Got First of the Year Energy? Jump Start Your Job Search With These 10 Tactics

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gym-room-1180016_1280Everyone seems to have lots of energy this time of year, and nowhere is that more prevalent that at the gym.

Just a few weeks ago, the gym was almost a ghost town and I had my choice of treadmills.

Now I have to fight little old ladies, gum-smacking teens, and even the gym staff to get thirty minutes on such a machine.

 

The good news is, my energy level peaks this time of year. I am ready to tackle almost anything: house projects, personal projects, and health goals.

I will outlast these workout wannabes, most of whom will be gone by Valentine’s Day.

I’ve also got excessive energy for all things career-related.

Now is my time to brainstorm new business ideas, organize my office, and jump in with both feet.

The bad news is, once I hit about June, my energy level for all types of projects – including career projects – slows way down.

If you’re anything like me, it’s best to accomplish as much as possible during this energy phase.  And I work best with a list of tactics to accomplish.

Jump Start Your Job Search With These 10 Tactics

  1. Determine your goal, with strategy and tactics for achievement. Set your intention. What is it you want to achieve, professionally? A promotion? A new job? Do you want to stay in the same industry or try something new? Once you have your end goal, add the tactics for achieving that goal and start executing.
  2. Refresh Your Resume. A resume is a living document and should be updated periodically. If you haven’t already done these:
    • Add your latest achievements from this year’s review.
    • Remove experience older than 10 years.
    • Use a professional statement instead of an objective.
    • Use key-words associated with your industry.
    • Most Important: Highlight your quantitative wins vs. job responsibilities.
    • Note: if it’s been ages since you’ve updated your resume and/or you’re struggling with the wording, you may want to consider hiring a professional Career Coach to help you.
  3. Maximize LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an amazing resource for job seekers – as long as your profile is up to date and maximized – meaning completely filled out. Use information from your updated resume to complete your profile.  Take a more personal tone with your professional summary versus that of your resume, telling prospective recruiters why they should do hire you.
  4. Check Your Look in the Mirror. First impressions are made within seconds of meeting a person, and yes, they are visual.  When was the last time you updated your hairstyle? Make-up? Personal style in general?  If it’s been a while, it may be time for a change. Especially if you are searching for a new job, it’s important to stay relevant. Besides, new hair/make-up/clothing can make anyone feel good. And when you feel good, you look good and present yourself well.
  5. Get a New Headshot. In general, a new head shot should be taken once every couple of years. If your company doesn’t do it, then it’s up to you.  Either hire a professional or ask a friend with a steady hand to snap a photo.
    • Background should be solid; a close-up shot from the shoulders up.
    • Wear professional clothing.
    • No one else in the photo, please.
    • Good lighting without shadows.
    • It’s that easy!
  6. Print New Business Cards. Make sure you have plenty, and always carry them with you! You never know when you’re going to need one.
  7. Get Your Story Straight. You find yourself on the elevator traveling 40 floors with the new CEO. She asks your name and what you do for the company. You’ve got less than 90 seconds to tell her about yourself, in a nutshell. What do you say?  It’s that kind of succinct story telling you need to develop in order to sell yourself to others, either within your company, at networking events or to potential hiring managers.  Write your long story, then edit and edit and edit until you have it down to 2 sentences. And practice saying it with confidence.
  8. Increase Your Visibility at Work. A fancy way to say, Toot Your Own Horn. Make sure people outside your department know your value. Don’t rely on your boss, or hope that your good work will stand on its own. Do some internal networking to get promoted to the position you deserve.
  9. Meet New People. This requires getting involved, and the first step is making time for it. Add the meetings to your calendar, make the commitment and GO!  Pick one or two to start with; more than that is unrealistic.  The easiest to join from a social standpoint is usually the college alumni groups, as you have a common interest.  Be sure to carry plenty of business cards!
  10. Reconnect. Make it a point to reconnect to 5 people a week. Send a quick email stating, “Hey! Long time; was remembering our days at X company. Hope you are doing well. Would love to hear from you. Let’s get together this year. I work downtown; how about you?” You may not hear from everyone, but you will hear from some.  Be sure to follow up on the coffee/happy hour meetings.

Ten tactics to get you started towards a new job, or maybe a promotion. Many you can start on –and accomplish – in one week.

What are you waiting for?

The Best Time To Look For A New Job

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We all know it’s a good idea to look for a new job while we are still employed. But when, exactly, should you launch a job search?

Similar to any social event, it’s always best to leave the party while you’re still having a good time. The best time to look for a new job is while you are still enjoying your current job.

This is much harder to do than it sounds. It’s difficult to walk away from a position you enjoy, co-workers you like and a boss you respect.

Here are some tips to help you determine if it’s time to leave the party:

  • Have you been at your current company long enough to show progression and a record of success? I’m talking about being at the same company for several years, with a series of wins under your belt.
  • Have you been considering a change in the back of your mind, yet putting it off until “someday”? If you know this is not your long-term gig, then it may be time to make a move.
  • Do you see opportunities for advancement at your current company or will you need to leave to achieve your goals? Be realistic here. If there truly is opportunity, then be patient. Yet if the same promise of promotion comes year after year without action, it’s time.
  • Is opportunity knocking? Sometimes through networking we get an opportunity that piques our interest, even something that’s not in our current field. A well thought-out opportunity may be just the ticket to an awesome career change.
  • You’ve been there how long? It’s possible to stay at a company too long, especially if you want to make a change. Hiring managers may wonder if you are set in your ways, unable to adapt to new ways of thinking. Definitely something to consider.

Only you can determine if the party is going strong enough for you to stay or if it’s winding down and time to make a move. Remember one thing: you don’t want to be the last guest, the one the host asks to leave.

Successful People Have This Characteristic

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What makes some people successful and others not so much? Luck? Intelligence? Money?

I’m guessing successful people have this characteristic: they are driven.

I like to think that I have a special relationship with all of my nieces and nephews. This is especially true of my sister’s kids, simply because I was single when they were born and had lots of free time to spend with them during formative years.

That last statement speaks volumes about my dating life during that time. But I digress.

Now they are young adults and I’m in awe of their smarts and capabilities. Each has different interests and is driven to succeed in different ways. There is no doubt in my mind that all will be successful.

My oldest niece is particularly driven. From the time she was a little girl, she’s wanted to be a veterinarian. The time is now; this fall she will enter vet school to fulfill that dream.

I’d love to say this has been an easy road: go to college, get degree, apply to vet school, get accepted, and off you go.

Anyone with any knowledge of vet school knows that it’s easier to get into medical school than vet school. Barely into her bachelor’s program, professors told my niece as much; not-so-politely suggesting that she give up her dream and head over to the med school.

Many of her classmates gave up quickly, letting one or two people’s opinions shatter their dream.

Not my niece. She pushed and worked and kept staring them down when they’d tell her “no”.

She completed a rigorous masters’ program, graduating summa cum laude while working at the veterinary hospital on campus to prove herself, even managing the large-animal ICU as a tech after graduation.

Still, no acceptance from her dream school.

Determined – DRIVEN – to succeed, she applied to multiple schools, received several offers and accepted one from an outstanding program where she will begin this fall.

This young lady is intelligent, mature and knows what she wants. She has worked her butt off to get to her dream; now it’s happening.

I am so proud of her. For having a strategic plan to get from point A to point B. For staying positive and gaining experience wherever she could. For NOT GIVING UP.

How many of us would more easily give up when searching for a job?

I speak with job seekers frequently about their dreams, their searches and what they are doing to achieve those dreams. Even if the dream is simply to find employment.

  • When I suggest developing a strategic plan, many say “I don’t need that; it’s just a job search”.
  • When I forward a job opening for them to consider, I’m met with, “I’m probably over-qualified”.
  • When I suggest that perhaps they take a lower-paying job or a volunteer position in their field that will keep them working and cover gaps on their resume, they say, “I’m better than that” or “That’s a lot of work for little reward”.

Wow. So many times I’m met with such negativity that it’s hard even for me to maintain a positive attitude.

And then my niece reminds me that sometimes dreams are worth fighting for, no matter what it takes or how many lower-level jobs you have to endure while you wait.

Makes me think that successful people are more driven than others. Or at least they don’t give up as easily.

Sometimes You Can’t Beat Experience

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Do you ever wonder about your capabilities at work?  Perhaps you wonder if you’re really any good at what you do, or if you’re even remotely smart.

No? Well lucky you. You can quit reading now.

Despite years of job success and multiple degrees which tell me otherwise, I sometimes doubt my intelligence.

This doubt permeates my thinking when more confident (read: cocky) individuals are present.  Not one to boast, I’m usually left wondering if I really have anything to offer at all.

Many times I think I’ve got a good answer to whatever we are discussing. Part of me wants to chime in, many times in disagreement as I believe others at the table are incorrect in their assessment.  The other part of me wants to keep my mouth shut just in case they are, indeed, correct.

So I sit in silence with Mr. Doubt Monster.

For me, one of the best ways to confirm my intelligence is to spend time with students.  I love working with college marketing classes and mentoring the kids who are pursuing careers in marketing or PR.  Each time I head to campus though, my doubt monster pops into my head, trying to convince me that I don’t have much to offer.

I have learned to kick that doubt monster out of the car.

Once on campus and engaged in the classroom, any doubts are quickly erased as I realize how much I really know.  To me, the points I share are just things that are part of my job and have become second-nature. To the students, they are something new and interesting to learn.

Here’s the deal:  Experience is one heck of a teacher. The lessons happen daily without formal tests so it’s hard to gauge success.  Trust me when I say that time + experience = lessons learned.

We don’t realize how much we’ve actually gained throughout our careers until we start sharing that knowledge with students who are only armed with textbook knowledge.

Recently a student contacted me about a class marketing project, wanting to ask some questions and run a few things by me to see if she was on the right track.  It involved a consumer promotion which is right up my alley.

After reviewing the information, I quickly started asking questions that she and her group had not considered.  In my mind, this was rudimentary.  But to her it was mind-blowing. And I realized just how much I knew, and that this knowledge was valuable.

She’s not dumb and I’m not Einstein.  It’s simply that years of hands-on corporate work give me a lot of experience in this arena.

It’s an awesome feeling to realize how much you know.  And that this knowledge is useful to a company and others.

Lesson here is to truly understand what you’ve learned from working for so many years. Be able to articulate that knowledge when interviewing.  Share that knowledge with those just starting out, as they will appreciate the help. 

School is great – and necessary; it gives us the foundation to build our careers.  But sometimes you can’t beat experience.

Flying Interview Questions

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Car 1

Ashton Cooper took a surprise hit as we were driving home.  That’s right; Ashton – my Mini Cooper Clubman – had a run-in on the highway with a large piece of flying debris.

We were enjoying a nice ride when suddenly out of nowhere a shredded tire flew right at us.  With just seconds to make a decision, I clutched the steering wheel and held on.  Good news, the piece of tire landed on the ground in front of us.  Bad news, we had to run over it.

Instantly I could tell Ashton was hurt.

He was shaking and different lights illuminated the dashboard. As I searched for an exit, I watched through the rear-view mirror as Ashton’s bumper flew out from under the car down the highway.

Sort of good news: Ashton was no longer shaking. Sigh.

We cruised to a pit-stop to assess the damage. I took photos and texted them to Hubby for a second opinion.

This was uncharted territory for me. Having never been in an accident of any kind (knock on wood) I was not experienced in this situation.  Not to mention I was just outside a small town about an hour from home.  It’s not like Hubby could drop everything to come get me or I could quickly ask my favorite auto mechanic what to do.

I had to think on my feet. And quickly.

So I did what anyone would do in a small town where you don’t know anyone: go to a busy restaurant and ask the manager for a reputable auto mechanic.

Worked like a charm.  After securing what was left of the bumper, the mechanic assured me that Ashton was good to drive home.

Flying objects coming straight towards you are no fun.  Although I’m glad to know that I was able to deal with it; the experience taught me to quickly assess the situation and stay calm under pressure.

Sometimes job interviews sling a flying object or two at candidates, with random questions coming out of nowhere that might catch us off guard.  We only have seconds to develop an appropriate response or risk being left out of the prospective hiring candidate pool.

Happened to me once, after three hours of interviewing with multiple people.  The final interviewer wanted a numerical answer on the spot to the question, “How many gas stations are there in the United States?”

Never. Saw. It. Coming.

Luckily I realized he was more interested in my ability to think logically than actually knowing the correct number of gas stations. I explained my thought process and gave him a number.  He was happy with my answer, enough so that I received a job offer.

I’ve never forgotten that lesson: to be prepared for unexpected flying interview questions. 

How do you prepare? Ask friends and family to help. Share questions that each of you have experienced during interviews to learn from each other.  The last thing anyone wants is to be all “deer-in-the-headlights” when a random question strikes.

It’s important to note that such questions may appear to fly out from left field, with no relevance whatsoever. Yet they are asked for a reason; there is a “question behind the question”.  Treat them as seriously as the rest of the interview.

Ashton and I were very happy to get home.  He’s seen a couple of car doctors who assure us they can repair the damage caused by the flying tire.  Which is great because I’ll need him to drive me to interviews.

