Is Job Hunting Really Just Sales?

If you are successful in sales, you’ve either had training or you’ve learned what works through trial and error . For the rest of us (90%!), we don’t really have any idea how to sell. Sure,we may have personal communication strengths that make us more or less persuasive, but without training, we’re flying blind.

As job hunters, we can learn a lot of from the steps to effective selling; especially if we think of finding the job we want as a similar process: prospecting, qualifying, negotiating and maintaining the relationship and we think of closing a prospect at each step along the way.

When sales people are required to make ‘cold calls’ — that is, talk with someone without an introduction… they use a process that can be helpful to job seekers. Check out …Cold Calling: How to Ask for an Interview.

Excellent sales people learn:

– not everyone is a fit for what they are selling

– not to take disinterest or rejection personally

– to focus on value and building relationships for the long haul

– to stick to the process and follow through

What separates a good sales person from a great one is how they:

– understand their target (research and listening)

– focus on the value of their offering to that particular customer

– are politely persistent in their follow through

No matter where you are in your job search process… I guarantee you will learn something valuable by learning more about sales. Take a great sales person to coffee or lunch and pick their brain about staying even, goal setting, follow through, etc. It’ll be money well spent.

Photo credit 1: borissey  working women3

Image credit sales process graph: Peaksalesconsulting

Yawn, I’m Comfortable With Who I Am

For those of us who have a ‘good’ job; one that we’ve been in for several years – we’re probably feeling a combination of smugness – “well, I haven’t had to go through all that so I must be really good” and relief – “thank goodness I haven’t had to look for a new job, interview, network, change.”

If you are thinking, no, no – that’s not true, I know I how lucky I am. Really?

Whether you have a job or are looking for one… attitude is everything. An honest appraisal of ourselves is required for growth of any kind. There’s a fine line between self-acceptance (I’m OK the way I am) and denial (deep down I know I need to change but it’s too hard so I’m going to just stay the way I am.)

In a terrific short read, “Are You Too Comfortable to Grow? “, the author describes how comfort limits our ability to stretch.  How many times a day do think, “this is so hard?” The harder the challenges, the more we grow.

Photo credit: Irreverant

10 Steps to A Happy Life

These steps are based on my years of experience of doing it wrong; so I have it on excellent authority… my own happiness… that if you follow these steps … you may not be ecstatic..but you will be in a a better place.

1.  Sit quietly for 5 minutes a day

2.  Stop whining (you live in the wealthiest country in the world)

3.  Stop gossiping (including judging other in our own minds or out loud)

4.  Be grateful (write down 5 things you’re grateful for 2x a day, no repeats for 30 days)

5.  Learn new stuff – especially stuff that is hard

6. Find someone to help (outside your family)

7.  Shut up and listen (for a change)

8. Exercise your body and willpower daily

9. Walk tall, smile, be gracious

10.   Be grateful — this is really the key to everything.

At the most difficult time of my life, I kept a gratitude diary. Once a day I wrote down 5 things I was grateful for…and I couldn’t repeat anything. After 3 months I had incorporated gratitude into my daily thinking. That was nearly 20 years ago and I still reflect on all my gifts everyday.

Those tremendously sad years gave me the one thing I needed most – a way to enjoy every day – no matter what is happening around me. The idea and accompanying serenity are yours for the taking.

Photo credit: Partners in Community Development

How to Ruin that Face to Face Meeting You Worked So Hard to Get!

This week I had a couple of meetings like I do almost every week. (Do you meet between 2-5 new people a week?)

First — the good meeting!

One was with a guy I met who has been unemployed for about a year for the first time in his career. I met him briefly after a talk I had given. He confirmed our meeting the day before. Yeah for him. Then he offered to buy me a coffee, I always appreciate the offer. Another yeah for him. (cost him $1.72) He told a story about delivering meals to shut ins as one of the ways he spent his time while unemployed. Triple wow. He even asked how he could help me. Unbelievable.

And now the not so good meeting:

Meeting with someone I had met before and had helped him with something. By 5pm the day before, he had not confirmed our meeting so I did. Ick, not happy. I usually send my cell phone number so in case something comes up last minute.. the person doesn’t leave me sitting there. Hmm, maybe you could send me yours so in case something comes up for me? Nope. Didn’t improve.

