When I was but a lad, somewhere in the last millennium, I was told that you could expect maybe four or five jobs in your chosen career. Today, the experts suggest, you will experience as many as nine full career changes. The average person changes jobs every three years whether they like it or not.
Like death and taxes, changing jobs will be a guaranteed event in your life. Finding your next job isn't always an easy task. Times have changed since the days of just walking in and filling out the application form and starting the next Monday. You'll need to know the basics of finding employment in the 21st century. That means learning how to network, writing a good resume and performing well in an interview. These are skills and like any skill, they must be learned.
Yes, anyone can write a resume. Just like anyone can pull out a tooth but in both cases if you want the job done well it pays to go to a professional. It's been said that for every 1,470 resumes an employer receives, one person gets hired. Do you want to guess who probably had the professional help with their resume?
Experts argue as to the length of time you can expect your job search to take. Michael Farr, in his book The Very Quick Job Search, claims the average job search takes 19 weeks. Martha Smith, the Director of Career Development at Huntingdon College advises that you can expect duration of 6 to 9 months. Another source suggested it would take one month for every $10,000 in salary you are seeking. Another source claimed that 70% of all statistics are made up! I suggest that you ignore the statistics and put all your energy into finding new employment.
Step One. Develop the skills that will make all the pessimistic predictions meaningless. Do yourself a favor and attend classes designed to teach you the most modern and effective methods for finding employment. A quick Internet search will turn up some government sponsored workshop to help you acquire the basic skills. If you're looking for a salary with at least six figures, then connect with a professional for the best promotional materials possible.
Step Two. Really understand how to make the numbers work for you instead of against you. Let's imagine your goal is to get three job offers. You've found out that the average person will do five interviews for every job offer. Simple math would tell you that you would have to generate fifteen interviews to get three job offers. We'll say that you are getting one interview for every ten resumes. (In my opinion, this is a clear sign that you need to talk to a professional to improve your resume.) This means that you will need to circulate 150 resumes to create three job offers. If you're committed to finding a great new job in three months then you know that you will have to contact 50 employers each month with your resume.
Step Three. Keep it all in perspective. Should you get frustrated or discouraged when you haven't tasted success after sending out your two targeted resumes today? No, because you know you are taking the steps that will get you a job offer. A week later you may have received three rejection letters, and no interviews. Are you discouraged? No, because you're on target. You're developing the quantity to get the quality. If you want a job in less time, then simply double the number of resumes you are sending out. You will experience less stress when you understand – it’s a game of numbers.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Where Interviewers Miss the Mark
Sales managers would never dream of sending a sales representative into the field without making sure they had acquired the basics on Product knowledge and customer benefits. What do professional interviewers complain about the most? It is the interviewee’s inability to communicate what they can do for the company. Their inability to explain the skills and abilities that would make them suitable for the position can leave the interviewer guessing. Bad news for the candidate is they’ll never guess in your favor. Before you can ever make a sale, you have to match your benefits with the needs of the employer. And before you can tell them about your benefits, you have to know what they are.
It’s about now that the neophyte job seeker or the prepared begins to turn pale and starts to stutter. Because they have never really thought about what benefits they bring to the workplace, they don’t know how to tell anyone about them. Don’t make that mistake. You need to have a clear idea of what you can do and what you could potentially do. Will it take some time to learn about what you have to offer an employer? Yes, but not nearly as long as you might think. It is this investment in yourself that will pay huge dividends as you cash in on bigger and better employment opportunities.
When you have a good grip on your strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, this will have an immense impact on your choice of career, how you handle yourself in an interview and your continued success in the workplace. Before you go to an interview you should be armed with five reasons based upon your strengths as to why you’re a great candidate for the position. Knowing these will build your confidence and keep your focus where it should be: on your strengths and why you’re right for the company.
It’s about now that the neophyte job seeker or the prepared begins to turn pale and starts to stutter. Because they have never really thought about what benefits they bring to the workplace, they don’t know how to tell anyone about them. Don’t make that mistake. You need to have a clear idea of what you can do and what you could potentially do. Will it take some time to learn about what you have to offer an employer? Yes, but not nearly as long as you might think. It is this investment in yourself that will pay huge dividends as you cash in on bigger and better employment opportunities.
