Accelerate Your Search™ Now

But, are you willing to do the labor to have a great resume?

Yes?  That’s great!  So many people aren’t — they’d prefer an extra day at the beach.  Then they wonder why their resume isn’t getting results.

Your resume is a key marketing tool.  Good marketing doesn’t just happen.  It takes work, thought and oftentimes a team to fine tune it and help get the message out.

Many people think creating a great resume is akin to developing a BIG billboard, posting it on a busy highway and then waiting for the phone to ring.  Businesses who depend solely on one advertising vehicle, like billboards, don’t stay in business long.  A single billboard may not been seen by the business’s target audience or remembered as the reader flew by at 60 mph.

A great resume is employer-focused.  It clearly identifies how you can meet their needs and wants.  It speaks to the employer in his or her language.  In other words, it is targeted directly to them.  Your resume demonstrates the value you alone bring.  It clearly states how you will earn your salary.  It markets and sells YOUR value.

A great resume includes:

• Your branding (what differentiates you from the competition)
• Appropriate keywords
• Strong examples of the results you achieve
• Relevant work history, and
• Your education

Your resume should leave nothing to the imagination — a hiring manager will clearly see how you will benefit the organization.  It is a marketing tool that visibly demonstrates your value.

Mostly importantly, it is unique.  You are different.  You need to see that, own it and share it.

Your assignment is to take a look at your resume.  Ask yourself, “Is it great?”  Rate it (1 is poor and 10 is great).  What’s your rating?  What will it take to move up one number?  Take that action.  Improve your resume!

Do you need an objective eye to look at your resume and career marketing materials?  Are you ready to stand out from the competition?  Let’s connect and discuss how I can assist you.

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” ~ Muhammad Ali

Do you view the world differently than you did 30 years ago?  How do you view your career differently than you did 30 years ago?

Sharing — and owning — your story and life is an amazing and profitable journey.  It is not, however, without risk, fear and bumps along the way.

One of the bumps we all encounter is the need to adjust, adapt or change our point of view.  How have you changed your point of view?  Is your identity still tied to your career?

When I hear someone tie their identity to a job, title, or even a job loss, I immediately flash back to my 20’s and my point of view at the time.  Also, I recall how I felt when I lost the job I thought I would have forever.  I understand these emotions on a very personal level.

I have never forgotten those feelings, nor the lessons I learned due to my point of view at the time.    However, I did not waste 30 years, I adjusted my world view.

One of the shifts in my view is that I now believe I am enough.  I have and can access all I need to be successful.  The super cool thing is that you do, too!

I believe, without a doubt, that each person on earth is given unique skills and talents and is able to find a job that sustains their lifestyle and utilizes their gifts and talents.

You can find a job in tough economic times.  You can do work you enjoy.  You can move past a job loss.  You are not dependent on a specific employer or the state of the economy for your success.

Seeing, sharing and owning who you are as a person (not just as an employee) creates an amazing career and life journey.  You will never see the world the same.

Do you feel like you are wasting time?  Do you need some help to land the job you want?  Contact me and let’s talk about how I might be able to help.

I guarantee shifting your view will accelerate your search and will keep you from wasting years of your life.

That is a great question.

Employment firms can be a solid resource for finding potential employers, especially if you are in a specialized field or niche industry.  The type of firm and how that  firm interacts in the  market varies, so do your homework and ask questions.

Here are some questions to help you determine if a particular employment firm might be a good strategic partner in your search:

• Does the firm handle some or all of the human resource functions for one of your target employers?
• What is the firm’s reputation?
• Where is the firm’s office located?
• What references does the firm offer?
• Can you talk to current and past customers (both candidates and employers)?
• How long has the employment firm been in business?
• Where does the employment firm advertise for the jobs you are targeting?
• Does the employment firm have expertise in placing people in your field?
• Does the employment firm have a relationship with the companies and employers you are targeting?
• Is the employment firm a local, regional or a national organization?
• What services does the firm provide to you as a candidate?
• What services does the firm provide to the employers and companies it serves?
• What are the terms of your agreement with the firm?
• What will the firm expect you to do?
• Does the employment firm focus only on hiring applicants to perform contract work on a temporary or project basis?
• Will you work for the employment firm if hired or for the company you are targeting?
• Are there opportunities for on-the-job training or other skill development from the employment firm?
• How long has the person you are working with been with the employment firm?

