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Patience Aside, Attitude and Action Get the Job Done

Do you sense success just around the corner?  Are you waiting for your “big chance”?  Yes, you should visualize success, take time to reflect on how far you’ve come or how well you have persevered, but at the end of the day it’s all about your attitude going forward and taking deliberate action. 

Here are 3 key ways to formulate next steps with a smile. 

Past performance is a good indicator of future behavior.  So, take stock of what has worked well and what hasn’t.  Note things that helped you move forward and which things held you back.  Recognize little successes along the way, no matter how small.  Celebrate small victories.  Choose the top 5 activities that provided the greatest value and satisfaction.  Commit to doing more of these things, more frequently.

Consider what your current day-to-day needs are and how well you are meeting them.  What is the one thing that would make the greatest difference?  Map out a plan to make it happen in the simplest way and in the shortest amount of time.  Assess your current attitude.  If positive, keep it up!  If negative, assess why and seek out appropriate and positive ways to give yourself a greater sense of control of your day-to-day realities.  

Schedule Future Milestones:

The best way to ensure the future turns out the way you want it to is to define it and create it through effort, attitude…  and a workable timetable. 

Need to network more?  Look for any and all networking events and related opportunities that are happening in your area over the next 90 days and schedule in as many as possible.  Put yourself in spaces where you can meet new people, be exposed to new ideas, and test how you present yourself “in the moment”. 

Thinking about going back to school?  Schedule appointments with Admissions at 2-3 schools of choice and start learning more.  Then visit with financial aid about possible funding sources. 

Angling for that next promotion?  Map out a brief outline of what you’d like to accomplish by when and talk to your boss about how they can actively support your goals.  Enlist their help in crafting an action plan and timeline for success.  If you encounter resistance or lack of support, start shopping around your resume. 

Need a new job?  Start by learning more about companies and recruiters in your area.  Reach out to at least 25 people per week and start a dialogue within 24 hours with everyone that circles back with you.  If you don’t get any responses in the first 2 weeks, your message or style needs to be adjusted. 

With any of your goals, set a date by which if you don’t achieve base results, you’ll enlist professional help such as career coaching or registering for a seminar.

Make it happen! 

-Lisa

Connect with Lisa Mauri Thomas in LinkedIN.  Visit the Change Your Job, Change Your Life website for more information on resume writing and related services.

The “usual tactics” just won’t cut it

Here’s a quick snapshot at the start of 2011:  The U.S. unemployment rate moved to 9.8% in November 2010, though  numbers vary widely from state-to-state. 

North Dakota’s unemployment rate is a mere 3.8%; Virginia, a modest 6.8%; Nevada and Puerto Rico top out at 14.3% and  15.8%, respectively. Look up your state’s numbers.  That’s the macro level.  On a micro level, I’m hearing from more and more individuals that they have landed jobs, with increasing frequency, in the past 30 days alone.  Just from my subscriber base, I heard successful reports from 2-3 people per day over the past 2 weeks, all across the U.S., including those who had been looking for more than 1 year.  Common denominator:  they networked like crazy, had a sound strategy, and never gave up.

Go Beyond the Basics: 

Following basic advice will yield basic returns.  That simple statement speaks volumes, especially in this ultra-competitive and saturated job market.  Your local, government-sponsored workforce center probably isn’t helping your resume, especially if the prevailing advice only applies to the in-house job board they promote above all else.  Resume templates should be avoided.  Stay away from the default messages in LinkedIn, whether for connection invites, recommendation requests, etc.  As always, rise above!

Stop Chasing Job Leads – Too Basic:

Conventional advice tells you to find job openings that match your skills and qualifications.  These days, the emphasis needs to be upon the companies themselves, not posted openings.  For example, if you are looking for work in higher education, create a list of all the colleges and universities in your target area.  Learn all you can about each one and build your network alliances within each.  Looking for a job in finance?  Build your list of financial institutions.  No matter what industry you want to work in, first build your list of companies within that industry and your geographic location.

Build Allies, Not Contacts – The New Basic:   

It is not about your number of contacts, especially if you are not maintaining a productive dialogue with a large percentage of them.  Pull up your list of contacts and objectively evaluate each one.  Which ones are currently employed with direct access to the hiring managers within their organization?  Which ones are hiring managers themselves?  Which ones previously worked at a company on your list of desired targets and can give you the inside scoop in terms of company culture, hiring process, and divisional structure?  Once you have them identified, see my tips on Working Your Network.  

Basically… Find Out, Never Assume:   

Check your assumptions at the door.  These could be assumptions about your resume, job search strategy, opportunities that do or don’t exist, your age, your industry, your certifications… you name it!  Question your sources of information.  What qualifications do the people have who are providing you with advice? Are they providing you with real, usable knowledge?  Or, are they simply fueling your assumptions in faulty ways?  One useful starting point is the latest edition of the 2008-2018 Employment Outlook produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Previous employment projections were based on 2006-2016 horizon and had not taken current economic conditions into consideration. 

Kick off 2011 armed with the very best information and tactics.  Keep your hope, faith and ENERGY alive.  You can do this!

-Lisa

Want more help?  Visit http://changeyourjob.us 

Go on a Job Search Field Trip

Looking for a new job close to home?  Go on a job search field trip.  It’s easy!  Get in your car or use your favorite bus or train route.  Live in the city?  Walk. 

Your goal is to create a list of 25+ companies within 5 miles of home.  Live in a rural area?  You may need to expand your search area.  This also works well if relocating to a new area.  Be on the scene!   

Start Visual not Virtual:

Simply by changing your approach, you will start to see things in a new light.  Grab a pen and paper (or voice recorder) and take notes as you make a circuit around town.  Look for clues – any clues – including type of business, the number of cars in the parking lot, how busy they appear to be, if they serve direct clientele, whether they dominate the street or barely stand out, and more.  This approach can yield tremendous job search data especially if you are seeking a role that any company needs to fill at some point:  accounting, HR, quality control, distribution, management, event planning, marketing, maintenance, administrative support and more.          

Play Detective:
Once you are home again, research each company on your list.  Find their websites.  Search for their company profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Get a feel for their size, revenue, company culture and more.  Note how they accept resumes or applications, but do not worry about whether or not they have any currently posted job openings as this can change every week and many openings are never posted.  Search LinkedIn and other social media sites for individuals who work at these companies.  Continue to gather clues that will help you assess “best fit”, for the prospective companies and for you.
 
Make Contact:
Call the company and ask for the name and correct spelling of their Recruiter, HR Director or most senior person who handles the hiring needs for a specific area or department of interest.  Note the company mailing address and any email addresses you find.  Ask your friends, family and others in your network what they know about these companies and if they know anyone who works there.  Ask for an introduction.  Send an invite requesting to join a current employee’s network – but don’t use the default message – be sure to tell them why so they can begin to relate to you in return. 

Request a brief 10 minute, informational interview so you can learn even more about the company, what they do, and how you might fit into their organization to help them meet their needs, now or in the future. 

Follow up:

Network, network, network!  Send a thank you card as a follow-up to all interactions.  Supply them with your targeted and customized resume and cover letter, upon request. You can do this – good luck!

-Lisa

Want more help?  Visit http://changeyourjob.us 

Understand How to Leverage This Tool for Your Job Search

LinkedIn is quickly becoming THE preferred way to source prospective candidates.  Don’t underestimate it.  Recognize that it is playing a major role in recruiting talent. 

 Here are 8 reasons why Recruiters love LinkedIn for finding specifically-qualified candidates like YOU:

1. Organized, readable profiles that can be visually scanned at-a-glance, that link to related company profiles for greater context, and ease their role of “talent scout” versus simply posting jobs and hoping for a good outcome.

