Tripping On The Ladder

 By Linda Lande
 (c) November 7, 2009

 No matter the type of face-to-face networking you choose, there are some basic tips to help ensure that you leave those you meet with a positive, lasting impression. 

Dress professionally—even if the event is casual.
This means polished shoes, pressed slacks and shirts, professionally styled and colored hair. For women, leave the short skirts and low-cut blouses at home. “Invest in one or two nice suits,” advises Marni Hockenberg, Executive Recruiter and Principal of Hockenberg Search in Minneapolis. “Keep accessories understated.”

Marni Hockenberg, Hockenberg Search

Practice!
Memorize your elevator speech, state your value and practice in front of a mirror.

Carry breath mints and watch what you eat.
Bad breath can be a real turn-off, along with food in your teeth.

Turn the conversation to the other person—and listen.
“Don’t monopolize the conversation or oversell yourself,” says Hockenberg. “People like to feel valued.” She recommends open-ended questions or statements, such as: “How did you get involved in that line of work?” or “Tell me about the biggest challenge you’re tackling right now.”

Leave your portfolio behind.
“It’s important to keep your right hand available for introductory handshakes,” says Hockenberg. If you have to juggle a few items in order to shake someone’s hand, you’ve already lost some of the positive, “first impression” magic.

Have business cards, a pen, and a notepad easily accessible.
“I carry a shoulder bag that has outside pockets,” says Hockenberg. “I keep my business cards in one pocket and those I collect in a pocket on the other side. That way I don’t confuse the two and start handing out other people’s business cards instead of my own.”

Make stand-up tables work for you.
Don’t be shy! Either invite yourself to join a table or grab a table and invite others to join you.

Have an exit plan.
“When you’re attending a networking event, it’s OK to excuse yourself from a conversation and move on,” says Hockenberg. Extend your hand and say something like: “It’s been nice meeting you, but I don’t want to monopolize your time.”

Follow up.
After a networking event, Hockenberg writes reminder notes and dates on the back of the business cards she collects and creates an Outlook/eimail contact with that same information, including a memory jogger. Then, within a few days, she sends emails to the people saying how she enjoyed meeting them. She also might invite them to remain in contact through LinkedIn.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It pays to practice and to dress and act professionally.

 Additional Resources:

Check out these sites and resources for more information:

• CareerNetworking101.com
• LinkedIn.com
• NetworkingForProfessionals.com
• SpeedNetworking.com

 In addition, many professional association Web sites also offer networking events.

 By Dan d’Man
 (c) November 6, 2009
 

You’ve lost your job and you feel:

A)    Angry
B)     Depressed
C)    Stressed
D)    All of the above (and more)

 If you’re unfortunate enough to be counted among the millions of recently unemployed Americans, no one would blame you for answering D. After all, it’s only natural to have such feelings, right?

“In a more healthy economy, people generally deal with a job loss pretty well because they feel there are other opportunities out there,” said Charlie Cummins, MS, LPC, and President of Roswell, Georgia-based Life Transitions Consulting. “But right now, with so much economic turmoil, there’s a fear that those opportunities don’t exist. And it’s creating a lot of anxiety.”

Charlie Cummins, MS, LPC

 But when are those normal feelings of stress and anxiety a sign of more serious issues and a cause for concern? 

Cummins, who has more than 20 years of experience as a counselor and life- and performance-coach, says the answer lies in our surroundings.

“All illness feeds on and moves us toward isolation. Unfortunately, when people lose their job it often isolates them. It’s when people don’t take steps to overcome it that should be of concern. It’s a sign that the bottom is beginning to fall out.”

Not answering or responding to phone calls, e-mails and other correspondence are potential warning signs of clinical depression.

Anger (often directed at those closest to us), addiction, lethargy and decreased interest in previously very important activities or spiritual outlets can also be potentially ominous signs.

For people who may have lost their health benefits or at least face higher deductibles, the symptoms, even when identified, often go untreated.

Fortunately, the most effective remedy for symptoms of depression is also a valuable strategy for securing a new job.

“Movement toward other people and the activities associated with a job search are really the best medicine — personally and professionally,” Cummins said, noting electronic resources like LinkedIn and Facebook can’t replace personal connections.

“The people I know who’ve had the best success in finding a new job are the ones who’ve made the most of existing relationships and fostered new ones by reconnecting with professional or industry organizations.”

Another potential constructive activity — one that can also generate healthy personal and professional movement — is looking for new opportunities for growth.

“A positive consequence of the economic turmoil is we’re seeing a lot of innovation,” Cummins added. “Not just industries but also individuals are reinventing themselves by exploring new career paths, skills and interests. It can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assess your values and what’s important to you, which is always a healthy exercise.”

 By Jenaissance
 (c) November 5, 2009

It could happen to you: One day you’re plugging away in a job you don’t mind, working for a company you like, and then the next day it all changes.

