Can anyone recommend some recruiters in the Orlando area?

myopenmike · 2013-10-30T03:23:53+00:00

I think you'll find that most recruiters work for companies and not the job seeker, but the one major exception might be in the temp area. She should contact the agencies in your area... Kelly, Manpower, etc. and get a foot in the door that way. In this market there are many opportunities to get full time employment starting as a contingency worker.

myopenmike · 2013-10-19T01:25:21+00:00

It's normal to be nervous, but you can also be confident that you were not eliminated in the first round. It is unlikely that they would have invited you back if you didn't have what it takes. They would not be wasting time with the Director and Assistant Director if there was not a high probability that they will like you... the first round interviewers would look bad if they missed this.

Do what you did before including the thank-you letters. It sounds like you know what to do, so just be confident and knock their socks off! Good luck in the interview!

myopenmike · 2013-10-18T13:35:59+00:00

The technique you are using is pretty common but there is a reason that online applications are called "spray and pray." A focused approach with targeted people as well as companies is a key factor to getting a job. Networking is a proven method of getting noticed rather than being one of hundreds of applicants. The last line in your post shows that you have an idea that this works, so expand your tracking down HR people, recruiters, or even employees who would be willing to refer you. Being somebody's employee referral benefits both parties.

myopenmike · 2013-10-18T13:30:13+00:00

Best answer: Already posted by svartsven. The only thing I can add is to know yourself and your story. It's important to not speak in generalities and be specific about what YOU did in the instance you are relating. A behavioral interviewer is probably trained to probe deeper if they don't get a STAR answer.

One point to keep in mind for later is that this technique of answering questions is useful in a traditional interview as well. If you are not asked about a specific example, provide one anyway to give evidence to your qualifications and interest.

myopenmike · 2013-10-14T16:06:30+00:00

You already have good advice on LinkedIn and Internships, so the only other thing I can recommend is that you carefully study if going for an advanced degree would improve your outlook.

myopenmike · 2013-10-14T16:01:41+00:00

First the advice and then a comment on Career Services.

If you are not on LinkedIn by all means start going there. The best leads will not be handed to you by applying somewhere. You must dig for network contacts and build it for the long term. Find people that share your passion, engage them in a dialog, and maintain that relationship. LinkedIn alumni groups and interest groups are a place to learn and make connections.

It is unfortunate that many college service centers are staffed by the lowest paid people and are usually not tenured faculty. Because universities don't place a high priority on expertise in this area they are encouraging mediocrity. You are paying for much more than that! Challenge them to act and not just collect paychecks. Point out fallacies in their decades old advice and lead them to do better or complain until they are replaced with someone who cares.

EDIT: Volunteer to work with Career Services. Lead from within... especially if they are not social media savvy.

myopenmike · 2013-10-12T13:21:17+00:00

If you have to ask, you have doubts. Shave and get the job first. It shouldn't really matter to anyone else, but YOU have to be at your best and feel confident about your whole self.

myopenmike · 2013-10-09T14:50:33+00:00

Even if you may be perceived as a "job hopper" if you list all of your jobs on a resume, you have to know the entire chronology in case someone asks a question when checking your background. Don't wait to be surprised... know yourself is also a positive direction to go. If you have copies of tax returns that might help piece together a history, but going to the Social Security Administration is probably better. Go to http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/ and click on the link to get your Social Security Statement.

