Saturday, May 26, 2012

Recession-Proof "Guerrilla Job Search Secrets!"

Thanks again for requesting your free audio:
Recession-Proof Guerrilla Job Search Secrets!

You can listen to it right now or download
the audio file to your computer here -


       http://www.gm4jh.com/freecd/cdlisten/


Or, to get your CD copy rushed to you by US Mail
for only $4.95 s/h, visit this web page -

       http://www.gm4jh.com/freecd/cdmail/



We're committed to helping you get hired fast,
using our Guerrilla Job Search methods.

If you do nothing else but listen to and ACT
ON the tips in our free audio, you will almost
certainly find a job faster.


Please keep an eye out for an email from us
tomorrow, with a link to a new video that shows
you how to write what has been called ...


       "The World's Best Cover Letter"


See the video and judge for yourself.


Watch for that email tomorrow ....


Kevin Donlin and David E. Perry
Co-Creators, "The Guerrilla Job Search System" DVD
www.GM4JH.com/dvd

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tips for 40 and 50 year old job seekers

Excellent thoughts for 40 and 50 year old job seekers to consider when looking for jobs posted by recruiter Mike Collins that can be found at: 




Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Top 19 Job Interview Tips


For some tips to prepare for you next interview see below posted at: 

http://excelgen.info/interview-tips-tricks/

Interview Tips & Tricks

To put your best foot forward, browse through these top 19 job interview tips that we have complied from some research that we have done. This information will give you an advantage when applying for jobs and going through the job interview process in today’s competitive markets.
Come prepared   Know yourself – your strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments. A job interview is not the time to wing it! Prepare as much as you would for a presentation to the Board of Directors at your company.

Research the company

Find out as much as you can about the company through annual reports, Newspapers, Value Line,” S&P, etc. Your effort will show in the job interview, and you’ll be seen as proactive, hardworking and astute.

Dress appropriately to match the company culture

Many companies have gone to corporate casual. Check with your contact to see what they require. When in doubt, always err on the side of formal business attire.

Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early

Punctuality is a subtle clue about attitude and behaviour. Tardiness, no matter the excuse, is a major blunder. Research in advance what your parking options are and allow plenty of time.

Exhibit enthusiasm

First impressions, positive or negative, dramatically affect the ultimate evaluation. You can make or break an job interview within the first five minutes.

Appear friendly and outgoing

Smile and say hello to everyone. A positive reaction from the support staff is an important factor in the evaluation. Many hires have been heavily influenced by an Administrative assistant.

Be self-confident

High self-esteem and self-confidence are the hallmarks of the successful individual. With confidence, be able to demonstrate how you have overcome obstacles. There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself.

Come prepared for key questions

Practice your responses to all the typical questions, such as “tell me about yourself” and “why are you looking for a new position?” How well you speak will have a bigger impact than what you say.     Remain involved   The most effective job interviews are those where an active two-way conversation takes place. Not the typical question and answer type. Begin early in the interview to interject your own relevant insight. Remember, don’t interrupt your interviewer.

Establish your worth

Discuss your specific accomplishments that demonstrate a proactive attitude. Such as: have you installed systems, done something not required, trained someone, etc. It’s always important to demonstrate how you either created revenue or saved expenses, and be specific with the amounts and how you accomplished that goal.

Know your six key strengths

Be prepared to discuss in detail and with examples your five or six main attributes. These should be the ultimate reason you get the job over someone else. Assuming you have done the proper homework on the company, these strengths should also be closely aligned to the key traits the employer is looking for in a person to fill their position.

 Give 1 to 2 minute responses

Communication is the key to successful interviewing. A minimum of one to two minutes of well-prepared discussion gives the interviewer insight into your intellect and supports your contentions.

Provide examples/details

Support statements about yourself with specific examples. These will provide legitimacy to your claims. Without them, the interviewer won’t accept them as valid.

Remain attentive

Stay alert during the job interview. Maintain good eye contact. Sit forward in your chair. Be animated. Show high levels of interest and stay enthused. These actions can maintain or generate momentum during the interview. This is especially important when you are doing multiple interviews on the same day. The energy level must be as high for the last as it is for the first.

