Back in January, my usually upbeat handyman confided to me that he was in a funk. Business was down and he could barely meet expenses. He decided to seek employment as a Superintendent or Facility Manager. While he enjoyed doing home repairs, he needed the security of a full time job. A change in situation would create a steady income and allow him to serve private customers after business hours. The problem was he lacked the personal awareness to effectively market himself.

After a brief discussion we agreed on a barter arrangement; I would write his resume and cover letter in exchange for his taking care of several projects around my home.

My familiarity with his work helped me to create a resume that would attract the opportunities he was seeking. The profile boasted about his talents, the skills section featured every tool he had operated and the professional skills he offered. I included a logo that depicted a hammer and nail to catch the attention of hiring managers.

The interview process and completed document gave my handyman the language he needed to market himself. What he learned about himself during the interview process of the resume program gave him a better understanding of his value to others and the role his previous experience in played in achieving his goals.

About a week after his resume was completed he called to tell me about all the opportunities that were coming his way. The newly created resume enabled him to clearly speak with friends and members of his congregation about his career goals. To his surprise he found people were more than willing to share contacts and job leads. I listened as he enthusiastically told me he was going to apply for a seasonal maintenance position with the Trump Organization…It has since occurred to me the real benefit of what I do is give people the confidence and hope they need to pursue their goals.

1. be ready when an unforeseen opportunity presents itself
2. be ready to launch your job search if you are suddenly laid off
3. have a healthy awareness of your unique strengths, skills, and accomplishments
4. be less stressed should you find yourself in an unexpected job search
5. be ahead of the competition because you will also be active in your  professional and social network and have a strong online presence.
6. be in a better position for promotions and salary increases

Hint: What do you stand for? What distinguishes you from everyone else?

“Women should be obscene and not heard.”
Groucho Marx

“They always leave a little taller.”
The Little Gym

“80% of success is showing up.”
Woody Allen

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
Abraham Lincoln

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
Benjamin Franklin

“Whatever you focus on, will expand.”
Steadman Grant

“Dare to Dream – Dare to Do”
Anonymous

“Inner Gremlin Tamer, Life Purpose Guru”
Anne-Marie Ditta

“Change has come to America.”
Barack Obama
Victory speech in US presidential election, home state of Chicago, November 4, 2008.

Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.

Every week I receive tons of emails from friends and colleagues. While there are way too much for me to read, every now and then one will catch my eye as the aforementioned quote has.

Fear is running rampant and our nation is being called to to live with less while we huddle close and hope the monster of unemployment will pass by our doors. The crisis will eventually pass but the question remains how gracefully will get you get through it?

Just like Marc Cenedella, I urge you to focus on one thing; take control of your career and let go of what is beyond your power. What you can control is:

- Your attitude: Like any other project, every great job begins with an achievable vision.
- Your process: Finding a job that best matches your unique qualifications and skills requires you to create and stick to a strong project plan, schedule and specific milestones.
- Your resume: Always, always, always keep it current. You never know when your next great opportunity will appear.
- Your network -: Creating an active job search team means that you will keep in touch often, be both a generous giver and a gracious receiver. Coach your friends, family, colleagues and peers in the specifics, i.e. your goals and how they can help you achieve them.
- Where you look: When used properly, the internet is a great tool for finding employment. Make a list of employers you are interested in working for and look under the “Careers or Join Us” section of their websites.
- Your knowledge: Whether it is learning a new technology or completing your PMP, you must commit to being a lifelong learner to stay competitive in this market.
- Your image: From your head to your toes present a professional image. Always make sure your shoes are polished, your clothes are neat and crisp, you are well groomed and your smile is broad and welcoming.

THE JOB CLUB:
TRANSCENDING FROM CRISIS TO OPPORTUNITY
Wednesdays: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
January 21, 28, Feb 4, 11, 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25,
April 1, 15 and 22, 2009
Wainwright House
260 Stuyvesant Avenue, Rye, NY 10580

In a safe and supportive environment, learn how to:
• Embrace change and use it to propel you forward
• Explore and identify career paths that best fit your strengths and interests
• Prevent your Inner Gremlin from standing between you and your goals
• Effectively build and mobilize your network, even if you are shy
• Address spoken and unspoken objections and work around challenges
• Define your Personal Brand for use in your resume, cover letter, online presence,
sound bites and messages that capture the interests of hiring managers and key contacts
• Conduct an effective job search using the Dispatch Method
• Transform interviews from interrogations into business meetings
• Identify and answer illegal interview questions while maintaining your cool
• Negotiate better salary and compensation packages

Pre-registration is required
http://www.wainwright.org/Program_DittaAnneMarie_series.htm
Phone registrations: 914-967-6080, Monday – Friday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
At other times, please leave a message and a registrar will return your call and take your registration and credit card information.
12-week series
$540 for members \ / $600 for non-members

This information supports my assertion that job boards are not the best way to find the job of your dreams. In my opinion word of mouth or building a personal connection is still the best way to get yourself hired. Below are several examples of how 10 clients that I coached found employment over the last year:

• After 30 years with the same company Rick (not his real name) was offered a new opportunity after he saw the posting online. Instead of sending his resume he called the company directly. Instead of agreeing to a screening interview over the phone he offered to come by, citing that he lived within minutes of the office. He was offered a 6-figure postion at the end of the first interview.
• Barbara had played a key role in launching a world renowned financial services organization over 20 years ago. Within 3 years of being relocated to another country she was downsized. She called her former employer who had left the organization the previous year and he began tapping into his network to help her find a new opportunity. After 4 months of interviewing she landed a new position as Executive Director of Marketing.
• A true strategist, Khalil has a goal of reaching a C-level position by 2012. In order to position himself for the challenge he needed a promotion from Director of Project Management to Senior Vice President of Program Management. He made his goals known to key executive leaders including his boss. He was surprised by the support they provided. One CTO even stayed late to help him revise his resume after a series of positions opened up within the organization. He called last week to let me know he received the promotion.

The next time you think of registering with an online job board, you might consider  reconnecting  with that former colleague you think about from every now and then.

View the Journal News article in its entirety  http://lohud.com/article/20081228/BUSINESS01/812280320#pluckcomments

If you are on unfamiliar with the field of coaching you might be interested to know that coaching is a rapidly growing, exciting career path that is revolutionizing the field of personal and professional development. It is important to note that coaching is not therapy or counseling and should not be treated as a alternative to such. The goal of coaching is often to help clients reach SMART Goals. Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable / Actionable, Realistic / Relevant and Timely.According to the International Coaching Federation “clients are naturally creative, resourceful and capable of finding their own solutions.”

Coaches may specialize in a variety of areas that include but are not limited to business, parenting, relationships, and leadership. My specialty is career coaching. Over the years, I have coached hundreds of clients in transitioning to a new career or position that is supports their values, skills, knowledge and interests. In helping clients move away from the chaos of their minds and into the realm of possibility I draw upon a variety of skills and models to help coachees reach their professional goals. In order to help you better understand what the coaching relationship looks like, I have provided the following case study from my private business.

CASE STUDY

Susan C.

Background

Susan C. (not her real name).,, a young year old female, lived at home with home grandparents and received unemployment.. She first contacted me to write her resume. During the project I found she had a poor record of employment However, she impressed me with her motivation, and honesty. She completed assignments quickly and called a day ahead to confirm our meetings. My gut feelings told me that she could benefit from coaching.

Establishing the Relationship

While the resume was being written I asked if she interested interested in career coaching. To establish the relationship l told her what the coaching relationship involved. Given her personal and professional goals it was an ideal time for Susan C. to accept coaching.

We moved forward to an introductory call. During the call I asked Susan C. to rank on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being couldn’t care less and 10 being total and sheer excitement) how committed she was to her goals. She said a 10 and that she had been thinking about this for at least two years. If she were able to achieve some other goals first it would rank it a 12. Immediately after the call I sent Susan C. a Welcome Packet to complete and email back to me prior to our first call.

These steps laid the foundation of the coaching relationship and provided Susan C. with clear guidelines as to what was expected of her.

Establishing Performance Goals

During the first call we reviewed Welcome Packet to clarify Susan C.’s goals. Out of the 7 areas of the Whole Life Model (this can be viewed online by doing a search for the Wheel of Life) Susan C. chose to work on career, finance and physical environment. It was necessary for Susan C. to reach her initial goals of finding a job in order to support her other two goals. In the meantime she would read several books and review websites to anchor her commitment to her financial goals.

This phase of the engagement helped create a road map. that defined where Susan C. wanted to go and what she needed to get there. Clear notes helped me track key points that would act as a guide during her journey.

Ongoing Active Coaching

To establish a clear direction we verbally reviewed a coaching call prep form at the beginning of each call. Over the engagement Susan C. designed an effective strategy that attracted job interviews for which I asked thought provoking questions to help prepare her. To address a personal relationship issue I introduced different models and presented ways to reframe her thoughts and ideas as well as metaphors that allowed her to form her own insights and solutions. I shared resources such as websites, books and made a referral to a social worker to advance her healing around personal and family issues.

