JOBS: Movies and Books

   Movies, books and music have a powerful impact on our lives. I worked with a sales guy who watches Top Gun the night before a big presentation and then listen to the song Highway to the Dangerzone in the car on the way. He says that it inspires him -- pumps him up so he is at his best for the meeting. There are times when, in the midst of a job search we lose our confidence reading a book or seeing an inspirational movie can help "pump you up" and give you a needed boost.

   What movies inspire you? Are there any movies that you would recommend to job seekers that could use a boost; some inspiration!  Two jump to my mind: The Secret of My Success with Michael J. Fox comes to mind. Then Working Girl with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford is a great movie of someone getting their dream job against all the odds.  But I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface... what are the movies that you suggest? 

   Book are inspiring and a source of information. My top five books (in no specific order) for people in job transition are:

• SHEIFGAB: 8 Building Blocks to Successful Job Transition by Conor Cunneen
• Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer (4th Edition)
  by Susan Britton Whitcomb
• What Color is Your Parachute? 2010... by Richard N. Bolles
• Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationships That Last by Lillian D. Bjorseth
• Negotiating Your Salary: How to make $1000 a minute by Jack Chapman 

   These are all grand books and I recommend them to my friends and clients. But there are many others. Norman Vincent Peale's book entitled The Power of Positive Thinking. And Susan Whitcomb has a good book on Interviewing which is part of the Magic Book Series called Interview Magic: Job Interview Secrets from America's Career and Life Coach. 

   What books do you recommend to people? Why? If you've been in job search in your career what books made a difference to you? 

   Comment back and sound off about the movies, books or songs that had an impact on your career and life on the job or when looking for work. For example: Let the River Run by Carly Simon

The Ten-second Message

    I was working with a client the other day and he told me something that I hear often. He said, "Nobody is returning my calls!" Has that ever happened to you? You leave a voice mail message and they never call you back. It's not an uncommon occurrence in America today. Is it because people are rude? Maybe they are just way too busy? 

    Either of the above reasons may be true, but you have no control over those things. What do you have control over? You have control over yourself and the things you do.  

    Maybe eight or ten years ago I was listening to a speaker talk about how to improve sales through cold calling. I am better at it but still don't enjoy cold calling, however, I remember one thing about the talk; he told us he never leaves a voice mail message that is longer than 10 seconds. He said he gets better than an 80% return of his messages.

The formula was simple:

1. Introduce yourself
2. Establish a context for the call
3. Leave your number 

The call would going something like this:    "Hello Mr. O'Bryan, my name is Thomas Cunningham. Alice Henshaw from XYZ referred you to me and asked me to call you. Could you please call me? My number is 312-555-2121. Have a great day!"

    Why does this work? The point is that most people leaving a message, take away the reason to call back. They talk too much! When the message is too long or detailed, the listener believes they know what the call is about or they just don't listen to the whole message. The listener has made up their mind that they don't what to hear the rest of what you have to say. Or their is no curiosity or urgency and the listener thinks that they'll call you back later when they aren't as busy. Or they know what you want and cannot help you so why bother calling you back.

    On the other hand, being pleasant in voice and establishing a context, e.g., Ms. Henshaw, or the Greater Chicago Chamber, or St. Peter's taffy pull, builds a connection that interests them. They don't want to offend their friend Alice by not returning a referral's call. 

    Finally, there is the fact that it takes about ten seconds to decide to skip the voice mail message and go on to the next message and by then your voice is saying have a great day.

Asking for Help and Advice in Your Job Search

Afraid to ask for help?

    I cannot tell you the actual number of people that have told me that they cannot network because they cannot ask people for help. It's a big number and this isn't only a man issue, women tell me the same thing. 

    I know there is this belief that men don't ask for directions, but the real reason is because most people give lousy directions. Besides, maps and most times a GPS give real info that takes you right to where you need to go. So, the only thing holding you back is a fear of asking for help. 

    This is what I say to my clients who tell me that they are uncomfortable asking for help? "Get over it if you want a job. It's a numbers game and you'll need to ask a lot of people for their help and advice in order to meet the person that knows about your job."

