Will Your Contacts Be There When You Need Them?

May 26, 2009 by 1 Comment

I moderated a networking panel recently where the first question during the Q&A period came from a woman in the audience who said, “I’ve been looking for a job for a while and trying to improve my computer skills in the meantime, but I haven’t been able to find anything. What should I do?”

One of my fellow panelists said something I generally agree with, which is to find people who know you and your work and ask them for help, either in getting the word out about your need or helping to connect with you with others you should know.

None of us were prepared for her response: “They’re all dead.”

Okay, next question….Anyone? Anyone?

Yes, the woman was well into middle age, but could ALL the people she knew be dead, or were maybe some just avoiding her?

Being able to get help from your network when you need it is where the rubber meets the road in relationship building. Whether you were too busy working on your own personal stuff that you didn’t make time to build relationships, or you built them and lost touch with them, or you built them and burnt them, the end result is the same: at some point in your life when you need supporters, you won’t have them.

So what should you do instead?

First, make the time. Now. Today. Don’t wait. Let’s face it, none of us “have” the time for things we’re supposed to do that might be good for us, like drinking eight glasses of water a day, doing 30 minutes of cardio five times a week, or sending cards to our relatives on their birthday. You have to make the time in your schedule on a consistent basis to nurture the relationships you already have, get to know the people you work with everyday, and get out there in person and online to add new contacts. (Read my prior post Can’t Afford the Time
to Network? for tips on how you can accomplish a lot in just a 30-minute block of time.)

Second, become more attractive. Not in your physical appearance, but in your knowledge, skills, attitude, and of course, your personal brand. Many times people will help you because it makes them look good to recommend a strong candidate. It’s much harder to get that help, however, if you’re middle of the road. You can’t go back and change your college transcript or the last 15 years of your work experience, but you can move forward and develop new accomplishments. Get involved with something new–a project, a movement, anything–to build new skills and create new experiences that you can talk about.

Third, focus your goal. You can spread yourself too thin by trying to cover too many bases. “I’d like to get into the healthcare field as a research manager, but I’m also thinking about opening a Subway sandwich franchise, or maybe teaching astronomy to high school students.” If you go in with that elevator pitch, you’ll lose people quickly. Even if you do have multiple passions, lead with the one you’re most excited about and which has the greatest potential (hopefully there’s an overlap). That way, rather than flit from event to event, you can spend more time in one place, meet more people when you’re there, have deeper conversations, and build closer connections.

Your success with reconnecting with old contacts and getting their help depends less on how much time has elapsed, and is more a function of the strength of the relationship when you last saw each other, the person you are now, and the clarity and specificity of what you’re looking for.

HOW you ask for that help is also critical and we’ll discuss “The Art of the Ask” in next week’s post. Stay tuned.

Read the original post on Personal Branding Blog

 

Filed Under: Career Advancement, Job Search Networking, Job Security, Personal Branding, Reactivating Contacts Tagged With: , , ,

Inside Secrets for Nailing That Job Interview: Liz Lynch Grills Corporate Recruiter Jeff Dunn (Live Teleseminar)

May 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment

It’s hard enough to get an interview these days, so once you’re in the room you definitely want to make it count! I plucked an expert out of the field to get the INSIDE SCOOP on what recruiters are looking for when interviewing job candidates.

If you want to stand out in this ultra competitive job search environment, you won’t want to miss a single moment of the next Smart Networking Teleseminar series as I interview corporate recruiter and interview expert Jeff Dunn on the topic of…

 * * Get that Job Offer! Inside Interviewing Tips from a Corporate Recruiter * *

This session will provide key insights on how to “ace” your next interview. You will learn specific strategies on how to answer tough questions and promote yourself as a great fit for the position. This is what you need to know to impress a recruiter no matter what industry you’re in:

  • Have an agenda — the most important interviewing tip
  • Building success stories
  • Interviewing the interviewer!
  • How to prepare before the interview
  • How to follow-up after the interview

The event is free to attend LIVE and unlimited access to the recording will be available for only $14.97 (a steep discount off the regular price of $37!). Please choose the option that works best for you:

Option 1) ALL ACCESS PASS: Click here to get LIVE access to the event AND Unlimited Access to the audio replay after the call:

I want an ALL ACCESS pass to this teleseminar, including the audio recording


Option 2) LIVE EVENT ONLY: Register here to listen to the teleseminar LIVE on May 20 at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, 4pm Pacific). If you think you’d like a copy of the audio replay for any reason, please choose Option 1 above. 