Don’t be arrogant

A presumptuous, overbearing attitude will offset the finest abilities. There’s a fine line between being too confident and cocky. Don’t cross that line.

Ask probing questions

A few strategic questions can demonstrate your intelligence, analytical skills and assertiveness. Have these prepared from your research. Avoid superficial small talk.

Be positive about co-workers

Don’t bad mouth previous positions, companies or employers. No matter how well founded, this implies a negative attitude, typical of those who don’t take personal responsibility for their actions.

Clearly state your interest

By the conclusion of the interview, state that you are definitely interested in the position and would like to know when the next step will take place. It’s best to demonstrate this interest throughout the session. Be careful not to go overboard.

Know your objective and end with it

Establish your objective before the job interview, like a second interview or an offer. Ask for it if you have not achieved it. Ask a question such as, “do you think my skills match your needs?” This gets straight to the point and, at worse, reveals other obstacles to overcome.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

job-hunt.org

Click on:

http://www.job-hunt.org/social-networking/LinkedIn-job-search/linkedin-competitive-edge.shtml

for an excellent website for your use in finding jobs>

employment links and information ...only the Best Employment Resources

How to Leverage Linkedin for your next job interview

 Below is an excellent post by Laura DeCarlo that can be found at Career Cast:

http://www.careercast.com/career-news/how-leverage-linkedin-your-next-job-interview

How To Leverage LinkedIn for Your Next Job Interview

A man sitting at his computer doing research. By Laura DeCarlo

LinkedIn and the other social networks are increasingly popular and also increasingly useful in your job search.
Social networking sites like LinkedIn.com and Xing.com have two terrific applications for the interview:
1. Identifying individuals at target companies or in target industries for informational interviews.
2. Learning more about your interviewer before the interview.
Let’s look at a scenario:
As an example, say you have your heart set on working as a Program or Project Manager for Motorola, but do not have any contacts at the company. You have tried all the traditional strategies – talked to everyone you know, networked through the local chapter and e-lists of Project Management Institute, visited the company’s website, and done your homework to find the decision makers. Now, you feel like you are hitting a wall and getting nowhere fast in finding or reaching the right people.
What do you do?
Get onto LinkedIn.com and Xing.com. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on LinkedIn.com, which claims to have over 100 million registered users in 200 countries, making it a rich resource for you as a job seeker or professional intent on progressing in your career.
Once registered (for free) with LinkedIn, finding, and learning about, target professionals is very simple. Just click on the ‘advanced’ link to the right of the search box, and pick as many categories as possible. For this target candidate, I found all I needed by using the company boxes – I typed ‘Motorola’ into the company name box and used the pull down menu to select ‘current’ (to find individuals who work there now).
From my search, I immediately struck gold! I found a Senior Program Manager, a Program Manager, and a Senior IT Executive.
NOTE: With a free, personal account, you can only see 100 listings at a time, so you will most likely want to filter your list by performing a search with keywords such as “HR”, “recruiter”, or “program manager”. For example, if I add ‘HR” to the keyword search, seven HR professionals with Motorola are displayed on the first page alone, with 10 pages total of results. The key word ‘recruiter’ brings me seven pages of results. Finally, the keywords ‘program manager’ bring me 10 pages of results.
So, now I have a list of key professionals at Motorola who represent Human Resource Managers, Recruiters and Staffing professionals, potential peers at the program/project manager level, and technology managers (who might be your future boss).
With this information, you have an inside track to these professionals for potential networking, information gathering, positioning of employment documents, and interview preparation. How?
  1. Click on a name, and if it’s not set to private, you can learn more about the person such as what LinkedIn group memberships they hold, which you might also be interested to join.

    (Another way to find groups is to perform a Group search for project management. There you will find several groups for this field. This is valuable because this is where those industry professionals are networking and connecting).

  2. See if you have any LinkedIn connections that are connected to your target so that you can ask for an introduction.

  3. Learn more about career positions with the company by reading descriptions that are posted in personal profiles by current employees.

