Satire: Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews -- Don't Panic! Lighten Up! -- Sott.net

Read article: Don't Panic! Lighten Up!

I really laughed when I read this satire of the unemployment problems facing America. I work with all my clients on how to be successful in a job interview. We go over the behaviors that will aid the candidate in creating a positive and favorable impression in the interview. 


This week, the Harper College, Career Stimulus Program will be be presenting Pump Up Your Job Search.  The topic this week is Lighten Up! Then we found this The Onion article.  


Join Dave Ellstrand and me (Friday, June 3rd from 10 to 11:30 at 650 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, IL Suite 9-S rm # 139) for ninety minutes of positive stories, inspirational coaching, and humorous antidotes, not to mention our Rubber Chicken.   


Have a great week... ~ Thomas

R e c r u i t e r s

You may have read the in newspaper or seen on the TV news, the economy is improving! Really... Companies are still sitting on a ton of money and not hiring as fast as they might. But my recruiter friends tell me that things are picking up.

Working with clients who are looking to change jobs or land a job may use the services of a recruiter. In an article last week, CNN Money reported that Siemens is hiring 10,000 positions this year and have some 80 internal recruitersworking on the thousands of resumes and applications Siemens are receiving each month. Recruiters are a common element in many job searches.

So job seekers should become familiar with “The Kennedy Red Book” AKA The Directory of Executive & Professional Recruiters. This book is available at your local or university library. The book lists all the recruiters out there, separated by type: Contingent recruiters and retained recruiters.  Both these recruiters are paid on commission, based on the salary of the position being hired. Years ago, recruiters were involved only in the hiring of management, skilled professionals and specialty careers. Today, a third kind of recruiter is out there, that works on hiring all levels, this is the internal recruiter who is paid a salary, sometimes on a contract basis to hire needed employees.

For the most part retained recruiters are the ones I’ve preferred to work with. Although there are poor retained recruiters and great contingent recruiters. The Kennedy Red Book helps you identify who is who and it contains indexes by industry or field and geographic locations they operate in. If you find one that might be a fit, look them up in LinkedIn and check out their references. It should be noted that internal recruiters are not normally in the Kennedy Red Book.

It is important to understand one thing; the candidate (or job seeker) is not the client, or the customer, or the most important character in the situation from the recruiter’s point of view. The most important person, is the person who pays the fee; the company hiring the candidate is who the recruiter if focused on. You are the product that the hiring company is buying. Too many people think that the recruiter is working for them. They’re not, no matter how it sounds!

There is also another type of recruiter that we encounter; they recruit at temp or contractor firms. Regardless of which recruiter you are associated with, the bottom line with recruiters is that the job seeker is not the customer: you are the merchandise. However, the recruiter can be a wonderful source of information about the company and the background on the open position. Recruiters will never jeopardize their relationship with a hiring company, yet if you can establish a good rapport or even a relationship with one you have another tool to use in your job search. Always keep in mind that you need be responsible for your own job search.

Branding Product "You"

In career coaching we often talk to our clients about building a brand. Whether you’re currently employed in an income generating job or you are in non-income generating work, also known as a job search, you’ll benefit from having a Personal Brand. There are a lot a stuff out there about building a personal brand. My goal is to introduce you to this concept as a way of improving your position in your career.

In my May 2nd blog entry, I mentioned Jonathan Salem Baskins and his books, Branding Only Works On Cattle: The New Way to Get Known (and drive your competitors crazy) and Bright Lights & Dim Bulbs: The Year in Marketing Buzz, Brilliance & Buffoonery, So You Don't Have To Repeat It; which are two good resources. Another guru on the subject of personal branding is Peter Montoya author of The Brand Called You, is a must read (or listen to) for anyone wanting to understand the subject. Other big names in the field are: David Meerman Scott, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Steve Rubel, John Jantsch and Keith Ferrazzi. Check out at least some of what these guys teach.  

If you are looking for ways to improve your situation, change careers or land a new job you’ll want to help people know who you are. Employers and bosses want to know what you can do for them. How can you help the business grow or their department meet their goals?

Tell them what you do. Tell them what you love. Tell them what you’re great at.

