Worklife Survival
Forget Me Not- 3 Ways to Make Them Remember!
Ok so you got the interview, they called you back for seconds, thirds maybe even fourths. They asked for your professional references three weeks ago. They already reached out and completed them as you heard back from several of your former colleagues who claim to have given you high marks. The recruiter called and said they are preparing an offer. You wait and wait and then wait some more and two- week pass and nothing. You are not sure you should call again, email, text or send up a smoke signal but you are beginning to think they have completely forgotten about you. When your job world has gone stone cold silent and you are ready to sign it off, there are a few more things you can do to stir the proverbial job pot before throwing in the towel!
When you are ready to sing “Forget Me Not” here are a couple of things to keep in mind about the job offer process that is not always forgiving to the job seeker:
1- It’s not always about you. You can get paranoid when you wait around for what seems like ages only to hear the sound of crickets in the distance instead of your phone ringing with your start date. People get busy and distracted and sometimes when you think it has everything to do with you it doesn’t. Some companies have to wait for background checks, budget clearance, corporate approvals, which can drag a job offer out for weeks sometimes longer. Just remember there’s more going on behind the scenes that may have nothing to do with whether they liked you or not.
2- Sending Out an S.O.S is like signaling “I’m desperate-hire me already!” That doesn’t mean there isn’t a cool, calm and humorous way to diffuse what’s becoming an increasingly tense situation for you. Give a call, send an email with something like,” You don’t love me anymore?” or something that takes the air out of the situation. Inquiring as to the status of the offer in a non-threatening and subtle way will help move it along or at the very least give you some answers you may not have had before.
3- Call to ask a question. Sometimes when you use a follow up question to inquire about something “you forgot to ask” like the benefits, vacation policy, gym membership (where’s my offer!), helps you open the door for a conversation at which time you can ask the recruiter or hiring manager as to the status of the pending offer. Sometimes the recruiter or hiring manager may think the offer letter already went out and you are the one holding it up! Keep the communication flowing-it’s your responsibility to make sure you follow-up and not theirs!
So even though silence may not always be golden, there could be a good reason behind it when you are waiting for an offer. Don’t frighten yourself into thinking that they have rescinded or have forgotten about you. It could just be the way the company’s process rolls or it could be that you are scaring yourself out of a job offer! Next time you need to follow up, take the initiative and don’t be so nervous that you forget why you are calling!
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Copyright © 2012 Lisa Kaye | HR | Consulting | Los Angeles | Entertainment | Human Resources | Search - The Career Rebel
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Your Job Search – 3 Ways to Plug & Play
It’s really not that hard to kick your job search into high gear. Some of us get so focused on building the resume, the bio and figuring out who to include as a reference that we forget to do a few basics which really happen BEFORE the resume re-write begins. When you think about preparing for your job search you might spend all of your time preparing a killer resume and think that is all you need. Unfortunately, a resume is only one tool in helping you present yourself to a prospective employer or a recruiter. Your job search begins with your ability to research, goal-set and prepare yourself – three ways to plug and play to you’re your career forward and find your dream job.
Whether you are just starting out or have been in the same job for years, chances are you can use a little freshening up as it relates to knowing what you are worth, what you should be making and who your competition is. When you spend any length of time in a job you might get a little too comfortable and think that what you are doing, making and getting from your job is the very best your industry has to offer. And if you are just starting out, well you just might be lacking the basic knowledge to help you navigate the career landscape. Here are a few essential steps you should take before you embark on your career search no matter where you are in the process.
1- Research. It’s time to educate yourself on you. What are you worth? How does the market value your position? What experience, skills additional training should you have in order to elevate you in your profession? Are there professional groups, associations, boards, networking events you should belong to or get acquainted with in order to help you get more information? Knowing what you know or don’t know about your profession no matter how long you’ve been doing it is essential BEFORE you attempt to market and sell yourself to a prospective employer.
2- Goal – Setting. What are you looking to get out of your next job? Are you looking to just jump ship or are you looking for some level of growth, advancement and overall professional development from your next career opportunity? If so, then spending some time and money on getting a coach, attending a goal-setting seminar or class will help you map out what you are looking to accomplish in the next few years as it relates to where you want to go in your career. Instead of spending time jumping from one interview or job offer, to another hoping someone will notice you, spend some time getting to know what you are looking for and what will ultimately feed your soul. Setting your career goals BEFORE you accept your next job offer will help you make a better decision in the long run.
3- Network. As important as it is to do the research, nothing prepares you better for knowing what you want, what you should ask for than setting your intentions, networking and speaking to colleagues and professionals who are already doing it for a living. Whether these are trusted colleagues or people you don’t know, building your network BEFORE you need one is important if you want to successfully choose your next job.
