How to answer the "Why You?" Question

by Rob McGovern

Recently I interviewed "Bob" for a job at Jobfox. His first response told me he doesn't "get" the new normal job market. I asked him why we should choose him for the job, and he answered, "Because this position would give me an opportunity to learn a new skill set, as well as work for an exciting high-growth company."

Huh?

We should pick you so you can learn and do exciting things? Did someone give you the idea that we were a benevolent university that paid people to learn and have fun? Virtually every corporation's charter states that the company exists to make profits for its owners. The fact that people have fun and learn things is extraneous in this job market.

The mistake this job seeker made was employing a 2007 job seeker's attitude. Back then it really was all about the job seekers, and employers pitched you on why you should join an organization. Now, it's reversed. Your objective is to convince the employer that you can help them achieve their business goals.

Bob would have been much better served by responding to the "Why you?" question with, "I think I'm the best qualified person to come in and solve your Web analytics problem. Not only do I have three years experience using your chosen Web tool but I'm also willing to work long hours and to commit myself to this position." With this response Bob would have positioned himself as the answer to the problem the employer was trying to solve.

This change of tone and approach should permeate every communication you have with a potential employer. For example, the objective statement in your resume should talk about what you can do for the company, not what you want for yourself. The same goes for your cover letter, follow-up letters, and phone calls. When the hiring manager is interviewing you for a position, he or she needs to feel like they can just plug you into the departing person's desk and the problem will be solved.

I hope you find this information helpful as you tune your job search.

Why You Should Work Weekends and Holidays

Career Tip of the Week

In any job, it is extremely important that you deliver far more than what is expected of you. When you have been given certain responsibilities, it means that someone is dependent on you for certain things. When you fulfill these duties far more efficiently, put in a lot more time and effort, and even stay back on weekends and holidays to complete the tasks, your employers get the message that you are sharing their burden of pressures with them and begin to place tremendous trust in you. This is what ultimately paves the path to your promotion and growth in the company.

The Top 10 Deadly Resume Sins

One of the hard truths about job searching is that resumes, not people, get chosen to be interviewed. In a perfect world every candidate would get an in-person opportunity to pitch themselves for a job. However, in reality, it's the resume that has to do all the work. The process is simple. A hiring manager is handed a large stack of resumes of which they will pick only 4-5 for interviews.

In other words, it's up to your resume to get you noticed. 

These are things they see day in and day out that destroys the chances of an otherwise qualified candidate.

I thought you might like to hear about these flaws, so you can avoid making them.


The Top 10 Deadly Resume Sins

1. Improperly formatted name and contact information. Corporate resume processing systems cannot process or "read" resumes with improperly formatted contact information. Without contact information your resume is pretty much DOA (dead on arrival). The use of these systems continues to grow exponentially, making proper formatting even more important for job seekers.
2. A missing or poorly worded Career Summary section. This section is a chance to catch a hiring manager's eye, and has become an essential part of modern resumes.
3. Lack of clarity and readability. Hiring managers don't read every resume they receive. Instead they spend about 3-5 seconds scanning a resume to determine whether it deserves to be read. This practice is being used more than ever with hiring managers receiving 300+ resumes per a position. If your resume isn't "scanable" then it won't get read.
4. Using a common or over-used template. Many job seekers use resume templates they find on the Internet or through their word processor. The problem with this is monotony. There's a good chance you'll look like every other resume in the pile.
5. Inflating skills and experience. It's one thing to market yourself, and another to stretch the truth beyond belief. Employers know humans aren't perfect, and they appreciate a resume that gives an honest portrayal of an applicant.
6. Missing industry and profession-specific terminology. Many companies use sophisticated resume database systems that require keyword searches to find resumes. If the right keywords aren't on your resume, then hiring managers won't be able to find you in their database. This same issue often occurs with the popular resume databases on the Internet (e.g. Monster).
7. Including clichés. Including phrases like "duties as assigned" and "responsible for" makes you sound lazy and unimaginative. The hiring manager will think you didn't care enough to spell out your actual experiences.
8. Too many or too few bullets. Bullets can help hiring managers rapidly scan and digest a resume. No one wants to read a block of text. However, it is also important not to overuse bullets otherwise they are less impactful. Remember, everything in moderation.
9. Highlighting duties instead of achievements. Employers aren't very interested in hearing about your previous duties. They want to know what you've achieved and how you'll help them achieve their goals.
10. Poor grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Proper grammar and sentence structure is becoming a lost art in our society. Everyday we're amazed at the common mistakes we see on the resumes of very accomplished professionals. These mistakes are often fatal as very few HR professionals select resumes containing errors.

I hope you've found these tips helpful.

Referrals Can Change Your Employment Situation

Career Tip of the Week

When you start on a job search, the most important tool you can equip yourself with is referrals from influential people. During the interview process they ensure that you are trusted more and salary negotiations are favorable. Even after getting a job, chances of promotions and raises are higher if you’ve come armed with strong referrals.

There are several powerful job search tools such as websites, mass mailings, and talented recruiters, but there is nothing more powerful and effective than a recommendation from a person of influence. You need to nurture such connections because they could change your life and your employment situation in an instant. Never burn any bridges.

Employment and Your Credit Score

Image by Casey Serin via Flickr

 By Mike O'Brien

I was floored when I read a recent article by Lisa Pulliam Weston who writes for MSN Money and The Los Angeles Times.

She writes, "Many employers -- including the federal government -- routinely scour credit reports on current and prospective employees to help decide who's hired or fired."

Companies and the federal government routinely check credit but this recent downturn in the economy has made maintaining a positive credit score more difficult. The Society for Human Resource Management reports 35% of companies pulled credit on current or potential employees last year, up from 19% in 1996.

Most people think their credit will not be a problem, however, credit files can contain correctable errors.  Employers are looking for severe marks on your credit history and will generally overlook a few late payments.

Not knowing what is on your credit file is a gamble you should not take. There are many steps you can take to improve your credit and remove items that are old or not accurate.  It all starts with knowing what your credit looks like. Mrs. Pulliam suggests checking your credit a few times a year. Follow this link for a free credit check: http://www.climber.com/url/kTZ4S37401365


Cheers,
Mike

Is more education a possible solution?

By Rob McGovern

As the recession continues, many job seekers are struggling to come up with a "Plan B." Many people have been contacting me about whether to go back to school, either for new skills training or for an additional degree.

In this email I'll attempt to answer the flood of questions I've received on this topic. As you know, continuing education is costly from both a financial and time standpoint. To make matters worse, it's not a sure bet. Meaning, you could devote six months to a particular set of courses, only to find that it did little to improve your marketability.

What's the solution?

Over the years I've seen people make many good "bets," using additional education as a way to transition to a better place in the economy. Here are the situations where I've seen it work best:

• Transitioning out of an out-of-favor profession.
  
  One of the cruel aspects of a deep recession is that it exposes the inherent weaknesses of the economy. There are a large number of automobile industry people learning that lesson today. If you're in a profession that is being permanently impacted by this downturn, it might be wise to consider more education as a way to transition to a better place. For example, if you are a print journalist in the newspaper or magazine industries, which are being hammered in this recession, this might be the time to take courses in online journalism or online advertising.
• Reinventing yourself.
  
  There are a remarkable number of industries where there are still huge shortages of people. In many cases, the cost of entry is a degree or certification, and many job seekers are deciding to bite the bullet and reinvent themselves. At Jobfox we continue to hear about people shortages in professions such as Software Development, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Web Design, Alternative Energy, Online Advertising, and Government. While going back to college is an option, in many cases you can find accelerated courses at specialized institutions designed to help professionals make transitions. I think you'd be surprised to know the number of education options that are available in most major metro areas.
• Demonstrating commitment to future employers.
  
  When this recession finally ends, many job seekers will face the challenge of explaining what they were doing during their extended period of unemployment. The ability to tell an employer that you were acquiring new skills and education would send a very positive message in an interview. This is particularly important for the youngest of professionals, many of whom haven't found jobs after college. You don't want to leave an employer with the impression that you were just "hanging out" during this period.

I hope you find this information helpful in your job search.

How to prepare for interviewing candidates

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How to prepare for interviewing candidates

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In-Person Seminar: Build Your Marketing Machine

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to grow your business and get new clients, you’ll need a strategy and a marketing plan. Join us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn which are the most effective, and least expensive, marketing tools for freelancers.
When: Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: Empire Building, 15 Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $30 Freelancers Union members, $40 non-members

Special Offer: All seminar attendees have the opportunity to purchase the print version of the 2010 Marketing Plan + Calendar at the discounted rate of $20. If you are interested, when registering select the price that includes the calendar.

Register online now

Communicate relevantly with people

Career Tip of the Week

One of the biggest secrets behind successful marketing is communicating relevantly with people. The more the relevance in communication, the more people are willing to respond. Going the traditional way to communicate does not always work. Understanding your audience's needs is of prime importance and it works wonders connecting with them in a personal way. You need to bridge the gap that exists and reach out in the most genuine manner. People need to trust your interest in their well being and only when this happens, will serious communication take place.

Why January is the Perfect Time to Look for a New Position

Most employers set their new budgets in January of each year. Come January they have fresh budgets that they can use to pay new salaries and bring in new people.

There is typically a lot of "pent up demand" once these new budgets are passed and hiring organizations are eager to bring people in and do so quickly once they have the funds to do so. After months of not having authorization, or funds to pay new salaries, employers can now hire people to fill vacant positions in all sorts of departments.

There are also some other less pleasant reasons why January is a busy hiring month:

• Most employers have reviews towards the end of the year where they ask certain people to leave that they plan on replacing with "fresh talent". There are some major Fortune 500 organizations out there that even annually fire any employee who has been reviewed in the "bottom 10%" of employees more than two years in a row.
• Hiring organizations also know that many people are likely to leave each year after bonuses are awarded (or not rewarded) in December or early January and plan their hiring accordingly.

All of these things "converge" as it were to make January a very active hiring month for employers.

Be a Spartan and Not an Athenian in Your Job Search

Career Tip of the Week

In your job search, you need to be more of a Spartan than an Athenian. While Spartans in ancient Greece focused on discipline, self-denial, and simplicity, Athenians leaned towards culture, intellectualism, and debate. Today we have an Athenian tendency to put ourselves in a comfort zone and spend more time complaining than appreciating the value of our work. This needs to change. In your job and job search, you need to be a Spartan. You need not quit the job if you are unhappy with the work conditions or you do not like your boss. Instead, you need to make it work. You need to only accept victory.

CreativeConnects Happy Hour

Join us for CreativeConnects, a free social event hosted by The BOSS Group for creative, marketing and interactive professionals. Come network with colleagues, meet new people, keep up with industry news and get leads on jobs and business opportunities.

No formal program, no RSVP required, lite bites courtesy of The BOSS Group.

Where
The Shannon Rose Irish Pub
(see below for directions)

The 7 deadly sins of résumé design

So you’ve labored with sweat and tears writing your résumé, and now you’re all set to turn it into a magnificently designed creation. Unfortunately, with the freedom of modern computers and fancy software, comes huge opportunities for abuse. When it comes to résumés, both non-designers and professional designers commit some almost unforgivable sins. Here are the 7 deadly sins of résumé design and how to repent: