Job Postings… Who Can You Trust?

Previously I wrote about information overload when it comes to wrriting your résumé and the information you can trust. Several people brought to my attention that the same trust factor holds true for job postings as well.

Just like job seekers, career changers, and professionals looking to move up and across the lattice who websites, blogs, and Linked-In groups to seek legitimate information on how to write a résumé and conduct their job search need to trust the advice people offer there, so too they need to trust the jobs posted om them.

The problem is many people posting jobs, especially on Linked-In groups, do not exist and post for an ulterior motive that can be detrimental to you as a job seeker.

What I find is there are two reasons these people, real and non-existent people alike, do what they do.

1: Many jobs are posted by an employee who assumes a Nam de Plume, or on occasion uses their own name to post opportunities to drive traffic to a site they are affiliated with. The catch is an online application is required and this can be problematic. Since this model pays a CPC fee these people’s intention is to get paid for clicks. The more clicks they generate the more money they make. Their intention is not to fill jobs but to fill their coffers.

For you the question is how safe your information is if you apply online and what is done with it. I can not answer this question, but once you lose control beware of what may happen to your resume and personal information. Also when you click you are likely to get some spyware on your computer and perhaps a virus of some sort.

2: A more serious problem is identity theft scammers use job posting as a way to gain your personal information.

In my early 20’s when I started in personnel with a Wall Street employment agency every applicant who came into the office filled out a form that went to the consultant they were assigned to and was available to others in the firm.

Truth be told this is one of the reasons I accepted the job. Let’s face it how many positions do you know where women come into your office everyday and give you their name, address and phone number? This allowed me to call them at home each time I had a new position to discuss with them, and I can say I was brazen enough to call many of these women at home to ask for referrals of their friends and others they might know looking for a new job. Some I even called and asked them out for lunch or a cup of coffee to get better acquainted.

Times were different then. Today there are several people and companies postings jobs that are stealing or selling your personal information for their personal financial gain, and on occasion they do so for outright identity theft.

What I suggest is before you post your resume online or file a detailed application– especially if it asks for a Social Security number – that you validate who the person who posted the lead is and who they work for to see if they are legit.

If you see certain people posting on a Linked-In group on a consistent basis, Google them and their firm and if the results don’t look quite Kosher, I suggest you comment on this so the group monitor can look into them.

The bottom line is, as technology expands you need to be more cautious about how you go about looking and applying for a job.

As usual I am available to offer a professional critique of resumes and social media profiles and offer thoughts on how to improve them. Just send your resume to perry@perrynewman.com. No cost/no obligation.

Résumé Info Overload… Who Can You Trust?

Have you noticed that in career services focused blogs and Linked-In groups, places that people visit and rely on for both guidance and professional advice, there is no shortage of expert opinions on the right way to write a résumé?

For instance, this year I’ve seen online résumé writing advice from professional résumé writers and HR professionals like myself and my colleagues on Career Rocketeer, a 75 year old retiree who is at least 10 years behind the times in his take on what works today, a secretary with a degree in English and a CPRW who has never interviewed or hired someone for a job who now feels qualified to offer résumé writing advice, a 2012 college graduate who has yet to find his first job but is undeterred in offering his 2-cents, and countless others who profess they know the right way to write the perfect résumé.

All of us are well meaning in our desire to help others, but cumulatively we have created an “information overload” on a subject in which too many contributors don’t have the hands-on experience, knowledge and training to be considered a true Subject Matter Expert.

I myself do not profess to have all the answers. However what I can say with certainty is the advice a SME should offer must vary depending on who they are advising; a 2012 college gradate, a recent MBA with several years experience, a mid career professional, a career changer, a mid-level manager, a VP and CXO level executive, and all of the over 50 year old job seekers having difficulty getting noticed in the crowd can not be treated as a single entity. Résumé advice also differs depending on the job seeker’s industry and occupation or vocation.

A knowledgeable authority should make it clear that, for instance, the advice offered a recent grad, a graphic designer, or a network administrator is not ‘One-Size-Fits-all.” Most written advice I see on blogs fails to make this differentiation.

