A couple of weeks ago I attended an awesome presentation delivered by Bob Burg, the author of Endless Referrals, The Go Giver, and several other mindful books on learning not only successful sales skills but also how to be a business professional that others deem full of character and integrity. What I have discovered and love about Bob’s books and his presentation is that his message also works perfectly for job seekers.

Why? Because job seekers are acting as sales agents but instead of selling a product they are selling their own skills, experience and unique values they can bring to an employer. One of the many valuable points Bob made in his four-hour seminar at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan was that you can not make up other people’s minds for them. The decision ultimately is theirs. What you can do is provide exceptional information, examples and reasons why you are the right choice.

Employers and recruiters will not know you are the right choice unless you tell them. It is your responsibility as the job seeker (whether you want that responsibility or not) to get noticed by the right contacts. Sometimes that can be tricky. You have to be creative and relentless, especially in today’s economy, but if you put a plan into action it will be much easier to stay focused. Targeted contacts will get to know you not through a job board but through networking communities both on and off line and through the contacts you know and use as your trumpeters.

One way to stay motivated is to have a written set of networking and job search goals that you keep close and look at often. Keep the set of goals in your purse, briefcase, on your computer desk top or phone. Do whatever you can to keep moving forward towards accomplishing the goals.

What can you do to influence the decision makers? Give them what they want! To do this you will need to find out what they want. During Bob Burg’s seminar he advised (as he does in his books too) that if you want to develop strong referrals you must listen not talk to get noticed. With job seekers, listening involves reading articles, websites, blogs, and profiles of those that work at the company you’ve targeted. Find the influencers in the company and hang out where they do, find out what they need and are looking for and then figure out how you can be their solution.

Once you know what your target companies are looking for you can once again set goals to network with employees, recruiters and hiring manager affiliated with those companies. By participating in discussions, articles, or tweets that address and generate answers to their problems you can promote your value. Establishing common ground such as discussions within networking groups is a great way to break the ice and build a connection with contacts that can provide potential for opportunity. Even if nothing comes from the communications with the new contact you will have befriended someone in your arena – a relationship worth nurturing and maintaining.

It is definitely spring time in Michigan! The birds have become very loud as they prepare for their new arrivals, the grass is a brilliant green and growing exceptionally fast and my gardens seem to be calling out to me. Actually I have already gone through my gardens and pulled out all of the debris left from winter and have trimmed some of the plants that need a spring pruning.

Now that I have cleaned the gardens I have a clear view of the shrubs and perennials, and can take stock of additional perennial work I will need to do and determine the best places to add cheery annuals. I began a mental list after the first time in the gardens but now my list is on paper and I hope to take care of it this week!

While working in the gardens and having gone through my annual preparation, I am reminded of my contacts list and the many similarities between networking and growing my gardens. Contacts too need long-term care if they are to support you throughout your career. Just like the individual flowers and the many small gardens I have, each contact is a little different and needs special attention to shine and succeed.

Commonalities for maintaining a healthy contacts list and garden include:

• Both are in need of constant care and upkeep in order for them to thrive and provide a return.
• Both needs the old and unused removed – to make room for more productive individuals!
• Both have perennials that will be around forever with little maintenance or ask in return.
• Both have invasive perennials that can overwhelm and choke if not restricted in growth.
• Both have dwellers that aren’t valuable but are cherished and will remain regardless.
• Both need to be shared with others in order to be truly appreciated.

As I worked in my gardens this weekend and as I am planting my annuals this week, I will make a mental list of ways to improve and grow my contacts list, the relationships I have with my contacts and ways I can help my contacts to grow, thrive and bloom.

Shine on Job Seekers

Yesterday’s career fair through the local (Detroit) Fox affiliate which teamed up with Employment Guide and AARP, brought in a unique mix of professionals that have been laid off or let go and searching for something new. A common thread throughout the day was the desperate response of “I’ll take anything, I just need a job”, when asked what they were looking for.

After learning of their targeted area of search and asking about their strategies, it became clear that many job seekers are still not taking advantage of the tools and techniques that successfully assist in finding jobs faster. What I heard from many job seekers was that they had dabbled in networking but didn’t really feel comfortable talking with strangers or opening up to friends and family; they didn’t want to be a burden.

The second thing I heard repeatedly was that the candidates had heard of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other online networking platforms, and some had even joined the communities, but most were not utilizing them effectively in their job search.

I wanted to stand on the table I was working from and shout to the job seekers that they needed to indeed step out of their comfort zone and what they have done in past job searches, and embrace new technology and communication mediums if they wanted to find a job. If not, I’d see them back here at the next Career Fair!

