Thursday, March 31, 2011

Time To Level The Employment Field for Veterans and Reduce Their Unemployment

No need for me to site what is wrong with a system that allows veterans to have an unemployment percentage of over 21%.  There is a lot of smart people out there; a lot smarter than me.  Researchers, Ph.D’s, subject matter experts in my opinion have all basically failed to resolve the problem.  I am not blaming any group in particular.  There are plenty of good people out there trying to make a difference; trying to help vets get jobs.  And we all need those people should keep trying.  But can we all agree that whatever we are doing, it is just not working with an employment rate of veterans at over 21%.

I know this is a complicated subject.  Very complicated when you realize what all the veterans have been through.  But when something is complicated, at least in my experience as a Lead Recruiter for a Fortune 50 company for nearly 15 years, getting back to the basics is often the best solution. 

After talking to many veterans from each of the four major branches of the military, and after doing the research for my book, “Veterans: DO THIS! GET HIRED!”  I see why most veterans are having problems getting a job.   Veterans do not know the best ways to represent themselves within the job search process.  It’s the fundamentals where they need help.  They just have not been given the fundamentals.  Well at least not until now.

Look, getting a job for veterans is not complicated if you break it down.  It really is only three steps: 1. Finding a job opening; 2. Getting an Interview; and, 3. Doing so well in the interview that you get an offer.

The first step is research online, going to job fairs, and networking with your friends and family and letting them know to keep their eye out for you when it comes to openings.  The second step is about putting yourself in a position with your resume and online application process, where you spark the interest of an employer enough so they contact you.  That is an opportunity for an interview.   The third step is performing so well in the interview that they have no choice but to give you an offer. 

So here is the problem:  there is a ton of advice on these and other job search topics on the internet.  But anyone with an opinion can post advice even when they have no idea what they are talking about.  I would say about 50% of the advice out there is bad. 

What vets need is one comprehensive, easy to follow guide, with specific steps and techniques that are PROVEN to get veterans hired in this difficult job market.  It needs to address the real issues that vets say they have when it comes to getting a job.  It needs to offer new, fresh, easy to follow, and logical information and advice.  The advice needs to be from a trusted source; from someone who actually recruits for a living, every day in this challenging market, so veterans can be assured they are getting the latest information on what works and what doesn’t.   Lastly, it needs to work.

This is why I wrote the book/guide “Veterans:  DO THIS! GET HIRED!”  Simply put:  It gets veterans jobs!

Mark Lyden

Mark Lyden is the author: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011)A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.   

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Veteran 24-hour Web-A-Thon

The Howard Keating Show is hosting a 24-Hour Veteran Web-A-Thon on April 6 – 7th, 2011.  The program is anticipating over 1MM viewers during the 24-hour period. 

According to Susan Wellman, Executive Vice President, “The web-a-thon is designed to help our veterans get jobs, start businesses or expand their existing businesses through opportunities and resources offered on the program….the purpose is to increase awareness throughout the media community of the significant needs and challenges our veterans face (90 percent divorce rate, 107,000 living on our streets, loss of homes and jobs, etc.).  These heroes are so completely demoralized upon their return from service, and we need them to know that the corporations of the U.S. are behind them.”       

The show’s goal is to honor our veterans by helping at least 2,000 get jobs, contracts, start a business, or create joint ventures. 

When:  April 6th, 5:00 PM ET – April 7th at 5:00 PM ET

Offering:
®     Businesses looking to partner with businesses
®     franchises at a discounted price
®     Jobs from major businesses
®     Loans to either start a business or to help increase sales of an existing business
®     Distributorship opportunities
®     Product and service companies that want to go global.

