Excerpted from article by Harry Urschel

That’s what most job seekers want to know!

“What is the most likely source for finding the right job?” …and “Where should I focus my time?”

Questions that make sense to ask… however, are very difficult to answer! MANY times, the best job leads come from the most unlikely sources! The best job lead may come out of the blue!

Over the last four years, I regularly hear people tell me something like: “I’ve been searching online postings and going to networking groups for months, but ended up finding the right job through…

…a referral from an 85 year old woman at my church one Sunday morning.

…the stay-at-home mom next door that knew someone.

…an old co-worker I hadn’t talked to in 15 years but ran into at the supermarket.

…a previous boss that called me out of the blue.

…a recruiter that found my information on LinkedIn.

…a company I blindly called into, not knowing if they had an open position or not.

…a conversation I had with someone I met at a coffee shop.

…an email I got back from someone I had sent a monthly update to about my job search.

…an introduction I sent someone based on an article I read about their company.

…a referral of a referral of a referral!

…and on, and on, and on”

There is no single best source of leads. The obvious ones (job boards, online and newspaper ads), are generally the least fruitful because nearly every other job seeker out there is checking out and pursuing those same ones.

The reality and the challenge for the job seeker, is that you need to consistently pursue dozens of avenues, all the time!

Don’t neglect any contact, lead, or idea you hear of. Use your time wisely, however, the best opportunity often comes from the least likely sources. Often the name you’re given that sounds like a dead-end lead (the 85 year old grandmother), may be the one that has the best contact, specific job lead, or idea for you.

Will that always be the case? Of course not! However, don’t miss out on an opportunity by not chasing down every lead and contact you hear of. That means putting in enough time each day and managing your time effectively is key to being able to make each of those connections.

If your days are primarily characterized by searching and responding to ads online, you are spending most of your time on the same resources as the vast majority of other job seekers out there. To effectively find and connect to someone that is not getting overwhelmed by candidates, you must go where others don’t.

Make personal connections to people whether they have a job opening or not. Getting to opportunities before anything is posted is critical in beating the crowds.

Don’t neglect the obvious avenues. You still need to check and follow up on job postings. You still need to attend networking groups. You still need to search out contacts through LinkedIn and connect to potential hiring managers and recruiters. However, don’t dismiss the stay-at-home mom next door when she says… “You ought to talk to my cousin Frank who works at XYZ Company. He’s not in your field, but his company seems to be doing well!” You have no idea… cousin Frank may know of a particular job, have a better networking contact for you, or know of resources that may be worthwhile for you.

Effective networking is building relationships, one at a time, building a chain of referrals from one person, to the next, to the next, and to the next until you end up talking to the one that has the right lead for you!

Does pursuing all contacts and leads make your job harder than just searching for jobs online? Absolutely! Is it likely to help you find a job faster? YES!

You never know where your best job leads will come from… Check everything out and you may be surprised!

Filed under: HAPPEN Info, Jobs, LinkedIn, Motivation, Networking, Recruitment, The Search | No Comments »

Contributed by William Curry, member Happen.

Job seekers are sought out by sophisticated international con artists. These con artists flock to the Internet and offer up one sophisticated hoax after another on unsuspecting job seekers.

Many of the hoaxes follow the format of offering a job to a job seeker. Take the time to carefully read them over. Look at the sentence construction, the spelling, grammar even the punctuation and capitalization. If they look unprofessional they probably are a hoax. If a job looks unprofessional this shows the job ad has been written by someone who doesn’t write English or by someone who hasn’t spent any time on it. A job seeking is more than likely attracted to the subject of the offer that they may not notice or object to the unprofessionalism of badly written sentences. Be aware that this is a clear indicator of a job ad hoax. Be discerning take care to notice that the job ad is written badly and is a hoax.

When reading the job ad look for any references to a foreign country, non-USA/Canada. This might be a foreign location address, contact address, telephone or email. This is another indicator that the job offer isn’t real. It’s done to make it difficult to check up on the con artists using such tactics. Also, the legal enforcement of hoaxes carried out internationally is more difficult and the perpetrators are more likely to be able to engage in them.

A sure way to tell that a job ad is a hoax is that is asks you to provide your bank account, credit card or other personal financial information. The only time you will give such information to your employer is after you have met them and you’ve received a job offer and accepted it. Such hoaxes may ask you to supply such information in a way that does not give rise to you waving too many red flags. It may ask for a bank name where you do business, or, if you have a credit card or not. In itself these questions may not alarm you but later a question about an account number which may seem innocent and the result is that you have divulged your personal financial information. These hoaxes are designed to get such information from you and to steal money or your identity from you. If you have done this wherever possible change these personal financial affairs as fast as you can.

