Job Search Tips...

[unleasHell]

The following has worked well and often for me and were refined through the years. I now have the best job of my life and have no plans to ever change. I prepared the list below for a couple of supervisors who previously reported to me and thought I would share them here. I said these have worked very well for me, if you don't agree - then don't follow them, I'm not going to argue, but will gladly explain or council anyone in need of help or further explanation.

Also, I will add: if you hate your current job - you REALLY should be looking to leave... Here we go:

Job hunting tips:
SECTION I: RESUME CREATION, POSTING & JOB SEARCH
1. If you already have a job, but want to look: create two Resumes: one Public and one Private.
2. On the Public Resume, use your Middle name as your last name and remove all references to current job (like the name) and substitute with: “Available Upon Request” that way your current job cannot do a search and see that you are looking.
3. Post the Public Resume on Monster, make it accessible for anyone to find.
4. Ensure the Private Resume is 100% correct and mark it as “Private”.
5. First thing EVERY morning go onto Monster and search for NEW jobs that have been posted overnight. Most new jobs are posted first thing in the morning every day. If you apply directly for a job, use the “Private” resume (with all the correct info on it).
6. Look at how long the job has been posted, you want the ones that are the first day, you don’t want ones that are 1, 2 or 3 weeks or more, they are either really picky, are overwhelmed with applicants, already hired-someone and just too lazy to take the ad down – either way most old ads are a complete waste of time to send a resume to and as there could be 100 applicants in front of you!
7. Assuming most every good job gets 75+ applications, typically they look through the first 25 and find the 5 to 10 best applicants and schedule interviews. That is why it is so important to have your resume in the first wave! If you search & apply first thing in the morning you are assured of them at least looking at your resume. If your resume arrives even later the same day, the chances of it being looked at is greatly reduced.
8. Don’t just work Monster, also sign up on Indeed, Linked-In, Glassdoor and more if there are any other places out there – using your “Public” resume. But don’t go crazy, with those four you should get plenty of action.
9. And if you can, sign up for them to alert you when new “applicable” jobs are posted. For these you can apply for anytime of the day (again you want to be in the first group of resumes, whenever possible).
10. Come up with a good business reason for leaving and use it with every job, everyone, every time, be consistent and “sell –it”. Something like: “I’ve been here 6 years and have taken the position about as far as possible and I’m ready for a new challenge” should do the trick.
11. Find a current co-worker who will give you a great review, having someone there right now would be even better – make sure they know you are looking for a new challenge, you don’t want them saying you something like you hate your boss or something different from what you may have told the potential new company.

SECTION II: INITIAL CONTACT
12. If someone contacts you after seeing your “Public” resume, tell them your real last name right away and explain why you did that: “That you are currently employed and did not want your employer to know you are looking." Then email them a copy of your Private Resume.
13. When someone contacts you, do a search for the company and read what people are saying about working there, Sites like Glassdoor.com and any other review sites can be very helpful to know the work culture there. You don't want to leave a bad situation for a WORSE one!
14. Also search the companies’ website and read EVERYTHING you can about them, their business, their products, everything! You need know as much as you can about the potential company with the BEFORE you walk in for an interview.
15. Come up with questions based on what you read about them, about their products, their customer base, etc.
16. Being prepared is a HUGE step and the more prepare you are, the better impression you will leave!

