Is The Hidden Job Market Phooey

Is The Hidden Job Market Phooey Ive written plenty on the so-called hidden job market.  Check out this quote I found in a document describing how you can set up a job ministry (aka, job club): Over 80% of available jobs are never published in public media of any kind. I dont know where that statistic comes from. I dont know if it is true.  But even if it is partly true, the message is that you will not find all of the opportunities out there on job boards, or wherever else you might be looking. What does this mean? Job coaches are quick to point out that whatever you can find online will be the low-hanging-fruit for the general population. In other words, EVERYONE and their dog will be applying to the easy-to-find opportunities.  This means you become one of many. This means the people sifting through the applicants will have to sift through (a) a lot and (b) a lot of unqualified people.  It is tedious, and that is why they bring in the Applicant Tracking System, which by its very nature will be flawed. This is where you enter the discouraging resume black hole.  You can spend hours and hours each day playing this game. Some call it a numbers came. I call it usually fruitless. What about the other 80% of opportunities that are unposted?  Where are they, and how do you tap into them? Much of that 80% really comes down to this: Who knows you, and What they know about you. That simply comes down to (a) networking and (b) personal branding. The good news: you can do this! The not-so-g0od news: it will take work, and can take time. And you need to learn some new skills, get out of your comfort zone, and apply tactics consistently. Have I lost you yet? Its okay, you can go back to the 20% of opps out there, and keep applying all day long.  Play that game. Some of you will win it. For me, Id rather figure out a solution to my career management that will be valuable both long-term and short-term. IT IS TIME to take our career management into our own hands. This simply means that networking, and personal branding (or, reputation management), becomes the most important things we can do to help us in this job search, and every job search to ever come. Ive seen people who have done this, and Ive seen the results of their activities. Ive even seen introverts and old people (read: people who face yucky age discrimination) do this successfully. I know YOU can do this. Heres THE tool to help you with your networking, specifically, managing, nurturing and improving the relationship: JibberJobber.com There are free trainings you can get on Pluralsight on branding, networking, communication, etc. Pluralsight costs money, but I can get you a 30 day pass.  As a bonus, if you watch any of my courses, Ill upgrade you another seven days on JibberJobbers Premium level.  Watch the video below to see how to get access to the videos, and how to claim your week-long upgrades for watching my courses: Is The Hidden Job Market Phooey Ive written plenty on the so-called hidden job market.  Check out this quote I found in a document describing how you can set up a job ministry (aka, job club): Over 80% of available jobs are never published in public media of any kind. I dont know where that statistic comes from. I dont know if it is true.  But even if it is partly true, the message is that you will not find all of the opportunities out there on job boards, or wherever else you might be looking. What does this mean? Job coaches are quick to point out that whatever you can find online will be the low-hanging-fruit for the general population. In other words, EVERYONE and their dog will be applying to the easy-to-find opportunities.  This means you become one of many. This means the people sifting through the applicants will have to sift through (a) a lot and (b) a lot of unqualified people.  It is tedious, and that is why they bring in the Applicant Tracking System, which by its very nature will be flawed. This is where you enter the discouraging resume black hole.  You can spend hours and hours each day playing this game. Some call it a numbers came. I call it usually fruitless. What about the other 80% of opportunities that are unposted?  Where are they, and how do you tap into them? Much of that 80% really comes down to this: Who knows you, and What they know about you. That simply comes down to (a) networking and (b) personal branding. The good news: you can do this! The not-so-g0od news: it will take work, and can take time. And you need to learn some new skills, get out of your comfort zone, and apply tactics consistently. Have I lost you yet? Its okay, you can go back to the 20% of opps out there, and keep applying all day long.  Play that game. Some of you will win it. For me, Id rather figure out a solution to my career management that will be valuable both long-term and short-term. IT IS TIME to take our career management into our own hands. This simply means that networking, and personal branding (or, reputation management), becomes the most important things we can do to help us in this job search, and every job search to ever come. Ive seen people who have done this, and Ive seen the results of their activities. Ive even seen introverts and old people (read: people who face yucky age discrimination) do this successfully. I know YOU can do this. Heres THE tool to help you with your networking, specifically, managing, nurturing and improving the relationship: JibberJobber.com There are free trainings you can get on Pluralsight on branding, networking, communication, etc. Pluralsight costs money, but I can get you a 30 day pass.  As a bonus, if you watch any of my courses, Ill upgrade you another seven days on JibberJobbers Premium level.  Watch the video below to see how to get access to the videos, and how to claim your week-long upgrades for watching my courses:

Body Language Mistakes to Avoid at Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Body Language Mistakes to Avoid at Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Communication is not only verbal but also includes mimics and gestures. Therefore, you should be careful about how you use your body when expressing yourself if you dont want to create any conflicts between your body language and the point you are trying to make. Below you can find the most common mistakes to avoid at work in order to give a professional image to others. 1) Avoiding Eye Contact: When speaking with an audience or with a coworker, avoiding eye contact makes you look unprofessional. It also shows that you have lack of confidence or lack of interest to the topic. Moreover, others can interpret this situation as you have something to hide. In order to avoid this kind of perception, you should always sustain eye contact especially when you are making a point. When someone else is making their point, you can slowly nod your head to show that you are listening and interested in the topic. 2) Crossing Your Arms: Crossing your arms shows that you are not open to others as well as  you want to put a distance between yourself and others. This  is generally perceived as a defensive position. In order to give others a warm, positive feeling always keep your arms open. If you are sitting, you can keep your arms on the table. 3) Checking the Time or Watching the Clock: Checking the time every few minutes gives others the feeling of either you are in a hurry or you would rather be somewhere else. This is very disrespectful and perceived as if you are not interested in being there and are anxious to leave. Therefore, when you are in a meeting or speaking to your coworkers try not to look at clock very often. 4) Bad Body Posture: Having a bad posture such as dropped shoulders or a lower neck can indicate that you are not interested in what is going on around you besides  you are bored. Always stand straight or sit up straight when speaking to somebody. Also, keep your head high. This shows that you have confidence in yourself plus you are a professional. 5) Weak Hand Shake: A weak hand shake can be perceived as you have lack of confidence or you dont care much about the person you are shaking hands with. Try to greet the people with a firm hand shake. However, dont forget that a hand shake that is too firm can be understood as an aggressive movement. Therefore, try to find the right balance.

5 Branding Secrets to Share with Your Friends - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

5 Branding Secrets to Share with Your Friends - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Because you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already familiar with the importance of a personal brand. Someone who may not be as well-versed in the subject, however, is your friends. Now is as good a time as any to help your friends out by branding their career. Make sure they’re on the right track, so they can begin to build their own personal brand. Here are five personal branding secrets to share with your friends: 1. Everything you do is part of your brand. Your personal brand exists, whether you do anything about it or not. It is composed of everything you do and say. By accepting its existence, you can then decide to build it up to represent your capabilities in the professional world. Throughout your career, you need to be aware of how people see you. What you post on social media, how you behave both in and outside of work, all of these things matter. Consider how these things can help or hurt your brand. Behave professionally and you will be remembered as a professional. 2. There are many branding platforms online. Your personal brand is shaped online by the social networking platforms you use. Think about your personal website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or wherever else you visit regularly. Make a list of the ones you think are most beneficial to you, and share these with your friends. If you are on similar career paths, these might be perfect options for your friends, as well. If you are in very different fields, think about how they can use these platforms to benefit them. 3. Consistency strengthens your brand. If there are two key concepts one must know about personal brands, it is to be professional and be consistent. Be consistent in how you define yourself, the profile photos you publish, and the way you write your name. Carry the same consistency both on and offline. Help your friends be constant professionals. Consistency makes the people in your network (including potential employers) remember you. 4. There are many ways to network successfully. To someone who is unfamiliar with the concept of networking, it can seem overwhelming. Help out your friend by telling them about the most successful networking experiences you’ve had. Did you connect with someone on LinkedIn and set up an interview? Did you attend a networking event and meet someone who hooked you up with one of their colleagues? Whatever it was, hearing real success stories can help others down the right path when they start networking for themselves. 5. Monitor your brand. Once you decide the components of your brand, you are never truly finished cultivating it. You need to update it regularly and monitor how you are perceived. There are lots of sites, like Google Alerts, to help you do this. How do you monitor your personal brand? Help your friends set up ways to monitor their brand like you. You want your friends to have successful careers, just like you, so helping them out with something like their personal brands is an easy way to do it. Plus, since you are closely associated with your friends, helping them with their brands can only benefit your own. What other personal branding secrets would you share with your friends? Author: Heather R. Huhman  is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder president of  Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of  Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of  Lies, Damned Lies Internships  (2011) and  #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle  (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for  numerous outlets.

Ready for Promotion 10 Steps to Stepping Up

Ready for Promotion 10 Steps to Stepping Up Imagine its  Monday morning. Are you relishing the week or are you seeing it as Day 1 of a new hostage situation? Are you managed by a moron, captive in a role youve out-grown and fearful that the smell in your nostrils is that of your career, stagnating? If so, its time to move up or move on. Youre under-utilised, highly employable and a person of action (right?), but storming into your bosss office, pounding the table and demanding your just rights â€" promotion or youll walk â€" is highly unlikely to deliver what you want.  A deep rooted certainty that you know best, a conviction that everyone else is inadequate and threats amounting to blackmail are no basis for convincing anyone you’re a team player and ready for more responsibility. So what is? Step 1 Imagine yourself attending an interview for that next step-up role. Ask yourself three questions: What role are you applying for? What’s the scope of responsibility? What might you be expected to achieve? If you were applying for a vacant role, then that thinking would have been done already by your potential future boss. In your case, you have a blank canvas on which you can imagine your ideal role or your next logical career step. Step 2 Consider the practicalities. Think about how your imagined role fits within the organisation. Are you focusing on your boss’s job, or a new role entirely? Where does the company have problems? For a new role, how could a new appointment and a change in structure be brought about? What are the benefits of doing so? Step 3 Now work out why someone should appoint you. Why are you suitable? What have you done previously that indicates you can take on extra responsibility? Why are you better than other candidates that might be found? How would you approach starting the job? What would you look to achieve in your new role? Step 4 Make a final decision. If you decide that the step is too great today that’s not a problem, your thinking will help you identify where you’re weak. You can start to bolster that immediately, secure in the knowledge you’re being a proactive career builder, not just a moaning Minnie or a critical Colin. Step 5 Commit. Nail your flag to the mast and set sail before the tide turns by booking an appointment with either your boss or HR. The formality signals they’ll need to pay attention, you’re not just cruising by for a casual drop-in no-worries chat. If you’re asked for a reason, avoid the word promotion and stay non-threatening. “Hey boss? You’ve had your go and I’m thinking you should move on,” will see you facing a well armed wall of negativity before you even get in the room. Step 6 Keep things open. Run the discussion as an enquiry, not a demand. Let your boss know that you believe you’re ready to look at taking on more. State why you think the time is right, but keep it short, sharp and focused â€" this is no time for a rambling discourse on the bleak path of your career-life to date. As a matter of strategy, ask your boss how they see things and what opportunities there could be. You never know what they might surprise you with, plus you don’t risk selling yourself short. Step 7 Be patient and realistic. The ideal result would be a prompt, defined and supportive well-structured plan that could include further training. Congratulations and a glass of something celebratory would be in order. The sub-optimal result would be a load of wooly promises accompanied by, ‘We’re working on it. It will all take time and it’s a bit complicated’. If your boss looks shifty and sounds nervous, it’s a fair bet you’re driving into a blind alley. Step 8 Look grateful. Whatever comes back, or doesn’t, look and sound appreciative. If you’ve now got a new role to look forward to, be thankful for the help and support. If you’re disappointed, gutted even, there’s no benefit in showing it. Step 9 Set a new course. If you haven’t got the result you want, it’s time to look outside. Thankfully, all of your earlier thinking will help you to focus on the type of role to look for and help you draw together a much stronger CV. Step 10 Set a deadline for action. Today. Now. Make it this Friday. This is really hard to do when you feel like you’ve just been kicked in the teeth, but trust me, it’s the best therapy. Aim to find something to apply to by the end of the week. Look for ads, but if you don’t find any, target suitable employers directly. Don’t let the days, weeks and months just slip by in a sea of demotivation. In conclusion, one way or another, you’re moving forward. You made a decision, thought it through and took some actions. If your existing employer won’t recognise your potential it’s their loss, so find a more enlightened one that will. You’ve already proved that you’re capable of taking on more, by having the guts to do what you’ve done already. Too many people just sit and wait for the job fairy to happen by. It’s your life and your career, hit it hard! I wish you well with it, good hunting and always remember â€" no prisoners. About the author: Jon Gregory is an author, editor, blogger trainer on all things job hunting, interview prep career development.

