July 2016 - Job Hunt Solutions

How to Make the Most out of Your Summer Job Search

July 31 2016 nfougere Job Search 0 comments Tags: Job Search Advice, Job Search Strategies, Job Search Tips

Conventional wisdom dictates that job opportunities all but vanish during the summer months. After all, the summer is a prime time for vacations. As such, many job seekers take the summer off from their job search. Unfortunately for them, this theory is simply not true. Even during the summer, people change jobs and companies identify hiring needs. It is true that the summer is prime vacation season, but that only means that the hiring process can be delayed as a result. Business still goes on, and the hiring process, slow though it may be, will continue.

As a savvy job seeker, this is a great time to continue your job search. If most other job seekers take the summer off from their job search, then there is less competition in the market. With less competition, the higher your odds for landing an interview. We have approximately 5 weeks left of summer, so even if you had taken most of the summer time off from your job search, it’s not too late to begin.

Create a Job Search Action Plan

There is a lot that can be accomplished during the next 5 weeks in terms of your job search. The key is to remain focused – and the easiest way to stay focused is to come up with an action plan. Here are the key elements for your action plan:

Marketing Material – during this first week, take the time to gather your marketing material. This would include updating your resume and creating a cover letter template. I have a templated cover letter, which you can download for free here. In addition, I have a free follow up and thank you template that you can find here.
Create Lists – I recommend you create three lists: your target company list (companies for whom you are interested in working), a list of 2-3 recruitment agencies you would like to target, and a list of networking contacts (former colleagues, friends, former supervisors).
Create a Schedule & Stick to It – you can start by listing the tasks you need to accomplish, the time each task will take, and how much capacity or time you will have each week for the tasks you have listed. The tasks would include searching and applying for jobs, making networking connections, and attending networking meetings and interviews. The time it takes for each of these tasks will vary, but be sure to build in time for all of the elements that each task entails. For example, the task of attending an interview should include your research time, the time it takes to get to the interview (with extra time to arrive early), time for the interview, travel time home, and time to write thank you letters, etc. Based on the tasks and timelines, you can start to create targets for the upcoming weeks.

As you are creating your action plan, specifically your schedule, be sure to include any additional development tasks. For example, if you want to take an online course or volunteer, build that into your schedule.

Final Thoughts

We still have a lot of summer left. I would encourage you to spend time with your friends and family. This is a great time for attending barbecues, weddings, and other events. You can take advantage of these opportunities to continue your job search and network. As I’ve said before, you never know who you know who might be the lead to your next job!

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

For personalized advice, check out the services section here.

Until next time, happy hunting!

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How to Explain Employment Gaps

July 28 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Ace the Interview, Employment Gaps, interview tips

From time to time, a person may find themselves out of work, leaving gaps in their employment. Explaining these employment gaps in a job interview is inevitable. So how do you address these questions?

Tips for Explaining Employment Gaps

For some people, they may find themselves between successes for any number of reasons. For example, you may have needed to take time for medical reasons or to care for a family member. In other cases, you may have been downsized due to company restructuring. Regardless of the reason, there are a two key things to keep in mind when answering questions about employment gaps:

Understand the purpose of the question and answer the question. The first step in answering any interview question is to understand its purpose. For the most part, an employer is assessing candidates to determine if they can do the job and if they would be a good fit. Addressing employment gaps is a way for an employer to assess a candidate’s ability to do the job. Their concern is that with gaps in employment a candidate’s skills are not as current or relevant as other candidates. As such, it is not necessary to go into great detail about the “why” behind leaving your previous employer. Instead, focus on what you have been doing during this time to keep your skills relevant and current. Perhaps you have taken a course or have volunteer experience. Highlight your activities as it relates to the job for which you are interviewing.
Be truthful, but don’t over share. It is important to be truthful about why you left your previous employer. That said, it is not necessary to go into great detail on this. As an example, if you left your previous employer due to medical reasons, you can simply state that. You do not have to go into detail about your medical history. Again, the key here is to demonstrate your commitment to your craft by keeping your skills as relevant as possible during this time.

Final Thoughts

Even if your employment gaps occurred many years ago, the interviewer may still ask about it. Although you should be truthful, it is not necessary to go into detail about why you left your previous employer. They focus should be on how you demonstrate passion for your job field through volunteer work or education. After all, the employer wants to see your commitment to your craft, not your commitment to daytime TV.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

For personalized advice, check out the services section here.

Until next time, happy hunting!

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Preparing for a Recruitment Agency Interview

July 24 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Recruitment Agency Interview advice, Recruitment Agency Interview tips, Recruitment Agency Interviews

Recruitment agencies can positively augment your job search strategy. Not only will they have a wealth of knowledge on the industry and your target companies, but they will also have insight into the hidden job market. In addition, the main motivation for recruitment agencies is to place candidates with their clients. The client then pays the agency a finder’s fee when a candidate is placed. As a result, using recruitment agencies should not cost you any money.

