Office of Disability Concerns Client Assistance Program How to find and secure your job! December 1,, 2016
Office of Disability Concerns 2401 NW 23rd St, Ste 90 Oklahoma City, OK 73107 (800) 522-8224 http://ok.gov/odc/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oklahoma-Office-of-Disability-Concerns/
Job-Hunting Do's and Don'ts for Job-Seekers | Quintessential LiveCareer 12/21/16, 11 59 AM Job-Hunting Do’s and Don’ts
Printer-Friendly Version
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Here are the keys to successful job-hunting. Job-seekers who follow these rules and guidelines — the do’s and don’ts of job- hunting — should have much more success in the job-search.
Do use all avenues/methods of job-hunting available. And do have a job-hunting strategy. Do take advantage of all Web-based job-hunting methods, including general job-hunting sites, industry-specific job sites, geo-graphic-specific job sites, company (employer) sites, and networking sites. Do know the Job-Search Domino Effect. Don’t rely on any one method of job-hunting, especially job-hunting on the Internet (which should be at most 25 percent of your efforts), but do
https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/dosdonts Page 1 of 3 Job-Hunting Do's and Don'ts for Job-Seekers | Quintessential LiveCareer 12/21/16, 11 59 AM
consider using our Quintessential Careers Job Board as one of your options. Do have a professional looking resume and cover letter. And do use action verbs in your cover letters and resume. And for help analyzing your work experience, do complete a job-seeker accomplishments worksheet. Do focus on identifying your key accomplishments. Also, do use transferable skills to better explain your work experience — especially for recent college grads and career changers. Do consider developing a job skills portfolio, which showcases everything you have to offer a prospective employer. Do develop multiple versions of your resume. Don’t expect to get a new job overnight; job-hunting takes time and patience. But do take some time to reflect on your strategies if you have been job-hunting for several months and have not had any success. Do consider developing your personal brand. Self (career) branding is essential to the career advancement of job-seekers because branding helps define you and your value to current and prospective employers. Use these free personal branding and career self-marketing tools to help develop and strengthen your brand. Do have at least one version of a compelling elevator speech for job- hunting, job fairs, and networking situations. Don’t quit your current job until you have a new job. And do give proper notice when you quit your current job. And when resigning your job, do so with class. Do know the current dress for success rules for job-hunting. Do take advantage of your friends, family, and colleagues to network, network, network. And don’t simply rely on passive job-hunting methods. Don’t get discouraged if you’ve been fired or downsized.
https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/dosdonts Page 2 of 3 Job-Hunting Do's and Don'ts for Job-Seekers | Quintessential LiveCareer 12/21/16, 11 59 AM
Do follow-up all job leads. And do be persistent; there is truth to the “squeaky wheel” cliche. Do make sure a potential employer can reach you. Provide your home phone, cell phone, and email. And do make sure that your voicemail (or user name for e-mail) is professional. Do prepare and practice for your job interviews. And do be sure and ask questions at the interview. Do conduct research on all companies that interest you. Do send thank you letters to all people who interview you. Do make sure you use these other free job-hunting do’s and don’ts on all the major aspects of career development and job-hunting: Job-Hunting Do’s and Don’ts Articles.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker’s Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Read all our job-hunting do’s and don’ts articles for job-seekers.
Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.
https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/dosdonts Page 3 of 3
Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM Implementing Your Job Search, Finding Jobs Online Today
By Susan P. Joyce
[This is Step 2 in Part 2 of Job-Hunt's Online Job Search Tutorial.]
So, where do you find the jobs NOW? Even if you had a successful job search 2 years ago, don't assume that what worked then will work now.
Spending your time polishing your resume and then applying for every job you find with that resume does NOT work today for most job seekers.
Technology is rapidly changing -- used a pay phone, a BlackBerry, or a paper map recently? Those changes have a very big impact on how recruiters recruit. And, changes in recruiting dramatically change effective job search strategies.
[MORE: 5 Ways to Land Your New Job Faster.]
Advertisement Essential Success Tips
Today, it is very easy to get overwhelmed with options when you are searching online for a new job.
To avoid wasting your valuable time and energy searching for job postings, start here:
Focus Your Job Search
Choose a target job and target employers where you would like to work, and focus your efforts on that job and those employers.
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 1 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
Unfocused job seekers apply for anything and everything. Consequently, they train employers, resume databases, and applicant tracking systems to ignore them.
FACT: You are spinning your wheels and wasting your time until you focus on a particular kind of job and a group of target employers.
You are not, as many believe, increasing your options by being vague and generic in your approach to your job search. If you don't know the job you want, you will have a much more challenging job search.
Read 9 Steps to a Shorter Job Search and Successful Elevator Pitch in 7 Steps from WorkCoachCafe.com.
Unless You Are Qualified, Don't Waste Time Clicking the "Apply" Button
Fewer than 20% of jobs are filled by someone responding to a job posting, although many job seekers focus all of their efforts on applying for every job posting they find.
FACT: Recruiters use the term -- "resume spammers" -- to describe people who apply for every job they find. Resume spammers are ignored. Don't be one!
Because of the very large number of applications usually submitted by unqualified applicants in response to most posted jobs, job postings are NOT employers favorite way to fill jobs now -- too many resume spammers.
Employers' favorite way to fill jobs today is next.
Read Why Resumes Don't Get Read (and What You Can Do About It) and
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 2 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
New Requirements for Resume Success for more details.
Be "Find-able" Online
Being find-able online is essential today for two very important reasons:
1. Recruiters will find you when they search online for qualified candidates.
Because of resume spammers, searching for qualified job candidates is an employer's favorite way to fill jobs. Called "sourcing" it is also often the quickest way to identify good candidates.
When you are appropriately visible online, employers searching for qualified job candidates will find you, particularly on LinkedIn.
When you know what you want to do next, preferably with a list of 10 to 100 target employers, you will be able to focus your online visibility on the right keywords in the right places. Those right places include:
Your LinkedIn Profile and other activities on LinkedIn (your LinkedIn Updates and LinkedIn Group activities). Your other social media visibility, like Twitter and Facebook. Your resume and job applications. If you spend time applying for jobs online, customize the application or resume you submit so it includes the keywords used in the job description that are appropriate for you.
2. Recruiters will be able to verify the facts on your resume or application and to get a sense of your "fit" with their organization.
Without appropriate online visibility, you are effectively invisible. And that makes your job search longer and more difficult because...
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 3 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
Recruiters and employers are generally suspicious of invisible people, assuming that the invisibility is because the person is out-of-date (no understanding of how to use the Internet for business) or has something to hide. Neither of those assumptions will help your job search succeed.
Research has shown that more than 80% of employers and recruiters search the Internet to learn more about you before seriously considering you for a job or inviting you in to an interview. If they can't find you, you are usually not considered for their jobs.
Read Get "Sourced" to Get Hired, and Job-Hunt's Guide to Personal Search Engine Optimization and Guide to Personal Online Reputation Management for more details.
The 10 Best Sources of Jobs
Assuming that you know what you want to do and where you want to do it, you'll find millions of jobs posted online. Start with 1, and go through the whole list. Some will work better for you than others, but don't spend more than 20% of your valuable time completing online job applications:
1. Networking
No one wants to read this advice, but networking is the quickest way to a new job.
Networking doesn't mean attending events in big rooms full of strangers! Networking means staying in touch with people you know, and meeting new people. I've seen people connect with new jobs at a funeral, and they also connect at football games or over coffee with friends.
You are five (5) times more likely to be hired if you have been referred by an employee than if you apply without knowing https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 4 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
anyone.
Employers really prefer to hire someone known to a current employee than a complete stranger off the street.
Connecting with people at your target employers or choosing to work for an employer because you already have friends or family who work there is the most effective method of landing a new job.
[Related: Shortcut to a New Job: Tap an Insider.]
2. Employer Websites
Visiting your target employers' websites and finding the jobs posted there is a clear option. Often, you will find a link to "Current Jobs" on the home page. Sometimes, the link to job postings is labelled "Careers." While you are on the employer's website, you may be able to sign up to have new jobs sent to you.
Check out the employers' sites so you are familiar with what they do (products, services, senior management, locations, etc.), and use that information you collect in your interactions with the employer.
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is currently the most powerful and effective professional social network. LinkedIn also has job postings (see the "jobs" link below the search bar at the top of every page). Also check out the Jobs tab in LinkedIn Groups (you can join up to 100), and the company profile pages for your target employers.
LinkedIn is one of the best online venues for connecting with people who work at your target employers (and who worked there in the past). Use it to vet the employer, too. You can use the "company page follow" to stay up-to-
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 5 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
date with what is going on, including members of your network who work for that employer and job postings.
And, of course, you will find jobs posted on LinkedIn, too.
[MORE: How to Be Found by Recruiters on LinkedIn written by a recruiter and Job-Hunt's free Guide to Using LinkedIn for Job Search.]
4. Job Aggregators
The aggregators are powerful and very useful, including sites like Indeed.com, a Job-Hunt sponsor, which is the largest source of job postings in the world, aggregated (collected) from employer websites, job boards, association websites, publications, and more. Indeed and the other aggregators like LinkUp.com show you job listings.
When you click on a job listing, the link takes you to the job source which can be an employer, a job board, another website, or the job posted on the aggregator's site. Jobs posted on Craigslist sites aren't usually included in an aggregator's site unless the employer cross-posts the job.
[MORE: Using Indeed to Find a Job]
5. Social Media
In addition to LinkedIn, job postings are available through both Twitter and Facebook. In Twitter, follow your target employers' Twitter accounts for news and look for a Twitter account for jobs, too. Many employers also have Facebook pages for both marketing and, often, also for recruiting.
[MORE: Guide to Online Reputation Management.]
6. Job Boards
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 6 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
Job boards are still very popular, but, as employers have increased their recruiting on their own websites and as the aggregators have made those jobs more visible, the general job boards are perhaps not as effective as they once were. Look for niche boards like Dice.com (for IT) and Idealist.org (for nonprofits).
