The Landing Expert

Do You Want a Job or the Right Job?

2012-02-11T12:57:00.001-08:00

As a career coach, I talk mostly with two kinds of people: employed or in transition to another job. Sadly, people in both groups have one thing in common: most of them are unhappy. For those in transition, the unhappiness is self-explanatory, but why such a high level of unhappiness for those who are lucky to have an employer?

Several recent articles cover this subject. People who still work spend longer hours at it, and they face higher levels of stress. There’s no question that employee satisfaction is at an all-time low and that it has an impact on people’s health as well as relationships with family and friends.

A 2010 study found that in the United States, 55% of employees were not satisfied with their jobs! This is the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded, and the trend toward such dissatisfaction has strengthened steadily in the past 25 years. That means that unhappiness in the workplace is not directly related to the current economic downturn.

Unhappiness at work is not isolated. Unfortunately, it affects not only the unhappy people themselves but also those surrounding them. A recent Swedish study found a direct link between one’s relationship with one’s manager and the impact that that relationship has on one’s health: men who had toxic supervisors increased their risk of heart attack by 50%. A different study revealed that people of average height who felt unhappy at work added as much as five pounds to their weight.

A different, long-term study dealing with the impact of unhappiness at work confirmed that there is a strong correlation between one’s job satisfaction and one’s life satisfaction. Clearly, our thoughts, our emotions, and our performance on the job affect our behaviors away from the job and thus are affecting our loved ones.

What a job seeker can learn from all this is that it is of utmost importance to find out about a company’s culture, about the work conditions there, and as much as possible about the person one will report to before accepting the job. The sad—but practical—part is that even if one gets a great job at a great company with a great boss, in today’s economy things change so fast, and many of those changes are totally out of the control of the employee. So, what does one need so that work life harmonizes relationships and doesn’t destroy them? Luck—lots of it.

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Four Ways Media Can Breathe Life Into a Resume

2012-02-10T16:15:00.001-08:00

The following article was written by Kyle Lagunas

In an attempt to circumvent the keyword-laden resume game, job seekers are taking a more creative approach to captivating recruiters. Rather than dropping the resume altogether, the trend seems to be a breakaway from over-automation and a return to the heart of what makes a good hire. Laurie Barkman of The Resumator explains, "We've been told for a long time, "This is how you do recruiting, and here's what matters,' but organizations are now more interested in interactions that help to determine a good fit. And more nimble organizations are looking at people beyond the resume."

Sounds nice, but what's working and what's not? There are certain guidelines that you should always follow, regardless of mode of delivery, but are candidates guidelines that you should always following up mistakes with aesthetics? Resumes and the multimedia techniques being used are essentially marketing tools--and the function they serve isn't changing. As Barkman states, "The question you have to ask yourself is, "Can multimedia enhance that message?’ “If the answer is yes, there are four channels a candidate can tap into to accomplish this:

ñAdding a Face and Voice with Video. By replacing a cover letter with a quick video pitch, job seekers can showcase skills and abilities lost in translation in a traditional resume. As Bruce Hurwitz of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing says, "Video can increase my confidence in a candidate's ability to successfully interview--Is she professional? Is she articulate?--or eliminate a candidate from consideration. “Of course, time is money, and candidates need to give recruiters a reason to keep watching. My advice: personality is great, but don't get too cute. Balance is key.

ñBringing Flat Resumes to Life with Infographics. Breaking out of the traditional resume template isn't easy without a degree in design. But presenting a recruiter with a more visually stimulating overview of experience and qualifications can go a long way in setting a candidate apart. Thankfully, it doesn't take an Adobe Illustrator savant to turn a boring old resume into an interesting infographic. Not only are these easy to create, but they're easy to share across multiple channels.

ñProviding Insights into Culture Fit via Social Media Profiles. It's no secret that recruiters investigate candidates' social media profiles to obtain a more rounded picture of the individual. Job seekers are responding to this shift in recruiting practices by beefing up their networks, expanding their professional profiles and adding recommendations on LinkedIn, driving conversations and connecting with thought leaders on Twitter, and cleaning up their Facebook profiles.

ñShowing Off on Personal Blogs. Blogs are an excellent platform for candidates to showcase their hobbies, writing and communication skills, and general interests. Think they're just for marketing candidates? Think again. Even a meat cutter at Whole Foods can run a successful butcher blog to establish expertise and share experience with an avid audience. And candidates for and candidates for artistic positions can showcase their portfolio of work.

Multimedia: Here to Stay?

The basic function of a resume isn't going anywhere. What's changing is how that function is executed. "We're not leaving behind the resume, “says Steven Savage, a technical project manager at Mobclix and a writer and speaker on geeky jobs, "but we're using it as a trigger point for more. “To that end, many college campuses are taking it upon themselves to give the next wave of workers a competitive advantage in the job market of tomorrow.

What successes have you had in using media to find work or place a candidate? What challenges do you think employers are faced with when reviewing a new form of application? Will media continue to impact the job market, or will it simply be swallowed up as one more way to stand out from the crowd?

About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice, an online resource for reviews of talent management systems and applicant tracking software. Kyle reports on trends and best practices in HR and recruiting software, offering fresh insights into the ho-hum of people processes. For further reading, you can find this article in full on his HR blog.

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The Cost and Benefits of Career Coaching

2012-02-05T13:18:00.001-08:00

So, what is career coaching? Many people nowadays use the term career coaching, but they’re not sure they understand its meaning or whether they’re using it in the right context. Any kind of coaching consists of the practice of supporting an individual or a group that has the objective of reaching a predetermined goal or goals. Coaching is a very broad term encompassing a variety of types such as business, career, conflict, executive, personal life, religion, and sports coaching.

Career coaching revolves around job-related issues. Many people use the expressions career coaching, career counseling, and career consulting interchangeably but without really understanding the differences between those terms. In fact, among the three terms there is a fair amount of overlap.

A career coach asks lots of questions to diagnose issues that need attention, focuses primarily on the client’s agenda, and works with the client on the skills needed to achieve the objectives. The process is brief and commonly accomplished via short sessions and sometimes even via phone or Skype.

A career counselor provides answers and information. It is logic that drives this process, which uses standardized assessment tools. Counselors typically meet with clients face-to-face at regular, predetermined time intervals.

A career consultant resolves problems by meeting frequently with clients at the consultant’s workplace, and the engagement is project based.

Even within career coaching there are subspecialties. Some coaches specialize in helping clients learn how to apply job search tools; others cover aspects of clients’ marketing of themselves; and still others teach social media presence and the use of LinkedIn, Twitter, and the like. I myself am a career coach specializing in preparing clients for interviews. About 70% of my work consists of performing mock interviews with clients, but a goodly portion also helps clients with myriad other career-coaching issues.

For some job seekers, the cost of career coaching can be a significant barrier. Career coaching is of course a service—one that is purchased the way similar professional services are. For instance, most people see a doctor when they’re sick; or they hire a lawyer when they need legal counseling; or they have their tax filing prepared by an accounting professional if they don’t know how to do it.

Career coaching is a profession similar to the professions of plumbers, electricians, accountants, and so on. All of those professionals invest in their careers in order to support themselves, and so, they rightfully expect to be compensated financially by clients or customers.

In my opinion, the cost of career coaching should be made explicit at the outset; and the most expedient way to announce it is via the coach’s Web site. The cost should be made transparent because clients have the right to know up front what they’ll end up paying for such a service. I’d be very suspicious if the cost is not spelled out. What is there to hide? What other surprises can a client expect? Frankly, job seekers should not engage career coaches without checking out whether such coaches have been recommended by others. And I’d question the quality of a coach’s services if no testimonials or LinkedIn recommendations are available.

In researching career-coaching costs, I’ve found it interesting that sessions vary in length from 45 minutes to 50 minutes to 60 minutes and that charges vary, too—from, say, $75 to more than $200 per session. My advice is that a prospective client look not at cost per session but at total cost and then compare that with how the client would profit from the service.

Above all, what would the likely outcome be if such a service is not used? By working with a career coach, clients speed up the job search process, work with a pro, get unbiased feedback, stay on track, and, by the end, will have learned how to negotiate a better compensation package that would cover the cost of the career coaching—often severalfold!

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Can Body Language Be Learned?

2012-01-24T08:56:00.001-08:00

Ten minutes after I meet with a coaching client for the first time, the client is facing my video camera for 60 to 90 seconds. Then we watch the video together. Differently from in real life and because we have modern technology, I can separate the impression—and the client’s image—from the spoken words. I simply turn the speakers off so I don’t get influenced by the video’s verbal content and context. This is a powerful experience, one that provides rich information. In most cases a client can use that information for improving job interview skills and then can apply the newly learned skills during a job interview. Most people are awestruck by their video experience. In less than two minutes, people can see for themselves how they’re perceived by others—something they couldn’t have known before.

Albert Mehrabian, currently UCLA professor emeritus of psychology, published his findings on inconsistent communication of feelings and attitudes and on the relative importance of verbal messages and nonverbal messages. He devised what’s known as the 55%-38%-7% rule. Professor Mehrabian’s basic tenet is that when we communicate with other people, we’re being judged to the extent of 55% by our nonverbal behavior such as body language and facial expression, 38% by our tone of voice, and only the remaining 7% by the actual words we speak and their context. Moreover, if the words we use are incongruent with our body language and tonality, then the other person tends to believe more in what he sees and hears and less in the meaning of the words.

When we interview, our body language says a lot about us and about our emotional state; and poor body language often sends the message that we’re stressed or fearful. But even before the interview interaction begins, the interviewer looks at your face, your hair, your clothes, and the image you’re projecting. Thus, he forms an opinion about you before you’ve even had a chance to formally meet.

The interviewer observes your body language and interprets it quickly, knowing at once whether you’re scared, passive, under- qualified, or something else. If you say the wrong thing, the interviewer can forgive that, but if your body language says something different from what you actually say—for example, you say you’re a person who works well in stressful situations, but your body language betrays the fact that you’re indeed stressed; or, for another example, you say you’re confident, but your body language again betrays the fact that you’re not—well, those are things an interviewer knows you can’t change.

Following are a few body language mistakes to avoid during a job interview.

· Crossing your arms, which suggests you’re either overconfident or uncomfortable

· Lack of eye contact, especially while the interviewer is talking

· Not smiling, which makes you appear nervous or unfriendly

· Hiding your hands, because the interviewer will want to interpret how open and honest you are by looking at your hands

The only way to improve correspondence between the words you say and what your body language says is to prepare for the interview and practice, practice, and practice some more. It’s best to practice interviewing with someone who can point out to you your areas of deficiency and can guide you in making improvements.

While on a job interview, you’re nothing other than an actor onstage. Just think about how much preparation it takes to perform on Broadway.

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Can Body Language Be Learned?

2012-01-24T07:42:00.001-08:00

The interviewer observes your body language and interprets it quickly, knowing at once whether you’re scared, passive, underqualified, or something else. If you say the wrong thing, the interviewer can forgive that, but if your body language says something different from what you actually say—for example, you say you’re a person who works well in stressful situations, but your body language betrays the fact that you’re indeed stressed; or, for another example, you say you’re confident, but your body language again betrays the fact that you’re not—well, those are things an interviewer knows you can’t change.

Following are a few body language mistakes to avoid during a job interview.

Crossing your arms, which suggests you’re either overconfident or uncomfortable

· Lack of eye contact, especially while the interviewer is talking

· Not smiling, which makes you appear nervous or unfriendly

· Hiding your hands, because the interviewer will want to interpret how open and honest you are by looking at your hands

The only way to improve correspondence between the words you say and what your body language says is to prepare for the interview and practice, practice, and practice some more. It’s best to practice interviewing with someone who can point out to you your areas of deficiency and can guide you in making improvements.

While on a job interview, you’re nothing other than an actor onstage. Just think about how much preparation it takes to perform on Broadway.

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How the Illogical Process of Hiring Can Help YOU

2012-01-14T16:43:00.001-08:00

So, finally, you receive a call to schedule an interview.

All your efforts have paid off. A person calls you to schedule another interview. This is a huge compliment! You were selected from dozens or, at times, hundreds of people who applied for the very same position. You typically feel elated on one hand and apprehensive on the other. The reason is clear. You know that the real test lies in the interview process.

Even if you think you interview well (because you’ve gotten jobs in the past!), the interview represents a big challenge. Over the past several years, the business climate has changed dramatically, and at the same time, the market has gotten flooded with highly qualified candidates. Interviewing is a skill that can be improved through hard work and preparation. There are so many applicants for only one opening that the process has become extremely competitive. You need to outshine your competition. Unless you kept your job search skills honed in on job market developments, you’ll most likely need to improve in this area.

So, what to do? You can do your own research and preparation via the Internet. Millions do so, but that process can take weeks or even months. Instead, you could hire a career coach! The career coach’s job is to prepare you for the upcoming competition. Such coaching will shorten your search as well as teach you how to do things right and how to avoid making costly or even, at times, fatal mistakes. The coach might also assist you in negotiating a better compensation package, which will more than make up for what you paid for coaching services.

Think of it in terms of sports: All professional athletes have coaches even though professional athletes are highly skilled. Why is this? Since the coach has no bias, he will point out to you not only your strong points but also your areas needing improvement. He will guide you to attainment of your goal.

What’s important to the hiring manager?

A hiring manager considers several factors. For example, he will review your professional background and your career progression. He’s also going to question your accomplishments as described on your resume. Be prepared to elaborate on those accomplishments once prompted in your interview. In addition, of course, your education and credentials will likely weigh heavily.

It is a huge plus for you if you were referred by a trusted source. Why is that? It’s because the roles in the interview process are well defined: This is a transaction between you and the hiring manager. You are tantamount to a salesperson with the intent to sell yourself. The hiring manager is the buyer. His job is to select among several salesperson candidates. He is not inclined to buy everything the salesperson wants to sell. However, if a trusted person recommended you, then the hiring manager’s scrutiny is significantly minimized, thus dramatically increasing your chances of being hired.

What happens at an interview?

In preparing for a big interview, it might be helpful to take on the mind-set of someone who has just finished one. After an interview is over, you will have many questions in your mind: How did you do? Were you able to provide the right answers? Defend your liabilities? And convince the hiring manager that in your past positions you not only did what he needs done but, more important, also did it successfully? Was that job performance successful because you said so? Or because it was recognized by others? Recognition by others is what convinces a hiring manager that you performed with distinction.

Once the interview is over, you must follow up. Your thank-you letter should address any questions the interviewer may have about your candidacy. It’s up to you to find out what they are. When you’re asked, “So, do you have any questions for me?” ask the interviewer about your candidacy for the position. After all of this, the only big issue remaining to be addressed is whether you’d fit harmoniously into the organization. This fit issue has a lot to do with the chemistry between a candidate and a hiring manager.

So, why is the hiring process illogical?

As you can see, today’s hiring process is lengthy. A candidate uses logic throughout the application process, but the involvement of many people over such a long time can sometimes lead to an illogical result. Furthermore, in most of the cases of rejection, the truth is not revealed to the candidate because of the potential trigger of a lawsuit. Therefore, the only logical conclusion from the candidate’s point of view is that the process is illogical. However, an understanding of the entire process can equip you and help you through.

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The Trauma of Unemployment

2012-01-06T07:10:00.001-08:00

The emotional stress associated with unemployment is understood only by those who are unemployed. Often, even people closely associated with the unemployed such as spouses or other family members don’t fathom the emotional pressure and pain that settles in on those without sources of income and places to go to called work.

Unfortunately, some jobless people stay in transition for a long time. Today the main reason is usually the current economic condition, but it isn’t the reason all the time. In fact, some people get quickly transplanted into new jobs, but others get held back due to their lack of a solid plan and inability to make decisions. Have you noticed that some people procrastinate decision making and agonize even over the simplest kinds of decisions? For example, some people take forever to make a menu choice in a restaurant, while others wait impatiently for the last person to decide. Or, maybe you had a boss who couldn’t make even ordinary decisions and who constantly maneuvered just to avoid the need to make the decision? There are reasons that such phenomena exist and I’m certainly not competent to attempt to provide those reasons, but through my work as a career coach I see such indecision at times with my clients.

So, how can a career coach help with such issues? Well, it’s not the job of the career coach to conduct a session like a psychologist would. And sometimes even psychologists don’t know how to or neither prepared nor qualified to. A career coach, though, can at least help narrow down the choices and assist in the decision-making process by, say, guiding clients to the right personality assessment tests, or by listening carefully to clients’ affinities or certain successes from the past, or, if appropriate, by guiding clients to other recommended professionals with advanced degrees like Ph.D.’s who are expert in counseling regarding career, job search, and workplace issues.

Honestly, most people don’t know what they want in terms of a job unless they see it in context. People can’t predict the advantages and disadvantages of a profession or a job unless they can somehow identify with it. Perhaps a friend or someone else can tell them the good, the bad, and the ugly about it. And even in that case, the future is highly unpredictable. I’m sure that at one time or another, you asked someone for an opinion of the company the person worked at. And I’m equally sure you received an answer. But was that answer a valid one? Or was it only that person’s opinion about the boss? Certainly, if the boss treats us nicely, we’ll say the entire company is great! And if the opposite is true, the entire company stinks! Everything’s always relative, isn’t it.

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Is Fear a Part of Your Professional Life?

2011-12-24T02:29:00.001-08:00

During my work with job seekers or those contemplating a job/career change, I evaluate the amount of fear that drives—or paralyzes—my clients. To some extent, all of them exhibit fear originated by some threat—or so they perceive. For a person out of a job, that feeling is not only a perception but also, unfortunately, a reality. The normal human body has a built-in mechanism to protect itself from such an emotion by either confronting it or running away from it. It’s also known as the fight-or-flight response. In more-extreme situations, such fear leads to anxiety, but I’ll let a mental-health professional explain that one.

