Accelerate Your Search™ Now

It is mid-year — time to review where you are, update your résumé and plan your career strategy for 2014.

Does your résumé share YOU and what makes YOU unique?  What should change?  Ask the tough questions as you review, edit or craft your branded résumé.

Performing a mid-year check of all your personal marketing tools, including social media profiles (LinkedIn) and your elevator pitch, is important in maintaining an up-t0-date brand and career focus.

Here are three tips to guide you:

1. Use your words.   Your words are the best words to describe your work and what others experience when working with you.  Repeating the words in a job description will tell someone you can read, yet it won’t help you stand out or create a competitive advantage.  You will sound like every other candidate.
2. Tell about your experience in short stories.   Share your current experience.  Write down your accomplishments and results in the last six months. Draft your short specific stories and be sure to include how you work.  Your stories will help you communicate to your boss, the CEO or a hiring manager how you work, the results you achieve and will provide evidence that you can solve the problems the manager, team or business faces.  Remember, a hiring manager wants to know you can do the job, how you will do the job and what the results will be.
3. Express why you do the work you do.   What is it about this work that excites you?  What is it that drives you, interests you and makes you want to jump up each day and engage in the work? Are you the architect who loves to create beautiful buildings? Sharing why your work matters is important – what is the emotional connection for you?

It is time to stand out, share what makes YOU unique and leverage your powerful competitive edge.

Additionally, think about who needs an updated copy of your résumé.

Help others keep YOU top of mind and quickly recall what you have to offer your employer, your next employer and the world.

Do you fret about rejection as you prepare or send your résumé?

Are your thoughts so focused on rejection that your résumé is ambiguous, general and plain?

Hopefully, your fear is not driving you to send out a boring résumé.  If it is, it is time to revolutionize the way you think about your résumé. (Remember, not every employer or hiring manager is going to like you or your experience — and that is OK!)

At the end of a recent presentation, a woman approached me and shared how frustrated she was having to spend endless hours targeting her resume to the large list of job openings found on the internet.  She shared her disappointment that after 100’s of applications, she had received a handful of rejection emails and not one interview.

Her kind soul, bright smile and brief words led me to believe that she was an organizer of projects, people and things.  She was someone who knew how to keep customers happy and projects moving forward.  I knew this in just a 3 minute conversation.

With tears and a crack in her voice she asked if I would look at her résumé.  I did.   The skills and personality that I experienced in our brief meeting were totally absent from her résumé.

I inquired if my impression of her was correct.  She confirmed it was.  Then, I inquired why she had elected to omit her uniqueness from her résumé.

In a bolded voice she stated, “Rejection is awful.”  She pulled her résumé from my hand, saying, “I am old school and what you are asking about does not belong in my résumé.”

Standing out, sharing who you are and how you deliver value can feel uncomfortable.  Clearly, this was outside of the woman’s comfort zone.

I smiled – I do get it.

Many people like to play it safe.   Innovation can feel risky.

For years, I was afraid to stand out or to share how I am different and unique.  Why? I didn’t know how to communicate my unique value in a way that worked for me.

Therefore, I took the safe, blend in, be the same as others, approach.  It seemed far less risky than standing out and facing the ridicule I feared.

Here is what I discovered — there is far more acceptance of my unique value when I genuinely share who I am.  It doesn’t mean everyone likes me or that I don’t experience rejection, I do.   Not everyone likes me, wants to work with me or hire me.

Are you leaving YOU out of your résumé?  WHY?

Is it fear of rejection?  Fear of ridicule?  Not sure how to communicate your unique value in a manner that is comfortable for you?

Here is a activitiy to help you revolutionize your thinking:

• Write down all the possible rejection and ridicule you might experience in a week, a month, in a year.
• Beside each item, note how many times you experienced the specific rejection or ridicule.
• Describe the rejection or ridicule experience in detail, then note how likely the same experience is to occur again.

The discovery for me?  The odds that the response I feared would actually occur were minimal.

Here are additional questions for you:

What is the real risk of genuinely sharing what makes YOU unique in your résumé?

Will sharing your unique value really increase the number of times your résumé is rejected?

What are the potential benefits of taking the risk and sharing your unique value?

Getting your résumé noticed and in the hands of the right person is tough.  You can’t afford to waste time or make mistakes.

Boring, plain and empty résumés don’t grab attention and they don’t get read.  If you want to get an interview, you must gain favorable attention.

Are you ready to be happy, make the money you deserve and land your dream job?  Then it is time to avoid the BIG mistakes.

