Career Change - Myth or Reality?

Career Change - Myth or Reality?

By John Seraichyk - Browning Associates - June 2012

The term “Career Change” is mostly mythological and not at all practical for many domesticated financially responsible executives. What advice do you give a 45 year old CFO with two kids in college who explains that she will consider any career option as long it has nothing to do with accounting or overseeing a corporations financial management? The likes of these fairytale transitions make for good sales dialogue for career counselors and marketing firms, but are typically far from reality.

Transition happens over time; we the people each and everybody on the face of the planet, who presently trade hours of our lives for a paycheck, must adapt an entrepreneurial mind-set. That’s right! You must always be in “selling/reinventing yourself” mode! Just as a large corporation is always diversifying its product and market demographic, you too must always be projecting at least five years ahead of your contending peers. The “job stability” mind-set is lethal to your long-term career success.

The instant you land your next position, update your resume, and begin transformation.

If you want to remain successful and happy in your work, you must adapt my mantra; “If you are not in transition you are in denial”. One of the most successful product remodeling/transformations I have ever witnessed was accomplished by the Toyota Corporation. Beginning with a standard Camary, they added gold trim, leather, changed the name to Lexus and doubled the price! You must realize you too are a commodity and must continuously be cognizant of who may be in need of your product and how you reinvent and constantly position and promote yourself for the future. This wont happen overnight! Career Change/redirection is an instilled mindset that must be ever present if you expect to continue to successfully climb the “cliff face” of success.

W2-employees and 1099ers alike must realize that there is no corporate safe haven; job security is a legend of the past mostly publicized by the * 40/40 Club.

*40/40 Club…An employee who works for the same company for 40 hours a week for 40 years and retires with a $40 gold watch.

My best advice: If you are absolutely in love with your job, begin your transition action plan yesterday!

Don't Avoid the Unemployed!

Don't Avoid the Unemployed!  

  

Is it worthwhile to network with people who are also looking for new employment?

Most people think they should only talk with other people who are presently employed in a specific capacity within a specific industry within a specific company who might have a specific job for them.  This is job search futility and fatality.

When an exec is between jobs, it's the perfect time to get to know him/her. That person will land soon and will remember you when s/he does.

In fact, it's more effective to network with people who are also looking for new employment.  When these people are between jobs, they are accessible; once they land a new gig, you might never get to speak with them.  It's too late. S/he's off and running on a new career venture and much too busy to be bothered. 

 Alternatively, if you connect with him beforehand, you better believe he'll speak with you. His Rolodex® will be wide open. Moreover, if you can point him to one good contact in your network, he will never forget you. When he's running his next company, he will pay your favor forward.

Additionally, once an executive has left, he is more likely to give you contacts from his last company as he does not have the same confidentiality concern.  Also, don't forget to look at other companies he has worked for and ask for contacts there as well.  Furthermore, because he has been searching and talking to other execs and recruiters, he is more likely to be aware of recent opportunities that might be better for you than for him. 

The Recruiter/Your Contact Has Gone Ice Cold!

 The Recruiter/Your Contact Has Gone Ice Cold! 

   

 Your speaking with another executive in your network or recruiter whom has promised to circulate your resume throughout his network. He even goes as far as to say he knows of a vacant position that you would be perfect for...He promises to touch base with his contacts and be back with you in short order! Two weeks have since passed, and your ol friend has vanished!  You've left a few messages, but at this point you might be wondering if he's still breathing.  Just a week ago he was fervently excited to help, and now; MIA! How could this be?????

 

 

Here's What Went Wrong

  

Mistake Number 1. No Quid Pro Qou!   

 

You did not take the time to understand what his needs are...Did you ask him how things are going in his career? Has he thought about something bigger and better for himself? Did you suggest a few people that you might refer to him? If you are part of The Browning Associates network, you could have said, "I know of a huge network in your industry and I'm glad to connect you with some excellent high level contacts...Either way, if you spoke for 10 minutes, 8 of those minutes should have been about your network contacts and what you can do to help him...Every 200k executive on the planet is always looking for something bigger; make it about them; no excuses, no exceptions!  You will use your remaining 2 minutes to ask that they do the same for you...Consequently, the (Quid pro qou) has been birthed in to action! 
 
Mistake Number 2. No Accountability No Call to Action! 

Before you finish your conversation, there are two things that must happen.  1. Make it very clear what you are going to do for them and 2. Schedule a time for follow up. As far as they can see, you are scheduling a follow up call so as to be sure you are able to come back to them with the promised referrals etc... Remember; never give them all you've got until they come forth with their promise as well...Always keep them wanting more!

Don't be Anti-Social

By Melanie Schwartz and John Seraichyk

So then, what's the deal with all this social media hype? Do we 40 ++ guys and gals need to be onboard?

In my estimation, professional networking is and will forever remain the most important and integral ingredient for ensuring job security and career growth potential!

However, as the job market continues to become even more competitive, conventional networking and job searching tactics may not be enough. Job seekers must now incorporate social media!

Professionals seeking to better their career situation just might need to Tweet their way up the corporate cliff face of success (remember when it was a ladder?). The Job Jungle (used to call it a market!) has changed forever and so must you modernize the way you seek professional career employment and advancement.

These days one must incorporate social media with the marketing genius of corporate giants such as Toyota. If you're changing careers, you have to love Toyota - take an existing middle market product (the Camry), change the name, add some fake wood, double the price, and suddenly you dominate a foreign market that the American automaker still cannot figure out. Now this is what I call very cool brand building! Are you a Toyota or a Lexus?

"The use of social media has fast become essential in aiding professional job seekers to connect with others." Melanie J. Schwartz, Vice President Client Consulting Services - Browning Associates - circa 2011


Become a Social Butterfly

By way of social media, the career seeker can now access contacts 24/7 in the convenience of their home, office, or local coffee shop. No more attending a seven am breakfast event where only 20 people show up. Instead, we now have the opportunity to interact with thousands of people all over the globe at the touch of a keystroke.

There are over 120 million members in 20 countries and territories that can be found on LinkedIn.com alone. Furthermore, both LinkedIn and Twitter also now include job postings for senior level executives. In fact, not being a member of these sites can be detrimental in a job search. Our clients have been told by company representatives that candidates not on LinkedIn will not be considered for an interview. That's a fairly strong reason to have a LinkedIn presence.

Furthermore, JobVite.com recently polled over 800 employers asking if they used social media to recruit and over 89% indicated that they did! In addition, 90% of the human resource executives and executive recruiters that we work with also indicate that they routinely scour profiles of LinkedIn members looking for potential candidates.

How to Build your Social Media Brand

The reason most job-seekers are inept social networkers and personal brand-builders and consequently futile job hunters, is they are typically blindsided by the daunting sense of urgency brought on by the paradigm of contemporary job hunting.

Historically, job hunting, by definition and incident, has been a frustrating process of sifting fool's gold from the internet while contacting people who you think might have a job for you today, right now, instantaneously! Looking for a job this way is like trying to find your soul mate/husband/wife on www.girlofmydreams.noway.com. Sure you'll go on a few dates, but they are usually superficial at best. The hungry job seeker becomes so focused on pursuits of the pay check that s/he sometimes misses the much bigger picture. A successful social media brand building campaign must be developed and executed completely apart from conventional job networking. To be an effective social networker, you must separate personal promotion (brand building) from job hunting altogether.

He Who Has the Most Friends Wins - NOT!

Personal branding done "social media style" is not just about who has the most (so called) friends on Face Book or connections on LinkedIn. Rather, it's crucial that you connect on a personal level and always come away with two or three solid referrals from your new friend. When personal branding is done properly, an outreach to just twenty of your best network contacts may necessitate a full time assistant just to sustain the referral activity. I recently had a client who needed two assistants just to keep up! Does this describe what's transpiring in your job search?