  4. Identify an individual to contact with your targeted resume and cover letter, or for an informational interview.

  5. Discover things you might have in common with an individual to break the ice in opening conversations or when planning for an interview.
Bottom Line
Social networking sites like LinkedIn make it possible for you as a job seeker to rapidly identify decision makers, read employee-written job descriptions, and connect to individuals who were previously hidden by the walls of the corporation and the protection of the gatekeepers. Once you have this information, you have the keys to the kingdom and can begin using the contacts to put your strategy into place for the perfect job or informational interview.


Image of Laura DeCarlo
Laura DeCarlo is recognized as the career industry’s ‘career hero,’ making a difference to both job seekers and career professionals as the founder of Career Directors International. She possesses 11 top-level certifications in resume writing, career coaching, and career management; seven first place resume and job placement awards; and has written three books on interviewing and job search including Interview Pocket RX, Interviewing: The Gold Standard, and Job Search Bloopers. Follow Laura on Twitter @careerhero. This article is reprinted by permission from Job-Hunt.org.

Are you taking advantage of CNM?



This is a reminder that the Career Network Ministry Meeting at McLean Bible Church in McLean, Virginia, meets on Tuesday nights at 6:30 PM. As it is an invaluable resource for assistance with resumes, LinkedIn, interviewing skills and networking, we recommend attending to assist you with your job search. Contact info: 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182, (703) 790-5590.
 
The information appears below. Also, if you go to MeetUp on LinkedIn, you can find the agenda for the meeting. Don't know how to do this? You can go to the LinkedIn table there, and they will assist you!
 
 Thanks.
Jo
Facilitator
Business Transition Network


Here is the link to Mclean's site:

Career Network Ministry (CNM) is one of the outreach teams of McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia. Our goal is to provide caring support to individuals during career transitions. We desire to encourage, equip and empower you to become all that God wants you to be. The Career Network Ministry provides ministry and support to anyone in a work life transition. Discover your God-given gifts and find a career that is right for you.
  • We offer moral and prayer support in a safe environment, encourage the exchange of information and ideas and the sharing of resources.
  • We provide consultation and training for skill development, job search development to include resume development, job search techniques, networking and interviewing techniques.
  • We provide career assessment, including consultation on discovering your spiritual gifts, talents, interests, experiences, and potential career options.

Find Us On The Web:

McLean Bible Church Career Network Ministry
McLean Bible Church LinkedIn Group
McLean Bible Church Meet Up Group

CNM History

The original Career Network Ministry (CNM) was established over 15 years ago as an outreach of McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia. The ministry has expanded with the establishment of chapters in Albuquerque, NM and Atlanta, GA. The goal of the ministry is to provide caring support to individuals during career transitions. We desire to encourage, equip and empower you to become all that God wants you to be. The Career Network Ministry provides ministry and support to anyone in a work life transition. Discover your God-given gifts and find a career that is right for you.
  • We offer moral and prayer support in a safe environment, encourage the exchange of information and ideas and the sharing of resources.
  • We provide consultation and training for skill development, job search development to include resume development, job search techniques, networking and interviewing techniques.
  • We provide career assessment, including consultation on discovering your spiritual gifts, talents, interests, experiences, and potential career options.

How We Can Help:

Weekly meetings of the Career Network Ministry (CNM) focus on organizing the job search, developing action plans, building personal networks, and giving emotional support. Participants are given an opportunity to introduce themselves and to ask for specific help in identifying contacts or addressing issues of concern. Frequently, if participants so desire, CNM volunteers will follow up between meetings to identify new issues, offer support, and pray.
CNM meetings seek to provide assistance in a number of areas, such as the following:
  • Career search planning
  • Résumé development and customization
  • “Elevator” speeches
  • Networking skills and techniques
  • Use of internet search tools
  • Interviewing skills
  • Vocational assessment
What the Career Network Ministry does provide:
  • A weekly meeting for pursuing relevant Career Network Ministry services
  • Support, nurturing, and advice in a Biblical environment
  • Consultation for skill development or job search developmental needs, based on the needs of each participant
  • Training – in private consultation and at the meeting – in networking skills, with access to relevant network sources in business, government, ministry, and not-for-profit organizations, as appropriate
What the Career Network Ministry does not provide:
  • Jobs or a job list
  • Facilitation for employment placement
  • Network sources to ensure employment
  • Guarantees that network sources will be supportive, relevant, and helpful to each individual’s search
The Career Network Ministry provides an opportunity for participants to explore career needs in a safe, confidential, and non-threatening environment. Church membership or affiliation is not a requirement for participation, and we do not charge fees of any kind. Our only request is that you come back and share with others your experience and God’s work in your life, and help someone else once you have landed a position.
At its heart, this is a ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Staffed entirely by volunteers, the Career Network Ministry is open to all, grounded in a commitment to serve, and upheld by the assurance that, by God’s grace, needs will be met and hope renewed during difficult times of career transition
The Career Network Ministry (CNM) is one of the outreach teams of McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia. Our goal is to provide caring support to individuals during career transitions. We desire to encourage, equip and empower you to become all that God wants you to be. The Career Network Ministry provides ministry and support to anyone in a work life transition. Discover your God-given gifts and find a career that is right for you. 

