Hey job seekers, where were you last night? If you didn’t say “out at a business networking event,” you may be missing out on opportunity. The site I use to find good networking events is Meetup.com.

Meetup is a great online place to both host reoccurring networking events and find good ones to join. You can search by location or by topic. You can even see how many people are planning to attend – I like to attend ones with at least 100 people or more.

Last week I attended the Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup (more about the meet-up). As an active job seeker, this networking event was perfect for several reasons.

1. New Professional Contacts

   The event was an excellent opportunity for me to meet several new local business contacts that I would previously not had an opportunity to mingle with.

2. New Company Leads

   A couple of the tech companies who presented I had not heard of before this event. All three are growing and there may be an opportunity for me at some point.

3. Add Value to Your Network

   Only a few people in my network made it that night, which allows me the opportunity to add value to my network by sharing this new technology, new contacts and new information. I heard of at least two job openings as a result of the events, none suited for me but it allows me a great way to reach out to my network of professionals.

4. Professional Branding Opportunity

   Getting out there to brand yourself isn’t an easy task. A great setting like this networking event is a great way to meet people, share what you do and create opportunity for yourself. Several of the attendees that I met, want to talk “blogging” and recruiting in near future.

   

   Remember to have your professional business card ready to hand out. Even if you aren’t employed at the moment, gets cards made. Do not hand write your information, but have them professionally done. Vistaprint has fairly inexpensive business cards. I personally like Moo Print because they print on eco-friendly paper. I was able to upload my own image and create a custom look.

5. Gain Control of Your Job Search

   Meeting and networking with other professionals helps me to expand my network. This could lead me to other opportunities in the future or when I am gainfully employed, help the company I’m working for. I never want to be “stuck” in a professional role but feel empowered to be successful. Simply applying to jobs online isn’t as effective as networking into them. I’m comfortable with networking, but for someone more introverted a career coach might be an excellent idea.

Looking for a job is a full time job. It will ultimately produce some of the most intense career ups and downs and it’s easy to find yourself discouraged on many levels.

It used to be that you found an opening, applied, interviewed and got an offer. Times have changed and there seems to be more competition for openings complicated the entire process.

Early in my career I remember anxiously waiting for a job offer that I really really wanted. I planned to relocate back to California from Seattle, but I had to get a job there first before quitting my current one.

The company I interviewed with made private label soaps and lotions for large corporations. I knew it was the perfect path for me to take and the location was perfect. I wanted it so badly.

When I didn’t hear from them on the day promised, I was beside myself with what to do. I paced, ate chocolate and jumped at every call I received. It was three days of waiting until I finally picked up the phone to follow up with them.

I didn’t get the job.

Words cannot describe the disappointment at that moment but thankfully I had been coached by a mentor to ask “why” when you hear that you weren’t selected to hire. The HR manager’s reasoning made sense, the person who did the job a year ago wanted to come back. They would fit right into the role without any training. It still hurt.

These are the times when you have to pick yourself up and figure out a way to stay “inspired”. It’s easy to let disappointment rule, but you have to get going, stay focused and keep trying. If you let it get you down it will be counterproductive.

I remember calling my dad long distance. He said some really great things that I really needed to hear to keep forging ahead. It was cliché, but he was right:

“When one door closes another door opens.”

Shortly after our conversation, I received a more attractive job offer from a software company that I interviewed with in California that would change my life for the better. Keeping my chin up despite the rejection kept me from not giving up. It all worked out in the end, but I knew I needed emotional support to get through it.

Recently on the job hunt myself and in need of a little pick me up, a close friend invited me out to dinner. At the end of our meal the fateful Fortune Cookie arrived.

Mine read:

“Your careful nature will bring you financial success”

How appropriate and what great timing this little cookie came. I was inspired! I have the fortune taped to my computer.

If you don’t have a solid support system in place, make one. Whether it’s a mentor, career coach or just a solid group of people that can cheer you up or give you good advice it is another important aspect of job hunting. Short term, it will help you get a job and long term it will help you grow your career. It’s just as important to be on top of your game. Nail that job with help from a professional; try out 360′s Job Interview Coaching. It’s one-on-one help that’s affordable, customized to suit your needs.

How about we go out and eat Chinese food and read your fortune together?

What do you do after the interview is over?

Do you send a nice “thank you” note or email? I’m always surprised by professionals that overlook follow-ups. It’s just one more opportunity you have to leave a good final impression.

Send a “Thank You” Letter, Even When You Don’t Get the Job

Not all first choice hire candidates work out. If you don’t get the job, take sending a “thank you” as an opportunity to leave a great last impression. You might open the door for future opportunities.

I had a candidate that completed a lengthy interview round with a large fortune 100 company. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the job. He was disappointed but sent a nice follow up “thank you.”  The hiring manager responded by encouraging him to continue applying to future company openings. He went so far as to giving this candidate permission to mention his name to potential hiring managers he approached. Amazing!

Overcome Potential Hiring Objections

If you asked any qualifying questions in your interview, or heard any possible “red” flags about your background, a “thank you” might just be the perfect opportunity to overcome a hiring objection. It’s easy to forget a small detail during the interview that you wished you had shared and your note might be the perfect venue for this. I’ve seen candidates who were considered okay for the role, but after a compelling “thank you” they turned into a front-runner. But take caution, if done wrong it could lose you the opportunity. A well scripted “thank you” can make all the difference.

“Thank” Everyone!

It’s nice to send a little note to each of the interviewers as well as the admin or recruiter who coordinated them for you. The support staff may not be the ultimate decision maker, but they can influence them and they will be good future contacts for you on other opportunities should this one slip. Just as making a sloppy first impression on the corporate recruiter will hurt you, making a good lasting one will help you.

Who doesn’t appreciate the opportunity to be considered for a role? So take the time to be polite with a little “thank you” back. To make sure you ace that interview, check out 360 Job Interview coaching for more advice from professionals.

It takes money to make money, but exactly how much does it cost to get a job offer?

Active job seeker can find many services, sites and resources to help them on the internet right now. But which ones produce actual results and how much will it cost you?

Paid Job Search Engines:

• The Ladders advertises that it posts job openings that pay over $100K. This service posts it’s fee structure nicely compared with similar sites I found: $30 a month with various bulk packages such as 6 month going up to $180.
• Job Fox was by far the most difficult site to find pricing. They advertise a free subscription rate to join, but introductions to hiring managers will cost you. This Premium Service has a fee associated with it but I was unable to find out exactly how much.

So if you were guaranteed a job offer, what would that be worth to you?

360 Job Interview offers top of the line services to help you score a home run on your next interview. These services are low-cost and include expert resume building, career coaching with a professional in your industry, and interview coaching with an human resources pro. All services can be conducted live, and all interview coaching sessions are done via video conference at your convenience. Get prepared and get that job with the 360° advantage.

Social Networking Sites to Use in Your Job Search:

• LinkedIn Offers a personal account that will allow you amazing visibility. Make your profile outstanding – keep it professional and always spell check. Then build your professional network, get involved and get noticed. LinkedIn Questions and new Group discussion now gives Web 2.0 functionality. Add value to your network and brand yourself as the one to hire. There are many great webinar’s and training tools for using LinkedIn. There is even a new CD called “LinkedIn for Job Seekers” that talks in detail on how to best utilize this site for better results.
• Facebook is a great interactive way to build a different kind of network at no cost to the user. Remember all those friends you went to high school and college with? They are all gainfully employed now and would love to hear from you again. Don’t be too abrasive by making your first contact to them about getting a job. Reconnect, re-engage and build rapport first. This is an excellent tool for “networking into your next position”. Then join professional groups on Facebook and see who is hiring and what’s going on. Facebook is growing up fast. Take time to explore this social media site and see what results it can produce for you.
• Meetup is another social networking site for posting face to face networking opportunities. Search by location or interest. Meetup allows you to see how many members are in various groups, how many have RSVPd to events and offers a nice feedback rating from attendees. When there are so many networking opportunities to engage in, it’s nice to take a peek at which ones might be the most effective to spend time at. It has another great feature which allows you to build a network within the groups by adding people as “friends”. Meetup is free to the attendee, but does charge the organizer. Because you never know where you will meet your next hiring manager, keep it professional and add value when you can.

