During the job search process, recruiters can be your strongest ally or your worst enemy.  The nature of your relationship with them truly depends on your approach and before you can attract their interest you must understand how to avoid the common errors candidates make that recruiters “hate.”  In the Attract Jobs NOW online video seminar, we have a segment titled “The Top 5 Things Recruiters Hate.”  This information was gathered through a survey taken by recruiters and is extremely valuable because if recruiters are turned-off, your job search will be long and painful. 

Two of the top 5 things recruiters hate are:

- Task Oriented Resumes – As you write your resume, remember that there are tasks in every job.  Whether you were in the position or someone else held that same position, the tasks and responsibilities of the position would be the same so it’s very hard to distinguish yourself from others when discussing the tasks you completed in a role.  Over 80% of the recruiters stated that having a task oriented resumes is an easy way to be placed in the “do not call” pile.  Recruiters are looking for results oriented resumes that explain how you added value at each position you have held, which helps them validate that you’re an outstanding candidate worth calling for an interview.  Think about it this way, whoever was the “Marketing Manager” would have created the marketing plan, but the results of the plan in terms of website traffic, leads generated and sales are factors that distinguish you from other candidates. 

- Incorrect Contact Information – Many recruiters noted cases where they were interested in interviewing a candidate and tried to contact them at the email address or telephone number stated on their resume only to find that the information was incorrect, the information was correct but they never received a response from the candidate, or the email/voicemail was full.  When asked if they would make a second attempt at contacting the candidate, almost 70% stated that they would simply move on to the next candidate.  Take a moment to review the contact information on your resume and make sure it’s accurate, professional and highly available. 

These are just 2 of the 5 common errors that can prevent you from receiving the job you deserve.  View the rest of the “Top 5 Things Recruiters Hate” and learn the proven job search strategy that has helped thousands of people get new jobs quickly in the “Attract Jobs NOW” online video seminar.  Watch the video preview at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/seminar-preview .

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting and recruiting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession. 

Sometimes a computer-generated turndown e-mail is really an opportunity.

Your career progressed steadily for years or even decades, and now you find yourself hunting for a job after being laid off. That’s all too common these days. With the unemployment rate still hovering at around 10%, talented professionals are experiencing a painful amount of rejection as they apply for job after job after job.

Often a candidate gets a computer-generated rejection 10 or 20 days after applying online. It says, “Thank you for your interest in XYX Company. We have reviewed your qualifications and at this time have decided to pursue other candidates.” You can usually tell that it’s computer-generated from the e-mail address it was sent from and the farewell at the end of it. It typically comes from an impersonal corporate address like recruiter@xyx.com or careers@xyx.com, and it is signed with a similarly corporate title rather than a person’s name.

Recently a client of my firm, Attract Jobs Now, received such an e-mail after applying for a position she was more than qualified to fill. She said to me, “I’m perfect for this job. Is that it?” As we’ve told many clients, that’s not it. You should think of a form rejection letter as not the end but the beginning. Many companies use talent management software to filter candidates based on keywords they find in their résumés. Receiving such an e-mail only means you have been screened by that software.

Don’t be discouraged. The message is a valuable opportunity. Receiving it means you didn’t have the right words for the job on your résumé, and it may indicate that the official screening and hiring process for the job has just begun. Whoever applied and wasn’t filtered out is being interviewed now. If you want the job, you need to act fast. Here’s what to do: http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/03/job-rejection-employment-leadership-careers-hiring.html

You have to be not only qualified for the job but also highly skilled at competing for it.

As layoffs start to wane and companies slowly begin to hire again, the interview process is getting noticeably longer, with more interviews. As an abundance of talented job seekers thirst to return to corporate America, companies are being more diligent in their vetting process and extremely selective in extending offers. They want to be sure they hire the most talented candidates available.

Imagine walking into a car dealership and being told you can choose any one car on the lot. You would naturally want to choose the very best car for your needs. Say there were thousands of cars at this dealership. Your selection process would most likely entail looking at many of them, test driving a few and then test driving a few more. You would narrow your choice down to just several cars and then conduct a detailed evaluation of their features, safety ratings and overall consumer reviews before making your decision.

