The 5 Elements of a Compelling Job Recommendation

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> The 5 Elements of a Compelling Job Recommendation</h1> <h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"> A 360-degree view of what goes into a good, effective job recommendation.</h2> <div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;"> <span class="item drawer_paddingTop" style="display: block; float: left; padding-top: 8px;"><img alt="A man double checking some data. " src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/80718b4/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F60%2F6b%2F26f8c8ff4947abf6568c1f9a9e1d%2F140911-checkingthenumbers-stock.jpg" style="line-height: 1.5;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">A simple Google search for “consumer reviews of” yields millions of hits.</span></span></div> </div> </header><div class="block skin-editable clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> In this social age, we have all become reviewers. Both professional critics and everyone else can offer an opinion and give a rating for just about any product or service.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Popular examples include: Rotten Tomatoes for movies; Yelp, OpenTable and Chowhound for dining; and CNET, PCMag and Macworld for electronics and <a href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/best-technology-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/best-technology-jobs">technology</a>.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> If you take the time to read the reviews, you can discern a bit about what’s being reviewed and the individual who’s commenting. A balanced, thoughtful review of a dining experience can whet your palate, while a review that simply says “great food” doesn’t reveal much about the communications skills of the reviewer or present a compelling reason to make a dinner reservation.</div> <div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> When you stop and think, employment reference checks for job seekers are simply reviews. The employer (buyer) wants to know what others (reviewers) have to say about the product/service (candidate).</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> In the old days the standard procedure was to write “References available upon request” at the bottom of your résumé. And even if a hiring manager requested the references early in the process, chances were good he or she wouldn’t waste time checking until he or she was pretty certain a given candidate was about to get an offer. It is only a part of we-gotta-do-this-before-we-hire due diligence.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Wise job seekers don’t want to burn through the goodwill of people who are willing to recommend them by offering them up to numerous calls from multiple employers. Yet, hiding them until the end of the process blunts the positive effect that the validation of your worth from others can bring to bear.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Today, you can post a reference for anyone with whom you’re connected on LinkedIn, and it’s searchable. It’s easy for a recruiter or employer to see what people have to say about you, and what you have to say about others. When viewed at the beginning of the process, <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/05/31/mastering-the-art-of-giving-a-job-reference" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/05/31/mastering-the-art-of-giving-a-job-reference">a positive reference</a> for your knowledge, skills, attitude and successes can bring an employer to you.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> When you take the time to proactively recommend someone on LinkedIn, you accomplish multiple things: First, you demonstrate a relationship to the individual and what you have done as well, thereby fleshing out information that might be found in different form on your résumé or LinkedIn profile. Second, you demonstrate that you go out of your way to be a team player and praise quality co-workers. Most importantly, you rekindle/build your relationships with your network.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Conversely, when you <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/26/how-to-get-your-references-in-tiptop-shape" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/26/how-to-get-your-references-in-tiptop-shape">ask others for a reference</a>, it is important to help them understand what they might say that would be of value to you. For example, you might say: “Joe, I’d really appreciate if you could write a reference for me about our time together eight years ago at such-and-such company. You told me at the time you were quite pleased with how I did XXX, and how it turned out. If you could speak about what it took for me to get those results it would be great!”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Whether you’re asking someone to vouch for you, or are putting yourself out there for them, be sure to include these five elements:</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>1.</b> <b>Context of your relationship. </b>How long have you known each other? At which company? What were your respective roles? Does the relationship extend beyond the workplace?</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Sample: </b>“XX and I first met at ABC Corp eight years ago when I hired her to make great widgets as part of our production process. She has directly reported to me throughout her employment here.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>2.</b> <b>Technical competence.</b> What are <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/08/21/5-sales-skills-everyone-needs-in-the-workplace" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/08/21/5-sales-skills-everyone-needs-in-the-workplace">the skills required</a> and technical aspects of the role, and how well were they mastered?</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Sample: "</b>Widget-making is a complex process, requiring knowledge of AAA software, and the tightly defined procedures that are required in our highly regulated industry. XX’s mastery of these aspects of the job is exemplary, and she willingly mentors others to bring them up to speed as well."</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>3.</b> <b>Communications skills. </b>This can cover a wide swath: ability to understand what is asked, persuade/sell a viewpoint in a team or to a customer, document and compile written reports and much more.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Sample:</b> “XX is a great communicator. She has made numerous presentations to our group, and when dealing with senior management she always brings at least one or two possible solutions to their attention when presenting a problem. She gets the attention and respect of everyone who hears her.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>4. </b><b>Timeliness and accuracy. </b>No one wants to hire someone who doesn’t show up on time, get work done on time or who makes errors that can cost time or money to remedy.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Sample: </b>“XX is the consummate professional. She consistently meets or beats demanding deadlines. There have been numerous times when she put in extra hours at the beginning or the end of the day to make certain that her job is done, done right and done under budget.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>5. </b><b>Greatest strength. </b>It’s a good idea to <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/25/unsung-hero-or-mvp-what-workplace-superlative-best-describes-you" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/25/unsung-hero-or-mvp-what-workplace-superlative-best-describes-you">figure out what one is good at</a> and what one is good at that will be most valued by a prospective employer.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Sample:</b> “XX relishes working in a field that is constantly changing. She loves the opportunity to continually learn new software and add to her skill set, and continually looks for ways to get X done with lower cost and greater efficiencies.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> When taken together, these parts of a reference are sure to make a positive impression on a perspective employer.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Happy hunting!</div> </div> <br /> <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/15/the-5-elements-of-a-compelling-job-recommendation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

The 5 Elements of a Compelling Job Recommendation

The 5 Elements of a Compelling Job Recommendation A 360-degree view of what goes into a good, effective job recommendation. A simple Google search for “consumer reviews of” yields millions of hits. I…

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Summertime, and the Job Searching Is Easy – Not.

