Headhunters at Work: DO NOT DISTURB

From the mailbag...

Looks like Dear Job Hunter inspired a fellow blogger.

When I first reached out to LinkedIn to find out how its members can search for a new job while keeping their current boss from finding out, LinkedIn hooked me up quickly! Several of its chosen members, who work with the media on LinkedIn's behalf, were in touch with me...and continue to follow up...thank goodness!

That Dear Job Hunter blog post, LinkedIn, Locked and Loaded...But Don't Hit That Send Button, inspired blogger Joseph Higginbotham of "Higginbotham At Large".

Trish:

The question you asked Linkedin is one that I’ve gotten so often that I decided to go ahead and write a blog post about it.

From Joseph Higginbotham

Joseph took the angle of Headhunters, and whether or not its a good idea to contact one while looking for a job.

The answer is in my headline...NO...leave them alone.

Seems as though, headhunters only want to work with those who aren't actively looking for a job. They prefer to reach out to those who fly under-their-radar and have their nose to the grindstone.

So if reaching out to headhunters doesn't sound like the most effective route to take while job hunting...maybe you have a little birdie tell a huntheader you are!!!

To check-out more of Joseph's blog click here. Thanks Joseph, I enjoyed working with you.

For my readers, please remember to post your comments here and tell us what your biggest challenge is in YOUR job search.

If you prefer to comment privately please email me at trishhoffman@gmail.com.

Trish

Look at the Big Picture when Searching for Jobs and Interships

Today’s a rainy day in Chicago. As I put on my heels to head outside, my partner said…your nice shoes are going to get soaked! As I jumped the puddles in an effort to stay dry and save my soles, I started to think about today’s column and asked myself:

How can Dear Job Hunter help readers remember the obvious when job hunting to save their souls?

I didn’t have to go far to seek out an answer or two…my trail started with a newspaper article from the WSJ, which in turned sent me searching….you guessed it…online.

It seems paying jobs aren’t the only things being affected…internships are too. Jay Walker of the Wall Street Journal, citing the National Association of Colleges and Employers, writes “the number of interns that employers planned to hire declined 20.7% between 2008 and 2009.”

Walker also says, some students delay graduation to be able to take advantage of internships in order to receive school credit. Others that strike-out on landing an internship may have just decided to graduate without one.

This phenomena is a bit surprising to me as I would think companies would take advantage of this somewhat “free labor” during these tough economic times. One problem could be that many schools have gotten rid of their recruiters, whose job it was to assist students seeking internships. Those same recruiters would also interact with companies offering those type of positions.

So without that conventional way of finding an internship, many students are being forced to get creative about finding a company that is offering internships.

One option…social media.

Every-time you turn around, you hear how social media is the place to find a new job; a place to research a company you want to work for; or a place to actually read what insiders have to say about a company. Apply those same social media principles when you hunt for an internship. AND, remember to check the company’s actual websites.

Take time to search for companies with a Facebook page and LinkedIn profiles.

Now is also a good time for me to mention the other side of the coin when it comes to things like posting your info on Facebook. It never ceases to amaze me at what personal info people post on their pages. Remember, perspective employers can access that fairly easily, so watch what you write….what may be funny today, may not be funny tomorrow in the job world!

In a separate article written by Joe Walker in the WSJ entitled Firms Invest Big in Career Sites, he writes that many companies are spending big bucks on their websites to not just find good candidates, but to stay ahead of their competition.

So Dear Job Hunter suggests you stay ahead of the game and look at the big picture by making a wish list of where you would like to work…then go to the specific company’s website and search all social media outlets for that company.

If your field seems too full to land an internship or a paid position, consider branching out. For instance, if you have studied finance at school and a financial institution isn’t hiring or offering internships, then consider branching out and apply for a job in a completely different sector that still involves a form of finance…like a retailer, a developer, or something on the business side of Hollywood.

Dear Job Hunter wants to know what your biggest challenge regarding your job hunt.

Post your comments here on Dear Job Hunter or email me privately at trishhoffman@gmail.com

Trish Hoffman

Making Yourself Standout in the Numbers Game

While researching for today’s column, I found so many dismal stories about the job market…and for those searching for work I don’t have to tell you the market stinks.

According to Mort Zukerman of the Financial Times, one in six Americans are out of work…that means 6.7 million people! The longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to get a job…anywhere!

When the recession started in 2007, there were less than two job hunters for every job opening. Just twenty months later more than six people applied for the same job. Today, we are told we are in a better position with just 5.6 people applying for the same job according to the chart published by the Economy Policy Institute's Economy Track.

Are we counting all job hunters, even those who have given up hope? Is that sector of the job hunting market even traceable? Reports say Americans do want to work…there just aren’t enough jobs to go around, according to a story by Lawrence Mishel, who writes in The Huffington Post.

So how do you separate yourself from the pack and get noticed?

Last week I placed a good friend of mine, career expert Ginny Clarke, on Oprah Radio. Ginny appeared on the Derek Ashong Experience. Most recently, Ginny was a partner at the global executive search firm, Spencer Stuart. Today, Ginny is an executive consultant directing people to stand out in front of the pack during a job search.

