Does The Employer Care About the Jobs, Cont.

In the last post, we started to discuss how many jobs to list on your resume. The answer to that question is “few.” The more jobs you list, the less each job is going to be reviewed by the interviewer, and you risk giving off the impression that you bounce around from job to job.

However, the most important thing to remember is that the employer does not care about most of the jobs you have held. It may seem counterintuitive, but most of your work history is simply not important. The best way to prove this is with examples. For the sake of discussion, let’s pretend you are applying for a job working with computers.

Irrelevant Jobs

Scenario: You are applying to an IT job. You are writing your resume, and you have held 4 jobs in the past. You list them all on your resume. The companies you worked with are as follows:

• 2009-2010 Microsoft Corporation.
• 2008-2009 Intel Corporation.
• 2006-2008 Apple, Inc.
• 2004-2005 McDonalds

It’s pretty easy to see from this list that the employer is not going to give a damn about the McDonalds job. You may have something you believe is relevant (for example, maybe the job is looking for someone that had leadership experience, and you were a manager), but the employer is going to take one look at a resume that lists “McDonalds” as an employer and completely ignore it. The hiring manager simply does not care.

This applies to college graduates as well. You probably worked a lot during college for various crappy businesses. Then you get one job that looks good on a resume, but the boss is a jerk and you quit. Now you have the option of making your resume again for a new employer.

In this case, you may want to only put the one job that you held that was impressive. Yes, it makes your resume look smaller, but no corporate job cares that you worked for a grocery store, or worked as a waiter, or worked as a barista. They don’t care. It’s unlikely any of your achievements with those types of companies is going to impress a corporate employer.

Redundant Jobs

That brings us to another point. What if the jobs are all relevant to the position? Here, still, we have another issue – does the job you list say anything new about your eligibility, or does it bring nothing to the table? Let’s look at a similar list again:

• 2008-2010 Microsoft Corporation.
• 2006-2008 Intel Corporation.
• 2004-2006 Apple, Inc.
• 2002-2004 Dell, Inc.

Now, at first glance it appears that all of these jobs are relevant to the position. However, that is not the question. The question is – does the job add anything to the resume that helps you get the job? The answer is probably a big “no.” Most likely you had the same tasks at Dell that you had at Microsoft, and most likely you already listed those achievements. So while the name “Dell” may be impressive to the employer, it adds nothing that isn’t already on your resume. It is simply added space, and added space with no value is bad space.

Note: The oldest job may not be the redundant job. If you worked at Intel for only 4 months, that is the job that may be useless on your resume. Short jobs and jobs that aren’t as impressive can be removed from a resume, unless it makes it look like you were out of work for a long period of time.

Old Jobs

Finally, jobs you held a long time ago may also now be irrelevant. A job you held for 3 years in the 1980’s is not as useful as the job you held last year. It may have no use at all. All it does is provide the employer with an idea of your age. The older the job is, the less likely it is useful on your resume, especially if your newer jobs are more impressive.

Overall, it is important to remember that resumes are essentially sales documents, with yourself as the product. You only want to list your absolute best features. All of the less important features are unnecessary.

Take Away Tips

• Your resume should only list your best and most relevant jobs.
• If there isn’t a great reason to put the job on the resume, don’t list it.

Do You Need a Job Search Firm?

Last year, an article was published on Forbes about the usefulness of hiring a job search firm to help you find a new career. Their analysis shows that there is simply no reason these days to pay a company to find a job for you.

We agree.

You Will Find Job Online

Almost every job is posted in some type of online job search engine. Unless you are lazy, you can get online yourself and search for available jobs. This is the information age. The likelihood of you not finding jobs that meet your criteria are essentially nil. Jobs are everywhere, and though you may have a hard time landing a job interview, that does not mean that you cannot find jobs that suit your qualifications.

