Bridging the qualifications gap

With their litany of requirements, job postings, especially ones for higher-level positions, can seem like an impenetrable barrier between you and the perfect opportunity. That's because few employers are willing to compromise when it comes to what they look for in new hires. They'd rather wait for a candidate who fits the opening exactly than risk a costly mistake. So, what can you do when you know you're capable of performing a job well, but your skills and experience don't completely align with its requirements?

The good news is that the candidates who look perfect on paper aren't always the ones who get offers. By considering yourself from the hiring manager's perspective, you can begin presenting yourself as an investment rather than a gamble. Here are tips to convince an employer that, despite initial appearances that may suggest otherwise, you truly are the best person for the job.

Reconsider the fit. First, make sure you're not wasting your time and the hiring manager's by applying for a job that you have no hope of getting. Do you come close to matching all of the criteria? If the ad indicates that 10 years of experience are required, and you have only three, don't submit your r?sum?. However, if you have nine years of experience, the firm may be willing to consider your application. Although a small gap between your qualifications and the job requirements may not be a cause for concern, a hiring manager is unlikely to consider you a viable option if the difference is significant. Also keep in mind that some employers will stand firm no matter what and interview only those individuals who meet their criteria exactly.

Find an ally. A referral or introduction from a professional in your network is indispensable if you're a job candidate who almost fits an opening, because your contact can speak to the hiring manager on your behalf and articulate strengths that may not be apparent from your r?sum? alone. Mine your network to try to locate a contact who can give you entree into the company. Web sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can be especially effective at uncovering valuable links. But be careful about approaching someone you don't know well. You need to establish trust and credibility with a person before asking him or her to go to bat for you.
Address concerns upfront. Don't try to hide an apparent shortcoming in your application or during an in-person interview. Instead, acknowledge the concern and then reframe it. For example, if you haven't held the exact title under discussion, have you successfully performed many of its duties in other roles? Or if you're obviously overqualified , you might note that you are looking to improve your work/life balance by seeking a slightly less demanding position than those you've held in the past.
Reduce risk. Under current conditions, employers may feel like they are going out on a limb by hiring a candidate who doesn't match their criteria to a T. Consider shortening that limb by finding ways to reduce the hiring manager's risk. For example, would you be willing to start on a project or contract basis to prove your abilities?

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10 Smart Tips For Savvy Job Seekers

by Matthew C. Keegan

Yesterday, SayCampusLife shared tips on how using LinkedIn—the professional networking site—can be beneficial in helping you find work, particularly if you are a college senior.

Today, we’re going to share with you some advice from Andy Chan, vice president for career development at Wake Forest University, who identifies three major roadblocks to the job seeker’s success: poor marketing, poor networking, and poor mind-set. To that end, let’s review what Mr. Chan identifies as ten resolutions to help people overcome these obstacles:

Roadblock #1 – Poor marketing

“Many people don’t realize that the way they are marketing themselves just isn’t working, and they never get any feedback,” Chan said. “The best way to get feedback is to ask for it from people who do a lot of hiring.”

1. I will ask friends or acquaintances who manage and hire people to evaluate my cover letter and resume and give me real feedback – even if it hurts to hear it.

2. I will ask these same friends to conduct a practice interview with me and give me “tough love” feedback.

3. When I find an attractive job on the Web, I will apply immediately (with a tailored cover letter and resume) and search for friends and colleagues who could act as referrals to help me network into the organization.

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Job Expert Q&A: Scott Steinberg’s Top 10 Job Hunting Tips

Ten tips every 2010 job seeker should know, straight from our job hunting expert.

Searching for a job in 2010? Be glad, says our resident job expert, publisher Scott Steinberg, who’s advised over one billion people on using technology to find gainful employment. “Courtesy of the Web, social networks and online services, all the tools you need to find full- and part-time work, or start a promising new career, are right there at your fingertips,” he says. As a supplement to our online job hunting guide and rundown of vital career building strategies, we asked him to compile a list of ten job hunting tips that every serious professional should know. Following are his essential strategies for boosting your career or landing the job of your dreams:

1. Customize Your Resume

“One size fits nobody – you should always custom-tailor your resume to each different employer and position,” Steinberg insists. He also suggests looking for keywords (common terms recruiters might enter into computerized searches, such as “sales associate” or “senior engineer”) in job descriptions. Once identified, he says, work both these phrases and common alternatives into the document, and early on within it at that. Still, however you adjust it, your CV should also read naturally and be brief and to the point (think two pages max), while an individualized cover letter is imperative as well.

