How to Spot the Signs that the Honeymoon is over in your current role
You’ve been at your job for a while now, whether that means one year, two years, 5 or even 10 years. You feel you are stagnating. How do you spot the signs that it is time for a change…before you either are fired, or, you quit in frustration? 1) You don’t get the raise – If no one is getting a raise, then it’s just bad timing, or the revenue numbers are down, or the budget was not met. If you are the one not getting a raise and others are, then that is a sign of rough waters ahead. 2) You don’t get the promotion – If you were promised a promotion or change of title when you were hired and then someone else is brought in over your head, that is a sure sign that they are not going to keep their commitment to you. 3) You are being ignored by your boss or at meetings, or worse, you are put down in meetings for your ideas. It sounds like your input is not valued and that is not a good sign. 4) You are left out of the loop of important new developments…a merger…a new project…If you feel you are the last one to find out about changes in the company, that is not a good sign. 5) You are not sought after for your advice. If you have been with one company for long time and you are seen as the seasoned expert or guru in your field, people at all levels should be coming to you for advice. When that stops, then that is a clear sign that you are no longer considered the expert. The best time to start looking for your next job is while you are still working. It may take longer than you expect given that there is a tight job market and fewer openings. That means employers are pickier and looking for the ideal candidate. So there is no better time than now to start your job search in earnest. www.geffencareers.com
Differences between Your Resume and Your LInkedIn Profile
So you have a resume or maybe you have two or three, one for each job title or industry you want to work in. You have only one Linkedin Profile. Can you have more than one Linkedin profile? The answer is no. So what are the differences and how do you brand yourself in each medium?. 1) Tone: The resume is written in a formal tone using the 3rd person whereas LinkedIn Profile is written in the first person. You never use “I” in a resume. You want to do use it in the summary section of your LinkedIn Profile Show you are passionate about a particular aspect of your job or your industry or your clients. Be more informal and show something of your personality. 2) Photograph: The resume does not have a photo – Linked In profile has a photo. Use a professional photo, not a selfie or a cutsie one with your dog or your kid…save that for Facebook. It is worth the time and money to hire a professional portrait photographer and pose for your photograph. 3) References or recommendations – Years ago it was required to add the names and contact info of references. Now no one does except, perhaps, in academe on the C.V. But your LInkedIn Profile will increase your visibility with three recommendations from former supervisors, colleagues, or people who know you and your work well. Skip the endorsements which are relatively meaningless. Anyone can check off your skills but not just anyone can give you an outstanding recommendation. You can, and should, have more than one resume if you are looking for two or more different job titles. Each resume needs to pinpoint accomplishments specific to the job title you are going for. Each must reflect the key words of the job title, the industry and the company you are targeting. The LinkedIn profile has to combine all your skills, key words, and accomplishments so it shows the breadth and depth of your experience. www.geffencareers.com
Time Management in Your Job Search
So you are working full time and want to find a new job. How can you fit in all you need to do in your week? We have only 168 hours in a week. We cannot save it or bank it so how can you make the most of it? You need to spend 10-15 hours per week on your job search. That means 2 to 3 hours a each day or 15 hours on the weekend, or some combination of the two. Here’s an example of how to structure your week. 1. Monday. Plan your week by conducting research on potential companies. Write your direct mail letters to companies or organizations where you would like to work. 2. Tuesday. Call the companies from your direct mail list that you emailed yesterday to set up in-person meetings. 3. Wednesday. Attend a networking meeting or professional association event. Then follow up with emails to set up coffees, breakfast or lunch. 4. Thursday. Go to the in-person meetings with people from your direct emails. Meet a colleague or newly found friend for coffee or lunch or breakfast. 5. Friday. Follow up with an email to each person you met earlier in the week. Start planning for next week by doing research. Use your time wisely. Keep sending emails, calling companies (it may take several calls to reach the hiring manager). Meet at least one new person each week and have at least one in -person meeting each week. www.geffencareers.com
How to Deal with Rejection in Your Job Search
A job search is a lot like roulette. There are lots of numbers but the ball will only fall in one of them. What can you do to keep yourself motivated over the next few months? A job search consists of getting a lot of “no’s”. How do you deal with your emotional reaction, your disappointment after each “no.” 1. What is worse than a “no”? It is not hearing back from an email, an online job posting or a meeting. Don’t take it personally. You need to follow up. Don’t wait to hear back. 2. You need to keep hope alive by having 6-10 things in the works…that means writing directly to companies, answering ads, working with a search firm and networking. Keep writing. Keep calling. Keep getting meetings. Follow up after each meeting with each individual. 