Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Introducing Your Job Search Coach - Why Go It Alone?
I am a Job Search Coach. Not to be confused with a Career Counselor, who conducts skills assessments, or an Executive Recruiter, who represents and coaches companies in securing candidates for hire, I coach candidates toward their ultimate goals, job offers.
No one presented Job Search Coach as a career choice nor was this my major in college. I wanted to become Broadway chorus dancer and then a famous writer. I studied dance for years and then secured undergraduate and graduate degrees in Journalism. I was ultimately far too short for Broadway and it took me three decades to get my first newspaper column. And I'm here to give you job search advice!
After 14 years as an Executive Recruiter in 1987 I began coaching job seekers because I witnessed the best of candidates making glaring errors of judgment and strategic mistakes. Once I lost count of the missed opportunities by deserving candidates because of weak resumes, dysfunctional interviewing and literally no job search strategies, I decided to switch sides. Leaving the ranks of the corporate recruiting community, I began to advise those I used to screen out. What a difference a coach makes!
Today a coach is a very prestigious commodity, much like a personal trainer or a therapist. Through the worst of job markets, well-prepared candidates who are coached are taught to persevere despite rejection for no apparent reason, to ignore the doom and gloom of the media, and dispel the horror stories from those around them. They know how to job hunt, interview, demonstrate value and negotiate. It's not that coached job seekers are any better; they just perform better, much like a coached football team. The most qualified candidate will never win if he is outperformed, however the candidate who outperforms and secures the offer might not have been the most qualified. We actually have far more control over our destinies than we think!
In my practice we coach as many Chief Operating Officers as we do entry-level candidates. Everyone competes in his own league. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose but the candidate, no matter what the level, who is a competitive player and takes instruction well, will inevitably be hired quicker and better than the applicant who continues to rest on his qualifications and experience, alone.
In my monthly column, I will reveal which people are getting job offers and what they did that perhaps others neglected. We will look at special issues that result in missed opportunities and how to identify and overcome "red flags." We will also learn to identify the ultimate enemy, our own human nature, and the self-defeating behavior it creates.
In my monthly interactive seminar I will holding discussions focused on areas you have requested. Don't know how to salary negotiate? Can't get in the door? Wonder why you received a rejection letter after a "perfect-fit" interview? Suffering from age or lack of education paranoia? Ever been fired? Worried about how often you've changed jobs? Stick around! You have your own job search coach! I'll be in touch!
No one presented Job Search Coach as a career choice nor was this my major in college. I wanted to become Broadway chorus dancer and then a famous writer. I studied dance for years and then secured undergraduate and graduate degrees in Journalism. I was ultimately far too short for Broadway and it took me three decades to get my first newspaper column. And I'm here to give you job search advice!
After 14 years as an Executive Recruiter in 1987 I began coaching job seekers because I witnessed the best of candidates making glaring errors of judgment and strategic mistakes. Once I lost count of the missed opportunities by deserving candidates because of weak resumes, dysfunctional interviewing and literally no job search strategies, I decided to switch sides. Leaving the ranks of the corporate recruiting community, I began to advise those I used to screen out. What a difference a coach makes!
Today a coach is a very prestigious commodity, much like a personal trainer or a therapist. Through the worst of job markets, well-prepared candidates who are coached are taught to persevere despite rejection for no apparent reason, to ignore the doom and gloom of the media, and dispel the horror stories from those around them. They know how to job hunt, interview, demonstrate value and negotiate. It's not that coached job seekers are any better; they just perform better, much like a coached football team. The most qualified candidate will never win if he is outperformed, however the candidate who outperforms and secures the offer might not have been the most qualified. We actually have far more control over our destinies than we think!
In my practice we coach as many Chief Operating Officers as we do entry-level candidates. Everyone competes in his own league. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose but the candidate, no matter what the level, who is a competitive player and takes instruction well, will inevitably be hired quicker and better than the applicant who continues to rest on his qualifications and experience, alone.
In my monthly column, I will reveal which people are getting job offers and what they did that perhaps others neglected. We will look at special issues that result in missed opportunities and how to identify and overcome "red flags." We will also learn to identify the ultimate enemy, our own human nature, and the self-defeating behavior it creates.
In my monthly interactive seminar I will holding discussions focused on areas you have requested. Don't know how to salary negotiate? Can't get in the door? Wonder why you received a rejection letter after a "perfect-fit" interview? Suffering from age or lack of education paranoia? Ever been fired? Worried about how often you've changed jobs? Stick around! You have your own job search coach! I'll be in touch!