Some things to do before replying to a job ad that seems to be a hoax:

1. Using the company name as a keyword search blogs here:

http://blogsearch.google.com/

You will find some discussion of the questionable company helpful.

2. If it’s a big scam you’ll find it here:

http://www.ftc.gov/moneymatters

Please, if you find one (1) questionable comment or alert about a company that you think is trying to engage you in a hoax, this is all you need to confirm your worst suspicions.

General disclaimer : The content presented here are views of the contributing author and not of Happen Inc. This article is for information purposes only.

Filed under: Blogging, HAPPEN Info, Jobs, Recruitment, The Search | No Comments »

This week there will be an opportunity to speak directly to employers and recruiters on behalf of HAPPEN. Members who volunteer will be able to contact the recipients of the HAPPEN Candidate Profiles. The mailing list will be segregated by location; each page will have approximately 20 employers.

This is your chance to make a warm call, as you are expected and assist HAPPEN to verify that our mailing list is correct. Very often during these calls you be able to give your 30 second infomercial and maybe more. The list will be available at the Ontario meetings this week.

Dick O’Brien is coming to present an all morning workshop in Mississauga this week. This may be your only chance to hear him speak at a HAPPEN meeting. He is in great demand by many organizations, and therefore you will likely be working by the time he is with us again. We all need to know how to deal with all the challenges that are part of the job search process. Dick will help us to get all things into proper perspective.

The effective use of the social media is changing daily. HAPPEN has a number of experts who are dealing with these tools constantly. On Thursday in Markham Steve Prentice will explain specifically how to get the maximum use out of LinkedIn and the other social media. Steve will give a “Live” demonstration on how to maximize your Linked in Profile.

The new site has many new features, check them out and update your Profile so recruiters/employers can find you faster.

Our Pool of Talent-

Members Profiles on our website this week-

Engineering 117

Executive 264

Finance 170

Human Resources 95

Information Systems 169

Management 250

Manufacturing 149

Materials Management 75

Sales & Marketing 308

Other Professions 148

Contact members in your profession, they may have a lead for you. You may have a lead for them.

New Members last week-

Patrick Burns

Naveen Gupta

Azaratu Ismail

Clement Oshinyimika

Kate Pearce

Raj Yuvashankar

Filed under: HAPPEN Info | 1 Comment »

Excerpted from article by Harry Urschel.

“It’s been a week since my interview and I haven’t heard anything…”

“I had a great informational interview but that was the last I heard…”

“I had a phone conversation with a good contact in the company…”

“I have almost 100 people I’ve networked with in my job search so far…”

“I met someone, at (an event) that said they knew someone, but haven’t heard back…”

“…should I follow up?”these are the most common questions I’m asked regularly. And my response is always the same: YES!!!

“But I don’t want to annoy them, or come across as a stalker.” …is a common reply.

In my experience, I’ve found that candidates think they are being annoying long before the recipient of their follow ups ever do. Professional, timely, pleasant follow up is key to setting yourself apart from other candidates they are pursuing.

Why should you follow up, and how do you do it effectively? Here are some ideas…

Most people don’t follow up, it’s a chance to set yourself apart. Even after a formal job interview, generally less than 25% of people send a Thank You note of any kind. Other meetings, phone calls, email contacts generally get little to no follow up from most people. Doing something different from the norm, in a professional and upbeat way, will virtually always create a positive impression. You have far more to lose by not doing it, than the infinitesimal risk of losing an opportunity by doing it. Especially if someone else does follow up, and you don’t, you will lose by comparison.

It’s another chance to cement a relationship. Whether it’s a casual networking contact, or a formal interview, the chances of gaining more consideration from them is very much dependent on building a relationship. If you only make an initial contact and they never hear from you again, it creates no reason on their part to invest any more thinking in helping or working with you. Building a relationship requires contact and effort in following up.

It’s another chance to mention something you may have forgotten before. Although you don’t want to launch into an in-depth explanation of something else in your background in a follow up… a succinctly worded phrase or sentence adding value to your earlier discussion can help in improving their impression of you. It’s another chance to provide additional or new relevant information.

Keep it brief! Too often, if someone does follow up, they either ramble on too long on the phone, or write too long in an email or letter. After the first minute of engaging in some way, patience begins to run out and there is either no chance of making a positive impact after that, or you are actually increasing the risk of annoying them. Even an extremely short “Just wanted to thank you again for your time” will have a more positive impact than 5 or 10 minutes of going further into in-depth information. That’s true in a phone call or written communication. It’s best to carefully plan exactly what you want to convey and say it as briefly as possible to make the best impression.

