Job Search Tips - Common Sense tho not Common Practice

At last week’s 2-day Outplacement Workshop I facilitated, the group of young professionals walked away with several “ah-ha’s” for Job Search success:

A summary statement at the top of a resume is very important and is placed before the work experience section. It sums up who you are and should use powerful adjectives to catch the reader’s eye immediately.

Write Accomplishment Statements about previous work performance, which in turn become material for a resume, statements to use during an interview and other job search conversations, as well as being good reminders for self esteem. Quantify whenever possible.

Interviews are an exchange of information, a 2-way conversation, and usually an uncommon situation where the interviewer may be more uncomfortable than the interviewee. Use this to your advantage by being calm and conversational.

Send individual hand-written thank you’s after every encounter. It creates a positive impression about you and can prompt favorable comments getting back to the decision maker.

The process of job hunting is comparable to a sales campaign and so should have a marketing strategy. There are many activities to be put into practice at the same time – responding to internet postings, direct contact with target companies, attending association meetings, informational interviewing, follow up letters and calls, and spreading the word about what you want to your ever-growing network.

Put together and practice a 2 minute pitch about yourself. This answers the question, “Tell me about yourself” and is a “conversationalized” resume presented clearly and concisely. Also known as an “elevator speech”, it allows you to talk confidently about your experience so the receiver can see the connection to open positions.

Enthusiasm and positive attitude are what wins over the interviewer. Target the position you want, be convincing about why you’re the best person for the job, and let the interviewers know that.

This is a sampling of what was covered during our time together. Some are common, well-known ideas, just often forgotten. Good reminders for anyone contemplating a job search, so please feel free to pass them along. One last reminder that made the participants stop and think: “Google” yourself because recruiters are. Be sure they’re seeing the image you want to convey!

I invite your comments and your own job search tips! For more information about my services, please visit my website at www.LousbergUnlimited.com

"Finding the Up in Upheaval"

They say that change is inevitable and at the same time, researchers tell us that most people don’t like change. What a paradox! How do we cope with something we dislike but that will happen anyway?

As Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, said, “The Universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”
Apparently, way back in the year 161, Emperor Aurelius knew the same thing – that the Romans resisted change even though it was a fact of life, part of being a human being living in this Universe.

Undoubtedly, you’ve seen numerous changes occur in your workplace – hiring, firing, layoffs, new management, mergers, acquisitions, new products, added territories, and the list goes on. With or without our support, it will happen – our employers and clients will become different in some aspect – that much is guaranteed.

Here’s the thing to remember: You get to choose how you’ll handle the next change in your life. How and what you think about it is what will make it acceptable or not - make your life better or not.

Here’s a 4 step model for dealing with organizational change from a training program called “Finding the Up in Upheaval”:
The only thing you can control about change is your reaction to it.
Before you can deal with change, you have to accept that change has/is happening.
Communicate with others to help you understand what reality is.
Look for opportunities to create the future you want.

Keep these 4 bullet points handy for the next time any change occurs. Stay calm and objectively walk through each step. Find the upside to the “downside” and your job, career, and life will be much better.

Please post your thoughts about change and ways to cope and succeed in a changing environment!