You can use it to gather business intelligence, improve your productivity, and remind recipients of your expertise.

Learn how to work smarter, not harder, during your job search.

1.  Researching with Email

Have you ever discovered you weren’t connected with someone on LinkedIn that you regularly communicate with? Or perhaps you received an email from someone and wondered where they work, what they look like, or what city they live in. Acquiring this type of business intelligence is available, and often without exiting your email program.

You can gather this information for each person you send emails to by searching the web and checking out their social network profiles. There are also free tools you can use to simplify the research. Rapportive is a Gmail plug-in that shows a photo, job title, city and social networks of the person you are emailing or have received an email from.

These types of tools pull publicly available information associated with an email account. Often, with one click, you can see if you are connected on LinkedIn, friends on Facebook, or following on Twitter. Connecting is as simple as clicking on the social network icon. (Remember to always personalize your invitation to connect message on LinkedIn.)

How to Use This Business Intelligence

A quick review of the information the “emailee” or “emailer” shares across social networks enables you to convert that data to forge closer relationships. Here are some ideas for the types of updates to keep a look out for:

• Birthdays/Celebrations
• Vacations
• Company news/announcements/job posting
• Events/conferences
• Shared articles
• Supported causes or organizations

You can use any of this information to help you personalize your messages. For example, if you notice they are attending a conference, you could wish them safe travels in your email. You can also expect that the person you are emailing will not be able to return your message as quickly as you had hoped and re-gauge your follow up timing. Perhaps they shared a helpful article on LinkedIn recently, you could tell them why you liked the article they shared in your email. Or you may notice they have personal issues to take care of or traveling which would help you understand why they haven’t responded to your last email.

2.  Improving Productivity and Follow Up

We’ve all had emails slip through the cracks. During your job hunt, managing the myriad of follow up tasks can sometimes be overwhelming. Establish a process or system for scheduling follow up emails for job applications, networking meetings, and interviews. This could be your calendaring system, a spread sheet or perhaps a free tool that resides inside your email such as Boomerang for Gmail. With Boomerang, you can write an email now and schedule it to send automatically in the future. It can even remind you if you don’t hear back!

3.  Leveraging Your Personal Email Signature

Many employers require you to use their company approved signature line in your emails. There’s good reason for this. Your email signature clearly conveys your role in the company and how to contact you. This helps with company branding and customer relations. During job search, you undoubtedly use your personal email to communicate with people. Create an email signature which clearly communicates your talent and reminds people what you are looking for. You should also include links to LinkedIn and other sites where someone can go to learn more about you.

Consider including these key elements:

• Your name
• Your profession or desired job title
• Your phone number
• Your LinkedIn profile URL (and other sites you are professionally active on)
• If you have a meaningful tagline or branding statement, include that too.

When you consider how many friends, family members and other acquaintances read your emails, it just makes sense to include this valuable information in every email you send out. You never know who may see it. For additional tips on creating a well-branded personal email signature, you should read Meg Guiseppi’s post “Personal Branding with Your Email Signature.”

Do you ever feel stuck when trying to end an email? Use these example closing lines and sign-offs for your next professional email.

The Bottom Line

Communication through email is a major component of job search. Technology and social networks can improve your efficiency if you choose to tap into them. Learn how to navigate the new resources available and improve how you manage your job search.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How to Improve Your Job Search with 3 Email Techniques appeared first on Job-Hunt.

With so many competing priorities, spending extra time looking for the specific resume you sent or trying to recall which day you emailed a specific recruiter can be defeating.

Instead, set up a system to track these from the very beginning of your search. Doing so will help you stay focused and develop organizational and time management habits along the way.

Simple Steps to Organize and Track Your Job Search

Getting organized might be the key to a quick and successful job search. But even if you’re already deep in your job search, it’s never too late to lower your anxiety and embrace a streamlined routine.

Use the following strategies to create a better job search journey.

1. Organize Your Files

If you haven’t already, create a system of folders to keep track of the resumes you send out. One way to do this is to start with main folders, each labeled with the company name and subfolders for each job you apply to within that company.

In each job folder, include your resume, cover letter and copy and paste the job posting into a Word document for future reference. The online link might expire, so having a copy to reference is essential for follow up and interview prep.

2. Create a File Naming Standard

Each time you submit a resume for a job posting, you will have to make modifications based on the requirements of the job.

So, when you save a new version of your resume, name it using this naming convention [first name last name job title.doc]. Then, you make it as easy as possible for the person who receives your emailed resume to save it to their computer without having to rename it.

