All of us want to discover success, yet too often we move in paths that take us to
the wrong destination. You can find your dream job, IF….. and that’s the KEY
to your success…. knowing or fixing the IF in your life.

Let’s think about your goal. You do have one, right? If not, then your first step
must be to sit down and THINK. What’s my objective? You’ve got to KNOW what
and where it is that you are heading before success can be achieved.

Yes, it’s ugly. WORK without pay, full-time to boot! Every morning, you get up,
dress up, fix up, like you’re going to an executive job downtown. You are, but it’s
without pay for now. Your investment of energy, time, and research will pay huge
dividends in your future dream job, I promise, income potential, too.

Truth is… NO ONE likes to interview for a new position, at least I never did. Few
of us like to work without pay. OK, maybe some wierd dummie thinks it’s fun.

Let’s just say that educated folks, those with talent and skills to offer, do not find
searching for a new position their choice vocation. All of us like to be paid for the
benefit of investing our talent with an employer.

With that said, the time spent searching; researching; pounding the pavement
and sitting in front of an interviewer is not fun, but it’s going to be worth many
dollars in your future income and job satisfaction. One key to the job offer is in
how we present ourselves during the initial interview, plus the follow-up.

Remember, you are not alone. Hundreds of candidates may be interested in the
same position you seek, but don’t let that discourage your effort. It only means
you’ve got to work SMARTER than the rest. You’ve got to perfect the strategy to
exceed, out perform, excell against the odds.

Be sure that some tough questions are coming…. interviewers want to hear about
your experiences; your skills; they’ll want to know your intentions of staying with
their firm. You’ll hear questions like… “where do you expect to be in 5 years”? A
tough one, but you’ve got to be prepared with an answer.

What do you know about OUR firm? Have you done any research? Do you know
anything about our industry? Successes, challenges, failures? The interviewer, at
least the sharp ones, have good techniques to uncover vital information that will
help them in the process of learning about you.

Are you on a shotgun interview or is this your rifle shot? The difference is just
“looking” for any ‘ole’ job or seeking to uncover YOUR dream job. Be willing to
say thanks, but no thanks, if the job is not the right one for you.

Before stepping inside to interview any firm, make sure YOU know WHY this firm
will make a serious error in judgement if they fail to hire you for the position. You
are the main “show” performer when on the interviewing stage. Know your lines
well and practice, practice, practice BEFORE your live performance.

It’s imperative that you be in control of every interview. How can this happen?
As they say, “piece-a-cake” when you educate yourself about the status of every
employer in the industry; know their financial condition; reputation; history and
’street’ knowledge gleaned through prior interviews.

Have FUN while you’re working out your strategic ACTION plan. Write every step
down in detail. Save your ’select’ future employer until you’ve interviewed with
competitive industry employers. By now, you’ve got so much info. in your bullet
that one rifle shot will put you on top of the mind-ladder of your chosen employer.

An aggressive job-search is not centered solely around one method, such as online job boards, newspaper ads or networking.

Based on my experience as a resume writer, some job hunters mistakenly think that their job search can be conducted entirely from their home, sitting in front of the computer.

Instead, experts say that a successful strategy should employ multiple search methods for the best chances of securing interviews and, ultimately, offers. For example, a job seeker might use networking, online job boards, cold-calling, a staffing firm and professional associations as part of an overall strategy.

Utilizing all of these different methods could help with tapping into the so-called “hidden job market.” Statistics have shown for years that most job openings are not advertised. Employers seem to like candidates who were personally referred, too. A 2001 Forrester Research study found that 62% of hiring managers said that word-of-mouth referrals were the best source of new hires.

That means that networking continues to be one of the most valuable tools in any job-seeker’s toolbox.

As a job seeker, you should aim to find out about the job openings that will never be advertised, and to be one of the first candidates considered as soon as a company decides to hire someone - before they have even told anyone they’re hiring.

How do you go about this?

