As most of you are aware, I won’t promote a product on Corn on the Job unless I’m certain it’s something that adds value to the COTJ community.  Today I’m promoting a new 100% online bootcamp that I’m POSITIVE will help you land the job you’ve been waiting for!

How am I so sure?

Well, one big fat reason is because I’ve signed up to be part of the boot camp!  Yes, I will be a featured resume reviewer in the program!  And If I’m involved, then you know it’s good!

Here’s some more info for you!

The fine folks over at Brazen Careerist are bringing you the “How to Get a Job You Will Love Bootcamp”.  The bootcamp kicks off on February 6th and runs through the 17th.  This bootcamp will be ENTIRELY ONLINE and the amount of information included in the course is just ridiculous.

WHAT YOU GET IN THE COURSE:

• 7hrs of LIVE web conferences with top job search experts
• 1hr of LIVE Q&A with recruiters on interviewing
• 1hr of online speed resume review and personalized career coaching
• 2hrs of online networking events to build your network
• 2 exclusive job search strategy videos from career experts
• Access to all course materials for one year

See that 1 hour of online speed resume review?  Yeah, that’s where I’ll be!

YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Three concrete ways to make sure your resume stays out of the dreaded black hole
• The top mistakes job seekers make online, and how to avoid them
  
• How to ace - or fail – the interview from three recruiters at top companies
• The one thing you must do in your first 90 days on a a new job
• How to find insider job leads on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
• And more.

Please note that all the sessions are recorded and transcribed. If you can’t make a session, you can catch up at anytime and you’ll have access to the materials for one year on the private program website.

Bootcamp Dates: February 6th – 17th

Cost:  $95 on January 31st, $125 starting February 1st through February 6th.

To put the cost into perspective, I charge 49.99 for a resume review.  If you sign up for this bootcamp, you’ll receive not only a resume review from multiple career experts, but you’ll also be receiving behind the scenes info from experts in a number of career related areas.  It’s just insane how much you are getting for the admission fee!

I hope you’ll join us for the How to Get a Job You Will Love Online Bootcamp!

When it comes to making connections with recruiters through social media channels, the line between annoying and impressing is very thin.  Today I want to look at Twitter specifically, and provide a few steps for you to not only reach recruiters, but also get on their radar.  Here are the 5 steps:

Step 1: Find Recruiters to Follow

Half the battle is finding a recruiter that is specific to your interests and location.  While some recruiters need applicants on a global level, many only search for talent in a specific geographic location.

Here are some quick tips for finding recruiters to follow:

• Use Twitter Search and type in the word “Recruiter” and your city.  Example: “Recruiter Philadelphia”.
• Use FollowerWonk.com and click on “Search Twitter Bios”.  Enter the same search string in the example above.
• Search hashtags for things like #PhillyJobs, #ChicagoJobs, #ITJobs, #BostonRecruiter, and #JobHuntChat.  Play around with this until you find the right formula.
• Recruiters love to follow each other, so go through their following list and you’ll absolutely find more Recruiters and HR professionals.

Step 2: RT and Share Their Content

After following, avoid asking for help immediately.  I can guarantee that if you do this right away, they’ll be annoyed.  However, if they do have a current opening that you’re a fit for, then you might want to send a tweet about it.

In most cases, you’ll want to RT and share out their content to your own networks.  Start out first by RT’ing a few times a week, and then possibly once per day.  You’ll receive a few “thank you” messages back, and possibly even a question about who you are and what you do.  Congratulations, you’re on their radar!

Step 3: RT and Share Their Open Jobs

Even if you’re not a fit for their openings, be sure to spread the word and help them fill open jobs they’ve posted online.  This can go a long way and is similar to the strategy in number two.  Simply put, if you’re able to help them, they will happily return the favor without you needing to ask.

Step 4: Find them on Linkedin and Connect

It’s perfectly acceptable to find a recruiter on Linkedin and add them to your connections.  You can either go right ahead and leave them a connection request on Linkedin, or send a tweet to ask if it would be OK.  Either is fine in my honest opinion.

Critical Tip: When you connect on Linkedin, make sure to write out a message and delete the standard Linkedin connection text.  Remind them that you’re from Twitter and provide your Twitter name.  Quick example:

John, it has been great connecting on Twitter and learning from your tweets.  Wanted to network here as well!

- Rich aka @CornOnTheJob

Step 5: Wait For the Perfect Job

Maybe it doesn’t happen day 1, day 10, or day 50, but eventually they’ll post a job through Twitter and/or Linkedin that is perfect for you.  If you’ve done a great job of getting on their radar, sharing their information, and helping them with openings, then you might even be the first person they think of.