Recruitment Agency Questions

To ensure that a recruitment agency can place you, there are 3 key questions that they will want to answer:

Can you do the job? You will likely be asked technical questions about your experience. Even if you do not work in a technical field, such as engineering, the recruitment agency will want to ensure that you have the aptitude and skill to perform your job duties. As such, the “tell me about a time when” type of question will be less prevalent during the recruitment agency interview.
Do you want to do the job? The recruitment agency will want to dig deep to understand your motivations. They will want to understand your motivation to changing employers or in targeting specific companies. They will also want to understand your passion points to ensure that they align with their clients’.
Will you represent the recruitment agency well with the client company? Recruitment agency recruiters will want to meet with you in person or via Skype to see how well you present yourself. In addition, they will want to ensure that there are no conflicts with your job applications. In other words, they will want to make sure that if they were to present you to their client that you have not yet interviewed with this organization.

During the Recruitment Agency Interview

It is important that you take the recruitment agency interview seriously. Be sure to follow the key interview do’s and don’ts when meeting with the recruitment agency. For example, be sure to maintain eye contact and to dress for success.

Further, it is important that you bring your list of target companies and companies that you have applied to and interviewed with to the recruitment agency. In doing so, you will be better able to partner with the recruitment agency. In addition, you will enable them to avoid any conflicts when they represent you to a client. Keep in mind, by applying with an organization directly and by having a recruitment agency represent you to the same organization, it may backfire. The organization in question may reject your application on the basis that you have been presented twice.

Final Thoughts

You can be more open and transparent with the recruitment agency than you would with a potential employer. Think of the recruitment agency as your job search partner. For example, if you are looking to change jobs because of a conflict with your current supervisor, you can disclose this to the recruitment agency. You may need to position this differently with a potential employer, however. Given that recruitment agencies work with a variety of organizations and have insight into the market, they may already be aware of reputational issues with this employer. In addition, this would be useful information to the recruitment agency as they council some of their other candidates. It is important that you balance transparency with diplomacy, however.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time, happy hunting!

Click here for personalized advice.

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How to Prepare for Case Interviews

July 21 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Case Interview, interview tips, Job Interview Tips

Case interviews are very popular with consulting firms and investment banks when they are hiring MBA graduates. In recent years they have become increasingly popular with other organizations as well. In fact, some organizations use the case interview as part of their screening process for business undergraduates.

Case interviews come in many forms, such as a brain teaser or a classic case study, much like business students use as part of their program. It is used to assess a candidate’s ability to analyze and solve business problems. Specifically, the organization is assessing one’s ability to see the big picture, understand the root cause, and the implications of the issues at hand. Finally, organizations want to hear the “so what” behind the issues. In other words, it is not enough to say that profitability is down because sales are down. Why are sales down? What impact does the economic or competitive landscape have on the issue?

4 Tips for Preparing for the Case Interview

Increase your business knowledge. Keep up to date on business news by reading Forbes, Maclean’s Magazine (Canada), Bloomberg, CNN Money, etc.
Practice, but not too much. Many of the big consulting firms like BCG, McKinsey, Bain, and Deloitte, will have sample cases on their websites. In addition, there are numerous books and websites dedicated to helping people practice doing case interviews. With no shortage of practice material available, it is important that you do not over practice. In doing so, you can get brain fatigue which may prevent you from coming up with an innovative solution to the case presented in your interview.
Know your frameworks. There are several frameworks that you should have in your toolbox, such as the SWOT, Porters 5 Forces, and the 4 Ps of Marketing. Although it isn’t necessary to know every framework that has ever been used, it is important to know which framework is appropriate for the issue at hand. If you need to put a nail in the wall, you can use a wrench, but a hammer would be much more effective and efficient.
Mock Interview, but not too much. Seek out people with whom you can conduct a mock case interview. It would be ideal if this person has recently been through a round of case interviews, or conducts case interviews. They should be able to provide you feedback on your approach. Much like with practice, try not to overdo it or work with too many different people. You could run the risk of getting conflicting feedback which can be counter-productive.

5 Tips during Case Interviews

Ask questions. The quality and relevancy of the questions you ask will be assessed during the interview. Practice makes perfect when it comes to framing your questions.
Group Interview. In some instances, the case interview could be conducted as a group interview. Company representatives will observe the interactions of the group. As the group tries to come to a consensus, the observers will make note of any candidate who might be trying to dominate the conversation. This behaviour will not bode well, especially in a consulting environment where teamwork is expected.
Use simple math. It is not necessary to make your calculations precise during a case interview. Consulting math, or using round numbers and estimates, will suffice.
Bring a pencil, paper, and graph paper. It is always best to be prepared for any interview by bringing paper and a pen or pencil. For the case interview, you will certainly need these tools. I would recommend using a pencil for your calculations and making changes to your notes. In addition, having graph paper will enable you to quickly draw graphs or charts to visualize the information you are given.
Write legibly. At the end of the case interview, don’t be surprised if the interviewer asks you to hand in your notes. This information can be used to further assess you.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned, the purpose of the case interview is to assess a person’s ability to solve business problems. It is not about being 100% correct in your answer. Instead, the interviewer is assessing strategic thinking and thoroughness in coming to a conclusion. As a result, the questions you ask and the way in which you frame your presentation are critical for the case interview.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time, happy hunting!

For personalized advice, please click here.

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How Job Hunting is Like Dating

July 17 2016 nfougere Job Search 0 comments Tags: Bag the Job, Job Application, Job Hunting

For many years recruiters have said that recruiting is like dating. Although this is a lighthearted approach, there is some truth to this claim. If recruiting is like dating, then so too is job hunting.

Although this may be a simplistic analogy, it may help to put some perspective around your job search journey. Job hunting is a daunting task, but by looking at it through a more humorous frame, it may help to alleviate some of the stress. I get it, some of you might be saying “but dating is a daunting task as well.” Though this may be true for some, I hope you find that dating is at least a little bit more enjoyable than job hunting.

6 Ways Job Hunting is Like Dating

Know what you’re looking for. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, if you don’t know what it is you’re looking for, how will you know that you’ve found it? As an example, in the dating world, you may be looking for a long-term relationship or a short-term, casual relationship. This is similar to your job search. It would be the difference between a permanent and a contract position.
The medium you use. Using online sources is quintessential to both job searching and dating. That said, another critical medium is your own network. You can almost think of this like being set up on a blind date.
Looks good on paper. Once you’ve read through numerous job ads, you will decide to which roles you wish to apply. Similarly, as recruiters sift through countless resumes, they too will decide which applicants they wish to speak with. This will all be based on each parties’ criteria for pre-selecting a potential match. Once a potential match is identified, then an initial screen is scheduled. In the dating world, this could be a coffee meeting. In the job search world, this could be a telephone interview.
Interview. You can think of this as the courtship phase. Courting in dating may take a much longer time than the interview stage in your job search. That said, you still want to make sure that you are presenting the best version of yourself. Making sure that you look your best and that you say the right things are just as important as being honest and authentic. Keep in mind, this courtship phase is a two-way street. You should be interviewing the potential employer as much as they are interviewing you.
Probationary Period. Similar to the “dating exclusively” phase of your courtship, your probationary period begins when you start with the new organization. It typically will last about three months from the time you start the new role. During this time you are “feeling each other out” to ensure that what was presented during the Interview stage (or courtship stage) is true to life. It is for this reason that it is critical that you are authentic and truthful during the interview stage.
Full-Time, Permanent Employment. Once you have passed the probationary period, you would be considered a permanent employee. Keep in mind, while in the probationary period, you too should be confirming that the employer is the right fit for you as well. At this point, you are officially “going steady.” As a point of note, although this stage may not be relevant for contract opportunities, it is still critical to be authentic during the interview stage and during the contract term. The role may lead to a permanent opportunity or even future contracts.

Final Thoughts

Much like in dating, it is important that you broaden your horizons in terms of the types of organizations to which you wish to apply. There are a number of organizations that are very popular and “sexy.” As a result, there will be a lot of competition for roles within such organizations. By keeping an open mind and looking for potential in different organizations, you will be broadening the playing field. As such, you may even find an opportunity outside of the popular organizations which may be a better fit for you.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy hunting!

For personalized advice, check out the services section here.

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When & How to Let a Potential Employer Know about Changes to your Resume

July 14 2016 nfougere Resume Writing 0 comments Tags: How to write a resume, Resume Writing Tips, Updated Resume

Your resume is your key marketing material during your job search. Not only should it be tailored for each role to which you apply, but it should also be updated as your skills change. You can almost think of your resume as a living document.

When and how should you inform a potential employer of significant changes? The simple answer is: it depends. It depends on how long it has been since you’ve applied. It also depends on your relationship with the potential employer.

When did you apply?

If you have recently updated your resume but applied to a current opening with your ‘old’ one, then you can simply update your application on the organization’s online job application site. If you applied via e-mail, you can email a revised application and request that the potential employer disregards your previous application. The assumption here is that you have not interviewed with the organization in the past several months.

What is your relationship with the organization?

Say you applied to the organization in the past but did not get an interview. It is unlikely that the person receiving your resume will remember reading it the first time. As such, you can simply apply to the organization with your updated resume. If, however, you interviewed with the organization in the past several months, then the person receiving your resume may well remember you. The downside here is that the recruiter or HR contact may skip your profile based on the old information on your resume.

