Billie Sucher Blog

Job Search Trivia

Here’s a trivia question for you: what do you call a group of lions?  

1. a business
2. a gang
3. a tower
4. a romp
5. a prickle
6. a covey
7. a pride
8. a streak
9. a pod
10. a pack
11. a team
12. a crash

If you selected answer number seven, congratulations, you are correct.  And that’s what this post is about: the word pride.

This morning, my client and I discussed at length the word pride and how his pride kept him from reaching out to others, how his pride got in the way of asking for help and how his pride stopped him from talking to certain people that might offer ideas, tips, support, leads, and comfort during his time of transition.

Pride.

Pride – the kind that stalls you, stymies you and keeps you stuck in a rut. Pride – the kind that stops you from doing what you know you need to do to move on and move forward.

I invited him to write the word pride on a piece of paper for our on-the-spot activity.

I then asked him a series of questions which required a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Some of the questions are listed here:

Does pride find you a job? His answer: NO

Does pride put bread and butter on your table? His answer: NO

Does pride pay your bills? His answer: NO

Does pride provide you with job leads? NO

Does pride help you connect with others? NO

After a series of ‘no’  responses, my client came to the conclusion that it doesn’t make much sense to let pride get in the way of getting on down the road to a new future, a new job and a new year.

Pride is a powerful narcotic, but it doesn't do much for the auto-immune system. ~ Stuart Stevens

Happy Holidays From the Heartland

Memories are those moments

Tucked away in your heart.

Somehow they stay with you,

They’re an important part.

 

Of who you once were,

Of what you are now,

Of who you hope to become

Even though you wonder how.

 

Time passes so quickly

The clock’s ticking away

And you say to yourself

Oh, it’s just another day.

 

Well, this day is upon you,

It’s yours for the taking

So prize it immensely

In the plans you are making.

 

We can’t predict the future,

Nor dwell on the past

We can only treasure this moment

And love it while it lasts.

 

And if someone’s touched your life

Or made a difference to you.

Now’s a good time to tell them

If that’s possible to do.

 

Remember, our moments are the magic

And in our dreams dwell the hope

Offering a chance to start anew

As we imagine and we cope.

 

So, celebrate each new day

And find more good than bad

Treat each day as the last

And not the first to be had.

 

Wishing you abundance and joy

Prosperity and peace be with you.

And may life’s richest rewards

Be ever-present with you, too.                          

Copyright 1995, 2011 Billie Sucher

With Bad Advice, Do You Pay the Price?

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

Remember the last time you randomly asked someone for directions to get to a place? Remember how they told you to go down there a couple of blocks, then turn left at the light, go a couple miles that way, make a sharp right and that should do it? Remember how you did that and ended up more lost than ever?

Reminds me of bad directions for a job search. Unfortunately, I have heard quite a few bad directions from job seekers who tell me that their well-intentioned neighbor, friend, cousin, roommate, or stranger told them how to write a resume or told them this or that about finding a job. Some would argue that it really doesn’t matter who tells you what, as long as it works to find new employment.

However, if the counsel you have received doesn’t, didn’t or hasn’t worked for you and you have been between jobs for six, 12, 18, 24, 30+ months or longer, perhaps you might consider the accuracy of the information you’re getting. While it is important to reach out to people to support you, guide you, help you and be by your side in your quest for new employment, it surely doesn’t do you much good if you wind up at the rest stop of the job search trip because you took an exit based on bad directions and/or just because they were free.  

If the directions, free advice, free counsel, and job hunt input you have been given by countless caring people simply isn’t working for you, here’s some more advice and yes, it is also free:

Ask five people for the name of a career management professional in the community / country that (in their opinion) has a good stellar reputation in the industry. If you do not get any names, ask five more people and keep asking until you get a name.

Go to LinkedIn and see if that person has a LinkedIn profile. Read about them. Read their recommendations. Contact someone you may know listed in the pro’s  recommendations; call them and listen closely to their response when you ask them the following questions:

• What did you like best about your experience in working with So and So?
• What, if anything, did you not like about your experience in working with So and So?
• Would you still recommend So and So and would you work with him/her again if you had a career need?
• On a scale of 1 – 10, what number would you give So and So with 1 being very poor and 10 being over the top good?
• Is there anything else about So and So that would be of value to know?

