July 3rd, 2011
If you’re searching for a job, or considering a different career path, you’ll want to check out this excellent article in Wired magazine, called The Economic Rebound – it Isn’t What You Think.
First, it features some interesting information about what’s happening geographically, and there’s some interesting information (although at a high level) on jobs in the San Jose area.
Second, it has some interesting stats on industries. According to their data, the following industries/job areas are seeing the highest growth:
- Renewables and the Environment
- Internet
- Online Publishing
- Computer and Network Security
- Wireless
- E-Learning
- Nanotechnology
Check it out!
Good hunting!
Categories: Hiring Trends, Job Hunting Tags: clean tech, green jobs, Hiring Trends, SF bay area | 
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November 28th, 2010
Simple Thank Yous will really make you a stand out.
Guest blogger: Frank
The art of the Thank You
I’m amazed when I talk about Thank You notes and someone asks, “Do people still send Thank You notes?” Indeed they do; however, not that many anymore.
Years ago, it was a very common practice, and more of an expectation, to send a Thank You note to anyone who opened their door to help us with our job search or consider us for a position with their company. Not so much anymore.
Real, written Thank Yous will make you stand out!
So, who comprise this rare breed of Thank You note senders? Generally, the breed is made up of individuals who really take their job search seriously. They are the ones who stand head and shoulder above the mill of jobless individuals who go about their job search always looking for the easiest way to do things. And that’s often the reason people are unemployed for such great lengths of time: they are doing things the easiest way possible, yet hardly the most productive.
Some people say, “I just send emails; it’s much easier.” Indeed it is. Do you send your mom an email on Mother’s Day to wish her the best? She must have been a poor excuse for a parent. Do you send a person with whom you have an intimate relationship an email to wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day? Good luck with that relationship. Easy rarely translates into true sincerity.
The form of a Thank You
So what makes for a good and genuine expression of one’s gratitude? Here is what I would suggest. First of all, take a little time to find the Thank You notes that would show some thought on your part. If I were looking for Thank You notes to send to people who have helped me in any way with my job search, I would look for very specific note cards. The front sides of most greeting cards are printed in a portrait style with the card opening like a book. I would look for cards where the front is in a landscape style opening like a calendar. That way, the cards could easily stand up on someone’s desk like a tent. I would try to find blank cards with a reproduction of some famous artwork or an esthetic photograph of nature or historic landmark. It would have something on the front that would compel an individual to keep rather than toss into a wastebasket. I have heard people say that it’s a great feeling when you walk into someone’s office two or three weeks after your first meeting with them and find your card sitting on their desks or tacked up in their cubicles. The sender of that card left something of himself behind. That person tends to be remembered long after all the others.
And what should be in that Thank You note? The note needs only a brief, hand written expression of gratitude for that person taking time from his busy schedule to consider you for a position at his company or for helping you with your search or your networking efforts. It contains no self-serving comments, just genuine gratitude. People like to help people that appreciate their help. People like to hire people that they feel are appreciative. You would be surprised at how powerful an “attitude of gratitude” can be.
Good hunting!
Categories: Interviewing Tips Tags: interview follow-up, Interviewing Tips, thank you notes | No comments
November 28th, 2010
Target: New Job!
Guest Blogger: Dave Brewer
Why one page?
I have years of experience with several different employers and it takes 3 pages to fit all of my employment history into my resume. Aren’t employers interested in knowing my whole story? In reality, no they are not, at least not initially.
Employers’ receive sometimes thousands of resumes in response to one job posting and they just can not read each one. Larger employers use scanning software, where they scan all incoming resumes into a database. Then they do a key word search on the resume database to select the candidates that most closely meet their criteria. Employers in these cases don’t like dealing with more than one page. For smaller employers who don’t use scanning software HR only has a few seconds to review each resume and make a decision of yes possible candidate no doesn’t meet our criteria. This usually means 90% are sorted out and the 10% that were sorted in, get some further review and only a few are sent on for final consideration by the hiring manager. If you are selected for either a phone interview or an onsite interview, at that point you can supply them with your complete resume or an addendum which gives them more information.
Think of yourself as a Marketing Manager.
A Marketing Manager creates a 1 page tear sheet for his/her product. This tear sheet starts with the name of the product and a summary of exactly what this product will do for the customer. What problem or issue the customer may have that this product will resolve. Then it goes on to list all of the products features and specifications. This tear sheet is not an owners manual, but rather a sales tool to spark the customers interest and get the salesperson an appointment where they can go into detail with the customer the benefits and cost of the product and hopefully the opportunity of closing the sale.
As a Marketing Manager, you have only one product to sell (You). Your customer is the (Employer) who has a need, a problem or an issue to be resolved and needs to hire an expert to resolve that need. Your goal is to grab the employer’s attention, secure an appointment (Interview), to discuss in detail what you can do for the company and hopefully close the sale with a job offer.
Contents of your One Page Resume.
Therefore your 1 page tear sheet (Resume) starts with
- the Name of your product (your name)
- next an Objective which should match the title of what your customer (the Employer’s) need is.
- next a summary of what you have to offer the employer is relation to this position.
- next a list of features of your product ( a list of achievements that include; the issue or problem that needed to be resolved; the process you went though to resolve it and finally what was the result.
- next a list of specifications (skills) make sure your list includes all the keywords that are listed in the job description
- next a list of companies that have used your product (Employment History)
- and finally your Education
Remember, every job description is different, but a 1 page resume is simple to modify to look as if the job you are applying for is the only job for you and that you meet all or most of the customer’s requirements.
You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression!
Good Luck!
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September 26th, 2010
In a tight job market every detail matters. Making a first impression is crucial; you only get one chance to make that first impression. Dressing appropriately for an interview is imperative. If the work environment is casual you can discuss and change clothing expectations once you accept the offer.
Dressing for success is key for any professional. There are many options available that are not pricey and will allow you to look as though you are walking out of a high-end retail store. There are thrift stores, consignment stores and second hand stores that carry designer attire at an 1/8 of the price that you would normally pay, be creative. There are also nonprofit organizations, such as Dress For Success, available to help disadvantaged individuals get appropriately outfitted for an interview. Even borrowing attire from friends and family can be a big help.
Before the day of the interview approaches, make sure you feel comfortable in your interviewing attire. Remember an interview is not the place to make a bold fashion statement. Before your walk in check one more time to make sure you look fresh and crisp.
Excitement, a great attitude and a big smile are as important as the clothing you chose to interview with.
Success starts from within and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
Dress for Success -
For Women
- Suit – appropriate business suit, skirt or pants suit.
- Skirt – length slightly above or below the knee.
- Blouse – tailored and not busy, white or appropriate to suit.
- Shoes – professional, business if open toed, toes must be pedicured.
- Accessories – jewelry limited, simple watch or necklace, makeup clean, fresh and light, nails manicured, hair kempt and simple.
- Briefcase or portfolio – with extra copies of your resume.
For Men
- Suit – business suit, solid color or pinstripe.
- Shirt – tailored, crisp and simple.
- Tie – always, appropriate.
- Shoes – business (don’t forget socks).
- Accessories – belt, hair – neat.
- Briefcase or portfolio.
If you wear perfume/cologne keep it light.
Good Hunting!
Categories: Interviewing Tips Tags: interview dress, Interviewing Tips | No comments
June 30th, 2010
Getting Back in the Game. Keep your chin up!
A while back, as the economy was slowing down, I and a few other HR people were discussing if there was an interest in hiring a software person who had been laid off over a year before. The person had a good educational background, one 4-year job, and a couple of short term jobs during better times and was now at the Director’s level.
Some of the remarks were, “…what has he been doing for over a year?”, “if no one else wanted him all this time, why would we?”, “…looks like a job jumper to me, stayed long enough to keep the sign-on bonus”, etc. It ended up with nobody interested in setting up an interview. I am sure if they met the person they would have been very impressed, unfortunately he had just made some bad career moves.
What can a person do who has been out of the job market for a year or more? First of all, you should be using a functional resume that highlights your accomplishments, not the dates of employment. Keep in mind the resume is a marketing piece, not a life story. Also a good idea during this period would be to enroll in a school that offers you the chance to increase your skill level, offer to do some volunteer work for a non-profit, and/or start a consulting firm and try to get some short term work.
