If you didn’t catch this ABC 20/20 episode aired on January 16th, 2009, you should. It’s an interesting and timely look at salaries and you market value in the workplace. You can catch it on ABC news in four segments.
I was particularly interested in the first two segments about keeping salaries secret and whether college is worth the investment. I plan to comment on both in follow up posts.
Should Salaries Be Secret? - Part 1 Is it okay to share your salary in the workplace? Why is this a banned topic on the job and if we were more open about our salaries with others, would it change how we’re compensated?
It is said that people who graduate with a college degree on average earn $1 million more than non-graduates. Is this true? And is the college degree really worth it?
Self Worth, Beyond the Paycheck - Part 3 This segment follows laid off TV news anchor Ernie Bjorkman as he transitions to a high paying news anchor career to a new career as a veternarian tech. What happens to your self-worth after a layoff?
I am a college senior, planning to graduate this upcoming May. I am reasonably worried about the current job market and I am eager to get a jump start on my search. I am concerned about how soon is too soon to begin contacting companies before I am able to immediately fill a position.
Is it appropriate to begin contacting companies this early? Would it build positive contacts and possibly lead to job opportunities when I graduate or would it be more likely to annoy them? I do not want to waste any company’s time, but many of my friends who graduated last year still do not have jobs in their field and I don’t want to share their fate.
What is my best course of action at this point?
A:
Most experts agree beginning a job search four to six months prior to graduation is a good an ideal time frame. It’s not too early to annoy hiring managers and it should give you sufficient time to find something. If possible, try to get a part-time internship with an agency (I assume you are planning to go into PR). Many times these internships turn into full-time positions and if not, you have spent several months building a network of PR professionals who have contacts in other agencies and companies who could recommend you for any other entry-level positions.
With five months left until graduation, you should start building those relationships and being proactive. Go to your local networking events, Meetups and Tweetups, and ask for informational interviews with companies you would like to work for. Just because a company isn’t posting their open jobs doesn’t mean there isn’t something available. Work on building your online networks and continue to develop those relationships off-line.
. To read the first three tips of his guest post, see Part 1.
5 Steps to Simple Social Network Job Searching continued….
4. Always be positive.
Job searching can be a frustrating task. You might have had the worst interviewer in the world or maybe you keep submitting your resume and not getting calls (you might want to take a look at your resume). Venting your frustrations might fall on sympathetic ears when you complain to your friends and family, but understand that you may kill your chances of gaining any future referrals that person might have for you.
Most often when people pass a job to you, they have some sort of connection with the job. They want to be sure that the people they recommend will be a stellar candidate as it will reflect on them. If you are habitually negative about the interviews or leads you are getting, they might have the perfect job for you, but hold off because they don’t want their lead to turn into a negative experience.
Venting your frustrations can be therapeutic, but you can turn that negative experience into a positive one. If you must tell people about how horrible things have been, at least point out the lessons you have learned from them and show that you can see the silver lining in every cloud. On top of that, talk about the other positive aspects of your life and what you are doing when you are not job hunting. How the time has allowed you to workout more or improve your writing. People love a positive attitude and will want that type of person in their workplace.
5. Get more friends.
There may come a time when you have exhausted all your current options of outreach. You’ve announced you are looking for a job, you have been grateful to those who have helped you, you have kept people up to date on your search and you continue to smile and be positive… but still no luck. Maybe you need more friends?
Well go out and meet some people. Get involved in groups that interest you, go to the gym (also a great suggestion for job hunters) volunteer at a charity, get out and meet some people. Start being involved online too. Find groups, sites, forums, etc. and start participating there. Foster friendships through associations. If you aren’t researching jobs and filling out applications/submitting resumes, you should be “networking” and meeting new people.
Bonus Step: Help others find a job.
As you are working your network and meeting new people, you will run into others who are looking for work. I am a big believer in karma, what goes around comes around. What better way to help out your own chances of finding a job than passing on information or leads that you might have come across. This will create tremendous good will and people will be more apt to return the favor.
Looking for a job is stressful. Getting by with a little help from your friends will help take some of the edge off the stress. If anything, you will be able to find support and encouragement to keep you motivated and moving forward. Just remember, that job is out there, and someone you know might be sitting on it not knowing you are the perfect candidate – unless you start making some noise!
The answers revolve around the same theme - lack of preparedness and a poorly targeted job search.
Here’s what the recruiters have to say.
The Price of ‘Perfection’
My biggest pet peeve is perfect candidates. They only had successes, are perfect and can’t see any improvement to make on themselves — except maybe to “work a little less.” People who are too insecure to admit their shortcomings or even their mistakes make me feel that they lack good emotional intelligence. In all the reference checks we reviewed at Checkster, none were 100% positive, so be realistic. If not, you will be seen as either not daring enough to perform difficult things, or stuck in a myopic belief that you are perfect. – Yves Lermusi, CEO, Checkster
Clueless Candidates
As a recruiter, there have been countless times when job seekers have asked, “What position is this for?” Job seekers shouldn’t just apply to any job. They need to spend their time effectively finding jobs that are a match for their skills and interest. – Nga Nguyen, Technology & Operations Group Recruiter at Wells Fargo
Short-Cut Introductions
With more people looking for work in today’s economy, I’ve been seeing an increase in what I call “lazy introductions” come across my desk. It goes something like this: “I’m writing you to introduce myself. I live in New York and I’m looking for a job,” and in the signature is a link to a LinkedIn profile or possibly a resume. A brief introduction should come with a background, highlights, and reason for connecting. A job search is a job in itself and requires some personalization and effort for each and every introduction. – Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing
Can’t Connect the Dots?