In a hiring situation that process translates to a recruiter combing through thousands of résumés, conducting screening interviews with a handful of qualified candidates and then screening a few more candidates. After that, the best of the screened candidates interview with the hiring manager and other managers. This can easily add up to five or seven interviews as the candidate pool is narrowed and as interviews with potential internal team members are added on at the end. Often the most qualified candidate lacks interview skills, which are exposed by the extended process, and doesn’t get the job offer.

Being qualified to excel in a position simply isn’t enough in a recessionary job market. You also have to be skilled at competing for that position. Your confidence and your ability to quickly develop a rapport with interviewers and answer questions with clarity can be what get you from interview to offer. To be successful, you must do these three things:  http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/20/job-interview-tips-leadership-careers-employment.html

Moves you can make that other job-seekers don’t know about.

The unemployment rate has been increasing every month. If you’re like most of the 17 million Americans who are out of work, you can’t afford to wait for the economy to improve before you find employment. You need to start the new year with a new job.

But how? You’ve been applying for jobs online, networking with professionals in your industry and using every resource at your disposal. How are some other people getting multiple job interviews and landing positions quickly, despite the odds?

As the founder of a job search consulting firm that specializes in getting people back to work quickly, I speak every day with talented professionals who have fallen on hard times. Most of them are highly skilled and experienced people who have fallen victim to the downturn in the economy and the newly accepted practice of laying off workers as the first step in decreasing company expenses.

To get clients back to work quickly, we execute a comprehensive job search strategy that includes the following three highly effective tactics: http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/14/job-finding-advice-leaadership-careers-tips.html

With the changing economy, many professionals are changing careers either by choice or by necessity.  If you’re attempting this “incredible feat” you’ll quickly find that it’s very difficult to get interviews in a new field/industry when there are so many unemployed professionals in your respective career of interest.  At www.AttractJobsNOW.com , we’ve helped many professionals successfully transition despite the recession and the first step is to speak the language of your “new” field or industry.

Every field and industry has its own “lingo” which includes terms, phrases and buzzwords that are commonly used.  If you want to get interviews and successfully transition, your resume and cover letter need to speak the language of the new field/industry.  To quickly become “fluent” in a new language:

-Analyze Job Postings – Many job posting are partially written by hiring managers and include the language they speak.   The more job postings you review, the more you will understand the terms and be able to include them effectively in your resume and cover letter.  This will help employers find you in resume databases.  During interviews, knowing and understanding buzzwords will also help you verbally bridge the gap between your previous and new field/industry.

-Read Blogs – Well written field/industry blogs are a great place to gain an understanding of the language of an industry/field and how the phrases are used.  Additionally, you’ll gain an understanding of trends in the industry that can be used as conversation topics during interviews.

As you review job postings and blogs, you’re looking for words and phrases that are commonly used in your career of interest, what these terms mean and how they relate to your experience and results in your current field.  It’s your responsibility as a job seeker to translate how your experience and skills will enable you to excel in a new field/industry and it starts by speaking their language.    

If you would like to transition careers and get job interviews quickly, please upload your resume at  http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation.  Our clients get job opportunities fast!

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting and recruiting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW!

As a young and ambitious student graduating from business school, I asked a wise and very wealthy salesman what was his secret to success.  He looked at me intently and said, “I never leave a business meeting without asking for the deal.”  I haven’t met a more successful salesman since, so I have followed his answer to guide my business dealings, specifically how I close job interviews. 

At the end of interviews, I like to close the deal by saying the following:

“I’m confident that I can add value to your organization by excelling in this role.  Have I provided you with the information you need to feel comfortable extending me an offer?”

I would suggest you close with a similar statement that you feel comfortable with.  I’m sure some of you may think I’m crazy, over confident or even arrogant but I do this religiously and it works.  It takes nerves of steel but it works and let me explain why.  If the interview went well, the interviewer will either say “yes, you’ll be receiving an offer tomorrow” or “I feel comfortable but I would also like you to speak with…” which is great!  You have closed the deal and received a verbal commitment of a job offer or a second interview. 

