Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to reCareered readers.
Hoping 2010 brings your the best personally and in your job search!

Getting Your Cover Letter Noticed: Republished from TheLadders

Earlier this month, I was interviewed for a second article for TheLadders, discussing cover letters. This article gives both sides...for cover letters, and against.

For information on the research I refer to in this interview, see Is Your Cover Letter An Ineffective And Obsolete Tradition?

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Job Seekers New Year’s Resolutions

Especially when searching for a job, the New Year can be a time for introspection and evaluation of personal change. Many people resolve to get in shape, eat healthier, or improve relationships. Still others resolve to meet personal, financial or business goals.

I suspect that many readers of this blog have New Years’ resolutions that include finding a new or better job.

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Who's Hiring – Top employers week of 12-28-09

Who's Hiring is a weekly survey of companies showing the highest hiring activity for the week of 12/28/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies experiencing growth. Despite the recession, these companies are all expanding.

Total Job Openings:

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Now that I’m Linked, Who do I Link TO?

A "Best of" reCareered post...

You’re on Linkedin …What do you do next? You filled out a profile, put excerpts from your resume, got a few recommendations, linked to your close contacts.

So then what?

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Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from reCareered!

A Job Seekers Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good candidate this year…but you would already know that, wouldn’t you? I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I got kind of short changed last Christmas, with a variety of bad sweaters, regifts, and Aunt Martha’s ten ton fruitcake.

Here’s what I’d like this year:

1. A killer “fishing resume”, complete with a personal branding statement, employer value statements, keywords, and a skills inventory

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David Letterman's Top 10 Reasons Your Job Search Is Frustrating

Well, ‘ya know, this is a little disturbing…

The category tonight, Top 10 Reasons Your Job Search Is Frustrating…’ya know, we talked about this a few times a little earlier this year, and recently a job seeker from Georgia, ‘ya know this is exactly what I was talkin’ about, he was telling me about how he had been searching for a new job, and he just wasn’t seein’ any progress. And this sort of thing is happening to people all across America…

So now, ladies and gentlemen …Express from the home office in Wahoo, Nebraska.

OK, here we go , the Top 10 Reasons Your Job Search Is Frustrating…

#10 – You can’t find any jobs that fit your skills on the job boards

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Whos Hiring – Top employers week of 12-21-09

Who's Hiring is a weekly survey of companies showing the highest hiring activity for the week of 12/21/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies experiencing growth. Despite the recession, these companies are all expanding.

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Whos Firing – Layoffs week ended 12-18-09

Who's Firing is a weekly survey of organizations announcing (or rumoring) layoffs for the week ended 12/18/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies that are contracting.

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3 Things Your Next Employer Will Search For On Your Resume

Ever submit a resume and wondered why you didn’t even get a call, when you felt that you were ideal for the job? Ever felt that your resume was buried in a database and not even getting seen?

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Manuscript vs. Machine: republished from TheLadders

I was recently interviewed for this article published in TheLadders on 12/15/09, and wanted to republish here for reCareered's readers:

Manuscript vs. Machine: Thoughts and notes on cover letter submission from TheLadders’ editor-in-chief.
December 15, 2009
By Matthew Rothenberg


Over the past year, TheLadders’ editorial team has done extensive research into what exactly happens to your resume once you submit it.

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What Job Candidates Can Learn From Tiger Woods

Candidates, like celebrities have no privacy.

While few job seekers would be the subject of TMZ or E!, candidates have similar reputation issues as celebrities. Candidates generally aren’t as careful as celebrities about keeping a clean image, and most candidates don’t have millions in hush money to keep personal dirt private.

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Who's Hiring – Top employers week of 12-14-09

Who's Hiring is a weekly survey of companies showing the highest hiring activity for the week of 12/14/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies experiencing growth. Despite the recession, these companies are all expanding.

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Who's Firing - Layoffs week ended 12-11-09

Who's Firing is a weekly survey of organizations announcing (or rumoring) layoffs for the week ended 12/11/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies that are contracting.

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Career Change Advice: Be a Subject Matter Expert

I'm reposting the following article that I wrote for TheLadders, originally published 11/24/09:

Career Change Advice: Be a Subject-Matter Expert
It’s not impossible to compete with industry vets, even if you’re coming from a different trade
November 24, 2009
By Phil Rosenberg

Are you thinking about making a move from your traditional field? Branding yourself as a subject-matter expert can give you an edge.

