Following Up - Etiquette

(photo by Neal Gillis)

When following up with an employer your mission is to do a few things:

• Gain information in regards to your application or resume
• Educate the recruiter or hiring manager about yourself and spark their interest in YOU for the open position
• Be courteous and thankful to the recruiter
• Ask any questions that can help them make a decision on you

Now that you know what you need to accomplish, what are the proper techniques to contacting the recruiter to follow up?

When to Follow Up

While there is no golden rule, you should allow the recruiter or hiring manager time to review the applications and resumes and also note where you saw the position advertised. From experience I can say that more popular jobs on the EmploymentGuide.com can see up to 300 responses in 1 week! That's a lot of resumes to go through.

Typically I tell job seekers that if they apply on a Monday and have not heard back to follow up with a call the following Monday. If you apply on a Friday, I would wait 10 days till the recurring Monday to email, call or visit their office.

How to Follow Up

This one is extremely important. When information is made available, follow instructions. However, in many cases there is no clear way for a job seeker to follow up or contact the hiring manager after applying online. Your next step should be to find a phone number and a name. First steps are to "Google" the company and look for their main website. On their site look for an about us and contact page. If there is no information here, turn to the Yellow Pages or other online phone book or directory.

If you are still having trouble finding a number or contact name, turn to advanced strategies such as LinkedIn. Search for the company and see who pops up. Later in the week we will have a video on how to use LinkedIn for research.

The goal in this section is to talk to a live person and get as much information as you can. See if there is anyway to go above and beyond without looking like a brownnoser or a stalker. Are there any resources you can supply or questions you can answer to help the recruiter solve a problem or simply make them remember you when they make a decision.

Questions to Ask

• When are you looking to make a decision on this position?
• What qualities are you looking for in an optimal candidate?
• Can you tell me how this position impacts the organization?
• When is the best time that I can follow up with you again?
• Is there anyone else involved in looking at the applications and resumes?

As you follow up with employers remember to respect their time and their decision. If one door closes, look to open another. If the position has already been filled, ask about other opportunities at the company or ways to get involved or be notified of upcoming vacancies or hiring spurts.

Good luck Orlando and happy hunting!

-Greg Rollett

Greg Rollett's Orlando Job Fair Presentation

(photo by Adam Wiggall)

At last Thursday's job fair at the Plaza Theatre I had the opportunity to present on Advanced Online Job Seeking Techniques after the Governor's opening remarks. Below are my slides from the talk and resources from the presentation to help you get started quickly in using some of these techniques.

Researching companies

• SunBiz
• Zoom Info

Finding Niche Job Boards

• Internet Inc 100 Niche Job Boards
• Top Job Sites - Niche Job Boards

Must have Social Networks

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Point. Click. Hired. Advanced Online Job Search

Check out the video from the event here.

-Greg Rollett

Mark Krupinski Orlando Job Fair Presentation

(photo by Adam Wiggall)

We were very pleased to have Mark Krupinski present on Personal Branding at the Orlando Job Fair last Thursday. Mark gave a great talk that covered social networks, marketing practices and what to do and look out for when putting information online about yourself.

In my opinion, the most important thing Mark said was this:
You control...

• What You Write
• Your Friends
• Your groups
• Your Privacy Settings

Here are Mark's slides. Please leave comments below on any questions or thoughts you have on personal branding for your job hunt.

Orlando Job Fair Wrap Up Video

Hey Orlando,

As we continue to put the finishing touches on last week's event, we are very excited to have a great video highlighting the event, the speakers, employers and job seekers. The video was shot and edited by Jeff Peak, a local film maker. For more of his work, please visit Peak Arts.

I hope you enjoy the video and please continue to send event feedback to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com or leave a note in the comments.

(Note: If you are reading this through a feed reader, you may need to click through to see the video)

Happy hunting Orlando!

-Greg

Putting Orlando Back To Work

(photos by Adam Wiggall)

(This guest post written by Partick O' Brien, General Sales Manager, Orlando Employment Guide. This article is also available in the April 20th Edition of the Orlando Employment Guide paper, available at Publix, the hundreds of Green Boxes across Central Florida and other participating vendors. If you would like to write a guest post, please send your ideas to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com)

The Orlando Employment Guide office has been a little crazy over the last few weeks. After spending months out in the community talking with business owners and job seekers it became apparent that the traditional ways of helping people find jobs was not effective. I learned that job fairs were not being seen as a way to help people find jobs, but as a way to solicit those individuals.

We set out to do something different last week. It was time to actually help people find work and to give them additional resources that would allow them to accomplish this goal. We now have a mission to “Put America Back To Work” and more specifically put 10,000 people back to work by the end of the year.

