Relocating Jobseekers
If you are going to relocate for your next position there are some things you need to consider if you plan to secure a job PRIOR to making the move. Many employers right now have an aversion to even interviewing out-of-state candidates with so much local talent available due to the lagging economy. They don’t have to look outside the area in most cases to find those qualified and don’t bring on the extra concerns that go with an out-of-state candidate. What are they? Here are a few:
1.) Will you expect to have your relocation paid for?
2.) Will you like the new location and stay?
3.) Will you be able to start the job quickly–within the typical two weeks?
So what can you do to alleviate the employer’s fears and get their attention? There are things you can do and say in your resume and cover letter to help you get past some of these obstacles.
First, you have to decide how to put your address on your resume. Should you simply put your current address OR should you put the local address of a family member / friend who –to be living in the area.
These days it is not unusual for jobseekers to leave their address off their resume, particularly when posting on job boards. So, at the very least, leave off your address when trying to move to a new area. To go one more step, if you have family or friends already in the area, ask to use their address. At the very least the employer will know you have some type of roots in the area and it might be enough to convince them to consider you for an interview, rather than tossing your resume to the side. And, if you have a specific month you plan to move–even if you haven’t found a job–show the current address and then also state the family / friend’s address with the month/year of your “future” address. Having a specific month for the move shows you are serious and the employer might also assume you won’t need relocation costs.
You can also alleviate the employers’ fears by expressing your relocation plans at the end of your cover letter. If you are returning to a particular area, you can mention that and say something about how excited you are to come back. That will eliminate their worry that you won’t like the location. Along with that you can simply state that you would be able to be there within a two-week timeframe, particularly since you have friends and family to help get you settled. If you don’t know anyone there, you might have more of a challenge on your hands. But, don’t give up. The economy shows some signs of recovery which may make employers more amenable to considering you.
Preparing to Write Your Resume – Start before you need it!
Most people are out of a job or at their wits end before starting to look for a job and start their resume. Having a resume ready to go is obviously a better strategy. And preparing for writing your resume well before you need it will make your efforts so much easier. What do I mean?
In each position you hold, you should set up a computer or hard copy folder to maintain notes on key projects and accomplishments as well as any letters or recognitions / awards. Put the month / year it was accomplished and the overall objective / result of what you did or what the recognition was for. If you aren’t the organized type, just jot the information down on a piece of paper, even scrap paper if that’s what you have around, and throw it into your file. Keep doing this each time and you won’t have to work so hard on trying to remember what to include to showcase your talents. Other ideas to help your memory? Here are a few:
Save your day planners which are a wealth of information to look back on and pull out acheivements and awards. If you are really into this, you can save time by putting an asterisk by those entries that you know will be worth mentioning on your resume, so it will be easy to find even years later.
Save your performance reviews for the same reason as saving your day planner. Plus, you can pull out some great quotes which are great on resumes to show that your manager or customer or colleague valued you and what you were specifically complimented on. I guarantee there will be loads of things you have forgotten about.
Talk to colleagues you worked with (and that you trust if you need to keep things confidential). Sometimes they are not only remembering things you forgot, they find value with things you simply thought was doing your job.
Go On. Get Out There!
Happy Belated New Year! I am going to be writing and bringing lots of new information through my blog as the year continues, so I hope you find it interesting.
I was reading an article titled “The Don’ts For Applying For a Job” and they had about 10 points. There were two that I thought were worth expanding on. The first talked about not being lazy and goes on to talk about how you should be taking classes or go to industry meetings etc. While I do believe that looking for a job can take a good portion of your time if done right, I agree that unemployed job seekers need to get out there for so many reasons. First it allows you to get out of the house and focus on something other than the fact you don’t have a job. Second, it builds your confidence if you are participating in life and learning something new, particularly if it can expand your skillset for a job. Third, you can network which is the best way to find job opportunities. So, push yourself. Look up job clubs or associations in your local area. Or go to Starbucks a couple of times a week and be outgoing. You never know who you will meet. It could be someone who knows of an opportunity, so make sure you don’t focus the discussion on how depressed you are about not having a job. Talk about things outside of job seeking first and enjoy conversing. After a bit, then bring out how you are searching and be upbeat that it is an opportunity for something new and exciting.
The second item that caught my attention is “Don’t be a cliche.” It talks about how everyone thinks they are good with people and learn quickly, so find other ways to differentiate yourself. I agree. I hear this all the time. Find unique qualities that showcase who you are and the value you bring. I can’t tell you how often I talk with people about their resume and when I ask what makes them special they say those exact two things. Now, if those qualities are really your strengths then show how you have used them to better the company somehow, rather than just stating the words. And if you don’t have specifics, then find other skills that you can demonstrate through success stories instead.
