How Vital is Networking?

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Networking is the key to success - not only when searching for a job - but for business in general.

Dale Carnegie literally wrote the book on networking in 1936. How to Win Friends and Influence People demystified the process of making friends out of strangers and inspired legions of business coaches to carry on Carnegie's message. Peter Handal, the chairman, CEO and president of Dale Carnegie & Associates, shared some of Carnegie's rules for meeting new people with Meridith Levinson of CIO Magazine and CIO.com.

The Wisdom of Dale Carnegie in Five Bullet Points

• Smile: "This is such a simple, basic rule, yet people just don't think about it," says Handal. They're so focused on needing to network at a conference that they don't realize they're walking around with a scowl on their face. Scowling, serious, expressions are forbidding, says Handal. People are more likely to warm up to someone who says good morning with a broad smile than they are to someone with a dour countenance.
  


• Ask a question: Joining a group engaged in conversation can be awkward. The best way to do so is to pose a question to the group after getting the gist of the conversation, says Handal. "You build your credibility by asking a question, and for a shy person, that's a much easier way to engage than by barging in with an opinion," he says.
  


• Listen: One of the most profound points Carnegie made in How to Win Friends was that people love to talk about themselves. If you can get people to discuss their experiences and opinions—and listen with sincere interest—you can have a great conversation with someone without having to say much at all.
  


• Business cards: Always have them handy, says Handal. "They're an effective way for you to leave your name behind so that people remember who you are."
  


• Say the person's name: "People like to hear their own name," says Handal, pointing to another one of Carnegie's basic principles—that a person's name is the sweetest sound to that person. So when you meet someone, use his name in conversation. Doing so makes the other person feel more comfortable, like you really know him and he knows you.

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Be Cautious When Posting on a Job Search Engine

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Jay MacDonald of Bankrate.com writes that a Florida attorney hoped to receive a flood of qualified applications when he posted a job opening on Monster.com for paralegal help at his Hilliard, Florida law firm.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was a school of "phish" to swim in on the deluge. Phish are those piranhalike e-mail probes that prey on the feckless.

"Shortly after I signed up, I got a bunch of e-mails purportedly from Monster.com, but I quickly determined that they weren't," the attorney says. "They weren't the typical sort of phishing e-mails; they had something that identified my (Monster) account."

He was convinced that his information had been compromised. And he was right.


According to a CNBC report, in January, Monster.com notified users that its database was breached and that account information - including names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, user names and passwords - had been compromised.

Proving once again, today’s job seeker is far better off using networking as their primary tool in searching for work, rather than posting on job search engines. As this attorney found out, “People who have posted a resume anyplace online are now being targeted by the thieves.”

Start Now! Career Guide provides the best networking strategies available to assist you in your career search. To find out more, please visit our web site, StartNowCareers.com.

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Even the Overqualified Have Options to Get Jobs

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This recession and the accompanying job situation have hit experienced workers hard. Millions of job-seekers are now looking to positions they are overqualified for – and are genuinely anxious to fill those roles. Yet it’s sometimes difficult to even apply to them for fear of rejection.

So what do you do? First, you may want to consider rewording your résumé. Rather than highlighting that degree you worked so hard for (ouch!), choose wording that accentuates related experience or related education. After all, a degree doesn’t prove accomplishments and results, but accomplishments and results are what hiring managers are looking for.

Second, you must help the hiring manager understand what overqualified doesn't mean. You've got to let them know you really want to work for their organization, that you're dedicated, and that you've got something you can offer them.It's all about adding value. The job applicant who convinces a potential employer they can make a positive effect on the bottom line often wins. Campaign for your dedication, your work ethic, and the things you can learn in that new role even if you are overqualified for it.

According to Phil Chipouras of The Boomer Group, "You've got to position yourself as the solution to the company's problems. So research, networking, understanding what that company's problems are and positioning yourself accordingly, are all extremely important.”

Unless you're a Type A personality who always needs to climb the corporate ladder, then don't be dishonest with yourself or them. But in fact, a new career at a lower rung on the ladder might mean less stress. Maybe right now title and money is not all that it used to be. Maybe right now having a decent income and a balanced life is more important than it was before. During the interview you can make that point.

From the hiring manager’s point of view, they want to make sure you’ll stay on the job once you’re hired, so it’s important to indicate that you’re serious and that you’re a stable, solid investment.
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How to Best Prepare for a Job Fair

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More often than not, today's job seekers face many disappointments. The most frustrating is not getting an acknowledgement when a resume is mailed to a company or posted on the many job web sites that are out there.

