Not Your Mother's Career Search

Every politician rallied the voters in the November election with one major issue—the economy. And rightfully so; nationally the unemployment rate hovers around 10 percent and for college grads in the 20-24 age group, it’s an even more depressing outlook—14.6 percent. Factor in 18-19 year olds looking for a job and that statistic is totally bleak also—an unemployment rate of 21 percent. The headlines rave about how difficult it is to find a job but for some lucky folks, the job hunt has been easy. So what are these job seekers doing that is enabling them to find a job or change jobs in the worst economy that many of us have ever lived through?

Job searching has done a 180 degree turn from the days of uploading your resume to an online job board such as career builder or monster. The days of your inbox full of companies knocking at your door because you fit their perfect candidate profile are essentially history. With the number of unemployed increasing monthly, and the average number of applicants ranging in the 200+ resumes per position, how do you separate yourself from the competition and make your job search effective and successful?

5 tips for helping you land that job:

1. It’s always about who you know! Grab those closed-toe heels—you’ve got peeps to meet and greet! Networking is your strategic approach—it’s not just an overused word but the tool that has proven results. You either love it or you hate it but building that network and having a community of people around you that is on your team is incredibly valuable. If you think about all the people you can realistically connect with each day, that number is probably less than 20. However, if you consider the amount of people that 10 people can touch, doesn’t that sound a lot better? This represents the ultimate opportunity that networking offers—getting others to be your voice, to broadcast your availability and your attributes to others in the community. Networking is a skill that should always be prevalent in your career and social friendships—remember to network with everyone and not just with people in your industry or the one you are trying to break in. Networking is also about tapping into the community and increasing your awareness of the issues and the successes of where you live and work.

2. How effective is your online presence? If you have not created a profile on LinkedIn or twitter I would suggest you do so pronto and for those of you that are already connected with these online community-building tools, how does your image look? Is it professional, does it depict the image you want the world to see? If you are answering no, you need to update your profile immediately. LinkedIn is a great tool and many recruiters are using it to find people, yes FIND people. Make sure your profile is filled out 100% and use key words that are easily found by recruiters. Don’t be afraid to use LinkedIn as a way of networking also. Connect with people here and make it happen.

3. First Impressions: You have 7 seconds to capture someone’s attention. If your first impression is not successful, you have lost the interview. So how do you truly create a positive first impression? It starts with what you are wearing, your confidence level and your attitude. If you think about how fast 7 seconds is, your time is up before you even get a chance to say “hi my name is.” How you dress sets the tone for the interview, if you don’t care what you look like and how you present yourself, why would you care about the company’s brand and clients? What you put on your body is the world’s gateway to how you perceive yourself and how people should perceive you. Take pride in what you wear and your confidence will follow. A handshake that means you’re truly glad to meet someone along with a welcoming smile is crucial to making a positive impression.

4. Lasting Impression: At the end of every interview, the candidate is asked “Do you have questions for me?” This is your moment so seize it! Finish strong. Even though your pulse is racing and you fear a panicked look may break out on your face, you know how to complete the interview. Instead of saying that the interviewer has done a great job of describing the position and that you really don’t have any questions you grab this opportunity for one more moment to shine! Without a good end of the interview question, you could single handedly lose in the hiring game. Asking the right questions can sometimes be difficult but here are some ideas to have you sitting easy.

• Asking the interviewer how they became successful (Asking this shows respect for who you are interviewing with and that you are career-minded versus just looking for a short term position.)

• Ask the interviewer who their mentor is (Again, this will show you are looking at the long term.)

• What will be expected of the candidate and in what areas do they want to see this person exceed expectations? (This question shows you are thinking of the position and how you can really make an impact and help the business.)

• What are the growth opportunities and what do you need to do to be promoted into those opportunities (Always an excellent question to ask about the growth, it shows character/work ethic that you want to know what you have to do to EARN that promotion.)

• What are the challenges of the role and what resources do you have to overcome those challenges? (Shows curiosity and that you want to be prepared for any challenges.)

• What is the training program?

• How will this job prepare or enhance you for your career?

5. Follow up: Thank you email vs. Thank you note, which one do you use? It is important to follow up immediately and then again a couple days later. The best way to do this without seeming overbearing is by taking advantage of both types of thank you’s. Always send a follow up email as soon as you can. This shows the interviewer your follow-through and reinforces your appreciation for their time. However, you should also send a hand-written thank you note—I know that many people may disagree but thank you notes remind the interviewer about the interview when they may have forgotten. For example, you have your interview on Monday and you know the company has people coming in all week to interview. You send your thank you email right away on Monday but you know there are a lot of people coming up after you so how do you get back on their radar? Sending a thank you note in the mail a couple days later helps keep you top of mind.

Job searching is never an easy task but setting yourself up to succeed with these 5 tips will help clench that sought-after job. Happy job searching!

Amanda Guralski, an alum of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, is a career coach and is also an accomplished speaker, fashion expert, and entrepreneur. Amanda co-founded the perfect career coach for today’s young professional in bizMe.biz, an online mentoring magazine. As a natural extension, she started bizMe Consulting. Amanda provides a dynamic and engaging approach to today’s hot career topics of personal branding, networking, building successful career relationships and career fashion. Please contact Amanda at Amanda@bizme.biz or find her on twitter at @bizMebizgal.

KD is honored to partner with bizMe, one of the preeminent Web sites for young women. bizMe represents our dynamic demographic perfectly – young professional women looking to make their mark in career and in life. bizMe coaches the young professional bizgal with savvy career and lifestyle advice—Co-founder Amanda Guralski, a 2004 graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, knows this generation and bizMe reflects her “just like you and me” attitude.