PeopleHirePeople Blog

Candidate Mack worked for Motorola from 1988 -2009 as an electrical engineer with a master’s degree in electrical engineering.  His positions entailed design and systems of Digital Signal Processing and Digital Image Processing.  Mack applied to only positions advertised throughout the US on the Internet.  With two teenage children, no one in the family wants to leave Chicago. Mack’s biggest weakness surfaced as lack of professional contacts working 20 years in only one company and no job offers after three months of online applications. Actions #1 through 6 highlight how Mack can gain many contacts from on local organization which include membership, roundtables, eNewsletter and awards.  Actions #7 and 8 are to get him familiar with high tech companies with similar technology as his work with Motorola.  Action #9 Takes Mack back to local universities for referrals. Action #10 demonstrates to Mack working a national association and find local job clues. Mack’s solution: Build a network of Chicago professional connections to speedily uncover local positions.

PeopleHirePeople’s Actions for Mack

Action #1.  PeopleHirePeople found a technological Chicago area association on line with key words: High tech association Chicago. The Illinois Technological Association (ITA) appeared.  On ITA’s website Mack needs to go to members’ webpage and click on it.  The organization states it has over five hundred member companies listed on the website. Mack can click on each company to determine their technologies.  He should compile a list of companies of interest.

Action#2.  Accessing ITA’s website, click on staff.  Listed is the Membership Coordinator with direct phone number.  Mack is to call this person and explain that he is searching for companies that would use his engineering expertise.  He is to ask which of his companies of interest might be best to approach and if the membership coordinator might have a contact within each of the companies.  He needs to ask permission to use the Membership Coordinator’s name when calling the referrals she gives him. Mack is not limited to calling the membership coordinator and can call other staff members such as the president, Vice President, Marketing & Communications and Director, Programs & Events.

Action#3. The Illinois Technological Association website on their “Resource” webpage has a job board for postings of members’ jobs.  Mack should volunteer to call members and solicit additional jobs for this ITA job board.  This will give him a reason for calling the membership and learning first hand positions in his geographical area.

Action#4. On the ITA website a page appears listing times, dates & chairpersons for Roundtables. After studying each round table, Mack can contact the chairpersons listed along with their company for help.  One that might be of interest is Mobile Visionary Roundtable chaired by the CEO of a Chicago company.  This chairperson would be a strong professional contact knowing other industry contacts and area Chicago companies for Mack.

Action#5. Since ITA’s membership is limited to corporations making Mack ineligible to join,  PeopleHirePeople suggests he request their eNewsletter a weekly announcement of upcoming events, association news and information on local technology companies. A form appears on their website to request the eNewsletter.  Companies and contacts to call will be featured in the eNewsletter for Mack to research and call.

Action#6  ITA sponsors an awards program entitled: CityLights.  Mack needs to go to the list of current nominees and select those nominees of interest as well as contact them directly.

Action#7  Another key word search for Mack to ask  to find out about high tech companies in the Chicago area is to use:  Tech Exports Illinois 2009. The first entry ishttp://www.techamerica.org/trade2009-il  with the headlines: Tech Exports in Illinois Up Fifth Straight Year, Illinois Ranks 8th with $7.1 Billion in High-Tech Exports. Within the text of the first web page, T. Kendall Hunt, Chairman, CEO, Vasco Data Security, Inc. and Chair of TechAmerica Midwest is mentioned.   Mack should call Mr. Hunt for industry contacts. Ask for the specific names of companies and contacts within those companies listed as members of the organization to contact.

Action# 8:  TechAmerica includes various office locations.  Mack needs to call the Illinois office at: TechAmerica Midwest: Representing IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NE, OK, WI, & WV  One Lincoln Centre, 18W140 Butterfield Road, 15th Floor, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 and speak with Ed Longanecker, Executive Director, TechAmerica Midwest Phone: 630.613.7174. Mack needs to ask about companies contributing to the growth in exports in Chicago so he can study if they employ electrical engineers.

Action#9 A key word search: Digital Signal Processing Engineering Illinois brings up university engineering departments.  Mack needs to click on each listing and go to faculty.  He then finds the faculty members that specialize in digital signal processing and call them.  Key questions here include which companies to contact the university for help in research, consulting and hiring.  Many professors are extremely active in professional organizations.  They often are guest speakers and presenters.  By reading professors’ biographies, Mack can learn about industry associations.

Action#10 Mack did not belong to The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. PeopleHirePeople found the Chicago chapter at: http://www.ieeechicago.org/.  A listing titled “Local Entities” appears on the main page.   Chicago Section Magnetics Society Chapter, Chicago/Rockford Consultants , Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)  Communications Society, Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC}, Industry Applications Society (IAS),  Power and Energy (PES), Product Safety Engineering Society (PSES) and Signal Processing Society (SPS). Mack can click onto which of the Local Entities best fit his technological skills and search for contacts such as executive directors, chairs, and membership.  This list contains names along with their complete contact information and current employment.  These are excellent contacts within corporations

These are ten actions for Mack to grow his new job specific network. Now make it happen for you. , Now, you can take your local region and work the same actions. If you are searching for a position with a high tech company in marketing, sales, and engineering use the above actions.  Accurately put in the state in which you reside or the state you wish to relocate. Your detective work is to find organizations/associations with high tech companies as members.  Search throughout the website for contacts to call. Discovering companies winning awards in your high tech industry is valuable in job search. Research university professors by studying their biographies and make contact.

