What Do You Want?

Posted: June 7, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

My son just recently entered the professional job market and one networking contact recently asked him “what do you want?” My son (not really knowing what he wanted) answered the best he could and the manager repeatedly asked “so, what do you want,” or “why?” The interview was certainly annoying, but good natured and in the end, very profound.

Too often, when asked “what do you want” the job seeker says “I just want a job.” While I can understand the frustration and urgency behind that statement, rarely is it true. There are always jobs open if you want to work hard and not get paid much. I was fan of the TV show “Dirty Jobs” and they shared lots of jobs I really wouldn’t want.

As a job seeker, you need to be clear with yourself and others, who you are, and what you want. You may have to accept reality and you may not get what you want every time, but you can keep working toward that goal. If you just earned your degree in Accounting and think you want to be a CFO someday spend you energy looking for jobs that utilize those skills and fit that path.

Try to avoid begin overly general like “something in sales” or “something where I work with people” – both Wal-Mart greeters and corrections officers work with people but they are very different jobs.

Spend time thinking about what job you’d really like. If you’re not sure, use networking to learn more about different jobs. Go to a local Career Center (aka Unemployment Office) and they’ll probably offer a free job interest assessment. Figure out what you do best and what you like to do, then look in that market for a job.

Focus your job search and it will improve the quality of your networking and help you find that next job. And as the Rolling Stones Say “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try some time, well you just might find, you get what you need.”

Join the Club

Posted: May 24, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Networking | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Join the club – a phrase with many meetings. When you first lost your job and met a fellow unemployed person the conversation might have been “I just lost my job,” followed by “Join the club.” The phrase means – me too, or you’re not alone. But join the club has a different connotation for job seekers. Maybe you need to join the “job search” club.

Across America you’ll find thousands of job clubs. These are groups of people that gather, usually weekly, to network, share job leads and just support each other. Job clubs are an excellent way to give your search a boost.

Job Clubs are often run by churches or other community groups. Frequently they are hosted by an area HR professional. Those that I’ve attended work a little like I imagine an AA group to work. There is strength in being able to admit to a group of peers, “Hi, my name is Bob and I’m unemployed.”

The practice of regularly attending a job club gives your search structure. Much like going to work you have a place to be and a time to be there, you have to prepare (so you have something to contribute), you get to contribute, and if you’re lucky enough to be at the right club, you may also get some refreshments.

Some job clubs work like book clubs, and they’ll agree to read and talk about a book on job search (maybe soon they’ll be talking about I’m Fired??!). Some involve going around the room and reporting on your progress. Most celebrate their graduations when a member finds a job.

Job clubs are full of people, just like you, who are looking for work and could use a little help. Check out the job clubs in your neighborhood and start attending. Then, when someone tells you “I just lost my job” you can say “join the club” and mean it.

BTW – on this Memorial Day Weekend, take a short break from your job search, spend time with family and remember those who have gone before, and made possible our lives and our freedom.

 

 

First Impressions

Posted: May 10, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

I will bet that when you were very young your mother told you more than once, “You only have one chance to make a first impression – don’t blow it.” She was right, but she probably didn’t know how right she was.

Some fairly recent neuroscience has confirmed that we make first impressions within milliseconds and those impressions are hard to change. Think about it. As our ancestors were living in caves and struggling for survival every day, they didn’t have time to interview every new person they met to decide if they should fight or flee. They developed the mental processes to immediately assess if this was a person they liked or disliked so they could react and keep their family safe. We have come a long way since then, but we still have much of that caveman brain.

When you meet a new person, the way that they perceive you in the first few seconds will have a huge impact on their impressions of you. It is even true on the telephone. Scientists have found that just by how you say hello tells the caller a lot about you including your trustworthiness.

Now get ready – this is going to sound like your mother again. When you go for an interview make sure you are neat, clean, well groomed and appropriately dressed. Stand up straight, put your shoulders back and a smile on your face, look them in the eye, say hello in a clear, confident voice and offer them a firm handshake. If you can do those things, the rest of the interview will go well. If you are rumpled, smell bad, look at the ground, mumble a greeting and offer a limp handshake, then pack up your resume and head for the door.

Sound harsh? Maybe – but its life. Self-confidence gets jobs. Lack of confidence gets unemployment. You must believe in yourself. You need to know what you can do and be ready, willing and able to tell others about it. That takes preparation and practice. Get yourself ready. Write out answers to questions and practice saying them out loud. Work on your elevator speech until it rolls off your tongue. Have close friends help you examine your look, your wardrobe, your handshake. Practice your diction and learn to speak clearly. Go to networking events just to practice meeting people and making a first impression. Practice until it is who you are – because it is who you are, you’ve just been hiding behind a lack of confidence.

Regardless of your circumstances, skills, formal training, what-have-you, you can be confident that you are unique. You are a person of value and a child of God. You have worth, you can contribute, you can learn and you can be a positive force for good in your community. You may or may not be ready to be the next CEO, but you can be successful in whatever job you are applying for. If you believe it, they will too.

Pray for Whirled Peas

Posted: February 17, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Networking | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

I have a friend who has a t-shirt that intrigues me.  The shirt has a graphic of a round green and blue swirled ball that vaguely resembled the view of Earth from space.  The caption is “Pray for Whirled Peas.” It is great! She also has one that simply says (in large letters) HUMANKIND (and in smaller letters) BE BOTH.

These two shirts have, rather obliquely, spawned this post.  I’ve worked with a lot of job seekers and the key to finding a job remains networking.  For many, if not most people, networking is difficult.  You have to put yourself in some uncomfortable positions to tell your story over and over.  You have to make yourself vulnerable and ask for help (now I’m starting to sound like Dr.  Phil).  Bottom line – it’s not fun, but it has to be done.

But what makes networking even harder is when you run up against someone who refuses to help.  Someone who doesn’t want to hear your story – or even worse, who makes you go through your whole spiel an then says “Sorry, I don’t know anyone who is hiring.” HUMANKIND people! BE BOTH.

If someone asks you to help them with their network, say yes.  Listen closely to their story and be empathetic to their position.  Always refer them to someone and in those rare instances where they’ve already talked to everyone you know ask to see their Target list.  Encourage and support them in any way that you can.  Make sure they always get something from you: a name, an organization, a job search tip, something.  Do what you can so that when they walk away 15 minutes later they feel better about their job search.

I can hear some of you thinking … “Why?!? The job market is crappy and sometimes these people just need a dose of reality.  They need to wake up and smell the coffee.  This is no land of fairies and rainbows.  There are no jobs like they want, they need to step off their high horse and just get back to work doing anything.”

And my answer to you is “Put a sock in it buddy.” You do not know everything.  You cannot predict the future.  Your job in the networking process is to be helpful and supportive.  Reality will take care of itself.  There are two reasons that you need to behave like this.  One – it’s the right thing to do.  Two – you just might find yourself in this situation in the future and you’ll need friends.  You’ll want to go to the people that came to you and you’ll want them to be helpful and supportive.  It’s a small world and what goes around comes around.

Now, your take way from today is when someone asks you for networking help – give it to them.  And in your spare time, pray for whirled peas.

Long Term Unemployed? Don’t Give Up!

Posted: January 19, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Long term unemployment insurance is in the news.  While Congress grapples with how to fund it, real people are still out looking for jobs and wondering about how to pay their bills.

Recently I’ve met with several friends who have been unemployed for over 6 months.  They’ve faced the concerns about unemployment insurance expiring and renewing, they’ve worried about making house payments and college tuition payments, and they’ve faced the psychological pressure of “what’s wrong with me that no one will hire me?”

Nothing is wrong with them – it’s the economy.  The rule of thumb these days is that it takes an average of 1 month of job search for every $10k in annual salary.  So, if you make $50,000 you should plan on being unemployed for 5 months.  That’s just a guideline, but it’s the best guideline I have. The bad part about that is, for every $50k job seeker that finds a job in 1 month there is another that won’t find one for 10 months.  That’s why it’s called an average.  And, with the slow rebound of the labor market, the average is growing.

So, you’ve been unemployed for 6 months or more.  You’ve got a great looking resume, you’re applying to jobs online, you’ve networked with everyone you can find, you go to job clubs and you’re just plain tired of the whole process.  Now what!?!  Here are a few ideas:

1 – Don’t stop.  As frustrating as it is, you’ve got to keep at it.  You have to keep networking, keep applying, and keep telling your story.  The next job will come and if opportunity knocks while you’re sitting on the couch watching soap operas and feeling sorry for yourself, you’ll miss it.  Get off the couch and spend some time every day actively looking for a job.

2 – Broaden your search.  If you’re not already doing so, look outside of your logical career path.  Think about different careers where you have transferrable skills.  If nothing else this will expose you to new network contacts.  Look under some different rocks and you may be surprised what you’ll find.

3 – Consider internships or part-time work.  Particularly if you are an experienced professional, think about offering yourself to a small company on a pro bono or inexpensive contract basis.  You won’t earn enough to threaten your unemployment, you’ll get to stay active in your field, you’ll make some new contacts, and you’ll have a great story to tell on your next interview.

4 – Take a part-time entry level job.  Look for an entry level job in retail or food service.  Sign up with some temp agencies.  Sure, you may be working below your skill level, but you’ll be working.  In addition to getting a paycheck (however small) you’ll get your confidence back.

5 – Do some volunteer work.  Spend some time working at a local soup kitchen, or animal shelter, or thrift shop, or reading to children, or where ever your passion is.  Again, this will get you out of the house, doing positive things and you’ll meet people who might be able to help you.  If you find joy in serving others you’ll never have a better opportunity to do so, than when you’re unemployed.

The adage still holds true, you have to plan the work and then work the plan.  Keep at it, keep your attitude positive and your energy high. You will find another job.  Believe.

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