Are you making the biggest mistake?

Failing to address the problems you solve is among the biggest mistakes employers note when talking about résumés.  Hiring managers don’t have time nor do they want to stop and try to figure out if you can solve the problem most important to them.  Grab their attention by sharing how you can solve their problem!

Here are 3 tips to avoid making this mistake:

1. Use all your fire power to quickly and clearly identify what you can do for the employer.

2. Set your résumé apart by telling the reader about the extraordinary manner or method you use to solve problems.

3. Offer an unambiguous picture of what your new boss will experience when working with you as you solve the problems.

Finally, it is not enough to have a great résumé.  You must also be able to avoid this BIG mistake during an interview. If you’re boring or never gain the interviewer’s attention with the problems you solve, you won’t be in the running for the job.

Is a résumé mistake keeping you stuck in a job you have out grown?  Will your résumé knock you out before an interview even occurs?

Do you have a résumé comment or a question?

Please post it below.

Do you look for ways to be indispensable?   If yes, that is wonderful.   If not, you should be.

Pause today and list some of the ways you are indispensable to your current — or future — employer and to the world.  Do you maximize relationships?  What is your unique place within the business model, organization or industry?  Do you bring new ideas or ways of doing things?  Do you produce the best widgets?  Are you the master of quality?

There are unlimited ways you are indispensable in the world.  Use your imagination and ask others for feedback.

Becoming vital to a client, boss or organization creates a bond and a relationship.  When the people you work for and with have a connection to you and to what make you vital, your value changes.  As those in your closest circle experience who you are and what you do best, you strengthen your bonds and your circle of influence expands.  These relationships open doors and provide you with valuable assets — people who tell your story and share your vital skills. 

These people naturally share, with excitement, how critical you are and what make you so valuable.  As this occurs, more and more people and organizations discuss you, what you do and how helpful your presence would be in other situations.

Simply, once your story is told, you stand out and your value shines!

Be vital, it is a smart career strategy.  Be vital and maximize your value.  Be vital and you will watch with amazement as doors open and the ease at which others want to share your story.  Be vital and soar!

Post in the comments below and let me know what makes you vital and who will help share your story.

Bonus Tip:  If you want to learn more about how to be vital, I recommend you read:  Ditch. Dare. Do!  3D Personal Branding for Executives: 66 Ways To Become Influential, Indispensable, and Incredibly Happy at Work.  

You can learn more about the book at www.ditchdaredo.com  or purchase it at “Ditch. Dare. Do!”  

Recently, a client called and asked, “How bold is too bold when seeking a new job?”  My answer was, “It depends, can you share some details?”  There was a laugh and acknowledgement that, of course, the details were important.

Her situation?  After three interviews (where she had developed, prepared and made major presentations to groups of up to 20 people), an invitation was extended for a fourth interview the following Monday.  This interview required her to develop a 4^th original presentation on a topic specific to the work she would be doing for the organization.  And, this time, to deliver the information to a group of 50, including senior staff and investors.  My client, a highly credentialed and published professional in her field, admitted that after the last required presentation and subsequent conversation with the hiring manager, she was feeling a bit unappreciated, used and overwhelmed with self-doubt.

Her questions included : Did I already mess up this opportunity?  Do they not value me and the skills I bring?  Did the potential employer expect her to work for free?   Additionally, she began to wonder:  Maybe I can’t do the job; maybe they don’t see my skills; or maybe they have no plans to hire me after four interviews.

As she recapped the events and the conversations of the week, her emotions bounced from self-doubt to frustration to anger.  She shared she had it! Enough!  She needed to stop the doubt train, but how?  She took action.  She called the hiring manager and said in a  bold tone, “Hire me and I will make the presentation for you on Monday, your investors will love you, and if I don’t work out, you’ll know and you can let me go.”

What followed was the voice in her head screaming, “Oh no!  What did I just do? I was too bold in that statement and now I may never get hired!”

Quickly, she realized the real issue was not being too bold.  The real issue was addressing her doubt and frustration and learning how to managing her emotions in a productive manner.

She was right.  She needed to learn how to manage her self-doubt so she could deliver the same message, in more constructive way, to the hiring manager to obtain the outcome she desired.  In this situation, she was too bold for this particular hiring manager — a job offer did not materialize and the hiring manager stated in an email he was disappointed she declined the final interview.  Her emotions got the best of her at a critical point in the conversation.  She reacted instead of responding.

