Tim's StrategyIdeas for Job Search, Career and Life – Tim’s Strategy

17 Ways To Build Confidence While Finding A Job

2010-09-07T01:39:04Z

The process of finding a job can suck the life out of you. It can drain your best parts. When you need them most. Here are ways to get them back.

Of course to embark on the “getting them back” journey, you have to realize that you’ve lost them in the first place.

That’s the first hurdle. Because losing confidence doesn’t happen all in one day. And it doesn’t get reported on a computer screen as if you were playing a video game.

There’s no “confidence bar” that tells you when you’ve lost 25 or 50 percent of your strength after a piece of bad news or a bad interaction with someone in your network.

Good thing too as the knowledge of any loss could put you in an immediate tail spin. Since “confidence lost” becomes worry and concern. And sometimes panic.

So today I’m going to share 17 ways to re-fill your tank. Bonus points, if you will. Ready?

1. Set weekly goals for yourself. And achieve the bulk of them. Proving to yourself each week that you are getting somewhere reinforces your confidence.

2. Add new people to your network. Career networking should never be static. It must be dynamic – constantly changing. New people equal new life and new extended networks. And inevitably, new leads.

3. Take a day off and help others. Doing so will breath new life into your effort. And the help that you give others that day will come back and smile upon you.

4. Pay attention to your small wins. Join my LinkedIn group and participate in a great discussion there. About how paying attention to small wins can nudge up your self-belief.

5. Re-write your elevator pitch. Add a new wrinkle that allows you to be better remembered. Add a shorter or longer version that allows you to be ready for any situation. Instead of trying to cram 90 seconds of “you” into 30.

6. Write specific and tangible job search objectives. You can practice by signing up for my Watchlyst™. And once you do, make sure you find ways to get your new objectives communicated to your growing network. As well as all the people who are already looking out for you.

7. Write a regular e-mail update to your network. Whether it is weekly or monthly, be consistent. By reminding everyone of your continued candidacy, you keep them engaged and in your corner. So few people do this. And if you do, you will stand out.

8. Remember your past victories. In addition to paying attention to victories within job search, also remember prior days when you were at your best. We all had big days that defined us early on in our careers. Go back and read your performance reviews or scan the awards on the wall of your home office. You were great at least once or twice. And will be great again soon.

9. Find a career expert. Someone who can help guide you through this big challenge in life. A career coach, resume writer or personal branding expert can help a great deal. Whether you need a kick in the rear or a shoulder to lean on.

10. Start (or join an existing) accountability group. Meet on Fridays to keep everyone in the group focused. Focused on achieving their goals. To avoid procrastination – the enemy of a successful job search. And to keep your momentum strong.

11. Add some new skills. Take a class in a related field. Or take an advanced seminar. Something you can talk about in your next interview. Or draw from as you explain your strengths to a recruiter or HR person.

12. Go do something good in the world. A few hours a week. Volunteering during job search can be a confidence builder. As you meet new people and build your influence in the community.

13. Learn how to talk with strangers. If you get really good at conversing with new people. You will naturally feel more comfortable each new time you come in contact with strangers.

14. Have a purpose in everything you do while finding a job. Avoid impulsive behavior. And make you are networking with a purpose. And paying attention to those who can help you the most.

15. Know thyself. Establish and live your own personal brand. Follow bloggers like Ryan Rancatore, Thom Singer, Meg Guiseppi, Neal Schaffer who can help you define your message. And put yourself in situations where you know you can succeed.

16. Be totally ready to interview. Throw out your old ways and get yourself completely prepared. Use smart interview prep tools and enjoy the knowledge that you have done everything you can to knock ‘em dead.

17. Re-write your networking bio and create some new networking business cards. New personal marketing materials can boost you up like few other things. Because you can touch them. And give them to others. They make you feel a bit new again. Like a fancy new suit or pair of new shoes.

So there you are. I hope you find these ideas helpful and practical. Ones you can implement immediately.

What are your ideas?

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Successful Career Networking: Being Good With Names

2010-09-03T01:55:22Z

Sometimes things come full circle. Silly things.

I started my career with Carnation Company. In a marketing management training program. Carnation owned a lot of brands in pet care, baking and other categories. But the brand was best known for Instant Breakfast, Coffee-Mate Creamer and Condensed Milk. And the old tag-line for Carnation milk was “Made from Contented Cows”.

Happy cows.

So you can imagine that I paid attention on a recent Southwest flight when an article appeared with the following headline:

Cows with names produce 68 more gallons of milk.

And as a loyal marketer, I had to read on. It turns out that a few scientists (with nothing better to do) determined that the relationships between the cow and the farmer mattered. That a spike in milk production resulted from those cows with a name. Instead of “Hey Cow”, I guess. The scientists believe that personal attention improves cows’ comfort level while lessening their fear of human contact.

And my guess is that you can’t call a cow by name without eventually adding an upbeat inflection to it. And, over-time, turning it into a nickname. Bessie becomes “Bessie-Girl” or “Sweet Bessie”. And the farmer is probably smiling.

How can you not?

Here’s where it comes full circle. As I constantly am looking for ways to bring you successful ways to become better at career networking.

So for a lot of people career networking is really hard. Very uncomfortable. And a place of little safety. Since, to do it right, you have to put yourself out there in a big way.

Similar to my rant about the need to personalize those generic Linkedin invitations, so it is true for in-person career networking.

If you can help the uncomfortable feel a bit more comfortable. And help the fearful be less so. There is a good chance you will be remembered. And appreciated by a network that struggles to do so.

We meet so many people every week. Creating tall Jenga towers with all the business cards we collect. It is increasingly hard to be top-of-mind.

But I’ll bet if you are good with names. Or become good. You will have a bigger impact – especially the second time around.

Create a system to keep track of the people you meet. So you don’t have to rely on a poorly written name tag.

Organize business cards and networking bios in a binder with sections for each major networking event you attend. And review that section of your binder before the next event. You could also organize it by industry or function. That way you are doing it right – networking with a purpose – tracking and remembering people who can be a big influence.

Do you have a system for keeping track of names and details of the people you meet?

Tell me about it in the comments below . . .

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Networking Without A Purpose Is Just Socializing

2010-08-31T20:38:47Z

Last night I shared one of my favorite presentations. With one of the best career networking resource groups in Orange County and likely one of the best in the world.

Saddleback Church is well known for its popular pastor, Rick Warren. His huge bestselling book called “The Purpose Driven Life”. And their their newest site called The Peace Plan.

But its career ministry might be the hidden gem. A huge group of volunteers ready to support people who really need help in this economy.

