Don't Wait, Initiate!

Invariably, I will have an initial meeting with a client and they will share some variation of "I have applied and applied for jobs, but I just haven't heard anything back." In my 12 years of career development work, when I hear that statement it's a clarion call that the client is in dire need of job search strategy. 

Let's clarify a few things about the assumptions in that "...haven't heard anything..." statement and then look at how to eliminate that phrase while job searching:

Assumption #1: I'm supposed to sit and wait after submitting a job application.

No. Think hide-and-go-seek (hint: you're the seeker). People say "if I only knew then what I know now." For this topic, anyone who has ever played hide-and-go-seek as a child, did know then what should be known and applied in present day. In this game, the objective is to find friends that have hidden and make them "it." Job searching, much like being the seeker in hide-and-go-seek, is anything but a passive venture. Job seekers must constantly and actively be looking for the target, until it is acquired, and the means doing some research and follow-up once the job application is submitted.

Assumption #2: It's the employer's job to inform me about the hiring process.

No, again. The employer's primary responsibility is not to make sure you have all the available information about the process. While it's certainly good procedure and helpful for the process, the employer is not first and foremost looking to let applicants know what's happening with the process for job openings. Their first and most pressing concern is hiring the ideal candidate for the role. It is more important to them in terms of communication and follow up when one is on the list of those being considered.

Assumption #3: I'm the person they want to hire.

Maybe, but maybe not. There are any number of factors that go into how or why employers choose the individuals they hire for a position. Some of the factors are mysterious, others are purely based on facts, pressing employer needs or quality of the applicant pool. Applicants should focus on presenting their strengths, connection to the work, knowledge about the work, and suitability for the role. Definitely, give employers as many reasons to make them read, see and think that you are the person they want to hire, even if they don't think that.

Now, that some assumptions that should be avoided have been clarified, let's address some specifics around unspoken rules of engagement in a job search after submitting the job application to keep in the loop of what might be happening.

1. Be the best you that you can be. "Be the change you want to see," is a popular phrase This is the same concept, and should be a constant pursuit before, during and after applying for jobs. Because of the third assumption covered earlier, and there being factors outside of an applicant's control about the employer's choice, work often on growing skill levels, skill sets, education and experience.

2. Stay on target. Be sure to research and apply for positions that are of interest, but also require the strengths, combination of skills, educational background, experience, work environment preference, values, etc for which you are best suited. You have to know what these things are in order to assess whether or how well the position suits. This may mean working with a career counselor and/or doing formal and informal self-assessment. In short, before even applying, do a thorough evaluation of how close a match to the preferred candidate for the role you are. That will mean meeting more than the minimum qualifications, and having some insider information about the specific needs of the role. Here's where it's necessary to have individuals in your network that can help you.

3. Be in constant community. In networking versus being in community, the means can be the same, but the ends are definitely different. Networking has the connotation where other other people are sought out purely to help you meet a need. In contrast, when in community, there is authentic and genuine engagement of others, sharing of common interests, and occasions for mutual benefit. In community, the contact is continuous and welcomed, so when a desire to make a specific request for assistance comes about, it's not burdensome (e.g. Hello, I am applying for a role at a company you've worked for, would you have 5-10 minutes to chat about your experience in the work environment?).

There are some very positive things that can be communicated to an employer when you do more than just hit 'submit' on the job application and see what may be in the cards. Taking initiative is a great leadership trait, and employers may appreciate your confidence and assertiveness in exercising it. Having community can help you gather useful information about who is conducting the hiring, at which point making a call or sending an email to briefly introduce yourself and further express your interest in the role sets you apart. There is a balance, though. Don't want to pester employers, but it doesn't usually hurt to ask, unless follow-up contact is expressly prohibited. Some postings do indicate that they will not accept any calls or emails about the role. In that case, take heed, and reach out to your community about gathering information in other ways. The main message here is there is due diligence to be done before applying, and after applying. In some instances you may not be able to get much more information, and you certainly won't without trying. Most often there is something additional to be gathered after hitting 'submit' and a little bit of targeted effort and community will help applicants to learn what that is.

Happy New Year, Career!

It's that time again ladies and gentlemen! A whole year has come and has almost gone--with its fair share of ups, downs and all-arounds.

On this last week of 2016, you don't have to let a new year catch you off guard. Do something for your career development TODAY! You don't have to wait until January 1st to get started. 

You might be saying, "I don't even know where to start!" If that's you, learn the basics about S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and planning. 

A dream is just a dream without a plan, and a plan without goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented and Time-Activated is just words on paper. This HR related document from the University of Virginia does well to explain the concept and provide a worksheet for you to get started. 

Lao Tzu is quoted saying the Chinese Proverb "The journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step." I would love to talk with you about what you'd like to encounter on your career path, and work with you to discover what your next step or steps should be. 

Visit my new web site to contact me, and happy traveling!
http://AlexandraArrington.com

The Lost Art of Personal Responsibility

So, something I talk with my students about a lot lately is personal responsibility. It is striking to me, particularly in higher education, that an air of "that's not my job" seems to pervade. There are so many amazing faculty and staff in higher education, which is a great part of why I decided to pursue a career in the industry, so I am not reflecting a one sided view of the issue. I do want to introduce some thoughts and anecdotes on the topic, as well as an encouragement for anyone seeking to develop in their career. 

I had a couple of recent experiences, one as a customer/client and one with a client of mine. Two very similar experiences, but two very different outcomes.

SCENARIO ONE: I went to a store to make a quick purchase. I went in, found something that worked for my purposes, and took the item to the register to check out. The sales associate informed me that the item was improperly tagged, and that it was actually three times as much as the tagged price. Imagine my surprise finding out that I was not only NOT getting a deal, but my psychological preparation to pay one price was completely thrown off with the actual price not even being in the same ball park. Being that I am my own best advocate and more than that a customer service aficionado, I began to inquire about whether they would honor the advertised price, since by their own admission it was mismarked. Now, most nationwide establishments with which I am familiar and used to having dealings would not have even put me in the situation to have to ask the question because their policies are clear and rehearsed. It would not have been an issue of a personal decision. The associate proceeded to inform the store manager of the situation and asked what should be done with respect to my question. The store manager contended they could not honor the price being that it was 1/3 of the actual cost and went on to say that they did not know who or how it got improperly marked. I ended up leaving the merchandise and the store and going back to my car.

My StrengthsFinder Learner theme may have kicked in at that time because I decided to call the company's corporate office to find out what their actual published policy was in circumstances like this. Sure enough, the customer service agent on the line said it was their policy to honor advertised pricing, and in a case like mine they should have rung me up without question. With that, I semi-marched back to the store and asked if the associate would speak to the customer service agent whom I asked to stay on the phone, and she did. After the discussion the associate called the store manager and said in an incredulous tone "She called corporate." They rang me up begrudgingly. At that juncture, I fully expected to hear something, even if half-hearted, along the lines of "our fault ma'am, thank you for shopping at [XYZ retail establishment]. Have a nice day." To my chagrin, instead the associate said to me: "I hope you sleep well at night!"

SCENARIO 2: A client of mine said they sent me something that I did not receive...or so I thought. The client was able to reproduce the item that they sent proving to me that it was in fact sent, because admittedly I was a little skeptical. I live in my email, I think that was one in 100,000 that I truly was not able to recover at the time in question (God forbid I ever miss something!). For me, there was only one direction to go from there; the way of the contrite. I apologized for the mistake and, further, absolved the client of the remaining financial obligation because I made an error that caused time to be wasted, and almost faulted the client for something that clearly there was no need of faulting them for. Serving the client's needs first, maintaining professionalism, representing my brand well, as well as creating a situation where the client would still be able to speak positively about the experience they had were key considerations of my approach.

TAKE AWAYS
What made the difference in these two scenarios? I posit, as you may guess, personal responsibility. I think now of car companies like Toyota, GM, and most recently Volkswagen going through these public relations nightmares surrounding manufacturing of faulty parts, malfunctioning mechanisms, and out right dishonesty to shareholders (Volkswagen will now pay 15 BILLION with a 'B' dollars in fees and penalties for their indiscretions).

I understand corporations and their clients can function different relationally than individuals do with one another, but the thing I continue to wonder is: what if someone came to the constituents involved and said "We made a mistake, this was our fault AND we'll fix it," BEFORE the whistles started blowing? Could the threat of lawsuits, plummeting stock, brand tarnishing, etc. be abated, by the act of someone(s) taking responsibility?? We may never really know, but I am inclined to believe that, generally, people are forgiving when there is true penance. The outrage would still flare, the initial financial costs would likely remain the same, but I'd like to think that genuinely admitting fault would trigger compassion and remind constituents of things most of us would like to identify with, like honesty being the best policy and human decency still existing.

