From Appalling to Zen

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know I like to start off with a question. The process of answering the question is usually what my blog is about. Today I am varying from that format. I have a a few things that I have come across this week, that I'd like to discuss. Appalling The national unemployment rate is at 10.2% for the month of October 2009. According to the article in the Sacramento Bee (Business section, dated 11/07/2009) "Economists expect the jobless rate to keep climbing, perhaps to 11%, as employers produce more with fewer workers and shy away from hiring." This could be good news. I remember reading that economists said it would get worse with double digit unemployment, and then the recession would be in recovery-mode. The article goes on to mention that employers are shedding fewer jobs now, than they did at the beginning of the year. This in turn is fueling the 3.5% growth of the US economy, for three straight months of gains. "History tells us that job growth always lags behind economic growth," President Barack Obama cautioned in a statement from the Rose Garden on Friday. The article went on to say that when discouraged workers who drop off the unemployment rolls and under-employed workers are factored in, a more broadly defined unemployment rate stands at 17.5%. WOW! Hmmm, maybe appalling wasn't strong enough. President Obama signed a new $24 billion stimulus bill on Friday. He called the October jobless report, "a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead." Economic Challenges You and I cannot create economic growth, wherever we live, if we don't hire other people. If you're unemployed, you just want to get yourself hired. How do you do that? The first reality to accept is that the old ways will not work with these economic challenges facing employers. You must be able to demonstrate that you will bring more value to their workplace than you will cost in salary if they hire you. Employers feel that they can't afford to make a hiring mistake these days. That is an economic challenge for you and the employer. They will often go under-staffed to avoid that mistake. Business sometimes suffers, but they know and understand that mistake. The unknown person/employee they don't know. That old expression, "better the devil you know" fits well here. This is the shortened form of the full idiom, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't', and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing. Employers have created work-arounds for being short staffed. It is what they know. You? Not so much. This why networking is such a valuable tool in a job-seeker's tool box. Networking Networking is not social hour. It is not getting something for nothing. It is not going to boring meetings or chamber of commerce meetings, necessarily. It IS meeting people, getting to know them in a professional setting and showing them some value. Let's say you are an accountant. You go to the local accountants' professional association and meet other accountants. When people introduce themselves or you ask "where do you work?" follow up with, "How do you like working for ...?" When you find someone who enjoys working somewhere, ask "why is it so good to work there?" When you are asked, "where do you work?" say, "I'm in transition right now. I (just left/was downsized from) XYZ Corporation and would like to work for ..." Then you specify what kind of company (size, industry, corporate culture, whatever is important to you). Then you ask if they know about any COMPANIES like that. Don't ask about jobs during a networking event. Ask about companies or bosses or industries or corporate cultures. As you chat, ask what their greatest challenge is right now or recently or currently. If this challenge falls anywhere near your area of expertise, offer a solution or a tip or what has worked for you. Offer value. Exchange business cards. Then in a couple of days, when you see an article that addresses their particular challenge, send it to them with a note. "I saw this article and thought of you. I really enjoyed meeting you the other night/day at the Accountants Plus meeting. Let me know if it helps." That simple and you have provided value to them and reminded them of your existence. They now connect you with many positive attributes (smart, a go-getter, a person who follows through on committments, perceptive, valuable, etc.). Priceless! Business Cards Yes, you need business cards. It should contain the following information:

• Your name
• Your telephone number - cell phone preferably
• Your email address
• The job title you wish to have
• 3-4 attributes or skill sets

It should be professional looking and not cluttered. A simple design that reflects your professional personality is ideal. There are online templates and distributors that you can use. Many offer a small quantity of free cards. MS Word has a built in template through "labels" or go online to download one from Microsoft Office. Buy some business card blanks from your local stationary or office supply store and you are good to go. It is simple and easy to do. Just do it! Contact Employers Use the index to the phone book’s Yellow Pages to identify subjects or fields of interest in the town/city where you want to work. After you’ve identified your subjects or fields of interest, you look up the organizations under those headings; then you call them up, make an appointment or just go visit them. While there you ask if they are hiring for the type of position you can do and do well. Think of this as a reverse job posting. This method will uncover the hidden or unadvertised job market. This method works about 69% of the time for job seekers. The Internet The Internet works 10% of the time to help people find work. If it works for you, great. But realize; only one out of ten people will find work from the Internet. So it give it just 10% of your time, just in case. Yeah, you'd think it worked better than that. Especially, if you have ever watched a Monster.com ad on TV. You are comforted by all the tools at your disposal (internet, ads, agencies, résumés, networking) yet the most effective method of finding meaningful work depends not on the tools you have. It depends upon your Vision. Your vision of yourself and what you want to do with your life. Vision Do homework on yourself, taking inventory in detail of all you have to offer and what you are looking for. This revolves around three simple words: What, Where, How. WHAT. This is all about your transferrable skills. These are usually verbs (analyzing, organizing, researching, etc.) You inventory and identify what you have and that you enjoy using. These are the skills you are usually best at doing. These skills are called ‘transferrable skills’ because you can transfer them to any field or career you choose. WHERE. This about job environments. This is where you will do your most effective work. These are usually nouns (technology, finance, chemistry, the arts, hospitality, etc.). HOW. This is how you do your job – your career and your job of finding a job. You need to find out five things.