When choosing a job, Culture Matters

For insights on the importance of discerning the culture of a company you are interested in click on:

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/05/when_choosing_a_job_culture_ma.html

for a post in the Harvard Business Review by Bill Bennett.


Bill Barnett

BILL BARNETT

Bill Barnett led the Strategy Practice at McKinsey & Company and has taught career strategy to graduate students at Yale and Rice. He now is applying business strategy concepts to careers.

When Choosing a Job, Culture Matters

Some organizations will excite you. They'll stimulate your success and growth. Others will be stressful. They may lead you to quit before you've accomplished much or learned what you hoped to. With the pressure (or excitement) of finding a new job, it's all too easy to pursue a job opportunity or to accept an offer with only a hazy view of how the institution really operates. The path to an institution you'll like is to investigate the culture you're thinking of joining before you accept the position.
Sean (name has been changed) is a master at this. He pursued a job offer at a Fortune 500 company to be the first Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). He was well-qualified, presented himself well, and got the offer. He'd been competing with capable people. He was proud he'd "won the contest."
The next step was a return visit, after which he'd decide to accept the offer. Sean had already learned a lot about the company's businesses and some things about the organization. His priority now was culture and how the new position might fit: "I asked people, 'What are you excited about? What are you proud of? Who are your close friends in the company? How does the group function together?'" Sean learned things like who the heroes were, what made them successful, and what his biggest challenges and opportunities would be in the job. The different people he met with were learning from his questions. It was almost like he already worked there, and they were jointly determining how to make the new role successful.
Surprisingly, Sean turned down the offer. The new role was a misfit in the company's culture.
As he learned more about the company, Sean questioned how he'd be viewed as the first CAO in a company where everyone else focused on bottom-line results. It was a highly performance-driven environment with lots of business units. Corporate staffs were secondary.
"I asked how they'd keep score on me, how they'd really know I was making a difference," he said. "We never got to satisfactory answers to that question. They weren't hiding anything. This CAO position was a new one, and they didn't really know."
Sean was concerned that this new position wouldn't fit in the company's culture, that he wouldn't really be accepted, and that it wouldn't be a springboard to the line job that he really wanted after two or three years as CAO. He might have made it work, but why take the risk?
It's not uncommon for job seekers to enter organizations without understanding the culture and come away disappointed. When considering a new job, be sure to investigate the institution's culture. Consider these questions to guide you:
1. What should I learn? Understand the organization's purpose — not just what they say they're doing, but also how their purpose leads to decisions and what makes them proud. Learn how the organization operates. For example, consider the importance of performance, how the organization gets things done, the level of teamwork, the quality of the people, how people communicate, and any ethical issues.
Except for ethical issues, there's no absolute standard of what's best in organizational culture. Different purposes and different organizational features can be more or less appealing to different people. When you understand how the potential employer operates, you'll need to consider how well that matches your goals. Your target organizational culture is an important part of your aspirations.
2. How should I learn? Read everything you can find about the institution, but read with a critical eye. Institutions have formal vision statements, and they often mention cultural topics in other public reports, but these documents are written with a purpose in mind. Independent writers take an independent perspective. They can be more critical, but they can miss details and get things wrong.
Discuss culture with people in the organization. You'll talk to people in the interviewing process, of course. But you may learn different things if you meet others there who aren't involved in your recruiting process. Also talk to people outside the organization who know it — customers, suppliers, partners, and ex-employees. Their different experiences with the institution will affect their views, so ask about situations where they've seen the culture in action.
3. When should I learn? It's hard to learn about culture at an early stage in your search. But your impressions can guide you to target some institutions and avoid others.
Culture may come up in job interviews, although it may be complicated to do much investigation when you're trying to sell yourself. People sometimes worry that discussing culture might make people uncomfortable and put a job offer at risk. The culture topic is certainly not off-base, and it is necessary to know for future growth in the company. Hiring managers should expect it. Whether it's in interviews or after you have an offer, you'll do best if your questions show you're learning rapidly about the organization, taking the employer's perspective, and beginning to figure out how to succeed there. Culture questions can cast you in a positive light. Sean's line of questioning confirmed the CEO's judgment to hire him, even if Sean didn't like the answers.
What's your view of how culture affects the job search? Has culture played a part in how you choose your future employer?

