After watching the winter Olympics and marveling at the level of athletic excellence displayed by the athletes over the past few weeks, I got to thinking about what job seekers can learn from these amazing athletes. Time after time the difference between earning a metal or not ranking came down to superb coaching, practice and finely honed technique.

In today’s highly competitive job market the same holds true for job seekers. It is not enough to be good, you need to be great to get placed with an employer. Let’s take a closer look what that means for your job search strategy.

Olympic athletes leave nothing to chance. They have a clearly defined winning strategy. They choreograph every stage of their event. By that I mean they have a clear sense of how they will begin, how they will proceed and how they will finish their performance. They have a clear and strong winning strategy in place. How solid are you in all the elements of your career search strategy? Do you have a clear sense of every step of your job search process? If you don’t, you are going to be passed by other job seekers who know what they are doing.

Olympians use coaches to mentor and correct potentially costly mistakes. Are you using a career expert to advise you in your career search strategy? If not you are not getting vital help to give you a competitive advantage.

Olympians rely on cutting edge methodology and technology to give themselves every advantage in their performance. You are relying on yesterday’s career methodologies to compete in today’s job search? Are you hanging on old ways of doing a job search because it is comfortable instead of stretching and pushing yourself to be more up to date? If you want to be noticed and get interviews you need to adopt new methods for doing an effective job search.

And finally, are you practicing like an Olympian? Are you fully engaged and committed to investing the time and energy it takes to place? Good enough will not cut it. It takes hours and hours to come up with clear and compelling SAR (Situation-Action-Result) stories that will showcase your strengths and achievements.

I hope you enjoyed watching the winter Olympics as much as I did.  Now it’s time to remember the lessons from the athletes for top performance and apply them to your career strategy job search.

Gary Prehn is a Career Management Solutions Career Advisor in Southern California.

I had dinner with my parents the other night, and in the course of the conversation my mother started talking about her dad and what he did to earn a living through the Great Depression.  I had never heard those stories before . . . or perhaps I just wasn’t listening.  It was  interesting and perhaps instructive for those of you who are without work during this current economic downturn.

Mom says that grandpa was without regular work for about 10 years. During that time he did whatever odd jobs he could to pay the rent and put food on the table. He worked on a friend’s ranch in Eastern Oregon and did day labor when he could find it. Grandpa heard that the railroad was hiring in Portland, so in early December of 1941 he found his way to the big city. That day was December 7th — the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor marking the U.S. entry into WWII. Needless to say, when grandpa got to Portland the railroad was no longer hiring.

Too old to enlist in the war, grandpa stayed with his brother-in-law and went about looking for work wherever he could find it. After many fits and starts, he finally got hired on with a trucking company where he spent the rest of his working career. He learned about the opportunity from a friend, and followed up.  Luckily that opportunity turned into a long lasting career.

For several years the family lived in NW Portland in a house with 3 other families — and only ONE bathroom!  It’s all they could afford.  They got along and enjoyed each others company even thought times were tough.

I’ll bet there is a similar story in your family. Since I heard mom tell that story, I’ve been wondering “what can WE learn from those past experiences?”  Well, several things. . .

1. Things are tough right now, but not nearly as bad as they have been. The country has come through worse economic times, and we WILL weather this storm.  Work to keep a positive attitude and together we can make it through this economic crisis.
2. Our grandparents (or great-grandparents) did whatever the had to do in order to put food on the table.  How many unemployed people today are willing to take a subsistence job for a time in order to keep themselves afloat until something better comes along?
3. Follow up on opportunities your hear about through others.  Today we call it “networking”, but I doubt grandpa used that specific word for it.
4. Everything is temporary. The Great Depression was temporary.  WWII was temporary.  Your last job was temporary.  So will you next job be temporary.  What are YOU doing to focus on the long term?
5. Enjoy each other.  Even though my mom and her family lived in a house with several other families and only one bathroom, she tells me they enjoyed each other.  They were a generally loving family, taking care of each other and providing emotional security in a world where it was severely lacking.

I encourage you to talk to someone in your own family who has a memory of how things were a few generations ago.  I think it will put perspective on the challenges we are all facing, and perhaps give us some hope to move boldly into the future!

“How much did they pay you to give up on your dreams?”

