• Something where I get to work with people.
• Something stable.
• Something where I can put my skills to use.
• I’m pretty flexible, so just about anything.
• Something in management.
• Something entry level.
• Something where I’m appreciated.

Gee, that helps. You’re groaning right along with me, right? “Something” and “anything” essentially tell me nothing. Is it any wonder those who are littering their networking contacts with a bunch of nothing get nothing in return?

What are you looking for? Seriously. What?! Paint a mental picture for others so they have something tangible to go by. Finding a job is important and requires you take care to describe what you are looking for in a meaningful way. So ditch the “something” and “anything” descriptors. Challenge yourself to be more specific. Your networking contacts will thank you for doing so and you’ll appreciate boost of momentum your search gains.

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It’s not that the individual having a question is dumb. It is more the individual’s choice to pose a question to me when, strategically, they could easily obtain the information by other means and use their time with me to discuss more valuable content.

Many job seekers take the time to make sure the questions they ask in interviews are meaningful. Most now know asking about things they could have researched themselves, like asking what the company does, is taboo. The trouble often lies in the conversations people have outside of the interview room. The same courtesy isn’t afforded. These could be conversations with networking sources, family members, friends, co-workers, supervisors, mentors, professors…the list goes on.

We’ve become a culture of immediate gratification. I suspect that’s part of the reason many have become sloppy detectives. When a question pops in our head, we blurt it out without first asking ourselves if the information is something we could get on our own, or considering what we might miss out on discussing with the individual because we’ve used their time to drill them on basic stuff.

I’ll tell you a secret, it drives most people nuts when they can’t cover more meaningful things, things that need to be addressed, because others are laying the responsibility to help them get up to speed on the basics on their shoulders.

It has become the norm to expect those who are more knowledgeable to come down to the speed or level of those less knowledgeable. That’s a huge tactical error. All learn more from others when the knowledgeable person is able to talk about big picture concepts and leave it to those attempting to learn something to research the minutia. Consider the following. No one in his right mind would spend time with Steve Jobs asking him to explain what a gigabyte is or to share the new color options for the iPhone. These are the kinds of questions Google is waiting to help people with. Use it!

My challenge to everyone is to start taking notes of questions you have as they come, no matter who you are talking with. Doesn’t matter if it’s a physical note or mental note. The second thing you need to do is take stock of those you are speaking with when questions pop up. Pretend, although it’s not really pretending, you have a limited supply of information you could possibly get from each person. Weigh the questions you have and consider if posing them to that person, at that time, is really the best use of the situation. All involved will thank you for doing so!

Let me close this message by assuring those I’m working with that I love questions. I really and truly do. I would gladly answer questions all day long. Like everyone else, my time is limited. I feel I have so much to share, so much to offer, if you let me. The goal is to get you working a.s.a.p. That means you need your A game in terms of making the best use of every interaction you have with people. If you’ve got bad habits in terms of firing basic questions at me, you’re likely doing the same with others. It significantly limits what you have the potential to learn and slows down progress. Don’t squander time spent with others. Don’t treat any contact like your own personal Google search engine.

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The next time a company gives you the cold shoulder, try asking the hiring manager what recruiting agencies the company is likely to turn to for projects or interim staffing solutions. Reiterate your interest in the company and express your willingness to demonstrate your abilities in a temporary capacity. If the company gives you the names of the agencies it partners with, contact those agencies, let them know you are aware of their relationship with ABC Company and ask them what you need to do to qualify to be an option for assignments with them. Let them know you are also willing to consider opportunities in similar settings.

Many companies are relying on temporary agencies right now. If your situation is such you are able to consider project work, don’t miss out on the chance to make a good impression with the companies you’re targeting through temporary assignments.

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I have good news for those who can identify with the above. If you know what you don’t want, you know more about what you do want than you are taking the time to consider. Change the way you talk and you’ll see what I mean.

“I don’t want to work in a non-profit,” becomes, “I want to work in a for-profit setting.”

“I don’t want a long commute,” becomes, “I want to work within 20 miles of Lansing.”

“I don’t want to work for less than $10 per hour,” becomes, “I want to work for $10 per hour or better.”

“I don’t want to be holed up in an office all day,” becomes, “I want to work in a setting where my time confined to an office is minimal.”

