Advanced Career Transitions Blog

The Technology Trap

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:58:24 -0500

Hiring managers state that they are looking for the best possible candidate for the position. They are deluding themselves, not intentionally, but deluding themselves none the less… What they are looking for, in reality, are just qualified candidates. Given the volume of candidates, without a massive effort, companies cannot even scan all the submissions, much less read and evaluate them. That is why about 90% of the Fortune 1000 companies along with much of the Federal Government use ATS software to screen resumes looking for “key words” and required qualifications. This, however, creates its own problem - the Technology Trap in which many of the best candidates are eliminated before a real person even looks at the resume. Why?

Job descriptions are typically written describing the “ideal” candidate. This description is then used to define the search criteria for the ATS software. The further from this ideal, the less likely the candidate’s resume will be selected for a review by a live human being. In this environment the lack of college degrees can trump experience. Would you prefer to have a candidate with an MBA or someone who has years of real-world experience in marketing or finance? ATS software will generally pick the MBA, because it cannot decipher experience. What are a job seeker’s options in this environment?

First, the use of key words in your resume might mitigate the technology trap effect. The closer the resume matches the job description the more likely the resume will make the first cut.

Second, and the better solution, is to avoid the trap altogether. That is done through networking. If you can network your way into the company you may be able to get to the hiring manager, or his/her boss or colleague. Once management recognizes the job seeker as a live person with skills, as opposed to just a resume, they can start to get to know you, and what you could possibly do for their company, many times before they even see your resume. That is why 70+% of all jobs are gotten through networking.

I have read about some software companies developing fuzzy logic ATS that will be able to evaluate experience rather than relying on key word usage. That technology is several years off. Today, the best solution is networking. And, since the hiring decision is always a personal and “gut-feel” reaction, it will remain the most effective way to find the position you are seeking.

8 Steps to Effective Networking

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:46:03 -0400

Bob McIntosh posted a U-Tube video on Linkedin titled My (Unemployed) Life. Ii is a light-hearted parody of the typical job searcher’s daily life. If you see yourself in this video, read on…

While this is an accurate and light-hearted look at the frustrations of the job search, it drives home the point that networking is the way to go. We are social animals and need the interaction with others. Sitting in front of a computer does not meet this basic need.

Many people spend their time on the computer, thinking that they are being productive, but the reality is that only about 20% of all jobs are found this way. We avoid the human interaction because we are embarrassed about being unemployed and are not comfortable trying to network. Once you learn how to be comfortable in a networking environment, you will be amazed at the increase in activity you will experience in your search. So here are my rules:

Start by listing everyone you know - family, family friends, neighbors, co-workers, ex co-workers, fellow church members, high school or college classmates, military buddies, etc.
Sort this list into three categories - A) those you think will be helpful in moving your job search forward in some way; B) those you are not sure can or cannot assist you; and C) those you are pretty sure cannot help you (you can never be totally sure whether or not not someone might be helpful).
Everyone on the list must know that you are actively looking for a job and the type of job for which you are looking.
Call 5 - As, 3-Bs, and 2-Cs every day to set up one-on-one networking meetings.
You NEVER, EVER, EVER ask them for a job. Asking for a job tends to make for very short conversations, because most of your contacts will not have direct information about a particular position. Rather, you are asking for advice and help. You want to share your background and interests and get their input on what and where you might try looking. Other people may see strengths and skills in you that you have not recognized in yourself.
Ultimately, you want them to refer you to two other people who might be of more help in your search. This both moves your search forward and expands your network.
Follow up with all your contact on a regular basis to keep them informed of your progress. This will also serve to keep your name in a “top of the mind” status with your contacts should they become aware of a suitable position.
Let everyone in your network know when you land a position. Thank them personally for their assistance and advice, even if it was minimal. You may be able to return the favor one day, or, god forbid, you might need them again.

Activity is the key to a successful job search. The more people you talk and interact with the more positive activity you will generate. The more activity you generate, the sooner you will find that position you are seeking. Do not abandon your computer search but recognize that your most effective tool is networking and budget your time accordingly.

Interviewing - A Two-way Street

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:52:25 -0400

A company interviews you, in part, to insure that you will be a good “fit” for their company culture. You must do the same to see if the company is a good fit for you.

The questions you need to ask are similar to those you might be asked in a behavioral interview. They might include:

Why are you hiring for this position?
How many people have held this position in the last two years?
How does the organization manage communications?
Are new approaches to the job encouraged?
Can you describe the decision making process the company typically follows?