Most important is to be working at something. Stay in the habit of getting up at the same time you did when you had a job. Looking for the right career position is a full time job. Keep a calendar, set up your daily schedule in advance for each week and don’t forget to exercise every day. The more active you are, the less depressed you get, and keep in mind that companies don’t hire depressed people.
Job Hunting can be a fun experience; make sure you play the game the right way.
Good hunting!
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June 12th, 2010
A ray of hope for the job market!
A new 16 month high for job openings was hit in April, according to the Department of Labor. This is a good sign that private employers have started employing.
In April 2010, new jobs advertised rose to 3.1 million from 2.8 million in March. That’s the most openings since December 2008.
Private employers accounted for the entire net gain, government hiring decreased in April.
The competition for jobs still remains tough. There were 5 unemployed people on average for each new job offered. That was down from 5.4 in the previous month, but well above the pre-recession levels that average 1.8 jobless workers per opening
The biggest increase in available jobs were in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and health care services and education. Government job openings fell by 36,000.
The report comes from the Department of Labor, which stated the economy generated 431,000 jobs in May.
As always,
Good hunting!
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May 1st, 2010
Sometimes, help is a good idea!
Many years ago, when I started earning some real money, I completed my IRS Tax return, and realized I owed an additional $1800. It was a surprise. I talked to a friend of mine who suggested that I let his tax CPA take a look at it. After about an hour of discussion, she re-did the return, and I ended up getting a $1250 refund. I never did my own tax returns again.
When looking for a new career position or changing careers, basically the same situation exists. Using a Career Marketing Advisor is certainly not for everyone. One thing to consider: according to the last U.S. government numbers, the average person change jobs 7.8 times in their lifetime. A professional Career Marketing Advisor does that many every month that he/she works with clients.
Why Not Use an Advisor?
Lets first take a look at the cons – why wouldn’t you use a Career Marketing Advisor? Read more…
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March 7th, 2010
Layoffs hurt people and come back to bite businesses, too.
A recent article in Newsweek (February 15th, 2010) written by Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, discusses the bad effects of lay-offs at corporations and on their employees.
In the early 60′s I was being recruited by IBM for a position in Human Resources. I was told about IBM’s dedication to its employees and their families, and given a copy of the employee’s handbook, which even included company songs. I was invited to a large company meeting at an auditorium in the Washington, D.C. area. I went. At the end of the 2 hour meeting, all the employees stood up and sang one of the company’s songs. Morale and spirit were high, and in those days IBM ruled the roost of US corporations. But, by the time the 80′s came around, IBM started a series of lay-offs, and the company started their great decline from the top. Read more…
Categories: Hiring Trends, Job Hunting Tags: layoffs | No comments
February 21st, 2010
It might not be as bad as you think - keep your chin up!
Of course as you’ve read and heard, the media have been blasting over TV, Radio, net and newsprint that the nation has over 10% unemployment. Some articles break down the numbers for unemployment by race, sex, and age groups, which sometimes reveal interesting information. But they often miss a different cut – some very critical numbers that affect you directly.
Now, a story published by Daily Finance called “Recession Hammers Low-Wage Workers, but Glances Off the Affluent” cites findings by researchers at The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University which tell a truly different story about unemployment numbers. This survey covers the period of October to December 2009. Here’s the deal: Read more…
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February 14th, 2010
At least the patient has a heartbeat!
As we previously mentioned, the job market in the Bay area has definitely improved, but with a slight glitch: salaries (on an average) have either gone down or not kept up with inflation, as reported by a Dice.com salary survey of 1,260 Silicon Valley based technology professionals.
A key example is the IT field, where salaries were down 1%. With inflation running about 3%, that’s a loss of 4% in buying power. Read more…
Categories: Hiring Trends, Job Hunting Tags: Hiring Trends, salaries | No comments
If you’re searching for a job, or considering a different career path, you’ll want to check out this excellent article in Wired magazine, called The Economic Rebound – it Isn’t What You Think.
