Networking & Resume Tips:

A career used to be a “profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling” (Merriam Websters Dictionary Online). For increasing numbers, however, there is no permanent calling. Many people change fields many times, or combine different professions in the search for the perfect job.

Why should my job search go beyond classified ads, online job boards and agencies?

Roughly 15-25% of all job hunters find their jobs through classified ads, online job boards and job agencies. Job listings from these sources are relatively easy to find through online research, major newspapers, and your local yellow pages.
It is not a good idea, however, to depend only on listings and agencies because:

• People do business primarily with people they know and like. Resumes and cover letters alone are often too impersonal to convince employers to hire you.
• Job listings tend to draw piles of applicants, which puts you in intense competition with many others.
• The job you want may not be advertised at all.

So how do you get the right people to know you and what you can do for them? The best answer is to do more marketing and networking so that you meet prospective employers through contacts, research and unadvertised leads.

How can I market and sell myself to prospective employers?

If the words “marketing” and “selling” leave you confused or nervous, you are not alone. But good marketing and sales techniques are beneficial tools in a job search process. A few tips for marketing yourself to potential employers:

• Commit to marketing and selling with integrity. Imitate people and marketing materials that you appreciate. Notice how they communicate their gifts attractively and persistently.   
• Get over your fear of self-promotion. Be true to yourself, but don’t be afraid to share your worth. Hiring managers aren’t mind readers.
• Think of marketing as sharing your value with others. When you present yourself effectively, you may be providing your potential employer with a solution.

What is networking?

Networking is using your current connections to answer specific questions or help you connect with others. Everyone you meet can help you move your search forward. Networking works for a variety of reasons, including:

• People like to talk about their work or other interests.
• Most people like to help others find useful resources and connections.
• People are most likely to share useful information with people they already know. Introductions by mutual friends are a good way to quickly establish rapport.
• You are part of many networks (family, friends, colleagues, fellow civic club members, etc.) and your job search network can be natural outgrowth of these primary contacts.
• Each network connects you to another network, e.g., your child’s teacher can connect you with other parents, schools of education, and school suppliers.
• Each member of a network may know of an available job, or a connection to someone who will know of one.

What is informational interviewing?

An informational interview involves talking with people who are currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of an occupation or industry -- and to build a network of contacts in that field.  Informational interviews can be held in person, over the telephone, or via email. Types of informational interviews include:

Types of informational interviews
Job	Talk with a person who has the job you want to find out about the day-to-day duties of the role, salaries, training requirements, etc.
Industry	Read magazines and newsletters in the field and see if you can talk to or email the authors. Talk to people who work in the industry to learn about trends and the state of the industry.
Company or organization.	Meet people who work for or interact often with the company you want to join to learn more about an organization’s culture.
Professional associations are a gold mine of resources and contacts for informational interviews. Call or check an association’s website for information on local meetings and officers. Call any of them to ask for an informational interview or leads to people who might speak with you. Ask about journals or newsletters in the field and how you might obtain current copies. Call or email the authors of articles you like.

How can networking and informational interviewing help me find the right job?

Networking and informational interviewing offer you information and job leads, often before a formal job description is created or a job announced. Rather than compete with a large pool of applicants for a few possibilities, you become a recommended member of a small pool of applicants.

Ready to reap the rewards of networking and informational interviews? Here are some tips:

• Let everyone know that you are looking.
• Network at business, Chamber of Commerce and community meetings,.
• Consider joining a networking or leads group.
• Practice speaking about yourself and asking productive questions.
• Be generous with your own leads and contacts.
• Treat your leads and contacts like gold!

How can I create a great resume and cover letter?

Your resume and cover letter can be your first introduction to a company. While the resume is record of your experience, your cover letter is more personal, giving you a chance to show some of your personality. Below are a few resume tips:

• Tailor your resume to your industry. Someone in academics will have a long and detailed resume (also called a CV or curriculum vitae), but in other professions, an overly long resume will always end up in the ‘no’ pile.
• Make sure your resume is well-written and typo-free. Always have another person review your resume for clarity and errors.
• Keep your presentation simple and neat. When sending a paper resume, use  white paper or another conservative tone. When sending it by email, send it as an attachment or make sure all aspects line up neatly.
• Tell the truth. If you pretend to have qualifications you don’t have, your lies will probably be discovered. 
• Present yourself in the best possible light. Don’t be shy about listing your accomplishments.  
• Be familiar with the facts on your resume. Know your resume well enough to discuss each section easily during an interview.

