Monday, January 4, 2010

[CNG] Digest Number 1857

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1a.

CNG Meeting Thursday, 1/7/10:  Dress for the Successful Interview, 1

Posted by: "CareerNetworkingGroup@yahoogroups.com" CareerNetworkingGroup@yahoogroups.com

Sun Jan 3, 2010 3:25 pm (PST)



Reminder from: CareerNetworkingGroup Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CareerNetworkingGroup/cal

CNG Meeting Thursday, 1/7/10: Dress for the Successful Interview
Thursday January 7, 2010
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Bernards Township Library, 32 South Maple Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ

Notes:
Is your appearance at interviews a positive, a negative, or a neutral attribute to your efforts to secure a job? How about a professional opinion?

Professional coach and career consultant Linda Trignano will provide guidance to Dressing for the Successful Interview -- attire, grooming, accessories, and more.

If you're up for the challenge, come to the meeting dressed as you do for an interview. A few audience volunteers (both male and female) will be offered the opportunity to have their interview attire discussed and critiqued by Coach Linda as well as the audience based on the information shared during the evening.

Speaker: Linda Trignano, HR Performance Solutions

Linda Trignano's consulting firm, HR Performance Solutions (www.HRPerformanceSolutions.com), helps individuals and business groups find their potential through change. Linda has spent over 22 years facilitating and working with teams and individuals. As a career coach, she helps her clients identify their career goal and find their dream job. Utilizing her expertise and knowledge as a former corporate recruiter with AT&T, she understands what employers are looking for in a candidate. One area of specialty for Linda includes preparing her client's to shine in the job interview.

Pre-register at:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CareerNetworkingGroup/polls

AGENDA
6:30PM: Participants begin to arrive & network with peers.
7:00PM: Workshop: "Dress for the Successful Interview"
8:15PM: Announcements, 30-second introductions by each attendee, networking
8:50PM: Adjourn
9:15PM: Optional: Many attendees reconvene at The Store Restaurant & Bar a few blocks away for continued informal networking

DIRECTIONS
• I-287 to North Maple Avenue exit toward Basking Ridge
• Go about 1.5 miles on North Maple Avenue
• As you enter Basking Ridge, North Maple Avenue becomes South Maple Avenue
• Bernards Township Library is on left
• Enter library on lower level

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2.

Article: The ultimate two-word question to evaluate your resume (Cub

Posted by: "Eric Nilsson" ericnilsson@earthlink.net   eric_s_nilsson

Sun Jan 3, 2010 8:09 pm (PST)




The ultimate two-word question to evaluate your resume

Written by Scot Herrick <http://cuberules.com/author/> on December 30, 2009
in Resume Tips <http://cuberules.com/category/resume-tips/>

In the job search process, your resume provides the key link between
applying for a job and getting that first interview. There is a whole world
of resume tips, including tips on formatting, rules to live by and many
others.

In the end, all the rules can drive you crazy because they are all about
rules (should your resume be one page - or two? Show all your jobs - or just
the last ten - or fifteen - or twenty years worth?) and not about
effectiveness. And effectiveness means getting interviews. If your resume is
not producing interviews, your resume isn't doing the right job for you.

How do you know your resume is as effective as it can be?

You start by asking the ultimate two-word question after every line on your
resume: So what?

Your resume needs to show your work

By asking the "so what?" question, you are forced down the path to getting
what you have on the resume mean something to a potential hiring manager.
Hiring managers are into results, not just the chronology of your employment
life. They are into your motivation for doing the work, not just some
listing of jobs. They want to know how well you will fit into the team, not
just some drab list of job skills.

Without your resume showing this information, your resume won't get you
interviews.

Ask the "so what?" question about your work

The results you produce are the "so what?" points of your resume. If you say
that you reduced costs by 1% for some aspect of your work, you need to ask
"so what?". The number by itself doesn't mean much - 1% could be worthless
in one situation and critical in another. By not getting what the real
benefit was of the 1% reduction in costs, it means your resume hasn't gone
far enough to show the results of your work. More needs doing to get your
resume right.

What you are trying to produce is a benefit to the hiring manager to
interview you over everyone else that applied for the job. If there is no
benefit the hiring manager can see from the resume, there is no reason to do
an interview with you.

In the end, your results need to have benefits to the business

By continually asking "so what?" on each line of your resume, you will get
to the point where there is a genuine benefit to the business (or your
current management team) for the work you do.

It's not just resolving a ticket at a help desk, for instance. Resolving
tickets resolve problems your customers are having. Your benefit to the
business is increased revenue, decreased cost, or increased customer
satisfaction in some form to your customers. By asking "so what?" enough
times, you get to the point where the benefit to the business - and the
hiring manager shows.

