One Really Good Tip To End Your Job Search: Organize your Job Search

January 20, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

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If you are like most job searchers, you have more job search files on your computer than anything else.  Keeping it all organized can be difficult as the information comes in quickly.  But you may not need it for a while.  I encourage my clients to keep their job search organized so that they can find the information they need quickly. 

For each position you apply for, open a folder in your documents location.  This will be the main folder for this position.  Store the résumé, cover letter and a copy of the job posting in the folder. Placing a document with the job posting in the folder is necessary so that you can refer to it later when the posting may have been taken down.  As you start collecting information about the company open new folders labeled with the type of information such as emails, articles, website, press releases, products/services, competitors, industry, contacts, etc.  Set up a Google Alert for the different things you want to track about the company.  Filing a link for these things are okay as they probably won’t be taken down. 

you will be looking for this information when you have an interview, and it will all be in one place when you start preparing.  Instead of looking all over your documents file for each document, you will have all you need ready and waiting for you. 

Take some time to go through your documents file to create one file for each job you have already applied for.  It may be a time consuming effort but well worth it when you get a call for an interview. 

 

Photo credit:  http://www.freedigitalphotos.net David Castillo Dominici

Posted in career coaching, folder, Interviews | 2 Comments

Mr. CEO, You Laid Me Off At 50, Now You Want Me To Work To 70

January 19, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

Pensive Businessman Using Laptop

Yesterday, I heard on the radio that there are some CEO’s who want people to work until age 70, to save Social Security.  It hasn’t become the law of the land yet.  And it is only a few CEO’s, but I want to share my thoughts on the matter.

While it sounds like a great idea on the surface, there are a few things that will have to be considered.

  1. Many companies get rid of workers over 50 because they are too expensive.  Will companies be willing to continue giving raises to workers until they are 70?
  2. Age discrimination, the secret truth, prevails when hiring new employees.  Ask anyone over 50 in a job search how their job search is going.  Can’t imagine what it will take to get a job at 60 or 65.   
  3. There are some jobs that are just too physically demanding to ask someone to work them until age 70.  Ask the man with the jack hammer, the bricklayer, the roofer, the hairstylist, the waitress or nurse if their body can take the demands of the job for that long?
  4. College graduates will suffer initially.  Their entrance into a company relies on the upward mobility of the employees.   As the older workers retire, they are replaced by promoting workers all the way down to the entry-level workers, the college graduates.  But if the older workers don’t leave, there aren’t openings to fill along the pipeline.
  5. Consider the 50-year-old who was laid off and having trouble finding a job now has to wait to 70 to retire.   How do they support themselves until age 70?
  6. Some companies are offering incentives to retire early.  Are these the same companies that want people to work until age 70?
  7. Retirees and teens will be competing for low paying part-time jobs.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were watching a commercial about living to 100.  My husband asked me if I wanted to live to be 100.  I told him that I didn’t think we could afford it.  He answered that he will be still working.  I think he might be right.

Posted in 50+ job search, age discrimination in job search, gray ceiling | 7 Comments

The Risks of Performance Enhancing Your Resume

January 18, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

You want to win.  Winning is gratifying, in fact, it’s the best feeling in the world.  Winning takes hard work.  You need to believe in yourself; it takes time, energy and discipline.  Consistently building your skills over a period of time will result in winning.  Depending on the win, it takes months or years to win.application denied

But why wait?  There are ways to speed up the process.  There are performance enhancing drugs or lying.  Doing what it takes to win without the work doesn’t pay off in the long run. But it is being done just about everywhere you look.  So why do people do it?  What happens to them?  This post is about why lying on your resume is wrong and what will happen if you do.

Who and Why:   People who are stressed because they have been out of work way too long.  People who want a promotion for the money and prestige.  People who are in a position that is so terrible they have to get out of it, but can’t until they have something else.  The common factor is desperation.  For whatever reason, they are desperate; they need a job as soon as possible.  They are willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means lying.  Many feel that they are only telling little white lies which isn’t actually lying.  Right?  Yes, it is lying.  They are embellishing the truth which is the truth, just a little bit better.  If it isn’t the truth, it’s a lie.

How:  People will lie about the gap in a resume by altering the dates of the jobs before and after, overstating job responsibilities, misrepresenting job titles, faking college degrees, claiming personal responsibility for group work, fabricating achievements and awards, and creating made up employers.

Result:  If a person were to get caught in a lie while still an applicant, their application could be rejected.  If they manage to get hired, they can be fired.  In some cases, people can be jailed, but it’s rare.

Who Squealed?:  There are a couple of ways companies find out the truth.  When someone becomes a viable candidate for a position, they are asked to fill out a job application.  Unlike a resume which is not a legal document, the job application is.  At the bottom of the application, your signature attests the information is accurate.