Media platform
®     The Howard Keating Show (keatingnetwork.com) 



Veterans
®     5.5 million veterans with disabilities
®     92 percent have high school diplomas or higher compared to 85 percent of the nation as a whole
®     90 percent of today’s returning veterans get divorced within 2 years.
®     For every military personnel that that die in war, a veteran commits suicide
®     7.6 million Vietnam era veterans are living
®     9 million veterans are 65 and older
®     1.5 million veterans are  female
®     20,000 veterans lost their homes in 2010
®     1.5 million veterans are in poverty or homeless
®   107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night

Interviewing is Nothing More than Telling Stories

Interviewing is nothing more than telling stories. It really is that simple.  You are essentially scored on how well you tell stories about you and your experiences.  So, why is it so hard and stressful for some?  Some say because it is like a test.  You really never know what they are going to ask.  Plus, you are talking to a complete stranger and in a small time, trying to stand out, impress, and convince them that you are “all that and a bag of chips.”  This is nerve-racking for some.  I know it was for me when I was in your spot, but there is a solution.   

The key to all of these methods is to prepare and to have examples in the form of a story.  Any question they ask should be answered detailing: Situation –(S), Behavior –(B), Outcome –(O) and should be completed in about 90 seconds.  That leaves you approximately 30 seconds for Situation, 30 seconds for Behavior, and 30 seconds for Outcome.  I would say allow yourself 10 seconds total either way but no more and no less.  In other words, your entire answer should lie between 80 – 100 seconds with the sweet spot at 90 seconds.   If it is much shorter than this, usually there is not enough detail to warrant a really high score.  If it is much longer than this, there is usually too much detail or it is not organized enough for the interviewer to quickly see what they need to.  Although each section is very important and a must have to score high, if I had to choose which one was most important, I would have to pick Behavior.  This is because all recruiters or interviewers should know what I have told you already and that is past behavior is often a good indicator of future behavior.  

Here is how you get started:  You should have 6 or more stories ready to go.  Focus your stories on areas or topics that companies most likely will ask.  Here are some:

  • Leadership
  • Dealing with a difficult person
  • Adaptability
  • Helping others (without being told to do so)
  • What did you do when something went wrong?
  • Solving a Problem
  • Your Greatest Strength
  • Your Greatest Weakness
  • Your Greatest Accomplishment
  • Your Greatest Disappointment

Now I know what you are saying:  “I thought we weren’t supposed to memorize answers and regurgitate them back.”  This is different.  These are stories about your life -- your experiences.  You already know them because you lived them.  So really all you have to do is to tell your stories back to the interviewer in the S, B, O format.  That’s it!  You don’t have to memorize them because they are your experiences; you already know them.

What I suggest is to take a piece of paper and write down each of the topic areas above.  Then put S, B, O below them and start filling in your story.  Concentrate on the Situation first.  Then move to Behavior, YOUR behavior.  Finally, work on the Outcome.  Once you have that down, all you really need to do is make sure the timing and details are in each section and you got it!  Yes, you will have to practice them so they flow.  Yes, it will take you an hour or two to develop and practice your stories, but that is all.  Plus, you spent at least that much time on your resume, so if you just spend the same amount of time rehearsing your stories, you will do great.  This is a critical step if you want success.  Remember, companies hire the person, not the resume.  



Mark Lyden

Mark Lyden is the author of: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011).  A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.   

Friday, March 25, 2011

Two-thirds of Veterans Applying for Jobs are Counted Out

An alarming quote by a company representative needing to hire hundreds per month, “We love veterans.  We want to hire as many as we can.  But two-thirds of veterans applying online are counted out because they do not know the process.”

Before you apply to any job opening, before you set up any account or profile on any website, before you do anything, wouldn’t it be nice to have the inside story on what the manager is looking for in a candidate—the required skills or knowledge they want you to have—so that you can highlight them on your resume?   Well, you already have that information in the job description, and here is how you use it and the best way to apply online.  Here are the 7 Critical Steps:

  1. Before doing anything else, go to the company website and print out all the jobs that interest you.
  2. Take a highlighter and highlight the key words and phrases the manager uses to describe what skills and knowledge he is looking for right from the job description.
  3. Take the key words and phrases you highlighted and incorporate them throughout your resume.
  4. At the bottom of your resume, create a heading on your resume called "INTEREST AREAS," and take all the key words and phrases you highlighted and list them under this heading.  
  5. Then, set up an account online, taking those same key words and phrases and incorporating them into your profile or the “interest areas” section they ask for. 
  6. Then apply for the jobs.
  7. As you apply to more openings, continually update the key words and phrases in your resume, in your profile or interest area section. 

