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Overcoming the Fear



Published in May 18th, 2010
Posted by in Uncategorized
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A lot of times great opportunities are missed because of fear. It can be the fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of lack of experience or many other kinds of fear. Sometimes you just keep putting off your job search for next month, for next week, for tomorrow, because you are afraid that something will go wrong – that you might not be able to find a job at all, or find one that will not be good enough. Sometimes you might even turn down interview invitations because you feel like you don’t have enough knowledge for the position. Well, let me tell you this – if you have been invited to an interview – the potential employers already are giving you a chance. The worst that can happen is your experience and the position won’t be a good match and you will move on in your job search. The best that can happen is you will get that job and love it. So really – you have nothing to lose, just have to go for it and give it your best. Even simply for the sake of polishing your interview skills.

Another kind of fear is when you are not even sending your resume to apply for your dream position, because they wrote this one skill in the list of the  requirements that you don’t have. For instance, you are applying for a  graphic design position and one of the required skills that you do not posses  is Dreamweaver. Apply and start learning Dreamwever! Chances are if they see a great fit with your other skills, they will train you to use Dreamweaver or pay for a class.

A very important step in overcoming the fear is believing in yourself. If you don’t think you will get that job, it will be really hard to convince your potential employer of the opposite. The truth is, you have all the tools you need to get any job you want. It just might take some time to learn couple of new skills or technologies. It is also very useful to have an idea of which direction you want to move towards in your career. This way you can plan ahead and start getting your education aligned with your career goals. It also helps a lot to find people who already are doing similar things to what you want to be doing and talk to them.

Here are a few questions you might ask someone who is working your dream job:

  1. What education do you think is necessary to work in a position similar to yours?
  2. What do you like the most about your job?
  3. What about your job you do not enjoy so much?
  4. What professional networks or groups are you a part of that have helped you one way or another?
  5. How did you get started in this field?
  6. What would you do differently to get where you are sooner?
  7. What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to be in an occupation like yours?

These questions should help you define the way to your dream job.

There is no reason to be afraid – take your chances, believe in yourself, know what you want and what you don’t want from your career and network. In no time you will find yourself doing what you love and getting paid for it.

Most Common Interview Questions



Published in December 15th, 2008
Posted by in Interview, The System
2 Comments

So you did it! The fish bit the bait. You scored an interview. Now what?.. Research, research, and research is what you do now. Find out all the little details about the company you are interviewing at and about the people who are interviewing you. First, it would be nice to find out their names, of course. The easiest way to do it is to ask the HR contact for the interview schedule.

Information gathering is an extremely important part of the job hunt. It gives you those extra points that make you stand out in the competition. A friend of mine discovered that one of his interviewers was a big fan of “mud and bike” triathlone. The friend cleverly used that info during the interview by “accidentally” mentioning something about “mud and bike”ing during the “Tell me about yourself” question, which lead to an exciting discussion of this wonderful sport. The interviewer got so excited that someone actually knew more than the name of it that he hired my friend. Of course, it wasn’t just this detail, but it definitely helped.

After you find all the info you can about the company and the interviewers it is time to study those common interview questions. There are a lot of great resources online that list the questions and the “correct” answers. I will provide a list at the end of this post.

As you are thinking about the interview questions and how to answer them, remember that each question is an opportunity to advertize your strengths to the employer. Think about what they want to hear about a potential employee and what is it that they are looking for.  Here is how a few common question would be translated to the “advertizing yourself” language:

  • “Tell me about yourself” = “Tell me something about yourself that is applicable to the job you are applying for and would make me want to hire you”.
  • “Why did you leave your last job” = “Is there a reason for us not to hire you?”
  • “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” = “Are you in for a while or just checking us out?”
  • “How would a friend describe you” = “Tell me something about yourself that will make me want to hire you”.

Well, you get the point. When answering questions put yourself into interviewer’s shoes and try to guess what they would want to hear. Of course, lying would not be a good idea, so you need to learn to use your past experiences to demonstrate your strengths.

Here are a few good articles with common interview questions:

23 questions

HotJobs Interview Questions

QuintCareers Questions

Interview Questions

Job Interview Questions

64 Interview Questions

Most Common Email Mistakes



Published in August 12th, 2008
Posted by in Emails
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When writing thank you emails, follow up emails, or any other professional emails, people tend to make a lot of mistakes. Some are obvious, others – not so much. It is crucial to avoid these mistakes, especially, during the evaluation process.

