"In tough economic times, there are no magic beans to find a job for you. You must create your own magic to be seen and it's not impossible, regardless of what you are hearing on the news." excerpt from presentation given to U-Mass Building Materials Program April 15, 2009 by Mark Barnard
A good friend and industry colleague called me yesterday to ask if I knew of a good resume service/outplacement service he could use to jump start what was looking like a dead search effort. I asked him what he was looking for and he explained that he had found a company who was going to re-write his two page resume into a more concentrated one page document and then they would market his resume to 5000 recruiters, employers and others employers. My questions went to what they were going to do that he could not do himself? Then I asked him costs and found that this “service” would cost him a few thousand but at this point, nothing was happening and he wanted to think outside the box. People need to keep their money and if you want to pay someone for help finding work, hire a coach for an hour or two and go to work with suggestions they can make. There is no magic bean that anyone can sell you to give an advantage that you cannot find yourself. Use of websites such as LinkedIn.com, Executnet.com or similar sights are networking spaces where you will find 1000’s of contacts. You have to put in the work to find them and it’s not easy, nothing worth doing ever is. You need to think of job searching as an Olympic event and that requires an Olympic effort. As my father used to say to me as a young boy, you get out what you put in. If you would like some advice, call our OSG staff and they can help you formulate a plan, build a knock out resume and save you thousands. About the author: Mark Barnard is President of SnapDragon Associates, LLC, a full service consulting and recruiting company. They offer a common sense approach to problem solving in the lumber and building products industry where they have spent the majority of their careers. SnapDragon’s focus is on consulting and recruiting for businesses and professionals in the Building Materials and Lumber Industries. For more information and contact information go to www.snapdragonassociates.com or call them at (603) 621- 9037.
