Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Communicate for Impact!

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Communicating effectively and with clarity is key for job seekers and professionals in all fields. For job seekers, the ability to connect in an interview and sell themselves confidently makes the difference between a shot at the job and getting the job. Others in the workforce find themselves trying to persuade others of their viewpoints on a regular basis.

Do you come across as unsure? Uncertain? Do you end every sentence with a question mark? If so, you aren’t communicating for impact!

This video (a FedEx commercial) perfectly demonstrates how important it is to communicate with emphasis and clarity. (Hat tip: Speechworks’ blog, Talking Points).

Don’t have your ideas stolen by someone with more authority…Focus on the communication skills that will launch or sink your career.

Stay tuned for more on the art of communication!

Keppie Careers will help you communicate with impact. Need help getting your ideas across for a job hunt? www.keppiecareers.com.

Stop Toe-Tapping: Clarifying Expectations for Your Job Hunt, Part II

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Toe-tapping

Photo by vintagediva_nat

Last week, I wrote that it is a good idea to clarify expectations for your job hunt. I focused on the fact that you need to give yourself a reasonable amount of time to land a job you want. If you’re convinced that a successful job search will be a 2-month process, when realistically, 8 months is typical, you are setting yourself up to be disappointed.

Similarly, it will help your job hunt management plan if you clarify expectations for the all important, “Waiting to hear.” Most job hunters spent a lot of time “waiting to hear.” You’re waiting to hear if you’ll get an interview. You’re waiting to hear if you’re being considered…Waiting to find out if you made it to round two…If you’ll get an offer. Sometimes, it seems like the waiting never ends. Maybe it seems like waiting for Godot…

I recently received an email from a client who was anxiously waiting to hear back from a very large employer. They told her that she was under consideration for a position. That was two weeks ago. Her question: Does this employer typically take so long?

My response: When you are waiting for an employer to get back to you about a job (especially a large employer with an HR department and a lot of hiring layers), think in terms of months, not days.

Her reply was very smart: “I guess I should stop toe-tapping.”

There are a lot of productive things that you can do with your time while you are in the “waiting” stage.

It is best to always have several balls up in the air – never stop your search to wait for just one or two employers to get back to you.

One useful strategy to help avoid needless toe tapping:

If you do speak to someone who
lets you know that you are under
consideration for a job, express
enthusiasm and excitement and
ask about their time frame.

A great last question for an interviewee to ask at an interview: When do you expect to make a decision? Granted, their answer is not set in stone. Things change. Delays occur. However, if you know that they are interviewing 35 people over the next 3 weeks, it will help you plan your follow-up.

I really liked this list of ideas from the Villanova University School of Law about how to handle the waiting game:

  • Accept that two things are certain in the job search process: (1) the process will often be unpredictable and (2) you will often face uncertainty.
  • Take action on other fronts by pursuing other employers. Keep moving forward while you’re waiting for a response. Don’t wait passively for something to happen. Be proactive by targeting other employers.
  • Follow up with employers by phone, e-mail and/or letter. Mark your calendar so you remember the next follow-up dates.
  • When following up, convey your continued enthusiasm, not your frustration. Remember: the person on the other end of that call can be your best advocate or your worst enemy. How you treat them will dictate which role they play in your candidacy.
  • Continue networking with the organization-you may develop helpful relationships.
  • Be ready to move quickly if and when you finally do get a response. Use the “waiting period” to research the employer in greater depth and determine what questions you’d need answered before accepting an offer.
  • Know your audience when following up. Are they overwhelmed? Afraid to make hasty decision? Waiting for economic justification to hire? Trying to convince others to hire you? Empathize with your audience and don’t vent your frustration.
  • Expand your plan. Develop new targets. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
  • Be honest. Don’t use ruses to get faster answers. Don’t say “I’ve got an offer from another employer” if you don’t. Honesty is always the best policy.
  • Make peace with the fact that closure may not occur in every situation. Persistence in the face of uncertainty will eventually produce results!

Although it may not seem like it, a lot of the job search process IS in your court…use your “waiting” time well. Prepare for a possible interview. Find an even better job and apply for it! Don’t forget to drive your own career bus. If it seems stalled at the station, it is up to you to put the key in and start the ignition!

Are you sure your resume will shorten your wait? Need help preparing for an interview? Keppie Careers is here to help!

