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Clients come to me with a wide variety of concerns. Family matters, the boss, work pressures and a host of other matters can create tension and unhappiness, which can, if not addressed, lead to more serious issues.

We have seen time and time again the demise of firms, industries and technologies, and economic downturns with devastating impact on tens of thousands of families. Yet with all of that, most people have exhibited a remarkable ability to adapt and survive, finding within themselves the strength and determination to move forward. Some do very, very well. Others have not done as well.

As a professional community we have every right to be proud of our performance. I even think we sometimes take for granted our collective will to succeed and the energy we pour into building new careers, or picking up the pieces of a career that has been temporarily sidelined.

As a counselor, I am continually striving to understand what is going on in the employment field, to better advise clients. But I also need to understand the forces that impact employment in general. Frequently, clients have no idea that interesting opportunities are available in seemingly unrelated areas, areas in which the client’s skill levels are readily transferable either directly or with a little training. In fact, as we have seen industries pass their peak and new industries emerge, most people figure this out on their own.

When considering the entire set of job search challenges, the list is actually quite short. With many clients, perhaps most, their weaknesses in succeeding with a search is generally due to a poor career choice, poor job search tactics or a lack of motivation.

It is not my intention to minimize the often complex and discouraging barriers people encounter as they move forward. Nor do I ignore the long and often frustrating efforts required before finally succeeding. What I do insist is looking for a job, or finding the right career is not rocket science. Rather, it is the consistent and persistent application of a set of simple steps, applied with skill and determination that ultimately wins the day.

The first, a good career choice, is ignored by too many people. Being both successful and unhappy is not a job requirement, but so many people get so little satisfaction from their success, one might think they go hand-in-hand. We can all understand when an individual is both unhappy and unsuccessful, often moving from job to job seeking a position that would bring a measure of happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, too many have embarked on careers for which they are unsuited by temperament, values, element of risk (too much or too little), or a host of other factors, and succeed very well. Yet they are miserable, and don’t know why.

When it finally dawns that a new start with a new career choice is necessary, that revelation can have an enormous impact on morale and motivation. My personal job satisfaction increases when clients see that a new beginning is very viable and start building toward a new set of goals.

The second factor, job search tactics, is the most straightforward. Good resumes, good networking techniques, good interviewing skills and other job search tactics require both a little art and a little science. Most require thoughtful planning, an objective view of your accomplishments, an informed view of what firms are looking for beyond the specific skills of the job, and a willingness to do the homework and take the time to develop professional job search tools. Slapping together a resume and throwing it at Monster.com in the hope that it will stick, just doesn’t work.

The final factor, motivation, can be the simplest or the most complex. Finding a new career choice can be an immense motivator. Frequently I encounter individuals who feel guilty because they are successful and productive with a favorable economic situation, but are nevertheless miserable. They don’t want to rock the boat, but have to make a change. I well understand. When family circumstances are involved a career change can be a very big and even a traumatic decision.

For others, lack of motivation could be related to a long string of unsuccessful efforts. I have consistently preached that giving up is not an option. Those that succeed, succeed because they don’t give up.

Make sure the tools you are using and your approach is viable. Don’t ignore the possibility these difficulties stem from poor presentation, not a lack of value as a person or a professional.

Finally, we have that very small group of people who lack motivation and have always lacked motivation. They have skated through with family help or luck or help from others but are now faced with a stark choice. This is the most vexing and difficult group with whom to communicate. Often the parents or a significant other are the driving force for change.

For this group I have no answer. We say life is what we make of it and in the absence of a calamity, each of us is the captain of his own ship. Where we choose to steer it is up to us.

Article written by: Judit Price, http://www.careercampaign.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

A resume reveals so much more than your professional experience, education and career goals. It can tell a prospective employer about the kind of leadership you offer. Although many people spend a great deal of time working through various font sizes and deciding whether to do a chronological or functional summary, they often forget to think through how others will respond to the non-factual aspects of their resume.

