Proactive Career Networking

List of shame -- employers who announced job cuts of 500 or more employees in January

Abbott Laboratories	Advanced Micro Devices	A.H. Belo
Alcoa Inc.	Allstate	AOL
Autodesk, Inc.	Avery Dennison	Baker Hughes, Inc.
Black & Decker	Boeing	Bon-Ton Stores
Caterpillar	Cessna Aircraft (Textron, Inc.)	Charles Schwab
CIGNA	Clear Channel Communications	Compass Bank
ConocoPhillips	Corning	Cummins
Dell	Eastman Kodak	Eaton Corp.
EMC Corp.	Ford Motor Company	Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Hertz Global Holdings	Home Depot	Huntsman Corp.
ING Group	Intel	Jabil Circuit
Logitech	Macy's, Inc.	MeadWestvaco Corp.
Microsoft	Motorola	Navistar International
Oshkosh	Pfizer, Inc.	Rohm and Haas Company
Saks Fifth Avenue	Sprint Nextel	Starbucks
Target	Texas Instruments, Inc.	United Airlines
Walgreens	Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.	Williams-Sonoma

Proactive Career Advancement

It is easy to get caught up in your current job and forget the importance of managing your career.  It is critical to your success to balance time between the two as no one can afford not to run a PERMANENT, PROACTIVE JOB SEARCH.

Here a couple of suggestions to help you in your campaign.

Have a profile on an online business website such as LinkedIn.  Take the time to draft a great profile and make it easy for people to find you.  Think about how you would search for someone and then draft your profile with those thoughts in mind.

Create a web-related presence so that you can be found during an Internet search.  Many recruiters and HR professionals use the Internet extensively to start their search for potential candidates.  Make it easy for you to be found.

Organize your network contacts so that they are easy to find and keep track of.  You do not want to spend time searching for contact information when you need it now.

Keep your network fresh by regularly reaching out to people with an email, written note or phone call.  Track when the last time you contacted this person so you know how stale a contact is.  The more frequent the contact the strong the network.

Look for ways to help other people.  When you make it clear that you view the relationship as a two way street people will respond.  People want to help people that have helped them.  Start the process.

Need someone to help you in your job search?  Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.CareerNetworkingPro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.  Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

Proactive Career Advancement

It is easy to get caught up in your current job and forget the importance of managing your career.  It is critical to your success to balance time between the two as no one can afford not to run a PERMANENT, PROACTIVE JOB SEARCH.

Here a couple of suggestions to help you in your campaign.

Always have your resume updated.  Invest the time to make it perfect and do not overlook getting professional assistance.  You would not think of doing your own eye exam, so do not try to prepare your own marketing material.

Keep a working resume where you record all of your accomplishments.  Each time you complete a project document the results.  Write down what the challenge was, what you did to achieve the results and how you quantified the results.  By doing this when the information is fresh in your mind you won’t be wracking your brain in the future trying to reconstruct details.

Increase your professional profile.  Join and be active in your professional organization both locally and nationally.  Write articles for professional publications that come out in print and on-line.  Volunteer to speak at professional events and conferences or participate in the membership committee.

Keep your subscriptions to industry news, functional professional publications and career newsletters current.  They provide information on current trends, new job search techniques and job listings.

Make sure all recruiters have your current resume.  When you update your resume send them a new version and offer to be a source of referrals for their current searches.  The more helpful you are today the more likely they will remember you in the future.

Need someone to help you in your job search?  Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.CareerNetworkingPro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.  Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

Is your life / work balance at risk?

When I work with clients that are still employed we discuss their current work environment and life priorities to set a baseline to compare future opportunities against.  If a client has a workaholic tendency I ask them to answer the following simple questions to start our dialogue.

 

1. Do you find yourself spending more and more time on work-related projects?

2. Do you feel you don't have any time for yourself - or for my family and friends?

3. Is every minute of every day always scheduled for you?

4. Do you feel you’ve lost sight of whom you are and why you choose this job/career?

5. Do you have a hard time remembering when the last time you took a day off to do something fun - something just for you?