Before you know it, your buzz will be second nature for everybody who knows the YOU brand. Branding is powerful. Don't think so? When is the last time you referred to Scotch Tape® as cellophane adhesive tape? Can't remember the last time I said, "Honey, have you seen the cellophane adhesive tape?" Are you cellophane adhesive tape? It's no surprise the brand-recognition for toilet paper is still up for grabs! Although Kleenex® does have unconventional uses I suppose...

How to Launch Your Social Media Branding Campaign

Anybody and everybody, including your butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, who knows your brand (your name) must know what you are up to and how to find/follow you. I suggest you start with an effectual heartfelt correspondence penned from the tablet of your heart. Be sure to let your friends and associates know you are seeking a possible career move and how to reach you on all media levels. Next, you must promptly put forward to your LinkedIn network, post on your Facebook wall and all the while continuing to Tweet your moment by moment activity to your faithful Twitter followers. If you say the right things and ask the right questions, your friends will sing like canaries.

Who Shall I invite to my Social Gathering?

Everyone on the planet who recognizes your name; this is your warm market. Look at your checkbook. These people surely know who you are. Be sure they know of your personal promotion campaign/job search endeavor. These people work for you. They owe you one! Let them know what you are up to.**Nobody does this, yet 90% of all new jobs at 100k+ will eventually come from somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who comes to know you!

But They Won't Have a Job for Me!

When I ask one of my clients for the names of the people at his gym or members of his clergy, he looks at me as if I have two heads! He thinks to himself: "This Seraichyk character is a kook!" This is because he is unable to separate personal brand building from job-hunting. When you think about calling Uncle Bill (who has been selling Amway/Avon for forty years,) to inquire with reference to employment opportunities, it seems preposterous, illogical, and absurd! However, Uncle Bill in the branding scenario is simply another human being who knows other human beings and is ALSO familiar with your brand. In other words, he is part and parcel of your warm market and must be informed of your product launch.

If you would like more ideas on how to seek out and categorize your network, please send a request for our free "How to Build Your Personal Network" document.

Where to Go - How to Get Started...

Professionals Seeking 75k Plus in annual compensation must get connected on LinkedIn... Go to http://www.linkedin.com/

Be sure to import your contacts from Outlook, Gmail, etc, so that you can start to build your network or cultivate your existing network. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on LinkedIn for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those persons that may provide you with an interview or referral.

Twitter.com has fast developed into the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you're targeting. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the "@" sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will begin to find out a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you will need to have a finished profile. This means you must have a short bio, the location where you're from, and a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information. I.e.: Your LinkedIn page, personal website or blog. It's fairly simple. Go to Twitter.com and jump right in! Its fast, free and fun.

If you're in the over 45 age demographic, I strongly suggest that you begin to explore Facebook.com as another resource or media to expose your professional candidacy. 700 million faithful followers can't all be wrong. You can't afford not to have a presence here... Go to Facebook.com to get started. Be sure that your Facebook profile is used exclusively for the purposes of your career endeavors.

A Little Birdie told me...

To get employed and to remain employed you must invite, invite, invite, connect, connect, connect. And always remember, when it comes to aggressive employment search, telling ain't selling, - asking is! Ask for referrals, introductions, contacts and connections; twice if you have to!

John H. Seraichyk(sir-ray-check)

Browning Associates

401-825-7717 Providence www.Professionaljobchange.com

LOOKING FOR A NEW 200k+ JOB?

ASK THE EXECUTIVE JOBS GUYS

http://professionaljobchange.com/faqejg.html

PS Having a hard time getting a door open? Feel free to email for a network contact, referral, reference or recommendation any time!

When Job Networking Isnt Working

Forget About Networking - It's Time to Build your Personal Brand Muscle!



How to Bulk Up Your Brand

In my estimation, executive job networking is becoming not much more than an overused career platitude. As the job market continues to be more and more competitive, traditional job networking may not be enough. We must now incorporate the marketing genius of the likes of corporate giants such as Toyota Motor Inc.... Take an existing middle market product, change the name, add some fake wood, double the price and suddenly you dominate a foreign market that Americans still cannot figure out... Now this is what I call very cool brand building! Are you a Camary or a Lexus?

The reason most executive job-seekers are horrible brand-builders is that they are blindsided by the daunting sense of urgency brought on by the paradigm of modern day job hunting. You must separate personal promotion (brand building) from job hunting altogether. Job hunting, by definition and incident, is a frustrating process of sifting fool's gold from the internet while contacting people who you think might have a job for you today, right now, instantaneously! Looking for a job this way is like trying to find your soul mate/husband/wife on www.Girlofmydreams.com. Sure you'll go on a few dates, but they are usually superficial at best. The hungry executive becomes so focused on pursuits of the job that he sometimes misses the much bigger picture. A successful personal brand building campaign must be completely separate from job hunting.


Personal promotion is wholly a process of aggressively exercising your ready-made brand muscle amongst the people who know you; a progression of relentlessly leveraging your brand (YOU) while coming to learn that helping others is more important than helping yourself.

Personal branding done right is not just notifying people and having a pleasant conversation about the weather. Rather, it's about connecting on a personal level and coming away with two or three solid referrals. When personal branding is done properly, an outreach to just twenty of your best network contacts may necessitate a full time assistant just to sustain the referral activity. I recently had a client who needed three assistants just to keep up! Does this describe what's transpiring in your career search?

Before you know it, your buzz will be second nature for everybody who knows the YOU brand. Branding is powerful. Don't think so? I still spell RELIEF: R-O-L-A-I-D-S! That slogan has stuck in my head since 1977. When is the last time you referred to Scotch Tape® as cellophane adhesive tape? Can't remember the last time I said, "Honey, have you seen the cellophane adhesive tape?" She wouldn't know what I was talking about. Are you cellophane adhesive tape? It's no surprise the brand-recognition for toilet paper is still up for grabs! Although Kleenex® does have unconventional uses I suppose...


How to Launch your Personal Branding Campaign

Anybody and everybody, including your butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, who know your brand (your name) must know what you are up to and how to find you. No, not a blurb on LinkedIn or Face book. What I'm suggesting is an effectual heartfelt correspondence, penned from the tablet of your heart and submitted via snail mail (email is also acceptable, but US mail is cooler) to everyone on the planet who recognizes your brand; this is your warm market. Look at your check book. These people surely know who you are. Be sure they know of your personal promo campaign. These people work for you. They owe you one! Let them know what you are up to.**Nobody does this, yet 90% of all new jobs at 200k+ will eventually come from somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody.

If you would like more ideas on how to seek out and categorize your network, please send a request for our free NMJ document.



But I Don't Know Anybody!


I will often ask executives how well networked they are within their circles of influence. Invariably, the answer comes back, "Oh man, I know everybody; sure, lots and lots of people!" It's amazing; they almost seem insulted that I would ask. A week later, we start their job search. I ask for their network and they say, "Hmmm, well I don't really know anybody."


When I ask one of my clients for the names of the people at his gym or members of his clergy, he looks at me as if I have two heads! He thinks to himself: "This Seraichyk character is a kook!" This is because he is unable to separate personal brand building from job-hunting. When you think about calling Aunty Jean, who has been selling Amway/Avon for forty years, to inquire with reference to employment opportunities, it seems preposterous, illogical, and absurd! However, Aunt Jean in (the branding scenario) is simply another human being who knows other human beings and is ALSO familiar with your brand. In other words, she is part and parcel of your warm market and she must be informed of your product launch.


Don't Avoid the Unemployed! 

Is it worthwhile to network with people who are also looking for new employment? Most people think they should only talk to other people who are presently employed in a specific capacity within a specific industry within a specific company who might have a specific job for them. This is job search futility and fatality.

When an exec is between jobs, it's the perfect time to get to know him/her. That person will land soon and will remember you when s/he does.

In fact, it's more effective to network with people who are also looking for new employment. When these people are between jobs, they are accessible; once they land a new gig, you might never get to speak with them. It's too late. S/he's off and running on a new career venture and much too busy to be bothered. Alternatively, if you connect with him beforehand, you better believe he'll speak with you. His Rolodex® will be wide open. Moreover, if you can point him to one good contact in your network, he will never forget you. When he's running his next company, he will pay your favor forward. Additionally, once an executive has left, he is more likely to give you contacts from his last company as he does not have the same confidentiality concern. Also, don't forget to look at other companies he has worked for and ask for contacts there as well. Furthermore, because he has been searching and talking to other execs and recruiters, he is more likely to be aware of recent opportunities that might be better for you than for him.


