Tips « NotJobs – How NOT to Get a Job

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Andrew Hudson’s “Five Things That Can Help Your Job Search”

Andrew Hudson is one of Denver’s well-known movers/shakers. Hudson know the PR market, and grew his famous “Andrew Hudson’s Jobs List” because of the jobs people sent him. Hudson then started his JobsGobble networking event to provide a venue for PR and Marketing types to find work.

Now, Hudson writes for Denver Jobs Examiner. He has a recent article that job seekers should review to add more measures of success to their job search. Hudson starts by recognizing that successful job seekers share a focus:

Here are the five things that always come up:

A strong sense of self.

Professional job-seeking attitude.

Networking

Approach the job search with the discipline of a salesperson

Understand the economy of your community.

Later in the article, Hudson lists some of the many resources available to job seekers.

In Denver, there are many resources available to research our local economy. Here are a few websites that can help:

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce This is Colorado’s largest chamber of commerce. However, there are dozens of local chambers representing local business communities throughout the state of Colorado. An easy Google search can help you find a local chamber in your community.

The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation The economic development arm of the Denver Metro Chamber, the MDEC provides quarterly economic updates and a wealth of information on the state of Colorado’s economy.

Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. This is the official state office promoting economic development.

The Denver Business Journal Without question, the number one regular source of business information in Colorado. Subscribing to the DBJ is a great investment for any job seeker. Your subscription also gets you the annual “Book of Lists,” an organized encyclopedia of the top companies in the Denver metro area.

Colorado Biz Magazine This is a monthly magazine that profiles local businesses, leaders and local economic trends.

Check out Hudson’s full article here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1956-Denver-Jobs-Examiner~y2009m9d27-Five-Things-That-Can-Help-Your-Job-Search-NOW

Here are the five things that always come up:

1.) A strong sense of self.

Add comment 4 November 2009

Tips to consider if you’re an older jobseeker

Tara Gowland at the Seattle Jobs Examiner offers ten useful tips for older job seekers. Here are three to get started:

1. Find out about culture: Employers know better than to address your age, but there is no reason you can’t ask your own questions about how you might fit in. (This ties in nicely with an office tour).
4. Be modern: Typically what I have seen is that the older the interviewee, the more formal the attire – and sometimes this can be overkill.
5. Keep up to date on software: If you are in fact out of date with some of the newer software programs or office machines, seek out help. The more versed you are in the current programs, the better.

Check out the text of Tara’s full article here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1495-Seattle-Jobs-Examiner~y2009m2d16-Top-10-things-for-older-job-seekers-to-keep-in-mind

Hat tip to LinkedIn connection Bob Edelman

Add comment 13 October 2009

Sandwich-board job hunt works for Brit grad

Recent graduate David Rowe found an old way to get attention: A sandwich board.

LONDON (Reuters) – In a pinstripe suit, silk tie and polished shoes, David Rowe has all the trappings of a successful London city worker, except for one stark difference — he is wearing a sandwich board that says “JOB WANTED.”

Saddled with £20,000 of student loan debt, Rowe was ready to work, but the economy didn’t help. Unemployment in Britain is widespread, and the jobless rate for new grads is the highest its been since the government starting tracking the statistic in 1992. The standard path for a new grad with a degree in history from Kent University would be to join one of the many City firms. However, positions for new grads have been cut by 28%, and many jobs are left unfilled.

The going was tough, so Rowe got creative. After some discussion with his father, he picked a way to sell his skills and experience, and to get some attention. Rowe’s tactic, while unusual, caught someone’s eye: a recruiter.

Gavin Walker of international recruitment firm Parkhouse Bell liked Rowe’s initiative and decided to interview him.

“I liked the fact he had thought out of the box. I was impressed by that. I was even more impressed after the interview. He’s very employable, so much so I offered him a job to work with me.”

Walker interviewed Rowe to a 15 minute interview, but the conversation lasted two hours. At the end, Rowe got a job offer.

This method isn’t for everyone, but Rowe has succeeded in both getting his message out and in branding himself. Rowe set himself apart from his competition, and got to the hiring manager. It worked.

See the full story on Yahoo by clicking here:
British graduate scores in sandwich-board job hunt
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/British-graduate-scores-in-rb-3853075230.html?x=0

Add comment 12 October 2009

NotJobs: How Not To Nail An Interview

Steinar Skipsness describes himself as “a 27 year old Seattle native who doesn’t drink coffee.” Skipsness consults on search engine marketing, but seems to be looking for new employment. To help his chances, he taped mock interviews with some unsuspecting candidates. I’m not sure I agree with his ethics, but his conclusions are strong.

Skipsness offers his 22 tips on “How to Nail an Interview.” His site contains a number of video snippets which support his points. As shown in the video above, some of his examples better demonstrate how NOT to get a job.