6. Do you feel stressed out most of the time?

7. Do you find it impossible to use all your allotted vacation and personal days?

8. Do you have time to catch your breath before you move on to the next project/crisis?

9. Can you remember the last time you read, and finished, a book purely for pleasure?

10. Do you have trouble finding time for outside interests or hobbies?

 

The more yes answers you have the more you are at risk for your life / risk to be unbalanced.

 

Need someone to help you assess you life / work balance?  Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.CareerNetworkingPro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.  Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

To leave or stay…a difficult decision.

When the economy turns sour many companies start pulling out voluntary separation agreements.  The decision to take the offer, or stick it out, needs to be evaluated objectively.  Here are items to consider before making your decision.

 

Understand how your package was determined.  Talk with your peers that have received a package to compare offers.  Most companies offer six months to one year’s salary for Vice President titles and higher.  For lower levels of the organization offers typically will include two weeks salary for each year of service.  Make sure your package includes any unused vacation, sick or personal days not taken.

 

Work with your financial advisor to determine whether you can afford to retire.  If retirement is not in your plans then determine how long your package will last before you must find a new position.  Having a third party review your analysis for accuracy is critical.

 

If you want or need to work, decide what type of job you are going to look pursue.  Will you stay in the same line of work or consider a career change.  Talk with a number of career coaches to understand what the current job market is like for people in your field.

 

Ask what will happen to your position if you stay.  Will your responsibilities be increased?  Will you pick up the work of others that leave?  Will you be expected to work longer hours or weekends to complete the work of those that have left?

 

Get the details in writing about your healthcare and life insurance.  How long will you healthcare be in force?  What will be the cost of COBRA?  Can you convert your life insurance from group to an individual policy?  What will happen to your stock options, restricted stock and retirement accounts.

 

Consult an attorney to make sure you are not overlooking details.  Carefully read and negotiate any non-compete agreement.  Clearly understand how the agreement will impact your future career plans.  Get a positive letter of recommendation to offset any concerns from future employers.

 

Need someone to assist you in determining your career options?  Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.  Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

Don’t have a mentor, have a “Mentwork”.

Having a mentor in your career has always been a positive experience. Traditionally a mentor has been a senior person in your organization that would share his experience and provide advice to help advance your career. Unfortunately, this model of mentorship is no longer successful.

Today’s business world has become too complex and the speed of change has accelerated to the point that advice from one person will not meet your needs today. Instead of having one mentor, develop a network of people from different levels, expertise’s and organizations to provide you feedback and advice on your career advancement.

After developing your career plan determine what experience, expertise and support you need to be successful. Identify the people that can provide the support you need and then start developing relationships to build your “Mentwork”.

Need someone to assist you in developing your career plan and Mentwork? Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach. Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

What is a mature job seeker to do?

When I meet with job seekers over 50 one of their first questions is how much is my age going to be a problem? I am honest with them and tell them it is an issue but one you can deal with. The bigger an issue you make it the bigger the issue will be.

Having a plan for your search is extremely important. You have to be able to communicate your value proposition in simple and clear terms. Knowing what you want to do and where is also important. Do your homework and it will pay off.

Expanding your network is even more critical as your resume will be your worst enemy. People reviewing your resume will conclude that you are over qualified, to narrow experience and possibly too tired to be effective. Meeting hiring managers face-to-face is critical in your job search.

Contact retained recruiters to let them know you are on the market. To be successful you need to be direct about what you can and are willing to do and honest about your flexibility to relocate.

Prepare mentally to deal with rejection. The higher you are in the organization and older you are the longer your search will take. Expect to hear 99 no’s before you find the right job. Your job is to get through the 99 no’s as fast as you can.

If you are not familiar with text messaging, business networking websites, instant messaging and other tech-related tools get some training. Not being up on current communication tools is a sure sign of being perceived as out of touch.

Need someone to assist you in preparing a plan to make your job search successful? Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach. Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

What to do when the layoff rumors start?

During a recent networking event I joined a group of people from a local company that had been in the paper announcing lower profits.  The conversation centered on the potential for layoffs before the end of the year.  When I asked the group what they were doing to prepare if it happened the group went silent.  All complaints and no action!

When you are concerned about your job there are five steps you should take immediately.

