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March 17, 2010

Tip of the Week – 3/17 – Storytelling

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:08 pm

Tip of the Week – Storytelling

Within the Job Search, you must learn to master the art of storytelling.

You use storytelling for:

  • Introducing Yourself
  • Asking for Help
  • Creating your Resume
  • All of your Interviews

Frequently the best storyteller is the person who will receive the job. How good of a story teller are you?

  • Do you know which stories you want to tell?
  • Do you know what your stories are saying?
  • Do you know which stories to tell in which occassions?

In telling your story, does the story draw empathy from the other person? Do you have elements of humor in your story? Does it tell people who you are?

Write a list of the qualities that you think are your strongest assets. Add the qualities needed for your next position to that list. Go down the whole list and see if you can tell a story that highlights each quality on your list (sometimes you might duplicate stories). Practice those stories with a friend.

Remember they are your stories. You aren’t making them up. Remember what it was like to be in those situations. Feel it all over again. Feel proud for what you accomplished in each of those moments.

If this is a challenging exercise for you, let me know. I am considering pulling together a “storytelling” connection conversation if there is enough interest.

The Tip of the Week is posted in the Job Seeker Newsletter each week.

March 8, 2010

Tip of the Week – 3/8 – Know What You Want

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:06 pm

Tip of the Week – Know What You Want

If you don’t know what you want to do, how is anyone supposed to be able to help you?

There are many job seekers who are out there and really don’t know what they want to do. Or if they do know what they want to do, they don’t know how to vocalize it. Are you one of these job seekers?

  • Can you clearly communicate to someone else the ways you bring value to an organization?
  • Can you clearly communicate the aspects of a job that you love?
  • Can you clearly communicate what your perfect job looks like?
  • Can you clearly communicate what you used to do in your old job?

Don’t be suprised if you answered “no” to every question above. Most job seekers can not clearly communicate anything about what they enjoy, what they have done or what they would like to do in the future. Couple that with the fact that most people do not like to brag about themselves and you’ve got a recipe for pure confusion.

Think of it like the genie who grants you 3 wishes but does it in a way that you can not expect. If you told that genie that your wish was to “make $100K a year and live in Austin Texas”, that genie may grant you a position where you are working 80 hours a week under enormously stressful conditions. Your blood pressure goes through the roof. You’re angry all the time. You have customers/clients screaming at you constantly. You have a boss who is threatening to fire you at a moments notice. The genie gave you what you wanted. However, is your life any better? Could you have been clearer in your desires?

I challenge you to define:

  • What do you do better than 95% of the people out there?
  • What do you really enjoy doing?
  • What kind of an environment do you want to work in?
  • What is your realistic salary expectation?
  • Are you willing to travel?
  • Are you willing to relocate?
  • Do you need any specialized benefits?

Once you have those answers, then you need to start to figure out how to tell someone else about them.

  • Can you say what you do on a simplistic level and have someone understand it? Practice on a 5th grader, a server at a restaurant or your grandmother (you get the point).
  • Can you dress up the story and communicate it to someone who is in the same business/industry/function as you?
  • Can you dress it up more and communicate your values to a future employer?

If this task seems way too daunting for you, find a friend to practice it with. If it still seems too daunting, find a Career Coach to work with. Of course, I’m going to plug Austin Career Coaching, since I’m the Director of Networking there. However, pick one that you feel comfortable with and get them to start working with you.

Until you are clear on what you want and you can communicate it effectively, you will continue to spin your wheels.

To receive the Job Seeker Newsletter – please go to http://www.BridgeATX.com/Newsletter.html

March 1, 2010

Tip of the Week – 3/1 – You Never Know

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:04 pm

Tip of the Week – You Never Know

You Never Know when the conversation that you are currently having might lead to your next great job opportunity.

Months ago, I contacted a VP of Client Services who knew a friend of mine. The company that he worked for was hiring a Project Manager and another friend of mine was interested in the position. This VP was very nice and was more than willing to help me get the candidate in touch with the right people. At the time I was also working in technical staffing and he had said that he was happy to screen any Call Center or Tech Support people that I needed to interview for positions in the future.

Fast forward a few months and this same VP contacted me to let me know that although he was very happy where he was working, he was also interested in seeking out other opportunities. If the perfect position came along for him he wanted me to know he was interested in a conversation.

This VP and I kept in touch going back and forth for some time talking about a variety of different things. About a month ago, I contacted him regarding the Austin Career Coaching program and how it could be VERY effective for passive job seekers. Since he thought he was in a state of transition but wasn’t really sure what he’d like to do next, he decided he would talk to Donna Fox to find out if he would be a fit.

While we were in the midst of these discussions, this VP spotted a position that he knew he would be perfect for. He asked me if I knew anyone over at this company. Of course I did, but the Corporate Recruiter over there (who is a friend of mine) is currently on maternity leave. The VP pointed out that I knew another recruiter over there. I had no idea that a friend of mine had stepped into the role while my other friend was on maternity leave. So, we gave it a shot.

My introduction between the VP and the temporary recruiter set off a huge snowball. The company that was doing the hiring was shocked and amazed that the VP would even be looking let alone find them and get in front of them.

Last week, the VP contacted me to tell me that he accepted the job at the new company. He is terribly thrilled and excited to be stepping into the new role. He insists that had it not been for the one little binding connection between the VP and the temporary recruiter that he would not have been in a position to accept the role. It was the one little domino that started a chain of events that led to this new adventure.

Even better, he is now asking me for a list of highly qualified executive job seekers who might fit the role that he is leaving. Because of the Executive Networking Clublet that I have formed, I have already been able to supply him with a list of qualified candidates who he can take to his current employer when he goes in to give them his notice.

Because I needed the VPs help and he was willing to help, we started to build a relationship. Because we continued to stay in touch, he was able to tell me about his interest in a new position. Because he confided in me, I started to help him get some career coaching. Because he was exploring career coaching, he stumbled upon this position. Because one friend was on maternity leave and another happened to step into the recruiter role, I was able to get the VP visibility that he would not have had otherwise. Because I helped the VP get a new job, I am in a position to help someone else take on a new role.

I tell you this story because you never know when the relationship that you started building months ago may be the final key to the puzzle to get you to your next position. You never know when you might be that little key that another person needs in order to get their next position. Had one step in this process been missed, none of this would have happened.

I encourage you to continue to build rapport with all of the people you know. Help them when you can. Ask them for help when you need it. Trust that the right thing will happen when it is supposed to.

February 17, 2010

Job Seeker Tip of the Week – 2/17 – The Pursuit

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 10:40 am

I’ve been talking to a lot of job seekers about what to do when you are in the interview stages of your pursuit of the job. Frequently people are left wondering in silence hoping that they will go onto the next interview. Let me help to explain what is happening on the staffing side of things and then what you can do to handle the situation. :)

First, when you are finishing up an interview, you should always ask to see what the next steps are going to be and when you should expect to hear back from the company. Take that date and add 2 days. If you haven’t heard back by then you are free to follow up.

People get busy. I know it’s hard to believe but people are not thinking about you and your interview process all day long. I mean, people other than you. ;) They may be interviewing other candidates. They may be actually doing work. If you don’t hear back from someone in the time frame that they have set assume that they are busy.

If you have a recruiter that you are working with, they are the first point of “harrassment”. What I mean by this, is that you can contact them more frequently to get feedback than you can a hiring manager. So, if you have a recruiter, feel free to contact them every couple of days or so to see where the process stands. If you only have the contact info of the Hiring Manager themself, then you’ll have to step a little more gingerly and contact them every 5 business days or so.

I heard a great comment yesterday and that’s “Treat it like a Date”. That means you want to contact them often enough to make sure they know you are interested. Sometimes, its the one person who follows up that actually gets the job. However, you can’t over contact them and come across as a stalker. After you have contacted someone 3 – 4 times and received no response, consider the situation dead. They may contact you back at a later date, but you need to give up on them contacting you.

So, general Rules of Thumb:

  • Make sure you get a “follow up” date upon completion of an interview
  • Give a Recruiter 2 days after that date to contact you – and then you should contact them
  • Give a Hiring Manager 5 days after that date to contact you – and then you should contact them
  • Follow up every 2 – 4 days appearing eager but not desperate
  • If you don’t hear back after 3 – 4 tries, let it go

To Receive Our Newsletter Go to – www.BridgeATX.com/Newsletter.html

February 12, 2010

Job Seeker Tip of the Week – 2/12 – Be Visible

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 10:28 am

Tip of the Week

Be Visible

So much of a job search is about being in the right place at the right time. Last night I was out with a few friends. I was talking to someone who I hadn’t met before. At the end of the conversation I realized that this woman who was sitting next to me could be perfect for a job posting that I had heard about this week. Today I will be sending her more information and we’ll see how that goes.

If I had not been sitting next to her last night, I would have never known that she was unhappy with her current job. This job is not posted anywhere yet. So, had she not been sitting next to me she would have never known about it.

