New job search tactics — inroads to job search success in changing times
Dana Manciagli has seen it all. In her more than 30 years as a hiring manager for multinational companies including Microsoft, IBM, Kodak, and Avery Dennison, Dana has interviewed, hired and coached thousands of people globally.
“The job seekers’ world has shifted,” she says. “Whether you’re a recent college graduate or a senior executive, you must embrace the shifting times and CHANGE YOUR GAME.”
Her new book, Cut the Crap, Get a Job! A New Job Search Guide for a New Era (Authority Publishing; May 1, 2013) is packed with new ideas and tactics all given from the perspective of a seasoned insider who knows exactly what it takes to get hired.
The Big Idea: The job search process is so much more competitive now than it ever has been for both the unemployed and the employed who are looking to move forward in their careers. It is the one skill not taught at the high school or college level. Big mistakes are being made by every generation: The traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y, that could be avoided, and a new job search process is revealed.
The Challenge: Job seekers must stand out now, so everything they write and say, from a cover letter to an interview and everything in between, needs to be focused on the hiring manager and what they want, not on what the candidate or job seeker wants.
The Source: Dana Manciagli was a hiring manager for over 30 years at top corporations such as Microsoft, Kodak, and IBM so she is well qualified to help job seekers. The hiring manager has a different perspective from recruiters or HR because the hiring manager has to live with the final decision of the new hire. Her book, Cut the Crap, Get a Job: A New Job Search Process for a New Era (Authority Press; May 2013), is the bottom line of what the serious job seeker needs to know and do from new college graduates to senior executives.
Remember: The power is with the hiring manager, so do the following to stand out.
Spend time doing the research. Check out the job description, the company, the hiring manager, and any trends with the company or industry. Your material must first pass though the 22-year-old screener who is moving all the applicants into one of two piles: the accept or reject pile. The screener has a list of criteria the hiring manager wants, including education requirements, work experience, etc.
Organize and present your distinctions. Create a document that lists the job requirements on the left, and how you fulfill that on the right. For example, “Mr. or Ms. Hiring Manager, you need this, I have that. You need 5 years experience in finance, and I have 8., etc.
Take a fresh new look at your process. Look carefully at every aspect of the job search. Like it or not, much of what is required is now done online and you’ve got to make use of all sorts of new digital technology.
“You can’t be thin-skinned and expect to achieve success the easy way,” Dana says. “There new ways to approach people, decide what you give them and how you give it to them that will dramatically improve your chances of success”.
Cut The Crap contains numerous revolutionary and innovative approaches to the classical job search. Some of the most important and crucial tactics she highlights are the following:
- Scrap your resume and a cover letter. Dana recoomend you now use what she calls the Cut the Crap Candidate Packet — a three part package includes: 1. a Tailored Cover Letter, 2. A Customized Job Description Profile which specifically analyzes and compares your background, skills and experience to each requirement of the job. And 3. A Tailored Resume that highlights and validates you indeed have the credibility and capability to do what you say you can do in your profile. “This approach is the single most critical change you can make in how pitch yourself to every employer. The quality and the content will determine your success,” Dana says.
- Carefully Track Your Top Ten Proposals At A Time. Search for, Identify, and Document your top job search targets. Research each and every employer, learn about the specific job, the tile, the department, the duties, challenges, and the skills needed. Be able to array and select your skills and abilities and show what you can do, how and what you can deliver. Track and document every step of the job search process with each and every opportunity. Dana has created a free tool to download and employ to help chase and catch multiple prospects. “When one of the ten drops off, add another until you land a job”, she says.
- Use the “Law of Threes” In Every Interview. Script three points (e.g., WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT, HOW WILL YOU APPROACH IT, WHAT WILL YOU SPECIFICALLY DO?) Use the three points approach to common and even specific interview questions to not only impress the interviewer and hiring manager but help you work through your nervousness. Prepare in your mind a script that tells you to think before you open your mouth but organize your thoughts so that no matter what the question, you can zero in on what is important, nail it, and stop talking.
Cut The Crap contains dozens of other remarkable insights. Dana can provide strategic guidance on other topics including:
- A hiring manager’s view of the top job search mistakes
The majority of job seekers – be they recent grads or seasoned executives – make the same mistakes. Follow Dana’s advice and you’ll never make them again!
- What job seekers need to know about the new era of job search
From the technologies employers’ use, to using social media to your advantage, to avoiding missteps that take you out of the running, Dana helps job seekers succeed in every step of the job search.
- How to use technology to manage your job search to WIN a job
Track your job search like a project, Dana advises. “Step up your game, increase your chances of winning a job by getting organized.” Dana introduces tech tools to help track every job action so that candidates don’t miss important steps.
- How to upgrade your interview skills
Dana teaches job seekers the “job search law of threes” (how to work through nervousness with three job-winning answers) and how to focus the interview on the employer and how you can meet their needs.
- Social media Dos and Don’ts for job seekers
Why social media are invaluable tools – but not the solution to getting a job; how to use these tools to market yourself to employers.
- How to upgrade your appearance for the make-or-break job interview
“Too many candidates try to stand out with their look,” Dana says. “Bad idea. Stand out with your qualifications.”
About the Author
Dana Manciagli is a global career expert and veteran Fortune 500 sales and marketing executive with 30+ years experience, for the last decade as Microsoft’s worldwide sales general manager. Dana has leveraged her employee hiring and management experience into that of author, blogger, keynote speaker, career coach, and global career expert. She was named among
