Kick-Start Your Career In the New Year

1. Kick-Start Your Career In the New Year Landing Your Dream Job: 30 Smart Tips

2. Been There, Done That • Master’s In HR & Labor Relations • Hired over 400 professionals • Reviewed more than 300,000 resumes • Conducted more than 3,000 phone screens & personal interviews • General Electric Outplacement Counselor • 17 years in the Fortune 500 • A job hunter during 3 recessions

3. Objective • Provide advice • Handling job loss • Getting promoted • Receiving multiple offers • Landing dream job • Avoid common job hunt mistakes • Leg up on the competition

4. Caveat • Criteria and process vary widely • Maximize your odds by diminishing negative actions • Hiring a person is much like selecting a roommate,

5. Diversify, Diversify… • “Is another year in my current job going to make me more obsolete, or more marketable?” • Learning new skills? • Company declining or have a poor reputation? • In the last 5 years, have I had a new job title or industry?

6. Job Hunting CAN Be Fun! • Greener pastures • Learn about companies and industries • Learn about yourself • Make new friends • See new areas and cultures

7. Recommended Reading

8. What Color is Your Parachute? • Thebest-selling job-hunting book in the world • Graduate of Harvard and M.I.T., • Easy to read • Encourages self-assessment 11M copies in 20 languages

9. Knock ’em Dead • Author’s a former corporate recruiting director and headhunter • 100 page section on sample interview questions educational

10. Stop Peeing On Your Shoes • Julie Bauke • Long time outplacement/career transition consultant • Personally coached thousands • HR background • Short book, easy and fun to read

11. Resume

12. Your Resume • Utilize key words and acronyms • Chronological is a must • 2 pages, max!!! • Bullet points • Results • Objective more likely to hurt than help • Personal section – a no-no

13. Post Your Resume • Monster.com • Careerbuilder.com • Craigslist.com • Linkedin.com - Don’t be shy—you can always say “No, Thanks” - Make it easy for employers to find you! - Refresh, refresh, refresh!

14. You are a fool if you do not utilize this site! • Add phone number • Add email address • “inmail” costs recruiters Join linkedin groups • Linkedin groups have job boards www.linkedin.com

15. The best internet resource for job hunters • An aggregator that “scrapes” job postings • It is only updated once a week

16. Cover Letters • Keep it short! • Failure suggests a mass mailing or you are lazy/sloppy/not professional

17. Process and Preparation

18. Neatness Counts! • Invest in a good suit & tie • Wear a t-shirt under your shirt • Long sleeve white shirt only • No facial hair • Shine shoes—99¢ instant shine pads

19. Got Cards? • Always ask for the person’s card. • Get 250 FREE business cards at VistaPrint.com Mike Davis, PMP Mechanical Engineer & Project Manager Available for Contract and Full Time Positions Willing to Relocate 123 Main St. mike@yahoo.com Grand Rapids, MI 49503 cell: 616-555-1212

20. Pop Quiz What percent of job hunters: • Use the internet for their job search and actually get a job from job posting web sites? • Send out resumes at random get a job as a result of doing so? • Answer ads in local newspapers land a job? • Go to employment agencies/search firms get jobs?

21. Like It or Not, You’re Now in Sales • Sales pros:Youhave to make a personal connection • More face-to-face connections result in more sales • Research and develop a prospect list • Ask for a 15-20 minute appointment • Create a bigger sales funnel

22. Keep a Database • Ensure that contacts and follow-up dates don’t fall through the cracks • Organize your points of contact • Share it with friends • A resource for future searches

23. Avoid Rejection Shock NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, YES

24. Research! "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Dr. Seuss Example: “Mr. Interviewer, I saw XYZ company’s stock is down by 30% this year, why is that?”

25. Networking Tips • “Did I call at a good time or is there a better time to call back, please, Mr. Smith?” • “I greatly appreciate your time and advice, Mr. Smith. Who do you know in our industry who would also be a good person for me to speak with? …Would you mind if I used your name when I call her?”

26. The Interview

27. Salary? Asked because: • Don’t want to waste time • Shows career progression/success/failure • Some job titles are broad (e.g., Project Mgrs. make 40k-150k) Your response: • “Really, my primary criteria for joining a company is being able to apply my AutoCAD skill and grow professionally while being on a dedicated team in an ethical company.” 2. “In my last job I was making in the 70’s, plus bonus. In researching the salaries for a mech. engineer with 10 years of experience in Chicago on salary.com, and in talking to other companies, I am finding the market range varies between 70-95k.”

28. Interview Answer Strategy • Be honest • Practice, practice, practice • Clarify questions: “You asked me to tell you about myself, Mr. Smith, I would be happy to. Exactly would you like to know about me?” • Keep your answers short! • Don’t forget you are a sales person now • Get over it—don’t whine about your layoff, boss, etc.

29. Interview Answer Strategy What Are Your Strengths? Cite Past Success: • “My performance appraisals in the last 5 years consistently praised my attention to detail, my ability to learn new software on my own, and my ability to work with others.” • “Overall, I received “EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS” scores in most sections of my performance appraisals and earned above-average raises and a promotion.” • “My boss wrote this year that I was a dedicated employee who helped the company save 200k on one project.”

30. Good Interview Questions to Ask • “If you could change something about XYZ company, what would it be?” • “What are your top priorities?” • “What surprised you when you joined XYZ?” • “Based on what you have shared with me about this career opportunity, this seems to be a great fit for my interests/abilities. What concerns do you have about my candidacy?”

31. Handwritten Thank You Notes • Simple white cards • Write it in your car • It is a marketing piece • Your competition is not doing this!

32. Job Search Help

33. An Offer You Cannot Refuse 15-20 minutes of free help with your job search in the next 30 days—whatever you have questions about: Resume Review Cover letter Quick Interview Practice Websites Working with a headhunter

34. Thank You! Please let me know what you thought of the presentation. John Cressey Executive Recruiter Supply Chain Consulting Search, LLC www.supplychainconsultingsearch.com john@supplychainconsultingsearch.com 513-703-1854