Do you ever find yourself in this type of situation?  It can be a tough call, especially if you are feeling like enough is enough.  I imagine you have experienced similar situations — I certainly have.  And, for a long time, I always seemed to handle them in a less than ideal way.

What finally helped me?  Working to manage the situation before I arrive at the “enough is enough” place and to be intentional and clear about what I will do when a similar situation arises.  I wish I could tell you that these days I am always good at managing those situations, but I can’t – it is a work in progress.  However, I am much better and rarely do I cross the line to very bold and direct without it being an intentional choice.

Here are the steps that work for me:

1. Get Clear.  Think about what you want and what you’re willing to do to achieve what you want.  Example: For my dream job, I am willing to commute, but not willing to relocate.
2. Write it down.  Write down what you want, why it is important and your intentions.  Example: Do you want a job offer?  Do you want to be liked?  Do you want to be seen as the new director and the next VP of Operations?
3. Think about what to say.  Does your message match your personal brand?  Does your message help you achieve what you truly desire?  Does your message fit your target audience?  Is there better way to say it?  Does your message come across the way you want it to?  Draft your message on paper, if needed, and ask your coach to help you fine tune it.
4. Take Action.  State your message, share your value, be open and continue the dialogue.  Example:  Mr./Ms. Hiring Manager, we have been talking for over 8 weeks.  During that time I have prepared and presented three very solid presentations during 3 separate interviews demonstrating my skills, knowledge and expertise, wouldn’t you agree?  <wait for reply>  What is it you have not seen or learned about my qualifications that you hope a fourth interview/presentation will provide for you?  <wait for a reply>  Normally, for the type of presentation you have requested I am compensated as a consultant or speaker.  Should we discuss my joining your team in this manner or for a trial period as an employee?  <wait for reply>

These four steps serve as my guide and help me focus on the desired end result.  They help me manage my self-doubt (real or imagined) so that I may perform at the top of my game.

I learned and fine-tuned these steps several years ago by asking for my coach for help.  I needed a process to help me refocus and be more effective when low-vibrating emotions and self-doubt arose.  Through this work, I replaced the “enough is enough” attitude and quick, bold replies with steps that helped me achieve my goals.

Are you looking for support to overcome your own self-doubt or blind spots?  Working with a coach can be very helpful in achieving amazing results of your own.

You’ve made it to the final “B of Interviewing!”  You’ve stuck with it till the end . . . and, that is exactly what the final “B” is all about.

What is the last “B?”

Be persistent.

Companies take from days to weeks to make decisions.  Decision time varies depending on a number of factors.  Perhaps there weren’t enough great candidates; perhaps there were too many.  The decision maker may be traveling or some crisis in the business may take priority.  Don’t give up.  You’ve already asked when and how to follow up.  Use the information.  Now, I’m not saying to call them every day for a week — unless you’re told its okay to do so.  I am saying you need to follow up until the trail is cold or until you’re told the position is filled.  Even at that point, you should ask if there are other openings for which you would be qualified.

So, there are the “B’s of Interviewing,” from my keyboard to your eyes.  If you follow these points and do the work, you are much more likely to stand out in the candidate pool.  Prepare, practice and present.  Most of all, it’s important to be yourself.  Joining a company where the fit is right is magic!  If you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in your life.

Good luck!

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.

So many are not . . .

Being Honest is the 4th “B of Interviewing.”

Just as it is easy for you to find out all kinds of things about the company through your research (or even while you are sitting in the waiting area!), so too can the company verify all the information you provide.  It is vital you speak openly about your accomplishments, just be sure the information is accurate.  This is especially important when you are asked to explain gaps in your employment, a termination or other blemishes on your resume or record.  I’m not saying you need to point them out, just that you must have a credible answer when asked.

Next on the list?

Be gracious.

Based on the company’s preferred method, follow up with a handwritten note, a letter or an email.  If it’s unclear, ask.  I would much rather have a candidate ask how, when, and with whom she should follow up than to have her guess and get it wrong.

Have you employed any of the “B’s of Interviewing” yet?  If so, let us know the results in the comment area below.

And, if you need a quick refresher (or have missed the previous posts), here are the “B’s” covered thus far:

• Be on Time
• Be Prepared
• Be Interested
• Be Honest
• Be Gracious

Check back next week when we wrap up the “B‘s of Interviewing.”

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.

The whole month of April we have been focusing on The B’s of Interviewing — tried and true tips to ace your interviews.  We began with a discussion on Being on Time, moved to Being Prepared and today, tip #3, is Being Interested.