That’s a direct quote from George Clooney in the movie Up In The Air. My wife and I saw it yesterday, and it really made an impact on me.  One, because this is some of the work I have been doing for the last 16 months – not the firing part, but the part about helping people move past the job loss on to a new opportunity.  Two, because it deals with an issue that more that 20% of us have had to face in the last 12-18 months — losing a job and its affect on our career, family, psyche and life.

I won’t spoil the movie for you. You should really go see it.

Now read this next part carefully, because if you don’t you may think I’m saying that working isn’t important.  I’m not saying that at all.  Our jobs allow us to exchange time for money.  Money allows us to purchase the things we want and need — i.e. food, clothing shelter, and cool stuff like iPhones and computers.  The problem is that too many of us take a job to pay the bills then end up settling for something less than we really want.  We work our jobs and they consume us.  We get tired and worn out.  Something has to give, so we settle.  We HAVE to have a job, so we give up on the one thing that really matters to us . . . our dreams.

If you have lost your job recently you have been forced into something that you didn’t want and which doesn’t feel very comfortable.  The good news is that the time you have been given may just be the ticket you need to re-focus on what really matters to you. I hope you will take the time to do that, even though it may be uncomfortable (or even a bit painful).

When our clients are evaluating their next career position we coach them to look at 4 things:

1. Job Satisfaction
2. Growth Opportunities
3. Proper Environment
4. Compensation ($$$)

When you evaluate your next position you should look for a balance of these 4 things.  If you don’t, you will probably have an opportunity to do it again within 18 months.  That’s because studies show that more than 50% of all employees are dissatisfied with their current job.  Nearly half of them state that they are looking for a new position. I assure you, that will be YOU if you don’t try to balance job satisfaction, growth opportunities, proper environment and compensation within your next position.

You don’t have to settle.  You don’t have to take a position that will suck the life out of you. You don’t have to give up on your dreams…and I hope you don’t, because life is just too short!

Happy Hunting!

If you liked this post, you might also like . . .

As a job seeker, you have a resume and you send it to every possible job opening you can find.  You make sure every recruiter in town has at least one copy on her desk. It’s posted in 6 places on Monster.com and 4 places on CareerBuilder.com. You hand it out like those guys hocking strip-show fliers on 5th Avenue in New York City.  You even sent one to your best friend’s mother, simply because she seems to know everybody!  But how effective is your resume, really?

Are you getting the results you want from it?  Are you getting enough interviews?  Do you even KNOW what “good results” would look like?

Have no fear, my friends, we are here to take the pain and confusion out of writing an effective resume.  Here’s the inside scoop on getting the most out of your resume:

1. Define expected results. The first thing you need to do is determine what purpose your resume will play in your job search efforts.  Do you want to use it to get a foot in the door?  Do you want it to help you “close the sale?”  Or, do you want your resume to simply be something that your prospective employer has in their hands to help them rest assured that they have made the right decision by hiring you?  Any of these are legitimate uses for a resume, but you need to know how yo intend to use this important document in order to be able to craft it to effectively achieve your goals.
2. Begin with a clear Professional Summary. If you are lucky you will get 8 seconds worth of attention from the person reading your resume.  You have got to grab their attention so they will read further.  A banal, boring, or uninteresting summary will send them on to the next person.  I see way too many resume’s that begin with some kind of “objective statement” to the effect, “desire a challenging career that utilizes my strengths.”  BFD.  I bet the hiring manager who reads this will get 500 or more with the same objective.  What in that statement will make you stand out from the others? More importantly, what do you have to offer a potential employer?  Your resume is a marketing tool similar to a newspaper ad.  If you want to grab the attention of the reader you’ve got to have a compelling headline.  Otherwise, they will move on to the next one without giving you a second thought.
3. Give proof. Once you have their attention you need to back up your statement with credible, verifiable results to prove that you are capable of doing what you say you can do.  Use CAR Statements in the body of your resume to demonstrate your capabilities. Don’t just state responsibilities.  Give specific examples of how your actions have helped previous employers make or save money.  For example, every Office Manager could put on their resume that they “order, organize and monitor office supply cabinet.”  Big deal.  Nothing in that statement would be enough to get you an interview.  Just think of what might happen if, instead, you put down something like: “saved previous employer $12,000 per year by developing a process to effectively order and manage office supplies.”  I can tell you what happened, because one of my clients put that on her resume and got several interviews because of it. Show “proof” and you will stand out from the competition.
4. Develop an effective follow up strategy. You probably have figured out that using a shotgun approach in your job search is not very effective.  It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but a narrowly focused, laser-beam strategy will produce much better results. If you don’t have a strategy for your job search you may want to check out the Careers 2.0 ARMS process.  It has helped hundreds of other job seekers find their perfect job in half the time, and Basic Membership is free!

If you aren’t seeing the results you want from your current resume, perhaps it’s time to try something different.  These 4 tips have been time tested and will definitely produce results, I guarantee it!

Resume Advice Related Posts

• How To Write a Professional Summary Statement for Your Resume
• 4 Examples of A Professional Summary Statement
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
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Your job search is a tough process.  Perhaps it’s time for a little comedy relief.  These videos all poke fun at the  job interview.  Best of all, they will show you what NOT to do!

Have you ever felt like THIS in a job interview?

This one is my favorite. Definitely outside-of-the-box thinking.

This guys pretty much does EVERYTHING wrong! Don’t do ANY of these things and your interview should go well.

Happy Hunting folks!

Job Interviews / Interviewing Related Posts

• Want to Ace the Behavioral Interview?
• How To Conduct An Informational Interview
• The Art of Interviewing to Land Your Perfect Job
• 101 Job Interview Questions
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Our friends over at Common Craft do some great work.  There videos are simple, yet full of great information.  Today I want to share with you this 3 minute goodie on using LinkedIn for more than just making contacts.

The protagonist in this story used LinkedIn to grow her business.  What can you learn from her, since you, as a job seeker, are the owner of your own business who’s sole purpose is to find you a job?  How can you search your contacts to find people who will help move your career forward?  Who do you need to meet?  How can you use LinkedIn to facilitate an introduction?

Don’t forget theses 2 important keys to graceful networking (even online);

1. It’s NOT about you. You may feel an urgent need to find a job.  However, when networking you will turn people off if you show it.  Approach people to find opportunity for them and their network FIRST.  When they know you have their best interest at heart they will want to help you fulfill your needs.
2. When asked, have a CLEAR statement of what you are looking for. (See the “4 Step Process for Writing an Elevator Pitch”) Be sure to include a call to action.  You don’t get if you don’t ask, so be sure to ask.  However, ONLY ask AFTER you have helped the other person.

LinkedIn can be an amazing tool for your job search if you use it correctly. I recommend that you do not just accept any link you are offered.  Take time to get to know the other person first.  Then, after a significant conversation, you will have created a quality link.

In the last month I’ve had a few clients who were contacted directly by HR professionals and Recruiters through their LinkedIn profile.  Make sure you have a solid profile, because you won’t get the chance to make a second impression!  Good luck, happy hunting, and great linking!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 21. Tomorrow’s post: “How To Conduct An Informational Interview”

Our guest editor, Larque Goodson, appears to be on a health kick this week.  In her blog she has written “How and Why to Get Healthy” posts over the three days.

Yesterday she shared with us her story about shattering her ankle on the winter snow in her home state of Idaho.  That led her to one of her healthiest habits – walking.  She shares with us some tips for making this form of exercise both enjoyable and automatic.

Wednesday she shared some of her struggles over her body image and the lasting effects physical they have had on her.

Tuesday we were treated to posture tips.  These small changs can make a big difference in your health.  Check out what she has to say.

What does all of this have to do with the job search? LOTS!

1. Being unemployed gives you a gift of time to focus on some of the things you may have neglected while you were working. Use it wisely!
2. Life coaches help their clients identify several areas of their life in which they would like to improve.  We are more than just a job.  We have a physical, spiritual, and emotional sides as well.  You may not be able to do much to immediately impact  the outcome of your work life – afterall, much of that is dependent upon someone else’s time line.  However, you CAN make immediate impact on some other areas. . . like you physical health.
3. Being active and eating well impact your own self image, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, having a positive self image is crucial to job search success.
4. If you have a job and are looking to change careers or find a new one, you still need to be concerned about your health and well-being.  You want to make a great impression when potential employers see you for the first time.