This name, which includes the job title, also makes it easier for you to keep track of the different versions of your resume on your computer.

On the other hand, if you name your emailed resume using this format [resume.doc], you create more work for the recipient, making it incredibly difficult for the recipient to search for your resume by name in their inbox.

3. Track Referrals

Hopefully you have embraced networking as a major job search strategy. You’ll want to keep track of who referred you to whom so you can send a thank you note for the introduction and a status update after you and the referral meet.

It’s an excellent way to say “thank you.” It demonstrates your extraordinary professionalism, and builds the foundation for a strong network beyond your job search.

4. Follow Up and Follow Through

You’ve undoubtedly been applying for jobs. Remember, it is your responsibility to follow up to see where the company is in the applicant review process.

Whether you use a calendaring system or spreadsheet, set reminders for 1 week and every 30 days. You may need to modify these timeframes based on the feedback you get when you speak to the company hiring authority. Continue to follow-up until there is closure.

Your follow through after receiving a referral or contact name is also important. If you are told to contact someone, put it on your calendar, and it is more likely to get done.

5. Reach Out Every Week

Anyone with a background in sales knows it can take longer than you want to set up a meeting with someone. You won’t always be able to schedule a meeting the same week you contact someone.

It is important that you build a pipeline of meetings lined-up each week. This can only happen if you set time aside every week to reach out to people whom you want to meet. Use the referral names you acquire and your list of target companies to create your weekly plan for proactively contacting people you should know.

LinkedIn is also an excellent way to stay connected and gain momentum in your job search. Add 30 minutes of LinkedIn activity to your calendar every week. Check it daily, and scour the updates from your network.

Leave a comment when someone shares a great article, congratulate someone when they announce a new job title, or use the new endorsements feature to give a colleague a pat on the back!

Getting Your Job Search Organized

When you have a system to organize all the elements of your job search, important action items are less likely to fall through the cracks. You also feel like you are driving your search and maximizing your time effectively.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How to Organize and Track Your Job Search appeared first on Job-Hunt.

How is job search like dating?

When you were dating, did you ever meet someone who caught your interest? Did someone sweep you off your feet even though you may not have been looking? How did they do it? Did they complement you? Did they find common interests? Were they persistent in their pursuit of you? Were they attentive?

These are some of the same activities successful job seekers put into play.

Here are 15 of the basic rules of dating and how they apply to job search:

1. Be realistic.

Know what you are looking for. And remember, it isn’t always about the money.

2. Be desirable; not desperate.

Don’t talk about a job too early in the process of networking, that is like talking about what you want to name your children on the first date.

3. Make dating a priority.

Dating equals networking. Commit to going out regularly. You generally have to meet a lot of people before you find the right fit for a relationship.

4. Don’t talk about your “ex.”

Don’t bad mouth past employers or people, ever.

5. Crazies needn’t apply.

You need to be emotionally healthy. Be careful what you confess on your first date/meeting/interview.

6. Be on your best behavior.

Pick up an etiquette handbook if you are unsure of what constitutes good manners. Another reminder: turn your cell phone off before the date/meeting/interview.

7. Similarity breeds success.

Is there a similarity in core values? What interests do you share?

8. Play hard to get.

Show interest but do not be too available or easy (desperate).

9. Don’t be a “chatty Cathy.”

Know when to keep your mouth closed and listen. The two-ears-one-mouth-for-a-reason rule applies.

10. Put on your best face

Be nice so people will like you.

11. Be polite.

Don’t over-power. Male or female, you are a guest, show manners.

12. Look beyond appearances.

Look deeper than the surface. Are they putting on their “dating best behavior”?

13. Watch out for that “ole black magic…”

Pay attention to your gut instinct, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

14. Hold out …

If you are offered a job, don’t accept it on the spot!

15. Go with the flow.

Be willing to compromise. Be flexible!

The Bottom Line

In order for someone – anyone – to want to network with you or hire you, they have to believe there is something in it for them. Some people are nice and want to help. Perhaps they are empathetic; however, this isn’t always the case. You have to give them a reason. Why you? Why are you the best date they are going to have all month?

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How Dating “Rules” Apply to Your Job Search appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Conducting research in advance will provide you with information that will make the “hike” easier, more focused, and more successful.

It will also allow you to present yourself more convincingly as a potential solution.

Having the right job titles will also help you determine the appropriate job titles to include in your LinkedIn Profile and other online visibility. Job titles are very important keywords for recruiters to use to find job candidates.

Job titles are not consistent. Companies call similar job functions different things.

