|
|
Well folks, I’ve had a heck of a good time starting up and running this blog. With so many things going on right now, I feel the time is right to close down The Underground Job Network.
So, as of April 1, 2010, The Underground Job Network will fade away into the annals of blogging.
If anyone out there wishes to grab the reins here and keep the momemtum going, send me an email at lorraine @ undergroundjobnetwork (dot) com.
My hope is that the advice on this blog has helped you in some small (or big) way to get your feet back on the ground and get back to work.
I also hope that you have learned some great ways to get around the HR gatekeepers and mine a path to the hiring managers out there.
And, most of all, I wish all of you the absolute best of luck in your job search and careers!!
Do you have a virtual portfolio?
According to a recent Forbes.com article, ”Employers and recruiters are looking for a virtual portfolio in 2010. As a job seeker, having an online presence is a must. These online platforms allow job seekers to stay informed about their companies of interest, the job search, and the platforms provide a means to build their brand and advertise their skills and accomplishments.”
Creating and starting your own blog allows you to share your expertise in your job industry. Through your own blog, you can further expand upon the accomplishments and skills listed in your traditional résumé.
Bokardoan’s Adam Darowski says that “the blog is the new resume” and that “your blog is speaking for you…to folks who might not know anything about you. ”
He also says that your blog may have the power to sway someone’s opinion of you.
According to Forbes:
By the time a recruiter or employer sees [your resume] they may have already Googled [your] name and/or looked [you] up on LinkedIn and Facebook in search of [your] online profile.
While a LinkedIn profile is essential, you must also supplement that profile. Creating a blog will give you the opportunity to compliment your current profile(s) without the restrictions some of the more established sites may have. A blog will let you showcase and highlight essential skills and competencies that are not always apparent in a resume. Any samples of your work, such as writing, graphics, etc., can easily be displayed to showcase your talents to recruiters and hiring managers.
Continue reading "The Blog Is The New Resume" »
Guest Contributor: Jessica Holbrook, an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Visit her website at http://www.greatresumesfast.com
What you need is a competitive advantage, something that gets the hiring manager’s attention, causes him or her to keep reading your resume, and ultimately, pick up the phone and call for the interview. How do you differentiate yourself from all the other people seeking the same opportunity?
Simply put, value.
WHAT VALUE DO YOU OFFER?
If you were going to purchase a new laptop computer or a new car, chances are you would do your research. If you weren’t sure which make and model you wanted, you would test drive the car. Or you would go to Best Buy and play with the display laptops to decide which one was best for you. What you’re really looking for is the one car or computer with VALUE. The one that meets your needs and wants.
When I say value here, I’m not necessarily speaking in terms of money. I’m speaking in terms of benefits. What are you going to get from purchasing that particular car or that exact laptop? What does it have that the others don’t? What makes it unique—so much so that you decided to purchase it? Obviously, something about it appealed to you. Was it the software programs, speed, extras, perks, mileage, design, etc. You get where I’m going with this. There are certain aspects that compelled you to purchase that exact item. You perceived its value and that it was the perfect match for your needs.
SHOW THE EMPLOYER YOUR VALUE
Now put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. It’s just like when you went searching for that perfect new car or laptop. When an employer reviews your resume he is thinking about taking you out for a test drive—he is searching for your value. What do you have to offer that the other 500 job seekers who applied don’t? How does your value fit their needs? When you can show the employer the value you offer them—and how that value isn’t like anyone else’s—you begin to create a competitive advantage for yourself. And you position yourself to receive a greater number of call backs for interviews and job offers. The key is to create content on your resume that showcases your value to the employer in a way that makes them realize, “Wow, this person is the perfect fit and more.”
Continue reading "A Key Strategy to Standing Out In A Sea of Other Job Seekers" »
Readers: Are you telling employers simply what you’ve done, or are you selling yourself to them by showing what you’ve accomplished? Telling the hiring manager what you’ve done sounds just like everyone else that ever held the same job. Selling them the idea of hiring you because of what you can accomplish is a more effective strategy. When writing your own resume, answer this one simple question and you can’t go wrong:
“What makes me different from everyone else around me?”
Let me use myself as an example, if I may: When I was a human resources manager, I was able to reduce turnover rates by 50% and reduce fill time by more than 90%. This made me an extremely effective hiring manager. I implemented processes and procedures to hire, train, and retain staff. Turnover costs an organization money, and so does onboarding. By reducing the time spent, I was saving the company money and, later on down the line, making myself a very tempting hire. Some time later I applied and interviewed for a high position with a larger organization that subsequently told me they had specifically interviewed and hired me as a direct result of the accomplishments I had included on my resume.
I hope this explains why I am so sold on listing accomplishments on resumes.
Think about it for a second: what makes you better than all the other people who do the exact same thing as you? Do you excercise extreme client care that increases client retention rates? Are your sales numbers for the latest product through the roof? Perhaps your new idea saved the company thousands of dollars in lost revenue … All of these things add up to what make you different than that other joe job seeker who is trying to land the same opportunity.
What you have to do is sell your achievements to an employer, and you must do this in your resume.
Continue reading "Give Your Resume A Competitive Edge TODAY With This Key Strategy" »
From the Credit Union Info Security Blog
The latest alert from the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3) says mystery, or “secret shopper,” schemes are rampant. This employment offer comes via email or regular mail, and promises to hire the person to perform secret or random checks on a retailer or its competition. They are really slick, these fraudsters, even asking for resumes and performing background checks on the victims before accepting them as a mystery shopper, which opens the victim to further identity theft problems.
This all means one thing to me: If it’s so popular with criminals, then it means they’re making money from it. Last week, I caught up with a friend of mine who is a fraud expert and asked her about the mystery shopper scam. She confirmed my fear that it was not only popular, but spreading across the country. My friend, who is also the guardian for a person with special needs, spotted an official-looking envelope addressed to her ward. Sure enough, it was a “mystery shopper” offer, with all the bells, whistles, official logos, and a cashier’s check that looked real.
The IC3 says victims are contacted via e-mail or U.S. mail to apply to be a mystery shopper.
She checked it out. The phone numbers, addresses, and contact information in the letter were all bogus, including the check. Why this scam is gaining such ground is because many retail and service corporations hire evaluators to perform secret or random checks on themselves or their competitors.
How it works:
Continue reading "Mystery Shoppers: The Latest Fraud Scheme" »
Guest Post by Natalie Joan
In my last post I discussed what experience to include in your resumé, and stressed not to leave jobs out, as you don’t want to leave gaps in your work history.
What is the issue with gaps in a resumé, and what do you do if you have gaps in your work history?
The real issue is a potential employer has no way of knowing why there is a three and a half year gap in your experience (for example), and is left to their own assumptions, which may not be positive. Perhaps you deleted a job where you did not perform well or left on bad terms. Did you skip over a job because it doesn’t meet your career objective? Or, they may assume that you didn’t work at all during this unaccounted time.
To avoid this, any gaps in your work history need to be explained in writing.
There are a few general rules about resumé gaps:
Continue reading "Beware the Gaping Resume" »
So you’ve been applying for jobs—perhaps hundreds of them—with no response. Not even the courtesy of an automated email to let you know your resume has been received, right? What do you do? Chalk it up to yet another dead-end? Or act like a squeaky wheel and get noticed?
You’ve probably heard the saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Do you believe that squeaky wheels get the grease? If so, are you being squeaky…or passively waiting for the phone to ring??
What do you have to lose by assertively following up on your applications? Nothing. In fact, it’s not what you have to lose, but what you can potentially gain…such as an interview and a job!
The Fun Times Guide has an interesting take on job searching:
Don’t just send a blind resume. As recently mentioned on The Today Show, you should use a technique called sandwiching. This means to call and inform the recipient that you are sending your resume. Then send the resume. And a day or two later, follow up with another phone call. While this tactic works best if you have some sort of previous relationship with the employer, keep in mind that the squeaky wheel gets the grease (…as long as you don’t get too annoying).
Are you applying for sales positions, or perhaps jobs in HR? If so, call the sales manager or HR manager and let him or her know you’ve submitted a resume…but only if you have your elevator pitch ready! Use the opportunity to make this person aware of your interest—and how you are qualified and ready to be interviewed!!
Continue reading "Be a Squeaky Wheel (Updated)" »
|
|
Recent Comments