You can receive messages back from the resume black hole!!

Events of this past week have proven two of my key learnings for conducting an effective job search; one, the importance of creating a list of target companies to work for to help narrow a search and two, submitting a resume even if a job is not the 100% right fit or not posted at all.

Last month I submitted a resume for a junior position at a company that just recently launched a smart phone designed to compete with the RIM Blackberry and the Apple iPhone. I received the automated "thanks for applying" email, but had not received any further communication from the resume black hole....until last Friday.

I had just got back from my 9:00am Friday morning run when my iPhone rang. The voice at the other end was the VP of Marketing for this re-energized smart phone company that, rightfully so, has sweaty palms. The VP had received my resume from HR who had filed it away for future use. Interesting...these online submission portal black holes have another side to them! The marketing team is in need of someone to lead their relationship marketing strategy and implementation and the VP found my experience very relevant. Cool.

This morning I met with the VP amongst all the media buzz of the new device. The conversation was very rich and a lot of fun. "What would you do to help us build relationships with our customers" type questions flowed. Fun. "It's all about engaging and winning the gadget enthusiasts...who, if they love it, will effectively sell the product for the company...and will engage others in the conversation. "

So where did this all net out? I'm not really sure. The job req has been approved, but no job description has been created. My meeting was more of a "meet and greet...and let hear how you think" session...or said another way, "a VP level initial screening." Hopefully I'm on the VP's short list of potential candidates when the interview process officially begins.

My biggest concern is will I need to publicly denounce my iPhone should I become employed by this private equity funded company who is looking to reclaim it's place in the hand held space? But...I love my iPhone.

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.