If the interviewer doesn’t feel comfortable extending an offer, they will say something like “you’re a great candidate but I’m not sure if you have enough …experience” or something similar, which means you have not made your case.  This gives you an opportunity to reply with an example explaining your experience and results in the specified area.  You want this opportunity!  If you don’t get this opportunity to dispel the interviewer’s thoughts of your perceived shortcomings, you will not get the job offer.  Even worse, you’ll leave the interview without knowing where you stand and simply hope that you get an offer, which can be torture.

If you have ever left a job interview wondering how it went or where you rank on the candidate list, you have not closed the interview.  Take control of the interview process and give yourself the best opportunity to get the job offer by closing the deal.

If you would like interview preparation assistance or help getting job interviews quickly, please upload your resume at  http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume .  Our clients get job opportunities fast.

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW!

You have answered many questions and it’s come to the end of the interview.  The hiring manager then says “do you have any questions?”  In your mind you’re trying to gauge how well the interview is going thus far and decide what questions to ask if any.  This is the point in the interview when it’s time to show that you’re not only good at answering questions but also know the right questions to ask.  After all, in most professions knowing the right questions to ask at the right time truly separates average employees from outstanding employees. 

I like to attack this point in the interview by asking questions that allow us to truly engage in a conversation while also providing me with an opportunity to continue my purpose of explaining why I’m the best candidate for the job.  This can be tricky but when done correctly almost always leads to another interview or a job offer.  There are many questions you can ask the hiring manager but the following 3 are my staples:

1. What do you like most about working for this company? The answer to this question tells us what the hiring manager values about the organization, the corporate culture and provides insight into his/her personality.
2. What goals would you like the person in this role to accomplish in the first 90 days?  The answer to this question provides us with the “current need” (i.e. the reason why the position is currently being filled).  Focusing on how you can satisfy the current need is one of the most effective ways to position yourself to receive a job offer. 
3. What are the most important skills needed to excel in this role?  The answer to this question tells us what skills are most valued and respected by the hiring manager.

The answers to the questions above tell us what points we should make during additional interviews and provides content for an effective thank you letter.  For questions 2 and 3, after the answer is provided it’s beneficial to give examples of how you have accomplished the goals or exhibited the skills in the past, respectively.   

The point here is not that you should specifically ask the three questions above but to understand the focus of the questions.  I’m not sure if you noticed but none of my questions are about me (the interviewee).  Keep in mind that although you’re being interviewed, the interview is not about satisfying your needs.  It’s about how you can help your potential manager accomplish their goals and in the process help the organization.  When it’s your turn to ask the questions make sure they are focused on how you can help the interviewer and not how the interviewer can help you. 

If you would like interview preparation assistance or help getting job interviews quickly, please upload your resume at  http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume .  Our clients get job opportunities fast.

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW!

Happy New Year!  Many of us would like to start the New Year with a new job so let’s get back to work.  In the first two postings of this series on Turning Job Interviews into Job Offers, we discussed the benefit of focusing on the current need of the employer during the interview and how to answer the age old question, Can You Tell Me About Yourself?/ Can You Walk Me Through Your Resume? http://www.attractjobsnow.com/attractjobsnowblog/ .

After these ice breaker questions are asked is when the interview gets more interesting.  The interviewer begins to ask specific questions about your ability to excel in the responsibilities of the role and your experience in the requirements of the position.  There are many ways to answer interview questions but the “S.T.A.R.” technique has become a trusted format for providing effective answers to interview questions.  The acronym “S.T.A.R.” represents the words Situation, Task, Action and Result. During your interview you want to answer questions by stating the situation you were in or the task that needed to be completed, the actions you took and the positive results of your actions.  By using the S.T.A.R. technique you will provide well thought out examples that showcase your ability to excel in a position based on positive results.   

You’ll find that if you’re on the spot during an interview, it can be quite difficult to piece together a story that flows using this technique, which is why it’s highly recommended that you practice using this format before your interviews.  Based on the job description, you can infer what questions are likely to be asked during an interview and you should have S.T.A.R. based answers ready for the current need of the role and each of the primary responsibilities and requirements of the position. 

If you would like interview preparation assistance or help getting job interviews quickly through a resume and cover letter makeover, please upload your resume at  http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume .  Our clients get job opportunities fast.

