Imagine an employer has a role to fill. That employer will identify a number of things (talents, skills, abilities, experiences) s/he would like to see in an ideal candidate. For example, an employer may want to know that a candidate has 5+ years of experience.

This is an example of the employer’s ‘buying motivators’ – the things that motivate an employer to buy or purchase a particular set of skills or experiences from a candidate.

As a job seeker your efforts should be focused on achieving an understanding of each of these buying motivators so when you engage an employer you are prepared to speak to how you meet their needs.

When you have a job poster for an open position you will see each of the employer’s buying motivators listed – usually under the qualifications or requirements section.

Regardless of how you are communicating with the employer (email, online, telephone, in-person) it is important to keep their needs top of mind. This will help ensure you are addressing their buying motivators throughout your conversation(s).

Reminding yourself to address the things that are most important to the employer will help you connect your offerings to the employer’s needs. This will make you a much more attractive candidate for the position than those who simply list their skills and abilities aimlessly on a resume, email or online profile. Aligning your offering to the needs of the employer will surely put you at the top of their list of potential candidates. As a job seeker, being at the top of the employer’s list of possible candidates is exactly where you want find yourself.

You can learn more about writing your own value proposition here.

“Maureen Quick Q: What are your thoughts on purchasing a “job seeker” subscription to LinkedIn? Do you think it’s worth the $31/month?”

The answer is pretty simple.

Exhaust the free option, first.

Provided you learn all the ins and outs of the free version, and you’re willing to put the time in to first learn, then comprehend, then implement the subscription – go for it!

There is a lot more to Linkedin than you see from your home page. Do your homework. Uncover ways to research employers, connect to key contacts, complete and update your profile, offer and receive recommendations, create and join groups and events…the list goes on and on.

Before you spend money to promote your profile, be confident it is the exact first impression you want to leave on prospective employers and new contacts.

“Maureen, I recently had an executive look over my resume for a quick critique and am perplexed at his response. Initially, while trying to discern what comprises a value proposition, I found your website with an article on writing one. So, is it really a one line objective for what you can do for the potential employer? Or is it a paragraph?”

Great question!  First, she understood the importance of having a value proposition; second, she was asking for clarification on ways to improve her candidacy.

Answer:  It can be both.  I often create taglines for my clients (a one line statement), and a paragraph (value proposition). Both outline what a candidate can do for a potential employer.

The samples from this blog post are the first of a number of sentences I use to create a value proposition for my clients.”

Sarah went on to say:

 “He also mentioned . . . (1) there was no “wow” factor in my Linkedin profile – it needs a little sizzle? Take a professional risk?; and (2) If I had to create a mantra, what would it be?  . . .  Are these necessary? . . . Is my professional summary the same as a value proposition?“

I don’t know that these are  mandatory or necessary, yet when a recruiter tells me how s/he wants to receive information – I give them what they want!

The challenge with Sarah’s LinkedIn profile was that she had not identified how she had accomplished the skills and talents she identified in her summary. She offered quantifiable measures (numbers), but they were not tied to any results. Her value proposition was fine, but if she wanted to improve her summary and add some “wow” there were a few things she needed to do.

• Tell me about your sales (How do they compare to last year, to your target, to your colleagues)?
• Tell me how many new clients you have brought on. Tie that information to the number of sales it represented (you can use % increases if sales figures are confidential).
• What were the long-term benefits to the company of your “bridge-building and team player with a reputation for analyzing people and process-problems . . . ?”

Sarah had plenty of great skills listed in her profile, she just needed to substantiate each of them which would take no time at all. If she identified the “how” of what she did and tied these results to the company’s bottom-line, she would improve her results.

Many people miss job opportunities because they don’t invest time creating written materials that represent them well – which is unfortunate because a resume or LinkedIn profile is often the first thing your prospective employer will see from you.

Spending just a few moments to identify the “how” of what you did will help the employer assess your skills more accurately.

Example:

Before:  Improved sales. (How did you improve sales?)

After:  Improved sales through the evaluation of employee productivity, uncovering untapped potential and maximizing performance that improved sales 24% over the previous year.

See the difference?

A resume won’t get you a job. You are the only person capable of getting yourself a job. A resume is only a tool we use that assists us in securing an interview with a company.

Today, we need to work smarter and harder to find great jobs. Before we find them, we have to search within ourselves to understand what makes a job right for us?

There are many ways to look at a job. A job can be thought of as a means to an end – a way to get income for the work you do every day. A job can be your way of contributing to the world around us. A job can be something that fulfills you every day and adds value to your life. Regardless of how you look at your job, notice that there are multiple ways to perceive it as it relates to your life.

How can we look at our jobs differently?

I’ll often hear people mix up the use of these words. Could, should, and want. I’ll ask:

“What kind of job do you want?”  and people will often respond saying:

“Well, I could do….this, or that…” or “I should be a (insert profession) because I went to school for it.”

Here is my advice: Make certain it’s a job you “want” not a job you “could” or “should” do.

Read that sentence again and focus on the words “want,” “could,” and “should.” Notice the subtle, but important difference between the words. If you didn’t notice it right away, this might help:

• I could be a policy analyst.
• I should keep my job because it’s a secure pay cheque.
• I want to work for a non-profit agency.

Did you notice it?

The first (could) implies that it is possible to be a policy analyst, however, not necessarily desirable.

The second (should) implies it would be sensible to keep the job, but again, not necessarily desirable.

The third (want) is different, because it is what you desire. What you want or choose to do.

When was the last time you had the freedom to sit and reflect on what you really want?

Challenge your usual thinking here. Turn off the voice in your head that says you can’t do what you want because you should or could do something else. Instead, allow yourself to say out loud:

What I really want to do is ______________________________________.

If you don’t know how to complete this sentence, that’s OK. You have plenty of time over the next few weeks to think about what you want. Think on this for hours, days, weeks, until you arrive at an answer. If you are stuck and need some one-on-one attention, let me know.

In the meantime, here is a three-minute video that I hope stimulates your thinking about your career and your life. I believe it is a good investment of your time.

“What do you desire?”

“What would you like to do if money were no object?

How would you really enjoy your life?”

I’m grateful to get to talk to many people about their careers, their choices, and not surprisingly, their day-to-day lives. What I have learned from many of these conversations, is not to take things for granted – not to assume things are going to work out as we want them to (hope they do, but plan for anything). This is a note to myself, as much as it is to anyone, to pay attention to the life we are living.

Take Note

…of the little things.

…of the important things.

…of beautiful things.

…of what’s going well,

…and what needs improvement.

…of what you tell yourself,

… and how the message impacts how you feel about yourself.

…of the things in your life that bring you joy.

…of the things you have left to do in this life.

…of your friend’s and family’s love for you.

…of the experiences you’ve had – the good (and the not so good) – they each make you who you are today.

…of the road you’re on, and whether you chose to be on it, or stumbled upon it.

…of your choices and your sacrifices.

…of your surroundings.

…of your supporters and your critics (including the ones in your head).

Make a conscious choice in your career, and in your life.

You can often find someone to give you an opinion about your resume or your cover letter, but educating your support network about what you really need can open up new opportunities you would not have access to otherwise. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the importance of knowing what you want. It is one thing to know what you want, yet another to ensure those around you are also aware of what you’re looking for. Today’s post is about clarifying what you want so you can help your network help you. When others understand what you want, they can ‘keep an ear to the ground’ on your behalf and often lead you to exactly what you’re looking for.

Educate others on how to help – it may seem like a good idea, but receiving countless meaningless job posters from your friends isn’t a good use of your time or theirs. You can help your network by clarifying what you need and teaching them what to look for.

How to get clarity

What job do you want? “I’ll take anything.” is not an answer to the question ‘what job do you want?’ That answer will not help those trying to help you. If you tell me, “Maureen I’m looking for a job” I’m going to ask you question after question until we both have a clear understanding of the type of job you want. No one can help you find a generic job, but people can help you find a specific job, within a specific industry, at a specific company, working with a specific person.

For example, I know Joe (made up name) lost his job last week. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Joe. I don’t know what kind of job he had, or the kind of job he wants. I don’t know what his interests are, or what he enjoys doing. When I learned about a job opening the other day, I didn’t think of Joe at all, in fact, I’ve forgotten all about Joe.

Conversely, I know Sue (made up name). And I know Sue is a project manager who enjoys working with technology. She told me she’s interested in working at ABC company and that she’d really like to meet the hiring manager to learn more about the company. When I ran into the husband of the hiring manager of ABC company the other day, I immediately thought of Sue and suggested that we connect the pair. Perhaps someone in your network might be willing to do the same for you. Before anyone can help you, you must first help yourself. The best way to do that, is to know your target (what you want). Focus on one or two specific jobs to help identify and clarify what you want to achieve. Then you can educate others on what to watch for.

What industry? Again, “It doesn’t matter” is not an answer. It does matter because you can work in the academic field, political, arts, recreation, tourism, hospitality, military, pharmaceutical…the list goes on and on. The industry you work in matters because there are some industries you are strictly opposed to and some that may hold your interest for the rest of your career. Spend time identifying the industries in which you prefer to work and you’ll have much more success finding the right company. This will also benefit you, because you’ll enjoy the work you do, after you land the job.

Motivating yourself to find a job you like is hard enough, imagine trying to motivate yourself to find a job you know you won’t like – that’s a tough pill to swallow? I have seen clients divide their attention among multiple jobs, industries, and companies with a sort of ’hail-mary-pass’ approach, thinking that job search is a numbers game. It isn’t. It is about focusing on what you want, and pursing your target. When clients fail to do this they are often de-motivated and feel utterly rejected when the companies (where they didn’t want to work in the first place) discard their application.

What company? You’ll probably guess that “Any company will do”, isn’t a very good answer to this question. It does matter. This doesn’t mean you have to know the exact name of the company you’re going to work for (though it would certainly help), it means you can start researching the names of organizations that interest you so you know a little about them. There are good companies and bad companies out there. Some treat their employees well, some don’t. Some have great benefits and compensation and others don’t. Some are located 3+ hour commute from home and some are around the corner. Trust me when I tell you – the company matters. Do research on what is important to you and come up with a list of companies who share the same values. What companies would you love to work for (write these down and focus on them).

Who do you know? This is a great question because once you have an answer to this question, suddenly your job search becomes action-able. Someone you know might introduce you to someone in one of these companies. Or perhaps someone you know, knows someone who could introduce you? Once you know that you need to meet with John Smith to learn more about company ABC, you’ll know your next step is to identify how to introduce yourself: email, phone, social media, in-person, through a network contact? Any of these will do nicely.

You may look at this approach to job search and find it to be too simple. Yet this approach, when applied, has helped hundreds of my clients find the work they wanted. Job search is not easy. It is hard work. With the right plan and direct focus on what you want to achieve, you’ll get through the tough parts much more quickly than most. And when you combine the right focus with the right plan, that’s going to save you money, time, and heart-ache because you’ll be back to work faster.

When you lose your job, whether you realize it or not, you’re not the only one going through the loss. Behind every great employee is a supportive and loving spouse. (Well, most of the time, that is). When one of you loses your job both of you go through a roller coaster of emotions.  Whether you or someone close to you is going through a job loss, it may affect you both differently. You are going to need all the support you can get during this transition. Do not alienate your partner by ignoring their thoughts and feelings. Instead, get wise to what they’re going through.

If you’re the one who recently lost their job, your spouse is going through a transition of his/her own. Here are some things you may want to know about what’s happening with them:

• …they are worried about you.
• …they may feel desperate to help you.
• …they understand pain and loss and they want yours to stop.
• …they want to help you, but likely don’t know how.
• …they have your best interest at heart.
• …it’s hard for them to sit idly by and watch you go through this.
• …they want to fix this for you, but they don’t know how, so they try EVERYTHING!

What can you do to comfort them?

Part of your new responsibilities is to communicate with your partner about the progress of your job search. You are not necessarily accountable to them, but you must communicate what is going on, so they have an accurate picture of the future. This situation is happening to you both and it is now part of your job to keep your spouse informed about where things stand.

Talk to them – let them know what’s going on with you. Talk to them about what you have been up to; even if it means telling them you’re taking the day off from job search tomorrow because you need to re-gain some perspective. Letting them in, will help keep the two of you connected and alleviate some of the stress. If they are willing, talk to them about how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, and what you anticipate may happen over the next few weeks. Sometimes talking about it can help you gain focus and clarity on what steps to take next.

Share your plan with them – some spouses want to be involved in the job search process while others may not be too interested. If your spouse wants to be involved, let them know what your plans are, or where you’re stuck. They may be in a position to offer some advice, or resources to consider. They may not have all the answers, but even the simple act of talking it through may help you gain a new perspective.

Update them on your progress – your partner wants to help you celebrate your successes and support you during your losses. Let them know where things stand with your current prospects. Brainstorm ideas about how to approach employers, write cover letters, or network. There are plenty of ways a spouse can support you during this time, don’t be afraid to let them.

Be honest when you take time off – there is no reason to withhold the truth from your partner about how you’re feeling today. We all need time to think and reflect about our future. Taking some time off from your job search can help you gain much needed perspective on what to do next. Don’t be ashamed to talk about what you’re feeling. You’re going to need to work through the roller-coaster of emotions from  losing your job, before you can positively present yourself in an interview.

Keeping the lines of communication open is going to ease the stress of your situation. Your partner’s support will help you during this time of transition. Start the conversation with your loved one this week. When they ask you how it’s going – tell them what you need, and let them help you.

Stop waiting for a magic bullet solution. – If you’re waiting for someone to recognize how awesome you are and what a remarkable contribution you make to the organization, …DON’T! It is not going to happen (if it does, super. Just don’t sit around waiting for it to happen). The same is true when thinking that the right job is going to fall out of the sky and into your lap. “If a better job comes around I’ll….” The perfect job doesn’t ‘come around’,  you have to go out and hunt it down.

Get clear on what you want - Are you clear about what you want? What projects do you want to work on? Who would you prefer to work with? Are you working on projects that will advance your career? Would you like to change your work schedule? Once you have identified what you want, it is much easier to find a path to achieve it. What would it take to make all of those ‘wants’ a reality? Most of us get stuck here because we think we know what we want, but when we’re challenged to articulate our wants, we are often at a loss.

Set your intention – It is hard to accomplish a negative goal and it is especially difficult when you are aiming it towards someone else. ( i.e. “I wish my boss would stop being an idiot!”) You can’t change another person’s behaviour, you can instead change your response to it. Rather than write a nasty letter outlining what an idiot your boss is for not seeing your potential and value; why not take a few moments to describe, in detail, what he/she is missing out on when not taking full advantage of your talents.  (Write this in a nice, helpful way, not in a nasty, mean way). What is the organization missing by not using you to your fullest potential? What are they not seeing in you that you would LOVE to be offering them? How could they use your skills more fully to help the organization achieve better results? Go ahead – tell them everything! Don’t send it …keep it to yourself. Review it, go over it, again and again until you’re sure it’s exhaustive.

Identify what you’d rather be doing. – Taking the time to write these things out, gives you adequate time for reflection and engages your mind in positive way (rather than negative). When you allow yourself the time to write out a list of things you would rather be doing at work…

• …it helps you focus on the positive…
• …it takes your attention away from negativity in the workplace and re-direct it towards something action-oriented and therefore…
• …it gives you something to work towards…
• …it helps you clarify what you want, which in turn…
• …makes it easier for you to recognize opportunities when they appear, and pursue them as you see fit.

Write your dream job ad – Turn off the editor in your head who says you can’t do what you want because you don’t have the right skills, education, connections, resume, references, experience. Instead, put together a list of things you LOVE to do, and find ways to incorporate or pursue these in your day-to-day life (hint: it doesn’t all have to come from your job, you can incorporate some of these into your hobbies, groups, and extracurricular activities). Most importantly – write your ideas down, so that you are clear on what they are. When I do this exercise with my clients, often, people think they know what they want, yet find themselves staring at a blank page for a lot longer than they thought they might. Go ahead, take a few minutes to write out examples of the type of job you want, the things you’ll be doing at that job, the people you’ll associate with, the work you’ll do, the challenges you’ll face, the pay you’ll earn…

Stop dividing your attention – Is your focus divided? Do you set life goals without considering career goals and vice versa? The two are intermingled so it is important to consider how the two play together. When making family plans, your career is a factor. When making career plans, your family is a factor. So decide first what you want to achieve (i.e. a year-long sabbatical) and how you can make that happen with the support of both your employer and your family.

Each of the above tasks may help you direct your career in a more positive fashion. When you make a conscious choice to work towards a goal, this alone may prevent you from falling into work you don’t enjoy. You’ll be able to say ‘yes’ more quickly to things that align with your goals. You’ll also be able to recognize and choose how to respond to tasks that are not aligned to your goals. Taking the time to clarify what you want will ensure you remain on the right path, and keep you from sliding into tasks and assignments that are not of interest to you and your career future.

When you empower yourself to make your own decisions you feel more in control in your career. Most importantly, you’ll be focused on something positive when others may not, and that will help you stand out as an employee. This improves your brand, and others may even take note of your positive outlook –and that could lead to many more open doors.

Happy hunting!

Career development is not something we talk about on a regular basis. In fact, much like our vehicles, we don’t give it much thought until there’s a problem. Prevention and planning are often overlooked. Mac Anderson, author and founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Inc., writes “We are often so focused on today’s problems that we put off planning for tomorrow’s opportunities.” And in most cases, that’s what happens in our careers. We are so busy with the day-to-day stuff that we spend little to no time putting together a strategy that we can follow for the future.

Whether you are working, taking a sabbatical, or considering a return to the workforce later this year – there are plenty of things you can do to make your transition back to work easier.

Continuing Education – Many colleges and universities offer long-distance courses and programs through the internet. Consider a course that is of interest to you and that enhances your employability. For example: If you are a tax accountant and unable to work today (for whatever reason), upgrade or expand your knowledge base and expertise by taking a workshop or course in taxation. Not only are you upgrading your skills, you’re demonstrating your pursuit of excellence through professional development, and staying current in your industry and profession. Win-win-win.

Professional Associations & Memberships – There are professional associations and memberships for just about any profession. A quick Google-search will give you the names of organizations in your area, as well as those regionally, nationally, and internationally. Consider joining and learning what you can about your profession and your industry. Many of these groups will help you stay up to date with your skills, and will introduce you to professionals with the same and similar backgrounds. Expanding your professional network will serve you very well throughout your career.

Conferences, Online Meetings & Webinars – Can’t make it back home to your association’s annual conference on the other side of the country? Consider a local conference, or combining a travel destination with a professional conference. Not only will this look great on your resume, but you’ll be meeting new people, experiencing different vantage points from colleagues, and you’ll have had the experience of attending a different conference. The same holds true for online meetings and webinars. Take full advantage of any extra time (and I’m not suggesting we aren’t all very busy living our day-to-day lives, but if you do have the time, why not use it to your advantage) and advance your career.

Network – Many of us are professionals. Find other people in the same profession or industry. Explore the expertises of one another: Do you have colleagues in common, customers, companies…? If things go well, you may develop an alliance or a partnership that may not have otherwise existed and can be leveraged once you return to work. Are there ways you can refer work or business to each other? The possibilities are endless. However, in order for this to be possible, you must be willing to explore these opportunities.

Research – Maybe attending conferences and meeting new people is not something you enjoy. Now is a great time to put together a job search strategy. If you know to where you want to work, (and even if you don’t) research companies that are of interest to you. Get to know them better; have an excellent understanding of how you might approach them for a job when the time is right. Who are their decision makers? The list goes on and on…just get started doing the research.

Volunteer – Whether you plan to go back to a similar career or something new, gaining experience through volunteer work will serve you well. Wouldn’t it be great to learn about a profession or an industry from doing volunteer work? It would be great to have that experience on your resume and it would lend credibility to your interest and involvement in that profession.

Update your resume – It has been my experience that most people wait until the last minute to update their resume. “Maureen, there is a job posting that closes on Friday and it’s my dream job, can you help me update my resume?” I appreciate that not everyone loves to write his or her resume and it can be a daunting task. My advice is to break it out into smaller chunks: Start by asking yourself this: “What do I want this employer to know about me?” and follow it up with “and how can I prove it to them?”

Learn about social media – There are plenty of opinions about the use of social media; especially in ones career. For the purposes of this post, I will say this: simply educate yourself about the choices. You don’t HAVE to do anything about social media today, but you do have to get educated about it and make an informed decision. You can only put your head in the sand for so long before someone will call you on it. So get informed. Don’t trust what others have told you; do your own research, form your own opinion and take it from there.

There will always be lots to do. When you make a conscious choice to determine what your future will look like, that plan will help steady you in the future.

As you read through your resume, do so as a stranger reading it for the very first time.

What stands out?

What leaves the greatest impression on you?

What assumptions or conclusions do you have to make?

What needs more clarification or explanation?

What have you done to prove what you say is true?

What stories demonstrate your expertise?

What separates you from the rest of the applicants?

Why would the employer chose your resume?

Why would the company call you in for an interview and not the 200 other people who meet or exceed the job requirements?

What makes you the ideal candidate for this position?

If you take the time to do this, you will not only demonstrate the type of candidate you are, and the character you have, you will strengthen and clarify your message to the employer and improve your chance for interview selection.

Good luck, you ideal candidate, you!