In the article, “5 ways to lose your dream job during the interview process” — the same simple etiquette applies. Confirm your meeting, be polite, don’t talk too much, think of ways you can help the other person, don’t be cocky, send a thank you note, etc.

Seems pretty simple to me. But if it’s so simple, why don’t most people do it? I have no idea. Sigh…

Oh, and did you send a Linked In invitation after your meeting?

Photo credit: photo bucket

6 seconds = How Long Your Resume Gets Looked At…

Have you ever been on the hiring side of a resume? It’s not fun.

You often feel like this guy. Overwhelmed by ‘paper’ and buzzwords that don’t tell you anything.

Before you spend more time and get more opinions about your resume, check out this article, “How Recruiters See Your Resume…” Take a look at the heat map associated with this article.

It tells us that the more structured your resume, the easier it is for those 6 seconds to be productive and get you into the consideration pile vs. the no way pile.

The goal of the resume is to… wait for it… get you an interview! Be sure to think of it that way. It’s not to document your entire work history.

By the way, how’s your Linked In profile? Do you have 300 connections? Do you belong to several groups? Have you uploaded your PowerPoint presentations? Do you answer questions? Make sure you include a live link to your Linked In profile from your resume.

Now go forth and streamline that resume!

Image credit: Career Insider

Stop Using Facebook

I’m a capitalist and an entrepreneur and respect people who start businesses.

What I don’t like are businesses that take advantage of customers. In the world of Free (think Facebook (FB), Google, Twitter, etc.) are services really free?

I have been teaching social media for about 3 years and have heard 100′s of FB stories. Some heart warming (“I keep in touch with my grandchildren”), others disturbing:  lost job opportunities, stalking, loss of privacy and being fired. If only people had thought a little about what they were sharing, many of these terrible circumstances could have been prevented.

In reading the post, “The Facebook Hiatus”, the author deactivated his account because he spent more time reading “status updates than books.” Beyond the issue of time, are you aware of how, how often and with whom FB shares your data?

“Unlike other big corporations, (FB) doesn’t have an inventory of gadgets or cars; its product is personal data — yours and mine, ” says Lori Andrews in, Facebook is Using You.

As FB goes public, we’ll see even more exploitation due to sagging ad revenue. Ads will now be inserted into your news feed and on log out pages.

I know you love FB. All your friends are there. I don’t really expect you to stop using Facebook, I just want you to think before you post.

Photo credit: Inkstainedknuckles.com

Go That Way Really Fast…

Famous movie line from John Cusack in Better Off Dead:

““Go that way… really fast. If something gets in your way… turn”

When we’re in transition (new job, no job, marriage, divorce, new baby, etc.) we get lots of advice from well-meaning friends and family members. They usually suggest taking time to asses all your alternatives. Now I’m not opposed to taking time to think but…

I notice that a lot of people use thinking as a way to block action.

Let me say that again. If you are unhappy, if you are stuck, if you don’t know what the next step should be… take action. Go fast. Really fast.

I like this article titled, “On Gen Y Careers… Go That Way.” It encourages young people to try lots of things; lots of different things. It’s great advice and it comes naturally to millenials.  For those of us that are not 20- somethings, we can follow this advice too.

I have had 5 careers. Every job I landed, I took because the position held great learning opportunities for me. In looking back, I should have changed more not less. I could have had more mentors if only I’d asked. I did a lot but I was afraid and perhaps, so are you. Go really fast, if something gets in your way, turn!

Photo credit: Mansoor Siddique.com

Shopping for a New Boss

About 15 years into my career I figured out that WHO I worked for was as important as what I was doing for work. So when it came to looking for a new job, my search became about looking for a great person to work for.

This may sound crazy; particularly in this tight job market. It takes a lot of confidence (and some money in the bank) to alter our perception of how to find a new job by figuring out who we want to learn from.

My approach was pretty simple. I looked for great places to work; places that were growing and had a focus on customers and building trust. During the interview process, I would pay close attention to the person I would work for. I asked a lot of questions and thought about:

- Would I learn from this person? Do they have skills I want?

- Are they happy and growing in their work?

