Employed? Unemployed? Underemployed? To progress in your career you must think differently than the average person. You don’t really have to love your job but you better be passionate about what you want in a job (whether you are looking for a new job or not). Evaluate your role at current organization. Evaluate your future with your organization or ... Read more

Don't be fooled by "social media" and its relative ease of use. Most people know how to update their status, post pictures and videos and make comments. It's not hard to do. What's hard to do is to effectively develop your brand online. Professionally most people look at Linked In as the professional vehicle to do this and Facebook and Twitter as the hobbyist or social platforms. I recommend that you look at all of them as a part of your blended, professional brand. ... Read more

I would argue that those two are now blending and will continue to blend. By creating a more powerful purpose in your "social media' regardless of platform you will be able to anticipate and be prepared for the future. The future to me looks like a blend. To be ready for that blend create a content and relevant editorial strategy to help define your future brand. ... Read more

I would argue that those two are now blending and will continue to blend. By creating a more powerful purpose in your "social media' regardless of platform you will be able to anticipate and be prepared for the future. The future to me looks like a blend. To be ready for that blend create a content and relevant editorial strategy to help define your future brand. ... Read more

Most people in associations (actually, most people at ANY type of company) are frequently met with resistance when trying to do something new. Often, if you ask someone WHY they are performing a specific duty, you’ll hear, “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Obviously, there must have been a good reason at the time, and it’s very possible the task at hand is being done the best possible way. However, if you don’t stop and analyze once in awhile, how will you know?

A lot of people fall into this trap during their job search, especially if it’s been years since they’ve had to look. Traditional methods such as applying to open jobs and using recruiters should still be included (if they never worked, they wouldn’t exist!). However, your time will be better spent if you cultivate “warm leads” at the organizations you want to work for. Networking is the key, but this can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as reconnecting with former co-workers or volunteering within a professional association.

Becoming recognized as a subject-matter expert will make you the “hunted” versus the “hunter.” Posting articles, writing a blog, and speaking at industry events are all ways to stay visible. While not networking, you’ll build credibility, which will also turn countless people into “warm leads” for you.

Whatever you do, regularly take time to analyze the results you’ve been getting. When you get a hit on your resume, call from a recruiter, or invitation to interview, take note. See what has been most effective, and spend more of your time and energy on those approaches.

In my early years in public relations, I was constantly reminded by reporters, editors and columnists that the cardinal sin of media relations was trying to pitch without knowing, reading or understanding the reporter’s work and beat. In their quest for a quick hit, wet-behind-the-ears PR newbies pitched stories and ideas that fell flat because the stories or ideas were either not related or just plain irrelevant to the writer’s interest. In the process these poor souls harmed their credibility and reputation, sometimes forever. 

The same thinking can be and should be applied to career search. Do the research required to understand the organization and the people involved in managing the company. If you see a firm or job that attracts your interest, prepare yourself well to pitch. Read everything that you can get your hands and eyes on. Bear in mind this simple axiom, if you want to get your letter and resume read, you better read. Consider these finer points of interest and insight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. When and if you see a position that fits your desires and skills, thoughtfully comb the company’s web site paying attention to exactly what it does, what it makes, the team involved and any cultural and environmental clues you pick up from its web site.

2. Carefully read the media that follow the company. Monitor, absorb and understand what is being written by reporters and pundits about the firm and its management.  

3. If you are able to identify who is the hiring manager, put on your scanners. Check sites like Google, Bing, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, ZoomInfo, Spoke, Pipl, Classmates, Naymz, Slideshare, etc. Look for profiles, blogs, articles, white papers, biographies and other information types that can give you a sense of the person’s interests, priorities, passions and preferences. 

4. Use what you have read and absorbed to craft your cover letter. Often, some insight that you pick up from reading about the company and its management can make a significant difference in whether you are selected or not for an interview with the firm. Bottom line: tailor your cover letter to the job spec and to the insight you have gained from your research about the organization, its management and the hiring executive.

No doubt about it, this economy is the one of the worst for job hunters in many years. What used to take days and weeks is now taking months and years. Despite the good news in The Wall Street Journal on Monday April 19 about hiring of young engineers in Silicon Valley, by and large the outlook for old and young alike is abysmal.

  

 

Anecdotally and otherwise, I am constantly hearing stories of incredible age discrimination in today’s job market. It seems that employers want young and cheap. Folks above the age of 45 are increasingly reporting that they are washed up and no longer have the skills that companies are seeking. Young people sit frustrated due to lack of response from companies and headhunters due to their seeming lack of experience.

Well, it may be the current situation. But I do think that the tide will likely turn when employers realize that they are missing out on a surplus of great experience and talent that can significantly bolster their productivity and help them quickly accommodate the recovering economy.

So to those who have suffered through a lengthy period of job search, here are some suggestions of things to do while wading through the mire of unemployment or waiting for the economic storm clouds to part.

1. Take a break from the search. If you are looking everyday, you can become jaded and frustrated. A day or two wine tasting, golfing, bike riding or even sitting on a log at the beach is therapy from the daily grind.

2. Go pro bono! I know it’s not a paying gig. But doing what you enjoy for others can often lift the spirits and give you a sense of renewal that you are indeed talented and effective. If you are in the business of PR, marketing, creative processes, etc., there are folks who can use your skills. The Taproot Foundation http://www.taprootfoundation.org is one such organization that cherishes your writing skills, account and project management abilities, marketing savvy, IT wizardry and other talents. Also, look around in your own town, there are likely organizations waiting for your call.

3. Try a couple of acts of random generosity and expect nothing in return. If you have friends or colleagues that are in your same spot, offer to help them out. Buy them a mocha java and commiserate. Counsel them on their job search and things they may want to do to improve their marketability. Take a break from yourself.

4. Develop a personal brand statement. Conduct a brainstorm session with your friends to ferret out what is your personal brand promise. Do a focus group about you. Ask other people to identify what might be your brand essence. See if you can identify or label yourself in three words. Do a self exam and combine that with what your friends say. The result may surprise and enlighten you. If you like it, use it as your Linkedin description.

5. Present yourself in Multimedia. Take your statement of brand essence and let that be your inspiration for your own Microsoft Power Point presentation. Make it as long as you need or want. Get creative, add photos and video, include web links to your content, talk about your family if it helps describe your value in life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Spread the gospel of YOU!   Get yourself an account on www.slideshare.com. Take your Power Point presentation and convert it into an Adobe Acrobat file. Upload it to your Slide Share account and then incorporate it into your Linkedin profile. All of this content eventually will be included in search results of Google and Bing, making it easier for companies and search firms to find you and learn your value.

Bottom line is, get creative, think outside the box, think outside the bun, run it up the flagpole, drop back ten and punt, get out of your routine and take a fresh look at yourself, at others and other things.

If you want to ride a Google Wave into your next career perhaps this adapted how to list will compel you to think differently about how to bring your brand to a new level. Thinking on a different plane may allow you to advance your career path – real-time. Here are a few tips from the ever-invasive Google brain. Think about how these ideas will help you maintain an advantage.

Stay Connected – Google Wave allows you to keep in touch more instantly than IM. Tagging key conversations and knowing what’s going on real time matters.

Share Files – Google Wave allows you to share large files and sharing information may be a critical way to advance your brand, career and help others.

Share Photos - As you know full resolution now rules the digital footprint world. Google Gears can help you drag and drop images. Just remember that the world of work now thinks in pictures more than ever. Catch this wave.

Collaborate Collaborate – Google Docs does some of this kind of work but real time collaborations on critical issues matter. Executives always should be working on critical documents and collaborating, including those in career transition.

Newsletters and Information – You don’t need email or listserv to do this on Google Wave. Create a new Wave and add some collaborative friends.

When you have decided to make a career move at the executive or $100,000 plus job level, issues impacting your search may be different than other jobseekers especially if you are still currently in an executive position. You must know the special issues that surround this kind of search. Some of these tips were published on The Ladders as their lead story on March 1, 2010.

Here are three tips that should not be ignored in an Executive Confidential Search:

1. Watch Yourself – Know Who You Can Trust - Not all contacts, recruiters or friends may have your best interests in mind. Be very careful who you tell that you are interested in making a transition. A recent example comes to mind. A senior executive talked to some neighbors and acquaintances at a party in his home about several area companies. Weeks later a friend said “I heard you were looking – what’s up?” That shocked my executive contact. He said to me: “I didn’t think I had to watch myself.” You do.

2. No Sloppy Posts or Fishing Expeditions – Many executives and more than you might believe throw out some bait on websites, blogs and search engines. One example I have found through the years is that executives in transition try to disguise their resume and put it on Monster, Career Builder, The Ladders, and other sites. Most recruiters can tell by reading your content where you work. Good work. Your company can find out. Other executives create new patterns and really dust up digital footprints that can be tracked and followed…by people who don’t need to know but may want to know.

3. Watch Big Changes in Your Schedule (Others Are) – Nothing tips off people more than clear or radical schedule or behavioral changes. One executive I coached wanted to immediately reduce time at work and start networking in groups he hadn’t been active in for years. He said: “If I am ready I am ready.” We had to invest a couple of hours in convincing him to ease into his new networking schedule so as not to alert others who, for now, didn’t need to know.

If you are looking for your next move and you are an executive don’t incur unnecessary suspicion. As an executive career coach and outplacement partner to many executives, we advise a carefully thought out, intentional process so that you can remain confidential in your pursuit of your next meaningful work.