Losing Steam

I didn't think I would arrive at this point so soon, but WOW- rejection can certainly catch up with you quickly! I consider myself a fairly goal-oriented person. In my mind, few things are left to chance. This is especially true when it comes to one's personal success. I have very few regrets professionally and I think this is because I am well thought out and weight my decisions very carefully (I am a researcher, after all). I think this is why this job hunt has been particularly difficult for me. Despite doing "my best" and following a well laid out plan, I am met with a whole lot of nothing.
When I first met unemployment, I looked it in the eye, ready to fight to the death. Bad economy? Ha! I laugh in the face of 11% unemployment! 1 year at my previous employer? Who cares? It is my previous experience and transferable skills that will win everyone over! I suppose ignorance really is bliss.
I try not to think too hard about my competition. Since I was a child, fearing what the other girl had on me was my usual downfall. I have since been able to graduate from a prestigious school and ascertain management-level jobs not thinking too much about who I was up against. I think this tactic might have worked against me this time around. Understanding the statistics of my job search is crucial to my success. It has also been incredibly sobering.
Enter my pity party.

For each position that I am 105% qualified for, there are probably 50 solid candidates who equally qualified if not more so. This req. might have already gone through the "friends and family" round, too (e.g.-someone in the company knows someone who is a good fit and will, most likely, get the job) which means that there is no REAL chance for any applicant. In addition, recruiters have no room to be creative. They have deliver an exact match for their client. What this means is don't bother applying to a position that a recruiter posts unless you have been doing that same exact job for the past 5 years. Oh, it also helps if you have done this job at a competitor.
Faced with these facts, I did due diligence to my job search. I followed (and continue to follow) the most common tips and advice like: networking, keeping your online presence strong and following up with folks. I put all of these things into practice and yet, here I am. Jobless still. One could say that I've had 3 interviews, which is pretty good. But as my husband would say, "Interviews don't pay the bills." Here is my consensus about all of this job hunting advice:
The economy sucks.
Kind of like the title of this blog. Guess what? I have a solid network of very influential people at large companies...who are hiring. These people care a lot about me and my future (some are related to me). This hasn't resulted in a single interview. And it's not their fault. It could be that the position is too senior- there is nothing that can be done about that. It could be that the req. is another department where they don't know anybody. Here in the Silicon Valley, companies are huge and knowing one person in department X doesn't mean a damn thing if you want a job in department Y. So the whole network, network, network thing has resulted in nothing more than me feeling like a pest. Online presence? I'm pretty much writing this blog for myself because it doesn't seem to be attracting many readers...purposely. I update my LinkedIn profile often and am active in my groups but again, it hasn't resulted in much. Oh, and following up? I've sent so many emails to so many hiring managers and recruiters about open positions, my head might soon explode. What's worse is I haven't received a single email back. Not one. For the average person, this can become very discouraging very quickly.
But I don't want to wallow in self-pity. I'm not the type to do that. Today I heard that most economists are in agreement that 3rd quarter employment numbers should look promising. That's a glimmer of hope. I have noticed that there are more open positions each day than there was the day previously. Again-a possible flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. I will continue to keep data of my job hunt to see what is working best for me. I will continue to enjoy spending time with my friends during this unemployment period because, once I find work, it will be a while before I have that kind of free time. More importantly, I will be realistic and understand that competition is fierce, there is no doubt about it. I will try not to lose focus. Most importantly, I will understand that not everything goes according to plan.

Coolhunting Pays Off?

First, for all of those who are unclear as to what "coolhunting" is, read this. It's a Wiki article so it's not terribly detailed but it will give you a sense. Coolhunting is something that I have been doing for many years now. I only actually started harnessing the power of social networks a professional sense for the past few years. Truth be told, most companies still don't understand exactly how to navigate this incredible medium for marketing purposes. Social networks are complex systems of group think stirred with individuality added to a cup of anonymity sprinkled with a dash of arrogance. Marketers have always known that word-of-mouth is the most powerful selling tool in their arsenal. Now imagine that a single customer has the ability to turn one transaction into a good or bad review for thousands to read? The force is strong.

