In the Business of You

Photo Source: Fotolia We just had over 70 people attend one of our job seekers' networking events during which I observed candidates “working the room”, but doing so with no real objective or purpose. Unfortunately, I see this happen more often than not and feel that it is representative of one of the biggest mistakes people make in regard to their networking activities; feeling compelled to meet everyone in the room/at the event. This is not a good strategy for a number of reasons, but mainly because a candidate may meet “everyone”, but he/she comes away having a lot of conversations of little value. The main purpose of any networking event is to get to know a few other people well enough to have them consider referring the individual to a decision maker within a targeted employer. Or, at a minimum, to feel comfortable enough to agree to a one-on-one follow up meeting. Thus, if you attend a networking event with 20 people or 70, set your sights on having quality conv

It is still a “buyer’s market” in the employment arena. Employers continue to receive sometimes hundreds of resumes per job opening (with many hundreds more being sent for no specific job, but with the hope that someone will notice how terrific is the sender). Thus, hiring managers and HR departments can and continue to be very selective regarding with whom they spend time speaking. Whether a candidate is a passive job seeker (currently working, but looking to make a move/switch employer) or in transition, he/she needs to significantly distance themselves from the competition. Jack Welch, legendary Chairman and CEO of General Electric, wrote in a June 4, 2013 post on LinkedIn: Avoiding These 3 Hiring Mistakes “Every smart idea matters. Every ounce of passion makes a difference. You cannot have a black hole in your organization where a star should be.” Most of us have, unfortunately, had the opportunity to work with/near some of those “black holes” (co-workers wh

(Photo source: Fotolia) I learned a very long time ago that the vast majority of people do business with people, not companies. In most organizations, the degree of success obtained can often be directly linked back to the strength of the relationships developed between provider and client. Remember that old saying, “Price is only an issue in the perceived absence of value”? I’ll often go to my local hardware store vs. a big box home improvement retailer because ALL of the employees of the neighborhood establishment seem to know “everything about everything” and are very willing to take all of the time necessary to explain how to use a specific tool or walk a customer, step-by-step, through the process of making a repair (using the part or tool being purchased). The large DIY stores advertise they have this same expertise, but often the actual delivery falls short of that claim. Job seekers frequently make this same mistake. For example, I've reviewed thousands of resu