I had worked hard to get into a competitive graduate program in accounting. As a result, early this year,landed an internship with a premier accounting firm. At the end of the internship I received very negative reviews. Because of my background, my computer skills eg excel were poor as compared to my colleagues. The sad part is that I was the only one in my class who did not get hired at the end of the internship. Additionally, because it took me longer to finish assignments, my supervisors really doubted my capability.

I do not have much experience in my field and the one thing that stands out is my internship with the accounting firm. Every interviewer is quick to ask why I left, or why I was not hired, most of them are clearly cynical. I have to admit, I never known the best approach to answering this question. Perhaps this explains why I have interviewed with different well known companies, made it to the final round and yet some other person was hired.

I have since graduating enrolled for computer accounting classes and I am almost done. I feel good about my computer skills. I have also been studying for the CPA exam, already took took two and have two to go.

I am still jobless and more than once I feel like a loser, but I am a non quiter. That is why I really need your advise.I also invite constructive criticism.

Before you go blasting out resumes trumpeting how shiny and loud your bells and whistles are, remember that a company isn’t going to hire you just because you’re so great. They’re going to hire you because of how well the ways in which you’re great meet a need that they have.

Think of your job search as a marketing campaign. You have a product (your services as an employee) that you are trying to sell to a buyer (the potential employer). Your goal is to get the buyer to purchase your product.

In my Marketing 101 class in college, they drummed in one phrase over and over: Benefits. Benefits. Benefits. That’s important here as well. You have to convey how they will benefit from buying what you have to offer. You have to put it in terms of what’s important to them.

And to put it in terms of what’s important to them, you have to *know* what’s important to them.

Too many people waste energy singing their own praises without stopping to look at it from the potential employer’s perspective. They end up missing the potential employer’s hot buttons completely. To avoid that, spend some time doing a little “marketing research.”

Let’s say you’re looking for a specific position. You can build an overall picture of the needs being met with that position by collecting job descriptions and looking for the common themes.

From there, start contacting people who would be in the position to be hiring managers for the kind of job you’re looking for. It doesn’t matter if there is an actual position open or not – you’re simply looking for insight and information.

Contact them and say something along the lines of, “I’m in the job search, and I recognize that what’s really important is understanding the needs of companies hiring for this kind of position. To build a real-world picture of what those needs really are, I’m interviewing multiple people who would hire for this position. Can I take fifteen minutes and pick your brain?”

This has the added benefit of planting the seed of connection in a way that communicates “I am focused on how I can benefit the company.” It also opens up a door and gives them an easy, non-threatening way to help you.

Once you have a good picture of the specific needs, *then* you can start saying, “OK, now how does what I have to offer meet those needs.” When you can clearly, convincingly communicate that, you’re well ahead of the game.

And don’t forget to keep the research process in mind while you interview. Ask them questions to really uncover what needs they are hoping to meet by hiring someone for this position.

Good luck!

I challenge my recruiter collagues to get involved in their local area and do presentations on finding a job. We have a good perspective call it “Inside Baseball” on how the process works.

This means my recruiter friends need to put the phone down, step away from the desk, and leave the office but it is so worth it.

If anyone in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area is reading this and has a group seeking a speaker on the topic of job search and/or networking send me an email, paul@mnheadhunter.com

I’m actually in the middle of writing a blog post on this very issue.

Job loss can be viewed as a huge loss, and it can also be viewed as an opportunity to reevaluate our previous career decisions. I typically work with clients who are actually trying to move away from a job or career they’ve been engaged in for a while toward something that feels more authentic, meaningful, and genuinely fulfilling – something that allows them to make a life, not just a living.

If you haven’t been happy in your job or career for a while and have just been laid-off, you may actually choose to view this as your chance to finally pursue something else – even if you don’t yet know what it is. Here are some things to consider:

1. Don’t panic. Your job has ended, but your life hasn’t. You’ll find another way to make money, and you’ll survive – and it’s quite likely that you’ll get much happier in the process. But to do that, you need to be calm, confident and collected. Don’t let fear drive your decisions. Get to a positive place, where you can tune out the fear and despair, and start from there. (Caution: to do that, you may need to turn off the TV and hang up on aunt Sallie who’s freaking out about how horrible the economy is and how we all need to chain ourselves to our current jobs and never let go.)

2. Reevaluate your life’s vision. Stephen Covey called it “beginning with the end in mind.” Where do you want to be at the end of your life? Are you in a career that will allow you to say, at the end of your life, that you lived a life of few or no regrets? What kind of an impact would you like your life to have? How would you like to be remembered to people around you? Now ask yourself what work path might lead to that.

3. Reevaluate your core gifts. Your strengths are an expression of your core gifts. They go beyond your skills and abilities. They are the gifts that make you who you are, and they are ones you often use without even realizing you’re doing it, because you simply can’t help yourself. Which are yours? Which of these would you like to share with the world now? What work paths may enable you to do that?

4. Reevaluate the environment in which you want to work. A cactus is unlikely to prosper in Siberia, and a rose won’t grow in a desert. Different plants require different conditions to blossom. If you feel deadened by an all-day-at-the-computer types of environment, it’s unlikely that a career path that requires that is optimal for you. If you are a people person but have to spend most of your time alone, you are unable to share one of the main gifts you have. Determine the environment that will help you grow and blossom.

5. Well… there are other steps as well, but if you just start out with those, and if you are honest with yourself, you’ll already get pretty far. If you still need help from here, shoot me an email. We can set up a free session to see if I can offer you something to help you get on a career path that will prosper you, while making you feel more happy and fulfilled in the process.

Thanks again, GL, for creating this forum!
Talk soon…
Izabella