A few years ago I heard about the 'naked streets' popping up in Europe. What does this mean? There are no street or traffic signs or signals. Each traffic signal and intersection has been replaced by a traffic circle, where everyone waits their turn, enters the circle and exits where they need to. Think about it, no:
And in some places they've even done away with the lane markers - yikes! One article cites that drivers ignore 70% of the traffic/street signs we see, I guess because there are too many to pay attention to. The main premise is that as drivers we have lost our ability to fully engage with the act of driving - we rely so much on the directions and restrictions everywhere that we turn our brain off as soon as the ignition goes on. ( This doesn't even take into account how distracted we can be by what's going on inside the car, like a cell phone conversation or texting!) By limiting the regulations, drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians are required to have a heightened sense of responsibility and to understand that their travel is a dance with everybody else out there with them that requires higher levels of caution and carefulness. It appears to be working - places where this approach to managing traffic has been implemented have seen dramatic reductions in traffic accidents. I like what Monderman, the Dutch traffic engineer who came up with the naked streets idea said: “When you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like idiots.” So, as usual, it got me thinking about all the directions given out there about how to conduct a job search. The information out there is overwhelming and most job seekers are lost and confused. So what if you did your job search naked? What if you stopped listening to all of the advice out there? What if you relied on your own instincts to find work? What if you slowed down and focused only on what works? What if you were able to really notice what was going on around you? What if you went with the flow and took cues from your outside environment and acted on those cues? What if you listened to your intuition and gut? Would you be better off - I think so. All of that takes courage. Can you imagine what it would feel like to drive on your streets for the first time without the traffic lights and directional cues? Scary at first, but you'd get used to it. Same thing would happen with a naked job search. I think part of the problem with the way many job seekers are conducting their job search is that all of the information out there is giving them a false sense of security. Job seekers are sitting behind their computers which is providing them with a sense of activity, but it's not actually accomplishing anything. After they've sat behind their computers for a few months, to use the driving metaphor, they start experiencing Road Rage when the road they're on isn't getting them to the destination they want. Sound familiar? So let's agree on a middle ground (middle lane). Rather than going completely naked, how about you simply take off all of the extra layers you have on that are weighing you down and insulating you from taking the inspired action you need to. Get the help and support that makes sense to you and leave the rest behind in your dust. I'm kinda liking this driving metaphor. Brenda One of the job search tools that must be in your tool box is your 30 second pitch.
Some call it an elevator speech. As that name suggests, it's a brief transfer of information (on an elevator ride) about yourself that you can use in many networking and job search situations. If you want to see some (mostly) well done ones, CNN is currently providing job seekers the opportunity to give their 30 second pitch live and on air. Below is the link. You can watch the back story on each person or you can skip to approximately the last minute of the segment to hear their pitch. Pay attention to the order they put their information in, the action words they use and notice whether you're interested to know more about them (or not). Use what works and what you like for crafting your own! If you need more assistance, the tools, resources and support at Career 3D can help! http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/category/anchors/kyra-phillips/30-second-pitch/ Brenda I play Texas Hold'em every once in a while with our neighbors (no gambling going on, really... just for fun ;-). In that game there's a betting event every round involving the 'blinds'. The blinds serve as an ante in the game - 'money' you pay in order to have access to play the game.
It's similar to a job search: There are certain antes that will get you a seat at the table: having the right credentials, having the right experience in the right industry, knowing someone on the inside. These antes will get you a seat at the table, but they don't necessarily mean you get to play. So what increases your odds of actually getting to play, i.e. get hired? One thing that can help is knowing exactly what makes you an exceptional candidate, what sets you apart and differentiates you from all the other competition. In the game of job searching, it's called Personal Branding. I could spend pages and pages writing on Personal Branding, but for now I’m going to have you focus on just a few items to get you started: First, identify how you are different from your competition, because you ARE different! You have a unique combination of skills, strengths and experience and you need to communicate that. Second, narrow down the above: what single problem can you solve better than anyone else? Third, go find the organizations and companies that have that problem and engage in a conversation. So pay attention to the blind, the ante, that’s what is going to get you NEAR the table you want to play at. But what’s going to get you a seat at the table and an invitation to play is your Personal Brand. Start today. Brenda Oprah Winfrey was interviewed last night on the new Piers Morgan Tonight show on CNN. Piers asked her about the possibility of running for political office and Oprah said this:"I know where my lane is and I know how to stay in my lane."
So my question is, do you know what YOUR lane is? Sometimes when we're struggling at work or in life, it's because we aren't in "our" lane. If this is true for you, maybe you are:
It's usually easier to change lanes than we think. You don't have to do a complete 180, sometimes you only have to dip a toe over the line. When you make a small change, it usually feels right or wrong immediately. Trust that and don't be afraid to dip that toes, especially if you're afraid of a complete lane change. Bottom line: If you're struggling in any area of your life, especially in your career, take a good, hard, honest look at whether you're in YOUR correct lane! Brenda Recently we ordered a part online to fix something that was broken on our outdoor sprinklers. The part arrived in the mail, exactly what we needed and we were good to go. Afterwards, I looked at the paperwork that came with it: a typical packing slip and....a rolodex card: This struck me as funny, only because awhile back, my 11 year old daughter and I were talking to my parents and my mother mentioned that someone's phone number was in her 'rolodex', and my daughter said "What is a 'rolodex'?" We laughed and commented how most people have their address book in an electronic format.
