10 Cool Resources – Catalysts for Your Career Campaign!

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS
There is an adage that says, “There is no substitute for preparation.”  As we enter the beginning of August, on the cusp of the fall hiring season, I want to share with you some cool resources that you can use to help prepare for the fall hiring season.  When you have that overwhelmed feeling, wouldn’t having a multitude of resources to help you create your search roadmap take the edge off your anxiety?

Below I have created this “cool resources” tool bag that I believe you will find helpful. Using this mix of resources can move you closer to success in attaining your goal.

1. Books – Whether it is reading about how to Brag, by Peggy Klaus, Never Eat Alone, a book that teaches the ins and outs of networking by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz,  The Twitter Job Search Guide by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Deb Dibb and Chandlee Bryan, or The Essential Phone Interview Handbook by Paul J. Bailo, having these resources can give you the nudge in the right direction of some very important facets of a career campaign. Check out last month’s blog posting that discusses some of these books in depth.

2. Social Media – It is here to stay. Embrace it! Start to play with it and you will feel less intimidated by it. Social Media is very important for establishing your brand as well as actually using it in active career search. Watch out for our 3e seminars on LInkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook coming this fall.  We will be conducting several, hands-on seminars to teach you how to work with Social Media in job search.

3. Job Boards – Job Boards are a source for passive postings. As I have said before, to have a complete career campaign, you need to include applications to passive job postings.  Find a mixture of general and niche sites for your field and use them to add this component to your campaign.  Also, look at sites like ExecuNet which is a more unique site where you can peruse job postings, meet like minded career professionals, gain a plethora of valuable insight and information about career search and network both online and offline.

4. Networking – You know that I cannot say enough about how important your network is.  Keep enlarging it and nurturing it.  It is a valuable way to actively get your name and your brand out there. And, being out there is where you meet people that can possibly connect you to the companies you want to connect with. This includes keeping in touch with your alumni network from your college, masters and doctoral programs. Use them as a resource.

5. Public Library – Due to the downturn in the economy, many libraries have devoted special sections to job search with computers for research.  They bring in speakers that discuss different aspects of how to do an effective job search and they are usually free. Next time you are out and about, check out your local library to see what is going on.

6. Organizations – There are numerous organizations out there providing support to those people who are unemployed. There are job clubs, religious groups, and national organizations that are trying to provide information and assistance during these challenging times. Sit down and think about what groups might apply in your case and then do what my kids tell me to do all of the time, “Google it, Mom.”

7. Volunteer at a Non-Profit– Yes, volunteer a little bit of your time. This gets you out of the house and into the world of infinite possibilities.  You may learn a new skill. You will meet new people. You will be giving of yourself and feel gratified for doing it.  Your mood will change and so may your outlook.

8. Job Fairs – Seek out the Job Fairs in your area.  Do your research. Often you can find a listing of what companies will be attending and what jobs are open. Attend them with lots of resumes in hand, dressed professionally, with a smile and your Value Proposition down pat. You will have 30 seconds to tell it to the person taking your resume so be prepared and role-play, doing it in a rapid-fire manner.

9. Recruiters – Reach out to recruiters as another facet of your career campaign. Use The Directory of Executive & Professional Recruiters from Kennedy Information, which is the Bible of books providing listings of recruiters indexed by geographic region, industry and function. If you are looking for a recruiter in Connecticut that deals with Human Resources, you will find it here.  This is an expensive book and may often be found in the resource section of your public library. It can also be found online, if you are not in a position to pay for the service, look to your library in the reference section.

10. Career Coach – I saved the best for last!  If you are struggling in search or, if you are just starting your search, a career coach can be a valuable part of your career campaign. Just like using a trainer at the gym, a career coach is there prescribing the exercises and cheering you on your road to success.  Your career coach can help you establish your brand by working with you to create your Value Proposition, tweak your resume, teach you how to research companies and prepare and practice for the interview process. A good coach will explore with you, guide you, take you to task sometimes, and lift you up when you think all is lost. Coaches have their fingers on the pulse of the job market and when that final interview happens and you are determined to be the “one,” your coach can help you with the negotiation process so that you do not leave money on the table. Lastly, your coach can support you through your first review to help with any adjustment issues.

So here you have it.   Ten cool resources to catapult your career search. Pull them out of your tool bag and use them to help you when you feel lost or want to get back on track. Or, if you are just starting out, you now have a myriad of tools to give you a great start.  As always, please leave me a comment and let me know if this posting helped you. If you are struggling in search, please contact me at lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com or 203-323-9977.

Every Success –

Linda

Summer Beach Reading = Career Campaign Improvements!

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, CCMC, CJSS
Being proactive over the summer will put you in good stead when the fall hiring season starts.  Taking steps to advance your search now can make all of the difference and give you a leg up! One way to do this is by reading.  So I have compiled a reading list of 3 books that are valuable reading to bring to the beach, the park, on a family visit or wherever your summer plans take you.

The first book is Called “Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It” by Peggy Klaus.  For those of you who find it difficult to talk about yourselves to let people know about your accomplishments and other career highlights, this is the book for you! I have often said that the workplace as we have known it is gone and that we have to become the masters of our careers. No longer do we work for companies and get the proverbial pocket watch at the end during an emotional retirement dinner. The only emotion left today happens when you are stunned by the words, “Sorry, but we have to let you go.” So who is going to speak up for you out in the workplace and the world, if not you? Peggy Klaus’ answer is to “start thinking like an entrepreneur and start bragging about your most valuable product: you!”

Ms. Klaus starts by writing about the myths that keep people from promoting themselves such as “modesty is a virtue” or “if I brag about others, they will brag about me.” The answers she provides are helpful in overcoming these types of things that hold us back.  As she puts it “bragging is about becoming more of who you are and bringing forward your best parts with authenticity, pride and enthusiasm. It’s about telling your story in a way that showcases your strengths. It’s a way of building a bridge to others and to better opportunities.”  How many times have I told you about telling stories to hiring managers to convey your core expertise and how it can help solve the problems of the company with which you are interviewing? By changing the way that you think about bragging, Ms. Klaus takes the agony out of it and turns it into a tool so you can convey your message with sincerity and ease. You will learn how to create a “brag bag” filled with “brag bites” and “bragologues,” short or long stories that you use as appropriate to the situation at hand.  This book is an enjoyable, easy read filled with valuable information that you can use in search and in life in general. Start with yourself and disseminate the information down to your kids. Everyone can benefit from learning how to “brag” about themselves in the correct manner!

The next book that I put on your reading list is entitled, “Never Eat Alone And Other Secrets To Success, One Relationship At A Time,” by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz.  This is one of the consummate books on networking and relationship building. Another easy, enjoyable read, Ferrazzi shares the fruits of his expertise with informative, concrete examples to help you take the concepts and incorporate them into your everyday life. He shows you how to create valuable relationships and to nurture them with the “secret to success” which, according to Ferrazzi, is “generosity.” For “… its value in the world of networks is proven.”  Ferrazzi sums up his version of connecting as “… a constant process of giving and receiving – of asking for and offering help. By putting people in contact with one another, by giving your time and expertise and sharing them freely, the pie gets bigger for everyone.”  One statement that he makes is often hard for some people to do. As Ferrazzi puts it “You’ve got to be more than willing to accept generosity. Often, you’ve got to go out and ask for it.” This is where many people go wrong and Ferrazzi shows you how to improve in this type of situation and why.

As Peggy Klaus mentioned in her book, Keith Ferrazzi also mentions that where generosity in the past was found at the company you worked for, today it is found in the network that you nurture to help you promote you! Throughout the book, there are fascinating examples of famous people and the way that connecting to others helped make them successful. Reading about Bill Clinton and Michael Milken, among others, will help synthesize the concepts that Ferrazzi brings to light.  I highly recommend this book to everyone, however, if you struggle with networking, connecting with people and would rather die than reach out, this book can change your life. Read it and be transformed!

Saving the best for last, I also recommend that you read the book “The Twitter Job Search Guide, Find A Job and Advance Your Career In Just 15 Minutes A Day.” Written by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan and Deb Dib, here you have a bible on how to use Twitter in job search. These three authors have come together to take you on a tour of Twitter, explaining in detail, the nuts and bolts of Twitter. I cannot stress enough that Twitter is one of the most important social media channels out there. With learning about how to create your Twitter handle, your Bio in 160 characters, to tweeting in 140 characters, following people, tweeting and a whole host of other tips and tidbits, you go from newbie to intermediate and beyond in using this valuable job search tool.  As I have mentioned in the past, you cannot ignore Twitter when millions of jobs are being tweeted on a regular basis on this social media medium. This book provides you with information on using hashtags, creating tweets, following your targeted companies, using Twitter for job leads and more.  Whitcomb and her colleagues show how you can do all of this and devote 15 minutes a day, not 15 hours as some people mistakenly think. I require my clients to use this book as a resource. I tell them to continually go back as they a work on becoming a savvy tweeter.

