Are You a Determined or Desperate Job Seeker?

When you’re anxiously awaiting your next job opportunity, sometimes it’s easy to walk the fine line between being a determined job seeker and desperate one. Of course, it’s not uncommon to feel desperate when you’re ready to get a job, but being desperate is something that should be practiced in the privacy of your home – not where others, namely prospective employers, can catch wind of it. If you’re not sure whether you’re giving off an air of determination or desperation, here are some ways to make sure you’re coming off as a determined job seeker.

Keep the Usual Formatting In Your Resumes

Desperate job seekers have been known to do some crazy things when trying to find work. One has been creating the crazy resume that is meant to garner attention but actually steers people in the other direction.

You may feel that you’re in the middle of a last ditch effort to get someone to pay attention to you so you want to submit your resume in a quirky font or add hearts as bullet points – what do you have to lose, right? Well, there is actually as much to lose today as there was when you started your search right after leaving your last job.

Don’t allow the search to drive you to do crazy things. Instead, keep your composure, submit your great traditional resume and feel confident that it will help you get hired.

Follow Up but Don’t Harass

While you may feel anxious to get out there and tackle every hiring manager you see, pin them down and stuff your resume in their face, of course, this is something you wouldn’t do. However, in the midst of your job search, there are ways to actually come off as though you’re just that desperate.

For instance, you could hound a hiring manager with whom you’ve shared your resume or pester a person who may be a networking contact for you. In both cases, it’s good to hand over your information and let the people do their job. There’s nothing wrong with following up, but harassing someone is not acceptable.

Don’t Overstress Your Search

It’s good to dedicate quality time each day to your job search. In fact, many say that it’s good to give an entire work day’s effort to the search. However, you don’t need to spend every waking hour looking for a job, contacting individuals, blogging and sending out blasts on Facebook. You have to allow some of the search to manage itself.

A good way to remedy this is to spend time outside or enjoying some other favorite activities. Being anxious and desperate doesn’t really help you and won’t have a hugely positive impact on your search.

Whether you’re turning in crazy resumes or telling an interviewer how anxious you’ve been to find work, there is a such thing as being too desperate. So take time to pace your job search and make sure to relax so that the process doesn’t overwhelm you. Most important, feel confident that the hard work you’ve given will inevitably offer the results you desire.

By Heather Eagar

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Keys to Passive Salary Negotiation For Job-Seekers Who Don't Like Negotiating

by Jack Chapman
Passive negotiating. So you're not one who enjoys conflict? In fact you avoid confrontation of any kind? You don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or take advantage of anyone. You're a giver -- not so good at receiving? You're a helper, not so good at being helped?
Here's the two things you can do that will not create the dreaded possibility of tension and disapproval, but give you a chance to add dollars to your paychecks.
Some negotiations require action on your part. Documenting, comparing, estimating, promising, etc. Other things are more passive. you want the least amount of negotiating besides saying "OK" (which is simply no negotiation at all!) consider these two passive techniques.
1. Be quiet when it's time to be quiet. You can still be an agreeable person, just don't agree right away! Use "The Flinch." When it comes time -- and it will come time to do this no matter how nice you are -- to talk money, simply let them talk. You don't need to break in; don't need to counter offer; don't need to do anything proactive, or even reactive: just be quiet. When you hear their offer, repeat it and say "Hmmm." Think about it. You will probably get a raise on the spot.
2. Ask "What's the best you can do?" You don't need to argue, present your evidence, make a case, etc. You don't need to say "no" to the offer you received or re-negotiate terms or cover fine pits. You don't need to demand more money or even ask for more money. You won't push them outside their comfort zone. Simply say, "Wow, thanks for your offer. I look forward to starting. And I'm not a very good negotiator, so I prefer to leave this up to you -- I trust you'll tell me the truth. What's the best you can do?
There, that's not so hard, is it? Have fun! 

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Email Tips For The Job Seeker

by Nathan Newberger

Most people take the power of email for granted. For most people that is okay, but for job searchers, your email form and content is an expression of yourself. Its IMPORTANT that you cover the email basics.