Conversely, a few clients indeed become energized by fear resulting from lack of employment. Their adrenaline levels rise sharply, and they’re ready to attack. They see opportunities coming out of this employment change, and nothing stops them from getting to their next assignment. They exhibit a go-getter mentality and thrive on even small incremental successes. However, the majority of those I see react to their unknown futures by clamming up and thus thinking they’re protecting themselves during this vulnerable stage of their life. I vividly remember my own situation during a transition. My entire attitude could have been described as, “The answer is no, so what’s your question?” It’s a shame that our emotions and our logic are not always congruent.

In working with people who at times seem paralyzed due to their new, jobless reality, I try to clearly understand what’s behind the obvious fact that they don’t have jobs. That understanding is typically complex and intertwined with other, tangled elements. For example, embarrassment vis-à-vis family and friends, or self-humiliation as a parent unable to financially support a child who wants and deserves a college education, or, perhaps, aggravation of an already bad spousal relationship due to the inability to contribute to basic family finances for an extended period. And the list can go on and on.

In such a situation, my solution is to attempt to provide clients with (1) job search tools, (2) exposure to and familiarity with the job search process, (3) ample amounts of mock interviewing that increase clients’ knowledge and experience, and above all, (4) listening as they talk about their pain, and (5) an understanding of all they’re going through. Another tactic that’s proved successful is helping clients learn to divert their attention to something positive. For example, clients can learn to network effectively in order to establish new relationships with people who may be able to help them and whom in turn they can help. Clients can also learn to discuss volunteering opportunities that not only could lead to a job but in the interim could help job seekers mingle with other people. And, more often than not, volunteers could hear again the words “Thanks for a job well done”—a sentiment that for a while has probably been absent from their lives.

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So Tell Me, What Are Your Weaknesses?

2011-12-19T12:57:00.003-08:00

This is one of the most dreaded interview questions, but if you understand the reason interviewers ask it and what they’re looking to uncover, you’ll see that you can certainly prepare for it.

The question about your weaknesses comes fairly soon after the interview begins and typically after such a question as, What are your accomplishments? or What are your strengths? Those two questions—if delivered correctly—let you sell yourself. They’re positive questions. Then—to contrast them—comes the awkward question about weaknesses. This question is not easy for the interviewer to ask, and it’s even more difficult for most people to answer.

So, what is the interviewer after? He wants to test several things: at face value, he hopes you won’t be so very honest as to provide a blatantly and hugely negative weakness that cancels your candidacy. An example would be an accountant who admits not liking working with numbers. The interviewer’s also going to weigh whether your answer could have a potential consequence in the future. You’ll also be watched carefully to determine whether the words you say and the communication your body language conveys are aligned or are contradictory.

Above all, the interviewer wants to see whether you present as an honest individual with a capability for healthy reasoning. This is probably the most important aspect of all. The reason is that a dishonest person or a person who does not exercise good judgment puts the hiring manager in danger. And that could have significant consequences not only for the candidate but also for the hiring manager, the hiring manager’s boss, and probably several others in the chain of command—all the way to the CEO, depending on the severity of the issue.

Two concrete examples come to mind. The first incident happened in 2008, when a French trader at major bank Société Général caused a loss of some $7 billion through an allegedly unauthorized trade. The trader was tried in court, but beyond that, several of his supervisors got dragged into the mess as well. The other example—which has just started unfolding through the media—is the alleged sexual misconduct of a coach at Penn State University. The issue caused the firing of a very well-respected and long-tenured university president; the school’s head coach, Joe Paterno, who had been revered for decades; and several other senior executives at the school.

So, the question remains: What is a good answer? Simply put, any answer that conveys honesty and healthy reasoning is a good answer. But to make your response even better, I suggest that between hearing the question and giving your answer, you pause for three to five seconds, take your eye away from the interviewer in order to pretend that you’re thinking of a reply, and then look the interviewer in the eyes because that kind of body language projects honesty. Then you should recount an incident that happened sometime in the past and that you’ve had a chance to correct since. Then add that moreover, you’re now so good at whatever the surmounted weakness was, that others in your organization seek out your advice on this subject. Turn lemon into lemonade.

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How to Choose a Career Coach

2011-12-19T12:57:00.001-08:00

I am a practicing career coach, and at every year-end, I summarize my annual accomplishments as measured by how many people I helped and what percentage of them landed. In practicing Six Sigma principles in my career coaching, one of the ones I especially take to heart is CIP, which stands for Continuous Improvement Process. That means, I keep asking myself what I could do better for my clients in the future.

Another of the principles is measurement of performance, and in this case, my own personal performance. While doing that I’m checking out my competition to see whether my fees are aligned with those of others in the same field. This is always an amazing exercise that constantly keeps me wondering. Basically, I, too, do what many people do when searching for help with their careers: seek assistance from a coach (1) to improve a résumé, (2) to acquire the skills needed for interview preparation, or (3) to get general career guidance. I simply Google some terms such as career coaching and add a state or city. Such searches typically result in several similar service providers.

And now the real fun—and frustration—start. If I were a job seeker who landed on a career coach’s Web site, naturally I would like to get some basic impressions and information. After all, how else could I make a judgment? The problem is that most Web sites are inferior and lacking. Many of them use stock photos of, say, a handshake or some attractive young people. I would rather see a picture of the person I may want to hire and work with.

Another major problem I see is that many if not most of the Web sites are overwhelming: the landing page is confusing and uninviting because it has way too much information and offers way too many options. Job seekers want simplicity, order, and guidance, yet typically, they encounter inordinate amounts of information. I think this is a classic case where simplicity is attractive and where less is more. Career coaches help job seekers communicate eloquently and concisely, But the evidence via most of such Web sites proves the contrary. I speak with many of my counterparts and business friends. Most of them admit that their Web sites are not producing as they expected.

So what should a job seeker look for when searching for a career coach? Above all, nothing beats personal recommendations. So, testimonials and LinkedIn recommendations are essential. But of course, career coaches would not post less-than-spectacular testimonials. Next, the Web site should be clear, not confusing, and easy to get answers from regarding the services provided, the ways the services would benefit a job seeker, how to contact the service provider directly by phone, where the service provider is operating from, and the fees for each type of service. Are there any contracts to be signed? any up-front fees to be paid? any short- or long-term commitments to be signed. These are some of the basic and elementary pieces of information a job seeker needs before making a decision.

For those of you who are job seekers or are contemplating making a job change, I suggest you gather as much competitive information as you can, definitely talk with your potential career coach before making your first appointment in order to make sure there’s good chemistry between the two of you. Make sure you’ll be getting what you need and that the fees are competitive. Don’t go by price alone, because then you may end up with the proverbial “You get what you pay for.” Don’t be too impressed with academic degrees, courses, and certificates. I myself once used a coach who had two master’s degrees, had taken many relevant courses, and displayed wallpaper-like posts of certificates. Regrettably, the individual’s services turned out to be worthless yet very costly! Do your homework. Make your decision. And make sure you feel good about it.

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Are you just looking for a job, or do you have a campaign going?

2011-11-30T17:07:00.001-08:00

No one needs to reiterate that today’s is a difficult job market that is unprecedented in recent times or that regrettably, many people are looking for jobs for extended amounts of time—sometimes for years! As a career coach, I often work with such people, and I notice that they have things in common: None of them have a well-thought-out career management plan. None of them have a thorough and well-integrated career search campaign. Most are just looking for a job. When I try to diagnose where the problem is, I find universally that (1) they continue practicing what worked for them in the past; (2) they follow what other job seekers have suggested to them; (3) most of them are simply lost because of not knowing what to do next and are borderline depressed due to their repeated failures to generate positive activity; and (4) they do not have a plan containing a series of certain specific activities that are necessary for them to accomplish in order to reach the goal.

If interested, you can find such a road map of activities on my Web site, www.landingexpert.com. Look first under Resources and then look for the chart in Landing Expert Tools.

This article cannot cover all of the information I recently presented to a group of job seekers for over an hour, but here is the essence of it. The four elements of a successful job search process are:

The creation of a marketing plan
The preparation of job search tools
The physical marketing of oneself
A continuous plan for improving the process

While creating the marketing plan, you should first learn about yourself. Second, you should assess your marketable skills. Next, you should learn the ways of finding a job in today’s marketplace. And last, you should map out what you want to do. This is the stage in which to engage a career coach. Hiring a career coach will speed up the process, and you’ll learn from a pro, get unbiased feedback, will be kept on track, and acquire the skills for negotiating an equitable compensation plan.

The next major campaign objective is to have an excellent résumé. Good and very good résumés get failing grades in today’s economy because plenty of excellent résumés are available. I strongly suggest using a recommended professional résumé writer. While such professionals are not cheap, an excellent one is worth every penny. Professional résumé writers provide your key for unlocking the door to an interview. Otherwise, you’ll just be praying to be called in, and that can take a long time. Once your résumé is completed, you need to develop your little vignettes and success stories. At this point, you’ll need to learn how to work with a select group of recruiters, how to use job boards, and how to establish a system for keeping track of all of your activities via a searchable form; Excel works well for this.

The difficult part starts now. You need to market yourself by associating with job search networking groups. Those who live within a distance of, say, a hundred miles from New York, can profit from the comprehensive list of job search networking groups found on the landing page at www.landingexpert.com. Self-marketing includes good collaterals such as strong cover letters, a persuasive elevator speech, a detailed LinkedIn profile, and effective use of LinkedIn. Joining Yahoo! groups and LinkedIn groups could prove helpful as well. And last, you need to identify your target companies and go after them ferociously.

Now comes the last step, which is to continue improving the process. This includes embellishing your list of success stories and frequently practicing mock interviewing.

As you can see, this is a rigorous and demanding career campaign plan. To be good at it, you have to devote at the very least 40 hours a week; and that doesn’t include time spent commuting to meetings. By following this plan, you’ll get not only the satisfaction of accomplishment but also the distinct possibility of favorable results. Good luck to you!

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Thinking of Getting a Job?

2011-11-27T08:19:00.001-08:00

The title of this article applies both to those who already have jobs and to others who vie for jobs. So, let’s think first about what it takes to hold on to a job versus getting a new one. At least three conditions must be met for holding on to a job: (1) You must have the skills. (2) You must get along with the boss. (3) You must get positive peer and customer reviews. For getting a new job: (1) Your résumé must intrigue the reader for further exploration. (2) Your résumé must make a strong first impression. (3) Your résumé must exude confidence. (4) You must possess excellent interviewing skills. Which is harder nowadays: holding on to a job or getting a new job? The answer is, both are equally hard.

Why is it so important to interview well? The answer is that interviewing is a competitive art. Indeed, it has an acting component that requires your beating the competition by convincing the interviewer you’re the ideal candidate. It’s a fact that interviewers are biased, subjective, and influenced by preconceived ideas. It’s also known that nice guys finish last. One person is getting the job, and all the rest are losers.

Many job candidates feel nervous during interviews. Nervousness is caused by focusing on self. Once the candidate focuses on the other party, nervousness disappears! Practice mock interviewing till you’re confident about both content and delivery. It would be very helpful to know in advance what’s important to the interviewer. Surveys show that for hiring managers, the most important thing is to ensure that a candidate would fit well into the corporate culture. Next, the interviewer wants to see a candidate’s passion and excitement for the opportunity. It’s important to have superior oral communication skills and other communication skills such as body language, steady eye contact, and assertiveness. A candidate should be well groomed and in proper attire. During the interview, a candidate should be able to convey being a good match for the job description, to express having the required technical skills, and to show thorough knowledge of employer.

To be successful at an interview, try thinking like the interviewer. The interviewer knows you’re there to sell yourself, but he’s not ready to buy everything you want to sell. He’s open to buying only when you relay facts or when someone else provides information about you.

There’s one question you can count on being asked: Do you have any questions for me? When prompted by this critical question, you must ask some good ones. Good questions propel you to the next stage; bad ones fail you. For instance, don’t ask questions that involve your own personal agenda. Being prompted for questions is a sign that the interviewer now has all the information wanted and needed about you. At that point, he is eager to move on. Good questions cover the favorability of your candidacy, the traits that are important for the job, and what the interviewer perceives might be difficult for a new employee in the initial period. Don’t ask questions you were supposed to previously find the answers to on your own. After the interview—based on the information you gained through answers to your own questions—you’ll be very able to present a compelling case via the composition of your thank-you letter.

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If There's No Work, What to Do Next?

2011-11-13T04:09:00.001-08:00

Today’s weak economy has changed the psychology of hiring. During past weak economic times, companies might hire temps, and once the economy gained strength permanent hiring ensued. We have not yet seen that pattern, and there are no signs that it’s on its way. The situation has caused various and serious difficulties for most of the unemployed people—in particular, for some who usually have difficulty in making decisions of any sort. Such people have an extra burden this time around because they are sitting ducks waiting for miracles to happen. They are occupationally paralyzed.

So, as the title of this article asks, if there’s no work, what to do next? Well, there are a number of solutions. The first is to engage a professional career coach who could help sort things out by establishing a plan of action and holding the person in transition accountable, by assisting in refinement of the person’s résumé, by teaching networking and social media skills, and even by providing collaterals such as cover letters. However, not in all cases is a career coach the complete answer. Perhaps a coach’s intervention might be appropriate later on, but first, in some situations the person’s condition requires a different approach.

Certain experienced professionals with advanced academic degrees specialize in helping people better understand themselves, as well as help people find options and develop career plans. Their overarching goals are to give their clients a better sense of career options to research and consider and then to offer instruction on how to begin that research process. Then they teach clients to evaluate their options in light of their constraints. Together the two can also work on goal setting and planning when the client is struggling with those aspects of the career development process.

The assessment portion is fundamental to the process, and its value lies in (1) providing additional pieces for the career-decision-making puzzle and (2) guiding a client’s selection of optimal strategies for completing that puzzle. Sometimes the assessment process (which includes the initial interview) suggests there are important pieces to the puzzle that are not specific to an exploration of career options and that must be added to the mix before goal setting and planning can be done effectively. In those cases, the professional can suggest other options or resources before continuing.

The way I see it, the biggest problems are a false sense of hope and not realizing that one is stuck in indecision over the next step. Sometimes it takes weeks or even months before the pain becomes unbearable. By then, the person’s financial reserves may have dwindled, and spousal support may have weakened—even morphing into antagonism. Such waiting and waiting exacerbates the core issue, and solutions become more difficult to reverse and overcome.

Employers that sift through their many viable applicants prefer to go with those who are employed or have been in transition for only a relatively short time. Their thinking is that if a person’s been out of work for an extended period, there must be some problem with that person—a problem they have no time to explore. And they thus move on to the next candidate. Once the head count and budgets have been approved, good companies make decisions fast. And so should you.

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Confronting Aging and Work-Related Issues

2011-11-09T10:42:00.001-08:00

Asked to leave or fired: it really doesn’t matter what you call it. Come Monday morning, and there’s no place to go to work. Many people face that predicament, and the first thing that comes to their mind—for some at least—is that the culprit is their age. A new and younger generation is pushing them out the door.

True or false, whichever the case may be, there are indeed a few facts behind the notion: Some longer-tenured folks exhibit less energy, lose the ability to learn, and lack the agility to deal with new technology. They resist change, relying more and more on others rather than being hands-on. Their relationship with the current, younger boss might not be what it was in past with the previous boss. And less and less are they being asked to participate and contribute in teams. In many cases, their physical appearance, clothing, and eyeglasses might be pointing to their age as continuous reminders. You as a reader know precisely whom I’m describing. And if you happen to be inching toward becoming this type of hypothetical individual, I suggest you take action now! So, what to do?

First, never give up. Keep your eyes open for other opportunities. In days gone by, working for the same company for a long time was viewed favorably. Nowadays, employers are looking for people experienced in a number of industries and who have wide varieties of experience. Keep in shape physically and mentally. Replace your wardrobe if that’s what it might take. Include physical fitness in your daily routine. And read a lot on a variety of subjects; you want people to admire you for your knowledge and expertise. Plus, nowadays there are opportunities everywhere to take a variety of free classes for enriching your knowledge of new technologies, software, and the like.

While in transition, you should volunteer not only to get out of the house but also to mingle with people, demonstrate your flexibility, and show you’re still capable of making quick decisions. Never talk about retirement. Don’t give people the idea that retirement is something you’re thinking about. Whenever you can, demonstrate your problem-solving ability; employers are always looking for problem solvers. If you have noncorporate experience in leadership, you should surface that in your communications and interactions with others.

People more advanced in age have at least two advantages over younger people: their very age and their professional experience. Make those into differentiators and turn them into assets.

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Does anybody know her?

2011-10-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

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What the Interviewer Wants to Know about You

2011-10-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

Interviewers have a specific function to perform. They need to go through a selection process that identifies which one of the candidates called in for interviewing is the best one. But what does best mean in this context? What are the criteria involved in making this complex evaluation? After all, people are complex too, and decoding and interpreting all the input and evaluating it through interviewers’ own prejudices and biases make this task even more compound. So, here are several general needs the interviewer is trying to satisfy via the job interview process.

· Basics: By means of basic types of questions an interviewer wants to ensure that you have the minimum standard for using sound judgment and that you have key skills being looked for. A typical question might be, What can you tell me about yourself?

· Broad-brush issues: Here you’re being tested for self-awareness, character, integrity, honesty, and values. In other words, you’re being tested for your fit into what the interviewer deems normal, such as via your appearance, attire, demeanor, rapport building, attitude, and behavior? A sample question might be, What are your strengths or weaknesses?

· The next area the interviewer will want to explore is whether you have talent. That means innate ability, aptitude, flair, and capacity for achievement. A question for testing this particular trait might be, Do you see yourself as a winner? Do others?

· The interviewer may want to test your competence by evaluating how you think and perform, the quality of your answers versus those of other applicants, and whether you exhibit growth potential. A typical question might be, What was the best decision you’ve made?

· The interviewer might ask about your accomplishments. This isn’t a question about what you did but what you achieved. And it’s asked in order to determine whether you have a desire to plan, execute, and win; whether you have potential for significant results; and whether you have the ability to overcome challenges. Such a question might be, What would you do in the first 90 days after hire?

· It is known that for the hiring manager, one of the most important factors is the determination of whether you’d fit into that manager’s department and the organization. That means would you adapt to the company culture, would you integrate and assimilate into a certain management style, would you be a good team member, and what your personal work style is. The hiring manager might ask a question such as, What is your management style? Or what do you know about our company?

