In a world of specialization and customization, it’s hard to imagine that less would be more. On the other hand, there is so much NOISE – so many messages, topics, blogs, channels, tools – it’s all a little exhausting.
So what can we take away from the new Ivory soap campaign that reminds us of its simplicity? It’s just soap. No special smells, additives, packaging. Just soap.
If you are a job seeker or even an individual looking to brand yourself, the question of how much to share is often an issue. Is a two paragraph cover letter enough or is that too short? How many Linked In recommendations are appropriate? There is no simple answer but here’s a note from my inbox today… “We’re hiring at my company and just today I saw 3 resumes…
#1 – was 9 pages long
#2 – was 10 pages long in 9 point font
#3 – included a 1 page summary of the books the person has read.”
The author’s advice, “Don’t do that.”
It’s hard to believe that with all the resources available that anyone is still doing stuff like this. Edit, focus, get someone to read over your material. Please remember, less is more.
Do you believe the world of work has changed forever? I do. Whatever the root cause of our unemployment issues; big companies will no longer create the majority of our new jobs; small and mediums-sized companies will. And many more people will work for themselves or freelance.
The stereotype of a freelancer is a geek with a laptop sitting at home on their sofa in their sweats. You might be surprised that freelancers, like entrepreneurs, come in all shapes, sizes and are from many different fields. Think for a minute of consultants; engineering, management,etc.
I have a strategic marketing consulting practice that is supplemented by teaching at the Masters level and an active speaking schedule so I consider myself both an entrepreneur and a freelancer. As more folks aged 50+ lose their jobs (and have lost significant value in their retirement plans) — more of us will need to find work wherever we can.
This week I had the opportunity to visit NYS Senator Joe Robach with a group of freelancers and representatives from the Freelancers Union . (If you are an independent worker, you may want to check out their site. It’s free to join!) At issue is the right for freelance workers to have the same protection to ‘get paid’ as ‘regular’ workers; 83% of freelancers have experienced delayed, reduced or non-payment. Senator Robach was very supportive of the bill.
If we are going to adapt to a global marketplace, we are going to need keep up our legal and regulatory supports for new kinds of work. Are you working freelance? I’d love to hear from you.
When was the last time you had a spectacular failure?
I don’t mean “oops”— I mean whoa, that did not work out the way I thought.
No one likes failure – BUT, I know if I’m not occasionally failing and — failing fast, then I’m not taking enough risk. Most of the good stuff in my life came to me because I could not get what I needed or wanted via ‘the safe road.’
But remember this. I’m a Capricorn; the goat. We do not leap or pounce; we plod.
So for all you who are thinking… yeah, it’s easy for her. STOP RIGHT THERE. Taking risks is hard, scary, unsafe at any speed.
Here’s what helps me take more risk:
– My mentors are in their 20′s & 30′s. I am eager to learn from them & they are patient and generous.
– I gravitate to people who are trying new stuff and look for opportunities to associate with entrepreneurs.
– I try to read books that challenge my thinking. (I know, books are long and take a lot of time to read but I skim.) I visit the library. You can add your review to your Linked In profile. Here are a couple of suggestions that I’m going for:
Change is good, timing is everything, patience is the key. However… the good Lord helps those that help themselves. If you always do what you always did… you’ll always get what you always got. How’s that working out for you?
Ok, I’m an old dog and everyday, I have to learn new tricks. I don’t like it but… I like to eat so…
Here are I a few things that work for me.
– I read Mashable everyday. A daily news brief that talks about tech in business.
–I use Tweetdeck/Seesmic (Twitter application) to search for an article that I think would be of interest to my network. Then I post the link with a comment to Linked In. I do this 3 times a week.
–I talk to Millenials (20’s somethings). I am a digital immigrant (a Baby Boomer) and I can’t think like a digital native no matter how hard I try. They give me perspective and ideas and are most gracious about helping an old dog.
– Video. I use it everyday.
Want help with your job search? Or social media training in general? Check out Grovo.com
The world of marketing is full of musts. You must tell the story, you must use a powerful image, blah, blah, blah.
Well, one must that many people ignore is the ‘CALL TO ACTION’. Yes, that’s right. Once a customer comes to your website, store, whatever… you need to tell them what you want them to do. Sounds pushy, maybe… but any good sales person will tell you that asking for the business is one of the most important parts of closing the sale.
Typical resumes do not include a call to action but why not? Do we make it a ‘no-brainer’ for someone to contact us, either by email or by phone? Do you put a QR code on your resume that leads to your website, blog, or a video of you describing your fabulous skills? Is your email link live? Are each of your company/organization links live?
Here’s a very cool article on 10 effective ways to build web-based ‘calls to action’ that can really make a difference.
Remember, don’t try harder, try different. Make your resume stand out.You can do it.
Ok, you need to have a resume if you are looking for a job and all those things the ‘experts’ tell you about resumes are true.
