July 2014 |
Transition-e-news Volume 3 Issue 96 |
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The Stars and Stripes Transition Guide is a compilation of articles - on financial matters, education, resume-writing, career fairs and more — specifically designed to help active servicemembers and veterans navigate into their next stages of life. Each edition of this semi-annual publication provides practical guidance and resources for maneuvering through their next objective, whether it is enrolling in college, finding a job or getting their finances in order. |
12 Steps to Job Fair Success© Tom Wolfe, author; all rights reserved; excerpts from Out of Uniform: Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition; used with the permission of the author and publisher, www.potomacbooksinc.com. Picture this: Gathered together at a central location are two distinct groups of people. On one side of the curtain are dozens of job seekers. On the other side are representatives of organizations with hundreds of jobs to fill. The job seekers are there because a large group of hungry employers are in attendance and the recruiters are there because they have openings and expect to find an impressive talent pool. What you witness when the curtain comes up is a Job Fair. There are many things to keep in mind in order to maximize your odds of success at a job fair. Here are the twelve most important ones: 1. Be selective There are thousands of job fairs in hundreds of cities throughout the year but many of them are probably not appropriate for you. If you have a geographic focus then target job fairs being held in that location. If you have specialized training or experience that you intend to market, then find a fair that is organized around that theme. Most importantly, pick job fairs where the organizations in attendance want to hire people like you. For that reason, I strongly recommend the ones sponsored by the publisher of this newspaper, CivilianJobs.com. You will find their 2012/2013 schedule elsewhere in this issue. 2. Be realistic Understand your objective. It is not to land a job on the spot. Rarely do companies extend job offers during the job fair. The job fair interview is just the first step—a door opener. The target outcome is a second interview with that company. That may occur later the same day or the day after or maybe several weeks later at the job site. Your goal is to generate further interest from every organization that interests you. 3. Be prepared Try to obtain a list of the attending organizations in advance of the job fair. Even better, learn what positions they are trying to fill. Do your homework. Learn all you can. Show that you care enough to put in the work before you show up. In addition to researching the company and the position, research yourself. You need to know what you bring to the table that is also relevant to the job. Also, make sure you have sufficient copies of your resume to support your activity. 4. Be appropriate Although a job fair is not a formal event in a formal setting, it is a professional event. You need to treat it as such and act accordingly. Unless instructed otherwise, you should dress as if you were going to a formal interview and wear appropriate business attire. Wearing you military uniform is in most cases a mistake, but job fairs held on or near military installations will often allow the uniform to make it easier for active duty personnel to attend. When in doubt ask the organizer of the job fair for guidance. 5. Be smart Although there are dozens of companies in attendance, not all of them are appropriate for you. Select the ones that interest you and prioritize your list. Bounce your priority list against the length of the line at that booth or table. Decide whether to jockey for the front of the line or to go back later in the day when the line is shorter or perhaps there is no line. 6. Be patient Expect to spend some time standing in line. There are almost always more job seekers than hiring organizations, so lines are inevitable. Put this time to good use. Mentally rehearse your opening pitch. Review your notes and research. Read your resume. Organize your paperwork. As you get close to the front of the line, resist the temptation to show your impatience with those in line ahead of you. Your turn will come soon. 7. Be memorable You will be one of several, even dozens, of candidates that the company will meet during the job fair. Will you be remembered at the end of the day? Hopefully yes, and for positive reasons. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to enhance your presentation with a personal story which relates to the open position. Try to inject your personality into the interview. Another excellent technique is to establish rapport with the recruiter or interviewer. Find some common ground. Learn a little bit about them. 8. Be self-confident Yes, you should be a bit nervous, especially if you are new to this type of event. Make sure that nervousness comes across as energy and enthusiasm, rather than fear or self-doubt. Although the potential employer holds most of the cards at this point, you too have a few in your hand. You have the talent, skill, and attributes that will benefit the right organization. 9. Be friendly Do not underestimate the value of a firm handshake, a nice smile, and a warm delivery. Your goal is not only to make the recruiter/interviewer see you in the job but also like you enough to want to help you. Establishing and building empathy will increase your odds. You want this person to advocate for you and that will be much easier for them if they know they are recommending a highly qualified candidate who is also warm, friendly, and interested. 10. Be bold How do you feel about this organization and the position they are trying to fill? Does it interest you? Do you want the process to go forward? Are you interested in learning more? Assuming a yes answer to those questions, then here is a more important one—do they know it? Just because you stood in the line does not mean you are interested. Tell them! Stick your neck out! Ask for the next step! 11. Be diligent Just because the job fair is over does not mean you are done. In fact, you have just begun. Hopefully, there will be follow-up activity. Sending a letter that expresses you gratitude and/or interest is very important. Make sure you get the necessary contact information and preferred method of communication. Honor deadlines and stick to agreed upon actions and follow-up. 12. Be thoughtful Once you have the job fair in your rearview mirror, take a few minutes to analyze the results. What did you learn about your job market? What did you learn about yourself? How many contacts did you make? What leads did your develop? Did your generate follow-up activity? Did you land a job? If so, congratulations! Now would be a great time to reach out to the organization that sponsored the event. Share with them your feedback and results. Better yet, if that fair led to your new job, make sure they know it and thank them for their assistance. © 2014; Tom Wolfe, is an author, columnist, career coach, veteran, and an expert in the field of military-to-civilian career transition. During his career he assisted thousands of service members in their searches for employment, placing more than 3000 in their new jobs. Prior to civilian life, he graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy and served as a surface warfare officer. He teaches transition courses, gives seminars on career and job change, writes about the career transition process, and continues to counsel current and former military personnel. His book, Out of Uniform: Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition, was published by Potomac Books in 2011. Tom lives on the North Carolina coast with his wife, Julie, and their Chesapeake Bay retriever, Maggie. |
Summer Is a Great Time to Job Hunt© Copyright, 2014, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved. If you think of your job search as a sales process, and you really should because it is, one of the best times to try to make a sale is when the competition is not paying attention — or, at least, not competing with you as much as they usually do. The Best Times to Job HuntCompetition for jobs is the least intense two times of the year. And, those "slack" times are GREAT times to job search! Most job seekers slack off during two times of the year. I'm not saying they're slackers (although they might be), but I am saying that they are making wrong assumptions about what employers are doing during those 2 times. As a consequence of lessening their efforts, these job seekers are costing themselves FABULOUS opportunities to connect with employers and probably extending their job search for longer, possibly MUCH longer, than it needs to be! Perfect timing for you to move in and land a new job... 1. Summertime Summer is "sleepy" time in the job search calendar for many job seekers, particularly July and August. Although fewer job seekers are searching, the level of jobs available does not drop off dramatically! Yes, it does drop a bit, but it does not as much as the level of job seekers looking for jobs drops off. Typically, when you are active in your job search during the summer, you run into much less competition than you do during Q1 and Q2 (January through June). Organizations that are very busy in the fall, like education, retail, and hospitality, are recruiting during the summer. So, during the summer months while your competition is at the beach or backpacking through the mountains or, if they can afford it, touring Italy or Hawaii or some other place a long way from home, they are NOT job hunting! Which means they are not competing with you. Take advantage of this opportunity because it won't last long. Come September, they'll be back to "reality," and the competition will heat up again. In September, everyone seems to wake up, and competition increases substantially. So, beat that September rush! Don't forget the businesses, like tax preparation, which are also ramping up both training and hiring as they get ready for the new year business rush. If you are thinking of working for an organization like H&R Block, the IRS (in the USA), or other year-end/new-year related business, look for opportunities and training during the summer so you don't miss out on the jobs visible later for people who are qualified (trained). 2. "The Holidays" at Year End Usually, the number of job seekers who continue their efforts during November and December of every year drops dramatically, particularly between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The assumption job seekers are making is that employers are busy doing their holiday stuff. So no one is hiring during the holidays, right? WRONG! Typically, employers continue to develop opportunities and decide they need to hire people, particularly as they work on their annual budgets and plan for the next year. Employers are ramping up for the new fiscal year, hoping to get everyone in place so they can have a really great new year. Yes, people are on vacation during this period, but they are also less likely to be traveling if they are NOT on vacation. Can you say "OPPORTUNITY"? Timing of This Year's Easiest Job Market?If you remember # 2, above, November and December are the months the fewest job seekers hit the job market. With July and August (# 1 above) the next slowest. So, of course — low job search traffic = minimum job competition. Timing of Every Year's Toughest Job Market?The same as it is every other year — the absolutely worst time to job hunt is in January — January of any year, and every year. So, now is a better time to job hunt than back in September and, looking ahead, better than next January. Ask anyone who runs an employment-related Website. Traffic is typically the highest during January and September. Highest job search traffic = maximum job competition. So, January and September are when you face the greatest competition in your job search! It's like everyone waits for the bowl games to be over, and then they jump into the job market, feet first! Maybe a job search is one of their New Year's Resolutions. Maybe they hate the thought of another year in the same job, working for the same employer. Maybe it's just because it's Winter and there's nothing better (?) to do. About the Author… Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 2011, NETability purchased WorkCoachCafe.com, and Susan has been editor and publisher of WorkCoach since then. Susan also edits and publishes Job-Hunt.org, is a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a columnist on HuffingtonPost. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Google+ |
Training program prepares military for trade jobs once they leave the service
By Nick Beadleston - The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers of all jobs and training backgrounds are getting a chance to engineer a new future using skills from their military service. Wednesday, 13 soldiers graduated from the Veterans In Piping program. The program's goal is to ensure the soldiers - most of whom are in the process of transitioning out of the military - have a job waiting for them. "It's changed everything for me," said Staff Sgt. William Mikschl, an infantryman. Mikschl said soldiers often worry about finding employment or a good school after they leave the military. "I didn't have to think about any of that (now)," he said. The program is a joint effort between Fort Carson, the local plumbers, welders and pipefitters union and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Colorado. The goal of the program is immediate job placement. Veterans who complete the 18-week program become second- or third-year apprentices in their craft. While many will go right to work for contractors once they leave the military, they will also have the opportunity to continue their training in welding, pipefitting or plumbing by taking advanced classes after their normal work day. "The VIP program is a win for everyone involved," said Ron Lenz, business manager for Local Union 58, in a statement. "Our industry gets new, well-trained workers, and veterans get access to lifelong career opportunities." The program appeals to different veterans for different reasons, though all seem to have found a link back to their time in the Army. "I love working with my hands," said Sgt. Michael Galan, a medic with multiple combat tours. "(This) just seemed like a good fit." Galan also said he has experienced a "similar blend of personalities" with the other tradesmen that he saw in the military. He cited a culture of camaraderie much like what he experienced during his years of service as a large draw to his new trade. Family is another factor heavily influencing Galan's decision to leave the military. He estimated he has been away from his wife and three sons for a combined three years and nine months due to deployments and training. Galan is looking forward to steady work without the risks of combat and the concerns families face when their loved ones are in harm's way daily. Even if he has to occasionally travel to other states for jobs, at least his wife won't have to be afraid he may be blown up, Galan said. Chief Warrant Officer 4 William Huestis indicated his transition from the military has been smooth thanks to the program, although the tempo of training has been challenging. Huestis has over 25 years of experience in the Army, much of it with Special Forces. Now he is pursuing a new career in orbital welding, a skill he said is in high demand in the tech field. Many are optimistic about the future of the program, which also exists at Camp Pendelton in Calif., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and came to Fort Carson last year. "Once other corporations and business owners see the success this has, it's going to catch on," said Command Sgt. Maj. Clinton Reiss. Governor John Hickenlooper also attended the event and encouraged the soldiers to forge ahead with their new professions. "Once you've been through the military in this country, no one is going to doubt your work ethic. No one is going to doubt your character," he said. "Your experience creates a set of skills that are going to translate into making you great employees." |
Closing the Job InterviewReprinted with permission - HRNASTY.com We all know that closing the job interview is a critical piece to interview process. I read and hear many well-intentioned closing statements when reading cover letters and interviewing candidates. How many of us have said or listed the following in a cover letter or stated the below when closing the job interview?
If you stated any of the above in your cover letter, know the reader rolled their eyes. If you stated anything similar to the above in the "objective statement" of your resume, I probably lost interest before I got to the section listing your experience and accomplishments. If you have said any of the above in an interview, know that it fell on deaf ears. If you said any of the above to a hiring manager when closing the job interview, trust me, the door is still open. I don't say the above to be a jerk. We have all stated something similar in prior interviews and I am no exception. We stated the above loud and proud in an effort to close the interview. We may have psyched ourselves up in front of the mirror with these very statements. Heck, we may have even had a career counselor or a parent coach us on above lines. All through the interview process, no one corrected us, ever. Had I known how ineffective and how much of a turn-off they are in an interview, I wouldn't have been so bold. Which is why I am bringing them up for you. I am here to explain why these statements are actually hurting your chances of landing the job offer and more importantly, how you can make the above into effective statements when you are closing the job interview. So what is wrong with the above sound bites? The two biggest things that give me heartburn: Thing 1. I hear these statements in every interview I conduct. 95% of the candidates that sit across from me in an interview give me some version I am X, Y and Z. Now I know how the hot girl at the dance must feel getting hit on all night long at the club via the classics we have all seen fail miserably.
It took me awhile for me to realize that these lines get you zero in the clubs, mall or your hunting ground of choice. These lines suck. 20 guys before me slung these lines and 20 guys after me are going to sling these same lines. These lines don't stand out. They are not original and they can't sound very sincere when they are heard 20 times a night by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Thing 2. I don't know what you really mean when you say "hard worker", "dedicated" or "punctual"?
This comes back to a standard in the world of recruiting and I have blogged about here in more detail. Behavioral interviewing is an interview methodology where the recruiter subscribes to the following train of thought: Prior performance is an indicator of future performance. Everyone says, "I can do X" or "I will do Y". Prior performance is proof. If you have consistently done something in the past, it is a good indication you will continue that behavior in the future. If you say that the training program will not be a problem because you received a 4.0 GPA in school, you are probably going to do well in our 3-month training program, which is classroom study for 2 months and 1 month of OTJ training. If you say you are a hard worker and your day usually starts at 7:00 AM and ends at 9 PM, then I have an idea of what you are talking about. If you say you are a hard worker and you worked 70 hours a week for 3 weeks to meet a deadline, I have an idea of what you are talking about. These examples don't just say you are you are a good student or a hard worker, they give perspective to the statement. Finish strongI have a colleague who is very articulate senior leader at a tech company giant in the Redmond, Washington area. One thing he is very good at is making closing statements. At the end of his statements, he lists off the points he is making, while at the same time using his index finger to reinforce his thoughts. As an example, we can apply the same technique to one of the most common interview questions that we will encounter: "Why should we hire you"? What I normally hear is one of the original sound bites listed above. "I am intelligent, I am punctual and I am a hard worker". Uhhhhhggggg! Boring! Been there and heard that. The candidate then gives me a blank stare as if to say, "That was easy, what's your next question"? One strong technique to finish strong in an interview, is by counting out a few examples using your index finger. Here is how our senior leader would answer the same "Why should we hire you?" question. "I am really excited about the opportunity and I believe Acme Publishing should hire me for 3 reasons. Your job description explained that you are looking for a candidate with strong communication skills, experience in sales and a Rolodex of contacts". "I possess all three of these". Placing his right index finger and on right index finger of his left hand. "One. My communication skills were instrumental in getting me promoted at my last position and helped close 2 very large deals. Both of these accomplishments required written communication, and verbal communication — not just one on one, but to groups of senior executives". Placing his right index finger and on the middle finger of his left hand. Two, I have experience in sales. For the last 2 years, I have been selling 137% of quota and the year before that I made the Presidents circle" Placing his right index finger and on the tip of his ring finger of his left hand. "Three, I have a Rolodex of clients within our industry. I read that you just closed a deal with Acme Publishing's print department. I know Harry Smith in digital media who is a Sr. Director and I also can make introduction to the VP of Operations there. And then we deliver the coup de grace. "So you should hire me for three reasons. Placing his right index finger and on right index finger of his left hand. "One, my strong communication skills, placing his right index finger and on the middle finger of his left hand. my experience in sales and three placing his right index finger and on the tip of his ring finger of his left hand. my contacts within the industry". And that is powerful closing statement. The illusion of confidence and dispelling any idea that you are not just coming up with this stuff and is reinforced when you say something, explain it, and then reinforce it with non-verbal communication. Your message reaches the listener at a sub conscious level. Your verbal message with the non-verbal flourish becomes very powerful. Adding quantifiable data to back up any opinions that you really are intelligent, have sales experience, and are a hard worker can be very powerful. Next time you are in a conversation trying to reinforce a point you are trying to make, try the above technique. I think it is down right nasty. See you at the after party, HRNasty |
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