It’s a Match Game: Strengths to Company’s Needs

Pete’s miserable. Miserable. Said that he can’t remember feeling worse. He’s stuck with a nowhere job at a nowhere company doing work he was doing five years ago and he was bored with it then.

How did he get into this mess and how does he get out?

He had a great career (his words, not mine) with a large, hierarchical, autocratic company (my words, not his). He lasted for 10 years. Lasted, because he was able to dart around downsizings, jump over mergers, and duck behind large bosses. Finally, he ran out of time, luck and quick reflexes. He was on the street.

Pete went with the first company that would hire him. He needed a steady job and a good salary and this company fit the bill.

Pete didn’t care if he could do the work as long as he could pay the bills. He learned pretty quickly that he did everything but his job (his boss’s words, not Pete’s) and without his job he couldn’t pay the bills. Pete landed back on the street.

Pete went with the next company that would hire him. The work looked steady, the pay was fair, it paid most of the bills, and that was just about good enough. Pete still didn’t care if he could do the work so it wasn’t long before the boss found out and he told Pete. That put Pete back out on the street.

Pete went with the third company that would hire him. The pay was paltry, the position was pitiful, and this time the business folded before Pete did.

Now Pete’s on his 5th job in his 5th company is just over 5 years. He’s having a terrible time of it.

What can Pete do that he’s not already done? Plenty.

Being glib, quick and confident works well in a shell game. It takes more than that to work in an organization.

Pete, figure out what you do well and what you don’t. It’s a match game, not a con game. Match your strengths to what your company needs. Work hard. That’s how you get a job and how you keep a job.

When was the last time you enjoyed your work because you were good at it? When was the last time you got an attaboy?

Go back as far as you need to find the answers.

There was a hobby, a sport, a summer job, a college course that you liked and did well. The clues to what your work should be are embedded in that experience.

What is your long term goal? What are you hoping to achieve?

You say you want work and a paycheck. That’s a means to an end. It’s not the end. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up back where you started. And you have, Pete, you have.

What are your short term goals? What objectives do you have for your first week on the job, your first month, your first year? How will you measure success?

What’s your action plan? How are you going to get from here to there? How will your short term goals connect to your long term vision? What must you do to get what you want?

Pete, are you willing to work hard enough to make it happen?

Do you have the courage to admit that you don’t know it all and you can’t know it all?

What kind of continuing education or specific skills training do you need? Where can you get it? Are you willing to do what it takes to learn it?

What drains your energy? Are you worried about ailing parents and aging debt? Are you willing to find and accept the help that you need?

Pete, you said that you’re miserable, stuck in a nowhere job in a nowhere company, doing boring work you did years ago. Who did that to you?

You’re too good a person and have too much talent to play a blame game. You dug yourself into this mess. Check your watch. It’s time to dig yourself out.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Job Concerns Living Inside the Head of a Person Near You

Do any of these job hunting concerns live inside the head of a person near you?

• I’m interested in so many things, I can’t settle on just one.
• If I’m so smart, how come no one is offering me a job?
• I’d do real well on an interview, I just don’t know how to get one.
• I’d get hired if I knew what I wanted to do.
• If I knew what I wanted to do I could get outside my head and go do it.

Let’s start with the first one:

I’m interested in so many things, I can’t settle on just one.

You may have trouble deciding on one career direction because you’re concerned you’ll pick the wrong path and be forever limited by your choice. Instead, select something that you can focus on for the next year or two; evaluate your situation when the time comes, then choose to stay or choose to look. There is no law or contract that binds you to one job or career for life. That may have been true twenty years ago. It’s not true now.

If I’m so smart, how come no one is offering me a job?

You’ve probably been told by your parents, teachers and friends that you’re intelligent, even gifted, and can do anything you want to do. That’s the problem. You can do anything and aren’t drawn to any one thing. When you go on an interview you don’t show any enthusiasm because you don’t feel any. The interviewer picks up on it, and doesn’t feel any enthusiasm about your candidacy. No juice, no offer.

I do real well on an interview. I just can’t get one.

There’s a big difference between self confidence and job search strategy. It sounds like you’ve got plenty of one and not enough of the other. Eighty percent of available jobs aren’t advertised. You find them by plugging into the word of mouth circuit and then start networking. As the word implies, networking enables you to work your way through an interconnected system of contacts, until you reach what you’re looking for: an interview.

