Job and Career

EFFECTIVE JOB HUNTING

Your CV Is Not A Work History -It is Your National Advertising Campaign

Think about it. Your CV is your first impression. And we all know about first impressions. Fail here and all other preparation you make will be in vain. They will never get to see your bubbling motivation, hear your tales of glory or be inspired by your unquenchable enthusiasm. Your CV has to be the strongest it can be. And that means learning the structures and techniques of successful, professional CVs. If not, you are seriously jeopardizing your future and failing to fulfill your potential for the sake of a short investment of time.

Creating Your CV

To do a really professional job is not that easy, unless you've had plenty of practice. If you don't want to leave it to chance, you would do well to consider the services of a professional. There's plenty around and, as with any industry, they are of varying quality and cost. Here are some of the more fundamental issues you should address.

Sell Benefits, Substantiate With Features

One of the first things that was drummed into us in my consultancy days was the difference between features and benefits. Features are essentially assets, facts and figures. Benefits are the same thing expressed in terms of the WIIFM factor (what's in it for me). When you apply to a vacancy, you need to express your work experience in terms of benefits to your target employer. There are various words you can use to bring your benefits to life, called "benefit -generators".

Example benefit-generators are:

Enhance, Improve, Enable, Maximize, Minimize, Facilitate, and Manage these words are stronger than, say "raised, made, dealt with, started, and supervised" and so on.

Benefit-generators add sparkle to your testimony and give strength to your claims.

Proof

Another thing they said was "everything can be reduced to numbers". It may not be a universal phrase, but on the whole, there is a great deal of truth in it. Think about your own job. How many tasks do you perform each day? How many times? How long does each take? How much are you paid for doing them? What, then, is the cost per task? What is your output per day? By how much has it changed over the months? Whatever you do, you can always apply a figure to it one way or another. So what? Well, once you determine how to measure what it is you do, you can keep records of it. Then you can track your efforts over time, measure improvements and – guess what? – put them on your CV to prove how effective you are.

- "Saved .10k per annum" reads better than "gave a cost saving".

- "Brought in 50k of new business" is more defined than "improved sales in 2 areas".

- "Increased output by 5%" is more informative than "helped increase production".

You get the idea. In this way, employers get a real, tangible picture of just how valuable you really are.

Keep It Relevant

Following on from the features and benefits point, you should clearly look to exclude from your CV anything that doesn't have direct relevance to your target employer. Writing your definitive life history is a sure fire way to bore them silly. They haven't got the time or the patience to sift through everything you have to say about yourself whilst looking for the good bits. Remember the WIIFM factor and tell them what they want to hear. Your CV should be as short and as punchy as possible, with as many words as is necessary to sell yourself, but not one more. Let me just repeat that last bit:

"Your CV should include as many words as is necessary to sell yourself, but not one more."

That basically sums up the correct approach to effective CV-writing.

Other points to note

1. Never hand-write it. Use a good printer or a clean, clear photocopier.

2. Keep it plain and simple. Don't get cute, creative, colorful or flippant.

3. Put your best points on the cover letter.

4. Use bullet points where possible; paragraphs are not an inviting proposition.

5. Make it as short as possible – concise, key and relevant are words to bear in mind. One page

is ideal.

Interviews

This is the final part of the sales process, aka job hunt. You have researched your target, identified their needs and wants, focused on these in your preparation and got your foot in the door with your CV. Now they have agreed to see you. They're interested. This is where you close the deal.

There are loads of different types of interview – one-to-one, many-to-one, group interviews, assessment days, consecutive interviews… – all conducted with varying degrees of competence. Some interviewers can appear nervous, unsure of their approach, uninterested even. Some are planned and conducted strictly, some are ad-hoc.

The best ones require you to do much of the talking, have a general structure to the questioning, but where the interviewer is also skilled enough to dictate the flow of the interview by feeding off the answers you give. Then they are painting a picture of you and not filling in some kind of questionnaire. And you can have the confidence that you are talking to a pro. Of course, you can do the same. You can feed off the interviewer's comments to focus your answers, look for hints on company performance and management attitude and of the qualities they value. Mind you, this is not easy and can only come with practice. Nevertheless, here are some other points you should bear in mind at interview.

Keep An Open Mind

Three times in my salaried career I was given a job I didn't apply for. The first was when I was between jobs and just looking for some pocket money while I did my serious searching. A local division of a major electrical organization wanted a new team of people. The rate was good, the hours handy, so I applied. They asked me to come back in a couple of days' time.