Whether it’s a new boss who steps in and changes the entire dynamic of your work environment, whether the down economy has forced you to take on more responsibilities with no reward, or whether you’ve reached the realization that you just don’t want to keep working in the job anymore, you decide it’s time to get out.

Before you make like Elvis and sneak out the building through the back door—replacing your “hunka-hunka burnin’ love” with a “hunka-hunka burnin’ out”—remember that even Elvis had a plan for his every move. (Those of you who’ve been to Graceland will remember his personal “TCB” logo – “Taking Care of Business” – emblazoned on the walls of his rec room.)

That’s why you first might want to develop your own personal transition plan before you exit the building. You can borrow a few tips from corporations, which typically have transition plans in place to map out how the company will continue forward in the event of a leadership change, operational disruption or even a natural disaster. The objective of any transition plan, of course, is to keep business running smoothly, even when faced with a major event that disrupts the usual order of things. And, by quitting a job, you are in effect promoting yourself to CEO of your own destiny, so it pays to have a road map to keep your journey running smoothly.

1.      First, consider what your transition plan will entail.

In a business setting, transition planning is used to:

• Identify key talent embedded within the company—the individuals who will keep the company running successful into the future.
• Identify key essential positions that are necessary to keeping the company running.
• Compare the two and see who emerges as key talent, what those individuals can do, and whether they will require a professional development plan to grow into the role within a specified number of years. Core competencies should be developed at the five-year mark, the four-year mark, and so on until the time of estimated transition.

 You can tailor this to your own unique situation by identifying about yourself:

• What key talents do you possess that will allow you to be successful into the future?
• What professional goals and aspirations do you have for the future?
• Where are the gaps that exist between your current skill set and the goals you have?
• What will you do to help fill in those gaps within the next month? Three months? One year?

2.      Then, identify any potential breakdown points in your transition plan.

Transition plans are helpful, but there are several points at which they frequently can break down. In a business setting, this might happen when:

• Key talent leaves the company, especially after the company has just invested in them.
• The plan is put into place but there is no “champion” of the plan, and no follow up.
• An individual who is expected to leave a key position never leaves. He or she may retire or step down – but it may not always happen voluntarily.
• In a high-growth industry, the business’s growth objectives never happen, or no one wants to go.

 You can borrow from a corporate transition plan by applying variations on these issues to your own situation by identifying:

• Who will be your champion(s)? These can be friends, former bosses, colleagues and others who know you well and support your efforts.
• What people or events could get in your way?
• What if your efforts go unfulfilled? What will you do next?
• Who or what will help you be accountable to help you achieve your goals?

 By taking the time to think through these questions, and anticipating any challenges or breakdowns, you’ll be able to sneak out the back door with confidence and an enthusiasm for “taking care of business” in your own unique–and successfuly–way!

 By Diva Nikki
 (c) November 4, 2009

It’s understandable that the first thing anyone would want to do when suddenly not required to show up at work is to stop setting an alarm and start sleeping in. Heck, isn’t that what we do most weekends?

And yet, there comes a time after that first week or so of adjustment to the “new normal” of career transition when you realize that your beloved spouse might be taking that newfound freedom to a new level. And seriously, if you find him one more time on the couch in his pajamas after not having gotten up until noon, with the TV playing old Star Trek episodes and chips scattered all over the couch, you’re going to have to kill someone.

 Am I speaking to anyone here?

Before you get blood all over a perfectly good carpet, I’d like to suggest having the first of what might be a handful of courageous conversations with your spouse about his career transition period, and how he might make it productive for himself—and you.

 Establishing a Temporary Routine

Talk about it.
While you really do need to be sensitive to your spouse’s feelings, that doesn’t mean you should bottle all your own. Ask to find a time to have a quiet, logical discussion about how it makes you feel to be working full time knowing your spouse’s day is being used less than productively. Also, ask him to remember that this schedule affects you, too. For instance, hearing the TV going late into the night may affect your sleep—and you still have to get up for work!

Suggest some compromises.
No one is saying your spouse can’t sleep in a little. But suggest a compromise that would work for both of you. Maybe he gets up shortly after you go to work, with the benefit of having freshly brewed coffee waiting for him. And rather than staying up late, perhaps you could suggest that there’s something in it for him if he comes to bed when you do. 

Offer ideas for using time in ways that benefit you both.
Since you’re working full time and your spouse is at home, ask (don’t command) if he can help out more with the household duties for now. Remind him that this is temporary, during this transition time, and that this would really help you out. Additionally, suggest ways he could use his time that would benefit him. Maybe there’s a project he’s always wanted time to finish or a subject he’s always been interested in researching. This would be a great time for him to use some time for that.

Together, come up with a schedule.
Having a daily routine has been proven to be psychologically beneficial. Work together to establish a schedule that benefits everyone in the household. It should include some time for job searching, some time for household duties and some time for pursuit of projects that inspire happiness. Here’s an example you could use as a start.  

