Billie Sucher Weblog

Jigsaw Puzzles and Job Seekers

Who invented the jigsaw puzzle?

A. Ben Franklin   B. George Washington   C. Abraham Lincoln   D. John Spilsbury   E. Thomas Edison   F. Christopher Columbus

According to this site, an Englishmen by the name of John Spilsbury invented the jigsaw puzzle in the mid-1700s. Mr. Spilsbury was a London engraver and mapmaker and his first jigsaw puzzle was a map of the world. Teachers used his puzzles to teach geography by putting the pieces of the world map back together.

Just for kicks, wouldn't it be an interesting exercise if you took all the various 'pieces' of you and mapped them on a large piece of paper, using images, numbers and words to describe yourself. For example, somewhere on my map, the casual observer would see images of trees, flowers, (nature), books, pens/pencils, travel, music, chocolate, etc.; you would see my favorite numbers and you would see specific words representing my brand, my interests, my passions, and my dreams. What a fun exercise, huh? (Well, I think so, anyway!)

Once you have mapped your images, numbers and words that well represent you, the next step is to scissor-cut your 'map' into small pieces. The goal is to put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle you back together again. Just as you are trying to make your distinct pieces of the puzzle fit, organizations are also trying to put their own puzzle pieces together, hoping to hire the best talent and the best 'fit' to best meet their own unique needs.

If you are looking for a job in today's competitive market, where do you think you best fit? What organization is just waiting for you to complete their jigsaw puzzle? What entrepreneurial endeavor is just waiting for you to put the pieces together?

 

Interview Questions: Illegal and Inappropriate

During practice interview sessions with clients, one of the areas discussed is that of "illegal" and "inappropriate" interview questions. For all the laws on the books, there are still times when the person interviewing you may cross the line and ask a weird, strange, random or unexpected question of the illegal and/or inappropriate variety. Maybe the person asking you knows better and maybe they don't. In any event, cleaning file drawers last week, I came across the "Weird Interview Questions 2009" folder. While some of them are not suitable for posting, believe it or not...here are a few of the actual questions asked of clients in 2009. You decide....illegal...inappropriate?

1. You mentioned you volunteer to help children...does that mean you don't have any?

2. I see you're wearing a wedding band...so I take it you're married?

3. Are those your real fingernails or are they fake?

4. You're too pretty to hire...productivity would drop with you around.

5. Now when you say partner, what exactly do you mean?

6. You remind me of my grandpa...he's in his 60's.

7. J.D., huh? What does that stand for?

8. We noticed you're driving a Mercedes...convince us you need this job.

9. Has it ever occurred to you to dumb yourself down a little?

10. Is that a real Coach bag, or a knock-off?

As a 21st-century job seeker, have you ever been asked an illegal or inappropriate question, such as the above? What, if anything, did you do about it? You can read and learn more about this particular topic here.

posted by @billiesucher

Job Seekers: Tell Me A Story

Last Sunday evening's broadcast of 60 Minutes (CBS television news magazine launched in 1968) was a tribute to its creator and executive producer, Donald Hewitt (1922 - 2009). It was such a wonderful tribute; I hope you saw it. In one of the many interview clips aired about Mr. Hewitt, I was struck, in particular, by these four words he shared:

Tell Me A Story

Tell me a story...four little words. Suppose you were going to be interviewed for a 60 Minutes segment (your 15 minutes of fame). For the sake of this post, let's title the piece "Jobs: A Worldwide Workforce in Waiting." So, what would you say when a 60 Minutes reporter interviewed you and invited you to "Tell Me A Story." How would your story go? What would you share that would convince your viewing audience to hire you? Something to contemplate as you ponder your own story in preparation for that next real interview where you will be the star of your own 60 Minutes broadcast...tell me a story...

S  haring your skills and successes, supported by specific examples of how you shape and strategize solutions, set standards and solve problems in a simple, straightforward style.

T  argeting the text that you teach and tell your audience about your target goals, areas of interest, and why you are the top talent to do the task.

O  ffering information and opening up about your originality, opportunities and options.

R  ecalling and remembering the reasons you rock and freely reciting your results, rewards, and realities without repeated reminders.

Y ielding a yes for You and your viewing audience!

Tell Me A Story...four power-packed words shared by a very ingenious man with a lasting legacy.

by @billiesucher

Job Seekers: Meet, Click, Connect

Earlier this month, I attended an unveiling event sponsored by our local Chamber of Commerce where members were introduced to a new technology for networking and connecting. Thanks to our Executive Director's forward-thinking style, our local Chamber became the second Chamber in the nation to introduce this concept. And further, thanks to the folks at Mingle360 for contributing the following information to this post to help job seekers learn more about this new way of connecting:

"What comes to mind when you think about job fairs? How about resumes, other job seekers, recruiters, and noisy conversations. The pace is frantic and you return home exhausted. Stacks of business cards now plague your desk. You have 50 business cards, but can't put faces to names. As a result, you can't remember the conversations and your needed follow-up. A great opportunity to interview with a company could be missed. There needs to be a better way for job seekers to connect with corporate recruiters.