The Meek Will Inherit the Kingdom of Employment

Everybody wants to connect with the CEO, the chief, the king pin, the corner office dwellers of America...Not an easy thing to do and most often without solution. You will find it much easier to speak with lower level professionals. These common folk, like you and I, are always more willing to speak with you because they aspire to be where you are one day. Maybe you can tell them how you did it in trade for a referral. Don't forget to remind them that larger companies will pay referral bonuses to existing employees who refer new hires. I've seen some big bonuses paid out to existing employees who are paying attention and referring key talent to their companies!


If you are Not in Transition, you are in Denial

Employed executives are never content. For a successful executive, scaling the cliff face of success is as routine is the coffee break for the guy who wants your job but is too busy drinking coffee. If this were fallacy, you wouldn't be where you are today or even were you were yesterday.

When you reach out to people in your network, whether they are employed or unemployed, never make it about you and, by no means, come across as needy or in a bad position due to job loss. Be sure to give the impression that you have lots going on...You are contacting your friend, comrade, or x-boss to simply say hello and to let them know what you are up to. The best way to start this conversation is to ask them how their career is going. No matter what they tell you, I assure you, they are open for something better. Talk about how somebody in your network might help them. Once you've accomplished this, you simply say, "Oh yes, by the way. I'm contemplating a move myself."And then dig for three names from his/her Rolodex® (for those under 40, a Rolodex® is not a watch; that's Rolex®).This pre-Bill Gates technology is an astoundingly steadfast and reliable system for storing contact names and information, requires no electricity, never crashes, costs about $10.00, and you don't have to upgrade every 90 days! You may not get a sneak peek at the Rolodex®; you may not even get a name on the first call. But if things go well, schedule a follow up and try again.





PS Having a hard time getting a door open? Feel free to email for a network contact, referral, reference or recommendation any time!

Resume Advice is Useless!

Do not Heed Resume Advice!

If all the résumé writers in the US (all 8 billion of them) convened at the summit of mount boilerplate, entered into a massive resume writing laboratory and created what they believed to be the next super power most highly efficient and effectual "wins an interview every time" résumé and then asked 50 CEO’s for their candid critique; here would be the results of the meeting faction: 16 CEO’s would like it, 16 would find more things wrong with it, 16 would absolutely hate it and 2 would say resumes are a waste of time.… I know, because I’ve been running résumé focus groups for nearly 20 years. I’ve learned that asking for a résumé opinion is like asking somebody what color they like better red or blue.

Your Resume is a Tool and Needs to be Used Properly to Get the Right Result!

No one résumé will ever please the masses. And the minute you think your close, somebody will come along and tell you your résumé sucks. Therefore, when it comes to résumés, the only thing that is ALWAYS is that it must ALWAYS be used properly to get the right result. I.e. do everything you can to get it to the decision maker and follow up aggressively. Email it and US mail it with a handwritten envelope (guys, have your wife do the hand-writing). And at all costs, ALWAYS leverage a contact and drop that person’s name a hundred times if you have to. Unfortunately, job-seekers are second class citizens in this market. Only you need to love your resume and only you need to love you; the rest will take care of itself!

Want to know more about how to use your resume as a battering ram? Please visit us

http://www.professionaljobchange.com/

What is your greatest weakness? Never again be stumped by the weakness question!

What Is Your Greatest Weakness”?

By John Seraichyk - Executive Jobs Guy - Industry Thought Leader

This query has been an enduring weapon in the hiring manager's arsenal, but most people still have trouble with the dilemma it poses: answer too frankly, and you'll torpedo your prospects. Bestow a canned answer and you'll seem phony, or worse, evasive.

We have all at one time or another been faced with the dreaded “weakness” question. Why shouldn't we dread this inquiry? The employer is virtually asking why he/she shouldn't hire you!

The Weakness Question Distilled

A savvy interviewer may even disguise the “weakness” question? He/she might pose the (weakness) question as:

• Tell me about a project that did not work out so well?

• Name three self limiting thoughts

• Tell me about a time in your career that you really goofed up?

• What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?

• What makes you angry?

• How have your weaknesses affected your job performance? 

• Yes, she/he may even ask: What is your greatest weakness?

As demonstrated above, the weakness question may come in many different forms. There is no steadfast answer(s) to the “weakness” question. Sure, you can describe a weakness that has nothing to do with job you are applying for; you could retort..um uh….chocolate. Please don’t say you are a perfectionist or that you work too hard! ): These answers will certainly put your integrity at risk.


How to Formulate an Answer for any weakness question

All interview answers are like all good stories, they must have a happy ending! It’s always a good idea to put your weaknesses in the past and talk about what you have done to correct them and then end with a positive outcome. When done properly, you will demonstrate integrity by not doing the circumlocution bit and you will end your answer with a powerful and factual outcome based on your ability to successfully convert the weakness to a strength!

There is no possible way to prepare and rehearse an individual answer for every potential weakness question. However, with a little practice, you can learn to formulate an answer for any question and never be stumped again!

Here’s how: Whenever you are asked a question and it is immediately obvious (you will feel it in the pit of your stomach) that the interviewer wants you to say something NEGATIVE about yourself; you must practice doing three things:

1. Repeat the question; this buys you time and allows you to quickly formulate a masterful response. 2. Start your answer with any event or incident that happened in the past (always put your weakness in the past). 3. Explain the weakness… do not get long winded or become circumlocutory; rather, explain a situation that started out bad, what you did to correct it and then end your answer with a positive factual outcome.

IE: When I was hired in to the Regional Sales Director job back in 2001, my predecessor had left the position 6 months prior. When I took over the department, sales were down, turnover was at an all time high; I realized for the first time in my career that one of my greatest weaknesses was my ability to turn-around a failing sales division….

My mentoring and management skills were not what I thought they were; however, upon working many 80-100 hour weeks retraining supervisory and sales staff, reorganizing and developing departmental protocol and sales training procedures; I was able to increase sales volume by 43% in the first fiscal year. (The same answer you might use if the interviewer asked you what your greatest accomplishment was.) Never forget the ABC’s of interviewing (Always Be Closing)!

The above answer formulation technique works well for 90% of all “weakness” questions. However, be on the lookout for what I call the NEG 2.5 question. This question is the interviewer’s ploy to discover a character or personality flaw that might affect your ability to work well with others or perform well in the job. Here is an example of a NEG 2.5 question: “If someone does not know you well or like you. What are five adjectives he or she might use to describe you?”

You could answer this question by talking about a person from your past who you did not get along with, but now you’re best friends or describe weaknesses that will not affect your ability to perform well in the job.

For example I might answer the question like this:

Well, my x-girlfriend would say:

1. Lazy --when it came to yard work; she would say --- lazy ---80 hour work
weeks and yard work don’t mix…
2. Bad --- golfer…I think she liked beating me though…so did my clients…I
closed some good deals on the course…
3. Sloppy – she was a neat freak….
4. Poor --- I think she wants to Mary a billionaire
5. Not Funny --- some of my xmas party jokes may have been at her expense

Today we are actually very good friends!

(if you are a man interviewing with a woman, please use common sense here.

Job networking has NOTHING to do with Job hunting!

Job networking has NOTHING to do with job hunting!

RULE # 1

If you know somebody who will absolutely not have a job for you, then you must contact that person immediately.  This is the unconditional key to networking success!  If this sounds crazy to you, please keep reading...

What is successful career networking?

Everybody on the face of the planet who might recognize your brand (YOU) must come to know what YOU are up to.  A good benchmark for successful networking is not just notifying people and having a pleasant conversation; rather, it's about connecting on a personal level and coming away with two or three solid referrals.  If you do this properly, you will not need to be anxious about frustrating job-hunting activities, such as scouring the internet and chasing the ever elusive recruiter.

When done properly, reaching out to just twenty of your best network contacts may necessitate a full time assistant just to sustain the referral activity. I recently had a client who needed three assistants just to keep up! Does this describe what's transpiring in your career search?  If not, you need to read this now.

Networking and job hunting don't mix-Are you cellophane adhesive tape?

The reason most executive job-seekers are horrible net-workers is that they are blindsided by the daunting sense of urgency brought on by the paradigm of modern day job hunting. You must separate networking from job hunting altogether.  Job hunting, by definition and incident, is a frustrating process of sifting fool's gold from the internet while contacting people who you think might have a job for you today-right now, instantaneously! Looking for a job this way is like trying to find your soul mate/husband/wife on the bar scene.  Sure you'll have a few dates, but they are usually superficial at best.

The hungry executive becomes so focused on pursuits of the job that he sometimes misses the much bigger picture.  A successful net-worker must completely separate networking from job hunting.

Networking is purely a process of aggressively exercising your ready-made brand muscle amongst the people who know you; a progression of relentlessly leveraging your brand (YOU) while coming to learn that helping others is more important than helping yourself.  (See below "Everybody is looking." 

Before you know it, your buzz will be second nature for everybody who knows the brand. Branding is powerful.  Don't think so? I still spell RELIEF:   R-O-L-A-I-D-S!  That slogan has stuck in my head since 1977. When is the last time you referred to Scotch Tape® as cellophane adhesive tape?  Can't remember the last time I said, "Honey, have you seen the cellophane adhesive tape?"  She wouldn't know what I was talking about.  Are you cellophane adhesive tape?  It's no surprise the brand-recognition for toilet paper is still up for grabs!  Although Kleenex® does have unconventional uses I suppose...

How to launch your networking campaign

Anybody and everybody, including your butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, who know your brand (your name) must know what you are up to and how to find you. No, not a blurb on LinkedIn or Facebook. What I'm suggesting is an effectual heartfelt correspondence, penned from the tablet of your heart and submitted via snail mail(email is also acceptable, but US mail is better) to everyone on the planet who recognizes your brand; this is your warm market. Look at your check book.  These people surely know who you are.  Be sure they know of your job search transition.These people work for you. They owe you one! Let them know what you are up to.**Nobody does this, yet 90% of all new jobs at 200k+ will eventually come from somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody.**

If you would like more ideas on how to seek out and categorize your network, please send a request for our free NMJ document.


But I don't know anybody!

I will often ask executives how well networked they are within their circles of influence. Invariably, the answer comes back, "Oh man, I know everybody; sure, lots and lots of people. I've been in business for 25 years." It's amazing... they almost seem insulted that I would ask. A week later, we start their job search. I ask for their network and they say, "Hmmm, well I don't really know anybody." Go back and read "Networking and job hunting don't mix"above.

When I ask one of my clients for the names of the people at his gym or members of his clergy, he looks at me as if I have two heads!  He thinks to himself: "This Seraichyk character is a kook!"  This is because he is unable to separate personal brand building from job-hunting.  When you think about calling Aunt Jean, who has been selling Amway/Avon for forty years, to inquire with reference to employment opportunities, it seems preposterous, illogical, and absurd!   Aunt Jean in this (the networking scenario) is simply another human being who knows other human beings and is ALSO familiar with your brand.  In other words, she is part and parcel of your warm market and she must be informed of your product launch.

Don't avoid the unemployed!

Is it worthwhile to network with people who are also looking for new employment?

Most people think they should only talk to other people who are presently employed in a specific capacity within a specific industry within a specific company who might have a specific job for them.  This is job search futility and fatality.

When an exec is between jobs, it's the perfect time to get to know him/her. That person will land soon and will remember you when s/he does. Infact, it's more effective to network with people who are also looking for new employment.  When these people are between jobs, they are accessible; once they land a new gig, you might never get to speak with them.  It's too late. S/he's off and running on a new career venture and much too busy to be bothered. Alternatively, if you connect with him beforehand, you better believe he'll speak with you. His Rolodex® will be wide open. Moreover, if you can point him to one good contact in your network, he will never forget you. When he's running his next company, he will pay your favor forward. Additionally, once an executive has left, he is more likely to give you contacts from his last company as he does not have the same confidentiality concern.  Also, don't forget to look at other companies he has worked for and ask for contacts there as well.  Furthermore, because he has been searching and talking to other execs and recruiters, he is more likely to be aware of recent opportunities that might be better for you than for him.

The meek will inherit the Kingdom of Networking

Everybody wants to connect with the CEO, the chief, the king pin, the corner office dwellers of America...Not an easy thing to do and most often without solution.  You will find it much easier to speak with lower level professionals. These common folk, like you and I, are always more willing to speak with you because they aspire to be where you are one day.  Maybe you can tell them how you did it in trade for a referral.  Don't forget to remind them that most larger companies will pay referral bonuses to existing employees who refer new hires.  I've seen some big bonuses paid out to existing employees who are paying attention and referring key talent to their companies!

If you are not in Transition, you are in Denial

  Employed executives are never content.  If you are a successful executive, scaling the cliff face of success is as routine for you as is the coffee break for the guy who wants your job but is too busy drinking coffee. If this were fallacy, you wouldn't be where you are today.

When you reach out to people in your network, whether they are employed or unemployed, never make it about you and, by no means, come across as needy or in a bad position due to job loss.  Be sure to give the impression that you have lots going on...You are contacting your friend, comrade, or x-boss to simply say hello and to let them know what you are up to.  The best way to start this conversation is to ask them how their career is going. No matter what they tell you, I assure you, they are open for something better.  Talk about how somebody in your network might help them.  Once you've accomplished this, you simply say,"Oh yes, by the way. I'm contemplating a move myself."And then dig for three names from his/her Rolodex® (for those under 40, a Rolodex® is not a watch; that's Rolex®).This pre-Bill Gates technology is an astoundingly steadfast and reliable system for storing contact names and information, requires no electricity, never crashes, costs about $10.00, and you don't have to upgrade every 90 days!  You may not get a sneak peek at the Rolodex®; you may not even get a name on the first call. But if things go well, schedule a follow up and try again.

Is Technology Killing Your Job Search

If Bill Gates ever builds an airplane; my flying days are over!


I recently asked a displaced executive to provide an aerial depiction of what a typical day in his job search looked like. His response was as follows.


 Fired up my computer at approximately 8:00 AM,  got sucked into myheadlines.com, checked the sport scores, screwed around on facebook.com (what todys executive jobseeker needs is faithbook.com), checked the weather forecast for the next 7 days, checked my e-mail (replied to email, bad move!)

 I'd received an e-mail from a headhunter who required that I fill out an attached form. I enthusiastically acquiesced and diligently drilled down on the 12-page document. As I completed page 11 (approximately 50 minutes later), the all too well-known (since my purchase of Windows Vista) iconic circle of death began to toil and spin round and round. At that moment, I woefully realized that the image that is forever indelibly embedded in my brain had once again invaded, corrupted, and undermined my daily job search... I am not sure why Gates replaced the hour glass with a circle; it must have something to do with circling the drain...

Meanwhile, I realized that I had five new text messages and four new voice mails on my "Hell phone"; mostly solicitations and calls from mom, wife, and friends (God bless them, but...)

I had forgotten to plug cell into the charger the previous night... No worries; I could use the landline for the 9:30 interview with the CEO of companyofmydreams.com... Oh crap! I just realized that I would be in my car at 9:30; I had promised my son that I would drop him off at the library, as his laptop was down and he had been using their computer...

Takeaway>>>If your earning potential is $200,000 annually, you are paying yourself approximately $100 per hour to engross manually in an Internet-based job search... Why not pay and admin assistant $12 per hour and just go golf or something... You are more likely to find a job at the club house!