Data gathering and learning as much as you can BEFORE you need a job is a sure fire way of making your job search as easy as plug and play.
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Copyright © 2012 Lisa Kaye | HR | Consulting | Los Angeles | Entertainment | Human Resources | Search - The Career Rebel
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Interview Sabotage-5 Things That Could Kill Your Chances
Most people think, “If I can just get a meeting, an interview and in-person meet and greet and I know I will ace it!” Well, for some of you that might be the case, but for a vast majority of you, please read the fine print. Just because you are lucky enough to get a meeting with a potential employer, recruiter or agency does not mean that you are in a position to expect that anyone is going to think more of you than you may imagine just because you showed up.
You’ve got to do more to impress the masses these days but it does not take a lot. Common sense, simple courtesy and an ability to make an impression will drive how successful you are when it comes to not only the interview but everything you say and do in between you and the job offer you are wanting.
So before you start patting yourself on the back for a job well done, here’s a few common mistakes that people make that really have an impact on how well the other side of the desk perceives you as a viable employee or not.
1- Show up on EARLY. It’s not enough to be on time but it’s better if you show up a bit early. Use the time wisely, like making a stop to the restroom to freshen up, get your business card handy and resume together, turn off your cell phones, iPad, etc., fill out an application if the employer still uses hard copy. Make sure you are not rushing and give yourself time to relax and get centered and stay focused on the interview. Be present and don’t be distracted by needing to put money in the meter or anything else that you feel harried about.
2- Do your HOMEWORK. Make sure you know something about the company but also about the PERSON you are interviewing before you show up. LinkedIn, Google, Facebook are ways for you to learn a little something about the person who is interviewing you. Remember interviewing is a two-way street if you take the time to get to know the person’s background who is making the hiring decision, the more leverage you give yourself over the other candidates.
3- Stop Talking & LISTEN. Getting nervous is a given but coming prepared BEFORE the interview with some questions will help you stop chattering about yourself and pause enough to let the other person get a word in. Asking questions assures you that you will have to stop talking and let the other person answer as well as showing your interest level in the company.
4- Stop COMPLAINING about your current boss, company, low compensation, challenging work, co-workers or your future under ANY circumstances is a turn-off. Even a skilled recruiter will see if you are the type who might be negative and ask you a seemingly innocent question only to get you on a rant about what you don’t like at your current job vs. what you do like. Don’t fall into the trap. Keep positive no matter how miserable things actually are because a prospective employer does not want to take a chance on hiring a negative person.
5- Don’t forget to FOLLOW UP. Make sure you ask for a business card, send a thank you email or note and ask about next steps all to help keep the dialogue and connection open. Some people leave and call the recruiter and say, “Do you have the person’s email I forgot to get a business card.” Be diligent and mindful of your follow up skills because once you’re out the door you are out of sight-out of mind.
These are a few simple things to keep in mind when you are so excited about getting an interview that all your common sense goes out the window and you forget the basics. Keep it simple and you should not only ace the interview but get a job offer as well!
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Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
We all overthink the obvious. Not because we necessarily like to complicate our lives, but the drama we play out in our heads at times has a way of confusing our ability to make even a simple decision. It’s not hard to know the difference when you are happy, challenged, stressed or even when it’s time to ask yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?”
Knowing when it’s time to leave the party is as important as knowing when to fight for what you want. Some of us tend to give up when the battle has just begun or fight wars in our minds only to realize we are the ones holding the gun fighting off our unseen enemy-usually ourselves. When we do battle with ourselves, or pick up the fight for no reason, then we start asking ourselves-“What am I doing here?” Being trigger-happy is one thing, but shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to your ability to make sound decisions as it relates to your career is another.
Then there are the times, when we take ourselves out of the race before it has even begun. Take for example a candidate I had up for a job who was interested in the opportunity and engaged enough to want to hear more and when he came back from the holiday break, called to say he thought it over and before meeting with the senior team was going to pull out of the race because he believed that they were in no way going to meet his salary expectations. My response? Stop! Why pull yourself out when you don’t know how the outcome will play out? If they liked you enough to want you back after knowing what you were looking for in compensation why on earth would you second-guess the process and jump the gun to assume otherwise?
The difference between reacting and making an educated decision lies somewhere in your fear to move forward and of your fear of rejection. Never assume you know what the outcome will be before you even play your first hand. That’s like folding every time you draw a card you don’t like in Poker. It’s not always the high hand that wins. We confuse ourselves with worrying about what is right, wrong or sideways that we paralyze our process by staying stuck instead of moving forward.
What we need when we overthink ourselves into oblivion is a swift kick to move us forward towards our goals, not stuck in wondering “what if?” It’s okay to know how you feel about a decision or a process but when you start to rationalize what others might be thinking or reacting it’s time to turn in your analyst hat for a martini. Chillax as they say, there is nothing wrong with wanting what you want. Just don’t try to imagine what others want for you and run the other way. Next time you question whether you should stay or you should go, think about one thing only: you are the only one who should be making that decision for you- not because you are concerned with what others think, but because it’s the right decision for you.
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Career Sabbatical
Teachers do it, practitioners do it, and even students do it. As you hurl towards the New Year with your lists in hand of how you plan to change the world, or what you will accomplish in the next 12 months, there may be a few of you who are thinking, “Why can’t I just take a break?” Moving too fast in life is not always the best course when trying to reach your goals. Time spent in quiet contemplation sets the necessary foundation to help focus you more than list building and speed-interviewing can any day. When you feel the need to plan ahead, think about slowing down and taking a career sabbatical.
Taking a rest doesn’t mean you are copping out or even dropping out. It means you are smart enough to know when it’s time to regroup, get organized and focus on your long-range plans. Let’s face it the holidays bring out the best and worst in most of us. Stress causes us to make decisions in a vacuum and to react instead of proactively plan for your future. When you are too busy with life, you delay putting off what you need to take care of most and that is you. Your decisions about career, money, family and the like take a back-seat to the more pressing concerns of the day-getting the kids off to school or paying the bills.
Taking a career sabbatical from your job search is no different. When you give yourself permission to rest and regroup it sends a message to you and everyone else that you are making yourself the priority. The benefits you receive are tremendous as you give yourself the time and attention to focus on your career in a calm and detached way. A career sabbatical offers you the opportunity to reflect on what’s working and change what is not working as it relates to your current job or your future job search.
It’s okay to take a breather from the chaotic job search even if it’s a few weeks so that you can know you are making the right decision when a job offer does come along. Your hard work is rewarded when you learn to take time for yourself and make sure you are on the right track. All the lists and plans and goal-setting won’t help if you are burned out and overwhelmed as a result of the holidays or just having to deal with your job search for so long.
Giving yourself the opportunity to focus on you will go a long way in helping you stay focused on your job search and maintain the optimism and fortitude you will ultimately need to stay in the game and to reach your ultimate career goals. So next time you feel guilty over not sending out 100 resumes in a day, stop and realize you will get where you are going a lot faster if you just lighten up, relax and take a break. Your hard work will pay off whether you decide to move 100 miles per hour or at 10 miles per hour. Take a career sabbatical while you have the chance and don’t deny yourself the freedom to rest, refresh and regroup for the new year.
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
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Happy New You Year!
With all the new year resolutions plaguing you this year there only needs to be one that matters. Making wish lists and promises to take care of everything from losing weight, to paying down your debt, to finding that perfect job or any job are all pointless if you fail to take care of the one thing that does matter and that is you. Selfish as this may sound you will not stand a fighting chance to succeed at any of the goals you have set for yourself if you neglect the one most important person in your life and that is you.
How do you even go about that you may wonder when you have so many obligations and responsibilities to everyone and everything in your life that matters? You might even think it is not possible to spend time focusing on you when your commitments continue to mount and you have nothing left to give anyone else let alone yourself. When you get caught in the scramble of everyday life and you begin to lose sight of you, stop, regroup and reprioritze. If you are not at the top of your to-do list this year than something is woefully wrong with your thinking. It’s not just about making time for yourself, that’s a given. But ordering in a sense of balance and an investment in taking care of what’s important to you as your number one priority is what counts.
Creating balance is really about knowing what it is you want, taking stock in what you have, and setting your mind to creating and realizing the goals you want to set for yourself. Yes life does get in the way, but if you keep yourself front and center at all times you have a better than average chance at succeeding than you might think. Yes this is about making you your number one priority. Yes this is about creating what you want. Yes this is about setting boundaries. Yes this is about eliminating people and situations that no longer work in your life. Yes this is about honoring your feelings. Yes this is about being authentic. Yes this is about caring for your own needs. Yes this is about knowing when to say no. Yes this is about not ruling your decisions through guilt. Yes this is about becoming friends with you.
If you don’t start here, if you don’t allow yourself the respect you deserve by honoring you, no matter what goals, intentions, resolutions or lists you think you are creating to realize your dreams, than you will not succeed no matter how much effort you put into it. Why? Because you will allow “life” to get in the way with its schedules, meetings, appointments and meaningless lists of things you need to take care of because somewhere you decided those things were more important than taking care of you.