Enter your name and a valid email address, then click “Send Me the Details” to have all of the teleseminar information emailed to you.







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Attending the teleseminar is FREE; register above to get access to the call-in details. 

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EVENT: Liz Lynch interviews corporate recruiter and interview expert Jeff Dunn

DATE: Wednesday, May 20 2009
TIME: 7:00 PM Eastern (6:00 PM Central, 5:00 PM Mountain, 4:00 PM Pacific)
FORMAT: Join us from the comfort of your home or office. Listen via phone or the Internet through a live webcast. No special software is required, you just need a telephone OR a computer with an Internet connection.

COST: It’s FREE to attend the LIVE event! However, you must register to get the call-in number and webcast details. Audio recording will be available after the call if you can’t be with us live. Reserve your copy here:

About Jeff Dunn
Jeff Dunn has over 18 years of corporate recruiting experience. He currently works as a Senior Recruiter in the semiconductor industry. Jeff was the 2008 President of the Sacramento Area Human Resource Association. Jeff received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. Jeff has been featured on NPR, in the Sacramento Bee, and he is a regular guest on the television show Sacramento & Company. He regularly speaks at universities and throughout the community in Northern California on effective job search strategies. 
Contact Jeff at www.sahra.org (Sacramento Area Human Resource Association). 
Jeff’s recent TV segments are archived at www.sacandco.net
or connect with him on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Teleseminars & Training Tagged With: , , ,

Want to Get Others Interested in What You Do? Tell Them What’s In It For THEM

May 10, 2009 by 1 Comment

Ever feel like you’re speaking a completely different language when you’re relaying your branding message or elevator pitch to others? Even when you deliver it coherently without stumbling over your words, something seems to be lost in the translation because people just aren’t “getting it?”

What’s often lost in the translation, what others aren’t understanding is, “What’s in this for me?”

What’s in it for me?

Defining your brand and differentiating yourself are important, but at the end of the day, people won’t buy from you or hire you unless they understand how they will benefit. And while you can make the translation easily and automatically in your own head because you’re so familiar with your work, it’s a shift that’s not so easy to make for someone hearing it for the first time (or even the second or the third).

So no matter how enthusiastically and cleverly you are broadcasting, “Here’s who I am and what I do, shouldn’t everyone want this?” potential clients, hiring managers, and networking contacts are waiting to hear, “How can this help me or someone I know?”

Speed up the understanding

How do you relay your brand message so that others see the value more clearly? Here are four ideas that can speed the absorption of your message:

Focus less on what you do and more on what your target market gets. How specifically will their life or business change once you’re in the picture? Will they make more money, decrease risk, save time or hassle? For example, don’t just say, “I’m a financial analyst” but instead say, “I help companies make more money with their investments.”

Go into more detail using examples. Since a good percentage of the population is visual, sometimes telling a story can illustrate the benefit much more clearly. You can describe a problem that you faced and the result that was gained. For example, “The company was spending money in marketing that wasn’t bringing them any customers. I worked with them to invest in programs that brought in new customers and eventually tripled their revenues.

Tie it into their specific situation. You can make a stronger impact with your message by linking it to a pain or problem the other person is already familiar with. Before you answer the “What do you do question” say, “Well, there are a number of ways I help depending on the situation, so I’ll give you an example. What industry are you in?”Then go right into a story or even an analogy they’re more likely to relate to.

