Jobpreneurship™ 101 – What the first steps to take to get a job?

Traditional steps have been:

1. Re-write my resume.
2. Telling my network and everyone else that I am looking for a job.
3. Telling everyone in a long monologue of all the wonderful things that I have done in the past.
4. Buying business cards and passing out as many as possible.
5. Going to network meetings to let everyone know that I am available

Are these steps wrong?

If the job market were begging for people to hire, then announcing to the world your availability might make sense.

Remember the good old days when everyone who wanted a job had a job? Employees were needed. The best employees were highly valued and paid handsomely. Those days are gone – for now.

Now, people are begging to be hired and companies seem to have fewer and fewer jobs. Many who were highly valued are now just one of a large number of formerly highly valued talent. Today, being one of many means that you are being commoditized and, if the industry has changed, may even be unwanted.

The difference is that now your first steps should be what insiders have done.

What are those steps that everyone should be taking today?

First, what NOT to do:

1. DO NOT start by re-writing your resume.
2. DO NOT start telling your network and everyone else that you are looking for a job.
3. DO NOT start telling everyone in a long monologue of all the wonderful things that you have done in the past.
4. DO NOT start buying business cards and passing out as many as possible.
5. DO NOT start going to network meetings to let everyone know that you are available.

Why not?

Because we are no longer in a buyer’s market. Competition has increased.

Think of today’s housing market. More houses available are available for sale than the market is willing to pay for them.  We are in a buyer’s housing market. The buyer gets to decide which house she wants to buy. The buyer gets to decide which price she is willing to pay the seller. So, if you wish to sell your house you are going to have to do more than merely putting up a For Sale Sign in your front yard. Otherwise, you may have a long wait and never sell your house.

When looking for a job, you also need to do more to attract the right buyers who are willing to pay you the best price possible for your services. How do you do it?

Come back next week to find out!

If you can’t wait, check out our new book, Jobpreneurship™ 101. The process applies to anyone trying to find the right job at the right price in today’s market.

Jobpreneurship™ 101 – Why Can’t I Get A Job?

How long of a list do you need? Let’s first examine a few of the reasons.

• The economy is not what it used to be. The recession, debt levels, value of the US dollar, and future trends are scaring companies into hiring less.
• The geo-political and rapid pace of new US laws and regulations are scaring companies into freezing hiring decisions until they can feel more confident about the future.
• A tight economy threatens company survival. When you are in survival mode, you do not expand (hire or invest in the business).
• Even when the economy recovers, companies will likely outsource more and automate more, and hire less than in years past.

So, the first set of reasons is that there are fewer jobs! No one can predict when those factors will change. This is a long term trend.

The second reason is that there are a lot more people competing for fewer jobs. That trend will also continue for at least the next few years.

The third reason may be that you may not be a fit for the job. As bills pile up, it is not unusual to apply for any job that walks! Many are willing to take a lower level and lower paying job than they had before. Here are some reasons you may be frustrated:

• You are over qualified. The company is fearful that you will leave when the economy turns around.
• You are not currently working, so you must be damaged goods.
• Your education or certification may not meet job requirements.
• Your experience does not match the job requirements.
• You blast out generic resumes that don’t fit the job description
• Your appearance, attitude, or ability to speak “their language” does not match what they define as their “cultural fit.”

The fourth reason may be that you are assuming that the process for getting a job is the same as before. In my opinion, this is the biggest reason. Old ways used to work when companies were competing for employees to hire. New ways are required in today’s reality. Now unemployed, underemployed, career changers, industry changers, college graduates, immigrants, formerly retired, and high school graduates are competing to be “seen, wanted, and bought” by a company from a sea of applicants.

The market has changed from a seller’s market (you wanting a job) to a severe buyer’s market.

The real question is, “Am I willing to learn and do what it takes to sell myself in a severe buyer’s market?”

There are jobs created every day. You will either choose to hope that a job falls down your chimney into your lap or you will choose to compete in today’s real world.

In my opinion, almost anyone can learn and be successful. The challenge will be if you want to learn and do what it takes to be successful. My new book, Jobpreneurship™ 101 is a great way to get started.

Jobpreneurship™ 101 – Insider Secrets to Getting a Job

Have you wondered how some people seem to find getting a job to be a lot easier than everyone else? Do you suspect that they are more privileged? More connected? More educated? More blessed? Perhaps all of the above are true!  Wouldn’t you like to:

• Learn the secrets that insiders tell their friends and family?
• Learn how you can develop relationships to become connected?
• Learn the process, i.e. curriculum, on how to get a job – the insider way?
• Learn to follow the same path as insiders’ follow, which makes it easier for others to bless them?

Even if you know people; if you are not qualified, presentable, passionate, or able to sell and market yourself, then you are likely to become very frustrated. On the other hand, you will be a member of a very large club!

You may prefer to move into a more exclusive club by learning and doing what insiders and successful people have learned and do.

Principle: The path Insiders take includes personal development, learning, and practice doing what Successful people do. You too can learn to walk in this path.

It does not matter if you are a garbage collector, a waitress, a store clerk, a union member, a college graduate, an actress, a dancer, a nurse, a professor, an engineer, a programmer, or in any job or profession. It does not matter if you are too young or too old, too experienced or not experienced enough, the roadmap to success is the same. How you apply the lessons must be tailored to your profession.

Think of learning these lessons just as you would another course, major, hobby, or life skill.

You may have wondered why less qualified people seem to get the job, why less accomplished people may get promoted ahead of you, or how you can be the one to succeed regardless of the changing economic or job environment.

I will be discussing these topics in future blogs. If you want a jump-start, you may want to take a look at my new book, Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College to Dream Jobs

This is the Insider’s Guide of Secrets to Competing for Jobs. It includes the Roadmap to getting your Dream Job in the Real World. Rave endorsements are from Colleges to Executives. The content applies to anyone. You can find out more by clicking here.

Why has this been declared a must read by executives, associations, colleges, and companies? Because it is written from the perspective of the hiring manager, reviewed by executives, and applies to real world experience. It is my effort to let everyone know what successful insiders do. This is your opportunity, perhaps for the first time, to have a level playing field to compete for jobs against anyone else.

In the meantime, please let us know what questions you may have. We will try to respond with answers in future blogs.

Announcing Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs!

We are pleased to announce the availability of my latest book, Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs.

What is different? EVERYTHING most people are doing is not working well in today’s chaotic world.  Why? The world has changed. Business as usual is no longer usual. Business risks and threats are reducing interest in hiring. Fewer jobs means greater competition for the remaining jobs that exist.

If you are doing the same thing as everyone else, you will find similar results as everyone else. What results are they finding?

If you are ready to learn how the insiders and successful few go about getting a job, then you need to see what others are saying about Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs.

“Jim Villwock applies his wealth of experience to the critical topic of job searching. A book for young and old, novice and experienced, Jim teaches you how to get hired into the position you want!“

Marshall Goldsmith – World-renowned executive coach and author of the New York Times best-sellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There; He is acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine, and named by the American Management Association as one of the fifty great thinkers of the last century.  He has authored 23 books on leadership.

“This book should be required reading for all college seniors and for all who contemplate a job/career change. In clear terms it presents the steps needed to identify and secure employment even in the most turbulent economic times.”

Carter Hopkins, Former Director of Alumni Career Services at U. Va. Alumni Association

“His description of the job hunting process is revolutionary compared  to the usual method
most people take…”

June Erickson, Atlanta Business School Alliance (Alumni Groups from top U.S. business schools)

“Jobpreneurship 101™ is more than a tool to help you find a job, it is a practical, powerful and proven approach to creating a habit of effective career management. It is applicable to all — college age through senior executive. As a leader, mentor and coach I enjoy helping individuals reach their potential. I encourage you to add this to your must read list.“

Alex Perwich, President, Contained Energy LLC
; Former CEO, Golden Key International Honour Society (world’s largest)
; Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired)

If you wish to check out our new book, click here.

Blind Dating is Not an Effective Job Search Strategy, Part Two

If you have not read last week’s blog, please do. The question we need to start with is how would you feel about blind dating with different people suggesting whom you should date.

Now that you put yourself into those shoes, let’s turn the tables. Let’s put on the hiring manager’s shoes. The hiring manager is now the one who is looking for a date (employee to fill a job) and potentially a long term employment relationship. You are the potential blind date.

If the hiring manager did not know you or ever talk to you and a stranger to the hiring manager suggested to her that she should commit her time to meet you, would you expect she would be interested in meeting?

This is what an unsolicited resume is to a hiring manager. They don’t know you and whether what you say is true or filled with a hidden motive. Most hiring managers don’t have the time or trust to pursue unknown people.

If your resume was referred to the hiring manager by someone she knew, would you expect she would immediately want to meet with you? Not necessarily. Certainly, in the context of you being one of five candidates coming in to be interviewed by a number of people, then the hiring manager may interview you or not. Many hiring managers want subordinates to do the first interview pass. Why? To get opinions of people whom they trust to screen unknown candidates first.

If you were referred by a trusted friend or advisor, would the hiring manager be willing to meet personally with you, bypassing the gatekeepers? In most cases, you will get the opportunity of at least meeting with them for 15-30 minutes. If they like you and become interested in you, then they would usually check you out with other advisors or, if you are at a lower level, have HR take a look at you.  During this process the company might be willing to consider including you in the interview process to see if the relationship should move toward a job offer.

Sound ridiculous? To a job seeker, perhaps. To a hiring manager, this is no different than being asked on a blind date.

The question then becomes, how are you seeking to get in front of the hiring manager?

Next week, we will be announcing our new book which walks you through the entire process and gives you a roadmap you can begin following immediately.

Blind Dating is Not an Effective Job Search Strategy

Have you ever been on a blind date? No? I haven’t either. Let’s go through what might be a typical blind date scenario. It is important to see the picture from this viewpoint. Next week we will explain why blind dating is not an effective job search strategy.

Let’s say that a stranger told you that there was a person whom you should meet and go out on a date. What would your response be?

Let’s say that someone you knew told you that there was a person whom you should meet and go out on a date. What would your response be?

Let’s say that your best friend told you that there was a person whom you should meet and go out on a date. What would your response be?

My hope is that you would ignore the stranger; period.

If someone you knew suggested a date, most of us might ask a question or two. If the answer sounded like a “WOW!”, then we might at least consider meeting the person on a casual basis first to get our own opinion. That casual introduction could start out as simple as using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or even email. If interest increased, perhaps a causal meeting for coffee in a highly public area might be warranted. At a minimum, most of us would still be very nervous. You never know whom you might really be meeting. Movies have been made of such things.

If your best friend told you, you would probably ask a number of questions and measure both the content of the reply and how well your best friend knew the person. You would be wise to still follow the caution of very slow steps before committing to a date.

What is the difference? Trust. You cannot trust a stranger’s opinion or motive. You may not be able to trust the opinion of someone else whom you know. You would more likely trust your best friend and at least be willing to meet the person, without initially committing to a date or a relationship.

Before we explain how this relates to jobs, please consider if you agree with my opinion. Next week’s blog will explain how this ties into getting a job.

Job Searching using Job Boards or HR leads is a Consumer Sale, not a Business Sale

If you read Job Searching is a Business to Business Sale, NOT a Consumer Sale parts one through three, you will understand why what I am about to say. If you have not read them, please read them before reading further.

Job Boards and HR are efficient ways for companies to filter the mass amounts of potential candidates for specific job openings in a company.

HR is a matchmaker of qualified leads from a mass group of job seekers. HR does not make the hiring decision; the hiring manager makes the decision. HR uses the job description that the hiring manager approves. The financial approval to make the hire is often at a higher level than the hiring manager.

HR uses job boards, company website submissions, college campus recruiting, job fairs, and other activities to help them generate leads that tie to qualified candidates.  Then the screening occurs.

Electronic screening through electronic resume submissions are often key word focused. If you don’t have the right key word, you may stay lost in internet space or Never Never land.

Paper resumes or electronic resumes who pass the screening process are then reviewed by an HR recruiter. A typical review lasts 5 to 10 seconds.

To be fair to HR, how else could they get from thousands of submissions to a target number of 10-20 that can be called for a telephone screening?

The telephone screening then leads to 4-6 candidates that may be interviewed by phone, video conference, or in person. HR usually coordinates all interviewing and maintains documentation for legal hiring compliance.

HOWEVER, it is the hiring manager or her boss who usually makes the hiring decision; not HR. So the goal of getting a job is either to run through the rat maze of job boards, HR, and interviewing (consumer sale approach) or to do what insiders do to get the best jobs (business sale approach). Jobpreneurshipä does not demean those wanting to go through the rats maze but it does focus on the business sale approach.

In every case, HR will be involved at some point. If no one is going through the business sale approach, the HR conduit is the only source for candidates. Also, HR must eventually be involved to ensure company policies are followed, government regulations are followed, and to give their review and advice to the hiring manager.

The insider knows how to make the business sale and then is directed to HR AFTER the emotional decision to hire by the hiring manager has already been made.

Job Searching is a Business to Business Sale, NOT a Consumer Sale; Part Three

How can a hiring mistake harm a company?

How about an EEOC error causing a law suit? Some companies have paid out millions.

How about a disgruntled or negative attitude hire that sours morale, spreads rumors, creates strife, or does not follow rules impacting productivity?

How about a good intentioned employee, who makes poor decisions without involving management, that costs millions in excess inventory, uncollected customer payments, wasted advertising dollars, low productivity sales teams,…etc.

How about a less than honest employee who steals from the company? I have seen cost millions of dollars.

How about a naïve or foolish employee who says the wrong thing to a customer or to the media? Customer good will is lost. Lawsuits can easily occur. Bad media and publicity exposure could unwind hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing advertising and media relations.

Just take the recent BP oil spill. Was an employee somewhere at the heart of the problem? The cost is $20 billion and counting.

Are these hiring mistakes or managing mistakes? Both. Managing starts with hiring. Ultimately, the manager is responsible for the hiring decision and writing the specification that is given to HR. If the manager makes a mistake or does not hire or manage well, her neck could be on the chopping block.

Wise managers eliminate problems (retrain or fire) and learn from them (tighten hiring requirements).  The decision is theirs. The risk is theirs. Burned once, most managers don’t want to be burned a second time. Executives, by the time they are at this level, have been burned numerous times in different ways.

You may have personally been burnt by someone spreading a false rumor, stealing from you, or worse. In business, the manager’s career and reputation is on the line. His bonus and promotional opportunities are also on the line.

That means, your fit to the job description requirements is really only 50% of the story. Your fit is merely the first step to join the pool of other technically qualified people.

The hiring decision is based upon unspoken questions, such as “can I trust you?”, “will you help me get promoted or be self-promoting?”, “will you do what I say (to manage the risk) or be a cowgirl?”, “do I like you?”.

These factors are not decided by HR or other gatekeepers. HR is there to help the hiring process just like procurement helps the buying process. But in both cases, the decision maker is the manager who is responsible – or her boss.

That means the approach to selling to a business is FAR more complicated than selling to a consumer.

The good news is that you can learn the process while your competition keeps assuming the hiring manager is just like a consumer.

Job Searching is a Business to Business Sale, NOT a Consumer Sale; Part Two

Now let’s talk more about the buyer decision for a larger company, such as a Fortune 1000. If you want to work at a company under $50 million in revenue, the characteristics may resemble more of a consumer sale.

A consumer personally decides what they want to buy. If they make a mistake, the impact is usually limited and not a significant impact to them. Buying a house or a car are large purchases but can usually be resold with limited loss and personal impact.

Note well: A consumer decision rarely impacts others outside of their family.

A business buyer usually has specific needs or consolidates consumer spending into leveraged buys.

Business commodity spending, such as toilet paper or printer ribbons, are usually purchased in large quantities in a bid process. The vendor who has the needed product at the best price with the best servicing relationship usually wins.

However, most business purchases are for specific technologies, raw materials, consulting, and items that could significantly impact their business. To be competitive, they have rules designed to control what is purchased to attempt to only buy what is needed to drive their business forward – at the lowest cost. But that cost is rarely the price paid for the product. The impact of a business purchase is immense with hidden costs and risks.

Let’s take a simple example. Say the company is buying HP laptops. What is the risk of going out and buying a Dell laptop for yourself? First, the price is probably more than buying off a corporate contract. Second, the company has to pay someone to service the laptops. By now having two vendors, the costs for parts and service knowledge, has increased. Third, the IT software strategy may require interfaces and memory/disk requirements that your new Dell laptop does not have. Bad decision? You bet. You will probably get your hand slapped.

This example gets a lot worse depending upon what is purchased for the company. If the buyer makes a major mistake, the impact can be the entire company. I have see some companies go out of business for making naïve or poor decisions. Everyone can be impacted. Management take mistakes very seriously. A wrong decision or not following the rules could easily cost your job.

The business buyer decision impacts the business. Bad decisions result in slaps on the wrist to being fired.

This has a dramatic impact on how companies buy – and hire.

The Financial Challenge for Graduates Trying to A Job

The first shock will be having to go home. The article cites that in 2009, 80% moved back home to Mom and Dad after graduation. Since the trend has been increasing, the 2010 numbers may likely be higher. You can read the full USA Today article by clicking here.

When they arrive home, many will have to start paying back their college loans. While the national average is cited as around $23 thousand, if you went to school in a top tier school in an expensive state, that number could easily be much, much higher. Unless their parents keep paying for them, the financial pressures will quickly mount.

For some, their parents may also be unemployed and financially struggling. The unforeseen train wreck may be just around the corner.

I have heard some people suggest that this year’s graduates, as well as for the last two years, will be the “lost generation.” That refers to far fewer getting jobs and lower starting salaries for those who do get a job. By starting with a lower salary, the impact to lifetime earnings can be staggering.

If you do the math, ongoing support at home + paying off student loans + job hunting expenses + risk of parents running out of money + the lifetime loss of earnings (from starting at a lower salary) = a frightening scenario for today’s graduates. Yet the article suggests that 50% of graduates are confident that they will get a job.

I hope that they do. I suspect that those who assume that the job will come to them or that simply trying to get a job the same way that their parents used to get a job will be very disappointed. The math, for most, just will not work.

So, what are their choices? The article suggests: a) staying in school, b) starting their own business, c) picking jobs that don’t fit their majors, d) taking internships to get experience, and e) accepting job offers when they get an offer.  These are all reasonable but miss the most important point; which is learning how to competitively sell and market themselves to get a job now and develop the skills that will help them develop a lifetime of success.

Of course, most people think that getting their resume updated, applying online for jobs, and learning how to interview is all that you need. That is why I am trying to get the message out about Jobpreneurshipä. If you have heard our presentations, attended our seminars, read our newsletters, blogs, testimonials, and books, then you know that our message is a paradigm shift to many but simply words of wisdom shared from insiders who want to help others. Those who want to take action can increase their opportunity for career, family, and future success.

If you agree with our message, please tell others about Job Doctors.  Thank you for helping us help others.

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