Authored by: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM
ATTITUDE is critical to carrying you through tough times, whether it is health issues, financial issues, problems with a home, maybe a car, or even, your JOB SEARCH. If you do not have a good ATTITUDE almost nothing else matters.
Now I know that sometimes it is tough having or keeping a good ATTITUDE. It takes a lot of faith in what you are doing. What I do when I need an ATTITUDE check is go into survivor mode. What I mean by that is I think of what I have been through before and how I got through it. I ask myself “what did I do to get through this”? I also think about what I learned from previous experiences and try to apply them to the current issues that are working on my ATTITUDE. I have self-inflicted a lot on myself, and family, but we have always come through and always have come out the better. The next issue that comes up usually doesn’t seem as dramatic because I believe in the Marine saying “that that does not kill you makes you stronger”. Now who can argue with a Marine?
I am not trying to be a psychologist here! I am only trying to encourage you that if you are having some ATTITUDE check issues as I have had in the past, look to your family support system, think of all you have come through, take the learned experiences you had in previous situations and put the best elements to work in getting yourself in a better place. A wise man once said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration!” That gentlemen found approximately a thousand (don’t remember the exact number) ways a light bulb would not work. When he did find the solution, the rest became history. I believe that Thomas Alva Edison had near absolute control over his emotions, kept his ATTITUDE in check and prevailed. You can too!
Here is the last word on ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll:
ATTITUDE
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company . . . a church . . . a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude . . . I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it”.
Have you ever heard of the HIDDEN JOB MARKET? Do you know what it means? Maybe you have but do not believe it? Well, I can tell you from experience that it in fact does exist and according to statistics approximately 80%, yes, 80% of all jobs are never advertised.
Now, even though a job is not advertised, doesn’t mean that there isn’t one out there with your name on it. In previous BLOG’s I covered topics such as:
1. Going into JOB SEARCH mode; having a plan
2. “KIS”ing your RESUME to your AUDIENCE
3. Getting the invite; TIPS for a great INTERVIEW
4. Candidate presentation (for you, the candidate), making that great first IMPRESSION
5. RESEARCH for your JOB SEARCH
6. Choosing and working with a RECRUITER
7. Getting your RESUME read
8. Following a recruiting process
9. Getting attention for your RESUME or during an INTERVIEW
10. Posting RESUME
You can find these BLOG’s at: http://jobsearch-rsc.blogspot.com/
They are all written with you, the job seeker, in mind. You will find valuable information to help you with your JOB SEARCH and all material is written for and targeting the JOB SEARCH.
Now, getting back to that HIDDEN JOB MARKET.
Most people think that the only jobs available would be what they find listed on the job boards, such as Monster; www.monster.com or Career Builder; www.careerbuilder.com and that if you don’t see anything there, it doesn’t exist. NOT TRUE. Remember the reference to 80%? Think of the HIDDEN JOB MARKET this way; the 80 – 20 rule! Lets look at it two fold; there are 80% of job seekers searching for 20% of the jobs (those listed). It is like a funnel, which is very clogged at the inlet, or, even a water hose where you are trying to run a fire hose worth of water through a water hose. Doesn’t work out well at all. Bottom line is you have 80% of candidates (20% of the candidates actually know how to search the HIDDEN JOB MARKET) fighting for 20% of the jobs (the known job market). Not the best playing field to be on.
So, if this is really the case, how do people get jobs from this HIDDEN JOB MARKET? Typically through networking, working inside contacts or maybe even word of mouth is what they are doing. With 80% of job seekers chasing 20% of all jobs, you can see what you should be including as part of you JOB SEARCH plan; networking! Get yourself in the 20% category networking your way into the 80% hidden job pool.
Look the Going into JOB SEARCH mode; having a plan and RESEARCH for your JOB SEARCH. You will find information and guidance into finding contacts and company information. Make attempts to network with those contacts. If you don’t see a contact for your specialty don’t hesitate to call the company to try an find out who runs the department you are looking to work in. Linkedin was mentioned as a source to develop a network from. Look up a company name and see who shows up. Anyone who has worked for a company of your choice or is still working there is someone you should be networking with. There are a number of ways to find sources to network with. Don’t exclude your Alma Mater, job fairs or career days. One important thing I would like you to remember when attending job fairs or career days, “they are as much networking events as they are job fairs where you would expect to find a job”. Also, many times companies don’t advertise positions when they attend a job fair; they are many times there to collect resumes for their database and to stuff their internal pipeline with talent for future opportunity. Network with everyone, even the least likely source.
A quick comment on “least likely source”! That least likely source could be a person you call about a position you do not want or are even qualified for, however, you call them with the intent to introduce yourself and ask if “do you have any other opportunity you have not advertised for”? That is networking.
Now, about that RESUME! I saw a RESUME today and there was a 2-year gap in the employment history. When I asked the candidate what they did for those 2 years they stated, “it was work that was outside my specialty”. I told them that every RESUME should have a complete seamless work history because if it doesn’t, questions get raised and red flags start flying. Additionally, many times resumes as used to validate work history when compared to a background check. The application that gets completed is also part of the checks and balances of qualification. If the RESUME, application and background check does not match up, companies will often withdraw any offer they may have extended. The assumption is there has been a falsification of information on either the RESUME or application. So, moral to this story, have a complete and accurate chronological resume and use your resume as a guide when completing your application. That way everything will match and there will be no questions to answer or red flags flying.
Watch for BLOG’s on all topics JOB SEARCH at
http://jobsearch-rsc.blogspot.com/ you won’t be disappointed.
If you like what you see and find value in this information, reference my other BLOG’s. Bookmark this site as a favorite to come back often and TELL A FRIEND!
I encourage you to do so.
I welcome comment and if you wish me to address a specific subject let me know in the comments section.
No comments:
Post a Comment