The editorial issues are certainly important. A prospective employer likes to review a neat, accurate resume which responds to the qualities and strengths he or she would like to see in the next member of the team. Although a less-than-perfect resume, or cover letter, may simply be an oversight, a prospective employer will almost always take a mediocre resume as a signal of lack of interest and professionalism. He or she will probably choose not to invite you in for a face-to-face meeting. On the other hand, a perfectly neat but uninspired resume will not exactly guarantee you a personal interview. In the end, the well-crafted resume is most likely to gain positive attention.

A well-crafted resume will present you as a thoughtful, energetic and creative leader. It will usually point to subtle, often sought after, abilities. A resume can tell a prospective employer whether you are tuned into industry issues, have a positive, “can-do” attitude and whether you operate strategically. A strong resume can frequently be made more appealing by emphasizing successful outcomes and by showing your ability to manage a range of responsibilities, while recognizing others’ contribution and accepting occasional disappointments.

You will likely pique a prospective employer’s interest by paying attention to less-than-obvious cues others may get from your resume. In addition to the factual details of your education and experience, your resume gives you a wonderful opportunity to tell your professional life story. It can be a forum for describing how and why you have evolved over time. Not all of your professional story is about titles, compensation and the number of direct reports you have managed. A big part of the “story-behind-the-resume” has to do with how you have assessed and given direction to others in complex situations. In the end, an inviting resume tells a prospective employer that he or she will be comfortable working with you primarily because you have strong skills and, as importantly, because you are the kind of person who responds positively to challenges.

For example, does your track record indicate that you have gained your peers’ support and outstanding results? How do you describe and respond to ambiguous or challenging situations in the workplace? Do you hide them (seen by many as dishonest), or do you acknowledge them openly? Do you distance tricky situations, letting others take the fall, or are you quick to point to lessons learned and new skills acquired? What about your level of creativity? Does your current resume show that you are able to think “outside-of-the-box” and get buy-in from others? Do you give others credit for the part they have played in your success? Does your resume describe you as a “team-player” or as a high-achieving “loner”? How you project your leadership skills will have a big impact on how other perceive you. A positive presentation will encourage them to meet you in person.

The next time you review your resume, certainly check for typos, spacing and format. Make sure that you have highlighted relevant experience, and that you have used fonts and descriptions to good advantage. Also, pause to ask a few questions. Ask yourself, “What will people think of me when they read this?” “Would I hire someone who handed me this resume?” “What questions might my next boss raise about my ability to lead?” “How will he/she perceive my successes?” “How have I described my challenges?” Ask these kinds of probing questions and get honest feedback from friends and colleagues whom you trust. Listen carefully to their suggestions and responses. This feedback, which goes way beyond the font used in what you report, will move your resume to the next level. As you read your resume critically to identify those entries which may need to be revised, you will discover fresh ways to present your work history. You will also find many opportunities to explain how you have overcome challenges and motivated others to exceed expectations.

When your resume is neat, accurate and reflects your people skills, you stand the best possible chance of being invited in for further discussions. Take the opportunity. Give your resume the upgrade which comes with careful editing and wait for positive things to happen.

Article written by: Karen Alphonse, execSearches.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Everybody talks about meeting new people and renewing old contacts as a way to uncover job leads.

But after you speak to someone about your job search, then what?

You follow up with them later, that’s what.

Follow-up is an often-neglected part of networking that can pay off huge in your search for work — as much as $417 an hour, as we’ll see.

To motivate you to follow up with your network contacts — all of them — here are two recent success stories from my readers. What can you learn from each?

1) Follow up with old contacts
Lynda H., from Apple Valley, Minn., interviewed with a Fortune 500 company in Minneapolis last year. They offered her a job, but rescinded when the departing employee, whose position Lynda was to fill, decided not to quit after all.

What would you have done?

Here’s what Lynda did.

“I included people from past job searches in my current search, including one company I interviewed with a year ago. Getting back in touch with them was as simple as picking up the phone and calling the executive I had talked to last year. It turned out that he had assumed more responsibilities, and the position they were hiring for now reported to him. Because I had developed a rapport with him last year, it was easy to get my resume to the top of the pile, schedule the interview and land the job!”

