Monday, August 27, 2007
Why Your Job Search is Not Opening Doors
No one needs to be reminded how little control we have over our lives... especially our work lives. Your career can be thrown totally off-track by a corporate merger, a new boss or brick and mortar relocation. So how can we begin to control our job search? By assuring we have an out-performing resume. The impression we present to the world is actually within our control so why don't we control it and increase out odds of success? September is "Update Your Resume Month," so consider the following...
We do not realize the importance of the resume. Somewhere in some classroom we were taught that if the employer wants to know more about you, he will invite you in to find out what your "sneak preview" didn't express. Resume practitioners know better. They promise a competitive edge and tend to deliver. But the ability to successfully craft a resume that actually surpasses mere vocabulary, sharp graphics or elegant paper lies in one word... strategy. A strong resume has a well-thought out strategy, specifically based on the best message any one candidate can deliver to drive an employer to action. A good resume is not a list of where you worked, what you did or even what you did well. It is a document meant to send a message of strong future performance based on indicators of expertise and meaningful scenarios. Most candidates with whom I meet are failing because they either don't know or can't accept the fact that they have to outperform. One of the two biggest causes of job search failure is an inferior resume. You can be sure that strong candidates will never be granted interviews based on the poor resumes that precede them. If you're not getting interviews.. get help!
We do not realize the importance of the resume. Somewhere in some classroom we were taught that if the employer wants to know more about you, he will invite you in to find out what your "sneak preview" didn't express. Resume practitioners know better. They promise a competitive edge and tend to deliver. But the ability to successfully craft a resume that actually surpasses mere vocabulary, sharp graphics or elegant paper lies in one word... strategy. A strong resume has a well-thought out strategy, specifically based on the best message any one candidate can deliver to drive an employer to action. A good resume is not a list of where you worked, what you did or even what you did well. It is a document meant to send a message of strong future performance based on indicators of expertise and meaningful scenarios. Most candidates with whom I meet are failing because they either don't know or can't accept the fact that they have to outperform. One of the two biggest causes of job search failure is an inferior resume. You can be sure that strong candidates will never be granted interviews based on the poor resumes that precede them. If you're not getting interviews.. get help!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Branding, Solving and Old Identity Mystery with New Strategy
What's all this talk about branding, value propositions, unique selling postures, gap analysis and signature statements? If you're a job seeker are these the magic words that make the difference for those who garner offers? You bet! But from where did this business jargon originate and how do you keep informed? What ever happened to getting educated, gaining experience, qualifying for a job and just plain getting hired?
Has hiring really become more complicated than before or have we just configured fancy terminology to define standard rules of engagement? Let there be no doubt about the increased competition to stay afloat in business, government and not-for profit sectors these days, consequently Boards and senior decision- makers are far more selective. No one can afford to gamble with executive staffing decisions. Thus today's hiring is more intense. And so we need to be sensitive to your brand.
Branding - How do you want to be categorized and identified by employers? What do you want to be known as? Are you the acquisition king, the deal-maker, the turnaround solution? Despite stellar careers, few executives can define who they are when required to package their careers. All who work are defined by the functions they perform, i.e., financial, operational, administrative, technology, and the environments in which they are performed, i.e., manufacturing, financial service, retail, distribution and education. If you have graduated to leadership and you now run the company the definition still applies but now under the identity of senior management. However, the act of promoting a mid-level specialist to an executive generalist tends to cloud his ability to define himself. When asking an executive who he is, he is more than likely to tell you what he's like.
Has hiring really become more complicated than before or have we just configured fancy terminology to define standard rules of engagement? Let there be no doubt about the increased competition to stay afloat in business, government and not-for profit sectors these days, consequently Boards and senior decision- makers are far more selective. No one can afford to gamble with executive staffing decisions. Thus today's hiring is more intense. And so we need to be sensitive to your brand.
Branding - How do you want to be categorized and identified by employers? What do you want to be known as? Are you the acquisition king, the deal-maker, the turnaround solution? Despite stellar careers, few executives can define who they are when required to package their careers. All who work are defined by the functions they perform, i.e., financial, operational, administrative, technology, and the environments in which they are performed, i.e., manufacturing, financial service, retail, distribution and education. If you have graduated to leadership and you now run the company the definition still applies but now under the identity of senior management. However, the act of promoting a mid-level specialist to an executive generalist tends to cloud his ability to define himself. When asking an executive who he is, he is more than likely to tell you what he's like.
Friday, August 03, 2007
The Unemployment Dating Game
(Note from Janice Worthington - As a former 14-year recruiter AND an avid believer in networking I wanted to share the entry below. ...It's from "The Fabulous Life & Times of Pratt Mandango" blog... I've spoken to Pratt. Sometimes we need to laugh at ourselves!)
Looking for a job these days is a lot like Internet dating. You expose yourself to the masses, screaming "I am available," and then spend most of your time fending off the weirdoes sniffing around for their next piece of meat. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against recruiters as a class of people. There are a few good ones out there with nice manners, who are well connected and will treat you nicely. But many of them are either knuckle-draggers looking to club you over the head and drag you to their cave, or sweaty gigolos with fancy titles and bad pick-up lines. If you get caught up with these guys you'll find out they are all compliments and promises in the beginning, but if they can't "place" you by the end of the day, they'll dump you. But, you are still desperate for a job so you chase after them and the cycle continues with more compliments, promises and disappointments. They're the people my parents warned me about.
Not all of the recruiters are that barbaric. Many have flashy titles that imply stature and success that would make any mother proud. I have been approached by Partners, Principals, Directors, Consultants, Seniors, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Managers, Coordinators, Technical Recruiters, Executive Recruiters, Account Managers, Search Partners and Employment Counselors. At least half of these dandies wouldn't pull a chair out for you, let alone spring for the check.
Then we come to the pros. The experienced, sophisticated, "You look Maahvelous" suitors who know how to get to you. They call on the phone, make witty repartee, offer subtle, ego-stroking compliments, practice mild self-deprecating humor, until you are putty in their hands. You say to yourself, "He’s the one. He's the one who will save me from the unemployment line and will help me get back on my feet." They have the connections and pull. They have databases and search tools. They get you in the door too. And, who knows, maybe it is the beginning of something beautiful. Like any relationship, only time and performance will tell.
There were a few I did end up working with who were just like me. They were laid back, casual, sincere in wanting to help but not too pushy. They returned phone calls and kept me informed of their progress. They treated me like a colleague, not a conquest. They got me in a couple of doors too. I kept their contact information if I find myself in this situation again or if I would like to just have company over lunch. I will also refer them to others I know who need somebody - like setting up a blind date.
By the end of this whole exercise, I got very close with a couple of companies, and I did get a good offer that I accepted... through networking.
So, I guess looking for a job is like old fashioned dating too. At the end of the day it's all about finding that special someone. You can hire a professional to do the awkward "Hello, my name is..." or you can be brave and ask a friend do it for you.
posted by Pratt Mandango at 9:52 AM 0 comments ...reprinted with permission..
Looking for a job these days is a lot like Internet dating. You expose yourself to the masses, screaming "I am available," and then spend most of your time fending off the weirdoes sniffing around for their next piece of meat. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against recruiters as a class of people. There are a few good ones out there with nice manners, who are well connected and will treat you nicely. But many of them are either knuckle-draggers looking to club you over the head and drag you to their cave, or sweaty gigolos with fancy titles and bad pick-up lines. If you get caught up with these guys you'll find out they are all compliments and promises in the beginning, but if they can't "place" you by the end of the day, they'll dump you. But, you are still desperate for a job so you chase after them and the cycle continues with more compliments, promises and disappointments. They're the people my parents warned me about.
Not all of the recruiters are that barbaric. Many have flashy titles that imply stature and success that would make any mother proud. I have been approached by Partners, Principals, Directors, Consultants, Seniors, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Managers, Coordinators, Technical Recruiters, Executive Recruiters, Account Managers, Search Partners and Employment Counselors. At least half of these dandies wouldn't pull a chair out for you, let alone spring for the check.
Then we come to the pros. The experienced, sophisticated, "You look Maahvelous" suitors who know how to get to you. They call on the phone, make witty repartee, offer subtle, ego-stroking compliments, practice mild self-deprecating humor, until you are putty in their hands. You say to yourself, "He’s the one. He's the one who will save me from the unemployment line and will help me get back on my feet." They have the connections and pull. They have databases and search tools. They get you in the door too. And, who knows, maybe it is the beginning of something beautiful. Like any relationship, only time and performance will tell.
There were a few I did end up working with who were just like me. They were laid back, casual, sincere in wanting to help but not too pushy. They returned phone calls and kept me informed of their progress. They treated me like a colleague, not a conquest. They got me in a couple of doors too. I kept their contact information if I find myself in this situation again or if I would like to just have company over lunch. I will also refer them to others I know who need somebody - like setting up a blind date.
By the end of this whole exercise, I got very close with a couple of companies, and I did get a good offer that I accepted... through networking.
So, I guess looking for a job is like old fashioned dating too. At the end of the day it's all about finding that special someone. You can hire a professional to do the awkward "Hello, my name is..." or you can be brave and ask a friend do it for you.
posted by Pratt Mandango at 9:52 AM 0 comments ...reprinted with permission..
