Jobing.com: San Jose Community Blog

Job Searching Frustration Part 2 - Time for a new approach to networking! - Karen Austin - Jobing Career Services - Bay Area

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 14:14:00 GMT

Part 2: - Networking

How are you using your network?

a. People I know from my old job know I am looking - but I haven't talked to people outside of my current professional circle.
b. I sent out a blanket email to everyone on my email list - but nobody responded.
c. I am not sure where to start. People know I am looking, but I don't know how to get the help I need from them.

If any of the statements above describe you, you may benefit from revisiting some of the basics of networking:

1. Be a giver. 2. Ask for help - directly. 3. Act on help and follow-up.

Be a giver: The best networkers I know are amazing at providing value to the people they are connected to at every opportunity. Whether it is sharing an interesting article, a piece of new information, a new contact - they always collect and share what is of value to others. Give to your network and it will give back to you.

Ask for help: Once you are connected and begin bringing value to your network, there is a strong chance those in your network will want to help you back. Have a clear, short statement to share with people in your network (personally - not in a spam email) about what you do and what type of job/contact/help you are looking for. Good examples are:

example 1. I am a materials engineer and I am looking to make a contact with someone who works in the XYZ industry.
example 2. I have worked at salons for 10 years and I am looking for small business owners to talk with about what I need to do to get started on my own.
example 3. I have recently graduated with a liberal arts degree and I am looking for an entry level position with a growing company.

Act on help and follow-up: The most important step of networking is to use help that is offered to you and thank the person who has provided it. This means you need to reach out to the contacts you have been introduced to, read the information people have shared, or go to the events that people have told you about. After you've received help or information, follow-up with your contact and send a sincere thank you. Include specifics about what was most helpful to you. If the help lands you a job or something of substantial value, a thoughtful gift or dinner might be a nice gesture too! Gratitude is great to receive and makes it more likely that a person will help you again in the future.

My next blog post will uncover opportunities for improvement in Interviewing ...

Karen Austin is a Certified Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) and resume writer for Jobing Career Services. For more information about Jobing Career Services or to get professional help writing a resume - email resumereview@jobing.com or visit our information page at www.jobing.com/careerservices.

Wardrobe For Opportunity Interview Clinics with The Stride Center students - Liliana Melano - The Stride Center

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:25:03 GMT

Wardrobe for Opportunity invites the Stride Center students to interview clinics with SAP and Chevron. Beginning with a session on interview skills and practice. The corporate volunteers interview each student and offer valuable feedback. The interview volunteers are always so impressed with the professionalism and knowledge of TSC students. Wardrobe For Opportunity is a premier program partner giving our shared participants the "chance of a life time".

8x8, Inc. Partners with the Stride Center - Liliana Melano - The Stride Center

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:48:01 GMT

8x8, Inc. partners with the Stride Center to fuel expansion to new Sunnyvale headquarters and improve community job growth. 8x8, Inc. / NASDAQ: EGHT /http://www.8x8.com ) is a 21 year Silicon Valley company that has rapidly evolved as the leader in VOIP telecom solutions to small and medium businesses. Bryan Martin, the CEO of 8x8, Inc. reached out to the Stride Center with a high interest in partnering. "This partnership reinforces the need to assist the workers in our communities." See the Press Release.

The Stride Center is now offering IT training in Sacramento - Liliana Melano - The Stride Center

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:12:10 GMT

The Stride Center and The Greater Sacramento Urban League will collaborate to bring training to Sacramento. Thanks to the leadership of Darby Patterson of The Stride Center and Taurus Jackson of GSUL, The Sacramento Employment and Training Agency awarded the collaboration start-up support. The Sacramento region will now have access to the highest quality A+ certification and job placement program.

ReliaTech Opens New Store in Alameda - Liliana Melano - The Stride Center

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:07:51 GMT

Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County and ReliaTech, announced the opening of a new computer service center in Alameda. ReliaTech will be operating within the St. Vincent de Paul retail store, providing their well regarded low-cost, high-quality computer service, and selling their line of Gold Star Certified Renewed Computers three days a week. "This new store will enable us to bring our low-cost, high-quality computer service and certified renewed computers to another Bay Area community," said ReliaTech CEO Ben Delaney. He added, "we are extremely pleased to team up with St. Vincent de Paul to offer our services in Alameda."

The St. Vincent de Paul store is opened six days a week, and will accept computers for repair on the days a ReliaTech technician is not on site. The store is located at 2315 Lincoln Street, one half block off Park. For hours and a map to the new location, visit ReliaTech's website.

