Job Campaigning - CVTracker

Taking Rejection

Hello again:

It\'s Art once more. No go with job opportunities yet. It\'s still a tight market. I\'m wondering, how many of you folks out there engage with potential employers and then they just lose sight of you. Or reply to you with no real valuable information. Doesn\'t that give you a headache? It gives me one for sure. I haven\'t a clue why they reply with empty information. The least they could do is let me know why I wasn\'t wanted or why my resume didn\'t cut the mustard. Of course that\'s just a part of the job hunt.

Rejection is something you have to be able to take, maybe make a second try and then move on. It\'s a real disaster for individuals who can\'t handle rejection. It\'s also a problem for people with general self-esteem problems.

Of course, if you get the \"Dont want you\" without anything else, it can be just as bad - not just for self esteem, but also in the form of an outright insult. Anyway, just checking in after a couple of weeks of searching...

Art

Out of State
Hi folks, this is Art again. Just letting you in on where my job campaign has been taking me. As I mentioned, I'm looking in the investment sector. An interesting fact here is that in Massachusetts (my home state), the unemployment rate has reached the same levels as that of the national average. In general this is an anomaly. In the course of at least the last 5-7 years, Mass. has always been at the forefront of economic activity, including employment statistics. However, just recently, it has reached the unemployment levels of the US as a whole (5.7%).

This put me into Rodin mode and I sat trying to figure out how I was going to find a job outside of Mass. and what are some of the perils and pitfalls to look out for. I put on my thinking cap and came to some simple conclusions

There is an exodus of jobs from Mass.
There is difficulty in convincing network members in other states to bring you down to their locations.
Regional cultures still exist - even for the unemployed. For instance, I'm not going to necessarily be a great fan of the Florida Marlins, nor will they understand why I have tire chains in the back of my car.
Employers do NOT want to pay relocation costs or travel fees for interviews - especially when cost cutting has been the norm for two years. There is still hesitancy to break the cost cutting mold.

These are significant barriers over and above the usual difficulties of job searching. However, I have a true belief the grass IS greener on the other side. At least it's greener than the parched grey snow in Mass. with temperatures 20-40 degrees below freezing!

Looking for these opportunities is difficult - and even more difficult for the networking job seeker, since contacts are not traveling as frequently to trade shows, employment events, and other networking venues. This is another complication. But if the unemployment rates here are so high - doesn't it stand to reason that unemployment rates elsewhere are lower to balance the average? So, the grass may be greener elsewhere, but you have to cross a pretty high fence to get there.

Will keep you up to date on my out of state efforts...

Art

Another Networking Day
Hi again. It was another search day for me. Soaking myself in the recent newspaper filled with extra articles on jobs available. Still trying to send out resumes the old fashioned way - to complement my other techniques of course. This means sending out several snail mail letters, several email responses, a few job board responses, and finally several phone calls to new people I've met.

Attended a networking event today - first time this year!

It was good. Met over a dozen people, pulled in about 8 business cards, and sent out 4 emails that very night. Interestingly, I met someone who was looking for information about phone companies. A friend of mine was in the phone carrier business, so I gave him my friend`s reference information. The guy was really appreciative.

Some quick notes about the event that made it particularly worthwhile.
It was a business event, where a majority of people were employed. Yeah, I felt lower than them, just about to lose my job and all, but that's where the most valuable contacts are - not the unemployed groups (which help in other ways)
I didn't meet everyone and just work the entire room. I actually researched the audience the night before (as much as I could.) and then targeted 4 or 5 people I had to meet. I only met with 3 of those targets, but they were the ones who may have had opportunities in my job interest area.
I didn't stay through the whole event. I came late and left a bit early. You can get awfully tired after lots of handshaking, talking, and networking. It's best to give yourself a time limit, then leave appropriately. You don't want to leave the last batch of people you meet thinking you are a run down desperado. You want to put your best foot forward for everyone you meet.

It was fairly successful, but I certainly won't find out right away. I just know that after the event, over 10 people know about me, that I'm looking for a job, and what kind of job I am seeking. At least 3 or 4 may be able to forward a resume, provide me with new contacts in my field of interest, and give me immediate introductions. It was definitely successful!