How to investigate a company's culture


See below for an  insightful article by Bill Barnett on how to explore the culture of an organization you are interested in pursing for possible employment click on:  http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/05/to_investigate_culture_ask_the.html

posted originally in the Harvard Business Review.

Bill Barnett

BILL BARNETT

Bill Barnett led the Strategy Practice at McKinsey & Company and has taught career strategy to graduate students at Yale and Rice. He now is applying business strategy concepts to careers.

To Investigate Culture, Ask the Right Questions

In my last blog post, I encouraged thoroughly investigating the culture you're thinking of joining. In the comments, some people agreed they needed to learn about culture but were unsure how to approach it. A few were skeptical. I believe you can learn about culture, even in the early stages. Here are suggestions about how to structure your inquiry.
To get started, be clear what culture to learn about. In a large institution, there may be big differences across departments. Cultures also can be moving targets. Large institutions may change with their environment. In start-ups, expect everything to be different a year later.
Be sure to understand the role you'd have, what you could accomplish, and what you'd learn. A strong culture will set people up for success, and you need to be sure that's in place. In discussing your role, you'll also get insight into how the place works.
Then, ask questions that point the discussion to how the organization works. General questions — "What's the culture like?" or "Are people treated well?" — seldom work. I've come up with specific sample questions you can ask as you're interviewing for a job or talking with others who know the institution. They're grouped into six topic areas.
1. Purpose. Seek an institution whose purpose you could find inspiring. Consider asking:
  • Is the institution's purpose being met? What happens if there are gaps?
  • When has the purpose changed a decision? What if purpose conflicts with financials?
  • Who are the heroes?
Form an opinion whether people are proud of their product or service, and of their institution. Do people use the word "we" when mentioning it?
2. Teamwork. Consider how people work together, especially if you prefer to work in a highly collaborative environment or more independently. Ask:
  • How much do you work with your colleagues? What team accomplishments make you proud?
  • Are there special activities to promote teamwork? Are they voluntary?
  • Are people mostly competing for promotion and credit, or are they selflessly united behind the institution?
At their best, teams can be a strength, but some can be a problem. Weigh the answers to these questions against what you want out of your work environment.
3. Colleagues. Who you'll be working with and how they interact with each other is an important aspect of culture. Find out:
  • Who in your institution do you spend time with outside work? What do you do together?
  • Who in your institution do you expect to be part of your professional network over time?
  • Who are your mentors? Do leaders continuously engage with you or coach you?
Judge how much deference people give to senior people and whether that feels right. Consider your past experiences, and ask yourself how the talent compares to your classmates in college or in earlier positions.
4. Communication. How people communicate with others — and how they expect you to communicate with them — will affect your day-to-day life. Consider asking:
  • Except for sensitive information, do people know what's going on?
  • Do people say what they think? Are they direct and blunt, even if others are offended?
  • Is everyone encouraged to participate in discussions and have dissenting opinions? Does the boss listen?
  • Are people careful what they say and how they say it? Do they avoid controversial issues?
Consider how well people's communications styles fit with your preferences. See if the communication during the interview matches the answers to your questions.
5. Performance. Before taking a job, you need to know how fair or demanding performance management is and how supervisors will be looking at your work. Ask:
  • How would I be successful here?
  • What determines performance evaluations?
  • How is negative feedback communicated? Is it private, respectful, and focused on improvement, or negative and embarrassing?
  • Do performance measures reflect differences in difficulty? Are measures adjusted when employees have limited influence on results?
Some like it when there's no doubt what's on the line. Others prefer a more nuanced view of performance. How do they compare to your preference?
6. Productivity. A good match of process and policy against your preferences will significantly affect your productivity.
  • Are the right people involved in decisions at the right time? What steps must be taken before a big decision is made?
  • Do supervisors have an open-door policy? Can people drop in with questions, or do they require appointments?
  • What policies does the institution have on day-to-day activities (e.g., dress code, work hours, office environment)?
Look around the office while you're there. Is it orderly or disorderly? Is the hiring process professional and respectful? Are there any red flags?
Cultural characteristics can be more or less appealing to different people. You might want an institution where performance is king, while others feel that isn't fair. You might seek the clarity that formal structure and process provide, while others want a wide open environment. The culture you want is part of your aspirations, and understanding culture is part of deciding whether to accept an offer.
How do you suggest people evaluate organizational culture?

