Month: December 2013

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Starting or RE-Starting A Job Search in the New Year Ahead…

NETWORKING: A Career Strategy

We network effectively in our daily life to find trusted auto mechanics, the best doctors, the least expensive grocery store—we ask our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers… THAT is networking!  And what makes it work for us is the interaction involved, we are communicating with others in its most basic form.

So why panic and freeze during career transition?  Simply begin where ever you find yourself right now… and build from there for the rest of your career.  Technology is your friend, here.  Technology is the best way to leverage the time that you have available for productive and efficient networking.  Technology provides you the tools; but remember, technology is not a replacement for your #1 task… it is up to you to identify and develop those relationships that will get you the results you seek… for the rest of your career.

 Networking is a contact sport!

 WHERE To Start

 As a contact sport, networking is about interaction between sender and receiver, buyer and seller… job seeker and potential employers.  The great news is that you get to start from YOUR ‘sweet spot’ or middle ground where all this interaction occurs the easiest!  You start with people that you already know or have some connection to.

If your ‘natural network’ doesn’t have a regular meeting—most do not, by their very diverse nature—groups of like minded people are easy to identify and attend.  As you begin to reach out and broaden your ‘sweet spot,’ be selective in your attempt to create a supportive ‘community’ grouping close to your targeted marketplace.

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Enjoy your Holidays, but don’t lose momentum heading into the New Year…

Simply stated, the traditional ‘job market’ is loaded with traps for the normal job seeker: Applying on-line along with your competition, increasing the odds of rejection and causing a premature, YES-NO-MAYBE judgment…The digital HR screen that judges you by keywords instead of value proposition… and, by the way, what ARE the ‘right’ keywords?

This is precisely WHY your Careerpilot has elected to update the handouts for DFWCareerpilot in 2014.  While there will always be an attempt at keeping up with technology changes that might influence recruitment and job search, you will notice in our new handouts that the use of LinkedIn is fully integrated into the 12-step Process… your M.A.P. to career transition focus and success!

DFWCareerpilot integrates and models two basic philosophies.  One, it challenges the job seeker to utilize High TECH/HIGH TOUCH implementation tactics–we learn that technology is a tool… not a replacement for the personal relationship building prerequisite in the recruitment and hiring process.

And second, we learn to “Embrace The OTHER Job Market,” the one driven by hiring authorities who seek the most qualified and affordable candidates (would you expect less?)… THE ONE driven by the choice of pre-qualified candidates who have already established a relationship with appropriate professionals–with and surrounding the hiring authority!  A job seeker can ‘stand out’ because there is much less rejection (less competition) and controllable yes-no-maybe judgments.

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.

HAPPY Holidays and we’ll see you in the NEW YEAR ahead.

 

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ACCOUNTABILITY Works to propel your job search efforts…

A good accountability partner can make a major difference in one’s job search. I have seen many job seekers flounder because they launch their search efforts before they are totally prepared for the unique adventure ahead.  The power of partnering comes in to play when two well prepared job seekers come together to hold each other accountable for the activities and time management involved in productive search efforts.

You can call this coincidence if you want, I did for a while until I saw it happening over and over, and the people using the accountability partner were giving them the credit for their success. Or you could call it peer pressure … but whatever you call the ‘fuel.’ The resultant energy cannot be denied… it works.

Too many times, we fall victim to distractions from the job search. The trap of sleeping late, watching TV, and playing on the Web can ensnare us. With no one but ourselves to hold us accountable for our job-search goals and plans, time can just slip away. It’s so easy to lose balance between personal needs and wants and our job search.

The other end of the spectrum is becoming a “job search-aholic.” For many of us, our identity is tied up tightly in our career, while others need a job right away just to make ends meet. No matter how great the need or desire for a new position, conducting a job search 24/7 non-stop can actually be a detriment to a successful campaign.

Once burnout sets in and enthusiasm begins to wane, how can you be at your best when you interview or even network?  The buddy system is an ideal way to protect against burnout while keeping on track!

3 GREAT Reasons You Need An Accountability Partnership

A partnership can be you and one other person, like how we start at DFWCareerpilot…or it could be a group of 3 or more like minded individuals. We start with each grouping being facilitated by a skilled and experienced facilitator.  Having had a lot of experience with facilitating accountability teams and partnerships over the years, I offer the following reasons why such activity will boost your individual job search efforts…

1) Someone to bounce around ideas with… It can be productive when you’re stuck and not sure how to proceed on an idea or maybe with a target organization—or an individual you’re having trouble connecting with.  Sometimes you just need that extra little push. Connecting with someone who does understand is a big deal.

2) Someone to share accomplishments with… Did you research and identify a great opportunity? Land that big interview? Get your first offer?  An accountability partner is the perfect person to share those exciting times with.

As Corporate citizens, we are used to being on productive teams, surrounded by resources, and encouraged to succeed.  However, as job seekers, it is easy to lead a very isolated existence and appropriate resources are not always available.

3) Someone you can stay accountable to

Again, it’s really rewarding to have someone to tell when you have accomplished specific goals and/or tasks. Or on the flip side it’s nice to have someone there if you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and they can bring you back to reality. It’s great to know you have someone there that is counting on you to take action!

TOP TIPS: Creating EFFECTIVE Accountability Partnerships

1)   Create a Goals Worksheet/ TEMPLATE… You’ve heard the cliché “What Gets Measured Gets DONE.”  Very true for jobseekers who put themselves ‘out there’ on their own.  Work SMART at your job search PLAN…

Specific time and activity goals for each process prep and implementation step.

Measurable goals so that progress can be analyzed and diagnosed

Actionable goals that allow you to ‘own’ your job search accomplishments

Realistic goals that are attainable on an average, weekly basis… and keep them

Timely.  Have goals that are time-specific to keep you moving FORWARD!

2)   Choose your PARTNER or TEAM Members wisely… your sense of accountability is built when you can be open and honest with each other during your scheduled sessions.  There’s no room for negativity.

3)   Have a set STRUCTURE of what will occur during each session.  I encourage each meeting to start with a brief practice of verbal collateral, followed by a reporting of last week’s ‘numbers.’  Identify obstacles to your progress, requesting specific ‘help’ as appropriate.  Commit to next week’s numbers.  Close with an open and frank discussion aimed at removing obstacles… including action plans!

4)   Keep your Group’s Membership and attendance consistent.  Remember, these sessions can be effective with anywhere from 2 to 10 Members.

5)   Create a hard copy binder with a tab for each Member… contents should be everyone’s tracking sheet, current resume, and a business card (several might be useful).  Each Member is in this TOGETHER.

6)   Generate a sense of TEAMSMANSHIP… Give yourselve’s a NAME. Create some sort of reward system for the week’s most contributive or successful Member.

7)   Build EARLY SUCCESS by inviting a skilled and experienced facilitator for your first few meetings… then carry-on with a personal accomplishment of helping each other with resolution and action plans to overcome all obstacles.