Accelerate Your Search™ Now

“Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.” – Gandhi

Searching for your next position can be one of the toughest jobs you will ever hold.  Despite “positive thinking,” great marketing and all the resolve and determination you can muster, doubt can still seep in.  Go ahead, admit it, you’ve felt those doubts before, right?

All people have inner doubt at one time or another — maybe it happens when you reach for the phone or begin to compose an email.  You hear that little inner voice begin to chatter.  It says things like, “Why would this person be interested in hearing from me?” or “What will this person think of me?  I’m unemployed and begging for a job,” or even, “This person probably won’t even remember me!”  My “little voice” gets the loudest when I am marketing my services and communicating my value.  If the voice gets loud enough, I may even stop taking action.  Sound familiar?

How you ACT and interact with others is impacted by how you feel.  If you feel “less than” or doubt your skills and abilities it WILL show in your actions and interactions.  Each action (or inaction) directly impacts the results we achieve, the jobs for which we interview and consequently, our income and long-term success.

Let me share an example.  Have you seen people at networking events, walking the room, trying to meet EVERYONE?  They are stuffing their card into people’s hands, interrupting conversations and desperately trying to make something happen.  These actions are often driven by fear and will not garner the results the person is so desperately searching for.

Are you letting your doubts dictate your decisions and actions?  If so, pause and think about how you FEEL about your value, making connections and calling potential employers.  In times of doubt it is so important to continue to be bold and lean into the direction of positive change.

What would happen if you stopped listening to your doubts? 

What if you truly believed you are enough? 

What if you started to feel and act with positive expectation?

What would be different if, as Gandhi suggests in the quote above, you grow into the faith that you are enough and that connecting or re-connecting with each person will bring good things to you and to them?

You and I already know you have significant value to offer.  I also know that there are no accidents and that if you are considering the contact you should act on it!

What might change?  I know it takes a lot of courage to BELIEVE that you are enough, but results do occur when you lean into faith and take positive, proactive action.

In today’s world of employee sourcing, staying connected and getting a referral is more important than ever before.  So, Blind Spot #3 is critical to your success.

#3:  I can’t refer you, if I can’t reach you.

Here’s the thing about me.  I’m one of those people who keeps track of people and business needs and services.  I tell the world about people and businesses that I value, use, and trust to be a match for current or future needs.  People often call me and say,  “I recall you told me about … can I have the details again.”

I enjoy being of service, it is part of who I am.  I am passionate about connecting people who could do business together — and — I go to great lengths to do so.

When a recruiter contacts me or I discover an opportunity — I act!

The bottom line is without your current contact information I can’t make the connection.  It’s a total downer.  You created an obstacle.    You are a skilled, talented person who would be great for this opportunity, yet you will miss out on this referral because I can’t reach you.

Additionally, I can’t rely on you to get back to me.  This experience stands to impact future opportunities as well.  Your online information is not current, so it is not just me who can’t reach you.  If I refer you and someone else can’t reach you, it reflects on me.  What would you do?

Some things will slip through the cracks, it happens to us all every now and then, that is life. Yet, your blind spots not only show how you manage your career, they demonstrate how you will manage the affairs of an employer.

I truly like you and hope all is going well for you.  Maybe you will be among the few who never need to seek another job.  Maybe you forgot how long it takes to put things in place to generate interest or opportunities within your network.

I share this on my blog with compassion, care and concern.  I have been there too, overwhelmed, barely holding it together, and just managing to keep up day to day.  It is a scary place.

It only takes a little time and energy each week to manage your career.  Make a decision to do it. 

Your career is one of your most important assets.  Simple steps and small amounts of time each week will transform your career and immediately improve your results.

And, if you missed Blind Spot #1 and #2, head to the blog, check them out and complete the Action Tips!

Hope your Labor Day weekend was wonderful!  My weekend was great and so was last week.

Labor Day celebrates – work and workers – I love my work.  I help talented professionals land the job they want and advance a career they enjoy.  It is amazing to see the results.  I know the processes and methods I share work, yet I never get tired of hearing the success stories.

I am always delighted when someone I am working with tells me just how they added themselves to a tip, technique, tactic or a strategy and presto … like the magician who pulls the white rabbit out of his top hat with skill and a smile … the tip shared becomes theirs, the result theirs too and it is dead on prefect!

Last week was one of those great weeks.  By Thursday, the fourth day of the week I that heard from four people that I had been working with that they had job offers – that does not happen every week.

