Did you hear the one about the guy who walks into church with his cap on? As he approaches the entrance one of the ushers taps his head and whispers, “Your cap.” The man walks on, down the aisle, to his seat. One of the parishioners smiles and motions to his own head and whispers “cap.” The man smiles and looks away. The service begins. As the celebrant comes down the aisle he leans over to the man as he passes and whispers, “your cap.” After the service ends everyone processes out where the celebrant is already greeting parishioners as they exit. He asks the man with the cap why he never removed it while he was in church. “Father,” he says, “I’ve been coming here for four years and this is the first time anyone has ever noticed me.”
So what does this have to do with work, job search or your career? It begs one question and one question only: What am I doing to get noticed? — by my boss, my employer, an interviewer, as I send my resume over the internet in response to an ad?
Showing posts with label Job Search Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job Search Tips. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Branding: Why It's Important
It’s about marketing yourself. In today’s fast paced world, it’s about telling your story, telling it succinctly and telling it so people can see the benefit to them. Your brand needs to be communicated clearly: in your resume, in your pitch and in your interviews.
You know what you’re good at. You know how you’ve gotten hired in the past and you know what people have valued about your work. If you don’t know these answers, we should have a conversation. But for those who have this part nailed, you’ve already mastered the most difficult part of self marketing: knowing your product inside and outside, backwards and forwards. You know the products’ highlights and lowlights; you know what it can and cannot do. You know what it does well and what it does less well. You know yourself. This is good—because YOU are the product!
Next, create interest in the product by creating excitement around what it does. Here’s what I mean: my computer got a virus that was reaping havoc on my life. Technology is my main form of communication with the world—I need my computer! I needed someone to fix it yesterday. I called The Geek Squad, which by the way, has great marketing and hefty prices (someone has to pay for the marketing campaigns.) They responded within 24 hrs. They arrived in a Volkswagen Beetle with “Geek Squad” logos and marketing all over it. Their technicians wear “geekie clothing”: black pants, white collared shirts with thin black ties. What, no pen protector? But here’s the best part: the technician knew his stuff, absolutely! Not only did he nail the virus in no time at all, he explained everything as he went along, showing me things my computer could do that I didn’t even know about and sharing shortcuts I still use. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, efficient and thorough.
OK, so let’s say I’m interviewing him for a position in my technology company. He has all the techno buzzwords; he’s taken the right computer programming courses. I ask him to tell me about himself and he says:
“I’m an experienced technician and have been with the Geek Squad for 5 years. I’ve worked on a variety of computers types and am familiar with several computing languages.” OK.
Now, here’s his co-worker interviewing for the same position. I ask him to tell me about himself and he says:
“I’ve been using computers almost as long as I’m walking! My parents started me off with an Apple when I was three. Eventually I started taking them apart so I could see how they worked. My parents relaxed a bit when they saw that I could put them back together and they would work! I’m a senior technician with the Geek Squad, great place to work by the way. I’ve learned a lot from them these past 5 years, especially around advanced programming techniques and the importance of delivering outstanding customer service.”
Which one should I hire?
You know what you’re good at. You know how you’ve gotten hired in the past and you know what people have valued about your work. If you don’t know these answers, we should have a conversation. But for those who have this part nailed, you’ve already mastered the most difficult part of self marketing: knowing your product inside and outside, backwards and forwards. You know the products’ highlights and lowlights; you know what it can and cannot do. You know what it does well and what it does less well. You know yourself. This is good—because YOU are the product!
Next, create interest in the product by creating excitement around what it does. Here’s what I mean: my computer got a virus that was reaping havoc on my life. Technology is my main form of communication with the world—I need my computer! I needed someone to fix it yesterday. I called The Geek Squad, which by the way, has great marketing and hefty prices (someone has to pay for the marketing campaigns.) They responded within 24 hrs. They arrived in a Volkswagen Beetle with “Geek Squad” logos and marketing all over it. Their technicians wear “geekie clothing”: black pants, white collared shirts with thin black ties. What, no pen protector? But here’s the best part: the technician knew his stuff, absolutely! Not only did he nail the virus in no time at all, he explained everything as he went along, showing me things my computer could do that I didn’t even know about and sharing shortcuts I still use. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, efficient and thorough.
