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Posted by Dr. Sean Harry

Monday Staff Meeting – One More Reason To Use Twitter For Your Job Search

Did you read the article in yesterday’s New York Times about how companies are turning to Social Media tools to find good candidates? The basic gist of the article is that companies are inundated with an excessive number of applications for every job posting. In fact, companies are getting way too many resumes, which makes the recruiting process untenable.

In response, they are looking for ways to cut the numbers of applicants down to a manageable number. The way they are going about this is to give a cash incentive for current employees to recommend qualified candidates. If your friend works at one of these companies they can submit your resume, and if you get the job they will pay your friend $500 to $1000. Sort of a “finder’s fee.”

This is a GREAT deal for all involved. You get your resume sent to the top of the pile. The company doesn’t have to sort through thousands of resumes looking for a needle in a haystack. Your friend gets some cash for recommending you. It’s a win-win-win situation, indeed!

The key to making this work on your end is to have a clear professional summary of what you can do for the company, with a catchy tag line. That way, your friend will know how and when to submit your name or notify you of an opening. You need a clear statement of how you are the BEST option for the job – what we call a Unique Selling Proposition (or USP).

Following that, your resume must be focused to give proof that you can really do what you say you can do. To achieve this, your resume needs to show accomplishments from your past work experience. Good accomplishment statements are one sentence long and will give examples of what you have done, for whom, and what the results were. If you are changing positions or careers, your accomplishment statements will need to showcase your transferable skills – skills that you have used in a different position that will help your next company achieve its business goals.

Over the next couple of weeks we will discuss the best ways to go about creating a compelling USP and give tips for developing clear accomplishment statements. In the meantime, read the NY Times article and begin to develop a list of friends, co-workers and acquaintances that work for companies with an employee referral program.

Happy Hunting!

Sean Harry

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• Monday Staff Meeting: The BEST Job Boards to Use In Your Job Search
• Monday Staff Meeting: The Hiring Game
• Monday Staff Meeting: Getting the MOST Out of a Job Fair

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Dr. Sean Harry has more than 20 years of experience in training and motivating people to achieve their goals and reach their highest potential. He has helped accomplish this as a Career Coach, as a University professor, as a Pastor, and as a Motivational Speaker.
You can find him on twitter: @sharrypdx, and @careers20