Sex and Your Job Search 2013: A Guide to Scoring Your Dream Job (5 page)

The correct response would have been for Nelson to fill out a basic profile after our conversation and connect with me, even if I was his only contact.

Facebook

Facebook needs no real introduction. It has over one billion users worldwide, who use Facebook to keep in touch, share pictures, and post links. Through Facebook, many of us were introduced to Double Rainbow, the Honey Badger, and watched Steve Jobs’s 2005 Stanford commencement address. There’s great advice in that last one about loving what you do.

Entertainment aside, Facebook can be
quite
helpful to the job seeker as well. Facebook can put you in touch with people you haven’t thought of in years and their social network. The more complete your profile, the broader your reach will be. If you are looking for a job, I recommend inputting all of your employment and education history. The reason is that Facebook compares that data to people with similar backgrounds and suggests them as Friends.

In addition, you can selectively post status updates asking whether anyone has a contact at your desired employer. This takes only seconds and could prove to be quite helpful.

Like LinkedIn, you can also follow or, as Facebook calls it, “Like” companies and groups in order to receive updates from them. I follow Mercedes-Benz, Burton Snowboards, and adidas Originals. What is extremely helpful is that Facebook shows me who else of my friends like these companies. If I wanted to work at one of them, I could reach out to those people, start a conversation about the company, and see if they know anyone who works there. In the case of the above-mentioned companies, Facebook shows me that nine of my friends like these companies, and two of those friends
actually
work at them.

BranchOut is a Facebook app that lets you browse over three million jobs and twenty thousand internships. It’s another way to discover connections and network. By signing up, you can see your friends’ connections and according to their promo video, you can turn five hundred Facebook friends into fifty thousand. Good stuff. http://branchout.com.

Another Facebook app is The Who? Button. They promote their app this way: “See where your friends work, build a professional profile, and access great companies.” http://apps.facebook.com/thewhobutton.

One last thing, and I think it goes without saying, is that you should have a “clean” Facebook page when looking for a job. Watch what you post and how you comment. I’d recommend against pictures of you tearing down street signs with a middle finger in the air or of you doing body shots half-naked. Even if your Facebook page is locked down, someone at a company may know a friend of yours who gives them access to your page. Just be careful.

A friend of mine named Kristen had a great ten-year career in public relations. She did so well at the director level that she left her job to start her own agency. Two years later the economy tanked and her business struggled. Determined to join the corporate workforce again, she started following PR leaders in her Midwestern city on Twitter.

Occasionally, Kristen would reply to the president of a large PR agency with her thoughts and comments. Even though the president was a very respected and powerful female leader in her city, that did not intimidate Kristen. Then, in the midst of the Recession, and in a city with a large number of unemployed people, the president of the PR agency reached out to her, “We’re hiring. Are you interested?!”

Kristen was hired into a vice president position working with Fortune 500 companies and reported directly to the president. As a result, she made a six-figure salary and bought a condo overlooking the city.

Social media networking is free and can be very productive.

Other Sites & Recommendations

There are other social media sites like Twitter where you can follow companies and people at those companies. As it relates to the job search, Twitter can be used for information gathering and networking. Generally speaking, Twitter tends to be a little more casual than a corporate Facebook page. Some employers have a separate Twitter stream just for job postings. Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/dombokich where you can find job search and career advice.

Most Fortune 500 companies have a Twitter presence as do many smaller companies. If a smaller company doesn’t have a Twitter account, often times their CEO, CFO, or another employee will have a Twitter feed open to the public. And many times they will engage with their followers as evidenced in the “From Tweet to VP” Success Story.

Also, if you have a question about a company, Google them. There are millions of websites, blogs, and videos that can give you insight on any given organization or subject. But you don’t need me to tell you that.

3. KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR

Cliché music reference, I know. But it’s also a great way to remember that knocking on the door of your dream employer is one of the most effective ways to get your dream job.

Most career experts agree that this is a best practice. You can almost double the success rate of getting a job if you stop by and introduce yourself and personally hand a hiring manager or HR rep your portfolio (I’ll explain what’s in a portfolio and what to say in a bit).

The only problem with this method is that so few people actually do this.

I want stopping by your dream employer to be so memorable that I’ve actually written a stand up routine about it. Please imagine that the routine below is being read with the voice, enthusiasm, and cadence of your favorite comedian. I picture Dave Chappelle.

“I am astounded— astounded— by how few people stop by the place of employment they are interested in working at. I have seen this work ladies and gentlemen.

Take the time to dress up. Now, I’m not talking about an evening gown or tuxedo. I’m talking about a professional ladies business suit… or a men’s suit and tie. Not some tight-fitting skinny jean ‘going to da club outfit’ either. Those are for the weekend.

