I’m pretty sure this article is going to result in some hate-mail, but after what I’ve seen in the last week, I don’t care!
First off, let me explain...
The first week of the New Year is always filled with people chock-full of gusto in their effort to fulfill their, “new job in the new year,” resolution. Given my line of work, it’s no surprise I get inundated with friendly requests via phone, through LinkedIn, and by e-mail, asking me if I can, “take a quick peek at my resume,” and “grab a coffee to discuss my career.”
This year was particularly overwhelming.
And, at this point in my career, if I said "yes" to all of these requests, my full-time job fFor the next month would be helping these folks – I just can’t do that. I have a career advice site to run, as well as my own career coaching clients to support. There isn’t time to do that much pro bono work.
Well, some people showed their true colors to me this week!
I started responding to all the requests as politely, but as honestly as I could. I shared with each person this year I’m just too busy to be able to assist. I made some suggestions of free resources they could check out online, but if they wanted a coach’s guidance, then I encouraged them to invest in a coaching program.
Some folks completely understood. Several immediately signed up to work with me.
And then, there were the career free-loaders.
The career free-loaders all responded to me with one of the following:
Nobody says “no” to me.
I’m doing you a favor.
You weren’t my first pick anyways.
I’m broke when it comes to you.
One person sent me a nasty e-mail about how mean I was not to help her and she had never said "no" to any request I had made. I actually racked my brain for 10 minutes trying to think of the last thing I had asked her for. I even checked my e-mail and that’s when I realized we hadn’t spoken in three years – and that time she asked me to look over her resume!
Another simply said, “Oh. Good to hear you are busy. I just figured you might want someone with my executive-level contacts as a reference.”
Really? Wow.
I think I’m okay – especially, since you mentioned when contacting me you got fired from your last job 11 months ago for not getting along with senior management.
Yet another told me I was actually his second pick. His college buddy is a recruiter and he tried him first, but he was still on vacation. So, he figured he’d just run it by me until he got back in town.
Gee, thanks!
And then, there is the most popular one. I got three people who told me they were so broke they couldn’t afford me.
The best one went like this, “Ugg. I wish I could pay you J.T., but I’m so poor! I just got back from an amazing vacation over the holidays and I spent way more than I planned. I totally needed the rest and relaxation. I’ve been on unemployment for seven months and it’s running out soon. So, this was my last big spend before I really buckle down and find a job. I was just hoping you could help me out.”
She even had the nerve to send me links to her vacation pictures on Facebook!
You want to be paid fairly for your expertise, right? Well, so do career coaches!
If you are reading this, then I’m pleading with you to remember you get what you pay for – especially, when it comes to career coaching.
Getting professional career coaching is a smart idea. Trust me when I say while well-intended, your family and friends aren’t qualified to help you with your career.
In fact, given how many people approach job search all wrong, it’s like the blind leading the blind.
Did you know executives pay as much as $3,500 for a single career coaching session?
In fact, most organizations encourage their senior staff work with a coach.
Why?
Studies show executive performance and company productivity increases. So, why wouldn’t you take a page from the executive success playbook and invest in some career coaching that can get you the kind of results you want and deserve?
Just promise me you’ll choose a great coach and respect the fact they are earning a living by coaching you!
Your Next Step
School teaches you everything except how to get the job. You must invest time in learning the right way to job search.
I just finished four new training videos for you - they're all about executing an easier job search in this economy.
My videos are completely free and I'm confident you're going to find them useful. The link to access the first one is below.
WATCH VIDEO NOW ►Image Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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