Is a Career Coach Really Worth the Investment?

This question was posed on a LinkedIn group I follow. Being an Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach, I’d like to share my thoughts on this topic with you.

For middle, senior and CXO level professionals who are currently or are soon to be engaged in a job search working with the right Career Coach is a wise investment based on the potential ROI. However working with the wrong coach can be totally catastrophic.

The same can be said about working with a coach for individuals who are just starting out in their career, as well as for mid-stage and late stage career changers and executives who want to learn how to ascend rather than claw their way to the top.

Who is the right or wrong career coach for me?

The way I define the ‘wrong coach’ is anyone who offers outdated advice or a coach who is qualified to coach other people but is ill-equipped as a coach for individuals in your situation or at your level.

To better understand why a Career Coach is so valuable it would be helpful to define what various practitioners offer. In my opinion there are three (3) distinct types of career service providers who fall under the broad umbrella of Career Coaches and each has a distinct value to different types of clients.

Career Coach Type 1
These are coaches who work with people to examine their likes and dislikes, skills, priorities and goals for the future. They generally conduct assessment tests and base their coaching on their interpretation of the compiled data.

For me this is very useful for people early on in a career who have no clue what they want to do, for people who are unfulfilled in their present career and feel a need to change but do not know in what direction they should go, and for older workers whose skills are no longer marketable and need direction in how to reposition themselves to get back to work in a new occupation or vocation.

Career Coach Type 2
These are coaches who work with men and woman who know the direction they want to take in their career – even if they are changing careers – but need help to develop a well defined roadmap in terms of present and future career planning and need assistance on how to conduct an efficient job search to find a new position in less time than the current national average of 285 days.

These Career Coaches, of which I am one, help professionals to effectively transition into new jobs and new roles by understanding and mastering the dynamics of a job search in this new era. We help people identify the hidden job market and penetrate it, learn how to harness the power of social media and networking, learn how to view specific job opportunities based on identifying future goals and determining a clear plan for achievement, improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills in a global business world, and help raise a client’s personal profile and self esteem within their company, industry and community.

Type 2 Career Coaches also help professionals learn to identify and eliminate and/or minimize weaknesses and find ways to capitalize on, or acquire new skills and talents that will be essential for future career growth, along with helping them shatter any pre-conceived and/or negative images others may have about them.

Some Career Coaches also do as I do and mentor clients and make themselves available to answer question and offer advice and guidance when the need is greatest but falls outside the time frame of a pre-scheduled session.

For me this type of coach is useful for professionals at all ages and stages in their career that need help to conduct a job search and/or learn how to manage their career and avoid it from stagnating or going off track.

Career Coach Type 3
Lastly there is the Executive Coach. They do much of what the aforementioned coaches do but also help executives develop leadership and management skills. They coach on team building, time management, culture shaping, taking ownership of initiatives, facilitating meetings and discussions, implementing change management, increasing motivation and productivity in others and on how to make effective business in order to earn more money for a company and themselves.

For me this type of coaching is essential for an executive who does not already have the talent and ability to thrive and survive in the boardroom or the executive suite.

Now that you know what different coaches have to offer maybe it is time for you to explore this route for yourself. After all the ROI of working with the right Career Coach is well worth the up front expense.

Because I Said So: The Wrong Approach to Leadership - Guest Post by Michael Rogovin

I have a friend who is a coach for a little league baseball team and laments that some parents were questioning why he insisted that players show up a half-hour before game time. “I have to treat the parents like children,” he said, “I’m the coach and I said so! Any more stupid questions? They would never question a school drama teacher who told the students actors to arrive a half hour before curtain-time, so why is this any different?” I suppose his reaction might be a perfectly reasonable response, depending on what it is intended to accomplish.

If his goal is to teach unquestioned obedience to authority, then perhaps that is a good start. This is the approach taken in army basic training, where the goal is to teach following orders as one of the highest values. Of course, blind obedience to superiors has its limits, even in the military (as Pete Seeger demonstrated so wonderfully in his classic “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” [watch it here] and on a more extreme level, the so-called "Nuremberg Defense" of "just following orders"). I don't think that this is the best model for leadership. Besides, don’t we want to teach our children a healthy skepticism of authority (so long as questioning authority is always done appropriately in manner and time; it is not wise to challenge the authority of the police officer that pulled you over; those scenarios rarely end well even if you were, in fact, in the right).

Like parents, coaches need to have authority. But whence comes authority? Is it from fear and intimidation, or respect? If one seeks to assert authority using one of the first two, or to simply silence critics, make them feel stupid, escalate a situation or build up one’s own sense of control, then by all means use the “I said so” approach. But I doubt it will be effective in the long run.

On the other hand, if the goal of asserting leadership is in order to accomplish a task properly, then authority based on respect is a better model. Respect does not come built-in with the job (except perhaps for elected officials, but even there, the respect is for the office, not necessarily the office holder). One earns respect when one conveys that they have knowledge and are reasonable, this leads to trust, and trust leads to respect for the authority (“wow, she really knows what she is doing”), and that can lead to compliance with reasonable requests without much argument.

