Dear Bev: Are There Job Search “Best Practices?”

By Beverly Weinstein

Absolutely! I talked to a senior level ad agency executive recently who conducted a five-month job search with great success. In my opinion, his search was pitch perfect and worth noting.

What to Look For in a Contact List…(Hint: It’s Not Just Contacts)

Step one in this successful CEO’s search was developing a list of contacts under the broad heading of “anyone that could be helpful” in finding him a job. He also understood that not every contact would be a direct route to his end goal. His conversations always had a purpose, and he stressed the importance of being specific about what he was looking for. It might have been as simple as someone’s opinion on marketplace trends or as specific as help getting in front of someone that was looking for a candidate with his skills. He met with more than 100 people.

Searching as a Full-Time Job

“It’s important to keep your search going each week like it’s your job,” he advised. “It’s hard to dip in and out of search. I did take the opportunity to visit family and take a vacation, but you have to stay at it. You can’t treat it like a part-time event. That’s a dangerous mind-set because you can wake up one day, and it’s been a year that you’ve been out of work.”

Find a Good Coach

Outplacement, which included a personal coach, was part of this executive’s exit package from his previous post. He credits his coach with being instrumental in the success of his search, not only in helping him prepare for interviews, but also in helping him refine his job criteria and make a choice that would best serve his career development.

“I worked with my coach to prepare for interviews, gave him the feedback I received from interviewers, and then he helped assess and refine the way I presented myself,” he said. “On another level, the coach was someone I could turn to if I was feeling down or needed some help to lift my spirits.” He was lucky that his former employer footed the bill for a coach, but didn’t hesitate to say that it was so valuable that it was something he would have paid for himself.

Interview Tips

“When I started interviewing I was way too casual. I relied too much on my past history,” he admitted. “I later realized the importance of going into an interview and being able to provide two or three points where you can add immediate value to an organization.”

In addition to researching the company he was interviewing with online, he tried to have a preparatory conversation with someone from the company so he didn’t walk into the interview cold. “I found most people are willing to take your call and answer a few questions.”

Say More Than Just “Thank You”

After many interviews, this successful job seeker’s feeling was that a “thank you” note without meaningful content was a waste. “Take time to compose something that reflects back on the interview conversation and includes some simple points about how you can add immediate value to the company. A few strong paragraphs will suffice,” he said. He also though follow-up notes should be sent within 48 hours of the interview.

Visibility

He made a point of remaining active in the business community during his period of unemployment. “Stay visible within your industry,” he advised. “Go to conferences, even if you pay out of your own pocket.”  He found value in making a point of scheduling meals and meetings in places where he was most likely to run into people in the business. “If people don’t see you or hear from you, you’re not going to be top of mind,” he warned.

Don’t Be Afraid To Negotiate

This executive’s aggressive job search got him back in the saddle in five months, but he puts emphasis on finding the right job for you and not just a quick fix to unemployment, even if it takes more time. “I was more focused on the job I wanted, rather than a salary benchmark,” he said. “If you’re really looking at the right job, then the salary should be in the right range that’s appropriate with your contribution level and the kind of company you want to join.”

And just because you’re unemployed, he said, doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate. “Being unemployed doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go back to the company and says, I appreciate the offer, but points one and two still don’t fit for me, and these are the reasons why.”

Read the column on Media Post.

Dear Bev: Are There Job Search “Best Practices?”

By Beverly Weinstein

Absolutely! I talked to a senior level ad agency executive recently who conducted a five-month job search with great success. In my opinion, his search was pitch perfect and worth noting.

What to Look For in a Contact List…(Hint: It’s Not Just Contacts)

Step one in this successful CEO’s search was developing a list of contacts under the broad heading of “anyone that could be helpful” in finding him a job. He also understood that not every contact would be a direct route to his end goal. His conversations always had a purpose, and he stressed the importance of being specific about what he was looking for. It might have been as simple as someone’s opinion on marketplace trends or as specific as help getting in front of someone that was looking for a candidate with his skills. He met with more than 100 people.

Searching as a Full-Time Job

“It’s important to keep your search going each week like it’s your job,” he advised. “It’s hard to dip in and out of search. I did take the opportunity to visit family and take a vacation, but you have to stay at it. You can’t treat it like a part-time event. That’s a dangerous mind-set because you can wake up one day, and it’s been a year that you’ve been out of work.”

