The NEW Employment Contract — 6 Career Commitments You Should Demand From Your Company

by Alan Collins

In the short 3-minute video below, Brad Federman, President of Performancepoint discusses the 6 Principles of an “Engagement Value Proposition” or the new employee-employer contract.  However, listen carefully.  This is most valuable to YOU as a set of “6  career commitments” that you should demand from your organization. Check them out in the video below…

Here’s my take after listening to this video.

No matter where you work, you cannot let your organization diss you or make you feel “glad to just have a job.” I know its tough to avoid getting infected by the doom and gloom mindset that many HR pros have been mired in for nearly three years now.  But, if you want to attain awesome success in HR, that’s just not good enough.   .

But being passive about your HR career, no matter what the state of the economy, is a very risky strategy. This is true of Boomers, Gen-X’ers and Millennials in HR who all work together but see work in different ways.   Don’t let your company or others make your choices for you. After all, you are the one who has to live with the consequences.   Beware of peer pressure and family pressure. Just because some of your peers have all the latest high-tech toys, live a certain lifestyle or in a certain neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to follow suit.  Make your own choices.

My suggestion:  If any of this resonates with you, it starts with waking up and demanding the six commitments in the video from your boss…with #6 being CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.  It’s a bright, fresh world full of HR opportunities…both inside and outside of your organization.  Don’t shut yourself off from opportunities or accept compromises from your employer.  Take charge.

Get back in the game!

With that, I’ll now stop preaching and climb down off my soapbox to get your thoughts.   Give us your comments and feedback about this article by clicking HERE.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES .  His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in September on Amazon.

Nourish your network: If you like this article, feel free to share it with your contacts on Twitter by clicking the “retweet” button below.

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Free eBook — 17 HR Pros Give You Their Best Advice on Getting a Job…

by Alan Collins

How would you like to get 17 of the best HR experts to sit down and share their best job search and career advice with you?

Now you can.

In this free downloadable eBook, What I Know About Getting A Job, 17 top HR pros, bloggers and job search experts share their stories, experiences and their beliefs.  It’s a quick read.   To immediately download it CLICK HERE.

Now this eBook WON’T will answer every question you have, but you’ll definitely enjoy these shared stories and experiences from your fellow HR pros.

Kudos to Penelope Trunk and Brazen Careerist and Rich DeMatteo of Corn on the Job for pulling this information together and for the 17 HR contributors for taking the time to share their insightful, inspiring, and helpful stories.

Give us your feedback. Tell us what advice you especially like from this eBook by clicking HERE.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES .  His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in September on Amazon.

Nourish your network: If you like this article, feel free to share it with your contacts on Twitter by clicking the “retweet” button below.

Comments On The Above Article: 3 Comments »

Sidehustling — Keeping Your HR Day Job While You Make Extra Income on the Side

by Alan Collins

In today’s tough economy, there’s a new career model emerging.

This is one you won’t read about in Workforce magazine, HR Executive or find as a topic at any SHRM meeting.

It’s called sidehustling and here’s how I stumbled on to it.

A buddy of mine who is an HR director in Chicago recently informed me that he was taking an advanced online class on how to sell stuff on eBay.

Totally shocked and just a bit curious, I asked him:

“Why the heck are you wasting time taking a class on eBay when you could be using the time instead to take a class on talent retention, health care cost containment or how to leverage social media in HR?  Those are the hot topics right now for HR…wouldn’t those be better for your HR career?”

“Sure, but hey,” he replied passionately, “Doing the ebay thing is my side hustle to put a little more cash in my pocket.   I absolutely love HR to death, but the health care company I work has eliminated merit increases entirely for this year and I can use the extra income.   This advanced ebay class is going to help me do that.”

He went on to say:  “You see, I’ve been a coin collector since I was in grade school.  And, I worked in a coin shop during the summer to help pay for college.  Now, I make a nice little side income buying and selling them a couple of evenings a week from home on my laptop on ebay.   At one point, I thought about opening up my own coin business full-time as a coin dealer, but it was just too risky and expensive.  So, I decided to turn my passion into my side hustle instead.  I’ve been buying and selling coins at a profit for over four years on eBay — all while keeping my day job in HR.   So back to your question…yes, I’m looking at building my skills in HR, but I want to keep my side hustle going too.”