But, before I made a spectacle of myself, I reminded myself that all people are created differently and while some thrive in the job search environment others need more of a helping hand. That is where I come in and why I participate in Career Fairs.

If you are one of the career fair attending job seekers that still feel awkward and nervous about trying new search techniques, remember you’re not alone. Many job seekers are uncomfortable just like you.

It is OK to feel unsure, uncomfortable and self-confident, but do something anyway! The more you step out and seek new avenues for employment, the easier it will become. You can not afford to quit plus, trying new techniques will keep you from getting bored, and it will increase your circle of contacts and opportunities tremendously!

Shine On Job Seekers!

Most of my clients are experienced professionals in their 40’s or 50’s and come to me in the throngs of a failed job search. Usually their career has progressed easily through internal promotions or word of mouth referrals. Now faced with a struggling economy and a new job search arena, they feel unsure and even fearful of the challenge before them.

Suddenly they are 6 years old again and afraid to step off their bed for fear something is waiting underneath. Too afraid to look, they sit on their bed waiting for their mom to appear, then begs her to check for a safe path.

As adults, the wait for someone to come and hold your hand, help you look under the bed, and calm your fears might be a long one. There is help of course, in the form of certified career coaches and resume writers that are qualified to help with the process. We come with a flashlight and often a hug to light the way and rebuild confidence.

For those job seekers that want to overcome their fears themselves and succeed in a 21^st century job search, the most important tip I can offer is to get educated. Things don’t seem as scary when you know how something works, what to expect and which strategies to use to succeed. Doing nothing only makes the fears grow and immobilizes you even longer. If you are like most job seekers, you really can’t afford to allow the fear of the unknown to threaten you and often your family’s wellbeing and safety for too long.

“…the only thing to Fear is Fear itself.” ~ FDR

It isn’t finding a job that is fearful, it is not knowing how to find a job and not knowing where to look that holds people back. So how do you educate yourself? You start small. While you are beginning your job search make sure to read blogs, articles and books on successful job search strategies – it will save a lot of pain and suffering!

While you are educating yourself, realize what type of job you are looking for and begin researching companies that support that kind of a position. Research 5 – 10 companies to find out their current needs, goals, culture and whether it is a company you would like to work for. If none seem to fit find, 5 -10 more and do it again. When you have located several companies that do seem to fit, have your resume written to specifically answer and solve the problems of those companies, targeting their needs using your career history to back up your abilities.

You can find these companies and contacts using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other online networking communities. Or you can work offline using the phone, knocking on doors and communicating face-to-face. I think a combination of the two works best. Finding contacts that can refer you directly to the hiring manager will put your resume on the top of the pile – every time!

If you are uncomfortable with communicating or networking with new contacts researching the contacts will help you feel more comfortable and give you specific content to use as ice breaker conversation. Find a few contacts for each company you have researched. Find out something you have in common such as, did you attend the same college, work at the same company, know mutual friends, or have similar outside interests; pets, sports, or volunteer activities? Even just by knowing their history will help to generate interesting conversation.

Doing your homework, having questions prepared and knowing the background of your potential targets will help you gently engage these new contacts. Your preparation can open doors to new connections, friendships and referrals. Remember to say and write thank you letters to your contacts and ask if you can reciprocate the assistance in some way.

The more you know the easier it will be to take that leap of faith, trust your preparation and look under the bed. You might be surprised to find a new job hiding under there!

Learn From Others Mistakes, Failures and Successes

An ice fishing outing a few weeks ago reminded me of a simple, yet valuable lesson. With weeks of cold weather and a previous weekend of successful ice fishing we thought we would try it again. The week had been beautiful with temperatures in the mid to upper 30’s and sunny, a nice change for Michigan. The weekend came and we decided to punch a few holes in the ice and see what was biting. It seems with ice fishing, the fish are either jumping out of the holes or hibernating; last weekend’s fish fry spurred us on for another try.

With several of us near the edge of the lake, a few brave fishermen stepped out onto the ice to find old holes to reopen or to drill new ones. This process also lets us know how thick the ice is and if it is safe to proceed. Three men were out on the ice when cracking was heard to our left and sent two of the men scrambling back to shore.

The last man was quite a ways to our right and thought his area being deeper, would be safe. We urged him to come off the lake but he insisted he would be fine. We watched with a little fear to see how thick the ice was as he began to use the auger on the ice.

Within seconds, cracking began around him. The sudden shift of ice beneath him caused him to drop the ice auger into the lake as the ice began to separate. Running down the shore and standing directly in line with him, we all thought we’d be attempting to rescue him or calling 911. Thankfully as he ran toward us he was just enough in front of the cracking to make it safely to shore. That ended our fishing expedition and gave us all a scare.