So remember to focus on you in the new year no matter what your friends and family might think of your new found self-love because in the end you are all you have and if you don’t start honoring that now what makes you think anyone including your employer will in the future.
Here’s to you in New Year!
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Ask, Believe & Receive
What’s on your holiday wish list this year? Are you still looking for the right relationship, enough money in the bank, the perfect job or maybe a raise? Are you grateful for what you have or are you still searching for a reason to get up in the morning? Have you been deservedly naughty or particularly nice and just waiting for a bounty of beautiful gifts to descend upon you? Whatever your lot in life you are in a unique position to hit the reset button and start over as the New Year approaches.
Knowing what has worked for you in the past and understanding what you can improve upon in the future is a good step in developing a solid game plan to help you move forward towards the career you want. Being able to release what was not working in the past helps you build a foundation that is solid and gets you where you want to go from here.
We all make those meaningless New Year’s resolutions only to fail at almost everything we attempt. Instead of making lists about goals and promises that you can’t keep, you should think about committing to one or two things that you know you can deliver on like, finding a job you love! When you keep it simple, you will have a better chance at succeeding in your goals. We overburden ourselves with goals that seem insurmountable and it frustrates and discourages us when we can’t meet them. Knowing how to set reasonable and meaningful expectations about your career goals will help you to better achieve the results you want in the timeline and in the manner you choose.
You are the master of your own career plan whether you think divine intervention has anything to do with it or not. No one knows better what you need and how to get there than you even though you may doubt yourself at times. There are three simple ways to get the job you truly want and focus your intention for the New Year:
1- Ask. Set your intention. What is it that you really want? Keep it simple by not complicating it with a long list of desires that are not truly important. Just name it.
2- Believe. Now that you know what you want hold onto it and make sure you believe that you can achieve it. Don’t set up obstacles or second-guess your initial intentions. Believing and realizing your dreams is all you need to do in order to get ready to:
3- Receive. You will notice what appears to be some miraculous events unfold before you, opportunities you did not even imagine could be possible when you open yourself up to asking and believing in your dreams.
Holding onto what you truly want and opening up yourself to receive the wonderful opportunities that await you are just the first steps and only steps you need in making your holiday career dreams come true. So even if you were a bit naughty, no one is judging you but you. Don’t stand in your own way when it comes to harnessing the power of your potential. Just open up to the wonderful new choices available to you and embrace the New Year with all your might!
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Pass It On …
During this holiday season and sometimes throughout the year, we need to be reminded that it’s ok to give, share and spread the wealth especially in a crowded job market. Even when it seems like there are hundreds of job seekers applying to just one job like there are holiday shoppers rushing to the stores on Black Friday to grab up the last of the sale items, we need to remind ourselves there’s room at the Inn for all of us if we just slow down and step back and be willing to help. You may feel the need to rush to get through your “Job Seeker To Do List” wondering how many more resumes you can send out or how many job interviews you can line up before the new year. When you think you’ve done enough for yourself and you are not sure what gifts you can share, think of those who are still struggling this year who have not been as successful as you and next time you hear of a job you are not interested in or perhaps is just not right for you, remember you can easily jus, pass it on.
Sharing is a gift we can all take part in whether it’s during the holiday season or not. Knowing when to give back and help someone else who is having an even harder time with their job search than you are is one way you can choose to do something for someone else. It does not have to be the holiday season for you to be generous. You will be rewarded in many ways each and every time you reach out and pass it on. Simple ways for you to think about this benevolent concept might include:
1- Pass on job leads and contacts that might be appropriate for someone else;
2- Help someone land an interview or make an introduction on their behalf;
3- Offer to review their resume, bio and make constructive comments;
4- Roll play and provide positive feedback on their interview skills/techniques;
5- Be there to listen to how their job search is going and offer to help.
Knowing that you are not alone and that there are others out there who may be having a harder time with their job search takes you out of yourself and opens you up to helping others in a similar situation. When it comes to passing it on it takes little or no effort. You just have to think of others as you would think or yourself and the reward maybe an even better job for you and of course, the right to feel great while you are doing something nice for someone else.
This holiday season pass it on and help someone help themselves by giving the gift of hope, courage, a little good will and of course the prospects of an amazing job opportunity.
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Try Me!
When all of your search efforts have gone by the way side, do you ever feel like holding up a sign across your chest with the words emblazoned in big red letters, “Try Me!” When all else fails there is nothing like bold advertising. But when you think about it, what harm would there really be if you let them try you for free?
I’m not an advocate of giving your talents away under any circumstances. But there comes a time in anyone’s job search attempts to compromise and offer up creative opportunities to get a foot in the door. This is probably as important for those starting out in their careers as it is for those who’ve been at it for a while and who believe they have something coming to them. Living up to your potential is great, but letting someone know what you are capable of is not only a smart move but could help move your career along the right path.
When you are not faced with too many options, you might want to think about offering up your services on a “try me” basis. Think of projects, events or promotions that the company you are interviewing with is handing and come up with some ideas on how you might be able to offer up some advice, suggestions or free resources. Even if it’s making a referral to someone else that could help them for a project opens yourself to opportunities even though you may not know where they may lead. Holding yourself back because you think it’s not smart to help someone else out is not going to land you any allies in your job search.
Reaching out in an effort to expose yourself to new and interesting opportunities that can hopefully advance your career is the best way to go without thinking about, “What’s in it for me?” Of course, your goal is to make things happen for yourself but you can’t do that if you are busy worrying why no one is calling you back and kicking yourself for not getting the job offer your colleague just got.
The “try me” method helps you think creatively about ways to expand your skill set to meet the needs of a company or potential client when they might not have the available resources to hire you full time. Just because the job isn’t posted, doesn’t mean there isn’t a job! You need to think outside your normal way of approaching your job search and offer yourself up to help when there is a need and no resources. I’m not saying to work for free for months at a time, but maybe offer yourself up for a couple of hours to help out at an event, or sit in on a meeting to offer some ideas on a new project the company is launching. The point is if you want people to notice you and offer you a job, offering yourself up first is a good way to approach that. Besides, not many people get married after the first date, so the try me method offers you both a way to test the waters before committing.
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Here & Now
We all like to plan and plan and well, plan what our lives will be like in the future. Thinking, building, dreaming about what your next job will be, how your career will unfold and what new challenges and opportunities lay before you is a great way to spend a rainy Sunday morning in front of a roaring fire. The romantic sounds of your thoughts as they sweep past all of the scenarios your active mind chooses to paint, is a great way to vision your career the way you’d like it to be whether the fantasy is real or not. It’s great to know you can dream and it’s great to dream big. What you don’t want to lose is your imagination no matter how far-fetched your career dreams carry you. Keeping your thoughts on the high-road helps you dream the impossible dream and imagine your career, as you’d like it to be. What you need to remember when you come down to earth is applying those dreams in the here and now. You can get there from here but you can’t if you don’t apply your vision to your reality.
Getting lost in your thoughts is good so long as you know when it’s time to come down to earth. Living in the here and the now helps you recognize where you are and how much further you may need to go to get your dream job. You’ve got to take stock in what obstacles, roadblocks and challenges are in front of you NOW before you have a chance to recognize the opportunities that lay ahead. If you get stuck in the future you can’t learn to change what is not working or even appreciate what is working for you right now.
1- Take stock in what you have now, make a list, check it twice and make sure you list all that you possess now and all that you want to possess from your career in the future. Acknowledge the abundance in your life, your friends, family, finances, gifts, etc. Just because you feel you lack something now does not mean you should ignore what you do have in your life in the present only to dream your life away in the future.
2- Make a wish list whether realistic or not and don’t judge yourself in the process of building your dream job. That list could read, “VP title, $300K a year, car, world travel, big staff, …”
3- Put a time-line next to each things you’d like to accomplish in the near and far future. There is no harm in planning well into the future and remember things change and nothing is locked in stone. Don’t be afraid to commit yourself to your dreams. It’s up to you to decide what you want and when you want it and the universe will deliver it to you on a silver platter if you just stay focused and intent on getting what you want.
It’s important to always have a vision of what it is you want from your career without reservation or guilt. Living in the here and the now helps you to build the plan that will take you down the road to finding your true passion and living the dream job you desire.
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Belt It Out!
Most people think an understated approach to your job search is both respected and desired. We are not trained on how to self-promote and celebrate our accomplishments particularly when it comes to writing a resume or a bio. Often times we address ourselves in the third person or don’t address ourselves at all in a resume and use bullet points with statistics to talk about what we’ve achieved in our job. The next time you think a piece of paper or an electronic email is not an extension of YOU-think again. Making the most of who you are and what you did on paper is as important as your in-person interview. So when you have the chance to sing your praises, make sure to belt-it-out!
The next time you apply for a job I’m not suggesting you take out a bus ad or a billboard pronouncing your greatness. I am however, suggesting that a little self-promotion can go a long way in telling someone you don’t know a little bit about your accomplishments. Using buzz terms like, “a proven-leader,” “innovator”, “people person” or “change-agent” is not what I’m getting at either. People can read through the fluff without substance terms you use just as much as they can determine whether or not you are a “cultural fit”. Having a balanced resume or bio that outlines your triumphs and successes without being over-bearing or too statistical is the best way to tell someone how great you are without stating, “how great you are”.