My biggest pet peeve is receiving resumes or applications that describe background and work experience wholly unrelated to the position being applied for. Also there is either no supporting material or a generic cover letter that fails to connect the dots between what’s on the application and what’s in the posted job listing. – Noah Apodaca, lead recruiter for staff at the University of California, Irvine
Don’t Go Generic
Job seekers hurt their own cause when they don’t focus on specific ways they can help potential employers and instead simply mass distribute their resume. Individuals need to show hiring managers what they can do for the organization, not the reverse. Thoroughly research companies where you want to apply, customize your resume and cover letter for each opportunity, and in your communications with employers highlight your accomplishments and skills that demonstrate how you can positively impact the firm’s bottom line. – DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International
This is a two-part guest post series by Nathan McGee.
5 Simple Steps of Social Network Job Searching
Ringo Star once sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
When you are on the job hunt, your “friends” can be a vital asset in your search. Having someone on the inside can greatly increase your chances of getting an interview and getting hired. Reaching out through your network takes a certain poise and tenacity. You want to find a job, but you don’t want to come across as needy or even worse, spammy.
Here are five simple steps to follow to help tap into that fantastic resource you know as your friends.
1. Let people know you are looking for a job.
This might seem like a no brainer and really simple, but often overlooked. Being “jobless” holds a certain negative image in our culture. Being “let go” also can have an impact on one’s ego. Both of these ideas can keep someone from announcing that he/she is now back on the job market.
Think of it this way, your jogging partner might have a connection to your perfect job but he won’t pass it on to you because he doesn’t know you are looking!
All you have to do is announce that you are looking for a new job. A simple post on your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) stating your job search intentions, i.e. “On the job hunt for a Project Management position at a fantastic company. Let me know if you have any leads!”
Don’t forget the classic e-mail out to your contact list. You don’t have to go into details about why you are out of work, simply state what that your are looking for work, the type of position you are looking for and a brief – I repeat – brief description of your qualifications.
Example:
I am currently looking for a job in a small to medium size circus as a monkey trainer. I have been a monkey trainer for 3 years at one of the top circuses in the nation and have trained over 50 monkeys to do such tasks as ride a bike and walk the tightrope. If you have any leads, please let me know.
2. Express your gratitude.
This is crucial if you want people to keep helping you. Despite your best efforts to explain what you do and the type of position you are looking for, you will still get people sending you jobs that you either are over qualified for or that have no connection to what you do. You will still want to be extremely grateful for the help they are providing.
Send a thank you e-mail (hand written thank you notes if you want a bigger impact) and let them know how much you appreciate them helping you. Take a few extra seconds and give a public thanks on the social network where you are connected to this person, i.e. “I want to thank Jane for referring me the marketing manager position. Jane, you are awesome!”
This accomplishes two things, one it further shows your gratitude and publicly praises the person helping you out (and social media is all about letting people know what you and others are doing); and two, it reminds others that you are still looking for a job. Which brings us to the third step…
3. Keep people posted.
When you first announce your job hunt, you will get a lot of questions, comments of encouragement and support. After a few weeks, you might get the occasional question, “how’s the job search going?” Then after a while, nothing at all.
To foster enthusiasm, you will need to remind people that you are still looking for work. It can be something as simple as writing a post on your personal blog or social network profile once a week hi-lighting your efforts in the job hunt and include people to whom you are grateful (see step 2). Change your signature for your outgoing e-mails to include your job hunting efforts.
Recently I went to a fabulous Christmas party hosted by a friend who is currently looking for work. She was a fantastic host and everyone had a great time. A few days after the party she sent out an e-mail thanking everyone for coming. At the end of her e-mail she threw in a one sentence plug asking people to let her know of any jobs. It was just a casual reminder, but it put her in my mind and I found myself scouring my brain for possible leads.
Look out for tips 4 and 5, plus a bonus tip from Nathan in the second part of this series in Friday’s post.
Nathan McGee is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and Social Coach. His blog can be found at nathanmcgee.com.
Here are some of the interesting links I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks. It’s lighter than usual. I’m still playing lots of catch up from spending much less time online and more time with family and friends. Enjoy!
“The Recruiter’s Roundtable” on Yahoo! Hotjobs is a monthly column that features answers to a question the editor, Tom Musbach, puts forth to a small group of recruiting professionals. For the December column, we were asked to give one thing job-seekers must to successfully land a good job in 2009. I talked about the importance of building your network before you actually need it and four other staffing experts weighed in with their thoughts.
This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
I'm an entrepreneur, business developer and recruiter.
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This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.
