How to Look for a Job without Saying So
A coaching client came to me with an opportunity that appeared to be wrapped in a problem. Christine was a financial services executive who had been downsized as a result of crashing markets. Her opportunity: to attend a tradeshow where the top companies for whom she would like to work would be attending. Her problem: As she put it, “Kevin, if I go around just handing out resumes I am going to feel like I have an enormous “L” on my forehead.” So, here is what we did.
First, there are more problems with attending an event like this with a ream of resumes in hand besides feeling like a loser. While mindset is of the utmost of importance, even if you felt good about handing out your paper the technique is littered with landmines in this instance. Primarily because the people working those booths at tradeshows aren’t initially motivated to help find you a job (but, as you will see, you can get them there). Frankly, they are probably just happy to still have their job (definitely the case in financial services). So the approach needs to be much more strategic.
We started by talking about the companies who would be there that she wanted to approach. This was pretty easy, since there was a list. Next, we determined which of the product lines or specialties in those companies suited her best (annuities, mutual funds, etc.). Then, we identified who the keynote speakers were at the tradeshow for each of these product types and what the focus of their presentation was going to be. Finally, armed with all this information, she researched some interesting articles that paralleled these topics – some agreeing, some disagreeing, some that were one-offs. With all this homework done, we then formulated a plan. One that involved networking this trade show without ever saying “Are you hiring?”
Knowing which companies she was interested in, Christine’s plan was to approach each using this technique:
Christine: Hi there – Christine X. You know, every time I see you guys in the press your Morningstar rating just keeps climbing.
Company Rep: Yeah, it’s been a tough year but our managers keep doing well in spite of it. I’m John by the way. Who are you with Christine?
Christine: I was with Citi, but was RIFed a few months back. I decided to come down here and check out what’s going on in the industry.
Company Rep: I see. (starting to retract…expecting the “are you hiring?”)
Christine: John, are you planning on going to the talk being put on by Dave Y about Mutual Funds?
Company Rep: (surprised he didn’t get hit up about hiring) I am going to try, but I am not sure if I have to man the booth or not. It looks pretty interesting.
Christine: It does. If you don’t get a chance to go, I’d be happy to share my notes. But I was also reading a recent article in Barrons by James Z about Mutual Fund Regulation. I’m not sure if Dave Y is going to get into that. He raised some great points. Did you read James Z’s article?
Company Rep: No, I didn’t but it sounds interesting.
Christine: It was. I’d be glad to email it to you. Here is my business card. Let’s trade and I will be sure to send it off once I get back home.
Company Rep: Great. I’d appreciate that.
Christine: Sure thing. I’ll let you get back to things. I know you are busy. It was great meeting you and I’ll get that article to you sometime next week.
Company Rep: Thanks.
Christine’s approach is all about networking. Establishing rapport and beginning to work through the cycle of “know, like, trust.” She will follow up with John via email and, if he is open to networking, begin seeing who he knows and how he can help her. After all, in the spirit of “give to get,” she has begun the process by sharing information with him that he found valuable.
What this also does is position her better to understand what John’s company needs and how she does (or doesn’t) fit into the picture. She more effectively navigate towards the best opportunities for her knowing where her skills fit and are needed versus giving some blanket “elevator pitch” that isn’t targeted towards the ideal job she is seeking.
Interested in learning more about Kevin’s One-on-One Coaching Program? Email us for more details.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
Re-thinking the “Elevator Speech”
As you know, I am not a fan of the “elevator speech.” I agree with the concept of getting your message across quickly, succinctly and powerfully. Where this concept loses me (as well as most people receiving it) is that it isn’t tailored for the listener. This is particularly important in your job search, since there are a lot of “speeches” being pitched to hiring managers and you must differentiate yourself. In my opinion, taking a more solution based approach will do just that.
In past articles, I have talked about the importance of developing Your Solution. This is what you do best – maybe even better than anyone else. If you think about that skill set like a product, there are things it (you) does and doesn’t do. It only makes sense then to target hiring managers who are experiencing the pain and problems that Your Solution addresses.
