Posts Tagged ‘careers’

It’s time to let go.  Let new.  Let the past stay in the past.  Move on, move through, and the only way out is through…so, in the words of my new favorite band SafetySuit: Let Go

Transition means saying good bye, saying hello, shaking hands, making decisions, and reaching out for new connections, contacts, engagement, and validation…it’s about engagement, goals, decision making, and even packing, and moving…it all requires one important thing and that’s the ability to let go.

Letting go of an old job, a relationship, or even a city where you used to live requires an innate ability to release the past, both good memories and bad. William Bridges, author of ‘You & Company,’ says every new beginning begins with a good ending. Sometimes we can’t change the way things ‘end,’ but we can reframe it in our minds so we can learn the necessary insights so that we actually can start anew.

It’s a new year. I didn’t write a ‘predictions’ or ‘best of’ posts. Instead, I want to focus on the most important thing, more important than resolutions, and it’s simply this: LET GO, so you can move forward. All those new year’s resolutions won’t amount to a hill of beans until you can effectively let go of the behavior that keeps you bound to the behavior you resolve to change.

It isn’t magic, it is hard, it requires support, inspiration, care, and even friendship at times…the bottom line is this…if you want to change, be sure you are ready to act on the changes you want to make. I say, it begins with letting go.

Are you ready?

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Do you have job search fatigue

Job Search Fatigue.  What is it?  If you find yourself identifying with any of the following statements,  you might have it:

“I’m tired, I give up, I’m sick of job hunting.”  ”I couldn’t possibly apply for one more job.”   “If I have to spend 45 minutes filling out yet another online job application, I’ll scream.”  ”I’ve talked to that recruiter twice, and he never called me back to let me know what happened.” “I’ve passed out so many business cards at networking events, my hands hurt.”  ”I’ve attended so many professional associations in the past two months, I’m practically broke.” “If feel as if my resume’s been lost in a black hole, I never hear back”.

Job search fatigue is real.  In fact, it’s a job hunt killer.  Job search fatigue can not only slow you down, it can murder your morale.  If you’ve been looking for a job for more than 3 to 6 months, you’ve probably grown weary of the job hunt.  If you’ve been looking for a job for a year or longer, you’re probably exhausted.  Some job seekers get so fatigued from the search they give up, retreat, or distract themselves with other activities that keep them from getting the job they want.  One thing’s for sure, job search fatigue is real.  How do you combat it?  How can you transform your discouragement into encouragement?  Where can you replenish your well-spring of support?  That is precisely what we are going to discuss on HFChat this Friday.  Please join us 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Pacific, 11-12 Central and Noon-1 Eastern time.  All you have to do is logon to Twitter, and follow the hashtag #HFChat.   Here are this week’s questions.  Think about these questions, and bring your own.

1. What are the common symptoms of job search fatigue?
2. How can you overcome job search fatigue?
3. Where can you go for help?
4. What can you do to prevent job search fatigue?

These questions will certainly bring up a lot of feelings, and opinions from job seekers, and career professionals alike.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Please bring your questions.  I’ll be hosting this week.  As the Founder of HireFriday, and HFChat I look forward to being of service to you and our entire community.  We’ve had some amazing guest hosts this year from a variety of disciplines.  Next year promises to be even better.  You are what makes HFChat special.  Won’t you please join us, and tell your friends?

Thanks so much!

HRMargo

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Be The Life Of The Party, Not The "Talk" Of The Party

It’s December.  You are looking for a job.  Are you thinking about the most creative, and interesting ways to find one?  Have you considered jump starting your job search by launching a high profile professional presence on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn?  Listen job seekers, if you are a member of our HireFriday Community, participate in HFChat, this is no time to be shy.  It’s ok to toot your horn. In fact, I implore you to toot it so loud that everyone hears you…you can do this without being noisy. In fact you can be quite slick in how you present yourself at holiday parties, networking events, coffee shops, informational interviews, meetings, and professional association events.  You can, and should participate in Twitter chats. This is an excellent way to get noticed, and found by recruiters, and companies.    You don’t have to be an extrovert to be creative your job search campaign. Introverts are very successful with their online presence because they have the safety of the computer screen to shield them from over stimulation.  You have to ask yourself one critical question: How and where do you recharge your inner battery, and where can you make the biggest splash.

