Mike is a very successful sales executive who truly has an impressive background. After 30 days of submitting his resume for well-matched jobs, he was getting no responses and contacted us. We quickly realized he was sending his resume out in Word 2007’s .docx format which many companies do not support, so we showed him how to change the default settings to save documents in an earlier version.  The result: within 1 week he was getting calls for interviews.

The purpose of a resume is to get the employer to call you to schedule an interview.  Why then, would you want to give them an extra step to take before calling you?  If they are interested enough in you to look at a web portfolio, then they are interested enough to call you and find out more which is the preferred outcome. Web resumes and portfolios are appropriate for certain marketing and web development folks, but even then, I would save the url’s for the interview.

First, remember that unemployment is what is called a trailing indicator meaning it is one of the last things that will be affected as the economy improves.  When bad times occur, employers will quickly react by cutting staff and then try to get the most they can out of their existing workers,  until they just can’t get any more.  Then they will start hiring on a cautious basis, often starting with temporary workers first before they commit to full-time employees. So let’s see where we are.

Ø        US productivity in the third quarter rose to 9.5%, the fastest surge in 40 years. Normal productivity growth is about 3.0% so this shows that employers have reached the limit of what they can get out of their existing staff.

Ø        There were only 11,000 jobs lost in November, the lowest rate in 2 years.

Ø        Hiring of temporary workers grew by over 52,400 personnel in November, the highest surge in 3 years. .

Ø        In October, companies announced they plan to hire 57,250 new workers which is the highest level since July 2007.

Ø        For executives, job postings on ExecuNet are up 30% since the summer, and last week postings were up 26% from the week before. Executive recruiters and hiring decision makers state that they expect 2010 to be much brighter than 2009. And there has been a 50% rise in new jobs obtained since September 2009.

Remember that February is the biggest hiring month of the year so be prepared.  Make sure your resume presents you well and build a job search plan that includes recruiters, job board postings and networking. 

First, have rules as to who you allow into your circle.  You should have some relationship with the person at the very least. So don’t just allow anyone into your network.

Second, when inviting someone into your network, take the time to override the default invitation and put something personal in.  It is more effective, and just more polite.  Every week I get invitations from people and sometimes I have to say, I just do not recall how we know each other or why we should be connected. So improve your acceptance rate by taking 30 seconds to put in a personal greeting.

Linkedin has become a must for job seekers so use these tips to make sure you are appropriately managing your network.

JOB BOARDS
The first thing a job seeker does is head for the job boards. After all, isn’t it exciting to find positions that fit you like a glove? The chief problem is that the job boards are the most competitive way to way to find a position and have the least probability of success - generally less than 5% of jobs are filled this way according to industry statistics. That is not to say that you shouldn’t use them - it just means that they should not be the heart of your job search.

Start by using Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com as these are job board aggregators, meaning they pull jobs from all the other job boards as well as company web sites to give you a single place to find openings. Also look at Craig’s List which is becoming a great place to find local job postings. And do NOT apply over the Internet. Yes that’s right, pull yourself out of the big pile of resumes in HR and use this simple technique.

First, find out who the hiring manager or key influencers are. You can usually do this by going to LinkedIn.com and doing a company search. Once you have their name and phone number give them a call and say something like: “A friend told me you might be interested in someone with my background. I have (insert your 2-sentence pitch), and I have just a few questions for you.”
Then ask them some questions that show you’ve done some homework on their company. Be very friendly, down to earth and personable and build some rapport, At some point they will ask you for your resume at which point you have now put yourself at the top of the decision maker’s pile and skipped the HR screeners. Using this trick can be the difference between being screened out and getting noticed.

RECRUITERS
Recruiters have about a 5-12% effectiveness rate in securing a new position for you so you should consider whether they should be a part of your plan. Here we are only talking about those who are paid a fee by the employer, and I would caution you to steer clear of those who want you to pay the fee for their services.

Start by considering whether the type of position is typically filled by recruiters. For example, recruiters will not generally work with entry level people or career changers as employers are paying them a hefty 20-30% of your first year’s compensation as a fee for their finding you. Entry level people are easy to find and a recruiter will generally not offer a career changer up as a candidate if they have no track record in the desired field.

If you decide to work with recruiters, then use a service (hint: like ours) that will present your resume to the largest number. These are inexpensive and very effective, especially in saving you time. Remember that recruiters in California can be searching for candidates on Texas, so do not limit your search locally.

