Career Cube Blog

Watch out for those that use cute catchphrases like “Internet savvy” and “hiring (fill in the blank) superstars” or wants you to “unselfishly invest your talents.”  If you have been in the workforce and held at least one job out of college, you should NOT be applying to jobs with these alarming catchphrases.  The term “savvy” and “superstars” in a description are appealing to your emotional side.  Everyone wants to be thought of as savvy or a superstar, it sounds cool, it sounds hip, you want that-and hiring managers know that.  They’re appealing to a broad audience.  The phrase “unselfishly invest your talents” translates into-”you’ll be working crazy hours and not getting paid nearly enough, so get over it.”  Not my first choice of a job.

Job postings that are overeager, and vague also serve companies or  (temp agencies) one of two ways:  First, they are good bait to attract ambitious, young, hard working candidates who are desperate for a shot in the real world.  Second, they can provide a wealth of resumes for a headhunter to build their database.  It’s expensive for them to place numerous ads for the different jobs they’re representing, so they can post one vague catch-all posting (knowing that people who are under-and over-qualified will respond) further beefing up their database.  You get your hopes up thinking it might be a real job, they have no intention of calling you because they don’t have a job for you.

Also be aware that there are companies out there that are hiring for multiple positions, but the ad will read as if they’re filling one position.  These are typically Financial Services advisors, help desk or call center employees, sales or Insurance brokers, among others.  Nothing against these jobs at all, but be aware that they’re probably looking to bring in quite a few people and put them through an intensive training process that serves to weed out people who aren’t suited to the position.

And third, do NOT send your resume through one of those “resume distribution” services.  I have it on reliable authority that those resume services are nothing more than Spam to the recruiters. And yes, back when I was looking for a job about 7 years ago, I did pay for one to send out my resume.  I was a little concerned when after they sent it out, I got numerous email bouncebacks from individual recruiters with their out of office messages.  The whole process just seemed so transparent-the company just had a database of email addresses of recruiters that they had compiled, I sent my resume to them, they blind copied everyone and hit send.  I’m sure that there are a few people who have success with this (SPAM emails would stop if people stopped buying things), but it’s based on the chance that the recruiter who gets your resume has a position they’re looking to fill and you’re a perfect candidate.  You can calculate the odds, but they ain’t too good.  Don’t waste your money.  You’re better off researching recruiting firms who hire in your industry and contacting them directly.

In summary, only apply to jobs that provide you with a detailed description of their expectations for you-without a lot of hype.  If you do want to take a chance on the questionable ones, feel free, but again, it’s a Hail Mary application, so try not to take it too seriously if you don’t hear back from them.

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Everyone knows that they should apply for jobs that they’re qualified for.  Engineers apply for engineering positions, marketers apply for marketing positions, and everyone stays within their industries.

However, the trouble arises when jobseekers start to apply for those jobs that they think they’re “perfect” for, but neglect to really read the ad and what they’re looking for.  Here’s an example of what I mean.

The ad states that they’re looking for someone with 2-3 years of experience, and you have 10+ years of experience.  In your mind you’re probably thinking one of two things:

1.    Hey, I’ve got even MORE than what they need, I’m a shoe in!

Rationale #1:  A hiring manager has listed 2-3 years of experience on there for a reason.  First, they don’t have the salary line to pay what you would want with your 10 years of experience, and second, the tasks that this person will be doing are actually what you were doing 7 or 8 years ago-in other words-menial.  There is NO WAY that they would look at your resume and think-yeah, I’m sure this person wants to take a STEP BACK in their career.  I’m so exited that they want to go back to grunt-work.  I’ll give them a call. Makes no sense.  Your only hope of this working is if you directly discuss and acknowledge it in your cover letter-that you’re trying to make a career change and completely understand that the pay scale is totally different since you are starting out in a new career.  It’s still a long shot, but sending in a resume without calling out the discrepancy is instant suicide.

2.    I’ll apply to this and they’ll see how fabulous I am, they’ll call me for another position in the company.

Rationale #2:  Yes, this could happen.  I know that the HR Directors who read this will send me nastygrams saying that it is so rare that it’s the same as an impossibility, but I do know a case where it did come true.  Basically with this strategy, you’re banking on whoever is reading the resumes to know who else in the company is hiring and to care enough to forward your resume to that person, or to hang onto yours because they’re so overwhelmingly impressed that they will pass it along when something opens up.  This can happen, but if you do decide to take a shot and apply, at the very least, call out your intent in the cover letter so they know that you’re not dumb enough to assume that your 10 years of experience is going to get you an entry level job. THEN, in your mind where you’re keeping score of all the jobs you’re applying for-do NOT count this one as a possibility.  It’s a Hail Mary application.  Nothing more.  Let it go.  You’re better served networking your way into a company.

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No matter how secure you are in your current job, or how many job interviews you’re getting, everyone is concerned about how the current or pending recession will affect them. This week I attended an event where an economist from the Connecticut state government brought up some interesting points about how the changes in the economy could affect a job hunt.
First, consider the industry that you’re looking to work in. If there is a recession, think about things that people will always spend money on, vs. what is a “luxury”, and avoid the “luxury” industries. So as an example, people will always need to eat, and the government-at least in the short term-will continue to spend on defense. However, people may delay purchasing new cars, homes, or make upgrades on their homes. So when you’re trying to identify your target companies, focus on those who are logically more likely to either maintain or grow based on the products they produce. Should you apply to an iffy company? Absolutely-it costs you nothing to send in your resume and cover letter. But in the interview you should definitely ask them how sales have been and their opinion of the economy. You may not get a completely honest answer, but definitely watch their body language to see how genuinely confident they are about the company’s prospects.
Second, look at where you live. Considering that different companies will have different prospects during a recession, it’s natural that the major employers in your area are going to have an effect on all other companies in an area. You may not want to hear it, but if you’re looking for a particular opportunity, you may need to move to another part of the country where that industry is booming because it’s surrounded by other profitable companies. Read more

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