    Sometimes I don't sugarcoat it like that. It's a fact of life that we need other people if we are going to thrive in this world. In the 60's or the 70's there was that song, "People... who need people are the luckiest people in the world." So I advise my clients to do as Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. says, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

    When you  are networking with people you need to establish a connection. The easiest way to establish a connection is to you ask for help, assistance or advice.  Have you ever been in a situation say at lunch and asked the folks around the table for their opinion? It doesn't matter what subject you ask about either... the Superbowl, how this outfit looks, the President's agenda, it really doesn't matter. Can you even imagine someone saying, "you know I really don't have an opinion..." This is especially true when you ask for assistance with your job search.

    Of course the question you ask may present different results. I train my clients to say, "I was hoping to get some help and advice with my job search." Or a similar statement. People want to help. Look at the recent earthquake in Haiti. People are always willing to help, they simply don't know how to help unless you tell them what you need. 

    I am amazed the number of times I ask someone what I can do for them and they tell me something like, "I don't know" or "Well... I guess I'm not sure..." You have be ready for that question when you are networking. Here are some ideas of what to ask for.

• I'd like your feedback on my resume.
• Are you aware of anyone that could utilize a person with my skill set?
• I'm looking for a contact in ___ company name ___,  do you have any contacts there?
• Can I use you has a reference? 
• Or my favorite... Can we sit down for 15 minutes and meet because I have a number of things to ask you?

   Being prepared is the best way I know to get over the majority of the fear. Practicing your response to the question, how can I help you takes away a little more of the fear. It never really goes away 100% for most folks. But, asking for help from people is the only way to make the connections you'll need to find your next position. So, feel the fear and do it anyway. Good hunting!

The Compensation Conversation

Recently I was asked to give a talk on the subject of salary negotiations. I thought, one of Stephen Covey's "7 Habits" to begin with the end in mind. If you follow this habit, you will want to stay away from anything that is negative. Often, unless your talking to a lawyer, negotiation has a negative connotation. It presents an image of adversity in the mind. This brings me to a distinction many people miss once they have received an offer.  

I like to talk about the compensation conversations. It sounds better than SALARY NEGOTIATION, doesn't it? There are some points I remind my clients when they are evaluating a job offer. 

• You and the company are really not at cross purposes. 
• They like you; that is why they made the offer. In today's market, people don't hire people they don't like.
• During the interview, you worked very hard to develop a relationship with the hiring manager, build on that.
• They don't want your salary/compensation to be a point of distraction when you're on the job. Happy employees are productive employees.

• While the company has a budget, a $1000 means a lot more to you than to their bottom line. So don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth.

Now let's go back to Covey's second habit. Long before you interview for the job, you'll want to do some planning and critical thinking about the job you are seeking and the compensation you need. I have a worksheet for my clients. There is two parts to the worksheet. First is the job attributes ranking sheet and second is the benefits ranking sheet. 

You need to sit down before the pressure is on and decide what is important to you. Regarding the job fit itself. What do you want in your next position? What things would you like to avoid if possible? For example, some people like strong, clear direction on the job while others like independence with clearly stated goals. What's important to you. Then there are benefits that are offered to employees; what benefits are important and which are essential in order for you to accept a position. For example, some people already have health care through a spouse and health insurance isn't as important as saving for retirement. I tell my clients to do this exercise as soon as then can and to invite their spouse to help them. That is the first part of the homework you'll have to do.

Remember, everything begins with networking and you'll continue to network after you've started your new job. By utilizing your network and doing research at the library or internet, you'll start the next part of your homework in preparation for your compensation conversation. Find out what the market will bear regarding salary and other job benefits. Using tools like salary.com and glassdoor.com you'll discover what the salary range is for your level and position. Ask people at the company what the policies are like regarding vacation or paid time off. Glassdoor.com has actual reviews from current and past employees about the culture at the company.

Once you've got your homework done and an offer on the table it's time for "The Conversation." Everything you do will have "an equal and opposite reaction" and you want to keep things as positive and respectful. That means you need to be straight and not play games. You also need to be clear about what your minimum is. A friend and CEO told me that during the compensation discussion, he impressed his future boss by demonstrating how well he would negotiate for the company after he started. He said he was strong and clear that he wanted a fair deal and that he was ready to walk away if they weren't able to meet his bottom line. He clearly communicated with grace and respect and he got the compensation package he deserved.

The point you need to take away is how important it is to prepare. It's a good idea when you have an offer on the table to discuss it with an objective third party. Call your career or transition coach. If you don't have one call me, at Coach Cunningham Consulting. I'll make sure you're prepped and ready for "The Conversation!"  Call me at 630.319.7587 or email me at tfcunningham@gmail.com