And last night, over 250 people showed up to hear me share a few ideas. My presentation was called:

“It’s All In Your Head” – The Psychology Of Successful Job Search

It was an amazing event. And I took the opportunity – for the first time – to get it professionally videotaped. So I could share portions of it with you. We’ll get that video uploaded to the site as soon as it is ready. And if you were there last night, thank you for coming! What did you think?

After the event, I spoke to a ton of people and learned their stories. We talked a lot about career networking. And how to be productive while doing it.

And as I was speaking with someone, these words came out:

Networking Without A Purpose Is Just Socializing

I spoke last night about having a purpose in every thing you do. And networking is no exception.

If you’ve been out of work for a while, you’ve probably come to enjoy seeing your new friends at each networking event. Sharing war stories and laughing (later, of course) about strange things that have happened along the way.

And some of that is important. To connect with your friends and networking community.

But if this is the extent of your career networking effort, you might just be spinning your wheels. Making very loose connections with a lot of nice people. When you should be working with a purpose.

And there are many more purposeful things you can target while networking. Every event you attend. Every one-on-one coffee you organize. All should include a purpose. One that you identify on Monday AM when you plan your week.

Need help in planning? Here’s a simple tool you can use each week:

So what are some examples of purpose-driven goals in career networking? So you can add them to your list.

1. To find a key contact at a target company

2. To secure an informational interview with an influencer in your industry

3. To help others get leads and meet key people in your circle of friends

4. To get your resume into the system of a key recruiter in the area

5. To find a career expert who can help create great marketing tools for you.

That way, you are acting against a plan. A plan that will lift you up, build your confidence and help structure the hours you spend away from the house. That way you are not acting impulsively.

And you are certainly not just socializing.

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Finding Your True Career Path: The Tootsie Pop Method

2010-08-30T14:25:44Z

Many of you will remember the commercial above. Some will have no clue. Others will have only seen parodies.

But to shortcut it for you, it is about patience. And about persistence. Unless you are willing to bite down hard.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop?

Of course, the world may never know.

But this post has little to do with a sucker. Or being one. It is about the hard work that many of us have in front of us. To find a career that truly matters. A job where we can truly feel happy.

Some of you have known your entire life. And I hate you for it.

You played with trains in your crib. Re-built your first engine at 11 and now enjoy an awesome career at Ford Motor Company. Building the newest cars to save the environment and let us all drive the way we want. With power, speed and comfort.

OK, so I don’t hate you. But I once envied you. For knowing. When I was searching.

Maybe you were a three lick and a crunch kind of a person. And I just kept on licking. No one told me to crunch.

Or maybe I crunched too soon on the wrong flavor?

Confused? OK.

My point is this. Some of us know early what we want to do. We simply point the nose of our career in the right direction and pedal harder. For others, we choose the best first career that we can. And hope for the best.

Once chosen, we either look up early and shift gears. Or we make a variety of turns until the horizon seems level and right.

If you feel like you made all the best decisions you could early on. But still aren’t happy.

You need to keep licking.

For me, licking was thinking and writing. Praying and paying attention to those things that I’ve always loved doing. Not just where I was making money.

I know that the soft gooey center (the right career) is in there somewhere for all of us. And the trick is to find a way to soften that hard outer shell.

In my experience, there is only one way to do that. To determine (after all these years) what you really want to do.

You have to go do it.

Specifically, you have to experience the feeling of doing it. To separate fantasy from passion. Long-held dream from true calling.

The only reason I was able to make my move – the decision of a lifetime – was because I tried some things. And I used a job search. Four months in 2007 that included some extra time. To do some focused experimentation.

Had I carried a different plan in my bag. And not decided to open my idea book. I would not be writing this blog today and I would be wondering. Still. What am I supposed to be doing with my life?

Now I know some of you are not wondering. You are pretty solid in a career. You love it and just need your next job to keep things going. And this may not be your favorite post.

But I heard a stat the other day that 80% of workers are unhappy in their jobs. Not sure I believe that. But that’s a big number if it even half is true.

So here are some things you can do to kick off a few career experiments. Especially since going out and interviewing for that new career right now is really difficult. Few will hire you without experience in the job.

1. Pick three areas that you think might “be you”.

2. Write out three reasons for each. Reasons why you feel that way.

3. Pick three really good friends and ask them what they think. “Is this me?”

4. Pursue two of the three in some way for three months. A time long enough to either get your fill or begin to warm into the role. You can do this by volunteering, taking classes, going to seminars, participating in a cross-functional project at the office, helping people in your neighborhood or community (i.e. being an accountant, personal trainer, event planner, writer)

5. Be patient. You will not become an expert over night. In fact, you may fail early on. But that’s not the point. The point is to pay attention. How does it feel to do it over an extended period of time?

This last point is really important. Because for me, I felt awkward (but alive) once I started writing this blog. Once I started helping people. Awkward because for the first 3-6 months, nobody was listening. Easy to think of that as failure.

But it wasn’t failure. It was just new.

So, I ask you. How hard is that candy shell? Any of you getting close to the gooey center?

How did you do it?

Would love to hear your story. Always do.

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(I Am Tired Of) Generic LinkedIn Invitations

2010-08-28T19:38:23Z

Only time for a short rant today. And I don’t want to over-do this. But I am really now tired of getting generic invitations on LinkedIn.

Really.

Because it takes just a few seconds to personalize the invite. To make me feel like you have at least tried. And the image above is what I see every time the generic request comes in.

It’s like walking up to someone at a networking event. Holding up a sign indicating what group we share. Taking my business card. And then walking away.

And while I hate turning away a potential new friend, I am not going to accept a hit and run connection request.

Because it is lazy business. And lazy does not deliver new friendships. And I know that it is often not laziness. Some just don’t know how this whole networking thing works. Thus my rant.

To be honest, with over 500 connections I’m not sure I need any more. In fact, I once had this idea that I would never go over 500. Once I got there, I would only invite someone or accept a new connection if I deleted a current, but lifeless, connection.

That way, being in my 500 would matter.

But that sounded wrong because there might be some people who could get value from having access to people in my network.

Tempting though.

If you are one of the six people who sent me a generic request today. It’s nothing personal. You may not know this about me. Now you do.

But maybe my short little rant will help as you look to connect with others. Especially those who are super picky about to whom they attach themselves.

And if it was you, don’t worry. No one will know.

What is your view of this issue? Who will step up and defend the generic request?

10 Ways To Penetrate Your Target Companies

2010-08-25T20:19:13Z

Most job seekers meet somewhere between 3-5 people at their target companies during an interview process. And that’s pretty lousy if you are interested in working for them someday. And usually those “3-5″ were people they met once. On interview day.

Not good. But what is the value of meeting more people?