The essentials of networking include: contacting people you know personally who share your professional interests; talking with them about your search; describing your strengths and skill sets; asking for ways to connect with people you should meet. Then you ask for introductions and meet with individuals they recommend. And never, ever ask a networking contact to find you a job.

I’d get hired if I knew what I wanted to do.

There are so many people who don’t know what they want to do, it’s a miracle anything gets done. No wonder the total value of goods and services produced is called the gross national product.

There are three ways that, in combination, can help you find what you are best matched to doing:

Self analysis: Look back at your life and the jobs you’ve had: what are the things you’ve enjoyed most and found greatest success doing?

Talk with people who know you best: Seek their insight regarding what they have observed you doing most easily and with greatest enthusiasm.

Career Counseling: Work with professionals trained to take what you know and have learned about yourself, who know the questions to ask, and can provide the feedback and analysis you need to enable you to find your way.

If I knew what I wanted to do I could get out of my head and go do it.

One of the reasons you’ve hesitated for so long has been your quest for the “one right job.” What you really need is to head in the right direction. Like everyone else, you’re bound to stumble. The moment of truth comes with what you’ll do next. People may give you advice. They can’t give you courage. That’s up to you.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started he own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

New Year’s Resolutions

It was hard to find much to cheer about in 2009. People and institutions seemed to let us down on a regular basis. Rather than place blame, let’s figure out what we can do to make 2010 a better year than the one we just left.

Get better. Get better at making promises, keeping promises and delivering more than you promise.

Get real. Find facts and face them. Face facts and deal with them. Deal with facts and take action on them.

Get moving. If you can’t run, walk. Put one foot in front of the other. And if that’s more speed than you can handle, take baby steps, just keep moving.

Listen more: Listen to what you don’t want to hear. Listen to what you need to hear. Listen to clarify, to understand, to fill the gap between what you see and what others see differently than you.

Agree more. Find reasons to agree, occasions when you share common ground, and times when there’s more that connects than separates you from one another.

Trust more. Trust facts. Trust others. Trust your gut. Trust more than you doubt, more than you dare, and more than you care to admit.

Open up more: Wherever you are, be there. Let people see who you are, know what you want, acknowledge how you feel and why you care as much as you do.

Clarify. Say what you mean. Say what you want. Say why it’s important to you.

Deliver. If you say it, do it. If you do it, do it right. If you do it right, do it on time. If you do it on time, do it with grace.

Confront. Go there. Be there. Address the issue that stands between where you are and where you could be. Find a way to accommodate what you want with what someone else needs.

Resolve. Get it done. Get it finished. Get it out of the way to make room for what’s next.

Work smart. Put most of your time where you get most of the benefit. Put most of your effort where you put most of your time.

Work hard. Work on what is worthwhile. Work on what you value. Work on what creates value for others.

Turn your talent into strengths. Turn what you do most easily into what you can consistently do well. Turn what is a gift into a treasure. Shape what you take for granted into what defines you.

Work more in your strengths: Do more with what you do best. Learn more about what you enjoy most. Give more of what is easiest for you to give.

Be credible: Create more substance than style, more actions than words, more outcome than expectation.

Be relevant: Stay in the conversation. Stay in the game. Learn more today than you knew yesterday. Advance your thinking by expanding your perspective.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Job Search – Different Perspectives

Looking for a job can feel mighty good or feel mighty bad. It all depends on your frame of reference. Two individuals share what appear to be very different perspectives. First…

“I’m looking and it feels mighty good. I have a job I’ve never liked that’s paid the bills, put the kids though school, and taught me lessons in patience, humility, and accountability that I otherwise might not have learned. Now, twenty-five years later, I can finally afford to figure out what’s out there that I can enjoy doing that gives me the energy my job has always taken from me.

My wife says I deserve to be happy. I’m grateful for that. Our grown children think I should have changed jobs years ago. Easy for them to say. My closest friends think I’m making a mistake to give up something I know, although it’s boring, to take on something I don’t know, that sounds exciting. I think all their feedback says more about the people giving it then it does about me.

I’m careful when I say what I’m doing. I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box but I know enough not to share my job search secret with people at work or outsiders who might know insiders. I’m not working with a search firm, either. I want to be in control of who sees my resume. I want to jump, I don’t want to get pushed.”

