Job Searching using Job Boards or HR leads is a Consumer Sale, not a Business Sale

If you read Job Searching is a Business to Business Sale, NOT a Consumer Sale parts one through three, you will understand why what I am about to say. If you have not read them, please read them before reading further.

Job Boards and HR are efficient ways for companies to filter the mass amounts of potential candidates for specific job openings in a company.

HR is a matchmaker of qualified leads from a mass group of job seekers. HR does not make the hiring decision; the hiring manager makes the decision. HR uses the job description that the hiring manager approves. The financial approval to make the hire is often at a higher level than the hiring manager.

HR uses job boards, company website submissions, college campus recruiting, job fairs, and other activities to help them generate leads that tie to qualified candidates.  Then the screening occurs.

Electronic screening through electronic resume submissions are often key word focused. If you don’t have the right key word, you may stay lost in internet space or Never Never land.

Paper resumes or electronic resumes who pass the screening process are then reviewed by an HR recruiter. A typical review lasts 5 to 10 seconds.

To be fair to HR, how else could they get from thousands of submissions to a target number of 10-20 that can be called for a telephone screening?

The telephone screening then leads to 4-6 candidates that may be interviewed by phone, video conference, or in person. HR usually coordinates all interviewing and maintains documentation for legal hiring compliance.

HOWEVER, it is the hiring manager or her boss who usually makes the hiring decision; not HR. So the goal of getting a job is either to run through the rat maze of job boards, HR, and interviewing (consumer sale approach) or to do what insiders do to get the best jobs (business sale approach). Jobpreneurshipä does not demean those wanting to go through the rats maze but it does focus on the business sale approach.

In every case, HR will be involved at some point. If no one is going through the business sale approach, the HR conduit is the only source for candidates. Also, HR must eventually be involved to ensure company policies are followed, government regulations are followed, and to give their review and advice to the hiring manager.

The insider knows how to make the business sale and then is directed to HR AFTER the emotional decision to hire by the hiring manager has already been made.

Job Searching is a Business to Business Sale, NOT a Consumer Sale; Part Three

How can a hiring mistake harm a company?

How about an EEOC error causing a law suit? Some companies have paid out millions.

How about a disgruntled or negative attitude hire that sours morale, spreads rumors, creates strife, or does not follow rules impacting productivity?

How about a good intentioned employee, who makes poor decisions without involving management, that costs millions in excess inventory, uncollected customer payments, wasted advertising dollars, low productivity sales teams,…etc.

How about a less than honest employee who steals from the company? I have seen cost millions of dollars.

How about a naïve or foolish employee who says the wrong thing to a customer or to the media? Customer good will is lost. Lawsuits can easily occur. Bad media and publicity exposure could unwind hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing advertising and media relations.

Just take the recent BP oil spill. Was an employee somewhere at the heart of the problem? The cost is $20 billion and counting.

Are these hiring mistakes or managing mistakes? Both. Managing starts with hiring. Ultimately, the manager is responsible for the hiring decision and writing the specification that is given to HR. If the manager makes a mistake or does not hire or manage well, her neck could be on the chopping block.

Wise managers eliminate problems (retrain or fire) and learn from them (tighten hiring requirements).  The decision is theirs. The risk is theirs. Burned once, most managers don’t want to be burned a second time. Executives, by the time they are at this level, have been burned numerous times in different ways.

You may have personally been burnt by someone spreading a false rumor, stealing from you, or worse. In business, the manager’s career and reputation is on the line. His bonus and promotional opportunities are also on the line.

That means, your fit to the job description requirements is really only 50% of the story. Your fit is merely the first step to join the pool of other technically qualified people.

The hiring decision is based upon unspoken questions, such as “can I trust you?”, “will you help me get promoted or be self-promoting?”, “will you do what I say (to manage the risk) or be a cowgirl?”, “do I like you?”.

These factors are not decided by HR or other gatekeepers. HR is there to help the hiring process just like procurement helps the buying process. But in both cases, the decision maker is the manager who is responsible – or her boss.

That means the approach to selling to a business is FAR more complicated than selling to a consumer.

The good news is that you can learn the process while your competition keeps assuming the hiring manager is just like a consumer.

The Financial Challenge for Graduates Trying to A Job

The first shock will be having to go home. The article cites that in 2009, 80% moved back home to Mom and Dad after graduation. Since the trend has been increasing, the 2010 numbers may likely be higher. You can read the full USA Today article by clicking here.

When they arrive home, many will have to start paying back their college loans. While the national average is cited as around $23 thousand, if you went to school in a top tier school in an expensive state, that number could easily be much, much higher. Unless their parents keep paying for them, the financial pressures will quickly mount.