NETWORKING
Networking is the king of effectiveness in job searching as it has always had over a 50% effectiveness rate. Especially in this market, networking should be the heart of your search plan as employers are much more inclined to hire someone who is referred to them as compared to a stranger. Networking is not as much fun as applying through job boards and requires a good deal more discipline, but the difference is not only in its effectiveness rate, but also in the quality of the job you obtain.

Most people think networking is sharing your resume with friends and neighbors but this is the worst thing you can do as you just lost control of the process as you wait for the phone to ring. Networking as a subject is a long article unto itself, but here are the key techniques.

Develop an “elevator pitch”, the 3 to 5 sentences that describe who you are and why an employer should want to speak to you. Develop support materials that include a networking business card too. Also make sure you are posted into LinkedIn.com which is becoming the top networking site for professionals.

Now identify the 5-10 companies you are most interested in joining. You can use LinkedIn which sports a fairly robust company search tool to do this. Then research the company online using a variety of excellent tools like Zoominfo, Spoke, Highbeam and many others you can easily find. Try to learn as much about the company as possible so you can impress an insider.

The next step is to identify people inside the company which you can also do through LinkedIn. Now your job is to network yourself into a meeting where you can impress them with your knowledge of their challenges, and how you can help them. Start by thinking about people you know who knows someone who is inside the firm. It’s great if you can get to the decision maker and it’s equally good if you can get an insider to walk your resume into their office. This is your Step 1 in networking.

Step 2 is to expand your search to other firms. Remember that good networking is asking people for advice as people are much more likely to give you advice than help you get a job. Here you want to know about industries, companies or people you should talk to who can help you focus your efforts. An easy, painless way to get going with this is to go to the regularly held networking meetings that are advertised in your local paper.

Now, if you are unemployed,  plan on calling 25 people and having 3-5 face-to-face meetings per week. This is where discipline comes in, but after you have done this a couple of times, it becomes easier. Ask each person who else you should talk to and add them to your database.

In short, your job search plan should include the 3 major ways to contact an employer: job boards, recruiters and networking. Recognizing the different effectiveness rates of each in securing a new position, make sure you put a heavy emphasis on your networking efforts. Remember that although there are far fewer jobs open then last year, you only need one. Follow these steps and you will slash your job search time considerably.

My writing philosophy has always been that a resume has to tell a compelling story and be easy to read.  To be effective, a resume has to have a compelling value proposition that answers the big “Why should I hire you?” question.  Having established a theme indicating the skills and experience you offer, the theme should be continued throughout the resume to establish a personal branding statement.  This means that you need to showcase skills and accomplishments, and for people with over 7-10 years of experience, this generally leads to a 2-page resume.

Now recruiters love 1-page resumes but they have a different motive.  They have open job orders to be filled and can call a client and say, “I have a great candidate for you”.  Their interest is to drive towards the interview so they only want to whet their appetite with a short synopsis of who you are.  This works because they can call decision makers, but it will not work the same for you.

In short, you should focus on the content of your resume and not be burdened by the notion that your resume needs to be 1 page.

You should always start an executive resume with a compelling opening.  Not an Objective, this is more of a Professional Profile and is considered your core value proposition, designed to answer the key question, “Why should I hire you”.  In this section, forget the fluffy statements that say “An able leader with good communication skills” as this is your personal branding statement that distinguishes you from every one else, so it has to have substance.

A good trick is to start by writing down the 3-5 things an employer wants for someone in the role you are seeking. Let’s take sales as an example.  The key metrics for sales are exceeding sales quotas, increasing the customer base, and building a high-powered sales team.  So start by telling them what they want to hear:  Start with “Over 15 years of success in setting new sales records, growing market share and turning mediocre performers into sales superstars” – Do you think that will get you noticed?  

More on this in the next post.

Next post your resume on the job boards. Note that the job boards are not the most effective way to get a job with most of them having an effectiveness rate of less than 3%. Nonetheless, they should be a part of your strategy. Put your resume on the large job boards and be sure to find the job boards that are specific to your profession as many employers are skipping the expensive giants and focusing their search. You can find a lot of niche job boards by going to our Career Resources link.

To post your resume, you’ll need an electronic (or ASCII) version of your resume. You can do this by opening your resume in MS Word, hitting File-Save As and choosing Text Only. This will create a .txt version of your resume. Close the file, reopen it and edit out any stray characters left over from your bullets and other graphics characters. This file will now cut and paste into web sites and e-mails and automatically format itself. When you post to the job boards, remember to setup search agents that automatically tell you about a new job posting. This will let you be one of the first ones to apply.

Next find the advertised positions that meet your criteria. You can do this by surfing the job boards, checking the papers and looking at company web sites. Don’t forget to look at trade publications as less people respond to those ads meaning you’re up against less competition. As much as possible, try to find the name of the hiring manager and address your correspondence directly to them.

Now revise your cover letter to fit the ad. Remember that an employer will look at your cover letter for 3-7 seconds, so keep it brief and easy to read using white space and bullets. Do not try to repeat what is already in your resume. Instead, tell them how you meet the criteria they mentioned in their advertisement. Then proofread the cover letter as any mistakes will eliminate you.

Print your resume and cover letter on matching stationery, either a white or buff colored 24 lb. paper. Stay away from the fancy colors. If you have the extra money, a 100% cotton watermarked paper is impressive, but not really necessary. Look at the copies to make sure they are neatly printed. Buy matching 9 x 12 envelopes as they will stand out more and your good-looking resume won’t have to be folded. If you can print labels, buy the clear kind as they look almost as if they were typed on the envelope.

Next, we will make sure that you are noticed because we will be e-mailing and sending your resume and following up with a phone call. Yes, this is aggressive and if you do it correctly, you will definitely be noticed. Follow the instructions in the ad first, so if they say e-mail the resume then do that first. Otherwise send the paper copies first and send the e-mail 2 days later, mentioning that the e-mail is a follow-up to your mailed resume. Remember to mark in your Job Search Log the date you e-mailed/mailed them.

Finally, prepare to call the employer no later than 3 days after your resume has arrived. This is critical as most people don’t do this. Most importantly, develop a phone script to use. If you just say, “I’m calling to see if you got my resume”, then you’ve blown it. Instead show that you know something about the company and state that you’d really like to know more about the job. Then ask one or two great questions that demonstrate your knowledge and insights. For example, if you are going for a sales position, ask, “I know your company is growing, is this position for a new territory or an existing one?” If they say it’s a new territory, casually mention how you opened a new territory before and delivered 120% of sales targets. As much as possible try to build a rapport with the person you’re speaking with, as employers hire people they like. Key tip: watch your energy level and intonation as they are the most important factors that define how you will come across. Be friendly, professional and conversational. End by asking if you may call them again next week to see how the selection process is progressing.

Remember that most people don’t follow these steps and if you do, your resume will rise to the top of the stack!

Consider too that approximately 87% of the open jobs are not even advertised! The first thing that a company does when it has an open position is ask their employees if they know anyone, internally or externally, who can fill the job. Employers would much rather have a referral from someone they know than go out to the open market and hire a stranger. Many companies even offer fairly large referral bonuses if an employee’s recommendation is hired.

Typically, companies will post a position internally for 30 days before looking to the outside. All this means is that by the time you see the job, if they even advertise it, they are already interviewing recommended internal and outside candidates. This doesn’t produce very good odds for getting a job through advertised positions on the web or in the paper.

So how do you get to the 87% of those open jobs that are not advertised. There are 3 ways: networking, headhunters and direct contact.

Networking is still the best way to get a job with an effectiveness rate up to 64%. Hiring managers love people who are recommended to them since it lowers the risk of the person not working out on the job. Aggressive networking is the key here. For everyone you call in your inner network, you should try to get 2-3 names of additional people you can call. Go to trade shows, join associations and attend their meetings. Make sure you know your “elevator pitch” – the 30-second statement about yourself that you would make to Bill Gates if you were with him on an elevator.

Headhunters are a favorite for many people and this route has an effectiveness rate of 3-28% depending on the level of position you are seeking. The higher up in the organization you are, the better the chances that a company will be willing to pay a fee to find you. The average headhunter fee is 20% which translates to a $10,000 fee for every $50,000 of salary. So if you are a staff professional, you might wonder if a company is willing to pay $10,000 to get you, especially if they can get hundreds of resumes through a simple ad. Some resume writing professionals can e-mail your resume to a quality list of headhunters that fit your criteria for as little as $97, and this could be well worth it.

Finally, consider the direct contact method. This is where you conduct a direct mail campaign to targeted hiring managers in companies you have identified. A properly prepared campaign can find the unadvertised jobs and has an effectiveness rate as high as 50% depending on exactly how you do it. For example, sending an unsolicited resume and cover letter has a 2-8% effectiveness rate while better developed programs provide an effectiveness rate over 40%. First, you need to make sure your resume is great. These programs are probably best handled in collaboration with a professional firm that has the database and the expertise to put the right letters and resume together for you. Note that these programs do not have to cost the thousands charged by some of the firms out there. Do your shopping carefully and you can find a cost effective program that has the highest rate of success.

Even though today’s job market is tight, companies are hiring. Follow the steps outlined to develop an aggressive and focused job search, and you can be in your dream job.