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What Can You Do When Nothing's Working in Your Job Search?

What can you do if nothing’s working in your job search? Change your search….

I talked to a candidate today who was frustrated. He’d been job searching for about a year, and he was getting nowhere. He’d sent 1,000 resumes, and had gotten just five face-to-face interviews….a response rate of ½%

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Networking Wedding Crashers – Be the Only One Like You in the Room

What do you think is a more effective networking strategy? Going to an industry event with others in your same profession? Or going to an event in a totally different industry?

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Who's Hiring – Top employers week of 12-07-09

Who's Hiring is a weekly survey of companies showing the highest hiring activity for the week of 12/7/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies experiencing growth. Despite the recession, these companies are all expanding.

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Whos Firing – Layoffs for weeks ended 11-27-09 and 12-04-09

Who's Firing is a weekly survey of organizations announcing (or rumoring) layoffs for the weeks ended 11/27/09 and 12/4/09. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies that are contracting.

Top layoffs announced and rumored this week were in the Retail, Defense, Tobacco, Manufacturing, Government, and Health Care sectors.

Inclusion on this listing doesn’t mean the entire industry is down, as some from the same sectors appeared on the “Who’s Hiring” article published 11/30/09. It is interesting to note that while Federal hiring is on the rise, a number of State and Local governments have continued to see cutbacks for over the past two months.

Retail companies announced significant layoffs this week, led by Penn Traffic announcing closures of grocery stores throughout upper New York State.

Defense cut jobs as the US Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and US Marine Corps Logistics Base announced layoffs, though Lockheed Martin has also been on the top hiring lists for the past month or more.

A number of manufacturing companies were laying off such as International Paper, Harley-Davidson, Cummins Engine, Peterbilt, and Engineered Plastic Components. Health Care companies including Sanofi-Aventis, UniCare, Pfizer, and Catholic Health System (CHS) St. Francis of Buffalo also cut staff, tough the Health Care vertical has been one of the most active in hiring for more than the past two months.

Job seekers: You might want to look in greener pastures than these companies.

Organizations announcing or rumored layoffs for weeks ended 11/27/09 and 12/4/09:

Penn Traffic Company, Upstate NY (4000+)
Air Force, Worldwide (3,700)
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem NC (1,800)
International Paper, Albany OR, Pineville LA, Franklin VA (1,600)
Sanofi-Aventis, Various (up to 1,500)
Harley-Davidson, York PA (950)
Riverside County CA (800-1500)
Lockheed Martin, Cleveland OH (600)
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Services (600)
UniCare, Chicago IL (500+)
Pfizer, Albany NY (414)
Sunoco, Westville NJ (400+)
Energy Conversion Devices, Rochester Hills MI (400)
Cummins Engine, Busti NY (400)
Marine Corps Logistic Base, Barstow CA (395)
Peterbilt, Madison TN (390)
City of Cincinnati (315)
Engineered Plastic Components (EPC), Mattawan MI (310)
Integrys Energy Group Inc, Brown County and De Pere WI (300-350)
Exelon Corp, Suburban Philadelphia PA (280)
StarTek, Victoria TX (269)
US Airways, LaGuardia NY (260)
Thomson Reuters Corp, Various (240)
Progress Software, Bedford MA (225+)
Talisman Energy, Various US & Canada (220)
La-Z-Boy, Rhea County TN (216)
Catholic Health System (CHS) St. Francis of Buffalo (200+)
Pfizer, Pearl River NY, (200)
Touchstone Wireless Repair and Logistics, Ft. Worth TX (200)
Dassault Falcon, Little Rock AR (200)
Sara Lee Corporation, Greenville SC (200)
Visteon, Indianapolis IN (187)
Lincoln Foodservice Products Inc, Ft. Wayne IN (190)
Montgomery County, Dayton OH (171)
FPL, Indiantown FL (170)
Southern Oklahoma Resource Center, Pauls Valley OK (163)
Trinity Rail Car, Longview TX (160)
Georgia Pacific, Green Bay WI (158)
Teleperformance USA, Dublin OH (151)
Port Authority of NY and NJ, NYC (150)
Owens, Inc, Shawano WI (150)
Washington Times, Washington DC (148)
CSAA (aka AAA), Walnut Creek CA (146)
MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals Inc, Westlake TX and Various US (145)
Gamesa USA, Ebensburg PA (141)
Sollano County, CA (135)
Deere Inc., Cary NC (134)
CNH, Grand Island NE (128)
Kindred Hospital, Modesto CA (127)
City of Fresno, Fresno CA (125)
Con-Agra, FT. Worth TX (121)
Avid Technology Inc, Tewksbury MA (120)
Solano County, CA (118)
Hyosung, Scottsville VA (106)
Adidas/American Classic Outfitters, Perry NY (100+)
Blumenthal Mills Inc, Marion SC (100+)
Missouri DOT (100)
Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, Las Vegas NV (100)
Chicago Park District, Chicago IL (up to 100)
CalPortland Co, Colton CA (94)
Ogilvy & Mather, NYC (90)
United Solar Ovonics, Greenville MI (90)
BlackRock Inc, San Francisco CA (89)
FirstCare Health, Amarillo, Harlingen, & Lubbock TX (88)
Forest Laboratories Inc, Commack NY (84)
City of Bossier, LA (83)
Abbott Laboratories, Temecula CA (80)
GTECH Corp, Providence RI & various (80)
Denver, CO (80)
Goodrich, Foley AL (78)
Western Dairy Transport, Portales NM (75)
Neiman Marcus Inc, Dallas TX (75)
Terex Load King, Elk Point SD (73)
City of River Rouge, MI (66)
City of Bossier, LA (60)
State of New Mexico (59)
Wyoming MI Public Schools (57)
City of Naperville, IL (up to 57)
City of Des Moines, IA (55)
ZymoGenetics, Seattle WA (52)
Shop Rite, Warminster PA (50)
Vulcan, Seattle WA (50)

Source: Google, Twitter, AllPinkSlips.com, Telonu.com, TechCrunch.com, CoStar.com, Gawker, Screwedd.com

Readers – If you know of employers announcing significant layoff plans, or employers reducing large numbers of employees, please comment below to add to this list.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Networking Mistakes - Don't be THAT GUY at your holiday party

Now that we’ve entered December, we’re starting the month of holiday parties. Many job seekers utilize holiday parties as ways to build or renew networking contacts. Unfortunately, many candidates can do themselves more harm than good.

Here’s how to avoid some common networking no-no’s, just in time for the holidays…

1. Know the difference between a holiday party and an interview: Too often job seekers use the opportunity of a holiday party to launch right into their elevator pitch – Bad Move. Instead, use the time to build or renew your relationship. Follow up with a call and schedule a time to learn more about their company. If the other person asks you about your job search, suggest you contact them to set up a time to talk about it further…not at the party.


2. Spend twice as much time listening than talking: Many candidates (especially when alcohol is added to the festivities) talk when they could gain more value from listening. Ask questions, learn about the other persons’ interests…and shut up. You’ll build a better relationship and find more ways to help if you let the other person do the talking.


3. Instead of asking for help find ways to help: Find ways to help the other person, rather than ask for help. Find out about charities, social causes, interests, hobbies, the other person’s business – think of ways to help. Don’t give suggestions, names, or connection information at the party – they get lost and you want a reason to schedule time other than asking for help. If you are successful in helping someone, they usually feel they should help you in return.


4. Don’t be a hanger: Rather than hang on one person or group all night, talk to many. Once you’ve asked the other person enough questions, listened to them, found out how you can help…move on. There’s a bathroom or more food calling your name.


5. Talk to people outside your industry: If you’re in tech, find non-technology people to talk to. This helps you differentiate yourself more effectively than if you only spend your time with people in your industry. Best yet - talk to people you don't already know...meet someone new.


6. Never, Never, Never bring your resume to a holiday party. You’re at a party not an interview, paper resumes get lost, and most companies want digital resumes.


7. Don’t wait to take notes: As soon as you leave the party, either in your car or right when you get home, write down who you talked to what you talked about, interests, and how you can help. Enter these into whatever personal contact manager you use.


8. Don’t forget to send a follow up: Even if it’s just an email saying nice to meet you, nice to see you again, make contact. Don’t tell the story of your job search in your email. Instead, in your signature block, include a link to your Linkedin profile, online resume, Resublog, or online portfolio.