5 Questions to Make Sure Your Next Marketing Hire is a Slam Dunk CareerMetis.com

5 Questions to Make Sure Your Next Marketing Hire is a Slam Dunk Original Image Source â€" Depositphotos.comBuilding a marketing team by hiring the right people can be challenging, and it’s the interviewer’s job to make sure your next marketing hire is a slam dunk.The interview questions will mainly boil down into just three things: whether the candidate has the ability to accomplish the task, whether the candidate is a good fit to your team, and whether they are willing to join your team.These 5 questions below will cover those three factors, giving the chance for the candidates to showcase their abilities, their marketing knowledge, and their personality.1) Imagine you are an immortal with unlimited money and time. What would you do with your life?evalThis is an excellent question to ask, that will give you insights on various aspects of the candidate:Some candidates might not be able to answer this question at all, which is a good sign that they don’t have any vision in their lives. Some might need some time before they can give an answer â€"this is probably the first time they came upon such thought, after allâ€". Give them some time to think and aim for clarity.Since the question “what would you do with your life?” is pretty broad, they might answer about changing the world in some way This is also an open-ended question, that might open up possibilities for lengthy conversations and more questions This is also an open-ended question. For example, if they mentioned a book you’ve also read, you can talk about the book and analyze their thoughts about what’s discussed in the book. You can also discuss recent trends and topics in the marketing world to weigh whether they are really keeping up with the changes.3) How are you handling failures? If any, share your past experiences.Marketing, is by nature, about embracing failures. No matter how perfect you plan your marketing strategy, there will always be challenges along the way.This question gives you insight intotwo things: How the candidate will handle failu re, and whether they have the courage to experiment.Both are very important marketing traits.evalGenerally, you’d want to hire candidates that see failures as another learning pointâ€"and dataâ€", and not an unforgivable thing they should avoid at all costs. If they had any past failures, ask how they handled it, whether they documented it and discussed/shared itwith their peers and superiors.People that are more likely to keep their failures to themselves Depending on their answers to the previous questions, you might give them some time to research This one is fairly obvious. This question will help you look deeper into whether the candidate has spent enough time about your business, the market you’re in, and your competitors.Competitive analysis is definitely an integral aspect of any marketing, and this question will also provide a chance to weigh the candidate’s analytical abilitiesâ€"essential for your marketing teamâ€".If a candidate providesgood answers, we can then as k follow-up questions about their action plans to achieve the changeIf a candidate can provide good, realistic answers, they are definitely worth keeping.Wrapping upInterview a marketing candidate has two main goals: determining whether they are a good fit for your marketing team, and on the other hand, convincing them that you are the right place for them to grow.The five questions we have discussed above will achieve those two important things.Remember that the best marketing talents are likely to have multiple offers on their hands, so showing them that your company is exciting, creative, and engaging is also very important.

