5 Keys to Get a Great Job in 2 Months

Today, we’ll examine the 5 keys to get a great job in 2 months The 5 Keys include:

1.  Define your dream job with an employer description.

2.  Adopt the how can I help attitude.

3.   Ask questions to discover organizational wants and needs.

4.  Prove that you are the solution they are looking for

5.  Make your tens: 10 contacts a day and 10 meetings a week

We're going to briefly describe each of them and go into much more detail in the later posts.

Define your purpose and passion in a written Employer Description.

The majority of people, especially high performers, are unhappy with their jobs. Many times, dissatisfaction occurs because people have not taken the time to identify what they really want to do, or they don’t describe it in enough detail to make it real. Identifying and pursuing your purpose, passion, and calling provides criteria to evaluate your options. This is done in three parts. First, discover your calling. Second, explore your favorite skills. Third, writing your ideal employer description.

First, let's talk about identifying your passion and purpose. The six essential elements of a job. You need to decide are you going for a job, a career, or your calling? To do so. Every job has six essential parts: 

1. The skills and responsibilities you love to do. 
2. The industries that interest you. Industries change the nature of the job changes. For example, a manager in a manufacturing company, a bank, a fast food service. You have the same job title, the same kind of responsibilities of boy is the job different.
3. The size of the organization. Do you want to work for a startup, a smaller organization, medium, large or global? 
4. Who owns the organization. Stockholders, private yourself, we the people or no ownership. That's nonprofits. 
5. Location, both the geographic locale (country, state, city). Locale means metro, urban, suburban, rural or virtual. 
6. The most important and the most overlooked element of the job is the environment you want to work in, the physical, cultural, leadership style, and more. It's the environment that usually impacts our happiness on the job and it's the one we do the least to prepare for, identify and verify.

Adopt the How can I help? attitude

Next, you need to adopt the "How can I help?" attitude. This involves stop saying stupid stuff, maintain your professional identity, and then look for people you can help.One woman described a job search as the most demeaning experience in her life. She said, I felt like I was standing on the corner holding a sign saying "Will work for food". But it was worse than that. I had to chase the cars down the street shouting. "Pick me, pick me".

Now, contrast that with Vick who is an aviation flight test engineer. When he adopted the "How can I help?" attitude, he said (two weeks into his job search) "I am having so much fun on this job search!"; two phrases that usually don't go together. But because he was working to help people achieve their goals, he not only had fun, he had a great job paying 15 percent more in four and a half weeks of being laid off.

Ask questions to gather information about wants and needs

The third step is to gather information about wants and needs. Remember, you ask questions to identify the organization's goals or challenges that  you can help them achieve or resolve. You do that in three ways:

1.  Review the literature on their web site, annual reports, press releases, LinkedIn or professional association articles.
2. Ask people general questions. These are the people who aren't doing the job you want to do, but they work in organizations that may have do the work you do. Ask how the organization they work for does what you do, what they do well, and what the could do better. Also ask who else you could talk to gather more information.
3. Ask people technical questions. Those are the people who are doing the job you want to do or related to it. These questions can be more detailed about projects, goals, and objectives they are trying to achieve; problems or challenges they are encountering; industry trends and news, software platforms and upgrades.

Prove you are the solution they need

 Once you've gathered the information and found those people who need and want help, your next task is to prove you are the solution they need. You prove this in phone calls, interviews, meetings, reconnecting after interviews/meetings, and in your written materials. Prove you are the solution they need because you can 1) do the job they want done, 2) you will fit into their team, and 3) you are going to be a great return on investment.

Provide specific examples (including #, $, %s) to prove you are the solution. We suggest

• Present your dessert tray of hobbies, civic service, education, work experience, words that describe you, and home run statements
• Prepare 36 statements based on a ball diamond: 1st base=where you worked, 2nd base=what you did, 3rd=the results your work generated, and home plate=a question that applies the example to their organization ("Are those the results you want?")
• Reframe their thinking about your weaknesses or negatives
• Ask questions to gather information to be able to answer the questions.

Make your 10s: 10 Contacts a day and 10 Meetings a week

Make your tens and that means 10 contacts a day, 10 face to face meetings a week. Remember, we're not talking about only contacting job opportunities. We mean contacting people by phone:

• 4-5 of the 10 conversations you will ask the questions you've prepared to gather information
• 2-3 of the 10 contacts will be to schedule face to face meetings
• 2-3 will be to reconnect on prior context or meetings that you have already had.

The 10 face to face meetings a week will involve

• 5-7 to gather information
• 3-5 to impress decision makers you can help them achieve their goals or solve their problems

In a future blog, you will learn how you can find all 50 of these people just two hours each Monday:

• 10 people from your phone or email contacts
• 20 from your LinkedIn, Facebook, professional associations and directories
• 10 following up on previous contacts for meetings
•   7 from advertised job opportunities
•   3 from other sources.

That's 50 people a week, 10 contacts a day. We know that this system works. We're going to share successes on how it works. We hope you enjoy these blogs.