Be professional! Regardless of how friendly your meeting or prior discussion may have gone, never assume too casual a relationship. Even though a hiring manager wants to like you to hire you, or a professional networking contact enjoys talking to you, in order to take additional steps with you they need to feel confident that you will always be professional with others they introduce you to as well. The referral process, and the hiring process is still essentially a business transaction. Don’t take it too lightly.

Switch it up! Effective, and consistent follow up doesn’t mean a steady stream of phone calls every other day. That does become annoying. However, you can have some form of contact with them regularly to keep you fresh in their mind and build a further relationship with them in the process. Within a day of any of the scenarios listed at the top of this piece… Thank them. You might send them a Thank You card in the mail, or email a brief note, leave them a voicemail, or call and thank them for their time. Then, in a week or two, connect again, but in another form, and in two to 4 weeks again in yet another form. Keep the process going, but you end up actually talking to them directly only every couple of months.

If they are hearing from you regularly, but in various and unobtrusive forms, you are building a relationship, not haranguing them. Building that professional relationship has everything to do with their perception of your persistence, your follow through, your professionalism, and their interest in you.

Should you follow up??? Yes! Definitely! Absolutely! …but do it right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

General disclaimer : The content presented here are views of the contributing author and not of Happen Inc. This article is for information purposes only.

Filed under: Blogging, HAPPEN Info, Interviews, Jobs, The Search | 1 Comment »

Excerpted from article by Meghan M. Biro.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about emotion, and how emotion can help – or betray – us in the workplace. Emotion can override the effects of the most finely crafted personal brand, leaving us with our defenses down in challenging moments. And every workplace, every community, serves up plenty of challenging moments, so it’s important to be prepared to control emotions so they don’t undermine our personal brands.

But it’s a tall order.

When we’re thinking and reacting emotionally, we may not have access to the cognitive part of ourselves – the logical, process-oriented thinking that enables us to assess a situation, perceive a set of solutions, and reason our way to a resolution. Think of the last time you were in a performance appraisal and you received a criticism you weren’t expecting (though there should never be any surprises in a performance appraisal, which is a topic for another time.) Chances are you reacted emotionally to the comment, not from within the context of your cognitive self, the heart of your personal brand.

As an example of how we can prevent emotion from sideswiping us – and how to use personal brand to recover – let’s think about Max, an accomplished marketing manager whose boss had left the organization and been replaced with someone with whom Max wasn’t entirely comfortable. Max has a strong personal brand. He understands that he has a rather controlling personality – he’s a detail guy – and knows that his skills support the tasks a marketing manager needs to be competent on the job. He’s moderated his natural tendency to be controlling by mastering active listening skills and developing a set of non-work interests that require team skills to ensure success. He manages the emotional stress that is a byproduct of his controlling personality through exercise, meditation and paying close attention to key friendships (social community – another favorite TalentCulture topic.).

Although he had good culture fit with the organization, Max felt off-balance emotionally with his new boss. He caught himself worrying about his next performance appraisal – and to make matters worse a big bonus was attached to a good review. In the weeks leading up to the appraisal he knew he needed a way to control his emotional self so he could achieve his goal – maintain his success and standing at work, build a more productive relationship with his new boss, and secure a good review – and the bonus that went with it.

Max decided it was time to add new skills and tools to his personal brand. He called and I recommended he read the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson et al (do a quick search to learn more.)

I won’t go through the book here – it’s a recommended read – but it gave Max the tools he needed to begin to find ways to initiate and stay in conversations with his new boss that he had been avoiding for fear of emotional landmines. The last time I checked in with him things were going better and he was feeling – there’s emotion again – positive about his relationship with his boss – and his upcoming review.

The lesson here is that we all have emotions, and we can control those emotions by adding skills to our repertoire of coping mechanisms, which in turn strengthens personal brand. It’s always possible to add to and refine personal brand – in fact, it’s part of staying vital, connected and valuable in every job market.

How do you stay connected, in the moment and in charge of your emotions in difficult situations? What tools do you rely on to forge common cause with someone when there’s no obvious connection? And what are the challenges you face maintaining your personal brand? are some points for introspection…

General disclaimer : The content presented here are views of the contributing author and not of Happen Inc. This article is for information purposes only.

Filed under: HAPPEN Info, Jobs, Motivation | 3 Comments »

Excerpted from article by Meridith Levinson. 