1. The manner in which you perform your job. (usually adverbs or adjectives – thoroughly, quickly, etc. These are also known as traits.
2. The job titles of work that involves your transferrable skills in your fields.
3. The names of organizations (in your desired geographical location) that have those kinds of jobs (your target companies).
4. The name of the person that has the power to hire you at the target company.
5. How can you best approach that person to show them how your skills and knowledge can help them with their goals and challenges.

It doesn’t sound like a job-hunt method, but it is. By doing the hard thinking this method requires, you have a 1200% better chance of finding a job than if you just send out résumés. And not just any job – a rewarding job that matches your talents. You can also more accurately define yourself and exactly what you are looking for beneath the shifting shape of job titles. You now you are a person who …, not just an accountant (or whatever). This in turn makes it easy to describe to your family, friends, network just exactly what you are looking for and in great detail. ZEN Last, but certainly not least, you can accurately describe to employers exactly what is unique about you and what you bring to the table, that competitors for this position don’t bring. The challenge with this method is that it involves work. The hard thinking about yourself kind of work that most job hunters try to avoid. It “takes too much time,” or “demands too much thinking.” It is not the easy way out of unemployment. It won’t take “forever.” The stakes are high. The rewards are high.Why this method works so well is one word: VISION. The more detailed the picture of your future job is, the more likely your are to reach it. You get out of something what you put into it. Isn’t a job that is rewarding to you, that you will look forward to, and that fits who you are, worth it? You have all these tools available to you. Yet, the most effective method of finding meaningful work depends upon your Vision. Your vision of yourself, and what you want to do with your life. Confucius said, "Choose a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Isn't that a goal worth working toward? 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

