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Announcements

The official web site of the Professional Service Group of New Brunswick is now available to members and employers. The web site is http://psgnb.org/. Members can enter profiles for employers, and employers can look at member profiles by specific industries.

Until the PSG web site was made public, profiles were added to a static database at PSG. At the end of each month, these profiles were sent to various employers and members were asked to send the employers more information; often, the process went further. Profiles are no longer sent from PSG, however; they may be seen by employers on the PSG web site, http://psgnb.org/. Please do not send profiles to the jobleads_nb@yahoo.com mailbox – these will be sent back with a request to register at the web site and enter the profile yourself.

The new PSG in Somerville also has introduced a web site. This web site is http://psgcnj.org/. Combined with http://www.doverpsg.com/ (in Dover for Morris County), the PSG web sites offer a great deal for central and northern New Jersey job seekers.

PSG Training Offers Workshops for Profile Development

The Training Department will be conducting a series of workshops for all PSG members with the goal of helping them improve their Profiles. We have developed a format that we believe will help each of our members present themselves in a more professional and consistent fashion. During these workshops you'll have an opportunity to work with your peers to develop a more effective Profile, a Profile that might get the attention of prospective employers and open doors to new opportunities. They will be held on Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:00 pm, beginning on June 4.

If you'd like to attend, please e-mail Jim Rossi (Director of the Training Program) at Jimrossi94@hotmail.com and be sure to include "PSG Profiles" in the subject line. The size of the groups will be limited to 15 participants so please let us know as soon as possible if you're planning to attend.

About This Issue

Members:

Freshly ripped from the pages of the Wall Street Journal comes The New Résumé: Dumb and Dumber, a look at what people do to get a job – any job. It accurately describes the plight of the seasoned worker, one willing to take on startup tasks to “get the job”.

Emails are usually the first response for those applying for a position, either from an ad in a newspaper or from a job board. Since this is the usual “first impression” employers have of a candidate, Allison Green (in The Job Interview Starts From the First E-mail), shows some obstacles that can and should be avoided.

This week’s Featured Grammar Tip offers ways to use “the Hyphen”. A hyphen promotes clarity (and is usually never suggested by a word processor), continues words across a line break, and actually makes some terms easier to read (the example in the Tip is “shelllike”).

Patrick May, of the San Jose Mercury News (tip from The Record of Hackensack), shows that job hunting is selling a product: yourself. Your job is to show employers that your product is up to the employers’ standards. Job Hunt Is All About Marketing gives a few glimpses at what job hunters do and what employers seek. Those who market themselves successfully move from job hunters to job owners.

Job Hunt Tips walks through the steps required to successfully obtain work. It starts by looking through your mind’s Rolodex (or an actual one if you have one) and ends with your “thank-you” notes.

You’ve sent a correct cover letter to a prospective, using hyphenation where appropriate. The day of the Interview arrives. Interview Tips from Robert Half Finance (by way of Monster.com) helps you prepare for the Interview.

The current Hi-Lites staff is taking a breather after 18 months. Public Relations has a new and exciting bi-weekly newsletter scheduled and it is quite impressive. Please give the Public Relations and Ana Fonseca, their Editor-in-Chief, your complete support.

Adios and Adieu!

Eric

Hi-Lites Editor-In-Chief

Contributors: PSGNB.ORG, Jane Porter, Alison Green, Robert Half Finance, Patrick May, Erin Conroy, Marilynne Rudick

The Benefits of PSG Membership for Job Seekers

New Brunswick Professional Service Group provides peer group support in a professional office environment.

· Training in networking, letter and resume writing, telephone skills, interviewing and assistance in learning to use the internet.

· Network with active PSG members and alumni working together to help you.

· PSG work experience which you can list on your resume.

· Guest speakers on topics of interest to job seekers.

· Unadvertised job leads generated by the group each month.

· Information about job fairs and special training opportunities.

· Use of services provided through the partnership with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development such as phones, fax machines, photocopy machines, computers, internet access, employment and training opportunities.

How to Become a PSG Member

Active job seekers who agree to continue conducting their job search while helping other job seekers in a professional manner are invited to join the New Brunswick Professional Service Group. To join the New Brunswick PSG and become a member, all you need to do is:

· Attend the orientation meeting, held every Monday morning from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Meetings are located at the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development office, 506 Jersey Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

· Attend at least 3 of the 4 training sessions in job search techniques: Networking, Communications, Resume Writing, Interviewing. See PSG Training Overview.

After you have completed the above requirements, you may sign up to join PSG. All members are required to follow PSG guidelines, which includes becoming a member of one of the following departments:

· Executive Office

· Human Resources Department

· Marketing Department

· Operations Department

· Technology Department

· Training Department

PSG Departments

Each department requires a 4-hour commitment each week (called a shift) to do the work of your department and an additional commitment to attend a weekly one hour department meeting.

Do You Need More Answers?