It’s surprising to me how many writers, editors, publicists, marketing and business leaders have horribly executed resumes or bios. They either read like a who’s who of accomplishments or are so mired in statistics and analytics that you are not sure whether you are reading a resume or the Dow Jones report!. No one wants to read who you know or how many titles you had in one company, they want to read about what you did to, 1) increase revenues; 2) increase distribution; and, 3) save money and cut expenses. If your resume does not address any and all of these in some meaningful way while promoting your accomplishments, than frankly, your resume is not worth the paper it is written on.
Like any good sales person you have to, 1) know your audience; 2) deliver what the customer wants; and 3) be able to close the deal. In your case, you want to tailor your resume and bio to your audience and deliver what they want by doing the following:
1) Make sure your resume/bio is tailored to the business and position you are applying for. Which means if you have to tweak it for a specific company take the time and do it.
2) Make sure you do your homework on the company and read the posting or job description in detail. If need be, find someone in the company you can discuss the position with to determine challenges and opportunities and make sure your resume/bio highlights those in a BIG way (belt-it-out!) before you apply for the job.
3) Don’t hold back! If you’ve got what it takes and what they are looking for capitalize on your accomplishments, awards, achievements and testimonials-yes it’s time to shine if you want to close the deal and get an interview and hopefully a job offer!
Make sure you are living up to your true potential and don’t be afraid to let others know how great you are. Bragging for the sake of bragging when you have nothing to back it up is not going to get you noticed by those handing out job offers – people will see through that. Singing your own praises when in fact you have accomplished a great deal is what will get you noticed and in this market, that’s all you are looking for, that and of course a great job offer!
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Are You Under-Employed?
You may not be one of the millions who are knocking on doors, scouring the job boards and filling out their bi-weekly UED forms, but you may just be as lost and confused as your unemployed counterparts. You may have a job to go to every morning, a paycheck you collect twice a week and health insurance-but, are you happy? Just because you have a job does not mean you are any more or less fulfilled than the guy who is struggling to make ends meet. Yeah, you may think, “What have I got to complain about, I should count myself as one of the lucky ones.” True, but are you happy? If you are still pondering this question, welcome to the world of the “under-employed.”
Don’t think that because you are gainfully employed that the concern, worry, doubts about where you are going somehow magically disappear. You are underwhelmed by your job, lack challenge and focus and question your motivation. You may even begin to doubt your self-worth. Stop! You are suffering from the feelings most battle when they compare themselves to those less fortunate. You may feel ashamed, embarrassed, and guilty for wondering how and why you could continue to stay in your current job when so many would give their right arm to work anywhere again. It’s not that you are ungrateful, selfish or even clueless about the world around you. It’s that you, like so many have bought into the idea that the grass is not always greener and it’s better to put up and shut up rather than venture out into the bleak job-scape, not knowing what may wait for you behind the next turn.
Knowing you are not alone and that you can form a self-help group for those miserable employed folks might help you through your down days, but a better, more productive strategy would be to stop feeling guilty and to do something about your predicament. Bitching about how miserable you are about your situation might feel good at the moment but it’s not going to gain you any friends, supporters and allies when what you probably need is a career coach.
Acknowledging what is and what is not working for you in your job can help you figure out what you do want from your career in the long-term. Sometimes you’ve got to know what you don’t want in order to formulate what you do want. Focusing on all the things in your current job that you hate is a healthy exercise so long as you don’t dwell on it for too long and become paralyzed by your situation. Making sure you don’t blab about your misery to co-workers, peers, or even your boss is a smart move as you contemplate how you will learn, grow and move on from here.
Building your EXTERNAL support group comprised of people you don’t work with, for, or are not your clients is a good first step. Hiring a career coach (all kidding aside) to help you talk through what is not working in your current job might provide options to help you reevaluate your current situation and maybe even turn your present job into your dream job. Understanding that it’s okay to not like where you are even though you are lucky to have a job is not an indictment. Making sure you use the most of what you have while you are employed and position yourself to move onto to a job you love is not only smart but also honors who you and ultimately what you want from your career.
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
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Your Career: The Walking Dead
Like zombies looking for their next meal, your career can start to resemble the survival of the last few humans looking to escape the clutches of a hungry mob. Someone once said, “Just because your dead is no reason to let yourself go,” which begs the question, Does your career deserve a proper burial or perhaps a resurrection? It’s no time to give up even when you’ve lost all hope? You’ve got to decide if you are the type who gives in or gets going when all the world is surrounded with rotting job offers and decaying careers. When your career resembles a scene from The Walking Dead you’ve got to make a decision-Do you stand and fight or do you succumb and become one of the walking dead?
