Hannah Morgan

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers

No matter what you celebrate this December, there is certainly opportunity to leverage those celebrations to help you in your search for a new job.

This post is part of a group effort of career professionals to provide advice and help for job seekers.  Career Collective was started by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter and Miriam Salpeter.  Please see the links at the end of this post!

There are holiday meetings and gatherings every night of the month.  Go and meet new people or connect with people you haven't seen recently.  Temporarily forget about your quest for a job and just HAVE FUN. 

Each year in December, job seekers slow down their searches with excuses that "No one is hiring".  However, we all know that it takes weeks and months for a company to hire someone.  December is a month before they get their new budgets.  Employers are making their lists of good candidates and checking them twice...have you been naughty or nice? 

Naughty Job Seeker

• Never wrote a thank you letter
• Had a bad interview, wasn't prepared
• Didn't follow up
• Showed no interest in the job, company or interviewer

Nice Job Seeker

• Wrote a meaningful thank you letter explaining their interest in the job, company and interviewer
• Used credible and relevant accomplishments during the interview
• Followed-up on schedule and with a positive attitude
• Knew about the company and asked good questions during the interview

Be hopeful and remember the miracles that happen this time of year. And in the words of a young Natalie Wood "I do believe, I do believe"!

@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes, “Season’s Greetings and your Job Search”

@GayleHoward, The Executive Brand, “It’s Christmas: And a ho-ho-ho-hum?”

@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Gift Every Laid Off Job Seeker Needs”

@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog,“Holiday Resume Sparkle: Outshine the New Year Job-Search Mob”

@heathermundell, life@work, “Have a Holly Jolly Job Search”

@sweetcareers,Sweet Careers, “Holiday Job Search Tips for College Students 2009″

@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, “Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers”

@careerealism, CAREEREALISM.com, “Holiday Tip for Job Seekers: 4 Ways to Impress Others with Your Professionalism”

@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, “4 Tips for Making the Most of Holiday Job Hunting”

@LaurieBerenson, Sterling Career Concepts, “Three Resolutions to Take It Up a Notch”

@KatCareerGal, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, “Avoiding the Holiday Blues in Your Job Search”

@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithillness.com, “Avoid this Minefield: Drive Your Bus!”

@DawnBugni, “The Write Solution Could that sound really be opportunity? During the Holidays?”

@andyinnaples, "Shift Your Focus to the Highest Impact Job Search Activities During the Holidays to Leverage Your Time"

@erinkennedycprw, Professional Resume Services, “How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays”

@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, “Four tips for effective networking follow-up for the holidays and the rest of the year”

@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, “Navigating the Mistle Toe of Job Search”

@GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, “Merry Christmas! Can I Buy You Coffee to Talk About Me?”

@BarbaraSafani, Career Solvers, “Holiday Networking Can Facilitate New Year Opportunities”

@expatcoachmegan, Career By Choice Blog, “Expat Networking: Holidays Are a Great Time to Nurture and Grow Your Network”

@chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, “Footprints & Associations: Job Search Tips for the Holidays”

@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, "(Holiday) Party Your Way to a New Job"

No Regrets

What a shame it would be to live life regretting you didn't do something.  Carpe Diem!  We don't get second chances or do-overs that often. 

If you look back and ask "what do I want to be remembered for"?  What would that answer be?  How can you begin today to make that happen? 

A while ago I wrote a post about the Six Word Memoir.  That really resonated with me.  In a way, it is like a mini mission statement.  It can serve as the compass to keep you moving in the right direction.

Sharing information. Holding accountable. Better world. 

This has been my mantra over the past few years.  In 2010 I hope to define it better for myself.  It offer space and lattitude to try different things as long as they "fit".

Gear yourself up for a new year, with no regrets!

