Dress for Success

I have had the question come up a lot lately.

How do I stay motivated?

How do I get going?

I’m having a tough time staying focused.

If your looking for work, I am sure you ask yourself similar questions. I find that you need to get your mind and body in a state that will help you be more productive with your search.

One of the ways that many of my clients have found successful is Dressing for Success. I suggested that they put on their work clothes. Get the suit out, put on the tie the shoes.

Get ready for a day of working for you. Working on you.

Yes, looking for a new position takes work! If you change the way you feel by changing our clothes, you will find that you will see a shift in attitude. That shift can lead you to being more productive, more focused, and yes more motivated! It will also put you back in the mind set that you are working.

I also suggest that you schedule time for your search as you would if you were working. When your done take off the work clothes as you would during a regular work week.

One of my clients took it a step further, he actually dresses for work takes a drive gets his cup of coffee and comes back home to work on his search. It has improved his motivation, his attitude, his focus and his outlook.

Dennis

Bank intern busted by Facebook

I saw this article and had to laugh, this will follow him for sometime in his career. Not only are employers looking at their current employees the are looking before you get hired. They are searching on your name, and email address from your resume, to see what they can find.

What you have on your “social network” might effect your career.

Dennis

Your Privacy Is An Illusion By Owen Thomas

Kevin Colvin, busted by Facebook

Who says Facebook is the province of the young? Increasingly, the 30something bosses of naive recent college grads are proving adept at turning the social network against its earliest adopters. Kevin Colvin, an intern at Anglo Irish Bank's North American arm, was busted when he told his manager, Paul Davis, that he'd miss work due to what colleagues took to be a "family emergency". Davis turned up the photo above, freshly posted to Facebook from the Halloween party Colvin apparently missed work to attend, and attached it to his reply, copying the rest of the office as he did it. The email thread is now spreading around the net. After the jump, the entire exchange, and the incriminating photo.

It's a Conspiracy - Stealing your time

"Companies are just out there trying to waste my time! It must be a conspiracy!" Now that's a common (and ludicrus) sentiment I hear from candidates I coach.

I'm not sure how this conspiracy started, perhaps in the backrooms of a big corporation one day. Maybe it started just as a joke, and then spread to other corporations.

I can see it now... managers sitting around with HR people, laughing, about how they post job ads, receive resumes, make phone calls, set up and conduct interviews, have applicants fill out paperwork, take notes and make applicant files, and in truth, It's all fake! There's no job opening. They're not wasting their time, they are wasting yours. Oh my! I can see how funny this must be. How productive it is for the company!

From a candidate's point of view

They took:

Ten maybe fifteen seconds to click on a job posting

Three to five minutes on a phone interview

Time for the commute both ways

Thirty minute interview

Then they get rejected and think to themselves, "What a waste of time. They brought me in just to reject me!" They "wasted" two hours of your time collectively, yet how much time did they "waste" writing job postings, screening applications, reading resumes, making phone calls, scheduling interviews, conducting interviews, deciding on who (one person out of many) to hire, and filing necessary paperwork?




Something tells me that for the ONE person that got the job, it wasn't such a waste.

Maybe you need to be the ONE or notice why your not, in lieu of thinking the company is out to waste your time.

Dennis
(Video snip is property of IBM corporation)

American Idol

Yes, I watch American Idol. Why? I find it entertaining, funny, and it shows the psychology of the way people think, act, and how others respond to them.

It is great to watch the judges and their initial response to people auditioning. Let us look at the bikini girl, which is all over the news and internet. If you watch Simon, he already had her picked to be “in”. She didn’t have to even sing, and Simon seemed to like what he saw.

If you watch the judges, they respond to the contestants based on how the dress, how they walk in. Do they have the right attitude, confidence? How do they address and impress the judges all on the few seconds up to them saying hello.

Then they tell a short story. The judges ask “Tell me about yourself”, or “Why are you here”, and “Are you the next American Idol?”

