ACCEPT BIE卫 Should your previous employer offer you the benefit of outplacement services, seize this valuable opportunity. Explore the resources of federal and local labor departments as well as any associations, unions, or industry groups of which you are a member. Many organizations offer free training programs for which you may be eligible. Investigate every resource thats offered to you, and then decide which ones may suit your needs AsSESS YOUR SKILLS Identifying your unique skills, strengths, and traits can be difficult. It's not diffi- cult because you don' t possess any, but because so often we take our own capa- bilities for granted. So spend some time considering your skills--or ask a friend or colleague to help you Jot them down from the most simple("I can use a com- puter. )to the more complex("I am an ex- RECRUITER'S TIP pert in Microsoft Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher )to the truly astonishing ("I HOW TO RIDE THIE brought in $25 million in new business as AGE WAVE a direct result of my Mercury program Whether you're 25 or 75, age ming capabilities. ") For help, be sure to may play a role in your job use the worksheets in Chapter 3-you can search despite the fact that the complete them on your computer by using law prohibits age discrimina- the enclosed CD-ROM. Once youve writ- tion. So be sure to complete the ten down(or typed up) your skills, you worksheets in Chapter 3. Your can then decide which ones are relevant to routh may account for more the various positions for which you may advanced computer skills, an apply. This becomes especially important understanding of current in- if you're transferring skills to a new job or dustry initiatives, or"New industry. In every case, identifying what Age"management techniques. you can do and what sets you apart from Your maturity may sugges other candidates is essential more in-depth knowledge,a historic perspe ective o Dur in. NETWORK, NETWORK, dustry or specialty, or experi NETWORK ence managing people and change. Plus, energy, enthus You cant start soon enough or do too asm,and adaptability are age- much networking. You're planning your less So don' t shortchange your- future, after all, so take charge! Begin by listing all the people to whom self--get comfortable with your talk. Not only those who may have the job you can strengths
ACCEPT HELP Should your previous employer offer you the benefit of outplacement services, seize this valuable opportunity. Explore the resources of federal and local labor departments as well as any associations, unions, or industry groups of which you are a member. Many organizations offer free training programs for which you may be eligible. Investigate every resource that’s offered to you, and then decide which ones may suit your needs. ASSESS YOUR SKILLS Identifying your unique skills, strengths, and traits can be difficult. It’s not difficult because you don’t possess any, but because so often we take our own capabilities for granted. So spend some time considering your skills—or ask a friend or colleague to help you. Jot them down from the most simple (“I can use a computer.”) to the more complex (“I am an expert in Microsoft Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher.”) to the truly astonishing (“I brought in $25 million in new business as a direct result of my Mercury programming capabilities.”). For help, be sure to use the worksheets in Chapter 3—you can complete them on your computer by using the enclosed CD-ROM. Once you’ve written down (or typed up) your skills, you can then decide which ones are relevant to the various positions for which you may apply. This becomes especially important if you’re transferring skills to a new job or industry. In every case, identifying what you can do and what sets you apart from other candidates is essential. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK You can’t start soon enough or do too much networking. You’re planning your future, after all, so take charge! Begin by listing all the people to whom you can talk. Not only those who may have the job 3 HOW TO RIDE THE AGE WAVE Whether you’re 25 or 75, age may play a role in your job search despite the fact that the law prohibits age discrimination. So be sure to complete the worksheets in Chapter 3. Your youth may account for more advanced computer skills, an understanding of current industry initiatives, or “New Age” management techniques. Your maturity may suggest more in-depth knowledge, a historic perspective of your industry or specialty, or experience managing people and change. Plus, energy, enthusiasm, and adaptability are ageless. So don’t shortchange yourself—get comfortable with your strengths! RECRUITER’S TIP 02 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 3
you want. Anyone and everyone can spread the word that you are-or will be searching for a new position. Whether it's passing along your resume, providing a referral or simply keeping you in mind should an opportunity arise to mention your name, there's something for everyone to do! As soon as you know you'll be looking, draft your list. Begin with the names of friends and family. To that, add current work contacts, previous employers, co-workers, fellow alumni, and so on. Always carry index cards for jotting down names, phone numbers, and e-mail ad dresses of those who are willing to offer assistance-you never know whom you'll meet so be prepared. Print up "business cards"to distribute at opportune moments; these should provide your name, e-mail address, address, and phone number(s)along with a very brief description of the type of position you seek. Seize every opportunity to network--including holidays, conventions, weddings, and reunions when you're likely to encounter people you dont see regularly. FOLLOW UP RIGOROUSLY In any jobhunting environment-but especially in a tough one--following up after an interview is imperative. It's a safe bet that most people don't write RECRUITER'S TIP after an interview, and if they do, they dash off predictable, trite letters that do MONEY MAKES THE nothing to remind the interviewer how WORLD GO ROUND.AND singularly qualified they