If you need answers to the following questions or have other questions related to employment, join PSG.

· Why can't I find a job?

· I'm not getting responses - why?

· Am I contacting the right companies?

· Am I looking for the right job?

· Am I using the right resume format?

Overview of PSG Training

Orientation

· Introduction to PSG

· The Emotional Side of Job Loss

· Employment Search Techniques

· Getting Yourself Organized

Networking

· Introduction to Networking

· 30 Second Commercials/Elevator Stories

· Types of Networking

· How to Network

· Role Playing

· CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) Stories

Communication

· 30 Second Commercials

· E-Mail Basics

· Job Preparation Using the Internet

· Job Search and Personal Security

· Telephone Communications

Cover letter/resume writing

· Letter Writing

· Types of Letters

· Letter format

· Technical Writing Aspects

· Cardinal Rules

· Resumes

· Types of resumes

· Resume Format

· Development of the Chronological/Functional Chart

· CAR Stories (Examples of)

· The Value of PSG Membership

Interviewing

· Introduction to Interviewing

· Preparation for the Interview

· Types of Interviews

· Stages of the Interview

· Compensation Negotiation & Counter-Offers

· Inappropriate Questions

· Sample Interview Questions

Source: http://psgnb.org/

Joining the psg_newbrunswick Yahoo Group

All members and former members are encouraged to join the psg_newbrunswick Yahoo group. This requires a valid email address, so make sure that the email address entered when joining is the email address you use. It may take a few days, but you will be sent an invitation to join this Yahoo group. The psg_newbrunswick Yahoo group is restricted to current and former PSG members.

If you are not currently a member of this group and meet the requirements, please click on this link and your request will be forwarded to the psg_newbrunswick Yahoo group owner. Please remember to include your name and member ID. Former members may have problems with remembering the ID, so please include the approximate dates you attended PSG New Brunswick.

Thank you.

The New Résumé: Dumb and Dumber

Job Seekers Play Down Their Credentials to Avoid Looking Overqualified

By Jane Porter

Kristin Konopka sent out nearly 100 copies of her résumé in January in search of receptionist work, but got only one callback. That's when Ms. Konopka, a 29-year-old New York actress and yoga teacher, took her master's degree and academic teaching experience off her résumé.

The calls started coming in. The slimmer version of her résumé landed in 30 in-boxes and earned her three callbacks and two interviews. "It definitely picked up the interest," says Ms. Konopka, who realized quickly that people don't "want to hire anyone who is overqualified."

Securing work in a tight economy means more job seekers might find themselves applying for positions below their qualifications. Many unemployed professionals are willing to take paycuts for the promise of a paycheck. But to get a foot in the door, candidates are gearing down their résumés by hiding advanced degrees, changing too-lofty titles, shortening work experience descriptions, and removing awards and accolades.

In the past eight months, Jamaica Eilbes, an information-technology recruiter for Milwaukee employment agency Manpower, has had to weed out more overqualified résumés than usual from the stacks that cross her desk each day. "I'd never feel comfortable putting a really high-level candidate into a lower level position," says Ms. Eilbes, who recruits for Manpower and other clients. "We don't want to take you on if we think you are going to jump ship."

But in recent months, Ms. Eilbes has seen more master's and doctoral degrees at the bottom of résumés instead of at the top. She's also seen candidates omitting or trimming job descriptions that showed they had substantial years of work experience. Résumés on which job descriptions taper off as they progress down the page raise Ms. Eilbes's suspicions. "How do I know I can trust them later down the road if there's something on their résumé they decided to take off so they could have a better chance at getting that job?" she says.

Still, for some professionals who find themselves constantly rejected despite decades of experience, scaling back the truth -- or at the least, some of their experiences -- can feel like the only chance at an interview.

Lenora Kaplan, 49, has 26 years of marketing experience but doesn't want her résumé to show it. When she lost her job as vice president of public relations at a small Las Vegas marketing firm in January, Ms. Kaplan searched for work with little success. At an interview for a shopping-mall marketing-director position in February, she was told that the hiring budget had only enough for a junior-level employee and that her résumé showed she was overqualified.

Many of the jobs she comes across ask for far fewer years of experience than she has. "There is nothing to apply for" at my level, Ms. Kaplan says. She quickly realized her job experience was pricing her out of too many positions. Her solution: To try not to look as senior level as she really was. So she eliminated certain jobs and removed details about speaking engagements and board positions.

In some cases, job seekers are being told by hiring agencies to tone down their résumés if they want to get hired. When Bridget Lee, 29, moved to New York from Shanghai eight months ago and put her application in at three temporary agencies, she was told to play down her work experience before they would send her résumé to potential clients. The temp-agency version of her résumé changed titles like "manager" and "freelance trend researcher" to "staff" and "office support" and omitted entirely her title as partner of a small marketing agency. "It's been a lesson for how I present myself," Ms. Lee says.

Career counselors advise against making too many drastic changes. But they also say the demand for this kind of restructuring is on the rise. In the past three months, Tammy Kabell, a Kansas City, Mo., job-search coach, says more clients are requesting her help to "dumb down" their résumés, whether by changing job titles, playing down experience, or altogether omitting some impressive achievements. One recent client, a 61-year-old former chief learning officer at a tech company, insisted on omitting her C-level job title from her résumé. She was fearful her application would be weeded out by the Web search-optimization tools companies use to manage résumés.

Some résumé writers advise reworking a résumé into a functional one stressing transferable skills instead of past job titles and accomplishments. "Instead of focusing on the big achievements that might scare an employer away, you can spell out what you can bring to an employer in the next position," Ms. Kabell says.

Of course, reducing your résumé to a skeleton of what it truly should be isn't likely to land you the job you really want. While it took Ms. Lee eight months to get a call back for a job that matched her real experience, this month she landed a position as a temporary account manager -- with potential for permanent work -- at a New York design firm. The interview and job offer weren't earned using her dumbed-down résumé, but rather with the original.

"You have to make those creative edits when it comes to short-term work, but in terms of long-term work, you have to stay true to your experience," says Ms. Lee.

Write to Jane Porter at jane.porter@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D5

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124328878436252195.html

The Job Interview Starts From the First E-mail

By Alison Green

I frequently see job candidates acting as if only "official" contacts—like interviews and formal writing samples—count during the hiring process. They'll send flawlessly edited cover letters and writing samples and then check up on their applications with sloppily written E-mails with spelling errors. Or they'll be charming and polite to me but rude to an assistant.

If you're job searching, remember that employers are gathering information about you at every interaction, not just in the interview itself. For example:

What is your response time like? I pay attention to how quickly a candidate responds to requests for writing samples and references, and even how fast he or she returns phone calls. My assumption is that you're on your best behavior during the hiring process—so if I have to wait days for you to get back to me now, what will you be like when you're working here?

How reliable are you? I want candidates who take their own word seriously, not cavalierly. For example, if you tell me you'll send references within a day, I expect them within a day—or that you'll update me with a new timeline.

Can you follow directions? My organization posts our job application instructions online, and we specify five points we want all cover letters to include; at least one third of our applicants ignore these instructions. If you can't follow directions before we've even hired you, I'll assume you won't follow them if you work for us.

Do you have a sense of entitlement? Candidates who demand immediate interviews, balk at requests for writing samples, or generally act as if they're the only candidate for the job send a loud message that they'll be nightmares to work with. (These are the same candidates who will reply to a rejection notice by insisting that there couldn't possibly have been anyone better qualified for the job.) The candidates who seem appreciative and know that the hiring process is competitive are the ones who get interviews.

Of course, I'll notice the opposite too. If you respond quickly and professionally at every stage, do what you say you're going to do, respect and follow instructions, and treat everyone you come into contact well, I'm going to notice it. It won't get you the job if you're not qualified, but if you are, it could be the extra push you need.

Alison Green is chief of staff for a medium-size nonprofit where she oversees day-to-day management of the staff as well as hiring, firing, and staff development. She is working with the Management Center to coauthor a book on nonprofit management. Her writings have been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Maxim, and dozens of other newspapers. She blogs at Ask a Manager.

Source: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2008/05/12/the-job-interview-starts-from-the-first-e-mail.html

Interview Tips

By Robert Half Finance

Preparation

Preparation is essential to remaining calm under pressure and is the first step toward a successful interview. Here are some tips:

Give yourself plenty of time to get there.
Ask about parking availability before you go.
Know the exact place and time of the meeting, the interviewer's full name (including correct pronunciation) and his or her title.
Research the company through the Internet or the library to learn relevant facts such as annual sales revenue, principal lines of business and locations.
Look your professional best. Wear business attire in neutral colors and be conservative in your use of fragrance, cosmetics and jewelry.
Organize the night before. Your interview clothing, briefcase and portfolio should all be prepared. Get a good night's rest.
Re-read your resume before the interview.
Arrive poised and confident. Bring several copies of your resume and a list of references. Greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and an enthusiastic smile.

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/portal/site/rhf-us/menuitem.4cfd557786ede19f9a64e9c302f3dfa0/?vgnextoid=b116f1ab78d7c010VgnVCM100000213ffd0aRCRD

Avoiding Interview Pitfalls

For job seekers, the interview is both an opportunity and a challenge. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) surveyed recently said applicants make more missteps at this stage of the hiring process than at any other. Twenty-one percent of executives polled believe the greatest number of errors occur on resumes.

Not knowing enough about the company or position, displaying a poor attitude or inquiring about compensation prematurely can all leave a negative impression with hiring managers. For job seekers, the interview represents a time to shine. Thorough preparation - including researching the employer, rehearsing responses to common questions and understanding appropriate topics to discuss - is the key to avoiding potential pitfalls.