That’s funny! These are very similar questions that are asked by hiring managers when they are judging you for a new position.

So at this point either you are winning them over, have lost them or are neutral.

Now comes to the singing, their skill, their craft, what they do. If they are winning a good to great performance might get them to move forward. If the are neutral chances are less. If they start off losing the judges, only a great performance might sway them to have the singer to move on.

When you watch the show, of course for TV entertainment, your only seeing the really good and the really bad.

What happens to the other ten’s of thousands? Well, they get prescreened, they never make it to the final judges, the never get the chance.

Taking out the entertainment value of seeing the bad performers. This is similar to the hiring process. We filter people, screen them, then the final few make it to see the hiring managers.

Just realize that your initial presentation is setting the tone and direction for the rest of the hiring process.

Total of 2.6 million jobs lost

Below is the latest results from the Labor Department.

I don’t believe it will be getting better anytime soon. So, the question I have for you is what are you going to do to make your self outstanding?

There are companies still hiring, and in the future they will hire again. Are you going to be prepared to stand out above the rest of the crowd? Realize it is a big crowd. Are you going to put in a full day effort, every day?

I read a statisic that less then 10% of people find jobs on the classified ads, this includes Monster, Careerbuilder, and the internet postings. Let us say the statisic is wrong and 15% of people find jobs online. That still leaves 85% of the job openings being filled in other ways.

Do you how those other 85% of others are getting noticed? Do you know other ways of being hired besides internet? If you are getting calls on your resume or even interviewing, are you getting hired? Why not?

As a career coach I will ask you, when would now be a good time to get yourself some help? Do you buy a book, join a club, get advice, or hire a coach? I have had people tell me I can’t afford it. Well, you can’t afford not to have it.

I hope you have found my blog useful, and maybe I can help you one on one in the near future.

Dennis



BREAKING NEWS
updated 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The U.S. unemployment rate bolted to 7.2 percent in December, the highest level in 16 years, as nervous employers slashed 524,000 jobs. The labor market is expected to remain weak as mass layoffs continue.

The Labor Department's report, released Friday, underscored the terrible toll the deepening recession is having on workers and companies, and highlights the hard task President-elect Barack Obama faces in resuscitating the flat-lined economy.

For all of 2008, the economy lost a net total of 2.6 million jobs. That was the most since 1945, when nearly 2.8 million jobs were lost. Although the number of jobs in the U.S. has more than tripled since then, losses of this magnitude are still being painfully felt.

Hello, My Name is

Hi Dennis! How are you???

If I only interviewed one or two people a year, I might recognize your voice. Otherwise when you call, I probably don’t know who you are. I know you might think you are the only one applying for the position, but I hate to break the news to you, your not.

We are not your career psychologist; we are not mind readers, we don’t know you before you call. Help us, and stop asking questions I can’t answer without twenty more questions like:

• Did you get my resume I emailed it 2 minutes ago (again I don’t know your name)
  
• Are you hiring?
  
• Can I work from home (when I list a location)
  
• Is this part time (when I list it is full time)
  
• Telling me I’m un-American because I want bilingual speaking people
  
• What kind job is this (its on the posting)
  
• Where is it (again on the posting)
  
• Your life story and your full work history (breathe, pause let us ask you questions
  

Here are some things to use to make your communication clearer if you are responding to a job posting or inquiring about a job.

First READ the ad. Now I know that takes a minute of your life but trust me it will help you with understanding what kind of candidate they need and if you qualify.

When calling, let us know this;

• Who you are, not just first name, for I know a lot of Bobs
  
• What you are calling for.
  
• Hello, My name is ….. “I am calling in regard to…….” I feel I would be a great fit because I have …… skills”
  

Be clear, direct and to the point.

Why do I write this article? Because we have received over 200 resumes and almost as many calls from a local craigslist ad we placed. The phone was ringing non stop. I understand you want work, and I want to hire someone. To be that someone , please help me out, by letting me know how you fit the job.

Dennis

Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, on one of the finest instruments in the world - how many other things are we missing?

Readers, I find this to be an amazing example of perception and what we do and don’t pay attention to. Here is a person that was worth $100 a seat two days earlier and no one will pay him, in his subway presentation. What is different?

This is a great example of what Apvantage is based on, the fact that the way you are perceived by people that want to hire you, that want to pay you, is based on your presentation.

It isn’t your talents, Joshua Bell is very talented, but he received little attention that day in the subway. And only received a little money all based on how people perceived him at that moment. Make sure your presentation is always worthy, so people can recognize your true talent.

Dennis

Clearly Stated

If you are going to scan a resume, make sure people can view it.

FREE CAREER ADVICE FORUM

If you are in the Chicagoland area.

Greetings! After 10 years of providing recruiting and staffing services, we are expanding our services.

It's a new year. For some of you it might be a new year for a new career. As someone that has applied for or has worked for Jobco Staffing Professionals we would like to offer you this opportunity to attend our FREE CAREER ADVICE FORUM.

With unemployment being so high and open positions becoming more scarce, getting great career advice will be critical for you to WIN the next position.

After a decade of running Jobco, Dennis has expanded his efforts to help jobseekers find employment. His new company, Apvantage, the Applicant Advantage, is performing seminars and forum to help you understand and learn what it will take to succeed in this current employment market. After years of observing hiring managers' unspoken expectations and witnessing surprisingly common applicant mistakes, he discovered his mission is to educate, coach, and motivate job seekers to find work quickly and efficiently.

It may have been a few months or a few years since we've worked together. We'd like to catch up to see how you're doing. If you are currently unemployed or know someone who is, you are invited to attend our :

FREE CAREER ADVICE FORUM

Join us every Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

1000 Jorie Blvd. Oak Brook, Il 60532

At our conference room in the 1000 building is down the hallway from our office.

• Get answers to your questions about resume writing, jobsearch techniques, interviewing etiquette, communicating effectively, andmore.
  
• Meet and talk to other people looking for work, discussing best practices.
  
• Learn about future Apvantage group coaching events and individual coaching sessions.
  

SPACE IS LIMITED & REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

PLEASE RSVP BY PHONE OR THROUGH OUR WEBSITE!

630.571.6025 or www.apvantage.com

If you are currently in the job market, we invite you to resubmit an updated resume. Our new and improved software will allow us to quickly and accurately match your skills to our available job openings at www.jobcostaffing.com

Sincerely,

Dennis Scherer

A great time to set those career goals

I set goals often, and have utilized a variety of goal setting means taught to me by some of the best motivators out there. I am going to give you a list of goal setting exercises you can try. I believe that you will find doing any of these will get your mind set in the right direction.

So here is some bases for setting goals:

Stated in the positives

I believe what you focus on you will get, you set your mind into action and you start to bring information into your awareness. This is so true when you see a new dress or looking at a new car, That all of a sudden you start to see it everywhere.

The downside is true as well. If you if your focus on what you don’t want you will get that as well. The mind does not calculate don’t. It has to make a picture of what it is that you “do” not want

If I ask you don’t think of the color blue. What happens? You have to think of the color blue to not think of it.

If your not wanting to be unemployed, you need to change that into being employed.

We are in control of only ourselves, our own behavior and our own feelings;initiated and maintained by you, the individual. You maintain the quality of all rapport systems.

Set your goal and the state you desire so it is something you can see happening, something you can hear happening, and something that you will feel happening.

Here is one exercise if find valuable at the beginning of a new year.

Write down what you want quickly of what you want. What you want to accomplish, what you want to have financially, spiritually, physically, and relationship.

