Texts and Tweets and Profiles--Oh My!
From cover stories in Fortune to millions of everyday interactions and conversations, social media and their role in the job search and career transition process seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Besides the obvious enabling aspects of these tools and their particular strengths and quirks, one persistent question comes up over and over: Do these build stronger relationships or are they more transactional, making us feel that we are building something meaningful that may ultimately be something far less than that.
There is no question that these new tools, when used well and as part of a disciplined approach to transition, are powerful and help the process to move along more smoothly and quickly. They do, however, have the quality of lulling us into thinking that these connections are as real and meaningful as those we have created through face to face meetings and interactions. The reality is that they do not.
We believe that meaningful connections take time to create, requiring a mindful and nurturing approach to building a longer-lasting relationship. Social media allow us to be and feel connected, but they are not designed for, nor do they encourage the building of real relationship. Instead, their use (and overuse) can create a dependency, a laziness, if you will, that actually can inhibit the building of strong relationships. Furthermore, in our experience, it is these deeper relationships that are key to finding and keeping meaningful work.
As many who are searching for meaningful work realize, social media have a powerful and growing place in how we drive the process. We encourage the adept and savvy use of these tools to support and even accelerate a well thought out job search or career change. However, if your plans do not also include a vigorous commitment to “traditional” networking, including regular face-to-face and voice-to-voice connections with old friends and colleagues and new contacts, all the tweets, texts, and well-written profiles will probably not get you where you want to go.
Best wishes.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Networking Tips
Below is a recent e-mail about networking, followed by my response:
Question: Up until now, I have been very successful in my career. Now that I’m between jobs, I find myself shying away from doing what I understand is key to transition, that thing called networking. What can I do to get over this and how can I be more effective in my networking?
Answer: Networking is the way most professionals get re-employed and find meaningful work, and though most know this, many are still reluctant to practice “purposeful” networking. This means developing a disciplined process of connecting with others that is in line with your natural style that you can do with clarity, authenticity and enthusiasm. Here are a few tips:
Develop a brief and compelling elevator pitch that focuses on who you are, what you do, how do you do what you do, and what kind of help you need from the connection.
Follow your curiosity: What is it that you need to know or learn? What advice do you need? What information will help you move forward?
Practice reciprocity: Be in a position to offer your help, ideas, advice, even if this will be given later.
Start with the people you know and move out from there: Everyone who knows you will probably say yes to your request for help and is also likely to have their own interesting set of connections and relationships that you can tap into. Implied here is that you must ask everyone you meet for referrals to other connections.
Develop a disciplined approach: Make networking integral to your transition activities and be sure to continue purposeful networking for the rest of your work life.
Best wishes.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Below is a recent e-mail about networking, followed by my response:
Question: Up until now, I have been very successful in my career. Now that I’m between jobs, I find myself shying away from doing what I understand is key to transition, that thing called networking. What can I do to get over this and how can I be more effective in my networking?
Answer: Networking is the way most professionals get re-employed and find meaningful work, and though most know this, many are still reluctant to practice “purposeful” networking. This means developing a disciplined process of connecting with others that is in line with your natural style that you can do with clarity, authenticity and enthusiasm. Here are a few tips:
Develop a brief and compelling elevator pitch that focuses on who you are, what you do, how do you do what you do, and what kind of help you need from the connection.
Follow your curiosity: What is it that you need to know or learn? What advice do you need? What information will help you move forward?
Practice reciprocity: Be in a position to offer your help, ideas, advice, even if this will be given later.
Start with the people you know and move out from there: Everyone who knows you will probably say yes to your request for help and is also likely to have their own interesting set of connections and relationships that you can tap into. Implied here is that you must ask everyone you meet for referrals to other connections.
Develop a disciplined approach: Make networking integral to your transition activities and be sure to continue purposeful networking for the rest of your work life.
Best wishes.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Friday, April 2, 2010
Whining Your Way to a Meaningful Job Search
I recently facilitated a job search strategy session for a group of 15 mid and senior level professionals and managers. It began with a great deal of complaint about how bad the job market is and how it’s probably going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. After a fair amount of ranting, a couple of participants commented that the “whining” was counterproductive, as well as being annoying to listen to. Once that was acknowledged the whining shifted to a whole other level: Even when I get my next job, it will probably not be what I really want . . . it might pay less . . . it might not be a long commute . . . and so on.
Before long the whole group realized that the energy they were expending in whining was feeble and a-not-very-effective way to connect to what they hoped their next job or career would be like. So, we began to discuss how their whining was distracting them from their efforts to express their values, their desires, and what they really wanted. This lead to a discussion about how they needed to reframe their story from a lament (I hope I get something . . .) and a complaint (I’ll take anything at this point . . .) to a coherent and authentic statement of what is important (This is who I am . . . , what I can do . . ., what I want . . .) and then make necessary adjustments and compromises from there.
They began to see that experiencing the job market as a victim (and hence the continuous whining, as in, ”Why don’t they ever return my calls?”) was counterproductive and started to recognize that a more powerful stance was to see themselves as co-creators of their future. For some people in the room, this was a relatively easy shift—they saw that their previous way was ineffective and, being pragmatic, they could justify making a change; others were at a stage of readiness to hear a new message and were open to considering that there are other ways to conduct their job search. Nearly half the group, however, stayed stuck in their whining and being a victim, and even though many examples were offered to contradict their positions, many became louder and more adamant in their whining.
The bottom line is that each of us always has choice in the matter of how we look for work or change our careers. We can do it the way we always have done it, and “hope for the best,” whining all the way. Or we can step back and look for new options and possibilities, and choose a different path to achieving our goals. By the way, when the session ended, most were still whining as they left the room.
Best wishes.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
I recently facilitated a job search strategy session for a group of 15 mid and senior level professionals and managers. It began with a great deal of complaint about how bad the job market is and how it’s probably going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. After a fair amount of ranting, a couple of participants commented that the “whining” was counterproductive, as well as being annoying to listen to. Once that was acknowledged the whining shifted to a whole other level: Even when I get my next job, it will probably not be what I really want . . . it might pay less . . . it might not be a long commute . . . and so on.
Before long the whole group realized that the energy they were expending in whining was feeble and a-not-very-effective way to connect to what they hoped their next job or career would be like. So, we began to discuss how their whining was distracting them from their efforts to express their values, their desires, and what they really wanted. This lead to a discussion about how they needed to reframe their story from a lament (I hope I get something . . .) and a complaint (I’ll take anything at this point . . .) to a coherent and authentic statement of what is important (This is who I am . . . , what I can do . . ., what I want . . .) and then make necessary adjustments and compromises from there.
They began to see that experiencing the job market as a victim (and hence the continuous whining, as in, ”Why don’t they ever return my calls?”) was counterproductive and started to recognize that a more powerful stance was to see themselves as co-creators of their future. For some people in the room, this was a relatively easy shift—they saw that their previous way was ineffective and, being pragmatic, they could justify making a change; others were at a stage of readiness to hear a new message and were open to considering that there are other ways to conduct their job search. Nearly half the group, however, stayed stuck in their whining and being a victim, and even though many examples were offered to contradict their positions, many became louder and more adamant in their whining.
The bottom line is that each of us always has choice in the matter of how we look for work or change our careers. We can do it the way we always have done it, and “hope for the best,” whining all the way. Or we can step back and look for new options and possibilities, and choose a different path to achieving our goals. By the way, when the session ended, most were still whining as they left the room.
Best wishes.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Q1 Job Market Update
Do you hear the job market is getting better? I read a Mercury news artical that CEO's plan to hire more than fire in 2010 (http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_14507315?IADID). That is a good sign! But it is all talk at this point, we like to see action. We need companies to pull the trigger on making hires rather than just say they are going to hire.
From last summer to December we were at a all time low in terms of job opportunities/search work. The market has picked up from that point, I tell people when you are at or near zero it only takes one or two things to creat significant growth. We have that going on right now in terms of jobs to talk about (search work is up >25% from December). We have seen an increase in our temporary work force as well. We hope this continues and companies start hiring the people they interview not just interview and find a way not to make a hire.
If you are wondering what industries to target I suggest looking at where the Venture Capital money is going. As I have mentioned in previous blogs The PWC Money Tree is a good resource (https://www.pwcmoneytree.com). The Bay Area leads the country in terms of raising capital for new companies. Last quarter more than 34% went to Bio-tech and Medical Device, more than 19% to Software,11% went to industrial/energy and nearly 9% went to media and entertainment. When doing search industry background is important to employers, if you have an opportunity to jump into one of these industries your market value increases. If you are not in one of these industries we can provide guidance on how to break into them.
Next quarter I hope to report a better employment market with hard evidence that we are moving in the right direction. If you have questions or like to talk about your employment search please call or send me an email.
Happy hunting!
Bryon McDougall
bryon@alchemysearch.com
From last summer to December we were at a all time low in terms of job opportunities/search work. The market has picked up from that point, I tell people when you are at or near zero it only takes one or two things to creat significant growth. We have that going on right now in terms of jobs to talk about (search work is up >25% from December). We have seen an increase in our temporary work force as well. We hope this continues and companies start hiring the people they interview not just interview and find a way not to make a hire.
If you are wondering what industries to target I suggest looking at where the Venture Capital money is going. As I have mentioned in previous blogs The PWC Money Tree is a good resource (https://www.pwcmoneytree.com). The Bay Area leads the country in terms of raising capital for new companies. Last quarter more than 34% went to Bio-tech and Medical Device, more than 19% to Software,11% went to industrial/energy and nearly 9% went to media and entertainment. When doing search industry background is important to employers, if you have an opportunity to jump into one of these industries your market value increases. If you are not in one of these industries we can provide guidance on how to break into them.
Next quarter I hope to report a better employment market with hard evidence that we are moving in the right direction. If you have questions or like to talk about your employment search please call or send me an email.
Happy hunting!
Bryon McDougall
bryon@alchemysearch.com
Monday, December 7, 2009
Creating a Great 2010 and Beyond
Time magazine’s cover story of December 7, 2009 cover labeled the years 2000 to 2009 as “The Decade from Hell,” noting that:
“Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post-World War II era. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want—just give thanks that it is nearly over.”
Regardless of how your recent past has been, I’d like to suggest the following six commitments as the keys for achieving your goals in the years ahead:
1. Be Responsible
While this may be obvious, taking responsibility for our work lives is harder than it sounds. It begins with the recognition that we always have choices and it also reminds us to focus energy and attention on those things and actions over which we have control.
2. Stay Relaxed and Alert
Anyone who does an activity requiring hand and eye coordination will recognize how important this is to achieving excellent results. It also means developing a pace that honors the best interplay between important and urgent. And finally, as we work toward our goals, it is critical to stop and rest when needed.
3. Keep Your Goals Focused and Diffused
As important as it is to be focused, it’s also important to see that there is always more than one way to achieve our goals. Not only does this help us to be more creative when confronting inevitable barriers and challenges, but it also allows us to recognize that what’s right in front of us is often prelude to what’s ahead on our path.
4. Trust the Process
The journey toward our goals is best fueled by a disciplined approach to the process. Through focused attention on small and specific steps, a momentum is created that carries us forward. Furthermore, as we open ourselves to the process, we build our capacity to create elegant solutions for getting unstuck.
5. Keep Your Sense of Humor
The capacity to laugh as we work toward our goals allows us to experience joy along the way. It is recommended to have at least several good laughs a day, with one or more of those being a hearty laugh at ourselves, thereby keeping our sense of self-importance in check.
6. Allow for Moments of Inspiration and Awe
Taking time in our day for silence, meditation, or prayer allows us to become grounded in what’s ultimately most important, giving us an opportunity to experience our sense of the “bigger picture.” And, finally, stay open to those moments of grace and beauty that are around us all the time.
With these commitments firmly in hand, best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2010 and beyond.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Time magazine’s cover story of December 7, 2009 cover labeled the years 2000 to 2009 as “The Decade from Hell,” noting that:
“Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post-World War II era. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want—just give thanks that it is nearly over.”
Regardless of how your recent past has been, I’d like to suggest the following six commitments as the keys for achieving your goals in the years ahead:
1. Be Responsible
While this may be obvious, taking responsibility for our work lives is harder than it sounds. It begins with the recognition that we always have choices and it also reminds us to focus energy and attention on those things and actions over which we have control.
2. Stay Relaxed and Alert
Anyone who does an activity requiring hand and eye coordination will recognize how important this is to achieving excellent results. It also means developing a pace that honors the best interplay between important and urgent. And finally, as we work toward our goals, it is critical to stop and rest when needed.
3. Keep Your Goals Focused and Diffused
As important as it is to be focused, it’s also important to see that there is always more than one way to achieve our goals. Not only does this help us to be more creative when confronting inevitable barriers and challenges, but it also allows us to recognize that what’s right in front of us is often prelude to what’s ahead on our path.
4. Trust the Process
The journey toward our goals is best fueled by a disciplined approach to the process. Through focused attention on small and specific steps, a momentum is created that carries us forward. Furthermore, as we open ourselves to the process, we build our capacity to create elegant solutions for getting unstuck.
5. Keep Your Sense of Humor
The capacity to laugh as we work toward our goals allows us to experience joy along the way. It is recommended to have at least several good laughs a day, with one or more of those being a hearty laugh at ourselves, thereby keeping our sense of self-importance in check.
6. Allow for Moments of Inspiration and Awe
Taking time in our day for silence, meditation, or prayer allows us to become grounded in what’s ultimately most important, giving us an opportunity to experience our sense of the “bigger picture.” And, finally, stay open to those moments of grace and beauty that are around us all the time.
With these commitments firmly in hand, best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2010 and beyond.
Mark Guterman
Mark@alchemysearch.com
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Q4 Job Market Update
In my last Update I predicted an up-swing in September. This was primarily based on two factors. The summer slow down was coming to an end and the economy was recovering and would promote job growth. The reality is that there has not been an up-swing, more like a small bump from the bottom.
Companies are still laying off workers to get to profitability. The predictions on a jobless recovery early in 2009 seem to be on the mark. Why? - companies are looking for profitability and are shedding human capital and avoiding projects to get there. Other companies are being acquired thus eliminating employers altogether. The companies that are growing are selectively hiring but doing it cautiously. The Mercury news article earlier this months verifies this activity ( http://www.siliconvalley.com/the-valley/ci_13766368).
What is in store for us is hard to know. At this point we are in a better employment market than in July and August but not good enough to provide job seekers multiple opportunities.
My advice at this time is to be flexible in compensation (be open to a small reduction in salary) and look at any role that will help your long term career goals. It does not need to be a step up in responsibility, it can be a role that provides experiences that will round out your over all background thus making you more marketable in two to four years when the market is much better.
There is a good chance that new opportunities will slow down to a halt in middle of December. Now is the time to look at all options otherwise you may be in the same position mid to late January when everyone is back from holidays and caught up with their work.
Where should you be looking for a job? Use your network to provide any and all resources that may help. I look to the moneytree (https://www.pwcmoneytree.com/MTPublic/ns/nav.jsp?page=industry) for investments into growth industry segments. The greatest industry investments in Q3, 2009 were - Biotechnology/Medical Device - 32%, Industrial/Energy - 18% and Software 13%. Businesses in mature markets may not be growing but have been hiring and upgrading their talent. These are very good employers with good career paths. Something to think about if you are looking for a more "secure or predictable" employment situation.
Happy hunting!
Bryon McDougall
bryon@alchemysearch.com
Companies are still laying off workers to get to profitability. The predictions on a jobless recovery early in 2009 seem to be on the mark. Why? - companies are looking for profitability and are shedding human capital and avoiding projects to get there. Other companies are being acquired thus eliminating employers altogether. The companies that are growing are selectively hiring but doing it cautiously. The Mercury news article earlier this months verifies this activity ( http://www.siliconvalley.com/the-valley/ci_13766368).
What is in store for us is hard to know. At this point we are in a better employment market than in July and August but not good enough to provide job seekers multiple opportunities.
My advice at this time is to be flexible in compensation (be open to a small reduction in salary) and look at any role that will help your long term career goals. It does not need to be a step up in responsibility, it can be a role that provides experiences that will round out your over all background thus making you more marketable in two to four years when the market is much better.
There is a good chance that new opportunities will slow down to a halt in middle of December. Now is the time to look at all options otherwise you may be in the same position mid to late January when everyone is back from holidays and caught up with their work.
Where should you be looking for a job? Use your network to provide any and all resources that may help. I look to the moneytree (https://www.pwcmoneytree.com/MTPublic/ns/nav.jsp?page=industry) for investments into growth industry segments. The greatest industry investments in Q3, 2009 were - Biotechnology/Medical Device - 32%, Industrial/Energy - 18% and Software 13%. Businesses in mature markets may not be growing but have been hiring and upgrading their talent. These are very good employers with good career paths. Something to think about if you are looking for a more "secure or predictable" employment situation.
Happy hunting!
Bryon McDougall
bryon@alchemysearch.com
Monday, November 23, 2009
What Am I Doing Wrong? Networking Revisited
I have a new client, a senior IT professional, who has been struggling in his search for new employment. Though he has a well-documented track record, he’s had a very hard time getting interviews. His main search strategy has been to use the job boards, and after sending out at least 500 resumes in response to job openings, he has had exactly 8 interviews. His success rate of 1.6% is not very good, to say the least, but probably sounds all too familiar to those of you who utilize any of the local and national job boards.
He came to coaching with the question, “What am I doing wrong?” My response was that nearly everyone’s experience with posted jobs is about the same, and that if he relies only or primarily on “visible” job openings, he is severely limiting his odds of getting an interview. I added that he has “blinded” himself to the many opportunities that exist only in the hidden job market, those that never see the light of day.
When we started talking about networking, he laughed, and responded that he hasn’t been networking because he felt that someone at his level shouldn’t need to “beg” people for work or connections. He sees networking as a vague process and beneath his stature and experience. When we explored further, it turned out that he was embarrassed about networking mainly because he didn’t know how to tell his story in a way that was compelling and that he didn’t really know how to ask for help.
We began by having him script and practice his elevator pitch. The first thing I asked him to describe was his “hook;” a word, phrase or sentence that would get a listener immediately in the mood to hear more about who he is and what he has to offer. It was no surprise that he was unable to articulate his hook, and so that became his first homework assignment.
We then focused on how he could ask for help so that people would be likely to offer him useful ideas, information, or advice. He immediately recognized that asking directly for a job or leads to job openings was too blunt, especially if he was meeting someone for the first time. He also realized that he was much more likely to gain support if he framed his request in a way that people would respond with “yes,” instead of “no”. This, then, became his second homework assignment: How to ask for help so that people will give a positive and supportive response.
Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving.
Mark Guterman
mark@alchemysearch.com
I have a new client, a senior IT professional, who has been struggling in his search for new employment. Though he has a well-documented track record, he’s had a very hard time getting interviews. His main search strategy has been to use the job boards, and after sending out at least 500 resumes in response to job openings, he has had exactly 8 interviews. His success rate of 1.6% is not very good, to say the least, but probably sounds all too familiar to those of you who utilize any of the local and national job boards.
He came to coaching with the question, “What am I doing wrong?” My response was that nearly everyone’s experience with posted jobs is about the same, and that if he relies only or primarily on “visible” job openings, he is severely limiting his odds of getting an interview. I added that he has “blinded” himself to the many opportunities that exist only in the hidden job market, those that never see the light of day.
When we started talking about networking, he laughed, and responded that he hasn’t been networking because he felt that someone at his level shouldn’t need to “beg” people for work or connections. He sees networking as a vague process and beneath his stature and experience. When we explored further, it turned out that he was embarrassed about networking mainly because he didn’t know how to tell his story in a way that was compelling and that he didn’t really know how to ask for help.
We began by having him script and practice his elevator pitch. The first thing I asked him to describe was his “hook;” a word, phrase or sentence that would get a listener immediately in the mood to hear more about who he is and what he has to offer. It was no surprise that he was unable to articulate his hook, and so that became his first homework assignment.
We then focused on how he could ask for help so that people would be likely to offer him useful ideas, information, or advice. He immediately recognized that asking directly for a job or leads to job openings was too blunt, especially if he was meeting someone for the first time. He also realized that he was much more likely to gain support if he framed his request in a way that people would respond with “yes,” instead of “no”. This, then, became his second homework assignment: How to ask for help so that people will give a positive and supportive response.
Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving.
Mark Guterman
mark@alchemysearch.com
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