So, instead of firing off a generic pitch with what you do, take a more pinpoint approach. Begin by asking 2-3 questions that identify if that hiring manager is experiencing problems that you can fix. The answers will either allow you to highlight your accomplishments and what you can do for their company or help you determine that it isn’t the right job for you. The former is just as important as the latter.
This also does something else very important. It gets the potential employer talking about themselves. With this, you can more naturally make Your Solution all about them (which, incidentally, can often uncover “hidden” job opportunities). As well, it positions you to be able to share relatable stories with quantifiable results that show what is in it for them when they hire you.
Your Solution + Their Pain = Smart Hire
Taking this approach will narrow down your job search so you are focusing on real, qualified opportunities versus just trying to get any job. It allows you to start hunting with a rifle, not a shotgun. Ultimately, it will help pair you with a job that is not only a good fit, but where you can experience your greatest success.
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Want more tips on how to uncover the “hidden” job market? To be able to run a more effective job search? Listen to my free webinar – “5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search”
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
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Kevin is the Founder of of Build the Career You Deserve, a company devoted to empowering professionals with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job they want and build the successful career they deserve. Sign up for his free e-zine – Build the Career You Deserve – for insider tips on how to do just that!
2009 © Kevin Kermes Inc. All Rights Reserved
Tackling the Post-Labor Day Job Market
For the past few months, I have not only been talking about the summer lull in hiring but also pushing out a good deal of information in the way of webinars and articles to help bridge the gap. But, today marks the traditional uptick in activity. Despite the lackluster employment statistics that came out last week, there are still several things you can do to capitalize on the increased movement – small or otherwise – that you will see in the coming weeks.
Social Media – Get engaged! Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are great resources for information as well as connecting with individuals who can help facilitate your search. Not sure how to get started? Simply jump in! You will be amazed at how transparent and helpful the people you meet (or Tweeps on Twitter) can be – even total strangers. As Guy Kawasaki says, “Nobodies are the new Somebodies.”
Blogs – Find blogs and ezines (electronic newsletters/magazines) that provide timely, pertinent information on the job search. Some favorites of mine are Bill Vick’s Employment Digest, the WSJ’s “Laid Off and Looking” (Ellen Whaley of my June Bootcamp is a contributor) and Tom Ruff’s Blog. Of course, my “Build the Career You Deserve” ezine too (sure, I am a little partial).
Step Away from the Computer- It’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day of checking email, responding to emails, researching companies, etc.. But, get out and network in the flesh. This can be through an organization where you are a member, volunteering or finding some employment networking functions. Pink Slip Mixers is a great one. Don’t see any being hosted in your area? Reach out and volunteer to organize it. Some my Bootcamp Members have done it and it put them in the spotlight – exactly where you want to be!
Take an Interview, Any Interview – This is a rusty, perishable skill which may be in need of rejuvenation after a slow summer. Take any interview that comes along to keep fresh, engaged and on your “A” game. This way, when the ideal position comes along you are ready for whatever is thrown your way.
Create Your Own Opening – I talk a great deal about the “hidden” job market in my webinars. One aspect that many don’t mention is that your ideal job might have someone sitting in “your” seat right now. But, in many cases, these Kings and Queens of “low hanging fruit” only have their job because there isn’t a viable alternative. Through a combination of the techniques above, you can create your own opening by giving a future employer an option: the mediocre employee they have or the stellar employee they could hire (you!).
Albeit a crowded market out there, companies are still in need of top talent – especially now. Use these techniques to get a leg up on your competition. If you have any techniques of your own that have worked, please share them with other readers below. I know they would love to hear from you.
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Interested in learning more about my Job Search 2.0 Bootcamp starting September 14th? You can read more by clicking here or listen to my “5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search.”
