Avoiding the Black Hole When Job Hunting

Posted on December 21, 2011 by meghan_ntroduction

One of the biggest complaints coming from people looking for work is the proverbial black hole that exists in today’s job market. You know the one. The black hole that your resume falls into and is never heard from again? Hiring managers, HR reps and Recruiters alike all have an increasing habit of not responding too the many resumes they receive for job openings.

While this can probably be attributed to the countless qualified men and women applying for jobs it doesn’t exactly mean that common etiquette should be tossed out the window. And it certainly doesn’t help ease the already frustrated job seeker who waits eagerly to hear about another job that they had applied for.

There are a few ways to work around and handle the black hole of job hunting. Always remember to keep looking! Don’t set your sights on one great sounding job. These days with so many people looking for work no matter how perfect you may be for the job there’s always the possibility you may not hear back.

Be sure to follow up with email, phone calls or even an old fashioned letter. Those these won’t guarantee you get a response it can sometimes help.

Don’t rely only on traditional recruiting and job ads. We’ve talked about before the importance of building a network, now is the time to use it! Take advantage of the network you’ve built online on the following websites and social networks.

Facebook/Twitter: You’d be amazed at how much of a response you can get from your Facebook friends. Put the word out on both networks and let your friends know your looking. There’s a good chance you could right skate in the back door into a great new job.
LinkedIn: Their job search feature is getting better everyday. And what sets their job search apart from the rest is the fact that they let you know how well your network is connected to the jobs you find. Say your searching for a Customer Service position and you search your area and find some. LinkedIn will then tell you who in your LinkedIn network works for those companies or is connected to someone who works at them. All the technology of a great job search engine with the bonus of cutting out the middleman and connecting you with someone who can get you in the front door.
Ntroduction: Right here at Ntroduction we are all about cutting out the middleman and skipping the whole black hole theory all together. Taking advantage of the services we provide here, you can go straight to the hiring manager yourself face to face and get the job you deserve. Forget the recruiters and answering anonymous job ad after job ad. Get your foot in the door the old fashioned way, face-to-face.

Don’t forget to connect with other friends who are on the hunt as well. Work together to help each other out. Make a list of friends who you know are also looking for work and in what field they’re looking and ask them to do the same. That way when you come across something or know someone who is hiring for a position they may be suited for you can connect them and vice versa.

In these still uncertain times the best weapon you have in the fight to find work is actual face time with the people doing the hiring.

Top Companies That Are Hiring

Posted on August 27, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

hiring-241x300 Though looking for work can be about as easy as searching for a needle in a haystack. Only there are hundreds of people crowding around looking for the same needle in the same haystack. Even if you’re armed with the right tools, experience and resume to get you the job, none of those things will help you find the right job.

But that’s not to say that there aren’t companies out there with jobs up for the taking. In fact Forbes Business released a report recently of the Top 10 mid-sized companies that are hiring the most right now.

Take a look at the list and see of any of these companies have listings near you.

Comdata – 120 openings
Super Micro Computer – 103 Openings
MicroStrategy – 100 openings
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals – 95 openings
CME Group – 87 openings
EchoStar – 81 openings
Molina Healthcare – 76 openings
Netflix – 76 openings
Facebook – 75 openings
Perficient – 65 openings

Good luck in your search!

Job Hunting: It’s All About Who You Know

Posted on February 18, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

Though there will probably never some a time when job boards, newspaper want ads and employment agencies will ever become obsolete, the fact remains that in this day and age the true key to getting a job is who you know. Of course there has always been a lot of stock in that ideology since the beginning of time, but now who you know is really the name of the game when you’re playing the job hunt shuffle.

Research and studies are showing that not only are job seekers looking more at their online and real life network to find their next job, but employers are looking more to other employees or other personal referrals when looking to fill open positions.

Jeremiah Owyang of Web Strategy did a 5-part series based on a survey he took recently titled, “Jobs in a Recession.” In the first series of results Owyang found that of the all the respondents that had found work since September 2008 (when the recession started) 43% found those jobs through their immediate online network of friends, colleagues, alumni, or family. This is why many insiders and corporate insiders recommend devoting the majority of your job search time to networking.