OK, so let’s say I’m interviewing him for a position in my technology company. He has all the techno buzzwords; he’s taken the right computer programming courses. I ask him to tell me about himself and he says:
“I’m an experienced technician and have been with the Geek Squad for 5 years. I’ve worked on a variety of computers types and am familiar with several computing languages.” OK.
Now, here’s his co-worker interviewing for the same position. I ask him to tell me about himself and he says:
“I’ve been using computers almost as long as I’m walking! My parents started me off with an Apple when I was three. Eventually I started taking them apart so I could see how they worked. My parents relaxed a bit when they saw that I could put them back together and they would work! I’m a senior technician with the Geek Squad, great place to work by the way. I’ve learned a lot from them these past 5 years, especially around advanced programming techniques and the importance of delivering outstanding customer service.”
Which one should I hire?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
6 Tips For Getting Hired in this Economy
With unemployment numbers climbing and people needing to keep a positive cash flow, you could find yourself interviewing for a position that you may be overqualified for, not all that interested in and yet really need. Here are some basics to keep in mind:
1. Be enthusiastic.
Even if the job is not your #1 choice you need to act as if it is ~~ if you want to get hired, that is. When I interviewed candidates, I would explain what the job entailed, what the responsibilities of the position were and what the successful candidate might look like. You, the candidate, need to keep the conversation interactive. I can’t tell you how many candidates lost out on employment opportunities because their enthusiasm level was imperceptible. Tell the interviewer why you want to work at this company and why you are perfect for the job. She/he shouldn’t have to check you for a pulse ~~ not in any economy!
2. Have a great resume.
Your resume is your #1 marketing tool, absolutely! Professional resume writers know the importance of branding, positioning and value statements. It’s our job to write resumes that get noticed. Make the investment here; it will pay solid dividends for you.
3. Be able to articulate your accomplishments.
Be prepared to talk about your accomplishments using the STAR acronym. Have examples ready. Explain your achievements in terms of what the Situation was, the Task(s) you performed, Action you took and Result achieved.
4. Know what’s important to the company you’re interviewing with.
Utilize your local library and introduce yourself to the Reference librarian. These folks are a job seekers best friend. They know their stuff and they know how to get to it fast. Do your homework; know what the company is about and what is important to it.
5. Know what you are worth.
When the interviewer asks what salary you are looking for, know your value. Know what the job typically pays; know what your experience is worth. Take current market conditions into consideration so you don’t price yourself out of the competition.
6. Be able to explain why you should get the job.
There are more people competing for the same jobs these days. Add in the folks that were laid off from jobs they were good at, and it’s easy to see that “there’s a lot of talent on the street” as we say in HR. You need to differentiate yourself from the competition, know what makes you unique. This is an important job search technique to master.
1. Be enthusiastic.
Even if the job is not your #1 choice you need to act as if it is ~~ if you want to get hired, that is. When I interviewed candidates, I would explain what the job entailed, what the responsibilities of the position were and what the successful candidate might look like. You, the candidate, need to keep the conversation interactive. I can’t tell you how many candidates lost out on employment opportunities because their enthusiasm level was imperceptible. Tell the interviewer why you want to work at this company and why you are perfect for the job. She/he shouldn’t have to check you for a pulse ~~ not in any economy!
2. Have a great resume.
Your resume is your #1 marketing tool, absolutely! Professional resume writers know the importance of branding, positioning and value statements. It’s our job to write resumes that get noticed. Make the investment here; it will pay solid dividends for you.
3. Be able to articulate your accomplishments.
Be prepared to talk about your accomplishments using the STAR acronym. Have examples ready. Explain your achievements in terms of what the Situation was, the Task(s) you performed, Action you took and Result achieved.
4. Know what’s important to the company you’re interviewing with.
Utilize your local library and introduce yourself to the Reference librarian. These folks are a job seekers best friend. They know their stuff and they know how to get to it fast. Do your homework; know what the company is about and what is important to it.
5. Know what you are worth.
When the interviewer asks what salary you are looking for, know your value. Know what the job typically pays; know what your experience is worth. Take current market conditions into consideration so you don’t price yourself out of the competition.
6. Be able to explain why you should get the job.
There are more people competing for the same jobs these days. Add in the folks that were laid off from jobs they were good at, and it’s easy to see that “there’s a lot of talent on the street” as we say in HR. You need to differentiate yourself from the competition, know what makes you unique. This is an important job search technique to master.
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