Candidate Mo has titles of Information Technology Service Delivery Manager and Support Engineer for Global Business Intelligence for a Fortune 500 company.  Mo possesses several degrees from a master’s in IT and an MBA . He has undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Applied Science, literature & Human Science. He has taken courses in computer forensics and computer security. Mo is fluent in French and Arabic besides English as he immigrant to the US from Morocco. His professional career has been more than a dozen years and currently he resides in Atlanta, GA.  PeopleHirePeople asked him about his forensic studies to which he responded that was of great interest to him. MO also has Six Sigma and ITIL Certifications. Actions# 1,2, and 3 address Mo’s international and foreign language experience. Action# 4 and 5 assist with Mo’s interest in forensics. Actions # 6 and 7 focus on job leads from his certifications. Actions # 8 and 9 demonstrate tapping sales.  Action# 10 instructs MO to contact the membership of a local association.

PeopleHirePeople actions for MO

Action#1 Since MO was previously a citizen of Morocco it would be appropriate for him to contact diplomatic experts in order to find Moroccan companies with a high level of presence in the US.  In order to contact diplomats, PeopleHirePeople entered key words: Morocco Consults in United States. Two entries appear.  First is the Diplomatic Ambassador Aziz Mekouar in Washington, DC with his complete contact information. Second is the Consul-General in New York.  MO needs to call and speak with a representative that is in touch with business development.  He can also ask for US companies that are doing business in Morocco. 

Action#2 Because MO speaks fluent French, PeopleHirePeople entered Key Words: French Chamber of Commerce in US. The first entry is French-American Chamber of Commerce – Atlanta Chapter Address: 2990 Grandview Avenue NE, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30305 Tel: (+1 404) 846 2500 http://www.facc-atlanta.com    Ironically Mo resides in Atlanta.  The website states that it’s function is to “promote the French-American Business Community in the region and support French-American companies with their trade needs”.  PeopleHirePeople call to ask if any French companies were looking for US employees and the answer was yes.  The staff member said that anyone could post their resume on the website for all their members to view! Under the webpage “Our Services” there was  a heading “employment/intern”.  The only way to get a resume posted was to email it as there was no form to fill out.  A call actually was needed for full information otherwise it most likely would have been missed by just studying the website. There were several jobs posting on the site most of which required fluent French.  Another hidden job board! Mo should also speak with a couple of the executives in this organization. It is interesting to note that trade between France and the US is more than one billion dollars per day of work.

Action #3 Also the key word search: French Consults in US displays that there is a French Consult in Atlanta. The entry is the France Consulate and Trade Commission, 3475 Piedmont Road NE, Suite 1840
Atlanta, GA 30305-2987, Telephone: 404 495 1660. MO can call and ask about business development similar to the other consulates. There are a total of 12 French consults in the United States.

Action#4  With a passion for forensics, PeopleHirePeople did a keyword search: computer forensics Atlanta. One entry was The American Society of Digital Forensics & eDiscovery (ASDFED ) http://www.asdfed.com/.  Browsing the website it indicated there were for chapters of the organization with one in Atlanta.  The membership directory is not available so MO needs to call an officer of the organization and visit directly about companies and members in the organization.  A membership is only $75 dollars which also would make MO eligible for their newsletter. Mo could search the individual company entries from the key word search however to get the best information in the shortest period of time he can learn about companies through this organization.

Action #5 One company entry under the key word search of computer, forensics, Atlanta was consulting firm of K&F Consulting. This firm is a provider of services and solutions to attorneys and government contractors in the US and abroad. Their website states that they are entrepreneurial and seeking applicants who are self motivated, creative and innovated.  It invites candidates to download and fill out an application and contact Mr. Lewis Gregg, 2550 Northwinds Parkway, Suite 275, Alpharetta, GA 30009. A key word search: Lewis Gregg K&F Consulting uncovered a recent press release he authored. MO should study this press release and call Lewis Gregg about the release as an introduction for a call.

Action#6 Since MO has Six Sigma certification he needs to uncover other companies needing technical professionals with these certifications.  MO needs to call the training entities where he got the certification and ask about the companies that are currently sending their employees for training and which companies in the geographical area have previously sent employees for training.  This will give MO another database of companies from which to find employment.

Action #7 MO also has ITIL Certification.  He needs to repeat Action #6 for the ITIL certification.

Action #8 MO resume indicates he has used Informatica, a data integration software program.  PeopleHIrePeople logged onto Informatica’s website and found an Atlanta office: 2475 Northwinds Parkway, Suite 500, Alpharetta, GA 30009 Tel: (770) 510-2700. MO needs to contact the office asking to speak with a sales representative for the area.  He should politely ask about companies in the area purchasing Informatics’s services as this will give him area companies to contact. He can ask the sales representative for an internal company contact for each of the companies referred.  MO should ask the sales representative permission to use his/her name when speaking with the referral.

