One quick way to discover new opportunities is by doing structured search engine queries. And it’s fairly easy to do. The video above gives you a good overview of how to do it for yourself: Step #1 Develop a target list of companies you want to work for. That list of companies is your baseline query for your search. Now, here’s how you get the list. The video above is an example using Google.com in which the job hunter want sto work in advertising in New York City. {You just do what I'm doing BUT substitute your industry parameters.} 1. When you do targeted research, generally you concentrate on an industry or a geographic preference (in this case, New York City). Substitute your city for your search. 2. You need to find the names of all the advertising companies in New York. There are easy ways to do this using the Net. Go to Google. www.google.com and type the following words in the “advanced” option box in Google. The search string shown below instructs Google to search for a directory of advertising firms in New York or a conference on advertising held in New York. We want this list to... Continue reading

On the second day of Christmas - Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 revealed to me - "Two strategies to crack the hidden job market.." Click HERE for FREE DVD that gets you hired - “New Job Search Secrets" You know, most people put more time into writing down a shopping list for the grocery store than a list of employers they want to work for. Totally illogical, isn’t it? I mean, why be happy working just anywhere? Why not work for a company that excites you? Instead of blindly sending out résumés to companies you’ve never heard of before, it’s far better to first select potential employers that meet YOUR criteria and then contact them with an offer to help. Which is what you’re going to learn to do today. And one of the ways to do that is with Google. To get the best results focus all your time and effort on the companies you’ve identified as being the Tier 1 buyers of your product - you. Anything else is a waste of your time, energy and money. Target your campaign at those companies where you know you can help solve a problem. Nothing beats a direct approach... Continue reading

On the first day of Christmas - Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 revealed to me - "A Plan with Clarity..." Click HERE for FREE DVD that gets you hired - “New Job Search Secrets" The best advice you'll ever receive is start your job hunt with absolute clarity. All of the best job search advice in the world can be boiled down to three steps: decide what job you want; tell the right hiring authority about it; prove to them you’re the one to hire. Pretty simple summation of the facts. Create a plan that is clear and detailed in every way --- then give it some panache! If you want to get hired you have to get noticed. You have to raise your voice above the crowd to be heard. So when everyone else is doing more of the same - things that aren't working - you have to be more focused. Your job search needs to be focused and very clear. It must also be: Clever, Results driven, Marketing oriented, Inexpensive to execute, Realistic, and Achievable. Clever - That’s because the most qualified job hunter is rarely the one who gets hired. The positions[s] invariably go to... Continue reading

If you attend a church, mosque, temple or other house of worship, seek out the leader of your congregation for networking assistance. They’re a great resource for networking because: it’s their job to help you, they may know many leaders in your community by name and be only a phone call or two away from almost anyone else you want to meet; and the advice and suggestions of religious leaders carry special weight with many people in the community, so a recommendation from the head of your congregation can be especially valuable! It’s a good idea to ask the magic question of your religious leader: “Given my experience and the value I can offer an employer, who do you know that I should be talking to?” But you can take your networking a couple of steps further. For instance, ask your clergy leader to write you a letter of introduction. Ask them this question: “If a business leader walked into the room, would you have a problem introducing me based on what you know about me?” They’ll probably say that wouldn’t be a problem. So you can say: “Since I’m not a sales person – I’m a people person –... Continue reading

Despite the tight labor market, you CAN stand out from the crowd and get the job you really want. Consider Eugene, a software developer from Savage, MN. After getting serious about his job search, he found his ideal job -- at a higher salary than he expected -- in just over six weeks. Here’s what he did … “I saw a job posted on the Internet that I really wanted,” says Eugene. “Like most people, I thought I would just email my resume and wait. But that approach had not produced any callbacks for three months, so I decided to try something different.” Eugene picked up the phone and called the contact person listed in the job posting, after getting her phone number from the company switchboard. “I asked if I could hand-deliver my resume. She said ‘No,’ but I struck up a conversation and learned enough about the position to write a very targeted cover letter, which I emailed with my resume,” says Eugene. After that, Eugene made three follow-up calls, one week apart, to very politely ask if a decision had been made. Since he had already built a rapport with the hiring manager during his first call,... Continue reading

