Dealing With Change

I recently came across this article from Advertising Age online, and wanted to share it. Ariane de Bonvoisin discusses how to positively deal with the change that stems from a job loss/career transition. It offers great insight.... Enjoy!

http://adage.com/talentworks/article?article_id=130922

Getting Your Ducks (And People) In A Row

I read an article recently with some good advice...regardless of your job situation, you should always be prepared to look for a new job. Very true, and I think with the uncertainties of today's economy, that's especially sound advice. My intent with this post is not to scare anyone, but rather it is aimed at creating awareness that getting prepared for a job search is always a good move. So for the next few posts, I'll focus on ways you can get your ducks in a row, so to speak, and not be caught off guard if you find yourself suddenly in the job search market.

The first thing I would recommend is of course updating your resume and ensuring that you have a quality list of professional references. For now, I'll focus on the references. So many times as a recruiter, I would find candidates who did not have a strong list of references. Yes, they may have had their favorite aunt and former next door neighbor listed, but they couldn't remember the email address of their old supervisor.

Today recruiters and hiring managers expect professional references. And professional means, supervisors, peers, those who you previously managed...you get my point. Please, please, please do not list relatives and friends! While I think it is acceptable to list community-based references (such as the woman who you co-chaired a PTO event with), it's still critical that you have at least 2 - 3 workplace based references.

Having a list of quality, professional references is something that you can start building - or building on - today. Take a look at your current list of references...who can you add, and who should you delete? Be proactive, and update your list now. And be sure that you have multiple types of contact information...many employers still want workplace addresses. I recommend having for each reference both an email address and phone number - for both work and home if possible.

Taking this step in updating your references gets you closer in being prepared for an upcoming job search. I have seen too often job candidates scramble at the last minute to get their list of references updated...won't you feel relieved knowing that your 'people' are all in a row.

Timing Is Everything

Timing is everything, and after taking a few months off from this blog (my apologies), it's time to re-focus again. Now for this entry, I want to stress the importance of timing in your job search - particularly your response time. As a recruiter, I often juggled many openings at once. When it was time to contact candidates for a certain position, I was eager to communicate with the candidates then...not a few days later. I can recall instances when I would leave a voice mail for a candidate on a Tuesday, and not hear back from them until that Friday. Well, by then, I had either moved on or was irked by the long response time. Now, I am not saying that if you are looking for a job you need to wait by your phone or email - absolutely not. However, if you are looking for a job, you should be mindful of the contact information you listed on your resume. If you created a special email account for the search, make sure that you are checking that at least once a day (ideally, two or three times). If it's a cell phone number, and you get a message that morning at work, try to step out during lunch and return the call. Your response time as a candidate is important in the job search process, and your speedy - and professional - response may set you apart from the other candidates.

Selling Yourself 101

Unless you are a die-hard salesperson, most people don't like to sell things...especially themselves. But isn't that the whole premise of a job interview? Well, yes and no. A job interview is about making sure the position is a right fit - on both ends. And to appeal to the employer as a 'good fit' there is an element of sales involved. As is my advice with all selling, honesty is paramount. However, being honest shouldn't impede your ability to tell the interviewers that you are a brand worth buying. So here's my Selling Yourself 101 advice:

-Make sure you understand what makes you valuable to an employer. Do you possess a specific set of skills that few people have? Are you a great leader? What knowledge do you bring with you? If you don't know what your value is, stop reading this, and start thinking.

-Find the right balance between selling yourself too aggressively and not giving yourself full credit...specific examples work well for this. If you are uncomfortable saying that you are the greatest accountant in the world, then talk about some specific times when you exceeded project goals.

-Practice! You need to practice selling your brand. Or rather, I should say you need to become comfortable speaking about who you are and why you are valuable. This can be tough for many people, so the more you practice it, the better.

Selling is never easy - no matter what the 'product'. But as professionals we need to be aware of what we represent in the job market world and be prepared - when the time comes - to sell it effectively.

No Applause Needed, Just a Thank You

My advice - and plea - as a former recruiter/HR professional is simple. Please send a thank you note after you interview! Really, I mean it. It sounds so simple but so many candidates today simply ignore this little nicety.

When I started interviewing many years ago, I found it to be quite common for candidates to send me handwritten (yes, I said handwritten) notes of thanks. I just expected it. But as the years went on, I found my inbox less frequented by these nice notes. I did start getting more email thank you's, which while at first I wasn't as excited about it, I came to expect and appreciate them.

Well, in the past five years, even email notes of thanks are hard to come by. I don't know if there is an underground movement (that I obviously haven't heard about) telling people not to send thank you notes. If you are familiar with this movement, I ask you to revolt. Because, really, it's a nice thing to do and professionally, I think, it speaks volumes.

You don't need to have fancy stationary - although please, keep it professional. And really, the message only needs to be a few lines. Thank you for meeting with me ... I enjoyed it ... I like your company ... I would be a good fit for this job ... you get the picture. My first choice is still a handwritten note, but with the speed of business today, sometimes an email the day of the interview is a good thing. (If you are going to email a thank you, make sure you do it within 24 hours of the interview). And make sure you send a note of thanks to each person you interviewed with - no one likes being left out.

Momentum

Momentum. The technical term of momentum has something to do with velocity and mass....which is pretty Greek to me. As a self-professed job search guru, I like to define momentum as the energy - and commitment - behind a job search.

I often say, looking for a job is like a job, and for that reason alone, many people lose momentum as they look for a new position. But as you lose momentum, you lose focus and you ultimately lose the drive to find a job that you love. So my advice to you...find a way to keep your job search momentum going.

I know, easier said than done, but there are ways you can keep your job search energy up - even with limited time. When I talk to people about their job search, I usually start out by asking how many jobs they have applied for in the past three months. Often, the answer is I don't know...or it's a rough estimation that's usually much higher than the actual number. A simple way to get and maintain momentum in a job search is to keep track of what you are doing and set goals. The goal part depends upon your situation. If you are unemployed and need a job as soon as possible, then you should set a goal of sending out 20 - 30 'contacts' a week. (A contact is sending your resume to a company, a friend, a neighbor, etc.). So now that you have set your goal, the key to keeping your momentum is keeping track of your activity each week and reaching your goal. Once you can see - on paper - your efforts for the week and that you are achieving what you set out to do, you will feel energized and your search will have the momentum it needs to stay on track.

For a different scenario... say you are only considering the possibility of a new job - you're not 'actively' looking. Well, you should still set yourself a goal. Maybe that's reaching out to former colleagues or contacts in a professional group - one contact a week. Or set a goal of sending your resume to three companies a week. Whatever you decide is needed for you, put it on paper, and stick with it! That will give even a 'not-so-active' job search focus and momentum.

Momentum is a good thing. It helps to keep us focused and ultimately helps us move in the right direction.

a Hello and Cautionary Tale

This is my introduction to the blogging world - as a writer, that is. When I started my company last year, I discovered the great world of blogging - and all the interesting and useful information you could find out in cyberspace. I soon began reading my favorite two or three blogs a day, and found myself fascinated by the authors' ability to continually put themselves out there...and in the process offer some really helpful advice.

So that is the goal of this blog...to help those looking for a job, or perhaps just offer some food for thought for those thinking about taking the leap. I will try to offer insights and tidbits that give you a fresh perspective for your job search.

So for my first entry, I thought I would start with some simple advice (and I think it's pretty fitting for my first blog entry)...watch your professional blogging presence!

I'm certainly not the first person to write about this, but I think it's worth mentioning again. I am continuously surprised at job searchers' naivete in regards to this age of information exposure. Yes, people will Google you before an interview. I know from experience - not from my own, but from others. Most HR folks would never admit to Googling job candidates- and really, most don't. However, your future boss and potential cubicle neighbor might not be able to resist the temptation.

I often found myself walking to an interview and listening to the hiring manager say, "Well, I found some interesting hits about this person through Google." While I would internally groan, and advise in my professional voice to keep an open mind, and focus on the skills required for the job, etc., I knew the supervisor would be thinking about what they e-discovered any way. And really, I couldn't blame them.

Now, I'm not saying you can't blog, or if you do, you have to limit your true voice. My advice is to just watch out for the big things - messages of hate, violence, excessive cursing, inappropriate photographs...I think you get my drift. And really, call me old fashioned, but I think that's good advice for all bloggers - not just those looking for a job.

So when I say be mindful of your professional blogging presence....what I really mean is, your overall blogging presence and web presence. Whatever you say, post, link or comment on - even if it's strictly personal - becomes a professional presence when you are looking for a job. (And I think it goes without saying that this includes MySpace, FaceBook, etc). So if your resume is floating out there, and you're lining up interviews, please do this for me...think before you post.