Just send them a Tweet or Linkedin message to confirm interest and then hang tight while waiting for their response!

Please keep in mind that making just one connection with a recruiter through these steps may not be enough.  Increase your odds and look to make 5-10 new recruiter friends on Twitter per month.  The power in numbers will only help, just make sure they are targeted and the kind of recruiters that you need to be in touch with.

Go get ‘em!

Oh, and make sure you follow me, I’ll help out when I can!

Liam Conduit is a HR Professional and has been writing industry related news and comment since 2006. Liam also has an interest in jobs, marketing and politics.

During the current economic doom and gloom, with an estimated 1 million young people unemployed, the age-old problem of finding is even harder.  Here are some tips on how to land a job in hard times, from networking to resume writing; discover how to get the edge over the competition.

Know your Trade

First and foremost, decide what field you want to work in, the more specific the better. Too many people make the mistake of blasting out their application to as many jobs as possible in the hope that someone, somewhere, will get back to them. This is a flawed strategy and it’s not hard for a HR professional to see desperation and a careless strategy.

Sell Yourself

Secondly, make sure your resume and information is up to date and truly represents who you are and what you are capable of. If your resume is looking a little thin on the ground, consider doing some volunteering to fill it out. Volunteering demonstrates your motivation to work, and will show any recruitment consultant, human resources manager or potential employer that you can be responsible. Another great way to improve your communication is to take on part-time jobs, which will teach you the value of working and show employers your ability to commit to paid employment.

Remember to present your resume in a professional way; IT processed is definitely the way forward in this regard. If you are technologically savvy you can take this one step further and create yourself a website. This has the dual purpose of demonstrating your computer skills and showcasing yourself in a professional manner. Putting together a WordPress page is both simple and can be done for free.  If you’re not sure how to go about it, ask someone or find a guide online.

Use Social Media Sites

Along with a website, you should make use of social media for your job search. Set up a Linkedin account and start making connections, you never know who might be thinking about hiring.

HR Software company CIPHR conducted some in depth research and discovered that a staggering 91% of employers use social networks when screening potential employers. 76% of screening is through Facebook, 53% through Twitter and 48% via LinkedIn. For an employer, you can understand the appeal of digging a bit deeper into the lives of those they are considering hiring. Note that during interview processes and over the time you are job-seeking, keep all your social media profiles clean and as employer friendly as possible!

Face to Face Networking

Once you’ve mastered the online arena, it’s time to head out into the real world and start networking. Here’s  the key to networking; have something to offer. If your primary goal is to fulfil your job seeking needs, people will be far less willing to engage with.

Find out what business people are in and figure out how you can help them. If you’re a copywriter and meet someone launching a new company, offer to look over or write their copy for them. You won’t necessarily get any financial gain out of this, but the goodwill you’ll earn will be priceless. If you’re lost for ideas of where to network, simply attend industry conventions and conferences within your field.

Conclusion

Fully armed with a specific CV, social media profiles to match, and a host of new connections, you will be well placed to land the job of your choice. Follow these tips and tweak it around to fit your own personal strategy for the industry you’d like to work in.

A friend from college sent me an interesting Facebook message the other day.  She wanted to fill me in on a cool strategy she used while unemployed to help fill the gap, but also make herself more valuable to her next employer.

Here’s a direct quote from my friend, Jana:

I had a temp position is advertising that ended in May. I wanted to switch fields but wasn’t sure where to go and my hubby was looking for jobs out-of-state, so I did not want to over commit to a new profession and then move. What I chose to do was take a retail job in sales, which i had never done until this time. So at 28, I learned that my experience in advertising and marketing made me a great sales woman.

Now that I have moved and am looking to get back into a professional field, there is no gap on my resume because I was doing something. I can now also add sales to my skill set.

Just thought this idea could be a refreshing way of looking at the advantages of taking a part-time job while you’re looking for a real job. I’ve found a lot of people who are doing the same thing.

What Jana did was find a part-time job that would be relevant to her career.  Filling the gap is easy, even though we sometimes make it harder.  There are a billion and one freelance, contract, and part-time gigs to fill up that empty space.  The difficult part is landing a position that is somewhat related and can be seen as valuable experience to the next employer.

Have you ever tried something like this while in a period of unemployment?  

There’s no other way to title a post like this.  The problem I’m having here is that no matter how close to the edge a possible title comes off, it fails to compete against the unexpected, and somewhat terrifying shock of the actual subject of this blog post — which is the Cover Letter soon to hit your eyes.

