Take advantage of the 20% discount by using the code “BOOTCAMP” at checkout. But, remember, it’s only good until Monday at midnight!

In addition to that, here’s what happened last week in Career Attraction…

 Follow up Q&A Session - Robert Shindell and I weren’t able to get to everyone’s questions on Thursday’s webinar, so we tackled them in this follow on one. Listen in as we talk about getting past gatekeepers, age discrimination, maximizing LinkedIn, improving your networking skills and much, much more. You can check it out here.

LinkedIn v.Facebook – 306 vs. 184 and counting. If you haven’t joined us on LinkedIn and Facebook, come on in…the water is fine. This week there was a great discussion started by Diane Hope on Identifying Skills and Talents. Check it out! Have a question? Want to share some information? These are great places to exchange ideas, network and start creating a “pack.”

Here’s what’s happening in Career Attraction University…

1-on-1 Coaching: The September schedule will be coming out next week – se be on the lookout!

NEW VIDEOS – Q&A Video from August and the new SME Video on using Outsourcing as part of your Job Search Strategy.

Have some specific training you’d like for your search? Email me at kevin@careerattraction.com and I’ll get working on it for you!

Not a member of Career Attraction University? For less than one dollar a day you can access all this information and more. Sign-up here and get started today!

Free Webinar – 5 Secrets to Uncovering the Hidden Job Market

**enter your information to have a link to the webinar emailed to you**

On this webinar, I will share about the “hidden job market” and also cover:

• the biggest block that’s likely keeping you and your search in low-gear right now and wasting precious time (and how to bust out of your rut)
• 5 things recruiters have begged me not to share with you that can keep you from having your job search sabotaged without you even knowing it.
• why your resume is not as critical a factor in getting the interviews (or the job) as you think.
• 3 immediate ways you can make your job search lean-and-mean right now! (These are so simple and yet so effective.)
• how you can start working a new plan immediately to find the job you want and cut your job search time in as much as half.

**enter your information to have a link to the webinar emailed to you**

We have some great information focused on getting your job search on track. But, don’t take my word for it. Here is what some previous listeners had to say about the webinar:

“Kevin Kermes offers a straightforward and comprehensive approach to develop new networks and expand career or business horizons. I was impressed with his expertise and believe you will be too.”– Katherine Eago

“I recently listened to Kevin’s “Avoiding the 10 Biggest Job Search Mistakes” webinar and was most impressed. The content of the presentation and the insight he provided was very helpful. Because of Kevin’s professional background, he was able to provide me with a better understanding of how the recruitment business works from an insider’s perspective. In addition, I found the topic of job boards to be very informative. Overall, I think it is great information for the current job seeker or anyone who wants to be better prepared for their next job search.”– Brian Heckler

“I recently had the pleasure to attend Kevin’s webinar. I am usually a little suspicious of free webinars, but Kevin’s discussion provided a lot of valuable information for the job seeker and prompted me to purchase his additional materials which also look worthwhile. I am going to recommend to everyone in our WIND group (Boston networking group) that they should also attend Kevin’s webinars.”– Ted Powell

“I listened in on Kevin’s Webinar today on the “5 Secrets” and found it a very worthwhile use of my time. His insight into what to focus on to be most productive was very helpful. Some points were new and others a timely reinforcement. If you get the opportunity to tune in for one of Kevin’s webinars, I highly recommend you do so.” – Becky Vogt

**enter your information to have a link to the webinar emailed to you**

“Last Thursday, I participated in Kevin Kermes webinar on how to avoid the 10 biggest job search mistakes. I am a busy communications consultant who enjoys my work, but given this economy and its impact on freelancers, would (not surprisingly) like to find full-time steady employment. I signed up for his webinar, even though I wasn’t sure it could offer much in the way of good information. After all, I’d never heard of Kevin–and how many different ways can you scour the job boards? Boy oh boy, was I busted! I learned, among other things, that not all job boards are created equal–or even worth the time it takes to sign up–and why I needed to shift the way I was searching for engaging and sustaining work. I was riveted to his presentation–just short enough to keep my attention and just long enough to be interesting. Like so many other smart, savvy, and well-intentioned people in today’s workforce, I’ve been looking in the wrong places and, as a result, missing out on some right opportunities. With Kevin’s insights, I have changed my approach. Thanks for the hour, Kevin. Really appreciate it! Good stuff!”– Jill Murray

“Kevin’s webinar was completely on the mark. He clearly communicated the most important job search tasks and mistakes to avoid in order for one to stand out from the crowd to potential employers. Get an “Exceptional Performance Review” even before you’re hired. Follow Kevin’s rules.” – Carl Sutter

“I had the opportunity to listen to Kevin’s webinar the last week in January. The information he provided was insightful and timely. I was able to identify several areas where my search was lacking and feel more focused towards my goal.”– Susan Kneeshaw

**enter your information to have a link to the webinar emailed to you**

So, check it out and let me know what you think….