You don’t know where your next job opportunity might come from. You could start a conversation with the guy standing behind you at Whole Foods and he could turn out to be a Hiring Manager. You could be at your kids basketball game and you’re sitting next to a woman who is the Director of HR. You might be volunteering for an event and the person who is helping you to stack chairs might be your next boss.

You laugh, but I’m telling you that every time I go downtown to the Whole Foods on 6th Street I ALWAYS run into decision makers that I know. Decision Makers are typically working 60 – 80 hours a week. Where do you think they are? They need to go shopping. If they have children, they will be at their children’s events. If they are philanthropic they will pick organizations that they want to volunteer for.

Decision Makers are not going to Job Clubs. Job Clubs should be used to increase your knowledge and meet new people (who may know the decision maker that you need to talk to).

Decision Makers are not going to be sitting in your house with you watching the History Channel.

Decision Makers lurk around every corner. Get out there and BE VISIBLE.

February 2, 2010

Job Seeker – Tip of the Week – 2/2 – Seeking Help

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:22 pm

Tip of the Week


Seeking Help

In my Connection Conversations I help people understand what they need to do when they are trying to seek help from others. I go through three scenarios:

It’s 3 AM, I’m stuck at the airport. Cabs are all gone and I need a ride home. I ask YOU to come and pick me up from the airport. Will you come?

It’s 3 AM, I’m stuck at the airport. Cabs are all gone and I need a ride home. I ask MY BROTHER to come and pick me up from the airport. Will he come?

It’s 3 AM, I’ve been busted with a DWI and I call my brother to come and bail me out of jail. Will he come?

The scenarios above address the issue of familiarity and how easy it is to help me. Would you come get me at the airport? Maybe, because you realize that you would then be able to call in a favor from me. However, you would definitely think twice about leaving your cozy little bed to come get me. In the second scenario, my brother would not be very happy about it, but he would come and get me from the airport if I were stranded. In the third scenario, I think my brother would probably think it was good for me to stay in jail overnight for my terrible behavior and would likely wait until the morning to come and help.

The point of this is that when you are asking people to help you you need to consider 1) How well do they know you and 2) How easy it is for them to help you. The easier you make it on someone to help, the more likely you will get a quick reaction and a lot of help.

I go into much more detail in my classes on how this can be accomplished, but you can’t expect me to tell you all of that for free do you? :)

January 27, 2010

Job Seeker – Tip of the Week – 1/27 – Linked In For Schizophrenics

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:09 pm

Tip of the Week

Linked In for Schizophrenics

Many Job Seekers have asked me lately what to do with their Linked In Profile when they are seeking a variety of different positions or possibly a variety of different industries. My comment is “be honest”.   Use the top section of Linked In to explain why you have so many different interests and how each of them might benefit the company that you seek to work for.

Now, the catch to this is that you must still show that you are focused on whatever it is specifically that a company needs. You can’t just say “I’ve picked three areas to focus my search.  I’d like to be a baseball player because I played baseball as a kid.  I’d like to be a plumber because I feel handy around my house.  I’d like to be a journalist because I enjoy writing.”  Um.. Okay….   How would a Hiring Manager review that one?   Tell people why you are passionate about the area you have chosen to focus on and why (perhaps with little experience) someone should give you a shot.

Now, I’m not going to get into the “What do you want to be when you grow up” conversation in this tip.  That’s a long conversation that we cover over 12 weeks at Austin Career Coaching.   However, I do challenge you to really focus in on what you’d like to do and why you are special at doing just that.

Then when you’re talking about specific job experience you can spell out something about the past experience that makes you perfect for one of the new directions that you are heading in.

For example:

Application Support Team Lead at Authoria
September 2006 – September 2007  (1 year 1 month)

• Developed and trained team members on support ticket software
• Motivated fellow employees
• Defined and captured functional and operational requirements and processes
• Ensured issues were resolved in a timely fashion

EVENT PLANNING – While in my role as Application Support Team Lead at Authoria – I was part of the Event Planning Committee.  I helped to plan over 15 events. Each week we coordinated catered lunch for 75 employees.

If you’d like to receive the Tips of the Week as they are published – sign up for our newsletters at http://www.bridgeatx.com/newsletter.html

January 18, 2010

Job Seeker – Tip of the Week – 1/18 – Keep Your Skills Fresh

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:08 pm

Tip of the Week

KEEP YOUR SKILLS FRESH

This week I’m going to encourage you to start to look for ways to keep your skills fresh.  Even passive job seekers find themselves in roles in their companies where they are not doing what they want to be doing.  For example, a java developer may be asked to lead a team and they get so swamped with the administration of that team that they don’t get to code anymore.