Today, write down the names of every company you interviewed with in your last job search. Then, make a plan to contact each this week to tell them about your current search, and why you’re a more valuable potential employee than the last time you spoke.

What if you haven’t looked for a job in five or 10 years? No problem. Find someone in your industry who has. Ask them to contact each company they interviewed with and tell them about a really sharp person they should talk to — you.

Of course, you should buy lunch for each friend who networks for you this way, but that’s just another chance to sit down and do more networking!

2) Follow up with new contacts
By following up like clockwork by email and phone, Michael S., from Los Angeles, turned an employment lead into a new job. And it took all of 23 minutes.

He writes: “I had lunch with the CEO. After emailing him my resume and a polite note following lunch, he went silent for a week.”

At this point, many folks would be too preoccupied with posting resumes online or reading the classified ads to follow up on a “cold” lead like this. But not Michael.

“Exactly one week later, I sent another polite email and placed a call to the CEO one hour after sending that second follow-up email. He took the call and said things were looking very good. We talked for about three minutes,” said Michael.

“He then called this afternoon (four days later) to say it’s a go and to explain the terms of the job. That was a 20-minute call. Total time invested to win the job offer following the initial meeting with the CEO was 23 minutes. I would call that a strong return on investment.”

And I would agree. One lunch, two emails and three phone calls to land a job is a terrific ROI for anyone. All you have to do is stay organized and persistent — because the vast majority of candidates competing with you are neither organized nor persistent.

How much money is a new job worth to you? Let’s say $50,000 in salary. And let’s say you spend 20 hours a week for 6 weeks following up on networking contacts before you get hired. That’s 120 hours invested for a $50,000 payoff, which works out to about $417 an hour.

So, if you think you “don’t have time” to follow up on employment contacts for 20 hours a week, do you think you could find time, now that you know every hour is worth $417?

Once you realize this, other uses of your time, like watching television or adding MySpace friends, suddenly seem less important, don’t they?

Now, go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php
copyright (c) 2007 by Kevin Donlin

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Before you get hired for a new job, you have to get found by a hiring manager.

That’s obvious.

But how do you get found? How can you get on the radar of top employers and make them call you for an interview?

That’s not so obvious.

You could troll the Web and apply for posted jobs, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. For every advertised opening there may be five or more “hidden” ones.

To solve this problem, here are three simple ways to get noticed — and get hired — by your next boss.

1) Temp is Not a Four-Letter Word
If you’ve never considered taking a temporary or contract position, you should rethink that attitude, according to Jackie Engmark, Executive Director of the Minnesota Recruiting & Staffing Association (www.mnrsa.org).

The 75 firms in the MNRSA fill positions ranging from entry-level to executive, with up to 70-75% of those jobs being temp-to-hire positions, according to Engmark.

“Businesses look to staffing firms as a good source for permanent employees. Regardless of whether they need the talent on a temporary, contract, or permanent basis, businesses tap staffing companies for that talent,” says Engmark.

Approximately 35% of people who take a temp job end up getting hired full-time, according to Engmark. That’s a .350 batting average — not bad.

And smart employers will create a full-time job for the right temp worker. “With the current talent shortage, if a company brings in someone who catches on fast and has the right attitude, more often than not they will find a place for you,” says Engmark.

She says the secret lies in having the right attitude and work ethic — two traits that can’t be taught. “Employers can invest in training you other skills. If you are outgoing, friendly and work hard, jobs will find you.”

To find staffing and recruiting firms near you, Google the following phrase: “YOUR STATE staffing firms.”

2) Get Connected
You may use LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com and MySpace.com. But are you getting all that you can out of these social networking sites?

One way to get found faster by employers is to enhance your profile. For a dramatic before-and-after example, take a look at the Extreme Makeover that marketing guru Guy Kawasaki got for his LinkedIn.com profile – blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html

Tip: The more high-quality connections you make on sites like LinkedIn.com, the more likely you are to get found by employers. On his blog, Kawasaki writes: “People with more than 20 connections are 34 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.”

3) Keep Your Dirt to Yourself
According to NBC news, 77% of employers will search the Internet to check your background, and 35% of employers have eliminated a candidate for consideration after finding “digital dirt” about them online.

That means you have to be extra careful about what you post in your profile on LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and other sites.

“My advice is to post only information online that you would feel comfortable sharing with your grandmother. If you wouldn’t want her to see your photos or learn about your drunken behavior, don’t post it anywhere online,” advises Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com.

One hiring professional, posting on a CollegeRecruiter blog, wrote: “My team and I use sources such as facebook.com and myspace.com on a regular basis to screen candidates. We have on many occasions stopped the interview process with candidates based on their online profiles. Think twice before you post anything out there for us to see.”

So, to find your next job, you might want to take another look at temping, get connected online, and get smart.

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php copyright (c) 2007 by Kevin Donlin

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

The GadBall team is happy to announce the first release of Career Link, a unique Facebook application that helps you cultivate your Facebook network and build it into a professional community.

You’ve invested a significant amount of time building your network of friends on Facebook. Introduce your friends to your professional experience and goals. When your friends know what you do for work they can help you by introducing you to their friends; your friends may know people who can help you do your job better.

A Career Link professional profile gives you the opportunity to describe your job and employer. You can make your Career Link profile visible to your friends, and their friends – someone you know may be searching for a job similar to what you do, or you may know of a relevant opening at your company for a friend who is looking for a new job.

Career experts estimate that the vast majority of job openings are never advertised or publicly announced, but filled through networking. Career minded people devote time to cultivating relationships, and CareerLink helps you transform your Facebook friends into professional contacts.

Not familier with Facebook? – it’s a social networking website that connects people with friends and others. Career Link adds another layer of connections to Facebook by introducing an option to connect for career networking.

To add Career Link to your Facebook account or to create your Facebook account, simply follow this link or search for Career Link in the Facebook application directory.

After adding the application to your Facebook account, you’ll be redirected to your Career Link home page. The home page shows you relevant information regarding your account:

• Invite your friends to view your Career Link profile and see who viewed it.
• Up-to-date statistics on who viewed your profile
• If your friends shared their profile with you, you’ll be notified about it here (and on your Facebook home page) and you’ll be able to view it.

It is easy to create and update your Career Link profile . You can upload a resume (or cut and paste a resume), or extract your data from your Facebook profile, and our technology will migrate your data to your Career Link profile. Or, you can manually input your data.

You can make your profile private and not searchable, which means that no one else will know that you have an active Career Link profile, or you can set your profile as “searchable” – meaning others outside of your current network can network with you.

Easily update your profile via the profile edit page. Click on the edit button next to each section you’d like to update.

Easily share your profile with your friends or with other job boards. With one click you can specify which friends are allowed to see your profile and what job boards will receive it. If you’d like your profile removed from a job board, or not allow your friends to access it anymore, simply click the remove button. It’s that easy.

Share, connect, network, and find other professionals on Career Link

Salespeople are often viewed as parasites that take money from hard working consumers. These views of the sales profession have left many would-be sales stars out on a limb. Why does every company need a talented salesperson? Every company needs a talented salesperson to generate revenue for their company by applying principles of persuasion to their targeted markets. Talented salespeople are rare because they make a lot of money in their profession. Recent college students and grads may consider sales to be a bad career choice, but sales pros are affluent individuals.

Make Money In A Slow Economy

Although an economy is slow, certain sales positions remain in demand. These companies are hiring sales superstars to bring their companies to the forefront while the economy is slow. You can build credibility by selling passionately and strategically. The economic conditions will not shatter the opportunity to earn a six figure income within three years of this profession. If you know how to listen, you can find yourself making a reasonable amount of money in sales. Is it all about the money? No, because sales professionals are the veins of companies worldwide.