Monday, May 21, 2012

" Time is everything." - Learn to manage your energy

This is a follow-up to the free Guerrilla Job Search Audio I request and have found quite insightful.  The free CD can be requested at www.GM4JH.com ...and I recommend you getting it if the offer is still available.



Read on for tips on making sure you know the hours of the day that you are most productive and making sure to capture those hours for priority action and activity in your job search planning each day.


>>>>Email sent me byDavid Perry and Kevin Donlin

"Time isn't money. Time is everything." - Dr. Bernie Siegel

Want to find a job faster?

You can, if you use your time better.

You and I  each get 24 hours in a day.

How you use this precious resource largely determines your
success in finding a job ... and anything else you do.

If you're unhappy with how you manage your time, why not
try a different approach and manage your energy instead?

Let me explain ...

While we all get an equal amount of hours in a day, not
all hours have equal value.

Some of us are morning people and perform at our peak before
noon. Others are afternoon or evening people, and have more
energy at those times of day.

Why not take advantage of your natural tendencies and
schedule your important tasks for when you'll have the
most energy?

This is like riding a horse in the direction it wants to go.

If you don't know when your hours of peak performance are,
find out. Carry a small notebook or voice recorder (a smart
phone has both) and record those times when you feel
energized, as well as times when you feel sluggish.

Then, schedule next week's job search activities during your
peak-performance times.

You will likely find that when you manage your energy
effectively, the hours will take care of themselves --
you'll get more done and find work faster as a result.



Sincerely,

Kevin Donlin
Guerrilla Job Search International



P.S. -- Please forward this email to anyone you know who's looking
for a job -- they will thank you!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Simple Job Leads Tracking Spreadsheet


A simple spreadsheet can be used to track your job leads as described in the following post by Celine Rogue at:

  http://gigaom.com/collaboration/how-to-track-freelance-job-leads-via-spreadsheet/ 

The post author shows a sample spreadsheet set up for tracking business company marketing leads but this simple format can be uses to track job application as well using very similar spreadsheet column headings and maybe adding one more column "remarks" to briefly record "Next Step" reminders.

