Also, delete your voicemails, especially if you opt out of texting.

Kevin the 3-legged dog said:

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I've spoken to 2 people, that picked the time to talk to me, who were doing something else. One guy was in Costco shopping and picking up his contact lenses, the other was checking out at the grocery store. Both unemployed.

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I had a candidate tell me to "hold on" while she talked to the cashier at Target. Really?

I also called one candidate who was in the middle of a rowdy pool party. Couldn't hear her over the loud rap music and people yelling. Needless to say, that was a short call and there wasn't another.

It's been a long time since I was responsible for hiring people, but those were some crazy times. I used to get invited to speak at A&M and UH each semester and share my stories with graduating seniors, trying to talk some sense into them.

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!

Kevin the 3-legged dog said:

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Also, delete your voicemails, especially if you opt out of texting.

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This should apply to business in general. It's ridiculous how many people I call daily who have voicemail boxes that are full.

I went to the A&M career fair after I'd been out of school 5 years. I knew my company wasn't going to be there, and most of our competitors were. I did type up a bogus resume to make it look like I was a PhD student in case anyone asked, but all it took was my old student ID to get in. Dropped off resumes to all the companies I wanted to work for, and one even scheduled an interview for the next day back in San Antonio since they were looking for someone like me but hadn't posted it yet.

I got as many resumes to hiring managers in half a day as it would normally take to do in a week or more. If you're early in your career and don't have a good list of contacts built up, a career fair can be a good place to connect.

One trick I've used in a slow market is not to call companies in the industry that I was trying to find a job, but to cold call any name I could get with companies that would be their customers. From that you can find out companies in your industry that are doing well, well thought of, possibility getting more work, hiring, and even get a name to contact. Then when you call the contact, you have a name of their customers to name-drop. May not work for all industries, but it worked well for me before.

BeastmodeAg said:

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NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!

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And network some more

Since graduating A&M, I have had 7 full time jobs. I start my 8th on November 15. 5 of the 8 offers were a result of networking.

My most recent job, starting 11/15, was a follow up email on a connection I established 2 years ago - and had not spoken to him since.

Should you put your college GPA on your resume when you graduated in 2010? I didn't do so hot but I've had several full time jobs since I graduated.

AndesAg92 said:

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I love this thread.

Recruiters/HR folks here: "I'm too busy and don't have more than 10 seconds to breeze a resume, heaven forbid a cover letter"

Also them: "let's post a well thought out response on Texags at 10 am or 3 pm during work hours!"

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When you have hundreds of resumes to review, 10 seconds is plenty of time.

BeastmodeAg said:

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NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!

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In my industry, this is great advice.

Our number one recruiting method is to hire people we know professionally and have relationships with. That is where all of our best hires have come from.

AndesAg92 said:

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I love this thread.

Recruiters/HR folks here: "I'm too busy and don't have more than 10 seconds to breeze a resume, heaven forbid a cover letter"

Also them: "let's post a well thought out response on Texags at 10 am or 3 pm during work hours!"

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Most people Texags on the toilet.

ea1060 said:

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Heres another one while I have it on my mind. Make sure you apply to a job with your updated resume! I cant tell you how many times Ive seen resumes that looked like the person hadnt worked in a year, then when you talk to the candidate they say thats an old resume and theyre currently working. This happens all the time and its only hurting the candidate from getting an interview. Also, lots of disconnected old phone numbers on resumes. Put your current phone number on there!

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Funny story.

A few years ago, I got an email from a recruiter who said that my resume looked "awesome", they had the "perfect" job for me and my experience at Acme Inc made me a great fit for the role in Java development. Problem was I had not been in Java development for about 10 years. I was curious if he was f@rting about having my resume so I asked him to send me the copy of my resume he had.

He actually did, and it was mine. Except that it was from 2003, 15+ years old.

infinity ag said:

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ea1060 said:

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Heres another one while I have it on my mind. Make sure you apply to a job with your updated resume! I cant tell you how many times Ive seen resumes that looked like the person hadnt worked in a year, then when you talk to the candidate they say thats an old resume and theyre currently working. This happens all the time and its only hurting the candidate from getting an interview. Also, lots of disconnected old phone numbers on resumes. Put your current phone number on there!

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Funny story.

