Developing your job search strategy

Developing a Job Search StrategyA project plan for landing your next career adventure

Marsh Sutherland | President and Co-Founder

of Walden Recruiting & SocialGrow

TENG/BITE, Cambridge, MA

January 26, 2011

©2011 SocialGrow™ Inc.

What I’ll be talking about tonight

Who am I?Your Job Search Project PlanWhat do you want to do?Marketing Campaign for your next jobInternet Tools for your Job SearchDon’t Be Shy! Networking for Job Search SuccessAny Questions?

Page 2 of 14•Copyright 2011 SocialGrow, Inc.

Who Am I?

“Hi, my name is Marsh! What’s yours?”President of Walden RecruitingSM

President and Co-Founder of SocialGrow™ Inc.Author of “New Job Now!” book to be published this spring.LOVES NETWORKING!

Boston BizSpark Meetup Founder, Web Executives Founder, Boston JavaScript Meetup Organizer, Boston Chair of Tech Exec Networking Group, and Manager of the Boston Entrepreneur’s Network

All-around Connector of People with great Companies

I’ve walked in your shoesFormer deNovis / eHealthDirect Project Manager | Laid offFormer Akibia Siebel Implementation Project Manager | Laid offFormer KPMG ABAS Consulting Project Manager | Left for AkibiaFormer Cohesive Consulting Project Analyst | Laid off


Your Job Search Project Plan

In order of Priority and Dependency:Research what you want to doUpdate your resumePost your resume on the various job boardsUpdate your LinkedIn Profile with my best practicesUpdate the other social networks and sites with similar best practicesSign up for job alerts on the job boards, Craigslist RSS, and Indeed and SimplyHiredSpend most of your job search time networking on LinkedIn and other sites, NOT job boards.Apply digitally for jobs and follow-up with the hiring manager digitallyNetwork by getting out and meet hiring managers & people who know hiring managers


“So…What Do You Want To Do?”

This is a very important questionIs what you’ve done in the past what you want to do again?Many Project Management skills in your toolkit can be transferred to new job situations.Employers will always pursue candidates that have demonstrated success in a number of different roles.Ask yourself:

What gets you excited at work? What have you really enjoyed doing in your past positions?What other roles can you think of that will provide the opportunity for you to perform those enjoyable activities regularly?

Is your current career path the one you really want?


Marketing Campaign for your Next Job

Online Resume Writing Best PracticesResumes can be more than one page in lengthResumes should be written in an easy to read fontFont size should be 10, 11, or 12 for the body textResumes should use bullet points and adequate spacingResumes should answer all the obvious questions on the first readResumes should contain all your contact informationIf you have a website or blog, that internet address should be near the top of your resumeYour Name and Email address need to convey professionalismThe Career Summary needs to be clear and conciseThe Body Text for each position should quantify your accomplishmentsProfessional candidates should be members of their relevant professional organizations, such as “PMI” (Don’t have to be certified either)Go to http://office.microsoft.com for resume templates


http://office.microsoft.com/


Simple and Direct Cover EmailsRecruiters and hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time reading cover e-mails. They need to be direct and to the point.Here is my recommend format (can’t see it, but will be on PDF takeaway:

Subject: “Professional” position - Former “Relevant Role” at “Similar Industry Company”

I am applying for the “Professional” position.

Most recently I was a “Relevant Role” at “Similar Industry Company” from “Start Year to End Year.” My employment

ended due to a Reduction in Force.

The following skills and experience make me a strong candidate for this position:

- Led the development of the CRM platform at XYZ Corporation, resulting in Employee of the Year award

- Contributed to the Company’s knowledge base in the areas of . . . best practices

- Mentored junior employees in . . . areas

I am available to interview and start work immediately. Please call me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX if you wish to discuss my

qualifications further.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my application.