This is known as Reverse Engineering your resume.  From the job description, see what the employer wants first.  See what are key words and phrases are that they want to see.  Then adjust your resume and apply.  Just remember, to do it right, it will take you about 40-45 minutes to take your “base resume" and transform it into a resume specifically for each job. 

Remember to approach it this way, as if each job that you apply to is the only job your resume is geared to.  It may sound like a lot of time and effort, but for you to stand out and get contacted, your resume can’t just be a good match, but must be a great match.  Reverse engineering is the way to ensure that that this is the case for every job you apply to.

Please keep in mind, your resume will get noticed, but this is only the first step. There are many more tips and tricks on the road to landing a job; but if you start with this, you are already ahead of the game.



Mark Lyden


Mark Lyden is the author of: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011)A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.   

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Things You Should Never Say during an Interview

When interviewing you should never say you are a procrastinator.  To a hiring manager or recruiter even saying that you procrastinate from time-to-time will trigger them to think you are not going to be able to meet deadlines.   It will also lead them to think that when your boss gives you an assignment, you may leave it to the last minute and the final work will be poor quality.  If you say you procrastinate those interviewing you will know that eventually there will be a time where you let something go too long and you will prevent your boss from meeting one of his deadlines and that will reflect bad on him.

Another thing you should never say in an interview is anything dealing with salary or how much you will be paid.  Unless the interviewer brings it up specifically in the interview, it is not the right time to discuss compensation.  Concentrate on doing the best you can in the interview and that will hopefully lead to that discussion after you get an offer.  Leaving that topic until after you get an offer also prevents you from giving the impression that money is your motivating factor for wanting the job. 

Lastly, you should never bring up a time when you failed at something.  Everyone knows we all have times when we fail at something.  And sure, the interviewer might ask you a direct question about a time when you failed at something; if they do be honest and answer it.  But there is no need to bring up a failure in an interview unless you have to.  There are people out there that believe that if they bring up one of their failures but then explain what they learned from it -- this is good; if the interviewer asks you directly about a failure you should do just that.  However, there is no need to bring any negative story about yourself into the interview unless you’re directly asked to do so.  Keeping things positive and upbeat gives you the best chance at leaving them with a positive impression and those are the people most likely to get a job offer.

Mark Lyden

Mark Lyden is the author of a number of books: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011)A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.  

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Truth about Company Reps behind the booths at Career and Job Fairs

In my experience, the smaller the company usually means the more experienced the reps are at recruiting; but not always.  That is logical if you think about it because they usually have a smaller budget, go to fewer events, and, therefore have one or two of the same people doing all their events.  That means they get a lot of experience and practice.  However, with larger companies? It’s a totally different story.  They usually go to a lot more events and need a lot more people to help at those events; often, many of those people lack the experience. 

This is why I am very comfortable with saying there are as many poor recruiters out there as there are good ones, simply for the fact that many don’t do it enough to have the experience and practice needed to develop into good or great recruiters.  This is reality.  And the reality is that recruiting is a talent and a skill that needs to be practiced often to get better.  It is the experience and repetition that is critical for recruiters to develop the skills and techniques that enable them to wade through a sea of candidates to find the very best ones, consistently.  It takes a substantial and continuous amount of practice and learning to grow and get better.  How can you get better if you only do it once a year?  Even a better question: How can you call someone a recruiter that only does it once a year?

Now you might be asking, “Why is this important to me?”  It is important because it helps you understand the importance of preparing for poor or inexperience people that are functioning in some capacity as a recruiter.  If you get one of them, which again I figure is about a fifty-fifty chance, you need to ensure you do everything you can to prevent them from making a mistake. 