After we talked a bit more, it was hard to argue with his logic.  And one thing struck me…

More HR folks need a sidehustle.

Let’s face it, the economy is at an all time low, the housing and job markets are in the middle of a crisis, credit is hard to find and keep, and many exceptional HR pros are out on the street or having a hard time meeting their monthly financial obligations.

While many search for a better paying job or work towards advancing their HR career right where they are, many others are also choosing to sidehustle.

If you’re in HR, a sidehustle may be a great alternative for:

Here are a few examples of sidehustles people that I know are doing successfully on evenings, weekends or part-time…while balancing the demands of their full-time gig.

Obviously, some of these are more risky than others.  Some are related to HR.  Some aren’t.   While the people doing them won’t become as rich as Oprah, Bill Gates or Lady GaGa, they’re finding the extra spare-time income helpful.

While many are choosing not to hide their sidehustles from their full-time employers, they don’t publicize them either. They don’t want their sidehustle to get them fired from their main hustle.   So, if asked, they refer to them as their “hobbies” or “spare-time interests,” because they don’t want to be perceived as not being 100% committed to their organization’s success.

So what’s your side hustle?

One of the things I do in my spare time is to create websites.  I’ve never called this my sidehustle, but that’s exactly what it is.  It’s fun for me and it creates another revenue stream.  Besides sites I create for myself, I’ve created blogs for local judges, real estate agents and a couple of interior designers.

Over the years, I’ve learned how to produce these sites quickly in my spare time…without diverting me from my main focus which is my HR work and career.  And it’s a good change of pace for me, allowing me channel my creative juices into something not related to HR.   I’ve even created a new website about this whole idea of sidehustling…and it includes a ton of sidehustle ideas you may want to consider…check it out HERE.

From my own experience and talking with others, a good sidehustle will have the following characteristics:

What do you think about sidehustling as a supplement to your HR career?   Do you have a sidehustle?   Give us your feedback by clicking HERE.

We’d love to hear your story.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES .  His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in September on Amazon.

Comments On The Above Article: 19 Comments »

Contest — “Give Us Your Best HR Career Advice…in Exactly 6 Words!”

By Alan Collins

Before updating you on the contest, let me first update you on my new book:  Best Kept HR Secrets

I’ll now be releasing this book on  September 1.

Here’s the short story behind this.

The original plan was to release this book on July 15.  However, I wasn’t pleased with some of the content and the initial proofs of the book.  So, I’ve decided to take a bit more time to make the revisions required.   I know some of you will be disappointed at the delay, but I’m excited about having some additional time to enhance the value you’ll gain from the information in this new book.  And I assure you that your wait will be worth it.

Now the good news!

This means we will be extending our contest. The contest will now end on September 1…to coincide with the release of the book.  So If you’ve not yet participated or want to participate even more than you already have, now you can.

Here’s a refresher on the contest and the rules…

(1)  All you have to do is to give us your “ONE best piece of HR career advice…. using exactly 6 words.” You must post your response HERE for it to be considered.

(2)  I’ll be selecting THREE winning responses. And to each of the three winners, I will send them a free copy of my new book: Best Kept HR Secrets when it is released.

(3) And, yes, it must be EXACTLY 6 words. Anything more or less will not be considered.  Why 6 words?  Well, here’s the story…

Awhile back, I was intrigued to read about what the Bush daughters did with the Obama daughters as the Bush-Obama transition was occurring.  Apparently, the Bush daughters wrote the Obama daughters a letter with some advice on living in the public eye inside the White House.  The most widely quoted part of that letter was very touching, “Remember who your dad really is.”  Since Jenna and Barbara’s advice was exactly 6 words long, I thought it would be interesting to see what career success advice HR folks might come up with.

(4)  Again, the contest now ends on September 1. Important:  Please include your e-mail address so that I can contact you should you win.  And YES, you can enter as many times as you like.

(5) To view your competition and all the current responses we’ve received so far, go HERE.

Now, let the contest continue!

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES .  His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in September on Amazon.

