Understanding the Circle Of Transition
High turnover exists because most candidates accept positions they should never have accepted in the first place.
Candidates with high turnover need to understand why it happens and how to stop it. The first step in accomplishing this is understanding when you are in the Circle of Transition. If you don’t know about this circle you will never get past the high turnover problem.
We believe this is one of the most important aspect in one’s career and most candidates don’t even know it exists.
To stop your high turnover and get out of the Circle of Transition you must first listen to this recording.
Click here to download this recording or listen to it live.
The key word in the title is “effective.” Anyone can network ineffectively. The sad part is that most people I meet do ineffective networking. What is sadder is that they get frustrated or burned out and often give up.
The common belief I hear from candidates about networking is generally all about meeting as many people as possible. Networking is not about meeting people. It is about meeting the right people. Granted, most candidates are out meeting a lot of people. If meeting a lot of people is their goal, then most are achieving it. However, for most, the reason for networking is to receive job leads or referrals that will lead to job leads. Many candidates, if not most candidates, aren’t achieving this goal at the level they would like to.
I believe this is strictly a result of lack of planning. The 6 P’s are something to remember, “Prior proper planning prevents poor performance.”
Planning takes time and research which is something few are willing to do when entering the market. I’m not saying many don’t think extensively about all the options, but thinking isn’t planning.
True planning means more than thinking. It involves action. It involves writing. Research isn’t thinking, it involves work, testing, and change if the research doesn’t prove effective.
Networking planning means preparing the tools you need to effectively promote yourself. Some very basic tools you need are:
- Networking cards, not business cards. Too many people go to Vistaprint online and get the free cards. Like most things that are free in life, you get what you pay for. These are fine when you go to an interview, but worthless for networking.
- Develop a networking bio. Don’t use your resume.
- Most don’t have any networking plan written out. I have tested this in the last month prior to writing this. I have asked all of the 43 people I have met over the last month to bring a copy of their networking plan to our meeting. Six had something to bring and three of those looked like they made it up for our meeting. At least that is a start.
- Few had identified a thorough list of people, companies, organizations and trusted advisers they want to meet. You need a specific list by name.
Just doing these four things will greatly improve the effectiveness of one’s job search. I know this for a fact, because the three people I’m counseling on their job search have done these things and have seen dramatic changes in their referrals.
Try implementing these four steps for starters. Then we will move on to Step 2 – effective social media networking. By the end of this series, I hope to help you become highly effective at networking.
For more information on effective networking, check out our many free resources. CLICK HERE to review and download the free resource that is best for you.
Join our Job Search Networking Group on LinkedIn. This is one of the best free resources for some of the best articles on the topic of job search. CLICK HERE to join.
Start by assessing how effective your job search is by downloading our free 8-Point Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. This will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your job search. CLICK HERE to assess how effective your job search is.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad
I preach all the time how important it is in a job search to have a steady stream of job lead referrals coming from your network. Few disagree with this. Few also do much about it. Oh they go through the motions, they generate a lot of activity, they meet a lot of people, and they go to so many networking groups they have lost count. Yes, even after all that activity, one of the biggest issues I have to help candidates with is getting referrals from their network. In fact, most of the people that come to me requesting job search help, this is the catalyst that starts our relationship.
The conversation often begins,”I have been looking for X number of months with very little results. I’m actively networking, meeting people all the time and just not getting the right referrals or leads. Can you help me?”
This person hasn’t built a sales force. They’ve built a lot of contacts, but every top sales person knows few contacts buy anything. Connections and a relationship often result in a sale.
So here is the proverbial $64,000 question for you, “How many sales reps do you have out in the field selling you?” If you answered 50 or more you can move on to the next article. If you answered, “I don’t know.” Here is how to find out, “Are you happy with the quality and quantity of the job lead referrals you are getting?” If no, read on. If yes, move on.
I find that most job seekers have less than 15 (usually around 10) really solid job lead referral sources in their network. Most are getting referrals to other people, usually service providers, but not job leads. Few are tapping into the hidden job market.
The people I work with have a goal of 50 sales reps. I call them sales reps, because every candidate needs to have at least 50 people in the market place promoting and selling them every time a job lead or potential job lead comes up. The larger the geographical area, the larger the number of sales reps required.
My all time favorite line that best describes effective networking was given to me years ago by a person that understood networking before networking was even a word. Bill Ellermeyer said to me,”You have to take a contact and turn it into a connection.” Read it again if you didn’t pick up on what real networking is all about. This hits the problem square on the head.
Job seekers are not making connections, most are making contacts. Many don’t even know if the contact is willing to refer them or not.
So start turning all those contacts into connections. 50 great connections are worth more to you than 500 contacts. So start focusing on getting the 50.
