Concerned You Have A Weak Resume, CV or Cover Letter?

Are  your shoes dirty?

You’ve heard me talk here before about the value of a career coach.  And I really do believe in what they do.  Likewise for resume writers.  They lend a voice, a structure and a strategy to folks who a need a big leg up.

If you are out looking for your next job.  Or are employed but looking for something better.  You might want to take a look at a career expert directory.  Just to see who is out there and what an expert can do to help.  But before you do that, read my post about hiring a career expert.

Because hiring an expert should be a decision you make as part of a larger job search strategy.  And you should do it early in your process if you decide it makes sense.

You know your strengths.  You’ve identified your weak spots.  And now you are going to make one key investment to make sure that dirty shoes will not hamper your ability to impress people.

But not everyone can afford a career coach.  And not everyone’s weak spots require professional help.

Sometimes a spit shine will do.

A spit shine is something you can do at home.  At your own pace.  You just need a little guidance.  And in the case of a spit shine, for me this came during high school.  From my dad who came down into my room with his can of shoe shine.  He popped it open, spit without reservation into the can.  And mixed the shine into a  really unpleasant looking stew.  As if he were spitting into his baseball glove.

That stew warmed my shoes to a deep black color.  Then he buffed them out to a pretty good shine.  Good enough for me to leave the house confident and ready to impress.  Instead of running down for a professional shine at the shoe store.

A spit shine for your resume

If you could solve the majority of the problems on your resume without a major expense, you would.  I think we would all do that, right?

I wrote about some of these simple solutions in my guest post on Ryan Rancatore’s Personal Branding 101 blog.  It included 5 reasons your resume makes me sick.  They make me sick because they can be solved with a little bit of knowledge and a little bit of time.

So where do you get ideas for a spit shine?  Well, here of course!  Be sure to check out the posts here in the resume and cover letter category.  That’s one option.  You can also compare your resume with new friends you meet while networking.  Especially those that are getting calls on theirs.

You can check with your local church to see if they have a career ministry.  Or check with your city’s government EDD office.  Or ask your friends who do a lot of hiring to take a look.

Free advice from the experts

But the truth is that most really good career experts share their spit shine ideas on a blog.  Or on Twitter.  And if you go into the directory, look for their links.  By reading their free ideas and advice, you may find a voice that you can trust enough to pick up the phone.  And, if it makes sense, one that you can pay to upgrade from a productive spit shine to a professional one.

As time allows, I review resumes for people.  Spit shines only.  Many can be quickly improved with just a few adjustments.

And a few need to be burned at the stake.

via timsstrategy.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Interviews: Who Should Ask the Questions? | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

Whether or not you are actively pursuing a leadership position in your career search, employers are considering you for your leadership potential during your interviews.

But how can you demonstrate your leadership potential in front of your interviewer beyond what he or she can read from your resume? Dr. Marlene Caroselli reminded me the other day of an important quote from Peter Drucker, the Father of Modern Management Science, who stated that "leaders know how to ask questions...the right questions."

While you typically think of the interviewer as the one asking the questions, asking questions, but more specifically, the right questions, as a candidate can not only demonstrate your leadership potential, but also your interest, your commitment and the strength of your personal brand.

Here are just some of the “right questions” to help you show off your leadership potential:

Some questions that can be especially helpful when doing informational interviews or interviews with managers in your chosen functional area or industry include “How did you break into [insert industry, functional area or company name]?” and “Do you have any advice for someone trying to get his foot in the door in [insert industry, functional area or company name]?” These questions help to put them in your shoes and offer them a relatable challenge that they were able to overcome and that they will often want to help you overcome by offering additional advice, championing you to the decision makers and more. - Chris Perry, CareerRocketeer.com

If you are an astute and verbally skilled interviewee, and interested in standing out from your competitors, ask a "leading" question. One the interviewer will not forget. For example, "I know what excites me about this industry. May I ask what first drew you to it?" - Dr. Marlene Caroselli, Caroselli.biz