Don’t fall into the common trap of being so stressed out by resume writing that you neglect other job search activities. There is no one perfect type of resume. As you apply for different jobs, you will often re-slant the resume to highlight or diminish aspects of your experience.

How can I best prepare for job interviews?

Interviews range from conversations lasting a few minutes to several formal meetings, sometimes with more than one interviewer. Interviews allow you to demonstrate that you are the right candidate for the job, but you are not alone if interviews make you nervous.  The better prepared you are, the more comfortable you will be when the questions start coming your way.

Job Interview Preparation Tips
Research the company	Gather information from online resources (including the company web site), printed materials and contacts. Be current about products, offerings and latest news.
Learn about the position	Try to specifically relate your experience to the duties you need to perform, you can help your interviewers see how you can meet their needs.
Prepare your answers	Research and brainstorm sample questions. Rehearse key points. Describe your skills in terms of situations (or problems), actions, and results (or outcomes).
Create a list of questions	Come up with some questions about company culture, job responsibilities or performance expectations.
Practice interviewing (and group interviewing)	Enlist a friend (better yet, a group of friends and colleagues) to ask you sample questions. Practice making eye contact.
Videotape your practice sessions	Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal presentation. Eliminate extra movements and verbal extras, like “uh,” and “um.”.
Handle logistics early	Have all your clothes, resume and directions to the interview site ready ahead of time, and try to relax..

 

What should I know about interview etiquette?

Details are important when it comes to interviewing. Small things, like attire, punctuality and politeness may stand out in an interviewer’s mind and become a deciding factor.

Interview Etiquette Tips
Be polite	Be 10-15 minutes early for appointments and be gracious. Send thank yous to everyone who helps in your search, whether it is an interviewer or a friend who provides you with a contact.
Dress appropriately	Standards in the industry should determine whether you wear a professional suit or something less formal. A clean and tidy appearance always makes a positive statement.
Ask questions	Questions demonstrate your interest and prevent confidence from being interpreted as smugness.
Speak clearly	This is where your practice pays off. Be sure to speak concisely and with proper grammar.
Be clear	Recognize that you and the interviewer have an equal stake in fiding the right fit between job and employee.
Enjoy the process	Relax and get to know your interviewer and the company.

While it’s important to know what can go wrong so you can prevent problems, it is also wise to have a clear vision of a great interview. By the time you reach the interview stage, you should be clear about what you want and what you offer to the company.

What do I need to know about behavioral interviewing for jobs?

To get to the motivations and working style of a potential employee, employers often turn to behavioral interviewing, an interviewing style which consists of a series of probing, incisive questions. Behavioral interviewing is based on the premise that past experience is the best indicator of future performance.

Sample behavioral interview questions include:

• Describe a situation in which you didn’t meet your stated goal? How did you handle it?
• Tell us about a situation in which you encountered resistance from key people? How did you convince the person or people to do what you wanted?
• Describe a situation in which you took the initiative to change a process or system and make it better? How did you identify the problem? How did you go about instituting change?

Interviewers will follow up your preliminary answers with further questions about your actions. To prepare for possible behavioral questions, the following tips might help:

• Review your research about the company and the position
• Make a list of key attributes for your desired job.
• Write or research sample questions that are likely to uncover the attributes you identified as important.
• Create answers to the questions based on a template such as Situation – Action – Result with specific details from your work experience.
• Practice answering the questions and followup questions so that you are very familiar with several detailed examples/stories.

Well-rehearsed stories that demonstrate your gifts in action are perfect for behavioral interviews.

How can I create a success story for behavioral interviews?

The best way to learn how to tell a good story is to study examples. Here’s one:

Notice many elements that are demonstrated by the story: unflappability, responding creatively to a problem, dependability, a willingness to learn, and well-developed relationships. These aptitudes are useful in any situation. The story is enhanced by bringing it to the present.

Ask you friends for their own success stories. Notice the elements that make them work, such as specific details, and a smooth flow. Notice elements that don’t work, such as vagueness or rambling. Then think about your own experience and try to uncover the moments when you really excelled or when you rose to meet a challenge. After you identify several, practice them until they flow easy. Work on adapting them to different types of questions. .

How can you close the deal on a good job?