Be careful to avoid the imitation/scam job boards that exist to collect your personal information but offer you no benefit. [Related: Guide to Avoiding Online Job Scams]
7. Recruiters, Staffing Firms, & Head Hunters
Recruiters are the traffic cops in the process of hiring people. They can help or hurt you. The important thing to remember is that they don't work for you. They work for the employer. [Related: Working with Recruiters]
8. Classified Ads
Online classified ads, particularly on sites like Craigslist.org, can be very effective for job search because they are very low cost to use, and free in many locations. That low cost attracts small employers who can't easily post jobs on their own websites. But, do be cautious! Because the price of posting is very low or nonexistent, scams are posted. [Related: Using Craigslist to Find a Job]
9. Associations and Alumni Groups
Associations and school alumni groups are very effective for networking, and often their websites have job postings for members. If you have worked for an employer in the past, look for an "alumni group" for that employer.
You'll find many ways to connect with other alumni -- both school and
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 7 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
corporate -- in LinkedIn Groups. [Related: How to Engage More Recruiters and Employers with LinkedIn Groups.]
10. Google
Google has many hidden talents plus excellent tools for finding job postings as well as helping you with your job search in many other ways.
[More: Guide to Company Research, and how to be found online >> Guide to Personal SEO (Search Engine Optimization).]
This is a list of the top sources of job postings online, roughly in order of the number of job postings available. Do remember the job postings may not be your quickest way to a new job.
Direct/Offline Can Work Well for Local Small Businesses
If you want to work at the local mall or in the local McDonald's restaurant, go to that business and ask for an employment application to complete. Dress nicely, be polite, and complete the form neatly and legibly, and you'll probably end up with at least an interview the next time there is a job opening.
Lastly, Be Careful Out There!
When you are looking at job postings, be sure to keep in mind that many scams are published on all job posting sources. So, you need to be relatively cautious and skeptical about applying for jobs you find online. Read 9 Characteristics of a Job Scam for more information.
If you currently have a job, be sure to keep a low profile for your job search so you don't get fired (YES, they can fire you for job hunting in the USA!). Check Job-Hunt's Guide to Stealth Job Search.
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 8 of 9 Guide to Finding Jobs Online: Online Job Search Tutorial - Job-Hunt.org 12/21/16, 11 58 AM
Remember - no matter what Website you are visiting, even one listed in Job- Hunt, be sure to protect your privacy, watch out for scams, and avoid the Dirty Dozen Online Job Search Mistakes as well as the Dirty Dozen Dangerous Assumptions!
NEXT: Step 2 - Keeping Track of Your Activities
For more great information every week, sign up to receive our newsletter!
About the author...
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.
https://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml Page 9 of 9
10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn | CAREEREALISM 12/21/16, 11 47 AM 10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn Dan Sherman
A recent survey of human resources professionals revealed that over 90% of in-house recruiters hired people from LinkedIn. Is it any wonder then that LinkedIn is now the go-to site for job seekers looking for their next great career? For many people, however, LinkedIn is confusing.
So, here are my 10 best tips that I share with my LinkedIn coaching clients to get you on your way.
1. Optimize Your Profile
https://www.workitdaily.com/linkedin-finding-perfect-job/ Page 1 of 4 10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn | CAREEREALISM 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
What kind of job do you want? Whatever you are seeking, make sure you put those keywords in your profile. Think about it…how does a hiring manager search for candidates? He puts in the job title he is looking for into the search box. So, make sure you have your desired job title in many places on your profile so you come up high in LinkedIn searches.
2. Use A Professional Photo
I’ve worked with many job candidates looking for executive positions who have a casual photo on their profile. To me, that is a big fail! Save those shots for Facebook. LinkedIn is a professional networking site and you want to look your best. Dress according to how much you want to get paid. If you understand this, then get a professional headshot down at your local photographer studio. A pleasant smile will also go a long way. No one wants to hire a sourpuss.
3. Fill Out Your Profile 100%
By completing your profile, you are 40 times more likely to come up in LinkedIn searches. Besides that, it shows that you are taking LinkedIn and your job search seriously. LinkedIn has prompts that show you how you are doing and what you need to do to get to 100%.
4. Grow Your Network
I can hear you saying, “But I don’t want to connect with people I don’t know!” Sorry Charlie. If that is your mantra, LinkedIn will become virtually useless to you. Most job seekers come to me with about 100 connections. That means you’ll have a network of about a quarter million, and just a fraction of the 200 million people can see your profile. Do you really want a new job? Start connecting with everyone and anyone.
https://www.workitdaily.com/linkedin-finding-perfect-job/ Page 2 of 4 10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn | CAREEREALISM 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
5. Use Your Summary To Create An Ad
Your summary section in your profile is a great place to tell employers what you can do for them. Be sure to spell out all the benefits you bring to the workplace. How can you make them money? Save them money? Make them more efficient? Don’t be shy; tell them the benefit of hiring you.
6. Ask For What You Want
The summary is also a great place to spell out what and where you would like to work. Nobody can read your mind except David Copperfield… and he’s not hiring.
7. Support Your Profile With Recommendations
You might think that you’re the hottest candidate on the market right now. You’re the next Bill Gates or Marissa Mayer, right? Well, prove it by getting lots of great recommendations on your profile from first level connections you have worked with.
8. Network In Groups
You can join 50 groups on LinkedIn and I suggest you max that number out. Be strategic in your choices. You may love basket weaving, but put off joining that group till you find a job. For now, join 50 industry groups in the field you want to work so you can network with potential hiring managers.
9. Write To Hiring Managers
Do you see someone on LinkedIn you would like to work for? She’s ready to hire you right now. All you have to do is solve her biggest problem. Think about what vexes her, perplexes her, and keeps her up all night worrying. Write to her and ask her for 10 minutes on the phone so you can take all of
https://www.workitdaily.com/linkedin-finding-perfect-job/ Page 3 of 4 10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn | CAREEREALISM 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
her worries away. That could lead to an in-person interview where you can wow her.
10. Reach Out To Recruiters
The headhunters are out in droves on LinkedIn. Why wait until they find you? Write to them and ask if you can speak to them about your expertise and find out about the searches they are working on. They are on LinkedIn to meet the experts, so let them know about you.
Enjoy this article? You’ve got time for another! Check out these related articles:
LinkedIn Cheat Sheet: 5 Tips For A Professional Profile Your Essential LinkedIn Guide: Harness The Awesomeness LinkedIn Quick Tip: Monday = ‘Endorse Day’
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Dan Sherman Dan Sherman is the McGraw Hill author of Maximum Success with LinkedIn – Dominate Your Market, Build a Global Brand and Create the Career of Your Dreams. For more information on his services, visit: www.linkedintoaction.com.
https://www.workitdaily.com/linkedin-finding-perfect-job/ Page 4 of 4 Part time jobs you can get with no experience | Snagajob 12/21/16, 11 43 AM How to get a job with no work experience Amy White
You're browsing the job listings on Snagajob, and there it is: the perfect part-time job. You're about to click "apply" when you see the dreaded words: "1-2 years experience preferred."
We call this the Experience Conundrum. If you don't have any experience in the field, but employers will only hire someone with experience, how will you ever get any experience? We're here to help. Here are some suggestions for finding great part-time jobs, no experience necessary.
Look for part-time job descriptions that emphasize personality traits, not experience.
As you browse the job descriptions on Snagajob, you'll notice that many employers care more about who you are than your past experience. Look for a job description that matches your personality, and when you apply, emphasize the traits that make you perfect for the job. Here are some part- time jobs that fit the bill.
~~AMC Entertainment jobs require that movie theater staff be friendly, outgoing and able to work in a fast-paced environment.
http://www.snagajob.com/resources/no-experience-jobs/ Page 1 of 2 Part time jobs you can get with no experience | Snagajob 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
~~WIS International jobs in merchandising and inventory are great for people who are flexible, self-motivated and have a strong work ethic.
Go one level down from the part-time job you really want.
Maybe you're not thrilled about running a cash register - what you really want to do is manage a team. Most management jobs require at least a few years of experience, however, so the best way to get the necessary skills is to start at the bottom. Look for companies that actively promote from within.
~~Murphy USA jobs are a good opportunity to work your way up to a management position. "We promote on accomplishment 100%," the company says.
~~Same for Dunkin' Donuts jobs: "Many of the people who now manage and own our stores started at the ground floor."
~~Start out as a guest service representative or housekeeper and work your way up to other jobs at Marriott International.
"I know you're looking for two years of experience, but..."
Even when employers say they require two or three years' experience in a certain field, you may be able to convince them that your past work experience prepares you for the job. Think about your transferable skills: communication, teamwork and organization that are valuable in almost any part-time job.
~~Kohl's jobs for sales associates require "prior experience in sales, customer service or other work environment working with the public." Even if you haven't worked in sales, most of us have experience "working with the public" - so talk about that!
http://www.snagajob.com/resources/no-experience-jobs/ Page 2 of 2 Getting Hired With a Disability | Nolo.com 12/21/16, 11 53 AM Getting Hired With a Disability Learn how the ADA protects job applicants with disabilities against discrimination during the hiring process.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants with disabilities. If you have a disability and are searching for a job, you should know how the law protects you during the application and hiring process.
Who Is Protected
To understand your rights as an applicant with a disability, you'll first need to determine whether the employer is subject to the ADA or another state disability discrimination law. The ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Your state may have a law that applies to smaller employers, too.
Second, to be entitled to the ADA's protections, you must meet the definition of a person with a disability. That means you must be substantially limited in a major life activity, such as walking, speaking, or eating. (For more information about what conditions qualify you as a person with a disability, see Nolo's article Disability Discrimination in the Workplace: An Overview of the ADA.)
Job Qualifications
Next, consider whether you're qualified for the job for which you are applying. Only qualified applicants and employees with disabilities are protected by the ADA.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-hired-with-disability-30136.html Page 1 of 5 Getting Hired With a Disability | Nolo.com 12/21/16, 11 53 AM
Check the education and experience requirements. Though the law prohibits an employer from discriminating against you based on your disability, it doesn't require the employer to lower its hiring standards. You'll have to meet the same education and experience threshold as other applicants, unless those criteria are discriminatory (for example, because they are written to exclude applicants with disabilities).
Look at the job's duties. Make sure you can do the job's essential functions -- the basic job duties that are necessary to the position -- with or without a reasonable accommodation. It's easiest to do this if the employer gives you a job description or posting that describes what the job entails. If you can't tell what a job's essential functions are, you may need more information before you can decide whether you're able to do the job.
Once you know what the essential functions are, make sure you can do them. It's okay if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete them. The ADA protects those who can perform the essential functions with or without accommodation. For example, if you are able to fill out online forms with the assistance of voice-activated software, you are qualified for the position with a reasonable accommodation.
Don't worry if you can't do nonessential functions (as an office receptionist, occasionally lifting 25-pound boxes of paper, for example). As long as you can perform the essential functions, you are protected from discrimination.
Consider a reasonable accommodation. If you're confident that you can perform the job's essential functions with a reasonable accommodation, think about what accommodation would work. There's no guarantee you'll get the specific accommodation you request -- the employer is allowed to offer you an alternative if it solves the problem -- but it will confirm that you're qualified to do the job. (For more information on what constitutes a
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-hired-with-disability-30136.html Page 2 of 5 Getting Hired With a Disability | Nolo.com 12/21/16, 11 53 AM
reasonable accommodation, read Nolo's article Disability Discrimination in the Workplace: An Overview of the ADA.)
Interviewing
Once you've applied for a job, you may be invited to interview for the position. At that point, you may have to decide whether you want to tell the employer about your disability. In some cases, you may not have much choice, because the disability is obvious -- for example, if you are hearing- impaired or use a wheelchair. In other cases, however, it may not be, and you may not feel comfortable disclosing it. You are not required to do so if you don't want to.
Should you disclose your disability? Although you don't have to disclose your disability, it may be difficult to avoid the subject entirely, and there may be benefits to discussing it. While an employer isn't permitted to ask you about a disability -- even if it is obvious -- the employer can ask you whether you are able to perform the job's essential functions, with or without a reasonable accommodation. The employer is also allowed to ask you how you would perform functions or to demonstrate how you would perform them. An interviewer who doesn't know that you need an accommodation might mistakenly believe that you aren't able to do the job.
Discussing reasonable accommodations. Because in most instances the employer can't initiate a discussion about your disability, you'll have to speak up if you want the employer to consider a reasonable accommodation. After all, unless you can show how you would do the job, the employer won't have the full picture of your true abilities, and that could hurt you.
How to handle stereotyping. Of course, if you disclose your disability early on, you may have to contend with the stereotypes and incorrect assumptions about disabilities that sometimes plague the workplace. If the https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-hired-with-disability-30136.html Page 3 of 5 Getting Hired With a Disability | Nolo.com 12/21/16, 11 53 AM
interviewer asks inappropriate questions, take the conversation back to the position at hand. Make it very clear that you're capable of performing the job's essential functions.
Pre-Employment Testing
Your disability may also come into play during pre-employment testing. An employer can require you to take a medical exam, but only if you've received a conditional employment offer, meaning you're hired as long as you get the medical clearance to do the job. Also, the employer can't require you to take the exam if it doesn't require everyone in the position to do so. The employer must keep your medical records confidential and can only disclose necessary information to specific people who need it, such as emergency personnel.
Alternatively, the employer may require you to take a job-related test. (The test really should be job-related; for more information, read Nolo's article Testing Job Applicants.) If that's the case, you're entitled to a reasonable accommodation in the administration of the test. Even if you didn't disclose your disability during the interviewing stage, you should disclose it if you need a testing accommodation, like extra time on a written exam.
If You Don't Get Hired
Unfortunately, not every application or interview ends in a job. Sometimes, you may know the reason you weren't selected -- your salary requirements were more than the company was willing to pay, or someone with more experience and education was offered the job, for example.
But other times, you may suspect that the real reason you weren't hired is because of your disability. If that's the case, you may not have access to much information that confirms your suspicions. The employer may send you a letter or call you with a vague reason for not hiring you. Even if you ask for
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-hired-with-disability-30136.html Page 4 of 5 Getting Hired With a Disability | Nolo.com 12/21/16, 11 53 AM
details about why you weren't hired, employers are often hesitant to give this information. Still, ask for specific feedback and explain that it will help you better prepare for your next opportunity.
If attempts for more detailed information are rebuffed, and you have reason to believe that the employer's decision was based on your disability, consider filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) -- the federal body in charge of handling employment discrimination complaints -- or your state's fair employment agency. The EEOC or state agency may investigate your complaint, speak with the employer, or simply give you a letter confirming that you've filed a charge, which is a necessary prerequisite to filing a discrimination lawsuit.
To learn more about the ADA and steps to take if you believe an employer has discriminated against you, get Your Rights in the Workplace, by Barbara Kate Repa (Nolo).
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-hired-with-disability-30136.html Page 5 of 5
How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience)
Written by Peter Harris Posted on September 24, 2015
It’s the classic Catch-22, you need a job in order to get experience, but you need experience in order to get a job. Well, here’s how you can crack the job market for the very first time.
At Workopolis, we are in regular communication with both job seekers and employers, and “experience” is a hot issue with both of them.
Employers say that they have lots of educated candidates to choose from, but they can’t find enough applicants with on-the-job experience.
Candidates tell us that they have studied, earned degrees, certificates, and credentials, and still can’t land a job without real-world experience. Many also say that they’re worried that the entry-level, service industry, retail or hospitality jobs that are available to them will actually hurt their chances of
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 1 of 6 How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
landing a job in their field. So, they’re stuck.
Here’s the thing. It’s that first, often unrelated, job experience that employers really want to see on candidate resumes. They don’t actually care how many pairs of yoga pants you sold or how many coffees you served, but it’s the real- world job skills that you develop while working that are quite different from what you learn in school that matter.
The demonstrated ability to show up on time, work hard throughout a shift, team work, customer service, problem solving and communications, these are learned and developed right from your very first job, and will be valuable for getting hired and on the job for all of your others.
So how do you get hired for that first job without any experience? We asked Sharon Ramalho, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada. Her company hires roughly 45,000 people every year a great many of whom for their very first job.
Here’s what her company looks for in entry-level candidates:
“People who are really interested in working as part of a team,” says Ramalho. “They don’t necessarily have to be extroverts, but they have to be self-motivated. It helps if they want to learn, have a passion for food, and they want to help people have a nice experience in our restaurants.
But that’s what we hire for: motivation and a willingness to learn. Once hired, our staff have a detailed training program, and that’s where they can learn what we call the ‘Skills for Life:’ communications, teamwork, functioning in a fast-paced environment, and goal setting.”
So to land that first job, one of Canada’s top employers for young people says that a candidate must have: motivation to work and a willingness to learn.
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 2 of 6 How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
And that entry-level job allows you to develop and demonstrate those core skills that are most sought after across industries: communications, teamwork, customer relations and a demonstrated work ethic. These are the building blocks of career success.
Those first jobs matter. You’ll learn more (and earn more) by working than by waiting.
For our recent Thinkopolis report, we looked at the most in-demand skills in Canadian job postings, and those skills that are the fastest rising in demand. You can read that report here. What our team also found in that research were the skills that most often appear in entry-level job postings. Here they are in order of prevalence.
The skills most commonly listed in entry-level job postings:
Customer service Communication skills Sales Writing Microsoft office – Microsoft Excel – Microsoft Word Organizational skills Teamwork Policy analysis Telephone skills Retail Reports Problem solving English
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 3 of 6 How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
The top sectors for entry-level job postings online:
Retail [View jobs] Hospitality and Food Service [View jobs] Financial Services and Banking [View jobs] Consumer Products [View jobs] Healthcare and Medical Services [View jobs] Advertising and Marketing [View jobs] Trades [View jobs]
The other thing we often hear from employers is that many young people lack self-marketing skills. That means they don’t know how to produce a stand-out resume and conduct a professional job interview.
So practice. If you have to write ten resumes and do six interviews just to land a survival job, then look at it as great training in tailoring resumes and conducting interviews. Each one gets easier as you learn to articulate your skills, experiences and accomplishments. You’ll be that much more prepared to be the stand-out candidate who wins the role even as you apply for more and more competitive positions over the course of your career.
And if you can’t find work of any kind? Still stay busy. Volunteer, participate in community activities, be social. You’ll achieve more, meet more people, and find more opportunities by being out in the world than by retreating into yourself.
It is a tough labour market for young people to break into right now, and not finding opportunities can be discouraging. But trust me, everyone will find their way. Opportunities will present themselves. Your challenge is to make sure you’re ready to step into the doors when they open up.
Entry-level jobs with the most advertised job openings in Canada
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 4 of 6 How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Jobs in the Student/Entry-Level range tend to fall into two broad categories: positions that most people could do regardless of level of education (general labour, retail, hospitality, etc.) and those skilled positions where the demand for workers is so great that new grads are snatched up as soon as they obtain their certifications (regardless of real-world experience.)
So based on analysis of Workopolis job posting data, here are the jobs that are most frequently advertised online in Canada for student and entry-level candidates.
The top ten jobs posted for Student / entry-level candidates:
Customer Service Representative (Average wage: $16.50/hour) [View jobs] Sales Associate / Representative (Average wage: $40,000 + commission) [View jobs] Technical Support Representative (Average wage: $50,000) [View jobs] Administrative Assistant (Average wage: $36,000) [View jobs] Account Manager (Average wage: $66,560) [View jobs] Cashier (Average wage: $10.50/hour) [View jobs] Receptionist (Average wage: $33,000) [View jobs] Grocery Clerk (Average wage: $11/hour) [View jobs] Merchandiser (Average wage: $39,000) [View jobs] Beauty Advisor (Average wage: $11/hour) [View jobs]
The top jobs where graduates are sought immediately after finishing school:
Registered Nurse (Average wage: $72,000) [View jobs] Personal support worker (Average wage: $32,000) [View jobs] Business Analyst (Average wage: $75,000) [View jobs] Financial advisor (Average wage: $61,100) [View jobs]
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 5 of 6 How to get a job without experience (when no one will hire you without experience) 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Physiotherapist (Average wage: $71,000) [View jobs] Marketing coordinator (Average wage: $48,000) [View jobs] Pharmacist (Average wage: $84,765) [View jobs] Accountant (Average wage: $61,000) [View jobs] Occupational therapist (Average wage: $73,000) [View jobs] Human Resources Assistant (Average wage: $44,720) [View jobs]
Salary data from the federal government’s Working in Canada site. (In most cases I have converted average hourly wages into annual salaries.)