I know this might sound simple maybe even obvious, but in my experience as both a recruiter and career coach, most candidates do not close the interview or ask for a decision regarding the next step. Most ask "What is the next step?" and they get the standard answer "We have more candidates to see and will get back to you in x days." My advice is never leave the interview without knowing that you have answered all the interviewer’s questions/concerns by asking "Is there any reason you can think of at this stage that you will not be taking my application forward to the next stage?" - Paul Copcutt, SquarePegSolution.com

If you feel the interviewer is not being attentive as you respond, rather than cutting short your answer, take a pause and ask the rhetorical question starting with his/her name, "Am I answering your question?" That will bring the interviewer back into the conversation in a tactful and effective way. - Dan Bauer, MBAExchange.com

Ask the recruiter for advice. For example, "What can I do to make myself more marketable?" or "What do you think I should change on my resume?" The simple act of asking for advice not only lets the recruiter know you are interested in putting forth the effort to get a great job through them, but also breaks the ice and engages them in conversation, making them more likely to take an interest in you personally. It also lets the recruiter know you respect them on a professional level and value their input. - Drew Goldsmith, HollisterStaff.com

Making a connection is about being genuine, listening and engaging the other person. You want to ask questions and show interest in them and their organization. You also want to show the value you can bring, but do it in a way that shows confidence without being too boastful or forward. Two good questions to ask in this situation are “Do I have the credentials you look for when hiring for this position?” and “What more can I do to be more in line with the requirements of this position?” These questions tell you where you stand in the hiring person's eyes and let you know what you have to do to close the gap. - Lisa Caldas Kappesser, EQCoachingSolutions.com

Thank you to all of the experts who contributed to this wealth of interview insight!

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Author:

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.

via careerrocketeer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

How to Scale Your Personal Brand, Earn More and Get a Life

You’ve worked so hard to establish a reputation, but now it’s backfired…and, you’re in personal branding hell.

Building a strong personal brand—being known as the go-to person in a specific niche—has it’s ups. Everyone turns to you for information, for ideas, for thought leadership, for advice, for strategy, for connections, for presentations, for favors, for opportunities, for jobs, for partnerships, for salvation.

But, if the way to choose to leverage your personal brand is to trade time for money…

You may well have just built a personal brand that feels more like a cage than a stage.

Because, there are only so many hours you can bill for, so many planes you can get on, so many individual conversations you can have before you…and your life…implode. Especially if you’ve also got a family you actually want to see, friends you love to be around, other activities, passions and hobbies you love to engage in and a commitment to taking care of your body and your mind.

If your personal brand requires you to trade time for money, at some point, you’ll need to make a life-critical decision.

Either increase your rates to a level that let’s you earn enough to live well in the world, while working a balance of hours that affords you a life outside your living. Or, keep your rates accessible to most, forcing you to work a ton of hours…and risk the neglect-driven atrophy of all the other parts of your life you claim to hold dear.

There is, of course, a third option…scale your brand independent of trading time for money.

Keep a certain amount of face-to-face time, especially if that experience makes you come alive (it does, for me). But, then build a plan to scale your business and your income around solutions and experiences that do not require you to trade time for money.

Examples include:

1. Commodotize knowledge & Filter Access – Brain dump what you know into a format—books, videos, info-products, virtual courses—that allows you to share what you know on a mass scale and likely a far more accessible price, without you having to deliver that knowledge repeatedly or provide unlimited or individualized access directly to you.

Lewis Howes’ course on LinkedIn Marketing, Dave Navarro’s Launch Coach products, Naomi Dunford’s small biz marketing programs, Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides and John Jantsch’s Duct Tape Marketing products are great examples.

2. Train For Bucks – Train people to leverage your knowledge to become independent consultants, then charge a substantial fee for that training. Yes, you may well end up training your competition, but that just means you need to keep growing, learning and improving to stay one step ahead. Plus, if you change your mindset from scarcity to abundance, you’ll realize…you’re actually training your future collaborators and teachers, too.

Legendary copywriter, John Carlton, is a great example, making the leap from writing copy for clients to training people to become copywriters with his Simple Writing System. Or, Pam Slim and Michelle Woodward, two well-known coaches who now virtually train others to make a better living coaching.

3. Build a Team – Bring together a team of people, share what you know, delegate levels of responsibility, then empower and trust them to go out into the world, then go beyond your expectations to help you create even better solutions and bring them to market. This is the foundation of every company that grows out of the unique abilities of an individual.