Art

Electronic Networking
Hello again folks...
I can't believe it! I just logged into Ryze and LinkedIn. Both of these are e-networking arenas. You should see the amount of press and support venture capitalists are starting to give to these social networking ventures. In just two days I've already begun to build up a reservoir of connections!

Just a reminder for those who don't know - certain names and content in this blog are disguised.

Accomplished today:
Logged in and updated profiles on 3 e-networking venues
Installed Netmap's new passwordTracker password storage software (not yet released, but there are lots of free ones out there..pick and choose)
Received over four connection emails from people on these networks already, sent out two contact requests.
Updated myself on upcoming networking events in the local area.

Art

First Steps In My Campaign
As you may already know - I`m looking in the financial sector for a new opportunity. I`ve decided by first tracking my progress and setting up an organizational tool/functionality to make sure I can search for the right job. Of course, since I work here at Netmap Software, I`ve put my effort into using our tool for job campaigns. My boss tells me I can continue this blog even after I leave if I want, so for those interested in watching this campaign expand, this may be interesting.

My first steps follow the principles outlined in the recent book/document/manuscript that`s coming out by Ananda Chakravarty - The Job Campaign - Systematic Steps to Finding a Job Using Your Personal Network.

Ananda outlines some clear cut procedures in what I should be doing in the various phases of my job search - first off, he mentions that my first phase is mostly research and discovery. It`s tied into developing the target companies that I think are appropriate for me. So I`ll be investigating companies first. I know what kind of work I`m interested in already - Ibanking, particularly Research work in Equity Research, so that`s where I`ll concentrate my attention. So my first step is to learn more about the industry, the various tasks and jobs, and some of the major players here.

Today I looked up some of the top guns in the i-banking industry to see what kinds of firms are notable. The names Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and Wachovia came up many times on my hit list as I sought out strong firms that were in this industry. Several snags also came up as I search the hiring processes for these firms. Most of them hire on campus. For someone who is not necessarily in this field, there will be an uphill battle. However, I have a couple of `foot-in-the-door` advantages - I do have an MBA. Although it concentrates on high tech instead of finance, it still provides me with some level of credibility. Unfortunately, it`s not an ivy league school from which I graduated - so the going gets rougher. I`m trying to find out more about some of the smaller players in the same I-banking space that can give me more advantages. This means perhaps more working hours or higher performance once on the job, but the opportunities to meet with higher level executives, work with dealmakers and rainmakers, and really be a contributing part of the team may compensate for greater work levels and slightly less salary. We`ll have to see what firms fit this bill - including boutique and specialty firms. That`s a next step for me.

My to-do list:

Find network contacts in the industry
Attend industry based networking events
Research boutique and specialty I-banking firms
Read more about the life and times of the typical Equity Research analyst/associate

Research Sites:
vault.com
wetfeet.com
jobsinthemoney.com

Art

Preparing My Job Campaign
Hello everyone, this is Art here. I`m just about to recharge and begin my job campaign once more. Let me start by filling in some of the details about me and my job search efforts.

I`m a transitioning job seeker with background in mechanical engineering and some web development. Recently completed a part-time/executive MBA from NU with concentration in high tech in Massachusetts and am now looking for an opportunity that will let me extend my skill set further. I have over 10 years of experience in systems engineering and have worked with large firms like Raytheon and others. But... I`m looking for a job in the investment banking sector now and that means I have to build up my new network and take advantage of people I know.

Art

CVTracker Team Launches Job Campaign Weblog
CVTracker Team Launches the Job Campaign Weblog.

Greetings - I`m Art K. Langdon, and will be hosting this weblog for job seekers and the like to read and understand some of the focal points for building a powerful job campaign. Interestingly, I`m in the process of a new job search and will be logging regular activities to this site. Hopefully, this can help as an informative guide for those who decide to visit and review my comments. Most will be short, bullet style so it`ll be an easy read for the most part. At least I`ll try to keep it that way.

If you have any questions, you can always email me at alangdon-at-cvtrack.com (no dashes) and I`ll respond ASAP.

Please enjoy - feedback is always appreciated.