12:00 PM... visited the usual job boards: blackhole.com, intotheabyss.net, careerwrecker.org, resumeeater.net, and youwillneverfindajobhere.crap.com. I applied for four jobs in just under four hours (racing thoughts to self: got to stop checking e-mail when I'm trying to do this; damn cell phone won't stop ringing; need a faster computer...).


The requirements for the jobs that I spent four hours applying for on this particular day were exceptionally vague. They all stated that they needed leaders with a track record, executives with vision, and senior professionals with care and a cause for their subordinates... Damn, I got that; although, I have never worked in green energy science; the ad doesn't say anything about that! I was sure that when they saw my resume ranked amongst the other 350 executives with a green energy background, it would be apparent that I should be their top choice... Maybe I should send two resumes, or maybe I could put something in the e-mail subject line that would get their attention; something like HIRE ME... Yes, that would surely make up for the fact that I have only worked in insurance for 27 years. I am most certainly their best choice...


4 PM... thought I should follow up on the 10 resumes I had sent 2 weeks ago... But somehow, I convinced myself that I should probably cut the lawn again (third time this week)... I was sure that if I waited long enough, they would come to their senses and call me... Somebody at a networking meeting said that I should reach out to everybody I know to be sure that they are aware of my search for new employment. My problem with that was... I didn't know anybody! One guy even suggested that I contact my attorney about my job search, and even my accountant. He further suggested that I let the people I used to work with know that I was seeking new employment... This all seemed like a huge waste of time; these people wouldn't have a job for me, and I was sure they didn't know anybody either...

This guy could have gone on for hours about all that he was doing to absolutely sabotage his job search. But even worse, he was discrediting his personal brand and cheapening his net market value, executive demeanor, and professional profile. Worst of all, he thought he was doing all the right things to find a 200k job!

Five rules to maximize technology's effectiveness in your executive career search

1. Do not apply to posted jobs online between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM. These are prime business hours to be used for follow up phone calls, networking, and interviewing... When you do use the Internet for a job search, employ a site or sites akin to indeed.com that simultaneously search multiple sites for you. Furthermore, do not allocate this valuable time to researching companies on the Web, etc....
I have concluded that the only truly valid reason to gaze wearily at job boards is to intermittently and temporarily keep your hope alive while you are laying the foundation for the revival of your network. Moreover, utilizing Internet job boards must not be considered a proactive search activity... Confusing it as such will lengthen your search by months or longer.

Job boards are a delusion, and chasing them is like chasing after the wind... It may be many months before you reach the oasis, only to find that it's a mirage, and it's now too late to turn back and start networking! To be precise, every man, woman, and child on the face of this planet who might recognize your name needs to know today that you are job hunting... This includes your butcher, baker, and candlestick maker!


Takeaway>>> IF IT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT, DO IT!

2. Set up a separate e-mail address for all of your job search activities and don't check personal e-mail between 8 AM and 5 PM... Just as you wouldn't check personal e-mail when you were running your corporate business during normal business hours... E-mailing, tweeting, and facebooking will suck the life out of your search campaign...

3. If you believe that your job search is a business, you should have a separate phone number for your search activity... When you were running your business in corporate, did you use your home phone? Use your new business line, which, of course, is a landline, for important follow-up calls and interviews.

4. Make all follow-up calls between the hours of 7 AM and 11 AM and 2 PM and 6 PM... This will sometimes help you avoid *jail mail during lunch hours... Use a landline-one with a cord, not a remote handset with a battery that will die in the middle of a salary negotiation.

5. Use the Internet as a means of aggressively promoting your personal brand. One of the most awesome and powerful utilities offered by the Internet is the power to endorse your personal brand. Be sure that every e-mail address you have stored in your e-address book and/or elsewhere has been notified of your newfound mission for next generation employment. Do not send a resume, just a very short "hey, how ya doing?" letter; I call this "pinging." Also, if you do not have a LinkedIn account, create one. Ping the heaven out of your LinkedIn connections too!

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Is it Okay to Lie On Your Resume?

Have you Tried Benign Embellishment?


In my world, Benign Embellishment is a highly professional form of what some of us have come to understand as BS or for the sake of my professional identity; CP (Cow Poop).

We both know it’s never okay to lie. Even a little white lie (as my mom used to call it) will come back to bite you! However, when it comes to job hunting the very use of our resume and adherence to HR hiring protocols puts us at an immediate disadvantage. If the employer is unable to accurately interpret our successes, work history, gaps in work history, times, dates et cetera our résumé will most likely end up on the wrong side of the grass!


What is Benign Embellishment (BE)?


BE is an honest and forthright way of presenting your credentials to a potential employer in the very best and most comprehensible form. BE is your weapon in opposition to the actuality that we have all failed in our jobs from time to time. i.e., you are over 50 and in some cases over 40, or maybe too young, or have a gap in your work history, and/or any of the hundreds of screening mechanisms that will land your résumé in bucket 86.


Examples of Benign Embellishment (BE)


You run in a race with 5 people and you finish 5th. Did you finish dead last or in the top 5? Did you graduate college in 1969 or did you just happen to leave the graduation date off your resume? Did you open your first lemonade stand in 1950 or is it possible that nobody cares what you did prior to the moon walk. In light of graduation season, here’s a couple for your kids: Are you entry level with no experience or are you a recent college graduate who has spent the last 16 years of his/her life studying, learning and experiencing what your peers will do to bring your employer into the next generation? Is your cumulative grade point average under 3.0? If so, throw out the philosophy and/or thermo dynamics courses you flunked as a freshman, recalculate your GPA using just coursework from your major and state as follows: Cumulative Major Grade Point Average 3.2. Go now and get yourself some CP for that damn résumé.!

How to Answer the Weakness Question

This query has been an enduring weapon in the hiring manager's arsenal, but most people still have trouble with the dilemma it poses: answer too frankly, and you'll torpedo your prospects. Bestow a canned answer and you'll seem phony, or worse, evasive. We have all at one time or another been faced with the dreaded "weakness" question. Why shouldn't we dread this inquiry? The employer is virtually asking why he/she shouldn't hire you!

A savvy interviewer may disguise the "weakness" question... He/she might pose the (weakness) question as:

• What are three self-limiting thoughts?

• Tell me about a time in your career that you really goofed up?

• If I were to call your best reference and ask him/her for 3 reasons not to hire you for this job, what would he/she say?
• 
  What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?

Yes, she/he may even ask: What is your greatest weakness?

There are virtually unlimited questions that an employer may ask in an effort to extract your inner soul!

As demonstrated above, the weakness question may come in many different forms. There is no steadfast answer(s) to the "weakness" question. Sure, you can describe a weakness that has nothing to do with job you are applying for; um uh...chocolate. Please don't say you are a perfectionist or that you work too hard! These answers will certainly put your integrity at risk.
Executive Jobs Guys to the Rescue.

How to Answer Any Weakness Question

Your interview answers should play out like a good story with a positive and happy ending! It's always a good idea to put your weaknesses in the past and talk about what you've done to correct them and then end with a positive outcome. When done properly, you will demonstrate integrity by not doing the circumlocution bit and you will end your answer with a powerful and factual outcome based on your ability to successfully convert the weakness to a strength!

There is no possible way to prepare and rehearse an individual answer for every potential weakness question. However, with a little practice, you can learn to formulate an answer for any question and never be stumped again!

Here's how: Whenever you are asked a question and it is immediately obvious (you will feel it in the pit of your stomach) that the interviewer wants you to say something NEGATIVE about yourself; you must practice doing three things 1. Repeat the question; this buys you time and allows you to quickly formulate a masterful response. 2. Start your answer with any event or incident that happened in the past (always put your weakness in the past). 3. Explain the weakness... do not get long winded or become circumlocutory; rather, explain a situation that started out bad, what you did to correct it and then end your answer with a positive factual outcome.