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
2008 – 2009 (c) Kevin Kermes Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Efficiency and Stress Management in the Job Search – from the Build the Career You Deserve e-zine
Many of the same tools that are supposed to create efficiency (email, cell phones, Twitter, texting, IMs) are often the culprits accused of creating our inefficiency. Or, is it that they are a symptom versus the disease? Managing technology plus the myriad of tasks – finding new job leads, marketing yourself, networking, responding to emails/phone calls, etc. – often paralyzes job seekers and results in even higher stress levels (as if the job search isn’t stressful enough). So, the real question here is: what can you do to alleviate these issues in a technology-laden environment?
Doing More Often Nets You Less – A study done at Microsoft last year looked at how long it takes people to return to a task when they are interrupted by an e-mail or instant message. The average was 15 minutes. More than a quarter of the people did not return to the task at hand for two hours! Moreover, when people did finally start working again, they did not reach their earlier level of concentration for an additional 10 minutes. When you take all of this into account, you realize multi-tasking can be a colossal time waste.
There is Focus and There is Focus – Being focused on the task at hand isn’t enough. To be more efficient in what you need to get accomplished daily, break out your to-do-list into blocks. Segment your day by activities: returning email, following up on leads, finding new target companies (preferably through the “hidden job market”), network, reinforce your SME (subject matter expert) status. By getting in the zone on each of these tasks, your increased focus will net you better results.
Turn it Off – Email and IM are the biggest culprits here and are not the exception to working in blocks. Shut your email down and set up 2-3 times a day when you open it and respond. There are very, very few things that cannot wait an hour or two for a response. And, if they are that critical, someone will typically pick up the phone and call you.
Always the Exception to the Rule – We always need one of these, right? Waiting for a call back from a prospective employer? Expecting to hear from someone you have been trying to network with for weeks? Make a list of critical events that allow you to break out of working in blocks. But, remember the stats we talked about earlier and weigh out if the event is really so important that you want to lose 15-25 minutes of prime productivity out of your day. Some events are worth it, others not so much. You be the judge.
The job search is a full time job and an extremely draining one at that. So, don’t add to that anxiety by being inefficient in your daily tasks. Try implementing a few of these techniques and see your productivity increase and your stress level decrease.
Want to learn more about uncovering the “hidden job market?” Listen to a recording of my – “5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search” webinar.
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
Kevin is the Founder of Build the Career You Deserve, a company devoted to empowering professionals with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job they want and build the successful career they deserve. Sign up for his free e-zine – Build the Career You Deserve – for insider tips on how to do just that!
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2009 © Kevin Kermes Inc. All Rights Reserved
When Getting to “No” is Better Than “Yes” – from the Build the Career You Deserve ezine
The foundation to the success of every step of the job search – from identifying the right job, to securing the interview, to getting an above market offer – is in first identifying your “Solution.” Without this firmly defined, everything else you build upon in the process is going to have a weak foundation. The end result: a prolonged job search, fewer interviews, jobs that don’t pan out and offers that come in below where you want them.
Your Solution is your go-to-market message telling companies why they need to not only talk to you, but hire you. It is a well crafted, comprehensive list of quantifiables that show your addition to a company’s team is an investment they cannot pass up. Your ROI is clear cut. It is much more than bullets for a resume or an “elevator speech.” It is a mindset that you take with you through every stage of the interview process to set you apart for your competition.
It does a number of critical things as well:
· Clearly defining Your Solution makes you more valuable to prospective companies – making you stand out in a sea of competition.
· With the Your Solution mindset in interviews, you no longer need to worry about what questions you are going to be asked – you will have greater control over what is discussed.
· Your Solution keeps you on message from the first interview to the offer – reinforcing why the company must hire you.
· Staying “on message” with Your Solution continues to set you apart from the competition – securing you a spot as the front runner.
· Your Solution paints a picture for your future employer of the exact role you will be playing inside the company – getting them to visualize you as an employee.
· When it comes time for the offer, Your Solution has made your case for you – helping you get top dollar in your job offer.
· Your Solution makes it clearer, quicker which opportunities aren’t a good fit for you – so you can focus on the job you really want and deserve.
· While all these pieces are crucial to a successful job search campaign, today I am focusing on the last point: the importance to finding an opportunity that is a good fit.