3. Make a poster with 99 “nos” and one “yes”. After each rejection – you write a letter and get no response, you make a call and get a no, you go on an interview and get a rejection, cross out one more no. Each “no” gets you closer to “yes.” 4. The “no’s” are not about you…so don’t take it personally. There are hundreds if not thousands of people looking for the same type of job you are looking for. Let’s say you get an interview and a second interview but don’t get the job. Don’t take it personally. Maybe they have an insider who got the position, maybe they have a friend or relative who got the position. Maybe they changed the requirements after interviewing a number of people. The best way to deal with rejection is to put it behind you and keep moving forward. As it is said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You need to keep a half dozen things in the works and follow up with each one. That way, you are not totally invested in only one open position. (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved To unsubscribe to this blog, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. www.geffencareers.com
How to Deal with Rejection in Your Job Search
A job search is a lot like roulette. There are lots of numbers but the ball will only fall in one of them. What can you do to keep yourself motivated over the next few months? A job search consists of getting a lot of “no’s”. How do you deal with your emotional reaction, your disappointment after each “no.” 1. What is worse than a “no”? It is not hearing back from an email, an online job posting or a meeting. Don’t take it personally. You need to follow up. Don’t wait to hear back. 2. You need to keep hope alive by having 6-10 things in the works…that means writing directly to companies, answering ads, working with a search firm and networking. Keep writing. Keep calling. Keep getting meetings. Follow up after each meeting with each individual. 3. Make a poster with 99 “nos” and one “yes”. After each rejection – you write a letter and get no response, you make a call and get a no, you go on an interview and get a rejection, cross out one more no. Each “no” gets you closer to “yes.” 4. The “no’s” are not about you…so don’t take it personally. There are hundreds if not thousands of people looking for the same type of job you are looking for. Let’s say you get an interview and a second interview but don’t get the job. Don’t take it personally. Maybe they have an insider who got the position, maybe they have a friend or relative who got the position. Maybe they changed the requirements after interviewing a number of people. The best way to deal with rejection is to put it behind you and keep moving forward. As it is said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You need to keep a half dozen things in the works and follow up with each one. That way, you are not totally invested in only one open position. (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved To unsubscribe to this blog, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. www.geffencareers.com
How to Deal with Rejection in Your Job Search
A job search is a lot like roulette. There are lots of numbers but the ball will only fall in one of them. What can you do to keep yourself motivated over the next few months? A job search consists of getting a lot of “no’s”. How do you deal with your emotional reaction, your disappointment after each “no.” 1. What is worse than a “no”? It is not hearing back from an email, an online job posting or a meeting. Don’t take it personally. You need to follow up. Don’t wait to hear back. 2. You need to keep hope alive by having 6-10 things in the works…that means writing directly to companies, answering ads, working with a search firm and networking. Keep writing. Keep calling. Keep getting meetings. Follow up after each meeting with each individual. 3. Make a poster with 99 “nos” and one “yes”. After each rejection – you write a letter and get no response, you make a call and get a no, you go on an interview and get a rejection, cross out one more no. Each “no” gets you closer to “yes.” 4. The “no’s” are not about you…so don’t take it personally. There are hundreds if not thousands of people looking for the same type of job you are looking for. Let’s say you get an interview and a second interview but don’t get the job. Don’t take it personally. Maybe they have an insider who got the position, maybe they have a friend or relative who got the position. Maybe they changed the requirements after interviewing a number of people. The best way to deal with rejection is to put it behind you and keep moving forward. As it is said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You need to keep a half dozen things in the works and follow up with each one. That way, you are not totally invested in only one open position. (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved To unsubscribe to this blog, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. www.geffencareers.com
5 Tips for Making a Job Transition
Are you unhappy in your current job? Or, are they unhappy with you? Don’t wait to start your journey. It may take longer than you expect to move to another company or a different position in a different field. 1) Start early. Don’t wait until you leave your job, get fired or get fed up! The sooner you start on the following steps, the closer you will be to getting your next position. Unless you are planning to retire, take a week or two off but not more, then get started. 2) Take stock of your human capital: strengths, skills, interests, values, and weaknesses. What skills can be transitioned to a new job title or a new industry? What would you really like to do? 3) Be realistic. It takes time to make a change from profit to non-profit, or vice versa. It takes time to realign your skills and successes to meet the needs of a different industry. While you won’t be able to become a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist without additional education, your past work experience can be re-purposed. What is possible: the easiest and shortest route is the same job you have now at a different company. The second easiest is the same job in a different industry. And the hardest is a different job title using your transferable skills and that may require additional education or training. 