1. Build your network. You have heard that it’s not what you know, but who you know. The saying is even more true today than it ever has been. Statistics say that
2. Enhance your skills. What do you need to know that you don’t currently know? Do you need some training in a specific skill area or with a particular software program? Now is the right time to take a class or return to school for a program that will enhance your skills and abilities.
3. Develop a strong, compelling, memorable, and inspiring Unique Selling Proposition. Here’s link to a recent article on developing your “Elevator Pitch” that will be helpful for pulling together your USP.
4. Create a winning resume. Make sure you focus on developing a resume that highlights that which you are both capable of and willing to do in your next position. It should include a strong USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and clearly quantified results of your accomplishments.
5. Explore growing industries. Some of the industries sure to grow in 2009 are healthcare and alternative energy. What skills do you have that might be transferable to either of these industries?
6. Clean up your Internet presence. Do you have an account on Facebook? Plaxo? LinkedIn? Career Crossroads 2.0? Have you updated them recently? Do so now.

Obama’s innaguration is just 2 weeks away. Are YOU ready for the new jobs this new administration plans to create?

When he decided to become Mr. Rogers on t.v. I can imagine that it was a bit risky. I mean, who would have thought that doing this little show for kids on PBS would make him an American icon. He was probably laughed at. Heck, I probably laughed at him. It took courage for him to do this work, but it was what he loved. He WAS Mr. Rogers because he was Mr. Rogers.

Here’s a video of him from when he finished his career on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. It’s touching.

Mr. Rogers is my hero because he did what he loved all of his life.

Mr. Rogers is my hero because he encouraged us to do what we love.

How about you? Are you willing to take a risk and become who YOU really are? Are you ready to live you life’s passion? What are you waiting for?

The more I work with people to help them develop their career, the more strongly I believe that there is NO REASON why anyone in our culture should not be doing work they absolutely LOVE.  In fact, I will go so far as to say, “If you don’t LOVE your job, quit!”

Now I realize that this is a radical statement, and that most people will ignore me.  Some might even get angry.  But I’m willing to stand firm in my mission until EVERYONE IN AMERICA finds their perfect career.  Even in this economy.

As a Career Consultant with an international outplacement firm I work with lots of people who have recently been laid off or downsized.  Once they get past the initial shock of not having a job, many of them tell me that getting laid off is actually a blessing.  They haven’t been happy in their current position for a long time.  Many haven’t been happy for years.  They have wanted to make a change, but they’ve become complacent and comfortable.  NOW they have an opportunity to do what they’ve always wanted to do.  Some decide to change careers.  Others retire or work for non-profit organizations.  Some stay in their industry and find a company whose corporate culture is more in line with their own personality.  Losing a job can be devastating, but for many of my clients they also find it life-giving.

That’s why I’m on this mission.  Wouldn’t it be better if you quit now and go find your perfect career before you are forced to?  What if you had a chance to do some UP-PLACEMENT before your company forced you into outplacement?  Well, you have that chance NOW.

I’m on a mission to help everyone in America find their perfect career.  So, if you don’t love your job, quit. Take a risk and see where it leads you.  I bet you will be happier for it!

OLD STYLE — we used to think of a resume as simply an accounting of the jobs we have held over our career-life.  The old style of resume (the one I was taught to put together in college) focused on describing what you did on the job.  It was heavily dependent upon responsibilities and was more of a job description.

NEW STYLE — the new style of resume places heavy emphasis on helping your potential employer see how hiring you will bring them a return on that “investment.”  This new resume style is all about results and achievements.  How will you help your potential employer make or save money?

Here are some tips for making your OLD STYLE RESUME into a NEW STYLE RESUME:

1. Begin with a clear Career Objective.  This should be your USP — Unique Selling Proposition.  It should be written to entice a potential employer to read the rest of the resume.  Use their language and be sure to let them know what you will DO for them.
2. Quantify results.  Give quantified examples of what you have done in the past.  Use numbers to express the scope and quantity of your previous work.  Use specific examples that will be helpful to your potential employers.
3. Get LinkedIn and get recommendations.  The Internet has made it easier for you to submit hundreds of resumes.  Conversely, it has made it more difficult for hiring managers and HR personnel to sort through the hundreds of resumes they receive for each posting.  ANSWER?  LinkedIn.  Get recommendations from former co-workers, clients, bosses, etc. and they will help you cut through the clutter.

