Dear Bev: How Do I Explain Losing My Job When I Interview?

Check out Bev’s latest column on Media Post.com.

Happy New Year to all! After a restful holiday hiatus, we return to our regular programming of career and media related advice, news, and commentary…

Unfortunately we’ve been hearing that this holiday season brought more than good tidings and mirth. For many it also brought the unwanted gift of unemployment. (WSJ) A great way to put a damper on the holidays, but don’t let it ruin the new year! While everyone has had big hopes for 2010 to be a better year for media and a better year for employment in general, the end of the fiscal calendar always leaves companies trimming and reorganizing for a new year. You’re not alone and don’t lose hope, because with the new year comes, of course, resolutions!

There are the typical resolutions we all make…read more, exercise regularly, take up a new hobby, maybe lose a few pounds. We’re all concerned with bettering ourselves for a brighter future. So why not look at your job search as an extension of yourself? After all finding that new job is all about a new future. If you resolve to go for a run every day to take better care of your body, why not resolve to take better care of those job search tools too and put your best foot forward both literally and figuratively?

Phyllis Korkki at The New York Times had this same spirit of renewal in mind when she wrote a guide to re-energizing your job search. Here are some highlights and tips:

Your Resume: Korkki says, “When was the last time you took a word-by-word, letter-by-letter look at your résumé? Make sure it’s completely up to date and tailored to the types of jobs you are seeking. (After all, your situation might have changed since you started looking.) Now is also the time to create alternate versions, to reflect different types of positions.”

You may also want to look into hiring a resume writer if the document needs a lot of attention and you haven’t created one in years.

Your References: “If you have not talked to your references lately, call or e-mail them. Make sure they are still in the same jobs, and tell them you’re still looking. This helps expand your network, because references may know of job openings. It’s also a good time to consider whether to add or remove some people as references,” she wrote.

Digital Presence: And we can’t stress this one enough! “Check and update your LinkedIn profile and make sure that it’s consistent with the information in your résumé and any other online presence you have… Hiring managers look at LinkedIn, and any discrepancies could be red flags..Review your contacts on LinkedIn and reach out to new ones. Check whether anyone new can write a recommendation for you on the site. And, while you’re at it, Google yourself and check Facebook or other social networks to make sure that nothing embarrassing shows up.”

These are just a few ways to get serious about your future. Stay tuned for more advice in the coming posts!

Read the rest of Korkki’s tips at the New York Times.

By Beverly Weinstein

Recruiters don’t find candidates jobs, they find candidates for jobs — a distinction that’s often misunderstood. In other words, the recruiter’s client is the hiring organization, not the job seeker.

Headhunters (the vernacular term) should be part of your job search, but don’t make the mistake of only relying on them. On average, recruiters only fill about 10% of all jobs. The following is some basic information that should be useful in understanding the recruiter’s role.

Multiple Business Models

There are two basic categories of recruiters: retained and contingency.

•Retained search firms work exclusively, and the client pays them a guaranteed fee for their services.

•Contingency recruiters are only paid if they find a candidate that is hired by the client. Some contingency recruiters may work exclusively, but it’s not unusual for clients to work with multiple recruiters for the same job. That’s why you may get several calls for an opportunity.

How They Find You
Recruiters are in the business of knowing where to look for qualified candidates, regardless of whether those candidates are actively seeking new jobs.

•Candidate sources range from referrals to mining databases to cold calling someone in the same job at a different company. Professional social networks have become an increasingly popular sourcing tool. If the recruiter doesn’t tell how they found you, ask.

•Ways in which recruiters will reach out to candidates include their business phone, email, and social networks, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

How You Find Them
The same tools headhunters use to find you can be used to find them. And when you compile your headhunter list, take some time to do basic research. Keep in mind search firms generally specialize by category(ies) as well as by job level and/or salary level. Be strategic about your outreach and expectations.

•Research the individual recruiter’s name and/or their company name. Take a look at their bios and client list if it’s published on their site. Look for them on LinkedIn. Any legitimate recruiter should have ample information easily available online.

•Not all recruiters will agree to see you if they aren’t working on a search that matches your background. If they won’t meet you, try to at least get a phone appointment for a few minutes or, at minimum, e-mail your resume for inclusion in their database.

What Recruiters Do/Don’t Do
•Don’t expect a recruiter to write or rewrite your resume. Most are willing to make suggestions or point you in the direction of resume writers or information resources on resume writing.

•Headhunters will sometimes offer you career advice or job search tips. However, if you’re looking for help in figuring out what you want to do next, try a career counselor and expect to pay for their time. Some recruiting firms do offer counseling services, but again at a price.

Beware of Promises

The growing unemployment rate has spawned a category of unscrupulous “so-called” recruiters. They take a fee from the candidate, promise resume help, career guidance, and a job. Major newspapers have run articles on job seekers that have written checks to these firms but haven’t gotten results. I recently heard from a reader who made this mistake. It’s a rough job market; it’s hard for even the most well-connected to help their colleagues, friends or relatives get a job. Be suspicious of a stranger promising to do the same!

Read the column on MediaDailyNews.

A funny, apocryphal tale  from The Recession Kitchen about what  happens when your work force is cut too lean:

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal offers advice on “bulletproofing” your references in your quest for a new job. The piece offers some solid advice, like innovate ways to stay in touch with those contacts you’re hoping will sing your praises, keeping track of previous employers and colleagues through Google Alerts to congratulate them and let them know they’re in your thoughts and on your radar, and not burying yourself by referring an ex ex ex boss who may not even remember you. Some of the tips seemed a little off the mark, like keeping a solid bank of a dozen references. That’s a bit excessive. But over all, the article was well done.

What surprised me were the many comments posted that felt to the contrary on the author’s information. Several readers spoke up and expressed their belief that references no longer matter or are “of no value.” With many years under my belt in this industry, I couldn’t help but respond to this strange consensus. Here’s what I had to say:

“As a recruiter and an on-line career advice columnist, issues surrounding references come up frequently. While I agree that 12 references may be excessive, I do believe references have value. Everyone assumes a candidate can put together a list of references that will be give him or her high marks. Surprise, that’s not always the case. A good recruiter or HR executive can probe and find areas of weakness that may be problematic for the candidate. At the same time, candidates should anticipate off-the- record calls regarding their performance at past employers. Calls might be made by the recruiter, HR, or the hiring manager and, in my experience, this is a common procedure. Candidates can be better prepared if they do some research on who anyone of these 3 stakeholders might know from their current or past job.”

So, while I agree that some of the advice in this article should be taken with a grain of salt, I think it’s dangerous to be under the impression that no one is checking into your past.

-Bev

Illustration by Dusan Petricic for the Wall Street Journal.