Click here to read Peggy’s blog on Preparing for the Interview

Whether your plans include watching the match or something else all together, I hope you have a great weekend.

Now, here’s what happened this week at Career Attraction:

My “Stand Out” Job Search Training starts on Monday. If you haven’t seen what it’s all about, watch this short video (about 10 minutes). I built it around exactly what you told me you wanted. I’ll be walking you through how to build stronger networks that drive opportunities to you, more efficient social media systems that work for you and, of course, how to Stand Out from the crowd easily, naturally and authentically. Watch the short video here…

Stand Out by Ditching the Elevator Speech – As you know, I am not a fan of the “elevator speech.” I agree with the concept of getting your message across quickly, succinctly and powerfully. Where this concept loses me (as well as most people receiving it) is that it isn’t value packed for the listener. This is particularly important in your job search, since there are a lot of “speeches” being pitched to hiring managers and you must stand out here. In my opinion, taking a more solution based approach will do just that. Read more here…

Q&A: How do I grow and cultivate a real network? – Kevin, in one of your webinars, you mentioned two types of networks: real and “acquaintance” (or something like that). I would like to know how to cultivate a real network. I don’t really think that I am relationship challenged. It is just the nature of my personality to be calm, cool and collected, and in the background. People don’t really gravitate to me. So anyway, I have 53 LinkedIn connections that span most of my life. But they are mostly acquaintances and they aren’t really people that engage in an equal give and take with me.  This isn’t a personal question. I’m more interested in the professional side. How to I create those professional relationships that can stand the test of time? Read my response here…

INTERVIEW: Networking from Scratch – I’ve been sharing this interview a lot lately with my coaching clients. It’s a conversation I had with a senior professional who found himself in a new city, with no network and unemployed. Michael had to build a trusted network from scratch – and quickly. In this interview, he explains exactly how he developed a strong network in short order that landed him an outstanding job…all without ever asking for a job! His advice – priceless. Get the interview here…


Next week in Career Attraction University:

- “Stand Out” Job Search Training start Monday

- Monthly Q&A Webinar – Thursday, July 15 at 12:00pmEST (Invitations will be emailed on Monday for Career Attraction University members). Remember to send your questions in by noon on Wednesday, July 14 to university@careerattraction.com)

- New “how to” Social Media Videos will be posted next week too!

Not a member of Career Attraction University? For less than one dollar a day you can access all this information and more. Sign-up here and get started today!

2008 – 2010 – Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved

In past articles, I have talked about the importance of developing Your Solution. This is what you do best – maybe even better than anyone else. If you think about that skill set like a product, there are things it (you) does and doesn’t do. It only makes sense then to target hiring managers who are experiencing the pain and problems that Your Solution addresses.

So, instead of firing off a generic pitch with what you do, take a more pinpoint approach. Begin by asking 2-3 questions that identify if that hiring manager is experiencing problems that you can fix. The answers will either allow you to highlight your accomplishments and what you can do for their company or help you determine that it isn’t the right job for you. The former is just as important as the latter.

This also does something else very important. It gets the potential employer talking about themselves. With this, you can more naturally make Your Solution all about them (which, incidentally, leads to uncovering “hidden” job opportunities). As well, it positions you to be able to share relatable stories with quantifiable results that show what is in it for them when they hire you.

Your Solution + Their Pain = Smart Hire

Taking this approach will narrow down your job search so you are focusing on real, qualified opportunities versus just trying to get any job. It allows you to start hunting with a rifle, not a shotgun. Ultimately, it will help pair you with a job that is not only a good fit, but where you can experience your greatest success.

Want more tips on how to stand out in the job market and attract more opportunities? Watch this video I made with Donna Reed (plus, there are a ton of free resources you can put to work today in your job search!)

2010 © Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved

What adds insult to injury is that which passes for feedback…the “advice” you are given as you discover you didn’t get the job. And this, my friend, is what I want to tackle today. Because, I see how much effort, energy and emotion is often put towards the words and ideas passed off as “helpful information” once your ride on the interview train has ended. And, frankly, it’s often wasted energy that is detracting you from moving down the path to your goal: finding the right job.

Don’t Assume You Are Being Told the Truth – You know I use the dating analogy a lot when talking about the hiring process. Remember what it was like to split up with someone? “It’s not you, it’s me.” The reality is that many times saying the truth can be as uncomfortable as hearing it…and many will avoid that at all costs. As well, in our uber-legal, highly litigious society, there is a reluctance to share the truth for fear of liability.

