Welcome to the first MyCareerBrand.net Job Search Strategy ‘Weekly Roundup’.
You may have seen I’ve been busy on LinkedIn lately publishing what I call the #DailySnippet. These short LinkedIn posts are intended to act as a catalyst to keep you on track with your Job Search Strategy.
In these posts you’ll see I use hashtags (#) a lot. I do this to make it easier for you to search on LinkedIn for specific content.
The hash tag handles are generally:
- #MyCareerBrand
- #JobSearchStrategy
- #YourChoice
- #InterviewSkills
- #Job
Look out for them each day by doing a search on LinkedIn using those hash tag handles. Or you might just see them in your LinkedIn home page feed.
The #MyCareerBrand is the catch all.
I use #YourChoice because – actually, it is literally your choice as to how you approach the market for a new job. You can do it strategically or like most – transitionally by simply hitting the ‘APPLY NOW’ button as many times as you can. It’s about numbers. A job’s bound to land in your lap soon, right? Wrong!
So – here are my LinkedIn #DailySnippets for the week ending 2.6.17
Simply ‘connecting’ with a person on LinkedIn wont build a relationship!
Someone I’d never met before sent me a generic request to connect.
Whilst not smart it’s not unusual.
When I asked why, their response was a one liner “build our relationship”.
Next message; “I want a job”.
Really?
Folks, if you’re going to connect with someone you don’t know – don’t sabotage the opportunity.
There’s a thing called ‘Add a note’! Whilst I was polite in my own response I wondered at the level this person operates at when applying for a #job. Having a guess, I’d say they simply hit the ‘APPLY NOW’ button and wonder why they can’t get an #interview!
Hence they’re still looking for a job. Are you?
We keep reading it. “Jobs to go at…”
The word often used is, “redundant!”
Whilst this may seem of little comfort right now, it’s the job that’s redundant. Not you.
If your skills and experience remain relevant to other employers it’s not the end of your career.
It may be a warning shot across your bows though. And yes, it’s unsettling.
Look for industry trends. Is there a trend? Think strategically – like an effective business leader.
Remember, your job is a business. How you evolve your offering, skills, present your capability and value proposition matters.
Are your #CV, #LinkedIn profile and #interview skills doing this for you?
Are you being found? And when you are – can you close the deal?
It’s be a real shame for them and you if you didn’t meet!
Absolutely!
Now, the challenge is for you to articulate to the market what you have to offer – in a way that that someone will hear you and recognise it is you they have to hire.
Can you?
The Counter Offer: What will you do?
The red carpet isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
You’ve been offered a new #job.The prospect seems exciting.
What will you do when your current #employer counter offers?
Your Job Search Strategy plan should incorporate a process flow for guidance.
Ensure you have not only thought about your stance – but actually have it mapped out.
Have you?
Building brand awareness through sharing with a thought makes a difference!
Sharing an Article or Post on #LinkedIn among your team is a great way to pass on useful information and build your own personal brand.
You’d usually do this by selecting ‘Like’ or ‘Share’.
When you include your own synopsis or view you build even more awareness.
You don’t have to do that just on LinkedIn though – where the chance of your team seeing your ‘like’ or ‘share’ could be minimal (especially if they have lots of connections).
Use the 3 dot button (top right of your screen) and select ‘Share Via’ to send an internal or external group email.
Or include a link on your intranet blog.
Share and comment with a Post or Article today.
Struggling to find opportunities? Can’t make the job search call?
If you’re struggling to set up meetings, call people in your network, or worse – people you’ve never met, it’s Call Reluctance.
A good indicator is when you repeatedly say to yourself;
“I’ll call ….. to set up a coffee meeting”. And, it never happens!
Mostly attributed to sales people, it’s also something #job seekers face too.
But, when you’re looking for a job you’re in ‘solution selling’ mode. And no calls means no sales! (Read no job!)
So let’s fix it!
Create a Call Plan.
A simple schedule will include at least these things – but there are more.
Stick to the plan.
Distractions getting in the way?
Commit to someone. They’re your ‘Sales Manager’.
Are you interviewing for a Job? Stop ‘talking’!
Have you ever played back your practice interview? (Assuming you have practiced!)
If you haven’t, you absolutely should.
Using a seasoned interviewer, test your interview skills against set criteria.
Replay the video.
How are you coming across?
Reflect back on the body language of the interviewer.
Are the interviewers eyes glazing over
Are you catching a glimpse of a stifled yawn?
What aspects did you perform well on.
Where could you have done better?
If you think you know your CV backwards – well that’s a start. But it isn’t near enough to get you across the line!
Tenure? Get the heck over it!
Actually, you should be all over it!
Communicate.
A hiring manager said to me yesterday; “I wasn’t that impressed with his CV.”
When I asked why, she said “he seemed to have changed jobs a lot!”
I asked how often. She said “oh, about every 2 years”
She couldn’t get past tenure.
Whilst we live in a world of change, project based portfolio jobs, restructures etc. think about what will make your CV impress the reader – no matter how long or short your tenure.
What outcomes have you delivered?
While she wasn’t impressed – and actually I wondered how much talent she’d lost through that little piece of bias, another hiring manager was and his CV and interview skills won him the job!
Presenting to win your next job.
You’ve made it through goodness knows how many interviews and now you’ve been asked to do a presentation as part of the selection process.
The weekend is here – you’ve got 2 days to pull it together. You may be freaking out right now.
Worse – you could be heading towards a visual nightmare!
You need to hook your audience and, when you do your content and style need to resonate ahead of your competitor candidates.
Make sure it’s memorable for the right reasons.
Graphics with only a few key words increases the chances of your story gaining cut through.
A slide full of bullet points and words wont.
Overlaying this is your own style, body language and tone. Read this story and please take the time to watch the video.
The video especially has some great tips.
Do your research about the audience and their key issues, and review/create the framework for your presentation.
You may wish to do a ‘dry run’ with someone who will take an objective view.
Make sure you provide them with adequate background (ref the video for content around this)
About Craig
Craig provides Job Search Strategy coaching including Curriculum Vitae (CV), LinkedIn Profiling and Career Transition/Outplacement services.
His focus is to assist those seeking a new role to develop their value proposition, marketing collateral, interview skills and to achieve the best possible outcome.
He is recognised for his ability to develop his clients’ capability and confidence to communicate their skills and enable them to sell their value proposition in to prospective employers and recruitment consultants.
Craig draws on over 20 years of leadership experience within various sectors including HR, Recruitment, Professional Services, Financial Services, and Technology, supported by a strong background in sales and marketing.
Craig’s clients span over 8 countries around the world – face to face coaching in Auckland, New Zealand and coaching via Webinars and Skype – including New Zealand, Australia, Asia Pac, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, North America and the UK. His job search strategy articles are read in over 130 countries.
Follow Craig McAlpine and MyCareerBrand.net:
Twitter: @MyCareerBrand#MyCareerBrand
Website: www.mycareerbrand.net
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Blog: http://mycareerbrand.net/blog.html
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