Archive for November, 2009

Here is a reprint of the most asked for post we have ever published.  It’s a bit of free job search advice that you can’t live without, because networking is the key to finding your next job.  Read it and enjoy!

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Fellow Toastmaster Jim Nudelman has a simple 4-step process for writing an Elevator Pitch — a 10-15 second focused introduction of your “value proposition” that can be given in an elevator when someone asks, “tell me about yourself.” Jim (”the Noodle” as he is known to friends and family) is an experienced National Sales Trainer, so he should know something about putting your best foot forward to capitalize on a brief window of opportunity. Here’s his process:

Step 1 — Begin with an ACTION PHRASE that is NOT a noun. (”I am a ______________” — but don’t use a “label” in the blank.  You don’t want people to put you in a box.)

Step 2 — Add a one sentence statement about what you DO. (”I do _________________” — What do you help people or businesses do?)

Step 3 — Give a statement of the SPECIFIC IMPACT. (”People who utilize my process find _________” — list one or two things from the perspective of your potential employer.)

Step 4 — End with a CALL TO ACTION. (”I am looking to be introduced to _______________” — be specific!  If you ask for something non-specific you are likely to get it.  What good it that?)

Here’s Jim’s elevator pitch and contact information:

“My name is Jim Nudelman. I am a master of building relationships. I teach sales professionals how to build and grow their business. Sales professionals who have attended my workshops have increased their business by as much as 50%. Please introduce me to a sales manager who has told you they are tired of losing sales to their competition.”

James Nudelman, National Sales Trainer
503-939-4715
jnudelman1@yahoo.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/thenoodle

It’s a simple formula that works! Try it and you will notice a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of your self-introduction that we call your “elevator pitch.”

Related Posts:

• Why A Great Resume Is Not As Important As A Decent Network

Social media posts this week confirmed the three most popular reasons to give thanks – family, friends and a four-day weekend.

Scores of posts and tweets about blissful days away from work have me wondering … does anyone like his job? Do hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans spend every day grasping for a chance at a job just so they can dream of a four-day weekend?

One friend gave me this perspective; “Don’t get me wrong, I like what I do and I don’t mind my job, I just don’t want to be there.”

So it seems like this recession offers the ideal time to evaluate the way we work and make improvements that benefit the employee, the employer and the environment. News articles and blogs point to a shift in how we exchange goods and services and earn money. Thankfully the shift includes flexible options.

Small businesses are springing up like wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest. I doubt these new business owners expect many four-day weekends, but they don’t have to worry about getting fired. They work long hours, yet can arrange a work schedule that starts earlier (in pajamas if desired), accommodates family time and is all around more flexible. It’s hard to hide from the office, but you are the boss.

Home offices are another viable option for disciplined people. Truthfully, if our bosses said, “here is your stack of work for the day, leave when it’s done,” most people would not be in the office eight hours a day. Those that can avoid distractions will be more efficient and hopefully more content.

An idea I am really fond of is flextime. The brilliant concept is widely popular in other countries and could answer issues of recession, conservation and life-work balance. As suggested by the name, the flex differs from person to person. Some want to avoid high traffic times and others need to be home when the school bus arrives. Many workers telecommute part time just because they can.

Another friend planned to leave her design job and be a consultant for other companies. She loves her company yet struggles to balance family time and work time, especially with set hours, commuting and two children. Instead of letting her go, the company’s head honcho offered her a part-time, work-from-home option in which she dictated the hours and schedule. The company retained an amazing designer and my friend got everything she needed.

On the green side of things, offices that work four 10-hour shifts, like many government bureaus, conserve energy and fuel. I realize a 10-hour work day is not ideal for all. But, the timing is right to consider all options that would help people get more three-day weekends and save companies money. It’s feasible that we can come out of the recession with more people laboring joyfully – and tweets and posts to prove it.

In my last post I recommended 5 things you can do over the holidays to help you find a job.  In this post I want to encourage you to volunteer as a way to find your perfect job.  That’s right, volunteer.  There are many ways to go about it, and lots of organizations need you – especially during the holiday season.  Here are some suggestions followed by reasons why this is great career advice! In fact, volunteering may be better than a great resume for getting your foot in the door.

Where to show up.

• Your local food bank.  This is a busy season for food banks. Lots of companies have food drives and people feel as strong compunction to give. Someone has to pick up all of those donations – why not YOU?!  It’s a natural way to get past the Receptionist firewall to see the inner workings of a company.

• Your professional organization. Are the Project Managers having a holiday gathering?  Do the Accountants of America get together for a holiday soirée? This could be the perfect place to meet people you will work with or for in the coming year.  Beside, many of these events allow you to get in for free if you volunteer to clean up or hand out tickets.

• Your house of worship.  ‘Tis the season!” How could you put your special skills to good use in your church, synagogue or mosque to help out with the high holy day festivities, while at the same time earning a referral from a trusted resource? This is also great if you need to get some specific work experience under your belt!

• The Salvation Army – become a bell ringer this Christmas! You would be doing good by collecting funds for an important cause.  All the while you will be in a VERY visible spot!

• Habitat for Humanity. You would be surprised who shows up at these builds.  You could even be swinging a hammer next to former President Jimmy Carter!

Important tips for volunteering.

BEFORE you run out to volunteer, there are some things you need to do to prepare yourself. These are the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of being a volunteer:

• DO go in with the right attitude. Remember, volunteering is NOT about you.
• DON’T use volunteering as a way to “sell” yourself.  Think of it more as a reconnaissance mission.
• DO have a 10 word statement about yourself ready to share when asked.  This is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
• DON’T talk about yourself unless asked!
• DO take plenty of contact cards.  They only need to include your name, phone number and email address.
• DON’T take your resume . . . under ANY circumstances!
• DO have fun!
• DON’T drink or get out of control in any way.  Behave in a professional manner.  This is NOT the time to have embarrassing photos of you being passed around the Internet!

Volunteering is a great way to jump start your career.  It’s fun, it’s helpful to others, and it will put you in the right place to meet some important people! Why not give it a shot?

Thursday is Thanksgiving which means Turkey (or Tofurkey), Potatoes, Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie, football, and . . . the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I love the Macy’s parade.  I love the floats, the huge balloons, the marching bands and even the arrival of Santa (a shameless and obvious plug to get people out shopping on “Black Friday”).  Come Friday the holiday season is here, and from now until January you can count on very little happening in the job search arena.

Or so you THINK.  I know, conventional wisdom says that nothing much happens between now and the new year except retail and holiday activities.  But what if conventional wisdom is wrong?  It has been before!   What if December is the PERFECT time to look for a job?  What would you be doing today (this week, this month?) to land that job?  We have a few suggestions.  Let us know which of these methods you try. . . and how they work for you.

1)    Polish up your elevator pitch so you can be ready to articulately answer the question, “How’s the job search coming?”
2)    Find a way to help someone in your network solve a problem or fulfill a need.  Do this EVERY day December and it will come back to you in spades!
3)    Re-connect with every recruiter you have met in the last couple of months – internal and external.  Don’t ask for a job, just remind them of who you are and ask how you can help them.
4)    Remember, many companies are on a fiscal year that ends on December 31. That means they may need to spend some money before the year ends, OR that they will have new money to spend after January 1.
5)     Enjoy the holiday.  This is one of the “most wonderful times of the year.”  Many job seekers forget to enjoy the season because they are hung up on their unemployment.  Don’t be one of those people. Enjoy the season and spending time with family and friends!

Have a great week, a fun Thanksgiving and a happy holiday season.  Happy hunting.

Do you ever have a bad feeling in your gut like you are seven years old and just stole candy? How about a grating irritation that something is not quite right?

Possibly your subconscious is trying to tell you that despite saying you have a job-hunting strategy, you are not working the process.

I have felt an agitation over the past two weeks that I could not seem to shake. Although I have met some great people and had some good opportunities for side projects come my way, something did not feel right.

And it wasn’t. I got distracted and stopped doing the work required to find my perfect career. I have not been procrastinating nor did I really feel stuck. I just got overwhelmed with distractions. With this realization, I did what everyone should do once in awhile to check their progress … go back to the beginning!

My introduction to www.CareerAdvice4U.com lit a fire in my brain and under my rear. I was enthralled with the videos showing job seekers posting their strategy on the wall, step by step, with sticky notes of planned actions and benchmarks for each step. I followed suit.

But somewhere along the process I stopped holding myself accountable for those actions and steps. I let the Career Crossroads workbook sit a little too long. I set informational interviews but didn’t ask great questions. In short, I forgot about the end goal – TO FIND A PERFECT CAREER!

No wonder I feel irritated. I have been letting myself down each day I don’t work toward my goal. I am also not being a good example for others who need a proven system for finding a great job.

Thankfully, I am not one to waste time administering lashes or defeating thoughts. I am clear now and consider this hiccup part of life. To be fair, I it has been two months or less since a friend recommended CareerAdvice4U. I have accomplished some of the actions and benchmarks on my wall. I just needed to get my nose is back in the workbook, where it should be, and attack this process with the zeal I had day one.

I implore other people who are unemployed, under employed or just pining for a career change to help me stay on target. If you have tips for networking, informational interviews or ways to target companies – please share! I promise that as I learn, I will do the same.

I believe recovery is coming. I can almost hear local companies taking a deep breath and exhaling with a vision of future growth. And I want to be ready.

While preparing to write a post on staying positive during the job search I posted this tweet on Twitter and Facebook.  I thought I would glean some of the thoughts of my friends and followers – thinking perhaps one or two would respond.  Boy, was I surprised when I got more than 15 amazing comments!  Instead of compacting them, I thought I’d just share them with you.  There are some gems here . . . as well as some, well, let’s just say “tongue in cheek.”  I’ve condensed the name to just the initials, because I don’t have copyright permission to share the names.  Here’s what I posted, and the responses.

“Working on a blog post- what do you do to stay positive during your job search? Please RT.”

NS - Exercise!

SA - Hang-out with an Optimist… no, really!

LG - Think positive things, count blessings and be grateful.

SW - Honestly? I vent to Mom, who reminds me that I will find something. That I always do. Oh, and a dose or two of chocolate.

DC – Burbon and valium.

JG - Read Sean Harry’s facebook updates.

BP – Network….

FD - Do your job search outside of the home (at a coffee shop, the library etc) it keeps you social and moving. Also, networking events are rife with equally unemployed people, so instead of focusing only on making connections in professional circles, pick up a hobby that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. It’s a great way to meet new people without pushing your resume and you feel insanely accomplished for exploring something new.

LW - No matter what the circumstances I am in are, I, and only I, am responsible for how I experience those circumstances.

I create a possibility to live my life into every day. That is, I create a way of being that is empowering to me, and recreate myself in that way of being. And I take on experiencing all my circumstances, all day long, from that point of view.

I have people I touch base with on a daily basis regarding this.

I thus make myself accountable for:
What I did yesterday,
What I’m doing today, and
Where I’m stopped.

(software people will recognize this as an ‘Agile scrum’)

AUS – When I was in my transition time out of general ministry and into… whatever the future was going to be… I worked closely with a career coach and touched base with her a couple of times a month. I was a proactive networker, seeing more than 250 people in the course of nine months or so. I guess the positive thing for me was not seeing it as a “job search” but as a search for a new direction. Big difference.

LG – Since I tried thinking positive and was having a hard day, I took NS’ advice and exercised (while praying thanks for blessings) … woo-hoo … when in doubt, do it all!

SL - Attend a Toastmasters meeting and volunteer for Table Topics.

SVD - The October issue of Guideposts magazine had a great article about a man named Seth Reams, in Portland, OR(!) who found himself depressed due to extended unemployment. He wrote a post on Craigslist and joined with other jobless people to volunteer to help others with needs. They started a blog: wevegottimetohelp.blogspot.com.

RS – Take it to the outdoors! As long as it’s not pouring rain, I have taken more walks and hikes than ever before. It’s refreshing to get back to nature and have time to literally “stop and smell the roses.” I also play with my dog way more, he’s going to have withdrawls when I go back to work Oh – and volunteer!!!!

I have learned 2 things from this exercise:
1) YES, people DO read what you post on social media (i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter).
2) My friends are SMART!

Of course, I would add that if you don’t have your FREE account set up on Careers 2.0, you are missing out on an amazing opportunity.  (Of course I would say that!

What do YOU do to stay positive during the job search?  We’d love to see your responses too!

In an article Saturday in Slate magazine, Daniel Gross makes a case for a job recovery sooner than later.  Using productivity as a key economic indicator, Gross writes, “we’ve just witnessed the fastest two-quarter productivity surge since the first year of the Kennedy administration. . . but just as hamsters can run only so fast on their treadmills, there are limits to productivity growth.”

Gross goes on to relate a footnote by Michael Darda, Chief economist at MKM Partners, who says, “Should the economy expand in the fourth quarter at the same 2.5 percent annual rate it did in the third quarter—as it shows every sign of doing—companies won’t have any choice but to hire.”

It’s an interesting argument.  I’m not sure I agree with Mr. Gross on how fast this economy is recovering (or Mr. Darda either, for that matter).  Most other economists are telling us that it’s going to be Q3 or Q4 of 2010 before we start to see any real job growth in this country.  But what is Gross and Darda are correct?  Are you ready to get hired when things start picking up again?  If not, here are 3 things you can do to prepare yourself:

1)    Get clear about what you have to offer.  You don’t have to be stuck doing something you don’t love doing, even if you are good at it.  In order to effectively promote yourself, you will need to show quantified results you have had in your past on things you are both capable of and willing to do in the future.  You should have 3 – 4 clear key areas in which you shine.  Then you should have 4-5 clear statements that prove you can do these things.

2)    Get focused on EXACTLY what you are looking for. If you don’t know what you want how can anyone else help you find it?  Focus your career objective to one (two at the most) position.  Then use your clearly articulated statements from #1 above to help brand yourself as an expert in that area.

