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#JobSearch : New Study Provides Insights On Bouncing Back From Job Loss. Job Loss can Lower both your Mental & Immune System.

October 18, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Stress associated with job loss can have a host of negative effects on individuals that may hinder their ability to become re-employed. A new study shows that self-regulation of your emotions is an important quality for finding re-employment.

Robin and Lisa lost their jobs due to pandemic layoffs. Robin believed no employer would hire her at her age. She became angry, cynical, and defeated. Her hopelessness blunted her motivation, and she halfheartedly conducted a job search. Lisa believed, regardless of her age, she had a lot to offer an employer who can benefit from her skills. She quickly accepted being unemployed, eagerly launched a job hunt, and hooked two interviews within one week. Lisa didn’t let stress get the upper hand. She outsmarted it with her beliefs. and Lisa isn’t alone. Duke university researchers reported a 2011 study showing that people who adopt an optimistic outlook are more likely to be quickly hired.

Job Loss And Stress-Related Illness

The worries that come with the current trend of Coronavirus job layoffs, shrinking financial resources and a questionable job future are raising stress levels across this country. Questions such as how you’re going to find a decent-paying job, will you lose your house, how will you get the kids through college or will you ever be able to retire can make you sick.

Studies show that for some of the unemployed, like Robin, job loss can lower the immune system, making you more vulnerable to viruses such as COVID-19. Workers living with unemployment and underemployment are five times more likely to catch colds than workers without job threats.

Job insecurities can make you more vulnerable to diseases and worsen existing chronic ailments such as heart disease, diabetes or depression. And a study by Yale researchers, published in the journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, found that older adults (50 years of age or older) who lose their jobs fare worse than the younger unemployed. They have more depression, and their risk of heart attack and stroke more than doubles compared to employees who do not lose their jobs.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

The Importance Of Self-Regulation

A new study published in the Journal of Employment Counseling examined the importance of self-regulation for enabling people to effectively search for a new job and to maintain their psychological well-being. Self-regulation allows unemployed workers to manage their emotions and behaviors in a way that produces positive results and to consider adversity as a positive challenge rather than a hindrance.

The study involved an online survey completed by 185 individuals who had recently been laid off and had not yet been re-employed. High levels of self-regulation predicted better well-being, job search clarity and job search self-efficacy—the belief that you can successfully perform specific job search behaviors and obtain employment.

The findings suggest that employment counseling efforts should help people improve their self-regulation in order to achieve positive outcomes after job loss. According to lead researcher, Dr. Matthew McLarnon, “Together, results of this study suggest that the components of self-regulation are key to a comprehensive model of resiliency, which plays a crucial role in enhancing well-being and re-employment outcomes during individuals’ search for employment.”

Self-regulation and a positive perspective reduce stress and cultivate peace of mind. That allows job seekers to manage what they can, let the rest go, and eliminate stressors that interfere with re-employment.

Reference

McLarnon, M., Rothstein, M.G., & King, G.A. (2020). Resiliency, self-regulation, and reemployment after job loss. Journal of Employment Counseling, 57 (3), 115-129.

Forbes.com | October 17, 2020 | Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.

#JobSearch : How to Target Your Resume to the Job Description. You Can’t Send the Same Resume to Each Job Opening!

October 15, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Whether you are reworking an old resume or starting from scratch, writing a resume can be a daunting task. And in today’s competitive job market with so many unknown variables, it can seem overwhelming at times. But even if you have a resume you’ve used in the past, chances are some significant adjustments need to be made if you’re searching for a new job.

If you have never done this in the past, resume targeting is writing a resume specific to a position you are applying for. You do this by taking the job description and matching your resume to the position. You probably have heard from an executive resume service that it’s important to do so, but in what ways are you supposed to match them?

Here are some tips to consider when writing your resume.

Find Keywords from the Job Description

The first step is to have a printed copy of the job description, grab a highlighter, and mark each keyword you can find. These keywords should describe the particular candidate the employer is looking for, as well as the strengths and skills you possess. Once you identify them all, plug them into your resume as high on the page as possible. Include as many keywords as you can, but be careful not to stuff too many of them in to make it sound unnatural.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Consider the Audience

When you write a resume, you need to think about who will be reading it. It’s easy to talk about your past experiences and accomplishments. The biggest mistake professionals make is talking about previous achievements that aren’t relevant to the job they are applying for. When writing an effective resume, you have to write it while thinking about how a potential employer will read it. They want to see what value you bring to the table specifically for their company, and don’t necessarily care about anything else. By looking closely at the job description, the best professional resume writers can identify what’s appropriate to mention and what should be avoided.

Determine What You Want from a Job

A mistake that many make is trying to reach a broader audience, keeping it more general. The thought is the more general your resume, the better your chances are of landing another open position, even if you don’t qualify for the one you really want. This can lead to a sloppy resume and an unfocused job search effort. Taking the time to truly discover what you want from a job, from a salary standpoint, cultural standpoint, work/life balance, and more will help you target your resume.

Ensuring your resume matches the job description shows the recruiter you took the time to review the qualifications for the position and you didn’t send a generic resume to multiple employers. This goes a long way in showing you are serious about their organization.

FSC Career Blog Author: Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog | October 15, 2020

#JobSearch : Interview Questions That Make Candidates Nervous And How To Answer Effectively.

October 13, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

After mailing out dozens of resumes, your dream job calls to say they want to interview you. You’ve gotten past the recruiter who was verifying your information but didn’t have any of the hard questions you will face in the interview. It will be online, with a panel of people, and extra one-on-one interviews following that.

On the day of the interview, you turn on zoom and realize that your hands are clammy, your voice is shaky, and you have an overriding sense of anxiety in handling this interview online. You’re worried about what kind of questions you’re going to get asked. Some of them are going to be very hard and that makes you even more nervous.

Reboot Digital PR decided to examine the actual interview questions that raise people’s heart rate the most and have them squirm in their chairs. Reboot Digital PR asked participants to wear a fitness health tracker during an interview to conduct this study. They asked the same questions in the same order. They started with the person’s average heartbeat and recorded the most uncomfortable questions that raise their heartbeat.

So, what bothers people the most? A sudden ‘quick test’ frightens job candidates the most. Also, having ‘too many interviewers’ was an issue.

Here is the full list of questions noting the nervousness increases.

Ironically, the tell us about yourself question had the lowest impact in terms of making people nervous. Maybe if you understood how important that question was, your heart rate would go up more. (Read the Forbes article Best Way to Open the Interview to Secure A Job Offer)

Employers make snap judgments. You do not want to babble or bore them with a lengthy rendition of your background or life story. You need to open and grab their attention quickly because, most times, they are not paying attention to you yet. The most successful way to do this is to use the 60 Second Sell, a technique I use with all my interview coaching clients. You identify your top five selling points to perform the job you’re interviewing for. You link these together in a few sentences, and you have this verbal business card or elevator speech, known as your 60 Second Sell.

What salary range are you looking for?

In my experience working with job hunters, most people make critical mistakes when they answer the salary questions. Typically, people are asked what their current salary is, or what is the compensation they are looking for. Directly answering these questions can cost you the job or several thousands of dollars in future wages that the employer was willing to pay.

The salary range question should be straightforward for you to answer if you have done the appropriate homework in advance. You can first reply, “what is the range this job pays?” and see if they answer. If they push you for a number, then try this approach. Cite a source like payscale.com and mention that their salary survey says that for an experienced project manager, the range is between $90,000 – $150,000, and you’re in that range. Then do your best to move on. If they want an exact figure, mention that you don’t know enough about the job yet to determine the actual salary you would require. You can table it until later.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Do you know what we do here?

This is an absolute must do. You must research before the interview to know about the company, what kind of products they sell, and precisely what they’re doing in the area or business unit you are going to work in.

What would your last boss say about you?

Think about your strengths and the duties required to perform this job. Then point out a couple of critical talents or abilities that your boss may have noticed that are specifically related to performing the new job. This gives the employer confidence you would work well in their position.

Why are you leaving your current employer?

Mentioning that you have gone as far as you can or want a new challenge are both acceptable answers. You can also bring up that you are trying to make a career pivot into a new industry. Of course, if you were let go because of a layoff, you can most likely attribute it to COVID.

What are the gaps in your CV?

Have a reasonable explanation as to why you took time off. You’re going to college, your family was relocating, you were on maternity leave, or the company restructured, so you got laid-off. One good strategy is to talk about what you might have learned during the gap. Maybe you picked up a new skill or finished a certification or degree, and you can move the conversation to talk about that.

What would you say are your weaknesses?

Notice this question is asking for more than one. Pick out skills that you don’t have that is not necessary to perform the job. For example, you could say, “I’m good at using Excel. I can take database info and layout the research or make macros subsets, but if you needed me to start coding or using SQL, I would need to take more classes. In this answer, you are pointing out something that you do well, and since coding or programming is not necessary for your job, the employer won’t worry about it.

Why should we hire you?

The answer to this question is the 60 Second Sell. You have already determined these are your five top-selling points. So, you would use the same response as noted in the Tell us about yourself question.

Where do you see your career progression heading?

Bring up the fact that technology and advances over the next few years will create brand new jobs that don’t even exist now. A solid answer is to say that you want to be working for the same company and apply your talents. If you have a goal in mind, you can mention it. Also, add that you are a lifelong learner and you keep yourself open to any new opportunities that might pop up in the company where they need somebody to go to a new area to help the company grow.

Tips to reduce nervousness

The number one way to reduce nervousness is to practice interviewing before the real event. Start by writing out the answers to the questions you think will be asked. Read them out loud and edit them so that you have the best possible response. Ask a friend to role-play with you, and you can practice answering the questions online because now almost all interviews are being conducted online.

