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Your Job Search Elevator Pitch – Communicate Your Value in these 7 Easy Steps

By tiffany monhollon on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Imagine you’ve walked into a networking event only to meet a potential employer you’ve been dying to snag an interview with. This is your chance. You need to make a good impression, and quickly. But you’re not sure what to say.

Wouldn’t it be great if you already had a short, targeted message ready to grab interest of your potential employer before he walks out the doors, taking your opportunity with him? What you need in these situations is a job search elevator speech, and not just your typical, “My name is Jane, and I’m an XYZ professional, nice to meet you.” So, here are seven tips to create a powerful job search elevator pitch that will hit the mark every time and help you spark the interest of potential employers.

Keep it short and focused. Of course, you should be able to go into a full-blown pitch on all you have to offer. But, this isn’t the time or place for that – yet. Experts suggest keeping your elevator pitch to 10-15 seconds. A sentence or two is perfect. Keep it focused on achieving your desired goal – such as to land an interview.

Brainstorm words and images. Think about what sets you and your skills apart from other people looking for a job in your industry. Then, come up with words and images that illustrate these ideas.

Lead with the benefits. A stranger doesn’t care about you or your need for a job. They don’t care how much experience you have or what your passion is. They care mostly about themselves. If you’re going to interest anyone in yourself and what you provide as a potential employee, you have to tune prospective employers in to what is referred to as WIIFM, or what’s in it for me? So, open your elevator pitch with how your work would benefit a company and its customers or clients.

Be real. Though you’re in the midst of a potential employment opportunity, don’t treat your elevator pitch like a sales transaction. People don’t typically enjoy interacting with pushy salespeople, so avoid acting too aggressive. Instead, focus on building a relationship first.

Tell a compelling story. People love stories and storytellers. They engage us and let us feel free to interact and converse. Telling a story with your elevator pitch is a great way to interest the listener and ensure the conversation moves forward into the details of what you do.

Don’t tell too much. Rather than divulging every aspect of who you are and what you do, create an elevator pitch that compels the listener to ask more about you. The best elevator pitches transition into conversations driven by the listener’s curiosity. This has the dual impact of engaging your new contact and enabling you to go into greater detail on your skills and expertise.

Stay flexible. No matter how much time you spend developing the perfect pitch, you’ll have to adapt it to each person you meet. Also, it’s vital to keep it updated and practice it regularly so it comes off naturally and sincere.

At some point in your job search, you’ll run across people who may benefit from your skills and background. It’s up to you to be able to communicate what that is in a way that catches their interest and leaves a lasting impression, making them curious to learn more about you.

Job Interviews The Job Search

5 Interview Questions You Need to Be Ready For

By Brie Hobbs on Thursday, June 17, 2010

From the straight forward to the ridiculous, some interview questions can be difficult to answer. And, apart from federal, state, and province prohibited questions – like inquiries regarding your race, religion, nationality, marital status, or age – the sky’s the limit for employers on job related questions to ask during an interview. To keep you on your toes and to learn more about your ability to be creative and thoughtful under pressure, some employers have even been known to ask hypothetical questions about what type of superhero or animal you would be. So, it can be hard to anticipate the types of questions you’ll be asked. But, preparing in advance by staging your own Q&A could help keep you from being caught off guard in your next interview.

While you can’t anticipate every question, there are a few questions you should expect to hear during an interview. They may be asked in different ways, but these common questions are a staple in every company’s interview process, so be sure you’re prepared to answer them.

Can you please share a little bit about yourself? Often the go-to opener for interviewers asking you to describe yourself, this question gives employers an opportunity to break the ice, ease into the interview, and get you talking. When asked, just give a brief summary of relevant facts about your education, work experience, and your reason for applying. Be sure to demonstrate an attitude of enthusiasm and confidence when you’re telling about yourself. Be engaging, positive, outgoing, and let your personality shine through.

What are your strengths? In your spare time, you may be an excellent baker or candlestick maker, but when asked, make sure you discuss strengths that would complement and benefit the job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re interviewing for an administrative position, expound on your organizational skills or your can-do attitude – and be sure to give specific examples of times you demonstrated those strengths at work or during a difficult situation. Potential employers need to know what you can do for their company and strategically sharing your strengths is a great way to communicate your abilities.

What are your weaknesses? Sharing your weaknesses is a little more intimidating than sharing your strengths, but you can still show employees your good qualities by being honest about your weaknesses and letting them know how you’re working to improve them. Make sure you pick only one or two weaknesses to discuss. Keep them brief and relate them back to your job. Avoid character flaws like anger issues or an inability to work with others, and remember to explain how you’re actively remedying your weaknesses.

Where do you see yourself in five years? For some, questions about future goals and plans can be difficult to answer. But, by putting some thought into your answer, you can show your drive, ambition, goals, and interests. Just make sure your answer also shows you’d be willing to grow with the company you’re interviewing with.

Do you have any questions? At the end of an interview, most employers will ask if you have any questions for them. So, be sure you do your homework and have some questions of your own prepared. Having thoughtful questions to ask your potential employer demonstrates your interest and enthusiasm for the position. And, it will help you close the interview with confidence. Not sure what questions to ask in your interview? Check out these seven great questions to get you started.

You can’t plan for every question you’ll be asked in an interview. But, you can practice answering common interview questions most employers ask to better prepare for your next job interview.

At Work Career Options The Daily Grind The Job Search

Looking for New Job Opportunities? Advice to Improve Your Results

By Miranda Wilson on Friday, June 11, 2010

How are you looking for new job opportunities? Are you waiting for them to just appear or are you actively seeking them out? Searching for a career is a full-time job in itself, and it’s important to exhaust all your avenues for finding employment. To help you be more proactive with your efforts, here are some tips to improve your job search efforts today.

Attend networking events. If you know what industry you want to work in, try to get plugged into professional meetings in that field. This will give you an opportunity to network with others who work in that field and make valuable connections. Introduce yourself to them and don’t be afraid to tell them what your goals are. When you attend these meetings, always have your résumé and business cards on hand with you and pass them out. You want people to leave that meeting with a good impression of you.

Talk to people. You never know if somebody knows somebody who is looking for a new employee. Make it a point to get out there and just meet new people. When you’re at your local coffee shop, strike up a conversation with those around you. Ask others what they do for a living, and then tell them about yourself and what you want to do in life. Also, keep your friends and family updated about what’s going on with you. It never hurts to share your story with others.

Volunteer for organizations. Seek out volunteer opportunities that would provide you with experience related to what you want in a job. If you like marketing, volunteer to do some writing for a non-profit organization. If you want to do construction, contact Habitat for Humanity to see if they have any projects for you. These are great ways to build your skill set and be able to measure the impact of your results.

Get online. Check out company websites and others like Indeed.com to search for job openings. Submit your résumés online, along with a copy of your cover letter. Be sure your contact information is included. Apply for all the job openings you qualify for. The more you apply, the more your chances go up of hearing from an employer about a possible interview.

Also, set up social media networking accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, if you don’t already have one. This is another great way to make connections with others. You can include information on these profiles about your skills, experiences, and what type of jobs you’re looking for. Again, you never know who could see your online profile and want to meet you.

Instead of waiting for opportunity to knock on the door, it’s important for you to take some initiative and push that door open just a bit and introduce yourself to new possibilities. If you keep approaching the job hunt the same way you always have, you will get the same results. Try these tips to help find the job you want.

Job Interviews New Job Tips The Job Search

What Every Job Seeker Needs for their Next Interview

By Jennifer Kenley on Friday, June 4, 2010

Recently on “Hired,” a new MTV documentary series that follows college graduates in their pursuit to find their dream jobs in a difficult job market, one prospective candidate designed a shoe for her interview for a design assistant job at Steve Madden. She didn’t get the job, but the shoe design for Steve Madden did get her a second interview.