With hoards of folks still hovering on the unemployment line looking for any job bite or lead, you are likely to become depressed thinking your prospects aren’t any better and you’ll be joining that group any day now. Yes, it’s true our unemployment statistics are gruesome, but that doesn’t mean you have to become one if them if you do strive to survive rather than take a nosedive. You have to develop and hone your survival skills, because this in fact is an all out war with no end in sight. This doesn’t mean you should give up and become someone’s next happy meal, but you should start to think like a tracker and follow the trail to your next interview like a stealth warrior ready to outrun the crazed mob chasing you down.
Some zombie-career basics you should keep in mind as you venture out into the maze we now call the job hunt:
1- Always come prepared. Don’t show up at an interview without a resume (even though you may have emailed one earlier).
2- Know the name of the person you are meeting, their title and position in the company and do some research on LinkedIn on their previous background so you have something to relate to and you can make a connection.
3- Do homework on the company, its clients, revenue, its opportunities and challenges so you are well informed and know the marketplace.
4- Make sure you don’t say anything that will make you seem desperate, hungry or overly eager for a job no matter how badly you need one-no one wants hire someone who comes off needy.
5- Present yourself well; prepare at least five meaningful questions and follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
These basic essentials may not guarantee a job offer, but at least you can survive your interview and come out unscathed as you venture towards your next job.
Remember, your own survival depends on your attitude and whether or not you believe you can get a job or not. Falling into the victim mentality is surely not going to win you any job offers no matter how well prepared you are-so even if you don’t feel like it, put up a good front just the same.
So the next time you feel like you can’t out run the hungry zombie attack, remember you can either beat them or join them but you can’t have both. Choose wisely my friend, because there will be a cure for this unemployment-zombie virus and you want to be included among the lucky few who can say they actually survived it.
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj
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Living In A Material World …
We all get caught up in questioning the reasons why we choose to work. Some of us think it’s the only way to build a career and follow your life’s dream. Others see it as a means to pay the bills, one paycheck at a time. And others still, have the attitude, “Well, what else would I do with my time if I didn’t work!” Do you ever stop and wonder why we “work?” The concept of “work” is a bi-product of the Industrial Revolution where you needed to produce in order to survive. But today, work has taken on a whole new meaning or has it? Have we just bought into the notion that we are living in a material world and it’s the only thing we need to focus on in order to move through this lifetime?
It’s a sobering thought when you begin to realize your only options when it comes to not working is to either be homeless and destitute, perhaps living off the kindness of others or maybe as complete liberation and the ability to live your dream-whatever that might be. When it comes to working or not working, there really is no in-between. How have we evolved over the centuries from making a living “aka work” which really was what we did to sustain our being, to having the luxury to pursue a “career” which really means you will still work but just at something you like rather than something you do in order to survive. Work vs. Career doesn’t mean you get out of living in a material world, it just means that work is something you do if you want to eat, where a career is something you do while you figure out what you’d like to eat.
When asked, “What do you do?” some people will automatically reply that they “work” for a living as opposed to stating, “I have a career.” Careers really are what you do when you are working at something you like for a long time and something you have chosen. Work is well just that, something you do to get by and make a living whether you really like it or not. Work really does not give you many choices unless you don’t mind living hand to mouth. Not a great life-strategy especially if you have other mouths to feed.
What living in the material world forces us to do is to choose. The choices may be limited but if you are going to survive anywhere you’ve got to work at something whether it’s your chosen career path or not. Even those with endowments work, even if their job is to give money away or set up charities to help those in need. Most of us really don’t have a choice to “not work” regardless of how much accumulated wealth we have built. Work, career, job not only commands how you spend your time but also how well you choose to spend it. This applies to those who have a chosen “career” or those who need to work for any reason.
Whether you think you’ve figured it out and have an exit strategy in place no matter how long you think you need to work or not, keep in mind, survival is the number one motivator whether you call it work, career or a job. Money may not buy you love but it certainly will put food on the table and clothes on your back. We all live in a material world whether we like it or not and in order to survive it the plain and simple truth is you have to work it no matter what it is you choose to do.
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
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Career Dating
Maybe you are afraid to commit? Maybe you like the feeling that you can test the merchandise before you buy? Or maybe, you are like one of my friends whose theory about finding the right one goes, “It’s just like waiting for a bus, another one will always come along.” Your career can start to resemble the dating field, a little uncertain, a little frustrating and sometimes, full of surprises. Not knowing what you are looking for in your next career move is okay. No one said you have to get it right out of the gate. Interviewing until you know what is right for you can resemble dating, but at least at the end of the process you won’t need to worry about who is going to pick up the tab.
