The Myths and Realities of a Job Search

Having just completed a successful job search, I am eager to share with you some valuable lessons learned along the way--usually the hard way.

Lesson #1 is the prevalence of myths and misinformation that can cost you time, money and maybe even the job you were qualified for. Your Bell & Smith text adds its share of wrong and, in some cases, outdated advice. Let me warn you of the parts in Chapter 12 that contradict reality and make some comments along the way about what I found that works and doesn't.

"Tips and Introductions from Friends"
What your text is referring to here is most often called "networking." And there's a right way and a very wrong way to go about it. Unfortunately, your text describes the wrong way: "Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job." Besides being potentially embarrassing and an  imposition on friends, acquaintances and even family, this strategy also makes you seem desperate. If an employer catches one whiff of desperate, you could lose the opportunity.

What's the right way to network? It's called the "informational interview." Here you identify the known leaders of your field and attempt to get a few minutes of their time to interview them. You are not looking for a job; you are looking for information about the latest trends, problems, or legislation that affects this field. Your goal is to seek the most up-to-date and expert insights you can about this field as you prepare your job search documents and for job interviews.

The best that can happen is that this recognized authority passes along your information to employment decision makers. The worst that can happen is that you get some good information that positions you at the forefront of the state of your profession and gives you the chance in an interview to say things like, "I was talking last week with Dr. Horace Abel, executive director of the National Council of English Teachers, and he agrees that distance education presents both challenges and opportunities for today's continuing education programs." Naturally, the interviewer is going to be mightily impressed.

Whom do you contact for these informational tête-à-têtes? The leaders of the professional organizations affiliated with your career and the leaders of the top companies in your field, preferably anyone whose job title ends in "O"--CEO, CFO, CTO, etc. Don't forget members of the company's executive board, who don't necessarily work at the company but may govern it.

Certainly, you should network with colleagues in your field. But the All-Points-Bulletin to family and friends is networking at its worst.


"Search Documents Make or Break You"
This is a point (on page 314) that I totally agree with and which cannot be overstated. In my last interview for the position I am considering, I was told point blank that they were "most impressed by the presentation" of my job search documents. Not experience. Not publications. Not education. My letters and resume and other supporting documents that I had sent them were what stood out and helped me get ahead of the competition.

That's why I give you this advice:
"Keep it to one page"
It's hard to believe that anyone is still giving this advice these days. But there it is on page 318. What I've found out: There are times when a one-pager is appropriate and possibly even requested, but there are also times when a 13-pager is also appropriate. On this initial contact (cover letter and resume), you've only got one chance to make the sale. So a better piece of advice would be to "Make your resume the length and format that will most likely get you a callback or an interview for that particular job and that particular company."

I have resumes that range in length from one page to 13, resumes for different kinds of positions and even different kinds of schools (non-profit vs. for-profit) that I applied to. Whatever serves you best is a much better rule.


"Highlight crucial elements."
This wouldn't be a bad piece of advice on page 319 if they had identified the best crucial elements. I assure you, your address and your education are not crucial elements unless you are applying for a job in education (I was) or for a job with specific geographic requirements. Again, Whatever serves you best.

Remember that recruiters are looking for evidence that you will bring value to their company. Whatever best demonstrates that for the particular job you are seeking is what should be highlighted. Another piece of advice that I learned from my pro: A narrative resume that focuses on the times you have solved problems that demonstrate in graphic detail your skills and expertise is often far more effective than a dry list of degrees, dates of employment, and your degrees. Using those lists as your highlights makes you run the risk of looking and sounding very much like everyone else.

When I return from this job interview I'm traveling to this weekend (I'm currently sitting in the Detroit airport writing this), I will post samples of my resumes and the narrative resume of a friend of mine who used it to win one of the top jobs in magazine publishing. They ain't one-pagers and they ain't typical of the tired advice you are being given in the Bell & Smith text.


Internet Job Boards--Sorry
Maybe they worked when they first started out, but today Monster.com, FlipDog.com, HotJobs.com and the rest of the mega-boards have embarrassing placement rates. The highest is Monster's at a pathetic 3 percent. Unless you just have a lot of time to kill or you are in a very hot profession with a high demand, the mega-boards (IMHO) are a monstrous waste of time.

What happened? They got too big. A posting gets too many responses, overwhelming the overworked HR staff who simply cannot deal with that many responses, many of which are job seekers who are throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping something will stick. What's really happening is a great big mess that many companies are walking away from or using merely to get people to their corporate web site and job application tools.

The good news: There are still plenty of job boards that work very well. National employment firms who specialize in just a few areas (IT, finance, etc.) and work with a limited number of companies, have their own job boards. Most of the large national and international companies have their own job boards complete with personal search agents that automatically notify you of openings. Major metropolitan newspapers have job boards for that area. Professional organizations have "backdoor" job boards. Many professions have specialized job boards. For example, in higher education, you need to register and get a search agent at only two boards: higheredjobs.com and chroniclecareers.com. In publishing, it's mediabistro.com. And so on.

Bottom line: the mega-boards have become victims of the explosion of the Internet. And companies have moved on.


Finally, some good advice
On page 320 is an excellent list of faux pas to avoid when writing your documents. I want to draw your attention especially to point 14, which many of you would benefit from paying attention to: "avoid stiff of jargonized language."

The authors also point out the benefit of multiple communications with possible job prospects, especially touches of manners like follow-up letters and sincere expressions of interest. Also, when following up, I disagree with the authors: It can be really helpful to include more documentation of your qualifications. The more you can stay in touch, the more real you become for them. Hiring is like making a large personal purchase: you need an emotional comfort level with those you're dealing with. Your goal is to make them comfortable with you so that you are seen as a good fit. That best happens the more they can get to know you.

Hate to end on a negative note, but the interview checklist on page 332 is woefully lacking a very important point: In an interview, avoid as much as possible talking about how you did things or even what you did at your former or present place of employment--unless specifically asked. Remember the radio station that plays 24 hours in all of our heads: WRIT-FM, call letters for What's Really In It For Me.

That means in virtually every answer you give, somehow turn your response into one that makes clear the benefits you will be bringing to that job and company.  Keep your responses, as much as possible, within their framework and context: their company, their needs and how you can meet those needs in a way that will delight them and add to their bottom line.

In job searches as elsewhere in life, there ain't no line but the bottom line.