Most people won't go through the effort to answer "so what?" about their
resume

Because most people think the work is done when the first draft of the
resume is completed, Cubicle Warriors get an unfair advantage when it comes
to getting the interview. Cubicle Warriors change their resume to answer the
"so what?" question for each line of the resume so they have a better shot
at getting the interview than someone who simply lays out their positions
over time and follows all the "resume rules" out there.

The resume isn't about resume rules. Resumes are about getting interviews.

Does your resume answer the "so what?" about your work?

URL:
http://cuberules.com/2009/12/30/the-ultimate-two-word-question-to-evaluate-y
our-resume/?utm_source=feedburner
<http://cuberules.com/2009/12/30/the-ultimate-two-word-question-to-evaluate-
your-resume/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=F>
&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=F

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3.

Article: Re-Starting Your Job Search...10 Buttons To Push (from Spin

Posted by: "Eric Nilsson" ericnilsson@earthlink.net   eric_s_nilsson

Sun Jan 3, 2010 8:09 pm (PST)




December 29, 2009

Re-Starting Your Job Search...10 Buttons To Push

By Tim Tyrell-Smith

URL:
http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/12/restarting-your-job-search10-buttons-to
-push.html?utm_source=feedburner
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/12/restarting-your-job-search10-buttons-t
o-push.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Fe>
&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Fe

Well, here I am. As promised. Back to follow-up on that last post. If you
missed it, find the link below:

7
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/12/7-reasons-to-press-restart-on-your-job
-search.html> Reasons To Press "Re-Start" On Your Job Search

In that post, I shared a few reasons why you might need to consider a
refresh or re-start on your job search. If you didn't already do so, would
you consider adding your thoughts via a comment on that post?

Thanks!

Now, if you know me at all, you know that I normally like to keep things as
simple as possible. Because advice in smaller chunks is more likely to be
followed than something overly complex. Not always easy, though.

In fact, here's a warning. This is kind of a long post. If you don't have
the time today, you may want to bookmark it and come back later.

The good news? You might be glad to hear that I won't be suggesting a full
refresh. A dumping of all you've done so far would be silly, right? As I
said in the prior post, perhaps some of it can be re-purposed or
re-directed.

Recycled.

So instead of a complete refresh, I've identified 10 buttons to push. 10
places to tweak. Think of it as an update. Your job search 1.1. including
critical updates.

Here they are. 10 buttons. Hold and release as necessary.

1. Your Public Profile

Of course you know that impressions happen quickly. And while what goes on
the internet stays (relatively) forever on Google, you can control what
people people learn about you in certain places. Your public
<http://jobsearch.about.com/od/networking/a/linkedinprofile.htm> profile on
LinkedIn, for example, is a highly controllable medium for your personal
branding message. See the post above from Alison Doyle.

Have you taken the time to write a nice, crisp summary of the value you can
bring to a new company? Have you requested and published helpful
recommendations? So that people who find your profile have your word and
those who know you well? NealSchaffer (@WindmillNet
<http://twitter.com/windmillnet> ) and @Animal <http://twitter.com/Animal>
just went through a bunch of LinkedIn profile reviews on a recent
<http://recruitinganimal.typepad.com/recruitinganimal/2009/12/neal-schaffer-
linkedin-expert.html> radio show. It is not hard to get someone to review
your LinkedIn profile. Get yours reviewed and improved. And make
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/12/10-reasons-why-you-still-havent-added-
your-photo-to-linkedin.html> sure you include a picture.

2. The Breadth And Depth Of Your Network

If you feel in need of a refresh, there's no better start than in your
networking strategy. Since your job (or a lead for one) will likely be
found in a networking room somewhere, you are wise to look for new ways to
expand your network and deepen the relationships within it. Of course I
have a tool to help you with that. It is called PlateworksT and it is a
simple way to evaluate and identify new places to network. With people you
already know. You just aren't talking with them. You can find this tool
and many others on the website <http://www.spinstrategy.com> . You can also
"clean up" your network. Some people seemed like they'd be pretty helpful
in the beginning. But you now know they aren't really able or willing to
help. Move on.

3. Your Job Search Objectives

In order for your network to help you, it needs to have tangible information
about you. About what you are looking for in your next great role. Vague
information like "stable, growth environment" helps no one. It includes a
number of key pieces of information. Including your target title, function,
geography, and (very important) your target
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/07/how-to-choose-your-target-companies.ht
ml> companies. That last link will really help you if (1) you don't have a
formal job search objective or (2) yours stinks. And some do.