Second…

“After nineteen years on the job, I was let go when the company went bust. Looking for work at this point in my life isn’t a good thing; it’s the last thing I want to do and last thing I thought I would be doing. The market’s tight, the competition’s tough, my confidence is shot and I’m questioning my ability to make good decisions. My greatest concern is that I’ll jump at the first thing I’m offered, and then have to live with it. My next greatest concern is that I won’t be made an offer worth jumping at. I’ve been looking for 14 months. I’ve been on three interviews. I’ve come up empty three times. I’m running out of options as quickly as I’m running out of money.

It’s easy to look for a job when you have a job and you’re in control of the process. Your outlook’s optimistic, your attitude’s positive, you’re feeling centered and just a bit smug. You’ve got a great little secret that no one knows until you choose to share it.

It’s not much fun if, instead of feeling in control, you’re feeling controlled by an impersonal economy over which you have no influence. It doesn’t feel good if you feel ill-treated by a system that hasn’t a clue how steady and reliable you’ve been, how dutifully you’ve taken orders and how quietly you’ve obeyed them, even when they weren’t in your best interest.”

There are as many similarities in these two stories as there are differences. Each individual perceives himself to have been manipulated by something over which he had no control. Each placed service above self, patience above personal potential. The first individual worked 25 years waiting to do something he liked better. The second individual gave his all to lose it all when he waited longer than was prudent and was laid off when his company went under.

You can choose to wait and do work that neither engages your imagination nor stimulates your thinking. You can choose to wait and stultify your potential by saying “yes” when integrity tells you the words you need to say all begin with “no”. You can choose differently while you still have the time, health, energy, and opportunity to enjoy a better outcome.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Fast Track Your Job Search

You’ll fast track your job search when you increase your focus, improve your efficiency, and target your marketing.

If you’re sending out resumes and not getting responses you have either lost your focus or never had it. Your resume has three roles: scout, matchmaker, and mouthpiece. It probes for possibilities, looks for a match, and speaks on your behalf. If it fails to deliver on any of these roles, it won’t be considered and neither will you.

If you want your resume to land in the interviewer’s “in” basket, here’s what you do:

Match your objective to the language you read in advertised job posting. The interviewer is scanning for “key words”. Those are the words the interviewer is using. Match them.

Match your work experience to the experience that’s needed to perform in the advertised position.

Match your words to your deeds: tell the reader what you want and the difference you make to the company where you work; give the reader quantifiable evidence of your accomplishments; show the reader your track record of achievement relative to your years of experience, and say it cogently and concisely so you’ll have a shot at success.

On the flip side, here’s what takes you out of the game.

If your resume goes on too long about things only a mother can love, you’re a bore.
If your resume says too much about things most people care too little about, you‘re out of touch.
If your resume doesn’t match what the company needs, you’re not paying attention.
If your resume reads like a job description, you have no imagination.
If your resume reads like a know it all, you’re not open to learning.

With your resume in your briefcase, on line, and in your head you’re ready to improve your efficiency, focus your search, and target your market.

Start with the basics and answer the questions: How large a company; how far a commute; how much of a salary?

Define the company: How mature or emergent? Open or closed ? Creative or consistent? Risk taking or conservative? Top down or bottom up?

Identify and prioritize your values: Help others, be an expert, achieve, compete, take risks, be respected…

With those questions answered you’re ready to write your 20 second elevator speech, which doubles as the objective on your resume and the answer to ‘tell me about yourself’. It’s your sense of purpose and reason for being, when what you want to be is an income producing, purposeful employee.

All that’s left to do is reintroduce yourself to people you know who know people who hire people. You have your resume, your marketing plan, your elevator speech and the answers to the questions you’re most likely to be asked. You can respond on line, in person, by phone, fax, and smoke signals. Put on some interview clothes, a strong dose of optimism, and you’re good to go. The only barrier that can stand in your way now is a bad attitude. If you can’t fix that, the best plan won’t help you.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Lonely Layoff? Get Moving!

It’s easy to get stuck between lonely and cranky when you lose your job, particularly when your neighbors and friends still have a job to go to. You know you have to get on with life and start interviewing, but you’re having a tough time getting off the couch and putting on your shoes. If that’s your situation and you have the energy to read this column, I have some ways to remedy your situation.

Begin by confronting your feelings. You’re going through a difficult experience and it’s natural to be bombarded with a variety of emotions, everything from disorientation to denial; guilt to grief.  Be patient with yourself. You can’t rush feelings; they unfold in their own time. So deal with them, and they’ll pass, even though it’s slow going.

You may get in a habit of sleeping in or hiding out. Whatever you call it, it’s time to rejoin the living. One of the best routes to reentry is through exercise, which is as good for your head as it is for your heart and all your other parts. Whether you power lift at the gym or power walk in the neighborhood you’ll start feeling better about yourself.

Once your energy’s returned and your optimism restored, you’re ready to launch your search. There’s plenty to do, so dig in.  Start with your resume. Organize your information in reverse chronological order, listing job titles, locations, employment dates, duties and responsibilities. Quantify your accomplishments.

Next, write a basic cover letter that accompanies your resume. You can customize it later. Keep it simple with three brief paragraphs: The purpose (the reason you’re sending a resume), rationale (how your experience demonstrates you’re the one for the job), and expectation (the date you’ll call to secure the interview). That’s it.

Now you’re ready to Network. Let your friends and acquaintances know that you are looking for a job by describing what you want to do and why you’re good at doing it. Ask for suggestions of people to contact, and offer to keep in touch regarding your progress.

Prioritizing and time management will offset procrastination. Know what’s most important, make a plan, then do what you find most difficult, first, what you find easiest, last, and stick with the program five days out of seven. You’ll have the weekend to do it the other way around.

Next on your list of must do’s: What do you want in your next job? For some, it’s more of the same, for others, it’s a clean break from the past. If you’re heading down a trail you’ve never been before, you’ll benefit from the advice of those who have already completed the journey as well as those whose business it is to advise about such things. Once you get the direction sorted out, describe it to others in ways they can understand so they can help you get there.

Now it’s time to make a list of individuals who can directly or indirectly connect you to the job you want. Who are the people who know people who hire people? Here are a few ideas to jump start your thinking: the person you sit next to at a ball game, religious service, concert, or dinner party. The person you typically stand next to at a soccer match, meet in the grocery store, or visit at a coffee shop. Former or current classmates, work mates, play mates. And what do you say after you ask them how they, their kids and the job is doing? If you’re changing career paths, try something like this:

“I’ve given a lot of thought to my next career move and what I want to do: (describe what it is and why you’d do well). I’d like to speak with people who do similar work and who enjoy it. They might know of businesses that could benefit from my interest and abilities. Who do you suggest that I contact?”

For every setback we experience, we learn important lessons about life and about ourselves. It takes courage to do something productive with what we learn.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Rejoining Your Life After an Unexpected Layoff

I bet you know him. He goes to work early and stays late. He’s known as a company man. He’s dedicated, loyal, with a work ethic that challenges the most diligent. His only fear is failing health even though he’s never taken a sick day. (He’s never had a day that he stayed out sick. He’s had several sick days.)

He’s just been laid off and never saw it coming.

He was starting to think about retirement. Not that he wanted to, but he was losing his edge; slower than he liked, more forgetful, less enthusiastic. It took energy to be enthusiastic. He’d need to save his energy for nights that he worked late.

Retirement’s gone. He’s been laid off. Now he needs to get a job.

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If this sounds familiar, it is, and you’re not alone. The good news is, you can get your bearings, you can figure this out if you use your time and energy wisely and think differently than you have before. To get the next job you’ll need to connect with people you haven’t paid attention to in a very long while.

Rejoin your family. You need them to welcome you home. You’ll need to be as vital to them as you’ll soon find they are to you. You’ll want to have a place to be and a role to play. You’ll need to be a wise listener; an empowering husband, and an encouraging father. You want to learn about their life’s lessons, their struggles, and their successes so they’ll want to care about yours.

Take your time and stay the course. It won’t happen overnight. You worked your way out of their lives, you’ll have to earn your way back in, one day at a time.

Rejoin your community. Learn how to connect so you’ll know where to contribute. When you combine who you naturally are, with what you inherently do, and where that combination is needed most, and you give fully of yourself, you will get more in return than you can possibly anticipate.

Expand your thinking. When is the last time you read a book because you wanted to? If it’s been a long time (or you’ve never been a reader) you’re in for quite a surprise. There’s a world of information waiting for you. Explore and experience learning where other people go to learn. Go to the library, go back to school, go to a play, go to concert, google.