1. Start with your address book. Contact friends, family and all of your professional contacts, such as people you worked with at previous jobs, vendors or clients you worked with at previous jobs and people you’ve met through professional associations. Tell the people you know from church, service clubs and other organizations. Do not forget about other people you have relationships with, like your financial adviser and eye doctor.

Ask all your contacts if you can send your resume to them. Even if these people know you, they might not know all of your qualifications and be able to convey them to someone else effectively.

Ask your contacts if their companies might be hiring, and if they can get you an informational interview with their employer. See if they know anyone who is hiring, and if they will keep an eye out for opportunities for you.

2. Identify companies for whom you would like to work. Begin researching them. Find out as much information about them as possible. Identify the appropriate point of contact there (such as the manager of whatever department you would like to work in), and make contact. Put in a phone call. Give him or her a 30-second “elevator pitch” explaining your qualifications in a very direct way. Yes, toot your own horn!

Even if the company is not hiring, request a short informational interview so that you can find out more about them and they can find out more about you. Afterward, send that individual a thank-you note. Then, keep in touch with that individual.

3. Read newspapers and watch the local news on TV to identify leads. Pay particular attention to business newspapers that cover only business news. Most major markets have business papers, but you might have to hunt for this type of paper (they are not always sold on newsstands). Look for stories about companies that are moving to town, companies that are expanding, new business developments that are in the works and any other news that would suggest possible job opportunities. Columns with announcements about recent promotions and staffing changes are a gold mine. Whenever someone gets a new job, there is usually a job opening created by that person’s departure. As you identify leads through the media, determine if anyone in your network can help you get your foot in the door to the organization, and make contact either way.

4. Get involved with professional associations in your industry. Most professions have associations that provide professional development opportunities for members. Most major markets have local chapters of national associations, and these local chapters typically have regular events, such as monthly luncheons with speakers. These are great opportunities to learn more about your profession and keep up with the latest trends. Perhaps most importantly, these meetings provide the opportunity to meet peers in your profession and people who might be in a position to hire you. Additionally, some professional organizations offer job listings for members only. This might be on the organization’s Web site in a password-secured area or in its members-only newsletter. Often, employers might list jobs with a professional association but not list them with any major job boards. It is probably cheaper (or even free), and they can have a reasonable expectation that the candidates will be dedicated professionals who are successful in the industry.

Your contacts in a professional association will also be valuable should there be any job openings at their companies. You could speak to a contact about a job opening at his or her company to get information about the job that another candidate would not know. You also might be able to have your contact hand your resume to the hiring manager, which would get the manager’s attention and make you stand out from the dozens or hundreds of strangers sending resumes to HR.

I have enjoyed a wonderful 20+ year career as an Executive Coach and Career Transformation Coach. Eight years ago, I moved from corporate director roles to professional service and HR consulting companies. Specifically, I worked for one of the largest career transition companies. I felt it imperative that I not just focus on assisting my clients in successfully finding their next opportunity, but also help them uncover their passion and identify where they would like to be in their careers in 5 to 7 years.

Day after day of asking “What are your 5 - 7 year career goals” forced me to consider where I would like to be in my career in 5 years. So, I embarked on a journey to identify my career transformation strategy, implement it and evaluate my progress.

What are the steps to transforming your career?

First identify your education, background, roles, experiences, passion and competencies (skills). Then, purchase a spiral notebook or diary and begin to list your accomplishments. This list should include all of the accomplishments documented on your resume as well as those you add. Develop the habit of thinking about your accomplishments several times a day and recording them in your notebook or diary. At this point you don’t need to write them in a grammatically correct format, you just need to begin to build a comprehensive list.

The best way to write accomplishment statements is to use the PAR, CAR or STAR method: state the Problem, Circumstance, Situation or Task, identify the Action you took and state the quantifiable (or qualitative) Result(s).