Surviving Poor Management 3: Cross-Directed Information

This continues our series to help all of you working under poorly management companies
Michael spent 20 years employed in the same division of the same company. During the last four years management made a major change in strategic direction. Michael and several managers warned that the change would reduce productivity. Three years later, upper management investigated why half the branches decreased productivity and half the branches did not. They discovered that the half that maintained productivity had ignored the change. So, they reversed themselves returning to the original strategy. Rather than admit their mistake, they blamed Michael and the other managers saying that they had misunderstood  the directions.

Importance of Clear Communication

Companies and organizations require clear, consistent directions and strategy for sustained improvement. Major leadership authors such as Peter Drucker, Stephen R. Covey, and Jim Collins emphasize the importance of clear, sustained directions.
Clear, consistent directions with easy to observe metrics stimulate better implementation. Key production indicators share what the company expects employees to produce. Other indicators direct employees in the processes that will lead to successful results.

Consequences of Mixed or Cross-Directed Messages

We recognize occasional realignments or major strategic shifts occur. However,

• Frequent changes or confusing communications distract or deflate employees
• Staff cannot successfully implement confusing or misdirected orders
• Reversing direction compounds the distraction and loses time and money
• Verbal communications allow for more confusion than written ones
• Electronic communications provide easier opportunities for updating and modifications
• They may be distributed quicker and less expensively
• However, updating electronic operation’s guidelines without informing staff of changes enhance the chance for further confusion
• Unclear official communications loses time and money because employees recognize  the need for unofficial lines of communication and verifying tactics

Compensating for Unclear Messages

You may compensate for miscommunication or misunderstandings or even reversed directions in several ways:

• Ask your network of contacts within the organization to clarify and support one another
• Restate verbal communications to verify your understanding of what is being said
• Frequent refer to electronic and hardcopy communication and policy

Monday we highlight problems that result from poorly defined or unrealistic expectations
This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Merry Christmas 2013: A Poem by Dick Bolles

I apologize for not sharing a post to this blog since November 22. My efforts to hire a new employee left me mentally and physically distracted. While I garnered enough material for the next month’s worth of blogs about careers, I still found it difficult to put thoughts to words. I learned a lot and will share what I learned over the next few weeks.

I’m feeling more focused and want to share my experiences from a hiring authority’s view.

First, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas.

A Message from the 4th Wise Man and Dick Bolles 

My wife loves the story of the 4th Wise Man who missed the other three because he stopped to help a wounded man on the road, save woman’s child in Bethlehem, and a colony of outcasts. In the end, he meets the resurrected King he sought his whole life. The King commends the 4th Magi because “Inasmuch as ye did it unto one the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Richard Nelson Bolles, the author of the best selling What Color is Your Parachute?, wrote a poem on Christmas Eve reflecting the same thought..

“It’s Christmas season! In the street
The hungry beg for food to eat
And hope that shoppers, hurrying by
Will stop. And look them in the eye,
Say "Sorry what’s befallen you.
Here’s ten. The least that I can do.
You are my brother, sister, friend,
I hope your mis’ry soon will end.”

But that ‘s not what most shoppers think
They think: “It’s a scam, or else he’ll drink!
Why waste my money, better not
He’s probably a drunken sot.”
Our purse stays closed, we hurry on
And we are proud we were not conned.

Of course, there always is that chance
Their plight was real, we did our dance
Away from empathy, in vain
They really are in a lot of pain.

Look! Our only command is Give! (or lend it)
We mustn’t obsess about how they spend it
Go back, talk to them, have no fear
And say the words they long to hear,
“So sorry what’s befallen you.
Here’s ten! the least that I can do.
You are my brother, sister, friend,
I hope your mis’ry soon will end.”

Random Thoughts About Finding a Job: Wasting Time

This post reflects random thoughts as I have hired someone and does not constitute a series

As I was going through the process of hiring someone this week, I discovered scores of new ways job seekers waste the decision maker’s time. I chose not to use the keyword selection feature to reduce my list of 120 applications, but to look at each one individually.  Most resumes took exactly 5 seconds to discard—once I could get the system to open the resume. It usually took longer to open the application than to reject the application.

Various Ways They Wasted My Time

Let me share some of the ways that the people who applied for the job I was filling wasted my time. Remember, I am reviewing 96 applications (24 did not even get through for me to see because of a bug in the system). Opening the files takes a lot time due to slow computer response and limited bandwidth. These were some of the problems that wasted my time:

• Generic resumes outlining experience and skills completely unrelated to the position I was filling (One person sent a speech pathologists resume for an HR recruiter's job)
• One person submitted a resume with nothing related to my position. Then, he submitted a second version of the resume that barely matched my desires
• Another person sent me five emails a day for three days. None of the emails gave me a good reason to hire them
• Several people called me after we rejected their applications to complain and ask why we rejected their application. When we mentioned specific experience which they did not have, they gave us examples that had not been included in their application. They wanted to us to reconsider and let them reapply

Communicate How You Can Help Them Achieve Their Goals

The solutions to not wasting time remain very simple:

• Discover management’s priorities and what job they really want done (not just the published ones)
• Communicate specific facts illustrating how your experience meets their expectations