2. Focus Your Job Search

While large job search engines like Monster and CareerBuilder.com can be effective, you’re often better off using more targeted services focused on specific industries, salary ranges or regions, Steinberg says. Also worth noting, he claims: “It pays to concentrate on the 5-15 companies you’d most prefer to work for rather than employing a shotgun approach.” He recommends signing up for email newsletters, participating in online company forums or attempting to contact current employees for informational interviews, among other strategies. The thinking being that you won’t just do a better job by emphasizing quality over quantity – you’ll also maximize chances of being noticed.

3. Invest in Continuing Education

Best practices and technology standards change rapidly, according to Steinberg, making it imperative that you always stay abreast of the latest developments, whether currently employed on no. “Keeping your skills up-to-date and polished makes you more valuable to your employer, and shows an aptitude and willingness to change,” he says. This sort of flexibility is going to be even more important going forward, Steinberg claims, as a flooded marketplace comes under further pressure from an onslaught of new, newly unemployed and/or international workers also vying for a limited pool of positions.

4. Leverage Social Networks

Using social networks such as LinkedIn, Plaxo and Facebook, it pays to create a professional looking profile and source recommendations from friends and colleagues. Afterwards, says Steinberg, it’s important to actively set about connecting with peers, potential mentors and prospective employers and let them know you’re searching for work, especially since they’re literally all just a click away. “With upwards of eight in ten job opportunities going unadvertised these days, you really are who you know,” he asserts.

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5 Insider Tips for Job-Seeking College Grads

With unemployment still in the double digits, December college graduates face a grim job market

By Zach Miners

Posted December 30, 2009

The latest data from the Labor Department show that employers might be beginning to dip their toes back into the hiring waters, but that doesn't mean finding gainful employment will be easy for recent college graduates. It will take a combination of networking, assertiveness, and tech savvy to land that first job, counselors say.

Harrison Barnes, founder and CEO of the job search website EmploymentCrossing.com, says applying for jobs now could give winter graduates an edge. But heeding some key advice—not just winging it—is still a must. "It's not a seller's market. It's still a buyer's market," says Ed Koc, research director at the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Here are some strategies to keep in mind:

1. Make a personal connection before the interview. Scouring the job search boards online and sending out dozens of applications blind might sound like a solid way to get in the game, but experts say that all that does is get you lost in the shuffle. More and more employers are instead posting open positions to their own websites, so a slightly better strategy might be to decide which companies you're specifically interested in and then apply directly through the firm. But even that method might be an exercise in futility.

"The trick now isn't getting the interview and getting the job. It's getting the interview, period," says educational consultant Eric Yaverbaum, president of the website CollegeClickTV.com, which partners with U.S. News to provide video reviews of colleges nationwide. To do that, you're going to want to try to get to know, face to face, the people at the places where you're trying to get hired, before the interview.

One way to do that is to research the most prominent associations within the industry you're interested in and then attend their events and conferences. Every industry has them, they're scheduled regularly, and experts say it's a great way to start the networking process. If you want to go into public relations, for instance, check out the Public Relations Society of America. "Join the community you want to be a part of before you even have a job in it," says Yaverbaum. "That personal contact is what gets you remembered."

Mark Smith, assistant vice chancellor and director of the career center at Washington University in St. Louis, recommends talking shop with friends of parents and with parents of friends. But don't flat out ask for a job, he says.

"If you know what type of work you want to do, talk to them about the industry, and ask them if there are other people you should be networking with," says Smith. If you meet them at a party, tell them you want to learn more, and arrange to meet them for coffee or at their office. Dress nicely, bring a copy of your résumé, and ask them about other individuals or firms to contact. And keep the lines of communication open after that. If you do ask directly for a job, and he or she says no, the conversation could be over.

Going the online route is a good idea if you're using it for social networking. NACE estimates that almost a third of employers are using social networking websites, including Facebook, in their recruiting efforts. If you have a Facebook profile, consider tidying it up to look more professional, and post a status update such as "Looking for leads in the marketing field in New York," says Smith.

And think about creating a profile on LinkedIn.com. If you meet a potential contact in person, ask if you can connect with him or her on the site. But don't simply glue yourself to your computer screen. "It's easy to hide behind the Internet, but that's not enough," says Yaverbaum. "You want to get the people face to face."

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Online And Offline Strategies To Network Well In 2010

By MOREY STETTNER, FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILYPosted 12/31/2009 06:45 PM ET

If you're one of the millions of Americans who lost a job in 2009, you've probably started networking.

You're attending conferences, sending resumes and calling friends of friends.

Perhaps you've discovered that networking has changed since the last time you job-hunted.

While old-fashioned techniques still work, a new wave of high- and low-tech strategies has emerged. Outreach activities now include raising your online profile, volunteering your time and expertise to a worthy cause and attending informal gatherings where socializing supplants business talk.

The most successful networkers seek gainful employment with laserlike focus. They research what they want and whom they want to meet. Then they target their efforts to pursue what matters most to them.

"You need to have a clear, specific message," said Michael Melcher, a partner at Next Step Partners, a leadership development firm in New York City.

If you say "I'm looking for work," you won't stand out.

If you say "My background is in property-casualty underwriting, and I'm exploring risk-management opportunities in the insurance industry," you sound more credible and make it easier for others to help.

On The Line

As you ramp up your networking in 2010, monitor your online presence. Soon after you introduce yourself to strangers, expect them to type your name into a search engine to learn more about you.

"As much as possible, you want to control what someone finds out about you online," said Heidi Roizen, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who recently spoke to students at the Stanford Graduate School of Business about networking. "Google your name so that you understand what's out there. Correct inaccuracies, update your bio and remove anything that's potentially embarrassing."

Better, establish your own Web site. This lets you assemble all relevant information in one place. Post your resume, highlight your feats and describe your activities, presentations and media appearances.

"Creating your Web site makes you do some hard thinking about what you want people to see and how you want to present yourself," Roizen said. "It's also an easy way for people to find what they need to know about you."

In terms of social networking Web sites, many experts suggest that job seekers create a profile at LinkedIn as a starting point to connect with other professionals. Selectively expand your network and update your status regularly.

Among the newest types of online networking tools are Web sites that identify members' whereabouts in real time. This can help you connect face to face with someone if you're stuck on the same train or running errands a block away from each other.

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Five Steps to Reaching Your 2010 Career Goals

By Greg Scott Neuman

January 1^st, 2010 will not just be the start of a new year, but the beginning of an entire decade. It’s an excellent opportunity to set big plans in motion; like millions of others, you are probably reflecting on your past achievements and thinking about what you want to accomplish in the future. You might even be considering major career changes – either advancing your current career or starting an entirely new one.

Starting down a new career path requires careful planning. Lack of preparation is one of the main reasons why so many people make New Year’s resolutions, but so few actually keep them. These five steps can mean the difference between achieving your career goals and staying in the same job for another decade:

1. Set Specific Goals – “Earn more money” or “get a promotion” are usually too general to help you formulate a successful plan. It’s too easy to technically meet such a goal without actually achieving anything significant (after all, getting a 2% cost-of-living raise qualifies as earning more, but it’s not really a major step forward). Instead, think about all the changes you want to make and then list them in detail. “Get promoted to sales manager with a pay increase of at least 5%” is a good, specific goal.
2. Determine What Training You Need – Depending on how much education you currently have and what kind of credentials your goals require, you might have to go back to school. This could be a minor task or a major commitment; a certificate in HTML might mean one semester of online classes, while an Executive MBA can require two years of full-time study at a major university. Carefully research what kind of education your new position or new career will require, then find an accredited school that offers it at a price you can afford.
3. Get Educated – Once you know what credentials your career goals require, you have to go earn them. If you are already a working professional, this will probably mean evening classes and plenty of discipline to balance the needs of your job against the requirements of your coursework. Online classes can be a big help with this; if your school offers them, take as many as you can. The flexibility and self-pacing of online study can be a huge benefit to working students. And finally, don’t forget to explore all of your financial aid options, including employer reimbursement programs. The less time you have to spend worrying about finances, the more you can spend studying.
4. Be Prepared for Setbacks – Whenever you’re working toward a major goal, there will be occasional problems. Don’t allow them to become excuses for giving up on your career aspirations. Instead, learn from your mistakes; determine what went wrong and why, then correct the problem so you can succeed on your next attempt.
5. Get Your Name Out There – Once you have the credentials you need to get the job or promotion you want, pursue it aggressively. First, update your resume with your new degree or certificate. Then submit it to your potential employers by every means available. Employment websites are a good place to start, but not to stop. Having your resume on the Internet casts a wide net that could eventually land you your dream job, but more precise targeting usually speeds the process along. This means attending job fairs, sending emails and even applying for jobs in person. Find out how each potential employer prefers to receive resumes, then make sure you submit yours that way. And remember to update your profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking sites. Finally, always follow up on call-backs and requests for more information (such as references) promptly.

