[jsfg_cinti] Fw: Quite the Contrary - December 2006

Quite the Contrary - December 2006
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Janet White 
To: jsfg@xxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 9:06 AM
Subject: Quite the Contrary - December 2006

   

      Greetings!

      Welcome to the December issue of Quite the Contrary, a very different 
kind of job hunting advice column. 

      Each issue contains one or two questions about various aspects of job 
hunting. The questions are from real job seekers, and the first answers are 
from Tradition System career advice columnists published in major newspapers or 
on the web. 

      This is followed by a response from the Contrarian System, which is 
usually opposite that of the Traditional System, and is designed to get you 
realizing you have infinite possibilities, and your only limitations are your 
own expectations. 

      You see, the "secret" of the hidden job market is when you change your 
thinking, you change your life. 

      Beginning in January 2007, Quite the Contrary will be issued every 
Tuesday, with Traditional and Contrarian answers to one job seeker's question. 
Watch for it in your in-box! 

      Holiday Season Job Hunting? 
      I've been job hunting since mid-September, and with the holidays coming 
up, I wonder if there are any special things I need to be doing now. In 
particular, is it okay to send holiday greeting cards to people in my network, 
to remind them I'm still looking for a job? 

      What about sending cards to people I've contacted at companies where I'd 
like to work? Should I order those fancy cards with my signature printed in 
them, or sign them by hand? 

      Traditional System Response: You're smart to realize that this is a good 
moment to step up your job hunt. Tempting as it may be to kick back and relax 
during the holidays, that could be a costly mistake. 

      As companies finish up their financial planning for 2006, they're under 
pressure to fill certain openings or risk losing the budget for those jobs. 
Your potential rivals may be shopping, cooking, wrapping, or dreaming of 
sugarplums, so you may have little or no competition in your job search. 

      As for holiday cards send them to everyone -- including search firms, 
human resources people, and hiring managers -- whom you've met who might be 
helpful to you. Don't let these people forget you. Choose a design that is 
seasonal and nondenominational, such as a snowy winter scene. 

      Whether or not to have your signature stamped inside your cards is 
largely a matter of taste. Personally, I much prefer cards signed by the 
sender. 

      Contrarian System Response: The holidays are the time of year when people 
are supposed to take it easy, clean off their desks and get ready for the New 
Year. Job hunting should still go on, but with this understanding: 


        a.. Retail, minimum wage and commission-based sales jobs are always 
available during the holidays, so if you want one of those, go and apply, and 
you'll be working before you know it. 
        b.. Blue-collar, skill-based and part-time or temporary workers are 
also always in demand, so contact the companies you'd like to work for, or go 
through an employment agency, and you'll have your holidays days filled with 
work. 
        c.. Executive, managerial, technical and professional workers who are 
not seeking consulting, interim or temporary assignments need to chill.

      Yes, that's right. Take it easy. Chances are that you've been making 
phone calls and sending emails to your contacts and heard, "Call me after the 
holidays" over and over and over. Okay, you'll call them after the holidays, 
but what do you do in the meantime? Here are some suggestions: 


        a.. Start preparing your game plan to begin the second week in January 
after everyone's back, settled in and dug out. Make a list of the kinds of 
companies you'd like to work for, do your homework on them, and build a contact 
list, if you haven't done so already. 
        b.. Forget the phone calls, the letters or anything kind of busywork 
until early January, as few people now will either be available, be willing to 
talk to you or have much to talk to you about. It's a safe bet to assume 
nothing of any significance will happen until the holidays are over. 
        c.. If you are so inclined, you may send holiday cards or e-cards to 
everyone you know, including people you've been talking to, but keep them 
simple and cheap. I prefer e-cards because they're free, I don't have to sign 
them, and they do the job of saying "Have a great holiday" as well as printed 
cards, which can get costly. It really doesn't matter what you do: no one gets 
hired or not because of the holiday card they sent or didn't send. 
        d.. The most important thing you should do is not "do" anything at all, 
but simply "be." See yourself in that dream job -- think, speak and act as if 
you already had it. What would you do? Read? Wear? Go do those things or 
imagine yourself doing them. Go shopping for the clothes you'd wear or cut out 
pictures of them from a magazine, design your new business card, and start 
decorating your new office. 

      The best way to attract your dream job is to know that it's already 
yours, and then allow it to come to you. So stop trying to get that job, and 
instead focus on already having it, and you will. 

      The Telephone Interview Grill 

      I have had three calls in the past two weeks where I have been 
interviewed on the phone. So far I have not gotten past the telephone phase. 
What can I do to improve on my telephone interviewing skills? 

      Traditional System Response: Telephone interviews are the first screening 
process used to filter through the qualified and the less-qualified candidates. 
With the current job market, telephone screenings are becoming more common as 
the first step in the interview process. 

      Being prepared for the phone to ring is the secret to success. The phone 
interview can happen at any time of the day or night. Some interviewers find 
evenings the best time to catch people at home, where they will be able to talk 
more candidly. Therefore, you should be on-call and prepared to receive a 
telephone interview at any time. 

      Getting through this screening is critical for advancing to the next 
step: The face-to-face interview. This puts added pressure on you to present 
yourself in a positive, focused manner. If you attempt to wing this call, you 
may reach a dead end in the process. 

      If you have several versions of your resume, attach the one relevant to 
the particular job posting. Keep this folder in a specific place so you can get 
to it in less than a minute. Some of the questions to be prepared for: 


        a.. Why did you leave (are you leaving) your last job? 
        b.. Tell me more about your last position, what did you like/ dislike 
about it? 
        c.. Why did you apply for this job? 
        d.. What are your salary expectations? 
        e.. Are you interviewing with other companies? 

      By anticipating the call before it comes, you will avoid being caught off 
guard. You will be in a stronger position to convince the caller that you are a 
candidate for the position and are worth the time and money to move to the next 
step in the hiring process 

      Contrarian System Response: The initial phone is nothing to worry about 
if it's handled right. The problem comes when you buy into the Traditional 
System belief that this phone call is an interrogation, and is designed to 
eliminate you from consideration. 

      So let's have a different belief. Here's the fact: someone at this 
company is calling you because they have your resume and from what you've 
written, they've decided you can do the job. Think about it -- have they 
nothing better to do than interview unqualified applicants? So, relax; the hard 
part is over! 

      Contrary to what the Traditional Systems tells you, you do not have to 
defend, explain or justify yourself to a total stranger, allow yourself to be 
interrogated about issues that are none of their business, or accept calls 
outside of normal business hours, unless you have requested it. 

      You are not on trial, and neither is your work history, your reasons for 
wanting a new job, your money history or expectations, or how you are 
conducting your job search. 

      All the information they need to know at this stage is in your resume, 
which they should have read before they called you. The secret to handling a 
telephone interview is the same as with a face to face interview -- it's 
remembering that this phone call or meeting is NOT about you; it's about them! 

      Instead of indulging in a useless question and answer exchange that is 
all about you, engage the caller in a conversation about a problem, situation 
or opportunity the company has or might be facing. This is the homework you 
should have done before you contacted them. People get hired to solve problems, 
not to "fill openings." 

      Typically, someone in Human Resources makes such calls, and unless the 
issue has to do with HR matters, chances are excellent they can't have a 
discussion with you about the company's problem, and will attempt to turn the 
phone call back on you. 

      Should this happen, say you appreciate the call, but you need to discuss 
this matter with your future boss, you'll set the appointment yourself and they 
should have a nice day. Then hang up and call your future boss. 

      Once you have him on the phone, talk with him about the problem, 
situation or opportunity the company has or might be facing about an issue, 
situation or opportunity he or she is likely facing. Do not talk about 
yourself, suggest you are the answer to his problem or offer solutions. Don't 
"sell yourself; let him "buy" you. 

      When you turn the interrogation into a conversation, you'll be astonished 
at the results. 

      Want to learn more about the Contrarian System? Visit Our Website: 
www.jobmarketsecrets.com 
      Janet White 
      You're Hired! Enterprises 

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