2. Profiles can be saved.  Notes can be inserted from phone screens and other points of contact.  They can see real-time updates versus simply relying on static resumes that take up server storage space and may not mesh or parse well with the the applicant tracking system they have in place.

3. Advanced search capabilities can quickly narrow or expand the results as needed by: competitor companies, same current job title, years of experience, and more.

4. Discussion forums help recruiters see how professionally and consistently candidates of interest present themselves in a public space.  This also applies to the quality of Answers candidates provide to public Questions to demonstrate their expertise, critical thinking skills, writing abilities, sphere of influence and types of responses elicited.  One can peruse categories from applied management to construction to finance to nursing to welding.

5. Reviewing one’s list of Contacts can help determine how well-connected a candidate is especially for Sales, Business Development and related roles.  It takes the old adage of “It’s not what you know, but who you know” and turns it into “It’s not who you know, but how well you know them”.

6. Recommendations are readily viewable.  Not only can recruiters note the depth and relevance of abilities or traits highlighted comparative to the needs of the position in question, but the person who made the recommendation can also be explored further to determine the real value and significance of such a recommendation from that person, especially as relates directly to past performance.

7. Marty Brack of ERE.net published an informal yet interesting study in December 2009 which demonstrated that, on average, “LinkedIn produced fewer resumes per posting — 39 versus about 45 — but produced a higher yield per posting of qualified candidates: 11 versus 3. The cost to obtain a qualified resume on LinkedIn was less than CareerBuilder; $18.33 per resume versus $175.50. This is what a recruiter is looking for: a higher yield of qualified candidates at a cheaper cost per posting”, as reported in LinkedIn Talent Advantage.

8. Far easier to use and search within than outdated and clunky applicant tracking systems that may be in use when applying online with individual companies of interest.

Quick update:  I had heard awhile back that that Recruiters can see Profile Completion percentages as use that as a search criteria.  I have since been able to gain clarification.  This is NOT an indicator, nor necessarily even desirable, for recruiters.  However, at-a-glance, a recruiter can obviously tell how much time and effort someone has put in to their profile.  Visual completeness of a candidate’s profile simply lends some degree of “proof” toward attention to detail, writing abilities, and how a person sees his or her self in a professional light and markets their talents accordingly.  It also helps to verify they have found the right person when searching for a particular name or to cross-reference a resume that has come through other channels.

Next steps:  Update your LinkedIn profile and modify your activities within LinkedIn based on what you’ve learned above.  Improve the quality and quantity of your outreach efforts in LinkedIn.  Check your Network Statistics to determine the percentages of strategic groups represented in your network, update how your contacts are tagged, and then re-evaluate to see which individuals and groups you need to be reaching out to more. 

Special note:  Employee referrals still account for a significantly higher number of hires across many organizations, a 2009 study put this figure at 30%.  Get to know insiders at any level within the companies and departments you wish to work in.  In my experience, this will yield far better results than chasing online postings on job boards.

Have additional reasons to suggest?  Need help?  Ask Lisa!  

-Lisa

Replace What Doesn’t Work with Strategies that WILL

The purpose of your resume and cover letter is to generate interviews.  Therefore, what you send out REALLY COUNTS and is not to be underestimated or taken lightly.

Just like any other pursuit around happiness and wellness, you need to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. We all know that “chasing” online job postings is a bad practice.  The problem for many job seekers is not knowing what replacement activities to pursue instead.

Here is a systematic, 7-step process to follow instead of chasing leads:

1. In LinkedIn, click on More… > Companies > Browse Industries > and look for the most appropriate category and subcategories for your career goals.  Once a subcategory is chosen, a search/parameter box will appear on the left side of your screen.  For location, choose In or Near:  United States (or other country) and remove your zip code if desired for a national search.  Check all company sizes of interest.  This will yield a list of companies.  Create a way to document what you learn about each, note internal contacts, etc.  Generate a working research list of 40-50+ companies of interest.  

