Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Are you willing and able to change direction?

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.

A few weeks ago, Nancy Tierney, a super gal and owner of Firecracker Communications, posted the article  “Do You Have An Upper Limit Problem?“.  Nancy’s post is a must read.

Here is why:

1.  She shares the definition of the “Upper Limit Problem” as explained in the introduction of Gay Hendricks book, The Big Leap.
2.  She opens the conversation as to what holds so many of us back.

Job seekers, those seeking promotion and entrepreneurs/managers trying to grow a business, so often “put the brakes on” success.  If you are ready to move forward and accelerate your search in 2015, then it is time to understand and reframe how you hold yourself back.

I hope you will read Nancy’s post and Gay Hendricks’ book.  Both are good and offer insight for the months ahead.  Then, I hope you will pause and ask yourself these questions:

1. What did I do last week to hold myself back?
2. What one thing would I like to change, or reframe, this week to land the job I want?

Think about it.  What limitations did you set for yourself today or this week?

Was it?

• You worked all day and you’re too tired to take one positive action to accelerate your search.
• Your family/kids/boss needed something, so you allowed that need to set the bar for how successful you can be today.
• You believe you are too shy, not enough or not worthy of a conversation.  Or, you are too busy looking for job postings to make one positive personal connection or contact today.

Is your internal thermostat set to low?

Is it you that is holding you back?

Do you have an “Upper Limit Problem?”

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

Your answer to this question may depend on your employment status, your age, or your education level. It might depend on the type of work you do, your view of long-term unemployment or how you define a crisis.

If you define a crisis as a condition of instability or danger, leading to change, unemployment of any duration might be a crisis. Likewise if you define a crisis as dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in your life, short or long-term unemployment might be a crisis.

This morning I will drive to Cambridge to attend a conference at MIT.  The conference is sponsored by MIT Sloan Management & IWER Institute for Work & Employment Research and is entitled “The Crisis of Long Term Unemployment: What Can be Done?”

Since last fall, I have been involved with an amazing group of researchers lead by Ofer Sharone, MIT Sloan and a group of dedicated professionals at the Institute for Career Transitions (ICT) who have been studying and assisting a specific group of the Long-Term Unemployed.  In full disclosure I am one of the Inaugural Volunteers with the Institute for Career Transitions (ICT).

The agenda is full.  It includes policymakers, researchers, coaches, and people who are unemployed or until recently have been unemployed for a long time.  Here are a few of those who will speak and share information today: Abe Gorelick, Ofer Sharone, John Fugazzie, and Joe Carbone.

I look forward to sharing with you the initial research results and insights from Ofer Sharone’s work.  Unemployment long-term or short term can be complex. I know that because my clients share their stories and I too have walked the path of unemployment.

Being unemployed can be a path of shame, uncertainty and amazing innovation and rebirth.  The path can be a place where one feels alone, disappointed or vulnerable. As well as a journey of joy, excitement and new adventures, each journey is unique.

If you or someone you know has been unemployed for a period of time and feeling vulnerable take action. Read and reflect on this statement by Brene Brown “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”

Your assignment as you reflect on vulnerability:

1) step forward toward change, creativity and innovation by taking action; pause today to speak face to face with someone about your value and the work you want do.

2) take action every day to help someone else achieve a task or goal.

Sharing your value with others will take practice. Taking an action to help someone is easier than you think.  The simple act of holding the door for someone can help someone achieve the task of entering a building.

Life is lived as a series of small steps and actions.  You accelerate your search and your success by connecting, learning, and helping others.

Above I shared some of the amazing people I will learn from, connect with and help today to achieve their goals and tasks.  Who will you connect with, learn from or help today?

Do the following statements sound all too familiar?

“All the jobs go to internal candidates.”

“You must know someone inside or have a inside contact.”

“If you have experience and a track record, you are out of luck, good companies don’t hire experience.”

