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Interactive resume, interview and career tips to spark your technical job search
March 2007 - Posts
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Computer World: Web anonymity can sink your job search: Your Web presence can make or break a job application
The whole debate about "do recruiters and hiring managers look candidates up on the web?" (yes, many do) - and "can negative information hurt you?" (yes, if it's really bad) - has gone around and around the last few years. And if you read the comments of this article, apparently folks are still discussing it. :)
But the real intent of this article ... that when it comes down to applying for roles with web savvy companies which require influence / leadership with other web savvy people,not having a web presence could hurt you ... is a good message to get out. When I coach jobseekers, the first thing I do is look them up on the web. There's a lot of companies out there (start-ups, internet based companies, community-focused technology companies, etc) that want to hire people who are already passionate about interacting with others through the internet. When I find a jobseeker who has no internet presence at all, I usually advise them to do one of these things listed in the article. It's not only a great way to build an outline portfolio - but these activities can provide valuable experience and maybe help you realize an untapped passion.
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A few weeks ago, I talked about and linked to a ERE article on video resumes. Last week, Raghav Singh, the author of the original article, was back on ERE revisiting his first remarks on the subject. One point he raises, which he touched on in the first article and I reiterated over here, is that recruiting is a very traditional and structured process - and love video resumes or hate them - a recruiting organization's capability to accept, digest, and evaluate video resumes (or anything other than your standard paper resume) is limited. "Recruiting" as practice and profession just isn't very tech savvy and quick to evolve. I do think that we'll increasingly see company's recruiting departments adopting new technology and getting "hip" to their candidates ... eventually ... but it's a slow journey and I don't think certain elements of the recruiting process (like traditional resumes, in-person interviews, etc) will ever go away, no matter what new technologies pop up.
So keep this in mind when you are figuring out how to impress your next employer. It's ok to get creative, but also respect tradition and their tried and true processes. When in doubt, do what's expected / required and then go the extra mile.
gretchen
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I've been writing job search and recruiting blogs for a few years now, and at some point, I've probably blogged about every topic out there. Sometimes I focus on advice; sometimes it's interesting chatter out in the blogosphere; sometimes it's just my own observations. But I want to hear about what you want me to write about. I can pontificate in a vacuum all day but if I'm not giving you the content you want or need, there's not much point.
So what do you want to know? Do you want resume advice, interview advice, negotiation advice? Do you have specific questions? Do you want me to pass along hot job search or recruiting tips or stories that I read across the web - or have you seen all this before? Should we talk about interesting companies and jobs? Do you want to share your own experiences through this blog? I'm here for you - so let's talk about what you want to.
gretchen
crossposted to the employer hotspot
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Over on the CareerHub blog today, Louise Fletcher (whom I consider to be the queen of the job search) gives some great advice for how to go about choosing a career professional. This is excellent advice you if you are thinking about seeking help on your resume or job search.
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Golly. Everyone is all in a tizzy today over HotJobs posting one of their openings on Craigslist. As Dave Manaster says, from a recruiting perspective, this is a non-story. It's ridiculous to think that a company could successfully recruit from only one channel - and yes, even if that one channel is their own ... And as someone who is working with a job board while also consulting with employers and job seekers, I would NEVER suggest you put all your eggs in one basket. Job and candidate searches are multi-faceted processes. If you are an employer, you need to be driving traffic through job boards (yes, more than one), employee referrals, events, your own website, outreach campaigns, targeted sourcing, etc. And likewise if you are a jobseeker.
On another note, I recently noticed that Monster expressly states that competitors can't post their jobs on the site: "All Users agree not to ... post any jobs on any Monster Site for any competitor of Monster or posting jobs or other content that contains links to any site competitive with Monster." Gee, talk about touchy. None of the other big boys have this rule, and Monster even lists it very first in their "prohibited uses" section ... ahead of less important items like, I don't know, falsifying biographical information, promoting pyramid schemes, or reverse engineering the site? Hey, if HotJobs - or even Monster for that matter - wants to post over here on JobBurner, we welcome you. As long as your jobs are tech focused, of course. ;-)
g
cross posted to the hotspot blog
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Been thinking a lot about resume and job descriptions lately (what's new?) :) - and I wanted to throw this out:
What's your biggest pet peeve with job descriptions?
I'll start: Careless typos. Poor grammar. Internal acronyms. Absolutely no WIIFM (what's-in-it-for-me?) to sell great candidates.
You? I'm asking employers the same question about resumes over on the HotSpot Blog, and I'll report back. Hope to hear from you. :) It's been awfully quiet around here, and I'm getting a little sad ...
g
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An article in yesterday's Boston Globe discusses the rebounding tech job market. The article mentions conventional compensation and new wooing techniques - something I definitely think makes this "tech boom" stand apart from the past:
One difference today is that job candidates are more concerned about salary and conventional compensation. The allure of stock options has faded in an era where initial public offerings are less common. "There were days in the bubble where it wasn't unusual for someone to take a $200,000 pay cut in exchange for 8 or 10 percent of the company and the promise of an IPO," recalled Flint at Polaris.
Today, employers have to offer competitive benefits. GetConnected, a company that creates specialized software for retailers, is sponsoring a job fair tomorrow at its offices in the North End. The company, which is trying to hire 20 engineers to support its growth, is boosting its contribution to employee health plans. It's also offering pet insurance along with its 401(k) and flexible spending account.
And company managers are trying to entice candidates with their collaborative culture and proximity to good Italian restaurants.
Most employers these days are thinking more rationally and long-term about what they can offer employees (fantasy stock options - no, awesome health care benefits - yes), and like-wise, jobseekers want to feel like the employers care. Established companies are having to prove they care about the individuals applying to their companies - or else they risk losing them and they know that. A trend you won't be able to ignore will be the increasingly "personalized" experience employers will almost have to mass produce for their applicants and interview finalists. I find it all very fascinating to watch - but then again, I'm a dork.
So be on the look-out. Which companies out there seem they care the most about your candidate and employee experience?
via BostonWorks Hiring Hub
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Ok, kiddies, it's Friday so time for some job silliness. Today, resignation letters. Hey, if you are looking for a new job, chances are a resignation letter is in your future ... but maybe you don't want to use these as your template. :) Excerpts from some of my favs:
Finally, I have to say that this place has eaten one year of my life and I am fully responsible for it, but you are the one who makes everyone’s life miserable.
You sucks & you stink like rotten pig.
Hate is a small word to describe my feeling for you.
Hope to see you bankrupt soon (which is inevitable).
I am resigning...
Submitted with due hatred
*************
Dear faceless corporate entity:
As you are doubtless unaware, many of your corporate decisions over the past few years seem to be guided by a confusing mix of one part tidal forces, one part astrology, and one part the mad ravings of some of our institutionalised clients. Many of your former staff have elected not to accompany you in your corporate journey of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I intend to join them.
*************
Per our employee handbook, I am giving two weeks notice of my resignation. You will probably notice that I am not the first person to jump off this ship before it sinks. Perhaps my leaving will save the company enough money to purchase new mixers and replace the ones which were purchased when the company was started in the late 40s.
. . .
In any case, I wanted you to know that I'm not leaving because of the mistake on my holiday bonus last year, or the fact that I can't read half the document attachments that come in my email because I'm still on Word 95. No, I am leaving because you clearly do not believe that this company is worth the investment of good, well-running equipment for either your office or manufacturing staff. And if its not worth your investment, sir, it is not worth my investment, either, and I am certainly not going to waste 40 of the best hours of my week on a bad investment. Good day.
*************
I can no longer spread my sheets or e my mails. I just don't Excel. My point has lost its power, and my micro is soft. I can't access my binder, basically my photo is shopped. Time to be recycled.
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Over on ERE today, recruiting guru Kevin Wheeler discusses online recruiting and marketing for college students: Web Hell and the Black Hole
Make your college recruiting website most effective.
You are a 20-year-old first-time job seeker just about to graduate with an engineering degree. And you have no idea how to look for that first position.
You have just discovered that your school has a placement office, but you have missed all the interview schedules and aren't convinced the placement folks can help you very much anyway.
The people you talked to are either old fogies who have never worked anywhere but at the university or students younger than you are. One of your friends says, "Take a look at the websites at some of the companies you think might be cool places to work." So off you go into Web hell and the black hole.
Kevin goes on to talk about, essentially, how most college recruiting and career sites out there today stink - and why it's important for companies to realize the importance of connecting with their college audience through the web. As a marketing communications gal myself who has worked behind the scenes on many a career site, I'm all for this. The baseline needs to be much, much better.
But Kevin also says something interesting that I, in all my travels, haven't felt to be as true. He writes: "Every student that I teach or talk to tells me it (the internet) is their primary, and in many cases, only source of information about the company and employment at the company."
Yes, I think and know the internet is a huge part of college culture these days - but I still find word of mouth marketing is by far the strongest pull on college campuses. This word of mouth marketing could happen in class or on campus - and yes, a large portion happens out online (through places like blogs, myspace, facebook, etc). But, at least in my opinion, it's happening within a college student's existing network - online and in-person. I've found most college students use this network to help them determine where they'd like to apply, and once they have an interview arranged, then they might venture out to a company's career site to learn more. But they don't necessarily visit that career site early on to, as Kevin says, find "some of the companies you think might be cool places to work." They tend to rely on their friends, parents, and professors for that guidance.
I don't know. Maybe I'm a crazy recruiter type who has no idea what it's like to be in college anymore. What do you think? What's the role of the web in helping college students decide where to apply and work? If you are currently in college, how are you researching your career plans?
gretchen
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