Archive for July, 2010

Doostang New Jobs This Week: July 26 – August 1

Jul 29

Posted by doostang in Doostang Jobs, Job Search | View Comments

Doostang has thousands of highly sought after positions at companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital, Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, Summit Partners, Time Warner, Facebook, and more. Looking to get ahead in your job search? Be the first to apply to these exceptional NEW jobs just posted on Doostang.

Portfolio Manager Assistant, New York, NY – Private NY/HK Based Investment Firm seeks Portfolio Manager Assistant.

Pre-MBA Associate, Philadelphia, PA – Top-Tier Saas-Smart Consultancy Firm seeks Pre-MBA Associate.

Associate, San Francisco, CA - Successful & Experienced Entrepreneurial Investment Advisory Firm seeks Associate.

Marketing Intern, Chicago, IL – Leading Online Marketing & Advertising Firm seeks Marketing Intern.

Sr. Investment Banking Instructor, Boston, MA - Full-Service Financial Training Firm seeks Sr. Investment Banking Instructor.

Associate, Washington, DC - Premier Business Consultancy Serving Companies in Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries seeks an Associate.

Accounting/Finance, Jersey City, NJ – Global Energy Trading and Marketing Firm seeks an Analyst to Assist the CFO.

Tags: Accounting Jobs, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Doostang Jobs, Doostang Top Jobs, Entry-level Jobs, Finance Jobs, Internship, Internships, Marketing Jobs

Five Reasons You’re Not Getting Job Interviews

Jul 28

Posted by doostang in Advice & Tips, Interviewing, Job Search | View Comments

By Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC GetInterviews.com

Equity Research Associate, New York, NY
Management Consultant, Nationwide
Analyst, Los Angeles, CA
Pre-MBA Private Equity Associate, Boston, MA
Investment Banking Analyst, San Francisco, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

It’s a tough market out there. Not only is unemployment high, but the regular flux of the market has stilled somewhat as people hang on to jobs and paychecks rather than seeking advancement or relocation. Don’t make your job search any tougher than it needs to be. Evaluate your efforts to see if you’ve made any of the following mistakes.

1 – Your resume and cover letter are not written aggressively. Most people only capture job duties and responsibilities in their resumes. That’s just not enough to gain attention in these tough market conditions. Your resume and cover letter must be written to grab the interest of the employer or recruiter, plus win high rankings in applicant tracking systems and online resume databases. A great resume is powerfully written with strong industry keywords; it details specific accomplishments and brings in measurements of performance wherever possible; and it is focused and relevant to the targeted position. A poorly written resume can be a significant hindrance in winning interviews.

2 – You are limiting your efforts to answering online job advertisements on fewer than ten job sites. Fishermen know when fishing is poor, they have to cast a wider net. The same goes for job search. If you are limiting your efforts to a few online job sites, you miss out on a majority of the market. A strong job search will include not only big job boards, but also networking, targeted communications, and creative career marketing. Don’t ignore job boards but don’t limit yourself to just online ads for your marketing efforts.

3 – You are not targeting specific companies first. Most jobs are never advertised anywhere. They are filled from within, filled from employee referrals, or filled from prospective candidates whose resumes are already in the company’s database. If you are only chasing advertised positions, you are behind in the race right from the beginning. Generate a list of companies for which you would like to work and get your resume and cover letter to all of them. Build a consistent marketing campaign targeting these companies and build a knowledge base on their operations, their missions, challenges they face, and markets in which they operate. Use this information to market yourself to the needs of the company. In your communication, always speak to how you can be valuable to the company and how you can meet their needs.

4 – You ask your network if they know of any job openings. The question “Do you know of any open positions?” is a yes or no question. Once you get a “no” from your network contacts, you have exhausted your efforts, right? If you feel like you have a limited reach in your network, it is because you are asking the wrong question. You should be asking your network contacts for information about specific companies. As you work your network, you will build a significant knowledge base that will eventually lead to specific contacts within companies and give you insight that will be valuable in your marketing efforts. Asking for information instead of asking about open jobs also makes networking easier! You don’t put your network contacts in the uncomfortable position of not being able to help. If you have ten different companies you are researching, more than likely your contact will be able to give you some kind of information on at least one of those companies. You actually make it easier for your network contacts to help you!