IE: When I was hired in to the Regional Sales Director job back in 2001, my predecessor had left the position 6 months prior. When I took over the department, sales were down, turnover was at an all time high; and I realized for the first time in my career that one of my greatest weaknesses was my ability to turn-around a failing sales division. My mentoring and management skills were not what I thought they were; However, upon working many 80-100 hour weeks; retraining supervisory and sales staff, reorganizing and developing departmental protocol and sales training procedures; I was able to increase sales volume by 33% in the first fiscal quarter for our entire Northeast division. (The same answer you might use if the interviewer asked you what your greatest accomplishment was.) Never forget the ABC's of interviewing (Always Be Closing)!

Most Executives are Job Fishers Not Job Hunters

Are you hunting for your next executive job with a fishing pole or a rifle? Job fishers are relaxed laid-back people who cast their resume and wait for a nibble. They must be patient because it may be weeks or even months before they get a single bite! Job Hunters adjust their sites and proactively go out everyday in search of food; they are hungry and there is no time to wait around for their next meal. Which are you?

Anything You Say on Your Resume Can and Will be Used Against you in the Human Resources Department!

If your CEO knew what was going on with your companies hiring protocols; the defecation would hit the ventilation….


If all the résumé writers in the world (all 6 billion of them) convened at the summit of mount boilerplate, entered a massive resume writing laboratory and created what they believed to be the next super power most mightily efficient and effectual résumé ever known to the master screeners of human resources and the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) geek squads of America, and then asked 50 CEO’s for their candid opinions; here would be the results of the meeting faction: 10 CEO’s would like it, 10 would find more things wrong with it, 10 would absolutely hate it and 20 won’t even show up because they know resumes are a waste of time.… I know, because I’ve been running résumé focus groups for nearly 20 years.

Resume Advice is Useless

I’ve learned that asking for a résumé opinion is like asking somebody what color they like better red or blue or how many feet in an inch or what color is a circle or is yellow round or square or What Color is Your Damn Parachute (are you kidding me with that book)? He should have called it What Color is your Platitude! It’s all crazy talk that will probably never end butt fortunately I have this forum to mournfully vent my frustration…


How You Use it is More Important Than How You Write it!

No one résumé will ever please the masses. And the minute you think your close, somebody will come along and tell you your résumé sucks. Therefore, when it comes to résumés, the only thing that is ALWAYS is that it must ALWAYS be used properly to get the right result. I.e. do everything you can to get it to the decision maker and follow up aggressively. Email it and US mail it with a handwritten envelope (guys, have your wife do the hand-writing). And at all costs, ALWAYS leverage a contact and drop that person’s name a hundred times if you have to. Unfortunately, job-seekers are second class citizens in this market. Only you need to love your resume and only you need to love you; the rest will take care of itself!

Want to know more about how to use your resume as a battering ram? Please visit us www.professionaljobchange.com

Nobody Wants to Hire a Job Seeker

Have you ever felt like a second class citizen? Job Seekers are often characteristically perceived as such. After all, we can be quite bothersome. We swarm the HR department bogging down company job boards and email inboxes with relentless electronic resume submissions aimlessly chasing the ever illusive JOB opening....

2010 will prove that there is little demand for flat liners (Job Hunters chasing a 200k+ paycheck with benefits)...

Being hired in 2010 may be much like being signed by a professional sports team. Companies want to see if you are able to hit the ball before they sign you. The average job seeker thinks he can only swing the bat if he is in fact offered a job and a chance to jump in and do his stuff. Not so!

Remove these words from your subconscious vocabulary: Résumé, positions, opportunities, human resources; these words and related idioms are a one-way ticket to the HR "We'll let ya know" file.

When you approach companies of interest never ask about jobs or career opportunities and for goodness sake DO NOT post your résumé on their tactless irrational website/job board! Rather, identify a visionary within the organization and promote your value proposition (this of course is another 500 page "how-to" book that I need to write).

Every CEO knows that his/her human subordinate chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Therefore, this indisputably corroborates that there is always a need and a spot (JOB) for a superstar.

Do not characterize yourself as a job-seeker. As an alternative, endorse and promote your personal brand (you) as the factual visionary, business partner, solution provider and industry thought leader that you believe you are!

Your New Mantra

I am an accomplished visionary change agent, business partner; top-level solution provider and industry thought leader that constantly delivers hard driving, steadfast solutions! Or something like that...Just say anything but "Got jobs"?

PS: The Sooner You Stop Looking for a Job, the Sooner You Will Find One!


God Bless,


John Seraichyk, January 2010

How To Fast Track Your Job Search

Job Hunting? Dont Take Maybe for an Answer

Job Hunting?
Don’t Take Maybe for an Answer

I am incessantly astounded by the number of execs I speak with that will take the time to painstakingly develop a stellar résumé, submit it to the company of their dreams and rather than initiating an aggressive follow up call; they are typically insulted when nobody calls them back!

Your job search cannot endure without a daily measure of NO’s

If you are presently unemployed and your earning potential is $200k annually; it is costing you $769.00 in lost wages per work-day to conduct your search….Therefore, if you scrutinize your job search strictly from a business perspective, each day of unemployment is sinking your biz to the tune of $4,000.00 per week or $16,000.00 per month!

GOT NO’s?

The length of your job search is not determined by market conditions, salary requirements, geography preferences or restrictions and/or by your specific skill set! No; the time it takes to generate the perfect job offer is only determined by the number of “NO’s” you receive per day.

Before you proceed to understand what qualifies as a NO, let’s look at what a “NO” is not.

These MAYBES don’t count!

You apply to a company, receive a polite form letter or email saying “thanks we’ll let ya know!” They are saying “know”, not No!

You honor your follow up commitment as stated in your introductory letter by means of actually mustering the audacity to place a follow up call (a damn follow up email doesn’t count)…The admin says your contact is too busy right now; you plan on calling back and you usually don’t! This is another one for the maybe file! Remedy: Place 3-5 more follow up calls, ask for a YES or a NO and call me in the morning!

You submit the perfect resume for the perfect job which you are perfectly qualified for and to your absolute amazement; they don’t call you back... You scratch your head, let go of another precious hunk of your all so necessary self-confidence and return to the black hole (Web) in search of another place that will tell you MAYBE! And so on and so forth…

You amass the bravery to call an old friend presently employed at XYZ Company. He doesn’t call you back, or worse, he sees you at your kid’s soccer game and ducks into a nearby alleyway... If your dim voicemail said you were looking for a job and he doesn’t have one, he’ll hide because he has no job for you today…..Asking for industry advice or to converse with another thought leader on your level as a means of simple networking is the key; asking for a job is a one way ticket to the HR MAYBE machine…

You attend an amazing 5 hour interview with the company of your dreams. HR calls the next day and says “we will be in touch before next Friday.” Next Friday comes and goes and they don’t call… You assume the worst, wait two weeks and place a halfhearted call to HR leaving a halfhearted jail mail (voicemail)….Or worse, because you think you have this one in the bag, you do nothing and nothing happens and it was all for nothing and you are now another 4 weeks ( $16,000.00) deeper in lost wages!

The recruiter is frothing at the mouth on Monday and by Tuesday the FBI couldn’t find him;
you go away peacefully!

You sent your resume, you have left 5 VM’s and your call has not been returned… you go away peacefully!

Now, go back and make a list of all the companies that have shunned you with a big fat Maybe. smile, dial, and move those MAYBES to your NO file. The sooner you do, the sooner you will find the ever illusive YES!

Here is what you job search needs to look like:

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES

(notice you don’t see the word MAYBE anywhere?)

Getting A Job Created For You

Often this is an extension of actions taken by networking or contacting change driven organizations. Many of our top executives have had jobs created for them. In fact, the higher you go, the more likely the next job you accept will be one that is designed to fit your talents.


The higher you go, the more likely the next position If If not created just for you, then the position will have been a situation that is reshaped to fit your talents—in the course of your discussion with CEOs.


Keep in mind this simple thought: We all hire executives when we are persuaded that the benefits of having them on board will sufficiently outweigh the dollar cost.


This section will briefly discuss some guiding principles about our "create a job" approach. You can get offers, even when no current openings exist. You simply need to present yourself as a solution to a problem.


