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April 22, 2003
by Steve Hall, CPC, Sr. Consultant, Phillips International
In this difficult job market, we have seen some common challenges
that face technology professionals at every level—especially
those at the top of the ladder. Here are what we in the job search
business consider the top 10 things IT professionals must be prepared
to do in order to speed up the job search:
1.Salary
expectations have to come down—by 50% in some cases.
2.Create multiple versions of your resume, from
the highly functional to the highly technical.
3.Relocation is very likely. Talk with your family
about the possibility very early in the process, so there are no
surprises if relocation becomes a necessity.
4.If your unemployment lasts 6 months or longer, then begin
to uncover alternate career plans and develop a strategy to act
before your severance runs out. This may mean taking a
job unrelated to your IT expertise. If a job doesn’t happen
in six months, strongly consider taking a risk by taking anything.
The competition is so high now that the applicant with the most
current work experience will be hired. Don’t want to move
out of IT? Consider volunteering your IT skills to help out a charitable
organization or a struggling firm. The connections could translate
into a paying job down the line. In any case, don’t ride the
wave of severance and unemployment for more than six months—not
only in order to remain competitive, but to preserve your sanity
and self-esteem.
5.Don't rely exclusively on the job boards. There
are a great many postings that have been canceled but are still
online, or references to contacts that don’t even have the
approval to hire, or the skill to sift through resumes. Out-of-date
postings are routinely found on even the most highly regarded sites.
6.Utilize the expertise of a reputable search firm who has
been through an economic downturn before (more than 15
years). Just as you would want a financial advisor who has seen
his clients through a bear market, you want a search firm that knows
how to operate when the well runs dry.
7.Help headhunters help you. Search firms have
hundreds of resumes to wade through, so you need to do some of the
work. If you hear about a position you are qualified for, contact
the headhunter with the specifics and let them do the digging. It
saves you time and money—and it also appears more professional
to let the search firm make the introduction for you. And the fact
is that if you respond on your own, frequently the company does
not get—or keep—the resume. Search firms have promoted
candidates who swore they applied for the same job through a job
board, but the company has no record of it.
8.Develop a 30-60 second “commercial” about
yourself and put it in writing. A search firm needs the
most salient facts about a candidate condensed into about six lines.
Forget the long cover letters—they take too long to read.
A one-paragraph statement is much easier for an employer or headhunter
to take in and is more likely to get a prompt response. Be specific,
concise, and avoid the superfluous. Say who you are, how many years
you’ve been in IT, what you have accomplished, the size of
environments you've managed, the types of technology employed, and
how that technology was used. Especially in the search industry,
potential employers will be emailed a one-paragraph profile of the
candidate, not the resume. So take control. Save the employer or
search firm the time they may not have to read your resume, and
pique their interest—and garner their appreciation—with
“just the facts” in one paragraph.
9.Develop a reference list covering 3 angles (bosses, peers,
subordinates). And yes, if you can, include this list in
your resume. More and more applicants, in the fight to stay competitive,
are including their references in their resume. It shows confidence
in your abilities and trust in your reputation, and can frequently
amp-up the response time from an employer or search firm. Why three
categories (and you get extra points for listing them by category)?
Especially with people of sizable responsibility, an employer or
search firm will want to talk to references from each category to
determine your capabilities in all three areas. If you are concerned
about people being repeatedly contacted, designate one contact who
can refer the caller to other contacts, or who can articulate well
your abilities in all three areas of management. The bottom line?
Including references on a resume, once regarded as unnecessary,
can now put you at the top of the pack.
10.No matter what happens, always help others get ahead,
as people will not forget your kindness. As your mother
said, what goes around, comes around. A helping hand will not be
forgotten.
© Steve
Hall, CPC, Sr .Consultant, Phillips International Inc. 2003
About
the Author: Steve Hall is a 14 year veteran of the executive
search business, focused on technology. He can be reached at: Steve
Hall,CPC, Sr .Consultant, Phillips International Inc.
150 Executive Center Dr.B-82, Greenville,SC.29615, (800) 638-1661,
(864) 297-0000, shall@phillipsintl.com
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