A few years ago, I got an email from a recruiter who said that my resume looked "awesome", they had the "perfect" job for me and my experience at Acme Inc made me a great fit for the role in Java development. Problem was I had not been in Java development for about 10 years. I was curious if he was f@rting about having my resume so I asked him to send me the copy of my resume he had.

He actually did, and it was mine. Except that it was from 2003, 15+ years old.

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It happens all the time.

Play golf during the week!!!!

Owners of companies, VP's and higher ups are the ones teeing off at 11am on a Monday…

Jump in a 4 some, check it out, if it's no good Bail at the turn, jump in next group, try it again!

Higher end course the better…

Just have to mention that this is another way Higher Ed is so different from industry (not in a good way). We have long resumes/CVs, require cover letters, and most will fully review each document.

One benefit of reviewing things more closely though is you'll find the ones that took shortcuts. Just put in a word for word copy of the job posting? Nah bro. I've even seen one where they left my institution's name in the bullet points for their responsibilities at other institutions. Hard no for that one.

I somehow forgot I had made this thread. Thank you for your contributions.

I'll mention a couple of things for interviews. Make sure you have about 4 to 6 good "stories" that you can tell that will answer the behavior-based interview questions that employers like to use. Those are the questions that start with "Tell me about a time when...." and then they typically ask you when you had to go above and beyond for a client or had multiple deadlines that had to be met, etc.

You can use the STAR methodology to answer these questions (random googled link here: https://novoresume.com/career-blog/interview-star-method). As an HR partner, I can't tell you how many people struggle with answering these types of questions because they simply haven't taken the time to remember when they did some of these things in their previous jobs. I usually tell folks to actually type out the stories and practice them so that they can answer these questions easily. Now, these answers do have to come from actual experiences that you have had on the job (don't try to wing it or make it up as any HR interviewer worth their salt will ask follow-up questions that could trip you up if you are lying about your experience).

Another tip, try to remove any answer that starts with "we" from your interview skill set. For instance, if I ask you about your experience with solving a certain issue, and you start off by saying that "we did this to solve that problem" I will typically ask about what specifically the candidate did, not what the team/company did to solve the problem. I'm always listening to see when someone starts using "we" instead of "I" because it tips me off that they may have experience as part of a team member doing something, but they may not have actually done it themselves. I hope that makes sense.

And as someone said above, I'm an HR person who is dropping this nugget on a Friday at 10:30 AM (I'm no longer in the HR Business Partner role, as I have transitioned over to HRIS, so my work is more sporadic and today is a lite day--if you got any Workday questions, send them my way!).

Your point about using "we" is a good one.

Sometimes I intentionally use "we" when I'm trying to make a point that I was leading a team or coordinating the efforts of multiple departments. I want it to be clear that I treat these things as a collaboration, recognize other peoples' contributions, and don't want to take all the credit; it didn't occur to me that someone might hear that "we" very differently.

Solving for the same thing from a different direction, I find the most interesting thing on someone's resume and drill down to make sure they really did it. Surprising how often they don't understand it well enough to explain it.

Couldn't agree more with the last 2 posters.

In leadership, you never say me. It's we.

In interviewing, it's the exact opposite. It's about me.

Me me me me me me.

Quote:

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You can use the STAR methodology to answer these questions (random googled link here: https://novoresume.com/career-blog/interview-star-method). As an HR partner, I can't tell you how many people struggle with answering these types of questions because they simply haven't taken the time to remember when they did some of these things in their previous jobs. I usually tell folks to actually type out the stories and practice them so that they can answer these questions easily. Now, these answers do have to come from actual experiences that you have had on the job (don't try to wing it or make it up as any HR interviewer worth their salt will ask follow-up questions that could trip you up if you are lying about your experience).

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Yes! Too often we go through our day to day without realizing everything we do.

I interviewed for an internal job not long ago, and while I have tons of stories I could tell, I came up with nothing. And then had a jerk store moment after.

Take the time to remember what you've done and tell a good "war story" with a problem, a solution, and a result.

Shumba said:

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(don't try to wing it or make it up as any HR interviewer worth their salt will ask follow-up questions that could trip you up if you are lying about your experience).

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True story.

I once interviewed a guy who claimed he led this big project at his previous employer (not on his resume; during the interview).

Only problem was, the guy who actually DID lead that project was a good friend of mine. I knew all about it because my buddy and I had been talking about it for months.

He had no way of knowing that, but needless to say, there was no way I was going to hire him after that.

Let's get back to the original question. Job Hunting Tips.
Hiring is a transactional process.
It is not so much about what the prospect is selling... As what the hiring Manager is willing to pay for.
Focus on their needs, their culture and your fit.
Examples of experience or results are almost always more powerful than a claim.

Make sure to include CareerShift and LinkedIn in your company/industry research.

Totally agree 78abc3! It is a transaction. If you have made it to the interview stage, then the hiring manager is looking for an answer to some problem that they have, and they believe that you may be the answer to that problem. Try to put yourself in their shoes and figure out what issues they are trying to fix with this job opening.

Also, when you are going into the interview, assume positive intent from the hiring manager or recruiter interviewing you. Trust me, as an HR Partner, I am in your corner during the interview. We are not the enemy. You have to think, the HR team has spent a lot of time and energy getting you an interview with the hiring manager, so we are invested in you getting the job.

That's why I always tell people to go into interviews believing that the folks across the table really want this to work out for you. If you shift your mindset, then it takes a lot of negative pressure off of you and you will come across much better in the interview. That doesn't mean to totally drop your guard and start rambling off on political topics or telling off-color jokes, but relax a bit and just have a conversation with them. And always follow up with at least an email thanking them for taking the time to interview you.

Keep following up with people, pick up the phone.

My personal examples:

1). I only got accepted to the TAMU engineering graduate school (went somewhere else for undergrad) because I called to check on my application after not hearing anything. The department head said he would take a look and told me they had like 50 spots and 800+ applicants. He said my application would have been missed if I didn't call to check on it. I got my acceptance letter a week later and ended up getting a full tuition waiver and student research job.

2). I got my current job after originally interviewing for a different position and not getting it, but the company recruiter said I was a good candidate and to contact them if I see anything else I might be fit for. About 6 months later I called on a job the company posted, and ended up getting it.

EclipseAg said:

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Shumba said:

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(don't try to wing it or make it up as any HR interviewer worth their salt will ask follow-up questions that could trip you up if you are lying about your experience).

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True story.

I once interviewed a guy who claimed he led this big project at his previous employer (not on his resume; during the interview).

Only problem was, the guy who actually DID lead that project was a good friend of mine. I knew all about it because my buddy and I had been talking about it for months.

He had no way of knowing that, but needless to say, there was no way I was going to hire him after that.

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At my last employer one candidate told the interviewers that he had a specific lead role on a specific technology program, but in fact one of the interviewers actually was the lead in that role, and he has never heard of the guy.

All of the tips in this thread have absolutely been spot on. Was on the job hunt for about 8 months after getting laid off earlier this year. So, I concur that networking was one of the primary reasons that I got the job that I have now. Had a friend who I've known since junior high who was currently working in a similar position to what I was applying for, just so happens that the hiring manager was his old boss. A few good words put in and a couple of interviews later, started a job in an industry I'd been trying to crack into since graduation. Lots of companies have incentive programs for their employees to refer potential candidates as well.

To add a tip of my own that helped along the way, make sure to keep an easily accessible and searchable spreadsheet with all of the jobs you've applied for. From my experience, there comes a point where you aren't able to keep track of all of the jobs and their descriptions you've applied for simply by memorization. There is absolutely nothing worse than getting a phone call from a potential employer and not remembering anything about their company or the job you've applied for. Not a recruiter myself, but as you've seen above, that first impression can make a tremendous difference. Keeping track in a spreadsheet helped my confidence a lot when fielding phone calls. Also a good place to keep name, phone numbers, job details, next steps, etc. to look back on later on, especially if you plan on following up.

Finally, to add on to the point above, practice makes perfect when it comes to interviewing. Really get those homerun projects/stories down so that it's second nature when you get into an actual interview. It's a helpless feeling being caught off guard by a question and having to spitball for a creative answer.

And if you find yourself not getting any bites and it seems helpless to keep trying, keep your chin up! Job hunting can be really daunting, but there are always brighter days ahead. Like I said, it took 8 months for me to finally get a position, and as far as I can tell, it's exactly what I've been looking for. Good luck to all the job hunters out there!

I completely forgot I made this thread until I looked over my profile and just caught up to all of the tips. Thank you guys for taking the time to respond. I need to make it a point to view the Job Network sub every day.

Edit: I bumped this as I believe there's some great advice people might have not seen.