I found a great article on careerbuilder describing the most common email mistakes:



“Top 10 E-mail Mistakes

Robert Half International


If you’re like most professionals, you use e-mail in the office on a regular basis. Because of its immediacy and relative lack of intrusiveness, it’s the communication method of choice for many workers, including, chances are, your boss. According to a Robert Half International survey, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of executives polled prefer e-mail over other forms of communication.

While hitting “send” may be an effective way to get your ideas across, doing so too quickly or without a lot of thought can send the wrong message. Here are 10 common e-mail mistakes and tips for avoiding them:

1. A vague subject line.

The subject line not only lets the person receiving the message know what it’s about but also provides him or her with a reason to read it. Some people — and your boss is probably one of them — get hundreds of e-mails each day and may not have the time to open each of them. The subject line acts as the window into the message and can also indicate its urgency, so be specific with what you write there.

2. No sign-off.

A weak signature is almost as bad as a weak handshake: Both convey a lack of professionalism. A signature at the end of your e-mail should include your e-mail address, physical work address and phone number. Including these details gives recipients multiple means of contacting you. This information is especially important for people to whom your e-mail might be forwarded or individuals either outside the company or in another office.

3. “Im writing re: the meeting @ 3.”

Many people take a casual approach when using e-mail. But what you write is a reflection of your professional self, so take the time to craft complete sentences, use proper grammar and check your spelling. And don’t depend solely on your computer’s spell-check function, which won’t find misused words; review your e-mail carefully before sending it.

4. Going on and on and on.

This strategy might work for the Energizer Bunny, but your goal when crafting a message should be to keep it short. You don’t want to write the e-mail equivalent of a novel, so get to the point as quickly as possible, using both short sentences and paragraphs. At the same time, you don’t want to write too brief of a message, which could make you appear curt.

5. SHOUTING IT OUT.

Some people like the ease of typing in all capital letters. What they may not realize is this is the online equivalent of shouting, so avoid the temptation of using the caps lock button.

6. Striking the wrong note.

Unfortunately, it’s easy for tone to be lost with the written word, especially in shorter messages. An attempt at humor, for instance, may be read as something offensive or inappropriate. If you’re not sure how something you wrote will be interpreted, err on the side of caution and leave it out.

7. Weighing others down.

If your e-mail inbox is continually clogged, you know how frustrating it can be to receive large attachments, especially when you don’t want them. And, according to a survey we developed, executives agreed, ranking the receipt of large, unsolicited files as the most annoying aspect of communicating via e-mail. Limit the distribution of massive files to people who absolutely need them.

8. Sending to the wrong box.

Before you send a message, always double-check the list of recipients. Many e-mail programs automatically fill in information you’ve previously typed, such as the e-mail addresses of frequent contacts. If you have multiple people in your address book with similar names, you could mistakenly choose the wrong person and send him or her a message intended for someone else.

9. Mixing business and pleasure.

When the information is confidential or sensitive, this move could limit your career. Any time you use your work e-mail account, the message should be business-related. After all, you are using your firm’s resources, and the company has the right to monitor your communication. Get to know your organization’s e-mail policy, and have your friends send non-work-related e-mail to your personal account, which you can check at home.

10. Over e-mailing.

Do you find yourself typing a long message in order to avoid confusion on the recipient’s part? Do you hesitate to click Send because you think your contact might forward your message to someone who shouldn’t see it? E-mail is best suited for quick communication, and, in situations like these, it’s wise to call your colleague or speak to him or her in person instead.

With e-mail correspondence becoming increasingly important in the workplace, you can only benefit from learning how to craft an effective message. So keep the above tips in mind the next time you sit down at the keyboard.”

Cover Letter



Published in August 5th, 2008
Posted by in Cover Letter
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Most employers want to see a cover letter when you apply for a job opening. It will be the first thing they see – usually even before they see the resume. Some will not even bother to open up your resume if they do not like your cover letter. It is very important to make the employer interested enough to want to learn more about you.

How can you catch someone’s attention in 10-15 seconds? The most common mistake people make when writing a cover letter is assuming that the other party is already interested in them. However, they are not. And the sole purpose of the cover letter is to make them interested in you.