Peter Harris – Peter Harris on Twitter
http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-to-get-a-job-without-any-experience-when-no-one-will-hire-you-without-experience/ Page 6 of 6 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs
Fully 70 percent of working-age people with disabilities in America are not working. This leads to poverty, powerlessness and prison. So how can we, who care about people with disabilities, change that?
Back in the old days, people with disabilities didn’t have access to quality education. Now, thankfully, with better access to education and technology some of the smartest and most productive people on earth are people with disabilities. Think of Stephen Hawkins. Fifty years ago he wouldn’t have been able to communicate. Today he is unlocking the secrets of the universe.
We need every American worker who can work to do so. Think about it — we have 10 million Americans with disabilities, most of whom want to work, ready to get off the sidelines and help make American companies stronger. When more people are earning paychecks, the economy improves. We can save tax money. People with disabilities want to and can contribute to the economy.
Here are 10 tips to how YOU can make a positive difference to enable people with disabilities to get real jobs at real wages.
1. Demand your rights. If you are a person with a disability (PWD) or the loved one of a person with a disability (PWD), you need to demand that your IEP and/or vocational rehab program prepare you for paid employment in an integrated work environment. That means that from the infant and toddler program, all the way through the end of school rights at age 21, public employees and the community overall should be preparing you or your loved one with a disability for “employment first.” They should not be just passing
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 1 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
you through for a lifetime of government benefits (which by the way average not much more than $1100 a month plus healthcare). They should prepare you/your loved one for much more than “dayhab” or to join 400,000 Americans with disabilities who are being exploited by a legal loophole of sheltered workshops that allows some employers to “pay” people with disabilities literally as little as pennies an hour. It means helping you find the alignment between your interests, abilities and what is needed in the competitive job market. Your goal should be the opportunities for full time work in an integrated workplace where the pay is at least the minimum wage.
2. Be proud and loud in telling people you want a hand UP, not a hand OUT. The majority of working age Americans with disabilities want to work. Yet most of them sit quietly on couches, with 10 million people living in a cycle of dependency that undermines opportunity and hope. Take advantage of vocational rehab (VR) programs and other excellent programs such as BRIDGES and PROJECT SEARCH to get the training and supports you need to get ahead.
3. Encourage PWD to start working in an unpaid internship or as a volunteer by age 14. There is no better predictor of future economic success that early practice in the workplace. Work into paid positions as soon as possible and do a job. Ask members of your faith or other communities to help you find opportunities to make a difference and to build skills and experiences that will help you build your resume one step at a time.
4. Know the facts. You need to be an expert not only on your own disability or loved one’s disability, but also on issues that confront all people with disabilities. When we work together across the range of disabilities we can all help each other. Key facts you need to know include that fully 70 percent of working age Americans with disabilities are currently outside of the workforce. That compares to 28 percent for Americans who do not have
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 2 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
disabilities. The disability unemployment situation leads to extremely high levels of poverty, isolation and financial dependency for Americans with disabilities. This in turn costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits. However, most Americans with disabilities who are working age want to work.
Companies are in the business of making money — and hiring people with disabilities can make them more profitable. I know the old stereotypes. People hear the word “disability” and think of someone who needs pity rather than someone with something to offer. But with today’s technology a blind person can function fully on Apple computers. A non-verbal person on the Autism spectrum can speak clearly through assisted technologies. The breakthroughs due to science, education, medicine and rehab are transformative. Individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities have demonstrated unique and profitable ways to contribute to the workplace. It’s time for companies to take advantage of these changes and to hire people with disabilities for the abilities that they DO have.
5. Educate your elected officials. Perhaps the most important leader in America today on disability employment issues is Governor Jack Markell of Delaware. He has no personal family connection to disability issues. However, when he met a young man with a disability who got his first job in his late 20’s, he asked what the young man had been doing. “Sitting on the couch” was the answer. Governor Markell instantly got that our nation would be better off if the talents and time of people with disabilities was harnessed for the good of the country. As the head of the National Governors Association at the time, he got all 50 governors involved in learning about how to make positive change for people with disabilities. You should take the time to read the report here. Know that it all started with one person with a disability educating one person — his own governor. You too can make such a difference by getting to know your elected officials and helping them learn the
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 3 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
facts.
Even when we are able to change the public perception of hiring practices in America, there are still legitimate obstacles preventing individuals with disabilities from entering the workforce. Working with the government to make changes is imperative and thankfully, Governor Markell of Delaware launched a tremendous initiative in 2012 to set a goal to advance employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities.
Now is a great time to reach out to your governor to encourage them to take additional steps to bring their state to the next level on inclusive hiring practices.
Write a letter or email below and ask them to be a leader making a measurable difference in the lives of Americans with disabilities. Suggest that they:
• Host a statewide summit on disability employment that includes companies, people with disabilities, non-profits, faith leaders, media, government, and philanthropists. The goal of the summit would be to start a process that involves all the sectors to break the deadlock of poor performance by meaningful public-private partnerships and new thinking. • Use your office and leadership to promote progress through personal statements/op-eds/media events on this issue. • Make specific commitments to improving the numbers of people with disabilities who are employed in a real job for a real wage, as well as for disability owned businesses to be created and expanded through best practices. • Support a change in focus from a failed system of “from cradle to dependency” to “from cradle to job and independence” thinking. “Employment first” thinking is the way to go. This means that public school
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 4 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
and other services, including transition efforts, must be geared toward successful employment opportunities and that schools be measured on their success. • Create a public-private partnership/task force reporting directly to the Governor in order to achieve specific employment goals. • Hold people accountable for better outcomes in the public and private sectors so people with disabilities in their state can be empowered to achieve the American dream.
You can find your governor’s contact info here.
6. Use the right messages and remember to K.I.S.S. — KEEP IT SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. Ensuring that individuals with disabilities are able to achieve the American dream is MY issue. If you are reading this lengthy article, than in some way this is likely your issue as well. We care deeply and are personally impacted. But Americans these days face a million demands on their time and will give you very little to state your case. So if you want to speak out on these critical issues to the media, your elected officials or friends and neighbors, keep in mind a key rule: K.I.S. — Keep It Simple. Use this message triangle below on the 3 points that you want to get across on this topic.
• Americans with disabilities want to work. • Companies can be more profitable when they hire people with disabilities. • We can save tax money and make our country stronger by including people with disabilities in the workforce.
Now, get ready to repeat yourself over and over, with slightly different variances to keep it interesting! You want to go back to your core three messages over and over. It’s called “message repetition” or “message discipline” and it’s not an easy thing to do. That’s because you will be
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 5 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
thinking, “I’ve already said these things once, twice or three times. If I say it one more time the people I speak to will think I’m nuts or will be annoyed.” But scientific research has shown that on average a person needs to hear the same message at least seven times before it will be internalized enough to change a behavior.
7. Talk about case studies that work. Employers, unlike elected officials, don’t follow public opinion as much on the hard issues of dollars and cents. While they might watch and like the Michael J. Fox show which models how a person with a disability can be a productive employee, ultimately they will need to see case studies from companies they trust that show a profitable bottom line. Thus, when business sections of newspapers, magazines and news shows tell real live case studies of companies that are more profitable because of inclusive hiring of Americans with disabilities — that is when the floodgates of opportunity will open. But it needs to be business-to-business, employer-to-employer.
The recent cover story, “The Autism Advantage“ in the New York Times Magazine, Thorkil Sonne of Denmark, “started a company called Specialisterne, Danish for “the specialists,” on the theory that, given the right environment, an adult on the Autism spectrum, could not just hold down a job but also be the best person for it. This is a tremendous example of a successful case study. The impact is sure to be far-reaching. More of these stories are needed to change the public opinion dynamic.
8. Meet the print and TV reporters who cover business or disability issues in your area, bring them the news. Leaders and activists who care about people with disabilities should be speaking about these issues to the media.
The media (both the news media and Hollywood) is the lens through which Americans see people with disabilities. The Cosby Show and Oprah broke
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 6 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
historic ground for race relations in our nation. All of a sudden African Americans were in the living rooms of white Americans — and they became like welcomed family members. What The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Will and Grace, and Married with Children did for LBGT issues caused tremendous change. Public opinion shifted on marriage equality so quickly that elected officials and courts are practically falling over one another to change their views on these issues.
The disability community has high hopes for the new Michael J. Fox Show. Michael J. Fox, an incredibly popular and well-known actor who himself has Parkinson’s, portrays a reporter with Parkinson’s who re-enters the workforce. And because Fox is so very well liked and talented, the hope is that viewers will root for him — and that they will see him as capable and successful. Sadly however, according to G.L.A.A.D., only one percent of scripted TV characters have a disability, compared to 18.6 percent of the population.
We need employer “heroes” who will be proud to be showcased in the media. They need to be both in entertainment media and in the news. We need to showcase companies who are doing better because they hired people with disabilities who are capable, productive and profitable.
Although 20 percent of Americans have a disability, there are very few public role models, which show the stunning success that Americans with disabilities can have for their employers. As disability leaders or activists, our goal with the media and the public is to have them show people with disabilities for the talents and benefits that they bring to employers. To do this, we need to identify local heroes — a company or organization that has been more successful because of their inclusive hiring processes. It needs to be a win-win pro-business or pro-employer story. It should also make the employer so proud of being associated with hiring people with disabilities
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 7 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
that they will want to send it to their clients and make it a part of their publicity. That, in turn, can help inspire more employers to choose employees with disabilities.
9. Network with business people who matter. Speak to friends, neighbors, and colleagues. You aren’t asking them to hire an individual, you are speaking to them about an important profitable initiative that they should know and care about. Keep your audience in mind. You never know who is listening or who your message might be shared with second hand. CEOs want to hear that inclusive hiring practices will make them money, and help save on taxes. It might seem tricky to work into cocktail party conversation, but what do you want to answer when someone asks how are, what are you working on these days? Why not respond, “actually, I’m very involved in advocating for people with disabilities to achieve the American dream. Did you know...”
Remember to go back to your “message triangle” again. Here is an example of what you could say to a business person:
• The majority of Americans with disabilities who are working age want to work. They represent a talent pool of 10 million Americans who can make companies and organizations stronger and better.
• Hiring people with disabilities can make companies more profitable. Nationally Walgreens has found this to be true as employees with disabilities, when aligned with their talents and interests, are more productive, loyal and have fewer work place accidents than employees without disabilities. Here locally we have company (insert the name of the local company), which has found (insert the local success story). There is actually also a company that specializes in hiring people on the Autism spectrum because they find them laser focused and excellent at critical thinking.
• Hiring Americans with disabilities can save money for U.S. taxpayers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 8 of 9 10 Tips to Enable People With Disabilities to Get Jobs | The Huffington Post 12/21/16, 11 52 AM
Americans with disabilities, in most cases, would rather have a hand up than a hand out. They need to be included in employment because of the talents they bring to the table. Their work and commitments to success can be a part of how America can compete against countries like China in this tough global economy.
10. Never give up and stay positive. We have a lot to accomplish, but it can be done! Alone we feel alone, but together we can and will make a difference. Get involved today, talk to a friend or co-worker, identify a promising employer to highlight, contact your governor. We can enable more Americans to achieve their American dream!
Follow Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Respect_Ability
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-laszlo-mizrahi/10-tips-to-enable-people-_b_4261901.html Page 9 of 9
Five Tips for Job Hunting with a Disability | Monster.com 12/21/16, 11 51 AM Five Tips for Job Hunting with a Disability
Five Tips for Job Hunting with a Disability
By Margaret Steen
Finding a job isn't easy for anyone in this market, but for job hunters with disabilities, the search can seem especially daunting.
"There is a tendency among people to make assumptions," said Dan Ryan of the University of Buffalo, author of the Job Search Handbook for People with Disabilities. Interviewers may be uncomfortable or worry that a disability in one area will carry over into others.
Ryan and other experts offer these tips for making sure a disability doesn't stand in the way of getting a job.
Keep the Focus on What You Can Do -- Not What You Can't
All job seekers must convince an interviewer that they're up to the job requirements. If you need to ask for an accommodation, phrase it in positive terms: "As long as I'm able to get my wheelchair in the door, I can attend the
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-tips-for-jobhunting-with-a-disability-hot-jobs Page 1 of 3 Five Tips for Job Hunting with a Disability | Monster.com 12/21/16, 11 51 AM
meeting."
Interviewers are always more convinced by someone who offers a detailed plan than by someone who just says, "Sure, I can do that." So explain not just that you can do the job, but how.
"Say you're required to go from Building A to Building C three or four times a day and you're sitting in a wheelchair. Explain how you will do it: 'I'll just roll my wheelchair up the ramp and do the job,'" said Gwen Ford, director of business management and program services for Project HIRED, a nonprofit in San Jose that helps people with disabilities find jobs.
Discuss Only What's Necessary About Your Disability
If you're asked to an interview on the fifth floor of a building with no elevator and you can't get up the stairs, you'll need to explain that ahead of time. But "in most circumstances, the longer you put off disclosing your disability, the better off you are," Ryan said.
If your disability is visible, it might be better to briefly acknowledge it, Ryan said -- then move quickly to how you would do the work. "What you want to do is confront it and point out the fact that it doesn't affect your ability to do the job," he says.
Show, Don't Just Tell
Point to previous jobs or -- if you don't have any -- internships or volunteer work. "Demonstrate that you can do the job," Ryan says. "It's true for everybody, but it's just that much more important" if you have a disability.
Be Confident
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-tips-for-jobhunting-with-a-disability-hot-jobs Page 2 of 3 Five Tips for Job Hunting with a Disability | Monster.com 12/21/16, 11 51 AM
"The attitude of the job seeker has a huge impact on whether or not they get the job," Ryan says.
If you are self-conscious about your disability or feel like you don't have many job skills, try to boost your self-confidence before you interview. If you haven't held a job before, think of skills you have learned from hobbies. You'll find out that you have more skills than you ever realized, Ford said.
Educate Yourself
Many groups and Web sites offer help for workers with disabilities.
The US Department of Labor offers resources for job hunters with disabilities, including information on the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The Job Accommodation Network offers advice on workplace accommodations for a wide range of disabilities.
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-tips-for-jobhunting-with-a-disability-hot-jobs Page 3 of 3
10 Ways To Be More Confident At Work 12/21/16, 11 49 AM 10 Ways To Be More Confident At Work Mar 5, 2013 @ 01:05 PM
There are many reasons you may lack confidence at work. Maybe you’re in a job that requires skills you don’t have, or you’re less experienced than anyone around you. Perhaps you’re new to the company and feel uneasy about your ability to succeed—or you feel threatened by colleagues; you fear losing your job; or you are simply too hard on yourself. Public humiliation and errors in judgment can also do the trick. Gallery “The most common reason that How To Be More employees lose confidence is very Confident At Work simply because of a bad relationship with their boss,” says Lynn Taylor, a Launch Gallery national workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: “Overall, that insecurity will last as long as the relationship is strained.”
Negative peer relationships can also disrupt confidence, especially if there’s a pack mentality, she adds. “A group may feel threatened, for example, and try to undermine a worker. But since managers hold the cards to the employee’s future, the state of that rapport has the greatest impact on confidence levels.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/05/10-ways-to-be-more-confident-at-work/#1b9096d831f8 Page 1 of 4 10 Ways To Be More Confident At Work 12/21/16, 11 49 AM
In Pictures: How To Be More Confident At Work
The good news is that you can manage behavior around you to improve relations, boosting both your self-esteem and your career, Taylor says. And you’ll definitely want to do that.
Why be more assertive? For one, you will be taken more seriously if your words and action have conviction, Taylor explains. “This will help you advance in your job and career.” However, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, so be sure you don’t overcompensate by getting egotistical during moments of low self-esteem.
“Regulating and balancing feelings of confidence requires considerable self- awareness and knowledge,” says Dr. Katharine Brooks, director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin and author of You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path From Chaos to Career. “In the same way that you don’t want to lack confidence, you also don’t want to be over- confident. Over-confidence can make you take on projects that are beyond your capability, and you might not be able to complete them.”
A healthy level of confidence, however, will make you more likely to engage in challenging but manageable projects, will help you get outside your comfort zone, and allow you to achieve new goals–all of which are valued characteristics of successful workers, Brooks says. “Employers will know that they can trust you with a project and that you are likely going to be good at motivating others as well.”
William Arruda, a personal branding expert and author of Ditch. Dare. Do! says confidence is important because it is the most attractive personal brand attribute. “When someone exudes confidence, we want to work with them. We are more likely to follow their lead. Confidence is the number one byproduct of the personal branding process, because in branding you uncover
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/05/10-ways-to-be-more-confident-at-work/#1b9096d831f8 Page 2 of 4 10 Ways To Be More Confident At Work 12/21/16, 11 49 AM
what makes you exceptional and use it to make career choices and deliver outstanding value.”
Confidence is also a key leadership quality, Taylor adds. If you are a decisive person with the credentials to back it up, you will be better positioned to advance in a company. “You’ll also be able to attract and retain a quality team, because they will trust you and feel you have matters under control. If you know your subject and stance, believe in yourself, and speak with poise and conviction, you will naturally exude confidence.” Conversely, uncertainty begets uncertainty. If you doubt yourself, so will others.
Deborah Brown-Volkman, a career coach and president of SurpassYourDreams.com, says that without confidence you won’t stand out, you won’t be assigned great projects, and you’re less likely to be recognized or get raises, bonuses, and promotions.
It turns out your confidence can benefit your employer, as well.
“More and more, employees are the face of the company,” Arruda says. “When employees are confident, they are better spokespeople for the company. With a lean workforce, companies need everyone engaged and inspired. Lack of confidence impedes full engagement.”
Taylor adds that employers benefit from confident workers because they are more positive contributors, more productive, good motivators and make great role models. “In addition, self-assured employees, particularly in customer- facing or sales positions, directly contribute to brand perception, beginning with the receptionist or administrative contact,” Taylor says. “Companies want to put their best foot forward in a macro sense, too, projecting leadership and confidence–and employees represent the parts to the whole.”
Good employees spend a lot of time being modest, says Alexandra Levit, the
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/05/10-ways-to-be-more-confident-at-work/#1b9096d831f8 Page 3 of 4 10 Ways To Be More Confident At Work 12/21/16, 11 49 AM
author of Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success. “Sometimes we actually feel that way, and sometimes we don’t but think that’s how we’re supposed to act so that other people will like us. At times, though, I believe it has the reverse effect. Other people don’t view us as talented or as worthy because we don’t appear to view ourselves that way.”
In Pictures: How To Be More Confident At Work
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/05/10-ways-to-be-more-confident-at-work/#1b9096d831f8 Page 4 of 4 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM Resources:
Search 2000 + Worldwide Engineering Jobs and Power Plant Jobs
Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search
How will I find another job? How long will it take? What if no one will hire me? Who will pay my bills? Will I join the ranks of the homeless? What do I do now? If your thoughts and feelings are similar to these, you are not alone. Unemployment can be a frightening experience, but it’s also a time to build your confidence in preparation for and during your job search.
Job hunters typically fall into one of three categories: 1) those just entering the job market after graduation; 2) those who are currently jobless, but had full time employment previously; and, 3) those who are employed, but are looking for a different job. The last category includes people seeking new jobs in the same career field for financial reasons, career advancement or personal fulfillment, as well as those pursuing a change in careers.
One major factor in today’s labor market is the change in the employment process. For example, 30 years ago when you accepted a job offer you often could expect to spend your entire working life with the same employer. If you worked hard and remained loyal, the company would provide rewards.
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 1 of 6 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
By the mid-1970s, trends began to shift. You valued job security, but may have discovered that your employer had other plans for you. Layoffs, common by today’s standards, became a terrible new reality. Employees asked, “What happened to the belief that employees are a company’s most valuable assets?”
The 1980s and 1990s brought even more changes. Mergers and acquisitions were in vogue and thousands of people lost their jobs. Those who escaped layoff often suffered “survivor sickness.” Symptoms included anger, hurt, fear, and guilt. Some managers ignored the post-layoff healing process and never addressed denial with their remaining employees. Companies became populated with depressed workers. In addition, advances in technology changed job performance expectations and increased the pressure on employees to stay abreast of current conditions.
