No job? Don’t bother with the application

This is a despicable practice, but totally legal and will within the rights of any company trying to fill a job. As the linked article mentions, automatically excluding the currently unemployed from consideration in this economic climate is more than shortsighted — it’s just stupid.

From the link:

The last thing someone who is unemployed needs to be told is that they shouldn’t even apply for the limited number of job openings that are available. But some companies and recruiters are doing just that.

Employment experts say they believe companies are increasingly interested only in applicants who already have a job.

“I think it is more prevalent than it used to be,” said Rich Thompson, vice president of learning and performance for Adecco Group North America, the world’s largest staffing firm. “I don’t have hard numbers, but three out of the last four conversations I’ve had about openings, this requirement was brought up.”

Some job postings include restrictions such as “unemployed candidates will not be considered” or “must be currently employed.” Those explicit limitations have occasionally been removed from listings when an employer or recruiter is questioned by the media though.

Faking job references

Providing a bogus job reference in the form of a friend or relative is nothing new, but I had no idea the concept has become so organized and commodified.

From the link:

But a niche business has cropped up that takes that a step further. Web sites that offer fake job reference services are available for any job seeker whose credentials and references don’t stand on their own. That’s bad news for hiring managers, according to Jeff Wizceb, a vice president with HR Plus, a division of AlliedBarton Security Services that provides background screening services.

“You basically sign up and create your own company that you want to have worked at or create a position at a legitimate company,” said Wizceb. “You plug in references, position, salary, all that information, and if an employer were to call the number you provided, these sites will pose as a reference and it would be basically this fake company that would ‘verify’ the information.”

Job search and identity scams

There are a lot of people searching for employment right now and there are plenty of scammers after the information job searchers are providing. Particularly identity theft artists. Resumes, and if it gets this far, employment applications are a treasure trove for ID theft crooks. A close acquaintance of mine had to ferret out a pretty significant ID theft threat while looking for work just last week.

These things have been around forever, and I usually get to laugh at, or get annoyed by at least a few each year since as a freelance writer one way I increase my client base (and the least preferred method compared to clients seeking me out or getting referrals from other clients or colleagues) is responding to blind ads seeking freelance content or other writing services. A lot of these ads are just horseshit companies looking to not pay for any services rendered, but every once in a while I come across a full-blown scam. Typically not very veiled for anyone with any amount of background in online scams.

The moral here? If you are looking for work, don’t let your situation allow you to let your guard down against scams and identity theft threats.

From the first link:

“We have seen a large proliferation of these scams over the past six to nine months because of the employment situation,” says Lyn Chitow Oaks, chief marketing officer of TrustedID, which provides identity-theft protection services to individuals, families and businesses.

She notes that identity thieves are targeting job seekers because they’re vulnerable and willing to share personal information as part of the job search process.

Two types of job search scams are most common, according to Oaks. One is a phishing scam, where identity theft perpetrators e-mail would-be victims to tell them about potential jobs and opportunities to make extra money. The e-mails direct recipients to websites that identity thieves have created specifically for gathering personal information, just as if it were a job application, says Oaks.

These fake applications request all the information job seekers would expect to provide, such as their name, address and phone number, as well as for information they may not expect to offer so early in the process, she adds, such as their Social Security number, permission to conduct a background check and bank account information.

“They tell you they need your bank account information so they can make sure your check can be direct deposited,” she says, adding that they’ll sometimes go so far as to say that they’ll place money in your account and then remove it just to make sure it work

Finding jobs on Twitter

If you’re looking for work, Twitter is now a destination for openings. Check out this CIO.com article for tips on finding work via Twitter.

From the link:

But using Twitter to find new work isn’t a straightforward process. Because people publish so frequently, it’s easy to miss a lead in the process. Also, Twitter’s search tool, while serviceable, sometimes makes it hard to narrow your job inquiries down to something specific.

We spoke with some career experts about how you can search wisely. In general, you must sieve through hashtags, a symbol (#) Twitter users assign to their tweets that sorts them into different categories (I wrote a CIO.com overview on Twitter hashtags a few months ago). We also learned about a few Twitter handles (Twitter user names) that post some helpful content if you’re trying to land your next gig.

Social networking and the job search

If you are in the position of looking for work, here’s an article outlining how some job seekers found employment utilizing social network sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

From the link:

Brennan Carlson ( Facebook and LinkedIn), a newly hired product manager at e-mail marketing firm Lyris Inc., is an extreme example. He took a highly organized, scientific approach to his job search when he was laid off from Yahoo Video last winter.

This included using custom search engines, Greasemonkey(a Firefox plug-in allowing customized Web page appearances via JavaScript), scripts running on top of Firefox, widgets, mashups, a spreadsheet and a customized Netvibes “start page”that organizes blogs, news, weather, photos and social networks. Carlson also made concentrated use of social networking sites to present himself online and to research targeted companies.

LinkedIn was one of the most useful tools he used, as it is for almost everyone else we interviewed. It’s also a key tool for IT hiring managers and recruiters looking for candidates. It has become the de-facto must-use tool in today’s career environment.

But whether it’s LinkedIn or one of the other myriad services, these Web tools are vital to today’s IT job search, Carlson said.

“If you’re not online, get online,” Carlson said. “Be everywhere. Start using these services. . . If you’re not on Twitter, get there. Start Tweeting.”

Words of wisdom for job seekers

Something to keep in mind during the search for employment.

From the link:

One of Jaffe’s tips stood out, and I thought it was worth sharing. It was to not take rejection in your job search personally. His press release notes:

“It’s not you. It’s the economy. Please, please remember that what’s happening is a reflection of the overall economy. It’s not a commentary on your specific qualifications. Sometimes stuff just happens…and we all get stuffed in the process. Don’t take it personally.”