are for the posi- YOUR HEAD SPIN tions they desire. So you must never fail to write a strong, well-planned follow Conventional wisdom says that the person who mentions th up letter. You must also follow through with thank-you notes to anyone who first figure will ultimately lose in offered help and referrals or served as a salary negotiation. So what do reference. In a tough market, the number rent salary and requirements"? between them, and that depla.limited you do when an ad warns,"seri- of interviews you have may be ous candidates will provide cur- That means you'll have e time Do some digging. Use the Inter- net to research salaries for simi- ticularly true since e-mail can make fol- lar positions in your area. In lowing up quicker and simpler. Once clude benefits and bonuses to your search is over(and it will be!)be increase your salary. Provide a certain to inform and thank all those who salary range to avoid overprice- offered encouragement, contacts, sup- ing yourself. The Issue Index port, and even those who were willing to lists letters in this book with help but didnt, for whatever reason sample language you can use. You never know when your next job search may begin
you want. Anyone and everyone can spread the word that you are—or will be— searching for a new position. Whether it’s passing along your resume, providing a referral or simply keeping you in mind should an opportunity arise to mention your name, there’s something for everyone to do! As soon as you know you’ll be looking, draft your list. Begin with the names of friends and family. To that, add current work contacts, previous employers, co-workers, fellow alumni, and so on. Always carry index cards for jotting down names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of those who are willing to offer assistance—you never know whom you’ll meet so be prepared. Print up “business cards” to distribute at opportune moments; these should provide your name, e-mail address, address, and phone number(s) along with a very brief description of the type of position you seek. Seize every opportunity to network—including holidays, conventions, weddings, and reunions when you’re likely to encounter people you don’t see regularly. FOLLOW UP RIGOROUSLY In any jobhunting environment—but especially in a tough one—following up after an interview is imperative. It’s a safe bet that most people don’t write after an interview, and if they do, they dash off predictable, trite letters that do nothing to remind the interviewer how singularly qualified they are for the positions they desire. So you must never fail to write a strong, well-planned followup letter. You must also follow through with thank-you notes to anyone who offered help and referrals or served as a reference. In a tough market, the number of interviews you have may be limited. That means you’ll have more time between them, and that deprives you of any excuse for not writing! This is particularly true since e-mail can make following up quicker and simpler. Once your search is over (and it will be!) be certain to inform and thank all those who offered encouragement, contacts, support, and even those who were willing to help but didn’t, for whatever reason. You never know when your next job search may begin. 4 MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND...AND YOUR HEAD SPIN Conventional wisdom says that the person who mentions the first figure will ultimately lose in salary negotiation. So what do you do when an ad warns “serious candidates will provide current salary and requirements”? Do some digging. Use the Internet to research salaries for similar positions in your area. Include benefits and bonuses to increase your salary. Provide a salary range to avoid overpricing yourself. The Issue Index lists letters in this book with sample language you can use. RECRUITER’S TIP 02 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 4
EXPECT TO BE CHIECKED Be sure to read Chapter 2, The Top 10 Rules for Writing Killer Cover Letters Every rule is vital to an effective job search. Recent events illustrate just how vital. Take the following rule, for example: Tell the Truth or Pay the Consequences This rule is crucial in light of todays corporate scandals, a by-product of which is the fact that background checks are now conducted with greater regularity and greater scrutiny. Therefore, if there is anything questionable in your past or any- thing that might be misconstrued, don' t hope it wont be discovered. State it your self-it's the only way you can control how this information is presented! Telling your next employer up-front what she will discover anyway can only make you appear honest and trustworthy. If you're lucky, you'll find that your next boss is someone who believes that everyone deserves a second chance TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY The Internet and the World Wide Web offer astonishing benefits to jobhunters. Be certain to avail yourself of these new technologies. Whether you re new to the Web or a skilled user, take time to master the Internet as a job search tooL. An im portant part of your search involves identifying organizations that might be hir- ing. The Internet makes this easier than it's ever been before. You'll find dozens of jobhunting sites on the Web. If you're not certain where to start, visit any search engine and enter the word jobs"or"career. You'll find links that will transport you to hundreds of valuable resources. Choose one jobhunting Web site and prac- tice navigating through it. Do the same with the Web site of an organization for which you'd like to work. Visit its home page and career center. Become familiar with the firm, the types of openings it is attempting to fill, and the qualifications it seeks in the ideal candidate for those positions. Also look for Web sites hosted by associations that exist within your industry or specialty, or your alma mater; fre- quently, such sites maintain a job bank and referral network or offer training. The Internet is an amazing source of information, career advice and assistance, com- pany Web sites, job postings, and sometimes, total confusion. It's worth your time up-front to master this vital tool so that you can use it to your benefit LEARN HOW TO USEE-MAIL If you don t know how to use e-mail, do whatever you must to learn Not only has it become ubiquitous in the workplace, e-mail delivers advantages that can pro pivotal to your job search. For starters, making cold calls or attempting to secure face-to-face meetings with busy executives is not at the top of most of our lists of thrilling activities. But now that it is perfectly acceptable-in fact, even prefer ableto compose and send brief e-mail notes, networking has become far, far eas
EXPECT TO BE CHECKED Be sure to read Chapter 2, “The Top 10 Rules for Writing Killer Cover Letters.” Every rule is vital to an effective job search. Recent events illustrate just how vital. Take the following rule, for example: “Tell the Truth or Pay the Consequences.” This rule is crucial in light of today’s corporate scandals, a by-product of which is the fact that background checks are now conducted with greater regularity and greater scrutiny. Therefore, if there is anything questionable in your past or anything that might be misconstrued, don’t hope it won’t be discovered. State it yourself—it’s the only way you can control how this information is presented! Telling your next employer up-front what she will discover anyway can only make you appear honest and trustworthy. If you’re lucky, you’ll find that your next boss is someone who believes that everyone deserves a second chance! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY The Internet and the World Wide Web offer astonishing benefits to jobhunters. Be certain to avail yourself of these new technologies. Whether you’re new to the Web or a skilled user, take time to master the Internet as a job search tool. An important part of your search involves identifying organizations that might be hiring. The Internet makes this easier than it’s ever been before. You’ll find dozens of jobhunting sites on the Web. If you’re not certain where to start, visit any search engine and enter the word “jobs” or “career.” You’ll find links that will transport you to hundreds of valuable resources. Choose one jobhunting Web site and practice navigating through it. Do the same with the Web site of an organization for which you’d like to work. Visit its home page and career center. Become familiar with the firm, the types of openings it is attempting to fill, and the qualifications it seeks in the ideal candidate for those positions. Also look for Web sites hosted by associations that exist within your industry or specialty, or your alma mater; frequently, such sites maintain a job bank and referral network or offer training. The Internet is an amazing source of information, career advice and assistance, company Web sites, job postings, and sometimes, total confusion. It’s worth your time up-front to master this vital tool so that you can use it to your benefit. LEARN HOW TO USE E-MAIL If you don’t know how to use e-mail, do whatever you must to learn. Not only has it become ubiquitous in the workplace, e-mail delivers advantages that can prove pivotal to your job search. For starters, making cold calls or attempting to secure face-to-face meetings with busy executives is not at the top of most of our lists of thrilling activities. But now that it is perfectly acceptable—in fact, even preferable—to compose and send brief e-mail notes, networking has become far, far eas- 5 02 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 5
ier. In most situations, you can confidently use e-mail to stay in touch, check in pe- riodically, send articles or relevant news items, and even gently prod someone into action on your behalf. Every few weeks, you can e-mail those in your network base to remind them that you're still looking and what your areas of interest are Should you change or narrow your focus, you can quickly update your career"fan club"about this important information When surfing the Internet's many job search Web sites, you'll find plenty of advice on using e-mail effectively in the job search. Here are a few key points and potential pitfalls relating to jobhunting letters of which you'll want to be aware oPTION #1: LETTERS AS ATTTACEMMENS You may send your cover letter as an attachment, rather than, or in addition to, in serting it in the body of the e-mail. In this case, you can send it in the format which you created it; your recipient will receive your letter exactly as you've cre- ated it providing that he or she has the same word processing program that you do All of the letters in this book(that are presented as traditional letters rather than e-mail)can be downloaded, customized, saved in your own word processing pro- gram, attached, and sent successfully to anyone who uses the same program that you do. However, if your recipient does not use the same program, either he or she will not be able to open your letter or the formatting will be altered, and your let ter may not look as professional as you'd like. To ensure the appearance you want, you may wish to use the universally-accepted ASCII format instead; to do so, cre- ate your document using these formatting tips a Use a consistent font size(10-12) Do not use bold, italic, underlining, columns, long dashes, or other unusual characters Use an asterisk ()or plus sign(+)instead of bullets Indent using the spacebar instead of the tab key ell the reader, in the body of your message, the format of your attachment O, Once youve completed drafting your letter, save the document as"Text Only"orText Only with Line Breaks oPION #2: LETTERS WIITEIN E-MAIL MESSAGES Another option is to include your letter in the body of your e-mail message. In this case,you'll want to write a short, concise note. Although short is the standard in e-mail, short doesn't mean dry, boring, jargon-filled, or devoid of content. You still need to follow all the advice you find in Chapter 5 about promoting your skills, accomp nts, strengths, and personality. To create effective and professional e-mail letters, familiarize yourself with this list of formatting tips and the sample letter that follows.(See Letter 1. 1.)
ier. In most situations, you can confidently use e-mail to stay in touch, check in periodically, send articles or relevant news items, and even gently prod someone into action on your behalf. Every few weeks, you can e-mail those in your network base to remind them that you’re still looking and what your areas of interest are. Should you change or narrow your focus, you can quickly update your career “fan club” about this important information. When surfing the Internet’s many job search Web sites, you’ll find plenty of advice on using e-mail effectively in the job search. Here are a few key points and potential pitfalls relating to jobhunting letters of which you’ll want to be aware: OPTION #1: LETTERS AS ATTACHMENTS You may send your cover letter as an attachment, rather than, or in addition to, inserting it in the body of the e-mail. In this case, you can send it in the format in which you created it; your recipient will receive your letter exactly as you’ve created it providing that he or she has the same word processing program that you do. All of the letters in this book (that are presented as traditional letters rather than e-mail) can be downloaded, customized, saved in your own word processing program, attached, and sent successfully to anyone who uses the same program that you do. However, if your recipient does not use the same program, either he or she will not be able to open your letter or the formatting will be altered, and your letter may not look as professional as you’d like. To ensure the appearance you want, you may wish to use the universally-accepted ASCII format instead; to do so, create your document using these formatting tips: ■ Use a consistent font size (10–12). ■ Do not use bold, italic, underlining, columns, long dashes, or other unusual characters. ■ Use an asterisk (*) or plus sign (+) instead of bullets. ■ Indent using the spacebar instead of the tab key. ■ Tell the reader, in the body of your message, the format of your attachment. Once you’ve completed drafting your letter, save the document as “Text Only” or “Text Only with Line Breaks.” OPTION #2: LETTERS WITHIN E-MAIL MESSAGES Another option is to include your letter in the body of your e-mail message. In this case, you’ll want to write a short, concise note. Although short is the standard in e-mail, short doesn’t mean dry, boring, jargon-filled, or devoid of content. You still need to follow all the advice you find in Chapter 5 about promoting your skills, accomplishments, strengths, and personality. To create effective and professional e-mail cover letters, familiarize yourself with this list of formatting tips and the sample e-mail letter that follows. (See Letter 1.1.) 6 02 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 6
a Use the subject line or "RE: box to refer to the position you are a Use a consistent font size(10-12) Use a consistent line length(no longer than 41 h inches across Do not use bold, italic, underlining, columns, long dashes, or other Use an asterisk ()or plus sign(+)instead of bullets Use the spacebar to indent, rather than the tab key. a Select Plain Text format instead of rich Text or HTMl format a Add the recipient to your electronic Address Book so that his or her name appears--not his or her e-mail addres
■ Use the subject line or “RE:” box to refer to the position you are seeking. ■ Use a consistent font size (10-12). ■ Use a consistent line length (no longer than 41 /2 inches across). ■ Do not use bold, italic, underlining, columns, long dashes, or other unusual characters. ■ Use an asterisk (*) or plus sign (+) instead of bullets. ■ Use the spacebar to indent, rather than the tab key. ■ Select Plain Text format instead of Rich Text or HTML format. ■ Add the recipient to your electronic Address Book so that his or her name appears—not his or her e-mail address. 7 02 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 7