This example is near and dear to my heart – it’s how I landed a job with a marketing communications firm back in the 1990s, when I use to work for other people. After mailing in my resume, I was called by a receptionist to schedule an interview. During our conversation, I asked if she could send me back issues of their corporate publications. I explained that I wanted to research the writing styles of the magazines and newsletters I would be editing if I got the job. She immediately agreed, and had a nice package of materials couriered over to me the same day. It turned out to be a gold mine. I found three typos in one back issue of a magazine I would be proofreading in the position I was interviewing for. Here was proof I could do the job. Two days later at the interview, the subject of proofreading skills came up. I pulled out the magazine (with post-it notes marking the typos) and said: “I’ve been researching your publications and found these three errors. I can improve your image by preventing this kind of thing from happening again.” They hired me. Action Step: do whatever... Continue reading

If your network is smaller than you'd like, think of it as a yeast cell, with the power to expand from its tiny origin until it produces something wonderful. In this case, a new job! Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job. Call or e-mail every single person in your address book. Now, here's the magic question -- at the end of every conversation, ask: “Who else do you know that I should be talking to?” This is how you expand your network by leaps and bounds! If everyone you talk to gives you two more names, and those people give you two more names, your network will explode like crabgrass in July -- try it and see. Eventually, someone should be able to put you in touch with a decision maker who can hire you. Even former employers can help. If you parted on good terms with your last boss, he or she might be able to refer you to hiring managers in other companies. Action Step: Stop thinking that your network is only as large as the people you know. It’s not. It’s FAR bigger and more valuable. When you ask: “Who else do you... Continue reading

A funny thing happens when oil prices go up. Suddenly, headhunters come out of the woodwork in provinces such as Alberta. via business.financialpost.com Great article on recruiting. Continue reading

via www.businessinsider.com Look at the difference between looking for work and being found. very telling infographic. Continue reading

Job search expert James Adams, based in California, once advised an applicant to talk about her hobby as a private pilot when interviewing for a position at a utility company. Why? The job required a manager to oversee a plant delivering electricity to consumers across California. Making the wrong decision -- or no decision -- would put thousands of people in the dark. As a private pilot, this woman had safely landed a crippled aircraft not once, but twice. Had she not made the right decisions fast, while focusing on a solution, she wouldn't have survived. By proving her decision-making ability, which transferred easily from piloting to power plant management, she aced out dozens of other applicants -- and got the job. Action Step: I’ll say it again -- you are more qualified than you think. If you need confirmation of this, ask the opinion of at least 3 friends or family members whose judgment you trust. They can provide insights on how your hobbies, interests and experience (paid or unpaid) have given you a valuable set of skills. Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job... Continue reading

Why Use Blogging as a Job Search Tool? via asuccessfulcareer.wordpress.com Here are 3 great reasons to use blogging to help in your job search. Continue reading

Robbie Brawner Ouzts, Director of Career Services at Oglethorpe University, tells the story of a gung-ho job seeker who got hired after walking into a job interview meant for somebody else! “An administrative professional, we’ll call her, ‘Shirley,’ got so frustrated after sending out resumes with no response that she decided to call on companies in person.” At 10:00 one morning, she walked into the lobby of a local business. Unknown to her, the hiring manager was expecting another woman for a 10:00 job interview. “Shirley walked in and looked dressed for an interview, so the employer thought it was his 10:00 appointment. He started talking to her and thought she was wonderful,” says Ouzts. After 10 minutes, the hiring manager realized his mistake, but Shirley handed him her resume for review. The interview continued … and she got a job as an office manager. What about that candidate who was originally scheduled to interview at 10:00? “She never did show up,” says Ouzts. Action Step: Shirley’s stroke of good fortune seems pretty incredible, like winning the job lottery. But before you dismiss her tactic as something that could never happen to you, understand this critical point: Shirley created her... Continue reading