Some ways to do that include:
- Network with a purpose. Stop going to every networking meeting on the planet. Stop meeting every person referred to you. Start going to networking meetings that will provided you the connections you need to get job leads. If the meeting isn’t going to meet this goal, why go? Do your homework before spending a lot of time with someone. Ask the referring sources some qualifying questions about the person and why they think this person would be a good referral source for you. Don’t just run off and spend all that time meeting a bunch of people.
- Select or target the people that can help you and eventually you can help them. Generally, if it is a service provider you are trying to make your sales rep, they want business referrals. They want to meet decision makers. So you should have a list of people you are relying on for help and find out from them exactly what types of business referrals they want. Stop asking the question, “How can I help you?” Every service knows that rarely leads to anything. You want referrals so do they. So ask them, “What business introductions can I make for you?” Have your rolodex with you. Open it up right there and give a good referral. They now owe you.
- Follow-up with these people regularly. Every sales manager knows you have to keep in-touch with your sales reps and with the customer. So you need to do the same thing. Since you know the backgrounds of the people they want to meet invite them to meetings, introduce them to a potential referral over coffee with you there to make the introduction, call and inquire if hey would be interested in meeting this person or that person, invite them to a social event, golf, sporting event, drinks, conference. Maybe they would like to meet one of your other 50 sales people so they can network together. Why not set up a small group meeting. There are so many opportunities to take this contact and turn it into a connection once you start thinking about it. The problem is very few think about it.
It only takes the ability to focus on the right things that will lead to quality job leads. I can tell you from personal experience, when I can get the candidates I work with in this mode most see quality job leads start coming in. Having a sales force is critical to a successful job search.
So please go out today and start building your sales team.
For a FREE example of a cover letter CLICK HERE.
For a FREE example of a Thank You letter CLICK HERE.
For many more FREE resources and articles, join our Job Search Networking Group on LinkedIn. 5200 people have done this. CLICK HERE to join.
If your LinkedIn profile doesn’t demonstrate you are the expert in your field you may be missing opportunities. Recruiters, HR and hiring authorities often start looking on Linkedin. This tool is critical in a job search. CLICK HERE to learn how you can build an outstanding Linkedin Profile.
I welcome your thoughts, comments, suggestions and ideas.
Brad Remillard
I just published a blog on our HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent Blog aimed at hiring executives and managers on the subject of networking.
You can read this blog posting on networking for Executives and Managers by CLICKING HERE.
Outrageous Claim ? Networking is Critical to a Career
In this blog posting, I made the outrageous claim that Networking can make or break a career. As I was writing the post which was focused on employed executives and managers, the issue struck me that most candidates take too long to conduct a job search because:
Networking Efforts are INADEQUATE OR INEFFECTIVE
The Fundamental Problem of Job Search
One of the services we provide for executive and managerial job search candidates is job search coaching. We also have a specific project for developingNetworking Strategic Plan.
The first thing we notice is a woefully inadequate network and ineffective methods to build, grow, sustain, nurture, develop, enhance the network. Its no wonder the most common complaints about networking is that for the time investment it doesnt yield enough job leads and referrals.
If I approached networking the way most candidates approach it in their job search, I would consider it random luck if I got a job lead or referral.
Weve touched on Networking in the past and the importance of it for your job search. In my article addressed to employed hiring executives and managers, I claim its one of the most important skills they can possess and one of the most important activities they must do on a daily basis.
In a job search ? it is not just one of the important things you should be doing ? JOB SEARCH NETWORKING is the most important thing you should be doing ? without exception.
Here are few articles where weve touched upon the importance of networking:
CLICK HERE to Read How Recruiters Search on LinkedIn and What We Look For
CLICK HERE to Learn How to Stand Out at a Networking Event
Im writing an article series on 101 Job Search Tactics. A large percentage of those tactics are going to be centered around effective networking. Ive already described some of the networking tactics job search candidates should be trying on LinkedIn. Here are links to a few of those blog postings:
CLICK HERE to Read – Cares What Your Status is On LinkedIn?
CLICK HERE to Read ? 101 Job Search Tactics to Find a Job Now
Questions for Candidates Who Dont Network?
Why are you not networking?
What dont you know about networking that you must learn?
What are top 10 books youve recently read on networking?
What workshops/seminars/webinars have you recently attended to improve your skills at networking?
What blogs are you reading that offer great tips on how to network in your job search?
Whats holding you back?
Shouldnt you be investing heavily in time (and funds) everything you can to learn how to become a master networker in your job search?
If 80% or more of all jobs are not posted, in the hidden job market, and can only be found through networking ? why are you only focusing on the 20% that are advertised on job boards?
Resources for Job Search Networking
Basing your job search on answering job board advertisements instead of concentrating on effective job search networking is like betting your savings on the crap tables. Only if random luck intervenes do you stand a chance of succeeding.