Live minute by minute

As we go through this holiday season...as we go through difficult times in life...it can be overwhelming to look beyond where we are at that one minute.  So instead of trying to envision the best or the worst outcome, stay focused on right where you are.  Enjoy your immediate surroundings.  Notice the changes in scenery.  Smell the smells around you.  Stop and watch the beautiful sunrise or sunset.  Savor the tastes of the food you are able to consume.  Listen to the sounds and music that surround you.

You can't possibly imagine or predict what life will be like for you and those around you in the future, so you might as well stop trying.  

Live minute by minute through the hard times.

3 Ways to Use LinkedIn Groups

According to some LinkedIn experts you should join as many groups as possible.  That maximum has been capped by LinkedIn at 50.  That sounds like a lot and it is.  What being part of a group does is give you better accessibility to connect with people, create an awareness of you and an ability to learn what is going on within the group's area of expertise. 

Join groups to make connections

Once you have joined a group, see who the members are.  Are there people from target companies or who used to work in target companies in this group?  Before you invite them to join your network, learn about them. See what their interests are.  Read whom they are willing to make contact with.  Then, when you are ready to invite them, create a personalized invite explaining why you would like to connect with them. 

Join groups to become known

Some groups are more active than others.  See what discussions have been posted within the group. Take part and add comments to the discussion that are relevant and intelligent. Commenting on people's discussions can ping them so they see your name as well as your comments. Don't go overboard, but DO participate.  Remember, you have to give to get.  You can add news articles you stumble across that are relevant to the group.  Again, this is creating an awareness of you.  The lesson here is about being active in the group.

Join groups to learn about trends

Have you ever wondered how to solve a problem at work or with your job search?  Chances are the information you are looking for is out on the web somewhere.  Search LinkedIn for answers to your questions.  Many groups post feeds from industry publications and blogs.  Read these.

The important lesson about joining LinkedIn groups is that you want to be active.  Ask questions and play it forward as much as possible.

If you are still feeling overwhelmed by LinkedIn, you can go to the LinkedIn Learning Center to get many of your questions answered. 

This is a link to their Job Seekers user's guide

This is a link to their overview of Groups

There are lots of blogs and resources that talk about the "Best Use" of LinkedIn.

Mashable

JibberJobber blog

SirLinkedAlot

If you have a favorite source for learning about LinkedIn, please share it with us in a comment!

Summary Sunday

'Tis the season!  Whether you are jolly or not, it is difficult to keep motivated this time of year.  You will get a job.  It just isn't happening as quickly as you would like.  If you are looking for ideas on how to keep your job search moving this holiday season, here is a collection of job search advice from a wide array of career experts.  (By the way, if you find a post you like, consider adding that blog to your reader or subscribe to receive their posts in your email).

4 Tips for Effective Networking Follow Up by Keppie Careers

Tired of talking about the holidays? Do you want to think about what happiness means to you?

The American Dreamby Peter Weddle

Want to learn some Guerrilla Job Search Tactics?  This is a great interview jam -packed with advice from David Perry, co-author of the award-winning Guerrilla Marketing series and Kevin Donlin, co-authorof Guerrilla Marketing for Job seekers 2.0.

Job Search Secrets Revealed from Reach Personal Branding

For more great reading on personal branding here are great blogs that are dedicated to the cause!

Kristen Jacoway writes Career Design Coach

Susan Guarnari writes Career Assessment Goddess

Dan Schwabel's  Personal Branding Blog 

Chris Perry's CareerRocketeer

Meg Guiseppi writes Executive Resume Branding

Have fun reading and learning from these resources!  Not just now, but for the future! 

If you would like to receive this daily blog as an email, subscribe by clicking on this link.  I will not spam or sell your information.  I'm too honest!

Stop Asking for Informational Interviews

What every person needs is a little advice, right?  Employed or unemployed, you need to be in touch with what's going on.  How do you do that? You read, attend meetings, and talk to people. 

When you reach the point of talking to people, you have to know what advice you are looking for.  Is it understanding where your industry/line of work is going in the future?  Specific challenges a company is facing right now?  How to make contact with people inside target companies?

