Finding a job in a recession is not easy. Even in good times, a successful job search requires time, patience, and creativity. These days, hiring managers and executives are choosier than ever and looking for reasons to screen people out, i.e., they are looking for reasons not to hire you. However, if you’re able to avoid the most common job search mistakes, you can still land your perfect job, even in this tough market.
“I never saw it coming.” That’s what many executives and managers say after they’ve lost their job. “How did it happen?”—“Well one day they called me into the front office and told me I didn’t want to work there anymore.” And now they’re just another statistic. One of the current 15.1 million people in the United States who are unemployed.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking.
Finding your perfect job is not easy—even in the best of times.
The bad news just keeps coming.
Executive recruiters are not in the business of finding opportunities for jobseekers. Instead, we partner with our client companies to find executive talent through research, outreach and our own highly developed networks. Creating and nurturing strong relationships with executive recruiters is key to a successful career. Here’s my take on how to befriend executive recruiters with these 3 simple steps:
“You’ve got very impressive credentials, and your experience is wide-ranging, but…” the hiring manager says: “We really think you’re overqualified.”
If you hear the words “over-qualified”, your job is to figure out what that something else is…, and overcome it just like you would any other objection.
One of the trends we’re seeing in the executive recruiting business is that more organizations are hiring older workers. While it is true that many older workers are getting the pink slip at some companies, there are other companies that are looking to put them back to work.
You have a solid LinkedIn profile set up (even with a photo you like). You have a base of connections that you continue to expand upon, but you may ask yourself the question: How do I use my LinkedIn presence to generate high quality contacts and leads for my business network?
Every human being thinks more about himself than anyone else. Dale Carnegie said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language....