So, what can you do to keep your skills fresh?

First, decide which skills are the ones that you want to maintain.  You might be really good at bookkeeping but you really enjoy managing people.

Then you need to start to look for opportunities where you can continue to use those skills.  You can volunteer.  You can offer to help small businesses get up and running.  You can start your own side consulting business. You can take classes. Trust me the opportunities are out there.  You may not always get paid for your efforts but if you don’t get your skills up to date you won’t get hired for the jobs that you want.

A sales person may offer to help a company launch their sales program on a commission basis.  A programmer may build their own website.  A project manager may offer to manage a group or volunteer project.  A bookkeeper may help small businesses balance their taxes.

If you are looking for an opportunity to keep your skills fresh but you aren’t sure how to do it.  Please email me and I’ll be happy to start offering suggestions.

If you aren’t doing what you would love to do as a career every single day.  Then you need to be finding ways to do improve that skillset so you can start doing it tomorrow.

If you’d like to receive the Tips of the Week as they are posted – Sign up for our Newsletter at http://www.bridgeatx.com/newsletter.html

January 11, 2010

Job Seeker – Tip of the Week – 1/11 – Follow Up

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:07 pm

Tip of the Week

FOLLOW UP

I can’t tell you how many people I talk to every day.   Lots of people are interested in receiving my help.  I tell them how I can help them and then I task them with sending me a follow up email to remind me to help them.  Do you know how many people don’t follow up with me?

This is the worst thing that you can do as a job seeker.  People talk to you and they hear your story and they are excited to help you.   The longer you let time go on the more energy and enthusiasm are lost.

I connect people all the time, it’s my business to do so.  So, I tend to remember when people send me an email that I offered to help.  However, other people are not the same.  They leave a conversation and life happens and they forget.

You should respond back to any request within a 24 hour period (or maybe Monday morning if you have a task over the weekend).   If people don’t get back to you within a few days – assume they are busy (not avoiding you) and follow back up again to remind them to help you.

If you are one of those people who has been meaning to send out a followup task and you have forgotten – go ahead and send it out now.  You won’t get as great of a response, but you might still get one.

No one cares more about your job search than you do.  Take the responsibility.  Own it.  You’ll start to see some magic results start to come through for you!

If you’ d like to recieve these tips as they come in – sign up for our Job Seeker Newsletter – http://www.bridgeatx.com/newsletter.html

January 6, 2010

Job Seeker – Tip of the Week – 1/6 – Take Time To Celebrate

Filed under: Job Seekers, Tip of the Week — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kim B @ 1:05 pm

Tip of the Week

Take Time To Celebrate

There was a lot of celebrating going on over the last week.  Out With The Old and In With The New.  Are you feeling good and revitalized now?   How much did taking a little time out to celebrate lift your spirits?

I encourage you to start to make this part of your routine. Every win you celebrate brings more wins to you.  The power of positive thinking is absolutely amazing.

As you sit and your write your New Year’s resolutions, I encourage you to focus in on some realistically obtainable goals.   Your goals could be as simple as “Set up 10 meetings with friends”, “Find 3 new companies I’ve never heard of”, “Get an Interview”, “Take A Nap Every Afternoon”.  I don’t care what your goals are – just set them.

Once you have reached a goal (or perhaps a milestone to a goal) take a moment to celebrate.  When you get that phone call telling you that you have an interview, set down the remote, stand up in your jammies and do a little happy dance.  When you get the name of a new contact from a friend, stick your chest out and crow like a rooster (okay, maybe not right in front of them).  When you complete an interview, do not go home afterwards go straight to Amy’s Ice Cream and buy yourself an triple decker ice cream cone.  If you have had any wins this week, no matter how small, I want you to go out in your backyard right now and scream at the top of your lungs “I AM A WINNER”.  You should do this 3 or 4 times to get the full effect.  By full effect I mean that you will fall down laughing at yourself for feeling so silly. If you can, record a video and send it to me. :)

Okay, maybe you don’t stop and celebrate in the same way that I do.  But I do want you to go out and celebrate.  Embrace those wins and love every second of them.

Guys, we only get one shot at life.  In the times of your greatest despair you need to take a moment to sit back and laugh at yourself.

If you’d like to receive these tips as they come in – Sign Up for our Job Seeker Newsletter at – www.BridgeATX.com/newsletter.html

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