Accelerate Your Search™ Now

 Recently after an evening presentation, a lovely woman walked up engaged in a conversation.  Then asked to offer me some feedback, I said sure, I love feedback!

She told me she liked the information, what I had to say and found it helpful, her suggestion was that I not indicate to my audience that I believed in Divine direction because others might not only believe that would help them get a job, but believe they could find an employer where that belief was accepted or part of the values of the organization.  I smiled and thanked her for the feedback.  

Are your values important to you?

Are you looking for values alignment in your next position?

We all have values.  They are those non-negotiable guides for our lives.  Organizations, companies, even departments, units or regions of organizations have values too.

Satisfaction in a position, company and an industry is higher when you have alignment with those things that are important to you.  If your values are important to you, knowing what is important, understanding if there is indeed alignment or not impacts your level of satisfaction.

Opening communicating your values may offer you one method of obtaining external confirmation of values alignment or at least acceptance at a specific level.  You can research ask questions yet, still not know all the unwritten rules until you belong to an organization.

Yes, it is true you may not find an organization aligned with your values.  If it is important to you, then looking has a payoff.  If you don’t look, share and communicate your values the odds against you are much greater that you won’t find alignment.  At least the odd are better that you know the score and you can make a choice knowing there is or is not a values alignment at least at some level.

You must be somewhat comfortable in “your own skin” to do this and it does take courage to share your briefs during a job search. Fear of reject is real, until you get comfortable communicating who you are, what you have to offer, and realize that marketing yourself, values too, in an authentic manner draws people, opportunities and the ‘right’ hiring managers to you.

Skeptical?  Here are a couple of questions for you: 

Do you want to land a job where you don’t fit, and are unhappy, or do you want to land a job where you do fit, and enjoy what you do, and the organization you are with for 90 days or 730 days, or 1825 days or more?  

What is more important?

Years ago, a mentor offered me some advice that I ignored, as my way of seeking external confirmation of values alignment during an interview for a promotion.  I was never sorry I that I sought the external confirmation of the alignment that was very important to me. 

 My belief in the Devine is important to me, it is part of me. I don’t push my brief or views on others but I view it as inauthentic to deny or hide that part of who I am.  The advice was not to wear a piece of jewelry that was an outward and visible sign of my faith to the interview.  You must make your own choices, and market who you are, and make your own choice as to what you believe and how that impacts you job search.

Over and over again, authentic branding and marketing does accelerate your search.

What is important to you?

How will you elect to seek alignment with your values?

Have a question? Sign up and join me on the next Q & A call, ask your question and get an answer.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

A few weeks ago, I was seated at one of 30 or more tables at a large event waiting for a conference session to begin.  A lovely woman selected the seat beside me, we began to chat and she asked what I did.  I explain I help talented professionals land the job they want fast and with less stress.  She looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked “Is it possible to recover from a bad interview?”  The emotion in her voice startled me, so I asked a few questions. 

What a story!  The job she wanted and had opened up over a weekend when the person in the job became ill.  She heard about it and decided she should update her résumé.  The following week she was traveling with the VP for two days, this was common so she did not think much about it.  At the end of the second day she realized the trip had also been a two day interview about the job, her business unit, her results and her future goals.  She was totally unprepared. 

She realized she told the VP during the trip she had doubts she could do the next level job, that it was not the right time to move from the current position and the she did not have the experience to be successful.  The questions she said she was asking herself every day were interesting too – why did this happen to her? – Why was her company so cagey with this interview? – why didn’t they just schedule an interview?  Finally, she told me how mad she was at herself for not knowing she could be faced with this type of interview.  The session started and we did not finish the conversation.

What happened here happens more than you think.  This lovely talented successful woman was afraid to be successful.  She allowed her ego and her mindset to keep her just where she was in the job she was doing.  She made excuses and allowed doubt, worry and fear to take control and keep her in her current job.  She was not aware and conscious of the opportunity until the end of the trip and she had not decided she wanted the promotion.

Your mind is very powerful.  Until you decide what you want and become committed nothing will change. Even if the opportunity is before you if you are not committed your mind will go to work to protect you and keep you safe and where you are.

I talk a great deal about the need for focus in your job search, to target what you want.  You must be commitment – this story is a great example.  I believe if this woman had been committed to landing the new position, and she had decided she wanted the new position, her experience would have been different.

She would have expected the interview.  She would have been grateful for the opportunity to travel and discuss her future and she would have taken action to have been prepared to talk about her future goals, her business unit, etc.

What decision and action do you need to take to be ready to land the job you want?

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Have a question? Sign up and join me on the next Q & A call, ask your question and get an answer.

Need specific ways to speed up your search?  Look to the right and request my gift to you – “162 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search and Land the Job You Want”.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

Body language or nonverbal communication is very important to your career, your job search and your success in life.  There has been more than one candidate who lost the second interview due to his/her nonverbal communication.  Like the guy who was leading the pack of candidates until, he pounded his fist on the table as he shared a story about his leadership style.

You body language during networking or interviewing can extend your job search or help you land the job.  Be sure you understand what you do, what you want to communicate and how your communication may be viewed by the people you engage and approach. 

As you prepare for your interview, you will also need to think about your influence strategy for getting the salary you deserve.  Will your goal be increasing the attractiveness of what you offer or will your goal be reducing the decision maker’s resistance to your salary request? 

How will you know the best approach?

Will matching your nonverbal behavior with your strategy impact the outcome? 

Dr. Noah J. Goldstein in Body Language and Persuasion: A Scientific Approach shares research results that show how important it can be to match your nonverbal behaviors with whichever strategy you select.

What are your thoughts on body language and nonverbal behaviors? 

Can you recall a time when someone’s nonverbal communication impacted your decision?  

Will your nonverbal communication increase or decrease your salary?

Do you have an insight to add?   If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts & questions.  You can add your comments below.

A week from Thursday is my favorite holiday – St. Patrick’s Day! 

The celebrations have changed over the years.  I rarely wear shorts on St. Patrick’s Day, as it is still too cold in New England for shorts in mid-March, and my networking reach is far beyond J Patrick O’Malley’s, but you can bet I will be networking, enjoying the day and hope you will be too.

In the days of JPats, I tracked contacts with paper and ink, I had no real strategy for networking, or managing my career,  there was no LinkedIn, or online relationship management systems  – WOW – what if there had been – who knows?

For those of you are in the Boston area, next week you can tap into one of my network contacts, Jason Alba at one of several events.  In other areas connect with Jason’s blog as he speaks throughout the US and internationally.

Mark your calendars, register, and go hear Jason Alba speak.  You will be glad you did.

Jason gets career management.  He was an IT Manager who got laid off in 2006.  Jason is street-smart, has great stories, an engaging smile and like so many, he figured out career management is critical.     

Our connection, Don Huse at Venturion introduced me to Jason Alba.  Jason is the author of three books, and someone I looked to for update to date information on relationship management systems, LinkedIn, and other social media.  He is also a certified personal branding strategist – yet another connection!  We are also talking about his returning to New England in the early fall, but don’t wait till then to connect with Jason Alba.

Do you have questions?  Contact me.