This article captures situations that can derail a job interview, along with advice on how job seekers can get back on track

So you arrive at a big job interview confident and prepared. It starts off strong. Conversation flows smoothly. You’re saying all the right things. Suddenly, the hiring manager asks you a question you didn’t anticipate.

The “deer in the headlights” look washes over your face. You flounder for an answer that fails to impress the hiring manager. Your confidence takes a hit, and the interview, along with any chance of getting the job, quickly head south.

Whether it’s a surprise question, a wardrobe malfunction or the hour-long interview that unexpectedly turns into a day-long affair, job interviews are filled with on-the-spot situations that must be handled deftly by the candidate. If not, these situations will sink even the most prepared professional.

To help you anticipate these unexpected twists and turns, career experts and corporate recruiters shared eight situations that can come up during a job interview. They offer advice on how to navigate them gracefully so that you can get the interview back on track.

1. You’re caught off-guard by an inappropriate or illegal question.

By law, employers aren’t allowed to ask job seekers certain questions, such as “Are you married?” or “Do you have kids?” But some hiring managers do so anyway, and these questions can throw a candidate for a loop.

Interview Magic, a best selling book on interview successes, recommends a three-step process for answering touchy questions:

1. Avoid a direct response to an illegal question if it has the slightest chance of hurting your candidacy.
2. Address the hiring manager’s underlying concern that’s driving the question.
3. Accentuate a positive character trait or skill that will resound with the hiring manager.

When asked if you’re married, for instance, a job seeker may reply like this: “I’m in a solid relationship. I’m blessed to have someone who supports me wholly in my career. You may wonder about my personal life and how it might affect my ability to travel and my work hours. My last position required me to work 60 hours a week and to travel once a month. I love that quiet time in the hotel at night when I can really focus on my work.”

2. You need to address the dreaded “sticky wicket.”

Many job candidates have a “sticky wicket” in their employment histories, such as a layoff, job-hopping or even termination with cause. Candidates who have these issues are in a particularly sticky situation. How they handle discussing their employment history can mean the difference between staying in the game and sudden-death elimination.

Bluffing your way through questions about, say, the length of your unemployment or the circumstances surrounding your departure from your last position, is out of the question. Job seekers need to be proactive and forthright in addressing thorny employment issues. Write out answers to those questions that you hope nobody will ask you so that you’re not caught off guard and you have a positive answer to them.

For example, a job seeker, who was fired or laid off, say something like, “I just want to volunteer that in my last position, I was asked to leave. It was based on some circumstances that I have learned a great deal from. I can tell you what I’ve learned from the situation, how I’ve applied it, how it’s made me a better person and a better candidate for your organization.”

Also, what helps is explaining what you learned from the situation and any new skills you picked up that would make you successful in the position for which you’re interviewing. “You have to bring your previous experience back to why you’re the best fit for the job”.

3. You give a ho-hum answer.

No matter how much you prepare for an interview, a hiring manager is bound to ask a perfectly legal question that you never anticipated. If your mind goes blank and you muster a mediocre answer, all is not lost. You can always re-address the question later.

For example, a hiring manager might ask a particularly difficult, unexpected question. Your answer might have been less than satisfying. But 10 minutes later, you may recall a project you had worked on that would have made for a better answer, and you could ask the hiring manager if you could go back to his previous question. In case yes, you would be able to deliver a much more pointed answer.

“Answers to unexpected questions will come to you. Sometimes you just have to relax.”  

4. You ramble.

When job candidates don’t know how to answer a question, they’ll often ramble until they zero in on the answer. The risk with this strategy is that a tangent may never lead to the bull’s eye.

If you find yourself prattling, stop. “There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘I think I got off your train of thought. Can you restate the question?” Pausing to consider a question more thoughtfully shows the hiring manager that you’re in control of the interview. You’re also self-aware enough to know when you’re not communicating effectively and must find a new way to connect with the hiring manager.

“I appreciate when candidates realize they’re on shaky footing and try to get back on more stable ground”.

How do you know if you’re rambling? This is how- your answer to most job interview questions shouldn’t take more than two minutes to articulate. A notable exception: Behavioural interview questions may require more time to answer.

The recommendation is SMART (situation, metrics, action, result, tie-in) strategy for answering interview questions, which is similar to the CAR, or challenge-action-result format. The idea is for the job seeker to talk about a situation she addressed, cite some metrics that shed light on the situation, describe the action she took as well as the result, and, lastly show how it all ties into the value she’d bring to the prospective employer.

5. You lack an important skill.

An average of eight job seekers compete for every open position, and Employers can afford to be picky. Chances are you don’t possess all the criteria the hiring manager seeks in a candidate. This means you’ll have to address your “deficiencies” during the job interview.

