Suggestions for Finding A Job

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!