Here is part of one of the messages I got last week:

“… I have wonderful news to share with you. I got an offer from the job interview! … This is to reinforce how important it is to …. I didn’t do it for a previous phone screening interview and, of course, nothing followed. This time, I was determined to … and I did, and I’m glad I did. Thank you for emphasizing the importance of … in your career workshops!!! It really could mean getting hired or NOT getting hired….Thank you Cindy, for all your professional help! … Both my husband and I are very lucky to have worked with you! …”

So often it is a little thing or a simple fine turning that changes the result very quickly.  Doing one small thing better or different can be the difference between being hired and not being selected for the job.

I can’t lie I love getting notes and updates on the success others are creating in their careers.  See, I’m a bit unusual and bizarrely passionate about people succeeding and having the job and career they want and love.

Are you ready for better results? Do you need help to Accelerate Your Search?  Give me call; I’d love to help you be successful too!

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.

Recruiters and those searching LinkedIn for candidates, tell me they are screening out more candidates than they contact.  Is this happening to you?

Did you upload or paste your résumé into your profile, then move on to create connections?

Have you been so busy joining groups and adding connections that you have neglected your profile?

If so it is time to take a look at your profile and discover if it is working for you.  Your LinkedIn profile is a 24-hour a day marketing site for your job search and beyond.  Here are key questions to ask yourself as you review your LinkedIn profile:

Is your profile optimized so you will be found in a search? Simple items such as your headline, your job titles, linking your profile to your past employer’s Company LinkedIn page (if they have one) will help your profile be found in a search.

Does your profile focus on benefits, not specifications?  You can use the skills and a specialties area to add keywords to your profile.  In your summary focus on the benefits you will deliver for your next employer and the problems you solve.

Does your profile focus on value, or the cost of your salary?  It is critical to focus on the value you offer.  If someone assumes by your profile you will command a high salary and that is not in the budget, your profile may be screen out.

Does your profile demonstrate your experience and value?  When you read your profile does it paint a picture of what you offer to someone seeking what you have to offer? If not, go to work to ensure it does.  To get an opportunity call via LinkedIn your profile needs to pop and paint a picture.

Does your profile have a personality, emotion and facts?  Humans are not just rational and logical in making decisions.  Humans select, contact and recommend the people represented by LinkedIn profiles based on emotions as well as facts.  Be sure your profile does not omit the emotions that play a part in a hiring decision.

Does your profile focus on your potential employer’s needs, in lieu of the ‘me’ factor?  Your future employer does not care about your goals, your career objectives, or your need for a job right now. The recruiter or hiring manager cares about his/her problem, not yours.   Read your profile, get honest feedback. Be sure your profile does not sound pushy or desperate neither messages are helpful in getting others to contact you and exploring doing business with you.

Make your marketing and your online profiles about the needs of your next employer.   Focus on your next employer’s needs to accelerate your search and improve your LinkedIn profile.

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.

Using LinkedIn Continued …

In additional to just being active online LinkedIn can helpful to you offline as well. The odds are you will have an interview if someone hires you.  Most, yet not all interviews are face-to-face, LinkedIn and other social platforms can help you be more effective and better prepared for a first meetings or an interview.

On Thursday, Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer) of Buzz to Bucks posted “LinkedIn: More Effective Personal Meetings?”  and she shared several good reasons why LinkedIn may well be the best social networking site to help you connect, engage and have more effective personal meetings.  Enjoy reading Maria Elena Duron’s post and share your thoughts.

How are you using LinkedIn to help you have more effective meetings? Share your tips.

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

‘Tis the holiday season!  What a great season for networking and landing a new job. 

Are you ready for holiday season networking?  So many people take a break from a job search at this time of the year, that those that stay with it have the added plus of less competition. 

If you’re a great networker you know this is a great and fun time of the year.  If you don’t like to network or haven’t mastered the finer aspects of networking and marketing yourself as you network you might not have feel the same excitement about this season.

Here are 8 quick tips to help you plan your holiday job search networking.

 1. Don’t only attend the mandatory events, expand your holiday networking

 Leverage the events you always attend and add others.  Consider stepping outside of your industry events, family events, and the networking events you do now, add several events where you can meet new contacts.  

 2. Set a budget for holiday networking

  You will have expenses, business cards, attire, event fees, food or beverage, or a donation to a charity or cause.  Be willing to invest in yourself, in your search and do it with a grateful heart.  Holiday networking is not about going to parties, it is about connecting with critical centers of influence and the opportunity to market you to your target audience.