To support her in making a decision whether to attend school this semester, I used the SMART Goals model and asked what she needed to weigh and who needed to be involved in making this decision. As a result she decided to avail herself of several organizational trainings and revisit attending school the following semester.

During our first call Susan C. said she felt hopeful that it was not to late to get her life together. Over the weeks she said she benefited from having me listen objectively and hold a space that helped her make her own decisions. When I asked if there was anything she would like me to change or do less of she said that I was doing fine and she really felt she was benefiting from the relationship. It was powerful and suprising for me to learn how positive it was for her to be heard.

Completion

Susan C. is a delightful coachee who is deeply committed to achieving her goals despite her difficult home environment. Witnessing her growth helped me to understand how powerful coaching can be. I found myself wondering how her life might have been different had we not entered in this unique and special coaching relationship.

Susan C.’s first day on her new job as an administrative assistant was a few weeks ago. That night Susan C. excitedly shared with me all about the opportunities for advancement. She has already established new career goals and defined several steps that she needs to take to achieve her financial and physical environment goals.

We reviewed where she had started from and where she was now, which she expressed happiness and gratitude for my helping reach her goal growth in less than two months. Next week we will speak to determine our next steps.

1. Present a job objective that will appeal to the readers’ interest. A clearly stated objective such as PROJECT MANAGER / BUSINESS ANALYST will get more attention then “a challenging position that will utilize my skills and talents.”
2. Think of your PROFILE or CAREER SUMMARY as the back cover copy of a book or a mini sales letter. Some hiring managers decide in as little as 10 seconds whether to call you or toss your documents in the circular file.
3. Keep your profile no longer than 6 lines. Make every word count; your profile is 10 times more powerful than the sections that follow. Use SOUND BITES; ACTION ORIENTED VERBS and KEY WORDS; PICTURE AND EMOTIONAL WORDS, BENEFITS, NOT FEATURES to keep your message focused and capture your readers’ attention.
4. Writers know readers like to focus on one topic at a time. INCLUDE ONLY INFORMATION THAT IS RELEVANT TO YOUR CAREER OR JOB OBJECTIVE. Omit information such as marital status, age, weight, and any data that is unrelated to your objective.
5. What are your readers most interested in? Take the time to research the jobs and companies that interest you. What qualities, skills, or knowledge are they looking for? WHAT HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED, HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT, OR ARE SKILLED IN THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO DO THE JOB.
6. A WELL-DESIGNED, CLEAN, SIMPLE LAYOUT WITH AMPLE WHITE SPACE IS EASIER TO READ than a document that has multiple type fonts and type styles. Use BULLET POINTS TO CALL ATTENTION TO ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BOLD FACE TYPE FOR SECTION HEADERS, JOB TITLES and / or COMPANY NAMES, ACADEMIC DEGREES and / or COLLEGES or UNIVERSITIES.
7. The key to good writing is EDIT, EDIT AND EDIT SOME MORE. What if your readers can spot grammatical errors that you didn’t know were there? EVERY MISTAKE IN GRAMMAR, SPELLING, SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND OVERALL ORGANIZATION, ANYTHING THAT TRIPS UP THE SMOOTH FLOW OF IDEAS FROM YOU TO YOUR READER IS A POTENTIAL MINEFIELD. Once your resume and cover letter are completed have the documents proofread by someone other than you.

As I reflected on my latest milestone it occurred to me preparing for a marathon was similar to the job search. process. At first a new job seeker, such as a recent college graduate or long time employee, may set his or her goals too high or too low and adjust them as they get more information. Along the way surprises are bound to arise Several of my clients have reported having a great interview only never to hear from the company again. They came to realize how a company treats you during the hiring process is an indication of how they will be treated as an employee. Others, in their haste, prepared a resume that lacked focus and had to invest in having it redone after their goals were more clearly defined. As unemployment rates skyrocketed in the wake of 911, I assisted clients who were out of work for over a year. The ones who were successful stayed focused on their goals and learned how to adjust to market changes by developing new skills and knowledge that gave them the competitive edge.

Whether you are currently in or anticipating being in a job search or marathon here are some ideas to help you reach the finish line:

1. Get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet and exercise, achievement is fueled with energy.
2. Push yourself forward – build on your strengths and recognize your limitations.
3. Stay flexible both in body and mind. Be willing to adjust your goals.
4. Track your progress, even the baby steps add up.
5. Form your own personal cheering section.Tell friends, family, colleagues, coaches and mentors how they can help and support you.
6. Remember the right tools and equipment are an investment not an expense.
7. Reward your accomplishments – even the little ones.
8. Be prepared for the unexpected.
9. Remember challenge is an obstacle waiting to be overcome.