You Will Find Advice Online

If only there was a place where you could find free, useful information to help guide your job search process. Unfortunately no such site exists. Wait…

You Can Get Additional Help

Even if you have a question that is not answered by one of our many, many, many, many, many posts on job related topics, there are forums you can visit that will supply you with dozens of responses from like-minded professionals for free (or for almost nothing). Indeed, if you want help with your job search, you can just drop off an email and we’ll make a post about it. We’re pretty easy going about these things.

You Should Save Your Money

These firms are almost prohibitively expensive. Some cost as much as $5,000 or more. If you have savings, this may not seem like much, but if you are willing to spend $5,000 on a job search firm, why not apply to jobs with less of a starting income and work your way up instead? Chances are you have decided not to apply for jobs that look like they are below your pay grade, but if you are spending that kind of money paying a firm to help you, you may as well have sent in your resume.

Overall, these firms provide a very useful service, but it is a service that no one really needs anymore. While it may be tempting to want to have someone else do the work for you, consider the time you put into your job search practice for when you go back to work.

Take Away Interview Tips

• There is no reason to hire a job search firm.

5 Benefits of Applying to Jobs Over the Holidays

The holidays are a great time to relax and take a break. Every year, billions of people around the world get ready for the end of the year, spending time with loved ones, alcohol, and the new pieces of technology that their closest friends chipped in to buy them as a gift.

For those that are unemployed, however, this is the perfect opportunity for you to take advantage of the job market. For many, December is a time to relax, but if you are unemployed, it may be your perfect time to strike.

Why Apply to Jobs Over the Holidays

• Budgets

The end of the year and the beginning of the new year is a prime time to take advantage of some company’s budgeting. Many companies find out they have money to spend on a new employee at the end of the year, and many more companies entered additional income into their budgets to hire someone for open positions starting in the new year. By applying, you can take advantage of these budgeted openings and improve your chances of getting a job.

• Mood

It sounds silly, but people are in better moods over the holidays. They are excited to see friends and family, and feeling pretty good about how the year ended up. They may have also received bonuses, improving their mood by improving their financial status, and many have vacations coming up that are sure to keep their spirits high. Interviewing with people in a good mood is clearly better for your chances than job interviews with grumpy, overworked hiring managers.

• Applicants

Most people take the holidays off from their job search, allowing them time to relax before they restart the application process in January. The less competition you have, the more you are able to stand out. This can only be good for your job search.

• New Openings

January often marks the beginning of new job openings. Many employees that want to quit their job in November wait until after December so that they can receive their yearly bonus. This means that starting in January there are going to be a lot of new positions to fill, and your resume will already be delivered to these companies, ready to be seen by desperate hiring managers.

• Social Events

It is hard to emphasize how useful networking can be as part of your job search, and the holidays are a great time to get out there and meet people. Everyone is throwing parties, and everyone is in a good mood. Meet and socialize with these individuals and you are bound to find people that are hiring for open positions.

Take Advantage of the Holiday Season

As you can see from the list above, there are a number of reasons to apply to jobs all throughout the holiday season. Even though it would be nice if you could take a month off and relax, it is clear that there are far too many benefits to applying to jobs during this time period, and you should certainly take advantage of it.

Take Away Tips

• Apply to jobs throughout the holiday season.
• Network at social events.

Why College Graduates Should Take More Job Search Initiative

As you search for a job as a recent college graduate, you need to take advantage of every opportunity. You are up against some tough applicants, many of whom have far more experience but are willing to take a pay cut in order to find employment. Yet you have many things on your side. Your youth, your recent education, your energy – all of these will help you impress your employer in ways the experienced workers cannot.

Perhaps your greatest advantage for finding a job is that employers have reduced expectations. While this may sound like a bad thing, the truth is that this can only work to your advantage. Hiring managers are not stupid. They know they cannot expect a recent graduate’s resume to read like a CEO’s. They have to look at your application in a different perspective, with the knowledge that though your resume may not be strong, your intelligence and education may guide you to success in the role.

