Wednesday, July 11, 2012

An Idea for Identifying and Pursuing Healthy, Growing Companies


Here is a list of California companies that made Inc's Top List. Check out their ranking, 3-yr. growth % and annual revenues:

851Niner Bikes364%$5.8 millionCA
2552Million Dollar Baby91%$37.2 millionCA
515TicketZoom649%$23.8 millionCA
1546Joby179%$23.1 millionCA
709Koncept Technologies445%$6.2 millionCA
2807Via Trading78%$25.4 millionCA
2868EO Products75%$9.4 millionCA
2810Robanda International78%$11.8 millionCA
1081BLUE Microphones280%$13 millionCA
970IMVU315%$38.2 millionCA
3613M S International45%$336.8 millionCA
4712Wagic12%$14.1 millionCA
721LifeWave436%$38.8 millionCA
3153Astek Wallcovering63%$10.6 millionCA
480TrueCar721%$38.1 millionCA
299BackJoy Orthotics1,092%$8.8 millionCA
1870Healthwise139%$11.7 millionCA
4869Easton-Bell Sports7%$772.8 millionCA
1645Lifespring Nutrition164%$5.5 millionCA
1593Deuce Entertainment172%$8.1 millionCA
879World Centric350%$9.4 millionCA
768Ammunition409%$6.3 millionCA
994Disability Group309%$14.3 millionCA
350Litchney Law Firm964%$2.1 millionCA
124SafeRacks2,200%$2.8 millionCA
2740Rabbit Air82%$5.6 millionCA
1688Cloud B159%$15.8 millionCA
4177KINeSYS27%$4.2 millionCA
1334Flipswap215%$18.8 millionCA
3423Vizio52%$2.9 billionCA
3266Artissimo Designs58%$59.7 millionCA
2656Brainstorm Corporation86%$9.9 millionCA
1782Cali Bamboo149%$11.3 millionCA
2239Bulletproof Automotive110%$2.2 millionCA
1907SKLZ135%$41.4 millionCA
1627Timeshare Relief167%$60.5 millionCA
13Astro Gaming9,179%$9.6 millionCA
3253Smog 'N Go59%$4 millionCA
2872Zobmondo!! Entertainment75%$5.6 millionCA
3849Innex37%$12.2 millionCA
567Sena Cases583%$14.1 millionCA
2240Tea Collection110%$18.6 millionCA
Here is the actual Link to the listing for ALL states: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/search/2011/x/x/x/x/4/x/x/state

Hope this helps our job seekers to focus their energies.

Of course, using the library's subscription to ReferenceUSA is also a GREAT way to identify companies that fit a job seeker's target company profile and proactively sending them a letter of interest! (About a third of the companies listed in ReferenceUSA have email addresses, eliminating the postage, paper and envelope expense issue!)

Those with library cards that have barcodes on them can access this database FROM HOME, if their library branch subscribes to ReferenceUSA; otherwise, apply at Carlsbad library or one of the other library branches that do subscribe.

All the best, and happy hunting to all!

Marissa

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

How ACCESSIBLE are YOU on LINKEDIN? Ten Tips to Get Contacted.

How ACCESSIBLE are YOU and YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE to Recruiters and Employers? Ten (10) Ways to Increase Your Likelihood of Being Contacted (PART 1 of 2)

This may be one of the most important things you can do to improve the number of contacts you get on LinkedIn (LI).

There are many articles about optimizing your LI profile to that you come up higher in searches performed by recruiters, employers and others. Key among these tactics are optimizing your current title with descriptive and keyword-rich terms, ensuring that your last title is optimized to the extent reasonable, adding "SKILLS" and adding "SPECIALTIES."

My question to all of you is, "Are you making it easy for employers and recruiters (especially) to contact you?" If so, is your status (in transition and available for full-time or consulting work) crystal clear?

When I do a keyword search for candidates, after reviewing each profile and determining their potential suitability, if I decide to pursue them, I look for any way to contact them. Some contact access points are obvious, but perhaps some are not. Here are some things you may not have thought of, but they are VERY critical.

1) Is your phone number or email address anywhere on your profile? I have seen this information in the following areas:
a) Inside a member's title
b) In the Summary area above Work History
c) In your contact info stated in your Other Information section at the bottom of your profile
d) In an attachment such as a resume, a PowerPoint presentation or other document
(Not everyone feels comfortable or safe stating a phone number or email, but including your contact info inside an attachment is an excellent alternative means by which to guard against "pharmers" and "phishers" easily scanning your profile for this information.
2) Have you checked your settings and preferences to be contact-friendly? Some profiles I have seen do NOT state that the member is open to career opportunities. This may discourage recruiters or employers from contacting you.
3) If you are no longer working, does your profile reflect that you are no longer affiliated with your last employer?
4) If you are Consulting, working at a temp agency, volunteering, on a Board, etc., have you added your status as a "New job" to reflect that you may be taking on consulting jobs as an interim measure until you land your next (fill-in-the-blank) job?
5) Have you revised the Summary area above Work History to articulate your status and reinforce your availability (while remaining positive and ensuring that you do not come across as anxious or desperate)?
6) Do you have a personal blog and/or website that you can add to your LI profile? If so, this will add dimension to your capabilities, PLUS will give recruiters another way to contact you.
7) Have you gotten at least the minimum of three (3) recommendations required to qualify for a 100% complete profile? If so, recruiters MAY be able to contact you through those who recommended you if they know them well enough (have a first connection with them).
8) Are you a member of groups, and if so, do you display the ones that best depict the types of jobs/industries you are targeting? (If you do this, those who want to contact you can join the groups you are a member of and contact you through that group affiliation.
5) Are you a member of professional organizations, and if so, are they listed in the lower section of your profile?
6) Have you listed as many employers within a reasonable time frame (e.g., up to 15 years), so that those interested in you can either contact you if they were affiliated with those companies in any way? A variation of this is that if you list more employers, those wanting to pursue you can reach out to their contacts who worked at the same companies within the same time frames and ask THEM to reach out to you.
7) Do you update your status bubble on your LI landing page to state that you are currently exploring new (insert types/categories of positions) opportunities in (state Industry, if desired) and in (state general locations or "virtual/remote", if appropriate)?
8) Do you offer a "FREE InMail" option for others to use to contact you? (I have contacted three people in as many weeks using this feature.)
9) Are your visibility setting set at Anonymous or Private?
10) If you ARE a member of groups, is the last box in your settings for those groups checked so that anyone in those groups can send you a free message?