I may be entirely biased because, in full disclosure, Responsibility is another one of my top five StrengthsFinders themes. The buck stops with me, if I can help (and I always feel like there is something I can do, if not fully resolving the issue, because I will try), but I may also just be more inclined to think this way because of what seems to be the lost art of individuals fueling groups that fuel communities who appreciate, foster and demand personal responsibility with and for themselves and others.

You might be saying "how does this relate to career development, again?" Well, the highest mark of quality in representing a brand is providing quality customer service and doing repeat business--this means doing what's required to honestly and humbly maintain the relationship...even if that means saying, "I was wrong." If nothing else like the purely noble reasons of such an approach, what is the cost of swallowing pride, taking a loss with the potential of having that client return and/or bring others to your fold. The cost is them being unsatisfied and spreading the word about their dissatisfaction (See these FACTS about customer service. One jaw dropping one is that it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one negative one. I'm thinking, after one I'm done!) 

For too many, they imagine that the aforementioned costs do not exist, but they do!. Just some food for thought. I would love to hear about your stories of personal responsibility in business and career development. You can email me at alexandra@careercounsel.com.

The Cover Letter Whisperer Tool Kit

Cover letters can be an ungraspable concept for many a writer, let alone a college student just breaking into the world of work. There are also folks who read cover letters day in and day out, seeing how real the struggle is, and want to help alleviate some of the stress surrounding cover letters. I’m one of those folks, and I’m here to help! I’ve written this blog and pictorial review to help you write a cover letter based on the “great greatness” you have to offer.

The Purpose of a Cover Letter

Many people find it hard to write a cover letter because they don’t know what to write or how. When mastering a thing, it serves you well to grasp the purpose of it. Like the resume, cover letters are marketing tools. The difference is you have a short space to tell a story about the “great greatness” you bring to the table i.e. what you do, how you do it, why you do it that makes you different and special than anyone else doing those same things. Writing cover letters, although tedious (no two ways about that), provides the opportunity to more than “cover” the resume, but to expound on the information in the resume that gets straight to the heart of an organization's expressed business need (and, by extension, what else you discover that could be helpful in making your case by researching online and tapping into your network, which is critical.).

The Anatomy of a Cover Letter

The essentials to be included in a cover letter are what I have found people tend to miss or misunderstand--and that sets them up for failure with content. What should be included, minimally, in a cover letter, and more or less in order of appearance is:

1. Contact information for where the letter is going (e.g. company/department name, street address, email, phone number)
2. Date of submission
3. Greetings to A SPECIFIC point of contact (no "To Whom it Concerns" or "Dear Hiring Manager" nonsense)
4. Your connection to the opportunity (How did you find out about the role? Who referred you?)
5. A one line summary of your interest
6. A two sentence summary of background, experience and relevant qualifications
7. TWO TO THREE detailed and poignant examples of how you demonstrate the expressed need and/or preferred skills and qualifications for the role (think STAR/BAR method), no more than two paragraphs, about 4-5 sentences each. Alternatively, in bullet format you can highlight more examples, but this section should not take up no more than 1/2 a page.
8. Closing line requesting an interview
9. Closing greetings and your contact Information

You should be able to tell a hiring manager or gatekeeper “read my freaking awesome resume to find out more about the amazingness that is me and my skills...,” or some tamer more polite version of that, in no more than three quarters of a page. Breaking up the content with bullets or information chunks and using design elements that match those of your resume are tie-breakers, if all else is equal.

Stuff NOT to Have in a Cover Letter (Just Don’t. Thanks.)

Stuff that’s too general or unsubstantiated…

• “I am a great fit for this position.” Let the hiring manager decide this, and give her something to make her believe it, but don't say it in the cover letter.
• “I possess many skills that would be useful for the role.” I should hope so, let's just concentrate on what those are instead of taking up useful page real estate with non-descript statements.

Stuff that’s obvious…

• “My name is…” 
• They'll know your name because it's on the page already.
• “Please feel free to contact me if you need more information.” 
• Why shouldn't they feel free to? Even if they don't feel free to, rest assured if they do need or want more information, they will contact you!

Stuff that’s not relevant to the job or job description…  

• If team work is a strength you have, but the job description describes the role you're applying for with words like “self-starting, self-motivated, minimal supervision, independent” then you’re barking up the wrong tree.
• Personal examples are typically much less powerful than professional ones or experiences within settings most related to what you’re applying. 
• For the cover letter, use the class project where you helped bring the team together with your negotiation and diplomacy skills versus how you settled an argument as the middle child between your siblings.