Besides, sometimes people just don’t think things through the way they should. So questioning a decision may not be a challenge, but a quest for understanding. One can respond by reinforcing the questioner’s ignorance and escalating conflict, or by ignoring the motivation of the questioner, and simply educating the person about the need for the rule. If done simply and without anger, this can defuse any conflict, and reinforce the leader’s role as an authority.
This approach to authority can be applied equally to coaching baseball, parenting, and the workplace. Too often, people with authority are combative and defensive. They don’t like their authority questioned; perhaps they are unsure how much authority they really have, but I don’t want to analyze them. The best leaders in organizations exude authority because people respect their expertise and trust them. They are demanding, but reasonable, and are not afraid to explain why they do things. They listen to criticism and see every interaction as an opportunity to educate and build support for initiatives, and to subtly reinforce why they are the leader in the first place.

About the Author:
Michael Rogovin has 20 years of hands-on executive management experience in the government, education, not-for-profit, and legal sectors with an emphasis in strategic visioning and planning, budgets and performance, operations, human resources, information technology and environmental sustainability. Michael can be reached at mrogovin118@gmail.com.

Tech Sheet, Classic Novel, Best Selling Thriller

Every year for the past four years I have written and critiqued hundreds of resumes from professionals who hired me to transform their fairly good resumes into impressive, targeted marketing documents, and from job seekers who emailed me a professionally or self written resume for a no cost critique and professional advice on how to improve it.

After reading all these resumes I’ve identified three distinct writing approaches; and many people who endeavor to write a resume are not aware of which approach best fits their objective.

So today I would like to share my take on these three approaches and who should be employing them.

A Tech Sheet Resume

My definition of a Tech Sheet resume is one where the writer’s emphasis is on making the reader instantly and easily aware of specific skills sets and it focuses heavily key words usage rather than narrative and achievements.

As you may surmise this is an excellent approach for job seekers on the techie side of IT and in other fields where the screener’s initial focus is to ascertain whether what the candidate brings to the table aligns with the skill sets required for the position such C++, C#, J2EE, AJAX HML, Linux Unix, Siebel, Cognos, Active X, SAP, SAS, Oracle Financials, Cisco Pix firewall etc.

These resume often include lists so the eye can easily scan categories and the skills that go with them such as OS, Software, Hardware, Networking, Languages, Scripts etc., and on occasion I’ve seen these lists creatively broken down into the number of years of experience using them and/or the candidate’s proficiency level.

For these types of positions this is an excellent approach; however I have seen people apply this writing approach to non-technical position resumes and in doing so the final product falls way short of impressing the target audience.

Classic Novel Resume

To me creativity and style in terms of format, content and narrative are essential to making a resume stand out in the crowd, and over the past few years resumes have evolved quite rapidly and creative approaches are no longer frowned upon; quite the contrary, today they are looked upon quite favorably by most decision makers.

However there are certain fields where a resume must follow a time-tested old fashioned traditional format or else it will be rejected out of hand. Lawyers applying for positions in a law firm instantly come to mind. The people who review their resumes expect them to follow the decade’s old tradition in terms of format, style, presentation and content much like a Shakespeare sonnet or a classic 18th to 19th century novel that has a certain period look and feel.

Once again I see way too many resumes of candidate’s in other fields, especially creative ones, that look and read like old fashioned resume fact sheets that rely heavily on describing a candidate’s duties and/or responsibilities, and include way too many key words and skill sets listings ala classic 1980’s and 1990’s style resumes. Unless you are in a traditional or ultra conservative profession people who choose to apply this approach need to rethink their position and try to adjust to what works in 2012.

Best Selling Thriller

There are certain authors whose work constantly lands on the NY Times Best Seller List; among my favorites are James Patterson, David Baldacci, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Robert Parker, Nelson DeMille and Elmore Leonard.

As a resume writer what I appreciate about these authors is their ability to tell a story that captures the reader’s attention from page 1, and their ability to artfully bring their characters to life, and inform us what makes them so unique and what they are most passionate about.

For me, in most cases this is the task of a resume writer. We must understand the business world the candidate and the person who’ll be reading and screening the resume live in; and we must write a resume in such a way that we tell a very compelling story that piques interest in the candidate’s availability and prompts the reader to invite the candidate in for a job interview.

This for me is what a resume writer must strive to accomplish and what most people who write a resume fail to do.

QUALIFIED BUT CAN’T GET HIRED!

Recently a job seeker posed this question to a professional Linked-In group: “Why is it so hard now a days to get a job on purchasing i know im good but no one gives me an opportunity?”

This very same question is asked daily by other job seekers in every job category and industry.

What perplexes me is this. The majority of people who responded put the blame on the economy and employers hiring policies, and some responders started venting off topic on how employers no longer contact them to explain why they were not chosen. (This last point is a discussion of its own for another day)

Yes it is true that there are fewer jobs available today in most professions than in the past, other than in new and emerging industries and technologies, especially as you are climbing the ladder and want a higher level position at a higher salary level.

What job seekers like the one who asked this question and those that answered it tend to forget is it does not matter if there is a lack of jobs out there for everyone else. What their mindset must be is this, “How do I find the one job out there that interests me and how do I get that employer to take notice and hire me.”

One answer is to keep your guard up and be conscious of how you present yourself at all times, a lesson the person who asked this question evidently never learned.

From this post, I see is a job seeker posing a question to group members who are potential hiring managers, recruiters, and people who are sources to network with.

Considering who his audience, look closely at the question; not the context but his grammar and spelling!

No matter what his qualifications are, in my mind at least this candidate is an un-hirable turn-off. Why, because he exhibited a lack of communication skills which are essential to every employer.

