Why Your Job Search is Failing

One of the hardest parts of our jobs is when job seekers  approach us and say "I don't care what job I do, I'll do anything, I just want to work." I get that, I really do, but you're lying.

To be an effective job seeker, particularly in this market, you absolutely need to know the type of organization that you want to work for, one or two different roles that you would like to have and any other relevant parameters such as maximum commute time. Until you know this, spending hours online applying to job boards or sending out resumes is a complete waste of time.

Brazen Careerist shared a terrific article on 6 Reasons Your Job Search is Failing Big Time. While none of these tips is earth-shattering new, it's a reminder that you need to know what you're looking for and how to find it. Effective job seekers know the job they want, can easily connect the dots for hiring managers as to why they're the best fit, and network themselves into those roles.

More Tips: The Perfect Interview

The good people over at LinkedIn shared some really sharp interview tips this week and we wanted to share them with you. In The Perfect Job Interview in 8 Steps, Jeff Haden shares some obvious and some not-so-obvious tips to getting the interview right. 

My favorite tip? Be likable! Sounds so obvious, right? But you'd be surprised  how many job-seekers get this wrong.  Employers want to hire people they want to work with. And they want to work with people they like. This speaks to your "fit" into the organization's culture, the surest determination of a long-term success story. 

3 Tips to Rock Your Next Interview

In a hiring market as quirky and challenging as this, you have to rock the interview to get the job you want. Every day we say what works, and most importantly, what doesn't work, in interviews across various industries and job families.

Here are 3 tips to nail your next interview:

• Have an Insider. Use social media (either LinkedIn's "6 degrees of separation" or Facebook's status update "anyone know someone at XYZ Media?) to find someone in your network's network that works at that company. Buy them lunch or coffee. Ask 10 questions about the culture, values and present-day challenges. Then send a well-written thank you card in the actual mail.
• Cyber Stalk.  No really, find out everything you can about the company. One tip that I love is to follow the company on LinkedIn. Analyze the current employees, particularly the recent hires, and notice if there's anything they share in common that you don't have listed on your resume. Share that in the interview. Or conversely, is there any special skill-set, experience or certification that they're missing in house that you bring to the organization?
• Ask Really Good Questions. Inc Magazine ran a great article on 5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask. Read them. Ask Them.

And back to that thank you note. Send an email that day, and a written one in the mail. Sure fire way to stand out in a crowded hiring market.