Florida Executive Search Information Blog

Author: Barbara Safani

Most job seekers rely on the open job market which includes job posting boards and help wanted advertisements in local newspapers to source job leads. While it appears on the surface that these search vehicles have an abundant number of job leads, the reality is that very few people secure their positions through these methods of search. Only about 5-10% of people in search find their jobs using these two methods combined. One of the main reasons it is so difficult to land a job through a job board is that the job seeker is faced with insurmountable competition and limited means to differentiate their candidacy. Its not unusual for a hiring manager to receive over 500 resumes for one open position. With no personal relationship with the hiring authority, the job seeker is forced to rely on technology and hope that the resume they submitted for an online opportunity contains enough keywords and consistency with the job spec to garner an acknowledgement from the hiring manager. The sad truth is that the number of companies that even acknowledge receipt of the resume is under 25% and the percentage of companies that offer candidates any additional information regarding their candidacy is in the single digits.

How to Make Time Spent in the Open Job Market More Effective

So whats a job seeker to do? Send their resume out into cyberspace, cross their fingers, and hope for the best? Absolutely not. Far too many people waste valuable hours of search time sending their resumes into a virtual black hole. If an unemployed job seeker considers their full-time job to be finding a job and an employed job seeker considers their search to be a part-time job, no more than two hours of each week should be dedicated to posting for jobs online. Candidates should be frugal with the amount of time they spend online and take advantage of time saving online search methods such as using aggregate boards such as SimplyHired, Indeed, and Jobster which cull information from numerous online boards or setting up job email alerts on several large or niche board sites.

Why There is More Opportunity in the Hidden Job Market

Once the two hours of online search is accounted for, the job seeker still has several hours per week to dedicate to the rest of their search. Most people (over 80%) find their jobs through the hidden job market, the jobs that are not posted and that are communicated word of mouth. Open positions might not be listed on job boards for several reasons. Perhaps the company once had the position on a board and was unsuccessful in finding a candidate, so they are now searching offline. Maybe the company doesnt have the money to post online. Many companies consider their employee referral programs a better source of hires and promote the program extensively throughout the firm. Or a situation exists in the office where someone is on performance counseling and will probably be managed out of the organization in the coming months. Still other companies have policies regarding internal posting practices and make opportunities available to their current employees before looking outside for potential candidates. In some instances a company plans to expand in a particular area but doesnt want to post online for fear of tipping off the competition regarding their future expansion plans. These are all reasons why a viable position might not be posted online.

Finding Job Leads Through Cold Call Techniques

There are two main ways to access jobs in the hidden job market. The first is to cold call into an organization and try to find a connection to the person who is capable of making a hiring decision. Approximately 10-20% of people in search find their jobs by cold calling into companies. The cold call is made regardless of whether there is an open position or not. The goal is to identify industries and companies that provide a good fit for the job seeker based on their competencies, achievements, and geography and try to gain an introduction to someone in the company to convince them that you are a person worth knowing. By proactively establishing the relationship before the hiring authority has an actual need, you increase your chances of being the go to guy once a viable position surfaces. Prospecting for a new job is very similar to sales prospecting. The difference is that in the first scenario you are marketing yourself. There are numerous ways to find leads into companies. The public library houses an abundance of company-relevant reference guides that you can use to cull valuable information about an industry, company, or decision maker. Some of the many valuable resources available include Hoovers, The Corporate Directory of U.S. Public Companies, Consulting and Consulting Organization Directory, Gold Book of Venture Capital Firms, Thomas Register of Manufacturing Firms, and the Corporate Finance Sourcebook. In addition, there are professional research firms such as FTT Research that specialize in finding decision makers within companies.

Networking Your Way to Your Next Job

The second and most successful method of sourcing jobs through the hidden job market is networking. Over 70% of people in search find their jobs through networking. Networking at its most fundamental level is information sharing and relationship building. When you network effectively, you seek out opportunities to meet new people, share information about yourself, learn about other people, and offer assistance to others whenever possible. Good networkers agree to meet with people to try to help them even if on the surface there is nothing in it for them. They open up their minds and their rolodex, share contacts and try to make recommendations in an effort to help people get closer to their personal and professional goals. Networking is not about asking for favors or asking for jobs. As a matter of fact, when you network you should never ask for a job. Doing so might make the other person uncomfortable, because they may not know of a job opening or the appropriate decision maker. Good networkers ask for information about an industry, company, or person to get one step closer to the decision maker. The problem that most people face when they network is that their circle of contacts has stagnated over the years because they have become far too comfortable within their inner circles. But its never too late to jump start your network and start planning for your future.

Job seekers can start to accelerate their networking efforts by first identifying people in their immediate world. This may include friends, family, members of local community or religious organizations, doctors, dentist, accountants, etc. Everyone you know knows approximately 200 other people and one goal of networking is to try to tap into the people that your acquaintances know to extend your visibility and reach and try to pinpoint others who can help you in your search. Next try to identify companies you are interested in and people who work for those companies. They dont have to be people who do what you do; they act as a bridge between you and the people you need to meet at a company. They can offer you invaluable information about the companys culture, how open jobs are handled, where employees hang out after hours, etc. They can introduce you to others in that company who may be one step closer to your ultimate decision maker.

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Author: Tony Jacowski

The duties of a career coach include assisting people in their selection of the right job opportunities and managing their careers. You could either be a career management coach or a career marketing coach. The latter is responsible for building influential contacts, posting resumes and suggesting ways to secure high placement. The main aim as a coach is to market the client effectively in the career market.

Investment

Before you establish your business, you need to consider the costs that you will have to incur as a career coach. Initially, you will be required to make major investments such as website hosting to gain publicity, a PC for processing relevant information and storing your client’s data and other promotional and advertising material.

Equipment Required

In addition to a personal computer with the necessary programming software, you also need to have complete access to the Internet, so that you can research conveniently. Besides this, a telephone, printer and fax machine is also helpful.

Financial Resources

If you do not have the required capital for the initial investment, you can easily get financing from numerous sources. Business loans from banks and governments should be given highest priority. There are other business organizations as well that could help you financially and aid you in setting up your own business as a career coach by providing you with start up loans.

Getting loans from self-employment programs sponsored by the government is also a good idea. Applying for loans from business capitalists and angel investors is another option available, if you fall short of the necessary finances. However, keep in mind that they both charge a high rate of interest.

Offering Your Services For A Fee

In today’s fast paced and competitive world, you have to be careful about how you price your services. You need to effectively price your competent services or else the business may not perform as anticipated.

Scope Of Income

Irrespective of whether you are a career management coach or a career marketing coach, established career coaches charge on an hourly basis. The average billing rate prevailing in the industry currently is $100 per hour.

Marketing Strategies

You can choose from a variety of methods to effectively promote your business, depending on your budget and need. Advertising in the newspapers is the most effective marketing strategy. You could even post ads or distribute pamphlets in colleges and other educational organizations. Circulate your business cards at social gatherings and events. Promoting career coaching by writing relevant articles in newspapers and on the Internet, featuring ideas and suggestions for people who encounter problems in their careers are other great options.

Huge Market

The main targets for career coaching are youngsters and people who are unable to identify the right job opportunities. Many new graduates and other people find themselves confused or at crossroads in their careers due to several reasons. People tend to make wrong career decisions when they are influenced negatively by their peers or sometimes out of dire financial need.

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By Jeff Altman

A few weeks ago, a young man I was representing almost lost a job. He had interviewed with the firm on Thursday afternoon and received a job offer that day. He wanted to consider the offer until the close of business the following Friday . . . and almost lost the opportunity he ultimately accepted by insisting that he had “a right” to “consider it” until then.

From my client’s perspective, they understood that he was comparison shopping, had actually hired three people from the firm he was waiting for an offer from, were interviewing more people from there and didn’t want to risk losing everyone.

This situation offers an opportunity to examine how long you have to consider a job offer once you receive one.

The correct answer is that you have as long as they will give you.

Most firms would like an immediate or almost immediate response. I don’t mean an answer in 10 minutes. I mean an answer where you sleep on it. After all, in most cases, you’ve interviewed there several times, why haven’t you been thinking about it before now and able to make a decision?

And delaying for too long gives a message to the hiring firm of how you make decisions . . . or that you are shopping for another option . . . or just aren’t that interested.

The fact is everything you do on an interview is a reflection of you and how you will work with your new employer. A day to think is OK (truthfully, now, you’re not going to take a day off from work, sit in a chair in isolation and contemplate the job offer, are you), two days is often OK and more gives the employer reason to feel hesitant about you and your thought process.

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A resume is a marketing tool featuring you as the product which:
Grabs the attention of the person or company with a current business need.

Highlights pertinent information about your skills, experience and achievements in a manner that responds to the business need.
It should have content that:

Accurately markets you, the individual - the skills/ability you have to sell, and the work you are seeking.
Responds to the needs of the company and/or a specific individual. Documents your qualifications by citing accomplishments.
Conveys information that will “rule you in”, not “screen you out”. It should have a format and appearance that is:

Compatible with the way in which resumes are managed (scanned, read by humans, etc.)
Visually easy to read — good font size, white space, bullets, etc., where appropriate.

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Guidelines for Active Listening

1. Listen with your eyes — Approximately 80% of what is said is non-verbal1. This is a
combination of body language ( about 55%) and tone of voice (about 38%). It deals with “how” something is said, rather than “what” is said.

2. Listen for content. While words comprise only 7% of what is being communicated, they are still the core of the message.

3. Listen to intent. Listen to “why” something is said, in addition to “what” is said.

4. Listen for emotion. Be aware of feelings that are being expressed, and be prepared to reflect them (e.g., it appears that you are …).

5. Monitor your own nonverbal communication. Be aware that you are also sending signals about this particular interaction — the person, the question, the topic, etc. People instinctively read body language before they hear anything. Remember, 80% of what is said is non-verbal!

6. Listen non-judgmentally. Do not prejudge the speaker. Listen with an open mind. You do not necessarily have to accept the other person’s ideas or points of view, but you do need to respect his or her right to an opinion.

7. Monitor your emotional filters. Each of us filters information through biases, past experiences, assumptions and expectations, and then we respond accordingly. While you may not be able to eliminate your emotional filters, you can control them.

8. Listen with empathy. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand what is shaping his or her feelings.

I-SPEAK Your Language®

In the Discovery stage of this course, you completed the I-SPEAK® exercise. Recall its purpose was to identify your communication style as well as to identify the style of others so that you could communicate more effectively. It is to your advantage to be aware of the communication style of the person with whom you are speaking and adapt your own style to his/hers to increase compatibility.

Knowledge and use of I-SPEAK® styles, when combined with active listening skills, will greatly help to build relationships and enhance your communication capabilities during interviews or networking meetings.
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As an executive job seeker in this market, you probably realize that gone are the days when you just sit back and let headhunters present you with multiple offers. Now, you must largely promote yourself and need to have an effective strategy when you are starting to look for a new job. Here are the two mistakes to avoid as well as some practical solutions to help you succeed:

MISTAKE #1: OUTDATED MESSAGE THAT DILUTES YOUR VALUE

It’s amazing how many executives are not properly prepared for their job search. This is not intentional – they simply don’t know where to start. In this day and age, job searching can be a confusing task, however good planning leads to excellent results. The most obvious place to start is your resume. Unless it’s market-focused and genuinely convincing, it will likely end up in a ‘round file’. Out of millions of resumes received by recruiters and hiring managers, less than 2% are given serious consideration.

