Career Advice Published Articles

You wake up one day realizing that you are in the midst of career transition. You gulp hard. Suddenly you can't breath. You are convinced a panic attack is now in progress and fear has suddenly overwhelmed you. Will you decide to pull the covers over your head or get up and face the day?

Career transition is not easy. Losing a job for any reason creates extreme havoc in your life. Not to mention disruption to the family, friends and finances that support you. However, change is constant and all else revolves around it. And, with change comes the overwhelming feeling of fear.

So, we choose not to change because it is warm, secure, familiar and predictable. You already know how to "handle it" when you are familiar with the situation or can predict it. However, when fear kicks in, nothing is familiar and you can't predict anything. During transition, it's important to recognize the major role fear plays in impacting your success or failure in any given situation.

Here are some tips on conquering that unwanted fear. I'll evaluate each one and describe to you how to embrace these fears rather than let the fear control your life impacting your career success.

Fear of the unknown is the feeling of "stepping into the abyss," or any other excuse that keeps us in the "known." With fear of the unknown, any change suddenly creates an uncomfortable feeling. Thereby causing you to retreat deeper into the comfort areas of your life. By choosing to step into the so called abyss, you begin to take steps to "stretch" outside your comfort zone, expanding it and ultimately creating personal and professional growth.

Fear of failure and fear of success go hand in hand. You're afraid you will fail and even set yourself up for failure because you don't take the risk to seek success. Fear of success creates a retreating back vs. a moving forward effect, thereby, allowing the fear of failure to take over and impact your success. Once this happens, you become so consumed with the fear of failure that you manifest it. Ultimately achieving that which you fear. Develop your risk taking skills to seek success by learning how to stretch outside your comfort zone.

Fear of rejection is very common in career transition, and really in all aspects of life. When the job search begins, rejection runs high because the individual feels that it is something they did or said to be rejected as the ideal candidate.

Sales professionals handle rejection daily and most of us figure they're successful because they have developed a tough skin. Maybe they have. But, whether you are a sales professional or not, rejection becomes personal only when you allow it. By not personalizing the rejection, you no longer can feel rejected. Learn to detach yourself from the rejection. This takes some practice, and obviously works when demonstrated by sales professionals who enjoy and are successful at cold calling.

There are many reasons why you will allow fear to rule your life. Take the time to assess your own personal situation and evaluate how fear plays a role. Why do you fear change when fear can (and should) become a welcome friend during a time of transition?

Do I recognize the role fear plays in my transition?
By evaluating my situation, am I aware of the impact fear creates on my success?
Do I understand why I feel the way I do about fear of the unknown, fear of failure/fear of success and fear of rejection?
Am I willing to take the necessary steps to do something about my fears?
What are the alternatives if I choose not to allow fear to rule my life?

If you chose to embrace the fear and walk through it, you'll notice that fear eventually becomes non-existent. When this happens, fear turns into positive energy and you then begin to achieve your dreams. If you choose not to embrace fear, then this is as good as it gets. Conquering fear comes with taking that first step - walking through the fear and getting to the other side.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
IN THE JOB SEARCH

Do you feel stuck in your job search and not sure which direction to turn? Are you sending resumes and getting no response? Do you feel like you're spinning your wheels? You say you've tried everything, but feel stalled?

Many job seekers know when the job search stalls, self doubt sets in, thereby becoming discouraged and accepting positions that pay less than what you've previously earned. Your self confidence falls, and you are convinced there is something wrong with you personally.

But wait, there is hope for job seekers whose search gets off track. Learn how to get back on track in the job search with these few steps:

We usually get off track because our personal life is out of balance, and now in the job search we're especially feeling out of sync. It is the perfect time to create balance. This is easier said than done. If you're like most people, you're good at taking care of everything else in your life but you. Consider what you've done for yourself lately. What steps have you taken to achieve personal goals, maintain a positive attitude or boost your self-esteem? By focusing on your personal needs, you'll reactivate rewarding hobbies or start new ones, begin exercising or socializing more and build other areas that you've neglected. Living a balanced life will greatly improve your outlook in the job search.

Dust off old goals or set new ones. Realize that to achieve them, you must develop a plan of action and stick to it. If you feel you'll never get what you want, perhaps you need to work on your self-esteem. Analyze your self talk. Personal conversations that take place inside your mind may be productive or destructive to your job search success. If you constantly undermine yourself and say you won't succeed, you won't. Your confidence needs raising. It isn't surprising that during a job search, most job seekers say their self esteem is at its lowest. Recognize the need for increased self esteem and begin to develop a positive attitude before the next job interview.