What Jason Fried did with 37Signals is a great example. Or, how James grew professional writing company, Men With Pens.  I did this, too, in my last brick and mortar biz, Sonic Yoga, building a team of amazing teachers and community leaders around me, so that I ended up working only about 5-10 hours a week by the time I sold the company.

4. Be a Catalyst & Aggregator – Leverage your brand to bring together, organize and help market others in complimentary disciplines, forming a collective effort that draws more potential clients with shared needs to your blended efforts. Then, create integrated in-person and commoditized solutions that reach across a broader swath of your clients’ needs.

Brian Clark of copyblogger has executed on this and the above approach masterfully with his company, Unglued Media, bringing in people like Tony Clark (no, he’s not Brian’s second cousin) and Sonia Simone as partners, then teaming with Chris Pearson (DIY Themes), Darren Rowse and Chris Brogan (Third Tribe Marketing) and others to build an online training and product powerhouse.

These are just a few ideas. Point being…

Be very conscious about the way you scale and leverage your personal brand. It’s the difference between living well or living hell.

As always, would love to you know what YOU think…

via jonathanfields.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Contacting the CEO should be a no-go during your job search « Courting Your Career

A lot of career experts share tips on getting past gatekeepers to get to the CEO or other senior executives who can influence whether or not you get an interview or are ultimately hired.  Although they all have their subtle nuances, most involve strategizing the timing of your call, asking the administrative assistant to verify the spelling of the person’s name as a way of getting his or her mailing address, or even writing “Personal and Confidential” on the outside of your envelope to ensure the executive you are trying to contact will actually read your resume and cover letter. Although these outdated strategies might work 1 in 50 times, based on everything I hear when speaking with hiring companies, there’s a better chance it could hurt your candidacy than help it.

Technology has changed the way we can access hiring companies. Gone are the days of picking up the phone and calling a company in response to a job posting in your local newspaper. Today, you’re forced to navigate a labyrinth of call trees that would require the skills of a seasoned private investigator. And that’s assuming you can even find a number to call on their website.

The increase in Web traffic also means companies are inundated with applications like never before. One company I spoke with said they received 100,000 applications last year. Let that number sink in for a few seconds…100,000. If even 5% of applicants tried to call the CEO, that would equate to 5,000 calls. I don’t know about you, but somewhere around the 500^th call, I would probably be more than a little cranky. After all, when they’re not responding to your calls, they actually have to run a company.

Instead of going straight to the top, start small. If you’re about to graduate from college or you only have a few years of full-time work experience and you want to get noticed, identify contacts in junior-level positions that can help you navigate the application process. Because they aren’t as far removed from finding a job straight out of college, if you slip up they are more likely to be forgiving because they can better relate to the challenges you’re facing. Plus, many college recruiting teams are comprised with junior alumni from your college or university. If you push them to the side in your attempts to connect with someone more senior within the organization, you could be shooting yourself in the foot.

via courtingyourcareer.wordpress.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

7 Ways My Clunker Is Smarter than a Hybrid | Wise Bread

I’ve always been slightly amazed how the new car market is so readily embraced. I know it takes all those new car buyers to allow us used-car shoppers the luxury of so much inventory. I just want to stay in the ranks of the latter, not the former.

Most people realize buying new often makes little financial sense, yet they justify it through a whole host of rationalizations. Even the federal government jumped on the bandwagon last year by suggesting we all needed to grind up our clunkers and buy new instead — for the sake of the national economy and the environment, no less. Was the result a whole fleet of new fuel-efficient cars on the road, or increased consumer debt and the loss of thousands of serviceable older vehicles? At the risk of sounding like I suffer from an acute case of sour-grapes, I’d like to explore just seven ways in which my old clunker may be a smarter choice than even the newest hybrid.

1. Fuel efficiency isn’t always green

By some estimates, more than 25% of a car’s carbon dioxide emissions come from the manufacturing process (this can include design, testing, building, marketing and shipping). Since my used car has already gone through the manufacture and transport phase, it produces no new demand for automobiles and therefore, no additional environmental demand. Even though it only gets 22 miles per gallon on a good day, driving it responsibly arguably produces less pollution than purchasing new. If going green is truly driving (pun intended) your purchase, this consideration should give you pause.

