job search

Key Strategies To Stand Out In The Competition And Increase Your Job Search Results

September 14, 2016 By jenowenby

To cultivate the positioning that will help you reach your career goals, you must understand and be able to communicate what makes you exceptional and compelling.

You must find a way to stand out in a crowded job search. If you’re not known for something, you won’t be known for anything. One size does not fit all.

Finding a job is a lot like dating — it’s about finding a match between two parties (you and the company). It’s not just about money — although that is important. It’s also about helping the company meet a need that it has.

Companies hire because of their needs. This is true for all jobs — from entry-level administrative positions to the CEO’s job.

Understand the emotional motivation behind the job opening. What problem is the company trying to solve? Solving the problem can be about saving time, or building customer relationships. However, it’s crucial that you position yourself to solve their problem.

The question you want to answer for the employer is, “Why should you hire me?” When employers are hiring, they really want to know: “Why should I choose you instead of someone else?” Positioning is an important part of answering this question. You can’t be all things to all employers, so you need to figure out what sets you apart.

Personal positioning is unique to you. Figure out what makes you different. Consistency in your messaging will help you throughout the job search and interview process.

You need to express: “I am this.” Someone who is reading your résumé or LinkedIn profile should be able to recognize you in it.

The most difficult part about positioning is sounding original. Be specific about what distinguishes you. Your positioning is not your job title. Also, if your position could be said about almost anyone with your same job title, it needs work.

It’s important for a job seeker to stand out from the pool of applicants in order to receive serious consideration as a candidate. Personal positioning allows you to establish a clear message of who you are, the experience you have, and how you can be an asset to the employer.

Make sure your personal positioning aligns with your target company’s wants, needs, and/or values. Remember: Employers hire for their reasons, not yours!

You have to get the reader’s attention quickly. Your positioning is often the first impression an employer has of you, so make it count! (And speaking of first impressions, remember that how you dress is also part of your personal positioning.)

Benefits of Positioning

The ability to communicate “why you” is important in the job search. It can help you stand out from other job candidates. It can make you memorable. You want the interviewer to say, “Oh, I remember (him/her)!”

You will also use your positioning in many ways throughout your job search. Your LinkedIn Headline can be your personal position tagline. Your tagline can also be used on your résumé and as your tagline on your Twitter account. It can also be used as the subject line in an email to a prospective employer, hiring manager, or recruiter.

Your full positioning statement can be included in your LinkedIn Summary section, worked into the Qualifications Statement or Summary on the résumé, or incorporated in your cover letter. When networking, your positioning statement can be the answer to the question, “What do you do?” In an interview, your personal position can be used when asked, “Tell me about yourself.”

Knowing your skills and professional qualifications — and being able to articulate them — will also help you navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Position yourself effectively to attract connections, opportunities, and job offers.

How to Develop Your Positioning

To identify how to position yourself, it helps to examine a couple of key issues:

What is the Company’s Need? What specific problem are they trying to solve with this job? Are they trying to make money? Save money? Save time? Keep existing customers? Acquire new customers?
What are your Core Abilities? What special abilities do you possess that separate you from other candidates for this position?
What are your Values? What is your belief system (behavior and ethics) that is inherent to you? Does this set you apart?
What is your Connection to the Company’s Need? Do you possess something special that solves your target employer’s problem?

Be aware of the kind of work you are willing to do, and the kind of work you don’t want to do. Make a list your likes and dislikes. Most of the time writing this list offers clarity.

Look at your work history for clues to your positioning. What in your work history did you do to make things better? Look for instances where you showed leadership and accomplishments.

Check out your existing online profile. What comes up when you Google yourself? What is your social media presence? What are you known for online?

Begin with the end in mind: What job do you want? Then figure out what qualities, attributes, and skills are required for success in that job. Do you possess them? How can you demonstrate that?

**Are you about to interview and dread the “what’s your salary requirement” question? Do you want to ask for a pay raise, but not sure how? Download my free EBook today and find out how to successfully ask for more money. Just click here.

If you enjoyed the post, please click the thumbs up icon above and let me know!

If you’re located in the U.S. or Canada, click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

Are You Doing This One Thing That Can Stop You From Getting Hired?

June 4, 2015 By jenowenby

Nine out of ten hiring managers are looking at your social media profiles before making a hiring decision, according to Jobvite’s annual Social Recruiting Survey (2014). More than half of those surveyed said they’ve reconsidered hiring a candidate based on what they found online!