After you have identified at least fifty to one hundred accomplishments, you can put them in categories and analyze your list based on type and your level of satisfaction with each type of accomplishment. This analysis will lead you to uncover a pattern of the activities that afford you the most satisfaction.

Next, articulate your value proposition(s). What is unique about you? Then write your career goals for 5 to 7 years out and the steps you will need to take in order to achieve those goals.

Understanding your accomplishments, value proposition, career goals and making sure you know the steps to achieve your goals will put you on the path to career transformation.

It is a statement of fact that the people who achieve most in their careers are the ones who actively manage their careers. If you still think that your organization or employer is going to look after your future, then you may have a big shock coming. Things are uncertain enough without leaving your career to chance.

So that you are in no doubt about what you can do, here are 6 ways to actively manage your career and they are not particularly difficult, they just need systematic application:

1. You need to know clearly where you’re going;

2. You need to start planning how you’ll get there;

3. You need to understand and make the most of your options;

4. You need to find out if anyone knows about you;

5. You need to learn what others think about you;

6. You need to be able to measure your impact.

When you apply these 6 ways to actively manage your career, everything starts to fall into place and your activities become focused on doing your job with a purpose. Your organization gains from your input and you gain more clarity and skilled understanding which leads to a sustainable career.

Some pointers to help you apply the active career management strategy:

1. Do you know where you’re going in terms of the short, medium and long term; do you know what skills or new knowledge will be required to progress in your job and your company?

2. Do you know how you’ll get there? Do you have the right education and experience; do you network with individuals who have the information and skills that you need to understand? Do you keep up to date and read journals, newspapers and books on management and business in general?

3. Are you making the most of your options by understanding where and why work opportunities are increasing or declining. Are you familiar with company policies and practices on career development?

4. Does anyone know about you? Do you get involved in cross-departmental activities or problem solving groups and develop contacts in areas that do not have regular dealings with you?

5. What do others think about you? Do you have good relationships with your superiors, people who work for you and customers?

6. Do you measure your impact by seeking feedback on your performance? Have you had recent experience of how others might see you (via your network or a test job application)?

Things are uncertain enough without leaving your career to chance. Use the 6 ways to actively manage your career and be confident that you are enhancing your career and your employability together.

There may come a time in your Job search in which you may be offered a position from a Company that you know nothing about. You may need to do some FAST Research For Your Career - Know The Real Facts Behind Your Opportunity.

There’s no better way and as a matter of fact it’s your responsibility to go to Interviews and Meetings prepared. Prepared with the facts about what you want and about what’s being offering it to you. Ask yourself;

• Are they a Reputable company?
• What’s the Company history?
• Are they in the middle of an Expansion?
• Are they in Troubled Waters?

So you probably agree with the fact that it’s practically mandatory to dig up some information about any Company you may work for. Hers an example; The Interview is tomorrow, where do you find the info you need to be prepared?

Go Online and start your research, begin by typing in the Companies name into your favorite search engine the places to look for current and relevant info is;

• First Person Feedback Sites - such as Answers.com, Face book, My space, LinkedIn.com etc. they often have info about Companies.
• Business Directories - This is where the dry but important numbers and industry info & data can be found.
• Their Website - this is also an obvious but necessary place to go.
• Job Search Sites - find out all the positions their hiring for.
• Industry Magazines - find out if there on the radar in their Industry.
• Check the Local Online Newspapers for current info.

Once you have this info you can rest assured that you are likely to have some current information. You should have the info on what positions their hiring for, what they produce and who they produce it for. A copy of their recent Press Releases, all of the current News printed about them in the local newspaper and much more.

Before you have your first meeting you should be be as prepared as possible without having actually worked there.

Good Luck and let me know if I can help.

Employers are always on the lookout for college students who stand out in some way. However, when times are tough, college students should consider some additional ways to make themselves more visible and attractive to prospective employers.

When fewer employers have jobs to offer, good students should be prepared to employ methods that may not be necessary when jobs are plentiful. Here are a few examples of what you can do.