Why I Would Never Hire Kanye

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Grammys

Watching award shows are like watching movies you’ve never heard of before.  Sometimes they are great; sometimes they are snoozers; and sometimes there are surprises.

Sunday’s Grammy Awards showcased a lot of great talent. Artists both new and old were in attendance, performing and supporting each other, singing and dancing to the beat.  It was like watching mini concerts by some of our favorites.

Everything was great until one decided he didn’t agree with who should receive an award and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Was this really about Beck winning Album of the Year instead of Queen Bey?  Or was it Kanye trying to grab attention for himself?

Who knows?  And it doesn’t really matter.  Either way, Mr. K looked foolish.

Let’s assume for a minute that Beyonce did deserve to win, was this really the right forum?  It was disrespectful to the winner (who deserved to win too), it was embarrassing to all involved and ultimately it was not going to change the outcome.

Clearly “Ye”, as he called himself in an after-Grammy interview rant, didn’t think this through.  This is why I would never hire Kanye.

Companies need people who can keep their cool under pressure.  People who can use critical thinking skills in the heat of the moment to refrain from making rash decisions that, even if the intention is good, may make everyone look bad.

There are times at work when all of us want to jump up on the table to defend an idea or make a statement by walking out of a meeting.  I beg you not to.

Believe me; I’m all for pushing to get an idea heard.  It’s just that there is a right way – and a wrong way – to do so.  Rushing the stage and ranting are usually not good.

Don’t be like Kanye, rushing onstage or ranting about the fact that your idea wasn’t the winner. It’s a foolish idea.  Instead of remembering your good idea, others will remember the poor execution of your presumably well-intentioned message.

 

 

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.

Have You Cracked the Networking Code?

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When I was first starting out, I had no idea what it meant to network.  This is the stuff they talked about in business school yet failed to teach.

Don’t laugh but I honestly thought that networking was akin to sales cold-calling.  Since my only experience meeting new people was during our weekly after-work happy hours, I assumed that networking was similar.

Networking to me meant surveying the bar to find a friendly-looking person, grab my business card and go introduce myself.

We were already dressed in our business professional attire. We had business cards with us. This HAD to be what they were talking about, right?

Yeah, it was awkward.

And I wondered why I never got any dates.  Or made any business connections.

Luckily for me I was already networking; I just didn’t know it.

Every year I sent Christmas cards to a huge list that included relatives, friends from high school, college and business school, as well as friends of my parents that I had known since childhood.  That list expanded to include work colleagues and business associates.

Periodically I would call or email someone I hadn’t seen in a while to say hello; that would lead to lunch or dinner to catch-up in person.

As I worked my way up the corporate ladder and made business connections with suppliers, I kept their names and phone numbers in my Filofax long before we had smart phones.

I employed the same techniques with business colleagues as I did with my friends, periodically emailing or calling them or having lunch with them, even long after I had moved on to other jobs.  And I continued this relationship-building everywhere I worked.

After many years of doing this, a colleague heard me mention that Hubby and I send out hundreds of Christmas cards.  My colleague said, “You are so well-connected!”

That was the first time I ever thought that I might have cracked the networking code.

There it is; the secret of networking.  I’ve laid it out for you.

What; it’s still not clear?  Let me say it a different way:  Communicate with people you know and meet; do this regularly.

Networking, at a basic level, is keeping up with the people you know and meet.  To take it to the next level, you build a relationship with those people through work or friendships or however it is you know them.

The key is staying connected. I’m not gonna lie; it takes work to keep these relationships going.  But that’s what networking is about; building a relationship; one that is strong enough so when you need a favor like, “Will you recommend me for a job?” your network is willing and able to help.

Think you don’t have a network?  I bet you do.

Sit down and start listing all of your close friends and relatives. Then branch out to other friends; your sisters’ friends; your parents’ friends. Then everyone you know at your current job; everyone at your last job and the job before that, and so on.  List as many people as you can remember from college; your classmates, sorority or fraternity pals; friends from any clubs you belonged to, sports teams you played on, etc.  List people you know at your church, any volunteer organizations you work with, etc.

How does your list look now?  Do you have some connections?  I know you do.

And you know what?  Your connections have connections.  That’s how this starts.  Your connections can introduce you to more connections.

Remember to carry business cards with you at all times, even to a funeral (I wrote a post about this; check it out here).  You never know where or when you might meet someone.

Look at you; you’ve just cracked the networking code.  I knew you could do it.