Equally disappointing is attending a job fair and not quite finding the responses you had hoped for. Part of the reason is that the job seeker goes into a job fair somewhat unprepared.

Company hiring managers say that preparing for a job fair requires more than just creating or updating a resume. It's recommended that you:

Target specific companies: Apply to the companies that are the best fit for your skills and qualifications.

Do your homework: Be ready to talk about the company and their products. Do an Internet search before the job fair so you will be well versed on challenges facing the company you're applying to.

Clarify goals: Don't expect an on-the-spot offer unless you are pursuing a job through a temporary agency. Interested companies will be in contact with you for on-site interviews.

Present a realistic resume: Companies typically find out when a resume is padded.

Avoid salary and/or benefit questions: The initial interview should be about selling your skills and how you can help the organization.

Sell yourself: Prepare a short "commercial" about yourself. Provide background and clearly state your career goals.

Ask for contacts: Inquire about specific names and phone numbers. Typically the person at the job fair will not be the one making the hiring decisions.

Dress for success: Though it should go without saying, in this economic climate some people still arrive at a job fair dressed too casually. Wear conservative business attire, provide a firm handshake, establish eye contact, and - above all - smile!
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What is the Start Now! Career Guide?

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Good question!

If you’re one of many who have found yourself looking for a job, you’ll agree…you are faced with perhaps one of the most difficult times of your life.

You’re looking to get from point A (being unemployed) to point B (landing a good job) in the shortest amount of time. You turn to the Internet because that’s where we go for virtually instant information. What the job seeker often finds, however, is frustration.

In part, it’s because finding the best places to post a resume isn’t going to help if the resume itself isn’t on target. If the resume isn’t right, then it isn’t being read. If it isn’t read, it isn’t being considered.

So let me address how StartNowCareers.com can assist today’s job seeker:

1. It Provides Value. In its most basic form, Start Now! Career Guide helps you set the foundation in perfecting your own resume. The guide relieves the burden of weeding through repetitive information which is found on the Internet today. Our web site links to a product - not to a page of links to more web sites (which, in turn, often links to yet more web sites).

“Professional” resume writers are out there by the dozens and charge hefty fees to produce something for people they don’t even know. But the fact is, no one knows the you as well as you do. The Start Now! Career Guide helps you dig deep to rediscover talents and experiences (career and personal) which you may have overlooked.

2. We’re Not Reinventing the Wheel. Rather than a job search engine or resume service, Start Now! Career Guide is just that…a comprehensive guide which covers a wealth of information, from how to deal with the emotional side of unemployment, to networking, to resume construction, to letter writing, to interview strategies, and so much more.

3. We Don't Remix. Since there is so much information out on the Internet, we can’t claim that our guide is spectacularly unique. What we can claim, however, is that the Start Now! Career Guide provides essential information all job seekers need. Plus, since you’ll have the reference information always at your fingertips, it saves valuable time you’d be using going from one web site to another.

We’re really hoping you’ll evaluate StartNowCareers.com. Our goal is to deliver a product of value which provides vital information and essential tools to assist you in your job search.
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Do You Have "Digital Dirt"?

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Do you have digital dirt? If so, it might be time to start cleaning it up. Your on-line Web pages could cost you a chance at a job.

Digital dirt is the information about you - your hobbies, your photos, your rants and raves - that's available on the Internet through personal Web sites, profiles on popular social-networking sites, and comments on blogs. What you might not realize is that employers are reading what's out there and in many cases these things can derail your job prospects even before you're called for an interview.

According to Tory Johnson, a recruiter who recently published an article on this topic for ABC News, this all started with Google. The popular search engine enabled all of us to become private eyes. We can look up anyone and anything on the Internet with the simple click of the mouse. “This is a great tool for job-seekers,” Johnson said. “They can Google an interviewer to learn something about that person in hopes of using it to establish a rapport during the interview.

“But there's a flip side," Johnson says. "Those same employers check out prospective hires. With basic on-line searches, they're finding risqué photos posted on personal Web sites and social networks. They're reading brags about excessive drinking and promiscuity, and plenty more.”

With the high costs of recruiting, training and retaining top talent - from entry level to senior executives - employers must be cautious about who they hire. As a recruiter, Tory Johnson says, “If I'm considering two college seniors for the same position and I come across an on-line profile for one of them that brags about rowdy parties and drunken escapades, I might think twice about that person. And I will likely lean more toward the candidate who has a clean on-line profile - or none at all.”

