Think about this as you enjoy your coffee

What would YOU do?

So a perspective employer interviewed a biz dev/marketing candidate for about 25 minutes, then tells the candidate that he has other  candidates (in-house candidates, in fact) to interview that know the product inside out. 

OK. 

Then he tells the candidate that he’d like the candidate to prepare a marketing proposal for a particular account, email it to him, and he’ll then consider meeting with him again.

What would you do if you were the candidate? 

You think on it and I’ll tell you what I would do later in the week.

To your and that candidate’s success,

Rita

Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves.  

~ Peter McArthur

Take the time to sharpen your axe

Here's a tale to remember:

A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.

“That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you chop down this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully chopped this humongous tree. The foreman was beyond pleased and told the young man he could start on Monday. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”

Startled, the young man replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”

“That’s true,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place today.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”

The foreman, sensing the young man’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your axe?”

The young man replied, “No sir, I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!”

It’s the weekend. Don’t get so busy that you don’t take the time to “sharpen your axe.” Dull is never effective in any area of life, including the job search game.

To your success,

Rita

The 4-1-1 on the Phone Interview

The phone interview can make or break making it to a face-to-face interview and it’s more often than not used as a weeding out tool. So how do you come out of the phone interview smelling like a flower?

First, expect the phone interview to be a real interview. Be ready and prepared for the same kind of questions the face-to-face used to be reserved for. In other words: DO YOUR HOMEWORK before the interview. Questions covering your experience, strengths, weaknesses, knowledge of the job and the company, etc. need to be answered intelligently and in its entirety.

Next, YOU need to shine through the phone. Think of the phone interview as a first date and impress your date with you shining smile (yes, smiles are “seen” over the phone), your “up” personality, your intelligence, skills, speech…the whole enchilada. I suggest you even dress for the occasion. Yes, the interviewer may not see you, but you will see you and that counts and comes through. 

Phone interviews can last a long while, so be sure you schedule ample time, just as you would for a face to face interview. If you’re one of those folks that feel you connect best if you walk as you speak and you have a hardwood or tile floor, take your shoes off! If you have noisy critters or kids, lock them up! OK, that may be going a bit far. Make sure any noise makers are far, far away from you to keep distractions (for both you and the interviewer) to a minimum.

Let the best that you are within rise to the top and you’ll blossom the next time you’re in a phone interview.

To your success,
Rita
I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind!  ;)

Job Hunting Scam 101

I received the following email this morning:

I’ve been approached by an employment agency that said it has a job for me, I’m a shoe-in and she’d work for me to get the job, she'll redo my resume, I’d be her client and that  because she's doing so much for me, I’d be the one to pay the fee. What are your thoughts?

First, I view any person or company that would ask for a fee from a person who is looking for employment as highly suspect at a minimum and very likely predatory. If I were you, I’d walk away. For one thing, let’s look at this for what it is: No one can promise they’ll get you a job; that’s something only you can accomplish. So how can this person tell you she’d work for you to get the job? Getting the job is your job. My next question is who is regulating this woman and/or the company she represents? No one. That means you’d have absolutely no recourse if you paid this woman and did not get what you paid for.  She may give you a new spin on your resume, which makes you think she's really working for you, but that's just bait on the line. Don't bite!

Over the years, I’ve known people who bought into this sort of “deal” and over and over again, I’ve seen the same result: The person who paid for employment services is without a job and the money they paid for a job within a couple of months. While the FTC (http://www.ftc.gov/jobscams) says many employee paid services are legit, I respectfully disagree and believe that 99% are not. So good luck with finding that 1%, the proverbial needle in the haystack. Your time and efforts are better spent seeking and utilizing the many legitimate ways there are of finding employment. 

Lastly, if you have to ask, then something inside of you is telling you that this is not a an up and up deal. Listen to that inner-voice.

Bottom-line: Don't pay to be employed. You're better than that.

To your success,
Rita

A half truth is a whole lie. 

Whatever You Seek...

Whatever your game: 
Confidence is Job One.

Axis Sally

During WWII, there was a character named Axis Sally (Mildred Gillars for Nazi Germany and Rita Zucca for Fascist Italy) that spread propaganda to American forces in Europe with the goal of undermining America’s efforts to defeat Germany and Italy. The news Axis Sally delivered was negative, disheartening, and defeating to American soldiers and the hope was that it would lead to America's demise. 

It’s not all that different from what the media is serving up to the public nowadays. 9.5% unemployment, fears of double-dip, etc. When you hear that kind of news, ask yourself: How is what I’m hearing serving me? In case you’re not sure, let me help you: IT’S NOT HELPING YOU AT ALL!

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: You are just one person looking for just one job. Don’t let the media serve you failure for breakfast, because you deserve and are better than that.

To your success,

Rita 

Just a Reminder that...

Everyday is Your Day to SHINE!  

Don't give up or give in.

To your success,
Rita

Richard St. John's 8 secrets of success | Video on TED.com

8 secrets in just over 3 minutes. Not bad! In fact, it's very good!
Here's Richard St. John:

Here's to your success!
Rita

Toastmasters: Priceless Bang for the Buck

Get your interview game up and join Toastmasters. Now. Not when you get the job, but now as you work towards getting that job.

I’ve been with Toastmasters since January 2008 and if you told me then what I’d glean from the experience, I probably would have thought you were in Fantasyland. But here are just a few of the benefits one receives when joining Toastmasters:

You learn to speak extemporaneously.  Where can you use that? The interview, of course. Through Table Topics, a person learns to speak off-the-cuff in an organized fashion on any number of subjects. And the opportunity in the learning is not only in the doing, but in the observing of others answering questions, too.

You learn to do a presentation in front of a supportive audience.  This not only builds greater self-confidence, but it adds to your qualifications as an employee, regardless of what you do for a living. Your presentations are evaluated by other Toastmasters, which helps you improve your skills. If you’re concerned you’ll be bashed by your Toastmasters teammates, have no fear, because Toastmasters are trained to offer effective evaluations without ripping a person apart. And that’s another benefit:

You’ll learn to become an effective evaluator. Have you ever had a supervisor who only criticizes and rarely offers any positive feedback? This not only brings out the worse in employees, it does little to genuinely improve the department. As an effective evaluator, even if you aren’t a supervisor at the moment, that ability to help others improve by bringing out the best in them will help you shine in your position and your future positions, as well.

And you’ll be in a supportive environment with like-minded people that are all looking to improve in their lives for a variety of reasons. That alone is worth its weight in gold, particularly if you’re unemployed. It will absolutely lift your spirits up and is its own unique Hour of Power.

These are but a few of the reasons why you must check out Toastmasters. There is no better educational bang for your buck like it anywhere and it will help you build in your career both now and in the future. Check them out here:

http://www.toastmasters.org/


To your success,
Rita

We learn best in moments of enjoyment.
~ Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, Founder, Toastmasters

Kick Your Job Search into High Gear: Create a Living Video Resume

It’s a competitive job market out there. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there are 5.4 unemployed workers per job opening, and that number doesn’t include employed workers that are actively seeking employment elsewhere. What can you do to get your foot in the door and move towards being the one receiving the job offer for that one opening?

First, it’s important to understand the criteria of how an applicant is hired. It breaks down to this: Appearance, Personality, Skills, Speech, and Intelligence. Of these, the secret ingredient that makes or breaks a hire is Personality. That isn’t to say zany, extraverted, or any other over the top trait is what we’re talking about. Rather, it’s that special “je ne sais quoi” that works for that employer, much like that chemistry that is or isn’t there on a date. All things being equal (and sometimes not equal), the applicant that receives the job offer is often the candidate that is a better personality fit.

Now to getting your foot in the door: While there are tried and true ways of getting your written resume noticed, the question is: What can you tell about a person’s personality on it? The answer: not much. The reality is that a written resume may get you in the door, but it’s not going to tell the employer much about you and it won’t go far in creating that sense of this is a must-see candidate.  And that’s where a Living Resume steps in.

A Living Resume is a video resume that is a one minute glance as to who you are, not simply in terms of your qualifications, but you and that essence you possess that makes you unique.  Like a well-written resume, a living resume immediately gets to the point about why you are a fit for a company and/or position.  More than that, it also gives the employer a sense of the type of person you are.

Despite what some would say in terms of difficulty, it’s not all that hard to create a winning Living Resume. First, the technology to video you is available virtually everywhere: Computers, cell phones. If you don’t have a device that can video you, I guarantee you someone you know has it. So that takes care of the expensive portion.

