The Experts Have Spoken!
Coaches Corner is a collection of career coaching and job-seeking advice from a group of expert technology career coaches from across the United States. In this session, the panel answers the following question:
In light of the troubling economic climate and tightening job market, what is the one thing that job seekers must do in order to be successful in landing a good job and advancing their careers in 2009?
Establish Your Web Presence
It is important that you establish your Web Presence because if you do, the market will seek you out. This means that you have to develop your personal brand, market identity and your competitive edge and make sure that it is easily accessible on the internet. What makes you different and better than the next person? How have you distinguished yourself in your career? You have to identify your special talents and range of experiences that exhibit your commitment to excel in this challenging job market. This is what you need to present a compelling argument for being the best qualified for any particular job.
Milt Haynes, Founder of Blacks Gone Geek, a social networking initiative dedicated to promoting African Americans in IT, www.blacksgonegeek.org
Communicate Your Value
In order to land the job of choice you must effectively master the ability to succinctly articulate the value your skills will bring to the organization. Marketing your value includes having the business acumen to verbally connect your skills with tangible business results. Start by identifying the three most impactful professional accomplishments you achieved within the last twelve months. Always tell your success stories by highlighting the specific results you delivered. What are the great ideas you executed that resulted in the organization’s success? Become comfortable with communicating your elevator pitch at any given moment. You never know when the right opportunity to promote yourself will surface.
Deborah Chambers Chima, CEO, Chambers Consulting Group, Ltd., an executive coaching firm that focuses on unleashing leadership potential, www.chambersconsult.com
6 Letters You Need to Use: G.O.O.G.L.E.
What is the first thing you do when you want to find out more about someone new? If you are like most of us, you launch "GOOGLE" to learn more. Have you “GOOGLEd" yourself? What did you find? Based only on your search results, what impression would your employer or prospective hiring manager have about you? Be aware of and monitor your online image. Set up a GOOGLE alert www.google.com/alert to notify you when new information is posted online. If you have a common name, differentiate yourself to stand out from the others.
Developing a consistent message in your online presence will help clarify your message for others. For example, if your name is William John Smith, you may use variations such as William Smith, Wm. Smith, W. J. Smith or Bill Smith. This is confusing to someone looking for you online. Select one format for your professional name and use it everywhere. Create a Hotmail email address, use it in your email signature and your LinkedIn profile. Your web presence is often the one and only chance to make your first impression. Treat this as the valuable tool that it is.
April M. Williams, "Networking Goddess" at CyberLife Tutors, www.CyberLifeTutors.com
Job Seeking in a Troubling Economic Climate
The hiring decision is similar to the purchasing decision. Companies hire (purchase) talent based on the value the talent can deliver. To be successful during this troubling economic climate, job seekers must develop a message that communicates their individual value propositions (what I can do or deliver if you hire me). Value is communicated through accomplishments. Job seekers should communicate accomplishments in clear or concise statements that include:
Job seekers should highlight accomplishments in their resumes. Bullet points in a highlighted Career Highlights or Accomplishments section will attract attention. Start each accomplishment with an action verb that captures the essence of what was accomplished. Examples of effective action verbs are reduced, increased, led, directed and developed.
Linwood Bailey, Owner of Fields of Success, a company dedicated to supporting the personal growth and development of corporate professionals through the delivery of coaching solutions and services. http://www.fieldsofsuccesscoaching.com/
Are you Flexible and Adaptable to a New Corporate Culture?
In light of these challenging economic times, I recommend that candidates first show they are flexible and adaptable to a new corporate culture during an interview. This is important to let the recruiter know that you are excited about the opportunity and willing to learn their processes while being able to add value with your previous experiences at other organizations.
Demonstrate a strong interest in the company by researching the company and their future goals of entering into new markets. This information will assist in the interviewer's assessment of you that you took the time to prepare for the meeting.
Lastly, do not be humble during an interview. Make a list of your accomplishments during the last five years and let the recruiter know how your background fits this position perfectly in a concise manner. Your responses to the hiring manager should not take 5 minutes for each answer but typically one minute or less if possible.
Tanya A. Hinton, CPC, Founder of Diversified Search Services (DSS) is an executive research firm specializing in the timely identification of hard to find talent, nationwide and globally, www.diverssvs.com.
Incorporate the Six Degrees of Separation Theory The Six degrees of separation theory (a.k.a. the "Human Web") refers to the idea that everyone is no more than six contacts away from each person on the planet.
It is still a highly reported statistic that 60% or more of job opportunities are obtained by who you know or who knows you, in other words through networking. Be willing to maximize the connections you may already have. Put together a list of the top 10 to 15 companies in which you are most interested in obtaining a position and then begin to search your personal and professional network. Ask “Who do you know that has a relationship with the company, or who has direct hiring responsibility?” If you have done a good or should I say great job building rapport, trust and credibility beforehand, you are more likely to yield a few valuable introductions. Or, at least you may obtain new contacts to pursue.
Be sure to have a few powerful and positive success stories to share. Remember, those in your network are more willing to contribute to your success if they know you are reputable and will add value. This is a key decision one makes before they will put their reputation on the line. So, be extraordinary with the contacts in your network and with the contacts obtained through your network.
Patricia E. Perkins, CPCC – CEO, Exodus Coaching, a leadership and life coaching firm focused on helping leaders speak so others listen and lead so others follow, www.ExodusCoaching.com.
Learn the difference between an active and a passive job search.
Responding to postings is a passive job search - you are sitting back waiting for companies to tell you what they are looking for in the way of new employees. This seems like a good approach - providing companies with the skills they need is a foundational component of being an employee. However, the problem is that you are giving someone else total control over how you pursue new opportunities for yourself. To succeed in this hyper-competitive environment, you must add an active component to your job search. In an active search, you become a sales person and your product is you. Use conventional sales and marketing processes to uncover job opportunities for yourself and then use all you sales skills to secure a job offer.
How? Determine the unique value proposition (UVP) that you bring to an organization, conduct research to identify growing industries that need your UVP, identify the individuals in this organization that need to know about your achievements, identify an "internal coach" to help you understand the organization, make contact with the appropriate parties, follow - up, ask for the appointment and close the sale. Start your new job!
Karla Williams, The Business Matchmaker and Founder of "Get a Job - Keep a Job) www.getajob-keepajob.collectivex.com
Coaching for Success
It is reported that over 80 % of all jobs continue to be filled through referrals and personal connections. Networking is the methodology that helps more people find out about and secure opportunities. Coaches help clients clarify their market value and market themselves through networks, associations and their personal contacts.
Doris Shannon, Coaching for Success, Inc.
http://blacksgonegeek.org/DorisShannon.aspx
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