Five Ways to Help Your Job Search in 2015

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The end of January is here already! Where did the month go?

Don’t know about you but my resolutions are not holding up quite as well as I had hoped.  Sigh.

Since we have a few days left in the month I thought we could revisit five ways to help your job search.  These tips were first published on my blog in 2013 and they are still good for all of us to remember. Especially those of us who work from home.

Revise your LinkedIn profile

It goes without saying that your online profile should be up to date.   Even if yours is up to date, most of our profiles can use some improvement. Re-read your profile, or better yet, ask a trusted friend to read it with a critical eye and make recommendations.  Added bonus: when you update your profile, LinkedIn alerts your network reminding others of your skills and expertise.

Reach out to 5 contacts from your network each week

I find this is super easy to work into my schedule.  And it’s important to do whether we have a job or are out of work. Identify five people with whom you haven’t spoken in a while and send them a quick note to start a dialogue.  It doesn’t have to be lengthy; just a simple “Hi, It’s been a while since we’ve spoken; hope things are going well for you.  I’m great; currently exploring opportunities.  Would love to catch up with you over coffee/via email/over the phone.”

And then follow through.  Again, this is something I do all the time, even when I’m working.  Building and maintaining your network shouldn’t wait until you really need a job.

Get away from your desk/out of the house

I never understood how important it is to leave the house until I was laid off.  Like my new friend who spends her days at the computer, our homes can suck us in, making us feel guilty for leaving or fearful that if we leave, we will miss the perfect job opportunity.  In my experience, all that does is add to the negative thoughts that surround us.  Getting out of the house, even if it’s to grocery shop or walk around the block, it can help clear my mind and give me a new perspective.

Attend a seminar or networking event

In the same vein, now is the perfect time to learn something new at a seminar or expand your network.  This is good for everyone, whether you are working or looking for your next opportunity.  It gets you away from your desk or out of the house, meeting new people, learning something new and it may provide a job lead. There are plenty of low-cost/no-cost events like this to attend; search your area for events.

Exercise

Ouch – this is tough for many of us who would prefer to sit on the couch with a box of donuts.  Oh wait, that’s just me.Seriously, getting daily exercise helps me deal with stress and it was critical when I was laid off.  I’ll admit that is seemed counter-intuitive to take time away from my job search, yet the exercise helped clear my head, improved my mood and had the added benefit of counter-balancing my love of dessert.  Plus I felt better about myself in general which is always good.

I know what you’re thinking: “Even if I do these things, I may not find a new job”.  You’re right about that; nothing is guaranteed.

Yet what I’m suggesting takes very little effort and has other benefits as well. I know my waistline benefitted from time at the gym.  Even if you complete each of these suggestions every day, that’s maybe 3 hours of your time – leaving 5 hours to sit at the computer. Every. Day.

Get out of the house! It will do you – and your career – good.

 

Must-Haves for Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving blog

What’s on your list of “must-haves” for Thanksgiving? 

Is it turkey or maybe cranberry sauce? How about a pair of “stretchy pants” that allows you to eat as much as you want and still be comfortable?  Big-screen TV to watch your favorite team?

All good choices, I must admit. 

May I suggest a few other things to add to your list?

  • Business cards.
  • A well-rehearsed elevator speech.
  • A couple of success stories to tell, just in case the opportunity arises.
  • A positive attitude about your job, career, or job search. Even if you’re in a slump.

While the holiday is a great day for eating, relaxing and watching football, it can also be a networking opportunity.

Think I’m nuts? 

You never know who’s going to show up for dinner.  Sometimes dad or Aunt Sue or even the next door neighbor who came to watch the game may have connections.

A similar situation happened to me at Halloween.  A neighbor hosted a party in her front yard to give away candy.  Several of us came to participate.  In between Trick-or-Treaters, we were all talking and one person mentioned she was looking for a job.

As luck would have it, I had just learned of a job that fit her credentials.  We exchanged information, the next day I connected her with the hiring manager and she lined up an interview.

Sometimes connections happen when we least expect it. Like holidays with family and strangers.

Bring your business cards to Thanksgiving dinner, along with a thankful attitude for everything you already have.

You never know what might happen.

Five Things to Remember When You Receive a Job Offer

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It’s awesome when the phone rings with good news, right? We get all excited and we just want to shout to the world that our efforts paid off; we were successful.

Not so fast, buckaroo. (I’ve never said that word before; hope I’m using it correctly)

We spend so much time preparing for the interview that sometimes we forget to prepare for the offer.

And unlike most marriage proposals, it’s not all about just saying “yes”.

The job offer is an extension of the interview process. There are more questions to ask; negotiations to be handled; paperwork to be done.

So what do you do when the phone rings and it’s the hiring manager ready to discuss an offer?

Here are five things to remember when you receive a job offer:

Be gracious.

Thank the hiring manager for the offer. In all conversations, be polite and courteous.  Be humble and respectful.  And act excited!  As a hiring manager, there’s nothing worse than finally finding the right candidate and calling to tell them the good news, only to be met with a “meh” attitude or one that implies, “So what? I get these calls everyday”.

Be Prepared

Job offers are really negotiations in disguise. Yes, ultimately there is the job offer. But it’s a friendly game of tug-of-war, with the company trying to get the best deal for its money while you are trying to get the best deal for yourself.

Give this some thought before you receive an offer. Research salaries and benefits for similar positions at other companies in your area. Think about things like vacation, parking allowance, gym memberships, healthcare, 401K, tuition reimbursement, and any other stipulations that are important to you.

Know what you want to get out of this job deal and understand that you will have to compromise on some things.

Listen

During the call, let the hiring manager do most the talking; usually they will answer many of your questions automatically. If they have not, ask! Now is the time to get the information you need in order to make your decision.

Ask Questions

Review your offer carefully. Compare it to your list of “must-haves”.  Ask your significant other or a close confidant to review it with you, to make sure you are not caught up in the bright, shiny object that is a job offer.  You might be missing something.

If something is unclear, don’t assume it can – or will be – made good once you are employed. The time to get it right is now, while you are still in negotiations instead of six months down the road.

Follow Through

You may need time to digest the offer – that’s perfectly acceptable. Tell them again how pleased you are to have received an offer and that you would like a couple days to review it.

Caution: whatever you do, follow-up with the company! Do not leave them hanging. This is the first day of your new job, so to speak, and you want to be known as someone who “Does what she says she’ll do”.

This includes sending in any necessary paperwork or bringing whatever they ask for the first day on the job, showing up on time with a smile on your face ready to go.

Hear that phone ringing? You’ve got this! Now go out and make it happen.

Two Things Not to Ask During An Interview

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There are some things one just shouldn’t ask during an interview.

Even during an informational interview that is really more of a mentoring session. What’s rule number one of networking? Always attempt to make a good impression.  Some questions asked do not leave a good impression.

Case in point: A friend agreed to mentor a college student. This included inviting the student to the office to observe work in progress, answer any questions and review his resume.

My friend did her best to show him around the office and meet other people. She shared projects the company had worked on and critiqued his resume, making suggestions that would help when it came to interviewing.

She introduced him to current college interns and showed him the projects they were working on.

It was a great opportunity for the student to see first-hand the inside workings of a large award-winning firm.

A great time to ask questions like, “Which elective courses might help me in this line of work?”, “What kind of projects do new graduates typically work on as they begin their careers?” and “What kind of computer skills do you look for in graduates with my degree plan?”

Since many college programs, even at the graduate level, require internships, it was also a way to inquire about this, including who to contact at the corporate office.

Not this young hotshot.

As the session was coming to a close, the student did have a few questions, mostly mundane and repetitive of what had been answered earlier.

Then the ball dropped.

“Soooo, tell me what’s a typical day like here; you know when do you come in and when do you leave?”

My friend glanced at her watch; time was now about 7 p.m. and the student interns, as well as other high-level managers were still at their desks.

She felt like saying, “You did not just ask me that did you?”

The student quickly followed with: “How much do you pay your interns?” pulling out data on pay obtained from the internet.

My friend was speechless.

The first question could have been one of curiosity; however a quick glance around the open-concept office would have shown that most people were working late.

The second question was just not a smart one to ask during a networking meeting. Especially because 1) this was not a job interview and 2) that’s not information that was his business until a job offer is on the table.

Both questions were red-flags to my friend. In her opinion, the questions signaled that the student was more interested in finding out about the hours he would have to work and how much money he could make instead of what he might learn.

Combined with the issue that throughout the time spent together, he didn’t once show that he had a passion for his chosen career or for possibly working at the firm.

It’s this kind of thing that might come back to bite him in the hind quarters when applying for an internship or a job later on.

Like I said, there are some things one just shouldn’t ask during an interview.

 

Curate Your Resume

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Curate: a verb.

It’s an interesting word. By definition, it means “To pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content”.

I often think of a museum curator, who must sort through hundreds if not thousands of paintings by the great masters like Da Vinci or Picasso, choosing only a handful for patrons to view. The purpose is to select the best of the best; to curate the collection down to tell a story in a limited space.

What a difficult job!

Right now I am trying to “curate” my personal belongings in an attempt to keep the best of my best.

Not because I need to tell a story with my clothes; simply because my goal is to keep everything in my closet in the bedroom.

I started out with the simple stuff: Hubby’s things. It’s easy to curate his personal belongings. After all, no one needs the 100 thing-a-ma-bobs I found spilling out of his tool chest.

Most difficult? Trying to curate a woman’s shoe collection. Ten pairs of black pumps may all appear identical at first glance yet upon closer examination it becomes clear that, much like snowflakes, no shoes are exactly alike and each serve a different purpose.

Hubby is shaking his head. This from the man with 100 thing-a-ma-bobs in the garage.

Curating my belongings is hard. I guess I’m just sentimental since each time I try to rid myself of an item, I remember when I purchased it or who gave it to me and I just can’t bear the thought of losing that memory.

Here’s another curating challenge that I bet many of us struggle with: the resume.

Our tendency is to over-tell our story. To share every detail of each job and sometimes to list every job we’ve ever had, which is too much itself.

Like too many clothes in the closet or too many thing-a-ma-bobs in the tool chest, too much information on the resume is not always the best form of presentation.

The key to being a good curator is to look at a collection with a critical eye; select only the best work and being strict enough to say “no” to the rest.

When it comes to our resumes we should do the same. This can be super-hard because it’s personal. This is our story of our hard work, and we want everyone to see it.

Plus, it’s difficult to determine what to keep and what to eliminate. The key is to remember that the resume is just one tool in the job search process, so use it to focus on the highlights; key points of interest that may entice the hiring manager to bring you in for an interview.

Some thought starters:

  • Review everything with a very critical eye, looking for the most important information you want to share
  • Hone your best success stories for inclusion on the resume
  • Say it with fewer words wherever possible
    • Even career veterans with a long work history should keep a resume to two pages; those starting out should have only one page
  • What are the three things you want the reader to know about you?
    • Start writing with this information; make sure each is clear and not cluttered with unnecessary information

Using these thought-starters, write your resume. Curate your information to provide a succinct presentation of your story.

Just like our closets and drawers become overstuffed and we need to curate our collections, our resumes can become overstuffed with words and information as we hang on to all of our work examples and stories.

Take time to curate your resume. You – and the hiring manager –will be pleased with the results.

If It’s Broke, Fix It

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Why do we always say, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”?  Seems like that statement sets us up for mediocrity, settling for something that might not be quite as good as it could be.

My guess is that we sometimes follow this path because it’s easy.  Change is hard, man!  It takes work and effort and time.  Not to mention the frustration we all feel during the “improvement” process.

We might not have this old saying if it was easy to come up with something new. Usually there are multiple iterations involved.  If we are developing something new at work, then there are meetings and committees and disagreements and setbacks and more meetings.

Fixing something is a pain.

Despite the pain or frustration of making improvements to something that already works, there comes a time when we must realize that adjustments need to be made.

Take our resumes.  Many of us – myself included – work diligently to get our resumes to a good point. The format is good, the wording is good, and we are comfortable with the result.  The resume has received good reviews from others and we’ve even secured interviews –and jobs – using this version.

It’s tried and true. Why would we want to change something that’s worked so well for us?

Because even tried and true solutions can get stale. 

As a career coach and mentor I’m constantly looking at resumes.  I find inspiration in some of them, particularly in formatting.  Many are in dire need of improvement, particularly the wording or the type of information included.  All of them serve as a reminder that while mine is good, it could always be better.

There is always room for improvement.  Yet it’s hard to get started making a change because it’s not easy.

And this may come as a shock to some, but it’s important that we tailor our resume to each job application using key words that may help secure an interview.  That’s right; a different version each time we apply.

If one version is difficult, multiple versions may seem like a nightmare.

In reality it’s not.  We develop a “base” resume with our information and then create separate versions that focus on different accomplishments.

For example, I have a version that better highlights my marketing skills and experience, and another version that focuses on my PR experience.  The differences are subtle but they are important.

Word of caution: be careful about getting too caught up in the minutiae. The goal is to develop an improved resume quickly so we can use it for interviews, our LinkedIn profile, etc.  It’s easy to get so obsessed with making improvements that we never arrive at a usable version.

Trust me; I know this all too well.  As a writer I’m never quite satisfied with my work and if given the opportunity I will always be editing.  There came a point when I was writing my book, Tales of the Terminated, that I finally had to stop editing and start publishing. Otherwise I would never have finished the book!

