Career Marketplace Blog

Forbes.com article, Get a Job Using the Hidden Job Market, Susan Adams explains how to connect with employers in your chosen industry.

Read an excerpt of Adams’ article.

The technology executive had been out of work for more than a year, but he didn’t tell any of his friends he was unemployed. Instead, he made up a story about how he was consulting on some confidential projects, the details of which he would reveal when it was time to go public. Meantime, he applied for dozens of posted job openings he saw online, with zero success. He also spent time golfing at the country club, where his locker was next to a CEO in his field. Still, he guarded his secret carefully, staying mum with his golf buddies about his job hunt. Finally, his distraught wife set up some sessions with Donald Asher, an executive career coach and author of 11 books, including Cracking the Hidden Job Market: How to Find Opportunity in any Economy. Asher, who splits his time between San Francisco and northern Nevada, convinced his new client to open up about his job hunt, and start talking to everyone he knew about how he was on the market. Sure enough, one of his golfing friends gave him a tip that led to a job at a startup. “He never ever would have gotten that job the way he was looking for work before,” writes Asher.

As I’ve written in earlier articles, despite the explosion of employment listings online, job seekers should spend no more than 20% of their time answering ads (some coaches recommend only 10%). Instead, says Asher, and a number of other coaches I’ve interviewed, the best way to find a job is through a combination of networking and direct contact. That way you tap into the so-called hidden job market. That is, you get to the head of the line of job candidates before a job is listed anywhere, and sometimes, before the hiring manager has even decided she is going to hire for a particular position.

Read On

In this video from the WSJ.coml, Joe Light reports, Recruiters Troll Facebook for Candidates They Like.

In her article for About.com, Alison Doyle defines the Social Job Search.

Read an excerpt of Doyle’s article.

In this article from the Wall Street Journal, Joann S. Lublin describes How to Look and Act Like a Leader.

Read an excerpt from Lublin’s article. Read Full Article

Savvy executives know the part, act the part and look the part. That’s because they exude “executive presence,” a broad term used to describe the aura of leadership.

For Janie Sharritt, now a vice president at Sara Lee Corp., an image makeover helped her gain the managerial gravitas that she needed to advance further up the ladder.

In 2005, Ms. Sharritt was a newly promoted middle manager for another consumer-products manufacturer. She preferred to wear a ponytail, scant makeup, khakis, sweaters and loafers. But by taking a “Power of Image” workshop led by image coach Jonna Martin, she got an expert makeover. Her revamped look included a sophisticated hairstyle, dressy slacks and jackets, pumps, colorful necklaces and extra makeup.

She thinks the changes boosted her self confidence, resulting in faster acceptance of her ideas by senior management. “In the past, [that quick buy-in] wasn’t one of the things I was known for,” says Ms. Sharritt. She joined Sara Lee four years ago.

Executives with presence act self confident, strategic, decisive and assertive, concludes a study released late last year by the Center for Work-Life Policy, a New York think tank.

Presence plays an increasingly important role as companies grapple with a weak recovery and fewer management layers. “You have less time to make that lasting impression,” warns Stefanie Smith, head of Stratex Consulting, a New York coaching firm. Today, 75% of her coaching practice involves enhancing clients’ presence–up from 35% in 2007.

Read On

In this article for U.S. News & World Report, Heather Huhman explains How to Find a Hiring Manager’s Contact Information.

Below is an excerpt of Huhman’s article. Read Full Article 

You’ve applied for a job opening through a job board, corporate careers site, or to anonymous email address in hopes of getting a call back and maybe even landing an interview. But a week or so passes by, and you’re still waiting to hear about your application.

How do you follow up when the initial job advertisement didn’t list any contact information? It’s time to start researching. Here’s how:

Scour the company website for a name. Look through the “About us” section of the organization’s website to determine the name of the hiring manager. You might even be lucky enough to find a company directory of employees with names and email addresses.

Call the receptionist. Even if the job ad says, “No calls,” you can still call the front desk in hopes of getting a name of the right person. Depending upon the company’s policies, this person may or may not be able to give you the individual’s contact information, but being polite and friendly to the secretary can go a long way.

Read On

In this article forLiveCareer News, Joanna Boyd gives examples of Inteview Faux Pas.

Tips from this article include:

• Flip-flops with a suit
• “Ummm, I’m not sure why I put that on my resume”
• Bringing up $$

LIVECAREER News reports, Arkansas Launches New Program to Give College Credit for Experience.

Read an excerpt below. Read Full Article

Adults who did not complete their postsecondary education will be given a second change by being able to convert some of their earlier life learning experiences into college credit at 2-year institutions in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Association of 2-Year Colleges (AATYC) announced that an initiative will begin this fall that will allow students to get credit for prior learning they received through on-the-job training, military service, volunteer opportunities and open source course work.

Read On

In this article for About.com, Alison Doyle counts down the Top 10 Social Media Do’s and  Don’ts.

Tips from this article include:

• Do Google Your Name and Check What’s Online
• Do Be Careful What You Tweet
• Don’t Connect With Everyone

Read Full Article

In this article for U.S. News & World Report, Miram Salpeter explains How Your Google Profile Can Help Recruiters Find You.

Below is an excerpt of Salpeter’s article. Read Full Article 

If you have an ear to the online sphere, you know Google+, Google’s newest social platform, is all the rage. While Google+ is still in invitation-only mode, early results indicate it could be a keeper. The Wall Street Journal estimates Google+ had 20 million visitors in three weeks. (Google declines to comment, and leaders are cagey when asked for specifics.)

Many early adopters are excitedly proclaiming the new network a replacement for everything from LinkedIn to Twitter to Facebook. No one knows how things will shake out in the social networking sphere, but there is no doubt Google+ heightens the importance of your Google profile.

If you use Google for search and have a profile already, you may have noticed Google provides search results “from people you know.” Current Google search results may include links (even on page one) identified as being shared by your community, assuming your contacts share links regarding the topics you search. They pass along these links by giving articles +1, Google’s version of a Facebook “like.”

Whether or not you choose to join Google+, Google’s ability to connect your profile with searches and the fact that more recruiters may begin to search Google profiles for people to hire make your Google profile an important and powerful tool in your online arsenal.

Read On