1.
LOCKE ALDERSON
Recruiter Resource & Career Consultant
41 years in Recruiting &
11 years in Career Consulting
Alderson & Associates
formerly with
Oracle, Siebel, Raytheon Systems, E-Systems
LockeAlderson&gmail.com
Crossroads Career Transition Workshop
Sept. 8, 2012
ctw@crossroadsbible.org

2.
RE-KINDLING YOUR JOB SEARCH
Job Psychology
• You have lost your job, now what?
• Take a deep breath and try not to panic.
• Talk to your family – give them a status of
what’s happened – they are in it with you.
• Reflect on how you’ve successfully handled
serious situations in the past.
• Don’t burn bridges behind you!
• Develop a job search strategy & marketing plan
• Who are you?
• Don’t forget to ask for help.
• Be able to answer “Why should we hire you?”

3.
Just what is the current status of the
American workforce
• While unemployment is hovering at 8% nationally
(1 of 12 Americans) and & 7.5% in Texas
True unemployment percentages are actually higher
• Today the average unemployment is over 36 weeks
vs. 16.5 weeks 3 years ago
• In 2007 there were generally 2 qualified candidates for
most positions, today there 10-12 qualified candidates
• Job openings have risen 26% since July 2009
• 54% of the large US businesses that had layoffs in the
last 18 months plan to rehire to pre-recession levels
• The US added 3,380,000 jobs last year
• DFW’s top 25 private employers added almost 13,000
employees in the last 12 months & the 25 largest
public employers added 2,000 employees

4.
What do employers
really want?
• Candidates who’ve kept their skills current
• Not to make a mistake and hire the wrong person – bad
hires cost money.
• Budgets are still tight, headcounts are still limited, and its
often difficult to get additional headcount approved
• Candidates with the right education, training, relevant
experience & requisite skills, + flexibility, energy, and
enthusiasm
• Doers with leadership & communications skills
• Choosing a winner – A players, High Achievers
• Candidates who can hit the ground running & apply their
experience toward the success of the company

5.
Do an honest Reality
Check
• Have you accepted what’s happened to you?
• Look at things as they are, not as they should
be, or how you want them to be!
• Remember: you are not alone, you are not an
outcast and you are not a failure
• How have you dealt with change?
• Older workers – myths & reality
• What about discrimination?

6.
Keeping the Momentum
Going.
• Maintaining your focus – 1 day at a time
• Taking care of yourself
• Putting together your game plan
• Calendar – Schedule of daily/weekly
activities
• Phone phobia
• Achievements
• Strengths & weaknesses
• Building a support infrastructure

7.
What’s the big deal about
Achievements?
• ACCOMPLISHMENTS - Situation, Task, Action taken, Results
• Performance reviews. Linked-In Recommendations; In the last 6
months what activity are you proud of? Readers’ Digest article “The
Greatest Accomplishment in My Career”, what would you write about?
• Start with an active verb – 1 to 2 lines describing the results
• Uses $s, numbers and %s where possible, to convey impact.
• Use before & after comparisons - with competitors, the industry, your
predecessor, others in your work group or the company
• What were the results in terms of making or saving money? Of saving
time, making work easier, or solving a problem?
• How did the activity make the company more competitive or increase
business? Or build relationships with internal or external customers?
• How did the accomplishment expand the business, attract new
customers or retain existing customers?
• Ask yourself about the achievement: SO WHAT? WHAT’S the
SIGNIFICANCE? WHAT’s the REST of the STORY? WHAT
RESULTED FROM the ACTIVITY?

8.
Networking
• What is networking? When do you start?
• Building a realistic networking plan
• What are your objectives?
• Where do you go to gather the information?
• Primary & secondary contacts
• How do you approach those contacts?
• You are always networking, never stop!

9.
Cover letters & email
• Does anyone still use a cover letter?
• Do recruiters/hiring managers read them?
• Why they are useful? Are they important?
• Components –
The carrot, the validation and the close
• Table letters – your requirements / my
experience
• Email – include your resume in the text and/
or as a word.doc (version 2007)

10.
Interviewing – Informational
and Face-to-Face Interviews
• Practice interviewing – questions & answers
• Be prepared – do your research
• Be honest & positive
• Exchange business cards & bring extra resumes
• Be courteous, particularly to the gatekeepers
• Informational interviews can turn into job
interviews & job interviews to informational
• Convince them you are not a risk – strengths &
accomplishments

11.
Recharging your batteries
• Id what is not working for you & stop doing it!!
• Refresh your resume on Linked-In & the job boards
• Know your competition – optimize your Linked-In profile
• Set goals for your daily & weekly activities
• Keep in touch with your contacts
• Participate weekly in networking activities
• Give & you shall receive – pass on leads to others
• Send thank you notes to those helping you in your job
search, and to those you interview with
• Include fun activities in your calendar
• Add humor to your life - your search & your interviews
• Volunteer – those who do get employed more quickly
• Remember opportunities come in the strangest places