I am a teacher at the University of Phoenix, and presently I am
facilitating a Human Resource Management MBA class.
The class text, Managing Human
Resources – Productivity, Quality of Work Live, Profits, Ninth Edition, by
Wayne F.Cascio, contains the following suggestions for finding a job on page 224:
_ Don’t panic. A search takes time, even for well-qualified
middle- and upperlevel
managers. Seven months to a year is not unusual. Be prepared to
wait
it out.
_ Don’t be bitter. Bitterness makes it harder to begin to
search; it also turns off
potential employers.
_ Don’t kid yourself. Do a thorough self-appraisal of your
strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes about jobs and organizations.
Face up to
what has happened, decide if you want to switch fields, figure out
where
you and your family want to live, and don’t delay the search itself
for long.
_ Don’t drift. Develop a plan, target companies, and go
after them relentlessly.
Realize that your job is to find a new job. Cast a wide net;
consider industries
(and countries) other than your own.
_ Don’t be lazy. The heart of a good job hunt is research.
Use the Internet, public
filings, and annual reports when drawing up a list of target
companies. If
negotiations get serious, talk to a range of insiders and
knowledgeable outsiders
to learn about politics and practices. You don’t want to wind up in
a
worse fix than the one you left.
_ Don’t be shy or overeager. Because personal contacts are
the most effective
means to land a job, pull out all the stops to get the word out
that you are
available. At the same time, resist the temptation to accept the
first job that
comes along. Unless it’s absolutely right for you, the chances of
making a
mistake are quite high.
_ Don’t ignore your family. Some executives are embarrassed
and don’t tell
their families what’s going on. A better approach, experts say, is
to bring the
family into the process and deal with issues honestly.
_ Don’t lie. Experts are unanimous on this point. Don’t lie,
and don’t stretch a
point—either on résumés or in interviews. 80 Be willing to address
failures as
well as strengths. Discuss openly and fully what went wrong at the
old job,
and what you learned from that experience. A recent study found
that “reason
for leaving last job” was the single most fibbed-about topic among
executive
job candidates. “Results and accomplishments” was a close second.
Hmm. Coincidence?
_ Don’t jump the gun on salary. Always let the potential
employer bring this
subject up first. But once it surfaces, thoroughly explore all
aspects of your
future compensation and benefits package. At the same time, a
candid conversation
with an outside recruiter about your present and desired salary is
a good idea.
_ Be careful when posting a résumé on the Internet. Post a
digital version on
your own home page and place the word “résumé” in the Web site
address to
increase the chance of being noticed by Internet recruiters.
These days knowing how to assemble a résumé for online consumption
is a skill you will need for almost any job search. While it is important to
use job-specific keywords, be careful! The latest recruiter-search tools, such
as those from Trovix or VCG, can distinguish between a keyword inserted in a
résumé at random, and one used to describe a person’s work history. Use a
keyword out of context and
your résumé will be bumped to the bottom of the search results.
I think that these suggestions may be helpful particularly to individuals
who have grown weary of unproductive job searches.
Please comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com if you find these
suggestions helpful to your job search.
Thanks, Glyn!