The most likely candidates who may be willing to create an executive job will include firms that are growing rapidly, bringing out new products, forming new divisions, acquiring other companies, or reorganizing. These are the firms that need good people, often from other industries. They are free to make decisive moves quickly.


As you might assume, your goal would be to communicate directly with the person you would most likely work for, or their boss. Entrepreneurs, of course, can create jobs, so can affluent individuals with large staffs and interests in many organizations.


The key factor to keep in mind is that you will need to be able to communicate a suitable benefit proposition.


This should be a concise and easily understood description of what you can do. You need to present the promise of tangible value on a scale large enough to warrant an investment in you. In your initial communication, you need to establish your credentials and mention results achieved in the past.


Achievements you cite don't have to be large, but they do have to be significant. Remember, if you have an exciting idea, it may help if you can show how someone else has already used it successfully.


Dealing with opportunities is a key job for many executives. Most don't have enough time, and they are predisposed to positive news from people who can help them. They will want to believe your message. You can get your message across by phone or letter. Just make sure your "benefit proposition" is clear and significant.


Identifying the company's needs and its vision is very important. Remember, your initial communication held out the promise of a significant benefit. What are your ideas? What makes you confident that they'll work? Do you really understand this company, its problems and its opportunities? Address these areas, but always remember to convey humility. Acknowledge that the other person has a better grasp of the problems facing the company than you could possibly have.


There are any number of phrases you might use. For example, you might say, "I hope you didn't find my letter too presumptuous. No doubt, you've already given a lot of consideration to these areas." Or, "I don't want to imply that I know your business better than you ..."


Comments like these set the stage for a cordial exchange of ideas. They can allow you to learn what the employer really wants, build rapport, and focus attention on the areas where you can help.


Your first goal is to find out how the employer views the problem. What do they see as the key challenges? What is their "hot button"? Where are their priorities? What attempts have been made in the past? How much progress has already been made?


By asking a few questions and listening carefully, you will find out what the employer really wants. Ask questions and make positive comments in response to the interviewer's remarks. Try to get the employer to share his innermost thoughts— his vision for the firm.


Only when they start to think about this and the achievements that they might realize, would they consider creating a job. If you are able to accomplish this in the first interview, that's enough. In your second interview, reinforce your value by drawing a clear picture of the benefits you can bring. Then, build enough enthusiasm to get an offer or be asked to speak with others.


Keep in mind that you will need to stir the employer's imagination. The employer should begin to anticipate specific benefits and relate them directly to your talents.


Your conversations should focus on the future, with the employer picturing a company already benefiting from your contributions. The decision to create a job is as much emotional as it is intellectual.


A dry recitation of proposed improvements won't be enough. You will have to convey enthusiasm and create a sense of excitement. Be ready to discuss general approaches you would take to reinforce the notion that you will succeed. Your best way to do this is to tell stories about your past achievements. If you build sufficient enthusiasm, the employer may conclude the meeting with a statement that they want to create a job for you.

Now go hire yourself an employer!

John

Is it Okay to Lie on Your Resume?

Have you Tried Benign Embellishment?

In my world, Benign Embellishment is a highly professional form of what some of us have come to understand as BS or for the sake of my professional identity; CP (Cow Poop).

We both know it’s never okay to lie. Even a little white lie (as my mom used to call it) will come back to bite you! However, when it comes to job hunting the very use of our resume and adherence to HR hiring protocols puts us at an immediate disadvantage. If the employer is unable to accurately interpret our successes, work history, gaps in work history, times, dates et cetera our résumé will most likely end up on the wrong side of the grass!

What is Benign Embellishment (BE)?

BE is an honest and forthright way of presenting your credentials to a potential employer in the very best and most comprehensible form. BE is your weapon in opposition to the actuality that we have all failed in our jobs from time to time. i.e., you are over 50 and in some cases over 40, or maybe too young, or have a gap in your work history, and/or any of the hundreds of screening mechanisms that will land your résumé in bucket 86.

Examples of Benign Embellishment (BE)

You run in a race with 5 people and you finish 5th. Did you finish dead last or in the top 5? Did you graduate college in 1969 or did you just happen to leave the graduation date off your resume? Did you open your first lemonade stand in 1950 or is it possible that nobody cares what you did prior to the moon walk. In light of graduation season, here’s a couple for your kids: Are you entry level with no experience or are you a recent college graduate who has spent the last 16 years of his/her life studying, learning and experiencing what your peers will do to bring your employer into the next generation? Is your cumulative grade point average under 3.0? If so, throw out the philosophy and/or thermo dynamics courses you flunked as a freshman, recalculate your GPA using just coursework from your major and state as follows: Cumulative Major Grade Point Average 3.2. Go now and get yourself some CP for that damn résumé.!

Should You Ask for The Job?

Rather than ask for the job, I suggest you demonstrate interest by asking how the interview process will proceed and how you might remain part of it. In other words, as a savvy employment candidate you should be intuitive enough to know if the interview went well. If so, ask for a follow up commitment.

Ask for a follow up date; if it feels right, put the date and time in your calendar right there and then. If corporate protocol dictates your deferral to HR; on your way out of the interview stop at HR and ask for a follow up commitment, time and date.

Let's not read too much in to this. An interview is simply a meeting between two pros with a common cause. Common is the key!

Therefore, use the same keen common sense that got you where you are today to get you where you want to be tomorrow!

If you are applying for a sales position; remember what Zig Ziglar used to say; telling aint selling asking is! For you engineers and IT folk, come out of the comfort zone just enough to ask for a follow up commitment. As you should already know, once you leave the first interview, they will soon forget you! Make sure they don't!

The Executive Jobs Guys: Nobodys Job is Safe!

The Executive Jobs Guys: Nobodys Job is Safe!

Dont be the Next Corporate P.O.W.? (Professional Out of Work)

The Wall Street Journal asks John for his view on Job Hopping and how to avoid becoming a POW

I certainly do not recommend "job-hopping"; absolutely a detriment to your paper credentials. I am also not recommending or suggesting that we as W-2 employees take on the ominous task of a self-employment venture. The entrepreneurial spirit is not something one acquires; rather, it is classically or genetically inbred.

However, what I am suggesting is that we the employee populace of America simply become more aware of our volatility...Most of us drudge onward even in the face of massive RIF’s somehow believing that it won’t happen to us. Even the young professionals I meet in my executive search business somehow believe that a large employer is a corporate safe haven for their jobs.

I am suggesting that we as W2 employees have all of our proverbial eggs in one basket. It is the only business scenario in our country that has no diversification or exit strategy; today you have income and tomorrow you don’t! My blog submission strongly suggests that we become more aware of the fact that every company in this country is a house-of-cards and we could be dealt a junk hand on any given Friday afternoon!

I strongly suggest we keep our resumes at the ready and at least once a quarter we evaluate our career situation, our industry, profession and the company we work for.

Put this on your calendar and stay abreast, become paranoid about the precariousness of your job. Learn how to market yourself, maintain or develop your interviewing skills, know your marketability factor. Whether we like it or not the employment population (employees) of the good old US of A are our own entities. There is no safety in numbers, just like any successful business, we must always be aware of losing our best customer and what we will do to acquire another one quickly!

20 Things You Need to Know About Your Resume

1. Anything you say on your resume, can and will be used against you in the HR department.
2. Resumes are an efficient method for employers to say no in 60 seconds or less.
3. You take this pile; I’ll take that pile and will just toss this pile!
4. There is no such thing as a right or wrong resume
5. If you ask for ten different opinions; that’s exactly what you’ll get
6. Your cover letter will not be read!
7. Every time you chaotically surrender your resume, you are giving the employer as many reasons as he needs not to talk to you
8. Everybody’s a resume expert; just ask your accountant
9. The world needs more damn books about how to use a resume and fewer writers
10. The length of your resume does not matter!
11. Scanner ready resumes...This is Major Bull!
12. Your name, phone number & email needs to be on every page; go have a look I bet it isn’t!
13. Nobody cares about what you did in 1980
14. Next time a potential employer asks you to email your resume, ask when you can bring one in person
15. When an employer asks for your resume; what they are really saying; “I don’t have time for you right now”!
16. Never give your resume to a friend
17. Never bring your resume to a networking meeting
18. Never put your resume on the Internet unless of course you are vying for the butcher, baker, candlestick maker position
19. The Resume was invented and designed as a screening mechanism
20. Multimillion dollar business deals are consummated, execuitves are joining forces and employers are uniting with key executive talent everyday without the use of a resume!

I am sure that the above will spur your comments; you will absolutely love my answers. Hopefully, if we ban together we can do away with this ridiculous document all together!

Best,
John Seraichyk

What Is Your Greatest Weakness”?

By John Seraichyk - Executive Jobs Guy - Industry Thought Leader

This query has been an enduring weapon in the hiring manager's arsenal, but most people still have trouble with the dilemma it poses: answer too frankly, and you'll torpedo your prospects. Bestow a canned answer and you'll seem phony, or worse, evasive.

We have all at one time or another been faced with the dreaded “weakness” question. Why shouldn't we dread this inquiry? The employer is virtually asking why he/she shouldn't hire you!

The Weakness Question Distilled

A savvy interviewer may even disguise the “weakness” question? He/she might pose the (weakness) question as:

• Tell me about a project that did not work out so well?

• Name three self limiting thoughts

• Tell me about a time in your career that you really goofed up?

• What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?

• What makes you angry?

• How have your weaknesses affected your job performance? 

• Yes, she/he may even ask: What is your greatest weakness?

As demonstrated above, the weakness question may come in many different forms. There is no steadfast answer(s) to the “weakness” question. Sure, you can describe a weakness that has nothing to do with job you are applying for; you could retort..um uh….chocolate. Please don’t say you are a perfectionist or that you work too hard! ): These answers will certainly put your integrity at risk.


How to Formulate an Answer for any weakness question

All interview answers are like all good stories, they must have a happy ending! It’s always a good idea to put your weaknesses in the past and talk about what you have done to correct them and then end with a positive outcome. When done properly, you will demonstrate integrity by not doing the circumlocution bit and you will end your answer with a powerful and factual outcome based on your ability to successfully convert the weakness to a strength!

There is no possible way to prepare and rehearse an individual answer for every potential weakness question. However, with a little practice, you can learn to formulate an answer for any question and never be stumped again!

Here’s how: Whenever you are asked a question and it is immediately obvious (you will feel it in the pit of your stomach) that the interviewer wants you to say something NEGATIVE about yourself; you must practice doing three things:

1. Repeat the question; this buys you time and allows you to quickly formulate a masterful response. 2. Start your answer with any event or incident that happened in the past (always put your weakness in the past). 3. Explain the weakness… do not get long winded or become circumlocutory; rather, explain a situation that started out bad, what you did to correct it and then end your answer with a positive factual outcome.

IE: When I was hired in to the Regional Sales Director job back in 2001, my predecessor had left the position 6 months prior. When I took over the department, sales were down, turnover was at an all time high; I realized for the first time in my career that one of my greatest weaknesses was my ability to turn-around a failing sales division….

My mentoring and management skills were not what I thought they were; however, upon working many 80-100 hour weeks retraining supervisory and sales staff, reorganizing and developing departmental protocol and sales training procedures; I was able to increase sales volume by 43% in the first fiscal year. (The same answer you might use if the interviewer asked you what your greatest accomplishment was.) Never forget the ABC’s of interviewing (Always Be Closing)!

The above answer formulation technique works well for 90% of all “weakness” questions. However, be on the lookout for what I call the NEG 2.5 question. This question is the interviewer’s ploy to discover a character or personality flaw that might affect your ability to work well with others or perform well in the job. Here is an example of a NEG 2.5 question: “If someone does not know you well or like you. What are five adjectives he or she might use to describe you?”

You could answer this question by talking about a person from your past who you did not get along with, but now you’re best friends or describe weaknesses that will not affect your ability to perform well in the job.

For example I might answer the question like this:

Well, my x-girlfriend would say:

1. Lazy --when it came to yard work; she would say --- lazy ---80 hour work
weeks and yard work don’t mix…
2. Bad --- golfer…I think she liked beating me though…so did my clients…I
closed some good deals on the course…
3. Sloppy – she was a neat freak….
4. Poor --- I think she wants to Mary a billionaire
5. Not Funny --- some of my xmas party jokes may have been at her expense

Today we are actually very good friends!

(if you are a man interviewing with a woman, please use common sense here.

The Providence Journal Interviews John Seraichyk CEO - Browning Associates

By Connie Grosch - Providence Journal Ferbruaury 08, 2009

John Seraichyk - Executive Jobs Guy - Executive Career Search consultant drills deep to match a client with a new job. John Seraichyk's Beginnings In the Executive Career Search Business 1990 - 2009

In 1990 I was laid off. I showed up at work one day and my boss called me into his office and said, “Today’s your last day.”

We had just bought a new house, I had one child and another on the way. I was unable to find a job in computer programming. One morning I had an epiphany — I was going to help college graduates find jobs. I placed a $19 ad in The Providence Journal. It was, about, three lines. The next day my phone rang off the hook.

I didn’t exactly know how I was going to help them find their first job. Maybe it was just going to be a resumé. The first young man showed up at my house. We sat at my dining room table. He said, “What are you going to do for me?” and I said, “I don’t know, but you and me are going to do this. We’re going to work this thing.” I charged him $25 and he ended up at Amica. He’s still there today.

It really took off.

If I could do this with college kids — people with no experience — imagine what I could do for someone with a resumé, with credentials. So the demographic I work with today is the mid- to high-level executive — 250k plus. But I still love to offer advice to the college grad when he calls.

I never get the easy job searches. Most of my clients are accomplished people who know how to get things done and they’re not always ready to reach out for help. They look at their credentials and say, “I don’t need to hire anyone.” By the time they come to me, they’re in a bit of a quandary.

Some people start their job search six months into an eight-month severance package. That person should come to me on day one. The minute the employment history on your resumé no longer reads “present,” your market value begins to decline. So who has the upper hand when you’re sitting there with a potential employer?

I tell people to expect the process to take three to five months, but we often make it happen in less time. Or it might be an even longer road to success, with lots of ups and downs. The problem with many folks at the high end of compensation — like multimillion — is that they often don’t really need to work. They need to work emotionally but not monetarily. They’re not living paycheck to paycheck. It’s hard to focus them, to make them stay on track. “It’s not right for me — I need to hold out for something better.” The seven-figure client can be pretty selective.

Is it easier to work with someone who is desperate? Absolutely. The more they need new employment, the more focused they are in getting from A to B, and they know they need to get there sooner rather than later. They need to replace that 200k now. Their lifestyle reflects that salary.

I try to look at my client through the eyes of an employer: What does the employer see? We need to identify the liabilities. Maybe you’ve been out of work for five months. That’s a liability. How are we going to handle that? I’ll bring you through a series of mock interviews to identify those liabilities, ask questions about strengths and weaknesses, open-ended questions about areas of expertise. I really drill deep. If it ain’t broke, we don’t fix it, but if there are things that need work, we confront them. I call it verbal judo.

I won’t take on more than three clients at any given time. A client has my cell-phone number, and I’m available seven days a week. When we pull the trigger on this job search, we go, and we don’t stop until we’re done.

Our definition of success is our ability to clearly define what your career goals are, what your job search criteria are, then bring you together with a potential employer for an interview. That’s all we can guarantee. We can’t guarantee a job. We can’t guarantee the outcome of those interviews. But we can guarantee that you will be meeting with companies in the right geography, talking about the right compensation. My job is to get you there.

The only good time to look for a job is when you still have one. And the day you take a new job, that’s when you start updating your resumé all over again. You always need to be looking. Keep the resumé at the ready and always be thinking about change. The unemployment rate is 9 percent. That means the employment rate is 91 percent — 91 percent of the people who want jobs in this country have jobs. And you just need one.