What to do if you can’t stop preparing for job interviews….

March 10, 2011

Two days ago I wrote a blog post about a dilemma I had with a client. He was a highly intelligent job seeker who came to me for interview training – trouble was he’d done too much already, and was way too over prepared. The more I worked with him, the more I compounded the problem, as he seemed to want to memorise each tip I gave him. I thought I’d use social media to help me help him. I reached out to several people around the globe who write on careers and whose views I greatly respect. Here’s what they came up with….

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Executives start to get social

March 9, 2011

Destination Talent has just released their 2011 Executive Monitor. It shows that executives will use recruiters to find a new role, but are reluctant to recommend them to their peers. More executives (27.1%) used their networks to find a job, compared to 26.5% who used recruiters and search firms.

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Can you over-prep for job interviews?

March 7, 2011

I coach many people on interview skills. People come to me if they freeze up, lack structure, do not project confidence or are uncertain of how to answer questions – and that’s just the start. The other day, however, I came across a different kind of problem – one of my clients was way too over-prepared.

We started with a mock interview. He knew his stuff. He’d practiced his stuff. It rolled off his tongue seamlessly. After the first question he answered I said – “have you practiced that answer?” He said “how did you know?”

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Five Twitter basics to get you found by employers

March 5, 2011

How important is Twitter to you? Chances are you have more followers on Twitter than any other social media network, mainly because it’s less personal and acceptable to follow complete strangers. I would venture to say Twitter is as important to you as your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Some tech recruiters even say they won’t deal with candidates with little or no Twitter presence.

Yet for some reason we tend to neglect what our profile looks like, perhaps because we think nobody really cares or don’ t have the time. I believe that’s a mistake for a number of reasons.

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Losing your job because of redundancy..What happens now?

March 3, 2011

With the recent announcement that Borders will close 38 shops and cut 300 jobs in Australia many people will be thinking redundancy right now; either from the flow on economic effect, being worried about their own jobs,or the impact that this may have on their families. Make no mistake. This can be a very emotional time and period of great uncertainty for those of us who face impending job loss. This article comes via Steven Solodky, a career practitioner who has worked with many people experiencing the impact of their position being made redundant.

Here are his suggestions for what you can do during this difficult time.

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Should we really “hate” recruiters?

March 2, 2011

There have been a few things going around the recruiter blogosphere this week focusing on the service recruitment consultants deliver. Greg Savage wrote a great post: “God I Hate Recruiters” based on a discussion he’d had with a friend on the cricket field. Yesterday Recruiter Daily posted an interview with a recruiter Ian Bellingham. He said he was amazed at the poor service he’d received from recruiters when he had been recently looking for a job.

It’s sad that this is news.

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What does it mean if you go into an agency for one job, and leave talking about another?

February 28, 2011

A few days ago I received an email from one of my readers. She went into an agency about one job and ended up discussing three jobs with three different consultants. She did not end up discussing the role that she applied for and wanted to know if the job actually existed. This scenario happens all the time. I can think of at least five reasons as to why:

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Why you should have a professional bio

February 26, 2011

Most job seekers will use two documents in their job search; their resume and cover letter. That’s a good start, but how about professional bio as well? They are no longer just for authors, musicians and politicians. Anyone that has an online presence across social media and blogging (which is just about everyone nowadays) can benefit from one. This article looks at what a bio is, where it is used and why you need to get one written up sooner rather than later.

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My Linkedin group needs to get a little noisy

February 25, 2011

Here’s a confession. I think my LinkedIn group is too quiet. It’s been sitting there statically for a few months now. I set it up for a few reasons. I wanted to figure out how these groups could benefit anyone looking for a job. I also wanted to generate discussions and answers that don’t just come from me. If you have a job search question, on anything at all, please join. Then feel free to post it in the group. I’ll take a crack at answering it, and if I can’t answer it, I’ll find someone who will.

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How a good recruitment consultant can make a big difference

February 21, 2011

Sometimes I think I am too hard on recruitment consultants on this blog. I don’t mean to be. I just want to see an industry that charges an enormous fee work in a better way that serves both candidate and client at what is a high pressure time in most people’s lives. I have written a few posts on why this doesn’t happen. But here’s an example of how a good recruitment consultant can make a difference in everyone’s lives.

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The Recruiting Animal Exposed…..

February 20, 2011

If you’re looking for a job or to better understand the world of recruiters, headhunters, career coaches and social media gurus, listen to the Recruiting Animal online on his radio show. He can be loud, sometimes cutting, but always insightful and very entertaining. In fact, at the risk of sounding like a shopkeeper as he describes below, he’s one of the most interesting people in the social media-sphere and keeps many people like me on their toes. I asked him to share a few insights from his time behind the microphone as the Recruiting Animal….

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Why I love Twitter!

February 16, 2011

If you ever want to know how to make Twitter work for you, from a job hunting or business development perspective, my biggest suggestion would be to hang out there for a while. I’ve always found Twitter fun. For me it’s been a place where it’s OK to drop into a conversation. It’s worked even better when it’s been a little light-hearted. Take Valentine’s Day for example. This time it was someone dropping in and poking gentle fun at me…..

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Does it matter when you submit your selection criteria?

February 14, 2011

Yesterday I received a question about whether your chances of being shortlisted improve if you are among the first people to submit your selection criteria. The answer is no. You will be shortlisted on the quality of your application, not when you submitted it. You just need to submit it before the deadline.

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Should you list your referees on your resume?

February 11, 2011

This question comes up a lot.

My short answer is no.

Read my longer answer on why…….

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Are recruitment consultants for real?

February 10, 2011

Scott Black is a construction recruiter in Sydney and the founder of Black & Co. I asked him to comment on my post about whether recruitment consultants will work hard for you if you’re registered with other agencies. He’s done more than that. He’s also answered some of the most common questions I’m asked from job seekers. My main take out of his comments is that you as a job seeker have to remember that you have power in the recruitment process. You have to “man up” to use a slightly sexist term ;-) You can choose who represents you. But enough from me, let’s put Scott under the spotlight…..

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Social Media Thanks to Social Media Women

February 8, 2011

Tonight, I was lucky enough to be able to present on how to write a killer LinkedIn profile for Social Media Women. SMW is a wonderful networking initiative from Catriona Pollard founder of CP Communications, a marketing and PR agency in Sydney, and Retail Strategist, Nancy Georges. They’ve brought together a diverse bunch of women, forging new territory in Sydney in social media. A big advantage of this group is that it provides a safe public forum for any questions you may have, where you get the benefit of a room full of brains.

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