Monday we rant about how job seekers arrive for job interviews completely unprepared

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Random Thoughts on Finding a Job: Bugs in HR Databases

This post, while dealing with a similar topic, stands alone and does not constitute a series

I mentioned that I was hiring someone in my day job. While I had a short list of four people (as mentioned in the last post), the policy-directed posting generated more than 120 applications. The list included 24 people whose application status listed as a draft.  The human resource recruiter told me that a bug in the database created a problem. The application system kicked them out before they finished their application. They could not reenter to finish the application. I could not open the drafts to see the resume, cover letters, or even contact information. In other words, I could not contact them. Those applicants thought they had a chance, when I could not even see their information. Three of the applicants stuck in the draft dilemma contacted me. As a result we found another way for them to apply. The other 21, that did not follow-up, still wait for a contact that will never come.

Electronic Databases May Create Job Search Problems

The world turns on electronic systems, cyberspace, and the Internet. In addition to the bugs, computer systems also create changes in the job search process. Some examples of changes include:

• Problem: HR systems may consolidate all the formatting effects of your resume into one huge paragraph
  • Solution: Email a PDF of your resume to the hiring authority
• Problem: HR systems may offer the decision maker limited options when reviewing resumes, like reject or interview but no more
  • Solution: Make sure they see what they want immediately
• Problem: Screening systems rely on keywords used by the company to select which of the applications meet their requirements
  • Solution: Ensure your resume and application includes the exact words or phrases, you will not appear in the list
• Problem: Glitch in the computer system prevents them from seeing your application
  • Solution: Use the application tracking system
  • Solution: Follow-up with a phone call or email verifying that your application processed effectively

Friday we discuss some of the horrible experiences in reviewing resumes and applications

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Random Thoughts on Finding a Job: We Use Short Lists

The next few blog posts will stand alone, unlike the last few, and not constitute a series

This is my story. Recently, I have been authorized to hire a new employee for my day job. I work for a major international, nonprofit organization. So, for the first time in several years, I have been on the hiring end of a job search. Our organization maintains a policy of advertising all openings except for upper level management promotions. Even so, I had a short list of people I’ve considered for any position that opened. I immediately called them and said “I have a new position opening up. You may want to apply if you are interested. I made sure they got interviewed.

3 Reasons Managers Maintain Short Lists

1. People Want to Work with People they Know, Like, and Trust:  Managers want to hire people that have already impressed them. Many times, they hire people inside the company. The also hire people that have impressed them from outside the company

Usually, because they already know

• The person will do the job they want done
• The results, productivity, sales, revenues, and savings the person may generate
• How that person will fit into the work team
• Their capabilities, successes, and potential return on investment

2. Too Much To Lose: The manager, director, or VP have too much to lose if they hire the wrong person. They may lose their:

• Customers
• Best employees
• Productivity and sales
• Reputation and possible promotions
• Job

3. Short Lists Save Time: Hiring someone takes time. It interrupts the work managers need to get done. It distracts our thought processes, organization, and activities. We take less time when we already know who we want to hire.

You Can Still Beat the Short List

You should not resent the short list. You should first try to get on the short list before they are ready to hire. You can still beat the people on the short list by demonstrating you can deliver better results.

Wednesday we will delve deeper into the three things you need to do for the biggest raises

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Improve Yourself 17: Change Anything Provides Great Help

This continues our series on how to improve yourself to get the biggest raises and best promotions

The authors of The Influencer and Change Anything recently moved their web site to a very robust Facebook Fan page when you type www.ChangeAnything.com into your browser. I’ve read all their books and used the old page. They have added some great features to this fan page.

Problems That Prevent Successful Change

We strongly suggest you click on the 19 minute video clip on YouTube of Al Switzler outlining the science and studies about how to Change Anything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TX-Nu5wTS8 

To summarize some of his points in the video:

• The Willpower Trap: the faulty assumption…that if you are failing it’s because you don’t care enough or you’re not fully committed—you don’t have enough willpower
• Be the Scientist and the Subject: Recognize that scientists may have studied how to help “people” change, but no one has studied how to help “you” change. You must become the subject of your own scientific study. You need a way of understanding; and Influencing your own behavior
• Apply the Science of Change:
  • Identify your crucial moments (those crucial times when you are tempted to revert to bad behavior)
  • Create your vital behaviors (create your different behavior when the crucial moment hits)
  • Engage all six sources of influence (“I can only control my behavior by taking control of the things that control me” see below)
  • Turn Bad Days into Good Data (plan how to deal with setbacks to avoid failure)

Six Sources of Influence to Change Anything

Al Switzler says we need to apply six sources of influence. The six sources of influence apply three levels (personal, social, structural) to two columns (Motivation and Ability)

• Personal:  Motivation (I want to)
• Personal Ability (I can do)
• Social Motivation (Cheer you to succeed or accomplices in failure)
• Social Ability (Coach you to develop the skills to change)
• Structural Incentives (Rewards you for the change)
• Structural Ability (Controls your space makes your good behavior easy and bad behavior hard)

Friday we summarize our series on how to improve yourself to grow your career

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.