Overcoming Job Board Addiction: Part I

A few weeks ago I talked about the need to "detox" from what I called "career credential addiction," this affliction to spend more and more on obtaining credentials without any certain ROI or marketing strategy behind it. I ended that post by mentioning another type of "addiction" I see across the job search landscape and that has to do with an overdependence on job boards.  

Job board addiction does not discriminate.

Surprisingly, this overdependence is not a problem for a select few. It is not a problem relegated to Millennials or Baby Boomers. It is not an entry-level-candidate-only issue or an executive-only issue. In fact, it has become pervasive. If you are out there in the job search realm, you are most likely overusing them.  

Bottom line: We love job boards even if we say we don't.

Most people will nod their heads and agree that job boards are not all that effective (1-7% depending on whom you believe). They will complain that submitting to online postings is, well, depressing, because so many resumes go in and so few lead to anything. Yet, most people will spend upward of 80% of their precious job search time scanning online classifieds.

Why? Because it's easy (what other job search methods can you do at 2 am?) and it's alluring. The jobs are right there, just waiting for you, the perfect candidate...or so it seems. [Sure, networking is nice and recruiters would be great (if they ever truly came through with anything), but job boards make things so much easier!]

Now, if you doubt job boards are truly an addiction, all you have to do is suggest that maybe a candidate would be better off spending more time on something else (almost anything else) and just a little, even if it is only a tiny little, bit of less time on job boards. Without fail, someone is sure to jump up and cry,  

"But online postings worked for my [friend, spouse, colleague]! Who are you to judge?"

As I said, no one is saying they never work. They just don't work often, and they don't work well. Use them if you want, but use them with eyes wide open. And don't overuse them. Statistics show they aren't worth so much of your precious job search time. And my experience with my client members proves it over and over again.

My clients who take the longest to get jobs, who are the most frustrated in their job searches, and who land jobs at the lowest pay are the ones who rely the most on job boards.

So does all of this mean I think you should never, ever apply through a job board or online posting? No. If the job is a "perfect" match for you and you want to go for it, fine. But recognize the environment you are going into. A lot of perfect fit candidates don't get called back.

In my mind, it would be better to use networking (social and traditional) to make connections with that employer and find a way in front of a decision maker without using the posting process.  

Unfortunately, though, addictions are a hard thing to break, and that's why 95% of job seekers won't.

They'll keeping playing the guessing game and hoping to get it right next time, wondering why the other 5% seem to be coming out on top.

(Stay tuned...in Part II, we'll discuss in more detail why job boards aren't as effective as they could be.)  

That Recruiter Is Just Not That Into You

If there's one thing that seems to be difficult for many job seekers to come to terms with it is recruiters. Internal or external ones, the same issues abound: Candidates continue to misunderstand exactly what recruiters do and how they do it, and recruiters don't necessarily have the time (or are willing to take only so much time) to explain it to them.

The other day I had a prospective client call me about preparing his resume, LI profile, etc. When I asked him about his job search "strategy," he told me that he plans to rely heavily on recruiters. In fact, he had already begun engaging several of them and he had a long list of "advice" from them on what his "brand" messaging should be. He then proceeded to rattle off this long list of "must-haves," much of which contradicted itself.

It wasn't that the advice was bad; it was that the advice was specific to the recruiter, the companies the recruiter recruits for, and sometimes off base from what the candidate is really looking for (or at least what he said he was looking for).  

Basically, the recruiters were telling my prospect: "You don't fit my current profile. Here is what I am really looking for."

Now, here is what my prospective client heard, "I like you, and if you are just willing to jump through a few hoops, then I'd like you so much to find a job for you." In other words, he walked away from these conversations with a positive feeling that if only he could untangle this mess of contradictory resume advice, the "job" was his! Not surprisingly, then, he was anxious to get it "right".  

The problem, of course, is that with most of the recruiters he was speaking with, there was no getting it right. They just weren't that into him to begin with.

How can I say that? How do I know?