You are trying to find out if this is a culture in which you will thrive. You might ask position specific type questions such as do you have a strategic plan for the business? What is the degree of autonomy that you might expect? As with all behavioral interviews, there are no right or wrong answers. There will only be answers with which you are more or less comfortable.

I recently began working with a client and friend (I will call him George) that had left a job a year ago due to an extremely toxic boss. George was so desperate to get out of his old situation that he jumped at the first opportunity that came along, even though the pay was less and his commute grew from 15 to 90+ minutes.

George networked his way into the opportunity. During the interviewing process, he successfully focused on selling his product (himself) to a willing buyer. However, George missed one vital point - WAS THE COMPANY A GOOD FIT FOR HIM? As it turned out, the new boss, and company founder, was a continuously negative micro-manager who knew a lot about the product and almost nothing about how to run a business. Worse yet, he assumed that he knew everything about running a business and would not tolerate or listen to his employees ideas and suggestions. If you have never met such a person, count yourself lucky!

Needless to say, George is extremely frustrated and anxious. In addition, the continuous negativity has made him doubt his own skill sets and seriously damaged his confidence. His personal circumstances are such that he cannot quit until he has a new job in hand. Not ideal circumstances for a job search, but with the proper guidance and support, George will survive this debacle. In the interim, George must cope as best he can.

Learn from George’s mistake - a job interview must be a two-way street!

The Myth of the "Killer" Resume

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:23:50 -0400

I have read numerous posts to blogs, Linkedin groups, and other publications about the killer resume. Resume writers (of which I am one) tell you they will create a “killer” resume for you, and job seekers agonizing over their resumes jump at the offer. The truth is there is no such animal as a “Killer” resume.

The “Killer” resume implies that there is a format or style of resume that is guaranteed to work, and by work I mean land you an interview. The problem,however, resides with the myriad of reviewers. Every reviewer brings his or her own prejudices and preferences to the table when they review resumes. Some reviewers adhere to the conventional two-page chronological format. Some prefer cover letters. Many reject functional resumes out of hand. Some are attracted to innovative eye-catching resumes. Some will reject innovative resumes as novelties. There are almost as many preferences as there are reviewers. Of course all that happens after the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software does its thing.

That is not to say that a well written resume is not effective, but there are so many variables from so many reviewers that there is no one style or type of resume that works all the time. What I try to emphasize is that a resume needs to be decent and convey skills, accomplishments, 10 to 15 years of work history, and education. Obviously there are variations on the theme (additional training, volunteer work, etc.).

The resume is the job seeker’s brief introduction to a company, so the more you network into a company or get recommended into a company, the less important the resume becomes. Perhaps that is why the vast majority of jobs are found through networking.The more the job seeker relies on responding to ads, the more the mythical killer resume becomes necessary. If you are just responding to ads and feel that all you are doing is feeding a black hole, now you know why.

Goal Setting - The Implementation (Part II)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:48:47 -0500

In my last blog, I described the WHYSMART goal. Writing down a goal is not enough, you have to develop an action plan to achieve the goal. The key to reaching a goal is the dedicated activity that drives you towards it.

The job seekers overarching goal is to get a job. Since this is enough of a large and complex task that innumerable books (including mine) have been written about the topic. You need to break the task down into manageable shorter term goals that will be a part of your ultimate goal’s action plan. Here are the steps to develop the action plan for each goal.

Write the goal in a WHYSMART format.
Identify all the obstacles you can think of that might keep you from reaching the goal. Please remember, that your reluctance to tread in unfamiliar territory (like networking) may be the biggest single obstacle that you face.
For every obstacle write down a viable solution that will overcome the obstacle.
For every solution, develop a list of action steps that will achieve the solution along with a date by which you reasonable expect to accomplish the step.
Post each goal and action plan on a wall or somewhere where you will see it on a daily basis. If you do not, the plan will remain unfulfilled in the back of a dusty drawer somewhere.
Since WHYSMART goals are measurable, track your progress on a regular basis until you achieve the goal.
When you achieve the goal, reward yourself. Go for a walk outside, tell a friend, or treat yourself to a piece of chocolate. Even if it is nothing more than standing up and doing a little “happy dance”, you need to recognize and celebrate the achievement.

So what if you do not achieve a goal? DO NOT despair or beat yourself up. The reason you have deadlines set for your goals and action steps is to trigger a time for review of your progress. If you did not meet the deadline, ask yourself why. Perhaps the deadline was too aggressive, or perhaps you did not identify all the obstacles.

Once you have identified the problem, develop the solution and go at it again. Activity is the key to success. You must persist in going after your goals if you expect to achieve them.

Goal Setting in the Job Search - Part I

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:29:54 -0500

I have said in previous blogs that positive activity will move your search forward and yield the results for which you are looking. For most job seekers, working at home find it difficult to stay focused and motivated during the low point in our careers. I have a way to keep myself focused…

Writing goals and establishing metrics motivates me to tackle tasks which may take me out of my comfort zone and allows me to objectively measure my results on a daily basis to stay on track. Lets start with the goal setting process. I am using (with permission) the Resource Associates Corporation goal setting process, as it is the most straight forward and effective that I have ever run across. In order for a goal to be effective, it must conform to the WHYSMART criteria. WHYSMART is a mnemonic that stands for Written, Harmonious, Yours, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistically high, and Time sensitive.

If a goal is important enough to consciously set, it must be put in Writing. If you do not, in the day-to-day hustle and bustle, you will forget about it, only to realize weeks later that you have done nothing to move toward achieving the goal. The goal must be Harmonious with everything else you are doing. That is to say, it must be compatible with your other goals and demands.

One of the biggest reasons that we fail to keep those New Year’s resolutions is that they are usually things that others want for us. We do not “own” them. The goal must be Yours. If you are not doing it for yourself, there is a much lesser chance that you will achieve it. A goal must also be Specific and Measurable. You cannot achieve what you cannot measure. If it cannot be measured, how will you know when you have achieved it? A goal should require a stretch to Achieve; otherwise, what is the point of having a goal?. At the same time it must be Realistic. Finally it must be Time sensitive. If you set a deadline for achieving your goal, you have a sense of urgency about working on it. It will also set up a trigger mechanism for evaluating your results.If you do not achieve your goal, step back and evaluate what stopped you. Was your time line too aggressive? Were their obstacles you did not anticipate? Whatever the reason, fix it, reset and try again.

Setting WHYSMART goals is the first step in the process. In my next blog, I will discuss implementing the goal achievement process.

The Job Search Campaign Design

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:58:35 -0500

Like any successful marketing or military campaign, you need to plan and organize your job search. The goal is to have a steady, productive level of positive activity that always drives your search forward. Here is what I recommend.

First you must understand two things - 1) finding a job is a full time job, 2) if you do not strike a balance with the other aspects of your life, you will burn out quickly.

You are targeting numerous potential sources of employment and must divide your time between those sources based of their potential. Only 20% of jobs are found through responding to ads; 10% are found through recruiters and headhunters; 70% are found through networking in various forms. Thus you should be spending no more than 20% of your time responding to ads, 10% applying to recruiters and headhunters, and 70% networking in all it various forms.

We are all creatures of habit. Just as you had a daily routine (more or less) that you followed at work, you need to set up a daily routine for your job search. Pick a daily start time, say 8 AM. You need to be at your new job of finding a job daily at 8 AM. Schedule your time as suggested above and stick to it. Get into a daily routine that includes calling family, friends and professional contacts to network; researching companies; writing and sending targeted letters to specific companies and/or industries; building your on-line networking resources such as Linkedin; attending networking events and one-on-one meetings; contacting recruiters and headhunters; searching on-line listings and completing applications. Activity is the key. Measure your results (see my “Activity is the Key to Success” blog http://bit.ly/p5uUmT). This will help you to maintain a sustained level of positive activity.

In order to maintain your positive outlook and not burn out, try to maintain a balance. Plan time for physical exercise, even if it is nothing more than a daily 30 minute walk in your neighborhood. If you do not now exercise, start one (endorphins make you feel better and can help clear your mind) Make sure you have time to see family and friends (they can be great networking resources for you). If you belong to a religious group, become more active it (another great networking source). If you do not belong to one, consider joining one. Finally, consider volunteering. It is another good networking opportunity, as well as a wonderful way to focus on others while generating a positive self-image that you need to sell yourself in an interview.

Finally, consider joining a support group or job club. They are great ways to cross-fertilize ideas that you or others may find helpful. They will also help you to maintain a positive attitude. If you cannot find such a group, Maybe you can start one.

Each person’s schedule will be different, all the good ones will contain these elements.