Several college career service offices have begun aggressively warning students that recruiters monitor what they post on-line. In a competitive job market, students need all the ammunition they can get. And a heads-up on this growing trend has allowed many students to start pre-emptively dusting their own dirt.

(Incidentally, many college admissions offices now review the on-line profiles of high school seniors when determining their eligibility for admittance. Ask your son and daughter if they would want to miss out on the college of their dreams because they're boasting about skipping class and underage drinking.)

Not Limited to the College Crowd
All of us - regardless of age or position - are subject to on-line searches by current and prospective employers. Many companies that have ruled out candidates - and even rescinded offers - because of what they found on-line.

Digital dirt included misstated academic qualifications, radical political views, objectionable jokes posted on personal Web pages and even negative comments about former employers submitted to blogs.

Narcisurf Today
Johnson advises that you do some narcisurfing! It's a term that's cropping up relating to Internet searches that we conduct on ourselves. Not only can you Google yourself, but you should go to dogpile.com, too. Dogpile retrieves information from multiple search engines and gives different results than Google or Yahoo! does.

Johnson gives this advice: “If you have an on-line profile on any of the social networks, carefully review its contents to see if there's anything that would make an employer wince. If there's information on your personal Web page that you wouldn't want your current or future boss to see, then change it. If the objectionable information about you is on another site, you can contact the webmaster about having it changed or removed. And if that's not possible, you'll have to be ready to explain it if asked.”

Consider Professional, Not Social Networks
Johnson further advises, since there are indeed great advantages to on-line networks - including promoting your professional strengths and personal interests as well as connecting with like-minded people, consider creating a free account on a site like LinkedIn. Unlike the social networks like MySpace, Facebook and Friendster, this service, which has 5 million registered users, focuses much more on the professional than the personal.
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What Lies Ahead for Today’s College Grads?

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Depending on the spin some media have put in their news reports, college graduates may feel the job outlook is pretty grim. But many experts say it’s not all gloom and doom…if the candidate is well prepared.

Though some industries will have a notable decline in hiring during 2009, other fields such as health care, government, distribution and utilities are anticipating growth. In addition, over the next decade more and more Baby Boomers will retire, creating opportunities many grads could be able to grab.

In today’s market, the graduate should be more flexible than other job seekers in a couple of areas:

First is salary expectations. It’s a tight market right now, so you may have to settle for less than you feel you deserve. But remember that it is your first job. Opportunities for advancement or better positions will open up to you along the way.

Second is location. A better paying, more rewarding position may not be in your home town. You may want to consider the many opportunities across the country.

The job search may take a little longer, so be patient. With the right tools in place, the candidate should be successful, but it may mean part-time or temporary work in the interim.

Network effectively. You can post your resume on-line and hope for the best, but networking is a must. Let everyone you know what your goals are and ask them to spread the word. Follow-up with them to be sure they’ve kept you in mind.

When creating a resume, make sure you highlight the skills which coincide with those requested by the employer. With the volume of resumes sent to a company, generic or broadly written resumes are obvious and tossed aside quickly.

When you do get the call, make sure to do your due diligence before your interview to show you’ve learned all you can about the company you’ve applied to.

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Posting Your Resume? Wait!!

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You’ve heard it said, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” For the job seeker, that impression is your resume.

At the end of a job fair held in Greensboro, NC on February 25, 2009, an HR Director was interviewed on one of the local news stations. “The biggest problem applicants have,” he said, “is their resume.”

He went on to indicate how vitally important it is to make sure your resume is:

- worded properly,
- kept concise,
- typed in proper font size and style, and most important,
- matches your objective to the position you’re applying for.

This may mean a few resumes that are tailor made for the specific role you’re going for.

Start Now! Career Guide helps you create the strongest, most effective document that will shoot your resume to the top of the pile.

We’ll help you discover experiences and qualifications you may have overlooked… talents that will have hiring managers take notice. And we’ll show you how to make it look picture perfect.

The guide also contains every letter imaginable that’s needed for an effective search, from networking letters to the thank-you and acceptance letters.

Plus, there’s a full section devoted to sharpening your interviewing strategies and skills.

Visit our website: http://www.startnowcareers.com/

View the samples on the site, and if you don't feel this guide provides what you need in your search, e-mail us at our web link or here on our blog and tell us why. Our goal is to help you get the job you’re seeking!

Start Now!

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