For some, their parents may also be unemployed and financially struggling. The unforeseen train wreck may be just around the corner.

I have heard some people suggest that this year’s graduates, as well as for the last two years, will be the “lost generation.” That refers to far fewer getting jobs and lower starting salaries for those who do get a job. By starting with a lower salary, the impact to lifetime earnings can be staggering.

If you do the math, ongoing support at home + paying off student loans + job hunting expenses + risk of parents running out of money + the lifetime loss of earnings (from starting at a lower salary) = a frightening scenario for today’s graduates. Yet the article suggests that 50% of graduates are confident that they will get a job.

I hope that they do. I suspect that those who assume that the job will come to them or that simply trying to get a job the same way that their parents used to get a job will be very disappointed. The math, for most, just will not work.

So, what are their choices? The article suggests: a) staying in school, b) starting their own business, c) picking jobs that don’t fit their majors, d) taking internships to get experience, and e) accepting job offers when they get an offer.  These are all reasonable but miss the most important point; which is learning how to competitively sell and market themselves to get a job now and develop the skills that will help them develop a lifetime of success.

Of course, most people think that getting their resume updated, applying online for jobs, and learning how to interview is all that you need. That is why I am trying to get the message out about Jobpreneurshipä. If you have heard our presentations, attended our seminars, read our newsletters, blogs, testimonials, and books, then you know that our message is a paradigm shift to many but simply words of wisdom shared from insiders who want to help others. Those who want to take action can increase their opportunity for career, family, and future success.

If you agree with our message, please tell others about Job Doctors.  Thank you for helping us help others.

The Shocking Challenge for Graduates Getting A Job

The employment news on Friday, June 4, 2010 was that unemployment fell to 9.7% nationally. That sounds like an improvement. However, when you peal back the number, less than 10% of the improvement came from the private sector – far less than expected. The improvements came from government hiring but are clouded by how many are related to temporary Census workers.  The bottom line is that the employment picture for everyone has not really improved. The stock market understands this math and the DJIA fell 323 points.

So, what does that mean for graduates? First, most students don’t really know what is going on. They often believe that getting a job is something to think about when they graduate; and not before. The real shock will be when they enter the transition market that over 30 million Americans are experiencing.

Let’s look at some of the information provided by USA Today on May 19, 2010. You can read the article by clicking here.

First, 2.4 million new students have recently graduated. That does not include graduate level students. Many of them will struggle to get an interview, much less get hired.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is cited as showing five job seekers for every opening. Who knows where they get their numbers. My HR sources tell me that hundreds and thousands are applying for posted positions. I will let you decide which you believe is true for your dream job.

What is astounding is that the percentage of employers planning to hire recent graduates is continuing to go down! The article cites 79% in 2007, 58% in 2008, and 44% this year with last year around the same number.

There is no question that the markets are incredibly competitive with little improvement seen for the next several years.

However, many of these graduates have been accustomed to getting along and not worrying about the future. Many, not finding a job, will simply go back home while others will assume that their parents will continue to pay for their needs. To be blunt, that phenomena will probably be increasing. But believing that they should not have to compete for jobs or assuming someone, like their parents, will help them get a job is living in a bubble that, for many, will eventually end poorly.

The conclusion is that, “are simply not enough jobs to go around.”

I agree with the numbers but not with the implied conclusion. If everyone just sat around, being a victim, the sentiment would be reasonable. However, not everyone will just be sitting around. The ones who get hired will be those who are hungry enough to decide to learn how to compete regardless of the economy. Their attitude will be, “no excuses!” They will choose to learn how to cope and succeed in today’s market. When the market improves, they will be ahead of their peers and far ahead in knowing how to get their ultimate dream jobs.

So how will they learn these skills? Job Doctors is here to teach them. Few may wish to learn, but I want to be there to help them learn the secrets that insiders have always used and that anyone who wishes to be competitive in today’s marketplace must use to be working while others go home to their parents house waiting for more jobs to “go around.”

How about you? Are you taking steps to learn to be competitive? Can you help others know about these insider secrets so that they can also start moving toward their dream job?

Top Ten Job Seeker Mistakes – #6

The sixth mistake is to get help primarily from traditional sources.

Who are traditional sources? Primarily campus placement services, recruiters, HR, and job board discussion groups.  Since 20% of jobs are through recruiters, HR, and job boards, guess what help they can give you? They can tell you how to chase after 20% of the jobs.

Ask yourself the question, “What experience do they have other than participating in the traditional 20% of job finding methods?” There will be exceptions but:

• Have they been the decision maker in hiring others?
• Do they understand the language of senior management?
• Have they sold products and services into decision makers?
• Do they understand marketing and sales?
• Do they understand relationship and complex solution sales?
• Have they been peers with other decision makers?