To avoid this, I recommend you send an email or place a telephone call to your contact person to let them know of any changes. These changes could be a result of having your resume professionally written. Further, your skills in a relevant area may have increased due to additional training or experienced gained in a contract or volunteer position. I do not recommend only mentioning these updates in your cover letter. After all, if your resume isn’t going to be read, it is unlikely that your cover letter would be read.

Final Thoughts

Many job seekers have turned to professional resume writers to help them get an edge on the competition. Having your resume written professionally will likely mean that it has changed significantly. I recommend that you update your online profile with the target employers to whom you have applied in the past. This will help you get noticed when recruiters search their online job application system for candidates.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy hunting!

For personalized advice, check out the services section here.

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5 Tips for Dealing with Rejection during your Job Search

July 10 2016 nfougere Job Search 0 comments Tags: Job Search Rejection, Job Search Tips

Searching for a job is a full-time job. Depending on how long your job search lasts, it can be both frustrating and exhausting. Many people will have to face rejection from time to time during their job search – it is extremely rare that for every job to which a person applies they will receive an offer of employment. Here are my top 5 tips for dealing with rejection during your job search:

Acknowledge Feelings – staying motivated during your job search can sometimes seem like a Herculean task when faced with rejection. It is important to acknowledge your negative feelings so that you can process them effectively. If you start to feel overwhelmed by these feelings, be sure to speak with someone who can help.
Perspective – if you find that you are not progressing beyond a certain point in your job search, keep in mind that it’s not personal. The job market is highly competitive. The hiring decisions that organizations are faced with are increasingly difficult as a result.
Be Objective – try to notice patterns of where you have dropped off in the recruitment process. This will give you insight into what you may need to improve. For example, if you are rejected before you are invited to interview, perhaps your resume needs work. Alternately, you may not be applying to the right roles. Finally, if you are rejected during the interview stage, your frustration with your job search may be shining through in your interviews. It is important to try to stay as positive as possible for your interviews to avoid this pitfall.
Ask for Feedback – as a best practice, you should send a thank you letter to the interviewers. If you are rejected after an interview, take the opportunity to ask for their constructive feedback. You can also ask for suggestions on how you can improve. You may not always get feedback, but the insight you will gain will help you on your journey. Further, given that not many applicants ask for feedback, you will stand out. As such, this may position you at the top of the candidate list when the organization is in the market to hire again.
Seek Positive Outlets – make sure you reach out to your support group. People such as friends, mentors, and former colleagues would likely provide you with much-needed encouragement. Volunteering is another great outlet. Contributing to a cause that is important to you will boost your spirits. Finally, exercise is a wonderful way to clear your mind. Countless studies have shown the physical and mental benefits of exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to join a gym. You can go for a walk, cycle, or swim – whatever best suits you.

Final Thoughts

It is important to keep your job search active. When we see our dream job posted with our dream company, it is tempting to focus on that opportunity. In doing so, we may neglect to continue to apply to other suitable roles. If this so-called dream job were to fall through for any reason, and you haven’t kept your job search active, then you may find yourself having to start your job search from the beginning. It is vital that until you have a job offer in hand that you keep your job search active to avoid any delays in the process.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy hunting!

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How to Choose Between Multiple Job Offers

July 07 2016 nfougere Job Offers 0 comments Tags: Bag the Job, Job Offer

Having to choose between multiple job offers is a great problem to have. If you find yourself in this situation, the simple solution is to create a pros and cons list. As with most things, it is easier said than done. There is a way, however, to streamline this process.

In a previous blog post about choosing a career path, a suggested exercise is to list all of the things that you value in a job or career. Some examples include money, work-life balance, and travel. You can prioritize or weight the list and overlay that with the elements of your job offers.

As an example, let’s say you have two offers. One offer is for a role that is interesting and aligned with your career goals, but it is a long commute from your home. The other is offer for a role that isn’t as interesting, but it pays more and is really close to your home. Depending on how you weight your values list, you may come up with a clear winner. If salary is of much higher importance than interesting work, then you may choose the second offer. Alternately, if the commute is the most important element, then the first offer could be your selection. It is recommended that you negotiate your offer, and in a previous blog post I discuss how to do just that.

Counter-Offers

If you are currently employed but receive job offers from other organizations, your current company may come to you with a counter-offer. As tempting as it may be to consider this offer, there are a number of studies that have shown that accepting a counter-offer can be a kiss of death. In my experience, many times when someone accepts a counter-offer, they end up leaving the organization in about 6 months. The main reason is that the counter-offer doesn’t address the root cause of why a person was considering other offers in the first place. The short-term gain of increased salary usually isn’t enough to keep a person in a role, team, or organization where they don’t want to be.

That said, there are people who have received and accepted counter offers who have stayed with their employer for many years. This, however, seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any additional insights, or would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy hunting!