Being Interested is comprised of two parts.  First, building rapport.  Seasoned interviewers are skilled at small talk, which puts the candidate at ease and allows the interviewer to test the “fit” of the interviewee.  Be prepared to engage in this small talk and engage honestly.  If the woman across the table asks about the local college’s basketball team and you don’t follow them, be honest.  Don’t pretend to engage where you lack experience or knowledge.  Remember the integrity thing?  It applies here, as well.

The second component of Being Interested is to ask sincere questions. The easiest way to do this?  Follow up on questions asked of you.  Ask for additional information or clarification.  Ask questions from your research, about the company’s direction, about what keeps them up at night, about the goals for the department or position.  Employers are much more likely to remember a candidate who engaged in meaningful, thoughtful conversations about them.  Remember, this is a two-way street.  Both parties are dancing — trying to decide if and when to close the deal.  Even if you aren’t interested, ask questions to practice.  Yes, I said practice at the interview.  Don’t share this with anyone, but I know people who go on interviews for positions that don’t interest them just for practice.

And, what will you practice?  The B‘s of Interviewing, of course!  Be on Time, Be Prepared and Be Interested.

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.

The next “B” of interviewing is:  Be prepared.

Being prepared involves several things:  knowing the company, knowing your stuff and knowing how to present it.

I always ask candidates what they know about my company and am surprised by the number of times I hear, ” . . . not much . . .”, “. . . nothing, really . . .”, or, worst of all, “I really haven’t had time to research.”  Really?  When your cell phone has more computing power than the one used in the Manhattan Project, enough to stay connected to several hundred people simultaneously, the ability to shop or get a dinner reservation at a moment’s notice and you didn’t have time to research?  If you aren’t interested in the company, the employer won’t be interested in you.

What should you know to be prepared?  You should know:

• The history of the company and what the company does.
• Their competitors and their competitive advantage (and their weaknesses, for that matter).
• How your skills and experiences match the requirements.

Use company contacts, social media, internet research, stock market information and, even the library, as your sources.

Next — knowing your stuff.  An effective candidate speaks to his resume without looking.  You remember the details and can recite them.  You know the steps you took to drive sales to record highs in the Atlanta division in 2009.  You remember the names of your supervisors, the years you won awards and why you received them.   In my book, a candidate that gives me different information than what is reported on an application or resume has trouble in the integrity department.  Is it fair?  It doesn’t matter.  It is what it is.  Knowing your stuff keeps you out of trouble.

Last, you must not only know your stuff, but also know how to present it.  Great information and big opportunities have been lost in poor presentations. My advice?  Practice.  Even well paid, experienced speakers practice constantly.  Think about it.  Interviewing is something we rarely do.  It takes skill to speak to seldom used information in front of total strangers.

My advice on how to get better?  Go to the internet and find the 100 most common interview questions.  Put them in a word processing document and answer them.  Once you’ve answered them, find someone with which to practice.  It could be your spouse, significant other, neighbor or someone else with whom you’re comfortable and, most importantly, will give you honest feedback.  Have them ask the questions while you practice answering them until your presentation is smooth and natural.

Once you know the company, know your stuff and know how to present your stuff, you will be much more confident.  This confidence helps you relax.  When you are more relaxed, you are more yourself.  Your confidence will show!

Next week, we dive into Being Interested . . . are you?

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.

April is bringing me a very unique adventure — more to follow on that soon!  Part of my adventure includes spending fun time with amazing people and, as such, I asked a few of them to guest post on this blog and share their thoughts on interviewing, building great teams and other relevant topics.

The April guest posts focus on  “The B’s of Interviewing” — tried and true tips to ace your interview.

Let’s get at some tips to help you prepare for a knockout performance in your interview.  The tips are compiled from my experience on both sides of the table.  I do want to confess that I’ve never particularly liked interviews, but once I began to view them as simple conversations the whole process changed for me.

Let’s prepare you for your conversations.  My first “B” tip is:

Be on time.  I know, I know.  Still happens, though — candidates fail to account for weather, traffic, poor directions, etc.  My conversations with late candidates are very brief.  I confirm the time of our appointment, then tell them that being on time is a non-negotiable expectation on my team.  I tell them it’s not a fit as I escort them to the door.  If you aren’t able to get to the interview on time, what makes me think you’ll show up to work on time?  Besides, being early has its advantages.  You have an opportunity to talk to the receptionist, the administrative assistant or the VP you met in the elevator.  You have time to mentally go over last minute preparations or fine tune your questions.  There’s zero downside to being early.

So, “B” on time next week when I share with you the next B of Interviewing!

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.