5 MORE SECRETS OF LUCKY JOB SEEKERS

Last week, I posted Five Secrets of Lucky Job Seekers. This week I give you Five More Secrets. Taken together, this gives ten ways to improve your chances of improving your luck in the job hunt. If you use all ten, you will get a job sooner, rather than later.

The short version of my story is that I know what you are going through as I once had a three-year stint of unemployment. As you now know, I kept busy. I also created new skills and broadened old skills. I will always consider these three years to be an amazing period in my journey through life. It was during this time that I found my dream job – coaching people to find their dream jobs and teaching job search skills.

It is also some of my darkest days. I felt lost and alone in an extended unemployment and seemingly, unable to get a job. I could find a job, many times “dream jobs” for everyone but me. What was wrong?

What was wrong is that I didn’t have me as a coach. I gave great advice. It was when someone (trying to be funny) said, “You need to coach yourself and take your own advice.” I did just that and got a training job within three months.

Below are my final five tips to imbue yourself with greater resiliency in your job hunt and that in turn will make you lucky. They do require a bit of work and persistence. All are winners in making you prepared, so you can be lucky.

“Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” This statement by Oprah Winfrey still resonates with me. You can get the luckiest break in the world, but if you aren’t ready for it, it isn’t your lucky break.

6. Connect People Together
This is essentially networking. If you hate networking and are therefore, reluctant to do it, Get over it already. Here, in the 21st Century, employers are slow to hire. When they do hire, they want a sure thing. Someone they don’t know is not a sure thing. They are an “unknown quantity.” If Bob introduces you, you are still essentially unknown. However, they do know Bob and all his good qualities reflect back on you. That makes you more of a sure thing. That is why networking – works.

“If you know many different types of people, you will hear about many more opportunities,” Malcolm Gladwell says. “Sociability, energy, and openness breed luck.”

“Connectors” are sociable people who come across “lucky” situations because they are likeable and know very many people, according to Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. They’re essentially people who have mastered the art of networking. “Connectors” interact with big groups of influential people who have access to vital contacts and information. You don’t have to orchestrate a big social situation, but networking isn’t rocket science. All you need to do is be conscientious of other people and industry news. Send an e-mail about a news item to a new acquaintance or write a birthday card for your old boss. Simple. When networking, it’s the little things that count.

7. Be Optimistic
See the glass as half-full. To have the mindset of a “lucky” person, you must have an optimistic perspective of not just the future and your current situation, but of your past as well, says Matthew Smith, professor of psychology at Liverpool Hope University in England and co-author of a 1998 study on luck.

In this study, researchers found there was a positive correlation between considering oneself “lucky” and the propensity to remember more of the good things that happened to them rather than the bad. Smith found that when something bad happens to these “lucky” people now, they still think that even though it’s bad, the situation is better than the worst that could have possibly happened.

8. Stay Realistic
Now you’re connected, optimistic, spontaneous, and prepared. Woo hoo, lady luck is here! Not so fast. Literally. Patience and persistence are the keys to being a truly “lucky” person. Connections and relationships take time to build. Give them the time to grow and produce fruit.

If you’ve been negative, it takes time for people to realize and respond to the “new and improved” positive you. It takes time for you to develop a consistently positive approach to life. These changes take time. Give them time.

9. Have a Plan
Have a plan for your job hunt. Set realistic goals for yourself, like “At the job fair, I will introduce myself to someone who works at Citibank.” Or “I will make three new vital connections in the next month.” See my recent article for two approaches to goal setting.

The framework of your plan should be robust and set a clear direction. Within that framework, your goals should be adaptable to new situations in which you find yourself. I have a friend who has been out of work for a little over two years. He considered teaching high school science. He felt the year and a half of additional college work needed to add to his B.S. to get his teaching credential was “too long.” He could be teaching in September, if he had carried out his plan. He could have been flexible enough to take another job, if one had presented itself.

10. Assemble a Support Group
Create a group of people that you can rely upon to keep you upbeat and focused on a successful job hunt. I suggest adding a person who is also looking for your type of job to the mix. Make this person your “job search buddy.” Share job leads with each other. Go to job fairs together. Compare notes.

Help this person get a job. By helping this person get a job, you will get a job. Guaranteed.

You can do this. Job search is hard. If you let it, job hunting can suck your soul dry. The gentleman, Robert Mathis, in the newspaper article is quoted saying, “Finding a job is the hardest job you can do.” So true. Keep working your résumé. The only perfect résumé is the one that gets you a job. What works for one hiring manager, may not work for another. Go to your local career center for retraining. Sign up with a local temporary staffing agency, and volunteer. All these are proactive steps you can take.

Most importantly, find and do things that make you happy. Cook a meal, garden, take a walk or whatever else makes you happy. Remember, just as you are not your job title, you are not this situation. This is what is happening to you. You are still that great person with valuable skills you have always been. You can do this.