The following cover letter was received yesterday (1/16/12) by a Houston area creative agency.  Quick warning, if the “C” word bothers you, then I suggest you stop reading now.

The more I read this cover letter, the more it resembles a mullet.  The front/beginning is all business and appears to be professional.  However, you’re quick to realize by the middle and surely at the end that this email is quite possibly the most unprofessional and ridiculous job search document you you’ve ever read.

Initially, I would have bet my money on an incredibly angry and frustrated job seeker who had been burned by the agency in the past.  I was quickly proved wrong by my contact at the company.

I’ve never met this person, and I searched my inbox to see if I had any previous interaction with them – hadn’t.

The agency is known for being a bit different than the other kids on the block.  If the job seekers goal was to gain the agencies attention by ‘being different’ in their cover letter approach, then they succeeded, but not all attention is good.

I was appalled. As a creative agency that purports a “rebellious” and non-traditional approach, I’m used to irreverence and humor – even in cover letters. I didn’t find anything funny or clever about this message.

So, by now you are probably wondering a few things…

• Yes, the job seeker is a real person.  A Google search led the agency to find their job seeker.
• No, the job seeker didn’t supply their resume and writing samples as promised in the letter.
• Yes, the job seeker really did use the “C” word, AKA the most offensive word in the English language

Hank Clark is a master’s level career counselor.  He is internationally certified as a Career Management Practitioner (CMP) by the Institute for Career Certification International and has been recognized as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors.  Check out resume examples on his site to improve your resume.

Many job seekers may not realize that subtle changes are happening in regard to the way people need to go about writing quality resumes. Today’s resumes are different from resumes that were written just a decade ago. If you are currently seeking employment, there are some resume developments you should be aware of when you are writing your own.

Clearly State Your Objective

Just a decade ago, it was okay to write one standard resume with a broad objective to send to many prospective employers. This is no longer the case. You need to carefully read the job description for the position you are applying for and create an objective that matches the specific job for which you are applying. Do not use a broad objective statement. Instead, be as specific as you can, so a potential employer knows you did your research, and you know what the job entails.

Rewrite Your Work History

Everybody knows that your resume needs to include your recent work history. However, what you need to know is that you might have to rewrite the parts of your work history that give details about the work you performed while at those jobs. When you list each previous job, you should create a list of duties you were responsible for performing while at that job. This is not the time to be general and say you did clerical work. You could look at resume examples online for ideas on what to write about. This is a time to tie previous job experiences with jobs you will be expected to perform if you get the new job. Look back at the job description for the job you want, and rewrite your work history to show you have experience in those particular areas.

Boast about Your Education

In past years, many people got away with just listing the degrees they had earned. On a resume for today’s competitive job market, you need to list any degrees you have earned, any certifications you have gotten, any endorsements you may have, any professional licenses you may hold, and any other programs of study you have enrolled in, taken, or completed. You may have had additional training or workshops that you have attended, and you need to boast about all the different types of education you have received. This may set you apart from other candidates. If you haven’t taken any, consider enrolling in a few free workshops or community college classes to give your resume a boost.

List Your Community Service

Just a few years ago, a standard resume only included your objective, your employment history, and your educational background. Today’s resumes are different. You also need to add any community service that you currently do or have done in the past. If you volunteer, list the charities or non-profit organization that you serve. List any memberships you have to clubs or organizations. If you serve as an officer in those organizations, list that information, too. You want the employer to realize what a valuable employee you will be for the company. Your willingness to volunteer and be charitable might help you stand out against your competition for the job.

Contact Information

Not long ago, most job seekers only listed one method of contact on the resume. That method of contact was the home phone number. This is an outdated practice. You need to play up your contact information and list as many ways as possible for the prospective employer to contact you. Include your home phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address, and website.

Do you want to know who was heavily against unpaid internships in 2008?  Oh, that would be me.  And what do I mean by, ‘heavily’?  I guess I mean that I flew across the country to  San Francisco just to inform certain department managers that interns were to be compensated for their work.

Sure, I flew out for many other items of business, but ensuring that interns received their green is really all I can remember from the trip.

But times and workforce situations have changed, and so have I.  My outlook and beliefs are now drastically different.  While I still believe that companies should pay interns for work performed that benefits the company, I see infinite value for students performing internships.

12 Reasons to Take Unpaid Internships:

1. Experience:  You are nothing without experience.  This is becoming more of a fact as competition for jobs grow.  Want to set yourself apart from your peers?  Gain experience…now!

