Being Against Something — and Your Job Search
When I was in college, I decided to start an anti-drug and alcohol-abuse organization. I affiliated with a giant group called BACCHUS (Better Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students), and one year I got funding in the amount of nearly $200,000 from the University of Chicago to bring Bill Bennett (the former “Drug Czar”) to speak to the students. In fact, I made such a presentation to the student counsel one year that they gave me over 35% of the student activities budget to bring in famous speakers and others, to help fight drugs and alcohol on campus. [Read more]
Do Your Job Search on Heavy Ground
For the past several years I have been interacting with people who are looking for jobs on a daily basis. I have also been working with recruiters, who find people jobs. After many years of working with various people, it often occurs to me that those who get the best jobs do their job search in an unconventional way: The best thing is to avoid doing what everyone else is doing when it comes to looking for a job. By far, the most effective strategy for getting a job is to look where other people are simply not looking. People who do things differently from everyone else often get the best jobs. I have seen this so many times it is difficult to believe. There are many unemployed people who believe a job search should be done in a certain way. Often, the people who learn to do things in a different way get the best results. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu defines eight types of ground on which combat can occur. In terms of your job search, two of the most interesting are Deadly Ground and Heavy Ground.
- An excellent and very effective way to win any war is to go undetected into enemy territory before attacking. You use the element of surprise to win the war. This is what Sun Tzu called “Heavy Ground.” Sun Tzu believes this is the best kind of battle. This is considered a battle of “art”.
- In Deadly Ground, two forces meet face to face to fight and there is no means of escape. The battle is one of brute force and there are generally going to be heavy casualties on both sides. Sun Tzu believes this is the worst kind of battle. A deadly ground battle is without “art” and allowing this to happen reflects poorly on the commander of the troops.
In a Heavy Ground battle, a weak force can paralyze a much stronger one. Most people are taught to march in “unison” and do things in the same [Read more]
The Most Valuable Work Is Work That Repeats Itself
When I was 18 years old, I once responded to an advertisement in the paper that stated a company looking for janitors was offering $15.00 an hour (which now would probably be the equivalent of at least $25.00 an hour). Back then, 20+ years ago, that was pretty good money for a janitor in Detroit. I could not believe my luck in seeing such an advertisement and I called up the number on the advertisement. The person on the other end of the line told me to “come right over!” The location of the janitor job was around an hour [Read more]
Resume How To
Your résumé is an extremely important document. There are entire books written about how to craft them. I have written at least one myself. There are scores of résumé consultants, companies, and others that will work on your résumé for a fee. Hiring one of these services can be useful and can improve your résumé. Nevertheless, most résumés can improve dramatically by following the below advice. Some standard advice that you should follow includes: • Make sure there are no typos or grammatical mistakes. • Try to keep the résumé to one page. [Read more]
Nonprofit Jobs
At the outset, I want to make a couple of observations because I think that looking for a public interest job or a job with a nonprofit is among the most interesting types of searches you can do. On the one hand, it can be exceptionally difficult, but on the other, it can be incredibly rewarding. When certain tribes of American Indians used to go into battle, they would put on face paint, and that face paint would be a way for them to look like certain animals or other figures. It [Read more]
How to Choose Recruiters, Executive Search, and Recruitment Agencies (and How They Work)
When you go to most job sites, the majority of advertisements you will typically see, will be from recruiters. However, despite so many recruiter advertisements clogging job sites, recruiters are one of the most popular (and most misunderstood) ways of getting a job. It is rare to see articles that are negative about recruiters, or information that ”tells it like it is” when it comes to giving you advice on how to work with recruiters. The reason for this is largely due to the fact that the money recruiters pay to advertise on job sites and other [Read more]
To Get a Job You Need to Get the Employer’s Attention and Be a Safe Choice
When an employer has an open position, they are generally faced with two issues: (1) it is difficult for them to focus attention on all of the applications they are receiving, and (2) they are nervous about making a good decision among the various applicants that are applying. Your objective when applying for any job is (1) to be seen, and (2) to be a safe choice for the company. You Need to be Seen When Applying to Jobs. Several years ago, a very talented professional couple invited my wife and me to their home for dinner. We had a [Read more]
List of Job Search Sites and How to Find Job Sites
Here is a list of job search sites to help you with whatever type of job search you may be doing:
List of job search sites
In addition, I’ve also added what I feel are some good job search resources (including employers) from different industries to this list as well. However, because new job sites are launched just about every day it is important you know how to find these sites on your own without using this list of job sites I have put together for you. I want you to think back to thirty years ago, before the Internet changed the [Read more]
Where to Find Jobs
It might not seem like it at first glance, but truly, there are more resources to find jobs than you could ever take advantage of. In fact, despite having been in the career business for more than ten years, I discover new sources of jobs on a daily basis. And this multitude of sources is excellent news for you. This one fact may very well change the way you think about your job search forever. The question of where to find a job will no longer be one that you ask yourself. Major Sources for Job Postings You’ve probably used many of these sources, but I’m [Read more]
Always Interview on Fridays
When I was in college I remember going for an interview with the investment bank JP Morgan. I had no idea how I had gotten the interview but it was for something dealing with finance and statistical studies of Asian securities markets. I had gone to high school for awhile in Bangkok and thought it would be fun to have some sort of job involving Asia. I did an ”on campus interview” and a few weeks after submitting my resume they called and invited me to come speak with them for half a day in their offices in Chicago. [Read more]