And job titles change by industry, company, and location. For example, is your marketing job called “Marketing Specialist,” “Inbound Marketing Specialist,” “Content Marketing Specialist,” “Marketing Ninja,” or something else? Which are used by your target employers? In your target location?

What is my job title?

Job titles often change over time and you might be asking “What is my professional job title?” For example, if you are a programmer, is your job in “MIS” or “IT”?

Job titles can be frustrating and limiting when you are looking for a new job. You want options. You want to be able to evaluate opportunities that are close to what you are looking for.

Even among the same job titles, you will find differing job responsibilities.

Starting broadly at the beginning will help. You do not want to miss any opportunities because you were not looking for them. You are increasing the range on your radar. Do not make assumptions that may limit your opportunities. Instead, do your investigative research to determine which will be the best fit.

There are two ways in which you can begin doing some research on job titles, and both are equally important: online research and networking.

1. Researching Job Titles and Functions Online

You knew what your past employers called your job. However, that may or may not be the same for other organizations.

If you have target employers (smart!), check out their job postings to learn the job titles they use for the job you want.

If you plan on staying in the same line of work or following a similar path, here are some resources to help you uncover job titles. The idea behind using these tools is to map out the possibilities:

Job Postings

On your favorite job board, like giant job board Indeed.com, enter your desired job title (as you know it).

Do NOT add any geographic preference or employer names, yet…

Then, see what comes up (Hint: look beyond the first page of search results):

• Do you see any new titles?
• Are you seeing anything different?
• Does one of your target employers use a job title different than others?

If so, go take a look at what the descriptions say.

Find the “view similar jobs” option, and investigate jobs that look interesting. Again, see if you come across different job titles and look at the descriptions.

Each board is a bit different in how they show related or similar job titles. Sites such as Indeed.com pull job postings from multiple job boards, employer websites, and more.

You are not eliminating options during this process; you are opening up options. Do not be too quick in your decision/judgment.

[Read Choosing and Using Your Best Keywords for more details.]

LinkedIn

You can search jobs posted on LinkedIn and find similar jobs as well. If you select a job posting and scroll to the bottom of the page you will notice two valuable categories: “People who have viewed this job also viewed” and “search more jobs.” Both of these might be helpful in gathering additional job titles.

Do not forget to do a job title search of members. Check out the variety of professional titles that you find. Hopefully, you will find sufficient information about what each person does to learn if the job title is relevant and appropriate.

ONet

ONet is an occupational database created for the Department of Labor. There are many aspects to this database, but for now, enter your desired job title into the field labeled “Occupation Search.” It will display, rated by relevance, related occupations. Click on the most relevant and look at what is displayed for “sample reported job titles.” Add these to your list.

Now scroll to the top of the page, and click on “Find Occupations.” Check out the options by skill, tools and technology, interests, and more. See if any of these are close enough to add to your list.

If you are thinking it might be time for a career change and you are looking for a career somewhat similar to what you used to do, you may find this online resource very helpful.

MySkillsMyFuture

This very simple tool, MySkillsMyFuture, also from the U.S. Department of Labor, can help get you thinking of other careers. All you need to do is enter your current or past job title, and click on the “find my career matches” button. It will find closely-related careers. Once you have found a career that is of interest, you can compare skills, see posted jobs, find businesses, and see salary ranges.

2. Networking: Saving the Best for Last

Now, compile all these job titles in one place.

Test these job titles with people in your industry and your target employers. This will make great networking conversation for those who are in a similar field.

Also, be sure to ask them what other job titles they have heard being used for the job you want, and the employers using those job titles.

If you find someone who seems to have the job you want, as they describe it, ask them their job title and other job titles, perhaps at other employers, which they have seen used for the same job. (Hint: Informational interviews can be very helpful for this and other research!)

The Bottom Line for Job Title Search

Whether you are looking for a very different job opportunity or are staying on the same track, an early part of your job search should include identifying potential and related job titles. This research will help you understand what other information you will need to gather during your search. It will also give you a better sense of what is going on in the marketplace. You will feel and look more knowledgeable. You will waste less time down the road investigating alternative job titles, and you will be more organized and efficient as you look for the right new opportunities.

More About Successful Job Search

• 3 Key Elements Required for a Successful Job Search
• Building Your Best Pitch, Resume Summary, and LinkedIn About
• 5 Ways to Land Your New Job Faster
• Build Your Personal SEO: The 25 Best Keywords for You in Your Job Search
• Email Informational Interview Requests (with Samples)
• LinkedIn Job Search Guide Home
• Guide to Being Found on LinkedIn (LinkedIn SEO)
• Guide to Personal Branding with LinkedIn

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post For Job Search Success, Identify the Right Job Titles for Your Next Job appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Following up after someone has helped you will create a positive, memorable impression of you.