John Doe

123 Anywhere Street

Anytown, MA XXXXX

Home: (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Cell: (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Email: [email protected]



References that get you the job offerIf a hiring manager asks you for references, then he/she wants you to join their team. Hiring managers want to speak with former supervisors and peers and hear, “yes, if given the opportunity I would hire and work with John Doe again.”If you have developed friendships with prior supervisors or peers, you want to be sure to list them as references.Always be honest with your potential employer.


Internet Tools for your Job Search

Applying for Open Positions Best Practices for Monster.com™, Careerbuilder.com™. Dice.com™, HotJobs.com™, Indeed.com™, SimplyHired.com™

Setup search agents to e-mail you the daily listing of new jobs matching your keyword search criteria. Especially on Indeed, SimplyHired, and VirtualJobCoach.Be the first to apply to new jobs as soon as they are listed by checking and running your saved searches several times throughout the day.Refresh your resume daily or weekly on the job boards.On Craigslist scroll down to the lower left corner of the job listing pages you are interested in and click RSS feedOn Craigslist when you post your resume, Click the check box “ok for others to contact you about other services, products or commercial”



Make Yourself Visible…LinkedIn™is the Place!Where the good recruiters do keyword searches to find qualified candidatesWhere good job seekers go to research personnel at their target company.LinkedIn Profile Building Best Practices:

Fill out your LinkedIn™ profile completely.Include a head or head and shoulders picture.Include your e-mail address in your title.State that you are unemployed & are looking for a job.State in the Specialties section of your profile particular skills and toolsAdd the Box application and upload your resume so it is publicly availableIn your Account & Settings, make everything open and publicly visibleIn your LinkedIn Status state you are looking for employment & referrals



Make Yourself Visible…LinkedIn™ is the Place!LinkedIn Profile Building Best Practices (Cont’d):

Join as many groups as possible related to your professional interests.For Jobs posted on LinkedIn, apply directly to the poster’s email address.If not included, send a message to the poster.Ask people you’ve worked with to write Recommendations for you.In Additional Information add:

Memberships in professionally relevant groups outside LinkedInDirect email and phone numberCheck off Career Opportunities in Opportunities Preference section

Add as many relevant LinkedIn connections as you can.The more contacts you have, the easier it will be for recruiters to find youUse the LinkedIn Import Contacts Wizard to initiate invitationsSign up for SocialGrow.com Alpha release for “real-time” social network invitation automation for people who email you. (Shameless Plug)



Make Yourself Visible…LinkedIn™ is the Place!LinkedIn Profile Building Best Practices (Cont’d):

Join as many groups as possible related to your professional interests.Buy a Business Plus account on LinkedIn™ for $50 per monthSearch Jobs on LinkedIn™ for jobs posted on LinkedIn™ as well as those on the web provided by SimplyHired.com.Download and install the LinkedIn™ JobsInsider™ browser toolbar.

Other sites you should be actively seeking a job on:SNs: Facebook, Jobster, Doostang, ZoomInfo, Spoke, Meetup, Ning Groups, Yahoo! Groups, Google GroupsGoogle Profiles and Google SitesRelevant Professional Group Website Job Boards: PMIAlumni Job Boards & Alumni Associations


Don’t Be Shy! Networking For Job Search Success

Networking Does Work!Yes, there is a hidden job marketGet out and meet hiring managers & people who know hiring managersHiring managers want to “get the wash out” and don’t have time to recruit for openingsIf you come across someone with a need, offer to come on as a contract to perm basis and try each other out.In-Person Networking Best Practices

Buy business cards from VistaPrint with your picture and your resume on the backAttend at least one networking event per weekReview the attendee list and target people in advanceBe selfish with whom you spend your time withOffer referrals to other. Build the Favor Bank.


Any Questions?

Marsh Sutherland

[email protected]

[email protected]

@waldenrecruit | @socialgrow | @marshsutherland

•Copyright 2011 SocialGrow, Inc. Page 14 of 14

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mailto:[email protected]

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Developing your job search strategy