Now, fast-forward. It’s the 21st century and it’s time to take a fresh look at how you are competing. Your approach to changing careers or dealing with job loss can make the difference in how fast you transition to something new. Regardless of your situation, it’s time to look at the ten secrets for boosting your confidence during the job search. Accept the realities, and let the suggestions assist you in developing an action plan for finding a new job or career.
Secret #1–It’s a jungle out there If you haven’t looked for a job in a long time, you probably feel like you are walking into a jungle. In reality, you are simply over-whelmed with all of the steps you need to take in order to find a job. Yes, you have competition, but don’t let that scare you. Your focus should always be on what you can do. You can’t control your competition and in most cases, don’t even know who they are. Concentrate on yourself and in creating a powerful “door-opener”
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 2 of 6 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
resume, a cover letter that knocks their socks off, and practice, practice for the interview anticipating every question you can think of.
Secret #2–Envision yourself as the answer to someone’s prayers You deserve to get the job. Why shouldn’t it be you? There is an employer out there somewhere who is looking for you as you are reading this. All you have to do is find each other. And when you connect for the first time, whether by resume, email, telephone or in person, you have earned an opportunity to tell them, and maybe even demonstrate what you are capable of doing. You become the answer to someone’s prayers!
Secret #3–No pain no gain You didn’t think the job search would be easy, did you? Looking for a job is a big commitment. Finding what you’re looking for won’t happen overnight. You will need to put in the time before you can reap the benefits and that includes developing a marketing plan, preparing a resume, and networking with anyone who can potentially help you.
Secret #4—They are probably nervous too It may not have occurred to you, but there is a good chance that the interviewer is also nervous, especially those who are inexperienced. Boost your self-confidence by focusing on your credentials and how you can meet the employers needs. And don’t be intimidated by the interviewer regardless of their position in the company. Hold your head high and confidently answer each question.
Secret #5–Practice, practice, practice Nothing builds confidence quicker than practice interviewing. You do this every time you interview, but it should start before you are called for a telephone or face to face interview. If you have done your homework, you
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 3 of 6 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
have practiced answering questions out loud with a friend or to yourself. With especially difficult questions like, “Can you share with me one of your weaknesses?” you may want to write out your answer, memorize it and then practice until your answer sounds natural.
Secret #6–Be aware of the language of confidence What language are we talking about? It’s the English language, but spoken with the utmost of confidence. It’s about being able to express yourself without hesitation. It’s also about good eye contact, and turning questions into statements. People who lack self-confidence often turn declarative sentences into questions. For example, “I’m not really sure what I bring to the table now that we’ve talked further, do you think I would be a good fit?” Turn that question into, “I’d like to learn more about the job responsibilities, but based upon what you’ve told me so far, I know that I would be a perfect match for the job.” Never look for reassurance from the interviewer; your job is to confidently assure him or her that you are exactly what they are looking for!
Secret #7–Create a winning image When you look good you feel good. You’ve heard the expression, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” What you wear to the interview definitely impacts your self-confidence. If you don’t like how you look it shows. Begin by finding out what you are expected to wear. If the interviewer tips you off by suggesting that you dress “business casual,” do as you’ve been told. But if you don’t have advanced information, for women suits and separates can be coordinated with tasteful accessories to convey an up-to-date look. For men a solid navy suit with a solid white dress shirt is appropriate. Ties should be solid, pinstripes or small patterns. Polished shoes, clean hair and fingernails are expected along with white teeth and fresh breath. Your overall look should reflect confidence and capability.
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 4 of 6 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
Secret #8–Don’t talk to much or too little People who lack self-confidence either talk too much or too little. Nervousness sometimes causes out of control chatter or rambling. It can also make people clam up. You need a balance. Nervousness and building confidence comes with practice. The more opportunities you have to interview, whether in mock interviews or the real thing, the better your chances of controlling your nervousness and exuding confidence during the job interview.
Secret #9–Don’t be shy about asking for the job When the interview comes to a close, the interviewer typically asks if you have anything else to say. And even if she doesn’t ask, be sure it’s clear that you are definitely interested in the job and know that you could meet her expectations. Tell her this. Then ask her what happens next. If you’ve made a good first impression, she will inform you that you will be invited back for a second interview or she will tell you that she has other people to interview and that she will know more when all interviews are complete. Now is your chance to ask, “May I follow up with you if I don’t hear anything by a week from today?” Or, “When would it be okay to follow up with you?” These questions leave the door open so that you can call her back without feeling uncomfortable.
Secret #10–E-mail a letter of thanks Another way to express confidence is with a “thank you” for taking the time to meet with you. It can be short and to the point, but it must include several reasons why you are a good fit for the job. It’s another opportunity to show that you are still confident that you are the right pick.
In conclusion, your self-confidence is critical to your success during the job
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 5 of 6 Ten Secrets for Boosting Your Confidence During the Job Search 12/21/16, 11 47 AM
interview. If you need a boost, as we all do from time to time, implement some of these secrets before and during your job interview. And don’t forget to express your appreciation and include a point or two about why you are qualified for the job.
http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/TenSecretsforBoostingYourConfidenceDuringtheJobSearch?Opendocument Page 6 of 6 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections April 9, 2016 By cultivatedculture 8 Comments
I spent 12 months going on over 50 interviews at places like Google, Microsoft, Uber, Twitter, and more. These are the exact formulas I used to land interviews and offers at these companies, in some cases, without any connections. This resulted in landing the job of my dreams along with a $70,000 bump in salary. Now I ‘m going to teach you how to do the same!
The Worst Feeling
Looking for a new job? Maybe even the job? Raise your hand if this has
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%2…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 1 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
happened to you…
After weeks of searching you finally found it. The one. The day-to-day is perfect, the salary is a big step up, the hours are flexible, and the benefits are amazing (not to mention it’s less than 10 minutes from your place!). You head over to LinkedIn looking for connections and….they are all 3rd degree with your mutual being that weird kid from high school you haven’t spoken to in 8 years. Ugh…
We’ve all been there – the feeling of defeat washing over you before you’ve even had the chance to get started. So what do you do next? What anyone else the 21st century would do – Google it!
“Go to large meetups and network with as many people as you can!” “Join professional organizations with like minded people in your field!” “Just email people and ask!”
These are all suggestions that popped up when I searched for “how to get a job” (man, most career advice on the internet is really bad).
You know where you won’t find top performers looking to hire the best talent for Google, Facebook, or Apple? At networking events and meetups. They just don’t have time for that, and neither do you. Most of the people at these events are not very influential within their industrial niches and therefore aren’t going to do much for our cause.
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 2 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Which one of you is Tim Cook?
What about emailing and asking? Well, how would you feel if some stranger emailed you and just asked for a job? You’d probably laugh them all the way to your spam folder.
You probably also noticed that I didn’t mention submitting your resume online into what I affectionately called the “Black Hole of Doom” (where resumes go to die). That sounds harsh, I know, but how many people do you know submitting 20 applications online hear back? It’s simply not a good use of your time.
So how do you get your foot in the door?
In this article I’m going to show you the exact process you can use to get a job interview at your dream company even if you don’t know a SINGLE person there.
How do I know it works? Because these are the exact steps I used to get job interviews and offers at companies like Google, Uber, Microsoft, Twitter, and
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 3 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
more.
Related Resources
Want a Great Job? Start By Breaking This Rule – Liz Ryan How To Break The Rules When You Job Search – Andrew LaCivita Take Action: 10 Steps For Landing A Job – Heather Huhman
Referrals Are The Most Effective Way To Get Hired
If looking for mutual connections was your first thought when looking for career opportunities, then you’re on the right track. Referrals are easily the most effective way to secure a job interview and land the offer:
40% of hires come from referrals, the next largest channel is via career sites at 21% (almost half as many!) Referrals get hired in an average of 3 weeks while other applicants take up to 7 weeks Referrals get paid more on average than cold applicants
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 4 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
40% of hires come from referrals (courtesy of jobvite.com)
Ok, all of those things sound great to me, so how do we make it happen? You said you don’t know anyone at this company right? Not to worry, I’ve got you covered.
Want To Land A Job Referral In The Next 14 Days?
My free Job Referral Toolkit covers all of the tools and steps you need to make connections and land a referral at your dream company.
Click here to get the Job Referral Toolkit totally free!
Part 1: How To Get A Job Interview When You Don’t Know A Single Person At The Company
Ready? Let’s dive in. file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 5 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Know Your Role (And Find It!)
The first step is having a solid idea of the specific role you are looking for, down to the company and title (if possible). Next, you need to make sure that role is available. For today, let’s assume that you want to be an Account Manager in the Technology B2B vertical at Google.
Nice! Looks like a spot is open in New York (where you’re from in this case):
Locate Potential Influencers
Now you are going to find someone who not only knows about the role, but could potentially have an impact on hiring for it. Time to fire up LinkedIn.
In the search bar, I want you to plug in the company name + all of the information I highlighted above (title, vertical/industry, preferred city). However, before you hit “Search,” we need to remember that you are looking for someone who can influence the hiring process.
With that in mind, I usually use a title that is one level up from the position that I’m looking for.
If you’re not familiar with title hierarchy structures in the corporate world, here is a quick guide (if you are already familiar with how titles are structured, feel free to skip this section):
~ Sidenote: A Brief Guide To Company Organizational Structures By Title ~ file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 6 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Every company has a hierarchy starting at the top with the CEO/Founder all the way down to the entry level employees. When researching companies, especially people to speak to within those companies, it helps to know where certain titles fit in the food chain. That way you can ensure you are talking to the right person.
Here is a general list of titles that fits almost any company, starting at the top:
C-Level (CEO, CTO, CFO, COO, etc.)
Vice President (VP)
Director
Senior Manager
Manager
Coordinator (Entry Level)
Associates, Executives, and Seniors
In many companies, the above titles have some sort of variation that allows for greater segmentation within that level. The most common forms of this are Associate, Executive, and Senior. Here is what those mean:
Associate: this title is usually given to someone who is halfway between positions for some reason (maybe there is typically a 4 year gap between levels and they are 2 years in). A person with Associate in their title is usually one notch below a person with the original title. For example, an Associate Account Manager would most likely be one level below an Account Manager.
Senior: this title is the more experienced version of an Associate. People with Senior in their title are usually one notch above the original title. For file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%2…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 7 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
example, a Senior Account Manager would be one notch above an Account Manager.