Myths About Sales Careers

People consider salespeople to be parasites of society because untrained salespeople call their homes or businesses. You can not judge the profession because you have received calls from stuttering salespeople. Recent college students and grads are losing out on a golden opportunity to develop leadership skills. The sales profession is very demanding because it involves creative thinking, strategic planning, and mastery of learning skills no other profession requires. As stated in Jeffrey Zalewski’s article, The Most Important Skills Needed In Any Career at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/employersblog/archives/2006/03/the_most_important_skill_neede.php, sales skills are the most important skills recent grads and students can hone for success. It is true and is almost forgotten by many who flinch at the thought of a sales position.

How You Can Begin Today

Before you begin, write down what products or services interest you; companies selling these products may have openings available. Consider the products you buy or services you use as a starting place then build on that foundation. For instance, who provides your internet connection? Where do you buy clothes, food, necessities? All of these companies need talented salespeople to grow their businesses. Visit job boards such as CollegeRecruiter.com to search for current positions with all of your service providers. With more research, you may find the best place for you to develop important skills to build a successful career in any industry.

Tahjia Chapman is a writer for CollegeRecruiter.com at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com, the leading job board for college students searching for internships and recent graduates hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Whether your parents are very involved in your life or tend to be more hands-off, moms and dad (and stepmoms and stepdads) can play an important and useful role in your job search and career planning. If you’re comfortable asking your parents for help with your career, there is a lot they can do to support you at any stage. Why not use every resource you’ve got—especially one that loves you? And why not approach your loved ones for help while you’re all eating turkey and feeling grateful? (Just be sure to ask for help before that L-tryptophan kicks in and everyone falls asleep.)

The thing is, there are some areas where it is totally appropriate and encouraged for your parents to help with your career planning and job search. At the same time, there are other situations where it is totally inappropriate for your parents to be involved. So, be careful! When in doubt, ask someone outside of your family (such as a trusted professional friend) whether parental involvement would be Kosher or not.

Here are my personal tips on when to green light Mom and Dad’s help this holiday:

Rehearsing for interviews. Just as our parents can be our biggest supporters, they can also be our biggest critics–because they want the very best for us, of course! Your parents or relatives can help you prepare for any upcoming interviews by running through questions, helping to choose an appropriate interview outfit or videotaping a rehearsal. The more practice you have interviewing, the better.

Reviewing any assessments you’ve taken. When you take any assessments tests—online, with a career coach or in a book (a free assessment is available on my book’s website), your parents can be a great help in reviewing the answers. For instance, they may remind you of activities you loved as a child that you may have forgotten about, but that show up as strong interests on an assessment test.

Proofreading. You can never have too many people checking your resume, cover letters and any other professional correspondence. If your parents have good grammar and spelling abilities, ask them to check some of your career-related writing.

Networking. Your family members count as part of your network. Ask your parents if they’d be willing to brainstorm any of their contacts who might be helpful for you. You’d be amazed at how many people come to mind when they really think about it. And, if you’re like most young people, I’ll bet you haven’t really spent time talking to your parents abour your career goals.

Some people aren’t comfortable asking their parents for help and connections—it’s fine if you feel this way, and of course there are lots of other connections you can access. But if you are comfortable networking with your parents, then I’d make theirs the first Rolodexes on your holiday networking list.

Lindsey Pollak is the author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World” (HarperCollins, 2007).
Author Website: http://lindseypollak.blogspot.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Most people launch their careers in their twenties and thirties with the focus of career development mainly on early adulthood. And what is the ambition at this age? For many, it’s getting to “the top” as soon as possible. Some people achieve this goal in their early forties with twenty to thirty career years still ahead of them. Others perhaps do not use goals in their careers; their careers just evolve!

Nonetheless, middle-adulthood, those years from 40-60, are often overlooked in career plans. Some of the thinking goes like this: If I make it to the top by forty I won’t have to worry about anything else. But what do you do when you make it to “the top” and still have all those years ahead of you? To this writer, it is a prescription for mid-life crisis!

