Candidate Question: How do I contact a company I’d like to work for?

Q:

What is the best way to go about contacting a company you would be interested in working for?

A:

Email is by far the preferred method of companies and recruiters to show your interest and apply for an open position. If there is an open position and you don’t have any connection with the company, I’d advise to go through the proper channels – follow the directions on the job descriptions and submit your resume and cover letter to the address provided by the company.

This is NOT where you should stop. Just because you submitted through the proper channels though doesn’t mean you can’t follow-up through other means. Some positions receives hundreds of resumes, only seen by the human resources department for an initial review and judgment. Other times your resume will be imported directly in the company’s applicant tracking system which may only scan for keyword matches to rank the top candidates for the position.

If you are very interested in working for a particular company, you’ll have to take it a few steps further. Search LinkedIn or Google search to find out who the hiring manager is and follow up directly to show your interest in a position. Many job descriptions state the reporting structure – if not, make your best guess. Finding out this information isn’t difficult with a bit of extra effort. Sometimes a simple follow-up can determine whether you land the opportunity to interview or not. Surprisingly, few people take this step because they fear the risk of being too pushy or coming on too strong.

When following up electronically, your follow-up needs to be specific for the position and how you will add value. There is nothing more obvious than a blanket introduction and follow-up. State why specifically you want to work for the organization and how you will help them be successful.

If you have friends within the organization, an internal referral is always better than a submission through the website. Ask your contact to walk your resume into the hiring manager or HR department and follow up within a couple of days.

All of this takes time – a job search can be full-time job in itself. Putting in the extra effort will pay off in the end and set you apart from the majority who don’t invest the time in the job search.

This is part of an on-going series of candidate questions submitted through this blog. If you have a question you would like featured, please submit it here. Confidentiality is guaranteed.

For other candidate questions, see the archive of questions.

Photo credit: Michael Marlatt

Candidate Question: Is it too risky to change jobs in a recession?

Q:

In the current economy in the United States, what are the risks with leaving a job and starting somewhere new? Is it a case of high-risk, high-return or can we still feel comfortable even as newbies?

A:

Change doesn’t come without risks. Leaving one job for another, even in this market, is a perfectly acceptable and normal transition. A common, flawed theory on employment during a recession is the “last one in is the first one to go.”  The decision to eliminate a position is determined by many more factors than just seniority or tenure within the company. Companies are laying off employees who have spent decades with the firm meanwhile the recent junior hires stay gainfully employed. And you will certainly find cases where it is the other way around.

“Safe” companies or “guaranteed” jobs don’t exist, it’s only the degree of safety that varies. The circumstances are always changing.

Most firms that hiring right now are doing so because the position is a fundamental piece to the organization’s success. Of course, if you are considering a change, you should always do your due diligence. If you are employed, don’t just get up and quit without having something else lined up. But if you are interested in making a change or approached about an interesting opportunity, don’t let fear keep you from exploring it.

This is part of an on-going series of candidate questions submitted through this blog. If you have a question you would like featured, please submit it here. Confidentiality is guaranteed.

For other candidate questions, see the archive of questions

Photo credit: Anarchosyn (Flickr)

Be Your Own Headhunter on PRNewser

My latest column on PRNewser is up. Here’s an excerpt… or see the full article here.

Lately, I’ve been receiving a ton of calls from candidates who call to “enlist a recruiter” to help find them a new position. It makes me wonder if some of these people think that by speaking to an industry recruiter, their job search woes will be answered.

Recruiters work for their clients - the hiring company, not the other way around. I’m not saying job seekers shouldn’t connect to a recruiter. Recruiters can and will bring opportunities to your attention you might never find otherwise, but it’s important to keep the expectations realistic.

The job market in its worst condition in years. If you are actively job searching or unemployed, don’t rely ONLY on job ads or a recruiter. These days it takes much more work to seek the opportunities out. Become your own headhunter and use some of our strategies to propel your search.