· And last, the interviewer wants to evaluate whether you’re an enthusiastic person? That means can you show authentic excitement about the opportunity? Do you have a fire in your belly? Do you have the passion of a winner and the ability to energize the team? A typical question might be, Why are you interested in this job?

As you can see, a job interview is identical to any competition. In this case, the person who’s best prepared to answer such questions is going to end up being the best candidate and the one who crosses the finish line first. Congratulations!

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No MBA? No Problem

2011-10-15T16:01:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, a high school diploma was enough to get a good executive job. Today, the quality of the MBA degree itself has become determinative. Current expectation is that a high-level manager demonstrate strong technical skills, mastery of soft skills, and extensive abilities to manage, influence, interface with, and negotiate with a wide variety of people both within and outside the company as well as—at the same time—manage a personal career. Today’s MBA programs teach things that cannot commonly be mastered on the job, such as statistics, finance, marketing, and managerial economics.

One way of differentiating between the various types of MBAs is by the kinds of programs they offer. There’s the executive MBA, or EMBA, program, which accepts experienced and accomplished managers as students. There are the top-tier MBA programs, such as those offered by Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, and the Wharton School. And there are the rest, which is not to say that some of them are not offering excellent programs, but they’re simply not considered among the well-recognized top-tier ones.

So, from the employer’s point of view, how important is an MBA? The answer is, it depends. A client of mine in the late 20s and a recent Wharton MBA graduate in marketing was offered a starting annual salary of $145,000. In that case, the hiring company considered this individual a high-potential candidate—if for nothing else but just judging by that starting salary. Other clients of mine—also top-tier MBAs with several years of experience—are struggling to find jobs. The MBA degree is more important (1) soon after graduation and (2) when the individual is seeking promotion or different employment with a current employer. Later on, what becomes important is the significance of the person’s accomplishments.

Certainly, an MBA is a positive discriminator, but those considering enrolling in an MBA program should clearly understand what it takes. Consideration should be given to reputations of school and professors, school location and size, school mission, program length, class sizes, student-faculty ratio, and, ultimately, the school’s graduates’ levels of success in terms of getting jobs both upon graduation and afterward.

Note that an MBA can also be considered a liability: First of all, by having an MBA, one automatically belongs to a different class of employees. Next, fewer jobs are available when an MBA is a prerequisite. And the impression in the eyes of employers is that job applicants with MBAs require higher pay. Despite all of those potential negatives, though, I recommend getting an advanced degree if at all possible. More often than not, it will ultimately pay handsome dividends.

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You Would Expect Executives to Know

2011-09-24T13:50:00.001-07:00

In America, people are generally very busy—especially higher-ups—and many of them are good at what they’re doing. You might expect they’d continue being good at it even after losing their jobs—that is, in terms of finding the next assignment. But as a career coach who deals with them daily, I find that my expectations are by far not met. Many of the job seekers I coach remind me of the overused expression “deer in the headlights.” They seem to be caught off guard and can’t or don’t know how to take the next step. This despite the fact that while working, they were making ongoing major decisions all the time. It is just amazing!

Many of them react (mistakenly) to their intuition. They’re not taking into consideration, though, that the business world has changed significantly and that the competition for openings is unprecedented. Many start out with old-style résumés, and it takes them weeks if not months to realize that such résumés no longer work to get them hired the way they did in the past. Today, only outstanding résumés are generating employers’ reactions. The business connections today’s job seekers used to feel good about have fizzled out because those job seekers are no longer decision makers, and the authority and power they once wielded have disappeared with the loss of their jobs.

The American job market is changing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in America, 120 million employees work for 8 million employers. Lots of jobs, right? Well, 60% of all of those employers have fewer than 10 employees each. But new jobs are being created all the time: 32% are new ones, and 68% are replacement jobs for employees who died, moved, got promoted, or retired. Approximately 40% of job openings are filled by selecting from internal candidates. On top of all that, some jobs just plain fade away, while others are being newly created. Technological innovations change job demands; and skills that were very useful in the past have migrated to different sets of skills, yet people are not prepared for the situation.

For example, in the future there will be great demand for management analysts and medical secretaries, while file clerk and payroll clerk jobs will diminish in demand. In the fields of science and engineering, we will see decreased demand for mechanical and electrical engineers, while the need for network system administrators and network system analysts will grow rapidly. All of those changes will require retooling not only of employees’ and job seekers’ skills but also in the education and selection of job candidates.

Most people I talk to indicate they’re looking for jobs at large companies. The companies with 500 or more employees employ only 19% of the workforce. Better job-landing chances lie with the 26% of companies that employ 100 to 499 employees. And the best chances are at the 55% with fewer than 100 employees.

It’s clear that in today’s job market, finding a suitable job is extremely challenging. The guidance I provide for my clients is based on several principles.

Create an outstanding résumé.
Develop a doable and achievable job search plan.
Network ad infinitum, since 60 to 80% of job placements result from connections.
Practice answering interview questions with someone—preferably a professional career coach.
Learn the tools of social media, and use them to your advantage.
Be dedicated and relentless about the job search. There are very few miracles happening nowadays in this regard.

When all is said and done, most people will find jobs. When, where, and in what capacities still remain, unfortunately, unanswered.

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How an Informational Interview Can Lead to a Job

2011-09-12T16:01:00.001-07:00

The real danger hovering over the heads of some people in transition is the fact that they’re headed toward a cul-de-sac and don’t even know it. More and more articles point out that the business world is changing rapidly; new jobs are being created; and some old jobs are fading away. Regrettably, the jobs being eliminated do not appear on major publications’ front pages to announce that fact. The elimination of jobs does not happen universally everywhere at the same time. The symptoms that such a thing is happening get validated via an endless job search. And that’s where the danger comes in.

For people who experience long job searches, it’s good practice to (1) keep their eyes open for opportunities for related careers that would use their transferable skills or (2) look in a new direction all together. To facilitate that, they can consider searching for new venues via informational interviews. They shouldn’t make the mistake of asking for an informational interview only as an excuse to get in while in reality looking for a position that may be open. While the objective of a candidate in a job interview is to sell himself, the primary objective of an informational interview is to explore opportunities for a change in career. Via an informational interview, one can learn about the pros and the cons of that job, find out what skills are mandatory in order to be successful, what kind of training is required, what is the typical career path and what kind of compensation ranges are customary for a debutant.

If you’re interested in having an informational interview, you should try to schedule it during the day at a mutually convenient time. Most often, you’ll be invited to the organization’s office. Make sure you’re attired properly for the occasion. And remember that this is not a job interview. Forget the suit with the white shirt and tie. Make sure from the get-go that you’re not sending the wrong message. It would look very professional if you come prepared with questions and, possibly, an agenda that you prepared ahead of time. Feel free to take notes to the extent that that’s helpful to you. It is expected that you’ll of course be courteous toward your host, so to begin with, turn off your mobile phone!

You should set a time frame for this informational interview, and when the time is up, you should prepare to leave. An informational interview should be a dialogue wherein you’re mainly listening and the other party is talking. After all, that’s the whole purpose. And of course, a nice thank-you letter following the meeting is more than appropriate: it’s a must.

An informational interview can provide a wealth of knowledge for someone who wants to migrate to a different field. And oftentimes, a host can become so impressed with the candidate that eventually such a meeting could evolve into a full-time position. Go for it. Don’t expect that someone will drop a wonderful position in your lap.

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The Anatomy of the Job Interview

2011-09-03T13:52:00.001-07:00

There are a few basics that every person who’s preparing for or facing a job interview should know. A job interview is not an interrogation or an investigation. You are not guilty and you are not on trial. In fact, you have a great opportunity to get an exciting job. But before that, let’s understand the job of the interviewer. The interviewer’s objective is to make a selection. You’ve already been screened and preselected from many candidates because your résumé appears to document the skills necessary for success if you were hired. That’s the reason you were called in for a face-to-face interview. At this point, the interviewer determines whether you’d fit into the culture of his organization. To do that, he’s going to ask a variety of questions and will then make a decision based on a number of things. Some are objective; others are subjective. So, what are the types of questions the interviewer might ask? Here are a few examples.

The common interview questions. There are probably 20 or 30 common questions typically asked in interviews. They’re easily found because most books or articles about job interviewing list many of them.
The behavioral or situational questions. These questions start with “Tell me about a time when . . . ” or “What’s been your experience with such and such a situation?” Most of these questions pigeonhole you into a situation from your past, and the interviewer wants to hear how you handled it. The intent is to predict your future based on past behavior.
The creativity questions. Yes, some interviewers get pleasure from asking such questions. For example, “What would you do if one morning you woke up and found out you’re a frog?” Here they’re checking on your creativity, on the ways you deal with ambiguity, how well you communicate ideas, and so on.
The high-tech questions. These types of questions are industry specific. For example, “How many jelly beans can fit into a one-gallon jar?” These types of questions are checking on your logic, your ability to estimate, your intuition, your mathematical ability, and your ability to make assumptions. These questions are common at Microsoft, Apple, Google, and the like.

From the outset, the interviewer is approaching the interview with an open mind. He wants to find out your particular strengths that the company can use as well as your weaknesses. If he finds the weaknesses critical, you’ll lose the competition.

The best way to prepare for an interview is to make a list of, say, 20 potential questions and then answer them in a simple format by starting with a brief description of the background and situation, followed by what your contribution was and ending with the results and benefit to the company. The caveat here is to make the telling succinct and eloquent. Most people ramble on and on instead of giving a brief and pertinent answer. And that’s a sign that you’re not fully prepared. To be able to recite your answers in the best form possible, it’s wise to sound them out with a professional career coach or someone else who’s well experienced in this area. Good luck! You’ll need it!

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Ways to Get Help While in Transition

2011-08-25T12:28:00.001-07:00

The first question is, Why do you need help to start with? After all, in the past, you were always able to find jobs. Well, today things are different. There aren’t many open jobs to begin with, and the competition for those few is fierce. So, let’s think about good reasons to get assistance.

Your efforts for the past several months have not produced job offers.
You’re confused as to what step-by-step approach you should take.
You’re ready to create a specific plan that incorporates your skills and interests.
You want to maintain a reasonable level of self-accountability.
You may want to speed up the process by consulting some experts.
You could learn how to negotiate a job offer, which in most cases would cover your expenses severalfold.

The foregoing might be good reasons, but they don’t represent all of the reasons. Yet each job seeker is unique and has unique needs and circumstances. Some people are by nature do-it-yourselfers who believe they can get the results they want; others believe in getting expertise from professionals. No one approach is right or wrong.

In principle, job seekers can get assistance in four different ways.

1. Group help via a state unemployment office or volunteer-based job-search networking groups

2. Books, e-books, seminars, Webinars, Webcasts, video courses

3. Career coaching one-on-one

4. Career marketing firms

The first option is free most of the time. The second—if there are fees at all—is most often inexpensive. The third one could be a bit pricey, especially if the job seeker has no money coming in. And the last one typically costs many thousands of dollars. So, which one is for you? In general, select the plan that is the most personalized for your own circumstance and is the least costly. That doesn’t mean you should refrain from the other opportunities.

Another dimension clearly evident but rarely written about is the time element. Every week without income is a lost week, and only under miraculous circumstances could income be recovered—even partially. To recover one week’s lost income, the following week needs to generate double, which is a 100% increase. Sorry, not in this job market!

Access to information about how to find a job is available and ample. In fact, there’s so much of it and it’s so easily accessible that it’s simply overwhelming job seekers. This is where a (hopefully, recommended) career coach can be very valuable. The reason is that such a coach can guide you to the essential information, since the coach has already sifted through it and eliminated the fluff. If you decide to get assistance from a career coach or career marketing firm, here are a few caveats.

Do your due diligence to check up on the prospect. LinkedIn is a good source. Also look at the content and not the looks of the coach’s or firm’s Web site.
Be clear on what you’ll get for your money. Stay away from high-pressure sales gimmicks.
Work only with people or firms that have been highly recommended by a number of sources—not just one.
Beware of signing contracts and especially of paying fees up front. Does your doctor, lawyer, or plumber charge you for future services?
Be wary about testimonials that sound too good to be real. They may not be genuine.
Your gut should be the final judge. Once you’ve done an examination and you’ve learned the implications of your decision and you feel good about it, go for it.

Wishing you all the best luck with your job search.

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It's Counterintuitive for Job Seekers

2011-08-11T11:24:00.001-07:00

It would be interesting to review a few perceptions that job seekers have on issues stemming from feelings rather than from thinking. Such perceptions are based more on gut feelings rather than logic. Examples follow.

The interview is about me.

People feel good when asked to come in and interview, because they think the interview is about them. In fact, it is not. The interview is about the interviewer’s needs and the interviewer’s competitive evaluation process that considers the candidate’s ability to provide what the interviewer needs.

Accept LinkedIn invitations only from people you know.

When in transition, it’s not about whom you know so much as it is who knows you. After all, it’s you who is looking for a job. And the more connections you have, the more opportunities you’ll have. If you’re hiding in a box, no one will find you.

Create your own résumé.

People in transition need to preserve their savings, and so many compose their own résumés, which eventually get changed or edited or rewritten by others equally unqualified yet willing to help. The typical outcome is a less than competitive résumé that generates very few or no bites. The best advice, therefore, is to hire a trusted and recommended professional, certified, and experienced résumé writer. A less expensive solution—provided you’re absolutely certain your résumé is a good one—is to have it edited by a professional editor. Such an editor or resume writer knows what sells and would put that knowledge and expertise to work for you. And yes, the good ones are not inexpensive.

No need to tell family about being in transition.

Many people feel uneasy or embarrassed about revealing too many details of their transition. That’s a big mistake, because family and friends really are the people who will go out of their way to be of help.

No need to pay for career coaching.

Again, like with the résumé, people want to preserve their savings and do not want to spend on professional help such as experienced career coaches. This too is a huge mistake. A career coach will not only shorten the in-transition period but also teach you pertinent interviewing skills as well as how to negotiate a job offer. In most cases, fees spent on career coaching are dwarfed by the benefits gained from knowing how to negotiate a better compensation package.

Focus only on your past career path and ignore other possibilities.

In today’s fast-changing business environment, new jobs are being invented every day, and many of the past’s traditional jobs are morphing into new ones or becoming totally eliminated. Job seekers who do not consider job opportunities in fields unrelated to their past ones make a mistake. Some reach a point—possibly because of age discrimination or the elimination of their traditional jobs—at which a change in career might be a wonderful solution. It worked for me extremely well.

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Professionally Edited Résumé Adds Huge Value

2011-08-07T14:13:00.001-07:00

There are two steps to take before you’ll get that job offer. The first is to create a résumé. An attractive and intriguing résumé will generate an invitation for an interview. The second step is to convince the interviewer you’re the ideal candidate. Unfortunately, though, most people fail in the first step. The reason is that in today’s supercompetitive job market, only candidates whose résumés are truly outstanding will generate further interest.

Most—if not all—of those who prepare their own résumé find it deficient based on the fact that they get no calls. Therefore, ultimately, many turn to a professional résumé writer. But there’s a viable alternative that may be the better choice—and significantly less costly. And that is a professional résumé editor. To make my point, I asked Paula of EditAmerica.com to provide me with brief before-and-after portions of a résumé she recently edited. The readability, editorial integrity, and clarity of thought and expression are markedly improved in the edited version. I recommend such an editorial service for job seekers who cannot afford a professional résumé writer. Take a look at the example.

RÉSUMÉ’S ORIGINAL SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

Idea generator, communicator and problem solver. A business analyst experienced in bringing together the user community and the Information Technology teams to focus on establishing or identifying common goals and implementing satisfactory solutions. Have achievements in circulation, advertising, transportation, dealer contracts and cost containment arenas. Ability to translate user needs into requirements, and requirements into actionable projects.

RÉSUMÉ’S REVISED, EDITED SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

Seasoned idea generator, communicator, and problem solver. A business analyst offering expertise in skillfully uniting user communities with information technology teams so the two can focus on the determination and establishment of common goals and then on implementation of satisfactory solutions. Verifiable achievements in circulation, advertising, transportation, dealer contracts, and cost containment arenas. Additional proficiency in translating user needs into requirements, and requirements into actionable projects.

Remember that a person whose job is to read résumés—and make decisions about candidacy and whether or not to call in applicants for interviews—has only limited time. In 10 to 30 seconds, the screener decides. And if your résumé is not appealing, clear, and communicative regarding how your skills, accomplishments, and strengths can help the prospective employer’s organization, then the next candidate’s perhaps is.

DIY, or do-it-yourself, projects sometimes make sense and save money. But this one, involving résumé refinement, requires both in-depth editorial expertise and years of editorial experience. Why are famous artists’ works so much more attractive than those of most others in the same field? You know the answer!

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How to Prepare for a Job Interview

2011-08-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

A job interview is the final step before getting the job. It’s the most critical step because if the candidate does not convince the decision maker of being the ideal candidate, the job goes to someone else. Preparing for the interview is not to be taken lightly. To win this tough competition, one needs to invest time and effort, must feel commitment, and must persevere. Following are a few practical steps.

The single most important thing to do during interview preparation is to hold live mock interviews with someone experienced and competent in this area.

° Practice the 20 most common interview questions again and again until you feel confident.

° Focus on learning about the prospective employer’s problems and immediate needs.

° Prepare for reciting fact-based success stories from your past that are relevant to what you’ve learned about the hirer’s needs.

° Practice, practice, and practice some more. You’ll be happy you did!

Learn as much as you can about the company.

° Begin with the company’s Web site, and look at every page. Drill down into details to mine specifics you could talk about with the interviewer.

° Find out who are the people you’ll interview with, and evaluate their LinkedIn profiles.

° Check out who they’re connected with on LinkedIn.

° Attempt sleuthing into the company via these connections to find out about the company’s culture and, possibly, specifics about the position.

° Find out what your interviewers are tweeting about. This might be challenging because people sometimes use pseudonyms. Use topsy.com for your research.