It turned out their productivity was not good enough, had noticed my previous consultancy work and wondered if I could do a similar job for them. I only had 6 weeks at it before I moved on to a permanent post in a new firm, but I still managed something like a 17% increase in output, which was another useful addition to my CV. And all from a simple roll of the dice. The second was when I decided to leave the erratic world of consultancy behind and get back to production management. A half hour interview with two directors turned into an hour and a half. Apparently, they had similar ideas to the last lot and decided instead to send me abroad to look at the productivity of their European site, which was undergoing a major re-fit. I dug up so much stuff, a four week project turned into 5 months. Again, a great boost to the CV and another marvelous and totally unexpected chapter in my increasingly varied career.

The third turned out to be my final salaried post. I had come full circle and was talking about a production management job at British Steel. They were also scouting for a Demand Analyst – a trial post to determine demand levels from customers and to translate that pattern into a material supply strategy and production plans. I was to be the only one in British Steel. That meant huge scope for development. Typically, though, their expansion plans were just sand castles that got washed away the moment the tide turned.

Whatever… what I want to point out here is this:

Apply to jobs that you may not feel totally suited to.

1. It's good for interview practice in your build up for the more important ones.

2. Keep an open mind and be prepared to say Yes to opportunities that can suddenly be

thrown open to you. You just never know your luck. If it can happen to me three times, I'm

sure it must happen to others as well.

It's A Two-Way Street

Many people approach interviews with the idea that it is all one-way. Not so. Your interviewer must also sell the job and the firm to you. They are interested enough in your abilities to invite you in, so they too want it to go well. And if you perform on the day, they will leave the room as much hoping that you will accept an offer as you are hoping they will give you one. And they don't always get their way. Personally? Well, there was one interviewer in Slough that I found particularly patronizing. And she hinted at 10-year stints in the post. 10 years! No thanks. After 3 or 4 at the most, I wanted promotion. Another personnel officer (another one of my pet hates) didn't know what KPIs or productivity measures were. And when she asked what M.B.A. stood for, I cut it short and left. I turned down second interviews with both. Recognizing this two-way flow of any interview helps to alleviate some of the tension. That can be a real boost to your confidence. And confidence gets a big tick in any interviewer's note book.

Your Top Quality Isn't On Your CV

Typically, your CV is your first impression. Its purpose is to get you in the door. Once that happens, you'll be lined up against people of similar experience and qualification to you. What now makes you stand out from the crowd is you as a person.

The single most important quality interviewers look for is enthusiasm.

Lack both confidence and enthusiasm and all the qualifications in the world aren't going to get you the job. Fail to exhibit some verve for your job and the employer will consider it a great risk in giving you a chance. Avoid going over the top, though. False and over-exhibited enthusiasm, like exaggerated sincerity, is not believable and engenders a sense of distrust. Firm, assertive, positive, decisive and honest are key words to bear in mind when gearing up for the key moment.

A Positive Attitude

This is all part of an over-riding trait needed for success at interviews – positive thinking. You need to be positive about your qualifications for the job, positive about your chances and positive in your preparation. Everyone gets nervous before big events and before engaging in something that is unfamiliar. The key is to frame it in a positive light. If you're afraid, you haven't prepared enough. If you are prepared, you are just excited. That's the difference. What may seem like nerves is just expectation at an impending change in your life.

How many runners do you see sitting back and relaxing before a race? How many athletes stroll into the arena, stadium or court and perform some kind of yogic relaxation exercises? None? Pretty much.

Instead, they are gearing themselves up for the final conflict, the moment of truth, the event that all the preparation has been leading up to. And so should you. You should be harnessing your excitement, feeling grateful that your mind is racing and alert and be thankful that you do feel edgy. It means you are alert, that you care about what you are about to do, that you want to win and have the desire to win. Your enthusiasm for the battle will come across as you begin to talk. Try to pretend that this is nothing, that it is easy and that you are a bit nonplussed about the event and you'll impress no one. You can relax as much as you want when it's all over. Right now you should be at your peak.

What if this is your first job?

If you are entering work for the first time, then the above points are especially important. You will probably have no real work history to speak of, so enthusiasm for your work and your future will be top of the interviewers hit list. Of course, if you have extra-curricular work to tell of, then this can only benefit you. Plus, the more you research your target employer and their business sector, the more impressive you will be should the conversation turn that way. And it can give you some good questions to ask your interviewer in return. Other than that, your energy and positive drive are what tip the scales.

You will do well – Guaranteed!

Well, almost! When you are dealing with people, there are no guarantees. However, all an interviewer has to go on is your CV and the job description. If you have spent time preparing your CV, thought about your target's WIIFM factor and got a good benefits list together from all the features of your past work, then you are well prepared. For what you have put on your CV you will be asked about. You are then focusing on your strengths.

If you have also researched your target, you will be able to frame your answers from their point of view. You'll be better able to play up to what you believe they seek. Again, there are no guarantees, but it will swing the odds well in your favor.

But first you have to find your target. So now, finally, we'll have a look at this aspect.