5 – You are not following up on your efforts. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. You must be a squeaky wheel. When employers get hundreds of applicants for a single opening, the five percent who take the trouble to follow up and keep following up will stand out in the crowd. You want to be in that five percent who rise above the masses. Sure, it’s an extra step and it sometimes feels superfluous, but it is not wasted effort. You are not being a pest or bothersome. You are demonstrating you have an interest in the company and an ongoing interest in being considered for employment. Make some noise and be sure to follow up on your resume submissions.

Job search takes a lot of effort. With unemployment near double-digits, there are a lot of candidates in the market. The ones who get results are the ones who put forth the extra effort to conduct a smart, complete job search.

About the Author:

Alesia Benedict, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) is the President of GetInterviews.com, the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. Her and her firm’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the “best resume writers in North America,” quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 25+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 100,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are certified writers. GetInterviews.com offers a free resume critique and their services come with a wonderful guarantee — interviews in 30 days or they’ll rewrite for free!

Tags: Cover Letter, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Interviews, Job Search, Network Contacts, Resume, Resume Advice

Doostang Success — A Perfect Match for My Needs

Jul 27

Posted by doostang in Job Search, Success Stories | View Comments

Ramana
Georgia Tech, 2010
Sr. Operations Cost Analyst – World Minerals

“Doostang has worked really well for me and I’m sure it will for anyone looking for opportunities in the areas of investment banking, finance, quantitative research, consulting, supply chain and marketing.

Being in the final semester at my grad school, my time was very limited and I really needed a very good job portal that gave the right list of jobs, so that I could spend my time more on preparing my resume / cover letter and less on finding the listing itself.

Doostang turned out to be a perfect match for my needs. And the best part is that you get responses really quickly, as most of the postings are for immediate hire.

I also got value from the Doostang newsletters, where the tips are very crisp and relevant to current market scenarios.

Finally, I have a few tips for current job seekers:

1. Go Premium on Doostang and actively search for positions

2. Apply for each job as if it’s the only job you are applying to

3. Do not waste time on applying for positions where you know you are not a great fit.

Good luck!”

Here’s a small sample of the exceptional jobs you’ll find on Doostang:

Capital Markets Analyst – Rapidly Growing Investment Firm, New York, NY
Associate Consultant – Premier Strategy Consulting Firm, Boston, MA
Associate – Newly Launched Middle Market Investment Banking Firm, Los Angeles, CA
Administrative/PR/Marketing Manager – Top Provider of Solar Energy Solutions, Closter, NJ
Private Equity Consulting Associate – Global Investment Advisory Firm, San Francisco, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

Happy Job Searching!

The Doostang Team

Tags: analyst, Cost Analyst, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Doostang Jobs, Doostang Success, Finance Jobs, Job Market, Job Search, Job Seekers, Jobs, Operations Cost Analyst

Doostang News July 26: How Transferable Skills Acquired in the Classroom can be Valuable to Your Resume

Jul 25

Posted by doostangkaitlin in Advice & Tips, Doostang News, Job Search, Resumes | View Comments

Investment Analyst, New York, NY
Director of Technology Services, Nationwide
Associate, San Francisco, CA
Marketing Operations Analyst, Boston, MA
Analyst, Los Angeles, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

One of the challenges recent graduates often face is that they have very little work experience. They leave college armed with all the knowledge and enthusiasm vital to the workplace, but have a much harder time filling up their resume. The solution? Focus on transferable skills acquired from the classroom that can be applied to the workplace:

Communication

Classrooms are rife with opportunities for communication. Any time students collaborate on a project, share their views on an article, or review and peer edit papers, they are engaging in prime communication skills that are ideally suited for the workplace.

Meeting Deadlines

Deadlines are one of the main tenets of college education, and though many college students spend a good chunk of their academic careers procrastinating, the ability to ultimately get things done on time is a sign of a valuable employee.