° Do searches on YouTube and Vimeo. Don’t underestimate what you can find out in these hidden places.

° Look for and review blogs posted by your contacts at the company.

° Use free tools to gain additional knowledge—for example, klout.com and blog.linkedin.com.

° Do Google searches on both the interviewers and the firm. Go through several pages of the results.

Answer the following questions.

° Do you fit into the organization?

° Do you have the skills, education, and experience required?

° Do you possess experiences and skills to offer in support of the company’s mission statement?

° Can you recite via a vignette or two some past experiences that would serve as a natural evolution into company growth?

Engage with the interviewer via questions that prove your value.

° Ask questions you already know the answers to.

° Show the interviewer that you’re very familiar with the industry and the company’s competition.

Preparing for a winning interview is hard work and takes many hours, if not days. By doing such preparation, one gains not only specific knowledge but also a lot of confidence.

Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

Why Are Interviewers So Selective?

2011-08-03T05:33:00.001-07:00

Unlike past scenarios, job interviews have become harder and harder. Employers have an abundance of very qualified applicants, many of them working with interview coaches to elevate their interviewing skills. The outcome is that it raises the bar for everyone. There are many books available to job seekers to read and brush up on interviewing skills, but the problem associated with that is that many of those books are old and reflect the thinking of the era in which they were written.

Employers have become sophisticated in the area of interviewing candidates. In the past, after snail mailing a cover letter and résumé to a target company, a job applicant would receive a phone call invitation for an interview with the hiring manager. Nowadays there’s very little personal interaction at the front end of the process. The résumé submittal is electronic and goes directly into a database. The résumé gets buried there until its resurrection via the appropriate keywords a recruiter is interested in. Then comes the initial screening-out phone interview, and only if that goes well is a candidate invited to a series of interviews with often large numbers of people. There are a number of reasons for these changes.

Today’s employers react to the current economic condition by focusing on higher productivity through the application of various technologies, new and better software, and outsourcing in order to reduce staff and associated staff costs such as office space, pensions, and health care.

The hiring process today is also significantly more selective than in the past. Companies need people who can quickly learn constantly new technologies, can adapt to continuous changes, can reinvent their own jobs, and can function while changes occur at faster and faster rates.

When employers select new employees, they’re looking for those types who can provide solutions resulting in increased efficiency and, at the same time, reduced costs. Otherwise, jobs will move offshore.

Nobody’s job is safe anymore. The past paradigm of building a solid career is no longer valid. People out of work need information and intelligence about growth opportunities and must adapt their skills to meet employers’ requirements. This is a challenging proposition for job seekers—and especially for those who are more advanced in age than other job seekers. Waiting for things to happen is often futile and certainly demoralizing. Career counselors can be of great assistance, but the majority of the burden is on the job seeker.

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Résumé Keywords Are the Keys to Be Found

2011-07-18T06:27:00.001-07:00

Most of the résumés employers receive either as hard copies or that are uploaded electronically reside in databases. If those databases were in graphic form, each résumé would resemble a lonely tombstone in a cemetery. In the majority of cases, submitting résumés is futile because they get resurrected only if they include keywords—specifically, those keywords used via computer queries made by employers, recruiters, or hiring managers.

Typically, keywords are phrases and nouns that have to do with technical and professional areas of expertise; projects; industry-related jargons; tasks; achievements; job titles; and so on. That contradicts what we suggested years ago by saying that it’s verbs that make a résumé desirable. We now find that an effective combination of nouns, phrases, and verbs is necessary because the human eye is attracted to verbs, whereas applicant tracking systems—the kinds of software used by employers and recruiters—are searching for keywords.

Applicant tracking systems are searching for keywords that appear primarily near the top of the résumé. Therefore, it is advisable to include keywords in the résumé’s first paragraph—immediately after the contact information. Additional keywords should appear in lists as bulleted items in the section that follows and that could be titled Skills.

Appropriate keywords should be harvested from job descriptions or ads for job openings. Commonly, a job description is rich in listing a job’s requirements in terms of skills and accomplishments. For instance, if the position is technical, the ad often lists computer languages, proprietary software, and the like.

Pam Dixon lists such examples in her book Job Searching Online for Dummies, as follows.

Keyword summary, example 1

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: Award-winning corporate controller with more than 10 years’ experience in two $500-million corporations. Impressive record in implementing financial record database architecture that saved over $2 million annually. Proficient in Oracle, Prism, Red Brick, and SAP systems, as well as MS Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.

Keyword summary, example 2

SKILLS
Languages: C, SQL, C++, Assembler, Pascal
Software: Oracle Developer 2000, Informix NewEra, FoxPro
OS: UNIX, Windows NT/95/3.11, MS-DOS
RDBMS: Oracle7, Informix 7

The inclusion of keywords in a résumé requires a combination of art, science, and, often unfortunately, learning via trial and error. The ideal résumé contains 12 to 15 keywords. On one hand, if it does not have enough keywords, chances of its being found are diminished. On the other hand, too many keywords could put the résumé somewhat out of context.

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The Interview Process Needs to Be Understood

2011-07-15T04:23:00.001-07:00

Many interviewers don’t know how to interview, and the majority of candidates are not sufficiently prepared for the test. Because that situation is a given, a candidate can improve the chances for hire by better understanding the interview process itself and the emotional aspects of the interview.

Conversely from what our instinct might tell us, the interview focus is not on the candidate but on the interviewer’s needs and on satisfying them. And by the way, this is done on a competitive basis, because the candidate who appears to be the best fit into the interviewer’s company’s culture and who shows passion and excitement will be offered the job.

This may sound obvious, but beyond the exchange of information and the validation of career facts are a lot of emotions that intrude themselves into the interview process. For example, a candidate’s natural tendency is to walk into the interview and start selling because the clock is ticking. My suggestion, however, is to hold off the selling and instead, start easy talk. Establish a relationship with the other party, and work on strengthening that relationship until the interviewer stops it when it’s time to move on with the interview.

At that point, the interviewer will ask a guided, open-ended question such as, “Tell me about yourself” or “Why are you interested in this job?” because he wants to obtain a point of reference for how the candidate is positioning himself. A candidate who understands the interview process will give a very brief answer to the question and then turn the conversation so that the interviewer starts talking about his problems. After all, this is what the interview is really all about.

The candidate should indeed bring up and interject facts from past professional experience to prove a history of dealing with similar issues and being able to resolve them to the satisfaction of customers, bosses, and others. Make sure you provide such facts, because otherwise, whatever you say is no more than anecdotal hearsay or your opinion. This phase is most likely the crux of the interview, since now, the interviewer is analyzing your candidacy for fit, skills, and character. This is when you have to project lots of confidence. This is what you’re selling, and this is what the interviewer wants to buy.

If you can follow the foregoing guidelines, you’ll improve your chances to win the competition. The last step before you formally accept an offer involves learning the tactics of negotiating a compensation package.

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Getting Coached Is Catching On

2011-06-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

One of the most basic rules in economics deals with supply and demand.Today’s job market certainly has a significant supply: 13.9 million people looking for jobs. But demand has been meager for the past several years; it probably will continue to be for the near future; and—at least at this point—it does not show any robustness. The immediate impact of this discord manifests itself by only a few people getting jobs.

In theory, the process of getting a job is simple: human resources department employees, outside recruiters, and hiring managers review multitudes of applicant résumés and eliminate all except outstanding ones. There are many of the latter, and less-than-outstanding résumés get filed in the black hole. A further elimination process is in place via phone or video screenings, with the target objective to request applicants appear for in-person interviews—but typically, no more than three to five of the seemingly best prospects. Ultimately, of course, only one is going to get the congratulatory letter.

In practice, since more and more job seekers know the rules of the game, they’re trying to maximize their chances by getting outside help. There’s been a significant uptick in the trend of job seekers’ hiring professional résumé writers, followed by the trend of working with career coaches to specifically improve interview skills. Both professional résumé writers and people who offer career coaching services appear to be costly. Plus the expense comes at a person’s time of trauma, anguish, and high frustration level, but what is the cost of those things combined with lack of a steady paycheck?

Most people realize that job seeking has become very competitive in every occupational field. Even most colleges, as part of their applicant-screening process, interview potential incoming students before making final determinations. As a career coach specializing in the interview process, I see more and more such college student applicants who engage my services. Furthermore, many military veterans returning from years of service find themselves unprepared for the next phase in their lives, and they reach out for assistance with job search counseling and interview skills enhancement.

It’s not enough to be able to say you did great things in past; you now need to sell that to someone who’s willing to pay you. Do you know how to do that?

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How to Turn Networking into Interviews

2011-06-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

People in transition know that 60 to 80 percent of job seekers get their next positions through networking. Consequently and whenever possible, they focus their daily activities on such networking. But despite their—sometimes admittedly awkward—efforts, nothing comes of it. The reason is that they don’t have an understanding of the actual purpose of networking and how to turn it into interviews.

The purpose of networking is to cultivate relationships for advice, information, leads, and, hopefully, referrals. While it’s important to know others for this purpose, it’s equally important that those others know you. Most people are willing to network, but they have the right to expect you to (1) focus on specific companies and (2) demonstrate to them that networking is a give-and-take transaction, whereby they, too, may get from you in turn some industry intelligence. For those who don’t know how to go about approaching a person for the purpose of networking, here’s a simple script that can be used either over the phone or via e-mail.

My name is Jane Jones. Our mutual acquaintance Stan Smith suggested I give you a call [send you an e-mail] because he feels
you’re an expert in the pharmaceutical industry. Stan suggested you might be of assistance to me. I’m in transition and looking
for a role as a marketing director. I don’t expect you to know of an opening in this area, but perhaps you can share with me
your thoughts about ways I can find out who’s hiring.

The mechanics of a networking dialogue should have the following components. An initial rapport building to establish the relationship. An agenda for the purpose—and that consider how you, too, can add value. Try finding out whom the other person knows or what good contacts the person has. Another element is likability. You must develop your relationship on trust, integrity, and shows of enthusiasm, motivation, and drive. Nobody enjoys a conversation with someone who’s depressed—with the possible exception of a psychologist! And last, get engaged in the exchange, and try to feel comfortable asking for referrals. When you get them, make sure you keep your host in the loop.

If you follow these guidelines, it’s very likely that you’ll generate more interviews. In that event, make sure you’re well prepared. You don’t want to drop the ball once you’re so close to scoring.

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It is the resume that is holding you back

2011-05-11T00:41:00.001-07:00

Could this be? After all it worked in past and others who helped you with it made significant improvements. Despite that, vis a vis other outstanding resumes it pales and is ineffective. In order for your resume to propel you to the point that somebody considers you as a potential candidate is has to have at least the following elements. Above all the gist of the resume has to be written in a way that conveys the reader that you have what it takes to solve his problems and chances are that you will excel.

A strong career summary following the contact information. This is the first thing read. It sets the tone for the entire résumé. And it should be designed to attract, intrigue as well as compel the reader to keep reading more.
An attractive visual presentation. This means the résumé has to look good on paper. The ideal résumé design has lots of white space, looks clean, and invites the reader to want to learn more about the candidate. A résumé is merely a marketing tool—the first impression a potential employer has of you.
Passing the 10-second test. Résumés are being reviewed by recruiters and others who read many résumés and have to weed out worthwhile ones from those that are wastes of time. A professional reviewer does this for each résumé in 10 to 30 seconds. If it’s not attractive, your résumé will be discarded.
Evidence that you will be able to deliver. This is the reason you have to list your accomplishments. Don’t confuse accomplishments with tasks that someone in your position typically performs; the interviewer already knows the tasks just from your title. From the way many résumés are worded, they come across as doers, not strongly as achievers. The distinction between the two is decisive. This is a common mistake made by nonprofessional résumé writers. To be effective and create excitement, a great résumé helps the decision maker envision your delivering similar achievements at the decision maker’s company.
The right keywords. In addition to the human eye’s scan, most résumés nowadays get scanned into an applicant-tracking system and retrieved exclusively if they contain the right keywords based on a computer query. Keywords are critical because even the best applicant will miss the opportunity to compete if the résumé lacks the right keywords.

So, now the question becomes, What should be your next step? In principle, you have several options.

Based on the issues covered here, you can continue having people help you with your résumé or you can buy books, read articles, and work toward making your résumé more desirable.
You can engage a professional editor once you’ve finished your work on the résumé. That will assure you that it is perfect in terms of format, grammar, usage, spacing, punctuation, and more.
You can engage a professional résumé writer. Most of the professional résumé writers are accredited, certified, and experienced. Some are pretty good; others are outstanding. You’ll want to interview them first for your résumé and cover letter.

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Interview with the PC: What's Next?

2011-03-26T06:59:00.001-07:00

And you thought a phone interview is challenging. How about the next phase, which will involve using Webcam technology? Many major employers have become more sophisticated in the use of such technology and are using the services of companies like Interview Stream for Webcam interviewing. The Webcam is an additional selection tool a company can use before it’s willing to commit further time and money.

Here’s how it works: A candidate receives an e-mail invitation to click on a link that takes the candidate through the process. Some job seekers, though, are using older computers that can’t be quickly upgraded, and to work with a Webcam would generate an additional expense. What are they to do?

Preparing for an interview is challenging enough by itself. Nowadays, there are several additional layers of difficulties that have been added on. In terms of a Webcam interview, first there’s the technical part. This involves setting up the Webcam, adjusting microphone settings, arranging for proper lighting and a background the lens captures, deciding on the angle that’s most flattering for you, and doing many other things an amateur videographer can’t even begin to imagine. Second, the candidate has to quickly learn how to become videogenic, since a big part of the hiring decision is based on a candidate’s image. In order to look good on video, the candidate has to look constantly at the video lens. This by itself is a monumental test of one’s ability to do so, since very few people are trained to appear on video camera.

The next step happens when the program shows the candidate a countdown—3, 2, 1—and then the words NOW RECORDING appear, as does a countdown for two minutes. The candidate gets five questions to answer. After recording the answers, the candidate gets one more chance—to redo the two minutes if not satisfied with the first go-round.

The last step is to click Submit, and then the praying can start. Hopefully, you’ll hear back from the company. I’m wondering whether there’s an Academy Award for those who’ve mastered this 21st-century innovation whose use is limited to just being screened for employment.

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Job Search: What Changed?

2011-03-18T08:13:00.001-07:00

People who haven’t been looking for jobs for a while are in for a real shock. The rules of the game have changed significantly. To be effective at finding a job, one needs to involve everybody one knows. Finding a job while being low-key and discreet like in the past will take forever! Newspaper ads have been replaced by the Internet, and one needs to learn to use company Web sites, online job boards, and online social networks—not to mention extensive use of the computer.

Among the online job boards, some are broad and general, while others are specific to an industry or a profession or other criteria. Most job boards let you post your résumé, search for open positions and, fill out applications online. Often, the communication is one way except for unsolicited spam. Among the most popular sites are careerbuilder.com, careerjournal.com, craiglist.org, and monster.com. And there are several aggregators such as indeed.com, juju.com, and simplyhired.com, which help make the search more efficient.

Using external recruiters is another avenue for job seekers. At the medium-income level, they are called contingency recruiters, and they’re competing with other recruiters. At higher income levels, they’re called retained recruiters, and they’re paid for the work they do regardless of whether they place people. Recruiters whether retained or contingency typically specialize in certain fields. Developing satisfactory and long-term relationships with some of them is a good investment of one’s time.

Today’s résumés have gone through a face-lift. Generic résumés are lacking and need certain fine-tuning so they match the specifics mentioned in the job description. Last decade’s résumés listed the various activities similar to the job description. Today’s employers want to see quantifiable accomplishments—and in dollars and percentages. One needs to emphasize specific skills and abilities to accomplish results as a member of a multidisciplinary and, possibly, international team. The résumé needs to show flexibility because of the dynamic nature of business today, and it needs to show resourcefulness and expanded responsibilities over time. But probably the most important change lies in the fact that the résumé has to contain the right keywords. Most résumés are scanned into an applicant-tracking system and will never resurface unless they have the right keywords.

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Events > Alex Freund Presents Basic Tools for People in Transition > Middletown Township, NJ > Asbury Park

2011-03-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Events > Alex Freund Presents Basic Tools for People in Transition > Middletown Township, NJ > Asbury Park

Penetrating the Hidden Job Market

2011-02-02T10:48:00.001-08:00

In the current job market, it’s not unusual for people to be looking for jobs over many months. It’s a very competitive market, and job openings are few. This situation is amplified by the herd mentality whereby people deploy the job search strategies commonly used in the past. For example, asking people about their target companies elicits, in most cases, the names of large and very well-known companies. This means that all of those people are competing for the same few openings. Yet there are lots of jobs in the untapped arena called the hidden job market.

The hidden job market is at the other end of the spectrum—mostly hidden from the public because the jobs in it don’t get published. Such jobs get filled by word of mouth or through recommendations. Most jobs are not advertised anyway, and people who get hired never responded to advertisements. Research has shown that 25 percent of people lie on their résumés. Hiring managers have a basic mistrust about résumés, preferring candidates who are recommended.

Some news articles profess that only one-third of job openings are advertised. That means that two-thirds of job openings are invisible to most job applicants. Here are some more facts:

Big companies are eliminating jobs as a result of their mergers-and-acquisitions activities, while small and medium-size companies are creating jobs.
Small companies have problems attracting talent and are thus often settling for less-than-perfect candidates.
The job market is localized. Plumbers in New Orleans could be doing well, while those in other cities could be doing poorly.
At the same time that companies are laying off people, they could be hiring in areas where other employees are needed.
Ten percent of the current job market is contingent (part-time, temporary, or contract).
Two-thirds of all new jobs are on a contingent basis. The chances of a contingent job’s becoming permanent are very good because the employees in them are known quantities.

So, what should job seekers do to increase their chances of getting employed? Here are a few suggestions.

It takes a minimum of 40 job-search work hours a week to get a job. Research has shown that many unemployed people spend less than 10 hours a week.
One has to make several contacts in the same company to get hired. It is a multistep and protracted effort. Nothing happens fast when one is looking for a job.
People get jobs by talking to people. Improve your verbal and written communication skills.
You should be working on at least 50 leads at all times. Don’t be discouraged by the voices in your head saying you cannot do it.

By following these suggestions, people in transition will not only speed up the process but also increase their chances exponentially.

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Interview Questions Reveal Employer's Concerns

2011-01-29T07:54:00.001-08:00

You can address an employer’s concerns via your interview answers only if you understand where the concerns are coming from and what the employer wants to explore. Interview questions can be grouped by the interviewer’s needs. So, what are such needs? Similar to a personal investment, employers need to do their due diligence in order to explore and then understand what they are buying, as well as to ensure that their purchase will both grow and produce satisfactory results and that there won’t be any hidden surprises.

First, the employer will want to validate that you’ll be productive on the job and that your skills will deliver as anticipated. If you’ve done this job elsewhere, were you successful? And if you ran into problems, how did you resolve them, and what did you learn from the process?
Second, the interviewer will want to gain a clear understanding of how much you want this job. Are you strongly motivated and interested enough to perform well and make significant contributions? The interviewer will want to verify certain soft-skill issues such as your determination, desire to succeed, work ethic, and willingness to give 100 percent. Pertinent questions will prompt you for evidence and not just anecdotal stories.
Third, the big question is whether the company can afford you. The interview would end promptly if the interviewer realizes there’s a significant gap between the candidate’s compensation expectations and the company’s ability to pay for this job.
And fourth, the interviewer will ask a significant number of questions that assess whether you’d fit into the company’s culture. Of all of the other concerns, this is probably the most critical one, because it is psychologically based and left to the interviewer’s interpretation. For example, you might be asked whether you’re a team player and can bring evidence. Or whether you get along with people or would cause friction. Or whether your personality, values, attitude, and personal style would align with the corporate culture. Or whether you’re manageable and could align yourself with organizational policies? Or whether you’re flexible enough to live with constant change and adapt to it quickly.

The interviewer’s questions can be the well-known, standard, typical interview questions or can be what is called behavior or situational questions. The latter types of questions pigeonhole you into a situation, and you’re asked to give examples from your past that show how you solved a problem or dealt with a specific circumstance.

There’s no question that interviews can be challenging, and—even with live practice with a friend, a family member, or, better yet, a qualified career coach—not result in the desired outcome.

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The Secret of an Excellent Interview

2011-01-22T12:20:00.001-08:00

Be brief. Now that the secret is revealed, I will support my tenet with a few facts. Actually, you can do what I did: I watched some television with a stopwatch to see how long an answer people provide for a question. As samples, I used, among others, Presidents Obama and Clinton because I consider them excellent communicators with media people in a question-and-answer setup. Typically, one of their answers would be 30 to 90 seconds long, with very few deviations. In order to get to such a level of excellence, one needs two ingredients: innate talent and lots of practice. Not all of us are born with this type of talent, but all of us can achieve it through practice and in fact should if we want to excel at interviews.

As a career coach, I help people become better at answering difficult interview questions. I’ve found it interesting that regardless of people’s professions, backgrounds, or titles most are not good when facing a job interviewer—despite the fact that some think they are, because after all, they’ve gotten jobs in the past, right? Universally, though, people are long-winded, and their answers tend to be paragraphs instead of several bulleted items supported by examples. Some provide protracted answers that go way beyond the listener’s attention span. The danger here is that the job candidate is not made aware of losing the listener’s attention, since regrettably, interviewers don’t have digital readouts on their foreheads showing their listening level at that moment.

The best way to overcome that obstacle is to prepare for interview answers by first writing out the answers longhand in SARB format. (SARB is the acronym for situation, action, result, and benefit.) Next, review each answer with an eye toward shortening them. If an answer can be delivered in about 60 seconds, you’ll achieve your objective. Now, it’s practice time. Best if you work with a career coach who can give you not only honest feedback but also the correct answers. Otherwise, ask a friend, family member, or someone else who also might benefit from such practice.

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Video Interviewing for the Unemployed

2011-01-16T15:05:00.001-08:00

Today’s fast-developing video technology does not skip over the unemployed. In fact, it just adds another challenge for them. More and more companies are trying to save on the expenses of recruiting by using video interviews for screening and selection purposes. Clearly, this represents another burden for candidates because it’s one more step to master in addition to the already challenging telephone interview.

Video interviewing, which some call Skype interviewing, is one more tool that enables employers to differentiate between candidates. For higher-level positions, some employers and recruiters arrange for a professional setting such as a conference room with professional-quality equipment; yet others expect candidates to use their own Skype video cameras. The latter represents several challenges. The first one is on the technical level because not everyone at this point has installed Skype, or a video camera, or a microphone on their computer. In addition, older and slower computers cannot process the information fast enough, and therefore, the picture may be jerky and of low quality. It’s also not unheard-of to even see the picture freeze for a while or disconnect completely. Imagine that this happens during your interview!

Candidates also need to remember that in addition to dressing presentably, they need to avoid certain colors and patterns. For example, a diagonally striped tie will appear distorted at the viewing end. Also remember that the camera picks up everything within its range, so it’s best if your background is either neutral or contains a bookcase or a nice flower arrangement. Lighting is also a very important element in the production of high-quality video. Too bright, with reflections in eyeglasses, is not good. Neither is a dim-looking environment.

Candidates have enough trouble preparing for those challenging and hard-to-predict interview questions, and now they need to quickly learn how to be good actors on camera. While an actor can move about freely, it’s advisable not to move around excessively when on camera. In addition, when one needs to convert a spot in one’s living quarters to produce a studiolike background and environment, it’s important to consider that the microphone might pick up various noises such as paper shuffling, a dog barking, children in the background, or an ambulance on the street.

And while all of these technical issues can hopefully be resolved, the most critical and difficult part is during the interview itself: it is highly recommended that one look all the time straight into the camera and without deviation. Can you imagine an anchorperson on a major TV news channel not looking at the audience? The difference is that anchorpeople have been trained for this, and if they’re not very good at it, you won’t even know them. On the other hand, the candidate is forced onto that same firing line with only innate talent and perhaps little training. The solution is in the cliché “practice makes perfect.”

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Perceived as Overqualified-What Now?

2011-01-03T10:02:00.001-08:00

Some job seekers, especially those who’ve been in transition for an extended time, start undervaluing their worth, and as a result, they might begin applying for positions below the levels they had in past. The hiring authorities then ask the obvious: why would an applicant take a lesser job than previously held, and why should the employer risk the employee’s leaving once a better-paying job turns up? Furthermore, they’re asking whether they could meet the candidate’s salary requirements or other job expectations.

There are no fast rules about being labeled overqualified. So-called over-qualification is just the perception or interpretation of the hiring manager who questions one’s fit for the position. The remaining question is, how can a labeled candidate overcome a hiring manager’s concerns? If this issue comes up during an interview, here are some tactics.

· Preempt the issue by addressing it if you’re changing fields or you’ve decided to reduce your workload.

· Indicate up front that you’re flexible about compensation, and emphasize your unique value to the organization.

· State that your focus is long-term, emphasizing that you’re stable and not planning on changing jobs soon.

Like many obstacles you’ll face in your job search, being overqualified is a problem only if you don’t take the opportunity to turn it around to your advantage! By carefully highlighting your skills and thinking strategically about ways to minimize the potential for problems, you’ll be able to turn this perceived liability into strength.

Here are four simple steps you can take in an interview once it’s been hinted that you’re overqualified.

1. Don’t take the statement emotionally. Recognize that the other party wants to discuss it. The worst that could happen is that the interviewer simply ignores it and automatically takes you out of the running. So you can say something like: “I can appreciate your concern, and I would like to address it for you.”

2. Instead of your focusing on the negative, approach the subject from the positive side. Ask yourself what the interviewer’s intention was when saying you’re overqualified. Was it to indicate that you might want more money or perhaps that you’d quit once you find a better-paying job? For the sake of this example, let’s take the latter—namely, that you’d move on for a better-paying position. So in this case you can ask the following: “I suspect you think that money is my main motivator and that I’d move on once a better offer comes along. Is that it?”

3. Since the answer will likely be yes, you can now make your qualifying statement, such as: “If I could illustrate to you that in fact there are many other motivators that guide me and that money is not the most important one, might that influence your opinion?” When you get a positive response, you can proceed to the last step.

4. At this stage, you should have a prepared story from your past that proves you’re motivated by other things such as teamwork, camaraderie, appreciation by the boss, or something else and should emphasize that in your world, money isn’t everything.

The fact that you’re able to address such a difficult issue without becoming flustered but instead and turn the issue into a friendly exchange and build rapport will certainly be received in a positive way by the decision maker.

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Perceived as Overqualified-What Now?

2011-01-03T09:54:00.001-08:00

There are no fast rules about being labeled overqualified. So-called overqualification is just the perception or interpretation of the hiring manager who questions one’s fit for the position. The remaining question is, how can a labeled candidate overcome a hiring manager’s concerns? If this issue comes up during an interview, here are some tactics.

· Preempt the issue by addressing it if you’re changing fields or you’ve decided to reduce your workload.

· Indicate up front that you’re flexible about compensation, and emphasize your unique value to the organization.

· State that your focus is long-term, emphasizing that you’re stable and not planning on changing jobs soon.

Here are four simple steps you can take in an interview once it’s been hinted that you’re overqualified.

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LinkedIn Is the Key to Your Next Job

2010-12-20T11:52:00.001-08:00

If you’re in transition and looking for a job or you contemplate changing jobs, there’s nothing more powerful than learning how to be efficient at using the power of LinkedIn. Being listed on LinkedIn is a must. A study by Microsoft revealed that 70 percent of employers have rejected job candidates because of information they found on those candidates online. Yet the same study suggests that 85 percent of employers say a positive online reputation influences their decision. Those are pretty convincing numbers.

Here are some facts:

Recruiters and employers prefer dealing with applicants they can check out and trust.
People spend more time on social media than on e-mail. LinkedIn is in the social media for business.
The Internet can make or break your image.

The power of LinkedIn lies in the fact that you can connect with people who influence decision making regarding whom to hire. In turn, you, too, can research the company you’re targeting, the hiring manager there, and also the culture of the company. Sixty percent of the hiring decision is based on the candidate’s fit into the company’s culture.

By joining professional and alumni groups on LinkedIn, you can participate in online discussions as well as answer questions, thus becoming prominent—and even, possibly, viewed as an expert. Companies love hiring experts! Additionally, recruiters scour professional groups in search of experts. You should join active groups to become visible online.

When you’re in transition, it’s important to know the right people but also important that they know you and that they get reminded of what you’re looking for. Therefore, it’s advisable to invite people to connect with you on LinkedIn. When you send an invitation, personalize your message; don’t just use the default LinkedIn invitation. Address the person by name, include a reminder about the commonality between you or mention how you came across the person’s name, state your intent, and then ask whether the person would be willing to connect with you.

When looking for opportunities, go to the home page, and on the upper right-hand corner, click on the Advanced option. Then type in a keyword and customize the screen to your circumstances. From that list, select and invite the people you want to connect with.

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Finding a Job Is a Nonsport Competition

2010-12-08T14:58:00.001-08:00

In principle, getting hired is a simple two-step process: creating an attractive enough resume to be invited for a job interview and then acing it. In practice, getting hired is significantly more difficult because many people are competing for the same single job opening.

Relative to the vast number of available résumés, only a minuscule fraction of them are good enough to compel the reader to further explore the individual’s candidacy. And then, once in the race, the candidate faces another competition by needing to outshine the others who interview for the same job. There are two filters to penetrate, and this is where the challenge comes in.

Very few people can write their own résumé at a level that is convincing enough to propel it to the second step, which is the job interview. The solution here is to identify an excellent professional résumé writer. Writing a results-producing résumé is not a hobby; it’s a profession that requires training, experience, various certifications, and, most important, a knack or aptitude for it. Not all certified résumé writers are good at it despite the fact that they practice. Such it is in all professions of course. So it’s up to you to find one who has a good reputation. Ask for the opinions of friends and other associates who’ve used them, and check them out on LinkedIn. Good résumé writers are busy and not cheap. You can expect to pay from $200 to $800 depending on the complexity, but most charge $400 to $500.

And then comes the crucial step: impressing the interviewer enough not only to cause him to want to hire you but also to want to sell you to his boss, his human resources contact person, and your future peers. To achieve the “sale,” you have to have not only the right set of accomplishments but also the right communication skills, personal presence, aura, and personality. Learning how to convey those right elements and to keep practicing them may land you the job.

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Why Employers Look for Fit

2010-12-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Your first goal when looking for a job is to get an interview. You offer your candidacy by submitting your résumé. The challenge is that you’re in competition with a large number of very qualified applicants. If you’re lucky, your résumé gets you an interview. The decision to invite you for this coveted meeting was based on the appearance of your résumé, its overall content, the skills it reflects you possess, and, mainly, the accomplishments you highlighted via a format of bulleted lists. But now the second competition starts. It consists in you versus the other candidates vying for the same job.

Look at the situation from the hiring manager’s vantage point: the manager needs to make a selection. Say there are five very qualified and handpicked applicants with great skills and with lists of appropriate accomplishments. So, what’s going to be the differentiator? The answer is the fit. The hiring manager who is the ultimate decision maker has a series of pertinent questions and is answering them subjectively. Some of those questions might be:

What do we have in common?
-- It is known that people like to hire others like themselves.
Are we sharing the same values?
-- For example, what’s your attitude toward customer service? Are you innovative when solving problems? Is cost cutting an important goal of yours?
What is your work style?
-- For example, are you in the habit of working long hours? Do you keep an open-door policy? Are you working well as part of a team? Are you competitive?
What image did you leave behind after the interview?
-- Did you carry yourself well during the interview? Were you dressed properly? Did you bathe yourself in perfume? What was your accent like? your speech pattern? your tone of voice? your speech volume? What about your walking pace? your posture? your air of confidence--or lack thereof?
What kind of personality do you have?
-- Are you confident? Would you fit in well with company team members? Would you get along?
Can we afford you?
-- Are your salary expectations aligned with the company’s budget for this position? Are you flexible about compensation? Can we make a deal that both parties will feel good about?

As you can see, the fit component of the hiring decision-making process is not only complex and driven by the psychological makeup of the hiring manager but also biased and subjective.

Good luck in your maneuvering through this maze. The best advice for winning the hiring manager over is to get input from a professional counselor who can offer you unbiased information based on factual knowledge and years of experience.

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2010-11-19 If You Like Surprises, Google Yourself

2010-11-20T03:30:00.001-08:00

It’s unfortunate that most people in transition don’t understand the importance of their cyberspace profiles, and they therefore underestimate them. The following “From Tweet to Hired” quote puts the issue into perspective: “According to a recent CareerBuilder study, 43% of employers and 83% of executive recruiters admit to searching candidates online before making a hiring decision. Employers often turn down candidates based on negative content, and they solidify their decisions to hire based on positive content.” The October 2010 issue of Inc. magazine says, “Job seekers are especially at risk: Almost 80 percent of recruiters surveyed in a recent Microsoft study checked out applicants online, and 70 percent of them eliminated candidates based on what they found.”

Several companies--such as ReputationDefender, Naymz, and Brand-Yourself--specialize in helping people protect their reputations. For a fee, such a company provides a customer with a report showing every Web reference found for that customer. Knowing that potential employers and recruiters can find all sorts of information about you in virtual space can be helpful, although in some situations, it’s almost impossible to change or correct what’s out there, and in others there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. In my own case, for example, someone has exactly the same name as mine except that he’s a professional photographer specializing in nearly nude photography.

While LinkedIn is a more business-oriented social media site, Facebook is more inclined to attract younger people, who at their age do not understand how poor judgment in adolescence can irreparably damage their image for years and years to come. Those youngsters consider it cool and popular to post pictures showing themselves socializing with friends--sometimes inappropriately--and illegally drinking alcohol. Some people feel compelled to expose their unique personalities, but the Internet does not allow separation of professional image and business from one’s particular hobby. Such exposure could be very detrimental down the road. Younger people should be cautioned by parents and teachers about the potential damage. Mature people should know better; otherwise, they have to live with the consequences.

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Considerations before Accepting That Coveted New Job

2010-11-15T05:45:00.001-08:00

The job market seems much better lately, and more and more offers are being extended to applicants. Some move into the new positions from other jobs, and others from being in transition. In both cases, those job seekers miss out if they don’t take a holistic approach to specific evaluation of the new opportunity.

Often, the excitement associated with receiving the offer of a new job and accepting it, plus the flattery expressed by that job offer, may lead to a too-quick decision. It’s advisable to first do some meticulous due diligence in order to avoid a possibly costly mistake, because numerous questions need clear answers before you become able to make a final decision. Here are a few. How important to you are the content and the level of responsibility in the new job? Does the new job fit your personality? Does your new boss’s management style align with yours? Are there future opportunities for promotion? Will the new job satisfy your work/life balance? Are the commuting time and distance acceptable? Is the amount of business travel expected in the new job acceptable? And finally, is the compensation--in the form of salary and bonuses--acceptable? How about employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans? This may not be a complete list, but it’s a good beginning.

People make life decisions based on their logic and their emotions. The outcomes are typically an aggregate of the two. Someone who’s been in transition for a while is more prone to make emotional decisions, and yet accepting a new job should be judged on the job’s merit and on logical reasoning. In such a situation as the acceptance of a job offer, it’s sometimes helpful to discuss the issue with a friend or, better yet, with a professional such as a career coach who deals with such matters frequently. The following might be a rhetorical question, but if you had a serious medical condition, would you seek a consultation with a friend or with a physician?

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How to Adapt to Being in Transition

2010-10-10T06:01:00.001-07:00

I travel abroad on a regular basis, and invariably, the sensation during the first few days is the same: I feel a shock, a bit of confusion, a mild sense of insecurity, and a continuous mind-chatter that question everything. It’s an uncomfortable condition that, given a few days, dissipates, and then things get back to normal.

