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Report on Tips for Job Seekers

Six years ago we started a mission to become the premier Executive Search Firm in the Direct Marketing, Call Center (Customer Care and Collections), BPO and CRM/E-CRM industries.

Our team has been fortunate to have been able to assemble some of the best and brightest recruitment staff in the industry. When writing this report two things came to mind:

Engage our recruiters to write and provide personal comments
Provide information that we feel would be compelling for the job seeker in 2004/2005

Information contained in this report is commentary and based on personal opinion. All of us have different ideas and suggestions that are proven to work and I encourage you to evaluate, compare and digest the ideas included in this report as well as other ideas you have heard that are not included.

Our goal is raise the level of understanding in the industry and to provide an exchange of thoughts, while continuing to grow the talent pool in the industry. Every company is looking for their next superstar or successful employee addition. Jobs are available for talent in industry. How well you sell, market and drive your value proposition to the perspective employer will determine your next career endeavor.

I encourage an exchange of ideas after review of the report and suggest that you visit our web site at www.justcareers.com for additional white papers and materials that are offered. These can be found on our home page under “white papers/press releases”

Sincerely,

Chad McDaniel

President

M.E.R. Inc.

Resume Essentials: (Bill Gaffney – MER Senior Executive Recruiter)

There are many thoughts and ideas on resume writing. What I will tell you is I have spent over 14 years in executive recruiting and executive coaching gaining a pretty good feel for what hiring managers get excited about and it is not how fancy you can make your resume look unless you are in advertising or a creative writing (PR) field.

I have had my suggestions that I have given for over twelve years independently reaffirmed by an article in a top business magazine, in which they quoted some of the top retained search firms and two other well respected recruiters, who have written top selling books on the subject.

Hiring managers are looking for what you do professionally and what you have accomplished, not your hobbies, nor your social organizations or how many children you have. Ask yourself, “Are these things really applicable to my job?”

Hiring managers are looking for the best person to fill a position, not an objective of what you would like to do or a generic objective that takes a paragraph to say nothing.

Resumes only get you an interview; they don’t come close to getting you hired, typically. Keep this in mind when writing one. You have 30 seconds to capture the reader’s attention.

Stay away from fancy graphics, unusual fonts, vertical columns, too much center justification, putting your name and other contact information in a header, etc. All of these things make them hard to convert into RTF (which most databases store resumes in).

As a test convert your document into RTF and see how it looks.

Don’t put your picture on your resume

Don’t include references available on request. Everyone already knows you will be happy to give him or her references.

Complete your resume in a Word (or a nice RTF) format. More than 90% of computer users use Word.

Stay away from PDF and other much less used formats.

The resume needs to reflect who you are, your style, etc. Stay away from having someone else write it.

Finally, the biggest no no, nothing over two pages! Remember you only have 30 seconds to grab their attention. They want to know what you do, not your life story.

Resume Essentials: (Carolyn Welsh – MER Executive Recruiter)

I always recommend my candidates include facts, figures, revenues generated and specific industry strengths in their resume including such words as wireless, telecommunications, insurance, collections etc.

It is important for the candidate to ensure all information is accurate and comprehensive. I need to know months of employment in their various roles otherwise I have to ask about gaps of employment. I need to ask (in advance of my client asking me, as the Executive Recruiter what I know about it) so why not ensure it is captured in the initial document to start with.

It is important for candidates to understand the value of utilizing the services of a third party recruiter with our insight into client needs, interviewing processes as well as business culture. Blanketing the market with unsolicited resumes can actually preclude a candidate’s opportunity to work with a third party recruiter’s client (resume is already on file with the client) and access that insight. Although there is no cost to the candidate for offering employment opportunities, an employer might prefer to avoid a recruitment fee if possible.

Key words searches within the “virtual recruitment” world can’t pick up talent unless they market their expertise within their resume.

Working with 3^rd Party Search Firms: (Bill Gaffney – MER Senior Executive Recruiter)

Following are some of my thoughts and tips about recruiters.

A good recruiter understands the value of networking and contacts. They don't want to burn any bridges. They may not be able to directly assist you but you might be a potentially great resource for them. Therefore the good ones will give you some type of "closure" so you don't feel left high and dry. And yes, the above might sound like a self-serving statement (which it partially is), but as you develop that type of relationship with a recruiter my bet is you will get some excellent suggestions and tips. Remember, good or bad, recruiters (especially good ones) know more about job search than any one else because of the amount they do.

Not everyone can be helped by a good recruiter. Good recruiters typically only place about 10% of the candidates they see. Remember that recruiters are paid thousands of $$ by hiring companies to find them the very top talent, the people that are going to make an immediate impact, top 10-20 %. And by numbers not everyone is going to be top 10-20 % talent. So we all need to realistically assess our talent and accomplishments. And I would ask a recruiter as how they assess me compared to other people they see. It is better you know this than to be engaging in wishful thinking about your chances of being placed by a recruiter.

Recruiters, as I mentioned, are paid by corporate clients. As you all are aware the marketplace has shifted. Recruiters are full of candidates and short on job openings. You might otherwise be an excellent candidate for them but they truly don't have anything right now. So take them at their word when they say they will keep their eyes open. They probably mean exactly that, which is saying they don't currently have opportunities that match your background.

You wouldn't go to a financial planner that asked you 2 or 3 questions and then asked for your money. Why would you place hopes in a recruiter that spent 10 minutes or less with you on the telephone? There are only so many minutes in a day which means I can only talk to so many people on the telephone. So I have to maximize my time. And as a salesperson I need to increase the percentage of my "closure" ratio. I can only do that by knowing a candidate, knowing what they want in an opportunity and understanding the chemistry between a candidate and hiring manager (most people are hired based on chemistry). A recruiter can only know and understand all of these things by spending time with both the candidate and hiring authority. An interesting fact is that the majority of candidates hired through recruiters take a lateral move based on several different factors.

If a recruiter only spends a few minutes with you ask them point blank if they are going to submit you on an opening (keep in mind previous bullet), if they are going to market you (again previous bullet) or if they are placing you in their data base? They might be an excellent recruiter but not have anything immediate for you. If so they are only going to do the third and only spend a few minutes with you. Remember they have to prioritize their time but they should be willing to be candid with you about their intentions.

As they have you interviewing follow their directions and requests. They only get paid if you get placed so they will try to do the best job for you to increase their chances of you taking the position. And like it or not they are the professionals in this area.
Finally, if the recruiter hasn't already explained to you how they work and how they follow up you ask them. And try to follow their request. Don't be calling them every two to three days to see if they have anything. The best time to call them is late in the afternoon because the good ones are pretty well planned from 8:30 to 4:00. Also if you want to keep in front of them a little more often than they have requested drop them a brief e-mail. And remember the idea behind that is to keep you in the front of their mind. So tell them in the e-mail you don't need to hear back from them if they don't have anything or ideas for you. They will appreciate your courtesy and you have accomplished your purpose of them thinking about you.

Tips for Job Seekers: (Bill Gaffney - MER Senior Executive Recruiter):

It is no secret that the economy is slow and the job market is not what it was during the hiring craze of the .com 90’s. In those days all you had to do was put your resume out on the web and you would have 3-5 offers within a week. So in today’s market am I ever going to find a job? Yes, but it takes hard work and a little more imagination than was required in the 90’s.

Many job seekers have become discouraged, even depressed over this situation. They are wondering if they will ever find work again. I have been in sales for over 20 years. One of the first things I learned is you are not very effective when you are down or depressed. Also it shows when you are selling from a state of desperation. Remember in job search you are selling yourself.

Here are some practical tips you may not have considered:

Do some volunteer work. This will help you to feel more positive about yourself, feel productive, and get out of yourself. It might well also lead to some great networking contacts.

I once heard a well-known sales trainer and motivational speaker say not to regard each turned down sales call as just another rejection but as being one step closer. In other words if it takes 50 calls to make a sale that pays a $1000 commission that rejection was worth $20. The same principle can be applied in job search.

Help to start or join an existing support group for out of work people. And meet once a week. This doesn't have to be 30 or 40 people. It can be as little as 2 or 3. One of the things you can do in this group is each person set goals and have the others hold them accountable. And remember to keep the meetings positive. Don't let them turn into sessions where everyone is complaining and talking about how bad things are.

If you can find a few extra hundred dollars in your budget get a career coach. They will do two things for you, give you some skills that will help in your job search and help you to be more positively focused. I have found in my career coaching practice I spend part of our early time together reinforcing the positive in people and helping them to feel better about themselves. Believe me this is not something I thought I would be doing when I got into career coaching.

You may have already done this, but remember to cut the extra things out of your budget you don't really need, like cable, the cable modem or DSL (yes it might be faster but is it absolutely necessary) as opposed to a dial-up ISP, the extra cell phone(s), etc. It is easy to forget that most of us grew up without a lot of those little conveniences and we came through it just fine.

I have a couple of thoughts in closing. Having been a recruiter for fourteen years I have seen the dramatic change in the job market. And people who have been employed continuously and maybe even with just one or two employers over a 25-year career are starting to see what many others have seen over the last few years. So if you fall into that category you are not alone and you are getting exposure to what the work world looks like going forward.

This leads to my last comment. KEEP NETWORKING!!! You are going to talk with plenty of people who will empathize with you and have been exactly where you are. You may thank them for their empathy (sympathy) but make sure you ask them for ideas, suggestions and contacts.

Bill Gaffney

Bill Gaffney is a career coach. He works with professionals across all fields to assist them with their careers. His focus is on job search skills, including search techniques, interviewing skills, negotiating, etc. Bill also works with career-oriented individuals in other areas of professional development and career management. He is a former executive search consultant with many years in executive search. His telephone number is 937-781-0098 and e-mail address is Gaffney@Justcareers.com