Just let the pen flow take about 5 minutes. Then pick out 5 goals you are committed to having happen in then next year. Write those goals out clearly why you will accomplish these goals. And then take the paper and with the 5 goals and the list of why you want each goal. Now take that list and seal it in an envelope to open next year, it will amaze you that you have either accomplished or are on your way to getting these goals.

Happy New Year,
Dennis

Unemployment rising, Who's hiring? 2009 job outlook

Unemployed people are the busiest people I know!

This statement came from one of my customers, We had two office personnel lined up to start, and both after getting the offers, had other plans scheduled.

So, your not working and this is a good time to take care of personal items in your life. Also as a employer, I understand you have items that need to be taken care of. but ask yourself is it something that really needs to be done or do I need a new job so let us look at a list:

Get car fixed or have a new job
Get eyes examined or have a new job
Dentist appointment or have a new job
Emissions test or have a new job
Hair cut or have a new job
Pick up dry cleaning or have a new job
Take friend to airport or have a new job
Cut grass or have a new job
Clean house or have a new job
Plan a long weekend or have a new job
Wedding (not yours) or have a new job


Go on an interview, this is one of my favorites. I offer you work, you have been looking for some time , you get what you want WORK and you still want to know from me your employer if you can have the third day your supposed to work off, so you can go on an interview with another company.

So you have things that are scheduled. Maybe it is your wedding, how do you approach your potentially new employer?

I like when people tell me in advance. They let me know the dates, what the occasion is, and let me know why its important that they have that time off. Also that they will do what ever it takes to get the position, maybe put some extra time in.

You need to consider changing your schedule, so you can keep the job. As far as the office people I was going to place, we found someone else that could work.

Staying positive in hard times

Desperation, doesn’t sell.

I have received a variety of calls this week of people looking for work. They use terms like I will take anything, I don’t care what it pays. I will drive anywhere. I feel for these people. It is the holiday season and people want work. I want to give you some advice because the desperation plea doesn’t help me, help you.

If you have the opportunity to contact staffing firms, like I have, start by contacting them with curiosity. I would ask them if you might be considered for one or more openings if you changed some of your parameters, like pay or level of work. This approach is much more acceptable then the cry of desperation.

If your applying to new openings, and are looking to work at something less then you had, make sure you state it with positive intent and objective. Let them know that you want to be part of their company, offer all the skills you have, earn a position. You need to offer value.

Be very cautious of just “taking” or “doing” work. From a hiring point of view, that behavior comes across shallow, with no investment.

Keep your head up, know that you have skills. You need to offer a great service for better value.

Dennis

Clarify your ability to work

I was just reviewing some resumes of students that are going to school away from home. The person I just reviewed lives in the Chicago area but is in school out of town. From the resume, I could not tell if they are back in Chicago, or if still away at school. I couldn’t tell if they are ready for work, full time? Part time? Or looking just for the Christmas vacation.

By defining your ability to work in the beginning of your resume, hiring managers will clearly understand what you are looking for. If your going to be back home from school, list only the home address, if you need work at your school, make a separate resume with that location. If your looking for part time or seasonal work, make that clear on the resume.

Our applicant tracking systems keys the zip codes of your resume. If you list both addresses you might be getting keyed as your school location vs. your home location.

So as hiring people are looking for candidates. You want to be found and found with clear intent.

Take this first step to clarify your ability to work and you will start to find more opportunities.

Dennis

How far is too far?

Ask yourself this simple question how far is to far.

Maybe it is the excitement that you are getting a call for an interview. Maybe it is the thought that you can get back into the workforce. Or maybe it is that you have been sitting on the couch long enough that when you get a call for work you figure you might as well check it out.

So you get a call, and you discover the company is over 40 miles away. You look up that it will take you over an hour to get there. At this point do you call them and let them know its to far, or do you just continue through the process? Also, keep in mind you were the one that started this exchange by sending them a resume

I have had many applicants continue through the process. The process of multiple interviews, driving to the company more then once, getting an offer.