If so, here is some information to ponder:

According to data published [01/2014] by Great Place to Work Institute (compiler of the annual list of Best Companies):

• The average number of positions filled internally, for those organizations on the Best Companies list, was 30% — meaning that 70% of the positions went to people new to the organization!
• Additionally, 28% of new hires were referred by current employees.  This supports that having an inside contact can help.
• Of the 100 Best Companies appearing on the list, 24 plan to fill 1,000 or more positions this year and only 9.9% of those positions will go to new college grads.  To me, that says experience matters 90% of the time!

Be careful who you listen to and how you interpret the data.  Good employers are always looking for talented professionals.  Landing your next promotion takes work, preparation and a well executed plan.

While flying by the seat of your pants can work, preparation and a plan usually generates faster, more effective results.

If you hate job searching and want to land your next position faster and with less stress, request my 162 ways to Accelerate Your Search by clicking here.  And, don’t forget to implement the strategies!

Have an amazing week!

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.

Life is crazy busy.  Full schedules, meetings, emails, social and professional association sites to visit and maintain and requests from family members — whew!

The thought of one more email, phone message or “to do” item is just too much.  Who has the time to stay connected to your network, possible references or past co-workers, right?

The impact of those beliefs may lead to a shrinking network or worse — you will be forgotten.  When you need your network most, it may not be there.  Relationships and networks require “care and feeding.”  If staying connected feels like a chore or a burden, your network will notice and it may negatively impact your relationships.

We all know people in our network that we haven’t spoken to in 20 years, yet the bond is so strong that when you do talk to them its as if you have chatted that morning.  Those people are the exception, not the norm.  I call them my “Ruby Connections.”  Those precious connections that will be there no matter matter what.

The truth is not all relationships are created equal.  Most business relationships need regular contact to maintain the connection.  If not, when you make a call as I did recently to an electrician, I heard, “You have been purged from our system, you would be considered a new customer and the wait for a service call is four weeks.”  I was surprised, but realized I had not cared for this relationship and knew nothing about the changes in the business.  Shame on me.

Here is a simple process I use to stay in touch.  It is not perfect — obviously, or I wouldn’t be considered a “new” customer in the eyes of my West Texas electrician!

1.  When adding someone to your network, also add them to a follow-up group.  For me, I assign these groups a letter (A, B, C, etc.) to keep it simple.  For example, I belong to an association of women golfers and all my connections from that group go into my “G” group.  You got it — “G” for golf.

2.  Follow up quickly with new connections.  Learn more about your connection, what they do, interests, etc.  See how you might assist them now or in the future.  Jibberjobber.com is a great tool for managing contacts.

3.  Schedule time each week to follow-up with those in your network.  I schedule at least 60 minutes per week for connecting with new contacts.  One hour allows me time to connect by phone, in person or by Skype.  For established connections, I schedule 30 minutes.

4.  Follow-up methods vary by person, type of relationship and type of last contact.  Mix it up.   I might drop a card in the mail for someone’s birthday or if I notice, through LinkedIn, that someone received a promotion.  Send Out Cards is one of my favorite tools.  I love to send cards, yet I hate going to the store.  Send Out Cards is so easy — it is done from my computer and includes a personal note.  It is printed, stamped and mailed all in minutes.   [In the interest of full disclosure I am a Send Out Card Distributor.]

5.  Finally, for people I see (or saw) on a daily basis I schedule time to really connect — an occasional lunch or coffee or maybe leave a note on their desk to say, “Hi, thought of you last night when your ball team won.”

The bottom line?  Draw water before you need it.  When you stay in touch and show people you care about them, the people in your network will care about you and be there when you need an answer, a referral or an introduction.

We all have time for the things that are important.

Staying connected is easy when you follow the five steps above.  Start small — pick one step.  If you are over-scheduled, look to next month and add one 30-minuted appointment to your calendar or the next time you jump on LinkedIn share a post you enjoyed with someone in your network.

It is often the simple things you do that brighten someone’s day and show you care.  Nurture your relationships and create a “Ruby Connection.”

If you know someone who can benefit from this post, please pass it on.

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.