Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Job Search/Interview Mistakes

To help job seekers avoid costly mistakes, we polled over 100 fashion industry recruiters about their pet peeves. The Top 5 are as follows:

1) Applying to positions for which they are not qualified.
2) Unprepared for the interview (i.e.: not researching company, generic questions, etc...).
3) Poorly written resume and/or generic cover letter (or no cover letter at all).
4) Embellishing and/or falsifying their resume.
5) Aggressive job-seekers (i.e.: applying more than once, calling/emailing excessively, defensive attitude).

Honorable mentions include:
· Not following application instructions
· Arriving early/late to an interview
· Personal presentation (i.e. poorly dressed, too much perfume, etc.)
· Unenthusiastic about position, just wanting a job

The bottom line is that job seekers should be thoughtful in every step of the job search process. Remember, at the end of the day, it is people dealing with people.

Impress Fashion Industry Recruiters

StyleCareers.com/StylePortfolios.com conducted a survey of over 200 fashion industry recruiters regarding their interaction with job seekers. Here are the Top 5 things that impress fashion industry recruiters:

1) Interview preparation (researching company, industry knowledge, well thought out questions).
2) Thank you note (paper or electronic).
3) Well written resume with a cover letter applicable to company/position.
4) Self presentation (nicely dressed, etc).
5) Genuine interest in the company.

Honorable mentions include:
· Providing work samples
· Relevant references
· Positive attitude

The bottom line is that job seekers who are thoughtful in every step of the job search/interview process are more impressive to recruiters. Remember, at the end of the day, it is people dealing with people!

Explanation of "Hangs With" datafield

Wanting talent with a specific aesthetic, recruiters will often describe design positions as MUST HANG WITH... As such, we are encouraging designers to create a HANGS WITH keyword bank at the end of their online profiles.

If for example, you are a designer who has a traditional, "preppy" style. You would list Polo Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, J Crew and Lacoste in your HANGS WITH keyword bank. Designers who work in the surf/skate markets could list companies like Quiksilver, Volcom, Billabong and Vans in their HANGS WITH keyword bank.

This way, when a recruiter searches the StyleCareers.com database for job seekers who HANG WITH a certain brand, your profile will come up. The more companies/brands you list, the more likely you are to be found by recruiters.

Design Jobs on your Mobile Phone

StyleCareers.com has 2 ways you can access job listings on your mobile phone.

First, you can follow StyleCareers.com on Twitter (twitter.com/StyleCareers). This way job listings are "tweeted" to you in real time. Twitter has apps for both web browsers AND mobile phones for job seekers who like to be the first to know about a new job listing.

Second, you can search for jobs from your web-enabled smart phone using the following link. The strategy is to search for jobs on your phone and email the ones you like to your computer so that you can apply when you get home. This way, you can make your down-time (waiting for a train, plane, elevator, etc...) more useful.

Visit: http://www.stylecareers.com/handheld/jobsearch.asp on your mobile phone to get started!

Maximizing Your StyleCareers.com Profile

Job seekers often ask us why they are not getting a response to their online resume. When we check those candidates' profiles, 9 times out of 10 their resume is formatted poorly OR they lack crucial information.

WE WANT YOU TO BE SUCCESSFUL! As such, here are a few tips to help improve your StyleCareers.com online profile...



*** TITLE FIELD ***

Make sure to fill-out the Title field of your online profile with your current OR most relevant title.

Note: This is the most popular search field used by recruiters; avoid abbreviations and spelling mistakes. If your current or most recent company uses non-standard position titles, include a standard title as well.


*** UPDATE YOUR PROFILE OFTEN ***

When a recruiter searches the StyleCareers.com resume database, candidate profiles are listed in order of "last updated" date. In short, every time you update your profile, it moves to the top of the list. The more often you update your profile, the more likely it will be seen by recruiters.


*** COMPLETE THE RESUME SECTION ***

Make sure the Resume Section of your online profile is filled-out completely. Use the What Employers See link to view your profile as a recruiter would see it.

Note: If pasting your resume from a word processing application like MS Word, it is likely that any special formatting will be lost. Use keyboard characters to re-format your resume if this happens. For example, use ALL CAPS instead of bolding and a dash (-) or and asterisk (*) instead of bullets. The system is WYSIWYG; if your profile looks bad to you, it will look bad to recruiters.


*** USE THE CHECK-BOXES ***

The check-boxes in the Email Notification of New Job Listings section are used as database markers by recruiters when searching the StyleCareers.com resume database. EVEN IF you elected not to get email notifications from StyleCareers.com, make sure to check the appropriate Categories, Job Functions and Regions so that recruiters have an easier time finding you.


*** KEYWORD BANK ***

Include a Keyword Bank in the Resume Section of your online profile.
Recruiters use keyword searches to find candidates for their positions. They will often use words and phrases from the job description of the position they are trying to fill.

Note: A Keyword Bank should contain words and phrases that ARE NOT on your resume BUT THAT WILL help recruiters find your profile. For example, a Technical Designer should include Technical Design, Technical Designer, Tech Design, Tech Designer, TD, Spec Tech, Speccing, Spec Sheets, and any other words/phrases that a recruiter might use to find a Technical Designer.


*** KEEP YOUR INFORMATION CURRENT ***

Make sure to update the Resume Section of your online profile as soon as your professional situation changes. Verify your email address, phone numbers and mailing address every time you update your profile.