The point is that 80% of jobs is through networking into influencers, advisors, and decision makers who refer top candidates to decision makers. Unless those advising you have a strong background in being a decision maker / hiring manager, it is highly likely that their advice will not include what you need to know and do to find 80% of the jobs.

Again, I am not diminishing the help of others in providing great insights and services for 20% of the jobs. You should use them and learn from them. Those skills will be useful. I am suggesting that your PRIMARY help should be from those who have been in the jobs at levels where they understand what really goes on in networking, company politics, and the minds of people like them.

Where do you find these resources? First, from developing relationships with these profile executives who can help mentor you. Second, from career coaches
who have been there and know what you are facing.

Questionable Resume Tips, Part 3

Continued comments from yesterday.

The author of the email then tries to sell me on why I should become a client of his.

Here is the bottom line. There are many people out there who cannot find a job, so they are trying to make money telling others what to do. Some of these people are recruiters whose clients are reducing the number of searches, resulting in them extending their brand to coach job seekers. Some are HR professionals who have insights about the internal recruiting process, how to write resumes, and how to interview. Some are actual career coaches who are “certified” in older traditional methods or who don’t really have experience to understand real insider thinking. Some, started out by wanting to help others. Some, are very good.

The question is not their motive or their previous titles or their previous experience or their certifications but whether what they say is right!  You have to be the judge. If you are wrong, you will get hurt and waste money and time. If you are right, you can be tremendously helped and maximize you time and money.

That is why I write a blog and newsletter. You can see my thought process. I am blunt in my opinions. I am willing to share because what I know is only lightly touched in blogs and newsletters – plus I keep learning from others every day. That is why we offer multiple levels, including books and audios that are inexpensive but helpful. That is why I post testimonials from C-level executives and global groups (like Vistage, the FENG, and Golden Key) who support what I am saying. However, at the end of the day, it is you who gets to decide if our message is on target and worth sharing with others.

That is also why, for those wanting to help others, we also offer our course on Jobpreneurship™ which will help train the trainers. We will explain this area more in the future.

My point is that, whether you use Job Doctors International, LLC or someone else is your decision. There are many out there with fantastic ideas and others with questionable tips. Just, please be careful who you are listening to for your career and family guidance. Too much is at stake.

Questionable Resume Tips

Don’t you just hate getting unsolicited emails? I do too. That is why we don’t email blast unless you requested to be on our list.

Here is an unsolicited email to me about “c level careers + resume info”.  Now, I am not sure who sent it. I only opened it up to see if there was a best practice that could be useful to you. There are a few that I already knew but there were MANY ideas that I believe are harmful.

By the way, “C-Level” refers to CEO, COO, CFO, CMO… So you would think this advice would be the best of the best – especially since the author states that he is an “Executive Job Hunter’s Consultant and Strategist – since 1987”

So, here is what he said and my comments:

1. Readers perspective
   1. Him: Assume readers are skeptical and rarely give you the benefit of the doubt.
   2. Me: Assume first line readers will scan in 10 seconds. They are looking for key words and at the summary. 2^nd level readers assume 1^st level readers already screened you and will be checking to see if you lied on your resume like many have been caught doing and that you look like you are qualified. 3^rd level readers rarely depend upon a resume usually preferring to talk and listen to see if you really “get it”, are trustworthy, and are a cultural fit.
2. Screeners
   1. Him: Almost always toss all resumes except from people seeking to make a lateral move.
   2. Me: In today’s competitive environment, companies can be looking for someone who has “done it” to come it to “do it again. However, the best companies are looking for track records upwards and usually DO NOT throw away upward trends that are not a stretch. What screeners are looking for depends on what they are told to look for.
3. Summaries
   1. Him: Don’t use them. They annoy screeners because they all sound alike and are too generalized and cliché riddled.
   2. Me:  The “blah, blah, blah” syndrome is a point the recruiter I wrote about last week stated. Both are right if you are generalized and cliché riddled. The competitive candidate knows how to craft a summary that gives the screener what they are looking for – in 10 seconds. To omit a good summary is a terrible mistake.

More tomorrow!

Understanding The Job Seeking Process, Part 7

There are a number of steps in networking. However, I merely want to close out my thoughts on the executive summary, from a recruiter perspective, and a value proposition from my perspective.

Here is the setting: a general networking event or a chance meeting at a soccer field or as an association meeting.

Here is the question: “What do you do?”