The OLD STYLE of resume is out.  If you want to get yourself seen by potential employers you must upgrade your resume to show them what you can do for THEM.  The NEW STYLE of resume is the way to go.

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Fellow Toastmaster Jim Nudelman has a simple 4-step process for writing an Elevator Pitch — a 10-15 second focused introduction of your “value proposition” that can be given in an elevator when someone asks, “tell me about yourself.” Jim (”the Noodle” as he is known to friends and family) is an experienced National Sales Trainer, so he should know something about putting your best foot forward to capitalize on a brief window of opportunity. Here’s his process:

Step 1 — Begin with an ACTION PHRASE that is NOT a noun. (”I am a ______________” — but don’t use a “label” in the blank.  You don’t want people to put you in a box.)

Step 2 — Add a one sentence statement about what you DO. (”I do _________________” — What do you help people or businesses do?)

Step 3 — Give a statement of the SPECIFIC IMPACT. (”People who utilize my process find _________” — list one or two things from the perspective of your potential employer.)

Step 4 — End with a CALL TO ACTION. (”I am looking to be introduced to _______________” — be specific!  If you ask for something non-specific you are likely to get it.  What good it that?)

Here’s Jim’s elevator pitch and contact information:

“My name is Jim Nudelman. I am a master of building relationships. I teach sales professionals how to build and grow their business. Sales professionals who have attended my workshops have increased their business by as much as 50%. Please introduce me to people not companies looking to build and grow their business.”

James Nudelman, National Sales Trainer
503-939-4715
jnudelman1@yahoo.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/thenoodle

It’s a simple formula that works! Try it and you will notice a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of your self-introduction that we call your “elevator pitch.”

If you are currently unemployed, you may find yourself long on time. Several of our clients find themselves in this situation. There is only so much you can do on the job search as you wait for formal and informational interviews. You have networked yourself do death, now what?

On top of that you may feel a pinch in the pocketbook. Your income is not what it was this time last year. Yet, the non-profit organizations and Salvation Army bell ringers ask for your donation. You have given in the past, but this year things are different. What can you do?

We recommend you think about volunteering! That’s right, give away your time. You don’t have extra money to give, but you do have extra time. Find an organization that you have given to in the past and ask if you can volunteer.

Soup kitchen? Perhaps you can cook or serve. Food pantry? Go sort the donations. Elderly assistance programs need drivers to get patients to the doctor, and churches need volunteers to help with all sorts of things during this holiday season.

Here are some of the benefits of volunteering:

1) You get out of the house and away from the phone. It can be depressing to sit and wait for that darn thing to ring!

2) You extend your network with other who have similar interests – maybe even some who know of a job opening!

3) You get to do good. That enhances your stamina and self worth.

4) It MAY even turn into a job. Many people have gotten a job out of their volunteer activities.

So if you are short on money, but long on time this holiday season, take some of that time and give it away! Your skills are needed and will be welcome!

Happy Holidays!

“Most illustrious Lord, having now sufficiently seen and considered the proofs of all those who count themselves master and inventors of instruments of war, and finding that their invention and use of the said instruments does not differ in any respect from those in common practice, I am emboldened without prejudice to anyone else to put myself in communication with your Excellency, in order to acquaint you with my secrets, thereafter offering myself at your pleasure effectually to demonstrate at any convenient time all those matters which are in part briefly recorded below,

1. I have plans for bridges, very light and strong and suitable for carrying very easily…
2. When a place is besieged I know how to cut off water from the trenches, and how to construct an infinite number of…scaling ladders and other instruments…
3. If because of the height of the embankment, and the strength of the place of its site, it should be impossible to reduce it by bombardment, I know methods of destroying any citadel or fortress, even if it is built on rock.
4. I have plans for making cannon, very convenient and easy of transport, with which to hurl small stones in the manner almost of hail…
5. And it is should happen that the engagement is at sea, I have plans for construction many engines most suitable for attack or defense, and ships which can resist the fire of all the heaviest cannon, and powder and smoke.
6. Also I have ways of arriving at a certain fixed spot by caverns and secret winding passages made without any noise even though it may be necessary to pass underneath…a river.
7. Also I can make covered cards, safe and unassailable, which will enter the serried ranks of the enemy with artillery, and there is no company of men at arms so great as not to be broken by it. And behind these the infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition.
8. 8. Also, if need shall arise, I can make cannon, mortars and light ordnance, of very beautiful and useful shapes, quite different from those in common use.
9. Where it is not possible to employ cannon, I can supply catapults, mangonels, traps and other engines of wonderful efficacy not in general issue. In short, as the variety of circumstances shall necessitate, I can supply an infinite number of different engines of attack and defense.
10. In time of peace I believe that I can give you as complete satisfaction as anyone else in architecture, in the construction of buildings both public and private, and in conducting water from one place to another.
11. Also I can execute sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay and also painting, in which my work will stand comparison with that of anyone else whoever he may be.
12. Moreover, I would undertake the work of the bronze horse, which shall endure with immortal glory and eternal honor the auspicious memory of the Prince of your father and of the illustrious house of Sforza”