The same can also be said for companies looking to hire, who trust a good referral more than a generic reference. This is why so many companies are either implementing new employee referral plans or building on plans that already exist.

A recent article on Martketwatch.com talked about just that. According to the article a good majority of positions are never even advertised because companies are choosing to rely on employee recommendations instead.

Companies such as Prudential and Vistaprint both offer lucrative employee referral programs. This benefits the company, who is hiring based on a trusted recommendation, the new hire, and of course the employee who made the recommendation who is not only helping the company succeed, but also making some quick cash in the process.

Prudential’s program offers $500 and $2,500 for each successful referral, depending on the job level. Vistaprint has the “Everyone Here is a Recruiter” program, which offers employees not only a home theater system for the employee with the most referrals hired, but also a $1,500 referral award for each successful hire. It’s no wonder that 48% of Vistaprint’s new hires in 2008 came from employee referrals.

This is a big part of the theory behind Ntroduction as well. With the majority of new hires coming from personal referrals, it’s important to know the right people. Be sure and check out our leads or list you own and see how YOUR network might work for you.

Job Fairs: Are They Worth It?

Posted on February 4, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

Job fair attendance across the country has increased dramatically over the last year. With job fairs usually offering a handful of jobs to hundreds or even thousands of attendees (depending on where you are) you may ask yourself, why bother? Well don’t be so quick to dismiss the oversaturated job fair scene.

First and foremost, you never know. Armed with some good looking resumes, a few references (many people at job fairs don’t bring these along, so set yourself apart by having some handy) and the right attitude you just maybe walking into a great opportunity. And that doesn’t necessarily mean the companies who are there looking for a few new hires.

One of the greatest things about a job fair, especially ones with a lot of people, is it gives you a chance to network with other people looking work, in your field in particular. Today’s job hunter could be tomorrow’s hiring manager.

As mentioned in this week’s earlier post, Avoiding the Black Hole When Job Hunting, a good way to open doors is by working together with friends and colleagues who are also looking for work.

Follow up with contacts you make at a local job fair. Ask them about what kind of work they’re looking for and tell them that you’ll them to a list of other contacts looking for work and that you’ll be sure to send them any job leads you find that may be w2ell suited to them. Ask them to do the same.

Soon you could find yourself with a great circle of contacts all working together to find work.

And hey, you never know! You could find yourself being wooed by any one of the companies hosting a booth at the local job fair too.

Be sure to check with your local paper or Chamber of Commerce for job fairs in your area. You can also visit sites such as, EmploymentGuide.com to find job fairs near you.

Getting the Upper Hand When Competing for the Job

Posted on November 30, 2009 by meghan_ntroduction

When looking to switch professions or even go into business for yourself there is much more to examine besides the basic “It’s who you know” theory to help give you the leg up you need to make it work. While having a strong network is always important, under the current economic conditions, agility and flexibility can take you just as far, if not further.

With so many people competing for the few jobs available, in any profession, what stands out to an employer looking for the right candidate? It may not be the person who came in with the strongest recommendation or the even the 25 years of experience. It may be the person who is willing to take the pay cut or work a flexible schedule. Companies are having a hard time staying a float and a manager whose looking at ways to keep his company and all it’s employees going may just go with the candidate who’s going to save him the money that will enable him to keep the company going.

This doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short, not by a long shot. But make sure when embarking on a new venture you take a close look at what your situation is and where you can afford to take a cut. Will working part-time keep your family afloat? Maybe what you save on daycare will help balance out a flexible schedule. If you make a few cutbacks in your own family spending can you afford to took take an offer that’s on the lower end of the salary range? For many families the lower salary is better than no salary at all.

Be willing to take that cut could be the difference between getting the job and getting the boot. Be sure and check out our post, “9 Tips on Getting a Raise in a Down Economy” to get some ideas on how to research the company your applying for.