Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Is your resume stale and lifeless?  Or is it full of energy and relevant data about you and what you do?

Your resume is an important marketing tool.  If it is as stale as popcorn popped a week ago sitting in a humid kitchen, your reputation, career and next promotion are being impacted.

A resume without energy, pop and sizzle will sit.  In fact, it may never be read.

Think about it.  If you are busy, do you want to read a lifeless, seemingly endless list of job duties or do you want to know who this person is and what they can do for you?  The latter, I bet.  The same is true for busy hiring managers.

If you have not updated your resume in the last 90 days, it is time to do so.  That’s right, update it once a quarter.  Resumes have a short shelf life.

Before you do anything to your resume spend a week with it.  Here’s how:

1. Read it three times a day.  Once in the morning, once after lunch and once in the evening.  One of these times read it aloud.
2. After a week, grab a highlighter and highlight the accomplishments/results you achieved in the last six months or a year.  Where are these within the document?
3. Grab a different color highlighter and mark your relevant brand attributes.
4. Finally, grab a pen and mark out the parts that bore you, date you or are no longer relevant to the work you are doing or want to do.

Now you are ready to begin to update it and make your resume pop.  No more stale, lifeless resume for you.

Are you too close to your resume?  Do you want another set of eyes to give you feedback on your resume?   A resume critique may interest you.

Do you have a resume question?  Post it below.

Building your know, like and trust factor (aka KLT) is a critical component in a successful career.  Whether you have stepped into a new position, or soon will do so, know that it requires sustained engagement with influencers and advocates in your industry to be known, liked and trusted.

Yes, knowledge and experience are first steps, yet to be trusted as an expert your must also be known and develop clout, both in your organization and your industry.  To build trust, you must also market your expertise and your results.

Begin to build your visibility by assisting others and by being a strong brand ambassador for yourself and your organization.  Grow your external visibility by volunteering and staying connected to channels of trade that support your industry.  This allows you to stay engaged with key influencers inside and outside your industry and organization.

Share your knowledge and passion in relevant ways.  Write for a newsletter or mentor others.  Talk regularly to your boss and other key influencers.  Understand who the thought leaders are in your field and follow and engage them — making sure you have a strong online presence.

Here are three actions not to overlook:

1. Actively manager your online profiles, keeping them accurate and up-to-date.
2. Build your own thought leadership.  Write articles or a blog.  Curate and share content about your field/industry.  Become known as a subject matter expert.
3. Engage and stay engaged.  Relationships do count — both in person and online.  Read, comment and share information.  Introduce like-minded people.  Connect with thought leaders at meetings, conferences, and online.  Make phone calls. Write notes and send them by ‘snail mail’.

Read the reports and articles of others in your organization and industry.  Learn what is important to them.  Note what they are reading and watching.  Listen twice as much as you talk.  Social media has made connecting and sharing information with individuals in your industry so much easier than in years past.

Creating KLT is an ongoing process.  It requires that you build and maintain expertise; build and maintain relationships and share what you know.  Doing so provides proof of your influence and shows hiring managers that you are liked and trusted by people in your organization and industry.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  ~ Seneca

You have declared your desire for a new job — at least to yourself.

You have ‘itchy feet’ and are ready to walk out the door.
You want more recognition, satisfaction and compensation.
You are flat unhappy at work — be it with your boss or the work — you name it and you’re not pleased about it.

What’s holding you back from searching for a new position?

Is it time?  Fear?  Or a concern about your next salary level?

Maybe you are unsure of what to do first.  You know the marketplace has changed since you last search for a job.

Good news is that a little focus, clarity and planning will help you accelerate your search.  Here are 6 questions to help you do just that:

1. Why do you work?
2. Why do you really want a new job?
3. What value are you known for in the workplace?
4. What type of organization do you desire to work for?
5. Who do you know in the organizations where you desire to work?
6. How will you connect with the people you know?