SECTION II: THE INTERVIEW
17. The interview process has many different dynamics, each is equally important, you need to be able to master all of these and it might not happen until you have had 3 or 4 interviews. This might sound odd, but if you can learn to love doing interviews, getting jobs will be easy from that point on!
18. Keep in mind, that typically it is rare for someone to get the first job they interview for, so don’t be discouraged, look at each interview as preparedness training, so that when you get that perfect job, your interview will be flawless!
19. Wear a suit & tie or at least a dress shirt and jacket – it shows respect and shows you are serious about making a good impression. It does not hurt to be overly dressed!
20. Try to Relax: The interviewer can spot someone who is nervous, desperate, sweating, moving around, avoiding eye-contact (very important), etc. and it will kill your chances of getting the job.
21. Confidence: During an interview it is important to show confidence, the interviewer will be able to spot weak, wishy-washy, timid and people who are unsure of their abilities and they will be instantly eliminated from consideration.
22. Knowledge: Read everything about the job ad and be ready to discuss it. I copy the job ad into MS-word, breakdown every little thing they are looking for and then think about and write some examples of how I have executed each one of them, you want to show them how you are the perfect fit for the position and there is no need to keep looking!
23. If there are responsibilities or tasks in the company’s job ad that you have NOT done, do some prior research on the web and be ready to address them in a POSITIVE manner, saying something like: “I have not done that before but have seen it done or have done something similar or have read about it and it seems like something that would be easy for me to pick up”.
24. Same as above if there are computer programs, tools, concepts on the company’s job ad that you are not familiar with or have never even heard of, RESEARCH it on the internet and be ready to discuss it in a POSITIVE manner, saying something like: “I am not familiar with that program, but I have used similar ones and even checked it out on the internet and it seems like something that would be easy for me to pick up”.
25. Along these same lines: You want the Interviewer to come away thinking that you can completely handle the new job. This is done by remaining positive with all your answers and spinning any negatives into positives.
26. Never bad-mouth any previous companies, bosses or co-workers during an interview. Even if they try to push into doing so by asking questions like: What you didn’t like about your last boss, your last company, etc. Just tell them that you get along with everybody and everyone is different you just have to find ways to work together for the betterment of the organization.
27. One question I absolutely HATE during interviews, that many interviewers like to ask is something like: “What would your last boss say is your biggest weakness” or some variation of this. They are trying to get you to say something bad about yourself and DO NOT fall for it! They are NOT going to go ask your boss, so why play that game? And if they are going to ask such a “BS” question, then why not give them a “BS” answer? Tell them that “your boss is completely in love with your work and will hate to see you go” or make-up something completely positive!
28. Selling Yourself: You only have ONE first-chance to make a great impression and you have to make the best of it. Don’t expect your resume to speak for you – you need to speak for yourself and explain how hiring you will benefit the company.
29. Be sure to mention that you are a huge advocate of continuous improvement, that you are always looking for ways to improve!
30. Ask questions: lots of them, no lame questions, but good meaningful questions, ask them what their expectations are for the person who gets the job? If it is a new position, ask what are the most important aspects or needs?
31. Ask them: (1) How business has been the last 3-5 years? (2) If they have had any recent layoffs? (3) What happened to the last (or previous) people who held the position you are applying for?

SECTION III: ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS
32. Getting additional interviews is great, it means you cleared the initial hurdles and are heading down the stretch run of obtaining the new job. Don’t let up, this is where the questions get deeper and harder!
33. During the first (or previous) interview, take what you have learned about their needs and make a list. I have done this twice and got both jobs! List all of the things they said they needed or discussed and come up with a plan on how you would handle each of them. Then print it and bring it to the next interview, even tell them what you did. They will be impressed as it shows great initiative and shows that you are really giving the position some deep thought as well as how much you seriously want the position.
34. The additional interviews can be tough and/or stressful, but remain calm, relaxed, and well-prepared and you should give yourself the best chance of attaining the position.

And Good Luck...!
_________________
“Always remember... Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”

[The Juggernaut]

Great tips! Thanks for the post

[Mike@LG]

This is brilliant and greatly appreciated.
_________________
Resident Car Nut.

https://lakersdraft.substack.com/

I am not an economic advisor nor do I advise economic strategies or plans.

[ringfinger]

Great tips.

A couple thoughts.

1) If you’re employed and meeting with a potential new employer, on the question of why you are looking to leave, I don’t say new challenge or anything like that. I actually tell them I’m happy where I am, and am not looking to leave. But rather, that I have a short list of a few companies I have always wanted to work for because [make up reasons here]. And that I happened to notice the position while on LinkedIn or whatever and knew I had to apply since it also seemed like a perfect alignment.

I do this because it solves two potential areas of concern. First, it can alleviate any concerns as to loyalty. Second, I think it can give you a little extra leverage come negotiation time.