Bonus (#11): Do you state in your profile Summary that you will accept all invitations! (Many LI members know that if you receive too many "Don't Know this member" results after attempting to LinkIn that you get sanctioned by the LinkedIn team. To avoid this concern, let those viewing your profile know you're receptive to invitations.

The above are just SOME of the measures you can take to facilitate a phone call or email from a recruiter.

As an aside, I now have 23 jobs I am trying to fill (many now listed on my LinkedIn landing page). I frequently go on LinkedIn and I cannot emphasize enough how often I cannot GET to candidates. In several cases, a desirable candidate's headline or summary makes it obvious that the member is seeking work. For example, Current Title reads, "Open to New Opportunities" -- yet, they are unreachable.

So ... how accessible are you to Recruiters, Employers and others and how clear is your current status?

Being found is one thing. If you want to be contacted, you need to do everything possible to make it easy for others to connect with you.

I hope this article sheds some light on how to improve your odds, and motivates you to take action to improve them!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

www.TheECC.com JUST UPDATED!!!








JUST UPDATED THE JOB SEEKER NETWORKING EVENTS IN CALIFORNIA ON

www.TheECC.COM. (Other States are listed but I need your help!!!)


Please see "Local Networking Groups" page of my website for details.


"Where are the Best Job Seeker/Other Career Workshops and Networking Events Held? Need your Input! Please Provide Feedback."


Note: Every effort has been made to reflect accurate information, but visitors are encouraged to check websites or otherwise confirm information prior to traveling to these venues. Please also use Linkedin Events, Craigslist.com and also seek out churches and libraries for local events:


PLEASE PAY-IT-FORWARD AND LET ME KNOW VIA THIS BLOG IF YOU KNOW OF NETWORKING EVENTS IN YOUR AREA!!!

https://employerandcandidateconnection.com/Local_Networking_Groups.html

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Great Job Seeker Resources to Fine Tune Their Dream Job Search

Q. Where do I find companies in San Diego that are small to mid-sized? What are best ways to find a marketing manager, associate manager opportunity? What are trade or prof. orgs to find opportunities? (Stacy)

A. You've asked a number of questions, so let me start by offering the following, and let others on this group also add their perspective. We are lucky in that we even have other coaches on this site! The bottom line is that there are numerous ways to accomplish the things you've asked about:

HOW DO YOU TARGET COMPANIES BY SIZE?

Using the library can open your eyes, doors and opportunities. Some great reference sources are:

ReferenceUSA (online searchable database of US companies that allows you to sort records and export and download information.) You can access this from the comfort of your own home if you have a library card that has a barcode on it. Simply go to the appropriate library that corresponds to your card such as www.carlsbadlibrary.org, and log in by entering that number. This will open up a world of tools including searchable databases under "Research." You can sort companies in many ways and even export them to an Excel spreadsheet by category. (You can download MORE files and information if you do your research at the library vs. home. Be sure to bring a flash drive or CD-ROM to export information/files from such sources.)

San Diego Business Journal Book of Lists (Top business listings by business category. The new edition for San Diego was just released! Other areas should check with their libraries to see if they have this resource. Orange County, CA and Los Angeles, for example do.)

Standard & Poor’s Registry of Corporations, Directors and Executives

Southern California Business Directory & Buyer’s Guide

Thomasnet.com (listing of companies)

There's also Hoover's, Edgar Report and Dun & Bradstreet, so ask the librarian if the library has a subscription.

If you need help, a reference librarian can help you.

WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO HONE IN ON MARKETING JOBS?
Depending on who you ask, the answer may vary, but I would say that if you go to specialized sites and join specialized Marketing LinkedIn groups, that's one of your best bets.

Many job sites are free while others like www.MarketingLadders.com charges a fee. For the job levels you mentioned, you can simply search Google for specialized marketing job sites. Many such jobs are also on other aggregator sites such as www.indeed.com, www.simplyhired.com and www.oceanjobamatic.com.

TRADE OR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS?
There are many, and even some here in San Diego Imarketers, SDDMA, etc. They both have meetings in town. There's also AMA: American Marketing Association, and they hold events. Speaking of events, go to the "More" bar in LinkedIn and click on "Events" and then type your zip code and "Marketing," "Social Media" or other keyword to get a sense of the organizations holding meetings in the area.

Many organizations also have groups here on Linked In or even have a FaceBook page. Take a look at some of the groups I've joined and ones that other Marketing folks have joined. You will also note that some are professional organizations. (Those in different professions can review the LinkedIn profiles of those whose careers are similar to theirs/the one they wish to pursue to determine some of the best groups for them to join.)

I hope that others will chime in as well, but this should get you started.