Plan, Prepare, Plan, Prepare...

Sometimes you think you are all grown up and professional and then you do something so, well…dumb.  My husband calls it my "bull" as in "Bull in a china shop" but I call it my Sagittarius.  We Sagittarians are known for speaking off the top of our heads; sometimes just not thinking before something pops out of our mouths.  I've been like this for as long as I remember and don't know if it has to do with my astrological sign or if it is just something inherent in my being. My son has it too.  I vividly recall when seeing a man with an ill-fitting toupee in the grocery store, be blurted out loud in front of everyone, "What's that man got on his head?" I'll let that one slide because he was younger then and didn't yet realize that some things are better left unsaid. After a talk about it on the ride home he realized that words can be hurtful. 

Anyway, today on my facebook business page I posted a very informative article that I found on tips for getting back to work after a long absence.  It was for the age 40+ job seeker.  In my Sagittarian haste I wrote, "Here is a great article for the old job seeker", rather than, "Here is great article for the older job seeker." I know it may sound trivial and wasn't intentional but still, I didn't proof it before posting. So does this relate to the job search? Yes, plenty. 

1. Proof, proof, proof.  Run your resume and cover letters through spell and grammar checks. Then run it past real life "people" checks. 
2. If you are replying to comments or starting a comment in a LinkedIn or other group, copy and paste the comments in Word first, check them and then post them. 
3.  If you are interviewing, think before you speak - be prepared.
4. Going in a thousand directions at once is going to cause mistakes. Slow down.

These are the rules I try to follow but sometimes my “Bull” or Sagittarius comes out.  We're only human, right?

Job Search: A Few of My Favorite Things

Many times in my job search classes, people ask me what, other than a good resume can help them with their job search. That’s a good question, especially since many times there are more than 100 applications for each open position.  There are some things that you can do and while some require an investment, others are free but worth their weight in gold.   What can you think of?  Here are a few that I can immediately think of:

1.       A profession photograph.  Have a family member or friend take a picture of you against a background with some color.  Don’t have a busy or white background and try to make sure it is a headshot. Unless you have a tripod, don’t try to take it yourself because your arm holding the camera always shows and that looks funny.  I suggest you look around for a reasonable priced professional.  In the NJ and PA areas, I found Da Visons Photography.  They are highly professional, affordable and a joy to work with. They have a Facebook Business Page you can visit and “Like”.  Try to use your most professional headshot for LinkedIn and save the soft and fuzzy stuff for Facebook.

2.       A business card. Either go to a printing company or create a template yourself with VistaPrint.  The quality of the stock and typeset of VistaPrint  is great and you can’t beat the price. 

3.       A professional email and voice mail. Don’t let either take away from your professionalism.

4.       A grammatically correct and well-written LinkedIn profile. Take a look at some of the other profiles from positions that are similar to yours.  Join the LinkedIn group, Linked Strategies to learn some of the expert tips to make your profile searchable and professional.  I also like the blog, "The Essay Expert"  for many reasons including the grammar assistance.

5.       A professional website or blog. If you want to create either of these but have little or no expertise, sometimes you need a little help.  You can hire a professional to design or guide you in this activity or you can do it yourself.  A wonderful resource is Christine Biz.  I like Christine's advice and her easy to understand instructions.  She also has some great website templates. Christine has a Facebook Business Page full of great tips that you can "Like".

6.       Hope. One of my favorite blogs is The Golden Rule Guy, written by John Fox. John writes from the heart and provides encouragement to any job seeker.  His writing style is soothing and comforting.

Can you think of anything else?  Any suggestions?

Job Search Questions Wanted

Is there a question that you have about the any part of the job search process? Please comment below or send me a note and let me know.  I can use it for a couple of things:
1. Write a blog about it, and/or
2. Use it in a radio show interview (to be aired on March 12, 2011)

Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you.

Nancy

Job Search for Moms - Book Review

My recent book, Job Search for Moms has only three chapters; Planning, Networking and Presenting. That's it - the only three steps you'll need to begin the arduous task of looking for a new job or career.  Rather than present you with a laundry list of every possible piece of job search advice, these three steps take the mystery and well, pain, out of the whole job search process.  So what do the chapters on Planning, Networking and Presenting involve?  Here are a couple of highlights:

1. Planning: The theme of Chapter One is Focus on You, Focus on the Job. With tools and charts, this chapter will allow you to reflect upon your needs including those that are financial, emotional, and educational.  By identifying your strengths and development needs, skill sets, transferable job skills, career wants and experience you will be better prepared to speak about yourself and share your knowledge and abilities.   The chapter also looks at careers and shows you how and where to review the key words that match your skill sets.  By focusing on you and focusing on the job, you’ll be better prepared to set goals and move ahead to the next chapter; Networking.

2. Networking: This chapter looks at the number one way to find a job.  Included are the methods to build relationships, identify networking opportunities and contacts, gain knowledge of the hidden job market and clarify insider information.  You’ll also learn how to develop yourself within your current position or in a different career direction through informal and informational interviewing.  Creating a  social media presence is also emphasized.

3. Presenting: Now that you're done planning and understand networking you are ready to create your resume, plan for your interview and move forward.  This chapter (placed last for a reason) presents the tools you’ll need to put your job search into high gear.  It includes resume types, behavioral interviewing, questioning techniques, resources to find company information, the flow of any interview and follow up activities.

Job Search for Moms stocked with charts, questions, telephone conversations, email samples, internet resources – everything any job seeker needs to get moving with the job search. The material was gathered from a series of job search classes presented by Blackbird Learning Associates.  The book is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or Lulu.com.

Workforce 55+

As an older job seeker, have you considered Title V of the Older Americans Act?  This program, established in 1965 offers older job seekers as opportunity to participate in part time work.  It is described as a program offering "part-time opportunities in community service activities for unemployed low-income persons who are fifty-five years or older and who have poor employment prospects."  New Jersey unemployed job seekers can find more information at Workforce 55+.

Creating A File of Your Accomplishemnts

I used to save everything but luckily over the years I've managed to purge books, clothing, shoes, old toys and so many other things.  I think the television show "Hoarders" scared me!  One of the things I never threw out though were my old performance appraisals. 

Back when I was a corporate trainer I taught managers and non-managers the art of performance management.  That included goal setting, coaching, performance appraisal and development planning.  One tip I passed to every person who walked through the training room door was this, "Create a "Me" File, or a file of your accomplishments and add to it weekly. A physical or electronic Me File is a tool that contains all of your measurable accomplishments, or results.

The point of the Me File is to remind you of your many accomplishments during the yearly performance cycle.  Back then, I suggested that as soon as you sat down with your manager to review your goals, you needed to prepare your new file.  It should contain a copy of your goal statements and any notes and accomplishments that relate to these. As the performance cycle spins on, you might include emails from clients, managers or peers, thank you letters, specific reasons why a goal couldn't be met, or specific reasons why a goal was met or ahead of target. It should also include your final appraisal and development plans. I would suggest that people take about 15 minutes before the close of the workday on the last day of the work week to add notes to the file.  Of course people would use the file however they liked just as long as they kept one.  No one can remember their day to day work activities and having a file like this is a refreshing reminder of all that you do.

How is all this related to your job search? If you get notice of an impending reduction in workforce (and you may be part of that reduction), gather up your Me Files and take them home.  Much of the data and detail will allow you to note your job accomplishments and this  is the fuel for your resume.  If your performance appraisal was written correctly (and sadly many/most) aren't, you will have a wonderful record of your specific job accomplishments.  You'll be able to capture how many, how much, with whom, why and why not. 

If you never saved this information you'll have to recreate it.  You can start with a chart listing your specific job tasks and then add your accomplishments as they relate to these.  Also add any training or development activities that you attended. It's harder to remember a year or two down the road.

Unfortunately, many companies don't have any performance planning systems in place. That's a shame. Still, if this is the case for you, you can still create a Me File. Fill it with everyting that relates to your job and be sure to include all the notes and comments relating to your performance.  It will help you in so many ways, including your self confidence!

Career Resources Are Out There

Last night I gave a class in one our public libraries on career assessment.  As usual it was a great group of people all eager to learn something new to apply to their job searches.    One of the things I noticed again (and I see it in every class) is that most people aren’t aware of the rich resources that are around them.  Now I spend much of my time looking for these resources so that I can pass them along; it’s my job but some people aren’t aware of what’s out there.  Here are some of the more obvious resources:

1  Free career assessments – look to the government sites such as O*Net or Oprah Winfrey's great tools.

2. Free personality assessments. 

3. Free training- look at your libraries, community colleges, adult schools

4. Networking and Professional groups

5. Job descriptions- look at the Occupational Handbook and job boards and compare the wording of these positions to your skill set.

6. Salary calculators

7. Low cost business cards such as those from VistaPrint

8. Volunteer opportunities (remember networking and skill set development)

9. How-To articles and resume samples on major job boards

10.LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook

There are so many more, what have you found that has been helpful in your job search?