Often, how candidates behave during an interview is viewed as a barometer of how they will perform if hired. This is particularly true for accounting professionals, who must be able to present complex data and concepts to senior executives, clients and colleagues in other departments, many of whom may not have financial backgrounds. By effectively delivering information in a challenging situation such as the job interview, accountants can prove they possess the communication skills required to be successful.

Practicing with a trusted colleague before the interview can help candidates ensure they are prepared. The same approach applies when writing a resume. The most fail-safe method for ensuring all application materials are error-free is to have a friend or family member review them before they are submitted.

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/portal/site/rhf-us/menuitem.4cfd557786ede19f9a64e9c302f3dfa0/?vgnextoid=77f5f1ab78d7c010VgnVCM100000213ffd0aRCRD

Interview Dos

Arrive on time or a few minutes early.
If presented with an application, fill it out neatly and completely. Don't attach your resume unless you're told to do so.
Greet the interviewer by last name if you are sure of the pronunciation. If not, ask the employer to repeat it.
Project energy and enthusiasm. Smile and shake hands firmly.
Wait until you're offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright, look alert and interested at all times.
Listen carefully and respond succinctly and articulately. Look the hiring manager in the eye while speaking.
Early in the meeting, try to get the interviewer to describe the job and the duties to you so you can focus your responses on your background, skills and accomplishments that relate to the position.
Be sincere and truthful while focusing on communicating your specific professional achievements that relate to the accounting or finance job opening.

Interview Don'ts

Don't answer with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible.
If you don't understand a question - or need a moment to think about it - say so. Never pretend to know something or someone when you don't.
Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. Interviewers will want you to be convincing.
Don't make negative remarks about present or former employers. When explaining your reasons for leaving, communicate your rationale professionally.
Don't over-answer questions. If the interviewer steers the conversation into controversial - or even illegal - topics, try to do more listening than speaking. Keep your responses non-committal.
Don't inquire about salary, vacations, benefits, bonuses or retirement on the initial interview unless you are sure the employer is interested in hiring you. If the interviewer asks what salary you want, give a range based on your research of the job market, but indicate that you're more interested in the opportunity for continued learning and professional development than in a specific salary.

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/InterviewDosAndDonts#Dos

Be Prepared to Answer Questions

Tell me about yourself. Be prepared to respond to the question, "Tell me about yourself," by creating a 15-second "sound bite" that describes your professional background and strongest skills in two or three sentences. Vary your response according to the specific job opportunity and offer a brief description of why you would be a good fit for the position. One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to rehearse with a tape recorder and then critique your answers.
Tell me about your background, accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses. Employers who ask this question are usually looking for a short synopsis of your experience. Be sure to demonstrate how you've developed professionally and be objective when listing your strengths and weaknesses.
How would you describe your most recent job performance? Hiring managers tend to ask this question in order to gauge your level of enthusiasm for the work that you do. They're also looking for a direct connection between your current position and the one for which you're applying.
What interests you about our company? This question seems straightforward, but it can sometimes be difficult to answer if you haven't thought about it beforehand. There are two important factors to include in your answer. The first is to use your knowledge of the company to show your sincere interest. Second, give a specific reason the position for which you're applying appeals to you (other than the fact that you need a job).
Who was your most difficult boss and why? It's imperative to be as diplomatic as possible when answering this question. Avoid becoming too personal; instead, focus on your previous supervisor's management style and the manner in which he or she communicated. The interviewer is looking for some indication as to how well you would get along with your future boss, if you were hired.
What outside activities are most significant to your personal development? Many employers ask this question to see what kind of balance you are looking for between your personal and professional lives. While it's good to list one or two activities, be careful not to list too many activities as the employer may wonder if outside interest will interfere with your work.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten years? Avoid mapping out a detailed plan when answering this question. Instead, describe what you feel is the next logical step or steps in your career path.

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/portal/site/rhf-us/menuitem.4cfd557786ede19f9a64e9c302f3dfa0/?vgnextoid=8e75f1ab78d7c010VgnVCM100000213ffd0aRCRD

Ask Questions

Be prepared to ask questions of the hiring manager during the interview that are based on your research of the company and industry. Insightful and pertinent questions will demonstrate that you've done your homework and that you're serious about the position. And your questions will help both of you determine if you are the right match for the job.
Know what questions NOT to ask. Don't inquire about vacation time, benefits or your office space at the first interview. These questions are appropriate only after the hiring manager has expressed serious interest in offering you the position.

Here are some questions you might ask.

What would I be expected to accomplish in this position?
What are the greatest challenges in this position?
How do you think I fit the position?

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/portal/site/rhf-us/menuitem.4cfd557786ede19f9a64e9c302f3dfa0/?vgnextoid=60a5f1ab78d7c010VgnVCM100000213ffd0aRCRD

Closing

Be proactive.
Reiterate your interest in the job and the company by asking about the next step in the process.
If you get the impression the interview is not going well, don't let your discouragement show. Remain poised, upbeat and professional. There may be other opportunities in the company that would be a better fit.
Be enthusiastic about the job and the company. The people you meet during your job search and at your interviews can become valuable networking sources, even if you don't get the job.

Source: http://www.roberthalffinance.com/portal/site/rhf-us/menuitem.4cfd557786ede19f9a64e9c302f3dfa0/?vgnextoid=9ab5f1ab78d7c010VgnVCM100000213ffd0aRCRD

Job Hunt Is All About Marketing

By Patrick May

NorthJersey.com

San Jose Mercury News

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It might sound like schoolyard horseplay, but many career counselors say a successful job hunt requires that you get yourself on top of the pile.

Actually, it's your résumé that needs to be there — lifted head and shoulders above the rest of the bunch thanks to someone who knew someone.

But for the thousands of job-seekers out there, all of them screaming to be heard above the recessionary din, getting noticed is an increasingly complex challenge.

The dilemma of how to best do that has not escaped Elise Sandusky, one of three recently laid-off Silicon Valley workers the San Jose Mercury News is following in a series called Pink Slip 2.0. While she's doing some personal networking, Sandusky's main ally in her three-month search for a bookkeeping gig has been her home computer — and her use of it to blanket the job market with applications.

"The Internet gives me information, and information is power," says Sandusky, who since February has applied for more than 1,700 jobs, many of them online, with 13 interviews but no solid offers. "The more I know about a company on the inside and how it's doing, the clearer indication I have of whether I really want to work there."

Sandusky is certainly not alone. Countless other job-seekers are working the online boards like Monster.com at home, day after day, convinced that by casting a wide online net they'll eventually snag something.

"I don't think 1,700 is ridiculous at all," says Sandusky, who's also using friends' tips and company drive-bys to pursue job leads. "I'm persistent, and that's my personality. I don't want to hand out two or three résumés and sit back and wait. Experts might say this is crazy, but I'm putting myself out there as much as possible. The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

So, what's the best way to squeak? In interviews with job-market experts, pink-slip veterans from the 2001 dot-com bust and current job-hunters, the same truisms kept bubbling up:

· Job hunting is all about marketing yourself.

· Maintaining a vibrant social network may be the quickest path back to a regular salary.

"Part of the problem with using Monster.com or Hotjobs is that that's what everybody else is doing, too," says Krista Canfield, spokeswoman for LinkedIn, a social-networking site favored by professionals. "There may be hundreds and hundreds of other people applying for the same position you are. But if you know someone, a personal referral is like a golden ticket that can put your résumé on top."

Fortunately, technological advances also make building a social network easier than ever.

"Things have changed so much since the last recession," says Ross Mayfield, co-founder of Palo Alto social-software firm Socialtext. "Now there are hundreds of ways to project your identity and engage with others for free that didn't exist six years ago."

Instead of relying simply on what Mayfield calls "good, aggressive outbound activity," like firing off online job applications, these social-networking tools can help job-seekers "create inbound activity. Outbound means trying to get out there and interrupt somebody to get their attention, but inbound is creating ways for people to come to you."

It's a snap, he says: "It takes 30 seconds to create a Twitter account," the micro-blogging tool that lets you use short bursts of text to have people, like the hiring manager at the firm you're angling for, "follow" you through cyberspace. Mayfield adds that "it takes 30 minutes to create a blog, and it takes maybe three hours to create a full profile on LinkedIn."

By projecting yourself online — then having your personal connections spread virally and even exponentially among friends, former colleagues, and professional associates — valuable job leads could sprout.

Cat Graham, a senior vice president of human resources and recruiting for New York PR firm Ruder Finn, says "social networking makes up 80 percent of my recruiting work worldwide." She suggests job-hunters "think about which company they want to work for, then look them up online."

"Say it's Wal-Mart. You'll often find you can follow the HR people on Twitter and that could lead to something. And on LinkedIn it's easy to find HR directors and managers and connect with them there."

Mayfield reminds job-seekers that hiring managers nowadays will Google them first, so you should know up front if your name has been taken in vain — or worse — in cyberspace.

"It all starts with creating an identity for yourself on the Web," he says. "And if you don't do it, someone else will do it for you, and they may be posting things about you or photos that you don't even know about."

Joanna Strober, managing director of a private investment firm in Menlo Park, knows firsthand the importance of networking.

"I told people I was looking for this type of job, and one day got a call from a friend who said this firm was looking for someone. I sent in my résumé and referenced my friend."

Strober nailed it.

In fact, she says, "every job I've gotten has been done that way, never through a head hunter or a blind application."

Find this article at: http://www.northjersey.com/business/workplace/Job_hunt_is_all_about_marketing.html

Job Hunt Tips

By Erin Conroy Associated Press

NEW YORK | You should've kept in touch with that old colleague, and you never did send a card to your former boss around the holidays. Now you're out of a job or uncertain about your career, and feeling awkward about reaching out.