Recruiter model:

I am a top financial officer with 20 years experience in Fortune 500 and medium sized business service companies with experience in multi-location, multi-division, and multi-country locations providing heavy tax and M&A expertise within the Atlanta area and having a strong focus on teaming across functions to optimize financial operations.

Value Proposition Model, with three topic results structure

I am a financial fire-fighter.  (pregnant pause)

My experience is in large and medium sized companies identifying issues and solving them, such as SEC reporting, M&A activities, and support of the Sales force.

Here are the test questions.

1. Which model would you most likely remember in 2 months?
2. Which model best explains what he can do – his value?
3. Which model would want you to ask more about – make you interested?
4. Which model would be easiest to tell others about?
5. Which model would give you interest in referring him to a friend?

I rest my case.

Understanding The Job Seeking Process, Part 6

So, what is networking? Each of our 42 processes do not have simple answers. Correct answers have many legs and also need to be customized for each individual. However, here is the bottom line of networking.

First, the purpose is to find people to introduce you to people who can help you meet the hiring manager and GO AROUND the gatekeepers.

Keeping the concept simple, if the hiring manager likes you, is recommended to you by his trusted advisors and trusted relationships, and sees you as having value to what he wants, then it is possible for the hiring manager to want to hire you before you have talked to any gatekeeper. Networking is the process to get the chance for this to happen.

However, most networkers whom I meet don’t know how to network effectively. One of the reasons is that they think the process used for gatekeepers is the same in networking.

To influencers, insiders, and experienced those people are seen as “wantabees” and “commodities” not worth much of our time.  We do feel sorry for them and occasionally will make suggestions to them for improvement. Since most people do not appreciate improvement suggestions, after a while we quit trying.

However, this concept is absolutely key to taking your job search to the next level.

Here is another idea. When that hiring manager is interested in hiring you, he may have made the emotional decision but will normally send you back through the gatekeepers to join other candidates in the process. Why? First, for legal compliance. Second, to gain political support. Third, to see if others agree that you are qualified. Fourth, to see if others agree that you are a cultural fit. Fifth, to see how you handle challenging personalities who will also be there if you are hired. Sixth, to gain as much insights through the process, including reference checks, to confirm your statements or to raise flags. Seventh, by getting different levels interviewing you, a general consensus supporting you gives you a great political platform for future success – their concurrence (political support) becomes a reason they may help you succeed.

The point here is that all the filters we discussed gatekeepers having (key words, need for a targeted executive summary, and good screening skills) still apply. You interview differently depending upon the level of the interview (gatekeeper versus trusted advisor or hiring manager).

However, the MAJOR DIFFERENCE, is that the gatekeepers are no longer looking to eliminate you. They are now looking for ways to please the hiring manager by seeing if you can actually be a fit. Unless you misrepresented yourself, you have a heavy advantage to being in the final cut and getting hired.

Let me know what you think!

What process are you pursuing?

Understanding The Job Seeking Process, Part 5

Now let’s take a look at one simple difference between focusing on the gatekeepers and through sales and marketing techniques like networking.

I have heard that 80% of candidates focus on trying to go through gatekeepers – and feel like they are hitting their head against the wall.

I have also heard that 20% of all jobs are placed through going through the gatekeepers.

If you re-read what I just said and do the math, something should jump out at you. Am I crazy to compete for 20% of the jobs where 80% of the competition is?

I heard last Friday about the book called “Blue Waters”. I have not read it but my friend told me the concept is to stay away from the red waters (where the sharks are feeding) and go where the waters (and competition) are nice and blue.

To put it another way, I have heard that by networking you increase your chances of getting a job by 4,200%. If that does not get your attention, you might as well stop reading.  People play the lottery for worse than a one in one million chance of winning. Here the odds are 4,200% better than focusing on gatekeepers.

So now we are talking about the seventh Jobpreneurship™ process.  There are still 35 to go. But networking is a major strategy shift than trying to initially go through the gatekeepers.

The challenge is that very, very few people know how to truly network. So, you often get limited guidance. Sometimes, you get poor guidance from “coaches” who don’t know the best practices themselves.

That brings us around to my comments on Monday. The Managing Director of the national executive recruiting firm told 40+ executives that they should develop an executive summary that describes what they do – using terms that would help and executive recruiter see if they would fit into a current position.  The examples were longer than this paragraph and full of complex concepts. This statement would then be what you use in networking.

If you are networking with a gatekeeper with open jobs, you may want to follow his advice. However, since that is less than 20% of all possible jobs and since few recruiters have jobs that may fit your profile, I personally believe the advice is DEAD WRONG when it comes to networking.  Again, right when talking to a gatekeeper but WRONG when you are trying to network with non-gatekeepers.

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