Comments On The Above Article: 101 Comments »

7 Reasons Why You’re NOT Getting HR Job Offers…What Your Interviewers Know, But Aren’t Telling You!

by Alan Collins

Are you getting interviews but no offers?

While it’s great to get invited in to interview for your HR dream job, it a bummer when afterwards they don’t SHOW YOU THE MONEY!

However, let’s face it.  You’re not likely to get every single HR job for which you interview.  Some jobs are meant for you and some jobs aren’t.

But, when you habitually get overlooked when it comes to job offers, or even second interviews, it is a good time to step back and try to figure out where you have room to improve.

The simplest way to find out why you’re not getting offers is to just call up the people you interviewed with and get feedback from them.   Easy to do, right?  Yes, it is…

…BUT DON’T COUNT ON IT HAPPENING ANYTIME SOON!

Here’s why:

One, they’re too busy.

Two, they expect you to (of course) disagree with their assessment and they have absolutely no interest in having this to escalate into a full-blown verbal brawl.

And three, they don’t want to risk a lawsuit by saying the wrong thing.

Think about it.  Who can blame them.

So, in lieu of getting direct feedback from your interviewers, here are seven REAL reasons you’re not getting offers….

1.  There’s nothing special about you.

I’m sorry but you’re just like every other HR leader they’ve interviewed.  There’s no difference between you and the last three “result-oriented HR generalists” they’ve talked with.  Nothing distinguishes you from the rest of the flock.

Solution: Make a list of the things you’ve done that set you apart from others and ways you can solve their HR, employee engagement, retention, cost management or business problems…and be prepared to talk about them in your interviews.  Rehearse communicating this information over and over until you are so good at it that you exude the confidence that shows that you know your stuff.

Also, cut out all the HR jargon, psychobabble and buzzwords.  Use plain speak.  Envision interviewing with your grandmother.  Yes, it may be tough to avoid saying: “I’m strategic,” but try it.

2.  You’re lazy.

You didn’t do enough homework.  Or, you got so busy you didn’t have enough time to prepare the way you wanted.  And, it showed.  So, what should you be preparing for?  In a word: EVERYTHING.

Solution: Find out as much about the position as you can so you can decide if you even want it and so you can position yourself as the best fit for the job. Knowing all you can about the company will help you decide if you like its direction and share its values.

Plus, when it comes to the all important “Do you have any questions for us?” portion of the interview, all this preparation will ensure that you have plenty of material to cover.

Also, to prove that you’re a well-prepared, smart, no-nonsense HR professional from the get-go, be ready to ask well-thought-out, specific questions.  Write them out in advance, so that you don’t forget them under pressure.  Be prepared to interview the interviewer. Sometimes all it takes to get the hiring manager’s attention AND TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHER CANDIDATES is ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION or, better still, the right question that no one else has asked.

I know all of this isn’t glamorous and probably much of this is what you know already, but the key here is EXECUTION!   PRACTICE YOUR PITCH IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR, to get connected to it and believe in it. This will allow you to feel confident, comfortable in your own skin.

3.  You’re boring as hell.

Surveys of hiring managers and HR leaders show that the number one trait that HR job seekers lack is high energy, enthusiasm, passion for the job.  The bottom line is that most HR folks want to be around other people who are upbeat, exciting and at the very least, energetic.

The perception is that high energy HR people are on the ball and exude confidence.  Low energy people are lazy, unmotivated and no fun.  Whether this is true or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you address this perception.

Solution: Do a gut check to determine how you come across.  And I’m not just talking about the live interview where your handshake needs to be strong and secure (ladies included) and your voice confident and strong.

During your phone interview, your energy is even more important because no one can see the bright expression of excitement that is hidden by technology. The only way to portray confidence and high energy on the phone is to have the proper inflection, tonality and great volume. With blue tooth and other type headsets, it’s more and more important to speak up.

If you’re not excited about what you have to offer, why should anyone else be? And please get some honest feedback from a trusted colleague about how you sound.  Do an autopsy of your interviews and networking exchanges. Do you come across on paper (and in person) as someone who is blah, boring, flat, disengaged and lethargic?

If you think that you might, how about injecting some passion, energy, drive, motivation, determination, and inspiration into the wonderful product – YOU!

4.  You’re not memorable.

The reason you’re not memorable is that you lack a compelling story that the interviewer can relate to.   There’s an old saying: “stories sell and facts tell.”

Interesting stories create emotions and get people connected.  People can relate personally to stories and the more you know about the company and person that you are interviewing with, the better you can use a story drawn from your own experiences to get that person to relate to what you are talking about.

And getting personally and emotionally to your interviewers is the differentiator you need.

Solution: A powerful way to find your own stories is to call up former colleagues, employees and bosses just shoot the breeze with them.  Write down all the wonderful, “remember when” stories as well as the stories of your HR successes and challenges that make you unique, interesting, personable and different.

If you’ve spent years in HR, you may need other people to jog your memory. If you can give your story personality and feeling, then you will gain instant rapport with anyone you talk to.

Stories are an instant differentiator.   Find a couple that are uniquely yours, then use them.

5.  You don’t talk enough about money in your interviews.

In tough economic times, EVERYONE is talking money.   Around kitchen tables everywhere, most families are discussing how to SAVE money or how to MAKE more money.

The same is true in the companies you’re interviewing with.  It is important to recognize that as an HR professional, you are an investment. The hiring company invests in you with the expectation that you will produce returns on that investment. What types of returns? Most employers are seeking HR folks who have the proven ability to SOLVE a challenging problem, to help them MAKE money, to help them SAVE money, or to help them INCREASE efficiency and productivity.

Solution: Keep in mind that employers are looking for “experts” and  ”solution providers” that can address THEIR issues.  By taking time to describe in quantifiable terms the results you have delivered against, you can  easily set yourself apart from the masses of the HR folks who are just emphasizing the soft stuff.

6.  You’re bitter and it comes through in your interviews.

Yes, you’re still ticked off that you were fired, laid off or forced out.  And try as you might, you couldn’t resist a little subtle dig at your boss or your former company.  And deep down inside it felt good to vent a little bit.  But wrong time, wrong place.  Not cool.

Nobody wants to hire a whiner   Nobody owes you a job.. When unemployment is high and you find yourself in a competitive job market, it is easy to get discouraged.   It’s a fact that right now there are more and more people competing for fewer and fewer HR jobs.

Solution: Focus on the positive in your interviews.  Take the high road, even if you feel you’ve been screwed over by your last employer.  Keep in mind that there are still great HR jobs to be found. Companies are still hiring and HR job seekers are landing jobs on a daily basis.

7.  They’re just not that into you.

They don’t like you.  You’re not what they want.  You just didn’t click with them.  The chemistry just wasn’t there. Why?  Who knows?  Have you ever talked to someone and they just make you turn your head and say, “this doesn’t feel right”?

Well how do you know if someone isn’t saying that about you? Here’s the best way to tell. If you have anything to hide, have covered something up, or speak in half truths or your resume doesn’t match what you say.

If any of those things are true, people will say to themselves, “this doesn’t feel right.”  The biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves (think of your small kids who will swear they didn’t take the last pizza slice, all the while covered in pizza sauce).  If this is you…no job, guaranteed!

Solution: You don’t have to be perfect and convey that you have no problems.   In fact the only people with no problems are, well, dead people.  Just be honest and be consistent.

There you have it, seven reasons why they’re not showing you the money.   I don’t have any problem telling you that you are likely going to stay unemployed, unhappy and a complete burden on society if you continue to do the things I’ve outlined above.

So consider this a wake up call…and also a terrific opportunity to truly differentiate yourself and win that offer!

Onward!

CLICK HERE to comment on this article or provide additional insights.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES .  His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in July on Amazon.

Comments On The Above Article: 9 Comments »

How to Hit the Ground Running as a New HR Leader From Day One…

by Alan Collins

Today, I’m formally releasing a new FREE little e-book that I wrote a few weeks ago.  It’s called  “You’re The New HR Leader – Now What?”

This short guide is a quick read at 20 pages and it gives you quick tips on how to hit the ground running in your first 30 days in ANY new HR leadership role.