2. View the Informational Interview slide shows attached to my LinkedIn profile, parts 1 and 2, under Lisa Mauri Thomas.  Craft questions of your own.  Create a brief, polite and professionally written outreach message (no typos!) asking for 5-10 minutes of their time in the next 2-7 days for a brief informational interview because their company is at the top of your list of companies you really want to learn more about.  Note:  Feel free to send me a connection invite while visiting my profile.

 3. Dig through each company profile.  Read their info and click on the Employees tab which shows how many have LinkedIn profiles of their own and locate managers, directors, and VP’s including those in recruiting and HR.  Send your outreach message to each person you can find within these companies.  Recycle your primary outreach message over and over; customize/edit your outgoing messages only as needed depending upon your audience.  Be sure to read a bit about the company before sending any messages.

4. Once you hear a positive response from someone, send them a Thank You using the Invite to Connect option.  Don’t use the default message; instead say “Thank you so much for your response to my request!  Plus, I’d like to invite you to…”.  That way, they know who you are and are much more likely to accept the invite.

 5. Send out 25-35 outreach messages per week.  If your first round yields no response whatsoever, re-visit your outreach message and get professional help in crafting it.  You can also find professional peers and higher ups to talk to within the groups you belong to – reach out to those actively involved in discussion topics.  Aim assertively yet politely to talk to at least 10 people per week.  That’s the level you need to be working at to start seeing reliable results. 

6. Once you establish rapport, keep the dialogue moving forward.  Ask for a quick tour, learn the names of others in the organization to talk to, ask for introductions, etc. 

 7. Notice that NONE of the above involves sending your resume or cover letter anywhere (and if anyone asks, stall).  Research is vastly underrated; don’t make the same mistake with your own job search.  Do your homework first – otherwise you’re applying prematurely.  I guarantee it! 

Next steps:  Update your resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profile based on what you learn.  Your application/outreach/marketing materials must be up to the task at hand and they must be delivered in multiple ways to truly “hit their target”.  Are your resume and cover letter documents as professional as they could be?  Think about how you market yourself.  Improve the quality of your outreach efforts in LinkedIn.  Need help?  Ask Lisa!  

-Lisa

Need more help?  Visit the Change Your Job, Change Your Life website at: http://changeyourjob.us 

Part III:  Text-based and PowerPoint Resumes

Exploring alternative resume formats

Job seekers have so many formatting choices including: MS Word, .pdf, rich text format, online resumes with distinct URL’s, video resumes, PowerPoint slide show presentations and online company applications.  Which are most effective?  What do recruiters REALLY want to see?

To date, I’ve asked 24 recruiters and hiring managers from around the globe who have respectfully weighed in on the topic.  This week’s focus is on resumes created in text-based and PowerPoint formats.

Text-based and PowerPoint resumes – defined

Text-based resumes are those that you create in programs such as Wordpad or Notepad and/or save with .txt or .rtf extensions.  They are absent of any formatting styles such as color, bold, italics, underlining, bullets, headers, footers, and related.

By contrast, MS PowerPoint (PPT) provides a full range of formatting options including everything a text-based program will not.  PowerPoint allows you to create a brief set of slides (as few as 1 or 2) to display your resume content as a slide show in which you can control the timing from slide to slide, any animations in play, and more.

Pros and cons of text-based resumes

Text-based resumes are boring.  There is virtually nothing about them that will attract and hold attention.  So why are they used?  Two words:  compatibility and compliance.  Rarely are acronyms like ASCII seen as a submission requirement anymore, which indicated a basic or older applicant tracking system was in use or was intended to ward off viruses and corrupted files.  Current virus protection programs and the improved stability of MS Word have alleviated most of those concerns.