This Week’s Coaching:
1. Answer the following questions. Be honest with yourself.
• Are you prepared for opportunity?
• What else can you do to be better prepared?
• More prepared?
• Seek feedback on how others see your attitude and demeanor. Make sure your inner optimism is on display.
• Make a list, and every week add at least two people that you have connected.
• What have you done to make yourself happy?
• Do you have a job search buddy? Why not?

Let me know what is or is not working for you. What is the best tip someone ever gave you? What is the worst? Let me know, I care. Write to me at eal@ealcoaching.com. Thanks!

All things are possible,
Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund
Executive and Life Coaching
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

Is Your Age Your Best Job Hunt Asset?

While hunting for a job is never easy, if you are a seasoned worker, you have assets younger folks don’t. First and foremost, you have experience. When talking to a prospective employer, be sure to emphasize how, “I can do that! Here are all the things I can do based on my years of experience.” Talk about the problems you’ve solved, challenges you’ve overcome and innovative solutions you came up with. Emphasize the value of that experience-bank. The unemployment rate for workers aged 55 and older in October 2009, was just 7%. This is far below the national average of 10.2%. A significant portion stays unemployed longer, however. Age bias does exist, and the tough economy isn’t helping anybody. But, you are a valuable employee with so much to offer employers. Here are some strategies for you. Create an online presence. This is a two-for-one idea. First, go to LinkedIn and create a profile. Detail your work experience for what kind of job you want. Just like a résumé, only put down what is relevant or the job you want. Let’s use Tom as an example. Tom spent nine years working in a large financial institution. He went from bank teller to branch operations officer. He hated it. So when he created his LinkedIn profile, he listed the job, but put down no details. On the job he had and loved, working as a grant-writer for a non-profit, he put down relevant details and accomplishments. He also moved it up on the list. When he wrote his profile, he briefly mentioned his experience in a variety of industries. Then he talked about his passion for fundraising for a cause he believed in. He went on to talk about some great causes he’d like to be involved with more closely. Second, it also is a demonstration of how an “old dog” has learned a new trick. One way to alleviate fears about your age is to keep up with the times. Make connections with others. Participate in online industry-specific groups on the site. Include a link to your online presence in your résumé. Write a recommendation for someone, and have them return the favor on LinkedIn. Confront the stereotypes. In your cover letter or résumé, say how you adapt to change. Talk or write about how you adapted to changing corporate policies and directions at a previous job. Emphasize that you adapted well. If salary is an issue, explain how you’ll be cheaper to train because of your experience. If the threat of retirement is the employer’s worry, talk about how you do plan on working for another ten years or what you plan. If the hiring manager is afraid you’ll want their job, talk about how you bring leadership experience, but don’t need a leadership position. Talk about mentoring younger or less experienced colleagues. Stay current. You want to be an irresistible candidate. You do that by staying current in your field. Talk to people who are working in your industry and/ or attend workshops and conferences. Talk to younger workers. Ask everyone, “What are the hot issues today?” Then be knowledgeable about the challenge or be prepared with a solution for the interview. Your résumé. Create a skills-based or functional résumé relevant to the job you are applying for today. Tailor everything towards that specific job. Focus on the experience that is relevant to this job. Don’t include everything. If “everything” relates to this job, only go back 10-15 years. The exception? If you want a job like you had when you first entered the job market thirty years ago, by all means list that job. Tie your relevant experience from other jobs back to this job. Remember, skills are transferrable and portable. Stand out from the crowd. Make your story stand out. Start off with a strong attribute you have for the job in your cover letter. For a teaching position: “The demand for dedicated teachers has never been greater. America’s future requires experienced professionals, like me, willing to share and teach.” For a grant writer for a domestic abuse shelter: “The demand for your services is greater than your ability to answer. As an experienced professional with a passion for helping people, I will write successful grants for you.” Let me know how your job hunt is going. What are your particular challenges? Share your experiences in the comments section. Or, send me an email to eal@EALCoaching.com . I’d love to know how you are doing and what strategies you are using. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

What Have You Done To Make Your Intention Happen?