4) Research You can learn only so much by going online to a company website, reading trade publications, reviews on Glassdoor, the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. You need to talk to real people in real jobs. Find out how they got into their careers, what steps did they take. Therefore, you need to go to the next step: 5) Grow your network. Join the professional organization for your job title. If you are a woman, join two organizations, one that is co-ed and one just for women. Become activie on a committee or event so other members get to know you, trust you, and can recommend you. Become a member of your alumni association and get involved. The objective is to develop relationships with people in your newly chosen field, not merely meet dozens of people on a superficial level. www.geffencareers.com
5 Tips for your job search
As I have said many times, a job search is a marathon, not a sprint. So what are the five things you need to remember to keep doing, day after day, week after week, month after month? 1) Be Persistent- Follow up on every lead, evey new person you meet, after every meeting and after every interview. 2) Keep expanding your network – You can always meet new people through volunteering, serving on a committee of your professional associaton, or your alumni chapter, or through a current contact. 3) Check in once a week with a friend, colleague or coach to stay on track. What did you do last week t omove yourjob search forward? What are your plans for the coming week? Any emaisl? calls? interviews? networking meetings? 4) Don’t wait for hiring managers or interviewers to get back to you. Get back to them with additional information, accomplishments, ideas to help solve their problems or actual written proposals. 5) Take care of yourself – Get enough sleep, some exercise, eat right, and have some fun! Make time for yourself each week – whether that is getting a massage, eating your favorite dessert, going to the movies or a museum, meeting a friend for lunch, hiking, biking, gardening or painting. Remember that a job search is a full-time job for those of you not working and a part-time job for those of you working. (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved. — GEFFEN C A R E E R S www.geffencareers.com
5 Steps Closer to “YES”
So you are going on interviews and second interviews, but not hearing back. You wonder, What is going on and how can you increase your response rate? (1) Be prepared with your specific accomplishments that can help solve the problems of that job in that company. Your resume, cover letter, pitch and interview answers must specifically address the skills required and the problems faced by the person in the position they are hiring for. (2) Make sure you fit into the culture – Is it suit and tie button down or loosey goosey wear what you will? Find out in advance so you dress appropriately for the interview. (3) Follow up immediately after each interview with each person who interviewed you. If you see more than one person serially or in a group at one time, write a separate tailored email to each person. Mention something specific they talked about at the interview. Show how you can help that person. (4) The ball is always in your court. Maybe the hiring manager is busy, on vacation, or is procrastinating because s/he has other projects to complete. If you don’t hear within two weeks then follow up first with an email and then with a phone call. (5) Keep all the balls in the air. That means keep writing to your list of targeted companies. Keep following up with emails and phone calls. Keep networking to meet new people. Keep meeting people for coffee or lunch to deepen your relationship and get introductions to more people. A job search has a lot of “nos” and rejections. No to the the application, No to the email. No to the phone call. No to the interview. No after the interview. No to the final selection. That is why you must keep doing what you are doing and never give up! Each “no” gets you one step closer to “yes”! (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved www.geffencareers.com
5 Steps Closer to "YES"
So you are going on interviews and second interviews, but not hearing back. You wonder, What is going on and how can you increase your response rate? (1) Be prepared with your specific accomplishments that can help solve the problems of that job in that company. Your resume, cover letter, pitch and interview answers must specifically address the skills required and the problems faced by the person in the position they are hiring for. (2) Make sure you fit into the culture – Is it suit and tie button down or loosey goosey wear what you will? Find out in advance so you dress appropriately for the interview. (3) Follow up immediately after each interview with each person who interviewed you. If you see more than one person serially or in a group at one time, write a separate tailored email to each person. Mention something specific they talked about at the interview. Show how you can help that person. (4) The ball is always in your court. Maybe the hiring manager is busy, on vacation, or is procrastinating because s/he has other projects to complete. If you don’t hear within two weeks then follow up first with an email and then with a phone call. (5) Keep all the balls in the air. That means keep writing to your list of targeted companies. Keep following up with emails and phone calls. Keep networking to meet new people. Keep meeting people for coffee or lunch to deepen your relationship and get introductions to more people. A job search has a lot of “nos” and rejections. No to the the application, No to the email. No to the phone call. No to the interview. No after the interview. No to the final selection. That is why you must keep doing what you are doing and never give up! Each “no” gets you one step closer to “yes”! (c) 2018 Amy Geffen All rights reserved www.geffencareers.com