People who become in transition report very similar sensations till the brain accepts the new circumstance. For some it takes longer, while others recover rather quickly. Some become hugely energized by their new condition, while others remain in confusion for a while, exhibiting lethargy that at times borders on symptoms of depression. If a person had a tendency toward depression, the in-transition situation certainly could invoke such an illness.

The key to adapting quickly to the new reality and actually benefiting from the opportunity is simple. It’s a two-step approach: have a plan and don’t let emotions to derail you. Sounds easy, right? Yet very few can follow it. First, the plan has to be a dynamic one—namely, to keep learning what works for others in transition by networking with them and making sensible changes to the plan as appropriate. This doesn’t mean revamping it, or making changes 180 degrees from the original one, or restarting it over and over again. And second, don’t let emotions interfere, causing disruptive turmoil in your mind and upsetting you.

I’m a career coach and am in touch with people in transition every single day. Being in transition is a true opportunity to make significant life changes. Many people do and come out of it amazingly successful. I’ve seen people who are bordering on desperation. Given, unfortunately, a period of turmoil, they were able to transform into a new identity and a new profession and to excel. In my own case, I too went through a radical professional change, and there is no one happier with it than I am. Yes, it is possible. I am a living testimony to that.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Get a Job

2010-09-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Don’t misunderstand the title of this blog. It’s not about sexual preference. It’s about networking. Every morning, when I take my walk, I observe groups of teenagers waiting at street corners for their school buses. Two things are common to these groups. The kids are not talking to each other, and the majority of them have their ears plugged with MP3 players. They choose to live in total isolation despite the fact that these are the same kids who mingle with each other every day.

Now, why is this? Because in the American culture—in contrast with other cultures—one is not to approach another person until the two have been introduced to each other by a third party. This cultural habit is practiced by adults, and therefore their kids perpetuate it. In many cases, even after being introduced to someone, the kids lack the confidence or skills to communicate, connect, and possibly be of mutual benefit. Plainly put, to network with each other.

For people in transition, such behavior amounts to a tactical hindrance to their advancement toward getting a job. It’s commonly known that 60 to 80 percent of job seekers get their next jobs via networking. However, if lack of communication is practiced from childhood and if communications skills never get developed or encouraged to improve on later on in life—especially in times of need such as being in transition and letting the world know about your availability—that’s of course a major obstacle.

More and more people nowadays are letting me know they have landed. This is a very encouraging sign, indicating that companies have started hiring again. I always ask what led to the job offer, and invariably, the answer proves two things: first, that the lead came through networking, and second, that the person had prepared extensively for the interview. After all, winning in a tough competition takes not only skills but lots of practice. Have you ever thought how many hours an Olympian practices before the competition?

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Feeling Good Is a Relative State of Mind

2010-09-07T16:46:00.001-07:00

I don’t pay too much attention to local news via a newspaper or television, but I constantly listen to NPR and the BBC and read The Economist and The Week. What these media sources have in common is that they report on international issues. My focus is usually on the Big Picture and not so much on the details--and especially not on local details. I’m bored with reading about changes in local traffic patterns and about local fires, burglaries, rapes, murders, traffic accidents, and the like. Typically, such news is negative and depressing. Who needs it, yet international news--while it, too, has depressing elements such as news of natural disasters and famines--for me it also provides a measure of comparison.

In my capacity as a career coach, I’m one-on-one with people who are not in their best dispositions. Or I’m with groups in transition that I support, and there too I see at times elements of negativity. However, the Big Picture view gives me--and, I hope, others as well--a way of looking at things with a sense of fairness and objectivity. Let’s face it: in America in general we simply don’t have it as bad as those experiencing, say, famine in Africa or the recent earthquake in Haiti, to name just two things. I fully understand that for those who are unemployed, the rate of unemployment that the news reports is at 10 percent is, rather, 100 percent for them. But here again, the Big Picture is that this period of economic downturn shall pass too and is only a bump in the road. Good days are ahead of us, but unfortunately, those without work and income must face the now issues and the local issues and not the global issues.

I cannot forget a particular time of my own that I was in transition. I used to go to job search networking meetings, and that made me feel better because often, I met there people who had it much worse than I did. Perhaps that’s an unfair comparison, but it was the truth. If people in transition can view their situations as temporary and make themselves able to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, their moods and dispositions would change and improve instantly. Their energy would return. and a positive upward spiral would propel them into their next job. Amen.

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2010-8-29 Beware of Career Marketing Firms

2010-08-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

Last week I received a request from a family member of mine in transition. He was asking me to evaluate a proposal he had received from a career marketing firm. He wanted my opinion because I’m a career coach--and because I myself had once been victimized by a similar firm.

His proposal cover letter opened with an aggressive tone heralding the fact that the firm was working with executives who were late of prestigious organizations, members of academia, representatives of nonprofits, and an assortment of clients ranging from younger people just out of college to mature ones with occupations in every industry and covering every income range. Basically--but without saying so--the firm said it caters to everyone who has money to pay!

The next FIVE pages outlined the firm’s services in a very attractive way for someone in transition. And we all know that when someone is, for instance, desperately hungry, anything that looks like food seems scrumptious and delicious. The firm stipulated its fee--which is, typically, 5 percent of the client’s highest achieved income (calculate how much that would be for you!). Then there were supplementary services--provided at an additional $500 for each one. In order to activate the agreement, it needed to be signed and accompanied by a deposit. If the client were not satisfied with the program within two weeks, said the agreement, the company would rework the material. At this point, though, your money is gone forever.

The firm listed offices in various cities nationwide, so I attempted to research the company a bit further. My research led me to a résumé-writing service. Next, I Googled the company name--and searched on other search engines as well--to try to learn something about the proposal/agreement signer with the title of managing director. I would have expected that a person with such a heavy responsibility (after all, the company claims to have offices in more than half a dozen cities) would have at least a presence in cyberspace as well. But no, even LinkedIn did not reveal the signer.

There have been in the past, and there still exist today of course, many similar career marketing firms. I’ve learned of them either through my circle of acquaintances or because they gained their fame via the media’s reporting that they got sued and soon thereafter closed their doors. Of course, unfortunately, those who’d paid for such services were left high and dry.

As a professional career coach, I say unequivocally that everyone in transition should get with their job search. It’s up to the job seeker to solicit that help by asking others for their opinions. Job search networking groups such as those listed at www.landingexpert.com can provide information, as can an online search for individualized coaching services via LinkedIn or Google. Typically, such individualized career coaching services are your best bets because they’re more individualized and because the fees come to 50 to 75 percent less than those charged by the career marketing firms I’ve described here.

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For Those in Transition, Not Knowing Hurts the Most

2010-08-25T08:06:00.001-07:00

As a career coach who sees people in transition every day, I’ve concluded that the single biggest obstacle for people in transition is not knowing what they don’t know regarding what it takes to win that fierce competition for getting a decent job.

I don’t intend to blame anyone; I’m merely pointing out the fact. When people become part of the in-transition crowd, they also become numb and find themselves in a state of disbelief. Given some time, reality sets in and they know that family priorities and financial obligations need to be met, so they step out from their shells and attempt to become productive.

They remember from the previous job search the steps needed to be taken to get a job offer. Regrettably, though, the rules of the game have changed--and so drastically that the old rules are no longer valid in any sense. For instance, technology has advanced to the point that the job search game is almost totally dependent on it. Plus, résumés are constructed differently from the way they used to be. They need to be tailored to the specific job the person is applying for.

LinkedIn is the most common electronic tool used by recruiters. A poor image on LinkedIn kicks a candidate out of the competition. And there’s where the problem starts. As I said at the beginning, job seekers don’t know what they don’t know, and so it follows that they don’t know how to improve their condition. What is evident is that it seems to take forever to get an interview--if at all. And then the competition among interviewees is fierce. Only one person of very many is offered the job; the rest feel like losers, and typically, they’re not told why they didn’t get an offer.

So, what’s the solution? My advice is to seek help. There are many job search networking groups that hold meetings where speakers are brought in to provide information pertinent to job search. In addition, job seekers who attend such meetings exchange information with each other, and there often is support by career coaches and counselors. Approach a career coach at a networking meeting to learn what he or she can do for you. You’ll probably get answers to questions you didn’t even know to ask! A current--and comprehensive--list of such groups within a 100-mile radius of New York can be downloaded from Web site www.landingexpert.com via the Networking tab.

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Do You Have That Spark in Your Eyes?

2010-08-16T07:11:00.001-07:00

Itzhak Perlman was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose, who asked Perlman what he looks for when selecting those few special Juilliard School students he wishes to work with. Years before, he himself was a student at Juilliard. “Is it skills or talent?” Rose asked. Perlman’s answer was that talent is not easily defined and that certainly most of Juilliard’s students are very talented to begin with. But Perlman is looking for that spark in their eyes and a special facial expression. So it seems that the differentiator when it comes to selecting students is something beyond skills and talent.

That point is also evident in terms of a job interview. Of course interviewers’ questions can be technical ones requiring skill-based answers or they may be behavioral based and looking for attitude, demeanor, and the like. But interpretation of answers is also heavily psychologically based—meaning, based on what the interviewer sees: Does the candidate have that spark in the eyes when talking about great professional accomplishments? Is there congruity between the spoken words and the body language?

A job interview is a stressful test. I don’t think anyone would deny that. The candidate going through this stressful event has to not only focus on the spoken words but also make sure to literally act out the role as interviewee. And there’s more to being an actor than just having acting skills. One has to have the talent and the ability to control and demonstrate genuine enthusiasm. Like an actor’s role, the interviewee’s role can be learned too with the proper guidance. I practice this every day.

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How to Improve Your Interviewing Skills

2010-08-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

An interview is a business transaction wherein the objective of the hiring manager (the person who has the authority to hire) is to make a selection among job candidates called in for interviews. A candidate has two challenges: first, to convince the hiring manager that he is the ideal candidate for the position, and second, to outshine the others (i.e., the competition for the job). Following are several suggestions.

First, prepare for the interview by working with a seasoned career coach. A career coach can practice with you certain mock-interviewing techniques, thereby helping you to not only answer difficult interview questions but also recognize traps and avoid saying the wrong things. As a career coach, I need no less than five hours to get someone ready for the big test. If the result is to get the job, then the fee paid for such a service is merely a drop in the bucket.

Second, prepare your SARBs: situation/action/result/benefit. These are short vignettes about your experience, describing for the interviewer how you solved problems on the job and the results and benefits to employers. They are the tools you bring with you to the interview. If presented well, the examples will convince the hiring manager you’re the right person for the job.

Third, research the company. Spend some time in the public library investigating as much as you can about the company. You cannot overdo this aspect of the job search, and neither should you underestimate the importance of showing the interviewer you understand--on either a macro- or microlevel--the issues the company faces.

Fourth, use your personal connections via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to discover as much information as you can about the people you’re going to interview with. While doing that, attempt to find something in common with them. This is very important, because people are known to hire candidates with whom they can build a relationship even during the interview process.

And fifth and last but not less important, make sure the position you’re interviewing for aligns with your own needs and desires. Consider your skills and attributes and traits. Evaluate the organization’s work environment, the commute, the compensation, and the benefits. Pay attention to your gut feeling. If it feels good, make sure you clearly show your enthusiasm. This is what the hiring manager wants to “buy.”

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The Secret behind Reference Checks

2010-07-31T14:19:00.001-07:00

Reference checking is not standard. Smaller companies typically have neither the manpower nor the funds to do thorough reference checks, which could cost hundreds of dollars. Conversely, larger companies do reference checks but at varying levels of thoroughness. Different from the typical applicant’s concerns--which have to do with performance--companies typically do background checks for security and legal liability reasons.

A comprehensive preemployment check consists of an employer’s examination of court records, motor vehicle reports, credit reports, identity records, possible aliases, and several other kinds of checking. My informal research revealed that a significant number of applicants have motor vehicle violations, bad credit, and collection agency records. In addition, just shy of one-third of applicants have discrepancies in their résumés in terms of past employment; some have criminal records; some inaccurately report level of education; and some test positive for use of illegal drugs. All of those findings warrant companies’ doing such checking prior to employment.

However, the applicant’s concern stems not so much from the logical or legal angle as much as it does from the emotional angle. The question that torments most people in transition is, What will my previous boss or my previous company’s human resources department reveal about me and my past performance? From a practical aspect, references are being performed via two methods. The formal one is done by the human resources department, and its value is limited because it is legally restricted to answering only basic questions related to title, dates or duration of employment, and perhaps whether the company would rehire or not. However, an informal reference check is done through personal contacts in the industry. This is the one that’s done on the Q.T. and cannot be controlled or restricted. Here one’s reputation in the industry is what is important. Building such a reputation is a slow, deliberate, and often challenging process. Ruining it can be fast--and difficult to recover. This is the one that comes with consequences and pain.

Every job applicant should have a list of at least three references. Employers are looking for past supervisors, possibly at various employers. What’s most important is that you ask permission before putting a name on your reference list. Plus, as your job search progresses, keep your references abreast of developments. Many people fail to stay in communication with their references, with the result that when a contact is made, they may be caught surprised and unprepared.

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Volunteering While in Transition Has Many Hidden Advantages

2010-07-19T11:19:00.001-07:00

While in transition, you’re after a paid job, not working for free. It’s natural to feel that way, but in fact volunteering could be the thing that gets you your next position. It’s happened often to job seekers. Volunteering has many rewarding facets, and most of them remain hidden till you uncover them by performing volunteer activities. Abby Kohut, president of Staffing Symphony LLC, recommends that 20 percent of a job seeker’s time be spent on volunteering.

Volunteering is a benevolent activity that could be extremely rewarding, especially for those in transition who need to hear a thank-you once in a while. Helping others is inherently enriching and satisfying. Providing assistance for others and lending a hand to people in need certainly qualify as good deeds. And when you give, you also get.

In general, people are open to the idea of volunteering but usually don’t take steps to initiate it because of the unknown and because they don’t know how to go about finding a suitable spot. Two decisions have to be made toward that end: First is to decide what type of volunteering interests you. Second is to decide where to find it. My advice is to search the Internet for the words finding volunteering opportunities. From there you’ll be guided to settling on your decisions.

Since volunteering is unpaid, your commitment can be short- or long-term. Make sure that during involvement in volunteer activities you take advantage of the opportunity to get acquainted with other people. Volunteering makes for an excellent occasion to network with people who appreciate your commitment to volunteer. Such people will listen to you and likely want to reciprocate. Make the most of it.

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Networking While in Transition is the Key to Success

2010-07-11T06:49:00.001-07:00

Becoming unemployed is likely a sudden, unexpected event, and most people do not have the networking skills needed to immediately switch gears and begin efficiently developing job leads. There could be many reasons: feeling uncomfortable with the networking process, not knowing the process, being shy by nature, or never having needed to network in the past. Unfortunately, people in transition need to resort to networking, because it has been found that 60 to 80 percent of people are getting their next jobs via networking.

The purpose of job-search networking is to cultivate relationships to lean on for getting advice, information, and--it is hoped--referrals. The objective is to expand your sphere of personal connections. Certainly, whom you know is important, but in this instance, equally or possibly even more important is who knows you. After all, you’re the one looking for a next job.

Networking is a learned skill. And it’s not necessary to be Mr. or Ms. Personality in order to be successful at it. Networking also involves consulting people who can list the search tools and strategies that have worked for them in past; people like telling their stories. Involve people in building your own search tools. Try to unfold the hidden job market--the positions that have not yet been advertised or that won’t ever be. That’s the reason they’re called hidden.

While networking, be considerate, genuine, and timely so that people will be willing to lend a hand. Smiling--smiling a lot--is very effective while networking. Genial body language coveys that you are friendly and are enjoying your relationship with the other person. Who wants to be associated with a Sorrowful Sue or a Negative Ned? It’s a big enough burden just to be in transition, and others usually don’t want to hear about someone else’s problems. You need to project a friendly and helpful image of yourself: Let the other person talk. Don’t monopolize the conversation. Exchange contact information and agree to follow up within a day or two. Keep the momentum going. By being a good networker, you increase your chances of getting a job severalfold.

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Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

2010-07-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Investing in Your Interview Wardrobe Pays Dividends

2010-06-30T17:20:00.001-07:00

The day for your interview has been scheduled. That means you were among the handful of people selected out of dozens of applicants to continue the competition toward the job offer. Not only do you need this job very badly, but also you studied for it thoroughly by preparing yourself for difficult interview questions and you’re really psyched up. But wait. What will you wear to this coveted interview?

An administrative assistant will usher you into an office or conference room where the interviewer and possibly others are waiting for you. They’ve studied your résumé and are prepared. The door opens and you walk in--energetically and with a big smile. They’re looking at you and noticing your appearance. You’re making an impression, and you want that impression to be excellent. You also know that that first impression is a lasting one. Some of what they see cannot be changed. This is the way you look--whether it’s good or bad. But there’s a lot you can do to improve this first and vital impression.

For men it is to some extent easier. Make sure your appearance is clean. A recent haircut and a close shave are musts; a graying beard or mustache adds years to your age. Typically, a well-tailored suit in a dark color--but not black--is recommended. In summer a nice light color is appropriate but preferably for the follow-up interview, not the first one. However, if the dress code is business casual, the suit may be waived. The shirt--well fitted and in a contemporary style--should complement your attire. Investing in a today’s-fashion tie is smart. A haberdashery sales associate could guide you, or you could look at a few pictures in one of the clothing-store catalogs that get stuffed periodically into your mailbox. A belt, too, should accentuate your positive appearance. Socks should be in a solid color, without any visible pattern, and should match the color of your shoes. Shoes are extremely important, not only to feel comfortable in but also because they, too, speak about you. A well-shined pair of new shoes creates the image you want to present.

The same principles apply to women as well. A hairstyle that enhances appearance is important. Don’t overdo makeup, and my recommendation is to skip the perfume when going for an interview. Your taste in perfumes may not match others’, and the aroma may linger long after you’ve left the office. If you smoke, I suggest you refrain from smoking for at least six hours prior to the interview and that you make sure your interview clothing has been aired out; nonsmokers can detect smokers from far away. Keep jewelry to a minimum, and remember that cleavage and revealing, short skirts might enhance your candidacy in the modeling profession, but if you’re applying for other jobs, consider a more professional, conservative look.

