How to Get Hired by Being Obvious

If you want a drink of water, do you hire a focus group or pick up the Yellow Pages? No. You go to the kitchen, fill a glass and drink. You take the shortest route to fill your need.The path is obvious, right?

Your job search is the same way. The formula for success can be obvious, if you take the time to look at how others have found employment before you. Here are three ways to find work faster by "being obvious."

Obvious Tip #1: Follow Up With Employers

You can't get hired if employers don't know you exist. So, if you're sending out resumes with no response, or going to interviews without getting job offers, you need to follow up better with employers. Because you may have fallen off their radar.

Know this: getting hired may be your #1 priority, but it may rank around #459 in the mind of a busy employer. That means you can't depend on them to call you back. It's up to you to take action.

You have to follow up.

But as many as 90% of job seekers FAIL to do so, according to my observations and those of hiring experts like Elizabeth Laukka, National Recruiter for Minneapolis-based Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. "It so rare to receive a thank-you note or follow-up phone call that these really stand out for me. I get them from around 10-20% of the people I interview," says Laukka.

And what if you don't have an address to send a thank-you letter to? "I would absolutely give my mailing address to candidates who wanted to drop something in the mail -- all they have to do is ask," says Laukka.

Obvious Tip #2: Don't Alienate People Who Can Help You

In this age of Palm Pilots, Day Planners and other organizational gizmos, there's no excuse for not staying on top of the details in your job search.

Example:
I agreed last month to write a resume free of charge for one local man. He replied once to the three emails I sent him. And he never did return my phone call. I figure he's either been hired (and no longer needs a resume) or can't keep track of his phone and email messages. In either case, he won't be getting my help.

Here's the reality: the people most able to help you find a job are busy. And they're mentally keeping score of how quickly and professionally you respond to their emails and phone calls.

So it behooves you to treat everyone you meet in your job search with courtesy. Respect their time. Return their phone calls. And they will champion you with hiring managers.

Obvious Tip #3: Ask For The Job

OK. I saved the best for last. That's because if I had put this tip first, I would have scared half of you away by now.

Let me explain.

Any successful job search all boils down to two simple facts. You must: 1. meet the right hiring authority, and 2. convince that person to hire you. It follows that, the more hiring authorities you can meet, the faster you'll find work.

So, why don't more people just introduce themselves to prospective employers and ask for a job? Is this method too obvious? Frightening? I don't know.

But I do know one thing. If you do this right, you will get hired. Fast.

Here's an example shared by Claire Nelligan, from the WorkForce Center in Minneapolis.

"I knew a job seeker who wanted work as a baker. We wrote his resume and was going to mail it. But I asked him to put on his business clothes and walk the resume in to his top three prospective employers," says Nelligan.

Nelligan told him: "Ask for the manager. Introduce yourself. Tell them you want to work there. Tell them that you appreciate they are busy, and quickly share what value you would bring to their organization. Give them the resume and tell them you will call to set up a convenient time to answer any questions they may have about how your skills could meet their needs."

What happened next?

"He was interviewed on the spot and left with a job offer," says Nelligan.

Now, can you expect to walk into Trump Tower, ask to meet The Donald and get a job offer as his next apprentice? Probably not. But you can tweak this method to match your personality and ask to meet almost any hiring authority you choose, so long as you're persistent and professional.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.

Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.

Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

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Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:
You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

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http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net
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How to E-mail Your Cover Letter

Ever had trouble trying to email a cover letter with your resume?

At a recent career fair, I spoke with an HR professional who reads loads of resumes every day. He made this plea to me: "Please tell people that just because they're sending resumes by email doesn't mean they can get away with a poor cover letter, or no cover letter at all."

So don't cut corners. Here are five ways to make sure your email cover letters deliver a powerful impact when sent with your resume.

1) Avoid character assassination

Email is quirky. Bullets, underlines, bold or italic characters won't show up correctly when you paste them from a word processing document into an email message.

Avoid this problem by first saving your cover letter in plain text format (ASCII). Then replace special characters with ASCII-friendly ones, like these: dashes (-), asterisks (*) and arrows (>).

2) Caution! Wide load

If your cover letter is too wide, it may produce strange line breaks on the reader's screen, which can hurt readability.

Solution? Set the width of your cover letter to about 4-3/4", or less than 80 characters wide.

3) Follow the right order

When sending your cover letter and resume in an email message, your cover letter should come first and your resume second. For easier reading, include a line that clearly separates the two documents, like this:

==== END COVER LETTER ====

4) Get personal

If you know someone influential at your target company, say so! This can help establish a rapport between you and your reader.

Here's an example cover letter beginning that can do this:

"Dear Employer (insert name if known),
"George Best suggested I contact you regarding your possible need for ..."

5) Enthusiasm sells

Don't go overboard and tell readers that you're a stockholder, for instance. But do try to convey your desire to work for the company. If you feel strongly that the position you're after is a perfect match to your skills and experience, say so!

Following these five tips will help ensure that your email cover letters get the attention they deserve.

Best of luck to you!

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.

Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.

Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

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Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:
You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

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http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net
http://www.otiscollier.com

3 Keys to Career Success

Many clients come to me discouraged that they’re working in the wrong industry … or not working at all. But by being specific, persistent and flexible, you can get the job you want, with almost no competition. Here’s how.

First, you must be specific about your ideal job. Do you want to work in high-tech? International finance? Marketing? Start by identifying several job titles and career paths that appeal to you. If you can’t do that, at least list 3-4 skills that you’d be happy using every day.

Reason? You can’t hit a target you can’t see. By pinpointing a career, you can then pick companies that are the right fit for you. Even if those firms aren’t hiring, you can make inroads by being persistent.

Do research on the Internet or in your local library to learn about your target company, its problems and competitors. Then, devise a solution (or two or three) to present to them. Visit the company and ask to meet with a hiring manager (get their name ahead of time by calling a receptionist).

By approaching that company as a problem-solver who is motivated and resourceful enough to put together solutions without being paid, you will be miles ahead of your “competitors” who do no more than ask for a job. If a job isn’t available, one might be created for you.

But what if you need a job now, to pay the bills while you’re pursuing your dream career? You can still make headway by being flexible.

Consider taking a temp job at an agency that employs people in your field. Specify that you want to do work related to your career goal. Once hired, use your lunch hours to identify problems and solutions. Seek out managers who can hire you full-time and ask to present your solutions.

Eventually, you’ll end up doing what you want for a company that you’re happy with.

You must succeed if you follow these guidelines, because people who do more than what’s expected of them always do. Just remember to be specific, persistent and flexible.

Best of luck to you!

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.

Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.

Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

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Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:
You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

-------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net
http://www.otiscollier.com

Answering questions of salary

Here’s an odd fact of life.

While everyone wants a handsome salary, almost nobody wants to discuss that salary before being hired. Few questions inspire as much dread among job seekers as: “So, what kind of salary are you looking for?”

Yet, there’s no escaping questions of salary. Here are tips to help you negotiate effectively, before and during the job interview.

When replying to want ads that ask for salary requirements or a salary history, I always advise my clients to NOT answer directly. Because any answer will hurt your chances.

Remember that a typical classified ad can produce hundreds of résumés. That’s a pretty big pile. And a fast way to make that pile smaller is to weed out applicants who are either too expensive (over-qualified) or too cheap (under-qualified).

So, in your cover letter, I would just say: “My salary requirements are negotiable.” This shows you’ve read the want ad carefully, but are choosing to dodge the issue. Most HR professionals and hiring managers I’ve talked to won’t take offense. On the contrary, it gives them one LESS reason NOT to call you.

What about salary questions in the interview? These require some advance planning.

You can say: “Well, I’d like to make as much as other employees with my qualifications.” (Here you can repeat 2-3 of your most valuable skills or achievements, just to remind them how qualified you are.) Then add: “And what is a typical salary for this position?”

Another strategy is to avoid a specific salary … and name a pay range instead. Say: “I was thinking of a salary in the $25,000 to $35,000 range,” (with $25,000 being the lowest amount you’d accept). That way, you can name a higher figure, if they try to pin you down, yet still be able to retreat to a point that satisfies you.

Finally, information is power here. If you can back your salary request with a list of average salaries that you’ve obtained from the Internet or from your own phone calls, you’ll enjoy greater leverage in your negotiations.

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.

Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.

Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:
You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

-------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net

http://www.otiscollier.com