Speaking at Employment Services August 14

I will be speaking to the professional group at the Sandy Employment Center on August 14. The topic will be along the lines of "Getting a Job While Still Getting Older." Should be fun. Contact the center for times and directions.

It's all about SKILLS

The job market today is all about skills. What do you bring to the company that will get them a return on their investment? And that is what you have to decide very early on.

You can follow this link to a story on LinkedIn about companies offering training to employees since they can't find people with the skill sets they need.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-25/companies-say-3-million-unfilled-positions-in-skill-crisis-jobs.html?cmpid=linkedin

Remember...When you target a company, you decide what strengths, talents, skills you want to work on in your next job. Then you find a company that needs those strengths, talents, skills to make money. That is the relationship made in heaven for a job seeker. But remember, you are the one that is in charge because you decide what you want first. Then you contact companies that need that.

In the resume and in the interview, they don't care what your job description was. They want to know what you accomplished and what strengths, talents, skills you used to do it. That is how they measure your value to their company. If you can't describe that to them, in terms of dollars and "sense" then you won't get the job. They want to know where the money is.

Remember...You must be able to demonstrate strengths, talents, skills in today's marketplace. That is what you are hired for.

Information in Informational Interviews

 One of the most difficult things for people to do is conduct a good informational interview. Especially if they are out of work at the time and think every time they sit down with someone they have to hand them a resume.

That doesn't work.

As soon as you give someone a resume, you can't get information, you give it. The nature of the interview changes and it becomes a job interview, even if there is no job. They just move into the “resume mode” of interviewing. And that doesn't help anyone.

An informational interview is just that...a chance to gather information. And that is the reason you are sitting in their office or at the local coffee shop. You are interviewing them not them interviewing you. Remember that.

It is really easy to get an informational interview with someone. Ask them. Most people are more than happy to give you a chance to ask them questions. Here are some words you can use...

“Good Morning John. Jack gave me your phone number and recommended that I call you. I am looking at making some important decisions in my career and I am looking for information. I have a few questions I would like to sit down and ask you. What does your schedule look like over the next few days? No, I am not looking for a job right now. I am looking for information and answers to some questions I have. Could we meet on Tuesday?”

It really is that easy. The hard part is picking up the phone. After that, they are happy to give you information. You make them feel very important just by asking.

You need to do some research before heading into an informational interview. You need to know what kinds of questions you are going to ask. Going in without your questions written down in advance means you are going to mess up. There is no way to do it right without preparing your questions in advance.

Here are some questions you may want to ask...

• Tell me how you got to where you are today?
• What do you like most about your career/job/company/industry?
• If you could change anything about your career/job/company/industry what would it be and why?
• If you were me, interested in this kind of direction, what would you do first?
• If you could only teach me one thing, what would that one thing be?
• If you were me, who else would you be talking to?

Once you start asking questions it is easy to drive them deeper when they start to answer. You can follow a thread that they give you to get more information. After all, that is why you are there.

Now, what do you do with the information? You evaluate it. What did you learn? What did they tell you? Where does this sit in your need for information? What else do you need to learn? Where can you go to get more information. What decisions does this information help you to make?

Remember...The purpose of the interview is to get information so you can make decisions. If this is a career/job/company/industry you want to pursue something in, you now have a start. If not, you know you can stop that line and start a new one.

There are times that you can turn an informational interview into a job interview. But that is always at the second interview, not the first. If you want to pursue an opportunity with the company there are ways for you to be able to do that.

The most important thing to remember about an informational interview is that you will use the information to make a decision...not to get a job. The job comes because you make a decision

Milkshake Workshop July 9

I will be teaching "Why Hire A Milkshake" on July 9 from 1-4 pm at the LDS Employment Resource Center at Welfare Square (800 South 800 West SLC). All are invited. If you have any questions, email me at tartan@byu.net.

It's all about Attitude and Confidence

Two weeks ago I watched Attitude and Confidence in action. I was attending a symposium about the changes taking place in how the Air Force does business. I watched a soon to be three-star Air Force general handle difficult questions from a group of people that make their living off the various bases around the country. He had no problem dealing with any question. And the attitude was, “I know what I am talking about so shut up and listen.”

But the real show was as he walked off the stage to return to his seat. There was a swagger that again said, “I am in charge here and don’t you forget it.”

That is Attitude and Confidence.

Think of a Harvard MBA graduate. They don’t worry about finding a job. They worry about how they will determine which of the job offers to take. They are not hoping someone will hire them. They are hiring the company.

