YOU’RE
FEBRUARY 2019
HIRED! Job Listings Inside! GENERAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS
EDUCATION
HEALTH CARE
AG/FOOD PROCESSING
INDUSTRY
CONSTRUCTION
Find this issue online at brookingsregister.com
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WHAT YOUR
Cover Letter SHOULD SAY ABOUT
You
If the resume is a snapshot of your professional achievements, the cover letter should offer a peek into your personality. Many job-seekers make the mistake of submitting bland, standard cover letters for openings they are targeting. Hiring managers and recruiters want to see a little personalization in your cover letter, so let them have it. This means including specific stories or examples of how you have proven your mettle in the workplace.
FIRST OR THIRD PERSON?
One of the biggest differences between the cover letter and the resume is how you address yourself. Always use a first-person, conversational tone in your cover letter. Your resume is a more basic, straightforward representation of you, while your cover letter is supposed to show a softer side of you. While first person is preferred, avoid using “I” too many times. Starting every sentence with “I” will leave your letter very ego-focused, which can be a red flag to hiring managers. Use “we” or “our” often in your letter to convey your team spirit.
CUSTOM, CUSTOM, CUSTOM
Many companies will receive hundreds of resumes and cover letters for a single position. How do you make sure your documents stand out? When it comes to the cover letter, its important to take a lighter and more anecdote-driven approach. Does your prospective company require project management experience for its vacant position?
Use a paragraph or bullet point to describe how you have planned and led critical initiatives in past or current positions.
KNOW YOUR TARGET
Cover letters, much like the resume, are keyword driven. This requires you to do some research on your target company before sending in your cover letter. Try to match as many keywords as possible in your cover letter with the job announcement. This will help your letter perform better in keyword searches conducted by job recruitment software that many companies use today. Once your letter makes it to an actual human reviewer, it must tell your story in a quick, engaging way. Mention where you heard about the vacancy and why it attracted you. Include your thoughts on a recent company initiative or accomplishment. This will show your hiring manager your dedication to becoming a valuable, committed employee.
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GENERAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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GENERAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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NETWORKING STRATEGIES for the DIGITAL AGE Networking has long been a way for men and women to expand their professional horizons. Networking can keep professionals abreast of the latest goings-on in their industries and provide both immediate and long-term benefits. Like many things in the business world, how people network has changed in the digital age. Embracing that change and making it work for you will likely involve changing how you network.
• Embrace professional social media. Social media may not have been around the last time you looked for a job, but professional social media sites such as LinkedIn are a vital component of networking in the digital age. If you haven’t done so already, establish a LinkedIn profile so you can begin connecting with other professionals in your field.
• Personalize your connections. The days of sharing a post-work drink with a colleague may be over. But networking
in the digital age need not be impersonal. When using professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, personalize the messages you send to other professionals when inviting them to join your network. Use the message to briefly introduce yourself and explain your connection before explaining why you want the person to become part of your network. Welcome any questions and warmly thank them for their time. This personal touch can make you stand out in a digital sea of people, many of whom simply want to add other professionals to their network without necessarily making genuine connections.
• Get out of the house.
Digital age networking is not limited to digital connections. Meetup.com encourages like-minded men and women to get together with real people in real life, using the internet to facilitate such connections. Men and women who sign up can use Meetup.com to connect with local professionals in their industries, attend industry-specific events and even establish their own meetup groups. A medium such as Meetup.com is great for individuals of all ages, but it might be especially valuable to established professionals looking to combine digital age networking with the more traditional networking they’re accustomed to.
• Be mindful of decorum. The internet is a largely informal “place,” but professionals should be mindful of deco-
rum when networking online. Resist the temptation to use shorthand, slang or less formal language when contacting other professionals, as doing so can make you appear unprofessional. In addition, avoid making potentially controversial or contentious comments on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Networking in the digital age may intimidate working professionals accustomed to more traditional networking strategies. But while the methods may be different, effective digital age networking is not all that different from the networking strategies of yesteryear.
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EYE-OPENING JOB SEARCH FACTS • Recruiters only look at your resume for 6 seconds (TheLadders.net). • The average job opening attracts 250 resumes (Glassdoor.com). • Only 2% of applicants will be called for an interview (EBIInc.com). • The #1 way people discover a new job is through a referral (LinkedIn.com). • 76% of resumes are discarded for an unprofessional email address (Business2Community.com). • 88% rejection rate when you include a photo on your resume (Business2Community.com). • Applicant Tracking Software, the robots that read your resume, are able to quickly eliminate 75% of the applicants (Business2Community.com). • 55% of interview candidates were rejected for the way they acted, dressed or walked through the door (YouTern.com). • 79% of job seekers use social media in their job search (Inc.com). • Employers get the first resume within 200 seconds after the job offer appears online (WIPJobs.com).