So how in the world do you sell yourself in fifteen seconds or less? Very simple – you tell them what they want to hear from an ideal candidate for the opportunity offered. Focus on their needs, on how you can match and exceed their expectations, give them examples from your experience that show that you have succeeded in the tasks required for the job.

At the same time, your cover letter needs to be straight to the point and brief enough not to get boring. Two – three paragraphs should be enough. Think of it as an ad that describes a “product” (you) to the “consumer” (employer). In order for the consumer to buy the product, it has to precisely match their needs. Notice, how in any commercial on TV they talk about the benefits of the product that would appeal to the consumer. For instance, in a moisturizer ad there usually is a young girl with flawless skin – visually describing a benefit that you, as a consumer, would gain – beautiful skin like hers. Think, how your skills and experience could match the employer’s needs. Think, how you could summarize your knowledge in a paragraph that will “sell” you to the potential employer in an instance.

Here are a few questions to answer when writing a cover letter:

  • What “benefits” you can offer that match the requirements (a.k.a. “needs”) mentioned in the position description?
  • What is it about your experience that is different from any other applicant’s experience?
  • How would your personality match the work environment of the company you are applying to?
  • Are you excited about becoming a part of the team? Let the employer know that you are excited about the possibility of joining the company and that you have something to add to the team.
  • What about the company appeals the most to you? (Here is your chance to show that you did your homework and researched the organization you might join.)
  • And, of course, what would be the best way to reach you.

Here is a good article with general guidelines for writing a good cover letter: www.myfuture.com .

You can find some cover letter samples here.

Resume – What Matters



Published in July 30th, 2008
Posted by in Resume
1 Comment

The only reason you need a resume is to sell yourself to the potential employer in 20 seconds or less. As an ex-hiring manager, I can tell you that on average only 1 out of 50 resumes got a follow up from me. And it was considered to be a high (!) rate. Let me tell you, a well written resume is worth a lot. Especially a well written objective and summary section. Because some hiring managers don’t bother reading the rest!

Objective

There is a catch phrase in any advertisement you see on TV – “always Coca-Cola”, “Can you hear me now?”, “Easy, breathy, beautiful – CoverGirl”, for example. Your objective is the equivalent of that. Ideally, after reading your objective, the potential employer will be “sold” – will want to know more about you and will like you already. When writing your objective, think of it this way – why will I be the ultimate perfect fit for the position I am applying for? Then put down your answer in one sentence. This also means, that your objective should be different for every single position you are applying for, based on the information in the job ad you find.

It is important to figure out what matters most for the potential employer. Who cares that you want “a position in a fast paced start up company with an ability to grow”? Maybe you do. But your potential employer doesn’t, because this means nothing for them. It does not tell them why you would be a good fit for the opportunity provided, or why they should even read on. If you were applying to a startup company looking for a user experience engineer with XHTML and Java skills, for instance, your objective would look way more appealing if it was more like this:

“A user experience engineer position that effectively utilizes XHTML, Web 3.0, and Javascript knowledge to improve user experience from frontend website design to backend code”.

Of course, I have no idea how exactly user experience engineers improve backend code, but you get the idea. Your objective needs to show something that you have to offer that the potential employer is looking for.

Summary

Oh yes, there needs to be a summary section. This section is like the rest of the content of a TV ad – it makes you want to find out more about the product – or even go buy it. So is your summary section – it is your marketing message for the potential employer that further explains why they just won’t find anyone better than you for a given position.

I used to look for so-called “power words” or “action words” in the resumes I received. It would be good to use a few of those in the summary section.  Here are a few questions to help you with writing a successful summary session:

  • What is my profession?
  • What is it about my experience that nobody else has?
  • Why am I particularly interested in this position? What makes me a good candidate?
  • What are my most significant accomplishments that I am proud of?
  • Which of my skills would matter the most to the potential employer?

Here are a few examples.

Evidence (employment history, education, certifications)

In this section you need to build your case – present the evidence that you are what you claim to be. When describing your job experience, use bullet points, and in every bullet point, answer the following three questions:

  • What did I do?
  • How did I do it?
  • Why is it worth mentioning?

For example, if you were working on developing a customer support system you could say something like

“Developed and maintained a customer support system using Salesforce CRM, Atlassian Jira, and an ACME Ticket tracking solution, that lead to 20% improvement in customer satisfaction based on user sample surveys”

This way you explain what you did, how you did it and why it matters. Yes, using exact numbers looks good. It means you had measurable success.

