No Job Posted...Send Resume Anyway?

I got this question from a reader regarding submitting a resume to companies that don't appear to be hiring:

In one of your webinars recently you said go straight to the companies and avoid the postings. My question is: Do you make sure that a company is hiring or do you just send your letter and resume and hope for the best? Some companies do not accept resumes if they don't have a specific job opening.

The answer is "no." You shouldn't blindly submit your materials. But, not because a company won't accept them. They will. However...

Here's Why Your Resume Won't Get Seen...

When I tell people to go straight to the company, what I mean is there's no point in applying online unless you have someone you know in the company who can walk your credentials into the hiring manager and ask them to pull your resume from the thousands they've received online and take a closer look. Yep, I said THOUSANDS. Today, applying via job boards is the easiest way to look for a work - so, everyone is doing it. Yet, it also happens to be the least effective method for getting noticed. Why? The ATS (applicant tracking system) employers use to gather applications automatically screen you out for not being an exact keyword and experience match for the job. Still, people continue to waste hours upon hours filling out online applications only to be shocked and disappointed when they never hear back from the employers. They say to me, "But J.T., I was perfect for the job." I respond, "Yes, you and hundreds of other people." The reality is your chances of making it through the online process and into the hands of a human being are only slightly better than you winning the lottery.

Effective Job Seeker Rule #1: Submit Resumes to Actual People

Want to improve your odds of getting noticed by employers? Only submit your resume and cover letter to human beings. How? Network and connect with employees of the companies you desire to work at. Then, when a job gets posted you are a match for, instead of going into the ATS blackhole, you can reach out to your contacts and see if they can help you get your credentials in the hiring manager's hands. There's a reason 80%+ of jobs today are gotten via referral - it works!

No Job Posted? Even More Reason to Network

When there's a company you'd like to work for but they've no jobs posted, you've got an opportunity to prepare for the day they finally hire for your skill set. You can start the networking process now with employees and get to know first-hand what it will take to eventually earn a position at their company. Better still, you may learn about the "hidden" jobs at the company. The ones that are open but not posted anywhere online. While sending a resume to HR will likely end up in the circular file. (a.k.a. trash can), connecting and having meaningful conversations with employees will result in you being fully prepared to fast-track your resume to the right hiring manager.

What other tips can readers share to help people get around ATS and connect directly with employers? I'd love to hear your comments below.

J.T. O'Donnell

Networking Rules for Job-seekers: the Good, the Bad and the Almost Perfect

"Networking is about meeting people you know who can vouch for your past performance and connect you with people you don't know."

After writing The Best Job-hunting Secrets of All Time, and reading the comments, I can safely conclude that 20% of job-seekers find networking necessary, appropriate, and comfortable. Another 20% find it necessary, but uncomfortable. The rest are either not doing it, or doing it wrong.

As I've stated loud and clear on these pages many times, applying directly to a job posting should represent no more than 20% of your total time looking for a job. Sixty percent should be on networking. The other 20% represents a bunch of clever techniques to help your resume be found and get contacted by a recruiter. This post will focus on the 60% networking piece.

For job-seekers there are some major advantages to networking over applying directly. For one, you'll be able to bypass the gatekeepers. For another, you'll increase your chances of being interviewed and hired by 5-10X. Even more important, candidates who are highly referred are judged more on their past performance and future potential than on their level of skills and experiences. That’s why I tell candidates not to directly apply to a job unless they’re a perfect fit on skills and experience. If not, they need to be referred by someone who can vouch for their past performance and future potential.