Get comfortable with looking at your computer’s camera and answering people by looking directly into the camera. That builds rapport as people watch you. The last thing to do right before you start is to stand up, shake your arms, shake your legs, move your shoulders around, and do a couple of twirls. These actions help you get some of the nervous energy out of your body.

Forbes.com | October 13, 2020 | Robin Ryan

#JobSearch : 6 Recruiter Tips To Getting Your Resume Seen And Landing An Interview. FYI: Recruiters Spend Only 7.4 Seconds Reviewing a Resume.

October 13, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

According to the career website, Ladders, recruiters spend only 7.4 seconds reviewing a resume. Meaning, you as a job seeker have less than 8 seconds to make an impression on them.

Most job seekers want to share everything about themselves in their resume, therefore, their resume becomes cluttered and overwhelming for the recruiter. Moreover, the resume lacks a clear purpose making the recruiter confused about how a candidate’s skills will translate to the role in which they’re applying.

The career site discovered the resumes where recruiters spent the most time and focus had

an overview or mission statement at the top of the first page
a clear flow with title headers and marked sections supported by bulleted lists of accomplishments
relevant keywords presented in context throughout the resume

Here are six recruiter tips you can implement right away to get your resume seen and land a job.

Keep It Stupid Simple (K.I.S.S.)

Most of the time, the people hiring for the role have never worked in that position. For this reason, keep your resume simple and make sure it’s easily understood since they’ll be the ones reading it. To get noticed at a glance, Ben Lamarche, general manager of Lock Search Group, emphasized, “be sure to bullet point your most marketable skills and relevant management experiences. Don’t go into so much detail that a reader can’t form a quick mental picture of you as a candidate.”

Deepak Shukla, founder of Pearl Lemon, an SEO agency, said “cut out any fluff or experiences that are not relevant to the position. This puts greater emphasis on the information that actually matters to the recruiter.” Also, try to keep your resume to one page, but no more than two pages. David Reitman, Esq., owner of DLR Associates Recruiting, recommended to “focus on the past 5-10 years.” He said, “anything further in the past should simply be mentioned with no more than one line describing job duties.” Avoid repeating information. If your last job was similar to your current job, don’t restate everything you did; instead say, “duties substantially similar to..”

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Utilize The Words In The Job Description

Job seekers often complain about not getting their resume past the applicant tracking system (ATS). The reason being is because the ATS looks for specific keywords that are already in the job description. As a job seeker, it’s important to tailor your resume to include those keywords that are relevant to your experience.

Yaffa Grace, founder of The Essential Resume, advises her clients to take a yellow highlighter and highlight words that come up multiple times in the job description. She said, make sure you only use those keywords if you have the experience reflected in that keyword. You can do this by supporting those keywords with professional experiences that demonstrate you’re knowledgable. The worst thing you could do is lie about or exaggerate your experience. The interview will uncover those lies. If the interview doesn’t, your performance on the job surely will.

Lastly, if you’re going to claim you are detail oriented, make sure to review your resume for mistakes and have someone else look it over too. The quickest way to land in the rejected pile is by contradicting what you claim.

Tailor Your Resume To The Position

Most job seekers have multiple resumes. Each resume is tailored specifically for the role in which they’re applying by using the keywords in that job description. If you have a broad background and are applying for various types of positions, it’s important you tailor your resume to speak to the skills of those positions. For example, if you’re applying to a developer position, you would want to move non-relevant positions to “Additional Experience”, personalize your summary and skills section as well as the bullet points from your current and previous positions.

Chris Waltenbaugh, payment processing expert at Payment Depot, explained “for me, the resumes that stand out are the ones that show the person has taken time to think about the position in which they’re applying and carefully crafted a document that demonstrates their understanding and what’s unique about them that will bring value to the job.”

Focus On Specific Accomplishments Rather Than Vague Responsibilities

Rather than listing out generic bullet points from the job description, use specific examples that demonstrates what you’ve accomplished not just what you did. For example, using a statement such as “Increased employee retention rate by 45%” is a stronger statement than “Improved the employee experience.” It not only hones in on a specific outcome but it demonstrates your success that can benefit the company in which you’re applying.

Petra Odak, chief marketing officer at Better Proposals, shared “one thing that is guaranteed to get my attention when I’m hiring, is samples. We hired for a lot of marketing positions recently and the candidates that stood out are those that supplied a sample of their work. Be it writing, design, marketing copy or something else. Those that went the extra mile and showed us what they can do are the ones that got an interview.” She added, “everyone can write a good resume and cover letter, but a sample shows that you can actually do the work.”

Take It To The Next Level

Grabbing a recruiters attention requires additional effort. Christy Noel, career expert, marketing executive and author of Your Personal Career, expressed, “it’s not enough to solely rely on the job board or portal to submit your application. You should network to find someone who knows a person within the company that can be sent your resume to forward to the recruiter or hiring manager.” She explained “referrals have a 50% likelihood of getting an interview, non-referrals only have a 3% likelihood, so getting that person to submit your resume is critical to your job search.” LinkedIn is invaluable when it comes to networking with people at the company. Websites such as Rocket Reach and hunter.io help to find the email of specific people within the organization so you can send your resume and cover letter directly to them.

Another way to stand out is by being original in your approach. Andrew Taylor, director of Net Lawman, said “you can make your resume stand out by creating an infographic and including a video for your cover letter.”

Craft A Personalized Cover Letter

A personalized cover letter shows the employer you’re serious about the position in which you’re applying. Lawrence Calman-Grimsdale, marketing intelligence assistant at Jump, asserted, “it’s infinitely better to apply to three jobs with tailored cover letters than 100 without.” A cover letter should be well organized, concise and explain specific points from your resume that are relevant to the position. Furthermore, if you have gaps on your resume, make sure to give a brief explanation (health concerns, caring for a sick parent, etc…) so the recruiter isn’t left wondering.

To start, make sure to address the cover letter to the hiring manager in the organization. From there, each paragraph should be broken down into how you found the role and what made you want to apply, expanding on specific parts of your background that are relevant to the role and finally, a wrap up stating your excitement for the role, how they can contact you and thanking them for their time.

Forbes.com | October 13, 2020 | Heidi Lynne Kurter

#YourCareer : Companies Don’t Care About You: The Days Of Corporate Loyalty Are Over And It’s Time To Take Control Of Your Career. A MUst REad for All!

October 12, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

We all understand that corporations solely care about revenue, profits and their shareholders. CEOs and top brass hyperfocus on their own financial interests. It’s hard to blame them, as this is how the game is played.

Lately, it seems that the chasm between the uber-wealthy and the average American family is the greatest we’ve seen since the bygone era of robber barons. The top 1% are thriving during the pandemic, while the rest of us are desperately trying to survive and eke out a meager living. More than ever before, a small group of powerful CEOs and executives have usurped the lion’s share of their company’s money by awarding themselves lavish salaries, stock options and bonuses.

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have enhanced the chasm between the average worker and the upper echelon. This marks the beginning of the end of corporate loyalty. It’s obvious that we’ve been forced into a new era of free agency. The companies clearly don’t care about the workers and now the workers need to care about themselves.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Here’s a great example exemplifying the callous, nonchalant behavior of corporate executives toward employees. In late March, Covid-19 hit the United States hard. A then record-setting 3.28 million people filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 21. At the time, it was the highest level of claims in reported history. Those numbers seem quaint now, as more than 60 million Americans have filed for benefits since then. Due to the drastic health, economic and job-loss crisis, prominent CEOs—many from financial services and Wall Street—promised that they would not lay off workers through 2020. Six-plus months later, a number of these companies are now laying off employees.

Here are just some of the large corporations that have changed their minds about their pledge to hold onto workers:

Citigroup: “Citigroup will continue laying off roughly 1% of its global workforce, the company announced on Sept. 14. The cuts end a previous commitment to pause layoffs amid the pandemic.” A cursory search of Citi’s online job postings shows that around two-thirds of the listings are outside of the U.S. This reflects an ongoing trend of Wall Street banks relocating jobs to lower-cost cities within America and to other countries.
Goldman Sachs: “Goldman Sachs is cutting 400 jobs, or 1% of its workforce, after briefly pausing job cuts amid the pandemic, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 30.”
Wells Fargo: “On July 9, Bloomberg Law reported that Wells Fargo is preparing to cut thousands of jobs,” and has plans to start chopping “more than 700 commercial banking jobs.”
Deutsche Bank: “The bank announced it was restarting job cuts—part of an 18,000-position cull it launched last July but paused…as the coronavirus crisis bred uncertainty.”
HSBC: “HSBC resumes 35,000 job-cut plan, ending [Covid-19] ‘pause.’”
Salesforce: “Salesforce started to lay off 1,000 of 54,000 employees on Aug. 26, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news comes one day after the company posted record sales. In March, CEO Marc Benioff pledged a 90-day freeze on layoffs.”
LinkedIn: “LinkedIn said it would cut 960 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce, on July 21. The cuts will impact hiring and sales positions.”

Some of the companies focused on a 90-day commitment; although, the spirit of the intent was for the year. To be fair, at the onslaught of the outbreak, it wasn’t conceivable that the pandemic would still be in place seven months later nor did they foresee the rampant damage caused to the economy.

Since then, companies across all industry sectors executed massive layoffs. For instance, Disney recently let go of about 28,000 workers and the airlines plan to terminate about 35,000—if the government (U.S. taxpayers) doesn’t give them another $25 billion after the initial $25 billion bailout.

