New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar TOMORROW, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)
Sorry about last week’s Giveaway (I skipped it!). Here’s the question for this week:
WHY do we (in general) HATE networking?
Leave your answer in the blog post (not on Facebook) I’ll have Tom Dezell, author of the book Networking for the Novice, Nervous or Naive Job Seeker choose the best answer. This is open until the next Giveaway (next Monday).
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)
About once a week someone sends me a message saying they are not happy with the job search results in JibberJobber. Here’s a message someone wrote when they deleted their JJ account:
“All the jobs I find here I’m seeing on other sites.”
They think JibberJobber is a job board.
In reality, we tap into a job board service (Indeed.com) and just pull stuff from their site.
Providing job board services is not a primary thing I want to offer. There are already hundreds of job boards that you can go to, why in the heck would you come to JibberJobber for more job boards surfing?
Providing job board services is not even a secondary thing I want to offer.
Providing job board services might be a terciary offering of JibberJobber. It is an afterthought. It is not important to me, or our mission, at all. I think it’s actually a smoke screen for the serious job seeker – the professional who is looking for their next opportunity.
Why?
** Because not all jobs posted are real.
** Because when I put my resume on Monster and CareerBuilder I got calls from scam artists, MLM representatives, insurance agents, and others who had nothing of substance to offer me.
** Because some unethical people post fake jobs just to harvest resumes and build their talent pool.
Or worse, they harvest resumes for identity theft purposes (think about how much juicy personal information you have on your resume).
** Because some of the real jobs posted there are already filled, but they have to post them just to satisfy company policy (that means, there is NO chance you will get the job, even if you get an interview, because the hiring manager already knows who he/she wants to fill the slot, but had to comply with HR policy and post it).
Think about it – when you worked at a company, how did the news of a new opening come out?
First, the manager realizes there is a need. Perhaps someone leaves the department, or there is too much work for the current staff.
Next, the manager talks to people in the department and asks “who do you know that would be good for this job?”
THE MANAGER WILL GET AT LEAST ONE REFERRAL. THESE ARE THE INSIDERS, THIS IS THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET. THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO GET IN!
Only a handful of people know about the job opening at this point.
At this point people are brought in for interviews, OR the manager has to go through HR (depending on the company).
If the manager goes through HR, and they have to post it, they might post it INTERNALLY.
More people know about it now, but it’s still not open to everyone.
Next, the job might get posted publicly. This can be on the company job board, or any other job board (broad, specialized, geographic, etc.).
This is where hundreds, or thousands, of people learn about the job.
And this is where HR and the manager (or recruiter) get hundreds, or thousands, of resumes.
Where do you want to be in this process? On the inside, and one of the handful of applicants who was highly recommended by someone in the department?
Or one of hundreds of resumes, fighting for your eight seconds of attention from HR or the recruiter?
If you rely on job boards for more than 15% of your job search, and you are looking for a professional position, YOU GREATLY MISUNDERSTAND THE JOB SEARCH.
But who am I to opine on this? I only spent 60 hours a week surfing job boards and playing that game. I was too busy to network, and do what job search experts recommend.
Job boards have their place, but JibberJobber is not a job board. JibberJobber is a website to organize and manage your job search – from your networking efforts to your target companies to the jobs you apply to – keep track of them all in JibberJobber.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
It is a long post but it is an eye-opener. What I’m taking away from the post is:
The recruiter is not your BFF. No matter how nice they are, they are not to be dumped on. Don’t let your hair down, don’t be overly casual with them.
When they talk with you, they are working (they are on the clock). They are evaluating you. Are you someone they can confidently take to their employer? Will you embarras them? Are you the best candidate they can find?
All of this is determined in your communications with them – make sure all of your impressions, not just your first, are strong.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)
I was quoted in Forbes.com on their article titled The Seven Most Universal Job Skills. Here’s the list (to see explanations go to the Forbes article):
Top-Notch Communication Skills (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
Creativity (my recommendation)
Curiosity (my recommendation)
Good Writing Ability (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
Ability to Play Well With Others (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
I’m going to go back to my old posts and share the ones that I love the most…. either because they got a lot of reaction and stimulated discussion (which means the readers back then loved it) or because I thought it was profound, even if no one commented on it :p
December 12th, 2006. JibberJobber was barely 6 months old. I talked about an idea that proved to be a turning point in my job search. Even though I opted to end my job search, this one action provided the most results in my job search efforts, and it eventually led to my first couple of real job offers.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
I do remember hearing more than one manager say “I will never hire a woman again,” because maternity leave was a blow to the small company.
I’ve heard that a few times, but most memorable was from a woman business owner.