Well, obviously, the more people you meet the more knowledge you’ll have. About how the company works. And about who is pulling the switches and turning the dials. You can meet them well in advance of your first HR contact. You can research them in advance of your first interview. And, really important? You can test them out (friendly, stuffy, social) on interview day.

But there is also the awareness campaign that you should be doing. Well in advance of a more traditional approach (e.g sending a resume). To make yourself known to possible interviewers or HR staffers. And you should be actively looking to penetrate the organization throughout the process, during an offer negotiation as well as during your first 90 days.

The more you are known to your target company, the better your odds of finding a job there.

Make sense?

Just to be clear, though. To penetrate means that you create awareness of your candidacy/unique skills with as many people as possible. Once everyone knows you (or knows of you), the risk in interviewing you and hiring you goes down. Especially important in a hiring market that favors the employer.

So how do you penetrate a company in advance and during your interview process?

1. LinkedIn – Hopefully you know by now the value of LinkedIn and the brilliance in using your connections to reach a much broader crowd. Many of them who may work now or in the past at your target companies. You absolutely have to be actively building a strong network here and actually using it. Find out what groups people at your target companies have joined and become a member. That way you can e-mail them directly and begin to network within the group.

2. Twitter – If your target companies are on Twitter, follow them. Re-Tweet them. If they blog, Re-Tweet their blog posts with a supportive comment. Create a Twitter list of the “Top 10 Tech Co’s in Atlanta”. Start to send @ messages to start a conversation. And direct messages to begin a real dialogue.

3. Facebook – If they have a page on Facebook (formerly a fan page), become a regular contributor there. First “like” their page and then begin providing feedback. “Share” and “Like” their content.

4. Charity – If you check the company website, you might find that they are involved in a few local or national charities. Consider attending local events where company personnel will be on site. Make sure that if you go, you have a good idea of how to talk to strangers.

5. Phone/Desk Staff - Upbeat and friendly never hurts you. So every opportunity you have to network, should be taken. Even if only a brief few seconds, your demeanor matters. To someone who gets hammered all day with requests. A simple “how’s your day”, if it is genuine, can help someone and help you on the day you arrive for the interview. And don’t think the opinion of the phone operator or greeter is insignificant.

6. Ask To Meet Others – I always asked during my interview whether I could be introduced to others. People on the team I would manage, others working at the same level or in an adjacent department. Or someone in a key cross-functional support role. All they can say is “no”. But don’t just ask HR. Ask the people you interview with if there are others at the company who would be open to a few questions. Hey, you never know, maybe you’ll get an invite to the company Monday Night Football night.

7. Company Tour – Does your target company give a tour of any of their facilities? What if you called and asked? You might meet a lot of people used to sharing a lot of information. How about a company store? Consumer relations?

8. Blogging/Public Relations – If you have a blog. Especially if it is industry related (technology) or key function related (marketing), you could highlight your target companies. In support of your Twitter top 10 list. Highlight key initiatives, new products or the upcoming charity event. And then send a link to their public relations team or firm.

9. Company Website – Who runs the website at your target company? How about writing up some feedback for the webmaster? Or writing a review of their site on your blog? Offer to write a product review on Amazon. This one is endless!

10. Industry Conferences – Find out where your target companies go to show off their new products and services. While you might have to drive a few hours or get on a plane, this is a target rich environment. Since other similar companies will likely be there as well.

So you can see by trying a few of the ideas above, you can become known to your target companies. In a way that should be seen as highly beneficial to both parties. Assuming your approach is a confident one. And you are not appearing desperate.

And hopefully you can see how each of these work together as part of an integrated strategy to build awareness of you and the impact you could have on their company.

What are your ideas to penetrate a target company? What has worked for you?

Have you seen the new FAQ?

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How Management Can Help You Find A Job

2010-08-24T23:33:03Z

If only we had someone walking around us all the time during job search. Someone who could chart our progress. And keep us on the straight and narrow.

This someone would have our job search objectives written in detail. They would know our weaknesses and our strengths. Helping us to limit the exposure of one and drive the heck out of the other.

They would know who we know and realize instantly who are the best people for us to be networking with each day. And they’d push us to make the calls we don’t want to make. To ask for help from someone who used to work for us. And ask a small favor from an old boss with whom we didn’t always get along.

They would manage our job search from morning until night. Providing us time to rest our minds when we’ve done all we can that day. And give us one last push to hit that last networking event. On the days we really can. Because they know someone is there waiting for us.

I’d call that person simply: Management.

And management is different than maintenance. Because maintenance simply fixes things that are broken. And I appreciate the fix. Because it could be a really big problem. But I need management around to keep things from breaking. And to use my time more efficiently.

See the difference?

Of course there are career experts that can play these roles for you at points in the process. And I highly recommend using one if your strategy is missing or is not working. You can use a career coach to build your job search and career strategy. And a resume writer to pull together a great set of personal marketing materials.

In terms of management? That’s your job. Sorry, but it’s true. Unless you can find someone to shadow you.

But I don’t think you’d want that person hanging around you all the time.

So you are going to need management tools. Some you can create yourself. There are good and free versions of tools out there. Others you will need to buy. Just like you’d buy a new suit or leather portfolio. To look good and feel prepared on interview day.

A few examples:

I spoke with Jason Alba the other day, the owner of Jibber Jobber. Jason created his tool as a personal relationship manager. His tool is available free or you can upgrade for a fee. You should try his tool to see if it works for you.
Based on the early analogy for this blog of plate spinning, I created a simple Excel tool called PlateWorks™ which helps you identify and build out your network. You can find that on my free downloads page.
I just created a Tim’s Strategy store on Zazzle. And before you giggle or snicker, know that it is really there for me. For contest giveaways at presentations and special events. But, along with a few other trinkets, I created some goal cards based on a post from a few months back called This Week In My Job Search I Will: I wrote that post to get you focused for the week and to get you started on setting specific goals. You can now buy these cards on the store. They are printed on a heavy card stock because your goals are important. And should carry weight. But here’s a warning. If you come to one of my presentations wearing a Tim’s Strategy t-shirt, I may have to give you a hug. Like it or not.

And so you know it. Using tools helps you feel smart. And by using them, you become smart.

And that’s good management.

What are some of the tools you love to use? Have you created something cool you’d like to share? Tell me about it and maybe I’ll add it to the free downloads page with full credit to you!

NEW! Have a job search question? Maybe I’ve already answered it! Check out the new FAQ.

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The Decision Of A Lifetime

2010-08-24T15:06:17Z

“Recognize that you have arrived in your current circumstances because of the decisions you have or have not made, because of the actions you have or have not taken. Making new decisions and following them up with action gives you the power to change your life.”

Laurence Boldt – “How To Find The Work You Love”

I’ve been waiting a long time to write this post. I’ve rolled the words over in my head hundreds of times over the past 3 months. How exactly to share this news with you.

