Alex McCracken Director of Operations
Found out I was on the layoff list November 2009 Officially laid off January 2010 Joined Project Management Institute Networking Group April 2010
Joined Sacramento Professional Networking May 2010 Bumped into the perfect contact August 2010 Offered and accepted job offer November 2010
The Goal is to Get the Interview. Interviews Lead to Jobs!!!!!!!!!
Networking Groups LinkedIn Associations Volunteer Opportunities Internships Job Fairs
Do: Complete your profile Do: Make sure your contacts are people who will remember you, will alert you, and will champion you Do update your profile Do join appropriate Groups
If you use your FB picture, dont use the picture of you celebrating New Years Dont make it hard for someone to get in touch with you Dont make this a popularity contest – this is not FB Remember: You want to link in with folks who will champion you
I use LinkedIn to find recruits I am LinkedIn with various recruiting firms so sometimes they send me jobs and ask if I know anyone
Be Relatable Explain how you would fit into the company or team Research the team, the products/services, the bios, the clients, the philanthropic efforts Establish a relationship between you and the company on paper Be Specific and Personal Tell a story Dont talk about a friend Be Concise
Give me enough information to make an informed decision about your skill set
Do: Highlight your strengths Do: Quantify your accomplishments Do: Tailor your resume Per Job Per Industry Per Hiring Manager DO NOT apply for jobs for which you are unqualified
Personality Round
Do: Come prepared Dont pepper your contact with questions Do: Turn it into a conversation Dont continue to reschedule Keep your appointment Dont ask the other person to make the arrangements Dont continuously say: I know, I just havent done that yet
Initial ScreeningPersonality FitCommunication Skills
Be Prepared Listen Be Professional Be Prepared Listen Be Professional Be Prepared Listen Be Professional Oh yeah and have a personality
Do: Ask questions Ask questions about the culture What would be expected of me during the first 90 days Ask positive questions Ask questions about the job Realize that the HR person may not know all of the answers Dont start negotiating salary, benefits, schedule, or activities
Remember this is face-to-face Do look us in the eye Do speak up and with confidence Do speak passionately about the job and your skills Do offer a FIRM handshake Do dress professionally Piercings and Tattoos
Remember this is face-to-face Do: Ask questions Dont: Again – not the time to start negotiating salary UNLESS they ask Be prepared for the unexpected – president may stop by Be prepared to discuss how and what and why
Be Professional throughout the job search You dont have the job until you sign on the dotted line Always be respectful to everyone throughout the job search Take a deep breath and BE YOURSELF!!!!!!!
Passion for the industry Confidence Intelligence Articulate and lively Enough of a career strategy to know what you want; however, flexible enough to understand that careers dont always work out the way you plan Fearless
Analysts Consultants Sr. Consultants We have some staff that have a clinical background and some who have an IT background