Here is a list of a few resources that might help you in networking:
CLICK HERE to join our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group ? many good conversations on how to network effectively
CLICK HERE to see our Job Search Workbook that contains our focused chapter on how to network
CLICK HERE to Learn about our services for Executive and Managerial Job Seekers including Job Coaching and Networking Strategic Planning.
CLICK HERE to download some of our archived FREE radio show broadcasts on the subject of Job Search Networking
CLICK HERE to download the FREE Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard to determine if your networking approach is effective
CLICK HERE to visit our Job Search FREE Resources Portal where we bring together the blog feeds from some of the very best bloggers on the Internet focused on Networking techniques.
Barry Deutsch
I am currently reading the book, “The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life” by Alice Schroeder. It is an interesting biography on Warren Buffet’s life starting as a small child. Some of the more interesting parts highlight what influenced his thought processes about everything from money to how he treats people.
I haven’t finished the book yet, but as I was reading it two sentences stood out. To me, these two sentences explained exactly why so many candidates stay in a job search so much longer than need be. I have known this for a long time. The candidates I work with one-on-one in our job search coaching programs often start out the same way. I interview and speak with hundreds of candidates a month. It use to surprise me the number of people who acted this way. Not any more, I just accept it. I don’t understand it, but I do accept it.
When Warren was a teenager he read the book, “How to Make Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Just about everyone has heard of this book. His biography addresses the impact this book had on him. How it “honed his natural wit, above all it enhanced his persuasiveness, his flair for salesmanship.” Obviously, this one book influenced him so much that decades later he still remembered it and gave it credit.
It was the two sentences before this which stood out and relates to the vast majority of candidates I encounter. Alice Schroeder writes, “Unlike most people who read Carnegie’s book and thought gee, that makes sense, then set the book aside and forgot about it, Warren worked at this project with unusual concentration; he kept coming back to these ideas and using them. Even when he failed and forgot and went for long stretches without applying himself to the system, he returned and resumed practicing in the end.”
This is what grabbed my attention. As soon as I read it, I thought this is exactly what most candidates do. This is exactly why so many candidates spend so many extra months searching for a new positions. They read a book, attend a webinar, read a blog article or listen to an audio file and think, “Gee, that makes sense, then set it aside and forget about it.”
Few, my guess less than 10% do as Warren did. Read the sentences again. Does anything stand out to you as it did me? What did Warren Buffet do different than all the others?
I see this constantly. People will return our job search workbook with a note, “Already know all this stuff.” At first I was stunned. When we wrote the book we spent an extensive amount of time identifying the mistakes candidates continually make. We then worked extremely hard to provide solutions to those mistakes. So it struck me as strange, that so many people knew all these mistakes, but just kept making them. How could this be?
I’m sure the many other excellent authors of books on this subject have experienced the same thing.
So I decided to test if it was true these people really did know all this stuff. I started doing some follow-up. I would call the person and ask for feedback. As I got bolder, I became more direct. I started asking very specific questions of those that “already know all this stuff?” For example, I would ask:
- Since you already know the only three things which can be measured during a phone interview, what do you do to properly prepare?
- As you know, there are only three types of questions asked in an interview. How do you identify which type of question is being asked and how do you prepare for each type of question?
- Of the ten most important questions to ask in an interview, which ones in your opinion were most helpful and of those which ones do you use most often?
- How long have you been using the cover letter we recommend and what has been your experience with this style?
- How often have you found yourself in anyone of the 5 positions in the Circle of Transition and how do you handle it? This could be really helpful to other candidates?
- How is your networking business card different from your interviewing business card?
It didn’t take long to discover these people may have read the book, but unlike Warren Buffet, they didn’t embrace the ideas with “unusual concentration.” Instead it was, “Gee I already know this stuff.” When in fact, from their answers, they had no idea what mistakes they were making and how the book provides solutions.
Warren Buffet read Dale Carnegie’s book over and over again. He referred back to it time and time again. He practiced regularly. When he failed it was back to the book. That is what made him unique. He didn’t just know it all, he implemented the concepts. He didn’t blame the book when things went wrong, he adjusted and tried again.
I know from the one-on-one job search coaching we do, when we get candidates to stop knowing everything and start doing things the right way, they find job leads that eventually lead to offers and employment.
Although it might appear as an attempt to sell our book it really isn’t. There are many great resources available to candidates. Many are 100% free. It is positively an attempt to get candidates to stop saying, “Gee, that makes sense, but I already know it.” It is positively an attempt to get candidates to learn from Warren Buffet. To get candidates to refer back time and time again to excellent resources. To re-read the books, re-listen to the audio recordings and to take this advice to heart with “unusual concentration” as Warren Buffet did.
I have discovered the reason there is so much written for job seekers is because job seekers need so much help. If candidates did everything so perfectly there wouldn’t be a need for all the books, blogs, articles and webinars.