Too often, the interview process results in putting emotion over intelligence. As the interviewee, you are striving to establish rapport, build a relationship and often can unwittingly do so glossing over what might be long-term fit issues. This is true for the person interviewing you too. And, with the lack of formal training given to hiring manager on how to properly interview and select team members they often fall back to “going with their gut” and hire who they like. But, just like a first date, the excitement of something new can result in losing sight of critical issues that will keep you from ever walking down the aisle.
Don’t get me wrong. Loving where you work – the people, the culture and the product – is extremely important. But, when that overshadows your actual role, you can get yourself into a pot of hot water and end up somewhere that you like the people but don’t provide true value to the company. Keeping on target with Your Solution will help you avoid this. As you define where you are best suited, the problems/pains that your background has positioned you to solve best and where you excel, you keep your decision making equally balanced between emotion and intelligence.
Another thing to remember is that accepting a position that isn’t the right fit, but rather the “fit for right now,” has a potentially disastrous downside. Just like we didn’t arrive at this economic crisis over night, we aren’t going to get out of it in the blink of an eye either. As companies continue to downsize and trim the fat, being a bad fit can easily manifest itself in poor job performance, subpar results, and alienating co-workers. The company that extends an offer today may very well find themselves making cuts a quarter or two from now. And, the outcome of your mismatch could result in you being back on the street looking for a job again.
Everyone’s situation is different, but all can agree that the job search is tiresome, draining and something you would like to put behind you as soon as possible. And, no doubt, a new job offer is always welcomed news when it arrives. But, you still want to make sure it is going to be the right match. Defining Your Solution and staying focused on it is one of the best ways to make certain you don’t find yourself repeating a job search in a year (or less).
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Want to learn more about Your Solution and uncovering the “hidden Job market?” Listen to a recording of my – “5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search” webinar.
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
2008 – 2009 (c) Kevin Kermes Inc. – All Rights Reserved
5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search – Free Webinar – Thursday, 7/23 – 3pmEST
Reserve Your Spot by Going to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/397959075
**not sure you can make it? Go ahead and sign-up and a recording of the session will be sent to you**
Whether you just started your job search or have been at it for awhile now, this call is what you have been waiting for. You owe it to yourself to learn the secrets to cutting significant time off your job search now. I also have some special gifts for joining me on the call, but you must be signed up (if can’t make the call, I will send you the recording afterwards – but you must be signed up).
On this webinar, you’ll learn:
* the biggest block that’s likely keeping you and your search in low-gear right now and wasting precious time (and how to bust out of your rut)
* 5 things recruiters have begged me not to share with you that can keep you from having your job search sabotaged without you even knowing it.
* why your resume is not as critical a factor in getting the interviews (or the job) as you think
* 3 immediate ways you can make your job search lean-and-mean right now! (These are so simple and yet so effective.)
* how you can start working a new plan immediately to find the job you want and cut your job search time in as much as half.
**not sure you can make it? Go ahead and sign-up and a recording of the session will be sent to you**
Reserve Your Spot by Going to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/397959075
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Kevin is the Founder of Build the Career You Deserve, a company devoted to empowering professionals with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job they want and build the successful career they deserve. Sign up for his free e-zine (read by over 21,000 professionals worldwide) – Build the Career You Deserve – for insider tips on how to do just that
Finding the “Open Door” in the Job Market – from the Build the Career You Deserve ezine
In an article earlier this year, we talked about turning rejection into opportunity. Given the current economic climate – unemployment numbers at just over 9.4% and 13.7 million Americans looking for jobs – I thought discussing how the current job market looks opportunity-wise might be timely. My answer is likely going to surprise you. I see a lot of opportunity out there.
· It’s All About ROI – If you have a track record of success and can quantify and qualify those accomplishments (saving money, making money, creating efficiencies), wayward companies who realize they are in bad shape will invest in your expertise and ability to deliver results.
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com
5 Secrets to the Perfect Job Search (7/1/09)
Missed this webinar? Watch the July 23rd webinar with the special announcement at the end!