Call the pro(s) whose name(s) you have been given and ask the following questions, well before you ask them about their professional fee structure. (Something to consider:  Would you call a brain surgeon if you desperately needed brain surgery and start the conversation with : “Hello there, how much do you charge?” Probably not, though it happens frequently in the career management industry). Instead, you could engage the pro by asking the following questions before inquiring about their respective fees. It doesn’t take but a few minutes to run through the questions listed below and it could save you precious time (and money) in the long run.

1. What is your background?

2. When did you get started in the business?

3. What population do you serve?

4. What qualifies you to dispense career information?

5. What is your level of success?

6. How will we work together: via phone, IM, in office, Starbucks?

7. What can I expect from you and your services?

8. Why should I choose you over Brand A and Brand B?

9. Help me understand your fee structure and payment requirements.

If you find yourself sitting at a career crossroads still contemplating which road to take next, how about the possibility of seeking professional help, guidance, direction and support? To discover more information about how to find a career coach/counselor in your area, consider reading Appendix B: A Guide to Choosing A Career Coach or Counselor in the book What Color Is Your Parachute – Pages 288-303 in the 2011 Edition.

“The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten.”

Stay Hungry, My Friend, Stay Hungry

In the late 80’s, I was lucky enough to meet a management consultant who turned out to be one of my most influential mentors and teachers and now today, a very treasured friend. Prior to starting his consulting business, he taught at a major public university and later traveled the country working in the public sector.  As we got to know each other, and later work on some projects together, he had a particular line he’d always tell me. Not sure if he would recall the impact it made on me, but it did. He told me:

Stay Hungry, My Friend – Stay Hungry.

I never did ask him what he meant, for sure, but I have never forgotten his words. And the reason I never asked him to explain to me what he meant was because he would have no doubt told me to "figure out your own definition.” And more recently, while listening to Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement address at Stanford University, I picked up on the following words:  

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

As a job seeker, are you hungry?

Hungry to amass as much knowledge as possible?

Hungry to start over?

Hungry to overcome the many obstacles, roadblocks and hurdles you may encounter?

Hungry to build relationships?

Hungry to help someone succeed?

Hungry to give to others?

Hungry to be better tomorrow than you are today?

Hungry to school yourself regarding 2011/2012 best practices for job search?

Hungry to seek new ideas and possibilities for employment?

Hungry to share with someone why you are unemployed, in transition or between jobs?

Hungry to stop saying what you can’t or won’t do and start thinking about what you can do and will do?

Hungry for the future?

Hungry to stretch yourself in ways you have never imagined?

Hungry to increase your computer skills?

Hungry for a positive attitude and an energetic spirit others find contagious?

Hungry to track down new job leads even though the last 50 have led to nowhere.

Hungry to embrace social media?

Hungry to step out of your comfort zone?

Hungry to put your pride aside and ask for career help?

Hungry to get out of the box you find yourself in?

Hungry to write the first line (or any line) of the book or blog that’s buried within you?

Hungry to investigate personal branding and how it could be of benefit to you?

Hungry to take a stop-gap job to support your household until the right one comes along?

Hungry to volunteer in your local community?

Hungry to go back to college and complete the six-hour shortage?

Hungry to share your knowledge, skills, abilities and value at a job interview?

Hungry to take the plunge and build a business in 2012?

Hungry to do something thoughtful, kind and nice for someone without them ever knowing that it was courtesy of you?

Stay hungry, my friend, stay hungry.

Gerbils and Job Search

Have you ever watched a gerbil running on a wheel? Although I haven’t owned any gerbils, I have learned that if you can get them to run on a wheel when they are young, they will spend much time exercising on it - going around and around and around in a circle. Never really going anywhere, mind you, but around and around and around to absolutely nowhere.