Having a positive online presence can make or break your company. Enter NVIDIA. Which, by the way, I can't help but sing to the tune of that "Activia" commercial, which I really hate. Slowly driving me crazy...
Anyway, I found a job listing for a Social Media Manager at NVIDIA this morning and was very intrigued. Being that it was a manager position, I didn't think it would fall into line with my 85% qualified rule, but I decided to check it out anyway. I am incredibly glad that I did because I am certain that I can rock NVIDIA's world in this role. Essentially, they are looking for somebody who can stay on top of their online presence and utilize "the force" to gain a competitive advantage. I wonder if they understand how my background combined with my professional and personal skills make me a perfect candidate. You don't? Oh! Let me explain...
Firstly, like I've said before, my online presence is vast and I have always been involved with the latest and greatest. I fully believe "the power of the people" and rarely go to movies, events or dinner anymore without first checking out what others have said first (via Yelp and Yahoo reviews, etc). I am generally the first of my peer groups to know what is hip and what the online world is up to. With that said, I have clout. I am "one of them". I am not simply a marketer who is trying to infiltrate a social group with the intent of selling or gathering information. And to all marketers who are attempting this: they know! Real coolhunters can spot a fake a mile away. Secondly, I have a solid understanding of social psychology which is crucial to deciphering social networks. Like I said before, it is a very complicated system and its members very quick to banish. One must have a well thought out plan before embarking on any marketing initiative. Thirdly, I have the experience because I have done it before. I know what to do and what not do because I have made mistakes before. I have also had huge successes, as well. I can walk the line between soft and hard skills, as I have written about here in the past. In terms of social marketing, this is really key. So, NVIDIA, what are you waiting for? I'm available for an interview whenever you are!

Ask and You Shall Receive

Just make sure not to mess it up when you get it.


So I managed to land a phone interview with both Netflix and Google! When I got the emails I was elated and my job search felt like it was finally paying off. The Netflix interview was sort of unexpected and, as a result, I didn't feel 100% prepared. I knew the req. inside and out and knew how great a match I made for it. The recruiter was very friendly and we went through the typical background questions first. What did I do at my last job? How does that translate to what this position requires, etc. etc. I was a little thrown off my game when she asked about the way we ran our data. What software did we use? Ummmm......ummmm.....drawing a blank....didn't really think about this....she's waiting for an answer. DAMMIT! When I think about it now, our data sets were never really that large and so we generally used online survey hosts to build our surveys and gather our data. As far as running analysis, we stuck to Excel most of the time. Oh hindsight, you bastard! Where were you when I needed you? Needless to say, I probably sounded like an idiot. She then asked a little bit more about my last company and I told her that it was a rather small company (about 15 people) to which she sounded less than enthusiastic. Strike two. At this point, I could have told her that I have worked for large companies before but my last employer was not one-which makes me quite versatile. But, nope. I was silent. I let her think that I am a small fry and have no experience in a large company setting. Strike three? Finally, she tells me more about the position and puts great emphasis on how quantitative it is (not sure if this is to subtly hint that it is beyond my skill set)and that it requires someone who can jump from one statistical package to the next to the next very quickly. She then asks me what I am looking for in my next position. Here is where I am sure that I sealed my fate. Instead of being succinct and to the point, my nerves get the best of me and I drone on about finding a place where I can continue to learn and grow and blah blah blah blah blah....kill me. Poor woman. I am pretty sure there is no way to salvage the interview at this point. She tells me that she is going to talk to the hiring manager a little more about me and my skills and will then get back to me sometime next week to let me know. I kindly thank her and hang up. Here is me:

Except I'm not a gorgeous athlete. So, I will wait but I am not expecting any miracles.
Next up: Google. I am still in a bit of shock that I was even noticed by Google. Out of the thousands of resumes they receive they called me! Regardless of what happens, I will always have that. When I saw that email in my inbox, I nearly peed my pants. I immediately googled (that's irony)"google phone interview" to gather pointers about what to expect. What I saw both helped and freaked me out a bit. I did everything I could to prepare for this interview. I even talked to someone in HR about the best way to prepare (friend of a friend). I think I might have been better prepared for this 30 minute phone interview than I was for my GREs. No, I know was better prepared.
Day of reckoning: The recruiter is very friendly and puts me at ease pretty quickly. She spends a great deal of time getting dates and degrees in order and then talks a little bit about what I did at previous jobs. Then the technical questions come out. My heart sinks and I know it's do or die. Despite my preparation, I am still a little thrown by a couple of the questions. I do my best to answer and she is very sweet not to rush or make me feel silly about obviously drawing a complete blank. Overall, I would guess that my score was 82%. That's a B-. Not exactly Google material. She did give me some insight into the position and informed me that what they were really looking for was someone with a background in mathematics. This is definitely not me. She said she pulled my resume because I had done a lot of the analysis that they were looking for and she, essentially, thought she'd give me a chance. I don't know what this means, exactly but I hope I didn't disappoint her too much. I won't find out if I made it to the second round until about 2 weeks from now. So few people make it much further than the 2nd interview and I don't think I will be one of them, but it was a great experience and one that few people get. It also shows me that my job hunt has not been in vain. That has given me a bit of hope.

Netflix- Your search is over for your next Consumer Insights Research Analyst.

So you want a Consumer Insights Research Analyst, do you? Well, I can't think of a better person for the job. I mean, really. If there is anything that I can consider myself an expert on it's human behavior. I've got a very expensive advanced degree from a great school that says so. More importantly, I've been studying and conducting research for such a long time, I think I do it in my sleep now. There will be some naysayers out there who will be quick to point out that the majority of my experience has been in Psychology and not Marketing. This is true, naysayer.

However, if one really understands the empirical method, particularly in social sciences, they will quickly see the similarities. Hypotheses are formed in the same way. The definitions of independent variable and dependent variable do not change, they just measure sales instead of sleep, for instance. When it comes to survey design (which is a large part of market research), the fundamentals are completely the same. Good questionnaire design ensures reliability, validity and weeds out the nonsense without putting the respondent to sleep. Certainly, the statistical analysis of data does not change from one subject to the next, either. The big lessons I have learned in making the transition from clinical research to market research are:
1). Time is not on your side, oh no it isn't.
Deadlines are inflexible and budgets are tight. Often times this means you have to speed up the empirical method and make cuts where you can and where it won't be detrimental to your study.
2). The client is always right, even when they aren't.
Okay, maybe not always but remember that the client has often invested a great deal of money in some result. It is not exactly your job to test their hypothesis as much as it is to help them find a better direction. In the end, if they decide that they want to throw all of your data out and go with what they want, you say:
SOUNDS GREAT!


But I've gone off topic. I'm convincing Netflix to hire me. As you can see, I know how things work despite the fact that a great majority of my research experience has been in a different field. What is more important is that I do have market research experience and feel very comfortable in a fast-paced corporate culture. I love developing surveys almost as much as I love analyzing them. I consider myself the Sherlock Holmes of consumers. Who are they? What makes them use the product? Do they like it? If we change this feature, how will they react? What is more exciting to me is that this information can be measured, in numbers! It's really quite fascinating.
In truth, I have been browsing the Netflix job listings page on and off for years now hoping that one day a perfect position would pop up. I could hardly contain myself when I saw this one. Obviously, there will be a flood of resumes that will come pouring in and may very well drown mine. There are some unbelievably qualified people out there. Truthfully, I don't know how to compete. Which is why I write this. I hope that someone finds this and sees my potential. I wish that my enthusiasm, experience and smarts win me, at the very least, an interview. So, if anyone at Netflix can hear me, give me a call! You won't be disappointed.

My Journey So Far

Like most job hunters, I have done my best to stay active and follow the best practices of a successful job search. There are many pieces of advice out there and, for the most part, they all say roughly the same thing. I wanted to see what methods of job hunting have been panning out for me so far. I whipped up a simple chart to get a visual representation of my very small (sigh) success rate.

Leads= Any notice of interest or "bite" that may come from the company itself or someone close to the company. Simply put: anything that brings me one step closer to an interview.
Total Jobs Applied To: ~40
Total Time Searching: 35 days



As you can see, I am having approximately the same amount of luck with my traditional job board search as I am with my personal network job search. What is more important is that the traditional method is what has gotten me the most amount of interviews which is ultimately the goal. Social networking (aka LinkedIn) has resulted in not much of anything nor has the recruiting route. I will continue to pursue all avenues and report again at the end of this month to see if these trends continue of if anything changes. Most notably, of course, is that none of these has resulted in any job offers. Hmph.

A brand new job board with all new promises

While I have been mostly sticking to the usual suspects, like Indeed.com, LinkedIn and Simplyhired, I am always open to new methods of increasing my chances of employment. I continue to hear about this "hidden job market" and it is proving to be much harder to find that I anticipated.



The more defined the employer and job hunter search parameters can be, the easier it is to find a match. Let's face it, I'm sure there are a lot of people who are not sticking to my 85% rule and are trying the "hail mary" approach to their job search. This is bad for everyone because:
1). No matter how great your cover letter, no matter who your connections are, you probably aren't going to get that VP of Finance job if the only bonds you know are bail bonds.