Networking is not about trying to meet as many people whom you don't know. This is almost as ineffective as applying directly to a job posting. Networking is about meeting people you do know who can both vouch for your past performance and future potential, and willingly recommend you to others. Here’s how this should be done:

1. Meet 3-4 people who can vouch for your past performance and future potential. These should be your best first degree connections. Younger people can use their professors, advisors, or important church or social connections as their first degree connections.
2. During the meeting review your resume or LinkedIn profile and ask for feedback. Then ask these people if they would be comfortable recommending you to people they know who are connected to others in companies or industries of interest.
3. If the answer to Step 2 is no, find out why, and/or find some better connected people.
4. If the answer to Step 2 is yes, obtain the names of 3-4 people and their contact information. Then ask the person who is vouching for you if they would call the person on your behalf, or send an email introducing you.
5. Research your connection's connections and ask about specific people. In addition to asking people you know who they know, you can turn this around and ask them about specific people they’re already connected to who you'd like to meet. This is possible using LinkedIn, since you’re able to see your first degree connections' connections (at least if they haven't hidden them).
6. Network backwards. Start with a job of interest, and using LinkedIn, find out who you're connected to who knows someone in the company who can refer you.
7. Be direct and be proactive. When you meet these second degree connections be prepared to ask about specific people they know, and about specific jobs at their companies. All of this information is on LinkedIn. Asking to be referred to a specific person or a specific job will result in more connections and more interviews.
8. Don’t be a pest, but keep your network warm by maintaining an active PR campaign. Spend a few hours each week sending emails to those who have helped you in any way. Make them personal.
9. Establish some metrics to stay focused. Treat the job-hunting process as a job, not a hobby. As a minimum, you’ll need to track meetings per week and the number of recommendations per meeting. The overriding goal should by 50-60 people in your job-hunting network within 2-3 weeks.

Networking is how you turn 4-5 great contacts into 50-60 connections in 2-3 weeks. As described above, networking should represent 60% of your job-hunting efforts. It will take about 20-30 hours per week. This is roughly 10-15 new contacts per week via the phone, which should convert into 5-6 one-on-one meetings every week. The rest of the time should be on LinkedIn researching their connections and finding open jobs in their companies. Within 2-3 weeks you’ll start hearing about some real jobs of interest. The person doing the recommending will think it’s a coincidence, but you’ll know it’s a result of your hard work.

Getting referred increases your chances of being interviewed and getting a better job by 5-10X over applying directly. This is a pretty good trade-off since it only takes three times the effort. Even better, some of the connections you make along the way will surprise you, and put you on a path you never even considered.

Lou Adler

Drake Album "Nothing was the same" Leaks out.

Drake's "Nothing Was the Same" leaked out online on Sunday night, September 15. The album, which follows up the Canadian rapper's 2011 release "Take Care", unexpectedly arrived more than one week ahead of its official release date, September 24.

One track that draws fans' attention is "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2". Drake worked with Jay-Z for the song, which features the 36-year-old rap mogul reworking Kanye West's famous "sunglasses and Advil" line as "Last night was mad trill, I'm fresh out of Advil, Jesus grab the wheel." 

"Nothing Was the Same" also includes Drake's collaborations with the likes of 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, Sampha, Majid Jordan and Detail. 

He has also dropped a track called "Wu-Tang Forever", a tribute to New York-based hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It has been reported that the surviving members of the group are working on a remix to the song.

Wu-Tang Clan's U-God said "They wanted us to remix it and get on there [so] you gon' probably hear another one with us on it," he also said "Meth did his verse - we all did our verses. I wrote my rhyme in probably 15, 20 minutes. We were moving so fast we only had about four hours of studio time. If I had some time to really sit down and get juicy with it, I probably could've got juicier with it. But I still do a nice one, I still do a real banger."

Me i love the drake, and i can't wait to have the Album already. :)

Baraje-Led PDP Chairman, Embarks on seven days fasting and prayers to End ASUU Strike

Report has it that the Chairman of the New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has requested all members of PDP worldwide to embark on seven days fasting and prayers commencing from Monday, 16th of September, 2013.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the breakaway faction, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze (JP), the party said “this spiritual intervention is as a result of the concern of the Baraje-led PDP for the plight of parents and our children due to the continued closure of public universities following the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to protest the Federal Government’s failure to keep the agreement it signed with the Union in 2009″.

According to the statement, “It has become imperative to seek the face of God over this matter considering that all efforts to resolve this unwarranted strike have failed woefully and considering the socio-economic damage this strike has caused both parents and our children. We are confident that our resolve to go to God will succeed as the importance of fasting and prayers cannot be over emphasized”.

The statement went on to add that, “To say the least, we are shocked that the government inflicting this monumental hardship on Nigerians is a PDP Government popularly elected by majority of Nigerians and run by a President who was once a University Lecturer. In this regard, we wish to plead with Nigerians for forgiveness on behalf of the PDP Government at the centre, which could have avoided this costly strike. We wish to assure all Nigerians that as a party we will surely find a way to end this shameful situation”.

The statement then pleaded thus: “We sincerely solicit the patience of Nigerians while appealing to both the Federal Government and the leadership of ASUU to end this imbroglio so that our children may go back to school instead of engaging in acts inimical to their future. The need for this has become urgent as reports reaching us indicate that many of these students have out of frustration and boredom turned to prostitution, armed robbery and other vices due to the prolonged industrial action”.

But come to think of it oh, if our so called "Politians" are planning to embark on  seven days fasting and prayer, then how many days are we the students going to fast and pray? What a Life!!!

2 Chainz the hip-hop's hottest commodity at the Moment.

2 Chainz is perhaps hip-hop's hottest commodity right now.
His second record, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time, has produced three top-20 hits and a slew of collaborations with stars as diverse as Pharrell, Drake and Diplo.
And he's officially a top choice for rappers looking for a guest - 2 Chainz charges a cool $100,000 for a verse, according to Kanye West on BBC Radio's 1Xtra.

But 2 Chainz took a break from his music on Thursday to tackle a different task: Filming for Music Choice's Take Back Your Music Campaign, which he did at Other Music in New York City.
The ad campaign, which has featured Robin Thicke, Luke Bryan, A$AP Rocky and others, highlights Music Choice's library of music videos and digital music channels.
The 36-year-old rapper certainly dressed to impress: He donned a flashy hooded t-shirt emblazoned with two huge gold chains, some spotless white trousers and a pair of thick-rimmed sunglasses.

He didn't forget his namesake, of course: A thick gold chain and pendant hung from his neck.
But 2 Chainz, real name Tauheed Epps, recently revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that people don't know the secondary meaning behind his moniker.
'People think it means I wear two chains all the time,' he says. 'But it also means this is my second chance.'
Though he made a couple mixtapes under the name Tity Boy, the turnaround in his career came as he picked up a focused work ethic - inspired by Lil Wayne, who 2 Chainz opened for on a 2008 tour.

'Having a phone full of millionaires and not being one bothered the hell out of me,' the rapper says, referencing the peers that he saw and interacted with on a daily basis.
Eventually, his talent and effort came together, attracting attention from hip-hop's biggest names.
'Kanye would tell me that he was designing clothes listening to my music,' says 2 Chainz. 'Like, 'I made a scarf listening to that sh-t.''

          

Miley Cyrus defends her Wrecking Balls video

Miley Cyrus keeps a low profile with a blanket over her head while leaving her hotel and heading to the airport on Thursday morning (September 12) in London, England.

The 20-year-old actress/singer recently defended her controversial music video for her latest single “Wrecking Ball.”

“I think the video is much more [than that],” Miley told Elvis Duran on his radio show. “If people get past the point I make, and you actually look at me, you can tell I look more broken than even the song sounds.”

Miley added, “The song is a pop ballad that everyone can relate to; everyone has felt that feeling at some point. If people can take their minds off the obvious and go into their imagination and see what the video really means, it is so vulnerable.”

Source: DailyMail

Former MBGN, Fiona Amuzie denied US visa

Fiona Amuzie won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 2010 and recently told a story of how she was denied visa at the US embassy while wearing a glamorous dress, her sash and her crown.
The second year student of the University of Coventry, UK, recalls "I think the most embarrassing moment for me happened at the US embassy. As a queen, I went there for the US visa in my full regalia, the dress, the crown, everything. And you won't believe me, they denied me the visa. It was so embarrassing. I later went back after my reign as Fiona Amuzie and this time they gave me."