2) On dressing for the interview, I think a suit or jacket makes sense in most cases. However there are companies that specifically do not want that, as it is their culture to be... counterculture so to speak. So the best thing to do is ask about appropriate interview attire so you are not left to guess and possibly guess wrong.

[PLATNUM]

Thanks for the info.

I like where I'm at... been there 5 years... but think I've hit the wall.. currently putting some "feelers" out.

I have Indeed and Zip Recruiter DLed on my phone and browse thru to see what's out there. I'll check out the others as well.


_________________
"Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same."

[PLATNUM]

One thing that concerns me is that I am bi-lingual (Spanish) but I have a very Asian looking/sounding last name. Half the jobs I look at and have considered are listed with a - Spanish preferrable- tag. I feel like employers see my name and just dismiss my resume right off the bat. It sounds crappy, but I get that feeling. Anyone think I'm just being paranoid?
_________________
"Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same."

[AY2043]

These would have been super useful about 6 months ago while I was looking for a job after college

Oh well, I like the job I ended up with so far, but I may end up circling back to this thread in a year or two. Definitely some great advice here, thanks for posting!

[Aeneas Hunter]

SECTION V: Job Preservation

If anyone asks you for advice about job hunting, always say "I now have the best job of my life and have no plans to ever change."

[audioaxes]

from my experience sitting on interview panels, I noticed a surprisingly large amount of people completely fail to tie their answers to the questions we ask back into the position at hand. For example if we ask how does your previous work experience prepare you for this position, dont just talk on and on about the jobs you done before but give tie-ins to how a certain experiences matches a certain job responsibility that was posted for the position. The ones that did this easily separated themselves from the others.
_________________
(bleep) Kawhi

[Ted]

[lakeshow03]

I have a second interview for a sales job, when my previous jobs weren’t exactly in sales, although I think I can do ok bringing it all back.

Pretty sure they’re going to ask me how to sell them something, anyone with experience have some advice?

[DrWolf]

Post this in reddit/r/jobs please..
_________________
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KOBE BRYANT
1978-2020
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[ringfinger]

[tox]

[lakeshow03]

[lakeshow03]

Any tips on negotiating salary? I got the job offered after the third interview and was told Hr would contact me about coming aboard. Did I wait to long to try to negotiate?

[ringfinger]

[unleasHell]

The time to talk salary is when they offer an amount to you..

If you have a job and you tell them what you are currently making, most companies KNOW they have to offer you MORE to get you.

You can state "industry standards" or comparable jobs pay this $XXX amount.

But talk salary in a respectful and NOT demanding style.

If they offer you less, tell them that it is less than you are currently making and need $XXX amount to make the change.

I also negotiated a $5k/yr bump after 90 days before, so if they are not budging on the starting salary, you could always try to get closer to your asking price after 90 days..

And I also applied for a job once that listed the starting salary at $20k LESS than what I was looking for, submitting my resume anyway, then when they called me for an interview, I apologized for not seeing their listed salary until after I submitted my resume and told the guy on the phone (who turned out to be the owner) that I was looking to make $20k more than they were offering and "surprise" he said that did not matter as he liked my experience - and I ended up getting the job!

Again, having a job gives you more power, than being out of work and companies know that..

The best time to look for a job - is when you have a job...

ALSO: Don't be afraid to negotiate vacation days as well, I have gotten 3-weeks before when they were only offering 2 weeks.
_________________
“Always remember... Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”

[ringfinger]

By the way, I learned something new today. I'm in California so YMMV, but, if this is true, it is TREMENDOUS for job seekers.

A new law this year prohibits employers from asking for your salary history. ADDITIONALLY, if you ask the employer what the range for the position is, they are required, by law, to disclose it to you.

That is powerful stuff and gives you, the job seeker, all the power and you should take full advantage of it to maximize your earning potential.

[ringfinger]

Did a quick search and confirmed what I had mentioned above. Wow! Always ask for the range folks. And never disclose your salary.

[lakeshow03]

Thanks for the info guys. Haven’t signed anything just yet

[splashmtn]

[splashmtn]

[Wvc0925]

How do you avoid not getting spammed from someplace like monster?