For one thing, my prospect did not "match" himself up with these recruiters. He reached out to any and all that would speak with him in his geographical area or that worked internally at some companies he was interested in. He spoke vaguely to them about what he wanted because he was more concerned about what they wanted from him. In other words, he didn't really have a message to deliver; instead he was kind of hoping they would tell him what his message should be based on his background (and boy did they...so much so he was left more confused than when he started), and he would invent his "brand" around that.  

On the surface, it seemed like a good strategy (find out what they want and give it to them), but in the end, it didn't leave the good impression he was going for.

(Also, recruiters are people too after all. It's easier to tell someone to go back and fix something and then "we'll see" than to come right out and tell them that they just aren't the right fit for you.)

When I suggested to my prospect, we look at the market he was in and build out a branding and job search strategy based on that market forecast, he was hesitant. When I told him that once we set that strategy, then we could match him with recruiters who placed candidates in alignment with his goals, he was quiet. When I recommended we go even further and profile companies based on the strategy developed and work to make introductions to decision makers at those companies, he became defensive.

Why?

Because he was still convinced that these other recruiters were really into him and just waiting for him to get his resume fixed. When I suggested he try both things: "fix" the resume but still develop a more proactive strategy, he stammered that he didn't see the point. My point was that if he spent a month or two months solely on trying to get it "right" for these poorly suited recruiters, it was that much longer he was on the job hunt and less likely he would land the type of job he really wanted.

Much like we find in the dating scene, it is tough to admit when someone we want to impress just really isn't into us, especially when we are really anxious for it to work out. So we cling to any hope he or she might give us ("fix this or that and then we'll see"). And it can take a lot of wasted effort before we finally read between the lines (because, you know, maybe they kind of like us but they aren't head over heels about us).

One thing I've witnessed played out time and again is that when recruiters do think you are the right fit for their companies, you will certainly know it. It's not something they tend to hide like in a game of poker or in the dating world where you don't want to come off too strong.

So engaging recruiters as part of your job search strategy is a fine move, but first you need to be properly matched and that starts with knowing who you are and what you want, not with what you need to fix.

Kiss of Death: Waiting on That "Hot" Job Opportunity to Come Through

Maybe you can relate with Joanne. Joanne was doing some contract work but really wanted a full-time gig. While she was considering what to do about her job search, a miracle happened (or at least it seemed like one at the time). She had a "hot" job prospect come up without even having to do anything for it. A colleague of hers got her an introduction for a coveted permanent position at a coveted firm she had been eyeing.

It was magical. So magical, in fact, that Joanne waited for 3 months for something to happen, 1 month after the end of her latest contract and 3 months beyond any other type of job search effort. In other words, she let her current contract end without lining up another one and she stalled her job search until she "saw this opportunity through."  

In the small business world, we call this the "kiss of death" where that very nice-seeming "maybe" opportunity lulls us into a false sense of hope.

In Joanne's defense, she did have good reason for this hope: She had a very strong referral that resulted in 1 informal phone interview and 2 face-to-face interviews during that 3-month period. Everyone sounded positive, and so Joanne had no reason to doubt that something would come through.

But no offer came.

So, she thought, "well, I can probably line up another short-term contract for a month or two and wait on this some more. After all, they said it might take them a bit."

Then another two months go by, another contract ends, still no offer. After 5 months, Joanne is right back where she started.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common and typically ends with a lot of frustration on the part of the job seeker...and not without merit: It looked like this hot opportunity was going to come through.  

BUT  

A "maybe" is always, always a "no" until it isn't.

If you've ever had any experience with sales or business development you learn this lesson pretty quickly. People say a lot of things, and they might even mean what they say, but until there's a signed offer or a closed "deal," unfortunately, it's all just words.

You can be optimistic, hopeful even, but don't be fooled.

No matter how great the opportunity or even opportunities, if you are committed to making a career move, then you need to keep your search going despite all the "maybe" options that are out there.  

Also, if you do come across a hot opportunity like Joanne's, don't go at it with a mediocre approach.

Because Joanne had such a great referral, she thought that meant she didn't need to put much into her overall branding strategy (resume, LI profile, etc.). In fact, she did very little with them thinking they already "knew" her and didn't care about that stuff. In the end, though, that might have cost her a lot more, for despite the strong referral, the company hesitated and eventually failed to pull the trigger on hiring her. She didn't understand that although her referral got her in front of one level of decision maker, it didn't do much for those above (a common mistake candidates also make with the promotion process). She still needed to go in strong, especially on the second interview, but the false sense of hope she carried into this "maybe" made her believe that the second interview was just a formality.