Where to Job Hunt

Ironically, the job-hunting part of the process actually comes last. That's because you need to identify your quarry and set your sights before you go hunting. You need to be sure of the type of job you are aiming at and why. You need to be focused on the qualities needed to get that kind of job. And your CV needs to be geared towards it. Look first and prepare second and you will waste a heck of a lot of time and effort and quickly become disillusioned and demotivated. Actually finding the jobs is the easy bit, particularly in this information age. So I'll be swift. The basic rule of thumb is to leave no stone unturned.

1. Get your local newspaper on job day.

2. Do a "jobs" and "careers" keyword search on the Internet. Note your favorite sites and visit

them once a week.

3. Avoid the national press unless you're on silly money.

4. Get on as many recruitment agency books as possible (more detail below).

5. Tell your friends, relatives and colleagues to keep a lookout. Do the same for them.

6. Keep records of what you do on which days. Keep records of jobs applied for and responses

received.

7. Seek feedback from your applications so you can better target your future applications. Keep

revising your letters and CV.

8. Keep at it.

Sending Your CV by e-mail

E-mail is an increasingly popular method of sending CVs. The trouble is, not everyone can

read what you might send. Always ask for the receiver's preference.

·  If it's as a straight e-mail, would they prefer plain text or an HTML version?

·  If they prefer an attachment, which software do they use?

·  And which version of that software?

I have found that you are less likely to get a reply from an e-mailed CV than with regular snail mail. Why? Who knows. Could be psychological. E-mail is associated with speed. Perhaps it is in the ethos of using e-mail that recruiters imagine they don't have the time to respond to applications that are deemed wide of the mark.

If you think that's just plain ignorance on their part, as I do, then you should call them up. Tell them you have been expecting a reply and ask if they have come to any conclusions yet. If they say No, ask when they will have done so and call them back again. Get their thoughts on your application. Ask where the faults lay so that you can improve for next time.

Recruitment Agencies

Unfortunately, there's not much getting away from this one, despite the fact that they fill only around 3% of all vacancies worldwide.

The principal rule for dealing with agencies is you need to know how to sell yourself by phone. As I mentioned previously, agents are purely sales people. In their early days – which are quite often their only days, because staff turnover can be quite alarming – they are desk-bound sales people. They scour the advert pages and Internet for whatever leads they can get, phone as many people as is humanly possible in office hours and then cherry pick a few to pass on to the client. For that reason, agents are often ex-telesales people.

To get into telesales, you typically need to be unqualified, uneducated and desperate for .4 or .5 an hour. Their conditions, working schedules and practices make them the satanic mills of the 21st century. These are the people to whom firms entrust probably their most important business issue – getting the best people together.

Anyway, to business… Because these people are simply a filter to the real people – the firms themselves – you have to get past them. So you deal with them as you would a receptionist when you are trying to get through to the business manager. There are many tactics you can use, which are well-referenced elsewhere, so I won't replicate them here. The reference I would recommend is "Selling By Telephone" by Len Rogers. Follow this link www.career-dynamics.co.uk/booklist.htm and you can read my comments on it and then follow a direct link to the Amazon web page. Filtering candidates by phone is becoming increasingly popular, especially amongst agents, as it means they can get through the maximum number of names in the shortest time. So if you want to deal with agencies, I do recommend you get hold of a copy of this book.

Networking

All the reports suggest that the majority of vacancies are filled through networking. Whether this includes internal vacancies I don't know. But when you consider the alternatives, it is certainly a highly favored option. Everyone in the process gets to know each other beforehand, which removes much of the risk – and the cost.

Now, I've just finished a less than flattering exposition on the agency route. And with the traditional CV-through-the-mail-and-two interviews option, there will always be stiff competition. It's a lot of work all round, really. Networking, on the other hand, takes out the uncertainty on both sides. You get to know who is a promising prospect and they get to know you more as a person than they would in the largely artificial sales environments of the other routes. There's nothing inherently mysterious about networking, but if you're not naturally forth-coming it can appear a little daunting. Some people are more naturally adept at cultivating and maintaining networks than others.

It basically involves talking to people and keeping in regular (not necessarily frequent) contact with them. Delve for information, be open about your intentions, keep records and if you hear of an opening, go for it. You should always be courteous, don't waste people's time frivolously, avoid sounding off about your current predicament and offer up information that could be useful to your contacts, too.

Again, consider the WIIFM factor – you need to make sure you present yourself to the market from the benefits to others angle. Rather than telling people you want out of a lousy firm, for example, you discuss your career plans, your potential and your determination to see it fulfilled "…and, by the way, if you know of someone who needs a good marketing analyst (or whatever), give them my name." You'll need personal cards, of course. Finally, avoid relying too much on any one channel and don't dis-regard any of them either. You just never know where that one vital lead will come from; the one that will make a lasting difference to your career.

After all, your one and only livelihood is too precious to leave to chance.