Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Are you willing and able to change direction?

Do you dislike networking?  Why is that?

Do you lack skill in this area or is something else holding you back?

Do you want to be a more effective networker?

Often professionals considering a career move or seeking a new position ask how important networking is to success.  My reply?  “Networking is critical to your career.”

When I inquire as to why they are asking, their answers vary.  Here are the most common replies from my clients:

“I am not a skilled networker.”

“Making small talk is not my thing, that’s why I don’t like to network.”

“Starting a one-on-one conversation is frightening.  I just can’t do it.”

“I find silence dreadful.”

“Networking seems like a waste of my time.”

“If networking is what it takes to get a promotion, I am worried about being promoted.”

Do any of these sound like you?

Professionals need networking skills.  At work, and in the world, you need to be able to effectively connect, engage and communicate with different people in various settings.  One of the best ways to develop networking skills is repeated practice of solid techniques.

Though, for many of my clients the challenge of effective networking is not totally about skill.  The actual issues can range from less than effective venues to support their goals to the type of networking they have selected to poor networking techniques.  Any of these issues can result in time invested with limited results leaving your feeling like networking is just a waste of your time.

For other clients, the challenges revolve around fears or beliefs about networking.  The big fears that show up for my clients are:

• Fear of starting a conversation
• Fear of not knowing what to say
• Fear of saying the wrong thing
• Fear of trying something outside of your comfort zone

Here is a quick assignment to help you see what you need to tackle first.  Jot down your answers to the following questions:

• What do you dislike about networking?
• What do you believe about networking?
• Do you want to improve your networking skills and/or networking venues?
• Are you happy and content with your current level of networking success?

Now that you have noted your answers, you will know what to tackle first.  Your answers will also help you determine if skill, fear or some combination is your biggest challenge.

Your next step is simple.  Decide what, if anything, you want to change.  Is this an area worth tackling?  You can start today and be networking more effectively by the end of the week.  You can discover more about tackling your challenges <here>.

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below or give me a call.  I am happy answer your questions.

It’s spring.  While it has been for about a month now, it doesn’t really feel much like spring to me.  Yet, slowly, the signs are shooing up.  The trees look ready to bud, the ground is visible again and people are buzzing around outside and at events, including those anxious to explore the job market or consider their next move.

For those of you with spring fever who are beginning to think about what’s next for your career, here is a short checklist to review.  The list includes three action items and some key questions to answer before your begin your “spring fling” and move into a full blown job search:

1.  Talk to your advocates and your brand ambassadors.

Do you have support?  Do they know you are exploring a move?  How can you entice additional support?  The 2016 elections are not near, yet you can learn from the possible candidates by watching and listening.  Your advocate and brand ambassadors are out and about, having meetings, talking to people and they can help you get a feel for the landscape — if they are well informed by you.

2.  Know what you are uniquely known for and how to leverage that in the marketplace.

Why is what you do of unique value?  Who can use your talent?  What can you do for those who can use your talent?  Can you prove your value?  Do you know how to answer the question, “Why should I invest time talking to you?”  Even if it is never asked of you, knowing the answer will carry you far.  Knowing your value and how to leverage it in the marketplace will accelerate your search.

3.  Know your call to action.

If you are exploring and/or launching a career move campaign, you need support.  In order to garner quality support, you must know what you want and what action you want from each person you engage.  Do you want them to listen?  Do you want feedback?  Do you want referrals or introductions to hiring managers?  Do you want information about their industry or particular business?  Before you engage, know your call to action.

Before you spring into action and fling yourself into the job market, do your homework.  If you want to explore a career move campaign, contact me and book a no cost 30-minute review by the end of the month.

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below or give me a call.  I am happy answer your questions.

A few weeks ago I was with an amazing group of colleagues who share my passion for helping others move their careers forward.  This group, The Institute for Career Transitions (ICT), is deeply concerned and passionate about the long-term unemployed.

We want to impact long-term unemployment with facts, data, and compassion.  We want to bring light to the concerns and issues of talented professionals who experience long-term unemployment.  We want to determine, via research, if coaching support does or does not help professionals who have been out of work more than six months improve their well being and/or return to work.  The group’s founder Ofer Sharone, Assistant Professor in the MIT Sloan School of Management, is someone who understands the importance of both courage and support.

Our conversations are always robust.  One recent discussion included the concerns and questions many talented professionals deal with when unemployed for six months or more.  Rising to the top, was how to discuss, share and/or explain what you have been doing for the period of time since your last job.

Among the top questions I receive as a coach is, “How do I explain being out of world for a long time?”  This question is almost always asked with a high level of fear or trepidation.  Odds are you will be faced with the question, “What have you been doing?”  Whether asked in an interview or while networking, does this question strike you with fear or puzzlement?

The time between jobs is often referred to as “the gap” — and I have a unique way of dealing with “the gap.”

I began using a phrase to help clients, workshop attendees and people in general to understand a simple process to help you move away from all that fear, concern and puzzlement — it’s called “mining the gap.”

Mining is, in its simplest definition, the process of looking for gold, silver and gems. And, “mining the gap” is the process of unlocking the gems you uncover during your gap, your time of unemployment.

This concept came to me several years ago after visiting an abandoned silver mine.  I got a few feet into the mine and froze.  Had my guide not noticed my fear I would have missed an amazing experience.

My guide offered support, information, and asked questions.  The support and questions helped me determine my options and select a direction.  His support insured me I was not alone.  It allowed me to reach inside myself, decide want I wanted and find the courage to step deeper into the mine.

I was so grateful for his care and concern that day.  The experience is one I will never forget.

