Inbound Vs Outbound Careers

Everything that is being said about the difference between push vs pull, traditional vs social media marketing, advertising vs lead nurturing - it is all true about the new realities in your career. More and more companies will make Googling your name the first step in the hiring process. If you claim to be an expert in a given field, the companies will want to see some evidence for this online. May be you were quoted, you have a blog, or a YouTube video that you created for work. It can be a huge benefit if the Hiring Manager finds it. They will have a very public validation of the claims in your resume. Certainly something like that would increase your chances of getting the call for a job-interview.

The new career strategies are increasingly about you creating a pull for yourself as a specialist. Putting yourself out there becomes critical, especially for some areas. For example - Mike Volpe, the CMO of HubSpot said that 80% of their marketing hires had marketing experience of one year or less. Recruiters are increasingly looking for candidates who can speak 'digital' without an accent. Traditional experience is no longer an asset and in some cases could be a drawback.

So - think about what you need to do to create your Digital Brand. You will know you have succeeded when recruiters can find you before you even submit your resume for the position they are looking to fill.

But what are the ground rules when taking on such a (scary) task? Is there any one right way to do it? If only there was a school for that... Well - when in doubt - learn from the best. Once you have internet connection - you have all you need. So go out there and find out in your target area - who the most popular bloggers are, what the most popular topics are, what the most watched videos show. This should almost certainly give you some ideas where to start and what to aim for. May be it will be all totally new for you. This is good - you'll have the chance to learn what people are interested in. After some time - perhaps you will find out that you also have something to say, something to add to the discussion. Sometimes even leaving a thoughtful comment can get you noticed. The key is in using your key-board... and your mind.

The good news is - your work will accumulate over time and will bring you residual benefits. But it won't happen overnight... so go get started.

First published @ http://EzineArticles.com/6548401

The Hunter and the Hunted

First – clearly there are wide ranging opinions about recruiters. A top recruiter and a friend of mine once jokingly said: “Recruiters are like toilet paper - when you need them, they're very useful. When you're done, you just flush them away. “ This is not exactly the case, especially with good recruiters. Good recruiters can be very helpful not just finding you a job, but with career advice, or by challenging you to perk up your resume, cover letter, coaching you for improved interview behavior and connecting you to opportunities only available to them.

So if you are considering calling a recruiter it is worth your time to shop around and find out more about the recruiter and the company he or she is working for. Typically working with up to 2-3 recruiters would be most effective. More than 3 – you may start running into trouble. It is not worth it even if you loose one opportunity just because two separate recruiters sent your resume for the same position and by doing this made you look desperate.

Second – you still need to remember that recruiters work like any other consultant from a management-consulting firm. They will defend their own interests. They want good relations with you and they need even better relations with the companies, who use their services. Because the companies are the ones paying the bill in the end – there may be some disadvantages for you or even there may be ‘hidden agendas’.

The best way to find a job is through your professional networking. It is part of the professional experience to learn how to measure your exposure to recruiters. So if you haven’t done so already – go to LinkedIn and create a professionally looking profile. Then connect to all your contacts that are already part of the network and start taking advantage of the opportunities there. LinkedIn has established itself as a primary professional networking site and I don’t see this changing in the coming years.

Third – if you find a position that you like, DO NOT call your recruiter to learn more about it. The recruiter has a vested interest to send in your resume and application, but he or she will also send all the other candidates’ resumes that are a good fit. So by telling your recruiter you may have just increased your competition.

If you really are an excellent fit for the position – do not hesitate to apply directly. This can save you time and the company will not have to pay your recruiter, which often would be to your advantage when they are making the hiring decision. So remember – the only positions you discuss with your recruiter are the ones he or she brings to your attention. (Sorry Victor!)

Salesman For a Day

Control the Emotion and the Content, or what to do before you get to the first impression!

Persuasion rarely is about offering what people need. By having a deeper understanding of people's hopes, desires, expectations and so forth, persuasion makes it possible to offer what they truly want, what they dream about. In the professional setting of the job interview persuasion is about solving the hiring manager's set of problems. Typically in regards to these problems the manager has strong feelings. It could be brisk enthusiasm about the prospects of the company or frustration with the low quality of the monthly reports, or deep concern about the future of the strategic function within the division. Each and every new position comes with a job description, but what you will never find in this job description is the higher ranking problem that the manager and the company are looking to solve at the moment. Successfully guessing, or assessing what this problem might be is your first step towards assuming control over the emotion and the content of your job interview.

