| If you have completed our Career Assessment Questionnaire, you have focused
your thinking, and have one or two specific types of positions in
mind for your job search. The information on this page will help
you to understand, and market yourself to the job market.
The job market may be the largest market in the country. Each of us enters
it a number of times during our lives --- as a buyer, or seller, or both.
Hundreds of thousands of us change jobs every year. These changes may be
self-initiated, or they may result from a variety of external causes ---
mergers, acquisitions, poor corporate performance, reduced funding, new
organizational strategy, technological changes, personality conflicts,
transfer of a spouse, etc.
It is disturbing for the job-seeker to find that this huge market is poorly
organized, and that dealing with it can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes,
part of the problem is the job-seeker's own lack of knowledge about the way
the market operates, and what functions are performed by the major players.
Lets dispel some of the myths, and develop the tools and strategies to find
that great opportunity.
The Employment Market
Creating An Effective Résumé
A Personal Marketing Strategy
The Employment Market
The Want-AdsWhether they're in the Classifieds, the Business
section of your newspaper, some specialty publication, or an online data base,
ads are the most visible medium in the job market. Most people begin their
search by responding to ads, and most people find the process formidable. Only
a very small percentage of your responses to ads are likely to produce any
result at all. Not even a "turn-down" letter.
Understand the following points about ads:
- They probably represent about 20% of the available job opportunities at
any given time.
- They are frequently misleading, or designed to convey only the most
attractive aspects of the position.
- They may advertise a vacancy that doesn't really exist.
- They may solicit something else under the guise of a job or
career (e.g. franchisees, investment capital, silent partners,
multilevel marketing schemes).
- They often attract an enormous number of responses from grossly
unsuitable candidates, which makes it even tougher for the suitable
candidate to gain visibility.
- The job title is often misleading, or it implies a level or
responsibilities senior to the actual position.
Employment Agencies/Executive Search FirmsA variety of labels
apply here --- executive recruiters, placement agencies, head hunters, and so
on. While they go about their work in very different ways, one thing is common
to all of these kinds of organizations --- they work on assignments on
behalf of employers. Typically, the employer will indicate a requirement
to fill a particular position, and the recruiter (or recruiters) will cast
around to locate suitable candidates.
Understand the following points about recruiters:
- It is estimated that agencies and search firms represent about 10% of
available job opportunities.
- The recruiter is not there to find you a job. He/she is paid to find
candidates for employer organizations.
- An assignment is usually delegated to a particular "consultant" within
the firm. They can range from superbly competent to hopelessly inadequate,
and from caring to brutal.
- Most agencies specialize to some extent, by industry group and/or by
level in the hierarchy. Try to find those that fill positions in your field,
at your level.
- You will receive a reply directing you to an interview only when, and
if, you appear to be one of the best candidates for a current assignment.
This is called "making the short list".
Relocation Consultants/Career CounsellorsHere again, diversity is
rampant. There are counsellors operating from their basements, and others
located behind mahogany doors in the high-rent district. As there is no
licencing or regulatory authority that oversees these operations, the quality
and range of services will vary greatly.
Some firms deal only with executives who have been dismissed by one of
their corporate clients. Others deal exclusively with private individuals.
Stil others serve both markets. Some are attached to a social agency or have a
religious affiliation. Others operate for profit in the private sector.
Quality of service is based principally upon the competence of the particular
counsellor with whom you become involved, and the resources of the firm.
Understand the following points about Relocation Consultants and Career
Counsellors:
- Their principle roles are to help people focus their careers (Career
Assessment) and organize a job search. Sometimes you can select just what
you need from a menu of services.
- You don't necessarily get better results by paying more. High fees don't
always correlate with high effectiveness, and may cover luxuries like a
private office that you really don't want. Consider the counsellor's own
credibility and "chemistry" with you, the quality of the information systems
and resources available, the comprehensiveness of the support services, the
degree of personalized attention, and the flexibility to choose those
services that you need.
- Beware the one-size-fits-all approach. No one package is suited for
everyone. Beware of fees tied to your income level. Ask the hard questions
--- For how long are you entitled to use the service without further
charges? Who will be handling your case?
- Don't be surprised if the person you're chatting with turns out to be a
salesperson, not a counsellor. If this happens, ask to meet the counsellor
with whom you would be working.
- Beware of extravagant claims and promises to work miracles. There is no
magic wand. A career change is hard work, and you'll do most of it, whether
or not you seek help. The counsellor can only facilitate, provide resources,
and supply information and guidance.
The Corporate Placement PersonThere are lots of titles here, too
--- Personnel Specialist, Human Resources Manager, Staffing Officer, etc. The
principal function of these people is to screen out unsuitable applicants, and
to present a manager with a "short list" of candidates who will probably
receive interviews. The placement person may also perform additional screening
through a preliminary interview with the "short list" candidates.
The Résumé Services
Resume services can be helpful in polishing your information and presenting it in a professional manner. When choosing a service, be sure to look for Certified Resume Coaches and members of the Professional Resume Writers Association.
The Hidden Job MarketThis expression is thrown around a lot by
career counsellors, executive search people, and others involved in the job
market. It is widely believed that up to 70% of the positions available at any
time fall into this category.
But what is this market, and why is it hiding? Well, it's not as mysterious
as it sounds. The hidden job market is comprised of positions for which there
is no advertised vacancy. These positions can become available in either of
two ways.
The first, and most common, way is as a result of some upcoming change in
an organization --- expansion, acquisition, new product line or program, new
technology, new markets, reorganization, promotions, transfers, etc. A new
opening will be created. It hasn't been advertised yet. It may not even be
clearly defined. But it is coming, and there is someone in the organization
who knows it's coming.
The second way that these positions arise are as a result of problems.
Remember that old chestnut that says, "One person's problem is someone else's
opportunity"? Every organization, no matter how successful, has problems. Now,
if your organization had a problem that was costing you money or time or
customers, and you became aware of someone who had the know-how to solve that
problem, what would you do? Right! You'd create a job for that person.
Probably immediately.
Obviously, the keys to opening these hidden doors are knowledge of the
organizations involved, and contact with the right individuals within those
organizations. If you do your homework, you'll probably be able to anticipate
their changes and identify their problems with a fair degree of accuracy.
All of this, of course, requires a very creative approach to the job
search, and some hard work. But we must remember that one third of today's
jobs didn't exist ten years ago, and new ones are being created every day.
Tapping into this hidden job market is very much a matter of being in the
right place at the right time. That makes it a numbers game, but a somewhat
selective one. The idea here is to identify the organizations that would
likely be a fit for you. That means those that are active in your field, are
mounting programs or planning projects that could use you, are expanding
product or service lines, licensing new technology, launching new ventures,
creating a new department, replacing retired personnel, and so on.
The target list of organizations can come from a number of sources --- tips
from insiders, newspaper articles, trade and professional journals,
directories, friends in the industry or profession, etc. Your contact should
be with the most senior executive in the part of the organization that is
involved.
The objective is to connect with the person who knows what openings are
coming up in that area, and to intercept the opportunity before it becomes
advertised, thereby getting a jump on the competition.
Creating An Effective Résumé
A Marketing ApproachIf you still think that a Résumé is just a
history of where you've been and what you've been doing, it's time for a
change. This is truly a marketing program, and you need a powerful promotional
piece to tell employers where you're going, and your qualifications for
getting there.
The sole purpose of a Résumé is to obtain an interview. Therefore, you must
create enough interest in the prospective buyer (the employer) that he/she
will want to test drive the product (you).
Making It to the Small PileLet's think about what is happening in
the employer's office on the day that your Résumé arrives. Life is busy as
usual, filled with meetings, telephone calls, interruptions, and problems. In
addition to all of the usual things Ms. Brown has to do today, she has a stack
of replies to her recent employment ad.