In an interesting blog post called, “Get Hired, No Resume, No Interview, No Joke,” the author suggests that you “go to good managers you’d like to work for.” Talk to them, understand their issues and see how you might fit into their organization. I’m not suggesting that you abandon networking or applying for work. But author Corcodilos’ suggestion that we pick  “three companies or managers you really, really want to work for because they are shining lights in their industry.”

Like any good sales effort, you may pick 3 and find out that 2 won’t work. So pick two more. If you are not sure how to identify these excellent managers? Ask other people! They will tell you. But you won’t find out unless you ask.

It always worked out for me. I learned a great deal and respected the people I worked for.  It may not be easy but I can assure you it is very worthwhile. Happy shopping!

Photo credit: Icanhazcheezburger.com

The Stupidification of American Adults

Pretty soon dolphins will be smarter than people. Look at this picture, a dolphin has learned how to use a laptop.

Everywhere I go I see babies and small children using iPads.

I hear so much whining from baby boomers about technology. I was recently in a meeting and a woman declared with great pride, “I don’t text. I told my children if they want to talk to me they’ll have to call me on the phone.” Awesome lady. I later learned she’s in a job hunt. Yeah, every employer loves someone resistant to change. Not.

Look, I’m not usually one to point fingers but guys, get on the bus. I’m not saying you have to text everyday. I’m not saying you need to tweet and Google +. But I am saying if you are resisting these things — at least ask yourself WHY. You have teachers (20 somethings and younger – digital natives) all around you.

There are two levels of adults who are at most risk of stupidification. One is like the person I mentioned above. Stuck, resistant, ego-driven. The other kind is the one who knows a little bit about social or technology and goes around proclaiming themselves an expert. Frankly, there are a lot more of these people around. Their arrogance is different. They claim they are open to learning… but they’re not. They ‘teach’ others about social media but really don’t understand much about it.

How can you tell? Do they talk all about themselves? Do they say they’ll teach you how to ‘promote’ your business with social media?

If they do they’re phony. Social doesn’t promote, it attracts. So at least be as smart as a dolphin and set a goal to learn 10 new things this year. The less you want to learn it, the higher it ought to go on the list.

Thanks to Laurie Ruettimann for the title of this blog post and for always being an inspiration. Check out her blog, the cynical girl.

Photo credit: my sincere apologies to the person who took or owns the rights to this awesome picture. I found it months ago and unfortunately didn’t save the URL so I don’t know who to thank (and search of dolphin and laptop yielded zip). So this big thank you goes out to the universe.

The Gig Economy…You Know You Want to Hear Me Sing

Ok, so the gig economy doesn’t have anything to do with singing. In an excellent article in the Atlantic  titled, “The Freelance Surge is the Industrial Revolution of Our Time,”  we learn that the gig economy describes the way  work is changing. Freelancers rule!

Here’s a summary…”Today, careers consist of piecing together various types of work, juggling multiple clients, learning to be marketing and accounting experts, and creating offices in bedrooms/coffee shops/coworking spaces. ”

This intrigues me because I am part of the Gig Economy. My current occupation is college professor/consultant/speaker-workshopleader/blogger. The way I work is more common than I would have thought.

Interestingly, in 2005, the government stopped calculating ‘freelancers’ so we really have no idea how many people are working this way but estimates have at about 42 million people.

As freelancers we face all kinds of issues. This month I found out by accident that my health insurance (which came through COBRA) had been cancelled. I got no letter, no warning from my insurance company. Just shut off. When I called my insurance company, they said, “We have no obligation to tell you that your insurance is lapsing.”

Thanks, no really, thanks a million.

I am one of the lucky ones, I have a way to get health insurance. If you want to read more about the reality of health insurance for freelancers, check out this post in the NY Times, “Safety Nets for Freelancers.”

I love working this way but it takes a lot of discipline, hard work, flexibility and perseverance. What’s my secret?

1. Focus. I am clear about what I need to do and don’t wander around the house until I accomplish certain things.
2. Finish. Get it done. Period.
3. Fun. I reward myself when I’ve finished something that I totally did not want to do.

Freelancer? How do you get it done?

Photo credit: LindaGeezblog.com