Don't job search. Tell a company what value you can bring their business

I had coffee this morning with a friend and colleague who is now running a business development team for a company that develops social web applications. He has always impressed me with his in-depth knowledge of new Internet and e-commerce trends and his connections to VC funded start-ups. He is someone that I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with on my next career move

Over a latte he said, "Don't go out looking for a job at a company. Everyone is doing that. Find a company and tell them what value you can bring to their business.That's how you get hired."

I thought,"Well, duh. EVERYONE IS looking for a job..." but then his advice sunk in. Hiring managers are getting a ton of resume these days...for just one job. The goal is to be the candidate that differentiates himself (herself) from being a job candidate to being a thought leader that will help propel a company further.

"Know an industry cold...know the players. Formulate an opinion and point of view for what the company (you are interviewing with)should do next. When you leave the interview they will say 'wow, that guy knows his stuff...we gotta get him in here..."

Great advice.

I recommend the following sites to help know an industry cold:
Techcrunch
Techdirt

I feel "unemployed" today...and I kind of like it...for now

Wow…today I really felt unemployed this Tuesday after a long weekend.

Today most of my friends braved the commute up and down the peninsula in the rain…and have to motivate to get through emails to uncover the weekly tasks. Hopefully they can take CalTrain and get a strong coffee in the morning! I have to admit I’m not jealous of them making the commute…but I can feel a “strain” in me that wants to get back to work.

However, nothing beats sitting at my computer all day in sweatpants and my vintage UCLA Athletics t-shirt. I have not shaved and my “bed head” is in full flair. I’m debating if showering is really necessary. After all, I showered on Monday…and was in-doors all day to escape the rain. Today will be more of the same…only I will be exercising my fingers as I browse job listings and respond to emails from LinkedIn contacts and friends.

I feel the need to remain disciplined so I plan to keep a regimen of getting started each day by no later than 7:30am. I start each morning by pouring my first cup of coffee from my French press (a perfect gift from my mom this past Christmas) and turning on “Squawk on the Street” on CNBC…to then switch over the Internet radio through iTunes by 9:00am…having the TV on post 9:00am makes me depressed.

I had an interesting phone call with a friend from my days at eBay, Elmer. Elmer now runs a division of Facebook and shared some interesting advice to guide the beginning of my job search. He said before I begin, I must be clear on three things...

1. What am I looking for in the next job…down to the job functional, type of industry/company, work environment, etc.
2. What value can I bring to the next company
3. Be genuine in my contact with people…leverage the network of friends and colleagues that I already have…don’t be the guy who reaches out only when something is needed.

Wow, Elmer….great advice and something we should all keep in mind.

Building the LinkedIn Network BEFORE you need it!

One of the leading indicators of when someone is expecting to get laid off is the receipt of a LinkedIn invitation. Back in October 2008 I received 5 LinkedIn invitations from previous co-workers from my time at eBay. Two weeks later I received phone calls from each of them saying they were part of the mass 1,500 person layoff.

I think LinkedIn is one of the most important professional networking tools out there. Working and building this network is far more effective in finding the next job than posting a resume on Monster or on Career Builder. When I made the decision to leave eBay back in May 2008, a recruiter for my last company found me on LinkedIn as he was browsing for candidates for the job he was trying to fill. I was not necessarily looking to leave eBay, but I had updated my information, job history and skill sets using the LinkedIn online tools. By simply posting my information, I made myself available for opportunities to find ME. That's cool!

Posting your resume on LinkedIn is only half the battle to finding new opportunities. It's important to build the network of "connections" you have worked with in the past. I've managed to build my network gradually over the past 10 years since I've been a member and have 500+ connections. I think it's an important standard career process to build the network BEFORE it's actually needed. I know I'm personally less inclined to help someone who I have not heard from for several years than someone I hear from more regularly (even if "more regular" means once a year).

This past week I've leveraged my network to send "checking in" emails to several friends informing them of my changed employment status. I've also leveraged the network to find out who has worked at particular companies in the past...in hopes of finding out who is behind certain job positions. Wow, this network is powerful!!! If I don't know of someone at Apple, TiVo, or McAfee for example, I know someone within my network will. Wow, that is powerful!

I've spoken to 3 recruiters this week and everyone one of them said that employers are hiring people from employee or recruiter referrals...and less from people applying online through job sites or job boards. This further verifies how important a personal network is to build.

What to do when you get canned from your job...in 7 easy steps!

Going through the process of getting laid off sucks...to say the least. The process is really disruptive to the daily routine, the bank account and the psyche. Now that I've been through it, I've realized a few must-do steps to ease any transition out of company...when you only have a few hours to collect your stuff and get out of there.

Please feel free to add steps that I may have missed. Your input will be appreciated.

Step 1: Verify final payment, severance and 401K distribution

Be sure you have received the following info from HR before you leave the office. These items are typically covered during the "your job has been eliminated" conversation, but the HR team at my company is far less organized and I had to cover these myself...

• When is your last "official" day of work when you are on the payroll? When will you get your final check? Will the check be a hard copy or will it be direct deposited?
• If you get severance pay, and thankfully I did, how much is the severance and when will you be sent payment?
• What is the process to handle 401K roll over? Do you need to reach out to the provider or will the provider reach out to you with process details?
  

Step 2: Save your personal docs and contacts to a thumb drive
Before you turn in your laptop, be sure you save the following to a thumb drive or email the following to your POP account.

• All personal files,pics
• Export into a .csv or .xls file your Outlook Contacts
  

Step 3: Talk to IT about turning off your PDA account without deleting contacts

Ask the IT team how to handle turning off network access to your iPhone or Blackberry..without deleting all of your stored contacts. Doh! I deleted my employers account from the iPhone...and thus deleted all emails, calendar invites and contacts. Luckily I had saved my Outlook Contacts before hand!

Step 4: Pack up your cube

• Pack your memorabilia into the boxes HR provided...even that hula girl you brought back from Hawaii
• Ask the most senior person left in your team what hard copy files he/she would like saved. Go through the remaining files and place all papers in the tall recycle box that we all have in our cubes.
  

Step 5: Say goodbye...quickly

• Saying goodbye just after a lay off sucks...is awkward..and is no fun for anyone. I recommend just saying goodbye to your close office "posse" who probably already know your personal email address.
• Find the person that laid you off and give them a kiss and a pat on the ass.* I so wanted to do this to the person who let me go...I would have been killed instantly, but my name would have lived in infamy.
  

*exercise this option with extreme caution. I would not really do this :-)

Step 6: Get the hell out of the office

• Jump into your car and drive to the nearest bar to compare notes with your fellow victims.

Step 7: Sign up for Unemployment benefits

• Sign up for unemployment benefits as soon as you get home. You qualify to receive the government checks the last day that you are on the company payroll. The application process is all online and takes a few minutes to complete...but it takes a few weeks to start receiving the checks.