Month: March 2012

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NEXT WEEK’s Webinar/Workshop: Wednesday, April 4th @ 4:30 PM and Thursday Morning @ The Egg and I

Please SHARE this Post with a friend or two that you think may benefit from the information and interaction…

Be sure to let me know ASAP if you want to participate in the sequence of a Wednesday afternoon WEBINAR regarding ‘practice models’ that deal with your Personal Marketing PLAN–FOLLOWED BY our Thursday, April 5th workshop at 9 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant in Addison.

While there IS A COST associated with the webinar… the Thursday morning workshop, as always, will be FREE and includes a live practice session building on the material from Wednesday.  

Your monthly upgrade fee must be paid by the final Thursday’s workshop before (or at) the end of the month prior.  So, you must be paid up for your March Package by Friday, March 30…LATE? Call or email Bob now.

**NOTE: Online payment is a convenience for Members and is posted at the lowest common fee basis…additional payment will be included in your monthly invoice.

Schedule of future webinars

Next week Thursday’s Workshop: Implementing Your Personal Marketing Plan… Thursday, April 5th @ 9 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant in Addison (NW Quadrant of Montfort and Arapaho)… we’ll build on Wednesday’s Webinar and will focus on a critical Core Topic, “IMPLEMENTING Your Personal Marketing Plan…”

Map to The Egg and I

Come prepared to work on development of and commitment to a Personal Marketing Plan… AND, as a bonus:  I will be set up by 8:40 to review your LinkedIn Profile if you’d like a quick assessment.  YOUR “follow-up HOMEWORK” is to increase your first level contact list on LinkedIn by TEN NEW individuals… and add ONE NEW GROUP to those you have already chosen.

 Who should attend Thursday’s workshop?

  1. Those who might ask… HOW do I get more benefit from the webinar I just attended on Wednesday, April 4th?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to perform well in phone calls and interviews;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session to supplement your job search effectiveness with!

      

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THIS WEEK’s Event: Achieving CareerFIT…Thursday, March 22nd @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Please SHARE THIS POST with your network.  This week Thursday, March 29th, we will focus on a strategic, more career-oriented, definition of FIT,  answering your questions and concerns at each step of the way… this is a great place to start for new-comers as the other Core Topics will follow in sequence.

A new offering from DFWCareerpilot Come EARLY this week (and future weeks if this proves to be a popular feature of Thursday mornings)… Bob will be set up by 8:40 a.m.  to address your specific, personal questions regarding LinkedIn use.  BYO-Laptop if you have one… he’ll have his to demo!

Map to The Egg and I So, Come prepared to work on YOUR LinkedIn account–bring your laptop… 1) what does your digital fingerprint look like and… 2) Does it work for you in developing your network?

THIS WEEK’s Workshop…  Achieving CareerFIT brings focus to those elusive decisions regarding positioning and targeting your efforts.  The first five steps of the 12 step process, from assessment to beginning the evolution of your LinkedIn Profile, will be discussed.

Who should attend?

  1. Those who might ask… What DO I want to do next in my career?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct any career transition, including simple job search;
  3. Those who feel they need a more dynamic way to answer the question, “Tell me about yourself…” THE most asked question during job search!
  4. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  5. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to kick-off your job search effectiveness!

…and don’t forget that you must be enrolled by this Thursday to take part in the April 4th Webinar.  Here’s the future sequence of a Wednesday webinar followed by a Thursday morning actual PRACTICE SESSION…

      Schedule of future webinars

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What IS the OTHER Job Market…and why EMBRACE it?

The notion of an “unpublished or hidden” job market is far from new.  However, knowledge of “The OTHER” job market, and your ability to execute your Personal Market Plan in it, will create both focus and productivity in your career transition. 

The definition, strategies and tactics of this other market go well beyond those of the “unpublished or hidden” job market … You see, in every marketplace, there are buyers and sellers.  In the traditional job market, the one that our Department of Labor “analyzes,” job seekers are the sellers and their potential employers are the buyers.  The commodity is JOBS and the competition is fierce.

In the OTHER Job Market, buyers and sellers hold equal responsibility for the recruitment process.  When employers have a need for someone to fulfill a specific role, often the most desired candidates are employed individuals with the credentials they seek.  Thus the employer must sell their Company to potential employees in the marketplace in order to attract the best of the lot.  Once identified, they simply select their choice and buy their services. 