Take care of your heart, your head and your feet. If you’ve avoided check-ups because doctors tell you what you don’t want to hear, check-in. Tell them you’re ready to listen. And if they say it’s OK, lace up your shoes and take a brisk walk. Walk alongside babies in strollers, and dogs on leashes. Wave at children on swings and families on cookouts.

There are extraordinary ordinary people in this world who are ready and willing to assist you in your job search if you will let them know that they are important to you. Not because of what they do, but because of who they are.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Tips for Job Seekers of All Ages

“It’s about time you got a job and earned your keep!”

Now that’s a comment that will get the attention of your children, whether they are fifteen or fifty. And it’s easier said than done, particularly if your youngster of indeterminate age hasn’t had any experience getting a job, has had a bad experience trying to secure one, or hasn’t been able to keep one.  With that in mind, here are some tried and true methods worth trying on and trying out:

Look for a job that enables you to do what you like. Sure, it’s called “work” but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. In fact, your early work experiences, if they’re positive, can help create a framework for a lifetime of positive work experiences.  When you learn from experience you’ll know the kind of boss you like, the co-workers you enjoy spending time with, and the work environment that not only brings out the best in you, it motivates you to keep learning and achieving.

So, whether you’re an avid reader (libraries, bookstores), relationship builder, closer (hospitality/sales), care-taking analytical problem solver (health and human services), computer whiz (designer, trouble shooter, programmer) handyman or woman (building/construction/installation/repair), or whatever else grabs your attention and focuses your energy there’s a job out there that will appeal to you.

Next, you’ll have to appeal to an employer and that happens when you’re willing to do what it takes to be a solid employee. For example:

Employers want employees who keep their word (if you say you’ll do something, you’ll do it), who get to work on time (they like it even more when you get there early), who are positive, energetic, have good people skills, who step up and get their work done, and leave when it’s the right time, not when the clock says it’s time to go.

Employers want employees who look for opportunities to contribute more than they’re asked, who initiate and pitch in, and who are as helpful as they are respectful. They want employees who ask questions when they know they don’t know, and ask for resources when they don’t have what they need. They remember what they’re told, learn from their mistakes and don’t make the same mistakes twice. They share credit for their wins and acknowledge their errors. They look for opportunities to learn, they ask for more responsibility and accept accountability. And they do all that, whether the job is part time or full time, a first job, a means to an end, or the last job they’re likely to have.

To get the job that you want and to be the employee that every employer wants to have, you’ve got to get hired. To make that happen:

Know what you’re naturally good at doing, how your abilities benefit your employer (not how your employer can benefit you), and how to present yourself in a way that demonstrates confidence that’s not arrogance, respect that’s not submission, and specificity that’s not self- limiting.

Provide a resume that’s a track record of accomplishment and a list of references who are as prepared to present your case as you are. Know what you need to earn and what you want to earn so that you can live with the former and set your sights on the latter.

If you’re fifteen or fifty, and have solid objectives, sensible strategies and time tested tactics and if you work your plan, you’ll increase the odds of getting where you want to go.  Armed with a clear direction and a course of action, you can stay on track while staying open and responsive to people and opportunities that align with your skills, intuitive strengths, and intended goals.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started he own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Know Who You Are

In your quest to find the right job you’ll need to maximize every interaction and leverage every opportunity. You can do that if you know who you are, what you want, and a good match when you see one.

To know who you are requires an understanding what’s important to you and an inventory of your intrinsic beliefs and extrinsic rewards; what you do best (strengths); what you want to accomplish (potential); and how you’re going to get there (action planning).

You’ll know the viability of a match when you can align what employers value (beliefs and rewards) and need (current and anticipated challenges); where they want to go (strategic vision) and what they expect you to accomplish (near and long term), with what you value, need, and envision for your future.

You can check your interview readiness by answering these questions. Work on them until you own the content and you’re comfortable that you can articulate your responses in meaningful, yet cogent ways. Let’s take it from the top:

Who are you? What do you care about most and value so deeply that if challenged, you would not compromise? What work settings enliven you? What management styles bring out the best in you and what leadership styles engage, challenge, and encourage you to contribute beyond your current capabilities? What intrinsic rewards have greatest meaning to you and what extrinsically, do you require?

