The DiFalco Den

Step-by-step Process for Applying to an Open Job

NOTE:  Prior to any job search you must do the following:

• Discuss your want/need for a job search with significant other, family, friends, dependents, etc.
  • Topics such as salary, benefits, location, transportation, day-care, vacation, job responsibilities, etc should be covered.
• Open a free LinkedIn account if you don’t have one already.
  • Your LinkedIn account should read as a CliffNote-version of your resume.
  • Send requests to everyone you know in and out of the industry.
  • More potential employers are sourcing candidates from LinkedIn rather than spend thousands for Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, etc…
• LOCK DOWN YOUR FACEBOOK, MYSPACE OR ANY OTHER SOCIAL NETWORK, BLOG, ETC…SITE PRIOR TO JOB SEARCH!!!!!!!!!!
  • I can’t express this point enough.
  • Even your profile picture could be “offensive” to someone…even if it was a sweet little girl holding a puppy.
  • Google yourself to find any other material in cyberspace that may prevent you from getting an interview/job.

Without further ado……

• Find opportunity via
  • indeed.com
  • linkedin.com
  • theladders.com
  • pghtech.org
  • Company’s direct website.
    • Be sure to check the company’s website regardless, so you can research the organization.
  • Customize resume to job description
    • Take note of individual “requirements” as they are mostly written in order of importance
      • Your resume should reflect this order
      • Do not embellish or fabricate
        • You can count on having questions asked pertaining to every item in your resume
      • Resume layout with experience:
        • Summary
          • Make this short, sweat, to the point. Taylor to each job you are applying for.
          • Summary of skills
            • 6 to 8 bullet points spread across two columns
            • Bullets should pertain to description of job you are applying for.
• Professional Experience
  • Use month/year start/end date
  • Chronological method with most current position first
  • Toot your horn with your experience
    • Be selfish. Use “I”, “Me”, “My”.
  • Resume length should apply to scale below
    • 20+ years of experience should encompass 3 – 4 pages
    • 7 – 20 years: 2 – 3 pages
    • 2 – 7 years: 2 pages
    • 1 – 2 years: 1 page

1. •  Education
     1. • <School Name>, <city, state> – Degree, Major
          • Only see GPA if overall score is 4.0
        • Certifications
          • Type
          • Date acquired
          • Cert # if applicable
        • DO NOT attach references!
          • These can be used by the company or staffing firm you are applying to, to identify more candidates for the position you are going for.
          • Have them ready to send when asked during the interview process
            • Be sure to have recently spoken with your references to ensure they will give positive feedback of your professional experience.
          • Apply online
            • Double check your electronic resume document for typos.
            • Have someone else review it as a triple check.
            • Only add cover letter if “required”
            • DO NOT submit salary requirements unless “required”
              • If “required”, mark up your current compensation by 5-10%.
              • 5-10% is a realistic bump, unless you feel that you are tremendously below market value.
              • Identify the Hiring Manager and/or the H.R. manager
              • Network! Network!  Network!
              • Research LinkedIn
                • You may know someone in common
                • Company’s website

• Contact Hiring Manager and/or HR Manager
  • Call (if you have the number) within 24 hours of submitting resume online
    • State “I apologize for the interruption, but I recently applied to the xxxx position I found posted on xxxx and just wanted to make sure you are in receipt of my resume.”
    • If no answer on first shot, leave a voicemail stating “I recently applied to the xxxx position I found posted on xxxx and just wanted to make sure you are in receipt of my resume. I will email a copy directly to you just in case.  I look forward to hearing back from you.  Understanding you may be busy, if I don’t hear back, I’ll give you a call in a few days.”.

• Email resume to Hiring Manager and/or HR Manager

This may take you out of your comfort zone, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease…or the job in this case.

The following tidbits are just a few pieces of advice to get you started. More to come.

• Success is a journey – enjoy the ride.
• The first order of business is to define what “success” is to you. And it better not be something boring like “Have a lot of money so I can buy a bunch of things“! The sooner you realize that success is not about that, but about being a better “you” today than you were yesterday, the quicker you will start enjoying success.
• Invest in yourself:
  • Don’t look at what you are today, look at what you want to become
  • Do something that moves you forward every day. If you are not moving forward, even small increments, you are losing ground. EVERY DAY. I can’t stress this enough… EVERY DAY!
  • Find men and women who are where you want to be:
    • Meet them – be bold – successful people LOVE to give back to motivated young people who show respect and appreciation
    • Network Network Network
    • Find someone you respect and establish a mentor/mentee relationship – Do not waste their time – if they give you advice…follow the advice. If you don’t follow advice, at some point they will stop giving it.
  • Craft a profile of yourself of how you want people to see – both right now and future you
    • Own it
    • Do what it takes to move forward every day: consistency is your friend.
    • INVEST IN YOURSELF! Make a habit of doing something productive in each of the following areas every day.
      1. First of all, and most importantly – spiritually. Make sure you are growing in God’s word.