Run Your Job Search Like You Would Run a Company - Part Deux

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:58:24 -0500

So Mr. or Ms. CEO, in my last blog I talked about the first two parts of your company’s base - the product (you) and marketing. Now I want to address selling yourself. This is the point of the interview. Selling is a six step process. You cannot skip any of the steps - ever - under any circumstances. The interviewer, however, can skip some or most of these steps if he/she so desires.

Step 1 - The introduction - Before you can have an interview, you must be introduced. This may happen through your resume, through a referral, or through a cold call. You are looking for an invitation to discuss, not you or you getting a job, but how you can become a valuable asset to the company.THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS YOU MUST REMAIN AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IT IS ABOUT YOU CAN HELP THE COMPANY.

Step 2 - Gaining Favorable Attention - People hire people they like. Hiring is an emotional decision, justified later with facts. Be personable, check out the office for clues about the interviewer and use those to generate favorable attention. You will know when you have been successful when the interviewer moves on. I know one young man who never got past this stage and was hired a week later. You cannot fake or pretend to be something you are not. Above all, be yourself.

Step 3 -Discovering Wants and Needs - Here is where many people make an incredibly damaging error. They immediately launch into their sales pitch, assuming that because they know the position for which the company is hiring, they know what the company needs. If you have ever walked onto a used car lot and got assaulted by an aggressive salesperson trying to make quota, you will understand this. They try to sell you the cherry red Corvette (higher commission), when you are looking for a minivan for the family. The harder they try to sell you, the more resistant you become. Ask questions and look for clues. Is the interviewer focused only on one aspect of the position? A good question might be - “If you were to hire me tomorrow, what are the first three things you would want me to work on?”.

Step 4 - Present a Solution - Now that you know want they really need, you can present yourself as the solution. Tell a story about what you did at XYZ Company that compares to the solution that they need. Talk about your skill sets (using examples wherever possible) that show you can solve their problem. Be focused and confident. You must believe it in order to sell it.

Step 5 - Overcoming Objections - This is one of the more difficult steps. Up to this point, you have probably had a relatively nice conversation. Now you must get feedback. Do not be afraid to ask for it. If you do not know what the objections are, you cannot rebut them. A good technique would be to ask “Is there anything in my background and experience that might lead you to think that I am not the right person for the position?”. You might not have covered the one thing that most interests the company. It the objection is real, do not be afraid to admit it. Do not blow smoke. That acknowledgement might be what impresses the m most, espeially if you can couple it with a possible solution like additional training. I know one lady, in a follow-up interview with the SVP, was told that she did not fit the local office culture to which she replied “Thank God, I knew I did not fit there” The SVP hired her for another office instead.

Step 6 - Closing the Deal - You need to reiterate you interest in the position and ask for the job. Many people assume the company knows they are interested, while the company assumes that they really are not. If the previous 5 steps were executed well, they may put an offer on the table immediately. If they have more interviews, set a time and method for your follow-up and be sure to follow-up promptly. Make sure you send thank you notes to everyone who interviewed you. In the note, thank them for their time, reiterate your interest and a few key points from the meeting, and restate your follow-up timing and method.

You are a valuable product that any company should want. Believe that, follow the steps, and happy selling!

Run Your Job Search Like You Would Run a Company

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:01:44 -0400

There is a very lively discussion, started by Tyson Winfrey, in the “Hiring for Hope” group on Linkedin about treating your job search as a full time job. I agree with Tyson’s point of view, but I suggest you need to take it one step further. In reality, you are the CEO of your own company, and you are the product.

Granted, the salary sucks, but the responsibilities and focus you need to be successful are the same as those faced by any CEO.You are, not only the product but, the only sales staff your company has. However, you can build a strong marketing department that will get you noticed.

The overriding question any company must answer is “why would anyone want to buy my product?”. This cuts to the heart of your job search - why would anyone want to hire me? You MUST be able to successfully answer this question. Remember, your search is not about you getting a job; it is about what value you can bring to the company who would hire you. Do you need to improve your “product” to make it more salable? Will additional training or certifications make you more marketable to potential employers, or do you already have the necessary skills and background? If you need additional training or certifications, get them. Now, it all boils down to marketing and sales. John Covington, who owns Chesapeake Consulting and moderates a Job Club in Severna Park, Maryland, loves to say “If you are not getting interviews, you have a marketing problem. If you are getting interviews but not getting offers, you have a sales problem.” I totally agree with him.