Taking Advantage of the Assumption

You can use these lower expectations to your advantage. One of the ways to do this is by expanding the ways you look for jobs. A few months ago we went over the different types of cover letters (/5-types-of-cover-letters), each one corresponding to a different way of applying for jobs.

It is in your best interest to use some of these job search techniques, because they are rarely employed by recent college graduates. Using these techniques is sure to impress employers, because it will be a complete surprise for them to see these strategies used by a recent graduate, and that surprise is sure to get you noticed.

• Cold Contact – Send in your resume and a cover letter to companies that appear to be amazing places to work, even if they do not have a job open.
• Try Your Network – Give your resume and cover letter to people you know that have great employers. See if they will get you a referral.
• Use Referrals – Nothing gets a company interested like the referral of someone that is already in the company. Referrals are genuine signs of trust, because few people would risk their careers to get a friend hired that was not qualified for the role.

These are some examples of job search techniques that recent graduates should absolutely utilize. As a recent college graduate, you are in a position to truly impress employers that go into their hiring process assuming you will not measure up. Show them they are wrong, and then some.

Take Away Tips

• Utilize all available job search strategies.

Social Media Jobs and a Clever Way to Get Them

Though it may seem as though it has existed for decades, social media websites have only been around for the last decade or so, and they did not truly take off until Facebook became open to the public in September of 2006. Since then, social media websites have exploded in popularity, and almost everyone in the country has a Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or LinkedIn account.

Facebook was not the first (MySpace, Friendster and others had long since established themselves online), and it will certainly not be the last, but once it became popular it was clear that the way people used the Internet had drastically changed.

The Creation of New Jobs

One of the ways that these website changed the world is through the invention of social media jobs. Individuals are not the only things that can have a social media presence. Businesses and websites around the globe are trying hard to create a social media presence in order to improve the health of their business. By creating a social media presence, companies are able to:

• Improve Rapport
• Improve Branding
• Improve SEO

All of these help to increase their potential revenue. In addition, all of these services are essentially free, or close to free, and can take off completely on their own without the aid of advertising revenue.

However, for the company to utilize these services, it must have that social media presence, and social media requires constant updates, changes and interaction (hence the word social). So many businesses have started to employ “Social Media Managers” – individuals whose only job is to generate and maintain a presence in online media.

For young men and women about to enter the workplace, this represents a great opportunity. Throughout your high school and college years, you participated in social media programs. They are as natural to you as any sport or hobby. Why not make a job out of them?

Job Search Thought – New Way to Find Jobs

If you are looking for a job working as a social media manager or social media specialist, do not limit yourself to the jobs that are posted on career boards. Take initiative. Find businesses in your area that lack a social media presence. Email these businesses and ask them if they would be interested in creating a position for managing social media profiles, then submit your qualifications for that position.

In order for this to work effectively, you must be able to do the following:

• Get in touch with the marketing department.
• Display knowledge of their current online presence.
• Suggest ways to improve their online social media presence.
• Write up a job description yourself, and explain how you will perform your daily tasks.
• Supply them with an estimate on how easily this will improve their business and why.

Companies are always looking for a competitive edge, and social media supplies these companies with that edge. By utilizing the tips above, you can use your own social media expertise to create a job for you at a company that could use your skills and experiences.

Finding jobs is not only about looking for help wanted signs and job search boards. It is also about getting out there and creating opportunities for yourself. Social media services like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are beneficial for any business. Show companies that you can improve their business by managing a social media profile and you may find yourself creating a job that you love.

Take Away Tips

• There are other ways to find employment besides looking at job search websites.
• Social media represents a potential career path with great pay and fun tasks.
• Email employers and suggest how you can help them improve their online marketing presence.

5 Types of Cover Letters

Most college graduates have had experience writing at least one cover letter. Basic cover letters are a major part of a job application. Designed to complement your resume, cover letters are your only chance to write in a more conversational format and help convince hiring managers that you are worthy of the job.