-Tailor your resume to the job
-Don’t ANNOUNCE that you are dinosaur (older like me) or just out of school
But you don’t have to use the same old format that everyone else uses. You can (and should) be creative with your resume. For instance, make sure that you have live links in the electronic version so the person reviewing it can easily link through to company websites or other content.
Orange resumes is a cool site that helps you create resumes that show a potential employer how you are different. As you look through the samples, you’ll see that you can create something “different” that is also very good, appropriate and even enhances your positioning.
I know you’re saying, but those resumes are for creative types and I’m an
enginneer/finance person/blah blah
Let’s go back to the goal of your resume… hmmm… The goal is to get an interview.
If you create an interesting, results-oriented resume that also shows you are creative and the organization doesn’t want to talk to you, then maybe you don’t want to work there. Just sayin….
When I speak locally, there are usually a few people who come up and ask to connect with me. It may take a while but I try to meet everyone who asks me. I like meeting new people and it helps me reach my goal of meeting 5+ new people a week. Do you have a goal to meet a certain number of new people a week? Whether you are a business owner or a job seeker, meeting new people is critical.
Most job seekers don’t really have any idea of who they want to meet. Whether you call it your “marketing plan” or target list – please know who you want to meet, and not just oh the hiring manager after you have a particular job in your sights. If you’re not sure, get a job search buddy or join a networking group to help you and here are a few ideas.
Think about people in your current, related or desired fields who have a good reputation and are in:
– Academia or are Vendors/Suppliers or Sales People
Think about targeting people in companies where you might be interested in working. Get introduced to people who are in leadership positions in non profits or on Boards of nonprofits and individuals who teach skills you are interested in learning. And last but not least, meet with people who know a lot of people (network with networkers!) Use Linked In to find the names of people you want to meet.
When I attend a networking event, I am usually there to meet someone I have identified as a potential contact. Someone I hope to help so that they will remember me when they need a consultant. Make that list, check it twice and go out and meet some new people. You’ll be glad you did.
Creativity is like soap. Just when you’ve got it in your hands and it feels good – it slips away. Many people don’t understand that creativity needs to be nurtured; others think that creativity is just for “artists.”
Creativity is an important component of a happy life. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the kitchen, the garden, the classroom, the boardroom or the cocktail party. It’s really more of an attitude and a skill combined.
How does a creative person behave? How do they think?
Who do you think is creative? Watch them, listen to them, support them.
Not sure how nurture your creative side? Try this – 29 Ways to Stay Creative.
People in transition are at different stops along the “finding work again” route. What stage are you: denial, anger, why me, who cares, yikes I need money, holy smokes why didn’t keep up my network, this is cool, etc. Do you think of this as an opportunity or are you fighting it? You have a chance to learn many new things, so go for it!
Interviewing is a skill, like cooking or swinging a golf club. To be good at it you need to practice. So whether you’re in an active search or not, you need to practice interviewing.
At your next interview think about:
Asking, ‘why this is a great place to work?’ Watching body language for signs of discomfort from the interviewer? Asking about culture? technology?
Are you leading the conversation in a way that is to your advantage or are you letting the HR person/hiring manager set the agenda?
Here’s another great question to ask:
“Are there any skills that you would have liked for me to have but we haven’t discussed yet?” (Seems a little risky right?) When my contact (thanks Jason!) asked this question in a recent interview… the person mentioned business writing skills. He had a chance to send a writing sample along with the thank you note. By the way, they scheduled his next interview before he left the first. How’s that for results?
Oh my but the world of job search is changing in so many ways, I feel like my head is going to explode. This article, “How Real Time Web Changes Job Search,”is jammed full of ideas, websites and concepts relating to job search.
If you are in HR or looking for work; you need to read this article. Here are just few of the highlights:
- On Twitter alone “more than a million tweets about job openings go out every month from 6,000+ employers and 7,700+ job channels via TweetMyJOBS.com
- The traditional job board is disappearing and being replaced by ‘direct sourcing’ which is when hiring decision-makers “identify, reach out to, engage, and convert” only the highly desirable candidates. Passive candidates become the new gold. The better your digital footprint, the easier you’ll be to find.
- Job sites are adding “Who do I know”? buttons to their sites so you can see who you know at a company without going to Linked In.
And one of my favorites… Paid Interviews.com. It actually pays candidates when they successfully interview (read: get hired) and has a virtual water cooler feature which is “a place for candidates to talk about their past employment experiences, it’s like Amazon product ratings, but for companies. It’s a place where you can get unbiased answers about employers around the world.”
If you’re a company with a lousy culture… the good old days might be evaporating before your very eyes. Between sites like paidinterviews.com and glassdoor.com and social networking; hiding is going to get tougher. Ahhh, transparency. Welcome.
In a world of specialization and customization, it’s hard to imagine that less would be more. On the other hand, there is so much NOISE – so many messages, topics, blogs, channels, tools – it’s all a little exhausting.
job search, Life Transitions | Deborah | 
October 25, 2011 6:01 am | 
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