If  you had kids, would you tell them the best way to make a living is to play the lottery?

Of course not. Statistically it  is a waste of time and money.

So is applying for jobs online.

Submitting your resume online to get a job is a lot like playing the lottery. Sure you’ve heard of people winning the lottery (I do know one guy), but it doesn’t mean you should go out and play. The same goes with submitting your resume online. The truth is that 3 out of 100 people get a job through online resume and cover letter submission and the average job posting on Monster receives 200 resumes.

At work I watch our HR database fill up with resumes everyday. From our perspective you are a faceless number on an endless spreadsheet of resumes. Nobody knows who you are, and it is hard to stand out from the herd. Remember recruiters are people too. They are overwhelmed with how many candidates they have to go through. Why not make their job easier and go above and beyond what the 100 other candidates did?

Don’t you like when someone makes your job easier?

Take Away

YES – submit your resume online. BUT make sure you include a cover letter and follow up with a phone call and e-mail. Clicking “submit your resume” is something any lazy bum can do. The market is too competitive to stand out from the 100 other people who can click a button. (yes a majority of Americans can click a button)

Every company wants to hire people with initiative. Unfortunately 99 out of 100 people don’t have it (or don’t show it)

Quit playing the lottery and  making excuses. Start taking  extra steps to stand out from the herd.

Not thinking twice, I grabbed the resume of a candidate I talked with earlier in the day and cut out a portion of the first page, to make it similar in size to the thank you note. It took me a second to realize what I was doing. In just a few seconds Jessica’s ten years of education and work experience were suddenly turned into scrap paper.

Why did this happen?

Because of her phone interview.

I thought to myself, how did someone’s resume that they had put so much time and effort in now sit in pieces in the garbage.

Below are five tips for job seekers on how to not end up like Jessica:

1. Do your research – I asked Jessica how she heard about us and if she had been on the website. She responded innocently “I saw you were one of the best companies to work for in Cincinnati, so I applied, but I haven’t looked at your website. What do you guys do?” Learn about the company as much as you can. I know websites are full of corporate speak that make it difficult to understand, but do your best to have a general idea of what the company does.
2. Act like you want the job – I know this is a huge DUH, but you’d be surprised how many people fail to execute this. On the phone be enthusiastic, not overly perky, but excited to learn more about the position. The best way to do this is to ask really good questions about the company and  the position. This shows that you did #1, and more importantly that you are seriously considering this position.
3. A.B.C. – Any idea what this stands for? No it’s not Always Be Closing it’s Always Be Checking. During the phone conversation after you answer a question, simply ask the interviewer, “Is that what you are looking for?” or, “Does that make sense?” or, “Did I hit the mark?” This is HUGE because its just like “test-closing” in traditional selling situations, and rarely if ever, does anyone EVER apply this persuasion principle in a phone interview.
4. Close – If you are interviewing for a sales position, you need to concisely sum up why you think you would be good for the job and ask if it makes sense to come in for another interview. As an interviewer I go silent at the end of the interview, that’s my sign that I’m done, and the ball is in your court to move on to the next step. A great question you could ask at this point is, “Where do you think we should go from here?” and then close your mouth. If you nailed it, the phone interviewer will tell you they would like to meet you and BOOYAH, you moving on… If they don’t? Ask another question such as “Is there anything from my background or from this interview that concern you with being a fit for the company?”
5. Follow up – Screeners are going through literally 100’s of resumes for any one job. In order to get your name remembered send proper follow up information. Just the other day I had a candidate re-schedule one of their reserved interview slots for our office. A few minutes later a candidate I had screened earlier in the day sent me a thank you note that triggered my memory. Guess who just got reached out to for the open spot in the schedule?

Recruiters are a lot like you and I. They have a BS meter.

Nobody is perfect, so quit trying to sound like you are God’s gift to strategic customer service organizational development… whatever that means.

Sure, make yourself sound important, but take it easy on the buzz words. More proof less fluff, please.

If you want to do one of the millions of other jobs that don’t require a special education; then it doesn’t. Don’t take my word for it…

From the New York Times…

“The Association of American Colleges and Universities recently asked employers who hire at least 25 percent of their workforce from two- or four-year colleges what they want institutions to teach. The answers did not suggest a narrow focus. Instead, 89 percent said they wanted more emphasis on “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,” 81 percent asked for better “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” and 70 percent were looking for “the ability to innovate and be creative.”

There, they didn’t ask for a finance or a fine arts major. They ask you to be a competent person. If you are reading this, you are probably much more competent than you think. Now forget your major, and let’s find you a job.

- Brandon

@Bcroke

Brandon@Careerbullconsulting.com

If you want to stay unemployed then you shouldn’t care, but if you really want a job (or something better than your current job)  here’s our proven strategy that 999 out of 1,000 job seekers aren’t using.

1. Find a company you are interested in.

2. Find out who works there through linked in.

3. Look at what groups that person is  in.

4. Join whichever group you and the person share a common interest in. (this allows you to send them a message)

5. Most importantly in sending a message or networking in general, don’t ask anyone for a job outright, instead say you are really interested in *xyz* and want to learn more about it from them.

People like to help others. People like to hire people they know. Getting to know people, is the best way to get a job.

Or you can continue to waste your time submitting resumes online, your choice.

Ask to shadow for a day. The truth is you will never know what a day in the life is at any job unless you do it. The next best thing is to shadow someone who is currently in the role.

Although you may be desperate to just take any job, this shadowing experience will give you true insight into what you are about to dedicate 40 hours of your life to.

People don’t enter in to a marriage after a first date. Don’t be so eager to jump in bed with the next company you meet.

Think about what a company would learn if they shadowed you for a day?

More and more young people are looking for more out of their job. Students are wanting to do work that is more than a task and a paycheck.

Responsibility, creativity, and autonomy are the types of things the “millenials” want out of their work environment.

Unfortunately that’s not the reality of the jobs you are going to get from your college career fair.

If you want a one in a million job, you have to be a one in a million candidate. If you want a creative job, you damn sure better be creative in your career search. If you want to be like most Americans and hate their job… keep doing your thing.

If not,  it’s time for a different approach. Don’t know where to start?

brandon@careerbullconsulting.com – for free advice on your next career step.

After sitting through hundreds of interviews I find that there is nothing more annoying than a candidate who engages in too much corporate speak.

Recruiters, managers, and yes even people from HR are PEOPLE. More importantly, they are people BEFORE they are any of the other things.

What does this have to do with getting a job?

People hire people they want to work with. Enough of the corporate speak, you sound like an idiot.

Would you say any of that stuff to your friends? #@% No

So next interview you have… RELAX, be yourself, and be a person.

It will be a refreshing breath of fresh air to you and whoever you are interviewing with.

How about this, there are not enough young people willing to do what it takes to actually get a job?  C’mon people, quit making excuses and start making moves.

Here’s a multiple choice question to make this easier: (by the way the only place in the world multiple choice questions are relevent are in school)

I cannot find a job because:

a. I am too lazy

b. I am too scared

c.  There are no jobs out there

d. I don’t know where to begin

If you answered a,b, or c. Nobody can help you. If your answer is d, please get in touch with one of our consultants so we can put you on the right track.

- we don’t get paid, until you get a job.

George just graduated from Ohio State majoring in Real Estate and Urban Analysis, but didn’t have much luck landing a job in the industry right out of college. He knew he wanted to live in the Carolina’s and after doing some interviews he took a job with a staffing company in Raleigh. George is great with people, and loved the fulfilment when he was able to land people a job, but the work was sometimes grueling and it wasn’t taking him where he ultimately wanted.

After visiting home for a weekend he flew back to Raleigh on semi-empy Sunday flight. There was a beautiful women sitting by him and so he decided to strike up a conversation with her. She thought he was hitting on her, and she promptly told him she was married. He said, “Oh what does your husband do?” Turns out he runs a big real estate firm in the area, and George asked for his contact information.

One step later George met with the owner, had a tour around the office, and was told the company was not hiring anytime soon. Sure they weren’t looking to hire someone, but George asked for a job anyways. After telling the owner how much he wanted the job and how hard he would work, there was suddenly an opening.

Hats off to you George and your continued success. Take a step, what’s the worst that can happen?