Most people are busy and if they are going to give you their precious time, there has to be something in it for them.  Your job is to find out what will motivate them to provide advice. Remember, flattery will get you everywhere. 

Much of what will determine your success in securing a meeting, see, I am calling it a meeting, not an informational interview, is based on how you ask for it and what you are asking for.

It is best to start off with people you know and get some experience under your belt.  Then you can move to referrals or those you don't know (cold calls).

One way to warm up the coldest of calls is to learn something about the person first.  Google them.  See if they are on LinkedIn or Twitter.  You are hoping you can find them on Twitter because it is so easy to see what they are saying. 

1. After you've watched their tweets for awhile and begin following them. That's the first time they'll see your name perhaps. They will know you are following them if they manually accept followers. 
2. You can send intelligent Tweets, sharing information is what I am talking about. 
3. Re-tweet their Tweets, more name recognition is going on.
4. You could even ask them a question.  If they haven't followed you back, that's ok, just use the @ sign.

Most people will want to help if they know how they can provide some.  It is crucial that you clearly define the help/advice you are looking for and hopefully why.

I am not suggesting that you don't ask for these informational interviews.  I am urging you to call them something else. 

Be Somebody

I was driving into work yesterday and the DJ's were talking about "Participation Trophy's".  You know about these if you have kids. Kids are being giving trophies for participating on a team. It isn't just the MVPs or Unsung Hero awards that are being passed out.  Some parent decided that all the kids, especially theirs, needed recognition.  What kind of precedent does that set?  No wonder we hear about Gen Y being characterized as entitled.  That's how they were trained.  I know, I know, this isn't true for all of Gen Y. But...what have we done?

Life isn't fair. We all know that.  It is a tough lesson to learn and one that should probably be taught earlier.  Our world is so competitive.  Isn't a good idea to teach kids how to compete and lose and keep trying?

Mediocrity no longer is tolerated by employers.  They are in business to make money and in order to do that, they need to hire star players not bench warmers.  They can't afford to.  They are operating lean and mean, especially right now after the layoffs many have done.

Instead of being a generalist...you need to have a specialty as well.  Perhaps being a jack of all trades and a master of ONE is your new message.  What will your ONE specialty be?  (Most everyone has one, yet we take it for granted.)

Think about the good things your past colleagues have said about you.  Review past performance appraisals.  Read through customer letters of thanks.  The answer lies in them.

What I am talking about is leveraging your innate talents by creating a greater awareness (perception) of them.  Who needs to know about this talent?  Who needs to be reminded of this talent? What company is in dire need of this talent? 

If we teach this valuable lesson to our children today, they will be better able to thrive in the new world we live in. Can we teach them to continue to develop themselves, set goals, learn how to sell and to be good people?  Can we?  

We need to develop a team of "hungry" players-  people who will do anything (ethical) to make this world a better place.   

Pay Attention to the "Red Flags"

Being offered a job is a terrific feeling, especially if you have been searching for awhile.  It is flattering to know that a company selected you from all the other candidates.  But before you scream "Yes, I'll take it!" , be sure you haven't overlooked some "red flags" that could lead to future trouble. 

Usually hind-sight is 20-20.  If you've ever gotten yourself into trouble or a bad situation, and you look back, you can see where things went wrong.  As you investigate a new employer, make sure you are keeping notes on your "gut instincts".  By no means am I suggesting you stop the interview process or turn down a job for a single reason.  What you are looking for is a pattern or several reasons that make you ask yourself questions about whether or not this is a good decision.  There is no absolute right or wrong.

Researching the Company:

• Is the company family-owned?
• What is the financial status of the company?
• What to current and ex-employees say about the company? 
• What do you know about the Hiring Manager? Where did they come from?  What is their management style? What do other people know about him/her?
• What is the company culture like?

