Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Is This The Party To Whom I Am Speaking?
If anyone remembers Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Lily Tomlin's character said these words as she played an old-fashioned switchboard operator. We used to howl as this pre-cursor of Saturday Night Live made such jokes. Today I'm no longer laughing.
If your voice mail offers nothing more than that digital lady indicating nothing more than the number called, you may lose a job interview or even worse, an offer. If your voice mail features your adorable 5-year old giggling how Mommy and Daddy can't come to the phone or you indicate that Jon, Mary, Trixie, Pixie and Dixie can't come to the phone, and you are job searching, you will be deemed as having bad judgment.
Prepare a professional message with your voice indicating that the call is very important and that all calls will be returned within 24 hours. You work too hard to allow silliness to ruin the deal!
Make sure your email address is professional. It took me a long time to convince the Vice President of a publishing company that Boxer XXX was not a wise email address. Also make sure your email signature contains your email address and phone number. There are actually some great professionals that don't even sign their emails. Not good, no matter who you are.
You needn't bother to buy a beautiful suit to wear to your interview if your email and voice mail messages are unprofessional. Sadly, you won't have the opportunity to wear it!
If your voice mail offers nothing more than that digital lady indicating nothing more than the number called, you may lose a job interview or even worse, an offer. If your voice mail features your adorable 5-year old giggling how Mommy and Daddy can't come to the phone or you indicate that Jon, Mary, Trixie, Pixie and Dixie can't come to the phone, and you are job searching, you will be deemed as having bad judgment.
Prepare a professional message with your voice indicating that the call is very important and that all calls will be returned within 24 hours. You work too hard to allow silliness to ruin the deal!
Make sure your email address is professional. It took me a long time to convince the Vice President of a publishing company that Boxer XXX was not a wise email address. Also make sure your email signature contains your email address and phone number. There are actually some great professionals that don't even sign their emails. Not good, no matter who you are.
You needn't bother to buy a beautiful suit to wear to your interview if your email and voice mail messages are unprofessional. Sadly, you won't have the opportunity to wear it!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tips for the Newly Fired!
Ever been fired from your job? Statistical studies prove that the average length of time we work is 45 years and most of us will at some point, for a variety of reasons, be terminated at least once. Here are a couple of things to consider:
Track your Contributions - If your job performance can be measured in sales increases, cost savings implemented or projects successfully achieved you should be keeping your own set of good records, (not their proprietary info) that can go home with you. This information will be used as you search.
Leave on Good Terms - I know a lady who told her boss to "take this job and shove it," As she interviewed for a position elsewhere several years later, that old boss spotted her at his new company. It was her fantasy job but they never called her back. Surprise!
Get Endorsements - If you have old performance evaluations keep them! Get reference letters from those who liked your work. They don't have to be from the boss or the soul who let you go. If there were satisfied customers have then write endorsements.
Don't Let the Path Cool! –-Do it all now! The longer you wait the less likely you are to secure the support you need!
Track your Contributions - If your job performance can be measured in sales increases, cost savings implemented or projects successfully achieved you should be keeping your own set of good records, (not their proprietary info) that can go home with you. This information will be used as you search.
Leave on Good Terms - I know a lady who told her boss to "take this job and shove it," As she interviewed for a position elsewhere several years later, that old boss spotted her at his new company. It was her fantasy job but they never called her back. Surprise!
Get Endorsements - If you have old performance evaluations keep them! Get reference letters from those who liked your work. They don't have to be from the boss or the soul who let you go. If there were satisfied customers have then write endorsements.
Don't Let the Path Cool! –-Do it all now! The longer you wait the less likely you are to secure the support you need!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Your Resale Value... Too Late Recession-Proof Your Career?
Do you remember the course you took in high school or maybe college on career planning and development? Aren't you grateful for the valuable step-by-step instruction you received so long ago on building a career-insured future whether personally, vocationally or financially? No? That's because it never happened!
Two major changes occur in your life when you turn 16.....you gain access to the driver's seat to cruise the mall in an automobile, and you also gain the power to secure a job at that same mall. Driving is a dream finally realized, but not without rigorous preparation. By law you are required to take a written test to get a temporary license, and you still have to have a licensed driver present while you learn to maneuver the highways. Ultimately you take driving classes with a certified instructor in addition to classroom instruction, and when the big day comes, the government tests you to make sure you are capable of making correct decisions.
For some mysterious reason career management is not given the same level of importance as motor vehicle operations. From the numbers of folks totally unprepared to change jobs, from minimum wage laborers to CEOs, gaining a competitive edge in planning, managing and controlling your career lacks priority. We are taught to do the job, however nowhere are we taught how to evaluate whether the job will be a good move for us.
The concept of a career "blue book" value has always intrigued me. With the passing of time, automobiles decline in value and there's virtually nothing we can do to even maintain the value of that investment. We can, however, increase our personal resale value with wise decision-making when we select our work environments and job functions. The key is seeking and accepting a job offer based on its ability to better score future job offers.
Savvy career planners can be college students or mid-life career changers. They set long-term goals and search for vehicles and paths with several stops to achieve those goals. More important than compensation, location or status they know that adding a resale morsel gained from wise planning will someday open doors perhaps closed to others. This resale morsel can be a college degree, a certification, a new product environment, or a job function never before performed.
It is never too early or late to configure your recession proofing plan. In advance of any job search, take an inventory of what functions and within which environments you bring to the table. These offerings will appeal to the needs of a perspective employer. Next, make a list of those things critical to increasing your ultimate resale value that you currently don't possess. With this strategy, you will actually know, long-term, why you are accepting a job offer. If the for some reason you go back on the job market after two years with a strategically-selected employer, your value will have increased. Wise career planners know that, while the best of jobs may evaporate, no one can ever take away the experience equity they have gained.
Two major changes occur in your life when you turn 16.....you gain access to the driver's seat to cruise the mall in an automobile, and you also gain the power to secure a job at that same mall. Driving is a dream finally realized, but not without rigorous preparation. By law you are required to take a written test to get a temporary license, and you still have to have a licensed driver present while you learn to maneuver the highways. Ultimately you take driving classes with a certified instructor in addition to classroom instruction, and when the big day comes, the government tests you to make sure you are capable of making correct decisions.
For some mysterious reason career management is not given the same level of importance as motor vehicle operations. From the numbers of folks totally unprepared to change jobs, from minimum wage laborers to CEOs, gaining a competitive edge in planning, managing and controlling your career lacks priority. We are taught to do the job, however nowhere are we taught how to evaluate whether the job will be a good move for us.
The concept of a career "blue book" value has always intrigued me. With the passing of time, automobiles decline in value and there's virtually nothing we can do to even maintain the value of that investment. We can, however, increase our personal resale value with wise decision-making when we select our work environments and job functions. The key is seeking and accepting a job offer based on its ability to better score future job offers.
Savvy career planners can be college students or mid-life career changers. They set long-term goals and search for vehicles and paths with several stops to achieve those goals. More important than compensation, location or status they know that adding a resale morsel gained from wise planning will someday open doors perhaps closed to others. This resale morsel can be a college degree, a certification, a new product environment, or a job function never before performed.
It is never too early or late to configure your recession proofing plan. In advance of any job search, take an inventory of what functions and within which environments you bring to the table. These offerings will appeal to the needs of a perspective employer. Next, make a list of those things critical to increasing your ultimate resale value that you currently don't possess. With this strategy, you will actually know, long-term, why you are accepting a job offer. If the for some reason you go back on the job market after two years with a strategically-selected employer, your value will have increased. Wise career planners know that, while the best of jobs may evaporate, no one can ever take away the experience equity they have gained.