Being told to consistently follow up may seem obvious, but when you are juggling multiple things, these details can easily be overlooked.

5 Situations Where You Can Take Control

Here are instances for you to take ownership of your part of the process. You can have control, power and influence in these situations, that is, as long as you don’t miss the opportunities.

1.  Some One Gives You a Name

During the course of your job search, people will be giving you names of people to speak with, at least they should be if you are asking for contact names.

Don’t just take the name and run. Remember, you’ll have to track this for follow up so be sure to get the information mentioned in How to Stand Out with Follow Up: The System.

• Be sure to ask how they know the person they are referring you to. You’ll need this information as you reach out and make contact.
• Send the person who gave you the name an immediate “thank you” note or email.
• Reach out to the person immediately (within 24 hours)!
• If you are successful in making contact, let the person who gave you the name know and thank them again!
• If you’ve tried repeatedly to make contact and there has been no response, go back to the person who provided you with the contact and let them know what you’ve done and ask for their suggestions. You will be surprised what they might say or do. You may find out the contact is on vacation or swamped on a project. Your contact may offer to pick up the phone and give them a nudge. Ask and see what happens.

2.  Some One Gives You a Job Lead

A job lead is one of the most desirable outcomes of networking. Be sure to find out everything you can about the job, how the person knows about the job lead, who they may know at the hiring company and anything they may know about the company.

• Send the person who gave you the lead a “thank you” note or email within 24 hours.
• Conduct additional research on the company.
• When you apply, make sure you mention the person who referred you in your cover letter.
• Close your cover letter with a sentence that states when and how you will follow up.
• Be persistent and professional at all points during your follow up.

3.  You See or Hear of a Job

Before you apply for any job, reach out to your network to see if anyone works at the company. Most companies have “employee referral bonuses” and referred applicants tend to rise to the top of the contact pile.

If you are on LinkedIn, you can search for the company and see if you have any connections who can refer you either for the job or to someone they know who works there.

4.  You Apply for a Job

When you find an appropriate and interesting job posting you are qualified for, follow the submission/application instructions. If the ad says, “no calls please”, then they mean it. If they don’t specify, plan to follow up on your job application and state in your cover letter when and how you will be following up.

• If you don’t hear anything after your first attempt, include in your message (verbal or written) when you plan to follow up next if, by chance, you don’t hear from them. Usually a week is recommended, but use your best judgment.
• Always follow up as you promised.
• You may want to vary your method of communicating. If your first attempt was via email, try picking up the phone or vice versa.
• If you are lucky enough to reach someone, ask what their timeframe is and when they would like you to follow up.

5.  You Interview for a Job

During the interview, be sure to ask these two questions:

• What are the next steps in the process?
• When should I follow up with you?

With the information above, you now know and have permission to follow up. If or when you don’t hear from the company within the designated timeframe, you can feel confident contacting them.

Send a “thank you” letter immediately after the interview to each person you interviewed with. Make it unique to each person and make it memorable.

Even if you don’t get the job or an invitation to come back for a second interview you should still thank the company for their time and interest. You never know what may happen- they may have a new opportunity they think you might fit into, or their first choice applicant may not work out.

Bottom Line:

The process of job search has many steps and being polite, resourceful, and acting with integrity can set you apart. Companies want to hire people who can do the job and whom they can trust and like. Your ability to follow up helps convey you are the type of person they would want to hire. Most importantly, it provides you with a sense of control during a time when most things seem out of your control.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How to Follow Up Effectively: How You Can Take Some Control appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Often a new calendar year brings a new budget, and proactive hiring managers start scoping out candidates during the holiday season.

Here is advice to help plan this month.

1. Step Away From The Job Boards

If you have been glued to the job boards, searching and sifting through hundreds of postings and submitting application after application, it’s time to do something different.

You may notice a declining number of job postings over the holidays. Save yourself the disappointment and begin to diversify the range of job search activities, and de-emphasize time spent on the job boards now.

2. Mark Your Calendar

Your personal calendar may have already begun filling with activities and events. Concerts, fundraisers, and a slew of other announcements and invitations will begin hitting your inbox. In case you aren’t on the distribution list, pick up the local newspaper and evaluate the upcoming events in your community.

Put as many of them as you can on your calendar. Better yet, contact the host and ask if they need volunteers.

Also note who sponsors the event. Take some time to research what the companies do and check out their company career page on the website. Investigate whether they have any opportunities that look like a fit.