ReliaTech is a REFURBISHING center!

ReliaTech accepts retired equipment from businesses for refurbishment and reuse. One computer can take a 1/2 car off the road forever.

Make Extra Cash For The Holidays! - Randy Anderson - Jobing.com Community Relations - Bay Area

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:17:25 GMT

Need some extra cash for bills or gifts around the holidays? Have you considered a position with UPS??? UPS is hiring Part Time and Seasonal Package Handlers and Seasonal Driver Helpers at a location near you.

UPS offers exceptional perks and benefits for permanent Full AND Part Time employees, including paid healthcare benefits. Long-standing company policies, such as employee ownership, equal opportunity, and promotion from within, have helped to foster employee dedication, making UPS a preferred employer.

World’s Most Reputable Companies, Best Places to Work, 50 Best Places to Launch a Career, 50 Best Companies for Minorities are just a few of the Employer of Choice Awards UPS has received.

Being a part of our team is not just a career — it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. JOIN US!

Hiring or Not - Don't Let Your Employment Brand Slide - Randy Anderson - Jobing.com Community Relations - Bay Area

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

This content is provided by Doug Mayes, Jobing.com Community Relations Director.

Fellow Employers,

In our tough economy, it seems that employers and HR professionals fall into two divergent camps, both of which can pose significant challenges and opportunities.

Camp 1. I'm hiring. With what news people call a "flood of talent" on the market, some will say you have an embarassment of riches. Some will say you have the opportunity to get the very best...on the cheap. However, you may feel quite differently. Perhaps you're overwhelmed with unsolicited responses. If you post a job, your email system goes berserk and you're so buried that you can't give people the attention required to make a strategic decision. Some candidates who are motivated by financial pressures from recent layoffs, are applying to all sorts of jobs indiscriminately further compounding the issue. You may be dealing with candidates who are bitter or feel entitled to a job. Just because they were a big deal at their last job doesn't mean they're right for your organization. I bet you're feeling this pinch, whether you'd admit it in polite conversation or not.

This landscape poses real management challenges for the HR professional. I was recruiting in the pharmaceutical biz when the 911 recession hit and I saw this situation play out with some of my clients. Some companies abused the buyer's market treating people like cattle, artificially driving down wages, and generally forgetting what it's like to be a job seeker. Although they got fat off the land for a hot minute, I think this treatment caused employees to behave like mercenaries. Since relatively little effort was made to create a compelling employment brand or establish engagement upon hiring, employees soon split for the next big thing. They felt "disposable", so they took their passion, skills, and brain power to the competitor down the street.

Other companies saw this as an opportunity to get the right people on the bus. They did this by communicating their employment brand. They built great employment pages on their websites that communicated their culture. Remember Google? Nobody did this better than Google! Southwest Airlines was superb as well. They invested in high-touch candidate application systems with automated email responses. They kept their name top-of-mind by being active in the community. They created strong relationships with colleges to ensure a pipeline of talent when the market inevitably tightened. All these branding efforts helped them whittle down the giant stack of resumes and make strategic hires. Thus, we came up with the basic equation of my business. Strong employment brand=Strong company.

Camp 2. I'm not hiring. Many wonderful companies have been set back on their heels. Hard working HR people in these organizations perservere in a pressure cooker of layoffs, personal uncertainty, and unemployment claims, all the while trying not to be a "cost center." God forbid you should appear too expensive. Touchy-feely things like an employment brand may be the last thing on your mind. They're the provenance of $500/hr consultants.

Careful now...although it may be easy to toss aside the brand you worked so hard to create, consider the risks. In tough times your employment brand is even more important. Candidates believe what they hear, especially if it's bad. What message are you sending to your potential candidates? Are you on top of your PR strategy? Is your company just recuperating between rounds, or are you down for the count permanently? Surely, you care about every single one of your employees and the way you treat them on the way out will help you or haunt you when this economy turns. Building your employment brand is never a bad investment and by doing this you'll be prepared to rocket out of the gate before your competitors when our economy rebounds. We must think strategically about all this stuff, even though things are wild right now.

Preparing for Your Next Interview - Randy Anderson - Jobing.com Community Relations - Bay Area

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:17:03 GMT

Congratulations on getting that interview! You’ve been sending out resumes and applying for jobs online. You crafted that perfect cover letter, found a position you qualify for and have been selected for an interview! That’s awesome! Celebrate for a few minutes but then it’s time to prepare for it.