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Landing a Job of the Future Takes a Two-Track Mind

By DIANA MIDDLETON

If you're gearing up for a job search now as an undergraduate or returning student, there are several bright spots where new jobs and promising career paths are expected to emerge in the next few years.

Technology, health care and education will continue to be hot job sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' outlook for job growth between 2008 and 2018. But those and other fields will yield new opportunities, and even some tried-and-true fields will bring some new jobs that will combine a variety of skill sets.

The degrees employers say they'll most look for include finance, engineering and computer science, says Andrea Koncz, employment-information manager at the National Association of Colleges and Employers. But to land the jobs that will see some of the most growth, job seekers will need to branch out and pick up secondary skills or combine hard science study with softer skills, career experts say, which many students already are doing. "Students are positioned well for future employment, particularly in specialized fields," Ms. Koncz says.

Career experts say the key to securing jobs in growing fields will be coupling an in-demand degree with expertise in emerging trends. For example, communications pros will have to master social media and the analytics that come with it; nursing students will have to learn about risk management and electronic records; and techies will need to keep up with the latest in Web marketing, user-experience design and other Web-related skills.

Technology Twists

More than two million new technology-related jobs are expected to be created by 2018, according to the BLS. Jobs that are expected to grow faster than average include computer-network administrators, data-communications analysts and Web developers. Recruiters anticipate that data-loss prevention, information technology, online security and risk management will also show strong growth.

More on Jobs of the Future

The Next Finance Hiring Hot Spots

A computer-science degree and a working knowledge of data security are critical to landing these jobs. Common areas of undergraduate study for these fields include some of the usual suspects, such as computer science, information science and management-information systems.

But those might not be enough. That's because not all of those jobs will be purely techie in nature. David Foote, chief executive officer of IT research firm Foote Partners, advises current computer-science students to couple their degrees with studies in marketing, accounting or finance. "Before, people widely believed that all you needed to have were deep, nerdy skills," Mr. Foote says. "But companies are looking for people with multiple skill sets who can move fluidly with marketing or operations."

Social media has opened the door to the growth of new kinds of jobs. As companies turn to sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to promote their brands, capture new customers and even post job openings, they will need to hire people skilled in harnessing these tools, Mr. Foote says. In most cases, these duties will be folded into a marketing position, although large companies such as Coca-Cola Co. are creating entire teams devoted exclusively to social media.

Similarly, employment for public-relations positions should increase 24% by 2018. Job titles—like interactive creative director—will reflect the duality of the required skill sets.

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How To Work Your Social Network To Find Jobs

By Joshua Brockman

There's nothing like a handshake. But the challenge of getting face time with a potential employer these days has made social networking even more of a key component of job searches.

But how do you work your social network effectively in an economy that has lost 7 million jobs?

"LinkedIn used to be your professional face and Facebook was sort of your family and friends presentation on the Web," says Michael Malone, director of career education and advising for the Columbia Business School. "It seems like those lines are blurring much more now."

Recruiters are increasingly turning to these and other social networking tools to post opportunities. Here's why: Facebook has more than 350 million users. LinkedIn has more than 55 million.

But the general nature of these huge networks can be distracting for people who want to target a specific career. Malone says people are using Facebook and Twitter in a more targeted way to find the content and contacts suited to their interests. And a host of industry-specific social networking resources have emerged.

NPR's New Jobs For A New Decade series has identified some of the areas in which new jobs are expected to be created over the next decade. These include green jobs and work in health care, technology, financial services and even video games. Many of these opportunities may be posted on social networking forums.

Monster.com has created more than a dozen online communities that offer professional networking for a range of careers from nursing to nonprofits.