Have a plan
A good recruiter tends to be very organized and an obsessive planner. Recruiters don’t only rely on job postings they see on the internet to create new business. We target the top companies we want to represent in our industry and develop relationships with the decision makers, even when they are not hiring.. Make a list of the top 50 companies you want to work for and assume there are opportunities for you in each, even if there isn’t an open position posted.

Read the rest at the PRNewser blog.

Mission Impossible? Migrating to a Career in Public Relations

This is a guest post by technology PR pro and the PR Job Coach, Gerry Corbett.

Being a public relations job coach, I am constantly advising folks about how best to manage and architect their growth as public relations professionals.  Lately though, I am receiving queries about how to migrate into a career in PR from journalism.

Welcome to Mission Impossible!  Making a career change in this economic environment is challenging at best.  However, it is doable with some planning and diligence. For certain, if you currently have a job in journalism it is definitely good training for a career in PR.  That said, do not quit your day job until you have done some preparation.

Here are some steps to consider:

1. Enroll yourself in a PR bootcamp. Check the professional development sites of PRSA, IABC and/or other professional communications organization Web sites.

2. Start developing a network of PR professionals who can give you insight into their jobs. You might even ask one or two PR pros to allow you to shadow them for a couple days to give you first hand knowledge of what public relations folks do. You can do this by attending meetings  and workshops by your local PRSA, IABC, or publicity club chapters.

3. Expand your network of contacts and begin to institutionalize them through tools such as Linkedin and Facebook.

4. Start building an online portfolio of your work that you can use at some point when you begin looking for PR positions.

5. Pick up a couple of books on public relations and read them. You can get some recommendations at Amazon.

6. Start assessing your online brand and insure that what is on the web about you is correct and is positioned the way you want. Build, enhance and/or check your profiles on Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace, Google Profile, Twitter, Digg, Tumblr, Ning, etc. etc. Make sure the information is accurate and says what you want.

Gerard “Gerry” F. Corbett is the PR Job Coach and  Founder and Consultant of Redphlag LLC, a marketing consulting firm.  He has served four decades in technology PR most recently as vice president of branding of Hitachi for more than 12 years.

Candidate Question: Do companies normally use multiple staffing agencies for the same position?

Q:

Is it common for a company to have more than one recruitment agency working on a position for them?

A:

Yes, it’s very common for company to use more than one recruitment agency. Recruiting firms come in two flavors - generalists and specialists. My agency is a specialist firm - we only fill positions in PR, marketing, and sales. Obviously, companies may have recruitment needs in other areas, so it makes sense to partner with several agencies with different specialties to cover the needs of the entire organization.

The issues arise when companies work with multiple recruiters though for the same position. This strategy tends to backfire.

Contingency recruiters firms only get paid for their efforts if they successfully fill a position. Many companies think there isn’t a financial risk in using several agencies since they are only going to have to pay for the one candidate. After all, the more recruiters out there working for them, the quicker the position gets filled, right? Not necessarily. This is when the mess begins and it usually goes one of two ways.

Scenario 1: Multiple recruiters start calling the same people. The candidates are left with the impression the company is desperate and there must be something wrong.

If a candidate is interested in the opportunity and is contacted by a few recruiters, he may or may not know how to handle the situation resulting in duplicate resume submissions by different agencies. Here’s when it gets really ugly. The recruiter may blame the candidate for not being honest about working with another firm on the same position or the company may think the candidate is desperate and won’t want to move forward at the risk of a lawsuit by the fighting recruiter companies. Nobody wins.

Scenario two: The candidates tell the recruiters they have been receiving calls from others about the same position. Since the staffing agency is only getting paid for a successful hire, it must evaluate and prioritize its searches based on the realistic chances of filling it. Recruiters lose interest in searches that don’t seem like viable placements and the company ends up with an unfilled position and nobody working on the search. Most recruiters won’t bother telling the company they aren’t working hard on the search because someone might pop up they can submit with little effort and they can still look like heroes. The company thinks they have an army of recruiters working on their search when in reality nobody cares anymore and the company believes recruiters are useless.

It’s a safe bet if you are receiving calls from lots of recruiters, this is what is going on. If you decide it is an opportunity you are interested in, it is common courtesy to let the other recruiters know you are already in the process with the company through another recruiter. Make it clear you do not want your information sent to anyone without your approval.

The rule is simple as a candidate: Work with only one recruiter for a position with the company.

Candidate Question: How do I get an overseas PR job?

Identity movie

This post is part of series of an on-going candidate question series where the readers post their job search and career questions here and I feature them anonymously.

Q:

I would like to work internationally in either tech or pharmaceutical PR. What resume building steps can I take to best position myself for a job/country change? Are foreign agencies open to hiring US candidates?

A:

You should consider working for an international PR agency that has offices throughout the world. Many of these agencies do offer interested employees the opportunity to work temporarily or permanently in other offices, especially if you have the language skills. Some agencies have international exchange programs allowing employees to experience what it is like to work in another country office for a few weeks up to several months. You may also be able to apply for a full-time transfer if there is a position open in another agency office or transfer to a sister company’s international office if the agency is part of a larger entity.

The more international experience you can gain while working in the United States, the more viable of a candidate you will become for these overseas posts. If you have the opportunity to work on a team with international clients and interface with international media, you can make a better case for yourself when you approach your company for a transfer.

Other related Q & A posts:

When Should You Follow Up on Your Job Application

When Should You Start Job Searching

How to Find a Recruiter for an Entry-level Position

Balancing Multiple Offers

Photo credit: Patrick Q [Flickr]

• Redbelt release

Interesting Links: February 1-15

Interesting links I’ve come across in the past two weeks. Enjoy!

Business and Social Media

57 Internet Possibilities to Investigate | chrisbrogan.com
E-Book on Social Media Marketing -Todd Defren
10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know

Job Search and Career Advice

How to use Twitter to find your next job | LitmanLive.co.uk
Working at One of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” - Meaningless If Your Manager Doesn’t Rock… | HR Capitalist
If You’ve Been a Job Hopper | Karen Burns, Working Girl
5 Ways to be Happy in a Recession Tapeheads download | US News & World Report
Tips for Staying Afloat in a Grim Job Market | ABC News
A Question to Make a Monkey Out of You The Invasion movie full | Wall Street Journal
Job Search Tips for Introverts | Career Hub
How to Change the World: Everything You Wanted to Know About Getting a Job in Silicon Valley But Didn’t Know Who to Ask

- this is an old post, but good stuff.

Candidate question: When should you follow up on your job application?

I asked the Twitter community a couple days ago for their job search and career questions. The response was overwhelming! I will be selecting several reader’s questions over the next few weeks to answer on the blog. If you have a job search question you would like to see here, please submit it here. Your name and contact information will NOT be posted.

Q:

If a job posting doesn’t specify that they will contact you, how long is a sufficient amount of time to wait before checking on the status of your resume?

A:

Waiting one week to follow up from a resume submission is good rule if you have emailed it to a general email address or human resources department. Far too often candidates complain their resume goes to the “black hole.” If you’re lucky, you might get an automated response from a job advertisement.

It’s important to remember, some ads generated hundreds of responses a day and many companies have tools to automate the entry of resumes into their applicant tracking systems. They may not be looking at every resume individually. The hiring manager may not even be involved at this stage and instead she is relying on the human resources department to pre-qualify and pre-screen candidates.

The best way to make sure your resume gains the attention it deserves for the position is tweak it to fit the job description. Think about what keywords someone might use to search a database to fill an open requisition. Your goal is to be on that short-list.

If you know someone within the company you are applying, it’s always better to have an internal recommendation. If your contact can walk your resume into the hiring manager or the HR department directly, your chances getting an interview improve greatly. Ask your contact to let you know when your resume has been received and follow up directly with the hiring contact in a day or two on the phone if possible or by email.

The Last Samurai release

In both cases, your follow-up should be concise, yet reiterate your interest in the position, and highlight your accomplishments and qualifications that make you a good fit for the open position. Don’t assume the company knows who you are or remembers what position you applied for. As wonderful it as it would be to hear a yes or no, don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back.

Photo credit: Mdezemery [Flickr]

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame divx

Using Twitter for your Job Search - Guest column on PRNewser

My most recent guest column on PRNewser is up. Here is a quick except. You can read all the tips on PRNewser’s blog.

If you are not already on it, you have probably heard of Twitter by now. Twitter can be a powerful tool to aid in your job search. There are numerous success stories in the blogosphere about how people have received and accepted job offers through Twitter. See examples from David Murray or Michael Litman.

Here are some of my observations and tips on how to use Twitter as a tool for your job search and to make sure you are getting noticed.

Use your real name.

Make your profile searchable and easy to be found. Tell the world what you do in the bio line. Be specific. If you do tech PR, say it in your one line bio. You will find more like-minded people will connect with you. If you make people work too hard to figure out who you are and what you do, you will never see the benefit of Twitter because people won’t find you. Make it easy for someone to decide if they should start following your updates or follow you back and for Twitter directories to index you properly.

Add a website. Your company’s website, your LinkedIn profile, or your blog.

Don’t make your updates private. It’s my personal pet peeve, but one I know many others share. Many people won’t follow you back if your updates are private. It also defeats the purpose of having a searchable profile. Twitter is about sharing and if you want others to find you, particularly for a job search, your tweets need to be searchable and seen by those outside of your followers.

Go to the PRNewser blog to see the last six tips….

Demystifying the Recruiter

Cartoon credit: Hugh MacLeod

Job seekers often think recruiters can be the solution to finding new employment or making a career change. While it is very true a recruiter can be incredibly helpful in a job search, it is important to understand a few key points in order to avoid a disappointing outcome.

Understand how recruiters work
Recruiters are compensated by their client companies - not by candidates. Recruiters do not work for you, they work with you. A recruiter’s time is spent where it will best serve the client since compensation is based on a successful candidate placement. Unfortunately, that means most recruiters can’t interview everyone who sends a resume or expresses interest unless there is a good chance he or she fits a current job specification.

Recruiters don’t work with career changers

Recruiters are expected by their clients to find people who are an exact match for the position and who are currently working in their field. If you are looking to make a career transition (i.e. sales to PR), then skip connecting with recruiters. Ditto if you are seeking an entry-level job.

If you are looking to make a slight shift into a parallel industry (i.e. tech PR to consumer PR) or a different type of position in the same industry, then a recruiter may be able to help you.

Recruiters are not resume writers or career consultants
It is not appropriate to ask a recruiter to help you write your resume, critique it, give you individual career coaching, or “put in a good word” with their contacts, especially if you are not currently working on an engagement with them.

It’s not to say though recruiters won’t give you advice. I’m more than willing to give appropriate career advice to candidates who respect my time and expertise. Building a long-term relationship with a recruiter can be a definite career booster, just be careful not to abuse the relationship.

Treat recruiters the same as you would treat a potential employer This means timely follow-up and honesty throughout the process. It also means being respectful of their time. If you wouldn’t ask an employer to interview you at 8:00 PM, don’t ask it of a recruiter.

Be honest and open throughout the process. download Metoroporisu A good recruiter doesn’t want to make a bad match. Nobody wins when an employer and employee break up too soon and there isn’t a recruiter on the planet who wants to do a replacement search for free. Make your career goals, questions, and concerns heard throughout the process.

Build a long-term relationship with a recruiter in your industry. If you are not a fit or not in a position to make a move, recruiters will appreciate your referrals. An appreciative recruiter will remember your generosity and professionalism when you fit the bill for future opportunities. The first thing I do when I get a search is write down the top five people I know who would be a good fit for the search before checking my database, posting to my network, or reaching out for referrals. Being on the short list is a good place to be.