One requires a traditional résumé, one a technical résumé, and one a résumé stylized to stand out in a huge stack of résumés submitted by almost equally qualified candidates. This is what a competent blogger should be telling people and what you should take to heart.

So if you are reading blogs like this, and especially if you are following discussions on Linked-In groups where there are way too many posters who are as phony as a $7 bill, you need to investigate who is offering the advice before you accept it at face value.

The first thing I suggest doing is to Google the writer to see that he/she is who they say they are and not just a cipher. On blogs like Career Rocketeer and mine you can read their bios, or next best go to their Linked-In page to learn more about their credentials and what others have to say about them. Then go to their website and look at samples of their work to see if they can “walk the walk as well as they talk the talk.” Finally I suggest you read articles they’ve posted in the past to see if they are consistent in their advice or if they are just looking to drive paid traffic to a 3rd party blog.

Doing all this is not an infallible way to ensure their résumé writing advice is right for you. So if you have any doubts I suggest you call or email them and ask them what they would suggest in your case. A true professional will be happy to return your call or email and give you a moment or two of their time. I know I would.

Again, I am available to offer a professional critique of resumes and social media profiles and offer thoughts on how to improve them. Just send your resume to perry@perrynewman.com. No cost/no obligation.

The GEN Y Generation

Every decade a new generation of entry level and early career employees arrive to leave their mark on how the job market evolves; in 2012 it is Gen Y – 18 to 29 year olds with a new attitude.

Here are some interesting facts about this collection of young men and women who will soon be our future business and social leaders.

According to PayScale and Gen Y research firm Millennial Branding 47% of Gen Y’s work for companies with less than 100 employees, while another 30% work for companies with less than 1500 employees. As for Gen Y who desire to work for mega large companies the preference is to work for companies known for innovation and leaders in technology like Google, Amazon and Qualcomm etc.

My feeling is what’s happened in the economy the past 5 years; the inability of well established companies to create quality jobs and their lack of loyalty in the workplace has created this trend to avoid working for the larger companies.

Where in the past the ‘American Dream’ was to start at the bottom rung on the ladder and slowly climb your way up, or when possible do so on the ‘fast-track, today there is a changing dynamic of replacing ladders with lattices. You can find out more about this from my previous post Career Lattice is replacing the Career ladder.

In terms of Gen Y preferences, researchers found the appeal is flexibility, a chance to be entrepreneurial, and the freedom to use social networks in the workplace without strict corporate guidelines.

In this global age when business can be easily conducted remotely, flexibility is quite important. The ability to get your work done outside of a strict 9-5 schedule and work from home some, most or all of the time is not only appealing, in many jobs it is crucial. With technology we can now attend meetings and collaborate with people on the opposite coast and across the pond on our laptops at home. So Gen Y workers see little value in being at the office at 5 am in the morning or at 11 pm to attend a meeting or speak with a co-worker in Paris or Tokyo about the project they are collaborating on.

Also there are many companies that allow you to work 100% remotely and this too appeals to Gen Y since it broadens the number of companies they can work for.

I think because of the lack of job creation today Gen Y also sees opportunities that allow them to develop their entrepreneurial skills a big plus because this way they can create companies and jobs a few years down the road rather than look for new positions or be among the long-term unemployed.

Wanting the freedom to use social media shows me how important social media such as Linked-In, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ etc. has become today, and how much it will grow in importance in the next 10 years. This generation grew up in the age of social media and older workers must learn from them how to embrace social media or get left behind.

On the negative side many entry level Gen Y employees are having a very difficult time finding jobs in their chosen field due in part to competition from older, more seasoned unemployed and employed candidates.

As for education, most Gen Y do have a 4-year college degree and many have advanced degrees, however these diplomas no longer guarantee placement in a white collar position. This is why so many are working in jobs that are beneath them and do not require a degree at all.

The smart Gen Y are now seeking degrees in science and related majors leading to jobs in biotech, neuroscience, robotics and similar fields.

This is the mindset of the Gen Y generation, but it is also worthwhile for career hangers in their 30’s and to consider these new workplace dynamics.

Again, I am available to offer a professional critique of resumes and social media profiles and offer thoughts on how to improve them. Just send it along to perry@perrynewman.com. No cost/no obligation.