It seems pretty brilliant when you stop and think about it. Why wouldn’t you bring an example of your work or create something specific to the company that ties in the requirements of the job you’re applying for? In addition to a great résumé highlighting your skills and accomplishments, visually showing the interviewer the value you can bring with a tangible example of the work you could do for the company can put you at the top of the list for the position.

If you’re in the communications field and interviewing for a job that requires public relations work, create a scenario for the company and present a press packet on how you would address the objective. If you’re applying for a journalist position, provide writing samples like news stories, feature stories that publications could feature, in addition to samples from other publications you have written for. For those in graphic design, create a design for a product that the company you’re applying for could sell. You will find that in creative fields like these, you can create something that will show your value and what you can bring to the organization.

For fields like finance and accounting, job seekers will want to bring documentation on how they saved their past employer money. It’s a little more difficult to research a company’s financial status and present a solution for accounting practices than it is to create a design portfolio due to finance confidentiality, but you should still be able to present knowledge about the company’s specific accounting needs. For positions in clerical, administrative, and industrial work, you can highlight your skills by bringing an example of your work. Just think of a project or task you completed at your old job. Apply the concept and relate it to the new position you’re applying for.

Even with the job market showing signs of improvement, there are still many people competing for every open job. So, before your next interview, take the initiative to create something that will impress a potential employer. Learn more about their needs and be ready to sell how you can help them. This will not only showcase your talent but will also show that you researched the company, demonstrating your initiative, your work ethic, and desire to work for them.

Salary and Promotions The Job Search

Your Job Market Outlook

By tiffany monhollon on Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Every six months, we measure job optimism to get a pulse on how people are feeling about the job market.

As the economy continues to improve, we want to know how you feel about the employment situation. Whether or not you currently have a job, what do you think is going to happen with the job market over the course of this year? Let us know by voting in this poll:

At Work Job Interviews New Job Tips Resumes and Cover Letters The Daily Grind The Job Search

Have You Googled Your Name Lately?

By Miranda Wilson on Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Do you ever wonder how much information about you is floating around in cyber space? If you haven’t ever searched your name online, you should try it just for fun. It’s important to be aware of what information others can access about you because when you apply for a job, an employer is likely to go online to research more about you. Gone are the days when an employer would only look at your résumé.

The web has become a medium for personal branding. It helps others connect to information that tells who you are and what you do. It’s important that positive results show up in a search about you. If no search results show up about you, it’s time for you to generate some results yourself. When it comes to online branding, you have to take some matters into your own hands. Here are a few tips to help you create your own positive online brand for yourself.

Choose your name. If you have a common name, it’s important to decide how you want to format it. For instance, Tom Z. White will show up better in a web search than just Tom White, simply because adding an initial or your middle name will differentiate you. As you begin to brand yourself, see how your name stacks up by trying an online identity calculator. Also, when you decide on what name you are going to use, be sure to stay consistent and use it with all your online branding and even on hard copies of items like your résumé, cover letter, and business cards. The name an employer sees on your résumé is the name they will search online. So it’s important that your information is consistent and matches up.

Create professional social media profiles for yourself. For example, LinkedIn is one of the popular social media sites for listing information about your work experiences, interests, and education. You can upload your résumé, include details about your work history, and showcase recommendations others have made about you. It also allows you to make networking connections with others. Just be sure you’re aware of what your personal social media sites reveal about you because they may show up in a web search about you, too. A few other great sites like Brazen Careerist, Plaxo, and Friendfeed can also help you build your network and visibility.

Create a professional blog. A professional interest blog allows you to write about and share information on topics that interest you and pertain to your career. To maximize your results with this tool, be sure to focus on professional subjects and always include your name on it, so when you post information search engines like Google can recognize that it was created by you. As you post more content, the ranking of your blog will rank higher in search results. Find out more about creating a blog.