The reason I wrote it was simple.  When you move into a new HR leader role in many organizations,  you are often asked to “sink or swim” with very little support.   Well, this little guide gives you a paddle.

You can download it in the next few seconds by clicking HERE.

But first a caution:  The information in this e-book isn’t for everyone.   As the title says, it’s ideal for you if you’re in a brand new HR leadership role…at any level…from HR manager to HR VP…and you have at least a couple of HR direct reports…and clients you want to keep happy.

Here’s why you might want to grab this baby…now…

Moving into a new HR leadership role is THE #1 challenge any HR professional can face….no matter how much Human Resources experience you have!

According to HR Executive, 50% of new HR leaders fall flat on their face in their first 18 months.   Moving into a new culture, taking charge of new people, and deciding how to best make your mark are your biggest hurdles as the new kid on the block.

And more importantly, the first 30 days is critical.  If you screw up during this period, it’s extremely difficult to recover.

I truly hope this e-book can help you if you’re in this situation.  If not, you may want to file this away until you change jobs.

If this e-book helps you, I have two simple requests:

1.  Help spread the word. e-mail the link on to others in your HR network that you feel could benefit from it.

2.  Let me know what you think. Leave a comment below by clicking HERE, I’d love to hear what you think.

Have a great week!   More great stuff to come.  Enjoy!

© SuccessinHR.com

For additional career strategies for taking your career to the next level, check out:  UNWRITTEN HR RULES: 21 Secrets For Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources (pictured left) featuring TWO FREE CHAPTERS that can be downloaded HERE.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES.

Comments On The Above Article: 1 Comment »

15 Dirty Little Secrets For Landing Your Next HR Job…

by Alan Collins

I recently talked with an awesome HR executive who was out of work for seven months.

She had 20 years of HR experience, all with one company, before she was laid off in a brutal organizational restructuring.

The good news is she just landed a terrific new job as a divisional HR leader for a Chicago-based pharmaceutical company…and is excited and relieved!

However, as she was job hunting, she discovered that a lot has changed in the job market.   Her biggest shock was learning that the old job search strategies she grew up with…

…FLAT OUT DON’T WORK!

She is a seasoned HR leader, immensely qualified, with a great track record of leading HR teams and delivering results.  However, she admittedly entered the job market unprepared.  Based on the horrific job search experiences she shared with me over coffee at Starbucks and my own observations, here are 15 dirty little secrets you should embrace if you want to succeed in today’s HR job market:

#1.   Your HR experience doesn’t matter as much as it used to.

The old rules were:  Tell me what have you done?   The new rules are: Tell me what can you do?   This may seem unfair or even ridiculous.  But the reality is hiring managers don’t want to hear about everything you did way back when.  They want to hear about everything you can do, specifically, to help them today.  Right here.  Right now.  Employers want HR people they believe can help solve their problems.  If you cannot clearly articulate how you contribute (directly or indirectly) to enhancing retention, reducing costs, improving revenues, and helping them become more competitive, you might as well stay at home.

#2.   You can’t depend on a résumé to get an interview.

Forget spray and pray.  Applying to every HR job in sight with the same, uncustomized resume is a total, utter waste of time.  Simply mass-mailing out hundreds of résumés and then sitting back and waiting for responses never worked.   And today it’s just consumes your time, your paper, your postage, and your emotional energy…with no payback.

#3.   You can’t rely on job fairs.

Years ago, job fairs were a fantastic way to hire highly qualified people.  Today, job fairs have become thankless, confidence-crushing meat markets.   Instead of spending money on dry cleaning and parking to attend a job fair, do this instead:  contact employers one by one after you’ve done your homework researching their businesses and their problems.

#4.   You shouldn’t expect to hear back.

Unfortunately, this little courtesy has become as ancient as the horse and buggy.  Expect many of your follow-up calls go unreturned.  People are just too swamped or don’t care.  Sure, that isn’t a excuse.  But, you combat this by continuing to network, interview, and research companies right up until the moment you have a firm HR job offer in your grubby little hands.  Maybe even a little after.

#5.  Your résumé is no longer a complete summary of your work experience.

