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!

Just one more thing — Peter Clayton of Total Picture Radio believes recruiter confidence is picking up.  He writes, “According to the latest ExecuNet Recruiter Confidence Index, a growing number of companies are adding new executive jobs, and fewer are eliminating them, leading executive recruiters to confirm economic recovery is beginning to take hold.” You can listen to the podcast at: Total Picture Radio (with Peter Clayton).

When you go through a grocery line today the bagger asks you how you want your items packed. “Paper or plastic?”  Many stores do not even offer us an option. They hand us our items bagged in plastic. There was a time when all groceries were packed into paper bags. Plastic bags were uncommon but not anymore. Today plastic bags are the norm.

Last week I stated that traditional jobs were going away. I recommended that it was time to change your career strategy and stop looking for jobs and start looking for work. The insight I want to share with you this week is that work used to be packed in paper bags but today it is being packed into plastic bags. There is work to be found but more and more companies are offering it in unconventional ways.

We are used to looking for work packed into job positions with clear cut duties. The jobs were offered in a paper bag called full-time, or permanent work. Today many employers are packaging work into plastic bags called projects, temporary work or contract work.

What is happening?  Companies are finding that they have to be flexible and nimble in order to compete in today’s market. They need to enlarge their workforce on short notice in order to produce a product or service. Once they have achieved their objectives they need to reduce their workforce rather than pay out wages to idle employees.

Think about the difference between paper bags and plastic bags.  A big paper grocery sack could hold a lot of groceries. You could pack many items neatly into one bag. The bags had a rigid shape and fairly predictable volume of room. Traditional jobs were like paper bags, sturdy and dependable.

But today employers are packing much of their work into plastic bags. Work today is much more flexible, odd shaped and comes in smaller units. Plastic bags are a better container for holding or assigning work.

Be careful that you do not overlook, ignore, or turn down work because it is being offering in “plastic” as contract work, temporary work or as a consulting assignment and not offered as “paper,” a full-time job. Plastic not paper is the new norm for work today.

So, which is it for you?  Paper or plastic?

Andy wrote an interesting and challenging response to our post on writing an effective resume (http://careeradvice4u.com/effective-resume/).  I LOVE it when a reader challenges us!  So in response to all of the Andy’s out there who are frustrated with your job search, here are some examples that have actually worked for clients of ours. Hopefully they are not too full of BS!

Example 1: HR Generalist I

Human Resource professional with progressive hands on experience in diverse organizations from start-ups to industry leader with revenues of $8 billion including multi-state U.S. and global locations.

Resourceful, organized team player able to provide business partnership and HR guidance to both management team and employees. Recognized for being ethical and approachable with a focus on the big picture. Strong hands-on approach, can manage diverse projects simultaneously and with excellent communication skills.

Experience working with HR and Business partners in Europe and Asia as well as multiple locations in the US.

Example 2: HR Generalist II

Broad knowledge of HR principles and services. Exceptional proficiency in Employee Relations and Leave/Workers’ Compensation coordination. Effective at building relationships with employees and managers at all levels within an organization to support the business strategy, resolve communications issues and motivate individuals to optimal performance. Conscientious and resourceful advisor with a reputation for sound judgment and achieving positive results.

Specialties include:

Employee Relations FMLA/OFLA/ADA Coordination OSHA/WC Management
Policy & Procedure Writing Building & Leading Teams Staff Planning & Recruitment

Example 3: Software Developer

Experienced Software Implementation Manager with 11 years of extensive enterprise resource planning implementation experience
• Successful implementations of PeopleSoft, SAP, Lawson and other applications at more than 14 public and private sector clients and corporations across a wide range of industries and locations
• 9 years of consulting experience with a major international consulting firm earning performance ratings consistently above my peers and an executive promotion to Senior Manager
• 8 years of project management and team lead experience with a PMP certification
• Solid reputation for meeting aggressive deadlines and providing high quality deliverables within budget
• Mature leadership and communication skills with an exceptional ability to plan and organize work efforts and excel in a team environment. Core competencies include:

Project Management Application Development Application Security
Configuration and Conversion Testing and Validation Implementation and Cutover
Production Support Sales and Business Development Software Selection

Example 4: Engineer/Engineering Manager

Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams of engineers delivering high performance, low cost product technologies from research to market on time and on budget. A leader in defining methodologies to use to turn more research elements into products faster. Strong technical design, modeling, and statistical background; excellent leadership vision, systematic planning, and two-way communication skills. Over 20 years of research and development experience, including 10 years progressively responsible management experience. Extensive experience managing international development teams/suppliers in Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, including 3 years working in Japan. Ph.D., M.S., Engineering Mechanics.