Then, as a professional resume writer I offered to critique his resume for free. When he sent it to me I saw that he did have qualifications but his written presentation was beyond poor. Besides being devoid of any marketing appeal and lacking any achievements, the resume had very poor verbiage that again showcased a lack of requisite communications skills.

The lesson I hope other job seekers take from this is that you must be careful about everything you put in writing i.e. your resume, cover and thank you letters, social media and Linked-In profiles, and especially your participation in group discussions.

When you post intelligent, well worded questions and answers people take notice, even if they do not agree 100% with your opinion and views, and they will not be afraid to reach out to you if they are hiring or to refer you to someone they know who has a job or to network with. Why, because you showed these people that you are thoughtful, articulate and possess some expertise in your field. These are all qualities that make a candidate hirable.

On the other side, if a job seeker posts poorly worded and grammatically incorrect questions and answers, or if they vent and go off topic rather than offer serious feedback, people will see you as un-hirable regardless of what your qualifications are.

Spoken words may be forgotten or explained away as being misunderstood. But once people see it in writing this is rarely the case.

Job Hunting & Resume Writing: Are You Taking the Wimpy Way Out?

When I say ‘taking the wimpy way out’ I’m not calling anyone a wimp per se’. I am referring to people following in the footsteps of J. Wellington Wimpy.

If you are a Sunday funnies, cartoons or comic book fan you may know J. Wellington Wimpy, better known as plain old Wimpy. For those that don’t, Wimpy is Popeye the Sailor's best friend, an intelligent and well educated man who is also very lazy and parsimonious, and loves hamburgers. And his constant query is ‘I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today’, and when he is rebuffed his more poignant appeal ‘I’d gladly pay you for two hamburgers on Tuesday for just one today.’  So let’s look at Wimpy a bit closer and see why I asked “Are You Taking the Wimpy Way Out?”

Intelligent and well educated
Just like Wimpy many job seekers are intelligent and well educated, but brains alone are not going to land them the job they are looking for in today’s job market. As a matter of fact, and I don’t quite know why, many intelligent and well educated job seekers make poorly formulated job search and career decisions lacking any semblance of common sense. Having brain power and using it are often two opposite sides of the same coin when it comes to job hunting.

Lazy
Like Wimpy some job seekers are lazy or poorly motivated to do what needs to be done. Some are lazy by nature, some just do not care enough to make the effort to understand how job hunting has changed in the era of social media, and too many are convinced that “No matter what I do I won’t see results, so what’s the use.” Therefore they become lazy in both thought and action.
I also find lazy people ask the most questions but they are not looking for answers. Rather they ask questions in order to justify the excuses they make to justify their inaction.
Being lazy is unacceptable, for any reason, if you want to succeed at finding a new job.

Parsimonious
In job hunting parsimonious is the act of looking at numerous courses of action and/or points of view and choosing the one that offers the simplest (or least costly) solution. Most people are not lazy but they do look for the easy way out. And instead of choosing the best solution they chose the solution that requires the least amount of time, effort or money at the expense of the solution that offers the most rewarding overall result and/or getting their desired result more quickly.

The first thing I do in every workshop and seminar I conduct is tell the attendees that to conduct a successful job search is a 30-40+ hour a week job and there are no shortcuts. However if you are well informed or well coached there are ways to shorten the time span it takes for you to achieve the desired final results.

“I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”
On this point I can speak with authority and experience as a resume writer and career coach, and not just from my own experience but from the experience of people I know who invested in hiring a professional resume writer and career coach to help them get the results they want.
The bottom line is you get what you pay for.

People who think doing it yourself is saving money often find the truth is “nothing ventured - nothing gained.”

And people who go bargain hunting when hiring a career services professional or choose someone based on the easier process end up being bridesmaids and losing many paychecks they could have earned if they invested a little more time money and effort up front rather than looking to make their investment on the back end.

For a free resume and social media critique forward your resume and contact information to perry@perrynewman.com

About the Author: Perry Newman
Perry Newman is a nationally-renowned job transition specialist who develops branded resumes and is a career coach for executives, professionals and MBA’s seeking six- figure positions in multiple industries within the USA.


As a Certified Placement Consultant, Certified Social Media Strategist and founder and former Managing Director of a NYC-based executive search firm, Perry has a rare combination of talent and experience that is essential for your success in today’s job market.


Acknowledged as a subject matter expert in his field Perry is a sought-after public speaker for radio, TV shows and career services seminars and his articles and blog posts are published in national newspapers, magazines and blogs throughout the nation and the world.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN A RESUME CRITIQUE

Do you have doubts and second thoughts about the quality and effectiveness of your resume?

Is it a boring fact sheet or a superior marketing document?

Does it showcase you as a polished professional or as a middle of the pack back burner candidate?  

Are you at your wits end on how to improve your submit-to-interview ratio?

 
If the answer to any or all of these questions is yes, you need to seek out a Subject Matter Expert or two to see what a seasoned professional has to say about the way you are presenting yourself.

But let’s be honest, professional resume writers do not all agree on what constitutes a great resume. However most of us agree that there are no hard and fast rules in resume writing and there is no one set format on how to present yourself.

So just like wise job hunters network and seek answers from other professionals on how to improve their job search efforts, so too should you seek answers on the quality of your resume and Linked-In image in order to improve the relevance and quality of your presentation.

