Job Search InsanityThe One Mistake That Leads to Longer Searches and More Stress -

Job Search InsanityThe One Mistake That Leads to Longer Searches and More Stress -This article is a part of my series, Hope for Your Job Search. This series is about helping relieve job seekers of the stress and frustration often associated with job searching and to show them that there is HOPE for a successful and short job search.I hear the pain and the frustration in job seekers voices every day. Theyre discouraged from spending countless hours job searching only to end up feeling like theyre just spinning their wheels and going nowhere. Job seekers are becoming disillusioned with job boards and discovering quickly that job boards arent the answer they hoped they would be. It seems job seekers arent sure where else to turn or what else to doand this is leading to frustration, desperation, and stress. Well, if you havent heard it yet, let me be the first to tell you there IS hope. Your job search doesnt have to be stressful and depressingor frustrating and overwhelming.Although I c anleid offer you one magical solution that will fix all of your job search woesor find you a job in one day after only one hours worth of effort (no one can promise that, by the way and if they do RUN)what I can tell you is that with some effort and a diversified job search strategy, your job search can be much less time consuming and a whole lot shorter than the average job search of 6-10 months.So Where Do Most Job Seekers Go Wrong?According to this job search study, the average job seeker spends between 5%-20% of his or her time during the week searching for work (given a 40-hour work week, for the sake of some simplified maththat means between 2-8 hours spent job searching). Of the 2-8 hours spent searching, almost ALL of it welches on job boards. Up to 96% of job seekers spent their time exclusively onlinewith only 4% conducting work searches offline. Doing the math for you here that means, at best, job seekers spend 19.2 minutes PER WEEK using one of the methods Im about to mentionand at worst, they spend 4.8 minutes per week using these methods. Thats incredible That means between 5-19 minutes per week of job search time is being spread across all the other search methodsnetworking, informational interviews, cold calling, direct mail, targeting, etc. Its no wonder thata) job seekers are frustrated and not getting any responses from job boards andb) that the other search methods are wildly mora fruitful at helping people to land jobsyet theyre hardly utilized at allHeres my plain interpretation for you Job boards = SATURATED. Other job search methods = LITTLE TO NO COMPETITION.Would you rather be job searching in an overcrowded pool full of candidates or using methods that virtually no one else is using and securing employment in a fraction of the time it takes the average job seeker?Dont get me wrong. Im not saying job boards are all bad. I know that some people do get jobs from them, but the odds are not in your favorI can assure you of that. I hope this little math lesson has been effective at convincing you that job boards are essentially the least effective way that youll find a joband turning to them exclusively is the reason why many job seekers are frustrated at the end of the day.But like I mentioned at the beginning of the article, there is hope You dont have to keep banging your head against the wall or feel like youre going insane. As Im sure youve heard, someone once defined insanity as the act of doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. I think it fits here.Here are a few mora numbers to chew onMany experts report that 75%-85% of jobs are hidden. That means theyre openings that are not published online, on the company website, a job board, or shared socially. In fact, once someone other than the decision maker knows about a position, it has just become visible and as soon as it hits social media its no longer a hidden position, and competition increases exponentially.According to this a rticle on Forbes.com, job seekers should only spend 20% of their job search time on job boardsand still other experts recommend only 10%. In the aforementioned Forbes article, executive career coach Donald Asher explains that, given the opportunity to hire someone without posting a job, hed do that 100% of the time. Id have to agree. As the President of Great Resumes Fast, Ive often searched for executive assistants, VAs, or had other positions come available as my team has grownand I can tell you the response from posting a position online is overwhelming Theres no way I can wade through all the responses I receive. Now I go through word-of-mouth referrals first. In fact, I first ask my husband, family, and friends if they know of anyone. When I need a new executive resume writer to help me meet the demands of growth within my company, I reach out to my current staff of writers and trusted colleagues and ask them for referrals.Before I started Great Resumes Fast, the hidden job mar ket was how I found a position as the HR manager of an international Fortune 500 company. Someone my dad worked with was networking with a clientand they had a need for an HR manager. The general manager of the company asked his colleague if he knew of anyone, and he said hed ask around. He came straight to my dad and said, Hey, isnt your daughter in HR? And thats how I found that positionwhich eventually leuchtdiode me to starting my own company more than six years ago.Its not just about word-of-mouth referralsand Im not the only one whos experienced success with the hidden job market. ABC News reports that 80% of positions are filled through referrals You can read more about their report in this article.Astonishing? I think so Needless to say, if youre being tight-lipped about being unemployed or job searching, now may be the time to spill the beans. You certainly wouldnt want to be out of work for a year like this executive was before he shared with his golfing buddies that he wa s searching. You never know what may be out there and the fact is, you wont know if you dont askThat brings me to my next point so now that you know job boards shouldnt be your 1 go-to job search methodand youre now aware that the hidden job market is massive (75%-85% of positions), and that 80% of positions are filled through referrals where do you go from here?Here are some methods for finding a position Ill be elaborating further on these later in my series Hope for Your Job Search.Informational Interviewing What is it and how to leverage it in your job search. If you cant wait for the article, check out this related article published on LinkedIn.Cold Calling Its not just for telemarketers and using this method is actually a very effective job search strategy. Ill be elaborating on it more in the series, but heres some information to get you started.Networking Those word-of-mouth referrals I discussed earlier. Ill be sharing tips and how-tos on networking your way to a new p osition.Direct mail can be an extremely successful job search method. Ive experienced success with this method and have researched its useincluding statistics that state utilizing direct mail results in 80% job placement in 90 days or less. Ill be discussing how to use this method as well.Value proposition letters go hand-in-hand with direct mail. Theyre short, compelling letters written to the decision makerpacked with influential facts and figures that show the employer exactly how you would add value to their team. You can read more about value proposition letters and see an example here.And several more articles to follow, Im sure Do you have questions about certain job search methods? Id love to hear from youand possibly answer them in an upcoming article. Feel free to post them below.In the meantime, lets kick off the networking piece of your job search right now You can send me an invitation to connect on LinkedIn here, and follow me on Twitter here.

