I’ve decided that February is going to be my re-alignment month.

Why?

As a blogger, entrepreneur, marketing coach, author, career strategist, speaker I’ve worn a lot of hats over the last few years.  It’s been an amazing journey full of unexpected surprises, great opportunities and, as you might expect, a few frustrations.

But, just like in job search, we have to be ready to push through the frustrations and obstacles in our path to get where we said we wanted to go in life.

So what does a realignment mean for me and how can you use the idea to help re-energize the things that are important in your life right now?

My realignment and focus for February can be expressed simply like this:

Now if you have a first reaction to this chart, it might strike you as counter-intuitive.  Everything on the right is what you might know me for supporting.

And I do.

But these are also areas that can be somewhat unproductive.  And unappreciated after you’ve been doing them for a while.  So a realignment will help me both reassess my focus in these areas and, after February, reassert their role in my longer term strategy.

Know that the minus sign does not indicate “STOP” but rather a reduction in time and focus.

Temporarily. 

So I can hit much harder on those items under the “PLUS” column.

Speaking of the “PLUS” column, you may be wondering what they are and why they are there:

Software – As many of you know, we just finished an initial private beta (testing) on a new piece of software to help job seekers build a powerful strategy for their search.  We are estimating another four weeks to implement the changes, improvements and fixes.  If you’d like to be on the need to know list for when we are opening the curtain, sign up here to be notified.  This software is the culmination of all the heart and passion I’ve put into Tim’s Strategy® over the last four years.  It is the deliverable.  And to deliver it on time, I have to dig in.

Business Dev - In addition to Tim’s Strategy, I also own Fix, Build and Drive™. I blog there too but mostly it is a home for my relatively new coaching/consulting practice.  The focus there is marketing, branding and business strategy targeting emerging and established companies or organizations.  It’s about helping the stuck get unstuck.  And strengthening companies so they can begin the push out of this economy. Learn more about my coaching and consulting services or send me a note.

Healthy Living – The one thing you think you finally have time for is getting in shape.  And eating right.  But I really haven’t done that very well.  Oh, I’ve had my moments.  And I do work out a few times a week.  But it’s not enough.  You and I could be doing so much more, right?  So now I will. For at least 30 days.  To see how I feel (broken or on fire for more). 

Family – The other thing I said I would do is spend more time with everyone I love.  But the truth is that the pressure to succeed as an entrepreneur (for me) makes that hard.  It is really hard to separate work time from family time.  A balancing act between being where I need to be and making the advances in my business required to keep doing it.  The cool thing is I’ve been able to see almost all my kids sports events over the past year.  But I’ve been missing mentally at many other key times.

So what does all this mean?  Will I disappear for 30 days and reappear magically a new man?

Possibly.

But I doubt it.  More likely, I will have achieved great things at a time in my life when I really needed it.  And made time for important actions and people. At at time when they really needed me.

So if I don’t respond to an email right away. Or respond to you on Twitter or Facebook within the hour, it’s not that I don’t dig you.

Because I do.

So quietly cheer me on. Send me a mental tweet. I’ll probably get it.

If you want to join me on this February realignment journey, download a similar chart here: My February Focus – your own place to choose a focus for the month.

To see what happens for you.

Same with phone messages.

While I keep trying to reduce the amount of incoming email, more seems to come.  So I try to keep up and respond to everything.  But I can’t.  And I’m not alone.

Part of the problem is driven by the holidays.  That 4-6 week period where we all spent more time relaxing with people than emailing them.  Or responding to them in other formal ways.

And then everyone gets back to work or back to the job search and there’s new work on top of the work they left behind.

If you are wondering why so few people are getting back to you right now, there’s your answer.  Somewhere someone is choosing to either act upon your request or ignore it.

So what can you do?

How do you get your requests handled before the requests of others? And before too much time has passed?

Here are 5 ideas to release the pent-up demand and get people focused on you:

Ask them again – while being a pest is certainly a possibility when you are trying to get your needs taken care of, there’s nothing wrong with one strong follow-up.  A friendly reminder to someone who never intended to ignore you.  But did.  So you’ll probably get a “so sorry, sure glad to help” answer. They feel bad for not answering sooner and you get what you wanted.

Try a different medium – if your first attempt was via email, try a phone call this time.  Think of a time during the early AM or late afternoon when someone is at their desk and may reach for the phone.  Be prepared to quickly remind them of your request and offer to send a follow-up or reminder via email or text. One they can easily reply to.

Do something nice – write a recommendation for them or their company on LinkedIn.  Re-tweet something on Twitter they wrote and add a nice comment.  Comment on their blog posts (everyone likes comments).  Give them a +K on Klout. Buy their stock on Empire Avenue.  Or get old-fashioned and drop off a small gift.  Each of these are like poking your face in their car window.  But without the creepy aspect.  You are getting back on their radar.

Make it easy or convenient – if the thing you need is an introduction to a target company, write an intro for them so they can just tweak and forward it along.  Same with recommendations on LinkedIn (worst case, remind them of your accomplishments while you worked together).  If it is a meeting you want, provide specific times when you know you can be available (and just so you know, “how’s next week” will not move things along). Or offer to meet them at a Starbucks near their house or a close freeway entrance.

Remind about relevance – sometimes we need a kick in the pants as to why you need something done.  And why now.  Maybe there is a time sensitivity and you can remind them about that.  Maybe the thing they are supposed to do will actually help them in the end.  Not you.  Reinforce the reason why you are asking and the benefit of their acting.  And you may get moved to the front of the line.

How about you?  How do I get you to move when I need you to?

And what has been successful for you?

Thanks waterarchives for the great photo via Flickr

And it’s a big fat truth for anyone else out there trying to build a consulting practice, start a small business or succeed in a sales career.

Especially if your transition to this stage in life is recent.  And you just left a job with a traditional 8-5 company.

Here’s why:

When you work for a traditional company you are given structure.  Both in the environment (office, desk, computer, pens, stapler, conference room) and the calendar (meetings, phone calls).  Someone expects you there by 8 and working until 5.  You are accountable to your boss, your team or the board of directors.  And responsible for specific parts of the business or product line.

Your job is, in part, reliant upon you being good at reacting to situations and the needs of internal and external customers.

So what is job search like?

It is almost completely the opposite.  It’s like waking up from a really long sleep and not knowing what time or day it is.  And you may not realize that you are now completely without structure.

And that leads to unproductive behavior, impulsiveness and, for some, a long period of time working without a strategy.

Something you never would have done in your old job.

And as we enter into private beta this week on the new job search strategy tool, my sincere hope is that this tool does for you what it did for me (back in ’07) when I had a solid strategy for my search.  This new tool is all about building that strategy.  Want to know when we enter public beta?

Sign up To Be Notified

Yesterday I was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio with Kerri Miller about branding and job search strategy.  A follow-up to the interview with Tess Vigeland on Marketplace (American Public Media).  During the call yesterday, Anna called in and asked about job search with ADHD.  And I talked a little bit about how building a structure might help her stay on task and I offered some examples.

But the big fat truth is that most of us struggle with a lack of structure. 

After 10 or 15 years in a traditional job, you begin to take many things for granted.  And I meet far too many people who spend their first three months acclimatizing to the environment and chasing their tail.

So here are a few ideas for you:

Establish clear job search objectives

This way, when someone asks “what are you looking for in your next job?” you can tell them. And share crucial details that will help them engage with you.  This is one thing you will do early on if you sign up for the new job search tool.

Set goals each week

Sounds simple enough, right?  But very few of you are doing it (based on the answers I get when asking this question at my speaking events).  Most of you are impulsive. And spend far too much time at home, online or going with the flow.  If you need it, use a goal card for job search like this one.

Join or start an accountability group

Why aren’t more people starting and joining accountability groups?  Here’s an accountability group post I wrote that includes an easy-to-use  template for structuring a group.  Oh, and start one today and you can help people while building a bit of local influence.  You could also start or join a job search book club or reading group.

Structure your days in advance

On Sunday night, sit down and plan out your week.  Email new connections from the week before and set up quick 30 minute meet-up.  Identify the best networking events happening in your area and put them on your schedule.  Then ask yourself these three questions about networking with a purpose.

Of course there’s much more here. But pick one or two these suggestions and see if it doesn’t get you more focused on how you spend your time.  All while you are trying to accomplish something really important for your career.

How have you added structure?  Tell me your secrets!

Thanks Anthony Shemmans for the great photo via Flickr

I see it a lot on LinkedIn. Less often today thankfully.  But there must be some old handbook for LinkedIn lying around that says “go get as many as you can.” Within my LinkedIn group sometimes it pops up and in other groups across the platform.  What am I seeing?