So when choosing someone to critique your resume what should you expect?

Most people expect an email response with the SME’s comments in writing. What you should expect is a phone call to discuss the document with you in real time and tell you where it is on and where it is off point.

You should expect the person has a broad based understanding of the nuances of resume writing and how a resume for an accountant or financial analyst differs from the resume of a Controller or CFO; the resume of a sales person differs from the resume of an engineer; and how a the resume of a marketing or merchandising professional must stand out in order to attract the proper attention.

You should expect honesty and not a sales pitch, but you should also be prepared to be told if you are qualified to write your own resume or if you would be better served having someone do it for you professionally.

You should expect the person to listen to your concerns and give you constructive criticism rather than offering a standard stock opinion that applies to all.

So before you continue your trial and error attempt at resume writing, I suggest you get some 1-to-1 resume advice to supplement what you think you know and what your have learned online about how to write an effective resume.

Navigating a New Job Search when You are Already Employed

  As anybody who has attempted a successful job search will tell you, looking for a job can often feel like a full-time job in and of itself. When you already have a job but want to find a completely different one, time is the biggest issue, but other issues come into play as well, like hiding from your employer the fact that you are looking for work elsewhere. Here's some advice that help you get started on your job search without having to compromise the work you already do.

1. Set aside at least 1 to 2 hours every day after work, and make full use of your weekends.

There's no doubt about it—when you have a full-time job, you'll have to make time for finding a new job, and that means setting aside time each and every day. In my past experience, it's best to look through and apply for new job listings every single day for an hour or two after work. Spend your weekends doing job search-related tasks that take some more time, like tweaking your cover letter and resume, and honing your interview skills.

2. Spend more time networking and less time at job boards.

There'll come a point when you may realize that looking for work on Internet job boards is way more trouble than it's worth, especially considering that millions of people are applying for the same position. It's especially fruitless when you realize that most new jobs are acquired through referrals. And if most jobs are found through referrals, then you have to increase the visibility on the radar of those who can grant referrals. That means doing all you can to network. In fact, those two hours a day you spend looking for jobs on the Internet can often better be spent going out to industry conferences, young professionals organizations parties, etc., to scope out your prospects as you network.

3. Find at least two to three potential references from current or past jobs who won't spill the beans about your job search.

When you have a full-time job, it's always difficult to ask a boss or supervisor to act as references, because this necessitates them knowing you are looking for work elsewhere. Depending on where it is that you work currently, this may not go over so well. In lieu of asking your current boss, try asking someone else you work with who has some standing in the company, but won't care if you are trying to leave. You can also ask a past employer who knows what an excellent employee you are.

4. Be patient! Being employed gives you more time to find the job and the offer you truly want.

As they say, Rome was not built in a day. So too, jobs are not found instantly. Especially since you don't have as much time to devote to your job search, try to be content with waiting until something comes up. Since you have the good fortune of being on a steady income, don't take the first thing that comes at you. Wait until you get an offer that will truly be an upgrade of your current job, not just more of the same. Good luck!

Guest Post by Mariana Ashley:
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year; and for those in need I'm offering a 15% discount on my services up to January 7th.

One thing I notice is that person to person communication has started to become a lost art. So here are some Back To Basics suggestions to help your job search and career

1: When you are networking with people, especially those people you do not know very well and those you have never met and who don’t know your from Adam, try picking up the phone to reach out to them rather than email, text, IM’, Linked-In in-mail or other form of non verbal communication.

2: When you do establish a new contact follow up with this person that same week, and again do it using verbal rather than non-verbal communication.

3: Try something unique. Send people a paper copy of your resume and cover letter along with the electronic submission.

4: Send out hand written thank you notes and follow up cards.

5: When you reach out to people ask them how they are doing and what you can do to help them before you even begin to ask what they can do for you.

6: Start an ‘important date’ calendar this year. Mark down peoples birthday (and their kids), anniversary, the day they got a new job or were promoted, and other special dates. Then a week before the date arrives make sure to call them and/or send them a greeting card.

Author

Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com/, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

Use Common Sense In Your Job Search

Who is the MVP (most valuable person) in a successful business? In my opinion it is the VP of Common Sense.

Decision makers, especially in failing companies, have a multitude of advisors with their own agenda advising them.

They are also deluged with a dearth of conflicting information to further confuse their thought process and many allow their egos and emotions to sway their better judgement.

Come to think of it, this scenario sounds very similar how most job seekers I know conduct a job search.What these executives and job seekers need is to have a VP of Common Sense to help them achieve success.

So here are a few common sense tips I hope can help end your job search and get you back to work.

1: Spend more time on establishing a network of people you need to know than people you already know.

Networking is the most important part of any job search, and for many the most difficult. There is an emotional comfort zone networking with family, friends and present and former vendors, colleagues and coworkers. Now don’t get me wrong they are crucial, especially as advocates. But the key to your success is developing new contacts and getting introductions and establishing relations with well connected people you don’t know in your field. As always Linked-In is the perfect tool to use.

2: Determine what the odds are for your finding a job through a job board and that is the maximum amount of time and effort you should expend on this job search modality. In most cases this is 20% or less.

3: Your resume should be focused on who you want to be more than who you were. To do this you need to know your audience, build a profile of the candidate they want to hire, and leave out useless information no matter how much it may make you look good. This information is more likely to make you overqualified or a bad fit for the job than a leading candidate.