Employee Appreciation Day Show Your Co-workers You Care

Employee Appreciation Day Show Your Co-workers You Care Employee Appreciation Day Show Your Co-workers You CareShow the office some love.You work hard to show your family and friends just how much they mean to you. You strive to do the little things that let them know you appreciate the little things they do for you.But what about the people you spend eight hours a day with?The first Friday in March is Employee Appreciation Day. While this holiday is set aside specifically for bosses to give proper recognition to their employees, why stop there?Here are 10 easy (and affordable) Employee Appreciation Day ideas and ways to show your co-workers that you really do appreciate them.Say thank youThis is an easy one. Saying thank you, whether you do it in partie or with a thank-you card or note, goes a long way. Even the most easy-going of people begin to feel frustrated when they believe their work goes unnoticed or unappreciated.Take a mental inventory of the people you work with on a dail y basis and try to come up with one special thing that person does for you or the team as a whole. It could be big, like tackling a big project, or tiny, like consistently putting paper into the copier. Then, give them a personal thank you for the effort. Even better, this Employee Appreciation Day idea doesnt have to be limited to one day only say thank you all year roundBring in breakfastMany people rush to the office, trying to beat traffic and get to their desks on time. That means they may skip a few steps along the way. You dont have to line up a whole buffet with an omelet bar. Grab some bagels and cream cheese, croissants, or Danish rolls. Its always a popular treat and your co-workers will love you for it. Who doesnt love free breakfast? Just be sure to let them know that you did it because you appreciate their hard work.Bring in (good) coffeeWhile were at it, how many people in your office drop $3 or more every day to get their little jolt of morning java? Sure, theres a coffee maker in the break room, but chances are the boss isnt ponying up for the good stuff.Many of the most popular coffee chains and small, local roasters have coffee-to-go boxes that you can purchase and bring in to work. Its easy, not too expensive, and guaranteed to make your office happy, productive, and...maybe a little jittery.Offer to helpYou dont always have to spend money to show your appreciation. Simply offer your assistance. Is there something you excel at that others could find useful? Perhaps youre great at graphics or slick at putting together a PowerPoint. Think of those youd like to thank and then try to think of something you could do to give them a hand.Cant think of anything specific? No need. You can always just ask them how you can help and they may surprise you.Give kudos in a meetingWhats better than receiving praise for a job well done? Hearing someone else give you praise in front of co-workers and bosses is a great feeling. If you have co-workers whove g one above and beyond for you or your team, let the whole office know.This is the Employee Appreciation Day idea that keeps on giving in the office world. When that persons review comes up, your kudos may end up pushing that review in a positive direction.Take them out for lunchThis can be tough if you have a large group to thank, but even so, its worth it. If youre planning on thanking a small group, try to plan a day when you can all go to lunch together. It promotes office bonding and is a chance for you to thank them all together.If youre looking at a larger group, you may want to stretch Employee Appreciation Day into a week or even a month. It can certainly help the budget and will give you a chance to interact on a more personal level with each one.Clean up common areasLike it or not, people dont always abide by the rules of etiquette in the office break room. You know how there are always dishes in the sink? How about the microwave? Nasty. When is the last time you did your p art? Take a few minutes out of your day to do a good cleaning of the area. Make the coffee too. These are little things, but your co-workers will appreciate the effort.Even if you have a cleaning person who comes in to do these things, shouldnt you be grateful to that person, too? Theyll love you for it.Ask a personal follow-up questionYou have conversations with your co-workers all the time, and much of that talk is about work and different projects. But sometimes, things get personal. One co-worker tells you about his daughters softball game. Another mentions that shes shopping for a different car.Take a moment to think of those conversations and ask a personal follow-up question. Did your daughters team win? Did you finally settle on a car? What kind?A question of this kind is just one of the ways to show that you actually listen to your co-workers and pay attention to the details that they tell you about their lives outside of work. Theyll appreciate that.Creative candyOf course you could bring in a bag of Hersheys Miniatures (who doesnt love those?), but if you do, why not customize them? Your co-workers will appreciate the extra effort you put in to create that personal touch.Or, take the time to turn some delicious candy into art. There is no shortage of ideas out there for creative candy projects. Its fun, relatively cheap, and your co-workers will instantly know that you took some of your own time to make something nice for them.Small gift cardsIf all your ideas for Employee Appreciation Day seem to be expensive, just scale back You dont have to drop $100 on a gift card to say Hey, thanks for all you do. You can say it with just $5 or $10. The acknowledgment is worth more than the money itself.Go the extra mile and make it personal. Does Debbie listen to music at her desk all day? Give her a gift card to iTunes. Dominic comes in with a Starbucks latte macchiato every morning? Easy.By choosing a gift card that is specific to the individual, it becomes much more personal (plus, you know theyll use it). Whats not to love about that?This Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect time to show your employees or co-workers just how much you appreciate them. Once you see those delighted reactions, you may decide to do it on a regular basis. You can never be too grateful for good co-workers.Show your resume you care. Get a free resume critique todayRecommended ReadingHow to Show Your Appreciation on Administrative Professionals Day6 Ways to Impress Your BossWhat Kind of Work Culture Works for You?Related Articles