I challenge all of us to take a hard look our resumes and if it’s broken, fix it.  For some, this may be as simple as changing the font and/or format. For others it means letting go of some information that is no longer necessary.

The important thing is that we acknowledge that change is scary, frustrating, time-consuming and a pain. But it’s worth it in the end.

The Most Difficult Part of Networking Is Leaving The House

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“Networking group meets at 11:30; see you there!” 

I stared at the email and contemplated my options.  Should I go to the one-hour networking lunch or stay home and concentrate on my to-do list?

The easy choice was to stay in my home office and keep working.

The more difficult choice was to pick myself up, get ready, grab some business cards and go to the lunch meeting.

After all, it was already 10:30 and I was still in my morning-walk-the-dog outfit.  Make-up was questionable. My to-do list for clients was a mile-long.  I wasn’t looking for a job; I had good clients and lots of work to keep me busy.

Besides, this was a new networking group and I really didn’t know anyone.  Okay, I sort of knew the leader of the group.  We both attended the same high school way-back-when and had reconnected on social media.

But was seeing an old friend to have lunch enough incentive to leave the comfort of my home office? Aside from my friend, I wouldn’t know anyone at the meeting.

I tried to convince myself that attending was a good thing; something I had done hundreds of times before at various events.  I knew how to mingle and make small talk.  This would only be an hour of my life.

How hard could it be?

Networking can be one of the most difficult things we do. Even for an outgoing social-butterfly like me.

In fact, if I wasn’t so outgoing and social, I can see how easy it would be to never attend a networking event. Ever.

It’s hard to go to these things alone.  Thoughts that ran through my mind included:

“What will I say?”

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Will I have anything of value to contribute?”

“Maybe it’s a waste of time.”

“Maybe I should wait until another day when I’m better prepared.”

Geez, I can talk my way out of anything.  Like most of us can, I suspect.

And this was coming from someone who is skilled at networking.  Someone who writes about this subject; who coaches others on the finer points of networking; who understands the importance of building and maintaining your network.

Then it hit me. I suddenly realized that if I was having difficulty attending a one-hour networking lunch, imagine how some of my clients must feel?

My energy kicked in as I got dressed in my best business-casual outfit, touched up my make-up, grabbed a stack of business cards and hopped in the car.

Driving towards the meeting, I quickly outlined my goals.  Introduce myself to at least five people.  Come home with at least five business cards.  I rehearsed my thirty-second elevator speech about my business.

You know what?  It wasn’t hard at all.

The group was small and welcomed me.  We each had a chance to introduce ourselves and tell a little about ourselves.  Unlike other networking groups I had attended, everyone here was actually working.

I met my goals. 

As I left, I promised myself I would return for another meeting as well as get out to other groups. The only way to meet people is to leave the house. Duh!

Added bonus: One of the people I met needed my expertise for a job he was bidding and contacted me for help.  Who knows? This could translate into more business for me.

The lesson for all of us is this: No matter where we are in our career, we must continue to network.

Whether you work in an office or from home, get outside of your normal routine and expand your horizons to add names to your digital rolodex. The most difficult part of networking is leaving the house.

Besides, you have to eat lunch anyway.  May as well be productive while doing so.

Bouncing Back After a Job Loss – The Video

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This week I’m coming to you in person!  Well, sort of.  Recently I had the pleasure of hosting a Google Hangout for The Resume Edge titled, “How to Bounce Back After Losing Your Job”.  Questions came in from viewers and we had a great discussion.

This week I thought you might like to “hear” me instead of “read” me for a change as I discuss bouncing back after a job loss . So grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!

The link to the video can be accessed here on my site or through this YouTube link, or by searching YouTube with “How to Bounce Back After Losing Your Job”.

Own Your Strengths

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Woman with Shopping Bags

Hi – my name is Tami, and I’m a…a…retailer. 

Yes, I’ve known this for quite some time.  Why haven’t I told you before?  Oh, I don’t know.  It’s one of those things that sometimes just doesn’t sound as good as I’d like it too.

Being a retailer is not an easy career path, and it’s one that I chose to pursue when I was in graduate school.  Retailing has everything: strategy, products, logistics, finance, communications, marketing and sales.  It’s old fashioned, with brick and mortar stores, yet so twenty-first-century with ecommerce and mobile apps.

My favorite part is that it’s fast-paced and constantly changing.  We had a saying at my first retail job out of school: you’re only as good as yesterday’s sales.  It’s a constant tug between “how did we do” and “what is our next big thing”, always striving to be better.  To be a good retailer, you need to be able to move between creative and analytical in a heartbeat.  It’s stressful even in slow periods.  And holidays – or should I say “what holidays”?  They are super busy when everyone else has time off.

And I love it!

For some reason I understand the business model, I like the frenetic pace, I enjoy mixing creativity, strategy and analytics, and above all, I enjoy seeing the results.

So why am I telling you this? 

After the layoff I was afraid to tell people I was a retailer.  Not because I was ashamed but because I wanted to cast a wide net in the job search and didn’t want to be exclusively defined by this title.  Frankly, I was afraid of being viewed as a “one-trick pony” when I knew I had much more to offer.

So what did I do?  I came up with some snazzy words to convey the type of work I did to avoid pigeon-holing myself into one industry.   I played down my past employment and spoke in general terms about my experience.

The result? In doing so I ignored my biggest strength:  I am a retailer and I thrive in that type of environment.

My advice to anyone looking for work is to be truthful about who you are in the work force and what type of work makes you tick.  Own your strengths and be truthful with yourself.

Otherwise you’ll end up miscast in a job that’s not right for you.  The last thing you want is to be a square peg pushed into a round hole.

This doesn’t mean you have to stay in your current industry.  As I discovered, my retail skills were transferrable to other industries and other disciplines.  The important thing is to determine what you excel at and apply those strengths to new opportunities.

The lesson here? It’s OK to be who you are. In fact, you need to own it. Your next employer wants it that way.

Chance Meetings Can Play A Part In Finding Your Next Job Opportunity

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Chance meetings can be amazing.  Most are coincidental, but some are truly life-changing.  I like to think that such meetings are fate, karma or spiritually ordained – driven by a force far greater than myself.

Hubby and I were introduced by a “chance” meeting.  Sweet, conservative guy that he is, he’ll tell you we met at church.  He’s partially right, as we developed a friendship which led to romance when we were both part of a church singles’ group.

The real story is much more fun; definitely a chance meeting.  A friend and I had tickets to see Elton John in concert.  Close to the concert date, she told me the singles group from her church was also attending the concert and suggested we go with them.  Sounded like a plan to me.

It was a huge group of people and aside from my friend I knew no one. We all met at one person’s apartment, divided into cars and headed out. That’s when the chance meeting occurred.  My friend was driving the car, another person was riding shotgun, and I, along with some guy who was a stranger to me at the time, rode in the backseat.

I remember that this guy was friendly enough.  When we got stuck in traffic he carried on a nice conversation to pass the time.  I also remember thinking that he was really cute and I mentally chastised myself for daydreaming that he might ask me out.

I mean, come on, what was I thinking? We had just met. 

Weeks later, when I decided to join the church group, Hubby was a familiar face in the sea of singles. We became friends and the rest is history.

So technically, Hubby and I met in the backseat of my friends’ car on the way to an Elton John concert.

I told you it was more interesting than “met at church”.

Chance meetings can play a part in finding your next job opportunity too, and when it does, it’s awesome.

Some things to consider about chance meetings as they pertain to job opportunities:

  • Remember that every person you meet is a potential networking opportunity.  That’s not to say that you immediately launch into your “30-second elevator speech” – talk about socially awkward.  But keep in mind that you want to be upbeat and interesting.  Don’t over-share or complain about work with new people you meet.  And DO carry business cards so you are prepared when the opportunity is right.

 

  • We should not rely solely on chance meetings to find our next opportunity.  Problem with that approach is, well, it’s taking a chance. And that’s a huge risk.   A better idea is to develop a strategy with tactics for finding the next opportunity and work systematically toward the goal.

 

  • Chance meetings don’t happen at home.  This is a shocker for some people: you have to get out of the house in order to have a chance meeting in the first place.  Attend workshops, industry meetings or alumni events.  Work your network and set up coffee dates.  Volunteer or even take a part-time job, especially if you’re unemployed.  Trust me, this works. Both Hubby and I experienced the benefits of part time work when unemployed, with both of us finding job opportunities as a result.

I know, I know.  It seems like I’ve taken the “chance” out of a chance meeting. 

Not really.  Chance meetings will always happen; it’s just that we may not be aware of the significance of the meeting at the time.  That’s why we always have to be prepared, including being open to the possibility.

Look at me.  Who knew that I would meet the love of my life in the back seat of a car on the way to an Elton John concert?  Okay; at church.  Sheesh, Hubby, I know you want it told your way.

Just remember to be prepared. Chance meetings have a way of surprising us when we least expect them.