Remember the cliché that “the clothing makes the man,” and if you believe it, then investing in your interview wardrobe to enhance your image and thus your chances for the job offer makes sense.

Alex Freund is the founder of Landing Expert–Career Coaching. His Web site includes a current and comprehensive list of job search networking groups in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and the city of New York, and the site is visited by thousands of people every month. Landing Expert is a premier career-coaching service with the objective of preparing job seekers for interviews. Alex’s clients are gaining knowledge, receiving marketing material, and acquiring the know-how to beat the competition.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Read my blog.

Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

Is age discrimination an issue in job search?

2010-06-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

Is age discrimination an issue in job search?

While in Transition, Focus--But on What?

2010-06-16T15:03:00.001-07:00

I for one fully understand those in transition. I’ve been there at times myself--and for way too long. Life for the unemployed is hugely confusing. The quasi life equilibrium that used to exist before the transition period has been lost. And everybody you know seems to want to be helpful by giving you (nonprofessional) advice, which can add another layer of confusion to your bewilderment, thereby causing further disorientation. So, what’s the best thing to do to get back on track, get a job, and reach a life balance again? The answer may seem too simplistic: FOCUS.

You’ve probably heard the cliché “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re going nowhere.” How true, so therefore you need a path, a direction, and a huge amount of mental energy to stay focused on the right things.

The following (professional!) advice is paraphrased from a recent networking presentation given by my friend Abby Kohut (http://absolutelyabby.com/), who’s one of the smartest people I know in this business.

Thirty percent of your time should be spent in live networking. Sixty to 80 percent of people get their jobs via networking. Think about how you got your last job: probably by talking to someone who put you in touch with others, and the next thing was an interview.
Another 30 percent of your time should be spent on applying for jobs online, generating leads, and communicating via e-mail.
Twenty percent of your time should be spent on volunteering. It is critical for your mental health simply to be with people, to get involved, and to get exposure.
The last 20 percent of your time should be spent doing things for yourself. People are like batteries: periodically, they need to be recharged. In order to project to the hiring manager via the interview that you are the ideal candidate, you have to feel good about yourself. So, whatever makes you feel that way, do it!

By following these guidelines, staying focused, and cultivating perseverance, you’ll be handsomely rewarded with a job you deserve.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

My Resume Is Ready. What Now?

2010-06-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

People in transition or those who contemplate making a job change should not start dispersing their résumés all over the place before those résumés are up to snuff. I know that people in transition are very eager to get back in the game, to restore their (temporarily) lost identity, and to restart the flow of income, but the biggest mistake they make at this point is to start blasting weak credentials. Once your résumé hits cyberspace, you never know where it’s going to end up. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that before you post a résumé, it be a solid and strong one.

Next, the question is where to post it? Generally there are three types of job boards.

· The big and popular job boards such as HotJobs.com, Monster, and CareerBuilder.com are musts. While there may be overlaps among them, you never know which one is used by which recruiter or which potential employer.

· Those in the six-figure-income range can also post their résumés on such job search sites as sixfiguresjob.com, which is still free. They can also possibly try for at least one month certain others such as The Ladders.com and ExecuNet, which charge a small fee. The value of these sites is hotly debated among their users. Some job seekers were greatly helped by them, while others considered it a waste.

· There are several other, specialized sites such as lawjobs.com, Biospace, and HigherEdJobs, which should be used as appropriate.

A question I’m being frequently asked is how many job boards to use. My answer is that five to eight are suitable. Posting on job boards is laborious when setting them up for the first time. After doing so, it’s important to visit the sites daily—yes, daily--and make a small change such as adding or deleting a line and then saving the change. Doing that makes your résumé appear to be fresh. Recruiters have many fresh résumés to choose from, so why should they bother looking at older ones whose owners may have found already employment elsewhere?

The push and the pull

Now that you’ve pushed your résumé out into cyberspace, you should pull in openings that have been posted. Several job search sites do that for you. They’re known by the term aggregators. Indeed.com is one of the most popular ones, and there are others such as JobCircle and Simply Hired.

The aggregators are very user-friendly, and as a job seeker, you should set up a number of job alerts, as they are called, to reach your in-box daily. In fact, you should have several of them based on different keywords you’ve used and the distance from your ZIP code that you’re willing to commute to a job. The disadvantage of these types of sites is that there will be many duplicates. It takes a few trials and errors before hitting it right.

Good hunting!

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

Want to Change Career? What Does It Take?

2010-06-06T16:00:00.001-07:00

No surprise that in this economy more and more people are toying around with the idea of changing careers. For some, such a change represents an opportunity; for others, it may be a necessity because their industries are shifting, shrinking, or becoming extinct. The question my clients ask with more and more frequency is how to go about it. Regrettably, though, there’s no simple or one-size-fits-all answer, because each situation is unique. In other words, no two people’s circumstances are the same. A career coach cannot make such a decision for a client; the answer has to come from the individual. A career coach can of course counsel, guide, and support the process.

Let’s make sure we understand that I’m not referring to a job change. A career change is a radical change--for example, an executive with a finance background who buys a restaurant, or a manager at AT&T, a very well-known communications company, who shifts into managing an adult community or a nursing home. Those are real-life examples of people who were successful at making those changes; I know them personally. So, the questions are, What drives the process? and What does it take to come out as a winner?

Now let’s agree from the beginning that a career change involves significant risk. Not all career changes work out well. Decisions of this nature have at least two major components: the intellectual and the emotional. The emotional part involves the pain that a person endures and that strongly motivates and impels the person toward willingness to take a risk. The other component is the intellectual part, which involves, say, the person’s need--or desire--to make more money or the person’s disappointment with the industry, or with the nature of the current job, or with an intolerable boss who is apparently not leaving soon.

At the core of the job-changing decision-making process are three questions that require concrete answers:

> What are the job-changing individual’s values?

> What does the job-changing individual have to offer a potential employer?

> What does the job-changing individual expect in return?

Values have to do with one’s feelings about family, recognition, monetary rewards, security, promotions, belonging, commitment, loyalty, and so forth. The answer to the question regarding what one has to offer will be an analysis of skills--such as marketing, presentation, sales, research, and data analysis--and then identification of whether one has the traits that support those skills: is the person aggressive, independent, articulate, persuasive, logical, visionary?

The remaining issue deals with what the person wants in return. This touches on environmental and cultural factors. For example, does the person like to work in small organizations or big ones? How does the person feel about leadership styles, corporate politics, company reputation, work/life balance, and flextime for new parents, for example? And how about critical matters like salary, health coverage, and investment programs versus the minimum levels of compensation and benefits needed?

As you can see, a career change is loaded with complexities. My advice is to consult someone who is equipped to guide you as you navigate this maze. And a challenging maze it is indeed.

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I have all the qualifications, so why am I not being hired?

2010-05-31T14:59:00.001-07:00

For you, the only thing you want is to get a job. For the hiring manager, making the hire is a priority competing with many others at the same time. So what is going on in the hiring manager’s mind? Most hiring managers take no pleasure in the hiring process. It’s just one more thing they have to take care of, and they often feel insecure in making that final decision, since some of their previous hires proved disappointing.

A hiring manager also knows that making a hiring mistake could potentially ruin his reputation and credibility. While reviewing resumes he is asking himself three questions: Why should he interview you? What can you do for him? And if hired, would you be effective in filling the job duties?

Now, provided that you get invited for an interview, the hiring manager has three more qualifying questions to answer before deciding to hire you: (1) Are you particularly good at what he needs done? He is not hiring just average people. This is your opportunity to recite your accomplishments eloquently and succinctly. Do not repeat what you said in the past. Highlight only your accomplishments and the results. (2) Do you fit into his organization? This is the primary area in which you have to be convincing. You may have all the qualifications, but if the hiring manager cannot see you as part of his organization, then nothing will help you. (3) Are you committed? The hiring manager sees in you an investment—hopefully, a long-term investment. And he wants to make sure it’s a good one. He also wants to make sure you are promotable and have the potential to grow within the organization.

As you can see, the hiring process is complex for both the hiring manager and the candidate. Both sides will share in the potential rewards as well as the associated risks. The question for the candidate remains: how to increase chances of getting hired by outshining the competition? The theoretical answer is to network to the max, because statistics have proved that 60 to 80% of people found their jobs via networking. The practical answer is to mock-practice your interviewing skills. You can do that with friends or your spouse or—best of all—with a qualified career coach. The reason that interviewing skills are vital to acquire is simply that hiring managers make their decisions based on how well you interview and not on your job skills.

Alex Freund is the founder of Landing Expert–Career Coaching. His Web site includes a current and comprehensive list of job search networking groups in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and the city of New York, and the site is visited by thousands of people every month. Landing Expert is a premier career-coaching service with the objective of preparing job seekers for interviews. Alex’s clients are gaining knowledge, receiving marketing material, and acquiring the know-how to beat the competition.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Read my blog.

Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

The Interview Is about Understanding the Psychology of the Interviewer

2010-05-31T04:45:00.001-07:00

We may not recognize or admit it, but each of us is driven by our own personal psychology--and so is the interviewer. Therefore, the better we understand the decision maker the better we can answer his questions thus improving the chances for getting the job. This sounds logical doesn’t it? So let’s talk about the types of interviewers one may face.

There are a number of systems that are used to label people; DISC is one of them and there are others as well. While working for a major pharmaceutical company, I was introduced to another system, called MBS, Management By Strengths (www.strengths.com). MBS is very simple to use and could prove extremely helpful. As a job candidate, if you can quickly identify what type of person the interviewer is and adapt to his style and needs, you’ve already achieved at least 50 percent success.

MBS recognizes four types of people, and to make the system memorable, the people are identified by colors as follows.

RED stands for directness. Red types focus on the result, on being in control, and on solving problems. They have strong egos and are hard-driving and decisive. Most of the time reds are calm, but occasionally they erupt like volcanoes, letting you have it. And then everything goes back to normal. Being interviewed by a red requires that you be direct and to the point. Red will want you to explain WHAT. Focus on results, and talk about actions.

GREEN stands for extroversion. Here the focus is on people. Green types are outgoing, cheerful, mostly positive, enthusiastic, and pleasant. They like teamwork--working with people. Greens are talkative: Have you had an interview where the interviewer did the lion’s share of the talking? How frustrating! During an interview with a green, you should show enthusiasm, be interactive, and explain WHO. Elaborate on your involvement with teams, act friendly, and be open.

BLUE stands for pace. Blue types value timing, harmony, and cooperation. They seem cool under pressure. They hate being rushed and are therefore excellent planners. Schedules and deadlines are very important to blues. They seem relaxed and easygoing. When interviewing with a blue, show that you’re calm and in control. Explain WHEN. Focus on timing and harmony. Show how you kept everything under control and on time.

YELLOW stands for structure. Yellow types are constantly taking notes. They believe that if it’s in writing, then it’s a fact. In their lives, everything is filed away for future use. In their offices there are papers, files, books everywhere. Yellows are naturally good organizers. They love to be right and hate to be criticized. Therefore they gather all the facts and are very careful and slow in making decisions. Yellows don’t take change well. They appreciate knowing the rules, expectations, and instructions. When interviewing with a yellow, explain WHY. Be as detailed as possible. Focus on doing the right things. Talk about documented facts. Act organized and specific.

So, now that you know the basics about these four types of people, your job is to quickly decide what color your interviewer is. If you’re able to align with the interviewer’s traits, your chances for a successful interview are immensely increased.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Read my blog.

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Keywords in Résumé Lead to Interviews

2010-05-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

Eighty percent of all submitted résumés (and 100 percent of résumés sent to Fortune 1000 companies) get scanned by software commonly known as an applicant-tracking system (ATS), and such scanned résumés are stored on a server in a digitized format. Humans are seeing your résumé only if it resurfaces based on a query. That’s why most job applicants don’t receive responses from companies after submitting résumés. Therefore, in order to increase your résumé’s chances of being at least viewed by a human--even if it’s not thereafter considered suitable--you have to understand the process and beat them at their own game.

Human resources departments that use ATSs base their queries on keywords they lift from job descriptions or receive verbally from hiring managers. Based on that information, the ATS extracts appropriate résumés from the ones on file. The human resources employee’s query may result in just a few résumés or a vast number. The ATS also scores those résumés and sorts and prioritizes them. Then the employee reviews, say, 20 and submits 5 to be interviewed.

Your job is to ensure that you embed sufficient keywords in your résumé. So, what’s the best way to find those magical keywords? It’s a simple, albeit somewhat tedious, exercise.

1. Search the Internet via job boards such as Monster and The Ladders.com to find 5 to 20 job descriptions of jobs advertised in the field you’re interested in.

2. Cut and paste all of the descriptions one after another into a new Word document.

3. Review the document, resetting in boldface what you consider the keywords throughout.

4. Delete everything except the boldface words.

5. Alphabetize the words, and delete duplicates.

6. Copy your résumé into a new Word document, and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 on that copy.

The two resulting lists will display which keywords from the descriptions are missing from your résumé. And now comes the creative part: you incorporate the missing keywords into your résumé so it seems seamless and a perfect match for the context in which the words are mentioned in the job descriptions.

By doing this admittedly laborious task, you increase manyfold your chances of being picked out from the crowd.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

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FREE Resume Tune-Up Workshop at Trinity Church in Princeton on June 7, at 2:00 pm

2010-05-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

I am offering again a FREE community service at the Trinity Church of Princeton http://www.trinityprinceton.org/ in the form of a “Resume Tune-up Workshop”. Participants will walk away with knowledge about subjects such as; the resume appearance, how to avoid common resume mistakes, what constitutes an effective resume, in addition to pertinent tips for resume improvements. Who can benefit from such a workshop? It is most recommended for those people who are currently in transition or others who are considering changing jobs.

Where: Trinity Church - 33 Mercer Street Princeton, NJ 08540 (http://www.trinityprinceton.org/directionsAndParking.cfm)

Location: Parish Hall

When: Friday, June 7, 2010

Time: From 2:00 pm to approx. 5:00 pm

What to bring: Your resume, a pad for notes and a positive attitude.

How to sign up: Click on this URL: http://tiny.cc/lk7jv fill out the form and submit

Space is limited to 80 people and only those who pre-registered will be allowed in. First come, first served.

For more details about my background visit www.landingexpert.com , view my LinkedIn Profile and read my blog at http://landingexpert.posterous.com/

Alex

Alex Freund

(609)333-8866

Email: alex@landingexpert.com

Website: www.landingexpert.com

Blog: www.landingexpert.posterous.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexfreund

Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

Résumé + Interview = A Job

2010-05-15T18:43:00.001-07:00

The formula expressed in the title sounds so simple yet for some is difficult to achieve. So let’s together demystify the two elements for getting a job offer.

The Résumé

Because of the enormously large pool of job applicants nowadays, even a very good résumé may not get singled out when compared with the many outstanding résumés. It’s a competition for sure, and only, say, five résumés might be considered for invitations to face-to-face interviews. So, how does one put together an excellent résumé? That depends: if you have good writing skills, you can draft a résumé and then have some people whose proficiency and judgment you trust review and edit it for you until it becomes excellent. Consult career coaches, human resources professionals, or recruiters. Hopefully, you’ve developed good relationships with such people, who will agree to help by expressing their opinions.

If you are not skilled with language, I suggest you seek a professional résumé writer who has performed work for others and brought them success. This is a good investment, since otherwise, you’re merely spreading around a noncompetitive résumé that brings no action--and you will never find out why. Many people fall into that trap, and they therefore lose time and of course the opportunity to make money. So, how does one know whether one’s résumé is excellent? The answer is very simple: Excellent résumés get action. The rest don’t--or do only very rarely.

The Interview

Congratulations! Your résumé was attractive and intriguing enough to persuade a hiring manager to want a conversation with you in order to explore your candidacy for an opening, competitively with a few others. Now the real competition starts. All of those who have been invited to interview stood out too and could potentially take the job, meaning that they have the skills for it. But the hiring manager has another need to satisfy--and that is whether you fit and will be committed to the company. Ascertaining whether you fit is very much psychological on the part of the hiring manager, who is asking himself whether your future peers would accept you, whether you and he are aligned ideologically, whether his own boss would consider you a good hire, and whether you represent a promising investment. And there are other, similar questions, whose answers can be rather subjective.

The hiring manager’s final area of vital interest has to do with whether you seem committed to the job. He wants to ensure (1) that you have potential for growth within the company, (2) that you won’t move to a competitor if the company goes through some difficult times and someone else is offering you a fraction more compensation, and (3) that you deliberately targeted this company as an employer.

If you can convince the hiring manager that you’re the right choice, if you answer questions properly, and if you project positivity and energy, your chances for getting an offer are good. Good luck on your next job. Feel good about yourself. You deserve it.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

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There Are Two Types of Americans: Employed and Unemployed

2010-05-09T12:15:00.001-07:00

The title of this blog is of course oversimplified but I wanted to emphasize the vast difference between the two sides. As a career coach, I spend a lot of time with people who are not employed, whether they’re my private clients or attendees at the various job-search networking groups I support and frequent.

On one hand, I certainly understand the self-imposed pressure or the family pressure or friends’ pressure on these people. It can be debilitating, devastating, and, as time goes by, more and more depressing. On the other hand, many of those who are currently employed simply don’t understand those on the other side. While the unemployed have to succumb to the reality that the money that used to come in has stopped and while they have to make very painful and unprecedented lifestyle changes, those who are employed and therefore unaffected by the 10 percent rate of unemployment live their lives as well as ever they did. The restaurants in my area are always very busy, and my neighborhood’s Lotus dealer is selling those $75,000 cars; I can tell by the dealer’s parking lot.

So, what’s the solution for those in transition?! NETWORKING is the solution. Having an excellent résumé is a must, of course, but a good résumé is not good enough in today’s competitive marketplace. Most important of all, finding someone to hand carry your résumé to a hiring manager is certainly a huge plus. How do you make that happen? By sliding into the company through networking via, say, LinkedIn, other social media, and networking meetings--and finding the right person to help you.