Find a Good Coach

Outplacement, which included a personal coach, was part of this executive’s exit package from his previous post. He credits his coach with being instrumental in the success of his search, not only in helping him prepare for interviews, but also in helping him refine his job criteria and make a choice that would best serve his career development.

“I worked with my coach to prepare for interviews, gave him the feedback I received from interviewers, and then he helped assess and refine the way I presented myself,” he said. “On another level, the coach was someone I could turn to if I was feeling down or needed some help to lift my spirits.” He was lucky that his former employer footed the bill for a coach, but didn’t hesitate to say that it was so valuable that it was something he would have paid for himself.

Interview Tips

“When I started interviewing I was way too casual. I relied too much on my past history,” he admitted. “I later realized the importance of going into an interview and being able to provide two or three points where you can add immediate value to an organization.”

In addition to researching the company he was interviewing with online, he tried to have a preparatory conversation with someone from the company so he didn’t walk into the interview cold. “I found most people are willing to take your call and answer a few questions.”

Say More Than Just “Thank You”

After many interviews, this successful job seeker’s feeling was that a “thank you” note without meaningful content was a waste. “Take time to compose something that reflects back on the interview conversation and includes some simple points about how you can add immediate value to the company. A few strong paragraphs will suffice,” he said. He also though follow-up notes should be sent within 48 hours of the interview.

Visibility

He made a point of remaining active in the business community during his period of unemployment. “Stay visible within your industry,” he advised. “Go to conferences, even if you pay out of your own pocket.”  He found value in making a point of scheduling meals and meetings in places where he was most likely to run into people in the business. “If people don’t see you or hear from you, you’re not going to be top of mind,” he warned.

Don’t Be Afraid To Negotiate

This executive’s aggressive job search got him back in the saddle in five months, but he puts emphasis on finding the right job for you and not just a quick fix to unemployment, even if it takes more time. “I was more focused on the job I wanted, rather than a salary benchmark,” he said. “If you’re really looking at the right job, then the salary should be in the right range that’s appropriate with your contribution level and the kind of company you want to join.”

And just because you’re unemployed, he said, doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate. “Being unemployed doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go back to the company and says, I appreciate the offer, but points one and two still don’t fit for me, and these are the reasons why.”

Read the column on Media Post.

With things starting to look up in the new year, many employees who have been too fearful to change jobs in the fluctuating economy of 2009 are beginning to pursue new opportunities. Instead of fearing how to handle being fired, executives are confused as to how they should resign.

Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article with tips on resigning on good terms. According to the story, 60% of employees say they intend to leave their jobs when the economy improves. That’s a staggering amount of people who will be turning in their letter of resignation. The WSJ offers some good advice on maintaining good relations with your ex employer and some more obvious tips like, um, don’t steal office supplies on your way out. Here are some of the highlights:

“Make an appointment. “Be formal and make an appointment with your boss,” recommends Tanya Maslach, a San Diego, Calif., career expert who specializes in relationship management issues. “Prepare what you want to say. Be direct and engaging—and be transparent,” Ms. Maslach says. She also recommends offering to help make the transition easier; ask your boss how you can best do that. After the discussion, put your resignation in a hard-copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional help you’ve offered.

• Stay close. Consider joining an employee alumni association, which often serves as a networking group for former employees. It can be a good way to keep up with changes in the company and industry—and find leads to new jobs down the road. Keep in touch with coworkers you worked closely with; they may end up in management roles.

• Be honest but remain positive. Be helpful during the exit interview but keep responses simple and professional. Don’t use the session to lay blame or rant about coworkers, bosses or the workplace.

• Scrub your digital footprint. Clear your browser cache, remove passwords to Web sites you use from work, such as your personal email or online bank account and delete any personal files on your work computer that aren’t relevant to work. Don’t delete anything work related if you’re required to keep it.”

What shouldn’t you do when resigning? You probably shouldn’t tweet that you’re leaving before you turn it that letter of resignation. Yesterday, Jonathan Schwartz, now former CEO of Sun Microsystems, tendered his resignation in the form of a Twitter haiku saying “Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more.”

An original and very post modern way to quit, to say the least. But today’s Media Post Online Daily Newsletter references Schwartz’s resignation in a cautionary article on using social networking in the workplace, citing more companies cracking down on employee’s web chatter with rules and regulations regarding any company information. In other words, be careful what you tweet.