Executive: this title is usually given to people who are very senior, or around the level of Vice President. The two most common cases are Sales Executive/Account Executive (synonymous terms for a senior salesperson) or Executive Vice President who is two notches above a Vice President and one notch above a Senior Vice President. That should be all the info you need to make an educated decision around where people stand within the company you are researching!
~ End of Sidenote ~
Now that you’re familiar with the company structure, let’s get back to finding that influencer who can help you land a this job.
Since we are looking for an Account Manager role, the next step up would be Senior Account Manager so your LinkedIn search would look like this:
Our first result? A Senior Account Manager who works in B2B at Google – nailed it!
Obtaining Contact Info
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 8 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Now, we’re going to reach out and set up an in-person meeting.
What’s that? You don’t have their email address? I got you covered! Here are 3 strategies you can use to find almost anyone’s email address:
This one is obvious, I know, but it’s a big time saver and definitely worth the 10 seconds it takes to check.
On the person’s profile, right under their picture, there can be a button labeled “Contact Info” (I say “can be” because people have the option to remove it). Occasionally, people will have their email address listed right there – voila!
If not, let’s move right along…
Reverse Lookup
Head over to Voila Norbert and enter the first and last name of the person you are searching for, as well as their company’s website. For example, if we were trying to find Larry Page’s email, our form would look like this:
Once it spits out their email you can confirm it using PeopleSmart or MailTester.
Matching Formats
If that doesn’t work, you can try finding someone else’s email at the company
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 9 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
and use that format reverse engineering your target email address. For example, using Larry Page again, if I know that my buddy John Smith’s email is [email protected] then I can assume that Larry’s email is [email protected] (it’s not, sorry). The easiest way to get a hold of a company email address is to reach out to someone in sales or media because both of these departments usually have inbound lead forms and people on the other end ready to pounce on those emails.
We can also use our LinkedIn method here and target salespeople. Salespeople almost always have their corporate email listed on their LinkedIn because it’s a free win for them. If someone is looking for their product and then finds them on LinkedIn, boom! They just got an effortless inbound lead.
Once you have the format, you can use the same two resources (PeopleSmart or MailTester) to confirm your target email address.
Related Resources
How To Find Email Addresses – Scott Britton 3 Tricks To Find Almost Anyone’s Email – Ryan O’Hara
Research, Research, Research
Now that you have your potential influencer, it’s time to do some research so you can effectively reach out and build that relationship!
Start with the usual suspects – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and look for common points of interest. To be honest, most people are better at this online research thing than I am, so I’ll get back to the meat here.
One thing I will say is, don’t skimp! The more you get to know this person beforehand, the better your chances of landing a referral from them. file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 10 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Some people have said to me, “Graeme, isn’t this a little weird? I feel like I’m kind of stalking this person.” I totally get it. However, this information is critical for quickly building a strong relationship and getting that referral!
Also, in my experience, people tend to expect that you’ve done some research on them. The key is to understand what is kosher to bring up out of the blue and what isn’t. People are OK with you checking out their LinkedIn, but they may be a little weirded out if you mention that picture from Saturday’s Bar Crawl that you saw on Facebook.
My general rule of thumb is this: if it exists on LinkedIn, it’s fair game to bring up. If you found it somewhere else (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) use a different method. For example, if I see that my influencer is a skiing fanatic, I may bring up that I went on a ski trip a few weeks beforehand.
Related Resources
How To Do Pre-Interview Research – Peter Radloff The Ultimate Guide To Researching A Company Pre-Interview – Lily Zhang
Sending The Email
Now that you have your potential influencer and their contact info, it’s time to reach out. Not only is this one of the scarier parts of this process, it is also one of the most pivotal. To help you get past that hump, I’ve included the exact email script that I used to reach out to people. In this case, I’m reaching out to Tim who works at Google:
Subject: Quick Question
Hi Tim,
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 11 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
My name is Graeme and I currently work at Cultivated Culture. I was browsing through LinkedIn and came across your information – I hope you don’t mind me reaching out of the blue here.
I saw that you have extensive experience in Google’s Technology B2B vertical and I’m very interested in learning more about that space. I would love to have the opportunity to run some questions by you, as well as tap into any advice you may have given your knowledge of the industry.
I know that your time is extremely valuable so please don’t feel to need to respond in depth. If you do have 5 minutes to chat, I would really appreciate it.
Best,
Graeme
There are a few key points to the email above:
Address the person you are emailing by name State who you are and make it personable Include some flattery that positions the person as an “expert”
As for the subject, Fast Company did a study where they emailed 1,000 C- level executives from Fortune & Inc 500 companies. They found that the subject line “Quick Question” made up 66.7% of total replies. That was good enough for me so I tried it out and saw similar results.
All of this said, the script is just a framework. You will most likely need to tweak your emails to fit the situation. When that time comes, I recommend checking out Sam Parr’s incredible guide on how to cold email like a boss (Sam has started conversations with Jeff Bezos and Brian Lee (aka Jessica Alba’s co-founder) via cold email!). It’s the same guide I used to help file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 12 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
craft my email templates.
Now hit Send!
Related Resources
One Way to Write A Powerful Cold Email – Scott Britton How To Cold Email a CEO – Sacha Strebe
Prepare For Your Meeting
In order to prepare, we have to know what we’re preparing for. The goal of your meeting is to position your influencer as an expert, make them feel special, and build a relationship.
You will not and should not mention anything about the opening at their company. People innately enjoy helping others and if you follow the steps above, they will bring this up naturally. You will want to prepare a list of questions that gets them to open up about themselves and the company. I like to ask them several softballs to get things warmed up and then hit them with a few questions they are guaranteed to remember.
Here is a quick set that I’ve had success with in the past (I’ve found the last one really seems to stick):
1. I saw you worked at [Previous Companies]. How did you end up going from [First Industry] to becoming interested in [Current Company]? 2. You hear a lot about [Current Company] in the news, but I’d love to hear more about why you love working there. What’s your favorite part? 3. What is one totally unexpected lesson you’ve learned from working at [Current Company]?
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 13 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
The “Million Dollar” Question
Regardless of the questions you choose, there is one that you must always be sure to ask:
“What is the biggest challenge your team is facing right now?”
Really dig in here, get them to be specific. This information is going to be critical in helping you land a referral from this person, as well as getting the offer further down the road.
Your Homework: Adding Value (In A Big Way)
Okay, so you met with your influencer, things went great, and you identified a major pain point that the team is having. Now we’re going to focus on that last part.
Over the next week you are going to research the crap out of your influencer’s problem. Then you are going to come up with a solution and draft up a proposal for how you would solve it. Your proposal should include:
A summary of the problem (to illustrate that you understand their pain) A step-by-step framework of how you would solve this problem A brief outline of how your skill set positions you as an asset to implement that solution
Truthfully, this process deserves a post of its own (I am drafting it now – stay tuned!) but this should give you a good idea of what you need to do. If you’re the type of person that likes concrete examples, check out this guerilla usability test Raghav Haran ran for Airbnb.
Once you have all of this information, consolidate it into a Word document, head over to Upwork, and hire a graphic designer to make your proposal look
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 14 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
amazing. If you’ve never hired on Upwork before, here is an amazing guide by Dave Nevogt on how to do it right.
Related Resources
How To Get Any Job You Want (Even If You’re Unqualified) – Raghav Haran 4 Ways To Overcome A Lack Of Relevant Work Experience – Ashley Stahl Frustrating Job Search? Try A Pain Letter – Liz Ryan
Following Up With Your Proposal
Now we’re going to reach back out to our influencer with the proposal. Here’s the template I used:
Hi [Influencer],
Thanks again for taking the time out to chat last week!
I spent a lot of time thinking about what you said regarding [team’s biggest challenge]. In fact, I created a short framework that should help you solve it! Please find that attached.
If you have some time, I would love to chat about it in more detail.
Please let me know if you have any questions, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Best,
Graeme
It’s very important that you do not mention the open position in any of your
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 15 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
emails or the proposal. Be patient and wait for their response. When they do get back to you, they will not only bring up the opening but they will ask you if you’re interested. Kindly accept and play it cool. You’re in!
Want To Land A Job Referral In The Next 14 Days?
My free Job Referral Toolkit covers all of the tools and steps you need to make connections and land a referral at your dream company.
Click here to get the Referral Toolkit totally free!
Part 2: How To Breeze Through The Interview Process
Ok, now we’ve got the in. Our influencer passed along our resume to HR and they reached out to set up a phone screen. Once we get past that, we’ll be on to interviewing with the team, and then getting the job! Easy though, we still have a lot of work to do.
[Insert Company Name] Interview Template
Interviews can be daunting, especially at companies like Google, Amazon, or Uber. I’m sure you’ve read the horror stories about crazy questions they ask people like “Quick! How many golf balls can fit inside a school bus,” or, “how many gas stations are there in Manhattan?”
The truth is, most of these companies have done away with those questions. They crunched the numbers and found that the answers didn’t correlate with high employee performance (shocker, I know). In fact, Google’s own Senior Vice President of People Operations called them a “complete waste of time.”
These companies have since reverted back to the standard style of interviews, which is great for us because it makes it much easier to identify patterns. We file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 16 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
can essentially “guess” what questions will be on the test and prepare answers that will blow our interviewers away (it works way better than it did in college, I swear).
Here is the process I used to prepare for each one:
Nailing The Basics: Questions You’ll Get In Every Interview
According to renowned career guru Penelope Trunk, one of the easiest ways to be a better interviewer is to prepare for the most obvious questions. You may be saying “well duh,” but you’d be surprised by how many people spread themselves too thin by trying to prepare answers to every possible question.
99% of the interviews you go on will follow the exact same template. If you can master the format, your confidence will skyrocket and you’ll be prepared for almost any situation you get thrown into.
The Universal Job Interview Format:
1. Tell me about yourself (your experience, why you are interested in this role, etc.) 2. A mix of behavioral questions, which we’ll dive into shortly 3. What questions do you have for me (the interviewer)?
Let’s tackle each individually.
Tell Me About Yourself!
This is your first impression. More importantly, it’s the only part of the interview that you totally control. Do NOT rattle off your resume like a grocery list.