Career coaches agree that even if reconnecting with stale networking contacts is uncomfortable, it's a vital part of job hunting.

"We often don't realize that we have a treasure trove of relationships we've built over the years, and that when you leave a company, you take the people you've met with you," said Liz Lynch, founder of the Center for Networking Excellence in New York. "It can be the greatest resource we have."

Don't be shy. Whether you're rebuilding a workplace bond that's faded or digging up the business card of an acquaintance whose face escapes your memory, don't feel guilty. They haven't contacted you either, said Sandra Naiman, an independent career development consultant in Denver.

"Remember that you had a rapport with them at one point, and that hasn't gone away just because you haven't been in touch," Ms. Naiman said.

The best thing to do is reach out to former contacts, ask how they've been and let them know your situation. Don't be shy about using details you remember — like their children's favorite sports teams — to plant the seeds of trust, said Joe Takash, a performance management coach with Victory Consulting in La Grange Park, Ill.

If the idea of tapping someone out of the blue makes you squirm, try to connect first with a mutual friend and ask how your prospective contact is doing. When you do later connect with your former acquaintance, mention that you've spoken to the friend you have in common.

And if calling people during a time of need makes you feel desperate, Ms. Lynch suggests going to events you know they'll attend. Just don't pretend it's a total coincidence.

"Tell them it's great to see them again and get right into what they're doing and what you're up to, without making much of the fact that you both happen to be there," she said. "The important thing is to make a connection."

Be blunt. You don't want it to seem as if you're asking for a handout. Still, you have to be transparent.

"Most people understand what's going on with the economy, and they'll probably be happy to hear from you," said Jennifer Grasz, a spokeswoman for CareerBuilder.com. "But you need to be upfront about your intentions."

Ask for something that's easy to give, like advice, information or insight, said Ms. Lynch, of the Center for Networking Excellence.

"Nobody's got a job in their back pocket for you, or is going to say, 'Oh, great that I saw you, I've been saving this job for you,'" she said.

Instead of asking to take someone out for an hours-long lunch to pick his or her brain, suggest a 10-minute call about something specific. It'll show that you've thought about your next step and that you're not wasting everyone's time.

Do something for them. The "art of the ask," experts said, is to make sure an exchange is mutually beneficial. Whether you send a note on a great golf coach, an article about the industry your contact works in or feedback about projects you've worked on together, you should be passing along some sort of information.

Ask how your contacts are and be alert to what they may need and what you can offer them.

"For all you know, they could have been recently laid off," said Mark Leathers, chairman of Oi Partners-Leathers Milligan, a career-counseling and coaching firm based in Phoenix.

Instead of asking contacts if they know about a job, ask for information about a certain company or industry, Mr. Leathers said. It's understood that if they know of a job, they'll tell you.

Log into a network. Social-networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can alleviate some anxiety about dropping a line to someone you were chummy with years ago.

But career counselors warn that online connections can seem impersonal, and that phone or face time is usually the best way to ask for a favor. Use networking sites to make the initial contact, then try and set up a short appointment or phone call.

Don't send a mass e-mail or generic message. At the same time, keep it short: "It's been a long time since we've worked together at Company XYZ, and I thought I'd reconnect with you." Don't ask for help right away, but wait until they respond or accept your request to connect.

Say thank you. Personal touches like thank-you cards will show you appreciate the help and also keep you at the front of someone's mind. Forgetting to follow up could make them forget about you when a job pops up.

When you've finally got the job, thank them. And once you land on your feet, don't forget to take calls from your own ghosts of jobs past, Mr. Leathers said.

"Everyone wants everyone's time," Mr. Leathers said. "If we offer help to people, we get treated the same way. We never know when we'll need it."

Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/11/job-hunt-tips/

	PROFESSIONAL SERVICE GROUP (PSG) New Brunswick, NJ 3-08
C A L L I N G A L L
ACTIVE PSG MEMBERS
JOIN “HOBNOBBERS”
1st MONDAY of EVERY MONTH
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

hobnobbers

bring a few copies of your résumé
prepare your 30 second introduction
select a partner(s) for 30 days

By supporting and mentoring each other we will create an internal Professional Network to assist in our current job search and thereafter.

The Hobnobbers concept was designed and developed by Joanne Orozco.

Biz Tip of the Day

Leaders collect objections and practice to see how fast they can handle them effectively when and if they come up.

Think about it.

Hilton Johnson, MLMCoach

http://www.mlmu.com/free.html

September 4, 2008

Sites and Sounds

An excellent video library is available at BNET.com. This video – Facing a Job Search – is in the Land Mine series and may address problems you are facing at present. Click the link to see; you may have to register with BNET.com, but registration is free.

A tip of the hat to Juan Pacheco of the ETP Network for providing Hi-Lites with this link to Web Extra: The Dirty Little Secret of Job Hunting, a CNBC video about networking and using more traditional means of job hunting, like actually visiting the places where you wish to work.