Action #9 Since almost all companies need IT management so MO needs to visit with several commercial realtors in the suburban area  of Atlanta in which he resides.  Using key words: Marietta, Georgia, Commercial, Realtors many realtor entries are display.  MO should contact several asking about companies expanding and relocating to the area. Realtors know about companies’ movements before they are announced in the local news.

Action #10 PeopleHirePeople key word search: IT management association brings up the Association of Information Technology Professionals.  The association has an Atlanta chapter. Chapter officers are listed for Atlanta with email only.  The membership directory is not public so MO will have to contact the various officers to find out about member companies. Their dinner events take place on the third Thursday and are only $35 for non-Members to attend.

The above PeopleHirePeople actions give MO a wide variety of activities in order to gain first hand industry contacts and area companies in order to build a brand new job network and a database of local companies.  Now you can employ many of the same activities within your geographical area to your job hunt. Vary your actions from sales, associations and your personal experience and interests.  Learn to detect and connect for an effective job search.

Candidate Aimee was interviewed on a TV news program stating that she had sent out over seven hundred resumes but remained unemployed.   From her profile on line she is a junior level advertising, graphic design and marketing professional with some international experience plus an advanced degree. The TV anchored asked Aimee if she would consider any job since she was out of work and had to move back into her parents’ home.  Aimee stated she was not willing to take a position outside her industry but would consider volunteering within her industry.   Aimee is completely digitalized on Visualcv, Twitter, Facebook, FanFeedr , Flickr, YSN with videos of Aimee on several of the sites.  Her digitalization indicates wanting to be found.  However in a difficult job market, she needs to personalize her search and reach to professionals in her community of Columbus, Ohio. Actions #1 and 2 address volunteer efforts to effectively build new industry contacts. Action #3 shows a “hidden” job board. Actions #4 and 5 discover “latest lists” for company winners.  Action#6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are contacts using a professional organization.

PeopleHirePeople actions for Aimee

Action #1 To find volunteer positions, PeopleHirePeople entered key words into a search engine; Columbus, Ohio, Events.  This website came up: http://www.in-and-around-columbus.com/columbus-ohio-events.html.  Events appeared such as Blooms and Butterflies, Central Ohio Home & Garden Show, Circleville Pumpkin Show, Cruise In, Haus Und Garten Tour, Horse Expo, Memorial Golf Tournament and Ohio State Fair. Volunteering to work on publicity for these events would put Aimee in touch with many local businesses to show her skills and abilities.

Action #2 For a second volunteer opportunity PeopleHirePeople placed Ohio, Advertising, Association into a search engine. Ohio chapter of the American Marketing Association appeared.  On the front page of the local chapter showed a heading: Volunteers.   Aimee has an opportunity to volunteer in the chapter’s Programming, Sponsorship, Communications, Special Interest Groups, Recruitment & Retention, Community Relations, Professional Development, Achievement in Marketing Awards.  PeopleHirePeople suggests volunteering for recruitment & retention.  This gives Aimee the opportunity to get her foot in the door with members and to approach non member professionals for the association. 

Action #3  The Ohio American Marketing Association’s web site also has a “Jobs” page lists local positions, another hidden job board.   If none of the positions fit, Aimee could volunteer to contact members to promote their jobs page. If members have jobs to list she becomes the first to know!

Action #4 If Aimee desires a position with international connections she can find Ohio export companies.  PeopleHirePeople entered key words into a search engine: Ohio governor’s export awards Year.  A press release appeared: http://www.development.ohio.gov/newsroom/releases/press.htm?id=3942 which names the winners of the Exporter of the Year Awards and 2009 Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Award winners.  A list of over twenty five companies appeared for Aimee to contact.

Action #5 At the end of the press release naming the winning export companies lists a key contact with his phone number listed:  Robert Grevey 614.466.6619.  Aimee needs to call Mr. Grevey, state where she found his information from the press release and ask for the best companies to approach about employment.  Also she needs to ask if he has a contact in any of the companies and could she refer to him by name to those contacts.

Action #6  Another PeopleHirePeople key words search: Columbus Ohio entrepreneurs awards.  An entry for technology companies appears: http://www.techcolumbus.org.  TechColumbus has a membership page and in the center of the page Aimee can click on “View our member directory”.   All the members and their company logos appear in alphabetical order. Select the tab to do a search by industry of the member companies.

Action#7  To speak to a significant professional within the TechColumbus organization, to the right of the membership webpage it states: “Contact membership: Leslyn Wheeless Director of Membership Sales for more information.  Ms. Wheeless would have insight on current members and information on prospective members as well as contacts within the member companies.

Action #8 At the bottom of the TechColumbus website appears: TechColumbus Quick Links.  Under Entrepreneurs, PeopleHirePeople clicked onto the link to view:  hiVelocity Ohio Entrepreneurial Magazine. Under the web heading of “News” Aimee can view recent articles about Columbus technological companies. She can contact the author/report of the articles many  employees and executives within the companies that they are covering as listed with bylines at the end of the articles.  Clicking on the webpage header of “Places” she can then scroll and click on Columbus.  On this page you see a box to fill in and above it:  “Give us your email and we will give you our bi-weekly online magazine. Fair?” This valuable bi-weekly online magazine highlights many companies and contacts.

Action#9  PeopleHirePeople next used another keywords search: advertising association. The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) emerged.   Clicking on the AAAA  website,  lists a page entitled, Talent Development.  You see the association’s career center known as  ”the premier electronic recruitment resource for the industry”.   Aimee can post her resume for industry professionals to review and also study posted industry jobs.

Action #10 To find real people to interact with who belong to the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Aimee will find committees, regions, and council members named and the companies they work show under the web page heading Communities. Researching the main phone numbers of the companies listed can be easily done on Internet yellow pages and the contact made at their place of work.  Aimee should start the conversation with: “I saw where you serve as Governor at Large for the Northeast Ohio region of the AAAA”.

Now Aimee can begin to personalize her search by calling on the contacts from the above described actions. You too can do the same.  Columbus, Ohio’s population is under two million.  If you live in a larger metropolitan area you will be able to hunt even more contacts and uncover more companies. Think about volunteer efforts that promote interaction with industry professionals.  Work associations for new contacts without attending meetings or events. And employ the effective use of the phone to personally connect.

Candidate Ken wrote to a professional networking group about the lack of response by recruiters when he had applied to many jobs to which he qualified.  PeopleHirePeople looked at his online profile and website.  Ken has over twenty-five years of construction experience in the New York City area with both project management and interior design.  Ken’s projects include residential condos, hospitals, colleges and public entities.  His frustration is that he never gets any responses to applications he makes to advertised online jobs. He feels he is more than qualified for positions but his resume has not gotten him any interviews. The solution is to talk directly with industry professionals and uncovering companies for employment or to partners that do not advertise for current construction projects or projects that have been bid and won but not publicized. The construction industry has been one the hardest hit industries so Ken needs to   become creative in discovering new connections outside of his existing network.  Actions #1 and 2 indicate campus construction projects.  Actions #3 and 4 show Ken contacts from construction news reporting company.  Action #5 is a hidden job board for the construction industry.  Actions #6, 7 and 8 take Ken down another construction avenue of demolition.  Action #9 indicates sales of insurance and bonds are indicators of construction projects.  Action #10 is a latest list to work.

PeopleHirePeople actions for Ken.

Action #1 –  Create a complete list of completed projects and recall the architects, sub contractors, and vendors involved in the projects.  Call each of these former connects and ask about projects they are bidding or working.  Asking about bids creates is an indication for near future projects.  Bidding is done by multiple companies so Ken needs to find out the competitor bidders and talk with them also.

Action #2  PeopleHirePeople did a key word search: Key words: New York Colleges construction 2010. This was done because Ken had previously done a project for a local college.  Many colleges currently experience a higher enrollment of professionals returning to school when they cannot find jobs. An interesting article entitled: SUNY Maritime College Gets New Research Facilities at http://newyork.construction.com.  Three contacts are mentioned in the text of the article, i.e., architect, engineering company and structural consultant.  Ken needs to call these companies about the existing work and future work on the college campus. Then Ken needs to visit other local universities to find out their near future campus construction and renovation plans.

Action #3  In the middle of the article is an advertisement for a two part complimentary industry webinar by Engineering News Report.  The agenda shows that the webinar is hosted and lists different bureau chiefs for the Engineering News-Record introduced by industry professionals.  Ken needs to call these contacts for the latest industry information.  They have numerous contacts and referrals.

Action #4 PeopleHirePeople then inserted the name: Engineering News-Record into a search engine for additional leads. One entry was The Top 400 Contractors,   http://enr.construction.com/toplists/Contractors/001-100.asp -  an excellent list for Ken to work starting with those construction companies in his geographic area.  However, it is important to remember that these companies have projects in other states in which they headquarter. All companies are ranked for 2009 and 2008. Other lists found on this web site were The Top 500 Design Firms, The Top 100 Green Contractors, The Top 150 Global Design Firms and many more.

Action #5 On Engineering News-Record’s website is a career page.  Jobs are posted and professionals can enter their resume providing a good place for Ken to search and post as it is a specialized job board so only construction industry professionals will be using it.  This presents advantages to both employers and job seekers.

Action #6 Ken needs to consider that projects are built but projects are also taken down.  PeopleHirePeople keyed words into a search engine: New York demolition projects 2010. An article from the New York Times entitled: New York Plans to Topple Public Housing Towers By MANNY FERNANDEZ  NY Times  Published: February 5, 2010. Ken should call Manny Fernandez to discuss what other projects he covers and contacts for the projects. The New York City Housing Authority is mentioned in the article along with the agency’s new general manager, Michael Kelly and Ilene Popkin, the agency’s assistant deputy general manager for development.  These are two workable contacts to detect which companies received bid awards.