As a job seeker, it’s important to consider what a prospective employer will learn about you online. Social media profiles aren’t just used to “rule out” candidates — your online presence can also improve your chances of getting the job, by providing examples of your work ethic, spotlighting mutual connections, and identifying cultural fit.

What a company finds about you online should reassure them about your qualifications and suitability as a prospective employee … not raise red flags. But it’s the negative information that can hurt your chances of getting the job. Things like posts or photos about illegal drugs, sexual activity, guns, or alcohol can hurt your chances of being considered. But even things like poor spelling/grammar or profanity on your social media posts — or sharing information about your political affiliation — can impact your chances of being hired.

There are dozens of examples of candidates who have been dropped from consideration because they complained about their job on their social media accounts, or made fun of their boss or team online, or posted while they were supposed to be working, or revealed company secrets.

What is online about you is more important than ever, and this guide will help you manage your online presence as it relates to your job search.

Assess Your Presence
The first step is to see what’s out there already. Monitoring your online presence is easy if you know which tools to use. Many of these are free.

Start by Googling yourself. On the Google homepage (http://www.google.com), type in your name.
If you have a common name, you will want to see what information is broadly available through a simple name search, but then also narrow it by your profession or geographic location. (For example: “Jane Jobseeker Public Relations” or “Jane Jobseeker Omaha.”)
You will want to note how many search results are returned — but you will primarily be looking at the first 2-3 pages of search results.

Note: If you have a Google account (i.e., Gmail or YouTube), you will find you get different results if you are logged into your Google account when you conduct your search. Log out of Google before conducting your search so you can see a better representation of what others see when they Google your name.

Google Alerts
You should also set up Google Alerts for your name, so that you can be alerted when new information is posted online about you.

Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts
Put your name in the search box. Then, click the “Show options” link.

Note: You can create multiple alerts with variations of your name — but also your location and industry as well — i.e., “Jane Jobseeker Public Relations” — like when you Googled yourself.

Then, determine how often you want the query to run.

You can also determine what sources you want searched. The default is “Automatic,” but you can also limit the search to the following: News, Blogs, Web, Video, Books, Discussion, and/or Finance. You can also specify what language you want results for, if you want to limit your search by region, how many search results you want returned, and which email address to deliver your results to.

Then click the “Create Alert” button.

You can also use quotation marks to make your search more specific. Removing the quote marks makes it more likely that you will receive results that are irrelevant.

You can modify these alerts at any time, so start with broad results and you can refine them over time.

Using Google Tools to Manage Your Online Presence
Google provides some tools to help you manage your online presence. You can also use Google+ to create a profile to put your best foot forward.

Access your Google+ profile here: https://plus.google.com

You will need to sign into your Google account — or create one — to manage your information, including your bio, contact details, and other information. You can also link to other sites about you – or created by you. For example, you can link to your blog, online photos in Picasa, and other profiles, such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Google recommends keeping your profile updated so people who are searching for you will be able to find precisely the information you want them to find.

Click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

If You Really Want the Job…

May 4, 2015 By jenowenby

A man ponders a question – wondering What Should I Do with words in a thought cloud

I can’t tell you how many thousands of people I interviewed while working as a recruiter. I met some great candidates, and even though we had a system to track them, they would get lost in the shuffle. However, there was one thing that really set someone apart.

What is the one thing to do if you really want the job you ask? Handwrite a short thank you note and mail it to the person who interviewed you.

When you are one of many candidates being considered, what you do after the interview can set you apart significantly and increase your chances of being offered the job.

The first — and most important — thing to do is to send a follow-up note. The etiquette for thank you letters after the interview has changed as email takes a larger role in communication during the hiring process. Surveys reveal a wide disparity of preferences among hiring managers about whether a handwritten or emailed note is best. However, what hasn’t changed is the need to send a thank you note. It’s a must.

If you have decent penmanship and access to pre-printed thank you cards (no flowers or animals, please!), and can hand write a note immediately after the interview, go for it. Just make sure you mail it right away so that it arrives the next day, or within 2-3 days of the interview. Make sure you address the card correctly so that it will be received directly by the interviewer. Be sure to spell the interviewer’s name correctly! And double-check the card to ensure you didn’t spell anything wrong.

If your handwriting could use some help, or you wouldn’t be able to mail a card promptly, email is also acceptable for sending a thank you message. Just make sure you address the email to the right person. For a subject line, you can use something like, “Great to Meet You Today” or “Thanks for Meeting with Me Yesterday.” (And again, spelling counts here too!). Do not send the thank you email from your work email address. But do send it from a professional email address. Not cutiepie38@hotmail.com.

What should you write in the thank you note? The best post-interview thank you notes are brief and to the point.

Cover these four points:

Address the person by name. (Ms. Jones or Mr. Smith, not “Bob” or “Nancy,” unless the interviewer directed you to use his or her first name.)
Thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview for the (name of position).
Mention one thing from the interview that especially resonated with you, or mention an issue (or answer a question) that you felt you didn’t address properly in the interview. But don’t take an apologetic tone. Instead, say something like, “I wanted to clarify what we talked about with curriculum development. I should have emphasized that I do have experience in lesson planning and creating course outlines, having prepared a comprehensive course syllabus as part of my graduate class on Classroom Management. I would be happy to forward you a copy of these materials for your review, if you’d like.”
Confirm the “next step” from the interview, including what action you will take — or what you’re expecting from the interviewer.

Click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

Jennifer Owenby offers her combined expertise as a recruiter along with training as professional resume writer. Please visit ONB Professional Resume Services for additional information and scheduling an appointment. Also visit here for LinkedIn Profile Services.

What Pumping Gas and Your Job Search Have in Common

March 21, 2015 By jenowenby

When I first moved to Oregon, I was almost fined $500 for pumping my own gas. An irate gas attendant came out of the building and yelled at me to put the pump down. Startled, I did as he said. I got back in the car while my friend asked what the problem was. The attendant informed us that in the state of Oregon, it is illegal to pump your gas. I thought that was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. Until, I found out the reason behind it. Oregon uses this everyday task to create paid jobs. Yes, our gas is more expensive, but those extra few dollars are helping someone pay their rent and feed their family.

After living in Oregon for seventeen years, I’m not sure if I remember how to pump gas. The pumps have changed, and you can now slide your debit card in the machine, and no longer have to pay inside the store. I am guessing the pump systems have evolved not only in the last seventeen years, but even in the last few! I don’t think anyone will disagree that technology is changing from day to day.

Now, what in the world does pumping or not pumping gas have anything to do with a resume or a job interview? Everything, if you don’t understand what and how to do it. You might not have a mad gas attendant yelling at you, but you won’t get positive results either. And, although I think it’s an excellent idea to create jobs at gas stations, if you’re reading this, you don’t want to have to apply at one.

Gas pumps aren’t the only things that have changed. The job market has scattered quicker than pollen this time of year. I’ve heard of layoffs from IBM, Microsoft and NBTY just to name few. With the job market over saturated are you prepared to navigate a new position with your resume? Do you understand the changes, not only in the market but, the hiring process too? Do you know what a recruiter is looking for or even how to make sure your resume reaches a HUMAN? You read that correctly; you can apply online, think you apply successfully and never realize the system has kicked you out. Why? It could be due to a number of factors including not having appropriate keywords. What’s worse? You won’t ever know the difference.

What is a frustrated job seeker to do? Stay calm and do your research.

1. What kind of format is the company calling for? If you are applying online, then you will need to make sure you have an ATS format as well as use the appropriate keywords in order to bypass the system and reach a human.
2. If the job qualifications require a degree and you don’t have one, don’t apply. When you check the answer “no” on the application, the system will eliminate your information without as much as a thank you. Unfortunately, you just wasted your time.
3. Follow companies on LinkedIn. Find out what they do, what problems they need to solve, and what role can you fill for them. The more you understand the value you bring to a company, not only have you aligned yourself to solve their problems, but you are more prepared than 90% of applicants.
4. If you are trying to figure out which direction you should go then check out http://www.onetonline.org/. This is an amazing tool that can help you simplify your job search.
5. Not every person is the right fit for every position. Have a bit of fun, learn more about yourself, and take the free personality test at http://www.truity.com/.
6. And, most importantly, as Dori said in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming.”

Key Strategies To Stand Out In The Competition And Increase Your Job Search Results

If You Really Want the Job…

What Pumping Gas and Your Job Search Have in Common

About Jennifer

F.A.Q.

Free Resources

Archives for job search

About Jennifer

F.A.Q.

Free Resources