Targeting your Job Search:

1

• Targeting your Job Search
• Getting Interviews

Career Management Center
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• Self-Awareness
• The better you understand yourself
• Motivations
• Skills
• Interests
• the more solid your foundation will be.

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• Defining Your Target
• A job target is a clearly
• selected geographic area,
• an industry or organization
• size, and function or position
• within the industry.

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• 10 Top Tips for Conducting a Job Search
• Plan a daily schedule
• Set aside enough time to do the job search well
• Treat your job search as a business
• Be a good record keeper
• Have other meaningful work
• Stay positive
• Find a partner to work with
• Work to objectives
• Strengthen your confidence
• Join a group for group support

Career Management Center
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• Day 1
• ? Prepare three PAR stories.
• ? Create your resume.

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• ? Prepare three PAR stories.
• - Problem-Approach-Resolution
• - Rehearse a brief story in which you
• briefly describe a problem you faced
• at work, how you approached it, and
• its positive resolution.
• - Rehearse your PAR stories with a
• friend or by talking into a tape
  recorder.

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• ? Create your resume.
• - Go to eresumes.com. Pick one or two to
  draw form.
  
• - Open Microsoft Word and click on file,
  new, other
  
• documents, and Contemporary Resume
• or Elegant Resume.
• - Plug in your information, inspired by
  what
  
• you saw in the model resume(s). Focus
• on accomplishments, not just duties.
• - Show a draft to a respected person or
  two.

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• Day 2
• ? Make a list of 50 potential employers.
• - Career Tools ?, Dun Bradstreet
  Million
  
• Dollar and Nexus On-line
  databases.
  
• - Get the name of the specific
  person to contact.

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• Day 3
• ? Make a list of every person in
• your extended personal network.
• ? Write a human, brief letter to be e-mailed
• to prospective employers and to people
• in your personal network.

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• ? Networking Letters
• No matter what field youre in, a
• successful career is built on human
• relationships. Your job search will be much
• more effective if you connect with and expand
  your
  
• network of contacts, rather than just respond
  job ads.
  
• Thousands of positions are created and filled
  without
  
• ever being advertised, and a networking
  letter will
  
• help you uncover these hidden job
  opportunities.
  

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• What is a networking letter?
• A networking letter reaches out
• to friends, friends of friends and
• professional contacts and asks for job
• leads, career advice, referrals and
  introductions.
  
• The letters focus is not to ask your contacts
• for a job, but to request their assistance in
  your
  
• job search by connecting you with people or
• opportunities.

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• Who to target?
• To tap into your network and create job
• leads, consider all these resources friends,
  
  
• your spouse or significant others friends,
• current or former coworkers and supervisors,
• associations (alumni, civic and professional
  organizations),
  
• clergy, non-profit organizations,
  customers/clients,
  
• vendors, teachers and classmates.
• You may even consider distant acquaintances as
  part of your networking campaign----someone you
  met at a lecture, tradeshow or seminar might be
  willing to assist you.

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• The Fundamentals
• Be friendly
• Dear Mr. Jones
• I attended your Effective Merchandising
  Technique
  
• Presentation last Friday and introduce
  myself to you
  
• following your enlightening I left a
  number of new ideas.
  
• Dear Ginger,
• I am in the process of a job change
  following my former
  
• employers Chapter 11 filing. I am
  writing to college
  
• friends whose opinions, insights and
  advice I value.
  
• Have a message.
• Respect the readers time be concise.
• Ask for leads and information.
• Keep networking.

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• Fundamentals of a Dynamic Cover Letter
• First paragraph
• Focus on your Unique Selling Proposition
  (USP) - the one thing that makes you different
  from all the other job-seekers -- and identifying
  two or three benefits you can offer the employer.
  
• - Weak opening paragraph
• I am writing today to apply for the
  account manager position
  
• you have posted on your company Website.
  
  
• - Better opening paragraph
• I have increased the size and sales levels
  of my client
  
• base in every position I have held,
  which in turn has
  
• increased the revenues and profits of my
  employers.
  
• I want to bring this same success to the
  account position
  
• you have posted on your Website.

