Get into the
Interview Chair
strategy
HR JOB HUNTING TECHNIQUES FOR 2014
By Aileen Hunter
Remember when job hunting meant
reading the classifieds section of
the newspaper or going to the job
centre to look at postings on the
board? You printed your resume on “good
paper” and either mailed it in or dropped
it off at the employer’s office. Today, things
seem easier because you can search for jobs
online and apply with a click of a button.
Why, then, are you having such a tough time
landing an interview? You work through
endless job websites, apply diligently online
and then never hear back. You’ve ventured
onto LinkedIn but don’t see what all of the
fuss is about, given that your only real connection
is your cousin Doug in Winnipeg.
You find yourself wishing for the return of
the good old days…
There are successful strategies for jobhunting
in 2014; it requires taking a look at
some new and renewed approaches to help
professionals find their next HR role and
end the search doldrums.
LINKEDIN
It is critical to have a complete and upto
date profile. It should show the same
information as your resume: career objective,
work experience, education and professional
qualifications. Upload a good quality
photo; the profiles without photos stand
out by appearing unfinished.
“Photos of you in recreational gear, at a
bar or riding a motorcycle are not appropriate.
This is not Facebook. Your photo
should appear as if you are at work or ready
for a job interview,” said Michael Berman,
CHRP, who provides HR consulting services
to clients in the Toronto area, with a
focus on small business, digital media and
HR data analytics. “Remember that this
will be the first image of you that a recruiter
will see.”
Next, begin building your network.
Scroll through the “People You May Know”
list and click “Connect” on the people you
know and would like to add to your network.
This list of suggestions will change
each time you load the page as your network
expands.
“I review the suggestion list once a week
to find more connections. Each time I meet
a new business contact in person, I make
a connection in LinkedIn as a follow-up,”
said Berman, who has over 1,000 connections.
“I’ve also actively searched for and
added former colleagues, schoolmates and
personal contacts to build my network.
What I avoid doing is sending random invitations
to people I’ve never met. This isn’t
about adding strangers to your network,
but about building a legitimate group of
contacts.”
Why go to all of the effort building a network?
It’s to get the most out of LinkedIn
for your job hunt. When you find a job
poster, either on LinkedIn or another site,
you can use your LinkedIn connections for
networking. LinkedIn will tell you “How
You’re Connected” to people who work for
various companies that you seek out; if you
don’t have a direct connection to that person,
one of your own connections might.
The larger you grow your network, the
more chances there are that you will have a
mutual contact.
Ask your mutual contact to make an introduction
to your target contact. Knowing
someone on the inside can help get your
resume to the best person, increasing your
chances of a first round interview. This approach
is also useful when targeting organizations
for hidden opportunities.
NETWORKING
Yes, the real world still matters. Networking
events or groups could be large events
with national organizations or they could
be informal meetings with independent
groups that have a focused geography or
modality. Some groups may attach a small
fee to participate and others are free.
“Don’t go with a less is more approach.
Research all of the groups in your area and
try to go to at least one event for each. You
Illustration by Alex Slobodkin / Photos.com
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2014 ❚ 71