What do you do best and most easily? What do co-workers, friends and family consistently ask you to accomplish for them because they know you do it well? What have you achieved that others have acknowledged as having added value to the company’s top or bottom line?

What do you want to accomplish in your career? To what do you aspire and what is your timetable for attainment? What contributions do you want to make? What trade- offs are you willing to accept in pursuit of your goals?

What do you want to accomplish in your life? How do you want to be remembered? What legacy do you want to leave? What concessions, if any, are you willing to make for that to happen?

What’s your strategy for getting there? Are you someone who can envision your place in the future and trust intuition to get you there? Is it easier for you to identify near term objectives and achieve them, one at a time?  Do you prefer to address real- time needs and solve pressing problems by taking life and opportunity as it comes? Whatever your preference, complement your strengths by consulting with your opposites, those who are  adept at seeing what you miss, doing best what you do least well:  Visionaries and tacticians; idea generators and pragmatists; designers and implementers, rule makers and rule breakers.

Ready? As you change focus to what the company needs, be mindful to match your strengths, skills, and potential to the company’s needs, challenges, and direction. What questions should you ask and who’s in the best position to answer them?

Begin with the company’s website and the information that highlights the leadership team’s vision, values and strategy. Check newspaper/trade paper/business journal archives for recent and substantive changes in leadership; news of acquisitions, spin-offs, product line expansions and consolidations; reorganizing, hiring, reductions in force, salary or hiring freezes.

Contact appropriate individuals in your network for information regarding the company’s financial stability, standing in the business community, and reputation among its employees as a strong, supportive place to work.

Proceed to the interview and participate proactively; articulate what you bring to the table, remain open and responsive to the questions you’re asked, and candid in the information you seek, information that enables you to make a sound personal and professional decision.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started he own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Cardinal Career Advice

I’ve noticed that people seem to pay more attention to suggestions when they’re offered in a numerical format. With that in mind I thought you’d benefit from a little cardinal career search advice.

Here’s a warm-up: you need to do three things before you leave for an interview:  1. Comb your hair. 2. Brush your teeth, and 3. Take your resume. OK so far? Good, now let’s get a little more complex.

There are three things you need to do before you network: 1. Be sure the person you contact is someone whose opinion and experience you value and trust. 2. Identify individuals with whom you share life values or skills sets, preferably both.  3. Network with people who themselves have networks and are likely to know and are willing to call others who can potentially help in your search.

There are four things you need to do before you interview: 1. You need to know what you do best. 2.You need to provide examples of when, using those core strengths, you protected bottom line or drove the top line of companies for whom you have worked. 3. You need to provide examples of how your strengths can benefit an organization now and in the future and 4. You need to know that what you do best is what they need most.

There are three things you need to know about your references before you put their names on your list. 1. That they are willing to serve. 2. That they communicate clearly and effectively. 3. That they know you and your strengths and feel good about the combination of both.

There are three things your references need to know about you before they are willing to be on your list: 1. They value your work style and strengths, having previously been or are currently your boss, peer, or direct report. 2. They agree that what you seek is what you do best 3. They know your work history and how your experience ties to your ability to contribute to a prospective employer.

Before speaking to a potential employer, you need to do one thing, three ways: 1. Do your research by (a) reading the company website, (b) reviewing current business publications that reference the company, and (c) talking with current or former employees who have worked at a level or position comparable to the one you seek.

There are four things you want to learn about the company as a result of your research: 1.Their profitability, 2. Their competition, 3. Their rate of expansion or contraction and 4. The greatest challenges they face regarding all three.

There are three tests your resume needs to pass before you distribute it:  1. The smell test. Have you told the truth, filled in the blanks, given credit where it’s due and taken it when appropriate? 2. The taste test. Is it interesting and chock full of quantifiable accomplishments that encourage the reader to want to learn more? 3. The touch test. Is it spell checked, grammar checked; are you accountable for everything in it?

What three things do you need to evaluate before leaving your job? 1. The extent to which you’ve been honest with yourself. 2. The extent to which you’ve been honest with others. 3. The extent to which you’ve resolved outstanding issues, challenges, and concerns so that you don’t have to repeat them in the future.

What three things do you need to do when on an interview? 1. Sell yourself and your strengths accurately, without hype or humility. 2. Ask questions about those things that can help you determine fit, both personal and professional. 3. Be realistic and encourage candor; the more you know the better decision you’ll both make.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started he own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

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