The next time you read anything designed to help you in your job search don’t let your first thought be, “Gee, I already know that.” Rather force yourself instead to ask, “Good advice. How am I implementing that in my job search?” Attack it the same vigor and “unusual concentration” as Warren Buffet.
Try this approach first and you will find yourself gainfully employed a whole lot sooner.
OK, now this is a blatant attempt to sell you a book. You can get our job search workbook to review for free. Just pay the $5 shipping. For details on this offer CLICK HERE.
Test your job search effectiveness by downloading our free Job Search Plan Assessment Scorecard. Find the strengths and weaknesses in your job search. Then attack the weaknesses with “unusual concentration.” CLICK HERE to download.
For a FREE example of a cover letter that recruiters, HR and hiring authorities like and will get your resume read, CLICK HERE.
I welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback.
Brad Remillard
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Comments (1)
I was recently co-interviewing candidates with my client for one of his open positions. Together we interviewed 3 candidates all in the same day.
Obviously, two of the candidates didn’t get the job. One of the candidates that didn’t get the position was the catalyst for writing this article.
We began in the morning with the first person. The first impression of this candidate was weak. Although professionally dressed in a suit, it didn’t fit him well, it was clear it had been worn a few times without being pressed, he was overweight, hair was combed, but groomed would not be used to describe him. His overall presence was OK, it just didn’t overwhelm us when we first met him.
As the interview progressed, he didn’t come across with great energy or enthusiasm. His body language was low in the chair and even when he was asking questions he never seemed to change how he sat in the chair. His voice was monotone. Eye contact during the interview was good and he did his best to engage us. Not that he did poorly, but the spark of a person who really enjoys what he does day to day wasn’t there. He came across as bored and would work because he needed a job until he retired.
He asked a few insightful questions during the interview, but nothing all that impressive. He closed the interview politely.
Again, no real knock out blow, and with the weak appearance and the interview we just weren’t all that impressed.
The next candidate was different. Candidate #2 was well dressed and groomed. Polished comes to mind. He came across in the first impression as confident, with drive and energy, and as someone very comfortable meeting people. He was all business but didn’t over do it.
As the interview progressed he wasn’t overly friendly, he stayed focused on the business at hand without a lot of small talk or joking. We could see from his answers that he listened well to our questions. His body language was clearly designed to engage us. We assumed that he had been trained this way. He leaned forward when stressing a point, he mirrored a lot of our movements, which is a technique used to make us feel comfortable, and he used voice inflection very well to stress points and add emphasis.
He asked a number of very good questions during the interview that demonstrated he really understood the position and many of the issues that he would encounter if he was to come on board. He left the interview on a positive note.
We were impressed with him, his professionalism, his approach, and his ability to engage us.
Candidate #3 was completely different, as this time the candidate was a she not a he. She was very professional. She was dressed in a very professional business suit and groomed perfectly. It was apparent that she had dealt with senior level executives and knew how to present herself. She was outgoing, friendly, and engaging from the moment we met her. She was just one of those people that has that extra spark. She knew how to conduct small talk, demonstrated the appropriate level of humor for the circumstances, and was just comfortable in a business environment. This was all from the first impression.
As the interview progressed, so did she as a candidate. Her body language was much like the second candidate. She sat up straight when needed, her eye contact was continual and even when she wasn’t speaking directly to me I felt like she was, she was well prepared to not only answer our questions but asked some excellent questions as well. Unlike candidate #2, even though we did spend the vast majority of time discussing the position, it just didn’t seem that way. She was very business focused just as the second candidate was, but somehow it didn’t come across that way.
She left the interview on a positive note, but made a little extra effort to make sure that we were satisfied with her and her answers.
We decided to proceed with the last two candidates. I had to call the first one and let him know the bad news. This is positively the worst part of being a recruiter. The comment that he made to me is what sparked this article. He said, “I’m not surprised, I could tell you were looking for someone younger than me.” How he surmised this is beyond me. He was clearly implying age discrimination.
We never once discussed age or anything even close to it. He just assumed that because he didn’t get the job it was due to his age. I think many candidates do this. I agree age discrimination exists. I just don’t think it is as widespread as most candidates do. I have written other articles on this topic. Too often, just like candidate #1, when candidates don’t get the job the first thought that surfaces is age discrimination when in fact, it is all of the other things they are doing wrong that are really the cause.
The big problem with thinking that age discrimination was the reason is that the candidate will never step back and consider that maybe it is something else. Why would they consider anything else when they have already decided that age discrimination is the reason they didn’t get the job and there is nothing they can do about that? Then they don’t do anything to improve themselves.
As the late Paul Harvey would say, “Now the rest of the story.” It goes without saying that we never discussed age during the hiring process. However, as the hiring process continued, so did the need to perform our due diligence. This meant that I needed to verify each of the candidate’s degrees. In order to do that, I needed the year they graduated from college. This isn’t always an indicator of age, but in many cases it is a benchmark.