Interviewing Process:

• Did they do a thorough job screening you prior to calling you in?
• Did they ask awkward or unusual questions during the interview?
• How many people did you meet in the company?
• Were the answers they gave to your questions in sync with one another?
• Did they stop and start the interview process? Why did they do this?
• What has happened in the company to create this opening?
• Is there a job description?

Job Offer/Negotiations:

• Did they offer you the job on the spot?
• Were they rigid in their inability to negotiate?
• How are they going to handle your on-boarding or orientation into the company?
• What will your first few weeks on the job look like?
• Did you get your offer in writing?  Was it what you had discussed?

Even evaluating all these things and being in tune with your instincts won't protect you from every situation. Once you are inside, things can begin to look different.  If you have been told something, hold people accountable for delivering what they've said.  We hate conflict, especially when we are the new kid on the block and just beginning to get the lay of the land.  However, having heart to heart conversations with your new hiring manager will be critical to your success.   Continue to pay attention and look for "red flags". 

What's Your Job Search Style?

We all have some sort of style that we feel most comfortable with.  Thumbing through the newest issue of House Beautiful, I was drawn to their predictions of what will be Hot in 2010.  What's old is new again...remember the 70's shag carpet or what about the muted beige's of the 80's?  Perhaps it is Victorian that tickles your fancy, or maybe "Mid century".  Do you prefer Arne Jacobson or Louis XVI?

  

 

The new, younger designers were explaining what their new younger clients are looking for in home decorating.  It isn't new, but it is usually the opposite of what their parents had.

Transitioning into job search mode...are you using your parent's job search techniques? 

What is your style, what do you feel most comfortable doing? This basic assessment of yourself will help you find the best fit.

Antique:  Do you prefer the old traditional resume submission?

Modern:  Are you on the cutting edge and looking for the newest technology and innovative job search methods?

Or are you somewhere in between?

It may be time for a makeover?

It could be a search makeover, a skill makeover, an appearance makeover, a career makeover. Just as re-modeling a kitchen will add value to your home, so too, will re-modeling yourself professional add value to you.

Where do you begin?  You will need to find out what the current styles are for the types of employers you are looking for.  Conduct research and ask for advice.

You need to look the part as well.  Do you?  Are your eye glasses in tune with the style of the company or are you still wearing the horn-rimmed glasses? 

How are you being perceived in the job market?  Is it working? 

If not, you need a make-over or re-design.  Sometimes you can do this yourself, other times, you need to hire a professional.

Meeting New People

This past year has been an amazing ride for me.  Since I started blogging, I have met so many interesting people.  The borders or boundaries of states and countries disappear when you are on-line.  I've also met people on Twitter I would otherwise not have had a chance to connect with.  Who would have thought? In a way, it was dumb luck, but as they say "you have to play to win!"

If I had told myself that I wasn't going to meet anyone, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have.  If you are telling yourself, no one his hiring right now, I am pretty sure it is going to impact what you are doing (and ultimately not doing).

Miriam Salpeter, of Keppie Careers, had a wonderful post yesterday with advice about being social (face to face interaction, kind of social).  This post also lists 10 great articles from great career experts...please read.

Don't let December slip by without taking action and DOING things.

Summary Sunday

I truly enjoy pulling together some of my favorite posts from the past week.  It is a great way to give back and reinforce some key job search lessons. 

Because the most important part of your search is about being a good networker, here's a post about building your network:

Top 10 People You Must Have in Your Network from CAREEREALISM

If You Have an Extra Half Hour from Chris Brogan

Job search is also about having the right "lingo". 

63 Robust Personal Branding Verbs  from Executive Resume Branding

The Truth About What to Leave Off Your Resume from EmploymentDigest.net

The Worst Interview Question Ever and How to Answer from the Career Doctor

And just because I re-tweeted and really liked these:

Personal Branding for Dummiesfrom CAREEREALISM

Overqualified for a Job from Punk Rock HR