What strikes me as most impressive (and perhaps most instructive for job seekers) is the way in which Leonardo highlighted his talents to meet the needs of his potential employer(s).  Leonardo most enjoyed painting and scupting — it’s what he is MOST known for these days (think of the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.”)  However, he doesn’t mention that until # 11 in his list!  That’s because he knew Sforza was looking for someone who could provide assistance with his military and building affairs.

Did it work?  Go to Milan, Italy and you will see that Leo did indeed get the job!  What can YOU learn about your job search from Leonardo DaVinci?

This makes me think of my grandmother.  She played the piano and organ when she was a young woman, but as she aged her fingers became grossly disfigured by arthritis.  She stopped playing because her hands hurt so badly.   However, one day I was with her when she spotted a piano in the corner of a friend’s house.  She walked over and began to play as if she had never quit — a bit slower than her old days, perhaps, but she hit every note.  She hadn’t played the piano for years, but the connections in her brain that told her hands what to do never went away.  She was able to call upon them years later.  The human brain is indeed amazing!

What is true for networks in the brain, is also true for the personal networks we make with friends and colleagues.  Even if we haven’t talked to a network contact in years, the contact never goes away.  Now, mind you, you may have to mend a fence or two if you have left that relationship due to some sort of conflict. But most of the connections we make fall into dis-use because of a lack of proximity of time or space.  Our lives move off in different directions and we lose the connection we once had with the other person.

The good news is that those connections are never REALLY lost.  They can be re-engaged a just a few minutes if you want.

So, here’s what I suggest.  Look through your rolodex, facebook friends, or LinkedIn contacts.  Find a person or two that you haven’t had contact with in awhile, and shoot them an email or give them a phone call.  We all have a few connections that we haven’t talked to in a while — maybe even in years! I’m sure that you will find it rather easy to re-connect with those people.  You may even learn something new and exciting as you catch up with each other.

What are you waiting for?  Why not make it a habit of refreshing one network each week?  You will be suprised at how quickly those contacts re-connect, and you will BOTH be glad you did!

Here are some of the statistics:

• 44% said their career aspirations are supported by a system for career development through their employers.
• Nearly half (38%) felt that their employers are only concerned about the career development of their “high potential” employees.
• 30% feel their employer is not committed to helping them achieve personal career goals.

Why does this matter?

Well, it matters for both employers and employees.  The coming years will see a shortage of talent in the workforce due to retirement of Baby Boomers.  Most companies have not yet developed a succession plan (42%) or only have an informal plan in place (29%) to meet their needs.  If employees are not given assistance to enhance their career within their current companies, they may find it necessary to move to a different company that provides these services.  Failing to provide programs for retaining and developing employees is a clear case of myopia.  Companies who do not step up to this challenge will find it difficult to keep their brightest and best employees.

It matters to employees, because in today’s work environment you can plan on changing careers every three to 5 years.  You are responsible for “You, Inc.”  Nobody else will manage your company (”You, Inc.”) for you, so the smart money is on managing your own career development.

There are several things YOU, as an employee, can do to enhance your own career from both inside and outside the organization.  Here are a few great suggestions:
1 - Consult your HR or Training department to find out what is offered through your current company. SHRM says that “a lot of unhappiness over career development programs is a communication issue.”
2 - Look elsewhere for career development opportunities.  Check out the local chapter of your professional organization to see what certification or continuing education classes are offered.
3 - Get a degree.  Your employer may offer some form of tuition assistance for this.  Check your employee manual or ask your HR department.
4 - Change companies.  Chances are good that your company’s competitors care more about their employees than yours does.  Why not take a look at working for them?

Are you one of the 44% of employees who feel their employers do not support your career development needs?  If so, what will you do to enhance your own career goals?