Without any empathy, corporations ruthlessly cut out middle managers to save money and hire younger, less-expensive workers. To squeeze even more money out, they’ve relocated jobs from big cities, such as New York City, to lower-cost states and foreign countries to pay people a fraction of what their predecessors earned. When companies run into trouble and file for bankruptcy, they lay off thousands of workers without any hesitation. The executives and CEOs who mismanaged the business remain and continue to collect fat paychecks.

Large sums of money have been allocated toward technology, robotics and artificial intelligence. The goal is to eventually replace real-life human workers with sophisticated technology. Robots don’t take coffee breaks, vacations, eat lunch, gossip or argue over sports and politics. They dont require health insurance nor do they talk back or call in sick.

Predictions of AI taking over jobs are so great that former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang called for Universal Basic Income to be paid to Americans. Yang’s thesis is that once tech takes over, millions of Americans won’t have the skills to hold a decent job. Their only answer is for the government to provide a living income to help them get by. While on a podcast with Yang, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that—fairly soon—AI will write better code than his current software engineers. His dire forecast is that tech will eat the lunch of everyone and no one is safe.

A large number of iconic American companies filed for bankruptcy protection during the course of the pandemic. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, but somehow, the top brass paid themselves millions in bonuses. It rises to a level of incredulity when a CEO gets to cash in for driving their company into the ground.

It looks like conditions will worsen. With millions of Americans out of work, companies can aggressively dictate the terms. They’d think, “Why shouldn’t we lowball salaries and increase the demands of employees? Where else would they go? With less opportunities available, people won’t have a choice but to accept whatever they can get.”

As the job-loss crisis continues to grow and millions of people look for work, corporate management will feel free to summarily dispatch employees at will. Managers will realize that they don’t have to deal with a difficult worker, as there will be a line of people forming to take the person’s place—if fired. There won’t be a need to offer larger wages and better benefits, as there will be someone else who would gladly take the job to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s head.

It used to be that you could graduate from high school, find a decent job, afford a nice home, two cars and raise your kids in a quiet, bucolic suburban neighborhood. You would work at the same company for most of your adult life and receive a pension when you retire. If your children wanted to go to college, it was affordable and cheap—by today’s standards. If you didn’t desire the higher-education route, it was deemed perfectly respectable to pursue a trade or become a blue-collar worker instead of going to college.

The reality is that this new post-Covid economy could be harsh, cold and unforgiving. To battle back against this, you need to view yourself as a free agent. You can make your own destiny and shouldn’t solely rely upon your employer.

The key is to become thick-skinned, resilient and self-reliant. You will have to be mentally and emotionally tough to deal with all of the new challenges. You will have to constantly learn, reinvent yourself, pivot, acquire new jobs, start side hustles and find new ways to create value.

It might seem scary at first, but there is the sweet taste of freedom when you accept that you can control your own fate and don’t have to depend upon the whims of a large, faceless and uncaring corporation.

The bottom line is, due to these scary emerging trends, you need to look out for yourself. Even if you’re gainfully employed, it’s imperative to keep your eyes open for new opportunities. Prepare a just-in-case Plan B, C and D. Start networking right now and don’t wait for the dreaded call from human resources asking for a quick meeting. Update your LinkedIn profile and résumé. Learn new skills and technologies required for our changing economy. Find secondary tertiary ways to get an income stream, so that you’re not entirely dependent upon a salary. Get active on social media, reach out to recruiters, research new types of potential careers, attend online career-oriented events and do whatever it takes to hold onto your job for the time being.

Forbes.com | October 12, 2020 | Jack Kelly

#JobSearch : How to Stand Out from the Crowd on LinkedIn? With over 700 Million LinkedIn Users, you Need Every Advantage.

October 12, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

I recently had a client say to me, “There are so many other executives on LinkedIn who do what I do. How do I stand out from all the others?”

It can feel daunting trying to determine how to stand out from others with your skill set or background. Your personal brand is one of the main factors that will separate you from other candidates throughout your career. You never know when a job change may occur, so you need to be ready.

What are some things you can do to differentiate yourself from your peers?

➊ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞. Fill in all sections. Leaving sections blank leaves questions unanswered. Be as thorough as possible. You can add PowerPoints, photos, samples of work, coursework, and things you’ve done in your career. Make use of the Featured section to highlight your achievements.

➋ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. Write an article about your area of focus and add it to your profile. Articles remain on your profile for others to view. No one will know you’re an expert in a certain area unless you let them know, and writing and posting articles are a great way to do so. You never know who will find your expertise valuable and it could lead to opportunities you didn’t even know existed.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

➌ 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Adding your .02 to a conversation shows your knowledge, experience, and boosts your credibility. People who actively comment in groups demonstrate their brand and what they represent as a person and a professional. The biggest challenge with LinkedIn groups can be finding ones relevant to you and your job search. You never know whom you may encounter in these groups, but active communication can open up many doors.