3. Plan and Set a schedule for holiday networking

 The season is short and many events fall on the same day.  Plan which events to attend, who to connect with, what to wear, and how you will follow up. Having a plan and a schedule will help your focus.

4. Leverage your existing relationships, network and connections by giving

 Each holiday networking event is an opportunity for you to add value to others.  Discover who you can help and do so.  Connect someone, learn of a need and help, share a tip, do what you can do to help others in your network.

5. Support the event and the community the event serves

 Find a way to offer your support for the event or the organization before or after the event.  You could share event photos or highlights of the event via social media channels, or connect in advance with the organization or event supporters to offer your unique talent, skills or labor to support the event.

6. Don’t get lost in the crowd

 Know how you want to differentiate yourself from others searching for key contacts and your dream job. Know who you want to connect with, and be open to the opportunities before you.  Don’t sell, and don’t take your résumé to any holiday event.  It can be hard to predict who will show up, remember impressions count.

7. Don’t forget to leverage your online network and online events this season

 Many events are growing and some with combine both online and face-to-face experiences.  If get an “Evite” with an RSVP treat it as you would any invitation with an RSVP.  If you need to check in via a QR code to support the charity – do it.  Manners do count.

8. You Can’t Have It All Without Effort and Work

 Networking can be great fun.  You meet wonderful people, serve others, connect and build relationships and gain a lifetime of event memories, but all relationships take work.  During this season in North American the daylight hours are shorter, so it is a season of busy days, long nights, many events and extra commitments.  Your networking workload may increase, so adjust your schedule according.  Rest during the day if you know an event will end late, drink lots of water and plan your follow up so you can reconnect quickly and in an effective manner.

Do you have a networking tip to share or a comment?  Post it below.

To accelerate your search you need a strategy that helps you stay focused on the “right” things to build and maintain your network.  I encourage you to balance and nurture your network online and offline.

It is so easy to spend time, energy and effort on the items that take up time yet net you little in real results from your network.  It is also easy to forget to pay attention to the little things that pay big dividends.

There are many tools to help you connect with your network – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.  Technology has made it easy and convenient to connect. 

Yet sometimes technology robs us of the opportunity to really spend quality time with friends, business associates, customers, and possible employers.  Rarely does a technology work as well as a face to face meeting.

One of the “right” things to do in marketing yourself is to meet face to face.  Face to face you have the rare chance to learn more about others and often to explain your business and what you do.

How much face to face time do you have planned for this week?

During a job search there are a lot of expectations, most expectations you believe are understood.  Yet you may or may not be surprised to learn that the unspoken rules are often only your rules or expectations. 

You must be clear about your expectations, the leads, referrals, and help you want or you won’t get help.  You must communicate your expectations in a clear way.

Weekly, I talk to hundreds of people who say they want to land the ideal job, yet they struggle with how to do so.  About 50% say they go to networking events, connect online and in person and never get a referral or a lead. 

Sometimes they are mad, on the verge of tears, or ready to just throw in the towel.  They feel as if they are begging for help, working so hard yet never make progress or get the help they want. They want help but don’t know what to do or where to find help.

The bottom line is referrals and leads don’t always come as quickly as we’d like, for most of us it feels awkward coming right out and asking for a referral (so, we beat around the bush), and even when we do ask directly it is at the last minute, like a day or two before an interview or when you see a job posting for the job you want.  Is this true for you?

Here’s what’s going on – you believe

                 – you communicate your expectations and that you want help,

                 – you help others everyday (you keep score, too),

                 – you ask for leads or referrals,

                – you clearly communicate you expect a lead or referral, and

                – you clearly communicate the exact job or referral you want. 

However the message is so diluted or cryptic, even I need a ‘magic decoder ring’ or to ask lots of questions to get a clear idea of how I can help.

If who, you are talking to or connecting with don’t have the foggiest idea what referral is good, what job you want, or what company is a good referral for you, trust me, life is too busy for them to stop and figure it out.  Not to sound like I am bragging, but I am better at sorting this out than the average person, because that is what I do!  So, if I don’t have a clue, I guarantee others are clueless too! 

    Do you have a clear message? 

    Are you receiving leads or referrals?

    Would you like help to craft a message in a way to ask for referrals that does not feel awkward?

Well, there is a whole list of things you can do to be clear and ask for referrals and leads to accelerate your job search, land the job you want at the salary you deserve and with less stress.  Here’s one for networking introductions:
 
“As you know most job leads come via networking and word-of-month referrals, I am a __insert your profession or the job title you are seeking___, I would like to help you, learn more about what you do, share leads and offer you referrals, please connect with me by email at xxx@gmail.com or ask me for my business card so I can learn more than 30 seconds worth of what you do.”

