1. 45% of Employers Now Screen Social Media Profiles says Harris Interactive after surveying 2,667 HR professionals.  Frankly, we’re surprised it’s not higher given how easily and quickly these are indexed by Google.  Here’s some more:

According to the study, “thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.” The big lessons you can learn are quite obvious, but bear repeating. Provocative photos and info are a bad idea (53% of employers won’t hire you), shared content with booze and drugs is also highly dangerous (44% dismissed candidates for this reason), and bad-mouthing former employers is very risky behavior (35% reported this a the main reason they didn’t hire a candidate).

We also think it interesting that emoticons, those friendly smiley faces you see everywhere, are actually big no-nos in direct communication. 14% of surveyed employers disregard candidates for that single lapse in judgment alone.

2. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal  in August predict that the U.S. economy will lose an average of 27,000 jobs per month over the next twelve months, significantly better than the 70,000 average monthly losses they forecast for July.  Better than expected is good, right?

3. Julie Erickson shares some great Pre-Interview Suggestions:

• Remember to focus on what you provide of value to solve his problems - that’s what he is interested in. I always say ”employers care about your past only as it relates to their future, i.e. shows how you can help them achieve their goals.” So, when you tell stories about past projects, relate key learnings and skills to potential projects and clients at this firm.
• Breathe. Before and during the interview. Take your time answering questions. Have a conversation. Repeat the content of the question at the beginning of your answer. This does three things: demonstrates that you are listening to the person, reinforces that you are answering the question asked, and gives your mind time to organize your answer.
• If you are asked a tough question, you can use the above techniques, as well as saying “that’s a great question.” It flatters AND buys you time. Always strive for a “charge neutral” response, meaning no indication that you are uncomfortable with the question and its topic. Also, you can give a quick answer and then follow up with a question like, “I actually wondered about XYZ in relation to that. Is that an area your company is investigating?” The principle here is to turn the conversation quickly back to the employer.
• At the end of every answer, return to discussing the job at hand. You are always directing the conversation toward how interested in, qualified for, excited about, curious about, and committed to the job being discussed. Your past experience is evidence of how well prepared you are to add value and solve the employer’s problems.
• Anticipate questions and rehearse your answers prior to the interview. Think of an actor going into an audition. S/he prepares an audition piece as well as preparing mentally and emotionally. You are going into a similar situation. Common questions are “why are you interested in working for this company?” “Why do you think you can do this position?” “Tell me a difficult situation that came up and how you dealt with it.” “Why should we hire you?”
• Remember you are interviewing the employer. Your goal is to find your ”right fit” work - work where you feel useful, valued, and aligned with your talents and purpose in life. Develop your “Must Have List” as I discuss in other posts, and then assess the position and employer using those criteria. Come into any interview with your list of questions to see how well the job matches your must have list.

4. 8 Golden Rules to Getting a Job in a Bad Economy from Careerealism.com:

• Out with the old; in with the new: Make time and create room for new learning (this is increasingly necessary today)
• Think small as in new, start-up, entrepreneurial not large, mechanistic and bureaucratic
• “Let’s make a deal” wherever and whenever you can
• Think like a Consultant: Help businesses from the outside looking in (i.e. opportunities for project work with downsized companies)
• Get excited about competing; show a competitive drive (always grasping for the gold ring)
• When life gets tough, tough! Build a bridge and get over it
• Pay attention to the consequences of the economic downturn over the last couple of years and keep your eye on the future (watch affect on globalization, agriculture, R&D, Environment, etc.)
• Showcase your leadership qualities: Think like a leader not a manager

1. Julie Erickson shares the “must have list”:

This is a list of 5-6 aspects of a job or work that you MUST have. This is not “want to have.” This list is of the things that you must have in order for you to be satisfied and content in your work, the things that will make it possible for you to be excited to start the day when you wake up every morning.

So what’s the list?

1. Work you will do
2. Role you will play
3. Impact of your efforts
4. Physical environment
5. Colleagues, culture, emotional environment
6. Compensation

Check out her blog for the full explanations.

2. Keepie Careers says video resumes – more popular, but use with caution:

As candidates attempt to “stand out” in a tight job market, more and more applicants are turning to video. However, there are many concerns that are important to consider before directing “Resume You.”

