Monday, May 05, 2003
Society of Broadcast Engineers, inc.
Newsletter Article Submittal
Hello
:
If your local or
national members of, Society of Broadcast Engineers, inc., would benefit from the following
career-related article, please feel free to publish in your association’s news
letter, e-zine or website.
Permission to print
intact including ending attribution box.
Category: career and
job-search tips
Title: Job-Search King of the Hill—Tough Career Lessons Learned on
the Playground
753 words
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When you were a
child, did you ever play a game called “king of the hill?” In my childhood neighborhood we had a low
sand hill just right for playing king of the hill. A dozen of us would rush to the hill to
scramble and push our way to the top.
The hill only allowed one person on top—the king, the champ.
The competition of a
job search is much like playing king of the hill. Instead of a hill, it’s a job opening. But
the rules of the game are about the same—one hill, lots of players and only one
winner. Only now, the stakes are much
higher.
In today’s
competitive job market, how does one become Job-Search King of the Hill? The answer—exercise better job search
skills.
The four essential
job search skills are:
1) Effective resume
and cover letter writing
2) Uncovering job
leads
3) Interview
preparation
4) Salary negotiation
1) Effective resume and cover letter writing
Your cover letter and
resume are your first contact with potential employers. Make the most of the opportunity by written
communication that sets you apart from the crowd. Here is a hint that’s guaranteed to make you
stand out. Focus your resume on
accomplishments rather than responsibilities.
For every accomplishment ask yourself, “how was this significant? How did this affect my employer’s bottom
line?” Your resume will catch attention
no matter the level of competition because you’ve answered the reader’s
question, “what can this candidate do for my company?”
2) Uncovering job leads
Before your resume
can do any good at all, you’ve got to find job leads. This is sometimes the trickiest part of the
job search process because a good percentage of job opportunities are found in
the hidden job market—job leads that aren’t yet public knowledge. Think about this for a moment, what’s more
competitive, jobs that are posted for the whole world to see or jobs openings
that haven’t hit the want ads or online job boards? Which would you rather interview for?
There are several
ways of uncovering job leads in the hidden job market. One of the most efficient is simply
networking with persons within your sphere of influence. Just ask around. Always ask “who do you know that might know
of a position that matches my qualifications?”
Another highly
effective, inexpensive method of uncovering leads is through targeted email
distribution of your resume. There are
many reputable services online that allow you to target your distribution by
industry, company size and geography.
One caution—avoid resume blasting services. Blasting means your resume ends up everywhere
but where you really want it: with employers most likely to have positions of
interest to you.
3) Interview preparation
Once your resume has
passed the screener’s desk and you’re invited for an interview, keep your
competitive edge with pre-interview preparation. There are many outstanding interview prep
books out there, but my all-time favorite is 101 Answers to the Toughest
Interview Questions by Ron Fry. It’s
just recently been re-released and available in most book stores. A couple of hours with this book and you’ll
be better prepared than most job seekers.
4) Salary negotiation
You’ve made it
through the interviews with flying colors and you’ve just received the phone
call—they want you to extend an offer.
Don’t miss the opportunity to give yourself a nice raise. Go in prepared to negotiate for a better
starting salary.
First, dollarize your
worth. Demonstrate through quantifiable
accomplishments that you are a high return on investment. Second, make sure you have the regional
statistics for the salary range. The
Occupational Outlook Handbook is a good source for that information. You can find them at
http://www.bls.gov/oco/. Third, always
let them be the first to state a salary or range. Don’t inadvertently walk away from several
thousand dollars by answering their question, “So what would it take to get you
to come on board?” They might have a
higher number in mind. And last, your
bargaining power is the greatest if you have other offers on the table. Don’t turn down interviews with companies
you’re not interested in. Those could
turn into offers that increase your desirability as a candidate and ability to
command the top of the salary range for the position you really want.
Once you’ve earned
you position as “King of the Hill”, you’ll be less concerned with job security
knowing the only real job security lies within your own ability to compete
within the job market.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deborah Walker, CCMC
Resume Writer ~
Career Coach
888-828-0814 or Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
Call for FREE resume
critique
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Thank you
Deborah Walker, CCMC
888-828-0814
Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com