•    Offer to do an extra assignment or help out with a new business project.

In tough economic times, companies need employees who have the initiative and drive to tackle problems and determine solutions.  When management has to make decisions about promotions or tough choices about layoffs, they look out for the people who can carry the load.  By helping out with a new project, you become more visible in the organization as a team player who can handle big responsibilities.

•    Show that you can pull your weight and more.

Your managers take note of who steps up.  They recognize who does high quality and high quantity work.  Maybe they can’t reward you with a bonus or a huge pay raise right now, but they will want you at their company through the tough times, and they most likely will reward you when the conditions improve.  Show that you can pull your weight and more, and you’re in a good spot.

•    Make yourself invaluable at work.

It’s great to be familiar with all aspects of the company, but it’s even better if you are the absolute expert in one area.  Find something that’s important to your company and latch onto it.  Maybe you become the guru on the latest technology, or volunteer to lead new business efforts, or maintain the best relationships with your customers.  Make yourself invaluable, so your managers just can’t imagine the team without your specialties and skills.

2. GO DIGITAL

•    Create a professional profile on LinkedIn.

More and more professionals and HR Directors are turning to LinkedIn to search for employees and screen candidates.  Make sure you showcase your accomplishments in your job experiences and profile.  Expand your network, and make new, online connections in your field.  You also can join a few industry groups on LinkedIn and contribute to the conversation.

•    Take a social media class. 

It’s all about online connections and networks.  Learn about the trends in social media, and you present yourself as an attractive candidate.

3. GAIN THE RIGHT SKILLS

•    Volunteer

If you want to make a career change or break into a new industry or position, volunteering is a great way to gain the skills that you need.  You can help out with projects for a non-profit, do pro-bono work for an organization, or offer to intern or volunteer at a company that interests you.  Through this volunteer work, you can gain transferable skills to market on your resume and in the job search.

•    Go back to school.

Companies want employees who can hit the ground running from day one.  Everyone’s situation is different, but usually more education can mean the difference between landing the interview or landing in the “no” pile.  If you are going back to school to get specific skills with a specific end in mind, then you may want to consider career focused classes or degree programs.  I work with a number of colleges and universities and one of the ones I work with is DeVry University.  They offer a wide variety of career-focused degree programs that you can pursue on campus, online or both.  Any school that can provide real-world training that allows you to pick up valuable career skills will dramatically help you when it comes time to land a job.  Especially in this economy, it’s more difficult for organizations to invest in significant amounts of training.  Employers are looking for candidates with the exact skills to do the job. 

Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be sure to stand out in a competitive market.

Would you like to sit at the table with the CEO and voice your opinion on the company's goals? - What if that opinion and idea was heard and even implemented? Would you like to join a growing company with a lot of energy and personality? - What if you helped create those qualities everyday?

If being just another faceless employee in a cubicle or going day after day without a thank-you doesn't sound appealing to you, then our company and culture may be what you're looking for. Our business is fast-paced, creative, and personal. We come up with ideas today, and we implement them tomorrow - or that night if we're really excited.

The qualities that we need most in this position are initiative, attention to detail, and flawless execution. We're a young company, and we're recruiting a bright, determined professional to help keep our business running smoothly. We have a host of operational challenges and opportunities, and we want a team member who can come up with solutions - and implement those solutions from start to finish.

We have two businesses, and we have a lot of exciting information, schedules, travel, and events that we would like you to help manage. We have marketing blasts, customer calls, client follow ups, and inquiry emails, and we need an efficient coordinator. If you prove yourself in this position, there is opportunity for more responsibilities and strategic projects.

This position is part office manager, part executive assistant, part project coordinator, and part operations associate. It's a little bit of everything for a small and growing company.

If this is starting to sound intriguing, perhaps there's a match. Does this sound like you?

o I take pride in my work, and flawless execution and accuracy are important to me.

o I love to think ahead of how I can make my boss' job easier.

o I enjoy figuring out how I can make any activity or duty better or faster.

o I am a team player who enjoys coordinating operations and logistics.

o I love to learn new skills and grow professionally.

o I'm not intimidated by "just figuring something out" that's new to me.

o I try to go above and beyond in everything that's asked of me at work.

o I want to work in a small, positive environment where my efforts are appreciated.