1. Make a commitment of investing at least one hour per day into preparing for a job search.  Plan and schedule when you will do this work both at home and during the day. 

2. Update your resume including your most recent responsibilities, accomplishments and marketable skills.

3. Transfer your last two performance reviews, summary of accomplishments, work product samples, letters from customers or your boss highlighting your successes, and any other positive feedback you have received to a jump drive so you have access to them outside of the office.

4. Increase your visibility at work.  Out of site and out of mind can result in out of a job.  Communicate frequently with your supervisor what you are accomplishing.  Do not play politics but make sure your contribution is known.

5. Start networking with your contacts to make them aware of your situation and that you are looking for a new opportunity.  If you have not kept your network strong start rebuilding it today.

Need someone to assist you prepare for a job search? Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.  Read about the job search process in the new book, People Hire People – Not Resumes, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com/book.

How to Work with an Executive Recruiter?

The higher in the organization you are the more attractive you become to executive recruiters.  Even if they contact you, how you work with them can have a significant impact on how they work for you.  Here are a couple tips for working with them.

Be prepared to make a move before you reach out to a recruiter or start the process with them.  Leading them along and then turning down each opportunity presented will result in the firm not working with you in the future and getting a bad name with their colleagues.

Think through what you are looking for and the criteria necessary to motivate you to change.  The more specific information you can provide the more efficient they can be and the stronger the relationship you will develop with them.  If you have a minimum salary requirement, geographic area or industry interest, share this with them.  Holding back this type of information and rejecting opportunities will only frustrate recruiters and potentially eliminate you when the perfect job comes along.

Do your homework by developing questions you will ask about each opportunity.  Ask about the competencies needed, why is the position open, culture of the company, how are they positioned in the industry. Request a detailed job description and how many candidates the recruiter is contacting for the position.  Having your homework done will build credibility.

If you tell a recruiter that you are not interested in an opportunity be prepared to provide specific reasons.  This will give the recruiter a better understanding of what you are looking for, give them the opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings and help build your relationship.  The first time you work with a recruiter is most likely not your last so be helpful.

Stay in contact with recruiters to stay on their radar screen and provide updates on your activities.  If you make a contact within a company let them know so that they are not embarrassed by contacting the same company.  If you have a target list of companies and do not have contacts share it with the recruiter.  This can make their job easier and make them work harder for you.

Need someone to turn to when you have questions in your job search? Want to talk to someone who has the experience to provide valuable guidance? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to get hooked up with an experienced career coach.

Changing careers requires careful planning.

More and more people are deciding to change careers as they reach their mid 50's. The key to success is planning out the change to limit the surprises that could have been in their control.

One colleague is a cardiologist who is planning to become a full time teacher. This is a huge change both in terms of occupation and finances. To prepare for this change he is following these steps as tests and plans for the transition.

1) Determine why you want to make the change. Do you want to change fields, have more interaction with people or a new challenge. You should understand the reason to change and explore whether changes in your current job could satisfy your desire. For my colleague it is the desire to influence young people that is driving his efforts.

2) Research your new field so that you understand what you are getting yourself into. My colleague is starting to teach one class three days per week to get first hand experience in his future career.

3) Check the financial rewards of your new career to understand the impact on your lifestyle and future retirement plans. If your income will be reduced this is a great time to consult with a financial advisor to test your assumptions.

4) Network with people in your chosen field to learn as much as possible. Getting opinions from different people will help you with multiple perspectives and a better overall view. My colleague is talking with teachers from different schools to learn as much as possible.

5) Listen to others but make your own decision. Opinions will vary from great idea to asking if you should be drug tested. Bottom line, trust your gut. Your gut will not lie to you. This change is my colleagues decision and as long as his teaching experience does not change his mind he is not going to let anyone talk him out of it.

6) Define success before you start. If you clearly understand your goal before you start you will develop and execute a better plan for your transition. My colleague understands the subjects he wants to teach, the type of school to teach at and how he will measure his personal success.

Do you need assistance with your career transition and would like to work with someone that can walk you through the process? Visit the Career Networking Pro website, http://www.careernetworkingpro.com, to learn how to plan a career change that will put you in control of your career.