The Ask, Self-Recruiter® Blog

Of course, we’ve seen the news coverage by now: endless lines wrapping around the block at the latest Job Expos & Career Fairs. Many of our friends, neighbors and family members may be experiencing it too.

My reason for attending was different from the others: I wanted to see and talk with those on the cue about what they were experiencing and just what their state of mind was, having been at many, many of these events and trying to ‘get that next job’.

Naturally, I was also there to shake some hands and talk with the individuals about learning how to take back the control, in this out of control process, that we now call hiring. The career fair that I attended was in NYC, but it could easily have been in most any city in America. People need work. It’s that simple. All the economic pressure that we are all feeling and the financial catastrophe that we are personally trying to avoid, is really the same mindset and experience that businesses are going through as well. We may not feel bad for the ‘Wall Streeters’ that we think caused this, but most businesses, like most people, had little to do with this mess and now have moved into survival mode, as surely as many families have too.

I was there with another mission: to inform the masses that they have a choice. They do not have to submit to the inhumanities of, at least, parts of what constitute today’s hiring processes. So, of course, in addition to the conversation and hand shakes of encouragement, I was there to place an important card in their hands that would tell them about my new book on Job Hunting that shows them the steps necessary to bypass those ever-expanding waiting lines in the HR department and how to connect and position themselves to get noticed, and get hired.

It was a little over the freezing mark out on sidewalk hosting the long lines for the event. An event where the lucky individuals that finally get in from the cold are given just a minute or minute and a half to tell ‘their story’ and to try to achieve some sort of memorability among the hundreds, sometimes thousands streaming in just after their turn. Let me be clear: these events are just as relevant and worthwhile as all of the other Job Hunting activities that people may participate in, so long as they have prepared so that their efforts will not go unnoticed, or unremembered in this case. How many of those individuals have prepared their story, their best career achievements, into an effective 25 second pitch all about them in order to effectively introduce their value? That would still leave a good minute or so for a solid dialogue with each potential hiring representative to strengthen their foundation and build chemistry – the surest way to be memorable after introducing your uniqueness. Just showing up will not likely yield the results that you are looking for, as compared to an individual that acts as their ‘own recruiter’, a Self-Recruiter, ready to sell themselves and to make themselves a standout.

Throughout the morning, I met many Job Candidates from all types of backgrounds and specialties. Over and over again, I was surprise by the genuineness of the responses, “Thank you so much for this.” It felt very strange, as I’m there to ‘sell myself’ too, albeit in a different way – through the efforts to get a very helpful book into their hands that can make a significant difference in the outcome of their efforts.

Everyone there had a story. Many had just come back from serving our country and could not find any work. Many had been looking for so long, there was a feeling of desperation, with a little resignation about their fate – and yet, they were still there on that cold windy day, standing in the endless lines. One older man who should have been retiring soon was just passing by and stopped to talk. He was incensed about not only loosing $900,000. in the stock market before pulling the little that was left of his nest egg out, but that his adult daughter with a masters degree just couldn’t seem to get noticed or hired. He seemed optimistic in a way about his own situation, “I think I’ll be able to get by.” But his daughter has a long life ahead of her, what will she do?

Taking that first step back toward control can be a very difficult one whether your confidence may be suffering after a layoff, restructuring or even while you are still employed, but worrying about your future security with your current company. It can be even more difficult when we have been searching for a while.

My advice is to take the control back, for yourself. There are many things we cannot change, but a great many that we can change in our approach to getting noticed. Things like reaching out directly to a hiring manger, not just to HR. Understanding how and what to cut, not add, to our resume to make the value jump off the page. And, how to prepare the Best 25 Seconds of Your Life, so when you are faced with just a minute or two to make that impression, you are making one that will last. And that, can make you first in line.

John Crant

www.SelfRecruiter.com

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Copyright © 2009 by John Crant

John Crant

Author, Career Coach & Speaker

View My LinkedIn Profile at:

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john@selfrecruiter.com

www.selfrecruiter.com

My Book:

Self-Recruiter®
Changing the Rules: How to Be Your Own Recruiter &
Ride the Economic Crisis to Your Next Career Challenge.
Copyright © 2009 by John Crant

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