Listen. The job search is a tough road. Sometimes we get lucky, and things move quickly and easily. Or maybe in the past it has always been pretty smooth sailing for us. But in today's market, more often than not, we do have to persevere. Companies are more discerning buyers these days. They like referrals, and they do want to work with people they "know." But even if you go in with all of that, it's still not a done deal until the offer is in hand.

Besides, what kind of leverage do you have if you stall your job search to see this one through? You want to put yourself in the best position for negotiations, and you can't do that when you put all your eggs in one basket.

How Employer Profiling Works

When it comes to the job search, most professionals seem to understand that networking is the most effective method. However, for them, that usually means meeting people who can tell them about current job openings and hopefully refer them to the employer. In other words, they use networking as a way around the job board posting, maybe, and they submit for the posting with a nice referral. And although it is a step up from just plopping your resume into job board posting after job board posting, it isn't exactly using networking with positioning, which is a concept we have talked about quite a bit here.

While I advocate for a diversified job search strategy, I also encourage candidates to weigh each job search method based on its effectiveness and their goals. And although I agree that networking is one of the most effective, I know it is rarely as effective as it can be because candidates still fail to target employers and get in front of decision makers at those employers. Employer profiling certainly isn't an easy process, but it can work quite well if you persevere with it.

Our own, NoNonsense Job Search Agent, Sue, explains a little bit about how we go about using networking to build an Employer Profiling campaign. It's probably a different kind of networking than most people are used to, and it goes beyond worrying about job postings and online openings:

HR: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We've written in the past here about HR's dilemma with IT and other "technical" operations within most organizations. The two have not always seen eye to eye, and many technical candidates I represent tell me that HR doesn't "get" them, often misunderstanding key skills and background information in its role as gatekeeper.

In keeping with that discussion, I came across this infographic from SAP and NetBase that details some common things employees both love and hate about HR's role within their organization. Although the "love" list offers some nice things, I tend to think the items on the "hate" list are weightier as they more directly affect the flow of business. Either way, I think the infographic does a good job of showcasing the delicate balance that most HR staff play between serving as advocates for employees and as gatekeepers for the organization.

Detoxing from Career Credential Addiction

We often think of drugs and alcohol when we hear the word "addiction" as they are mainstays of both the news and cultural discussions, but if we are honest, there are many other things that have a hold on us, from food to money to cultural expectations and so on.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that when it comes to our careers we face several other forms of "addiction" (as loosely used here, of course) that often collectively make up what is called the "rat race."

Now, I've written about the rat race before and about perceptions vs. realities when it comes to our careers...all of which can touch a nerve (you know, that first sign of addiction...denial). But we haven't built our firms ITtechExec and NoddlePlace feeding career addictions; instead we've built them guiding people through what we call the job market "zoo" or corporate "goo" (both veiled references to that rat race thing again), not to add to the unhealthy stress that comes with any addiction but to help professionals maneuver through with sober eyes wide open. (After all, the term "rat race" is a misnomer because it suggests there is an actual race that can be "won".)

And one area that seems to trip a lot of us up (yes "us" because I played this game for a while too) is in the area of credentials.

We live in a world that claims to love credentials. And not surprisingly, there are institutions after institutions that will feed our..."love".

 If there's anything that can get you ahead in the rat race, we're told as soon as we enter school, it's having the right credentials.

Now, certainly, it's hard to argue that credentials don't matter. They can and do open doors...at least sometimes and for some people. Without them, the road can be a lot harder. When it comes to undergraduate degrees, for instance, it would be hard to deny that they don't add a great deal of value in today's corporate and government marketplace (how much value, though, is difficult to assess when very few seem to be asking how much is too much to pay for one or how much debt is too much debt for young people to overcome with current starting salaries).  

Many people now believe Masters degrees and advanced certifications are also "necessary," thereby driving the cost of these credentials sky high.

As a career strategist, however, I can't help but advise a bit of a "detox" program and proceeding with some caution. Here's why:

1. These institutions charging so much for these credentials don't monitor their results well and show little accountability. Their ROI is often low, and education centers are rarely questioned on this. Their career centers are notoriously lacking; yet people go into thousands and thousands of debt and don't demand accountability from these institutions because the mantra about credentials has been drilled into us.

2. Few people have a good strategy behind them. We often get them because we're told we need them. Period. So we get them. Period. Then we wait for them to do something for us. Period. The credential or "piece of paper" is really only the beginning. What is the marketing or branding strategy that you have behind it? How much more are you willing to invest to make the credential really work for you?

3. There are many more exceptions than people realize. I can't tell you how many times clients come to me and tell me that their lack of a particular credential is what is holding them back because someone(s) told them that. Then while they are figuring out what to do about that, the company goes and hires someone else without the same credential for various reasons, such as politics, a good referral, etc. In other words, the red flag that was waived at my client was quickly overlooked for another. So it begs the question, "was the lack of that credential really the obstacle for my client?"

4. Society likes to use words like "always" and "never" and "must" and "can't" to build perceptions that aren't "always" true. I remember in one of my first jobs out of college being told the following:

• You will "never" be promoted in the summer (when the company was busiest and reluctant to shift personnel around).
• You "can't" reach a director level before you're 30.
• You "must" have an MBA to make it into corporate leadership.

Thankfully, I had a spouse supporting me who, like the rebel she is, laughed at these commandments and actually said, "who says?" to each one. Sure enough, I was promoted at least 3 times in the summer, reached director just before my 30th b-day, and made it into corporate leadership without my MBA. (I did, however, later go and get the MBA. I was still a credential addict, after all!) [I should note too that this was all with a company that had me start out at the very bottom of the rung doing a job that you certainly didn't need an undergraduate degree to do. I took it because it was in my field of study and, well, no one else wanted me.]  

The point here isn't that the statements above weren't true necessarily. The point is that they weren't absolutes.

When the company needed someone to fill in, and it determined I was the person to do it, it overlooked its own restrictions to make it happen, including my "lack" of MBA credential. I have since gone on to obtain many other credentials, from a Six Sigma Black Belt to a Master-level resume certification to an "expert" social media strategist status. I now have so many initials that I could put after my name it is dizzying.  

Their ultimate value has been education, more so than opportunity. And none of them opened any doors without a great deal of investment on my part in branding and strategy.

(Now I recognize that in some fields you have to have to certain licenses and credentials as regulated by law, etc., but for most of us, that is not true.)

Today, I use them mostly for marketing purposes...bragging rights. And some people may actually be impressed...although rarely does it make the difference in whether someone works with me or not...certainly not as much difference as a good referral or a strategic introduction does.

So do I regret getting them? No, because as I mentioned they each have provided some great education that I have found ways to incorporate into my career...and they are accomplishments I worked hard for.

But listen. Credentials have a place and a purpose. They can be a great starting point, and they can be something to enhance your level of education. But believing that they are the secret to career progress is a dangerous and expensive addiction (after all there's always one you don't have or haven't maintained lately). Instead try investing in strategic positioning to earn introductions that lead to high-value referrals. Do that first. Then add in more credentials.  

You might discover that you don't need as many as you thought you did.

But of course, that might also mean overcoming your dependence on job boards and on listening to HR recruiting tactics...but I digress...that's another addiction for another day!

The Value of a Professional Introduction

It might sound surprising to those who think social media is revolutionary, but if social media does anything, it reinforces the very traditional notion that there really is nothing "new" under the sun. In fact, social media is built on the backs of old-fashioned networking and communication. It just speeds up and opens up the process in a very cool way.

Once you understand that, that social media is just a tool that enhances on all those professional networking axioms you grew up hearing, such as "it's not what you know but who you know," "a good name is better than riches," and "find common ground," you might even realize that social media could actually be better suited for the more experienced rather than the inexperienced.

The reason? Because experienced professionals tend to better recognize the value of an introduction, especially a strategic one (or at least they should). More inexperienced workers might "get" that in theory, but they haven't necessarily lived it yet. (They still tend to believe that success lies in the number of credentials you have.)

