JOBS MUST: January 2017

Thursday, 26 January 2017

🎯 Why You Want to Target Companies Early

The fewer jobs you apply for, the better your job search.

Photo credit: JD Hancock

Apply to as many employers as possible – wrong

The classic way of looking at job search is to say that it’s a “numbers game”, where if you send your resume to enough companies, you’ll eventually find an employer who will hire you.

Also called “resume blasting” because you’re shooting your resume at so many people, or “the shotgun approach,” because you’re scattering resumes in many directions like shotgun pellets, this strategy does work, otherwise it would never have become classic.

But it’s horribly inefficient and for most job seekers, it can be brutal. Maybe it should be called “the shotgun approach” because of the pain it causes.

Going down this route usually leads to dozens – even hundreds – of your resumes not being responded to, with morale and hope fading over time on one hand, while other pressures (financial, family, etc.) continue to grow on the other, to the point where you have to accept the first offer you get.

There is a much better way.

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Apply to as few employers as possible – right

Here’s why you should focus on trying to apply to as few companies as possible:

Smart job seekers need to research companies to prepare for job interviews.

Since this research will be necessary, you can save time and get a better return by doing it earlier in your job search.

By doing it earlier in your job search, you’ll discover companies that you actually want to work for.

By focusing on companies you actually want to work for, it will be easier to motivate yourself to target them.

By focusing on companies you actually want to work for, it will be easier to motivate yourselfClick To Tweet

By targeting companies aggressively – since you so want to work for them – you will learn what exactly is needed to get hired (such as by asking ex-employees on LinkedIn).

If you know what exactly is needed to get hired, you can follow that blueprint yourself, simplifying your job search.

Having a successful blueprint to follow will boost your confidence in the process and in yourself.

Having more self-confidence will impress contacts and interviewers, and it will shine through as you respond well to questions, being well-prepared as you are since you did your research early on.

Showing how well you were able to know their company from the outside, interviewers are more likely to think that you’ll fit in well on the inside.

And all these things – your decision making, research, self-confidence, targeted motivation and ability to follow the success of others – will make them want you on the inside, resulting in a job offer.

Wash, rinse and repeat to get more offers.

With multiple offers, you can comfortably negotiate from a position of power and make the best choice out of many good choices.

In short:

Grow your network as wide as you can, but when it comes to reaching out to employers, shoot as narrowly as possible.

By following the classic wide or “shotgun” approach, you will send out many resumes but ultimately take the first offer for a job you might not want.

By following the narrow or targeted approach, you will send out much fewer resumes and ultimately receive multiple great offers, taking the best offer for a job you want, at a company you want.

Bonus

Steve Dalton, author of The 2 Hour Job Search, explains how to find 40 companies to work for in 40 minutes, and more. The audio-only interview focuses on MBAs but almost all the advice is relevant to other job seekers too.

Thursday, 19 January 2017

🔍 How Smart Job Seekers Do Resume Keyword Research

Choose the right resume keywords and phrases so recruiters are more likely to find you.

Photo Credit: JonoTakesPhotos

This is a guest post by Fatemah Mirza.

The key to writing a perfect resume is balancing how “readable” your resume is by computer scanners between how likable you sound to a human being.

Every resume must be targeted to ensure that the audience feels as though you are talking to them and saying, “Yes, I am aware of all your problems and this is how I will solve them.”

This is also true of LinkedIn profiles.

Not including keywords is a big mistake most applicants make when uploading resumes to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like the ones used by LinkedIn, Monster.com, and almost all recruiters.

Not including keywords is a big mistake most applicants make when uploading resumesClick To Tweet

To find out which keywords will suit your profile best, find a bunch of job descriptions that you would apply to. If, for example, I wanted to work as an environmental engineer, I would find job postings (for example, on Monster.com) that are written by engineering firms looking to hire professionals with my experience.

Find at least ten of these postings and paste them into wordcounter.net, a website which breaks down how often words appear in text.

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Free bonus: The One Resume Resource You’ll Ever Need is a handy reference to make your resume get you more job interviews. Download it free now

I pasted the top ten environmental engineering listings from monster.com into wordcounter.net, and here’s what I got:

Keyword Density

1. Engineering 61 (9%)
2. project 52 (8%)
3. wastewater 42 (6%)
4. experience 41 (6%)
5. environmental 41 (6%)
6. management 34 (5%)
7. design 31 (5%)
8. engineer 30 (5%)
9. amec 30 (5%)
10. energy 27 (4%)

So now I know that not only should I mention that I am an environmental engineer, I should make sure my resume talks about my experience with wastewater, management, design, and energy.

Where to use the keywords

Incorporate keywords throughout your resume and bold them as follows:

“Conducted several lab projects related to wastewater management and put together detailed reports.”

This will help readers quickly get an understanding of your skills when they skim your resume. Additionally, you can put in a “Skills” section that includes keywords towards the top of your resume.

Keywords should appear often in your LinkedIn profile. Fit as many of them as you can in your headline. If we use the keywords from my Wordcounter.net findings, a headline like this might be appropriate:

“Environmental Engineer with Management Experience | Wastewater & Sludge Treatment | Energy Efficiency | Design Control”

This headline not only explains to viewers which job you want to land, it also shows your areas of expertise.

Keywords should also appear in your LinkedIn summary, current job title, past job titles, headlines, projects, and skills, but appropriately. Make sure your keyword use is logical and not overwhelming (avoid what SEOs call “keyword stuffing”).

After you are done sprinkling keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile, try searching for yourself just as a recruiter might. If your profile has been keyword-optimized and if you have at least 500 connections, your search rankings should be high.

Keep experimenting with keywords until your search rank increases and your profile appears higher in the results.

Another take

How to Keyword Optimize Your Resume

Extra: How to Use Effective Resume Keywords

About the Author

Not everyone has the ability to communicate their strengths. For that reason, Fatemah started Career Tuners in 2010 with one philosophy—every single person in the world is brilliant in their own way. Since then, she has helped hundreds of clients land their dream jobs and get admitted into their reach schools.

The original version of this article was part of the The $11K 8th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest.

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Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow Jacob Share on Twitter for the best resume keyword tips in 2017 and beyond.

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Thursday, 12 January 2017

💡 77 Particularly Creative Job Recruitment Ads For 2017

Catchy headlines, funny slogans or creative images? These are the best job ads for 2017.

Hiring ads can be pretty boring: a company logo, a job title, a short list of requirements and that’s pretty much it.

But some companies have advertising ideas that go above and beyond to stand out and attract your application.

Enjoy!

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Explain your poll choice in the comments.

Naukri.com

“Found a job”

Jim the Window Cleaner

“If you can read this, I’ve done a good job”

Flipkart Careers

“Nothing gets cooler than being a Flipster“

Monster Stethoscope

“We see the jobs you do not. Get to your true calling with Monster.”

Monster Hammer

Monster Palette

Monster Spanner

The Dorm Shop Chronicles

“The evil geniuses at The Dorm Shop seek minions to sacrifice their lives in an e-commerce domination attempt. Must be prepared to write for a ludicrous and demented lot.”

Goodwill Computer

“The imagery shows miniature figurines in action, performing a variety of skilled jobs, alongside life-size donated objects that can lead to job training and placement opportunities. All PSAs conclude with the tagline, “Donate Stuff. Create Jobs.” and direct audiences to visit Goodwill.org to find their nearest Goodwill donation center.”

Goodwill Belt

Goodwill Guitar

Goodwill Stilleto

Goodwill Cookware

Goodwill Hospital

ESPN Shoemaker

“Best. Job. Ever.”

ESPN Keymaker

ESPN Watchmaker

SO&U Thinkers

“Thinkers wanted. Figure out the email, and send in your CV.”

MillwardBrown

“work for a company as unique as you are”

Veeble

“Choose a job that could turn your life around”

Wowmakers

“We are looking for Sales Superheroes who can sell literally anything! Preferred superhero power: Long flexible tongue!”

Stagecoach London

“Award winning recruitment ads really don’t need to be overly complicated, big… or expensive to create. This simple, yet cracking little campaign may not have won top slot at the 2016 RAD awards, but it came very close! And perhaps more to the point, it did a great job in attracting lots of good, relevant applications for the client.”

Canopy Design

“Talents with capabilities like no other. At Canopy, we test the boundaries with our ideas, bust design conventions and bend standards. Be part of our family if you are a like-minded creative. We want you on board. Send your credentials to admin@canopydesign.sg. Live Extra-Ordinary.”

SAP

“Intelligent, smart, sassy, hard-working, talented, devoted. Ok, That’s enough about you. Tell us about your friends. And receive up to €3,000.”

SMART Communications

“We need more creative juices”

McDonald’s Individuals

“Nor Swedes, South Koreans or Norwegians. We hire individuals. We don’t care what your surname is. Because ambition and determination have nothing to do with your nationality. Mcdonald’s is one of the most integrated companies in Sweden, with as many as ninety-five nationalities working for us. Join us at mcdonalds.se”

Cornell University

“People who think like you do – and people who don’t – make the best partners.”

Dallas Restaurant and Bar in Singapore

“A FIN AL AVVV WON MOH BEFAW AH GO OME
If you’re an experienced bartender and you can decipher this babble. We’d like to hear from you.”

Y&R Prague Watermark

“Art Directors spend countless hours on stock photo sites, desperately looking through hundreds of pictures covered in watermarks to find the one their creative director has requested. Y&R Prague found an opportunity in these Art Directors’ struggles, and partnered with Dreamstime stock photo site to turn their watermarks into Y&R Prague’s recruitment ad.”

Jobs. Advice. Fur.