Job Posting Translation Guide

Job Posting Translation Guide Ive viewed thousands of job postings, followed thousands of clients through the interview process and listened to what hiring managers tell recruiters they really want in a candidate. Unfortunately, many of the job postings I see are far from transparent and use vague euphemisms to describe what the hiring manager wants or what the work environment is like. Heres my interpretation of the message behind the qualifications I often see listed on job postings.Motivated morale here stinks and we are hoping you can fix that.Ability to delegate this job is way too much for one person to handle.Energetic we want to hire someone born after 1978.Team player everyone hated the last guy in this job.Flexible Its ok for us to call, message or text you at any time.Eager You will be excited to work for a salary that is not competitive.High level of integrity no one trusted the guy you would be replacing.Ability to multi-task we are really disorganized here.Ability to work in a fast-paced env ironment we are generally reactive, not proactive.MBA preferred we might interview you, but we will drop you like a hot potato if we find another candidate with an MBA.Bachelor degree required we realize having a Bachelor degree has no logical correlation with your ability to do the job, but by screening non-degree applicants out from the get-go it makes our jobs easier.Bilingual English-Spanish candidate preferred no actually, bi-lingual skills are a deal breaker.Proficiency in Microsoft Office we dont have a budget for an administrative assistant.Certainly not all job postings are bad and some companies do a great job of explaining who their perfect candidate is and what its really like to work there. But far too many create cryptic messaging and then complain of a talent shortage when the wrong candidate applies. Tell it like it is, say what you mean and keep it real. You might just end up with your perfect hire after all.

Tips For Formatting A Strong Resume

Tips For Formatting A Strong ResumeA resume with an objective is a way to emphasize your work experience and qualifications. It is an important part of the resume that is used to showcase your employment history. There are many employers who are seeking candidates with specific skills that they can use in their workplace. One way to do this is to highlight a candidate's previous employment experiences.In the employer's perspective, this is a way to show the employer what the new hire can bring to the company. It is a sales technique and it makes it easier for the employer to see if they want to hire you for their position. With this in mind, having a strong resume is very important. Here are a few tips on how to format a strong resume.o Write Your Resume With Your Objective In Mind. The first step in resume writing is knowing where you are trying to go with the resume. You want to be clear on what your job objective is. This allows you to organize your career goals and prioritize wha t areas need your attention. This can help you stay focused on what you are trying to achieve.o Make It Easy To Read Your objective should be a concise statement of the type of work you would like to accomplish. If you are looking for a specific position, you may want to include this in the cover letter and also in the body of the resume. This will give you an outline of what you need to work on to get there.o Do Not Write Your Resume in English. In the world of resume writing, some employers may prefer that you write in the target language. If you choose to write in English, you will be creating two very distinct paragraphs. This could result in a more formal resume and a more informal resume.o Resume Writing WithObjectives in Mind, Use Bullets. Bullet points can help provide the information that you need to make the objective easy to read. It is also important to have the bullet points bolded so that it is easier to read the rest of the resume.o Using Relevant Skills To Your Advan tage: If you are trying to list the skills that are most applicable to your prospective employer's needs, use these specific skills and then break it down by major. Include those skills that are relevant for the position you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a seasonal work position, list any summer internships you may have had and any volunteer work that you may have done. This will make your resume easier to read.The biggest benefit of having a solid resume is that it can be more useful when it is easier to read. Using bullets, including your objectives and using bolding, should help you organize your resume better. Remember, however, that it is not necessary to have a resume with objective to get the job.