“I accept all invites!”

Please don’t do this and if you do I don’t want to hear about it.  Because I manage my LinkedIn group pretty tightly, there aren’t any random “connect with me now” posts.  But every once in a while, someone will share this sentiment in their introduction.

I don’t accept all invites.

If you accept all invites, my goal here is not to embarrass or belittle your network building strategy.  But rather to tell you why I think it is a really bad methodology for building a network on LinkedIn.

It is the ultimate in laziness on a business network where social credibility really matters. So don’t be lazy on LinkedIn.  And don’t treat your connections (and potential connections) like they are a dime a dozen.

Treat them like family.

At least like a distant Uncle.  Please take a few minutes each time you consider accepting a connection request or think about requesting one.  If you don’t what are the odds that the connection will go further?

Why? Here’s my belief:

That 95% of connections on LinkedIn never get consummated.  Pollination never occurs.  And the larger social ecosystem on LinkedIn is left in the lurch.

A little dramatic I suppose.  All the great friendships envisioned are now left shuddering on the social networking floor.

Imagine a huge apple orchard full of fresh blossoms, lots of bees.  This time the bees land and leave without doing their business.

The result? No apples.

My advice? Do your business.

Start pollinating.

If you don’t start a connection with (at minimum) a personal introduction on LinkedIn, you will kick-off each connection (relationship) with such a small amount of commitment that you might as well avoid connecting altogether.

And then I hear people say “I’m building my network for when I need it”.  Which I agree with, by the way.  But you are doing it wrong.  Connecting with a few hundred people without even a small interaction leaves you with nothing.  Because “being connected” means nothing if your first attempt to use the connection leads to a dead-end.

If connecting with as many people as possible is truly of value, we should just go ahead and ask LinkedIn to save us the time and connect us all automatically.  That way we can all say we have over 100 million connections on LinkedIn. And then start from scratch on another platform.

But I don’t think they’ll go for that.  Will you?

Thanks LadyDragonflyCC for the great photo via Flickr

This is part two of a two-part series on millennials in the workplace. Read Part One. Specifically, how to communicate across generations – a common issue at the office and during a job interview.  This series was guest written by Aaron McDaniel, the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge)

If you interview with enough companies you are bound to come across an awkward situation or two, yet few are more uncomfortable than when you realize that you are older and more experienced than the person on the other side of the interview table.

While it is only natural to have a “who is this cocky and clueless person interviewing ME” reaction when you are being interviewed by someone a few (or many) years your junior, don’t start to jump to conclusions or blindly accept stereotypes. It is important to keep an open mind and not assume that you are better and smarter than your interviewer, primarily because it will show through in how you answer the questions you are asked and also because the “young gun” interviewing you can offer you key insights into what it is like to work at the company you are interviewing with.

Besides showing the “young gun” interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job, there are a few other strategies that can help you sound better to the millennial on the other side of the table:

Show that you understand technology

Beyond illustrating how you understand the Microsoft Office Suite, you want to make sure to talk about your understanding of technology and its importance in the workplace.  Show that you have an open mind to new mediums (from social networking to technological tools).  While you can keep this understanding at a macro level, you still want to go beyond a surface understanding (otherwise your interviewer may think it is “cute” that you are attempting to sound hip and up with the latest thing).

Ask for their opinions

In the presence of an older and more experienced person, young people (and millennials are no exception) are looking for any opportunity to show their value and communicate that they bring as much value to the table as someone who is as experienced as you.  The best way to do this is by getting your interviewer to talk about themselves. Be genuinely interested in what they are saying and think of ways to encourage them on to describe more with supportive statements (for those that are parents, think about how you encourage your kids.

For those that aren’t, think about the lessons from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People). This strategy will do a few things including helping you learn more about what the company is like and helping you gain rapport (so that your interviewer likes you more)

Say you are flexible and are comfortable with change

(Note: if you really are not comfortable with change then don’t lie about it but think seriously about adapting this mindset). The ability to be flexible and change quickly is much more important to a millennial than being strong and steady and “staying the course.”  The corporate world today is fast-moving and the agile (not the strong) will survive.  Do all you can to show the breadth of your experience and not just the depth. In answering questions, reference examples from many different positions.

When I started my career I routinely found ways to talk in a manner that made me seem more experienced than I really was. I even made my appearance give the illusion of more experience than I had (including growing a goatee).  In this case you want to do the opposite.  For example, don’t explicitly say that an experience you had was from 20+ years ago, instead say that it was an experience from a “few years ago.” Focusing too much on a long career of experiences will not get you as far as showing a diversity of experience and general intelligence.

Ask questions to them about culture

Start by asking your interviewer questions about company culture and immediately follow it up with references to how you like, have experience in and fit with similar types of corporate cultures. Moreover, talk about passions you have and who you are outside of work.  “Young guns” appreciate understanding these types of things about you and it can help you stick out amongst the pile of resumes (i.e. if you talk about how you climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and have been to 25 countries it will help brand you in a more positive way than if you only stick to business topics during the interview).

Now that you know some secrets to interviewing with a “young gun” you are a step ahead of others who don’t take the time to understand who is on the other side of the table asking questions.  Remember that no matter what your age or amount of professional experience, you can always show that you are flexible, intelligent and young at heart while still communicating that you have the solid experience that will make you successful in the job you are applying for.

Aaron McDaniel (aka “Mr. Business”) is the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge). He is a corporate director, entrepreneur, public speaker, community volunteer, author and avid world traveler. He has experience in sales, customer care, marketing, operations, strategy and business development and has managed over 110 different direct reports and organizations as large as 60 at a Fortune 50 company. Read more from Aaron @ http://ypedge.com

Thanks budgetplaces.com for the great image via Flickr

This is part one of a two-part series on millennials in the workplace.  Specifically, how to communicate across generations – a common issue at the office and during a job interview.  This series was guest written by Aaron McDaniel, the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge)

Most of us have heard of the famous John Gray book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. One of the overarching ideas within is that men and women fundamentally think differently.

Just like people from different parts of the world, the same can be said for each generation of people; we think differently at a fundamental level.  For the sake of illustration, let’s say that as a baby boomer or Gen Xer you are from Switzerland, while millennials are from Japan.

Being from Switzerland (Boomer/Gen X) you are used to speaking a certain language, eating regional food and fulfilling certain cultural traditions.  Because you grew up in Switzerland all of these customs are practices are normal.  Someone from Japan (millennials), however, may see what you do as weird or more appropriately, foreign, because of the environment they grew up.

The same can be said for people of different generations. Each generation grew up in different political, economic and technological environments.

To succeed in this type of landscape the goal should not be to focus on how someone from Japan (in our analogy) or another generation is “different” or wrong, but instead should be to understand the differences so you can work together.

Let’s explore some ways that you can relate to and communicate with Young Gun millennials:

Use technology

Millennials are accustomed to communicating their multiple mediums.  Routinely I will email a friend about having dinner, receive a text message back, and call my friend to work out all the details; posting a Facebook status when we actually get together. Millennials are digital natives (as MIT’s Mark Prensky puts it), growing up in a world of the internet and mobile phones.

For those that are more digital immigrants, it is important to communicate in the way that millennials do.  Even in a professional environment a text message or an email may be just as effective as an in person conversation for a millennial (plus you will have a record of what exactly was said).

Work does not equal our entire life

For older generations the typical concept discussed related to this topic is work-life balance.  For millennials, this is an obsolete term.  A more appropriate moniker is work-life integration.  For a millennials it is normal to go to work all day, grab dinner with friends and then go back home and log in for some late night work emailing.

Do not rush to put rules on millennials saying that have to do something the way you would do it.  Allow freedom and set clear expectations for the results you want. More often than not you will get the results you are looking for, and more.

Explain the “Why”

The whole “because I said so” argument does not sit well with millennials.  They need to understand why they are being asking to do a certain task or why a goal was set the way it was.  Moreover, explaining how they will benefit and gain experience from fulfilling a certain task will allow you to connect better with a millennial and foster better results from him or her.  Ultimately explaining the impact (s)he will make generates buy-in and motivation.

Now that you have a better understanding of how to communicate with millennials, the next (and most important) step is to leverage this understanding. Diversity is a great thing. Just like experiencing different cultures can enrich your lives, valuing and utilizing the talents of millennials can be a huge advantage for you.

Appreciate and channel a millennial’s energy, focus their creativity and use their desire to gain experience to reach your goals.  Remember that even if you are from Switzerland, Mars or Venus doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give sushi a shot.