BUSINESS
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EDUCATION
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HEALTH CARE
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FEBRUARY 2019
THINGS TO
K
FOR IN A NEW JOB
Change plays a big role as people ring in a new year. At the dawn of a new year, some people resolve to live healthier in the months ahead while others might make financial resolutions in an attempt to improve their bottom lines. The decision to change jobs is another popular resolution at the dawn of a new year. Professionals change jobs for various reasons. But regardless of what’s behind a career change, many people can benefit by looking for things in a new job that can make them happy both professionally and personally.
• SALARY: Of course everyone would love to earn more money when changing jobs, but there is more
to changing jobs than just improving your bottom line. As you begin your job search, consider how much you currently earn and if that allows you to live a life you love. If so, don’t overemphasize finding a new job that pays considerably more than your currently earn. On the flip side, young professionals who want to start a family in the years ahead should consider the costs associated with such a decision and how the salaries they earn at their next jobs may affect what they want down the road.
• WORK/LIFE BALANCE: Before beginning your search for a new job, think about why you want to switch careers or companies. Long hours often leads to burnout. If you’re looking for a new job because you’re burned out, try to find a job that affords you a better work/life balance. A study from the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen found that, with the curious exception of people who work more than 55 hours per week, stress rises accordingly with the numbers of hours worked each week. Keep that in mind if your goal is to find a job that affords you a better work/life balance.
• SATISFACTION: When attempting to achieve a better work/life balance, it can be easy to overlook
satisfaction at work in exchange for more time at home. But studies have shown that feeling satisfied by what you do can have a profound impact on your overall happiness. It’s possible to find an engaging career that still affords you time away from work, and such a career can ultimately pave the way toward a happier life.
• COMMUTE: Bending over backwards simply to get to work and then get home from work can have
an incredibly negative impact on your life. A study from the Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom found that commuters, especially those who spend between 60 and 90 minutes commuting to work, have lower life satisfaction and lower levels of happiness compared to people who don’t commute. Before accepting a job offer, estimate your commute time to and from the new office and try to determine the impact of that commute on your quality of life. Many people aspire to find a new job at the dawn of a new year. Job seekers should consider a host of factors before switching jobs to make sure they make the best decisions.
HEALTH CARE
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HEALTH CARE
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HEALTH CARE
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HEALTH CARE
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HEALTH CARE
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AG/FOOD PROCESSING
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AG/FOOD PROCESSING
FEBRUARY 2019
TOP 10 BEST WEBSITES FOR JOBS Info from thebalancecareers.com
Indeed.com CareerBuilder.com Dice.com Glassdoor.com Google for Jobs Idealist.com LinkedIn.com LinkUp.com Monster.com US.jobs
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There are thousands of job sites on the web, but the best job boards and job search engine sites have search tools that are quick and easy to use and allow you to search based on the type of job you’re looking for, your location, and other criteria. Don’t limit yourself to just one job website, because each job site only lists jobs from particular websites or companies. LinkUp.com, for example, only lists jobs directly from company websites, while US.jobs has verified nationwide postings directly from employers. Job search engines like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com pull listings from many different sources. In addition, each site has a different set of search options you can utilize to include certain types of jobs in the search results. Try out a few sites to see which works best for you.
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AG/FOOD PROCESSING
PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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6 JOB SEARCH TIPS THAT ARE SO BASIC
People Forget Them
The irony of job search advice: There’s so much available that you don’t have to spend more than four seconds Googling before you land on some nugget of wisdom or another. Yet, at the same time, there’s so much available (some of which completely contradicts other advice you’ll find) that it can easily overwhelm you. Which, in fact, is probably the exact opposite outcome you’re looking for when you go sleuthing for genuinely useful counsel in the first place. So let’s do this: Let’s boil things down to a short list of sound, timeless job searching tips that’ll help you fine-tune your strategy so that you may sail through the process (or at least cut out some of the unnecessary time and frustration).
1. Make Yourself a “Smack-in-the-Forehead” Obvious Fit
When you apply for a job via an online application process, it’s very likely that your resume will first be screened by an applicant tracking system and then (assuming you make this first cut) move onto human eyeballs. The first human eyeballs that review your resume are often those of a lower level HR person or recruiter, who may or may not understand all of the nuances of that job for which you’re applying. Thus, it behooves you to make it very simple for both the computer and the human to quickly connect their “Here’s what we’re looking for” to your “Here’s what you can walk through our doors and deliver.” Tip: Study the job description and any available information you have on the position. Are you mirroring the words and phrases in the job description? Are you showcasing your strengths in the areas that seem to be of paramount importance to this role? Line it up. Line it up.