Later I wondered what kept him on the lake even though he knew from the cracking sounds, that the lake was unstable. Was it because he thought he knew the sounds of dangerous ice better than the others? Did he want to fish so badly that he ignored his “gut” and our urging to get off the lake? Or was it because we had fished safely the weekend before and many other times and just assumed he could do the same thing he always did, even on unsteady ice and still get the same results?

Job seekers are often faced with these types of decisions during their search, although probably in a little less dramatic form. My clients often tell me they have never had to have a targeted resume or use the internet as part of their search strategies, and are reluctant of the new tactics and potential results. They also watch others fail and think they can  do the same type of minimal search but somehow be successful in landing a job.

As your job search becomes a long-term event, do you continue to do what you have been doing? Do you  follow those who are also still unsuccessful in their job search? Or do you look to others who have successfully found jobs and follow their lead?

Trying something new might be just the ticket! Ask those you know that have been successful in their job search, what they did during their search. Find out what their routines were and how many hours a week they devoted to networking face-to-face? How many hours did they spend daily networking online? Which online sites were most helpful for them? How did they hear of their new job? Did they read about it or were they proactive in contacting a company that was not publicly recruiting for new candidates. Ask – Ask – Ask!!

Learning from the positive and negative results of others is the fastest and wisest route for a job seeker. Of course your strategy may develop differently than those you talk with, but you’ll see a pattern of motivation, hard work and smart moves that you too can follow and succeed with.

This week was the kick off of the 9^th season of American Idol.  Every year I say I am not going to watch it, but somehow the show finds its way on to the screen of my television. I tell myself, just the first night… to get a feel for what this season may hold.

I admit that I watched the whole show and towards the end, when there were only a few contestants left, a man entered the room for his very long awaited audition and let the panel see his aggravation for having to wait all day. He had apparently been there for many long hours nervously waiting and was tired and a bit cranky.

Well, he was given a chance to sing but the discussion afterwards quickly grew heated as Kara unleashed her anger on this man. She let him know that he had ruined his chance because of his attitude and character, and would not be going any further in the competition.

Whether I agreed with Kara’s outburst or not, and whether the young man had a good voice doesn’t really matter because the people he needed to impress in order to proceed, were not impressed. He lost his chance with the simple act of complaining.

How many times have you complained or whined to someone about your current situation or didn’t take the extra step to be nice to someone? Do you ever wonder if any of those recipients might have been missed opportunities? What if you were at a networking event complaining unknowingly to someone who knew of an opening in his department that would suit you. He could easily and understandably decide to not share the information with you because he would not want be the one to bring a whiner or downer into his office?

You don’t know where your next opportunity will come from and this should be a good reminder to be nice to others, on a regular basis (or at least until you find a new job). Watching American Idol I heard Simon and the others comment repeatedly when they thought someone “seemed like a genuinely nice person” or “have a really good vibe about them”.

Being nice in your job search and your career does matter. People might not remember your name, or what you were selling but they will remember if they liked you or not. Give it a try!

Try Something New to Take the Insanity out of Your Job Search

I’ve gone to the same mall area shopping for Christmas presents three times in the last couple of weeks. Each time I have gone, I come home less and less satisfied with the amount of purchases I made. I just can’t seem to find what I am looking for at the stores available in that location. With just a week left until Christmas and with more than a few presents left to purchase, I decided to change my game plan.

What is the old Einstein saying; “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Well I decided to stir things up, not go insane and try and new shopping venue.

Wow! Was I excited to find new stores that had new ideas and gifts I had been looking for! I even went in to some of the same stores as the other location but they had a different variety of items to choose from and again was successful.

When the day of shopping was through, I had successfully crossed off every item on my list. I drove home thinking of how thankful I was to not have decided to give my usual stomping ground another try. Some times you’ve got to move away from routine to find the best deals.

Before you go insane in your job search, make sure to shake up your routine every once in a while. Take stock in the results of your efforts. If something isn’t working for you – try something new. Just because your friend was wildly successful on a specific LinkedIn group or networking event doesn’t mean you will immediately get the same results. Take hold of what Einstein said and try something else.

For example, if you are only working with job boards get involved in online groups in LinkedIn or one of the really great job search groups on Ning or Yahoo Groups. If you tend to visit more than network at networking groups try a new one, and develop a new elevator speech that accentuates your strengths and personal brand. Check out industry associations, newspapers, groups, or volunteer somewhere but try something new.

The most important thing to remember is to be creative and open to new ideas or suggestions, find what works for you and keep moving forward. Even with the Holiday season in full swing, now is still a good time to be setting up new year meetings and filling that pipeline with contacts and networking activities that target and work towards your goals. Keep your goals close and review them often to keep you focused and motivated. Save yourself the grief of driving yourself crazy by not trying new strategies, techniques, activities or groups to help you find the job you deserve.