Action #7  From the keyword search on demolition came an entry for The National Demolition Association. The association’s website pictures a tab for” Find”.  Under “Find” Ken can view the complete member directory.  Ken can research members in his geographic area to call.  He can also view the committee heads, board members etc. and call them for referrals.

Action #8 The National Demolition Association’s website highlights an event page.  The 37th Annual Convention of the National Demolition Association scheduled for March 21st through 23rd, 2010 Las Vegas is advertised. Ken need not attend but instead work the listing of attending companies that appears on the right of this page.  He can research each company on the web to find contacts within the companies.

Action #9 Companies buying construction insurance and bonds are leads.  Ken needs to visit with some of the top insurance sales people in the construction industry for job clues. Sales always reports reflect current activity. PeopleHirePeople suggests going to the local yellow pages for this action.

Action #10 Last key word search by PeopleHirePeople:  New York City construction 2010. An entry: wiredNewYork.com appears.  The website lists New Construction in New York City, Most Discussed Projects Currently Under Construction for 2009-2011. Ken can click on each project to learn more detail for connections within each project.

Ken needs to get busy and talk to only construction oriented contacts.  The construction industry like most is a “who you know” referral industry.  He has to get outside his existing connections and PeopleHirePeople actions demonstrate the creativity he needs.  Now you can employ many of the same techniques.  Association’s memberships are often available on their websites not only for members but anyone viewing the website.  Latest lists are always better than publications as their information is more current and up to date. There is no need to attend a seminar or conference but to take the listings of companies and research for contacts within them. Overall Ken has plenty of conversing with industry professionals to gain job clues and so do you.

Tracy had been searching for over three months and was telling herself there had to be a better way. Online applications, job boards, unemployment groups, traditional networking etc. got no results. How could she zap inactivity in her job search?  

After reviewing PeopleHirePeople’s website, hesitantly she phoned and was pleasantly surprised to engage in conversation with PeopleHirePeople. Tracy indicated she had a list of target companies that she had carefully researched. PeopleHirePeople suggested she name one.  Her online research for this company indicated all employees enter the company at the customer service level.    

PeopleHirePeople asked Tracy if she had spoken to anyone in the company directly.  No was her answer.  Then why was she so sure the only way to enter the company was through a customer service position?  The only way to find out company policy and step up her candidacy within the company is to call current employees. How Tracy should select those employees and how Tracy should approach them is demonstrated below.

Tracy’s passion is event planning and marketing.  Into a search engine, PeopleHirePeople logged the company’s name, “press release” and 2009. One article states:  Named to Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in the US.  Tracy is on the right track because this is a private corporation experience growth in a recession.  7 out of 10 new jobs are created by small corporations.

The company website’s page of events is also displayed.  PeopleHirePeople suggested Tracy call the company’s main number and ask who was in charge of one of the major events described on the website.  This makes the initial screen appear very professional as Tracy names the event with dates to the gatekeeper. Tracy can further explain further that she is looking for the individual in the marketing department that schedules these events.  This is a clue to the gatekeeper where to search in the company directory.

If the gatekeeper says she will transfer Tracy now without giving the name of the party, Tracy needs to ask for the name in case the transferred call gets dropped.   At this point Tracy has two options, if the individual answers the phone conversation she can start a conversation.  If no one answers directly, she can leave a voice mail or call back later.  If no one answers, PeopleHirePeople suggests not leaving a voice message.  This gives Tracy time to do quick research on the individual on LinkedIn or by putting the individual’s name into a search engineer for background information. PeopleHirePeople suggests Tracy call back just after the end of the work day or early in the morning when this individual would most likely pick up the phone.

Start of the conversation can be: “Hello, this is Tracy and I was referred to you as the person who schedules the events for the company.   I have the opportunity to search for new employment and would appreciate just a few minutes of your time.  My forte is event planning and marketing so I was wondering if you might know of openings in your department or any other companies in the area?”

Next Tracy can contact two appropriate company employees found on LinkedIn under the company’s information.  The first is a new hire: Sr. VP, Marketing and Business Development and the second is a current employee, marketing project specialist.

Tracy’s conversation starter with the new Sr. VP: “I noticed that you are a recent hire and am also looking for a new marketing opportunity.  I would like some professional advice as to what other area companies you know from your previous search might be expanding in their marketing department.  Do you also see your new company adding additional positions in marketing? “

Phone call to the marketing project specialist:  “I noticed on LinkedIn you have worked at the company for awhile.  On the company website a press release relates the growth the company is experiencing.   I would really appreciate some professional advice as to whether you also see growth within your department as I am looking for a new opportunity. Would you also know who to approach regarding employment in your department?”

PeopleHirePeople stresses personal connections in job search.  Zap inactivity. Strategize company employees to contact for referrals to hiring managers.

PeopleHirePeople continually has job candidates say, “HR is useless.”  They however mean it in the context of the hiring process.  What job candidates forget is the tremendous workload HR has from benefits to payroll etc.  Therefore staffing is often put on the back burner due to lack of time. Major corporations  have staffing and human resources as two separate divisions. PeopleHirePeople has been contacted by HR managers working overtime on Sunday mornings and late into evenings concerning candidates in the hiring process.