9. Don't be a bore: make the other person laugh


10. Don't dump your job search on the world: Be Positive!

Even though it’s not an interview, behave yourself like it is one, because you are forming impressions. People won’t refer you if they feel it will reflect poorly on themselves, and spilling the mostaccioli on your shirt probably isn’t the impression you want to make.

Readers – If you have other suggestions for holiday party networking ideas, please list them in the comments.

Happy Holidays and Happy Networking!

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Is your Cover Letter an Ineffective and Obsolete Tradition?

Another career author asked me to share thoughts on cover letters, and how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS – the dreaded HR database) use them. I thought readers would find my responses helpful.

I've done some interesting research on cover letters, demonstrating them to be an obsolete and ineffective tradition in today's job search.

Here's some interesting statistics of what happens to your cover letter:

1. Based on interviews with hundreds of HR Managers & recruiters: Many HR staffs don't forward cover letters to hiring managers. Most HR departments scan resumes, but don’t scan cover letters into ATSes.
2. It's a well published statistic that hiring managers spend an average 15 seconds spends making an interview/non interview decision. You can't read both a resume and a cover letter in 15 seconds. Based on interviews with hundreds of executive-level hiring managers: 90% read the resume first, 66% don't even get cover letters.
3. According to a Linkedin poll I ran of hiring managers, HR staff & recruiters: 80% read the resume first. So it looks like Recruiters and HR staff don’t read cover letters often, but maybe a little more often than hiring managers.
4. Based on interviews with hundreds of executive-level hiring managers: No one has ever told me that they would deny an interview to a candidate whose resume met their hiring criteria, but did not submit a cover letter.
5. Based on interviews with hundreds of executive-level hiring managers: Most hiring managers related that they have denied interviews to candidates qualified by their resume, but disqualified by information on their cover letter.
6. Based on interviews with CEOs and VPs of the Top 10 job boards: Job Boards don't keyword search cover letters, only resumes.
…Would it surprise you that:
7. Based on a Linkedin poll I ran, 96% of candidates either customize a cover letter sent with a virtually static resume, or don't customize anything at all. Only 4% send a customized resume.

There are some exceptions - really small companies that don't have an HR department and can't afford recruiters (typically less than 10 employees). The really small company Hiring Manager goes through these resumes and cover letters manually, and the percentages skew a bit more towards considering cover letters when outside an ATS. However, hiring managers that look at cover letters tell me that cover letters are more likely to be disqualifiers...and no one has ever related that the lack of a cover letter is a disqualifier in itself.

I started researching this when I managed recruiting practices. Even though my recruiters advertised asking for cover letters, they never got them through the ATS, only if a candidate sent directly to them through networking or a referral. Cover letters were blocked, in a sense, digitally discarded by corporate decision - it was viewed that the recruiter was more efficient in finding candidates doing keyword searches on resumes.

I found that most of my clients’ HR departments handled cover letters in the same way (see The Secret of Search Efficiency). This practice happened during a time of candidate shortages when unemployment was near 4%. Imagine now, where there are 6 times more unemployed than advertised jobs.

Since my recruiting days, I’ve interviewed well over a thousand HR Managers, recruiters, and Hiring Managers. I’ve interviewed the top brass at the largest job boards, and I’ve interviewed Managers and VPs of top Applicant Tracking Systems (see What I Learned at SHRM).

They all give the same consistent message – Cover Letters are an obsolete tradition, and work against the candidate (see Are You Buying The Mac and Cheese of Job Search?).

However, candidates obviously don’t realize this. 96% put the majority of their customization (if any) in their application in a cover letter, using a largely static resume. They hope that the words on their resume magically match the keywords a company's HR department or recruiters search for in their prescreening process...and the odds stink, generating candidate response rates that typically range between 0-5%, even in better hiring years (most average less than 2% today for active candidates).

When I talk to former VPs and Directors of HR, I ask them how their former company systems manage applicants. I hear amazing responses when they realize the application processes that they managed in their own former companies would leave them buried in the very database that they managed….even if referred into a company by a friend.

Conclusions: In effect, cover letters are rarely part of the decision - but when considered, they work against the candidate more often than for the candidate. The cover letter effectively decreases candidates’ interview chances. Candidates can increase their chances by spending time heavily customizing their resumes, and ignoring cover letters.

What do you think is happening to your cover letters?

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

Related Articles:
Stop Writing Cover Letters and You’ll Get MORE Interviews
3 Things Your Next Employer Will Search For

For access to more information:
Become a fan of reCareered on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicago-IL/reCareered/21126045429
Join Career Change Central on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/1800872

Why use Social Branding to search for a job when you’ve already got a job?

Searching for a job while you’re employed is the best time to job search. Even though the job market is tough, there are great opportunities out there for people who can help companies solve their problems.

Sure the economy stinks, and the job market is even worse. Why search now?

During rough economic times, more companies have problems. In good times, companies are more likely to continue with current strategies, adopting a “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. Not so when times are tough. Companies are more likely to shake up management and staff when underperforming, in order to apply new strategies and acquire new skill sets to implement changed strategies.

Candidates who search for a new position while currently employed allow themselves time to find the “right” opportunity, greater resources, less workload/travel/commute, better upside, and acquisition of new skills/experiences. Employed candidates have the ability to take their time in a search, as they can compare jobs to their opportunity cost – staying put.

There’s also a bias in employer psychology…there is often an employer preference towards candidates who are currently employed (yes, there’s exceptions to this).

So why isn’t everyone searching? Maybe they are….according to certain news reports, the majority of US workers are searching or at least open to a new position.

Many candidates are nervous today, that they might get discovered by their employer, that job search might take away from their current position, that they don’t have time to search due to increased work or family demands. So while current research reports show increased worker dissatisfaction (based on a Harris Interactive Q3 poll), many people just don’t take the time to search, hoping things will improve in their current position.

Typically, the employed workers who do search, do so passively, having recruiters look for them or spending a few hours per week scouring job boards. These methods aren’t all that successful when there are 6 times more unemployed than advertised positions, per recent BLS reports. Most currently employed candidates have to be careful accessing their network, as rumors back to their employer or clients can create unacceptable career or deal risk. There’s a better way.

How can currently employed candidates effectively search for a new position, while protecting their existing position and business deals?

Use Social Branding to create a “Pull Campaign”:

Traditional job search methods of sending resumes, applying for posted positions and using recruiters are all “Push Campaigns”, where you’re asking specific audiences to consider you for a job. A Pull Campaign builds an inbound opportunity pipeline of business leaders and managers who seek your expertise to solve their problem. Successful Pull Campaigns encourage employers to seek out your expertise, rather than you searching for a job or going through a recruiter (Push Campaign).

In one great way to run a Pull Campaign, the candidate brands him/herself as expert in solving a specific business problem. One very effective way is “Social Branding”, branding as a subject matter expert online - in demonstrating how you solve a defined problem or exploit a specific business opportunity, business leaders find you.

When today’s business leaders have a new problem, they first do their own due diligence…online, using search engines. Even before asking their peers, their teams, their paid advisors, business leaders due their own quick research to understand thought leaders’ views, understand terminology, understand what questions to ask. Failure to do due diligence today risks looking unprepared and few managers or leaders will risk setting such a bad impression.

A successful Social Branding strategy depicts the candidate as a thought leader via a first page Google ranking, someone whose opinion should be sought for a specific business problem or opportunity. Successfully branded Subject Matter Experts and thought leaders can build an inbound stream of emails (Pull Channel) from business leaders and managers who seek help with their problems and opportunities – those specific problems and opportunities that the candidate has the unique ability to solve.

Candidates…if you’re searching for a new position, especially if you’re a passive candidate…aren’t these the conversations you want to have?

There have never been more options available to build Pull Campaigns and Social Branding strategies. There are hundreds of free online tools to help. Linkedin and Facebook are the first step of many that include social networks, blogs, groups, forums, comments, questions, answers….and marketing all of the above to increase exposure and Google ranking in the same way businesses do.

While this has never been more possible, unless a candidate has an incredibly unique Subject Matter Expertise, it takes time and resources. The more general your SME, the greater the time and resources it should take to brand yourself online. Savvy candidates find a good balance to create a Social Brand broad enough to find an audience, yet narrow enough to provide a cost effective ROI. For example, branding yourself as “Developer” is broad enough to reach a wide audience, but too expensive to gain traction on Google rankings…many companies have invested millions to own first page results.

Currently employed candidates…how can you brand yourself to reach the right audience, yet be cost effective?

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".