Accelerate Your Search™ Now

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

The job search can be the toughest job you will ever have.  Sometimes despite “positive thinking,” great marketing, resolve, determination, focus on your goals and vision, doubts jump into your thoughts.  Go ahead, admit it.

Pause and think about how you FEEL about building, connecting and interacting with your network.  Those feelings dictates how your network grows, how fast you have an impact and your growth to the next level.

Sometimes when you reach for the phone or start to type an email your inner voice of doubt begins to chatter.  It asks, “Why would this person be interested in hearing from me, we’ve not talked in years?” or “What will this person think of me?”  You don’t want to be known as “underemployed and begging for help” or “that person that needs help to make it.”

When inner doubt shows up it can change how you feel.  The way we feel directly impacts the actions we take.  Especially in marketing ourselves, our value, and with whom we are willing to share information.

What you choose to do (or not to do) will determine the opportunities you have and those you will find.  Actions directly impact the results you achieve, your income and your success.  The choice of what to do will also impact how you FEEL and ACT this afternoon and tomorrow.

Discover how you feel.  Decide if you like it or not.   Decide if you want to change it or not.

How you feel shows up in how you THINK and ACT.  If you feel bad, do you what that to continue?

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

Intellectually, you and I already know you have significant value to offer.  Why not grow the value you offer by sharing it with the world or at least your network?

Have the courage to BELIEVE the results you achieve are indeed coming from your feelings, thoughts and actions.  Be a magnet for success and prosperity in your search.  FEEL confident about your value and be willing to ACT.  You must be aware of your feelings and take action or your will miss the opportunities available within your network.

Assess your network.  Take inventory of the people you know.  As in any business, inventory is an asset and will impact your bottom line.

The network of people you know is a component of your social and business capital.  Who are your critical connections?  Who are the critical connections you need to add to your network?

Create a plan to connect and stay connected.  Who knows you?  Who likes you?  Who trusts you?  Who will you connect with this week?  How will you stay connected?

Share your feelings and thoughts below.  Do you need help with your networking plan?  Give Cindy a call.

Have you given culture much thought?  Seventy-five percent of the executives I work with rank culture more important than pay.

Is the culture of an organization important to you?  Are you struggling to discover a company’s culture?

If you are looking for a promotion, new position or considering a career transformation and fit is important to you, may I suggest you give some thought to culture. Start by think about the culture of your current or last company.

I believe there are two critical things to understand about an organization’s culture:  (1) all organizations have a desired culture and (2) an actual culture.

Often there is a big difference between the desired culture and the actual culture.  This may be because the organization is growing and changing.  Culture does not usually change fast.  Organizations in transition may also have teams or key leaders wearing grey or rose-colored glasses.

Here are proven steps to researching and discovering company culture:

1. Begin by recording your view of the company culture.  Note why you have this view, then note the evidence that supports your view.

2. Look for and read about what the organization states about its culture.  Note your sources, then note the behaviors and actions that indicate there is evidence of the stated culture.

3. Connect with and ask a representative sample of people within the organization about the culture.  Note what your sample tells you.  Realize that cultures have sub-groups or sub-cultures.  Be sure to gather data from a diverse group of people or you may only discover part of the culture.

4.  Connect with and ask vendors and customers about the culture of the organization.  Realize that cultures have layers and may look and feel different from various angles or points of view.  Again note what you are told.

5.  List what you discovered about the culture.  Verify your data.  Determine what you have learned about the culture.  Note how you fit (or don’t) into the culture you discovered.

Don’t forget company cultures evolve and change at a pace different than many other elements of business.  Be careful if you are only talking to people who ‘once upon a time’ worked or did business with the organization.  As you review your notes, think about the key factors that influence a company’s culture:  growth rate, age of the company, industry norms, competitiveness, company strategy and supporting tactics.

Also, culture is influenced by the leadership and management style of those you work for and the job itself.   The culture of an IT department may differ from the culture of an accounting department.

In five simple steps you have collected the data to discover and analyze the culture of a company you are interested in joining. When your transformation includes finding a specific culture or if culture in general is important to you, this data is helpful.

Will you invest the time and resources to discover some of the key components of the company’s actual culture?  If you need help removing your culture blinders, assessing where you fit, or seeing the blind spots that tripped you up in the past, let’s talk.

Have an amazing week!

Do you dislike networking?  Why is that?

Do you lack skill in this area or is something else holding you back?

Do you want to be a more effective networker?

Often professionals considering a career move or seeking a new position ask how important networking is to success.  My reply?  “Networking is critical to your career.”

When I inquire as to why they are asking, their answers vary.  Here are the most common replies from my clients:

“I am not a skilled networker.”

“Making small talk is not my thing, that’s why I don’t like to network.”

“Starting a one-on-one conversation is frightening.  I just can’t do it.”

“I find silence dreadful.”

“Networking seems like a waste of my time.”

“If networking is what it takes to get a promotion, I am worried about being promoted.”

Do any of these sound like you?

Professionals need networking skills.  At work, and in the world, you need to be able to effectively connect, engage and communicate with different people in various settings.  One of the best ways to develop networking skills is repeated practice of solid techniques.

Though, for many of my clients the challenge of effective networking is not totally about skill.  The actual issues can range from less than effective venues to support their goals to the type of networking they have selected to poor networking techniques.  Any of these issues can result in time invested with limited results leaving your feeling like networking is just a waste of your time.

For other clients, the challenges revolve around fears or beliefs about networking.  The big fears that show up for my clients are:

• Fear of starting a conversation
• Fear of not knowing what to say
• Fear of saying the wrong thing
• Fear of trying something outside of your comfort zone

Here is a quick assignment to help you see what you need to tackle first.  Jot down your answers to the following questions:

• What do you dislike about networking?
• What do you believe about networking?
• Do you want to improve your networking skills and/or networking venues?
• Are you happy and content with your current level of networking success?

Now that you have noted your answers, you will know what to tackle first.  Your answers will also help you determine if skill, fear or some combination is your biggest challenge.

Your next step is simple.  Decide what, if anything, you want to change.  Is this an area worth tackling?  You can start today and be networking more effectively by the end of the week.  You can discover more about tackling your challenges <here>.

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below or give me a call.  I am happy answer your questions.

My wish for you is amazing abundance and success in the new year.  You possess everything you need to launch a fun, exciting and prosperous 2014!

Now, you might have a doubt or two.  We all do sometimes.  Turn all that doubt, fear and stress into belief, hope and absolute optimism.  Before you stop and say, “Forget it!” — remember your thoughts drive your beliefs, your beliefs drive your attitudes, your attitude drives your behaviors and your behaviors drive your results.  All results are impacted by your thoughts — your happiness, abundance, prosperity, who you are and how the world sees you.

If you don’t like your results, look at your thoughts first.  Your thoughts and your focus are the drivers of who you are and who you become.  Below is a four-step process to help you move forward with optimism:

1. Select one of your distressing thoughts.  For example, you made a call and the call was not returned.
2. Change the distressing thought into a successful thought, i.e., I placed a call and it was returned within 2 days.  Notice that finding successful thoughts is as simple as looking for the opposite.
3. For the next 24 hours repeat the success thought 7-9 times during the day.  You are on your way to changing your thoughts.
4. Repeat this practice for 21 days.  Yes, the average time to change a thought or a habit.  Warning:  it may take more than a few days before you repeat only the success thought.  The old distressing thought is a habit and you may repeat it before you check it and return to the success thought.  That is O.K. — just stay the course.

Change your thoughts, change your life.  May you have all the change and success you desire in the coming new year!

Have an amazing year!

A few weeks ago, I was seated at one of 30 or more tables at a large event waiting for a conference session to begin.  A lovely woman selected the seat beside me, we began to chat and she asked what I did.  I explain I help talented professionals land the job they want fast and with less stress.  She looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked “Is it possible to recover from a bad interview?”  The emotion in her voice startled me, so I asked a few questions. 

What a story!  The job she wanted and had opened up over a weekend when the person in the job became ill.  She heard about it and decided she should update her résumé.  The following week she was traveling with the VP for two days, this was common so she did not think much about it.  At the end of the second day she realized the trip had also been a two day interview about the job, her business unit, her results and her future goals.  She was totally unprepared. 

She realized she told the VP during the trip she had doubts she could do the next level job, that it was not the right time to move from the current position and the she did not have the experience to be successful.  The questions she said she was asking herself every day were interesting too – why did this happen to her? – Why was her company so cagey with this interview? – why didn’t they just schedule an interview?  Finally, she told me how mad she was at herself for not knowing she could be faced with this type of interview.  The session started and we did not finish the conversation.

What happened here happens more than you think.  This lovely talented successful woman was afraid to be successful.  She allowed her ego and her mindset to keep her just where she was in the job she was doing.  She made excuses and allowed doubt, worry and fear to take control and keep her in her current job.  She was not aware and conscious of the opportunity until the end of the trip and she had not decided she wanted the promotion.

Your mind is very powerful.  Until you decide what you want and become committed nothing will change. Even if the opportunity is before you if you are not committed your mind will go to work to protect you and keep you safe and where you are.

I talk a great deal about the need for focus in your job search, to target what you want.  You must be commitment – this story is a great example.  I believe if this woman had been committed to landing the new position, and she had decided she wanted the new position, her experience would have been different.

She would have expected the interview.  She would have been grateful for the opportunity to travel and discuss her future and she would have taken action to have been prepared to talk about her future goals, her business unit, etc.

What decision and action do you need to take to be ready to land the job you want?

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Have a question? Sign up and join me on the next Q & A call, ask your question and get an answer.

Need specific ways to speed up your search?  Look to the right and request my gift to you – “162 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search and Land the Job You Want”.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

Body language or nonverbal communication is very important to your career, your job search and your success in life.  There has been more than one candidate who lost the second interview due to his/her nonverbal communication.  Like the guy who was leading the pack of candidates until, he pounded his fist on the table as he shared a story about his leadership style.

You body language during networking or interviewing can extend your job search or help you land the job.  Be sure you understand what you do, what you want to communicate and how your communication may be viewed by the people you engage and approach. 

As you prepare for your interview, you will also need to think about your influence strategy for getting the salary you deserve.  Will your goal be increasing the attractiveness of what you offer or will your goal be reducing the decision maker’s resistance to your salary request? 

How will you know the best approach?

Will matching your nonverbal behavior with your strategy impact the outcome? 

Dr. Noah J. Goldstein in Body Language and Persuasion: A Scientific Approach shares research results that show how important it can be to match your nonverbal behaviors with whichever strategy you select.

What are your thoughts on body language and nonverbal behaviors? 

Can you recall a time when someone’s nonverbal communication impacted your decision?  

Will your nonverbal communication increase or decrease your salary?

Do you have an insight to add?   If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts & questions.  You can add your comments below.

“The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Do you need a Plan B? Or should you just to say yes to the opportunities around you?

As I looked forward to the New Year I was asking myself if I needed a Plan B, because 2010 was ending differently, than I had hoped.  December began with seemingly few opportunities, and my planning for 2011 was proceeding in a very cautious manner.

Then, one of my mentors shared the above quote with me and what followed was a discussion on why we often question or wonder if we have what it takes to achieve our goals. She asked, what was holding me back why was I afraid to leave my comfort zone.  Then the big questions “why is it still a challenge for you to step up? and “why are you using caution as an excuse?”

When she asked the questions, I did not have the answers.  In fact my thoughts were negative, defensive, and I knew from that reaction, I needed to find the answer and quick. So, in lieu of answering I asked to give the questions some thought and get back to her.  In her style and with a kind smile she said “Okay, let’s talk tomorrow.”

Then later the same day, after several conversations with job seekers and some of my clients, the answers came to me – YES, I was using caution as an excuse.  I see this so often in others in their job search, career transitions, or business, yet I was doing the same thing.  I needed others around me to hold up a mirror, so I could see what I was doing.

My normal no-excuses get it done approach had slowed.  I too, was making an excuse and I was not sure why.

Looking back over the events of the past six months, I was questioning if I had the courage to do what I needed to do and could I learn what I needed to learn.  Where was I going to find the information, time, etc?  I was afraid, time, information and the need for a Plan B were just excuses. 

Was I just going to allow fear stop me?  Would I just stay in my comfort zone by repeating the excuses until I believed them?  Have you ever felt that way?

The opportunities are right in front of me.  Yet my fear and my lack of willingness to say YES to the opportunities were holding my back. 

What I realized is that until I said yes to challenge and the opportunities around me, I could not say yes to learning and doing what would be needed to step up and out of my comfort zone.  Once I realized this I also realized the information was easily available.  The help I needed was also available, therefore I did not need a Plan B, I just needed the courage to step up, stop making excuses, and say yes to the opportunities in front of me.

For me, talking about a Plan B was an excuse. It was a way, not to say yes.  You MUST say yes to the opportunities around you, if you are asking yourself if you need a Plan B.  Before you develop a Plan B, ask yourself some tough questions:

What is holding you back?  Are you saying yes to the opportunities around you?  Are you using caution as an excuse?  Have you been afraid to leave your comfort zone? Are you using excuses like the economy and the high unemployment rate to avoid stepping up and out of your comfort zone?   It is easy to do, I know, I too have done it.

Are you willing to say Yes and then do what it takes?  Do you have the courage to do step up?

The job search process has changed.  If you are still, hiding behind your computer screen, applying online, posting your résumé, and waiting for a call you are not saying yes to the opportunities around you.  These “old” ways to job search are not enough to land the job you want.

If you ready to step up and you are willing to say yes to the opportunities around you, why not take the first step? 

Take the first step, embrace the journey to success say “Yes, I am willing to go on this journey.  That simple act is an amazing and a simple thing, your willingness to say “Yes” and then take action to see and act on the many opportunities around is very powerful as well as humbling.

Do you have the courage to say yes? 

It can be scary.  The simple and super neat thing is that saying yes, is that it opens the doors to all you need.  Saying yes and then taking action, qualifies you for what you may need to achieve your goals, no matter what it is.  A connection, resources, skills, information, experience, time, or help, have the courage to say yes and whatever you need shows up. 

Now, you must still reach out and take action or the opportunities will go to someone else.  Saying yes, and having the courage to step up, is the first step to reaching your goals.

Do you have the courage to step into the fear, to see and embrace the opportunities, to grow, and to take action?   Or will you stay in your comfort zone, settle for mediocrity, or create Plan B within your comfort zone?

If you are ready to land the job you want, fast and with less stress, say yes to the opportunities around you.  Step up and have the courage to take action.

If you are ready to say yes, and take action I am happy to help you.  Start the New Year with proven action steps. 

I am happy to share proven ways to accelerate your search and take action.  Go to AccelerateYourSearch   complete the form and I will send you “162 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search”.

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Hubbard’s words ring true for your job search too.  Be careful that you don’t take your job search to seriously or not seriously enough.  Either end of the scale can be fatal to your career.

I have worked with thousands of people engaged in a job search.  Some are not serious enough about the “job search” and others are so serious about the job search it consumes each minute of the day.

Both of these paths will impact your success.  If you are not serious enough you may lose focus, miss opportunities and often extend a search so long that the prolonged search causes damage to your finances, your career and earnings potential.  Being too serious about a job search can also result in lack of focus, damage to your relationships, lack of balance and tons of effort in the wrong direction.

Do you have the right balance in your job search?

What are you taking too seriously in your job search?

What in your job search should be more serious?

Is the job search you are conducting effective?

For years video has been used in career management to help the career minded advance their career.  However, again the Internet is changing how we use video.

Early in 2009, there was an explosion of people recording 60-second video clips and video resumes as local Cable TV groups and others began to help job seekers produce videos designed to grab attention and help people land jobs.

Some of these videos popped and made a great impression and others, well a not so great impression.  This trend was like the early use of VHS tapes mailed to firms by new grads with a goal of landing an interview, some were top quality, well done and others were not.

In December 2009, William Arruda, the Founder of Reach Personal Branding shared his predictions on the top trends for 2010 in Personal Branding.  His top prediction was “Video, Video, Video”.  On Thursday, William Arruda and the Reach team launched personalbranding.TV (PB.TV) if you are interested in how video can help you advance your career and your personal brand you must check this new site out.

I have followed the work of William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson since 2007, when I first read “Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand”.  This is a book I have re-read several times and share with others often.  In my view William is the top expert on Personal Branding and watching his new site and learning from him and team of Personal Branding experts is worth your time.

Instead of just using video to land an interview or to be better prepared to interview by seeing ourselves as others see us, today’s trend is to use video to help communicate your brand.  Are you ready to communicate your brand via video?

We all have a personal brand.  Most of us understand little about how to leverage our personal brand, communicate our personal brand and really build a strong personal brand.  Just as strong corporate brands fair better in economic downturns, so do individuals with strong personal brands.  If you have a strong personal brand and you are clear about your target audience and communicate your unique points of differentiation to the companies you are interested in, it makes a difference in the value proposition.

Check out personalbranding.TV and let me know your thoughts.

What does your brand say about your value in the marketplace?

What do you do to communicate your brand?

To your accelerated success,

Cindy Key