Again paraphrasing John Covington, there are three phases to marketing - awareness, familiarity, and emotional response. Awareness just refers to people knowing you are looking for work, and, if you are lucky, the type of work you want. It is a fact that we will only retain 2% of all the information we are exposed to after 48 hours. Familiarity refers to people knowing the kind of work you are looking for and keeping that information in the front of their consciousness when an opportunity to refer you presents itself. Sending out resumes only creates awareness unless there is a need, AND your resume grabs the reader’s attention. With the average job ad receiving 300+ responses, the chances of you getting past the awareness phase are slim. All things being equal, you have approximately a one in fifty chance of landing an interview. This may be a major reason only 20 to 30% of jobs are gotten by responding to ads.

To get to familiarity you must network. Not only must you network, but you need to routinely stay in touch with your network so that when opportunity presents itself yours is the first name that comes to mind. You will strike a chord with some of your network. This is known as an emotional response. These people will actively go out and promote you to their contacts rather than just wait for an opportunity to present itself. If this is achieved, you have built an effective marketing department whose size is only limited by the size of your network

That is why you are the CEO, and the job search is a full time endeavor.

Next up - the sales discussion - coming soon to a blog near you!

Activity - The Key to Success in a Job Search

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:22:13 -0400

The more activity you generate the faster you will move your job search forward and the sooner you will find that job. So how do you know if you are generating the right kind and amount of activity? I have a simple metric that you can use to gauge your activity level.

You know that 70 to 80% of all jobs are found through networking. That means that 70 to 80% of your time needs to be focused on networking. Here is a point system that a very smart lady shared with me several years ago.

Give yourself points for your activities as follows:

Responding to a job listing - 1/4 point

Talking with a live human being on the telephone - 1 point

Setting up a one-on-one networking meeting - 2 points

Attending a one-on-one networking meeting - 3 points

Going on a job interview - 4 points

The object of the system is to get 4 points every day, five days per week.

You can see that the points are heavily weighted towards networking. Score your activity every day and record it in a log or on a calendar. If you are not getting 4 points every day, you need to examine what you might need to do differently to increase your score. For example, if you are not getting enough networking meetings, you might need to increase the number of telephone calls you are making daily. Perhaps you are not growing your network fast enough. Are you asking for referrals n your networking meetings? Maybe you need to review your daily routine with a mentor to get some idea of what you are doing right and what you might improve upon.

The more you do, the stronger your search. The stronger your search, the sooner you will be successful.

How The Movies Sharpened My Resume Skills

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:16:36 -0400

The goal of a movie trailer is to put movie goers in theater seats. The goal of the resume is to put the job seeker in the interviewee seat. The trailer does this by piquing the viewer’s interest enough to want to pay to see the movie. The resume does this by

piquing the reviewer’s interest enough to want to talk with the candidate further. The trailer does not go into the details of the plot, rather it suggests a possible plot line and shows dramatic and/or funny highlights in 30 to 90 seconds. The resume needs to do the same in the 10 to 15 seconds the typical reviewer will devote to scanning and given resume. The trailer is focused on a mass audience with similar interests. The resume is focused on a number of individuals with widely divergent interests. So what is one to do?

Your resume needs to be a highlight reel that focuses on what is important to the target company. You are not trying to recount your career history in detail;you are trying to attract the reviewer’s professional attention. Job duties may be inferred from your job titles. You want your resume to focus on your skill sets and accomplishments. These are what a reviewer is interested in. Your resume also needs to be tailored to a specific company or job listing, which means that the salient information must be centralized, so it can be easily changed for a specific submission and easily read in a limited time frame. Here is a format that meets all these criteria:

The resume starts with a section titled “Executive Summary”. This section is no more than 3 to 5 sentences, written in the third person, that describes “what you bring to the table” (i.e. - your skill sets). The last sentence should be a broad description of the type(s) of position(s) you are seeking, with an emphasis on how you will positively impact the company’s results. If you are sending in a resume in response to a specific job listing, you should modify the skill set wording to reflect the key words in the job description.
The next section is titled “Selected Accomplishments” Select 5 to 7 accomplishments that you believe are the strongest and/or match the position for which you are applying. This is where you can quickly customize your resume for a specific opening, if you have previously generated a solid list of accomplishments. Accomplishments should cite hard numbers wherever possible.
These two sections along with your contact information should take up the top half of the page and are the meat of the resume.
The third section is titled “Professional Experience”. Here you list your work experience in reverse chronological order (you only need to go back 10 years or so). Include the name of the company, the city and state in which you worked, the years you worked there, and your job title. To avoid age discrimination, you may omit the dates, however, this will raise questions. Unless the job description cannot surmise your job duties from your title, do not include a job description. The one exception to this would be if you had responsibilities that went well beyond your job description. Descriptions of the company are similarly unnecessary.
The fourth section is titled “Education and Training”. Do not list your high school or community college unless that is the highest level you have attained. If you are currently in school and expect to graduate in a finite amount of time, include that school along with the expected degree and graduation date. Do not list every training course or certification you have received. Only list those that are truly pertinent. If you went to a very prestigious school (i.e. - a service academy, MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc.) you might want to put this section ahead of “Professional Experience”. If you have extensive pertinent training, you might breakout Training into its own section.

This format is easy to modify with the inclusion of key words and appropriate accomplishments. It is short, clean and very readable. Who knows, you even get a job as a Hollywood PR person!

A short, practical, no-nonsense guide for the job seeker in...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:42:00 -0400

A short, practical, no-nonsense guide for the job seeker in today’s competitive market. Covers resume writing to interviewing and everything in between. Available as a paperback or an e-book on Amazon.com and other popular sites

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The Greatest Obstacle Job Seekers Face

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:15:00 -0400

The greatest single challenge job seekers face today is not the economy, their age or technical background, or any of the other typical challenges about which you hear. The greatest challenge job seekers face is themselves! I do not mean to minimize the myriad of challenges that are encountered in the search. There are many difficult obstacles. However, all of these can be overcome by a well designed and conducted job search campaign.

So why do I say that we our own worst enemy when it comes to finding a job in today’s environment? There are three major reasons…

First is our own experience. Most of us have had to manage a job search at one time or other in our past, and we tend to try to replicate that experience. It worked before, why not now? Seven years ago the average unemployed person went 5 weeks between jobs. Now that number is 40 weeks. It is a new and different environment. What worked then is not effective today. The standard 2 or 3 page chronological resume is liable to remain unread. Jobs listed on the numerous on-line sites represent only about 20% of the available opportunities. Sending out resumes and waiting for the phone to ring no longer is a reasonable strategy. Mass mailings are typically a waste of time and effort. Most of the books on the subject reflect past realities, not present day challenges. So what is one to do?

The solution is to admit that you need some help in an area with which you are not familiar, past experience notwithstanding. Getting help may be difficult or embarrassing - DO IT ANYWAY! We all have a propensity to procrastinate – DON’T! There are lots of resources out there that do not cost an arm and a leg. In fact, many of the resources are free for the asking. Most of these are very effective. If the advice you are getting is the same old stuff, go elsewhere for the help you need.

The second reason that we get in our own way is a failure to understand the basic dynamics of the relationship with potential employers. We are out of work; sometimes for a significant period of time. Our focus is on our need for work, so we write our resume with tons of detail about the jobs and duties that we have had and go to interviews with the same tons of detail about us in the hope that something we have written or said will strike a chord. Today’s reality requires a different focus. It is NOT ABOUT US! Rather, it is all about WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THE EMPLOYER. Said a different way, it is always about the employer’s wants and needs. This is a subtle but vitally important difference.

The final reason is all about ATTITUDE! Attitude drives all our actions, either positively or negatively. I read a blog the other day that detailed many of the frustrations faced by the job seeker. The ultimate point was that we will have to shovel a whole lot of manure before we uncover the right opportunity. Shoveling manure isn’t fun. The job search is a lonely frustrating endeavor. If we let our attitude go south, that will be reflected in the quality of effort that we put out on our search; it will adversely impact our self-confidence, and that doubt will be reflected in how well or poorly we interview when we do finally land one.

Typically, the unemployed are embarrassed about their status, a prejudice that lingers from years ago when the assumption was that if you did not have a job you were less than competent. When we are embarrassed we tend to either cover up the source of that embarrassment or withdraw from situations that would draw attention to the source. Many times this means we will withdraw from our family, friends and colleagues. These actions are understandable and completely counterproductive to maintaining that vital positive attitude that is needed to persevere through the frustrations. Instead, we need to develop and nurture a support and networking system, through family, friends, colleagues, and job clubs. We need to get positive feedback from things like volunteer efforts and clubs. These will help maintain the attitude that will keep us shoveling all that manure.

I guarantee the job you want is under that pile somewhere.