➍ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭. Connect with people in your industry. Connect with second and third connections as well. You never know the opportunities that may come with the relationships you build. When your connections post significant updates, don’t hesitate to comment and congratulate them on an achievement or start a discussion with them.

➎ 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞! Comment on posts and offer support and expertise. The more you engage the more you stand out as an expert in your field. It only needs to be a few short sentences about the article stating what you like most, what you agreed with, what you found, or anything else you deem appropriate. The author will appreciate the time you took to comment on it and will likely return the favor at some point.

➏ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞. Take a course or certification? Add it. Look for opportunities to learn a new skill, one that is sought after in your industry. A potential employer will see the value in hiring someone they don’t have to spend the time and money to train.

➐ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭. Make a plan to use LinkedIn three times a week, ten minutes a day. The more you use the platform, the more it will work for you. Building and maintaining your brand never ends. If you want to maintain a strong reputation, you can never stop working on your personal brand.

With over 700 million LinkedIn users, you need every advantage to showcase your personal brand and unique skill set. You may have the experience. Use LinkedIn to communicate to others your expertise.

FSC Career Blog | October 12, 2020

#JobSearch : When it Comes to Resumes – The Good vs. The Bad. Hiring Managers Look at Hundreds of Resumes every Week. Does your Resume Stand Out?

October 8, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Resumes mean so much to hiring managers. It’s your first introduction to a prospective employer and it’s how you differentiate yourself. But what separates the bad resumes from the good ones?

The best resumes avoid abbreviations. Abbreviations are not professional nor are they accepted. Nothing makes HR managers cringe more than seeing sentences like the following: “Answered the phone and went 2 C clients” (yes, I truly have seen this). It may be the information age but this is not a text message so don’t treat it as such.

Giving up too much personal information is a no-no. You should leave off anything related to hobbies or interests that are not related to the job. Do not include your weight and height unless you’re applying for a position as a gym trainer. If it’s not related to the job in any way, do not include it on your resume. Leave out your illnesses or why you took off 2 years to care for a dying parent. As hard as that may have been, it will count against you.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

The best resumes are the best because they’re not being used as an art canvas. If you try to stand out by having large graphics on your resume, it’s a bad move, because this will give you an unprofessional and amateurish looking resume. Your prospective employer only wants to see your skills, your duties, and achievements. You’re not going to get anywhere by having a Word Art picture of a snail on your resume.

Keep the negativity to yourself. The best resumes are neutral in tone or highlight the best attributes of the applicant. But, if you have information on your resume that is negative, such as, leaving your previous employer because you did not like the boss, just keep that part to yourself. Do not try to explain the situation on your resume. That’s an impossible battle that you should not fight. Your resume’s job is to sell and promote you. So, don’t eliminate yourself because you were negative.

Good resumes include dates. Do not make an HR manager have to guess. This kills your resume on the spot. You have to include dates. What years were you in college, did you attend graduate school, or did you graduate from a trade school? How long have you been working at your current position? Do not make the hiring manager have to ask questions about your resume. The second they have to guess, your resume is going straight to the trash. Make sure your resume flows easily and there are no date gaps. If you took a year off to go travel or to go back to school, include this on your resume.

Bad resumes do not highlight achievements. Many people will fill their resumes with irrelevant information, but they leave off the most important part of the resume – focusing on their achievements. You want to stand out from other applicants, so how can you do that if you do not showcase what you’ve done. Explaining your past accomplishments means that the HR manager can see what you’ve done and know how you can fill their need. If you have the abilities, you need to showcase them on your resume.

Hiring managers look at hundreds of resumes every week, and you want your resume to stand out for all the right reasons.

FSC Career Blog | October 8, 2020

#JobSearch : Want to Get Noticed? Make a Compelling Approach! Part of Six(6) Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards.

October 7, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you are familiar with my Top Down coaching methodology, you know I eschew conventional approaches toward securing interviews in favor of a direct approach. You also know that I advocate a personal yet respectful style in doing so in efforts to avoid coming across as a pesky mass mailer or just another junk message. To illustrate, I’d like to share an actual example that perfectly exemplifies this style of approach

Question: How do you stand out?

A couple of years back, I had a coaching client who was intent on scoring a general manager position with a major premier international fighting organization. Prior to our meeting, he had applied to the organization through their corporate website and never received a response, despite having what would have appeared to be amazing credentials and a standout resume. It could have been owing to ATS’(Applicant Tracking Systems) exclusionary algorithms, or it could have been the result of the corporate office never having passed down the inquiry to the local franchise – we had no idea. So, we elected to employ the Top Down Method strategy.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

First, we did some research to discover the name of the franchisee. A bit more sleuthing revealed that he was from Brazil and owned a company there. Since no email address for him was available that was connected to the franchise, we decided the best course of action was to contact him through his Brazilian company’s website. Now, my client spoke the most rudimentary of Portuguese. Reasoning our target most certainly also spoke Portuguese, I suggested we start off the letter addressing this individual in Portuguese to grab his attention. Not an approach you’ll ever see advocated in any book (besides mine, of course), but why not???