“THE JOB-HUNTER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE” – Part 2

This is Part Two of some of the highlights from the latest book by Richard N. Bolles, of “What Color is Your Parachute?” fame. He wrote this book, as he says, “I felt there was a need for a much shorter, less expensive book to help job-hunters who were hanging on the ropes during this brutal Recession.” … ““If I were job-hunting tomorrow,” I asked myself, “what would be the most important things for me to know?” I wrote the book accordingly.” It is just that, a small book (100 pages) of pure job-hunting gold. He writes as he speaks, so it reads easily and quickly. There are internet links on almost every page for you to get more information or detail on what you need. Here are the five worst and five best ways to hunt for a job from the list of eighteen that I outlined last week for you. FIVE WORST WAYS TO HUNT FOR A JOB After that long list of eighteen alternative ways to get a job, which ones work best? This is a good question. Mr. Bolles lists the top five and the worst five. Let’s do the worst five first and get them out of the way. -1) Mailing out résumés (to employers, on job boards or by mail). The success rate is only 7%. That is a generous rate. Most employers won’t look at your résumé delivered unsolicited like this. They simply don’t have the time. -2) Answering an ad in a professional trade journal. The success rate is only 7%. The reasons are the job is usually located out of your area or it was filled after the ad was placed (print journals are at least a month behind). It really only works if you are experienced in your profession and are willing to relocate. -3) Using the Internet to look for job postings by employers. The success rate is up to 10%. Unbelievable, yes? The facts are that in good times, the results in finding a job using this method is only 1 in 10. In bad times, the odds are worse. That is why you rarely find anything. Many posting are by recruiters and recruiting agencies. They are testing the market and adding to their stables. These are not for actual jobs. After searching day after day, there is a very real chance you’ll become depressed. The low success rate has everything to do with employers not putting all or some of their postings online. Generally, employers only use this method if they are desperate. It has nothing to do with you. When it works – it is great. Just expect it to work only 10% of the time (your entire job search time). -4) Answering local newspaper ads. The success rate is between 5% and 24%. This oddball work for every five to twenty-four people out of a hundred. The fluctuation is due to the level of salary being sought. The higher the salary, the less likely it is to work. If you are looking for a stop-gap job, this is the place to look. The challenge is that newspapers are a dying breed. Employer’s now use put signs in the window, or go to local Internet sites, such as www.CraigsList.org . -5) Going to private employment agencies or search firms for help. The success rate is between 5% and 28%. These are firms that charge a fee to provide employment. Sometimes the fee is paid by the employer and sometimes by the future employee. ASK BEFORE you go to the interview. Ask how much (usually a percentage of annual salary) and who pays (you or the employer). Since they have called the employer and they know there is an opening, the success rate can be at the high end. Again, the higher the salary, the less likely this will work for you. This method seems to work slightly better for women than it does for men. FIVE BEST WAYS TO HUNT FOR A JOB Just in time, let’s look at the five best ways to hunt for a job. If you are employed part-time (a stop-gap job) or your job hunt takes months, and your energy flags, concentrate on these five. As you alternate between them, you’ll keep your spirits up with these strategies. Going in reverse order (the bottom of the list) and saving the best for last: +5) Asking your network for job leads. A 33% success rate. That simple question, “Do you know of any jobs where you work, or elsewhere?” You ask this of everyone and anyone you know. One reason this works so well, is you don’t walk in cold. You walk in having been recommended by someone who works there. The challenge is it may not be in a field or industry that interests you. This may tempt you into trying to fit the job, rather than finding a job that fits what you want for your life. If you don’t think 33% is a “best” percent, remember, it is five times better than sending out résumés. +4) Knocking on the door of any employer, factory or office that interests you, whether or not you know of a vacancy. A 47% success rate. This works best with small employers (100 employees or less) rather than the huge employers. This works because you often happen upon a job (vacancy) that was just created. Or, due to your expertise and enthusiasm, you may help create a new job there. The challenge here is that this method is not for the timid or terminally shy. It takes a bit of moxie to ask for five minutes of someone’s time without an appointment. This works an amazing amount of the time. Your fear is that you are intruding and are unwelcome. People usually want to be helpful. If you have real expertise and enthusiasm and demonstrate that, you will be welcomed more times than not. +3) Using the index to the phone book’s Yellow Pages to identify subjects or fields of interest in the town/city where you want to work. A 69% success rate. After you’ve identified your subjects or fields of interest, you look up the organizations under those headings; then you call them up or go visit them. You ask if they are hiring for the type of position you can do and do well. Think of this as a reverse job posting. This method uncovers the hidden job market (unadvertised). The challenges here are voice mail and the recession curbing job creation. However, 69% is still 69 out of 100 times it does work. +2) Working with others in a job club AND using method +3 above. A success rate of 70%. The key is working with others or a job-hunt buddy to identify leads. As you uncover leads that aren’t for you and your skills, you pass those on to the others in the group. They do the same for you. It increases your resources exponentially. If you have one buddy, it doubles; thirty other job-club members is thirty times the possibilities. This works best if you do your calling in the morning and company visits in the afternoon. If your job club is more about inspiration and encouragement, it will take longer. Find a like-minded person at the club and partner up with them. If they are in your field, even better. A job that isn’t perfect for them, may be perfect for you. Then do your calls in the morning and company visits individually that afternoon. +1) Do homework on yourself, taking inventory in detail of all you have to offer and what you are looking for. A success rate of 86%. This revolves around three simple words: What, Where, How. WHAT. This is all about your transferrable skills. These are usually verbs (analyzing, organizing, researching, etc.) You inventory and identify what you have and that you enjoy using. These are the skills you are usually best at doing. These skills are called ‘transferrable skills’ because you can transfer them to any field or career you choose. WHERE. This about job environments. This is where you will do your most effective work. These are usually nouns (technology, finance, chemistry, the arts, hospitality, etc.). HOW. This is how you do your job – your career and your job of finding a job. You need to find out five things. 1) the manner in which you perform your job. (usually adverbs or adjectives – thoroughly, quickly, etc. These are also known as traits. 2) the job titles of work that involves your transferrable skills in your fields. 3) the names of organizations (in your desired geographical location) that have those kinds of jobs (your target companies). 4) the name of the person that has the power to hire you at the target company. 5) how can you best approach that person to show them how your skills and knowledge can help them with their goals and challenges. It doesn’t sound like a job-hunt method, but it is. By doing the hard thinking this method requires, you have a 1200% better chance of finding a job than if you just send out résumés. And not just any job – a rewarding job that matches your talents. You can also more accurately define yourself and exactly what you are looking for beneath the shifting shape of job titles. You now you are a person who …, not just an accountant (or whatever). This in turn makes it easy to describe to your family, friends, network just exactly what you are looking for and in details. Last, but certainly not least, you can accurately describe to employers exactly what is unique about you and what you bring to the table, that competitors for this position don’t bring. The challenge with this method is that it involves work. The hard thinking about yourself kind of work that most job hunters try to avoid. It “takes too much time,” or “demands too much thinking.” It is not the easy way out of unemployment. It could be done over a full weekend devoted to this. It won’t take “forever.” The stakes are high. The rewards are high. Mr. Bolles comment on why this method works so well is one word: VISION. “Keeping your vision focused on the target is everything. …the more detailed your picture of that target (your future job) the more likely you are to reach it.” You get out of something what you put into it. Isn’t a job that is rewarding to you, that you will look forward to, and that fits who you are, worth it? You have all these tools available to you. Yet, the most effective method of finding meaningful work depends upon your Vision. Your Vision of yourself, and what you want to do with your life.” “The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide: How to Find a Rewarding Job Even When "There Are No Jobs"” by Richard N. Bolles $9.99 ISBN: 978-1-58008-026-2 For Borders books or For Amazon.com If you want help to sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get 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 Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com