Day 168 – Transition – Third ProLango class

Today I went to the third ProLango class.  It was actually the first in the series but I had missed it the first time around.  Paul Anderson, writer for the Seattle Times NW jobs is the presenter.  The purpose of the three sessions is to impart enough wisdom that you want to go on and take the advance classes for about $400.
Today’s class was titled: Career Search Optimization.  Paul has interviewed about 35 companies and has access to many recruiters in the area.  This data is used to rebuke the standard claims about how to search for a job.  Paul claims that there has been major changes in just the last three years.  In this down turn there has been a lot on consolidation of HR positions and with this a need to automate practices that HR people were handling before, like processing resumes. 
This has caused changes like using Facebook and LinkedIn as ways to get additional information about candidates.  Studies have shown that LinkedIn has better resume information than resumes turned into companies.  Looking for work is frustrating.  People are sometimes tempted to turn in a resume that has been enhanced in order to appear more hire able.  This can be grounds to become blacklisted (see below).  Also Facebook interactions are evaluated; the lesson is be careful what you put on social networks.
Also Paul claims that advertized positions now gather 900 applications per position.  New ways are needed to combat the sheer volume of the entries.  In addition, hiring managers at many companies are no longer able to work directly with recruiters.  Some places (Paul used Microsoft as an example) have limited recruiting agencies to 4 unique resumes per position.  But even with this over a thousand resumes could show up from its over 400 approved recruiter companies. 
Reduction of HR and severing the recruiter link has put a huge burden on the hiring manager.  Paul’s claim is that this burden is taken up by the hiring manager turning to their network and asking the network to supply suggested candidates.  This is where the power of networking comes in today’s job market.   A large proportion of jobs never get advertised and a large percentage of the overall jobs are obtained not through the internet application so popular today, but rather through networking contacts in person and through social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. 
Paul recommends building a personalize strategy about the companies that you want to target.  And then build a detailed plan about how to network your way into the company.  He also advises not to apply for jobs at these target companies.  Instead, work on making connections.  On helping out others as you find connections into companies.
Paul talked about blacklisting of job applicants for the following reasons:

1. Mass Mailing Resumes
2. Applying for any job list (or all jobs listed)
3. Lying on Resume (found by comparing older version and your linked in versions)
4. Social Media Mistakes (behavior unbecoming a respectable employee)
5. Recruiter Stories (usually from ill treatment of recruiters)

I highly recommend going to the three free classes offered by Prolango.  I think it helps to expand your thinking and to re-evaluate your approach.  Paul claims that coming in November and December will involved some large layoffs.  My suspicious side sees this as fear tactics to attend the paid classes.  I think the classes would be good, but I have to weigh that against the $400 cost.  So far the it hasn’t tipped the scale enough to sign up for the classes.   Part of the reason is that I have seen things that I can do without the classes; changes that I can make on my own and then see what the results of these changes are.
At least one person has been having problems leaving comments on this blog.  I love to get comments, they help assure me that I am not the only one getting some benefit from this blog. I prefer to get comments on the blog, because it leaves a record and I have also have hopes of this blog being less of a soliloquy and more of an interactive dialog.   If you are having problems leaving messages, please feel free to email me at chrisabbey@comcast.net and I will respond as soon as I can.

Related articles

• Day 153 - Good Courses to Take (other-dribblings.blogspot.com)
• Should You Search Social Media Sites for Job Candidate Information? (mashable.com)
• How Job Seekers May Use Social Media in the Future (mashable.com)
• The five "R's" of job search (thehumanracehorses.com)
• Paul Anderson’s Article Archive at NW Jobs