Brown wishes this pile of paper would go away so that she can get back to
doing her job. But, she takes a deep breath and wades into it. By the time she
gets to number 5, she's spending about 10 seconds on each one. They all look
pretty much the same --- chronological histories of job titles, dates,
responsibilities. Boring stuff. Out of 75 Résumés, she selects 5 for further
review, and the rest go into the waste basket. One of the 5 is yours.
How did yours make it to the small pile? Because you caught Brown's interest
quickly by giving her a quick overview of your qualifications
and some insights into your Future, and you did it in the first
half of the first page (which is all that most employers will
read before dispatching you to the trash, or placing you on the
small pile. Let's look at the format you used.
First --- Who Are You?At the top of Page 1, state your name,
abbreviations for your degrees and professional designations, your address,
your telephone and fax numbers, and your e-mail address if you have one.
That's all.
Second --- Your Career ObjectiveThis is important. It is one
brief paragraph that tells the reader:
- What you want to do (type of work).
- Where you want to do it (which industries, what location, what kinds of
organizations?).
- Where you want your career to go in the longer term.
Now, you're
probably thinking that this limits your options, that you might miss out on a
possible opening that doesn't fall within these terms. You're right, and
that's as it should be. If you try to be everything to everyone, you wind up
being nothing to anybody.
Remember Ms. Brown? She advertised for a Fund Raising Manager. The Résumés
headed for the landfill site indicated no Career Objective at all, or one that
covered everything from Accounting to Association Management to Volunteer
Relations. Some even mentioned Fund Raising, along with all the other things
they could do.
The small stack only contains replies from people who indicated a desire
for a career in Fund Raising Management. That's what she advertised
for, and that's what she needs. Brown figures that, if these other
people don't see themselves as a Fund Raising Manager, then she
probably won't see them that way either, so why waste the time?
All of those folks who wanted to show employers how generalized they are,
just succeeded in eliminating themselves from the competition.
"But I am generalized," I can here you saying. "there are several functions
that I can perform competently. Why shouldn't I mention them all?"
Good question. here's the answer --- targeting. You can't get away
with having just one version of your Résumé, because every Résumé or letter
sent to any employer must speak directly to that employer and to the problem
she/he is trying to solve.
By the way, please leave out all that garbage about "challenging environments",
"rewarding opportunities", and all of the other cliches that the
rest of the crowd put in their Résumés. Speak directly, clearly,
and you will differentiate yourself from competitors.
Third --- Summary of QualificationsBrown wants to know why you
think you're a candidate for this job. Let's tell her. This section is a clear
and concise overview of your principle qualifications. The idea here is to
establish for the reader that you are qualified to achieve your career
objective and to solve his/her problem.
This 6 to 10 line paragraph should refer to the kinds of results, achievements,
and accomplishments you have had in your career to date, keeping
in mind Brown's problem. The reaction you want is "I must see
this person." Most Résumés are tossed into the waste basket at
this point.
Fourth --- Record of AccomplishmentThis is where you add the
colour to the picture. Here, you detail the various organizations you have
worked with, and the major contributions you made to each of them.
You want this to be organized in a way that enables the reader to journey
through the information as easily as possible. Reverse-chronological
order is best, beginning with your current (or most recent) position.
For each previous employer, state the period of employment, the
name of the organization, the position title you held, and a brief
statement describing your responsibilities, followed by your major
accomplishments in that position. Choose those most closely related
to the position to which you are applying, and try to be quantitative
wherever possible (e.g. cut costs by 20%, increased donations
by $2 Million, reduced volunteer drop outs by 35%, and so on).
Fifth --- Other Relevant Data
This section will vary, depending upon the kind of information
you wish to emphasize, and the employer to whom the Résumé is being
sent. It may include additional information about your education,
professional development, special honours, military commissions,
public or community service, professional affiliations and memberships,
awards, etc. Unrelated interests and hobbies are best omitted.