Consider this: In our Twenties we go through the trial and exploratory stage of career development where we search for direction. In our Thirties we are in the transitional stage, synonymous with movement and advancement. The Forties and beyond are considered the stability stage; ongoing with a sound foundation. The irony is that as we move into our forties (middle adulthood) most of us have not done it all. Some of us are forced to restart our careers due to downsizing, soft industries, red flags in our company, being passed-over etc. In some cases we need to get away from a not-so-perfect situation or jump-start a stalled career. In others, we are searching for personal self-development or for a second career or to strike out on our own.

For these reasons and any number of others, most professionals will experience changes, or even upheaval, in mid-life.  The answer in not “to buy a Harley”.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Job Search Handbook, most professionals will undergo seven to eleven job changes and two to three career changes over the course of their careers. Not only is the market demand for selected skills and career fields changing, but so are our roles as professionals and the way we manage our careers. Thus, career planning is more important than ever.

If you are in middle-adulthood and wondering what to do for the remainder of your career (and assuming that early retirement is not in the picture), don’t panic. I have a simple three-step process that I have found in my many years in career marketing to make all the difference in the world.

First, you need to get to know yourself and what it is that you enjoy most; what it is that when doing it does not feel like work. Dr. Charles Ehl, former Dean of Continuing Education at Stonehill College in Easton, MA: “Regardless of past industry or direction, people can be empowered to control their professional destiny through an approach that fuses self-needs analysis, good targeted research and tactical planning in the use of certain techniques beginning with getting to know themselves.”  By that Dr. Ehl means understanding for themselves–about themselves: What it is that they really value; what they feel they stand for; what it is that drives them to do what they do; what it is they enjoy doing most–are most passionate about; and finally, although it doesn’t necessarily end with this, where they are looking to take themselves, why, and with what end in mind.  Through this exercise, the notion of your optimal market will emerge. For example: If you find that your interest in creative writing is so great, you find you are happiest when you are engaged in it, perhaps a move into editing or speech writing, or a move into the publishing industry at large; or developing newsletters for an association, entering the advertising arena or other creative industries may be best.

Second, you need to figure out how to attract your audience – contacts that can help you move towards your goals. Do what politicians do: Get outside impartial viewpoints to provide you with some idea of how others (your audience) may perceive you, and learn about them–do your research. Developing a networking communication strategy and your “talking points” with this knowledge and the fresh ideas about you that others can provide; and with a focus on the needs of your target audience, you will separate yourself from the average person and ultimately paint your own landscape.

Finally, once you have your audience’s attention, you will need to talk about yourself.  I suggest the Story Technique. Compelling stories which incorporate specific examples of your experiences, achievements and contributions that relate to your market and put you in the right light will be remembered well after the interview is over.  People remember your stories more than duties and responsibilities.  Here are three concepts that will help you when developing a communication strategy and talking about yourself:
Success concepts:
You must have a purpose, a personal philosophy. In today’s uniquely competitive job market the lifespan in an executive position may only be 5 years in some cases (clearly, not as Evergreen as it once was).  Jim Sabin, a CIO with The Shaw Group, Inc. the leading Global provider of services to the power industry: “With executive positions in IT, for example, as interchangeable as mouse pads, the need for a sharply honed purpose for ‘Plan A’ and stratagem for ‘B and C’ for that matter, has never been more apparent.”  “Purpose” could be hat you feel is important in running a business or what you feel is the business of business; it must be carefully thought out and presented. Think in terms of a one-page presentation to the company directors. You will need to come up with as many success concepts as you can from your past professional experiences and when you begin to assemble your thoughts for your presentation, try to include as many of them as possible.  Here are some relevant themes to consider:

1. A personal mission statement
2. Core values; core strengths
3. Driving factors; motivations
4. Level of integrity
5. Value you place on quality
6. Visioning, strategy and facilitating
7. Performance standards you hold for yourself
8. Professional goals
9. Leadership philosophy
10. Management style
11. Communications capabilities
12. New technologies
13. Strategic client relations
14. Level of organization
15. Practiced client/public relations
16. Leveraging skill-sets
17. Creative expertise
18. Your business knowledge base
19. Your market intelligence
20. Managing resources (people; money; technology; personal knowledge…)
21. Your community outside of business

Trigger Concepts
The easiest way to attract people’s attention and to help them get to know you is to adopt simple words and phrases which will have an immediate “trigger” effect, such as:

1. Strategic partnering
2. Managing deadlines
3. Impact presentations
4. Leadership value
5. Success bringing products to markets
6. Entrepreneurial talents in seeing opportunity
7. Driving revenues; growing profits
8. Structuring or restructuring
9. Building responsible teams
10. Balancing business practices and people dynamics
11. Enterprise development
12. Bringing ideas to utility
13. Business-oriented intuition
14. Staying ahead of the curve
15. Crafting solutions
16. Driving “large dollar” projects
17. Managing talent
18. Managing change-driven environments
19. bottom-line results-oriented
20. Start up; high growth; rapid improvement
21. Sense of command
22. Leading into new markets

The combination of a Philosophy, along with Success and Trigger Concepts is a winning one. It provides you with some control and sets the tone for all future discussions and posturing for negotiations.

Story Technique
One of the most important tenets in product marketing applies here in career planning: Differentiate your product from others in the marketplace.

John Folcarelli, Labor Attorney and Human Resource Manager for Laidlaw Education: “Most people involved in planning their career tend to fly by the seat of their pants rather than exercise control over the process as it unfolds. For instance, in the interview, instead of simply reacting to questions imposed by the interviewer, the job candidate can and should attempt to take on more responsibility for influencing the direction of the interview.”  The story technique does just that. It is a method for bridging your qualifications and past successes to the needs the targeted company. It is also a great example of how to use your Success and Trigger Concepts in presenting the right image and distinguishing you from the competition.

Your stories should tell about actions that you took to bring about a positive change. Story techniques cover the “before”, the “action” and the “after.” You can begin by first explaining what had existed that required your attention: Situation. Next consider how this new challenge may benefit the enterprise and you: Opportunity.  Briefly describe what you did: Action. Lastly, describe the outcome and its benefits to you and the company: Results.  Here are examples of the use of the story technique–“S.O.A.R”:

Example 1:
(S) I was selected by top management to lead a corporation into the US market and…
(O) recognized an opportunity to have a big impact on operations at a wholly owned subsidiary.
(A) Over a two-year period I developed a cohesive staff which went on to develop 1.5 million square feet of office properties at $350 million which…
(R) produced over $25 million of net operating income and $4 million net cash flow for the corporation resulting a promotion to President of the wholly owned subsidiary.

Example 2:
(S) The ownership of a physical therapy and sports medicine company recruited me to…
(O) lead, grow and concurrently stabilize a $4.7 million health systems company staffed by 85 professionals.
(A) I developed and executed all business plans and opened new markets in industrial and corporate health promotions…
(R) positioning the company for its very profitable $6.6 million sale, $2.5 million more than the ownership had anticipated.

A strong, well-articulated Philosophy, sound Success and Trigger Concepts, and persuasive examples of your successes using the Story Techniques (SOAR) are essential for securing a quality position. 

MORE THAN JUST A TASK
There is certainly more to consider beyond these concepts. Nonetheless, the purpose here is to stimulate your thinking if your situation calls for a serious look at your career. There are times when a simple career adjustment may be called for and other times when a complete change is necessary. In any case, restarting your career in middle-adulthood can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life.  Approach it with enthusiasm, dedication and confidence (but for goodness sake, don’t forget “technique”).

Rob Taub, a native of New York residing in Boston MA, is the Director the RLS Executive Group N.E. of RL Stevens & Associates, a corporate and private career marketing firm.  He has also been active as a fund-raiser for Technology in Education, an auctioneer with WGBH Public Television, a debate moderator with Community Access Television, an instru
Author Website: http://www.ExecutiveCareerSolutions.com

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