Your Reputation - Good or bad, your reputation precedes you. However, it should be obvious that you will increase your chances for employment when you have an outstanding reputation. Generally, this means that you work hard, are trustworthy, friendly, well liked, positive, honest, stand up for what is right and get things done well. Others want to associate with you because you treat everyone with respect and are there for them when people need you. Also, people look up to you because you accept responsibility, perform well and achieve superior results. Do you need to work on your reputation?

“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.” — Liz Smith

Your Performance - Outstanding performance over a long period of time shows a consistency the all employers need and want. Every employer needs people who can perform at a high level. They want people who can get things done. That’s why they are eager to learn about your accomplishments, positive results and successes. When you are able to provide stories and details about your achievements, employers will take notice.

Your Attitude - People with a positive, can do, let’s give it a try attitude will always be more attractive to employers than negative, fault finding, complainers. When you demonstrate your positive attitude in everything you do, you will find that it opens doors for you.

Excel At Something - Find something you love and show people what you can do. If you have a unique ability, it may be something on which you can capitalize. Embrace your talents and use them to make something better. Employers are always interested in people who can make a difference. It doesn’t matter whether you excel in an academic area, at work, in a campus activity or in the local community. However, employers especially appreciate people who have exceptional leadership and communication skills.

Do One Great Thing - Sometimes, by luck, genius or skill, we find that we have done something great. Whenever someone does something large or spectacular, other people will take notice. That one great thing may be the result of a long and sustained effort or it may be a split second reaction in an emergency. Regardless of how it happens, you can make it work to your advantage.

Make Others Look Good - Whenever you make others look good, it reflects favorably on you. This is especially true when you talk about and support your college, your employer or your community. When your words, actions and results are positive and beneficial, others will reciprocate. Over time, this kind of behavior will be recognized and rewarded by people with influence.

Be Visible - Your words, behavior, participation and results all contribute to your visibility. When these four things are positive, you are more likely to be noticed by employers. Get involved, join, attend, participate, contribute and achieve results. Few people will become aware of your capabilities if you don’t insert yourself into the activities and places where you can demonstrate your potential.

Promote Yourself - Look for ways to get noticed by others. When you do things of note, get them into the paper and include your photo. Find ways to get into the Campus Paper or onto a Campus Radio or TV Program. If you are active on campus and in the community, seek coverage from the campus and local media, whenever something special is about to happen. Always invite high profile campus and community leaders and executives. You will get much more coverage when these people attend. The more times you can into the Newspaper or on the Radio or TV, the better. Your positive contributions are easier for employers to recognize when your name and face are already familiar to them. Also, don’t ignore something as simple as handing out your business card.

Cultivate Recommendations - Let an array of well respected and influential people speak to potential employers about you. Use your references, supervisors, advisors and network for this. You can even have a “Here’s what others say about me” handout sheet. Employers love candidates who have built relationships with people who are willing to provide enthusiastic recommendations and references.

Nearly every college student has the ability to do at least one or two of these important attention grabbers. Employers much prefer to learn about people who are “one in a million” than candidates who are “one of a million.” That’s why savvy students, especially in a bad economy, make a point of finding ways to stand out from the crowd.

Bad career advice is easily found on the Internet and in print.

The dawn of a New Year is when a lot of this bad advice rears its ugly head as people who don’t know what they are talking about try to convince you about the “10 hottest jobs” this year and how easy it is to work from home or why you should quit your fulltime job and become self employed.

Usually this advice comes from people who don’t actually do what they suggest. They simply suggest it.

Here is the worst advice I’ve heard that you need to think twice about before following:

1. Listening to people who talk about the hottest jobs of the coming year. What about next year? Are these jobs going to be hot then, too? And who decided they are “hot” anyways? Chasing the “hottest” jobs of the year is like believing someone who tells you they have a stock tip that no one else knows about. Don’t worry about finding a hot job. Concern yourself with finding a job or preferably a career that benefits you long-term.2. Listening to people who tell you what job you’d be good at. Certainly there is nothing wrong with consulting with people you trust – family and friends for example – when accepting career advice. But at the end of the day, you need to find a job you want, not a job that other people think you want. It’s your career, not theirs. Just because they like their job and just because it’s going well for them, doesn’t mean it will work for you as well.

3. Listening to people who suggest you should consider being self-employed. I’ve been self employed since 2000 and it’s not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, wouldn’t they? Being self-employed is not for everyone either. If you need supervision and direction, if you need a guaranteed salary and health care benefits, if you have to work with other people and if you need other people to push you to get you motivated, self-employment is probably not for you. And if you like getting paid for statutory holidays and vacation time, you should continue to work for someone else.

4. Listening to people who suggest you should work from home. Some people talk about working from home like it’s a magical cure. What exactly do you plan on doing from home that other people will pay you for? Just like being self-employed, working from home doesn’t mean anything unless you have actually identified something you can do from home that will pay you while also establishing that you are capable of working from home. Working from home by yourself is far different from working in an office environment with other people, trust me.

5. Listening to people who tell you how easy and profitable it is to work online. One thing I’ve discovered is that many of the people who make the most money on the Internet are people who get paid to tell other people how to make money on the Internet. I’ve read far too many articles and training programs that make it sound like earning money on the Internet is simply a matter of opening up a search engine account and bidding on some keywords to sell other people’s products and sitting back and watching the money roll in. Maybe that’s how it used to be a few years ago, but that’s not what it’s like today for most people. Working online can be lonely and frustrating if you don’t know where to turn for expert advice especially when you start losing money. Sure, you can pay for other people to tell you what to do but that just proves my above point about how the people making the money are those telling others what to do.

The best advice you can take is to trust your gut and use common sense when considering career advice from other people.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If it were as easy as they say it is, everyone would be doing it.

The Dangers of Monotony

Most of us find our eight-to-ten-hour jobs very monotonous and tiring. We tend to simply complete our work like machines. The chances of making mistakes and experiencing a decline in performance also increase.

People who do not explore their real interests at an early age tend to get lost in a lifetime of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

Pursue Your Ambitions

In the pursuit of contentment, choosing the right career becomes a priority. However, this is not necessarily as easy as it seems. For one reason or another, most of us are not able to pursue our real ambitions. For example, in childhood most of us tend to dream of careers that parents, teachers, siblings, and friends suggest.

By the time we grow up and realize our real callings, it’s too late to start over. By this time, there are more demands on us. This is when we usually realize the importance of choosing the right career path.

Self Appraisal

Choosing the right career path is not all that difficult. You need to patiently conduct some self appraisal and think about what you want to accomplish in your life. A step-by-step review with the help of teachers will help you think about these things. Many colleges and junior colleges offer programs that help individuals make such life choices.

Call the career center at a college near you and tell them what you need. These services are government-supported and are usually available free of charge or at a minimal charge both to students and non-students.

These programs often open up new employment possibilities and new ways of thinking about careers. It’s better to conduct these searches before jumping into a career and it’s certainly better to accomplish this while you’re still young; however, even people who have been in the workforce for some time and are seeking to pursue new career paths can use these tools.

At the right time, with an understanding of your own capabilities and interests, and with the assistance of teachers and career counselors, you can choose a career path that will lead to a satisfying and productive life.

Memories of the Big Top

When I was a kid I used to love the circus act of plate spinning - all those plates and only one person keeping them afloat! The beauty of it, of course, is the efficiency of only re-spinning the plate when it starts to slow down.

The Analogy for Job Search

As I was in the middle of a recent job transition, plate spinning struck me as a compelling analogy for job search. So I started to think about plate spinning as it related to my own efforts to find that perfect next position. In the analogy, each plate represents the different sources of information or resources used to network ( I call them micro networks). How many plates was I spinning and how often was I going back to each one?

How Was I Doing?