I just returned from the Career Directors International (CDI) conference last night. What a great time seeing old colleagues and meeting new ones. A truly enjoyable and informative conference.

For some of the presenters, including Jason Alba, Barbara Safani, and Louise Kursmark, their underlying theme was the importance of using Web 2.0 business and social networks to increase visibility. My job seeker take away from these speakers was that being visible on these networks is vital in today’s economy and with today’s available technology. Job seekers can effectively use this job search strategy to develop their visibility for recruiters, hiring managers and decision makers.

Creating keyword and content rich profiles and becoming a proactive participant on networking sites such as Linkedin.com, Facebook.com and Twitter.com are a great way to start. However, being active on these networks is only effective if you use these sites as tools to build your brand and value proposition.

Keep communications professional to quickly increase your brand by including articles, opinions, and helpful site, book, blog and speaker links and recommendations. It is an effective way to strengthen your online presence and make your first impression positive and make you memorable for the right reasons.

You’ve heard, as most of us have, that you get out of something, what you put into something. I remember hearing that from my parents, teachers and now – I find myself using similar analogies with my own kids and often, with my clients.

We all know what the economy is like right now, and how high unemployment is, so why do job seekers still think that they can just post their resume on Monster or Career Builder and expect the phone to ring? It is not going to happen. The boards yield less than 7% of the jobs found and although I make it a point to repeat these facts to my clients several times while working together, I still get those who only post their resume and then complain because of no response.

If you want to play a sport well, grow a garden, build a tree house for your kids, have clean clothes, or cook something there are several steps and processes to go through before your efforts yield positive results.

Buying ingredients and putting them in your pantry will not produce a cake.

It is vital for job seekers to work hard and consistently if they want to find and obtain the right job and career for them. Start by getting on LinkedIn – that alone offers a world of networking possibilities. Join professional associations in your field, and research and seek out companies you feel would fit your strengths, passions and goals.

Contact old friends, new friends, coworkers, past employers, past coworkers, suppliers, vendors, ancillary department workers, volunteer associates, family, neighbors, church friends, sports/kids/school friends or join new networking groups to make new contacts. Talk with people, ask about them, help others if possible and let them know about your background and current goals. The more you communicate the quicker you’ll find a job!

If you need help, unsure of what to do next – ask! People like to help other people so ask. Ask your friends or someone you know who has recently gotten a new job. Ask a professional resume writer or career coach who can point you in the right direction and has an endless supply of resources.

The more effort you put in the quicker you will find a job. It will be hard, it might take a while, and you might face rejection more than once – it is part of the process. You can do this! Give your self the credit you deserve. You’ve got great skills, achievements and experiences to offer you just have to get your awesome value in front of the right people – through networking. Keep moving and working towards your goals.

Wednesday’s Q & A

Question – Does social marketing help job seekers get noticed?

Answer – Absolutely! Social marketing is moving so fast that it is often tough to keep up with. New sites, blogs, videos and social networks are being introduced daily. “What to use”, “how much to use”, and “is it worth it since my job search will hopefully be short term”, are questions I am often asked.

Social marketing helps brand you as an expert in your field, position, and industry. It also gets you noticed. As others see you writing

and answering with relevant content and participating in helpful discussion on your industry, you will get noticed and will be seen as someone who knows their stuff. I’ve said it before (and heard it even more), it’s not who you know but who knows you!

What to use? I would first and foremost get on LinkedIn. It is just too good not to use! Establish your profile and then get out there! You can join groups or add your own, ask questions, answer questions, search out companies or contacts, search for jobs, add your resume and more, more, more!

Twitter and Facebook are other places to establish a professional presence and start meeting people. You can again join groups, search out company or contact information and learn from others on how to do it well. Also check out the Yahoo groups or Ning groups – they seem endless and available in every possible profession.

Sign up for local and online networking groups, join associations or set up a blog and become an expert in your field – and bring them to you! Social marketing and personal branding go hand in hand.

While you are building your online and in person identity, make sure you steer your reputation in the right direction. Join reputable groups and association and post information, comments, articles, tweets, and videos that promote the type of professional image you want for yourself. The choice is yours.

You don’t have to join every group out there but I’d join many and then spend some time weeding through them to find several that fit you well. Then, really make a contribution either online or in person. It is a commitment but well worth the outcome.

Not only is the time you spend in social marketing worth it during your job search but it is an excellent tool to maintain after you’ve found your job. It helps manage your professional brand and reputation and will be the perfect place to start looking for future opportunities a few years down your career path.

If you’ve found this post you are on your way!

Shine On!