The most effective way to address a skill gap, is to focus on what the hiring manager wants from a candidate who possesses that particular skill, rather than focusing on your lack of that skill. For example, if the hiring manager wants a candidate with a particular degree or experience with a particular technology that the candidate doesn’t possess, the candidate ask the following question: “I’m hearing you need to have someone with X degree or experience using this particular product. Tell me what you need accomplished as a result of that degree or experience.”

By learning what the hiring manager specifically hopes to accomplish, the candidate now has something they can aim at. They can say, ‘Here’s how I did something similar in previous positions. I did it with a technology that I had no prior knowledge of. Here’s how I went about the process.’ Anytime you can aim at specific results, you have a much better chance of influencing the hiring manager.” 

6. You lose steam.

Job interviews can be physically and emotionally taxing. They can last all day and involve intense conversations with multiple decision-makers inside an organization, sometimes in different buildings. Add intellectually taxing questions, coupled with the pressure a job seeker puts on himself to land the job, and it’s no surprise a candidate’s energy wanes quickly.

“A lot of things can drain your energy during a job interview, but you must keep it up,” And “You have to keep your focus at 110 percent in every meeting.” Losing steam during a job interview can indicate to a prospective employer that you may not be up to the job. To maintain your energy during a stressful day of job interviews, get a good night’s sleep before the big day and to keep some energy-boosting snacks and drinks, such as water and trail mix, on hand.

If you run out of energy, there’s a good chance you’ll also let your guard down. “One of the traps with a day-long interview is that the employer is expecting you to start letting your guard down later in the day. That’s when you need to be more conscientious about leaning forward in your chair, leaning into the conversation, not sitting back and relaxing, asking good questions and being curious.”

On a related note, don’t fall into the trap of confiding in whomever is walking you from room to room. “When they ask, ‘How’s it going,’ the temptation is to confide in them”. Just remember that this person will likely be giving his or her impressions of you to the hiring manager at the end of the day. 

7. You experience a wardrobe malfunction.

A run in your stockings. Trouser socks that sag around your ankles. Food in your teeth. A fly that won’t stay up. A button that pops off a shirt or waistband.

Oddly, the danger with these wardrobe problems is that they can be even more distracting to you than they are to your prospective employer. If you’re worried about how you look, you won’t be able to focus 110 percent on the questions and answers between the hiring manager and you. Always pack an extra pair of pantyhose, socks, a small sewing kit with safety pins, and some dental floss in your briefcase to take care of quick repairs in the restroom. 

8. Your cell phone rings.

You’re nervous. You have a million things on your mind. In the process of reviewing facts and figures about your employer and answers to potential interview questions, you forget to shut off your cell phone. True to Murphy’s Law, the darn thing starts ringing during the interview—and hiring managers hate this.

The best way to rebound from this potentially irreparable gaffe, says is to apologize for the disruption and to quickly shut off the phone. Make sure you do this without glancing at the phone number.

Do share with us “What situations have you encountered during a job interview that nearly killed your chances with the hiring manager? How did you rebound from them?

Look forward to hearing from you !

Filed under: HAPPEN Info, Interviews, Jobs | 4 Comments »

As the various communication tools become more common, the methods of transmitting information change. One of the main communication tools for members is the HAPPENlink newsgroup which is an e-mail communication tool we have been using for 7 years. In the past there were electronic bulletin boards which allowed participants to post a message for all to see, and provide for all to post a reply.

The electronic newsgroup also allows for messages to be sent to the whole group, but also allows for a reply to be sent to the individual originator. As the HAPPEN website tools become operative there will be other methods of communicating available, and tighter guidelines for HAPPENlink will be established.

Misuse of a communication tool makes an impression. Your next employer will want to see that you are familiar with current practices. We have many experts amongst the membership who can provide guidance for those unfamiliar with the latest services.

Next week on Thursday 20 May there will be an all morning workshop lead by Steve Prentice, focussed on LinkedIn profiles and use of the social media. There will be time to learn about some of the subtleties of these various tools.

Pre-registration for all meetings can be done through the website. As a courtesy to members, should you not be able to attend the meeting for which you have registered, HAPPEN will honour your payment for any other meeting within the next 30 days until the end of June. We will have to revisit this once HST has to be charged.

There has been more media coverage for HAPPEN members this week in the Globe & Mail newspaper. By volunteering your time to be interviewed you become more visible. Becoming more visible speeds your job search. This works at the HAPPEN meetings as well. Never underestimate to power of the people in the room. Both while they are in transition (you never know who they know, or will know) and when they are employed.

We had an example this week of a newly employed General Manager who is looking for new staff. If you were at the Ontario meetings this week you heard the announcement. The new site has many new features, check them out and update your Profile so recruiters/employers can find you faster.

Our Pool of Talent.

Members Profiles on our website this week.

Engineering 115

Executive 263

Finance 168

Human Resources 93

Information Systems 166

Management 248

Manufacturing 146

Materials Management 72

Sales & Marketing 304

Other Professions 147

Contact members in your profession, they may have a lead for you. You may have a lead for them.

New Members last week-

James Armstrong

Jim Cassell

Dorel Coacean

Richard Comrie

Rob Connor

David Gregory

Bruce Herzog

Timothy Ley

Eileen McNally

Chris Miffin

Tim Moleski

Malcolm Parr

Eric Parris

Joanne Pawlicki

Coralie Saliege

Emmanuel Sirkovich

Charlotte Tarrant

Andrew Zasada

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Excerpted from article by Dr. Ivan Misner, a New York Times bestselling author

Do you suffer from “Butterfly-itis” at the very mention of networking at business functions? If you answered yes, you are not alone! Many business people and entrepreneurs get a bit uncomfortable when it comes right down to walking up to someone and starting a conversation. Many others are concerned about getting effective results from the time they spend networking.

The process doesn’t have to be traumatic, scary, or a waste of time. When done properly, it can truly make a difference in the amount of business your company generates. With the right approach, you can use it to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help to make your business very successful.

Use the following Ten Commandments to help you network your way through your next business networking event:

1. Have the tools to network with you at all times.

These include an informative name badge, your business cards (I’m amazed at how many people forget to bring these to networking events – really critical for people to be able to contact you), somewhere to write notes (I use the cool, free tool at http://www.repocketmod.com/), something to write with, and a way to refer other professionals to those you meet (such as a card file, smartphone, etc.).

2. Set a goal for the number of people you’ll meet.

Identify a reachable goal based on attendance and the type of group. If you feel inspired, set a goal to meet fifteen to twenty people and make sure you get all their cards. If you don’t feel so hot, shoot for less. In either case, don’t leave until you’ve met your goal.

3. Act like a host, not a guest.

A host is expected to do things for others, while a guest sits back and relaxes. Volunteer to help greet people. If you see visitors sitting, introduce yourself and ask if they would like to meet others. Act as a connector.

4. Listen and ask questions.

Remember that a good networker has two ears and one mouth and uses them proportionately. After you’ve learned what another person does, tell them what you do. Be specific, but brief. Don’t assume they know how to help you.

5. You’re not there to close a deal.

These events are not meant to be a vehicle to hit on business people to buy your products or services. Networking is about developing relationships with other professionals. Meeting people at events should be the beginning of that process, not the end of it.

6. Give referrals whenever possible.

The best networkers believe in the givers gain philosophy (what goes around, comes around). If I help you, you’ll help me and we’ll both do better as a result of it. In other words, if you don’t genuinely attempt to help the people you meet, then you are not networking effectively. If you can’t give someone a bona fide referral, offer some information that might be of interest to them (such as details about an upcoming event).

7. Exchange business cards.

Ask each person you meet for two cards – one to pass on to someone else and one to keep. This sets the stage for networking to happen.

8. Manage your time efficiently.

Spend ten minutes or less with each person you meet and don’t linger with friends or associates (you already know them!). If your goal is to meet a given number of people, be careful not to spend too much time with any one person – and don’t spend too little time only focusing on gathering business cards. When you meet someone interesting with whom you’d like to speak further, set up an appointment for a later date.

9. Write notes on the backs of business cards you collect.

Record anything you think may be useful in remembering each person more clearly on the back of their business card (or remember the repocketmod.com). This will come in handy when you follow up on each contact.

10. Follow up!

You can obey the previous nine commandments religiously, but if you don’t follow up effectively, you will have wasted your time. Drop a note or give a call to each person you’ve met. Be sure to fulfill any promises you’ve made.

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Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, May. 05, 2010.

Excerpted from original report by Wallace Immen

Globe and Mail, both online and in print, featured a story that talks about dealing with lengthy job searches and how to address gaps that occur in your job history. It interviewed several HAPPEN members, some who’ve landed and some searching for that next role. The story also talks a bit about HAPPEN towards the end of the piece. It’s called “How to deal with gaps in your resume” in the online version and the print version runs on pages B15 and B16 of May 5^th paper and is entitled “Filling in the job”.

Below is link of the original news paper article-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/on-the-job/how-to-deal-with-gaps-in-your-rsum/article1557375/?cid=art-rail-marketing

As many people hit by layoffs in this economy find the search for new work taking longer, experts offer advice on how to deal with gaps between jobs.

