Billie Sucher Blog

Do You Show Up?

Imagine that you are a business, trying to make a buck in this competitive market. Imagine that you have cut your staff to a skeleton crew to keep things afloat. Imagine what happens when one or more of your employees don’t show up for work. What do you do? Work 18 hours instead of the customary 10, 12 or 14? When someone doesn’t show, do you pay the price? Do your team members have to pick up the slack for the person who isn’t there?

Showing up is a big deal.

Not only is showing up a big deal for your employer, showing up online is also a big deal if you are a job seeker.

Here’s a true story the president (and hiring manager) of a small business (approximately 25 employees) shared with me:

Hiring Manager receives your two-page resume. Nice!

Hiring Manager googles you. Nothing! (Strike 1)

Hiring Manager bings you. Nothing! (Strike 2)

Hiring Manager returns to google to see if you are on LinkedIn. Nothing. (Strike 3)

Hiring Manager re-googles (is that a word?) your first and last name, along with your middle initial from resume.

Alas, some luck.

Hiring Manager spies a “John J. Smith” fourth entry from the top of the first page of google results….but oh wait….that “John J. Smith” lives in Arizona and is a CPA / lawyer…um, probably not you, anyway.

And it isn’t you because you are absent online.

You do not show up.

You are not present.

You are not there.

You are not here.

You cannot be found online.

In the Hiring Manager’s mind, do you even exist?

The Hiring Manager clicks out and mumbles to his assistant “Next.”

As 2012 gets underway, what steps can you take as a job seeker to make sure that you can be found online the first time a Hiring Manager searches for you? What, if anything, can you do to enhance your chances of showing up online in a way that provides value and credibility to your candidacy?

Homework Exercise:

Sometime this week, consider doing these three simple tasks:

1. Google yourself – do you show up? Yes? No?

2. Bing yourself – do you show up? Yes? No?

3. Do you show up in a LinkedIn search? Yes? No?

The president / hiring manager of the above-referenced company in this post told me that he is a baseball fan (Cards not Cubs) and relates baseball to everything in business: “Three strikes, you’re out.”

Hmm.

Swing Batta Batta Swing: Resilience and the Job Hunt Game

Maybe you stayed up late last night watching the Cards and the Rangers. I had planned on the game being over around 10 – um, not so fast – to be continued this evening. As I watched that World Series game, I thought about this word: resilience. For me, resilience as it relates to job seekers, seems to be a whole lot like the game of baseball:

To fight your way back.

To charge your way through.

To find your way forward.

To give more than you ever knew you had.

To keep the faith even when the facts aren’t in your favor.

To see possibilities when many would pack it up and go home.

To not let distractions distract you.

To rely on your team to see you through.

To keep your eye on the ball when you rip it or you don’t.

To not think you’ve won when you’re but one strike away.

To want it more than the opposition does.

To be in the moment en route to the goal.

To keep your cool when you don’t like the call.

To view rejection as a reason to keep going, not an end result.

To do whatever it takes to stay in the game:  walk, run, slide, sprint, dive, drive and maybe even play hurt.

To get up faster than you fell down.

To not let up in good times or bad.

To not be deterred by bad calls or low balls.

To add excellence into each and every move you make.

To keep your head in the game, no matter how loud the noise.

To keep on trying when quitting would be easier.

To swing hard when it’s your turn to shine.

To step up to the challenge with confidence and courage.

To sustain a winning spirit when nothing is going your way.

To convince yourself that you can’t win if you don’t play.

To carry on with confidence when you screw up, or when someone screws it up for you.

To sustain a respectful demeanor no matter the stats on the scoreboard.

To be ready for what’s coming at you, be it curve balls, back door sliders or change-ups.

To keep on playing, even if you have to go for extra innings.

It ain’t over till it’s over ~ Yogi Berra

Teleprompters

Where is that teleprompter when you need it? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a teleprompter accompany you to that next job interview? You know, a teleprompter that would tell you exactly what to say at just the right moment? The kind of teleprompter that would help you avoid guesswork, help you not shoot from the hip, help you know exactly what to say and when to say it?  Wouldn’t that be cool? Reality, though, is that a job search doesn’t come equipped with a teleprompter app.

This morning, my client and I spent the better part of our session together working on what to say to someone when you would like to connect with them or interview with them. Now, if you are a smooth talker and you find it easy to string words together, have no qualms about meeting new people because you already excel at that task, and asking others for help comes naturally….well, you’re lucky.

If, on the other hand, you are like many of my clients – it is often hard, difficult, frustrating and challenging (did I mention a lot of work?) to learn how to speak about yourself and your brand. Here are a few ideas my client and I explored together today:

Script your message.

What specifically would you like to convey about yourself to your audience? Whatever it is, write it down. Do not focus on writing a masterpiece or writing text with perfection. Simply jot notes, thoughts and ideas about yourself to support your candidacy for a particular job.

Think Tweet:  Less is More.

Carefully review your text for keywords. Few hiring managers, regardless of how patient they may be, want to listen to a candidate ramble on and on and on and on and on about themselves. Identify the essence of the message you wish to share with your listeners, and delete all other words. Focus on key points only. Delete verbiage that bears no brand relevance. Less is more.

Practice Alone.

Stand before a mirror in a quiet place where you feel relaxed and comfortable.  If you can’t stand being in your living room because of the sweltering heat, go find a more comfortable place conducive to practice without distraction. Then, practice at least 25 times what it is you wish to say. Notice how you need to look at your notes less and less as you practice more and more.

Practice with a Neutral Third Party.

Once you have executed your own practice session(s), find someone who will listen to your conversation, presentation or speech – someone who will be objective and fair in their feedback and someone whose opinion you respect. Invite them to share three aspects of your interview presentation that you did well, and a couple of things to enhance. The more you practice, the more confident you may begin to feel. And also, remember to

Smile

Breathe

Pause

Slow Down

Convey Warmth and Confidence

Deliver When It Counts.  The next time you get a chance to go to an interview, do your best! Let the hiring manager see you shine! Rock out! Knock ‘em dead! Break a leg! No longer will you be a job candidate who does their practice with a decision-maker. Take note of how you are managing your responses to tough questions. Take note of how you respond to the FAQs “Tell Me About Yourself’ or “Why should I hire you?” Consider implementing the above steps into your career management / marketing conversations to build your confidence level.

Evaluate for Excellence – Never get too comfortable or too overly confident in your interview presentation– that could well be your un-doing. Stay sharp, stay-on point, stay alert, stay humble. Consider how you might enhance your next presentation and always strive for continuous improvement.

 

 

Confidence: How Do You Build It?

Today’s early morning query came from a caller who inquired:

My Mom told me to call you to see if you could help me with getting some confidence.

Confidence, a word defined by Merriam-Webster as: 

a : a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances <had perfect confidence in her ability to succeed>

Listed below are a few ideas I thought of as it relates to boosting confidence. What tips might you offer a job seeker should they ask you how to build their confidence?

Comes from within, by

Overcoming obstacles, fears and barriers, by

Never giving up on yourself (or others) and your ability to change and grow and by

Finding people who ‘act confident’ and inviting them to share any ideas / tips, and by

Investing in a public speaking program such as Toastmasters International and by

Doing one small thing each day to stretch yourself in developing your confidence muscles and by

Expecting to gain, versus never get, some confidence and by

Noticing and noting (tracking) your actions when you feel more confident and by

Creating opportunities to heighten your chances of confidence-building success and by

Educating yourself each and every day, both online and offline, by learning something new to expand your level of confidence.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Trenches With the Unemployed, Anyone, Anyone?

In the 1986 hit movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, there is a line that the economics teacher keeps repeating as he is trying to teach his class. The teacher keeps quizzing his students with the tired refrain of ‘anyone, anyone’ to which no one replies. Fast forward to early June 2011 in my office when a client said these words to me:

Is anyone listening to the plight of we the people with no jobs…anyone, anyone?

Though I still don’t know exactly what I want to say, I have wanted to write this post for a while. Usually, I write an educational, motivational or inspirational blog post in minutes – this one (I’m not sure what kind of –al I can affix to it) has been percolating for several days, even weeks. So, I decided to let it flow and however the words roll out, that’s how the post will go. I hope that even one little shred of what I write might strike a chord with anyone, anyone?

As a career management professional, I would love to be so confident arrogant glib as to suggest that I know what to tell you, the person who hasn’t had a job in nine months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, or 36 months and beyond, precisely what to do to find one. Actually, I have no clue. I have no clue because I really, really don’t know and quite frankly, I would love to meet the person who claims to know the answers and the solution to this unemployment fix we’re in. Anyone, anyone?

In my 25+ years in the career management industry, I have taken great pains to develop an expansive base of knowledge about the subject of job search. And I have consistently continued to expand that knowledge given my passion for excellence in educating and training job seekers to become efficient and expeditious in landing that next job.  I have studied well…I am a ‘life-long’ learner; I have focused deeply. I have listened intently, I have cared much and served well and I continue to do all of the above…learn, listen, care, focus, and serve. I know more tips, tricks and tactics about job search than you can shake a stick at, so my friends say.