Multi-tasking

Students may not feel it, but they are excellent multi-taskers. Any individual who can juggle several classes, sports, activities, and a social life is a person who can bring an equal sense of balance to their busy life in the workplace.

Research

It often seems that the majority of what a student does in college is research. All of those long hours spent in the library prepare you for research you may have to do on the job. More than this, the research skills of a recent graduate are probably much more fresh than those of a seasoned employee who hasn’t stepped into the reference section of a library in years.

Adaptability

College years are some of the most shifting, unpredictable years of an individual’s life. First, that person is uprooted from their home, then they are placed into a foreign environment with many unfamiliar people and are left to fend for themselves, often for the first time in their lives. Someone who is able to successfully make it out of this situation unscathed can certainly take on the corporate world, learn to adapt to a new office environment and work with peers.

While listing the transferable skills that you acquired at college may not seem as convincing as listing job experience on a resume, hiring managers understand that you are young and haven’t had as much time out in the workforce. Moreover, they also know that college, in and of itself, is practically a full-time job. Always remember to focus on what you know and what you’re good at, and take pride in the fact that as an individual new to the working world, you have a fresh, creative, unbiased outlook on the market because that is often what a company is looking for.

Until next time,

The Doostang Team

Tags: Advice, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Job, Job Search, New Grads, Resume, skills, Transferable Skills, Workplace

Doostang New Jobs This Week: July 19 – 25

Jul 22

Posted by doostang in Doostang Jobs, Job Search | View Comments

Investment Analyst, New York, NY – Global Alternative Investment Management Firm seeks Analyst.

Consultant, Washington, DC – Leading Information Services and Advisory Firm seeks Consultant.

Private Equity Associate (Pre-MBA), San Francisco, CA – Top Tier Private Equity Firm is Looking for a Pre-MBA Private Equity Associate.

Marketing Associate, Jersey City, NJ – Top Privately Owned Placement Service Firm seeks Marketing Associate.

Investment Banking Associate, Atlanta, GA – Prominent Full-Service Investment Banking Firm seeks Investment Banking Associate.

Real Estate Analyst, New York, NY – New York’s Premier Realty Firm seeks Real Estate Analyst (Underwriter).

Sr. Analyst – Corporate Business Development & Strategy, Los Angeles, CA – Fully Integrated, Broad Based Global Entertainment Company is Looking for a Senior Analyst to Join its Corporate Business Development & Strategy Team.

Tags: Analyst Jobs, Consultant Jobs, Consulting Jobs, Doostang, Doostang Jobs, Doostang Top Jobs, Investment Banking, Investment Banking Jobs, Investment Jobs, marketing, Marketing Jobs, Private Equity, Real Estate Jobs

Words that Sabotage Your Resume

Jul 21

Posted by doostang in Advice & Tips, Job Search, Resumes | View Comments

By Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC GetInterviews.com

Investment Banking Analyst, Los Angeles, CA
Real Estate Analyst, New York, NY
Quantitative Equity Analyst, Boston, MA
Consultant. London, UK
Private Equity Consulting Associate, San Francisco, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

Creating a winning executive resume is a feat of strategy involving focus, wording, design, and content selection. To achieve a career marketing document that wins interviews, all areas of the strategy must be on-target and consciously used in the most effective manner. One of the most common mistakes job candidates make when writing their resumes is the mistake of not paying attention to strategy and word selection.

There are actually words that are commonly used on resumes that can have a detrimental impact on the effectiveness of the resume. When most job candidates write their own resumes, they don’t consider word choice because they are primarily worried about getting down the basic information. Verbiage is critical and the wrong word choice can sabotage your resume.

When writing your resume, it is important to consider your audience. The average recruiter and/or hiring manager sees hundreds of resumes from qualified candidates. Resumes begin to look and sound the same to them. Using run-of-the-mill wording only hurts your candidacy because it causes your resume to fade into the pile of hundreds of others rather than standing out. Here are some words and phrases to avoid:

Soft-skill Descriptions

Job seekers feel they need to communicate their soft-skills to the employer because they believe they are the traits that make them unique. There is nothing further from the truth. Soft-skills are claimed by nearly all job candidates and are so common that hiring managers pay no attention to them.