Read Part 2 Now

Aaron McDaniel (aka “Mr. Business”) is the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge). He is a corporate director, entrepreneur, public speaker, community volunteer, author and avid world traveler. He has experience in sales, customer care, marketing, operations, strategy and business development and has managed over 110 different direct reports and organizations as large as 60 at a Fortune 50 company. Ready more from Aaron at http://ypedge.com

Thanks Ed Yourdon for the great photo via Flickr

It’s A New Year. 

Time To Get Serious About Job Search.

Mission Viejo, CA – After personally helping thousands of job seekers with their process, Tim Tyrell-Smith has something significant to share with the job search community.  He’s making his strategy available to a much broader nationwide community.

Tyrell-Smith announced today that a new online job search strategy tool has just entered private beta.  Members of his LinkedIn group and Facebook page were offered the chance to participate in this first testing process.

Why this strategy tool and why now? 

“I meet hundreds of job seekers every month who are working without a strategy and have admitted to wasting months without a focus around their effort,” said Tyrell-Smith.  “This strategy tool solves a major problem for job seekers at a critical time in their lives. “

“For anyone who is stuck in a job search, feels inefficient without a structure or needs to plan for a pending layoff, Tim’s Strategy is now ready to help a lot more people,” said Tyrell-Smith, a popular career blogger, author, strategist and founder of Tim’s Strategy™.

The new online software tool, simply named “Tim’s Strategy” (named after the blog) delivers a structured and strategic process to help users create a personal and customized job search strategy.  Described by one user to be “like tax software for your job search,” the software breaks down a complex and unfamiliar process into smaller, easier to chew pieces.  Video help is included throughout the process.

Tyrell-Smith stresses that his tool is not a replacement for a career coach or resume writer.  In fact, he encourages use of career experts via a career expert directory he initiated on his site.

“If you need significant help with your job search and have the money to invest, you should consider hiring a career expert. But for job seekers who have the interest and skills to create their own strategy and materials, this tool will help you do it right,” said Tyrell-Smith.

For an initial upfront fee (and a small annual maintenance fee), users will be guided thorough a five stage process that includes profiling, branding, marketing, networking and interviewing guidance.  Highlights of the tool include the identification of target companies, the dynamic creation of marketing materials and the development of targeted networking connections.

For more information on the tool, screenshots of various steps and sneak-peak access for media, please contact Tyrell-Smith directly or call (949) 829-2149.  To be added to a notification list for when the tool is available to the public, click here.

About Tim Tyrell-Smith and Tim’s Strategy

Tim Tyrell-Smith is the creator of Tim’s Strategy, a ground-breaking online job search and career strategy tool.  As a blogger, Tyrell-Smith has been a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report and is the author of two career books (“30 Ideas” and “HeadStrong”). Tyrell-Smith’s blog “Tim’s Strategy™ – Ideas for Job Search, Career and Life” has more than 4,000 subscribers and is read in 126 countries. You can learn more at http://facebook.com/TimsStrategy and follow him on Twitter (@TimsStrategy).

So today I’ve compiled a summary of reader favorite posts of 2011.  And If you haven’t read them yet, maybe you should since someone else apparently has.

And if you get really interested, you can get nostalgic and read the favorite career advice from 2010.

Perhaps a few of the posts from earlier this year are now more relevant than before.

Or perhaps you have a little more time this week before the new year to think a little deeper about your career or life situation.

Would love to know your thoughts on these 11 posts, of course.  What impact, if any, did they have on your thought process or action plan.  Of course, I hope they helped you!

Our Group: A LinkedIn Success Story

Earlier in the year, LinkedIn had a request for nominations of people or groups on LinkedIn that were making a difference.  The Tim’s Strategy LinkedIn group was nominated for being a group with a great purpose on LinkedIn.  And the group was chosen as a success story to help highlight LinkedIn’s growth to 100 million members.  A great success story for LinkedIn and an exciting bit of recognition for all of us that participate in the group.  If you are not a member of the group or not an active member, resolve to be one in 2012.

10 Signs You Are Being Lazy On LinkedIn

If you send generic (not personalized) LinkedIn connection requests or neglect to upload a great photo to your profile, you are being lazy on LinkedIn.  And I don’t want that for you.  Because it means fewer people will find you there and those who do will find you less interesting.  This post also included a scoring system.  How dd you score?

Using Twitter: A Simple Daily Checklist

Like LinkedIn, Twitter has so much potential as a social networking tool for job search.  And for simply staying in touch with your network during your career.  But I noticed many people simply have trouble building a basic amount of inertia.  Or they see the bad aspects (silly updates and spammers) of social networking and decide to stick with what they know.  Avoiding social media is a bad move in this new modern job search.  So I decided to keep it simple and write you a basic daily checklist.  I like checklists and I figured you would too.  Thanks for sharing this one.

 Recruiters Insider Secrets To Getting The Job

While I don’t really like the title I wrote for this one, the idea was one that you clearly wanted to read about.  This post was a result of a great conversation I had with CPG Jobs about working with recruiters.  It was a tele-seminar with Tom Bolt and Gail Houston.  If you go to this post you can read the summary of my comments or listen to the tele-seminar.  Especially if working with recruiters is on your list of “things to improve” for 2012.

 Tell Me About Yourself: What’s Your Story?

This post worked for a couple of reasons.  First it focused on a big and scary question we get at the beginning of almost every job interview (and one you have to nail).  Second, it offered advice from a very well-respected story-teller, Kathy Hansen of Quintessential Careers.  Kathy and I met for the first time at a career conference this year (she was on my must meet list) and I had the unique opportunity to drive her from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.  You learn a lot about someone in a long car drive!

 Should Your Resume And LinkedIn Profile Be Carbon Copies?

Sometimes a lingering and important question gets answered in a way that really works. This guest post was written by Melissa Cooley.  Melissa is a career consultant specializing in resume writing, interview coaching and job search strategy.  She is also an approved career expert here at Tim’s Strategy™.  So many of us wonder if we are doing it all right.  Melissa’s post gave you a great answer to this particular question.  Thanks Melissa!

How To Sleep Like  A Baby During Job Search

Despite our best efforts, we don’t always have the confidence during job search that we’d like.  In fact, if you are missing this key ingredient, it can get to you during the entire day and sometimes at night when you are supposed to be sleeping.  I remember a couple of bad sleeping nights in 2007.  Not always because I was nervous or worried, but because I couldn’t shut off my mind.  If this is an issue for you, I hope this post helps to settle your mind in 2012.

How To Wake Up With A Smile On Your Face

This post carried a similar message to the one above.  Except it was about how to get “up” for a new day.  It featured a great YouTube video of a young girl getting herself ready for the day with a Tony Robbins style pep talk to herself.  I loved the energy of her message and, while I’m not asking for your video version, I’d love to know how you do this each day during job search.

Using LinkedIn: A Few Simple Reminders

LinkedIn is such an amazing tool.  So many people sign up, create a profile, connect with everyone they know and then stop using the platform with any real purpose.  This post was my push back on you to start using LinkedIn with a purpose and to not allow yourself to fall asleep at the wheel.  What have you done to really use all that LinkedIn offers? And how will you change that in the new year?

 10 Reasons Why People Get Fired

The idea of getting fired really rattles people.  Either because they’ve been fired before and know the feeling or they worry about the outcomes in a tough economy.  But there are some basic reasons why it happens.  Sometimes the result is good news for you (that particular job was a bad fit for you).  Other times there is no good news at all.  But if you read through these, you’ll find that there is often a pattern and a rationale behind the decision.  And a way out.

Resume Infographic:  One Man’s Journey In Pictures

It’s tempting to try to new things during job search.  Especially with so many new tools coming out these days.  Try them all, yes.  But be careful which tools you actually use to show your value to recruiters, HR folks and hiring managers.  This post was about one job seeker’s attempt to create his own infographic – his career in pictures.  This post did well because we’re all curious about these new tools but often need an independent voice to help us decide the risk and reward.  What did you think of this attempt to create a visual story?

So those are your top 11.  I hope I helped you get better and smarter in 2011. And that your job search, career and life went a little smoother as a result.  Let me know will you?

And to all of you who count on me as a resource, a friend and expert, thank you for including me in your life.

I wish you all a very happy and successful new year. 

If so, you may officially count your chickens.  And the egg to the left will hatch.

And if you haven’t already read this related post, I’ve already told you why people follow on Twitter.  So this new post should solidify your confidence on Twitter and make sure you are maximizing use of this platform.

The list below is in my head as the criteria I use to follow back or ignore those who have followed me in the last few days.  Everyone gets a look and a % get followed.  And it is a very quick decision.

So here are the 10 reasons you won’t be followed (i.e. the things you can fix right now).  But if you have just a few minutes today, make sure you at least do the first 3.  These are awfully important!

1.  No real name  I’m not (generally) on Twitter to follow businesses.  I want to follow people.  Twitter even suggests in your profile set up to “Enter your real name, so people you know can recognize you”. Why are you hiding behind the business? I rarely follow someone (or something) on Twitter if I don’t have a name.  THE FIX: Make sure that you have your real name somewhere.  If multiple people tweet on behalf of your company, tell us who they are in the bio.

2.  Lousy or no bio  Either you don’t have a bio, it is written 100% in a language that I don’t speak or it contains nothing that anyone could deem as “relevant or not” in their life.  Your bio is the filter I use to quickly rule you in or out.  I can still decide not to follow someone because they are not immediately relevant (a plumber in Oklahoma, for example) but if that plumber at least tells me who they are and what they care about, I can make a good, quick decision.  THE FIX:  Write something that helps us quickly categorize you.  It doesn’t have to be keyword heavy.  And if you want to add a dose of personality that never hurts.

3.  No picture or avatar  I hate eggs on Twitter.  Eggs say new to Twitter, a risky follow, etc.  They might be great people but they also might represent someone who will never drop a single tweet in the stream.  So if you don’t have a picture, you are giving people a big reason to ignore you.  While I always prefer a photo, a fun avatar can work as long as I get a name (see point 1 above).  You can see my @FixBuildnDrive account for an example.  THE FIX: Let us see your smiling face.  And, if not, let us see something that represents you or your business so we can have enough data to make a good decision in about 2-3 seconds.

OK, now let’s take a break and look at a few examples.  Here are the last five people who followed me on Twitter this morning.  Reviewing the three points above, which of these five do you think I will follow?

This is such a typical set of new followers.  How do I decide?  Well, as I said in the “why people follow” post linked to above, it is first about relevance for me.  So the only one that is directly relevant to @TimsStrategy is @WATRL. The only other person in this list that I would consider is @joshuaekwo because he offers his name, a photo and a bio that tells me something.  But I worry about “network marketer”.  Now my job is to click on his profile, see his recent tweets.  I’d also like to know where lives.  My quick research tells me he lives in Nigeria and has a website helping people find avenues to wealth.

So what did I do?  What would you do?  Watch the video below to see my decision.

Did we make the same decision?  Tell me how you would decide differently in the comments . . .

So, after that example, what are other reasons why people don’t follow you back?  Here are 7 more:

4.  No personality  Some people freeze up on Twitter.  They forget to be human.  And while many people hate the personal “I just ate a cheeseburger” update, without any personal updates I only get the “business you”.  So be interesting.  Because many of us will look at your recent posts before following – looking for signs of a heart, not just a brain.  THE FIX: Either in your bio, your photo or tweets, be real.  Make fun of yourself, help others do something better, use a lot of smiley faces.  Whatever you can do to shine a light on who you really are.  Use fun or informative hash tags. #lookingforapulse

5.  No conversation  If I see you are using Twitter to broadcast new blog posts, share pithy quotes and otherwise blast out self-serving content, I am far less likely to follow.  If you aren’t talking to others, the odds aren’t good that you’ll talk to me on Twitter.  THE FIX: Make good use of the @ symbol.  Sending @ messages (public messages to one or more people), re-tweeting (RT @) others who’ve shared content that is relevant to you or your followers.

6.  No consistency  As you noticed in the video, when I am unsure on a follow, I will look at your recent tweets.  Even in just the three recent tweets Twitter shows me in the snapshot I can learn enough to make a decision.  THE FIX: Tweet daily if you can but overall try not to let too much time go by between tweets.  Need help?  Try my Twitter Daily Checklist.  It helps you be more purposeful and regular.

7.  No access  I’m not sure why people protect their tweets.  Look for the little lock symbol next to their name.  To me, that is like a “don’t follow” sign.  I will ask to be approved if it is someone I know.  If not, I won’t follow.  Maybe that’s what you wanted anyway.  THE FIX: Stop protecting your tweets.  Twitter was not built as a private chat room.  And if you want people to follow, you’ll have to accept more than just your target.  You will kiss a few frogs but you’ll open the potential for a young prince or princess too.

8.  You use scary words or acronyms in your bio  Words like “network marketer” and “wealth creation” or acronyms like “MLM (multi-level marketing)” and “FOREX (foreign exchange/currency trading)”.  These are the red flags on Twitter.  Because they indicate the nature of our looming relationship (i.e. you selling me something).  THE FIX:  Check your bio for words that might push people away and, if found, remove them. It’s OK to have something to offer on social media platforms, but how about a little romance first?

9.  You make false promises  Phrases like “I can make you rich” or “let me teach you my secrets to wealth” lead me to believe that you are self-serving.  Not a big stretch, right?  If it appears you are trying to lure me into anything other than a helpful online relationship, well you’ve lost me before you had me.  THE FIX:  Don’t make promises you can’t keep.  Really.

10.  Don’t ruin it with an auto DM.  If following you was touch and go, but I decided to do it anyway, don’t make me un-follow you with an immediate automated DM like “so excited to connect with you” or “check out my e-book for free”.  Automated direct messages on Twitter stink.  THE FIX: If you have one, turn it off.  It’s like emailing all of your connections on LinkedIn with a “special offer”.  Don’t do it.

So there you have it.  What’s your view on this?

How do you decide who to follow and who to (gulp) ignore?

This is a really interesting question.

Whether you are looking for work, trying to land a new client or drum up business for any initiative, is there any way you can justify sending a bulk email to your LinkedIn contacts?

Let me just admit up front that I think of it often.  I imagine the impact of 1,382 people getting a direct message from me.  And the good things that might come from it (leads, new connections, awareness of my new initiatives).

I even went as far as exporting a .csv file of everyone whom I share a first level connection with on LinkedIn.  I have their (perhaps your) email address, first name and a bunch of other information about them (you).

With a first name, I could personalize the note and write it in the most honest and unselfish way I could muster.

But there’s something about bulk email that just smells funny.  No matter how hard you try, everyone will know you are really just selling something.  Even if the thing you are selling is what a great, unselfish person you are.

I’ve received a few of these bulk emails over the last few months.  Some offering a chance to help a great charity, some marketing an idea, a cause or services.  And I get that same feeling in my stomach each time.

But aren’t we supposed to use our network when we need help?  Why are we connecting with all these people on LinkedIn if we can’t reach out to them?

We are supposed to reach out.  And using LinkedIn is a great way.  But it is a more purposeful use of the tool that I want you to consider.

It’s the same with Twitter. 

As much as I would love to send a DM to my 14,180 followers to promote a new post or product, I won’t do it.  Because I know what it feels like to follow someone new and instantly get slapped with an auto DM saying “Hey, friend me on Facebook too!” or “Check out my latest (whatever)”.  It feels awfully short-sighted.

But I understand it. It sounds great.  And I’m not against some automation to ease the burden of communication at times.

But it isn’t a great idea.

So here’s my philosophy: you will be far more successful reaching out with a personal tweet or short LinkedIn note to targeted friends or connections (one at a time) than sending anything bulk.

If you have a network of people you’ve met while networking, you can certainly (and should) stay in touch with your network.  You can send a newsletter or email to these closer-in friends.  It’s efficient and reminds your network that you are still there. Especially if they opt in to (and opt out of) your newsletter.

I wonder whether the folks at LinkedIn struggled over whether to allow a download of 1st level connection emails.

But let me ask you.  Have you sent one of these bulk emails?  Did it work?

Did you regret it?

Or would you do it again?

During job search (or any other time you are working to create awareness for your brand) there are many great opportunities to create a good reputation (positive buzz) for yourself.

And there are an equal number of opportunities to completely screw it up.

To demonstrate, I took this picture at my front door yesterday.  I walked out to drop something in the mail box and these advertisements fell to the ground into a pile of promotional angst.

And my first reaction was “Really? Thanks (various advertisers) for dumping your business in my lap.”  Now I have to bend over, pick it up, grumble and throw it away.  Don’t ask me about what I find (apparently) super-glued below my windshield wipers each weekend.

As I was heading to the trash can, I thought this was probably how HR people feel when a resume shows up unannounced, unexpected and not tied to any particular open position.  And those of you hitting companies with your resume more than once, note that I was doubly unhappy with the holiday lighting folks who hit me twice with their lazy man’s service (sorry, I’m a DIY guy).

So here’s my point.

Shouldn’t you take more pride in your reputation, your career or business than to market your services this way?  Maybe we need to go back to the expensive resume paper.  If it gets you thinking “more premium” when it comes to sharing your career history and availability with target companies.