When job candidates apply for a position to HR and do not possess most of the qualifications, then they cannot expect HR to respond at all.  Too many job candidates take the approach that they will just send a resume in hopes that there will be other positions in the future.  HR will not present unqualified candidates to their own hiring managers so do not waste HR’s valuable time if you do not have the requirements for the job.

Some latest statistics show that HR departments expect to cut 90% of all candidates before hiring managers get any resumes.  Career experts continue to consult job candidates on how to get through the HR’s hiring screening processes.  However in reality, HR presented candidates that get hired is a very small percentage.  The fact is that most hiring manager hire through some form of their personal connections preferred recruiters, employee referrals, former colleagues, friends etc. 

HR does not actually play a role in the decision to hire.  However, HR managers can definitely assist and speed up the process once a candidate is in the loop for hiring.  So it is important to be extremely cooperative with HR. Recruiters strive to work directly with hiring managers while respecting and following HR protocols and processes.

PeopleHirePeople coaches its candidates to include HR in thank you notes.  Write a separate thank to HR informing HR of what has transpired in the hiring process.

A PeopleHirePeople job candidate wrote to an HR manager the following:

From: Wayne

To:HR Joan

Subject: Re: Telephone Interview

Hi Joan,

I talked with Warren last night and thought you would like an update.  The job sounds like a great opportunity and is very aligned with my background.  Thank you very much for considering me for it.

Warren described the job as Director of Engineering to manage the Colorado Springs team, St. Petersburg team, and employees located at customer sites…

Warren will now send my resume to MM, the VP of Engineering and Design.  Warren believes MM will be in town next week, and there may be an opportunity to meet him then.

I’ll let you know when something more happens.

I would appreciate if you could send me Warren’s email address.  I would like to thank him for taking the time to talk with me.

Wayne

xxx-xxx-xxxx

emailaddress

City, State Zip

Note that Wayne’s email tells HR about the telephone interview from his prospective. It describes the position detailed by the interviewer, Warren and informs her of the next stage of the interviewing process that he was told. Wayne also includes his full contact information at the bottom of the email so HR knows who exactly the job candidate is and which position he interviewed.  Listing his location indicates time zone in case HR needs to call.

Once job candidates realize the limitations of HR in the hiring process, they can better take actions for themselves with hiring managers. Again job candidates need to always hunt the hiring decision makers in a company while cooperating with HR.

People really do want to help.  Take the crash of US Airways Flight 1549, New Yorkers everywhere offered help immediately. The same goes for job candidates if they simply ask for assistance.  For two decades PeopleHirePeople has found strangers assist more often than former colleagues, friends, and family.  Job candidates limit asking for help to known individuals. They need to reach out and introduce themselves to industry professionals asking for assistance.

A job candidate, Sandra was searching for a people contact in a Fortune 500 company experiencing growth that had a business analyst advertised.  Finding her way through such a large company with several facilities in her city might have been very difficult.  However employing PeopleHirePeople strategies, her first focus was to discover someone within the company to assist her to find the hiring manager.

PeopleHirePeople helped uncover target company contacts through LinkedIn. Sandra had not yet used this social networking site.  Several employees were found in her city of residence.  One particular employee was a senior business analyst but no contact information listed.  Sandra found phone numbers for all the various facilities in her geographic area on line.  She called each facility at night after hours. From the after-hours general messages, Sandra was able to figure out the facility that housed the offices for the company’s analysts. 

The next day, Sandra called and asked for the LinkedIn senior business analyst contact by name.  The receptionist said he was not available but gave her the contact’s direct phone number. Not only was she given his direct line but the receptionist told her the best time to reach him. Sandra called several times until he answered his phone. 

Sandra immediately introduced herself and told him how she had found his name from LinkedIn.  Politely she asked for just a couple of moments of his time. Sandra also mentioned that they had graduated from the same university as viewed on his profile. This broke the ice.

Next Sandra simply asked for his help! She explained that she was interested in the advertised business analyst position proceeding to give him a short overview of her skill set.  Next she asked if he knew the hiring authority.  He replied hiring authority was his boss. Her third was for help get her resume in front of his boss.  To which her new contact said he would be more than happy to personally put her resume into his boss’ hand. Sandra made arrangements to email her resume asking for his company email.

Note: The entire phone call lasted about three minutes during which she asked for help three times. Sandra and the senior business analyst connected late Friday afternoon!

She also learned during the brief conversation that this new contact would most likely be a member of the interviewing team. He stated to her that if her qualifications were a good fit, he probably could get her to the interview stage!

Help and insight into the position through a brief phone call!  It all happened because Sandra knew to ask for assistance. PeopleHirePeople suggests another question Sandra might have asked:  Does the company have employee incentive program for hires? If so then Sandra would keep him informed of her candidacy of he would get credit.  Lastly Sandra should ask for his boss’ name as well as permission to contact him directly.