Prepare yourself for the next interview and it will help the interview process go smoother. Consider developing answers to difficult questions, especially ones that may stump you during the interview. Formulate your answers to questions about your strengths, weaknesses and long-term goals.

Be ready the next time an interviewer asks, "tell me about yourself" by preparing (and polishing) a two minute commercial. This concise summary describes your abilities, skills and qualifications for the available position, and describes why you're the best candidate. Such a commercial will vary based on the position for which you are applying. For example, when interviewing for a sales job, you will want to focus on your sales skills by saying, "I personally increased sales within a designated territory by 128% the first year, with annual sales increases of 30% or more thereafter."

However, if you are seeking a national sales manager position, modify your commercial and say, "I successfully developed, trained and motivated a national sales force to achieve and often exceed the company's sales goals by 140% and increased national accounts by 42% or more annually."

Prepare your responses to the inevitable questions about salary. Then, if asked about your salary requirements, respond by asking, "What have you budgeted for the position." If your salary expectations are higher than the company's proposed range, be ready to state your reasons why you're worth more.

After the next interview, review your answers and comments in the car on the way home. Do some answers need refining? Did you suddenly feel at a loss for words? Constructively critique your performance after each interview. Compliment yourself for a job well done, but know what you would change for the next time. Note three things that you would do differently for the next interview.

Planning daily activities in a job search can be overwhelming. Calendar your time with working on the resume, scheduling interviews, attending networking functions and following up on leads. However, always plan the next day's activities so that you'll use your time wisely. Remember too, maintain balance in your life while in the job search by building a little fun into your day. By following these few simple steps, you'll be back on track before you know it.

Dynamite Resumes Give Visual Impact and Verbal Appeal

First impressions are lasting ones, and your resume is the first impression a prospective employer has of you. Before you are even considered for the job or called for an interview, decisions are made about your abilities, skills and potential for promotion, all from the most important marketing tool available - your resume. How can you have a dynamite resume that will get you the interview?

Visual impact stimulates the reader to read the resume. The first few seconds are vital to the employer who says, "WOW, I want to read further" or "UGH, who's next!" Using dense paragraphs for work history is an excellent example of "UGH, who's next!" If your resume can't pass a quick visual glance, you've lost the employer.

Let's compare the visual presentation of your resume to window shopping. Look at your current resume with a quick glance. Pay attention to where your eye goes first, and then where it follows. What impacts you at first glance? What is standing out, and grabbing the attention of the reader? Where does your eye follow after the initial visual impact? What is important at a glance and what isn't, and ask yourself why? This visual exercise can indeed make a difference in preparing your resume once you understand the course the eye follows as it travels across the page.

Verbal appeal follows the visual impact of the resume, and the verbal content matters only after the visual impact sells the reader.

Know the direction you want to take your resume before preparing it. Are you focused on what your career goals are, and will that be evident to the reader? What position are you applying for? Clearly state your objective in short, concise terms. BE SPECIFIC in what you want. Stay away from lengthy and vague statements such as: "seeking a challenging position that will maximize my education and background skills, offering challenge and a long term growth potential with an established company." Get right to the point by stating your objective, such as: "Management" or "Sales and Marketing."

Summarize your qualifications, skills and accomplishments - relevant to the industry or direction of choice. If your background is manufacturing and you are pursuing telecommunications, indicate your skills, qualifications and achievements relevant to telecommunications. You say you don't have any achievements in the new industry? Show additional education in the new field, list volunteer activities or an organization you are a member of in the new industry.

Education is a sensitive area for all job seekers. If you have a degree, flaunt it. When you have no college degree, list the education you have relevant to the direction you are pursuing. When applying for a management position with a local publishing firm, a real estate education/license is not relevant. But your B.S. in Business Administration is. When you have some education but no degree, it is to your benefit to state: "completed courses in business management, marketing and customer service."

The rule of thumb for showing professional experience is to include your work history for the last 10 years, and relevant to your career direction. If your background includes extensive management and operations experience, and you're now pursuing sales and marketing, show your experience, strengths and achievements in a sales-oriented context. Otherwise your reader may only see you in a management and operations setting and not transfer you to the new direction. Make it easy for the reader by showing your experience, strengths and transferable skills in terms of the new career direction. Stay away from telling your life history. Give the prospective employer reason to interview you.

Use bullet points throughout the resume so the reader can quickly see your selling points. Keep the bullet points to one line if possible.