Here’s my top 5 tips for staying on top of your game:

1. Secure speaking engagements for the coming year with the organizations to which you belong: This is a cool way to get your name out there in your industry, and get some personal brand recognition. Public speaking is a brilliant way to position yourself in the market place, and can be a great way to receive the recognition you deserve.
2. Create a list of questions in advance targeted toward the people you want to meet. Make these questions industry specific, and relevant to the person you want to meet. People like to talk about themselves.
3. Ask questions: come prepared with a few conversation starters in case you find yourself suddenly scared, or feeling insecure: It happens to the best of us, we are in a crowd of people we don’t know at a holiday party, and suddenly we are overcome with the jitters.  You can overcome this by finding out in advance who is going to be at the party.  Run a Google search on the people you want to meet. Find out about their background, interests and accomplishments.
4. Don’t drink too much at holiday parties, or events: You never know who has a camera, or whether or not an unflattering picture will wind up on Facebook, or Twitter. Beware of people who can be “brand killers.”
5. Be the smart one at the party, not the life of the party. There’s a time and place for everything.  If you love working the room, by all means do so, particularly if that’s one of your skills.  However, don’t be the goon who dances like a fool, or worse who thinks s/he looks good while dancing.  If you don’t know how you look when you dance, be sure to check it out before it winds up on YouTube without you even knowing it.  There’s good publicity and bad publicity.

You are not Brett Michaels, Sorry. He Can Get Away With It, You Can't.

When you are looking for a job, you have to be the guardian of your image, and online reputation. No one will take better care of you than you.  So be sure you are the smart one at the party.  Make sure that don’t do or say anything that will offend or embarrass your boss.  If you are passively looking for a job while employed, that’s incredibly important.  The last thing you want is to find yourself fired before you are ready to leave.  If you are unemployed, and in an active pursuit of a job, the holidays are a monumental opportunity to find and secure a position…or at the very least get on the short list for the position you want when it comes open.

Tomorrow, I will continue the series with more secret sauce…job search tips…and encouragement.  Encouragement, is perhaps what we need most when job hunting, so hang in there.

Your job search pal,

@HRMargo

Margo Rose

Hey are we connected on LinkedIn?  Mention HireFriday in your invitation, and I will gladly accept http://linkedin.com/in/margorose

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The holiday season is upon us-quite literally. Sometimes it can feel like a weight on the chest of an unemployed person.  Now is the time to breathe, and affirm that you are a super star, as the song goes, “that’s what you are.”  Sometimes we have to believe it before we see it.  We have to believe in ourselves, and others will believe in us too.  Are you empowering your career development, or destroying it?  Sometimes we spank our career growth without even knowing it.  It’s what I refer to as our blind spot.  People can see things about us that we can’t see in ourselves.  The fact is you are leaving an impression with everyone who interviews you.  During the holidays it is particularly important to affirm your worth.  Embrace what you do best, and learn to articulate your strong points.  As you do so, you are actually reprogramming your brain, and undoing habituated patterns of negative thinking which can lead to negative behavior.

Does positive thinking always bring about positive results? Not necessarily, but I guarantee you this: negative thinking will not ever reap the results you want.  Negative thinking is like a soul sucking vaccume that takes the wind out of your job search sails.  Here is an excellent model illustrated by our friends at CareerBuilder. It illustrates that if you do what you love, it is an affirmation of your strengths, and can put you on the path of career realization.

Your Career And You via Career Builder

So in the final analysis, I want to leave you with this thought: Act like you are a success.  Live your life as if you are succeeding.  Be really clear about what you do best.  Learn to articulate your value proposition, and if you need a reminder grab one of us in the HireFriday #HFChat community, and we’ll empower you, reassure you, and be your job search pal during your transition.  Some people might think I’m a little sappy pollyanna, but hey somebody has to wave the flay for the candidates who happen to be unemployed.  Somebody has to be an career advocate for those people who secretly hate their jobs but feel stuck because they are so afraid of losing their job during this recession we are in (and surviving) and somebody has to get behind both the employed, and unemployed that want to make a change, and care about moving their career forward.  The HireFriday Leadership Team does just that.  Get in touch with Cyndy Trivella, Tom Bolt, Steve Levy or me.  The easiest, and fastest way to reach me is on Twitter just Tweet to @HRMargo.  I reply to every tweet.  It’s hard to reach me by phone, or email, so just tweet me anytime of the day or night and I promise to get back to you.

One more thing.  On January 19, 2012 from 6-8 p.m. Central, 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time The Nashville Social Media Club, The Nashville Career Transitions Group, The #HFChat Community are sponsoring an event: Linked In Optimization, Your Job Search, and You.  Panelists include world renown experts Jennifer Way, Mathew LeBlance, Shannon VanCuren (and little ole’ me).  We are recruiting the best recruiters in the business to tweet live, career focused vendors to donate prizes (like resume packages, fun gifts, linkedIn profile reviews and optimizations, books and cool stuff you can really use in January).  Why are we doing this?  Because we happen to know for a cold-hard fact that January is the most depressing time of the year to job search.  Guess what?  We’re going to turn that around.  Why?  Because we care.  We want to remind you (all of you) that you are a super star.  That’s what you are. Will you please help us out and share this post with your social network pals? I’d sure appreciate it.

Your job search pal,

@HRMargo

Social Media Strategist

Founder of HireFriday, and HFChat

Are we LinkedIn?  No? Let’s remedy that today: http://linkedin.com/in/margorose

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Think Like A Recruiter

Last year I wrote a blog post encouraging #Job Seekers on Twitter to think like a recruiter. Why? Because if you use name sourcing skills, boolean search strings (semantic search logic) and understand how algorithms can put you in touch with your target companies, you will astounded how quickly you will find work.  In fact, I’d venture to say that you could increase the chances of your re-employment by more than 50%.  My unscientific data is backed up by my 10 years of experience trend spotting career development. In 1997, I worked in the outplacement industry for one of The Nation’s leading outplacement firm, Right Management Consultants.  I used to say to clients, every new begining starts with a good ending.  If you did not have an leave on good terms, you can heal, and recreate a good ending through processing your feelings, experiencing the grief, and envisioning a brighter feature. William Bridge’s great book, You and Company is a helpful tool for recovery and brand building.   Recently, I wrote a post entitled: Your Fired, Now What? It will be published next week. I taught how understanding The MBTI assessment tool can help you make informed decisions about your career.  There’s a wonderful book entitled, “Do What You Are,” by   Maria Sinatur.     I also recommend a book by David Keirsy entitled, “Please Understand Me.” Every effective job search begins with identifying how your temperament can shape your decision for your signature path.

In order to think like a recruiter you must do the following:

1. Assess your core competencies, and compare them to the job descriptions for where you apply.

Take your resume and look at it side by side next to the job description and write out answers for how well you match each of the requirements.

Use those talking points in your cover letter, and one your interviews.

2. Identify the key performance indicators which will predict whether or you will be a success in your new position.

3. Determine whether or not you will work effectively with your recruiter to make rapid decisions, and answer the offer within 24 hours.

4. Don’t make your recruiters angry by stalking them. They are busy people.

Pace yourself, woo them, and give them a good reason to send your resume out to the client, & seal the deal.

5  Use ‘Phone Sourcing Tips ‘ to find hiring managers, their names, and other people in the department.

Find out what it is really like work at that company, seek these people out, and they will tell you what it is really like to work for their boss.

6. Without being creepy, let them know in a round about way that you have conducted your research and were fascinated by their recent product release.

