Billie Sucher Blog

Dr. William E. Bridges: Teacher, Consultant, Author Extraordinaire

Eighteen years ago in Seattle, Washington, I met an extraordinary consultant named Dr. William E. Bridges, teacher for one of the best training programs I have ever attended. Last week, as I was researching something on Twitter, I stumbled upon this tweet:

Dick Bolles ‏@ParachuteGuy20 Feb

Thirty days ago I visited my old friend Bill Bridges, author of Transitions. Susan, his loving wife, just told me he died last Sunday. RIP.

I was shocked and saddened to read this news. If you are familiar with Dr. Bridges’ work, you know of his vast and valuable contributions to transitions, managing the human side of change and his three-phase transition process.  If, by chance, you are unfamiliar with his teachings, I would encourage you to read his books to discover his pioneering work.  Here are three of my favorites:

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes

JobShift: How to Prosper In A Workplace Without Jobs

Managing Transitions:  Making the Most of Change

I will be forever grateful for all that Dr. Bridges taught me and other class participants on that cold, rainy March day of 1995. May his teachings continue to educate and inspire organizations and individuals around the globe.

Five Things You Can Do to Enhance Your Interview Skills

Learn how to talk about yourself.

Many of my clients tell me “I hate talking about myself.” While you may not be in love with this activity, it is simply a task that is necessary in order to find a job. There is just no way around it. The more you resist speaking about yourself with confidence, the better job you will do of taking yourself out of the running. It’s competitive “out there” and the easier you make it for the hiring manager to understand what you bring to the table, the greater your chances of getting hired.

Know your value.

Imagine going to an interview and being asked an FAQ such as “why should I hire you” and you respond with “wow, that’s a great question.”  While this is an answer, it isn’t your best answer. Your best answer lies in knowing what the organization’s needs are and how you can add to (versus detract from) their vision, goals and mission.

Expand your vocabulary.

Let’s say that an employer invites you to describe yourself to which you offer: “I am very loyal, honest and hardworking.” Again, while this is an answer, it most likely won’t score you points because the listener has heard this line about a gazillion times.  Before you go to your next interview, identify some unique and interesting words that describe you in a positive, professional and distinct manner.

Practice your presentation skills.

Prior to going to a job interview, it will well serve you to practice, practice and practice your lines. Know what you want to say. Know how you want to sound. Know the particular points you want to emphasize in your conversation with the hiring manager or recruiter. Do not practice on the employer – employers can detect your ill-preparedness in a matter of seconds. Practice pays and sooner or later, you will thank yourself for the time and effort you devoted to practicing your presentation.

Be a well-prepared, organized and efficient job candidate.

Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and do your best to think like they think. Ask yourself these three questions:

• What do I want?  Be able to articulate this in one tweet (140 characters). 
• Why should an employer hire me?  Identify at least three good (and relevant) reasons as to why you are the one for the job.
• What are the biggest concerns an employer might have about my candidacy?  Know this before you go to the interview, so it doesn’t shock or surprise you when the employer mentions their “concerns” about you.

A Way Forward In Your Job Search

One of the recent topics of conversation with a client had to do with garbage, trash, baggage and forgiveness.  Have you had such a conversation with someone or perhaps even with yourself? Let’s say that you got fired from your most recent job. Let’s say that your most recent job was over a year ago. Let’s say that you are still very disappointed over losing that job and haven’t had any luck finding a new one. Let’s say that one day you meet a career management professional.

The career management professional invites you to share in a conversation about any garbage in your little red wagon – the imaginary one that you drag around with you, even though it is full and heavy and zaps all of your energy day in, day out. You are invited to give each piece of garbage in your little red wagon a name. And so you do.

Disappointment.

Frustration.

Failure.

Disengagement.

Annoyance.

Anger.

Hurt.

Embarrassment.

Guilt.

Bitterness.

Lack of Motivation.

Tired.

Stressed.

Stuck.

Clueless.

Confusion.

Restless.

Directionless.

Overwhelmed.

And you continue giving each piece of garbage a name until all are named. And then you have a conversation about each single piece of garbage in your little red wagon. Which leads to yet another conversation about forgiveness.

Forgiveness for the person who fired you.

Forgiveness for the team member present at your termination -- the person you thought was your trusted friend.

Forgiveness for yourself.

And over a period of time, piece by piece, you start dumping your garbage. You notice how your little red wagon feels lighter. Less cumbersome. You find yourself dragging it around less and less as you go to more and more networking events. And one day, out of the blue, you are referred to a company for a job that you would be “just perfect for.”  The Hiring Manager treats you with respect and professionalism and values your talents.  The Selection Team meets. They choose you. You have a new job. A new start date. You sign off on all the paperwork.  

You realize that your little red wagon is almost empty of garbage.

And you find yourself full of anticipation.

For the first time in a long time.

And joy.

And eagerness.

And gratitude.

A renewed sense of purpose.

And relief.  And a calmness and a peace about you.

And a genuine happiness about moving on.  

To a new way forward.

"Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself." ~ Harriet Nelson

Job Seeker Pop Quiz

Before you go looking for that next job, how about taking this little quiz to see how prepared you are to hit the streets and face your global competition.  

1. Do you know what KSA stands for and if so, what are your five best and why?
2. Can you describe your personal brand with clarity and conviction?
3. Can you cite three compelling factors that make your brand distinct?
4. What is O*Net Online and have you tapped into this resource?
5. What are your top five portable and transferable skills with examples?
6. What three to five words best represent the occupation you are pursuing?
7. What are your top three job search strategies?
8. What are five reasons (with examples) an employer “should” hire you.
9. What will customers say about your brand’s strengths?
10. What will your competition say about your brand’s flaws?

Bonus Point:  What is the name of the social networking website with the NYSE ticker symbol "LNKD" and can you be found there by a prospective employer?

Scoring:  For each question that you could easily answer within 5 – 10 seconds, give yourself one (1) point.

If you scored high, congratulations – you are well prepared to embark upon your job search journey!

What Is A Career Transition Team, Anyway?

Something I encourage clients to consider when in job search mode is to build a career transition team.

A what? they often ask.

A transition team – you know, a team of people who can help you get from point A to point B so it might be easier, smoother and more efficient for you to find that next gig.

Never heard of such a thing, I am often told. 

Teamwork works. You can look for a job on your own – the “solo”  method or you can take the time to build a team to help you move forward with results that may surprise you and please you.

What is a transition team, anyway?

A transition team is a group of people who you know, like and trust to help you make your next career move.

Not just any team, but an invested team of players who want you to “win” as much as you want to “win” a job. A team who is interested in supporting you with ideas, strategy, motivation and a caring concern that is deep enough to give you a swift kick in the backside if and when you need it.

Think of your favorite football, basketball or baseball team. How many players are on the team? How many players start the game?

How many players are on your career transition team? How many players in your line-up can you count on to serve as “starters” in your job search game? Who on your team has a specialty or expertise that could add value to your job hunt?

Job search is a team sport. While, for sure, you can go solo in your quest for new employment, perhaps you might try another route – a route to your next paycheck that may not be as lonely, difficult, challenging or frustrating. And that alternate route is called teamwork.

A career transition team is built of multiple individual contributors who:

1. you know, like and trust enough to invite them to serve on your team
2. are invested in your career success without being compensated for caring
3. are willing to give a reasonable amount of time to the process
4. you respect enough to listen to their advice, insights and perspectives
5. are not afraid to tell you what you would rather not hear. 

As your job search gets underway, ask yourself this question:

Do I choose to go solo in looking for a new job or am I going to build a winning team?

One Simple Question With Some Surprising Job-Seeker Answers

In my career management practice, I work with both employed and unemployed individuals. One of the things we often chat about is the perspective of a decision-maker or hiring manager versus the perspective of a job seeker.

I routinely invite job seekers to pretend for a moment that they are a Hiring Manager. And in pretending,  I invite them to share some words they would use to describe the average job seeker of today.  I am surprised, sometimes even shocked by their harsh responses when they put on a hiring manager’s hat instead of a job-seeker hat. Here is the question I invite clients to consider, followed by some responses I have been given:

As a pretend hiring manager and decision-maker, what would be a few words you would use to describe today’s job seeker:

Desperate

Not wanting to do all the hard work it takes

Uninformed

Out of touch with the market

Not prepared, lack of preparation

Doesn’t know about my company

Hasn’t done any research

Doesn’t take the job search seriously

Clueless

Wasting my time

Not very motivated

Unrealistic expectations

Over-priced

Not competitive

No job search savvy

Lack of focus and direction

Can’t talk about themselves with confidence

Doesn’t know their worth or value

Can’t say why they are a good fit for the job

More interested in themselves than in our business

They just don’t “get it”

As a job seeker, how would you respond to this question:  As a pretend hiring manager and decision-maker, what would be a few words you would use to describe today’s job seeker?_______________________________________________________.

What, if anything, might you do today to make yourself a better candidate tomorrow in the eyes of a hiring manager?

Silver Linings Playbook and a Job Search Strategy in 2013

If you have seen the movie Silver Linings Playbook, (can’t wait to see it again!) you may recall Dr. Patel (Anupam Kher) and his dialogue with Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper).

Dr. Patel: “Pat, you have to have a strategy.”

I find Dr. Patel’s counsel especially applicable to today’s job seeker.

What is your strategy for seeking employment in the New Year?

What is your strategy for building and sustaining relationships?

What is your strategy for integrating social media into your job search?

What is your strategy for crafting a best practices résumé?

What is your strategy for developing your Linked In profile to support your professional brand?

What is your strategy for presenting the product You in an interview?

What is your strategy for starting over when the job you thought was a sure thing is offered to your competitor?

What is your strategy for learning something new, completing a degree, or earning a certification in the coming year?

What is your strategy for giving back, volunteering and helping someone succeed?

What is your strategy for letting go of thinking and old habits that keep you stuck in a rut?

What is your strategy for identifying organizations of interest to you with respect to employment?