The purpose of your resume is NOT just to describe your career history, but also to propose feasible solutions. Yet, too many resumes still follow the “old news” method – (i.e. “look at me, here is what I’ve done”) - which is becoming archaic. To be outstanding, your resume needs to show why you are unique and have more potential than other comparable candidates.

MISTAKE #2: POSITIONING YOURSELF AS A MASS-MARKET APPLICANT

Now that you have a first class resume, what do you do with it? In a phrase, don’t follow the crowds. While others keep posting or mass-mailing their resumes, you can take control of your job search and start networking with companies directly. How do you do this? By identifying key decision makers, making direct contact to establish mutual interests, and then submitting your updated documents. This active approach is much more effective than waiting for employers to respond to impersonal applications.

By speaking with companies directly, you can quickly identify great opportunities that are not publicly promoted. In fact, at any given time, many companies are aware of changing executive requirements and your personal approach can lead to meaningful connections and superb offers.

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Author: Moshin Manji

The job interview was a success and now it comes down to the final process before the employer decides on hiring you; the employment reference check. It is important to be prepared since strong job references can sometimes be a deciding factor in getting a job offer or being passed over for another shortlisted candidate. Remember, the employer is making a big decision in hiring you, and wants to be sure you are who you say you are.

Here are some keys to providing successful job references:

Forget the letter: Employers have no interest in reading an informal reference letter written in the past. Letters do not have credibility, since anyone can write them for you. Employers want to be able to contact and communicate with a real person who can speak about your strengths and weakness and fit for the job you are seeking via the phone.

Leave references off your resume: References should be on a separate sheet and not on your resume. Never give references to employers until they are requested. Be sure to keep a list of at least 3-5 updated references with you when attending the job interview so that you can be prepared to present them to the employer if requested. Adding the line “References available upon request” at the bottom of your resume is a good way to let potential employers know that you have a ready list of references.

Choose your references carefully: Choose references that will make the strongest recommendations for you. It is always best to choose former managers or supervisors who you reported to over co-workers since they are taken in higher regard by employers. References that know all your accomplishments, strengths and abilities provide the most positive choice.

References do not have to be employment related: Ideally you want to use work related references if possible, but if you are a student or have a hard time finding 3-5 work references feel free to contact: former professors, co-workers, customers or acquaintances you know through volunteer work or organizations. These references should be individuals who can speak highly of your accomplishments, work ethic, skills, education, etc. Avoid using family members or friends.

Get permission: Before listing someone as your reference, be sure to ask for their permission and ask if they are comfortable. The last thing you want is to have an employer call a reference on your list without them being aware. This will not look good in the eyes of the employer and could lead to a poor or incomplete reference check.

Ensure contact information is current: Get current and complete information from each reference: full name, current title, company name, business address, and contact information (email address and phone numbers).

Keep your references informed: Once you provide an employer with a list, make sure each reference is contacted and given a “heads-up” that they may be contacted by the employer. Provide the references with information about the company, position you have applied for, and who may be contacting them. The references will be aware and anticipate the phone call. You may also choose to send the references a copy of your most current resume so they can refer to the resume during the call.

Thank your references for their help: As a common courtesy always thank your references for their help regardless if the employer contacts them or not. The best references are those you keep in touch with on a regular basis, since you may have to use them a few times during your job search.

Good References are a critical part of any job search and can help you secure that perfect job. They provide a potential employer with information about your past work history, your skills, and abilities.

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Author: Sharon Davis

While identity theft is nothing new, the Web has opened up whole new world of opportunity for identity thieves.

According to the FBI, identity theft is the top online fraud. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says that identity theft is it’s number one source of consumer complaints - 42 percent of all complaints, in 2001.

The thief will use your personal information to open credit card accounts, cell phone accounts, open bank accounts in your name and write bad checks-leaving the victim with the bills and ruined credit ratings. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, financial account numbers and identifying information.