There is more than one type of cover letter. Knowing each type of cover letter is not only useful for sending in your application; it may also give you ideas on how to find jobs in today’s economy.

Cover Letter Types

• Standard Application Letter

This is the type of cover letter most graduates are familiar with. Application letters are written to hiring managers for a specific job. Usually they are directed at a specific individual.

• Cold Contact Cover Letter

There are some companies that appear to be amazing places to work. Yet if you search job boards it can appear they are not hiring for a position that matches your skills. You have two choices. You can either wait until a position opens, or you can send a cold contact cover letter (along with a resume) requesting consideration for an open position that meets your qualifications. Cold contact letters are a great way to apply to a company, rather than a specific job.

• Cover Letters to Recruiters

Professional recruiters are hired by companies to find people that will best suit their needs. When you send your resume to a recruiter, you should write a cover letter that explains the type of roles you are qualified to fit and how your skills will translate into success for a company.

• Referral Cover Letters

If you have friends, family, or professional acquaintances that have recommended you work with them at their company, you will benefit from a referral cover letter. Referral cover letters are cover letters sent to companies before a job has opened. These cover letters mention the employee that recommended you apply to the company and the type of work you can do.

• Network Cover Letters

Network cover letters are the opposite of referral cover letters. Rather than send your resume to a company that an employee recommended, you send a resume and cover letter to an acquaintance and hope that they recommend you to the company.

Open Up New Job Search Channels

Your resume may not change, but your cover letter should change for every type of job search strategy you employ. Cover letters are designed to make your resume better by bringing out what truly makes you a standout candidate. By utilizing the types of cover letters listed above, you will vastly improve your ability to find a job.

Take Away Tips

• There is more than one type of cover letter.
• Cover letters are one of the keys to getting called back for a job interview.

See Also

• Basic Cover Letter Design Tips

Using Twitter to Find a Job

Social media is changing the way that people work. Working professionals across the country are using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter in order to communicate not only with their friends and family, but also with their coworkers and other working professionals. Through these profiles it is possible to create a large network of men and women from all over the country.

If you lose your job, this network represents an interesting opportunity. This network that you have built may be a great resource to find a new job. LinkedIn and Facebook are far more personal; if you want to see if there is an open job available, you can email the friend directly. Twitter, however, is a completely different story.

What Makes Twitter Unique

With both LinkedIn and Facebook, you know the individuals in your network. One of you added the other individual and the two of you started your online network together. Twitter, however, allows nearly everyone to follow your tweets. You can have members of your network that you have never met, and these individuals are all potential networking partners for finding yourself a new job.

One simple Tweet: “Looking for a new job. Any open positions available in the _______ Niche?” may get you a few responses from individuals that have been following your Twitter account. It’s certainly worth a try.

Making Your Twitter Work For You

Still, it is important to realize that your connections are going to largely be based on your content. If you have a Twitter account that does nothing about rant and rave about the crazy things you saw during the day, you are probably not going to create a network of business professionals with connections in the corporate field.

On the other hand, if you use your Twitter account to Tweet mostly great ideas and experiences related to your field of employment, you are bound to find followers that have connections geared towards your career path.

Expert Tips

Several experts recommend that you “prepare” your Twitter account before you start tweeting for employment opportunities. It is a good idea to clean up your recent Tweets so that they are more professional. You should change your bio information as well to read like a quick plug for your services. You should also provide a link to an online resume that potential members of your network can view.

Twitter is changing the way people find work. It is not the most effective method of finding new employment, but it is a useful way to tap into a social network and see if any employment opportunities arise.

Take Away Tips

• Maintain a professional Twitter account to expand your network.
• Prepare your Twitter account for recruiters.

To Learn More

• Forbes Article on Twitter to Find Jobs
• Time Magazine Article on Twitter to Find Jobs
• The Talent Buzz Blog Article