It’s the same with writing a lousy cover letter.  One that’s not well thought out, impersonal or rushed.  Stop playing the numbers game and start being thoughtful.  If you are going to write a cover letter, write a good cover letter.

So here’s your challenge with every investment you make.  Have a purpose.  Work from a strategy.  And use your network to connect with people.

Stop trashing your reputation.  And start thinking about how you’d like to meet someone just like you.

Today the blog features a guest post by

You need information on new technology resources in a specific industry, you’re interested to find out how to use a new app for your iPad or you want to find a great Italian restaurant from a local while you’re traveling – you’re in luck!  With technology at our fingertips, we can do a quick Google search, reach out to an expert via email or Twitter, or look at a user review site like Yelp.

Sometimes I think we take for granted how connected we are with the rest of the world.  Besides the obvious uses of technology in our every day life, technology can be used as an awesome resource to build a personal learning network (PLN) in our jobs, careers and life!

My daily tasks are very aligned with leveraging a community to continue my learning as well as connect others to experts to foster their learning.  As a Community Manager for an online teacher community, I’ve found leveraging relationships and asking questions to experts in online communities has been the best way to gain knowledge and understanding.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your online community:

Do your research

There are a ton of blogs out on the blogosphere and there are also a ton of GREAT blogs.  Do a little research on the topic you are interested in learning about and I promise you’ll find a few (or many) experts in the field that have a blog and are willing to share great information for FREE on the web.  Read their blog and comment on the posts that interest you.  By interacting on their blog, they will get to know you and if you do have a question in the future, they’ll already know who you are and be willing and ready to answer!

Participate in online forums

Online forums are a great way to ask questions and get immediate feedback.  The most luck I’ve had is participation in twitter chats.  Twitter chats cover a variety of topics and many are organized ahead of time and create a more formal chat arranged around a specific topic.  If you work in a specific industry, I recommend doing some research on twitter chats out there for you.  Here are some examples: #EdChat, #BlogChat, #CmgrChat, #SmBiz

Ask questions

Okay, you’ve done your research and participated in some forums – now ask questions!  The best way to learn something you don’t know is to ask an expert.  Be yourself and reach out to someone via an email address you found online, a twitter handle you follow or a blog you can’t get enough of.  It never hurts to ask!

Volunteer to give back

If you participate in forums or chats – volunteer to write a recap for the person who runs them.  This will help you build a better relationship with the person.  You may only know them online, but you’ll get to know them a lot better if you communicate back and forth and give back – they’ve already helped you learn so much, it’s the least you can do!  If you love reading reviews on Yelp or other customer review sites, consider leaving a review yourself – you’ll be helping those who’ve helped you!

Check in with your contacts

Maintain a relationship with your contacts.  This is important!  You probably haven’t met face to face so upholding their trust and respect will help you further build your rapport.  You never know when you’ll need some help or be able to help them.  If you see a great article that applies to them, shoot them a note with a link to it so they know you’re looking out for them.

If you’re really interested in learning about a topic and fostering relationships with experts in a certain field, put yourself out there!  Most people I’ve come across online are very insightful and more than willing to give up their time to help you learn more about a topic that is important to them – so go out there and build a network, you won’t regret it!

Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California’s Masters in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a Master’s degree and teaching credential online.  Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

Thanks to says-it.com for the image

Today’s post was written to support Job Action Day – a great initiative started by the folks at QuintCareers.com, one of the largest job search support sites online.  “Job Action Day is a day for all job-seekers and workers to take stock of their situations and make plans and/or take action steps to improve their careers.”  Here’s my post:

This year I attended my first South By Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, TX.  What started as a music conference now includes film and interactive (social media). It’s a big conference with tons of great speakers, panels and other events to get you thinking down new paths.

And so I went looking for those new paths. Aided (and hosted) by my good friend and networking guru Thom Singer, I went out looking for great networking ideas.  Especially after years networking in the job, small business and nonprofit market, I wanted to see how others did it successfully.

And one idea caught my eye.

An especially great idea for people who spend too much time at home on job boards or have trouble talking with strangers.

Of course, like many ideas, you have to be careful that you don’t execute it without care.  But sometimes you need to try a few new things to get unstuck.

Here’s what one person did at SXSW:

He brought a volleyball.  And a Sharpie.

And proceeded to walk around the entire event with the volleyball and the pen getting people to sign the ball.

It was brilliant.  And he met just about everyone at the event.

Why did it work?

• It was fun – everyone loved the idea of signing the volleyball.
• It had you anticipating your turn – out of the corner of their eye, most everyone knew when the ball was getting close.
• It got people talking – “Hey, did you sign the volleyball yet?”
• It was unique – And it nicely broke up the traditional (sometimes dull) conversation.
• It was memorable – imagine getting the follow-up email the next day saying “I was the one with the volleyball”.

Of course it could have failed.  But it didn’t.

So what’s a version of “the volleyball” that would work for you?

1. Start an industry-based target company list -   Invite others in your industry to add to the target company list that you started as you walk around the event.  Not as much fun, but maybe more practical.
2. Interview fellow job seekers for a blog post – This could be video or audio, but find a topic that is fun and easy for people to contribute with confidence (e.g. worst interview question you’ve ever heard).
3. Bring a custom find-a-word puzzle – Say you are trying to meet 20 people who can help you find each of the 20 words.  Because it is a custom puzzle, you can load the puzzle with your target companies or key strengths.  And have more productive conversations.
4. Enter everyone you meet into a drawing for a Starbucks gift card at the end of the event.  If they give you a lead to your target company, offer them two entries to the drawing.

What do you think?  Are any of these ideas right for you?

If they fit your personality, why not give one a try?  You might find that people are a little less tight and conservative than you think.  And that they might relish the chance to relax and have a bit of fun.

Now it’s your turn – what fun ways can you think of?

Today the blog features a guest post by Eric Olavson, a state certified professional resume writer and the founder of Giraffe Resume.  Eric is an approved career expert here at Tim’s Strategy.

Sorry.

But your resume is not a chance for you to write that autobiography you’ve always wanted to pen. Remember, a resume is not your life story. It is a marketing document that is trying to get your foot in the door for an interview. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Autobiographies lack focus. They lack simplicity. And simplicity is what will get you an invitation to interview. Commit this to memory: RAN.

R A N

• Relevance: A resume must be written to a specific job posting. Specifically, the employer’s job posting and only theirs. Employers don’t care about skills and accomplishments that don’t relate to what they want. Customize each resume for each job.
• Accomplishments: Focus your resume so it’s talking about what you are proud of, not what you did on a daily basis. You’ve probably worked at your job for a while. What did you do that actually gets you excited to talk? This will help greatly in the interview. And putting these accomplishments in your resume will get you the interview in the first place. Talk about how you saved a company $450,000 in revenue. Talk about how you increased sales 25%.
• Numbers: Nobody likes to hear the words “Trust me.” They make you seem untrustworthy. That means you need to justify your accomplishments with numbers so that you are not just saying, “I’m really, really good, Mr. Employer. Trust me.” 123s add credibility. And look at the text itself. Do you see how those $, %, and 123s just pop out of the text and scream profitability? Add great accomplishment statements to your resume and you will begin to receive phone calls very fast.

Okay, so that’s theory, at least. How do we apply this in the real world?

Let me give you an example. I am a career coach. I help people find employment. Before you pay me $200 to write your resume, you probably would want to know my credentials. So here is my pitch to you. You are the employer. I am the job candidate. See if this makes you want to hire me:

I specialize in employment for working professionals of over 3 years’ experience. I have successfully placed 95% of my clients with jobs in their field of expertise within a two month period, recession or not. Also, I coached them on salary negotiation that often led to at least a 10% increase in salary offers. Oftentimes these salary increases were greater than $5,000, even in a recessive economy. Additionally, I have given presentations to the state legislature on job searching, taught workshops on resumes, interviewing, and job searching, and helped initiate a program for the government called Work Success that helped single parents find work. Work Success had placement rates of over 90%. The bottom line is, by working with me, not only will you find employment fast, but you will be paid significantly more money.

That is my pitch to you. So now let’s review and see if I applied RAN properly.

Relevance: Does the paragraph talk about anything non-job related, or is everything relevant to you as a job seeker?

Accomplishments: Do I talk about things I am proud of, or just state that I “wrote resumes” and “taught salary negotiation?”

Numbers: Do I use numbers to justify my accomplishments? Do the numbers stick out and show proof of results?

Remember, by applying RAN, clients of ours go from 0 interviews in six months to 3 interviews in two weeks.

Do the same to your resume . . . and you will start getting more interview offers than you can deal with. Trust me.

Eric Olavson is a state certified professional resume writer and is the founder of Giraffe Resume, which offers professional resume services and interview coaching. Giraffe Resume stands out from the crowd by offering a free, fun resource called the Advice Oasis that teaches innovative strategies to help you land that job offer! To read more about these simple concepts, visit our free Advice Oasis. Easy.

Thanks vmiramontes for the photo via Flickr

People always ask for referrals to career experts like resume writers and career coaches.  And so with my career expert directory, I can quickly guide people toward a good resource.  Problem solved.

Over the last few years it has grown.  Not wildly, but it has grown.  I don’t add anyone on my own – someone has to apply.  That’s why you likely won’t find Indeed or Monster in the directory any time soon.  But you should already know about them, right?

So here’s a list of those I’ve approved for the directory – exposed to the light of day.  Some of them you’ve already met.  They’ve provided great guest posts for me and there are more on the way.  Many are also members of my LinkedIn group.  A great place to meet them and figure out if they are a fit for you.

If you are a job seeker or anyone else looking for career expertise, you’ve come to the right place.  The career expert directory (click on this link to view it) is chock full of experts and tools from around the globe (strongest participation in U.S., Canada, UK). You can also look for the badge on career expert websites.

The directory is searchable by keyword or geography.  So you can find the help you need in or near the city where you live.

If you are a career expert and aren’t listed below (but should be) you can apply to the directory or leave a comment below.  If I already know you, it will be simple.  If I don’t know you, apply then get in touch so we can talk about getting you approved.

Of course the directory is still a work in process.  There aren’t very many career radio shows listed (although if you know @Animal, he can fill a room all by himself) and only a few recruiters.

I hope you find a match and if you are not listed below, please let me know.

Career Coaches

Meg Montford – Abilities Enhanced

Kimberly Roush – All-Star Executive Coaching

Dana Leavy – Aspyre Solutions

Tara Goodfellow – Athena Educational Consultants, Inc.

Dory Willer – Beacon Quest Coaching

Rachel Eddins – Career Change for Life Balance

Sital Ruparelia – Career Management TV

Greg Fry – Careers Coach

Bradford W. Agry – CareerTeam Partners

Phyllis Mufson – Catalyst for Personal and Professional Growth

Heather R. Huhman – Come Recommended, LLC

Michael Carrillo – CPGjobs

Bill Ellermeyer – Ellermeyer Connect

Joan Ramstedt – Empowered Transitions

Cindy Kraft – The CFO Coach

Mark James – Hire Consulting Services

Molly Peterson – Imagine Coaching

Barb Garrison – Internal Groove

George Dutch – JobJoy

Miriam Salpeter – Keppie Careers

Alex Freund – Landing Expert

Sharon Rich – Leadership Incorporated

Lenore Mewton – Lenore Mewton & Associates

Peggy Wallace – Making Conversation, LLC

Ilise Benun – Marketing Mentor

Richard Guha – Max Brand Equity

Paul Mullan – Measurability

Daphne Houston – National Assn for Federal Career Advancement (NAFCA)

Susan Howington – Power Connections

Abby Locke – Premier Writing Solutions

Kristin S. Johnson – Profession Direction

Maureen McCann – ProMotion Career Solutions

Michelle J. Iseman – Queen Schmooze

Dan Silvert – Silver Career Management

Julie LaCroix – Power Connections

JoAnne Casterlin – Stillness and Motion

Susan Whitcomb – The Academies, Inc.

Francina R Harrison – The Career Engineers

Kerry Weiner Elkind – The Elkind Group

Melissa Cooley – The Job Quest

Jackie Fletcher – Transitions Life Coaching

Heather Wieshlow – Turning Point Coaching and Consulting

Barry Simpson – Virtual Job Coach

Dr. Janet Civitelli – VocationVillage.com

Resume Writers

Robyn Feldberg – AbundantSuccessCoach.com

Laura Smith-Proulx – An Expert Resume

Jessica Silverstein – Attorney’s Counsel

Chandlee Bryan – Best Fit Forward

Louise Fletcher – Blue Sky Resumes

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter – Career Trend

Camille Carboneau Roberts – CC Career Services

Lisa Rangel – Chameleon Resumes

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas – Creatingprints.com

Julie Walraven – Design Resumes

Eric Olavson – Giraffe Resume

Jessica Holbrook – Great Resumes Fast

Angie Jones – Haute Resume & Career Services LLC

Josh Turner – Help My Resume

Dawn Rasmussen – Pathfinder Writing and Career Services

Perry Newman – PerryNewman.com

Dallas Mall – Pongo Resume

Erin Kennedy – Professional Resume Services, Inc.

Jessica Gohier – Profilia CV

Kevin Thallemer – RazorEdgeResumes.com

Karen Siwak – Resume Confidential

Michael Kranes – Resume Slayer

Michelle A. Riklan – Riklan Resources, LLC

Robin Schlinger – Robin’s Resumes

Laurie Berenson – Sterling Career Concepts, LLC

Susan Ireland – Susan Ireland’s Resume Site

Kelly Blokdijk -TalentTalks

Dawn Bugni – The Write Solution

Jennifer Anthony – ExecResumeService.com

Personal Branding Experts

Susan Guarneri – Career Assessment Goddess

Chris Perry – Career Rocketeer

Patsy Cisneros – Corporate Icon, LLC

Meg Guiseppi – Executive Career Brand

Gail Houston – Intuit Careers

Jorgen Sundberg – jorgensundberg.net

Thom Singer – ThomSinger.com

Neal Schaffer – Windmills Marketing

Career Authors

Billie Sucher- Career Transition Services

Jason Alba – JibberJobber.com

Karen Burns – Working Girl

Career Bloggers

Alison Green- Ask a Manager

Rayanne Thorn – Broadbean Technology

Hannah Morgan – Career Sherpa.net

Rich DeMatteo – Corn on the Job

Jodi Glickman Brown – Great on the Job

Lindsay Olson – Paradigm Staffing

Lauriana Zukowski – TweetMyJobs

Jennifer McClure – Unbridled Talent LLC

Clare Whitmell – www.JobMarketSuccess.com

Career Radio Shows

Recruiting Animal – RecruitingAnimal.com

Career Tools

James Beal – careercentertoolbox.com

Brent Peterson – Interview Angel Inc.

Corey Harlock – Skills to Achieve

Tracey Herrick – The Barrett Group

Executive Recruiters

Brad Remillard – IMPACT Hiring Solutions.com

Jill Martinelli – TriStaff Search

I hope you find a friend above.  Or at least someone to help you.

Please do me a favor, OK?.  If you know of anyone who should be in the directory.  Please send a note (with a link to this post) along to them.  Thanks!

To increase your chances of getting hired, it is important to understand the hiring process from a hiring manager’s pov.  They want pain relief!

1. Hiring managers are human beings too

When you go looking for a job, you are preoccupied, naturally and rightfully, with your own needs and priorities.  In the same way, a hiring manager is interested, first and foremost, in protecting and promoting their own career. And, s/he is not going to make a decision or take an action that might jeopardize their career.

They don’t know you, so they fear you.  Your goal is to help them feel “safe” about hiring you. Sure, managers want employees who are competent in terms of knowledge and skills but those employees aren’t much good to them unless they can manage them easily. Above all, a hiring decision for a manager is about feeling “safe” with them, safe in terms of protecting and promoting their own career as a manager.

2. Hiring is a risk assessment exercise

There is a lot of truth to the old cliche that ‘people hire who they know.’ Managers know that nobody is perfect; everyone has shortcomings, weaknesses, faults, biases, and prejudices–-things that pose a potential threat to the safety of his or her career. Everyone has a downside. It is easier to hire somebody you know because it is easier to assess their downside : “I know Bob, Janet and Ricardo, each has strengths and weaknesses, but when I look at their shortcomings, can I still manage them? Are they a threat to my career?”

Think about formal interviews, and how many questions are designed to uncover weaknesses and shortcomings: What is your greatest weakness? Describe a situation in which you were unsuccessful achieving a goal, and how did you respond? How would you rate your ability to resolve conflict on a scale of 1 to 10, from low to high, then give me an example?

3. Hiring is about pain relief

Let’s step back for a moment and consider the priorities of a hiring manager again. Managers are responsible for achieving the goals and objectives of their organization. However, it is not easy to attain those goals. If it was easy, they could do all the work themselves and wouldn’t need employees!

But the nature of reality is adversity : things get in the way of corporate goals and objectives, such as problems, challenges, issues and pressures. To a sales professional, these “things” are known as “pain points.”

In sales, it is important to understand the goals of your prospects and their pain points in order to determine how your product or service can make their pain go away and reach their goals. The only difference between sales and job search is that you are the product or service for pain relief!

This is the agenda behind every hiring decision, i.e. the manager is looking for help around specific pain points. Your job in a formal or informal interview is to uncover that agenda. Once you are in the door, it is important to get a hiring manager talking. Listen for clues to their pain points. Respond not with the features of your value proposition (i.e. your education, experience, personal traits) but with benefits (i.e. how you can help them with their pain points).

Obviously, we cannot cover here every possible scenario. I am outlining a strategic approach. The implementation of this strategy is up to you. That is why I strongly suggest that job searchers get professional help. There is a lot at stake in terms of your career. You want to optimize your time and energy.

Summary

Establish rapport with a manager by focusing on their needs and priorities.  Flush out concerns. What challenges, issues, problems, pressure points are driving this hiring decision? Reduce risk. Find out what red flags the manager may have about hiring somebody they don’t know. Make it easy for them to hire you!

George Dutch is President & Founder of JobJoy, a career transition coaching firm. He is the author of JobJoy: Finding Your Right Work Through the Power of Your Personal Story, and several other career books. 

Thanks Peter Hellberg for the great photo via Flickr

Because being happy at work, is one of those big expectations many of us bring into a career.  And the absence of a happy career leaves other aspects of life upside down.

You may have heard about a recent video series I just completed for About.com.  The first one was just released.  You can see it here: How To Assess If A Career Matches Your Personality or watch the YouTube version below.

So sometimes knowing your personality fit involves taking a series of tests.  Other times it requires nothing more complicated than doing the job and paying attention to how you feel doing it.

You can also be conscious of the larger aspects of your personality as suggested in the video.  Who are you – really – and what careers best fit your work and social style?

Or, if employed, talk your company into buying some learning management software to help the organization help you.

I wrote a guest post back in 2009 (during the “spin strategy” days) for Career Hub called:

Are you a Kate or a Katie?  How knowing your personality can help you find your next great job.

This was one of my favorite articles to write because it really dug into who we are as people.  No workers.  And forces you to be yourself.  Despite how you were named.

Here’s that article:

During a drive to San Diego a few weeks back, I heard an interesting question on a radio station. The question from the DJ was:

Are you a Kate or a Katie?

The question came at the end of a segment so I didn’t hear the original context.  Normally that would be frustrating for me.  In this case, however, it was such an interesting question that I let it go. 

The implication, regardless of how it was framed, is that being a Kate or a Katie suggests something about you.  That you and your supposed opposite are truly two different peas in the same pod.

Now we should probably step back a bit and remember that we don’t name ourselves.  Our parents do.  And that name is usually chosen for you well in advance of your birth.  But, as with all kids, your unique personality defines your working name throughout your life.  

So when you arrived in this world, your parents lovingly placed the name Katherine on your birth certificate.  A few weeks, months or years later you became someone else by being you.  The inescapable you.  The way you smiled, played with your toys and played with others.  Did you play quietly by yourself or did you dance around, always needing a partner?  And then one day, Mom and Dad stopped calling you Katherine and began using a form of what you would eventually be called.  Kate or Katie.

Does this work for guys?  Absolutely.  Andrew vs. Andy.  Mike vs. Michael.  I don’t see a big difference here.

As the segment ended on the radio, I started to think about practical uses for the question in job search.  Here are a few:

1. The dynamic of an interview and how, at times, we can be matched up with people who are just our opposite.  Kate meets Katie.  Or Katherine meets Andy.

2. How and when to let your personality come out within your professional resume or cover letter.  Also a question: If you are a Katie, why do you use Katherine on your resume?

3. At networking events, do you let the Katie out or do you wear a Katherine mask because that’s what people expect to see at these functions.

4. If you are a Katie and you interview with a Michael (the hiring manager), should you become more Katherine-like to match his style?  What if he was really a Mike (or even a Mikey to his pals) and was just stuck in that “professional interviewer” mindset?

5. If you get an offer based on your skill and experience, how should you weigh any personality differences with your future boss?

Obviously there are a lot of other ways to extend this idea.  My goal here, though, is to get you thinking. Go back and review your materials and your typical style. How do you adapt? 

My opinion?  Be yourself.  You have to allow your true personality an outlet during the job search process.  Your personality does not need to take over the discussion, but it needs a role.  And you need to prepare for interviews and big decisions with an awareness of who you are, how you like to work and what environments allow you to be successful.  

For example, I have a friend who is a very social person.  He likes a lot of banter around the office and opportunities to grab a drink after work.  He accepted a job with a company where everyone showed up at 8:00AM, grabbed a coffee, walked in their office and shut the door.  Why did my friend take this job?  He has always coveted the industry and the role.  When offered the opportunity, he jumped at it.  Had he been a David, this might have been perfect for  him.  But he’s a Dave leaning to Davey.

If you are a Kate and you play the role of Katie for a fun, outgoing and very social company, will you fit in long term?  Will you succeed despite the sacrifice of your true self?

So during the entire job search process, try to be aware of who you are.  Find ways, subtle if necessary, to let the real you appear in your resume, elevator speech, business cards and in your direct interactions with real people.  

You will be memorable and interesting in a room where many others are wearing a disguise.

Then, when the job offer comes, you can rest easy knowing that they hired you . . . the real Kate (or Katie).

And for the purpose of this post, “fired” is used as a general term.  It includes being laid off, let go, terminated, separated or any other jargon used by a company to indicate the end of a working relationship.

So here are 10 ways:

1. Doing something stupid – It’s true that smart people do stupid things.  The “less than smart” do them too.  It could involve alcohol, a work affair, a fight, using work equipment to host inappropriate pictures or sending a scathing email as a reply to all suicide note.  I’ve seen all these.  Dumb things occur on the job and in job interviews.

2. Questioning authority – Some of us simply don’t like taking direction.  We have our own ideas about how things should get done.  Or we have a desire to see our own ideas warming in the morning sun.  So we question authority until it’s our turn. Something that drove Pete Cashmore, the founder of Mashable.  Of course most bosses don’t want this characteristic in most roles.  So you won’t last long. And, in the end, that might be a good thing.

3. Hating their job – With all the focus on doing what you love, it’s not surprising that our everyday job might start to feel slow, dull and omnipresent.  And with this economy, many people are staying in jobs longer than they should.  Or they aren’t being as well appreciated with so many people clamoring for jobs.  So they show their distaste through a lack of effort or poor quality work.  Or a really high score on Angry Birds.  And the “lack of” gets noticed.

4. Hating their boss – In a tough economy, there’s a lot of pressure on bosses to deliver.  And with fewer staff slots in the budget, that becomes increasingly difficult.  Combine that with the general lack of good personnel managers in some companies, and you get an environment that facilitates frustration. Of course, there are good bosses who are hated for other reasons.  Like asking people to do work (as they should) in a job they don’t love (see 3. above).

5. Having a bad attitude – This one’s a deal breaker across so many parts of life.  Having a positive attitude in life draws people closer to you.  Staying positive during job search is crucial too. So if you have a bad attitude and allow others to see it (or worse draw others into your negative world), don’t be surprised to be called out for it.  And, over time, to be fired for it.

6. Not doing the job – Of course this one sounds most obvious.  But there are some real subtleties here.  Because it is not always clear what the job is that needs to get done.  And some bosses don’t figure out your transgression right away.  So it takes months of meetings for them to make a decision.  But you have to figure out what your boss needs from you.  And what will make them smile each week during your status meeting.

7. Following the work down – You were hired to do x.  If you consistently do x-1 or x-3, there will be a problem.  What does it mean to follow the work down?  It means you are more inclined or more comfortable doing the detail work instead of the strategic work that really needs to get done. You are especially at risk if you don’t have any direct reports and aren’t good or able to delegate the small stuff.  This is one of the most difficult firings to accept.  Because you were working really hard.

8. No longer relevant – How do you stay relevant?  And what is the impact if you don’t keep your skills fresh and interesting? When budgets get tight or when bosses go looking to deliver on spending cuts, the first question is “who can we run this business without?”.  It could be that you are doing a job that can be replaced by someone younger or a piece of software.  Don’t let that happen to you.  At least be aware that it’s possible and have a plan B.

9. Natural ebb and flow – Sometimes the answer is not clear.  A firing is just the result of normal business.  Which can include an acquisition, a re-structuring or a new owner.  These changes are hard to predict and often are a result of no issues on the part of the employee.  These can be the most frustrating firings because they leave people questioning the “reason why” they were let go and often the company can’t offer a good explanation as to “why you”.

10. You were meant for something better – I believe this is true for a lot of people.  And if you ask people who were fired about their experience and psychology, there is a slow realization that maybe it was the right result for them.  Many find better jobs and build a really strong network after termination.  And realize months later that the company did them a favor.  Of course this is not always the case.  Sometimes it is not better.  But so many I’ve met, do tell a more positive story.  About becoming a better person as a result of being fired.  Because it forced them to think about what they really wanted.  It forced a career re-shuffling.

Of course there are more than 10 reasons.  There are probably hundreds of reasons if you look at all the situations that arise today.  If you are in transition today or have reason to believe you might be soon, take action now to understand your firing and make peace with it, work to prevent it or prepare yourself for it.

Or quit on your own terms.

What are the ways that most ring true for you?

Thanks CarbonNYC for the photo via Flickr

Well, you shouldn’t.  But if you thought about it and wanted to wear one of these, please pull them out of your virtual closet.  Right now.

And burn them.

Maybe as fodder for creating a more positive job search bonfire.

But what’s the point here really?

You got it.  It’s not about the t-shirt.  It’s about the message.  Because you can send the wrong message even when you are wearing a sweet 3-piece or hot pant suit.

Yes, it’s true.

So in an effort to help you create more positive social networking habits, read through these messages to avoid and find another more positive one to share.

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite in the comments.  You might win a printed version.  So you can burn it. 

#1

Does this one surprise you?  For many, this is the over-arching view they carry through the process.  Instead, what if you saw job search as an opportunity.  What are you doing to become a better person during job search? There are 101 (other) things to do during job search that can make the experience suck less.

#2

I like recruiters.  I really do.  But many job seekers don’t.  Because there is this chasm between job seekers and recruiters.  A misunderstanding of epic proportions.   But while recruiters aren’t a major solution for most, they can be a source of help.  And, every once in a while, a source of jobs.

#3

Job seekers are tempted to accept bad jobs and bad job offers.  Because each promises to end this tough time in life.  But many offers simply end in another job search.  Because we accept a job we can’t love and often can’t stand.  Or we accept a job that pays us half our old salary and wonder later why we are angry at the boss who made us the offer.  My advice?  Don’t settle.

#4

Job seekers feel disrespected by HR people, hiring companies in general and recruiters who don’t respond.  And don’t provide any feedback.  In fact, some job seekers are left out in the cold. Brrrr! And you’ll meet some interviewers who screw up and use interview styles that are rude and unfair.  So it’s understandable to want respect.  And yes, you deserve it.  But don’t be a hater of HR.  No one is served by that.

#5

Some people have quiet voices.  It’s what God gave them.  But if you are out networking to meet new people, you need to serve up an effective and engaging elevator pitch.  Impossible to do if you are a quiet talker.  So speak up.  Please.  So we can hear you.

#6

You have to tell us what’s really going on in your life.  Or else we don’t know how and when to help you.  If you hide your problems and stand proud when things are going worse than you planned, you will miss out on a hot meal of friendship.  So I do suggest you practice naked networking but I don’t want you to advertise it this way.

#7

When out networking, meeting with a recruiter or in an interview, I want you confident and positive.  This is the opposite of how many people see you: desperate during job search.  HR people say they can smell it.  So don’t be a desperado.

#8

Some people have this weird “Sixth Sense” (the movie) thing going on.  They are out of work, but don’t act like it.  They are not networking with a purpose.  They are doing a lot of socializing.  Which, if I have to tell you, is not very productive.  They get overly optimistic in transition believing that their search will be just a few weeks. Until some smart company plucks them off the dirt and gently places them in a soft, swaying hammock.

#9

Need I say this again?  If you wear this t-shirt during job search – 0r express this view to your network – very few people will be able to help you.  So, instead, establish specific job search objectives.  Give us tangible data we can use to help you.  Including target companies.  Deal?

#10

Fear is a common emotion for job seekers.  Fear of meeting new people, admitting that you are out of work, running out of money, etc.  But fear has a funny way of stopping us in our tracks.  And keeping us from doing important things.  So pick the one thing you are afraid of and, as Seth Godin says, run straight at it.  Disable it by acting on it.

#11

OK.  This one’s just a tired joke for any situation.  But we do a lot of old-fashioned, dumb things during job search.  We do dumb things in a job interview (like trying to tell jokes).  And we make mistakes while networking.  So read these links to avoid both.  OK?

#12

You have to let go of angry feelings.  Even if your last boss was a jerk.  Or your last company mistreated you.  If you don’t let it go, the anger will come out at the wrong time.  During an interview perhaps.  You have to pay attention to your psychology during job search.  Every aspect of your search is affected by how you feel.  So find a happy place. Find a way to forgive people.  And move on.

#13

OK.  Stop waiting.  If you are hanging out at home waiting for job leads to arrive via email, text message or phone call, you need to do something really important.  And get your butt out of the house during job search.  Seriously.  Get out and meet with new people.

#14

This year I published my second book, HeadStrong, because I was meeting so many people who were struggling with their confidence.  And it was coming across as a real negative.  The truth is that we are more willing to help people who we think can help themselves.  It is better to have someone feeling proactive empathy for you vs. sympathy.  So the book is about the keys to a confident and positive attitude during job search.  Buy it from the site, tell me you read this post and I’ll send you a Starbucks gift card.

#15

Getting laid off sometimes comes with plenty of warning.  Other times, a lay off hits hard without any hint of its pending carnage.  In fact, I’ve heard of people who honestly thought the meeting with HR and their boss was going to be about their next promotion.  Turns out the company had others plans.

OK, now it’s your turn.

First, leave a comment with a vote on your favorite t-shirt.  The one you think people should most avoid.

Second, tell me the saying that I missed.  The one you think would make a great #16.  Either from your own experience or based on someone you met.

Then we’ll pick a winner.  And if you’d like, I’ll pick a few random people who commented and send them a printed version of that t-shirt.  For fun, of course.

So please comment on this post.

Note: The messages on each t-shirt were created from scratch.  Any similarity to any real t-shirts out there (I hope not) is coincidental.

I created a weak graphic for a blog post on Quixoting (A Quest For New Ideas) asking people to “stumble” my blog as a Christmas present.  I asked for a “StumbleMe Elmo”. Looking back, it was a light attempt at humor and an inappropriate request.  Especially for a very young blogger with little proven at that point.

So we write and we learn.  All good.

What I did have right at the time was the power of StumbleUpon.  And its ability to get content discovered and shared very quickly with a lot of people.

If you are new to StumbleUpon, it is a social bookmarking site.  If you install the toolbar onto your browser, you can thumb up or thumb down a website, blog post, video or photo with the click of a button.

This is a way to build your brand (and a little social credibility) without needing to to create any content of your own.

Simply by bookmarking pages that you like and sharing them with your followers, you are establishing what you care about and what interests you.  And, over time, you establish credibility on these topics as the source of new and interesting content. You can also share these items out into your Twitter stream, onto your Facebook wall or email it to someone.

Oh, and you can also reinforce your personal brand on Foursquare (a location-based social platform).

When you sign up for StumbleUpon, you can establish the categories you care about.  And every time you “start stumbling”, a new piece of content is suggested to you.  You can Stumble a specific category or Stumble within all of your categories at the same time.

Cool, huh?

If you have a smart phone, you can download the handy app.  This allows you to find new content while away from home.  Waiting in line at the bank or grocery store is a great time – unless you are in the mood for networking, that is.

Here’s what the home screen looks like on my iPhone:

For those of you who don’t know what to share on Twitter (a common question) StumbleUpon is a great source.  And the app allows you to share the content directly to your Twitter stream.  So now you are creating your brand there too and attracting new Twitter followers.

And it’s not just about establish your personal brand.  You can also do this for small business branding or building awareness for a nonprofit.

So now for the big question.  Will you use it?  Is this idea right for you?

Well, look at your current habits.

Are you already a regular internet user?  Constantly scanning for new ideas, pictures, videos and new opinions?  If so, then StumbleUpon will be easy to implement.  You can either use the smart phone app or download the toolbar from StumbleUpon.

In fact, if you match the profile above, why wouldn’t you use StumbleUpon?  That would be like paying for your vacation with a VISA card that doesn’t give you miles or reward points!  StumbleUpon can be an easy way to make what you are already doing more productive.

If you need a tutorial on using StumbleUpon, see this great post: What is Stumbleupon and How To Use It.

And once you get going, you better follow TimsStrategy on StumbleUpon.

I’ll be waiting for you.