So when I got this rolodex card with our order, it made me wonder:
(Note: I purposely am not showing the contact details on the card - but, I do want to give them props: the card is a really bright fluorescent green which does not come through properly in the picture). So, my point is: in order for YOUR job search marketing to be effective, you need to be using the right tools. Are you:
In order for your job search to be successful, your tools need to be current. Stop expecting a rolodex card to do the heavy lifting that new and improved tools could do for you much better. Brenda Today is election day. Regardless of the political side you're on, we continue to hear the same rhetoric from both sides. One of the election phrases that's recently been coined is "low information voter", and it got me wondering how many "low information job seekers" there are out there. Too many, I'm afraid.
It's human to pick a side and stick with their talking points without really digging into all of the details to completely understand the issues. But in a job search, that approach doesn't work. To be an effective job seeker, you have to dig in, be persistent in trying new things and step out of your comfort zone. Not behaviors that come easy to most of us. Many job seekers revert to what they did 'last time' to get a job and they continue to use those strategies, even though there has been dramatic change in the job market, technology and job search strategies. Bottom line: There is no excuse to be a 'low information job seeker'. There are literally millions of pieces of information out there to help you. Find them, learn them and then use them. Oh, and don't forget to vote. Brenda I want to share with you a trend I'm seeing with job seekers. I don't have to tell you it's frustrating out there: Potential employers/recruiters aren't responding or getting back to you, you're not getting responses or job offers you think you 'deserve'. Much of the time the job search process seems unfair. But I do know a way to make it seem more fair.
It may seem obvious, but clients who understand that they need to approach their job search with a "What's in it for Them" mindset instead of a "What's in it for Me" mindset are getting better results. The mindset you chose permeates:
When you are tailoring your resume for an application, going to a networking event or going on a job interview, I want you to have prepared answers to these questions:
So I'm asking you to turn the mirror around and start asking (and answering) "What's in it for them?", NOT "What's in it for me?". Brenda Most job seekers believe that the first and most important thing they need to do is get their resume done. While having a well written resume is important and necessary, most job seekers also ‘lead’ with it, i.e. they believe that’s the first thing potential employers want to see and know about them. That approach is dead wrong and if you’re job searching that way, you’re doing it backwards.
A job search is about relationships, because ultimately: people hire people, they don’t hire resumes. And just like dating, the most important question hiring professionals are asking themselves is: “Do I like this person?” So being likable, friendly, positive, engaged and enthusiastic will get you further. Yes, further than having all the right skills and experience. I know job seekers don’t like to hear this, because we’ve all been in work situations where we meet the ‘new person’ and wondered ‘how the heck did they get this job'? It’s because someone who was in a position to make the decision liked them. Job seekers want to believe they’re being evaluated based on experienced, skills and knowledge – but you’re not, at least not solely. So don’t job search backwards. Yes, have a well written resume but don’t expect that’s all you need. Work on your networking skills and like-ability to put your job search forward facing. Brenda Aahh, procrastination, a beloved friend to most of us. Recently I've had several clients who hired me awhile ago (and I mean a long while ago) who have finally "shown up" and said "I'm ready!"
We can get all wound up about "what" to do. I believe we all typically know "what" to do, we simply have trouble executing. Which really means we don't have the right support. That's why I know Career 3D is on the right path. It's not about providing more information - there's plenty out there. It's about supporting people to do what they know they need to. So what 1 thing can you do today that will get you moving in the right direction? I call it the "log jam" theory. In a log jam, usually just one log needs to be repositioned for all of them to flow again. So step away from the computer and go do your one thing! Brenda In a recent Time magazine, Mike Tyson is quoted as saying: "I'm addicted to perfection. Problem with my life is, I was always also addicted to chaos. Perfect chaos."
Sound familiar? I think this perfectly (pun intended) describes the existence of many job seekers. They become perfectionists, engaging in analysis paralysis over every detail of their resume, never feeling quite ready to go to a networking event, toiling over the details of how to write a cover letter, not wanting to tell friends and family they've lost their job - for fear of appearing less than....perfect?! I do believe perfection has some place in a job search:
So what's a job seeker to do? 1 - Accept that the job seeking process is messy and won't always go the way you want. 2 - Accept that you don't have complete control over everything. 3 - Accept the control you DO have and continue taking action, putting one foot in front of the other. Bottom line: I suggest taking a cue from Mike Tyson (never thought I'd say that): accept that it's Perfect Chaos. Brenda |
Brenda CodyJob Search and Career Strategist who hopes I have written something you'll find useful. Archives
August 2014
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