A recent executive client of mine had been a stellar performer throughout his career but was out of work for five weeks through no fault of his own. Similar to the pattern of all of those in transition, he was down and upset and frustrated about his new situation. I implored him to increase his networking activities, and he did. Last week, I bumped into him at a networking meeting. Later, he told me that while there he was asked by one of the other networkers for a copy of his résumé. The next day, the wife of that other networker called him to invite him to interview. The way it looks now and with a little bit of luck, this job seeker will be extended a job offer. What a wonderful story, hopefully having a happy ending that will prove my point. Networking is the answer.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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The Psychology of Finding a Job

2010-05-01T18:21:00.001-07:00

To start with, I must make an important disclaimer. I am not a psychologist but a career coach. I don’t find it surprising that there is much in common between the two professions, and I have lots of stories to prove it. If you happen to be in transition, you may want to understand the psychology of the decision makers. It would be useful ammo you could deploy in order to promote yourself in landing a job.

Borders, Barnes & Noble, and similar stores have shelves and shelves of books on the subject of finding a job. I’m going to spare you from having to read several of those books. I want to focus on your need to start accepting change. It’s a known fact that our comfort zone lies within what we know. People exhibit various degrees of resistance to change. But when you’re in transition, you’d better embrace change, because if you resist, the world will go by and you’ll get left behind.

First, accept the fact that your old résumé that you just updated needs much, much more work. It needs to be revamped for today’s contemporary look and for projection of your accomplishments—not a listing of activities that someone in your position was expected to perform. I read résumés every single day, and the reluctance I see on the part of people who stick to the old style and content is a shame. Hiring managers and human resources people are interested in your accomplishments and what you excelled at and not what kept you busy. Recruiters are even more interested, since they have to sell you to hiring managers.

The next area of resistance I see is among those who stick to their own old ways and don’t jump in with both feet by using social media. They simply underestimate to what extent social media is being used by hiring managers, human resources staffers, and outside recruiters. Those hirers consult those social media for several reasons. The most important one is probably that it’s free versus their having to pay significant amounts of money to Monster, CareerBuilder, and others. In addition, social media enable them to cross-check information about you. People spend an inordinate amount of time and effort to make their résumé just right. But not so with information on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Please understand that when companies hire a job candidate, they’re making a big investment. And so, they must do their due diligence, which is similar to what you do when you’re considering a big investment or a decision. A part of that due diligence involves finding out more information about you than what you intended to provide via your résumé. My advice to people seeking employment is to become knowledgeable about and active with social media and at the same time to be careful of what they post in cyberspace. Whatever it is, make sure you’re consistent. A significant discrepancy between your résumé and your cyber persona could be very detrimental.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

The Psychology of Finding a Job

2010-05-01T18:08:00.001-07:00

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

Follow me on Twitter.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Read my blog.

Alex Freund

(609)333-8866

Email: alex@landingexpert.com

Website: www.landingexpert.com

Blog: www.landingexpert.posterous.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexfreund

Posted via email from "The Landing Expert"

Endear Yourself to the Buyer

2010-04-24T15:52:00.001-07:00

Nobody likes to be a nobody, but unfortunately, that’s what you are at the beginning of the job search process, provided you’ve just joined the ranks of those in transition. Those who are the decision makers about your future do not initially know anything about you, so you have the chance to impress them, and you want to make darn sure it’s a very good impression.

So, how are you going to positively influence hiring managers, human resources folks, and recruiters? To start with, record brief greetings on both your answering machine at home and your mobile phone, and project a clear, mature, businesslike, and overall positive message. Your children are cute, I’m sure, but leave their greetings for sharing with family and friends and not potential employers. Next, get into the habit of answering your phone professionally. Answering with “Hello, this is John Doe,” with a friendly and inviting tone of voice, is best. Get into that habit even if you think you can identify the person via caller ID. Don’t make exceptions to the rule, because you’ll be sorry if you didn’t answer properly when it’s someone you really want to impress. You also want to make sure your e-mail address is nothing less than professional. An address like bigmama@yahoo.com or anything cute or sexy could be detrimental to that first impression.

Your next opportunity to create the right image is via your résumé. This is probably the single most important document you’ll be evaluated by, and it will determine whether the hiring folks want to invite you to an interview or not. Remember that the first impression is a lasting impression. This is an extremely critical stage because résumé readers typically review large numbers of résumés, and having only one opening to fill, their intention at this point is to reduce the number of résumés to three to five final candidates for interviewing. In fact, this process of reviewing the résumé is divided into two parts. The resume reader’s objective is to eliminate résumés that clearly seem to lack something. It might be something as simple as an unattractive appearance, improper use of language or grammar, lengthiness, overly detailed experience, or a lack of accomplishments.

On one hand, many résumés contain listings of job duties as described in job descriptions and not actual accomplishments. The résumé reviewer expects to read about accomplishments on the job. If your résumé doesn’t pass this 10- to 30-second scan, it’s likely that it will be set aside and never resurface again. Unfortunately, you’ll never find out that that was the case—except by the lack of any next steps.

On the other hand, if your résumé passes this first-blush review, it will be read thoroughly, along with another 10 or 12 others, and will be ranked on a competitive basis. Probably only three to five candidates will be called in for face-to-face interviews. With that decision, you move on to the next stage in the job search process, in which you have to get ready for the final test, which is to convince the hiring manager and others interviewing you that you are their ideal candidate. Good luck.

Alex can be reached at:

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We Judge with Our Eyes

2010-04-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

I am on vacation and not even on American soil. It is a vastly different milieu in almost every respect. I find myself continuously comparing, contrasting, judging, and labeling people. Of course, this continuous chatter is only in my head. I don’t share it with anyone, God forbid.

But isn’t that what we do in all instances when we see people? It’s even more critical when you go in for an interview. As a career coach, I counsel people every day—not only on how to answer interview questions correctly and how to avoid interview traps but also on how to let your body communicate the message you want to convey. Hiring managers and human resources folks read your body language and can tell whether there’s congruence between what you say in words and what your body says in motions.

Part of my coaching covers how to dress properly for an interview. I use an evaluation system to make sure you convey the right image. Men are faced with less of an issue on this subject than women are. It doesn’t cause me pleasure to tell clients to upgrade their clothing to fit the 21st century. Or to replace their large-size eyeglass frame with something more contemporary. Or to rethink their outdated hairstyle. Or even simply to get a haircut. An interviewee’s shoes need to be polished, and socks better match. But all of that is only part of the image a job candidate leaves behind and which will heavily influence the impression made on others. The words the interviewee uses are important too, but even that is not all. The overall image—the total impression—is what will be remembered.

My advice is that you ask a trusted source to tell you the truth about the impression you make and the image you leave behind. Family members are not the right people to ask. And don’t jeopardize a friendship by asking the wrong question and causing unease or embarrassment. It’s best to hire a career coach who is paid for giving such advice.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

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LinkedIn Profile Is More Important Than Résumé

2010-03-29T06:18:00.001-07:00

Do I shock you with this declaration? Think again. Your résumé is typically being sent to individuals, to recruiters, or as a job application, which has limited exposure. Yet your LinkedIn profile is open to literally the entire world around the clock. Moreover, as I understand it, LinkedIn is now considered the choice tool by recruiters and human resources professionals because it is so user-friendly and searchable.

If you think like I do, then you may want to revisit your LinkedIn profile and make a few easy improvements. For example, upload a professionally produced photo to enhance your image. Make sure the tagline contains a good description of what you do. The Twitter feature should be used frequently and appropriately. The summary section should be your marketing piece. Your current and past positions should be clear. Don’t say too much; rather, make them intriguing. Include a few but strong accomplishments in your bulleted items. Keywords pertinent to your profession should be listed as well. Listing your specialties offers additional, specific information that enhances your chances to distinguish yourself.

LinkedIn lets you upload various applications. Take advantage of that. Recruiters like to see that you have several recommendations. After all, they have to sell you to their clients. Recommendations serve as strong support for your candidacy because they come from others. Everything else you say in your LinkedIn profile comes from you, and in this case you’re a salesperson selling a product, which is yourself. If you have a Web site or blog posts, list them. Belonging to several professional groups also enhances your image. Similarly, if you’ve received honors and awards, they should be listed. You also should include some interests because you’ll be selected not only for your qualifications but also for your fit factor.

And finally, review your personal settings. There may be great qualifications listed on your Linkedin profile, but if you limit those you allow to view the profile, who do you think is losing out?

Alex can be reached at:

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While in Transition, Are You Keeping Pace with Technology?

2010-03-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

I know that the title I selected for this blog represents a near impossibility. Technology in the past decade has been developing at a furious pace, and from what I read it is expected to speed up even more. And that makes it even more difficult to stay abreast with. In this blog I want to limit my intent to two areas when I talk about technology. The first area is the technology in your particular profession. And regardless of what that profession is, new and technological advancements are parts of every profession. Companies are very interested in reducing costs, and they therefore embrace technology to keep up their levels of competitiveness with others in the same industry. The second area is the technology that evolved in the past decade in the area of social media.

It is highly advisable that while in transition you stay on top of technological developments in your particular profession. Hiring managers are more interested in hiring someone who’s up-to-date as opposed to someone who’s been out for a while and who lacks the latest technology skills and therefore whose learning curve will be steep and possibly prolonged.

Equally important, I see the need for people in transition to show potential employers their proficiency in using social media. At the very least, one should use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook but also potentially some others. The aforementioned social media could give a job seeker a huge advantage by acquiring a personal brand and then promulgating it to would-be employers or other networking folks. As a career coach, I strongly recommend to my clients that they spend no less than one hour a day—and possibly longer—in learning the functionalities of these new and developing and ever-changing tools. Many recruiters and hiring managers take advantage of them, and so should you.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

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Can You Automate Your Job Search?

2010-03-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

A recent visit to a public restroom made me smile. I was hoping nobody saw me smiling, but it was quite humorous. In this recently remodeled restroom, everything was automated. To wash my hands, I placed one hand under a U-shaped pipe, which squirted soap. I then moved my hand under the faucet, and water flowed out. When I then needed towels, I waved a hand in front of a paper towel dispenser, and a towel rolled out. Yes, I could have placed my hands under an automatic dryer too. Such advanced automation made me smile and started me thinking, Why can’t the job search be so simple? And indeed, when searching for a job, we find that almost everything is still done manually.

Yes, you need to create a résumé. Yes, most people ask their friends to just “look at it” and suggest improvements. No, your friends are not professionals, but they can still offer you advice. My suggestion is that you get a professional to assist you. It will cost you some money, but would you have your car repaired by your friend who’s an amateur? And when you get really sick, would you consult your friend who typically gives you health-related advice? If you post your résumé and nobody calls, that means your résumé is lacking. A well-written résumé that highlights years of significant accomplishments will get reaction. If your résumé is written in an intriguing way that arouses curiosity about how you achieved your results and how you could do the same for others, then your phone will ring. When passing billboards on the highway, do you notice them? Some of them you may still remember.

And then comes interview preparation. So you think that since you’ve gotten jobs in past, you can be good at it again? Really? Today’s extraordinarily competitive job market rewards only the very best. There’s no gold, silver, and bronze here. Gold or nothing! So think again about your need of a professional for preparing for that interview. As a career coach, I help job seekers every single day. In the past I used to think that the more senior an executive is, the less preparation the person needs. Not so, I found out. At times even though executives might be more articulate than average, many of them—just like nonexecutives—still neither understand nor know how to apply the strategy of convincing an interviewer that they represent the ideal candidate.

The only automation within a job search consists of the various alerts one can set up so that when certain keywords appear in a job posting, the job seeker gets alerted. Try setting up an e-mail alert via indeed.com. I’m hopeful that by and by, technology will evolve to make the job search easier and more automated. Until then, job seekers have to do things manually, and my advice is to get professional help.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

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The Career Doctor: The return on investment for a professionally written resume

2010-03-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

The Career Doctor: The return on investment for a professionally written resume

Negotiate the job offer to win

2010-03-07T04:56:00.001-08:00

You wanted this job so bad, and finally the offer arrived. The adrenaline is flowing freely, and you feel like sharing the good news with the entire world—certainly with those who contributed to your win. But is this job a really good deal? Could you have gotten a better deal if you only knew how?

The majority of people simply melt once they get a coveted job offer. They’re so grateful and they feel so saved that they think that by crossing the finish line, their goal has been attained. However, that is not the case. A job offer is a significant milestone indeed, but negotiating your best deal right now is the only time you can do it. You’re now in the falling-in-love period—like when you were in your teens and falling in love and your love interest could do no wrong and was simply perfect. Well, once the company you’ve applied to goes through the arduous and protracted hiring process and decided on you as the winner, they want to move on. At this point, they don’t want to go back to square one and start the process all over. That’s the time to negotiate.

Compensation negotiation is a six-step process. First, identify what’s important for you—for example, size of company, reputation, challenge, work-life balance, and your future manager. Second, carefully examine the offer by talking to as many people as you can who can provide relevant information about your areas of interest concerning the company and the job. Third, compare the offer with your priorities by writing down your thoughts. Consider the pluses and minuses, and prioritize them. Then do the same by writing down your feelings and emotions about taking this job.

Fourth, you must perform your due diligence by defining your dealing points and your deal-breaking points. Be truthful to yourself, but stay flexible. Remember that it’s not the money that you make but the money you keep. So review in detail the package of company-paid benefits. I can think of at least 20 different items in such a package—from medical coverage to tuition reimbursement.

Fifth, negotiate your best deal. Most companies expect you to do that. Show an unusual level of excitement about the opportunity, but register disappointment with the compensation. As a career coach, I train clients by practicing mock negotiations together with them. Initially, during such mock negotiations, many people feel awkward, but after we do this a few times, they learn this new skill.

The sixth and final step is to make the decision. Consult with your spouse, advisers, and career coach. If you’re a high-level executive, you may want to consult with a lawyer and a financial adviser as well.

A job offer should be executed in writing and with the parties signing it. At some small companies, the process is much simpler, and if there’s no written document to sign, it still behooves you to summarize your understanding of the compensation and document it via e-mail.

Alex can be reached at:

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alex@landingexpert.com

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While in transition you must stay informed

2010-02-28T08:34:00.001-08:00

Your status while in transition is that of a consultant, especially when you’re interviewing for a job. The would-be employer needs you because you might be able to solve certain company problems. To prove that you can, you must stay on top of things and demonstrate that you’re knowledgeable about the employer’s industry in general, about the sector the company is in in particular, and even about the most current issues and developments in the hiring manager’s field. So, how do you do that?

I’m a career coach helping people in transition every day. I, too, must demonstrate to clients that I’m on top of my industry. To achieve that, at least one hour a day seven days a week I read about general subjects in daily papers (mostly online), about business subjects in several business magazines I subscribe to, and about current events via the Internet when such news flashes onto my screen. Naturally, I focus more on issues that pertain to jobs and the like by reading articles by people I follow on Twitter.

I find an equally important source of information at various networking forums by meeting and chatting with people in attendance. For example, the other day I was the presenter at a job search networking group, but because of the inclement weather, the turnout was significantly smaller than expected. The situation allowed the presentation to turn into more of a focus group chat, which was even more appropriate because the presentation was called How to Be Effective When Networking. Most of the attendees had basic familiarity with job search networking, but they had special interest in the comparison between classical, or traditional, networking and social networking.

People in transition should learn, embrace, and actively participate in social networking. This is admittedly a totally new, up-and-coming element in the job search armamentarium, and those who master it benefit the most.

On another subject during that meeting—but an especially pertinent part of the group’s learning—a participant recounted an interview situation he’d recently experienced. The interview was with a human resources representative half his age, who blatantly and repeatedly violated the age discrimination law. Frustrated and furious, the job seeker ended the interview, later reporting the experience to higher-ups in the company. The interviewer was fired three days later and dared to call the candidate on the phone to complain to him. For me, this certainly sounded like a learning experience.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a tool in your career search

2010-02-21T07:32:00.001-08:00

There are a number of very good tests of personality type on the market, and as a career coach I always recommend that people in transition explore the results of such tests and apply those results in their decision-making processes. Being in transition is an opportune time to assess where you are and what you want to pursue in the future. For the purpose of this article, I focus on one of the most popular tests: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI.

Let’s face it: we are what we do. When casually asked, “So, what do you do?” we typically answer with our title or we identify our industry. We reply, “I’m a vice president at XYZ Bank,” or, “I teach in special ed.” However, neither answer gives a clue about whether the person is good at the job or enjoys doing it. If you probe a bit further with a second question, ”How did you get into that profession?” the answer in most cases proves that it was a coincidence. When deciding on a profession, we took into consideration what we thought we could do, what others such as parents and friends thought we should do, and what our own intuition said regarding what we wanted to do.

A few years ago, I took the opportunity to sit for several personality tests, and while all of them gave me clues and insights beyond what I see every morning in the mirror, I found the MBTI intriguing. Most of us are not clear regarding what it is that satisfies us, but we know well what we don’t like doing. The MBTI personality test can reveal the secret of which career choice might fulfill and satisfy you and enhance the quality of your life.

The traditional approach we take in selecting a career path focuses on our values, interests, and abilities based on skills. None of those assures us that we’ll enjoy what we’ll do and that we’ll have fun with it. Each person has an individual personality type—an issue that usually is neither recognized nor properly addressed in the choosing of a career path. The MBTI deals with personality types. It deals with how we interact with the world, how we focus our energy, the kind of information we instinctively notice, the ways we make decisions, and whether we prefer more structure versus spontaneity.

The MBTI suggests that there are 16 personality types. It differentiates between extroverts and introverts, between people who sense and those who make decisions on intuition, between those who are thinkers and those who are more gut-feeling types, and between those who judge and those who perceive. The completed test needs to be interpreted by a qualified person for a nominal fee. My results were pretty accurate, but the likely profession that the MBTI recommended I would enjoy was a far cry from what I can associate myself with.

Alex can be reached at:

609-333-8866

alex@landingexpert.com

www.landingexpert.com

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