This is exactly why I teach candidates and give seminars across the country.  Job seekers need to format their answers in a way so no matter what the experience level or training of the recruiter or interviewer, the candidates gives a complete answer that needs no probing or follow up questions.  This is also why I train recruiters.  They need to know that most, year in and year out, will not give them enough detail in their answers.  The recruiter needs to know how to ask probing, follow-up questions to get the detail they need to fairly assess a candidate’s answer.  However, I can train all I want, but I can’t be in the room or at the booth to hear what everyone says.  That is why the candidate needs to take the responsibility of preparing. 

Mark Lyden

Mark Lyden is the author of a number of books: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011)A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.   

Friday, March 18, 2011

A Candidates Ability to Strategically Navigate the Online Application Process is the Most Critical Part of their Job Hunt

In the recruiting world, it is now being argued that a candidate’s ability to strategically navigate the online application process is the most critical part of their job hunt.  I'm not a 100 percent there yet, but I'm close.  The facts are there are more people getting hired off the Internet than through all the recruiting events and all the professional recruiters combined.  I see nearly every large, medium, and even small companies now having some kind of online employment application process on their website.  At job fairs and recruiting events, I consistently and constantly hear company reps instructing candidates to apply online, because that is the only way that they will be considered.
Why do you think the vast majority of companies ask you to go and apply online?   If I didn’t know and I was reading this, I would probably say something like: “Who cares?  Can you just tell me what I have to do to get noticed?” But having a true understanding of why so many companies are adamant about you applying online will help you understand why you have to do it a particular way.  After all, you don’t want to get lost in the abyss called “Applying Online” like most do, right? 
There are a few good reasons why companies want you to apply online.  The obvious one you already know: it’s an efficient way of collecting and tracking a talent pool with little to no touch labor.
However, in the predominant motivating factor for corporate America is fear:   fear of litigation and liability.  You see, if you are a big company and it can be shown that you didn’t treat someone the same as everyone else or that you were not fair in the hiring process, you leave yourself open to, potentially, a very expensive lawsuit.  Having some kind of system in place that treats everyone the same and doesn’t discriminate among applicants whether they are male, female, black, white, Hispanic, or whether their first name is Bill or Saddam, means that no one can be accused of discriminating against a candidate for gender or race or anything else.  This reduces liability, which is the goal of corporate America.


Mark Lyden
DoThisGetHired.com

Mark Lyden is the author of a number of books: College Students: Do This! Get Hired!; Veterans: Do This! Get Hired!; and Professionals: Do This! Get Hired! (Coming Summer 2011).  A substantial portion of the proceeds from book sales are donated back to charity to help veterans and to help the stray and abandoned animals at Logan’s Run Rescue.   

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Formula For Getting Veterans A Job, SOLVED!


Along with help of veterans from each of the four major branches of the military, I have authored a book that helps vets get hired in this difficult market.  It is called "Veterans: DO THIS! GET HIRED!".  The unemployment rate for vets is over 21%, I can help.

I coordinated writing the book with HonorVet.org a company Co-founded by Senator John McCain's son Jim McCain, and a fellow Marine Jesse Canella, Co-Founder and CEO. They've endorsed it and said: "If you’re a veteran you need to read this book!! Best advice for getting hired that we have ever read." 

“I was blown away by the depth of his [the Author Mark Lyden] knowledge and solution based information is an understatement. If you are a Military Veteran or Active Duty Service Member making the transition, YOU NEED this book NOW before someone else steals your dream job.” Mr. Todd M. Hecht, Veteran and Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Military Stars (www.MilitaryStars.com)

“Thoroughly enjoyed reading the publication.  Your insight to helping educate our returning vets is remarkable.”… Gene Clark, Veteran and Director, Military & Veteran Enrollment Services, Rochester Institute of Technology

You rocked during the interview!  Can't wait to do it again!!”…The Keating Network Radio Interview (www.keatingnetwork.com)


A portion of the proceeds my wife and I are donating back to help vets.