I have written books to help job seekers find jobs. I have blogged and tweeted ad naseum about the subject of careers and job search. I have counseled many, many unemployed people from all walks of life and at all levels of the corporate ladder. That said, sometimes I feel like the words I am saying -- the last few months in particular --  sound shallow, hollow, and empty when it comes to the many unemployed workers.

Do you know what to say to the unemployed, super-talented, well-educated workers with stellar track records of achievement, accomplishment and contribution who haven’t had an interview in over a year, anyone, anyone? Do you know what to say to the unemployed entry-level clerk or the unemployed middle-aged, mid-level manager about what to do to find a job when they have already done all of the ‘right’ things they are ‘supposed to do’ to find a job, anyone, anyone?” Hang in there sounds hollow. Keep your chin up sounds lame. You’ll be fine doesn’t begin to sound credible. Don’t cry over spilled milk doesn’t cut it.

Is anyone listening to the guy who is losing his house because both he and his wife lost their decent-paying jobs, anyone, anyone? Is anyone listening to the single Mom who has 50 grand in college debt, three kids, and no job because it was merged, anyone, anyone? Is anyone listening to the first-generation college grad who went to school thanks to his parent’s second-mortgaged home, and now the home is in foreclosure and the kid with the degree can’t find a j-o-b, anyone, anyone? Is anyone listening to the unemployed people who now find themselves taking multiple medications (which they can’t afford) to cope with the depression and anxiety of being jobless for an extended period of time, anyone, anyone? What words would you choose to console the out-of-work client who claims they’re worth more dead than alive, anyone, anyone?

What might you say to the unemployed person in America today, anyone, anyone?

 

Hogscald Hollow and Would You Go Jump Off A Cliff?

See the guy in this picture? His first name is Mitch. Never met him before and don’t know his last name. As this stranger was passing by our family safely standing at the top of this cliff, I said, “Are you really going to do this – jump off this cliff.”  And he said with great confidence, “Yes, just waiting for my two spotters.”  Within minutes, his two spotters appeared. Mitch was as calm and cool as could be and offered “I need to keep my arms straight up when I jump.”

Mitch’s two spotters and our family watched as he jumped off this cliff over the 4^th of July weekend at a place called Hogscald Hollow in Arkansas.

Would you be like Mitch and jump? As you think about you, your life, your career and who you are, would you go jump off this cliff?

Mitch jumped... and here’s the photo to prove it.

“Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.” ~ Ray Bradbury

Photo courtesy Sarah Sucher

 

 

 

 

The Cab Driver and Cleola's Brownies

The young woman in her early 20’s accompanied by her baby boomer mother and grandmother knocked at the home of an elderly lady, a lady she had never met before in her life. The lady came to the door and the young woman said, "I came by to tell you that your son used to be my cab driver. I am sorry he is gone – he was always so nice to me."

You could see the tears growing in the elderly woman’s eyes…."please come in" she signaled. The young woman, mother and grandmother all entered and took a seat in the living room.

"So you knew my son," the woman inquired?

"Yes, I can only drive to my job from March to November – I’m not supposed to drive in the bad weather. I am special needs. That’s why I would take the cab and that’s how I met your son."

"Did you know your son always made sure I got to work on time?"

"Did you know your son was always nice to me?"

"Did you know your son always made me laugh?"

"He sure knew how to talk a lot – and he was really funny."

"And he would always park in the driveway and call me on my cell phone to let me know he was here waiting for me."

Her son, a highly successful sales executive had retired early and for something to do, had started driving a cab to ‘pass some time.’ Turns out, she said to the young woman, he told me it was "the best job he ever had." The elderly woman spoke lovingly about "her boy" she had lost in the Fall of 2010.  

"You know what he loved?" said the elderly woman to the young one -- he loved brownies! "in fact, this week-end, I will be baking some nine dozen of them to share with the guys he used to play football with and some of his fraternity brothers who are coming in to town this week-end for a golf tournament. Nine dozen. Going to be baking them tomorrow."

The baby boomer mother of the young woman wondered aloud "Is this a secret recipe or something you can pass along?" Together, they all went to the kitchen and line by line, the recipe was dictated and re-recorded on a new index card:

Cleola’s Brownies - Makes: Best  (be sure to say the Makes Best part!)

350 degrees – 20-25 minutes (though Cleola only bakes them about 18 mnts. usually)

~ Combine 2 C. sugar + ½ C. cocoa

~ Add 1 ¼ C. oil

~ Beat by hand – one at a time: 5 eggs (be sure to do this part just like it says)

~ Add: 1 ½ C. flour

~ Add 1 tsp. salt

~ Add 1 tsp. vanilla

~ Nuts: optional

Put in jelly roll pan. "Now the funny thing about this recipe is that there's no soda -- no soda! I think it must be the eggs that makes them the best....yes, it must be the eggs"....

Armed with one new recipe and one new friend, the young woman collected a hug from the Cab Driver's Mother and then announced it was time to go. Maybe she and her mother will whip up some of Cleola’s Brownies tomorrow, too.

For more job search and career transition tips, follow me on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach

Though not on my bucket list, I liked loved going to Luckenbach, Texas! I had no idea what to expect, so I kept an open mind, grabbed my camera and headed out to this Texas hill country dot on the map.

My only frame of reference regarding Luckenbach was a song I recalled about Waylon, Willie and the boys. Upon arrival, my first encounter was with two roosters (shown here), a Texas longhorn and a host of Harleys. That said, I felt comfortable and found my way to fit in with a multi-generational (did I say Boomers?) crowd, especially when I saw this t-shirt: Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach.

Fitting In!

Fitting in! It's a big deal, especially when you are looking for a j-o-b. As you explore potential career possibilities, do your best to find a good fit. Employers evaluate any number of variables regarding an applicant's candidacy and a significant one is this: Is this person a good fit? Ask yourself the same question: Do I feel like I belong here? Is there a good fit for me here?

In the general store (gift shop?) as I paid for my purchases in the Nut Department (please see image), the cashier told me she was the chief psychiatrist for said area which leads me to my next point:

Have Some Fun!

Whether you are looking for a job, have a job, or want to change jobs, try to have some fun carrying out your day-to-day activities. What one thing might you do to have some fun for free as you experience the job search process? Laughter is free; a sense of humor is free; a smile is free. Use these free gifts to your competitive advantage as you explore new career opportunities.

And last, and not least -- just like the t-shirt suggests:

Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach! 

And to this thought I would add, everybody is somebody right where you are, whether you are in Luckenbach, Los Angeles, London or Lima!

...so baby, let's sell your diamond ring

Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away

This coat and tie is choking me

in your high society you cry all day

We've been so busy keepin' up with the Jones

Four car garage and we're still building on

Maybe it's time we got back to the basics...

~ a few lyrics from the song, Luckenbach, Texas, co-written by rock and soul producer Chips Moman and keyboardist Bobby Emmons.

Template? Original? What Say You, Job Hunter?

Again this week, I received a voice message that went something like this:

Hey Billie, I was at the bookstore the other day and I saw your résumé work in So and So book and I was wondering...could you send me a template of your résumé from page 124? If you could, that would be awesome! Thanks!

What is a "template" anyway? According to the dictionary, one definition of the word is:

anything that determines or serves as a pattern; a model.

Are you a template? For your sake in today's highly competitive job search market, I surely hope not! I hope you are now and forevermore a job seeker who is an:

ORIGINAL!

According to the dictionary, a few of the noun definitions of the word "original" include:

~ an original work, writing, or the like, as opposed to any copy of imitation...

~ the person or thing represented by a picture, description, etc...

~ a person whose ways of thinking or acting are original...

Résumé template? Résumé original?

Which one best represents you and your brand?

 

FAQ From #Jobseekers: How Do You Ever Know What to Say on Twitter?

Over on Twitter last week, I posted this tweet:

FAQ from #jobseekers: "How do you ever know what to say on Twitter?" #jobhunt #outplacement #careers #Twitter #in

While I don't have a specific answer, I do have a general idea that may help you, if you are a brand new contributor to Twitter, or you are thinking about signing up for Twitter. Perhaps a few of these ideas (tweets) stated below will help you get started and keep going as U tweet away from this day 4ward!

Think about a subject of interest that you want linked with your name and your brand.

What do you know about that you could freely (passionately/interestingly) share w/others?

In as few words as possible, write a thought to create one 'practice' tweet.

Tweak your thought (tweet) until it's about 120 of the 140-character limit.

Try 'trial tweets' of 25 or so to build confidence before you click on Tweet.

Engage readers w/ strong content, ltd. self-promotion and a +sounding attitude. (Add hashtags if U like: #jobhunt)

Reply with thanks & appreciation when you get retweets, followers, mentions.

That said, I recall my very first tweet, some 5,000 tweets ago and I think it went something like this...

"This is my very first tweet on Twitter."

So #jobseekers, how about giving it a try...what will be your very first #tweet on #Twitter?

P.S. Feel free to Follow Me on Twitter: @billiesucher