Shortly after making this new connection Sandra’s email to PeopleHirePeople stated: “I may be slow, but I am learning and having a success, which is the BIG THRILL to keep me going on to other opportunities, as you never know what door/window will be the one that you sign on the dotted line.”

PeopleHirePeople received a phone call from a baby boomer mother. She was referred to PeopleHirePeople by another area recruiter. Despair was in her voice. My husband and I feel we have done all the right things and contacted everyone they knew. We did not anticipate our two grown college graduates living with us after graduation. Mom has two twin sons who graduated in December and now seven months later one is still unemployed.

The employed twin wanted to go to law school but was encouraged to work at a law firm first. Dad had that connection. The other twin graduated with a business degree from a state university.

PeopleHirePeople asked what the son was doing to gain employment. Mom said he is on line making applications. PeopleHirePeople responded “That is his first mistake.” Next PeopleHirePeople asked how the university was assisting. The response was that the university sends announcements of job fairs. The twin attends the job fairs and comes home to inform his parents, “The companies tell you to apply on line so there is no reason to attend.” For US Gen Yer’s unemployment rate is 17% which is the under 25 population.

What kind of job would be of interest to the twin? The response was marketing and his real interest is photography. In these recessionary times, companies are looking for the best bang for their buck so many companies hire smaller local marketing/pr firms. This is one avenue for the twin’s niche hunt. Secondly the hunt can combine the areas of marketing, films and photography. PeopleHirePeople encourages mom to assist her son in the research and suggest the following activities starting with professional associations for contacts.

Activity #1: A first online search engine with the words: film plus the twin’s state of residence. Once on the state film’s commission website, refer to the state commissioner who is named on the website. The twin should call and visit with the commissioner for referrals and to learn the key player companies. There is also a form to fill out in order to receive the film commission’s e-newsletter. Receiving the e-newsletter will give the twin industry companies and names within those companies to contact directly for job leads.

Activity #2: A second online search engine uses the words: marketing awards plus the state of the twin’s residence. This produces the state’s chapter of the Business Marketing Association. The twin can start by reading the latest articles and press releases about the association’s events. Local guest speakers, attending members and even photos of those in attendance are featured. He can pick up the phone and call these industry contacts mentioned selecting the smaller firms first as 7 out of 10 jobs are created by small businesses.

Activity #3: The Business Marketing Association’s state chapter directory is accessible on the website by business type, company name and association members’ names. The twin should study those businesses in his geographic area. Each business listing has their address, marketing specialization and the company contact. Simply call into companies in niche markets.

Activity #4: The Business Marketing Association’s state chapter website has latest list of key sponsoring members, new members, and trustees. All can be contacted with phone calls.

Activity #5: For face to face industry networking opportunities the event scheduled should be research. On event “MeetUps” looks promising which is the 7th Annual Summer Toast as students can attend for half price admissions at a local club/restaurant. Other events listed are roundtables, seminars, auctions, awards, golf and webinars. The twin might volunteer for events listed in activity #5 in order to meet members in an official capacity.

Activity #6: Pursue video production companies that specialize in the infomercials a fast growing trend focusing on entertaining through interviews and paid programming. New “docu-drama” infomercials feature before and after case scenarios. A search engineer key word search: Infomercials, state name and companies produced a local directory ProductionHub.

PeopleHirePeople suggests parents encourage their new college graduates to become proactive in direct people connections. 85% of jobs are not advertised and the only means to find out about them is conversing with industry professionals “in the know”! Assist your new college graduate to be a Peoplefinder versus a job board surfer.

A survey by outplacement firm, Drake, Beam & Morin found that 88% of HR managers rely on Internet job boards and online applications to fill positions.  Another recent statistic in the Wall Street Journal reported that humans reviewed only 2 – 25% of the resumes today’s extremely competitive job market hundreds of job candidates apply for a single advertised position. 

Many employers and recruiters report that they view only the first 50 or so resumes received.  Still, other companies employ sophisticated selection software featuring artificial intelligence that analyzes resumes for top performers.  So tweaking resumes to include the advertised job phrases does not prove as effective as it once was.

Another interesting statistic reports that 90% of hiring managers select a job candidate through some form of their own contact.  Over 50% of the attendees raised their hands at the beginning of PeopleHirePeople seminars, when asked if they hired people in their past employment.   These former hiring managers are asked to keep their hands raised if the answer to the next question is yes.  The second question asks “How many of you hired from the stack of resumes presented from HR”?  Almost all hands go down.  Attendees are asked a third question:  “How many of you hired new employees from some form of a direct referral”?  Almost all the hands go back up!

PeopleHirePeople’s last question to attendees asked “So why do you search on the Internet for a job which was never the method you used when you hired”?  They tell PeopleHirePeople that they attended the seminar to learn about alternatives to job boards and online applications!

In reality, hiring managers select who they want to work for them. HR has little impact into those decisions.  Do not forget that employers never advertise for 85% of jobs!