How to Track Freelance Job Leads Via Spreadsheet

Throughout our careers we freelancers experience alternating seasons of high and low activity. While we may still have projects during seasons of low activity, they may not be as demanding or as regular. During high-activity months, however, we have several leads and potential clients sending queries to our inbox.
To some freelancers, keeping track of these leads is just as easy as remembering them. But for those freelancers — like me — who are on the forgetful side, we need to have a system in place. Because of this, I’ve created a spreadsheet to manage my leads. After all, I don’t want to leave potential clients hanging.
Here’s how you can make a similar spreadsheet yourself.
The Columns on the Spreadsheet
The image above shows an example of the spreadsheet I use, but with fictional entries. You can create additional columns if necessary, since we all have different needs. Add whatever factors are important to you. Some freelancers might want columns for expected pay, expected total work hours, etc. As for me, I just included the ones that I’ve found essential to keep track of, such as:
  • Organization. This column contains the name of the organization, business, or company that’s planning on working with me. If an individual is hiring me, I simply put his or her name in this field.
  • Job type. Since most freelancers wear different hats, we tend to be interested in a variety of projects. In the example above, a freelance writer’s job types may include writing e-books, blog posts, sales letters or site copy. On the other hand, a graphic designer may have the following items: logo, web site, or product packaging. For automatic input, I made a drop-down menu listing all the job types, which means that I don’t need to type in the text.
  • Contact person. When communicating with an organization, I only find myself coordinating the details with one contact person. So that I don’t get names mixed up, I make sure to include the contact person for each lead. That way, if I need to know more about a job I know who to talk to. On a separate column is the contact information such as their email address or phone number.
  • Submission date. This is the date that the query was submitted — whether I’m the one who applied for the job or the lead came to me.
  • Last contact date. Knowing the last date of contact allows me to follow up on the lead appropriately. If it’s been a week since I last heard from the organization, I may need to follow up on the lead. Instead of searching my email or social networking inboxes for the last contact date, I can easily refer to the sheet.
  • Status. Like the “Job Type” field, I made a drop-down menu for the status of the lead. This tells me if I got the job, if it was rejected, or if the decision is still pending. For easy reference, I applied conditional formatting to the different status items. For “Rejected” I used a dark blue font color, green for “Accepted”, and bright red for “Pending”. This is so that my attention is drawn to the pending projects whenever I’m looking at the sheet.
  • Notes. Any miscellaneous notes, comments, and other remarks go to this field. Filling this in is optional.
Tips and Resources
I use OpenOffice Calc for all my spreadsheets, but you might be more at ease with another program altogether (Excel or Google Spreadsheets, for example). Here’s a list of relevant tutorials that can help you compose your own lead tracking spreadsheet on your favorite program:

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Best Way to get new job offers usiing Linkedin

I have not used this material so I cannot endorse it personally in any way but I pass it on for your consideration if you are looking for help in making your Linkedin job  search strategy more robust.

 Just go to:

 http://professionalpublications.org/unemployed-gets-37-job-offers-in-2-weeks?goback=.gde_122794_member_116151120

For "The Best Way to Get New Job Offers Using LinkedIn!"

2 Year UnEmployed Gets 37 Job Offers In 2 Weeks!

Watch the video below to know how an unemployed for two years gets over 37 different job offers in less than a month all using the power of Linkedinfluence Course by Lewis Howes.

LinkedInfluence is an essential course, if you are looking to boost your career using LinkedIn. 

Click Here To Check Out Lewis’s LinkedInfluence Course

Buy Lewis’s LinkedInfluence Course

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Testimony - New Job God provided for Ryan Tiren

Let us all rejoice with Ryan Tiren as he tells his encouraging story below on how God provided a job for him.  I suggest each of us what Ryan shares about the practical steps he took  to evaluate our own current strategies for anything else to add to what we are already doing to make our search even more robust in the means of grace available....as God guides us all to the jobs he has for us in this season.
 
>>>>>Taken with permission from an email sent by Ryan Tiren
 
The Lord really used this time of unemployment to help me clarify and focus in on what I really wanted to do. I had general ideas of where I was skilled that really needed to be refined and specified. Utilizing important faith-based organizations like BTN and the Career Network Ministry was crucial - each provided a number of resources for me to take advantage of, allowing me to make my resume more impactful, take full advantage of LinkedIn networking, and explore vocational sites like SIGI3. These means of grace were so instrumental in my job search - thank you, Jesus, for these ministries!

I am now doing exactly what I wanted to do - working as an Operations Manager. God used this time not only to provide me with a wonderful job, but grow me along the way - I had no choice but to turn to him (always the best thing to do!), drawing closer to my Savior and allowing my wife and me to build our faith for his provision and goodness. We are so grateful for all the prayers that were lifted up on our behalf; the Lord does hear us and has a perfect plan laid out with perfect timing. Thank you again to everyone at BTN for your consistent care and for laying down your lives for this important community of the unemployed.