According to the article:

“It was just the job lead Jim needed: a marketing manager position with Arthur Gallagher, a leading international insurance broker. And only days after Jim responded to the job posting on Monster.com, a human resources director sent along a promising e-mail. We’re interested in you, the note said. The salary is negotiable, the clients big. In fact, the clients are so valuable and sensitive that you’ll have to submit to a background check as part of the interview process. Eager for work, Jim complied- and sent off just about every key to his digital identity, including his age, height, weight, Social Security number, bank account numbers, even his mother’s maiden name.”

Jim spent the day canceling his credit cards, checking his balances and contacting the credit bureaus, but he’s concerned that his information is now “out there”.

There are warning signs that can tip you off to fraudulent job listings. While these items don’t necessarily mean that the listing is a scam, they are indications that you should do further checking.

–Incorrect grammar and spelling errors

–Phone or fax number area codes don’t match the address given

–Unrealistic salary

Online job databases are not the only places that identity thieves cruise for personal information. In recent indictments across the U.S., individuals have been charged with obtaining and using personal information through various ways. In Miami, two individuals were indicted for illegally tapping the computer networks of restaurants using the cover of a dummy corporation. A clerical worker at the New York State Insurance Fund pilfered office files and used stolen identities (of people across the country as well as fellow office workers) to obtain goods and services. A phlebotomist at Kaiser Permanente admitted to using the personal information of patients and employees in order to open credit card accounts in various names.

Recently, an FTC investigation into a work-at-home scheme spawned an incredible “scam-within-a-scam” when a man pretending to be an FTC employee emailed hundreds of the scam’s victims. He requested personal information stating that it was to be used as evidence in the case.

While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the chances of becoming a victim, you can minimize the risk by putting the following to practice:

–If a would-be employer asks you for any personal information you should ask them for their contact information and then separately look up the company’s information and contact them to verify that they actually exist. While it’s not unusual for an employer to ask for certain work-related information (like your work history and former employers), it is not appropriate for them to ask for personal information (like a social security number) unless you are actually being hired (and you’ve checked them out to make sure they’re legitimate). Even then, you should never be asked for financial information such as a credit card number.

–On online resumes, never include your social security number and keep even your work history brief.

–Check your credit card statements often. Believe it or not, many people never even check them!

–Be sure to follow up with creditors if your bill doesn’t arrive on time. A missing credit card bill may mean that an identity thief has changed your billing address to cover their tracks.

–Order your credit report from one of the major credit bureaus each year and verify that everything is correct.

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Author: Paul Abbey

It’s generally agreed that in order to succeed in the modern world you need to have good computer skills. Perhaps you just don’t have the instincts to be a programmer or the savvy to be a top software guru, but with good IT training you’ll still find a vast range of possibilities opening up to you. IT training doesn’t demand and special abilities, just patience and hard work. If you’re prepared to make that effort, IT training can turn your life around.

With a wealth of different courses available, you don’t need any special qualifications to undertake IT training. All you need is access to a computer, which doesn’t need to be your own, and a willingness to read and to practice the exercises you’re given. IT training is constantly changing to take into account new developments in computing technology, so you shouldn’t expect to learn everything at once. The important thing about IT training is that it teaches you how to learn. IT training teaches you how to manage current systems and prepares you to adapt to new ones. You should never find yourself at a loss with a new system if you’ve had good basic IT training.

Because of the way computer systems change, it can be worth considering IT training even if you’re already in employment. IT training can help you to stay ahead of the field and deal with new developments in your workplace. If you’re a manager, you might want to send your staff for IT training to ensure that changes in your office software are smoothly handled.

IT training isn’t just for computing professionals - it can be for anyone who wants to get the best out of the systems they use. It’ll make you more employable and it’ll also make you better able to cope with all the day to day practicalities of computer use. Everyone stands to benefit from basic IT training, so why not look into it today?

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