2. Don’t Limit Yourself to Online Applications During Your Job Search
You want that job search to last and last? Well, then continue to rely solely on submitting online applications. You want to accelerate this bad boy? Don’t stop once you apply online for that position. Start finding and then endearing yourself to people working at that company of interest. Schedule informational interviews with would-be peers. Approach an internal recruiter and ask a few questions. Get on the radar of the very people who might influence you getting an interview. (More on that here.) Tip: By lining up with people on the inside of the companies at which you want to work, you will instantly set yourself apart. Decision makers interview people who come recommended or by way of a personal referral before they start sorting through the blob of resumes that arrives by way of the ATS.
3. Remember That Your Resume (and LinkedIn Profile) Is Not a Tattoo
Yes, your new resume is lovely. Your LinkedIn profile, breathtaking. However, if they don’t position you as a direct match for a particular role that you’re gunning for, don’t be afraid to modify wording, switch around key terms, and swap bullet points in and out. Your resume is not a tattoo, nor is your LinkedIn profile. Treat them as living, breathing documents throughout your job search (and career). Tip: If you’re a covert job seeker, remember to turn off your activity broadcasts (within privacy and settings) when you make edits to your LinkedIn profile. If your current boss or colleagues are connected to you on LinkedIn, they may get suspicious about all the frequent changes.
4. Accept That You Will Never Bore Anyone Into Hiring You
Don’t get me wrong—you absolutely must come across as polished, articulate, and professional throughout your job search. However, many people translate this into: Must. Be. Boring. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Realize that few people get hired because they had perfect white space on their cover letters, memorized all of the “correct” interview questions or used incredibly safe, common phraseology (i.e., clichés) throughout their resumes. All of this correctness is going to make you look staged and non-genuine. Instead, give yourself permission to be both polished and endearing. Memorable, likable candidates are almost always the ones who go the distance.
INDUSTRY
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5. If You’re Not on LinkedIn, You Very Nearly Don’t Exist
Considering that more than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search tool, this is not an understatement. If you’re a professional, you need to not only be on LinkedIn, you need to be using it to your full advantage. Don’t believe me? Think about it this way: If tomorrow morning, a recruiter logs onto LinkedIn looking for someone in your geography, with expertise in what you do, and you’re not there? Guess who they’re going to find and contact? Yes, that person’s name is “not you.” Tip: If you figure out how to harness the power of no other social media tool for job search, figure out LinkedIn. It’s (by far) the best resource we have available today for career and job search networking, for finding people working at companies of interest, and for positioning yourself to be found by a recruiter who has a relevant job opening.
6. Thank You Matters
I once placed a candidate into an engineering role with a company that manufactures packaging equipment. He was competing head-to-head with another engineer, who had similar talents and wanted the job just as badly. My candidate sent a thoughtful, non-robotic thank you note to each person with whom he’d interviewed, within about two hours of leaving their offices. The other candidate sent nothing. Guess why my candidate got the job offer? Yep, the thoughtful, non-robotic thank you notes. They sealed the deal for him, especially considering the other front-runner sent nothing. Tip: Consider crafting, original, genuine thank you notes (one for each interviewer) the moment you get back to a computer, following the interview. The speed with which you send the notes, and the quality, will make an impact. And finally, remember that the interviewer cares much more about what you can do for them than what you want out of the deal. Certainly, they’re going to care a bunch about what you want once you establish your worth. But during the interview, you must demonstrate why you make business sense to hire, period. Now, go forth and show your job search exactly who is the boss. – themuse.com
INDUSTRY
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LOOKING FOR A JOB? Check out daily listings in The Brookings Register Classifieds!
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Checklist for Writing an
INTERVIEW THANK YOU LETTER Write the letter(s) ASAP Send separate thank-you letter to each interviewer Address interviewers by name Keep it brief Remind interviewers of your strengths/ enthusiasm for the role and the company Also, remind interviewers of who you are! Thank the interviewers for their time Conduct a spelling/grammar check before sending
CONSTRUCTION
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IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOURSELF MORE EMPLOYABLE,
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
BUILD YOUR WEB PRESENCE – The Internet is a powerful tool. When you have a web presence, employers can find you and learn more about you. ENHANCE YOUR RESUME – Don’t let your resume grow stagnant. A good resume will show that you’re always trying to climb the ladder. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – Confidence is required. Don’t be your own greatest downfall. PUSH YOUR COMFORT ZONE – To get ahead, you’re going to have to do things that make you uncomfortable. LEARN TO BE ADAPTABLE – Nothing in life is perfect. Be flexible in order to make things work.