When it comes to making connections, a company based in Fairfax, VA called Mingle360 is trying to solve the business card exchange challenge with the MingleStick. Job fairs can hand MingleSticks to their recruiters and job seekers, allowing everyone to meet, click, and connect.

The MingleStick is akin to an electronic business card. Two people simply press their MingleStick button and the red flashing light turns solid green to indicate a successful connection. The connections made at the event are then uploaded and viewed online after the event. View people's contact information, professional information, profile picture (facial recognition) and more."

by @billiesucher

Are You a Job Search Complainer?

According to Dictionary.com, there are several related words for the noun complainer:

Bellyacher

Crybaby

Grumbler

Moaner

Snivveler

Do you know a complainer? Do you work with a bellyacher? Do you interview people who are grumblers? Are you a job search moaner or crybaby? Are you a snivveler about the economy? If you complain, what exactly are you complaining about?

Has anyone ever told you that you are a complainer? Maybe you are; maybe you aren't! To find out, consider taking this Are You a Complainer? Assessment. It is an excerpt from The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal With Negativity at Work by Jon Gordon. There are only five statements; read each one and then select the response that best describes how strongly you agree or disagree. Tally your score.

I hope you will discover that you are not a complainer, but if, by chance, you find that you are, here's a positive idea to help you move toward a complaint-free life -- the Complaint Free Bracelet. You can wear it on either wrist and every time you complain, switch it to the other wrist. The goal is to go 21 consecutive days without complaining or switching the bracelet.

 

Brand Transactions: Expectations, Experiences, and Observations

In preparation for renewal of a career-related certification, I came across a book on personal branding that offered a good lesson about "transactions." On page 90 of Be Your Own Brand, the authors David McNally and Karl D. Speak, write about Len Berry's three-part equation that can help measure the way people interact with your personal brand and that in every transaction, participants have three different perspectives from which to judge what is happening:

1. expectations

2. experiences

3. observations

For several days, I had been thinking about this notion of expectations, experiences, and observations and I thought it made a lot of sense. Fast forward to last week when I visited a highly regarded professional...an "expert" in his industry. As he was telling me this thing and that thing, I observed that he had a very large hole in his black sock. (You know how people will sometimes let the back of their shoe dangle a bit from their foot?...yup, that's when I noticed. (#3 Observations).

For whatever reason, after I observed the hole in the expert's sock, I momentarily stopped listening to him, simply because my observation had distracted me. And I was surprised. Surprised that a person with his level of expertise would have any part of a holey (is that a word?) sock. If he has a hole in his sock, might then there be "holes" in what he's saying? While my "observation" may be a lame (or even ridiculous) example of Dr. Berry's teaching, I really like his three-part equation...something to keep in mind as you market, promote and sell your own personal brand.

It's A Matter of Perspective...

As I go about my week as a career management professional, in the back of my mind I am always thinking about my next blog post. What might I write that could be of value to job seekers? What message might I share with readers that could make a positive difference to someone, somewhere?

This morning I was watching CBS Sunday Morning and their coverage of Haiti. I started taking notes, tears falling on my notepad, and as soon as my husband arose, I told him I needed to speak with him while my thoughts were still fresh in my mind. (He always gets a strange look on his face when I say this).

These are a few of the "things" I offered in our conversation:

1. That I will not say another word about our son having such a hard time finding a job as a soon-to-be law school graduate. No matter how much debt our son has accumulated (which is more than our home cost 20 years ago) for now, he has a place to sleep, food, water, and basic medical coverage, should he need it...it's a matter of perspective.
2. That I intend not to dwell on how competitive things are...be it for me looking for the next client, or my clients searching for their next job in 'this' market...it's a matter of perspective.
3. That whatever I have, and whatever we have together, it is ample and enough and abundant...it's a matter of perspective.
4. That wherever and whatever I can share more of with others, I pledge to take it up a notch ~ time, talents, caring, focusing, giving...it's a matter of perspective.
5. That I will think about our future and 'retirement' in a new light, and not worry so much about what that down-the-road-piece may look like...it's a matter of perspective.

I also offered in our conversation..."helping those in Haiti overrides everything...it's a matter of perspective. I offered that a person who needs food and water and medical attention doesn't care what party you are, what color you are, or your current socio-economic status and the job you have or the job you don't have. This isn't about you. This isn't about me. This tragedy is about helping others. Open your heart, open your mind, and even open your pocketbook if you can...it's a matter of perspective."

