Comments on: Job-hunting insanity

By: Warren Hamilton

Warren Hamilton — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:29:37 +0000

I have been reading your blog and newsletters for some time now, and I think you make two very valid points. The first is that headhunters are client-driven, which job-seekers often forget, and the second (in this article) is that HR departments are not your friend. Successful headhunters always want to deal directly with the managers who initiate the positions a job-seeker wishes to fill, and as a recruiter I have been involved in battles with HR where the manager and I both want the candidate placed, but HR raise unreasonable objections. If you have been resourceful enough to make your contact at a high enough level, a fait accompli can be presented to HR, but otherwise you may simply lose out to “group policy” or some other such thing. The skill is to do this without completely alienating the HR director. You’ll get an excellent insight into the HR game if you are able to have a chat with an recruiter who deals in HR placements, or a headhunters’ headhunter. I’m waiting with baited breath for The Headhunter to write on that!

By: CareerSolvers » Blog Archive » The No Complaining Rule for Job Seekers

CareerSolvers » Blog Archive » The No Complaining Rule for Job Seekers — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:01:34 +0000

[...] method of search is posting on job boards and you aren’t getting results, start building meaningful connections with the people who can hire you rather than the people who are parsing the resume data. Create a proactive plan to target [...]

By: Nick Corcodilos

Nick Corcodilos — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:22:50 +0000

Margo,
You’re absolutely right. But I’ll offer a caution about informational interviewing. The practice is now so widespread that managers often decline such requests. They’re not willing to sit and answer questions from people, to educate them about their business. I think it’s far preferable to approach a manager with a request for insight and advice about his or her industry – and then surprise the mgr with some well-planned ideas about how to make the operation more profitable. In other words, engage as peers, not as job hunter and employer. I think that removes the sense that the manager is playing tutor. I think the job hunter has to provide some clear value in the meeting.

By: Margo Wei

Margo Wei — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:25:48 +0000

Good article. People have got to reach out to their connections and meet people within the companies they wish to target. They need to do informational interviewing and build relationships to find the best jobs.

By: Deb Dib

Deb Dib — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:50:01 +0000

Thanks for your usual great reality check, NIck! I always tell my clients to imagine they have a mission critical job at work — one where failure is not an option, their career is riding on it, and there are obstacles and unknowns at every turn.

How would they tackle that? Would they use the least effective strategy and give up, or would they do the research, develop creative solutions, and do what needed to be done to make it happen, no matter what?

That usually gets them thinking. In fact it gets them tapping into the very skills that make them great at their jobs, and helps them translate those to their job search! They go from confusion and frustration to power and purpose. It’s pretty cool.

By: Nick Corcodilos

Nick Corcodilos — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:34:38 +0000

Ivylane,

Let’s see — it’s a numbers game, so you should actively compete with millions of people (most of whom aren’t qualified but they jam up the HR system anyway, making it virtually impossible for HR to identify your perfect resume) for millions of job postings (many of which are shams, old, or just beat). Meanwhile, people who do careful research and develop solid personal contacts are pursuing a handful of jobs where the competition is minimal and where they can directly influence the hiring manager. Are you serious?

Yah, I still see $100k/200k jobs, too. I also see ads telling me I can “Make $$$ at home, 3 hours a week!”

By: Ivylane

Ivylane — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:59:58 +0000

Good thoughts…I think its also a bit of a numbers game. You have to get in front of lots of people. Despite the stats, I still see high paying jobs posted on employment sites -

http://www.linkedin.com (networking)
http://www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to jobs)

I still see 100K, 125K and 200K jobs

By: Jim S.

Jim S. — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:01:22 +0000

I’ve had about 10 programming positions over the last 20 years, and I’d have to say the easiest job hunts I had during that time were when I knew the person I was interviewing with, or the job contacted me first because they were already familiar with my work. Changing jobs, or finding a new one after a layoff (been there twice) has always been stressful going about it the 77% way. Why in the world would anyone want to take the hard, stressful way when personal contact is so effective?