4: Make your resume a marketing document and not a keyword dictionary. Again, key words are important but the story you tell is more important. Focus on the quality of the content not the buzz words because most of your competitors do what you do, so you need to let people know why they should interview you and not someone else.

5: Don’t burn bridges behind you. Last week, I overheard a conversation between two men at a networking event where one asked the other why he did not recommend an unemployed former co-worker for a job at his new company that the former colleague was a perfect fit for. His answer was plain and simple. “ He gave me the cold shoulder when I was looking for a job and then bad mouthed me to a few people I know as being just an “OK” boss. Remember the old saying “lose lips sink ships.

I hope these common sense tips help.

Author:

Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com/, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.

CAREER PLANNING FOR 2012

As we approach the end of 2011 its time to reflect on the year that’s ending and plan for the upcoming year. So here are some tips on how to make 2012 a better year.

1: This is the time of year that everyone – whether you are happily employed, looking for a new job, unemployed or even if you recently began a new job – should update your resume. 

You should review 2011 month by month to see what you have accomplished over the past year, what new skills you have developed, what new technologies you have learned or become more proficient at and, most important you should qualify and quantify your accomplishments and achievements in 2011. Then determine if you need to add this information to your existing resume, or more likely use it to create a new, more dynamic resume for 2012.

2: Check to see whether you are likely to reach the point of diminishing returns in your career in the coming year if you maintain the status quo, or if you’ll remain safe for one more year. You will need to determine by yourself or with some personal or professional help if you will still be viable to move ahead internally or outside your company a year from now if nothing changes. Look at your current value to your company, the people ahead of you and at your level who want to move up to determine if you can remain static for another year and maintain career security.

3: Set a goal for where you see yourself at this time in 2012 and identify the additions you will need to reach this goal. If you are not sure, look at some job posting for this position and use my coding system.

Additions may include new formal education or certifications, technology or business skills, hands-on experience or a stronger level of expertise in a specific area, and additional contacts and advocates to help move your career in the right direction.

Education can be obtained by making a financial investment and contacts can be made through networking and relationship management. Experience on the other hand is something that you either need to work on internally or by finding a new job.

4: Update your social media profile and set a goal to become more social media savvy in 2012.

5: Look at the Linked-In groups you are a member of and leave the ones that you find worthless and join new ones that may be more valuable in terms of content, contacts, and brand recognition.

6: Increase your brand exposure. Set a goal to start or contribute to at least 3 Linked-In discussions a week and comment on each discussion more than once.

7: Increase your network, Set a goal to add at least 3 new contacts a week to your Linked-In or personal network and set a goal of attending 1 or more networking type events every month. This is good advice for each of you whether you are employed and looking for a new job.

8: Get recommended. Set a goal to add a minimum of 2 recommendations every month to your Linked-In page.

Author

Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com/, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

Why December Is The Best Time To Network

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

Just before midnight on New Year’s Eve there is a tradition in America, started in 1929 by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians during their New Year’s Eve broadcasts from the Waldorf Astoria, to sing this Scottish poem/folk song as we countdown the old year and bring in the new. The song begins by posing a rhetorical question, is it right that old times be forgotten, and is intended for us to remember friendships that have gone by the wayside over time.

The sentiment of the poem is prescient and especially for job seekers at this time of year. Sometimes “when you’re down and out and felling small” (thank you Simon & Garfunkel) as the holiday season gets into full swing you need to look back at your glory days to remind yourself how successful you were in the past, and how sooner or later you will return to where you rightfully belong. Hopefully this will help you refocus on the task at hand and what you need to do to get back on top.

Moreover I suggest that starting today you heed the poem’s clarion call and start to remember past relationships; the long-standing and the newer ones as well.

This is the time of year when it is common to reestablish lost relationships and reacquaint yourself with people from your past; and one of these people just might be the person who will furnish you with the lead or introduction you’re eagerly waiting.

So here are some suggestions;

1: If you’re not already on Linked-In, sign up today! Next make sure your profile is fully completed and you upload a picture (headshot preferred) that conveys the proper professional image you want to make.

2: Then spend 2-3 hours a day (or more) on Linked-In for the next 3 weeks looking for people, companies and jobs. Set a goal to find 10 people a day you knew but lost contact with and send them a personalized invite to Link-Up. It can not be generic, and should also include a request on how you can help them.

3: At the same time find at least 2 people every day on Linked-In who know you well enough to recommend you. You can start with the people you are connected to and then find new people. Set a goal of 20 recommendations between today and January 1, 2012.

4: Look up companies on Linked-In and see who works or worked there and connect with them as well.

5: This year start a Hallmark or a free online card account and send everyone you have an email address for a personalized Seasons Greeting card by December 15th at the latest. Then follow up with them if they don’t contact you first.

6: Now here is an idea, and I can not take credit for it, that is really neat. A few months ago I was invited to join a Facebook group begun by one of my fellow HS classmates for members of our graduating class. I barley remember Steven but I do keep in touch with Diane who sent me the link to join. He limited membership to only students in our graduating class since we had over 1,200 students in our senior class.

You may want to start such a group for you HS and college graduation class, and if you went to a smaller school expand it to include students from the year before and after you graduated; these are usually people who you knew quite well. Use Facebook, Linked-In and your online school alumni directory to find people to join. Send out invites and ask people you invite to reach out to fellow classmates they are still in touch with, or those they knew fairly well back in the day.

Once the group is going start networking. Ask people to discuss what they have done since graduation, what they do for a living now and how the group can help them if they are looking for a job. The rest will evolve naturally, and in our group we have at least 25 new postings every day, and a lot of friendships have been revived.

Author:

Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

The Great Resume Debate is Really a No Brainer…

 As you know, I’m an executive resume writer, career coach and blogger and I am not shy about sharing my views on the purpose of a resume, what to include and exclude in it, and especially how important visual appeal is to generating the impact and mass appeal needed to generate job interviews.

To this end, I’ve shared my thoughts on an individual basis with countless readers of this blog who emailed me their resume for a free resume review, and I look forward to exchanging views with many more of you in the weeks and months ahead.

Now about the great debate; recently a discussion on a Linked-In group debated whether it was worth the time and effort to create a visually appealing resume, or if a simple plain text resume would suffice. The initiator of the post was of the opinion that since both versions present the exact same information, there is no benefit to going through the time, effort and expense to enhance a resume’s visual appeal.

Taken at face value this is a valid point, and many who commented agreed. I vociferously disagree and said so in writing. However some responders said I only feel this way because I get paid to write resumes, so naturally my opinion is skewered.

So let me publicly state my case and you can judge for yourself if it is valid or prejudicial.

Last month I happened upon an acquaintance who is a marriage counselor. We got to talking and he said he had a story that would interest me.

Recently a woman came to him who was concerned about her marriage. He told me she works long hours at her job and takes care of a new baby and two other young children when at home. But she makes sure to have a home cooked meal for her husband at least three work nights a week. Most times she cooks his meals ahead of time and either freezes them or puts them in the fridge overnight and reheats it before dinner time. The problem she said is “my husband comes home from work and just picks at the meals and then leaves the table.” So my friend asked her “maybe he has a stomach problem or some ailment that prevents him from eating.” She replied, “No, there is no such problem. As a matter of fact he loves to eat. You should see him at weddings or when we attend frequent fund raising dinners. He sits down and savors those meals. Plus he insists we go out alone to a restaurant at least four times a month and there he finishes every last morsel on his plate.” The counselor was at a loss and did not know how to respond.

A few days later he arranged to casually run into the husband and engaged him in conversation. After the small talk he told the husband about his wife’s concern and asked “is your wife a bad cook, is that why you only nibble at the food she cooks at home?” The husband grinned and said “no, actually my wife is a great cook and most times her food tastes a lot better than the meals I get when we eat out.” Somewhat perplexed the counselor asked, “So why do you enjoy the meals so much when you go out to eat and just nibble at the food at home?”

The husband looked at him and said one word; “Presentation.” Asked to elaborate he said, “My wife means well. But she is so busy with work and the kids that when it comes time for my dinner the table is full of dirty dishes and stains on the tablecloth from the baby and the kids. And although she’s a magnificent cook she just sets out a pile of paper plates and disposable plastic cutlery and plastic cups on the table for me. On top of that the food is left on the table in Ziploc containers for me to serve myself.” “I know it’s wrong, but for some reason, as good as the food is at home it is not appealing, so I just nibble a bit. Now in a catering hall and the restaurants we go to without the kids the food may not be as tasty, but the presentation is elegant and the ambiance makes the dining experience 100% better than the food is.”

Now this might sound strange to you but it is not uncommon. As a matter of fact if you happen to watch Iron Chef, a show I love, you will notice that 1/3 of the score is based on taste, 1/3 on presentation and 1/3 on creativity. Do you know why? Because all the competing chefs are equally qualified, and the dishes they prepare are all delicious. But what differentiates them that night in the minds of the judges is their creativity in using the same ingredients along with the intangible appeal generated by the plating style. I am of the opinion that decision makers will judge one candidate’s resume against another’s in the same manner. The richer the presentation, the better the chance is of being called for an interview.

Now if that analogy does not work for you try this one.

You never saw Avatar in the movies so you rent it from Redbox. How do you think it would be most enjoyable to watch: on a vintage 50” Zenith B&W television with hi-fi sound, on a 9” Coby kitchen model color TV, or on a 42” Samsung 3-D HDTV with a Bose surround system. If you are like me the answer is, hands down, the later. Why? Because the Samsung 3-D HDTV offers the viewer the best presentation of the movie, therefore it is the preferred choice. Again, quality presentation trumps the competition.

If I have yet to convince you on the importance of presentation in a resume here is one final analogy I am certain most of you can relate to.

You have a brainstorm at work that you think will get you noticed and maybe even promoted. So naturally you want to champion it. You spend countless hours trying to pull it together. You create a foolproof strategic plan, research all the facts and figures, and look for any loopholes. The only problem is you never learned how to use PowerPoint or another presentation tool. However you’re too scared someone will steal your thunder so you refuse to ask for help because you are convinced the idea is so good it will sell itself.

Comes the big day and your boss brings the rest of her team along to participate in your presentation. A half-hour later you finish and ask if anyone has any questions and everyone is silent. A few days pass and you have yet to receive feedback. So when you see your boss in the cafeteria you ask her if it is Ok for you to sit down, and when you’re seated you ask her what she thought about your idea and presentation. She replies, “The idea is brilliant. However we thought your presentation skills are very weak and we asked Harry (your biggest rival in the company) to run with the idea because he can get stakeholder buy-in. We’re sure you’ll understand its best for the company.” You take a deep breath and say “But it is my idea, I should be leading the project.” To this she replies “You’re right it was a fantastic idea and we loved it. But based on your presentation we all felt you are not the right person for the job!” End of story; Harry goes on and leads the project, it succeeds, and he earns a promotion and is now your boss.

This is how it goes in the real world and how decision makers and hiring authorities think and how they will judge your resume against your competition. Now as a Brooklyn boy through and through, if you still don’t believe me that people value presentation above all else, “I have a bridge I’d like to sell ya.”

Author

Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

TIS THE TIME OF THE SEASON

The holiday season is almost ready to begin; a time of great joy for many but not for all.

I don’t know about you, but on the resume writing, military and business/industry Linked-In groups I follow the tone of some discussions is showing signs of despondency over the past few weeks.

I understand that many of those commenting online at this time of the year are simply frustrated about spinning their wheels and getting nowhere fast in their job search. Worse yet, many sound ready to give up looking for a new job completely thinking it’s a hopeless situation, and many of their peer responders are fortifying this opinion.

We all agree that times are tough. But job hunters need to keep the faith and work a lot smarter today then ever before, and some need to also work a little bit harder to achieve their goal.

So if you know a job hunter in a negative frame of mind, give them an early holiday present by tweeting this post and emailing to them as well..

Dr. Glenn Cunningham (1909-1988) was a world-record-holder in the mile race and an unlikely member of the 1932 and 1936 U.S. Olympic teams.

Cunningham was born in rural Kansas in 1909. As a very young boy his mother brought him up to believe in the American Dream and that he could accomplish whatever he wanted to in life as long as he never gave up trying.

Tragically, in 1916, Glen and his older brother Floyd were involved in an accidental fire in their schoolhouse. Glen’s older bother Floyd died in the fire while Glen was rescued, in excruciating pain, suffering from 3rd degree burns over his entire lower body and legs. Medicine being what it was in those days doctors told his mother he would likely not survive. They then told her if there was any chance for him to survive, since his legs were so badly burned they would need to amputate both legs. Mrs. Cunningham would not listen. She refused to accept their diagnosis or allow the amputation to happen.

Glen did survive this ordeal and when he returned home his mother massaged his legs day after day, putting on ointments to soothe the burns, and telling little Glen not to give up. She told him ‘no matter what the doctors, the neighbors or anyone says eventually you will not only walk again but you will run like all the other boys.’

Amazingly sensation began to return to his legs. One morning while sitting outside in his wheelchair during the summer of 1918, Mrs. Cunningham told Glen how proud she’d be if he would just walk to the fence 5 feet away. Glen smiled and said nothing. Then one morning she came out and saw Glen was holding on to the fence crying. In shock she asked him what happened. He said he wanted to make her so proud of him but he failed; he did not walk to the fence, he only took one step, fell, and then crawled on the ground the rest of the way. She broke down crying and told him how proud she was that he tried and succeeded. “You did not fail. This is just the first of many small steps you will take in life to reach your goals.”

That summer Glenn never gave up and soon he started to take one more step, and then another and soon he could walk to the fence on his own. Eventually Glen regained full strength in his legs by running. By the time he was 12, he had beaten all the local high school runners. His legs remained deeply scarred, however. Throughout his life, he would have to massage them and spend time doing long warm-up exercises in order to maintain circulation. In addition, his injuries meant that he could never run smoothly or efficiently; he compensated with endurance and strength.

Dr. Glen Cunningham attended the University of Kansas where he ran for the track team and in the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, he came in fourth in the 1500 meter race. In 1936 he again represented the USA, this time in the Berlin Olympics, as a teammate of another great world class athlete and role model, the great Jesse Owens. Glen later earned a master's degree from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Phys Ed from NYU.

Dr. Glen Cunningham is just one example of how you can beat any odds as long as you don’t stop trying. With a positive and realistic outlook, the help of one’s family and friends, and lots of perseverance and perspiration no goal is out of reach, no matter how hard it may seem today.

This story has been an inspiration to me and I hope it is for you as well.

Let’s not kid ourselves; job hunting is a hard task in this economy but in the end we will all succeed if we just do the right things and keep on trying with a positive frame of mind.

PS: Join me this Wednesday November 16 at 9 pm Eastern time on http://www.internetvoicesradio.com for an internet radio show with Tome Dezell in which we will discuss networking at this time of year. If you can't listen live, the show is available for download after live airing as well.


Author
Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

Open Your Eyes to the Job Search Reality

A most difficult and frustrating aspect of being a career coach and resume writer is telling people what they need to know, as opposed to telling them what they want to hear.

Especially when you need to tell them what they already recognize, or at the very least surmise to be the truth yet struggle to acknowledge and accept, or flat out refuse to admit.

Over the past year I’ve been in contact with countless people from coast to coast at all levels and in all professions. What I found is more individuals than I expected are totally unaware of, or still not accepting the new realties of the job market in the second decade of the new millennium. Plus many older people are still stuck in the so called glory days of the 20th century and await their return. Sadly they have a long wait as illustrated by Can you still move up in America? the cover story in Time Magazine [11/14/11] written by Rana Foroohar.

So when people in the know offer you the following advice; heed it rather than fight it.

1: If at this time you do not have the requisite skills and experience to get the job you are focusing on rethink what you are doing and why, and try finding a more realistic goal.