I introduced it on Friday in a post called Change The Pattern For Your Work And Life. In that post, I encouraged you to think about whether you were somehow stuck. In a job, career or life situation that was not working. Not easy to do. Even once you figure out what exactly you want to adjust. And how, by “pressing the brakes”, we can change our environment.

At first the announcement was going to be a really big deal. Because it is to me. But then I realized that this site is about your needs – not mine. So this is less of a grand pronouncement and more of an FYI.

After two years of writing and creating here, I am ready to get serious.

The news:

I officially made the move. And have decided to do this full time. My last day at the food company was about two weeks ago.

This is a big deal for me. Something I never thought I would do. If you’ve been a reader here for a while, you might know that I have always been conservative about career choices.

But what does “this” mean you may ask?

It means I will become a full-time blogger, content creator and social entrepreneur. Focusing on job search, career and life strategy. As well as small business marketing strategy.

I will not be career coaching or writing resumes. If you need an expert, I can connect you with some very smart people. In fact, all you need to do is search the career expert directory to find a great resource.

“How did I get here?” you might ask. Especially if you’ve thought about moving away (someday) from a corporate desk.

Here are some key dates that led me to this decision. To resign my day job.

1. My 2007 Job Search: I characterize those four months as the best of my life. Because I took full advantage of my transition to pursue long held passions that I left smoldering in my idea book. Out of the 40 ideas in the book, I chose 3 to pursue. The first was a product to solve dry mouth in runners called “Frog Spit”. While this one is not dead, I worked it long enough to realize it wasn’t the right one (for now). The remaining 37 I would eventually give to the world (see below). Since I knew I either couldn’t or wouldn’t launch them. Also during these four months, I re-learned the value of networking and helping others.

2. September 1, 2008: After 9 months in the new job. I sat down one Labor Day morning. And took action on the remaining two ideas. I started writing two blogs. “Spin Strategy – Tools for Intelligent Job Search” and “Quixoting – A Quest for New Ideas“. I wrote on both blogs nearly every day for three months. A ton of work but an absolute blast. If you want to see any of the 37 ideas I gave away, click the link above or go directly to my idea book where I’ve shared them all for anyone who wants to launch them (just keep scrolling down to see them all).

3. January 1, 2010: I made some significant changes in focus and strategy. First, I decided to shift nearly my entire focus away from Quixoting to spend my time on this blog. And to do that right, I knew I had to change my strategy. So I moved from TypePad to WordPress, changed from spin strategy to Tim’s Strategy, opened the scope to include “career and life”, and launched a brand new url. It was a ton of work – like starting from scratch – but I loved the challenge of creating anew.

I’ve also had some great influences. People and books that have helped me down this path.

My wonderful wife and kids who put up (sort of) with all the time online. While I tried to keep it mostly during their sleeping hours, I often did not. They understand this need I have to walk a new path and have been very supportive.

Matt Crane, my technical lifeline, is a brilliant web and SEO guy. He owns c4 Development and gets the credit for fixing everything I’ve broken over the past two years.

Lani Merlina does all my design and creative work. She made all the e-books, logos and created the new site design. Which I love. Lani owns, you guessed it, Merlina Design.

Some great books helped me along the way. Some long term influences as well as others that helped me think through my specific decision. They include a great book by Bob Buford called “Halftime” which asks you to consider changing the focus of your life from success to significance. Another is by Laurence Boldt called “How To Find The Work You Love”. And “Escape from Cubicle Nation” by Pamela Slim. You can find them along with many more great titles on the new career books page.

But the truth is that the desire to do this has been in my bones for a very long time. A desire to play a bigger role in the world vs. only a bigger role at a corporation. And to use my love of writing in a more purposeful way.

So now it is my turn to deliver against this dream.

To live out my own advice.
To take big action on my ideas
To do something hard

And to get out and start selling myself. Just like many of you are doing right now. As you look for a job.

So we are kind of in this thing together.

Oh, and in case you are wondering. Everything on the site today will remain free. And I will keep adding free content, tools and templates as often as I can. Because I know that being out of work means that you are cash-sensitive. But don’t be surprised if you start seeing a few ideas popping up that aren’t free.

I will make you this promise though. They will be worth every penny. And I will be here to back them up. As I have done for the past two years.

With a smile.

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Change The Pattern For Your Work And Life

2010-08-20T22:58:26Z

I had a surreal moment the other day. Driving locally.

The windows were down halfway. My attempt to cool the car before the AC kicked in. I was driving at a constant speed when I noticed the parachute and seed from a dandelion hovering in the passenger side of my car.

What I didn’t realize was that this passenger was stuck.

Not in the seat but in the car. Due to the wind created by the windows being down.

A perfect storm allowed that piece of nature to make three full rotations around me before departing the car. I say surreal because it felt like everything moved in slow motion during the brief moments as the dandelion made its rounds.

As I slowed for a stop light and disrupted the physics, it finally was released out and back on its original path.

I always like to share those little life experiences and share them in a new context. Because I think we can all relate better with an introduction.

So here’s what I take from this:

Just like that funny dandelion, it is easy to stuck in a pattern in which we can’t escape. Or we don’t even realize we are in a situation that requires escaping. For example:

Stuck In Job Search

After kicking off your first strategy to finding a job, you’ve stopped reinventing. You are no longer adding new connections. No longer telling your story and sharing your job search objectives with the same passion. You now resign yourself to attending the same events, meeting the same people and using the same tools as before.

You don’t see that you are stuck because you remain highly active. Lots of networking events, coffee meetings and e-mail exchanges. All potentially good activities if completed with purpose and constant re-direction.

Stuck In A Career

One that you never really planned for yourself. It’s just that one day in your past someone hired you to do something. And you said “OK”. And then someone liked your work there and hired you to do something similar at their company. Many years later, you remember this goal you once had to be someone else. To work in another field. And to allow a particular passion of yours to come up for air. Perhaps to teach or give back to the world in a more direct way.

Your ability to recognize truly being stuck is constrained by the fact that stuck isn’t always “static”. Moving around, moving up and moving on are forms of “stuck”. Forms that are hidden by positive feedback, money and accomplishments.

Stuck In Life

A living situation that brings you down, a relationship transition that has no end, or a limiting belief that hangs on and dissipates your energy. These all hold you back from living a life that you can truly embrace for yourself.

So what I am suggesting you consider today or over the weekend is whether you are stuck. If not stuck, perhaps stuck in idle. At a critical time in your life.

A time when pressing the brakes and changing your environment might release something. Something that could dramatically improve your job search, career or life.