3. Use The Buddy System

If you despise attending events, never fear. One tip many introverts recommend is rallying a friend to attend events with you. Encourage them to count on you to be their primary contact for attending events with them as well.

When you have someone to attend these things with you are less likely to back out, and, you’ll have someone to talk with. Just be sure you both agree to mingle and meet new people.

Having an accountability partner in search is one of the greatest investments you’ll make in your search.

4. Create Dossiers

Invest time researching and collecting information about hiring managers or even people you would like to meet at key companies for whom you would like to work.

A dossier is a collection of documents about a particular person, and LinkedIn is one of the best tools to acquire the information for dossiers on these people you want to meet.

The vital stats can include:

• Resume or work history
• Schools attended
• Social media accounts to follow
• Affiliations with professional associations
• Volunteer organizations they support
• Personal interests or hobbies
• Photos
• Articles written or mentioned in
• Contact information
• Children or family information

Armed with this information, you can then find common interests or data; perhaps you attended the same college, belong to the same professional organization, or know someone they used to work with.

Your next step is to reach out to ask this person for an informational meeting. Leverage your common connections, both people and interests, to help grease the wheels and obtain the meeting.

5. Invest in Professional Development

One more way to maximize your time before your next job is to invest in learning something new. Maybe you’ve found you aren’t up to date on software or you need to amp up your level of proficiency in a certain area.

Check your community college calendar for courses. You may be eligible for financial assistance, so be sure to ask the institution about training grants or assistance for the unemployed.

MOOCs, massive open online courses, may provide another opportunity for low- to no-cost training and education. Some of the top universities have banded together to offer their courses online on these MOOC sites:

• Coursera.org
• Udacity
• EdX

Job Search Is a Learned Skill!

Read Job-Hunt’s free Guides to… nearly 100 job search topics, from Guide to Successful Interviews, Guide to Effective Resumes, and Guide to Working with Recruiters to Guide to Job Search Networking and Guide to LinkedIn for Job Search. Find links to all of Job-Hunt’s Guides in the Guide to Online Job Search

The Bottom Line

Reassign the time you invest in job search activities by giving higher priority to networking, research and professional development. Weaning yourself off the boards and replacing that habit with different job search activities is likely to change your perspective, attitude, and results.

More Articles About Holiday Job Search:

• Holiday Hope: How to Leverage the Holidays for Your Job Search
• 5 Ways to Advance Your Job Search During the Holidays
• Holiday Party Your Way to a New Job
• Are Recruiters on YOUR Holiday Card List?
• Surviving Holiday Parties: Networking for Introverts
• Building Your Personal Brand During the Holidays
• Holiday Networking Like a Pro
• New Job for the New Year
• How to Find a Seasonal Job

More Holiday Job Search Tips

Check out our $0.99 Kindle book, New Year, New Job! Or grab the FREE PDF version. This ebook contains 100+ tips from Job-Hunt’s Experts, networking and job search tips that will help you all year around, and you don’t need a Kindle to read it.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post 5 Ways to Advance Your Job Search During the Holidays appeared first on Job-Hunt.

The reality is this: securing your next job will take you longer than you want or expect. This post is about learning how to take control of your job search by tracking your activities.

Hours Speak

The Wall Street Journal published the results of a study showing how job seekers are spending their time. As you can see, below, the majority of time was spent reactively looking at job ads and sending out resumes and applications.

To have an effective job search, you will want to be proactive in your approach and spend more of your time contacting friends and relatives and networking with potential employers.

Start Tracking Your Hours and Activities

Make it easy to track your hours. Keep a log with your job search folder. Use the categories below to understand where you are spending your time. Start keeping track so you can increase or decrease activities based on their results.

Additionally, setting weekly goals will help drive you in the right direction.

Perhaps you will make one more call or attend that one meeting that will net you a great connection. Keep track of the number of hours spent in these activities each week and the number of units. For example: you spent 20 hours applying for jobs on-line, and you sent out 20 applications.

Activities

• Networking in person: one on one and groups
• On-line Networking (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook)
• Contact with recruiters/search firms
• Directly contacting employers
• Volunteering
• Professional development (workshops, reading, professional associations)
• Research & Administration (resume and cover letter writing, marketing plan update, other administrative tasks)
• On-line job postings

Interviews

There are phone screening interviews, first interviews and second interviews. You should see a conversion here. If you are getting first interviews – but not second interviews – that probably means you will need to work on your interviewing skills.