The balance of the letter was composed in English. What follows is the actual correspondence (names & locations changed)

Bom Dia Sr. Silva,

I understand that you are the franchise owner of the UFC Gym in Wellington, and I wanted to express my sincere desire to serve as your General Manager. I am currently Business Manager/General Manager of Hard Corps Gym in Miami and am looking for a new opportunity – one that would offer a greater possibility for growth and advancement. After having read the job description detailed on the career page of the UFC Gym website, I can confidently say that I am both experienced and highly skilled on all requisite levels.

I have included my resume for your review and would be grateful if you could tell me what next step I might take to interview for this position. Thanks so much for your consideration.

Respectfully…

It took all but 2 hours to receive a response from our target. He directed my client to contact the regional manager for an interview, who was alerted to the incoming inquiry. Two weeks later, he was hired as club General Manager-In-Training. So, to place things in perspective, he went from being just another lost resume submission in what was likely an ocean of other resumes to getting to the front of the line. My client got the job, not necessarily because he had the best resume, but because he showed bold initiative and assertiveness – two traits highly sought after by any employer!

This example of approach and others are detailed in my game-changing book, Top Down Method: A 6 Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards, along with everything else you need to know to succeed in your pursuit of securing interviews.

Fortune favors the bold, so be proactive, forge your own path and make it happen!

FSC Blog Author: Derek Unnasch. Author of Book above: Top Down Method: A 6 Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards, elitextraining.com

FSC Career Blog | October 7, 2020 | Derek Unnasch

#JobSearch : How To Tell If The Company You’re Interviewing With Is Not Interested In You. Interviewing is a Lot Like Dating.

October 6, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Job seekers always wonder what happened in their interviews. After six to 10 Zoom meetings over the course of five months, communications from the company have abruptly stopped. You’re left wondering, “Did I do something wrong? Do they not like me?”

In the past, companies would freely share feedback and constructive criticism. The firm would divulge what the candidate did right and where they may need some help. The human resources person would also share some insider tips, such as, “Tell Bob when he meets with Karen, the hiring manager’s manager, he should give the same elevator pitch he gave to the manager. It was very strong and Bob’s background was right on point. Also, Karen is a big Giants fan and alumna of New York University. I know Bob went there too. So, tell him to talk about football and NYU.”

Over the years, things have changed dramatically. Companies are now reluctant to share feedback. It’s due to several factors, including concerns over saying something that could be misconstrued as racist, sexist, ageist or some other form of discrimination; human resources hiding behind technology; the discomfort people have with telling people bad news; the recent rise in rudeness and the lack of civility.

Since you can’t rely upon feedback from the company, here are some ways you can interpret and infer from the actions of the company and interviewers what they really think.

If you hear, “It was a pleasure meeting with you. You’ll hear from someone,” that is not a good sign. What you want to hear is something specific. “It was a pleasure meeting with you. Jane Doe from human resources will contact you Monday or Tuesday with the next step and who you’ll meet with.” There’s bonus points if they reference a specific day and time and the names of the folks with whom you’ll be meeting with. It’s even better if they offer the entire agenda, how many interviews will take place and a time frame in which they hope to conclude the process and extend an offer.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

“Thanks for coming! It was nice to meet you. We are at the very early stages of the interview process and have a number of people that we plan on speaking with. The job advertisements garnered a large amount of résumés and we still need to go through them all.” Interviewers tend to hide behind these types of clichés. If they’re into you, the wrap-up statement would have been more positive with a call to action. Their vague statement can be interpreted as, “We don’t hate you. You’re okay, but we’re going to keep looking to see if we could find someone better.” They are also hedging their bets by not outright rejecting you, since they may not find a more appropriate applicant.

If you ask a lot of relevant, smart questions and don’t receive complete, well-fleshed-out answers, it’s an ominous sign. When the interviewer doesn’t offer in-depth commentary on the responsibilities of the job, the people with whom you’ll work with, the possibility for advancement and a feel for the corporate culture, it’s not a buy signal.

If an interviewer really likes you, they will go to great lengths to answer any and all questions. They’ll gladly provide color and robustly describe the role. They do this to sell you on the job. That’s a very good sign. When you feel that the hiring manager is in selling mode, as opposed to interrogating you, that’s a big tell that they want you to come aboard and join the company.

The absence of an effusive discussion of the responsibilities and job requirements denotes that they’re not that interested in you. To be fair, it could be that they’re not a good interviewer. This is a commonplace occurrence. It’s a weird quirk in the interview process that companies generally don’t train managers on the basics of hiring. They naively feel that a hiring manager can figure it out on their own. Some are natural at interviewing. Many are not that gifted and a lot are really bad at it.