When you have a good grip on your strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, this will have an immense impact on your choice of career, how you handle yourself in an interview and your continued success in the workplace. Before you go to an interview you should be armed with five reasons based upon your strengths as to why you’re a great candidate for the position. Knowing these will build your confidence and keep your focus where it should be: on your strengths and why you’re right for the company.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Rinse Your Cottage Cheese
Disciplined, rigorous, dogged, determined, diligent, precise, fastidious, systematic, methodical, demanding, consistent, focused, accountable and responsible. How many of those words would be used to describe you?
A world-class athlete named Dave Scott won the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon six times. In training, Scott would ride his bike 75 miles, swim 20,000 meters, and run 17 miles – on average, every single day. Dave Scott did not have a weight problem! Yet he believed that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet would give him an extra edge. So, Dave Scott – a man who burned at least 5,000 calories a day in training – would literally rinse his cottage cheese to get the extra fat off. Now there is no proof that he needed to rinse his cottage cheese to win the Ironman; that is not the point to the story. The point is that rinsing his cottage cheese was simply one more, small step that he believed would make him just that much better. One small step added to the other small steps to create a consistent program for achievement and progress. He had a plan and he stuck to it.
Do you know anyone who is overweight, out of shape or what is called a ‘couch potato’? They got that way using a program completely opposite to Dave Scott’s. They consumed more calories than they burned off, they sat around rather than being active and they chose foods based on taste than on fueling their bodies. Did they sit down and choose this health and fitness program? Probably not but they did follow it. The evidence is very clear.
What has being in debt have to do with a triathlete rinsing his cottage cheese? Whether you’re getting yourself out of debt or amassing your fortune you need to have a plan and stick with it. If you take a look at anyone who is saddled with a great deal of debt you can see they had a plan and they’ve stuck with it. They’re plan was to satisfy their wants immediately, live beyond their means and hope that it will all work out somehow. They weren’t conscious of their plan or ever sat down and chose this plan but it was their plan nevertheless.
Improving your money situation requires doing a lot of small things on a consistent basis. Simply become aware of every purchase, expense or vehicle for parting your from your money. Be smart, be wealthy.
A world-class athlete named Dave Scott won the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon six times. In training, Scott would ride his bike 75 miles, swim 20,000 meters, and run 17 miles – on average, every single day. Dave Scott did not have a weight problem! Yet he believed that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet would give him an extra edge. So, Dave Scott – a man who burned at least 5,000 calories a day in training – would literally rinse his cottage cheese to get the extra fat off. Now there is no proof that he needed to rinse his cottage cheese to win the Ironman; that is not the point to the story. The point is that rinsing his cottage cheese was simply one more, small step that he believed would make him just that much better. One small step added to the other small steps to create a consistent program for achievement and progress. He had a plan and he stuck to it.
Do you know anyone who is overweight, out of shape or what is called a ‘couch potato’? They got that way using a program completely opposite to Dave Scott’s. They consumed more calories than they burned off, they sat around rather than being active and they chose foods based on taste than on fueling their bodies. Did they sit down and choose this health and fitness program? Probably not but they did follow it. The evidence is very clear.
What has being in debt have to do with a triathlete rinsing his cottage cheese? Whether you’re getting yourself out of debt or amassing your fortune you need to have a plan and stick with it. If you take a look at anyone who is saddled with a great deal of debt you can see they had a plan and they’ve stuck with it. They’re plan was to satisfy their wants immediately, live beyond their means and hope that it will all work out somehow. They weren’t conscious of their plan or ever sat down and chose this plan but it was their plan nevertheless.
Improving your money situation requires doing a lot of small things on a consistent basis. Simply become aware of every purchase, expense or vehicle for parting your from your money. Be smart, be wealthy.
How to Take the Fear Out of Interviewing
The more books and articles I read on how to conduct a great interview, the more my heart goes out to jobseekers. It's like asking an octopus for directions and getting eight different answers.
Some authors will go so far as to choose your wardrobe for you, tell you how to sit in an interview, and what jokes will guarantee you a huge guffaw (I'm not sure what that is but I think I saw one on the Crocodile Hunter.) Others provide a recipe or script and if followed to the letter, will maneuver the interviewer into offering the coveted job. The problem is that this gives the jobseeker the illusion that they can win any interview every time.
The one factor the books and articles tend to overlook is that your interviewer is human or at least a reasonable facsimile. That one factor means no one knows for sure what that particular interviewer looks for, appreciates, dislikes, is passionate about, or if their allergies will be plaguing them that day and you're going to be the closest target.
My point is to not get distracted with things you have no control over. Don't try to memorize the best answers to the "101 toughest questions ever asked." The answers won't feel or sound natural. The odds are that the question won't be handed to you in the same words as the book. You will get so focused on looking for the opportunity to deliver your memorized answer that you miss the fact that every question is an opportunity to sell your skills.
Don't try to be someone or something you're not. It would be extremely exhausting to maintain the role or have to recreate it if they call you back for multiple interviews. What do you plan to do if they offer the job based on the role you played? Get comfortable with whom you are and what you have to offer. Focusing on being you will free up the mental and physical energy to promote your skills, experience and knowledge.
My advice is simple. Focus on the things you can control. Recognize and be able to explain how you would be an asset to their business. Research the company to understand where you could fit in and why they need you. Relax and realize that it is just an interview. Treat every interview as a chance to meet employers and share information. That way you are guaranteed each interview will be successful.
Some authors will go so far as to choose your wardrobe for you, tell you how to sit in an interview, and what jokes will guarantee you a huge guffaw (I'm not sure what that is but I think I saw one on the Crocodile Hunter.) Others provide a recipe or script and if followed to the letter, will maneuver the interviewer into offering the coveted job. The problem is that this gives the jobseeker the illusion that they can win any interview every time.
The one factor the books and articles tend to overlook is that your interviewer is human or at least a reasonable facsimile. That one factor means no one knows for sure what that particular interviewer looks for, appreciates, dislikes, is passionate about, or if their allergies will be plaguing them that day and you're going to be the closest target.
My point is to not get distracted with things you have no control over. Don't try to memorize the best answers to the "101 toughest questions ever asked." The answers won't feel or sound natural. The odds are that the question won't be handed to you in the same words as the book. You will get so focused on looking for the opportunity to deliver your memorized answer that you miss the fact that every question is an opportunity to sell your skills.
Don't try to be someone or something you're not. It would be extremely exhausting to maintain the role or have to recreate it if they call you back for multiple interviews. What do you plan to do if they offer the job based on the role you played? Get comfortable with whom you are and what you have to offer. Focusing on being you will free up the mental and physical energy to promote your skills, experience and knowledge.
My advice is simple. Focus on the things you can control. Recognize and be able to explain how you would be an asset to their business. Research the company to understand where you could fit in and why they need you. Relax and realize that it is just an interview. Treat every interview as a chance to meet employers and share information. That way you are guaranteed each interview will be successful.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Heaven or Hell?
Have you ever found yourself in the wrong job or career? I think it is fair to say that we have all had that experience. This is actually a good thing if you’re conscious of it.
I ran into a good friend of mine a few weeks ago. I’d remembered that she was going after a new position so I asked her if she’d gotten it. Her response, Yes, and I hate it! I asked her if it was just the typical fear that can come with a career change and the accompanying sharp learning curve as you develop the new skills. Apparently that wasn’t the problem because she found the job quite simple. As it turns out the very reason she went after the position is the reason she hates the job. Her previous job involved shift work and had grown tired of graveyard shifts so she went after a nice 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday job. It wasn’t until she found herself trapped inside a cubicle for the entire week that she realized how much she enjoyed the opportunities that came with the night shift. Whenever she’d had evenings or graveyard shifts she could go out for tea with her friends during the day.
I had quite a chuckle at her expense because this is the fourth career change that I’ve seen her make in the last 5 years and end up with the same results each time. She hates the new position more than the old one. Her problem has always been not being really clear on what it is she wants from her new positions. She thought she wanted to get away from working shifts and into a nice secure job with set hours. What she really wants is to have a job that offers her the autonomy to do what she wants with her days. What my friend needs to do before she embarks on her next career change is determine exactly what she wants from the job and why.
Below is a clarification exercise to help you determine what it is you want in the way of a job or career.