One of the great benefits of working for JobBound is that it's a small but growing company. Many of the traditional "rules" are quite flexible. We think the traditional benefits will be more than comparable to other jobs out there. In addition, there's a wonderful host of non-traditional benefits. Some of the highlights include:

o Competitive salary
o Health insurance
o 10 paid holidays
o 2 weeks vacation
o Summer hours, Cubs games, company lunches, and more

Typical Day

Everyone always wants to know what a typical day is like. And every company always says "there's no such thing as a typical day." Of course that's true, but here's a taste of what you can expect - just don't hold us to every detail!

8:15am - Arrive at office (The work day "officially" starts at 9:00am, but you go above & beyond)
8:30am - Team meeting to discuss what's cooking for the week
9:00am - Coordinate Brad's travel schedule for the month
9:30am - Customize a resource packet for next week's training presentation
10:00am - E-mail customer service evaluations to this month's customers
10:30am - Brad tells a bad joke (feign laughter)
10:35am - Spreadsheet time! Enter customer information into our e-mail system
12:00pm - Lunch (on this day you had a Caesar salad with grilled chicken)
12:30pm - Update our "On Tour" calendar and "In the News" section on our website
1:00pm - Research contact info for reporters for upcoming media blitz
2:00pm - Follow up with clients' questions via e-mail
3:00pm - Boggle break! (Everyone loves Boggle)
3:30pm - Order holiday gifts for JobBound's top clients
4:30pm - Make a Twitter/Facebook update
4:45pm - Post JobBound article in various forums and online networks to boost website traffic
6:00pm - Check Brad's email to clear out the spam and to get back to a few clients
6:30pm - Call it a day (sure the work day "officially" ends at 5:00pm, but there's work to be done)

Final Thoughts

If that sounded pretty good to you, we may be the right place. Here are a few final thoughts:

1. You have to have a great attitude. We won't stand for anything else.
2. You must love to work. If this is a chore, it's no fun for anyone.
3. You have to be passionate about helping people land jobs and helping people succeed in the working world - that's what we do.
4. You have to embrace small company culture.
5. You have to be willing to pitch in and do virtually anything.

Now what?

o Send your cover letter and resume to cpike@jobbound.com by February 28, 2010.
o Start date is May 1, 2010.
o Call 773.404.9661 or email Courtney at cpike@jobbound.com with questions.

See the BLS Release

Day 2: Attend a networking cocktail party and meet four new people.

Day 3: Polish and enhance your profile on LinkedIn.

Day 4: Have your personal business cards made.

Day 5:  Volunteer for a charity event in your neighborhood.

Day 6: Call your college career center and request a list of school alumni in your area.

Day 7: Contact three alumni in your area.

Day 8: Talk to two neighbors and tell them about your job search.

Day 9: Join a professional or industry organization in your city.

Day 10: Reconnect with old friends on Facebook and invite them to have coffee or lunch.

Day 11: Help out with a non-profit organization that aligns with your field or industry.

Day 12: Practice your 30-second elevator pitch.

Day 13: Introduce two of your contacts who would benefit from knowing each other.

Day 14: Send your resume to your friends and family members.

Day 15: Fill your networking target list with at least twenty-five names.

For the rest of the 30-Day Challenge, check out our e-book Stop Job Searching, Start Networking.

There are a number of things that are really important to me. One — and people laugh that I have this philosophy — is that you only hire Tiggers. You don’t hire Eeyores. It doesn’t mean they have to be loud, but I need energy-givers and I have to get a feeling that this person is going to be able to inspire people. Are they going to be optimistic about where they’re going? Are they going to attract people who are like that? No. 2 is, will they be able to stand up to me when they believe in something? I’m very passionate. I need people who are going to be able to make me look at things in a different way. So, I have to ask those questions, like, “Give me an instance where you really believed in something and you were able to change the course and it was successful, whatever that was.” That’s really important, because you don’t want people telling you what you already know, or not telling you what you need to know.