2.  Your Resume:  Sure, this kind of fits in with #1, but it needs to be mentioned.  Your resume needs to include more than your high school job, GPA, and computer skills.

3.  Learn What You Like:  Take a few internships to discover your career interests.  Trust me, this isn’t as easy as it seemed during career day.

4.  Learn What You Don’t Like:  This is probably more important than #3.  Crossing career options off the list should make you smile, because it will help you focus in the long-term.

5.  More Money Later:  Rack up the years of experience and you may have a higher possibility at making more later.  Remember, an internship is an investment!

6.  Lose Your “Rookie” Title:  Wether you work in an office or virtually, the “work day” experience helps you feel like less of a “rookie” at your first job after college.

7.  Connections:  Your boss, co-workers, clients, and other interns SHOULD be eternal friends and referral sources for you.  Make sure you manage your network with LinkedIn.  You should even connect with company employees you haven’t met or worked with directly.

8.  School Credit:  Most schools will offer credits for internships.  No kidding, you’ll learn about 10,000% more in the work environment than you will in a classroom.

9.  Find a Mentor:  You never know who might end up wanting to take you under their wing.  Be a sponge and learn as much as you can from anyone willing to share.

Seriously, what else would you be doing?

10.  What Else Would You Be Doing?:  Honestly, what would you rather be doing?  Drinking?  Partying?  Dancing?  You’ll have plenty of time for all of that!

11.  You Have Time To Kill:  If you plan your college career correctly, you can end up with a pretty free last year of college.  I mean, that’s what I did anyway.  Fill up your free time with an internship.

12.   They Are Easier to Find:  Let’s face it, there are more unpaid internships available than paid gigs.  Companies are also quicker to pull the trigger on something unpaid.

Remember that an internship should be seen as an investment.  If you can grab a paid internship for a great company then go ahead and do so.  If not, then rack up a few unpaid internships for all of the reasons above.

Am I missing anything?  Tell us about your favorite internship.  What made it so successful?

2012 is finally here and like many people, I’ve made a few resolutions for myself. First and foremost, my main goal is to find a job and get my professional career started. This is a daunting task, but even more stressful when I think to add my internship, full course load and extracurricular activities into the mix.

How on Earth will I be able to manage all of this in the next few months?

If you’re a job seeker like me, I’m sure you’re feeling overwhelmed as well. Luckily, your job hunt can be made a little easier if you stick to one main organizational tactic this year. Not only will this help you to keep everything pertaining to your job search together, but it will help you to feel a little more on top of your personal life as well.

The best way to stay organized is to create a job search spreadsheet. Save this document on your desktop because I can guarantee you will be using it a lot! Programs like Microsoft Excel make staying organized super easy, especially for job seekers. I will use this program as an example.

At the bottom of the screen you will see that the program is broken up into “sheets.” I recommend designating one sheet to networking contacts and one to resumes and interviews, just to get started.

Networking Sheet:  Decide which method of organization will work best for you. If you only have a few contacts, alphabetical might be the best way to go, but if you have several connections at the same city or company, you might consider organizing it that way. Don’t forget, the spreadsheet can always be modified in the future.

After you’ve decided what your main way of organizing will be, break each contact down as much as you can. For example, create blocks containing their Name, Company, Position, Email, Phone Number, Twitter Handle, City, State and Notes. The notes block is where you can write details to help you remember each contact such as how you got connected with them, a personal connection (ex: you both attended the same university), or any other details. This will not only help you to remember them, but will give you a quick and easy reference point to bring to future conversations to help your contact remember you as well.

Resume and Interviews Sheet:  This sheet is key to staying organized.  If you plan on applying for several jobs this year, you can easily lose track of key details which can really hurt your chances of getting hired. To avoid this, Rich DeMatteo from Corn on the Job gives examples of details to add to your resume and interviews sheet such as:               

Update both of these sheets as often as you can so that your information is always the most recent. Even if you don’t get a job offer, don’t delete the contact information name. You never know when you will need that person in the future! Remember, the job search is difficult for everyone, but if you stay organized you will have a better handle on the hunt, and will easily find time for your personal life as well!

Have you used a job search spreadsheet before? What sort of information did you add to yours? I’d love to read your comments below!

Yesterday I read a post over on Life Without Pants that provided some much needed inspiration for today’s COTJ piece.  The post is titled, “10 Things You Must Do to Make 2012 The Best Year Ever“.   Go now or later, but definitely stop by and read it.

Let’s jump right into it!

1.  Increase Your Time Spent on Linkedin:  If you don’t have time, then minimize your trips to Facebook.  I’m almost certain that some people spend 10-15 hours per week just on Facebook.  That’s sickening, but I’m close to 20 hours per week, so no worries.