A) Take out a blank sheet of paper. On the top of the paper write Job from Heaven. Let your imagination run free. Design the world’s most perfect job. Create your own hours, your own activities, and your most desirable environment. The only limitation is this: it must be a job, not a life. That is, it has to have tasks in it, hours to keep, and some kind of remuneration. Include these categories: what, where and with whom?
1) What would you be doing all day? Would you be directing on a movie set, designing hairstyles or building skyscrapers or playing hockey or saving somebody’s life? Would you be singing before an audience or giving speeches to thousands of people?
2) Where would you be doing this job? Describe the environment. Inside a huge corporation, alone in your home office, on a ranch in Montana breeding horses or onboard a jetliner.
3) Who are you going to be with? Remember this is a job, so you need to imagine all the people you will be working with - your boss, coworker, employee, business partner, or key helper. Create whatever team you will need to make this a perfect job.
B) On a separate piece of paper, create the job from hell.
You know what you don’t want, in detail. If you had problems describing the job from Heaven then this will probably be very easy. Put in everything you hate about every job you ever had or can imagine. If the devil took the time to design a job that was guaranteed to make you miserable, what kind of a job would that be?
1) Include what kind of activity you’d be doing, where you’d be doing it, and with whom.
Flipping the Negative.
Take every detail of your Job from Hell - the hours, the activities, the environment, the attitudes of the coworkers, even the weather and the feelings they generate - and reverse them exactly. Find their exact opposites.
2) Take your Job From Hell and write down the exact opposite. If your job from hell had you working in a busy environment then put yourself in an isolated cottage. It stands to reason that if you hated something then doing the opposite should be more appealing.
They say we’ll probably make 7 to 9 career changes in our lives. Doesn’t it make sense to make them smart career changes based on what you really want?
I ran into a good friend of mine a few weeks ago. I’d remembered that she was going after a new position so I asked her if she’d gotten it. Her response, Yes, and I hate it! I asked her if it was just the typical fear that can come with a career change and the accompanying sharp learning curve as you develop the new skills. Apparently that wasn’t the problem because she found the job quite simple. As it turns out the very reason she went after the position is the reason she hates the job. Her previous job involved shift work and had grown tired of graveyard shifts so she went after a nice 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday job. It wasn’t until she found herself trapped inside a cubicle for the entire week that she realized how much she enjoyed the opportunities that came with the night shift. Whenever she’d had evenings or graveyard shifts she could go out for tea with her friends during the day.
I had quite a chuckle at her expense because this is the fourth career change that I’ve seen her make in the last 5 years and end up with the same results each time. She hates the new position more than the old one. Her problem has always been not being really clear on what it is she wants from her new positions. She thought she wanted to get away from working shifts and into a nice secure job with set hours. What she really wants is to have a job that offers her the autonomy to do what she wants with her days. What my friend needs to do before she embarks on her next career change is determine exactly what she wants from the job and why.
Below is a clarification exercise to help you determine what it is you want in the way of a job or career.
A) Take out a blank sheet of paper. On the top of the paper write Job from Heaven. Let your imagination run free. Design the world’s most perfect job. Create your own hours, your own activities, and your most desirable environment. The only limitation is this: it must be a job, not a life. That is, it has to have tasks in it, hours to keep, and some kind of remuneration. Include these categories: what, where and with whom?
1) What would you be doing all day? Would you be directing on a movie set, designing hairstyles or building skyscrapers or playing hockey or saving somebody’s life? Would you be singing before an audience or giving speeches to thousands of people?
2) Where would you be doing this job? Describe the environment. Inside a huge corporation, alone in your home office, on a ranch in Montana breeding horses or onboard a jetliner.
3) Who are you going to be with? Remember this is a job, so you need to imagine all the people you will be working with - your boss, coworker, employee, business partner, or key helper. Create whatever team you will need to make this a perfect job.
B) On a separate piece of paper, create the job from hell.
You know what you don’t want, in detail. If you had problems describing the job from Heaven then this will probably be very easy. Put in everything you hate about every job you ever had or can imagine. If the devil took the time to design a job that was guaranteed to make you miserable, what kind of a job would that be?
1) Include what kind of activity you’d be doing, where you’d be doing it, and with whom.
Flipping the Negative.
Take every detail of your Job from Hell - the hours, the activities, the environment, the attitudes of the coworkers, even the weather and the feelings they generate - and reverse them exactly. Find their exact opposites.
2) Take your Job From Hell and write down the exact opposite. If your job from hell had you working in a busy environment then put yourself in an isolated cottage. It stands to reason that if you hated something then doing the opposite should be more appealing.
They say we’ll probably make 7 to 9 career changes in our lives. Doesn’t it make sense to make them smart career changes based on what you really want?
Excuse Me Myth
Myths and realities, how does a job seeker tell them apart? Unfortunately for the unsuspecting job seeker, if he or she treats the myth as if it were a reality, they will waste precious time, money and energy heading in the wrong direction. Lets examine a few of the current myths concerning the mysterious world of looking for work.
Myth 1 – We are now entering a revolutionary period where we are witnessing the end of jobs. Reality is that jobs are here to stay. It is careers that are in jeopardy of disappearing. Many young people just entering the job market can expect to have many jobs before they reach retirement age that may or may not constitute what most of us would call a career.
Myth 2 – Anyone can find a job; all you need to know is how to find a job. Reality would say that there are a few flaws to this generality. We can show you some excellent techniques for uncovering job leads, putting together powerful resumes and cover letters and how to ace an interview. What we cannot do is make that job appear if it doesn’t exist. Just because you know how to look for something, doesn’t mean it is there to be found. Sometimes you will have to take your newfound work search skills and move to where the jobs are.
Myth 3 – Resumes are a thing of the past, the new way to find work is the Informational Interview. Reality flies right in the face of this idea. Open up any employment section of the classifieds and almost every ad will ask you to send a resume. The Internet is ripe with sites that specialize in posting your resume. Apparently the employers haven’t heard how passé resumes have become. Sure informational interviews can be very valuable in opening up opportunities but they are only one tool in your job seeker’s toolbox. Do your informational interviews but make sure your resume is tuned up and ready to go because they will ask for it.
Myth 4 – People over 40 have difficulty finding a good job; employers prefer hiring younger and less expensive workers. Reality would agree with you if what you are doing is applying for youth jobs. Conducting an organized job search where you are prepared to sell the employer on all the assets age can bring like maturity, experience and stability will eliminate it as a barrier.
How can you tell if something is a myth or a reality? Is it true for everyone? If even one person proves it can be done or it didn’t affect them, then it is a myth. One sure way to tell if something is a myth is to consider the source. I will guarantee it was told to you by someone who has failed and wants it not to be their fault. Just thank them for their input and go get the job.
Myth 1 – We are now entering a revolutionary period where we are witnessing the end of jobs. Reality is that jobs are here to stay. It is careers that are in jeopardy of disappearing. Many young people just entering the job market can expect to have many jobs before they reach retirement age that may or may not constitute what most of us would call a career.
Myth 2 – Anyone can find a job; all you need to know is how to find a job. Reality would say that there are a few flaws to this generality. We can show you some excellent techniques for uncovering job leads, putting together powerful resumes and cover letters and how to ace an interview. What we cannot do is make that job appear if it doesn’t exist. Just because you know how to look for something, doesn’t mean it is there to be found. Sometimes you will have to take your newfound work search skills and move to where the jobs are.
Myth 3 – Resumes are a thing of the past, the new way to find work is the Informational Interview. Reality flies right in the face of this idea. Open up any employment section of the classifieds and almost every ad will ask you to send a resume. The Internet is ripe with sites that specialize in posting your resume. Apparently the employers haven’t heard how passé resumes have become. Sure informational interviews can be very valuable in opening up opportunities but they are only one tool in your job seeker’s toolbox. Do your informational interviews but make sure your resume is tuned up and ready to go because they will ask for it.
Myth 4 – People over 40 have difficulty finding a good job; employers prefer hiring younger and less expensive workers. Reality would agree with you if what you are doing is applying for youth jobs. Conducting an organized job search where you are prepared to sell the employer on all the assets age can bring like maturity, experience and stability will eliminate it as a barrier.
How can you tell if something is a myth or a reality? Is it true for everyone? If even one person proves it can be done or it didn’t affect them, then it is a myth. One sure way to tell if something is a myth is to consider the source. I will guarantee it was told to you by someone who has failed and wants it not to be their fault. Just thank them for their input and go get the job.
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