Research – Do your best to research everything you can prior to the interview. Of course you’ll study up on the company but also look into their competitors and the industry as a whole. Find out as many specifics about the job as you can. See if the company website has info about the recruiter you’re interviewing with. Look for recent news articles too. You’ll touch on a few things naturally while interviewing. This will make you look good.

Questions – Write a list of questions to ask. Typically the interviewer will ask what questions you have toward the end. If they don’t bring it up go ahead and tell them you have a few questions. Having good questions shows that you care enough about the position to be well prepared.

What to Bring – Be sure to bring several copies of your resume. I would make it a point to also bring a few covers letters and printed references. Of course, store everything in a professional portfolio. Make sure you have a pen or pencil with you too.

Getting There – Confirm the address and print a map. Make sure you understand exactly where you’re going. Ask about parking beforehand. The last thing you want is to be late because you’re lost or didn’t know where to park. In case of emergency bring the company phone number with you. Call if you’re going to be late for any reason.

You’ve gotten your chance. Make the best of it. Good luck!

What to Do if You're Flat Out of Friends - Martha Finney - Martha Finney - Bay Area

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 09:58:08 GMT

(This post is based on some of the principles included in my new book, Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough which I wrote with San Diego-based executive coach, Duncan Mathison. For a free sample chapter, visit the book's official site: www.unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com )

If you’ve been following my posts, you’ll know that I’ve been writing about networking a lot lately. Or at least it seems like it. Networking, networking, networking. Maybe it’s me but don’t you think that when you say it out loud enough, it begins to sound like earwax? Okay…it’s probably just me.

Networking doesn’t have much appeal, does it? It doesn’t sound nearly as much fun as going to your local Applebee’s with some friends for a beer and some wings. Now there’s a problem with even that Applebee’s scenario. Based on the emails I’ve been getting, a lot of you are feeling that you don’t have too many friends either. And the ones you do have are getting, like, really tired of hearing you talk about your struggles to land a job. And you’re getting really tired of talking about it too. In fact, you’d just wish they’d change the subject.

I don’t think my readers are social losers. (At least I hope not, but, then again, what are you doing reading this blog post when it’s such a pretty day outside?) When you’ve been out of work for any amount o time, it’s easy to feel that you have run aground in the contacts department – especially in recent years when we’ve all been so busy taking care of our jobs and our families. We’ve let outside friendships perhaps atrophy. Maybe all your friends were work-related. And now that you’re out of work, you’re also fresh out of buddies. Or you’ve moved to a new town where you really, really don’t know anyone.

Whatever the reason for your feelings of isolation, you know you have to mix it up a little bit, well, a lot. Get some fresh meat, I mean talent, into your tight circles of relationships. Get out of the house. So I thought I’d offer some tips in that direction.

Remember that one thing leads to another. The thing about circulating is that your first dip into big world probably won’t net you a job. It’s a cumulative kind of thing. So leave that desperate, graspy, over-eager feeling at home when you head out the door. Just be open to meeting who you meet. Maybe tonight you’re destined to actually help someone else. And you’ll come home feeling just a little better about yourself.

Look for opportunities where you can become a regular. And no, I don’t mean the Applebee’s bar. When your face starts becoming familiar, you will emerge from invisibility to someone who people will be glad to see. Maybe they’ll even shout out your name, like, “Norm!” (But don’t count on it.) If you try a business mixer or worship service or volunteer opportunity, and people completely ignore you, keep going. Week after week. Introduce yourself as often as you can. And just let the cumulative effects of time work their wonders.

Stay away from solitary pursuits, even if they’re out of the house. Going to a matinee movie doesn’t count as “getting out there.” Go to local economic development or chamber of commerce meetings, receptions, mixers. Your local bookstore probably offers booksignings, author lectures or special classes. A friend of mine who is a professional coach is part of a team who gives courses at Whole Foods! Go! The home improvement stores offer free courses. Go! The American Red Cross offers courses in first aid, cpr, etc. Go!

Make job-related networking events only a small percentage of your out-of-the-house activities. First of all, you’re so much more than unemployed. And you need to nurture those other parts of who you are. At the very least, this way you’ll lead with an opener that’s so much more interesting than, “Hi, gotta job?” But most importantly is that your self-definition has a chance to stay strong and defined beyond this immediate need of landing a gig. You will also stand a better chance of meeting people other than fellow job-seekers. You know…people who already have jobs? And who would be thrilled to help you get inside their companies or organizations.