Go read Jacob’s article – it is thought-provoking. Here’s where I’ll weigh in… Jacob says if you are 8+ months pregnant:
Don’t even look, unless it’s for a job that will begin after the baby is born.
Instead, focus on growing your personal brand by building relationships and improving your skills so that you’ll be better placed to find work quickly once you’re ready to go back to work. And get some rest too! You’re about to have a baby and you’re going to need it.
I wouldn’t say “don’t look for a job,” but I doubt you’ll make a lot of progress in your job search when dealing with recruiters, HR, etc. He says to focus on your personal brand and your relationships and skills… let me take that further… here are some career management things you can do if you are about to have a baby:
As Jacob says, work on your personal brand. How’s your value proposition? Do you have a solid 30 second pitch, or elevator statement? Do you have business cards, or a landing page (website)? Does your LinkedIn Profile suck like most Profiles? From figuring out your pitch to the messaging medium, there’s plenty to do here.
As Jacob says, build relationships. Find people who are relevant to your career and try and develop a relationship with them. Go back to older relationships and reconnect with them (newsletter? LinkedIn Answers? Personal emails? Phone calls? Facebook messages?). Think about this in two parts: GROW your network, and NURTURE relationships. Work on both of those.
Let me suggest you learn more about your industry(ies) and target companies. Read blogs, do searches on Google (or set up Google Alerts), comment on blogs, and just become an industry pundit… when you are ready to start interviewing and networking again you want to be current on industry events, company news, etc.
I’d love to hear ideas from women who have done career management in their third trimester (I’m not the most qualified person here :p)… what do you recommend?
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
Combine that with about 10% unemployment in the U.S. and you have about 30% of our workforce that cannot generate any, or enough, income.
I’d guess (with NOTHING to back this up, just a guess) there is another 10% who have moved from the gov’ts misleading stat of “unemployed” to whatever they move to after they run out of unemployment insurance, and we have about 40% of the population that wants to pay their own way but can’t.
I don’t know if this includes long-term, multi-generation welfare families… but I won’t even add them in since 40% is a pretty bleak number.
That is 4 out of 10 people.
What’s worse, it doesn’t include those who are UNHAPPILY EMPLOYED.
That probably covers another 50%.
Don’t ask me why people aren’t happy at work. Maybe they don’t make enough. Maybe they don’t get the recognition they want. Maybe they think they are destined for greater things. Maybe they feel trapped. Maybe their boss sucks, or their company isn’t green enough.
Maybe they wouldn’t be happy, no matter what.
But put that 50% on top of the other 40% and you have 90% of our workforce that is misused (is that a good way to put it?).
What’s the answer to unemployment and underemployment?
Play the “numbers game” – send more resumes… etc?
Find work out of state (I hear Detroit isn’t the best place to look for a job)?
Wait for the economy to correct itself so there are more openings?
What’s the answer to unhappily employed?
Look for another job?
Start your own business?
Quit and go live on a mountain?
suck it up, do your job, and find fullfillment outside of the office?
The answer will be different for different people, and their circumstances… I don’t know what your answer was, but I’m working my tail off on “my answer,” which you can read about in my Multiple Streams of Income posts.
Whatever the answer is, I guarantee it doesn’t include you asking to meet with your boss or HR to see how secure your job is. I can tell you how secure it is.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
Last summer I ripped my calf pretty bad in a sports accident. Well, the accident was that I was a out-of-shape dude playing capture the flag with a bunch of eight year olds.
I hobbled around on what I thought was a pulled muscle for a week. At the end of that week I lept in a heroic effort to save my amost 3 year old from burning herself when she got something out of the microwave.
That leap did my calf in. I went to urgent care to learn I had ripped it probably 30-60% (can you imagine having your calf ripped 60%??), and that this was common in men my age, even if they are active.
I ended up on the couch, and crutches, for 6 weeks. As far as I can remember, this was the most intense physical pain I’ve experienced. For most of those 6 weeks I questioned if I would ever be able to walk again.
I felt like I was in prison. I felt helpless. I was discouraged – pretty much the whole thing sucked.
Finally I made myself take my first, and then second, and then third step. I ditched the crutches and just made myself start walking around (very, very slowly).
This year I’ve set a goal to walk 500 miles. I’m already up to 85 miles – the most I have walked in one day is a little over 6 miles. I can’t feel any pain or weakness in my calf. It’s good as normal, and by the end of this year it will be great.
Relate this to your current job search, or job loss. You will likely be in transition longer than six weeks, and you don’t have to sit on the couch and be depressed the entire time.
Even though you wonder if your “career” can ever get back on track, and doubt that it won’t, I bet you it will.
Just like my muscle healed, your career will heal.
One day it will be stronger.
One day you might not even remember the hardships you are going through today.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life with an optional upgrade.