Share an article you found in the news paper. Butter them up a little. Most importantly, lead them to the conclusion that they need you because you are smart, and knowledgeable. Convince them that they should bring you in for an interview.

That way, neither asked them if they had an opportunity, nor did you have to say “I want to work for you, do you have any job openings.  Job seekers, that is a big mistake.  Lead them to believe that hiring you is their idea, not yours.

Use the inbound marketing. you are the product. Pull instead of push.  It works, it really does.

7. Package yourself like a product that everyone wants to have. Articulate your value proposition. You are not a job beggar, rather you are a resource professional. You are highly a skilled,  ”A” player.

8. Act as if you are in high demand. When you believe in yourself, others will believe in you too.

9. Never lose sight that you are a stainless being. You shimmer and shine.

Even if you were fired, downsized or quit, even if you do have job search fatigue, don’t shut down because of depression, or funky morale.  You have skills knowledge, and abilities.

10. All you have to do is uncover the most sales worthy part of what you have to offer it.  Remember it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up that matters.  It makes you the person that you are.

Never lose sight of the fact that you can make someone’s day in 140 characters.

A friend alluded to the fact that if you get fired, it’s actually a good thing because if you don’t you’re just taking up space, and preventing someone who can do well in that position the opportunity to perform at his peak.  That may not be what you want to hear, but it’s true.

I told him that even though he had no idea what I was going through that day, he changed my perspective, nurtured a more productive attitude, and made a difference in my life.  Think about that for a moment, take it in and realize that with every encounter you have, you have the power leave a recruiter, human resources professional, or hiring manager with a nugget of wisdom that offers them hope, happiness, and comfort. I say this in love for the community, and in the positive energy and attitude that can and will change your life for the better.  Here at HRMargo.com I am not concerned about making money, I want to change lives for the better by building a small group where I can make a differnce in your life.  Building community can be the most powerful, transformational experience.  You can be better not bitter.

Even if you were fired.  Here’s what Seiden says:

9. A great recruiter is a masterful sales person. World-class recruiters are masterful negotiators, and communicators. Recruiters want to be reassured that they will be able make, and keep their commission. After all, they worked hard for it.

If you don’t work out, a third party recruiter will have to pay the company their commission back any where between 90 days to 6 months.  Trust me, that is not something they want to do.

When was a 3rd party recruiter, and a temporary services coordinator I can boast that I only had 5 send backs after hundreds of send outs.

Think like a recruiter, and develop a sense of empathy, an compassion, they won’t be afraid that you will screw them by not working out.

Sometimes if you don’t work out it’s not your fault at all, but if you go into a company and intentionally sabatoge your position, everyone loses.  Everyone is effected by your negative situation.  It hurts you.  It hurts the recruiter.  It hurts the company.

An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure: prepare yourself before your interview, take a moment and make an honest assessment of the company culture, and ask yourself: Will I be happy in this position. Will I rise and shine in the morning, “and show the world all the love in my heart,” as Carole King sings.  Life is short.  It is not worth putting yourself in an early grave with a type A-heart attack.  You have to do what you love, and the money will follow.

10. You have two ears, two eyes, an one mouth the recruiters who go from good to great are the ones who know how to LISTEN. They listen for buying cues, hot buttons, and signs that the client is sold on the candidate.  Now think this through, if you learn how to think like a recruiter you will listen, mirror the hiring managers body language, listen and interpret the tone of their voice, and make them feel comfortable with you.  Again, a good sales person is flexible, and adapt to the potential buyer. 10. Communicate with people the way want to be communicated you to with communicate with you. Do not communicate with others the THEY want YOU want them to communicate with you. If you think like a recruiter you will cut the time cycle of time to fill the position, reduce the cost of hire, and convince the human resources representative that you are going to reduce their costs, increase their profitability. Human resource managers are plagued by the pressure to justify their existence with metrics that they have to report to their bosses.

Will you please leave a comment.  What’s your opinion about this. Don’t be afraid to let me know, I care about your opinion.

Your HR Pal,

HRMargo Rose

Contact me at (513) 549-3025

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