Thanks Larque for giving us the opportunity to make an attempt at getting healthy.

On a personal note, I stopped smoking about 3 months ago and have lost 10 lbs. in the last month.  It may not be much, but it’s a start. A good start!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 11.  Tomorrow’s post: “What is a Personal Brand and Why Do You Need One?“

Behavioral interviews (or behavior-based interviews) have been around since the 1980s and have become a rather prominent form for selecting qualified candidates. The effectiveness of this type of interview has been validated in respected research journals repeatedly. In short, behavioral interviews work when they are done right. Unfortunately, they are not always done right because they are conducted by people who have not been trained to conduct them.

In the behavioral interview candidates are asked to give an example of their past behavior in a particular situation. Questions usually take the form of, “Describe a time when you. . . ”or “Tell me about a time when you. . .” The questions are supposed to relate directly to job-related skills, and they should be asked of every candidate for a position in order for this type of interview to be effective.

The underlying premise of this type of interview is that people will handle future situations in the same way they have handled similar past situations.

Since one of the keys to successful interviewing is rehearsal, we encourage you to take time to work out answers to the kinds of questions you will encounter in a behavioral interview. Be sure to use your accomplishment statements or CARS whenever possible. This should give you a solid framework from which to answer. Your answers should not sound memorized, but they should be well rehearsed. Remember, interviewing success is about being prepared for and having a mental outline to follow in responding to the questions. Keep your answers brief and resist the temptation to chase rabbits!

Here is a sample list of behavioral interview questions we’ve seen over the years:

• Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation.
• Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with an upset customer or co-worker.
• Describe the worst project you have ever worked on.
• Give me an example of a time when you were able to motivate others to achieve their objectives.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you used logic to solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time when you used your presentation skills to influence a group of co-workers.
• Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you had to follow a policy that you did not agree with.
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss, but followed his/her orders anyway.
• Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty in order to get the job done.
• Tell me about a time when you set a goal and were able to meet it.
• Can you think of a time when you utilized time management skills to accomplish a business activity.
• Have you ever witness a person doing something that you felt was against company policy. What did you do and why?
• Give me an example of when you had to prioritize your tasks because you had too many things to do.
• Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
• When have you had to make a split second decision? Please tell me about it.
• What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
• Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
• Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with a person who did personally like you.
• Please discuss an instance of when you were required to produce an important written document.
• Give me an example of a time when you failed to accomplish something important.
• Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
• Tell me about a time when you effectively delegated a project.
• Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
• Describe a time when you developed preventive measures by anticipating a potential problem.
• Tell me about a time when you were forced to make a decision that was not popular.
• Have you ever had to fire a friend or co-worker? Please tell me about what happened.
• Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do?
• Describe a time you were forced to work with someone you didn’t like.
• Give me an example of something innovative you have done that made a difference in your company.

Happy hunting!

Want more tips for your job search?  Sign up for  free account at www.careeradvice4u.com.

Job Interviews / Interviewing Related Posts

• How To Conduct An Informational Interview
• The Art of Interviewing to Land Your Perfect Job
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• 101 Job Interview Questions
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Where did the year go?

Have you achieved all your career goals this year?  Did you find that perfect job you were hoping to get?  Are you satisfied with your job performance?  We are in the end of the year “Red Zone” – the time to take a look back at 2009 and prepare for 2010.  Here are 3 areas to look at NOW to improve your career next year. This is what I call the “A, B, C’s of Career Management.”

A – Annual Review

Review last year’s annual review and plan for next year’s.  Just as you change your smoke alarm battery on New Year’s Day, make this an annual habit.

Did you get an Annual Review last year?  Maybe it was in the beginning of the year, or perhaps it was in the summer.  NOW is the time for you to dig through your files and find it.  Look for areas where you got good marks and include that in your LinkedIn profile and “wins” list (see below).  Now take a look at the areas for improvement you and your superior set out for this year.  What have you done to move forward in those areas?  If you have already shown improvement it may be time to shoot your boss an email indicating your progress.  S/he will likely put it in your file so you can discuss it at your next review.  Be sure to share your “wins” with you boss as well.

Focus on accomplishments (activities), not on responsibilities of the job. Accomplishments will help you stand out from the crowd.

EXAMPLE — a client told me she had re-organized the office supply purchasing process and ended up saving 50% on supplies. Great job!  Even better, she asked her boss to put a copy of the “proof” for that activity in her file for her annual review, which doesn’t take place until June. She helped her boss and herself by this little strategic move, and it didn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

What could YOU have your boss put into YOUR file?

B – Brand Review

What is your personal brand?  How do you want to present yourself when people think of you?  Take a few minutes to look over and update your brand as it exists from the last year (or more).  You may want to revise your USP (unique selling proposition), or update your collateral material (business cards, etc).  Don’t forget to update your blog and website. Perhaps add a twitter account.

Don’t forget LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important tools you have in the job search.  In today’s world, potential employers and recruiters will Google your name to learn more about you – that’s a given.  LinkedIn helps your name and profile jump to the top of the Google search results.  You might want to ADD or DELETE something from your profile to update it. (Remember to include the “wins” you find while cleaning out your files (below).  It may be time to ADD or DELETE links from your profile.  How about contacts?  ASK FOR 3 RECOMMENDATIONS.  Now is the time to do it, while you are still on the top of your customer’s mind.

C – Customer Review

Go through and clean up customer Files. For many of us already to this the end of the year.  As you go through your files trying to decide what to shred and what to keep, here are a few ideas that can help you improve your career.

• NOTE WINS – what did you do this year that you consider to be a “win” for your career?  Keep track of these accomplishments and quantify the results as best you can.
• NOTE KEY CUSTOMERS/PARTNERS – who did you work with that might be willing to give you a recommendation?
• THANK THEM – you are already planning on sending out Holiday cards, aren’t you? Why not include a brief note of gratitude for what they have done for you.  Be as specific as you can. A hand-written note goes a LONG way these days.
• FIRE your 5 Worst Customers.  If you are in sales, run your own company, or have clients you no doubt have some people who suck away your time and energy.  They are never happy with what you do for them, and you probably aren’t too happy to work with them either.  Well, you don’t have to.  You are hereby granted permission to fire your 5 worst customers.
• REPLACE them with 5 new customers who fit your PERFECT CLIENT profile!  You will glad you did!

What you do now, at the end of 2009, can help you propel your career forward in 2010.  We hope these tips help you end the year strong, and begin the next with a bang!

I promise, doing just one or two of these things will move your career or job search forward!  Doing all of them religiously every year will make you outstanding!  What are you waiting for?

Remember the game your mom used to make you play on long road trips to keep you from whacking your little sister in the head the whole time?  It went something like, “I’m going on a trip, and I’m  taking with me …”  Then everyone would take a turn telling what you would bring along.  You had to pick something that used the next letter of the alphabet, but first you had to remember what everyone ahead of you said for their letter.

Hey, I know, let’s try it using only things you need for your job search.  I’ll go first.

“I’m going out to look for a job and I’m taking…

• Assessments (helps you figure out what you want to be when you grow up!)
• Business cards
• CARS statements
• Do something every day.  Don’t just wait for the phone to ring!
• Elevator pitch
• Fuzzy slippers (hey, sometimes you just gotta kick back and relax!)
• Good recommendations on LinkedIn
• Hand sanitizer (it’s flu season and you are going to be shaking LOTS of hands!)
• Interview sample questions
• Job search strategy
• Keep positive.  You are not a position.  You are worthy. You deserve a job. This is temporary.
• LinkedIn Profile
• Marketing materials
• Networking meetings because it’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know.
• One well-designed strategic plan
• Professional head shot (photo)
• Qareer develop plan (shut up, it’s MY blog! I can spell it how I want to!:-)
• Resume
• Stamps for the thank you notes
• Thank you note cards
• USP (my Unique Selling Proposition – what makes me stand out from the rest of the crowd)
• Visual CV
• What do YOU feel is essential? (make your own list)
• X-tra contact cards (NEVER leave home without them!)
• Your personal brand
• Zebra

Want to know how to use these essential job search skills MOST effectively? Sign up now for a FREE Basic membership to Careers 2.0. Click here now.

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 8.  Tomorrow’s post: “The ABCs of Career Management”