That's what I offered in conversation this morning. What conversations are you having in your home since the tragedy in Haiti? What blog posts do you have in the back of your mind?

P.S. FYI: here's another way you can help: www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

HOPE WANTED: 20 Thoughts For 2010 Job Seekers

A while back, I wrote a blog post about words that annoy people and there are, by the comment count, a plethora of them! :) Today, though, my thoughts turn to a word that I frequently heard in 2009, and continue to hear as 2010 gets going. The word is HOPE! H - O - P - E! I don't know what HOPE means to you...listed below are a few thoughts I have regarding my HOPE for you this year.

~ I hope you will find what you are looking for...

~ I hope you will discover what matters most to you...

~ I hope you will look on the bright side of things, even in your darkest moments...

~ I hope you will appreciate all that you have more than what you don't...

~ I hope you will stay in touch with your friends and family and contacts and let them know how you are doing, through the thick and thin of your starting over...

~ I hope you will be able to find a smile for the person who's smiling at you...

~ I hope you will do well in your interviews and that if you don't do your best, that you will identify areas for improvement for next time...

~ I hope you will learn something new this year...

~ I hope you will keep an open mind and an open heart regarding possibilities and potential...

~ I hope you will let go of any anger and find a healthy substitute for it...

~ I hope you will speak about yourself with confidence, respect and conviction...

~ I hope you will understand that the road, no matter how rocky, is still a road worth traveling and that there will be many detours, roadblocks and closings along the way...

~ I hope that the job you say "yes" to will bring you more joy than misery...

~ I hope you will embrace rejection and failure as another chance to succeed in the near and distant future...

~ I hope you won't give up looking for a job, no matter what...

~ I hope you will take time to say "thank you" to the people who help you along the way...

~ I hope you will think twice before you utter a negative or hurtful word about someone or something...

~ I hope you will focus more on the future than you will dwell on the past...

~ I hope you may find at least one thing to be really, really happy about...

~ I hope that this year will be good for you, and to you...

These things, I hope for you. What do you HOPE for in 2010?

"Anyone can give up; it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." -- Author Unknown

Make Your Pick

So, I was thinking about all the picks one either "has" to or "gets" to make in life. As I was busily working on a project over the weekend, I heard my son and his buddy talking about their Fantasy Football "picks." They spent several hours discussing the pros and cons of this player and that player and finally, it began to drive me a little nuts after listening to what I thought was the same conversation repeated 20 times. I mean, after all, make a pick and be done with it already! :)

Over the holiday, some of the family wanted to see Avatar and some wanted to see Up in the Air. As a team, we couldn't agree upon the same movie, so we each had to pick which one we wanted to see at the 1:15 show time. Picks. Make your pick.

The "make your pick" process applies to many things in life, including job and career choices. While you could train to be an auto mechanic by day and a lawyer by night (at some schools), many of us find ourselves needing to make a vocational "pick" sooner or later...you know, cut down the territory, whittle the choices, narrow the selection pool, and make a pros and cons spreadsheet of your "top picks." And sometimes, your pick proves to be an outstanding choice that delivers exactly what you had hoped for and expected. Other times, perhaps others will tell you that your pick "sucks" as my son and his buddy suggested about their individual Fantasy Football picks. In the end (and in the beginning), the final pick is up to you, and you alone.

May all of your picks in 2010 be the very best ones for you!

Happy New Year to All!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The holidays are here and it’s a great time to catch up with friends near and far, a time to share news through those dreaded or beloved holiday letters, and a time to fret over the perfect gift for your co-worker, boss, special friend or loved one. The holidays, a time to network, both professionally and personally, and a time to reconnect with old friends and new. The holidays, such a special time to touch base, hang out and share a greeting or two. Speaking of sharing, recently I was invited to read one of my poems for a local holiday festival…it is titled “On Friendship” and I’d like to share it with you this holiday season…

 

In this lifetime if we’re lucky

We meet a dear and treasured friend

Whom we can trust completely

From beginning to the end.

 

The kind of friend who doesn’t judge us

For what we aren’t or are

Who always listens to our stories

No matter how bizarre.

 

A friend who’s more concerned for others

Than “what’s in it for me”

A friend who always understands

And brings out the best, you see.

 

Yes, what I’ve learned, for sure, is this

That friendship can be found

Here and there and everywhere

If you pause to look around.

 

Yes, really very special friends

Are such a cherished part of life

Always there to share the good times

Amidst the sorrow and the strife.

 

So in this holiday season

In all corners of the Earth

Let us be more than ever mindful

Of dear friendships and their worth.

 

Happy Holidays Everyone!