• Recruiters and hiring managers don’t have time to review videos. You only get 8-10 seconds for a resume!
• Most companies use computer software to scan resumes and are not equipped to review video resumes.
• The obvious emphasis on the candidate’s appearance could lead to racial discrimination.
• The video could actually hurt a candidate who is not attractive.
• A non-professionally produced video could highlight negative qualities.

3. Andy Robinson at CareeRealism has advice on the rule of three (how to be unforgettable):

Research has shown that there is a rational behind the use of “three” in our societal story-telling — our brains tend to naturally think in threes.  Add one more element and the memory pattern tends to slip.  Why not take advantage of this human tendency when interacting with others?

Only thing to remember is that you can be unforgettable for a good reason or a bad one - so make sure you know what message you’re looking to get across.

• Networking Tip #3 – Recommend As You Would Like To Be Recommended
• How To Kickstart Your Job Search
• 15 best and worst cities for job seekers
• On FastCompany.com: Why I Love My Gen Y Assistant
• Overcoming the résumé gap
• 10 Ways to Make a Bad First Impression — and How to Recover
• Why Your Resume Gets Tossed
• How to Get Ready for a Surge in Replacement Hiring

• Did You Get My Resume? I Really Want This Job (Follow up after sending a resume)
• Q#283 - How Do I Network In an Unknown Language?
• The Four Biggest Challenges Facing New Grads (Part I)
• 4 Career Success Stories That Inspire
• Tips for applying to a job from Craigslist. (Older but still relevant)
• Being Real Will Get You The Job, Seriously
• Good Interview Tips
• Guide to Getting Hired Quickly

• 5 Career Assessment Tests to Help Determine the Right Path
• Q#328 – How Do I Shorten My Resume to One Page?
• Q#329 – Accidental E-mail Typos – What Do I Do?
• The Value of an Online Degree
• Interview tips: Answers to the tough questions Part 2-5
• How to avoid first-job burnout
• 6 Thriving Jobs That Are Here to Stay

• 5 Ways To Get A Job
• Survey Shows Disconnect Between Workers and Bosses
• How to Write a 30/60/90-Day Plan For Your Sales Job Interview
• Stand out in a crowd to improve job prospects
• How To Overcome The 2 Biggest Enemies In A Job Search (Time and yourself)
• 14 Things that Impact the Quality of Your Personal Brand
• See A Posting You Like? Apply ASAP!

• If A Job Description Is No Longer Relevant, What about A Job?
• Facebook for your job hunt?
• 6 Things Passion For Work IS NOT!
• How to Find a Job When You’ve Been Looking Forever
• Virtual Internships: A Growing Trend and Great Opportunity
• Interview tips: Answers to the tough questions Part 3-5
• 10 Sticky Job Interview Situations and How to Handle Them

• How to Answer Difficult Interview Questions
• How Much Time Should I Spend On Social Media?
• Job Posting Specifications: Are You Asking The Right Questions?
• Why Introverts Can Make The Best Leaders
• Could You Recover From These Personal Branding Nightmares?
• Does Work Have To Be A Pain?

Reblogged from bobpotter:

Here are two three ideas that A) you won’t find anywhere else and B) are based on the belief that:

Human resource managers have feelings too.

If consumers buy based on emotions and businesses buy based on emotion, wouldn’t HR folks act on emotion too?

Of course they do. Human Resource mangers are no less human than you or I. They are delighted by experiences like consumers are delighted by Apple’s beautiful products or Moo’s print products.

Creative Cover Letters
1. Write a creative cover letter that speaks to the company’s culture and demonstrates that you get “it”. Here is a cover letter I wrote to Apple and another to MailChimp. Both of them landed interviews.

Resumes that Command Attention
2. While all the other applicants are sending the same old machine readable resume that ends up in the paper shredder, send a resume that causes a human to actually read it.

What do you think would happen if you treated your resume like a wedding invitation?

Skip the “24 lb. watermarked and ivory colored paper” that every other job seeker is using and put together a resume with the same attention to detail, care, quality, and appearance of the wedding invitation to the right (with appropriate design of course).

UPDATE - Get them to RSVP
3. In your resume put a RSVP card in there instructing them to RSVP for an interview. Setup a form using Wufoo, link to it, collect their contact information, ask them what date/time they are available, and invite them to a coffee shop for an interview (your treat, of course).

If you execute either of these ideas, let me know the results.

(Reblogged from bobpotter - Image source via e.m.papers)