Candidate #1 indicated on his resume that he received his degree in 1979. He is probably near 50. Just a guess.
Candidate #2, one of the candidates we continued to be very interested in, graduated in 1975. Probably the oldest of the three.
Candidate #3, the person ultimately hired by the company, received her degree in 1978. Most likely, but no guarantee, she was close to the same age as candidate #1.
When I called candidate #2 to tell him the news that he wasn’t going to get the position, he never even mentioned age as a reason for not receiving the offer. He knew better. In his case, it really just came down to fit within the organization.
So is this age discrimination or not? I would really like your opinion.
I do believe, as I said before, that age discrimination exists. However, here is the important take away from this article, don’t take the easy way out and go first to age discrimination as the reason. Use age discrimination only as the final reason. Explore other options first. Then, only after all of the other options have been addressed, consider age discrimination.
To help you evaluate other reasons your search may be stalled, download our free 8-Point Job Search Plan Assessment Scorecard. This is a good start for highlighting other areas in your job search that might be causing problems. CLICK HERE to download yours.
Also consider joining our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group. This is one of the best resources to provide you with the job search tools you need. There are over 4,800 members in this group to assist you. It will really help you with your job search. CLICK HERE to join. LinkedIn is free for everyone.
I welcome your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Brad Remillard
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Comments (20)
Did you know LinkedIn provides an instant credibility building tool for developing your personal brand?
Did you know that within just a few weeks you have an ability to rise to the top of recruiters, hr professionals, and hiring manager radar screens?
Combine the Question and Answer element of LinkedIn with the other recommendations we’ve made in this series of Job Search Tips on LinkedIn:
Everyone Cares What Your Status is on LinkedIn – CLICK HERE TO READ
Who Cares What Your Status is on LinkedIn – CLICK HERE TO READ
Don’t Be Like Groucho Marx on LinkedIn – CLICK HERE TO READ
The Instant Credibility Tool on LinkedIn
It’s called Questions and Answers.
You can find at the top of screen on the horizontal navigation menu. Click on “More” and then click on “Answers”.
Look at the questions being asked in a variety of categories where you have an expertise:
- Your job search
- Fund raising for your local soccer non-profit organization
- Industry trends
- Functional issues such as marketing or financial management
- Working with Recruiters
- Using LinkedIn
What expertise do you bring to the job search party?
Step 1: It’s Okay to be a Temporary LinkedIn Lurker
Pick a subject area in which you are most comfortable
Lurk a little to see what type of questions are asked and what type of answers are given. (I know – I know – I told you a few blog postings ago NOT to be a lurker on LinkedIn! Let’s suspend that request for a few minutes). Get a feel for the give and take of asking a question, getting responses, and responding to the responses.
This is what Social Media and Social Networking is all about. Here is the basic core element – engaging in discussion and conversation with others. Giving value back through your contributions and receiving value by taking the bits and pieces others offer.
This element of questions and answers is at a very basic level one of the most important aspects of networking. In the old days – you did this in-person or by phone.
LinkedIn gives you a platform of leverage which is extraordinary for the speed, efficiency, and exposure.
Step 2: Answer a few questions on LinkedIn
Observe, lurk, kibbutz, peek and then after playing LinkedIn Peeping Tom over 24-48 hours, post a few replies to questions you’re most comfortable answering.
Wait for a response – or perhaps someone else besides the original question poser will raise a question, challenge your idea, or build upon your recommendation.
Respond to the responder.
Engage in a conversation.
Pretend it’s a friendly dialogue.
Couple of Ground Rules – Both Negative and Positive
You might call this section – social etiquette on LinkedIn:
- Never put someone else down in public
- Never insult another poster
- Don’t try to dominate the conversation
- Don’t act arrogant or be a know-it-all
- Avoid sarcasm – it’s easy to misinterpret little jokes or having some fun at other’s expense
- Be positive
- Say Positive things
- Give praise frequently
- Recognize when someone has made a great contribution to the discussion – give them an on-line pat on the back. Everyone wants a little recognition when they do something great.
Step 3 – Pose Your Own Questions on LinkedIn
After you’re comfortable answering a few questions, try posting a few questions.
Be a little controversial.
Take a contrarian point of view.
Don’t hesitate to offer your opinion or ideas.
Be yourself.
Stimulate a discussion.
Tie your question to an area of your expertise.
Track your questions – do certain questions generate a larger response?
Step 4 – Who’s behind the questions and answers?
After responding to a question, look at the profile of the poster. Is this someone you would like to connect with and get to know better? Send him/her an invite to connect on LinkedIn.
When people respond to your questions, check out their profiles. Should you be connecting to them also through an invitation.
Can you imagine how much leverage this is going to bring to your networking efforts? Visualize all those connections and their connections – WOW – it’s as if the old saying is coming true that “we’re all connected to Kevin Bacon through 6 levels of referrals.