What other questions do you have?   Post them below.

Are you still on target with your intentions?  Why or why not?

I recently read there are two factors that impact your success of achieving a New Year’s resolution more than anything else:

1) Do you like and want the end result of the resolution and

2)  Do you believe the change is good for you?

Dictionary.com defines belief as “something believed; an opinion or conviction.”

Belief is a powerful factor.  How are your beliefs impacting your job search and/or your New Year’s resolution results?

Recently, a client shared he preferred the freedom of unemployment over receiving a weekly paycheck.  With this realization he created a new plan.  He would not seek a new job and instead was planning on selling his home and moving in with his elderly parents to serve as their caregiver.  This would allow him to continue to enjoy the freedom of his current lifestyle.

His conviction, as he shared it, was that his freedom was more important than receiving a paycheck and he decided finding a way to have the freedom was more important to him than finding a job.

What is important to you?  How is it impacting your career-related New Year’s resolution(s)?

I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts on the topic.   Post a comment or share your resolution and your progress.

Does your résumé set you apart and encourage your next boss to call you?  That’s great.  When your résumé is strong and communicates your unique value it serves as a key to open locked doors.  If your materials  are not helping you stand out in the sea of other résumés, you may not get the opportunity to interview for the position.

Today, more than ever, organizations are proactively looking for the skills and experience they seek.  Being reactive in your search is not the most effective marketing strategy.  I see hundreds of résumés each week and coach clients on the necessity of tailoring their résumé and message to your target audience.

Being focused on the position you want and clearly communicating your message to your target audience helps you stand out in a crowd of other qualified candidates.  Ensure your résumé is authentic and has clarity of purpose.   Show how you can help your future boss and organization achieve their goals.  These simple steps, overlooked by the majority of job seekers, help you “leap off the page.”

Action exercise:

1.  Write a brief job description of your ideal job.

2.  Then, just as if you are applying for the position, put your résumé and the job description side by side.  Highlight the needs and wants of the employer for your ideal job.

3.  Next, use the highlighter to highlight the keywords and information in your résumé that are applicable to the needs and wants of the employer.

Use this same exercise  before you react to a job posting.  Look for the unique ways you solve an employer’s problem or address the needs and wants expressed.  If your résumé is lacking,  fix it, or it may never seen by your future boss.

In the world of online sourcing and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), résumés that don’t match slip into the darkness and are never seen again.

Tomorrow is Halloween in the USA.  Many youth will dress in costumes and go door to door seeking candy or healthy snacks.  As each door opens they say ‘Trick ‘or Treat’ hoping to receive a treat in lieu of having to perform a trick.  If you want your résumé to be treated to human eyes, tailor it to match the job you are seeking and add style  and be sure it stands out. 

Happy Halloween!  Check out my Halloween treat for you.

Does your past or present behavior impact your job search?  Is the hurt, anger, frustration you feel hurting your search?

Yes, I believe these things will impact your search.  I see and work with people all the time that are holding on to something that is impacting their job search.  That something might be anger about losing a job, how the end occurred, or sadness about how they did or did not handle something.

For many we are at least somewhat defined by where we work and live, the work we do, and our jobs.  When a job ends for whatever reason, there are emotions tied to that ending.  If you are happily moving on you will have different emotions than if the end was not in your control.

Some call the behavior that impacts you and your life karma, some call it fate, or luck, whatever the name you use for this, you need to look at and understand your thoughts control your behavior, habits and actions.  So if your thoughts and behavior are not aligned with what you want and where you want to go, you create push pull and in your energetic vibration.  This will impact your search.

For some it keeps you for getting clear on what you want or need to do, for others it shows up in a way that makes other not trust you.  If an employer doesn’t trust that there is upside to hiring you, the bottom line is the employer will not hire you.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Joe and his blind spots.  Most of us know or have some awareness of our blind spots, our strengths, and our weaknesses, yet we often find it hard to sort this all out and move forward to do what we need to do.

Here is a tip to help you.  Set aside a day write down your feelings about your job lose and job search.  If you are mad write down why you are mad; if you are sad, why you are sad.  Write, write, and write.  At the end of the day think about what you where you are and what you want to do about where you are.  Think about where you are out of alignment or out of integrity with yourself.

Now decide what you want to do about these areas.  Decide what you want and create energetic alignment. If you want help, then offer help to others.  Letting go of the things you are holding on to that are impacting your search will change your behavior and the energy around your search and your transition.

Do you have a question about your search? Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Post your suggestion to help others or your comments below.

This is an interesting question.  It came from someone who is really running a focused and productive search.  The question came as he prepares to travel to a family wedding followed by a family reunion.

Family events, holidays, etc. can be fun, uplifting and stressful all at once.  Or at least those with my family can be and that is really my only experience I have in this arena. Don’t get me wrong I love my family, but with five kids, spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren…you get the picture.

I suggest you set some boundaries, and focus on the event rather than your search.  You don’t want to ignore possible help or a great networking opportunity.  However the odds are you don’t need added stress, a drilling about being out of work, or loads of career advice.

Your family cares about you and they want to help.  So, be prepared to tell them specifically how they can help you.  It will help you avoid listening to extra advice, long sad stories and set a neat boundary around your job search.

Here is my suggestion.  Be well prepared to deliver a 30-second introduction, 100% focused on your ideal position, include your top three target companies and when you wrap up your 30-second comments explain how the person you are addressing or anyone else can help.

Imagine you are at the reunion, Uncle Ben walks up and begins to pick around the edges starting a conversation about your job search or point blank says “Grandma tells me you are still out of work, you could move back to town and work for your brother”.  How can you respond?

You can say,

“That’s a great suggestion however, my brother doesn’t have an opening or a need for <fill in the blank with your target job title & experience; then describe your ideal job in one sentence> and I am targeting <list your top companies>.  I am looking forward to joining one of these three organizations soon.  You could help me a great deal if you would share your contacts at <repeat your top three target companies>.  Would you do that for me?  (Add a brief pause, as you take a pen and paper out of your pocket)  Can I get the names of your contacts and their phone numbers at <repeat your top three target companies> now?   (Pause, look Uncle Ben in the eye and smile and add) Or feel free to call or email with your contact names and how to reach them by phone at a time that is best for you.  Thanks for your help.”

This technique allows you to set a respectful boundary around your job search.  You will have shared the critical information about your experience, the job you are seeking, and you will have provided a specific manner for someone to help you if they wish to do so.

The technique also allows for a graceful transition to another conversation in a manner that is good for you and honors your relationship.  It allows anyone wishing to help with contacts to do so in a specific way at that moment or when it is best for them without any pressure or requirement to do so.  You will have created a polite boundary and space for the conversation to flow to another topic.  And it takes less than a minute to do this!

You can modify this technique and use it in other situations too.  It is a powerful way to gather contacts and set boundaries.

Do you have a question about your search? Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Post your suggestion to help others or your comments below.

First if you got the interview you can bet someone saw value in you, your skills and your experience.  Often being told “no” encourages people to try harder or push on doing the same things.  Most people believe coming in second means they just need to try harder to be first.

In job searching that may or may not be the case.  Far too often I see people who don’t really fit in a job or an industry, yet they fail into it, got hired again and again into a similar position so they just keep pushing in that direction.   For some it is time to stop, to assess, plan and execute something new.

Joe (not his real name) had eight jobs in eleven years in the same position and industry.  After his last termination, 120 weeks of unemployment and nine interviews he decided to explore help for interviewing skills.  He assumed his interviewing skills were his problem and the reason he was not getting hired.

When we discussed why and how his past jobs ended his answer was the work ended, then he collected unemployment until he was hired in the same position again.  I ask if I could call his references and check with this last two employers and he agreed. 

 The discovery from his references and his employers was different than his point of view for each of his last positions.  All of his professional references painted a different picture than Joe did of his work and his work style.  His references spoke well of his skills, yet painted a different picture of his work style. 

One reference shared that often when he was called as a reference he asked if he enjoyed working with Joe he said no.  One reference disclosed that after working with Joe at two different businesses he would answer the call with an example about Joe’s work style and how is affected him and let the new possible employer draw whatever conclusion they would from the example.

The reference valued Joe and his skills, yet Joe had a few blind spots about his work style and this caused issues, problems and a diconnect in cultural fit within the industry.  After gathering the information and sharing it with Joe, he said that his references had told him all of the information I shared before and one had offered to help him change to another unit were the work culture was a better fit.  However Joe had declined the transfer or the assistance to adapt his behavior. 

Joe had choices to make.  He could change is occupation, or change his style or change the positions he was seeking to find a work culture where his work style fit the culture and the needs of the business.  Joe decided to seek other positions using his skills and where the work style and culture of the organization was more suited to his work style. 

He was hired after 3 interviews and returned to work within 2 months of his decision to seek work that was a better fit for his style. Recently I got a message from Joe, he has been on the job a year, enjoys it, got his 2^nd pay increase, things are well.  Additionally, he noted thanks for helping him see the impact of his blind spots and assisting him to find the first job he ever liked and the only job where he had worked for a over a year.

What are your blind spots?  Do you have the confidence to take a hard look at your search and see what might be holding you back in your career?  

Are you pushing in a direction that will not help you accelerate your search or accelerate the success you want.  You may need to dust yourself off, stop pushing and head in a new or different direction. 

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

If you are new to LinkedIn you may have questions on where to start.  Here are tips for getting starting with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding can be great tools to help you in your job search.  LinkedIn can help you be seen by those who need to know you, find you, and get to know you better.

Using Groups and LinkedIn Answers are both solid ways to reach a target audience.  Each feature provides interactive ways for you to be seen and heard by your target audience.  As you engage in a group dialogue or a business conversation with peers, group members you showcase your knowledge you can answer questions and become seen as an expert by answering the questions of others in your field, industry or area of interest.

Be sure you cover the basics and have a solid foundation before you move to advanced features and apps.  Think about your brand, communicate your unique value and be consistent.

Here are the pillars for your foundation:   Name, Headline, Photo, Your Personalized URL, Experience, Education, and Summary.  The first five (5) are critical to getting started.  You can set up your account and in a professional manner and begin connecting with others after you have these areas set up as your foundation.

Don’t forget about your account settings.  Many in the career field will also recommend you upload your text résumé to your account to save time.  That is not a recommendation I make, but do it if you are in a rush and speed to market is more important to you than quality.

Now get busy, offline and make a list of those key people and centers of influence that you wish to invite to join your LinkedIn network.  Once you have the list, take time to reach out to them, tell them you have joined LinkedIn and ask if they would accept an invitation from you to connect?  Then send a personalized LinkedIn invitation to you initial list of contacts and centers of influence.

Again, this method is not the easiest or fastest one for adding LinkedIn connections.  It is a method sure to enhance your relationships and strengthen your network as you build your list of connections on LinkedIn.  If speed or just amassing large numbers of connections is more important to you than the quality of the connection or the relationship, you can simply allow LinkedIn access to your email addresses, and send all of your email contacts who also have a LinkedIn account, a generic invitation to connect with you on LinkedIn.

You have your LinkedIn foundation set, this tool in place and initial invitations sent.  Next you can focus on other features to leverage LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

Do you have a question about your search or LinkedIn?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

The data shows wages are trending up.  Bridget Quigg shares details in her post “Wages Trend Up to Finish 2011 Ahead”.  Read it and assess the data for yourself. 

The national and state data for unemployment in many areas is also positive.  Yet if you are looking for a job this may or may not be important. Also it may or may not be good news or bad news.

To improve your situation and your results, being focused on you may be more helpful than being focused on trends, data, comments, news, etc.   Are you focused on you and your results?  Are you ready to accelerate your results?

I hope so.  That is what you can most impact. 

Just a month ago, I was celebrating a client’s new job.  When we talked the other day, he shared how he is enjoying the new job, the work, the people then he paused and asked me “Why didn’t I take action and get focused sooner?”

Boy, that is a powerful question and one that I can’t answer.  So a turned the question back to him.  His answer was the he was sad about losing his job, the news, and everyone around him was telling him things were bad. He shared he was unsure what to do.  The day after we talked about what to do, he had 2 simple action steps and my I challenge to him to take action. 

He took the action. Now he is working!  I just offered the two specific action steps.  Two simple steps changed his entire search and resulted in the job he landed.   Look accelerating your search does not have to be slow, lonely or hard, but it can if you want it to be.

If you lack focus or are focused on less productive things. Stop worrying about the unemployment numbers or the wage trends.  Focus on the things you can impact. Here are action steps you can take today.

Action Steps:

 1. Look at your network, your contacts and your current leads.  Group them into three categories:  Ideal, Referral, Influencers

 2. Create an action plan; include who you will contact and when you will connect.

 3. Make the connection. 

The client above, made the call.  That is how he landed the job. My challenge to him was simple “make the call” and he did.   What action will you take today? 

Have a success story to share?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.