• Phone screen
• First Interview
• Second Interview

Assess Your Progress Weekly

You may be thinking that tracking this stuff is a waste of time. My belief is that it is critically important to track this information. How can you improve what you are doing or change what you are doing if you can’t tell exactly what you are doing?

Surveys and statistics prove that networking (in person and on-line) ultimately generates better results. Your goal should be to spend more time in these areas.

Weekly, are you asking yourself these questions?

• Looking back over the past week, what do you feel you’ve accomplished?
• Where do you feel you fell short?
• What will you do to fix or change this?
• What are your goals for next week?
• How will you accomplish them?
• Is there an issue or problem you need advice on?

The Bottom Line

From my experience working with job seekers, it is going to take hundreds of hours, networking contacts, and 100% of your commitment to make your next job happen. Yes, employers are taking longer to make their hiring decisions. Factor that in. Know that your job search will take longer than you want and be prepared for the long haul. While there are certain metrics that are more successful than others, job search is individual. You may have success in one area and not another. By tracking your time and activities, you will have a much better sense of how to modify your search for better results.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How to Get Your Job Search On-Track for Success appeared first on Job-Hunt.

The number one source of external hiring is referrals.

However, there was a significant increase in the percent of new hires categorized as direct source- almost as many as job board hires. So what can you do to improve your odds of being sourced?

Best Option: Be a Referred Candidate

If you want to increase your odds of landing an interview, find a company insider to refer you. Referred candidates account for almost 20 percent of external hires according to CareerXroads.

Before you submit your online application, do everything humanly possible to find someone who works inside the company.

• Have you reached out to everyone you know?
• Have you searched LinkedIn for 2nd level connections?
• Have you used Twitter’s advanced search or searched Facebook?

You can learn more about how to be a referred candidate in this article, Shortcut to a New Job: Tap an Insider.

Next Best Option: When You Can’t Be Referred, Be Sourced

Over 12 percent of external hires were identified as directly sourced, up from 6.8 percent last year.

New hires who were categorized as direct sourced didn’t come from job boards, the company career site, recruiters or any other category. They were discovered.

Sourcers are similar to recruiters. However, they typically don’t take candidates through the interview process. The main function of a sourcer is to identify potential candidates. Sourcers use industry connections, on-line search, or both to identify the desired talent for a specific job opening.

Sixty percent of companies surveyed by CareerXroads said they had dedicated sourcers on staff. And signs point to an increase in internal sourcing based on comments at the end of the survey.

Companies stated they plan to increase sourcing staff or move the function in-house. Direct sourcing doesn’t seem to be a trend that is going to end soon.

Increase Your Possibilities

Here are 5 things you can do to increase your chances of being sourced for the right job:

1. Spiff Up Your LinkedIn Profile

Almost 95 percent of companies participating in the CareerXroads survey said LinkedIn is a significant or critical component for their recruiters and sourcers. Make sure you have maximized your presence on LinkedIn.

Every applicable section of your LinkedIn profile should be completed. Be sure to include keywords, industry terminology and relevant technology.

Use the keywords in your summary, within the appropriate job experience and within the skills and expertise section. Your headlines should state more about you than just your current job title. Be sure you include keywords or skills sourcers would be searching for and describe what you want to do next.

For more help in understanding how recruiters “source” using LinkedIn and what to do, read LinkedIn SEO: How to Be Found More Easily on LinkedIn and Choosing the Best Keywords for Your LinkedIn Profile.

2. Gain Industry Recognition

You already understand how important it is to be viewed as a credible professional. But it isn’t enough for your boss and your company to know what you’ve done. You’re reputation needs greater exposure and reach.

When you write or speak on a specific topic, it helps you establish credibility.

Participating in discussions within LinkedIn groups or other online forums is another way to build awareness of your knowledge, skills and expertise.

The promotion for your presentation and the articles you write for industry blogs or newsletters generates search engine results for your name.

Also consider writing on LinkedIn Publisher on topics you are knowledgeable on. Not only are you demonstrating what you know, you’re also improving your online reputation and personal brand. And most importantly, you are making it easier for sourcers to discover you.

3. Be More Social

Social networks were not considered a source of hire by CareerXroads. However, they do serve as a feeder or distribution method for opportunities.

If you have been putting it off, now is the time to become more active in professional associations or volunteering, and branch out onto social networks.

These activities will put you in contact with new connections, increasing your network beyond your current employer.

Think beyond job postings, because companies are creating talent communities. By creating groups and forums on social networks, recruiters and sourcers can more easily identify candidates who are already interested in their company.