And you show up with a portfolio or nice resume tucked in a padfolio, with reference letters, interested in talking with someone, politely yet confidently. It will work. It will work!

Let me ask ya’ll, and I’ll use men as an example. When you’ve tried to get that hot girl to go out with you. You know, that woman who’s so far out of your league? I bet that when you succeeded, nine times out of ten it was because you put in a lot of time talking with her face-to-face. Face time = success time.

Show up at the employer you want and you have a way higher chance of getting hired. And be nice to the receptionist. I pull the receptionist away from the front desk and ask her what she thinks of each and everrrry person that comes in unannounced. If she thinks you’re a jerk, that’s strike one and strike two right there.

All my HR and hiring manager friends are gonna kill me now that I let the cat out of the bag. More work for them!”

A friend of mine, who we’ll call Linda, stopped by my office right after taking her dental hygiene boards. “Dom, you are an expert,” she said enthusiastically and with a hint of flattery. “What is your recommendation for finding a job?”

Linda was moving to Seattle with her husband, who was beginning his orthopedic surgery residency. She had no connections in that city and had only been there once. I said, “Find a few dentists you want to work for and stop by their offices. Don’t just send resumes!” After that, I went through her resume and we discussed interviewing.

Since Linda wanted her dream job, she found what appeared to be the best dental practice in Seattle. Their office is on the penthouse floor of a forty-story building in downtown Seattle. It has vaulted ceilings, glass windows with a view, hanging garden-of-Babylon-style plants, and a doorman.

Linda stopped by and asked to speak with someone about a job. After calmly presenting herself and her resume (she said she had major butterflies), she received a working interview the next day during which she cleaned another hygienist’s teeth. She began full-time employment the day after that!

Linda’s starting salary is over $80,000 a year. Not bad for just having completed a four-year degree. The doctor later told her that although he had a stack of resumes, she was the only one who stopped by.

Want to be like this superstar? Stop by your dream employer and get your dream job.

4. EMPLOYER JOB POSTING
ON THE INTERNET

Let’s say you are in love with the hottest person at your school or in the town where you live. Call it a crush, lust, or whatever, it’s totally hot. Since everyone knows this hottie’s name, you start to do a little research and discover their Facebook profile is open to the public. “Awesome,” you say to yourself. And as you are looking at their profile, the person changes their status from “In a relationship” to “Single.” Not only that, they update their status to “I’m bored.”

Holy crap. OMG, OMG, OMG. Yes, this is
your
chance. You were called to this place, to this moment in time. But you know damn well this hottie is not going to be single for very long, so you have to make your move.

Ok, so
now
imagine that you are checking the website of the employer of your dreams. As you browse the website, they post the job of your dreams. You know damn well that this job is not going to be available for a very long time.

The reason is that most desirable and popular employers set limits on how many applications they receive through their online applicant tracking systems (ATS). For example, the company I work for receives close to one hundred thousand applications a year. Yeah, that’s a lot for six people to look through. We are the only Level 1 trauma center (we take the most serious cases) for a large county and we have great benefits, so a lot of people want to work with us. That being the case, we limit the applications we receive per position to thirty. Once we receive thirty applications, the position automatically goes off our website. Sometimes this happens within a few hours. A lot of employers have this same feature.

A way to become one of the thirty applicants is to do these three things:

1. Check the employment page of the company website often.

2. Find out all variations of the job title you are looking for through a Google search. Use this information so that you don’t overlook similar types of jobs. For example, a marketing specialist job opening may be posted as an event coordinator.

3. Register on the website to receive an email alert when a job with certain key words is posted. Many applicant tracking systems offer this feature. On my employer’s website, it’s called Job Agent.

These are the keys to the kingdom, people.

5. EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES,
TEMPORARY AGENCIES, & SEARCH FIRMS

You’ve seen the ads in the back of inflight magazines: “We will hook you up with your soul mate for just $20,000.” Unlike these “executive” matchmaking companies, if a Temporary Employment Agency hooks you up with a job, the employer pays instead of you.

Here’s how it works:

1. The employer needs a worker for a certain period of time. Usually because someone is going on pregnancy leave, extended medical leave, or someone was suddenly terminated. They generally need people ASAP.

2. You register online and then set up an appointment at an agency.

3. The agency picks you to go to the employer to do the work.

The key is to find out
which
agencies your desired employer uses. I strongly recommend creating a list of local temp agencies and search firms. Then register with each. Ask them if they place employees at your targeted firm.

Most temp agencies have a screening process that includes an online clerical test and a few interview-like questions in person. If and when you are sent to that employer, consider it an
on-the-job
interview
. I don’t know how I can emphasize this more. Every minute you’re on the job counts!