I’ve blogged about this before when discussing how to sound less negative when sharing your job search efforts with others. I’m restating the point today because a discussion over coffee reminded me how the same poor word choices end up leaving job seekers feeling boxed in and without options. Flipping the thought to a more open and positive direction keeps your focus where it should be, on where you wish to end up versus what you hope to avoid.

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Today a group of 10 job seekers and 8 members of the business community came together in Lansing for 3 hours of focused brainstorming. Participants were arranged in 4 groups, with 3 job seekers and 2 business members in each group. Before you think I can’t add, let me tell you two job seekers weren’t able to make it. One had an interview come up (woohoo!) and the other didn’t feel prepared with the information needed to participate. No problem.

In the groups, each of the job seekers got a chance to be in the spotlight for 45 minutes. Fellow group members learned about their backgrounds, skills, interests and talents and then had a nice chunk of time to imagine all sorts of ways all of the above could be put to use in today’s job market. Since the event took place in the basement of Capital Area District Library, we had library superstars Eunice & Liz on hand to help connect participants with any resources they had on hand to enhance the process. Eunice was all over ReferenceUSA this morning providing information on companies and executive leadership in the industries participants found relevant to a particular job seeker.

Today’s event was an experiment. If you’re reading this and wondering why you didn’t know about it, this one was by invitation only to control the initial test run. It went well and I anticipate this is the first of many. It’s no secret I’m constantly looking for effective ways for job seekers to collaborate with the business community and those in workforce development. This seems like a winner to me. Those in Lansing who didn’t get to play today will get a turn. Count on it.

I’d like to pass on a great big thank you to those in the business community who gave their time today. Rich Howard, Cindie Alwood, Jim Bunn, Sue Quimby, Tami Nykamp, Kate Tykocki, Sherry Doody & Shelley Lowe…you made a big difference today in the search efforts of these great job seekers!

To the job seekers…Steve, Blake, Anne, Kevin, Connie, Lori, Jeffery, Beverly, Jesse & Cindee, you are all wonderful, talented, motivated and giving individuals. You approached today with open and creative minds. Good things are coming.

Jesse, Me, Beverly & Cindee

Cindie, Blake, Me & Jim

Cindie, Blake, Anne, Me, Jeffrey, Steve & Jim

Cindee & Jesse

Steve

Cindie

Beverly, Sue & Lori

Cindee, Sue & Lori

Liz & Eunice

Kevin, Shelley, Connie & Sherry

Tami & Kate

Blake & Cindie

Steve & Jim

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Though top notch skills and impeccable professionalism are great, they rarely land people jobs by themselves. Opportunity knocks for those able to make meaningful connections, generate buzz around themselves and summon the courage to risk hearing no in order to have a chance at the ultimate yes. Those three traits may have little to do with how the person will perform in a job, but they have everything to do with getting an interview and offer.

When we take a moment, most of us can think of individuals who got a shot at a profession/position they weren’t necessarily qualified for. Michael Jordan played baseball. Do you think there were better players he beat out? I hope so. Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California. Paris Hilton was paid to sing. The list goes on. These are well known names, but I assure you the same thing happens on a smaller scale in offices around America.

Some will say it isn’t fair others beat them out because of name recognition or connections. Tough. It’s how the world spins at times. You can be mad at human nature or you can be mad at yourself for not doing what you can to make it work in your favor.

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Here’s the thing, legislative action and inaction have a huge influence on business in our country. Changes in regulations, tax code, budget items, domestic policy, foreign policy, etc., play a significant role in what industries are likely to be growing and scaling back at any given time. Those who don’t stay on top of political developments are missing key information necessary to building an effective job search strategy. They can’t possibly anticipate who the corporate and industry winners are likely to be now and in the future.

If you don’t want to jump into the tangle of picking a political side, fine. Make the commitment to remain aware of the events that shape your future job prospects.

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The Career Networking Groups at Capital Area Michigan Works are shifting gears. For nearly a year there have been four separate groups: Science/Engineering, IT, Sales/Marketing, Business Administration. With so many of the groups’ initial participants securing employment, there simply isn’t the demand to continue offering four separate networking options.

Starting March 1st, all groups are consolidating into one cross-professional group that will meet every Friday at 1:00 p.m. at Capital Area Michigan Works’ Lansing service center. The address is 2110 S. Cedar Street, Lansing, Michigan. Like before, the groups are free and do not require an RSVP to attend. Individuals are invited to participate as often as they are able. All professions are welcome! Employers are welcome to stop by, too!