“You get what you pay for” might be true for consumer goods, but working hard and building something with good old fashioned “sweat equity” for your job search may just be “priceless”.

What would you pay for your next job offer?

This current job market has produced some of the most predatory job seekers. The one to watch out for most is the “Career Cougar”.

Ideally as you finish up college or an internship to enter the workplace you would go up against other new grads for corporate roles. The new economic downturn has now produced more top talent than ever who are actively seeking employment opportunities. More than likely you will find yourself fiercely competing with the Career Cougar for the same job openings.

If you are going head to head with the Career Cougar you might find it useful to learn more about who she is exactly and why she is such a threat for that job opening.

By definition, you are half her age + seven. You are recently educated and fresh faced, but the Career Cougar has years of successful work experience under her fashionable belt. It will be difficult to compete with her on many levels.

Career Cougars present themselves well, are hip dressers with a classic business sense. They exude complete professional confidence and can do anything you can do, only much better. Her professional reference list is a mile long and she is not afraid to use her contacts or pull strings to get what she wants.

Corporate America loves the Career Cougar because she can accomplish multiple projects in record time, coupled with exceptional results on a consistent basis. She can go up against anyone and everyone when she feels she’s right. She will almost always win any business battle because she is the Career Cougar.

The Career Cougar is financially stable, mentally independent and looking for a new young hip career role, one that gives professional satisfaction over the paycheck. She is street smart with an amazing resume and can sell herself into any position she so desires.

The Career Cougar is a rare breed and only makes up a small percentage of the current work place with men still out numbering her statistically in high rankings. She is underpaid for what she is capable of.

Companies love to hire the Career Cougar knowing she will get the job down, is just now passed her child bearing years and has a sixth business sense about her.

How do you plan to compete with the Career Cougar for jobs?

You got fired, didn’t get along with the boss or had it out at the office with a co-worker. Whatever the case, not a lot of good words are said on your behalf and you are looking for a new job. Officially in a “career timeout” you need to be creative on doing damage control for your naughty work behavior.

Ideas that could help:

• 1. Get your Ducks in a row:

  Gather your accomplishments together nicely and have them ready to share. See if you can find any former co-workers or previous managers that can back up your accomplishments should a perspective employer ask.

• 2. If you have nothing Nice to say, say Nothing at all:

  DO NOT bash your former work place, never ever. It only makes it look worse if you bad talk your former work place, boss or co-workers. Even if it was the worst place on earth to work at, keep it positive. You will lose any and all credibility if you come across as a negative nelly. No one likes a sore loser and this is exactly how you will come across.

• 3. Temp:

  Try temping for an employment agency. They have an abundance of skill testing that they do. Even if you work for them on a few short term assignments utilize this by doing your best, showing up on time and being that team player. It’s a great way to build back career credibility that you might have lost at your last employer. Larger employers sometimes like to hire on workers temp-direct so that they can try someone out before making a hiring commitment. It doesn’t always work out perfect, but it’s one way to get your foot in the door and build good references.

• 4. Have good references ready to Rock and Roll:

  Whether you were fired, quit on your own or still working while looking, have good references ready to go. You might need to be creative on this one if your boss couldn’t or can’t stand you. Maybe you were escorted out by security, but did any of your customers love you? You will need to be extra resourceful on this one. How about other former colleagues that have left the company? Did they work well with you? Whatever the case, find them or go directly to idea #4, #5 and #6 ASAP.

• 5. Give and You Shall Receive:

  If you are unsure how former colleagues felt about your work performance one tactic to test this is by offering a LinkedIn endorsement first. NEVER ask for an endorsement upfront also give one first. It may come across as rude and only fuel the negative professional perception of you if it exists. Often times, receiving a glowing endorsement will prompt the recipient to reciprocate. LinkedIn is another great way to find former co-workers that you might have lost touch with Searching this site will also prompt you to remember a few people worked well with but had forgotten completely about.

• 6. Visual aides to Strut your stuff:

  You are having trouble finding solid professional references to back you up so why not try a good portfolio presentation or visual CV? By illustrating what you have and can do, a hiring manager will get an instant snap shot of your working capabilities. Hopefully this may over shadow your reference dilemma by showing your talents this way.

• 7. Build Good Career Karma:

  When all else fails to yield you good career vibes, try volunteering for a charity organization, city outreach or something within your own religious community. Doing good deeds by putting yourself out there for a good cause is an excellent way to at least provide a perspective hiring manager something positive about you. If you get heavily involved this might even prompt someone to talk “nice” about you and your working efforts to help others and provide a solid reference alternative. I believe in good career karma and helping out in some way is a great way to start.

Let’s face it, we all mess up. It’s not the end of the world, but you might need some serious damage control when competing for an open job slot. Keep in mind you will need to come across better than any of the other perspective hires and having outstanding references can really help set you apart from the competition. Without it, you need to think creative.

What do you have to get off the career naughty chair?

“Outwit Outlast Outplay” and get job offer…

The dynamics of watching complete strangers compete for large cash prizes on reality shows like Survivor Island can be similar to competing for the job opening you really want.

And here’s why:

Immunity Challenge:

The immunity idol in Survivor keeps you in the game. And Interview Rounds dictate whether you move on in the interview process. Every opportunity you have to interview by phone or face to face influences whether you move on to the next round.

Reward Challenge:

During the interview process it could become clear the position you’re interviewing for isn’t necessarily the right fit for you. If you’ve made a good impression on the hiring manager this can still be a good way to build a professional relationship internally within the company. Even if you aren’t the right match, having this new bond will allow you a foot in the door for the next opportunity that comes up. So always send a “thank you” note, even when you don’t get the job. This will help you make a good lasting impression and keep you in top of mind.

Alliances:

Establishing trust, building rapport and adding value in a record time keep Survivor Island players in the game longer and build strong alliances. During the interview process you also have just a short period of time to make an impression on the interviewer. Since the interview will make or break you in the interview process you need to build professional credibility fast. This is a real skill to master, but if you are effective at it, it’s one that will keep you ahead of the curve and keep you in the process.

Tribal Merge:

More than likely you will find yourself interviewing with multiple internal managers. More often than not, job offers aren’t extended on the stop any longer. It’s important to build good professional rapport with each and every one of them of the perspective hiring managers you meet. Your goal is to have everyone recommend you for hire.
Don’t forget to be nice to the receptionist who greets you, smile at those you pass in the hall and don’t do anything publically that might discredit you. You never know who might be observing your behavior and influence a hiring decision so being polite and treating everyone with respect is a good rule of thumb.

Voted Out at Tribal Council:

You have been eliminated from the hiring process. Always try to ask what you could have done different or what the deciding factor was on why you were not selected. Be careful with how you ask and despite disappointment sound positive. Follow up with a correspondence to everyone that you interviewed with and to the recruiter or human resources rep who set it up.
Keep in mind, not everyone will get the job, so don’t take this personally and move on in a positive manner. There are more opportunities waiting for you this won’t be the last one and keeping the momentum going will keep you moving ahead in the career search game.

Million Dollar Cash Prize:

The winner of Survivor gets a million dollar cash price. As an applicant you are competing for the Job Offer. You want to win the job offer complete with salary, bonus, 401K, health benefits and other employment perks. Keeping your focus on what you ultimately want will help you stay focused and on track. Don’t get side tracked with petty stuff like lunch breaks, hours, etc. during the process. You don’t want to come across as nitpicky and lose out on the opportunity. Keep your eye on the prize. As a “reality show” junkie I’m prepared for my next job hunt. Watching different personality types thrown onto desert islands, forced to build rapid relationships has helped tremendously. You are competing with many other contestants (candidates) for the immunity idol (interview rounds). If you can out-interview, out- relationship build and out-perform in the interview rounds you may just win the game (job offer).

What reality show are you planning to play to win?