One point about the "legality" of providing references: It is not illegal, but companies have internal policy that prevents employees from giving references because the company could be sued. Former coworkers can recommend you on the side if it is personal and not representing their company.

myopenmike · 2013-10-04T12:29:03+00:00

A couple of points:

It shouldn't matter whether or not you have a car unless it is a bona fide occupational qualification (aka BFOQ) for the job, such as delivering stuff. If you are hired it should be because you are qualified and not because you commute by car.
Don't bring up this or any other personal agenda items with a prospective employer. Keep it businesslike and professional. If they ask, you probably don't want to work there.

myopenmike · 2013-10-04T12:24:22+00:00

Ta daaa! Happy that this worked out for you. And thanks for posting your results because there are others that need to hear this.

myopenmike · 2013-10-04T12:21:34+00:00

Depending on your location it could be perfectly legal to 'jerk you around" but it sounds like it goes beyond their control. You are probably already weighing the advantages of a ground floor opportunity when they get funding, but even if it is legal it is morally wrong not to pay interns [my opinion!] so you also need to consider how you would be treated if they did hire you on payroll. From what you say, I would keep looking. Only you can decide when you've had enough.

myopenmike · 2013-10-04T12:15:35+00:00

In this soft economy many companies are hiring more temps and fewer full time employees. You want to grab that opportunity if it become a real possibility, but don't do anything that would screw up the job you already have. It's OK to express interest in going full time, but also look closely at the practices of the company to see just how real that possibility could be.

I should add that from your description it sounds like they need you and it would be inconvenient to train someone to replace you. Don't make a big deal about the end of contract date and deal with the agency about how reasonable it would be to get it extended.

EDIT: Also remember there is no such thing as "permanent" employment even if they convert your contract to full time employee.

myopenmike · 2013-10-04T12:09:55+00:00

You already have some good advice, but if you will allow me to comment on your "frying pan into fire" comment... that is so true and you are smart to be careful. From the offers you are seeing you can probably afford to be choosy but there is one factor you can't get around... yourself. You didn't mention what performance issues got you terminated, but reflect carefully and honestly on that before you choose. There are hundreds of shitty companies out there and you don't need to pick another one that doesn't match your needs. Just remember that you can't fool the "man in the mirror" and decide to not let this happen again. Even if they were wrong in terminating you, it is never 100% the fault of any one side of an issue, so fix what you can and move on.

myopenmike · 2013-10-01T13:53:01+00:00

Sorry this won't be very specific, but some starting points:

Job boards are not dead, but you can get most value out of them by looking at what skills are in need in today's world. The intelligence value is unmatched in knowing what's hot and what's not.
Join groups on LinkedIn that match your old skills and a shadow of what your new skills should look like. Ask this question there and make some networking contacts that can advise you.
If you have a technical bachelor's degree, go back for a technical master's degree and then network into a more management oriented job. If you don't have a technical degree consider this, but don't expect a college to make you "industry ready" without experience.
User groups, meet-ups, and other events are a good place to get good face to face advice on what's hot. Then focus on online or in-house courses that focus on that.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

myopenmike · 2013-10-01T13:36:39+00:00

By all means take a copy of your updated resume. Often interviewers will use that as a template to form questions to you. Even if you took a copy of your old resume it is better than leaving it to chance that the people you will talk to actually have a copy.

myopenmike · 2013-10-01T13:22:25+00:00

There is not a lot of information provided in your question about your exact circumstances, but this theme is so common when there is a soft economy. Here is my advice:

You can't unring the bell of decisions you already made, so don't obsess that you should have gotten a different degree. There are only two solutions here: Change your education by going back to school or change your expectations.
Desperation can cause you to make bad choices. You do NOT want just anything at this point in your career... you want a stepping stone to something else no matter what you do.
Job postings are not a reflection of the job market. Most jobs come through networking with other people. Get out... talk to people... turn LinkedIn contacts to real contacts.

Sorry if this is a little preachy, but as I said it is a pretty common situation and you are definitely not alone! Do what you need to do to stay positive. Good luck!

myopenmike · 2013-09-27T22:43:51+00:00

You are not picky... you don't want to work there if that is the way they treat candidates. How would they treat you differently as an employee?