Soft-skill phrases to avoid or severely limit:

Excellent communication skills
Goal-driven
Strong work ethic
Multi-tasker
Personable presenter
Goal-oriented
Detail-oriented

Do not bore the reader to tears with these trite, overused and tired phrases. After all no one will write that he/she takes long lunches, is lazy, and argues a lot with peers. Hence, it is much more effective to write description that is action-based and demonstrates these abilities rather than just laying claim to them. For example, rather than just stating you are an “excellent presenter,” you could say something like “Developed and presented 50+ multi-media presentations to C-level prospects resulting in 35 new accounts totaling $300,000 in new revenues.”

Age, Health, Appearance

Many executives have not had to write a resume in years since they’ve either been promoted progressively from within or have been headhunted aggressively by other companies. Now they are facing that scary time warp known as pre-retirement and fear age discrimination. They feel they can counter this perceived hurdle by giving description of their age or health to “prove” they are not ready for the nursing home! Such description can be death to a resume because rather than helping, it significantly hurts. Not only are you playing fast and loose with hiring laws but you just make the issue you are trying to hide stand out in neon letters.

Age, health, appearance phrases to avoid:

Young
Energetic
Youthful
Athletic
Fit
Healthy
Professional appearance
Mature

I recently saw the following on a resume “Healthy, young-at-heart executive ready to make a difference rather than play golf all day. Trim, fit marathon runner seeks position as National Sales Director.” This person might as well have written “57 year old male terrified of age discrimination and worried that he’ll be passed over for a younger candidate”.

Passive Voice

Many people write in passive voice because that is how we’ve been taught to write “formally” in high school composition and then in freshman college English. It is habit and as a result of the habit, the passive voice is prevalent in self-written resumes. The problem with passive voice, however, is that it is just that – passive! A resume needs to have punch and sparkle and communicate an active, aggressive candidate. Passive voice does not accomplish that.

Indicators of the passive voice:

Responsible for
Duties included
Served as
Actions encompassed

Rather than saying “Responsible for management of three direct reports” change it up to “Managed 3 direct reports.” It is a shorter, more direct mode of writing and adds impact to the way the resume reads.

On the flip side, while action verbs are great, don’t overdo it. Ack! I have actually seen:

Smashed numbers through the roof
Electrified sales team to produce
Pushed close rate by 10%

Myers-Briggs, DISC and other profiles

Many job seekers have gone through personality and style profiles such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the DISC Profile. While the results from these evaluations can be invaluable to the job seeker for evaluating an opportunity in terms of “fit”, employers and recruiters are more interested in performance results. Do not inadvertently “pigeon-hole” yourself by including your profile results in the resume.

Consider your word choice in a resume. A resume is a marketing document for your career just as a brochure is a marketing document for a product or service. Companies put careful thought and consideration into each and every word that goes into marketing copy and you should do the same in your resume. These words stand in your place with the recruiter and need to showcase you in a powerful way. In a perfect world, these things would not matter, but in the reality of job search today, they matter a great deal. Be wise — stop and give some thought to the words you choose.

About the Author:

Tags: Action Verbs, Advice, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Resume, Resume Strategies, Resume Tip, Resume Tips

Doostang Success — Time Efficient Job Searching

Jul 20

Posted by doostang in Job Search, Success Stories | View Comments

Andrew
NYU Stern, 2007
Associate – Arlon Opportunities Investors

“Doostang is a platform that excels in time-efficient job searching. I used it because the posts on the site are high quality and organized in such a way that I was not forced to slog through useless posts. A better organized site is worth the money — especially when your time is constrained by long finance hours.

I simply applied through the website’s standard platform, was contacted by the firm, and got the job!”

Here’s a small sample of the exceptional jobs you’ll find on Doostang:

Investment Analyst – Leading Hedge Fund, New York, NY
Healthcare Strategy Consultant – Leading Business Strategy Consulting Firm, Boston, MA
Operations Associate – Prominent Investment Management Firm, San Francisco, CA
Business Advisory Services Manager – Top Consulting Company, Nationwide
Investment Banking Intern – Experienced Technology Investment Bank, Los Angeles, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

Happy Job Searching!