Don’t bother to list HR jobs more than 15 years old.  They really don’t matter that much.  Instead, quantify your recent accomplishments, emphasize your HR certifications and highlight your leadership capabilities.    Also, your resume needs to be digital-friendly, easily uploadable, downloadable, and scannable (i.e., no bullets, boxes, boldface, unusual fonts, indenting). It should be rich in the “keywords” that recruiters and HR hiring managers are looking for.

#6.  You should forget resume-blasting services.

There are lots of vendors who will blast your resume out to a gazillion employers for a fee.  Like #2 above, this is simply more spray and pray.  Employers are buried with resumes already.  Your unsolicited, uncustomized resume is the last thing they want to see.   Skip these services and conduct your own research, using search engines and LinkedIn. Then write to hiring managers directly with targeted overtures.

#7.   You must be web savvy.

Get comfortable with applying for jobs online and learn how to do research online.  If all this is new to you, your public library is a good place to start.   Oh, and have a professional-sounding e-mail address.  It is also a great idea to go one step further and establish a strong online presence.  Explore LinkedIn (get some stellar endorsements), Twitter, and Facebook.  Become active in your field’s social media sites.   Consider building your own Web site (with a career-oriented blog, professional photo, and résumé).

#8.   Forget video resumes.

Imagine the hiring manager sitting at her desk swamped in resumes, cover letters, reference lists, portfolios, and unanswered emails from job applicants.   What’s her incentive to watch your video resume?   There isn’t one.  Video resumes are a solution in search of a problem.  Craft a killer resume and get it out, along with a pithy “pain letter” that explicitly shows how your HR background makes you the perfect person to relieve a business’s pain, to hiring managers instead.

#9.  You must google-proof yourself.

One of the first things a potential employer will do is Google you. That means you need to find out if there’s anything negative about you online. If there is something bad, get it removed.  If it’s not easily removed, your best bet may be to “bury” it with more recent, more favorable information about you posted online through articles and blog posts…all authored by you.

#10.  Posting “I’m job hunting” messages on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or HR job boards have little to no success.

I always feel bad for the HR folks who I don’t know who e-mail me on LinkedIn with a message that says, “I am seeking an HR job.”   I’m a total stranger to them.   The odds of getting a HR job lead that way is about the same as winning the lottery.   If you’re like me, you want to know the people you refer for job opportunities.   And, if you’re a job seeker, you’re better off spending your time making one-on-one connections or following up via phone or in person with people you know already…or their referrals.

#11.  If you’re a seasoned HR executive, many interviewers, hiring managers, recruiters may be younger than you are.

If you’ve been in the HR field awhile, get used to it.  Take your ego out of the equation.  Treat them with respect and learn how to speak their language.   Do not say “You remind me of my son/daughter,” or “When I was your age…”   They know you may mean well, but it’s tacky.

#12.  Envision & position yourself like a blue chip stock…


#13.  Get brutally clear on the job you’re going after….


#14.  Develop a compelling, one-page resume that stands out from the pack..

Want more information on how to put together a guerilla resume, click HERE.

#15.  Finally…more than ever it’s about who you know, and who knows you.

This is the most critical point of all. Landing your HR dream job today is less a matter of applying for existing open positions and more about identifying needs potential employers have and demonstrating to them that you can address their problems.

Fortunately, there are more networking venues (offline and online) than ever before.  Successful HR job seekers get results through thoughtful, well-crafted letters, resumes, phone calls, and LinkedIn overtures — sent in response to posted job ads or sent to employers who don’t currently have jobs posted but who may well have business needs anyway.

They also do it through networking, and through careful follow-up with the people they know and the new people they meet during their job search.  “Hey, I need a job” is not a compelling pitch– but “I think I understand what you’re up against, and would love to talk about solutions” most definitely is.

These are 15 new rules for your job search.   Embrace them and you’ll succeed.  Ignore them at your peril.   Onward!

© SuccessinHR.com

CLICK HERE to comment on this article or provide additional insights.

For additional career strategies for taking your career to the next level, check out:  UNWRITTEN HR RULES: 21 Secrets For Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources (pictured left) featuring TWO FREE CHAPTERS that can be downloaded HERE.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES.

Comments On The Above Article: 16 Comments »

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