Provide your hobbies and interests ONLY if it relates to the position or if the duties and responsibilities of the job encompass such interests. Examples include teachers who have an opportunity to coach students, or an aerobics instructor who also teaches dance or health and nutrition seminars.

Many times I think there are additional pages to a resume when I don't see visual closure to it. In today's fast paced business environment, tell the reader there are no more pages by stating "Reference Available Upon Request."

Dynamite resumes are achieved by combining visual impact and verbal appeal, marketing you to prospective employers. The results will surprise you - with interviews and ultimately job offers.

INGREDIENTS FOR COVER LETTERS THAT SELL

Job seekers often ask, "do I really need to send a cover letter with my resume?" Most don't understand the necessity in providing the added paper, or spending additional time to customize a formal letter.

The rule of thumb when applying for a job is always send a cover letter along with the resume. It offers a professional touch, but most importantly, gives you a chance to introduce yourself as the ideal candidate. Some examples of when to include a cover letter are: applying to classified ads, when you are referred to someone, when you are following up on a job lead, when you are applying through direct mail or cold calling letters or to a company you've researched just to name a few.

With a cover letter, you have the perfect opportunity to discuss your reasons for changing careers, how your transferable skills will work in the new industry, or point out specific qualifications that you possess in relation to the position for which you are applying.

The basic ingredients to a cover letter include: an introduction of how you heard about the job, your strengths relevant to the position and closing the letter with asking for the interview.

Your cover letter should be short, to the point, and accompany each resume. Utilize action words, bullet points and summarize your strengths in the cover letter. Don't make the reader think, "does this applicant have these skills?"

Know the skills that a company is seeking in an applicant in order to customize your cover letter. Look at the job requirements listed in the ad or job announcement. Do you have these skills. Describe them to the reader as your strengths in the cover letter.

Recently, a job seeker faxed me a two-page cover letter and a three-page resume asking, "Help! I'm getting no interviews from my resume and cover letter, please critique and tell me what I'm doing wrong." In today's fast paced world, more pages doesn't mean an employer will give you more review time. Keep the cover letter to one page as well as the resume.

Recognize that you are one of many (sometimes hundreds) of applicants, and the human resource person will quickly scan the cover letter and resume, deciding in a matter of seconds whether you are invited to an interview. Grab their attention with bulleted points matching your skills with the job requirements.

Always date your letter. Address the letter exactly as you see in the ad, including job numbers or codes. Employers are looking for your ability to take instruction, so follow the instructions exactly. If the ad states a person's name, use it in the salutation.

Have a couple of standard formats for a cover letter ready to go so you can add your strengths relevant to the advertised position. A sales representative will want to list strengths such as: product knowledge, developing a market niche and solid cold calling techniques. However, when applying as a secretary, he/she would emphasize skills such as: ability to handle multiple projects, administrative or clerical skills along with computer knowledge and typing speed.

When you are asked to address salary requirements or salary history, you must choose whether you want to provide this information. This is a risky decision for you as the applicant. By providing your salary requirements or past salary information, you may be pricing yourself out of the market because your requirements are not within the company's budgeted amount, or you made too much money or not enough in past positions. However, I DO NOT recommend overlooking the request for salary information. If you choose not to state actual dollar figures, use the phrase, "I would be happy to discuss my salary requirements (or salary history) during the interview process." Regardless, you run the risk of not following instructions and some employers require this information as part of the screening process.

You certainly walk a fine line during the job search. Recognize there are many opportunities presented to you during a job search, it's your option to seize those opportunities and turn them into job offers. With a positive attitude, a tailored cover letter, and an effective resume, do what you do best and show a prospective employer why you are the best candidate for the job.

Getting Back on Track In The Job Search

Dynamite Resumes Give Visual Impact and Verbal Appeal

Ingredients For Cover Letters That Sell

Conquering Fear in Career Transition

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
IN THE JOB SEARCH

Dynamite Resumes Give Visual Impact and Verbal Appeal

INGREDIENTS FOR COVER LETTERS THAT SELL

Getting Back on Track In The Job Search

Dynamite Resumes Give Visual Impact and Verbal Appeal

Ingredients For Cover Letters That Sell

Conquering Fear in Career Transition

GETTING BACK ON TRACK IN THE JOB SEARCH

Dynamite Resumes Give Visual Impact and Verbal Appeal

INGREDIENTS FOR COVER LETTERS THAT SELL

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
IN THE JOB SEARCH