“The Secret doesn’t work for me. I sent my intention out and nothing happened.” So said “Gail,” an acquaintance I was talking with. The other people with us, all started nodding their heads in agreement or said something along lines of, “If it was that simple we’d all be rich/successful/etc.” I asked the question, “What did you do to make your intention happen?” As one, the group all looked at me as if I had sprouted a tree out of my head. Then someone said, “Oh, you haven’t seen the movie, The Secret! You send an intention out into the Universe, and somehow you get it.” Somehow? Sigh. As a coach, I am supposed to help people clarify their goals. One of the best ways to do that is to keep asking questions until the person has clarified in their own mind, exactly what their goal is, and most importantly, how to get there. Things do not magically happen. Things do not “somehow” happen for you. The Secret is not a magic formula that will do all the work for you. This is why, for the group of people I was with, “The Secret doesn’t work” for them. Fuzzy thinking For most of the people who do not believe in The Secret, it is this fuzzy thinking that they find so amusing. If those people had truly understood The Secret, they would not have explained it by saying that “somehow” you get your intention. They would have known the formula ... the secret! This is wishing. This is daydreaming. Some hallmarks of wishing for success are jumping from opportunity to opportunity, not persistently following something to conclusion or fruition. They watch the news and focus on it. They wait for things (the economy, life, their job or relationship) to get better. They have vague aspirations at best. They don’t have real, concrete goals with deadlines. They find deadlines restrictive, because they want to be “open” to the next opportunity. They don’t measure their progress, because they will get to it when … things get better, a better opportunity comes along, whenever. They haven’t built in accountability. Things do not magically happen If you send out an ‘intention’ into the Universe, without any actions, the Universe thinks you are dreaming or wishing. So no response is necessary. As the saying goes, the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Again I ask you, “What have you done to make your intention happen?” If you don’t back-up your intention with an action or series of actions, things will not happen. Wishing will not one day, with little effort, make abilities to suddenly bubble up inside you, and, miraculously, rewards will appear. It is as simple as daily planning, so you focus on your next step to reach your goal. It’s as complex as knowing the whole goal and seeing the next step to take on the journey. The Secret for Success To be successful, you need to have a sense of urgency about becoming successful. You have set the BIG goal and all the intermediate steps for the achievement. You have to put deadlines on your goals and measure your progress. You have to stick with your goals persistently, consistently and work hard to make them happen. You have to take charge of your future and focus on the prize! Yes, you have to be open to see the opportunity. Yes, you have to hone your abilities so you can take advantage of the opportunity. These things do not belong to those who are more privileged or talented. Right now, you hold all of the potential in the world. Work with it, stay with it, and you’ll be able to accomplish anything. Then the Universe will swing into action, showing you opportunities you didn’t know where there before. Luck is just being prepared for opportunity when it comes along. That way you can take advantage of it. Coaching will help to define your goal and see your opportunities. We will build in accountability so you attain your prize, and release your full potential! A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

Seeing the Possibilities in a Bad Job Market

This is a moment of opportunity for people seeking their dream job. This is especially true if you have recently been laid off and are a "seasoned job-seeker," (read over 40). You are poised to take flight and soar. Yes, soar! You’ve had some time in a career or two. You’ve done things. You’ve got solid experience, not just knowledge. You have accomplishments. You have many more acquaintances, colleagues, friends, family and neighbors than younger people. These are all great tools to have in your toolbox.

Now is the time to ask yourself some questions:

• Did I like doing what I was doing?
• Do I want to do something different?
• What do I want to do next?

If you know what you want to do next – great! Go make it happen. Put together your résumé; polish your 30-second Brand You sound-bite (also known as your elevator speech); contact everyone you know (this is your network) for information swapping; practice interviewing with friends and family; look for possibilities everywhere; work six hours every day of the work week in the job hunt; and go get your next job.

As a seasoned worker, your experience counts. You have the advantage of a work history and experience. You likely have a series of solid achievements that emphasize the results you can deliver to an employer. So what special skills do you have that set you apart from the crowd? How did you leave your former employers better off than before you came on board? These accomplishments will really help to sell you to an employer, not just a list of job duties. Have a good example in story form of how you prevented a big mistake, saved money, or increased productivity because of your judgement and experience. Be factual about your experience.

Many times hiring managers will have the flawed belief that older workers are set in their ways or not open to innovative ways of doing things. Draw a picture of how you used innovative thinking or creative problem solving to combat that stereotypical thinking. Welcome change. Keep up with new ideas in the workplace, even though, you’re currently unemployed. That will demonstrate you are in touch and current.

Reach out to people you know. This is your network. Don’t just ask for job leads; ask for information and about how you might help them. Ask about their families, about how they’re doing. Show interest in them. They’ll remember that (and you) when something comes along. If they feel you’re just connecting for your own benefit, they will be less likely to be helpful.

Stay energetic and take care of yourself. Be the picture of health. Keeping yourself healthy and fit by eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercising will have full of energy when you meet the hiring manager and put more in your arsenal against stereotypes.

Stay focused on the future. Don’t bring up your entire work history. Bring up only what is relevant to the job you are applying for or during the interview. I know, it’s hard to let some of that history go. There were great accomplishments in that history. That was then, this is now.

Even in a recession people retire and quit their jobs. There will be job openings. Be prepared for the opportunity, and YOU WILL BE LUCKY!

This is a great time to contact me and become prepared for opportunity so you can be lucky. We will get an action plan together to get your Dream Job. I can help you sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. I can assist you in creating a skills inventory, creating a polished Brand You Sound-bite, and getting you on the path to your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

Warmly, Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching

By telephone: 916 • 803•1494 or by e-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com