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Job-Search Best Practices & Most Effective Strategies for 2024; Yes, Employers Are Hiring and They Have New Payroll Budgets !
By Darrell Z. DiZoglio, CPRW & Career Coach at http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright 12/31/2023, all rights reserved
Great news, it's hiring season and that means employers have brand new payroll budgets coming out (vs. nothing left in the payroll budget). Thus, every January the hiring season begins again in earnest now that organizations have the funds to hire again. FYI: My expert job search advice comes from my many years of hiring experience as a hiring Manager/4 x Business Owner/Recruiter and a plethora of feedback directly from thousands of my new college/graduate school grads-to-senior executive-level clients who provide me with feedback after they are hired and give me advice on their hiring practices during my in-depth resume writing interviews. Whenever hiring managers, executives, HR Directors and Presidents/Partners/Owners (my clients) call me with the good news that they were hired. I always ask them what strategies worked best for them and I take notes. I categorize that into KPIs and track the results from hundreds of clients each year so I can pass on this essential info to you.
I know it's hard to believe but even now, far too many professionals are stuck in a rut using obsolete job search tactics or weak resumes/LinkedIn profiles without results. Thankfully, most of us now have "herd immunity" protection and Coronavirus is much less of a concern now. The Coronavirus Lockdowns/ travel bans were relaxed/lifted in all 50 states, but there are still mass nationwide layoffs happening due to M&A, corporate downsizing, shrinking profit margins/poor financial results, offshoring, nearshoring, outsourcing, automation, robotics, and AI. Unfortunately, a full economic recovery will take time and now there is a massive oversupply of talent in the US now. That means the competition for better-paying, remote, and leadership/executive jobs is still intense, as in 2,000 -- 5,000 resumes received per vacancy in top tier employers is common. Here are the top ten job search strategies that are working well in 2023. Each year hundreds of my clients provide feedback/confirm these methods work by phone and email after they are hired.
Apply for work where the hiring (demand), talent shortages, and growth (e.g. cyber security, blue collar professions/skilled trades, health care, data science etc.) are, primarily smaller-medium sized employers! Megatrend growth industries are sectors where there is sustained, impressive growth now and for the next several years to coming decades. How can any professional expect to be hired in a sector like Cable TV, Telecommunications, Soda or Retail that is mainly focused on downsizing, cost-cutting and layoffs? What good will it be if you are employed in a depressed industry only to be laid off 2-6 months later? If you are located in an economically desolate place with an oversupply of talent, the kind that chases away employers away by the dozen, don't you owe it to yourself to relocate where there is economic prosperity, long-term growth and plenty of hiring?
Make it happen: Set up an automated job posting search and retrieve service on LinkedIn and Indeed to send you job vacancy notices for your top 2/3 job title goals so these jobs are sent to your personal email automatically. Ideally, you want to be one of the first 25 applicants with top tier employers for great career opportunities, executive roles, and dream jobs whenever possible. This strategy and applying directly on an employer's career page greatly improves the likelihood of receiving invitations to employment interviews. Additionally, whenever you have 2-4 job title/career goals vs. just one AND 2-4 targeted resumes working for you, job interviews will come much faster.
Attached these 2-4 targeted resumes to your LI profile for maximum visibility (this is probably best for unemployed candidates, those about to be laid off, or candidates who have already given their notice since most people with secure employment prefer to keep their job searching activity to themselves). Either way, get these resumes into circulation ASAP. 8v) Simply go to your LI profile, then into edit mode by clicking on the blue pencil icon for edit in your employment section, then scroll to bottom to upload those files with just a few clicks.
Make it Happen II: If you have an excellent resume and a broadcast cover letter that's been professionally written take full advantage by using a mass resume distribution service that will electronically email your excellent resume and broadcast cover letter to thousands of employers in your preferred top three industries. This strategy is ideal for those who are busy with work and family, but still need to secure new employment ASAP because you will have interview opportunities sooner. Yes, this costs money, but it's well worth it because these employers may not even have a job posting online so the competition is minimized whenever you go direct to employers. Use this strategy only if you have a great-superb resume, if it's merely average to poor it's a waste of money.
Get Introduced to/Contact Hiring Managers Working in Megatrend Growth Industries and Impress Them. Anyone can network, you just have to start. By doing so you will realize just how easy it is. Only then, will you develop confidence and get better and better at it. This is a time-tested and proven way to success. Most successful professionals have already networked by influencing management, landing new clients, raising funds for nonprofits or asking for feedback from an authority in their industry. Decade after decade, I see networking as the #1 way to secure employment in various HR journals. Professional networking is so reliable that, many candidates who receive advance notice of a layoff are already hired elsewhere before they are dismissed.
Start on Your Own Marketing Campaign with Great Introductory Cover Letters/Sales Letters Aimed at Hiring Managers/Executives Who Are Most Likely to Hire You. This works because it helps you avoid the HR department aka The Black Hole where they are experts in weeding people out. You will find that Social Media Websites like LinkedIn are helpful. If you are in a declining industry, know that it will take more time as these industries are downsizing. If you can transition into a high-growth industry, you will likely be hired much faster.
Business Lunches/Golfing Outings/Tennis/Dinners/Sporting Events/Networking Events/Happy Hours with Live Music/Theater, Church & Church Related Events etc. – You must make friends and build relationships with people in a position to help you/in high places with bonding time outside of the office. Friends help friends. Earn a personal referral from a trusted insider who already works for the company/hiring manager you have targeted. Reach out through social media or an introductory cover letter to a key employee with access to internal job postings and pull (e.g. executive secretary, administrative assistant or researcher). If you are on a tight budget, enjoy the business lunch and just select a menu item where you will have some leftovers for dinner in a take-out container. Let's say your favorite potential employer has chosen to help the local "Habitat for Humanity" nonprofit and team members and leaders are regularly paid to volunteer there. You could volunteer there, meet, and make friends with a couple of their employees, one of which might be glad to recommend you for employment there.
Benefit from Larger Online Groups with Stronger Affiliations – Church, Faith-Based Groups, Alumnae, Military Groups, Nonprofits/Charities, Family, Political groups, Local LinkedIn Networking Groups, Sports groups etc. The key here is the extra strength of the connection and their willingness to help you in an above and beyond way because people of faith delight in helping others when possible. Politicians, Real Estate Agents, and all types of nonprofit fundraisers know all about how vitally important this is. Why shouldn't you take advantage too?
Harness the Incredible Power of Social Media Marketing and the LinkedIn App on Your Smartphone – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bespoke etc. Why influence one person at a time when you can influence hundreds/thousands with the same effort instead? I receive feedback from hundreds of clients who were hired with help from their contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You know your connections know people right? So, why shouldn't you benefit from their relationships/connections? Wouldn't you do the same for them? Sometimes, just knowing that you are currently available for hire is all they need to know to pick up the phone and help out one of their colleagues by recommending you for employment.
Make Sure You are Found in the Most Popular Résumé/Talent Databases With Employers/ Recruiters and Attract Opportunity – LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Monster.com, CareerBuilder, JobFox, Dice.com, Craigslist.org (local) etc. This includes websites with résumé/talent databases that are industry specific like Dice.com. Upload your resume to Indeed.com because it's very popular with employers. There are helpful services that assist with this tedious and time-consuming process (scroll down to find one). You must have a great résumé and LinkedIn profile today. Candidates who appear to be subpar to average on paper have difficulty earning interviews.
Utilize a Professional Website, Online Portfolio or Evidence File that Sells You – This is proven to work well, especially for those who want to earn over $60K/year, Managers, Executives, Artists, Photographers, Creative Types, Writers, Musicians, Jewelry Designers, Project Managers, and those who supplement their income with freelance work. If an evidence file or portfolio will help you secure employment this is a great way to go. Again, you are attracting opportunity to you so a paid advertising effort will be required since there are 900 million other websites. Worry not, the ROI will be terrific. Why not show the world you are exceptional?
Professional Follow Up – Demonstrating Desire, Follow Through and Professionalism is a Great Way to Separate Yourself from other strong candidates. Nine out of ten professionals are lazy, when you prove you are a dynamic producer with impressive follow up, employers will be much more likely to hire you. This only requires a job search tracking report in Microsoft Excel to measure your progress and "follow up" in your job search effort. Once you see it, it will be crystal clear how this will give you an edge over the competition. The simple fact is most sales are made on the fifth attempt not the first. To be hired now, you must know this and act accordingly. If one hiring manager ignores you try another at the same company!
Utilize Veteran Recruiters Who Are Experts in Your Preferred Industry - Specifically, a Recruiter with ten+ years experience will have established relationships with many employers. If you play your cards right and are a valuable/key employee with a fine resume, there's no reason why he couldn't recommend you to an employer, and earn a healthy commission in the process, especially if it's a high-growth industry or industry with a shortage of talent.
Always Have the PDF Version of Your Resume Uploaded to Your Smartphone, so if you have some spare time on your lunch break or during travel on the subway/train/bus/jet/Uber ride, you can continue to make progress by using the LinkedIn app on your smartphone to apply for jobs, especially those with the easy button/1 step application process.
Accelerate Your Job Search by Hiring a Proven Certified Professional Résumé Writer or Executive Résumé Writer – Recognize that with a massive glut of unemployed/ underemployed talent at every level, the candidates with the best marketing and connections always win. Notice I did not say the best-qualified candidates win. It takes marketing, brains and action to secure employment today. Develop a working partnership with a great résumé writer, so you can benefit from targeted high-performance résumés and a LinkedIn profile that attracts opportunity. If you have multiple talents, you should have two or three resumes working in different directions simultaneously. Example – Director of PR, Director of Marketing and Director of Community Relations. Once your main résumé is professionally written, another targeted résumé is normally just a rewrite of the introduction, core competencies and keywords.
Demonstrate Your Expertise/Talent/Skills on YouTube Videos and Digital Audio/ Podcasts – Take advantage of this free publicity and visibility if you look good on camera. Many professionals and entrepreneurs do this every month with terrific results. You can double your results by taking recording the audio from your videos and uploading it to popular audio/pod-casting websites. If you make your video exceptional or extra entertaining it just might go viral. Then, Google, Apple and Facebook might want to recruit you. Make sure there is a Link to your website, portfolio or LinkedIn profile so employers can find you.
If You Fail for More Than 90 Days in Your Job Search, Seek Professional Help Pronto (executive job searchers take longer of course since there are far less vacancies and turnover). Job Search Coaches are simply amazing, affordable and they often have many helpful connections. Plus, because you pay them directly, they will be far more eager to help you than Recruiters who are paid by the employers (to work for them). If this isn't an option, seek out your state's Department of Labor and Training or Workforce Commission. Every state has a different name for these agencies, but the main thing to know is they are normally free for job seekers.
Reduce Replying to Job Postings to < 33% of Your Job Search Effort – Yes, when there is a shortage of talent this works well when you have a great resume, but for any normal professional or executive that's ancient history. Now, we are struggling with corporate downsizing, M&A redundancy layoffs, cost cutting by the bean counters, dirt-cheap offshore labor and mass layoffs due to automation, robotics and AI (remember when we had untold millions of human Customer Service Reps, grocery store Cashiers, and Assembly Line Workers?). Thus, this strategy only works to earn interviews in about 15% of all job searches (all in fields with double-digit growth) because there are 15 well-qualified candidates for each job vacancy now. Replying to job postings is not an ideal strategy for most job hunters, unless you are lucky enough to be in a high-growth career field and have experience that is in strong demand. Recruiters no longer have exclusive assignments so often several firms are competing to fill each vacancy, which means that there are 4-5 times as many ads as actual vacancies. Plus, hundreds of fake job postings are published daily to collect information, refresh résumé databases, steal identities for profit and to create fresh marketing lists.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? Just click this link in blue below to get expert assistance from a CPRW, Editor and Career Coach. http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
Age Discrimination is Back! Here's How to End it if You Are Unemployed & Over 55 Years Old... By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach of http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright May 2024 All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump is about 75 years young and he proves age discrimination is wrong every day. He is very busy making America great again (MAGA)! He is living proof that you can achieve your career goals because he endured two grueling year long campaigns, 18-hour days campaigning, several court battles (attacks by political opponents) and constant bad press from the progressive liberal controlled mass media from 2016 - present. Yet, against all odds, he was elected President even though he had no political experience whatsoever. His success wasn't an accident. He started with a great resume loaded with achievements from his long business career he is a generous philanthropist (he gives directly to those in need mostly anonymously). He also had plenty of strategic, marketing, PR and advertising help along the way to ensure his America First messaging was closely aligned with what voters wanted from a President. Sadly, not all senior citizens have President Trump's endurance, mental strength, resilience, and acuity.
Yes, you can overcome and minimize illegal age discrimination in your job search by using the following strategies:
Step 1, capitalize on your existing expertise, versatility, research, consulting, focus on solutions, leadership skills or sales, marketing, and business development skills whenever and wherever possible. Step 2, think about the job titles/positions that require plenty of wisdom, experience, plenty of industry specific knowledge, sound judgement, autonomy/working remotely/independently, and existing relationships vs. youth, enthusiasm and physical work/labor. Step 3, think of the industries experiencing mega growth trends and labor shortages because that's where the hiring is happening vs. the mass nationwide layoffs. Now, you for specific jobs you would like or be good-great at or love from that list. That's your recipe for success or if this seems like too big of an undertaking hire a career coach or job search coach like myself if you need help. Career coaches are affordable ($100/hour), have all sorts of solutions and connections with people on hiring committees too.
Example: Older and wiser farmers know they need to rotate corn, carrots, zucchini, leeks, cucumbers, and tomatoes with other nitrogen fixing crops like sunflowers, kidney, soybeans, and adzuki beans because nitrogen draining crops like corn drain all the nitrogen out of the soil. Older farmers know they do not have to use pesticides, they merely mix in pungent smelling herbs like Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Shallots, Ginger, Neem, Dill, Mustard, Thyme etc. and the insects will stay away. This will increase crop yield and profit significantly (organic veggies/fruits), while it reduces costs (no expensive & toxic pesticides), and strengthens your plants' health. Younger and less experienced farmers will have smaller crop yields, higher costs, weaker plants, and will be dependent on expensive chemical pesticides. Agriculture, farming, horse ranches, racehorse training, and cattle ranches are classic examples where wisdom, experience, and knowledge are highly prized.
Use hair dye to hide your grey hair or restore your hair’s original hair color e.g., Just for Men so you will appear much younger if you have lots of white or grey hair. You know President Trump does it. My more experienced résumé writing clients tell me that the gradual transformation back to your original hair color makes ControlGX a great choice, this especially true if they are currently working or high-profile executives. You must read the instructions carefully when you use this product by the way.
Exercise to get back in shape and slim down your waistline so you will look and feel years younger. You know you should and looks matter more than ever today. Planking in particular, seems to work wonders if your belly is bigger than it should be. Planking will strengthen the muscles that help hold in your middle and lower abdomen. Leg lifts are another tremendous mid-lower ab exercise where you step up into a piece of equipment that allows you to keep your body off the ground suspended by your forearms, arms and shoulders. Now, while your body is straight, lift up both your knees to your chest as high as possible and then lower them slowly. Repeat 10-20 times. What a great exercise!
Prepare for your interviews like there’s a five-million-dollar movie role riding on it. Famous actors do this all the time when they are invited to audition for major motion picture roles by leading Directors in Hollywood. It shouldn't be possible to stump you if you are prepared. If actors do it for auditions and executives do it for their interviews, why not you?
After your hair is restored to it’s original more youthful color, it’s time to update all your photos on LinkedIn, VisualCV.com, Meta (Facebook), Gmail, X (Twitter), Instagram, BeSpoke, ZoomInfo, Visual CV etc. While we are on the subject of photos, you can also post a photo of yourself in business attire that's from ten years earlier on to your LinkedIn profile page. This is legit because age discrimination is illegal (yet rampant), so it's merely self defense. Naturally, the businesses with integrity that would never discriminate against older professionals will not be adversely affected in any way. Additionally, if you are using a current photo or going to a photographer for a new portrait - Smile big! A warm welcoming smile makes a world of difference in anyone's first impression. Further, Adobe Photoshop can edit/enhance your photo to make you appear more youthful as well. If you have your portraits taken by a professional, just ask for Photoshop editing/enhancing to make sure your appearance is more youthful.
Cut off your résumé’s work history at about 20 years, 25-30 if you are an senior executive (unless it’s an overwhelming strategic advantage such as it's all industry specific employment or it shows you’ve worked for this employer before). Leave off your dates on your college and graduate school degrees if they are more than 20 years old. Ditch the ancient tell-tale email addresses with aol.com, yahoo.com, earthlink.com, juno.com, netzero.com, prodigy.com, hotmail.com, compuserve.com or mindspring.com in favor of the more current gmail.com and outlook.com.
If you look younger than your chronological age, you are attractive, or your looks are a major asset in your career/ profession, it might be a darn good idea to add your photo to your résumé. When you are > 55 years old and unemployed you need every advantage you can possibly get, so do not be shy. Ever since LinkedIn made this practice commonplace in 2008, employers are no longer paranoid about interviewing candidates with their photo on their résumé. Besides, I can testify that this strategy has worked for thousands of my more attractive/youthful looking clients who were > 55 years old, unemployed and worried at the time of their layoff. Let me also mention that your photo can be improved with some helpful editing in Photoshop, an application that all photographers are familiar with.
Take full advantage of LinkedIn Learning or YouTube’s expert training videos on thousands of popular software titles because all employers today expect new employees to be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and the most popular applications for your specific industry e.g. Salesforce.com for CRM if you are in Sales and Business Development. These technical skills must be on your résumé and LinkedIn profile of course. Admitting your a Sr. Project Manager/PMP who only uses paper docs vs. Microsoft Project and Primavera is not helpful (modern project management software has 30, 60 & 90-day lookahead documents that help you coordinate materials, equipment and talent so they all arrive on site at the proper time vs. two weeks late.
Ask for a free résumé evaluation from the best Certified Professional Résumé Writer/Executive Résumé Writer you can find via email. Submit your best résumé and #1 most desired job title goal or job posting (cut and paste). Most will reply in 24-48 hours by email. There’s no substitute from an honest and objective résumé review by an expert. If professional assistance is necessary whether it’s proofreading, $100 worth of editing or a complete résumé rewrite, I recommend that you invest in your future success with an expert Résumé Writer. Résumé Writing Services are fully tax deductible and you can cut and paste that same content into your LinkedIn professional profile for double or triple the benefit! I say that because LinkedIn.com’s search engine ranking is so high that I often have 400+ people view my LinkedIn profile per week.
If your resume is written by an expert it will look like this stellar example. Now hold your current best resume up to it and compare them to see which is more impressive. That's exactly how easily your average resume is dismissed when compared side-by-side today (sometimes it's not age discrimination).
Be referred into an employer by your state’s Department of Labor and Training, Workforce Development Department or Job Search Network. Every state has a different name for it, but it’s the department that matches unemployed professionals with employers who need full or part-time work ASAP. They normally administer unemployment compensation and collect state payroll taxes from all employers to pay for services to unemployed job hunters. The job placement assistance counselors there will screen you to verify that you meet the employer’s minimum required qualifications and then call that employer’s HR department and set up an interview appointment for you, by informing them that they have a great prescreened candidate to interview for the senior research fellow vacancy. You will be given the interviewer’s name & job title, phone number, location of the interview and the appointment time.
These employment placement counselors are paid a nice state salary, so they will only be helping the employer and the applicant if it’s a good match for both parties. Employers normally take full advantage of this service because it saves them an expensive recruiter’s commission (20%) or placement fee from a temporary employment agency. Over the course of a year, these job-posting fees, commissions and temporary agency placement fees really add up. Thus, these state agencies are highly valued and trusted resources. Often, these counselors are on a first name basis with key managers and executives at hundreds of employers statewide. Your state’s employment assistance agencies’ job postings are accessible from any PC/laptop computer with an Internet connection. Why not use them to assist you?
Ditch any career aspirations you may have in stagnant or declining professions/industries. Instead, do some research and find the highest growth industry where your value would be obvious. You value comes from your education, certifications, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities. Age discrimination is illegal, but it is almost nonexistent in high-growth industries where hiring managers and executives are always actively recruiting so they can finally stop working those grueling 70-100-hour work weeks. I know this because many tell me so when they ask if me I have an excellent candidates for Registered Nurses, Commercial Truck Drivers, Mathematics Teachers/Professors, .Net Developers, Java Developers etc.
Ask your Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) to develop a one page phone sales script for you to follow that is written to help you achieve your #1 career goal. The front page should be all about you selling yourself to one of the company's executives and the many short and long-term benefits of hiring you. On the reverse, should be sound answers to the most popular objections hiring executives might have. Once you have this, do to work dialing for dollars. Yes, I am telling you to pick up the phone and speak to a hiring executive at least one full pay-grade above your own position. Obviously, you will need to practice a bit first so your delivery will be as smooth as silk, but once you do you will understand how powerful and effective this technique really is. I have used it many times in my own career and I know of many executives at the director level and above you have used this technique successfully. One gentleman I wrote a resume tried it and earned an interview for a VP of Operations position on his very first try (he laughed at the suggestion of calling for interviews initially). Five interviews later he was hired and he is now a Senior Vice President earning $230,000 in salary. Obviously, you need a Righteous Resume, serious confidence and plenty of practice with the phone script, but once you are over those hurdles it's one of the most reliable ways to find employment fast ever (because nobody does it, nobody) and the employers are thrilled because you save them big bucks in the process.
There are also many professions where age is an asset because the required skill level is high, they require lengthy industry- specific experience or expert knowledge e.g. Expert Witnesses, Arbitrators, Judges, Attorneys, Editors, Nuclear Engineers, Nuclear Safety Inspectors, Nuclear Plant Managers, Crane Operators, Air Line Pilots, Science, Math & Engineering Professors/Teachers, Software Sales Reps, International Employees (normally bilingual or multilingual), Surgeons, Researchers, Sales Executives, Operations Executives, Business Development Executives, Life Coaches, Executive Coaches, Executive Recruiters, CPAs, Comptrollers, Accounting & Finance Directors etc. It might be time to refocus your job search efforts where they might be far more welcomed and rewarding.
Finally, hand the interview this card (below in bold red text) when asked, "How old are you?", “At your age, do you realistically think that you will be able to fit into our team that’s mostly composed of millennials?” or "What year did you graduate college/high school?" Everyone knows the average person graduates high school at 18 and completes a bachelor’s degree at 22 right? This type of question is only asked to determine your age or discourage you from pursuing employment any further. These are discriminatory questions that are illegal in all 50 states. Bring a pocket sized digital audio recorder like journalists use and turn it on before the interview. Alternatively, most smartphones today have a built-in voice recorder or an audio recording app you can download. If doubted by the interviewer you can show them or play some audio back for them. This strategy ELIMINATES age discrimination by putting the fear of God into them (fear of giant lawsuit, loss of their own job and attorney general or sixty minutes investigation etc. The legal department will probably recommend they hire you for their own protection AND it is doubtful you will ever be laid off.)
Any experienced hiring manager/HR manager will think that hiring you and others over 50 is the only safe way to squelch this age discrimination investigation ASAP. You must play the part like a great actor by bringing a small digital voice recorder and when/if asked about which agency/law firm is conducting the investigation you respond…"Well, I did sign a very comprehensive nondisclosure agreement at that swanky lawyer’s office, but, I can tell you more than one entity is investigating your firm and in civil court you just need a preponderance of evidence not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, I really want to be hired here, so let's keep in mind that I'm a great employee, who doesn't want to make any trouble for you. That’s why I informed you with a subtle note instead the spoken word (below). I’m on your side."
Whoa! I really want to be hired HERE! However
this conversation is being recorded as part of an
on-going age discrimination investigation into
this company. So, let's change the subject pronto!
Continue reading these expert info articles by scrolling down and using the main menu above to pick other job search topics, especially LinkedIn, Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing and Instant Employment (cash-flow jobs). Thank you for sharing HowToFindWorkNow.org with your friends in need on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? I can help you with that. Just click this link in blue http://RighteousResumes.com, you will be glad you did.
Own Your Job Search - Set Goals, Prepare and Take Bold, Decisive Action
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach of http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright May 10, 2017; all rights reserved.
News flash: It's 2017 and we are in the Information Age, so every time you start a job search you must prepare first. That is because the hiring committee will not be catering to your needs, rather you must cater to their needs. I can guarantee you that hiring managers today are more doubting, critical and skeptical than ever and automated résumé filtering is just plain cruel. This is partly because before to the nationwide launch of LinkedIn.com, telecommuting and employer friendly software like Zip Recruiter that instantly publishes job postings to the 150 largest employment websites (which means you now have 100% more competitors applying to your favorite job postings) most job searches were strictly local. Today, you will have to best nationwide competition and a massive oversupply of talent (75% of all professionals are passively looking for new employment and would gladly take a better paying job), thus, if you do not prepare in advance, you will be doomed to learn many new lessons by trial and error while losing out on many fine employment opportunities.
This year a single job posting for a single Administrative Assistant's vacancy for a Rhode Island utility company resulted in over 48,000 submissions in two weeks. Today's job search is not nearly as easy as it used to be. Now you are competing with 50 million unemployed professionals, job changers, career changers and well-qualified candidates from all over the nation who would be happy to relocate for a new job. Without further ado, here is what you want to do to improve your job search results.
Review all three of your credit reports and all three scores. The three major credit-reporting agencies are TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Many employers have minimum standards for candidates' credit reports. They view your credit history as indicators of your credibility, honesty and reliability because it shows if you fulfill your financial promises to creditors. Thus, you need to review your entire report carefully before employers see it. If there are any errors that negatively affect your credit rating, you should take action ahead of time to dispute them and have them removed from your credit report. The best way to dispute any errors on your credit report is with certified mail, so you can prove that you have made an effort to resolve the situation. If any company that reported an error does not either correct the error or prove they are correct (e.g. by showing a copy of the original contract/mortgage note) within a reasonable amount of time, the credit agency will normally delete the incorrect information on your credit report.
Hire a Certified Professional Résumé Writer to create/improve your résumé, cover letters and Linkedin profile. Once you weigh the value of professional résumé writing assistance vs. the cost of missed opportunities. You will realize professional assistance in today's fiercely competitive job market is a must. You should also be aware that résumé writing has one standard – excellence, therefore ignore the online résumé builders, Internet hype and all cheap and fast typists. They produce weak typewritten employment histories that are so generic most employers will simply ignore them without bothering to give you feedback. If you show employers that you chose to submit a subpar to average résumé vs. a great one, you will lose countless opportunities. Note, employers have high-tech automation, ATS and Advanced Boolean search strings working for them like LinkedIn's Advanced People Search Tool, which will instantly find the top ten candidates without manual résumé screening.
Research to find out what a realistic and achievable salary is for your career goal in your region of the country because their are significant differences in the average salaries paid for the same position in high-cost-of-living states/cities and low-cost-of-living states/cities. You also want to settle on a salary figure to start the negotiations with and come up with your lowest acceptable and highest realistic salary number too because salary negotiation requires strategic planning. Remember that hiring managers are not spending their own money, so agreeing to a ten to twenty percent premium over the average starting salary for top performers is not uncommon (clearly your resume must make a compelling case when it comes to building your value in the employers mind). It very helpful if your store this info in your smartphone for instant access whenever the situation warrants it.
Trust me, there is nothing more disappointing than losing out on your dream job because you erred in the negotiating phase of your job search.
You want to make a list of four professional references and four personal references at minimum for employers who are interested enough to ask you for your references. Make sure that each reference has accurate contact information. You will want to have their full name, job title, employer's name, address, mobile phone/work phone and email. You will also want to define their relationship to you and how long you have known them (e.g. Billy Watson, GM, former Supervisor at APC Inc. in Woonsocket, RI from 2001-2007; 1217 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02906; [email protected] or mobile: (555) 757-1212). Never give out all the contact info of your professional references until the employer asks you for them. The last thing you want to do is annoy your professional or personal references to the point where they ask to be removed from your list of references. References are important to hiring managers, so if you do not have any it is unlikely you will advance to the next round of interviews.
Write a classy letter to your professional network, friends and family that explains your current employment situation, your preferred industries and your job search goal in the form of a few job titles that are realistic and believable. You will want to ask for assistance from your friends, family and professional network in a classy way. Simultaneously, you want to assure them that you will be glad to support them whenever they need your assistance. By activating your professional network, you are likely to see several of your connections step up and help you. This is because, most people are kind and no one can be promoted in business without preparing their replacement first. Ideally, you should have spent plenty of time and effort over the years building and maintaining your professional network to prepare for your job search.
Start networking your way to success early. It is now time to have business lunches with people who can help you. You would be amazed at what happens when you have a friendly business lunch or breakfast with Hiring managers, HR Managers and Executives at ideal employers and people ideally situated to either give you an insider's referral now or in the future. You can also attend BNI networking meetings in your area, join Toastmasters or participate in the preferred professional organizations in your industry. Yes, you have to be a bit bold to network with perfect strangers, but it only requires courage for the first five minutes. Once you realize everyone else is in the same awkward position and trying to make the best of it, the nervousness quickly fades away. By banishing fear from your mind, you will benefit for many years to come by meeting new friends and building relationships.
Who do you think is more likely to be wealthy, prosperous and successful, a professional with a small circle of friends or a professional with a large, well-established professional network? I rest my case. Now the execution is up to you.
Keep an organized job search journal to assist you in routine follow up and in remembering people's names. In many industries, at least 30-35% of all new hires wash out in the first 90 days. Therefore, if you finished second or third in the race to be hired, it never hurts to follow up with the hiring manager around ninety days later. If you can do this tactfully and without being annoying, you could be hired instantly. If you make a habit of following up regularly, you could easily accelerate your job search.
Practice for employment interviews, group interviews and video conferencing interviews until you can provide prompt impressive answers and are no longer stumped by challenging questions. Obviously, to do this you have to know your #1 and #2 most desired career goals (that are realistic and achievable) first, but isn't that always the case with goals and success? That's right, without a focus to your job search, you are likely going no where fast. However, if you can dream it, you can do it.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? I can help you with that. Just click this link in blue http://RighteousResumes.com for expert assistance from a CPRW, Editor & Career Coach. You will be glad you did.
Top Ten Tips to Find Employment Fast Using Your Smartphone or iPhone
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach at http://RighteousResumes.com All rights reserved Copyright 11/7/2016
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? Just click this link in blue below
http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
How to Improve Your Job Search Results by Boosting Your Credit Score
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW at http://RighteousResumes.com -- Copyright 01/01/2016 all rights reserved.
If you know your résumé and cover letters are stellar and you perform well in employment interviews, yet you keep falling short of your goal to be hired in your chosen profession, your credit score/credit report could be to blame. That is because employers view your credit score/credit history as a measurement of how well you fulfill all the financial promises that you made to lenders. It is a known fact that employers want employees with integrity, character and enough social skills that they will fit in well with the employer’s existing team. That is in addition to plenty of industry experience. You could also be held back by the results of a criminal background check, age discrimination or a history of frequent job changes, but normally you would know if that were the case.
The average credit score in the US is 705. An excellent credit is any score above 739. If your goal is to secure employment in a profession that pays well, you should be aware that every employment application that you fill out normally authorizes employers to check your employment history, references, background and credit history/credit report. Your credit score is merely an executive summary of the information in your credit report. Positions that require leadership, more responsibility, security, cash handling and higher compensation automatically require a more extensive background check, credit check and criminal background check. If the final two or three candidates are otherwise equal, results from a background check, credit check or criminal records check often makes the hiring decisions easy for the employer.
Here are the best ways to improve your credit scores:
Visit Certified High-Performance Resume Writer, Darrell Z. DiZoglio if you would like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search. Just click this link in blue below http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
By Darrell Z. DiZoglio, CPRW & Career Coach at http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright 12/31/2023, all rights reserved
Great news, it's hiring season and that means employers have brand new payroll budgets coming out (vs. nothing left in the payroll budget). Thus, every January the hiring season begins again in earnest now that organizations have the funds to hire again. FYI: My expert job search advice comes from my many years of hiring experience as a hiring Manager/4 x Business Owner/Recruiter and a plethora of feedback directly from thousands of my new college/graduate school grads-to-senior executive-level clients who provide me with feedback after they are hired and give me advice on their hiring practices during my in-depth resume writing interviews. Whenever hiring managers, executives, HR Directors and Presidents/Partners/Owners (my clients) call me with the good news that they were hired. I always ask them what strategies worked best for them and I take notes. I categorize that into KPIs and track the results from hundreds of clients each year so I can pass on this essential info to you.
I know it's hard to believe but even now, far too many professionals are stuck in a rut using obsolete job search tactics or weak resumes/LinkedIn profiles without results. Thankfully, most of us now have "herd immunity" protection and Coronavirus is much less of a concern now. The Coronavirus Lockdowns/ travel bans were relaxed/lifted in all 50 states, but there are still mass nationwide layoffs happening due to M&A, corporate downsizing, shrinking profit margins/poor financial results, offshoring, nearshoring, outsourcing, automation, robotics, and AI. Unfortunately, a full economic recovery will take time and now there is a massive oversupply of talent in the US now. That means the competition for better-paying, remote, and leadership/executive jobs is still intense, as in 2,000 -- 5,000 resumes received per vacancy in top tier employers is common. Here are the top ten job search strategies that are working well in 2023. Each year hundreds of my clients provide feedback/confirm these methods work by phone and email after they are hired.
Apply for work where the hiring (demand), talent shortages, and growth (e.g. cyber security, blue collar professions/skilled trades, health care, data science etc.) are, primarily smaller-medium sized employers! Megatrend growth industries are sectors where there is sustained, impressive growth now and for the next several years to coming decades. How can any professional expect to be hired in a sector like Cable TV, Telecommunications, Soda or Retail that is mainly focused on downsizing, cost-cutting and layoffs? What good will it be if you are employed in a depressed industry only to be laid off 2-6 months later? If you are located in an economically desolate place with an oversupply of talent, the kind that chases away employers away by the dozen, don't you owe it to yourself to relocate where there is economic prosperity, long-term growth and plenty of hiring?
Make it happen: Set up an automated job posting search and retrieve service on LinkedIn and Indeed to send you job vacancy notices for your top 2/3 job title goals so these jobs are sent to your personal email automatically. Ideally, you want to be one of the first 25 applicants with top tier employers for great career opportunities, executive roles, and dream jobs whenever possible. This strategy and applying directly on an employer's career page greatly improves the likelihood of receiving invitations to employment interviews. Additionally, whenever you have 2-4 job title/career goals vs. just one AND 2-4 targeted resumes working for you, job interviews will come much faster.
Attached these 2-4 targeted resumes to your LI profile for maximum visibility (this is probably best for unemployed candidates, those about to be laid off, or candidates who have already given their notice since most people with secure employment prefer to keep their job searching activity to themselves). Either way, get these resumes into circulation ASAP. 8v) Simply go to your LI profile, then into edit mode by clicking on the blue pencil icon for edit in your employment section, then scroll to bottom to upload those files with just a few clicks.
Make it Happen II: If you have an excellent resume and a broadcast cover letter that's been professionally written take full advantage by using a mass resume distribution service that will electronically email your excellent resume and broadcast cover letter to thousands of employers in your preferred top three industries. This strategy is ideal for those who are busy with work and family, but still need to secure new employment ASAP because you will have interview opportunities sooner. Yes, this costs money, but it's well worth it because these employers may not even have a job posting online so the competition is minimized whenever you go direct to employers. Use this strategy only if you have a great-superb resume, if it's merely average to poor it's a waste of money.
Get Introduced to/Contact Hiring Managers Working in Megatrend Growth Industries and Impress Them. Anyone can network, you just have to start. By doing so you will realize just how easy it is. Only then, will you develop confidence and get better and better at it. This is a time-tested and proven way to success. Most successful professionals have already networked by influencing management, landing new clients, raising funds for nonprofits or asking for feedback from an authority in their industry. Decade after decade, I see networking as the #1 way to secure employment in various HR journals. Professional networking is so reliable that, many candidates who receive advance notice of a layoff are already hired elsewhere before they are dismissed.
Start on Your Own Marketing Campaign with Great Introductory Cover Letters/Sales Letters Aimed at Hiring Managers/Executives Who Are Most Likely to Hire You. This works because it helps you avoid the HR department aka The Black Hole where they are experts in weeding people out. You will find that Social Media Websites like LinkedIn are helpful. If you are in a declining industry, know that it will take more time as these industries are downsizing. If you can transition into a high-growth industry, you will likely be hired much faster.
Business Lunches/Golfing Outings/Tennis/Dinners/Sporting Events/Networking Events/Happy Hours with Live Music/Theater, Church & Church Related Events etc. – You must make friends and build relationships with people in a position to help you/in high places with bonding time outside of the office. Friends help friends. Earn a personal referral from a trusted insider who already works for the company/hiring manager you have targeted. Reach out through social media or an introductory cover letter to a key employee with access to internal job postings and pull (e.g. executive secretary, administrative assistant or researcher). If you are on a tight budget, enjoy the business lunch and just select a menu item where you will have some leftovers for dinner in a take-out container. Let's say your favorite potential employer has chosen to help the local "Habitat for Humanity" nonprofit and team members and leaders are regularly paid to volunteer there. You could volunteer there, meet, and make friends with a couple of their employees, one of which might be glad to recommend you for employment there.
Benefit from Larger Online Groups with Stronger Affiliations – Church, Faith-Based Groups, Alumnae, Military Groups, Nonprofits/Charities, Family, Political groups, Local LinkedIn Networking Groups, Sports groups etc. The key here is the extra strength of the connection and their willingness to help you in an above and beyond way because people of faith delight in helping others when possible. Politicians, Real Estate Agents, and all types of nonprofit fundraisers know all about how vitally important this is. Why shouldn't you take advantage too?
Harness the Incredible Power of Social Media Marketing and the LinkedIn App on Your Smartphone – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bespoke etc. Why influence one person at a time when you can influence hundreds/thousands with the same effort instead? I receive feedback from hundreds of clients who were hired with help from their contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You know your connections know people right? So, why shouldn't you benefit from their relationships/connections? Wouldn't you do the same for them? Sometimes, just knowing that you are currently available for hire is all they need to know to pick up the phone and help out one of their colleagues by recommending you for employment.
Make Sure You are Found in the Most Popular Résumé/Talent Databases With Employers/ Recruiters and Attract Opportunity – LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Monster.com, CareerBuilder, JobFox, Dice.com, Craigslist.org (local) etc. This includes websites with résumé/talent databases that are industry specific like Dice.com. Upload your resume to Indeed.com because it's very popular with employers. There are helpful services that assist with this tedious and time-consuming process (scroll down to find one). You must have a great résumé and LinkedIn profile today. Candidates who appear to be subpar to average on paper have difficulty earning interviews.
Utilize a Professional Website, Online Portfolio or Evidence File that Sells You – This is proven to work well, especially for those who want to earn over $60K/year, Managers, Executives, Artists, Photographers, Creative Types, Writers, Musicians, Jewelry Designers, Project Managers, and those who supplement their income with freelance work. If an evidence file or portfolio will help you secure employment this is a great way to go. Again, you are attracting opportunity to you so a paid advertising effort will be required since there are 900 million other websites. Worry not, the ROI will be terrific. Why not show the world you are exceptional?
Professional Follow Up – Demonstrating Desire, Follow Through and Professionalism is a Great Way to Separate Yourself from other strong candidates. Nine out of ten professionals are lazy, when you prove you are a dynamic producer with impressive follow up, employers will be much more likely to hire you. This only requires a job search tracking report in Microsoft Excel to measure your progress and "follow up" in your job search effort. Once you see it, it will be crystal clear how this will give you an edge over the competition. The simple fact is most sales are made on the fifth attempt not the first. To be hired now, you must know this and act accordingly. If one hiring manager ignores you try another at the same company!
Utilize Veteran Recruiters Who Are Experts in Your Preferred Industry - Specifically, a Recruiter with ten+ years experience will have established relationships with many employers. If you play your cards right and are a valuable/key employee with a fine resume, there's no reason why he couldn't recommend you to an employer, and earn a healthy commission in the process, especially if it's a high-growth industry or industry with a shortage of talent.
Always Have the PDF Version of Your Resume Uploaded to Your Smartphone, so if you have some spare time on your lunch break or during travel on the subway/train/bus/jet/Uber ride, you can continue to make progress by using the LinkedIn app on your smartphone to apply for jobs, especially those with the easy button/1 step application process.
Accelerate Your Job Search by Hiring a Proven Certified Professional Résumé Writer or Executive Résumé Writer – Recognize that with a massive glut of unemployed/ underemployed talent at every level, the candidates with the best marketing and connections always win. Notice I did not say the best-qualified candidates win. It takes marketing, brains and action to secure employment today. Develop a working partnership with a great résumé writer, so you can benefit from targeted high-performance résumés and a LinkedIn profile that attracts opportunity. If you have multiple talents, you should have two or three resumes working in different directions simultaneously. Example – Director of PR, Director of Marketing and Director of Community Relations. Once your main résumé is professionally written, another targeted résumé is normally just a rewrite of the introduction, core competencies and keywords.
Demonstrate Your Expertise/Talent/Skills on YouTube Videos and Digital Audio/ Podcasts – Take advantage of this free publicity and visibility if you look good on camera. Many professionals and entrepreneurs do this every month with terrific results. You can double your results by taking recording the audio from your videos and uploading it to popular audio/pod-casting websites. If you make your video exceptional or extra entertaining it just might go viral. Then, Google, Apple and Facebook might want to recruit you. Make sure there is a Link to your website, portfolio or LinkedIn profile so employers can find you.
If You Fail for More Than 90 Days in Your Job Search, Seek Professional Help Pronto (executive job searchers take longer of course since there are far less vacancies and turnover). Job Search Coaches are simply amazing, affordable and they often have many helpful connections. Plus, because you pay them directly, they will be far more eager to help you than Recruiters who are paid by the employers (to work for them). If this isn't an option, seek out your state's Department of Labor and Training or Workforce Commission. Every state has a different name for these agencies, but the main thing to know is they are normally free for job seekers.
Reduce Replying to Job Postings to < 33% of Your Job Search Effort – Yes, when there is a shortage of talent this works well when you have a great resume, but for any normal professional or executive that's ancient history. Now, we are struggling with corporate downsizing, M&A redundancy layoffs, cost cutting by the bean counters, dirt-cheap offshore labor and mass layoffs due to automation, robotics and AI (remember when we had untold millions of human Customer Service Reps, grocery store Cashiers, and Assembly Line Workers?). Thus, this strategy only works to earn interviews in about 15% of all job searches (all in fields with double-digit growth) because there are 15 well-qualified candidates for each job vacancy now. Replying to job postings is not an ideal strategy for most job hunters, unless you are lucky enough to be in a high-growth career field and have experience that is in strong demand. Recruiters no longer have exclusive assignments so often several firms are competing to fill each vacancy, which means that there are 4-5 times as many ads as actual vacancies. Plus, hundreds of fake job postings are published daily to collect information, refresh résumé databases, steal identities for profit and to create fresh marketing lists.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? Just click this link in blue below to get expert assistance from a CPRW, Editor and Career Coach. http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
Age Discrimination is Back! Here's How to End it if You Are Unemployed & Over 55 Years Old... By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach of http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright May 2024 All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump is about 75 years young and he proves age discrimination is wrong every day. He is very busy making America great again (MAGA)! He is living proof that you can achieve your career goals because he endured two grueling year long campaigns, 18-hour days campaigning, several court battles (attacks by political opponents) and constant bad press from the progressive liberal controlled mass media from 2016 - present. Yet, against all odds, he was elected President even though he had no political experience whatsoever. His success wasn't an accident. He started with a great resume loaded with achievements from his long business career he is a generous philanthropist (he gives directly to those in need mostly anonymously). He also had plenty of strategic, marketing, PR and advertising help along the way to ensure his America First messaging was closely aligned with what voters wanted from a President. Sadly, not all senior citizens have President Trump's endurance, mental strength, resilience, and acuity.
Yes, you can overcome and minimize illegal age discrimination in your job search by using the following strategies:
Step 1, capitalize on your existing expertise, versatility, research, consulting, focus on solutions, leadership skills or sales, marketing, and business development skills whenever and wherever possible. Step 2, think about the job titles/positions that require plenty of wisdom, experience, plenty of industry specific knowledge, sound judgement, autonomy/working remotely/independently, and existing relationships vs. youth, enthusiasm and physical work/labor. Step 3, think of the industries experiencing mega growth trends and labor shortages because that's where the hiring is happening vs. the mass nationwide layoffs. Now, you for specific jobs you would like or be good-great at or love from that list. That's your recipe for success or if this seems like too big of an undertaking hire a career coach or job search coach like myself if you need help. Career coaches are affordable ($100/hour), have all sorts of solutions and connections with people on hiring committees too.
Example: Older and wiser farmers know they need to rotate corn, carrots, zucchini, leeks, cucumbers, and tomatoes with other nitrogen fixing crops like sunflowers, kidney, soybeans, and adzuki beans because nitrogen draining crops like corn drain all the nitrogen out of the soil. Older farmers know they do not have to use pesticides, they merely mix in pungent smelling herbs like Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Shallots, Ginger, Neem, Dill, Mustard, Thyme etc. and the insects will stay away. This will increase crop yield and profit significantly (organic veggies/fruits), while it reduces costs (no expensive & toxic pesticides), and strengthens your plants' health. Younger and less experienced farmers will have smaller crop yields, higher costs, weaker plants, and will be dependent on expensive chemical pesticides. Agriculture, farming, horse ranches, racehorse training, and cattle ranches are classic examples where wisdom, experience, and knowledge are highly prized.
Use hair dye to hide your grey hair or restore your hair’s original hair color e.g., Just for Men so you will appear much younger if you have lots of white or grey hair. You know President Trump does it. My more experienced résumé writing clients tell me that the gradual transformation back to your original hair color makes ControlGX a great choice, this especially true if they are currently working or high-profile executives. You must read the instructions carefully when you use this product by the way.
Exercise to get back in shape and slim down your waistline so you will look and feel years younger. You know you should and looks matter more than ever today. Planking in particular, seems to work wonders if your belly is bigger than it should be. Planking will strengthen the muscles that help hold in your middle and lower abdomen. Leg lifts are another tremendous mid-lower ab exercise where you step up into a piece of equipment that allows you to keep your body off the ground suspended by your forearms, arms and shoulders. Now, while your body is straight, lift up both your knees to your chest as high as possible and then lower them slowly. Repeat 10-20 times. What a great exercise!
Prepare for your interviews like there’s a five-million-dollar movie role riding on it. Famous actors do this all the time when they are invited to audition for major motion picture roles by leading Directors in Hollywood. It shouldn't be possible to stump you if you are prepared. If actors do it for auditions and executives do it for their interviews, why not you?
After your hair is restored to it’s original more youthful color, it’s time to update all your photos on LinkedIn, VisualCV.com, Meta (Facebook), Gmail, X (Twitter), Instagram, BeSpoke, ZoomInfo, Visual CV etc. While we are on the subject of photos, you can also post a photo of yourself in business attire that's from ten years earlier on to your LinkedIn profile page. This is legit because age discrimination is illegal (yet rampant), so it's merely self defense. Naturally, the businesses with integrity that would never discriminate against older professionals will not be adversely affected in any way. Additionally, if you are using a current photo or going to a photographer for a new portrait - Smile big! A warm welcoming smile makes a world of difference in anyone's first impression. Further, Adobe Photoshop can edit/enhance your photo to make you appear more youthful as well. If you have your portraits taken by a professional, just ask for Photoshop editing/enhancing to make sure your appearance is more youthful.
Cut off your résumé’s work history at about 20 years, 25-30 if you are an senior executive (unless it’s an overwhelming strategic advantage such as it's all industry specific employment or it shows you’ve worked for this employer before). Leave off your dates on your college and graduate school degrees if they are more than 20 years old. Ditch the ancient tell-tale email addresses with aol.com, yahoo.com, earthlink.com, juno.com, netzero.com, prodigy.com, hotmail.com, compuserve.com or mindspring.com in favor of the more current gmail.com and outlook.com.
If you look younger than your chronological age, you are attractive, or your looks are a major asset in your career/ profession, it might be a darn good idea to add your photo to your résumé. When you are > 55 years old and unemployed you need every advantage you can possibly get, so do not be shy. Ever since LinkedIn made this practice commonplace in 2008, employers are no longer paranoid about interviewing candidates with their photo on their résumé. Besides, I can testify that this strategy has worked for thousands of my more attractive/youthful looking clients who were > 55 years old, unemployed and worried at the time of their layoff. Let me also mention that your photo can be improved with some helpful editing in Photoshop, an application that all photographers are familiar with.
Take full advantage of LinkedIn Learning or YouTube’s expert training videos on thousands of popular software titles because all employers today expect new employees to be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and the most popular applications for your specific industry e.g. Salesforce.com for CRM if you are in Sales and Business Development. These technical skills must be on your résumé and LinkedIn profile of course. Admitting your a Sr. Project Manager/PMP who only uses paper docs vs. Microsoft Project and Primavera is not helpful (modern project management software has 30, 60 & 90-day lookahead documents that help you coordinate materials, equipment and talent so they all arrive on site at the proper time vs. two weeks late.
Ask for a free résumé evaluation from the best Certified Professional Résumé Writer/Executive Résumé Writer you can find via email. Submit your best résumé and #1 most desired job title goal or job posting (cut and paste). Most will reply in 24-48 hours by email. There’s no substitute from an honest and objective résumé review by an expert. If professional assistance is necessary whether it’s proofreading, $100 worth of editing or a complete résumé rewrite, I recommend that you invest in your future success with an expert Résumé Writer. Résumé Writing Services are fully tax deductible and you can cut and paste that same content into your LinkedIn professional profile for double or triple the benefit! I say that because LinkedIn.com’s search engine ranking is so high that I often have 400+ people view my LinkedIn profile per week.
If your resume is written by an expert it will look like this stellar example. Now hold your current best resume up to it and compare them to see which is more impressive. That's exactly how easily your average resume is dismissed when compared side-by-side today (sometimes it's not age discrimination).
Be referred into an employer by your state’s Department of Labor and Training, Workforce Development Department or Job Search Network. Every state has a different name for it, but it’s the department that matches unemployed professionals with employers who need full or part-time work ASAP. They normally administer unemployment compensation and collect state payroll taxes from all employers to pay for services to unemployed job hunters. The job placement assistance counselors there will screen you to verify that you meet the employer’s minimum required qualifications and then call that employer’s HR department and set up an interview appointment for you, by informing them that they have a great prescreened candidate to interview for the senior research fellow vacancy. You will be given the interviewer’s name & job title, phone number, location of the interview and the appointment time.
These employment placement counselors are paid a nice state salary, so they will only be helping the employer and the applicant if it’s a good match for both parties. Employers normally take full advantage of this service because it saves them an expensive recruiter’s commission (20%) or placement fee from a temporary employment agency. Over the course of a year, these job-posting fees, commissions and temporary agency placement fees really add up. Thus, these state agencies are highly valued and trusted resources. Often, these counselors are on a first name basis with key managers and executives at hundreds of employers statewide. Your state’s employment assistance agencies’ job postings are accessible from any PC/laptop computer with an Internet connection. Why not use them to assist you?
Ditch any career aspirations you may have in stagnant or declining professions/industries. Instead, do some research and find the highest growth industry where your value would be obvious. You value comes from your education, certifications, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities. Age discrimination is illegal, but it is almost nonexistent in high-growth industries where hiring managers and executives are always actively recruiting so they can finally stop working those grueling 70-100-hour work weeks. I know this because many tell me so when they ask if me I have an excellent candidates for Registered Nurses, Commercial Truck Drivers, Mathematics Teachers/Professors, .Net Developers, Java Developers etc.
Ask your Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) to develop a one page phone sales script for you to follow that is written to help you achieve your #1 career goal. The front page should be all about you selling yourself to one of the company's executives and the many short and long-term benefits of hiring you. On the reverse, should be sound answers to the most popular objections hiring executives might have. Once you have this, do to work dialing for dollars. Yes, I am telling you to pick up the phone and speak to a hiring executive at least one full pay-grade above your own position. Obviously, you will need to practice a bit first so your delivery will be as smooth as silk, but once you do you will understand how powerful and effective this technique really is. I have used it many times in my own career and I know of many executives at the director level and above you have used this technique successfully. One gentleman I wrote a resume tried it and earned an interview for a VP of Operations position on his very first try (he laughed at the suggestion of calling for interviews initially). Five interviews later he was hired and he is now a Senior Vice President earning $230,000 in salary. Obviously, you need a Righteous Resume, serious confidence and plenty of practice with the phone script, but once you are over those hurdles it's one of the most reliable ways to find employment fast ever (because nobody does it, nobody) and the employers are thrilled because you save them big bucks in the process.
There are also many professions where age is an asset because the required skill level is high, they require lengthy industry- specific experience or expert knowledge e.g. Expert Witnesses, Arbitrators, Judges, Attorneys, Editors, Nuclear Engineers, Nuclear Safety Inspectors, Nuclear Plant Managers, Crane Operators, Air Line Pilots, Science, Math & Engineering Professors/Teachers, Software Sales Reps, International Employees (normally bilingual or multilingual), Surgeons, Researchers, Sales Executives, Operations Executives, Business Development Executives, Life Coaches, Executive Coaches, Executive Recruiters, CPAs, Comptrollers, Accounting & Finance Directors etc. It might be time to refocus your job search efforts where they might be far more welcomed and rewarding.
Finally, hand the interview this card (below in bold red text) when asked, "How old are you?", “At your age, do you realistically think that you will be able to fit into our team that’s mostly composed of millennials?” or "What year did you graduate college/high school?" Everyone knows the average person graduates high school at 18 and completes a bachelor’s degree at 22 right? This type of question is only asked to determine your age or discourage you from pursuing employment any further. These are discriminatory questions that are illegal in all 50 states. Bring a pocket sized digital audio recorder like journalists use and turn it on before the interview. Alternatively, most smartphones today have a built-in voice recorder or an audio recording app you can download. If doubted by the interviewer you can show them or play some audio back for them. This strategy ELIMINATES age discrimination by putting the fear of God into them (fear of giant lawsuit, loss of their own job and attorney general or sixty minutes investigation etc. The legal department will probably recommend they hire you for their own protection AND it is doubtful you will ever be laid off.)
Any experienced hiring manager/HR manager will think that hiring you and others over 50 is the only safe way to squelch this age discrimination investigation ASAP. You must play the part like a great actor by bringing a small digital voice recorder and when/if asked about which agency/law firm is conducting the investigation you respond…"Well, I did sign a very comprehensive nondisclosure agreement at that swanky lawyer’s office, but, I can tell you more than one entity is investigating your firm and in civil court you just need a preponderance of evidence not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, I really want to be hired here, so let's keep in mind that I'm a great employee, who doesn't want to make any trouble for you. That’s why I informed you with a subtle note instead the spoken word (below). I’m on your side."
Whoa! I really want to be hired HERE! However
this conversation is being recorded as part of an
on-going age discrimination investigation into
this company. So, let's change the subject pronto!
Continue reading these expert info articles by scrolling down and using the main menu above to pick other job search topics, especially LinkedIn, Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing and Instant Employment (cash-flow jobs). Thank you for sharing HowToFindWorkNow.org with your friends in need on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? I can help you with that. Just click this link in blue http://RighteousResumes.com, you will be glad you did.
Own Your Job Search - Set Goals, Prepare and Take Bold, Decisive Action
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach of http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright May 10, 2017; all rights reserved.
News flash: It's 2017 and we are in the Information Age, so every time you start a job search you must prepare first. That is because the hiring committee will not be catering to your needs, rather you must cater to their needs. I can guarantee you that hiring managers today are more doubting, critical and skeptical than ever and automated résumé filtering is just plain cruel. This is partly because before to the nationwide launch of LinkedIn.com, telecommuting and employer friendly software like Zip Recruiter that instantly publishes job postings to the 150 largest employment websites (which means you now have 100% more competitors applying to your favorite job postings) most job searches were strictly local. Today, you will have to best nationwide competition and a massive oversupply of talent (75% of all professionals are passively looking for new employment and would gladly take a better paying job), thus, if you do not prepare in advance, you will be doomed to learn many new lessons by trial and error while losing out on many fine employment opportunities.
This year a single job posting for a single Administrative Assistant's vacancy for a Rhode Island utility company resulted in over 48,000 submissions in two weeks. Today's job search is not nearly as easy as it used to be. Now you are competing with 50 million unemployed professionals, job changers, career changers and well-qualified candidates from all over the nation who would be happy to relocate for a new job. Without further ado, here is what you want to do to improve your job search results.
Review all three of your credit reports and all three scores. The three major credit-reporting agencies are TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Many employers have minimum standards for candidates' credit reports. They view your credit history as indicators of your credibility, honesty and reliability because it shows if you fulfill your financial promises to creditors. Thus, you need to review your entire report carefully before employers see it. If there are any errors that negatively affect your credit rating, you should take action ahead of time to dispute them and have them removed from your credit report. The best way to dispute any errors on your credit report is with certified mail, so you can prove that you have made an effort to resolve the situation. If any company that reported an error does not either correct the error or prove they are correct (e.g. by showing a copy of the original contract/mortgage note) within a reasonable amount of time, the credit agency will normally delete the incorrect information on your credit report.
Hire a Certified Professional Résumé Writer to create/improve your résumé, cover letters and Linkedin profile. Once you weigh the value of professional résumé writing assistance vs. the cost of missed opportunities. You will realize professional assistance in today's fiercely competitive job market is a must. You should also be aware that résumé writing has one standard – excellence, therefore ignore the online résumé builders, Internet hype and all cheap and fast typists. They produce weak typewritten employment histories that are so generic most employers will simply ignore them without bothering to give you feedback. If you show employers that you chose to submit a subpar to average résumé vs. a great one, you will lose countless opportunities. Note, employers have high-tech automation, ATS and Advanced Boolean search strings working for them like LinkedIn's Advanced People Search Tool, which will instantly find the top ten candidates without manual résumé screening.
Research to find out what a realistic and achievable salary is for your career goal in your region of the country because their are significant differences in the average salaries paid for the same position in high-cost-of-living states/cities and low-cost-of-living states/cities. You also want to settle on a salary figure to start the negotiations with and come up with your lowest acceptable and highest realistic salary number too because salary negotiation requires strategic planning. Remember that hiring managers are not spending their own money, so agreeing to a ten to twenty percent premium over the average starting salary for top performers is not uncommon (clearly your resume must make a compelling case when it comes to building your value in the employers mind). It very helpful if your store this info in your smartphone for instant access whenever the situation warrants it.
Trust me, there is nothing more disappointing than losing out on your dream job because you erred in the negotiating phase of your job search.
You want to make a list of four professional references and four personal references at minimum for employers who are interested enough to ask you for your references. Make sure that each reference has accurate contact information. You will want to have their full name, job title, employer's name, address, mobile phone/work phone and email. You will also want to define their relationship to you and how long you have known them (e.g. Billy Watson, GM, former Supervisor at APC Inc. in Woonsocket, RI from 2001-2007; 1217 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02906; [email protected] or mobile: (555) 757-1212). Never give out all the contact info of your professional references until the employer asks you for them. The last thing you want to do is annoy your professional or personal references to the point where they ask to be removed from your list of references. References are important to hiring managers, so if you do not have any it is unlikely you will advance to the next round of interviews.
Write a classy letter to your professional network, friends and family that explains your current employment situation, your preferred industries and your job search goal in the form of a few job titles that are realistic and believable. You will want to ask for assistance from your friends, family and professional network in a classy way. Simultaneously, you want to assure them that you will be glad to support them whenever they need your assistance. By activating your professional network, you are likely to see several of your connections step up and help you. This is because, most people are kind and no one can be promoted in business without preparing their replacement first. Ideally, you should have spent plenty of time and effort over the years building and maintaining your professional network to prepare for your job search.
Start networking your way to success early. It is now time to have business lunches with people who can help you. You would be amazed at what happens when you have a friendly business lunch or breakfast with Hiring managers, HR Managers and Executives at ideal employers and people ideally situated to either give you an insider's referral now or in the future. You can also attend BNI networking meetings in your area, join Toastmasters or participate in the preferred professional organizations in your industry. Yes, you have to be a bit bold to network with perfect strangers, but it only requires courage for the first five minutes. Once you realize everyone else is in the same awkward position and trying to make the best of it, the nervousness quickly fades away. By banishing fear from your mind, you will benefit for many years to come by meeting new friends and building relationships.
Who do you think is more likely to be wealthy, prosperous and successful, a professional with a small circle of friends or a professional with a large, well-established professional network? I rest my case. Now the execution is up to you.
Keep an organized job search journal to assist you in routine follow up and in remembering people's names. In many industries, at least 30-35% of all new hires wash out in the first 90 days. Therefore, if you finished second or third in the race to be hired, it never hurts to follow up with the hiring manager around ninety days later. If you can do this tactfully and without being annoying, you could be hired instantly. If you make a habit of following up regularly, you could easily accelerate your job search.
Practice for employment interviews, group interviews and video conferencing interviews until you can provide prompt impressive answers and are no longer stumped by challenging questions. Obviously, to do this you have to know your #1 and #2 most desired career goals (that are realistic and achievable) first, but isn't that always the case with goals and success? That's right, without a focus to your job search, you are likely going no where fast. However, if you can dream it, you can do it.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? I can help you with that. Just click this link in blue http://RighteousResumes.com for expert assistance from a CPRW, Editor & Career Coach. You will be glad you did.
Top Ten Tips to Find Employment Fast Using Your Smartphone or iPhone
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, Editor & Career Coach at http://RighteousResumes.com All rights reserved Copyright 11/7/2016
- Upload your updated résumé to your smartphone’s document folder, so it’s right there at your fingertips when you need it. Ditto for your professional and personal references list (4 & 4) and evidence file (brag book). This file will come in handy. It will be a lifesaver when you are advanced into a gang interview after your first interview went well at an ideal employer, but you only brought two paper copies of your résumé with you. Two quick emails to the interviewers will instantly solve that embarrassing problem.
- Upload 2 or 3 different versions of your résumé to your smartphone’s document folder because most of us have multiple professional skill sets and qualify for several job titles. You cannot hand the Sales & Marketing Director of a Mortgage Company a weak multipurpose generic résumé if you are an experienced Mortgage Originator. It must have targeted content that compelling. Example: I could have the résumé files saved to my smartphone for the following job titles – Executive Résumé Writer, Editor, Job Search Coach and Mortgage Originator. That way each résumé caters to the specific needs of three different ideal employers. Now, you will be ready for three great new career opportunities.
- Bookmark HowToFindWorkNow.org on the Internet Browser of your cell phone and home PC. (Better yet help your friends out by sharing it with them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.) You can also use the read it aloud feature on your Internet Browser or Operating System so you can listen to these helpful info articles with your earphones.
- Visit Amazon.com to search for the best job search eBooks and job search apps. Upload a copy of your favorite job search eBook to your smartphone, this way whenever you have down time (e.g. commuting time on a subway, bus, carpool or train) your focus can return to your job search. Plenty of action with focus, determination and discipline means progress.
- I recommend that you install the LinkedIn App on your smartphone and use it often. With this app, you can do most of the things you would normally do on your PC right on your smartphone, which means your jobs search is now truly portable. Did you bump into the Store Manager of your local Home Depot at your local billiard’s club, nonprofit fundraiser or church service? Well, now you can ask him if it’s okay to connect with him on LinkedIn so you can remember him later and do it right then and there. Now he has access to your LinkedIn profile next time he needs your type of talent. Remember Linkedin job postings show you who in your network already works there, often have a 10 second LinkedIn profile submission “easy button” and some employers are now asking for a LinkedIn profile instead of a résumé.
- Identity Verification by Face/Employer Research away from home PC - Let’s say you were walking through Plano Texas to take your family to the annual Plano TX Balloon Festival and you happen to see the Governor, the Mayor or a senior executive from the nearby Toyota Motors USA Headquarters. You can use the People Search on the LinkedIn App on your smartphone to look him up by name, find his profile and verify his identity by looking at his LI profile photo. Now that you are certain it's him, you can make your approach with confidence and even reference something you have in common from reviewing his LinkedIn profile.
- Reply to job postings online during your lunch break - Now that your smartphone has the proper info, apps and eBooks you can also use your smartphone’s Internet browser to submit your Righteous Résumé directly to employers by visiting their websites to review their latest job postings (see the Careers page). This way you can gain 5 hours of active job search time each week. Multitasking rocks. Never use your employer’s Internet/network, PC/laptop PC, phone, copy machine, postage, overnight envelopes or resources to conduct your job search unless it is for an internal position with that same employer. It will be detected by IT and it won’t end well. Your smartphone however is yours, safe and it’s private. It’s also a good idea to leave the office for any covert job search activity.
- Stay active and visible in LinkedIn groups, especially popular LinkedIn groups where ideal employers and Recruiters are most likely to notice you. Meaningful contributions (aka helping others) in LinkedIn groups are so much more noteworthy than mere activity. If you are active in LinkedIn groups every week you are bound to see a dramatic increase in your monthly LinkedIn profile views. LinkedIn group activity includes – Helping others by answering questions, contributing helpful thoughts to discussions, asking thought provoking questions or starting new conversations, messaging members and making new connections (Here's my profile http://linkedin.com/in/darrelldizoglio all invites to connect from US residents accepted).
- You can make a list of your top ten goals for your job search, save them to your smart phone and review it at least once a week to make sure your actions remain in alignment with your top ten goals. Your weekly job search goals might include 3 interviews with employers, 30 job posting replies, 7 letters of introduction sent to ideal employers (without help wanted ads), 2 business lunches and 15 follow up letters/calls.
- You can use your smartphone as an instant two-way voice communication tool to call hiring managers/executives that work for ideal employers within commuting distance from your home. Calling to introduce yourself might take some practice and courage. Still, it is a great idea if you know you are a top tier candidate and you haven’t heard back from employers after you have submitted your Righteous Résumé and cover letter. Hiring Managers/Executives/Recruiters are very busy people after all and it’s their job to recruit and hire candidates who rank in the top 5%.
- When you meet someone important during your job search. Save photos of all their business cards in a New Folder (titled Business Contacts) in your smartphone. This would include Hiring Managers, Executives, Recruiters, HR Managers/Directors, Referral Sources etc. This way all their contact info will be at your fingertips to follow up, send thank you letters and visit them for business lunches. Remember maintaining relationships is vital to your success. One of your contacts might be the only connection you need to be referred to for the next dream job that pops up at a Fortune 500 employer.
- If you are a new college graduate or have limited experience, use your smartphone’s Internet browser to research for Intern/Apprentice or Assistant Manager/Manager Trainee opportunities at ideal employers. Popular research tools include company websites, company press releases, LinkedIn profiles, industry trade journals/websites, databases, Lexus Nexus, ZoomInfo and Indeed.com normally collects job postings online from hundreds of sources.
- Maintain peak productivity by forwarding your personal (job search) emails to an app on your smartphone, that way you can respond to interview invitations from employers in a timely manner. When you receive emails and texts while in a job search, take the time to scroll to the bottom of each message for additional text, info, questions or attachments. Ensure you answer every question in every email reply to potential employers. A CRM app like Microsoft Outlook Contact Manager is very handy because it lets you set alarms for follow up while in a job search. There are many to choose from.
- If telemarketers, debt collectors, stalkers, dimwits and robocalls become a hassle on your mobile phone, find the simple steps required to block those calls. Now you can immediately block each offender’s number after you receive a call. After a few weeks of doing this, the calls will stop (they go directly to your voicemail) and your productivity will soar. Also, the minute your job search starts, record a classy and professional outgoing message for the voice mail on your smartphone to impress employers and encourage them to leave a message.
- Never be late again – Set the alarm clock in your smartphone and download a GPS app with voice navigation because you absolutely must be on time to all your interviews with ideal employers. These GPS Navigation apps are just terrific, especially when you are visiting an employer’s office for the first time.
- Use websites like Salary.com to determine the average annual salary for your state for your most desired job title ahead of time. If you make the mistake of starting salary negotiations with an unrealistic number for that opportunity/employer/ industry you are doomed from the start. Know that employers are normally have a range of +/- 20-25% depending on your supply & demand, individual value, future value and market value as a candidate.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? Just click this link in blue below
http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
How to Improve Your Job Search Results by Boosting Your Credit Score
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW at http://RighteousResumes.com -- Copyright 01/01/2016 all rights reserved.
If you know your résumé and cover letters are stellar and you perform well in employment interviews, yet you keep falling short of your goal to be hired in your chosen profession, your credit score/credit report could be to blame. That is because employers view your credit score/credit history as a measurement of how well you fulfill all the financial promises that you made to lenders. It is a known fact that employers want employees with integrity, character and enough social skills that they will fit in well with the employer’s existing team. That is in addition to plenty of industry experience. You could also be held back by the results of a criminal background check, age discrimination or a history of frequent job changes, but normally you would know if that were the case.
The average credit score in the US is 705. An excellent credit is any score above 739. If your goal is to secure employment in a profession that pays well, you should be aware that every employment application that you fill out normally authorizes employers to check your employment history, references, background and credit history/credit report. Your credit score is merely an executive summary of the information in your credit report. Positions that require leadership, more responsibility, security, cash handling and higher compensation automatically require a more extensive background check, credit check and criminal background check. If the final two or three candidates are otherwise equal, results from a background check, credit check or criminal records check often makes the hiring decisions easy for the employer.
Here are the best ways to improve your credit scores:
- Always pay all your bills on time, or preferably early. This is the highest weighted factor in calculating your credit score.
- Start an automated savings plan so that you pay yourself first every month and live on the remainder. This can be done by setting up automatic deductions from your paycheck to your 401K/IRA/403B etc. or using the automated bill pay service with your online banking to contribute to a savings or retirement account each month. People with the discipline to keep six months of living expenses in a savings account are normally able to maintain an excellent credit history and make better financial decisions.
- Keep your credit utilization rate under 30% vs. your credit limits; if possible, a 10% credit utilization rate vs. your credit limits is ideal.
- In many cases, especially if you have consumer debt with high interest rates, you can use the equity in your home for a debt consolidation loan (pay off debt with a cash-out refinance/home equity loan). In many cases, this will improve your credit scores dramatically and generate a significant monthly savings, but you must have the discipline to keep those credit card balances at zero by paying off your consumer debt each month.
- Do not close down the credit cards/credit lines that you paid off, even if you will not use them anymore. The more open credit you have and the lower your balances on same, the better your score will be. The older your open credit lines are the better it is for you (stability).
- Try your best to maintain stability in your job, profession and address. Frequent changes in your profession, job or address often lead to financial difficulties/unemployment because without stability you are a less desirable candidate for credit or employment.
- Work a part-time job evenings or weekends to pay down your debts faster. Pay down the debt with the highest interest rates first for maximum impact.
- If you have had financial struggles and you have the debts to prove it, write and ask your creditors to agree to remove your late payment record in exchange for paying off your debt in full. Let them know that if they do not agree to this in writing, you will have to focus your repayment efforts on other creditors who are friendlier because you have such limited resources.
- Analyze your credit records carefully from each of the three credit bureaus because there may be mistakes that are holding your score down. These mistakes could be as minor as old late payments that are still on your credit history even though they are over seven year old. Follow the directions to dispute credit reporting errors carefully. Each agency has their own policies and procedures. I recommend you use certified mail with a return receipt on all correspondence, so you have official proof of delivery. If one of your creditors fails to respond within a reasonable time, you will automatically win your dispute.
- Avoid bankruptcy whenever possible, including reorganization of debts bankruptcy because both are a public admission that you are financially inept. Everyone knows Lawyers are expensive and frankly, you could put that money toward paying off your debt and get a second job to accelerate the process of paying off your debts. Regular consumer debt with late payments will drop off your credit history automatically after seven years. A bankruptcy remains on your credit report under public records for ten years and many employers prefer not to hire candidates who filed bankruptcy.
- Do everything possible to earn a promotion or raise at work, which will help you pay off your debts faster. If you are overdue for one, present your boss with an irresistible written proposal to make your raise or promotion a reality.
- Hire a CPA or Tax Accountant to maximize all your income tax deductions. Yes, they are worth it!
- Hire a Certified Professional Résumé Writer if you think that you are underpaid or ready to advance and test out the job market in your spare time. Passive candidates are greatly preferred by employers and in many cases, they pay up for them.
- Get married, find a great roommate or rent a room out in your home to a college student, artist or professional to reduce your monthly living expenses.
- Whenever possible, use public transportation in lieu of owning a vehicle and paying for fuel, maintenance and car insurance.
- Advance your education, learn a new language or improve your skill set whenever possible, that way you will be more in demand in the event of a layoff and you will advance/receive pay increases faster.
- Ideally, it is beneficial to have two credit cards, a vehicle loan/bank loan and a mortgage because this shows that you are responsible enough to have three major types of credit.
- Resist the urge to splurge! Train yourself to be a saver not a spender by repeating this mantra, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
- Request a free copy of your annual credit report every year at AnnualCreditReport.com, the only source for free consumer credit reports from all three credit-reporting agencies per federal law.
- If any of your creditors have not reported your timely payment history, write to them and request that they report your good payment history to at least one of the major credit bureaus.
- Use the online bill pay feature of your checking account to set up automated monthly/bimonthly payments for all of your debts. This way you will not forget if you have a car accident, mishap, long vacation or are hospitalized. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Have some type of Hospitalization insurance in the event that you are hospitalized with an illness, injury or sickness. AFLAC has several consumer friendly insurance options including one that pays you an income while you are hospitalized.
- Avoid divorce if humanly possible, but if divorce is inevitable, hire Divorce Mediators not Divorce Attorneys. You will both save a fortune and triumph over divorce this way.
- Avoid co-signing any car loans, student loans, personal/business loans or mortgage loans/home equity loans for friends or family.
Visit Certified High-Performance Resume Writer, Darrell Z. DiZoglio if you would like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search. Just click this link in blue below http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
The Top 10 Reasons Why American Employers Will Hire Immigrants…
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW at http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright 10/23/2015 All rights reserved.
If you can communicate well in American English (not instantly of course). If you have the interpersonal skills to add to the existing team in a harmonious way vs. create tension. If you have the ability to prove your true value on your resume and Linkedin profile, so that you earn employment interviews (delegating this to an expert is normally the way to go). If you can demonstrate that you have Integrity, Character, Energy and Intelligence during the interviews. If the results on your education, credentials, background, employment history, criminal background, drug screening, professional references and credit checks affirm that you are an asset (employers trust but verify). If your salary and benefit requirements are reasonable. If your skill set is truly in demand, you are genuinely enthusiastic about the opportunity and you make it through 4-6 interviews you will be hired.
However, succeeding in business communication every step along the way is absolutely essential. Why even start a job search if your professional experience and desired goal is a position in a declining industry where large layoffs are continuing? Why risk immigrating here during a severe economic depression, if few Americans can understand your speech/writing and hire you as a result? Why get a job as a college professor here if your students cannot understand you and dozens have to transfer out of your classes (effectively cancelling the classes). Here is a practical solution and success secret that I know has worked for many immigrants over the years. All you need is the will to do it. White Feather said, "You already have everything you need to be great."
One valuable suggestion to help you advance in your career/get hired would be to listen to CNBC (on cable TV, Internet streaming via CNBC.com, Sirius Satellite Radio or any AM Conservative talk radio station with Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity etc.) to improve your pronunciation, vocabulary and common phrases American English a little bit at a time. I suggest this because they speak so well, have a good sense of humor and there are many smart on-air personalities to learn from. In addition, you will benefit from learning all about the business world. It is never too late to start planning for your future retirement income. I suggest this to help you succeed vs. the fierce competition from native English speakers with more relevant experience/education than you. I have over a decade of experience as a hiring manager, so I guarantee that acclimating to American English and the culture here has a lot to do with whether you are successful or not in your job search.
When you are watching CNBC, turn on the closed caption service (for the deaf/hard of hearing), so you can watch the words and repeat them aloud with proper pronunciation right after they speak them. It is a simple matter of fine-tuning your ears, mind and tongue to enunciate properly for greater understanding when working, giving instructions to subordinates or interviewing for jobs etc. Yes, it does take some time, effort and persistence. Still the social acceptance and career advancement benefits are so well worth it.
This can also be done with Movies/Documentaries on DVD (free at the local library) that have subtitles and language choices. I listen to some movies in Spanish with English subtitles to help me learn Spanish in an enjoyable way. However, the news anchors on CNBC have excellent business English speaking. The real reason I am writing this is because many of my most talented clients are immigrants and they are normally hired promptly in a growing economy, however now, I know they could be doing considerably better during this recession.
Success tips: Pretend you are a famous Actor/Actress auditioning for a movie part that pays $73.7 million and requires you to learn and master an American English accent/speaking within 60-days. Listen, comprehend and speak after you hear what the CNBC news anchors are saying. All you need is the will to do it. If you are really daring later Toastmasters (helps with public speaking) could help you advance even further. Your resume, cover letters and Linkedin profile must be professionally written by the best qualified professional you can find. Sure it's an investment but let's face it the job hunters with the best marketing and sales effort and connections normally win in the race to find employment. It's a fact that native English speakers will always write and edit so much better than you because of their extra experience. That said, all winners invest in themselves because the results are so worth it.
I want you to understand it is difficult for most Americans to communicate well with immigrants with thick/heavy foreign accents, especially when they speak faster than normal. Whenever this happens, it is embarrassing and awkward when the need arises to ask them to repeat the same sentence again before one can understand the point. Please know, I want you to succeed. However, to make this possible I must give you honest feedback. Realistically, this info article and the solution within was written to save you about $1,700 in job coaching/career coaching fees. Welcome to America and God bless you.
Visit Certified High-Performance Resume Writer, Darrell Z. DiZoglio if you would like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search. Just click this link in blue below http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
Energize Your Job Search With These Positive Affirmations
By Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW of http://RighteousResumes.com
I AM ALWAYS FOCUSED ON... (Change your focus and change your world by repeating this before every affirmation below and read these aloud every day.)
- ACTION. Action is the antidote for despair. Perseverance preserves prosperity and hope. Faith without works is dead.
- All my many blessings and living with an attitude of gratitude.
- Daily exercise & physical fitness = Happiness, better performance and brain function.
- Serving God, family and the community.
- Producing and productivity. "Winners produce and producers win!" Joe Torre
- Generating safe residual/passive income for retirement by automatically
investing each month or _______________________________.
- Paying off debt, investing, and being a good financial planner.
- UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY – Every problem is an opportunity
in disguise or a test of your faith. I'm relentlessly focused on good news and
solutions instead of problems, so I ignore "the lamestream media."
- My bright future, America's bright future and self-reliance.
- Being happy/having fun – Life is not a dress rehearsal. Seize the day!
- Thinking big and positive thinking. Life is too short to think small.
- Delivering excellence to my clients, employer and exceeding expectations.
- Listening to uplifting Christian music radio. It keeps me happy (KLOVE.COM).
- Lifelong learning, being flexible, adaptable and willing to change.
- If Bob Proctor says, "All you need is the will to do it…" it must be true.
If you read these aloud with conviction twice a day every day you will notice that your performance will rise to the next level and depression will vanish. Like/share us on Facebook to help out your friends in a job search.
Visit http://RighteousResumes.com for all the expert professional help you need in your job search. ©2014 Darrell DiZoglio, CPRW, HPRW & EIC. All rights reserved.
Résumés Already Replaced by Google Search Results... Fact or Fiction?
By Darrell Z. DiZoglio, CPRW of http://RighteousResumes.com Copyright 10/14/2013 all rights reserved
According to one recently published forward-looking info article, one Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has stopped using résumés entirely. Instead, he only uses Google Search results to find candidates so he can filter out all superfluous info instead of the candidate. He seems to think that by doing the filtering himself, he receives a more accurate snapshot of who the candidate is and what talents that candidate truly possesses. Yet, realistically that CMO that recruited via the WWW without résumés was looking for marketing talent. Well, of course many marketing professionals will have a sizable footprint on the WWW.
However, this would be impossible/impractical for many other types of employees such as Registered Nurses, Teachers/Professors, Policemen, Office Administrators, Sales professionals, Business Analysts, Plumbers, Carpenters, Mechanics, CPAs/Accountants, Radiologists etc. Obviously, it would be far too time consuming for any normal hiring manager/recruiter. Clearly, you would miss the best candidates without a surplus of free time to devote to social media.
These dedicated Hiring Managers/Recruiters/Google Searchers forgot one key rule, the gifted and talented people are always the busiest professionals. The résumé is a Massive Time Saver for the hiring manager, the recruiter and the candidate. It summarizes all their value, relevant experience, education and accomplishments down to only a few pieces of paper. It is timeless and remains the most efficient way to select qualified candidates for interviews when combined with advanced Boolean searches.
Look, I was ranked the #1 Resume Writing Expert in the Nation on LinkedIn for five consecutive years 2008-Feb. 2013 (http://Linkedin.com/in/darrelldizoglio). I know this is not feasible. As a former hiring manager and recruiter, I am convinced that resumes were invented a long time ago out of necessity. Time is a very precious commodity for all hiring committees! Since this is a universal truth, how does tripling the time required to locate, recruit and hire a highly qualified candidate help the hiring process?
Eight to ten years ago, even before YouTube became popular, we all heard that video résumés would eliminate the need for traditional résumés (digital or paper). These video résumés may have helped actors/actresses and newscasters but not normal professionals or hiring managers. However, video résumés lengthen the time it takes to find great candidates and they have ultimately failed to replace resumes.
In any Fortune 500 company, group interviews are popular (3+ Supervisors interview one candidate simultaneously) because their time is precious and groups often make better decisions on candidates than one individual. LinkedIn.com merely puts a candidate's resume online in digital format, but word and PDF documents did that long ago. Facebook is actually counterproductive! Show me a mass replacement for the resume, and I will show you an epic fail.
Would you like to be winning right from the beginning in your job search? Just click this link in blue below http://RighteousResumes.com you will be glad you did.
Darrell DiZoglio is a Certified Professional Resume Writer located in Dallas, Texas. He serves new college graduates, professionals, managers and executives nationwide by email, phone and Internet. With over 29 years of professional writing experience and over a decade as a hiring manager, he excels as an Executive Resume Writer, High-Performance Resume Writer, Editor in Chief and Job Search Coach. http://Linkedin.com/in/DarrellDiZoglio