2. Steep depreciation

Though the jury is out on the long-term depreciation rates of hybrids, most new cars lose as much as 20% the minute you wave goodbye to the dealer. Where else can you lose $0.20 on every dollar with just a signature and a click of a belt buckle? If you aren’t paying for the car outright, add finance charges to the mix and remember, all this delightful financial devastation is occurring to after-tax dollars — dollars that won’t be around to invest. That’s four major hits for every buck spent: one hit from the tax man (payroll tax and sales tax), one hit from depreciation, one hit from the finance company and one last blow from the loss of earning power of each dollar tied up in your new purchase.

3. Premium rates

Even if you’re paying for comprehensive insurance on a used car now, premiums go up for later-model automobiles. Hybrids are no exception; more complex engine systems and batteries mean higher repair costs and higher insurance rates. Of course, full coverage is mandatory if you have a car loan — the bank wants to protect its investment. But used cars that are paid-off can be covered by liability insurance only (based upon comprehensive insurance costs vs. auto replacement cost calculations). Being able to control your insurance costs can make driving used even more fiscally prudent.

4. Higher registration costs

The fees and formulas vary from state to state, but typically, licensing and registration costs are directly related to the value of your car. Much like insurance, higher car values equal higher rates.

5. Higher repair costs and repair standards

If you’ve ever bought a new car only to get a scratch or windshield chip a few weeks later, you know that newer cars compel us toward a higher standard of perfection. People are more likely to keep a new car as pristine as possible for as long as possible, and those little touch-ups and repairs tend to cost more too. My old Volvo has a door ding, some weird stain on the hood and the plastic trim is bleaching out. Besides a compulsive cleaning and wax-job every few months to make it shine, I live with these road wounds happily.

6. The phenomenon of “incestuous affirmation”

This is really just a fancy term for keeping up with the Joneses. It suggests that any major new purchase sets in motion a whole slew of buying activity within a close network of people (friends, coworkers, family, etc.) by affirming the behavior of one member. This ripple effect is felt from the least capable of affording new to the most capable and creates a slight uptick in unspoken standards within the group.

7. New peripheral expenses

From add-ons to upgrades, new cars increase standards and raise monetary output. Of course your baby needs premium gas, a hand-buffing each week and a GPS system. And what about that monthly fee for satellite radio now that first year of free service has expired?

Now, many of these same principles can be applied to any purchase where there’s a reasonable choice between new and used. But our nation has such a love affair with the automobile and such a cultural acceptance of the resulting debt that it begs a bit of special exploration. What are the new economic realities that make buying new less attractive? Are we really in the same position our parents were when they traded up every few years? How do car companies entice us with nickels before the purchase only to damn us with dollars afterward?

Granted, none of the points above explore the amazing safety advancements that some new cars feature. I would never put a price personal safety or begrudge a car purchase with this as the primary motivator. But with such a wide range of later model used cars available, it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. All else being equal, each blemish and bump on my used car is masked by the dollar signs I see behind them — the dollars I save by keeping it in good working order and running smart for as long as possible.

This is a guest post by Kentin Waits. Kentin has worked in web marketing for 13 years and run his own eBay business for 10. In 2009 he published two articles for Backwoods Home Magazine and is currently working on a page-a-day desk calendar on the topic of financial empowerment.

via wisebread.com

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Tips for Saving Time while Building Your Personal Brand | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Are you one of the many who use lack of time as a reason to put-off building a personal brand by writing provocative thought leadership articles, books, starting a podcast, frequently updating your blog, or submitting guest posts on other blogs?

If you don’t have the time now, when will you have the time?

Lack of time is an unfortunate reality for most of us; today, everyone is stretched then by family demands, financial pressures, job expectations, and an “always connected” Internet/cell phone world.

Nevertheless, each year, new subject area experts appear as competitors in every area.

What’s their secret?

Since everyone shares 24-hour days, and no amount of wishful thinking is likely to reduce your workload, there are mainly just 2 things you can do to find the time to build your personal brand:

1. Commitment. Commitment means making your personal brand a priority in your life, not just something you do when you finish your “real” job. Commitment involves recognizing the importance of creating a personal brand, making difficult choices, and cultivating the habits needed to create the content you need to establish a a compelling personal brand in your field.
2. Efficiency. After making the commitment to build your personal brand, you have to cultivate the habits of efficiency. Efficiency involves multiplying your time by accomplishing in 30-minutes a day what would normally take you 60 or 90 minutes a day. Efficiency involves writing strategically, so your words and key ideas can be leveraged as broadly as possible.

The following are some ideas learned from authors and subject area experts whom I’ve interviewed during the past 18 months.

7 time-saving personal branding tips

1. Time limits. Try writing your blog posts in 30-minutes, or less. Stress builds, and productivity often gets clogged, when you take a writing task too seriously. The solution is to commit to writing your blog posts in 30-minutes. Words are far more likely to flow when you spend your time writing, rather than over-thinking the topic before you begin writing. Writing quickly also gives you more time to review and self-edit your post before sharing it with the Internet.
2. Technology. One recently self-published author I interviewed purchased an inexpensive, hand-held digital recorder and dictates blog posts and sections of chapters while driving to client meetings or stopped at traffic lights. When he gets back, he plugs the digital recorder into his computer, and his voice recognition software program transcribes his dictation and prepares the first draft.
3. Expanding topics. Although the practice is by no means universal, more and more individuals are building their personal brands and leveraging their writing by expanding blog posts into articles, ebooks, and chapters of brand-building books.
4. Condensing topics. The same idea works in reverse; blog posts can be condensed to their essence and reused as tip sheets and sidebars in articles and books.
5. Reformatting. Content ideas should transcend media; ideas that first appear as blog posts can be addressed in podcasts and YouTube videos. Likewise, after creating a podcast, you might be able to convert the topic into 2 or 3 separate blog posts addressing aspects of the podcast. Each media has its own followers. More important, each time you re-address a topic, you’re likely to come up with new ideas.

   

6. Live connections. One of the easiest ways to develop new content is to present an on-going series of free interviews and teleseminars which are recorded and transcribed.  Live events create deadlines that overcome procrastination and prompt action. Your enthusiasm builds, and your voice changes, when you’re projecting to a live audience, and the ideas flow as they tend to during conversations.
7. Crowd-sourcing. Many profitable personal brands have been based on tapping into the power of others, often by providing an opportunity for others to share their expertise and ideas. By soliciting success stories and examples of mistakes made and lessons learned, or even just commenting on the videos found on the TED.Org site, ( not only taps into the power of story, but provides a foundation for your critical analyses and observations.

Personal branding sense demands efficient content creation

The above are just a few of the ways you can save time while building your personal brand with helpful and relevant content. There’s no time to waste! If you want to succeed in the Web 2.0 world, you must establish your personal brand, and personal brands dependent content. Your ability to build your personal brand is, ultimately, tied to your ability to save time creating content. Do you agree? What’s your favorite time-saving technique? Do you have a tip you’d like to share with others? Submit your ideas as comments, below.

Author:

Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning writing, promoting, & profiting ideas and strategies in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

via personalbrandingblog.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Networking – You Need A Heart Of Gold

What does it mean, generally, to have a heart of gold?  I checked the lyrics from Neil Young’s song with the same name and I’m not sure he has it nailed down.  The Kinks (greatest band of all time) have a song also with that name.  Their key lyric says:

But underneath that cold exterior, I know you’ve got a heart of gold

So, officially, I’m going to say a “gold heart” is good and, if you have one, you will make others feel good.

And I guess this post in the end is about intent.  If you are out networking with a particular purpose.  To win.  To succeed.  To be the most connected person at the event.  Well, let me suggest that you slow down a bit.

Because your heart is likely a bit lighter in color.  Like a silver perhaps.

And if that’s true, you have an opportunity to make some adjustments.  To consider the needs of others and to consider that maybe there are some folks out there that could specifically use your help.  Tomorrow.

If you’ve become a bit myopic.  Consider taking a break.  Consider taking a productive day off during job search.

Photo Credit, Bennett Graham

via timsstrategy.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal