Wednesday, July 7, 2010

[SMCNG] Digest Number 432

Messages In This Digest (2 Messages)

1.: Heat Wave Advisory From: Terrence Seamon

2.: Fw: Career Lessons Learned by Carol Lublin of the WSJ Career Column From: Terrence Seamon

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1.: Heat Wave Advisory

Posted by: "Terrence Seamon" thseamon@yahoo.com thseamon

Tue Jul 6, 2010 10:17 am (PDT)

Attention Job Hunters,

As you continue to look for work, be very careful in this heat:

http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/dhss/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=3563

Some tips:

- Stay well hydrated by drinking water

- Stay out of the sun as much as possible

- Stay in air conditioned rooms as much as possible

Terry

Terrence Seamon
Facilitating Change - Achieving Results!
Organization Development & Training
http://www.facilitationsolutions.com/
(732) 246-3014 home/office
(732) 715-8218 cell
thseamon@yahoo.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/thseamon
http://twitter.com/tseamon
http://learningvoyager.blogspot.com/

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2.: Fw: Career Lessons Learned by Carol Lublin of the WSJ Career Column

Posted by: "Terrence Seamon" thseamon@yahoo.com thseamon

Tue Jul 6, 2010 2:18 pm (PDT)

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Donna C. Coulson, M.S., PCC" <dccoulson@comcast.net>
To: Jsahr transition grp <jsahrtransition@yahoogroups.com>;
MonmouthNetworkingGroupCC@yahoogroups.com; SPNG@Yahoogroups.com
Cc: Jerry.Kaplan@dol.state.nj.us; McEwanRS@aol.com; Jeff Surgent
<jsurgent@comcast.net>; Terrence Seamon <thseamon@yahoo.com>; Bob Longo
<bob_longo1@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tue, July 6, 2010 4:55:51 PM
Subject: Career Lessons Learned by Carol Lublin of the WSJ Career Column since
1993

WSJ Career Columnist Carol Lublin wrote these. She's on the mark.
Finding a job, flourishing on the job and moving into a better job demand plenty
of work–especially during a jobless recovery.
That's why I am offering my five best lessons for managing your career, gleaned
since I launched this column in July 1993. They include the importance of
out-of-the box networking, sweating the small stuff and knowing yourself well
enough that you're always ready for reinvention.
The lessons' common theme? No one can manage You Inc. better than you. And
here's how to do it:

1. . Network effectively rather than aimlessly.
Focus on forging "strategic relationships" at 10 prospective employers, suggests
Paul Anderson, a career coach in Redmond, Wash. That means avoiding an "elevator
pitch" in which you buttonhole people and give them your career pitch on the
fly.

"Relationships can't be built in 60 seconds,'' Mr. Anderson insists. "People
hire people they like and trust." So, work on building better ties with your
contacts by being a reliable resource for them and offering frequent updates
about your career.

You can land strong introductions through your closest contacts, social
networking sites and good "connectors," who may have nothing to do with your
line of work. These professionals, such as hairstylists, dentists, ministers and
accountants, amass connections that cut across industries.

More Lessons
· Do extensive homework about a possible employer's culture.
· Practice, practice, practice before job interviews and work
presentations—in front of a video camera, mirror or close friend.
· Bring thank-you cards to job interviews, write them before you leave
and then hand them to the receptionist.

· Assemble a candid "owner's manual" about yourself based on a
self-assessment and associates' input.
· Embrace potentially risky new assignments.
Connectors "make introductions because they like to," notes Diane Darling, a
networking consultant in Boston. She expanded her connections and consulting
gigs by creating a personal board of advisers.

