The Most Overlooked Interview Research Methods for Job Seekers

“When I was recruiting, my team and I could always tell when someone had done their homework on the company or not.”

“If they didn’t do the research, they were out.”

“In retrospect, it’s regrettable we even had to waste an interview on someone who didn’t investigate us and our mission thoroughly.” by Lea McLeod

streetsmartprof‘s insight:

At first it may seem Lea as a hiring manager is being too tough. Then again, when you walk into an interview, the job is yours to loose.

The article provides some great insight into what to do before setting foot inside any company for an interview. Especially with all of the tools and resources available to scope out what a company does and why they are in the business they are in.

See on www.youtern.com

Job Seekers: How LinkedIn’s New Search Capabilities Can Help You

by Ken Jondahl

“Since it’s such a popular feature, LinkedIn users demanded a better search experience.”

“The good news is this new search makes it easier for recruiters to find you but ONLY if you’ve written your profile correctly.”

“Here are three ways to leverage LinkedIn’s new search approach.” by Joshua Waldman

streetsmartprof‘s insight:

Trying to figure out which keywords to use in your profile can be a guessing game. One way to help is to use the auto complete suggestions as you type words into the new searches. See point #2 in the article for how, auto complete for keyword research.

LinkedIn is moving the way of most valid search engines. Learning as you search and as your network grows. This implies it is a good idea to hit the save button for searches which provide you with value.

Such as how do you rank for certain keywords. Save the searches to see if your profile is making progress. SEO is not only about your blog.

If you want a quick word cloud to see how the search engine looks at your keywords, go here. Quick cut/copy/paste of your profile can build a complete word cloud of key words in seconds. http://tagcrowd.com/

One you have the right keywords for your dream job. Jump to the new jobs section. It will help you quickly review open positions in companies from your network.

From LinkedIn beginner to expert, the article has numerous solid ideas of how to build better searches to save you time while casting a bigger net during the job hunt.

See on careerenlightenment.com

Use Street-Smarts to Avoid Jobs You May Hate

by Ken Jondahl

Have you ever driven down a road and realized you are at a dead end?

To travel is in my blood. Regardless if it is a road trip, take off for months with a back pack, or take a 3 year stint to see the world. Having a slight wild streak in me, you run into numerous dead ends, usually when you “think” all is right.

Some dead ends have signs to slow us down, beware of what lies ahead. Other times it is much more dangerous, such as a path which ends at the edge of a cliff. Just one more step and you can kiss your back side good bye.

Use your sweet spot to help avoid landing in a job you may hate.Continue reading→

Define Your Sweet Spot Before Interviewing

by Ken Jondahl

If you played or watched baseball you may know there is a sweet-spot on the bat.

“A place where a combination of factors results in a maximum response for a given amount of effort.”

Part of being street-smart is to discover and understand where in the business world does “your sweet spot” exist. One method is to create a list of skills and capabilities, both strengths and weaknesses. Based on this list, you can create a short list which begins to define your own sweet-spot.

Your sweet-spot defines where you can have the maximum impact by using your strengths in a career you choose. While “thriving” by providing your normal effort. Super human effort burns us out over time, choose wisely, using your street-smarts and your strengths.Continue reading→

How to Avoid Landing in a Dead End Company

by Ken Jondahl

Use your sweet-spot to consider which companies line up with your strengths and weaknesses.

There are two courses of action, and before we get started, let’s review both.

The first method, what we refer to as “spray and pray“.

Send your resume to as many companies as you can locate who are running ads for open positions. Using the 2011 statistics off NAICS, there are ~16 million businesses in the US.

Worst is the statistic, ~80% of all hires are now done via some sort of an internal referral, indicating most of these jobs are not advertised outside the company. The nightmare are those companies who have to advertise to find employees because no-body inside the company would refer a friend to work there.Continue reading→

The Hiring Process is Like Choosing a College

by Ken Jondahl

The reasons are not so clear at first glance, yet both are a buy-sell cycle.

In both cases there is a buyer and a seller. The economic impact is similar, whether you are choosing to go to college or to hire a new employee. Comparing time lines, the evaluation of “which college” or “which person” is likely weeks or months, not days.

And as the buyer gets near the final decision, risks and doubts begin to rise, “is this the right college for me”, or “is this the right employee for the job”.

The difference, going to school, you were the buyer. Coming out of school going to look for a job, you are now the “seller“.Continue reading→

How to Find the Right Companies for Your Sweetspot

by Ken Jondahl

Ever walk into a place and the hair on the back of your neck stood up?

What if the next thing which happened in short order is you were offered what is “supposedly” your dream job? Would you take it “hoping” for the best? Or would you do some research to figure out who is “behind the curtain pulling the strings”?

Our advice, don’t end up in this position if you can avoid it. Most ask us at this point, so what should I have done? Before you ever set foot inside a company, do your research upfront, not after the fact. Bad news early is good news.

Choosing the companies you want to work for is like deciding where to go on vacation.

In a previous article we asked you to determine your sweet spot and we discussed how to avoid ending up in a dead end company. Let’s begin to drill into how to locate those companies which match your sweet-spot.Continue reading→