A tip of the hat to Ann Bergquist of CNG for this link: http://www.resumedictionary.com/. According to the site: The Resume Dictionary is the free online resume writing resource. Find the power words that best describe your knowledge, skills, and abilities and the keywords employers want to see.

This link is to the Identity Theft Resource Center: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.html. It offers examples of various scams and what is being dome for prevention.

Former member Terry Seamon recommends http://www.freeagentnet.com/ as "Free Agent - A network of talented freelance professionals. Meet others, figure out the next step and swap tips with a diverse and experienced group!"

Michael Szot of CNG recommends http://candidateschair.com/ if you are in or are approaching transition. The home page for the Candidate’s Chair states that the site is a “practical guide to job search and networking built from the experiences of your fellow candidates. Written by candidates for candidates.”

For those who are interested in working for non-profit organizations, there is Bridgespan Group. Their home page explains what non-profit organizations seek.

Featured Grammar Tip: Are Hyphens Obsolete?

By Marilynne Rudick

You probably don't think about hyphens until they cause trouble. For example, here’s the work description I recently got from a landscaper: relay flagstone. The absence of a hyphen completely changed the meaning from laying again (re-lay) to passing something along to a person (as in relay race). There's this classic: "I resent the e-mail" rather than the intended "I re-sent the e-mail."

Hyphens are a conundrum. Traditionally, you've had three choices: hyphenate (real-time), two words (real time), one-word (realtime). We now see a fourth choice: camel case—two words smashed together with the first letter of the second word capitalized (realTime). Given the confusion over the three traditional choices, I predict the increasing popularity of camel case—avoiding the hyphen dilemma completely.

There are few hard-and-fast hyphen rules. That adds to the confusion. Many hyphen decisions are governed by style conventions. For example, most—but not all—style guides call for hyphenating compound words when they function as an adjective before the noun: time-sensitive report. But if the compound follows the noun, no hyphen is used: The report is time sensitive. Even more confusing, words often evolve going from two words or a hyphenated compound to one word: web site, web-site, website. And we’ve seen how quickly e-mail morphed into email.

It’s not just the writing class that finds hyphen confusing. So does the ruling class. No less an authority then Angus Stevenson, editor of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (a two-volume "Cliffs Notes" of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary), ditched 16,000 hyphens in the most-recent 6th edition (September 2007). “People are not confident about using hyphens anymore,” he said. “They’re not really sure what they’re for.”

So, are hyphens obsolete? Can you use them willy-nilly? Before you jettison the hyphen, consider the hyphen’s most important raison d’être: clarity.

Use a hyphen to avoid ambiguity (relay / re-lay; re-sent / resent).
Use a hyphen when it clarifies the meaning (little used car / little-used car; twenty odd people / twenty-odd people).
Use a hyphen to avoid “letter collision” (shelllike / shell-like).
Use a hyphen to indicate that the word is con-

tinued on the next line. (Happily we don’t have to think about this too often since most word processing programs hyphenate automatically.)

Need more hyphen guidance?

Consult an up-to-date dictionary, such as Dictionary.com or the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary to see whether the word is normally hyphenated.
Reference the Chicago Manual of Style’s guidance on Compounds and Hyphenation.
Read “A Little Used Punctuation Mark" in Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The author, Lynne Truss, gives practical and witty advice, including this caveat from an old Oxford University Press style guide: “If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad.”

Source: http://writingmatters.typepad.com/blog/2009/03/are-hyphens-obsolete--------hyphens-are-the-vestigial-organ-of-punctuation-like-the-appendix--we-only-think-about-hyph.html

Free Networking Groups
Career Forum	Every Tues. 7:30– 9:30pm	Somerset Hills YMCA	140 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge, NJ	Denis Dooley 908-766-3034 or YMCA at 908-766-7898 http://www.somersethillsymca.org/
Careers in Transition (CIT)	Every 1^st and 3^rd Sat. 8:30 – 11:00am	Christ Church	66 Highland Ave, Short Hills, NJ	Glenn Resnicoff at gresnicoff@verizon.net
Career Networking Group (CNG)	Every 1^st & 3^rd Thurs. 6:30 – 9:00pm	Bernards Township Library Program	Room B 32 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge, NJ	Alex Freund http://www.psgnb.org/Documents%20and%20Settings/Eric%20Nilsson/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Hi-Lites%20August/www.LinkedIn.com/in/AlexFreund Laura Goddard http://www.psgnb.org/Documents%20and%20Settings/Eric%20Nilsson/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Hi-Lites%20August/www.LinkedIn.com/in/LauraRGoddard John Hadley http://www.psgnb.org/Documents%20and%20Settings/Eric%20Nilsson/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Hi-Lites%20August/www.LinkedIn.com/in/JohnWestHadley
Chuck Watson Group	Every 2^nd & 4^th Sat. 8:30 – 10:30am	Christ Episcopal Church	Kings Hwy and Middletown-Lincroft Rd., Middletown, NJ	Donna Coulson, 732-758-8191 or dccoulson@monmouth.com
Job Seekers of Montclair	See the JSM schedule	St. Luke's Church	73 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ	ronjudy5001@comcast.net http://www.jobseekersofmontclair.org/
St Matthias Networking Group	Monthly (except Summer) on Second Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 12 noon	St Matthias Roman Catholic Community of Somerset,	NJ, 168 JFK Blvd	Terrence Seamon at thseamon@yahoo.com Please register by contacting Deacon John Radvanski at mailto:deaconjohn@smpo.usor calling the Parish Office 732-828-1400 ext. 130