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW!

After applying to countless job postings, you finally receive a job interview.  With so many job seekers and so few job opportunities, every interview is an important one.  You’ve read “Step 1” of this segment so you understand the “current need” of the employer and how you can meet that need.   The interview begins and you’re asked the infamous question, Can You Walk Me through Your Resume? and/or Tell Me about Yourself.  The questions is….What are they really asking you?

Since this question is usually asked at the beginning of the interview, it often sets the tone for the interview. Answer the question well and you start to build rapport  with the interviewer, which makes the interview flow smoothly.  Answer it poorly and the rest of the interview is a struggle as the interviewer questions your qualifications and ability to meet their needs.  The question is truly an opportunity to take control of the situation if you understand the underlying motive of the question.  Keep in mind that the purpose of the interview process is to find the best candidate to satisfy the organization’s “current need.”  The interviewer has very little if any interest in your work history from a personal standpoint.  Simply walking them through where you’ve worked and your responsibilities at the jobs is not going to attract a job offer.

You need to bridge the gap between your experience and how it will enable you to excel and add value in the position of interest.  The best way to do this is by explaining your results in previous roles.  So the next time you’re asked “Can You Walk Me through Your Resume?” the real question is “What results have you provided in your past positions that can benefit this organization NOW? Stay tuned for step 3 and view a preview of the Attract Jobs NOW Online Video Seminar at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/seminar-preview

This MUST SEE ONLINE VIDEO SEMINAR gives you all the tools you need to get job opportunities FAST! Viewers have received job interviews in less than a week and job offers in less than a month.  View the seminar preview at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/seminar-preview

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW!

As the market begins to slightly change for the better, I’m speaking with many talented job seekers whose status has changed from not getting any job interviews to getting job interviews but not getting job offers.  In many cases this can be even more frustrating than not getting job interviews at all.  So how do you turn job interviews into job offers?

There are a few steps in this process but let’s start with the first step, identifying the “current need.”  During a growing economy companies hire based on expected future growth and during a recession or contracting economy, companies hire based on a “current need.”  There is a project or task that needs to be completed NOW that is causing them to hire someone for the position.  This need is where the requisition started in the mind of the hiring manager and is also where the recruiter and hiring manager are most interested and susceptible to being persuaded by candidates.  Think of the job description as a grocery list.  Grocery lists normally start with staples, milk, bread, eggs, etc.  These are things people need.  Then we add additional items to the list like frozen pizza, chips and soda.  These are luxury items, junk food, things people want.  I usually decide when to go shopping and which grocery store to visit based on when I need staples and which store has the best staples, the things I need.  It’s a bonus if they also have the things I want.  Choosing candidates to interview and extending job offers is very similar.     

When you’re called for a job interview, there is something on your resume that led the recruiter to believe you can satisfy the company’s current need and this is where your interview preparation begins.  You should analyze the job description and identify the current need.  Look for words that are used repeatedly in the job posting, phrases that seem to stand out and the requirements of the job.  Then review your experience and results in the area you’ve identified as the current need and develop results oriented stories.  Explain the situations when you satisfied the current need and how your expertise resulted in increased revenue or other results, which added value to the company.  Practice telling your stories and make sure they are concise and interesting.  

The bottom line is milk and eggs are more valuable than pizza and chips.  Focus on the current need and give the interviewer staples instead of junk food.  Stay tuned for step 2 and view a preview of the Attract Jobs NOW Online Video Seminar at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/seminar-preview

This MUST SEE ONLINE VIDEO SEMINAR gives you all the tools you need to get job opportunities FAST! Viewers have received job interviews in less than a week and job offers in less than a month.  View a seminar preview at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/seminar-preview

AttractJobsNOW.com is a job search consulting firm, specializing in helping professionals get new jobs fast despite the recession through resume and cover letter makeovers, providing professional contacts, interview preparation, salary negotiation assistance and other personalized job search services.  The company was founded by layoff survivor Jerome Young who received 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days after being laid-off during the recession.  Upload your resume at http://www.attractjobsnow.com/upload-your-resume for a free resume consultation from Jerome Young and Attract Jobs NOW.