Also, although most experienced professionals are hungry to network, they don't have a ton of time to do it, very few are comfortable on a face-to-face level, and most would rather have a strategic introduction than sit through a mixer trying to figure out whom they should meet.

They recognize that it is not just about "meeting" people; instead they want to find a way to get in front of those who can be most influential to their careers: their target audience.

They also recognize that isn't just about politicking or moving and shaking. It isn't just about numbers (although like it or not, these do play a part in all professional networking).

No...it's about getting out of the endless networking loop and getting introduced to those who can see you as an individual, not as one of the masses coming across their desk.  

It's where I think LinkedIn is most valuable, and it is where it is most underused, especially by experienced professionals.

Why? Because, unfortunately, social media has this tendency to be perceived as something for the inexperienced, "younger" professional who is more "savvy" with it.

But as my teams at ITtechExec and NoddlePlace have found over the last couple years, social media and LinkedIn in particular offer a great deal of untapped potential for all professionals, including the experienced professional if you understand the true value of an introduction.

To prove our point, we began building a strategic network of IT/technical leadership professionals mostly on LinkedIn, and we then started leveraging this network to make introductions for our client members. All we had to do was reach out across social media, engage in conversations with our target audience, and then make strategic introductions.  

And the impact has been even more valuable than any of us could have expected.

Recently, we had an opportunity to work with Allison, who has been targeting the Healthcare IT sector, where she wants to break into. Although she is a more experienced professional, she came to us with virtually no LinkedIn network to speak of and almost no contacts in Healthcare IT. Up to this point, she had been applying to job postings and trying (unsuccessfully) to get recruiters to speak with her.

After narrowing her parameters and focusing her search on healthcare startups, we were able to leverage our network to build hers and make strategic introductions. It resulted in 12 informational interviews, 10 more introductions for Allison with decision makers in her target market, 3 submissions to job "openings" (2 of which weren't even posted yet), and as of now 2 first-round interviews. Not bad for just a week's worth of job search work!

From here, she can now extend her network with those 10 more introductions to lead to other informational interviews, intros, possible job openings, and hopefully interviews and offers...all much more traction and better possibilities than she was seeing before.

Also, interestingly, although her response from both job postings on job boards and recruiters was "you don't have experience in healthcare IT," she remarked to us that no one even mentioned that in her discussions from our strategic introductions. The reason? Because the conversation was centered on how to help Allison break into the industry, not on what she was lacking. As a result, these new connections thought of ways for her to make the transition, ultimately beginning to open, not close, doors.

Job postings can be great if you are one of the 1% to 7% who actually land a job from one, and recruiters are wonderful if you catch them at the right time with the right opportunity that you are perfectly suited for. But both options shut more doors than they open and can often be defeating for job seekers.  

So, ask yourself, why continue to go down the path of discouragement when the value of an introduction can make such a big impact?

6 Most Under-Used Job Search Methods That Work

OK, so you might be looking at the following infographic and my title and thinking there's a typo. The infographic from DegreesofTransition.com discusses 5 job search strategies that work (although most professionals use them...sparingly...to say the least).

 Although I agree with the infographic, if I had to list the 6 most under-used job search methods that work, I would include the following (all of which I've written about extensively and have linked here):

1. Recruiter matching

2. Employer profiling

3. LinkedIn network building and engagement

4. Peer networking with positioning

5. Strategic visioning for the job search

6. Developing career protection "pipelines"

You'll notice I left job boards off of here. It's not that job boards don't work; it's that they don't work very well. Therefore, although they are certainly fine to use as an "easy" job search method, all they really end up doing is putting you in a pile with the masses, hoping you've beat the automated applicant tracking systems at their own game.

Believe me if I thought applying to job posting after job posting were the way to go, I would not have spent the last couple years revamping our entire job search solutions offerings at ITtechExec and NoddlePlace to include these 6 methods. Admittedly, these methods aren't as "easy," but they are proven to be much more effective once you know the best way to maximize on them. In my book, that actually makes them a very "easy" choice and a great return on your resume, LI profile, and other branding investments.

Let's face it. Why continue to hang out and wait with the masses if you don't have to?