Stuff that’s just wrong…              

• Proofread the cover letter! Read it to a friend. Get a third opinion.
•  If you have typos and bad grammar in a cover letter, you may as well put "THROW THIS IN THE TRASH" at the top of the letter in 78 point font.
• Bank of America contact information on a cover letter going to a hiring manager at Wells Fargo is a big, BIG problem.
• VERBATIM TEMPLATE PHRASES!!!! I cannot properly emphasize the level of NO that goes with doing this so, I won't. 

Put the Cover Letter Whisperer Tool Kit into Practice

So how does all this stuff look in real life? Well, it varies depending on the job, the expressed needs in the job description, your experience and the particulars of your “great greatness.” That said, I've included a real job description excerpt and subsequent cover letter that I developed and actually submitted which got me the interview (click the image for full size). It is stripped of references to a particular organization or role and edited to be used as a template that can be adapted, NOT MERELY COPIED (see previous "Stuff that's just wrong...")!

JOB DESCRIPTION

Duties and Responsibilities: Assist in organizational development through the completion of special projects and assignments including: compiling research on topics within the mission of the organization; writing grants, annual reports and newsletters; developing educational materials; planning events and various fundraising activities; performing assignments related to marketing, website and social media management; providing financial administration services; preparing minutes for board and committee meetings.

Must possess strong oral and written communication skills. A working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Publisher and Excel are required. A working knowledge of social media applications as well as email marketing applications is beneficial. 

COVER LETTER TEMPLATE

Whether optional or required, take the opportunity as I like to say, to become to the reader a person and not just a piece of paper. Let your “great greatness” and personality come through. Have some tasteful/conservative color elements to set your cover letter apart from other submissions. You are now armed—permission to be dangerous granted (vanquish all the cover letter giants you have formerly faced!). Happy writing!

Additional Resources

• https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-8-cover-letters-you-need-to-read-now
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2014/02/06/the-cover-letters-that-make-hiring-managers-smile-then-call-you/#20ca2e0058f5
• https://careerservices.wayne.edu/behavioralinterviewinfo.pdf

Keep Up The Great Work!

Happy 2016 everyone! Here is to hoping your new year is off to a great start.

My last post was about not waiting, but using the present as your gift. Giving yourself permission to go from good to great, and to do something positive for your career development. 

Well, I did not want to be left out of a good challenge, and I try to give advice that I take myself. In that vein, I am planning to take some courses this year to further enhance my professional profile! Thank you all for the inspiration.

Also, I hope to use this space as an encouragement, and personal anecdotes are my go to method! You have likely heard that persistence pays off. I would second that, and add that persistence for persistence sake is not enough. When you take a positive course of action, consider your motives, and if the objective is to help someone and impact another person for the better, then certainly stay the course. 

In 2014. I got a client referral and reached out to speak to the individual. They were in a pretty bad space concerning their work life and really wanted help, but due to financial constraints and personal issues at the time they were not able to commit the time and energy to take advantage of services I offered. Periodically, every couple of months or so, I would check in with this person. Not to say, "Hey, can I sell you some services today?" but out of genuine concern say, "How is everything? Are you experiencing more positivity in your situation these days? Keep me posted." Those months turned into half a year, that half a year turned into a whole year, and then one year into near two! 

Would you imagine that almost two years later, I continued checking in and this time the individual said "I am ready now, let's get to work." Of course, I was glad to do the great work that I love: helping people enhance their professional development, understand themselves better, and further their career prospects. More than that, I was encouraged that relationally I had built an environment of care and trust with this individual to the point that they knew I was there when needed. Additionally, persistence was key, but as a matter of concern for another person, and that was a reward in and of itself, which, consequently, was beneficial for everyone involved. 

I say to you today, go from good to great, and Keep Up the Great Work!

Cheers!
Alexandra
alexandra@aacareercounsel.com

Do you know what time it is??

We are 8 days away from the start of a whole new year...Scary? Exciting? Thrilling? All of the above?
The old adage to "finish strong" comes to mind in that, you don't have to wait 8 days to somehow trip into a new beginning. 

There's no time like the present, and why not let this "present" be a gift you give to yourself in the way of taking small steps or major leaps for your career and professional development (you knew it was coming!?).

I'm extremely fortunate in that every day I get to effect positive change in people's lives. I study and train (and intuit) to help people discover and define their uniqueness and share their greatness with the parts of the world that they choose to insert themselves into.

I wake up in the morning excited about who the next person will be that my "present" affords me the opportunity to assist. Will it be you? 

Check your watch and ask yourself, how much time you can afford to waste before you decide to go ahead and do what you've been meaning to do all along. Then, go ahead, take that step, make that stride, and do something for your career development now. You know what time it is!

I'd be more than happy to learn how I can help you in your pursuits. Learn more about my committment as your Career Consultant, HERE, from now to 2016 and beyond. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best to you and yours this holiday season, and Happy right now!

Entering a New Career Arena: A Temporary Stay at No Experienceville

About 30% of the clients I work with are seeking counsel concerning transition to a new career/field. One of the primary barriers that they face to making the jump successfully is that they have no established experience. No matter how sure they are that they want or need the change, the question of experience is a common one.

A misunderstood facet of gaining experience is that you have to have gotten paid in order to put the experience on a resume, to be competitive in the application process or to impress an employer in an interview...WRONG! The deal maker with experience as it relates to convincingly adding it to your armory of Dragon Slaying Stories (a la Liz Ryan) is your approach. Simply put--pursue every experience as if you're the boss and the buck stops with you. That is to say, let excellence be your credo, study up, and learn from your attempts.

So, what does that look like practically? Here are two common ways, and insigh into how they've served me well in my professional development efforts. Hopefully they will help you too:

Volunteerism- This is an underappreciated yet awesome way to gain valuable experience in an area where you're trying to build expertise, gain credibility, and establish a track record of success. Underappreciated because many people going through career changes are supporting families and/or still need to work where they are, so time can be very limited. Good things about volunteering include the great level of flexibility involved, and they fact that building experience doesn't really have to take that much time.

As a volunteer, you get to choose what you want to offer and doing your research will allow you to benefit organizations that can most use what you do well. Also, doing what you do well, and faitfully so, can put you in the front of the line for consideration should paid opportunities open up.

Personal anecdote: I signed up to volunteer for an organization, after research within areas of my personal interest, I appreciated the organization's mission and saw they had a need for an area that I was interested in, but didn't have very much experience with. Going through the proper channels that they outlined (i.e. volunteer application, orientation, etc.), I was able to present my enthusiasm as well as my prepared "pitch" to the organization's Volunteer Coordinator and Executive Director. This pitch including ideas for development/growth, researched best practices, and a communicated understanding of their current state with the area of interest. After six months of volunteering, doing good work, demonstrating results in the area, building good rapport with organization constituents, presenting new ideas, being open to assisting with other areas of need, etc., I was approached by the organization for a paid contract role! Not only that, the paid contract expanded over time as my expertise was developed and my professionalism continued to be displayed. I still work with the organization two years later! 

Entrepreneurial Efforts-The Internet age makes almost anyone look like an expert nowadays. That's good and bad: good because you can get a Web page to advertise services in the area you're hoping to build toward and have a good presentation for those looking for what you offer. Bad because not everyone who has a Web page delivers quality (but good again, because you have an advantage if you do...). The goal is to be good at whatever you do, then "practice, research and more practice, training, practice, repeat." This represents a good model for success!

I had an individual mention to me in conversation that she was interested in breaking into recruiting after being in customer service in the healthcare arena for nearly a decade. My advice to her was to start finding people a job and be able to talk knowledgeably and in detail about your approach and impact. Is it really that simple? YES! The fact that you do it on your own can be more of a selling point due to the drive, initiative and resilience needed to be successful when you are your own primary resource.

Personal anecdote: My last year in graduate school as an intern, I was in a very different place in life than a traditional, straight-out-of-undergrad. graduate student. I was more interested in contracting or consulting than landing a full time role in the Career Development field, but if experience was required outside of my internships (and many did require that), I didn't have any! What to do?! I started a Facebook page that has developed along with my personal/professional brand. I, also, made as many opportunities to review resumes, offer career development advice and the like as I could--for free! I pursued the appropriate certifications and licensure in my field for added credibility. Lastly, when people I helped appreciated the service and products I provided, I asked them to share that (via LinkedIn recommendation, Facebook posts, survey feedback, etc.), and they told a friend, who told a friend, who told a friend. Three years later, I have a roster of near 60 clients, and a tested approach to my practice that I am sharing, in part, with you now.

The moral of the story is, experience can be what you make it. Some fields lend better to being able to manufacture your own opportunities than others, but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't try. These methods can be a good "hold over" until you find work in a different platform, like a full-time employee. They can develop into the kind of work you want to make for yourself as well, or can be additional roles you take on along with full-time work. The choice is yours and in this worldwide, competitive market it is always better to have choices.