Resume Advice Related Posts

• Writing An Effective Resume
• How To Write a Professional Summary Statement for Your Resume
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
• Why a GREAT Resume is Not as Important as a DECENT Network
• Resume Writing Tips

Your network let you down?  Really?

If you feel like your network has let you down, then you really don’t understand what a network is, how to develop it, or how to use it to help you in the job search.  Listen up, kids.  There WILL BE a test at the end of this post, and if you fail you will add several months (not weeks . . . MONTHS) to your job search.

What you must understand first and foremost is that networking is NOT about you. Ever.  It’s about connecting people to help them get what they want or need. Anything that comes your way out of networking is a bi-product of you connecting other people. Many job seekers don’t understand this, and thus, are frustrated when their network doesn’t produce the results they think it should.  Many job seekers think the network is there to serve them, to pass along job leads, or to help them get a foot in the door. That is NOT what a network is for.  YOU exist to serve the network. The network is not there to serve you.

Here’s the tricky part. It is a proven fact that most people find their job because of a network connection.  They know somebody who knows somebody who needs what that particular job seeker has to offer. Your name gets passed along as a potential fit, and before you know it you are sitting in an interview.  Somehow that confusingly gets turned into, “my network is there to help me find a job.”  Look closer, because that’s not what is happening at all.  That scenario is not about YOU, it’s about the person or company that has a need for something.  Your name gets passed along because you have built up trust and respect within your network.  You are the connection that helps the other person fulfill their need.  Don’t ever get this confused, because that’s when people feel that their network has let them down. In fact the opposite is true — YOU have let down YOUR NETWORK.  You haven’t shown yourself to be trustworthy, so nobody passed along your name as a potential solution to the other person’s problem. Bitter medicine, perhaps, but that’s the way it works!

In their book, Trust Agents, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith offer a mathematic formula for trust.  (It’s not theirs originally, but that’s where I saw it, so they get the credit.) The formula goes like this:

(C x R x I) / S = T

That is, CREDIBILITY times RELIABILITY times INTIMACY, divided by SELF-ORIENTATION equals TRUST.  The key here, as I see it, is to understand that as SELF-ORIENTATION (or self-interest) increases, your TRUST factor decreases.  The more you are in it for yourself, the less trust you obtain. Networks are driven by trust.

So, the next time you feel like your network has let you down check your heart and clarify your motives.  Others can tell if you are there for yourself or for them, and they won’t tolerate it.

What’s your TRUST factor?

I got a Borders gift card for Christmas and wanted to spend it as fast as I could, so last Monday I went to see what was out there. Armed with Mashable’s list of “10 Must-Read eBooks For Social Media Lovers” (http://mashable.com/2009/12/21/must-read-ebooks/), I picked up three that looked especially promising for my purposes — Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk , Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki, and Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trustby Chris Brogan and Julien Smith . I vowed to give 20 minutes to each book, at the end of which time I would make a decision and cash-out. I’ll spare you the suspense. . . I chose Brogan and Smith.

I’ll explain why in a minute, but first a brief sidebar. As I started the process I sent a tweet asking my followers for their recommendation. Interestingly enough, @GuyKawasaki (or someone tweeting for him) shot back a reply, “all three!” As I said, I chose Brogan and Smith, so “sorry Guy” — but I have good reason, and the fact that you responded to my tweet puts you on top of the list for when I spend the Barnes and Noble card I got!

I am a Career Coach, Small Business Coach, and professional speaker. When I look for something to read I usually try to find something that will give me double mileage for my time, because, like you, I’m busy! I am currently doing a lot of work helping job seekers and small businesses integrate social media into their marketing strategy. My specialty is helping old people like me (I’ll be 50 this year) understand the value of Social Media basics like Twitter and Facebook. You see, my generation grew up without all of this fancy technology. My family had a black and white tv until I was in High School – ONE TV! There were 4 channels and we had to fight to watch our favorite shows. (Luckily, my favorite was everyone else’s favorite as well. Let’s just say we never missed a “Gilligan’s Island” re-run.)

Anyway, my generation wasn’t raised with computers. We didn’t have cell phones. My generation is skeptical, but we know that we need to learn how and why to use Social Media, if for no other reason than to keep up with our kids! Much of what I do in this space is to help my generation understand the strategic value and opportunities involved in Social Media for business and finding job opportunities. That’s why I chose Brogan and Smith. I’ve devoured Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies“ by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. I’ve drunk from the cup of professional bloggers such as Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, and Yaro Starak — I’m even a member of the “Teaching Sells” community. I have accounts at Digg.com, Technorati, and Delicious (although, admittedly. I don’t use them enough). I attend our local Wordcamp, Beer and Blog, and an ocassional SEMPdx event. I’m good friends with Joshua Waldman (affiliate link), Eric Mann (my publisher) and Pete Wright (my personal videographer) — three guys I consider to be SoMe Gurus. I’m pretty hooked on social media, but to the rest of my generation I’m a bit of an enigma. Most of us “old folks”*** are skeptical of these newfangled contraptions! I have heard on many occasions a statement that was recently made by my friend Elaine.  She said, “I don’t want everyone knowing my business.”

Well I have news for you Elaine, everyone already knows your business! Your life is an open book for all to see, all they need to do is Google your name and they can find your picture, your phone number, your home address, even the fact that you remodeled your basement to the tune of $7,500 in 2008 and took out a permit that cost you $75.00.

“Everyone already knows your business, Elaine.”

That’s the point I’m trying to make in this post. Part of my current mission is to help people raised on rotary phones and Gilligan’s Island re-runs learn the value of using social media to grow their business or find their perfect career position or simply to enhance their life. I picked up the three books mentioned above and chose the one I felt will best help me with that mission.  Vaynerchuk’s book is a great option for helping people find and live their passion.  I intend to use it in my coaching practice with job seekers, however, it didn’t quit hit the spot with my need to help my generation understand and use social media.  Kawasaki’s book (IMHO) felt like it is more aimed at the corporate enterprise than the individual. It’s got some gems, but is a little more corporate than I needed this time.  I will buy those books later, for a different purpose, just not now.  Right now, I need something that will give me the philosophical framework and language tools I need to help my generation embrace Web 2.0 and social media.  Brogan and Smith’s book does exactly that.  I think what really sold me was the little section titled: A Final Lesson: Don’t Be “That Guy” (p. 110 & following). Here’s the specific quote:

“A trust agent’s job is . . to make people feel comfortable, all the way, building deep relationships before ever asking something of others.  You should be there for THEM.”

Yep.  That’s what I need.  My generation is the generation of love, peace (and drugs).  We can understand a social media philosophy that encourages us to “be there for them.” This book is just what I need right now.

Thanks @Chrisbrogan and @julien. And sorry @guykawasaki.  Maybe next time. . .

*** [A old fella was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect.'   'Really,' answered the neighbor. 'What kind is it?'   ' Twelve thirty.']

Related Posts:

• The ABCs of Career Management
• A Day In The Life Of A Successful Job Seeker
• How To COnduct An Informational Interview

In the spirit of Late Night with David Letterman, here is my Top 10 List for Job Seekers.

10) Get out of the house. Hey, you can’t effectively conduct a job search from your home office.  Get away from the computer and go talk to somebody. Now! (Do that often enough and you won’t need to read the rest of this top 10 list.)

9) Remember, networking is NOT about YOU! Click here to read more about the importance of focusing on the other person in your networking activities.

Shine your shoes.  Even if you are just running to the 7-11 for a Slurpee, you want to dress like a professional.  You never know who you are going to meet when you are out.

7) Have a great elevator pitch. (If you aren’t sure what that is or how to get one, check out “Jim Nudelman’s 4 Step Process for Writing an Elevator Pitch.”

6) Have plenty of Business Cards / Contact Cards on hand.

5) Be memorable, and I mean this in a good way!  One guy always wears a red sweater to these events.  Then, when he contacts someone later he says, “I’m the guy in the red sweater you met last week at the networking meeting.” He’s pretty hard to forget!

4) Check your teeth before you leave the house.  You don’t want some yucky-green thing stuck between your teeth!  Bad first impression! (see #8)

3) Spend at least 90% of your time at a networking event listening and asking questions.  Remember #9, networking is NOT about YOU.

2) Go where the action is.  Lots of job seekers hang out in groups with other job seekers.  While that’s a good place to start and practice your elevator pitch, sooner or later you need to show up someplace where people who would hire you hang out.

and the number 1 tip for job seekers is . . . .

1) Have fun!  My good friend Cleon Cox III leads a job finder’s support group.  His motto is, “Have fun, meet people, and learn something.”  I agree!

Related Posts:

• What Is A Personal Brand And Why Do You Need One?
• How to Work With A Recruiter In Your Job Search
• Why A Great Resume Is Not As Important As A Decent Network

The next few posts will focus on developing your own personal brand.  We will address questions such as: “What is a personal brand?” “Why do I need to develop my personal brand?” “How do I create a personal brand?” and more. Of course, you don’t really “create” a personal brand.  You already have one.

Don’t believe me?  Google your name followed by your home town. If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile your name probably comes up on the fist page.  Perhaps you are listed in the phone book.  Maybe you have recently been mentioned in a local news article.  All of these things are part of your personal brand.

Scary? Get over it.  It’s already out there and you can’t do anything about it.  What you CAN do is manage your personal brand so that what people see about you is what you WANT them to see.

Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine (“A Brand Called You”) over 10 years ago.  He starts out the article by writing: “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

When I read that 10 years ago I implicitly KNEW that he was right but I didn’t understand HOW a person could go about creating their own personal brand.  The only brands I knew of were huge corporations with hefty advertising and marketing budgets.  What could a lone individual do to create their own personal brand?

Then along came the Internet, and social networking, and web 2.0, and Google, and . . .

Blogs, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn and many other applications entered the scene and made it virtually impossible for anyone to keep from creating a personal brand, whether they wanted to or not.

Here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand:

1. Be clear about the image you intend to project. If your have more than one message you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.
2. Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms.  For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.
3. Back up any broad statements with objective proof.  Show numbers, dates, etc. of what you have done the backs up your claim.
4. Keep it brief.  Can you state your value proposition in 10 words or less?  If not, you run the risk of being forgettable — the death nell of any brand.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll cover some more details about creating and managing your personal brand.

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 12.  Tomorrow’s post: “What Tiger Woods Can Teach You About Managing Your Personal Brand”

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”

Welcome December!  This month I am participating in a 30 Day Blogging Challenge with some other bloggers.  As you know, this blog is all about helping people find a new job. Not just any new job, mind you, but rather, the perfect career. That’s why we write about acing the interview, cutting time off your job search, and using Internet job boards (like LinkedIn, Monster.com, and Twitter).

This 30 day blog challenge will allow me to develop some new material to use in the Careers 2.0 website.  That means two things for you: 1) you get the opportunity to add your 2 cents to the conversation, and 2) you get it for free before everyone else! This blog is all about offering free job advice, free job resources, free resume examples, and much more. We deal with topics such as networking, building a personal brand, working with recruiters, unemployment, interviewing and salary negotiation. What would YOU like to see us cover during the 30 day challenge? I hope you will participate by adding your thoughts to the conversation.  Actually, it won’t be much fun without you! Oh, and don’t forget to pass the links along to your fellow job seekers.

While the long term goal of this blog is to help everyone in America find the perfect career for this time in their life, my short term goals are a bit more attainable. Here are my goals for 30 day blog challenge:

1. create 5 posts on Personal Branding as it relates to the job search.
2. create 5 posts on interviewing and interviewing tips for job seekers.
3. add 50 followers to Facebook blog list.
4. add 200 people to newsletter mailing list.
5. get 3 posts to get picked up by a national venue.

Thank you for joining (and encouraging) me on this 30 day blogging journey.  And don’t forget, happy hunting!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 1.  Tomorrow’s post: “Do You Have A Professional Photo?”