4. Establish Relationships with Recruiters

Some third-party recruiters are generalists and others are specialists. Begin searching for recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise.

Reach out to recruiters and get on their radar for future opportunities. You can use LinkedIn’s advanced search function or search online. Review the types of jobs they have available to make sure they are actively recruiting in your specialty.

Once you have contacted a recruiter, stay in touch, and be sure you connect with them on LinkedIn in order to increase the chances of showing up in their search results.

5. Build a Personal Website

Treat your personal website like an online portfolio and include samples of work, photos of events you’ve participated in, and other visuals to help convey your talent.

Include your resume too. What good is your resume if it resides on your desktop? (Add your resume to your LinkedIn Profile, too!)

Building a website isn’t as hard as you may think. The technology has become quite user-friendly over the past few years and doesn’t require previous experience. You can set up a free blog on Blogger.com (BlogSpot.com), WordPress.com, Tumblr, Weebly, or other platform. This is a more passive approach. However, if you include keywords and industry terms on your website, it is just one more opportunity for a sourcer to find you.

If setting up your own blog is too challenging, write and publish articles relevant to your profession on LinkedIn Pulse. LinkedIn will automatically connect your articles to your LinkedIn Profile so that any recruiter who finds your articles will find your LinkedIn Profile. Of course, anyone finding your profile, will find links to your LinkedIn Pulse posts.

Read Publishing on LinkedIn: Gain Both Visibility and Credibility for more details.

The Bottom Line

Getting found by inside or third-party recruiters isn’t the only job search tactic, but with direct sourcing on the rise, you don’t want to miss out on opportunities because you can’t be found.

More About Keywords and Being Found:

• The Top 25 Keywords for Your Job Search
• Double (or Triple) Your LinkedIn Visitor Traffic with Keywords
• Linkedin SEO: How to Be Found by Recruiters on LinkedIn
• Choosing the Best Keywords for Your LinkedIn Profile
• Publishing on LinkedIn: Gain Both Visibility and Credibility

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post Get “Sourced” to Get Hired appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Your ability to follow up shows organizational skills, integrity, and – most of all – interest.

You will find multiple opportunities during your job search trek to demonstrate these skills and qualities!

Put a System In Place

First things first. Now is the perfect time to put a system for tracking in place for when and who you should be following up with! It could be an Excel spreadsheet, a software program, or it might be a calendaring system (paper or electronic). That is up to you. As you create your system, consider starting off by minimally capturing this data:

• Name, company name, phone and email of the person to contact.
• Name, phone and email of the person referring you.
• How and what the referring person said about a job lead or contact they are providing.
• “Take Action” date.
• Action method (phone, email, other).
• Date of last action.

We’ll talk about how to use this later in this post.

Eliminate Guessing

You don’t want to seem like a pest but you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity either, so when do you follow-up?

The answer depends. You can take the guesswork out of the equation by taking control. In your message or during your conversation, state when you will be following up. If the issue is urgent (such as you have an upcoming interview and you want to ask a current employee questions before the interview), let them know what your deadline is and that you will be following up within a day.

During the interview, always ask the interviewer when you should follow up. This will eliminate one of the most commonly asked questions people have – “when should I follow up after an interview?” If you ask the interviewer during the interview, you won’t be wondering later.

Be Politely and Patiently Persistent

People have good intentions, however, sometimes they just don’t do things with the same sense of urgency you might. Let them know you will be following-up within a timeframe just in case they get sidetracked or perhaps even forget to do what they said they would do for you.

Don’t give up! As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If someone has given you permission to follow up, you are within your rights to systematically and politely do so.

Turning Gray Into Black and White

It is difficult to give specific recommendations for follow up, but for the sake of those who want some specific guidelines, these generally work:

Tracking Back

Providing thanks or following-up to remind someone of their commitment is your responsibility. When someone gives you a referral of any kind, let them know what the outcome was, or – at the very least – let them know that you’ve done what they’ve suggested. Providing this feedback makes them feel good and makes them much more likely to help you (and others) in the future.

The Bottom Line:

Having a system, learning the rules, and understanding your role are critical first steps to your success in navigating the terrain of today’s job search. Stay tuned for the next post with tips on how to follow-up on job leads, interviews, and networking meeting requests.

For more tips on how to follow up, read How to Follow Up: Tips about the Process.

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post How to Stand Out in Your Job Search with Your Follow Up: The System appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Companies agree, employee referrals are the go-to source for hiring.

This is not a new fad.

Companies have always used employee referrals, formally or informally, to fill positions.

The logic is simple, if you are a good employee, chances are good that you have friends who would make good employees.