Ken Winters, CEO and Founder of Staffback.com and Hireway.com out of the San Francisco Bay area, advises job seekers that, “Text and Rich Text resumes are OK but I have seen some hiring managers look down on them because they are quite plain when compared to Word and .PDF documents.

He compares it to “seeing a car without paint… it gets the driver from point A to B, but it sure looks funny driving by”. He also adds, “Using these plain formats for Marketing and Communications type positions would result in instant rejection.  With the ability to create Word docs for free in Google docs, there really is only one reason to have a Text or Rich Text resume: some Applicant Tracking Systems/websites require that plain text be entered in the resume box, so for that reason, it is nice to have a copy of your resume handy on your PC in a plain text format.”

He concludes by indicating that compared to MS Word and .pdf formats, “Plain text based resumes sit in a distant third spot“.  So, while widely compatible, text-based resumes simply cannot compete with MS Word or .pdf formats when it comes to conveying visual impact.

Steve Anderson, Managing Director of C. Anderson Associates in St. Paul, agrees and says “Almost without exception, employers know how to handle .doc files. It can be easily edited with Word, GoogleDocs, Open Office, etc. The same is true for .rtf, but .doc is more recognizable. As for .txt, you lose a lot of formatting options, so I have never received a resume in .txt“.

Of all the recruiters interviewed, no one indicated a preference or even a genuine appreciation for text-based resumes.

However, if you copy/paste your Word resume into online application forms, the receiving system generally converts your content into a text-based format, which is perfectly acceptable, as it indicates how a prospective employer’s applicant tracking system needs to handle your information.

Pros and cons of PowerPoint resumes

The overall feedback on PowerPoint resumes was mostly poor and cautious at best.  For example:

Steve Anderson says of PowerPoint resumes, “PPT is for presentations and no one likes to sit through presentations in the first place.”  Therefore, it should never be sent as a first point of contact.

Ken Winters, warns, “PowerPoint resumes are absolutely not acceptable as many hiring managers do not have PPT on their PC.  It is an expensive program and is not included in the lower tier MS Office Suite packages.”

However, PPT can be perfectly acceptable as a follow-up bonus if you know it will be accepted by the receiver.  Ken adds, “Anything submitted in PPT should only come after being requested, such as a 90 day marketing plan or other types of work samples in professions that use this format“.  So, if you’re applying for an Executive Assistant position and will need to produce PowerPoint presentations for your new boss, sending a professionally prepared sample can set you apart from your competition.

Tip: You can also have your resume available in LinkedIn using multiple formats and uploaded through the Box.net application.  For example, you can load your resume in Word (using both .doc and .docx extensions, separately) .pdf, PowerPoint, text-based format, etc.  This allows recruiters and hiring managers to select their preferred format.  An added benefit:  the Box.net application will alert you by email whenever one of your documents is downloaded and viewed so you can see for yourself which versions capture the most interest.

Stay tuned…

These hiring professionals provided such a wealth of information, this topic quickly turned into a multi-part series, weighing the pros and cons of multiple resume formats, so stay tuned for all installments, and go back and read both Part I and Part II.  Next up:  online company application methods.

VIEW Part IV at: http://changeyourjob.us/wordpress/?p=119

-Lisa

Make Sure Your Application Isn’t Immediately Discounted

Fact #1: Applying for anything and everything will NOT yield eventual success. Be specific, be choosy, and always, always play to your strengths and experience.

Fact #2: HR Directors and Recruiters routinely estimate that roughly HALF of all resumes submitted for a particular position don’t even come close to meeting the requirements of the job and are immediately discounted. Interpretation: odds are good that your resume falls in to this category.

Fact #3: In the current job market, employers have the privilege of selecting from only the very, very best candidates, which goes back to reinforce Fact #1.

Fact #4: In order to BE the best candidate, you have to LOOK the best on paper, you have to RESPOND the best in phone screens, and you have to consistently DEMONSTRATE how and why you’re the best during every interaction from application to final round interviews.

Fact #5: Job search takes a lot of time and energy; to be successful you have to work constructively and strategically at it over time, and not take shortcuts.

Make Sure Your Resume Aligns Perfectly with the Posting:
Sending out a generic, universal resume and cover letter combo “as-is” is one of the fastest ways to be discounted. Typos are another application killer. Applying for a job is an exercise in persuasive argument and generic or error-laden materials won’t persuade anyone of anything except to confirm the impression that you didn’t care enough to take the time to do it justice. Sounds harsh, but true.

If the posting says they need someone with 3+ years of experience, make it clear and showcase your very best work across those 3 years in ways that supports your claims. Specify that you can do what the prospective company needs from you. The operative word here is NEED: the company NEEDS competent, qualified, personable help of the highest caliber. Your talents are auditioning for the next big role; check any arrogance, cynicism, or anger at the door. It is nearly impossible to hide such feelings; if they exist, they’ll show. If they show, you’re done.

Acknowledge What You Know About the Company:
There is SO MUCH information available out there about companies; corporate websites, press releases, LinkedIn, Facebook, Hoover’s, word-of-mouth… you name it! Pick a company you’re really interested in working for and articulate 3 reasons WHY you want to work there without sounding selfish. Is it their corporate culture? Full support of ongoing professional development? Global operations? Family-owned business that supports the local economy? Recognized efforts and impact around social responsibility? Invests in the latest and greatest technology? Manufactures products or delivers services that are important to you, personally? Be clear about “what” and “why”. Genuinely align yourself with what’s important to them.

Infuse Passion and Personality:
Understand your core drivers around creativity and “giving back”. In these lean times, creativity trumps traditional values around “operational effectiveness, influence, or even dedication” as reported by BusinessWeek, May 19, 2010. And this idea of “giving back” is not new but the younger generation live and breathe it better than anyone. For example, qualifications are important, without a doubt, but corporate social responsibility has been trending positively for several years in a row and a candidate’s willingness and ability to support those efforts can go a long way to demonstrating “overall best fit”.

How do you make another person feel good about you and like you? Give them attention, sincerely acknowledge and compliment what they’re about, be consistent in your approach, and be genuinely likable in return. These same tips work for companies and the hiring managers and recruiters who work there. It’s impossible (and exhausting) to do this for everyone, so you need to be choosy or trim your sphere of contacts.

You can do this!

-Lisa

Job Search Strategy Issues – Enable Your Success

How long have you been searching for a new job? Are you getting requests for interviews? Are you getting job offers?

Let’s face it: you are an expert in your field, but that doesn’t automatically make you an expert in job search strategy. Here are diagnostic tools to help you pinpoint the problem: ratio of applications to interview requests, conversion rate of phone interviews to in-person interviews, and number of job offers from number of interviews.

Diagnose Your Job Search Strategy Problems with 5 Questions:

1. What is your #1 job search activity? If you are like most job seekers out there today, you answered “search online for jobs”. In this economy, there are fewer job openings than there are job seekers. Not all jobs are posted. So why are you chasing online leads along with 10 million other people across the globe? You have other options. For starters, pick better online job posting sites like Hireway.com – highly recommended.  Also, limit your online job browsing to no more than 1 hour per day or 10% of your total job search time. Online job boards are GREAT for conducting additional company research but don’t use them as your all-encompassing search strategy. Apply online but don’t stop there – find company contacts, learn more about the company culture.  Your #1 search activity should be networking to find and build positive rapport with company insiders regarding the #1 thing you do best in the world. Period.

2. Is your Resume drowning in mediocrity? Basic, generic resumes rank right up there with no-name brands, automated telemarketer phone prompts, one-size-fits-all T-shirts, public access television, and no-fuss haircuts. There’s nothing wrong with these items; but they cannot effectively compete with their nicer-looking, better-crafted neighbors. I review between 50-75 resumes per day. Out of those, only 4-5 really make me pause and read deeper. I also provide free Resume IQ Scores through my website. The average score is, well, average. The resume leads to the interview process. Rise above!

