Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Coaching or preparing to fire, which is it?

I got a call from someone who had attended one of my presentations several months ago.  He said he landed a job after 50 weeks of searching and had been on the job about 30 days.  His question, “Am I destined to fail in this job and should I quit now and I start a new job search?”

Hearing fear in his voice, I ask what had just happened.  He shared that in 20+ years of work he had never been coached on his performance until that morning. His new boss sat down with him to discuss his performance during the first 30 days.  His reaction was that he was destined to fail and that his “30 something boss” did not like him because of his age and experience and he wanted to know if he should go in the next day and quit.

WOW!  The company he joined had high standards.  He was told during the interview that the boss would review his performance and goals monthly.  His attitude was he had heard that before, it had never happened.  He viewed this experience in a very negative light and wanted to quit rather than be fired.

As the severe recession ends and companies rush to hire they may relax their hiring criteria, but not their standards.  They may also hire rookies without industry experience and train them.  Not at all a bad thing, everyone does their best to consistently hire talent with the skills to do the job, and who fit into the culture of the organization but no one bats a 1000 all the time.  In my view, a 30- day check in is great for all and a win-win.

One bad hire can cost a department or a company big time, in profits, morale, etc.  As this gentleman noted in over 20+ years, no one had discussed his performance with him.  Was his new boss doing the right thing?

How do you feel when someone agrees to a meeting with you to review progress, and offers input on areas that require improvement?

Many people work for 90 days or a probation period without the personal awareness to ask about their performance or a boss who trains, coaches and is interested in their performance or its improvement.  The result the job does not continue and they don’t have a clear understanding of why they didn’t make it.

What advice would you offer?  Should he quit?

What would you do?

Do you want to dramatically increase the number of personal referrals to the job you want?

Then engage your personal advocates! Personal advocates are people who know you, like you, trust you and want the best for you and it is up to you to educate your personal advocates, and be sure they know what you’re up to, your goals, who your target companies are, what positions you are targeting and why you are a good fit for both the target position and the target companies.

When you start your job search prepare what I call an “update letter” and send it to your personal advocates. I suggest sharing what you have been up to, what you are looking forward to doing, your one-paragraph résumé, and as appropriate a personal update. Next review your contacts, network, colleagues and co-workers. Create an initial list of possible advocates. Create your plan to engage your advocates. Execute – send your “update letter” and don’t to follow up.

Accelerate your search today!

Do you have tips that have helped you engage your advocates? I would enjoy hearing about them. Feel free to share them here.

There was a time when you could sit on the sidelines and not incorporate social media into your job search with little impact, however many including me believe that time has come and gone.  Social media is a now a mainstream way of connecting and conducting business online.   You do not have to like social media, but you do need to understand that it is part of business and here to stay.

Many businesses are increasing their use of social media for marketing and recruiting.  It may not be your favorite marketing choice or the way you prefer to discover opportunities nor may and you enjoy participating in social media, but it is a facet of the internet that continues to grow, and to become more and more important as a business tool and the way business is done.

Are you still holding out, hoping you will land a job without having to jump into social media or having to learn more than one social media platform?  Ok, I get it. 

But the truth is as the use of social media grows, you should at least consider how you could use it, and create a strategy to become familiar with the different social media platforms.  As you do so, you can decide if and which social media platform is best to use it to achieve your goals.

Here are a few questions to ask:

Could a step into social media to add value to your career?

Would social media create or improve the experience a potential employer would have with you?

How much time are you willing to dedicate to any a social media platform you use now and when you return to work?

Currently there are about 15 million unemployed persons in the US, and there are more than 2 billion product marketers, businesses and consumers that use the internet each and every day. To stand out among that level of competition, you need a plan to succeed. 

What is your plan?

For years I have been helping job seekers tell their story in a clear manner.  At some point almost all job seekers figure out the importance of being able to tell potential employers their story, and to respond to “tell me about yourself” in a clear and authentic manner. 

In today’s world managing your personal brand online and offline is not just a good idea, but a requirement.  If you are serious about your career, your job search and your reputation you not only need to be able to tell your story in person in a clear, consistent manner to be known, liked, trusted and hired, you must also be able to tell your story online.

Your online presence, and your online your identity will tell a story.  You can either manage your online presence and your online identity to tell your story or you can allow search engines and maybe others to cobble together information about you.

If you are still sitting on the fence, hoping those around you are wrong about all “the buzz” about social media, or if you still think social media and an online presence is just for tech savvy professionals and not for you, for those in your industry or professional – think again!

There was a time you could elect not to have an online presence, I believe that time has passed. Not having a strategy for an online presence may be very costly.  So maybe you will be lucky and find a job before you need to worry about your online profile, or online identity or maybe not. Stop making excuses and think of the benefits of offering your story.

A solid personal story communicated via your online presence offers a consistent message to help you grab the attention of your audience.  It defines who you are, and what you have to offer with the right amount of history and detail about the value and impact your can offer without choking the reader’s interest with unwanted or surplus details. 

Telling your story well helps your create an emotional connection.  It can be the first step in helping someone, get to know you, and like you.  Once someone has knowledge of you, and finds you likable, you are on your way to creating a foundation for trust.  All lasting relationships are built on a solid foundation of know, like and trust. 

You can overcome first impressions, and the cobbled together story search engines may tell about you, but at what cost?  Do you have time to do that?   Do you want to do that?

In most cases it really comes down to “pay now, or pay later”.  Do you want to invest time and energy now, to be prepared, to establish your brand, and take time to building your online presence now or later?  Do you want to set yourself up to be known, liked, and trusted?  Then spend a little time and energy each week managing your brand, and your online presence, or do you want to take your chances and invest later. 

What are the costs the missed opportunities and that you need to overcome a poor first impression?  Maybe you believe the cost will go down over time!  That has not been my experience neither the experience of most of the people I know.

Everyone has a personal brand and an online identity.  Is your story helping your online presence?  Does it help you accelerate your search?   If not, what are you doing about it?

Take a quick look.  Does your format need an update? Does it communicate value and the salary you deserve?

With the tendency of firms to hire those who have been unemployed for shorter periods of time first, if you have been looking for work for more than 27 weeks, you are considered to be among the “long-term” unemployed. 

The dates are the dates, but if the other information on your résumé is also dated this could be impacting your search.  Have you updated (yes, updated not targeted) your résumé in the last 90 days?

Take a look at the Header – that is “prime real estate”.  What does your email address and phone number say about you?  Does it say you invest in yourself and keep up with what’s current?  Is the style competitive for your professional and industry?  Did you include your LinkedIn Vanity URL as a Hyper-Link?

Does the design grab attention?  Does your content sell your brand, skills, value, achievements and paint a vivid picture of what you can do to address the employer’s needs?  Does that image match the salary you want?

Does your résumé need a facelift?   What are you doing about it?

Well, I do.  “The Dip” by Seth Godin is one of those books I just finished again.  It is described as a short book about quitting and being the best in the world.

If you are frustrated with your search, take a break and read this book.

Then share your thoughts.

Ready for success?   Need some help?  Have questions about your job search?

Sign up to the right, join the Q & A calls and ask your questions.

According to industry experts, who provide pre-employment screening services and résumé fact checking services, as many as 30% of résumés contain false or incorrect information.  Your résumé is a very important marketing tool.  Employers understand a résumé is a marketing tool, but they also view a résumé as a factual document.

Employers are looking to hire both someone who can do the job and who fits with the team.  Here are six quick tips to ensure your résumé is saying what is important to employers and helping you get interviews.

Be factual and to the point, make your résumé easy to read and interesting.

1. Include specifics on your past performance.  Employers know past performance is the best indicator of future performance.  Don’t make an employer guess or read between the lines to understand your past performance record.
2. Explain what you did to maintain your skills during any employment gaps.
3. Offer job related, credible evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience.
4. Customize and target your résumé for each position.
5. Be sure your résumé communicates who you are and the unique value you offer to the position and the organization.

Do you have questions about your résumé? 

Sign up to the right, join the Q & A calls and ask your questions.

“A parked car needs no navigation.” ~ Unknown

Have you ever been lost and ask yourself shoud I park the car now and figure out what direction to go? 

Should you park your job search now because it is off track?

This is an interesting and very true quote.   I often share it when I am working with someone who has parked their search for a while and with those who, for one reason or another have elected to park their search for a time.   As you noticed I parked this blog for a time. 

I recently lost my Dad.  I miss him every day.   He taught me a great deal about navigating life, often in very unique and interesting ways.   I learned early in life from him, if you don’t know where you are going, and you don’t have a plan to get where you want to go, the odds of ending up where you want to go are slim. 

I parked this blog, to reflect, and determine what’s next.  Another lesson from my Dad, it is easier to read the map and figure out where you are going if the car is parked. 

Do you need to park your search? 

Could it help you to stop, for a few days and access where you are?

It is critical to know where you are to determine how to get to where you want to be.

If you need some help assessing where you are or what is the next best move for your career or job search, a great place to park is on our bi-weekly Q & A calls.  Sign up to the right, join the calls and ask your questions.  You may just find the map you need to figure out your next step.

I believe landing the job you want fast means helping a potential employer hire you.  Here are a few tips I would offer all candidates about connecting your references and potential employers:

Prepare your references: Be sure your references have a copy of your résumé and keep your references posted on your job search progress. After each interview that moves forward schedule a call with your references to review the position, your background and why the job is a great fit for you and what you can offer to the position.  Don’t forget to review how your past accomplishments demonstrate what you are going to do for your next employer.

Help your references connect: Find out who will call your reference and provide that information to your references.  If you reference are hard to reach, help with the scheduling if needed, suggest the best times and best methods to connect your references.

Follow up: It is critical to follow up with your references to see how the conversation went.  What should you be aware of, did the employer have concerns or are there red flags, points, or items you should know about, affirm or address with your future employer.

Thank your references: Drop a personal note in the mail to each of your references to say thanks for their help, and the time they invested in you and your career.  You would be surprised how many people forget to say “Thank You” to a reference.  Don’t forget to also let your references know when you land and start a new job.

Believe it or not your references can tip the scale in your favor or break the deal ensuring someone else is the finalist for the job you want.

What additional suggestions do you have to prepare your references?

“Write injuries in sand, kindnesses in marble.” ~ French Proverb

Hope you had a great two weeks!

The quote above is one I shared this week with a super person.  A talented professional, highly skilled and in very unique position, yet stuck.

Being stuck happens.  Getting angry happens.  However it is always a choice that keeps you stuck or angry.

I know.  I did it many years ago and the cost was very high.  Staying angry and staying stuck for a long time about the end of a job was a BIG WASTE.   I wasted energy, time, my talent, it impacted my health and it hurt others.

Any time you are attempting to sort out events or things that made you angry use caution.  You may not have access to all the information or the facts, even when you think you do.  It is easy to “fill in the blanks” and “tell yourself a story”.

Be careful about the story you tell yourself as you fill in the blanks and “Write injuries in sand…” especially about the people and events that cause you injury.  Wind, rain, and many other factors can and do move sand around easily!

Think of a sandcastle at the beach.  One minute it adorns the landscape, then a wave comes in and it is gone.

In business, organizations can and do make decisions for thousands of reasons, and sometimes those decisions are poorly planned, communicated, or executed.  The outcome of some decisions will be  dramatic and immediate and then the  outcome of other decisions may take months or years to be seen or may have little or no impact at all.

When an organization decides to make a change, to reduce staff, change job functions or duties of staff, layoff staff, or terminate one or many ~ PEOPLE are impacted.  Each person in the organization decides what they will do with the change.

Some professionals see the end of a job is a powerful force that moves them forward at once to the next great adventure.  Others see the blow is dramatic, career ending and the end of a job stops them in their tracks.

In lieu of a viewing the situation as a business decision and moving on, some professionals become focused on the hurt or emotion they feel.  They write the “hurt” of losing a job in marble and review the “hurt” over and over.

They focus on the “hurt”.  They etch the “hurt” in marble and then they carry the big piece of marble around with them to help tell the story.    They tell themselves the “bad” the story over and over.  Then they freely share the “story” and “negative energy” with all who will listen.

Do you write messages in sand or marble?   Does it matter?