I just had happen here at our staffing firm. A candidate accepted the offer, completed all the drug and background tests (which costs me money), then call on the day they were to start and tell me it is to far.

My question is why would you want to take your time to go through all of the travel, cost, paperwork, and time wasted when you should realize in advance that this is to far?

You might have missed out on other opportunities! You just have made yourself look bad in front of that company or firm that is trying to get you work.

You’re not helping anyone by interviewing; knowing in advance that you can’t make it to work daily!

Do yourself a favor and map out how far you can work, what hours you can work, in advance. This will help you build a focus on positions that are favorable for you. And stop applying for jobs you can work at. It’s a waste of everyones time and you need to focus your time and energy on presenting your best to companies that you can truly work for.

Dennis

Jobless claims at 26-year high

Number of people filing for initial unemployment insurance surges to 573,000 in latest week. By Catherine Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans filing new unemployment insurance claims jumped last week to a 26-year high, surpassing the number of filings economists had predicted.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial filings for state jobless benefits surged to 573,000 for the week ended Dec. 6. That was an increase of 58,000 from a revised 515,000 claims in the previous week.

It was the highest number of jobless claims since Nov. 27, 1982 when initial filings hit 612,000. Economists were expecting jobless claims increase to 525,000, according to a consensus compiled by Briefing.com.

The four-week moving average of jobless claims, which works to eliminate fluctuations in data was 540,500 last week, an increase of 14,250 from the previous week's revised average of 526,250.

One economist said the number of initial claims decreased in the previous report because the data from that report represented the week of Thanksgiving. Some of the surge in initial filings in this current report could be a bounce from that week.

However, "the underlying trend in the labor market is that it continues to weaken," said Jay Bryson, global economist with Wachovia Economics, and that is evident in the 4-week moving averages of initial claims.

The number of people continuing to collect unemployment rose to 4,429,000 in the week ended Nov. 29, the most recent week available, which was also a 26-year high. The measure was an increase of 338,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 4,091,000.

The last time continuing claims was at such an elevated level was Dec. 4, 1982, when continuing claims hit 4,509,000.

Meanwhile, the 4-week moving average of continuing claims was 4,133,500, an increase of 130,750 from the previous week's revised average of 4,002,750.

With the U.S. economy officially in a recession, unemployment has been on the rise. The economy shed 533,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate rose to 6.7% from 6.5% in October, according to a government report released last week.

So far this year, the economy has lost 1.9 million jobs.

The economy has fallen into a recession, and the nation's gross domestic product - the largest measure of the economy's health - contracted by 0.5% in the three months ended Sept. 30. Bryson said that he expects the GDP to contract even further in the coming quarter.

When companies see their orders decrease, they simply don't keep as many workers on the payroll.

As workers lose their jobs, that hits states particularly hard.

"Not only, when people get laid off do income taxes go down, but they start drawing unemployment compensation," said Bryson. "So whenever you are in a recession, you see the deficit widen."

According to a report from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 43 states are facing shortfalls in their budgets for this year, and as people continue to lose their jobs, states are pinched further.

The largest increases in initial jobless claims for week ended Nov. 29 - the week before last - were in Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas, Mississippi, and North Dakota. The largest decreases in initial filings were in California, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, and Texas.

First Published: December 11, 2008: 8:39 AM ET

Are you ready to compete?

Dennis

What is your Resume saying about you?

I was coaching someone who was looking for a Marketing position. Verbally, he had all the skills, but according to the resume it had a feel of a sales person, or an account manager.

I asked, "Where is the marketing skills in this resume?" We found one word that said marketing. Eight words that said sales.

So, from a quick glance the resume reflected a sales person.

Try this exercise. Take 6-10 seconds, and take a look at your resume, you can even have someone else do it. Off of this quick glance what do you see? What stands out? What is your initial reaction? If it is not what you are looking for then you need to change some of the wording you use.

I was mentoring at a local school. As I was thumbing through their resumes, one of the students asked me “Are you looking at our resumes? Because you don’t seem to be spending much time on them." I told them on average I take about five to ten seconds to skim key words and experience on a resume to see if has some of the things I am looking for. Then I might read further.

The class was floored. They thought as recruiters we sit and read each resume all the way through and that we have the time to figure out what they did, how they did it and how it might apply to the position we have available.

So the student that asked me the question wanted to know what feed back I had on their resumes. Most of these students were looking for technology positions. So when I read through their resumes, with a six second glance, I got pictures of warehouse people, stay at home moms, students, carpenters, firefighters. Their resumes were not reflecting what they wanted.

Working with them after to change, not only the focus of the resume, we also changed where the information on the resume went.

Your resume is your marketing material , market your past in a direction that leads to your future.

Self Discrimination via Voice Mail

“Hello me, the wife, the kids and the dog are not home now, please leave a message and we will call you back”.

Seems harmless, other then the fact is that I know your married, have children. If their voices were on the voice mail, I can guess their ages approximately.

I also know you like dogs, or at least have one.

If it happens to be your voice on the recorder, I know how you communicate. Do you use slang? Do you have an accent? Are you upbeat? Are you funny?

Or have you taken your job search seriously and designated a separate phone line or voicemail for finding new work.

Flexibility

So you are looking for work. There is a reason you are looking. Either you are not working, or you know things are getting to a point you might not have a position. Or are concerned for your future. Whatever the reason, in these economic times you are going to be the one that needs to be flexible.

There is more and more people available and less and less available positions. Companies are going to look for people that are flexible and meet the companies goals and needs.

What are some of the areas to be flexible?

Travel – You might have to travel farther to get your next position.

Hours – You might have to put in different hours, or you might have to work flex or even less hours. I have seen people earn more hours by taking less. The person that shows flexibility also shows a sense of wanting to work.

Pay – What you were making before might not be what you are going to make today. If this a company that you have wanted to work for, you might want to consider that the alternatives might not be so positive.

Dress – You might need to change your wardrobe to match the new environment.

Duties – In a down economy, companies expect more for less. If you are looking for a new position you might have to down grade your position wants and needs to get that new position.

** Something to note regarding looking for a lesser skilled position; Companies are still looking for the right person, not just someone to show up and “take” the job. Its not yours to “take”, it is their position to give, you need to earn and want it, even if it is not at your skill level. They might pass on you if they feel your not truly interested, and your just taking the position till you find something else.

Dennis

Giving Thanks, ask friends and family for help

You might have heard the term “networking.” That it is a great way to meet people. That by networking, it can help you get a new position. Well, I have advised people to something similar to networking. But to do it with their friends and family. It is what I call “Building your Team”.

Your team is anyone you know that you would consider family, friend, relative, and close acquaintances.

I have done a variety of seminars and I will ask, “Who in your close circle of friends and family has your resume? Who knows what you do for a living? Who knows what you are looking for?” The answer usually is not many, or no one.

I find that people will not talk to family, either because they think that looking or a job is embarrassing, or they felt they could not help.

Why would you go work with a group of strangers in a “networking” environment and not work with people you know?

So where do you start?
Start with describing what you do.

This way people in your team can describe it to people they know. My father got me a job when I was back from college. Now he didn’t know anything about computers, but there was a computer department. He knew that I worked with computers, it seemed simple enough, and yes they did need help. I got the summer position.

If you make it too hard on your team, they won’t be able to promote you …. Keep it simple.

Next let your team know what you are looking for in very simple and clear language.

Have them ask around. Do they have a department that deals with “your wants”? Have your team look at internal job postings. Have them gather contacts and phone numbers for you.

Now It’s up to you to take any information you get and run with it. You need to send the resume, make the call, it is not for your team to do the work. It is you to you.

Be thankful for your team this holiday, help them help you.