In this NY Times article, Mr. Nash of Ernst & Young reports “Our analysis shows referred hires perform better, stay longer and are quicker to integrate into our teams.” And it is also important to note that referrals cost less to find because there are no expensive ads or recruiters required.

#1 Source of External Hires

CareerXroads Sources of Hire study reports that the greatest number of external hires (vs. promotions and transfers of existing employees, also known as “internal hires”) came from employee referrals. Twenty-four and a half percent of external hires (people who were not already employees) were the result of employee referrals.

In a study by iCIMS, more than 75% of employers have an employee referral programs because those employees are the most successful:

• 60% of employers surveyed described referred candidates as better fits for the company

Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and other companies, currently report close to 50 percent of their external hiring comes from employee referrals.

While employers favor this method of hiring, less than half of job candidates look for referrals although a referral clearly and dramatically increases the probability of being hired.

How to Improve Your Odds

Your chances of fast-tracking through the company’s recruitment system may be greater if you get a company insider to refer you.

One company cited in the NY Times article said that referred employees are 10 times more likely to be hired than other applicants.

Plus, employees may be eligible for rewards such as money or an iPad or a $1,000 (or more) bonus for referring you. This provides employees with a greater incentive to refer candidates. But, research has shown that most people make the referral to help the person and their employer.

According to the CareerXroads study, it takes 10 referrals to get one hire versus 72 applicants from other sources to get one hire. So, if you were an employer, where would you invest your time and effort?

Build Your List

If you are thinking you do not know anyone inside companies you want to work for, think again.

  Leave No Stone Unturned  

You likely have connections that you are unaware of:

1. Start by creating a list of all your closest friends and family members.
2. Next, list the companies each contact works for. Are any of those employers on your target employer list? If not, should they be?
3. Do you know where their family members work? (These are sources of referrals too.)

Need more options? Add more names to your list of people: not-so-close friends and acquaintances, like current and former neighbors, people you have worked with in the past, people you attended school with, parents of your kids’ friends, etc. If you don’t know where they work now, look for their LinkedIn profile.

  Leverage Social Media to Find the Connections  

If you are using LinkedIn, it is easier to collect this information, assuming you are connected to all your friends on LinkedIn.

• Search your connections, using the “Current company” filter to find any of your connections who currently work for your target employers. The “Past company” filter can be a useful search, too, if no one currently works for a target company
• Check out LinkedIn Company pages to learn more about your target employers, including information about employees like their fields and their education.
• In Facebook, you can search the “People” section of Facebook to find people who work for your target employers (use “Friends of Friends” for the widest search), as long as they have included this information in their profile.

If you are not using social networks or your networks do not include all your friends, map this out on paper. And don’t forget to use other tools and apps to find connections when you apply for jobs.

  Ask Good Questions  

When you have found a friend who works for a target employer, reach out to learn as much as you can:

• Do they like their job and the employer? What is best? What is worst? Any worries about the future?
• Do they think the employer would be a good fit for you?
• Is there a part of the company that should be avoided? And a part that they highly recommend?
• Do they think you would be successful working for this employer?
• Which jobs do they think would be the best fits for you?
• Does the employer have an employee referral program? How does it work?
• Are any jobs open that would be appropriate for you?
• Would they feel comfortable referring you?

Use this personal connection to confirm that you would likely be happy working for this employer, and to learn how to successfully leverage the employer’s employee referral program.

For more ideas about how to invite someone to talk with you (including sample messages), read Email Requests for Informational Interviews. For questions to ask in these discussions, read 70+ Questions to Ask in Informational Interviews.

The Bottom Line

Strengthen your network, and stay in touch with friends, family, and past colleagues. Due to advancements in technology and the growing use of social networks, this has become easier to do, and more employers are finding their great hires through referrals.

More About Employee Referrals

• How Employee Referral Programs Work (with sample messages)
• Get Sourced to Get Hired
• Sample Thank You Note for a Referral
• Email Requests for Informational Interviews
• 70+ Questions to Ask in Informational Interviews

About the author…

Hannah Morgan, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert, maximizes her own personal branding and online visibility using social media platforms. She is a job search strategist and founder of CareerSherpa.net. Selected by LinkedIn as a “Top Voice for Job Search and Careers,” follow Hannah on LinkedIn. Also, follow and connect with Hannah on Twitter (@careersherpa) and Facebook (Career Sherpa). To read more articles on how to use social media for job search, visit her site: Careersherpa.net.
More about this author…

The post Shortcut to a New Job: Tap an Insider appeared first on Job-Hunt.