Throughout the marketing process, you’ve been “qualifying your prospects,” to ensure that you want to do business with them. If not, you end the interview with a thank you and move on. If you do want the job, you and the employer close the deal by negotiating terms that best benefit everyone.
Without natural sales aptitude or sales training, closing the deal can be difficult. Common mistakes at this stage include becoming too passive (perhaps out of a fear of being too pushy) or being too pushy (perhaps out of a lack of confidence in your skills or the fear that this is your only job option).
Try to practice closing techniques when you practice interviewing. Consider a basic sales class from your local Small Business Administration, which will be either free or inexpensive. Search your network for people who can give you one-on-one coaching or practical tips.

How can you deal with job rejection?

By now, you’ve had a lifetime of getting past rejection and trying again. Any of your productive strategies may work, or you might also need some new ones. Try these:

• Grieve the lost possibility. The grieving process helps you mourn what is lost and strengthen your hope and resilience.
• Seek the reasons for your rejection. If the interviewers won’t discuss the reasons with you, then brainstorm with friends. Notice cues that suggest you need more practice in interviewing, improved skills, etc.
• Consider the fact that the job you didn’t get was not the right fit for you. Do more research to discover your right job.
• Pick yourself up and try again. Recommit to your vision of holding a good job. Get all the help you need to continue job-hunting until you land the job you love.

What are special job issues for seniors?

Job discrimination is a common problem, in spite of laws against it. Much of this discrimination is unintended. For example, an older person’s confidence about his or her skills and experience may be perceived as smugness by someone younger. Senior job hunters may need special practice to become more polished in being interviewed in all types of settings, by people of any age. It might also help to get feedback from younger people about how your experience impresses them positively versus how your presentation might turn them off.
Recent changes in the economy and demographics (especially the aging of 76,000,000 baby boomers) are opening up many new options for seniors. To take the best advantage of these options, see Helpguide’s Senior Careers.

References and resources for finding the right career: job networking, informational interviewing and resumes

Resumes and cover letters

OWL (Online Writing Lab) Resume Workshop – Tutorial takes you through the different parts of a resume and helps you put yours together. (Purdue University Career Center)

Resume Writing: How to write a masterpiece of a resume (commercial site) – Six-part book excerpt provides advice on how to put together a solid resume. (Rockport Institute)

JobWeb - Resumes & Interviews (commercial site) – Guide to writing a resume and interviewing. (National Association of Colleges and Employers)

Job networking

Networking that Works (commercial site) – Explains the importance of patient and persistent networking, especially when building your own business. (CJ Hayden)

Job Networking Tips (commercial site) – Eight tips for successful networking, including ideas about where to find contacts and how to connect with them. (Network Services & Consulting Corporation)

Informational interviewing

Informational Interviewing – Tips and suggested questions for informational interviewing. (DANEnet)

Information Interviews Guide – Information and advice on informational interviews. (Florida State University Career Center)

Informational Interviewing Tutorial: A Key Networking Tool (commercial site) – Outlines the basics of informational interviewing in tutorial form. (Quintessential Careers)

Marketing success tips

Marketing Ball: Why marketing is a lot like baseball and how this can help you get more clients (commercial site) – Breaks down the process of marketing yourself and offers tips for attracting new clients. (Action Plan Marketing)

Marketing the Real You and You, too, can be a salesperson (commercial site) – Advice about how to market yourself with integrity. (CJ Hayden)

Breaking the Voicemail Barrier (commercial site) – How to effectively use voicemail and get return calls. (CJ Hayden)

Online job listings

Monster.com – Offers a database of job opportunities in all fields and at all levels. Enables you to make your resume available to thousands of potential employers, research specific companies, get advice on resume preparation and interview techniques, and access comparative salary information. Search jobs without registration, but to apply for jobs through the site, registration and resume posting is required. (Commercial site)

America's Job Bank – Contains job listings that come from state employment services, representing every line of work from professional and technical to blue collar and entry-level positions. (US Department of Labor)

USAJOBS – Government job site which lists all available federal job openings. (US Government)

Nicheboards – Specialized job boards, categorized by industry. (Commercial site)

Hotjobs – Provides job listings and career information. Search jobs without registration, but registration and resume posting will allow you to apply for jobs through the site. (Commercial site)

Guru – Job listings for consultants and independent contractors, specializing in project or part-time work. (Commercial site)

CareerJournal – Offers job listings, career articles, lists of local support groups, and job fairs. (Commercial site) (Wall Street Journal)

Social Service Jobs – Job listings focused on social service and social work jobs, including mental health, counseling, substance abuse, criminal justice, children and families and more. (SocialService.com)

This article was created by Pat McHenry Sullivan, M.A., with contributions from Gina Kemp, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A. Last modified on: 2/07/07.