The format of the group is simple. Each participant will have a minute or two, depending on the attendance, to share who they are and the types of opportunities they hope to connect with. After each participant has had a turn a discussion topic will be introduced. Examples of popular discussion topics include: search strategy, business developments, the impact of legislative changes, career trends, social media, resume/interview challenges and maintaining a positive attitude.

All participants are encouraged to bring information on job leads, new/expanding area companies, creative search strategy, etc., to the meetings to share with others. The goal is to have all involved keeping an eye out for leads and information beneficial to the group as a whole. Job seekers can cover more ground when working collectively.

I’ll close by saying it is more crucial than ever for job seekers to get on the networking bandwagon. Those who aren’t networking risk being invisible to a growing number of employers. Many companies are migrating away from job board style recruiting. It’s expensive, overwhelming, unfocused and annoying. Hiring through word of mouth is much more appealing. Also consider the companies expected to be hiring the most over the next year are small and medium sized businesses benefiting from tax reform. Those companies aren’t likely to turn to Career Builder or Monster.

Please come join the fun, yes it’s fun, and network with a great group of Lansing area professionals. We promise to pump you up, arm you with ideas, offer connections, surround you with positive support and give you a sense of no longer being alone in your search. The experience is hard to describe. Come and give it a try. Times are tough, but we’re tougher!

Those interested in connecting with group members can find them on LinkedIn by joining the group, “Lansing Go Getters.” Some also participate in discussions in the group, “Capital Area Michigan Works.”

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Why does this matter? She hasn’t posted the position yet. Her schedule has been crazy and it’s looking like she won’t get the job listing out on her company’s website until next Monday at the earliest. By the time many candidates see the job posting, 2-3 people will have interviewed for it already. None of those people are coming to her cold. All have been referred to her as a result of phone calls she made this week to get the word out. Who do you think has a better chance of landing this job, one of the candidates referred to her with early interviews or someone who finds the job a week or so after it’s posted and sends a resume cold? I know who I’d put my money on.

Another point to make is that this job will not be on a job board. The expense of Monster and CareerBuilder doesn’t make sense for this company since my contact is so well networked and can get a decent pipeline of candidates through a few well placed phone calls. The job will go up on the company website and those who have made a habit to follow this company, if it is of interest to them, will see the opportunity. Will they see it immediately? Hard to say. It depends on how diligent they are when it comes to staying on top of developments in companies that appeal to them.

Now, this contact makes a point to put all postings on the company website before selecting a final candidate. Does she have to? Nope. If you were a busy hiring manager and you could source 3 qualified candidates for immediate interviews without having to deal with the masses who chase job postings made public, what would you do? I’d be tempted to call it a day and skip the whole…”did you get my resume?…have you made a decision yet?…am I in contention?…why didn’t I get an interview?…why didn’t I get the job?…” nightmare.

The overall point is that many companies are doing all they can to avoid having to deal with the masses when filling positions. Job seekers don’t like competing against the  masses and employers don’t like having to sift through them. Ah, common ground. If hiring managers can find qualified talent through networking, they will. The question to ask yourself is, if an employer is finding people without investing in job boards, how “findable” are you? For too many the answer is “not very.” You have to find a way to change that answer if you want better results with your search.

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Part of the reason job seekers are frequently in competition against masses of other candidates is because all seem to be focused on the same 50 or so companies. We’ve got 625,000 unemployed people in our state pounding a sliver of existing businesses to death, while largely unaware of thousands of companies who just might have a hiring need or two.

Why is this? Too many job seekers are still relying heavily on internet job postings. Statistics suggest time and again a majority of companies prefer to hire through networking channels. Hiring via internet tools is often expensive, attracts the masses, forces them to define a need they may be struggling to nail down and makes the general public aware of corporate strategy & weaknesses. Information on open positions can give away a lot of competitive information, when you think about it.

So why do job seekers continue to focus mainly on internet leads and assault fewer than 1% of existing companies? I don’t think it’s laziness. To me, it’s a nasty case of tunnel vision. While staring at the obvious target the eyes fail to register all that is going on around them. Every product and service that we use in our daily life has a business behind it of some sort. All companies have something that needs improvement and it’s often easy to tell what’s broken when paying attention. Take the time to notice the businesses that surround you and continually ask yourself how you could make what they do better. If you bring enough value to the table, you may even find a job where there wasn’t one before.

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