www.poachtapp.com

Okay, I think I am going to stop writing now because every time I say goodbye I get sucked into another tangent and I really wanted to keep this book at one hundred pages. (Yeah, I missed that goal.) So, with that being said, I’m going back to sleep. Good… Umm…

Hello...

119

I’m still sleep. I’m just talking in my

sleep now.

As I lay here, I am getting more job search ideas. I am also thinking of all of the questions I did not address but should have. Moreover, what about those queries I had not considered at all? I suppose you could reach out to me on LinkedIn, but wouldn’t that have me answering the same questions over and over again? Hmm… At the bottom of my author page on Amazon is a discussion forum. Feel free to post some questions there and I will respond as soon as I awake from my nap (or whatever I happen to be doing at the time). Is that cool?

Jim Stroud on Amazon Www.amazon.com/author/jimstroud

Okay, for real now, I am going to… going to… zzzzzz….

THE END (FOR NOW)

120

121

122

Subscribe to Jim Stroud’s blog at JimStroud.com.

I LOVE HIM

123