Make quality connections on Linkedin and set goals as to how many new requests you’ll send per week.  More targeted connections on Linkedin will result in more open doors for now and also in the future.

Here’s a beginner’s guide that I created.

2. Stop Applying to Every Job:  Applying to every damn thing you see is the wrong approach.  It’s easy for recruiters to tell that you are just taking a stab in the dark.  When you’re passionate about a job and/0r determined to gain a position in a specific field/industry, it shines through like you wouldn’t believe.  Focus in on a few specific job types to apply to.

3.  Ask For Help:  You’re not alone and help is easy to come by.  If you’ve been unemployed for longer than 6 months, chances are that you need to change things up, refocus, and/or hire professional help.  A Career Coach can do amazing things for your job search.

4.  Learn a New Skill:  Find a class or certification that’s relatively inexpensive.  While learning something new, you’ll end up boosting your resume and meeting new people that could potentially help you find a job.

5.  Refresh Your Resume:  Start over!  Research new formats to use and look for ways to spice up your content.  Keep the original so that you can copy information over, but it’s time for a facelift!

6.  Change Your Routine:  Start going to a different coffee house.  Walk/Run a different route.  Get a week free pass at a different gym.  Do things a little different for a while.  You may meet some new and interesting people.

7.  Pick Up The Phone:  While #1 points to spending ample time on Linkedin, job seekers must learn to take online connections offline as soon as possible.  Conversations online build connections.  Conversations offline build trust.

8.  Blog:  Social Media usage has seen tremendous increases across all demographics over the last few years.  More than ever, company recruiters are utilizing social networks to connect with and also learn about job seekers.  “Hire Me” campaigns were huge in 2011, and I envision them becoming more common and more creative in 2012.  Starting a blog for your industry will help you make tons of connections, while also furthering yourself as a thought leader.

9.  Set a Job Search Schedule: I don’t believe that a job search should be 40 hours per week, but I do believe it should be scheduled.  Schedule time Monday through Friday for your job search. This helps ensure that you don’t burn out and spend far too much time looking for jobs/applying.   Outside of your schedule, try to relax and get away from your search as much as possible.  It’s critical to recharge your batteries before the next day.

10:  Do Something “Weird” To Stand Out:  During long periods of unemployment, it should be obvious that something needs to change.  If you really are qualified for the jobs you’ve applied for, then what has gone wrong?  My guess is that companies are drowning in resumes and can’t find you.

Some people didn’t like this suggestion, but maybe you send your resume in a big empty box and have it delivered to HR.  Maybe you hand out resumes in rush hour traffic.  Maybe you create business cards for your job search and scatter them all over a parking lot.  While 99 people might absolutely hate these ideas,  all you really need is 1 person to think it’s genius.  You just have to like those odds!

What are your job search goals for 2012?  Would you change any of my suggestions?

The art of interviewing has long been compared to  dating.  And just like in dating, there are a great number of ways that one person can send the other person running in terror from the interview.

When it comes time for an individual to perform this dance, job seekers must remember that they are also conducting an interview.  For them, it’s an evaluation of how happy they’ll be in the specific job and company.

Job seekers should be aware of these 7 examples below and if heard on an interview, pack your bags and run!

7 Warning Signs To Look For On Interviews

1. The Company Is Not Financially Stable: A clear cut sign that you need to stay away. You can probably guess that moral is down as well.

2. “Don’t Worry, We Hire Everyone”: Yes, this has been said before, and no, it’s not a reason to be excited.  You want to work for a company that believes you’re the cream of the crop.  You want to work where it’s a challenge to get in!

3. High Turnover: You don’t want to work for a company that has high turnover.  It may be the nature of the beast for some industries, but it’s generally a bad sign.

4. Anything Too Personal: Someone on Twitter said that they’d never want to hear, “What does your wife look like”.  Exactly!  When a recruiter/interviewer gets a bit out of line, you can expect it’s like that throughout the organization.

5. Anything Negative About Your Supervisor: When you hear this, it’s time to excuse yourself and go to the “bathroom”.  Hit the button for your automatic start and get the hell out.

6. “We already filled this position, but I want to interview you anyway”:  This happened to my sister once and I know others that have been in this situation.  It’s really disappointing, and really shameful on the company.  If this happens, sit it out if you really feel strong about the company.  If not, then leave.

7.  ”I really don’t like it here”: If they mention anything negative about their job, then it’s time to go.

Those were just some examples of warning signs that you need to run away from the company.  What are some other examples?