Aim For The Job And Employer You Want

A better approach is to concentrate your search.  Instead of looking at job postings and applying for the ones that look like a fit, hone in on the work you’d like to do and where you’d like to do it.  Identify about 10 companies you’d like to work for.  Keep in mind that, by some estimates, as many as 80 percent of available jobs are not posted.

Find An Insider

Then use your social network to find someone at the company with whom you can connect.  Ask friends if they know anyone who works at the company.  Use LinkedIn to find connections.  If it’s a big enough company, chances are you’ll be able to find someone who knows someone who works there.

Once you find a connection at the company, don’t ask them to refer you for an open position or put in a good word for you.  If they don’t know the person who referred you to them very well they’re not likely to make a very strong recommendation.

Instead, ask if you can use their name when you apply for the job.  That may help you get your foot in the door and then you can sell yourself.  Also, ask this person good questions about the company so you can talk intelligently about the organization during an interview.  And, genuinely ask if there’s any way you could help them in return.

I once took a similar approach in landing a corporate job.  I knew the type of work I wanted to do, identified what looked like an ideal company to work for, and found someone who knew someone who worked there.  The only nuance is that when contacting the insider friend of a friend, I asked for an in-person meeting in order to learn more about the company.

We had a great conversation and he was then kind enough to recommend that I talk with a colleague who had an unadvertised opening in his department.  Eventually, I got a great job at the company.

What’s been your experience either with landing a job where none were posted or with utilizing a friend of a friend to get a foot in the door?

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Your income-producing abilities are like that goose. Take care of those abilities, and they will take care of you and your family.  Here are three ways to keep the gold flowing

Keep Learning

I wasn’t much of a student in my undergrad days, finishing with less than a B average.  Pursuing a career as a broadcast journalist, I had the high and mighty attitude that school was getting in the way of my education.  I was eager to get out of the classroom and get over to the NPR affiliate radio station where I worked as a reporter and afternoon news anchor.

But when I found my life’s work, I became hungry to go back to school, eventually earning a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from DePaul University.  The coursework, half business classes and half sociology, was related to the market research work I was doing at the time, so my employer paid for it.  Plus, it enabled me to study marketing and culture, which were helpful to the personal finance work I really wanted to do.  Some of the core ideas I wrote about in my thesis ended up in my first book, “Money, Purpose, Joy.”

Around 80 percent of large employers offer some form of tuition reimbursement and yet fewer than 10 percent of eligible employees take advantage of that benefit.  That’s huge money being left on the table, not just tuition dollars but future earning potential as well.  Does your employer offer tuition reimbursement?  Are you making use of that benefit?

What else are you doing to improve at what you do or to pursue what you really want to do?  Are you reading the latest books in your field?  Keeping up with the best bloggers?

Find a Mentor

Very often, successful people are honored when a younger person asks them for coaching.  Who do you know in your field that you admire?  It might be someone at your current company, a family friend, or even someone you’ve never met.

Contact them, and ask what advice they would give to someone who’s at an earlier stage in that field.  If it’s someone you know, ask if you could meet on a regular basis.  If it’s someone you don’t know, just ask if they’ll e-mail you some advice.

I began my personal finance writing and teaching career by volunteering for over 10 years with a financial ministry called Good $ense.  Through that experience, several people had a deep influence on how I managed my own finances and how I taught others – especially Warren Beach, Dick Towner, and Dave Briggs.  I went to their workshops and I saw how they lived out the principles they taught.  They continue to influence my life and my work in countless ways.

Check Your Attitude

Complainers are a dime a dozen.  We all know the type.  They gripe about the pay, the hours, and even the comfort of their office chair.  The more they complain, they more they stay stuck.

Resolve to never be a complainer.  If you have an issue, it’s okay to tell it to your spouse or a close friend, but then do something about it.  Offer to take on more responsibility.  Network internally for another position you qualify for.  Get the training you need to qualify for a different type of position.  Or, look for a new job at a different company.

One of the most essential ingredients to a good attitude is gratitude.  I was on a call recently that was too much about complaints, and I wasn’t just listening, I was chiming in with my own complaints!  The entire next day I didn’t feel right.  I had less energy.  I was in a bad mood.  The only reason I could come up with was all the complaining I had done the day before.

I’m not suggesting that you become a Pollyanna or fake it ‘til you make it.  I’m just suggesting that you look for something to be thankful for in your current circumstances, like any productive step you’re taking to get to a better place in your career.

The people who can most influence your career path, other than yourself, are not looking to promote the complainers around them.  They’re looking for people who are really good at what they do and who bring the people around them up.

What’s been especially helpful to your career success?  What’s holding you back?

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Mashable recently offered solid advice about nailing your elevator speech.  Its focus was on helping the heads of start-up companies as they look for funding, but the lessons are equally applicable to anyone pitching themselves to a prospective employer.  The key takeaways:

Describe a problem you solve. A common interview question is, “Why do you want to work here?”  Answering that question by telling how you can uniquely solve a company or department problem will set you apart.

Get to your point. Don’t ramble.  Don’t go off on tangents.  And don’t go beyond three verbal bullet points.  Create a short answer that clearly conveys your knowledge of the company’s business and how you can contribute to its success.

Keep it interesting. Test your elevator speech on friends and family, watching for any signs of glazing in the eyes.  Practice, practice, and practice some more so you can give your elevator speech clearly, passionately, and in a way that doesn’t sound canned.

Swing for the fences. You’re not going for a good batting average here.  You’re going for a home run.  When an interviewer throws you the “Why do you want to work here?” pitch, be ready to slam it out of the park.  Be clear.  Be bold.  And be confident.

Can you describe what you do in 30 seconds?  What other tips do you have for creating a powerful elevator speech?

Right after I arrived, I boarded a standing-room-only bus headed for the rental car facility and the driver began what I assumed would be the standard safety announcements.  But this driver’s approach was different.  After the obligatory instructions about staying seated or hanging onto the handrails, he launched into a passionate and fascinating history of the Phoenix airport.  He talked during the entire 10-minute trip, telling us about the airport’s opening 75 years ago, and how Eleanor Roosevelt’s trip to take part in the opening ceremonies was delayed by cows grazing on the grass runways. Another plane had to be dispatched to buzz the field and scare away the cows.  At the end of the trip, just about every passenger handed him a healthy tip.  It’s a safe bet that he’s one of the top earners among airport bus drivers.

The other experience happened at the church where I taught a workshop. As I stood by a table of my books after one of the morning services, an older man approached me holding a flyer promoting the afternoon workshop.  He was wondering if he was in the right place.  The man was well dressed, but in fashions from another era; a few of his front teeth were missing.  After he left, someone told me the man was homeless.

When the workshop started he was sitting right in front.  He was actively engaged in the workshop, providing a thoughtful comment on a question I asked of all participants and taking notes.

Both of these gentlemen inspired me.  We can either be defeated by our circumstances or rise above them.  We can either live life on autopilot or step up to a more engaged and adventurous life.  We can either be irritated by inconveniences or realize that every day is a gift.

All too often, I settle for the former in each of these sets of options, although I aspire to the latter. What about you?  Think of your family, your career, your finances.  Where are you settling?  How could you step up?

I strongly hope that the uncation is not a lasting legacy of the recession.  I also believe that progressive companies are those that strongly encourage their workers to take their vacation days.  I haven’t seen any research on the topic, but I assume that approach fosters greater employee loyalty and higher productivity.  What do you think?

10. The New Frugality posted at Reasonably Rich: Lauren writes about why being frugal is not the same as being a Scrooge.

9. Five Steps Toward Automating Your Way to Wealth posted at Personal Finance By The Book: Joe explains how to put the power of automated savings to work.

8. 5 Reasons to Keep Emergency Funds in an Online Savings Account posted at Money Help For Christians: Craig offers solid reasons why to look online when deciding where to keep your rainy day fund.

7. Final Piece of Credit CARD Act of 2009 Starts and How it Affects You posted at Free From Broke: Craig provides a helpful summary of some of the new rules credit card issuers have to follow and what they mean for you and me.

6. How a Second Income Stream Can Give You Some Financial Security posted at The Digerati Life: Guest author Kevin of 20sMoney.com writes of the benefits of a second stream of income and offers up some good ideas for getting that second stream flowing.

5. Coupons for Lottery Tickets – Seriously? posted at Provident Planning: Paul uses the Pennsylvania Lottery’s whacky idea of providing “big savings” coupons for discounted purchases of lottery tickets as the basis for an informative post on the slim chances of winning the jackpot.

4. Martin Luther King, Jr Had a Dream – Do You? posted at Enemy of Debt: Brad uses the anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to talk about the importance of having a financial dream and what it takes to make challenging, worthy dreams come true.

3. Big Difference Between Average and Median Net Worths posted at Free Money Finance: FMF looks at the true financial state of American households and comes to a frequently stated but important conclusion.

2. What Is #1 Problem Amongst Gen Y? posted at Gen Y Wealth: R.J. offers some great Labor Day advice for people who hate their job that is applicable to the unemployed as well.  There’s some especially good advice about the importance of using your personal network vs. responding to online job postings.

And here’s my pick for this week’s best post.

1. The Power of Progress posted at Canadian Finance Blog: Alan discusses the motivating power of tracking your progress toward the accomplishment of your financial goals.

Thanks to everyone who submitted posts for the Best of Money Carnival. If you’d like to be considered for next week’s carnival at Free Money Finance, simply submit your post to through blog carnival.

• Look for a writer who has experience in your industry
• Ask for samples beyond what’s posted on their web site and speak with others who have used their services
• Ask about their process, looking for a writer who will interview you over the phone or send you an extensive survey
• Ask about their background –  ideally, the person will have experience as a recruiter or human resources manager

Have you used a professional résumé writer?  What other steps would you recommend for finding the best writer for the job?

1. Long-term unemployment.  For those who have jobs, my hope is that one new normal will be continuous learning.  That means everything from taking classes to keeping up with the latest books in our field.  While there’s no such thing as guaranteed employment, there’s much we can do to stay as employable as possible.  A good starting point is to be the absolute best at what we do.

2.    Renting over owning.  I believe the appeal of home ownership will persist, but I hope the new normal will be that homebuyers make smarter decisions about how much house they can afford.  I advocate a 20 percent down payment and a monthly housing payment (mortgage, taxes, and insurance) that requires no more than 25 percent of household gross income.

3.    Saving over spending.  I have my doubts as to whether this one will stick.  I sense that when the jobs picture finally improves, people’s pent up desire to spend will be unleashed.  In order to spur savings, my hope is that automatic enrollment will become part of the new normal for workplace retirement plans.

4.    Staycations over vacations.  See point three.

5.    Higher taxes for the rich.  My guess is we’ll see higher taxes for everyone in one form or another.

A sixth new normal I’d add to the list is the use of a household budget.  Online programs and mobile apps have made budgets easier to use than ever before.  If household budgets become common, that will be one of the best long-term impacts of the recession.

What do you think about the new normals listed above?  What others would you add to the list?

Then, of course, use your social network to find someone at the company with whom you can connect.  Once you find someone, don’t just ask them to refer you for an open position.  Set up some time to talk.  Here’s what you’re after in this conversation.  First, instead of asking them to put in a good word for you or submit your resume on your behalf, ask if you can use their name when you apply for the job.  If you don’t know your contact well – a friend of a friend, for example – they’re not likely to make a very strong recommendation.  Asking for permission to use their name instead may work better in helping you get your foot in the door and then you can sell yourself.  Second, ask good questions about the company so you can talk intelligently about the organization during an interview.  And third, in addition to asking your contact to help you, genuinely express your desire to help them.

Are you a hiring manager?  What have recent successful applicants done to stand out?  If you’ve recently found a job, what advice did you receive during your job hunt that helped you the most?

If you have been hired recently, what advice helped you the most in crafting a winning résumé?