Taking the time to answer these questions before you start to update your resume will help you in your quest for a new job.  It is easier than you think to accelerate your search and reduce job search stress.

Of course, if you need more clarity, you can dig a little deeper.  Ask additional questions to help bring sharp focus and clarity to your next career move.  What questions would you add to the list above?

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends using the links below!  Post a note, share your question and thoughts in the comments.  If you want help accelerating your search and landing the job you want contact me HERE.

LinkedIn is a great tool.

Yet you can  harm your online presence with just a few common mistakes.

Fortunately, like skinning your knee, the mistakes are easy to avoid and usually not fatal.  Your profile should always be more helpful than harmful.

Recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates.  Hiring managers use LinkedIn to prep for interviews and decide who lands on the short list.

Your network contacts (new and established) access and use your LinkedIn profile to share information about you, connect with you and decide if they would like to do business with you.  Review your profile.  What messages are you sending?

Check your profile for these 4 common mistakes:

1. Pasting your résumé into your profile.  Personalize your LinkedIn profile.  Use it as a gateway platform to your online presence.  With LinkedIn’s volume and traffic your profile shows up in most searches for you.  Create a compelling summary that gains you favorable attention.
2. Ignoring the details.  Your LinkedIn profile is a 24-7 marketing site for you.  Optimize your profile so it will be found in a search.  Focus on your key skills, the benefits you offer and the problems you solve.  Be selective and highlight the talents for which you want to be known. Include your contact information.
3. Being generic. Your profile needs to pop and paint a clear picture of you.  If it reads like a dry job description, it may be ignored.  Manage your endorsements.  People hire people, not lists of skills.  Include your personality.
4. Dropping in only occasionally. Create a plan to engage in the community and regularly update your LinkedIn profile.  Just as not returning a phone call reflects your lack of interest, so does not responding on LinkedIn.  A slow response reveals much to those who use LinkedIn as a recruiting or sourcing tool.  Drop in often.  Be visible.

Now, edit your profile as appropriate to be in the running for the ‘right’ positions.

Do you think your schedule is too busy for a great, well-managed LinkedIn profile?  You can have a great LinkedIn profile and manage it in just minutes a week.

Email me to learn more about effectively managing your LinkedIn profile.  I will send you a video link and a fun tip sheet.

No doubt you have heard of the “Golden Hour.”  In photography, it is that amazing period of time at dawn’s first light or the last hour of light before sunset.  In medicine, specifically emergency medicine, it is the critical period of time believed to make the difference in saving a life after traumatic injury.

Each of these references relate to a concept of time that when leveraged either creates or sustains important life moments.  One can mean life or death.  The other can mean an amazing image captured for eternity or lost forever.  While no two medical situations or sunsets are created equal, skilled professionals understand they must be fully present in each moment, apply their skills and leverage what is before them to ensure the best possible outcome.

Careers, too, have a golden period.  Professionals who are aware, prepared and ready to act can turn those periods into gold.  Conversely, failing to see or leverage critical moments can result in a traumatic blow to your job satisfaction or even the death of your career.

For all careers there are golden periods when making the right moves and decisions make the difference in landing your next position.

Are you like the photographer witnessing the dawning of a beautiful day, but without your camera?  Do you have the right tools to land the position you desire?

Are you ready for a new position?

What is the impact on your earnings for the next five years if you fail to leverage the opportunities presented in your golden period?

What do you need to do today to make your golden period work for you?  Post your comments and/or thoughts below.

Networking gets a bad rap sometimes.  I think it’s because networkers forget the basic reason for networking — connecting with people and building relationships.  That’s it.

The goal is not to get something from someone.  The goal is to get to know people.  People are amazing and fun — and great resources.

Here are 6 tips to help with networking, whether you love to do it or if you want to improve your skills:  

1. Identify well-attended events.

Select events that will help you expand your contacts within your industry.   Leverage the events you always attend and add other events to your calendar.  Look for events where you can meet new contacts.

2. Set a budget for 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 — and do it with a grateful heart.

3. Set a schedule for networking

There are so many events you could attend.   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 keep you focused.

4. Leverage your existing relationships and connections.

Are there people you want to see or speak with?  Is getting an appointment on their calendar tough?  Seek events where you know those people will attend.  Connect ahead of time and arrange a time to talk at the event.  This uses your time (and theirs!) effectively.

5. Stand out in the crowd

Know how you want to differentiate yourself from others at an event.  You want to gain favorable attention with key contacts and those who can help you land your dream job.  Know who will be at the event and be open to the opportunities before you.  Don’t sell, rather ask questions and get to know people.

6. Leverage your online network and online events

Many events are growing and some events combine both online and face-to-face experiences.  If you get an “Evite” with an RSVP treat it as you would any invitation with an RSVP.  If you need to check in – do it.  Check the list for who is attending — you may wish to add someone to your “connect with” list.  If you can’t join in person and the event is live-streamed join online.

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

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.

The recent news of high-profile data breaches has IT professionals reminding us of the importance of protecting our personal information.  Data breaches are costly to both companies and individuals.  If you have ever experienced a personal data breach you know how much time (and hassle!) it takes to clear up the situation.

Where is your career data stored?  Is is current?  Is it secure?  Can you access it with ease?

If you are exploring a new position or promotion, you are busy.  A commonly overlooked task is ensuring the security of your career data.  Knowing the location of your data, ensuring it is current and accessing it with ease is important.  When you can access your information quickly, people view you as prepared, organized and on top of your personal matters.

Since you are already gathering tax information this time of year, set aside a bit of additional time to gather, update and secure your career data.  Then, when you get “the call” you can quickly provide all the information requested.  You will be glad you invested the time to ensure your online career data is current, secure and accessible.

Your LinkedIn account is a good place to start.  Next, move to your email and company directory bios.  Finally, create a list of all your online accounts and move through the list.  Use the following six steps to assist you:

1.  Change your password.  Use different passwords for different sites.

2.  Review and update your “Privacy Settings.”

3.  Update your email or digest settings; turn off those you don’t need or use.

4.  Verify your contact information.  Update as appropriate.

5.  Check your links to websites and other accounts.  Update as needed.

6.  Read your profile.  Update as needed.

Final tip — take out your calendar and add an appointment in 90 days to review your information.  Maintaining your career data by setting regular appointments creates a simple habit that reduces stress and worry.

Does your LinkedIn profile need a little TLC?  Contact me to set up a LinkedIn profile review.

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.

Here are six tips that ease stress, magnify minor acts and help you sustain your career year after year.  Success and unending happiness are not far from your reach.

1.  Harness the unique power of good habits.  Be a slave to habits grounded in the principles important to you.  You will quickly tap into amazing opportunities, success and wealth beyond your current imagination.

2.  Act every day with intention.  Do the work you need to do.  Focus on the blind spots that hold you back.  Discard the notion that the acts of preparation, reflection and work on yourself is busy work.  Those who decide only to do surface personal work for fear of what they will uncover stall career growth and progress, holding desired success inches out of reach. Overwhelm and doubt always knock at the door of minimal action.

3.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your strengths, your gifts and your skills.  Believe in all that you are.  The unique journey before you is leading you to success.  Belief in yourself is not optional, it is required.  Believe NOW!

4.  Initiate, practice and repeat.  Your simple commitment to repeating productive practices push failure out of sight.  Repetition soon creates habits which will subdue activities that previously lead you astray.

5.  Today, not tomorrow, is the day to begin.  Why waste another beautiful and amazing day you can never recapture?

6.  Success awaits you.  It is yours, uniquely given.  Be ready, able and willing to embrace those daily actions that many already call habits.

Habits create processes and ease stress.  Habits will magnify strengths and sustain your career success and unending happiness.

What powerful habit energizes you?  Post your habit and how it boosts your career below.