The rest are in no particular order of importance, they all take a back seat to number 1.

1. • • • Intellectually – Read books that help you develop skills. Do not neglect improving your people skills. The best habit to get into is shutting off all screens at least 1 hour before bed and read good books right before you go to sleep.
       • Physically – Being physically fit is invaluable to your success – just trust me.
       • Relationally – spend time with the people you care about.
       • Financially – make sure you pay yourself FIRST – meaning, after giving a portion of your resources back into God’s Kingdom you should always put a nice chunk away in savings. This is a big topic…too big for this list.
     • Be patient! Success takes time – give yourself that time to grow.
     • If I didn’t say it before….Take some action that moves you forward every day. EVERY DAY.
   • Build a library of resources
     • Cover letters
     • Resumes
     • Case studies
     • Job descriptions
     • Profile resources – like images, bios, summaries, etc. of yourself
     • Anything that can help you later

Relax with it

• Seriously, relax with it. Have fun along the way. You are a great person, you have what it takes.
• Continue to focus on what God has given you and how He sees you
• Remember the Holy Spirit is your secret weapon.

BE BOLD

• Learn to enjoy networking
• LinkedIn can be your best friend
• If you are intimidated to reach out to someone you respect because they are “so far ahead of me“…put yourself in their shoes. Think about it – if you were a successful leader, and a young, up-and-coming, respectful young person was asking you for advice…how would you feel? How would you react?
• Trust me on this, the fear of “putting yourself out there” is TOTALLY FABRICATED BY THE ENEMY! I know because I HAD IT TOO!
• Smile when you are talking on the phone – it comes through.
• If you are in an important conversation, like an interview or just meeting someone you want to make a connection with, and you are trying to get a thought out but are struggling for the words
  • DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED
  • Do not get embarrassed
  • Pause, take a breath – look them in the eye and tell them you need a minute
  • Measure your words – meaning after you gather your thoughts be sure your response is addressing the question at hand or making the point you are trying to make.
  • If after a short time you don’t know how to answer, THAT IS OK! Simply tell the person “I Don’t Know” and if the situation warrants, tell them you can get back to them once you have a chance to find out the answer.

Learn to be proactive

• Remember the main thing? Always know what is going on around you.
• Learn to be the best “you” you can be – and get a little better each day.
• Listen and pay attention – practice active listening
• Ask questions.

7 TED Talks

The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz

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Proverbs 26:4-5 NLT
[4] Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. [5] Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

The futility of trying to impart wisdom to a fool is the basis of Proverbs 26:4-5, which tell us how to answer a fool. These seemingly contradictory verses are actually a common form of parallelism found in the Old Testament, where one idea builds upon another. Verse 4 warns against arguing with a fool on his own terms, lest we stoop to his level and become as foolish as he is. Because he despises wisdom and correction, the fool will not listen to wise reason and will try to draw us into his type of argument, whether it is by using deceit, scoffing at our wisdom, or becoming angry and abusive. If we allow him to draw us into this type of discourse, we are answering him “according to his folly” in the sense of becoming like him.

The phrase “according to his folly” in verse 5, on the other hand, tells us that there are times when a fool has to be addressed so that his foolishness will not go unchallenged. In this sense answering him according to his folly means to expose the foolishness of his words, rebuking him on the basis of his folly so he will see the idiocy of his words and reasoning. Our “answer” in this case is to be one of reproof, showing him the truth so he might see the foolishness of his words in the light of reason. Even though he will most likely despise and reject the wisdom offered to him, we are to make the attempt, both for the sake of the truth which is always to be declared, and for the sake of those listening, that they may see the difference between wisdom and folly and be instructed.

Whether we use the principle of verse 4 and deal with a fool by ignoring him, or obey verse 5 and reprove a fool depends on the situation. In matters of insignificance, it’s probably better to disregard him. In more important areas, such as when a fool denies the existence of God (Psalm 14:1), verse 5 tells us to respond to his foolishness with words of rebuke and instruction. To let a fool speak his nonsense without reproof encourages him to remain wise in his own eyes and possibly gives credibility to his folly in the eyes of others.