And consider the inter-relationship between the three areas above. A plan for all and a successful strategy for each can be created and executed. Starting first with a quick press of the brakes.

I suggested another way to kick this off many months ago. One that may not seem right for you. But you might try it anyway. Job search by candlelight was written with the thoughtful job seeker in mind but could apply to your need to quiet the world around you for a few hours. To let some of your original life or career plans resurface.

Thanks to Joan Ramstedt, one of our approved career experts, for reminding me today of the value in finding some quiet time.

And if you are looking for an example of a hard press on the brakes, check back here on Monday morning for a personal announcement. A big one.

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The Job Interview And RedBull: A Bad Idea?

2010-08-18T22:21:10Z

Ever thought that this might be the one? The job interview where you try a little artificial “pick me up” to deliver a bigger bang for the interview team?

I’m sure a few of you have tried it. Or at least thought that you should consider it.

Of course it doesn’t have to be RedBull. It could be Rockstar or 5 hour energy drink.

Or for you purists, an entire pot of coffee might do.

Assuming the job interview room is next to the restroom. And your interviewer doesn’t think you are strange or bladder-challenged. Or both.

The point? It is tempting to find a new angle in this competitive job market. One that will make you unmistakeably the most energetic person in the room.

Some of you may have tried to employ my advice on staying “up” during a long interview day and found it lacking. It’s OK.

But you’ll notice that I did not recommend an energy drink. Those ideas were au-natural. No artificial colors or flavors.

But I’m also not here to destroy your dream of interviewing under the influence. Of an energy drink.

Here are my thoughts if you are thinking about combining the job interview with an energy drink:

1. Don’t do it. This is the safe answer, of course. And the right one for most job seekers. Especially those who have sensitive tummies or get tipsy on a sip of wine. Don’t do it.

2. Try A Small Portion. If the advice above doesn’t stop you and being a rebel is in your blood. Then please practice. Practice talking to people on a smaller portion. Friends, family and networking buddies. Get a sense for how you feel. For about an hour after you finish the can. Assuming you only have one can. See if the up is followed by a down. A sputtering out.

3. Test, Test, Test. When I ran my marathon back in 2008, I was warned to never do anything on race day out of my normal routine. Whether it be food, drink or clothing. So test the full portion and ask for feedback. Ask “Was I different today?”

Why such a fuss? Let’s face it. Interviews are hard to come by these days. And when you get one, it is important to be yourself. To not be too chatty. To not lose focus. I’m not saying an energy drink will have you out in the desert talking to Jim Morrison. But know how you’ll react. No matter what new idea you try.

Now I need to hear from you. Those who have thought about it and said no. And those who’ve been doing it for years and wonder why I’ve even asked the question.

What’s your advice to someone considering an artificial pick me-up on interview day?

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How Do I Prevent Getting Laid-Off Again?

2010-08-16T15:36:58Z

Getting laid off is hard. It can suck the life out of you. Especially the first time you experience it.

I’ve said getting laid-off is like experiencing a tornado. The way it can come so randomly. Picking folks out of the crowd and dropping them into a new unstructured world.

And while there are rare cases where lay-offs are seen as a positive (to get out of a bad situation), most often they are very difficult financially and emotionally. Especially when you lose a job that really matters to you. One that supports your desire to play a certain role in life. Or one that represents the best of your current social life.

If it does happen again down the road, please think about starting now to build a stable life and career platform. So that the job you lose is not your foundation. And has an effect that you can manage better than in the past.

While you cannot buy a guarantee to be never be laid off again, there are things you can do reduce the chance. Worst case, if you cannot stop it, perhaps you can anticipate it and get a head start on beginning a smart passive job search.

Here are 10 ways to reduce the chances of being laid-off in the future.

During the hiring process:

Do your research: While a lay-off often cannot be predicted, there are certainly companies with a history of providing short stays for their employees. If you are looking for a 5-10 year stay and beyond, how many people in the department have been there that long? Ask good questions to determine if the company has a stable environment.
Be yourself in interviews: If you try too hard to be someone else. In an effort to get the job. You may get it. But over the coming months it might become evident that you are not that person. And that can lead to a change that is not in your favor.
Make sure there is a good fit: If an interviewer badgers you with relentless questions. Or never smiles during the interview. Or doesn’t seem to have a strategic bone in their body. You have a to make a good decision about fit. So that you don’t find yourself as a square peg bouncing off the round hole everyday.
Accept a job that you can really enjoy: To be truly happy at work, you need to do things that you naturally enjoy. And do them a larger percentage of the time. If you accept a job without that evidence, there is a greater chance you will struggle to deliver the value your company desires. And end up a former employee.
Be honest: Don’t try to fudge anything on your resume. It will only come back to bite you. And often what you fudge doesn’t end up being the deciding point anyway. But it can be a contributor down the road when it comes time to decide who stays and who goes.

As you perform your job:

Ask what your boss wants: Your boss has a job to do. Numbers to deliver. Knowing specifically what they want and delivering that each and every week will put you in a good place. Find out how he/she likes to receive communication (e-mail, inter-office mail, etc) and send them a weekly update showing what you got accomplished that week. Ask for feedback to see if you need to adjust along the way.
Use your networking skills: Become someone that everyone knows. For volunteering. For delivering your role brilliantly during a cross-functional project. For being a welcoming face to new people. Idea: have lunch at least three times a week with someone new. Someone outside of your department. And at least once a week, have lunch with someone outside your company. To keep your larger network intact.
Accept extra projects with a smile: And add value to each and every one you take on within your department. Be willing to help people outside of your group as long as you are delivering on #1 above.
Be an expert in your functional area: Information is power. It is respected and appreciated. Become the main source of knowledge about a new software program. Know a key customer better than anyone else. For this you will stand out and be called upon to deliver that expertise on a regular basis.
Take responsibility: If something goes wrong, grab it and fix it. And let people know you are doing it. So that it is clear that people see you taking action.

Also, read a great book by Michael Watkins called The First 90 Days. It will help you successfully navigate life in the new job.

So a bit of prevention and a bit of action here. All to help avoid another undesirable outcome. Another unwelcome lay-off.

What about you? What are your thoughts to prevent another lay-off? What has worked for you?

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Social Media And Your Job Search: Act Like a Company

2010-08-13T04:17:26Z

A guest post by author and social media strategist Neal Schaffer

You’re in transition. Fine. We are all, at multiple times in our lives, in between jobs and conducting a job search. And we all land jobs and don’t remain a job seeker forever. But the situation in 2010 is not like it was when you graduated from college in 1990 or even 2000. Now, you truly are your own company, and those that have been in transition during this recession realize it. If this is the case then, why don’t more people act like a company would?