The number one item on her list of things to do is to be sure to make your search for a job a full time job. Another must-do is to write your elevator pitch and get out there and network, network, network...so let’s get you started!

In Ginny’s blog she says, “One of the most important parts of managing relationships and effective networking is being able to tell someone about yourself in only a couple of minutes – the length of an elevator ride. What exactly would you say if you found yourself on an elevator or at a cocktail party with the hiring manager for a job you really want and you had 2-3 minutes?”

Ginny Clarke’s Do’s and Dont’s…

• Don’t try to cram your entire career into 60 seconds
• Do give highlights of most prestigious and recent roles, including company name and title
• Don’t assume people know or understand your space
• Do describe and quantify – industry segment, budget, revenues, employees, etc.

• Don’t oversell or ask favors – you are meeting for the first time
• Do be clear about what you think your strengths are
• Don’t be one-dimensional in your commentary
• Do offer an interesting personal fact about yourself

You can read more tips from Ginny at www.mycareermapping.com.

Please comment right here on Dear Job Hunter, or email me privately at trishhoffman@gmail.com

Trish Hoffman

LinkedIn, Locked and Loaded...BUT Don't Hit That Send Button

When you start a blog, you never know how it will be received. Will people read it? Is it relevant?

Well I got my answer pretty quickly.

It only took three hours for Dear Job Hunter to get its first question. There's no doubt that there are a lot of Americans that are in the same boat.

From a Dear Job Hunter Reader:

Hi Trish,

What a great blog you’ve started. It will be helpful to a lot of people.

I am currently looking for a job career change. I would like to know how to use LinkedIn when searching for a job when currently employed, especially when you know your employer looks at what their employees are putting on LinkedIn and facebook. I would like to be more open and say I am looking for opportunities, yet do not feel that would be appropriate. What’s the best way to approach this? From what I’ve been reading more and more headhunters are looking on LinkedIn for candidates. I want my profile to grab their attention!

Dear Job Hunter answers:

LinkedIn, Locked, and Loaded...BUT Don't Hit That Send Button!

I contacted LinkedIn for an answer to your question and while they don't actually respond to press inquiries, they did refer me to one of "their" people who is a true LinkedIn groupie...and I mean that! LinkedIn apparently has a focus group they use to respond to the media on its behalf. These are handpicked social media experts who have proven themselves on LinkedIn and elsewhere.

Dave Peck, of www.thedavepeck.com, says you may be able to create or use an existing LinkedIn Group to place your resume and information. However, after chatting for a few minutes, I asked, "is this 100% safe for LinkedIn members to be sure their current boss can't find their profile that states they are looking for a new job?" We decided, absolutely NOT!

So with that being said, Dear Job Hunter suggests that LinkedIn consider setting-up a private section for users to post their profiles, and then LinkedIn should allow those job hunting posters a setting that allows them to block those they don't want viewing their profile.

If you agree with this suggestion, please post a comment in the comments section below. Maybe we can get LinkedIn to make a change that's good for everyone.

And, if one of my readers already has a little trick they are using to protect themselves...jump into the conversation and give us insight into how to go about a successful job hunt on LinkedIn.

Trish Hoffman

You can comment directly here on this blog. For privacy email me: Trishhoffman@gmail.com.

Is There a Glimmer of Hope in the Hewlett Packard Job Cut Announcement?

Today, Hewlett Packard Company (H-P), based in Palo Alto, California, announced it will cut 9,000 jobs and replace some of those workers with animated services. The computer behemoth will spend about $1 billion on this transition over several years according to Jerry A. Dicolo of the Wall Street Journal.

There is a silver lining...the article states H-P will hire 6,000 new workers! This means H-P will be looking for new talent, in new fields! And, yes...it is plausible that those who lose their current H-P jobs may have a shot at one of the new ones. Just because you have been working in one job, doesn't mean you can't go after a new one at the same firm.

How?

It cold be as simple as current employees taking the time to closely examine their strengths and ambitions then determine how to adapt their overall skills to the new look of the H-P positions. This needs to be a deep dive where current H-P employees are honest with themselves about what they have to offer in the firm's new automated age.

This automated concept isn't going away. It is here and we have to learn to live with it. And really what's the big deal? Humans invented and built the machines, now we have to learn how to work ourselves into the mix.

Automated services is also on the mind of former eBay CEO and California Gubinatorial Candidate Meg Whitman. I met Ms. Whitman at the Junior League of Chicago's Book Author Series luncheon at the Union League Club a few months ago. She was the featured speaker promoting her new book, "The Power of Many".

Whitman spoke about the need to balance the California state budget and to get Californians working again. She feels automation is one of the ways to balance that budget. She added while automated services will absorb some jobs now performed by Californians, automation leads the way for new jobs....this sounds similar to what H-P is planning.

Do I smell a job revolution? Is it possible for the Golden State to find a Pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow?

Trish Hoffman