2: If your resume is outdated or lacks the proper focus don’t look to justify it just listen and ask how you can fix it.

3: If you no longer want a job in which you have the most recent and relevant experience and instead want to focus on jobs that require skills and experience you last used 5-20 years ago realize that this job search will take a lot longer than you might expect. Also job boards will offer you negligible results, and your resume may need to be unconventional in order to take the focus off how long it’s been since you last held and qualified for this position.

4. If you are expending the bulk of your job search efforts on resume posting, resume blasting and scouring jobs boards and applying for jobs online, stop. This is not the optimal use of your money, time and effort.

5: If you expect people in your network to advocate for you and pass your resume along to people in their company and people they know make sure it is eye-catching, properly worded and has relevance and the right focus.

6: If you do not understand how Social Media works have someone teach it to you.

7: Don’t dwell on why you can’t find a job, why people won’t interview you, why they won’t take your phone call, or on anything that is negative. Keep positive and look for answers on how you can make things happen in the future and don’t dwell on past failures.

8: Don’t justify being frugal because you don’t have a job. If you need additional education, certification or to gain valuable experience as an unpaid volunteer don’t procrastinate, do it. If you need a new interview outfit or a costly visit to the hair salon, need a professional resume and coaching, or need to join an organizations or attend valuable networking event, and then if you need to follow this up by taking someone who can help you out to lunch or dinner don’t think twice about it. Just do it.

Author
Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.

Client's Level or Desired Level...Getting It Right!

The following discussion was started last week by a veteran resume writer with MRW, ACRW, CPRW, CJSS, CCM, CEIP, JCTC credentials in a Linked-In group I am a member of. I think there is much for six figure executives, and those wanting to reach this level to ponder when choosing an Executive Resume Writer; and in determining if you’re truly qualified to write your own resume, if this is the option you are seriously contemplating in your job search at this time.

MRW, ACRW, CPRW, CJSS, CCM, CEIP, JCTC’s Discussion:

I have a client who is a Senior Director in a large corporation but wants to move up to an even more senior level somewhere. At this point, the resume I've drafted for him has, according to his former boss, raised him from appearing to be a lower level manager (his initial resume) "to director level in my mind, but not to a high level senior supply chain executive.

The ex-boss said it was "too specific in terms of numbers: ex. number of people managed, $$$ this and that...all mid-level stuff. Senior execs are all about defining and implementing strategies, building and leading teams to success, customer and supplier relationships, interaction with corp. execs...."

To a certain extent, I agreed and am making a few minor adjustments; however, I disagreed with his emphasis on doing what sounds to me like generalizing the areas that should be covered--if we don't give quantifiable, measurable or otherwise clearly valuable aspects to those areas, how does our client really send a stand-out message? After all, anyone can claim to do a good job in those areas, but not everyone really does them or does them well.

My Response:

Without seeing the document I think the ex-boss is telling you that your focus is off base.

A director level resume is not all about #’s and $’s and %’s. Rather this ex-boss hit it on the head, it is more about implementing strategies, building and leading teams to success, customer and supplier relationships, interaction with corp. execs etc.

I think you have a valid point wanting to give quantifiable, measurable or otherwise clearly valuable aspects of a client’s past to send a stand-out message. But this can be accomplished in many ways, not only with facts and figures.

Without seeing the work, I imagine the message your client, and you by extension are being given is not to make the main focus on the value your client brings to the table, but to focus on what the new employer is most interested in. In other words the desired level, not your client’s level, especially since facts and figures can often be misleading

A decision maker in the know, your client's ex-boss feels he and his peers are more interested in seeing what will make your client successful in the more senior role that they will hire him for as opposed to what made him a success in his previous role.

In my senior executive resumes I tend to agree with the ex-boss and concentrate less on the C-A-R points (challenge-action-results) and more on delineating the subtle points that are paramount for a senior executive and use several unique styles to do so.

MRW, ACRW, CPRW, CJSS, CCM, CEIP, JCTC’s GA’s Reply:

“Thanks for the excellent feedback. I’ll definitely give it serious thought. I think my biggest challenge is still how to make the kinds of points the former boss is recommending without having them sound like generic statements that could be made by a host of executives, so I’ll have to work on that.”

Job seekers, especially those who are unemployed, you know as well as I do that in this economy and marketplace there are a limited number of positions available that offer opportunities for upward growth, let alone an opportunity to secure a position at the same level you’re at or just left. Making matters more onerous, today’s candidate pool is oversaturated with qualified competitors. Therefore you need every advantage possible to get yourself noticed and generate interviews.

An executive resume is a much needed tool. However not all resume writers are equal; and most are not up to the task of crafting a marketing document that will resonate with a discerning audiences at this rarified level, no matter how many letters follow our name.

Most resume writers are excellent writing for recent graduates and low to mid-level personnel. Some specialize in certain technical industries such as IT or engineering and some are qualified to write resumes for a management and professional level clientele.

Still, there is a special talent and experience needed to craft an Executive Resume that only a select few resume writers possess. So if you go this route you need to due your due diligence in order to choose wisely.

Also, with this information in mind, if the vast majority of experienced, professional resume writers find it difficult to determine what exactly goes into an Executive Resume and how to pull it all together in terms of content, format, style and visual appeal, what are the odds that you are up to the task of writing your own Executive Resume?

Author

Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.