Friday, November 29, 2019

Can (or should) you wait till the application deadline to apply

Can (or should) you wait till the application deadline to applyCan (or should) you wait till the application deadline to applyWhen a job listing says you have a month to submit your cover letter and resume, can you wait until the deadline to apply? Some of us may see the date and think, Sweet, I have weeks to prepare my cover letter to be the best it can be, but career experts caution against waiting too long. The application deadline you see on the job listing may not be the one in hiring managers minds.close dialogAdvertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child padding 0width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparent.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1pxbox-shadow 0px 0px 0px 3px black.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-3RBnJGC position absolutetop 50%left 50%transform translate(-50%, -50%)z-index -1.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 width 55px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 *first-child animation-name bx-anim- 1012257-spinanimation-duration 800msanimation-iteration-count infiniteanimation-timing-function linear.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-lyDBLV9 width 900pxheight 550px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-me4p1bl padding 10px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)Heres how you should approach job application deadlinesHow flexible are application deadlines? It dependsAs soon as you see a job you want, you should start hustling to finish the application, regardless of the long deadline, Ask a Managers Alison Green suggests, because you never know how many strong candidates the employer has already seen. Green notes that many hiring managers are forced to put down a deadline date even if that does not reflect how they are interviewing candidate s.If the employer is actually looking at applications as they come in and talking to good candidates on a rolling basis, when you apply in four weeks, they may have already assembled a group of finalists theyre excited about, and thus the bar is going to be a lot higher for adding someone else in last-minute, she advises. Maybe, in a perfect world, each candidate would get an equal chance of having their application read after the deadline closes. But this is just one more factor in a long list of other factors outside of your power to control in the job hunt.Recruiters suggest submitting early if you want to be at the top of their mind. Youre always better applying earlier rather than later, Seattle-based recruiter Kory Ferbet advised. The majority of the time, theyre going to extend the offer to the first well-qualified candidate, who is also a team fit, regardless of how much time is or isnt left in the deadline.Then again, if the deadline has come and past, do not be afraid to s hoot your shot and apply for the job. Former recruiter Vicki Salem said that you should still apply past the stated deadline precisely because you never know what employers are thinking.Maybe the deadline got extended maybe someone on the team is leaving soon but hasnt officially resigned so the job is still open, Salem writes. You never know the situation behind the scenes, and the cool thing is that it doesnt matter. If the job is still posted past the deadline, go for it. Recruiters want to hear from awesome job candidates at every time of the year.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Starting Your First Day in a New Sales Job

Starting Your First Day in a New Sales JobStarting Your First Day in a New Sales JobYouve searched through job listings, survived the interview and been hired as a salesperson at a new company. Your next task is to survive your first day on the job Whether this is your first sales job or your tenth, starting out on the right foot with your new company is critically important. According to Fortune magazine, 46% of new sales employees leave or are fired within 18 months a daunting statistic. You can help minimize the risk of an early departure from your new job by starting off on the right foot. Learn As Much As You Can Even for an experienced salesperson, going to a new company involves learning many new things ranging from the product to the sales cycle to the corporate culture to the other team members and more. So the first few days on the job are all about absorbing as much information as you can. Know what youre selling inside and out so that you can be a true advocate for y our product. Sitting back and waiting for your sales manager to spoon-feed your knowledge isnt good enough, as theres rarely a structured plan for training up new employees. Companies that put new hires through classes before they start may instruct trainees on basic sales skills and the compensation structure, but they rarely go beyond that point. Your first day with your new team is the best time to start digging for what you need to know. Taking the initiative will also help you impress your sales manager. Learn the Issues and Goals On your first day, try to spend a little time with your new manager and ask about core issues where to get more information about the product and the company to use in your sales calls, what the sales priorities and goals are, the criteria management will use to judge your success, the managers opinion of the current issues regarding the company and its products, etc. Ask what training is available and how he would advise you to target your effort s in the first days and weeks to build a solid pipeline. Other important details youll need to know include information on company software and databases, especially CRMs the phone system and its nuances other geschftszimmer equipment such as copy machines and postage meters and your teammates usual schedules. Ask Questions and Listen Different companies can have very different ways of doing business. Actions and attitudes that brought you success with your old sales team may quickly get you into hot water with your new one. Until youve had time to pick up the teams nuances, treat your fellow salespeople as youd treat a prospect listen more than you talk, make eye contact and be aware of body language (yours and theirs), look for common areas to help you build rapport, and so on. Your new coworkers can be a great source of information and support if they like you - or a barrier to your success if they dont. But make your initial contacts brief unless youre talking to someone who is assigned to train you. You dont want to take up too much of their time when theres work to be done. Dress the Part Your interview was probably your first face-to-face encounter with your future manager and possibly your co-workers, but its not necessarily the best time to determine the companys everyday dress code because interviewers will often dress somewhat more formally than they do on a day-to-day basis. Your first day is a good opportunity to see how your co-workers usually dress for the job. In some organizations, casual is the byword in others, conservative suits are expected. For men, acceptable hair cuts and facial hair vary from company to company, and from industry to industry. For women, skirt lengths, makeup styles or even bare legs vs. pantyhose can determine whether youll fit in and how youll be judged. Keep in mind that in some companies, the salespeople dress most days casually but haul out a suit and tie on days when theyll be meeting customers or prospect s. When in doubt, ask your sales manager or a friendly salesperson. Sometimes, there will be a formalized dress code or even a uniform spelled out by the company policy.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

7 Reasons Why All Job Seekers Need Marketing Skills

7 Reasons Why All Job Seekers Need Marketing Skills7 Reasons Why All Job Seekers Need Marketing SkillsJob searches used to be about finding jobs that matched your resume and submitting applications. But things have changed over the last decade. Job seekers can no longer just apply for jobs they match. Now, they must be excellent at marketing, too.Knowing your audience, networking, and value propositions are all skills job seekers need today. Read the reasons why in this helpful post.1. Applying for jobs angeschlossen is no longer enoughMost people who know they are about to start job seeking will usually have the same idea Look online and apply for jobs that matchMultiple studies online contain statistics showing how ineffective this method of finding work isRecruiters only look at resumes for six-secondsOnly 2% of applications online lead to an interviewWhen everyone starts doing the same thing, and it does leid work, it creates a demand for people to get creative. So, many become m arketers for themselves without even realizing it. They turn their job search into a marketing campaign.2. You have to target your audience and favorite companyGoing on a job search without knowing what you are looking for is a costly waste of time. You cannot find a job you are not sure you are looking for. Companies cannot market a product to a customer without knowing their audience.If you try to apply for all jobs online with your new resume, you are doing something marketers call, Spraying and praying. You are hoping someone will find you while not knowing why you want to be found. It does not work.Start with asking yourself these basic questions to find out what job you wantWhat is my favorite company I would love to work for?What are the usual job titles and descriptions that match my resume?What industry do I want to be a parte of?What is my favorite kind of work culture?From your answers, you can pinpoint the type of jobs and companies you should be searching for and the pe ople you should be networking with.3. You need an awareness of your networkSuccessful marketers send the right messages to the right people at the right time. In order to do so, you must have an awareness of your network.The hard truth is that more than 80% of jobs never make it to a job board. They float around within your network and the people who work at certain companies. Having an awareness of what your network is talking about and doing is a great way to find opportunities within that coveted hidden job market.In having this awareness, you will also apply for jobs less and have a greater hit rate when it comes to interviews. Some keys to having an awareness of your networkExpand upon the people already knowTalk to family, friends, and those precious friends for life aka. college alumniSearchyour LinkedIn list of 2nd-degree connections. Find who should be a 1st-degree connection. It is a guarantee that you are not connected to everyone you should be on LinkedIn. So, change tha t and get connected4. You have to be able to present your brandWhy is your brand better than anyone elses? What do you do that no one else does and how does that make you valuable to a company?You are going to find loads of stock answers to these questions online. Instead of copying answers, write your own. Show the bit of you that no one else gets to see until they hire you. Your personal brand is a value proposition for companies letting them know, If you go with a competitor, you will be missing out on my brand5. You need to be great at your CTA (call to action)Much thought goes into every CTA, whether it be a blog link or a key phrase for a marketing campaign. The call to action (CTA) is used to motivate people into the desired reaction. For job seekers, the CTAs purpose is to motivate a company into calling them in for an interview.Cover letters are a great way to do this. Even though lots of people say, Cover letters are dead they are still great to send when you know exactly who will read it. Therefore, a cover letter should show your personality and have a great (and brief) CTA.Another great way to do this is by putting a CTA in your resume summary section or even in your job description.6. You have to know the channels your network watchesInternet and social are still forms of media just like TV and radio. You have to know what channels your network is watching to get your message across. A popular statistic you will read is that 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen job candidates. In other words, Recruiters watch this channel, having a perfect LinkedIn profile is important. Almost everyone, at some point, Googles someone to find out more information. If they Google your name, the first thing that pops up is a LinkedIn profile. So, if you are not on LinkedIn and searching for a job, you are not putting your personal brand on the best channel to get seen.7. You have to understand the process of lead follow-upAll job seekers and marketers need a pla n to follow-up with leads. If writing thank you notes and following up is just something you do because you think it is nice...you are ahead of the game. Unfortunately, most job seekers fail to follow up.Expecting to reach out once and have success is a flawed plan. If you are not following up, saying thank you, or writing notes on LinkedIn to stay on peoples minds, you will surely be forgotten during your job search.