Fact: Linking Marketing Metrics to financial consequences is the number one issue keeping Chief Marketing Officers up at night! In other words their main concern is trying to justify their expenditures and their existence.

The first step towards a good first impression then is not just to research the company -- you will need to really immerse yourself in all the available information. You need to learn not just what it says on the company's web-site, in the latest press release or how their stock has been doing. You need to find out what is the likely leading business problem the hiring manager is concerned about. Even if your position will not be charged with solving this problem, you need to have an understanding of what is on the mind of the person you will likely be reporting to. It is a tall order and most of the time there will be no direct information to help you with this. You need to do a lot of second guessing and this is why the more educated your guessing -- the better your chances you will guess correctly. Because when you have, then you possess the key to making your best first impression and effectively executing your own agenda i.e. persuading the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job.

Hiring Director: "So, tell me a little bit about yourself! I see you are coming from a Marketing background."

John Runner: "Yes, indeed I am and in the last 3 years I specialized in linking Marketing Metrics to financial consequences. Further I have a Babson MBA with minor in finance and 5 years of industry experience and this is why I believe I will be a perfect fit for this position."

Question 6. What Was Your Greatest Achievement and How Did You Accomplish It?

This is the heart of a behavioral job interview. This is where people prepare most and this is where it gets most personal. It is not about the team, or the department, or the company - it is about you. You need to tell the story of what you had done. So candidates who have difficulty talking about themselves and especially difficulty "bragging" about their accomplishments can be at a disadvantage. Another issue usually comes when a candidate has prepared multiple answers and does not want to limit herself to just one "greatest" achievement. In this case it may be a bit easier if she would use the count-down approach. It would go somewhat like this: "Among the top 3 thing I accomplished as a manager, was this one project, where ... Another accomplishment I am really proud of is ... And the number one accomplishment in my professional career so far is ... !"

OK - now here is what the interviewer is really trying to learn about you, when asking this question:

1. The greatest achievement question is usually pretty straight forward to answer and most recruiters are really looking for examples of past behavior as a predictor for the future employee you will be. Often the "how did you accomplish" part is omitted in the question, but make sure you give it as part of your answer. The circumstances of a simple month-end general ledger close can sometimes provide enough drama, which in turn would show how great you are.

2. Sometimes discrepancies and warning signs will pop-up and raise red flags in the mind of the recruiter so watch for relevance in your answers. If you are applying for a store manager position and tell the interviewer that your greatest accomplishment was the punk-rock CD that you produced and recorded in your basement a couple of years ago - it would be pretty obvious where your heart is.

3. What you consider an accomplishment is also another helpful way for the recruiter to tell about your business and professional goals. People tend to speak about what they like, so if for instance a candidate describes a managerial project as her greatest accomplishment, then this is usually a pretty good sign that she liked being a manager.

Question 5: How Would Your Boss Describe You?

This is another trick question and if you are not prepared - it may take you by surprise. This is the type of mind game that some job hunters thrive on, and others dread. There are recruiters that will actually first verify that your ex-boss is listed as a reference. Then they will ask the question and take notes and then would call the ex-boss to compare. But most would only ask the question as a fun way to open a discussion about personal and professional qualities. If you are not prepared though - you may not be able to see the fun in this.

OK - now here is what the interviewer is really trying to learn about you, when asking this question:

1. It is not about the ex-boss, but about how you would see yourself through the eyes of the ex-boss. It is one thing to say how you feel about yourself and it is another to say how your supervisor may have felt. It is often relatively easy for a recruiter to see if the candidate is prepared for this question or not. But preparation is not necessarily what they are looking for - it is the unique insight. I had one person say to me in an interview, when answering this question "He would probably describe me as a bit lazy!"

2. With your answer you will reveal a lot about your professional and personal value system. This is valid no matter how prepared or unprepared you are. The way you approach your answer will highlight what you think is important in terms of professional qualities and this is what the recruiter is really interested in.

3. If the interviewer sees that you are surprised by this question she would be able to see also how fast you think on your feet and how comfortable and confident you are with your message. Your confidence and quick reaction may have a bigger impact than what you say. As Marshall McLuhan put it -- the medium is the message.