Portico HR

Do you have a smartphone? Would you use it in your job search? A large number of people agree with you if you answered yes to those questions!

Take a look at the graphic below. If you don’t have a smartphone, it’s well worth your money to get one – especially if you’re in the middle of a job hunt!

Follow-up. One of the scariest words out there, probably because we know how often we fail to do it well and timely. If you make (made?) just one New Year’s resolution, let it be that you simply follow-up with every phone call, text, email, voice message, etc. within 24 hours. That’s more than reasonable.

Here are some career-related tips for follow-up in 5 different situations:

1) You are given a name

Maybe a friend or family member gave you the name of someone to talk to or network with. Hopefully, if you’re doing a great job of networking, this happens somewhat frequently. Make sure you know the relationship of the name you are given and the person who gave it to you. Is it a close connection or somewhat of a reach? Send the person who gave you the name a thank you either in the mail or by email.

Then here’s the key – reach out to that person within 24 hours of being given the name! That person has probably been alerted and will want to know that you are a credible and assertive. Mention the person who gave you their name and tell them a little bit about yourself.

2) You are given a job lead

Send a thank you to the person who gave you the lead. Do additional research on the company, and then contact them with the name of that person. In many companies, a good referral means much more than a good resume. Again, be sure to reach out within 24 hours. There is no excuse not to.

3) You hear of a job opening

Do your homework on the company. Maybe look at their staffing page or search on LinkedIn for any employees of that company you might be connected to. If you are, reach out to them to maybe mention to a hiring manager that you are applying or something similar.

4) You apply for a job

These apply to the previous two as well. First, READ and FOLLOW all the application instructions. If they say “no calls”, they mean it. In your cover letter, tell them how you will follow up. If you hear nothing, it is appropriate to follow-up after one week to ask about the status of your application or if there were any additional questions.

5) You interview for a job

During your interview, be sure to ask: 1) What are the next steps in this process? 2) When and how should I follow up with you? If you aren’t contacted within the timeframe they give you, it is appropriate to contact them. Be sure to send a thank you to everyone you met with, and as always, simply do what you say you will, and follow up!

Do you have a significant employment gap in your resume? In the new world we live in, it’s not uncommon. In fact, nearly 5 million Americans have been unemployed for 6 months or longer. It no longer carries the stigma that it used to.

There are however, a few things you need to work though, and be proactive in filling that time with experiences that will improve your career prospects. The most important part of explaining any significant gap is simply telling potential employers how you spent that time and worked on improving yourself.

A few ideas worth sharing:

• Continuing Education: This can take many forms. Perhaps you go back for another degree or for a more advanced degree. Perhaps it’s a certification course, depending on your field. Maybe it’s even just seminars at your local library. This shows that you’re willing to learn new skills to get back into the workforce and also shows great initiative. This is one of the more important things you can do.
• Volunteering: Most people, whether they realize it or not, are volunteering in their community in some way, shape, or form. Most folks, however, don’t do a good job of highlighting that in their resume. It can be an easy way to show that you are a hard-worker and have good character – something many companies look for now more than ever.
• Temp-work: Believe it or not, nearly 80% of hiring managers say that taking temp or contract work is advisable to fill those long gaps. It’s not just entry level work, either. Temporary opportunities are available across nearly all levels of business. Need help finding temp work? That’s what PorticoHR is for!

What else have you done to fill those gaps? Do you have further questions about this topic? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

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