In my time as Recruiting Director at Leo Burnett I operated under a similar philosophy, although I didn't word it that way. My guess is that most HR and Recruiting Directors and Hiring Managers do too. It makes sense. Given the choice between Candidate A who has a positive attitude and seems to be passionate about the position, or Candidate B who is gloomy and indifferent, which would you choose?

For all job seekers out there, the message should be clear: Be passionate at your job interview. Come in with a smile on your face and prove that you are a go-getter. Make sure that your demeanor, your answers to interview questions, and your non-verbal communication all show that you you would be a happy employee. This does not mean you have to be insincere or Polyanna, and please don't actually act like Tigger bouncing around your interviewer's office. However, showing energy and passion for what you do (or will be doing) is something that all employers are looking for, and something that potential employees should be mindful of.

Read the full interview at New York Times.

Myth #3:  You need to know tons of connected people to network.

You may be surprised with how big your network is once you expand your perspective.  In fact, you probably have more connections than you think.  Just consider a few of these:

□    Your friends
□    Your parents
□    Your parents’ friends
□    Your friends’ parents
□    Your neighbors
□    Your dentist
□    Your hairstylist
□    Your personal trainer
□    Your old colleagues
□    Your old professors

If there’s a company where you really want to work, make sure you start talking to anyone you know to find the connection.  It’s called six degrees of separation.  Sure, you may not know anyone at Google, but does anyone you know know someone who works there? 

Don’t forget your college career center – even if you graduated years ago.  At some schools, alumni organizations provide amazing resources and opportunities.  Also, don’t be shy about using LinkedIn or even Facebook to find contacts.

Read a review of our e-book at Wisebread.

Purchase our e-book.

Myth #2:  You need to know some heavy hitter or the Director of HR to network.

In order to network, you simply need someone – anyone – in the company to pass your resume on to HR.  It doesn’t need to be an employee in the department that interests you, and it doesn’t need to be a senior executive.

In fact, when I worked at Leo Burnett, I actually preferred recommendations from more junior employees.  Let’s be honest, the CEO’s country club’s friend’s daughter’s college roommate probably hasn’t been vetted by the CEO.  But the Account Executive’s buddy, who has worked at a competitive agency, is probably a much better candidate.

Just make sure you find someone at the company to pass along your resume.

So how can you make find people to network with at companies you're interested in? Find out tomorrow in Part III.

Read a review of our e-book at Wisebread.

Purchase our e-book.

Myth #1:  Networking is simply getting a job because you know someone. 

The following is not a likely scenario:

You:  I know Darren – he’s a big shot at Accenture.  He said you’d give me a job.

Recruiting Director:  Of course, I will.  You’re hired.  We’ll see you on Monday morning at 9:00.  I’m assuming $200,000 will work for you as your new IT Specialist salary.

Sadly, that’s not what networking is all about.

Networking is about tapping into connections you have to help you gain the opportunity to get a job.  When they say that 66% of people get jobs through networking, it doesn’t mean that 2/3 of people were handed their job because they happened to know someone.  It means someone helped them get the interview or helped them get their resume noticed by HR.

When it’s time to hire a candidate, recruiting directors are looking for some help.  This is because the recruiting department is flooded with resumes.  As a result, there’s no way to interview all the qualified applicants.  There might be sixty or seventy people in the pile of 500 resumes who could do the job, but it’s tough to know who the best ones are.

If you are recommended by someone in the company, it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a job – or even an interview.  However, the fact that you come “prescreened” by someone at the organization dramatically enhances your chance of getting that interview.

At smaller organizations, the situation can be similar.  Without a dedicated recruiting department, usually someone at the company says, “Hey, we need a new receptionist.  Does anyone know someone?”

In either scenario, having a connection is your key to landing a job.

So how can you make sure your resume gets into the hands of the hiring manager or recruiting director? Find out tomorrow in Part II.

Read a review of our e-book at Wisebread.

Purchase our e-book.