As Bryan Webb’s search for employment dragged on for almost a year, he got some heavy grilling from hiring managers about the growing gap in his job history. “I’d get questions like: ‘How come you’re still unemployed if you’re so good?’ “ recalls Mr. Webb, who lost his job as a sales manager for an electronics company last April, after his employer was bought by a U.S. company and Canadian operations were downsized. “It’s almost as though they are kicking you when you’re down.”

It’s the kind of question that a lot of Canadians may be hearing these days as many people hit by layoffs in this economy count the growing number of months they continue to pound the pavement in search of a new job. About one in five unemployed Canadians has been without work for at least six months, according to a Statistics Canada labour survey in March 2010 Vs one in 10 in the same situation at the same time last year.

As well, the average duration of joblessness rose to 19.1 weeks in February, up from 14.3 weeks at the same time last year and higher than any yearly average since 2000, according to Statscan. That means many people are finding themselves in the position of having to explain an increasingly long gap in their résumé, which only adds to the difficulty of finding a new job.

And it’s not just victims of layoffs. Those who took time out to raise children or retrain, for instance, may now also find the search to get back to work taking longer in a tough economy. But it’s not insurmountable. Mr. Webb’s frustrating year of job hunting finally ended last month when he started a new job as president of Brock Scientific Inc. in Thorold, Ont. His approach to constructively find ways to fill a long unemployment gap and turn the experience to advantage can offer many lessons other job seekers can learn from, experts say. Here are some of the ways to deal with a long job hunt: 

Don’t despair–

Frustrating as an extended search may be, it’s important to remain upbeat if you want to convince a potential employer that you’re a prime candidate, the experts say. There’s good news in that “job gaps have become so common that potential employers are more willing to cut people more slack this year,” says Tom Long, managing director of recruiter Russell Reynolds Associates Inc. in Toronto.

“Everybody understands what the past two years have been like. In fact, employers themselves realize that they are a major reason why searches are taking longer. At the senior level especially, organizations have been waiting, before they commit to making a hire, until they have proof that the economic recovery is real.”

A recent survey of 100 senior executives in Canada by staffing service Robert Half International bears that out. The average time that a candidate for a management role could be out of work without raising questions is nine months, up from six before the recession, the survey found.

Executives holding out for six-figure jobs shouldn’t get discouraged, even if the search extends for a year – double or more the time it would have taken two years ago, says Anthony Kaul, founder of online executive search site Higher Bracket.ca. “The rule of thumb for high-paying jobs these days is that you should expect your projected search to take a month for each extra $10,000 more than $50,000 that you hope to get in salary,” he says.

Fill the void productively-

Despite the higher acceptance of career gaps, “a long one still raises eyebrows if candidates can’t demonstrate that they have stayed active in the time away from the work force that they have kept up with the industry and have not let their skills get rusty,” warns career coach and president of Elite Résumés in Oakville, Ont.

He recommends that candidates fill as much of their time out of work doing career-related activities, including freelancing, serving on boards, attending industry events and upgrading skills. “That all counts as work experience,” he says. Taking a short-term contract job, even if it is unlikely to lead to a permanent position, can also be a smart strategy, Mr. Long says. Not only will temporary work bring in some income, it will show that you are staying active and gaining experience, he says. However, if a full-time job is your objective, limit your contract work to one or two three-month terms, he advises. “You don’t want to stereotype yourself as a hired gun who can be called in but then let go.”

Spin your story-

Even if much of what you’ve done in your time out of the work force has not been professionally related, you can connect other life experiences to enhancing your expertise, says Mary Heisz, director of ReConnect, a course at University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business for professional women re-entering the work force after a gap of two or more years.

For instance, for women who stayed home to care for children or nurse an aging parent, “I suggest reframing the activities as stories of experiences that taught you a lot about time management and multitasking.” Many women – and men – who stepped out of professional jobs forget to raise continuing activity on business or community committees or volunteer work during their career hiatus, she says.

“You can’t take for granted that being involved in organizing or fundraising for a non-profit or church group, or continuing work on a board or community association was just something you did on the side. Write out the skills you were using, list them in your résumé and talk about them in interviews,” Ms. Heisz advises.

Control what you can-

To all those who asked about why his search was taking so long, Mr. Webb’s ready and upfront response was: “The economy and the job market are the cause. Those are things I can’t control,” he says. But then he would add a kicker: “There are things I can control, and I’ve been continuing to keep up with the industry by sitting on a board and keeping active by doing volunteer work.” Then he’d turn the conversation to how those experiences made him valuable to a new employer.

