Devise a Strategy

In the December 29, 2010, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 2D an article by Diane Stafford, of The Kansas City Star titled “Right Job Won’t be Handed to You” provides some strategies for job seekers.  Diana makes a good point about waiting for someone to suddenly offering you a job. Lightning does strike; however, your chances of been struck are small. So if you want job, perhaps some of the following strategies will help:

1.    Use LinkedIn.  Recruiters are frequent visitors of LinkedIn because they know that people who know people are the best resource.

2.    Don’t just look on well-worn paths.  After joining the crowd with online job postings, you should expand fishing locations and throw out more nets!

3.    Spend only a fraction of your time answering online ads – focus on specialty niches, trade publications, and corporate websites.  

4.    Get out of the house.  Attend professional and association meetings in your field.

5.    Don’t pass up doors that don’t seem to offer sufficient money or challenges.  Any port in a storm provides shelter.

6.    Go to job clubs, community career offices at community colleges and large public libraries. There are many sources of information for job seekers including this blog.

7.    Don’t masquerade as someone you’re not. In a previous blog, I urged readers to conduct a personal SWOT analysis.

8.    Study the landscape.  Look in areas and industries that are hiring.  Why did Jesse James rob banks?  (That is where the money is.)

9.    Remember your manners. Thank everyone who helps and smile a lot.

The New Year will bring opportunities for us all. It is important that we follow these three R’s:

Recognize the opportunities

Reflect on them

React to them

More about these R’s in a later blog.  Best wishes to you and yours for a great and healthy 2011!       

Thanks!  Glyn    

Suggestions for Holiday Job Hunting

The December 25, 2010, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 25A contains suggestions for holiday job hunting in an article by Diane Stafford, of The Kansas City Star titled “Now’s no time to take holiday from job hunting.” Here are her suggestions for holiday job hunting:

1.    Send greeting cards or even emails to job-club conveners, headhunters, career counselors, professional association leaders and executive who have helped you.

2.    Parties are easy times for networking; dress up and put your best face forward. Be upbeat and discreetly publicize your talents and availability.

3.    Your relatives could be conduits to a new job.  It is a good idea to keep them in the loop.

4.    Holidays provide many charitable volunteering opportunities. Donate your time; you will feel better about yourself, and you may meet key people with helpful contacts.

5.    In addition, continue to send resumes and cover letters to targeted organizations that are most like to be hiring.

Please share with readers of this blog your ideas for effectively using the holiday season for job hunting.

Thanks!  Glyn    

More Jobs as the Economy Improves!

The December 24, 2010, edition of The Wall Street Journal on page A1 contains an article by James R. Hagerty and Joe Light, “Job Offers Rising as Economy Warms UP”, states job postings on the Internet rose to 4.7 million on December 1, up from 2.7 million a year earlier based on data provided by Indeed Inc.

Where are these jobs?  The article states that many of the new jobs are in retailing, accounting, consulting, health care, telecommunications, and defense-related industries. There is a high demand for experienced, technically oriented applicants.  Good news for many may be admonitions to others.  Perhaps it is time for job seekers to learn a technical skill in order to compete in the 2011 workplace.  Further, for the employed, it is also time to learn and/or enhance your skills with emphasis on the technical side.

You might take a look at www.indeed.com, one of the largest Internet websites.  It is very user friendly and may point you to open doors for your employment.

Please share with readers of this blog if you have found indeed.com or other Interview job sites helpful.

Thanks!  Glyn    

Good Advice and Silver Bullets

The December 12, 2010, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 1J contains an article by Amy Winter, Creator Syndicate, which states that Challenger, Gray, and Christmas will provide free job advice to all callers on December 27 and 28. The contact number is 312 422-5010 opened from 9 am to 5 pm.

Some job advice tips include:

1.    Tell people about your job loss.

2.    Stay in touch with contacts.

3.    Do not put your job search on hold.

To me, there appears nothing new in these suggestions; however, the advice is good.  I do not believe that there is a silver bullet you can use to find a job; hard work consisting of focusing on identifying opportunities and immediately taking  action on such opportunities seems to me to be bullets for your job search weapon. 

Please share with readers of this blog your job search silver bullets.

Thanks!  Glyn    

Take Advantage of Your Strengths and Experience

As I have written in this blog, a basic task in strategic management is to develop a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the organization under study.  Why you ask?  Typically the mission of an organization is to survive and grow.  A proven approach to success is to capitalize on strengths, minimize weakness or perhaps remove them, and take advantage of opportunities and avoid threats.

I was assisting an individual at a SCORE counseling session this past week.  He said that he wanted to start a business in the oil industry.  I asked the person if he had experience in oil.  He said no but perhaps someone would hire him and teach him the business.  Next I asked him about his job experience, and he replied that he was fluent in three languages and was presently a bus driver.

I suggested to the client that he pursue opportunities in areas in which he could use his expertise, which was not oil.  I am not saying that no oil focused organization would hire him, but his chances of finding a job involved in some sort of transportation or using his gift of languages is much greater.

If you are seeking employment, I suggested that you develop your own SWOT, analyze and act accordingly.  Please comment in this blog if you have completed your SWOT.

Thanks!  Glyn