HELP OTHERS – Life isn’t all about you. Go out of your way to help others. It’s a rewarding experience. GET INVOLVED – Make a point of getting involved with your community. Don’t be shy. EXPAND YOUR SKILL SETS – Are your skills in demand? Would you be more employable if you had other skills? Never stop learning. STAY POSITIVE – No matter what happens, stay positive. A positive attitude is contagious and it will help you get ahead in all aspects of life.
DEDICATE TIME TO NETWORKING – Get out and meet more people. The people you know are the #1 way to get ahead in life.
PLAY THE PART – If you want to be accepted, you need to play the part. Dress appropriately, watch your language, and mind your body language. Be the professional that you want to become.
LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE’S ADVICE – Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Other people have been in your position and they might know just the thing to say or do to help you.
PROPER PREPARATION – Take the time to prepare for the job search. Do your research and stay up-to-date on current industry trends and technology. Don’t fall behind the times.
CONSTRUCTION
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CONSTRUCTION
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CONSTRUCTION
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ACING AN INTERVIEW
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS ADVANCE Brookings.................................................21 Agar Blunt Onida School District..............................16 Agtegra....................................................................... 26 AKG Midwest............................................................. 30 Allete Clean Energy................................................... 32 American Crystal Sugar Company.............................9 Asphalt Paving & Materials...................................... 37 Bethesda Home of Aberdeen....................................21 Black Hlls Federal Credit Union.................................14 Bowes Construction, Inc............................................ 34 Brookings School District............................................16 Brosz Engineering.........................................................9 Brower Construction, Inc........................................... 33 Cass County Sheriff’s Department.............................12 Central States Manufacturing....................................31 City of Sioux Falls Parks & Rec Department............ 10 Coteau DesPrairies Hospital......................................19 Dakota Tube..................................................................7 DakotAbilities............................................................. 10 Daktronics, Inc............................................................ 29 Deuel County Good Samaritan.................................21 Duininck Companies LLC........................................... 36 Exemplar Genetics..................................................... 25 Faulkton Area Medical Center................................. 22 Fiegen Construction................................................... 36 First Bank & Trust.........................................................14 FlexTM, Inc..................................................................31 Frattalone Companies............................................... 33 GRACO.......................................................................31 Gray Construction..................................................... 34 Guarantee Roofing & Sheet Metal........................... 37 Halme, Inc.................................................................. 37 Hefty Seed Company................................................ 23 Hefty Seed Company................................................ 26 Hendricks Community Hospital................................ 20 Hope Haven................................................................21
Hydro Yankton, SD.................................................... 32 Journey Construction................................................. 35 Lake Area Technical Institute........................................2 Lewis Drug Stores Greenhouse....................................6 LifeScape.......................................................................5 Lower Kuskokwim School District...............................16 Marmen Energy......................................................... 27 Medi-Sota.................................................................. 20 Mediacom...................................................................13 Midland Contracting................................................. 36 Midwest Railcar Repair, Inc...................................... 29 Mills Property Management........................................6 Muth Electric, Inc....................................................... 35 Orthopedic Institute Sioux Falls.................................21 Prairie Land Ag Supply.............................................. 23 RDO Equipment Company....................................... 30 Redlinger Brothers Plumbing..................................... 35 Sands Drywall, Inc..................................................... 37 Sanford Health............................................................17 Schwartz Farms, Inc................................................... 26 Smithfield Foods, Inc.................................................. 23 Soles Enterprises, Inc....................................................9 South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources............. 40 South Dakota Department of Corrections...................6 South Dakota Human Services Center..................... 20 South Dakota Innovation Partners............................ 25 South Dakota Soybean Processors.......................... 24 South Dakota Unified Judicial System...................... 10 Southeast Technical Institute.......................................15 TAK Communications, Inc............................................6 Trans Ova Genetics LC.............................................. 24 Twin City Fan Companies, Ltd................................... 32 VA Black Hills Health Care System...........................19 Vishay Americas, Inc.................................................. 11 Wilbur-Ellis Company, Inc........................................ 24 Wild Water West Waterpark.......................................6
PROFESSIONAL INDEX OF OPPORTUNITIES ADVERTISERS
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PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES