Job Search

The Recruiting Nightmare – Introduction

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I spent weeks dumping my brain droppings on the blog about what I learned in my job search – that applies to job searchers.  I hope it was helpful, I think it was useful, and if nothing else it was immensely therapeutic.

But there’s another side to it that it’s time to address.

As most readers know I also help out recruiters and HR people I know.  I encourage everyone to do it, from passing on good contacts, to being a resource on market info, and so forth.  Recruiters have a hard time.

In my job search as well as my other activities, 2012 is also a year where I have come to the conclusion that Recruiting Is A Nightmare.  Which of course is also an awesome name for a column series.

Oh, yes there are many good recruiters – more than you realize.  There are many happy recruiters – it can be a very satisfying profession.  It’s just that right now, at this time, the level of stupidity, frustration, and utter insanity recruiters face is unbelievable.  I had trouble believing it until I started putting the pieces together as part of my usual research and helping out the recruiters I knew.

Recruiting is painful these days.

So of course beyond helping out recruiters I know, referring people, and being a shoulder to scream on, I realized I should write up my findings for a few reasons:

  1. It’ll help organize my thoughts to help my readers, be they in recruiting or not.
  2. It may lead me to figure out other ways to assist them.
  3. It’ll provide insights I and others can use.
  4. You, the job seeker, can learn to work around the craziness, help out recruiters, and reap the benefits of better jobs, as well as helping your fellows.

So what’s wrong with recruiting these days?  I’d call it a perfect storm in a way – there are many factors that individually don’t always seem bad.  However when you add these factors up . . .

[TO BE CONTINUED]

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/

Use Your Skills On The Job Search

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So you’ve got all these skills and abilities and geektastic inclinations.  You want to use them on the job search, and so you put them on a resume or talk about them.  Let me suggest you take it a bit further.

I suggest you make your job search a way of leveraging your progeek skills and interests.  In fact I suggest you try basing some of it on what you do anyway.

Read more

Steve’s 2012 Job Search Roundup

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When Steve lost his job, he jumped into the job search and tried to apply all the advice he’d been giving – and learned a lot in the 3 weeks it took to find a job.  Here’s the entire list of articles:

  • Relocation and Regional Issues – Where you are and where you look matters, and regions can vary radically in how your search works, or doesn’t.
  • Resumes – Steve discovers resumes are even more important than he thought (which is saying something), and discusses their value.
  • Job Search Boards –  Job Search boards do pay off – if you use them right, under the right circumstances.
  • Networking – It’s not just networking, it’s the Networking attitude that makes a difference.
  • A Blitz Works – Slow and steady may win the race, but an all out rush may win you the job search.
  • Be Your (Best) Self – It’s important to be yourself, while showing your good side.
  • Empathy – Empathy is the key to connecting in your job search.
  • It’s A Campaign – It’s a comprehensive campaign to win the job – learn how to wage it.
  • Miscellaneous Findings – A grab-bag of observations that may help you out!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/