Additional Resources: 

• “Figuring out the routine of unemployment,” Maynard Institute, June 16, 2009.
• Greg Welikson, “Unemployment & Psychological Health,” The Canned, July 28, 2009
• Darrel Giann, “Surviving Unemployment – Staying Positive Through Uncertain Times,” Buzzle.com, August 29, 2008

 By Linda Lande
 (c) November 3, 2009 

By definition, “networking” means to exchange information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. But what does networking in the professional arena really mean? Can it effectively boost your career or your business?

Or is it merely a social event where, occasionally, someone gets lucky and makes a connection that leads to a choice position? 

Networking offers you the opportunity to cast your “net” and make it “work” for you. But it takes action on your part—and preparation, too.

Successful networking goes way beyond walking into a room, grabbing a drink, and saying “hello” to a few people.

Marni Hockenberg, Executive Recruiter and Principal of Hockenberg Search, has more than two decades of recruiting and business consulting experience. She attends networking events with specific goals in mind, such as: 

• How many people she wants to meet.
• What clients she wants to connect with each other.
• The number of business cards she wants to distribute and collect.

You might be thinking, “Easy for her to say! Recruiting and consulting is her business.” But she believes it’s every career person’s business—even those who break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of a social activity.

The good news is that networking has evolved dramatically in the past decade, and there probably is a format that’s just right for you. Here are a few descriptions of common networking configurations:

Light networking involves attending an event where a loosely connected group of people gathers for a social/cocktail hour. These are common at conventions or large chapter meetings of professional associations. The intention of the networking event is to afford people an opportunity to connect, but it’s not tightly targeted on a specific topic or helping people discover a direct avenue to their next career.

Targeted networking goes one step further when you choose to join local groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, local chapters of professional organizations, community groups, and the like. Peruse the Web sites of these organizations to learn about upcoming events, online discussions or meetings, and other ways you can connect. (more…)

 By Diva Nikki
 (c) November 2, 2009

You’re at your company’s annual Christmas party. You’re standing next to the CEO at the chocolate fountain. It’s your chance to be more than just Employee No. TK421. It’s your chance to get visibility for the great project you’re working on.

And what do you say? “Gee, this chocolate is good, huh?”

Don’t. Let. That. Happen.

An elevator speech is a short, intriguing statement about yourself and what you do that could be cleverly quipped to a CEO in the time it would take to ride up an elevator with her. (Or to dip your marshmallow in the chocolate fountain at the Christmas party.) It’s your key to grabbing those key moments with managers or potential employers and turning them into opportunities for further conversation. It gets its name inspired by those unpredictable moments when you are in the elevator, caught with someone you would like to impress or get to know, and fall short on knowing just what to say—and then the opportunity goes wasted.

Guidelines for Creating an Elevator Speech

Although you will eventually want to commit your elevator speech to memory, many people find it helpful to first write down some notes to get started. When you do:

Emphasize results, not products or processes.
(Example: “I helped 300 families achieve the dream of homeownership last year.”)

Follow the KISS method: Keep it simple, Sweetie.
Strive for a message you can say quickly and easily without getting tongue tied.

Know your audience.
Tailor your message to the person with whom you’re talking. Use the WIIFT (What’s in it for them?) approach. Be future-focused—what does your audience want to achieve?

Make it conversational.
Avoid acronyms and industry jargon. If your mother wouldn’t understand it, neither would most people who need to hear your message.

Aim for repeatability.
Be sure it’s something you can bring out and use again and again. Practice it until you can say it , convincingly and authentically, by heart.

Five Simple Steps to Creating an Elevator Speech with Impact

 Answer these five questions, and you’ll have a great start to your elevator speech.

1. Who is your target? Can you list a specific name or group of people?

2. What problems does this person face? How can your skills, products or service solve their problems?

3. What feelings do those problems or challenges evoke in this person?

4. What results would they get from using your skills, products or services?

5. Refine your answers to these questions. Then refine them again.

Once you’ve come up with your refined list, craft it into a simple formula that you will easily say and remember—one leaves your audience intrigued and wanting more. (Example: “I work with/help [target audience] who want to [describe what your audience wants].”

Then, at next year’s Christmas party, deliver an elevator speech so intriguing that the CEO dribbles chocolate on his tie because he’s so interested in you that he stops paying attention to his marshmallow.

Additional Resources:

• Chris King, “How to Craft an Effective Elevator Speech,” Powerful Presentations
• Aileen Pincus, “The Perfect (Elevator) Pitch,” Business Week, June 18, 2007
• Katharine Hansen, PhD, “The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools,” Quintessential Careers
• Katharine Hansen, PhD, “Elevator Speech Do’s and Don’ts,” Quintessential Careers
• Robert Pagliarini, “The Art of the Elevator Pitch,” Business Know-How