The Doostang Team

Tags: Career, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Doostang Jobs, Job, Job Market, Job Search, Job Seekers, Jobs

Doostang News July 19: Turning an Internship into a Job

Jul 18

Posted by doostangkaitlin in Advice & Tips, Job Search, Office | View Comments

Equity Research Associate, New York, NY
Associate Adjustor, Nationwide
Investment Banking Intern, San Francisco, CA
Campus Director in Training, Multiple Locations
Financial Analyst, Los Angeles, CA

More jobs we think you’ll like…

If you’re going to give up your precious summer break or coveted after-school and weekend hours to intern at a company, you sure as heck want to get something out of it, right? But parlaying your internship into a full-time opportunity can be tricky, and it’s hard to determine the most tactful way to advocate for yourself. Here are a few things you can do to leave a company wanting more:

Meet Goals

It may seem obvious, but many a deficient intern has left their work unfinished, failing to see the long-term repercussions of the loose ends they leave – after all, it’s not your problem once school starts back up in the fall, is it? Well, yes it is, actually. Because if you want solid recommendations or a possible job waiting for you when you graduate, you really need to put forth your best effort. Demonstrate that, even as an unpaid, inexperienced intern, you are someone that your boss can rely on. And if you manage to complete your work early, go a step further and volunteer to take on other projects. You’ll really make a difference at a company and they’ll be anxious to have you back.

Learn

Another common mistake that interns make is taking a very narrow view of their work. When you have tunnel vision at an internship, you squander one of the most important reasons you are there – to learn. Showing up at an internship isn’t just about getting through the day and then slapping it on your resume after three months. It’s getting to know the ins and outs of an industry, so that you are more qualified to assume a full-time position in this sector when you’re through. When you graduate, your goal probably isn’t to land another similar internship. So try to cultivate the skill set of a more advanced position within the company by paying attention to what’s going on around you and helping out in creative ways.

Socialize

For full time workers, one of the greatest advantages of having interns around the office is being able to interact with promising, vibrant students and other young individuals. So don’t be shy and indulge your coworkers a little. You’ll learn a lot about the company and the industry by doing so, and these interactions will shed light on the more personal aspects of the job – how easy it is to manage work with a family, what sort of people you can expect to encounter, etc. More than this, the people you meet will be the individuals who will vouch for you later on.

Show Gratitude

Because an internship generally requires you to show up on a regular basis, it can be easy to take for granted the opportunity you have…and to forget to thank those who helped you along the way. So make sure to say “thanks” every once in awhile, and definitely send thank you notes to the individuals who really had an impact on your experience when your internship is up.

Stay in Touch

Just because your internship ends doesn’t mean the relationships you established along the way have to end too. Make sure to email people you met along the way from time to time – to ask questions about jobs, to check in and see how they are doing, to share an exciting experience in school, etc. It’s far better to keep in touch with people in a friendly manner than to merely contact them out of the blue when you need something.

While it may seem sometimes that you have the raw end of the deal in an internship that doesn’t pay you very well – if at all – and demands a lot of your time, it really is a unique and valuable experience that you can benefit from in more ways than one. Hard work, gratitude, and friendliness can take you far.

Until next time,

The Doostang Team

Tags: Careers, Doostang, Full time Job, Internships, Job Offer, Job Search, Networking, office, Summer job

Doostang New Jobs This Week: July 12 – 18

Jul 15

Posted by doostang in Doostang Jobs, Job Search | View Comments

Investment Analyst, Boston, MA – Leading wealth management firm seeks Investment Analyst.

Product Manager, New York, NY – Leading provider of beauty products, apparel and accessories seeks Product Manager.

Investment Banking Sr Analyst, SF Bay Area – Prominent West Coast boutique investment bank seeks a Senior Analyst/Junior Associate to join its team.

National Vice President – Strategy, Atlanta, GA – Leading National Anti-Cancer Organization seeks National Vice President, Strategy.