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> Summertime, and the Job Searching Is Easy – Not.</h1> <h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"> This isn't the season to slack off on your job hunt. </h2> <img alt="Couple taking a summer road trip." class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="435" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/e4ce14a/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F2e%2Fc1%2F90572c4e46c997c90ff60b17be58%2F140624-summerroadtrip-stock.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(iStockPhoto)" width="652" /><div class="t t-dim" style="color: #666666; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top: -20px; padding: 0px;"> Some think of the summer as a slow hiring season, but don't use vacation plans as an excuse to go easy on your search.</div> <div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;"> <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">“This is</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-worst-times-to-switch-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-worst-times-to-switch-jobs">a good time to lose my job</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">,” an acquaintance proclaimed recently. “Now I can take a long-deserved vacation. I’m going to the beach for the holiday, and then we are going to spend a good chunk of my severance package on that trip to London I’ve always wanted.”</span></div> </div> </header><div class="block skin-editable clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Interwoven into the conversation she offered other justifications for putting off a job search:</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> “I’m just too overwhelmed to begin a job search now.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> “Nobody hires during the summer.”</div> <div class="ndn_embed" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> “I don’t have <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes">a résumé</a>, and I don’t know where to begin to put one together.”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> To be sure, she may feel incapable emotionally of starting a search now. The beach and London certainly are places to escape the realities of the moment. But still, summertime is excellent for starting a job search: figuring out the next logical step in one’s professional life, researching opportunities and putting together a plan to guide the whole searching process.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> While people often feel like summer is a slow hiring season, it is also a major time for families to relocate so that they will be set for the new school year.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Moreover, we are witnessing a major resurgence in hiring, with the U.S. unemployment diving to the lowest rate since the Great Recession.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> The Labor Department reports that the economy added <a class="" href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/07/03/us-employers-add-288-000-jobs-in-june" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/07/03/us-employers-add-288-000-jobs-in-june">288,000 jobs in June</a>, for a total of more than a million new jobs in 2014 thus far. Information technology is red hot, but employers report having difficulty filling IT job vacancies, according to a recent Robert Half International survey.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> This is arguably the best season for job hunters in years, and it's no time to sit on the job-hunting sidelines. Whether you're recently unemployed, stymied in your current job or have opted out of the job market out of frustration, now is the time ramp up your search.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Here are six tips to guide your process:</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>1. Get going</b>. Numerous studies show that the longer you're out of work the harder it is <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/01/29/how-you-can-find-a-hidden-job" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/01/29/how-you-can-find-a-hidden-job">to find work</a>. Your chances are best within the first six months of unemployment. While the weather is warm and you might want to just chill for the summer, doing so wastes precious job-hunting time. Putting your job hunt on hold is likely to make it more difficult to find success later.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>2. </b><b>Think marathon, not sprint. </b>One common mistake people have at the beginning of a job hunt is identifying a job or two that seems ideal and hurrying to apply without adequate preparation. Of course, some people may be lucky in landing that first opportunity, but most won’t. Gear up for a multi-month process.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Just as a successful runner practices continuously, stretches and wears the correct shoes and clothing, so too must the job hunter. It takes carefully practicing your message, stretching the reach of your network and presenting yourself appropriately.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>3. </b><b>Perfect your tactics.</b> A success-based résumé, LinkedIn profile, branding statement and elevator pitch are all crucial and tactical elements of a job hunt. So too are social media and in-person networking. It is worth investing your time and effort to sharpen your message and skills with all these arrows that should be in your job-hunting quiver.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>4. </b><b>Don’t confuse tactics with strategy. </b>If you only operate at a tactical level, you will likely waste a great deal of time and overlook valuable opportunities. You can kill endless time when you loose yourself online, even at valuable websites like LinkedIn.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> It is critically important to develop a strategy of how to integrate your tactics into an overall plan that you will find workable. There is no one right strategy or methodology. Think about how to invest your time, what professional networking opportunities are available, other individual constraints with which you contend and how to leverage and sequence the use of all the tools in your quiver in conjunction with each other to create an effective strategy.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>5.</b> <b>Volunteering is a job, albeit without a paycheck. </b>This is a perfect time <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/02/06/volunteering-that-extra-boost-needed-to-propel-your-career" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/02/06/volunteering-that-extra-boost-needed-to-propel-your-career">to volunteer</a> for a community organization, a nonprofit or a cause in which you believe. It's a way that many people can utilize their skills and keep them fresh, plus add new skills.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> When you devote a significant amount of time to volunteer work, it's totally appropriate to list it as an unpaid job on your résumé. And, it is often the case that when these organizations have a job to fill they will first look to those who have shown a devotion to their cause.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> <b>6. </b><b>Always keep your antenna up for networking opportunities. </b>Even if you are at a summertime party with friends, take time to get to know people you haven’t met before. Explore things and people you may have in common, take pains to learn how you can help others, and you may be amazed to see new possibilities for valuable contacts develop spontaneously.</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> When you take advantage of this season, you may find yourself humming that wonderful Gershwin melody, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, and be filled with the hope of its lyrics:</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> “One of these mornings<br />You're going to rise up singing<br />Then you'll spread your wings<br />And you'll take to the sky”</div> <div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;"> Happy hunting!</div> </div> <br /> <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/08/summertime-and-the-job-searching-is-easy-not" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Summertime, and the Job Searching Is Easy – Not.

Summertime, and the Job Searching Is Easy – Not. This isn't the season to slack off on your job hunt.  Some think of the summer as a slow hiring season, but don't use vacation plans as an excuse to g…

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