Dig What You Do

Oh how productive it feels.  Applying for jobs on Monster or Dice or any of the plethora of job boards.  When asked “how’s your job search going?” it’s great to be able to answer “well, I sent out 50 resumes today”.  Of course, what is happening simultaneously is that hundreds if not thousands are applying for those same 50 positions.  Technology just makes it way too easy.  And as been the case since the dawning of technology, simply speeding up or automating an existing process at first looks great.  But it rarely makes for better results.  The process must be looked at in light of the technology and modified to make the best use of that technology.  So while automating the application process makes things fast and easy for the job seeker, at the same time employers are being inundated with poorly qualified candidates.  And the chance that they’ll find that ‘perfect’ resume in the bunch can be quite slim.  Add to that the desire of many organizations to find ‘passive’, or currently employed, candidates.  And, well, we have recruiters telling us that they just don’t rely on the job boards any longer.  No, they still use the boards, but not as their first choice for finding a source of potential candidates.

So are job boards a thing of the past?  No.  In fact, niche boards that specialize in specific industries and skill sets have remedied a bit of the problem.  And tech blogs are finding some purchase, as their blog-reading-audience may be more specialized and focused.  But now you have a new issue, in that each recruiter has to have access (often fee based) into a multitude of individual job boards.  Focused sites like tech blogs are building job boards, with the idea that their reading audience is likely to be more focused.  But that still creates islands of job postings.  Techcrunch is advocating aggregating their jobs with others to provide a bigger and easier to search window into qualified candidates.

I’m in on this one.  From the individual’s perspective, just how many ‘resumes’ or ‘portfolios’ do you want to maintain online?  And from the recruiter’s perspective, how many silos must they post to or search within?

Posted by chris fogarty

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 “A vegetarian-owned and managed emerging sports games startup in San Francisco is looking to hire vegetarian software development interns for summer 2008.”  

I don’t know if this vegetarian only job posting , commented on valleywag.com , is for real.  But  it brings up the topic of ‘fitting in’. 

Increasingly, employers are selling their ‘culture’ to job applicants.  “come work here.  you’ll like it.  you’ll fit in.”  Not that companies haven’t always had to sell their environment to prospective employees, but now it is just so out there in how it is being done.  Look at Apple, Microsoft, Google, Whole Foods.  They all have web info on what it is ‘like’ to work there.  And even smaller players want to attract the right fit.  Check out standoutjobs.com.  Their site is geared at helping the job seeker ’see’ what they would be getting into.

So what does ‘fitting in’ mean?  Does it mean that you’ll be in a place where you’re just like everyone else?  I hope not.  There is a distinct advantage to working with/around people who are different than you.  If you’re looking for ongoing growth and development, then learning from those who have different ideas and approaches is a fantastic opportunity.

But if fitting in means that you can be yourself, be appreciated for who you are and what you contribute, and that you enjoy the environment…

Congrats.  You Dig What You Do.

Posted by chris fogarty

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Who are you?  That’s really what’s behind the question ’so, tell me about yourself’ that is often asked during interviews.  I want to know what you’ll be like to work with during the good and the bad, I want to be able to depend upon you, to think I can somewhat predict how you’ll respond to situations. 

So why is it that during an interview we are most likely to NOT be ourselves?  I guess it is a little like dating.  Everyone on their best behavior for the first few months.  Then whammo, the real you just MUST get out.  Somehow the match made in heaven goes south.

I have a client who came to me for interview coaching.  Her last two ‘jobs’ had been disasters.  Lasted less than six months and less than 9 months.  Turns out her interview style was extremely serious, professional, measured, very low key.  She came across as EXTREMELY competent.  And was hired by these last two organizations for her competency and her PERSONALITY FIT with the organization.  Serious, low key, measured……  But she was so very very different in her normal operating style!  She is EXTREMELY competent.  But she has a great sense of humor, loves to joke around, is light hearted in her dealings with employees.  Imagine the shock felt by these dour organizations that thought they were hiring this serious professional. 

She made the mistake of being what she thought they would WANT to see, vs. being who she is, and seeing if there is a great match.  And the funny thing is, if you ask her what one of her greatest attributes is, she would NEVER say her sense of humor.  Yet that is what others see (and some LOVE) in her working style.

 Moral of this story.  Make sure you know who you are, show it to the world, and be true to yourself.  The end.

Posted by chris fogarty

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First the opportunity has to find you. If you’re a Passive Job Seeker, PJS, how visible are you to the professional world? Are you on linked in, zoominfo, do you have an online efolio, are you active in blogs, do you check out online employer events? If your answer is no to these questions, then you’re largely invisible to the majority of employers/recruiters who are actively LOOKING to fill great opportunities.

I have numerous coaching clients, individuals who are currently employed, and who are very successful in their careers. I’ve asked my clients to consider building their online visibility. Not an urgent priority, ask they are not looking for a change, but a priority none the less in the big scheme of managing their careers. A few have pressed forward and actively built their online presence. And over the past months, these individuals have come each week with “oh by the way, a recruiter contacted me yesterday about this opportunity…” Unsolicited.

Granted, there is nothing new about unsolicited recruiter calls, but in the past these have come largely through colleagues passing along your name. These recent unsolicited calls are interesting in that they are very targeted. The opportunities presented are very much in line with the individual’s talents. In other words, the recruiters have gleaned a lot of online information already. Done a lot of prescreening already.

The upside is that by increasing the online professional visibility, the opportunities are finding the individual. And the opportunities are somewhat qualified towards a good match.

Posted by chris fogarty

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It’s no secret that employers put first priority on recruiting ‘A’ players. Building In-house talent continues to be a key determinant in who leads a particular industry. Talent that builds a vision and leads towards flawless execution. Talent that innovates with customer needs and trends in mind. Talent that designs and builds efficiently. Talent that provides customers with an extraordinary experience.

And this demand for talent is particularly evident in the latest trend in recruiting. Recruiting that is increasingly aimed at ‘passive’ job seekers (PJS). Those individuals who are currently employed and engaged, who are not actively looking but are always willing to entertain thoughts of moving on to a new opportunity.

The smart employers are reaching out to this group of PJS through positive branding, done largely through online and the media. Those apple vs. windows TV commercials are aimed at wider audience than just consumers. Would YOU want to be that windows dude? And if you look online at google, apple, microsoft, whole foods…the message is ‘come work here. We’re just like you. You’ll fit in’.

Smart employers know that a job description and salary range won’t entice someone who is currently ‘happy’ to change her employer.

But the glimpse of a better everyday work ‘experience’, of being somewhere that is more in tune with who you are…now couple that with career opportunity and a salary range and she’s listening! Do you want to be open to these new opportunities?

posted by chris fogarty - FiredUP Careers

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