So here you have it. Three books that provide valuable information for your job search that are also enjoyable, entertaining quick reads.  Bring them to the beach or wherever you go to relax and recharge and you will accelerate you search to the next level at lightning speed.

As always, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. If you need help in your career search, please contact me at lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com or 203-323-9977.

Every success!

Linda

Summer Assignment: Establish or Enhance Your Social Media Presence To Catapult Your Job Search Forward

By Linda M. Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS
If you were to ask me what one of the most requested speaking topics people have requested of me is, I would have to say that it has something to do with Social Media in job search.  Whether it is learning about using Twitter, or special tips on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, those involved in helping job seekers transition understand that employers are embracing Social Media in epic proportions. As a Twitter Certified Career Strategist, I can say without equivocation that Social Media must play an important part in your transition process. More than a million and a half jobs a month are advertised on Twitter alone. Can you afford to turn your back on metrics like this?

So, if you are not that well versed in Social Media, take the time over the summer to become knowledgeable enough to add Social Media to your career campaign. If you are using it now, see how you can improve on your ROE, Return on Effort! The following assignments are designed to help you get there!

Starting with LinkedIn, make sure that your profile is at 100%. Use all of the real estate that they provide you with to present your brand. Under your name, there is a place that most people think should just say the title of the position that they hold or are searching for. Use it as a place to insert some of your value proposition/headline so that you set the tone about who you are right after your name. This should also be loaded with the keywords that direct searches back to you!  Seek out at least 5 recommendations.  When you write 5 recommendations for colleagues and associates, usually 3 will write back and do the same for you! This continues to whet the appetite of the person that is viewing your profile. Research at least 10 companies that you might be interested in and then find 10 names of people to contact to set up informational meetings to learn more about the company and its culture. How do you do this? In the right hand search box, do a reverse look-up by putting in the company name. Up will pop people that work there enabling you to see if you have any connections. See who is there and if you have anyone that can help the process along for you. These tips can help you maximize your LinkedIn profile and increase your ROE.  Joining groups that these “influencers’ belong to is another way to be able to reach out and speak to them!

Twitter is the Social Media Tool that can provide a big return for 15-30 minutes a day. Read about how Twitter works. Buy a copy of The Twitter Job Search Guide written by Susan Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan and Deb Dib. It is chock full of information to help you become a Twitter aficionado. It is easy reading that can help propel your career campaign to the next level.

If you have not established a presence on Twitter, establish your Twitter handle at once. Create one that ties into your brand. Create your 160-character profile which means convey your value proposition in as succinct and catchy a manner as possible.

Twitter is the one Social Media tool that allows you to follow people without needing permission. So, follow the rule of “C-I-O“.  Follow Companies, Influencers and find Opportunities as they are tweeted. Watch the jobs that they advertise on Twitter and listen to the tweets of the HR people. Yes, many of them are on Twitter and this allows you to peek behind the curtain of the company in a way that you cannot do with other Social Media.

Learn about using hashtags and play around with them. Also, practice tweeting 140 character tweets by writing them out on paper. This will help you become more confident before you start.

Lastly, I recommend that you attend my Twitter For Job Seekers Workshop to be held on June 20, 2012 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in Stamford, CT. It answers the questions “What is this stuff anyway and how I am supposed to use it in Job Search???”  For those of you in the local Stamford, CT area, this workshop will prove to be invaluable in getting you on the road or enhancing your use of Twitter in search.  To register, click here .

Lastly, create your individual experience page on facebook. Research and like companies you have targeted so that you can follow the company and see what is happening including becoming privy to job openings as they come up.  Lastly, join or use BranchOut.com which is the facebook equivalent of LinkedIn.

Implementing a holistic Social Media approach can pay big dividends for your career campaign. Working on the foregoing assignments will help you position yourself in Social Media in the best way possible. Please leave me a comment and let me know if this has helped you. As always, if I can help you in search, please feel free to contact me at lindavan@myexecutivecareercoach.com or 203-323-9977.

Every success –

Linda