Edit RuthlesslyNow, imagine that you are the employer who is
receiving this Résumé. Ask yourself how you would respond to the information,
the way it is presented, and the style of language used.
Revise, edit, eliminate extraneous information and generalities. Try to
reduce it to 2 pages.
A Personal Marketing Strategy
Identifying Your Targets
What organizations are likely to offer the kinds of options
you identified through our Career Assessment Questionnaire? Various directories
are available in the reference section of your public library, and
the staff are usually very helpful. You might start right here at
CharityVillage.com by checking our directories of Nonprofit Organizations and Professional Associations. Also use your own
network of personal contacts.
Your Direct Mail CampaignYou need to identify the right person to
contact, usually whomever is in charge of the area in which you're interested.
Directories can help here, or a call to the organization will get you the
information you need.
Write a brief covering letter to the Key Contact you have identified, and
enclose your Résumé. You will send these to advertised openings, and also to
organizations that have not advertised a vacancy. There may be a change in the
works, so don't wait until your competitors find out about it. Explain briefly
in your covering letter the reasons you're interested in the organization, and
the contributions you believe you can make to it. Mention that you will be
calling in a few days to discuss this.
Following Up
In 4 or 5 days, call the person to whom you have sent your Résumé.
Ask if she/he has received it. Suggest that you meet to discuss
opportunities in the organization for you. Explain again your interest
in the organization and what it's doing, and the contributions you
feel you can make to it. If the response is negative, ask for suggestions
of other organizations you should be contacting in this field.
Registering With Agencies and Search FirmsRecognizing the factors
discussed above with regard to these types of organizations, they will
still be part of your marketing program. The approach here is similar to
contact with employers. Send your letter and Résumé. Then follow up.
Improving Your Interview SkillsAn interview should not be an
inquisition. It should be a 2-way flow of information between 2 people who
have something important to discuss, and who both wish to make a good
decision.
Anticipate the interviewer's questions and prepare concise answers that
focus on your past accomplishments. Review typical questions that may be asked in interviews for managerial positions and non-management positions
Develop some questions that you will want
answered. Practice interviews with your spouse or a friend. Ask for a
critique. Make your mistakes at home rather than in the real interview where
they can cost you a job.
Try to be relaxed, and to develop rapport with the interviewer. Remember,
if they don't like you, they probably won't hire you. Dress as though you
already had the job. Follow up with a thank-you note.
Record KeepingKeep your information up to date. For example, make
notes about where you have mailed your Résumé, who you have contacted by
telephone, what the response was, your interviews and your comments about
them, your feelings about the organization and the interviewer, etc.
Staying On Track
There is a need to set goals and strive to achieve them. Decide
how many Résumés you want to send out each week; how many telephone
contacts; how many agency contacts, etc. Then stick to it. If you
have a program and you're on track, you're more likely to maintain
momentum and self-confidence.
Involving Your Family
You need the support and understanding of your spouse or partner,
and other family members. Tell them what you're doing. Ask for their
insights and ideas. Get them to help with the research on organizations,
typing correspondence, practice interviews. Train them to answer
the telephone in a businesslike manner, and to record the messages
accurately.
Plus...All correspondence should be well produced. Each letter
should be an original, individually created (preferably with a typewriter or
word processor), not photocopied with the recipient's name added in. Résumés
may be photocopied, but appearance and copy quality are important.
Always attach a cover letter to your Résumé when it is sent out.
Don't send out more enquiries in any week than you can follow-up in the next
week.
Send thank-you letters after interviews.
Be nice to receptionists and secretaries. You may be working with them
soon. In addition, the boss may ask them for their opinion of you.
Be on time for appointments.
Greet people by name, with a firm handshake and confident eye contact.
Good Luck!
Do you wish to go to Career Assessment, or to the Career Centre Front Desk?
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