Clarify Expectations for Your Job Search

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Photo by yourpaldave

Growing up, my good friend frequently offered two words of advice that seemed to work for most any situation. The advice? “Clarify expectations.” Think about it – how many problems would be prevented if only the parties had set up specific expectations prior to engaging in whatever caused friction or hurt feelings? Letting everyone know what to expect – upfront – is a great problem-preventing strategy.

So, why am I telling you about my friend? I think his advice works well for job seekers.

Clarifying expectations for your job hunt will solve you countless
problems and needless anxiety.

Clarify how long you expect to search for a job. In the old days, the figure that was tossed around was to expect to search one month for every $10,000 in salary. So, if you are hoping to earn $80,000 – expect an 8-month search.

The fact is, there is no specific data that indicate how long it will take to find a job. Everyone’s situation is unique.

While hiring a resume writer or coach will most likely shorten your search, and focusing your hunt in productive areas (networking) and avoiding time drains (zapping tons of resumes online) will help, there’s no hard data on the subject.

So, you are kind of on your own here. Assuming you need to find a job, the choice factor mostly pertains to holding out for the “right” job. Maybe you have opportunities to take positions for less money than you’d like, or jobs that are not as interesting or challenging, but you want to hold out as long as possible for a job you’d appreciate.

Think about this…What is your time line? What is your financial situation?

How long can you wait before you will need to take a job – any job?

Be clear with yourself – and realistic with your expectations. Most people probably won’t be able to pick up their dream job in a month, but maybe your network is so evolved and your job hunting skills so well trained that you can meet that deadline. Your search will be more productive if you know how long you’ll allow yourself to hunt. You may be less stressed after one or two months if you’ve recognized and clarified the fact that you expect your search to take 6 months or more.

Stay tuned for more tips about how clarifying expectations will help you in your job hunt.

Keppie Careers is here to help you meet your expectations. Do you need a great resume? Tips to get you through the day? Contact us: www.keppiecareers.com

Why Your Job Hunt Isn't Like Barry the Bee's, Part I

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Have you seen the Bee Movie? With Sex and the City being all the rage this week, I don’t image that an older release/kid’s movie is exactly top of mind for most theater goers. However, the Bee Movie had a lot of great lessons for job seekers. (Who would have thunk it?)

In case you’re not familiar, here’s a brief synopsis:

Having just graduated from college, a bee by the name of Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of having only one career choice – honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees’ honey for centuries, and ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey.

I hadn’t realized all of the great career themes in this movie! There is a telling scene when Barry and his bee buddy are on a roller coaster tour of the hive designed to help them choose their life-long vocation. Yes, a graduate bee must pick a career for the REST OF HIS LIFE. Of course, choices in the hive are somewhat limited. (Can you say, “make honey?”) In an insular world of the hive, it’s all about ONE choice for life. You don’t get to be a worker bee and later switch to being a pollen seeker…Choose wrong, and you are doomed.

Barry Bee strikes out on his own, but in his naivete, he makes a mess of things when he tries to save all of the honey for the bees. (Think “the end of the world as we know it.”)

Compared to the bees, human job seekers have a walk in the park! Just think – you don’t have to commit to a job for life. If you decide to take an atypical career path (as Barry ultimately did), you probably do not have the potential to destroy life as we know it on earth (as Barry almost did).

Recently, I’ve worked with several clients who are exploring career options in a variety of fields. It’s important for them (and you, if you are considering a job hunt) to realize that there may be no “perfect” job or career, but that’s okay! Your job choices are not carved in stone…Jobs, like the rest of life, are as fluid as you allow them to be.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog with more reasons not to stress too much about your job hunt!

Keppie Careers will help you relieve job hunting stress. Take a load off of your mind and hire us to navigate the job search process: www.keppiecareers.com.

Smooth Sailing for Your Job Hunt: Heat Up Your Interview Skills

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Sailing on the Sun

Photo by Auer1816

Seeking smooth sailing for your interviews?

Logically, once you have a hot resume and network for success, it’s key to focus on interviewing skills to win the job. A summary for those hoping to heat up their job search for the summer season:

Prepare for your interview. Decide how to connect your skills to the employer’s needs.

Avoid typical interviewing blunders and turn your interviewer into a fan!

Know how to answer the most important underlying interview questions.

Have structured replies to behavioral interview questions.

Don’t forget to follow up your interviews with a timely thank you note.

Know what to wear. Know what NOT to wear…

Don’t miss interview red flags. Don’t get involved in a bad situation if you can help it!

Keppie Careers will conduct mock interviews and help you prepare to blow your interviewer away with clear, concise and correct answers to important interview questions! www.keppiecareers.com