What impresses hiring managers

Hiring is a subjective practice, sometimes frustratingly so for job seekers. While most hiring managers and recruiters seek to be fair and to make their choices largely based on applicants’ experience, aptitude and demonstrated abilities, at some point in the hiring process they must reach a comfort level with that candidate — which, of course, puts us back squarely in the subjective realm.

Though what impresses one hiring manager may turn off the next,  here are some common responses that hiring managers queried on various career Web sites and in discussion groups (and from my own experience) gave when asked what — beyond skills and experience — makes a job candidate stand out. Happily, many of these are common-sense practices that job hunters can make part of their standard job-hunting routine:

Trying to find a job in D.C. (or another city) when you live elsewhere

An email correspondent recently asked a good question without a clear, easy answer: How do you land a job in the D.C. area if you don’t already live here? Is it better to move to the area — without a job — or conduct a search while you keep the job you have several states or even several time zones away and hope that your persistent efforts will pay off?

Though some of you who live in the area may be feeling a bit smug right now given this inquiry (and also because D.C. consistently ranks at the top of lists of the best areas for job seekers; see Dec. 7 post, “Why D.C. is a relatively good market for job hunters”), let’s be charitable. Most of us didn’t always live in this area and had to figure out how to land here. And the advice on finding a job in D.C. for out-of-towners also can apply to other markets where you — or a friend — may want to find work someday.

The most important fact to keep in mind when trying to find a job in another city is that in this competitive job market, very, very few organizations (especially newsrooms) are picking up relocation costs. Often, they aren’t even springing for a plane ticket or a hotel room for applicants coming in to interview. So if you want to find work in another city, you’re going to have to make it easy for the organization and pick up the tab to come to them. Here are some tips from job experts on how to improve your chances of finding work in another city, especially D.C.:

Repairing your resume

Besides having good connections and a top-notch network, there is no more important job-hunting tool than your resume. Yet often, once job hunters have gotten their resume in what they consider pretty good shape, they tend not to think about this document very much — and concentrate instead on researching jobs, honing their network and working on their interview skills.

Yet one should always be polishing their resume and seeking to make it as up-to-date and as effective a marketing tool as possible. And with most resumes being sent via email these days, there’s no reason not to repair and update it regularly. Recruiters cite lackluster resumes — not to mention lousy, hastily prepared ones — as one of the top reasons that a candidate doesn’t go much further in the hiring process. (See Dec. 18 post, “What to avoid on your resume,” and Dec. 2 post, “How to handle gaps in your resume.”)

Here are some items to regularly attend to in resume preparation, and some relatively quick and easy fixes for missteps you may have made:

Warnings, watches and alerts for a snowy weekend

Today I’m taking a page from the meteorologists predicting a historic snowstorm in the D.C. area and offering some warnings, watches and alerts on the job-hunting front:

*First, a warning: The scam artists are out in force and targeting job hunters — the more desperate they are, the more the scammers smell blood. There are outright work-at-home scams (I’ve alerted to these before) but some are more subtle and may be in the form of offers of lists of jobs and accompanying “coaching,” which often consists of leads you could find here or on a variety of job boards for free! Don’t bite! Research any such offer very carefully and ask for names of current clients. If they won’t give them to you (they usually won’t), run in the other direction and never, ever divulge your credit-card number or other financial (or personal) information unless you initiate the dealing or have thoroughly checked out the enterprise and the offer.

Avoid these job-hunting mistakes

Job hunters often wonder about what they should do and how best to do it: how to craft a resume, how to prepare for an interview, and how to network most effectively. I applaud that and as you know, recommend staying affirmative and positive.

Yet sometimes those looking for work ace the big things and then trip up on seemingly minor details — but those details can cost one a job offer. In this hotly competitive job environment, you need to pay attention to the proverbial forest AND the trees throughout the job-hunting process to ensure you win the prize — a good, well-paying job — at the end. So here are some more-common-than-you’d-think mistakes that job hunters make and how to avoid them:

How to translate your previous experience for current openings

Several email correspondents recently have commented on a similar problem: the most recent position they held — or a job they had in the recent past — doesn’t translate well.  In other words, employers could not easily ascertain from their job title or description the level of responsibility or specific duties they had. In one case, a news editor with real-time editing experience and some supervisory responsibility had a title that didn’t reflect that (it sounded as though he was a copy editor) and in another, a reporter was handling a range of duties in addition to the job in which she had been hired.

How does one telegraph such information to hiring editors without inflating their previous job title or experience — (which we know would be wrong as journalists especially must stick to the facts on their resume and in accompanying material)? Hiring experts say there are ways to provide information that could help you land a future job without falsifying your resume. Here are some of their tips:

Why you might consider teaching while job hunting

For job hunters looking to jump-start a stalled search, temporary work may make sense — especially if it is relevant to your specific career goals. Not only will a temporary position help pay the bills but such work can offer a chance to polish your skills and network — on a daily basis — with people who may be able to help you secure a permanent job down the road. (See Nov. 18 post, “The temptation of temp work.”)

Yet where does one find steady temp work for which journalists would be qualified right away? Teaching may fit the bill. Journalists — especially those who have been managers and coached other journalists — have a ready-made skill set for teaching. Such jobs are attractive because they often provide flexibility to continue job hunting, allow one to network (especially in a college or university setting) and don’t require long-term commitments that a job hunter would be reluctant to make.

Here are other reasons why teaching may make sense, and some tips on finding a good part-time teaching job:

Interview questions to anticipate

Hiring managers are often surprised by how what they view as basic, ordinary interview questions are met with stares and fumbled answers by otherwise sharp candidates. I have a theory as to why: Candidates tend to prepare and practice mini-speeches about their background, skills, experience and for journalism jobs, coverage they have handled in the past — not what they can do for their new employer.

Yet what interviewers often attempt to ascertain from candidates is just that — how they would perform in this new setting and culture, and with this set of goals and challenges. Things have gotten more sophisticated than the “What do you want to be doing in 10 years?” and “What are your strengths and weaknesses” in an attempt to figure out — not to trip up — whether the candidate will be comfortable and productive in this organization.

Here then, based on my own experience, thoughts from recruiters in online discussion groups and the quite good site, glassdoor.com (which as part of its company reviews lists some standard interview questions from a range of employers) are the types of interview questions that those seeking journalism-related jobs are likely to be asked:

Don’t undersell yourself in job negotiations

After a job hunt of several or especially many months, job seekers are usually so grateful to have an offer that they take what is initially on the table without blinking. Though it remains an employer’s market — especially in journalism positions — hiring experts warn that job seekers still should avoid underselling themselves in negotiations with employers. Remember: What you get going in — in terms of salary, benefits and working conditions — is the baseline for the future and the better deal you negotiate now, the better off you’ll be down the road.

Even when you’ve been laid off and have had trouble finding a good position, here are some smart strategies from experts about negotiating a deal for a job or even a long-term freelance or consulting arrangement:

How to write an effective bio

Though job hunters are taught to be obsessed with their resume, hiring experts increasingly suggest that professionals — both while conducting an active search and “just” networking while employed — spend some time crafting their professional biography, or bio, as well. In short, the bio is a short (no more than one page) mini-profile of your work background and experience, meant as a mini-marketing tool for you to share with other professionals. In essence, it’s a form of business-to-business communication with you as the subject.

The bio differs from a resume in that a resume has a schematic structure — usually presenting your work history, education and skills in chronological fashion after an opening statement — meant for quick scanning by potential employers. The bio, instead, should not be fact-heavy in bullet-point fashion but should try to tell a story that portrays your experience and describes who you are  — with other professionals as the intended audience.

Here are some tips from hiring experts on how to craft an effective bio: