With excitement and anticipation last night I watched Sunday Night Football. The pre-season game gave the new players a chance to show what they’ve got and their contribution potential, in short… their value.

It wasn’t an unforgettable game but it was just fun to watch. Usually at half time I switch loads of laundry, check emails, or click to other channels. I am glad I kept the game on and was able to catch the tribute to John Madden and his years as an energetic and passionate announcer.

After halftime, I was even more excited to see the newly retired and new addition to the announcing team, Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts. I am just thrilled he will join Al Michaels and John Madden’s replacement Cris Collinsworth, as part of the Sunday Night Football Announcing Staff. I look forward to hearing his wisdom and viewpoint every week.

Conversation flowed from his retirement to future plans and eventually landed on his relationship with Michael Vick. With the completion of his 2 year sentence at Leavenworth, Vick is working through the process of making a comeback into professional football. Dungy has agreed to mentor Michael Vick during his reemergence into the sport of football. I believe Dungy is there for emotional and spiritual support for Michael Vick the man as much as the football player.

Vick will have to prove his physical and mental strengths all over again to the coaches, players and football fans. To a new team he also has to prove he is a good fit.

The same holds true for the job seekers. Knowing you have the skills and experience is important but your “fit”, character, and reliability is even more critical to landing a new job. Watch other job seekers, watch Michael Vick, and see how vital your personality and character are to a decision maker trying to find the “right” person for the job.

Before you start applying to and interviewing with new companies know your strengths, what type of position is right for you, and what value you offer to potential companies. Research companies until you can honestly say, “This is the company for me” and then Go For It!

“I just want a job” or “I’ll take anything” are comments I hear very often as I am working with clients. I also heard this from almost every job seeker I spoke with at a recent job fair I helped out with. Although many job seekers feel this way it is vital not to say or project this feeling to contacts, networking acquaintances, recruiters and most of all during an interview.

Letting everyone know you’ll take anything will get you nothing of value.

This approach backfires for a couple reasons. First, you lose all credibility as an expert in your position or field when you remind everyone you’ll take anything. Second of all, value statements become something that sound disingenuous. Just like using an Objective Statement on a resume, you turn everything to focus on you and what you want instead of on the company, what they want and need and what you have to offer and help them.

Feeling desperate is understandable as bills come due and any job seems like a better choice than waiting for the perfect job. This might be true but you can’t face the world with this attitude. You have to convince others (and yourself) that the job you are applying for or interviewing for is the best job in the world – and your ideal job. You will be much more convincing in an interview if you put the same effort into “any” job as you would in what you think is an ideal job. Do your research, know the company and what they need and sell yourself!

Pose yourself as an expert in that position or field by knowing your stuff. Focus your resume, the stories, examples and answers you give in a networking meeting or interview on what the position is looking for. This will give others confidence in your abilities. If you don’t believe you are the best candidate for the job, you won’t be able to convince others either.

A recruiter or hiring manager does not want someone settling for a position. They will assume you will leave as soon as you find something better, not give your all or even feel bored. They are looking for someone who will fit the job and someone who wants to work there.

So – if the “I’ll take anything” approach isn’t working for you, try using a different approach that showcases your expertise and fit and see what happens!

Tuesday’s Tips

The number of available internships and entry level jobs are down just as all jobs in general are down but that doesn’t mean there are not jobs waiting for the new graduates. It just means it is a little tougher to find work – so how do you get ahead…get moving!! We’ve all heard the saying, “Anything worth having is worth working for”; well it is definitely true with finding  the right job.

You have got your degree now what are you going to do with it? Like all job seekers, you have got to get your ducks in a row. Make sure you know the direction you want to go in terms of position and even industry. Just because you are new to the business world it doesn’t mean you don’t need a plan. Without a plan you’ve got no direction and you’ll wander, get discouraged and quit looking or settle for something you really didn’t want.

 Make sure you develop a killer set of career documents. A powerful resume showcases the classes, projects, internships, affiliations and outside work experience you’ve hopefully accomplished during your time in school. Gather positive recommendation letters from employers, teachers, volunteer leaders or others you’ve interacted with during your college life. Finally, make sure you have a reference sheet, targeted cover letter, transcripts, examples of work or projects and anything else relevant to your new career.

 Once armed with direction and documents you need to take action! Don’t think posting to Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and NewGraduateJobs.com is all you’ve got to do to find a really great, high paying job. You’ll need to set in place job search plan as well. Still search the job boards but find ways to get closer to the actual hiring managers.

• Do your research; Google the company, read the career section on the company website and find ways to meet people within the organization that can get your resume to the decision makers!
• If you are not on http://www.linkedin.com/, http://www.visualcv.com/, and using http://www.jibberjobber.com/ to organize your search you should be. You need to look at this job search as if it is an all out battle or assault for the jobs. Many companies aren’t using the big boards so you’ll have to be find ways to be seen by them and get creative in finding them. 
• Get involved in associations, volunteer programs, community and church activities, forums, and networking groups in your area. Think about starting a network for new graduates to help each other.

The more aggressive you are and more motivated, confident and valuable you appear. Appearance and fit at this stage of your career is the name of the game. If you decide to “take the summer off because the market is so slow anyway”, like I am hearing daily from new graduates in my area, you’ll look lazy (for lack of nicer word) to hiring managers that realize you are just starting your search after 3 or 4 months of being out of school. 

When you are a new graduate your motivation, energy, and positive attitude are crucial to employers looking for entry level employees. Put your motivation and energy into action for faster results and a more proactive reputation.

There seems to be endless possibilities for those having to make a career change. When this opportunity becomes available some know exactly what they will do and where they will do it while others become overwhelmed by the endless possibilities and don’t know where to begin.

Three ways to help narrow down those seemingly endless possibilities:

• Find out what you are interested in. If there are 2 or 3 industries that have always been of interest to you, check them out. Find out the main players in the industries and start doing research on the companies and industries to see if there is an environment that will fit your talents. You will love your job, be fulfilled, and be more productive if you find what it is you love doing.

Research industry associations, and related groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, Yahoo Groups and Google Groups to learn, get involved and begin to make new contact in the fields. These contacts can shed the truth on what the actual jobs will entail and may be a great source of opportunity.

• Take an assessment to find where your natural strengths, likes, and interests lie. Are you a people person and need to be in a team environment or prefer to work alone? Are you good with people or numbers? Do you like large companies or small? Left brain or right?

There are several types of assessments including DISC, Myers-Briggs, 360, and many others that focus on you behavioral preferences, skills, values and who you are inside. Maybe try a few of these assessments to really delve into your core wants and needs.

• Learn what is available in your geographic area. If you don’t know the current hot and hiring industries in your area of the country then you need to find out. Read local business magazines and newspapers or begin to pay more attention to your local news. For great source for statistics on your area and to find out more about industries, fields, and positions you are interested in, I recommend you spend some time at http://www.bls.gov/oco/.

Although there are more ways to find out where you’ll fit best for a career change, these 3 tips will get you started learning about yourself, your preferences, the area around you and companies to look into. With just these 3 tips you will be able to weed out the areas that don’t fit and begin to see a pattern of what type of jobs, environments, and industries are of interest to you.

Let your curiosity explode as you search for a new fit. The more open minded you are to your potential, the more opportunities you will find. Enjoy the challenge and change!

Company research during a job search is vital with the fierce competition for available jobs. Not only do you need to know how to do the job and “fit in” with the environment, you must have a good understanding of the company you are hoping to interview with.

Is this important? You bet! Interviewers will bring up current projects, recent acquisitions or leadership changes and discuss information during an interview you should be aware of. If you are not, they will know, and your chances of getting asked back will be pretty slim.

Three ways to investigate the company of interest to you?

Company Website, Company Blog and other Social Network Avenues – are a must read! Learn everything they have to offer on the site, the history, mission statement, board member, leadership teams, new products, current community involvement, and anything else offered as information on the site. Check out the pictures and words they use as well. This information will give you clues into their culture and vibe, and direction they are headed.

Many companies now have blogs, forums, and newsletters they run as a means of staying connected with customers and hopefully a way to gain new customers. Read these, see what they have to say. What are the important areas they cover? What are there views on industry issues? Get a feel for their position in the industry.

Industry Associations, Magazines, Newsletters, Networking Groups, and Blogs – The Company’s information is valuable, but much more useful when compared with industry standards. Find out what others are saying in the industry about the direction, feel and concerns currently felt by the industry as a whole. Does you company’s views match those of others in the industry? Are they leaders or followers?

BBB, Chamber, and other local information – Many companies work hard to give back to their community. It is important to be aware of their charitable and community work for interview questions but more important to see if their values match yours. If this is an important issue for you, check local sources to see what their involvement is and where they give their time and money. Does it match your values? Is this the type of company you want to work for?

Getting to know the companies you would like to work for is tremendously helpful in the interview process and it lets you get a better feel for the company; its’ direction, values, and culture. At the end of the search you’ll know if this is a company you’d want to work for or not. It may take a little digging but will save you the hassle of having to leave in 6 months when you realize it isn’t the company for you.

When looking for a new job, are you keeping in mind what employers are looking for? It is important to find a job that fits the criteria you have developed in order for a career to provide you with enjoyment, fulfillment, a challenge, and of course meeting your monetary needs. Although these may be your needs, it is imperative that you meet the criteria that employers are looking for.

According to the book “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins, employers don’t expect perfection in your early days with the company; they expect motivation and progress. They want to see your enthusiasm, your drive and initiative, and eventually your value.

It is important to keep this in mind as well, when interviewing for a position. Employers are looking for achievers, those who are willing to stretch and take a risk to make things happen. You can demonstrate this in an interview by arriving prepared with specific examples of achievement, knowing the history of the company and position, asking well thought-out questions and by appearing motivated and excited about the position.

Shine On Job Seekers!