When you have Attitude and Confidence you interview differently. You look the person in the eye, ask the hard questions you have, and give them the answers that say to the employer, “You will be lucky to have me on your staff. I will make you money.”

When you don’t have Attitude and Confidence, you spend your time in front of the computer hoping that someone will hire you. You take any offer you can get and feel lucky to get one. And that comes across in your interview and the employer thinks, “What can you bring to me? Nothing.”

When your job search is based on your strengths, talents and skills and when you have Attitude and Confidence, you will act different. And the responses you get from people will be different.

You are the one that makes the decision about your Attitude and Confidence. Make the right one and start today.

"Why Hire a Milkshake Workshop" May 7

I will be teaching the "Why Hire A Milkshake" Workshop on May 7 at the LDS Employment Center at Welfare Square. We will start at 1 pm and finish at 4 pm.

This will be a new version of the workshop with updated information. It will be the first time it is offered and should have a much better flow than in the past. The basic information is still the same, but the presentation will feel better.

If you are interested in attending, just show up or you can email me at soaring@byu.net to let me know so we have enough workbooks for everyone.

16-Week Job Campaign

One of the biggest handicaps to the job search is the "Honey-Do List." Everyone thinks because you are unemployed you have lots of time on your hands to do what they want you to do.

Wrong. You have a job...Getting your next job. And you need to be working it at least 20 hours per week, but really 30-40 hours per week. The less you work your job, the longer it takes to find one.

The average job search is taking 30+ weeks. That is over seven months without a pay check. If you want to work, then work at getting work.

Here are some key steps to getting a job fast.

(1)Get a routine. When you have a job, you have a routine you follow every morning. Get a routine for your job search. Start the day right and keep going. Shower, dress, leave the house. Do whatever you have to do to start your routine and keep on going. Start a schedule and plan every day what you are going to do.

(2)Find a place to work. Home can be hard. If you have an office/den at home, then you might be okay, but don't count on it. Better to get away. With a laptop and a cell phone a library study room becomes a great office. Or the college where you studied, or any college in the area. If you are at home, set office hours so your family knows you are serious about getting this done.

(3)Get help. You cannot do this alone. Form two teams to help you - Accountability and Peer Teams. The Accountability Team is a small group of people who are mean enough to ask you the hard questions about your search. They will hold you accountable to following your routine and listening to your weekly report. Some of this can be done by email and phone, but you need to see at least one member of this team face-to-face each week. The Peer Team is others who are unemployed. Think about how many companies unemployed people come in contact with each week. They know more about what is going on out there than anyone else. Get a group and meet together weekly to share information.

It becomes very easy to just become depressed and stop looking for work. Don't let that happen to you. The more you work at getting a job, the sooner you will get a job.

Here is a 16-week job campaign. Easy to follow, and is based on spending only 20 hours per week in the search. The more time you spend, the less time it will take.





Month 1 – Week 1

 Identify tools needed for Campaign

o Telephone

o Computer

o Office/Place to Work

o Network of Contacts

o Resume

o Portfolio

o Website

o Blog

o Twitter

o Other

 Determine Values

o Type of positions willing to accept

o Salary range

o Benefits required

o Geography

o Time

o Travel

o Deal Breakers

o Other

 Initiate update of Resume and Portfolio

 Start 100 Cards networking list

 Create initial profile on ldsjobs.org

 Meet with Ward leadership



Month 1 – Week 2

 Set Campaign objectives – BIG IDEA

 Begin Discovery Experiences

o Wise Wanderings Map

o StrengthsFinder 2.0

 Develop a list of 50 or more target companies for review

 Complete Career Workshop 1

 Determine who and invite Accountability Team to help

 Complete updated resume

 Continue Portfolio collection

 Complete profile on ldsjobs.org

 Form a Peer Team with other job candidates

 



Month 1 – Week 3

 Meet with Career Advisor

o Review Campaign objectives

o Demonstrate use of Power Statements

o Review resume

o Review ldsjobs.org profile

o Review portfolio

o Review Accountability Team

 Begin calls to 100 Cards

 Begin filtering 50 target companies through Wanderings and Strengths

 Test resume on CareerBuilder, Monster, etc

 Begin Informational Interviews

 Meet with Peer Team

 Report to Accountability Team



Month 1 – Week 4

 Continue calls to 100 Cards

 Update resume based on internet test

 Update ldsjobs.org profile based on internet test

 Network into target companies

 Add new target companies to maintain list at 25 minimum

 Continue Informational Interviews

 Complete video interview with Professional Program Team

 Accept and attend all job interviews from test

 Meet with Peer Team

 Report to Accountability Team



 

Month 2 – Weekly Activities

 Report to Accountability Team

 Meet with Peer Team

 Continue calls to 100 Cards

 Tract into at least 3 new companies each week

 Complete at least 5 interviews per week

o Job Interviews

o Informational Interviews



Month 2 – Monthly Activities

 Meet with Career Advisor for update and refinement of Campaign

 Complete Career Workshop 2

 Update objectives

 Build Action Plans for targeted companies

o Review Action Plans with Career Advisor

o Implement Action Plans for targeted companies

 Complete a Second Interview practice with Career Advisor

 Meet with Ward leadership



Month 3 – Weekly Activities

 Report to Accountability Team

 Meet with Peer Team

 Continue calls to 100 Cards

 Tract into at least 3 new companies each week

 Complete at least 8 interviews per week

o Job Interviews

o Informational Interviews



Month 3 – Monthly Activities

 Meet with Career Advisor for update and refinement of Campaign

 Refine resume

 Refine portfolio

 Update objectives

 Add new targeted companies

 Update Action Plans for targeted companies

o Review Action Plans with Career Advisor

o Implement Action Plans for targeted companies

 Meet with Ward leadership 

Month 4 – Weekly Activities

 Report to Accountability Team

 Meet with Peer Team

 Continue calls to 100 Cards

 Tract into at least 3 new companies each week

 Complete at least 10 interviews per week

o Job Interviews

o Informational Interviews



Month 4 – Monthly Activities

 Meet with Career Advisor for update and refinement of Campaign

 Refine resume

 Refine portfolio

 Update objectives

 Add new targeted companies

 Update Action Plans for targeted companies

o Review Action Plans with Career Advisor

o Implement Action Plans for targeted companies

 Meet with Ward leadership

Lifestyle Networking

There are two types of networking - Lifestyle and Salvation. Salvation networking is when you lose your job and have to hurry and find another one. The best system for doing that is found at

latterdayjobcoach.com by Michael Webb. It's his "Six Weeks to Multiple Job Offers" It really works and I have seen people really follow the system and get the work done. You can learn about the system from the LDS Employment Center at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City.

Lifestyle networking is a different world. It is not about finding a job. It is about helping other people and them helping you. These are people that when you call, you know they will take your call.

The best way to start this network is to make a list of people you know. Write the list down on a pad so you can check names. As your list grows a bit longer, you will want to check the list before writing a name down.

After the name, write down how you know them and how often you contact them. If you can't remember how you know them, maybe they don't stay on the list. And if you never contact them, they may not remember who you are.

Once you have the list, then it is time to start to contact them. Start with a phone call. If you know them from an organization or something then make sure you talk to them at the next meeting you have. This is the time to go out of your way to renew the relationship. Or to get them off your list.

One of the hardest things to do is to take someone off your list. But if they are not willing to be on your list then it is time to take them off. I also take negative people off my list. If I have to wade through the negativity then it is never worth it.

When you contact these people, don't start asking for things. As soon as you do, they will start to not take your call. Lifestyle networking comes from you giving first in case you need to receive later.

A friend of mine is very good at making sure we stay in contact. At least once a year I hear from him if he has not heard from me. We often see each other at different events and that starts the year over. I know he will take my call and he knows I will take his. That is what this is about.

Get serious about creating a Lifestyle network. If you are looking for a job this very minute, then you are too late. But start now to develop a Lifestyle that will be there for you on the job and when you get ready to move to the next one.

Discover Yourself

When I ask people what kind of a job they are looking for, they answer with things like accountant, marketing, sales, and on the list goes. What they are giving me is their title, not a kind of job. I want to know what they can do.

For example, Disney Interactive Media Group often has a position titled Development Director. When I ask people what that means, they come up with sales and marketing and fundraising and things like that. All wrong. At Disney, this is a project manager. Their job is to get the project done on time and on budget. But if you search for project manager, you will come up empty.

Change the search.

Don't search for titles, search for skills, talents, strengths, activities. If you want to work in accounting, put down what you bring to the job and the kinds of activities you are interested in doing. It really doesn't matter what the job is. It only matters what you want to do.

That means you know what you want to do. Time to do some discovery about yourself. And it doesn't matter how old you are or what you have been doing. You need to know more about yourself so you know what you should be looking for in your next job.