We reached out to Governor Charlie Crist and found that he shared the same vision for Florida and he reached out to offer hope to job seekers at last week’s event. I was lucky enough to be able to introduce him. After listening to him address the crowd of jobseekers & witnessing his approachability on Thursday, I stand by my remarks that “with Gov. Crist’s dynamic leadership, Florida will lead America back to work”.

Knowing that job seekers were tired of the same companies who weren’t really hiring at these events, we reached out to new companies and made it mandatory that they have open positions to be filled in order to attend. While there were some schools in attendance, we limited the number of schools that could participate in the event. Immediately after the job fair we received word back from about half the companies on their success at the job fair. Other companies were conducting background checks, reference checks, etc. before they could indicate their success at the event. Out of these reporting companies they had approximately 640 openings and they expected to hire 534 people, going through additional resumes from the event for the remaining positions.

I expect once we receive follow up from the remaining companies that we should have been able to put around 1,000 people back to work at this one event! To me, this is part of the change that is making a difference in our community. That is a thousand less people needing unemployment, a thousand less people emptying out their savings accounts and a thousand less people worrying about staying in their homes.

I was also please to see so many people actively participating in the recruitment seminars we offered. These sessions provided a unique opportunity to learn different strategies to assist in your job hunt. We received a lot of great feedback from both job seekers and recruiters on the information that was offered.

I would like to thank Mark Krupinski of Rasmussen College, Keli Kareem of Bank of America, Brian Govini of Govini Properties & Investments and our own Greg Rollett, for offering their insight into the current job search process.

At the conclusion of the event, I found people re-energized and optimistic about what the future holds for Central Florida. It is this hope and optimism that will revitalize Central Florida and allow Florida to lead America Back To Work. Thanks again to every job seeker, employer and media representative that helped make our goal a reality, and congratulations to all those who found a rewarding career at the event!

Patrick O’Brien
General Sales Manager
Orlando Employment Guide

For comments on the job fair and Orlando employment questions or concerns, please send an email to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

Media Wrap Up From Orlando Employment Guide Job Fair

photo by markkrupinski

The job fair yesterday was an amazing success as 50 companies looking to fill 600+ local positions ranging from entry level to over $100,000/yr met with over 1,500 job seekers and heard some encouraging job training sessions including opening remarks from Gov. Charlie Crist.

The media was out as well, putting their spin on the events, here is a quick wrap up of their involvement.

WFTV Ch. 9 - From the Noon Lunch Hour - Gov. Crist to Address Local Job Fair

WFTV Ch. 9 - 5 O'Clock News - Gov. Crist Speaks at Orlando Job Fair

Orlando Sentinel - Crist Speaks with job Seekers in Orlando

Orlando Sentinel Video - Crist on Unemployment in the State

Photos from Speaker Mark Krupinski

Photos from Adam Wiggal

CFL News 13 - 40 Employers Expected at Orlando job Fair

The Daily City - Orlando Job Fair Today 11am-3pm

MyFoxOrlando - Orlando Job Fair

Z 88.3 Morning Show Pumps Orlando Job Fair

Wow, this has been an exciting few weeks here at the Orlando Employment Guide. As many of you now know, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is coming into the event, giving opening remarks and meeting with our job seekers to give Orlando hope for the upcoming future. We are also excited to let you know that we are approaching 50 HIRING companies at the event.

This event is causing a lot of media attention and today we were fortunate to have the event mentioned on Z 88.3's morning show. Below is a clip from their website showing us as a featured link! Thanks guys, we appreciate the support as we Put Central Florida Back to Work!

If you plan on attending, please pre-register at http://orlandojobfair.eventbrite.com. The first 800 people to pre-register will be able to see Gov. Crist as well as have early access to the event.

Please email me for more information or for media relations.

-Greg Rollett

Advanced Online Job Seeking Tips on MyFoxOrlando

As we continue our push to "Put Americans to Work" via the Employment Guide job fair series, Fox News in Orlando, along with the Employment Guide are bringing hope back to the community. In our week long series promoting the upcoming Job Fair on April 16th, we are looking at ways that people in Central Florida can get back in the workforce. So far we have looked at Personal Branding and Interview Tips.

Today, Greg Rollett had the opportunity to talk about Advanced Online Job Seeking Tips, a subject that Greg will also be presenting about at the Job Fair at the Plaza Theatre in Downtown Orlando.
Check out the video here:

Some of the ideas and sites mentioned were:

• HealthCareerWeb - Job Board focused on the health care industry
• Wiser Worker - Niche job board focused on the professional and older worker
• Zumeo - Career resource for Gen-Y
• RSS Feeds - like TIVO for your computer
• Using keywords in your online job search

Check back on the MyFoxOrlando morning show tomorrow as we talk about starting your own business and other options for self-employment.

Pre-register for the Orlando Job Fair here, the 1st 800 will have the opportunity to hear opening remarks from FL. Gov. Charlie Crist.

Happy hunting Orlando!

How to Interview for a Job on My FOX Orlando

This morning we continued our week long job fair and job promotion series on My FOX Orlando. Today the Orlando Employment Guide General Sales Manager, Patrick O'Brien got to chat with Mike Dunst about tips for acing your interview.

Tips include:

• Preparing answers to basic interview questions
• "Googling" the employer and the person conducting the interview
• Overcoming your weaknesses
• Have questions ready to ask about the company
• What to do when pay comes up

Check out the interview here:



To pre-register for the April Orlando Job Fair, please click here.

-Greg Rollett

Get Orlando Job Fair Updates on Your Cell Phone

We have just updated the information on the Orlando JobSpot Mobile Site and will be updating it with new companies, schedules and information as well as posts from the Orlando JobSpot blog.

http://www.orlandojobspot.mobi

Any mobile phone that allows you to browse the web has access to see the content.



Look for the official job fair press release and surprise announcement of our keynote speaker tomorrow on the Orlando JobSpot!

-Greg Rollett

Personal Branding on MyFoxOrlando

This morning I had the opportunity to talk with My Fox Orlando (FOX 35) about Personal Branding to enhance your job search. Here is the video:

After the show we were in a live chat with viewers where we answered questions about creating your personal brand and our Orlando Job Fair next Thursday, April 16th at the Plaza Theatre. The event is going to be an amazing opportunity to enhance your personal brand, network with other job seekers, speakers and companies and see the opportunities that Orlando has to offer.

Pre-register for the event here!

-Greg Rollett

The Day-to-Day Laid Off Strategy

(photo by mashroms)

Many of you locally here in Central Florida have felt first hand the effects of the recent employment market and the large lay off numbers surrounding it. Some people are coping with the situation in interesting ways, seeing opportunity and blessing in their layoffs or having great grief and struggle to make ends meet. No matter your situation, here are 7 tips to make the most of your transition period.

1. Grow your network. Your network is the most important thing during this transition. Whether you are looking to start your own business, go into consulting or look for a new job opportunity your close knit network can help you in ways you would never think of. Go through that stack of business cards, hit those networking happy hours and start using the Internet to find people that you mesh well with and can leverage off of their skills.
2. Re-establish relationships with family and friends. When you are in the midst of your career, you tend to put some friends and family members on the back burner. Now is the time to get back in touch, see what you missed and regain great connections. This will boost your self-esteem and confidence, as well as help you focus on obtaining a career when you have time for the people that matter most in your life.
3. Find hobbies and passions and get into a routine in accomplishing them. Start a blog, hit the gym, learn a second language. Whatever the case may be, your off time gives you the opportunity to give time to things that you care about. Take some time for yourself and do what you love to do - just don't break what's left of your bank account to do it.
4. Check your finances. I am no financial expert, but there are plenty out there. Find ways to leverage your 401(k), look for consulting gigs to boost income, even freelance work from your previous employer (assuming you left on good terms). Look into AARP and Social Security benefits if you qualify. You may be able to qualify for new government programs for mortgage relief in the form of lower payments by way of lower interest, or longer-term or lower principal (make sure you are current on the mortgage). You may be able to refinance a paid-off car or your home. Consider asking grown children living at home to pitch in, even if it means earning minimum wage. There are options out there if you seek for them.
5. Look for support groups. There are groups both online and off that offers tips, ideas and tactics to finding work. One if the Free Agents, another is Freelance Switch. Dig into your industry and look for groups, forums and blogs that offer support for people in their industry.
6. Start a business. The Internet provides ways that are quick ad easy to test your market, create products and make a living on your own.
7. Keep your morale high. Do whatever it takes to keep your head high. Employers, friends and families can sense when you are not at your best, and your job is to keep your confidence and morale high even when its rainy outside. It can be touch, especially in when the days and bills start to stockpile, but it is only you that can get yourself out your situation. Go make it happen!

Bonus tip - Come visit with 40+ Orlando companies and learn about social media, branding and the local government's role in the current employment sector at the Orlando Job Fair on Thursday, April 16th. Pre-register here now!

Happy hunting Orlando!

-Greg Rollett