FACT

The days of job searching using postal mail are vanishing. Some experts even say initial telephone correspondence during the job search process is being replaced by e-mail or "electronic mail". Mainly because its easy, inexpensive, and you can reach a large audience with a few keystrokes.

During the job search process you may be using e-mail more than you imagined. Before you know it you will be e-mailing recruiters, employers, previous co-workers, sending resumes back and forth, etc.

The following eight tips will help make sure that your e-mail looks professional and get the attention of the reader. 

8 Tips To Make The Most Of your E-Mail 

#1 - OBTAIN A SEPARATE (job search only) E-MAIL ACCOUNT:

Use this e-mail address on your resumes and for corresponding with recruiters, contacts and prospective employers. Do not give this out to your friends and family or your favorite on-line shopping sites. The purpose of this career only account is to help you stay focused on your job search. By setting up an e-mail account for only career purposes you minimize the potential for distraction. 

#2 CHECK YOUR E-MAIL REGULARLY:

This means at a minimum three times a day (morning, afternoon and evening). It is highly recommended that you log on more often as recruiters often use this medium to inform you of potential leads and possibilities. Ignore this rule and you may find that your golden opportunity has passed you by.

#3 - ALWAYS RESPOND PROMPTLY:

How would you feel if you left someone a phone message and he/she did not respond promptly? Offended because he/she did not take the time to respond back? Worried that maybe the message never made it to him/her? It’s no different with e-mail. The rules of common courtesy still apply. Whenever possible, reply within the same day. Make sure that you respond to all e-mail with-in 24 hours at the latest. Do this even if only to say that you received the original e-mail and will need more time to do what is requested.

#4 - UTILIZE THE SUBJECT LINE:

The subject line is the first thing that a person sees when he/she checks his/her e-mail. Make it worthwhile. Best practice is to summarize the overall purpose/objective of the e-mail in the subject line. “ACME Brick position” will work. However, “Follow-Up: ACME Brick Fin Mgr Position” is better. Keep in mind that the person that you are e-mailing may receive dozens of e-mails each day. When short on time, he/she will scan the subject lines of his/her e-mails and answer the ones that seem most important first. 

#5 - SPELLING AND GRAMMAR RULES STILL APPLY:

Poor spelling and grammar can make you appear at best careless and at worst poorly educated. Neither characterization is appealing when worn by the job seeker. Read over and spell-check each e-mail before you send it. If you don’t have access to spell-check, then utilize the services of a friend or your trusty dictionary. The extra few seconds won’t break your schedule and might make all the difference in your job search. 

#6 - KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET:

Think back to all the English papers you wrote in high school. Now make sure that your e-mail correspondence does not look anything like that (except as mentioned in the previous point). E-mail is a casual and direct form of business correspondence. As a general rule, try and keep your e-mail under a page. Do not waste time with fancy words or flowery phrases. Make your point using the smallest amount of words reasonably possible. Remember that your target audience is often short on time. If they open up your e-mail and it looks like an essay, they may become frustrated and not bother to read it at all. 

#7 - FORGET BEING CUTE:

Never forget that you are looking for a job. Save the smiley faces, colored fonts, exclamation points, etc. for your friends and family. For the most part, they do not belong in your job-search e-mails. Also, e-mails may be informal business communication, but do not throw all rules of etiquette out the window. Always be courteous in your writing. 

#8 - Your Sign-off:

You should close each e-mail with a proper sign-off. It may be as simple as “Thanks-Jeff Smith”. Often times, it is useful to include contact information as well as any certifications in your sign-off. Many e-mail services (i.e., MS Outlook) have an auto signature function that allows you to set up a customized sign-off that can be inserted at the end of your e-mail. 

CONCLUSION

E-mail is indeed a powerful tool for the job seeker, but keep in mind that the decision to use it or not may depend on your audience. While most employers have welcomed the technology age and happily accept e-communication, there are some who may not be as comfortable. With the latter, it is often a good idea to stick to the phone or postal mail for your correspondence. How to tell the difference? It’s often easiest to just ask. More often than not, they will be an e-mail aficionado.

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