Learn something. Go to local college courses – especially the ones at night, when employed people go to school. You don’t have to matriculate and take on the expense of a formal semester. Continuing ed courses can be inexpensive. The teachers are often professionals in the community (hint: employed people!). It’s probably best if you took a course that would help you be more qualified for the kind of job you’re looking for. But even taking a non-job related course will at least remind you that there’s more to life than your daily bread (although, it’s kind of hard to make that argument right now, I know).

Teach something. Surely you know something that will benefit others. How to read, for adult literacy programs, for instance. If you have a profession or skill that’s useful in the for-profit world, surely you can introduce at least the basics to young people. Convene a panel of other experts and put on a program! (You’ll be able to find a venue. A friend of mine hosted the annual meeting of his professional association – on the premises of the company that had just laid him off. Awkward.)

Volunteer. Those same skills you can teach you can donate. It will make you feel good about being who you are and what you can do. That boost in self-esteem will give you the added confidence that will send out the signal that you’re a valuable contributor to the world.

Call old friends – even if they haven’t heard from you in a long time. This is where Facebook comes in handy. The other day I heard from a dear friend for the first time in about 8 years. We’d been looking for each other off and on over recent years but, thanks to Facebook, she found me first! And we talked on the phone for a full three hours. A lot of it was catching up. But, she was also very candid about the fact that she needed some professional advice from me. Did I see this as a cheesy ulterior motive? Heck no! First off all, I owed her a gigantic favor from 10 years ago (I mean, huge). Secondly, I love her and I know she loves me. So whatever I have is hers. (Advice, I mean.)

Ask for introductions. Unless you’re a bitter whiner who needs to blow your nose and brush your teeth (and, uhm, a little roll-on?), the friends you have should be happy to give you introductions you need to move your job search forward. If they’re reluctant to help you, find out why. Wouldn’t you want to know the truth, especially if it was something you could fix? And, if they’re possessive with or protective of their contacts to the point where they’re keeping you from helping yourself, or making you feel judged, it’s best that you should know that now. You might have just discovered a brand new opening in your group of friends to fill.

They say that once you achieve a certain age, it gets harder and harder to make new friends. Everyone is set in their habits, patterns, commuting routine, relationships. Well, one of the upshots of these economic times is that everyone is thrown higgledy-piggledy into a big pile of confusion and some flavor of disconnectedness. Now is a fantastic time to build new circles of friends and business contacts.

And vow to take better care of them in the future. Like, don’t wait 8 years before picking up the phone.

Better Position Yourself through Education - Randy Anderson - Jobing.com Community Relations - Bay Area

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:23:08 GMT

What does it mean to “sell yourself”? It’s ensuring that your resume makes it to the top of the stack, or that your name is on the short list of preferred candidates. Sure it starts with a good cover letter. But does it really start there? It’s having confidence in yourself and your abilities in order to convince others that you are the perfect person for that incredible job that you really want.

In order to be the best, you have to know that you’re the best, and that means you have to do your homework. That’s right, education. There are many jobs out there but you may not have the right background. Well get it. You may be busy with a job that you don’t really want, but it pays the bills. Or you may be collecting unemployment for the time being, but that won’t last forever. Take a big tug on those bootstraps and earn the education that you need to better position yourself, professionally.

Going back to school… the idea is quite inspiring, really. But where will you find the time? You have it… you just need to carve it out of your schedule. The good news is that you live in the day-in-age of the Internet and what an awesome tool that is. Because of its widespread access, there are some really great online education options out there that offer you the opportunity to study wherever and whenever you want. The fact of the matter is, online education is booming right now and because of the competition, you have some excellent options.

So here’s the drill: finish your bachelors, get your masters, differentiate yourself with a specialized certificate in an up-and-coming field like Sustainability Leadership, Software Engineering and Networking, or go global with an international business doctorate. Do your homework. Research your options. You may be surprised at the educational opportunities that exist today within our pivotal global economy.

Sell yourself with confidence, knowing you have the right education. Research your educational opportunities at JobingEducation or learn more about one of our sponsored schools, UC Irvine - Extension or California{LOCALMARKET..jobing.com/company_profile.asp?i=127019} (online certificate programs) or California Intercontinental University {http://LOCALMARKET.jobing.com/company_profile.asp?i=127036} (CalU – online master’s and doctorate degrees). Use your time wisely to better your life and let the bidding begin!