A 2010 UIS Alumna recently asked, "Due to the current economic conditions, I have been unemployed for more than a year; I previously held an executive-management position with a major bank. In regards to competing in is tough job market, coupled with the fact that I have been unemployed for so long, how can I re-enter the job market as a viable candidate with those strikes against me?"

My response:

       The is no perfect strategy, but here are a few suggestions:

• Have a clear brand/marketing message succinctly describing what you can offer a prospective employer.
• Network with business leaders and discuss their challenges and how you could help them on a permanent or project basis.
• Project work and volunteering would help you refresh skills and improve employability. Both can turn into referrals or job offers.
• Because of what has been happening in banking, make sure your marketing message and job search materials are positioned to allow prospective employers to picture you either in other areas of banking or outside banking.
• In all conversations talk about solutions you can provide using what you’ve accomplishment previously as evidence. At the executive level you need to present a vision and a plan for the position.
• You can review similar information on networking and developing a career marketing plan in our Virtual Career Center, www.uiaa.org/careers/careermgmt.html.
• If you need assistance with any of these areas, you can schedule an advising appointment with us, www.uiaa.org/careers/packages_deluxe.html.

What other suggestions would you offer this alumna and others with similar questions. Please share your comments by clicking on the comments link below.

Attorney and University of Illinois alumnus Dan Felix will give you a good start in evaluating the offer you receive for your next position when he presents the webinar, "Legal Considerations in Your Job Offer: What The Practical Job Seeker Should Know".  This webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 4, from 7-8 p.m., Central Time.

Webinar technology lets you attend Alumni Career Center programs from wherever you are.  You can listen via your computer speakers, or via telephone.

Dan will share his experience-based expertise on helping professionals review job offers (and why they should be in writing), so that your best interrests as a candidate are protected and your employment relationships are based on common understandings of  non-compete clauses, base and incentive compensation, relocation and any additional job features or benefits involved.

Register online for this webinar (no fee for University of Illinois alumni) at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S%2cM3%2c9c4a6aca-4997-4b58-a899-1974512fe0ca, or send an email to careers@uillinois.edu indicating that you would like to attend "Legal Considerations in Your Job Offer..."  The registration deadline is Wednesday, August 4, at 12 noon, Central Time. 

We regularly get asked whether a candidate should send a thank you note. And, if they should, what format it should be in.

According to a ResumeEdge.com survey:

• 94% said that a thank you letter would increase the applicant's chances of getting the job, or at least help him/her stay in the running, provided the applicant is otherwise qualified
• BUT, less than 20% of applicants actually send a thank you letter after interview.

So the answer to the first question is yes, yes and yes.

Spend 15 minutes to write and send the thank you note after interviews and networking meetings. Use them to summarize the points you made previously, bring up a point you missed or stress a critical piece of information. And, thank them for their time.

The answer to the question about the format of the note is a fuzzier. Given the statistics above, my answer is always that the format doesn't matter as much as getting the letter written and sent in a timely manner.

For a more specific answer to the question, look to your industry for clues and observe how the people you interviewed with communicated with you previously. If you are interviewing in a more traditional industry, typed and mailed thank you notes may be preferred. If you are interviewing in a more creative or casual environment, emailed or handwritten are acceptable.

When I've hired, I just wanted to see a thank you note, I didn't career about the format. Thank you notes to me were evidence or etiquette, expression and writing skills.

What do you think?  We welcome your comments through the comment link below.

Highly Effective Networking: Meet the Right People and Get a Great Job by Orville Pierson

Once you have a Project Plan (Professional Objective, Target Market and Core Message) and a Target List, you're ready to launch a proactive and highly effective job search. In fact, you may want to begin your search before those pieces are completed, because networking produces job market information that will help you complete the Project Plan. And networking is always an important part of building and refining a Target List.

Use Networking to:
• Create & Refine Your Professional Objective
• Create & Refine Your Target List
• Get Your Message Out
• Gather Information
• Meet Insiders at Targeted Organizations
• Get In-Touch with Decision Makers
 

For your convenience, we've included a link to Amazon to read more about the book or to buy it now.

Wednesday, July 28, 7:00- 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time

In a very tight and competitive employment market, job seekers need an added edge. Having an accomplishment based resume may help to get the interview, but a career portfolio can help prove your accomplishments as you present your qualifications. A career portfolio can be the tool you use to tip the scale in your favor and lead the employer to choose you over someone else. During this webinar you will learn:

What is a Career Portfolio?
How can a career portfolio make a difference in the interview?
What belongs in a career portfolio?
How do you create one?
When do you use it?
 

Click here to learn more about Career Portfolios or to register