In fact, sometimes HR never knows an opening exists.  For example, a hiring manager directly contacted PeopleHirePeople about an opening he was anticipating.  PeopleHirePeople discussed the new opening with the HR manager.  The HR manager didn’t know of the opening.  PeopleHirePeople explained to HR that the current employee would be moving out of state to take care of elderly parents according to the hiring manager.  The hiring manager wanted to have a new employee trained before the current employee left so he started looking for a replacement.

It is imperative that job candidates find managers and potential managers who actually do the hiring. Job candidates can do creative investigation to discover hiring managers.

PeopleHirePeople suggests one method that job candidates can fulfill.  First find one or more company current employees to assist.  Many companies offer employee incentives for referrals they hire.  Job candidates start by asking an employee for help to get their resume directly into the hands of the hiring manager.  Next job candidates can follow up by asking the name of the hiring manager and his/her contact information in order to make direct contact with the hiring manager.

Investigating the company website further for employees can be as simple as looking at photos on the company website.  Pictures of company employees can also feature a specialized team within the company.  Other pictures show employees in volunteer efforts or company outing.  These often contain the names of each employee in the picture. Experts within the company pen articles that can be featured on the company website.  This research results in potential contacts for job candidates to call and ask for assistance.

Odds of employment in this difficult job market greatly increase when job candidates directly interface with hiring managers. PeopleHirePeople advocates: Get outside the box and find the hiring manager!

Kathleen Conners specializes in people connections for job search and developed PeopleHirePeople hunt, contact & ask strategies for job search.  She is a full time recruiter and a guest lecturer to MBA programs at major universities.  Her book, The Thrill of the Hunt: Get Real in Your Job Search can be directly purchased from www.authorhouse.com. Additional articles: www.peoplehirepeople.com Copyright 3/09

Great First Connections

Usually about 60 to 90 days into digital electronic job search, candidates get an Ah-Ha moment.  Job boards don’t work!  However other job candidates continue to follow the famous adage “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and hoping for different results”.  They never get an Ah-Ha job moment but continue on the digital electronic search and hope the next new specialty or gimmick board will bring employment.  Digital electronic search is easy because job candidates do not have to face rejection, they just get nothing!

Recently, PeopleHirePeople heard a presentation on job search by the national chairman for the Financial Executives Networking Group, Matt Bud. For over a decade he has grown the organization to over 30,000 members worldwide.  First, Matt’s message is get off the job boards.  Secondly, he states the only way to get a job is network, network and network.

 In attendance were approximately 75 job candidates.  Only one verified that he had previously gotten a job from the Dice job board. PeopleHirePeople would bet in today’s market this previously successful Dice job candidate will not have lightening strike again to get a second job from any job board.  The odds are very much against it.

The statistics don’t lie. The largest numbers of job candidates achieve employment through personal contacts.  Also the vast majority of hiring managers hire through personal contacts.  Ultimately employment is two human beings coming together for a working relationship.

As an unemployed job candidate time is of the essence.  Traditional networking takes an inordinate amount of time and often not focused.  For example, a job candidate specialized in brand marketing for the energy industry asks his church’s congregation for assistance in job search.  The odds are most of the congregation will not understand what the job candidate actually does for a living and less likely to have any contacts it that particular industry.

So how should job candidates speed up the process of making industry specific contacts?  Actually contact the head of a professional association who interacts with professionals and companies in a particular industry.  Take the speaker, Matt Bud, mentioned above.  Job candidates in the financial area can tap into his industry knowledge and reap referrals just by calling him.

For the specialized brand marketer, this job candidate could also call a key contact in a professionals association related to marketing or energy such as the membership chairperson. The membership chairperson has a wealth of knowledge about the companies in the association as well as contacts in each company.  Just one phone call to the membership chairperson can reap employment information.

To begin a phone conversation with the membership chairperson, use a starter script:     

Job candidate: Hello Ms. Membership Chairperson.  This is John Smith calling and I would appreciate a few minutes of you time concerning the association’s membership.

Ms. Membership Chairperson:  Yes, what exactly is the nature of your inquiry?

Job candidate:  I recently started a job search and my goal to visit with industry professionals having great connections with other industry professionals.  I don’t know if you have ever been unemployed or know any one unemployed, but I am beginning with new personal connections.  I am calling people who have a wealth of industry information such as you.

Ms. Membership Chairperson: Yes I have several friends and family members in a search themselves.

Job Candidate: I appreciate the time you are taking to visit with me and would like to ask you a few questions concerning the companies in this association to learn about possible employment.

Ms. Membership Chairperson:  Go ahead.

Job Candidate: (works the following questions into the conversation)  Can you tell me companies experiencing growth at this time?   Which companies might be winning industry awards? And companies you feel would be the best fit for my career aspirations?        

Job Candidate: (ending the conversation) Thank you so much for recommending these companies and by the way might you have a contact in each company for me to call? And lastly, may I use your name when calling them?

Making first connections by phone is great method to discover companies that are “making things happen” in any economy and real personal industry connections.  These companies most often have the unadvertised employment opportunities.  PeopleHirePeople encourages: Do what other job candidates are not and phone new first connections.