3. Is your Cover Letter all about YOU? Your cover letter will get the attention it deserves if a) your resume stands above the competition to begin with, and b) you use your letter to show how well you understand the company’s needs. Make your letter more about the company than you. Limit statements starting with “I” to no more than 3 per letter. Job search is not about you, it’s about finding a company need that you can fill better or easier than the rest.

4. Are you presenting yourself as a jack-of-all-trades? Know your quintessential sales pitch. Recognize that in this economy you need to sell your #1 talent or strength. It is your strongest asset and what you will be able to talk about most passionately and confidently. You’ll be able to rattle off one example after another that demonstrates the expert you truly are. A related item here is in not presenting yourself as one thing clearly enough. Or being so vague that people wonder why you’ve sent your materials in to them at all. People are not going to guess – spell it out for them. Your sales pitch must be consistent and focused from applications to interviews.

5. Are you well-connected? Build and leverage strategic connections. This is where many job seekers fall down or are just scratching the surface. 10 solid contacts who directly influence hiring in a company of interest outrank 5000 faceless friends. Evaluate your connections and separate names into categories of: preferred company insider, recruiter, hiring manager, business owner or other person of influence. How many contacts fall in to each category? How strong do your contacts look now? Pretty weak? Don’t fret, because now you KNOW where to focus your connection energies. Conveniently, it also takes care of item #1 and rounds out your reference list.

Last but not least: be methodical, consistent, professional and patient. If these traits don’t come naturally to you: Get help. Ultimately, you need to assess whether the lack of job search success is rooted in your materials or your job search approach – and chances are the answer is “both”. You also need to vary your approaches to be able to measure which approaches work better. The good news – these are things you can control and do something about.

-Lisa

Go Above and Beyond

If you have spent a good deal of time seeking out a new position, chances are you have had a number of interviews only to get cut from consideration in the final round. Maddening! The trick is to go above and beyond all the way to the end. It is in the final round where your stress is at its peak and your interview know-how begins to falter. Here are three ways to stay strong and see success.

Three ways to interview like a true pro:

1. Prove it. Convey your IMPACT and VALUE all the way through. This starts on your resume and it continues during phone screens, which are the two key points where prospective employers are trying to rule you out, not in. During in-person interviews, that frame of reference shifts for them and they become truly receptive to what you bring to the table. Don’t let your guard down. The first interview is to solidify your talents and clarify expected contributions to a new team. Final round interviews contribute significantly to final decisions about personality, likability and overall fit. Convey concrete examples of your successes within a team including how you worked well with team members and team leads plus examples of how you treated each other accordingly.

2. Align it. Make sure the prospective organization does not have any doubts about your technical abilities. Whenever there are technical qualifications spelled out, take the time to learn more about any of which you are not truly proficient and well aware of the software vendor’s strategic direction. Go to their website and read the product reviews, press releases and yes, take advantage of the customary 30-day free trial. Show prospective employers that you have what they need, in detail. Talk about a technical requirement like it is the most comfortable topic in the world.

3. Connect it. Connect your list of references to the job you want. In other words, compile a list of professionals who can verify that you have done the tasks that will be required of you in a new position. But go above and beyond and provide additional contacts that can speak to how well you gel with a team and how you support the team’s efforts from start to finish. Find people who will verify that you were able to re-energize the team when the project bogged down or presented a creative solution when initial plans went awry or was the first to congratulate everyone on a job well done and voiced credit to others in a truly supportive way.

So, stay strong through to the finish line. Start with these three tips for first-round interviews, too, because sometimes that’s all they need to make a decision. And remember that competition remains fierce all the way up to the point of the job offer.

You can do this!

-Lisa

Change Your Job, Change Your Life