26 Feb 10 The hardest part of your job search

: Image by brixton via Flickr

What is the hardest part of your job search?

Is it finding contacts to one of your target companies? Is it building a list of companies you’re targeting? How about preparing for interviews?

For me, the hardest part of my job search is also the most important part. What I’m about to say is echoed time and again from people I’ve interviewed for the How I Got My Job job search success stories podcast. I believe it’s the most important part and most often the hardest. Because it requires so much work up front. (more…)

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Check out Daniel Johnson, Jr. on LinkedIn.

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Tags: 48 Days to the Work You Love, Employment, job hunt, Marketing, Seth Godin

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05 Feb 10 A pink slip or a blank page?

Getting laid off and losing a job doesn’t have to be the end of the world. It can be the best time to reinvent yourself. As one person in Lemonade: The Movie said, it’s not a pink slip – it’s a blank page.

Please set aside 36 minutes and watch this movie. I saw it on Hulu, and I’ve embedded it here for your convenience.

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Tags: attitude, laid off, lemonade, multiple careers, reinvent, video

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07 Jan 10 Overcoming the dread of resume writing (BOOK REVIEW)

I made a confession on Twitter and Facebook yesterday: I hate writing resumes and cover letters and sending them off to people. I realize it’s a necessary part of the hiring process, but I’ve found it tedious and in some ways overwhelming.

I think the reason for this has to do with changing a career. I have a resume that somewhat worked for what I did at my last job, but, since I’m now moving in a different direction, I have to come up with a different resume. In my mind that often seems to be like an insurmountable task.

: Image by Olivier Charavel via Flickr

Last week I went to the library and browsed the books in the job hunting section for inspiration. I noticed this thin, tall book by fellow Cincinnatian Andrea Kay, entitled Resumes That Will Get You the Job You Want (affiliate link). This book was first written in 1997, and it contains a lot of things that are helping me overcome my dread of writing a resume.

Andrea writes in a real, down-to-earth style, and I love the approach that the book takes. She starts from having us inventory our strengths, expertise, and experience. Then she helps us get to the core of what we want to do and how we can make a difference, combining this into a thesis statement and objective. Once we do that, we’re able to put the accomplishment statements that support the thesis on the resume.

I’m still reading the book, but I wanted to let you know about it right now, because it’s actually given me hope that I can overcome my dread of writing a resume. I also have no problem recommending you check it out and use my affiliate link. Check it out at the library, or get it here.

Resume Help for Job Seekers (halliecrawford.typepad.com)
Good Cover Letter Techniques To Writing An Awesome One (slideshare.net)
Jumpstart your job search using the best online and offline strategies! (halliecrawford.typepad.com)
Using Social Networking Sites for Job Searching (timesunion.com)

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Tags: Andrea Kay, book review, Cover letter, Resumes and Portfolios, Writing

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09 Nov 09 Pursuing Your Passion

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Ever feel like someone’s trying to tell you something?

Early this afternoon I did an in-person interview for How I Got My Job with a good friend of mine, Marc Hopkins, about how he got his recent job as an adjunct professor at a local university. During that interview he talked about YourOneDegree.com. From their website: “Your One Degree is the specific focus and direction you were put on planet earth to pursue and accomplish.”
Later this afternoon, while browsing the aggregate feed for this year’s National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo) website, I found this post from Will Brown entitled Pursuing Your Passion. I was intrigued so much that I had to take a second listen.
My good friend and Cincinnati-area colleague Cliff Ravenscraft from GSPN.tv has a blog and podcast entitled Pursuing a Balanced Life. You may have seen some updates on Twitter with the #PABL hashtag; Cliff and this community are behind that. He left a high-paying job selling insurance to pursue a passion in podcasting and has been able to make a living doing that. I’ve heard him share his story a number of times, and I continue to be inspired.

Maybe it’s that being in transition removes a lot of the other constraints I felt like I was under when I was working full-time, but I’m at least seeing a lot more varied opportunities come my way to try new things.

What about you?

What Questions Do You Have On the Pursuit of Passion? (celestinechua.com)
Following My Passion Has Changed My Life (podcastanswerman.com)
How to Profit From Your Passion (usnews.com)
Loving What You Do (twistimage.com)

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Tags: Cliff Ravenscraft, GSPN, mission, multiple careers, NaPodPoMo, One Degree, PABL, passion

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30 Oct 09 Know Yourself. Be Yourself.

: Image by assbach via Flickr

Are you applying for jobs you have no business applying for? Are you trying to pass off someone other than YOU as you work toward getting your next job? Well, STOP IT!

Seriously, watch this short video my friend Kevin Dugan did with keynote speaker Artie Isaac, at SummitUp, a recent social media confab many of us attended in Dayton, Ohio. I happened to stumble upon it while browsing other videos on YouTube.

Know Yourself, Be yourself for better pitches with Artie Isaac.

Authenticity is by far one of the most important qualities you’ll need to get to your next job. Nearly everyone I’ve interviewed for How I Got My Job has mentioned this trait in some way, shape, or form. Know who you are and how you fit with the company and position you’re applying for.

Know Yourself, Change Your World (iflizwerequeen.com)
Crafting Business Avatars: An Authenticity Exercise (AuthenticOrganizations.com)
Digital Forces Brand Authenticity (futurelab.net)
How I Got My Job as Director of Marketing – Kevin Dugan (howigotmyjob.com)
House cleaner found new clients during recession (news.cincinnati.com)

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Tags: Artie Isaac, authenticity, bad pitch blog, Dayton, job search, job search strategy, Kevin Dugan, ohio, personal branding, summitup, video

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28 Oct 09 Overcoming Rejection

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Last night I attended a networking group for job seekers at a local Barnes & Noble. The organizer is an employee there, and each week he plans a discussion around topics that are relevant to other job seekers, with some books he’s found.