In other words, lots of highly qualified people (like yourself) are on the market and aren’t getting responses to their résumés or callbacks for interviews—let alone job offers. It’s not because you lack credentials. It’s not because you’re doing something wrong. It’s the economy, so don’t beat yourself up over the lack of progress you’re making in your job search. 

Tips for the newly telecommuting

Telecommuting as in laid-off from an office job for the first time in a career and suddenly either doing contract work from home, or simply working on a job search. As a freelance writer I’ve been telecommuting for years and have to admit there’s a lot to say both for, and against, the practice. All in all I like it, but telecommuting isn’t for everyone.

From the link:

With thousands of people losing their jobs each week, Nilles offers five pieces of advice for those CIO.com readers who might have little if any experience working outside an office environment and now find themselves working from their homes full-time—looking for new jobs, or working on contract assignments until they find other full-time gigs.

1. Good or Bad: You’re the Boss Now

The first thing that someone who was used to working in a big-company office environment will notice, says Nilles, is that he has lost all his means of support: Need IT’s assistance with an Internet connection issue? Gone. Or accounting’s help with a financial question? Nope. How about marketing’s insights? Ditto.

“When you’re working from home, you are the entire staff,” Nilles says. “You have to think about that, and you have to become self-sufficient. And all of the things that you used to leave for someone else to do, you may have to learn or relearn them yourself.”

Even basic scheduling or meeting personal deadlines can be difficult for people who have long relied on office norms that dictated when assignments and projects needed to get done, he says. In the office “if people were walking down the hall to a conference room, then [that told you] that there must be a meeting,” Nilles says. “Now, you need to provide your own cues as to what really needs to get done today.”

Discouraging news for job seekers

If you are coming from a big enterprise company and looking to join a start-up or other smaller firm, your application may get rejected out of hand. Not good news for the currently unemployed who faced layoffs from larger companies.

From the link:

As many major U.S. companies slash staff, more job seekers with big-business résumés are pursuing smaller employers. Concerns with 500 or fewer people employ more than half of the nation’s private-sector workers. However, fledgling and midsize enterprises say they often reject applicants from sizable companies as bad fits for their businesses.

Big-business veterans face greater hurdles in downsizing employers than during the 2000-2001 downturn. Smaller employers often assume big-company veterans prefer a highly structured workplace, plentiful perks and extensive organizational support. To overcome such stereotypes, you must portray yourself as a self-starter. “Just having a blue-chip company in your background isn’t going to open doors like it once did at small concerns,” says Fred Whelan, a San Francisco recruiter and co-author of the forthcoming book, “GOAL! Your Game Plan for Success.”

Using Twitter for job hunt

Here’s a CIO.com article on using Twitter when searching for work. I think every tool in the box should be utilized when on the employment hunt and Twitter is certainly of the moment.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/davidkonline.

From the first link:

Though LinkedIn tops the list of professionally-oriented social networks for job seeking, you can also use Twitter to get the word out about your skills and talents to relevant people in your industry.

But you must take some steps to be a good Twitter citizen before you tweet yourself into your next gig. We spoke with some career and social media experts on how to utilize Twitter for the purpose of job seeking, and the ways in which you can promote your own interests while helping others at the same time. (As you’ll find, you can’t do one without the other).

If you’re new to Twitter, we recommend reading our beginners’ guide to Twitter, as well as our Twitter etiquette guide, to learn more about what makes this community operate. Overall, it’s important to remember that Twitter is about exchanging ideas and letting people know more about you based on the content of your tweets.

Using LinkedIn company profiles for job search

For LinkedIn users who are looking for work, here’s a CIO.com article on utlizing LinkedIn company profiles when searching for jobs.

From the link:

Since LinkedIn Company Profiles launched nearly a year ago, more than 160,000 companies have established a profile page. If you’re job hunting in today’s struggling economy, LinkedIn company profiles can help you learn about companies on your short list in greater depth, according to career experts who have analyzed the service. Another bonus: a careful examination of LinkedIn contacts who have recently joined (or worked at) a company can help you determine if the organization would be a good fit, as you compare your own qualifications against the candidates hired.

After using the service and talking with experts, we’ve constructed a quick primer on LinkedIn company profiles and how you can start utilizing this resource right away for job hunting or networking.

Twelve job searching tips …

… from CIO.com.

The job market is tough right now. There’s a financial crisis and unemployment is high and rising. This means going beyond the usual steps when looking for work.

Here’s an infomative article from Mark Cummuta at CIO.com with twelve secrets for job hunting in a recession.

From the link:

I’ve previously summarized the key secrets I use in my own job search in an article I wrote last year, 10 Secrets for Searching for a Job During A Recession. This article has been seeing a significant increase in traffic lately, and I would imagine that is because more and more people are being impacted by the continued downward spiral of our global economy.

Since writing that article, I have made two more observations about the job market – making that “12 Secrets” now – and have adjusted my own job search strategies to improve my odds.  Specifically, I have increased my “time-to-delivery requirements” (how fast I respond to an opportunity), and I have expanded my marketing efforts.

 

11. Improve your time-to-delivery.

Job opportunities have been pulled off the market for many reasons over the past year. My personal experience shows that when faced with making the final decision on even their ideal candidate, most employers have not been willing to pull the hiring trigger.

But the market has shifted in 2009. Now, I am amazed not by how many jobs are being pulled off the market, but rather how quickly they are disappearing once posted. For the past several weeks hiring firms are posting positions again and are willing to make a hiring decision again. However, they have so many candidates available, and so many applicants applying, that opportunities disappear before I even get a chance to apply. I’ve spoken with recruiters who have apologized that a position was still online, even a mere 48 hours after posting, and that they were not taking any more resumes.