Write for other blogs. With an abundance of blogs available to choose from today, many blogs and news sites are looking for additional content writers. If you don’t want to create your own blog, you can still write for someone else and include your name in it. This is also a great way to help your name get recognized in search results. So, start finding blogs that interest you and begin building relationships with those blog writers.

Comment on blogs. Using your full name when you leave comments on others’ blogs will also allow you to show up in search results. You can leave thoughtful, professional comments on subject-matter blogs in your field of interest. This is a simple way to build your online presence, especially if you use a unique name when you post comments.

Create an online résumé. This is like your traditional résumé, except it’s kicked up a notch. An online version allows you to incorporate multimedia elements such as podcasts, videos, photos, and social media sites. It can also let you showcase a portfolio of your best work. Having an online résumé shows an employer that you go above and beyond. And because it’s housed online, you never know who could find it and offer you the next big job. Get more information on creating an online résumé.

These are some basic tips to help you create an online identity for yourself and get noticed more in search results. As businesses continue to evolve and our society becomes more technologically savvy, having a résumé isn’t always enough. You have to evolve with the times too, and following these tips can help you do just that.

Job Interviews Resumes and Cover Letters The Job Search

Five Common Words You Don’t Want On Your Résumé

By Job Journey on Wednesday, May 19, 2010

In this recovering economy, the job competition can be cutthroat, and job seekers are suiting up and bringing their A game to the fight. Employers are getting hundreds and hundreds of applications and résumés for every job posting. And, since most employers spend an average of only 20 to 30 seconds reviewing each résumé, it’s important to make sure yours doesn’t fall through the ropes.

A résumé that is concise, scanable, and still packed full of the right information is a great start to get you noticed as a top-notch contender. And, including power words can add a strong punch. But, adding the wrong words can be a knockout that leaves your résumé down for the count. So, make sure your résumé doesn’t have these commonly used words before you enter the job search ring.

Responsible. A job is defined as a duty, a function, or something that has to be done. Every job is a responsibility. So it’s understood if you’ve had previous job experience that you were responsible for something. Your résumé is about listing your accomplishments, not your responsibilities. So, instead of using a vague and common term to describe your work history, give specific and quantifiable facts and figures to impress your perspective employer. For example, instead of saying “responsible for office sales,” provide information like “sold X number of units and increased company sales by 46% in 2009.”

My. Or me, or I. These are first person pronouns and should not be used on your résumé. Since it’s understood that it’s “your” résumé, words like “I” are unnecessary and redundant. And, they can make your résumé appear unpolished, unprofessional, and even too “you” centered. So, make sure your résumé isn’t sucker punched by first person pronouns. Instead, begin sentences with action verbs like reduced, developed, programmed, etc.

Successful. If you weren’t successful at something, you certainly wouldn’t have it on your résumé. Perspective employers want to know how you can impact their bottom line and grow their business, so show them you’re a champion who can provide results by giving detailed and precise examples on your résumé. Don’t waste space saying you were successful. Give specific instances that prove you were.

Dependable. Like the word successful, using broad, overused terms, including dependable or reliable, won’t distinguish you from other job seekers. To set yourself apart, offer tangible examples of your work experience. Use numbers and data. And focus on results. Demonstrate your dependability by conveying how previous employers relied on you by sharing your achievements and growth.

Team player. Hiring a team player is important to every employer. But, the term is liberally used on most résumés and has essentially become a waste of space. Demonstrate your ability to work with others by describing the teams you worked with and what you achieved together. For example, instead of simply saying you’re a “team player who works well with others” explain how by using examples like “worked with IT, HR, and marketing departments to develop companywide leadership training initiative for 3,000 employees.”

With a limited amount of space on your résumé – only a page or two – to present your abilities and work history, it’s easy to get stuck on broad, commonly used words to convey your skills. But you can add the clout and punch your résumé needs by concentrating on communicating how you were responsible, why you were successful, and when you were a team player. Quantify and explain your qualities. By focusing on your accomplishments and avoiding overused terms, your competition won’t stand a fighting chance.