Job Search Top 10 - Introduction to Career, Job Search, Employment

Having been a headhunter for most of my career, I've seen and heard about a lot of mistakes that job seekers make. These aren't mistakes that they have made on purpose. They have made them simply because they have not been educated in the right way on how to find a job.

Finding a job the right way is no easy task, however, if you have the right information and tools at your disposal, finding a job can be made a bit easier. Regardless, it will take work on your part. You cannot expect to send a few resumes and find your dream job overnight. Finding a job in a good economy isn't easy. Finding one in a poor economy presents even more challenges.

On the other hand, even in a poor economy, many companies are still hiring those with specialized skills. One division of the same company may be laying off workers while another division within that same company will be hiring. The point is, you need to try, but you need to go about your job search the right way.

If you are employed and have a good job in today's economy, be thankful. If you are employed and are seeking to change jobs for whatever reason, don't tell anyone within your own company that you are thinking of changing jobs.

It is critical that you don't send emails through your company email system. That may create a nightmare for you. It is a fact that some companies intercept emails and if they see any correspondence about you looking for another job, some will fire you on the spot. Telling others of your desire to leave will not win you any brownie points and it may, in fact, lead to a very swift and unpleasant job loss well before you have had an opportunity to identify a new employer.

I know I am biased because I am a headhunter, but there is nothing the irks me more than this. When I start a new candidate search, I will call someone on my previously researched and targeted list and describe an opportunity. The person I call may have been recommended or may be a cold call (someone I don't know or who hasn't been referred). I will be calling the person either to ask for a recommendation for a specific position I am working on or to possibly source as a potential candidate. That's what headhunters do.

Even though this rarely happens, it does happen. My pet peeve is this. 10 minutes later after I have made a call to this person (and this typically happens more entry level candidates) I get a phone call from the person's boss that tells me not to call his or her employees. I say "ok", hang up and just shake my head. The person I had called got off the phone, ran to their nearest boss and proclaimed that they had just been called by a headhunter.

Ok, I know what some of you are thinking. Some are thinking, good for that person. She shouldn't have called them at work. Others are thinking, that wasn't a good idea on that person's part because now they are off the headhunter's good list, they will never hear about another good opportunity from that headhunter, and they may lose their job and need to talk to the headhunter one day but that may not happen.

Please excuse my language, but calling prospects at work is a common practice for headhunters. It's pretty difficult to spend hours upon hours looking up every prospects name in the white pages online to get a possibly correct home phone number. The first phone call by most headhunters is made to the place of employment.

The next step on the headhunter's part is very simple. We are rarely able to connect on the first call so we leave a brief voice mail that is cryptic so no one else who might intercept the call would know who we are and why we are calling. You can choose at that point whether or not to call the headhunter back.

The next option is that the person we are calling actually answers the phone. The first sentence out of the headhunter's mouth (after a brief introduction about who the headhunter is) should be, "do you have a minute to talk?" If you can't talk, or don't want to talk at work, you say NO. The headhunter then says, may I have your home phone number or personal email address so I can provide you with some information. If the answer is NO, the headhunter goes away and crosses that person off their list and goes on to the next one. If they say yes, the headhunter calls the person at the recommended time and phone number.

This is a simple matter of communication. The headhunter is not your enemy. S/he is your friend. Headhunters have many excellent opportunities they are trying to fill. If you don't take the time to listen, you may never know what else is out there. This is an excellent way to keep alert to what kinds of positions are available in your field even if you have no intention of leaving your company.

The headhunter will respect your choice not to be called at work. It is not their intention to get you in trouble or to take time away from your job. The initial intent is to make a connection. Period. It is up to you what you do with that connection.

Don't ever run to your boss. If you are a boss, don't run to your boss. You will not win any brownie points for a variety of reasons. You have now alerted your boss to the fact that you took a call from a headhunter (even if you didn't ask for that call) and your boss may now be wondering why you got the call. You may also look foolish because you can almost be certain that your boss has been called by and talked to headhunters at some point, especially if your boss is in a senior level management position. Retained headhunters rarely work on entry level positions below a management level unless they are doing a favor for their clients, but there are exceptions. Many in management get frequent calls from headhunters.

Take the call as a compliment. Make note of what the headhunter is calling about and try to be helpful. You never know if you will be in a position some day where you will be hoping that you do get a call from a headhunter. You don't want to be on the headhunter's "do not call" list.

Yes, it's true. Headhunters do make their living with people being their "commodities". But is that really a bad thing? It's exciting for a client to give a headhunter a challenging search assignment. That assignment becomes a potential promotion oftentimes for someone who is in a job that is dead ended. It may become a lifesaver for someone who has been laid off due to downsizing or right sizing. It may offer more money for someone who is underpaid and underappreciated.

When new people join a company, they bring fresh ideas to that company. When the person they are replacing leaves, they take their ideas into their next company. Everyone gains valuable experience as a result. It's a win win situation not only for the headhunter, but for the candidate and the new employer as well.

This job search hub could go on for a long time. Instead, I will be publishing more hubs on job search and career about specific topics. If you have a specific career question, please feel free to ask it in the comments. I will either write a hub about it or respond.

If you are serious about your job search you can find a wealth of free information at http://www.jobsearchtop10.com You can even order my ebook about job search that is advertised by contacting me directly through the information on the site now that Ebay no longer allows for downloaded ebooks. The ebook is in audio as well.

Think of this from your own perspective. No one is secure in their jobs today. There is very little loyalty on the part of the employer or the employee. Many people are on edge as they see the economy changing, companies downsizing, companies closing, and companies merging and thousands of jobs being lost. In light of all of this, don't you think that maybe it is wise just to listen? Remain aware of what is happening in your field and if you do know of a potentially qualified candidate for a position, make a recommendation. Perhaps some day you will need that person to make a recommendation on your behalf as well.

When you hear of the hidden job market, what you are hearing about are jobs that headhunters have that employers may not have advertised for. If you are receptive and keep an open mind, perhaps when you need one, a headhunter will make a call to you. If you are closed minded, perhaps you will miss the perfect promotion the headhunter has waiting for you on behalf of his or her client.