Get support

“When you’re out for that long, I don’t care who you are – your ego is going to take a hit,” Mr. Webb says. “What you don’t want to do is hang around feeling sorry for yourself. You want to get support from people who are upbeat.”

In addition to devoting a couple of hours each day to making networking calls and meeting with former colleagues, he joined a support group for executives in transition. The organization, Happen, has several chapters in Toronto and Vancouver that conduct weekly meetings.  

“There were always people there who had been looking longer than I was,” Mr. Webb says. But the discussions were always upbeat and the jobless execs shared tips and job leads. “I came away from those meetings feeling enthusiastic and saying, ‘The next interview will be the one,’ “ he says.

Now that his search has finally ended, Mr. Webb says that, “without a doubt this is the toughest I’ve ever seen the job market. “It was a long tough road, and it’s good to finally reach my destination.”

Filed under: Contract Employment, HAPPEN Info, Interviews, Motivation, Networking, Recruitment, The Search | 6 Comments »

Excerpted from article by Dr. Paul Powers.

In any economic climate job hunting is nobody’s idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days it seems the task is getting even harder. But that’s not precisely true because the actual job-hunting strategies and techniques required of the professional job changer remain the same in any climate. What is bothersome, however, is that the process is quite likely to take longer. This leads to increased stress: financial stress, physical stress, emotional stress and family stress.

Most people do not perform at their best in stressful situations. They get tired more quickly, they get frustrated, and run out of patience, and they make mistakes. Here are six of job-hunting mistakes frequently made during a recession.

Mistake #1: Feeling Entitled.

In the new economy your stellar background, great track record, prestigious degree and glowing references guarantee you nothing. The new employment paradigm is “what have you done for me lately?” You must be constantly developing your skills, your talents, broadening your interests and driving your career development. If you don’t you may well be left behind.

Mistake #2: Focusing on Yourself, Not the Employer.

Spend your time finding out what needs of a potential employer are unmet instead of touting your brilliance. Saying “I need a job” is irrelevant and depressing; that’s your problem and has nothing to do with why this organization is hiring. Uncovering an employer’s problem areas demonstrates your bona-fide interest and offering your solutions demonstrates your critical thinking, creativity and approach to problem solving. This is how to get hired.

Mistake #3: Taking Rejection Personally.

Face it; there are a lot of jobs you are not going to land. Use rejection as an opportunity to assess and build your job-hunting skills. Evaluate what you could have done better in your research or interview or with your follow-up. If you aren’t getting rejected regularly then you either aren’t working hard enough to get your foot in the door or you’re applying for jobs beneath your capabilities. No employer makes a decision not to hire you; they make a decision to hire someone else who did a better job of selling him or herself into the position. Suck it up and move on.

Mistake #4: Focusing On Your Age.

It is human nature to focus more on one’s perceived weaknesses as opposed to one’s strengths. This is especially true for people in the job hunt. Younger folks worry about not having enough experience; older folks worry about looking over-qualified. If you don’t want a potential employer to focus on your age make sure you focus on what strengths you bring to the party: energy, track record, endurance, patience, technology skills, people skills, creativity, work ethic. Sell yourself based on what you have.

Mistake #5: Looking for a Silver Bullet.

Some job hunters swear by recruiters; others by on-line job postings. The latest buzz is that social networking sites are making all other job-hunting techniques obsolete. There is no one best way to job hunt. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your job search you must spend more time on it and use every technique in the book. This means answering print ads, responding to on-line job postings, contacting appropriate recruiters, cold contacting potential employers, networking your brains out and using social networking sites to pursue all of these strategies. Sorry, there are no silver bullets or genies in a bottle.

Mistake #6: Absorbing Too Much News Media.

Yes, there’s a recession. Yes, a lot of folks are out of work. And, yes, finding a job is a hard job in and of itself. But, no, the sky is not falling. And yes, if you work hard and long enough at it you will land a good job. The media’s motto is “If it bleeds, it leads.” Bad news is their stock in trade. You will never see a story about company hiring back 10 workers or a person who landed a great job after a rigorous job hunt. A regular diet of bad news will convince you that no one is hiring (untrue), to avoid employers who have had a reduction or layoff (bad strategy) or maybe you should just move to China (bad idea unless you speak Mandarin). Get out, have some fun, work at keeping your energy and spirits up, and network with optimistic people.

Eventually this recession – like all recessions – will really be over and you’ll be better prepared for (gulp) the next one.

 

Filed under: HAPPEN Info, Jobs, The Search | 1 Comment »