In other words, the commodity is productive WORK being assigned to the most qualified individual who ‘fits’ the employers needs.  Often, this WORK has not been clearly defined yet and the employer has not approved an open job requisition.  Timing is everything in the OTHER job market…

Participation in the Other Marketplace of work is most effective when executed as a career strategy, making the whole process a part of what you do within your career… NOT just a job search methodology.

>> More

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THIS WEEK’s Event: Embracing The OTHER Job Market…Thursday, March 22nd @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Please SHARE THIS POST with your network.  This week Thursday, March 22nd, we will overview the entire 12-step process, answering your questions and concerns at each step of the way… this is a great place to start for new-comers as the other Core Topics will follow in sequence.

A new offering from DFWCareerpilot Come EARLY this week (and future weeks if this proves to be a popular feature of Thursday mornings)… Bob will be set up by 8:40 a.m.  to address your specific, personal questions regarding LinkedIn use.  BYO-Laptop if you have one… he’ll have his to demo!

Map to The Egg and I So, Come prepared to work on YOUR LinkedIn account–bring your laptop… 1) what does your digital fingerprint look like and… 2) Does it work for you in developing your network?

THIS WEEK’s Workshop…

Who should attend?

  1. Those who might ask… What the heck is the OTHER Job Market?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct any career transition, including simple job search;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to kick-off your job search effectiveness!

…and don’t forget the future sequence of a Wednesday webinar followed by a Thursday morning actual PRACTICE SESSION…

      Schedule of future webinars

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THIS WEEK’s Event: MONEY TALK…Thursday, March 15th @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Please SHARE THIS POST with your network.  This week Thursday, March 15th, we will piggy back on last week’s CLOSING THE DEAL session with a focus on MONEY TALK-Post Offer Negotiation Approach.  This stuff is worth your practice time in anticipation of that terrific offer you’ll get!

A new offering from DFWCareerpilot Come EARLY this week (and future weeks if this proves to be a popular feature of Thursday mornings)… Bob will be set up by 8:40 a.m.  to address your specific, personal questions regarding LinkedIn use.  BYO-Laptop if you have one… he’ll have his to demo! 

Map to The Egg and I So, Come prepared to work on YOUR LinkedIn account–bring your laptop… 1) what does your digital fingerprint look like and… 2) Does it work for you in developing your network?

As it is important to be prepared for pre-mature discussion of salary…

“He who mentions money FIRST, loses!”

When an offer is extended to you, you should feel prepared to respond appropriately AND consider optimizing the package offered.

Who should attend?

  1. Those who might ask… HOW do I optimize any offers I will get?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct any discussion of salary;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!

…and don’t forget the future sequence of a Wednesday webinar followed by a Thursday morning actual PRACTICE SESSION…

      Schedule of future webinars

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#1 ANSWER to a “Question” regarding cold calling as a strategy during jobsearch…

One of the ways we can add ‘relevancy’ to our LinkedIn presence is to ask and answer questions in the ANSWERS area (Top navigation bar in the “More” drop down menu)… its especially worthy when your answer is selected as the #1 answer to any given question… here’s my ANSWER to the person that asked where ‘cold calling’ stacks up as a job search strategy…

<< “Cold calling” is, no doubt, the least popular, but most effective job search TACTIC for most job seekers, including sales oriented folks…

The challenge for the job seeker is to wrap the appropriate STRATEGIES around their cold-calling efforts. Sure, you’ll have an expedient job search if you ‘show up on the doorstep’ of an organization that needs your skill sets and likes you… but that’s needle-in-a-haystack odds!

Improve your odds by making networking a CAREER strategy instead of a job search drudgery. All by itself, this would accelerate your next job search by taking the randomness out of your ‘next steps.’ Use a coordinated, systematic approach to any career transition…

Have you fully embraced the OTHER job market? Not the one that the Department of Labor measures, but the one where the hiring authorities are seeking the most talented individuals… and are you PREPARED to address it?

Have you analyzed your skill sets and experience and determined clear objectives? Have you developed collateral materials that reflect CLEAR POSITIONING of your talent, and do you let them evolve through practice (constant) and marketplace feedback? Are your references in synch with your message? As a job seeker, have you researched the market to determine appropriate target organizations… the ones that actually use your talents? Can you identify trends that are attractive to you, uniquely YOU?

Most importantly, have you assembled your whole personal CONTACT LIST, leaving no stones unturned… and organized your priorities in networking to A) Folks you already know, but need to reconnect with… B) Folks that can bridge you to actual opportunity leads and, specifically, hiring authorities… C) Folks that can directly impact your hire, the actual hiring authorities. LinkedIn can provide you with a digital roadmap to your networking efforts… devote regular time to your LinkedIn network.

Reserve most of your cold calling strategy to the tactics of target organization networking around those organizations that are attractive to you and that need your talent.

Your most important job search strategy, and the skill most job seekers need to constantly develop, is that of converting leads into interviews! Effective tactics, here, include constantly working on your telephone skills… effectively researching your targeted industry and companies (Googled your interviewer lately?)… practicing your verbal collateral to the point of making them spontaneous and conversational…

ALL of which can improve a job seeker’s odds when employing cold-calling tactics, taking advantage of that huge percentage of actual placements that were initiated by a cold call! >>

The bold keywords were added for YOUR benefit… what strikes me is how similar this answer is to some of the things we discussed in today’s session!  I will be adding in a new handout I’m working on… Networking 101 !

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BE PREPARED TO SUCCEED in Interviews

Most interviews follow a predictable format, with logical steps that both the interviewer and applicant follow to decide if both will benefit from working together.  The best interviews are ones in which both participants are equal and have a mutually beneficial, interactive conversation regarding the opportunity at hand.

Think of an interview as the natural extension, the successful result of your effective networking.  In fact, many networking conversations actually become screening interviews, where influential contacts are assessing your qualifications, skill sets and experience relative to an opportunity at hand. 

“Perfect practice” of the basics builds the confidence necessary to perform well in formal job interviews.  Let’s break down the basics into four areas…

  1. pre-contact preparation/ research,
  2. greeting and rapport,
  3. questions/answers, and …
  4. meeting closure. 

All four stages are equally important and deserve your consideration and preparation.

Research the company/position

Second level research will help you to identify attractive companies.  But, this is third level (in-depth) research.  Learn as much as possible about the company, the position and the individual who will be conducting the interview.  Your research goals ought to include developing information about the company’s products, people, organizational structure, successes (and failures), profits (and losses), capital spending, strategic plans, philosophy and labor climate.  Showing your knowledge of some of this information can give you added credibility over other candidates interviewing for the job.

Go into each interview with working knowledge of its good CareerFIT!

>> More in RESOURCES: Closing The Deal 

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THIS WEEK’s Webinar & Workshop: Wednesday, March 7th @ 4:30 PM and Thursday Morning @ The Egg and I

Please SHARE this Post with a friend or two that you think may benefit from the information and interaction…

This week DFWCareerpilot will again be offering the sequence of a Wednesday afternoon WEBINAR regarding ‘practice models’ that deal with interviewing and pre-offer negotiation success–FOLLOWED BY our Thursday, March 8th workshop at 9 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant in Addison.

While there IS A COST associated with the webinar… the Thursday morning workshop, as always, will be FREE and includes a live practice session building on the material from Wednesday.  

Your monthly upgrade fee must be paid by the final Thursday’s workshop before (or at) the end of the month prior.  So, you must be paid up for your March Package by Thursday, February 23rd…LATE? Call or email Bob now.

**NOTE: Online payment is a convenience for Members and is posted at the lowest common fee basis…additional payment will be included in your monthly invoice.

Schedule of future webinars

Our Thursday morning, March 8th workshop builds on Wednesday’s Webinar and will focus on a critical Core Topic, “Closing the Deal…”

Map to The Egg and I

Come prepared to work on interview situations, questions and answers that have challenged you in the past… Actual examples are the best learning approaches!  The most asked question during active job search is “Tell me about yourself…” but we’ll get to as many as we have time for. 

YOUR “follow-up HOMEWORK” from last week’s session on developing your network using LinkedIn is to increase your first level contact list by TEN NEW individuals… and add ONE NEW GROUP to those you have already chosen.

 Who should attend Thursday’s workshop?

  1. Those who might ask… HOW do I get more benefit from the webinar I just attended on Wednesday, March 7th?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to perform well in phone calls and interviews;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session to supplement your job search effectiveness with!