We’ll get into how to leverage your network’s connections in a future post in this series.
Action Steps on LinkedIn
As soon as you finish reading this article, go straight to the questions and answers area on LinkedIn. Begin step 1.
Within 24-48 hours I expect to see you responding to questions and posting a few of your own.
Shoot a comment back on this blog post or drop me a note and let me know how this is working out for you.
Before you know it – you’ll have established your credibility. The recruiters, hr folks, and hiring managers lurking in the background will begin to see you, hear you, recognize you for for your expertise, knowledge, and radiating personal brand.
You’ll start getting inquiries, others will look forward to your comments, and you’ll start to generate a decent following of dedicated fans.
It’s so easy I’m practically dumbfounded that more managerial and executive job seekers don’t do this as part of their daily dozen on-line social media and networking activities.
Barry Deutsch
P.S.: I hope you didn’t miss the How to Find your Next Job on LinkedIn Webinar we conducted today.
Mark your calendar NOW for our next webinar on April 30th – Giving Your Job Search a Boost Through Social Media. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements of this program. Just like our Webinar on LinkedIn today, we expect to sell out quickly for this value-packed inexpensive Job Search Social Media Webinar.
The title is true. It just isn’t true all of the time.
I can’t count the number of times I have heard from candidates, “I have done all of the things for your position.” or how many times I get a cover letter that goes into a lengthy explanation about “how perfect” they believe they are for my search.
One question, “If you are so perfect for the position, then why didn’t you get it?”
Skills and experience will only get you so far in the hiring process. At some point, usually much earlier than most candidates realize, these begin to diminish in importance.
What begins to increase in importance is your qualifications. This encompasses a lot more than skills and experience. Otherwise, why go through the interviewing process? If skills and experience were all that mattered, you would be hired just from your resume.
For example, let’s say that I received your resume and started reviewing it. At this point, skills and experience are 100% of my screening process. Once, I have read your resume and like what I read, I will then pick up the phone and conduct a phone screen. I don’t like to call it an interview, because quite frankly I’m in a screening mode more than an interviewing mode.
At this point, your skills and experience may now only be about 75% relevant. During this phone interview, it is true that I’m interviewing you on your skills and experience, but that isn’t all. There is so much more to a phone screen that it took a whole chapter in our candidate job search workbook to cover it all. This chapter is so important that we offer it for free for everyone to download. CLICK HERE if you want to download it.
If that goes well, the next step is going to be a face-to-face interview. Now your skills and experience are at best 50% relevant. Since I have read your resume and conducted a phone screen, I have a really good feel for whether you meet the minimum criteria or not. The interviewing priorities shift. There are so many issues I’m screening on to decide if I will send you out to my client that I can’t list them all. This took too many chapters in our job search workbook to properly cover and with the depth needed, I can’t possibly go into all of them, but here are a few. I’m interested in much more than just your skills and experience. I’m also interviewing for how professional your presentation is, how well you can communicate, whether or not you can withstand probing questions on your background, do you have the facts on your accomplishments, do you answer questions in vague generalities or can you get specific, and even how strong or weak your first impression was. I’m paid to make value judgments regarding how well you will fit with the company, if you are prepared for how my client will interview you (are you prepared or just winging it) and whether or not you will embarrass me once you are in front of my client. It only takes once in a recruiter’s career to have a client call back and complain that the candidate wasted their time, before the recruiter improves their screening process. These are really the basic things I’m screening on in our in-person interview. Only about 50% pass this interview.
That means half will never meet the hiring authority. Even though they have the experience and skills required, they may not be qualified. Now of this 50%, some will turn out to not be a good match, and often the candidate will agree. Usually, that is less than 10% of the total people I have interviewed in-person.
I can assure you it works about the same when you are interviewing with companies. The only major difference is that as the interviewing process progresses the percentage of reliance on skills and experience decreases even more.
For some senior level positions that require more than 4 or 5 meetings, this percentage may dwindle down to as little as 10% or less.
As the interviewing process moves forward, the hiring authority has already come to the conclusion that the candidates have at least the minimum skills and experience to do the job. Otherwise, they would have been eliminated.
What I’m trying to stress in this article is that candidates rely too much on their skills and experience to the detriment of what is important at different points in time during the hiring process. It isn’t always about your experience. At some point the question is, “Are you qualified?” It is more about your personality, behavioral issues, managerial style, communications, professionalism, professional presence, assertiveness, etc. that really matters.
These are the things most candidates take for granted during the hiring process. I have encountered so few that grasp these at the actionable level. Many reading this article will be thinking to themselves, “I know all of this.” That is the point of the article and the frustration. You may know all of this, but what are you doing about it to ensure that you pass?
How are you preparing?
How are you improving your ability to succinctly communicate your accomplishments?
What tangible things have you done to become a salesperson? After all, in a job search you are in sales.
Have you ever video recorded yourself in a mock interview?
What unique and probing questions do you ask in an interview that demonstrate that you are an insightful person?
How do your questions differentiate you from all of the others that ask the same questions?
How do you use your voice to communicate effectively?
I could go on and on. I’m not implying that every person needs all of these. I am implying that every person needs some of these. The question is, what do you need in your search so that as the percentage shifts from skills and experience to your personal qualifications that you continue to excel?
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So much has been written on the importance of a complete and compelling LinkedIn profile. I am currently working on two searches for which I am extensively using LinkedIn to source candidates. From what I have seen, one would think that LinkedIn is either a new or non-essential tool. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the last two weeks, I have looked at well over three hundred profiles on LinkedIn. Only one thought comes to mind and I hope I speak for most recruiters (internal and external) when I say, “What a major disappointment!” or “Now I understand exactly why so many candidates are in transition so much longer than necessary.”
I firmly believe that most profiles are viewed, and then passed over time and time again. Most LinkedIn members who are looking for a position don’t even know how many times someone has reviewed their profile and never contacted them simply because their profile completely, “SUCKS.”
Profile after profile indicated “open to being contacted for career opportunities,” but the profile wouldn’t even include the person’s name!
If that isn’t ridiculous enough, my favorite examples are the ones that state in the headline, “Unemployed or Actively Seeking a New Position.” One would think that since this person took the time to announce to the world that they are in transition, that they would at least upload their resume. But “NO.” OK, surely they will at least complete their profile so people reviewing it will know what they do? Nope, why let recruiters and others searching for candidates have this information?
Give me a break, do they expect me to engage them based on their picture? Are recruiters supposed to just know this information via osmosis?
Here is how I search for candidates on LinkedIn. I hope this will help you as well as help recruiters help you.
- I start out using the advanced search feature for people.
- I want to throw a wide net. My goal is to be inclusive at this point, rather than to exclude someone.
- I usually start with just a few criteria. Generally, title, location (I use zip code and 50 mile radius), industry and function. That is it.
- There are exceptions to this but this is the starting point.
- I leave all other fields set to the “All . . ” category in the drop down boxes. Meaning search all my groups, search in and out of my network, etc. I want a wide net.
Generally, hundreds of profiles appear. Now the search really begins, as does the frustration.
I begin scanning through the summaries of the profiles that appear. There is not a lot of information in the summary but enough to give the reader a good idea of whether it’s worth it to view the person’s full profile.
So often there is no need to even review a person’s profile. I can tell just from the summary that the information on the profile is either missing or completely worthless. For example, no picture, no name, no companies listed, vague titles, no contacts, background missing, no work history, etc. Yet, they want to be contacted for career opportunities.
Once I start looking at the profile, I usually decide in about 10-20 seconds if I should click out or read on. So many profiles are so incomplete that I wonder why this person even took the time to post a profile. What exactly were they expecting when they posted this worthless profile?
I also look at the picture to see if it is professional or one that will embarrass me for referring the person if my client views it. That’s assuming there is a picture at all.
I then begin looking for the box checking stuff my client is requiring such as education, experience, current or past titles, years of experience, level, etc. You can read more about this in an article I wrote, “How Recruiters Read Resumes In 10 Seconds or Less.” Click here if you are interested.
I also look for recommendations and may read some. What are others saying about you? If nobody is willing to say anything good about you, it certainly isn’t a knock out, but I am curious about that.
I will also scroll down the profile summary and work history, and if a resume is uploaded I will review it. Rarely is a resume uploaded. Most of the time this is where it ends. The profile is so incomplete, the work history so brief, the description of work so worthless, that I can’t figure out what they were responsible for. The profile has little or no company information, so I have no idea if their past companies were even in the right industry. Finally, the summary at the top is meaningless. Most don’t even include specialties.
I scroll to the very bottom and sure enough they want to be contacted regarding career opportunities. Some are even helpful at this point and will say, “Prefer to be contacted on my cell phone.” or “Please use my personal email address.” Neither of which are included in the profile. Hey, I can’t make this stuff up.
GOODBYE. I have better things to do and a lot more people to consider.
This person probably just lost a great opportunity, or at the very least an opportunity to discuss a position. Even if they aren’t interested, just knowing what is going on in their market is helpful. Just getting a feel for comparable compensation is a good data point for anyone to know.
The lunacy doesn’t end here. At least 50% of these people are not working. Their work history will be 2007-2009. What planet are they on? I’m sure they are frustrated, and complaining about how long they have been out of work and how bad the market is. This may be completely true, but they aren’t helping themselves with their profile.
If this search fails to produce viable candidates, I will go back and change the title or industry and try again. Not necessarily change the search, just some of the criteria. I’ll try to throw a wider net in a different part of LinkedIn’s membership.
Finally, I may eventually search by company name. If I know of a specific company that is right, I will search using the company name. That brings up all of the people that are currently working for this company or have in the past.
This is why your complete and compelling profile is so important on LinkedIn. In today’s world, the search for candidates so often starts on LinkedIn. The sad part is, it also often ends there too.
Take away nothing else from this article but this one thing: In today’s market, companies (right or wrong) are looking for the kings and queens in their field, not the jack of all trades. If your profile doesn’t shout out loud and clear, “I’m an EXPERT,” you may be missing opportunities. Sadly, this happens and it is so easy to fix.
On March 26th we are having a webinar on how you can leverage LinkedIn to find your next job. We believe this is the most comprehensive webinar we have seen on this topic. We’ll have over 35 slides (we’ll give you all the slides) on how you can build a compelling and complete profile. We will show you step-by-step where the tools are and how you can use them to be the “EXPERT.” These slides and the audio recording of the webinar are included. If you want a profile that puts you in the top 10%, then you should CLICK HERE to learn more.
At a minimum you should download our 8-Level LinkedIn Self Assessment Profile. This tool is a great start towards building a great profile. CLICK HERE to get yours. It is 100% free.
Finally, if you are on LinkedIn, join our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group. There are more than 4,800 members in the group. It is one of the fastest growing groups on LinkedIn that focuses on job search issues. CLICK HERE to join.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
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Comments (31)
In our last blog post, we built the foundation for why it’s important to update your status on LinkedIn You can read the previous blog post, by CLICKING HERE.
Let’s take the conversation down from 40,000 ft. to ground level.
As a job seeker, how can you effectively use status updates on LinkedIn for your job search?
Let’s take your example as a management/executive job seeker:
You just responded to a job advertisement at XYZ company.Why not tell your network and ask if anyone knows someone at the company?
Amazing – 4 people in your network knew an executive at the company and would be happy to call on your behalf. Two were vendors, one was a former employee, and one was a key customer. In addition, two people raised their hands and shared with you that they used to work at XYZ company and know the executive in charge of hiring for this position.
You just received a phone call and the company would like you to interview for a position.
Amazing – 3 people in your network have interviewed with that executive before and all had the same type of interview- right down to the 15th question. Now you’re prepared for what may be asked.
You would like to connect with a particular Retained Executive Recruiter – you’ve tried, but you cannot break through the steel door protecting the inner sanctum.
Amazing – you post a status update that you are trying to connect with Barry Deutsch. Within 48 hours, 15 members of your network have responded – 4 executives have used Barry on a search, 7 executives have been placed in key roles by Barry, and 8 executives in your network are customers of IMPACT Hiring Solutions, having bought products and services in the past.
Within 24 hours, 19 people have raised their hands and offered to provide a strong, intimate, hot personal referral to Barry Deutsch that is guaranteed to not only have Barry return the call – but he’ll probably proactively pick up the phone and call you!
This list is endless in the ways you can leverage your LinkedIn Status Updates to communicate and share with your network. Perhaps, most importantly you keep a top-of-the-mind presence with your entire network.
What could be easier – 30 seconds a day each day – and now your name – your brand – is once again in front of your entire network.
I try to vary my status updates. I achieve freshness, interest, and variation through breaking my status updates down into 3 categories
- Sharing something I did that is relevant to my network (by describing what I am doing professionally – not personally such as “Now I’m brushing my teeth” or “Grandma made a mean meatloaf tonight”.
- Sharing something someone else in my network mentioned and I thought it was worthy of sharing with my entire network
- Sharing a link to a great blog post, web page, tool, download, upcoming webinar – something that you felt might be useful to your network.
Remember – one of the basic fundamental elements of effective networking is helping your network – giving back. Status updates is a powerful tool to give back to your network and to be seen as “useful” and “helpful”. This is social networking and social media 101.
Finally, once you’ve done this on LinkedIn, you can extend the same strategies to all the other social media and networking sites. Do you use Google Buzz/Reader to share information with your network? Are you on Facebook and continually updating your status? Twitter is the extreme example of status updating for your network. And there are many other sites.
If you’re not leveraging the real power of social media and networking through status updates – you’re working way too hard to sustain communication with your network.
What was the last status update you did on LinkedIn? When was it – 1 week ago, a month ago, 3 months?
Barry Deutsch
My partner, Brad Remillard, will be leading a powerful webinar on March 26th to teach you how to leverage all the LinkedIn tools to find your next job through LinkedIn.
Are you leaving opportunities on the table because you don’t know how to effectively leverage the tools LinkedIn provides for job seekers?
CLICK HERE to sign up right now for this unique LinkedIn Job Search webinar.
(NO ONE else is teaching anything remotely like this webinar, which is crammed with so many valuable LinkedIn Job Search Action Items that you will not be able to write them down fast enough).