How to Take The Job Search to the Next Level

One of the things that amazes me and at the same time disappoints me is the small turnout of PSG members attending the Breakfast Club meetings. Anyone in transition should know that over 75% of jobs are landed as a result of networking.

Unlike the limited networking opportunities that PSG offers during the General Sessions, the Breakfast Club has hiring managers and recruiters in attendance. Also, in contrast to PSG, many of the attendees are working and are there to "give back" to those in need of internal connections.

For those of you that are willing to bring your job search to the next level, come prepared to give your elevator speech and bring copies of your résumé.

Monthly The Breakfast Club NJ Meeting

8:00 am - 10:30 am

Location: Days Inn - Route 18 South, East Brunswick

NJ (just south of the NJ Turnpike)

Notes: The meeting begins at 8 but try to arrive at least 15-30 minutes early (7:30 - 7:45) to get settled in and have extra networking time. Meetings are always 2nd Saturday each month, same location (Days Hotel 18 East Brunswick) same time (8 - 10:30 am). We meet in the conference rooms down stairs MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE ROOM. Dress is casual or business casual. Cost is $10 coffee and ice water served - no outside food or beverage permitted - however, if you want to get breakfast from the buffet in the restaurant you may do so and bring to the MIDDLESEX Conference Room.

The club's URL is: http://www.thebreakfastclubnj.com/

You can use Jim Ronan as a sponsor.

PSG New Brunswick LinkedIn Group

If you are a member of LinkedIn, you might want to consider leveraging the affinity of our PSG organization and join the PSG of New Brunswick LinkedIn group. Group members share a special sort of connection: While you do not have access to their extended networks for introductions, you are considered directly connected to them such that you can see their full profiles and they can appear in your search results, even if you aren’t within three degrees of them. If you sort search results by degrees of separation from you, fellow group members appear between your first and second degree contacts.

To join the group, just follow this link:

http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/64676/2BF4A01C5B85

Jim Ronan

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimronan <------ Jim Ronan’s LinkedIn profile

Notices

Some PSG New Brunswick Rules and Workplace Etiquette

If you are unable to make your assigned shift please contact your department director.

When you are at PSG, please remember to return phones and sign-off the computers before 4:00pm.

As a reminder, the PSG computers are to be used for PSG business and job search activities only.

Misuse will not be tolerated.

Please consider stepping up and filling in when Operations needs assistance and you are available. If you need a refresher as to duties please let the committee director know.

Also, please consider filling in when Training needs assistance and you are available.

Please refrain from loud noise. The PSG area is contained and adjacent to the NJDLWD workplace.

Thank you.

Hours of Operation

Please be advised that the PSG operating hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday thru Friday. Everyone needs to be out of PSG by 4:00 PM sharp! All computers need to be shut down and the coffee pots unplugged before the last person leaves. This is normally the responsibility of the Operations Department person on shift. However, if there is no Operations person on shift that afternoon and you see that you are one of the last persons here, please be courteous and shut down

the equipment.

Thank you,
John Costello
Executive Director Emeritus
PSG of New Brunswick

PSG Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 8:30AM – 4:00PM

Department Meeting Schedule

Training	Monday, 8:30 AM
Executive Board	Monday, 11:30 AM
GENERAL SESSION	Monday, 9:30 AM
Marketing	Monday, 10:30 AM
Technology	Wednesday, 10:00 AM
Operations	Wednesday, 12:30 PM
Human Resources	Friday, 8:30 AM

Please make note of your staff meeting.
If you are unable to attend, contact your Department Director.

Scheduled Guest Speakers at Upcoming General Sessions

The following is a list of scheduled guest speakers for our General Sessions that are held on Mondays at 9:30 AM:

June 1 - Hobnobbers Session presented by Lucille Bar-David

June 8 - Eric Parets from AXA Advisors on dealing with your financial situation while unemployed

After this point we may have to schedule meetings on different dates due to room conflicts. More details to follow at a later date.

Lucille Bar-David is also tentatively scheduled to conduct Hobnobbers Sessions on June 29, Aug. 3, and Sept. 14.

Auf Wiedersehen!