The experience was so much more than just learning what silver ore looks like and how its beauty is brought to the surface to be unlocked and transformed into amazing products — it also provided a way to put all the days’ sights, smells and emotions into context.  It also provided a community to share the experience.

My silver mine guide offered me the same thing that career coaches and coaching communities offer clients — care, concern, guidance and somewhere to turn when we are unsure how to move forward.

I love silver and every time I look at pieces of silver jewelry or other useful everyday items, I think of that day, that community and those connections.

It took courage for that guide to help me.  It took courage for me to step into the mine, to see and to share the experience.  I could not have found courage on that day (or many other days) alone.  I believe we are hard-wired to connect, to support one another and to journey together.

Someone stepped close, saw my fear and did not exploit or criticize me.  That someone offered support, asked questions, and let me chose what was best for me.

If you are looking for support in your job search, or in anything you do, look around, odds are support is within reach.

Here are 3 tips for tapping support as you are “mining the gap:”

1.  Have the courage to be honest with yourself about the fear, the emotions, the concern or puzzlement you feel.  Say your fears, concerns, or emotions out loud and write them down.

2.   Ask and answer, “What is it I that want?”  Do you want:  help or support, answers to your questions, information, or someone to listen to your concerns/emotions?  Whatever you want, ask for it out loud and write it down.

3.   Look around for what your want.  It is within reach.  If you ask for help or support, listen, say thank you and then decide what you will do.  Take the best action for you.  Results come from action.

Whether the gap you need to mine is comprised of what you have been doing since your last job or your gap is a career you want to transform, take action.  The action you take by stepping in and “mining the gap” will be an amazing experience.

Do you have a job search question or a question about “mining the gap?”  Post your question or comments below or give me a call.

“Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance.  Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.”  ~Aladdin, Disney’s “Aladdin”

When you are ready to move your career forward by searching for your next job, judgment will play a role.  Judgment can be your friend or your foe.  Aladdin’s quote offers a simple tip to help you accelerate your search:  things and people may not be as they seem.

Frankly, placing your snap judgments (not your good sense or discretion) on the shelf during your job search and instead adopting a practice of conscious discernment will accelerate your search.  Discernment is clearly seeing and understanding people, things, and situations by sorting out the facts from your beliefs and emotions.

A job search is filled with highs and lows.  It requires you to draw on your resources and seek the support of others.  For example, the judgement that a job search is a solitary journey ignores the facts.  The truth?  You will not achieve success in your search without the help of others.

Additionally, thoughts such as “I am not worthy or capable or deserving of this position” are judgements.  If you are not aware of these judgements, they can easily become your truth.

Similarly, we often create scenarios about how others will react to us and our resumes.  We rarely know what someone will do before they actually act.  These judgments impede your progress and stop you from achieving your goals.  This type of thinking is more creative than all the amazing animation in all the Disney movies combined.

Failing to shelve these types of judgements may well turn your job search into a long, emotionally draining period of time.  If you cannot discern whether your judgement is friend or foe, find support and ask for help.

Others will help you.  Seek out what you need.  Ask friends and peers to help you sort through your judgments and doubts and locate the facts.

Are you ready to banish your judgements and accelerate your job search?  If you are looking for support and someone to help you see your situation clearly, feel free to contact me.

Even before you interview for a job, you and others have influenced the opinion of the interviewer.  Do you know what others are saying about you?

The easiest place to start?  Google yourself.  Your online presence can be friend or foe.  It can open doors to amazing opportunities -or- it can slam doors shut, sometimes forever.  Things like your endorsements, number of contacts, recommendations and your photo on LinkedIn allow people to “get to know you” before you even meet.

If you are contemplating a change, do yourself a favor.  Before you spray your resume worldwide, stop and take a careful look around.  Gather a little data from your peers, co-workers, bosses (past and present), friends and family.  Understand what people are saying about you.  If you are a little fearful to do so, my bet is you will be pleasantly surprised at what you hear.

Then take a hard look at your talents, skills and experience.  Decide how you want to use and share what makes you valuable to an employer.  Ask yourself where you want to be in a year, three years and five years.

Now (and not before), update your resume.

By doing these simple activities — before you jump into the job market — you will accelerate your search and move forward faster.  Even though the press is highlighting the gloom and doom, there are many opportunities for you to do what you love and the land the job you want at the salary you deserve.

It is easier and faster than you think to land the job you want when you understand who you are and what others are saying about you.

Do you need interview assistance to speed up your career transition?  Post a question or contact me.

Do you know what the best companies look for during interviews?

In a January post (“What It Takes to Get Hired at One of the Best Places to Work“) China Gorman, the former COO and interim CEO of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and current CEO for Great Place to Work Institute shared several insights from high-level recruiters.

These four interview pointers, from the post, will help you stand out and impress:

1.  Being able to articulate your alignment with the company’s mission and values (and explain why they resonate with you);

2.  Doing exceptional “homework” and truly understanding the business and key competitors going into an interview;

3.  Being able to discuss how you plan to impact the company; and,

4.  Demonstrating passion, curiosity, and (a big one!) innovation.

Employers and recruiters consistently share that interviewees who look good on paper (resumes and online profiles) don’t always impress in an interview.

Are you prepared to interview?   Are you ready to articulate how you can impact the company and why the organization’s mission and values resonate with you?

Don’t walk into another interview and immediately be knocked out of the running.  When you are prepared to interview, the interview becomes a great business conversation culminating in a plan to move forward.

I invite you to join me for the next one-day Interview Boot Camp at the end of March — or feel free to contact me if you have other questions on acing your interview.