As a job seeker, has it ever occurred to you that perhaps you are running around and around, not really going anywhere? Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. Perhaps you are familiar with the following Albert Einstein quotation:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

If you are looking for a job in today’s intensely competitive market, how long have you been doing the same job search activities over and over, but not yet achieving the type of results you desire? Here are a few questions to ponder:

1.      What, if anything, can you stop doing that doesn’t seem to be working in your favor?

2.      What, if anything, can you start doing, that you haven’t yet been doing?

3.      Have you drafted (and practiced, practiced, practiced) solid answers to these specific questions:

a.      How does your brand differ from 14,000,000 others, or even 50 others?

b.      Can you name five specific reasons an employer ‘should’ hire you and can you provide proof / direct evidence for each reason cited?

c.      Can you name five of your best work skills (with supporting examples) that you feel passionate about applying in the market place?

d.      Can you name five words that do not sound the same (or similar) to those articulated by 14,000,000, or even 50  other job seekers?  (Hint: name qualities that align with your specific target goal for optimum brand alignment.)

e.      Can you cite three specific examples of how you will contribute to an organization’s bottom line.   (Hint: do not say “Well, because I have a great track record and successful experience”;  get specific, not generic to distinguish yourself from the competition.

As 2011 draws to a close, now would be a good time to consider how you would like your 2012 to take shape regarding your job hunt. What strategies need your immediate attention? What practices can you improve? What small steps can you take today that will result in your ability to run a better job search race tomorrow?

 

Eight Things To Do Today If You Lost Your Job This Morning

The caller led with:  “I just lost my job and I don’t know what to do. I turned to Google and that’s how I got your name – can you help me?”

If you lost your job when you went to work this morning, here are some very specific things you can do within the next 24 hours.

1. Call, email, text, or DM at least 10 of your closest friends/confidantes in the next few hours and tell them what happened. It will give you something to do and telling your story 10 times will help.
2. Have a conversation with your immediate family this evening and share with them as much as they need to know right now about your job loss. Know that they will worry about you and wonder how you're doing. They may be afraid to ask, so voluntarily tell them and keep them in the loop.
3. If you were given legal papers to review and sign, call your attorney and enlist his/her professional opinion.  
4. Hire the best career coach, career counselor, and or professional resume writer you can find if you weren't offered career transition services. It is much too competitive in today's market to try and go it alone, so seriously consider enlisting professional help, guidance, and support.
5. Stay calm. Breathe. Stay calm. Breathe. Stay calm. Breathe.
6. If you need to cry, cry. Crying won’t change the situation, but it will help release some of the emotion surrounding the event.
7. Browse around on the Internet if you can't sleep tonight. You will soon realize that you are not alone, even though you might feel like it right now. The Career Hub blog has hundreds of educational, inspirational and insightful posts, for starters.
8. Go to the library, bookstore or online and get at least one career transition book and start reading and learning more about the job search process.

There are many, many things to think about, contemplate, and do as you deal with this news. Today, tomorrow, this week-end...one foot ahead of the other. You can do this -- just keep telling yourself that you can.

(photo by billiesucher)

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

Have you ever thought about starting a blog? As a job seeker, has anyone suggested you might get one going? Have you seriously considered the possibility of blogging and then upon reflection, decided.... naah, not going to do that? I love to listen to job seekers and their rationale for doing something -- or not doing something. Listed below are some reasons job seekers have told me they are not going to blog. Feel free to add to the list.

1. What would I say? I don't know what to say.

2. Who would read it?

3. I can't write; I am not a very good writer; I hate writing; my teacher told me I was not a good writer.

4. I am not an idea person; where do you get ideas for a blog, anyway?

5. I might get fired if my boss (supervisor) found out I had a blog.

6. What if I would embarrass myself?

7. I don't have enough confidence to write a blog.

8. I just go blank if someone wants me to write something.

9. What if people don't like what I write? What if someone disagrees with my thoughts?

10. What if someone left a nasty comment?

11. I don't have the time for such things.

As 2011 draws to a close and we move into a New Year, how about it? What's the best thing that could happen to you if you started your own blog? What's the worst thing that could happen to you if you started your own blog? What if, what if, what if?