Various Positions, Costa Mesa, CA – Elite private equity firm based in Orange County, CA is looking to fill various positions.

Research Analyst, Boston, MA – Expansion-stage venture capital fund is looking for a Research Analyst to qualify and build relationships with prospective investments.

Business Development Intern, New York, NY Leading Independent Investment Bank seeks Business Development Intern.

Tags: Analyst Jobs, Banking Jobs, Doostang, Doostang Blog, Doostang Jobs, Doostang Top Jobs, Investment Banking, Research Analyst Job

Bottoms Up to Branding

Jul 14

Posted by doostang in Advice & Tips, Job Search | View Comments

By Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC GetInterviews.com

Analyst / Associate, San Francisco, CA
Public Relations Associate, Philadelphia, PA
Equity Research Assistant, New York, NY
Management & Technology Consultants, Washington, DC
Analyst, Miami, FL

More jobs we think you’ll like…

Do you remember the Cheers theme song lyrics? The lyrics go like this:

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name
And they are always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

You get extra points if you can read that without singing the tune under your breath. The point is there are lots of people out there struggling in the employment market, trying to get their name to the top of the list – trying to get recognized and establish a relationship with an employer. It can be quite an effort and it does take all you’ve got. Job seekers need to be working smart and have a strategy. Here are some tips for working your job search branding efforts to the max:

Be Selective

If you are targeting a company and you submit your resume for several different positions at that company, you are only shooting yourself in the foot. The applicant tracking systems companies use will show the hiring manager if a job seeker has applied for multiple jobs and that is an immediate turnoff. Don’t carpet bomb your resume to a company. Make sure you are an excellent fit for a position and go after that position – not anything that is even partially in the ballpark.

Be Specialized

Employers are not hiring generalists. When positions come open, they have very specific skill sets and employers are seeking candidates who fit those parameters very, very closely. Right now, you have to have experience doing the job to get the job. Even if you have done similar things in related positions before and have the transferable skills, you won’t get very far when up against candidates who have the exact experience and qualifications required. This might not be the best time to make a career change but rather consider a lateral move instead and bide your time.

Be Consistent

One of the secrets to a successful job search is to be consistent in your contact with employers and recruiters. Establish a follow-up routine and stick to it. Your goal is to establish name recognition in the mind of the recruiter or hiring manager. You want everyone to know your name so you pop to mind when an opportunity comes up.

Be the Best

Branding is not an effort to be launched when you are unemployed; it’s too late then. To effectively brand yourself, you need to make it part of your career development. Strive to be the best at what you do, win recognition for your performance, and work to establish your reputation within your industry as THE person who knows how to do something. If you are an engineer, be the expert in some aspect of your field. If you are in customer service, establish a reputation for being the person to handle certain types of issues. Branding is something you build out, not build up.

Be Connected

People hire people. Technology has made processes of hiring run faster, but with technology has come volume which presents a whole new set of problems. When you get down to brass tacks, it is still a person deciding to hire a person. Applicant tracking systems, skills evaluation, and other technology only manages the process up to that point. Some of the most important requirements for a job cannot be evaluated, tested, or outlined in a resume – they are assessed face to face. Work to build and maintain a very strong professional network of connections that is both broad and deep. It is your most valuable asset next to your reputation.

To further your career, find a great job, and build your career, everyone needs to know your name – colleagues, vendors, customers, and most importantly prospective employers. You have to pay attention to your career branding and your reputation. Work to build them. Nurture them. And when you need them, you will see a great return on the investment of your time.

About the Author:

Tags: Advice, Branding, Doostang, Employment Market, Job Market, Job Search, skills, Transferable Skills

Archive for July, 2010

Doostang New Jobs This Week: July 26 – August 1

Five Reasons You’re Not Getting Job Interviews

Doostang Success — A Perfect Match for My Needs

Ramana
Georgia Tech, 2010
Sr. Operations Cost Analyst – World Minerals

Doostang turned out to be a perfect match for my needs. And the best part is that you get responses really quickly, as most of the postings are for immediate hire.