Research

by

ASSESSMENT is at the epicenter of your jobsearch efforts…

…and PART of what you must assess is your desired “next step!”

OFFER CRITERIA

Write out the factors that are important to you in a job…actually write out your list. During your career transition, you learn the value of setting your offer criteria.

1. Creates an objective target for your efforts ahead;
2. Gives you a meaningful set of questions to ask during research and networking;
3. Provides an objective way to analyze and react to offers as they occur.

To manage your career wisely has you extending the same concept. Keep your “offer criteria” in that dynamic state of change that allows you to adapt to market conditions.

If your current goal is to find a new position, then you should prepare your search as a “business model”, manage it accordingly, be flexible, and be ready for the unexpected. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Have a “business-as-usual” attitude…Manage your search as you would your business or job and you will earn success faster.

2. Have reasonable expectations…List your abilities, marketability, compensation, work environment and relocation, then validate these expectations with peers, other job hunters, and/or recruiters. This can be accomplished during your initial PERSONAL CONTACT NETWORKING. “Getting the word out” is a much more productive first step in developing your network.

3. Determine your career objective…Know what your next right work is. This will help focus your actual search. With clarity in your positioning goals, you can write a great resume to convey your story.

4. “WORDCRAFT” your resume…Create a forward looking “story” of what YOU CAN DO. Target your accomplishments, such as increased sales and profits, reductions in costs, etc. Focus on achievements that support your qualifications for your job goal.

5. Have a Personal Market Plan…including identification of key professional resources online. Look for specific titles, target industries and companies. This focus will expand your possibilities, not limit them.

Remember, while rejection is part of the active job search process, you’ll want to avoid pre-mature rejection of your interest…CREATE VISIBILITY first. The merging of your target organization networking and the development of your personal contact network is an effective way to identify the appropriate job leads and secure necessary interviews.

6. Develop confidence in your ability to answer anticipated questions throughout the process…Prepare as you would for a business presentation; don’t try to wing it. If there are any “issues” in your career history, develop a positive spin before you are asked about it. Prepare for basic questions and tough issues in advance and study them.

7. Modify and improve your Personal Market Plan’s implementation model as needed…“Listen” to the marketplace, learning from it and adjusting your Personal Market Plan accordingly. As you move through your search, make adjustments as you would a business model. Ask for input from people you respect.

FOR MORE Info: download the entire handout from Resource Page

by

MONEY-SPEAK… What IS Your Next Position WORTH?

Let’s separate two definitive forms of negotiation.  First, and most frequent, that which occurs during networking and interviewing, PRIOR TO any offer of employment.  Your mission is to treat the issue of money as just another bit of information.  However, in this case, remember,

“He who mentions money first, often loses in salary negotiation.” 

Second, negotiation often occurs as a result of an offer of employment. Your mission, of course, is to maximize the actual offer.  At the very least you will want to maintain and enhance current value of your employment.  Base salary is simply a part of the “position WORTH” package.

These two forms of negotiation call for very different skills.   Staying with our context of effective PRE-OFFER Negotiation tactics, let’s utilize the basic guidelines for answering questions effectively, this time relative to the discussion of money…

  1. ANSWER THE QUESTION… The implication, here, is that you have heard and fully understand the nature of the question.  If this is true, simply answer the question in a straight forward, brief manner… and then stop talking!  Often the challenges come in knowing when to stop talking.
  2. LISTEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE AND CONFIRM YOUR STRENGTHS… Your purpose is to drive home your communication strategy–that set of key words and strengths that define your “message.”  So, when a question is asked that relative to a job related strength, answer the question and confirm the strength by stating a behavioral example. 
  3. AT LEAST ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF A QUESTION Before blocking, turning around, or in any other way changing the subject… Salary negotiation, illegal questions and other non-standard questions often call for extraordinary responses.  Stay focused, get results… but never manipulate or deceive with your answer.  Q: How much did you make in base salary last year?  A: Last year?  My former position was worth $ X, but the responsibilities we have discussed seem to be worth a base salary much closer to $ X+… don’t you agree?

What is a position WORTH?

While most any working condition of employment and relocation is often negotiable, it is to your advantage to negotiate utilizing the total monetary value of an employed position.

  1. Base Salary… That structured part of total value that is paid to you on a regular and frequent basis.  This is usually the most visible, and emotional, component of the value package, your position worth.
  2. Structured additions to salary, or other actual monies… also paid on a regular and frequent basis.  For example, sales commission or project completion bonuses.  Once paid, it is your to keep.  These first two items are regulated to factor in to 401K Plans, and often drive pension formulae…

     And now “the rules” shift…

  1. Unstructured additions to salary, or any discretionary monies… these payments can be huge or insignificant (a holiday turkey), taxable or not, and come in a wide range of creative descriptions.  They are typically not used in retirement or pension equations– but can be.  Discretionary is the keyword, here.
  2. Benefits… For budget purposes, standard benefits are usually calculated at a fixed percentage of structured salary monies.  Health care, sick pay, short term disability, etc can represent 20-50% or more of structured monies within a position’s worth.
  3. Perks… Payments made on behalf of an employee, before or after taxes.  These are usually non-standard things relative to certain positions, like company cars, country club memberships, special equipment allowances, expense money, etc.
  4. First Year Vacation… While most companies pay vacation money on a very standard timetable, it is paid out of existing budget–usually your structured salary monies.  This makes vacation monies essentially a negotiation giveaway for those who ask.  Using the fairly standard two weeks, that’s roughly 4% of position worth.
  5. Start Date… Yes, start date.  For employed professionals making a career transition, even start date may influence their total value package.  Once again, the drivers are structured monies paid to the employee.

For more information on negotiation strategies, GO TO Resources and read the handout on Money-Speak

by

Leveraging Your LinkedIn Network

The Careerpilot’s high TECH-HIGH TOUCH philosophy comes into play with the explosive growth of business professionals using social networks to build relationships, meet new contacts, and market themselves.  While the Internet provides many choices, diving into the virtual meet-and-greet can represent a real challenge.  Which one is worthy of your start-up investment: learning curve time and actual ROI of your efforts…  Where to begin? The Careerpilot encourages a choice that reasonably assures one’s confidentiality, has a multitude of useful applications, and can serve as your focal point of networking decisions. 

A terrific launching site for such an effort is LinkedIn. Developed specifically for business, the site doesn’t run the risk of blurring your professional life with your private one; and with more than 25 million users, it serves virtually every industry and profession.

Joining a network like LinkedIn is simple, but turning it into a powerful networking tool takes a bit of savvy. Here’s how to build a network, leveraging your available time… and put it all to work — without HIGH TECH, social-networking anxiety…

Attend this week’s event on Thursday, October 13th, at The Egg and I Restaurant in Addison, TX… 9-10:30 AM

by

NEXT EVENT: Thursday, October 13th, 9-10:30 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort, 1 blk east of Tollway)

This is the next in a weekly series of FREE career transition workshop events. Yes, networking happens at these events, but our purpose is to learn innovative “HOW TO” approaches into The OTHER Job Market. Both strategic and tactical issues and models are incorporated… this week?…

Leveraging LinkedIn to Develop Your Network

This is Task #2 involving LinkedIn.  We will explore the many ways to develop your network and increase your SEO performance.  Activity level, focus, and consistency are keys to your success.  LinkedIn can serve as your roadmap!Some selected topics to address:

  1. Developing your network… an evolutionary process.
  2. To SEO or not to SEO… finding appropriate ‘middle ground’
  3. Group activity
  4. When is a network not a network?
  5. ANSWERS
  6. Creating and closing all communication ‘loops’

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

– Professionals who seek “job security” for the rest of their career
– Professionals formerly reluctant to engage “all-IN” networking
– As always, GUESTS of our DFWCareerpilot regulars, and…

First time visitors… this session is a great place to start!

by

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, October 6th… 9-10:30 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant in Addison (1 block from Tollway at Arapaho and Montfort.)

This is the next in a weekly series of FREE career transition workshop events. Yes, networking happens at these events, but our purpose is to learn innovative “HOW TO” approaches into The OTHER Job Market. Both strategic and tactical issues and models are incorporated… this week?…

IMPLEMENTING Your Personal Market Plan

We will explore your weekly activity plan, your own Personal Marketing PLAN. Activity level, focus, consistency, and time to practice vital skills are key elements to an effective and efficient job search effort. Some selected topics to address:

1.Applying your communication strategy consistently
2.To SEO or not to SEO… finding appropriate ‘middle ground’
3. When is a network not a network?
4. Creating and closing all communication ‘loops’
5. Staying in synch with ALL your collaterals

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

– Professionals who seek to improve their “job security” for the rest of their career
– Professionals formerly reluctant to engage “all-IN” networking
– As always, GUESTS of our DFWCareerpilot regulars, and…

First time visitors… this session is a great place to start!