New Ideas for Landing a Job in Today's Tough Market

This is the second in a series of five posts, each of which distills one of the presentations I made at the Commonwealth Club this month.

This one is on the art of landing a job in tough times.

It basically comes down to one surprising word: love. An employer can easily do a worldwide search for the perfect candidate. That means that hiring you is likely to be irrational--you're unlikely to be the best candidate in the world. And an employer is likely to make that irrational choice if s/he loves you. As you may know, love can make us do all manner of irrational things.

So the question is how do you get an employer to love you?

Coffee, not Cloud

1. Connect in-person or by phone or Skype rather than email, Facebook "friends,' etc. Many of my clients are landing jobs relatively quickly by scheduling at least three coffees, lunches etc. per week with people with the power to hire them, provide a lead, or advice.

2. Key in those meetings is to use a ten-second pitch that explains what you're looking for and why, if you're so good, you're looking for work. For example, "I've always received good evaluations as an accountant but feel I'm not making enough of a difference. I really would love to help revitalize hospitals in a low-income area."

3. In those one-on-ones, after just a bit of pleasantries, make your request for a job lead or advice. Spending too much time chatting about family may appear to be a transparent ploy. If the person says s/he can't think of how to help you with your job hunt, ask him or her to keep ears open and if, after a month, you're still looking, would s/he mind your checking back?  S/he'll usually say yes and thus you've recruited a scout. It's more likely the person will have a lead for you in the next month than on the spot.

The next part of such conversations is to switch to what matters to the other person. Try to unearth what's important for them these days. It's usually one or more of these: career, health, family, money, looks, politics, a nonprofit cause, or a hobby.

Make mostly "Moving toward" utterances, for example, a question to better understand their situation or a statement of agreement, empathy, or amplification, such as a compatible example from your own life. Beware of too much disagreeing and of offering unwanted advice.

The Influencing Packet

Of course, most hiring is done with both head and heart, so to seal the deal you also need to address an employer's practical concerns. I've written enough previously on the art of applying and of interviewing. (To see some of that, click on "Job Search" in the label cloud on the right side of this blog.) So here I'll focus on something less standard that is often key to landing the job: the influencing packet. 

In your application or as a supplement to the de rigueur post-interview thank-you letter, submit one or more influencers, for example:

• A revised job description that matches the employer's needs as well as your strengths. To avoid seeming hubristic, preface it with something like, "Of course, I'm not privy to all the considerations but in light of what you said in the interview, perhaps this revised job description would better help you achieve your goals."
• A White Paper. That is a few-page document on a topic of interest to the employer that would demonstrate your expertise in your sought-after work. For example, if you're looking for a job marketing B-to-B smartphone apps, you might write, "Seven Keys to Marketing B-to-B Smartphone Apps in 2013 and Beyond." 

A White Paper is a particularly helpful influencer when trying to land a job in which you have little previous experience. Google-based research can quickly yield you a fair amount of expertise.

• A list of sales prospects. If you're seeking a sales or business development position, it can be impressive to send your target employers a list of prospects you'd contact if hired. You might, however, want to send only a partial list: "Here are 10. I have 30 more. Hire me and I'll show them to you."
• A portfolio of your work. Of course, creatives such as graphic designers, architects, and musicians routinely submit a portfolio of their work, but showing samples can be effective in many fields. For example, a manager might want to include a a budget s/he crafted, a strategic plan s/he contributed to, the PowerPoint deck from a presentation on a topic that would impress the target employer, etc.

Finally, a word about ethics. In these tough times, it seems that more job seekers are being unethical: lying on their resume, using phony references, giving deceptive answers to interview questions, or hiring a resume writer to make them appear better organized and a better thinker and writer than they are. Yes, cheaters often win but I invite you to remember that job-seeking is often a zero-sum game. If your chicanery results in your getting a job over a more qualified human being, can you really feel good about yourself? The strategies presented in this article, applied ethically and diligently, will likely yield you an appropriate job in a reasonable amount of time.

The Holiday Season is the BEST Time to Find a Job

Many job seekers make the mistake of stopping their job search during the holidays. There are terrific opportunities that could get you a job offer as a Holiday present:

I'm not social and so I avoid parties but if I were looking for a job, I'd make myself go to as many Holiday parties and fundraisers as possible.

There, I'd introduce myself to the people most likely to help me, and be my most engaging self: asking about them, listening well, asking follow-ups and talking about myself just enough that it doesn't seem like I'm interrogating them. My rule of thumb: talk 25-40% of the conversation.

Before asking for a job lead, I'd try to find an opportunity to help the person, for example, volunteer to help them with something, introduce them to someone they might like to meet, or even just give them some information they'd like to know. For example, if they love Thai food, I'd tell them about my favorite Thai restaurant.

That said, I would mention that I was looking for work. I'd keep it brief and positive, for example, "I'm looking for my next job. This time, I'm going after what I really want." (insert target work.)

If appropriate, at the end of a conversation, I'd hand the person an understated business card. VistaPrint offers great cards and THIS special discount link to VistaPrint offers unbelievable prices.

A day or two later, I'd send a hand-written note card to people with whom I've had a good conversation.

Send Holiday cards. Non-religious, peace-and-good-will-types are safe. If you insert a Holiday letter, mention your job-seeking only briefly and positively, per the above. Mail or email your cards early so people receive them in time to invite you to Holiday parties.

Volunteer. There are many opportunities during the Holiday season. It's a great way to meet other charitable folks as well as to make career connections.

The day after Thanksgiving and during the few days before Christmas right up to Christmas Eve afternoon, contact prospective employers. They're less likely to be busy and more likely to be in the Holiday spirit.

How to Land a Good Job in a Bad Market

Here's my next column for the Mensa periodical, The Intelligencer. I thought you might like a look:

Landing a Good Job in a Bad Market

Of course, most want ads get hordes of applicants but most of those don't stand a chance: They're jargon-filled, generic, utterly undistinguished. I'm certainly not advocating silly ploys like including a jar of jalapeno preserves saying, "I can get you out of the hottest jam."

I'm asking you to create an above-average application. Start by playing detective on the employer's site: That's a way to learn its priorities and how it likes to portray itself. Dirt on the employer is more likely found by Googling it--Don't forget Google's blog and news searches. Use LinkedIn, your alumni directory, etc., to find people at the organization with whom you're connected. Try to set up an in-person or phone chat on what the employer is like and what to emphasize in an application.

In applying, if your resume is unlikely to be top-of-the-heap, for example, you're a career changer or have a gap in employment, consider substituting a bio. That allows you to highlight only what you want. A resume is a tool to help employers--it lays all of you bare. As with clothing, most of us look better with some parts hidden.

Your cover letter and resume should be devoid of clichéd job-seeker language such as "I'm a self-starter seeking an opportunity with a dynamic company." That leaches all chemistry and credibility from your application: The employer will feel s/he's reading from a job-hunting book not from the candidate. Do tell PAR stories: a problem you faced, how you approached it, and its positive resolution. Choose stories that would impress your target employer. That's a key rule: Everything you do in the job search should be subjected to this test: "Would this make this employer more likely to hire me?"

Do put your Mensa membership on your resume. The right employers will like it; the wrong ones won't.

If possible, with your application, include one or more pieces of collateral material . One of my clients applied for a sales job with a government contractor. He included a list of 50 federal decisionmakers he'd call if he got the job. Another client, a career changer, to show the employer that he knew a lot about hospital management, wrote a three-page White Paper called, Keys to Effective Hospital Management in 2012 and Beyond. He did the research for that paper just as he might have a term paper in school: by synthesizing articles he found on Google.

Of course, at least half of jobs are obtained through a connection. List the people in your network. Twenty-five is good, 50 is better. Next to each name, decide if it's best to just email them, invite them for coffee, dinner, to a party, visit them at their office, etc. When you contact them, ask if your resume makes them want to hire you. Then ask if they know of anyone you should talk with. If not, ask if they'd keep their ears open and if you're still looking in a month, would they mind if you followed up. That recruits them as a scout--they're more likely to hear of something during the month than just when you contacted them.

If your network is paltry or used up, you'll need to expand it. Could you volunteer somewhere you'd have face-time with potential employers, for example, on a non-profit board? Get active in a church? Join a service club such as Rotary? A hobby group such as an investment club or dog-owner's meetup? A political organization? Of course, go to more Mensa events--Hey, even the Intelligencer Peel-and-Stick party might help!

Importantly, even in a lousy job market, it's important to vet potential employers. During the interview, ask questions such as, "Why is this position vacant?," "What kind of problems would you most hope I'd solve?," "What would you hope I'd accomplish in the first 90 days that would help my boss get a gold star?" After being offered the job, ask to visit the workplace. There, assess the vibe: Do most employees seem content? Hang out in the break room. Ask questions like, "What should I know about working here that might not appear in the employee handbook?

Especially in this job market, there sure are no guarantees, but those are my best bets for landing a good job in a bad market.

