Archive for Job Search
What are you worth? The cost of branding you.
Posted by: | Comments“The cost of doing business” speaks for itself. You have to put money out to make money; feed the investment so that it grows becoming lucrative and prosperous. A fundamental basic that business leaders process regularly, right? Absolutely!
Why then do many business professionals treat themselves and their own career marketing tools with substandard expectations? As a career strategist and resume writer, pricing of services is one of the top #3 questions asked of clients. Certainly understandable and always welcome!
If you are willing to spend money on high end clothing, hair salon upkeep or high end handbags, perhaps you may want to redistribute where you are investing your hard earned dollars. Are you buying into someone else’s brand or are you taking care of your own?
While most professionals realize the time, complexity and strategic writing that goes into developing a solid and effective marketing tool, there are always a few folks who see their resumes as a typeset piece of paper tracking the basics of their work history asking, “Why does it cost so much”?
Top 5 Reasons Professionally Written Resumes Cost Money
You are paying for a customized marketing tool reflecting your most important commodity…YOU. Customized, one-on-one marketing takes time and a specialized set of skills from a writer who has the ability to dig deep into extracting your key skills and accomplishments.
- A behavioral based trained professional writer has a unique skill set in individualizing and interpreting your core competencies in writing. This takes credentialed training and years of practice which is more than just being a technical writer.
- Strategic writing and appropriately targeting a clients goal is factored into a professionally written resume. When I am asked to write a general resume, I educate potential clients that this is not a service that I offer. A general resume is as useful as trying to catch a variety of fish using one type of bait.
- Researching industry trends, verbiage and current job marketing opportunities takes time. Behind the scenes, a top notch resume writer is busy collaborating with industry peers, researching web sites and bringing forward new information to support the needs of the client.
- Credentials cost money. Most writers have a varied assortment of credentials, education and training to support their writing. For a writer who is continuing to learn, refine skills, seek out new credentials and advanced exposure to global assessment programs, know that the cost of doing business will be aligned according to skills being offered.
Lesson: Invest in your professional brand by having the appropriate tools. If you are going to drive a fancy car, wear high end heels or expensive jeans, become truly authentic and coveted by having a top notch resume in your tool kit.
Give Others the Opportunity to Help You
Posted by: | CommentsI was in Rhode Island last Friday giving a workshop on Promoting Your Brand to Rhode Island Networking to Open Doors to Jobs. I arrived early and was, therefore, able to sit in on the facilitated networking exercise at one table. All of the people at the table were highly qualified and competent individuals who held director or executive level positions before being laid off.
The facilitator at the table asked each person to give a little information about their background, their strengths and expertise, and what kind of position they were seeking. I was impressed how well each person articulated their strengths and what types of companies and jobs they were targeting for employment. Everyone around the table responded enthusiastically with potential contacts and leads for their colleagues.
We worked our way around the table to one woman who told the group that she was an architect and was now in limbo and trying to decide what she wanted to do going forward. She told the group that at this time she was looking for any type of job. Interestingly enough, the group who had previously been so helpful to others, now remained quiet. They simply did not know how to respond.
The lesson from this is: People really want to help. In fact, most people are eager to assist you in getting a new job or getting clients, but YOU need to give them enough information so that they CAN help. When we are vague and unclear about what we want ourselves, we cannot expect others to come up with the answers for us.
If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, the more specific you can be about who is your target audience, the easier it is for people to refer business.
If you are looking for new employment, be clear about what type of company you want to work for and what kind of position you are seeking.
People sincerely want to help. Give them the opportunity to be helpful.
Don’t Get Flustered, Get Factual
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Frances Cole Jones, contributing Women On Business writer
There appears to be an epidemic of inappropriateness pervading the job interview world these days. Several people I know have gotten questions that left them, literally, speechless—and one wasn’t so much disconcerted by a question as by the manner in which it was asked.
Following, a few suggestions I made for how each of them might have responded. If any of you have additional ideas, I’d love to hear them. (Alternatively, if you’ve been asked anything, or experienced anything, that left you confounded, I’d love to hear those stories, too.)
Q: “Do you know the average age of the people who work in this company?”
This was a question an older client of mine got when she applied for a position in a very youthful organization. While I can only speculate about what the interviewer’s intention might have been, I can tell you the result was my client was left feeling shamed for even applying.
How did I recommend she handle this kind of leading question?
Leading questions demand fact-based responses. You don’t want to get into what you think your questioner is after, or do the dirty work of negating something that hasn’t been overtly stated.
Consequently, my Monday-morning quarterbacking coaching to her was to have responded, “I do.”
Q: “You realize you’re going to need to ugly-up if you get this job.” Read More→
Want that job? You have to leave a good impression after that interview.
Posted by: | CommentsYou finally landed an interview for your dream job. You practiced the interview questions several times in the mirror and with a friend to make sure you have all of your answers down pat. You finally went on the interview and you think you did well. At this point, many times job seekers think the interview process is over, but it’s not.
To make yourself memorable from the hundreds of other applicants, concluding the job interview process involves giving a “thank you” letter to the interviewer. Ideally, the letter should be emailed within 24 hours of the interview. If you decide to write and send the letter through the mail, it should be within three days of the interview.
The intent of the letter is to express your appreciation for the employer’s interest, recap your interest in the position and company, reiterate your qualifications, and mention anything you may have missed in the interview. By doing so, demonstrates professionalism and etiquette.
The letter could be typed or handwritten. It could be emailed or sent via snail mail. Typed letters sent via snail mail are more intimate than emailed thank you letters, but if your communication with a hiring manager has been through email, an emailed thank you letter is appropriate.
Usually after an interview, the interviewer will inform you of the organization’s follow up policies and/or procedures. They will mention when you can to expect to hear a decision. If you were not told or you did not ask, using your thank you letter to ask is appropriate. If a week or two has passed since the time they told you they would give you a decision, inquire about the status of the decision making process by calling or emailing the person who interviewed you.
The hiring manager could be on vacation or another person in the organization could make the hiring decision. An inquiry re-affirms your interest in the position and may facilitate a faster decision. In the inquiry, be sure to include the name of the person who interviewed you, the date, and location of the job interview, and the position in which you applied.
After you send a thank you letter and you still have not heard anything after a couple weeks, call to find out the status. If they selected another applicant for the position, don’t get discouraged. Pick up and move onto the next job interview.
Is Your Sense of Loyalty Actually Hurting Your Career?
Posted by: | CommentsIf there’s anything that this economic downturn has taught us, it’s that the only person looking out for you is you. In this era of mass layoffs, slashed benefits and mandatory work “furloughs,” we’re all learning quickly that years of loyalty aren’t worth much in a recession.
I think that this mindset can sometimes be more difficult for women to get used to than men. Traditionally, men are more apt to negotiate for better pay, to ask for promotions, and to look for better opportunities when things dry up at their current companies. Women, on the other hand, tend to be quieter about touting their own accomplishments and aren’t as aggressive about negotiating promotions and raises, thinking instead that their good work and loyalty will be rewarded in the long run — without their calling attention to it.
