Media/Speaker Queries: You're invited to click on each Career Thought Leader's name above for full contact info and to inquire about availability for interviews and speaking engagements.
Gerry Corbett, APR, Fellow, PRSA
Redphlag LLC, The PRJobCoach
Thought Leadership: PR Jobs for PR Folks
Website: www.redphlag.com and www.prjobcoach.com
Email:
Phone: 650.866.5005
Gerry Corbett is the PRJobCoach at prjobcoach.com and CEO of Redphlag LLC, a strategy consultancy. He has served four decades in senior communications roles at Fortune 100 firms and earlier in his career in aerospace and computer engineering with NASA. He has a B.A. in public relations from San Jose State University and is an accredited (APR) member of the Public Relations Society of America, its board of directors and its College of Fellows. He also is a member of International Advertising Association, National Investor Relations Institute; Arthur Page Society, National Association of Science Writers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and International Coaching Federation.
So you finally passed muster in the 15 interviews you endured at ABC Company over two weeks.You are exhausted. You lost about eight pounds, sweated bullets and are in the final throes of that seemingly elusive job offer.Now comes the hard part.Who and what references can you provide that will help seal the deal and pave the way towards the job offer that has had you in the waiting room for what appears to be a lifetime.References are critical to bringing to a close your search for your next gig.
So as you compile your list, pay heed to the quality of your references.Be rigorous in your selection.Pick colleagues who are reliable, rational and repeatable and by all means respectable.Here are some rules of the road on reference givers that can help you avoid the potholes that invariably and mysteriously appear on the highway to career contentment.
You just finished three job interviews in a week and are still Monday quarterbacking about how well you did or did not.You are analyzing every question and answer to grade your performance with the hope that you got a touchdown and will soon be on your second interview cycle with the offer letter close behind.Then reality sets in and you hear nothing for the next several weeks except the sound of your own criticism and an occasional heartbeat.What to do?Did you answer all the questions well?"Was it something I said?""Did I say enough?"The pain and uncertainty are killing you.
Take a deep breath!One, two, three, etc.....Ok relax. Compose yourself as well as a thoughtful note of gratitude for having been given the opportunity to present your case for the job.Use your interview notes, analysis and intuition to present three essential points for why you are right person for the job.Then get on with it. Put it past you.Get beyond the distraction.If you used well your inner voice to communicate your value proposition, the hiring manager or HR person may take note and likely include you in the consideration set for the next round of interviews (or not.) If not, kiss that position goodbye, learn from it and move on.Here are a few other thoughts about employing your inner voice to de-stress about your interview.
Effectively managing your career in the economy of 2011 is a vastly different world than it was just a few short years ago. No longer does it suffice to have just a resume of qualifications and access to job boards and a few connections to executive search firms. Managing a career in the public relations and communications industry can often be a full time job akin to managing the communications strategy for a Fortune 1000 firm or being a product promotion specialist in the world of technology.Successfully moving up the ladder of career accomplishment or searching for your next gig is a three legged stool, whereby the absence of just one strut can leave you without a competent platform to seek, secure and settle into an engaging role in public relations. Let me explain.
There is nothing more frustrating in a job search than the lack of response by hiring managers or recruiters. You follow all the rules of a compelling cover letter. You compose a custom resume that matches your accomplishments to the job specifications posted by the company or the recruiter. You have scoured your network to find insiders at the company and you have followed their advice to the letter. Following all of this fine preparation you end up with radio silence that is both deafening and frustrating. How should you move forward with this scenario? Here are some constructive ideas:
Cover letters and resumes play critical roles in career management and job search.You can argue that one trumps the other but the fact is they work together as a team.And the cover letter plays a starring role because it can get the recruiter, HR folks and the hiring manager warmed up for the main pitch of the resume. In short, the cover letter should cover your bases and home runs.... Read more
Cover letters and resumes play critical roles in career management and job search. You can argue that one trumps the other but the fact is they work together as a team. And the cover letter plays a starring role because it can get the recruiter, HR folks and the hiring manager warmed up for the main pitch of the resume. In short, the cover letter should cover your bases and home runs.
As government bickering and inaction continues, job seekers are growing ever restless,
frustrated and annoyed because, for many folks, there just are no jobs to be had. You are either too old, too young, suffering the stigma of no job or you have run out of runway in your network. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, “More than one in three of the unemployed were out of work for at least a year in a handful of U.S. states that appear to be disproportionately caught up in the long-term unemployment problem.” So if you are sitting in the unemployment barrel with a bunch of lemons, it is high time to make lemonade.
Connectiquette is not a typo or a state in New England. It refers to a process of thoughtful deliberation.
This age of the network and personal collaboration is bringing important benefits to people around the world. Technology has brought us all closer together, afforded the ability to create like communities, given voice to all and particularly to those who previously had no voice and enabled countless good deeds and beneficiaries. The proliferation of social collaboration platforms is making it easy to connect with long-lost friends and family, new friends, business colleagues and other people who have similar interests, aspirations and goals. And these same platforms have become crucial in job search and career management. We now have the ability and liberty to identify hiring managers and influencers that play significant roles in the hiring process. … Read more
In this age when knowledge and information are king and social infrastructure platforms are proliferating, professional membership organizations are becoming even more essential to the progress and professional development of public relations and communications professionals.With credit to American Express, membership does have its privileges and rewards and these days membership organizations are a quick means to building a network.
The fact is the network is the currency of today’s knowledge and wisdom society.A strong network ...
You are what you write. I recently did a search on resume tips on a popular search engine that starts with a “G” and to no surprise found more than 37 million pages dedicated to some form of tips for resumes. Everyone has an opinion and I am no different. As I coach though, I have seen literally hundreds of resumes and have come to consensus about their content. Resumes that paint a picture of a personality and tell a story about accomplishments have a higher probability of attracting interest and actionable attention. Moreover, if you are in the market for an advertising, communications or public relations role, a stellar resume demands that you take the time to succinctly but creatively portray your abilities in quick but compelling fashion.
So grab your keyboard or your favorite resume writer and get to work. … Read more
So you finally passed muster in the 15 interviews you endured at ABC Company over two weeks. You are exhausted. You lost about eight pounds, sweated bullets and are in the final throes of that seemingly elusive job offer. Now comes the hard part. Who and what references can you provide that will help seal the deal and pave the way towards the job offer that has had you in the waiting room for what appears to be a lifetime. References are critical to bringing to a close your search for your next gig.
accomplishments have a higher probability of attracting interest and actionable attention. Moreover, if you are in the market for an advertising, communications or public relations role, a stellar resume demands that you take the time to succinctly but creatively portray your abilities in quick but compelling fashion.