Job Hunting Advice for a Midlifer

One of my clients is a midlife guy whose resume makes him look unqualified for the position he aspires to: operations manager at a 10-50-employee high-tech company.

Here are a few of the strategies I offered him:

• With your networking contacts, use a one-page bio rather than your resume. The bio allows you to highlight your strengths. Your resume lays too much bare for everyone to see.
• Like most geek types, indeed most men, you've put all your work effort into working and into getting more skilled, and no time building what alas seems more required than ability: a network. So rather than continue only to tap your existing network, which you describe as having already been queried enough, you must take the time to build a new network, which includes, not just formal networking events, joining clubs, taking positions on small boards, etc, but making conversation with people you meet everywhere, from the supermarket line to the people waiting at the barber shop.
• Having limited experience in your aspired-to job, you must do some reading and informational interviews with respected people in those positions. That way, you'll be able to discuss how the job is well-conducted. For example, as an operations manager, you should be able to richly discuss the ways in which you'd manage upward and downward, your approaches to getting buy-in on technical implementations from the not-very-technical people who will be using it, etc.

Four Deadly Myths about Job References

This is adapted from an article by the Allison & Taylor Reference Checking Co.

Myth No. 1: Employers aren't allowed to say anything negative about a former employee.

Reality: While many employers have such a policy, people violate it every day. Half of our (Allison & Taylor's) clients receive a bad reference despite a strict policy.

Myth No. 2: Most employers direct reference checks to their human resources department, and those people won’t say anything bad about me.

Reality: Most HR people will follow proper protocol, but in addition to what is said, reference checkers often evaluate how something is said, notably tone of voice.

Myth No. 3: If I had issues with my former boss, I can simply leave him or her off my reference list and nobody will know.

Reality: Many employers check references that are not on your list, often without your even knowing. They conduct a “social security check” to determine where you have worked and then call the human resources department or office administrator at each employer for a reference. That practice is also used to see if a prospective employee has left any places of employment off the resume.

Myth No. 4: I sued my former employer and now they're not allowed to say anything.

Reality: They may not be able to say anything definitive but there are subtle ways to take a shot at you. There have been many instances in which a former boss or HR staffer has said something like, “Hold on a minute while I get the legal file to see what I am allowed to say about Mr. Smith.” Many employers may be uncomfortable hiring someone who has a legal history.

What's New and Potent in Job Searching, Overcoming Procrastination, Self-Employment, and Coping with Long-Term Unemployment.

On March 7 from 9:15 am to 11 am, I'll be giving a presentation at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

The title: What's New and Potent in Job Searching, Overcoming Procrastination, Self-Employment, and Coping with Long-Term Unemployment.

For info, click HERE

It's free but they need you to email them requesting a reservation so they don't end up with more people than there are seats. Email them at marnemko-gw@yahoo.com

An Attempt to Scare You into Working Harder to Land a Job

We all like reassuring news. So when job seekers read the headline: "Unemployment down to 9%," the feeling is, "Well, 9% is bad but a little better, so maybe it won't be so hard to land a job."

Anecdotally, my career counseling clients are having a much tougher time than ever trying to land a decent job, and two analyses of the unemployment statistics explain why. The self-serving government statistics grossly underestimate how difficult the job market really is:

The Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News wrote THIS, and this week's, Business Insider contained THIS even more frightening piece: 19 Scary Facts About Getting a Job in America. I too wrote on this topic.

The Business Insider report concluded with, "Getting a job today means going up against terrifying odds."

Yes, if a job seeker is a star and/or has a powerful network, s/he will find a job without undue pain. But the more typical job seeker must face today's reality that to land a decent job, you may be in the fight of your life. I say this knowing it's scaring you but I'm finding that most job seekers still delude themselves into thinking that the normal job search efforts that worked in the past will still work. I want you to be employed, so I feel I should try to shake you from your complacency.

Today, average, let alone below-average candidates must do an A+ job search: some combination of compelling cold and warm contacts with employers who are not advertising jobs, outstanding internet/social media presence, cover letters and resumes that prove, not just assert, your ability to be a superior employee in the applied-for position, and perhaps most important, knock-em-dead collateral material. Examples: A salesperson sends 50 great leads he'd call if hired. A CFO describes the top 10 trends in C-level financial work that would be crucial for that company to consider. An applicant sensing a fluid job description, writes a post-interview thank-you note that tactfully proposes a reinvented job description that would be better for the employer and for which the candidate is an ideal fit.

I wish I could say, as I have in earlier years, that a moderate, steady, well-targeted job-search will usually work. Unfortunately, today, everything has changed. We are forced to ratchet-up our efforts...significantly. Alas.