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• Fundamentals of a Dynamic Cover Letter
• Second paragraph
• Provide more detail about your professional
  and/or academic qualifications. Provide more
  information about how you can provide the
  benefits you mention in the first paragraph.
• Focus on key skills that can easily transfer
  from your previous work experience to the job
  at hand.
  
• And if responding to a job posting or ad, be
  
  
• sure to tailor this paragraph to the needs
• described in the ad.

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• Fundamentals of a Dynamic Cover Letter
• Third paragraph
• Relate yourself to the company, giving
  details why you should be considered for the
  position. Continue expanding on your
  qualifications while showing knowledge of the
  company.
• You need to do your homework -- show that
• your know something about the organization.
• Use the resources in Career Tools ?,
• e-Recruit Network ? , Fisher On-line
• Career Resources Library.

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• Fundamentals of a Dynamic Cover Letter
• Fourth paragraph
• The final paragraph of your cover letter must
  be proactive -- and request action.
  
• - Weak closing paragraph I hope you will
  review my resume, and if you agree with what I
  have stated here, consider me for the position. I
  look forward to hearing from you soon.
• - Better closing paragraph I am eager to
  help
  
• advance the success of your company, and I
  am
  
• convinced that we should arrange a time to
  meet.
  
• I will call your office in the next week to
  schedule
  
• an appointment.
• Follow-up is key, so plan on making some
• phone calls or sending some e-mails.

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• Ten Cover Letter Donts
• Dont Overuse I.
• Dont Use a Weak Opening.
• - Weak Please consider me for your sales
• representative opening
• - Better Your need for a top-performing
  sales
  
• representative is an
  excellent match
  
• to my three-year history
  as a 1-ranked,
  
• multimillion-dollar
  producer.
  
• Dont Omit Your Top Spelling Points.
• Dont Make It Too Long or Too Short.
• If your cover letter is only one or two short
  paragraphs, it probably doesnt contain enough
  key information to sell you effectively. If it
  exceeds one page, you may be putting readers to
  sleep. Keep it concise but compelling, and be
  respectful of readers time.

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• Ten Cover Letter Donts
• Dont Repeat Your Resume Word for Word.
• Your cover letter shouldnt just regurgitate
  whats
  
• on your resume. Consider using the letter to
  tell
  
• a brief story, such as My Toughest Sale or
  
  
• My Biggest Technical Challenge.
• Dont Be Vague.
• If youre applying to an advertised opening,
  reference the specific job title in your cover
  letter. The person reading your letter may be
  reviewing hundreds of letters for dozens of
  different jobs. Make sure all the content in your
  letter supports how you will meet the specific
  needs of the employer.

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• Ten Cover Letter Donts
• Dont Forget to Customize.
• If youre applying to a number of similar
• positions, chances are youre tweaking one
• letter and using it for multiple openings.
• Thats fine, as long as you are customizing
• each one. Dont forget to update the
  company/job/contact information--if Mr.Jones is
  addressed as Mrs. Smith, he wont be impressed.
  
• Dont End on a Passive Note.
• Dont Be Rude.
• Dont Forget to Sign the Letter.

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• Day 4
• ? E-mail your resume and semi-
• personalized cover letter to
• the people you identified on
• Days 2 and 3.

Career Management Center
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• ? Tips for a Dynamic E-mail Cover Letter
• - Dont waste your subject line.
• - Your opening paragraph is critical.
• - Keep your cover letter short.
• - Take advantage of keywords.
• - Stick with plain styling (ASCII text).
• - Check your line length.
• - Always use standard cover letter
  protocol.
  
• - Dont bother with attachments (unless
  requested to do so).
  
• - Always follow the company guidelines.
• - Never hit send without thoroughly spell
  
  
• checking and proofreading your e-mail
  letter.
  
• - Be sure to test your message before
  sending it to
  
• the company.

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• Sources Model Letter
• - Career Tools ?,
• - Fisher On-line Library.
• - BayRecruiter
• - bayrecruiter.com
• - craigslist.org
• - monster.com
• - usajobs.opm.gov
• - for a master list of career-
• specific employment sites, visit
• www.rileyguide.com/jobs.html

Dear XXX, I was excited to see your post
ing for Job 365778 on bayrecruiter.com b
ecause I believe Im a good fit. JOB RE
QUIREMENTS MY BACKGROUND I hope to
have the opportunity to interview.
Sincerely, ..
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• A General Thank You Letter
• Dear Mr. Weatherby,
• Thank you for taking the time to discuss
  the insurance broker position at California
  Investments, Inc., with me. After meeting with
  you and observing the companys operations, I am
  further convinced that my background and skills
  coincide with your needs.
• I really appreciate that you took so much
  time to acquaint me with the company. It is no
  wonder that California Investments retains its
  employees for so long. I feel I could learn a
  great deal from you and would certainly enjoy
  working with you.
• In addition to my qualifications and
  experience, I will bring excellent work habits
  and judgement to this position. With the
  countless demands on your time, I am sure that
  you require people who can be trusted to carry
  out their responsibilities with minimal
  supervision.
• I look forward, Mr. Weatherby, to hearing
  from you concerning your hiring decision. Again,
  thank you for your time and consideration.
  
• Sincerely,

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• A Thank You Letter that Stresses Fit
• Dear Ms. Page
• Thank you so much for taking the time to
  interview me today for the market research
  position.
  
• I felt a wonderful rapport not only with you
  , but with the whole the Gallup Organizations
  Marketing staff. I am more convinced than ever
  that I will fit in beautifully as a member of the
  team and contribute my skills and talents for the
  benefit of your firms clients.
• I can make myself available for any further
  discussions of my qualifications that may be
  needed.
  
• Again, Ms. Page, I very much appreciate
  you and your staff taking so much time to talk
  with me about this exciting opportunity.
  
• Sincerely,

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• Day 5
• ? Target 50 firms match
• your values, interests,
• and abilities.

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• Day 6
• ? Phone any people who responded
• to your e-mail. Be prepared to
• tell your PAR stories.

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• Phone any people who responded to
• your e-mail.
• If it feels appropriate, ask questions about
  the employers need to see if a case could be
  made for creating a position for you.
  
• - If so,say something like, Having listened
  carefully to what
  
• you were saying, it sounds like I could be
  of most help to
  
• you if I did X. Might that be a
  possibility?
  
• - If the person says he has no job for you,
  ask
  
• if he would mind if you contacted him again
  in
  
• a month to see if the situation has
  changed.
  
• Or ask if she would suggest other potential
  
  
• employers you should speak with.

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• Declining an Offer
• With unemployment reaching record highs,
  many job seekers feel lucky to receive any job
  offer. But whether the compensation is too low,
  the location is inconvenient or the job isnt the
  right fit, sometimes you just need to say, No
  thanks.
• In a stress-filled job search, its tempting
  to verbally turn down an offer and skip writing a
  letter, but its more professional to write a
  formal letter to decline
• the offer. Keep these four tips in mind as
  you
  
• write your letter
• ? Be prompt. ? Be courteous.
• ? Be diplomatic. ? Be concise.

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• A Sample Letter for Declining a Job Offer
• May 21, 2003
• Catherine Harper
• Operations Manager
• A Company
• 50 Corporate Plaza
• Boston, MA 01234
• Dear Ms. Harper
• Thank you very much for offering me the
  assistant manager position. After careful
  consideration, I regret that I must decline your
  offer. Although you were most encouraging in
  outlining future advancement possibilities within
  A Company, I have accepted another opportunity
  that is more in line with my skills and career
  goals.
• I enjoyed meeting you and the rest of your
  team. You have been most kind and gracious
  throughout the interview process, and I only wish
  that circumstances allowed me to accept your
  offer.
• With best wishes for your continued success,
  I am
  
• Sincerely yours,
• Tom Greenwood

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• Day 7
• ? You now have plenty
• irons in the fire.
• Have fun!

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• Understanding How the Job-hunting Market Works
• Know why things work the way they do
• Know how the hiring system works
• Why things so right and wrong
• Always remember,
• the best jobs dont necessarily go to
• the most qualified people, but to the
• people who are the best job hunters.

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