1) Just Like Businesses, the Job Seeker Also Needs to be Active in Social Media

Don’t get me wrong, offline networking is another vital part of your job search. But just like I tell lawyers, consultants, and other B2B business people who are used to getting leads from offline networking events like chamber of commerce events, the job seeker also needs to be wherever your target audience is. According to the Jobvite 2010 Social Recruiting Report, 92% of hiring companies in 2010 use or plan to recruit via social networks. You need to be where your audience is. Period. If you’re not active enough in social media as part of your job search, you may be going out of business…FAST.

2) I’m on LinkedIn, Now What?

So many companies can’t figure how to use LinkedIn for business. Some start becoming LinkedIn LIONs to expand their connections and opt you in to their “opt-in” mailing lists (I report them as SPAM every time I unsubscribe). They create profile names with business names and logos hoping to get contacted. I see many a job seeker also “optimizing” their profile in hopes of getting contacted. Sure, everyone is now trying to dupe the LinkedIn search engine so that they appear first on the LinkedIn search results (I really hope LinkedIn looks into how to stop this madness). I hope that these same people care about their personal branding. Can you imagine if you stuffed your resume with keywords the same way that some “gurus” stuff their LinkedIn profiles with keywords? It’s ridiculous. Go BEYOND the LinkedIn profile optimization tips and start developing relationships with kindred souls by connecting, asking for Introductions, and actually engaging in the community through LinkedIn Groups and Answers. Show off your expertise, and just maybe someone will spot you and contact you. Otherwise, although you may be appearing in more search results, don’t think that’s a guarantee that your transition will end any earlier.

3) Social Media for the Job Search is Not JUST About LinkedIn!

Whenever I write a social media strategy for my customers, the B2B customers always understand that they need to be on LinkedIn. You, as a job seeker, are the same. But did you know that Twitter has more users than LinkedIn? Or that, according to a poll that was conducted on LinkedIn, that business people thought that Twitter was more important than LinkedIn? And, once again, according to that previously mentioned Jobvite report, 60% of businesses plan to use Facebook and 50% use Twitter for recruiting in 2010. If you consider the fact that every part of an organization will become users of social media sooner or later, go out there, establish a presence on sites that make sense to be on, and show off your expertise and network with new people that may be able to help you out or vice-versa. I normally recommend 5 or more social media channels for my customers to be on. For job seekers, you have choices even outside of the Big Three (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) with sites such as Brazen Careerist, SlideShare, and Business Exchange. Your target audience is not always on the same platform all the time. You need to diversify your efforts as well to increase your chances of success.

Tim writes about the job seeker who networks TOO much. And he was bang on. Companies don’t network and certainly shouldn’t use social media without ROI in mind. Every job seeker needs to have the same mindset. Social media and networking, after all, are mere tools to help us with our job search (and beyond). And if we use both of them right, we can reach our objective while also making valuable friendships and connections that will help us throughout our life. If you spend a lot of time on one social media site and don’t see any ROI, move on to another where you may have better luck.

What do you think?

Neal Schaffer is recognized as a leader in helping businesses and professionals embrace and strategically leverage the potential of social media. An award-winning published author of “Windmill Networking: Maximizing LinkedIn,” frequent speaker at social media events, and an avid blogger, Neal is President of Windmills Marketing, a social media strategic consultancy in Orange County, California, and has led social media strategy creation and educational programs for a range of companies ranging from Fortune 500 to Web 2.0 startups. Windmill Networking is quickly becoming a powerful online resource for social media strategy and advice.

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3 Ways To Demonstrate Leadership While Finding A Job

2010-08-12T17:17:11Z

The following is a summary of my presentation this morning at AASE (American Association of Senior Executives) here in Irvine, California. A great group! If you were there this AM or have thoughts on this topic, please share in the comments below.

Here’s an interesting question:

If you were a leader in your former company, why are you playing such a passive role in your job search?

Is this true of you? Not sure?

The question popped into my head as I was thinking about a number of interactions I’ve had over the past few weeks with executives in transition.

All very smart. Leaders of large teams. Running a division at good sized companies.

Yet tentative in their approach to job search. And hesitant to step in where a clear void of leadership exists.

So I started to think about why this would be the case. And here’s what I came up with:

“This job hunt won’t last long. Why over-commit unnecessarily?”
“None of these people report to me. What if they don’t listen?”
“I have no clue what I am doing so far. What could I possibly lead?”
“Seems like there is a LinkedIn or Meet-Up group for every possible need. No need for me to crowd the market with one of my own.”
“I know how to lead a team and create a vision. But there’s no structure in the job search world”

All excuses really but I can see how they might be justified. And I can see how an executive might feel a bit like a duck out of water. But I think we can fix that.

Because if you think about some of the commonly held views of executive strengths. There are some great uses I can think of that fit nicely into the loose structure of the job search community.

In my view the key strengths include:

Knowledge and Expertise – About their industry and about their role in a company.
Identifying And Structuring a Strategic Vision – For their team and the larger organization
Communicating Big Ideas – To gain support and motivate a following

You may have another view of key leadership roles. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

So, what could you possibly offer the job search community with the skills identified above?

Well, I have a few ideas . . . ok three:

1. With your knowledge and expertise, you should be writing a blog. You’ll have to find a specific topic to write about. One that really taps your specific area. And you’ll have to stay on point to keep your readers. But blogging is a really fun way to share ideas in front of a big audience. Not just a few board members.

2. With your ability to identify and structure a strategic vision, you could be helping others in your network to craft a strong and own-able positioning or personal branding statement. Everyone needs help with this even if they don’t think they do. You will become the talk of the circuit after word spreads that you are taking some time out of your precious schedule to dedicate time to others.

3. With your way of communicating big ideas and motivating crowds, you should be out speaking. Teaching people about your industry. Your function. Or how to, yes, craft a positioning statement that gets people noticed.

The truth is that all of us feel like a duck out of water in job search. At least in the beginning. It can be scary. Stressful. And downright knee-buckling.

Until someone comes along to lead us back into the safety of the water.

If you like this post, click on the like button at the top of the post (it’s new) or re-tweet it on Twitter (also up top). A smaller, but still powerful form of leadership. Thanks!

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Video: A Humorous Look At Being In Transition

2010-08-12T17:29:15Z

Check out this wonderful You Tube video – created by a local Orange County, CA job seeker. His name is Peter Richards.

You have to see this one!

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The Softer Side Of Career Networking

2010-08-10T22:01:02Z

OK, so I’m just going to come out and say it. I absolutely love the Sound of Music. And my first crush was, you guessed it, Julie Andrews.

I think I can credit her for my love of music. It’s one of the reasons music played a big role for me during job search.

Not that I was listening to the soundtrack before interviews in 2007, but I guess I could have . . .

A few of the songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein and how they might fit:

Climb Ev’ry Mountain – A reminder to say yes to everything during job search.

I Have Confidence – A song to hum on days (or during weeks) when the wind is blowing against you.

My Favorite Things – So that you are eternally grateful for what you have in life.

The Lonely Goatherd – For days when you feel alone on this job search journey.

Edelweiss – A reminder that we never stop growing and learning about ourselves. And job search teaches in big chunks.

But this post isn’t supposed to be about Julie Andrews or the movie. It is about networking with a softer touch. A less corporate and honest delivery of your needs. And it is about being open to someone sharing something with you.

I wrote on the edges of this subject when I introduced the concept of naked networking. That post focused on being honest with your network about what you really need. Instead of letting your pride keep you from letting people in on your secret. That you are in trouble. And need help.

I think about men who don’t show their softer side because they fear appearing weak. Or they flat out don’t have one. And I think about women who share it with other women but not with men. For fear of appearing weak.

So does soft equal weak?

Or does soft open people up to you, your ideas and situation?

I hear a lot of networking interactions. People meeting for the first time. Posturing. And wondering whether they are standing in front of a future friend, a comrade for the day or a competitor.

And many of these conversations sound to me like the last of those three. Careful, corporate, pre-recorded gibberish.

Wouldn’t it be more fun to get to know someone as they really are? With dynamic, penetrating questions. And a genuine interest in sharing something really memorable about you.

Of course you have to be open to sharing. Some aren’t comfortable. Some are concerned about security and privacy issues. And while I respect that concern, it is an impediment in becoming someone to care about in the career networking community.

So now you get to decide. Are you ready to head up to the hills to sing? Or are you destined for countless office hallway-type conversations that leave you feeling flat?

Leave a comment below, won’t you? What makes for a great networking conversation?

Does soft equal weak?

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Why Can’t You Just Look Me In The Eye?

How To Prepare For And Thrive In Tough Times

2010-08-09T18:38:24Z

It may be that there’s not a lot you can do. Whether you are a fan of nature or nurture, you have been built from the ground up. To either succeed during tough times. Or scuttle through them as best you can. But I don’t believe that.

Based on your prior years, you’ve come into your present self with either a waterfall of confidence, a slow drip or something in between. But you can start to fix that.

How do you measure your flow?

If you look back on your last career transition or if you are experiencing one now, you are likely well aware of just how bullish you feel about your ability to land on your feet.

Or you may have started questioning whether the core ability to succeed in tough times is hard wired in you.

But I don’t question that. Because I’ve done it already. And because I have, I know I can do it again.

How?

Here are my examples:

My parents divorced during my last year of high school. Splitting up our family and forcing me into being an adult sooner than I planned.
My dad lost his job during my freshman year of college. It forced me to get two jobs to stay enrolled and housed.
I completed an MBA while working full time.
My wife and I had twins. And a two year old.
I signed up for and completed a marathon in just over 4 hours. That was hard.
I built this site and blog part time. Sacrificing family time and sleep. Because I love doing it.

Each of these examples has now become part of my experience. Ones that I draw on when times get tough. The knowledge that I have made it through successfully is a powerful piece of evidence that I can do it.

Time and time again.

Now I’ll ask you. What does your list of life experiences look like? And how do you tap into that experience when you are challenged in life?

Have a short list? Then start creating those experiences. Right now.

Pick one thing in your life that you know will be hard and set out to do it. Climb a mountain, run a half-marathon, start a networking group, go back and get that degree.

Because once you finish. You can add that to your list. And tap that extra confidence when you need it. And, soon, you can add “successful job search in the worst economy ever”.

While staring “tough times” right in the eye.

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(Frustrated About) Indecision In The Hiring Process

2010-08-09T17:20:15Z

This might just be the most frustrating part of job search.

It was for me back in 2007.

Everything’s going great and then. Inexplicably. It isn’t.

How about a quick story to illustrate?

You are riding a big stallion across a beautiful meadow heading for the stable. The wind is in your hair and you are starving after a long day out in the back forty. As you arrive at the ranch and start into the stable. Someone shuts the gate on you.

Except you never see the gate and don’t really know why why you can’t get in. To your water and feed your horse. So you just keep bumping the horse’s head on the stable fence. Or so you think.

Because prior to arriving at the ranch your journey was full of joy and anticipation. And why shouldn’t it be?

But if you look really closely. Inside the window of the big barn. There is someone looking a lot like the guy portrayed above.

You can see it in the face. That incredibly pained expression. And the sound of breaking teeth. Put a button down and sport coat on him and he could be the one you are waiting on.

And you say to yourself. Really? I ride all this way and your best answer for me is: “not sure”?

Now it’s true that both sides of the hiring process screw this up. There are plenty of job seekers who will take an interview process to the end without ever seriously thinking about accepting a possible offer.

But it is most commonly an ailment of the hiring company. Budgets get pulled. Decisions don’t get made. Delays happen.

But it is still incredibly frustrating if you are on the wrong end of it.

A few thoughts on handling a company that’s indecisive:

1. Don’t chase. Desperate job seeker does not look good on you

2. Let it linger. One strong follow-up followed by silence on your part is a sign of strength

3. Distract yourself with other options (other job leads, new events, new contacts)

4. If there’s a recruiter involved, follow-up every few weeks if it is truly active. Know a person inside? Absolutely see what they know.

5. And at some point, you simply need to forget about them. And move on.

So if you are riding the big stallion now. Know that it could happen to you. And if that gate closes, remember there’s another ranch right on the other side of the gulch.

What are your ways to handle an indecisive company? What was your experience? Tell me all about it in the comments below.

Oh, and you may have missed my radio interview on Career Radio. Really fun to join a global round table to talk about staying positive in your job search. Also, you don’t want to miss my guest post on a great new blog called MENG Blend: 5 Ways To Avoid Networking From The Shadows.

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How To Write A Great Accomplishment Statement

2010-08-05T23:11:14Z

If you are regular reader, you may notice that another recent post showed someone similarly posed. That post was about signaling strength during job interviews. So it pictured a young boy flexing his muscles.

Today’s photo shows someone who has just accomplished something great. In her case, the completion of her 365 day self portrait project that she shared on flickr.

I used this picture because writing a great accomplishment statement is just the beginning of the conversation about you. It is the result of a story you should be telling in your marketing documents. Stories that illustrate your impact in the world.

So there’s a bigger story. And there’s an element of passion. An energy about your great works in prior companies. And the better you do this, the better a hiring manager can envision you doing similar things for their department or company.

And the accomplishment statements you write are your way to engage the reader. So that you will be granted an interview. An audience to tell your stories and share your energy.

So they have to be good. Well written. They also have to be relevant and measurable.

Also remember not to mix them up with your responsibilities. I shared this and other tips as part of the tutorial introducing my favorite resume and CV template.

So to help you think about how to write a great accomplishment statement, I thought I would illustrate an example for you. And then walk you through each part. Here it is:

So now to take you through it step by step:

1. Action: There’s a great list of action verbs at Quint Careers. You can use a few of those or think up your own. But make sure that your leading words suggest movement, ownership and leadership.

2. Relevant Topic: What does your target company care about? What do you know about the role this person will play? With a solid knowledge of your likely audience, you can focus on the right topics.

3. Impact: You need a word here that clearly states what happened. In this case, something got reduced. And that is a good thing. Make sure the positive impact you had is clearly stated.

4. Key Metric: What was impacted? Make sure that metric is also relevant and measurable in the way your industry defines it. In an economy where budgets are heavily scrutinized, your ability to measure and report will be important. No matter what your role is in the company.

5. Benefit: Accomplishment statements need numbers. Something tangible like a % increase/decrease, $ revenue up or $ cost down. And you can strengthen the benefit by adding a second short sentence to answer the “so what” question. In this case, you could add: “BENEFIT: Delivered new revenues 6 months sooner than expected.” That’s a nice surprise.

So what if you charted out your key accomplishments like this? Sound like a lot of work? I’ll bet if you do it for a few, you’ll get the idea. And have this structure in your mind as you write or re-write the rest.

What are your favorite action words?

Or better yet.

Share (via a comment below) your best accomplishment statement and I’ll give it a review.

Want to really take your materials up a notch? Consider a professional resume writer. You can find writers I’ve approved and listed here on the site. Or find one on my Twitter list.

My Favorite Resume and CV Template: Introducing TruFocus

New E-Book: Taking Action On Your Ideas.

2010-08-01T18:01:37Z

If you’ve been to the free downloads page lately, you may have noticed this book cover. I kind of snuck it in there one day when you weren’t looking.

And now, just in time for summer, the book is ready to download. But who is this e-book really for?

It is for idea people. For closet entrepreneurs. For anyone who has ideas they’ve thrown under their mattress for another day.

Is that you?

If so, here’s what I have learned:

An idea that you don’t act upon starts to fester. You don’t always notice it festering. But, over time, you will notice that inaction has repressive qualities. This great idea you had once got lost in a pile. And because you never acted on it, you’ve only got one option. To be forced to think this:

The idea must not have been that great.

Which is rarely true. But that was my experience. And since I’ve started to act on my ideas. To pursue my passions. Life has been incredibly rewarding.

And it is fun to see what you can do. With just a little bit of time each day.

If you are looking for work right now, you may have a little extra time. Time to get a new idea started.

One that may blossom into something special. At least to you. Over the next few years.

I hope that this e-book resonates with you. And I’d love to get your feedback.

Have a great weekend!

If you’d like to read more about ideas, check out the blog: Quixoting – A Quest For New Ideas

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10 Ways To Signal Strength In A Job Interview

2010-07-29T01:24:06Z

I’ve written about this topic before. But never this directly. It’s about confidence and delivery of your best stuff. At a time when it matters most.

And especially when in a tough economy. With so many others out there wanting to outshine you. You have to deliver.

But first, here is a reminder of things you can do from prior content:

A. Get properly prepared for an interview. I shared the tool I used in a free interview prep download for those close to an important interview. When your brain is ready, your head can relax a bit. Knowing that you’ve done everything you can to prepare.

B. Another way to relax and prepare your brain is with music. There is great power in music as a mind control device (the good kind). You can read about the power of music during job search. Right now I am listening to a powerful song. One I often let ravage my skull on the way to interviews. It is The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. Now, you don’t have to be a lover of classical music to appreciate the strength of this tune. Just think of how you felt during Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Yep, all classical music rocking those theaters. I would give this one a try on iTunes.

C. Get off to a great start. The first 5 minutes of any interview are absolutely crucial. It’s like the big game. You don’t want to go down early, right? You want to get a few good swings or kicks in early. To build a little momentum.

D. Believe in yourself. In the person that has enjoyed great victories in a career to date. Of course it’s all relative (perhaps my big victory is your cakewalk). But no matter what, your head should be full of your past victories when you pull open the big door. Least desirable, of course, is you feeling desperate. Don’t be a desperado. People can smell it. Even if you are not coughing up humble pie.

E. Find and turn up your dimmer switch. A great piece of advice I got once. Whether you are heading into a job interview, a business meeting or your 25 year high school reunion. Find that extra bit of confidence. Some more mojo. Feel it rising in you as your head begins to turn the final corner toward the interview room.

And here are the new ideas. 10 ways to signal strength to the interview team. And make them battle over who gets to recommend you first.

1. A great handshake. Have one?

2. A strategic “I don’t know”. Strategic doesn’t mean that you make it up. Or pick a place for it randomly. It means that on a question that you may have answered as best you can in the past, instead say IDK. It’s really too bad that LinkedIn has ruined those words. Because they really can be powerful. An honest expression and perhaps a starting point for conversation. Instead of you pretending that you know it all.

3. A pause before you answer. Sometimes everything is not on the tip of your tongue. And sometimes you aren’t able to anticipate every question in advance. So pause and think about it.

4. Grab a chair. Without being too pushy, find the obvious or most obvious chair and grab a seat. Don’t ask if it is OK. Or hesitate. Just grab a seat.

5. Stay still. While there is room for some movement, I’d rather you stay still in your chair. Excessive shifting or leg crossing does not signal strength. It signals “I’m not comfortable”. Stillness suggests focus and resilience. Especially during a long interview day.

6. Smile. It says you are relaxed. And enjoying your interview day. Not everyone smiles. Many grimace. But that’s not a smile now is it?

7. Ask great questions. Early on to create a conversation, in the middle to keep it going and at the end to make sure your knowledge of the company matches their understanding of you.

8. Use first names. Now for some of you, this is your normal way of interviewing. For others, you wouldn’t think of it. After all, it would be rude to use someone’s first name, wouldn’t it? Really? First name = equality. There are some exceptions to this, of course. But generally, it works.

9. Say hello to others you meet in the hallway, in the restroom and in the cafeteria. It’s OK. You are not an experiment. You are a potential new employee there. And you might even learn a little about the company’s culture based on the reaction you get.

10. Have great stories. And specific examples. A lot of people deliver vague answers. The smart ones have a whole treasure chest of stories. Examples of big wins, tough challenges and an occasional failure they learned from. Specifics are really important. I don’t like to ask a question three times.

So what are your ideas? What can job seekers do to signal strength in a job interview? When meeting with a recruiter? I look forward to your feedback in the comments below!

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