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 17 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
In order to nail this part you need to craft an interesting story – your story. You want it to be concise (around 2-3 minutes) and you need to think about what you want to convey. I recommend:
Choosing 2-3 themes to build your story around (for me, those themes were Persistence, Agility, and Success) Including quantitative metrics whenever possible Addressing the question of why you want to leave your current position (they are going to ask you this anyways, addressing it early shows that you’re aware it’s a concern of theirs and helps put them at ease)
To help get you started, here is what my story looked like. To give you some context, I was a biology major who was interested in landing a job in digital marketing:
Growing up, like most people, I wanted to be a doctor. I went to [college] where I majored in biology and planned my course to medical school. Not long after, I decided that pre-med wasn’t for me. I wanted to get into digital marketing, and I wanted to be in New York. I set my sights on this goal and created a plan that would get me there.
In 2013, I graduated with my biology degree and took a job in medical device sales where I worked from 5:30am – 12:30pm covering surgical cases in the operating room. Then, every day, I would come home and study digital marketing until 8:00pm. In order to gain relevant experience, I got certified in Google Analytics & AdWords and created my own consulting firm that focused on using search engine marketing to generate leads for private golf communities. We were able to increase home sales by an average of 20% while reducing the cost per lead by around 10%. Armed with my new credentials, I began to look for positions in New York.
Eventually, I was offered a position at my current company (a promotional
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 18 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
analytics company in New York). During my tenure there I have grown my book of business by 467%, spearheaded the creation of an internal group dedicated to marketing the company on the internet, and helped close the 2nd largest deal in company history.
However, the company has restructured several times since I was brought on. I’ve had 3 different managers over the past year, as well as 3 titles with different sets of responsibilities. I’m looking for something a bit more stable and [company I am interviewing at] has been somewhere that I have wanted to work since I got into this industry. I’m really excited to have this opportunity.
Pro Tip: You are telling a story. Don’t be afraid to embellish a bit. I’m not saying you should lie or make up stories, but you want to sell yourself and you can bet your butt that your competition isn’t afraid to inflate their credentials.
Related Resources
How To Answer Interview Questions About Why You’re Leaving Your Current Job – Peggy McKee 6 Executive Interview Points You Must Cover To Land An Offer – Lisa Rangel
Behavioral Questions
Next up is the dreaded set of behavioral questions. The ones meant to tease out your thought process and your ability to be a “team player.” This is the part where our educated “guesses” are going to come in handy.
The behavioral section is broken down into two parts that I call Standard Questions and Company Specific Questions. Let’s start with the former.
Standard Questions file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 19 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
You are going to be asked a variation of one, if not all, of these questions in every single interview you go to:
1. Why do you want to work for us? 2. Tell me about a time you exhibited leadership 3. Tell me about a time where you had to work as a team 4. Tell me about a time you’ve had to work with a difficult person, or difficult people 5. Tell me about a time you failed 6. Tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle 7. Tell me about a time when you had success
If you can answer these 6 questions, you could handle 9 out of 10 interviews with no other preparation and be totally fine. Just follow the same set of rules I mentioned above in the Tell Me About Yourself section:
Craft a concise story Make sure to include quantitative metrics that illustrate your success Anticipate and address objections
Related Resources
The Master Guide to Behavioral Interview Questions – Pamela Skillings Behavioral Interview Questions & Answers 101 – Mike Simpson
Company Specific Questions
These are questions that fall in the middle of the 7 listed above and “why are man hole covers round?” Never fear though, we can anticipate these too.
Head over to GlassDoor. If you’ve never heard of GlassDoor, it’s a great resource for any job seeker that includes salaries, reviews, and interview file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 20 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
information for almost any company in the world.
First, you are going to search for the position you’re applying for. In keeping with our theme, we’ll search for “Google” under Companies & Reviews:
Next, we’re going to click on the “Interviews” Tab:
Then scroll down and click on “Filter Interviews” which will bring up some advanced settings. Here we’ll type in the title of the job we want (Account Manager, in this case) and the location (New York, NY). We’ll also select “Received Offer” because the people who didn’t receive offers tend to be slightly, ahem, biased:
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…tions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 21 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
This will pull up a list of reviews from everyone who interviewed and received an offer for that position. The general comments are really helpful, but we want to focus on a section called Interview Questions towards the bottom. I usually comb through 10 – 15 of these and add all of the interview questions into a Word doc so I can answer them later:
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 22 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Now you have your second set of questions to prepare for!
What Questions Do You Have For Me?
Finally, once they are done peppering you with questions, your interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. In my opinion this is the most crucial part of the interview.
Why? Because so many people neglect it. If you can ask some questions that are even slightly outside of the box, I’ve found that really sticks with the interviewer more than any other part of the meeting.
After every interview I’ve been on, I asked for feedback. Without fail, the interviewer made a positive comment about the questions I asked. The good file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 23 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
news for you is that I asked the same exact questions in every single one! Here they are:
What is your favorite part about working here? What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now? Let’s say that, in one year, you are looking back on this hire. What has that person done to exceed expectations on every level? Ask about a current event (for example – I saw that [Competitor X] came out with this product. How do you see that affecting your business?) What is the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned while working at [company]? Tell me a little bit more about you, what do you like to do outside of work?
The first four are fairly standard questions, but the last two really seal the deal. Don’t be surprised if you get a “wow, I’ve never been asked that – give me a second” when you drop the unexpected lesson.
The final question opens up a personal dialogue with the interviewer that allows you to establish a connection that moves you up from “interviewer- interviewee” status to “personal conversation” status. Plus it will give you great content to put in your thank you email.
Related Resources
Avoid A Disasterous Mistake That Interview Candidates Make – Edmond Lau My Single Best Career Tip – Marc Cenedella
Say Thank You!
While we’re on the subject, be absolutely sure to send a thank you note to
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 24 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
everyone you interviewed with. Also include a personal touch to each one (something that you gained from that last question).
Many people I talk to say “but I don’t have their email Graeme!” Ask for it!! At the end of every interview always, always ask for a business card or write down the person’s email in your notebook (you did bring a notebook, right??).
If you do end up in that bucket, try using the techniques I outlined above for finding people’s emails and you should be fine.
Want To Land A Job Referral In The Next 14 Days?
My free Job Referral Toolkit covers all of the tools and steps you need to make connections and land a referral at your dream company.
Click here to get the Referral Toolkit totally free!
Part 3 – Following Up & What To Do If They Say No
I Haven’t Heard Back In 3 Days!
Whoa, whoa easy there. This is one of the most common mistakes I see from job applicants. I understand how nerve wracking it is to sit there and wait while everything is completely out of your hands.
One of the toughest things I had to learn throughout my interview process was that, while this is a HUGE deal to you, it’s really just another agenda item on the hiring manager’s schedule.
They will get back to you, and if they don’t? You don’t want to work for someone who doesn’t have the courtesy of replying to the people they do business with.
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 25 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
So When Can I Send Them A Reminder?
The rule of thumb is one business week. If you interviewed on a Tuesday, wait until the next Tuesday to email them (as JT O’Donnell says, never send a nudge on a Monday!). When you do, don’t push or be blunt. Keep it short and sweet:
Hi [Interviewer],
I hope you had a great week!
I wanted to quickly follow up and see if there was anything else I could help with regarding the application process. If so, please let me know!
Best,
Graeme
That’s it. If they don’t respond to that after another 3-4 days, you have your answer and it’s time to move on.
What Happens If They Say No?
Ugh. The worst case scenario. Don’t get down just yet though, we’re not done here!
I have this quality where I have trouble accepting “no” as an answer. When I was interviewing with Google, the initial screener told me that she wasn’t going to put me through because she “didn’t think I was qualified, and didn’t want to waste the team’s time.”
I was not happy. So I sent her this:
Hi [Recruiter],
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 26 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Thank you again for carving out the time to speak this afternoon. I really appreciate your feedback, and I wanted to add one final note:
I completely understand your concerns regarding my experience with [skill]. You are correct that I didn’t have much experience with that at [previous company]. That said, this doesn’t stem from an inability to produce results, but rather a lack of opportunity to do so.
While my experience on paper may not match up to the initial expectations of the position’s description, I have do have two qualities that work in my favor: I am an extremely efficient learner, and am also very effective at translating those learnings into practice. Second, I’m much more tenacious than your average individual. My career has hinged on these two qualities.
I left college with no digital experience and a biology degree – all of my digital knowledge was obtained through self study. I spent 8 months selling myself without the on-paper experience to back it up. When I was finally given the opportunity to apply my knowledge in a business setting, I playing a critical role in landing the company’s 2nd largest deal in history. I am confident that I can have the same success in this role. I have the resources necessary to learn what I need in order to be successful at [company], and am prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
I understand that [company’s] interview process is extremely challenging, and that only the top talent ends up with an offer letter at the end. I also believe that I am worthy of a shot at that letter. [Company] is known for hiring people who excel at the intangibles, as well the ability to learn new things and apply them to existing knowledge. That is my forte.
I am not asking for an offer. I am simply asking for the opportunity to speak
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 27 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
with the hiring manager to make my case for the position. I’m sure you will find the best person for the position, I would just like to have a legitimate shot at being that person. If you give me that chance, my next set of answers will not disappoint.
Thank you again for your continued consideration. Best,
Graeme
Nowww that may be a little aggressive…
Ok, it was pretty aggressive. But she wrote me back an hour later and pushed me through to the next round! Mission accomplished.
The moral of the story here is, don’t give up if you get a “No.” Try to identify why you were turned down and then send a note to hiring manager addressing those items (feel free to copy mine!).
Now, What Are You Waiting For?
There you have it. The exhaustive, step-by-step guide to landing an interview and then getting an offer from the company of your dreams. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start researching!
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out. I made this site, and this guide, to help you land your dream job. I can’t wait to connect with you. Until then, cheers!
Want To Land A Job Referral In The Next 14 Days?
My free Job Referral Toolkit covers all of the tools and steps you need to make connections and land a referral at your dream company.
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 28 of 29 How To Get A Job Anywhere With NO Connections - Cultivated Culture | Graeme Austen 12/21/16, 11 43 AM
Click here to get the Referral Toolkit totally free!
file:///Users/dmacmillan/Desktop/HowToGetAJob/How%20To%20Get%…ions%20-%20Cultivated%20Culture%20%7C%20Graeme%20Austen.html Page 29 of 29