After a quick review, I found that I had too few plates spinning and was re-spinning the same ones way too often. Sound familiar? I was inefficient by definition! I also found that I had my favorite plates, many of which were really fun to spin but were either not very effective or didn’t respond to extra spinning. Here were my core plates: recruiters, job search engines, and on-line networking groups.

Compelled by Instant Gratification

If you are like me at all, you love sites like Linkedin®, The Ladders®, Monster® and RiteSite®. The visits are highly rewarding for those of us who need immediate gratification. They also play a clear and important role in maintaining a wide scope in your search effort. The reality is that there are many more plates out there to spin. And, as you might expect, each has its own value.

Tough Times Call for a New Strategy

Being out of work in an uncertain economy can be stressful and frustrating. Being out of work without a strategy is just downright silly yet most people I met who were in transition did not have a specific plan. There was outward confidence, activity, pride, but often not much else. So what does a job search strategy look like and how do I get one?

Introducing the New Strategy

So what makes sense is a new, efficiency-based job search strategy. It helps place the right efforts against the right resources to maximize the return in job search. Here’s how it works:

1. IDENTIFY your plates

These are basically all of the micro networks that make up your overall network (e.g. a recruiter or an old college friend). By identifying each micro network you can then begin the process of comparing the relative value of each one and how often each should be resourced or “spun”.

2. VALUE your plates

Each plate gets a value based on specific criteria. Once valued, your plates are ranked giving you a real sense of where you should be spending your time.

3. MEASURE your spinning stick

How open is this micro network to helping you? You can do this by measuring your spinning stick. It shows the relative distance between you and your micro network. In plate spinning a shorter stick is less awkward to work with and in this strategy it suggests a closer relationship to your network - one you can tap into more deeply and more often.

4. CHOOSE a spin cycle for each plate

Based on the value and closeness of each network, you can decide how often to spin each plate. Once the analysis is complete you can have confidence in a specific plan to make sure your networks know that you are looking and are reminded about your skills and targets.

5. KEEP a log

Can you remember the last time you e-mailed that recruiter? Do you remember what feedback each of your networks provided last time you spoke? A log tracks every contact with your micro networks allowing you to measure the ongoing value and return as time goes on.

So, ask yourself, do you have a strategy or are you just spinning?

Wise careerists recognize and deal with the fact that job security is a thing of the past. They keep their antenna on alert for signs that their jobs may be in danger. They have stand-by plans to act if they get the pink slip.

That’s common sense at work for career success.

There are obvious danger signals such as mediocre or worse performance ratings. Business is falling off for your employer. Rumors are flying that the company is in trouble. Employees are being laid off. Another company acquires your employer. A number of managers have jumped ship.

Alarm Bells Are Sounding

There are more subtle, but no less meaningful, alarm bells, according to Greg Gostanian, managing partner at ClearRock, an executive coaching and outplacement firm,

1. Your supervisor and other colleagues are not making direct eye contact with you as often as they once did. You are not invited to the coffee breaks. You are lunching alone.

2. You have failed to carry out the one or two most important tasks you were hired to do. Or those assignments are being eliminated or turned over to others

3. People in other departments know more about what is going on in your own area than you do.

4. You are no longer invited to meetings, consulted about plans, and are discouraged from joining professional associations and professional organizations. You are not copied on important messages.

Job Tip: Always Be Prepared If Things Turn Sour

Even if the warning bells are not sounding for you now, it pays to be prepared in case things turn sour. Put the positive power of negative thinking to work as you work toward your career goals.

1. Learn all you can about the state of business for your employer.

2. Keep your resume up-to-date. Maintain a file of your accomplishments and accolades.

3. Set aside enough money to sustain you until you can find another position.

4. Keep learning new skills so you will be abreast of the demands of an ever-changing job market.

5. Maintain contacts with key people who might need your talents. Be visible.

These five action steps will also serve your interests along your career path if the decision to seek a new job is totally yours.