“The campaign targets a new generation of Millennial job seekers, a generation brimming with ambition, but coming up against the harsh realities of the job market. The campaign aims to reassure Millennial job seekers that, with the power of Monster behind them, nothing can stand in the way of that dream job.”

Monster Can Smell Your Potential

Monster Is The Ultimate Head Hunter

Justworks: Compliance!

“The out-of-home subway takeover developed by Circus Maximus for Justworks depicts the challenges of managing human resources for growing companies as monsters inspired by films from the golden age of horror.”

Justworks: The Bride of Paperwork II

“A user interface that won’t terrify your employees.”

Justworks: Zombie Employees

“If the cost of offering great benefits sends a chill down your spine, switch to Justworks”

BJL: Envelopes

“People get asked to lick all sorts of things to get a job, one BJL employee got their first job by licking a mountain of envelopes. We’ve all had to start somewhere in ad agencies, so if you want to get your foot through our doors, take one of our online briefs. We’re after talented graduate creatives and marketers to join us, and we’re not interested in *!&@ lickers.”

BJL: Burger

“We’ve all got a few stories to tell about how we got into advertising. Fortunately, you can get through our doors, without picking up a criminal record along the way. Simply choose one of our online briefs and show us what you can do. You could soon be working here and getting paid for it.”

BJL: Horse

“At BJL, we all have stories about our first advertising jobs. This one about the horse is true. That’s because thinking on your feet comes as part of the turf. So if you think you’ve got what it takes to join BJL, take one of our online briefs. We’re on the look out for bright creatives and account handlers.”

Guess the ad, 1

“Guess the ad. Get the job.”

Guess the ad, 2

Guess the ad, 3

Guess the ad, 4

Guess the ad, 5

Sea gangsters, 1

“A series of posters for a local sushi restaurant looking to recruit new staff members. Posters work as an ad for a job, challenging potential workers.”

Sea gangsters, 2

Sea gangsters, 3

Real job, 1

“Making dreams come true is a real job.”

Real job, 2

Real job, 3

Job Interview in 30 Min

Gary’s resume

“Offenders are significantly less likely to re-offend if they find a job. Though they often have the qualifications and the experience, 75% of employers admit to rejecting applicants with a criminal record within seconds. So we decided to get people to re-assess this prejudice. Using the familiar layout of CVs, we confronted them with the issue. Instead of featuring the usual qualifications and employment history, the CV is a stream of consciousness from an interviewer, who, on discovering a job candidate is an ex-offender, immediately rejects them.”

Mark’s resume

Surrey Police

“What do you want to be when you grow up? Astronaut? Pilot? Footballer? Police Officer. Don’t just toy with the idea. Call us now.”

Minnie

“Stuck in the wrong job? Find your calling.”

Batman

Hello Kitty

Job

“When you need a roof you need a job.”

Timesjobs.com

“Does your boss pull you down? So be ready for a change.”

Good Design is a Tough Job

Wave of Work

“More work than work forces? Jobgroup. Agency for permanent or temporary work”

Chairs

“Where $100k+ talent finds $100k+ jobs. At The Ladders, we simplify the $100K+ job market. We pre-screen every member and every position to ensure they meet our $100K+ criteria making it easier for talent to find the best jobs, and for jobs to find the best talent.
Join us at TheLadders.com

Match, 1

“Matches the best in graphic arts to deliver a perfect job.”

Match, 2

Licra: Jobless

“Let’s do something about discrimination”

(here’s How To Defeat Any Form of Job Search Discrimination)

Veterinary

“Are you sure your career choice is the best fit? Youth’s got future”

Lame Jobs, Team Mascot

“When you have to go, but you don’t want to. Empleate.com (gethired.com) Find your job”

Lame Jobs, Midget

Lame Jobs, Postman

IS Recruitment Poster

“Internet Solutions, a Communications Service Provider, was seeking to recruit junior computer engineers fresh out of varsity. The recruitment poster, a fully functional computer programming script written in C++, was a great way to attract only the most capable applicants that could decipher the invite. In essence, the poster therefore served as the first step in the screening process of these job applicants.”

Wear a Seiko vs Job Interview

Ship

“At the wrong time in the wrong place in the wrong job? Jobpilot.com”

Wrestler

Soccer

Comfort

“Drive the most comfortable ride around. At U.S. Xpress, our teams drive newer trucks with bigger cabs and smooth, easy-riding suspension systems. So if you’re uncomfortable with your current job, call today.”

Miles

“If your miles are disappearing, your job may be next. With 1,000 trucking companies going out of business this year alone, new opportunities are in short supply. But, even now, U.S. Xpress is growing. And we’ve got plenty of consistent miles and freight with your name on them. Call today.”

Support

“Still waiting for the support you deserve? You’ll find it at U.S. Xpress, because you’ll get a dedicated support staff that makes your job easier. So call us today, you’ll be happy you did.”