When you’ve received consistent communications and they abruptly break off, it’s a warning sign. If your recruiter ignores your calls or leaves messages for you at super early or late times (knowing that you won’t be around), it’s troubling—especially because they only get paid if they place you. They may have moved on to find more candidates for the role, since they are concerned that you may not be selected. If you try to follow up with the company by making phone calls, sending texts and emails and don’t hear anything back, it’s not looking good. There are some caveats, such as unexpected business matters that need attending to, a family emergency, illness or other short-term distractions.

“We may have some new roles opening up and will keep you in mind.” It’s true that sometimes they really mean what they say and are interested in hiring you in the right role. Most likely, it’s a polite way to say that they’re not going to extend an offer, but they at least like you.

Other things to watch out for include your LinkedIn invitations to connect went unanswered, you receive calls from other recruiters about the job you just interviewed for and the position was reposted on job boards. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are completely out of the running, but it’s not a good sign.

Hiring managers are just as uncomfortable as you are with regards to the interviewing process. Arguably, they have more to lose. If the manager hires a person who turns out to be a dud, senior executives will question their judgement. This makes the hiring manager cautious about hiring and tries to find out any reasons why the applicant could end up becoming a problematic employee.

The vast majority of interviewers don’t take pleasure in rejecting people. They find turning down people uncomfortable and unpleasant. This is one of the main reasons why you hear vague, perfunctory statements. As decent people, they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Secretly, they hope that they don’t have to give the bad news to applicants and hope that they eventually get the message and move on.

Interviewing is a lot like dating. It’s not easy to guess what the other person is thinking. I hope this offers you some valuable insights into what’s happening behind the scenes and translates corporate speak to real-life meanings.

Forbes.com | October 6, 2020 | Jack Kelly

#JobSearch : Reasons Job Seekers Don’t Get a Job (That No Employer Will Admit To). Let’s Face It – Legal or Not, Discrimination is Still Alive and Well in the Job Market.

October 5, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Let’s face it – legal or not, discrimination is still alive and well in the job market. While most forms of discrimination are illegal, when there are many qualified applicants for a job, certain things may knock you out as a candidate even before you have a chance to prove yourself.

Here are some of the types of discrimination job seekers face, and how you can combat them.

1- Family – To put it bluntly, married applicants with children are something of a liability. They take more time off work, expect to earn more, need more insurance, and often place their priority on family rather than career. While there’s nothing wrong with that, if an employer is forced to choose between a married and unmarried applicant, it’s an easy choice as far as money is concerned.

Make sure that you keep all family information as private as possible in an interview. Employers can’t legally ask your marital status, so don’t volunteer anything you don’t have to. Force them to choose based on merit, rather than on convenience.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2- Gender – There is a lot of gender discrimination going on in the workplace, but not in the way many would assume. Sometimes an employer will bring their own preconceptions into an interview. For example, some employers prefer female employees because they’re viewed as more personable, dependable, and statistically, women are less likely to ask for raises. Some employers prefer male employees, because they think they will be more aggressive and more willing to take charge of projects.

If possible, show up to the interview early, and try to meet a few people in the office if anyone is accessible. Get a feel for the gender mix and the personality type of the employees that already work there, and do your best to project that personality in the interview.

3- Age – Young or old, there are a lot of hang-ups employers have in regard to age. Every employer wants someone who’s there to work long-term, because training a new employee is an expensive investment. If you’re very young, you may not have much experience, but what the interviewer will really be looking for is your potential anyway.

They may not be keen on hearing that you intend to return to college, or that you are planning on getting married soon – these are all things that could make you leave. Never volunteer more information about your personal life than absolutely necessary. Also, if you are reaching social security age, make it clear that this *is* your retirement, and that you have no plans to stop working any time soon.

4- Education – Often, a college degree means absolutely nothing in terms of how prepared you are for a job, but it does show that you are educated, not to mention able to make it through four years of disciplined study. Those without a degree will have to work twice as hard to seem more educated than their degreed peers, and that means going the extra mile.

If you don’t have a degree, make sure your resume includes plenty of relevant educational experience, like managerial training, classes you’ve taken, and specific work training courses. It may also help to work with a public speaking coach for a few sessions, in order to help you articulate yourself well, and maybe even quash a strong dialect, if you have one. Dress is also important. Having an off-the-rack suit tailored for you is a cheap and good way to look well put together. If you look affluent and successful, it will help remove the stigma that those without a college degree are doomed to be stuck in blue collar jobs.

Regardless of the job you’re looking for, do your research. Get a feel for the company, and try to look at as many current employees as you can. Try to find any common threads between them, and use that to your advantage. If nothing else, the more you look like you already belong in the office, the easier it will be for the employer to imagine you as part of the team.

FSC Career Blog | October 5, 2020