Read the whole article at: http://shine.yahoo.com/work-memory/donts-applying-job15370058.html
Related articles
- Errors to Avoid While Job Seeking (thejobstop.wordpress.com)
- 9 Tips from the trenches: Wisdom from Job Seekers and Job Keepers (forbes.com)
What do you want to discuss?
I realize that this blog is in its infancy and traffic needs to build. I want to make sure I am discussing job search and related topics that the public has questions about and that I am providing answers that are of value to them. So, tell me what you want to see me blog about. Send me topics or questions you have about any phase of the job search process and I can draw from those responses to write blogs that bring light to the items of interest to you. Let me hear your voices!
Video Resumes
I have heard of video resumes for several years now and am on the fence as to whether they are beneficial. I just came across an article on Monster which you can check out which pretty much tells job seekers not to bother: http://tinyurl.com/dx25ond. I do agree with what is being said. You don’t want to lose an opportunity because the employer chooses not to review the video to avoid any chance of discrimination claims later. Still, with employers using social media as common practice to conduct “background” checks on candidates, what does it matter at this point?
Unless you are in broadcasting or modeling, I would be cautious and find another way to be creative, rather than taking the chance with video. Try and include audio in your resume or with your resume instead. Of course, you can’t do this with your resume posted on job boards, but if you are submitting directly by email to a hiring manager, you can create an audio file that talks about why you are perfect for the job or go into depth on a few related projects /accomplishments–just remember to be brief, only a couple of minutes. Make sure you practice and the final tape has a professional tone. You may prefer to just talk on your own or you can act like you are in an interview and have someone ask you a short question or two. That should catch the employers attention.
GIVE OTHERS HOPE
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I hope everyone had a marvelous and delicious Thanksgiving yesterday! I started thinking during mine how there are job seekers out there, without jobs, who may not have felt like participating in the holiday festivities this year. I can only hope they were with loved ones to help them through the day. Read more 
I Should Respond to a Rejection Letter?
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You applied for a job, got an interview and then came the rejection letter. Of course it’s a disappointment. (Sad to say, getting a letter these days to say you weren’t chosen is a step up from the norm–many companies don’t send any communication if you don’t get it, even if you interviewed! You are just left to wonder. But that is a blog topic for a different day.)
So, what should you do after getting the letter?
Most people do nothing which you could do as well.Or… Read more
How Creative Should I Get with My Resume?
When creating a resume there is a balance that has to maintained. There are lots of elements to juggle when determining how creative you want to get. Adding columns, tables or charts sound cool and can get you noticed, but make sure it is in a good way! So when considering the style and formatting of the resume, consider your audience, your industry, and how you will be distributing your resume.
What do I mean by that?
Well, of course you want to stand out, but what if you push the envelope too much and your potential employer isn’t the creative type. What if they are bottom-line people who just want the facts, you could lose out before you ever start. And there are industries / professions that are considered “conservative,” like the law profession, where they expect you to stick to standard format. Don’t stray too far away from what is expected in those cases. In addition to that, when distributing your resume on job boards you need a text/electronic file instead of a Word file, which is a plain file, that can be opened in any type of software and avoids all those “symbols” in-between words that sometimes happens when attaching a Word file. So no creativity allowed for text / electronic files. Read more
… BUT THESE ARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
If you are a job seeker who is writing your own resume and have done your research on the subject, then you have heard to include accomplishments. Sounds good, but what does it mean? I talk to job seekers daily and review resumes all the time. It isn’t unusual for the job seeker to say they have accomplishments when they don’t or only “sorta” have them OR they say they don’t have any accomplishments to include. They just do their job and on the resume they list tasks and responsibilities. But tasks and responsibilities are not accomplishments. An employer can’t tell how good you are by stating your tasks. Let me provide an example:
An administrative assistant states on their resume that she wrote a procedural manual. Some would think that is an accomplishment. But saying you did something doesn’t mean you did it well. The manual may have been filled with the wrong information or it wasn’t user friendly, or maybe, it got done a year later than expected. So you have to show the result or a concise success story which turns it into an accomplishment. Read more
Using Recruiters
To be successful in this job search it is important to use all resources available, from social media to recruiters, and yes, even job boards … although if you are spending all your time pasting your resume to find a job, you most likely will be disappointed in your results. This blog article will be focused on using recruiters. The first thing you need to know is that you are not the client when it comes to the recruiter. Their client is the COMPANY they are hiring for, so if you don’t fit what their clients are looking for at the time, you typically won’t get a lot of their attention. The best way to “make friends” with a recruiter if you don’t fit their needs at the moment, is to give them the name of someone who does. Then ask them to keep you in mind in the future and follow-up with them every few weeks. Read more
