PREORDER the second edition of LinkedIn for Job Seekers, the DVD at a discount. Check out all the specials here.

Here’s one of my biggest  job search pet peeves: asking for a recruiter who specializes in a particular industry or location.

Perhaps you’ve gotten emails like this:

• Do you know a recruiter who specializes in IT (or project management, or supply chain, etc.)?
• Do you know a recruiter in Seattle (or Houston, or D.C., or Podunk, USA)?

When I get this question I cringe.  Not because the job seeker is doing the wrong thing (they are just trying to get a job), but because they are barking up the wrong tree.  Here’s why I say that, based on my experience and observations. I’d love to know what your experience has been…

Recruiters don’t work for you and they don’t care about you.

Really.  Maybe some of them do (okay, I know some of them who do care about you, as a human being), but their job is to match a company’s needs with a candidate who fits those needs.  They work for the company, not you, and when it comes down to it, they get their multi-thousand dollar commission because they placed the right person, not because they spent the time to coach all of the wrong people.

Recruiters aren’t really good at networking.

In Never Eat Alone Keith Ferrazzi includes “headhunters” as that elite group called “power connectors.”  The idea is they talk to people all the time, know everyone, know what opportunities are coming up, and can likely introduce you to the person you really need to talk to.

Wrong.

My experience with most recruiters is they (a) are so busy they don’t know which way is up and which way is down, and can’t take a second to spend any real time with you, (b) are very protective of their network because this is how they make a living (protective of your peers because they might eventually place them one day; protective of company contacts because that’s how they get those big-commission opportunities in the first place – not by charitably help you, rather by signing a contract with the company so they get a piece of the pie when you are hired).

Now, I say they aren’t good at networking, but in fact they are excellent at networking as it pertains to their job.  Don’t expect them to put their networking mojo on to help you figure out who you should talk to – perhaps I should say “recruiters aren’t really good at networking for you.”

When you find that right recruiter, you make THE mistake.

I bet 99% of the people do this.  If you ask me for a tech recruiter in Podunk, USA, and I give you a name or send an email introduction, you do the wrong thing.

What is the wrong thing?

You become a needy job seeker, just like the other 5,000 needy job seekers in their database.

You send them a well-thought-out email that looks a lot like a cover letter, talking about all of your great strengths and accomplishments, and a resume.  You have prepared hours to send this stuff, which makes you sound and look very professional, so you think.

But you look just like 80% of the rest of their candidates.

And then you don’t follow up right.  You ask them a week or two later if they got your email, what did they think, and do they know of any positions open.

Here’s the problem: you are using them like a tool, and they are considering you like a candidate.

UNLESS they have a position open right then that exactly matches what you showed them, or if they can recognize some very special qualities and qualifications and know something might come up where you’ll be the perfect match, you are mentally (and virtually) filed into some “add one more to my 5,000-person database” bucket.

You have marginalized yourself because you played right into the system, instead of actually “networking” with the recruiter.

How do you get around this stuff?  Realize that, as human beings, not all recruiters are the same.  I’d say most that I’ve met fit into this stereotype, but there are some out there who care more about you as a human being I’ve given them credit for.  I’d listen to anything that Steve Levy, Heather Gardner, Nick Corcodilos (aka, Ask the Headhunter – get on his awesome newsletter) recommends.

Here’s my advice, if you get the name of “a recruiter who specializes in….”:

NETWORK WITH THEM.

Don’t send them a resume and cover letter or intro email.

From one professional (that’s you) to another (that’s them), send them an email or make a phone call and network.  Work on a long-term relationship. Nurture it.  I’d start off asking them questions about their openings and how I can help them.  I OFFER to make introductions to my industry peers.  I bring something to them to help them do their job and get that commission. I try and become a power connector FOR them. I try to become helpful, and memorable.

Sure, they’ll know I’m looking, but I’ll stand out from the other 5,000 candidates they have in their database.

My followups won’t be “do you have anything for me yet,” or “have you heard anything at my target companies?”  That is focused on me… rather my followups would be “what can I do for you, how can I help you with your current openings, what kind of professional do you want to get to know.”

Perhaps I’m way off-base on this one – what do you think?

New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials 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.

Make sense?

New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

Barry Deutsch, from Impact Hiring Solutions, writes one of the best blogs for job seekers I’ve seen.  You can follow him on Twitter (@Barry_at_IMPACT).

He recently wrote The Best Recruiters Eliminate YOU With their First Question, which is a must-read if you are (or want to) work with recruiters.

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.

Go check out Barry’s post.

New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials 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):

1. Top-Notch Communication Skills (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
2. Creativity (my recommendation)
3. Curiosity (my recommendation)
4. Good Writing Ability (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
5. Ability to Play Well With Others (Andrea Kay’s recommendation)
6. Re-engineering Skills (Kathy Freeland’s recommendation)
7. Computer Skills (Kathy Freeland’s recommendation)

Like the list?  What would you add or subtract?

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

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.

Go check out the post Substantiate Yourself.

How can you substantiate yourself?

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

Jacob Share has an interesting post called Pregnant Job Hunting: When You Should and When You Shouldn’t.  I’ve never looked for a job while pregnant so I really don’t know where to weigh in (except for one thing, below).

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?

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

An article in Yahoo News is titled Nearly 20 percent of U.S. workers underemployed.

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.

I believe JibberJobber.com is a revolutionary way for a professional to manage his/her career, in large part, the relationships we develop and nurture over time.  It’s more than a job search tool, it’s your personal relationship manager. Get a lifetime free (with optional upgrades) account now.

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

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.

You will heal.

So I’m now writing for AOL… I’ve written a few posts/articles, and today one of them was good enough to hit the “welcome screen,” which means quiet a few people might see it.  Quite a few = lots.

Here’s an image of my article on the AOL welcome screen:

This article was edited and changed a few times, which is something I’m not used to (can’t you tell, from my writing, that I’m not used to being edited? :p)

Pretty cool stuff.

If you are coming over from AOL, welcome!

LinkedIn for Job Seekers for $49.95 $25. Check out all the specials here.

In yesterday’s giveaway question I asked if you were not crushing int because you were afraid of success.

I’m not asking if you are afraid of FAILING, I’m asking if you are afraid of SUCCEEDING.

With success comes responsibility.  It might come in the form of money, or a title, or recognition, etc.

Sometimes I look at stuff people do and wonder if they are intentionally doing wrong things because they are afraid of succeeding.

Maybe the job seeker is afraid of getting the wrong job, even though they succeed at ending their job search… so they do the wrong stuff.

Maybe the business owner is afraid of getting that big sale, or growing their business to $x.

Back in school it was uncool to get the best grades, so we didn’t (I didn’t, but not for that reason :p).  We were afraid of succeeding because it just wasn’t the cool thing to do.

But now, as an adult, as a professional, as a strong contributor to society, it IS okay to succeed.

Are we still afraid of what success really means?

If we are not, then why don’t we change our actions so that we are positioned to succeed?

One of my favorite sayings is right in front of me… it was a gift from Heather Gardner when I spoke at her company:

what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

When I start out on projects that perhaps should fail, I read that and forge on.  How about you? (if this makes any sense to you, read Janet Thaeler’s post Whatever Your Fear Tells You – Do the Opposite (Seth Godin))