Make more information readily available. When you have a great connection with someone at a networking event or even across the Twitterverse, being able to refer them to your blog with articles you’ve written and case studies that describe some of your work can help them solidify their understanding over time and at their own pace. This takes the pressure off of that initial interaction to keep talking about what you do until they get it, giving you more time to focus on getting to know them better and building a rapport which is so much more important.

It’s not enough to be passionate about your personal brand. You have to get others to be passionate about it too. Supplement your tag line, branding message, and elevator pitch with elements that touch people closer to home and your transmission will be more readily received.

Read the original post in Personal Branding Blog

 

Filed Under: Building Your Business, Career Advancement, Job Search Networking, Marketing Yourself, Personal Branding, Success Principles, Targeting Your Audience Tagged With: ,

4 Ways to Inject Self-Confidence Into Your Personal Brand

March 27, 2009 by 2 Comments

Part of promoting your personal brand effectively is to radiate a confidence that draws people in and makes them want to find out more about you. Then if there’s a fit between what you provide and what they need, hopefully they make the investment to hire you, or recommend you to someone who can.

But what if you’re just not feeling very confident these days? What if you’ve already cut your business operations to the bone and still won’t be able to make payroll unless a new client lands on your doorstep tomorrow?

Or what if your job search has gone on longer than you had hoped, and with your bank account dwindling and bills piling up, you’re ready to take a job as an overqualified intern to the worst boss in the world?

How do you get out there and talk up the strengths of your personal brand to get potential employers and clients to fall in love with you when you’re just not feeling the love yourself?

While there are no magic words to make that next job or client materialize overnight, there are ways to give yourself a quick confidence boost so you can get back out there with renewed vim and vigor.

Four ideas to move you in the right direction:

1) Get some exercise. Releasing endorphins and getting oxygen to your brain through aerobic exercise will make you feel better physically, which will automatically lift your pirits. You don’t even have to run a marathon. A brisk 30-minute walk where you pump your arms and breathe deeply should do the trick, or if you prefer, take a spin class and really get into the pulsating music. Once you’ve showered and had a healthy snack, you’ll feel amazing and ready to tackle anything.

2) Journal an achievement. Think about a success or accomplishment you had that you felt especially proud about. Take yourself back to that moment and write out what happened, either on your computer or long hand. Chronicle not only what you did to create the result, but also how you felt, and especially the positive feedback you heard from others. The more detail you give, the more vivid the memory will be and the more you’ll actually begin to feel those great emotions you initially experienced.

3) Celebrate, but don’t commiserate. Get together with a group of friends and plan a fun event together. Go to a comedy club, have a pajama party, plan a long bike ride and a picnic in the woods. You don’t need to blow a lot of money to have a good time when you’re with people you really like.But enjoy the moment and don’t use the time to replay every obstacle you’ve encountered and start feeling sorry for yourself all over again. Give yourself permission to take the evening or the day off from your worries.

4) Test out “afformations.” This is one of my favorite exercises. My friend Noah St. John, author of The Secret Code of Success, penned the phrase “afformation” which is a very powerful twist on what most of us know as “affirmations.” An affirmation is a phrase you repeat to yourself that describes the state you want to be in, such as “I am rich” or “I have a great job.”  The rationale is that what you say you will eventually believe, and then ultimately will manifest. Trouble is, Noah says, that our brain never quite believes what we’re saying, the affirmation doesn’t stick, nothing changes, and we get more depressed than ever.

Instead, he teaches “afformations,” where instead of statements, you ask yourself questions, such as “Why are people beating down my door to work with me?” or “Why is money suddenly pouring in?” When you ask a question, your brain automatically goes into problem-solving mode to find answers. Make a list of all the ones you come up with. Some might make you feel good (“Because I’m the absolute best at what I do”), some might make you chuckle (“Because I bribed every single person in the company to sing my praises”) and some just might lead to new strategies that you can use (“Because I wrote a kick-ass cover letter that the hiring manager could not ignore”).

Keeping up your confidence takes energy, and pretending to be confident when you’re not can be exhausting. Rather than continuing to grind away and looking for external sources to boost your spirits, try one or more of these activities to raise your confidence levels from the inside out.

Read the original post on Personal Branding Blog

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Personal Branding Tagged With: , ,

4 Steps to Evolving Your Personal Brand When You’re Changing Careers

March 14, 2009 by Leave a Comment

On the Smart Networking Teleseminar series, I interviewed career coach Annemarie Segaric on how to launch a new career in this economy. We discussed a number of changes that listeners were going through, among them: moving from the for-profit world to a non-profit, diving into a completely new industry, relaunching a career at age 55, starting up a new business, and even starting up in a whole new country.

I’ve been a career changer myself several times over, working in investment banking, management consulting, magazine publishing, and internet advertising. Eight years ago when I left the corporate world to start my own independent consulting business, my niche was helping media companies with pricing and profitability issues. On the surface, that seems like a far cry from what I’m doing now as a speaker, trainer, and author on the subject of networking. And that seems even further from what I studied in college, which was engineering.

Each time I made a career switch, I had no experience in the new industry. While I never doubted I could make the transition, I had to convince recruiters, hiring managers and clients that taking a leap of faith in me would be worthwhile. So after finishing up my interview with Annemarie, I began to think about what makes it easier for some people to move successfully between seemingly disparate career opportunities?

Whenever you face a career transition, you need to define and solidify the core of your personal brand and understand how to make it relevant to the new opportunity.

Get started with this four step process:

1) Reinforce your biggest strengths. Marcus Buckingham, co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths, argues that people will be more successful if they focus on playing up their strengths rather than fixing their weaknesses. Identify the 2 or 3 things you are really known for and make sure that comes through on your resume, online profiles, in other communications and during interviews. Are you a great manager? Don’t relegate that to a one-line bullet point that says, “Managed staff of 10.” Instead come up with examples, stories and accomplishment that illustrate your strengths in action.

2) Reconstitute your hidden talents. Bring back to life the things you love to do, but may not have used much in recent years. I’ve always loved to write, but never had a job in corporate America where that was ever a requirement. That skill stayed pretty much dormant until I was out on my own and had to start writing marketing copy and articles to promote my consulting business. With my new found freedom to write anything I wanted to, six years ago, I began to write about a skill I had recently learned and gotten pretty good at–networking–and that was the catalyst to the career I have today.

3) Reinvigorate your passion. When you first graduate from college, jumping into a new career is thrilling and you can’t wait to talk about how you’re going to change the world. When making a major career transition later in life, fear and uncertainty of what’s ahead can sometimes overwhelm any enthusiasm for the destination itself. It’s important to be able to tell a great story about your career journey that ties into the key strengths of your brand. You can’t get others excited about your goals unless you are.

 

4) Reactivate the lines of communication. Your network can play a significant role in connecting you more quickly to your new career. The ones who know you best can even help in the preliminary stages if you get stuck in identifying your strengths and hidden talents. Sometimes it’s easier for someone else to see clearly what we’re good at. Once you’ve repositioned your brand for the next stage of your career, make sure your key contacts know about it so they can be on the look out for appropriate opportunities.

Very few of us stay in the same career forever, even if we think we want to. While the companies and the people change, what remains constant in our career evolution is the core of our personal brand. If you take the time to identify the primary ingredients of your brand that not only make you unique but also are valued by new audiences, and understand how to play up key elements and connect them to any new requirements, you’ll more quickly close the gap between what you’ve done and where you want to go.

Read the original post on Personal Branding Blog

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Personal Branding Tagged With: ,

Gen Y? U Need This: Liz Lynch Interviews Gen Y Career Expert Caroline Ceniza-Levine (Live Teleseminar)

March 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Last week’s interview with Annemarie Segaric on “How to Launch a New Career in This Economy” was our most popular yet! Questions came in from career changers all over the U.S., as well as Australia and Fiji, and Annemarie shared terrific insights based on her own experience and from her work with hundreds of clients as a coach. 

If you missed my interview, you can get instant access to the replay at no charge for the next 30 days. All you need to do is register.

This week I’m delighted to continue the Smart Networking Teleseminar series with Gen Y career coach, writer and speaker Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart where we’ll talk about…

* * The Gen Y Guide to Effective Job Search Networking * *


REGISTER HERE to Get Access to the Event and the mp3 Audio Recording > >

Enter your name and a valid email address, then click “Send Me the Details” to have all of the teleseminar information, and access to the mp3 audio after the call, instantly emailed to you.







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During this lively and fun teleseminar, participants will discover how to:

  • Get on a recruiter’s radar screen
  • Build relationships after the first contact
  • Follow up without being a pest
  • Avoid some of the pet peeves that recruiters and employers have about Gen Y networking technique

And much more! If you’re a young professional, it’s not too early to learn how to network and leverage your contacts the right way to ensure your career success. The teleseminar is FREE; register below to get access to the call-in details:

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EVENT: Liz Lynch interviews Gen Y Career Expert Caroline Ceniza-Levine
DATE: Wednesday, March 11, 2009
TIME: 7:00 PM Eastern (6:00 PM Central, 5:00 PM Mountain, 4:00 PM Pacific)
FORMAT: Join us from the comfort of your home or office. Listen via phone or the Internet through a live webcast. No special software is required, you just need a telephone OR a computer with an Internet connection. 

COST: It’s FREE to attend the LIVE event! 
However, you must register to get the call-in number and webcast details.
** Note: the Interview will be recorded, so even if you can’t make it live, 
register anyway to get access to the mp3 recording. 
(Audio available until 30 days after the call) **

 

About Caroline Ceniza-Levine



Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a
career expert, writer, speaker, and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching
firm that specializes in working with Gen Y young professionals. Formerly
in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed campus
recruiting for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney
ABC, and others.  Caroline is Adjunct Assistant Professor of
Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and
Public Affairs and writes for CNBC.com, Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Vault.com, and
TheGlassHammer.com (2008 Stevie Award winner for Women’s Blog of the Year). An extreme career changer, Caroline has been a classical pianist, banking
analyst, management consultant, executive recruiter, actor, life coach,
corporate HR recruiter, real estate investor, and now entrepreneur. Caroline lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.

Be sure to check out the SixFigureStart Coaching Gym, a weekly group telecoaching series that provides ongoing career coaching support, access to guest coaches and experts, and special offering throughout the year. Early joiners get additional benefits, so visit www.SixFigureStart.com for more info.

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Teleseminars & Training Tagged With: , , ,

Can Networking Impact Your Income? 81% of Elite Professionals Think So

January 14, 2009 by 8 Comments

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I am practically jumping out of my chair and doing cartwheels in my office over this timely new study from Upwardly Mobile Inc. and the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University on the power of networking, which supports so many of the principles I wrote about in SMART NETWORKING.
The reality is that few people have networks strong enough to support them during a recession or time of crisis. And with the unemployment rate at a staggering 7.2%, there is much more competition for fewer and fewer jobs. What are you doing to ensure you come out ahead?
I’m still making my way through the whole report, but I couldn’t wait to share some of the key findings and add some perspective from the practitioner side:
Research finding: 70% of executives credit networking as the key activity that leads to career opportunities, but 75% of study respondents said they spend fewer than two hours directly managing their networks.

What this means for you: You absolutely do not have to network hard if you know how to network smart. Two hours can be plenty if you know what you’re doing and can maximize your time. I actually spend less time networking now than I did when I started, yet more opportunities–and higher quality ones–are coming to me.

Unfortunately, few people know how to make those two hours count, so not only are they not putting in the right amount of time based on their effectiveness level, but they’re also not doing the right things during the time they do spend. A double whammy!

Research finding: Twenty-seven percent of respondents network only when there is an immediate need, such as starting a job search.

What this means for you: Networking that infrequently means you never build the skill to really make networking work when you do try to do it. You waste time, reinvent the wheel, and sometimes burn bridges unintentionally. This makes you have to work even harder the next time.

Think of the constant training that athletes go through for 50 seconds in the pool, 4 minutes on the balance beam, or 2 hours on the marathon course. They don’t just show up on the day of the event, hoping for the best. They do everything they can to prepare for it.

Research finding: Even more alarming, though not surprising, is that most people approach networking ineffectively. They focus on QUANTITY of contacts rather than the most important factor–a contact’s WILLINGNESS to recommend them.

What this means for you: At the beginning of chapter 3 of Smart Networking, I discuss why getting ahead is not about WHO you know, or WHAT you know, or even who knows YOU, but it’s about who’s willing to help you. Just because you meet someone at an event, or even worked with them at your last job, can you really count on them to go out on a limb for you?

Are you the kind of person they want to help? Are you asking for help in the right way? These are critical skills every smart networker needs to master.

If you’d like your own copy of the report, you can access it here: Professional Networking and Its Impact on Career Advancement
While you’re at it, find out if your network measures up, by taking their free Network Readiness Evaluator.
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the study and findings.
Filed Under: Career Advancement, Job Search Networking, Networking Aversion Tagged With: , ,

Jobs, Baby, Jobs: Get Ready for Job Action Day – Nov. 3

November 2, 2008 by 8 Comments

Quintessential Careers has declared Monday, November 3 Job Action Day to rally those who’ve lost their jobs or are concerned about that possibility in these uncertain economic times.

“It’s a day to strategize plans for developing new job and career options and devising new and better ways to track down job leads and position themselves for employment opportunities,” says founder and publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen.
Their site will be chock full of service-oriented articles and blog entries to help professionals “take stock of their careers and develop a plan for their next career steps.” Topics include interview tips, excelling in your job, becoming a free agent, and of course, networking.
I’ll be sharing four ways to use LinkedIn to maximize your job search efforts and help you land the job of your dreams sooner: Attacking the Job Market and Workplace Proactively in Tough Times: A Roundup of Expert Advice.
Don’t leave your fate in someone else’s hands. Take action today!
Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Job Security, LinkedIn Tagged With: , ,

Turn Multiple Job Interviews Into Multiple New Connections for Your Network

October 29, 2008 by Leave a Comment
If finding a job seems to be taking a long time, it’s not your imagination. With the current economic conditions, companies are slower to hire and often require candidates to come back multiple times. Dawn Klingensmith writes about this trend and how to manage it in her article “How to Survive Multiple Interviews.”

 

While you have no control over a company’s recruiting process, you do have control over how you react to it. First of all, accept that because so much of work today is collaborative, companies want to make sure that enough people have an opportunity to meet different candidates and see who they’d be able to work with best.
Secondly, realize that there’s actually a lot you can do between interviews to tap into your network and help increase your chances for success. And if you don’t get the job, you’ll walk away with a great consolation prize of stronger connections that can help you in the future:
  • Find out if any of your current contacts knows the people you’ve interviewed with or will interview with. This is most easily done if you’ve started to build your network on LinkedIn where you can easily search to see who might be a mutual connection. Your contact might be able to give some insight about your interviewers, or perhaps even be willing to make a recommendation on your behalf.
  • Prep for your next interview by asking your interviewers, “Who else is involved in the interviewing process? Is there anything you can tell me about them?” You may learn of a hot button issue you can be sure to address.
  • Get a business card from each interviewer so you have full contact information to send a thank you note or email after the interview, as well as for future contact if you don’t get the job.
  • Always be upbeat in every interaction with a prospective employer. Never complain that the process is taking too long. No one wants to work with a squeaky wheel, and if you’re this much of a P-I-T-A before you get the job, they’ll worry what you’ll be like after.
  • If you don’t get the job, send a note to everyone you interviewed with, thanking them for all of their help and letting them know where you ended up. Include your new business card so you can both keep in touch going forward.
Whenever I interview for a consulting engagement, while my preference would be to win the business as quickly as possible, when I do have to come back to meet more people, I do what I can to take advantage of it. To me, every interaction is another chance to make my case, and more importantly, a potential new connection I could have for the future.
Filed Under: Job Search Networking Tagged With: ,
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