The company will use the information on the job application to run background checks including verifying your education and employment history.  Discrepancies are bound to surface.

You squealed!  Anytime someone lies, they must remember the lie for the rest of their life. The person may forget what they said on their resume after a period time, but you can be sure that someone will remember and call them on it.

Impact:  If the company finds someone lied, that person will probably be fired.  Now they have to explain why they were fired.  The shame of lying will remain after the negative publicity in the media has subsided.

No matter what you call it, lying on your resume isn’t a good idea.  Eventually, you will be caught and be stripped of your job.

 

Photo credit:  http://www.freedigitalphotos.net  Stuart Miles

 

Posted in fake college degree on resume, job application, lying on resume, make up employers, overstate job responsibility, performance enhancing drugs, Resume, take credit for group work | 4 Comments

What To Do If You Have The Flu And An Interview

January 17, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

The flu has been in the news lately. The flu has hit early and hard this year. Hopefully you have been spared.

If you are a job sSick Young Woman Lying in Bedearcher with a scheduled interview, nothing could be worse than getting the flu at that time. You will do your candidacy more good by staying home than going to the interview. The people you are scheduled to meet will appreciate that you are not sharing your germs.

However, canceling an interview is a delicate procedure that may lead to breaking a relationship you are trying to build. When you cancel an interview, you aren’t guaranteed it will be rescheduled. The interviewer has the option of rescheduling if the cancellation is for good cause

Call to cancel your interview as soon as you know you won’t be able to make it. A day or two in advance would be ideal, but if that isn’t the case, call as early in the day of your interview as possible. Don’t leave a message. Keep calling until you are able to reach someone. The people you should try calling are the interviewer, the interviewer’s assistant, the person who arranged the interview or your contact in human resources. Leaving a message isn’t a good idea because it may not be read right away.

When you reach a person to talk, you want to let them know that you are unable to make the interview. You can give them a brief reason for the cancellation, but don’t go into personal details; keep it professional. Apologize for the inconvenience and thank them for the consideration. It’s the right thing to do, and you want to keep the inconvenience as minimal as possible. Doing anything less is closing the door to a professional relationship and preventing you from ever being hired by the company.

After you have spoken to a person, or if you have tried several times but have failed to reach a person, send an email. In the email, apologize for the cancellation, state a brief reason, name of the interviewer, time, date, location of the interviewer and the position. Be courteous and respectful in all your communications with the company.

You will, of course, want to reschedule your interview. When you do reschedule, be flexible taking into consideration the time it will take to recuperate. If you reschedule by email, you can give a 2 or 3 times you will be able to interview. If you are calling on the phone, ask the interviewer for a time that is good for the interviewer.  Apologize again for the inconvenience and thank them for accommodating your needs. Follow up by sending an email to confirm the date and time of the interview.

The best thing you can do is avoid the flu, but if you do get the flu, rest and drink plenty of fluids. To your health!

Posted in flu, Interviews | 2 Comments

Using Google Alerts To Find Your Next Job

January 16, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

private eyeYou have targeted a few companies that you want to work for.  You want to see all the latest information you can.  You know a few people in the company, but asking them to pass along information seems a tad icky.

You know that hiring managers are likely to Google you before calling you for an interview.  But you don’t know what is on the Internet about you.  The information will either make or break your candidacy.

So what’s a job searcher to do?

Set up a Google Alert.  A Google Alert is a monitoring system that alerts you when online updates or new information appear on the web about something or someone you want to follow.  While there are many things you can follow, I want to share information about following a targeted company and you.  When your subject is named in a new post, you receive an email alerting you to the appearance.

This may seem much like stalking, yes, it might be considered as such.  But what you are doing with the information is with good intention.  The information about the company can be stored in a folder on your computer to be retrieved when you have an interview.  The information about you will show you what is being said about you on the Internet.  If necessary, you can take steps to better your presences on the web.  In an interview, you can be prepared to defend or support the information.

Google Alerts are very easy to set up.  Log on to www.google.com/alerts.  After you sign up for a Google account and then log in, it is a straightforward process.  This is what you will see. You will have to make a few choices to customize your search.

Search query: What do you want to follow?
Result type:  Do you want to track everything, what’s in books, blogs, or videos?
How often:   When do you want to be notified?  As it happens, once a day or once a week
How many:  What type of results all or only the best?
Deliver to:  The email address you want to receive the alerts.Create Alert.   Or you can manage your alerts

 

 

Be the first to know when a company posts a job opening.  Learn when the company is introducing a new product.  Read the latest press release as it appears.  It’s up to you to decide what you want to follow.

Posted in career transitions, getting a job, google, google alert, Interviews, Job Search | 6 Comments