4. Your WatchlystT

I'm not sure how many people out there are actively using the Watchlyst
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2008/11/the-1-networking-tool-during-hard-time
s.html> . It might be only the 15-20 people who told me they are using it.
Or maybe millions are quietly helping others (and themselves). How cool
would that be? I called it the #1 networking tool during hard times. I
called it this because helping others takes the focus off yourself and onto
those in your network. It feels really good to help others. And guess what
happens when you do that. They are inspired to think about you as well.
When jobs come up. This includes recruiters who you actively work to
support. Who else can you add to your "lyst"? And who can come off?

5. Your Resume and Cover Letter

As much as I'd like to tell that the traditional resume is dead, it's not.
For now, it remains a fixture in the job search and hiring world. Of
course, the smart companies are reading about you well in advance of your
interview. And know all they need to know via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
and the like. But most interviewing companies are still relying on the
resumes to tell the story. And on you to explain the details of your
career.

So until someone blows a big whistle telling us it is safe to come out, take
a fresh look at your resume and cover letter. How does its presentation of
you compare to your online brand? Two different people? Are you clearly
identifying your value? Do you have a strong
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/08/how-to-write-a-positioning-statement.h
tml> positioning statement? Are you identifying your strengths and
accomplishments in a relevant and measurable way?

How about a new version of your SoloSheetT (resume companion) and FlashcardT
(networking business card)?

6. Your Social Media Activity

Are you participating in the online world today? Are you on Twitter?
Facebook? LinkedIn? Yes, there are others, but your focus here will cover
the large majority of the opportunity out there. If you are, what are you
doing? If you are still wondering what you could do on Twitter to support
<http://jobmob.co.il/blog/beginners-guide-find-a-job-with-twitter/> a job
search (a great post by Jacob Share) or how you can use it to support
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/07/twitter-like-a-walk-in-the-park.html>
your general networking strategy, we need to talk. But read those posts
first, OK?

What
<http://mariosundar.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/do-you-have-a-social-networking
-strategy/> is your social networking strategy? The more you use social
media sites to actively and authentically communicate with new people, the
better off you will be. And this is true whether you are looking for work
today or tomorrow. More important? It is a lot of fun to adventure out,
meet new friends and create a place for yourself in the world. So its not
just about being there. It's how you get there that matters to us.

7. Your Psychology

As you may have guessed (for you regular readers), I think that your
psychology
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/12/how-is-your-psychology-this-week.html>
(the link between mind and behavior) during job search is critical. And as
each of these posts are written, I am constantly looking for ways to sneak
in a reference. It's that important. Everything you do during job search
is influenced by your confidence level when you did it.

And if you are going to do a refresh for 2010, you need to be and feel your
best. So let's rewind a year or two. Five if we have to go back that far.
To a time when you were on top of the world. Feeling unstoppable in your
career. You are still that person. You need to remember your great moments
and realize that more are on the way. Really.

8. Your Interview Preparation and Interview Strategy

After all the hard work you put in to get an interview, do you have the
ability to perform? Is this a refresh area for you? Do you need some new
ideas? Here's a few tips on
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2008/10/the-keys-to-a-g.html> acing the phone
interview. Print this one out and read it 30 minutes before your next phone
interview as a reminder. If you don't have a good method for preparing
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/05/best-job-interview-preparation-tool.ht
ml> for an in-person interview or if you struggle during the
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/07/the-first-5-minutes-how-to-kickoff-a-s
uccessful-interview.html> first 5 minutes, you can read these posts for a
new way to have the right impact on the big day.

9. Your Weekly Goals

One way to refresh is to create a new accountability tool for yourself.
This one is really simple. Each week, set five key objectives for your
search. They can relate to building your network, to helping others, to
identifying new target companies, etc. But
<http://www.careersolvers.com/blog/2009/06/09/keep-a-job-search-to-do-list/>
create them. And then stick to them. And remind yourself that they are
there. Finally, consider forming an accountability team. Folks in your
network that will help keep you on track. You can do the same for them.
Every Friday afternoon. Over a cup of coffee.

10. Your Relationship With Recruiters

While recruiters represent a small % of the the jobs out there, they have an
incredible amount of knowledge about the market. About companies. So it
makes sense to take advantage of those opportunities. To make sure that
recruiters know you are available. In case there is a match. If you feel
consistently ignored
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/04/why-the-heck-do-recruiters-completely-
ignore-messages-from-potential-candidates.html> by recruiters, don't worry.
You are not alone.

Of course there is a lot of confusion out there as to how smart job seekers
should network with recruiters. In fact, there is a
<http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2009/04/more-on-the-chasm-between-job-seekers-
and-recruiters.html> chasm between job seekers and the recruiting industry.
But recruiters are like the rest of us. They are trying to grow their
business. If you add value to their day, you will be remembered for that.
If you take up more time than you should and don't give back, you'll be
remembered for that too.

So there you have it. 10 buttons to push.

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