Coping with Rejection

The topic for last night was “Coping with Rejection”. Monte, the organizer, described it this way:

Rejection can impede your job search in a number of ways. Some are subtle and some not so subtle. We will look at a number of different authors, books and web sites is seeing what defenses and strategies we can employ in overcoming this major stumbling stone. We’d love to have you join us but we won’t take it personally if you don’t.

To wallow or not to wallow: that is the question

Interestingly, he found that there have not been books written exclusively about how to deal with rejection; most books contain a chapter or a paragraph or two. I wonder if that’s because not many people are interested in buying books on rejection. We can choose to wallow in the rejection, or we can rise above it.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t take time to figure out what happened and what we can learn from it. And I’m not saying there shouldn’t be time to be sad or down. But I think there needs to be a time when we pick ourselves back up and press on.

Different playing field – different ballgame

Many of us job seekers are finding that this time of searching is a completely different playing field. I imagine hiring managers are feeling the same way. Job seekers wondering why they haven’t even received a rejection letter; hiring managers too busy or overwhelmed with applicants to have time to send them out.

The great supply of labor has some employers on a bargain hunt. If we as job seekers are not willing to come in at a number they offer, they can probably find someone else who will. This is a different kind of rejection, isn’t it? We begin to wonder whether you’re worth what you used to make. If we opt for the lowball offer, that might pigeonhole us at a lower pay range. When the market improves, who’s to say that we won’t jump ship? Chances are that we won’t rise above it at that job.

Know yourself

This is where having a great personal brand, both online and in-person, is key. We need to know ourselves, communicate who we are and what we’re about, in such a way that shows that we fit with an organization and position. Doing this means getting out from behind the computer, taking that shower, and getting in front of other people. Learn about yourself and what your marketable skills are. Uncover leads for new opportunities, not only from searching online but also from asking others you know.

The power of a phone call

The phone is still one of the best social networking tools around. One person at the group last night told a story about having an interview one morning about 25 miles from his home. He awoke in a bad mood and wasn’t looking forward to driving in the sleet on the roads that he was sure would be a mess. The phone rang, and he let the answering machine pick it up. He hoped it was the hiring manager, calling to cancel or reschedule the interview because of the weather. Instead it was someone he’d met from a networking event who knew about his interview. She called, saying she was reminded that he had his big interview that morning and wanted to wish him the best. His mood changed.

This story reminds me that I both need the encouragement and I need to offer it generously.

Another person, who has a background in sales, described his approach in calling on potential customers. He said before he had an intimidating call to make, he’d make a call to his best client. He said this advice could work for us job seekers. If we have an intimidating call to a potential employer to make, we could first call someone from the group or another friend we know who’ll offer us the emotional support we need.

Prime the pump

Sometime during the evening, I brought up Zig Ziglar’s story about the water pump. Since I couldn’t remember all the details, Monte, the group’s organizer, told the group the compact, “Reader’s Digest” version. Through the magic of the internet (*wink*), I’m able to share it with you here:

Zig Ziglar – Prime the Pump.

I’m glad I went to this group and was sad that I had to leave early. Hopefully some of the things I’ve shared here have been valuable to you as well.

Strangers Lend a Hand to Job Seekers (online.wsj.com)
Free career coaching support for unemployed UK professionals (ki-work.typepad.com)
Social Media Is Thin Skinned (jackofallblogs.com)

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Tags: Barnes & Noble, Job hunting, networking, personal branding, rejection, Zig Ziglar

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19 Oct 09 How to prepare for your first job fair

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Last week I asked the following question on LinkedIn:

What advice would you give to someone who will be attending their very first job fair?

Many unemployed workers are finding themselves in the job market for the first time in many years. Some have never been in the job market before. What advice would you give to such a job seeker? I’m looking for help in setting expectations, etc. This is also going to be for a blog post at http://getthatjobonline.com and will immediately go out to some local folks who will attend a job fair in the coming weeks. Thanks for your help!

I am glad that I received so many responses, and you should definitely check out what others have said, since the advice is too numerous to include in this post. One of the many noteworthy responses came from Doug Field, who is a training manager, course developer, and instructor in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area:

Rent a copy of Hello, Dolly! starring Barbra Streisand as Dolly Levi; watch the first 10 minutes several times and pay particular attention to how Dolly treats everyone she meets as a potential employer or source of work.

I did some research on YouTube and Wikipedia to see if I could find a short video clip to illustrate what Doug was talking about, and this is the closest thing I found. I’m not sure whether this is what he’s talking about or not. The song is “Call on Dolly” from the musical “Hello, Dolly“:

How To Win Your Local Job Fair [Job Fairs] (consumerist.com)
Looking for a job? Get busy on Twitter and LinkedIn but skip the job ads (thisisherd.com)
Do Job Seekers Have to Use Social Networks? (usnews.com)
Online News Association Job Fair (cyberjournalist.net)

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Tags: Barbra Streisand, Hello Dolly!, job fair, job market

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13 Oct 09 Share the Show!

I just set up a Share the Show page at How I Got My Job. Here’s one of the badges you can add to your site:

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26 Feb 10 The hardest part of your job search

05 Feb 10 A pink slip or a blank page?

07 Jan 10 Overcoming the dread of resume writing (BOOK REVIEW)

09 Nov 09 Pursuing Your Passion

30 Oct 09 Know Yourself. Be Yourself.