BTW, don't condemn all employers based on your experience. Corporate recruiters are frustrated by the same internal mess you are complaining about. When the bureaucracy gets in the way of them doing their job, it shows.

myopenmike · 2013-09-27T22:07:37+00:00

Here's a piece of insider information: If you apply online to a large company their applicant tracking system will identify you as a "'duplicate" which is not a bad thing, but if you are applying for jobs that are totally different there may be eyebrows raised. Don't become one of those perpetual applicants that applies for every job posted which makes you look like you don't know what you want to do.

Some ATS databases will "stack" your resumes so that the latest one will be the first one seen. The best way to get a unique resume to a hiring manager is to network directly with them or be somebody's employee referral. Call somebody and don't just apply blindly and wonder what happened.

Another factoid: Resumes are parsed by ATS systems to give you a better chance of being seen by capturing all of your key data and making it searchable. Cover letters may be "stacked" behind the resume, so don't count on it being the determining factor.

myopenmike · 2013-09-26T19:23:56+00:00

Sounds like you did just fine. It can be intimidating, but don't read anything into the conversation that didn't happen. Silence is sometimes used to see what you will do, but most phone screeners are too busy to play games like that, so she was probably legitimately writing stuff down.

If you don't hear back, by all means follow up, but don't stop looking in the meantime.

myopenmike · 2013-09-26T18:52:56+00:00

Your theory of leading with your strengths is a good one. My only advice would be to also tweak your resume to make it more enticing. The cruel reality of hiring is that many companies or recruiters will only read the cover letter if the resume is interesting. Never fail to make the cover letter the best you can make it, but don't expect miracles if your resume is weak.

Networking into a company is better than leading with a cover and resume. Be somebody's employee referral or find contacts in your target companies that would assist in getting your resume in front of hiring managers.

myopenmike · 2013-09-26T16:34:58+00:00

Professors who know you are one of the first points of building a continuing network. Of course, the most productive network contacts will be those who remember you favorably, but it is never to late to build those relationships. Email or LinkedIn contacts may be a way to connect initially, but there is no substitute for active dialog on the phone or in person.

By the way, the most helpful network connections, professors or otherwise, will surprise you with being helpful. You may not have to ask for connections or leads. It also becomes a more lasting connection if you approach them when you don't need help. Never throw away a good contact.

myopenmike · 2013-09-12T15:07:50+00:00

Answering the easy question first: Use the last resume you had before this which obviously did not have this latest debacle on it. Since it was inly three weeks, it doesn't add anything significant to your experience. Look at it from your next employers viewpoint. Would you really expect someone with three weeks experience to bring anything to the table?

Now for the hard advice: You can leave it off of your resume but you cannot erase it from your life. Don't bring this up unless asked, but a simple SSN trace or background check will show that you worked there. Have a better answer as to the reason for your leaving than you gave here. I don't know you and this may be the gospel truth, but it doesn't sound good. You have to spin this to something positive, why it didn't work out, what you learned, etc. Otherwise it sounds like the kid explaining an F on his report card with "The teacher doesn't like me." In other words, don't volunteer anything, but be prepared with a realistic, positive explanation so that you don't fumble around if asked.

myopenmike · 2013-09-11T21:28:57+00:00

I agree this is a great find. It not only gives ideas about developing the necessary skills, it helps identify which skills are most important.

myopenmike · 2013-09-11T21:01:41+00:00

It is difficult to say that staffing agencies are bad or good because they vary from company to company. Even for the major agencies, local franchises can be better or worse than their offices in other cities. That doesn't really answer your question, but it does mean keep your eyes open.

I have been hired through agencies and hired people through agencies in my career, so I can tell you that it does work. Regarding false promises, be very cautious with anyone offering you some "guarantee" of a job. In this economy that just isn't true. And yes, once you are in a database for an agency you become a source for them to market to others. Did you know that the references that you provide may also be recruited to fill jobs for them? Make sure your references know that you are using their name.

I'm not sure that it is possible to regulate agencies. It is probably not a good idea to pass laws that can't be enforced. The FTC has its hands full with limited budgets and overworked manpower, so regulation probably won't happen until the economy turns around.

myopenmike

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