Richard Maun

Tag: Job Hunting

  • Job Hunting Tips #4 …Do Something

    Brian does something to improve his chances of finding a job
    Brian does something to improve his chances of finding a job

    There are currently 2,470,000 people registered as unemployed in the UK, which is split roughly 1.46 million men and 1.01 women. I mention this because losing your job can feel like you’ve been cast into a snake pit, where your chances of getting out again seem slim and uncertain.

    In my experience, people looking for work seem to think they are in competition with all the 2,469,999 people who are also out of work. They tell me that it’s impossible to get a job in a recession (it isn’t). That there aren’t any jobs out there (there are). That nobody wants to hire them (this isn’t true). And so on…

    People give away their power by using negative words and scary statistics to frighten themselves into inaction. A classic example of this is when people say:

    ‘I’ve been made redundant.’

    Of course the truth is that they haven’t. The job has been made redundant. They remain a useful and talented person, who is looking for work.

    This post has the title ‘Do Something’ for two reasons. Firstly, if you change your language you retain your power and can set yourself up for energetic and productive job hunting.

    Secondly, and this for me is the BIG one, do something to cut down the odds against you. I’ve noticed in job hunting workshops about 40% of people own a useful job hunting book. If you buy a book and read it you’re now ahead of the 60% of people who know nothing and don’t invest in their own future.

    And I’ve come to realise that about 30% of people bother to properly prepare for an interview. By ‘properly prepare’ I mean rehearse their Minute To Win It, practise their STAR answers, know which questions to ask at the end of an interview and are aware of how to use attending skills to maintain contact with people.

    If you are one of six people waiting in turn for an interview, the chances are that only two of you will have prepared well enough. Would you like to be one of them?

    And finally, it’s true that networking is the smart way to find a job. How many job hunters make a concerted effort to go networking? About 10%. This means that if you go networking then you’ve left behind 90% of the unemployed herd and are competing with a much smaller pool of people. By the time you think about how many people with your skill set are actively networking, you might only be in competition with a few tens of people.

    So, if you really want to get a job please do something to increase your chances; buy a book (any relevant book), go networking and really prepare for your next interview.

    That way you know you won’t be competing with 2,469,999 other job hunters. You might just be competing with less than 100.

    Do something. Increase your odds in your favour. Do it today.

    **NEW** Video

    Here’s fun. My chums at Los Penguin Productions have posted a new Job Hunting Blues video on YouTube and you’re welcome to have a look. It features Brian, our resident job hunting stunt man. He was great to work with, a real pro.

    More Opportunities To Do Something

    The Minute To Win It, the STAR answers and much more useflness can all be found in the book Job Hunting 3.0. If you know someone who is looking for work then please point them at Amazon.

    Pass It On

    If you know someone who would be interested in this blog post please forward it to them, or ReTweet it, or let them know they can subscribe to regular emails via the box on the homepage. Many thanks.

    Next Week

    We’ll be looking at attending skills. How well do you engage with people?

  • Job Hunting Tips #2 …Add Numbers

    A Mystery: The Case of the Disappearing Walnut Whips
    A Mystery: The Case of the Disappearing Walnut Whips

    In the box on my lap I had six walnut whips and now I have just two left. I blame the rain really, as there’s only one thing to do when it’s all soggy outside; eat chocolate.

    Now up until this point you might be thinking that I have scoffed four walnut whips, and I may well have. I’ll tell you later.

    However, the key point here is that the story becomes more interesting when we have some numbers to give us a sense of scale or scope.

    It’s the same for CVs and cover letters as well. Adding numbers to our achievements serves three important functions:

    1) Numbers make them memorable. It’s easier to remember ‘a box of 6 walnut whips’ than ‘some walnut whips’. We tend to remember specific details more easily than vague descriptions.

    2) Numbers reveal the size of our achievements. This gives people a real sense of how we could add value to their business. If I could eat four walnut whips at home, I could come and do that in your business too!

    3) Numbers make things interesting. Plenty of CVs are dull, bland, full of clichés and generally lifeless. Stir in some numbers though and we become interesting and our stories gain life and style.

    All achievements can be measured in some way and there are no exceptions to this. It might take you some time to think through your own numbers, but it’s worth the investment as that could be the hook that snags your next interview. We can think about:

    • Time saved.
    • Money earned.
    • Targets met.
    • Process steps reduced.
    • Output increased.
    • Quality levels up.
    • Complaints down.
    • The number of people involved.
    • The number of countries visited.

    Things can be measured in £s or % or hours or minutes. As a result of your work did the trend line go up or down?

    If you’re struggling to measure your achievements it could be because the biggest net effect came from a downstream process. If this is the case it’s ok think about the consequences of your work and to focus on this.

    Examples of achievements can look like these handsome bullet points:

    • £50,000pa saved in factory overtime as a result of finding capacity increases by using Lean tools, such as single minute exchange of dies (smed).

    • 30% increase in the number of sales calls made each week by setting targets for the team and then reviewing progress each Monday.

    • 120 people trained in coaching skills, including 8 who went on to pass the senior coaches exam (100% pass rate).

    …These are broad examples to show how each achievement becomes an interesting little story when we add numbers. Your challenge is simple; take a fresh look at your CV or your marketing literature (if that’s more relevant to you) and add one number to each key achievement.

    Remember: Make numbers even more interesting by multiplying them up over a year. For example, a saving of £2,000 per week isn’t as eye-catching as £100,000 per annum.

    Once you’ve finished adding numbers, compare the jazzed up document with the original and ask yourself:

    Which version does a better sales job for me?

    Oh and the walnut whips? Well, I had one, the twins shared one and the other two were handed out to a couple of chums on Twitter…

     

    More Examples of Achievements

    There are more tips and worked examples in the book Job Hunting 3.0, which was described by a journalist recently as ‘a definitive guide to getting a job.’ If know someone who is looking for work then please point them at Amazon.

    Pass It On

    If you know someone who would be interested in this blog post please forward it to them, or ReTweet it, or let them know they can subscribe to regular emails via the box on the homepage. Many thanks.

    Next Week

    We’ll be looking at one of the easiest ways to do well in an interview. You’d be amazed at how many people forget to do this one thing.