Why, does it work? 

It is a clear message.  It tells what you do, how you will help, it makes it easy to connect with you, it gives you an opportunity to learn about what someone else does, it clearly sets the expectation of sharing leads and offering referrals and in creates an opportunity to connect with you to learn exactly what you do, what type of job you want to land and what type of referrals and leads you want.

Be sure you are prepared to continue the clear communication when someone contacts you and you plan to meet.   Here is one more tip, if you need help with your message, join the Q & A calls and ask for help or feedback on your message. 

Being prepared, having a clear message and planting the seed early in all interactions and relationships, sets the expectation upfront and ensures more leads and referrals – guaranteed!

I love success stories and comments.  Will you share yours?  Add your comment or success story below.

My prior post Will networking help your job search? covered understanding the power and generosity available within your network and how to tap into that energy.  Leveraging the reach of your network also helps you accelerate your search.

Have you stopped to think about the reach of your network?  What about the reach of one event?

If not, think about the numbers.  In a job search your number one focus is marketing.  To market effectively you must measure your marketing reach and marketing results.  You need to think about and look at the numbers.

According to Facebook, in February 2011, there were 500 million active Facebook users sharing 30 billion pieces of content.  The average Facebook user has 130 friends.  130 Friends!

What does that have to do with numbers and networking in person?

Here is the connection and the assumption.   If you are job searching and you go to a business networking event, you can assume that the professionals at the event have at least 50 solid business connections, most have many more.

Do the math.  At an event with 50 people, who have 50 contacts (50×50=2500) you have potential access to 2500 possible first degree connections, at one time, in one place.  That can be powerful.

Additionally, if you think about power and generosity of in-person connections and the potential for sparks and energy flow, if you are open, what an opportunity.  One event could connect you to the right person, who makes a phone call to a person who will hire you to do your ideal job or to the one person who changes your view of something for ever.

The catch is it rarely happens at the first event, or even the second event.  Why?  Usually, it has to do with your planning, your comfort and your openness to connect.

May I share how I know this?

Now, I love to network.  It allows me to connect, build relationships and help others achieve success on their terms.  But there was a time that I didn’t know how to network, I didn’t like to network, and I didn’t do it.  Frankly, at one time networking terrified me.

I remember when my heart raced for hours before and after networking events, sometimes I would drive to an event and never go in, I would just sit in the car and look at my plan.

Then I learned about making a specific plan with the number of people you wanted to connect with at an event and finding out what you could offer.  So one time I tried it.

I changed my plan and I purchased a $75.00 ticket to an event.  When I got there the only parking was valet parking, so I spent the two hours in the powder room, sitting in a chair, because I was terrified I was out of my league and I was worried about what the parking attendant would say if I asked for my car after he just parked it.  I was so nervous my heart was racing and didn’t know what else to do.  Near the end of that event, a woman stopped as she passed where I was sitting, she smiled at me and said, “You showed up, that’s today’s success”.  I was mortified.

Then I looked down at my plan, it read: “Buy ticket, go to event, be open, successfully connect with one person, and get specific information about networking and become successful”.  One spark of energy, one tip, and one connection, my changed plan with a specific number in it worked!  Not the way I thought it would, but it did work.

It still took me some time to “love networking”, to become comfortable and to learn to be open to the opportunities and the reach of networking.  At that one event, I did learn both about reach of networking and the power of changing my plan.  By being open to measure my success and look at the power of specific numbers what I achieved was success!

I like being successful, it is fun, and gives me a boost. So I tried it again and again until I got good at networking.

Here is the formula I used, it works.  Try it and let me know about your results.

Ask – What can you do for your network? Where will you network? How will you tell your network about what you do? What results do you want?  Create a plan to connect with your network using the answers to these questions.  Execute the plan with openness, next evaluate the results.  Celebrate your success and adjust the plan accordingly.

Looking back when I assessed the results I did have a WOW to celebrate.  By changing my plan, adding a number of connections to make and by being open and willing to receive what was offered I was successful and my view of networking changed forever.  At that point I was still terrified of networking and I would not call sitting in the powder room for two hours networking – yet I discovered the how to leverage the reach of one person and a few words at a networking event.

What would happen if you changed your plan?

Do you need help to leverage the reach your network offers for your job search?    Join the next Q & A call.