30 Oct 09 Know Yourself. Be Yourself.

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.

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

28 Oct 09 Overcoming Rejection

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.

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

17 Sep 08 Employers using social networking sites to screen candidates

How is your online personal brand?  According to a CareerBuilder nationwide survey of some 3,100 employers, one in five hiring managers said they search job candidates on social networking sites.  This can be good or bad, depending on the content you have on your various social networking profiles.

Now is a great time to remove any unsavory content you wouldn’t want a potential employer to find.  Check out the article from MarketingCharts.com for more details on the survey.

And if you haven’t already, please watch this 45-minute presentation Mitch Joel gave at Podcamp Toronto 2007 about Building Your Personal Brand.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (73.7MB)

Tags: personal branding, portfolio, social networking