IMHO, his top ten tips are:

3. Be on time
4. Cell phone off
5. Know the company, and why you want to work there
8. Dress in a clean conservative manner
9. [Facebook & MySpace] Profiles to private
11. Don’t babble
12. Don’t badmouth a boss
14. Don’t play with your face/hair
19. Have accomplishments
20. Have passion

Take a look at all 22 tips on his web page:
http://www.howtonailaninterview.com/

Add comment 10 May 2009

Mike Rowe on the War on Work

Since my employer is looking at a $54M budget shortfall, my civic co-workers and I enjoyed an unpaid furlough day today. While spending some time this morning shoveling out after yesterday’s blizzard, I had a chance to contemplate the nature of work. Once my driveway and that of my neighbors were clear, I came in to catch up on world news. Coincidentally, I found this 20 minute video of a talk that the Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe gave back in December 2008. Rowe explains how castrating lambs during a Dirty Jobs filming brought discovery and enlightenment about work.

This video is worth watching. The first 7 minutes are the castration part, and then Rowe quotes Aristotle on discovery (ἀναγνώρισις or anagnorisis) over the next three minutes. At 16 minutes, Rowe hits on his theme: How modern American society has declared War on Work. See the whole thing:

Rowe’s great insight is about the War on Work. He points out that this was not a planned campaign, but that it is a civil war, and a cold war. Rowe correctly identifies four fronts in this War:

1. Hollywood
2. Madison Avenue
3. Washington DC
4. Silicon Valley

Listening to him provoked a minor bit of anagnorisis for me. As a technical recruiter, I’ve been guilty of fighting against skilled labor on the Silicon Valley front. At one point, I believed that everyone should become computer literate because ever job could be done with a computer. What I didn’t appreciate is that Innovation without execution is meaningless. I didn’t appreciate the hard work it takes to build great technological devices until I worked in a manufacturing plant. Every genius with a gizmo need people who can assemble multiple copies of that gizmo. That where the skill is.

Hearing Rowe talk about Madison Avenue’s message about the War on Work was enlightening. Thinking about America’s current struggle with “work/life balance”, I realized that Rowe puts the blame in the right place: on the Advertising View that works against Work:

So many of the commercials that come out of there (Madison Avenue) in the way of a message. What’s really being said is, “Your life would better if you could work a little less; if you didn’t have to work so hard; if you get home earlier; if you could retire faster; if you could punch out sooner. It’s all there – over and over; again and again.”

“Life is better if you work less” – that’s the core message we hear about work/life balance. Not that we have to be effective. Not that we have to get ‘er done. Less work doesn’t make people happier – accomplishments make people happy. Working, being needed, and demonstrating mastery are what make people happy. And we wonder what happened to the American work ethic.

To help raise awareness of the forgotten benefits of labor, Rowe has a new project:

People often tell me that Dirty Jobs reminds them of a time when Work was not seen as a thing to avoid. When skilled tradesmen were seen as role models, and a paycheck was not the only benefit of a job well done. We need to recapture that sentiment. We need to celebrate, on a bigger scale, the role models right in front of us. Dirty Jobs has given me the opportunity to do that. With a little luck and the right support, mikeroweWORKS, will take it to the next level.

Good work, Mike! For what it’s worth, I’m adding you to my blogroll.

Hat tip to The Anchoress for the video find.

Add comment 27 March 2009

Get the skills for the job you want. Now!

The City & County of Denver’s Office of Economic Development will be holding two job search workshops on Friday.

THE SKILLS CLINIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m

WORKSHOPS:
1-on-1 resume review • conducting a better interview • surviving a layoff: taking advantage of job fairs and networking • making your money work • apprenticeships 101 • getting in on green jobs • the how-tos of customer service • re-entering the workforce • and many more!

TWO LOCATIONS:

Mi Casa Resource Center
360 Acoma St, Denver
Colorado Community College System – Lowry,
Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way, Denver

DETAILS:
Denver County residents are encouraged to pre-register on ConnectingColorado.com. Space is limited – classes are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a hard copy of your resume for resume critiques. Free parking is available, plus bus routes to both locations. More info at www.milehigh.com, download the Skills Clinic flyer or call (720) 913-1999.

Add comment 24 March 2009

Tips: Answering 3 Uncomfortable Questions

Laura Whitelaw on the Secrets of the Job Hunt blog has a great post on How To Answer Three Uncomfortable Interview Questions:

Below are some common questions that people often feel tense about and sometimes need some coaching on how they might best answer them.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Why are you leaving your current position?

What are your salary expectations?

See the full post for all her wisdom.

Other popular NotJobs interviewing tips are:

Add comment 16 March 2009