Great advice is great advice no matter where it comes from and no matter who it was originally intended for. Here's an article by one of my favorite business gurus - Perry Marshall - on coaching. Actually no, it's on learning and being open to being open to learn from the best even when people already think you're the best. the article is oh so very applicable to job hunters - especially all those stuck in the old ways of job hunting hunting and networking. When you're finished with the piece surf over to my web site and download our free audio CD on job hunting {Guerrilla Job Search Tips!} Read Perry Marshall's article for yourself and listen to his advice on how to improve your performance - it's so applicable to job hunters. MORE Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD. Continue reading

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – networking is how 70-80% of the best jobs are filled. But in today’s economy, don’t expect a plum position to fall in your lap. You must network smartly and more creatively. “Try calling on vendors and suppliers who know of companies that might be hiring. These include your local banker, CPA, lawyer and real estate agent. These people all have a great deal of knowledge,” says Bob Picha, founder of San-Diego-based Ideas At Work, a company dedicated to the release of human potential in individuals and organizations. When you call or meet networking contacts, ask for names of growing companies who could use someone with your experience. Ask for a contact person at the target employer(s), but avoid the HR department, since they often act as gatekeepers and may shun you. Action Step: Call people who may owe you a favor for past business you’ve done with them. This makes them more likely to assist by helping you find companies that are hiring. Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio... Continue reading

Here are 3 ways to locate job openings using free resources at your disposal. I interviewed Bob Picha, founder of San-Diego-based Ideas At Work, a company dedicated to the release of human potential in individuals and organizations. Based on 30 years of career-consulting experience, Bob’s insights are sure to surprise – and more importantly – help you find a job faster. Research is your first step in ferreting out job openings. And since almost everyone gets a daily newspaper, why not start there? But don’t spend a lot of time on the want ads, advises Picha. “I take an indirect approach in looking for companies that might be hiring. For example, I skimmed today’s Wall Street Journal and found these tidbits: “Toyota now wants 15% of global market share, which means they’ll be expanding worldwide and perhaps hiring locally; “China is buying $1.2 billion in telecom equipment from Lucent and Motorola, which points to both firms needing new personnel; “Earnings for Cendant rose 19%, so they may be hiring … “The list goes on,” says Picha. Two more ways to use the newspaper to uncover expanding businesses are: Monitor the business section for firms signing new commercial leases, a sure... Continue reading

One client, Rebecca, told me how she regretted not keeping detailed records in her job search. Reason? She got calls after submitting her resume to positions, but had forgotten all about what jobs and companies she had applied to! Needless to say, she didn’t get any interviews this way, and all her efforts in sending out resumes to those companies were wasted. Don’t let this happen to you. Action Step: Write down the following every time you send out a resume: title of job you applied for, company name, name of person addressed in cover letter, source of job lead, date resume and cover letter were sent, date of your intended follow-up, and any other notes that will help you talk intelligently should that company call you for an interview. You should also keep a copy of the classified ad or Internet job posting you applied to, if one is available. That way you’ll be able to discuss the job when you get called to interview. Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD. Continue reading

You already know that most of the best jobs are found through word of mouth, right? Co-workers, friends and acquaintances sharing information -- this is how 70-80% of all people get hired, according to many estimates. I’ve regularly written here about how networking can help you gain access to this “hidden” job market and meet decision makers who can hire you. But today I want to share a nifty twist on networking that worked during the last recession, and can give your job search a boost in this economy, too. This week’s job search tip, from Faith Rothberg, Vice President for Strategic Development at CollegeRecruiter.com (www.collegerecruiter.com), will help anyone who went to college. Kevin: “Let’s jump right in. What’s the networking ‘twist’ that worked so well for you and how can it help others find a job right now?” Faith: “In a nutshell, I called the career office at the University of Michigan, where I got my MBA, and asked them for a list of Business School alumni here in Minnesota that I could contact for advice on getting a job. I made some phone calls, did a few interviews and got hired by a prominent bank in Minneapolis. And... Continue reading