3)    Get connected.  You have no doubt heard the statistics on networking and finding a job.  More than 60% of job seekers find their next opportunity through someone they know.  To be effective at networking you need to offer value to the people in your network.  Don’t just try to sell yourself.  Identify needs of the people with whom you are networking and try to help them.  That way they will both remember you and want to reciprocate with you by finding opportunity for you.

Sooner or later this economy will turn around.  The question is, will YOU be ready to take advantage of opportunities when they come along?  If you are not yet ready, now is the time to get ready!  Sign up today for a basic membership to Careers 2.0 for more  free resources to help you get ready to find your perfect job!

(Note: the three steps above are modeled after networking steps I learned from Kathie Nelson at Connectworks.  For her steps for effective networking see: www.Connectworks.com)

Sticking to your guns can be difficult when you have been searching for a job for awhile – even a month. You know exactly what you want, from atmosphere to pay, but an “okay” offer seems better than no offer. I am not trying to pick on employment agencies, but I have another story of lessons learned from poor choices.

My second experience with an employment agency in Portland started on the right foot. The gal got me – I mean really got me. She found a job that started at a fairly menial wage and position on the totem pole, but would quickly turn into a management position in an executive office suite. The variety, challenge and communications aspects of the job were right up my alley, so I took it.

It was important to me that I work for the agency for awhile and not be “bought out” by their client. The two main reasons were the reliability of the agency and health insurance. I didn’t know this new company well enough to trust them.

I have always been a bit naïve, with a little too much faith in people. So when my new company told me they wanted to end the contract with the employment agency so they could pay me more – and I would get insurance, I hesitated, but fell for it. You can probably see the rest of the story unfolding.

Within two weeks, I had discovered the company had no insurance plan, no intention of raising my pay, and tons of problems with the new facility and angry tenants. To salt the wound – actually dump lemon juice in it – I found out the company would soon be served legal papers for owing the property manager almost $200,000. (Don’t hire an ex-reporter if you want to hide issues.) They had only been in the building nine months. Meanwhile, I was doing managerial work for $10 an hour while my boss was at home nursing.

Now, this experience was part of my process. I met a lifelong friend here and dozens of other incredible business owners. I ended up getting hired from a company a floor higher who heard of me from building tenants. But it is important to share my lesson. Although everything works out in the end, it is important to stick to your guns. You know what you want and what you are worth. Don’t be persuaded to take a job that offers a fraction of what you need to be happy. At the very least, get an option for review and pay raise (or what the job offer is lacking) in writing. And if you work with an employment agency, treat them like your personal agent. Make sure you get what you need before they get paid.

Tomorrow I will offer the closing remarks at the Engineer Employment Symposium in Beaverton, Oregon.  In preparation for that event I want to offer these “Top 10 Job Search Tips for Engineers.”

1. State your accomplishments in specific terms using quantifiable results. (See: http://cmscareerblog.com/on-your-resume-use-cars-for-maximum-impact/)
2. Compose 3 effective versions of your Elevator Pitch: a 10-word version, a 30 second version, and a 90 second version
3. Subscribe to RSS feeds for the following blogs: http://careeradvice4u.com/blog/ and http://careerenlightenment.net/
4. Update your LinkedIn profile and set a goal of adding 25 new contacts within the next 2 weeks
5. Get a professional headshot photo taken to use on your LinkedIn and Visual CV profile pages
6. Sign up for your FREE Careers 2.0 membership at www.CareerAdvice4U.com
7. Create a FREE Visual CV at: http://www.visualcv.com/www/indexc.html
8. Develop a strategic plan for getting the most out of your networking activities
9. Be prepared to answer the question: “What makes YOU different than all of the other Engineers I’ve interviewed?”
10. Hire a Career Coach (See our SPECIAL OFFER for EES participants)

I recently got a LinkedIn invitation from someone I went to college with.  She started out the invitation by saying, “Is is you?  Do you remember me?”  I did, somewhat.  It was her second email that made me laugh.

She asked if I remembered our Canada Choir tour and a silly kids song I taught the group nearly 30 years ago.  I remember the song (of course), but had forgotten that I had taught it to the choir while on tour.  She told me that she remembered the song, and me, and that she sings the song in the car with her nieces and nephews.  OMG!  Is THAT how she remembers me?  To her, that is my “brand” — “the guy who taught us the funny songs in Canada.”

Of course, it could be worse.  College was a wild time and she could have an entire different set of memories. . . some not so great. At least I made a lasting impression. I have a feeling that if I were looking for a job I could call this old college friend and find out if her company is hiring.  I also think she would give a good recommendation about me to the hiring manager.  I made a lasting impression, and it was a basically positive one.

How do people remember you? Have you left a lasting impression with the people you meet?  Will they remember you years from now?

Since more than 50% of jobs are found through networking and referral, leaving a positive impression is important.  How do they remember you?