"These are community destinations to share common interests," says Eric Winegardner, a vice president of Monster. "It's not just about your job search. There's content on these sites relative to your business."

CareerBuilder.com also has created a "talent community" called BrightFuse with nearly 30 groups from "The Nurses' Station" and "Information Technology Pros" to a sales group called "Retail Therapy."

Law And Social Order

Some burgeoning social networks not only target specific professions but also authenticate people's real-life identities to create secure networks that aren't searchable on the Web. The goal is to let people be comfortable sharing information and get advice without all of the information coming up the next time someone runs a Google search.

A case in point is Martindale-Hubbell Connected from LexisNexis. Michael Walsh, the chief executive officer for LexisNexis U.S. Legal Markets, describes it as "a combination of LinkedIn and Facebook for the legal community."

The service, which has about 24,000 members, provides a way for attorneys to search for future business, get legal advice and find a job. One feature allows users to cross-reference contacts they may already have established on LinkedIn. Each profile shows the law school a person attended and any articles they might have written. Users also can connect with Martindale-Hubbell's career center.

Walsh says LexisNexis' research found that 70 percent of lawyers use social networking tools. He says this number is extraordinary given how busy lawyers are and the extent to which they often keep information close to the vest.

Medical Advice

More than 100,000 physicians are networking on Medscape's Physician Connect, an authenticated physicians-only service provided by WebMD.

Social networking connects them with "colleagues and their profession in a way they can no longer do in the physical world," says Dr. Steven Zatz, executive vice president of professional services for WebMD. He says physicians are going to fewer conferences and meetings these days. Although Medscape remains focused on clinical discussions, he says it also provides a forum for career advice.

Doctors, medical researchers and scientists also have found a home on Epernicus, which is open to anyone with science bona fides.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, a co-founder of Epernicus, who practices internal medicine and teaches at Harvard Medical School, says part of the value of Epernicus as a professional network is that there is no anonymity. Everyone knows who is asking and answering questions. The service also integrates personal information that is typically not on Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, such as a person's scientific expertise and publication record.

Targeted Searches

Malone of the Columbia Business School says one of the challenges job seekers face is how to find more "tailored connections and content" without having to belong to several social networks.

One solution is to use sites like JobShouts.com, which features a "social search" button to search for information about a company across Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Spoke and other sites with just one click. The Web site also posts jobs to a Twitter feed.

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Want better results? Run your job search like a PR campaign

It’s not exactly a news flash, but the strategies for a successful job hunt have changed considerably over the past several years—and possibly forever.

Like it or not, getting in front of the right audience for your search has become the equivalent of running a PR campaign, complete with brand development, market research, and message delivery.

If you’ve been striking out while trying to get noticed, it’s possible that your expertise is still a secret in the business world.

You’ll get better results by boosting your promotional efforts with these methods:


1- Be noticed online.

For every job hunter that’s decided to really leverage LinkedIn, there must be at least a dozen others who don’t get the reasons behind forming new connections or keyword-loading their profiles.

Building an online presence is one of the most valuable (and cheapest!) ways to put yourself in front of others seeking your expertise—and LinkedIn is one of the simplest, most effective ways to create online credibility.

Make it easy for employers to learn about you by filling your LinkedIn profile with every skill, job title, and competency possible. Take care to ensure that this data is consistent with the knowledge expected in the job you’re pursuing, and remove irrelevant skills that can confuse companies viewing your profile.

Add a professional photo, get (and give) recommendations, and take the time to provide expertise in the LinkedIn Answers forum in your subject area. Accept all connections—even those that seem foreign to you—as this can put you several degrees closer to your desired employers.

If you share a common name with others, or want even more exposure, place your profile on business search engines like Zoominfo, Spoke, or Jigsaw.

2 - Be noticed by target employers.

Stop waiting for great companies to post an online job ad. If they do, you’ll have to compete with even more job seekers in order to get some traction in your search.

Many job openings are simply the result of companies that test the market. In other cases, employers can have such a long hiring cycle that your query can go unnoticed for some time.

Instead, put together a focused mailing to a group of select companies every week. Use business information engines or LinkedIn to identify likely targets for your skills, then find company insiders using these same methods.

After finishing this detective work, send your resume and cover letter in a 9x12 envelope marked “confidential” directly to your newly found contact. Be sure to follow up your query with a call during the next week.

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