2). Recruiters and hiring managers have to sift through all of these unqualified applications in addition to the ones that are real candidates, which slows down the hiring process.

The companies and job hunters all want the same thing: we want the position to be filled. Obviously, we want the jobs to be filled by US and not that other guy who is clearly not as qualified, but we're all working toward the same goal. In this recession, when there are far too many applicants and not enough jobs, job searching has become a hot topic and new, "better" ways are springing up all over the place. The latest one that I have come across is called Koda.
Koda calls itself a social recruiting site. According to it's co-founder and CEO, Jeff Berger, “KODA is more professional than Facebook but more personal than LinkedIn, letting both sides of the hiring equation get to know each other. Using a job board is like searching for a needle in a haystack. KODA gives you more needles, less haystack, and we’ve developed proprietary technology that facilitates a smoother recruitment process for both candidates and employers.” Koda has developed relationships with about 350 companies with whom Koda's site crawler brings up-to-date job listings from each company's website. Koda focuses on entry to mid-level jobs and hopes to have a strong presence with colleges and universities.
I was intrigued, to say the least. I love the idea of social recruiting. So, I signed up. My review:

User Interface/Usability: WOW! The site is really gorgeous. It is so clean and simple-particularly for a job board. The sign-up process couldn't have been easier. A pop-up box allows you to complete your profile through a step-by-step process with a progress bar at the top. You can close out at any time and finish your profile later. No problems attaching documents or saving/editing information. You can upload a picture or video if you want (I chose not to). Tabs at the bottom of the screen keep track of any messages you might receive, job listings, feedback about your profile and a profile percentage complete tab(like LinkedIn). There are fun little functions like "waving" at a company, just to show that you're keeping an eye out. 4 stars for UI.

How it's Different: I really like what Koda is attempting to do. They see the value in looking beyond someone's resume. Koda allows you to post your resume, of course, but they also have a section where you write 3 things about yourself that make you unique. In addition, you can share what your favorite hobbies are, what organizations you're a part of and even a section to tell "your story". I think this is a great feature and could be incredibly beneficial for the right company. My previous employer was a mushy, touchy-feely company (I loved them!) and this would be incredibly important because how a person fits became more important than their particular skill set. On the other hand, I don't know that Genentech would care much about someone's hobbies.

Will it get me a job?: This is still up in the air. Koda is young and continues to make friends with other companies. They are improving their search feature which, as it stands, really sucks. You can only search by keyword, which is very limiting. I did a search using keywords: market, research, analyst, business, consumer (individually). Each search brought back between 5-30 companies. Of those companies, about 75% were in the location I wanted to work and about 15% were actually hiring. Of the 15% that were hiring, 13% were engineering positions. Hmph. So no, Koda hasn't even found me an open position yet but I haven't given up on them. I suggest you try them out, too.

Analyze This!

No,I'm not talking about that horrible movie with Robert DeNiro. Wow, that movie was bad. I am speaking directly to the powers that be at Google. Yes, that Google. I know, I know, why does anybody bother applying to Google anymore when it seems to be far easier being accepted to Stanford? Well, I am job searching and I want to make the best of my job search. I do want to apply to positions for which I am at least 85% qualified for. And one of those positions, dammit, was at Google.

The role that I am after is called a "People Analyst" (hence my post title). Quite frankly, I don't know if another person exists who is more perfect for this position. It is in the HR department and focuses on new employee initiatives and their respective successes. I'm sure it delves deeper than that, but this is the little bit of information I gathered from the job listing.
Google, oh Google, here is why you need me on your team, seriously:

1. I have the statistical prowess needed to run the numbers (just take a look at my previous posting)
2. I can develop surveys in my sleep...good ones!
3. If there was ever a need for an individual who can effectively navigate human behavior, AND number-crunch, this position would be it.

I am not sure, Google, if you're familiar with the term "EQ"? It stands for emotional quotient. If anyone from HR is reading this, I would hope that you are familiar with the term because it is incredibly important-I would say paramount-to job success. I know Google prides itself on having a staff of very cerebral, top-tier school graduating, 1600 SAT-having individuals, but if you haven't considered the emotional quotient of an individual, then you are really missing the boat.
To prove what I great fit I would be, I am providing my results from a version of a common personality test given by HR that reveals my score for the Big 5 personality traits. To get more information about validity, reliability and the open-resource nature of the test, click here. Keep in mind that my real name isn't used, but that I did answer all questions truthfully and the narrative provided was not altered in any way. This is all me, take it or leave it!
Enjoy.