Finding your “career-love match” may be a lot easier than finding your soul mate. You don’t have to worry about the possibility of divorce or whether or not to have kids or what your parents might think of your in-laws. What still remains however can be the fear of rejection, intimacy and of course commitment even if you are not sure you have met the “one”. Your career holds all of the same trappings as a blind date or even a good first date. You might like what you see on the outside, but probing further, your career prospects may not hold the charm you were hoping for.
Your career dating takes on a new whole new meaning when you decide what characteristic and attributes you’d like to find in your next job. Should the job be tall or short, dark-haired or blonde, or in real terms should your job allow you creativity, spontaneity or the ability to just phone it in as you feel like. It’s not enough to worry about whether the compensation is what you expect, but taking a deeper look, you want to make certain that you are committing to something you want to wake up to in the next 5 years. The good news about your career vs. your personal relationship is that you don’t have to think in terms longer than 5 years! The commitment you make depends really on you and where you see yourself in the not so distant future.
Your ability to be clear about your career dating allows you to interview without limits. You can go out with all the pretty girls and boys you desire, but in the end it’s up to you to choose whether or not you want to take it to the next level. Your interviewing and career networking operates in much the same way. You can shop until you like what you see and buyers beware on items marked “as-is.” Having the same discernment about your career choices will make your next move more palatable. Your career dating holds the same mystery and excitement as your potentially real dating life. Just don’t stay too long in circulation without making a choice, otherwise you’ll begin to be called a career “player” and no one will take you very seriously when the right job offer comes along.
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
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Claim Your Career
Like anything you own, occupy or truly possess, you career needs to be treasured like a sacred piece of land. You just don’t stumble into your career these days, you need to claim it, seize it and by all means retain it if you want to get ahead. Staking your career claim is like venturing into unchartered terrain looking for the last piece of unclaimed land like the Land Rush of the 1800’s. You are competing against many other hungry and at times desperate folks who are searching for the same thing and are running against the wind to beat you to the finish line. Your career search may have you looking over your shoulder wondering who might be picking up their pace, closing in behind you.
Your career search is a game, a hunt and at times a crusade searching for the Holy Grail of jobs. Like never before you may find yourself up against insurmountable odds hoping against hope that you will luck out and be the one offered the coveted job opportunity. And if not, the game resumes with you a little smarter, more cunning and a little more agile in your ability to discern the playing field a whole lot better. Your career claim is a daunting task and if anyone tells you it’s “easy” they are lying to you. Now more than ever before you’ve got to be smarter than your opponent, because this is an all out talent war against the talent not the employer’s who are hiring them.
It’s not enough to be strategic, prepared or even well networked these days. Making your career claim is about perseverance and a deliberate and calculating attitude they don’t teach you in business school or in outplacement session. You are on a hunt, which means you need to think and strike with precision and forethought if you ever want a chance to cross the career finish line. This means you are not waiting for someone to reply to your job posting submittal or your LinkedIn in-mail request. You are actively and deliberately seeking out opportunities even when none apparently exists. What does that mean exactly? You have to create your next job if no one is creating one for you. In order to do this you have to be very deliberate and calculating and be very well informed to what’s going in and around your profession and in the industry.
Reading trades, e-newsletters and finding out what new projects a company is involved in is one way to start thinking out-of-the-box when it comes to creating and claiming a career opportunity for your self. Waiting for someone to tell you what job is open and applying the old fashion way is not going to work. If you hear that a company is having difficulty in an area where you can lend your expertise, THEN by all means send an in-mail and work your network for an introduction. Start speaking with bankers, lending managers, venture capital groups anyone that is involved in funding new projects for companies that you are interested in working for or areas you might see your self fitting in. Educating yourself on new technology, business applications and new ventures in and around the industry and “connecting the dots” so you are ahead of what’s happening allows you to think differently and creatively apply for jobs that quite frankly don’t exist. Business is moving at a rapid pace even though our economic conditions are bouncing off the wall to trying to keep pace. Your job search is no different. Supply & demand. You’ve just got to be in a position to claim the demand and supply your self as the talent necessary to complete the job. If you are too busy applying for the same jobs everyone else is you are not going to gain much traction in your race against the job clock.
If you start to think differently about how to approach your job search you can start to expect different results. Always following the path already plowed might help you get back in the job game but if you really want to stake your claim, you’ve got to find the shortest route to your destination and not follow the rest of the herd. Put a stake in your career before someone else does it for you
Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj
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And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50
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