How do you tell them? Get branded!  All the people I mentioned above state that first you need to figure out what it is and then start being known for doing it. Become an expert and help those around you or those connected to you learn more about your subject. There are several ways to accomplish this... social media like Twitter and LinkedIn is one way or writing a blog on your subject will work. Or you can just start commenting on other’s blogs or posting sharing insights and clarifications on confusing aspects or ideas.

Also there are the old fashion ways: volunteer to head up a project in your area of interest; write a white paper and submit it to a professional journal or periodical; give a presentation or sit on a panel discussing your subject. Create a tag line to add it to your signature of your email. I used to be “The QA Guy” and it didn’t matter that there were 100 other QA guys out there... that was how many people thought of me.

A friend recently reminded me of the old adage, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” You want to be seen and known as part of the solution. Your personal brand will help you be noticed and maybe your brand will get you the opportunity to talk face to face with the decision maker and end up with a new job.

Mother's and Everyone Time To Toot Your Horns

Tooting your own horn does not come easily to people. I am pretty sure that it is even harder for most women than it is for men. I have no data to back this up with but I think most people would agree with me and someone looking for a research idea for a Master’s thesis is welcome to the idea.

This week started with Mother’s Day. There was a story in the news that stated an annual dollar value for the work mothers do. So, if a mom was paid for the work she does, at the comparable rates paid to professionals who do the same work, the American Mom is worth over $61,000.00. Yes over sixty-one thousand dollars of work produced by the average mother that goes unpaid every year.

Think of all the things people do everyday that goes unrecognized. Regardless if you are paid or not for the work you do, it shouldn’t go unnoticed. If your work isn’t getting noticed you need to do something about that. You cannot expect people to walk around and see your work and offer applause. Too bad that isn’t the case; companies hiring people just to go around and recognize and appreciate the good work that is being done. So until companies start hiring additional staff to find and recognize previously unnoticed work, you’ll need to toot your own horn. There is nothing wrong with it. Toot away!

I am pretty lucky in the work I do because people I work with land a job or get a promotion and tell me how much they appreciate what I do. Even before their success they tell me how much our work together helps them. I also do workshops, presentations and keynote speeches. At the end of my talk I normally receive applause and often get to see feedback reviews of people’s reaction to the subject matter and my presentation skills. Getting that kind of feedback is really great, most of the time. When I give a talk and it’s a home run, that’s the greatest feeling in the world. But I also make note of what worked well and what needed improvement after each presentation. Then when the people that pay me ask me how effective I’ve been, I have my numbers ready to share... I toot my horn!

If I can, you can. Take the time at the end of the day to jot down what you did throughout the day. If someone tells you thanks for your help make a note. Look for and recognize the value you bring to those around you and the whole world.

"Landing" a Job?

How important is a positive frame of reference? Can you get a promotion without a positive attitude? A positive attitude and a plan are two of the three elements you need to be successful in your career.

The other day I attended a keynote speech by Jonathan Salem Baskin who commented on the terminology: landing a job. He asked, “If landing means getting the job, then where were you before you got the job? Flying? Grounded?” Someone from the crowd called out, “Crashed.”  Everyone laughed.

Let’s think about it; you can land a job, a pilot lands a plane, a fisherman lands a fish, Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. Where else can you land?

But Jonathan Salem Baskin’s question is what I want to reflect on this week. Before you’ve gotten the new job or promotion, are you flying or grounded? If you don’t get the job or promotion does that mean you crashed? Or... is it time to move on to the next opportunity.

You need to be flying... period! Grounded is not a choice that will get you that job or promotion. You might not be flying at 30,000 feet, maybe you’re flying just a few hundred feet of the ground, but you’re not grounded. You’re moving forward. You have to be moving toward your goal to achieve it....

Once you take off for your goal, you’re going to see a number of targets. Some targets might be your goal and you’ll need to check them out. Some won’t be your end goal, but may be short term goals on the way to your final goal. There is good news today; there are more and more targets on the horizon as the economy gets better. There are more people to help you hit your targets. These folks are your networking contacts.

Don’t think for a moment that your grounded. If you haven’t fueled up, get the tools you need for a successful flight. If you don’t know what you need for your flight, think about taking on a coach, someone who can be objective and give you the straight scoop so you don’t crash.

The third thing one needs to achieve success in their career...  consider a “product” that the target is looking for. We’ll talk about branding your “product” next time.