No need to go into too much detail when describing your education, unless you are a recent college graduate. SImply make sure that the information is there if anyone looks for it.

There are some general rules and guidelines for writing resumes. Here are a few good articles to check out:

http://www.howtowritearesume.net/blog/topics/writingtips.aspx

http://www.solveyourproblem.com/resume-writing/free_resume_writing_tips_and_samples.shtml

http://www.resumagic.com/resumes.html

http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html

Job Hunt – the Masterplan



Published in July 29th, 2008
Posted by in The System
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Just as you need different types of traps for catching mustangs, bears, and fish, you will need different strategies for hunting for an engineer opening, a psychologist assistant position, or a nurse internship. There are, however, a few steps that are the same, no matter which forrest you are hunting in. Let’s start with those.

1. Just as in any other kind of hunt, the first thing you need to do when starting a job hunt is to decide what exactly it is that you are trying to catch. It is very important to have a good idea for the kind of job you want. It will be your foundation for the whole job search process – start to finish.

Here are a few questions to help you figure out what you will be hunting for:

  • Am I happy in my current career field?
  • What kind of activities do I enjoy doing the most in my daily life? What do I strongly dislike?
  • What do I imagine my day to be like 3 years from now?
  • Do I enjoy working in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere or corporate environment?
  • What do I want my job responsibilities to be with my next employer?

A good idea might be to take a few career assessment tests. Such as Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality indicator, Career Quiz on monster.com.

2. When you know what kind of prey… khm… job you will be hunting for, it’s time to prepare your “equipment”. You will need a few key items to succeed in capturing your perfect job:

  • A resume that makes you look better than the competition
  • A cover letter that captures the recruiter’s attention and makes them want to know more about you
  • References from your colleagues and/or school professors
  • A valid email address and a phone number where you will actually pick up the phone
  • A network of people (!!!) who could potentially help you in your endeavors
  • and a decent looking set of clothes to wear at the interviews

We will talk about each of the above in more detail.

3. After you prepare your “traps”, you need to decide, where you will be hunting and what will be the best way to use your equipment to get that job. There are a few strategies that could be used simultaneously or sequentially during the hunt:

  • Networking – applying for jobs through the people you know, getting references, using professional networks such as linkedin.com and plaxo.com
  • Posting your resume and cover letter on job search sites such as hotjobs.com, craigslist.org, monster.com, and others
  • Contacting employers directly by sending letter to human resources, calling, or walking in to drop off your resume
  • Using staffing agencies and recruiters to help you in your pursuit
  • Submitting your resume to potential employers through job search sites

4. After you decided on the hunt strategy and actually went out to the woods… khm… job sites, you will get closer to your “prey” – the potential employers will start getting back to you by phone and email. You will go through phone screens, preliminary interviews, and full on evaluation processes. It is very important to show your best during this stage. Interviews is where you figure out whether or not the job will be right for you – and where the employer figures out whether you will be right for the job.

5. And finally – you catch that deer – you get an offer of employment letter. You think this is where it ends?.. Nope! This is where my favorite part begins. The negotiation game. A lot of people are so psyched that they got their mustang, that they forget to feed it, tame it, and build it a nice stall.  In the job search terms – people forget to make sure they actually like the whole benefit package.

It is not over when you get an offer! You need to compromise on the terms so that both you, and the employer are happy!

I will be talking more about each of the tasks above in detail in the coming posts.

About Job Hunt Guru



Published in July 25th, 2008
Posted by in The System
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I love looking for jobs! If I could only make it my full time job – it would be awesome…

I’ve had about 10-15 jobs by the age of 25. I used recruiters, staffing agencies, the Internet, networking, and any other resource you can think of in my job searches. It’s not that I was not always happy where I was. I just enjoy the process so much that I kept looking even after signing a good offer. I have shared the knowledge I gained over time with my friends and family. I think now would be a good time for me to share this knowledge with the world. Otherwise, more people will keep becoming homeless and dying of hunger, because they don’t know what I know now.

I will describe a simple system I use for finding (and getting) the job I want, whenever I want, and wherever I want it. I will post tips and tricks I discovered in this blog for everyone to use in their job discovery process.

Feedback is always welcome – email me, leave comments to the posts, and IM me – jobhuntguru in GTalk.