What is your strategy for motivating yourself on a consistent basis?

What is your strategy for your job search in 2013?

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the result." ~ Winston Churchill

Writing -- It's Worth It!

Over the weekend, I attended a Writers Forum as a part of the 2012 Wonder of Words Festival. Four featured authors read from some of their original works, followed by a brief question and answer period from audience members. While I enjoyed listening to all of the speakers, I was particularly drawn to the work of Venise Berry, an associate professor in African American Studies and Journalism at the University of Iowa. Not only was her writing superb and witty, her presentation style was warm and engaging. I could have listened to her for hours.

Writers. Writing. Featured authors. Authors. Wanna-be authors. Thinkers who think about being writers and authors. Writer’s block. Writer’s cramp. Are you a writer?

As long as I have been writing, contributing to books, writing my own books or writing blog posts, I have not once considered myself a writer. As much as I love words and as much as I love putting words together to create something, when I hear the word “writer” my mind immediately shifts to great writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Poe, Homer, Mark Twain, Victor Hugo, George Eliot, Thoreau, Johann Wolfgang VonGoethe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Guest, Kahlil Gibran, Og Madino, and Robert Frost.

I looked up the definition of writer and here’s what I found at the Oxford Dictionaries:

Writer: a person who writes books, stories, or articles as a job or regular occupation.

As a career management professional, I work with clients who would like to write. Maybe they want to write a resume, a cover letter or start a blog. Some clients want to hop on Twitter and make tweets. Some clients have thought for years about writing a book. I have repeatedly heard these three things from those who would like to write:

1. I don’t know what to write.
2. I am afraid to write.
3. Who would read it if I wrote it?  

You do not have to be famous or distinguished or globally recognized to write. Writing is something that comes from your head and your heart. Writing is something you can do starting now. Writing begins with one word, one topic or one idea. Writing is about sharing your story because you matter and your words matter. Writing is about dumping your thoughts onto a piece of paper or a computer screen and putting it out there. You can stuff your thoughts and ideas or you can share them. You can find your voice or you can go through life wishing you had found it. My hope for you is that you will find the courage, hopefully sooner than later, to write your very first word. Then add another. And yet another. Do not be afraid of messing up or being perfect with your words. Be patient.  Keep at it. And someone, somewhere will read it if you write it. Writing – it’s worth it!

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”― Benjamin Franklin

I Would Like to Accept Your Job Offer, But...

I love working with clients on interviewing and job offer negotiations. Last month, for example, I was helping a professional via phone coaching. He was the number one candidate and had been offered the job. The offer, though, in my client’s opinion, needed some “fine tuning.”

As we were going through his concerns about this and that, I noticed that he used the word “but” multiple times in his communication. As a job seeker, are you aware of the “buts” that you are using in your communication with hiring managers and recruiters?

When you hear the word “but” when someone is conversing with you, how do you feel?  Here are some examples:

I would love to accept your job, BUT I do not wish to relocate.

I would love to accept your offer, BUT the salary is much lower than I expected.

I appreciate your offer of employment, BUT the vacation package doesn’t meet my needs.

I would like to join your company, BUT I don’t want to work on week-ends.

I would like to start my job hunt now that Labor Day is over, BUT I don’t know where to begin.

See how the “BUTS” are like a stop sign in conversation?

Whether you are looking for a job or are seriously considering a job offer, do your best to speak without using “BUTS” to connect your thoughts. Try sharing a more positive message with your listener:

I am most appreciative of your job offer – before accepting, when is a good time to chat about two of its specifics?

Lessons From an Elevator

Sometimes I get a thought, a word or a song that stays on replay in my head. This week, thanks to a good friend, the word “elevator” has stuck with me. When my friend mentioned something about an elevator speech, my mind immediately shifted to the beautiful Fine Arts Building in Chicago and the elevators that can be found there.

If you happen to live in or travel to The Windy City, the elevators of the Fine Arts Buildingare a true treasure, a must see (as is the entire building) and a must ride. When you step into the elevator, you do not push a button; you simply tell the elevator operator your floor of choice. “Eight please.”

And if you are a job seeker taking a ride on the person-powered elevators there, perhaps you will realize how short the ride is. Within a matter of seconds, you go from floor to floor. Start and stop in no time at all; much like an elevator speech for today’s job seeker.

Start.

Stop.

Get in.

Get out.

As a job seeker, have you thought about your elevator speech?

Do you have a script written for the ride?

Do you know where you are going in your conversation, or will you meander around from floor-to-floor and end up lost?

Do you know how you will respond to the “Tell Me About Yourself” frequently-asked-question (FAQ)?

Do you know how to express your qualifications so that the listener will have a clear grasp of your credentials in a few fleeting seconds?

Some of my clients think “elevator speech” sounds silly. Some prefer “branded message” or “product commercial” or “30-second sound bite.” Regardless of what you call it, it deserves your attention, contemplation, organization and articulation before you go to a jobinterview.

So how about it? How does your elevator speech sound? What words are you saying about yourself in a few short seconds to convey to the hiring manager or recruiter that you are the person for the position?