They May Not Know – You know those gut feelings you get about people – good or bad? Do you really need to know why you feel that way? No – you’ve learned over the years to trust your instincts. The hiring process is no different. You may be a perfect fit for a role but another candidate moves forward in the process (even gets the job) because the hiring manager just felt more comfortable with them. In the search business, when asking clients to describe the common thread shared by everyone on their team, most would respond with something along the lines of, “I can’t tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.” What do you do with that?

A Choice for Someone Else isn’t Always a Choice Against You – Following on the heels on them not knowing, this is really important to remember. When someone else is selected, it doesn’t mean a conscious choice was made against you. The natural place for any of us to go after being rejected is to what we could have done differently. This is all you can control, but it could have nothing to do with why you didn’t get hired.

Is all this unscientific, arbitrary and largely beyond your control – absolutely. The hiring process is a sum of its parts: people. And we are a quirky bunch. Put us all together and try to get consensus amongst a diverse group of people…it’s a wonder any decisions get made at all. Trying to apply rationale and logic to something as speculative and nuance driven as the hiring process can, simply put, drive you insane. On top of that, you are emotionally in the thick of things. Being objective isn’t only an unreasonable expectation for you to have for yourself, but it’s largely impossible.

Instead of reflecting on and dissecting what you are told (if anything) after an interview, I want you to do two things. First, capitalize on the opportunity presented (read this past blog I wrote on the topic). Second, reflect on whether you were the truest representation of you in the interview. If you were, and didn’t get the job, then it wasn’t the right fit for you. As much as you have your eyes on the prize (AKA: the job) during an interview, sometimes not winning is a blessing in disguise. The downside to getting hired for something you aren’t can be even more devastating in the long run than it is frustrating to be in the job search.

Comments, thoughts or advice you want to share? Leave it below as a comment!

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Sounds like a pretty good deal, huh?

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- How to get crystal clear on being productive, not just active, in your job search..and more effective!
- Why you don’t need to be focused on resumes, job boards or recruiters
- What you can do today to start “gatejumping” and get around those keeping you away from decision makers…it’s a lot easier than you think!
- Simple, actionable steps to start differentiating…and why most of the advice out there simply doesn’t work.
- Why you need to become a “hub,” not a “spoke,” with your audience…which will pull jobs to you.

Plus I’ll immediately send you a number of tools, interviews and resources that you can put to work TODAY in your job search. There’s no sales pitch – just 100% content you can use RIGHT NOW.

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2008 – 2010 Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved

Kevin,

I had been a top consultative sales producer for many years. Then, about 9-10 years ago, I encountered family and economic issues, e.g., layoffs, two-year non-compete, family health issues for which I took off work, etc., that prevented me from continuing in my successful sales career at that time. I then took “underemployment” just to make ends meet after the tech bubble burst, and the rest of the story occurred economically.

Now, trying to re-launch my sales career, hiring authorities see my resume with several short-tenured jobs in the past few years and immediately point that out as a rejection. This has come from recruiters and hiring managers themselves.

How might I structure my resume to get past this and on to an interview? This is a major obstacle, despite cover letters and top resume bullets showing what I can do for the company. I want to be honest, but not short-sell myself in the resume. Might I group these under “Sales and Consulting” (and list under my own sales consulting company, which I do actually have) even though they were actual jobs?

Anonymous (name withheld to protect the…well…because she asked me to )

Anonymous,

OK…It’s not you, it’s the system (and I say this confidently, Anonymous, because we have spoken). It’s precisely why I focus on creating a new system that works for you and get’s you standing out versus an old one that, clearly, doesn’t work for you. And, if there is one thing all job seekers are looking to do, it’s How to Stand Out (I did a recent poll of my subscribers on it)!

It’s not your Resume, but what you’re expecting your Resume to do – First, it’s not the format. Chronological resumes highlight movement. Functional resumes leave the reader wondering what you’re trying to hide. All that notwithstanding, by having a resume (or cover letter for that matter) take “point” for you in trying to get someone’s attention, you immediately throw yourself into the cattle call with everyone else. At the end of the day, no one is going to hire you because of your resume and it’s the weakest asset you have to leverage in getting on a hiring manager’s radar.

Get out of the Crowd – On the heels of that last point, ask yourself this: why try and stand apart in a crowded database of 1,000’s of resumes? Doesn’t it make more sense to put yourself in a less crowded space where you can shine? I really dig into this in my most recent video – check it out (and I give you some tools to start doing just that!).

Recruiters should be last on your list – Why? They don’t hire you. They are gatekeepers whose initial role is to thin the herd. In your situation, where you are trying to demonstrate (on paper or otherwise) the value you can bring by relating past accomplishment, that simply doesn’t fit in with the world of Boolean string searches and keyword matching. Your value needs to resonate with the person who can hire you. And, again, there are better ways to deliver that message than via paper.

Consult – If you are lacking recent, relevant experience – this is the way to go. And, it can be paid or un-paid. Hiring managers are less concerned with what you were paid that what you have accomplished – it’s a predictive indicator of what you’ll do for them. Deeds, not words. If that’s not enough, it will get you back in your element, get you in a more positive mindset and – when all is said and done – thinking about yourself as a Top Consultative Sales Professional – not a job seeker.

I’ll leave you with this: I had a Bootcamp client who’d been out of the workforce for over 7 years. In a coaching call, she shared with me that she had a really difficult time getting past gatekeepers, let alone getting the attention of hiring manager, with that gap on her resume. But, when she met people one-on-one, they got to know her…the value she could bring. When they saw her resume, the gap became a relative non-issue. Her question to me: How do I get my resume to do that? My response: Why would you want it to?

Don’t kill yourself trying to get a system to work for you that was never designed to serve you to begin with. Leverage what you’ve got, because you’ve got a lot!

Kevin

Got a job search or career advice question you want answered? Email it with “Weekly Q&A Blog” in the Subject Line to info@careerattraction.com  I can’t promise it will be picked, but you won’t know until you send it in!

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The First Date – Without fail, when I prepare a client for an interview they always start talking about what they are missing or rehashing why they were fired/downsized/let go. Just like talking about your ex on a first date, this is a really bad place to start. Even if it’s just in your head, you run the risk of self-sabotage by steering the conversation in that direction. Kind of like driving towards lights on the highway.

Focus on what you have in common and establishing a reason for a second date. Just like you wouldn’t expect to rush to the altar after your first date, the initial interview is about getting to know one another. Moreover, giving the interviewer reasons to want to bring you back to learn more about you…not flag the waiter down for the check and sprint for the door. Remember, you want to be defining yourself as an expert with the ability to solve problems – not as a job seeker. Job seeking is a condition of your employment, not the value you bring and a new addition to a company. Moreover, it’s not why you are going to get hired or a reason for them to max out the compensation scale in your favor…just like being single isn’t the reason you get a second date.

Get Engaged, Get Interested – Ever had dinner with someone who couldn’t stop talking about themselves? It kind of reminds me of telemarketers. Remember those guys? You’d pick up the phone in the evening and someone on the other end would verbally vomit on you. It didn’t matter what you needed, they had a product to sell and a script to push through. It wasn’t a conversation. Honestly, it wasn’t really even a sales pitch. It was more like forced feeding. Until, of course, you simply hung up on them…which is something you don’t want to have happen to you in the interview.

So, don’t have an untargeted presentation of who you are and what you do. Ask a few questions so you can determine if they need what you have (for those Bootcamp Clients reading – it’s all about “Your Solution.”). This way you will add value and have a more meaningful conversation – which translates to better compensation. It will also let you both know whether or not it truly is a good fit. Sometimes getting to “no” is more important than “yes.”

“I Won’t be ignored Dan!” – Bar none, my favorite quote from Fatal Attraction. No matter what character Glenn Close plays, I always envision Alex in the corner flipping that light switch on and off. Don’t let this be the image you leave people with when the process either doesn’t move at fast as you’d like or the company moves in another direction. When it comes to calling or emailing someone, there is a fine line between pleasant persistence and outright stalking someone.

I’ve written about turning rejection into opportunity and the importance of handling those situations well. I’ve experienced something similar with women I have dated, but things didn’t work out – sometimes their choice, sometimes mine. But, in either case, I’ve subsequently been set up by many of them with friends because they consider me a “good guy.”

My point here isn’t to self-inflate my ego. Rather, just like in dating, you spend a good amount of time and effort in building up a connection – possibly a relationship – with another person. To throw all that away because you aren’t chosen for a job is a really bad choice. Just like we rely on our friends’ suggestions and opinions when making decision, so works the hiring process. And, in this highly competitive market, having former interviewers out there spreading the good word about you is only going to make finding the right job that much easier.

Comments, thoughts or great dating/interview analogies…please share them below!

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2008 – 2010 Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved

]]> http://www.careerattraction.com/dating/feed/ 14 http://www.careerattraction.com/uncovering-the-hidden-job-market/ http://www.careerattraction.com/uncovering-the-hidden-job-market/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:43:48 +0000 Kevin Kermes http://www.careerattraction.com/?p=5132 You’ve heard it before. 80-85% of the hiring done is off the conventional radar (no recruiters, no job boards, etc..) in the “hidden” job market. In this interview, I talk to Ed Warner who uncovered his new job through a combination of harnessing social media, networking and simply being himself. Ed pulls back the curtain and shares how he found his unadvertised position in the “hidden” job market.

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