For the same reason, attend industry conferences that attract targeted
businesses. Scrutinize the guest list, pinpoint executives you wish to meet and
schedule encounters there.
When Tayari Howard was an aspiring radio personality in the '90s, he attended
about 10 public events hosted by a San Diego station before meeting a department
head and pitching his candidacy for a job. "Persistence paid off!" says Mr.
Howard, who was hired by the radio station in June 1995, and still hosts a
nightly show there.
2. Sweat the small stuff.
Tiny missteps may derail your career. You appear unpolished when you talk like
an adolescent, curse at colleagues or proffer a sweaty palm.
Outdated clothes, frayed cuffs, messy hair, scuffed shoes or excess cleavage
also signal poor judgment. "Looking your best at any age is what you should
aspire to," advises Patricia Cook, an executive recruiter in Bronxville, N.Y.
Even bathroom habits count. High-tech recruiter Dora Vell once worked for a
major search firm where the receptionist alerted partners if candidates using
the guest toilet near her desk failed to wash their hands. (She could hear the
faucet.)

This lesson also applies to cover letters. Inspirica, a New York high school and
college tutoring concern, found mistakes in 93% of 220 letters from tutor
applicants over the past year. Many flawed letters came from experienced writing
tutors.

"Pay attention to everything you write in cover letters," warns Lisa Jacobson,
Inspirica's CEO. "Otherwise, you will get weed whacked right out." Her firm
hired just 15 tutors in the fiscal year ended in June.

3. Make your résumé and business card work overtime for you.
Too often, résumés chronicle your past rather than promote marketable skills
that would benefit potential employers. An additional "pre-résumé" may make more
sense, says Rick Gillis, an author of two job-hunting books who devised the
concept. The one-page document contains a brief objective statement that
describes precise ways you will improve a particular company, he adds.

A pre-résumé also includes highlights of four career accomplishments–plus a
string of key words (such as "multi-task professional") that get detected by
resume-tracking software.

An online résumé offers another approach. You can show work samples, references'
video testimonials and any data that may demonstrate successes in your career,
such as surpassing sales targets.
It's equally important that your business card convey a memorable first
impression. List your strongest skills or highest degree right under your name.
But omit your physical address to appear flexible about relocation. Don't
overlook the reverse side of your card. Rather than leave it blank, you can
display the name of a prominent prior employer.
4. Pay it forward.
Whether you're on the job or seeking one, you should help others propel their
careers without expecting return favors.
New Directions, an upscale executive-transition-planning firm in Boston,
encourages jobless managerial clients to aid welfare mothers, homeless veterans
and others hunting for work. Banker Mike Lenihan served as an unpaid mentor all
three times he was a New Directions client since 2003.

He says his latest stint, involving coaching unemployed administrative
assistants about the tough job market, impressed a U.S. Bancorp hiring official.
He joined a unit in January as a senior vice president.

So many people assisted Mary Steele throughout her career that "I wished to pay
it forward," the head of executive compensation for Delta Air Lines Inc. says.

During a 2006 job hunt, Ms. Steele began compiling a list of high-paid human
resources vacancies she didn't pursue. She now emails similar job-lead updates
300 times a year to more than 500 people, mostly seasoned HR managers.

5. Know thyself—and be ready for reinvention.
You should constantly take stock of your dreams, values and transferrable
skills. Scrupulous self-assessments can ease jitters about changing your
occupation, industry, locale or pay.

Dave Klug
After losing his job as a hourly manufacturing worker in 2006, Christopher
Pearsall became a product manager for a business-software developer the
following year. When the part-time paramedic got laid off again in 2008, he
decided to pursue what he really loved: health care.

Mr. Pearsall will soon finish nursing school. "I have re-reinvented myself," he
says.

To succeed at your current workplace, you must be equally flexible about
accepting lateral moves. Businesses like such switch hitters—as I can attest.

Today marks the last print version of a column that sought to provide uncommon
solutions to common career dilemmas for 17 years. Soon, in my new monthly advice
column on WSJ.com, I'll tackle a new challenge: helping senior executives make
the most of their careers.
—Write to Joann Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com

Donna C. Coulson, M.S., PCC,
Donna Coulson & Associates, LLC
Executive, Career & Mentor Coaching, Keynotes and Leadership Development
732 758-8191 x1 dccoulson@comcast.net; www.liveyourlifecoach.com

We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
"Rose"

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