What is extremely important is content. In fact, always think Content is King when creating a Living Resume. Get to the point immediately and make sure the point is relevant to why a company would want to see you.

Also extremely important is you being…you. Allow your personality to reveal itself to the employer. Be genuine, as that is the “it” factor that will take you to the next level: the interview.

And then there are the other details all needed for success. Dress for your video as you would if you were going to the interview: Professional and well-groomed.  Also, the simpler the background the better for the sake of distraction to the person viewing the video.

While this is not the perfect solution for every applicant (there is no solution that is), a Living Resume will open up doors and opportunities more often and faster than the written resume, so give it a go.


To your success,
Rita

Ownership

It's practically guaranteed: Each day you spend looking for a new position in a half-baked fashion, you’ll buy yourself at least two more days of looking. Looking for a new position is, at the very least, a fulltime job. And it’s your job. Not the headhunter, the business associate, or your mate; it’s your job.

So think about this for a second: If you hate doing a job search and you’re doing anything less than a superlative job conducting your job search, then you’re likely to have to continue doing what you hate a lot longer than if you just get down to business and get the job done – meaning you get yourself a job.

"I must do something" always solves more problems than "Something must be done," particularly when it comes to your own life and your own job search.  Once you realize, really realize, that the job search is your job, you’ll change what you’re doing and start doing it better. 

When all is said and done, you’ve got to own your stuff in everything you do, including the job search.

To your own, self-made success,

Rita

PS: Well-done is always better than well-said.

Habitforge

Many of us could use a little accountability with another. Habitforge http://habitforge.com/  gives you just that. Among their offerings, they have a “career” section you can click when you create your account, and you can have others follow your success if you wish. Habitforge will send you a gentle nudge, asking you if you accomplished what you said wanted to accomplish and they'll track the number of days you were successful at it. The assumption is that after 21 days, this will be an ingrained habit you now own. It’s a bit like having Jiminy Cricket on your PC, except it won’t see your nose grow if you fib. But you wouldn't fib, would you?

To your success,
Rita

Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going. 

~ Jim Ryun

Ready for Monday?

Food for Thought to Start Your Week:

Seth Godin had another great blog post yesterday. If you don’t already receive Seth’s blog, I highly recommend it. Whatever you do personally or professionally, you’ll gain from the daily short dose of “Vitamin Think” Seth has to offer. Click here to check it out: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

 

In his post, he brings up a point I feel is worth exploring further when it comes to the job search game. Here it is:

 

Sabotage!

Just about all sabotage is self-sabotage.

We don't get forced to eat that cookie, we choose to. And so the diet is ended.

Marketing self-sabotage is fascinating to watch and understand. Consider the college application: it's primarily an opportunity for teenagers who aren't sure of where they want to go to undercut their chances by exposing their uncertainty. The lizard brain, the voice in the back of the head that wants security and safety--it's not eager to go to a college that might be 'too hard' or 'too good'. The easy thing to do is to scale back the effort, not do what works, but do what feels right instead.

Or consider the way we resist opportunities to lead, to connect, to do work that matters. We don't resist because we're not capable of it... we resist because if our marketing fails, if we don't get the job or earn the trust, then we're off the hook. No promises made, which means no promises to keep.

We know more than enough about marketing now. We know how to craft a story that will spread, we know how to find and lead tribes. The thing we have trouble with is making the commitment to do it even when it's frightening and difficult.

~ Seth Godin

Zoom in on “…we resist because if our marketing fails, if we don't get the job or earn the trust, then we're off the hook. No promises made, which means no promises to keep.” 

I’ve known people just like the ones I believe Seth referring to. It’s easier to not do anything than to do something and potentially fail, particularly if the bitter taste of failure is still fresh on a person’s mind. I’ve known applicants receive and accept great job offers, only to no-show on the first day of work for fear of failure. And I know people who don’t dig into the job search for fear of failure.

But the self-sabotage, the failure, lies in the not trying. For as many “theories” as we may have for not trying (unemployment stats, global economy, grumpy people on the other end of the phone, etc.) it’s the fear itself that actually holds us back and sabotages our realizing our greatest victories.

Fall down 99 times, get up 100.

To our success,

Rita