Job Hunting Tips & Tricks

Job Hunting Tips & Tricks George Huang Principal, IDEASolutions

The Harsh Reality… • Your last job may not exist anymore even after the Great Recession is over • Your next job may be very different from your last job, yet it uses similar skills • There are perhaps six applicants for each open job now – it’s extremely competitive

What You Need to Do… • Capture the attention of the recruiters • Show your skills • Stand out from among the many applicants • Customize your presentation to each type of employers • Be creative • Leverage your connections and exposures wisely

Your Skills • Ask yourself: “Who am I?” • You are a collection of many skills, not a person fixed into an occupation • These skills are often transferable to other occupations with minimal amount of training • So, look for jobs that require these skills, not just the occupations you are familiar with • Tool: http://tinyurl.com/sbc-careercoach

What Really Suits You? • Skills can be acquired, but personalities are nearly impossible to change • Many people never discover the careers that really suit their personalities • For those that do, work is a lot more enjoyable • Some assessment tools out there • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • CareerPath.com • MyInnerSight.com

Résumé Tips, 1 • Your first impression may be your only chance • Recruiters’ 10-second rule: http://tinyurl.com/63x9tn3 • Make your point FAST! • People are lazy – don’t make them work. Whatever you want them to see, make it obvious • Use important keywords relevant to that job • Today: many résumés are screens by computers and they are programmed to look for key words such as certain skills (e.g., welding, CCNA, etc.)

Résumé Tips, 2 • Customize your presentation • Each employer has his own needs, and they are often different. If you know what they are looking for, address those needs  make them want you! • If not, do a bit of research to find the company’s operations, customers, values, etc. • Community service helps show your values • So, take time to customize your résumé and/or webpages for each potential employer • Use different keywords that attract their attention

Résumé Tips, 3 • Your Contact info • E-mail & phone – but make sure you respond quickly and professionally • E-mail should be non-controversial • Answering machine or voice mail? Clean up the message • Address? If bad neighborhood or if you are female, skip street address info. Just do city • Achievements, promotions – help you stand out • Avoid political or controversial stuff

Résumé Tips, 4 • Format & content – make it easy to follow • Absolutely no grammatical & spelling errors! • Clean, consistent formatting • There’s no set sequence – put the most important info first (skills, education, or past experience) • Objective? No! Brief/executive summary is better. Businesses are hiring people to meet their needs, not your objectives.

Résumé Tips, 5 • References • Should be people who knows you well and has supervised you previously • OK to have others, but would need to be “important” • Make sure • Their contact info is up-to-date • Their former* and current titles are included • Their titles when you worked for or with them • Include e-mail and/or phone number, whichever is more reachable for that particular reference • They know you’re listing them as references • If employers cannot reach two or more references, they may think these references are fake!

Interview Tips, 1 • All those tips for résumés also apply here • Practice with friends or professional job placement staff • First impression sets the tone of interview • Dress appropriately, OK to overdress a bit for that particular company • Come prepared and with samples of relevant work, if applicable • Take time to thank them via e-mail or mail after the interview

Interview Tips, 2 • Prepare some answers to expected questions, especially for issues that raise concerns • How you fit into the company? – you’ll need to research the company and the job beforehand • Why did you lose your last job? • Why do you have many jobs before? • Length of unemployment – why was it very long • Gaps between previous jobs

Interview Tips, 3 • Expect some discriminatory questions • Yes, they should not discriminate you, but many do! It’s up to you to react wisely. • For example, you see a picture of the interviewer’s family in the background and casually commented, “You have very beautiful children He may ask, “Yes they are! Do you have any?” • If you do have some, mention they are “healthy” – they don’t want you to take lots of time off to take care of them • If you don’t, tell him so and say “I won’t have one anytime soon” – they don’t want you to go on maternity leave/PFL • If you are expecting, mention how you will minimize time off by asking your mom to care for the newborn

Social Media • Check your privacy settings! • Be careful what’s on your Twitter & Facebook – employers may check up on you • What your friends do also reflect on you • LinkedIn – the business Facebook • Join some groups and get active • Be seen as an expert – people will take notice • Monitor who looks at your profile

Going Beyond the Résumé • For some: a website to advertise yourself • Be creative! You are free from the constraints of a résumé • Link to your achievements, such as photos of your work on Flicker, videos of your events on Youtube, news coverage of your projects, your profile on LinkedIn, etc.

Starting Your Own Business? • For some, this may be a viable option • Yes, you can still collect unemployment insurance if • Your primary focus is on finding a permanent job, not starting a business • You will not turn down a reasonable offer • You report your earnings • When your income from your job frequently exceeds the UI limit, stop getting UI

Lessons I Learned in Past Year • Do every task to the best of your abilities – people will refer you around • When God closes a door on you, He has another open ready for you. But you still need to do your part and try to find your way. • Treasure every encounter – you never know which one will turn into a business or job opportunity

Job Hunting Tips & Tricks