My favorite starting activity is from the book "You Majored in What?" In the first two chapters you will learn how to create a Wise Wanderings Map. Go to the library or the bookstore, take a pad of paper, and do the exercise. It will take you about two hours to read the first two chapters and start the exercise. When you are done, you will have a much better idea of what you should be targeting.

The next step is to buy a copy of the book "Strengths-Based Leadership." Not so you can read the book, but so you can take the profile. This means you cannot buy a used book. Somebody else will have already used the secret code and you will have wasted your money. Make sure the code at the back of the book is still sealed before you buy it.

This profile will take you about two hours to complete. Lock yourself away where you will not be interrupted. Doing the profile and getting interrupted will change things. Get someplace quiet and get it done.

Once you have these two exercises in place, you can start to target what you want to DO in a company, rather than what you want to be. If you have the DO, the be will take care of itself.

If you skip this step, you will probably not be as happy in your next job and you will not be as good as you can be. Do it right, make good decisions, and the rest will take care of itself.

Targeting Companies

Once you have decided on some of your values, it is time to identify companies you may be interested in. This is really simple - GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.

You don't find new companies by sitting inside looking at a computer screen. Schedule time every day to get out of the house and go looking for companies and people. As you drive around or ride the bus or walk or bike, notice the companies you are going past. Look for a name or location or color or sign that interests you, then write down or record the name of that company so you when you go home you can check them out online and see what they do. That is the first step in targeting companies.

When you look up a company, the fastest way is to type in their name, add a .com at the end and see where it takes you. I prefer to google the name of the company and see what comes up on the search. I want to see more than just the company website. I want to see what other people say about them, what may be happening in their industry, or whatever else happens to come up. I want to see a bigger picture.

When looking at the bigger picture, you can start to see areas that have an interest for you, or a problem in the company/industry that you can help fix. These are great places to start to see if there is something that you can provide when you start to meet with the company about future opportunities for you.

When you look at the company website, look at all of the company website. It is very easy to just look at the front page and the product information and the contact information. Read their news releases and product releases. More companies are now writing blogs on their site. Read them if they are there. And as you read, make notes of the thoughts that come to you while you are reading. These will become the basis of your action plan. They will also help you look at the company and say, "Is this the company I want to hire?"

Get on LinkedIn and check out the company and its people there. Smaller companies may not have much there, but their people will be there. Check out their profiles, see if you have a connection somewhere, and determine which you are most likely to contact for informational interviews.

All of this computer time is really not very much. Less than an hour per company. And for some of the companies you look at, you will decide in less than five minutes this is not a company you want to hire. So stop there.

Your Goal: Find ten new companies each week that you want to target. That seems like you will create a backlog of companies you are looking at, but the reality is that you will drop many of them early. When you do get too many companies, then stop looking for that week, unless you see something that really intrigues you. You should be looking at 20-30 companies at any one time. Less than that and you slow down your search.

Keep your eyes open, you never know where you will find the next step in your professional and personal development.

Setting Your Values

Remember - This is all about confidence and attitude.

Nothing else will be as important as confidence and attitude.

When you have confidence and attitude, you will find the right position in the right company that you will hire.

It is all about you. The company has nothing to do with it. The tools you use have nothing to do with it. All the advice you get has nothing to do with it. It is all about you making a decision on where you want to work.

To build your confidence and get your attitude right, think about you. Ask yourself the question, what do I want to learn at my next job? What are the skills and talents and strengths I want to gain and/or develop?

Write in detail. It doesn't matter what you write, only that you write it. It has to be somewhere you can read it again. Not just in your head. It will get lost in there.

My actual recommendation is to invest in a notebook or journal for your job search. Write your thoughts, your notes, leads you get, decisions you make, results you find. Writing in one place gives you a chance to sit back and review your progress. Instead of just guessing, you are tracking what you do.

There are a number of decisions you need to make. They include: How much money do I need to make? What are the benefits I need for my family? Will I travel and if so, how much? Do I get a cell phone, car, computer? Where am I willing to live? What are the options for my future?

As you ask these questions, you are establishing your rules for choosing a place to work. The company has already set their requirements - time for you to do the same.

Don't rush this process. Take a few days, write your thoughts down, review them, change them and then set your values. Every time you look at an opportunity, review your values and ask if this fits. If it doesn't, don't hire that company. Keep moving and you will find the right company to hire.